“The raven queen was mated to my warrior brother, William, a lion shifter. He and I served her, along with four others. As you have six warriors, so did she. I don’t know how much you know about witches, but they generally have one power that is unique to their family line. Nemain, the raven queen, was a witch with the power to shift. Not genetically a shifter, but she was able to take on the form of the raven. Nemain and her warriors did everything they could to protect the witches when Leo and his armies declared war on the paranormal races, but they were vastly outnumbered.”
“Nema,” Drake smiled at the shortened version of her name, remembering a woman he had obviously felt a lot of affection for. “Nema could not use her magic in raven form, she was vulnerable then and that is how she was killed. A few weeks before she died, she bore William a daughter, Florence. William was killed shortly after Nema. Upon his deathbed, William handed the protection of his daughter over to me. Florence was mine to care for. I took her away, knowing that Leo would search for her should he discover her existence.”
Drake paused, to gather his thoughts. The emotion of the memories obviously distressing him. “You must excuse me, it has been lifetimes since I spoke of them. I still miss them dearly.”
“Of course,” Aurora’s response was soft and filled with sympathy.
“As you know, the vampire king’s war resulted in the enslavement and murder of thousands of witches. Those who survived went into hiding, as did the shifters and the Fae. Vampires who opposed him were killed. Others were too afraid for their lives to do anything but go along with him.”
“I took the baby into hiding. Florence grew into a beautiful, woman with the strength of her father and the intelligence of her mother. She fell in love and married a good man, a human, never becoming aware of her magic. For her protection, I sought out a witch to bind her. Her powers were watered down through the generations, as her line gradually became human. The magic passed down through her daughters but grew weaker with each lifetime. Her descendants never knew what they were. I have tracked and watched over them all. Gisele is the last.”
“At present, she is human, but the king knows of her existence and is searching for her. He has already killed her husband, but I have managed to protect her, with Eldon’s help, to this point. However, since hearing of your existence, the king has increased his efforts to find her. She will have to be turned soon if she is to have a chance of surviving. If the three of you are to fulfil the prophecy, Leo will be unseated as king, to make way for Gisele.”
“Which he doesn’t want,” Marco concluded.
“Precisely,” Drake nodded. “He is not an officiator of peace. We need only look to his treatment of the witches during his reign to know this. He came to power by killing the previous king and sailing through a sea of spilled blood and enslavement. He works only in his own interests and cares little for those who suffer in the process.”
“And what makes you think we can kill him?” Cole wanted to know.
“To quote Gisele’s prophecy; the Vampire Queen will kill the king,” Eldon supplied, again staring at Aurora. “With the dagger found by the wolf and spelled by the witch.”
“There are no witches left,” Aurora remained stoic, giving away no reaction.
“You will find one,” Drake told her with confidence.
“Just like that? Go find a witch, Aurora. Well, all right then, off I go. Because, if there is still one left out there somewhere, I can guarantee you she won’t want to be found.” She shook her head and Jax couldn’t hold back his quiet chuckle at her sarcasm.
“You must first find the dagger,” Drake reminded her.
“Oh, goody, a treasure hunt.”
“The dagger is reported to be mythical, but I know it exists. I have seen it. It belonged to the last Raven Queen before it was lost. Once you have the dagger you must find the witch. She has very personal connections to the vampire king and will be more than willing to assist in his demise.”
“Wait, you are a vampire, yet you served the Raven Queen? Why not the vampire version?” Aurora wanted to know.
“The others, Fae and vampire, were killed before they could take their place as queens of their races, there is little information to be found about them. We can only speculate regarding their identities and family lines. I believe that is why the raven queen was unable to bring peace. She went to war against Leo but wasn’t powerful enough without her sisters. She met a brutal and untimely death. Her warriors came from the vampire, witch and shifter races, your ancestors.” He looked at the men in the room.
“And yet she was still killed. That’s encouraging,” Aurora snarked.
“Do you know who the witch is?” Jax asked. “Or where we can find her?”
“I have no name, or any knowledge of her whereabouts. I know only that her family survived the king’s brutal treatment of the witches and has reason to wish him harm,” Drake informed them.
“A dark witch?” Zane asked.
“No,” Drake confirmed. “Just one who has suffered at the king’s hands.”
“Well, that’s helpful. Where the hell are we supposed to start?” Hunter wondered, out loud.
“The dagger might not be an issue,” Aurora said, with a look at Melaina.
“Neither is the witch,” Melaina sighed, sharing Aurora’s look.
“Care to explain?” Jax tugged on the handcuffs.
“Lykos,” Aurora said, with a defensive look towards him.
“You want to bring the man who kidnapped you and allowed his beta to stab you in on this? Have you lost your fucking mind, Rory?”
“He can find the dagger. He can also find out if Caspian knows anything about the rogue. That way I don’t need to speak to Caspian, just as you wanted. Two birds one stone.” Aurora looked her mate directly in the eye as she spoke, willing him to agree.
-We need him Jax. This is what he does. I know you don’t want to acknowledge it, but he can help.
“Shit!” Jax ran his free hand through his hair.
