Fate Forsaken (17 page)

So Cadence had hired her to perform those spells personally. He couldn’t know if she was the only one with knowledge of them, but surely if Nick had heard anything about this, he would have spoken up. Maybe not right away, but definitely when they’d heard about the mover Kamen going missing.

For some reason, he couldn’t believe Cadence would have anything to do with their disappearance. He’d known her for years, and nothing about what she’d ever done or who she was would lead him to believe she’d use the Kamens against the mover nation. It simply didn’t suit her.

Preshea tapped her fingers lightly on the table. “These people who stole the mover Kamen—do you have any clue where they would have stashed it? Any thought about where they might go?”

“I cannot say.” Evette shook her head. “Your best chance for finding out would be to ask Cadence. As far as I understand, she is the only one with knowledge of the spells I cast.”

Eldon nodded. “Evette and Lukas, I hate to ask this of you, but do you think our team could have a moment alone to talk? We have important items to discuss but we’d prefer to keep it private.”

“Of course. Lukas and I needed to run a few errands anyway.” Evette didn’t seem bothered. She rose from the table and wandered over to the coat rack, removing a scarf and wrapping it around her neck.

Eldon really owed them a nice getaway vacation for all the trouble his team had caused. They were being more than accommodating.

Lukas nodded and walked his mug over to the kitchen sink before helping his wife with her coat. “We’ll be back in a few hours. If you need us, just call.”

They left the flat without another word, closing the door on the four of them.

“Little rude, don’t you think?” Preshea settled back in her chair and folded her arms across her chest. “Kicking them out of their own house?”

His sentiments exactly, but he hadn’t really had a choice. “We need to talk.”

“About?” Tim asked, arching a brow.

Here went nothing. They’d agreed no more secrets, and he could only get honesty from his teammates if he gave it. Rho exchanged a glance with Eldon, and he gave her a slight nod. She’d wanted to be the one to spill the beans. Come clean on all fronts.

Rho set her elbows on the table and leaned forward. “You should know that Eldon and I have a special connection.”

“No shit, Captain Obvious.” Preshea waved a hand between them. “You’re dating.”

Eldon cleared his throat. “Right. But what isn’t obvious is
how
we’re joined. Rho?”

Rho nodded and glanced from Preshea to Tim. “Eldon and I are linked telepathically.”

“Excuse me?” Tim’s eyes narrowed.

“That’s not possible.” Preshea gave Tim a sidelong look. “Right?”

“Right. Movers aren’t telepaths.” Tim frowned as his gaze darted from Eldon to Rho then back to Eldon again.

“We thought so, too, until it happened,” Eldon said.

“How long ago did this happen, exactly?” The weight of Tim’s Alpha status carried through in his deep voice.

Eldon met his eyes. “Before we even joined the team.”

“What?” Preshea threw her hands up before leaning forward toward the table. “You’ve had this tie to each other all along and you never
told
us?”

“Do you have any idea what kind of weapon that could be against our enemies?” Tim’s voice was laced with anger. “Why wouldn’t you tell us?”

Tension flowed from Rho in heavy streams. “It’s erratic. We can’t control when it works and when it doesn’t.” She adjusted her position in her seat, setting both her feet on the ground and bouncing her heels nervously.

“Although it seems to happen only in…tense…situations.” Eldon set a hand on her knee and gave her a gentle squeeze, hoping to calm her down. After the episode this morning, they didn’t need her to experience any more stress than absolutely necessary. She’d been through enough for one day, and they still needed to see Trinador.

“Tense?” Preshea’s eyes narrowed. “How tense?”

“Getting shot or having sex,” Rho said dryly.

Wow. There it was. And she’d actually said that out loud.

He squeezed her leg again, wondering if any local etiquette workshops gave discounts for helpless cases. His mother would have flipped if he’d ever brought a girl like Rho home, all tattoos and attitude and unrepentant wit. Everything about her was the exact opposite of what he’d always known growing up. Maybe that was why he felt so drawn to her.

“What?” Rho batted her not-so-innocent eyes up at him. “We said we were being honest now.”

He chuckled as he shook his head. “Couth, honey. Real couth.”

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell us.” Preshea ignored them both, still absorbed in the revelation of their connection. “It does explain a lot, though.”

Eldon craned his head toward the shifter. “Oh?”

Preshea waggled a finger at him. “You two have a tendency to get lost with each other sometimes, and the timing never makes sense.” Her pointer finger moved to Rho. “Like after that fight. When you said you had all that energy trapped inside you. He talked to you, didn’t he?”

The smile fell from Rho’s face. “That’s how he helped me without the enemy knowing what I was doing.”

Preshea’s sharp, clear eyes narrowed. “Those men still saw you take the blue fire.”

