Even in Death

by Eden Wildblood

  “They’re bad people, Rosa. Can’t you see? I know he’s family, but that doesn’t mean shit. He still gave his life to that vile vampire who has ruined Wynter’s life. Brodie and me, we’re the ones who’ve been here for you when it mattered. Can’t you just stay with us?” he begged, and Rosalie simply smiled softly and shook her head. She was so calm it was freaky, and Archie just couldn’t believe her. He had to make her see. “Your baby will be born good. It will develop its powers over time and be a shifter. Brodie said it’ll only become a werewolf if it isn’t given a different path. A path anyone but Marcus can lead you both down.”

  “I trust you with my life, Archie. It’s not that I don’t want you to be with me in this, but it’s the right thing to do,” she answered, rubbing her belly thoughtfully. “I feel it in my bones. Wynter…Mara…whatever her name is, she was sent here to get me. To take us both where we’re meant to be. I want you and Brodie to come too, but I know you can’t let go of the past. So when the time comes, we will have to all go our separate ways.”

  He wanted to cry. To scream and rant and rave. But it was no use. They had gotten inside her head and Rosalie seemed ready to go without so much as a backward glance at the two men who had saved her life and given her a safe home ever since. It was insane. Like some sort of cult mentality, but then, their nefarious leader hadn’t even set eyes on the poor girl yet and she was already doing his bidding.

  “Fuck this,” he seethed, and shot to his feet. If they’d gotten to Rosalie that was one thing, but he wasn’t about to let Mara influence Brodie too. He and Wynter were up on the summit training, but for all he knew it might’ve all been a ruse to get him alone so she could dig her claws into him as well.

  Archie ran for the door and he grabbed his thick coat from the hook before taking off out the cave and up the cobbled path to the top of the island. He was just reaching the top when he heard Brodie screaming in pain.

  “Control her…” he bellowed, and Archie was careful not to be spotted as he reached the top of the steps and took in what was going on before him.

  Brodie was on the ground on his stomach and Wynter was straddling him, her hands around his neck as she tried to wrench him backwards. She looked up and locked eyes with Archie, and had the audacity to wink at him before snapping Brodie’s neck.

  “No!” he cried, watching as his boyfriend slumped to the ground, and was about to make a run for him when Wynter clambered back and put her hands up.

  “Stop, Archie. Stop!” she called, and it was the grey vampire soldier who then intercepted him and grabbed his arms, pulling Archie to a halt. He tried to fight, but it was no use. All he could do was watch as Brodie lay lifeless on the ground and Wynter stood staring down at him in shock.

  Everything stilled for a few moments, and then Brodie suddenly turned to smoke before reappearing back in his usual fleshy form, much to Archie’s immediate relief.

  “Don’t let her rule you, Wynter,” he snapped at her, and then saw for himself that they now had a small audience. He simply offered Archie a swift nod to let him know everything was fine, and then turned his attention back to his fellow jinni.

  “Make me force her away. Give me more, please,” she begged, and Brodie let out a huff.

  “I’m gonna go to places you don’t want?” he replied, pacing around her.

  “Do it,” Wynter cried, her eyes wide, “I need to control her. I need to stay strong.”

  “Remember back to this time last year. Where were you? What were you doing?” he commanded, and Wynter didn’t need long before she answered him.

  “I was at the mansion with Jak. We talked for hours,” she replied, tears falling from her eyes. “He took me for a drive and…and…” she couldn’t seem to finish.

  “And he fucked you over the bonnet of his car,” Brodie carried on for her, and Archie remembered how he’d told him he was living within her at the time when all of this happened. He would’ve seen what she saw the entire time. He may not like women, but he had to admit that would’ve surely been hot. “What did he say? What did he make you see?”

  “That I was nothing. Nothing worth loving. No one worth risking a single thing for. But that I could change it. I could find the woman worth all of those things and become her,” she whimpered, clutching at her chest, “he showed me I could start again. That I had to love myself before anyone was going to love me back.”

  “And do you love the woman you are today?” Brodie pressed.