“And the witch?” Zane looked to Melaina, a hint of suspicion in his gaze.
Melaina looked around the room, scrutinising everyone in it, as though she was only just deciding whether or not she trusted them. “It can’t leave this room.”
Everyone nodded their agreement.
“A witch took me in, when I was a child. I had no idea who my parents were or where I came from. She found me wandering alone and took care of me, until Lykos came along and I joined his pack.” She paused and looked at Drake. “She despises the vampire king, I don’t know why but it’s definitely personal.”
“It has to be her,” Drake said, excitedly.
“Her protection is my priority. I will not put her in danger,” Melaina was adamant.
“Of course,” Zane assured her. If his suspicions were correct, Melaina had just described a witch he knew personally.
“Then we have a starting point.” Drake stood and Eldon followed suit. Drake pulled a card from his pocket and laid it on the table, pushing it towards Aurora. “We will take our leave of you and allow you to go over the details. I must return to my charge. You may contact me on that number at any time.”
Aurora picked up the card and handed it to Zane, who had walked around the table to stand near her and Jax. Jax was impressed with her deferral to Zane, he had thought she might give them trouble in taking orders from anyone, but she seemed happy for Zane to take point.
“It has been a pleasure, my beautiful queen.” Eldon bowed low in front of Aurora, as she and Jax both stood. “One I hope to repeat in the near future.”
Aurora was giving him that thoughtful look again and it bothered Jax, but he controlled his reactions this time.
“We’ll see each other again, Eldon,” she confirmed. He smiled intimately at her. She didn’t return it.
“When the time comes, we will fight by your side, Aurora. I don’t have her warriors yet, I don’t think they will surface until she has turned. However, I am c
urrently amassing an army for Gisele, they will join with you. The Morrigan Queens will reign together, I have faith that you will fulfil the prophecy this time.” Drake took Aurora’s free hand and kissed her fingertips.
“I hope you’re right,” she answered, with a smile.
“A word of advice, if I may?” he asked and she nodded her consent. “There is a quote, often attributed to Sir Winston Churchill, although I have found no evidence of him having said the words. History is written by the victors. Remember it, keep it close to the forefront of your mind. I believe it will serve you well.”
“History is written by the victors. What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Hunter asked, when the vampires had gone.
“A history written only by the victors is a biased one,” Zane explained.
“Don’t believe everything you read,” Aurora elaborated when Hunter looked even more confused.
“You’re only getting one side of the story,” Melaina added.
“We shouldn’t take the prophecies as gospel,” Marco said.
“If the winners wrote it, it’s only their story,” Cole commented.
“Basically, the prophecies could be bullshit!” Jax clarified.
“Just perfect,” Hunter grumbled.
The vampire, Drake, an old adversary of Leo’s had visited the raven queen and imparted the information that would bring her to him. Their old rivalry was about to resurface with a vengeance and Leo was beginning to feel the thrill of life once more. A search for Gisele, unbeknown to Drake, had not been necessary. He had never lost track of the woman, since he had seen to it that her life had fallen apart several years earlier. She had remained firmly in his sights, as did the raven queen. The third was still a mystery to him, but he had confidence that she would soon surface.
“You know the dagger’s whereabouts?” Leo asked the messenger.
“I do, my lord.”
“Ensure she gets it, don’t make it so easy that suspicion is aroused. She is a clever one,” Leo instructed.
“My lord,” the messenger bowed and left.
With a snap of his fingers Leo called for the woman who had been waiting in the shadows. She came forward and knelt before him, exposing her neck. Leo sighed, it was not the heady, intoxicating blood he had craved for centuries, but it would have to suffice.
Chapter Twelve
A stallion from the house of night,
will bring the queen the gift of enlightenment.
Aurora stood at the head of the table in the dining room, palms resting flat on the surface. She looked around at Melaina and her warriors. Jax was sulking, because she’d snapped the chain on his handcuffs the second the vampires left the estate. He was lucky she’d stayed chained to him for as long as she had. Cole was watching her closely, as though he thought she’d lost her mind entirely. Hunter was rubbing his beard. Marco was shaking his head at her and Zane was pacing, worriedly. Melaina was the only one in agreement with her.
“We can trust him,” Melaina attempted reassurance.
“Are you both insane?” Marco, having held his tongue far too long, exploded. “Aside from the fact we still don’t really know how trustworthy she is,” he gestured to Melaina, “this is Lykos we’re talking about!”
“Fuck you, mongrel,” Melaina snarled viciously at Marco.
“Put aside the kidnapping for a second, okay?” Aurora asked her brother. “Weapons, specifically old weapons. Weapons that most people believe are mythical, this is what Lykos does. He will be able to find the dagger, he might even already have it.”
“How do you know this?” Zane asked and Aurora shot a look to Jax. Although she’d already gone into detail with him about what happened in the castle, she had no doubt he would react badly to whatever she said now.
“He showed me. He practically told me everything there is to know about him, his pack, his business,” she explained. Jax let off an impressive explosion of F bombs. “I know you don’t want to hear this, but I believe we can trust him. He’s the sixth warrior, I’m sure of it.”
