Fate's Journey (Scourge Survivor Series Book 5)

by JL Madore

  Well, I guess that summed up my life, didn’t it?

  On the outer plateau, I turned to Cameron. “Where is he?”

  At the ruin site.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  In the center of devastation, among the culverted tracks of heaving earth and pits where explosions had carved holes in the landscape, sat Aust. Knees up and head down, he perched on the upended stone slab from the decimated stone circle. And he looked bad, like a hollow, broken clone of the Elf he was just hours ago.

  Unaware of our approach, he scrubbed his eyes with his forearm, as his shoulders racked. A sob ripped up his windpipe.

  I materialized before him as moonlight caught the bleeding edge of the dagger. He gripped the hilt with both hands, pressing the point of the blade to his chest.

  In the blink of a moment, Kobi grabbed Aust’s wrist, and the two rolled from the force of the tackle. Arms and legs flailed and the two twisted in a struggle for control of the weapon. Aust cursed and fought back. He landed a violent uppercut. Kobi’s head whipped back, his teeth clacking as his jaw got slammed into his skull.

  Kobi bared his teeth, his eyes glowing scarlet. “Hit me like that again, and I’m hitting you back, Highborne.”

  Aust focused on the point of the dagger, his arm trembling with the effort to pull it closer.

  Kobi shook his head. “There’s no fucking way you’re offing yourself over a woman. Last warning, my man. Stand down, or we’re doing this.”

  “Kobi, stop.” I shifted closer, unsure how to step into the fray. “He’s hurting. Don’t threaten him.”

  Aust hauled off and elbowed Kobi in the groin.

  “Motherfucker,” Kobi spat, his voice thready as his knees came up. “Oh, it’s on, blondie.”

  The two of them went at it hard, blood spouting from noses and mouths, grunts and curses filling the air.

  “It’s the dread,” I yelled. “He can’t think.”

  I had no idea if either of them heard me. I thought about getting Julian to help, but Aust’s agony was nobody’s business. Haven was a small community. He’d have to face everyone knowing his heartache soon enough. Kobi flipped Aust onto his back and threw himself across his chest.

  “We’re here to help him, not kill him.”

  Kobi wrestled the knife away and flung it into the trees.

  Aust muttered in Elvish, and the pummeling took on a violent second wave. Watching the two, it became clear that not only was Kobi in better fighting form and remained in control, but he seemed to draw perverse pleasure from the fight.

  Legs and arms entwined, the two rolled as one. Whether because of friction, frustration, or sheer desperation, something shifted. Aust’s fists transformed into rough fingers. His punches became grabs. He gripped the front of Kobi’s pants, and his hips thrust forward.

  Kobi gritted his teeth and pinned Aust’s arms on the grass above his head. “Not what I’m here for, Highborne.”

  Aust wrapped his feet around the backs of Kobi’s thighs. “You want me.”

  “Not like this.”

  Aust barked a dark laugh. “I repulse even the man who fucks the entire population of the realm.”

  “Flattery won’t get you laid. And don’t kid yourself. If not for me trying to respect your Elven beliefs, I’d flip you over and mount you here and now.”

  “Then do it.”

  “Pass. You’d regret it.” Kobi dropped his head to the muscled flesh between Aust’s shoulder and neck. “This is the dread talking. Let the humiliation and anger go, and trust me to heal you.” Kobi’s eyes glowed bright red a split-second before his fangs descended. He dropped his head and bit.

  Aust stiffened. He struggled beneath him at first but then began to settle.

  Get off him, Demon. Cameron surged forward.

  “It’s all right.” I fell to my knees beside them and spoke to both father and son. “Kobi’s draining the pain. The despair from Bree and Cowboy’s mating magnified the effects of two days in Hell. Relax into it, Aust. Let Kobi take the burden.”

  And the demon can ease that? And Aust will be well?

  Aust’s arms got sloppy, and his fury drained. I rubbed a hand down his bare arm and drew a deep breath. The cuts and bruises that marred too much of his body, the blood and filth that smeared the grimy cut-offs he’d worn for days, these were the metaphorical tip of the iceberg wound that crushed him.

