Magick Marked (The DarqRealm Series) (16 page)

He pulled his finger from her lips, brows pinched in concern over his clear gray eyes as he awaited some sort of response. She had no clue what to say.

Her gaze darted around the room, brain scrambled as she tried to process what he offered. Was he offering her a ticket out? Could he do that? She’d bound herself to the obligation physically and magickally. Surely the way out wouldn’t be as simple as walking away.

She slowly pulled her body up to sit in the bed. “Frederick, I—I don’t see how. I mean—I promised. It was my fault. In front of everyone, I promised…”

His long, slender fingers gripped her shoulders as he ran his gaze over the length of her body. “Forget what you promised them. You’re all that matters.”

She searched his face, trying to understand where all this was coming from. Certainly he didn’t mean that
she
was all that mattered. She knew for a fact that she didn’t matter at all. Not even a little bit. She wasn’t royal, powerful, old, or even very strong. Sure, she was trained, and that counted for a little something. But she was totally, completely replaceable. All executioners were.

“No, you’re not,” he whispered, pulling the thoughts straight from her head.

“I made a promise to the team.”

“Spells can be undone. Don’t worry about the team.”

“I don’t think that spell can be undone. And I made a promise to the king.”

He rested his head against her forehead and let out an exasperated sigh. “Screw the king.”

“Excuse me?” Her jaw flew open. Did he say that out loud?

Frederick pulled his face back only far enough to meet her eyes, his hazy stare penetrating right through the center of her soul. “From the moment I first watched you, long before I ever changed you, I knew I loved you. Everything about you. I thought the king made you executioner to punish me, but now I think he’s always known my feelings for you and wanted to protect the crown. He never wanted us to be together. Please, come with me. Please.”

He stared at her, his eyes pleading his case. Then he leaned in.

Soft lips landed on hers, the aggression in his kiss shutting her up despite the storm of thoughts circling her brain. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been kissed and couldn’t clear her head enough to care. Arms wrapped around her body, pulling her closer into a strong wall of muscle as he deepened the kiss. His tongue licked along her lips, pleading for entry.

His kiss grew more demanding, and she wanted to surrender to him. He could give her everything. He could make her eternity so simple. But Frederick
loved
her? As in,
love
love? She couldn’t give him that. She didn’t feel that.

He’d been polite and kind to her since he’d changed her over, but—

Rho pushed back from his embrace, breaking the kiss to glare up at him. “Wait a second. What did you mean, ‘long before you ever changed me’?”

Frederick’s face blanked in surprise. “Uh…”

“Answer me.”

He opened his mouth before closing it again.

“Tell me what that meant.”

He stood in silence before letting out a defeated sigh. “I knew you before that night.”

“
Before
the night you changed me?”

He nodded. “I followed you.”

She leaned back but his grip held firm on her arms. “You saw…”

“I’d left to feed. When I came back, I saw those men all over you.”

“You killed them.” Her hand traveled to her throat as the memory of that night flashed through her mind. She’d been too far gone to know what had happened to the men who’d attacked her, but never forgotten the moment they’d stopped. Her breath hitched in her throat as she stared at the man across from her.

Frederick’s gaze was a combination of sad memories and steely resolve. “I know what they did. I killed them for it.”

He’d been there all along, lurking in those shadows. She’d thought the feeling of being followed was only paranoia after her parent’s death, but she should have guessed by now that every shadow in this world was a real threat. And everyone had a motive.

“You planned on changing me all along, didn’t you?” she accused.

“The king ordered me to follow you. I don’t think he ever intended for me to change you.”

“You were stalking me.”

“Watching out for you.”

“Why?”

Frederick glanced at the floor between them, his hands still locked on her arms. “The king thought you’d be useful, but he couldn’t tell me why. Just that you were someone special who needed to be watched after.”

“Why wouldn’t he send one of the Guard?”

He shook his head. “I can’t answer that. He told me he didn’t want anyone else involved. After I saw you the first time, I didn’t question him again. I knew I was meant to protect you.”

The whole time. All along, she’d been another puppet in the king’s master plan. What he wanted from her, she hadn’t a clue, but she’d made it this far without being killed in his little game. She’d see it through to the end.

“You’ve done your duty, then,” Rho said. “No need to trouble yourself for me.”

Frederick’s eyes snapped up to meet hers. “I didn’t mean to fall in love with you. It just happened.”

“Like I said.” She turned her stare to the floor. “You’ve done your duty.”

His nostrils flared. “Don’t you dare discredit my affections.”

She lifted her chin to meet his gaze. “You lied to me. For years.”

“And what do you want me to say? That Costel told me to follow you but never told me why? What good would that do?”

“At least I’d know that Costel wanted me for something, instead of only suspecting it.”

“That would only give you less closure than you already
don’t
have. When those men nearly killed you, I had to change you before you bled to death. I didn’t think that no life would be better than eternal life.”

Rho snorted.

Frederick’s brow creased in frustration. “What point do you think you’re proving by getting yourself killed?”

“I’m a female of my word. Despite being bound by magick and blood, I gave an oath and I intend to keep it.”

“They’ll kill you.”

“Then I’ll fight to the end.”

Frederick dropped his hold on her arms, his hands falling to his sides and clenching into fists. He spun around to face the wall. “How can you do this?”

The broken tone of his voice shattered her heart. She might not love him like that, but he was her closest companion. Aside from him, she had no one else.