“No, Rory! No!” Jax couldn’t contain his anger any longer and he flew up from the table, sending the chair crashing into the wall behind him. The wooden spokes of the legs snapped clean off and the seat splintered on impact.
“Jax,” Zane warned, as his friend began to pace.
“My mate not only wants to get back in touch with the man who kidnapped her and play besties with him, but she wants him on the fucking team, Zane. This man has been in league with my brother, who we know can’t be trusted. She was almost killed in that castle and he’s also intent on claiming her as his own. How the fuck am I supposed to react?”
“I can see your issues, we all can and we share them, but it doesn’t change the fact that this is our only lead. Even if we had a clue where to begin, we could search for this dagger for months and get nowhere. I don’t trust Lykos, I doubt any of us do.” Zane paused and the other men in the room agreed. “So, we keep him on a tight leash and use him to get what we need. We address the rest of it after we have the dagger.”
“Sounds doable,” Hunter agreed.
“I don’t like it,” Marco said.
“Finally. At least you haven’t lost your mind along with them,” Jax said to Marco.
“Cole?” Aurora asked.
“I can’t say that I’m completely happy with it. We all witnessed the aftermath when he was last involved in your life, Aurora. I know I’m not the only one on this team who can’t go through that again.” Cole gave her the honesty she was looking for.
“I won’t argue that it wasn’t his fault, that would be pointless.” She looked around the room. “I understand you all have reservations about this. I can’t deny, I have a few of my own. While I have no doubt that Lykos can help us find the dagger, I am concerned that he still believes I’m his mate.” Jax growled and she reached out a hand, encouraging him to stop pacing. He halted, next to her chair, allowing her to rest the hand on his chest. He grasped it tightly and held it in place, over his heart.
“I have no interest in reciprocating his feelings, Jax. You know that. I also have zero interest in becoming his prisoner again, but I don’t think he would try that a second time.” She had to choose her words carefully. Lykos and she had begun to form a tentative friendship, of sorts, while she was in the castle, but she knew Jax would lose his head if she went into any kind of explanation about it. “I have my own issues where he’s concerned, believe me, but those aside, I think we need him.”
-Do you have feelings for him, Rory?
-Now who’s lost their mind?
-Seal the bond.
-What?
-Seal our bond, complete our mating and I won’t fight bringing him in.
-You’re jealous.
-Of course I’m fucking jealous, Rory. He wants to take you from me!
-I’m not his to take!
-Then seal the bond. I’m prepared to fight for us, Rory. Are you?
“Ahem!” Marco interrupted their silent discussion. “Anything we need to know about? Y’know, since we don’t speak mind control.”
“Mind control?” Melaina laughed, sarcastically.
“You know what I mean,” Marco snapped, with a dirty look at Melaina.
“Nothing you need to know,” Jax answered.
“They were arguing again,” Melaina supplied.
“Nothing new there then.” Hunter rolled his eyes.
“Mel, do you have a number for Lykos?” Aurora asked and she nodded.
“You mean you don’t have it? Huh, maybe you weren’t privy to as much as you thought,” Jax sneered, unable to control his anger and jealousy.
“I didn’t need his phone number. I was with him every minute of the day!” Aurora snatched her hand out of his. She’d said it to hurt him and wasn’t proud of it, but he hadn’t exactly been pleasant either and she couldn’t keep going around in circles with him over Lykos. Jax flung a final glare in her direction and stormed out of the room. She f
elt his shift as he left the house.
“Marco, go after him,” Zane ordered.
“No.” Aurora raised a hand to stop her brother. “He wants to be alone. His wolf is pissed off and he needs to run. Besides, it’s better if we get in touch with Lykos without him around.”
“Are you ever going to put him out of his misery, sis?” Marco gave her an exasperated look.
“The way he did to me, you mean?” Aurora shot back.
“Oh, will you just get...” Marco stopped himself before he completed his sentence.
“Get over it?” Aurora finished for him. “Get over the fact that my true mate denied our bond, rejected me, handed me off to his brother and fucked off for four years with no explanation? Get over the fact that no matter how much I love him and no matter how many explanations I now have for his actions, I can’t bring myself to trust him? Do you have any idea how much I wish I could get over it? Do you have any idea how much it hurts that I can’t get over it, Marco? Because it feels as though someone has put their hand into my chest and ripped my heart out of it. Even now, it’s killing me not to go after him because I can’t bear not to be near him. I can’t stand the pain he’s in because of me. And at the same time, I wish it would all just stop and leave me the fuck alone!”
“I’m sorry,” Marco said, quietly.
Aurora slumped in the chair and buried her head in her hands, resting her arms on the table. Cole moved to the seat next to her and put his arms around her, resting his cheek on her back. He held her tightly, while she pulled herself together.
“Mate bonds suck!” Hunter observed.
“No, they don’t. Not all the time.” She lifted her head and smiled at him.
“You still wouldn’t break the bond? Even after all that?” Hunter asked, his sparkling blue eyes narrowed in confusion.
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