Entangled Darkness

by Brandy L Rivers

  “But why?”

  “They don’t go away so easily.” Not to mention this baby I thought would be such a great idea, but now… timing fucking sucks.

  Robert’s mouth closed over hers, stealing her breath as he rolled her over on her back so he could lie on top of her. She pushed at his chest, and he leaned up to look down into her eyes. “Talk to me.”

  “I told you.” Everything I could, anyway.

  The doubts rolling around were stupid, but she couldn’t shake them. Old wishes floated through her head, some of which didn’t belong with Tremaine in the picture. So many hopes and dreams no longer fit the image she’d had in her head for decades.

  Robert caressed her cheek, sadness clouding his eyes. “I knew he should have come with me.”

  “No. He’s right. I needed you. I needed this.” She also needed more. Without one, she was still missing pieces. Liz needed them both. She knew it. They each knew it. First, Robert needed to mend her cracks. Later, Tremaine could glue her back together.

  * * * *

  More than two weeks later, eighty-five years earlier…

  Someone rolled Tremaine, shoving him off the cot, onto the cold stone floor. “Rise and shine, sleepyhead,” the psionic werecat purred, crouching over him to grip his head, yanking him into a sitting position.

  Pain radiated from his stiff joints, his hands and feet still bound. Yet, he sat there, letting her guide his movements, hoping to hell and back she’d be done soon.

  Fucking bitch kitty, the only other person he’d seen since being thrown into the cell. Her chartreuse eyes bored into him, digging in his head, as always. He still had everything locked up tight and planned to keep it that way.

  She was built dense, muscular, like a human weapon. White blond curls framed her square face in ringlets.

  “I’m awake,” he muttered, trying to remember what day it was. Seventeen days so far. How much longer before his body gave out? He’d withstood beatings, bleedings, broken bones, and more. As soon as he seemed too damaged, healers were brought in to put him back together. Or, so he assumed because he was healthy each time he woke up.

  If the bitch sitting in his lap kept pushing, she might destroy his carefully shielded mind.

  “Want to know a secret, Tremaine?” she hissed in his ear.

  “What good would it do? You’re never letting me out of here.”

  “Oh, we have plans for you, darling. Maybe on the other side, you’ll see me in a different light.” She licked up the column of his throat and nipped his ear. “We could have so much fun.”

  “Fun? I prefer control. I won’t submit in the bedroom.”

  Her hand trailed down his bare chest, to cover his cock over his tattered, bloodstained pants. “If you put this in me, I’ll submit all night long.”

  His brow arched as he decided to play along. He let one corner of his mouth tip up. “That so, kitten?”

  “You’re strong, powerful, and I want to see you unrestrained.” She ground over him, sucking his lobe.

  Tremaine leaned back. “Then you’ll see a whole new side. Hope you like me feral.” He wasn’t sure if he’d fuck her to prove he was on their side or return the torture. Though he was supposed to be getting deep into HARP, not acting as their punching bag.

  Damn Draecyn for sending him into the lion’s den.

  She stood, backing away as a smirk played across her lips. “First, are you sure you don’t want to be the Council’s pawn?”

  “I’m done with their bullshit. I’m not going back.” And after his stint in the cell, he might even mean it. Draecyn had been so sure they would pull him in and raise him through the ranks. Instead, so far they’d kept him in the dark and beat the shit out of him. He was willing to bet that if they let him out, their motive would be pushing his boundaries further.

  Though with a group like HARP, they would want assurances they weren’t letting a true Silver Council member in. Which he was, but he was damned good at his job. He needed a single chance to prove he was on HARP’s side and maybe he could finally find out why Draecyn sent him.

  Her smile brightened, even as she studied him carefully. “Then assist me in a mission. An enforcer is searching for you. She’s getting too close to learning the truth about your dual nature. We can’t have that.”

  “Tell me where to find whoever they sent, and I’ll end her, and anyone else they send.”