“But they didn’t know what I was doing or why.” Rho shrugged a shoulder. “That’s better than nothing.”

“You should have told us about this a long time ago.” Tim leaned back in his chair, his tan biceps folding across his broad chest. He scowled in disapproval.

Rho drew in a deep breath before letting it out slowly. “Before we were…together, I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t even want the connection to be there. Frankly, it’s still a little weird.”

Eldon couldn’t disagree. Every time Rho got inside his head, he found their connection a bit easier to cling to. He was able to fight and talk to others without being distracted. While it might never truly feel normal, he did wish they’d learn to control it.

Although first things first, Rho needed to practice her magick. After she saw Trinador tonight, they had to keep up the pace.

Preshea rapped her fingers against the wood table. “Can your maker still get in your mind?”

“Yes.” Rho glanced at Eldon, her brows drawn together. “But he doesn’t know about my connection to Eldon, either.”

“So I take it we’re the only ones who know?” Tim asked.

Eldon shot him a level stare. “And we plan on keeping it that way. Nothing good can come from too many people knowing.”

Preshea stared at Rho and bit her lip, as if she were working on some complex equation. “You think it’s because you’re part siphon?”

“Maybe.” Rho flexed her hands. “It could also be that we’re soul struck.”

“
What?
Since when?” Tim demanded.

Annnd…another revelation out on the table. Eldon hadn’t really even thought about dropping that bomb on them just yet, but he supposed it would be easier to get everything out in the open right away. No point in holding back now.

Rho’s knuckles were white as she kept flexing her hands, a habit he’d noticed she only did when she got nervous.

Eldon cleared his throat. “We’re not sure how long, exactly, but probably since the beginning.”

“Does that mean you’re mated?” Preshea asked, her stare intense.

“No.” Rho’s eyes conveyed nothing as she glanced up at Eldon. “For vampires, at least, there has to be a blood ceremony. We can be soul struck without being mated.”

“This is too much.” Tim rubbed his hands on his face, as if the motion would help him absorb the new knowledge.

“Anything else you forgot to mention?” Preshea tilted her head, a hint of a smile playing on her lips. “An illegitimate child? Are you signing us up for a magick-hunting reality show?”

“That’s everything,” Eldon said. “We probably should have told you all of this sooner.”

“Yeah, you should have.” Tim’s jaw flexed. “Your dependency on each other could be a liability or a resource. I’m just not sure which one just yet.”

A soft knock echoed at the door. All four of them made a move to stand, but Eldon held up a hand. “I’ll get it.”

They sat back down, and Eldon felt a little guilty for leaving Rho at the table with those two still giving her the stare-down. He’d only be a moment, though. Evette and Lukas probably just forgot something at the house and didn’t want to interrupt.

He extended a hand and yanked the door open. “Cadence?”

Chapter Seventeen

E
ldon frowned as Cadence marched through the doorway. Her glance drifted to the kitchen table, where the rest of the team remained seated, mouths gaping at the sudden intrusion.

“Cadence? Why are you here?” Eldon asked as he stepped aside then shut the door behind her.

She met his stare. “I need to speak with you.” Her gaze darted around the room nervously as she bit her lower lip.

This wasn’t right. No one should know of their whereabouts, including Cadence. Evette and Lukas had told him this place was a secret, even from the Collective. “How did you know where to find us?”

“As the leader of the Collective, I’m privy to classified information.” Cadence’s lips pursed before she eyed the table again. “Do you mind if I take a seat?”

He nodded slowly, trying to push his suspicions aside. She’d never given him a reason to doubt her integrity. “As long as you’re bringing good news. Want a coffee?”

“Yes, please.” She strode over to the table and settled into what had been Eldon’s seat. “But I won’t be long.”

Cadence hooked her purse on the chair behind her. The critical eyes of his teammates tracked her every move. Eldon headed into the kitchen and grabbed a mug from a cabinet.

“Sorry for dropping in on you like this. I’m sure you’re busy,” Cadence said.

“Yeah, we are.” Preshea scowled as she ran her eyes over the Collective leader, as if she were just waiting for the woman to make one false move.

Rho shot Preshea a shut-up-and-be-nice glare before leaning forward. “Spill it, Cadence. I know this isn’t a personal call. You don’t have to sugarcoat it.”

Eldon removed the carafe from its holder and poured their unexpected guest a fresh cup of coffee then stepped out of the kitchen and toward the table. Strange that Cadence would find it necessary to come all the way out here for a simple discussion. Even if someone happened to find out where they were and the phone lines were tapped, he wasn’t under the impression the Collective cared enough to send their leader to visit with him personally. As far as he knew, they thought he had things handled.

