“Night baby.”
“You’re going to find Reyaz tomorrow?” Alina asked her mate.
Vasile let out a slow deep breath and she felt his exhaustion through their bond.
“I want to see him face to face one more time.”
“You do remember he killed you right?” She was trying to remain patient with her mate, but she was beginning to feel a little desperate at the idea of him essentially going to see his murderer.
“He has no grudge against me, Mina. I was simply meant to be an example,” he reassured her.
“Exactly, you were meant to be, but you didn’t die. He might take that as a challenge.”
“Luna,” he whispered to her, “you know that I cannot sit around and wait for him to decide to do something. I do not want us or any of our allies having to live looking over their shoulders, wondering when he is going to finally rear his ugly head.”
Alina knew this. She knew that they had to do something, but she also knew that Reyaz had already made a move of sorts when he had shown himself outside of Lilly’s house. She had kept that little tidbit from Vasile, and would continue to do so until she felt it absolutely necessary that she tell him.
“Just be careful please,” she finally said. “I love you Vasile.”
“And I’m a better man because of it.” He pushed his love through their bond, wrapping her in his scent and warmth. “I love you Mina, be safe.”
Lilly jumped when her phone began to vibrate on her night stand. She knew who it would be and she had to rub her palms, which has suddenly developed over active sweat glands, on her thighs before she picked up the phone.
“Hello,” she said calmly, though she felt anything but.
“Little one,” Cypher’s deep voice reached through the phone and she swore she could feel his caress on her face. She hadn’t heard from him in over a week and it had taken everything inside her not to pick up the phone and call him. She had spoken with Alina about it and more than once berated herself for acting like a teenager running to her friend to ask advice about a guy she liked, well, more than liked actually. She had told Alina that she didn’t want to come across as the needy girlfriend. Alina had pointed out that she was a mate, not a girlfriend, and that carried a lot more weight and rights. She still didn’t call him.
“Cypher,” she responded.
“How are you doing?”
She sat down on the bed and folded her legs up as she thought about his question. How was she? Tired and somewhat lonely because she missed him, but overall she was alright.
“I’m good,” she answered honestly.
“Oh?” She heard disappointment in his voice and it nearly made her laugh. He thought she didn’t miss him. Stupid man.
“I’m good under the circumstances, Cypher. I would rather be with you. Does that make you feel better?”
“Much,” he told her, his voice dropping to a deep grow. “I miss you like crazy,” he admitted. “I want you here with me. I need you to believe that. I only wanted you to go back because I thought you would be safer there.”
“I know,” she told him. “I get it, but I wish you would have discussed it with me, instead of just telling me what to do. I’m an adult, Cypher. I can decide for myself what danger I want to put myself in.”
He laughed. “Female, you are my mate. When it comes to any danger and you, I will always be the one making the decisions.”
Lilly rolled her eyes. “You’re a Neanderthal.”
“Maybe,” he agreed, “but I love you and don’t want anything to happen to you.”
Lilly felt her stomach jump into her throat at his declaration. He had no idea what those words meant to her, and she didn’t feel like over the phone was the way to explain it.
“I love you too, Cypher,” she told him softly.
“Good, stay safe, and,” he paused, “stay away from any males.”
She laughed. “No one is going to hurt me here, Cypher.”
He growled. “I’m not worried about them hurting you. I’m worried about you moving on.”
“Are you going to come for me, when you feel it’s safe?” she asked.
“Yes,” there was no hesitation in his answer, “and if another man is in the picture, Lilly, I’m not the type to just walk away. You should know that now. You are mine. I will not give you up.”
Lilly let out a loud sigh. “My daughter is so right about you Alpha males—bossy, and possessive. Thankfully you don’t have fur, so I think I have one less worry than she does.”
Cypher chuckled. “I have to admit that I’m happy that I don’t have fur. But she is right; we are very, very possessive. I’ll let you get some rest. I needed to hear your voice. I love you,” he told her again.
“I love you too, night.” Lilly hung up and felt her heart lighten just a tad. She refused to give into the urge to jump up and down and squeal. She decided that would be a little too ridiculous. She missed him, but she felt better about where they were in their relationship. He wanted her, and for now that was enough.
Chapter 11
“The wind is shifting brother. Do you feel it? You, who thought you were protecting the one you hold most dear, have opened a door I didn’t dream you would put before me. I must give you all the praise for setting this up so nicely for me. So please remember to take a bow when you see the play I have in store for you.” ~Reyaz
Reyaz stood just on the edge of his brother’s forest. He knew Cypher was gone again, visiting the wolves. He chuckled to himself. Cypher thought that the wolves could defeat him. But Reyaz was not a simple witch with a desire for power. His cause was much more specific and much more personal. He wanted revenge, restitution, and recompense. At first, he had planned to be satisfied with taking Lilly, his brother’s new found mate. But now, he grinned. Now he had a whole harem at his disposal.
“I thought you would be more difficult to find.” The deep voice from behind him did not startle him. He had known he was coming, knew it, and welcomed it.
