Fate and Fury (2 page)

Chapter 1

“
A Warlock King, a Fae, and a human walk into a bar…no really, it’s not the beginning to a great joke, or maybe it is, but we really did go into a bar. The question is, would we come back out?” ~ Lilly

Lilly walked behind the Fae named Cyn and the Warlock King, Cypher, AKA her mate, according to him, though the jury was still out on her end. She followed them into a seedy looking bar at the very edge of the forest in the
Balkan Mountains,
were the Warlock’s lived. Perizada of the Fae, whoever that was, had sent Cyn to them. That’s all they knew, because that’s all Cyn had told them.

Cyn had appeared and stood in the forest knowing that it would alert Cypher to her presence and she had waited. When he finally appeared she’d stated simply, “Perizada of the Fae has sent me to you. I am Cyn, Guard of the Council.” That was it. No elaboration, no hey I’m here to lend a hand, just:
here I am, deal with it
.

Cypher had narrowed his eyes at the Fae guard, but didn’t question her. Lilly however hadn’t been quite so trusting. Although, Lilly had thrown the Spanish inquisition at her, Cyn had simply ignored her.

Now here they were, walking into this bar, full of shady looking characters. According to Cypher, there was a guy here who knew a guy that might know another guy that could help.

“
Do you really think this is a good idea?” Lilly whispered up to Cypher. “I mean seriously Cypher, a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy. Do you honestly believe it’s going to be worth all the work to find the guy at the end of the rabbit hole?”

Cypher looked mildly amused at her questioning, which made her want to stomp on his foot. She didn’t, but it took every bit of her restraint.

“
We aren’t in Kansas anymore Little One, you are going to see some things, hear some things and,” he said, before she cut him off.

“
If you finish that with
do some things
I might just slap you, Warlock King or not, and how the heck do you know a reference to The Wizard of Oz?” Lilly raised her brow as she looked at him, waiting for whatever possible explanation he could have for
that
one.

Cypher winked at her, which did strange things to her stomach that she didn’t want to think about.

“
As I was saying, things are different here and information is found in the most unlikely places because the people who have that information usually do not want to be found. And, I like human movies. I’m not a total recluse.”

“
That really isn’t comforting or encouraging in any way you know. Not the recluse part, but the people who don’t want to be found bit, that’s a little unsettling.”

Cypher shrugged at her annoyed look and turned back to the bar when the bar tender finally acknowledged them. They spoke in a tongue that Lilly didn’t understand and she was pretty sure it wasn’t any form of human language.

Even speaking the strange language, Cypher still sounded commanding and confident. It didn’t dawn on him to think that someone might not jump up to do his bidding, but then again maybe no one had ever told him no. Lilly smiled to herself and thought:
there’s a first time for everything. Oh, King of mine.

Finally, after several more minutes of the back and forth between King and bar tender Cypher turned and walked out of the bar. Lilly started to say something, but then realized that Cypher had taken her hand and was tugging her behind him. She quickly caught her footing as she stumbled behind him and looked back, over her shoulder to see that Cyn was pulling up the rear. Once out in the cool night air, she pulled her hand from his and threw them up in the air in exasperation.

“
So?” She asked. “That was it? That really seemed a little anticlimactic.”

Cypher shook his head at her and motioned towards the forest. She followed him into the dark foliage and was quickly swallowed up by the trees.

After walking in silence for several minutes, Cypher stopped abruptly and turned around. Lilly expected him to answer her question, but instead he glared at Cyn.

“
Why did Peri send you to me?”

Lilly rolled her eyes,
oh now he asks.

Cyn looked around the forest causing Lilly to look as well.

“
You may speak freely, I’ve taken care that no one will hear,” Cypher told the Fae.

“
She has heard that the witch has come to you with a proposition for your help. She also heard that you were in possession of a certain human.”

Lilly’s mouth dropped open and a sound of indignation slipped out. “In possession? Are you kidding me?”

Cypher held up his hand to stop her, but never took his eyes from Cyn’s face.

“
Lilly is my mate.”

“
So says the barbarian Warlock King,” Lilly muttered.

Cypher looked at her from the corner of his eye, “I don’t recall you complaining about the intimacy between us earlier and as I told you I have never shared such intimacy with another female.”

“
Could we please refrain from discussing our intimacy in front of others?”

The blush that stained Lilly’s cheeks made Cypher smile and he reached out and gently brushed a finger across her face.

“
You are such a breath of fresh air little one.”

Lilly let out an unladylike snort as she crossed her arms across her chest gave him her best
I am not affected stare
, which was the biggest load of crap she had ever fed herself.

Cypher looked back at Cyn.

“
As I was saying, Lilly is my mate and therefore not a prisoner if that is what Perizada is thinking. As for the witch,” Cypher stepped back until his back was leaning against a large tree. Lilly could tell he was trying to pick his words carefully, indicating to her that he did not fully trust Cyn. “She did come to me and there was an offer presented. At this point, she believes that I am going to help her. I have to tread carefully, because I have sworn a blood oath to her.”

The Fae took a step back and for the first time Lilly saw emotion cross her face.

