Fated In Secrets (Nocturne Vampire Clan #2)

Chapter 72

72

EVANGELINE

T he next day we were holed up at Crimson House and I couldn’t be happier.

Darkmore Castle lay in ruins, the library—and Malachi’s secrets—were buried, never to be uncovered, except with a whole lot of digging. Our losses were few, thanks to Angel and Bex clearing the castle in time, Nash’s thorough training of the guards, and Blake and Riordan decimating the attackers as soon as they came through the portals.

Go team.

Collum and Valaine’s bodies were burned with the rest of the traitors, courtesy of Eldric and Fiona.

The royals asked for a show of power, and Riordan—and Blake—delivered in spades.

One by one, the royal houses arrived at Crimson House to kneel before Riordan and swear fealty, with the exception of two—Mordred, House Ebonshade’s new High Lord and Lord Villar of House Arcanis. Despite everything, Riordan had won his kingdom.

But Malachi and Aria were still out there.

So were my family, holding the biggest wild card of them all—Ravok.

I had holes in my memories, places I filled with guilt and fear and a hundred different sins I didn’t know were real or imagined. But…

I’d kissed Malachi . Over and over, I keep coming back to that. He’d taken away all the memories he didn’t want me to have, but he left me with that one. Left me to tangle myself into knots over something that lasted less than a minute, but had the power to derail my entire future.

“There you are.” Blake leaned in the doorway; eyes glowing. “We’re going over everything again, if you want to join us. Nash thinks now that a few hours have passed, we might remember something helpful.”

“I don’t know if there’s anything I can add.” I murmured, guilt sinking sharpened teeth into my bones, disappointment flashing through Blake’s expression before he hid it behind an easy smile, lounging in the doorway like an enormous, indolent cat. “But I’ll be there. Promise.”

His smile deepened, bringing out the dimple in his chin, and seeing him like this, so open, so happy, was when I decided I couldn’t keep playing these games. no matter how many times I told myself the lies were only to keep Blake and Riordan’s feeling safe.

Because the truth was, they were to keep me from facing my own guilt.

“Blake, there’s something I have to tell you. Something I’d rather…not become public knowledge in a meeting, if that’s okay.” He went from relaxed to wary in a second, and I couldn’t help feeling like there was a crack opening up beneath our feet.

“When Malachi was about to kill Eldric, I…he asked for something, to keep Eldric alive.”

Now the wariness became a waiting violence, a dark haze of shadows spinning out around us, ready to bite. “He wanted a kiss and I gave him one. A few seconds of something that meant nothing, and in return, Eldric survived.”

“A kiss.” Blake repeated slowly, his expression undecipherable. “You kissed Malachi, to save Eldric?”

I nodded, sweaty palms slipping as my hands knotted together. “At the time, it seemed…so trivial. But now…”

My mate came and sat beside me, cupped my hands between his, stopped my twisting misery. “Is this…because you felt something, Evangeline? Because if you did, there is no shame in that. The two of you have shared blood. That, at least, would have caused a reaction.” His thumb smoothed over the back of my hand as he let that statement stand.

No judgement, just fact, and the back of my throat burned in gratitude.

“I…yes, I enjoyed knowing I was buying something valuable—Eldric’s life—with such a small, insignificant act. I enjoyed how the kiss wrecked him, and not me.” Blake’s glower deepened and I took a breath, my guilt spiraling. ‘I never wanted to hurt you. Or Riordan. And that’s something I should have considered.”

Blake pulled me against him and I’d never felt as forgiven as I did when he pressed his lips to the top of my head. “No, you shouldn’t have. A life hung in the balance. You did the right thing.” He sounded so confident, I breathed a little easier. “Eldric’s death would have haunted you, and once we flush out Malachi, you’ll never have to deal with his mind games again.”

“Okay.” I closed my eyes so he couldn’t see how starved I was to hear those words. “I…really needed to hear that. Thank you.”

“You are my everything.” His arms tightened, the words sinking in. “You are mine and I am yours, and there is nothing in this world or the next that will ever break us apart.” His lips moved through my hair and guilt ebbed away, replaced by a quiet peace settling between us.

“I love you, Blake.” I curled deeper into his arms, let him shield me from the world, and allowed myself to enjoy this one, perfect moment.

The meeting went too long, with no new information. A waste of time, made more pointed when Nash slammed his fists down and stormed out of the room. Riordan and Blake disappeared behind him—most likely to talk him down—while I grabbed my phone off the table and headed for my old bedroom.

