Waterfall (Dragon's Fate) (14 page)

Celeste grasped the paper:

Dearest Grandmum,

I am well, Hudson and Jordan are with me, and we wish you to accompany us for an adventure. Please have three extra dresses packed for me, and bring your favorite books to read. I am so looking forward to reading them to you.

Pardon the intrusion to your letter, Celeste. This is Madoc. I would never have invaded your privacy this way if it was not of an urgent matter. I am more sorry for the news I need to convey. After Ferrous left for the Isle, the police found your grandmum brutally attacked. On her body, they found several long black and white hairs. They are now mounting a manhunt to search for and find Jordan. No matter how desperate you are to return to England and your grandmum, you cannot allow Jordan to leave the Isle. I will bring your grandmum to you. Again, please excuse the rude and impersonal way I had to inform you.

Oh, and pack your warm shawl. See you soon, Grandmum.

With much love,

Celeste

Chapter Eight

“Everything is set in motion.”
The black voice inside Hudson echoed through his pores.

“Will I have all I wish for by nightfall?” Hudson had bitten a Zir. He could not take much more of this uncontrollable dark urge to obtain his goal. All his dignity and status were naught when he acted worse than a savage dog. He shoved his fingers through his hair. Shook his head and did it again.

“All will be seen to.”
The voice slid over his shoulder, and he spun about to see an empty room. He was worse than mad.

The door opened, and Ferrous slipped in. “Your Grace.”

Hudson stared at him. Was he that daft as to come back in this room with him?

“There was another presence in the room before,” Ferrous said, glancing around the room. “Do you wish to tell me who is here with you?”

A cackle burst from deep in his chest. “Another presence? You truly have gone mad and I had always thought you the sane one of you four.”

Ferrous walked toward him. His eyes narrowed. “Prove me wrong, Hudson.”

“Never will I bow to your orders.”

“And Celeste? How is she an instrument to your jest?”

His jest. He rolled his eyes. Amazing that only yesterday he had considered the four of them his friends. Or had he only wanted to be like them? “Celeste is none of your concern.”

“She is all of our concern. She is the first of our mates.” Ferrous walked closer to him. “You were aware of that before we had the knowledge. Were you not?”

Had he been? He shook his head. No… No, but why had he wed her? Surely the match had been the means to his goal. His mind was consumed by dark fog. He couldn’t navigate to that answer if it was in him. Sweat pierced his brow. How could he not know? This was the worst effect of the wine that Havanis had given him. Nevertheless, if he had known she was a Zir mate, achieving his promised goal of immortality was all that mattered.

He would never lose another loved one.

He would never die, and anyone that he loved, he would make immortal too.

A satisfied smile curved his lip. Breath puffed against his face, pulling his thoughts back to the room he now stood in.

“Who or what did you make a deal with?” Ferrous was so close to him that the smell of the tea he had recently drunk stifled Hudson’s nostrils. “I know you did, so refusing to answer is beyond the pale.”

He would never disclose that information, and Ferrous knew that. He narrowed his eyes. “Think what you will.”

Ferrous caught his wrist. “Then you won’t mind.” He swiftly bent down, and pain sliced though Hudson’s forearm as Ferrous’s sharp fangs dug into his skin. Hudson jerked his hand back swiftly, but Ferrous already had his blood in his mouth.

In one hasty move, Ferrous vanished beyond the door and closed it. The lock clicked shut.

What had Ferrous done? Why did he want his blood? The four punctures on his forearm turned from red to black. Burning snaked through his veins and up his arm. He screamed as the burning wrapped his neck and rushed up his skull. One more thing to taint his mind.

Ferrous spit the blood from his mouth into his casting bowl on the table before the fire in the library. He drizzled wax on the blood and then lit it to flame.

Sadness crept up Jordan’s throat, and his heartbeat jumped to triple time. Where had that emotion come from? Celeste. He swallowed, but his throat was dammed up, and he coughed.

“Are you well?” Ferrous poured a metallic-looking mineral onto the flame.

“No. Something has happened to Celeste.” Jordan turned away from Ferrous and toward the large open door that led from the library. “Keep trying to break the connection that you found in Hudson’s energy. We can’t have him making good on his threat to harm those we care for.”

Jordan left the room without waiting for an answer and ran down the hall. He tensed and reached out for Celeste. Her sadness ripped through him and stole his breath. He turned into the room that he had found her in earlier that day.

Celeste huddled on the floor, wearing a deep red dress. Astrid paced between her and the fireplace.

He walked to Celeste and knelt down. “What happened?”

She turned her face to his. Deep sorrow etched her features, and her green eyes turned black. “The unthinkable.”

She turned back to stare at the fire.

Jordan looked up to Astrid. “What is she speaking of?”

Astrid held out a piece of parchment. Jordan grabbed the letter and read.

This was not an ability Madoc typically had the strength to do. Stopping motion and time, indeed. But interrupting thought and capturing another’s actions? That required the art and control of all the elements
and
the power to possess. Madoc simply didn’t have that skill. None of them had.

His brother had not written those words.

He glanced at Celeste and the bleak sorrow on her face. She needed comfort, and he needed time to think.

“Astrid, a plate of olives.” He touched the back of Celeste’s hand. She turned it over, and he rolled his knuckles into her palm. She had said she liked lemon. “Lemon cakes and tea. If we are not here when you return, bring the tray to the library.”

“Yes, sir.” Astrid turned and left the room.

Jordan sat on the floor behind Celeste. “Madoc has never had this power before. While I see his handwriting clearly, I do not believe this was him.”

