Before the Storm

A Windwalker Novel

UNTAMED SPIRIT PUBLISHING

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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the
author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead,
business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Before The Storm: A Windwalker Novel

COPYRIGHT © 2014 by Valerie M. Hatfield

No part of this book may be reproduced, copied, stored, scanned, transmitted or distributed in any
form or by any means, including but not limited to mechanical, printed, or electronic form, without
prior written permission of the author. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted
materials in violation of the author’s rights.

Contact Information: Claire@claireashgrove.com

First paperback edition April 2014

Cover Art © by Trish PickyMe Schmitt. All rights reserved.
Untamed Spirit Publishing Logo Copyright Valerie M. Hatfield, All Rights Reserved.

Publishing History
First Edition, April 2014
Print ISBN: 978-1497369344

Published in the United States of America

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For my two princes, Garrett and Pierce, and Erin K., without whom, Halle
would still be “the girl with the magical ability.”

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 Contents
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-one
Chapter Twenty-two
Chapter Twenty-three
Chapter Twenty-four
Chapter Twenty-five
Chapter Twenty-six
Chapter Twenty-seven
Chapter Twenty-eight
Chapter Twenty-nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-one
Chapter Thirty-two
Chapter Thirty-three
Chapter Thirty-four
Chapter Thirty-five
Chapter Thirty-six
Chapter Thirty-seven
Chapter Thirty-eight
Chapter Thirty-nine
Author’s Note
About the Author
Books by Claire Ashgrove

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One
I was fourteen when I killed my father.
Sometimes, it seemed like the storm struck yesterday. The one that
ripped him out of our house and threw his body beneath a pile of twisted
metal and bricks. I remembered the wind whipping my ponytail as I stood
and watched, the lightning that arced from the malevolent clouds and
circulated through me as transformers blew. In ways, it was as if I
experienced that hellish night from outside my body, as if it were apart from
me. Although in the seven years that passed after, I learned I was directly
responsible.
I never understood what fully happened then, but now, as I sat in the
shrubs behind a perfectly manicured, sweeping Oklahoma lawn, and
raindrops pelted around my shoulders, I knew one thing clearly. If the son
of a bitch on the other side of the brick wall in front of me lifted a hand
against my baby sister again, that destruction would reign once more.
Dried leaves crackled beneath my hiking boots as I shifted to get a
better look through the large crack in the crumbling mortar and bricks. I
froze. With any luck at all, Allen Rhoads was too focused on making Faye
cower to hear. It didn’t really matter if he discovered me, all things
considered. Just like everyone else, he’d never be able to prove I was
responsible for his injuries. No, it was Faye who concerned me. I hadn’t
seen her, not up close and personal, in seven years. Sure, I watched; that’s
how I knew the asshole, our uncle, needed to be taught a memorable lesson.
But as for talking to my sister—nada. Not since the night I murdered our
dad.
I’d committed that crime for her, but she didn’t need to know.
“He texts you all the time, Faye,” Allen bellowed, his face inches from
hers. In his opposite hand, he shook her pink cell phone. “You were talking
to him after school today! He walked you home! Don’t you dare try to tell
me you’re not seeing that worthless piece of white trash.”
“Uncle Allen, please,” Faye pleaded. “We were talking about our
calculus test.” Though she raised a defensive elbow to shelter her face, her
feet didn’t move. She stood her ground like the strong-willed witch I was.
 If I was even a witch—I wasn’t sure.
“The hell you aren’t! I caught him sneaking out our backyard Saturday
night, you little whore.”
I raised my eyebrow. That was new. Faye sneaking boys in? Somehow,
I’d missed that. Still, she didn’t deserve the abuse Allen dished out
regularly. And Darrin Jamison—the high school senior they were arguing
over—wasn’t trash. He might not have the money Allen possessed, but he
was a damn sight more man than my piece of crap uncle. Rage began to
simmer in my veins. Around me, the breeze picked up. Tree limbs swayed,
sending a shower of brittle fall leaves over the brick wall and onto their
shoulders.
“It—I—we…” Faye stammered.
“You what? You can’t deny it, can you?” Allen straightened. He threw
Faye’s cell phone at her feet and whirled on his heel, his hands clenched at
his thighs. In the dim grey twilight, his formidable expression took on
deeper, darker shadows. “I should have known when I took you in, you’d
disappoint me. Your own father wanted nothing to do with you.”
I ground my teeth together, choking down fury. Daddy dearest had
wanted too much to do with Faye. Just as he had with me. Overhead,
lightning crackled through the clouds.
“You’re nothing but a good for nothing tramp!” Allen bellowed.
“You’re going to respect the privileges you’ve been given, if I have to beat
it into you. I swear to God, girl, you won’t embarrass me. Not with my re-
election in another month.” He whipped around to face her once more, his
arm cocking to his shoulder in the same angry whirl.
I glanced up. Felt that rage, that helplessness, the same instinctual
desperation to protect Faye fill my veins. A deep roll of thunder sounded in
the heavens, as ominous and foreboding as the telltale way my fingertips
prickled with power I didn’t quite know how to control. All I knew was it
happened when I felt. And I’d come here because Allen could provoke
feeling inside of me. Now he’d regret ever disturbing the perpetual
numbness.
Closing my eyes, I breathed deeply. Now. Let the storm come now. Let it
be as horrible and deadly as the wrath I unleashed years ago.
A feeling of disassociation slipped over me, and distantly I felt a strange
smile pull at my mouth. I remembered that odd sensation. Recalled all too
well how it veiled over me and offered me protection from the flying debris
even as it created an emotional barrier.
This was it. It would happen now.
As another bellow of thunder echoed overhead and the darkening sky
filtered out the sun, I sucked in a deep breath and opened my eyes. My gaze
focused on Allen; the stirring winds churned more violently. He uncoiled
his arm, the back of his knuckles arcing toward Faye’s delicate cheek.
Something heavy hit me from the left. I toppled with the force of
impact, barreled sideways into the fallen leaves and thick carpet of weeds
and overgrowth. Knocked senseless, I barely comprehended a boulder of a
weight pinning me to the musty ground. Gasping, I pushed to my knees to
crawl away.
“No, you don’t,” a masculine voice whispered near my ear. Strong arms
wrapped around my torso, anchoring my arms to my side as he rolled off
me.
Beyond the brick wall, a sharp crack echoed through the sudden
stillness. My sister cried out in pain. Sobs followed. “Uncle, please.”
My own need for survival took over—I twisted my shoulders and
kicked with my feet. What the hell?
“Easy, Halle. I won’t hurt you.” Twisting awkwardly, he repositioned us
into a quasi-sitting position.
For a moment, panic ebbed. I blinked. This guy knew my name? With
another thrash of my entire body, I tried to shake off his hold. The bands of
steel locked around my waist tightened, but he leaned his head over my
shoulder enough I could see his face somewhat. Young. Close to my age—
maybe twenty-five, twenty-six. Shadows obscured all but the glitter of sky-
blue eyes. Those vivid blues made me gasp.
Annoyed, I reared my head back and slammed it sideways into his. I
didn’t know who this jerk was, but damn it, he would not stop me from
helping my sister.
Instantly, I regretted the head slam. He didn’t move except to bow his
head and let out a sharp hiss. Conversely, pounding filled my skull. Tiny
bright stars shot through my vision. Damn. Did he have steel wrapped
around his brain?
“Okay, I’ll give you that one,” he murmured as he lifted his chin once
more. Tight lines settled in around his mouth. His gaze remained fixed on
the brick wall. “Next one’s not free.”
From the other side of that barrier, a back porch door squeaked open
then banged shut. Damn it! Faye had gone inside. I couldn’t do anything
with her locked up in there. It was too risky.
Infuriated, I twisted my head and glared at my captor. It wasn’t the first
time someone had seen me lurking in the shadows and thought I was some
sort of would-be burglar. I’d dealt with annoyances like this before. This
time, I was willing to bet savior-guy here was some sort of security attaché
for my uncle. I wasn’t the only one who had it in for the city’s esteemed
mayor.
But how did he know my name?
I clamped my mouth shut tight, refusing to ask. If he’d taken a guess, I
didn’t need to confirm I was still hanging around Applegate. Frankly, I
preferred the theory that I’d died in the storm with my father, although my
body had never been discovered.
“Are you done fighting?” he asked, obviously mistaking my momentary
stillness for cooperation.
Hah! Soon as he let me go, he’d realize I hadn’t survived on the streets
without learning a thing or two about self-defense. My glare narrowed
more.
“Okay then,” he muttered. “Have it your way. I’m not in any hurry. The
camarilla wants to see you, but we’ve got time.”
Camarilla? My thoughts skittered chaotically. Who was this guy? I
twisted violently sideways, grunted when those powerful arms only
tightened around me more. Unreal. He should be letting go, or his grip
should have at least slipped.
A glance at the clearing sky told me whatever power I might have
wielded from the atmosphere had slipped away. Great. He’d not only
thwarted the chance I’d been waiting for with Allen, but he’d distracted me
so much I’d lost my connection with the power I so rarely could
manipulate. “Jerk,” I muttered.
His chuckle was low and oddly harmonious. “I’ve been called worse.
Name’s Kale though. Kale Norwood.”
My gaze snapped back to his, and I willed him to drop over dead.
Evidently the fates weren’t in agreement with that desire. Instead, the last of
the grey clouds cleared, allowing an orange-pink sunset to filter through
and illuminate Kale’s devastating grin.
Holy…wow.
The next heartbeat had me scowling again. Handsome, maybe. But this
guy was a roadblock. Thanks to his intervention, I’d have to follow Allen
around for God only knew how long until he outraged me so much nature
took over my conscious again. Fucking perfect.
Then again, with the way my annoyance was compounding, it might not
take all that long.
Kale’s expression sobered and he shifted position. “For someone who’s
supposedly got a mouth on her, you’re awfully quiet. Something tells me
that’s not a good thing.”
Not by a long shot.
“Okay, Halle, here’s the deal. You and I need to talk. But I’m going to
get up before this rock under my hip embeds itself permanently.” He shifted
his weight again, grimacing briefly. “It’s much easier for us both if I let you
go first. What do you say—am I going to have to tackle you again?”
I opened my mouth to tell him where he could go, but the sound of
Uncle Allen’s back door banging again derailed my thoughts. Tension filled
my shoulders as my attention riveted on the voice beyond the brick wall.
“Come back here, you little tramp! I’m not finished with you yet!”
Faye.
Branches rustled as she slipped behind the evergreen bushes that lined
the wall and moved down the barrier. Her choked sniffle fueled my rage all
over again. What had Allen done to her this time? Would the evidence of
his abuse be visible? Or like the other times he beat her, would he take care
to attack only the places clothing could hide?
That asshole was going to die. Just like his brother.
Kale’s arms relaxed, and I eased to my feet, tracking Faye’s movements
down the wall. The hair on my arms lifted as dry lightning crackled through
the late evening sky.
Keep going, Faye. All the way to the end of the yard. Stay back.
She couldn’t hear me, but I supposed the prayers didn’t hurt. Though
what god would listen, I couldn’t answer. Faith was a precarious thing, and
the only faith that mattered was that which I had in myself.
 Sidestepping, I started for the wide, oblong crack in the wall to better
see where my uncle was standing.
“Faye!” he hollered.
The iron hinges on the gate at the end of the lawn creaked. Faye? Or had
Allen decided she’d taken refuge in the surrounding woods? I had to find
out.
Breaking into a jog, I headed for deeper tree cover and the corner of the
wall. If Faye had exited out the back gate, she wouldn’t be able to see me in
the thick umbrella of woods surrounding our uncle’s property, but I could
see her. I could see she was safe. At least for now.
“Damn it,” Kale muttered. His heavier footfalls joined mine, tromping
through the woods.
The crunching leaves and snapping twigs didn’t concern me. These
woods were a common hangout for Appelgate’s bored teens. Not to
mention the pond at the top of the slight hill drew wildlife like a prehistoric
tar pit. Any number of creatures could be crashing through the brush as
Kale and I were.
The fact he followed, however, disturbed me greatly. If he was part of
Allen’s security, he’d drag me inside that house and expose me to Faye.
Then my aunt and I would both be expected to explain why I wasn’t really
dead.
More than anything though, I needed to see for myself that Faye was
okay. Out here at a distance, where if she weren’t, nothing bad would
inadvertently happen to her. Out here where if he’d made her bleed, Faye
couldn’t ever discover her big sister’s dark side.
I stumbled around a gnarled tree trunk and skidded down a rocky
incline. Quiet sobs drifted through the air, twisting my heart. If I had known
Faye would meet this fate, I never would have abandoned her to my
extended family. But then…Uncle Allen had been nothing but kind in the
years before…before I did what I did. It was like he changed the night the
tornado ripped through Applegate, Oklahoma, destroying his brother. More
so than how grief typically altered people’s lives.
“Halle!” Kale called in a hushed whisper. “Stop.”
Like hell. I doubled my pace.
He matched my ground-covering strides.
 Ignoring Kale as best as I could, I ducked under a low-hanging elm
branch and dodged a crooked sapling. Long mahogany hair peeked through
a grove of thorn bushes. Faye sat within that protective circle, her arms
folded on her bent knees, her shoulders heaving as she tried to stifle her
sobs.
Something caught her attention, and she jerked her head up, scanning
the trees that kept me hidden. I stopped before movement could draw her
full focus, but not in time to spare myself from witnessing the blood that
seeped from her split lower lip.
White-hot fury arced through me. In a heartbeat’s passing, the starlit sky
vibrated with the low rumble of thunder.
Before I could savor the power that thrummed around me, a force like a
moving locomotive slammed into my back. The air rushed from my lungs,
making it impossible to brace myself against imminent impact.
I hit the ground chest-first.
Strong fingers locked around my ankle. “I said…stop,” Kale managed
between labored breaths.
Him! Just who the hell did he think he was?
Dragging in a short gasp of air, I twisted to look down the length of my
body at the hand that trapped me in place. As my furious gaze locked on the
back of his bronzed knuckles, lightning split the sky. It arced over Allen’s
gabled rooftop, spidered through the skeleton branches of deciduous trees,
and slammed into the moist earth a breath away from Kale’s right shoulder.

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Two
The explosion of thunder split the sky, so powerful it reverberated inside me
like cannons firing at close range in an underground cave. And yet, I didn’t
hear it. Whatever force it was that kept me safe amid a deadly tornado years
ago had wrapped itself around me, preventing the wash of heat from
touching my skin and the intensely bright flash from blinding my eyes.
Not so Kale. His body jerked a good three feet sideways from where the
bolt connected with the ground and immediately began convulsing.
“Oh shit!” I scrambled to my knees and lunged across the short distance
separating us. Heaving against his shoulder, I tried to push his face out of
the debris-covered ground and roll him onto his side. “Shit, I’m sorry!”
Come on. Don’t die on me.
Man, this guy was heavier than he looked. I shoved again and finally
succeeded into rolling him onto his left shoulder. His tight body and locked
muscles fought against the pressure of my body as I braced him in place
with my hip. The arm he lay on punched a steady rhythm into the air.
Damn, damn, damn!
“Hey, Kale.” I set a hand on his shoulder, uncertain what to do or how to
help. His mouth was doing this chewing thing, and his eyes had rolled back
into his head. Wasn’t there some sort of risk of swallowing one’s tongue?
Or was that just an old wives tale?
What if he stopped breathing or his heart stopped? Was that possible?
Could he die right here?
My heart began to race as panic overrode all concerns about who this
guy was and what he wanted with me. I hadn’t meant to harm him.
Certainly not to kill him. Yeah, he was a hindrance. But…crap!
I gripped his shoulder more tightly. “Kale, can you hear me? You can’t
die. Got it? No dying.”
Time passed like someone locked us in stasis. Where my sister went, I
had no idea. If someone else passed by, I couldn’t say. It was just me and
this big, handsome blond guy isolated in a little bubble of static existence.
His body spasmed, doing its best to dislodge me and thrust his face back
into the leaves and damp earth. Every muscle I possessed strained against
the effort of holding him in place so he wouldn’t suffocate.
Eventually, his convulsions ebbed. He punched the air one last time, his
left leg jerked hard, and he lay still. Uneven, hoarse breaths rasped from his
bloodied lips.
“Kale?” Ever so gently, I shook his shoulder.
He gave no indication he felt the light push. Just lay there unmoving, his
body as limp as a wet dishrag.
Now what? Glancing around the woods, I searched to see if anyone had
witnessed what happened. My sister no longer lurked in the circle of thorn
bushes. The close lightning strike must have sent her racing for shelter. She
was probably trying to figure out how a clear sky could produce an
electrical bolt.
“Kale Norwood, you have to wake up.” I shook him again.
No dice. He was totally comatose. And I needed to get out of here. But I
couldn’t just leave him lying on the ground for anyone to stumble onto. Not
to mention the fact that I had somehow summoned the lightning meant the
atmosphere was significantly unstable. If it started to rain or storm, I didn’t
want to bear the responsibility for further harm coming to him.
Why me?
Holding in a groan, I sat back on my heels and huffed a lock of black
hair that had escaped my ponytail out of my face. “You have to wake up,
man. Seriously. I can’t leave you here, and I sure as hell can’t take you with
me.” No way could I drag him anywhere—looking at him now, he had to be
at least six foot tall, and the width of his shoulders nearly doubled mine. No
wonder he’d been able to hold me in place. This guy was nothing but hard
muscle.
He’d have been cute if I hadn’t wanted to kick his ass so badly. I so
didn’t need this today.
The sound of boots clomping through the woods snapped my attention
toward the tree line near the front of Allen’s property. Masculine voices
echoed through the surrounding stillness. I couldn’t make out what they
were saying, but their sharp directives held a sense of urgency.
My gaze skipped to Kale. His buddies maybe? More of my uncle’s
security guards?
 I ought to make a dash for cover and let them stumble onto him. But if I
did, and they took him back with them, no telling what he might tell his
cohorts. The last thing I needed was some guy who unexplainably knew my
name spreading the word about my weird abilities. If I intended to stay
unknown, no way could I let him talk. Staying in place and letting them
discover me on their own, however, was out of the question.
I surveyed my surroundings and spied a pine tree branch not far from
where I’d fallen when Kale crashed into my backside. The way the smooth
grey bark curled up at the severed end, exposing the soft white center
beneath, revealed it had crashed to the ground when the lightning struck.
Perfect.
As the voices neared, I hurried to the limb. It was heavy, but not so
much so that a good heave failed to budge it. Using the strength in my legs,
I dragged it closer to Kale’s sleeping form. Close enough the pine needles
blocked out his upper body and most of his faded blue jeans. The rest of his
legs and his boots lay perpendicular to a huge oak tree, and the fading
twilight cast a dark shadow over the ground. It would have to work.
“She’s out here—you heard him say she was. She couldn’t have gone
far,” one of the trio of men muttered.
Through the trees, I could just make out the standard-issue navy work
jackets Allen’s security detail wore. And if I could see them, they’d see me
if I didn’t get myself hidden as well. I ducked down behind Kale’s back,
then as quietly as I could, inched onto my side and stretched out, using his
big body to hide my own.
I lay still as a mouse, listening to the approaching footsteps. Praying my
camouflaged pants would do the trick and didn’t look out of place. Hoping
beyond all hope Kale didn’t choose now to wake up.
“This is crazy, Chris. She could have gone anywhere—if she was even
out here. What the hell makes him think she’s alive anyway? It’s been seven
years,” a different guard muttered. Displeasure rang clear in his voice.
“We sure as hell aren’t going to find her if you keep running your
mouth. Hush up,” the first one answered.
“Yeah. I don’t want to be smoked shish-ka-bob, thank you,” the third
man chided quietly. “The weather’s bad enough. Did you see that lightning?
Out of nowhere, man.”
 Me. They were talking about me. I swallowed hard, clenched my hands
into tight fists.
“I said, shut the hell up,” the first one, presumably Chris, barked. His
voice rang out right beside me, and his boots came to a dead stop on the
other side of the pine bough, directly in front of Kale’s face.
Keep going. Keep moving. I could feel the perspiration gathering
between my fingers, and it required all my will power to keep my hands
still. I’d been close to these guys countless times, but in all the years I’d
been watching over my sister, not once had they directly referenced me.
Who had put things together and discovered the storm and I were
connected? My uncle? If so… who told him? My aunt? Surely she wouldn’t
have. She’d helped to hide me away and dropped me off at the bus station,
where I was supposed to catch the nearest bus to Oklahoma City. I hadn’t,
of course, but why would she have gone to that trouble just to rat me out?
It didn’t make sense.
“This is nuts, Chris.” Another pair of boots stopped close to the original
set. This one’s cologne floated on the breeze, something sweet in an
alluring kind of way. It reminded me of Tony, a guy I’d holed up with for a
little while, until he wanted a hell of a lot more from our casual relationship
than I was willing to give. Things like shared secrets, trust, and intimacy
that went beyond physical.
I shoved the memory aside, tuning in on what they were saying once
more.
“You know he’ll send us out again if we go back now.”
“Yeah, well, good luck with that. I’m not busting my ass looking for a
ghost with another storm approaching. Let’s go back. She could be
anywhere out here, and it’s too dark to see,” the second man grumbled.
“I can smell her, Phaeton.” Chris’s boots moved, rusting the leaves once
more. “She’s not that far away.”
Smell me? I wasn’t wearing any perfume, my clothes were clean, but
hadn’t recently been washed, and while I was pretty certain I didn’t stink, I
hadn’t bathed in a day or two, so it couldn’t be shampoo. By all rights, I
should smell like the woods, given the three days I’d been hanging around
out here.
A chill drifted down my spine. I didn’t like the sound of that
declaration. Never mind that he was standing less than four feet away from
me, and if he poked around this tree branch too much, he’d certainly find
me and Kale both.
“If she’s been here at all, you could smell her residue,” the voice I
recognized as Phaeton’s replied. “C’mon, man, let’s give it up. It’s too
dark.”
“Do you hear that?” Chris asked. “Sounds like someone’s panting.”
I groaned inwardly. I might have hidden Kale, but he was still breathing
hoarsely. I could barely hear the sound myself, but to someone who’s racing
heart wasn’t filling their ears, he was probably making a huge racket. Damn
it! I should have just left him here and taken my chances that he’d talk.
“Hey!” From a distance, the third man called out. “I found something
over here.”
My eyes went wide. My jacket! I’d left it tucked behind a tree trunk
when the static electricity in the air made me too hot. Oh, damn. They’d
never go away now.
The two pairs of boots moved off at a rhythmic jog. More branches
snapped beneath their weight.
To my horror, Kale’s left leg shifted.
No, no, no! Desperate to keep him still, I eased my own leg over his
calf, hoping the weight would keep him from stirring more. When he did
wake up, I was so kicking his ass—he was rapidly becoming a liability.
This whole mess was his fault. I wouldn’t be here, I wouldn’t be lying on
the ground, and my clothes wouldn’t be wet all along my left side, if he had
taken my head butt seriously.
“Dumbass. That’s Faye’s. It reeks of her,” Chris growled. “Can’t you
tell the two apart?”
Again with the smell thing—what the hell? I didn’t like it at all. It didn’t
make sense. And if they could seriously smell me, I was a sitting duck,
waiting for the roaster.
A ghostly canine howl broke over the sound of wind playing in the
treetops. In an instant, every part of me went rigid. My heart might have
even stopped. In all the time I’d spent in these dense woods, I had never,
never, heard anything like that. Wolves weren’t strangers out here, nor were
coyotes. I’d even encountered a cougar once or twice. But that sound didn’t
mirror any of those familiar wildlife voices. Like particles of ice, fear
slithered down my spine, and my blood ran cold.
 “Shit, that’s Surana,” Chris grumbled. “I don’t want to be out here with
her around.”
“Yeah, no kidding. Let’s get the hell out of here,” the third man
concurred.
In three seconds flat, their boots crashed through the undergrowth,
barreled past my hiding place, and disappeared back the way they’d come
from, leaving me virtually alone with that haunting noise.
For a moment, I wished they’d discovered me.
When the forest grew still again, I huffed out a hard breath and eased to
a crouch. I didn’t know who, or what Surana might be, but I damn sure
didn’t want to find out. Not if she had anything to do with that creepy noise.
What to do though with Kale?
Chill. It’s probably someone with a dog. It had to be, right? I mean, it
was completely natural for people to walk their dogs through the woods
with a thunderstorm approaching.
Keep telling yourself that, Halle.
So maybe it wasn’t the soundest logic in the world, but faced with my
current predicament, I had little choice. I wasn’t about to leave Kale, not
until I had some answers. Too many weird things had happened in one short
span of time. His knowing my name, my uncle’s security detail scouting for
me, men with hypersensitive noses—it all started when Kale showed up.
I pushed hard on his shoulder then bent toward his ear. “Wake. Up!”
No dice. He didn’t even flinch.
Sighing, I shoved the branch off his body and fixed my falling-apart
ponytail. Creepy howl or not, it didn’t look like I was going anywhere
anytime soon. Guess it was time to get comfortable. With a little luck, if
whatever made that chilling sound stumbled onto me, I might be able to
protect myself with another of those random, uncontrolled lightning bolts.
Not likely, but a little hope for once couldn’t hurt.

