Redemption of Fate (Fate Series Book 2) (3 page)

In that moment, Elijah’s pain was consuming and Josephine could have easily drowned in it as it poured over her through their bond, but instead she chose to fight it, swallowing her pain and blocking it from her husband, not wanting to compound his despair with her own. For several minutes she stood there, murmuring words of comfort as Elijah sagged against her.

“Mi vida, there is not much time,” she said gently; as his crying ebbed. “We are to meet with the Ryans at this address in twenty minutes,” she said, passing him a slip of paper. Elijah stood and wiped his eyes with what was left of his sleeve. Though the tunnel was almost entirely dark, he was able to read it perfectly with his preternatural vision.

“I know this place; Barb took me there once. The witches who live there helped us save a human child whose illness was beyond the capabilities of science.”

“There was no time for details. William only mentioned that they are connected with The Elite and that we will be safe there until our escort arrives to transport us to the compound,” Josephine said; as she pulled a clean set of clothes from the bag she had packed.

“Before you ask,” she began; as she tossed the clothes to him, “I have had no visions of Chloe, yet I can see everyone else with perfect clarity. I’ve seen Cami at the clinic with some of the local Elite and the human authorities. Their investigation will not turn up anything of consequence and she will meet us at the home of the witches. Ethan and Alexa will board a plane for Boston, but beyond that I cannot see.”

“What does that mean?” Elijah questioned; swiftly shedding his burned clothing before he pulled the fresh shirt over his head.

“It means the witches have already begun preparing blocking charms for us and I will not feel easy until they are in place. There is no doubt that Asana is already focused on us.” Josephine cringed at the thought of Lucias’s seer tracking her family’s every move. Without the protection of Barb’s magic, it would not be long before Asana discovered their location.

Slinging the bag over his shoulder, Elijah nodded to his wife, preparing to leave when a terrible realization dawned.

“Is it possible Barb was their target all along? Her death exposed us all to Asana’s sight, but how could they have known she was the key?”

“Yo no sé, mi vida; but perhaps we will find answers with the witches.”

CHAPTER 2 -
The Witches' Home

“Doctor Kline, such a pleasure to see you again; though I wish our meeting could be under more pleasant circumstances,” the tall witch said from the open doorway. Though her face was shrouded in a thin black veil, a symbol of mourning for the loss of a sister witch, her beauty was evident.

“Yes, Ariel; I am sorry for the circumstances as well, but it is always good to see an old friend,” he replied; extending his hand. She shook it warmly, reaching up to push back a stray purple highlight which had fallen from the chignon of her mostly-black hair.

“And this must be the lovely Mrs. Kline. Barb spoke of you often,” she said; regarding Josephine as she lifted the veil from her face.

“I cannot begin to express my gratitude for the hospitality you are showing our family. We all know the danger and will not soon forget your service, truly,” Josephine said earnestly; while gripping both of Ariel’s hands.

“Please, there is no need for such words amongst friends. Barb was our sister and thought of you as her own; we would not dishonor her memory or her sacrifice by refusing you in your time of need,” Ariel responded, as she stepped away and stuck her head out the door. “Can I get either of you boys anything?” she asked two of the High Commander’s guards, who were posted on the front porch. When both men declined with silent shakes of their heads, she closed the door and her eyes as she bowed her head.
 

With both hands raised and palms facing the door, she began to chant the words to a powerful protection spell. Elijah and Josephine watched with rapt attention as the air visibly began to swirl around her, slightly lifting the stylishly tattered black skirt which hung just below her knees. A soft white glow emanated from her palms as her voice grew louder and papers flew off a nearby desk. The glow from her hands flowed through the air and poured over the door, coming to rest around its seam as Ariel’s voice fell silent.

“Now that that’s taken care of, I’m guessing you are eager to reunite with our other guests. There is one in particular who I suspect will be quite thrilled to see you,” Ariel said with a smile; as she led them down a dark, narrow hallway.

Josephine squeezed Elijah’s hand as they followed Ariel through the old Victorian home. Despite the darkness of the day, neither she nor Elijah could help the smiles which lit their faces at the prospect of seeing their granddaughter. Though it had only been a few days since she’d left them, there was no doubt she would be much changed in that short time, given the accelerated rate of her growth.
 

