Accepting Fate

by Rivers, Brandy L

  Toryn and Isa came up beside them. Toryn looked thoughtfully at Amanda. “Are you Angelique’s?”

  She nodded, growing even paler.

  “Shit, she sent me a text. Wants me to take you to Faerie.”

  “Excuse me?” Amanda asked with wide eyes.

  Mike’s attention swept from Toryn to Amanda and back, wondering what the hell that was about.

  Gwen shook her head. “Unnecessary. I have a place closer that will be as effective, as long as she stays put.”

  Amanda put her hands up, looking toward the door. “I should go. I can’t be here. He’ll find me.”

  Robert, the mage from the bookstore, appeared next to Mike. He gave them all a curious look. “Who’s going, Gwen?”

  Gwen put her arm around Mike to touch Robert’s side, and grabbed Amanda’s hand. “The three of us.” She looked over her shoulder at Toryn. “Mike can fill you in later. We got this covered.”

  “If you can help Angelique, please do. I didn’t know what else to do,” Amanda pleaded, as a blood-tinged tear slid down her face.

  Toryn gave her a sympathetic nod.

  Next thing Mike knew, Robert, Amanda, Gwen, and he were all standing in a cabin. An owl was the only sound from outside. It was completely dark. Instead of street lights, stars winked in the black sky.

  “What the fuck?” he whispered.

  Gwen shook her head, looking queasy.

  Amanda dropped to her knees, pinkish tears now streaming down her face.

  “You’re safe here,” Robert assured Amanda. “There are spells built around the property. No one can find you, or any of us, with the exception of two close friends.”

  “Where are we?” Mike asked.

  Robert shrugged. “For now, it’s best if I don’t say.” He nodded toward Amanda who was quietly sobbing on the floor.

  Mike’s phone went off and he jumped. He took a breath and answered. “Hi?”

  Toryn started talking. “I found that girl’s master. She’s under the influence of a compulsion. The one Other I know of who can command a vampire is a necromancer. There are two in the area. Coltrain Darkmoon and Erik Mortale. Erik wouldn’t do this. Coltrain would.”

  Mike squeezed his eyes shut. “Want to talk to Gwen? Because I have no clue what you’re talking about.”

  “Put it on speaker. You should hear what she has to say.”

  Amanda sobbed louder. “She’s okay?” she stammered.

  “Super-hearing?” he asked lamely.

  Gwen nodded.

  He hit speaker. “You’re on speaker, Toryn.”

  “Angelique is recovering. She wrote down a message. Coltrain commanded her to convince her fledging to do something. Then she lost her memory of the last hour. I’m not sharing information, because I don’t trust Coltrain. Wherever you are, I hope you really can’t be found.”

  Robert answered. “Evening, Toryn. This is Robert McCallister. I can assure you that not even Angelique will be able to track Amanda. However, if Angelique needs a safe place, we can bring her here.”

  “No. Angelique believes she’s safer in Faerie, and away from her fledging, until Coltrain is no longer a threat.”

  “Is she all right?” Amanda asked again, gaining some strength behind the words.

  Toryn sighed. “She will be. She wants you to know you did exactly what she trained you to do, and she’s proud of you.”

  “Wish I believed that.”

  Toryn laughed softly. “I’ve known Angelique a long time. She wouldn’t claim it if it wasn’t absolute truth. She will be fine. You did no permanent damage, though what she was supposed to pass on would likely do serious and lasting harm to both Mike and you.”

  “Thank you for helping her.”

  “Take care of yourself. Mike, keep me posted. Call me if you need anything.”

  Mike’s face scrunched slightly. “Thanks, man.”

  “I’ll talk to you later.” The call ended.

  * * * *

  Fear was the overwhelming emotion, but there was hope. It had been years since she felt real hope.

  Then Amanda’s phone chimed. Robert grabbed it from her hand as she pulled it from her pocket. He checked the message and shook his head. “I’m looking forward to dealing with Coltrain permanently.”

  “Me too,” Gwen added.

