Shades of Redemption (Mists of the Fae Book 3)

by Jaime Marks

  Marcus studied her realizing she had a point but met Kato’s eyes in question.

  “She held no sign of Darkness or the Taint.” He responded without being asked. “Actually there is no trace of Darkness in her at all which is very odd for a human or unawakened that was raised on Earth.”

  He considered it. Allowing her to sit with Star couldn’t possibly hurt the situation and it would appease the girl. Moreover she may have some ability to calm Star that he couldn’t foresee. “You may be right, Steph. Maybe you are exactly what she needs.” He mused motioning for her to follow him as he walked back to the room. He waited until they were in front of the Guardians before he continued. “You may sit with her but if she worsens or becomes agitated one of her guards will escort you to your quarters in the unawakened Fae corridors and I expect you to comply. I need to focus on rescuing Byryn.”

  The three Guardians nodded as she looked back and studied them.

  “Fine.” She shrugged again and walked away without another word.

  He watched as she went in and sat next to Star on the bed. At first Star didn’t seem to even be aware of her presence but he watched as she slowly looked to her. In an instant she was sitting up with her arms wrapped around Steph sobbing. He nodded, at least she had broken out of the near catatonic state she had been in. Feeling slightly relieved he left them their privacy.

  When he returned to the sitting room he grimaced. His friends were regarding him rather harshly. He understood how they felt and why they thought as they did, but what they failed to realize was that none of this had been within any of their control. If he had found out any of it sooner it might matter, but with Cymeryn being held this past month it had really been more of a moot point. Their focus had been in the wrong place and Alayne hadn’t revealed it until he had been set free.

  Mythos stood at his full seven feet, his golden brown hair falling about his shoulders framing the menacing scowl that laced his visage. “I demand an explanation, Marcus. Tell me what is going on and this time I want to know everything.”

  “With all due respect, my friends, I believe there are more pressing matters. We need to find a way to reach, Byryn.” Marcus retorted. “Once the boy is safe I’ll gladly tell you all everything.”

  “It’s your secrets that landed my son in this mess to begin with.” Grifyn scoffed in accusation.

  “No Grifyn, it’s not. Nothing I knew could have helped to prepare us for this. I only knew about Alayne’s connection to Star for a few hours and I had no idea the sort of influence he had over her.” Marcus paced, his frustration evident. “Up until Byryn discovered it, we had no idea that Alayne was even reaching out to Star, no idea he was targeting her so extensively. It was less than twenty-four hours ago that Cymeryn was freed and able to discover that Syneous is Alayne’s son and even then we believed that the Priest’s primary target was Reyana as Cymeryn had been tasked to work in conjunction with him to retrieve her.” He offered hoping to placate them.

  “No,” Kato replied flatly, “but you knew about Cymeryn and his potential involvement in all this and you withheld it. You knew he had a direct link to Reyana and yourself and misled us that it was merely a connection of the past.”

  Marcus groaned in frustration. They needed to focus on Byryn. “Cymeryn was detained for the last month. Yes, I’ve had suspicions. Yes, I believed he was shifting, but I had no way to be certain of anything. He was blocking us profusely and I did tell you that he came to Reyana in dream states. Until I had proof there was no point in sharing the rest of the information.”

  “I would think sharing with us that Cymeryn might have had the ability to enter the realm would have been more than worth sharing.” Grifyn snipped.

  Mythos remained silent looking between the three of them as he absorbed everything that was said. Marcus knew he needed to fix this, he really did. He had no intention of leaving things like this but there was simply not time. “Grifyn, Kato…my King, I’m sorry that I created so much distrust between us, but this is not the time. If Cymeryn can still breach the Darker Realms perhaps there is some way that I…” He froze as a hum of energy rose around him and a warmth flowed over his skin.

  Marcus raised his hand studying it as the hum grew louder in his ears. A bright white Light was emitting from his skin. He rose a brow wondering what the hell was going on. The essence was stronger than Reyana’s but yet so very similar. He tried to ascertain where the power was coming from but it felt like it was everywhere.

