Choices (Mists of the Fae Book 6)

by Jaime Marks

  “Hold on, Byryn. Don’t lose yourself to this,” Marcus pleaded. “I promise you, you both have the strength in you to fight this, as does she. You just have to find it in yourselves.”

  He nodded. “I’ll protect her.” He glanced to Kyle. “I’ll protect them both.”

  The twins nodded in resignation and Byryn stepped up to Kyle. “You sure about this. I have to go, but you don’t. Lazurys will accept me, with or without you.”

  “She’s my sister and for some reason, Byryn…” He hesitated scratching his head. “I don’t know why, but I feel like we’re stronger together than if either of us went alone. You need me and I know I can’t do this without you. It’s…it’s just something I feel deep…fuck I don’t have time to explain all this.”

  Byryn nodded resting his hand on his shoulder. “I understand it better than you know.”

  They turned one last time to their friends and family as Byryn took Kyle’s hand and misted from the realm. The Darkness encompassed them almost immediately and he allowed it to take them. There was no reason to fight it. They both knew they’d need to use every bit of their abilities to face what was coming. Light, Gray, Night…and Dark.

  Epilogue

  Staryana stood in complete Darkness. She couldn’t see past her nose. Cold tendrils of Dark essence swirled around her but nothing approached her and no one spoke. She stayed silent wrapping her arms around herself. No reason to speed things up. She needed to hold out as long as possible.

  It didn’t matter what she did or said, Byryn would come for her and she could only hope that together they would be strong enough to get the hell out of here. She planned on trying to get out of here herself, of course, but the truth was she had no idea how to. She had already tried to mist but she couldn’t seem to manage it.

  She could feel his pain, his rage and his heartache. All she could think about was how good it felt to finally complete their bond. She wanted to finish the rights so badly. The ritual was done but they needed to cement the bond by giving themselves to one another. She knew that was why they had pulled her here though. They didn’t want the bond completed before both she and Byryn were turned.

  She shifted on her feet. It almost felt like she was standing in a strange tar like substance. The silence was torture. She knew Lazurys was here. She could feel him and his proximity made her sick. Alayne was here too but oddly she knew he wasn’t the threat at the moment. He wouldn’t touch her without the Dark Lord’s permission. For some reason she knew it hadn’t been granted and the High Priest was pissed about it. Maybe she could find some way to use that, turn them against one another.

  “Impressive child,” Lazurys’ voice echoed around her. A clawed hand wrapped firmly around her waist digging into her, drawing her against a firm body. Heat seared her skin and Dark essence seeped into her. “Your calculations and perception are pleasing to me. Such strength and so beautiful.”

  Star froze her breath catching in her throat as her heart hammered in her chest and terror ran through her. She stayed silent and forced herself not to react to him. There was no way in hell she was giving him the pleasure and she needed her strength now more than ever.

  “Indeed, in that you are correct. You need your strength now, but I assure you, you will be attending to my pleasure soon enough,” He chuckled in her ear. “You and your mate.”

  “Byryn will never submit to your will,” she replied levelly trying to keep her mind blank now that she was certain he could read it.

  “No, perhaps not on his own.” He reached up running a claw down her cheek. “But you underestimate the power that you hold over him. He will follow you and do whatever you command.”

  “Even if I did give myself to you Lazurys…”

  His claws gripped her throat cutting her off. “Lord Lazurys, my child.”

  She ignored him, forcing herself to breathe as she continued. “I’ll never deliver my mate to you.”

  He chuckled running his talons from her throat to her breast and roughly massaged her. She forced herself to hold silent, biting back on her reactions. “Such strength and defiance. Such power,” he murmured. “I am going to find great pleasure in leading you to your destiny.”

  She squeezed her eyes shut. His pull was so strong. The power he sent coursing through her was seductive but nothing compared to the power of her and Byryn’s union. She could still feel him coursing through her, hear him in her mind telling her to hold on for him, for Kylion. For now, it was enough to help her fight against Lazurys’ draw. As long as she could still feel him she could resist the essence. Resisting the Dark Lords touch was easy. It made her skin crawl to have anyone other than Byryn touch her, but the power…she didn’t know how long their bond could stand strong against Lazurys’ power and strength, especially with the distance between them.

