The Prince’s Mate (Fate’s Gambit)

Nine

Walker

I stared at the ceiling, knowing I was headed for another sleepless night. The only difference was that this time, it was because of the absence of warmth beside me. His absence.

Caelan still hadn't returned. Out of all the excuses he'd made over the years, this one had to be the flimsiest one. Maybe he wanted me to know he was lying, so I'd hurt the way he had earlier today.

I'd spent all this time thinking over what he'd said, and then thinking about what Dad had said. I hadn't been treating Caelan right for a long time now. I'd turned the anger of a child into something bigger, something harder over the last years, and I'd treated Caelan like shit for something that I was now realizing probably wasn't even his fault.

The way Dad had scolded me, what he'd said, it implied Caelan had left for me, not because of me. I knew now that Caelan hadn't been at fault, yet I'd continued treating him badly, taking out my own frustration on him as if he didn't have feelings of his own. Something was wrong with me. It had to be, to be such an asshole to someone who'd once been my whole world, who still meant a lot to me, even if I would never tell him that.

Groaning, I sat up and rubbed my face, sliding my fingers into my hair and tugging at the strands. Where was he? Was he even in the human realm, or had he taken off back to Otherworld?

He wouldn't leave me alone here. No matter how angry he was at me, he'd never leave me behind.

When the situation with the queen of Underworld had been at its peak, Caelan had brought me here, and we'd spent the day watching movies, reading, playing board games. It had been the most fun I'd ever had with Caelan, and it had made me think he was planning to stay this time, which was probably why it'd hurt so much more when he'd said he was leaving again, and why I'd reacted the way I had.

That day was still the last happy day I'd spent with Caelan, and I wished I could change that.

Where are you, Caelan?

I stared at the bedroom doorway, willing him to walk in, but he didn't. I was tempted to text Dad to ask him if Caelan had come back, but I didn't want to disappoint him by telling him I'd been an ass to his best friend again.

Wherever Caelan was, I was going to find him, and then apologize to him.

"Ro!" I called out, and he popped up beside me a second later, slithering up my leg and perching onto my knee.

"Yes, Walker?" he asked, as if he already knew what I was going to say.

"Can you find Caelan?" I asked, and he hissed softly, an almost victorious sound.

"Of course I can. What do you want me to do once I find him?" he asked, and I shook my head.

"I'm coming with you," I said, crawling off the bed and changing into something weather-appropriate.

Once I was ready, Ro'Shassz wrapped his tail around me, closed his eyes, and then we...weren't gone.

"What's wrong?" I asked when we stayed right where we were. "Why aren't we there?"

"Something's wrong. I can't get a strong sense of where Caelan is."

"What? How's that possible? Is it because he's not in this realm?" I asked, and Ro shook his head.

"I can pinpoint the location of every Otherworlder, no matter what realm they're in. No, something's wrong with Caelan. His presence is muted somehow. I don't know how else to describe it. He's still in the human realm, but I'll need to focus to find out exactly where," he said. Was Caelan in trouble? And I'd spent all that time moping when I should've been looking for him…

"Find him, Ro. Please," I whispered, and he nodded, his eyes flitting shut as he went extremely still. The minutes ticked by and he stayed still. I prayed to whoever gave a crap to keep Caelan safe until I could get to him, and vowed to do better by him once I had him back.

"Got him! Do you want me to alert Damien and the others? Just in case?" Ro asked, and I shook my head. This was my fault. Whatever it was, I'd deal with it myself. It was time I fought my own battles instead of letting my dads do it.

"Let's go," I said. Ro wrapped himself around my arm and then we were off.

Caelan

Everything hurt. And it didn't feel like someone had beaten the crap out of me, it felt like someone was still beating the crap out of me. I wracked my brain, trying to remember what had happened, where I was.

I remembered arguing with Walker and then stalking off, walking along the street to work off some of the aggression filling me.

Someone was following me. I'd sensed their presence and led them into an alleyway away from prying eyes, only to turn around and—

It wasn't possible. He was supposed to be dead. Sure, I'd never actively searched for his name on the list of souls headed to the Chasm, but he'd been human when I'd died. He wasn't supposed to be alive now.