  “Marcus?!” He could barely hear whoever called to him, the hum was so loud now. “Marcus?!”

  What was happening? He turned to go down the hall to check and ensure Star was alright but a bright flash erupted engulfing him and he felt himself being pulled through the mist. It was so odd, as if the mist here was somehow thicker. It also shocked him. No one could mist from the Realm of Gray. He braced himself for whatever was about to happen. His only comfort was that whatever he felt originated from some balanced source and not pure Darkness.

  They stepped out of the entryway and formed in the woods behind Ashland Falls. Reyana looked around taking in the forest. It had only been a month since she’d left this world but she now had the knowledge of three lifetimes within her. In the scheme of her existence that spanned centuries, the three decades she had spent here on Earth seemed like nothing. It no longer felt like home to her. Being here just felt strange now.

  Sean took form in front of her, but even as she looked at him she knew he wasn’t Sean anymore. He was the Shade Syneous. She looked from him to Tomas and looked away seeing the resemblance. They had their problems when they were together but she’d always thought they’d drifted apart because of her illness, what she now knew had been the awakening setting in. They’d fought about her treatment and how long she’d been out of work often. Now she had to wonder if he’d known that she was awakening all along.

  What was the purpose of trying to pressure her into taking psych meds he knew she didn’t need? Her only guess was it made her easier to control. Was he ever really the man she thought she loved? Did he ever care about her? Did he ever even care about Star? She had so many questions but the answers wouldn’t change anything and she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of caring about their past now. She knew why he was there.

  “Tomas,” He nodded. “It was longer than was expected but I’m sure Father will be pleased with your accomplishment.”

  “I’m sorry it took so long, brother but your wife was rather elusive. I had to manage to catch her alone and she has a knack for disappearing. Luckily with the chaos in the Palace today it was a pretty easy.” He smirked. “I had to fight her a bit but she was easy enough to control. I’ll have a full debrief for you when you’re ready to obtain my niece.”

  “Did you see her when they brought her back into the realm? How is she?” Syneous requested.

  “She was pretty shaken up when she took off but when they brought her back she was damned near catatonic. All you need to do is give her the right push. Father has Byryn?”

  “He’s in the Darker Realms.” He confirmed.

  “Once we have her, use him. It’ll provoke her awakening and she’s Shade. There’s no doubt. There’s no risk of her dying in it when Father awakens her. We won’t even need the additional precautions he was planning.” Tomas confirmed.

  Syneous eyes had held Reyana’s their entire conversation but now he turned his full attention on her. He stalked over to her and took her from his brother, pulling her against his body. Her hands were still cuffed in front of her and she used them to protect her stomach as he ran a hand down her back and brushed the hair out of her face. “I’ve missed you Reyn, but you haven’t missed me have you? You’ve been too busy whoring around with the twins. If I’d known you enjoyed being used like such a little slut I would’ve played with you more often.” He taunted. “Maybe if you behave yourself I’ll convince my Father to take pity on you. He offered to let me keep you, but I haven’t decided if you’re w
orth the trouble.”

  He gripped her by the throat and kissed her roughly but she didn’t bother to justify him with a response and she refused to yield to him. Reyana turned her face from him in disgust. His Dark essence wrapped around her but she pulled the warmth of her Light and the balance of her Gray to her enveloping herself. She knew it had to be burning him but he only smirked down at her.

  Leaning into her he whispered in her ear. “Fight it all you want, Reyn. We both know you’ll be begging soon enough. I’m gonna thoroughly enjoy watching my Father put you in your place and when he’s finished with you, if you’re lucky, I’ll reclaim you. It’s time you learn who I really am.” He kissed and bit into her neck but she felt nothing. There was no connection between them, no desire. All she wanted was to vomit.

