Fated In Secrets (Nocturne Vampire Clan #2)

Chapter 59

59

RIORDAN

I rose into consciousness like I was kicking to the surface, lungs aching like I’d been submerged in dark waters and was finally drawing my first clear breath.

My body was a sluggish mess, but my mind was clearer than it had been in weeks.

No voices. No shadows.

No more fucking Ravok.

I inspected the marks around my wrists, then noticed the soft glow emanating from my hands. My fire was back, and not the perverted power Ravok had twisted and warped. Pure white flames crackled around my fingertips, as familiar to me as my own heartbeat. But then…my heart shuddered at the faint, pulsing edge of red glowing at the tips, like the ghost of a nightmare refusing to fade.

Still, I was alive. Aware .

Another long, shuddering breath, another step closer to being myself again.

I sat up slowly, the events of the past weeks flooding back like a half-remembered nightmare that began the night Tyrell died. Ravok. His voice, his brutal control, the way he had burrowed into my mind like a parasite.

I hadn’t known what was happening, not at first.

No, I’d been too busy glutting myself on my new power, feasting on magic like an endless fucking buffet. By the time I realized there was something insidious lurking beneath the surface, by the time I realized I’d been snared…it was too late.

Every moment after, I’d fought him. Fought him and lost, flashes coming back to me that made me wince in shame. The cruel words, the out-of-control savagery, the twisted satisfaction in the harm I’d caused.

And then there was Evie.

Those memories hit me like a blow. Her blood. Her pain. The way she’d stood there, offering herself despite knowing what I’d become. The flash of fear in her eyes, her cries for me to stop…and I couldn’t.

My stomach twisted. I’d hurt her. I’d let Ravok take me over.

“Welcome back.”

Blake’s voice cut through my thoughts. He stood near the doorway, arms crossed defensively but with an expression that was... relieved? Shouldn’t he be pissed? Why weren’t his hands around my throat, choking the life out of me for hurting his mate?

“You’ve been out for a while,” he continued. “We weren’t sure if you’d wake up... or if you’d even still be you, if you did.”

“Well, like it or not, it’s me,” I rasped, my voice hoarse, like I’d been screaming myself raw for hours. Maybe I had, since I remembered nothing past feeding from Evie. “The bastard’s gone.”

Blake nodded, stepping closer. “He’s gone. Fiona Drakeheart used her fire magic and a shit ton of blood to complete an exorcism. Can’t say I thought it would work, but Ravok’s hold on you was severed. I saw him vanish with my own eyes.” He shook his head, like he didn’t quite believe it, either. “Whatever’s left of him is nothing more than a memory now.”

I flexed my fingers, the white fire dancing across my skin, and swallowed hard. “And my magic? This feels... different.”

“You tell me,” Blake studied my face. “We weren’t sure what you’d end up with, if you’d have anything left at all. So the fact you have any magic at all…let’s call that a win.” His gaze dropped to the flames flickering around my hand. “That red is something left over from your hitchhiker. If that gets bigger…”

Yeah, he didn’t have to finish that sentence.

If the red got bigger, I was fucked.

I nodded slowly, the weight of my reality settling on me. “What about... Evangeline? Is she?—”

“She’s fine,” Blake interrupted, his tone softening. “She’s tougher than she looks, you know. But she took risks for you, Riordan. Big ones. You owe her an apology, at the very least. If I’m really being honest?” That condemning gaze bore down on me. “You owe her your fucking life.”

I blew out an entirely too-shaky breath, guilt gnawing at me. “I know I do. I’ll make this right between us, I swear I will.”

“You want to make this right?” He asked slowly, and I nodded.

I did. Ever since I’d turned her—ever since I’d first laid eyes on her—I’d wanted to go to battle with Evangeline. And yes, the thought of a fight turned my blood hot and thick, but all I had to do was picture the fear in her eyes as she tried to shove me— Ravok —off her, and that fire turned to ice.

“Stop fucking with her head. Stop with the hot and cold act, stop playing your fucking games with her, because you can’t make up your fucking mind. I’ve made up mine. Fucking man up or let her go, because those are your only two choices right now.”

