Page 1 of Fate of the Fallen

Chapter One

Nick

A blur of lights.

Disembodied voices.

A cacophony of both muted and hollow noises coming from every direction.

To top it all off, a putrid smell that brought me dangerously close to vomiting.

I felt and heard everything as I lie on the ground, my eyes fixed on a stone ceiling while I came to. I wasn’t sure when I blacked out or how long I’d been in this state, which only added to the confusion. With the pain, the distraction of every sense being overloaded, I was only half sure of my location—a cell.

Again.

But unlike the other times, I was actuallygratefulthis had been my fate, because it could have been much, much worse.

Shouldhave been much worse.

Horrid images stuck with me although there was now a fair amount of distance between me and my mark—Evie. The desire hadn’t left me despite no longer being in a blind rage. In fact, nothing would have pleased me more than to end her life. I had full knowledge of who she was, of what she meant to me thenandnow, and yet … I could practicallytasteher blood in my mouth, feel her warm heart going still in the palm of my hand.

Hers, the other that beat twice as fast from deep within.

Suddenly sober, I turned onto my side, facing a wall marked with deep gashes, all in sets of five—claw marks from the many who’d occupied this space before me. I was thinking rationally now as the fog of a powerful spell lifted. A spell that, even in the overwhelming fit of rage, managed to hold me back. It proved that Evie’s aunt was certainly a formidable force.

However, not even a witch as powerful as her could divert my path longer than a few minutes—hence the reason she insisted my brothers bring me here. She knew it was only a matter of time, too.

The fog clouding my memory was beginning to fade. I recalled feeling her magic slip bit by bit with each question she posed. The very fabric of it weakened, thinned as she forced me into submission. The awareness of the spell not being enough was only a reminder of one fact; there was no one, and nothing, strong enough to stop me.

Not for good.

Those deep markings in the wall were all there was to focus on, tangible evidence that this new realm I’d been made aware of wasn’t so black and white. There were gray areas. Slivers of uncertainty where pariahs like myself could slip through the cracks and threaten the safety of our clans, of our species as a whole.

That was me; a blight on the supernatural world, an outsider.

My emotions were impossible to control—anger, fear, frustration and so much more. My head throbbed as each bombarded me, and among those thoughts was a realization; there were two heartbeats. Evie’s, a child’s.

There should have been comfort in finally having a major question answered, one that’s haunted me since the beginning. I now knew what it meant to be triggered, knew what caused it, understood why my grandfather didn’t stop himself the night he came for Evie.

Hecouldn’t.

Not even my concern for her as a friend gave me pause. For him, with no emotional ties to her whatsoever, he didn’t have a fighting chance.

This need to kill her, it was like a life source all its own, possibly the cause of the blackness that pulsed visibly through my veins. Suppressing a growl building in my chest, I made my way onto all fours, focusing on the sight of my knuckles pressed to the ground as I tried to stand. It was as though my limbs, my entire body, fought against me. Every part of me wanted nothing but to seek her out, finish what my grandfather started centuries ago. As ashamed as I was of these dark thoughts, it wasn’t enough to make me want her dead any less.

My back fell against the cinderblock wall and I breathed deep. There was no way to know how long I’d be here, if I’d ever be allowed to leave.

No way of knowing if one day they’d rather I be dead than alive.

All thought left again when another wave of that putrid smell wafted in, so strong this time, I nearly doubled over with disgust. My first thought was that someone had expired in a nearby unit and the guards hadn’t cared enough to dispose of the body. It wasn’t like those locked down here were the Council’s priority. It was quite possible I’d have to learn to live with the solitude, the uncertainty.

…And that godawful smell.

A nearby cot became a seat when I plopped down on the small thing, barely denting the stiff mattress placed on top. These were the arrangements, the accommodations deemed fitting for a criminal. A long breath passed between my lips as I acknowledged that’s exactly what I was. A criminal.

To the Elders.

To the clan.

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