Reaching the door to the parlor, Ariel stepped aside, allowing them to enter first.

No sooner had the brass hinges let out a low creak, than Chloe sped into Elijah’s arms, her increased strength and speed surprising him and nearly knocking him into his wife.

“Grandpa, Grandma!” she exclaimed; as he wrapped his arms around her. Josephine joined in, immediately wrapping her arms around them both. Even knowing that Chloe would be bigger, the change in her appearance shocked them as they held on to the little girl who could easily pass for a seven-year-old.
 

Her enthusiastic greeting was succeeded by that of her living shadow, Tilly, who bounded up to the trio, with her long tail wagging hard enough to shake her entire body. The haphazard appendage swept across the coffee table in the center of the room as she walked by, sending a delicate porcelain statue flying. Mere inches from shattering on the floor, the tiny figurine featuring a mother and baby hung suspended in the air. Ariel swept her elegant hand across the space in front of her, safely returning the knick-knack to its rightful place.

Oblivious to the narrowly avoided mishap, Elijah released Chloe and Josephine and bent down to scratch the fawn Great Dane behind her ear, a spot that he’d learned shortly after meeting her was one of her favorites. “It is good to see you, too, old girl,” he said; earning a lick on the cheek.

“At least some things have not changed,” Josephine said; watching Tilly sidle up to Chloe, pressing her body against her as she sat down. Even sitting, Tilly was easily as tall as Chloe, who slung her arms around her companion’s neck and leaned in.
 

“Ah, yes; Miss Tilly has made for an interesting addition to the household already,” Ariel added. “Our cats are far from pleased by her presence, though I must say it’s quite nice to have a pet around that actually seems to appreciate our attention. The girls barely tolerate us in all our human inferiority,” she said with a laugh.

“Elijah,” William said; as he walked over and pulled the other man into a friendly embrace. “It is good to see you in one piece, my friend. Our deepest condolences for your loss.”

“Yes, we are so very sorry, for you both,” Rebecca added; as she and Jared approached. “Barb was a truly lovely woman.”

“So you have told Chloe then?” Josephine asked, her sad eyes following Chloe, who ran off with Tilly after a black cat which scurried by.

“There was really no keeping it from her,” William responded, “the hazards of being a telepath. Even I have difficulty blocking her; though shielding me seems to be no trouble for her. It really is quite amazing; I’ve never come across another who could keep me out as effectively as she can.”

“I’ve been working with her, trying to help her learn to control her power,” Jared added; as his mother linked her arm with his.

“It’s quite surprising, really that, given how close she was to Barb, she didn’t seem very upset. She simply asked if she was gone, then nodded and walked away. Everything was happening so fast, we didn’t push the issue further, but I have to believe she doesn’t fully understand yet,” Rebecca stated.

“A small blessing,” Josephine added; taking Elijah’s hand for comfort.

Just then, the door swung open, drawing all eyes to the short, slightly plump woman who entered carrying a small box. “Elijah, you remember my sister, Tara,” Ariel said; as she approached the other witch.

“Please excuse me for not greeting you when you arrived,” Tara said; addressing the room. “But we wanted be certain these were ready for you in time for your journey.”

Tara walked over to Elijah and passed him the box. He lifted the lid, the scent of cedar filling the air as he discovered Chloe’s four-pointed star necklace and three others like it inside. The charms were identical, except for the longer chains on the new ones intended for the rest of Elijah’s family. “These should do until you get to Boston. We’ve already spoken with the coven there and they’ll be waiting to perform the permanent spells as soon as you arrive. We would do them here, but there simply isn’t enough time.”

Elijah gently removed two of the charms and handed them to his wife, who placed one around her neck and carried the smallest over to Chloe, returning it to its rightful place over her heart. Barb had given Chloe the blocking charm the first time she’d met her as a toddler, only a few short weeks before, though as far as Josephine could tell, it was an unnecessary precaution, considering she found it impossible to access Chloe’s future no matter how hard she focused.
 

