Crimson Dahlia (Book #3 of the Svatura Series)

by Abigail Owen

  “Anything wrong with that?”

  “I…” Adelaide hesitated. “You wouldn’t think so. But something seems off.”

  “Off how?” Lila asked.

  “I don’t know. Maybe I’m just a jealous girlfriend.”

  Adelaide picked at the fringe on the blanket, and Lila raised her eyebrows. “You’re more than a girlfriend. You’re his te’sorthene.”

  Adelaide ducked her head. “I know.”

  “Have you talked to Nate yet?”

  “And ask him what exactly? I don’t even know what’s wrong.”

  “Good point.” Lila thought for a moment. “Have you checked your relationship?”

  Adelaide gave her sister a harsh scowl. “I don’t do that to Nate.”

  Lila held up her hands. “Okay. But I think you should trust your instincts. If you think something is wrong, then it probably is.”

  Their conversation had wound down after that. As soon as Adelaide had left, Lila had knocked right out the moment her head hit the pillow.

  What had woken her though?

  She sat up, her ears straining for any little sound. She heard a slight scuffling sound just outside her door. Lila threw back the covers, hopped out of bed, and went to investigate.

  She opened the door just a hair and peeked outside. Nothing.

  And now I’m hearing things.

  With a little shake of her head, Lila closed the door. As she turned back to her bed, she froze, horrified.

  “Hello, Lila,” Maddox said calmly.

  Lila opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out.

  “Griffin!” she yelled in her mind, hoping he’d hear her thoughts.

  Maddox just shook his head. “It won’t work,” he said. “You’re not awake.”

  I’m still in the stasis in Maddox’s prison, was Lila’s first panicked thought. But she shoved that thought away. Maddox had dream control. He’d used it on Selene before.

  “What do you want?” she asked.

  “You,” he said simply.

  “Why?”

  He tipped his head to the side.

  “Why me?” she clarified.

  He gave her a cold smile. “That’s my concern. But I’ll make a bargain with you. If you come to me, I won’t harm any of your precious family.”

  “I’ve heard that offer before. When Gideon said the same to Ellie,” Lila said.

  “Ah, yes. That didn’t work out so well for him though. Did it?”

  Lila tried her ability to see the truth, not knowing if it would work in a dream. But sure enough, Maddox was glowing with that light that told her he believed every word.

  “No more Svatura can be harmed if I agree to this,” she said.

  He made a strange noise that reminded Lila of a snake hissing. She shivered.

  “You know I can’t agree to that, Lila. Not all of them are worthy.”

  “What do you mean not worthy?”

  He shrugged. “Few are meant to lead. Most are meant to serve. And some…” He gave her that cold smile again. “…Some are meant to die.”

  Fear coiled in her belly. The combination of emotion and belief that she could see tied to those words scared the hell out of her. This was a deeply held conviction… something Maddox considered the ultimate truth.

  “And your wolves are the leaders?” she asked. “What about the rest of the Vyusher?”

  “Do we have an agreement?”

  Lila took a step back. “No.”

  Maddox’s smile became a hard mask of displeasure. Lila wondered if she risked trying to push him out of the dream. She still wasn’t sure if he could take her away forcibly in this state. But was her power stronger?

  “That’s not very wise of you,” he said.

  “I don’t know why you want me anyway. I have no powers that could possibly be worthy enough for you.”

  As she talked, Lila pushed at the edges of the dream with her power. She felt the world expand and contract just slightly – as if she were trapped in a bubble. Maddox didn’t seem to notice what she’d done. Lila started gathering that feeling of strength inside her.

  “You let me worry about what you can bring to the table,” he murmured. “I’ll give you one last chance. Come to me.”

  “You really need to get a new line,” she retorted. The power continued to grow inside her, and she could feel the pressure building behind her eyes and in her hands.

  “So your answer is still no?”

  Lila smirked. “My answer is hell no!” And with that she released every ounce of the force inside her.

