Fated In Secrets (Nocturne Vampire Clan #2)

Chapter 57

57

BLAKE

D ragging the king of our clan across the floors of his own castle was wrong on every level. Rohr hung limp between Fiona and me, his once-powerful form now a weight sagging lifelessly in our arms.

“Did you get Evangeline into bed?”

“She’s asleep. Healing. This fuck— not Riordan —nearly tore out her throat.”

The drugs were keeping him sedated, a combination of enough horse tranquilizers to take down, well, a horse, and arcane herbs ensuring the monster remained trapped inside the flesh of my only friend.

Even so, the air around him crackled with crimson magic, along with a lingering sense of malevolence that made my skin crawl.

Ravok was pissed .

Well, the bastard would be even more pissed when we evicted his ass.

“Put him here,” Fiona instructed, her voice steady as she gestured to the blood circle she’d created in a grassy grove behind Darkmore, bordered by a tall bank of bushes.

The blood glistened faintly in the dim light, lines precise and flawless. The blood of countless Drakeheart vampires—an offering from her House in honor of the new kingdom Riordan promised to build—was the keystone of the ritual. The humid night air reeked of iron and magic, thick and oppressive, filling the space with an eerie glow of energy.

Together, we hauled Riordan into the circle. Fiona directed me to bind his ankles and wrists with iron shackles, attaching the chains to the four cardinal points of the circle. I hated the sight of him like this: vulnerable, restrained, utterly at our mercy.

But there was no choice.

If Ravok awoke, if he escaped, he would raze this castle—and everyone inside—to the ground.

“Are you sure the iron will hold him?” I asked, my voice gruff as I secured the last chain.

“They will have to,” Fiona replied, stepping back to survey the scene. “Once the ritual begins, strength doesn’t matter. The circle will do the work.”

I glanced down at my friend, head lolled to one side, sweat-drenched hair stuck to his face. Even unconscious, he radiated power—a frightening, unbalanced mix of his fiery essence and something darker.

We’d never discovered where the Elder came from. How he’d gotten into the castle. Perhaps we’d never find the answer, but as long as this ritual worked, and I had my friend back, I didn’t give a shit, as long as Ravok was gone.

“What’s the next step?” I asked, straightening.

Fiona knelt by the edge of the circle, her fingers fixing a smudge in the blood line. “We separate them,” she said simply, though her tone suggested it was anything but. “The entity and the vampire. The magic and the vessel. This will be like untangling threads that have been woven together for centuries.”

“It’s barely been weeks.” I pointed out.

“This is an Elder,” she reminded me, “the first of our kind. His strength and his magic, outweigh ours by tenfold.” She pursed her lips. “Strange, though…I did some research and discovered these red shadows were not Ravok’s recorded magic. His power was glamour.”

Some faded, far-off memory prodded at me, then faded away in the face of what we were about to attempt.

“And what happens while you’re unraveling this parasite from my friend?” I pressed, narrowing my eyes. “What happens to Riordan ?”

Fiona sighed, looking up at me. “There are two possibilities.” She rose to her feet, brushing her hands off on her gown. “The separation might not be clean, where I evict Ravok, but cannot unravel the two magicks. In that case, Riordan would survive, but he could lose his magic entirely.”

That thought hit me like a blow to the chest. Riordan without his magic... he’d be weakened like I’d been weakened. And this clan would never follow a powerless king.

He’d survive, but his dream would be over. That wouldn’t be a mercy, it would be a curse.

“And the second possibility?” I asked, my voice low.

Fiona’s gaze darkened. “The separation of the two is successful, but if I fail to erase every last trace of Ravok’s power, what remains is an amalgamation of the two powers. A new, unstable combination. Riordan would keep his magic—but a taint of Ravok’s would always linger, corrupting him over centuries.”

I looked down at Riordan, a lump forming in my throat. He would despise both outcomes, I knew that much. To lose his magic would feel like losing a part of himself. But to risk keeping any fragment of Ravok’s influence... That wasn’t an option either.

“Is there no way to just...” I trailed off, frustrated. “ Destroy Ravok completely without taking Riordan’s magic with him?”