Cadence’s gaze lifted to Eldon. “The Collective has been compromised.”

Eldon froze mid-step, mug in hand. In all the years of mover history he’d read, never once had the Collective been truly compromised. They held too much power to allow it. But for Cadence to air this news, especially in front of a group of non-movers, meant she was serious. And concerned.

“The two men who attacked you were sent by someone from the inside.” Cadence’s mahogany eyes held his.

With careful steps, he glided around the table and set the mug on the placemat in front of Cadence. Preshea shifted uncomfortably in her chair, and Tim sat as stiff as a statue, his eyes locked on the Collective leader and missing nothing.

“Thank you,” she said.

Eldon ignored the pleasantries and took a seat on the opposite side of the table. Rho shifted over one seat and set her hand on his knee. The moment she touched him, he released a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding, the muscles in his shoulders relaxing. Her nearness calmed him instantly.

He placed his hand on top of Rho’s, the feel of her cool skin familiar to his touch. “How do you know they were sent by the Collective?”

“I questioned them personally. They don’t know exactly who sent them, but they did tell me the one who did can definitely wield our brand of magick. They’re movers. They would know,” Cadence said.

Even if they were movers, there would be no way to determine whether they were actually sent from someone inside the Collective. There were only twelve members. Scratching his chin, Eldon considered each of the members individually. He’d known Nick his whole life and Cadence nearly as long. She had a deep-rooted love for magick and a need to play by the rules. Nick might enjoy bending the rules a bit at times, but he’d never go against Collective orders.

Eldon frowned. “You know certain they were hired by magick movers?”

“Not for certain, but I do believe so.”

Rho tilted her head, eyes narrowed. “What makes you think it’s an inside job? What if it was just some magick mover and not a real Collective member?”

Cadence pulled the mug to her lips and drew a long sip, as if to gather her thoughts, before setting it on the table in front of her. “Only the Collective members have the keys to the compulsion spells.”

“Compulsion? You use magick to force someone to do function against their will?” Tim’s brow creased into a deep line.

Cadence shot Tim a firm look. “We don’t use compulsion spells unless we have to, and even then, their use must be documented in our archives. That type of magick isn’t taken lightly.”

Preshea let out a low grumble but didn’t say a word. He couldn’t blame his teammates for being unnerved by the level of power the Collective could control. Sometimes even he was daunted by their combined skills, and he’d been a member since his father passed away.

“So you believe they were coerced into attacking us? Like, a hired hit?” Eldon asked.

“I see no other reason for them to fight against you.” Cadence brought the mug to her lips and sipped slowly before setting it back down again. “I must tell you, over the past several months, things have been…out of sorts. Money missing. Objects moved. You know I appreciate order.”

He nodded. Cadence was a by-the-book woman, with everything from ley line fire to the organization of her desk. It wasn’t in her nature to veer from the path.

“Last week I found a tracker on my car.” Cadence’s gaze traveled over to Eldon. “One bound in mover magick. And then today, while here in Paris, I found another on my driver’s car. Tell me how many people you know who could pull that off.”

“I know a few people who could pull off a solid tracker spell.” Eldon could list at least three movers he’d grown up with who had a knack for tracking. It wasn’t easy, but with the proper aptitude, it could be learned.

“And do you know where I live?” Cadence asked.

Eldon frowned as he considered her. Come to think of it, he didn’t. Not her personal home, anyway. He’d never asked and she’d never told him. The subject simply hadn’t come up.

Cadence snorted. “Of course you don’t. No one does. I keep my private life extremely private.”

“Most leaders do,” Preshea said.

Cadence was a smart woman. Being the leader of the Collective was a little like being the president of any country or the leader of any other race. The likelihood of someone coming after you at any given moment was small, but the threat was always present.

“I’ve left my home.” Cadence’s expression clouded, a deep sadness touching her gaze briefly before she shook her head and it vanished. “I can’t be certain I’m safe there.” She lifted her mug and drew another sip.

Eldon lifted a brow. “Lukas and Evette’s home was broken into last week. That’s why we’re here.”

Cadence nearly spewed her coffee. “When? When did someone break into their home?” she asked between choked breaths.

“I’m not sure exactly what day.” Eldon lifted a shoulder. “You’d have to ask them. I just know it was last week.”

The coughing finally stopped, and Cadence touched her lips with her fingers. Her brow furrowed. “I visited Evette last week.”

That made no sense at all. He wasn’t sure where the Collective leader lived, but he was pretty sure it wasn’t Paris. Not with that American accent of hers. “She’s not exactly a neighbor. Why would you visit with her?”

She settled a level stare at Eldon, somehow making him feel like she was speaking to him at the exclusion of everyone else in the room. “By now I’m sure she’s told you about the protection spells she cast. The ones I hired her to perform to safeguard our Kamen.”