As much as I’d despised the coldness of Darkmore Castle, I loved Crimson House, in all its bedraggled, worn-around-the-edges glory.

I’d all afternoon ordering furniture and rugs to make this ancient mausoleum at least feel like it belonged in the twentieth century. I was just thumbing up the furniture site again on my phone when Fiona rose from a chair outside the meeting room, untwisting a scarf from her neck.

“The king said you’d have a moment to talk.” She held herself like a queen, in her dark red gown and regally tipped up chin, a feat I could never hope to accomplish, especially in a sweatshirt and leggings.

“I have news.” She scanned the room, with its empty coffee cups and paper plates. “Let’s go to the gardens. That will be better setting for this conversation.”

Curious, I slid my phone back into my pocket and followed her without question, without a single word, down the hall and out a side door into the ramshackle gardens, exploding with spring growth, a tangle of weeds and rampant roses and thorny vines we fought our way through.

But I halted at the sight of a wizened woman waiting for us, her glowing red aura screaming witch , staring me down with baleful intent. “I pulled some strings, but found someone who can help, Evangeline. This is Ysbeth, the Moonblood Coven Matron. She’s come to unbind your magic.”

The witch sniffed, then walked a circle around us, flattening down the grass, sending a shiver racing through me. This meeting felt like a mistake, but…inevitable, too, and this overgrown, wild garden with its mossy statues and twisted roses only added to my sense of impending doom.

But…I wouldn’t survive in this world without power, that much had been made perfectly clear. I could either become a monster, or remain a pawn.

And I trusted Fiona.

Crimson House is neutral ground , Aria had claimed. Well, I guess we’d see about that.

“Her magic was bound when she was quite young. She won’t know control, she’ll be dangerous.” The woman’s voice was an ancient, gravelly husk that grated over me. “This is a mistake, Fiona.”

“Evangeline has trained her body, she will train her magic the same way.” Fiona nudged me forward, my feet catching in the long grass. “Give her a chance to prove herself, she will surprise you.”

“And you, girl,” Ysbeth’s glare was as sharp as her tongue. “Are you sure about this?”

Maybe, if I’d had time to consider the choice, I would have asked how Fiona found a matron from an extinct coven so quickly. I would have come up with a hundred reasons why this was a bad idea, and Ysbeth would have left and I would have gone on the way I was—magicless.

Helpless.

“I’m sure. Let’s do this.” I eyed her lifted hands. “Will this hurt?”

“Of course, not. Breaking spells doesn’t hurt, if you know what you’re doing.”

That bitch Aria…

A ribbon of red magic, glowing like an ocean sunset, wrapped around me and my skin erupted with light, lettering glowing all over my skin, a story my mother had written long ago to keep me safe, to keep the world around me safe.

Heat tickled my arms, my shoulders, neck and chest, as one by one, the shining letters disappeared, until my skin was ordinary and pale, and only a shimmer of red remained painted over my skin.

“There. It’s done. You have a long road ahead, little witch. I hope you are up to the task.”

“That was too easy. Way too easy.” I said suspiciously, holding up my hands, watching the red glow fade from my fingers. “I don’t feel any different.” I frowned. “At all. Shouldn’t I feel something ?”

“You’d be writhing in pain, if I hadn’t put a blocking spell on you. It’ll wear off over the next two weeks, gradual-like. Can’t have all that power exploding out of you at once. Might kill you. Or everyone around you. That’s another favor you owe me, Fiona.”

The witch didn’t seem too torn up about delivering such dire news, and the next second, she was gone.

“This is only temporary.” Fiona murmured reassuringly, shivering as a sudden breeze wound through the overgrown garden. “These first few days, you won’t notice anything, then you’ll get tastes of your magic, like little sips of power. I expect you at House Drakeheart every morning at nine o’clock sharp for lessons. I will teach you what I know, and with some luck, in two weeks’ time, you can exercise some basic control over your magic.”

“That would be…amazing.” I scrubbed my bare arms, the temperature plummeting as if a storm was blowing in. One glance showed a still-cloudless night, the quarter moon rising.

She slanted me a tentative smile. “Don’t disappoint me, Evangeline. I expect you to work hard to earn this power. We are friends, remember?”

Fiona’s smile softened, “This, I think, is a good first step.”