She sighed and relaxed back against him. “How I wish that were true. But Jordan, I was in the water room and looked at your items…” Her body stiffened again. “Pardon the intrusion. I was curious.”

“There is nothing in that room that you don’t deserve to know about. With me present or without.”

She turned her head and stared up at him with glossy eyes. “I had a vision.”

“Ah.” Without letting go of her hand, he wrapped his arms tightly about her. “Tell me.”

“I read the letter… I saw Hudson kill her.”

“Hudson?”

“I am certain. Yet he was not himself. He had long teeth, and he fed from her blood.”

“That is useful information. I am sure that will help Ferrous. How strong do you feel?”

She twisted around to face him. “Do you think the vision was true?”

“I cannot say.” He wished he could tell her it wasn’t, but so much was uncertain. His fingers gently rubbed her lower back. Damn, he wished he could reassure her better than this. “Your vision could be true. It could also be a mad jest. I hope with all my soul that that is the case.”

Anger lit her pretty eyes. “If this is all a jest, I will of course be relieved, but I will also be beyond vexed. Either way, I need to know what happened to Grandmum and to ensure my family’s safety.”

“Ferrous is working on purging the strange energy from Hudson.” He squeezed her tighter. “I won’t permit anything to ever happen to you. You are now my world.”

She tipped her face up to stare him in the eyes. Tears shimmered on the verge of another deluge. “Jordan. The painting in the water room and the…” She closed her eyes, and tears rolled down her face.

“Her name was Ada. Continue.”

She twisted back around to face the fire, and he wrapped one hand around her waist and the other he let rest on the top of her thigh.
 

“Continue.”

“The items. You had bitten all those women?”

He frowned.
This is that conversation.
“Indeed.”

“They all died.” She ran a shaking finger along the top of his hand that rested on her thigh. “Did you love them?”

“Some. Ada, indeed. She was my first. Others were simply a primal attraction.”

Her breath hitched, and she swallowed a swallow that pinched his soul. “I had always hoped to marry for love and…”

“Continue.”

“And neither my marriage to Hudson or this have started in that vein.” She glanced back up at him, and tears ran down her face in a stream.

Jordan’s heart ached. He enclosed her hand with his. “What we have is more than simple love or primal need.”

“What more is there than that?”

“Destiny. Devotion. Passion. Caring for all time. Knowing without a doubt we are meant to be together and I will do anything to protect you, your family and us. What we stand for is love. What we have the capability to be is an iconic romance.” He turned her around, leaned in and kissed her. Her soft lips were wanting beneath his. She opened her mouth to him, and he slowly traced the inside of her lips with his tongue. Her unique taste of sweet candied cherries and orange blossoms filled his senses. His head lightened.
Keep your calm. She is unsteady.
He softened the kiss.

She pulled back. “You believe what you just said?”

“What I said has nothing to do with belief. I know what I said is true. I more than love you, Celeste. If you let yourself relax and give it time, you will see that all I said is sincere. You feel, and would do, the same for me. You have already. Think of the boat.”

She turned her head to look back at the fire. “Why would someone make such a huge jest?”

“I can’t promise this is one. Simply put, there are inconsistencies that lead me to doubt their truth. You should prepare yourself for the worst.” He pulled her close. “Your grandmum may be injured. Or worse, gone.”

She pulled back from him. “I understand. I want to speak with Hudson.”

He didn’t want to allow that. He wanted to protect her from all that was harmful, but she deserved to confront the man. “After we tell Ferrous of this new development, we can all go back to the silver room.”

She nodded. “Very well. Let’s go see Ferrous.”

They walked down the hall toward the library. He wanted to pick her up and carry her. Her pain and confusion streamed through him as if they were his own.

She should be safe. She should feel secure, damn it.

He could do little besides be with her to ensure that. She needed to embrace her power, and his support would allow her to. He could, however, hold her hand. He slipped his fingers into her grasp. Her energy swirled about their fingers and wrapped his wrist like a vine, then tightened. Damn, she was powerful. The scene with the boat should have solidified that in her mind, but for some reason, she still resisted.

They turned into the library. Jordan stopped short. Ferrous stood over the flame as he had when Jordan had left moments before. Madoc stood with his back to them as he and Ferrous talked.

“This entire day has been a bumblebroth.” Madoc spun about, and his great coat swirled with enough force to blow papers from a nearby stand.

“Good day, brother.”

“Good day, Jordan and Your Grace.” He bowed.

“Please do not call me such.” Celeste tightened her hold on Jordan’s fingers.

“What should I call you, then?”

“Celeste.”

“Very well.”

“Did you write the letter?” she demanded, a quaver in her voice.

“I write all the time. Which one do you refer to?”

Celeste broke from his hold and walked to Madoc. “Here.” She held out the parchment.

Madoc read the letter and then stared at Ferrous as he handed the letter to him. He turned back to them. “No, I did not invade your being and scribble those distressing words. I did bring your grandmum with me, and there is an issue, but…”

“She’s here?” Her voice squeaked with excitement. “Grandmum’s here? Where is she?”

“She is settling in the emerald room.” Madoc glanced back and forth between them. “What’s going on?”

“Hudson is joined with another entity or is transitioning.”

Jordan stepped forward. “Celeste had a vision that he killed her grandmum by biting her.”

“And the letter said she was injured.” Celeste stepped up beside him, and her energy spiked hotter.

“How did you know to come to the Isle, Madoc?” Ferrous walked around the table and stood next to Madoc.

“I stopped by Hudson’s to talk to him about our latest project. Your grandmum was in a fit. She said that you and the entire household had disappeared. Honestly, I had thought Jordan had taken you.”