Lilly turned to Cypher with a frown on her face. “You haven’t mentioned a blood oath to me. What exactly does that mean?”

Cypher shook his head. “It’s not important right now.”

Lilly rolled her eyes at the warlock King. “You have got to be kidding me. You just told this Fairy,”

“
Fae,” Cyn interjected.

Lilly slid the Fae a sideways glance, “A technicality,” she growled. She looked back at Cypher as she continued. “You just told her that you swore a blood oath and the stoic Cyn actually showed some human emotion, and it looked an awful lot like fear. So, forgive me if I kind of think it is freaking important.”

A flirty smile turned up on Cypher’s lips. “So you are worried about your mate?”

Lilly let out a frustrated huff, throwing her hands up in the air. “I told you that I care for you. I don’t understand it, but there it is so yes I’m worried about you.”

Cypher stared silently at Lilly for a few tense moments, and then finally relented.

“
A blood oath is a contract that binds my word to the one asking for a deed. It prevents the one accepting the contract from backing out.”

“
So what happens if you do back out since you’ve done this blood oath thing?”

“
The witch can put me or any of my race in the In-Between and she could possibly kill you. I’m not real sure on the whole
you
part because again I don’t know the ramifications of you being my mate.”

Lilly pinched the bridge of her nose as she felt a headache coming on. “And, you didn’t think maybe I needed to know this?”

Cypher shrugged, “There isn’t anything you can do about it so why worry about it?”

Lilly shook her head at the warlock King. She knew that nothing she could say would help it make sense to him. There were no words to tell him that she wanted to know these things so that she could help him endure these burdens. In the brief time she had known him, she’d seen how the responsibility of his race was wearing on him. It was a lot, even for one with shoulders as broad as his, to bear for so long. Wasn’t that what a mate was for? Okay yes, she was still on the fence about the mate thing, but she knew that she cared about him and she didn’t want to see him come to any harm. She would figure out the whole mate thing when the time came to make a decision.

“
Fine, I won’t worry about it.” She finally told him.

Cypher raised a single brow at her, “That’s it? You aren’t going to growl and snarl at me?”

“
I’m not a wolf you know,” she purposely added a slight growl to her voice in hopes that it would bring about that devastating smile he had, that she loved so much. She wasn’t disappointed.

Cyn made an impatient shuffle with her feet, reminding them of her presence.

Cypher looked back at the Fae. “I have no intention of helping the witch, but I may not have a choice. If it comes to opening the Veil or Lilly’s life then I will have to open the Veil and hopefully get it closed before too many demons escape.”

“
Nope, not gonna happen.” Lilly said, shaking her head, “you aren’t going to sacrifice the safety of the world, or my daughter, for my life. My daughter is grown and married and I know she will be taken care of. I’ve had a great life, though not a very long one, but that’s okay. I won’t let you choose me over several other races.”

Cypher barely acknowledged her when he responded. “Well, it’s a good thing it isn’t up to you then.”

Cyn spoke before Lilly could respond. “Peri wants you to open the Veil.”

Cypher pushed off from the tree and suddenly standing before them was the warlock King, in all his Kingly glory. He towered over the Fae guard, who looked rather small when compared to Cypher.

“
What did you say?” Cypher’s voice was low and threatening.

Cyn didn’t blink, didn’t step back, or cringe the way most smart people, who valued their lives, would have. She simply answered his question.

“
She wants you to open the Veil.”

Chapter 2

“
I think of you. When darkness swirls around me like a turbulent storm, when the very breath I take seems to tax my soul, when despair is my constant shadow; I think of you. I hear your voice, I smell your scent, and I feel your skin upon my own. Your pain is my own, your fear my best friend, and even though all hope seems to have seeped from the world leaving only despair, still, I think of you.” ~ Sally

Darkness enveloped her. She couldn’t move her limbs even though she was telling herself to. What she could feel was pain, panic, fear, anger, hate, rage, and many more emotions that she knew did not belong to her. Jacque tried to think back to what her last memory had been. She had been walking through the forest and then she had walked into a pond.
Bloody hell
she thought,
I walked into a freaking pond?
She remembered thinking it was the best idea she had ever had and just knew that if she went into the water she would find peace. Well that plan was shot to hell. Fane was gone, he was hurting, and she couldn’t reach him. Jacque could feel him, sense him through their bond, but she couldn’t talk to him.

She couldn’t open her eyes, couldn’t talk, but she could breathe. That was a good thing right? She was trying to think about the positive, but the more she felt Fane’s despair, the further away the positive slipped from her grasp.

Jacque could even hear her friends’ voices. She had heard Jen’s declaration to kick Mona’s ass and had wanted to join in the howl, had felt her wolf perk up, but she was just as paralyzed as Jacque. She remembered Mona causing her body to betray her by using her voice to speak and that had flat out pissed her off and she had pushed with everything left inside her to get the witch out of her mind. It had used up all of her energy and for a while, she felt like she was drifting further from the living into the shadow world. But, she refused to drift off into the emptiness without a fight. Jacque would not go quietly, not as long as drew breath, not as long as her heart pumped blood through her frozen body.