  She didn’t know quite what to expect. Everything around her shimmered. For a brief flash, it looked like the screen of a TV that needed tuning, with all the lines and colors blurring together. And then everything faded.

  Lila woke and sat straight up with a gasp… and promptly whacked her head right into Ramsey’s face.

  “Ow!”

  “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry!” She reached out to him, but he recoiled.

  “Dang it, Lila. What the heck?” He pulled his hand away to reveal a bloody nose, and Lila cringed.

  “I said I was sorry. Here.” She pulled some tissues out of the box on her bedside table and handed them to him. “Tip your head back.”

  With his chin in the air and his hand on his nose, he muttered, “Are you okay?”

  “I hit the back of my head, so I’m fine—”

  “No. Are you okay? Something was wrong. I could feel it.”

  “Why?—” Lila stopped herself. “That darn link,” she mumbled.

  “You might be more grateful. That link saved your life, you know.”

  Lila made a face that he couldn’t see.

  “So,” he continued, “I’ll ask again. Are you okay?”

  Lila briefly considered saying nothing. But even though she wouldn’t go with Maddox, she also knew she couldn’t stay here now. Not if he was after her.

  “Maddox came to me in a dream,” she admitted.

  That got his attention. Ramsey tipped his head and looked directly at her. “What did he want?”

  “Me.”

  A grim look passed over his face. “Did he say why?”

  “Not really. He offered to let our family live if I went back to him.”

  “But you said no, of course.” Ramsey laid his hand over hers.

  “Why? Would you miss me?” Lila teased, as she eased her hand out from under his and tried to ignore his intense stare.

  “Yes.”

  She glanced away, unsure how to respond. “I’m pretty hard to forget, I guess.”

  “Don’t.” Ramsey took her chin in his fingers and angled her face toward him.

  “Don’t what?”

  “You don’t know what it was like when you went missing. I never want to feel anything like that again. Don’t joke about being missed. It’s not funny.”

  Lila was about to make another sarcastic comment but stopped when she saw the raw pain in Ramsey’s eyes. He truly meant what he said.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

  Ramsey let go of her and sat back. “So you’re not going to him.”

  “No. If I were going to do that, I wouldn’t have told you about it first. I’d have just left.”

  Ramsey chuckled under his breath. “Yeah. I guess you would’ve.”

  “I’ll tell the others in the morning.”

  Ramsey thought for a moment. “I’ll stay with you the rest of the night. We can tell the others in the morning.”

  Lila hopped off the bed, intending to walk him to the door. “You don’t have to do that.”

  “What if he comes in a dream again?”

  Lila stopped mid-stride and looked at him. “I pushed him out. I think I can keep him away now.”

  Ramsey raised his eyebrows. “That dream control is getting pretty strong, I guess.”

  “Weird, huh?” she agreed. “But I think you can leave me alone safely.”

  “What if he shows up here with that telepo
rter and just takes you?”

  Ramsey made a good point, but having him so close by wouldn’t really help her sleep, either. She’d found that out just the other night in the tent. But still, he was right.

  “Okay,” she finally agreed.

  Without another word, she hopped back in the bed and lay down. After what felt like an eternity, she felt the mattress shift as he crawled over to the other side. The bed was large enough so they could share it without touching.

  Lila didn’t expect to drift off. But, somehow, having him near gave her the peace she needed.

  Chapter 20

  A knock at the door pulled Lila from her reverie. She was in the middle of packing but was taking her sweet time about it. She’d only just been rescued from Maddox and reunited with her family, and now she had to leave again.

  “Hey, Lils,” Ellie called from the other side of the door. “Something’s happening.”

  Lila glanced at the clock on the nightstand. Seven in the morning. Almost time to leave. “Come in,” she called.

  “What’s this?” Ellie asked as she entered.

  Lila shrugged. “I’ll tell you about it later.”

  “Okaaayyy.” Ellie crossed the room and gave her a hug. “I’d love to catch up, but we have a situation that needs to be dealt with.”