  The shifter stepped forward and held out her hand. “Then we better get you cleaned up. I’ll be your chaperone. You need to prove you’ve let your past go and embraced your future.”

  Chapter 5

  “So Draecyn knew your secret all that time?” Preston asked.

  Sighing, Tremaine met his gaze, wanting to thump the twit upside the head. “Yes. He did.”

  “You mentored us. Why didn’t you tell us?”

  “What difference would it make? Other than becoming a potential reason for others wanting knowledge to torture you?”

  Preston snorted. “We wouldn’t have broken, Tremaine.”

  “And that’s where you’re wrong. Is it likely you’d break? No. But, in that situation, the moment you think you won’t, that’s when you do. I’ve been there, Preston. I know firsthand how shit can go wrong, and you find yourself in positions you swore you never would.”

  “Because of an ancient vampire who enthralled you?” Preston countered, referring to the Dales case ten years before.

  Tremaine shook his head. “Before that, Preston. I knew better from experience and still fell into that trap. You saw those files. I do not deny I did some fucked up shit. Mystra forgive me, but I did everything those files suggest. Only I made sure to go after the ones who were never on the Council’s side. Doesn’t make any of it right, but there’s the straight up truth.”

  Preston sank down in front of him. “Okay. Point made.”

  Robert and Liz appeared in the book warehouse.

  Tremaine’s brow arched. She looked better but was still keeping secrets. Her eyes were too stony. He was willing to bet she was worried about the bun in the oven.

  Tremaine stood and closed the distance. He pulled her into his arms. “I told you I would resolve this mess. But are you sure you still want to be involved? The shit’s going to get deep fast.”

  Liz shrugged. “If I’m needed in the field, I will go, but right now, I’m here as an extra set of eyes.”

  Preston smirked. “And she does bring a fresh perspective.”

  Robert raised a brow at Tremaine. “We always made a great team. You called us unstoppable. Not to mention, Liz won’t question your motives like I mistakenly did.”

  No, she wouldn’t. His concern had everything to do with how much Jules and Anthony would want to get their hands on her, both for the power she hadn’t yet tapped and her limitless potential.

  Tremaine knew their methods. She’d gone through so much hell in her life, and he didn’t want to see her make the same choices he’d been forced to make. Not to mention, Liz was never good at going against what she believed was right. In that sense, she was likely to get herself killed.

  Shoving the fear aside, Tremaine managed a smile. “The crew is back together.” Any other case and he may have welcomed the opportunity to work with them again.

  Now being sucked back into HARP was a very real possibility. Either him—or more likely Liz. He wanted to protect his world from the darkness waiting to entangle all of them, especially Liz, who had so much to learn about herself and more to lose.

  In many ways, he’d wanted to keep her power isolated at its current level. He also knew the dangers if he couldn’t show her how to harness the power. He’d experienced what happened when he’d been given spells to read and the magic flowed from him unchecked.

  Liz had briefly tapped into the power hiding deep within whenever danger pushed her past all thought. Now she needed to learn to draw from those unexplored resources.

  He should have done it months ago, back when they first learned about her
heritage, what she was. Certainly, he’d suspected, but had truly hoped his imagination had run wild. From the moment he laid eyes on her, he knew she was special, his light, his purpose.

  Robert squeezed Tremaine’s shoulder and gave him a searching look. Liz immediately went to the stack of his journals and thumbed through the pages, pausing to read sections.

  As soon as she’d become lost in the words on the page, he grabbed Robert’s upper arm and pulled him outside.

  * * * *

  Beyond the doors, Robert yanked free of Tremaine. “Why are you so nervous about Liz being here? I can’t count the times you convinced Preston and me to let Liz go right into the thick of danger while holding us back. Now you’re worried about her looking at files?”

  “She’s the same as me, Robert. She’s a damned Rift Bender. The reason I got so far with HARP was the fact Julius and Antoine knew what I was all along. They wanted to train me, to break me from the Silver Council mold. They wanted a protégé.”

