Even in Death

by Eden Wildblood

  The alpha wasn’t far behind Brodie, and while Archie bristled, he didn’t seem as scared as before. The vampire soldier had taken the second blast for him after all, and in doing so had also saved his life.

  “Damn right we’re gonna help,” Archie agreed, and he took a seat at the table.

  “You need to get that witch under control though,” Brodie hissed, but then smiled at her. “It’s good to have you back. I haven’t missed your voice in my head, but I will admit it’s not been the same without you here.”

  “What’s going on out there—” a woman’s voice then called from down the hall and Wynter did a double take. Someone else was here too?

  She was about to ask the same question of her hosts, when a tiny woman with a huge pregnant belly waddled in and took a look around the room at the sorry group. She paled at the sight of the alpha, and understandably so, but smiled when she saw Wynter. “I’ve been expecting you,” the young woman said, and as the surprised jinni stared back at her in surprise, so too did Brodie and Archie.

  “What?” they both asked in unison, and the girl shrugged.

  “I’ve been dreaming about her,” she answered them and then waddled closer, clearly far from afraid even after all the commotion she’d heard. “Mara, isn’t it?”

  ***

  Archie stared at Wynter, who was looking over at Rosa with a confused look. In fact, looking around the room, everyone seemed confused. Except Rosalie. She was grinning, looking at Wynter like she was an old friend and couldn’t believe she didn’t recognise her.

  “Who’s Mara?” Archie finally broke the silence.

  “She is, isn’t she?” Rosa answered, and then suddenly all eyes were back on Wynter. “Well, now that I think about it, she had red hair in my dreams. But it was definitely her.”

  “I…I…” Wynter was trying to say, but she couldn’t seem to form a proper reply.

  “No, this is Wynter. Remember, the jinni I was telling you about?” Brodie told Rosalie, who then frowned. “She used to live here but was taken away by the vampire who she used to work for.”

  “Yeah, Marcus. She told me all about how wonderful he is,” Rosalie continued, and then stared at Wynter with such a sure look on her face Archie couldn’t help but believe her. “I remember now. You’re my cousin and you said we’d be together soon. That you’d be here in time for the baby coming because you said I could go and live with you and Uncle Jack?”

  “What?” Brodie and Archie both asked again, looking from Rosa to the still bewildered looking Wynter.

  They were looking back to Rosalie when a small giggle erupted from Wynter’s chest, like she’d been trying to hold it back but couldn’t do so any longer.

  Archie turned to her and watched as her face lit up and, with another giggle, she swept her hands up over her hair, transforming it into a bright red shade right before their eyes.

  “That’s better,” she said, still beaming up at Rosa.

  “It can’t be, you were just a baby when Marcella gave Wynter your heart,” Brodie cried, shaking his head.

  “I was indeed, and was ready and willing to become little more than a battery for Wynter so that she could live the life my master wanted her to live, but then she started to feel sad for me. She tried to talk to me and guide me into thinking the way she did, but instead I realised it was me who needed to guide her. I helped her to forget the past and see my master the way I saw him. To want to serve him and be everything he needed for her to be,” she told him with a coy smile, and Archie had to bite his tongue. He was about to start shouting again, but remembered with ease just what the witch beside him was capable of and forced himself to calm down.

  “You love him,” Brodie replied, and Mara nodded.

  “Of course. And it wasn’t long before that love began pouring into Wynter too. Thanks to me she’s grown so much since you last saw her. She’s strong and powerful, the leader of an army!”

  “Queen,” the huge vampire soldier that’d been otherwise silent and motionless since coming to join them hissed, and Archie shuddered at the gravelly sound.

  “Yes,” Mara agreed, smiling up at him, “she’s their queen now. Her fate is tied to theirs, and with her by my master’s side, he cannot lose. You’d all do well to come and join us…”

  Archie was livid. The poor girl was clearly insanely loyal to that asshole of a vampire. So much so that no matter what was said about him or the evidence she had to have seen for herself, she would never do a thing to hinder his rise to the top. Mara was merely a child, but she had to have been looking at the world through Wynter’s eyes since having had her physical life snuffed out, and of course that world had to have been pretty intense.

  “You’re insane, Mara. Blinded by love and loyalty and you’re dragging Wynter down with you. Marcus is your master, but not ours,” he told her, forcing his voice to remain calm and even in an attempt to not rile her. “You might be controlling Wynter and forcing her to stay with him, but you can’t force us.”

  Mara began laughing.

  “I might be forcing her to stay, but that’s it. The rest is all on her,” she told him, and then Archie watched as she blushed and ran her hand up her neck and to her lips, smiling at him. “I might be young, but I’m not naïve. I know how it feels to fuck him, and I also know how it feels when he makes love to me—I mean her…”

  She then sat back in her seat and glowered across at the group, as if she was annoyed with herself having let slip how enamoured she was with her master, but it was obvious anyway. Archie felt like telling her so, but knew there was nothing he could do to change things. All he could hope was that Wynter was strong enough to know her own mind when it came to her time with Marcus, and that she didn’t forget who she was, even when Mara was holding the wheel.

