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“The others have arrived. We are ready to finalize our plan.”

Valya nodded, and they both turned to join the others. Valya jerked his chin in acknowledgement toward Stefan and Roman. Neither looked worse for wear after their altercations with the Believers, although he could sense their profound sorrow at the loss of Jonathon. The Fates had woven an ugly tapestry for his life. Valya could do no more than hope Jonathon had a better lot in his next life.

There were six other Immortals waiting, four Protectors and two Guardians, none of whom he had worked with before. All had the striking features indicative of warriors of his race. All were garbed in the traditional Immortal armor. Raising his arms he called for his armor. His shirt disintegrated, leaving him standing in black leather pants and boots. In the next moment, steel bands materialized in a crisscross pattern to cover his bare torso. Steel bands encircled his wrists while two small quivers holding steel shards appeared, strapped to his leg, and an ornate dagger in its hilt appeared at his hip.

Properly attired, he joined his fellow warriors. With a wave of his hand, Nicolae introduced them all to Valya.

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“Ivan and Jorge left their post in New York to fight with us. They dealt with Luka and the Believers when Adelaide and her family first came to America. Mikhail and Marcus are brothers. They have been patrolling in Texas and, much to my disapproval, have adopted an outlaw gunslinger approach to their duties.” Valya gave them a curt nod before turning his attention to the Guardians.

“Gregor has been in Washington DC for the past two centuries doing what he can to cleanse that den of iniquity. And Andre is a Guardian from the west and joins us from the desert, where he has honed his skills in a place called Sin City.”

Valya stared at Andre and growled low in greeting, lowering his head as he opened his mind. His ire was piqued from the moment Nicolae mentioned the desert. Pieter had come from the same region. He had learned too late of Pieter’s traitorous treachery and was not about to make the same mistake.

Valya stalked over to stand before Andre with the demand
“Open your
mind to me
.” Cocking his brow, Andre looked to Nicolae. When Nicolae nodded, Andre turned to face Valya and opened his mind, allowing Valya to probe deeply until he was satisfied there was no subterfuge.

* * * *

“There isn’t much time.” Nicolae’s rich voice resonated as the other Immortals drew near, encircling him. “Night has fallen. Luka has contacted the Triad and informed them the Beltane Feast has begun. At midnight, he will take Final Blood, completing the bonding ritual, and impregnate Richelle with his demon spawn. If that happens, the world we know will come to an end as Luka sends his progeny to destroy mankind and repopulate the earth.”

All nodded as he continued his address.

“Luka believes Valya is dead, the Immortals crushed, and the Triad defeated. He will not be expecting an assault on Red Dragon.”

“Then how are we to proceed?” Gregor questioned as he stepped closer.

As old as Valya and nearly as proficient a Guardian, he walked dangerously close to the edge between light and dark. More and more, he hungered for the kill for the thrill of it. Nicolae feared that within the next few years, they

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would lose Gregor as he turned Vampyre, but for now, he would be a formidable combatant against Luka’s army.

“We will silently steal into the castle, kill any Immortal, Vampyre, or Believer who stands in our way, and take Richelle back to our mountain homeland. There she will be safe.”

“You are wrong.”

Nicolae was startled by the unseen voice.

“Who said that?”

The Immortals stared at him in confusion.

“Said what?” asked Andre.

“Nobody said anything,” Valya offered in a hushed whisper as he leaned in to speak privately. “What is happening?”

Nicolae stilled. He sensed another presence. No one else was expected.

It would be the eight of them against Luka’s legion. Nicolae concentrated, trying to get a picture of who was intruding. Nothing.

“Who is—”

Nicolae cut Valya off with a jerk of his head. He could sense the presence coming nearer. He motioned to the others. They fell in formation, and Nicolae joined them, turning to face whoever was calling out to determine if they were friend or foe.

“What do you mean…‘I’m wrong’?”

“Just what I say.”

