by Ciara Graves
“I mean when she let off some pent-up anger caused by Rudarius, she manifested shadows, and there was whispering in her mind to kill me. How is that possible?”
“We’ve seen traces of them before. In her eyes and flickering around her fingertips.”
“Not like this,” I argued. “Rudarius’s taint is influencing her magic, making her dangerous.” I paused to listen for her, but the water was still running, and I hadn’t heard a door open. “She had a stake to my chest, ready to off me because of the darkness inside her. Are you sure these rings will be enough to stop him from turning her against us?”
“There’s no other option. If the rings don’t work, I’m not sure what else will.”
I moved further away from the bedroom and leaned against the kitchen counter. Helena and the others were outside in the garden talking. Seneca had pushed Rudarius back this time. But it took nearly killing me to do so. Could she do it again? Macron might be strong, but if I sent him off alone with an unstable Seneca to whatever shadow realm they were about to venture into, what would happen if Rudarius reached her there? What if he made her kill Macron? She’d never forgive herself.
“These rings. How will they work?”
“As normal fae rings, I would assume.”
“But she’s not normal.”
Macron drummed his fingers on the countertop. “No, she’s not. The rings are meant to help channel a fae’s magic, help them use it, but if the shadows are presenting themselves without the rings…” He trailed off, not needing to say whatever else was on his mind.
If Seneca didn’t need rings now, then when she did have them, she could become unstoppable. Which left the same question I’d been asking myself, as much as I hated to admit it. Would she be able to stay strong and listen only to herself or would Rudarius shift her allegiances before this war was over? Would his taint win the internal fight she was constantly facing in her mind?
“You should get some rest,” Macron suggested.
“No. Can’t sleep now.”
“There’s not much of the night left. Afraid you can’t take a walk to clear your head.” He patted me on the shoulder, but I could tell it wasn’t me he was so worried about.
Seneca was my heart and soul, but she was like a daughter to Macron. That much was easy enough to see. If only he was her father, then maybe none of this would’ve happened. She wouldn’t have been turned by the most vile vampire to ever walk the earth. One bent on destroying all those who stood against him and ruling over whatever heap of rubble remained when the war ended.
Macron left to speak with Helena as Shane stomped inside to crash on the couch.
“Don’t forget to pull the shades,” I said as he passed by.
“You sure you’re alright? The two of you I mean?”
The wounds Seneca inflicted against me were healing and would be gone in another hour or so. “We don’t have a choice. No time to lose it.”
“Thought that’s what she just did.”
“I pushed her. I had to. Rudarius is getting inside of her head. She has to figure out a way to fight back and stop letting him take control.”
“At what cost?”
“Any cost,” I replied without hesitation.
Shane hissed under his breath.
I glared. “What?”
“I know you love her, but we need you to lead the vampires alongside Marlie and the fae. If you’re not alive to do that, who do you think they’re going to listen to? Not me. And not a freaking fae prince,” he muttered quietly as he glanced nervously at the bedroom door as if Seneca was suddenly going to walk out. “Once we find the surviving members of your coven, you have to be alive to take them and unite the rest to stand against Rudarius, or we won’t stand a chance.”
“And you want me to what? Let Seneca die?”
“I can’t stand by while you put your life at risk,” Shane explained. “I like her, I do, but she’s too much of a liability, and you’re too blind to see it.”
“Not so long ago, I recall you encouraging us to be together.”
He shrugged. “That was before we found out what she is. What if you can’t save her? What if she turns on us and wipes out half our army for Rudarius?”
My hand was around Shane’s throat in a blur, and I slammed him into the kitchen wall.
He held my gaze steadily and didn’t fight back as I hissed and snarled in his face. “I will save her. Rudarius will not claim her, and she will not become our enemy. And you’ll not lay a hand on her. Understand me?”
A shudder raced over his body as he gnashed his teeth but had to obey. “I understand, master.”