  “No,” she answered gravely, and began to sob harder as tears wracked her body.

  Archie went limp in the soldier’s hold and felt him let go, but knew he wouldn’t let him go to the two Jinn before him. The soldier was watching too, but evidently had been tasked with letting whatever was going on play out.

  “You loved Jakob and Marcus took him away from you. He butchered him and even forced you to look upon the bloody mess that was once your soul mate. And all while Marcella was giving you a gift you never asked for. She was forcing Marcus’s will upon you, and you never once said yes or agreed to it, did you?”

  “No,” Wynter answered, her tears of anguish turning to cries of anger.

  “She never asked you to take the life of her unborn child in your hands, and she never asked if you wanted a gift which would leave you beholden to both her and Marcus forever.”

  “No,” she growled, her eyes burning into his.”

  “And now you’re supposed to be grateful? You didn’t ask for this, so what are you gonna do about it? Are you gonna keep feeling guilty and letting Mara walk all over you, or are you gonna come back stronger than ever and stop her from saying or doing anything without your say so?”

  Wynter’s head shot back and she started to giggle, just like she had in the kitchen before revealing she was in fact Mara. The same appeared to be happening now, and she glared up at Brodie, still sniggering like a child.

  “She doesn’t let me do anything, foolish jinni. I just do. I’m more powerful than she is and she cannot stop me,” she teased, but then started to shudder like some sort of jolt of energy was running through her.

  “You’re nothing but a battery pack, little witch. Get back in your box,” Brodie answered, and then they all watched as Wynter fell on her knees and arched her back so that she was staring up into the sky.

  Archie leaned forward, trying to see what she was doing, but then jumped out of his skin when she let out a piercing scream. It was so loud he couldn’t think straight, and even the vampire beside him put his hands up over his ears at the bloodcurdling sound.

  When she was finally done, Wynter seemed to somehow explode into a wave of white mist that then wafted across the entire plain and rolled around the acre or so of space. It was even billowing around his feet, and Archie watched her stretch out further, wrapping the landscape as far as he could see in white. It was as if a blizzard had just fallen, but instead of snow, it was thick, curling wisps of foggy white haze.

  He started to wheeze as the smoke rose up around him, stifling the air and blocking out any and all view that was left, and began to panic.

  “Wynter,” he choked, “you’re loved. We all love you, including me. I’m sorry for judging you. Come back to us.”

  He was just starting to lose consciousness when the fog began to lower and slowly recede. It was still flowing back to the centre spot on the ground when Archie found his footing again, and he watched as Wynter transformed back into her usual guise.

  She was sitting curled in a ball, her arms wrapped tightly around herself and the tears continued to fall, but at least she was herself again. Archie ran to her and was just wrapping his arms around her when Brodie did the same, followed quickly by the vampire who Archie wanted to push away, but instead forced himself to let play his part in her recovery. Wynter was cocooned within their grip and none of them were letting go. Not until she was ready.

  ***

  Wynter felt reborn. As if her skin itself was new, not just her outlook and the driving for
ce behind everything she thought, said, and did. Mara was still there, but she was quiet. Nothing more than a niggling voice in the back of her head that didn’t need to be listened to, and as she lifted her head and peered into the eyes of those holding her in their arms, she knew who deserved to have their voices heard too. Not the infant witch forcing her to listen out of guilt, but the friends she held dear. Those who had guided her all this way without an ounce of selfishness, but for her own good.

  Even the alpha was there, and as she watched him, she saw a light behind his otherwise cold, red, and dead eyes. Perhaps he wasn’t soulless after all.

  “Thank you,” she told them, particularly Brodie who had faced the brunt of it all and thankfully come through in one piece, but she knew it would’ve taken its toll on him. His days as an entire being would be shortened because of her, and she vowed to find him a way to survive longer before being forced back into a cage. One that didn’t involve taking what he could from multiple sources.

  She could feel Archie shivering with the cold against her and so clambered to her feet, nodding to her maker. “Let’s get back,” she said, and Brodie made quick work of leading the small group down the dark pathway and back to the cave, where the smell of food greeted them.

