Fate Forsaken (5 page)

“I can’t spell the weather, unfortunately, but if you’re anxious, maybe Adelle can whip up a sedative potion for you.” He shot his sister a look.

“I’m great with potions.” Adelle’s warm brown eyes met hers and she nodded. “Actually, I may already have one prepped in the store.”

Of course she would. Adelle ran Hocus Pocus, their mother’s old store, from their main home. How could they stay in business, especially with their temporary relocation to the safe house? She shoved the thought aside. Not her problem.

Without warning, a rush of tingles struck Rho so hard she set her mug down on the table to keep from spilling it everywhere. She squeezed her eyes shut as she pinched the bridge of her nose, the nausea in her gut threatening to liberate the coffee she’d just swallowed.

The sensation traveled from the death mark, shooting through her shoulder and into her skull. Starbursts of light flashed against her closed lids, even more this time than the last.

Shit,
the dizzy spells were getting worse. They’d started the day after she’d taken the mark, barely noticeable in the beginning. She hadn’t told her teammates about those either, not wanting to worry them with any more of her drama. Now she was having more than one a day, and they were strong enough to knock her on her ass if she wasn’t careful.

If they kept getting worse, though, she’d eventually have to tell them. She could be a liability if this happened during a fight.

“Baby?” Eldon whispered, his lips against her ear, forcing her eyes open.

She tried to play it off. “Yeah?”

His brow furrowed and his eyes narrowed. “Are you okay?”

She opened her eyes to find everyone at the table staring at her in concern. Exactly what she didn’t want. She forced a smile. “I’m fine. Just a little headache.” Right. The only headaches she’d ever gotten as a vamp were the ones forced onto her by the spell drawn on her palm, and those could only pop up when her teammates were fighting.

Eldon’s sidelong glance told her he wasn’t buying it, but she changed the subject anyway. “So, I guess it’s time to go pack again.”

“Ugh, I hate doing laundry.” Preshea groaned as she stood up and started clearing the plates. Tim gave Rho a long look before picking up his dishes and following Preshea into the kitchen.

Rho blew out a breath, relieved her little diversion worked. Whatever the death mark had working inside her body, it wasn’t good.

And she had the sinking feeling she was running out of time.

Chapter Five

S
till half-asleep, Eldon tossed over to his side and buried his head in the feather pillow. The slight dip in the mattress on his right reminded him he wasn’t alone. He lifted an arm to pull Rho closer to him.

She sighed as she pressed her back against him, her cool skin brushing him like a natural air conditioner. Only her packaging was a hell of a lot more attractive.

Every night for the past week, they’d slept side by side but always touching, a constant reminder of the other’s presence. Damn if it wasn’t the best thing he’d felt in a long, long time. Sure, he’d had girlfriends in the past, but none of them had ever been anything like Rho. She was gorgeous and tough, graceful and fierce, sweet when she wanted to be but fiery when she had to be. She was everything he’d never known he’d wanted. And she was right here in his bed—exactly where he wanted her to stay.

He glanced at the clock. Five thirty p.m. They only had a half hour left to test a theory he’d been playing with for the past week.

“Rho?” He shook her gently. “Time to wake up, angel.”

She grumbled and ignored the wake-up call. Just like usual.

“Don’t make me do this the hard way.”

Something resembling a grunt came from beneath the pillow, and a smile touched his lips. If there was anything this vampire hated, it was being woken up.

He propped his head up on his elbow as he stared down at her, drinking her in. Tendrils of long, blond hair fanned around her face, her pale skin flawless as she lay beside him, completely still. Her parted lips were a perfect shade of pink, and he fought the urge to taste their kiss until she awoke. Fangs were hiding just beneath. Even though he’d come to love their sweet sting, he knew better than to surprise a sleeping vamp. God, she was lovely, even when she slept. Still, he couldn’t help but feel she was holding something back from him.

When Rho had taken on the death mark for him, he’d never felt guiltier or more grateful in his life. She hadn’t experienced any side effects from the mark just yet, but they all knew it was a matter of time. He’d been watching her like a hawk just in case, both because he wanted to and because he felt he needed to.

“Last chance,” he taunted. This had become his favorite way to get her out of bed, mostly because he knew it pissed her off. She was cute when she was irritated.