Fiona gave me a wry smile. “You think I don’t want that? Their magics have already fused into one. There’s no perfect way to do this.” She paused, her expression softening slightly. “But I will do my best to make the separation clean. If anyone can withstand a ritual of this magnitude, it’s Riordan.”

I clenched my fists, “What if I lose him?” I asked, the question slipping out before I could stop it.

Fiona tilted her head, studying me. “You might,” she said bluntly. “But if we don’t try, you’ll still lose him—except it will be to Ravok, and an endless existence, trapped in a body that isn’t his, with a mind he can’t control. Which would you choose?”

I nodded, the decision settling in my chest like a lead weight. “Do it.”

Fiona didn’t hesitate, stepping back into the circle’s perimeter. “You should stay back,” she warned. “Once I begin, the energy inside the circle will become deadly. You’ll get hurt if you’re too close.”

Reluctantly, I retreated, my eyes never leaving Riordan. The air began to thrum, the blood circle glowing, like the edges were suffused with fire.

For a brief moment, I thought of Evangeline—of how much she’d risked to get us to this point, how much she’d given to keep Riordan alive. She would have wanted to be here, and she would have, if this fucker…if Ravok hadn’t nearly ripped out her throat.

Fiona began to chant, her voice low and melodic, weaving through the air like a thread pulling the magic taut. The air grew heavy with anticipation as I braced myself, watching as the fate of my closest friend—and perhaps all of us—hung in the balance.

An hour later, another of Riordan's screams echoed off the back of the castle, raw and savage and unrelenting. The blood circle flared up like a voracious flame.

“ Ravok’s breaking through .” Fiona screamed; her voice hoarse. She knelt inside the edge of the circle, her hands outstretched as she poured wave after wave of fiery magic over Riordan’s twisting body. Sweat beaded on her brow, her arms shook, that unshakable composure slipping away.

I stood frozen on the outside, helpless as Riordan rattled the chains. His open eyes blazed with pure hate—pure Ravok. Even the sky above us trembled with the force of his rage, the ground beneath us quaking as ancient power surged.

We’d miscalculated. Thought we were prepared to evict him, but he was too strong, too vicious, too…

The chains rattled, the stakes groaned, and I saw the strain as iron bent, links opening up until I could see the moment they would snap.

“ Get out of there .” I shouted. “Fiona, he’s going to?—”

The back doors of the castle burst open, slamming against the stone walls as three people rushed out, Evie in front, blond hair streaming behind her, then Angel, and finally, Eldric.

“Blake. What’s happened? He’s not supposed to be awake .” Evangeline raced toward me, her sister and Eldric on her heels, their eyes widening as they took in the scene .

“Get back inside where it’s safe.” My shouted warning was interrupted by the keening wail of metal breaking, Riordan ripping his wrist free. Evie’s teeth were grit in determination, and for the first time, I noticed the blade gripped in her hand, glinting in the blood-red light.

“What do you think you’re doing?” I bellowed, fear licking up my spine as she skidded to a stop, the fire kissing her face.

“Helping,” she shot back. Angel halted beside her, then exchanged a long, pointed glance with Evie, something unspoken passing between them before Evie’s mouth tightened.

Eldric, ever the picture of calm arrogance, strolled up last, his hands already glowing with fire magic. “Looks like we arrived just in time,” he drawled, blowing out a long breath when he took in Riordan’s thrashing form, his exhausted sister.

“All of you, stay back.” Fiona barked, “The ritual?—”

“Needs more power,” Evie interrupted, “And we’re here to give it to you.” Without hesitation, she sliced her palm, letting her blood drip onto the circle.

Flames surged higher, the lines flaring with renewed power, Riordan roaring his rage to the sky as magic erupted from Fiona in a bright, blinding torrent that knocked me back a step.

I yanked the knife out of my own boot and sliced along my vein, blood splattering the front of my shirt before I tipped my hand, my blood sizzling on contact when it hit the ground.

“Stay back, Angel,” Evie warned. “Only if we need you. I’ll let you know when.”

Her warning didn’t make sense until I saw Angel’s belly poking out. Right. She was pregnant .