  Archie was the only one to react to the scent, but Brodie grinned and she saw him watch the human jog away towards the beckoning smell of his dinner.

  “I know,” he then groaned, fixing his pale green eyes on hers. “I’ve got it bad.”

  “It’s nice to see,” Wynter replied, “and about time you let yourself feel something again.”

  “Speaking of…how do you feel?” he asked her and Wynter had to stop and actually think before she answered.

  “Like shit, but also really good—if that’s a thing? The pain and guilt is still there, but mostly I just feel stronger in both my will and my abilities.”

  “I get it. And trust me when I tell you that those feelings might never go, but hopefully you’ll figure out how to overcome those burdens sooner than later. They never got me anywhere,” Brodie admitted, and Wynter knew all too well just how badly his grief had taken hold. She wouldn’t let herself be the same. She would learn from his mistakes rather than repeat them, much like any apprentice from their mentor.

  When they went back inside the main house, Archie was just finishing up his meal and he beckoned them both over to him with a frown.

  “Rosa’s dead set on taking the baby to the mansion with you,” he told her, and Wynter grimaced. She’d been worrying about this ever since Mara’s deception had been unveiled.

  “I think that was always the plan, with or without any intervention from us,” she replied.

  “Does Marcus want her or the baby for any reason you might know of?” Brodie asked her, and Wynter wracked her brains trying to think of one, but came up empty.

  “No. But perhaps Marcella wants it?” she tried, thinking of the vision she’d had in which the Priestess was feeding two babies and Wynter had taken it as her having twins. Maybe it was Rosalie’s baby in the vision instead?

  “Either way, we can’t let Rosa go without thinking this through. A shifter baby is bad enough, but having a full-blown werewolf for a father? Steps need to be taken so that she keeps that child away from anyone who might want to have that sort of power at their command,” Archie hissed, keeping his voice low on purpose because they all knew that if Rosalie overheard then she wouldn’t be happy.

  “Agreed,” she told him, and with a nod they then finished their little huddle and parted ways.

  When she was alone though, Wynter struggled with her thoughts and urges. She reached for a nearby phone, thinking she might call Marcus and try and speak with him about what had happened with Mara. She wanted to know if he’d had any idea she was growing so strong, but knew there were other reasons too. She actually found herself missing him. Now that she’d silenced the witch within, Wynter was left with an entirely different set of thoughts and feelings, and strangely she was still thinking of her husband even without Mara’s influence.

  It was a welcome relief when Brodie came to find her before she could pick up that phone. He was followed quickly by Archie, and the pair of them took a seat on the sofas and began a debate over which movie they were going to watch that night.

  Wynter smiled and set her things aside before snuggling down in her seat. It was nice to be home. Nice to be with her bickering friends, even if the dynamic between them had changed dramatically since the last time she saw them. The two of them were actually a couple now, she could tell. They were sat close to one another and Archie had a fire in his eyes when he looked at Brodie that was simply unmistakeable. She had seen it up on the island’s summit when he’d come to check on them, and even though Mara had been in charge at that point in time, it was easy to see that Archie had been terrified for his lover. He’d been scared to lose him and had tried charging at Wynter in a bid to stop her from hurting him.

  “Promise me you won’t ever take Mara on again, Archie,” she groaned, abruptly halting their conversation. “She will kill you. I’m taking charge. Listening to Brodie and heeding his advice, but there will always be that one per-cent of the time that she might break through, and I do not want to risk your safety should that happen.”

  “I won’t, or at least I’ll try. I ‘cannae help myself sometimes, but I’ll learn too,” he answered and she smiled.

  “A headstrong Scotsman, who would’ve thought,” she teased, and then ducked the sofa cushion that came flying towards her. “Case and point!” Wynter giggled, sending one flying back at him.

  Rosalie then popped her head around the doorway, as though checking the coast was clear, and came to join them.