  Syneous chuckled, “What’s the matter, wife? No longer thrilled at my touch? You have no idea how much more enticing that makes you.” He sighed into her as he ground the length of his sex against her. She grimaced at the pressure it put on her stomach as he pinched her hands between them. “Unfortunately for you, it won’t be me who has the pleasure. My Father will probably destroy you in his lust, but then with the amount of Darkness you harbor you might even enjoy it. I hear you thrived in Cymeryn’s arms.” He sneered and she didn’t miss the contempt in his voice.

  His hands ran over her body as he pushed his essence through her. When his hand grazed her stomach he froze. He forced her hands out of the way and rested his hand just above her pelvis, sending his essence through her as he sensed her. His brows creased as he met her fearful stare. Syneous backhanded her knocking her to the ground. “What a selfish little whore you’ve been, Reyn.” He shook his head. “How soon did you rush into their beds, hmmm? Did you even wait a day? How long did it take the two of them to seduce you? What a dirty slut you are now and here I thought the Fae were all high and mighty. What would they think if they knew what a slut their Queen was hmm?” He stared down at her with apathy. “This new bit of news will please my Father greatly. I almost felt sorry for you Reyn, almost…now I know I’ll enjoy every ounce of suffering that you endure.”

  He ripped her to her feet and his essence surged into her flooding her with Darkness. She felt the shift begin within her but it was subtle and slow. “You will submit and let me in so I can mist you, Reyn or I promise you, I will take you right here, right now. I may even let my brother enjoy you since you seem to gain pleasure from being used like the little cunt you are and trust me, we won’t be gentle. I don’t know how the young you carry will fair when I tear into your flesh and rip you open as I feast on your essence.”

  Reyana stared up at him with tears in her eyes. She knew he meant it. He might not care what happened to her but in his mind she was his and had been for years. That fact that she now carried Cymeryn and Marcus’ young within her had him enraged. She didn’t know how to explain to him that it wasn’t as simple as letting him in. Her essence wasn’t capable of shifting that easily and it wouldn’t matter what she told him in his current state.

  He shoved her roughly against a tree and tore the top of her dress roughly gripping her breast as he forced his knee between her legs. “I’m going to enjoy breaking you. This continues until I’m able to mist you, so by all means continue to fight me. I’d love to have a reason to justify taking my rage out in your flesh as I sate my desires before my Father has a taste of you.”

  His hand shoved her skirting aside and he forced two fingers inside her. She was dry and it hurt but he seemed to enjoy her pain far more than he ever had her pleasure. She could feel the shift slowly coursing through her, Darkness seeping into her. Suddenly the Darkness swirled through him and around her, essence that wasn’t his own and it seeped into her skin painfully.

  “It seems you’ve received a reprieve from my vengeance, Reyn, but don’t worry. I’ll keep you as my pet once you’ve served your purpose for my Father and Lazurys. You’ll be nothing more than a toy I take out and use when it suits me.” He grinned wickedly at her still working her roughly with his fingers. “I’ve decided. You don’t get to be free of me. You are mine and I’ll never let you go.”

  As the Darkness bored into her she reached out to her Father in her mind. She cried for what she had lost, what they might have had. At this point Cymeryn could be dead. Star could be turning. Byryn was being held prisoner. Everything felt hopeless. She couldn’t even reach Marcus. She’d tried but failed to reach Cymeryn. Her only hope was that her Father heard her and would intervene. If he didn’t, if she was left to endure this, Alayne may well rip the young from her and throw them at Cymeryn’s feet. It would destroy him if he lived. He would blame himself for everything Alayne did to her. The Priest would desecrate her and leave her bloody and destroyed just so that Cymeryn would suffer. She opened her eyes as the Shadows enveloped her and she faded into Darkness. Her only hope was that Alayne wanted to toy with her before Lazurys took her. Otherwise there was no hope. She didn’t know if she could take her life when she knew it wouldn’t just be her own life she destroyed.