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Three
It was near midnight when Kale finally stirred and opened his eyes. Four
hours I sat watching him, cursing him, and damn it, worrying. My uncle’s
house had emptied out like it usually did around ten, as he and his security
detail left my aunt and sister alone and went off to do whatever it was they
did through all hours of the night. Somehow, I’d never been able to
completely track them. They headed across town, out the east side, and into
Ardmore. Since my…ah, requisitioned…car had broken down, tracking
them outside of the Applegate suburb became significantly impossible. At
this time of night, my sister was already abed.
I never heard that creepy howl again.
Figuring I was as safe as I ever had been in the heart of Arbuckle
country, I started a small pit fire to ward off the increasing chill of fall and
waited for my ward to fully wake up. Funny how would-be captured
becomes captor.
Kale let out a groan and pushed up onto his elbows. He blinked several
times, as if trying to make sense of his surroundings in the glow of firelight.
I had to admit, albeit begrudgingly, sleep looked good on him. Or maybe
his face just held that sort of groggy softness all the time. He gave off this
air that if a woman was stretched out alongside him, he’d wake her up
tenderly. And much as I hated to admit it, few women would regret opening
their eyes to find that sky-blue gaze inches away.
Ugh. Handsome here really knew how to prickle my nerves.
I tossed a twig I’d been playing with into the tiny fire. “’Bout time you
woke up.”
“Jesus.” Kale pushed himself into a sitting position. He ran his hands
down his face then stuffed his fingers through his disheveled ash-blond hair.
“What the hell happened?”
I arched an eyebrow. “You’re kidding me, right? Lighting bolt—all that
good stuff?”
A frown settled into his features, and he stared at the flickering flames.
“You should warn a guy, or something.”
 “Me?” It was my turn to blink. “In case you really don’t remember, you
were chasing me. It’s not my fault you got more than you asked for.”
Kale reached over and scooped up a handful of dirt. He tossed it onto
the fire, sputtering out a good half of the flames. “Put that out. It’s not safe.”
This was too much. Beyond the fact he’d sidetracked me from my
mission of exterminating my uncle, I’d just spent four, never-ending hours
watching over this guy. Now he wanted to lecture me on safety. I let out a
snort of disbelief. “Fat lot of thanks I get for keeping watch over your ass.
Talk about ungrateful.” I stood to stretch my cramped legs and walked the
line of trees behind me.
“You hit me with a lightning bolt!”
“So you do remember. Why don’t you try remembering why you tackled
me in the first place? Then maybe we can go our separate ways. I have
things to do.”
“Like kill your uncle the same way you killed your dad?”
Kale’s low, calculated voice halted me in place. He knew. No one knew.
No one except my aunt. And in the time I’d spent out here thinking, I’d
come to the solid conclusion she wouldn’t tell. Slowly, I turned to look at
Kale. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me, Halle.” He tossed another fistful of dirt onto the fire. It
snapped and died, leaving us in the thick dark of the woods. Only a faint
light from the overhead stars peeked through the dense canopy. “The
camarilla sent me to find you. We’ve known for a long time.”
“Camarilla?” I echoed dumbly. Again with the things I didn’t
understand. This was starting to feel like some bad episode of The Twilight
Zone. And I was starting to wish I had more control over my powers. Right
about now a warning rumble of thunder could work to my advantage.
“Your people. Witches like you.” He paused then added, “Like me.”
Oh, no, no, no. No. This was not happening. I had to be dreaming. And
this guy still hadn’t bothered to thank me yet. I folded my arms over my
breasts and scowled. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He let out a quiet chuckle. “They warned me you wouldn’t be easy to
deal with.”
“They who?”
“Halle.” Kale sighed. “We can’t have this conversation here. There are
too many ears around. Come with me, and I’ll explain in private.”
 It was all I could do to not burst out with a derisive laugh. Seven years
of living on the streets taught a girl that private encounters with would-be
kindly strangers usually left girls dead. “Do you think I’m stupid? I’m not
going anywhere with you.”
“I’m afraid you don’t have much choice.” He rose to his feet, his voice
strangely low and hushed.
Instinct warned me to step back as he approached. My heart kicked
several beats, and I reached for the knife I usually kept in my back pocket.
My fingers fumbled with the button that held the pocket closed. Before I
could work it free, Kale had invaded my personal space. One large hand
reached for me.
I whirled to run.
He caught me by the wrist. I skidded to a stop after less than a foot.
Panic infused me, and I jerked on my arm. I couldn’t overpower this guy,
not like the skinny, crack-addicted street thugs who gave me trouble now
and then. Everything clicked into place in one, heart-stopping burst of
reality. He had been chasing me. Now he had me. And I couldn’t get away.
I was not going to die out here in the woods, damn it!
With all my strength, I kicked my leg back, hoping to connect with
some vital part of his body and he’d drop to the ground. Instead, my heel
jammed into his calf, but he’d moved so close I couldn’t have possibly done
him significant damage. He didn’t even let out a grunt.
Instead, he moved into me, wound both arms around my torso, and
trapped my back against his chest. “Halle, be still,” he whispered, “Look.”
Releasing one arm, he pointed at the hilltop in front of us.
I lifted my gaze and met the unblinking stare of two, glowing red eyes. I
had to be imagining things. Or the absence of light was playing tricks on
my eyes. I blinked, shook my head, and looked again.
Now, two sets stared down at us.
Kale’s hand fisted around mine. His hushed voice filled my ears. “Run!”
I stumbled as he jerked me sideways. But two steps later, I matched his
ground-covering stride, my long legs an easy pairing with his. Sapling
branches snapped against my shoulders, whipped alongside my cheek. I
didn’t feel them.
For the first time in my life, I was afraid.
 ***
I didn’t know how long we raced through the brush. All that registered was
pounding of my heart in my ears and the fact that every time I looked over
my shoulder, those eyes followed. Up small rises, around crooked bends,
down into a rocky creek bed, Kale led us on a course that had no definable
direction.
When we bolted up the muddy incline on the opposite side of the
stream, I doubled over, my lungs unable to tolerate any more. My thighs
burned like someone held torches to them. “I… can’t…” I panted between
gasps.
“You can.” Kale tugged on my hand. His breath was as labored as mine.
Shaking my head, I sucked in a deep breath. “No. Gotta stop.”
A touch of exasperation laced his words. “Just another hundred yards.
They can’t follow us into camarilla territory.” He pointed toward a looming
shadow and sucked in a gulp of air. “Just there.”
Behind us, water splashed as our two pursuers leapt into the creek.
Another thirty feet or so, and they’d be on us. Terror overruled my
quivering legs and spurred me forward. I jetted past Kale, one final burst of
speed driving me toward the shadowy edifice he’d indicated.
I couldn’t hear him behind me. But those creatures, whatever they were
—they crashed through the shrub like a helltrain on a greased track. Closer.
Faster. Closer. Faster.
An even darker shadow than that of nightfall descended around me.
Cool air filtered over my skin. I whirled around, Kale’s name on my lips,
scouring for him in the darkness. My heart froze as I spied him standing
near where I had stopped, staring straight at the two approaching
animalistic figures.
“Kale!” What was he doing? No way could he outrun them now. They
were too close. And what happened when they finished with him? Would
those two creatures with their haunting red eyes hunt me down as well?
Panic swept through me for the second time that night. I might not hold
any affection toward him, but damn it, he was still a human being. And he’d
been trying to help me, hadn’t he? I didn’t want to be responsible for
something happening to him. To anyone.
Besides, I didn’t know where the hell I was.
 “Kale!” I called again. If you leave me here, I swear I’ll hunt your ghost
down.
Before the sound of my voice could evaporate into the wilderness, his
rang through the trees. One shout that lacked definition. The leaves around
me began to shiver. Several dozen tumbled past my feet, lazily drifting
toward where he stood, then faster, whipping along like someone turned on
a powerful vacuum. Beside me, a young sapling bent dangerously toward
the ground.
In the dim light, I glimpsed the lifting of his right hand. The two sets of
eyes bearing down on him came to an abrupt halt. As the overhead canopy
swayed with the rising winds, moonlight peeked in to illuminate what
distinctly looked like reddish-brown fur and four animalistic legs.
The powerful gust of wind pounded into them. With a yelp, they hurtled
head over tail—yes, I distinctly glimpsed tails—and crashed into the ground
on the other side of the stream.
I blinked.
Kale pivoted in my direction then eased into a lope. As he approached, a
grin registered in the crinkling of his eyes, though it didn’t touch his mouth.
“All taken care of for now.”
He was responsible for that sudden wind?
The realization hit me so strongly I could have sworn the earth tipped
sideways beneath my feet. He hadn’t been teasing, hadn’t been humoring
me. He was a witch. And if that were true, it must mean I was too. For too
long I’d thought I was some freak of nature. There were more like me?
Struggling to cover my surprise, I frowned at him. “Maybe you should
have done that earlier.” Being caught off-guard only left a person open for
attack, and I had no intention of letting him discover that he’d unbalanced
my understanding of the world around me. I turned my back to him,
intending to pick up the general direction we’d been traveling. “I really
could have done without the endurance testing.”
“Hey.” He caught my elbow. Gentle pressure from his fingertips pulled
me to a halt. “What’s with the attitude? A little thanks never hurt.”
Oh, he did not just…
I let out a snort. “Yeah, you can say that again.” He wanted to lecture
me on manners when he had yet to thank me? This guy was something else.
A real ego-trip.
 He said nothing, merely stared at me, a frown pulling at his brow. The
intense way he studied me made me uneasy. I kept my distance from people
for a reason. I certainly wasn’t going to let some guy I’d just met, who’d so
far managed to create more trouble for me than I’d experienced in my entire
life, weasel beneath the surface. If he didn’t like my sarcasm, well, that was
his problem. And damn it, I didn’t like to be touched either.
I jerked my arm free and kept walking.
Two strides brought him alongside me. He stuffed his hands into his
pockets and kept his gaze on the forest floor. “Maybe we started out on the
wrong foot.”
“You think?”
“Halle, listen—”
“No.” My exasperation at an all time high, I came to an abrupt halt.
“I’m not going to listen. I don’t want to. I want to go home, go to bed, and
wake up tomorrow with today far behind me.”
Kale arched an eyebrow. “So you can stalk your uncle some more?”
“Stalk my uncle?” My voice rose in indignation. “What business is it of
yours? So far you’ve tackled me twice, almost exposed me to my sister, and
left me to deal with your sorry comatose self for four hours!” I threw my
hands into the air then let them fall to my thighs. “After all that, you don’t
even apologize! And it wouldn’t surprise me at all if you had something to
do with those things that just chased us through the woods. I don’t even
know who you are!”
Recalling the chilling creatures sent a shiver wafting down my spine. I
cast an uneasy glance at the creek bank and rubbed at the goose bumps on
my arms. “What were those things anyway?”
Kale scuffed the toe of his hiking boot into a pile of dead leaves. He
didn’t meet my furious scowl. “Not things. Alternate forms of the Jadukara.
Harmless as wolves, but it’s when they get a hold of you and take on their
natural shape that you have to worry.”
More gibberish. A sigh escaped me.
He lifted his chin a fraction, looked up through his lashes. Blast it all,
there was something devastatingly attractive about the wide-open sincerity
in those sky-blue eyes.
I puffed out another hard breath to flutter a lock of hair out of my face.
“I want explanations.”
 Kale nodded. “I know. I would too.” He gestured toward a large boulder
at the edge of the shade we stood within. “Want to sit?”
Again, I glanced toward the creek bed. So far, nothing indicated the
Jadu-whatever were approaching again. Nor had anything indicated they’d
left from where they’d fallen, but I wasn’t going to consider they might still
be knocked out.
As if he understood the direction of my thoughts, Kale shook his head.
“They’ve gone home. We’re untouchable within the camarilla territory, and
they know better than to hang around.”
I wasn’t certain whether I should believe him or not, but for the
moment, I felt relatively safe. Begrudgingly, I moved to the rock and sat.
“Start with that whole camarilla thing.”
Kale climbed up beside me, drew one foot onto the surface, and looped
his arm around his knee. He tipped his head, regarding me in that same
unsettling, thoughtful way again. Like he could see clear through and hear
the workings of my mind. That probing look unnerved me, but I held his
gaze, too afraid that looking away would reveal my discomfort.
“I’d rather start with the night you killed your dad.”
My throat felt suddenly sticky. I hated that night as much as I celebrated
it. And I despised remembering. It had changed me in ways I’d never
imagined were possible; forced me into the isolated world I now lived in.
That Kale knew the details, let alone how he referenced the destruction so
easily, only made me more uncomfortable.
But if he could explain, if he could offer insight on why that one night
remained the only time I had ever held complete power over my abilities,
I’d relive it all again. Slowly, I nodded and gave him a shrug. “Just hurry
up. I want to go home.”

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Four
“You revealed yourself that night.”
Like a whispering voice from the grave, Kale’s low, solemn words sent
chills sliding down my spine. That single statement sounded more damning
than hearing the detail-by-detail accounting of how I’d willed the storm into
existence, how I’d wished and hoped the energy would explode. How I
even stood outside our brown, two-story home, the wind snatching at my
hair, watching lightning illuminate the dark silhouette seconds before an F4
tornado splintered it to pieces.
Hearing all that was nothing compared to the weight in Kale’s last
statement. The way he stared at the ground, his head slightly bowed, his
shoulders bent as if he carried some unseen weight only added to my
apprehension. Who had I revealed myself to? Why did it matter?
“What do you mean?” I asked, warily.
Kale let out a sigh and looked up, meeting my frown with those
fascinating blue eyes. Even in the muted light, their brilliance shone, bright
as the overhead stars.
“We always knew you existed, Halle. We just didn’t know where you
were, or even if you inherited the right power. That night you answered
everything. We’ve been watching you since. Trying to discover whether it
was just a fluke or whether you indeed have your mother’s gifts.”
My mother. Something deep inside me twisted painfully. I could barely
recall her face, so many years had passed. The only memory that really
remained strong was of the rainy afternoon she kissed my cheek before she
left for a doctor’s appointment. I was nine that spring. We buried her closed
casket four days after the rainstorm forced her car into oncoming traffic.
Nine, but damned if I didn’t miss her like the morning of my first day of
kindergarten.
Kale reached across the big boulder we sat on and covered the back of
my hand with his large palm. His touch was strangely comforting. For once,
I didn’t pull away from human contact. “You do have a gift, Halle. But it’s
become painfully clear you don’t know how to use it.”
 He could say that again. I puffed out a sigh. “So what, you’re going to
teach me or something?”
Kale shrugged. He slid his hand away, taking with it the odd sense of
comforting warmth. A strange sliver of disappointment pulled through me. I
crossed my arms across my chest to ward it off. What was up with that? I
didn’t need his affection. Didn’t want it, either.
“Something like that.” Standing, he dusted his hands across his jeans-
clad thighs. “Gerard wants to talk to you.”
“Who’s Gerard?”
“The voice of the camarilla.” He looked toward the darkened rock
edifice. With a passing breeze, the overhead canopy of fall leaves swayed,
and a sliver of moonlight illuminated the frown knitted on his brow. “He
guides us all.”
People have a way of speaking, a way they stand and hold themselves,
that can tell someone who’s seen enough lies and deceit whether they’re
hiding things. It was in Kale’s voice, the cagey tone and brief hesitation
before he spoke; he wasn’t revealing the full truth about this Gerard person.
He wasn’t lying, but he was holding something back. Dishonesty would
have pissed me off. Holding back—well, that I could relate to.
It didn’t really matter anyway. I had no intentions of meeting Gerard
and this camarilla. Still, I was curious. “What’s he want with me?”
Kale slowly turned back to me, his expression as thoughtful as ever, that
pale blue light seemingly probing beneath my skin once more. If I hadn’t
just witnessed his manipulation of the wind, I’d have sworn those eyes were
his magical gift. How many women had fallen victim to those intense blue
portals?
Furrowing my brow, I shoved the wayward curiosity aside. Definitely
not my concern.
After a moment of stretched silence, Kale finally answered. “It’s time
for you to learn how to control your gift, Halle. The camarilla needs you.”
“Needs me?” I chuckled. “Sorry, I’m unavailable.” No way was I giving
up my quest to put an end to my uncle. Once that was accomplished, once
my sister was forever out of harm’s way, I had a spot on Miami Beach
marked with my name. I wasn’t sticking around for another Oklahoma
winter.
 “Unavailable?” He arched one eyebrow. “From what I’ve observed, you
hang out at the coffee shop using their free Wi-Fi all day. At night, if you’re
not skulking around your uncle’s house, you’re waiting tables at the Frost
Club.” Kale laughed low. “Not exactly what I’d call a demanding
schedule.”
“It pays the bills.” Maybe not bills—I didn’t really have any. But it kept
me fed.
“Yeah, I hear your abandoned warehouse corner with the ratty mattress
is high-end real estate.”
I narrowed my gaze, despite his very valid point. “Can you say stalker
any more clearly?”
“I’m not stalking you.”
“Uh-huh. Whatever you say.” Shoving to my feet, I gave him a shake of
my head. “I’m going home.”
As I skirted around him, Kale grabbed me by the wrist. I jerked back,
shook my hand to break his hold. Come on. Just this once it would be nice
to have my abilities cooperate. If he hadn’t learned anything about grabbing
me before, another bolt of lightning would surely do the trick.
But the press of Kale’s fingertips against the soft underside of my wrist
didn’t evoke the rage that unleashed the heavens. It frustrated me to no end,
yet at the same time, there was something wholly enjoyable about the subtle
strength in his grip. Damn him. I glared at where his palm connected with
my skin. “That’s either pretty bold or pretty stupid.”
It was Kale’s turn to shrug. “I’ll take my chances. I promised to bring
you in. I don’t break my word.”
All I could do was blink.
“C’mon.” He tugged me forward a step. “It’s this way. Beyond this
rocky outcrop.”
“Are you deaf?” Once more I yanked on my arm, this time freeing
myself from his grasp. “I’m not going.”
“Fine then. Which way’s home?”
Certain I knew exactly where I was, I rolled my eyes and raised my
hand to gesture westward. But when I went to point at the tall radio tower
lights that rose above the deserted warehouse I called home, no red bulbs
flashed on and off. Slowly, I turned a circle, scouring what I could see of
the night sky through the thick canopy of trees.
 Nothing.
No lights. All stars. Not even the glow of the city on the horizon.
What the hell?
The smirk dancing on Kale’s mouth made me want to deck him. I
clenched a hand, resisting the temptation. Somehow I had feeling it would
be wasted effort. He might stumble, but he certainly wouldn’t fall. There
was too much confined strength in his body.
“Could be that way.” Kale gestured behind me. He shrugged
nonchalantly. “Or maybe it’s over there.” He pointed to the left. “Guess
you’ll figure it out.” Turning away, he started off toward the outcrop once
more. “Keep an eye open for the Jadukara though. If you run into one, use
your knife to gut it in the belly. That’s their weak spot.”
I blinked again and reached behind me to pat my deep pocket. The
heavy knife was still safely tucked away inside, hidden beneath the
buttoned flap. How the hell did he know I had a knife?
Kale continued on ahead, his stride casual and easy.
Well, fine then. I’d spent my entire life in this county. There were only
so many roads that led to the outlying woods. If I found one, I could
navigate my way home. I stalked off in the direction we’d come from. At
least, I thought it was the direction we’d come from.
Ten feet or so away, I could no longer see Kale’s outline when I looked
over my shoulder. Figured. He’d screwed up my entire day; it shouldn’t
surprise me that the jerk left me in the woods. Where was that creek? I
pushed aside a sapling branch and continued forward, my gaze cast on the
ground, searching for our earlier tracks. I wanted to avoid the crossing we’d
made. Just in case those wolfish creatures were still hanging around.
Rustling in the trees lifted the fine hairs on the back of my neck. I told
myself not to listen, that it was probably a deer or some other woodland
creature. Probably seeking the same creek I was looking for.
The sounds grew louder. My pulse jumped several beats. Now I could
see branches moving with the lumbering footsteps. Footsteps that were too
clunky to belong to a graceful deer. Too heavy to belong to a smaller animal
like a squirrel.
Please, please don’t let it be one of those things.
Chills broke over my skin, and my heart felt like it might pound right
through my ribs. Instinct demanded I run. And yet, I forced myself to move
at an even pace, knowing that bolting ahead blindly would only accomplish
getting me further lost.
Damn that Kale. If he hadn’t shown up tonight, I wouldn’t be in this
dark, creepy place, stumbling around like a drunk in a carnival house.
Scanning the overhead trees again, I muttered beneath my breath.
Where in the hell were the radio tower lights? I had to find them, before
whatever was following found me.
A brittle, high-pitched screech broke over the snap and crackle of twigs
and dried leaves.
Before my brain logically connected the chilling call with an owl, I was
already running hell-bent for leather in the opposite direction, back to
where I’d left Kale behind. “Kale! Wait!”
He stepped out from behind a tree, right into my path. I dug my heels in
to keep from jamming my nose into his chest. But momentum shoved me
forward, denying me any small shred of dignity.
Kale caught me by both elbows, bringing me to a stop even as he drew
me closer into his body. Enticing spice, blended with something distinctly
outdoorsy filled my nose. His body heat warmed my cheek.
Oh wow. How had I failed to notice he smelled so good? I could fall
into him…
None of that, Halle. I jerked upright with a slight cough.
But upright wasn’t far enough. The top of my head fell level with his
chin, and as I lifted my eyes, his gaze connected with mine. For the span of
one prolonged heartbeat, I looked up at a man who outclassed every male I
had ever met. He was bigger than me. Stronger in physical strength,
magical ability, and maybe even his will. Nothing I had done all night had
intimidated him. Yet there was a softness in his expression, a tenderness I
couldn’t quite define that seemed both out of place and wholly natural all at
once.
Until a slow smirk took up residence on his gorgeous mouth.
“Scared of a little owl, huh?”
Mumbling, I shoved out of his grasp. “Hardly.”
Kale’s grin broadened as he folded his arms across his chest. “Uh-huh.”
I clasped my hands behind my back. Kicked one toe into the dirt. “I just
thought…well, you know…controlling a lightning bolt might be useful now
and then.”
 “Uh-huh.” Shoulders shaking with a silent laugh, he turned around and
beckoned me to follow.
“Really.” So the next time he put me in a predicament like this I could
teach him a memorable lesson.
I paused mid-step. Next time? There wasn’t going to be a next time. I
was going to follow him until I recognized where we were. Then I intended
to take off. Strength in numbers, or something like that.
“You’re in camarilla territory,” he called over his shoulder. “Everything
is hidden. To get out, you have to recognize the magic. See it, if you will.”
See magic. Well, hell. I sighed deeply. “No chance you’re going to point
the way?” I had to try.
“We’ll see what Gerard says.”
I eyed the back of Kale’s blond head. “And if he doesn’t agree with that
idea?”
“Then we’ll figure something out.”
“And I’m just supposed to believe you’re telling the truth?”
Kale stopped abruptly, once again nearly causing me to collide with his
broad back. He faced me, his head cocked at a thoughtful angle. “I never
lie.”
I let out a disbelieving snort. “Tell me something I haven’t heard
before.”
He studied me again, making it damn near impossible not to squirm.
God, he made me uncomfortable.
“You don’t trust anybody, do you?”
Choosing not to answer, I set my jaw. Some things didn’t deserve a
response. Besides, he’d worked more conversation out of me, wrested free
more truths than I’d shared with anyone in too many years to count.
“Okay, Halle, how about a pact?” Kale leaned back against a tree trunk,
his fingers tucked into the front pockets of his jeans.
Mistrust filtered through me. Deals weren’t exactly my thing. They
usually left me obligated in ways I didn’t want to be bound. Nevertheless, I
heard myself ask, “What do you have in mind?”
“We’ll swear it here, before we go inside.” He crossed one ankle over
the other. “You give us three days. If you haven’t found any reason you
want to stay by then, I’ll take you back to your warehouse, regardless of
what Gerard says, and walk away without argument.”
 A deal that was completely to my advantage—I squinted at Kale.
“Three days?”
“That’s what I said, isn’t it? Say the word, and I’ll take you home.”
Still way too good to be true. He wasn’t easing my apprehension at all.
“What’s in it for you?”
“For me?” Kale shook his head. “Nothing. Gerard will be pissed, but it’s
not like he hasn’t been before. I said I’d bring you in, not that I’d hold you
hostage. I have nothing to gain or lose.”
“No, you gain something, or you wouldn’t be so accommodating.”
He thrust out his hand. “All you have to do is say the word, Halle.”
Three days. It wasn’t like I had anything pressing to do. I wasn’t
scheduled at the Frost Club for another four. I could spare three days to
learning about my powers.
Kale waggled his fingers. “Deal or not?”
“It’s totally in my favor!” I exclaimed, unable to believe he’d just cut
me loose when he’d gone to so much trouble to bring me this far.
Dead-pan serious, he held my disbelieving stare. “I know.”
“And what happens if I want to leave earlier…or stay longer?”
“It’s a pact, Halle. You tell me you want to go, and I’ll take you home.”
There had to be a catch of some sort. Human beings didn’t just give
without receiving something in return. Still, the pull of understanding my
gifts was stronger. I had been waiting years for someone to be able to tell
me how to connect with the elements and manipulate them to my
advantage. I couldn’t walk away, no matter how I distrusted Kale.
Tentatively, I slid my hand into his. “I’m only agreeing because
knowing how to control my abilities is pretty important, I’d think.”
His warm fingers squeezed mine. “You have my word.”