Rho pulled the comforter over her head and wiggled toward the far end of the mattress. As if that would stop him. He chuckled as she struggled, still asleep and trying to escape her life-sized alarm clock.

“Did you hear me? Last warning.”

“No,” she mumbled. “Don’t do it. I swear, I’ll kill you.”

“No, you won’t.”

“Don’t test me.”

He rolled toward her on the soft mattress and yanked away the pillow covering her head, tossing it across the room. “One.”

“I’m not kidding.” She groaned, covering her eyes with an arm.

“Two.”

“Do it and die. That’s a real threat, Eldon Tradare.” Her voice was gruff and laced with sleep.

“Three—”

With one swift motion, he curled his arms around her body and yanked her on top of him.

“Eldon!” She kicked against him playfully, her long hair falling around him like a golden halo as she stared down at him with cool, gray eyes. Ignoring her pathetic protests, he planted kisses along her neck, holding her tight against him.

“Let me go!” she squealed, giggling.

His words were muffled against her neck. “Never.”

“You know better than to wake me up before sunset.” She pulled away from him and tried to drop the smile from her face, attempting to glare. “This is so cruel.”

He lay back and rested his head on the pillow, arms still wrapped around her. “What if I told you I have a present for you?”

She quit struggling and glanced down at him, a brow raised in interest. “What kind of present?”

“Well.” He reached up and tucked her hair behind her ears. “How do you feel about…I guess you’d call it daywalking?”

She tilted her head, confusion flickering in her eyes. “What?”

“I, in my infinite brilliance, have uncovered a spell which may let you walk in the sunlight.”

“No way—”

“And since we have to walk through the daylight at the Charles de Gaulle Airport in less than fifteen hours, I thought this might be a good time to test my theory.”

“Wait, the flight doesn’t arrive at night?” she asked.

Eldon shook his head. “Of course not. By the time we land halfway across the globe, it’ll be noon in Paris.”

“I can’t believe I didn’t even consider the flight landing during the day.” Her lips pursed and she considered him for a long moment. “If there were a way for me to wander around in the sunlight, wouldn’t all the vamps be doing it by now?”

That thought had crossed his mind.

He lifted her hand and kissed her palm then traced a finger along the magick mark they shared with their teammates. Preshea’s yellow half-moon and Tim’s black full moon marked her hand just as they did his, both of their markers almost completely faded because of their distance. He’d delivered them halfway around the world to Paris yesterday.

He glanced up at her wide eyes, her brow pinched as she bit her lip. She always looked like that when she was thinking hard. And she was right to worry about what he planned to do.

Vampires were restricted to the night, and most of the DarqRealm preferred it that way. They were dangerous, cranky, and manipulative as hell. Opening up this can of worms could get him into serious trouble with the Collective.

But still, he had to try. “The Collective wouldn’t allow it, no. But they’re not here. And most movers don’t have the gifts to pull it off.”

Most movers had simple skills. Potion making, maybe an occasional spell casting. They could summon magick to make life a little easier, but not enough to do any real damage. His family, however, was a rare breed. Their gifts were much stronger than most. Manipulating the lines took skill and practice. He was almost certain he could make the daylight-to-darkness spell work.

Rho frowned.

He brushed a finger along her cheek, trying to ease the worry from her thoughts. “Just try it. If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work.”

“No, if it doesn’t work, I turn into a fucking french fry.” She leaned forward and kissed him on the lips then pressed her hands into the mattress on either side of him. “Not gonna happen.”

“How do you plan on walking through the airport, then? You want me to wrap you in a blanket and sling you over my shoulder?”

She opened her mouth then shut it again. “Maybe.”

“You’re serious?
That’s
the better option?”

Her brow furrowed as she ran a hand through her hair. “Well, no. But…” She stared up at him then down at the magick mark on her palm. “You really think it’ll work? There have to be risks.”

“There are always risks. This one happens to be worth the reward.”

“Still. It just…it isn’t natural.”

As she shoved away from him, he broke his hold and let her go. “Wouldn’t you like to watch a sunset someday?” Living in surrender to total darkness probably took its toll, even though she was young in vampire years.

She paused at the edge of the bed and drew a deep breath. A few moments passed before she answered. “What would I need to do?”

He motioned to the closet. “Get dressed, and I’ll go brew you some wake-up juice. I want to try this before everyone gets up.”

She nodded and rolled out of the bed. He could only pray this worked.