Ever since Rudarius took over my coven, I swore I would never have any vampires call me master. That I wouldn’t be like him. Yet look at what I was doing. I released Shane and backed away in a hurry. “Shane, I’m sorry. You are my friend, a good friend. I don’t want that to change, but we can’t defeat Rudarius without Seneca.”
“How do you know?” He already seemed to have put my outburst behind him, one of the many reasons I had turned him in the first place. His ability to adapt and forget. To focus only on what was important.
“I just do. We have no way to know if he destroyed his fae rings or if he still has them. But he does have the mages and seers and whoever else possesses magic that’s connected to that bloody totem. How are we supposed to stand against an army of vampires bearing rings if we don’t have something just as strong or stronger?” I didn’t see us defeating Rudarius without Seneca by our side. Not that I wanted to leave her somewhere or face her on the battlefield. I told Shane to get some sleep, and we’d talk about it later.
Back in the bedroom, I took off my shoes and t-shirt then lay down in bed waiting for Seneca to leave the bathroom. When she finally did, she smiled when she found me waiting for her. I held out my hand, and she took it, sitting with her back to me so I could braid her wet hair. Once it was finished, she snuggled against my side as she had every night since we came back from Otherworld. I rested my cheek atop her head, breathing her in, the subtle scent of oranges teasing my nose. She was warm, and I drew her in as close as I could.
“Draven?”
“You need to sleep,” I whispered.
“I know, but I don’t think I can.”
“Yes, you can.” I kissed her temple and listened to the steady beating of her heart.
“I’m scared,” she said on a breath.
Her admission made my eyes open. I wondered if I should keep lying to her or tell her the truth. But she would be heading out with Macron soon enough, and she needed to be clearheaded, not worrying about what I thought. “Everything will work out the way it’s supposed to. You’ll see. Sleep, Seneca. It’s been a rough night.”
“It’s always a rough night,” she mumbled sadly.
As she drifted off, I cursed fate for making me nothing except a lowly vampire. I had no power to take away the seed of evil Rudarius planted inside her. Or make it easier for her to control her wayward power. Or to simply snap my fingers and turn back time and make it so the fae kingdoms never fell, so Rudarius never laid his hands on her, hurt her as he did. In the tank top she wore to bed, her scars were visible from where her wings used to be. My fingers hovered over the knotted skin.
If only I had the power to bring her wings back, too.
All I could do was find the rest of the Bleeding Crown vampires and unite the covens. I hissed quietly. Shane was correct. No one else could lead the army against Rudarius except me. I had to have faith Seneca would remain strong. There were no other options, at least none I was willing to entertain.
Seneca slept on after the sun had set low enough in the sky for me and Shane to leave the cottage and make the trek into Madwich again. We sat at the same table waiting for the vampire Shane promised was going to show up at some point. The one who would take me to my missing coven members. All the while, my mind was with Seneca. She hadn’t awakened with nightmares and looked peaceful when I left her behind.
But soon Macron and she would be leaving this realm for another, and I would be staying behind. I was letting her go without me.
“He’s here.” Shane punched me in the arm.
I righted in my chair.
A blond-haired vampire stood at the bar across the room, his back to us. He wore a brown, leather jacket, jeans, and muddy boots.
“You’re sure?”
“Trust me. Let’s go.”
As we stood and walked to the bar, I searched for Marlie and the three fae brothers. Only one was there tonight—Ash. He and Marlie appeared to be having a heated discussion, but whatever they talked about would have to wait. If this vampire could give me a lead on my coven, I had to hear it. Decide if it was true.
We stood behind the vampire, and Shane cleared his throat. The vampire set his glass of blood down and turned to face us. From so far away, I hadn’t been able to see his full face. Now as we looked at each other, I was sure my heart gave a beat in my chest.
“Nathaniel?”
“My lord,” he whispered then sank to one knee. Or tried to.
I caught him and pulled him into an embrace instead.
