Fate Forsaken (21 page)

Chapter Twenty-One

“W
hy me?” Rho inspected her lumpy duffel bag, which was completely stuffed to the brim. Her teammates stood around it in shock, staring at the contents. Nothing looked out of place or unsafe, yet it could kill her as surely as she stood there.

She shook her head. Everything in it was now destined for the garbage. Every pair of leathers. Her favorite shirt. All of it trashed. At least they hadn’t gotten her weapons.

Eldon rose and strode over to Rho before wrapping her tightly in his arms. He laid a gentle kiss against her temple. “I’m just glad we caught that before you touched anything inside your bag.”

“I didn’t realize magick could be used like that,” Tim said, his brow drawn tight.

“It’s dark, dark magick. The kind you read about but never dream you’ll witness.” Eldon released his hold on Rho and took a step forward to kick the duffel across the room. It slammed into the wall and landed on the floor with a thud. He spun around to face his teammates. “
This
is why the Collective exists. To prevent spells like that from ever being used. When I find out who cooked that up, that person will have firsthand knowledge of what silver acid feels like.”

Rho’s brow lifted in surprise. The cruelty in Eldon’s tone wasn’t at all like him. He was usually Mr. Calm and Collected, not an angry hothead.

But what was done was done. She needed to return their focus to what really mattered now. “Evette and Lukas are missing, guys. Let’s keep our eye on the ball.” She folded her arms across her chest. “Instead of being pissed about what’s already happened, think about what it means. Why would someone do this? Why me?”

“Start with what we know.” Preshea ran a hand through her streaked hair, her clear eyes glossed with worry. “They took Evette and Lukas. They tainted your clothes with liquid silver cloaked in magick. And now they’ve planned a rendezvous in the middle of the day.” She turned to Rho. “I’d say they don’t want you to join us tomorrow.”

Exactly what Rho suspected.

“But why Rho in particular?” Preshea asked.

“Because I’m a siphon.” It explained everything. If she actually knew how to control her abilities, she could easily be the most dangerous person on the team. Of course, she hadn’t mastered any magickal skills just yet, but they didn’t know that.

“No one should know about your gifts except for the Council, right?” Tim asked. “Other than us, you said they were the only ones who knew.”

“Not true.” Eldon’s expression was grave as he folded his arms across his chest. “Like Cadence warned us, there’s a leak in the Collective.”

Rho frowned. “But the only person who is both a member of the Collective and the Council is Cadence.” The Council was exclusive. Only the highest-ranking members of DarqRealm society—royalty from each of the races, mainly—were invited to attend those sessions. As guardians of their world, they were the final authority on everything.

Eldon groaned. “Also not true.” He pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. “I can’t believe I didn’t see it before.”

“What?” Preshea asked.

“That son of a bitch. He was behind this the whole time.” Eldon pulled a phone from his pocket, then shoved it back in. “Damn it, I can’t even call her.”

“Who?” Tim demanded.

Fists clenched, Eldon’s lips were thin white slashes as the muscles in his jaw pulsed. “Max,” he ground out. “He’s a dead man.”

“Max?” The name sounded vaguely familiar, but Rho couldn’t figure out where she’d heard it before. Who the hell was he, and why would he want her dead?

Eldon turned to Rho. “Cadence’s assistant. He was probably there when you met with the Council.”

“Holy crap balls.” Recollection dawned as the face of the redheaded man in the Council meeting—the young one who’d introduced himself to her and shook her hand—jumped to the front of her brain. She’d had no idea he wasn’t a member of the Council. “He knows exactly what I am. He was there when the Council discussed it.”

“Which would explain why he doesn’t want you to be with us tomorrow when we try to get Evette and Lukas back,” Preshea speculated. “He doesn’t want you stealing his magick and using it against him.”

Tim glanced at the bag, now halfway across the room. “Well, burning you alive is one hell of a way to accomplish that.”

“He’ll pay,” Eldon growled. “I swear he’ll pay.”