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Five
Ten feet into a cool stone tunnel, I realized I was still needlessly clinging to
Kale’s hand. That sort of intimacy, no matter how casual it might have
been, crossed barriers no man had ever breached. I could enjoy a good romp
in the sack like anyone my age, but interlaced fingers did something weird
to my insides. It felt nice. Too nice. And repulsive at the same time. I shook
his comfortable grip off and stuffed my hand into my back jeans pocket.
He glanced my way but merely motioned me to follow around a bend.
The ground slanted beneath my feet, telling me we were going down into
the earth, but the pitch was easy and the hard-packed earth smooth. The
deeper we went, the cooler the air became. Typical cave atmosphere, though
try as I might I couldn’t recall a cave being in this part of the woods. He
wasn’t kidding when he said the camarilla territory was hidden. Not by a
long shot.
As we walked, a curious light illuminated several feet ahead. Faint
turquoise, eye-catching violet, and a pink that was somewhere between
neon and pastel shimmered against the smooth stone walls. My mind
conjured pictures from Indiana Jones, where lost treasure sat in tucked-
away niches. The fantastic kind that came with booby-traps and ancient
curses. Though I guess, maybe, the curses part might not be so far off.
I chuckled, amused at the thought. I could just picture the two of us
hauling ass out the way we came, some ginormous boulder chasing us
down.
“Anything you want to share?” Kale asked, curiosity touching the arch
of his brow.
I gestured at the approaching light. “You’re hiding the Well of Souls,
aren’t you?”
His expression crinkled with puzzlement. “Huh?”
“Never mind.” Clearly someone lacked an appreciation for classic films.
“The light?” he pressed.
“No, genius, the stone.”
A smirk formed at one corner of his mouth. “Just wait.”
 Wait on what? Unless they’d trapped the Northern Lights down here—
which I would have cut off thumbs to see—a strange glow didn’t promise
anything exciting. So it was a little light. A little rainbow effect that would
probably end up being some strand of Christmas bulbs strung—
I stopped dead in my tracks, a gasp sliding from my lips. Illuminated
against a recessed portion of smooth stone, those vibrant colors morphed
into a work of art. Had it been outside, in the heart of a big city, the pictures
could have been graffiti. There were no precise images, just elaborate,
intricate designs that overlapped and intertwined with one another until they
were all one big collage.
More than that—though the art itself was amazing—was the 3-D quality
the lights possessed. They were frescoed in such a fashion that it looked
like tiny lasers projected the radiant beams, though nothing indicated they
came from a mechanized source. I reached out, spellbound, and dipped my
fingers into a narrow line of lime green. The colors oozed with the motion
of my hand, following my fingers like some living watercolor.
“Pretty huh?” Kale asked quietly.
His voice drew me out of my mystified trance. Slowly, I turned a circle,
inspecting my surroundings, certain I’d discover what device cast the
picture on the wall.
“The healers handle the decorating.” Kale reached into the design and
swirled a shaft of opaque white.
“How?” The word tumbled free in all its dumbfounded glory.
Kale shrugged. “Anyone who has magic in their blood can do it. Even
kids. It’s really just a hat-trick, but it keeps the healers busy most of the
time.”
Wait. I had magic in my bloodstream. Did that mean I could do this sort
of thing?
Kale must have read the question in my expression, or maybe it was the
way I studied him, like I was waiting for him to bust out laughing at my
gullibility. He held out his hand, palm up, fingers closed in a loose fist. As
he opened his hand, he murmured a quiet word I’d never heard before.
No sparks shot from his fingers. No tendrils of light danced off his skin.
But against the wall, just beside the breathtaking mural, a small green rabbit
danced to life.
“Go ahead.” He gave me a grin. “You try.”
 Despite the excitement that stirred behind my ribs, I tucked my hand
back into my pocket and shook my head. “That’s okay.” With my absolute
lack of control over my gifts, the trick would probably fizzle out, and I
definitely didn’t want to experience that sort of humiliation.
“Seriously, Halle. Give it a try. It’s super simple.” He grabbed my
forearm and pried my hand out of my pocket. “Make a fist.”
Chewing on my lower lip, I obliged. Damn, I so did not want to do this
in front of him. But double damn, I wanted to accomplish this.
“Now, think of something you want to appear. Anything. When you
open your palm, the command is marosi.”
Marosi. I rolled the word around on my tongue, sifting through various
ideas in my head. A beach scene leapt to mind, but I tamped that down.
Better keep it simple. The disappointment would be easier to bear. Not to
mention the embarrassment.
Instead, I thought of the simplest thing I could imagine—a red and black
ladybug. Two colors—limit the potential for error.
Mimicking his quiet utterance, I splayed my fingers and murmured the
command. Warmth sizzled across my palm, a pleasant tingling that made
my heart skip a beat or three. This was happening. Really happening!
Expectantly, I watched the wall, waiting for my stunning ladybug to
leap to life. A black spot formed on the stone. Before I could blink, that
spot grew legs and antennae and a fat, round little body. Splashes of red
wove in, and I swear, one fragile wing fluttered into place atop its back.
Oh, my God! I’d done it! I really managed to do something with magic
when I wanted it to happen. It didn’t matter that the colors were reversed—
red spots instead of black—I had cast a spell. Holy shit!
Kale cleared his throat, choking back a laugh that lingered in his eyes.
“Not bad for your first time.”
His gaze held mine, and something changed then. I don’t know if it was
him, if it was me, or if it was really tangible or not. But that same odd
warmth I’d felt across my palm spread into my chest. He had given me this,
and the gift wasn’t lost on me. Years and years of frustration began to give
way to the possibility that maybe Kale was right. Maybe by joining up with
them there was hope for me. That I could, somehow, master control over
the odd power I had stumbled onto as a kid.
 I stared at the backward ladybug, soaking everything in. When I’d left
my dingy warehouse corner earlier tonight, I’d been on a mission. One that
was destined to fail. In the hours since, I’d come to understand more about
me that I’d ever suspected. And this pain in the ass man had given me a
certain sort of freedom no one else had ever offered.
“Can I try again?” I asked quietly.
His voice was warm and soothing as he answered, “I’ll wait as long as
you want.”
That same sense of nervous, excited, anticipation slid over me again as I
sifted through possibilities in my mind. I finally settled on a tree. Not
anything outrageous like the romantic willows by the lake or the dogwoods
that flowered in spring. A simple brown trunk with a green top.
When I opened my palm this time, the image looked more reasonable.
The colors were in the right places, but the shape itself was fuzzy. Like
watercolor on canvas, compared to the three-dimensional holographic art
the healers created. Then again, when it came to art, stick figures were
masterpieces for me. Nevertheless, I wasn’t satisfied. I tried again.
And again. And again. Until a dozen or more little random pictures
adorned the wall. My final attempt was a swirling, dark grey tornado. My
mark, so to speak. That image worked more than I had expected. It actually
moved against the wall, turning in stationary circles, altering size and shape
at intervals.
“It’s all in how much reality you picture in your head.” Kale broke the
silence he’d lapsed into while I piddled with what amounted to magical
crayons.
“Guess that explains that.” Satisfied, I tucked my hands back into my
pocket. “We can go now.” I’d done it. I’d really freakin’ done it. Giddiness
threatened to plaster a goofy grin on my face.
“Happy?” he asked as he started down the tunnel once more.
What an odd question. I don’t think anyone had asked me how I felt
since Mom passed. I really didn’t know how to answer, so I scoffed and
shrugged, playing my sense of accomplishment off. “Ask me when I can
summon the real thing.”
The faintest shadow of a frown crossed his face, but he didn’t say
anything. In fact, he left me to study the other fantastic pictures we passed
in complete silence, not speaking until we reached the end of the tunnel and
hit a staircase that led both up and down.
Kale pointed down. “Residential quarters for those who want to live in
the camarilla and guests.”
“People live here? Underground?”
“It’s not so underground. There’s a full garden down there, including a
fresh-water pond, year-round flowers, and a tire swing.”
“Yeah right.” Hello—did he think I was born yesterday? I knew enough
about geology to discount that fantastic claim. Caves did not bear soil. Even
if they did, sunlight was out of the question.
“Seriously.” Kale grinned.
“Oh, you mean more of the healers’ work.” That I could accept. Some
of the art I’d passed looked real enough to convince a person there were
portals to different worlds on these walls.
He shook his head, his grin broadening. “Gerard doesn’t lead the
camarilla because he can control a little wind, Halle. Nor does his advisory
council merely study old scrolls and history lessons.” He mounted the stairs
leading up. “C’mon. You’ll see the residential quarters soon enough. By
now your magic has been sensed, and they’re likely waiting on us.”
“Sensed?” I echoed as I followed him up the elaborate stone.
“Everyone is different. As you become familiar with magic, you’ll
recognize imprints, if you will, of those you work with. Particularly those
you don’t.”
I filed the information away. I was still too full of that unsettling
giddiness and warmth to wrap my head around everything. Kale had
liberated me. Even after I sent him into convulsions with a stray lightning
bolt. He hadn’t held that mishap against me—another something I didn’t
fail to miss.
Though experience told me favors weren’t often granted without an
expectation of something in return. Kale wasn’t stupid. He had sense
enough to recognize opportunity. And by teaching me something about my
crazy power, he surely knew I owed him one. Maybe two.
I decided to explore my options. “You said the camarilla needs me.
What for?” God, did this climb never end? And had we just passed a door?
I glanced over my shoulder, but the shadow I’d seen no longer presented.
 Kale’s steps slowed, as if he resisted the question physically. “It’s pretty
complicated.”
My gaze narrowed on the back of his head—just what I expected.
Evasion was the first hint someone wanted something pretty drastic. “Most
things are. Spit it out, buddy.”
His stride faltered. Once. I wouldn’t have noticed if I wasn’t watching
him so closely. My pulse ratcheted up a notch. What had I gotten myself
into? No, better yet, what did he want from me?
Anger rushed up, overriding sense. “I knew it!” Coming to an abrupt
stop in the middle of the staircase, I gripped the railing like I wanted to grab
onto his neck. “You aren’t bringing me here to teach me my abilities. It’s
just a ruse. Maybe I’ll learn something, but there’s something in this for
you!”
I was so out of here. I’d actually believed him when he said he had no
stake in whether I came along or not. Damn it, I should have known better.
I turned, intending to bolt back the way I came.
“No!” He whipped around in the same motion, saving me from the
sudden realization that I couldn’t go home without his help by forcing me
into an argument. “No, Halle. It’s not that!”
Kale jogged down the four steps that separated us and stopped on the
one above me. More quietly, he repeated, “It’s not that at all.”
There was something in his expression, something open and genuine.
Something I’d only ever witnessed in my sister’s face. Something…decent.
I couldn’t stop my scowl, but down in my gut, I sensed Kale was telling the
truth, and I didn’t want to acknowledge it.
He reached for my hand. I didn’t pull away. Not even when his warm
fingers curved around mine and his thumb gently stroked the back of mine.
“We’re in a war of sorts.” The breath he puffed out was hard and heavy.
“Gerard thinks you can tip the scale to our advantage.”
“A war? Why me? I’m powerless.” And from what I’d seen, Kale was
strong. If he wasn’t advantage enough, I certainly had nothing to offer. Not
that I particularly wanted to get caught up in a war either. But I wasn’t
going to do that, anyway. I was going to learn my stuff and go back to my
hunt for my uncle.
“Really, let’s talk about this with Gerard. I know he’s waiting on us, and
the longer he waits, the shorter his temper gets.”
 He could wait all damn day as far as I was concerned.
“Please?” Kale brushed his thumb across mine again.
Maybe it was that undesirable caress, maybe it had just been so long
since I’d heard the word please that my defenses failed me. But I felt my
entire body sag as anger seeped away. “Fine,” I muttered, yanking my
fingers out of his grasp once more. “Just stop touching me.”
He looked at me for a long moment, scrutinizing me in that way that
made me feel like I was suddenly naked. Just as I lifted my foot to shift my
weight, he broke the disturbing eye contact and mounted the stairs again. I
followed, feeling much like I’d just survived an earthquake. My legs sure
felt unsteady enough to have been standing on violently shaking ground.
Damn him. What was it about Kale Norwood that unbalanced me? He
was just a guy. So what if he was good looking? At the core of it all, he was
just a random, every-day, magic-wielding man, bent on turning the world I
thought I understood upside down.

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Six
We walked the rest of the way in silence. Three full flights of silence. I
don’t know what went on in his head, but his steps seemed heavier, more
reluctant, not the purposeful stride he’d started out with. What glimpses I
caught of his face as we rounded corners gave me the impression he chewed
on serious thoughts. Things that probably should have concerned me, but I
was too busy mulling over my own matters.
I liked this guy. Not in the sense of I wanted to jump in his pants. Not
even in the sense that I wanted to explore something personal with him—
personal wasn’t my thing. But on a human-to-human level, I liked him. He
screwed up, he made no excuses, and he didn’t apologize. Yet he owned his
actions. And that I respected. Too many people were too busy pointing the
finger at others, or even society, and if they did make a poor decision they
were too quick to dodge their ownership.
Call it a begrudging like, because I certainly didn’t want to like him.
That I did, after everything today, really baffled me, and I was too busy
trying to figure out precisely how it happened to notice we had stopped.
Until I smashed into his broad back with my nose.
He stumbled a step forward. I tumbled into the space he’d occupied. We
both snatched at the railing and caught ourselves before face-planting it into
the ground. When I landed on one knee, I caught his bemused smirk. A
laugh bubbled free, despite my irritation.
The sound must have shocked him because he arched that solitary
eyebrow again. Then, before I could tell him to can it, he let out a low
rumbling laugh as well. In seconds, we were both chuckling pretty heartily.
Kale offered me a hand. “Here. Unless that counts as touching, too.”
“I think I got it.” I ignored his outstretched fingers and shoved to my
feet again. “You could warn me next time.”
“Warn you?” Amusement touched his voice. “I was standing there a
good thirty seconds before you smacked into me. Where were you?”
“In my head. Are we here?” Glancing around, I took in the recessed
enclave. This resembled a cave. Much more so than the tunnels we’d
walked through. Tall stalagmites joined with stalactites to form mineral-
filled columns throughout the room. The same not-quite-neon lights
reflected off the irregular formations, adding a bright turquoise
luminescence to every surface it touched. As far as I could see, the corridor
had no end.
“Yeah, we’re here.” Kale stepped back and swept his hand across his
body, indicating the enclosure. “This is the grand hall. Receiving room here.
Over there—” he gestured right “—the chamber where the advisory council
meets. To the left, behind those glass doors is where clan dignitaries used to
meet.”
“Dignitaries? Are we speaking the same language—you mean like
heads of state?”
He nodded as he indicated I should move toward the council meeting
rooms. “Once upon a time, the magical community wasn’t so divided. We
worked together on many things.”
“You realize this is an awful lot to just…accept, don’t you?”
“Oh, in time, Halle Rhoads, it will all seem like second nature,” a husky
woman’s voice rang out from somewhere behind us.
I could have sworn Kale flinched.
I turned to investigate our eavesdropper. From a thick shadow alongside
a glittering column, a woman with platinum hair down to her waist stepped
forward. She didn’t smile, that I could see. I can’t explain it really—I could
feel the smile, but nothing ever shifted on her face to show the gesture. And
that smile, that feeling, wasn’t warm and friendly. Rather, it felt superior.
“I’m glad you decided to join us,” she continued as she approached
where Kale and I stood. “It’s about time, after all. You’ve been running
loose for too long.”
Loose? Like some dog without a leash? Suspicion gripped me hard. If
coming here meant I suddenly had to check in about my whereabouts or
activities, this little excursion was at an end.
The woman stopped in front of us, and vivid green eyes locked on Kale.
“Did she give you much trouble? We all know how she can be.”
Okay, bitch had seriously better watch herself. I opened my mouth to
tell her she didn’t know the meaning of trouble, but Kale beat me to words.
“That’s enough, Beth.”
This time she did smile. She turned that bright and sugary expression on
Kale like she had just pictured him as the main course on a dinner buffet.
“That’s right, you wouldn’t have trouble. You’re far too talented.” She
trailed elegant fingers ever-so-lightly up his muscular forearm.
Her praise was so fake I wanted to gag. She might have never-ending
long legs and curves like a wine glass, but if Kale fell for that pathetic
flattery I was going to kick him in the shins. Hard.
He stared, pointedly, at the place where her fingers rested on his skin.
“My talents are my business, Beth.” Taking one deliberate step back, he
separated himself. “And they’ll stay that way.”
Go, Kale! It took every bit of discipline I possessed to not cackle aloud.
But I couldn’t control a satisfied smirk. One that still lingered on my face
when her smile retreated and she looked at me once more. Almost
imperceptibly, her gaze narrowed. I resisted the urge to stick my tongue out
at her. Childish, maybe. But damn, it would have felt good.
She pushed between us, long confident strides carrying her to the
council room he’d indicated moments earlier. “I think they’re waiting on
us.” As she slapped a palm against the door and stalked inside, the flimsy
fabric of her silver dress ruffled around her knees.
Kale waited for the door to clunk shut behind her before releasing a hard
breath. “And that’s Beth. One of the most powerful sorceresses in the
camarilla.”
My smirk broadened. “Sorceress or seductress?”
“So you noticed?”
“Do I look naive? Cause really, only a virgin might miss that. Even then,
she’d have had to been locked in a dungeon most of her life.”
His laughter reappeared, low and rumbling, and really pleasant on the
ears. “No, naïve doesn’t exactly come to mind. After you.” He gestured at
the closed door.
I followed his directive. “Bet she’s not used to someone being immune
to her…magic.”
His voice dropped to a confidential tone. “Would you believe she’s my
stepmother?”
As I stepped through the doorway, I muttered beneath my breath, “And I
thought I had family issues.” Ironically, our issues weren’t that different,
but I didn’t intend to volunteer that tidbit.
I couldn’t hear his response through the sudden commotion in the room.
Chairs pushed away from a small table in the center of the room, wooden
legs scraping loudly over the stone floor. Murmurs broke out as six gathered
people hurried to stand.
A tall man, with sandy blond hair and features that identically matched
Kale’s rushed forward from the group to greet us. He clasped Kale by the
hand and gave a firm shake. “Kale. Nicely done. Thank you.”
At Kale’s short nod, he released his hand and reached for mine. “Halle,
welcome. It’s so nice to finally meet you. I’m Gerard.”
I eyed his hand. Glanced between both men. The resemblances were
like mirror images. One maybe twenty years younger than the other. And
the pride that reflected in the older man’s eyes as he looked at Kale made
the connection all the more obvious. Father and son.
Well, shit. That little tidbit had been conveniently neglected. To express
my displeasure, I refused to take his hand. “I’m not sure I can say the
same.”
Gerard looked genuinely taken aback. But as the shock washed from his
expression, he shook his head and concern reflected in his blue eyes. “I’m
sorry you feel that way. I hope you’ll allow me to try and change your
opinion.”
I held onto Kale’s gaze. “Maybe if people would start telling me the full
truth from the get go…”
To his credit, Kale had the decency to look chagrined.
Gerard studied his son. “Is there something you want to tell me, Kale?”
He squinted at me. “No. Everything’s fine.”
“Peachy,” I echoed with a tight smile.
“Yes, well.” Gerard cleared his throat. “Would you like to sit down? Can
I get you anything? Water, soda, something to eat?”
I shook my head. “I’m good. Thanks.” I spied a chair sitting just outside
the seats that encircled the table and dropped into it. With deliberate
arrogance, I tossed my feet on the table and crossed my ankles. It wouldn’t
do to let them think I wanted to be here. If they did, they could leverage me.
If I acted disinterested, they’d work harder to convince me to hang around
for a while. At least I hoped.
Kale dragged a chair into the group, wedging himself between a stocky
bald man with age spots on his forehead and a woman with grey hair bound
into a thick braid who had to have been well into her seventies. Though
when she moved her chair to accommodate him, her efforts were as
graceful as a woman in her thirties.
“Well, allow me to make some short introductions.” Gerard stood
behind his empty chair, his hands braced on the arched wood backrest. “You
know Kale. This is my wife, Beth.” He gestured to his left then indicated
the pudgy brown-haired woman sitting beside her. “And Eloise.” Moving
clockwise, he continued on to the bald man. “Jackson, and Maude on the
other side of Kale. And the twins are Leaf and Spring.”
Leaf gave me a boyish grin and tossed his untamed brown hair. “Pardon
the hippy influence.”
“Yeah.” Spring let out a light laugh, her wavy brown hair as
uncontrolled as her brother’s. “Can’t control the parents.”
They could say that again. Though I had to admit, if this was the council
of elders, their youth didn’t quite fit. They couldn’t have been much older
than me.
Even Gerard chuckled. “Leaf and Spring’s parents were a bit eccentric.
But their knowledge was exceptional, and the twins knew more about the
camarilla and our ways by the time they were teens, than many of us have
learned in lifetimes.”
Ah. Kid geniuses maybe. Or bookworms. I nodded, gave a small wave
with my hand. “I’m Halle.”
“We know. Otherwise you wouldn’t be here.” Beth trilled a laugh, but I
sensed the venom beneath.
She didn’t like me. Who knew why—I certainly didn’t care. The feeling
was damned mutual. I couldn’t put my finger on exactly what it was about
her that made me want to squirm away, but it went beyond her grossly
exaggerated flirtation moments earlier. There was something off about the
way she looked at me. Some deep secret reflecting in her green eyes.
Something I wanted to know, yet sensed I’d regret hearing.
Gerard took a seat and continued talking, but I didn’t hear him. I was
too busy studying Beth. I guessed her to be about ten years younger than
Gerard. She was pretty enough that I could see why he would be drawn to
her. Tall and slender, she wasn’t model beautiful, but she cut a very striking
picture. A definite sense of power emanated from her; she was cool and
collected, reserved and contemplative. And clearly the elders in the room
respected her.
 “Are you agreeable to that, Halle?” Gerard asked.
Oh, crap. Nothing like being caught not paying attention. I blinked and
shook my head. “I’m sorry. Could you…repeat that?”
If he took offense to my distraction, he disguised it well. He merely set
his forearms on the table and clasped his fingers together. “Of course. I was
saying that I presumed, given your presence here, that you’ve agreed to stay
on and learn about your powers.”
I nodded.
“And given the significant amount of training you need to catch up on, I
anticipate you’d need about six weeks to be effectively using your
abilities.”
“Six weeks?” I blurted. “Um, no. I have things to do.” In six weeks, the
fall storm season would pass. I didn’t intend to wait until spring to deal with
my uncle. No way in hell.
As Gerard drew back in surprise, Kale leaned forward, rushing to an
explanation. “Halle agreed to give it a shot for three days. Then we’ll
regroup and see what she wants to do.”
“I see,” Gerard murmured thoughtfully.
“That’s understandable,” Spring interjected. “You can’t really blame her.
This must be all so new. I think I’d be hesitant too.” She flashed me a
warm, encouraging smile.
“Right, right.” Clearing his throat again, Gerard drew his hands into his
lap. “Well, we’ll make do and hope you’ll be inclined to stay longer.” He
turned an affectionate look on Beth. “Beth is very talented. I’m sure she can
give you a good foundation in three days.”
Beth let out a quiet, mocking laugh. “Of course I can. I didn’t anticipate
this would be easy when I agreed to take her on as my intermediate.”
Wait. That woman was going to teach me how to use my gifts? No.
Fucking. Way. I dropped my feet to the floor and pushed my chair away
from the table. “I think I’ll pass after all.”
Kale’s gaze snapped to me. His brow furrowed with puzzlement. “I
thought we had an agreement.”
“You and I had an agreement.” I tipped my head toward Beth. “She and
I didn’t.”
He stared at me for a long moment, his frown deepening with each
ticking second.
 “Perhaps I could work with her,” Maude offered hesitantly.
Kale arched an eyebrow at me.
I shook my head.
“I think we could work with that, Maude.” Gerard pushed his chair
away and stood. “There’s an empty room down the hall from yours, isn’t
there? You wouldn’t have the adjoining door, but—”
I nudged Kale’s foot and shot him a look, silently ordering him to do
something if he intended to have me stay at all. He pursed his lips and
glanced at Gerard, who was outlining plans in full swing.
“I’ll teach her,” Kale interrupted.
By George, I think he got the message! I relaxed significantly. Kale I
could take for three days. We’d already established ourselves. No way was I
going to be stuck for three days with someone I had said a mere three words
to. Certainly not a magic-wielding someone I’d said three words to.
The entire room hushed. No one moved, though every gaze fastened on
him. I suddenly got the feeling he’d said something very taboo.
Gerard broke the silence first. “You?”
“That’s not done!” Beth objected.
Yep, definitely taboo. Odd. I didn’t exactly picture him as the rule-
breaking kind.
The bald man, Jackson, shook his head, disbelieving. “Kale, you’re a
warrior. We need you elsewhere.”
For the first time since my arrival, Eloise spoke up. Her voice held all
the grace that Beth’s should have. “You know how things are going, Kale.
Your talents are better suited—”
“No.” He stood and pushed his chair into the table. “I made the
agreement with her. I’ll see it…”
He trailed away, his attention riveted on the wall behind me. Maude
turned in the same direction, and her eyes widened. One by one, every other
gaze pulled to that same spot. Slowly, I looked over my shoulder, half
expecting to see some horrific creature looming over me. But nothing
seemed out of the ordinary. Iron sconces lit the wall with the same bright
colorful glow as the columns in the large hall beyond. Another magnificent
picture radiated against the stonework. And a large glass orb mounted in the
center of the wall glowed a brilliant crimson color.
“Dear me,” Eloise murmured. “They’ve found a way in.”
 No sooner had the words left her mouth, than a vicious, bloodthirsty
snarling reached my ears.
Kale snatched me by the hand, jerked me to my feet. “Come on!”
Before I could squeak out a single syllable, he bolted for the door,
dragging me in tow.