“The King of wolves graces me with his presence. Not the King I was expecting, but you will do nonetheless,” he told Vasile as he turned to face him.
“What is it that you want Reyaz?” Vasile asked bluntly.
“No pleasantries? Well, I must have really offended you.”
“I tend to get offended when someone kills me, so I apologize if I’m being a tad abrupt.”
Reyaz laughed. “I like you Alpha. You have pizazz.”
“My daughter-in-law would be proud,” he said blandly. “Again I ask; what is it that you want.”
“What all men who have lost love want―the one who took it to pay.” Reyaz took a step to the left and motioned in the direction of the warlock mountain and stronghold. “My brother has ruled for centuries. He has lived with my people following his every command while I have withered away with my sorrows.”
“And whose fault is that?” Vasile asked. “You have separated yourself from you kin, from your people. You have made the choice to put the pain from your loss above your good sense.”
Reyaz snarled, “IT WAS HIS FAULT!” He took several deep breaths before he spoke again, this time not as loudly, but with every bit the same intensity. “He is the King; he has absolute power and he should have stopped her from her foolish quest.”
“You know as well as anyone that you can’t control your female. They are every bit as stubborn as we are, especially when it comes to nurturing relationships and creating peace. The death of your mate lies in the hands of her attackers and no one else.”
“Oh really? Put yourself in my shoes. What if it was your mate that insisted on coming here today, instead of you? What if your Beta was the last to speak to her? And what if she came and I killed her? Who would you blame? Me? Of course. But who else? Shouldn’t he have made absolute certain that she didn’t put herself in harm’s way?"
Vasile’s eyes had begun to glow. “As her mate, ultimately it would be my fault. She is my responsibility. But she is also r
esponsible for her actions. Your mate was an adult, and she made a choice to do something dangerous because she believed in the cause behind it.”
Reyaz shook his head. “I think I really could have liked you under different circumstances. But, alas, we have met on a battlefield instead of under times of peace. You may go now, Vasile, Alpha and King of the wolves. But our next meeting will not likely end in such civility.”
Vasile watched the warlock for several heartbeats before speaking again. “I too wish things were different, but I can’t let you hurt Lilly. She is pack and I protect what is mine.”
Reyaz watched in fascination. Vasile turned and, in the blink of an eye, where a man had stood, a wolf leapt off into the forest.
“Well, things just got more interesting,” he murmured and then turned back to the mountain. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the vial of blood, unscrewed the lid, and tossed the red fluid towards the stronghold. His arms reached out and he closed his eyes as he called on the words of the spell he had composed.
“Ancient magic, born of black,
Bring your power, bring your will.
Let chaos reign, bring war back,
No peace shall come, none be still.
Anger, pain will rule their hearts,
Sickness, disease will fill their beds,
Strike their souls like poison darts,
Cast strife and worry upon their heads.”
Reyaz felt a jolt of power rush through him and knew the magic had done its job. Now all he had to do was wait for a few days and let the spell settle in and begin to do its work.
He closed his eyes as he pictured the house that he had visited, Lilly’s house, and all the delectable she-wolves and a gypsy as well. He smiled slowly; his reward for his patience would be great, and Cypher and the wolves won’t even realize what has happened until it’s far too late.
Gerick stood in the armory of the mountain stronghold checking the number of weapons they had. It had been a very long time since any new weapons had been forged. Because of this, he had been in contact with Prince Thalion of the Elves, requesting help to create some new ones. Cypher was hoping to avoid an all-out battle with his brother, but he thought it better to be prepared than just to hope to not need them.
Cypher had been gone, off and on, to talk strategy with the wolves. And apparently, the fae were also involved. It seemed that desperate times continued to unite the supernatural races. Though he wished it were under different circumstances, it was good to see them all working together.
“Have you decided on what you would like my elves to make for you?” Thalion’s voice broke through his thoughts.
“Plenty of bows and arrows for a start; I imagine fighting from a distance will probably be a good thing to do with Reyaz.”
“But what will you be fighting? Will he have an army?” Thalion asked.
“Honestly, I have no idea.”
“Doesn’t that worry you?”
Gerick shook his head. “What worries me is that something about this whole thing feels wrong. Cypher is convinced that Reyaz is simply looking to hurt him or Lilly, but I think he has bigger plans than that.”
“The forest is full of his darkness.” Thalion looked at the rock wall surrounding them as if he could see through it into the forest he spoke of. “It is malevolent and a sickness is in the air.”
Gerick took a deep breath, but the air got caught in his lungs. He began to cough until he had to lean against a row of swords to keep from falling over. He felt light headed and the room swam before him.
“General, are you all right?” Thalion asked as he stepped towards him.
Gerick closed his eyes and tried to focus himself. He counted to ten and finally the feeling passed and he could breathe again.
“I’m fine, sorry,” he cleared his throat. “I don’t know what that was but I’m better now.”
Thalion watched him briefly before nodding. “I will get your bows made and some new swords as well. I will return in a week with them.”