The anger emanating off of Eldon was nearly palpable, but Rho tried to ignore him. Getting angry wasn’t going to help their friends right now—but she had an idea what could. “Well, a little sunshine won’t keep me from making a daytime appearance. Not anymore. And there’s definitely no way he can know that.”

“True.” Tim rubbed a hand against the scruff under his chin. “He’ll expect us to show up, but he won’t be prepared to see you.”

“No,” Eldon said.

Preshea settled her hands on her hips, her brow pinched in frustration. “Why the hell not? It sounds like a great plan to me.”

Eldon was quiet for a moment before he paced over to the kitchen table, picked up one of the overturned chairs, and set it on the ground. “This would be different.” His gaze was distant, his voice soft as he seemingly spoke to himself. “The last time I did the spell, I had to be touching Rho the whole time. She had my complete attention.” He plucked another chair off the ground and set it down before settling into the seat.

He gazed up slowly to meet the eyes of his teammates. “Max isn’t a novice. Not by a long shot. He’s young in age, but his exposure to the Collective and Cadence mean he has tricks up his sleeves that even I can’t imagine. If I’m going to have any chance against him, I’ll need to focus on him completely.”

Well, damn. Rho wanted to argue with him, but she didn’t know what to say. Her knowledge on magickal spells was limited to what she’d seen Eldon perform, and knowing him, he’d risk his own safety just to keep her protected. If they were going to go up against someone as powerful as Max, Eldon was the only one on the team with the ability to truly manipulate magick. She couldn’t let him die trying to protect her, and she’d never risk the lives of her teammates. Any distractions could get them all killed.

Rho strolled across the room and took a seat in the chair beside Eldon. “Then we find another way to make it work.” She rested a hand on his knee and gave him a gentle squeeze. There had to be someone else who could perform the daywalking spell. Eldon had said his father passed it down to him, but he hadn’t said that he was the only one who could execute it.

Tim nodded. “Rho is right. Facing them at noon is the only chance we have to get Lukas and Evette back. They wouldn’t expect her to be there.” He pointed to Rho. “She could be our best chance.”

“Can Nick do it?” Rho asked.

Eldon’s expression was thoughtful for a moment before answering. “It’s possible.”

Preshea lifted a brow. “You trust him, don’t you?”

“Of course.” Eldon tapped his fingers on the table. “But he’s taking care of Trinador.”

Rho fought the urge to roll her eyes. “Trinador told you herself that she’ll be fine. She isn’t one hundred percent yet, but her aura is healing.” She turned her body in the chair so she was facing him. “Besides, I’m pretty sure Nick is hanging around her for the pleasure of her company at this point and not because she needs him.”

Romantic interests had definitely sparked between those two movers, at least on Nick’s side. It didn’t take a genius to see that he cared about her, especially after his reaction to her aura being burned. And despite his ability to jump the ley lines and easily return back home, as far as she knew, he hadn’t left Paris since he’d gotten here.

Preshea and Tim gave each other sidelong glances before they joined Rho and Eldon at the table, occupying the remaining two seats. At least those two agreed with her plan. She might not know exactly who would help her make that spell work, but she knew instinctively that it was the key to their survival. Preshea set her elbows on the table and leaned forward while Tim extended his legs beneath the table and leaned back.

With a sigh, Eldon shook his head. “Involving Nick now would make him a target. Max isn’t a member of the Collective, but he’s closely involved through Cadence. He’s known Nick for years.”

Rho bit her lip as she considered the dilemma. At this moment, there was no way for Max to know if Nick was involved, even if he was a friend of the family. If he discovered Nick’s contribution to their plans, they might as well strap a bull’s-eye to his back. As much as she wanted to nail Max’s ass to a wall, she wouldn’t endanger Nick’s life to do it. Not after everything he’d done for her and the team.

Fingering the stone centered on her chest, she considered their other options. There was no way she was letting Eldon, Tim, and Preshea go up against Max alone. He must know Eldon personally. Given his access to vital intel via Cadence, he probably had knowledge about the rest of the team as well. They had to assume he knew everything.

