Fate Forsaken

by Chauntelle Baughman

  Logic shoved its way past the anger riding in Eldon’s mind. Cadence was right. He’d love nothing more than to burn that worthless son of a bitch to the ground himself, but he knew this wasn’t the place for justice. Max had information they needed. Killing him would only leave more questions unanswered. The blue flames surrounding Evette intensified, and everyone held their ground.

  “Lukas was my life,” Evette whispered. “He took my life from me. Now I’ll take his.”

  Eldon stepped forward to kneel beside her, careful not to come into contact with the flames raging around her. He could feel Rho step close behind him. Before this got too far, there were things he needed to say.

  He blew out a breath before he said softly, “Lukas was my friend. One of my very best friends. I know I can never understand the depth of your pain, but you should know I cared deeply for your husband. He was a wonderful person, and the world will be worse without him in it.” He lowered his voice to barely above a whisper. “But killing Max won’t make this right.” He couldn’t let her destroy herself for the sake of revenge. That wasn’t who she was.

  Evette let out a sob before shaking her head. The blue flames grew brighter as she gripped her fingers tightly around Max’s throat. Her breathing quickened. “Furatus es a me, surripiam a vobis, furatus es a me, surripiam a vobis,” she chanted.

  Shit. Evette was weaving a retaliation spell. What had been taken from her, she wanted taken from Max, and she had him right where she wanted him. Eldon flexed his hands at his sides and tried to think. They needed Max. He knew too much, and he had to be connected to Rhyannon. If the fae queen was going to keep popping up, they needed to understand why.

  Cadence kneeled beside Eldon. “I promise I’ll bring him to justice. I swear it.”

  “It’s too late,” Evette choked out. “I’ve lost everything that matters.” A single tear rolled down her cheek.

  Eldon wasn’t sure if Cadence was more concerned over her cousin’s life or over the safety of the team, but either way, they couldn’t let Evette kill him.

  “Evette, please stop this. For your sake. For me.” Eldon shook his head. “It isn’t going to bring Lukas back.”

  The moment Lukas’s name left his mouth, Evette cringed. “Permissum vos mori!” She snarled then leaned forward to spit on the ground beside him. “Mori!”

  Damn it, he’d made it worse.

  Blue light sparked in Eldon’s hands. He understood Evette’s sentiment completely. If he could, he’d take incredible joy in destroying Max himself. But he couldn’t. They needed the man too much.

  As much as he loathed doing it, a neutralization spell was the only thing he could think of to stop this. If she wasn’t willing to listen to reason, he’d have to suspend her magick. Just as Max had suspended his.

  Weaving a complicated pattern with his hands, he allowed the magick to spin off of his fingers like a web from a spider. Cadence met his eyes then went to work on the opposite side doing the same.

  Moments later, their net was complete. The magick drained from Evette’s body in a rush. Max shoved her off of him, and she landed on the stone floor beside him with a thud.

  “How could you?” Evette said weakly. She crumpled into a ball and wrapped her arms around herself.

  Eldon leaned forward to speak to her, careful not to touch the net they’d cast. “I’m sorry, I had to.”

  A sob echoed in the room, the depth of her sadness something he couldn’t quite fathom. What if that had been Rho? What if she’d died tonight? They hadn’t even been together a fraction of the time Evette and Lukas had, and already he knew he’d be only a shell of a man without her. He would have lost a piece of his soul. He wasn’t sure when it had happened or why, but Rho owned a piece of him now. She wasn’t at all what he’d expected, but he knew with absolute certainty that there was no one else for him in this world.

  He shook his head. After all the hours of research to try and remove her death mark, he’d nearly forgotten how fragile life could be. Their job was dangerous. Every moment he had with her was a precious blessing, and he vowed not to take a single one for granted. One lifetime with her would never be enough.

  He extended a hand forward, breaking his own protection circle as he brushed Evette’s bangs across her forehead. “I’m so sorry.” He’d never meant anything more, but still, the words felt hollow as they came from his lips.