  Robert tossed the phone into the fireplace and lit a blaze with a flick of his hand. “I apologize, Amanda. Once the situation has been dealt with, I will replace the phone. The wards would keep anyone from tracking you. However, I cannot permit you to contact your brother.”

  She nodded, relieved. The possibility of him finding her was frightening. Cole never let her go completely. He always kept her in his sights.

  Shaking her head, she snapped out of that downward spiral. It always led to disaster. “I don’t want to contact him. I tried to run, but I couldn’t go far enough.” She wrapped her arms around herself, and looked back to the fire. “Everything was my fault.” When she met Mike’s gaze, she admitted, “None of it was yours.”

  One corner of his mouth lifted. “Thank you.”

  Rolling her eyes, she sighed.

  * * * *

  Gwen caught Robert’s arm and dragged him out of the room. He heard her quietly say, “Let’s give them a few minutes.”

  Robert’s brow rose but he followed.

  Mike wanted to pull Gwen to his side and keep her there. She was smart though, and probably figured there were a few things that Amanda wouldn’t say with Gwen right there.

  Amanda slumped onto a chair. He sat across from her, placing his elbows on his knees. “How’s being…” he coughed, “a vamp?”

  Shrugging a single shoulder, she looked out the window. “Nothing like I thought it’d be. Maybe if Cole wasn’t scarier than ever, it wouldn’t be so bad.”

  “How so?”

  “He told me becoming a vampire would take away my problems. It didn’t. I traded one addiction for another. At least this one is more manageable most of the time, and less likely to kill me.” She took a slow breath and let it out in a heavy sigh. “I haven’t killed anyone. I was getting my shit together and forging my own life when Cole called to convince me to come back for you. That you still loved me.” She half-laughed. “I didn’t believe it when he told me, but he has a way of forcing his ideas to take root in my head. Angelique said it’s his magic, and to stay away. I couldn’t. He dangled the one thing guaranteed to bring me back.”

  He rubbed a hand over his face before locking his eyes on hers. “I’m sure I’m an asshole for pushing this, but please tell me you’re ready to move on.”

  She nodded. “Yeah. You’re clearly in love with that sassy—whatever she is.”

  He didn’t answer. Instead he dropped his gaze to his hands.

  “New, isn’t it?”

  “Very. Too soon to say yet.”

  “Never too soon. She wants you as bad as you want her. Don’t let her go. Not for anything.”

  He snorted. “When did you get so smart?”

  * * * *

  Smart? Amanda almost laughed, but shrugged instead. “When I saw the mess I made of my life. I miss what we had, but I realized something the other night when I saw you kiss Gwen out on the street.”

  He didn’t look up. “What’s that?”

  “I’m not in love with you. I’ll always care about you, but you can’t give me what I want.”

  His head snapped up.

  “Don’t say anything. It’s been years.”

  “Friends?”

  She laughed softly. “Can we be friends after the way I left things?”

  “You don’t hate me for what I did?”

  “Nope, I confused your magic for Cole’s. Stupid.”

  “Cole’s an asshole. You’re not stupid.” He leaned forward and touched her knee.

  A warm hum flowed from him, up her leg. The sensation chased away some of the fear, as did his smile.

  “She’s lucky,” Amanda admitted.

&n
bsp; “I am,” Gwen answered, as she came back and sat down next to Mike.

  Amanda held out her hand. “You seem to know me, but I’m Amanda deLuna.”

  “Gwen Fate. And that’s Robert McCallister. We’re mages, and three more are coming. They’ll make sure you’re safe here. Mike and I will stay elsewhere.”

  “Gwen, do you really think that’s a wise idea?” Robert asked.

  “Coltrain needs Amanda to get to Mike. That leads me to believe he’s not ready to make a move until his sister can be there.”

  Amanda nodded. “She’s right. Cole thinks he needs me for something. He used to tell me Mike was a sap who would bring me down. That he wasn’t worth my time. Then out of nowhere, he changed his tune, trying to convince me that I needed his love more than I needed to breathe. That the one thing missing in my life was the man who loves me.” Amanda dropped her gaze to her hands. “Part of me knew it was too good to be true.”

