Dark Redemption: Shadowsend Vampire Clan: 3, page 2
“What about Magnis?” He rubbed the red marks on his arms.
“Leave the sorcerer to me and Wolf.”
There was one way to defeat Magnis using magic, but that involved Ash, and just the thought of having her anywhere close to that vile bastard turned my blood to ice.
No, our best chance hinged on finding the soul jars first. Once we had them, we could control—and kill—Acheron and the other.
I still hoped we might save some of our brethren.
But any Elder who supported Acheron’s dream would die.
As far as those jars…I watched Ash disappear from the garden, soft, black curls shining in the sun. Somewhere, locked inside Aisling’s head, was the jar’s location. I was a selfish bastard, but I was taking Ash with me when I hunted for them, and my cock grew even harder as I contemplated having her all to myself, even for a few hours.
As far as Wolf…
“In the meantime, I’m supposed to do what?” Dravin scanned the garden lined with Knightsguard. “Stroll the castle grounds like a blue-blooded aristocrat? You well know my opinions on them.” Hatred pooled in his eyes. “Prince.”
“Behave.” I told him sternly, flexing my hands, debating whether to leash him with fire and drag him back to his cell. “You’re two thousand years old. Surely you possess a modicum of self-control after all those years?”
“I overheard the big one talk about a training room. I request your leave to use this place to prepare myself for the battle to come. I’ve grown weak. I must become strong to face our brethren.”
“I’ll speak to the king and the commander and arrange some time for you to train.” I told him, regret turning to acid in my stomach the longer I considered him. Arrogantly handsome on the outside…completely broken on the inside.
I’d found this male.
Chosen him to join our ranks.
Condemned him to a lifetime of pain. If I hadn’t brought Dravin to Caine and Lilith, he would never have ended up in that iron box, eating bugs and fuck-knows-what-else to survive. “You must be at your strongest if you want to kill Acheron. He’s more powerful than ever before, and so is Magnis.”
Dravin eyed me warily, debating if this was a lie or the truth.
“Acheron has taken Caine’s place as our leader, but Magnis…his power has grown so mighty, he cannot be defeated through magic alone. He is now far stronger than Acheron.” I kept my voice low. “I’ve already warned my brother, now I’m warning you.”
“How is my old friend Wolf faring?” Dravin asked casually, his clever eyes proving my worst fears. He’d overheard enough he guessed at the truth, but I waved my hand in the air.
“My brother is regaining his strength, just as you are. A few more days, he will be ready to spar with the both of us. In the meantime,” I bared my fangs, anticipation turning my breath sharper. “I will meet you in the training room tonight and we shall test your strength. Would that suit?”
Dravin inclined his head but didn’t bother to hide the feral gleam in his eyes.
“I look forward to meeting you in combat, prince.”
3
NIKOLAI
After strolling the grounds for another hour with Dravin—he was correct, this life was interminably boring—I returned to find my brother curled on the bed, listlessly staring at the blank wall.
The same spot I’d left him in, three hours ago.
“Dravin was outside, exploring the gardens, Wolfgang. All morning.” I couldn’t keep the frustration from my voice. “If you weren’t so obstinate, you could have joined us.”
Not a single word to show he’d heard. Wolf had been like this for weeks, ever since the first—and only—time he’d ventured outside this room. The night he’d seen Scarlett, then collapsed into a shaking mess the moment we’d returned. He’d refused to leave this room—the castle—ever since.
I didn’t know what to do for my brother, though I spent every spare moment puzzling over his perplexing behavior.
Why was he not overjoyed he was free?
Why did he not understand his life was infinitely better than it was two weeks ago?
A hundred times or more, I’d explained my plan of revenge against Acheron, Magnis, and the others, but nothing penetrated the darkness surrounding him. I could almost see his affliction, a vaporous cloud that blocked out all light, plunging him into eternal darkness.
He refused to feed.
From me, from anyone else who’d offered.