  The blue wall he’d created to purge the magickal energy fell, and Max stepped forward.

  Cadence intercepted his movement and extended a hand. “Impediendum motum!”

  Max froze in place, paralyzed for the second time in only a few minutes. A grunt came from the corner, and Eldon glanced over to find Preshea and Tim, each with one of the fae men in a choke hold. Rho stood, centered between them, her hands extended and glowing green as she siphoned the power emanating from the fae to keep her teammates safe.

  Eldon rose to his feet before stepping toward Cadence. “You’d better make good on your promise. At a minimum, he’s locked up forever.”

  Most criminal offenders, especially those who committed murder by magick, were sentenced to death by the same means they’d committed their crime. An eye for an eye. But despite this man being Cadence’s blood, they couldn’t kill him until they had all of the information they needed.

  “I know.” Cadence shook her head. “He’ll have to go before the Collective for sentencing.”

  “They won’t be lenient.”

  “Neither will I.” Cadence glanced over her shoulder at Eldon. “As much as I love him, this was a terrible crime. One I witnessed myself.” She kneeled and scooped Evette into her arms, pulling her into a tight hug. “I promise justice will be served. Lukas will not be forgotten.”

  Evette choked back another sob and nodded.

  Cadence released Evette and rose then strode across the room toward the two fae men. “Rho, I’ll take this from here.” She lifted her hands toward the men.

  Rho nodded and dropped her hands, the stream of green fire slowly dwindling until all the light was gone from her palms. Had she finally mastered ley line manipulation?

  The men made a move to run, but the effort was futile.

  “Impediendum motum!” Cadence shouted.

  The men froze mid-stride, their bodies paralyzed like Max’s. They were twisted toward the doorway, their backs toward Cadence. One of them was glancing over his shoulder.

  Cadence strode forward, stopping only feet from them and lifting her arms again. She glanced to the side and met Eldon’s eyes, giving him a quick nod before returning her gaze to the men. Blue flames trickled from her fingertips to land at the center of each man’s back. “What you once were shall not be. I call out all the strength from thee. For all the magick you did demand, will now be accessed by only my hand.”

  Green magick spilled from the men’s bodies, traveling across the path of blue energy and into Cadence. Eldon had never heard that spell before, but somehow she’d managed to pull their magick from them and take control of it. Fascinating.

  When the flow of green ceased, Cadence lowered her hands. The men didn’t move. Heaving a sigh, Cadence turned around to face Eldon. “You didn’t see that.”

  He lifted his hands innocently. “See what?”

  Cadence stepped quickly past Eldon, but he ignored her. The only person he could see was Rho, and she looked shaken up as hell. He rushed forward and pulled her into his arms. She fit perfectly against him, her cool body fitting perfectly within his grasp. Even if her heart didn’t beat, he knew she was here with him. He’d never take another day for granted.

  He released his hold on her and took her face gently in his hands. Her clear gray eyes stared up at him, her passion clear in their depths.

  “I love you so much.” His lips found hers before she had a chance to respond. Her breath hitched as he slipped his tongue into her mouth, and he fought against his urge to take this so much further, right now, in front of everyone. God, she felt so right.

/>   The sound of a throat clearing forced him to break the kiss. He pulled away from Rho then gave her one last kiss.

  “Sorry for interrupting,” Cadence said dryly.

  Eldon turned to her and gave a quick nod. “No problem.”

  Cadence kneeled beside Max and fiddled with something in his hand. When she rose again, she turned toward Rho. “I believe this belongs to you.”

  Rho cupped a hand over her mouth then nodded slowly.

  With graceful strides, Cadence stepped forward until she was standing directly in front of Rho and Eldon. She extended a hand forward. “I hope this makes my alliance with your team clear.”

  Rho nodded again and extended a hand, palm facing up.

  Cadence offered a gentle smile before setting a massive gold ring at the center of Rho’s hand. A flash of red caught Eldon’s eye, and he leaned forward. Set between six gold prongs was a massive red diamond, at least ten carats.

