Fated In Secrets (Nocturne Vampire Clan #2)

Chapter 40

40

EVANGELINE

A ccording to the raven that arrived before sunset, Aria chose Crimson House for the ritual.

She claimed the Graves estate stood on neutral ground, and Crimson House—abandoned, isolated, cloaked in old magic and surrounded by a garden of dead, overgrown roses and ivy—felt like a fitting choice.

Nash and a small contingent of Knightsguard waited in the shadowed ruins of the garden as backup, making me feel incrementally better about this whole thing.

Riordan…we’d left him out of this.

Midday, the king had withdrawn into his study, barred entrance with a layer of his red shadows and Blake still sported a wickedly scalded hand from where he’d hammered on the door too long for Riordan’s liking.

Or maybe he’d been a bit too forceful in his language, demanding Riordan come out of hiding and fucking talk to us.

Fifty years, they’d plotted how to get rid of Tyrell.

And now that bastard would win in the end, anyway, his corruption claiming Riordan’s soul piece by piece while the clan he dreamed of rebuilding turned on him.

I sucked in a breath of evening air, still damp from the storm that had blown through. A couple weeks ago I would have taken my sister and left this place, never turning back .

Now…now I would never abandon Blake or Riordan.

Just the thought of leaving made my heart hurt.

Fuck knew why, since I’d only been a vampire for the blink of an eye, and a human all twenty-eight years leading up to that. But I felt more comfortable in this skin than I ever had as a human. And here I was, hand in hand with Blake. My mate .

Waiting for a witch.

Dusk settled over the garden, the last rays of daylight highlighting the crumbling statuary with a strange, reddish glow. Aria materialized from the shadows amidst the withered roses, looking at ease in the decayed elegance of the place.

“The lovers reunited. I hope your reunion was everything you’d hoped for.” Her gleaming eyes settled on us with predatory intent, her long black dress flecked with silver, as if it had been spun from spidersilk and shadows.

I glanced at Blake, who gave me a resolute nod.

“Oh, it was,” I answered, matching her canny tone. “Let’s get this over with.”

Aria’s expression flickered with amusement as she stepped closer, gesturing for us to stand beside her. She extended her hand, and a small silver blade appeared in her fingers, the edge gleaming faintly under the twilight sky.

“A little blood is necessary for the ritual to work,” she explained to Blake gently. “Hold out your arm.”

I tensed, eyes fixed on the knife as Blake slowly extended his wrist. I could feel the heat of his anger like a palpable thing, but he flipped his arm over, the pale underside gleaming in the dying light. A flick of her wrist and the knife flashed, a steady trickle of blood pooling before he tipped his arm, dripping blood into the damp earth.

Her hands moved in intricate patterns, whispering words I couldn’t recognize. The air around us thickened, and I could feel a power gathering in the silence, surrounding Blake like a faint, pulsing warmth.

The air grew thick with the scent of ozone and damp earth. with every chant of those ancient words, the air glimmered, forming floating, ghostly runes in a circle around the two of them. Even on the outside, raw power echoed inside me, calling forth something at my core that shouldn’t be answering. Shouldn’t even exist.

I pressed my hand to my chest, took a steadying breath.

But there it was. The tiny kernel of magic my mother had sealed away, pulsing like a star, keeping time with Aria’s magic humming around us. Building to a crescendo with every sweep of her hands.

Then Aria held a bowl beneath Blake’s bleeding wrist and slicing her finger along the rim, let her blood join his.

Inside of me, my own magic expanded, pressing outward, stretching me like a balloon, the pressure hollowing out my ears, my vision going black. Why was this happening ? I panted softly. Aurora’s spell was supposed to last forever, my magic was never supposed to escape.

The moment their blood combined, a tendril of shadowy mist coiled up out of the bowl like a living thing. From every corner of the garden, shadows responded, snaking out from beneath the trees and rocks to envelope Blake in a swirling vortex of darkness. His body arched, a pained groan hissing from his mouth as the magic sank into him, his skin turning the color of dusk, before lightening back to pale flesh tone.

Aria’s lips curved into a small, satisfied smile. “It’s done,” she murmured, her voice laced with relief.

Blake gasped, his hand flying to his chest as shadows curled up around him like phantom waves, licking his legs, hips, waist. Thick and black, they writhed and danced, the shiver of power so great my teeth ached.

Or maybe that was the magic dancing madly inside of me, screaming, let me out, out, out.