  Lila grimaced as she headed to her closet. “Which, out of the many possible situations, would that be?”

  “The Vyusher suspect Selene’s relationship with Griffin,” Ellie said quietly.

  Lila froze with her hand on a hanger, her mind spinning with the implications and ramifications. And with the secret knowledge she harbored.

  “We need you,” she heard Griffin’s voice in her head. “If you can make it to the Great Hall in the next fifteen minutes or so, please come.”

  Not ten minutes later, Lila and Ellie entered the room where it seemed as though every Vyusher had gathered. She saw Adelaide tucked into the corner, and they joined her there. They didn’t have to wait too long before Selene arrived, projecting her icy control and calm. The crowd parted before the Queen as she made her way to the front. Once all eyes were firmly on Selene, Griffin snuck in and stood beside Lila. When Selene reached the throne, she turned and regally sank into the chair.

  She waited for silence. “What is this about?” she asked.

  Oren approached. “My Queen, our people have some questions for you about your relationship with Griffin Aubrey.”

  Lila glanced at Griffin. His expression was carefully neutral.

  Selene said nothing as a low murmur passed though the gathering. She trained her gaze on the crowd, slowly moving from person to person. They shifted nervously under her intense scrutiny.

  “Why was this not brought up through the High Council first?” Selene asked.

  “We wanted to hear directly from our Queen,” a voice called out.

  “I see.” Selene drummed her fingers on the arm of the chair.

  Lila saw no visible signal. But suddenly Griffin moved to stand beside Selene.

  Selene rose gracefully to her feet. “Griffin Aubrey is my te’sorthene.” An audible gasp rushed through the room, but no one spoke. “Because Griffin is not a wolf, we wanted to wait to determine the best course of action before informing you. I will do what is best for our people, first and foremost. Always.”

  Lila looked around the crowd, gauging their reaction to the news. After a heartbeat of silence, someone yelled, “Only a wolf can lead the pack.”

  The crowd erupted into chaotic shouting.

  Cries of, “We’ll never accept him” and “We should never have let those outsiders come here” sounded throughout the Hall, and Lila cast a wary gaze around the group.

  Suddenly Adelaide gave a little cry. She looked around wildly and then clapped her hands over her ears. “Make them stop. Make them stop,” she pleaded and crouched to the ground.

  Lila dropped to her knees beside her sister. “What’s wrong, Delia? Is someone hurting you? What is it?”

  “The voices! Make them stop!”

  “Griffin,” Lila called mentally. “Can you hear voices in her head?” She glanced up at the throne where he was standing next to Selene. Selene gave him a questioning glance, and Griffin grimaced.

  “It sounds like all the noise of the people in here. I can’t tell if I’m hearing her thoughts or just the sounds in here,” he thought back. “I’m calling Hugh. Get her out of here. Selene says she’ll try to get this sorted out quickly.”

  Lila and Ellie each grabbed an arm and dragged Adelaide toward the door. They were almost there when the angry crowd surged toward the throne, and a few people turned toward the three girls. But after a few steps, the hostile mob slammed into some kind of invisible barrier… Griffin had thrown up his shield. Confused and enraged, the crowd started yelling more loudly, but was unable to penetrate the protective shield.

  Adelaide sobbed in Lila’s arms. Selene shifted into her wolf form. Hackles raised and teeth bared, she brought the full weight of the alpha female to bear on her pack. At the Queen’s silent command, all but a handful of the strongest Vyusher immediately shifted into their wolf forms, all cowering before her. Just as suddenly, Selene resumed her human form. She stood silently, her hands folded neatly before her and waited.

  And Adelaide seemed to calm a little.

  When the group was silent once more, and every eye was trained on her, Selene spoke.

  “I am not my brother. I will never oppress you or make you do anything against your will. And this pack’s wellbeing is my primary concern. But I am your Queen and your alpha, and you will respect that. And while we are Vyusher – a wolf pack – we are also Svatura. Our ability to shift comes from the same place that Griffin’s telepathy or Hugh’s healing. Skills that have saved us all. And you’d do well to remember that. Te’sorthene is not a gift that should ever be taken lightly. But understand I will be very open with you.”