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Seven
We descended the stairs twice as fast as we’d come up. I didn’t have time
for questions; it took all my concentration to keep from tripping and
breaking my neck. We passed people, going both directions, most of them,
however, ascending. He led me all the way down, past the landing we
started on, into the residential quarters.
The garden wasn’t an exaggeration. In fact, garden didn’t do it justice. It
was more like an oasis, and Kale headed straight for it. He raced around the
gazebo, across an ankle-deep creek, beneath the shade of a huge old oak,
and through a decorative cast iron gate into a long hallway that dead-ended
in a flat, undecorated, stone wall.
A stone wall he wasn’t slowing down for.
“Kale wh—”
“Kravetch!”
It hit me then—the almost painful prickling of my skin. In an instant,
the odd sensation vanished, along with the wall, and we barreled into a dark
recess. Kale finally slowed, then stopped all together. As I doubled-over,
gasping for breath, he turned back the way we’d come, muttered two more
words I couldn’t comprehend, and a faint light filled the blackness.
“What…the hell?” I managed to ask between gasps. A sharp pain
snaked up my side, and I pressed my fist into it, still bracing one hand on
my knees. He was seriously going to pay for this once the burning in my
lungs stopped. How the hell wasn’t he panting like I was?
“Yaksini.” He slid down the wall, took a seat, and braced his feet in
front of him. He rested his arms on parted knees. “Your uncle’s clan.”
My uncle’s what? My head snapped up, all annoyance forgotten. “Did
you just say my uncle’s clan?”
“Yeah.” He let out a sigh and rested his head against the wall. “Dark
magic—we’ve been opposed to them for years. But recently your uncle has
made it his personal mission to destroy us, the Tovenar.”
My head began to spin. I wasn’t hearing this right. There weren’t a
dozen other people out to destroy my uncle. That was my job. My right.
“Keep talking.”
 A shadow passed across Kale’s expression, but it vanished as he ran a
hand through his hair. “Gerard—”
“Your father,” I interjected, just in case he doubted that I’d noticed.
He paused for a heartbeat, long enough for his lips to purse before he
consented with a slow nod. “Yeah. My father.”
“You should have told me.”
He nodded again, every bit as slow and thoughtful. “Yeah, I probably
should have. I’m sorry.”
Wow. An apology? I eased myself onto the floor in front of him, sitting
Indian-style. I’d save the interrogation on family relations for later. If he
was apologizing, this must be serious.
A deep, short boom rumbled around us. My heartbeat kicked up a notch,
and unease filtered into my spine. Glancing around nervously, I urged,
“Keep going.”
Kale tapped the wall behind him. “Those are our warriors. They’re
defending the woodland perimeter. The snarl you heard—all activity on the
eastern border is amplified magically and filtered inside here so we can’t be
taken by surprise.”
“So the Yaksini broke through the perimeter? How? Why?” I cocked my
head, regarding him thoughtfully. “And if you’re a warrior, shouldn’t you
be out there too?”
“Yeah.” His gaze turned toward the ceiling, a touch introspective.
“Yeah, I should be. But I made you a deal, and I keep my word.”
Okay, talk about making a girl feel guilty. I didn’t want to be his
obligation. Not by a long shot. At the same time, as an agonized scream
filled the small cavern, I was awfully glad he wasn’t out there. Strange, I
know. I only vaguely knew what the word friendship meant. And yet, I
couldn’t stand the thought of his being harmed.
Maybe because he’d gone to such lengths to keep me safe. Maybe it was
some sort of internal mutual protection thing. He’d saved me a couple times
over; therefore, I was going to will him into safety since I had no idea how
to pull off the physical act.
Maybe it was just the fated nature of our relationship.
“Anyway,” Kale continued, bringing his gaze level with mine again.
Gerard’s power is fading. All the elders do. It takes about a hundred and
fifty years, but then it starts to wan. That’s why he married Beth. She can
infuse him, so to speak, for a while.”
“Whoa. You mean to tell me your father is over one hundred years old?”
His mouth curved into a damn sexy smirk. “Over two. Two hundred and
fourteen, to be precise.”
I could help it; I had to know. “And…you?”
He chuckled. “How old are you, Halle?”
I scowled. “None of your business.” No way was I going to have him
start treating me like some little kid by confessing I was just twenty-two.
Particularly if he was ancient or something.
“We can trade that info later then.” He leaned back against the wall
again and closed his eyes.
Another boom reverberated off the walls, punctuated by the chilling
echo of those gurgling snarls. Shouts broke out. Unintelligible words I
couldn’t decipher, but definitely masculine.
“That’s why Gerard wants your help. Others can control storms. It’s
almost natural for our kind. But no one, not even Beth, has commanded a
tornado.” Opening his eyes, he pinned me with a heavy, meaningful look.
So that’s why she didn’t like me. Now it made sense. As powerful as she
might be, I somehow intimidated her.
I left Beth out of the conversation for the time being. “Gerard thinks I
can overpower my uncle?”
“He thinks you have the means.”
“Let me get this straight, your father wants me to take that bastard out?”
A sense of pure, unadorned giddiness crept down my spine. This was too
good to be true.
“Not exactly.”
Yep, damn it—too good to be true.
“You can’t kill him. Not until we recover something that he has. Once
we do…” He shrugged. “Maybe you’ll have your full power then.”
“Well that’s simple enough.” I chuckled, my sense of excitement
returning once again. “Tell me where it is, and I’ll get it. I can sneak into his
house when he’s not around. When my sister is at school and Aunt Peg is
out.”
Kale shook his head, soft laughter rumbling in his chest. “It’s not that
simple. It’s heavily guarded.”
 It was my turn to shrug. He clearly hadn’t seen my ability to procure the
things I needed without ever being discovered. A kid didn’t survive on the
streets for as many years as I had without developing certain, shall we say,
talents. He’d learn. Now, however, wasn’t the time to brag about my
criminal activities.
Weird wailing broke out beyond the wall. A sound that took the form of
an anguished sob but also resembled a coyote’s howl. Whatever it was
made my blood turn cold. Reflexively, I held my breath. Waiting. For what,
I didn’t know. But I sensed it would come.
“Banshees.” Definite concern etched into his features. “If they’re out
there…” He rose and began to prowl the confinement. After a few paces, he
slapped an open palm on the wall. “Damn!”
“What is it, Kale?”
“It’s…” He shook his head as if to clear his thoughts. “Nothing. I’m
sure my men will take care of them. Just stay away from the eastern
border.”
It was definitely something. I didn’t press, though. Truth to tell, I wasn’t
certain I wanted to know. Not if it could provoke that depth of concern from
Kale.
“Can they…get in here?”
“The compound?” He chuckled again. “Not likely. If they did, it would
be because no one would be left to defend it. Our magic is strong out there,
but it’s tripled inside these walls. The stone feeds it.”
“Huh?”
He eased back into a sitting position, opposite me once more. “Our
magic is natural, Halle. It comes from the living things around us.”
“Please. Rocks aren’t alive.”
“But they were.” He pinched a handful of sand-sized pebbles off the
stone floor. “They started out as minerals and crystals. Their atoms
rearranged of their own accord and compounded. Those minerals and
crystals still have atomic energy. It might not be like plutonium, able to do
something tangible, but it’s there all the same.” He let the gravel sift
through his fingers. “It’s tangible to any magic user. Just like air, and water,
and sunlight.”
Oh good God, if science was part of this learning magic business, I was
doomed to fail. I’d tried chemistry in eighth grade. Let’s just say I definitely
didn’t come out on the winning side of that battle.
Kale smiled at me then, really smiled. The kind of sympathetic,
charming smile that could get a girl in trouble if she wasn’t paying real
close attention to what tumbled out of a guy’s mouth next.
To my horror, my heart fluttered. Damn it! I was immune to those
smiles. What the hell was wrong with me?
“It’s a lot easier in practice, not theory.” He leaned back, his weight
braced on his hands. “All you really need to understand is magic is natural
and comes from everything around us, while the Yaksini’s doesn’t.”
Ignoring the way my pulse struggled back into a normal rhythm, I
focused on the conversation. “What is theirs?”
“Undead, unholy, devil-powers—call it whatever you want. It’s dark,
it’s corrupt, and it’s deadly.”
Oh. Joy. Just what I wanted to get myself into. A war between things
that likely came straight from horror novels. On the other hand, if it was the
only way to damage my uncle before he could hurt my sister more, I didn’t
have much choice.
“I’m going to kill him, Kale.”
He remained silent.
“Just so you know. If that disagrees with you in some way, you better
take me back to my warehouse. He’s hurt my sister. And before he can hurt
her more, he has to go.”
His blue eyes filled with a speculative light. His voice was quiet. “What
did your dad do, Halle?”
Everything inside me turned as rigid as the stone surrounding us. That
subject was off limits. Only Aunt Peg knew, and it was going to stay that
way.
Kale must have observed the stiffening of my spine. He glanced up at
the tall ceiling, tipped his head as if listening, then jumped to his feet.
“Sounds like its over. Let’s go see what happened.” He stretched out his
hand, offering to help me to my feet.
This time, I took it. Maybe I needed the contact after the memory of my
father. It had been years since I’d confronted the memory like that. Maybe it
was just okay to let Kale help with something so innocent. I really didn’t
know. But for once, it was kinda nice to put my trust out like that. Even if it
did only last for a handful of seconds.
 When I was on my feet again, I stuffed my hands into my pockets. “You
think everyone’s okay?”
He shook his head. “The banshees were here—I’m certain I lost men.
Probably good friends. But that’s the nature of war.”
“Yeah, I guess so,” I mumbled, uncertain what else to say. It hit me then,
Kale Norwood wore the same hard shell I did. Some might call it calloused
or cold and unfeeling. Really, it was all just a measure of self-preservation.