He hesitated for a split second then hugged me back just as fiercely. “I never thought to see you again.”
“Or I, you. How did you make it out of there?”
“I nearly didn’t. Ended up staked, but it missed my heart by a hair. I was pulled out of there by the others who survived and fled Otherworld.” His smile faltered, and he lowered his head as he crossed his arms over his chest. “I failed you. Failed your father. He died. And as for you, I let the enemy take you from us.” His face wore more than just guilt. Scars from that gruesome battle had been carved into his forehead and cheeks. His once handsome features were now marred. All I could ease was his guilt.
“No one could’ve saved my father that night.” I squeezed his shoulders, not yet believing this was real. “Come on, let’s sit down and have a drink. We have much to talk about. And you’ve already met my friend, Shane.”
Nathaniel shook Shane’s hand with a nod. “The moment I heard someone asking about the Bleeding Crown, I feared it was Rudarius ready to hunt the rest of us down. I’m thankful I decided to come back and discover I was wrong.”
“Rudarius is currently trapped within Otherworld,” I explained as we took our seats.
“How?”
Shane and I exchanged a glance. “It came at a great cost, but that means we have time, a very limited amount of time to make ready for his next move.”
Nathaniel’s eyes shimmered red in the dim lighting of the bar. “I would very much like to get revenge. After we fell, I’d heard you turned into another one of his lackeys. That you became one of his most trusted men.”
I could’ve lied and said it was all false, but what was the point? I needed my coven to trust that I was me and not Rudarius’s puppet. Not anymore. “I did what I had to survive. There are many days I regret the blood I spilled.” I glared pointedly at the table, remembering those days in the dark dungeon. Remembering Rudarius’s laughing as he enjoyed seeing me suffer day after day. “I convinced him he could trust me, and it gave me a chance to escape.”
“As happy as I am that you have, we can’t stand against Rudarius.” Nathaniel leaned in closer, whispering, “Rumors are spreading the fae kingdoms have fallen.”
“They have. His army has grown, and he’s found a way to use fae magic along with the mages.”
“Great. So not only is he going to outnumber us, but he has magic now?’
“He and some of his army,” Shane added, and I glowered at him. “What? If you’re going to give him the bad news, might as well do it all at once.”
Nathaniel was looking less and less pleased to have run into me. “Any other bad news?”
“No, I think that might cover it.” I kicked Shane under the table to stop him from saying anything else, and he winced. “Look, I know we’re up against terrible odds, but if we don’t stop Rudarius, he’s going to destroy everything in his wake. He’s already allying himself with packs in Otherworld and several witch covens. As soon as he’s free to leave Otherworld, he’ll either attack Valesk, or he’ll come here. We have to stop him.”
The silence stretched on at our table as the others in the bar carried on as if impending doom was not on their doorstep.
Nathaniel finally shook his head as he picked at a splinter at the edge of the table. “When we escaped Otherworld, after I healed, those who survived turned to me to keep them safe. To ensure they survived. The other covens turned us away. They feared Rudarius would hunt us down one by one and they didn’t want death knocking on their doors.”
“Nathaniel—” I started.
He shook his head. “You were dealing with your own troubles. Don’t blame yourself for what we went through. But if you come with me to see the rest of your coven and bring them messages of war, not all of them are going to be so eager to listen.”
“And if we told them we have a secret weapon—shit! What was that one for?”
Shane held the leg I just kicked as Nathaniel frowned.
“What secret weapon?”
“It’s not a secret weapon. She’s a person, and we’re not sure if this plan of ours is even going to work,” I explained, shaking my head at Shane.
“A person?”
How much did I want him to know? Nathaniel had grown harder and more serious since the coven fell, but looking in his eyes, I could see he was the same vampire my father had trusted. The same one who stood by my side for decades. I had faith in him, but when it came to Seneca, telling him anything about her gave me pause.
