Fated for the Alphas: The Complete Collection (Nine Book Paranormal Romance Box Set) (52 page)

“Don’t,” Lia said. “Don’t leave. I shouldn’t have said those things. I am happy to meet you, I’ve wanted to know you my whole life, it’s just… so sudden. And I just lost Della. I knew Ronan was going to try to bring back a mage, but I didn’t expect you to be my father as well.”

Magnus gazed at her. “I wish Della had told me she’d found you. I would have liked to see her once more.”

From the way he stared, Lia wondered if he was trying to see Della instead of her.

He broke off his gaze, blowing on his tea. “I’m sorry about the past, Lia, but I can’t change it. I can only change the present. I’d like to stay for a while. Get to know you, if you’ll let me.”

She watched him, wary. “Well, since you’re here… What do you want to know?”

“How did you find yourself with these wolves? They are wolf shifters, aren’t they?”

Lia exhaled. No matter what had happened in the past, he was here now. That’s what counted, wasn’t it? “It’s a long story. I might need some tea.”

He smiled. “Take my cup. I’ll make myself another.”

She told him about the failed examinations, about how Kane and Ronan had found her in the forest. She left out Della’s prophecy. Magnus sipped his tea, his eyes fixed on her as she elaborated on why the witches and the Shadow pack were after her.

“You failed the examinations?” He set down his cup. “How is that even possible? The scar on Ronan’s throat shimmers with your touch. You’re accomplished at blood magic, are you not?”

“It wasn’t a good night.” Lia cradled her cup and saucer. “The examinations went… badly.” She really didn’t want to think about it.

“So the shifters took you in. And this man Ronan was worth your mother’s life?”

Her cup fell from her hands and shattered. Lia stared at the broken pieces, the tea sinking into the earth. “I didn’t know she was my mother. She didn’t tell me in time. Besides, Ronan was like a son to her. She insisted.” Lia’s heart thudded. Who was he to question their choices?

“That sounds like Della.” With a wave of his staff, Magnus made the porcelain shards disappear in a puff of smoke. “I wish she had called on me. I would have made sure she didn’t die.”

Lia noted that he didn’t say anything about making sure to save Ronan as well.

“Still,” Magnus said, “you’re an accomplished blood witch. No one can deny that. How else do you use it? To keep warm at night? To ensnare animals? Lovers? Is that how you came to have both Kane and Ronan?”

“What?” Her mouth fell open. Was he seriously asking her if she had ensnared her mates with blood magic? “Why would I do that?”

“Why not? You’re powerful enough, you know.”

She resisted the urge to move away from him. “Is that what you did to Della?”

He laughed. It was a warm laugh, but it still made her skin crawl. “Lia, my dear. I don’t need magic to make women fall in love with me.”

But she did?

“Oh my. I’ve offended you, haven’t I?” Magnus waved a hand, and the kettle and the rest of the porcelain vanished. “I apologize. It’s not easy, Lia, to talk to you like this. I can talk to any kind of person—young or old, gorgeous or covered in bleeding sores, any creature furred or scaled—but only for ten minutes or so. I skim along the world, never getting mired down in one place for long. I’ve never held a conversation with anyone for this long since—well, since Della.”

“Did you really love her?” Lia asked.

“It seems I’m not the only one who can ask offensive questions. Yes, I loved her. I wanted her to stay with me. She prepared for our travels, but I was concerned for the safety of our unborn babe. I kissed her goodbye. Told her I’d take one last trip and be back soon. But it wasn’t soon enough.

“Like I said, I thought I would be coming back to a family.” He smiled ruefully. “But now there’s only you and me. And you don’t like me very much, do you? Not that I blame you. I don’t like myself very much, most days.”

Lia felt another pang. He was nothing like she’d expected, this father of hers. As a child, she hadn’t thought of him nearly as much as she’d imagined her mother, but when she did, he was always handsome and kind. It unnerved her how handsome he was in reality, even more so than in her youthful daydreams. Now that she’d met him, she wished she could trade his looks—and some of hers, if necessary—for him to be more kind.

“I don’t want to lose you like I lost Della,” he said softly. “I’ll try to be a good father, though I don’t know what one looks like. I never met mine, and my mother—” His mouth twisted. “The less said of her, the better.”

He straightened his sleeves restlessly. “It’s fortunate for Ronan that you found your mother. How many times had you used blood magic before that?”

“Once.”