  “As well as can be expected.”

  Staring at Kobi and Aust, entwined in a strangled embrace, seemed invasive. I’d long been the voyeur to people’s lives, but Kobi was right, watching from the point of security Behind the Veil was very different.

  Here, I was part of the moment. In their lives. Higher stakes. More overwhelming emotions. Kobi was right about that too. I didn’t like it. I preferred anonymity.

  The damp from the grass seeped through my pantlegs and wet my shins. The cool chill contrasted the hot stone of the cave from earlier that day. Was that only hours ago?

  I took Aust’s hand and squeezed my support. After what seemed ages, Kobi rolled off, and they laid side by side, chests heaving, soaked in sweat and covered in dirt.

  “How do you feel now?” I asked.

  He coughed a little and shook his head, as if clearing a fog.

  Kobi patted the pockets of his leather jacket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. In a series of practiced moves, he selected, lit, and drew on the white stick, his whole body relaxing as he exhaled. “Well, tonight has been a barrel of laughs.”

  Aust propped himself up to sit and rubbed his bloody lip with the back of his wrist. Those cut-offs did nothing to hide that he remained fully aroused. But fighting could do that to men, I’d heard. “I thought smoking came after sex, not before.”

  Kobi wiped his mouth with the back of his hand in the same fashion and spat blood to the grass. “Your pony still on that track, Highborne, because leaching makes me horny as fuck. I warn you, if you’re serious . . . I’ll take you up on it.”

  “No, you won’t.” The heat in my words surprised me, but I didn’t dwell on that. “Aust is suffering emotional heartache. Encouraging him to betray his beliefs on mating won’t help.”

  “You sure about that?” Kobi rolled onto his side and then made an awkward attempt to get to his feet. On the second try, he stood and steadied himself. “Seems to me, Highborne laws offer him nothing beyond guilt and suffering. What happened to ‘adults get to have sex without it meaning anything more’?”

  Kobi exhaled and probed the swelling gaining strength on his cheek. “Aust’s Highborne nature eases the acid burning through my veins. I’ll ease his pain and loneliness. I want him. He wants me. End of. You said we aren’t anything beyond the casual, so it’s none of your biz.”

  “Highbornes mate for life,” I reminded them both. “Neither of you want that.”

  Kobi laughed. “Are you qualified to speak for the two of us? I would’ve claimed him today if you hadn’t pulled me off and force-fed me bullshit about his planned future with Bree. Well, that’s no longer an obstacle.”

  Aust flinched at the mention of his lost love, but stood and brushed his fingers over my cheek. “Join us, sweeting. We three are an amazing team, as you said.”

  “I . . . I’m sorry, but this isn’t what you need. When you’ve given time for your emotions to clear, maybe the answer will be different, but not now. You can’t decide on forever with your world flipped upside down.”

  Kobi sighed. “No, you can’t. Stop projecting and stop with the cock-blocking. Either join us, sit back and watch, or get gone. I told you, life is messy. You can’t hide behind the Veil and look down on people anymore. You gotta get in the game.”

  Kobi’s dismissal slapped me as if he’d raised his hand to my face. He knew it too because his eyes rolled closed and he turned his face into the hollow of Aust’s neck.

  “I am in the game,” I said, my voice too emotional for my liking. “My mother needs me. I have a Hell Hound that isn’t trained, and a man I thou
ght I could depend on who short-circuits every time sex is in the air. Grow up, Kobi.”

  Kobi rested an arm across Aust’s shoulder and squeezed. “What our fair Fate is saying, Highborne, is that I’m not good enough for you and you’re making the mistake of your life.”

  Truer words were never uttered, Cameron shouted.

  Aust stared at me, as if trying to read the truth of Kobi’s comment in my expression. “Zophia, sweeting, you are wrong. I am neither a child nor addled. I watched the two of you together for hours today and want that connection for myself. Mayhap we remain lovers for a lifetime, or mayhap I forsake Highborne tradition as it has forsaken me. The point is, the choice is mine to make.”

  “Preach,” Kobi said, blowing out a cloud of smoke.