  Selene looked around the room, satisfied when most everyone’s gazes humbly lowered.

  “In the interest of that open dialogue,” she continued after a brief pause, “I want to share with you one other important discovery recently made. Many of you may know that my parents, the King and Queen, were found alive among those rescued from Maddox. They are still in a form of stasis. We’ve been unable to revive them so far. But if and when they awaken, we will determine the appropriate next steps.”

  There was an excited buzz, and Selene held up her hand for silence.

  “I will rely heavily on the High Council in both of these matters. No actions will be taken for some time, as our current focus is on the rebuilding and protection of the Vyusher people. If you have any specific concerns, I encourage you to address them via your direct Council member. There are other matters we still have to investigate following our rescue of Maddox’s prisoners. The High Council and I will be meeting about this over the next few days.”

  With that, Selene stepped off the raised platform. Lila and Ellie swept Adelaide away with them. They got to Adelaide’s room and found most of the family already gathered there. Adelaide started trembling.

  “The voices,” she groaned.

  “I think everyone needs to leave the room. Now,” Ellie said.

  “What’s going on?” Hugh asked.

  “I’ve seen this before,” Ellie said. “I think I can help her.”

  That was all they needed to know. As the rest of the family filed out of the room, Lila helped Ellie move Adelaide to a chair and then left as well. The last view she had was of her sister slumped over with her head in her hands. Ellie knelt down and placed her hands on either side of Adelaide’s face.

  “What’s going on?” Selene asked as she and Griffin appeared in the hallway.

  “Seems like Adelaide’s developed telepathy,” Griffin replied.

  “What?!?!” Lucy screeched.

  Hugh grabbed his wife’s hand. “How is that possible?”

  “I’ve got a theory on that one,” Lila spoke up.
“But I need to talk to Ellie first and see what she thinks.” She glanced at Ramsey.

  “Maddox,” he mouthed.

  She shook her head, but before she could stop him he said, “Not to add to the insanity, but we also need to talk about getting Lila out of here. Hiding her somewhere.”

  “What? Why?” Lucy asked.

  Ramsey levered himself off the wall he’d been leaning against. “Maddox visited her in her dreams last night. Told her he’d leave us alone if she went back to him.”

  “You know, during the fight, I caught a couple of stray thoughts in Maddox’s forces that sounded something like that,” Griffin said.

  “If he needs you badly enough, then he’ll come after you again,” Charlotte gasped.

  Lila’s shoulders slumped, but she nodded. If he could take Sheila from the castle so easily, then no one was safe. “I need to leave today.”

  “So soon,” Lucy protested. “You’ve only just got home.”

  Selene shook her head, “I’m afraid she’s right. Things are moving too fast to give her time. And she’s in too much danger here if Maddox is trying to get to her.”

  Ramsey looked down at Lila, taking in the stubborn tilt to her chin. “I’m coming with you,” he said.

  “I don’t need you,” Lila insisted.

  He looked at Selene. “I’m going with her.”

  Selene glanced back and forth between Lila and Ramsey and then cleared her throat. “All right. Both of you get packed. We’ll figure out where and have Charlotte take you there as soon as possible.”

  Chapter 21

  Lila had just put the last item in her suitcase when a knock sounded at the door. “Come in,” she called. With a grunt she tried to close the overstuffed suitcase, but the zipper wouldn’t budge.

  “Hey, peanut,” Marcus said as he strolled through the doorway.

  Lila gave a little squeal and threw herself into his hug. Marcus had become like a big brother to her while she’d been living with his clan in Louisiana. Especially after their time in Maddox’s dungeons.

  She pulled back and appraised him, taking in his dark hair and eyes and noting that nothing was visibly wrong with him. “You’re okay! I was so worried.”