  “Is that—” Eldon started.

  “The vampire Kamen,” Rho answered before she glanced up at him. “Back where it belongs.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  Rho readjusted herself in the uncomfortable airplane seat then glanced out the window to her right. Thank God the flight attendant had brought more coffee. Without the delightful aroma distracting her, she might have lost her mind. They’d been trapped for fifteen hours in a metal tube.

  Her heart was heavy with the events of the last week. When she’d made the trip the first time, she’d been excited to see Paris during the day. The ride back home turned out to be a far more somber occasion.

  She stared down at the impressive red diamond on her left ring finger. It was the only finger the ring would fit on. She’d been terrified to pack such a valuable item. Regardless of street value, the stone was priceless to the DarqRealm. The only way she could know it was safe was to keep it somewhere she could see it.

  “You okay?” Eldon asked. Luckily the flight wasn’t full, so they had the entire row to themselves.

  “Fine.” She shrugged a shoulder. “I still don’t see why we had to fly back home.” Jumping the lines would’ve been far more convenient, considering she now had the amulet to keep her safe. At least temporarily, until they could find a more permanent fix.

  “This is safer. We don’t know that the amulet will protect you.”

  “It will.”

  “Hopefully we’ll never test the theory.” Eldon’s brow furrowed and he turned his attention to the headrest in front of him.

  Something was bothering him, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. Ever since Lukas had died, he’d been a little off. Not that she could blame him. The death had been a horrible shock to her, and she didn’t have nearly the history with Lukas he did.

  Evette didn’t plan on having an elaborate funeral, but Rho supposed she didn’t need to. Only the magick mover traditions would do. They all knew exactly what had happened. Lukas was the definition of a hero, and Rho would never let anyone forget it. Evette had said she’d cremate her late husband and then spread his ashes when the time felt right. The team agreed to come back whenever she was ready to say her final goodbyes.

  Maybe Eldon felt he lacked some sort of closure, and that was causing him to act a little strange? There was no way to know. But whenever he was willing to talk about it, she’d listen.

  She changed the subject. “You think Evette will take you up on your offer?”

  When Eldon had suggested allowing Evette to come and stay at his safe house, at least until she got on her feet again, Rho’d immediately told him yes. In the span of a week, Evette had lost everything. Her home. Her husband. Even the loft she’d used as a safe house had been discovered and ransacked. The idea of leaving Paris without knowing the woman was safe didn’t sit well with either of them.

  Eldon sighed. “I’m not sure. Evette is proud. She doesn’t like the idea of accepting charity.”

  “It isn’t charity. It’s friendship.”

  “That’s what I told her.”

  Rho shook her head. She couldn’t imagine the hell Evette was going through right now. The idea of losing Eldon made her sick to her stomach, and he was sitting in the seat beside her.

  She reached over and took Eldon’s hand, threading her fingers through his. “It isn’t good for her to be alone. Not right now. Not after everything that happened.”

  Eldon stared down at their joined hands then met her eyes. “Nick’s going to check on her.”

  Rho arched a brow but didn’t say anything.

  When Eldon finally glanced over at her, he said, “And before you ask, no, Nick’s not back yet. He wants to stay with Trinador until she’s completely healed.”

  “Interesting.”

  “They’re dating now.”

  Rho smirked. “Not a surprise.”

  They sat quietly for the remainder of their flight, which suited Rho just fine. She released her grip on him and reclined her seat back, settling into the pathetic excuse for a pillow the flight attendant had handed her earlier. The past few days had been emotionally and physically exhausting, and she wanted nothing more than a little peace and quiet. Eldon was lost in an old episode of Friends while Rho sipped her airline coffee and stared out the window.

  When they finally touched down and began to taxi toward their gate, Eldon reached out to grab Rho’s left hand. His thumb stroked the large rock as he spoke. “Does it bother you I’ll never be your mate?”

  “What?” The question completely caught Rho off guard. Her mate? Since when was he worried about that?