OceanofPDF.com
Eight
We stopped on a different floor this time. One of the many in between the
level I’d first seen and the residential quarters. I made a mental note to
investigate that oasis in the cave’s belly later. Its existence fascinated me.
When Kale opened the door off the landing, chaos greeted us. Men and
woman raced back and forth, moving between seated wounded and a few
on cot-like beds. Those who had been wearing white now wore bloodstains
as well. Moans filled the air, along with urgent directives.
This is real.
The dawning settled over me, weighing down my feet. All of this was
real. The magic. The war. The people dying, maybe, in front of me. And for
some reason…all of them were depending on me. Me.
I so didn’t want that responsibility. I couldn’t handle it. I was twenty-
two for God’s sake, and I hadn’t had a family since my mother died. I didn’t
want to be depended on—I wanted to go to the beach. My entire life, for the
most part, was built on freedoms I’d created, and that kind of responsibility
only trapped me.
I edged closer to the door, letting Kale go to Gerard, who stood in the
center of the room, conferring with two men who looked to be around
Kale’s age. He joined them, clasped the shoulder of a black-haired man, and
said something that the noise swallowed. From their torn shirts and the
dried blood smeared across their faces, I guessed they were fellow warriors.
Both strangers turned to look at me.
I lifted my chin, held their steady gazes. Nothing to look at here, guys.
They turned, once more immersed in conversation. As I watched, Kale’s
head bent. His shoulders expanded as he heaved a heavy breath. He twisted
away from the trio and wandered to the cot at the furthest end of the ward.
The occupied cot no one attended.
Kale took a knee beside the bed, his head bowed. A man lay on the
sheets. I couldn’t make out anything else but his general size—too large,
too broad for a woman. His face was exposed, or so I assumed. And across
the sheet that covered his torso spread a dark crimson stain.
 After a moment, Kale pushed to his feet, reached over the man, and
pulled the sheet to the headboard, covering him completely.
Oh, God. I was standing in the same room as a dead man. Chills spread
over my skin, and my stomach made an uncomfortable lurch. I didn’t do
dead mice, let alone dead people. I needed air. Now.
Reaching behind me, I fumbled for the door. It gave suddenly, opened
from the outside, nearly sending me flying backward on my ass. I managed
to keep my feet beneath me and scrambled onto the landing with a brief,
apologetic glance at a red-haired woman who looked every bit as surprised
as I.
She gave me a shy nod and skirted inside. The door shut heavily,
ominously, behind her. Silence descended around me, occasionally
punctuated by a harsh shout from within that healing ward.
I didn’t know how long I stood there, looking over the railing, down the
winding set of stairs. It could have been a few minutes, or a few hours. My
head swam with thoughts, each one making it that much harder to breathe.
Was my uncle’s demise really worth all this? Wouldn’t Gerard and his
people get what they wanted if I forged my own way and handled him as I
had intended? I knew I could get the storms to cooperate again. I just
needed to be passionate enough about it.
But what if I failed? What if the next thunderstorm came, and I tried,
and nothing happened? If I stayed here, my odds of success doubled, at
least. Wouldn’t Florida be just the same six weeks from now?
“Halle, are you all right?”
Kale’s voice spooked me so badly I almost pitched over the railing. One
hand clutched around the smooth iron bar, I jerked around to face him.
“Jeez, sneak around much?”
The ambient light shifted as he stuffed his fingers through his hair,
leaving it sticking up at odd angles. When he lowered his hand, lines of
strain I hadn’t noticed before etched into his handsome face, giving his age
suggestion. He still looked young, but he’d seen far more of life than
twenty-five years could allow.
“Yeah. I’m fine,” I answered. Question was, was he? That he didn’t
have a comeback for my smart remark revealed just how badly the attack
affected him.
 He sighed. “I’ll probably be tied up here most of the night. There’s still
at least one banshee out there. I’ve got to plan a counter initiative. You want
me to show you where you’ll be staying?”
“A counter initiative? You mean you’re going out there after it?”
His nod was distracted.
“Is that safe?” Stupid question. “I mean…of course it’s not safe. But,
will you, you know…Is that a good idea?” Good grief. Where had my
ability to talk gone?
Kale motioned for me to follow as he descended the stairs. “It has to be
done. We can’t leave a banshee on the loose.”
“But…” Why? I’d heard that scream. The evidence of what he might
face was in the room we’d just left.
“But?” he prompted.
The conversation was making me uncomfortable. I didn’t know how to
tell him that I didn’t want him getting hurt. Nor did I know why the idea of
his being injured made my stomach seize and my pulse run cold. So I did
what I normally did when I was uneasy. I fell back on sarcasm.
“You realize if you get hurt I’m going to be stuck with your peach of a
stepmother, right? And if that happens, she’s apt to come out of it missing
some hair. Maybe a displaced nose.”
Despite the air of melancholy that clung to his broad shoulders, he
chuckled. But his words were somber enough to make my throat dry. “It’s
what I do, Halle. I have to go.”
“Can’t you make the plans and send someone else?”
He glanced over his shoulder. “Worried about me?”
I scoffed. “Worried you’ll break our agreement. I came here to learn my
powers. I can’t do that if my teacher’s stuck in some cot.”
“Your consideration is heartwarming.”
Trying for my best light-hearted voice, I quipped, “That’s me. All
sugar.”
His pace quickened. “I’ll be fine. That’s why I have to go, not my men.”
I arched an eyebrow at the back of his head. “Are you immune or
something?”
“You could say so.”
“So you can’t get hurt.” Relief washed through me.
“Oh, I can be hurt. But a banshee can’t kill me.”
 Gee. So much for making a girl feel more confident. My stomach
clamped again, and I chewed on the inside of my cheek to stop a ridiculous
protest from slipping free. What he did wasn’t my concern. If he wanted to
put himself in danger, who was I to stop him? It wasn’t like I’d be seeing
Kale again after these three days passed.
I changed the subject. “I don’t think I can do this, Kale.”
“Sure you can. It’s as natural as breathing to someone who has magic in
their blood.” He hit the bottommost landing and waited for me to catch up.
“No, not the magic thing.” I jogged the rest of the way down, then went
in front of him, entering the brightly lit residential quarters. The sound of
trickling water filled my ears, creating a stark contrast between the cheerful
garden and the suffering I’d witnessed upstairs. “The thing where your
father is relying on me. I don’t want that responsibility.”
He chuckled again, gave a shake of his head.
“What?”
“I didn’t say anything.” He pointed to the far end of the flower-lined
walk. “Your room is over here.”
I matched his purposeful stride. “You laughed.”
“No, I humphed.”
“So what does humph mean?”
His shrug held a touch of arrogance. “Whatever you want it to mean.”
“Look.” I stopped abruptly, my hands set on my hips. “You didn’t ask
me to come down here and save the camarilla. You asked me to come here
for three days to learn about my powers.”
He kept walking. “Yes. And?”
Raising my voice, I addressed his back. “I don’t want people depending
on me.” When he didn’t respond, I said more loudly, “I don’t expect you to
understand. You’re like some general or something. People depending on
you is probably second nature. But I don’t do well that way.”
Kale finally turned around to look at me. “Don’t be so certain.” He
pushed aside the branches on a hedge bush I didn’t recognize. “We have
ducks here too. Be careful in the mornings. They take their ducklings on a
walk, and if you’re in their path, the drake will chase you.”
Ducks? Had he heard a word of what I’d just said? More importantly,
what did ducks have to do with the situation at hand? Throwing up my
hands, I let out a frustrated mutter. “Can you focus? Seriously.”
 He tossed me a questioning look. “Focus on what? If that’s how you
feel, then it’s not my place to change your mind. I don’t want to discuss
things right now. Come see the ducklings.”
Ducklings. Good lord. Then again, he did look harried. Maybe he just
needed something completely nonthreatening right now. I walked to where
he stood. Had I wanted him to object? Maybe put a little effort into
convincing me otherwise? Surely not. I mean, why would he? But if I
hadn’t wanted him to put up just a tiny bit of a fight, why did I feel so…
disappointed?
Ugh. He was getting to me. I was the one who needed to focus and
definitely not on Kale. My uncle was out there, my sister still residing in his
house. I needed to be concentrating on that problem, not whether Kale
cared if I hung around or not.
“I’m just saying,” I said as I walked through the branches he held aside,
“Three days is all I’m staying. No more. So don’t expect anything else from
me.”
He ushered me along with an impatient wave. “Fine. Would you hurry
up now, please? I said I didn’t want to talk about it right now.”
Resigned to the fact he seemed intent on blocking out the current
situation, I followed him down a path of terracotta pavers, across the
courtyard, and into the shade of a monstrous old oak. The place was so
pristine, so beautiful I couldn’t help but reach out a hand and stroke the
craggy bark. It was rough against my hand. Tiny ants wandered up and
down the massive trunk. This was no illusion—somehow this magnificent
old tree had found life in the bottom of a cave.
Kale came to a stop, the toes of his boots brushing a clump of reeds.
“The first of the Tovenar planted the sapling after bringing down dirt. The
light spell is all they added. Everything else is what mother nature
intended.”
Mystified, I looked out over the water. When he’d said pond, I’d
pictured something I might see above ground. Instead, I looked on
crystalline water that pooled in a multi-color rock bed. Shades of red,
cream, and grey all sparkled beneath the mirror-smooth surface. Tiny little
minnows darted beneath the surface, seemingly playing tag between the
long fins of four calico koi.
“Those aren’t natural.” I pointed at the ornate fish.
 “Okay. Yeah. Someone bought koi and lugged them down here.” He
pushed aside the reeds and moved closer to the water’s edge. “Come here.
The ducklings are at the other end.”
“And you had to have bought the ducks,” I mumbled as I crouched
beside him.
He nudged me in the ribs. “Stop taking the fun out of things.”
I answered with a grin.
Kale dipped his fingers into the water and swirled them in a lazy circle.
“Here, ducks.”
At the far end of the little pond, a pair of black and white ducks floated
in the shade of an overhanging rock formation. Darting in between their
plump bodies, four tiny ducklings that were just sprouting adult feathers
dabbed their bills into the water and splashed around. They were all a blend
of creamy-yellow, but one in particular made me suppress a giggle. On the
top of its head, its feathers were arranged in a cotton ball-like cap, giving it
a rather clownish appearance.
I had to admit—they were adorable. And I wasn’t usually the kind of
aww, cute! girl.
“Duckies,” Kale called again, tapping the surface a little more
forcefully.
The largest of the duckling quartet pivoted until it faced Kale. It let out a
purposeful quack then shoved its entire head beneath the water, only to
surface again, much closer. On its tail feathers, the other three followed suit.
Surprisingly, the hen and drake showed no interest in tagging along after
their brood. Soon all four ducklings were bobbing on the water just in front
of Kale’s hand, dark eyes looking up at him expectantly.
“I usually have some bread crust for them,” he explained. He wagged
his fingers over the top of the water, drawing their heads side-to-side like
marionettes on strings.
After a second or two of their little game, the tufted duck flapped
ineffective wings and lunged for Kale’s fingertip. He drew back, narrowly
avoiding the hungry yellow bill.
I grinned at Kale. “That’ll teach you to forget the food.” Cautiously, I
lowered my hand until my short nails touched the surface of the water. The
same demanding duckling dipped its head and pecked at the back of my
hand. It didn’t hurt, but the quasi-pinch startled me, and I drew back. Its
little cotton ball top bobbed as it tried to follow my retreat.
“What’s with the feathers on this one’s head?” Not wanting to lose a
finger, I dried my hand on my jeans and lowered it to my side.
“That one was store-bought.” Kale broke off a long piece of grass and
pointed it at the tufted duck. It clamped onto the end, tugged it out of his
grasp, then tossed it aside as if to say it found the offering insulting. I
couldn’t blame it—after being given bread, grass had to be a terrible
disappointment.
“The hen and drake had four ducklings originally. One drowned early
on, and the hen was crazy distraught. Wouldn’t leave the dead duckling for
us to dispose of it properly. Someone had the idea of replacing it with a
duckling that looked the same.” A wry grin curved one corner of his mouth
as his gaze slid to me. “At a couple days old it didn’t have the crest.”
“I guess the idea worked, huh?” I tipped my head to the side, studying
that surrogate duckling.
“Surprisingly. More luck than anything is my guess.”
Fascinated by the little creature that stared at me intently, I extended my
hand once more, lowering it just close enough the duckling could tap me
with its bill once more. Instead, it merely cocked its head side-to-side
curiously, adding to the cuteness factor. The giggle I’d held in slipped free.
“Here’s a fun trick.” Kale leaned back on his haunches and gestured at
the duck. “Touch it and say calndre.”
“Touch it how?”
“Oh, he’s friendly enough. Just reach behind his head.”
I arched an eyebrow. “What’s it going to do?”
Kale chuckled. “Just try it out.”
With a shrug, I did as directed and reached behind the duck to brush my
fingers down its back, at the same time repeating the command Kale
instructed. The same warmth I’d experienced while coloring on the tunnel
walls slipped into my veins. My fingertips began to tingle, sending another
burst of excited, anticipatory energy through my body. Magic again—I was
really using the gift that had eluded me for so long.
I barely had time to relish the sensation before the creamy-yellow
feathers beneath my fingertips shifted in color. Onyx feathers now tipped
each wing and mottled down the underside of its long neck. Jerking my
hand back, I gasped.
“Shit, Kale, I’m sorry!”
His chuckles deepened into rich laughter. Shaking his head, he
reassured, “That’s supposed to happen. Don’t worry, it’s superficial. Just an
appearance thing.”
The duck didn’t seem to mind. Didn’t seem to even notice he was now a
bi-color bird instead of the soft and muted earlier color. He dipped his bill
beneath the water, brought it out and craned his neck, taking a long sip.
“You could have warned me,” I grumbled. “What good is magic like
that anyway? It certainly can’t do anything useful if it’s just superficial.”
Kale shook his head. “Wrong.”
“Wrong how?”
“That little spell is the foundation for something much larger, a spell
that can disguise your appearance.”
“My appearance? I can really change it?” What a perfect way to sneak
in on my uncle. I could even take Aunt Peg’s form, and he’d never see
anything coming until it was too late.
Kale nodded. “It’ll take a while. It’s a very powerful spell, and you’re
not ready for those yet.”
Damn.
Before I could lament the fact I wouldn’t have that nifty trick in my
arsenal, Kale stood and dusted his hands on his jeans. “I better show you to
your room. I need to get back out in the field. You can hang out down here
wherever or wander upstairs later, if you want.”
Out in the field—I didn’t want to consider what all that might mean, nor
the possible outcomes. In fact, I’d nearly forgotten about the blood and
wounded upstairs, and I didn’t really care for the reminder. All it did was
solidify my resolve that I didn’t want to be tangled up in all of this.
Particularly not when people might die. People like…Kale…who surprised
me at every turn.
I took a step back the way we’d come from.
“This way, Halle.” Kale halted my march, his words, swinging me
around in the opposite direction.
Three steps down the gravel path, rustling behind me caught my
attention. I turned over my shoulder to find the crested duck following two
feet behind my heels. It tipped its head, tiny onyx eyes fastened on me, and
let out a muffled quack.
“Heh, look. I made a friend,” I mused aloud to alleviate the tension that
hung in the silence.
Kale glanced behind him, but made no sign the duck’s behavior was out
of the ordinary. I shrugged it off as well, decided I’d bring a treat later, and
continued down the path.
The duckling followed us all the way out of the garden, down the
courtyard aisle, and into an off-shooting, narrow hallway lined with four
doors, three of which had wooden nameplates displayed: Samson, Maude,
Art and Helen, and Ben.
“Um. Kale?” I looked behind me again, confirming the duckling was
still waddling along behind. “Should this duck be following us?” Behind us,
no doubt from the pond, high-pitched loud calls began to ring out. “I don’t
think its mom likes the idea.”
“It’s fine.” He stopped before the unmarked door and set his palm flat
on the surface. Something clicked within the doorframe.
“It can find its way back?”
“It won’t.” He grasped the knob and opened the door, throwing it wide
so I could enter. “Your room.”
I stepped into the threshold, one quietly peeping duck toddling behind.
“What do you mean it—” My feet stopped as understanding crashed on my
shoulders. That spell that changed its wing colors. I’d done something else
to this duckling.
And Kale had known it would happen.
Slowly turning in the doorway, I squinted at him. “Undo it.”
All the proof I needed that he’d deliberately orchestrated something
resided in the humored twitching of his lips and the dancing light behind his
eyes.
“Kale! Undo it! I can’t have a duckling underfoot!”
He gestured across me, pointing inside the room at a floor-to-ceiling
bookcase filled with a variety of books. Tiny little pocket readers to huge
tomes sat neatly in line, their spines an array of color. “Answer’s in there.”
“Which one?”
Shrugging, he backed out of the doorway. “Guess you’ll have to figure
that out, won’t you? I’ve got to meet with my warriors.”
 Annoyance and exasperation altered my voice by at least an octave as I
protested. “There’s got to be fifty books in there!”
“Sorry. Gotta run. I’ll check in on you later.”
With that, he pivoted on his heel and jogged down the hall, leaving me
standing toe-to-webbed-foot with the bright-eyed duckling. It shifted its
weight, pecked at the laces on my left sneaker, and whuffled another muted
quack. From the pond, the agitated calls doubled in volume.
Oh. Hell. No. Kale had not deliberately stuck me with some duck and
left me to find the solution on my own. How was I supposed to read fifty
books on magic by morning?
Another bolt of wisdom struck. One I should have anticipated all along.
He’d been so damnably unresponsive about my declaration to leave. This
was why. All along he’d been planning to waylay me.
As fury overtook my anger, I stepped into the hall and bellowed in the
direction he’d fled, “Sticking me with a duck isn’t going to change
anything!”
Quack-quack.
I glanced down at the duck. Scowled. “Sorry, little guy.” With the toe of
my shoe, I gently nudged him aside enough I could shut the door. “Hang
tight,” I muttered to the closed barrier. “We’ll get this resolved.”
The instant the latch settled into place, my friend in the hall began
protesting at the top of his lungs.

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Nine
It was bound to happen. After several hours of incessant racket and no sign
of Kale, the little peeper in the hall pissed someone off. Perhaps because
peeping put things mildly. What had begun as a few demanding, rapid-fire
quacks escalated into non-stop noise, until the poor duck’s vocal chords
began to suffer and he started sounding like someone stuffed cotton down
his throat. While he became more and more pitiful, I did my best to ignore
the cringes that spasmed through me and frantically skimmed indexes,
pages, and references. The one spell I found that might have relieved the
little guy of his predicament linked back to several others that made
absolutely no sense. The good news was, I’d been so preoccupied that I
couldn’t dwell on what Kale might be doing.
Around midnight, a masculine voice bellowed through my door, “Shut
that critter up. We’re trying to sleep across the hall!”
Nothing like antagonizing new neighbors, even if they were temporary.
Sighing, I pushed to my feet and stepped over the pile of books
surrounding me. What the hell was I supposed to do with a duckling? Sleep
by the pond? Not hardly. Magical oasis or not, the dirt was real enough, and
I felt certain it came with its own set of real bugs.
I tightened my ponytail, cursed Kale beneath my breath for the
hundredth time, and went to the door. When I poked my head out, Tufty
looked up at me and let out the sound that was my undoing. A soft,
contented chirrup thrummed in his throat. And those bright, dark eyes
seemed to say, “How can you possibly ignore me, you cruel human?”
Since seeing me seemed to do the trick in silencing him, I opened the
door. He waddled inside as if he’d grown up in human confines, those same
soft sounds trilling with each step. Burden that he was, it was damned hard
not to find him adorable.
But what to do with a duck now? I was hungry; he’d been out there a
good three hours. Maybe food would do us both some good. I wandered to
the kitchenette, assuming since they’d anticipated I would be arriving,
someone had stocked me with food. What I found in the fridge filled me
with despair: milk, eggs, bottled water, a package of hot dogs, and a hunk of
cheddar cheese. The cabinets weren’t much better: dishes, silverware, pans,
oatmeal—not even the instant kind—granola, and a loaf of honey wheat
bread.
People seriously needed some diet help. What kind of moron stocks a
twenty-two-year-old’s kitchen full of health food? Let alone when she’s
been living on the street.
Rolling my eyes, I grabbed the bread and the milk and plopped down
onto the couch. Tufty waddled over, glanced at the seat, and made a heroic
leap for the cushion beside me. Unfortunately, his bill connected with the
cushion long before his feet ever came close, and he toppled in an awkward
heap, somehow managing to not land on his head.
Resigned to my predicament, I bent over, scooped him up, and tucked
him near my thigh. Then I tore off a chunk of bread, dipped it in my milk,
and passed him a bite. He gobbled it up like duck crack. One quack!, and he
managed to score another chunk.
We sat in companionable silence for a long while, both of us mowing
down on what was likely the healthiest snack I’d had in years. Though,
admittedly, Tufty held a higher opinion of the cuisine.
I didn’t really know what to do with him when we finished our meal. He
seemed content enough to sit beside me while I did whatever came to mind.
Mostly, I stared at the books and silently cursed Kale. At some point I
turned on the television. But when even the cable channels started playing
reruns, I decided Kale wasn’t returning and shut everything off for a shower
and bed.
Tufty followed me to the bathroom. I made the initial mistake of
thinking I could keep him locked in the hall while I quickly soaped off. Ten
seconds of a closed door, however, and he was screeching in full force
again. In an effort to keep the peace with my neighbors, I consented to let
the little duck inside. No harm, really. I mean it wasn’t like he was going to
shower with me.
At least that was my thought…until the minute I stepped inside the
spray and the little guy started in with that damned quacking again. I stuck
my head out from behind the vinyl curtain. “Are you kidding me?” Kale
was so dead for this crap.
Tufty shook his tail feathers.
 “Just cool it. I’ll be out in a minute. Just want to soap and rinse. You
know, clean up a bit?”
He shifted from foot to foot, watching me expectantly.
I closed the curtain, completely aware I was naked and holding a one-
sided conversation with a duckling. While some people might find that
rational, I had never owned a pet and tended to believe those who treated
them like miniaturized humans were a little nuts. Yet there I was, chattering
to a duck. A duck that was bonded to me.
Because of some spell I cast.
Some spell I didn’t know how to undo.
“Damn it!” I snatched the washcloth off the bar and quickly scrubbed
down. What if this magic trick did irreversible damage to the guy? Girl. Did
it matter?
I skipped washing my hair—the tiny bottle of hotel room-type
conditioner absolutely would only turn my tangles into a waist-length rat’s
nest. Surprisingly, my little friend stayed relatively quiet throughout. I could
still hear him peeping around, but the full-out duckling meltdown seemed to
have passed.
When I stepped out, that ball of white and black down virtually attacked
my toes. Hopping from foot to foot, I managed to towel dry while shooing
him off at the same time. I suspected my neon green toenail polish was the
culprit. Guess even ducks can’t resist a bit of the bold and wild.
Only, as I finished and stepped toward the sink to investigate whether
the day’s events left any marks on my face, Tufty proved my assumption
wrong once again. In a flurry of ineffectual fluttering and excited calls, he
proceeded to try and throw himself over the edge of the shower’s tub.
Water. D’oh!
Before he could turn himself inside out and launch into the racket he’d
created in hall, I spun the faucet back on, scooped him up, and deposited
him in the deep basin. He rushed beneath the water and threw his head
back, alternately dousing his cotton-top and trying for a drink.
I couldn’t help but chuckle. And despite my annoyance over the entire
situation, I was drawn to the scene in a way I couldn’t fully explain. There
was just something innocent and sweet about his simple fascination.
Something so natural, even if I was damn near close to a fit of giggles.
 When the water reached his underside, I turned off the faucet and
stepped back just as he thrust his head beneath the surface, pushed off with
his feet, and zoomed to the opposite end of the tub like he was chasing
some fish and intent on an evening meal.
Shaking my head in amusement, I left him to his play and exited the
bathroom. Outside, confronted by the stack of books once again, I stared at
the useless pile on the floor. Bit by bit, the events of the night plucked at my
awareness. It was after midnight. Kale hadn’t returned. I had no idea of
knowing whether his counter initiative had proven successful, or whether he
was laying in one of those cots above.
Part of me wanted to bolt upstairs and make sure he wasn’t in the
healing ward. The other part just wanted to shove it all into a corner of my
mind where I couldn’t ever access the thoughts again.
I let out a heavy sigh. He might really be in trouble.
I shouldn’t care. He’d turned my entire world upside down, not the least
of which involved sticking me with my fine-feathered friend.
And yet…I did. He’d given me magic, even if it was small, even if it did
come with consequences I didn’t care for. I had really used the power that
lived in my blood. Commanded it. Succeeded in my desired outcome. That
kind of gift—there just aren’t words. It was freeing and liberating, as well
as hopeful and amazing.
Maybe I ought to check on him.
But what if he was in one of those narrow beds? What if his blood
soaked the sheets?
With a frustrated grumble, I covered my face with my hands. I was not
going to care, damn it. I simply wasn’t going to allow concern to filter into
my feelings.
A muted knock at my door jerked my head up and snapped my attention
to the entry. My traitorous heart skipped three beats, I swear, before I
managed to remember I was annoyed with Kale for leaving me in the
predicament with the duckling.
If he was in the hall, he better have a damned good explanation.
I stalked across the room and jerked open the door. Spring stood
outside.
She tucked a strand of chestnut hair behind her ear and drew her bottom
lip between her teeth, her gaze searching my face. In that hesitant gesture, I
heard everything: something had happened to Kale.
“Where is he?” I asked with more worry than I’d intended to reveal.
She gripped my elbow with long, delicate fingers. “He’ll be fine, Halle.”
Twisting out of her reach, I shook my head. “Not what I asked. Where is
he? Up there with the others?” Before she could respond, I darted around
her.
“Halle—”
My temper short-circuited. For God’s sake, I wasn’t some fragile flower.
“Is he in that room?” I snapped.
“Yes.” Three strides brought her even with me and she flattened a hand
against my shoulder. “Stop, please.”
I stopped, but silently began counting to ten to prevent a dozen different
curses from slipping free.
“He will be fine, I’m certain. He asked me to help you with…a duck?”
Her brow bunched with confusion as her voice lilted in question.
Kale had stuck me with the duck to guarantee I couldn’t just waltz out
of here in the morning. He’d deliberately manipulated me into staying—I
was absolutely positive. I was equally positive that if he’d sent Spring to
help me undo the spell, Kale wasn’t nearly as certain about the fine part as
she was. My feet started moving before I consciously gave them
permission. I don’t know why, but I had to see him.
“Halle, you can’t just barge in when he doesn’t want to see you.”
“The hell I can’t!” As the words tumbled free, I broke into a jog.
Ignoring her declaration that he didn’t want me present, I hit the staircase
and double-timed it up to the healing ward.
When I reached the landing, my heart was pounding so hard I could
barely hear my labored breath, much less the footsteps that followed my
ascent. As I reached for the doorknob, Spring grabbed it first. She twisted in
front of me, effectively barring my entrance. Tawny brown eyes held my
furious scowl. “He isn’t in any shape to have visitors.”
Tough shit. I bit down on the inside of my cheek, refusing to respond,
staring her down, equally as determined to enter as she was to keep me out.
I told myself I had things to settle with Kale. No way was he checking out
without my getting that opportunity. The logic was easier to accept than the
truth that I was worried. Really worried.
Exactly why I made it habit to not get close to people.
 “Halle, there’s nothing you can do.” Spring finally broke the silence, her
voice low and respectful. “Go on and get some rest. I’m sure he’ll be down
to see you in the morning.”
I folded my arms across my chest and arched an eyebrow.
“Really,” she emphasized.
Long stalemated silence stretched between us. After a good handful of
minutes, I blew out a hard breath and dropped my arms. “Look, Spring, I’ve
got a pretty good impression of you. I’d like to keep it. Step aside. I’m
going to see Kale, regardless of what you or anyone else says.”
“He said it, Halle. He didn’t want you up here.”
“Especially him.” I chortled. “I don’t give two figs what he has to say
about much of anything right now.” Gesturing at the doorknob, I repeated,
“Step aside, Spring.”
The flash of annoyance in her eyes warned me I wasn’t dealing with a
regular woman. This one had power. If she really wanted to, she could
probably knock me down the stairs with a lift of her pinkie, and I ought not
push her too far if I valued my neck. And yet…I couldn’t back down.
Something deep inside me refused to do so.
Thank God, she didn’t stand her ground. She took one barely
discernable sideways step, giving me room to grab the knob, twist, and
shove hard. Whether she’d intended to do so or not, I couldn’t say, and I
didn’t care. The healing ward stretched before me, quieter than it had been
earlier. Not nearly as frantic. No bustling healers scrambling from cot to
cot.
I scanned the beds and spied one set apart from the others, tucked into a
much darker corner of the room. At my side, I felt Spring’s presence. A
short nod from her answered my questioning gaze, and slowly, hesitantly, I
walked to that unattended bed.
Kale lay beneath stark white linens, eyes closed and motionless. The
handsome face that tormented me throughout the day now held a grey
pallor that made my stomach twist. It wasn’t just that he was pale or that he
looked ill. The ashen hue was…unnatural. Like death had literally kissed
him and left behind its mark.
A shudder rolled down my spine. Warning me off. Warding me away.
Ignoring it, I lowered a hip to the narrow mattress and reached for his
hand. His fingers were cold against mine. Almost as if they’d been soaked
in ice. Instinctively, I rubbed my palm over his knuckles, trying to generate
warmth. “Kale?” I asked quietly.
“The chill will wear off,” Spring murmured beside me. “It’s part of the
defensive spell he’s used—his body is completely attuned to healing.”
I glanced at her, hating the worry that poured through my veins and
unable to hide the concern from my voice. “He’ll be okay?”
Her nod held just enough hesitation that I knew she wasn’t entirely
convinced. And in that instant, all the need for human companionship I’d
locked away broke free. I suddenly, desperately, didn’t want to lose Kale
Norwood, my teacher, my tormenter, my new friend. My fingers tightened
around his.
“Kale, if you die like this, I’m hunting down your ghost,” I scolded.
“You don’t get to do that shit. Not when you have magic to teach me.”
Spring’s hand fell reassuringly to my shoulder. “I really ought to take
you back. There’s nothing we can do except wait.”
She was right, of course. I certainly didn’t know how to heal wounds,
and even if I did, I didn’t know what he might be suffering from. Judging
by the lack of attendants hovering around him, it was clear those who were
trained for this sort of thing agreed with Spring as well. But there was one
thing they were missing, something that only someone who’s been living on
the street, homeless, could understand.
It sucked to suffer alone.
I shook my head at Spring. “You go on. I’ll stay a while longer.”