Nicolae took note at the feminine tonal quality. It was lilting and…familiar. He could feel the presence now in the room with them, and it filled it with a powerful, positive energy. In some odd way, he also felt a comforting warmth filling his bleak soul and renewing his essence in a way he had not experienced since Adelaide.

“I know you.”“Yes.”

“Why do you come?”“To offer my help.”

“We do not need your help.”

“If you wish to defeat Luka, you do.”

Nicolae paused, reflecting deeply before he responded.

“Why do you want to help us?”

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The wind picked up, blowing the patio doors open. Standing together, the Immortals braced themselves against an attack as a form slowly materialized before them.

“She’s beautiful,”
Valya said to Nicolae.
“Who is she?”
Her long silver-white hair hung loosely and flowed softly in the gentle wind. Her skin was flawless, translucent like a pearl. Sparkling like bright jewels, the sapphire shade of her eyes swirled with silver streaks. Dressed in a long white gown with the rising moon shining behind, she was luminescent.

Nicolae just stood staring at her, mesmerized by her beauty. An intense longing stirred within him, born of rueful regrets and bittersweet memories of lost love. He never showed any emotion. He was immobile as a Greek statue, steadfast and sure except when it came to this woman.

Valya felt Nicolae’s angst and was taken aback. But the emotions he was sensing from Nicolae were akin to his own anguish. In that moment, he knew who she was…Selene. “Because I have much to answer for, far more than you realize. Because I have betrayed our people and your love. Because I do not want Richelle to suffer as I have by not being with her true life mate.” Her eyes were misty as she turned her gaze to Valya.

“I am sorry for the pain I have caused you. In my own vindictive misery, I lashed out at all Immortals with little thought or care for the consequences.”

She took a step forward, closing the distance between her and Nicolae.

Standing no more than three feet in front of him, she held her arms open in supplication.

“I have no right to ask your forgiveness, and you have every right to hate me. But, upon the love we once shared, I swear I am here to help.”

“Do not trust her!” Ivan yelled vehemently.

“If she betrayed our people before,” Jorge continued, “she will do it again.”

Nicolae heard their words as he gazed at Selene standing before him expectantly, patiently awaiting his decision. She was still as lovely as the day he fell in love with her, still as proud as the day she stood before him and the Triad. Despite his decree of banishment, despite all she had done, he still cared for her.

He still loved her.

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He stepped forward until she could feel his breath on her cheek and smell the same scent of patchouli and clove she wore in his honor.

Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her into his embrace.

“There is nothing to forgive,” he whispered hoarsely. Her hands drift around his waist to return his embrace.

“There is much to forgive,” she replied as tears fell from her eyes and streamed unchecked down her cheek. “Luka’s hatred of you and the Immortals is my fault.”

“I know,” he crooned softly while he stroked her hair, trying to calm her. “I know you told Luka of Adelaide. Of Richelle.” He kissed her softly on the cheek before pulling away from her. He let his hands smooth down her arms to take her hands in his. She frowned. Pulling her hands away she walked toward the patio, turning her face to the moon.

“There is more.” She paused, taking a deep breath. “I am afraid to tell you.”

Coming up behind her, he wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned in to whisper encouragingly to her.

“Any woman brave enough to come here alone and ask for forgiveness can face anything.”

Closing her eyes, Selene leaned back against his chest, into his embrace.

“You will hate me.”

His grip tightened at her words.
Hate?
He had been disappointed.

Angry. Even hurtful in his punishment. But hate?

“I could never hate you, Selene. Our friendship meant more to me than I ever told you, which is why I felt so betrayed by your trickery. Adelaide was my life mate and made my heart come alive. When I lost her, I realized how wrong I was in punishing you. Though we were not destined to be bonded, I did love you. And still do.”

She turned in his arms and leaned her forehead against his chest.

Wrapping her arms around his waist, she hugged him tight.

“Luka is my son,” she squeaked, her voice cracking. Nicolae’s response was to raise his hand to stroke her hair as he pulled her closer to him. She tried to pull away but when he refused to release her, she settled back into his embrace, allowing his rocking and crooning to calm her. She took a deep breath.