“Once?” The fire swelled at his word, like it was as excited as the mage. “You must be a natural, like me. Of course, you probably couldn’t have done it using anyone’s blood but Della’s. A mother’s blood, willingly given… That’s a very powerful thing.” He stood, pacing around the fire. “Only twice, though? What was the other time?”

“Shade—the Alpha of the Shadow pack—had me trapped in the earth, and I had to tunnel out through stone.”

“You don’t do things by halves, do you?” Magnus grinned. “You only used blood twice, but for two spectacular pieces of magic. Yes, you’re definitely my daughter.”

Bending low, he picked up a stone. “Some people have no power in their blood. They can bleed all day without making a single thing happen. I knew someone at university who was trying to transform a toad into a stone. It took a drop of blood for me, but he was turning white before he even got his toad to lose its warts. Most don’t have the strength we do, Lia.”

She watched, entranced, as he squeezed the stone in his hand. At last, he unclenched his fist. Magnus brought it closer to the firelight so that she could see the toad that now sat there, its throat bulging as it croaked. It hopped off the mage’s hand and into the darkness of the meadow.

“How did you do that?” she asked. “Was that blood magic? I didn’t even see you prick your finger.”

“Lia, my darling, there are much less barbaric ways to perform blood magic. Did you not learn any of them?”

She shook her head.

“I could teach you, if you like. Blood magic is almost boundless. It’s the most beautiful thing there is.” He sighed, a far-off look in his eye. It sounded more like he was talking about a lover than about magic.

“No thank you,” Lia said.

He furrowed his brow. “What?”

“I know enough about blood magic. I don’t like using it except for emergencies.”

“You don’t—you don’t like blood magic?” Magnus was practically sputtering. “Whyever not?”

“You have to drain your blood, and it feels like your life is leeching away with it. It makes your blood run cold. I hate it.”

Magnus chuckled. “Of course you hate it, if you use those primitive methods. But I’ve found new ways. Blood magic can warm you. Strengthen you. Let me show you how.”

Lia couldn’t hide the distaste that flickered across her face.

“Come now, it’s not that bad,” Magnus said. “Let us strike a bargain. Let me teach you some of my methods. In exchange, I’ll help you with your enemies. What do you have to lose?”

She crossed her arms. “Maybe we can defeat our enemies ourselves. Why do you think we need you?”

“Tell me you don’t.” With a flick of his hand, Magnus produced a crystal goblet filled with water. He set one finger against a spiked bracelet at his wrist.

“Your enemies are coming tomorrow, you know.” Holding his finger over the goblet, he let a drop of blood fall. The water turned from clear to dark red. “This is what will happen if I leave now. Look inside, and tell me you don’t need me.”

She didn’t want to, but she couldn’t look away. In the firelight, the red liquid roiled. She saw the meadow inside, red with blood. Half the pack was down, including a white wolf. Shade’s jaws were on Lia’s throat, forcing her to submit. Another white wolf howled before he was cut down by Magda. The crone raised her arms in triumph…

“All right,” Lia said. “We need you.”

In the goblet, the scene vanished. The liquid was mere water again.

“So,” Magnus said languidly, like she hadn’t just watched a vision of her mates and pack dying, “do we have a bargain?”

She held out her hand, and he gave it a firm shake.

“It’s settled, then. You’re my apprentice.”

“What?” She had never agreed to that.

“I’m going to teach you. Let’s not argue the terms.”

She glared at him. “I agreed to some lessons, not apprenticeship. An apprentice does whatever her master tells her, follows him wherever he goes. That’s not going to happen.”

He shrugged. “Maybe when I go, you’ll want to follow.”

Lia stared him down. His eyes looked strangely red in the firelight. He’d better not try to take her from her Alphas. She’d make him regret it.

Magnus smiled, like he could read her thoughts and found them amusing. “First lesson,” he said. “Follow me.”

He strode into the darkness of the meadow without a backward glance. Grudgingly, Lia trailed after him. What on earth did he have planned?

Magnus stopped suddenly, striking the earth with his staff. The wood blazed with light, illuminating a fawn. It stood less than five paces away, quivering. The beam of light seemed to hold it in place.

The mage stepped forward, grabbing the fawn around its neck. It reared and bucked, bawling for its mother. Magnus crouched, beckoning Lia closer. She frowned, trying to keep out of the way of the flying hooves.

“Take this.” He thrust a knife into her hand. “Slit its throat. Spill its blood.”