  The door opened, and in walked three more people. The place was buzzing with magic now, and her bloodlust was starting to rise. She clamped a hand over her mouth.

  “Thirsty?” the dark-haired, tattooed one asked with a raised brow. His pale blue eyes delved into hers. “Shit, she is. Tremaine, keep an eye on her. Robert, let’s make a blood run.”

  The one with warm brown eyes, unshaved face, and tumbled waves nodded. “Don’t worry, Amanda. I won’t let you do anything you’ll regret.”

  “Okay,” she squeaked, wishing she believed that.

  Chapter 19

  Cole was livid. He’d given Angelique specific instructions. She had no choice but to obey. And his sister wasn’t bright enough to figure out what was going on, or to fight her own maker. Amanda was too sweet and innocent to ever suspect her master was capable of deceiving her.

  He stormed to the cell and glared at the exotic man-child behind the bars. Pale curls fell around his pixie-like face. Crystal blue eyes stared back. The kid was missing a pair of translucent wings on his delicate frame.

  “Do you feel Angelique?” Cole asked without using his magic.

  Flynn’s eyes narrowed, anger flushing his cheeks.

  Cole reached through the bars and grabbed Flynn’s silk shirt, yanking him to a stand before delving deep into the boy’s eyes. His pupils dilated and his breathing slowed. Once Flynn was deep in the trance, he ordered, “You will tell me if you feel Angelique. Now.”

  “No. I feel nothing from my master.”

  “And her fledging, Amanda?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Where are they?” he screamed.

  Flynn stood, unblinking.

  Dropping the affected boy’s shirt, he stalked off through the warehouse, an innocuous and tired-looking building on the outskirts of town. There had to be a way to find Mike, with or without his sister’s involvement. His whole plan was falling apart.

  He sent a text to all of his scouts, telling them to drop everything and search for Michael Nights.

  It was tempting to shut down the club, but he had a few more things to hide. Josephine had been safely relocated to the warehouse, to a private section he’d remade into a luxurious suite.

  Once Josephine was breathing again, they would disappear and start anew.

  * * * *

  Mike watched with wide eyes as Amanda scrambled into the corner and crunched into a ball, not looking at anyone.

  She let out a sob. “You should let me leave. I’m nothing but a danger to all of you.”

  Tremaine spoke up. “Not happening, kiddo. You’re staying here, and you’re going to be fine. Give the guys a couple minutes. They went to get what you need.”

  “Don’t want to drink in front of anyone. Especially not in front of Mike,” she whined.

  Crouching down in front of her, Tremaine’s voice took on a gentle tone. “Oh, that’s not the solution I’m referring to. We have a friend who has a stash of blood for when she’s not feeling social. It works in a pinch. And she’s not greedy with her supply. She can always get more.”

  “What?”

  “You can drink bagged blood. Might not be as satisfying, but it gets the job done.”

  “You mean I don’t have to bite anyone?”

  Tremaine closed his eyes, tension flowing down his shoulders. Mike caught it, and it made him wonder what was really going on.

  “Were you given a choice, Amanda?”

  “A choice about what?”

  “Becoming a vampire.”

  “Not really. I had overdosed. Angelique saved me. Made me better.”

  “Interesting. Though, she’s a firm believer in drinking from the vein.” He let out a sigh. “There are other ways if you don’t like biting.” He reached out to touch her shoulder. “Later, once this mess is settled, I’ll take you to a friend. She’s been helping another vampire adapt. She’d be willing to take you on.”

  Amanda looked up and met Tremaine’s gaze. “She can help?”

  He nodded. “She can.”

  Liz walked over to Mike and Gwen with a concerned look. “You’re planning to leave, aren’t you?”

  He’d known Liz almost as long as Tremaine. She oozed power, bringing a sense of calm with an edge of chaos around her. “Unless you have a good reason for us to stay put. One problem, my dog. I mean, I could have Roxy pick her up, but…” he glanced over at Amanda and shrugged, “it’s weird.”

  “We’ll keep an eye on you,” Liz told him.

  “Thanks.” He looked to Gwen.