  “You will see in time, child. You belong to me. I gifted Alayne the strength that his son has passed to you. Your Mother’s very soul was created with half of my essence. Even the Darkness that consumed your mate since birth originated in me through his Grandsire, Cymeryn. All of this combines in you,” he murmured almost lovingly. “Alayne thinks you are his. He imagines that you will bring him the power to replace me, but you, Staryana, will always be mine. I have always had great plans for you, but your power…Tell me, is Byryn this strong now that you have joined?”

  She stood frozen, silent tears rolling down her cheeks as he massaged and stroked her body. If he thought he was getting an answer from her about Byryn he was sadly mistaken. He could force her to be here, he could even take away her will, but she would never give him her soul. She’d never give him Byryn.

  “No, but he will give himself to save you. I will own you both, Staryana. It is simply a matter of time. They are coming for you, your mate and your brother. Soon all of you will understand how very special you are. Now is but the beginning. Soon you will know the truth of your destiny.”

  His evil laughter wrapped around her, suffocating her. There was nothing but him and the Darkness in this place. She reached through her bond and held on to the love she felt for her mate with everything she had. It was the only Light she could reach. If she let go, she knew they’d both fall into a never ending pit of Darkness.

  Thank you for reading Choices, book 6 in the Mists of the Fae Series.

  For information about upcoming books, teasers and quotes from the series, follow along at:

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  Here’s a sneak peek from book seven

  Dynamics

  Coming November 2015

  Byryn knelt in the Darkness waiting with Kyle beside him. He could feel her but there was no direction here. This realm didn’t operate under the normal laws of physics. It was like they were there and yet not there at the same time. He could have searched for her but it wouldn’t have gotten him anywhere. They’d actually tried that a few times when no one came for them but it was almost as if they never really changed locations no matter how far they walked.

  “I still can’t sense anything,” Kyle muttered. “How much longer do you think he’ll make us wait? I would’ve expected at least Syneous to show up by now but this is ridiculous.”

  “I don’t know but she’s here. I can feel her.”

  “Can you tell if she turned? Is she hurt?”

  Byryn shook his head. “I don’t know. There’s too much Darkness flooding us and around us to be sure and she’s blocking me. She’s trying to protect us but I wish she’d just let me know if she’s alright. Everything here is messing with my senses. I can’t tell if she’s in pain, upset, scared…it’s making me crazy.”

  Before Kyle could respond the energy around them began to shift and he lowered his head in respect as he braced himself. Dark essence pulsed through them, sensing them. Byryn didn’t bother to block or resist it. He knew he’d have to allow the Darkness to enter him again, become part of him. It made him feel sick but it was the only way. He’d survived it once, he could do it again. He
only hoped Kyle had the strength to withstand it. Being Sacred Borne allowed him added strength. He suspected Kyle might be Sacred Borne as well, but even if he was wrong he should have a certain strength beyond that of the average Gray due to the blood bond they shared. There was no real way to tell. He hadn’t gotten to train with him yet.

  “Well, well, well, if it isn’t both the young Princes of Night, and both on their knees. I am sure my Princess will be quite pleased,” a deep voice resonated through this place seeming to echo from everywhere at once. “That is of course if I decide to allow you to live.”

  Lazurys formed in front of them in a swirl of red flame and black ink. He was in the shape of a man, but Byryn wasn’t really sure he could call him a man. His skin appeared to be more tar and essence than actual form, his eyes were red glowing orbs, and flame seemed to literally erupt and wave over and through him. He’d never given much thought to what the Dark Lord would look like but for some reason this wasn’t what he expected. In a way he sort of expected a Darker version of a Shade, not a demon.

  Raising both of his arms he sent them soaring through the air in opposite directions and slammed them into the stone walls of the cavern, not that the walls had been there before. Lazurys had merely willed them into existence. There was no point in fighting him. They were bound in Dark essence. They had come here of their own free will. The Dark Lord could do whatever he wanted to them and there was nothing they could really do about it.

  Mist of the Fae Series

  Revelations

  Secrets Past

  Shades of Redemption

  Protectors and Kings

  Connections

  Choices

  Dynamics (coming November 1, 2015)

  About the Author

  Jaime Marks lives in Pennsylvania but she’ll always be a Jersey girl. The beach and lakes are where she feels most at home and she heads for the ocean every chance she gets. She’s addicted to reading, mostly paranormal romance, and loves writing. She’s a mother, a wife, and generally just keeps to herself aside from her closest friends. Really I could keep going but I write this every couple of months so I figure if you’re reading it I’d prefer to try to keep it kind of fresh. Thanks for reading and I hope you’ve enjoyed the series so far.

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  Email: MistsoftheFae@outlook.com