  “But she is also right,” Aust continued, looking to Kobi. “At this moment, Shalana and Abbey need us, and we must needs do all within our power to recover them. If you and I, or the three of us, are destined to unite, it shall happen in due course. Nothing need be decided at this moment.”

  I exhaled, realizing how long I’d been holding my breath.

  Kobi cursed and extinguished his cigarette against the tread of his boot. “You two are maddening. You know that? So fucking logical. Fine, we table this discussion for a later date, but it’s not over. Not by a long shot.”

  “Thank you. Both,” I said. Despite the crushing pressure in my chest, our evening was far from over. “Let’s get Paladin from my suite and see if we can’t find my mother.”

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  My mother’s little, ivy-covered cottage wasn’t the same without her in it. And being there, not knowing what she was going through, stole even more strength from me than I imagined it could. It did give me a measure of comfort, though, to ensure Dandy and Hoola were fed and properly loved. And while I did that, Kobi smoked out by the gate.

  He was still angry, but more than angry, he seemed hurt. I wasn’t a relationship expert, but by my account, the one with more grounds to hold a grudge after what happened at the ruin site was me.

  Still, I didn’t like the tension between us, especially because the three of us did work well as a team and I wanted to give my mother the greatest chance of being rescued.

  “Zophia, sweeting, did you hear me?”

  I pulled my attention from staring out the window. “I’m sorry, no. What did you say?”

  “I believe we are ready to return home.” Aust scrubbed Paladin’s ruff and handed me the pup. The moment his arms were free, Hoola jumped from beside the table, wrapped her long arms around his neck, and clung to him. Poor girl.

  I kissed Paladin’s velvet ear. “You think he’s ready?”

  Aust adjusted his suede tunic, so Hoola wasn’t half stripping him with her grappling hold. “We smelled the smells, felt the signature of her powers, and I have tried to impress upon him the importance of finding Shalana sooner rather than later. I have never worked with a creature like him before, but believe he understands.”

  “And letting him chew one of her unwashed socks?”

  “That was simply fun. He wanted it, and I thought it a small price to pay for a favorable mood and obedience.”

  I agreed and turned off the lights.

  When we returned to Haven, the three of us went straight to Jade’s house to face the wrath of Reign. There was no hiding the fact that we now possessed a Hell Hound and we needed enforcers at the ready when Aust sent Paladin into the field.

  Aust took the pup to the kitchen to feed and visit his mother. Kobi went in to speak with Reign. And Hoola and I went upstairs to check on Jade. It seemed my gibbon sister refused to be left to the wilds of the sanctuary without our mom.

  I couldn’t blame her. I missed Mom too.

  Galan sat at the top of the three stairs that led to their private suite. With elbows on his knees and his head in his hands, he may have lost himself to exhaustion. I paused and was about to turn back when he lifted his head and smiled.

  “Come. Please, Zophia. Is there any news?”

  “We’re working on a plan to locate them. I’ll let you know the minute we have anything to tell you. How are Jade and the babies?”

  He rubbed his palms together and sighed. “They’re resting now. Rowan is monitoring the three of them and has requested emergency equipment be brought here in case the young deliver earlier than planned. He believes that in ending the pregnancy, these struggles will also end, but no one knows the proper gestation period for a half-Fae/human/Elven pregnancy. He shall wait as long as he can before making that decision.”

  “Well, Rowan is a wonderful doctor and a skilled surgeon. I’m sure everything will be fine.”

  Galan gathered the burgundy braid signifying his mating and held it out to examine. The deep auburn of Jade’s hair was startlingly striking next to his silver. “Highborne pregnancies are a mortal curse more oft than not. I had hoped Jade, and the babes, might be spared because of her genetics. I suppose it was foolish to hope.”

  I touched the braid and leaned shoulder to shoulder with him. He smelled like suede and the outdoors, but unlike Aust, the scent of trees and the wilds of the world was subtle on Galan. “Jade is one of the strongest women I know, in the company of her mother and mine. They will all be fine, you’ll see. We have to believe that.”

  He kissed the side of my head and swept his hand across his eyes. “I do. I truly do.”