Gerick nodded. “Thank you. Prince Thalion.”
Once the Elvin Prince was gone Gerick sat abruptly down on one of the benches that lined the walls. He didn’t know what was going on, but his heart was pounding painfully in his chest, and his head felt as though it might split open. He had been telling the truth when he said he could breathe again, but he didn’t add that now his whole body felt as though something was trying to explode out of him, like his skin was being stretched too thin against his frame.
He heard a commotion out in the hall and tried to listen to see what was going on. He didn’t have to listen long when the door that Thalion had recently exited burst open.
“Gerick you must come now.” Finbar, the mate of one of their healers, motioned for him to follow.
“What is going on?” he asked as he stood from the bench and stilled until he felt steady enough to move.
“Just hurry please,” Finbar said desperately.
He followed quickly and his skin began to crawl as he heard wailing. They entered the great hall of the mountain and Gerick’s mouth dropped open.
“What happened?” he asked as his stomach rolled at the smells of sickness that permeated the air.
Gerick watched in horror as male and female warlocks alike doubled over in pain, some grabbing their heads and others clutching around their stomachs. Sounds of retching began to fill the air and then the wails of anguish climbed up the walls of the hall into the high ceiling of the mountain. Gerick moved forward, running to the first person he could reach. It was Indigo, one of his fellow warriors, and his skin was soaked in sweat and flushed with fever. He placed his hand against Indigo’s face and felt that he was burning up. When the male turned his face up at Gerick, he watched as his eyes went from green to blazing red. Indigo took several deep breaths and then closed his eyes. Gerick took a step back and waited as he tried to tune out the cries around him. Finally, the warrior stood up straight, opened his eyes which continued to burn bright red, and let out a deep breath.
“Indigo,” Gerick said cautiously, “are you alright?”
“I am,” Indigo answered.
Gerick watched him for several seconds, but the noise around him ripped through his concern over what was happening with Indigo. He shook his head, attempting to push away the raging headache that had suddenly latched on like a vice grip and was attempting to drive him to his knees. He didn’t have time to be ill, not when his King was away and something was terribly wrong with their people.
“Fine,” he said in frustration, “help me with the others.” Gerick motioned toward the room that continued to fill up with more and more sick warlocks. Indigo nodded and then headed towards the closest sick person.
Gerick started to head to another warrior, but changed course when he saw Avrora, one of their healers come rushing in.
“Avrora,” Gerick nearly yelled, “what is this madness?”
Avrora looked around slowly and Gerick was reminded of why she was the head healer. She was legendary for her calm and collected demeanor in times of stress and it was very apparent now that she was exactly what was needed.
“It’s dark,” Avrora finally said coolly. “Dark magic at work, General.”
“What do we do?”
“I don’t know,” she looked over at him and, despite her control, he could still see the undiluted fear in her eyes.
Gerick felt another stab of pain in his stomach and then his vision swam as he fell to his knees. The words ‘dark magic’ floated through his head as he felt his mind being wrapped in a fog of confusion. He tried to push through the haze and think clearly, but he couldn’t grasp onto a single thought. He heard his name being called, but couldn’t respond. He felt completely out of control of his faculties, and just when he was sure he was going to lose his mind, suddenly everything was clear.
He pushed up from the ground as his eyes opened. He rotated his neck, working out the stiffness. When he heard his name being called,
this time he responded.
“My King,” Gerick turned to see Cypher striding towards him. He fell to one knee as he bowed his head. “When did you return?”
“I’ve been back for about an hour. Are you feeling better?”
Gerick stood up and nodded. “I’m much better now, and all of our people will be well.”
Cypher nodded. “Good. We have a war to plan.”
“My thoughts exactly,” Gerick agreed.
“Did you speak with Thalion today?”
“Yes, sire, he is making the bows and swords.”
Cypher nodded as he looked around the great hall. He watched as one by one the warlocks who had been sick only moments ago now began to stand, shaking off the effects and opening their eyes revealing blood red irises. “Have him double the amount. Trolls can be hard to kill.”
“Cypher,” a female voice spoke up from across the hall.
Cypher looked over and his eyes narrowed. “Cyn, what are you doing here?”
The female Guardian fae walked slowly toward him. “Thalion mentioned that Gerick seemed to be ill today when he was here.” Cyn watched the King she had spent over a month traveling with and noticed that, like the others, his eyes were a brilliant red. Her skin crawled as she felt the sickness in the air try to latch onto her. But it quickly retreated from the goodness she held in her heart.
Cypher chuckled darkly. “It seems that we have all been a little ill today, but as you can see we are healing quite quickly.”
Cyn looked around and her lips tightened. Something was terribly wrong and she was beginning to realize that she was the only one who thought so. “Have you noticed anything different about your people, or about yourself, King?”
Cypher smiled, “Other than feeling stronger than I have felt in a long time? Then no, I do not notice anything different.”
“How is your mate?” she asked suddenly. His eyes flashed back to their usual yellow briefly but the red was back in a blink.