  Prologue

  Alayne smiled wickedly as his essence spread through the Prophesized Reborn’s flesh. It was not that he did not wish to allow Syneous his pleasure but such things would be better attended to here in the Darker Realms. There would be plenty of time for his son to see to his rage. His Dark power coursed through Syneous into Reyn slowly shifting her balance.

  Once he held Reyn in his grasp he would have Cymeryn right where he wanted him. Marcus would not be able to breach the Darker Realms. Regardless of whether or not the Supryn had been swayed by the Gray essence in his veins he would be on his own and at Alayne’s mercy. Finally he could end the threat that those twins posed to his plans.

  He had not spent years of careful planning and calculation for his sire’s interest in playing with the Divine Being’s toys to interfere in his ascension. Now that he possessed Reyn everything he had worked so hard for was within his grasp. Cymeryn’s demise, his bride, the ascension, all once thought impossible now close enough to believe. His vision would soon be realized.

  It was a new error for his Shade. The line of the Priests would once again rule and the bastard Warrior Line would fall at his hands. Soon none would have the power to stop him and he would remold the realms in his design. Humanity would know suffering like never before and the Fae would drown in Darkness.

  He felt his son form in the safehold and smirked as he sent notice to his sire. The Dark Lord would be pleased indeed with his accomplishments. Pleased enough that once he had his new toy he’d be distracted for a while. It was time that the master took a lesson from the student.

  He ran a finger over his journal as he allowed his essence to flow through all of his line, his slaves, and his prisoners. He wanted to be sure where each was and that everything he needed was indeed in place. Most of his prisoners and slaves were precautionary captures. Risks he had eliminated before they could pose any true threat. He had tried to do the same with the Protectors of Balance but all his efforts had been thwarted either by Cymarcion, the Divine, or Lord Lazurys himself.

  Soon there would be no more obstacles to stand in his way. It was time. From this day forth the realms would never be the same. He smiled sinisterly as he peered into the future that he would build with his own hands. The world was his for the taking.

  Thank you or reading Shades of Redemption, book three 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 peak from book four

  Protectors and Kings

  Coming May 1st, 2015

  Shala shook as she formed in the Realm of Divinity. She did not want to be the one who relayed this information but it was her place. She was the Faerie of Balance, Servant of the Goddess Lunya and Keeper of the Realms of Balance. Warmth and pure white Light enveloped her and she knew her presence was recognized. Sh
ala formed into her true form and bowed in reverence awaiting permission to speak.

  Be at ease little one. I am aware of what has be fallen my precious Lunya. You need not speak or fear. It was not you who caused this, but the solution is already in place. It is time. I will summon them. Go, open the way so I may bring them to me.

  Shala started in surprise but it was not really a shock. It was more a shock that he had not done so a hundred years before but then they hadn’t been ready. She did not speak, did not attempt to reason the meaning. It was not her place to question the will of the Divine or his wisdom. She went forth to the gateway of the realms and opened the way waiting patiently. When she felt their essences take form here she closed the gates and took her leave.

  There was no more she could do but hope they would accept what had been granted and take the actions necessary. Such was the way of free will. You could not make one accept who they were or the course of their destiny.

  She returned to the Sacred Groves where the others waited. She was not done with her duty. If they accepted she would need to proceed with the will of the Divine, but first the faeries awaited the fate of Lunya and the realms they called home.

  Her sister faeries all spoke at once throwing out questions in rhyme but she held up her hand and they silenced.

  She measured them a moment before she explained. “The time has come, they have been summoned to the Divine. His will be done, should they accept and now align. There is naught more that can be done. We must wait until they become one. The fate of Lunya is in their hands. There is no more to make demands. I must go, be ready to act. Once I know more I will be back.”

  Murmurs of whispers and rhymes rolled through their number. They all knew if this came to pass it would be a momentous occasion that would change the course of all that was to come providing both solutions to some of what they had all wondered how those they watched over would overcome and creating issues that would need to be addressed in time. Everything was written and awaited, but freewill could change everything. It was just the way of things.