Page 10 of Fated In Forever
All the rumors, all the secrets surrounding this clan for these past months.
Esme had been killedfightingthe Elders.
No, knowing her, Esme was killeddefendingher library from the Elders. Because her library hid many, many secrets. I should know, because one of my own was down there, somewhere.
How? When?
A month ago. And yes, it was one of the Elders, and no, this clan will never be the same.
“She’s buried in the graveyard. Under the Hawthorne tree in the garden.” Brendan explained aloud, Evie stiffening in my arms, “Gone six weeks, yet there are days I swear I still feel her in the castle, leaving behind little bits of gold dust dancing in the air. Aisling took over the library, which is what Esme would have wanted.”
“Who’s…Esme?” Evie asked softly. “A friend of yours?”
I tightened my grip around her, as the scent of jealousy leached from her skin, her body tensing. Somehow, thatsharp jab of possessiveness soothed my soul, knowing that even in this form, she still cared about me.
Just a friend,I soothed. One I’ve known almost as long as I’ve been vampire.
“Esme was the clan librarian. She was killed recently during an attack by the Elders,” Brendan shook his head. “A loss we will never recover from.”
I need this bond between us broken.I told Brendan.Today. Within the next hour.
Already, more of me had slipped away, my head churning out black thoughts and an overwhelming need to punish. The nature of a god who had no business existing in this world, and should have remained in his own.
Have you considered the cost to your mate, should you break the bond? The effects will be devastating. I cannot sever the connection without pain. Are you prepared for that?
Better a little pain now, than a lifetime of suffering,I told him.
Lies. All of it lies.
I don’t know what else to do and she is all that matters. The thought of her spending an eternity—hundreds of years, possibly—suffering because she is tied to me is a sin I cannot be responsible for.
“Very well. Give me time to make some preparations.” Brendan straightened his shoulders, eyeing the two of us, crammed into the corner.
In my lap, Evie pushed away, that crease back between her brows, her eyes darting between us.This is for the best, I told myself again. Better she let me go now, than spend months or even years shackled to a monster.
“What kind of preparations?” Evie demanded. “This won’t hurt him, will it?”
Not a fucking word, Thorne. I’ll explain everything to her when I’m ready.
Brendan’s lips thinned out. “We’ll be doing this in the training room. Nikolai recently fortified the wards, so it should withstand whatever magic we throw at them. Stay here, give me an hour, and I’ll come get you when we’re ready.”
5
BLAKE MARTEN
The ancient stones of Château des Ombres Éternelles groaned under the weight of the terrible power coursing through the mountain and spewing up into the clouds. All around us, mist clung to jagged peaks like ghostly fingers as a late morning storm rolled in, the temperature plummeting.
Or that could be the clash happening before us, three immortals battling like ancient gods in this ruined stronghold of a forgotten king.
Far off thunder rolled across the mountain range, echoing the groaning stone beneath our feet, as if somewhere inside these crumbling walls, reality itself was beginning to fray.
While she’s working on the ley line, we take out Romulus.I thought to my king.Ravok’s distracted, and we might never get another chance.
Agreed. I’m low on magic, so we’ll need to make this decisive.
Riordan balanced on the edge of what had once been the main tower, his dark hair whipped by the non-stop wind, keen eyes burning as he surveyed the catastrophe unfolding before us. The space around the ruins shimmered and warped, revealing glimpses of darkness, then flashes of lightning, as if other realities were bleeding through the growing tear of the rift.
Remembering that fucking portal to hell beneath our feet, I wouldn’t be surprised if this entire mountain opened up into the bowels of the earth and devoured us whole.