  She squeezed his hand. “You okay?”

  “Will be.” He hoped. He didn’t want to go back to how things were, but he was terrified of where his world was going. With Gwen, he could accept whatever life threw his way.

  Preston and Robert popped back into the room, holding up several bags of blood. With a grim face, Preston walked to Amanda and gave her a bag. “Bottoms up.”

  Amanda’s nose wrinkled but she took the bag and looked at Preston. “What do I do?”

  Mike’s stomach turned as Preston knelt and tore the corner off the bag. “Drink it,” the mage instructed.

  Placing the hole at her mouth, she drank noisily. Mike had to turn away.

  Blood didn’t normally bother him. Watching Amanda slurp down the crimson substance, like she’d marched through Death Valley without access to water, was unnerving.

  The slurping ended, and Amanda’s tiny sob tore through him. “I’m sorry, Mike.”

  “Don’t. You need it to live.” He turned back and offered a weak smile. “Though I’ll admit it’s weird to see.”

  “You’re repulsed.”

  He almost said, No more than you were about the sparks, but that would leave her feeling guilty. “It will take time to get used to. Like I said, we can still be friends.”

  “You always were a great guy.” She looked up at Preston. “Thank you. It wasn’t so bad.”

  He patted her shoulder before standing. “I’ll go stash these in the fridge. If you get hungry, you’ll have access.”

  Amanda climbed to her feet and stood next to the fire with a faraway look. She drew a breath before speaking. “You’re the Council, aren’t you?” Her gaze hit Robert, then Preston as he came back to the room.

  “Part of,” Preston answered. “Why?”

  “Cole deLuna has a safe hidden in his office. It’s behind a painting of white roses dripping in blood. Combination is 13-89-13. There are forbidden magics books in it. He also keeps a journal about the experiments he runs on corpses and other things.” Her hands started to tremble. “I don’t know much, except that what he’s doing is wrong.”

  Preston looked to Robert. “We could go in, find out what’s hidden in her head.”

  Robert sighed and looked to Amanda. “If you give us permission, we can look through your memories. Oftentimes we know more than we think, but haven’t processed the details.”

  She looked to Mike.

  He trusted Tremaine, and Mike knew Tremaine trusted them. “It might help.”

  “I’ll do wh
atever you need.”

  * * * *

  Gwen cleared her throat and nodded to the kitchen. “Preston, Robert, may I have a word with you?” She hopped up and left the room.

  They followed. Before Preston could get a word out, she started, “Mike’s uncomfortable here. I’ll convince him to go to my place. It’s well-warded.”

  “Okay, but you call us if anything happens,” Robert demanded.

  “I promise. You guys okay with her? She seems to want to help. I feel sorry for her.”

  “We’ll take care of her.”

  “And I’m going to be watching you two. I have a bad feeling,” Preston pointed out.

  “Me too. Cole came to Mike before I caught up with him at the park. I’m not letting him out of my sight.” Gwen shrugged. “Mind if we take off?”

  Robert nodded. “I’ll take you back to your place. Encourage Mike to get someone to deliver the dog, or take care of her for him.”

  “If he isn’t already thinking about where Sasha is going, I’ll remind him. Probably best if she goes elsewhere for the night, so we don’t have to take her out.”

  “Sure about this?” Preston asked.

  She glared at him. “Would you really want to stay under the same roof where Dacia’s ex is?”

  His head turned slightly. “Good point. Keep him busy until we figure this out.”

  “I will.” She found Mike standing in front of Amanda. He seemed relaxed, finally.

  He looked over. “We ready to get out of here?”

  Gwen nodded.

  Mike took a step toward Amanda and gave her a hug. “Be safe. Trust Trem and his people.”

  “Sorry I wrecked your night,” she replied softly.

  He stepped back with a smile. “I’m glad we were able to help you.” He looked to Tremaine. “You’re a lifesaver, dude.”

  Trem snorted. “At least you’ve finally come to your senses. See ya soon.”

  Gwen took his arm and Robert stepped up next to them. “I suggest you go to Gwen’s and stay there.”