His other hand swept through the coiling darkness, dragging smoky mists upwards, while shadows twisted between us, as if his magic was happy to have returned. But the look of relieved happiness on Blake’s handsome face, the light that was back in his eyes, made worth every sacrifice.

I rounded on Aria. “You fucking so much as try to take this back or fuck us over, I will hunt you down and carve your skin from your bones.” My grin even tasted slightly evil. “That is, after all, what I’ve been trained to do.”

“So distrustful, little slayer.” She flicked out the silver knife again. ‘Now let’s see if you’ll keep your end of the bargain.”

“Silverwoods always keep their word.” I said automatically, offering her my arm, wincing when the knife ruthlessly sliced across my tender skin.

She held out a vial and let the blood drip in, her gaze flicking between us with that dark gleam I couldn’t quite decipher. “Thank you,” she murmured, capping the vial and slipping it away into her cloak. “Now, our bargain is complete.”

The dark mark on my wrist, bisected by the bloody slice, disappeared, along with the bleeding cut. Like neither had ever even existed.

“Now leave,” Blake snarled, “I never want to see you again, Aria. Our dealings are finished, and you can find another clan to partner with. The Nocturne Clan is now off limits.”

But Aria only smiled, stepping back as her gaze slid over me with a dangerous satisfaction .

“Oh, our partnership is only beginning,” she said, her voice colder than the air that hung around us. “Though I may have… neglected to mention the other side of this little bargain.”

I froze, dread spiraling through me. “What other side?”

Aria’s smile widened, wolfish and mocking. “You’re right, Evangeline—you really should have wondered why I’d be so interested in your blood. It was more than curiosity. Didn’t your uncle teach you that blood is power? If you’d been listening, you’d know never to trade yours away for love. Now, thanks to your misplaced affections, I own you.”

Blake surged forward, his crackling shadows furious as they reached toward her. “You twisted bitch?—”

“Oh, Blake, don’t be so naive.” She interrupted, waving him off as if he were a child. “Have you ever heard of a Mandagore?”

All the blood drained from his face, his shadowy magic vanishing.

“Oh yes, your little slayer has just enough witch blood in her—fifty percent, to be exact—I will turn her into my own personal thrall. I have big plans for you, Silverwood. Your family has much to answer for, and…”

“My fucking family can go rot.” I grit out. “My terms were clear. You cannot harm us, or take anything else in return.”

“And you said clearly, I will give you my blood . You said those words, of your own free will. By giving me your blood, you granted me dominance over you.”

“I swear to fucking god, Aria, I will gut you for this.” Shadows spun toward the witch, then stopped, like they hit an invisible wall.

“Stop with the nonsense, Blake. Do you have any idea who Evangeline’s mother even was? ”

I stared at her, ice settling into my veins as she held the vial up to the moon, squinting at the ruby colored liquid. “What are you talking about?”

Her smile turned vicious. “Aurora was from the Bloodmoon Coven. Extinct, forgotten, erased from history—until now.”

I tried to pull back, but her gaze held me fast. “And with your blood, I can call you anytime I need. No distance, no wards can keep you from me. You’ve been bound.”

Blake’s hand clamped around my wrist, his anger rolling off him in waves, but his fury couldn’t change what had just happened. I even felt the quiet hum of the link she’d made, tying me to her.

“You can’t do this,” I said, my voice shaking.

“Oh, but I already have,” she replied coolly. “You’ve gifted me the only true prize I could ask for: Control over the last Bloodmoon witch. That magic bound in your veins will answer only to me.”

I wanted to lash out, to attack her—but the blood link was a tether connecting me to her will.

If I tried, she’d stop me with a flick of her finger.

Blake’s grip tightened, his voice shaking with hatred. “I swear, I’ll break you for this.”

Aria’s laugh was cruel. “You’re welcome to try. But until then…your dear Evangeline belongs to me.” Then she vanished, the night air heavy with the awful truth hanging between Blake and me.

I gripped my mate’s arms. “I’m sorry. I…” I ducked my head in shame. “I thought I was being so clever when I set down the terms. I thought I covered all my bases. I should have known she’d find a way around them.”

“She’s been playing these games far longer than you or I, Evie.” He bent at the knees to peer at my face, his gentle smile fading when he saw my tears. “Don’t ever apologize for doing something good. You were outmaneuvered, but this isn’t over. Do you hear me? I will not allow her treachery to stand.”

But I had to hide my face when he wrapped his arms around me, and flew us back to Darkmore, because I’d not only mucked everything up, but he was bailing me out. Again .