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Ten
Several hours later, the twitching of Kale’s fingers against mine jerked me
out of sleep. I snapped upright in the uncomfortable chair, blinking my eyes
to clear my bleary vision. He clenched my hand again, infinitesimally, and I
bent toward him as his eyes fluttered open.
Our gazes held, and then one corner of his mouth made a lazy attempt at
a smile before he closed his eyes once more, and his hand went limp in
mine. The entire exchange lasted all of three seconds. But it was long
enough to convince me he was out of danger.
Standing, I let go of his hand and scrubbed at my eyes. He might have
just seen me sitting there, but I had no intention of hanging around and
letting him think I’d worried all night long. For my own protection, it was
better to have him believe I’d just checked in and happened to catch him
while he was waking up. Letting people know I cared…yeah, so not going
down that path of hurt again.
What time was it anyway?
My stomach turned a hard knot, reminding me that all I’d had to eat was
tasteless health snacks. Time to find some real food. And check on the duck
I’d left in the bathtub. Ugh. There was probably water all over the place.
I stretched and started for the door, only to find Spring reading in the
chair beside the exit. She glanced up as I neared.
“Anything you want me to tell him?”
Great. There were witnesses to my hawking over the patient. I frowned
at Kale’s sleeping form. “Yeah. That I’m going to fire my magic teacher if
he doesn’t get his ass up.”
“Halle, if it’s lessons you’re wanting—”
I strode out the door before she could finish. Seriously, was she dense?
Halfway up the stairs to the meeting hall, my rudeness sank in. Guilt
tugged at me—she was the only other person to have been nice to me.
Again, I’d forgotten I was surrounded by people who could probably do
more damage to me than any handgun. Maybe I better make an effort not to
piss them all off. Being nice for a few days wouldn’t hurt me. It wasn’t like
I had to make friends.
 My stomach growled again.
Maybe I’d consider being nice after I ate. Chances were high I’d fail
with only wheat bread in my belly.
I pushed open the meeting hall door and let myself through. Stoney
silence greeted me, interrupted only by a low, electric hum. The distinct
sound of a refrigerator.
Bingo!
I followed the noise through the long hall of iridescent light pillars into
a wide alcove at the far end. Several small tables sat along the smooth stone
walls, much like a break room. It made sense—if they’d held meetings here,
they would have a place for snacks. Which meant that hum wasn’t a fridge
but a vending machine. Hot damn! Chocolate, here I come!
I peeked around the corner and spied the fluorescent glow of a Coke
machine sitting beside a snack machine. I nearly ran to salvation, fishing in
my back pocket for the three bucks I kept on-hand for emergencies. I could
taste the sugar, the rich flavor of milk chocolate melting on my tongue. The
sweet creamy center of a Ho-Ho. Even better, a Twinkie.
I stopped short and stared. Tray after tray of everything but spanned
before me. Unsalted almonds, fruit and nut granola bars, pistachios—and
not even the green kind!—raisins. Blech! And the Coke machine? It had
everything—drinking water, sparkling water, distilled, and natural spring.
Resisting the overpowering urge to ram my boot into the whirring
machine, I let out a groan. “What is wrong with these people?”
Behind me, chair legs scraped against the floor. I whipped around with a
gasp. How the hell had I missed someone sitting there?
“Halle,” Gerard said with a smile. “Is something the matter?”
Not just someone—the someone who was singularly responsible for the
colossal screw-up of my day. I narrowed my gaze. “Do you have something
against sugar?”
He blinked, clearly clueless.
I stuffed a thumb at the machines behind me. “That says Coke. And I
seem to be missing the option for chocolate.”
A soft chuckle escaped him. “Natural foods aid with your personal
power.”
“Bullshit,” I managed to disguise with a cough. I cleared my throat and
frowned harder. “Last I knew, sugar was natural.”
 “And highly addictive.” He broke out in a full grin. “But the good news
is, there’s no charge for the snacks. Just pick a button.”
Wonderful. They couldn’t even convince their own kind to buy the crap
behind the glass. I gave him a skeptic snort, which I figured was more
polite than anything I might let fall off my tongue.
“Or you could try the mess hall. Breakfast started about twenty minutes
ago.”
“And I suppose I’ll find granola and yogurt there.”
His eyes sparkled as he held in a laugh. “Yes.”
“Perfect.” Can you say sarcasm?
“Though most of us prefer old fashioned bacon and eggs, pancakes,
waffles, and coffee.”
“Wait. Did you just say waffles?” Things were starting to perk up.
“Whipped cream and fruit?”
“Fruit, but I’m afraid no whipped cream.”
Damn. Though two out of three was pretty lucky. I pivoted to head for
strawberries and syrup. “Thanks,” I mumbled.
“No, thank you,” he replied, much more seriously. “For keeping an eye
on my son through the night. He’ll be touched you cared.”
Oh, hell. Someone else knew about my all-night vigil with Kale. At this
rate, the entire camarilla would be leaping to assumptions. I shook my head.
“It’s not like that. I came here to learn magic, and my tutor is indisposed. I
just wanted an idea when my lessons would start.” I slid through the
entryway. “You know—in case I needed to go home and come back after a
while.”
“Of course,” he called after me.
Now why in the world did he sound doubtful?
Never mind—greater things were at stake. My cramping stomach and
my desperate need for maple syrup.
And a duck that needed to return to its pond.
I’d deal with all that later. A girl couldn’t possibly think through
everything on an empty stomach.
***
It was dark when I finally got around to dealing with Kale. I’d spent most
of the day mopping up my bathroom and putting serious effort—to no avail
—into studying spell books. I’d managed to learn how to call a small flame
to the palm of my hand, but the duck was still spotted and firmly attached to
my heels. He didn’t even look twice at the duck pond when I decided to try
my new magical flashlight outdoors and ventured into the corridor Kale had
led me down first.
Tufty threw a fit at the bottom of the stairs, forcing me to carry him.
And the frightening howls that echoed down the long tunnel were enough to
convince me that my parlor trick could wait another day or two.
The light surrounding the pond dimmed at what I guessed was night,
probably because the camarilla wasn’t preoccupied with an attack. I made
the community dinner shortly after that. No one looked at me twice for
having a feathered date, except Spring, who threw me an apologetic glance
before inviting us both to sit beside her.
No one mentioned Kale, and I didn’t ask.
Tufty and I returned to my room; he to his bathtub, and I threw in the
towel on studying and turned on the television. I was ten minutes into my
favorite comedy when a knock sounded on my door.
Assuming it was Spring—who had promised to bring by another set of
elementary spell books—I trudged to the door absently and opened it with
one eye riveted on the sitcom.
“Hey, you.”
Kale’s low warm voice nearly made me jump out of my skin. I whipped
around to face him so fast my feet tangled and I had to catch myself on the
doorframe. Dear Lord—no one rattled me the way this guy did.
“Hey,” I managed, hoping I didn’t betray the unadulterated streak of joy
that shot through me at the sight of him standing in the doorway. He looked
good—all cool casualness with a slightly rumpled appearance. Like he’d
literally just crawled out of bed. He hadn’t; he’d changed his clothes. But he
made my heart knock all the same, no matter how I wished it wouldn’t.
For a fleeting instant, I wanted to wrap him up in a hug and tell him how
glad I was to see him. But that would be foolish and overreacting. So, I
stuffed my hands in my rear jeans pockets and took a step back.
“Mind if I come in?” He glanced around like he expected me to have
company.
I shrugged. “Suit yourself. Did you bring the duck cure?”
 Kale arched an eyebrow. “Didn’t get much studying done sitting with
me all night, did you?”
What the…? Oh, someone was going to pay. Handsomely.
I turned my back on him and wove my way to the couch. “I just stopped
in this morning.”
Kale closed the door behind him. “I might believe that if it had just been
the one time I woke up to see you sitting in the chair.”
I sat down and flipped the channel, doing my best to pretend I hadn’t
heard that piece of insight. “The duck’s in the bathroom if you want to get
started.”
Clearly not taking the hint, Kale dropped a hip on the armrest, placing
himself a scant breath away from my shoulder.
Were men who’d just been more or less in the hospital supposed to
smell this good? I squeezed my eyes shut and counted to ten. I wasn’t doing
this; I refused to. Getting close to people always led to me hurting. People
were unreliable, no matter how much they might seem otherwise.
Not to mention, I’d inevitably let him down by refusing to do what he
expected for the camarilla. If only he could see I wasn’t capable, that I
couldn’t cope with the responsibility. Heck, that I couldn’t be depended on
to follow through.
“Thank you,” he commented quietly.
“For?”
“Your concern.”
“That my teacher wasn’t going to fall over dead? You’re welcome. Now
that you’re okay, can we deal with the duck?”
I let my gaze slide sideways and allowed myself to really look at him.
He hadn’t shaved, and the day’s accumulation of stubble sharpened his
already strong jaw line. But it was his eyes that captured me. His gaze
remained fixed on the television, and something about his expression
seemed far away. A little…sad. Tired—he looked so worn out.
“You are okay, aren’t you?”
Kale nodded slowly and twisted to look at me. I saw it then. A
hollowness in his beautiful blue eyes that hadn’t been present before.
“Yeah,” he murmured. “I’m okay.”
“And the banshee?”
“Dead.”
 A long heavy moment of silence passed between us. I got the
impression he wanted to say something more, like I did. But neither of us
knew quite how to broach that distance…or if we really, truly wanted to.
I gave in and blurted, “How are you so…healed? You weren’t well,
Kale. I’m not a doctor, and I could tell you had one foot in the grave.”
A bitter smirk touched his mouth before he let out a short chuckle.
“Magic.”
“Will I be able to do that?”
“No.” Short and sharp, the emphatic word halted further questions.
Okay then. Touchy subject. Guess he was entitled to his secrets. I had
mine, and I wasn’t about to share either.
I leaned back in the couch and braced my feet on the edge of the table.
“You aren’t going to fix the duck for me, are you?”
“Can’t.”
“Won’t. And since you won’t—” I gestured at the open book on the
cushion beside me “—I have reading to do. Did you want anything in
particular?”
“You know what you said earlier? About not wanting the responsibility?
I don’t either, Halle. I don’t want a damned bit of it. You don’t know how
lucky you are to have a choice.”
I blinked. That was certainly the last thing I’d expected to hear. “What
—”
“Never mind.” Kale stood. “I shouldn’t have said anything.” He crossed
to the door, hesitated with one hand on the knob. “I’ll see you in the
morning? Say nine? We can have breakfast, and I’ll show you around some
more.”
“Um. Sure.”
With an abrupt nod, he opened the door. One foot in the hall, he stopped
again and looked back at me. “Thanks for being the only one who was
concerned for me, not who I am.”
He shut the door, leaving me in stunned silence.

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Eleven
To my ever-growing frustration, Kale arrived promptly at nine the next
morning. After a late night of trying to solve the duck problem, I was
nowhere near ready to be functioning at that early hour. And if it hadn’t
been for the set of clothes Spring had brought by about thirty minutes
before Kale’s arrival, I wouldn’t have even been awake when he banged on
my door.
Obscenities and scathing remarks remained on the tip of my tongue
throughout our promised tour and jaunt to the cafeteria for breakfast.
Luckily, Kale seemed attuned to my mood; he didn’t press me for
conversation. Didn’t push me into discussing the camarilla’s goals. He
spoke, and I listened. And watched my tag-along pet.
A pet that, I must admit, was beginning to grow on me. There was just
something about the intelligence shining in his coal black eyes. And the
way he followed me…I could almost believe I meant something to him.
Almost.
After breakfast, Kale led me down some corridor that opened into the
largest stockpile of books I’d ever seen. They decorated the walls from
stone floor to stone ceiling. More were piled in corners, stacked so high the
towers leaned at awkward angles. Others covered tabletops, poked out from
chairs, and stuck out at odd angles from the simple wood shelves. Most
were extremely old, and the scent of must hung heavily in the cool room.
I’d like to say something significant happened here. And maybe in some
small way, it did. But mostly, that would be false—nothing at all
remarkable occurred. We sat at the table; he pulled out different books,
flipped through the pages like he’d been reading them for hundreds of
years, and went through several small chants with me. Then he’d put that
particular book away, grab another, and we repeated the process.
For two days.
Two long days filled with recitation of words I didn’t understand,
inflections I struggled to master, translations I confused at liberty, and
memorization that was more grueling than any military boot camp I could
imagine.
 I was so beat when we finished each evening I could barely choke down
a few bites of dinner before I passed out, sitting upright on my couch,
television droning in the background, and Tufty curled up at my hip. That
had become my normal: my damned duck liked to snuggle whenever he
could. And I had no idea how much I could enjoy something so…simple.
On the third morning, I woke strangely well rested after spending the
night at an awkward angle on the corner of the sofa. I showered and was
ready to go before Kale ever thumped on the door. With time to burn, I
plopped down on the floor in my usual studying place and picked up one of
the first books I’d read through. It was my last agreed-upon day in the
camarilla, and though Kale hadn’t broached the subject, I needed to get
back to the Frost Club. This little excursion wasn’t proving as successful as
I’d intended. Faye was still stuck with Allen, and I needed to check on her
too. Yet before I could leave, I needed to give the damned duck back his
normal. And I would. Somehow.
Oddly enough, as I scanned the lines of rhythmical prose, it didn’t fog
my head as it had the first time. Although this was in English, simple words
resonated in my mind like the rich intonation of a baritone, acapella choir.
Each verse I repeated under my breath did something more as well. My skin
prickled, tingling with that same energy I’d tapped into when Kale showed
me how to draw on the walls.
As I began to process what was happening, that I was actually using my
powers again, my heart stuttered. Excitement raced beneath the surface of
my skin, threatening to chase away the pleasant zinging of energy. I was
doing this. Really doing this.
And I was doing it on my own.
Trying not to rush, I finished the last two lines, and a faint mist rose
from the floor around me. I stared in wonder, excitement thrumming
through my veins as the light fog slowly circled toward the ceiling then
dissipated.
Not sparks and fire, but magic all the same. Holy cow! Progress at last!
What in the world was that spell good for?
Quickly, I scanned the passage again. Obscuring vision and disguising
movements. With the right amount of focus, the fog could become thick and
dense, obscuring the caster completely. Advance techniques would alter the
cloud to one of ice.
 Now ice could be seriously useful. If there was a way to project that fog
at someone—at Allen—it would be safer for Faye than some global disaster
like a tornado. I’d have to check with the advanced books. Dimly, I
remembered something that sounded familiar.
A knock at my door jerked me upright. I scrambled to my feet, having
almost forgotten Kale was coming by. I slapped the book shut, dusted my
palms on my jeans, and schooled my expression into what I hoped wasn’t
full of giddy elation before going to the door.
He leaned against the doorjamb, one thumb hooked in his belt loop.
“Morning.”
“Morning.” I stepped, back allowing him to come in.
“You’re up bright and early. Where’s Tufty?”
At the sound of his name, my little buddy stood up on the couch,
wagged his butt, and let out a quack! He peeked over the back, dark eyes
expectant and bright. As had become Kale’s habit, he moved to the sofa,
uncurled his fingers, and offered Tufty a broken cracker.
Tufty devoured the bits in three seconds flat. “Quack!”
Kale cracked a smile. “Back atcha, buddy.” Straightening, he turned to
me. “I thought we’d go outside today and take a look at the grounds. I can
show you some simple herbs.”
I clasped my hands behind my back, denying the stupid grin that
threatened to surface. As if I were reciting something as mundane as
brushing my teeth, I said, “I called fog this morning. Just before you got
here.”
He blinked. “You’re kidding.”
“Nope.”
His amused expression shifted into something very close to excitement.
“Congrats, Halle. That’s great! You must feel pretty accomplished.”
Truthfully, I was so happy I could have danced a jig. But it wasn’t easy
to let go, to reveal myself so clearly. I wanted to. Shoot, I wanted to throw
my arms around him and thank him profusely. Something inside me,
however, refused to let go that much. Instead, I shrugged. “It’s a start.”
He wouldn’t dismiss it so easily. “A damned good start. Most people
who haven’t grown up with the power take several weeks to get the hang of
it. And fog isn’t particularly easy.”
 It sure hadn’t been hard. I hadn’t even realized what I was doing until I
was halfway through. Again, I shrugged, uncomfortable with his praise.
“Why are herbs important?”
Kale’s bright, enthusiastic smile faded. “Why do you do that?”
I frowned. “Do what?”
“Deflect.”
“I’m not deflecting.”
He arched both eyebrows.
“I’m not. You mentioned herbs. Why are they so important?”
Kale folded his arms over his chest. “Why is it so important to bottle
everything up inside? I can see it in your eyes, Halle. You’re proud of the
fog. It’s okay to let that show.” He tipped his head, studying me, and his
voice lowered. “Especially with me.”
Matching him stubborn for stubborn, I mirrored his position. “You who
throws out cryptic remarks and doesn’t bother to explain?”
He frowned. “What cryptic remarks?”
I shook my head. “Nothing. Can we just go see these plants of yours?”
But it wasn’t nothing. I couldn’t get his parting remark from the other night
out of my head. The one about my being concerned for him, not who he
was. He’d meant something by it. Something he wasn’t willing to share.
For a long moment, he stared at me as if he could read my thoughts. His
expression transformed from one of severity to thoughtful scrutiny. Like he
weighed whether or not I could be trusted with his secrets.
Then, just as I began to fidget, he nodded. “Fine. Let’s go. This is your
third day, and unless you’ve changed your mind with the fog success, we’ve
got things to accomplish.”
Had that fog changed my mind? I wasn’t sure. I’d accomplished
something significant and I wanted to know more. But staying longer might
indicate I was ready to accept the responsibility they wanted me to assume.
No way could I agree to that.
Avoiding answering, I stalked to the door. Tufty hopped off the couch,
waddled along behind. When he reached the threshold, however, Kale
stopped him with the toe of his boot. “Sorry, buddy. Not today. It’s not safe
for you out there.”
“Not safe?” I twisted around, pinning Kale with a quizzical look.
“Not for ducks.”
 I let out a heavy sigh and moved back into my room. Bathtub it was
then. I only hoped we returned before Tufty got too bored.
I gathered my duck and hurried to the bathroom. After I’d run a few
inches of water, taking care to keep one end shallow enough he could sit
with his feet on the porcelain, I shut off the faucet and lifted him in. He
made a nosedive for the deeper water, and as he splashed, I exited, taking
care to shut the door firmly behind me.
“Ready?” Kale asked quietly.
“Yeah. Let’s get this done and get back to the library. I have work to do,
and we’re running out of time.” And I want to know about this ice fog.
“Right. Time.” With a disparaging shake of his head, he gestured for me
to exit first.
“Remember, I’m leaving?”
His voice held an unfamiliar tone I couldn’t decipher, as he answered, “I
remember.”
I shot him a sideways glance. “Thinking of going back on your word?”
“I don’t break my word.”
He’d said that more than once. So far, he’d made good on it too. My
thoughts swirled. Our deal was I could stay longer if I wished. And I
desperately wanted to. I’d made progress but only barely. I was still as weak
as a newborn when it came to using magic. Certainly no more useful to
Faye. Maybe I could spare a few more days. The Frost Club would survive
without me, and if I got fired for being a no-call no-show, well, it wasn’t
like I had rent to pay. No one would worry. No one cared enough to notice
if I went missing.
I stared straight ahead as I let the confession slide free. “I think I’ll stay
a bit longer.”
He waited a beat before casually answering, “Okay.”
“I’m not committing to a timeframe,” I rushed to add. “I can’t leave
when Tufty is stuck like this. It wouldn’t be right.”
From the corner of my eye I caught the way he turned his head to look
at me. The corner of his mouth twitched. “Of course.”
I shot him a wary glance. “You have to stick around though. I mean, it’s
only fair since you’re directly responsible for his predicament.”
“Right.”
 “I’m just saying, if you want me out of your hair faster, you’ll have to
change him back.”
Kale’s steps slowed, and the uplifted corner of his mouth morphed into a
slow smile. “You don’t need excuses, Halle. Stay as long as you’d like.”
The sincerity in his voice made me swallow hard. I’d never been
encouraged to stay anywhere. Ugh. I was over thinking this. I had to
remember Gerard wanted something from me. That’s why Kale seemed
pleased. I cleared my throat. “Well, since we’ve got that worked out, let’s
see these herbs.”
His chuckle danced around me as we ascended the stairs.
***
The sun hung low on the horizon, casting lavender shadows across the
fallen leaves when we finished traipsing through the woods. An odd
comfortableness settled between us—odd, because for the first time in my
life I felt completely at ease. Kale walked four or five steps ahead of me,
while I trailed in his wake, studying the bits of greenery that poked through
the autumn carpet. We’d fallen into companionable silence, and much as I
didn’t want to acknowledge it, I liked spending time with him in the quiet.
It was as if we were somehow tethered to each other, though we didn’t talk
or touch.
We broke through a copse of tall oaks, into a clearing where the last of
summer’s white daisies drank in the fading light. He approached a thick,
fallen tree trunk, swung one leg over, then the other, and sat on the lichen-
covered bark. I climbed up beside him and drew my feet up, my arms
wrapped around my knees. While I stared at the sinking sun, Kale rested his
forearms on his knees and watched the trees across the way.
It became obvious, as our silence stretched on, that something weighed
on his mind. No matter how I tried to tell myself it wasn’t my business, I
couldn’t curb the curiosity. Maybe it was just the product of spending so
many hours side-by-side. Maybe it was the last few days we’d spent
together, gaining little, interpersonal glimpses of one another. Whatever it
was, it seemed completely natural to ask, “The other night—what did you
mean when you said you didn’t want the responsibility?”
He let out a sigh that was so long and heavy, it could have come from
the depths of his soul. Bowing his head, he clasped his hands between his
knees. “I shouldn’t have said anything.”
“But you did.”
Another long moment of silence passed. Then Kale glanced up at the
darkening sky. “They want me to take over leadership of the camarilla.”
Say what? I squinted at him. “But I thought Gerard was in charge.”
“He is. For now. But his abilities aren’t what they used to be. He
weakens each day. That’s why he married Beth. She won’t be able to keep
him strong forever.” He let out a soft snort. “And they expect me to fall into
line as the loyal son.”
“And you don’t want to.”
He chuckled. “I’d rather saw off my hands with rusty blades.”
“Why?” Disbelief sharpened my voice. “You’re an amazing teacher.
You’re smart. You know how to convince people into seeing things your
way. Hell, I’m here. That’s saying something.”
A lazy grin took up residence on his face as he tipped his head to look at
me. “Remind me, if I’m ever feeling insecure, that you know how to stroke
a guy’s ego.”
At that, I had to laugh. “You are so far from insecure.”
“Am I?”
The quiet, disbelieving tone of his voice stifled my humor. I looked into
his gaze, lost myself in those vivid sky blue eyes. Under their power, words
became more difficult, though I managed to choke out a few. “You went to
fight the banshee without hesitation.”
“That’s my duty.”
“Yeah,” I murmured, still trapped by the shifting colors in his gaze. “But
you didn’t hesitate to stand up to Gerard and the others at that meeting.”
“He’s my father.”
I swallowed with effort, fighting down the sudden awareness of how
close we sat beside one another. Of the heat that radiated from his body and
warmed the evening chill off mine. “You’ve…never taken no for an answer
in all my lessons.”
His gaze shifted, studying my features before locking with mine once
again. When he spoke, his voice lowered to an intimate whisper. “Why
should I, when I sense what you’re capable of? You’re so strong, Halle. So
inspiring.”
A nervous chuckle escaped me. “My powers are pathetic.”
 Slowly, his hand lifted. Roughened fingertips brushed across my cheek,
fitted beneath the line of my jaw. “I’m not talking about your magic. I mean
you.”
Me? What on earth—
The shock of his warm mouth brushing against mine chased away my
thoughts. His lips lingered hesitantly, and the fall of his breath warmed my
cheek. I should have pulled away. Should have scrambled off the rock and
dashed back to the camarilla’s cave.
But no amount of logic filtered into my brain. The softness of his mouth
wove a spell around me, and I gently clasped his lips in return. Tension
settled into his hand, tightening his fingers against my jaw bone. Holding
me in place as he traced the seam of my mouth with the tip of his tongue.
Wanting to hold onto him in some small fashion, I rested my palm
against his cheek and opened to the kiss. What had brought me here, my
purpose for being with Kale and what the camarilla wanted of me faded
from my mind entirely as I closed my eyes and let the simple magic of a
man’s touch entice me into another world. A world where I had no past to
hide from, no blood on my hands, and no responsibilities weighing on my
shoulders.
A world where it was easy to let down my walls and let Kale in.
As our kiss deepened in intensity, Kale fitted his free hand at my waist,
slid strong fingers up my spine. I leaned into the envelope of his embrace
until our upper bodies pressed flush against each other. Through our
clothing, I felt the heavy beat of his heart. Desire stirred low in my belly,
pleasantly tightening it with the need for more contact. More of him.
Kale drew away, his breathing hard and unsteady. He lifted his lashes,
and those amazing eyes burned with indigo color. He veiled them once
more with a long, slow, blink, then drew away, lowering his hand from my
face. The other remained on my waist.
Every self-preservation instinct I possessed screamed at me to get the
hell off the tree trunk and distance myself. But I refused to obey. I would
not run away. We’d kissed. Nothing more, nothing less. He might have
touched my soul, somehow, in that embrace—the way it trembled
insinuated he had—but I wasn’t turning chicken when I had another few
days to spend with him.
 No, I was going to play this off like the twenty-two-year-old adult I was.
Like I’d been kissed breathless uncountable times.
“Not bad,” I whispered.
He arched an eyebrow and gave into a low, rumbling laugh. “That’s it?
No lightning bolt? No shoving me off onto my ass? No punches thrown?”
I slid him a sideways glance of false warning. “You’re safe…for now.”
“And next time?”
The seriousness underlying his question drew me up short. I needed to
stop this now. I wasn’t hanging around this camarilla—they wanted too
much from me. And yet, I wanted that next time so badly tingles chased
through my body. I stared, terrified to the root of my being, unable to form
a response.
Kale brushed the back of his knuckles across my cheek. “You can trust
me, Halle.”
“I don’t know anything about you,” I blurted.
“Then learn.”
“How?” To anyone else, the question might seem foolish. I half
expected Kale to laugh. But he didn’t. It was as if he knew exactly how it
felt to live in solitude, to isolate one’s self so far from other human beings
that the very simplest of behaviors seemed daunting and foreign. He simply
held my gaze, a soft smile dancing at the corners of his mouth.
“I’m right here. I’ve been here every day. All you have to do is look and
listen.”
I gave him a shaky nod. Unable to withstand the way his gaze made my
heartbeat unsteady, I looked to the encroaching stars above. “It’s getting
late.”
“You’re deflecting.”
“Am not.”
“Are too. You’re avoiding this conversation.”
With a harassed sigh, I slid off the tree trunk, took several steps away,
and keeping my back to him, crossed my arms over my chest. “What do
you want me to say? You kissed me. It’s not like you proposed or
something. I’ve been kissed before.”
“It’s not what I want you to say, Halle. But what you want to say. I’ve
been kissed before too. Never like that.”
 So he’d felt it too, that strange erasing of time and place and the slow
fusion of something more than our tongues. I frowned at the ground.
The feel of his arms sliding around me startled me. I hadn’t even heard
him approach. But as my spine went rigid, he eased my back against his
chest, and the comfort of his embrace softened the walls I’d spent most of
my life building. I let him hold me.
“I’m one hundred and fifty-two years old,” he murmured at my ear.
“And I am part Yaksini. That’s why I had to fight the banshee. Now you
know something about me. Let’s start there.”
I heard what he said. Loud and clear. And yet, I couldn’t process it.
Couldn’t link all the impossibilities together. One hundred and fifty-two
years old? Part Yaksini yet destined to lead the Tolvenar? How could any of
that be true? Confused, I turned in his arms. His hands laced together at my
lower back, holding me close.
Kale shook his head. “Don’t try to make sense of it right now. We’ll talk
about it tomorrow. Just let me in, Halle. Let me experience all of you. Even
if it’s only for however long you stay.”
I watched his lips move as he spoke. The gentle cadence of his voice
washed over me like the rains that came with spring, full of promise and
life. Moving without really realizing I was, I lifted to my toes and answered
the only way I could—I captured him in another kiss.