She stepped forward to clasp a hand on his shoulder. “Frederick, please. You’re my best friend. Don’t make me choose between you and my obligations. I can’t run from this.”

He grunted. “No, not you.”

She shrugged, even though he couldn’t see it. “You know me. Always chasing trouble.”

Frederick turned around slowly to face her. “I hate letting you go.”

“And I hate going. But we all do what we have to.”

He reached out to cup her face in his hands. “Call on me. Anything you need, just ask.”

She met his eyes. “I know.”

He leaned forward to plant a gentle kiss on her forehead before pulling back to stare at her again. His gaze combed her from head to toe, as if he were taking inventory of every piece of her. She found herself doing the same, memorizing the familiar eyes and strong cheekbones of the face she’d seen so many times before. They stood in silent commune for a moment before he broke away to stand by the door of his bedchamber.

For no apparent reason, he stopped to glance up at the ceiling. “There’s an abandoned warehouse at Congress and First, near the river downtown. The team meets there at nightfall tomorrow.”

So she had until then to pack and get everything in order. “Got it.”

“Stay here as long as you’d like. I’ll be gone until tomorrow,” he said over his shoulder.

“Thanks.”

His hand gripped the doorknob but he didn’t turn the handle. “Rho?”

She stared at the ground. “Yeah?”

“I still love you, you know.”

She smiled. “I know. And I love you, too.”

He shook his head. “Not the way I want you to.”

“No, but I love you the way that counts.”

A light chuckle escaped his broad chest. “I suppose that will do. For now.”

The door creaked as Frederick pulled it open then clicked it shut behind him. Silence fell in the space between them, growing exponentially every second until she feared it might swallow her whole. She flopped backward on the bed and closed her eyes, trying to pretend her best friend wasn’t so far away.

Adjusting the heavy pack on her shoulders, she took a few steps forward. The room was dark, and she glanced at the floor to try and see where she was going.

There they were.

Footprints covered the floor. More than three for certain, but surely the race leaders had this place scoped out before they’d sent in their troops. She wouldn’t put it past Frederick to have the place cased before she arrived. Picking an arbitrary set, she followed the prints through the massive room and toward a small door in the corner.

A deafening boom thundered in the stillness. Rho hit the ground as the door in her sights swung open and slammed into the wall behind it.

Who the hell was that?

With a shrug of her shoulder she removed the bag from her back, grabbing her knives as she sprang to her feet.

“Your reflexes need some work.” Preshea stood in the doorway, one hand propping the wooden door open, the other wielding a pistol. “Everyone else is here.”

Yay, it was super bitch. With a gun.

Preshea’s demeanor offered zero hospitality, her black-and-white striped Adidas pants matching the striping in her cropped hair. The black tank top she sported showcased a tan, her muscular arms still aiming a gun at Rho’s chest.

Rho sheathed the blades. “Sorry I’m late.”

“
So
glad you could join us. I was terribly worried.” With a roll of her eyes, Preshea turned and marched back through the doorway.

“Whatever,” Rho muttered, following the shifter and throwing a hand up to stop the door before it slammed in her face.

A tingling sensation trickled through her arm at the touch and she stuck her foot in the doorway to prop the door open. A quick glance revealed the marking on her palm, a reminder of the promise she’d made. The reason she was here.

She didn’t want to be here but she didn’t have anywhere else to go, despite Frederick’s tempting offer. True to his word, he hadn’t returned last night, leaving her to sit and stew on his proposition. A really, really enticing proposition. But she wasn’t a coward and she didn’t turn her back on her responsibilities, no matter the circumstances. Even when life was a real bitch.

The past ten years had been a major bitch.

Rho pushed the door open to find her teammates huddled in a small… kitchen? She took a step forward to greet them. Her right hand exploded into full assault pins-and-needles, nothing compared to the light tingling she’d sensed at the door.

Rho froze in place, staring at her hand in horror. “What the hell is that?”

Three heads snapped up to stare at her.

Tim barked a laugh. “Tingling?” He opened his palm to stare at his own mark. “Us, too.”

Eldon tightened his marked hand into a fist. “It’ll stop in a second.”

Rho frowned and shook her hand. “This is normal?”

Eldon rubbed his open palm on his jeans. “No idea.”

“It goes away, thank God,” Preshea muttered.

Great. The brilliant mind who’d come up with the whole binding idea didn’t even know how it would affect them. And she’d signed up for this shit. Flipping fantastic.

Rho turned to Eldon. “You seriously don’t know?”

“Spells cast with blood work differently based on the subject, so this is new to me, too,” Eldon answered.

She raised a brow. “So… what? We’re waiting it out? Hoping nothing bad happens? That’s the master plan?”

He nodded.

Well, wasn’t that scary. She cleared her throat and tried to change the subject. “So I take it these are our new digs?”

The tiny makeshift kitchen had been built for minimal abuse, possibly a break room at one time. An old fridge was tucked into a corner and a microwave sat on the dusty countertop, but from the smell in the air, neither had been used or cleaned in quite some time.

Sometimes a liquid diet wasn’t all that bad.

Tim leaned a hip against the countertop, his casual track pants and wifebeater tank not distracting from his clear Alpha dominance. “Collective says the place is warded. Race leaders seem to think these are neutral grounds, so yeah. Welcome home.”

“Sorry, no creepy underground accommodations for you, suck-face.” Preshea stood near Tim on the opposite side of the room.