She sighed as she rubbed the moonstone. Funny, it always felt cool no matter how much she touched it. Such a strange little relic, to possess such power.

“That’s it.” The thought struck Rho like a lightning bolt, and she jolted up straight in her chair. A smile tugged at the corners of her lips. How could she not have thought of this before? “What about a stone?” She lifted the moonstone up to display for her teammates. “An amulet, like this one?”

“That already holds your protection spell.” Preshea frowned in focus. “You need that.”

“Not this one.” Rho wiggled the stone back and forth in her hand. “Another one. Can you make another amulet?”

Eldon lifted a brow. “You want to cast another protection spell?”

“Sort of.” Rho tapped her chin with a finger as she thought out loud. “What if we cast a spell into an amulet, but this time, to protect me from the daylight instead of death?”

“A spell to let you daywalk?” Preshea’s voice lifted in surprise.

Rho nodded. “Eldon’s already performed it once before. We know it works. We just need to capture it so I can take it with me—into something that won’t require concentration.”

Tim, Preshea, and Rho turned to Eldon simultaneously. He’d leaned back in his chair, his gaze distant as he seemed to churn the idea over in his head. No one spoke.

After several seconds, Eldon said, “It could work. I’ve never tried it before, but it could work.”

“Then do it.” Tim rose from his chair. “What do you need?”

Eldon shook his head. “I’m not the person for the job, unfortunately. Amulets aren’t my thing.”

“Who is?” Tim demanded.

“My first thought would be Trinador, but she’s not well enough to run this kind of magick. But a person who could do this…” Eldon met Tim’s eyes. “My sister. Adelle has a gift for those things.”

“Call her.” Tim reached into his pocket. “Tell her we need one immediately.”

Preshea grabbed Tim’s arm. “No, you can’t call. The lines, remember?”

Reluctantly, Tim tucked his phone back in his jeans.

Preshea gazed up at Eldon from her seat. “What if you jump back home?”

“It’s a long trip,” Eldon said.

“Do we have any other choice?” Rho asked. If they couldn’t call, the only way they could reach Adelle would be in person.

“No, we don’t.” A calm resolve washed over Eldon’s expression as he rose from his seat. “I’ll go right now. But it may take a while, since I’m going to have to wait for her to finish before I come back. I can’t risk wiping out my energy by jumping the lines too many times.”

Rho nodded in agreement. “You need all the energy you can get.”

Eldon turned to glance down at her. “But Max—” he started, his brows pinched in concern. “Are you sure you’ll be okay without me?”

“He already knows where we are. If he wanted to come after us, he already would have. And he has plans for us tomorrow. If he comes while you’re gone, we’ll just have to handle him,” Preshea said.

Tim lifted a shoulder. “Plus, we have Rho. If all else fails, she’ll suck his power dry.”

Rho snorted. Right, like it would be that easy. Too bad that wasn’t how her power seemed to work. She rose from her chair to stand beside Eldon, her heart somehow heavier in her chest. She needed him like humans needed air, the taste of his kiss even more important than the taste of blood on her lips. He’d become a part of her. The very last thing she wanted to do was send him away right now, but his sister was their only chance. If she could make this work, she had a shot at saving her teammates—her friends. She swallowed hard. “We’ll be fine. Go.”

Eldon cupped her chin with his hands and stared down at her, forcing her to tilt her face all the way up just to see him. That tall, towering form of his could make her weak in the knees. He leaned in to press a kiss to her cheek before whispering in her ear, “I love you.”

His warm breath tickled her ear, and she shivered. “Love you, too. Don’t take too long.” She wrapped her arms around his waist, wishing there was some way she could go with him.

“I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“I know. I’ll have your stuff ready when you get here.”

“Thanks.” He pressed his lips to her nose before planting a kiss on her mouth. As the kiss deepened, she drew him closer, wishing she could bottle moments like this one forever. Entirely too soon, he pulled away. “Take care of yourself, angel.”