“As much as I hate my time spent with that monster,” I said slowly, choosing my words, “it led me to meet someone who could turn the tide of this war in our favor. But, we’re not a hundred percent certain of anything yet.”
“And again, I’m asking you who this person is?”
“She’s a vampire,” I replied. “And a fae.”
Nathaniel said nothing then burst out laughing. “That’s a good one. Nice to know you still have a sense of humor.”
I rubbed the back of my neck as Shane shook his head.
“Wait,” Nathaniel muttered, his laughter cutting off instantly. “You’re serious? How is that possible? The vampire would die. There’s never been a fae and a vampire.”
“Years of torture at the hands of Rudarius made it possible.” My hands curled into fists on my thighs, and when both vampires gave me a worried look, I realized I was hissing viciously. “Sorry. Touchy subject.”
“I can tell. This… hybrid—she means a lot to you?”
“You could say that, yes.”
Nathaniel’s smile returned with a whole new meaning behind it. “I see.”
“Meaning what?”
“I’ve known you a long time, Draven. Never seen that look on your face until now. You love this woman, don’t you?”
Shane was nodding without even giving me a chance to answer. He and I were going to have a very long talk when we returned to the cottage.
“I do, but the situation is complicated. There’s much we need to talk about, but I’m not willing to do that unless you’re going to take me to my coven.”
“Like how she’s your secret weapon? What can a hybrid do to help?”
“When she’s a dark fae and apparently a long-lost royal to a forgotten kingdom, she can do many things,” I told him, giving in a little. “Please, I’ll tell you everything, but we’re too exposed here.” I rattled off the address for Seneca’s cottage and told him to meet me there tomorrow night. “I’ll tell you everything I can as long as you promise to take me to where my people are hiding.”
He held out his hand for mine, and I shook it. “Deal. But like I said, your people might not be the willing army you’re hoping to find.”
“Leave the army to me. We’re busy gathering the fae to our cause, too.”
“The fae? How?”
“With me.” Marlie approac
hed our table, Ash behind him. “Meet you boys back at the cottage. Ash is joining his brothers, and I’ll be heading out there tomorrow.” He bowed his head to Nathaniel in greeting. “Prince Marlie at your service.” He raised his one arm then smiled at me and lowered it, saluting us with his other hand instead. “One of these days, Draven, you and I are going to go a few rounds.”
He left the bar with Ash.
Nathaniel turned his curious gaze to me. “I take it you’re responsible for his missing hand?”
“I am. It’s a long story.”
“One I’ll be happy to hear tomorrow night. It’s good to see you alive, my lord,” he said as he stood. “I’ll be there.”
I watched him leave, my optimism that had waned early this morning was coming back.
“This is a good sign,” Shane said, as if reading my mind. “I had no idea who he was. You must feel extremely hopeful now.”
“Getting there.” Then I told Shane I was going back to the cottage.
He informed me he was going to stick around for a while longer. He mentioned something about it being cramped in the cabin, but I saw him eyeing a witch from across the room.
“Just make sure you get your ass back to the cottage before dawn.”
He waved me off, and I exited the bar. Madwich wasn’t terribly busy. The few people I passed paid no attention to me. As always, I kept a wary eye, all the same. Rudarius might not be able to get through the veil, but he had plenty of vampires on this side to do his dirty work. If he could reach Seneca, he could reach them. He was probably giving them orders. For all we knew, there was an army making ready to attack Madwich any second now. The sooner we left, the safer these people would be.
When I reached the cottage, I walked around the side, drawn to a familiar presence in the back.
Seneca was elbow deep in another flower bed, the orbs hovering close by to give her extra light. They were calm colors tonight, a good sign.
I didn’t say anything, just knelt in the grass beside her and worked on a bunch of thorny bushes cropping up amongst the rose bushes. It’d be cold soon enough, and her garden would look dead, just as every other garden in winter did. This wasn’t about the garden, though, and I knew it. This was about Seneca holding onto something real, doing something real.
