To Rise & Rebel (Prophecy of Sorin Trilogy #3)

Chapter One

Evelyn

Evelyn Carson was dying.

A full month had passed since the Blood Moon when she’d ripped her magic from her soul and placed it in the bloodstone.

The gem reflected in the window she stood near, glinting more orange than red these days, evidence that her flame remained inside, locked away.

They were no closer to getting her magic back than they were three weeks ago when they’d arrived in Nūa, the city of witches.

Autumn decorated her home city in hues of crimson and copper, and yet, winter was at Nūa’s doorstep. Despite the ominous chill, leaves clung to the trees lining her sister’s neighborhood, holding true. It seemed the city’s best season was just as stubborn as its witches.

Evelyn wrapped her sweater tighter, hugging the fuzzy, warm material closer, and exhaled. Her breath fogged the glass ahead, blurring the warm, vibrant colors. The condensation disappeared as quickly as Evelyn’s hope.

For her homecoming had been nothing she’d expected.

“Moons.”

Paper smacked against the table behind her.

She turned and found Kade in his seat, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Evelyn sauntered over to him, putting herself between his legs.

She cupped his cheek, making him peer up at her.

Sun-kissed hair pulled back into a bun, beard recently trimmed and combed, and amber eyes with the power to buckle her knees—even frustrated, Kade Drengr, third born, protector, and Son of the God, was an exceptionally handsome male.

“What did I tell you about reading the papers?” Evelyn asked, raising a brow.

Kade grunted and pulled another one closer. “It’s hard not to when they’re posted on every inch of the city.”

As if to prove Kade’s point, outside the kitchen window, papers pinned to lampposts on the street flapped in the wind. Sketches akin to Evelyn’s and Kade’s likeness sat under egregious headlines inked in bold lettering.

Traitor . . . A disgrace to Sorin . . . A Rebel . . .

Nūa’s dripping disappointment prickled across Evelyn’s skin.

She’d foolishly forgotten what it was like to be the Daughter of the Goddess.

A spectacle. Someone others judged and marveled at, now more than ever, with her decision to run years ago.

Even though she’d not yet walked the streets of home, locked in Mirella’s townhome all to evade arrest.

The Elders, those that ruled over the covens and led the city of witches, had called for both her and Kade’s arrest. Guards, the very army Evelyn had been a part of, hunted for them in the streets.

The Son of the God and the Daughter of the Goddess, a third-born witch and werewolf prophesied to defeat the darkness in Sorin, had become outlaws overnight.

Because someone had leaked the truth, had wished to create unrest, to distract from the actual conflict at hand.

The Blood Curse.

“The things they say about you are horrible. Wrong.”

“It’s lies,” Evelyn said, pushing the paper back across the table. “This is typical witch gossip and exaggeration.”

Mostly, Evelyn internally corrected. She’d ran and never married Kade, but for good reason. Evelyn believed that down to her bones, but the challenge would be convincing the Council. If she secured an audience with them.

Evelyn peeked over at the clock atop Mirella’s floating shelves stocked with worn and well-used cookbooks.

Her heart raced, anticipation creeping at her spine.

Mirella had tried to convince the Council to call off Evelyn’s arrest. She couldn’t get her magic back sitting here doing nothing.

Her sister had one final attempt with the Council today, but where was she?

“We should practice your new power,” Evelyn said. Perhaps training Kade would pass the time as she waited for Mirella’s news.

Kade lowered his hands to her hips, pulled her close. Flustered, Evelyn gripped his shoulder for balance. He’d brought them flush together, nothing separating their lips but a bare inch. His fresh-rain-and-evergreen scent comforted her, as did his kind stare roaming over her.

“Don’t think for a second I don’t know what you’re doing,” she whispered.

Kade brushed a thumb over Evelyn’s bottom lip, and heat zapped through her. Fucking flames, this male.

“We have the house to ourselves. Why not pass the time with something we’d both enjoy rather than waste our time.”

Right, because Kade hadn’t conjured his power since the Blood Moon. That night haunted them both, and there were still nights Kade woke with a start, crying out Todd’s name.

Indecision warred inside Evelyn. Not only had they shared a space with Mirella, her husband, Emmet, and their daughter, her sister was the Carson coven Elder, and visitors came and went often.

Hourly. All too eager to reunite with her and pride themselves on keeping a secret from Nūa.