Evie’s blood mingled with mine, every drop sizzling as they dripped, dripped, dripped into that consuming heat, sending a pulse of fresh power racing around the circle, boosting Fiona’s magic. Riordan’s thrashing slowed, enraged screams turning to pained groans, and when his head lolled in my direction, that red sheen had left his eyes.

Eldric let out a low whistle. “Well, if we’re all in,” he said, cutting a line across his wrist with a flick of his finger. His blood joined ours, and then he raised his hands, his own fire magic igniting, sending a fiery plume roaring skyward.

“Hang on sis, we’ve got you covered,” he shouted, as his flames twined with Fiona’s, weaving together to form a protective web over the circle.

The inside of the circle was a swirling maelstrom of fire and light, the containment circle flaring so brightly I shielded my eyes, spots dancing in my vision.

Riordan howled out a piercing cry as a dark shadow rose above him, taking on the vague shape of a hulking man. My friend’s body jerked violently, every muscle straining against those bonds. For one terrifying moment, I thought he would break free, even with the added power.

“ Now, Fiona .” Eldric shouted, his voice cutting through the chaos.

She didn’t hesitate. Her hands lifted to the sky, weaving sharp, fragile shapes of pure fire as she formed the spell to capture Ravok’s beastly soul in a cage of light, the wind whipping her long red hair into a tangle.

The hulking shadow darted from side to side, crashing off the sides of that tightly woven net of fire, searching for a way out.

Or a new victim.

The light condensed around the shadow, growing tighter and tighter, forming a sphere of searing brightness too bright to behold, swallowing the shadow altogether. Then the light exploded into a shower of sparks, extinguishing the second they touched down in the damp, bloodstained grass.

Riordan’s body collapsed, red fading from his eyes, leaving them dark and bleary with pain before they slipped shut. All that was left was the sound of Riordan’s harsh, ragged breathing.

Fiona slumped to the ground, her chest heaving as she wiped her gleaming brow. “It worked,” she whispered in disbelief.

I rushed forward, kneeling beside Riordan. He looked like fucking shit, his skin clammy, sweat soaking his hair, the front of his shirt. Those circles under his eyes were still a dark contrast against his too-pale face, but he was alive.

“Riordan?” I shook him gently, unlatching the shackles around one wrist, then the other, where he’d torn his flesh to the bone. He didn’t respond, every rasping breath shallow and fast. Not so much as a flicker of that crimson magic, but not a whisper of white fire, either.

Evie dropped to her knees on Riordan’s other side, her hands trembling as she stroked his ashen face. “Oh, God. Is he...?”

“He’s alive,” I told her quickly. “But his magic?—”

“I don’t know,” Fiona interrupted, her voice a weak echo as she climbed to her feet. “We won’t know until he wakes. Maybe not for some time, depending on how fast he recovers. But Ravok is gone, so there’s that, I suppose.” Her smile faded, the moment her eyes met mine.

Angel hovered a few feet away, rubbing her bare arms as her tentative gaze bounced between us. Eldric watched the beautiful blond with a strange intensity, his face a study in contrasts. Cold, bitterness…and something much, much softer .

“Well,” Eldric broke the silence. “That was quite a show, even for my very talented sister.” He shot Fiona a wink, his tone gentling before he offered Angel his hand. “You alright, love?”

Angel blinked up at him, startled. “Me?”

“Yes, you,” he teased, his lips quirking into a grin. “You look like you’re about to faint. If you’d like, I can carry you into the castle. I’m nice like that.”

She frowned, crossing her arms, suspicion brewing in her blue eyes, the kind of stony regard that should have stopped Eldric in his tracks. “I’m fine. And I don’t need your help.”

“Feisty,” he said with a low chuckle. “I like that.” Angel’s cheeks flushed before she showed him the sharp angles of her back, muttering under her breath about assholes and egos.

Evie didn’t notice, focused entirely on Riordan as we released the shackles around his ankles. The metal had torn into his skin, but he was already healing, thanks to his earlier feeding. “What if he doesn’t wake up?” she asked softly, worry bleeding into every hushed word.

“He will,” I told her forcefully.

My friend would rise from this and he’d build a new kingdom. Evangeline would be his queen, I realized with a start. He’d need her to help him rule, and for the first time since we’d started this journey, I asked myself a burning question I should have asked long ago…

Where did that leave me?