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“I was so very angry with you and cursed you for not taking me as your life mate. I seduced another Immortal and became pregnant. Luka was going to be the means of my revenge against you. I didn’t want him raised under the Immortal Code of Ethics. So I took him far away. I raised him to hate you and all Immortals. I used my clairvoyance to help Luka find the best way to destroy you.”

“You saw Adelaide.”

Selene nodded.

“When I saw Adelaide, I knew her lineage would bear out the Prophecy, that her child would be the woman to strengthen the Immortal race. I set Luka and the Believers on their path to destroy her. I’m so sorry.” She looked up at him, and he saw fresh tears in her eyes. Tenderly, he wiped them away with the pad of his thumb.

“My poor Selene. You have suffered so much. Frightened and alone.”

“Not always alone,” she stated, smiling wistfully. “You were right when you said we were not destined to be life mates. And just as you found Adelaide, I found Michael.”

Nicolae returned her smile. He could understand the sadness she felt. He remembered it well when he found Adelaide.

“You didn’t bond with Michael.”

She wiped away the tear in the corner of her eye.

“I, too, was too late. He couldn’t choose freely. Alzheimer’s.” She straightened her back and gave a nostalgic smile, her eyes bright and shining. She couldn’t help her voice cracking as she spoke. “But what time Michael and I had together was beautiful. It was the most special and precious time of my existence. And I thank you for it.”

“Why did you not leave this world with your Michael?”

“For the same reason you did not leave this world with Adelaide.”

They looked solemnly at each other and silently concurred—
“Luka.”

Valya stepped forward. Selene pulled completely from Nicolae’s embrace to stand before Valya.

“As my beloved Michael slipped away, I promised to amend the wrong I had done before I joined him. I went to Luka and told him everything. That it was I who hid him from Nicolae, denying him the father he so desperately wanted. I told him I was wrong, but by then it was too late. Luka was filled with hatred for his father and was determined to destroy him and his people.

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“He even grew to hate you, Valya, for no other reason than Nicolae favored you over all other Guardians. In his mind, taking Richelle as his life mate would serve his purpose on three levels. It would prove he was a stronger Immortal than Nicolae. Taking Richelle away from you would prove he was a better warrior. And completing the ritual with her would fulfill the Prophecy, making him the father of a new race.”

“Luka’s plot is nothing more than a demented litany of revenge and annihilation—the sick ramblings of a spoiled, petulant child,” Nicolae stated.

“Yes. But he still has Richelle.” Valya shuddered as he spoke.

“No matter how I tried to sway him, he could not be moved. In the end, he demanded Richelle’s blood for all the harm inflicted upon him. He banished me, condemning me to die with the ‘humans you love so much.’ I left, but my purpose was clear. I had to make sure that Luka did not succeed.

I vowed that somehow Valya and Richelle would find each other and fulfill their combined destiny.”

Selene stood silently. Nicolae watched, waiting to see how Valya would respond.

Valya crushed her in a hearty embrace. “It was you at the carnival, wasn’t it?” he asked. “You were the fortune-teller Richelle spoke about.”

“Yes,” she squeaked, trying to breathe while Valya held her. “It is because of you we must battle Luka. You have suffered because of your actions, but you did try to stop Luka. I cannot completely forgive what you did, but I thank you for your help.” Valya released her and she turned to face Nicolae.

“We have all made mistakes, Selene, and lived with the consequences.

And we all must make peace in our own way to atone. When this battle is over, you will have to face the Triad to be judged. But for now, we must defeat Luka. I do not speak for all Immortals, but I would be honored to have your assistance in this fight.”

She wiped away another tear. She took Nicolae’s hand in hers and kissed it. “Thank you.”

* * * *

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“So where do we go from here?” Mikhail asked.

“Yes,” Marcus piped up. “If we are to trust you, tell us how to defeat Luka.”

Selene looked from one face to the next, knowing not all would survive, knowing who would die. But she was determined that Valya and Richelle would find the happiness she’d deprived herself and Nicolae of through her selfishness.