  Sixteen

  That was it. Enough was bloody enough. Wynter had seen and heard more than she would’ve ever entertained under any other circumstances and she wasn’t going to let Mara use her body like a puppet any longer. Since when had she been able to talk and force herself out in such a way as she just had with Archie and the others? And where the hell had this plan involving the poor pregnant girl standing in the doorway come from? Somehow she’d been left out of all this plotting and planning, and she was far from impressed.

  Wynter knew she had to take the wheel again and so began pushing against Mara’s hold over her. But it was no use. The harder she pushed the firmer the invisible yet impenetrable barrier surrounding her became, and so she tried another tactic. The power to transform belonged to her jinni side, of course. The witch needed to be put back in her box and so Wynter focused on her own power, not that which emanated from Mara’s heart. She called to every cell in her body and commanded them to revert back to their natural form, and just as Mara opened her mouth to speak out of turn to Archie again, she instigated the change.

  Her body turned to white smoke mid-sentence, and a split-second later Wynter was whole again, and herself.

  She could sense Mara’s rage within at being cast back inside her cell, but didn’t care. The insolent witch could scream and shout if she wanted too, Wynter wasn’t listening.

  “What the actual fuck?” she cried, staring at Brodie in shock as she settled back inside her own makeshift skin. “Did you know something like that could happen?” she asked, and needed guidance from the mentor she had come to the island to find. But he couldn’t seem to fathom an answer, which meant no.

  “Maybe it’s the same principle as two jinni’s living as one? Each can come and go when strong enough?” Archie guessed, and Wynter wanted to throttle him purely because it looked like he might actually be right.

  She climbed to her feet and stormed out, having suddenly felt overcome with sadness and rage. Just as she reached the opening that led out of the cave, she was wrenched back and turned to scowl at who had dared try and stop her. It was the alpha, and so she let him have it. She punched and kicked him to the ground without a care for any pain he might feel
. In fact, she didn’t think he could feel pain at all, and so gave him everything she had in a bid to quench the awful thoughts rising within her. She’d been played. Used by Mara to get her here and led to believe it was for her own reasons the entire time.

  When she’d had enough she started screaming and crying, holding herself in a ball on the ground.

  “Wynter…” the vampire soldier groaned, still loyal as ever in spite of her viciousness.

  “Why are we here?” she cried into her hands, “she did this. She made me think I had to come back, when actually she was drawing us here for something else.”

  Wynter snapped her head up and looked into the red eyes of her insanely devoted companion, things finally falling into place. “Or someone else.”

  The still wide-eyed jinni climbed back up onto her feet and took a second to compose herself before skulking back into the house, and to the group she knew had to have seen her lose it just minutes before. She felt ashamed and confused, but knew that it would not be like this forever. She was here to learn, and so she would. No matter Mara’s real reasons for drawing her back to the island.

  “Wynter, I—” Archie began, but she reached for his hand and shook her head.

  “Later. I’m just trying to find my voice right now, and first thing’s first,” she interjected, and then turned to look at the young woman who had now taken a seat beside Rafferty at the kitchen counter—not that she could see him there of course. “Mara came to you? She said you’re her cousin?” she asked, trying to get her head around what she’d said before Mara had broken through.

  “Yes, my name’s Rosalie Summers. A man called Jack Summers works for Mr Cole, and he’s my uncle. He went to work at a nightclub when I was little and I haven’t seen him since, but I remember my dad talking about him. He told us his brother chose a career over a family, but Mara told me differently. In my dreams she said he’s married to a witch and that they were going to have her, but that she was chosen to save you instead,” Rosalie answered, and Wynter’s heart sank. “But she said that it was okay because her mother is having another baby?”

  Wynter nodded, and actually felt quite gobsmacked. She remembered Jack’s surname from the nameplate on his door back at Slave, and it was indeed Summers.

  Had Mara really known that this girl, Rosalie, was on the island with Brodie and the others? There was that one vision Wynter had of Marcella feeding two babies, perhaps that prophecy also wasn’t meant for her, but for Mara?

  And of course there was the issue of her having gone into Rosalie’s dreams. If so, that had to mean there were other things Mara knew and was doing, and all without Wynter having any control over it.

  Now that was a scary thought.

  “It’s true,” she told the young woman, and then addressed the rest of their small group. “It appears there are other forces in play that I wasn’t aware of, but please trust me when I assure you that I’m going to get a grip of things. And with that in mind, I’m gonna need your help,” Wynter fixed her eyes on Brodie, who nodded.

  “It’s about time I taught you what it means to be a jinni, and remind you who’s more powerful between you and the witch who dared to take you for a test drive,” he answered, his dark face lighting up as a far bigger smile began to dominate his features.

  This was exactly what she’d been looking for, and mirrored her maker’s smile.

  “When do we begin?” she asked, and Brodie didn’t so much as look at the clock.

  He climbed to his feet and offered her his hand.

  “No time like the present.”