Her and Kade’s alone time usually happened at night when they finally excused themselves for sleep, and yes, of course they’d enjoyed each other, but the walls of their guest room were far too thin for the passion they thrived for.

They could both use a release, a moment to forget what they faced.

Yet, Riven still remained a threat. The Blood Curse had its hold over Drystan.

Demons and scáths crossed the Void more than ever—some truth in the reports they read in the papers.

Even if Evelyn’s magic was locked away, she and Kade both had to prepare, once and for all, to defeat the darkness.

“Avoiding your power also won’t help it come forth,” Evelyn said, taking the seat across from him.

“It’s still there,” he said. “It’s as though I’m not connected to it. Not like my inner wolf.”

There was still so much they didn’t understand about Kade’s power, seeing as other werewolves didn’t possess similar traits nor was it similar to another witch’s bronntanas. Still, power resided in the soul, no matter its origin or kind.

Evelyn sighed. “If you resent your magic, fear it, hate it even, it won’t answer. I know from experience.”

Kade flexed and unflexed his hand. “I feel like a right bastard struggling with my power when you’re . . .”

Neither of them said the word out loud. What use was there when they both felt it? Or the lack of.

Evelyn’s ripped soul had begun to fray, and that phenomenon extended to their mating bond.

It was there, barely. She’d damaged the thread they’d weaved in the small cottage in Drystan.

No mind linking. No sensing the other’s emotions.

Like an unfurling knot, it was risky to reach for it.

The more one touched it, the more it came undone.

“Did Mirella say how long?” Kade whispered.

Evelyn didn’t meet his gaze. Didn’t have the stomach for it. Goddess, they didn’t lie to one another, and Evelyn didn’t dare about this. Not when her heart and whatever was left of her soul belonged to him. Too, they were in this together.

“Three weeks.”

Kade stiffened. “That’s . . .”

“No time at all. I know.”

Kade rose, picking Evelyn up out of her seat, and switched places with the chair so she sat in his lap. He held her, nuzzling his face into her hair.

“We’ll get your magic back,” he said.

“I know,” Evelyn whispered, voice cracking as she fought fear, tears, and anger.

At herself. Her city. And the fucking flames clock that indicated Mirella was late. Perhaps her meeting hadn’t gone well, or she didn’t have good news—

A tiny figure dashed into the kitchens.

“Uncle Kade!” Evelyn’s niece, just shy of her fifth birthday, sprinted towards him.

Evelyn giggled, wiping tears away. She untangled herself from Kade’s lap, giving him the opportunity to stand and squat down to Skye’s level, bracing for impact. She leaped into his outstretched arms, and as Kade caught her, he rose to his full height.

“Well, good afternoon, Skye. What have you been up to all morning?”

Skye beamed. “Magic!”

Kade mocked surprise. “Is that so? What kind of magic?”

Mirella and Emmet entered the kitchen as their daughter said, “Lavender! And sleep!”

Skye took after her mother and Evelyn with her blue eyes, but her mop of russet curls was from her father.

Emmet sighed. “We learned today that Skye takes after her mother.”

He gave his fated a wistful look, and Mirella beamed.

They’d been together for almost fifteen years, and yet, Evelyn found their love as infectious as the first time Mirella had brought Emmet home for a coven feast. The two had spent most of the evening stealing glances at the other instead of mingling, the same glances they shared over a decade later.

“Yes, she lulled an entire wing in the infirmary to sleep. It was an eventful morning.” Mirella shared a knowing look with Emmet, and Evelyn stiffened.

She braced her arms over the table, attention jumping between her brother-in-law and niece.

Had her sister brought them on purpose? It wasn’t a mystery that Kade held a soft spot for Skye or that Emmet had a knack for diffusing disputes between the three Carson sisters when discussions got heated.

But usually, arguments started when all three were in the same room, yet Evelyn’s middle sister was—

A breeze twisted through the kitchen, and Blair, the second-born scholar, stepped through her wispy danu. “Has the Council finally come to their senses?”

The same question sat on the tip of Evelyn’s tongue, but she caught how Blair found the farthest position in the kitchen away from her. She fought the frown forming across her lips.

Evelyn crossed her arms and refocused her attention back onto Mirella. “Please tell me you have good news.”

“Somewhat.”

“Don’t you dare start without us,” a voice full of dramatics called.

Two more witches, Evelyn’s twin aunts, strutted into the kitchen, both with the signature dark Carson hair.