  “Hey,” she said as she took the seat beside Wynter on the sofa. She was confused at first as to why the young woman would want to sit with a stranger, but then remembered that in her mind, they were already friends. And even more than that, they were family.

  “Hey,” she answered, and then reached over to put her hand on the large baby bump the small girl was negotiating. As she did, Wynter was bombarded with visions of Rosalie and the dreams she’d had with Mara in them. They washed over her and Wynter couldn’t help but jump back in shock. She then turned to the wide-eyed girl and smiled. The visions had put it all into perspective for her and she could finally see how there was in fact no ulterior motive behind Mara’s visits. And actually, it might be the best choice for her to come back to the mansion after all. “She meant every word, you know? You truly are family, Rosalie, and will be welcomed at the mansion with open arms. But you have to know who you’re dealing with once you get there, okay?”

  “Okay,” she replied timidly, “so tell me.”

  “There’s the hordes of vampire soldiers, like my behemoth of a friend over there,” she told her, pointing to the alpha, who didn’t so much as flinch or grunt in greeting. “But they’re locked away so you don’t need to worry about them. I command the armies for Marcus, who is my husband.”

  “And he’s the vampire Brodie and Archie warned me about? The one who killed your ex-boyfriend because he was jealous?” Rosalie asked, and in spite of her gentle tone the words were like a kick to Wynter’s gut.

  She choked on her reply and had to take a second to compose herself before trying again.

  “Yes,” she croaked and looked to her fellow jinni, who seemed just as surprised by Rosalie’s candour.

  “And you love him now?” she carried on, and Wynter suddenly felt like she was being interrogated, but figured it was best she tell them all the truth. She had come to realise a lot since Mara’s awakening, and knew that what she saw when she looked in the mirror now wasn’t entirely pretty.

  “When he killed Jak, I was in the midst of the magic that put Mara’s heart inside mine. I wasn’t myself and so he took advantage of the chance to tear me from my merged soul mate. Marcus then took me away and tried to make me love him, but I couldn’t. Even Mara tried, and she brought us togeth
er, but it wasn’t until his soul merged with the remains of mine that I was finally his. There was no acceptance, but the sheer force of his love overwhelmed me and I was made to love him back.”

  The room fell utterly silent, and Wynter watched as Archie’s face fell.

  “I didn’t realise you’d merged with him,” he whispered.

  “That’s how she clawed her way to the surface. She merged with him too,” Brodie added, and it made sense. Mara had wanted this all along and had pushed Wynter to accept Marcus’s advances. Her soul was already his long before she was turned into a power source for his jinni lover and so when he was ready to finally let his soul merge, hers was ready and waiting, with or without Wynter’s say so.

  “So yeah, I love him in my own way while he loves me in his,” she told Rosalie with a shrug.

  “Good, because I want you both to raise the baby as your own,” the girl replied resolutely, surprising them all. “Mara made me see that the best place for it is there with Uncle Jack, but I don’t want my child being raised alongside a witch as an adopted sibling. They’ll constantly be compared to one another and my child will not fit in with them. Their powers will manifest in ways I won’t even see coming, but if you take it, you can give it guidance. Raise the baby as Mara’s cousin, but I don’t feel like I can do it myself. This baby is going to need things I just know I won’t be able to provide, but you will. And you’ve lost so much that you understand how I feel, don’t you? I know you can give this baby the love it deserves.”

  “Rosa, no!” Archie cried, but she ignored him.

  “Please, Wynter. Tell me you’ll do this for me?”

  “You can’t know how you’ll feel until the baby’s here, Rosalie. Please, don’t make any rash decisions,” Wynter replied, but she was met with an utterly unyielding stare from the poor girl.

  “I’ve been through hell and cannot spend the rest of my life looking at the reminder of it. Please…”

  Wynter’s heart broke for her, and all she could do was nod. She knew she had to take away this burden the poor girl felt. She had to help, and Rosalie was right. If her child was raised alongside a powerful young witch they would always be compared to them. Always be second best. But with a different set of parents they might just stand the chance of shining brighter. Of becoming something more than the lore dictated they would be.