  ***

  “She knows,” Marcus told his Priestess when she appeared at his command, and didn’t need to elaborate. As always, his powerful companion was of the same mind set, and probably had more information than he did regarding his wife’s exploits. But he didn’t mind. She shared the pertinent details with him and Marcus knew he could trust Marcella to have his interests at heart no matter what the future entailed for her own offspring. She had proven so months previously by giving up the physical life of the child she had hoped to bear, and hundreds of times since.

  But right now it was his alpha who was serving him best. The soldier was coming back to him with increasingly regular updates on their progress at the island, and it was clear things hadn’t taken long before they’d turned nasty. Marcella had warned him that Wynter wouldn’t like being used, and he’d seen for himself just how she’d lashed out at the vampire soldier guarding her when realisation had struck. But it mattered naught. The end result was worth it, even if he despised having to be without his beloved wife in the interim.

  “My lord, I had another vision,” she replied, stepping closer.

  “And?”

  “She will bring them to us,” Marcella informed him, “but there will be a price. An innocent life must be lost.”

  “It will be paid…” he answered, “nothing can stop us. Not now we’ve gotten so far.”

  “So shall it be,” the Priestess answered, and then she slowly retreated before disappearing into the shadows.

  Marcus stood and peered out the window to the gardens that spread out all around the huge mansion he had taken and made a home. His Supervisors were slowly leaving now, except those remaining for their periods of servitude as his Blood Slaves, and it was nice having the house so quiet again now that their training was over with. Just the necessary few remained now, and Wynter was sure to find a huge difference when she returned.

  He knew she liked the hustle and bustle, whereas he was the opposite and, of course, what he wanted was more important. She would honour his wishes, he was sure. Or at least, she would come to. Like in all things, she’d undoubtedly argue and perhaps say that his new employees should’ve stayed with them a while longer, but Marcus had finished playing his game over the blood letting and didn’t need, or want, them there any longer.

  His heart ached, and it wasn’t for blood or power, but for the closeness of the woman his soul had merged with. She was his now and forevermore, and being apart was agonising. Marcus remembered back to all those he had met before that were merged, and how he’d pitied them. But now, he was the poor wretch who was stuck pining for the woman he loved. Would she be angry if he took it upon himself to follow her to the island? Yes, he was sure she would. And of course, it would alter the path of what he knew was to come, which was not an option.

  He would simply have to endure.

  Blood would help, and so he summoned his next feed and made quick work of setting the young offering up to a tube, which he sucked on like a straw. He felt pathetic, and quelled those shameful inner taunts by gulping down the blood flowing into his mouth in droves, rather than stem it and sip gently as usual.

  Marcus stopped with mere moments to spare before the young man laid out before him would be dead, but rather than care for his safety, the vampire simply summoned for Bryn to aide him with IV bags and his trusty nursing skills.

  And then he simply summoned the next slave, and then the next.

  By morning every Blood Slave in the house was recuperating, and Marcus was still ill at ease. He wanted more, and was about to start again on the first man, when Marcella appeared and blocked his path with her tiny frame.

  “The trouble this would cause between you and the High Committee of Vampires would be catastrophic to our plight, my lord. Control your thirst. Remember where she has gone and why,” she implored him, and Marcus was about to scurry around her when her words sunk in.

  This was what being without Wynter did to him. The last time had seen him take hundreds of lives because of his unquenchable thirst, and this would be no different if he didn’t get a grip of himself. He reminded himself that she hadn’t left him. That she wasn’t lost or had run away, but was on a mission. One he had readily sent her on. And a mission that, when successful, would bring him something worth far more than an army of vampires or powerful coven could offer.

  He decided to write her a letter instead. One he could bu
rn the moment he’d finished it and never actually show her, but that would surely help him clear his head. The world wasn’t right without her in it, and Marcus knew he had funny ways of showing or telling her so, but he did love her. With his entire being, not just his heart and soul.

  Seventeen

  Twenty-four hours had passed and still, they were training. Brodie had at first taken Wynter out into the cave to get started, but it was clear from all the crashing and banging that’d quickly followed that they’d needed more space. Archie was glad for the quiet, but after they’d gone all he could think about was how that witch had glared at him through Wynter’s eyes. She had wanted him dead for daring to speak out about Marcus, even after everything he had done to those he cared about.

  She was dangerous indeed, and he knew now to tread a lot more carefully with Wynter, because evidently Mara was watching the world through her eyes whether she liked it or not. And to that poor little witch, Marcus was everything. End of story.

  “Hey Rosa, you doing okay?” he asked his fellow human, who hadn’t said much in the aftermath of Mara’s big reveal. She’d seemed to be taking it all in though, and hadn’t gone running and hiding away, which was something at least.

  “Yeah, just trying to get my head around it all,” she answered, and then winced and repositioned herself. The baby had been giving her some serious jabs to the ribs lately and Archie smiled as he reached out his hand and gave her bump a gentle tap.

  “Naughty,” he whispered.

  “Already giving me grief,” she joked, “but I’m ready for more. I know what I need to do now, Archie. I’m going to live with my Uncle Jack.”

  He gulped and turned away in shock. He hadn’t known what to expect, but it hadn’t been for her to reveal that. He’d thought they were going to stay on the island together—him, Brodie and the two newcomers.