  “I thought they were half fae.”

  Tremaine nodded. “Yeah, they are. Doesn’t mean they didn’t seek out certain combinations. Do you even know the real reason the Silver Council shuns druid and mage lovers?”

  “The children often have no magic. They’re considered weak among mages even when magic does present itself.”

  He snorted. “Has Liz ever been weak?”

  Robert frowned, shaking his head. “No.”

  “And have you ever seen me weak?”

  He shook his head. “I’ve seen you do things no one should be able to do. What does that have to do with anything? Clearly you’re both exceptions. Same as me with my translocation.”

  Tremaine explained, “We’re not exceptions. We’re the typical outcome. Our powers can meld. Not only with our two halves but with other hybrids, mages, and druids. Hell, nearly any kind of magic. No barriers exist for us. Our power doesn’t just add to each other’s, but it multiplies exponentially. You’ve seen the way her magic erupts. If we put our power together, we could rip apart whole cities. I have to train her, but there lies the problem. If she touches this case, HARP may very well learn what she is. They would take her and try to make her something else.”

  “Like they tried to do with you.”

  “They very nearly did.” Tremaine scrubbed his hands over his face and walked away. “Fuck, Robert, you have no idea what I’ve been through. Those files paint me as a monster for a reason. I had little choice in the matter, except embrace the assignment, or flee. The Silver Council would never have taken me back if they had proof of what I am. Hell, if they knew the whole truth about what Liz and I could do, they’d hunt us both down.”

  “Why?” Robert demanded. “You can’t be the only ones.”

  “The inner circle is terrified of what would happen if several of us got together. Story is it took only three of us to make Mount Vesuvius blow.”

  Robert’s mouth fell open. “Why weren’t we taught that?”

  “Think about it, Robert. What would happen if the wrong people learned and got together? I’m not the first hybrid Silver Council member to gain rank. I’m not even the highest. Their prized enforcers played both sides for centuries before they supposedly died. They disappeared and became the face of HARP. That happened shortly after I finished the Enforcer training program.”

  “Any hybrids presently in a higher position?”

  “What would you do if I tell you?”

  Robert shrugged. “I suppose it depends on the situation. I don’t want to point out anyone’s a hybrid, but if they are causing problems only they can, I can put a stop to it. But I have a better question. How did you not know what Liz was if you can sense what we are?”

  “I’m not a druid. It’s not as clear cut. And hybrids tend to lean one way or another, essence wise. It’s why Preston, or anyone who can sense what someone is, never questioned if either of us were mages. We lean toward mage. I knew Liz was powerful, but beyond that, I only knew she was special. It didn’t click until the night of the storm when she channeled it in front of you.”

  “But you can sense what we all are to some extent?” Robert appeared puzzled.

  Tremaine snorted. “Not like Preston can. He reads a person’s essence and their magical residue. Not even quite as much as Fallon who senses like most druids. It’s different. I don’t know what else to tell you. Besides, the way Liz’s skills developed was vastly different than mine. I was taught to use both mage and druid magic separately. Since she wasn’t trained at a young age, her magic developed naturally, without the same parameters. It’s why she gravitates toward lightning instead of fire or water. A druid talent, but she uses it the way a mage would.”

  “Understood.” Robert drew a deep breath and let it out as he studied Tremaine, seeming to search for some answer. “What are you really worried about? That Liz will fall into their hands? Or they will corrupt her?”

  “Oh, they won’t corrupt her, but they might destroy her.”

  Robert grabbed his chin. “Then we’ll have to convince her she can’t go in the field if she changes her mind.”

  “That may not be possible, Robert. In the field or not, they can definitely take her. You don’t understand how they work. She has potential, and untapped powers, they’re looking for. They want hybrid mages working far enough outside the typical Council methods. An obscene amount of power. Willingness to break the rules. That’s her, just like it was me.”