He nodded.

“As you also know, they were overridden and our Kamen was stolen. I wanted to walk through them with her to try and retrace her steps. See where she went wrong. Evette’s spells are usually so strong. It’s hard to believe someone could break them so easily.”

His eyes narrowed. “Any chance you were bugged?” They’d all be in big trouble if someone managed to put a tracker on her body somewhere.

She shook her head. “My car, maybe. I didn’t find the tracker until after our visit. No way could they have bugged me personally.”

“Are you sure?”

“They would have had to break into my house. Considering my backup wards have backup wards, if someone had gotten in, I would have known.”

“They got to your car.”

“My garage is detached. It’s not a part of my home, and I didn’t ward it as tightly.” She shook her head. “Obviously I should have. And they could have placed the tracker on the car at any time, not necessarily at my home.”

“How many people know where you live?” Many knew about Eldon’s family’s main property. His family had run the store from that location since before he’d been born. The safe house, on the other hand, was a well-kept secret.

“Only my family and a select few in the Collective.”

“Would anyone have a reason to try and track you?” Eldon asked.

Cadence shrugged. “Given recent circumstances, I suspect someone could believe that I have the mover Kamen. It’s conceivable my movements were tracked.”

“It doesn’t make much sense.” Eldon tapped his chin with a finger for a moment. “Is that all you came here to tell us?”

“
All
I came here to tell you? We have a leak inside the Collective. You, as a fellow member and a friend, should appreciate how serious this matter is,” Cadence said.

“Oh, it’s serious.” With a loud clank, Rho set her empty coffee mug on the table before settling back in her seat and folding her arms across her chest. “I just don’t see what you want him to do about it.”

Eldon wasn’t going to say it out loud, but he’d wondered that same thing.

“I need you to be careful.” Cadence’s mahogany eyes stared from team member to team member. “All of you. I know you’re here to investigate the location where the mover’s Kamen went missing. What you must understand is that you are not the only ones who are after that Kamen. Someone tracked me here before my people’s relic ever went missing. Someone knows where it was hidden and had enough power to override Evette’s protection spells to remove it. You must be cautious.”

“If it’s already gone, why are you here?” Preshea asked.

Cadence set her mug on the table. “I wanted to tell you about the breach. From this point forward, you can’t trust anyone but yourselves. You’d be wise to be skeptical, even of me. Considering you already have two Kamens, it wouldn’t surprise me if someone is trying to track you down as well.”

Eldon’s eyes narrowed. She knew they had two Kamens. They’d hidden them at his safe house, where no one should have been able to find them. He hadn’t told anyone outside of the team about the one additional Kamen they’d picked up a few weeks ago.

Not the king of the vampires or the forerunner of the wolves. Not even his sisters. And he certainly hadn’t told Cadence. Even if he did, no one could access them with the level of magick he’d used to hide them. It would require the cooperation and consent of every member on the team.

Cadence chuckled. “Don’t worry. I’m not angry with you for not telling me. I’m impressed.”

He hadn’t really been worried about her anger. This was unnecessary exposure. His brow furrowed as he tried to figure out where she was going with this.

Cadence’s lips lifted into a gentle smile. “I know because it’s my gift to know these things. I’m a precog, like your sister. I just have a great filter that allows me to target what I see.”

No shit. His sister, Adelle, had never been a fan of her gift. She’d always tried to suppress it, afraid to ever use it. Most precogs kept quiet about their skills, not wanting to be exploited for their ability to see into the future. Sometimes people really didn’t need to know what was coming for them.

He’d had no idea Cadence had the gift of future sight.

“Frankly,” Cadence continued, “I would have done the same thing. The fewer people who know about those relics, the better.”

“I agree,” Tim said, finally speaking up.

Cadence acknowledged him with a quick nod before rising to her feet. “You all need to get out of town as quickly as you can. If you see anyone suspicious or you’re attacked again, I want you to call me immediately.”

“Wait.” Eldon stood quickly. “About that tracker. Did you destroy it?”

Cadence shook her head. “No. I hid it behind a painting at the Louvre. At least there I know it’ll be under constant surveillance. I thought it could be useful.”

Perfect. “Do you mind if I take a look at it?”

“Not at all. But be careful. It didn’t react to me, but there’s no telling what type of spell someone could have cooked up.” Cadence grabbed her purse off the back of her chair before meeting Eldon’s eyes. “You already have one too many death marks to worry about.”

Eldon’s body went rigid, and he suppressed a groan. Great, she knew about that, too.

“Honestly, Eldon.” Cadence’s smile flattened into a serious line. “I thought we were friends. You can tell me about these things. I only want to help you.”