Thus, he grew weaker by the day. Soon, I’d have to force my blood into him and I shuddered at the prospect.
“Tell me how to help.” I begged softly. “I didn’t rescue my only brother, only to lose you, Wolf. You must eat if you want to become strong. After all this time, we can have our vengeance. I thought that would make you happy. You must go outside this room. We must put on a strong front. I’ve made promises.”
“I don’t care about your promises. I don’t care about vengeance,” he muttered, the same words I heard from him every day. “There is nothing you can do. Just leave me alone.” The other words I heard daily. I could not abide the dead monotone of his voice, as if he’d given up.
I leaned my forearms on the dresser. “Then get up and eat.” I urged softly. “Leave this room and meet our new allies, listen to our plans, rejoin the world. You can’t stay here forever.” He just closed his eyes, turned over, and huddled in on himself.
Every vertebra stuck out in harsh relief, his ribs visible beneath the thin shirt, and bile rose in my throat. I’d spent a millennium searching for him. If I lost him now…
“I have a meeting with Rowan and the others. When I return in two hours, we will walk the gardens and then you will feed.” I would make Wolf better through sheer fucking will alone if I had to.
“You will become strong and we will defeat Acheron together.”
I didn’t wait for Wolf to tell me he didn’t care.
I dematerialized down to the main floor of the castle, straightened my jacket, smoothed my hair, and stepped into Rowan’s office, which was looking more like a tribal war camp every day, every flat surface scattered with printed maps and hand-drawn plans, laptops, and GPS units.
As a courtesy, I waited for the king to wave me forward before I moved, Aisling turning with a slight smile before turning back to her mate.
“How is your brother?” The king asked kindly. Aisling cleared her throat and Rowan added, “As I offered before, if Wolf would like to speak to someone…”
I cut him off. “My brother is fine. He is adjusting to this new life and will be up and about in no time.” Even if I had to drag him out of that room into the gardens kicking and screaming, Wolf was rejoining the world of the living. I would force him to survive.
I would force him to live.
Then I would force him to fight.
Before either of them got it into their heads to interfere in my family business, I asked, “Any sightings of Acheron?”
“Not one. We were just discussing the possibility he’s still trapped in the time rift.” Rowan suggested and Aisling rolled her eyes, an expression I now knew meant she disagreed with her mate. “It’s possible, Ash. You said yourself, he’d have to recite the spell to escape.”
“I also told you; the rift couldn’t possibly hold him for long. It’s been two weeks, Rowan, and he’s too powerful to still be there. But if you’d just let me look, we’d know for sure.”
The king and I shared a single glance, in perfect agreement on that plan. Hell no.
“Not on your life.” Rowan’s calm façade masked the tempest brewing underneath. “No fucking way will I put you in close proximity to that monster, especially trapped in a time rift where we can’t protect you and anything might happen. We stick to the plan.”
“What plan?” Everyone in the room winced at her acerbic tone. “Waiting until Acheron shows up here again? Beefing up our defenses and hoping they’re enough? We already know he can get through the wards. My idea is better. We check the rift. Maybe you’re right and he’s still trapped.”
Her voice grew stronger. “If he’s still there, then we figure out how to keep him contained while we bring in reinforcements. I already spoke with Queen Seraphina, she’s offered aid. More guards and weapons. And Luthor Fontaine and Cyrus Rayne to help with strategy.”
This was the Ash I saw more and more of these days. The Ash who I was ever so slowly becoming enamored with. Focused and determined, completely committed to saving her lovers and her clan.
And Seraphina…that was a stroke of luck. The American queen and her court would be formidable allies.
“Acheron knows the rift will be the first place we’d check. He could have laid a trap, mo ghrá.” Darrow suggested quietly from over in the corner. “None of us can navigate the rifts, not like you. Once you’re inside…you’re too vulnerable.”
It was on the tip of my tongue to offer help, but I sat back, curious to see where this argument led.