She stood there, shocked. The knife was cold. The fawn looked up at her, its little tongue curling as it cried.

“Come on, Lia. Put it out of its misery!”

She dropped the knife. “I’m not going to kill it. Just let it go. I don’t see what this has to do with blood magic.”

“Then I’ll show you.” Taking the knife, he slashed the fawn’s throat. Its legs gave out, and it fell into Magnus’s arms. He cradled it, murmuring an incantation. The fawn laid its head in the crook of his elbow, its eyes glassy. It tried to let out a final cry, but no sound came forth. Then it was still.

Lia stepped back, one hand over her mouth. Blood was streaming down Magnus’s arms. It pooled on his palms, then sank into his skin. Blood filled him like a well.

He watched her carefully, the fawn limp in his arms. “It’s warm, you know. And when I use this blood in battle, it will warm me again.”

“How could you do that?” Lia whispered.

Magnus scoffed. “Like your wolves don’t do worse every day. They were cooking venison on the fire. It was probably this fellow’s mother.”

“That was a buck,” Lia said. “It had lived its life. That’s different.”

“And this fawn had so much life to live. That’s why the magic I do with its blood will be strong.”

“Why not use your own blood?” Lia clenched her fists. “Why do you need something else’s? It’s selfish.”

He raised an eyebrow. “I was planning to use this fawn to protect you and your wolves. Is that too high of a price to pay? Would you rather I give it its life back? I can, you know. I can be on my way, and leave you to fend for yourselves.”

She couldn’t let him leave. Not after what she’d seen in the goblet. Lia’s shoulders slumped. “Please don’t leave.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it, my darling.” Grabbing her hand, he rose to his feet.

Lia pulled her hand back as soon as she could, half-afraid she’d find it slick with blood. It was clean.

“Your first lesson.” Magnus set the fawn on a bed of grass. It collapsed in on itself, drained of blood. He waved his staff and it turned to dust. “I have to warn you, they’ll only get more difficult from here. Is our bargain still on?”

She nodded. She didn’t really have a choice.

“Excellent.” He looked back toward the den. “The fire is dying. Go get some sleep. We have to do battle tomorrow.”

Lia looked at him, uncertain. His dark eyes were impassive, impenetrable. Still, he was her father.

“Would you… would you like to come inside?” she asked at last.

“No. I’ll sleep by the fire. It’ll warn me if anything happens.”

“Okay.” Lia didn’t know if she loved him for helping them, or hated him for the man he seemed to be. “Good night, then.”

“Good night.” Magnus nodded, then went to sit by the fire. Taking out his crystal goblet, he added a drop of blood and peered inside. He seemed to have already forgotten her.

Lia trudged into the den. Besides soft snores, all she heard were beating moth wings as the insects investigated the candles all around. Blossom had fallen asleep at the table, Grey and Cage dozing on either side. In one corner, Violet and Rain had draped themselves over Briar. He had dark circles under his eyes, no doubt from too many hours on the heights. Lia was glad he was getting some rest at last.

She went into the hall, peeking into one of the rooms. Flint and Duke slumbered on one side, Orion, Ivy, and Clove on the other. Sequoia must be serving as a sentry on the heights. Lia watched them for a moment. They all looked so peaceful. She didn’t want any of them to go to battle tomorrow.

The next room held Lark, Fox, Dash, Dove, Cricket, and Huck. They had piled their sleeping furs in the middle of the room, where they all huddled together. Lia smiled. They were wonderful, her pack. She would do anything to protect them. Even use blood magic, if it came to that.

Lia headed for the stairs. Maybe she shouldn’t be so hard on Magnus. He wasn’t perfect, but they would be slaughtered without him.

She trotted up the steps, moving to one side for the woman coming down. Lia got to the top step, then froze. That wasn’t Sequoia, who should be on the heights. And everyone else was accounted for.

She spun around. “Who are you?”

The stranger stopped on the bottom stair, looking back at her. “Really, Mom?”

Lia had to put a hand against the wall to keep from stumbling backward. “Lilah?” she whispered.

“Do you have any other time-jumping children?” Lilah asked. “You don’t, by the way. If you did, you’d know by now. We’re annoying like that.”

Lia stared. It was like looking into a distorted mirror. Lilah looked just like Lia had only a handful of years ago, though she was taller and willowy. She had Lia’s hair and eyes, and her lips looked just like Kane’s and Ronan’s. She wore a loincloth and a breast band made of deerskin.