“I know what I want, and like I said, I’ll make things right with Silv… Evangeline .”

Blake gave a small, approving grunt, then shifted gears. “While you’ve been... indisposed, things have been moving in different direction than we’d planned. House Ebonshade is on lockdown, House Drakeheart is firmly in our corner, several of the undecided houses are now ready to swear fealty. It looks like the tide has turned.”

“Tell me more about House Drakeheart. How did that alliance come about?” I asked. “Let me guess…your smooth tongue?”

“No, not mine. Evie’s.” Blake’s lips curved into a small smile. “As it turns out, Fiona’s brother is the clan historian, lurking in the Darkmore library. Evangeline struck up a friendship with him, and lo and behold, his sister Fiona is quite the practitioner of arcane magic. She hates Tyrell’s legacy as much as we do. With her on our side, we’re gaining more leverage by the day. The uncommitted houses are taking notice.”

“Do you think they’ll fall in line?”

Blake grinned. “We could hold another ball and see what happens.”

I snorted. “Fuck no.”

I gave my friend a wry smile. “Yeah, we did that once, and look how that turned out.”

“Well, the ceremony itself went okay, it was everything that came after that pretty much sucked.” Blake winked. “Now you’re back to paperwork and the drudgery of kinghood. Glad I’m not you.”

“You fucking should be, these past weeks were hell.” I blew out a long breath, the weight of leadership settling back onto my shoulders with a familiar weight that wasn’t all that unwelcome. “And Tyrell’s loyalists?”

“On the run, mostly. Scattered and weakened, or hiding underground and plotting their next move.” His lips twitched. “You know, the usual.”

“You’re in a pretty good mood, given everything that’s going on.”

Blake’s hand landed on my shoulder. “My best friend’s back, I’m in fucking love and the sun is shining. What more can I ask for?”

I paused. “In love?”

“Evangeline is my mate.” He patted his chest. “I’ve accepted the truth. Once I ran out of excuses…the falling in love part turned out to be easy.” His crooked smile was happier than any I’d ever seen, and something gave way in my own heart.

Happiness . What a stupid thing to want, and yet…

“There’s more. Evie and I both realized something. We need you in our lives.” My swallow seemed to take too long, the words tumbling over themselves as I tried to sort out their meaning. He couldn’t be saying what I think he’s saying…

“She loves you, Rohr. And she loves me.” He sighed. “I’m not giving her up, but…I won’t ask her to give you up, either. And I’m not losing my best friend, so there’s only one way this works.

“We could….” Blake’s fingers landed on the table beside the bed, his eyes burning into me. “The three of us were meant to be together, Rohr. You…you’ve thought about it, right? When we almost lost you, Evie and I wondered if the three of us couldn’t…I don’t know…work something out.”

Fuck yeah, I’d thought about it. Had numerous, impossibly hot fantasies about the two of us working Evie between us until she was a sticky, blissed out mess. Then I’d figured this world would never allow me to keep the two people I loved most, much less one of them. “I’ll…think about it, Blake.”

“Yeah, you fucking do that.” He narrowed his eyes at me as if he saw every twisted, dirty thought that was going through my head. I adjusted the blankets to cover my hard on. At least one part of me was still working right.

I cleared my throat. “These allies of Tyrell’s, you said they’re waiting for an opportunity?” At his nod, I clenched my fists, white and red flames sparking in response. “Well, they won’t fucking get one.”

Blake smirked. “That’s the Riordan I remember. Just... don’t let your bullshit get in the way of progress. You’ve got people who believe in you. Don’t squander that.”

“I won’t,” I said firmly, meeting his gaze.

He clapped me on the shoulder again, harder this time, as if he realized I really wouldn’t break. “Rest up. We’ve got a lot of work to do, and you’ll need your strength. This isn’t over yet, but for the first time... it feels like we might actually win.”

I watched him leave, my mind already racing with plans and strategies. But beneath it all was a single, unshakable thought: I needed to find Evangeline and beg her to forgive me.

I owed her more than words.

I owed her everything. And I knew exactly how to show her how grateful I was.