  He lifted her hand with the red diamond on it. “Just curious. Does it bother you?”

  Rho opened her mouth to answer then shut it again. What could she say? She couldn’t say she hadn’t thought about it before. Ever since they’d been soul struck, she’d considered him a part of her. She definitely loved him. But a true mate? Since Eldon wasn’t a vampire, she couldn’t create a blood bond with him. In her world, that was the only type of bond that mattered.

  Finally, she answered, “I guess it does, a little. It would be nice to know we could…be mated. If we wanted to.”

  He nodded. “Yeah.”

  “Why do you ask?” Of all the questions she’d expected, that one had been at the bottom of the list.

  “Just curious.”

  Rho turned the question on him. “Does it bother you?”

  He lifted a shoulder. “Sometimes.”

  The plane turned toward an open gate then paused.

  “What kind of ceremony does your race have?” Rho asked. They’d never really discussed magick mover ceremonies before, but she imagined they were nothing like the vampire blood exchanges she’d witnessed. Movers seemed far less dramatic than that.

  “They’re normal.”

  “And ours are…” Rho stifled a laugh.

  Eldon’s cheeks turned a delicious shade of pink. “I mean, yours are normal, too.”

  “Of course.”

  “I just meant ours are more…human. Traditional. White dress, tuxedo, flowers.”

  “No magick?”

  “It’s part of the ceremony.”

  “Ah.”

  The plane rolled forward again until it jarred to a stop. The “fasten seatbelt” light flashed off, and Eldon rose quickly from his seat. Guess that was the end of that conversation.

  What could have prompted that? Rho gazed down at the ring on her left finger. She hadn’t put it on that finger on purpose. It just happened to be the only finger the ring would fit, and she wasn’t taking any chances with it. Although, now that she considered it, she probably shouldn’t be walking around with it in such plain view.

  She tugged the ring off her finger and opened the clasp of the moonstone amulet around her neck. With quick hands, she strung the ring onto the chain and clasped the necklace once again. She pulled the diamond to the front, alongside the moonstone, and glanced down to make sure it was safely hidden. At least this way the Kamen would be on her person but out of s
ight. Eldon removed Rho’s black suitcase from the overhead bin and set it in the seat beside her.

  She studied his profile as he stared toward the front of the plane. Now that she really thought about it, she wasn’t opposed to the idea of commitment. She just wasn’t sure if it was for her.

  Sure, things were different with Eldon. She’d never felt this way about any man before, so she’d easily say she was more committed to Eldon than anyone in her life. He meant everything to her. But still, with her line of work and their current mission, she wasn’t willing to put him in a compromising position.

  Not to mention the rumors that would fly around the DarqRealm regarding an interracial couple. She wouldn’t care if anyone talked trash about her, but Eldon was far too prominent in the mover community to subject him to that.

  Although it would be nice to have a little sliver of normalcy for once. To experience the same commitment so many others had before her. But it just wasn’t in the cards.

  She sighed as she rose to her feet and grabbed her suitcase. Eldon shot her a smile. The aisle began to clear, and he finally moved forward. She followed him off the plane, through the maze of the airport, and finally to the car.

  After they loaded the luggage and got back onto the road, Rho pulled her cell phone from her pocket. They’d gotten new ones again, and would probably have to keep switching them every few days to maintain a low profile. She powered it back on, only to find a text message from Preshea.

  PRINCE HERE. CALL ME.

  Frederick was there again? Rho ran a hand through her messy blond hair and let out a heavy sigh. The last time he’d come to the safe house, he’d informed her she’d been summoned by the Council, and she’d been told she’d go to trial. The fact that he’d turned up again, in person, couldn’t mean anything good.

  “Frederick is at the safe house again,” Rho said.

  Eldon put his turn signal on and glanced over his shoulder. “Did she say why?”

  Rho held up the phone and wiggled it in her hand. “I’m calling her now.” She punched Preshea’s name on her favorites list and waited.