Josephine’s gift had always been strongest when she applied it to her own family, particularly in conjunction with physical contact, yet with Chloe, she saw nothing. Josephine knew that, if
she
was blind to Chloe’s future, so was Asana, and that knowledge gave her some comfort.

“Regarding the other matter we discussed,” Ariel said; turning to William. “Vivian has agreed to fly to Boston to remove the repression spell for your daughter, though it may be a few days before she arrives.”

“We cannot begin to thank you enough,” William responded gratefully. “If you ever have need of anything, anything at all, you know how to reach me.”

“Forgive the intrusion,” Captain Erikson, the head of William’s personal guard, said as he approached the group. “But I have just received word that our escorts will arrive in less than five minutes.”

“Thank you, Captain,” William said; as Erikson rejoined the other guards against the far wall where they had been silently standing since Elijah and Josephine arrived. Much like the human Secret Service agents, who protected the President, the High Commander’s personal guard remained by his side at nearly all times when he was away from the security of Red Manor, the vampire equivalent to the White House; at least as close to his side as was necessary, given their vampire speed and reflexes.
 

The three men waited quietly while the two witches, the High Commander, and his family exited the parlor and returned to the foyer in anticipation of their departure. As they reached the door, Erikson paused, speaking to his subordinates quietly.

“Once we are outside, I want you to stay tight to Red One. I will keep eyes on Little Red,” he said; using the team’s code names for William and Chloe. “The last two arrivals were exposed for nearly an hour, so there’s no telling if their futures were tapped by the enemy seer and this location compromised.”

They nodded in response and filed out of the room.

✧

“I don’t like this,” Cami grumbled; as they turned on to the street on which the witch home was located.
 

Commander Claesson glanced at her sideways from the driver’s seat of the black SUV. “What’s to like? The house is surrounded by human residents, there’s a hundred goddamn places Lucias’s men could be hiding for an ambush, and odds are, we’ve got a mole on the inside. Seems like the only thing we have going for us is the sun, but that’s only going to last a few more minutes.”

“Exactly, and I still can’t wrap my head around what happened at my dad’s clinic. He’s sure the assailants were humans, but why would Lucias send them after my father? No matter how well-armed they were, odds were good he would escape. And where the fuck did that picture of Ethan and Alexa on the lawn come from? I wish we could have investigated the scene more thoroughly,” she replied; pulling one of her Glocks free to check the magazine for about the tenth time since leaving the clinic. When Cami had arrived on the scene with the local Elite cleanup team, the place was already swarming with human civilians. Luckily, Lucias’s men had covered their tracks, making the explosion look like an accident caused by an electrical short too close to an oxygen tank. The fire was still burning strong by the time they’d left, destroying the three bodies that were left inside, along with all evidence of the attack.
 

“That’s the million-dollar question, my dear,” Claesson responded; as he slowed the vehicle to a stop. They waited until the other vehicles lined up behind them before exiting. Ten Elite soldiers from the Indy base quickly followed suit, all focusing their acute senses to survey the surrounding area for any signs of danger.

Satisfied that the area was clear, Claesson nodded to the High Commander’s guards posted on the porch. One of them put a hand to his ear, speaking a few words into a radio device and signaling to Captain Erikson that they were clear for departure.
 

After hurried and heartfelt goodbyes to their hosts, the group began filing through the door. Exiting first were Elijah and Josephine, who walked quickly down the stairs to the SUV parked furthest away. On their way by, Elijah tossed Cami the necklace that Ariel and Tara had spelled for her. Catching it in one hand, she let the pendant slip from her palm and examined it as it swung from the delicate silver chain. Recognizing it as being identical to Chloe’s, she quickly slid it over her head and pulled her tight ponytail through, allowing the cool metal to fall around her neck. She let out a sigh of relief at feeling the slight weight of the magic against her skin.

The sense of relief was soon replaced with another she couldn’t quite describe as she lifted her gaze just in time to see Jared appear in the doorway. With Chloe in one arm and Tilly’s leash wrapped around the other, his eyes found and locked on hers like magnets as he descended the stairs. Her heart began to pound even harder than it already was when he flashed a crooked grin and walked by.