"I know, right? I was just as surprised when I saw you walking down the street yesterday, my warrior cat," he'd said, flashing me a fang-filled grin. He'd turned into a vampire.

He’d used something to take me down while I was distracted. The fact that it'd actually worked told me it had to be dark magic, and everything was a blur after that.

I tried to sit up, and gritted my teeth against the pain flashing through my body. Blinking my eyes open, I scanned the dark and realized I was alone in the room, trapped inside a cage similar to the one Andras used to keep me in when I'd belonged to him back in my human life.

There was a collar around my neck, its spikes digging into my neck and shooting pain down my spine with every movement. Good lord, he'd had these created with black magic. Did he have a witch or a warlock on his payroll now? Or were they slaves, like I'd once been?

I needed to get out of here, to get back to Walker. He probably thought I'd left him again. Fuck.

My wrists were handcuffed behind my back, more spikes digging into my skin there, as were my ankles. I could barely move without sending pain through my body. I knew what he was doing. He'd left me here to build up my fear, to make me docile, but it wouldn't work this time.

I wasn't the scared little boy he'd known before. I was a fighter, and I had a mate I needed to get back to. I wasn't going to fall in line this time, and now that I knew he was alive, I was going to make sure to rectify that.

Jerking around again, I tried fruitlessly to somehow get out of these shackles, but they were too tight. Even breaking my thumb didn't seem to help, and that was when I realized that I wasn't healing. Shit. That complicated things a little.

Closing my eyes, I breathed deeply, steadying myself and trying to convince my racing heart that things weren't as dire as they looked. If worse came to worst, I'd get them to kill me, because unlike last time, I knew exactly where I'd go this time. It would put another delay in my bond with Walker, but it wasn't like we'd grown all that close in the time we had anyway, and I'd rather spend another 900 years alone than let that bastard touch me one more time.

A sound upstairs had me jerking my eyes to the door, and I watched as it opened, and the asshole walked in. I scowled at him, and he tsked softly, coming over to stand outside the cage.

"You used to be such a good pet. I'm sad I'll have to break you in all over again," he said with a shake of his head, and I growled, staring at him with narrowed eyes. Whatever he'd done to me, it was stopping me from shifting or using my magic to get the hell out. It was like he'd hit the pause button on my magic, and I didn't know how to turn it back on.

"Fuck off, you asshole," I growled, and he shook his head.

"Now, that's no way to talk to your master, is it? I'm going to let you sit here for a few days, make sure you remember who you belong to. I'll be watching," he said, tilting his head to a camera in the upper right corner of the room. I hadn't noticed it before, but it gave a clear view of the cage to whoever was watching.

"You won't break me this time, Andras," I told him, and he smiled. Once upon a time, that smile made me tremble in my boots, afraid of what was to come, but now all it did was fill me with anger.

"We'll see, warrior cat, we'll see," he said as he strolled back to the door he'd come from. I heard the lock click and then slumped forward, panting.

I didn't want to believe it, but I might be in a bit of a pickle, and I had no idea if anyone was even looking for me. What if Walker thought I'd just left and didn't even try to look for me? What if he didn't tell anyone that I'd left either? Would Ro know I was in trouble? Or would I have to deal with this alone?

I allowed myself a moment to feel pitiful, to realize that no one would be coming to my rescue, before I shook it off and straightened up. I'd always taken care of myself, and I could do it again.

The cage was bare. The ground was cement, though, and so I moved back until I was leaning against the cage's bars before lifting my legs up and slamming them shackle-first onto the ground. Pain rocketed through my legs, but I kept going. Maybe if I could get out of these shackles my magic would start working again, and I could escape. It had to work, because I had no idea what I'd do if it didn't.

Ro'Shassz

The plan had officially gone off the rails. While I knew nothing was bound to bring them together faster than a little danger, I didn't like the thought of Caelan actually being in danger. Otherworlders were supposed to be safe in the human realm for the most part, and I did not like the thought that that wasn't true anymore, because it made my job that much harder. I had to protect Walker and help save Caelan. Whoever had thought hurting Caelan was a good idea was going to regret it.

Step : Save Caelan.