“Right now, the Elders are as weak as they’ll ever be.” She argued, her jaw set in sheer determination. “If Acheron is stuck, then there’s only seven of them. Seven. And with the High Council in shambles after Aldwyn’s death, we might have a few weeks while they regroup. This is our best opportunity to defeat the Elders, before more lives are lost.”
Aisling wasn’t wrong about the odds, but Acheron was more dangerous than she knew, and Magnis…even deadlier, though not for the reasons she thought.
The fact she’d not only taken Acheron on but managed to trap the bastard in a time rift…a swell of pride filled my chest.
I hoped the fucker was freezing to death.
“You’d be taking an unnecessary risk.” Darrow didn’t raise his voice. “I agree with Rowan, it’s not worth it.”
“Of course, you agree.” She snapped. “Bros before hoes and all of that.”
I had no idea what she was talking about, nor was I fool enough to put myself in her line of fire. “Dravin and I have cast numerous spells to strengthen the castle wards.” I leaned forward, met her gaze. “Knowing the three of us are here would make Acheron hesitate. This delay could simply be him adjusting his strategy.”
“Or he could still be trapped in the rift.” Aisling glared straight though me, and fuck me, but I dropped my eyes first. “I could find out for sure, if you’d just freaking trust me.” Aisling was either the most stubborn female I’d ever met, or the bravest.
“Possible.” I agreed, nodding to Darrow. “But why take the risk? Either he is regrouping or still trapped. Either way, we use this opportunity to strengthen our position. In the meantime, we should be using this time more productively. The soul jars are the priority. They are the only way to win a war with the Elders.”
Now that I had their attention, I was loathe to lay out my greatest secret. But chances were, Aisling had already told them everything, and doing this—trusting them—would strengthen our tenuous alliance.
“Jars?” Rowan’s face was an unreadable mask. If I wasn’t eighty times older than this pup, I might have believed his feigned innocence. But I wasn’t. “What are you talking about? We should be focusing on Acheron right now.”
Over in the corner, Darrow’s assassin’s gaze sharpened.
“The jars that contain the souls of all the Elders,” I explained with forced patience, already tired of these ridiculous games. “The ones Lilith and Caine used to control us. Once we find them, we’ll have enough leverage over Acheron and the others to defeat them. Until then, we are at their mercy.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Her lips quirked into a smile before she looked away. I frowned. From everyone’s reactions, they already knew about the jars. I ground my teeth together. She was…impossible.
Bad enough she’d finalized her mating bond with the king. Bad enough she’d defied me at every turn. I’d trusted her and she’d told them everything. Was it too much to hope she’d at least keep my secret?
“Our success hinges on us finding those jars first because Acheron is searching for them as we speak.” It was comical, watching them all try to keep their expressions flat and disinterested.
“If he finds them first, everything you are trying to accomplish will be for nothing.” I let that sink in. “Wolf, Dravin, and I will be forced to do Acheron’s bidding. He will control us in every way. Do you understand what that means?”
“Why don’t you explain it to us like we’re three, Nikolai?” Aisling suggested sweetly and I resisted the urge to snap back. This was not a joke. She had no fucking idea how much danger she was in.
These vampires, young as they were, had to understand how high the stakes were.
“If Acheron ordered us to kill you in your sleep, we would obey. If he ordered us to slaughter your people, down to the last child…we would obey. Our wills would belong to him, we could not stop ourselves from following his commands. Full control means we become his puppets, just as we were Caine’s and Katarina’s.”
Ash’s eyes were two bruises in a pure white face, her hands gripping the arms of the chair tightly. I despised hurting her, but she had to understand. They all did. My hands were stained with blood, and the countless deaths and endless suffering because I’d become Caine’s tool of destruction would stay with me forever.
If Acheron—or worse, Magnis—forced me to harm Aisling…no, I would end my life before I’d let them use me against her.
I drew a shuddering breath, lifted my gaze to Ash’s and couldn’t breathe at all.