  “And what about you, Tremaine? Do they want you back? Or did you anger them enough they’d rather execute you?”

  “Shit… It’s possible they want me dead. However, they like ambitious assholes, and they may take what I did as a crime of passion.”

  “Crime of passion?” Robert asked, stretching out each word.

  Tremaine winced. “Sure. I’ve used sex as a way to get in deeper with the enemy. Yes, with men too. I nearly turned Jules and Anthony against each other. Fucking one while befriending the other. They’re twisted enough and may decide my deception was proof I’m what they need.”

  Robert shook his head, attempting to understand. He learned early on he needed a real connection to be intimate with someone. Very few made that list. He knew it was different for Tremaine. “Did you love him, ever?”

  “No. Never.” Tremaine took a deep breath and let it out in a huff. “He was a case. Neither you nor Liz are a case. I can’t walk away from what we have. With Anthony, it was survival. You turn him down, and he kills you. I’ve seen it happen.”

  Robert couldn’t grasp the concept. “I’ve never resorted to sex for a case.”

  “You were never truly single, Robert. Me, I never settled down before we came together. I had no reason to. Not until the three of us found our place.” Tremaine looked far off into the woods.

  Robert wrapped his hand around the back of Tremaine’s neck and pressed his forehead to Trem’s. “Don’t question where we are. This is real. My heart is as entangled with yours as it is with Liz’s. I can’t have one without the other.”

  Tremaine captured his face. “That’s why we need to keep Liz safe because she’s exactly the kind of person they want to take and use for their own means. Liz isn’t flexible enough to bend to their plan. She’d break instead.”

  “You are not a monster, Tremaine.”

  “Oh, but I was at times.”

  * * * *

  Three weeks later, eighty-five years ago…

  Bitch kitty had a name. Tabitha. And she wasn’t so bad outside the little cell of hell. Though what she wanted him to do was something he’d been dreading. Not that he’d miss the mage he was sent to kill.

  He’d had a brief fling with Chelsea during the enforcer program. She didn’t want to let Tremaine go, but he left her before heading out on his first mission. When he returned, she crawled back to him, crying about how sorry she was.

  She hadn’t finished her twisted version of the story before Draecyn pulled him into his office and replayed everything that had happ
ened through a spell. Maynard assigned her to prove Tremaine was guilty of killing Sebastian. Chelsea couldn’t believe a ten-year-old boy would kill anyone, so she stacked evidence against his mother. She had also been the one who brought Abigail Gallagher in. Maynard pushed the trial through, and Abigail was judged harshly.

  Tremaine held the door of the bar for Tabitha. She slipped past him with an evil glint shining in her eyes. He followed as he scanned the patrons.

  Tabitha whispered in his ear, “You really going to kill your lover?”

  His brow arched as he turned toward her. “Jealous?” He’d been shacking up with bitch kitty since she let him out of the hell cell. Trying to prove he was into their cause, he gave her everything she craved and more.

  HARP would always be evil in his eyes, but so far he’d been convincing in his role. Doubts about the Silver Council’s direction had started to circulate, and the stories from the other recruits made him question everything.

  Neither organization was perfect, though the Silver Council held the right principles, even if they’d been lost in politics. HARP’s views were twisted. Some of their ideas were sound but at the expense of mortals who vastly outnumbered Others. Besides, Tremaine suspected the faceless leaders had created the group to gain power for themselves.

  “Oh, I don’t want to give you up. If you fail this mission, I’ll be forced to kill you. Don’t fail. I’ve grown attached,” she purred.

  “Don’t worry. I’ll kill Chelsea without a single regret.” He slipped through the crowd and approached his mark. Questions swirled through his head. Namely, who would have told Tabitha about his brief affair with Chelsea? He hadn’t seen the woman in years, choosing to throw himself into case after case as far from her as he could get. And only a handful of people ever knew.

  Antoine’s name would have come to mind before he vanished from the face of the Earth.