Page 64 of Dark Master's Redemption

“Gotcha.” Florian smiles with terrible cunning now as he squeezes my connection to my Dark Haven, Lucca, and Ariana like a boa constrictor. I feel him shut it off as his power blazes deep inside me.

He can’t sever my connection to my loved ones, only mask it with his magic. I feel it go so far away now, however, as Florian floods it with his power and makes me draw away from my beloveds, lest he become able to take them with his might.

Florian’s never been a Council Master who could do that. I’m not so sure now, though, as I gaze into his wicked, gleaming eyes and realize I was the one who just gave up my beloved’s position to the Vampire Council of Rome.

When they had no clue where my people were before—and Florian was only guessing at it.

“I need to make a phone call. Hang tight.” Florian pats me on the cheek, triumph in his eyes.

I twist in his bonds even as another scream goes off inside my heart, that the Vampire Council will soon attack my people, thanks to me. I’m powerless to stop it, as I try to flood my magic down through the bonds between me, Lucca, and Ariana now, and find I can’t.

Florian has shut down that connection, somehow, even though he can’t take it with his power. As he gives me one last wicked grin and departs, he leaves me twisting in his chains.

With one parting blast of his energies, he makes me surge with his dark opiate magic. I come, and come, and come, hating myself for it, as my people’s lives are in vast danger now, because of me.

It’s danger Florian himself is going to orchestrate, as he captures or kills everyone I hold dear with the Council’s help. Then he’s going to bind the survivors in his manacles, I know, making them do his bidding before me until I die deep inside, watching my beloveds be his.

I’ll meet my true death finally, dying as a Dark Fae with a broken heart. And Florian will laugh all the way to the graveyard.

Knowing I lost—and that I evermore was his.

26

BLAZE

Something terrible surges through Ariana’s and my connection to Quinn as Florian Delano stares into Quinn’s eyes. Rage sears through me; I was sitting on the bed, but I stand as I feel that odious invasion. My bright Fae wings shoot out, shattering a mirror as they roar through the room. Ariana’s dark rainbows seethe from her as well, flaring with sliver and gold light. Our power banishes whatever accosted us through our connection to Quinn, but I feel that connection shut down, then.

As I hear the faintest scream from Quinn in my mind.

“Quinn!” I’m rushing to the balcony to leap onto Altenni, fluffed down upon the railing, when Arturos waylays me. He grips my shoulder, hauling me back from busting out and flying straight to the Red Letter Hotel Florence in my sudden need to help Quinn.

As Arturos’ Siren power surges deep inside me, Alleno feels my distress also, dashing in from the balcony and gripping me, as well. Alleno adds his magic to Arturos’, giving me a deep rush of his Dark Fae power.

Telling me to stay put.

I breathe hard, my fury arrested as Arturos gazes deep into my eyes now, mesmerizing me lightly to settle me. I let him, because everything inside me wants to rush to Quinn, thanks to whatever Florian just did. What we’ve experienced through our bond to Quinn so far has been terrible, ever since he let himself be caught by Florian. This is worse, as I feel nothing now through our connection.

Like static on a dead phone line.

But I let our allies hold me back, because deep inside, I know me rushing off to play the white knight and rescue Quinn is the one thing that will break his gambit and ruin all our plans. We have to trust him, though that’s the hardest thing for me to do right now, knowing he’s in the lion’s den.

And the lion has somehow cut him off from the only weapon he has—us.

“Florian. He’s shut off our connection to Quinn, somehow, though he couldn’t destroy it.” Ariana comes to me now, taking my hand as I rage. As she confirms my suspicions, I growl, and she lets me go.

I head over to a small bar in one alcove of our guest suite, pouring myself yet another drink. I don’t even care what it is, as I down it. What Quinn’s done is unthinkable, going in there alone, while we’re all here.

But this was his plan; though this is one of the worst midnights I’ve ever had to experience, Quinn told me this night would be living hell as we felt everything Florian Delano was probably going to do to him.

I never expected this, however.

“We need to go. We need to get him out,” I say now, furious, as I rake a hand through my hair.

“We need to stay,” Arturos says soberly as he watches me, to make sure I’m back from my inundating rage. “Even if our connection to Quinn is tempered right now, we can’t barrel in there. He needs the support from the returned Revenants, pledging fealty to him. Once he gets that, he’ll be able to throw off whatever Florian’s done to mask him from us, and vice versa.”

“Hopefully,” Ariana says with a tense frown, even as she watches me. She says nothing, just stands by me now, sipping a wine.

Even her aura is dark now as it flows around the room. All of us are worried about Quinn; because what we experienced earlier through our bond to him was bad.

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