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Twelve
I was shaking from head to toe by the time Kale tore his mouth away and
stepped back, holding me at arms’ distance. Whatever spark had lighted the
first time around ignited with the second. A dozen conflicting emotions
surged through me: I wanted him, he terrified me, the idea of trusting
someone tempted and at the same time made me want to run like hell. I
didn’t know what to say, what to do, or even what, if anything, came next.
In short, I was overwhelmed. By him. By my own emotions. By
everything it all meant.
I put my hands up before me, warding him off, and took another step
away. “I need…to go.”
“Halle.”
“No.” I backed up again. “I’m not doing the whole deflecting thing. I
promise.” I took another step. “I just need…to think.”
He stared at me a long moment, a frown tugging at his brow, before he
gave me a short nod. “Okay, I’ll take you back.”
I glanced over my shoulder. “I know the way.”
“Yeah, and we might be in camarilla land, but there were banshees here
the other night. Not taking chances.” With that, he wrapped his hand around
mine and tugged me along beside him.
The first three-dozen steps or so had me so antsy I wanted to shake my
hand free and step sideways a good two feet. But he wouldn’t loosen his
hold, and that tight grip slowly worked the knots out of my system. The
amicable companionship returned. He didn’t broach the kiss again, didn’t
drag me into conversation I couldn’t handle. Once more, he returned to
pointing out different plants—some of which I’d already learned to identify
—and carrying on like nothing had happened.
Precisely the way I needed him to behave.
We ended up at my door, still loosely holding hands. As I reached for
the knob, Kale pulled me back. With a slight twist, he maneuvered me so
my back rested against the wood and his palms braced on either side of my
shoulders. Elbows bent, he leaned into my body. “Let me fix you breakfast
in the morning.”
 Damn. So much for comfortable companionship. My unease surfaced
with a clang of my heart. “Kale…you can’t…stay the night.”
He chuckled, throwing me off guard. As he captured a lock of my hair
in one hand and pushed it behind my ear, he said, “I didn’t say anything
about staying the night. Just breakfast.”
Down the hall, a door opened. We both glanced sideways as my
neighbor, Art, acknowledged us with a nod then proceeded toward the
atrium. When Kale turned back to me, I searched his expression for answers
to questions I didn’t know.
“People are going to talk,” I murmured.
“And what will they say? They’ve been talking about you for years.”
True. How quickly I forgot. But his teasing brought a grin to my face.
“Okay, I’ll make you a deal then. You can cook breakfast if you promise to
tell me more about you being Yaksini and how that all works.”
His frown was immediate. “How about I tell you about your mother?”
My mother. The very thought of her was like pulling a string around my
heart. My chest tightened. My pulse skipped several beats. “You…know
about my mom?”
“A bit.”
“And you haven’t told me before now?” A sharp edge crept into my
words. Damn it. I didn’t want to accuse him, didn’t want to think he’d
deliberately kept her from me. But it was so instinctual to mistrust.
“We’ve been busy with magic.”
I blinked. That was supposed to be reason enough? We could have made
time to discuss my mother.
Before I could splutter the condescending remarks that bubbled to the
surface, Kale feathered a kiss across my cheek. “I didn’t realize it was so
important to you.”
Double damn him for being right. I might know how much I yearned for
information about my mother, but I had never shared that desire with him.
Or anyone else. I couldn’t blame him for focusing on magic when I hadn’t
given him the information to begin with.
Still, I hated to admit the depth of my wrongness. I pursed my lips, then
gave up all together, choosing the easier: “What time’s breakfast?”
“Seven.”
“You have got to be kidding. It’s after midnight now.”
 “Okay, eight then.”
I rolled my eyes and groaned. “You are a slave driver.”
His hands slid down the doorframe, settled on my hips, and tugged me
forward until our bodies aligned. “All you have to do is roll out of bed. I
promise.”
Oh, wow…the feel of him from head to toe. It was all I could do not to
close my eyes and moan. Strong in all the right places. Hard and soft all at
once. And oh so warm. His mouth was so damned close.
But the awareness we weren’t the only ones occupying the hall, stopped
me from looping my arms around his neck and tugging that amazing mouth
to mine. I cleared my throat, reached behind me for the doorknob. “Eight
o’clock. I seriously hate you. I’m going to bed now.”
Chuckling, Kale released me. “Goodnight, Halle. Sweet dreams.”
Sweet dreams, indeed! I ducked into my room and shut the door before
the temptation to tell him I’d like those dreams to come true could override
my sense. A couple of kisses, and the guy had me thinking hot sex and long
mornings spent in bed. I wasn’t even staying here more than a couple more
days—what in the world had gotten so tangled up inside my head?
Quack-quack.
Great. Tufty. I’d completely forgotten about his being locked in the
bathroom. I dashed down the hall and threw open the bathroom door. His
head popped over the edge of the tub. Dark eyes locked on my face.
Quack!
“Yes, I missed you too. Come here.” I bent over the tub and scooped
him into my arms. “Let’s get you dried off. Then I think we’ll call it an
early night. Evidently we have to get up early.”
When I set him on the floor, he fell into his adorable waddle and
followed me down the hall.

OceanofPDF.com
Thirteen
My early to bed plan failed miserably. Thoughts of Kale and the changes in
our relationship kept me tossing and turning, until I finally gave up and
trudged into the front room to silence my brain with more research.
Somewhere during the wee hours of morning, I crawled onto the couch,
Tufty tucked in by my feet.
I woke to a deafening clatter.
My father had tormented most of my dreams, and that sound rang
distinctly like the clang of dishes after he’d stumbled home from some all-
night venture. That clang and bang had been my alarm bell—shortly
thereafter he stumbled into my room. I was programmed to recognize it.
And I shot off that couch prepared to kill the bastard all over again.
I don’t really know exactly what happened. But the instant I spun to face
my kitchenette, blazing light burst through the room. No, not light. Fire.
Like an enormous sunbeam, a ray of fire zinged over the back of the couch
and across the countertop. It hit solidly. Dropping the intruder to the tiled
floor behind the cabinet.
But the man I’d brought to his knees wasn’t my father. In the three
seconds it took to realize I wasn’t dreaming, I recognized Kale’s broad
shoulders.
“Shit!” I vaulted over the sofa in one burst of speed and skidded around
the corner.
Kale rolled onto his side with a groan, facing the sink, not my open-
mouthed stare. “Fuck,” he groaned again.
“Jesus Christ! What are you doing here?” I dropped to my knees behind
him and reached for the singed material of his shirt.
“Breakfast,” he rasped. “You were…sleeping. Door…was open.”
“And you thought you could just walk in?” I tugged at the torn cotton,
peeling it away from his ribcage to examine scarlet skin beneath. No blood.
Thank God. “Are you okay?”
“Give me…a minute.” He curled into his body, hunching his shoulders
forward, and lay utterly still.
 I leaned further over, glancing at his face. His brows were drawn tight in
a pained grimace, and his mouth formed an even tighter line. By the tick of
his jaw, I recognized the clench of his teeth. His shirt had pulled, exposing
more of his ribcage, and to my horror, I caught angry red streaks of blood.
“You’re bleeding!” I pushed to a crouch. What had my aunt used when I
put my hand on a hot burner? Aloe. Only there wasn’t any aloe plant sitting
in the window sill, like in her kitchen. All I had was a dishrag draped across
the faucet.
I grabbed it, spun the faucet on, and soaked it in cold water. Kale
grunted where he lay as I wrung the cloth out. “Hold still.” Kneeling beside
him again, I pushed at his shirt. “Let me put this on it. Do you have aloe?”
“I’m fine.”
“Fine, my ass. You’re bleeding. And your skin looks like you sat in the
sun with Crisco on.” Hastily, I shoved his shirt the rest of the way up his
back. Only now, where the streaks had been before, his skin held a chafed
appearance. It was still angry red, but the marks that had definitely been
bleeding were healed. Dumbfounded, I stared.
“See? No blood. Give me another minute to catch my breath.” He
closed his eyes again, with only a faint touch of the pained expression still
clinging to the tight corners of his eyes.
It took all my self-control not to stand up and kick him in the ass. Jesus.
He’d scared the holy crap out of me. And he was damned lucky he wasn’t
dead. What if I’d hit his heart? What if that bolt of fire seared him to the
bone? For that matter, who knew what else my erratic powers might have
conjured instead of a ray of fire that evidently wasn’t as potent as it looked.
I stood, but instead of inflicting more damage, tossed the rag back into
the sink. “You think that just because you kissed me, you can walk in
whenever you want?”
With a drawn-out hiss, Kale uncurled his body and eased into an upright
position. He lifted his left arm, tugged at the ruined shirt, and inspected his
wound. “No harm done. Just a burn.”
“Just a burn? There was blood—I saw it! You dropped like a rock.”
Outrage, mixed with no small amount of fear for his safety, pitched my
voice higher. “You’re out of your mind, you arrogant jerk. You’re lucky I
didn’t kill you.”
 Nonplussed, he lifted his gaze, his expression stoically serious. “You
can’t kill me.”
Clearly he wasn’t understanding. I stuffed my fists onto my hips and
glared. “And that’s supposed to make it okay? You have no right to just
walk into my space. This is your fault, Kale. Not mine.”
He pushed himself to his knees and tugged at my wrist until it slipped
free. Holding onto it, he met my scowl, his gaze earnest. “Stop.”
“I’m not stopping. You let yourself in. You scared the crap out of me.
And I refuse to take the blame for nearly shish-kabobing you.” I tugged on
my arm, uncomfortable with his absolute lack of irritation. Why wasn’t he
furious? I’d hit him with fire. Fire, for God’s sake.
And when in the hell had I learned to do that? It certainly wasn’t one of
the spells we’d covered, or one I’d discovered on my own.
“I’m fine.” Leveraging himself with my arm, he rose to his feet. “You’re
pissed because you got scared.”
Once again, my mouth dropped open. I spluttered something
unintelligible.
“You hate being scared,” he continued, closing the distance between us
until less than a foot remained.
I pulled hard against his hand. “You’re full of shit. I’m pissed because
you’re in my house uninvited.”
“Then why is your face still ghost white? Admit it, Halle—you were,
and still are, scared you hurt me.”
If I had the ability to summon fire at will, I would have shot it from my
glower. I managed to jerk free of his grasp and folded my arms over my
breasts. I was not admitting that. He might be right. But confessing it would
only say so much more than I ever wanted him to hear.
“Why are you here?” I ground out between clenched teeth.
As if nothing had transpired, he turned back to the stove and adjusted
the pan on the burner. “You know, when you’re sleeping, there’s a certain
peace about you that is damned hard to resist.”
I blinked.
In the next second, my thoughts that had threatened to scatter on the
wind, clicked back into place. “You are not getting out of this with flattery.”
“I’m not trying to get out of anything.” He cracked open an egg,
dropped it into the pan. Grease popped and sizzled. “I’m just being honest.
You were out like a light while I unpacked my groceries.” He gestured at a
plain brown sack, still keeping his attention focused on the stovetop.
“Didn’t stir at all. It struck me that if I stretched out beside you, I might
touch that part of yourself you keep locked up tight. Do you have any idea
how hard it was not to kiss you like that?”
I blinked again. Unwanted warmth spread through my belly, and my
damned heart stuttered. “Kale—”
He turned to face me, one hand still holding the spatula. And in that
moment, as he held me prisoner with a silent gaze, I felt his yearning. Felt it
like a tangible thing stretching between us. He wanted me. It went beyond
kisses and what would eventually follow the path of desire. Stretched into
territory I had never given anyone, let alone a man. He wanted to know me.
Wanted me to share myself with him honestly.
I don’t know how I knew it—but I sensed that connection as sharply as I
sensed the staccato beating of my heart.
“I’m not afraid of you, Halle,” he murmured. “You can’t hurt me. Not
that way, at least. I let myself in because I wanted to do this for you. To
have you wake up to something just for you.”
I shuffled my feet, dropped my stare to my toes. No one had ever
wanted something just for me. I didn’t know how to respond. Part of me
wanted to tell him, “Okay. I’ll do it.” The other part wanted to escape.
Escape before he could hurt me.
Kale turned back to the eggs. “When did you learn that spell, anyway?”
“I don’t know,” I mumbled. This was safer conversation, and I backed
against the counter, propping my feet out before me. As I stared at Kale’s
strong back, Tufty appeared in the corner of my vision, poking his head
around the corner of the counter as if to ask if it was safe to come out yet. I
choked down a chuckle.
“Do you remember reading it?” Kale asked.
“I didn’t learn it. It just happened.”
Tufty waddled closer, and I bent to scoop him up. He nestled down in
the crook of my elbow. His soft feathers quieted the tumult of my mind. His
warmth was safe and comforting. So unlike Kale, who I innately sensed
held the power to destroy me.
His hand stilled over the skillet for a fraction of an instant. Then, he
dished one sunny-side-up egg onto a waiting plate. “You know…” He
fished another out of the grease and added it to the plate as well, this one
clearly having been in the pan before my little uncontrolled outburst—the
edges were singed brown. “That’s a spell most can’t master until they’ve
been immersed in magic for several years.”
I sighed—same old, same old. What good did my power serve if I
couldn’t control it?
“What do you say to trying some more difficult things after we go to the
Hall of Memories today?”
“Hall of Memories?”
He glanced over his shoulder. “I promised to tell you about your mom.”
Oh duh. Memories—that fit. She was dead. “That sounds challenging.”
Assuming, of course, hearing about my mother didn’t turn me into a wreck.
“We’ll go into the casting chamber. I think you’ve learned enough to be
able to read out of a master arcane book.” He handed me a plate and
gestured at the tiny table in the corner. “Let’s eat. I’m starved.”
I set Tufty down and accepted Kale’s offering. As I moved to the table
and sank into my chair, I stared at my food. I was too mixed up inside to
consider eating. But beneath all the confusion, unease, and instinctual
mistrust, happiness tugged at my conscious. Lurking there like a forbidden
promise. Did I dare give it a try?
Kale slid into the chair opposite and tore off a hunk of bacon. He pulled
the newspaper Spring had brought me days ago over in front of him, and
flipped it open to the entertainment section. “Want to catch a movie?”
Happiness. Normalcy. I could have that, maybe, if I was willing to take
the risk. But what if I tried and it all fell apart? What if he didn’t want
anything to do with me once he found out I really didn’t intend to stick
around?
What if he threw me away when I finally succeeded in killing my uncle?
“There’s not really anything playing I want to see,” I lied—I had no idea
what was even showing.
Kale finished another bite, regarding me thoughtfully, then set his fork
down. “What do you want, Halle?”
“What do I want?” I was stalling…but sometimes it was just necessary.
“Yes.” He picked up his fork again, took another bite, chewed, then said,
“Other than to kill your uncle. What do you want?”
“From what?”
 “Life?”
I shot him an annoyed look. “What do you want?”
“Nope, we’re not deflecting this on me. I asked first. Are you going to
eat that bacon?” He stabbed his fork at my untouched plate.
“Uh. Help yourself.”
He snatched the strip up like a ravenous dog. “At least eat your eggs,
will you?”
With another sigh, I looked back down at my plate. Eat. When he was
performing microsurgery on my brain. Yeah right. I’d have better luck
gnawing on a shoe.
But the hopeful sheen in his eyes, told me how much it meant to him
that I at least pretend like I was enjoying our morning together. And
truthfully, I wasn’t hating it. So I cut into my eggs and forked in a mouthful.
“I want to go to Miami.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s warm. And there’s a beach.” I waited a beat, then added,
“And I’ve never seen the beach.”
“So you’ve never seen the sunset on the beach, huh?”
“No.” My answer came out breathy and just a little bit awed.
“Never seen a dolphin?”
I shook my head.
“I know this great little cove just off the Keys where dolphins come in
regularly. But if you are a little more daring, there’s a spot in the Gulf, out
deep, where you can almost always bank on running into Orcas.”
“Oh my gosh, I love Orcas.”
“You do?” He seemed to chew that thought in time with the last of his
meal. Pushing his plate aside, he gave me one of his devilish, melt-me, half-
grins. “They’ll have young calves in December. Think you could shift your
plans of Miami?”
“Shift…my…plans?” Surely, he wasn’t suggesting we go together.
Kale chuckled. “Sometimes, Halle, you’re exasperating. You’re sharp as
a tack and like to play dumb as a rock.” He collected his plate and took it to
the sink. “Do you want to go with me in December? Or would having
someone around intrude on your plans?”
Holy. Shit. He was suggesting. And Orcas with calves! Adorable black
and white babies with huge expressive eyes and toothy smiles. I couldn’t
imagine anything more perfect. Elation surged through me. But before it
could explode out of my body with an emphatic, yes!, I clamped my mouth
shut. Promises were inevitable letdowns. People changed their minds. So, I
tempered my smile and answered with a cool, reserved nod. “We’ll see how
it goes.”
“Exasperating,” he muttered, though I suspected it was more to himself
than me. He set his mug in the sink and gave me an expectant look. “Ready
then?”
I shoveled in the last of my breakfast, feeling far less queasy than I had
when I sat down, and passed him my plate. As he dropped it into the sink, I
scooped Tufty up from my feet. “Listen, little buddy, I’m playing with
powerful things today. You stay here. No bathtub today—I have to clean it
up. You have food and water in your bowls in the bathroom.”
Surprisingly, when I set him down, he didn’t protest. Even more
miraculously, when I followed Kale to the door, neither one of us had to
push Tufty out of the way with our toe. As if he legitimately understood
what I had said, he hung back near the sofa, watching with bright onyx
eyes.
Quack. His call was muffled and subdued, a quiet goodbye.
It made me smile. As did the snug way Kale’s hand slipped into mine. I
reveled in those strong fingers, closed my eyes, and breathed in deep. The
familiarity of his touch soothed something unnamable inside me. Quieted
an agitation I only ever sensed when it calmed. When that peace settled
over me, it was such an absolute completeness that I never wanted to let go.
I almost felt safe enough that I could let him see my real weaknesses. My
hidden fears.
Almost.
Before he got the impression that I was ready to embark on something
that spanned longer than the time I intended to spend with the camarilla, I
gently shook my hand free.
Don’t get attached, Halle. It won’t last.