Acheron would make Ash his. In every way.
He would brutalize this perfect female and I would be helpless to stop him, because he would own my soul, mine and my brother’s, and he would delight in making me watch as he broke her into pieces.
For the very first time I understood what Wolf endured when they took Amarina from him. He’d never truly recovered.
“I propose we divide and conquer.” I pried my fingers off the chair arm, clasping my hands together to hide my tremors. “Aisling and I locate the jars; you continue securing our position on the ground and find us more forces. If Acheron is free, he’s discovered Wolf, Dravin, and I have been liberated. If he’s still trapped in the rift, then we’d be wise to exploit our advantage before he escapes.”
“What of Dravin and Wolf?” Aisling fixed me with an appraising stare. “How do they factor into this?”
“They will fight by your side, as will I.”
“From what I saw, Dravin can’t be trusted.” She pursed her lips. “And I haven’t seen Wolf in two weeks, not since the night we freed him. Is he all right?”
“My brother is fine.” I lied. “As for Dravin, we begin training tonight, downstairs, if that is amenable to you? He needs to build up his strength.”
“As long as you follow the rules I set down.” Rowan said. “He is not to be left unattended, and Finn will ensure the lower levels are empty.”
“That would be…wise.” I agreed.
“Will Wolf be sparring with you as well?” Aisling asked innocently, though the gleam in her eyes told me she anticipated my lie.
“If he feels up to participating.” I inclined my head to hide from her searching gaze. “I shall ask him, and perhaps he will. Or not. My brother is almost as stubborn as you, Aisling.” I put all my power behind my gaze, pushed a wave of magic over her, and was rewarded when her skin exploding into gooseflesh.
“Wolf is my family,” I told her warningly, in case she got any ideas to interfere. “I will take care of him as I see fit.”
4
AISLING
That evening, I paused outside the inaugural suite, listening for any sound or movement within the silent room. I was a fool for doing this, but I had to know for sure.
With Nikolai down in the training room, beating the shit out of Dravin while everyone else watched, I wanted to see Wolf for myself.
Something was off, and Nikolai had acted so strangely today. Like the end of the world was coming.
I understood how worried he was.
If Acheron found those jars first, we were all doomed to be his slaves and I’d become his weapon of choice. We stood a slim chance at defeating him, but that was assuming we could count on Wolf and Dravin to have our backs.
Dravin…I’d already written him off as too unpredictable to be trusted. I was afraid to turn my back on him for a second. After what I’d seen today, we’d be better off keeping him contained.
But I’d felt a kinship with Wolf, from the moment I’d made that mental connection with him when he was entombed.
Despite Nikolai’s warning, I had to know he was okay.
I was the queen consort. I was responsible for the safety and welfare of over four thousand vampires, including our new allies. And somehow, I knew in my heart, Wolf was suffering.
I’d come here expecting to find Nikolai’s brother needing…something.
Food…counseling…blood…I didn’t know what he’d require to heal, but that male had endured a living hell down in that pit and I would help him find his way out.
What I hadn’t expected were the layers of magic sealing the room, spells I couldn’t get through without help, which is why a very nervous Esme was beside me.
“You don’t know how dangerous the Elders are, Aisling.” She scolded, hands on her hips as she surveyed the web of spells. “The evil things they’ve done. Maybe they don’t deserve our help.”
“Everyone deserves help, Esme. Besides, all I need is one quick look and we’ll be on our way.”
“Not everyone.” She grumbled before she raised her hands, a burst of her power revealing a tangled web of magic, the thin, golden lines interwoven across the doorway. “This is old magic, Ash.”
“I’m sure you can handle the spells.” I insisted, with false confidence. “I only want to make sure Wolf is okay. Nikolai is probably too proud to ask for help. I’m just…saving him the trouble.”
A flimsy excuse, at best, and my stomach was twisted into knots, sweat beading on my forehead.