  I squeezed his hand. “Are my sisters still here?”

  “They left once Samuel terminated Shavandra’s spell. But they did bring two of Castian’s care staff to aid Rowan. Jade, however, wants Castian himself, and knows there is something we are keeping from her.”

  “Well, then I should go and get back to our plan to end this nightmare. Wish us luck.”

  Galan kissed my knuckles and managed a faint smile. “I wish you all the luck in all the realms. Blessed be.”

  “Blessed be,” I repeated, and headed back down the stairs.

  The bass of Reign’s voice boomed all the way up to the second-floor landing. I needed to get down there and take my share of the blame for our Hell excursion. In the open doorway, I hesitated, unsure of how to break into the volatile conversation without making things worse.

  “I don’t fucking care if we search every barn, house, and shit-shed in the two realms. We follow protocol. We don’t go off task. We don’t disregard orders. And we certainly don’t take a civilian and Castian’s fucking niece to Hell to get her killed. What the fuck were you thinking?”

  “Zophia’s immortal, and I know the Hell Realm. I knew we could—”

  “You didn’t know shit. You thought. You hoped. That, and a dollar can’t buy you a fucking coffee.”

  “But we’re good, Reign. It was a piece of cake. We got the pup, and Aust worked his magic—”

  “Don’t even.” Reign pointed a dagger. I was thankful there was a table between them; though, the man could likely throw the weapon with deadly accuracy. “I don’t want to hear it, Demon. You’re done. Get out of my sight.”

  Kobi cursed and tore off his weapons vest. Tossing it onto the war room table, the weight of the thing carried it halfway across to his commander.

  Cowboy saw me at the door and shook his head.

  Ignoring the warning, I crossed the threshold and knocked.

  “Not a good time,” Reign said, looking up from the realm map lit up on the surface of the table. “It won’t help lover boy here to give me the bleeding-heart plea of how you couldn’t stand by and wait. Get gone and take him with you.”

  “Perhaps if I could—”

  Reign stood to his full height and the other warriors in the room stilled. The power of his fury sent a rush of frigid air through the room.

  I exhaled, my breath condensing in a cloud of white before me. “I respect your authority, Maximus, and apologize if I undermined it in any way by countering your decision. I, however, will not apologize for doing everything within my power to reclaim my mother. I am not one of your subjects
. I do not take orders. If the Talon battles for freedom and the right of free will, it seems I am entitled to the same. I am far more than Castian’s fucking niece, and it would do you all well to remember that.”

  He opened his mouth to speak, and I raised my hand. “You will calm yourself. We will wait in your library. And then, we shall come together and discuss the next stage of our plan, as a united front against the true enemy of this realm.”

  Reign pointed to the door, his eyes feral, his entire frame rigid. “Out. Now.”

  Kobi glared at his commander and then at me, but as I left the war room and headed down the hall, I was relieved to hear his boots thundering against the floor behind me. Whatever he’d been stewing over was about to boil and I, for one, was ready to face anything.

  Reign’s library wasn’t far, but with the violent rhythm punctuating every step, it seemed like forever before we arrived and closed ourselves inside.

  Kobi strode straight into the room and rebounded, finger pointed. “Don’t you dare make me look bad in front of Reign and the others. Trash me personally, if it makes you feel better about yourself, but I’m respected as a warrior. I won’t have you shitting on me where I work.”

  “You’re imagining things again. I didn’t—”

  “And yes, that’s my ego talking. And yes, when it comes to my duties as a warrior, I’ve earned a bit of an ego.”

  “Kobi, stop. You’re a great warri—”

  “Am I? You might have just argued me out of a job—out of my fucking life. Who am I if I’m not an Enforcer?”

  “And who am I if I’m not a Fate? Terrifying, isn’t it?”

  “Why couldn’t you just walk away when he told you to?”

  “I wanted to be heard.”

  “Everyone wants to be heard, Zophia.” He threw his hands into the air. “I get that you’re a goddess Behind the Veil, but Reign is pretty much a god here at Haven and throughout the realm. You don’t get to wrecking-ball your way through every situation, even if you are a Fate.”