As she milled through the hangers in the closet, she realized nearly ninety percent of her wardrobe consisted of black leathers, jeans, and dark, long-sleeved tees or tank tops. Aside from her inherent love of shoes, she exhibited little to no fashion sense whatsoever. She tried, of course, but the problem remained that she didn’t care.

Hell, right now it was too early in the morning to give a shit.

She got dressed quickly and followed the scent of fresh coffee into the kitchen, where Eldon stood with a travel mug in each hand.

He extended one to her. “I’m redeeming myself for the early wake-up call.”

Her eyes narrowed. “It’s going to take more than one travel mug’s worth, buddy.”

“Good thing I have an excellent work ethic.” He wiggled the mug in his hand until she finally took it. “Drink. You’re always more pleasant after the first cup.”

She shot him a dirty look, even though he was probably right. “You’re mean.”

“And you’re grouchy. Drink.” He eyeballed her cup as she followed his orders. “So you never really told me, how did the meeting with the Council go?”

Damn. Guilt slivered up her spine as she tried not to lie…completely. “Oh, pretty good. Really more of a status update than anything.”

“Oh?”

She pulled out a chair from the kitchen table and settled into it as he did the same. “Yeah. Your boss was there, along with a few other people.” Like Rhyannon. No big deal.
Right.

“What do you update them about?”

Ugh, so many questions. “It was just that—an update. I didn’t tell them about the Kamens we’ve found, but I did tell them we’re actively searching. Oh, and that the magick mark the Collective leader gave us is effective, and we’re working together just fine.”

His eyes narrowed, as if he were considering the validity of her statement.

“Tell me something.” She needed to change the subject, and fast. “Why would you bring up this daylight thing now? Won’t the Collective be pissed?”

Excellent diversion. Besides that, she really was curious. There was no way in hell the Collective would approve this maneuver.

He shook his head, his expression clearing. “They don’t know about the spell.”

“Then how do
you
know about it?”

A wistful smile crossed his face, as if he recalled a memory. “My father was a brilliant magick mover. He left me a book of every spell he’d ever cast.”

“And one of those spells will allow me to walk during the day?”

“That’s the plan.”

There was no way this would work. Sure, he was obviously a gifted mover, but what if the spell didn’t take? She could step outside for a split second and end up with third-degree burns for a week. Stay any longer, and she’d literally be toast. Worse yet, what if it backfired? What if Eldon ended up hurt because he tried to help her?

“Have you ever done this before?” Rho asked.

“No.”

Oh, great. Didn’t that just make her feel all warm and fuzzy. “And you want me to just trust you on this?”

He folded his arms across his chest and arched a brow. “Yes.”

This was a horrible, horrible idea. One she wanted to work more than anything.

As a human, she’d never really appreciated a sunrise or a rainbow, or even color. The day she’d turned, it had been as if someone had traded in her Technicolor for whole bunch of black, white, and boring. Nothing looked the same at night, and a huge part of her missed the vibrancy.

Even more importantly, what if they were attacked during the daylight and someone on the team was killed trying to save her from burning up? She couldn’t have that on her conscience. Not if she could prevent it.

“What do you need from me?” She took a sip of her coffee and wrinkled her nose. It definitely required some major cream and sugar action.

Eldon rose from his chair and ambled toward the stove. “The spell requires me to protect you with my aura,” he said over his shoulder.

“And that means?”

He returned to the table and held up a little jar, a carton, and a spoon. “Cream and sugar?”

She nodded. “Please.”

His brow pinched in thought as he added the sugar to her mug, then the milk. “You remember when the elves attacked, and I threw up that wall of energy?” He stirred the mixture with the spoon. “Or when we walked through that house in a protection circle?”

“The bubble of ley line energy?”

“Exactly. I’ll have to do the same thing for you outside, to protect you from the daylight.”

“Seems pretty simple.” Almost too simple.

He took his seat again and gave her a slight smile. “You’ll have to hold my hand again.”

“Why?”

“We have to be touching or it won’t work.” He took another sip of coffee and met her eyes. “And this time, when I say hold on to my hand, you have to do it. Absolutely no letting go.”

She cringed. The last time he’d instructed her to hold his hand, she’d accidently let go and he’d been smacked with a death mark. The memory of the moment she’d nearly lost him had been burned into her brain, a reminder of what she couldn’t afford to lose again.