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Fourteen
Kale led me down a corridor I’d never seen before. The smooth rock walls
still held the artwork that I admired so much, but the tone was more somber.
Instead of vivid colors and scenes of rolling meadows, the colors were
muted, the murals that of battle, ceremonial rites, and reproductions of
paintings I’d seen on the Internet of women and men with their heads
bowed in prayer.
The narrow hall opened into a wide cavern very similar to the room that
contained all the magical references. But instead of illuminating the entire
room, dim lights shone down on tall portraits that were mounted on the
wall. Sort of like a museum, only darker, less…showy. Reverent, if I had to
choose a word.
I stopped in front of a distinguished man who looked to be in his
seventies. His grey hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail at the nape of
his neck, and he wore a striking navy blue suit that accented the pale blue
color of his eyes. High cheekbones and a regal countenance added to the
proud set of his shoulders. Though it was merely a portrait, he left me
feeling somewhat inferior. “Who’s that?” I asked, the atmosphere
demanding I keep my voice low.
“My great grandfather. Tobias Norwood the Second.”
I gave him an are you serious look. “He could pass for royalty.”
“Actually, he was, before he came to America. Some Baron over in
Britain.” Kale shrugged and waved me onward. “He brought us all here
back in the eighteenth century. Gruff old man. Not very affectionate,
probably because of his proclaimed dragon ancestry. But he cared—he
always used to have a licorice stick for me. What you want to see is this
way.”
Dragon ancestry… I shoved that to the corner of my mind reserved for
things that were entirely too fantastic to be plausible and I probably didn’t
want to know the reason for. Though once again, I was reminded of Kale’s
age. As I followed him down the wall of portraits, I watched the way he
walked, the air of confidence that came with his ever-so-slight swagger. I
had to admit it—the guy had an ass that could make me light-headed.
“Kale, how are you one hundred and fifty years old?”
“One hundred and fifty-two.”
“Okay, give or take. How?”
He stopped in a darkened corner, one shoulder resting against the
smooth wall. “You’ll be timeless too, if you aren’t already. Hard to tell the
way your powers are all off-kilter. Part of it’s in your blood. The other part
comes with your attunement to the world around you.”
“I don’t understand.”
“It’s simple. Nature gives off a life-force. You will naturally absorb it.
Old age will be foreign to you.”
I furrowed my brow, puzzled. “Then why did Gerard marry Beth?”
“His powers are fading, not his age. He’ll always be young in body. It
goes back to…” Kale trailed away, looking over my shoulder at something
behind me. A shadow crossed his face, but I couldn’t be certain it wasn’t
just the light.
“To what?”
“The war.” He shifted off the wall, smoothed one hand down the side of
his jeans. “Fighting takes a lot out of a person.”
There was something else, something he wasn’t saying. He’d never
answered so quickly or so matter-of-factly. And the way he faced the
darkened portrait in front of us, effectively signaling a subject change, made
me even more suspicious. What secrets was he guarding? Especially when
he’d been adamant about my letting him in.
Before I could press him further, he murmured a few words beneath his
breath and a small orb of light appeared over his open palm, illuminating
the painting that had been hidden by the darkness.
A face I recalled only in my most treasured dreams gazed down at me.
“Mom,” I whispered, mesmerized by the beauty of her. Her long
platinum hair, such a stark contrast to my own, draped richly around
delicate shoulders. Wisdom shown in her eyes, the same knowledge that
had assured me more than once no monsters lived in my closet. Wisdom I
trusted more than I had ever believed in anything.
I lifted a hand, willing her skin to be as warm as I remembered when I
pressed my fingertips to her bare arm. I wouldn’t have known if it wasn’t.
She was there, my mother, my rock in a stormy sea.
 I scanned the framed picture, etching into my memory the tenderness in
her expression, the hint of a smile that danced on her mouth, the mint green,
sleeveless gown she wore. Against a backdrop of onyx, her skin was as
pristine as polished ivory. She looked…ethereal. Just the way I remembered
her.
But someone had hidden her in the shadows. “Why doesn’t she have a
light of her own?”
Kale leaned against the wall once more. “Did you know her full name?”
I shrugged. “Meghan Rhoads. She died when I was eight. My sperm
donor never talked about her.”
“Meghan Elpis Roseen. Your grandparents were very powerful. In fact,
your grandfather mentored my father until his unfortunate demise. While
they didn’t carry the blood to inherit the camarilla leadership, they carried
greater power.”
As Kale’s voice melted around me, I watched my mother, picturing the
way her parents might have looked. No one had ever mentioned my
grandparents. Not Mom. Certainly not my father. Frankly, until this
moment, I hadn’t stopped to consider who, or what, my grandparents might
be.
“They left camarilla territory to investigate some strange events near the
quarry we now know is controlled by the Yaksini. Reports of shadow
creatures that hadn’t been seen in this part of the country before. Neither of
them expected to find anything tangible. The entire camarilla thought it was
just kids playing tricks, or wildlife being mistaken for something else.”
Drawn into his tale, I turned my attention to him, slowly lowering my
hand to my side. “It wasn’t, was it?”
He shook his head. “No, they were real. Real, deadly wolves that have a
bad attitude and an insatiable appetite.”
I cringed, not wanting to hear more. Already vivid pictures of
malnourished canines formed in my head, complete with the snapping of
salivating jaws and a sickeningly evil snarl. Beady red glowing eyes—“Is
that what was following us?”
Kale shook his head. “The Jadukara are entirely different. Anyway.
Both your grandparents suffered mortal wounds, but your grandmother had
an amazing telepathic ability. She managed to call for help. And your
grandfather held off the three wolves by putting himself in front of her. By
the time our warriors arrived, he was dead and she was barely living.”
I closed my eyes, sorrow hitting me with the force of a gale wind. What
a terrible way to die.
“She would have never gone if they’d thought it was real at all. She was
only a few weeks away from delivering your mother.”
My eyes snapped open. No, way.
“Maude—the woman who offered to train you—heard her call for help.
She kept your grandmother in stasis until your mother was born. Wherever
your grandmother’s mind was, I think she saw dark things. She woke long
enough to tell Maude the baby’s name was to be Elpis, after the Greek
personification of hope.”
A whole new wave of reverence washed over me as I looked once more
to the portrait of my mother. “Where did Meghan come in?”
“Maude and the council realized she needed a more common name.
They added Meghan.”
Kale inhaled deeply and glanced around the room, the jerky nature of
his gaze telling me once more that he wasn’t revealing the full truth. He
exhaled hard, his shoulders sagging as if he carried barbells on them.
“What aren’t you telling me?”
“You won’t like it, Halle. Let’s just leave it at your mother was
cherished within the camarilla until she married and left.”
I shook my head, adamant. “No. I want to know.” Whatever it was, I
needed that information. Maybe it could explain why I was the way I was.
“Tell me.”
“Halle—”
“Tell me, damn it!” My voice echoed off the walls. “Why is she in
shadows when everyone else has a light?”
He blew out another harsh breath, then nodded shortly. “Your father was
Yaksini. In fact, he was their leader, the same as your uncle is now.”
My eyes widened to twice their normal size, and I had to brace one hand
on the wall to keep from stumbling. My mother chose to marry a Yaksini?
Impossible! “H-how?” I squeaked.
“It depends on who you ask. I like to think she was just that naive and
innocent. But for the most part, you’ll find the elders think she absorbed
some of those dark wolves’ evil and was drawn to him.”
 Oh, God. My stomach churned. That would certainly explain why I
couldn’t control my powers. If she were part evil, evil was known for chaos.
And that would mean I carried the same propensity for terrible things as my
father did. His blood was mine. And I was as bloodthirsty as he was. I’d
killed. I wanted to kill again.
My fingers curled into the stone as the room around me swayed. I must
have stumbled, because Kale’s fingers wrapped around my elbow, his grip
strong and steadying.
“Easy, Halle.”
“Oh my, God. That’s in me too.”
His grip tightened, and he dragged me closer, catching my other elbow
in his free hand. His gaze bored into mine. “No.”
“How can you say that? I’m their child.”
Kale drew me into his body, wrapping his arms around my waist and
guiding my head to his chest. “Look at your mother, Halle. Does she look
evil?”
“My father didn’t look it either. I was the only one who knew what he
—” I snapped my mouth shut. I wasn’t ever going to say those words. Had
my mother known what he did when he finished banging the pots in the
kitchen?
Oh, I was going to be sick.
I shoved at Kale’s chest, desperate for air. Great gulps of clean air.
He held me tighter. “Stop,” he whispered, resting his cheek atop my
head. “Even if it is there inside you, you can choose.”
“So my mother chose the Yaksini? Is that what you’re saying?” I pushed
again, with all my strength.
He refused to ease his tight grip. “I’m not saying that at all. Your mother
didn’t choose the dark path.”
“Of course she didn’t,” a brittle feminine voice called from behind me.
Startled, I jerked my head around. Kale’s grip loosened enough I could
turn sideways, and out of the dim shadows, a woman’s form emerged. The
long, lithe figure became clear—Beth. I despised the sight of her, but her
conviction was so strong I found myself wanting to ply her for more
information. A thousand questions surfaced: Had she known my mother
well? She sounded like she had.
“She didn’t?” I asked with no small degree of hope echoing in my voice.
 “Not now, Beth,” Kale bit out tightly.
Beth looked down her nose at me, her entire demeanor that of someone
who knew she was superior. “Even the most incredibly weak-willed
Tolvenar would never choose to turn their soul over to eternal servitude. If
she even remembers the day she met your father now, I’m sure she would
run away.”
“What?” Once more I shoved at Kale, and this time, his loose hold let
me escape. I turned to face Beth completely. “What did you just say?”
Surely I hadn’t heard her correctly.
“Beth,” Kale warned in a harsh guttural bark.
Her gaze skipped to him, and a self-satisfied smirk pulled at the corners
of her mouth. I’m sure she didn’t mean for me to see it. But Kale’s
immediate glower told me I hadn’t imagined the snide expression. She was
enjoying this. Why didn’t matter—she’d distinctly implied my mother was
still living.
“Is my mother alive?” I demanded.
She gave a nonchalant shrug of dainty shoulders. “If you can call it
such. Though, technically, I suppose not.”
No. Fucking. Way. My mother was alive, and Kale hadn’t mentioned it?
Hell, he’d carried on seemingly intent on letting me believe she’d died in
that car wreck. I spun on him. “You asshole! Where is she? Is she here,
somewhere, in the camarilla?” Not waiting for his answer, I pivoted on my
heel, intent on finding her for myself.
“Halle!” he called after me.
I broke into a jog. “Stay the hell away from me!” I’d find my mother
and the both of us would escape this damned place of lies and deceit. To
hell with Kale. He was worst of all them, sweetening me up, making me
think he was concerned about me. All the while knowing my mother was
alive.
Damn it! She had to be here somewhere—maybe through that
padlocked door in the stairwell.
Anger surged through me, prickling my fingertips with the sheer
enormity of it. I felt the energy rising around me, the electrical charge, and
pushed it down. Not now. If it was going to come, I needed it for when I
reached that locked entry. Wasting a good fit of rage would only slow me
down.
 I ran faster. “Mom! Where are you?”
My voice bounced off the stone as I burst into the corridor. To my
absolute horror, my vision blurred with tears. “Mom!” I choked out, “I’m
here!”

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Fifteen
In the same instant I screamed, a flash of blinding white light erupted in
front of me. I skidded to a stop, momentarily certain I’d somehow produced
the blast. But as I blinked bright yellow orbs out of my vision, the thrum of
power hummed beneath my skin. Nope, definitely not me.
Flames shot forth from the walls, no less than ten feet ahead. I shrank
from the heat, edging backward, one arm lifted to shield my face. Jesus,
Beth must be strong, if she could produce fire from stone. I absolutely
wasn’t going to piss her off. Not in this lifetime at least.
“Stop running, Halle.”
The commanding, masculine voice behind me was the last one I’d
expected, though I shouldn’t have been surprised. I turned to glower at
Kale.
“She’s not alive.” He lifted his left palm, fingers spread, then slowly
closed them. The flames winked out of existence.
Shit. He had produced that? I came to a dead stop. Maybe I should
seriously reconsider pissing him off. No, screw that. I’d had enough of his
games. He’d just come dangerously close to roasting me. If I’d been
running any faster, he’d have lit me up like an explosive. Another surge of
energy roiled through my bloodstream, and my hands began to shake. I
glanced down, observing a strange turquoise tint spanning between my
knuckles.
“Not in the way you think of alive.” He stopped two feet in front of me.
“Stop and listen, and I’ll explain.”
“The hell you will! You just tried to barbeque me!” As the angry
outburst exploded off my lips, something exploded off my fingertips. I felt
the zing as power shot through them, and stumbled backward with the
force. In the place where I’d been standing, the stone floor cracked. Thorny
vines as thick as my wrist crept from the fissure, weaving across the
ground, twining toward the walls, and entangling with each other. In
seconds, I couldn’t see Kale through the thick barrier, just brown
overgrowth with points as sharp as ice picks.
Wow.
 As I blinked, the dense overgrowth ruptured with an ear-splitting pop.
Like ashes scattered in a gale wind, the plants disintegrated. Another
rending creak-thud and the ground sealed itself once again. Kale stood in
the corridor, his left hand outstretched, the air between his spread fingers
rippling with the after current of energy.
“Go ahead. Do it again,” he challenged. “If this is what it takes to get
you to embrace who you are, then throw your best one at me, Halle.”
The surprise I’d felt seconds ago disappeared with his taunt. Indignation
heated my cheeks. Where did he get off? It wasn’t like I was denying I had
power all this time. I couldn’t control it. Still couldn’t. If I had any idea
how, he’d be flat on his back immobile so I could get past him and unable
to speak further.
Again, energy arced through my body. This time, the feeling was more
natural. I opened my mind, allowing it freedom, and when it broke through
my surface, I remained standing steadfast.
My hair curled around my face as a gust of wind filled the cavernous
hallway. But before it could reach its mark, Kale braced one foot, uttered
something I couldn’t hear over the roar, and once more, my magic
dissipated. His clothing fluttered as if he’d stepped outside in no more than
a gentle breeze.
“Screw you!” I blurted and strode forward, intent on shoving around
him. “You’re not going to stop me. I’m going to find her!”
To my surprise, he stepped sideways and let me pass.
Quietly, his voice rang out behind me, a note of warning in his steely
tone. “What are you going to do then?”
I kept walking, scanning the long hall for an adjoining tunnel that
carried the whisper of the outdoors. There was one here somewhere. We’d
come in it earlier this week. It took double the time than the way I’d been
going, but it was away from lying, secret-keeping, Kale.
“What are you going to do, Halle, when she tries to kill you?”
At that, I laughed. “She won’t kill me. She’s my mother.”
“Was.”
I snorted, not bothering to slow my pace. But though I’d never let him
know his words got to me, a chill stole down my spine. That unease was
tempered by the dark recess that caught my attention and marked the exit
I’d been seeking. I headed directly for it.
 “What are you going to do when your uncle tries this?”
As I took another step into the mouth of the adjoining corridor,
anticipating leaving Kale’s taunts behind, I ran nose-first into something
hard and unmoving. It repelled me like a bird flying into a clean
windowpane, and I stumbled several steps backward, only to crash on my
ass. I rubbed my smarting nose and stared at an invisible barrier, the dark
depths of the dimly lit hallway as clear as they had been moments ago.
“What the hell?” Scrambling to my feet, I shot him a baleful glare. “Just
leave me alone!”
“What are you going to do with this, Halle?”
Before the echo of his voice died away, the entire corridor went black.
Not the sort of dim light that comes with nightfall. But the absolute
nothingness of being trapped underground in the belly of a cave. No
shadows, no hints of another presence. I lifted my hand, touched the tip of
my nose, and still couldn’t see my fingers. Not even the faint outline.
In the next moment, the oppressive, sickeningly-sweet smell of decay
permeated the air. It flooded my nose, made breathing next to impossible.
My throat closed, gag reflex kicking in. With that came the churning of my
stomach and something more—paralyzing fear. Voices whispered through
the darkness, ghostly and full of menace. I didn’t know if they were real or
products of my panicking mind. But the cold feel of perspiration spread
over my skin, and the overwhelming urge to run possessed me.
Yet I couldn’t move. I was too afraid to even shrink away.
All I could manage was a pathetic, shaky whisper. “Stop.”
But he didn’t. A hollow command echoed in my head. Come.
I tried to resist. Willed my feet to remain firmly planted in place. But the
muscles in my thighs twitched against the force until the shaking became
too much to control. My foot shuffled forward. Then the other. One slow
step after another, propelled forward against my will, through the pitch
black.
A cold hand latched around my wrist. I opened my mouth to scream, but
the overbearing horror was too much for even that. Instead, all that came
out was a pitiful wail of despair.
With that soul-deep sound, the corridor flooded with light. The stench
evaporated, and my heart ceased its erratic pounding. Where skeleton-like
fingers had clenched against my bones, Kale’s warm hand rested gently. He
looked down at me, pain lancing behind his blue eyes, sorrow turning them
soft and compassionate.
“Stop,” I whispered again, my voice cracking with emotion.
“Oh, Halle.” He crushed me against his chest, his arms tight and secure,
taking away the terror.
I melted into his embrace, holding on for all I was worth. I don’t know
why. I should have naturally wanted to flee, instead of melding as close as I
could. But Kale offered sanctuary to things I couldn’t explain, and the
warmth of his body, the steady beat of his heart, was more comforting than
I could comprehend. I needed to hold him to know what had just happened
wasn’t real. That I hadn’t just been touched by death and perhaps nearly
walked right into it.
The relief was so enormous a tear trickled down my cheek. At the
realization he’d broken me that far, I sniffed and tried to shove away. I
couldn’t let him see me cry—he’d know I was vulnerable. That deep inside
I harbored fears…and pain. So much pain and heartache.
But like always, as if he could read my secret, innermost need for
comfort and security, he held me more tightly, denying me the ability to run
away.
“Your mother didn’t choose, Halle. Not the final time. And you can’t
save her. But you can overcome your father’s evil.” He tucked my cheek
against his chest and laid his chin atop my head. “You can resist the
darkness of your blood.”
“What if I can’t?” I choked out.
“You can. I do it every day.”
Slowly, I pulled back to look up at him. That’s right; he’d said he was
part Yaksini.
“I was born full Tolvenar. But your father infused me with enough
darkness I might as well be. It’s what he did to your mother too.”
“You’re here though. If you can resist, then she can.”
Compassion flooded his expression again, along with a heavy amount of
regret. “I’m sorry, Halle,” he whispered quietly. “Gerard saved me before it
was too late. We can’t bring her back. Your uncle controls her completely.”
“No.” I shoved hard, my heart breaking at his solemn, finality. I couldn’t
just accept that my mother was beyond hope. She existed somewhere, and
I’d be damned if I’d turn my back on her. “No, I have to try.”
 His grip tightened on my forearms. For a long moment, he remained
silent, a stubborn set to his jaw. Then, his features relaxed and his shoulders
dropped with resignation. “Learn your magic. If you don’t…” His gaze
searched my face as he lifted a hand to tenderly tuck my hair behind my ear.
What he left unsaid, resonated between us: he’ll kill you.
I swallowed with effort, emotion once again rising up to choke me. How
could he care so much about what happened to me? I was just a street kid
with a crazy power streak. And stubborn. Godawful obstinate. Not to
mention I’d wounded him twice, told him off more times than I cared to
count, and kept him at arms distance whenever I could.
But it was written in his face, the softness of his gaze, the compassion
glinting in those sky blue eyes that mesmerized me each time I looked too
long. Kale cared what happened to me. I meant something to him.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I had to know. His answer would either
separate us completely or shatter the rest of my faltering defenses.
“What was I supposed to say? By the way, your mom’s alive, but she’s
just a shell and her soul belongs to your uncle?” He closed his eyes with no
small degree of remorse turning down the corners of his mouth. “When was
I supposed to tell you that, Halle, knowing there’s nothing you can do?
You’d have lit out of here like a firecracker before you could learn anything
about your abilities.”
“True,” I murmured.
And that sealed it…there was nothing left to keep me locked behind
virtual steel walls. He understood. He hadn’t been scheming. His honesty
reflected in his voice, in his defeated posture, in the gentle way he ran his
hands up and down my arms then grasped my fingers tight, speaking words
he didn’t say.
I laid my fingertips against his cheek. “I want to trust you, Kale.” With
my thumb, I traced the faint stubble near his mouth. “I don’t know how.”
His gaze locked with mine, full of some foreign emotion I couldn’t
recognize. Yet where I expected him to speak, to tell me all the answers I
needed and solve the dilemma for me, he said nothing. Instead, he dipped
his head and feathered his mouth across mine.
To my surprise, the answer was just that simple. Hesitancy floated away
as I returned the gentle clasp of his lips. Everything I needed to believe in
was right here in my arms, and that deep connection that flowed between us
flared to life as I reached down deep and opened myself to the
unexplainable tug against my heart.
His tongue touched mine, full of promise, and in some way, hope.
Brighter beginnings, a happier tomorrow. I wasn’t alone like this, with him.
Wasn’t the lone soldier fighting against the world. I had a friend, an ally.
Someone I didn’t need to confess my darkest secrets to, but who I could
entrust them with all the same.
I wound my arms around his neck, and stepping a half-step closer,
deepened the kiss. His hands latched into my hair, the strong press of his
fingertips against my scalp deliciously fulfilling. Yearning opened inside
me, the kind I hadn’t felt with a man in too long to count. The kind that
came with the innocence of a teenager’s first romance, which I wasn’t
entirely certain I’d ever experienced before.
One of his hands dropped to my bottom and pressed my hips flush with
his. The brush of his hard erection deepened the craving to near-painful
limits. No…I’d never experienced this before. And holy crap, I wanted
more.
He must have sensed the hungry edge that knifed through me. His kiss
became more demanding, and with a low sound of pleasure rumbling in his
throat, he pressed me backward, one full step flattening my back against the
cool stone. His body chased mine, caging me in a way that was too intense
for words. I grabbed at his shoulders to steady the sudden unsteadiness in
my legs, and my nails bit into the muscle there.
In a flashpoint of feeling I was needy and desperate to know everything
there was about this man and to share everything I had to give. Everything.
I would have too, if the echo of footsteps hadn’t filtered into my
conscious awareness. My body stiffened, and I drew back from the kiss,
taming it somewhat. Our lips had just separated, allowing us to draw a deep
breath, when those footsteps turned into far more than an unsuspecting
passerby.
“Well, well, Kale,” Beth’s voice dripped with ice. “I’ve got to hand it to
you, that was something for a lover’s spat.”
A low hiss slipped from his lips and his entire body went rigid. In slow
motion, he turned his head. I don’t know what he intended to say, because
I’d had enough.
“Back the fuck off, bitch,” I growled.
 Kale flashed me a look of surprise, but the way Beth’s eyes widened
was a sweeter reward. Her confident stride actually faltered, as if she
couldn’t believe that I’d stood up to her. Or maybe it was the bitch part.
But what the hell—with the magic Kale could wield who needed to be
concerned about hers?
She tsked as she looked down her nose, her stare pointedly fixed on him.
“With all the suitable possibilities here, I never imagined you would fall for
someone so weak and unacceptable.”
If he’d been scowling at her before, he flat out glowered. He smacked
an open palm on the wall above my shoulder and whirled around to face
her. “For God’s sake, you’re married to Gerard! What the fuck is your
problem?”
A wry smile formed on her mouth, more a smirk than the shame that
should have been etched into her face. She shrugged her shoulders with a
nonchalant chuckle. “I guess we all have to have our meaningless flings.
She’ll be gone soon enough—either by cowardly choice or the Yaksini will
take her.”
I lunged forward, focused on the sheer pleasure of feeling her regal neck
beneath my fingers. Kale caught my elbow at the last instant, holding me
back, placing himself between us.
“Get lost, Beth. I think you’ve done enough tonight. Let me remind you,
Gerard wants her here.”
Her laugh was as soulless as she was. “That’s right. And he did say
convince her however you could, didn’t he?” She flashed me a wicked
knowing grin.
If it hadn’t been for that weird connection I felt in Kale’s presence, I
might have believed what she so obviously wanted me to—that Kale had
just been making out with me for ulterior motives. But I had felt that link,
and there was no way anyone, not even the supposedly powerful Beth,
could have made me doubt it.
“What’s wrong, Halle? Cat got your tongue?” She laughed again as she
turned around the way she’d come. “Or did Kale steal it?”
A low growl rumbled in my throat, and my gaze narrowed to hate-filled
slits. That woman had a problem. One that was about to compound with
me. Fury blistered through me, once again prickling my skin with its power.
 Kale’s reassuring squeeze and the flash glance of caution he slid my
way stopped me from welcoming the burn and allowing the threatening
havoc to break free. I sagged against the wall, recognizing the futility. Now
wasn’t the time or place. But one day, Beth would regret her taunts.
Over her shoulder, she gave Kale one last appreciative glance from head
to toe before striding confidently away. He pushed one hand through his
hair with a harassed sigh.
“Why does she hate me? I mean…aside from the obvious.”
He cracked his neck with a tip of his head then rolled his shoulders.
“Because you’re stronger than she is.”
“Not from what everyone’s said.”
Kale slid his hand into mine and tugged me in the opposite direction,
back to the staircase that led to the residential quarters. “There are two
people in the camarilla who can use air and fire without a single component
to draw from. Me,” he gave me a pointed look, “and you.”
“Huh?” I asked, falling into step beside him.
“You just summoned wind with me. What was on your fingertips a few
seconds ago—fire. I recognized the heat. Look around you.”
I glanced at the stone corridor, the stone floor, the stone ceiling. No
torches provided light, just the dim glow from the healers’ art. No breeze
stirred the air. Nothing but hard, centuries-old rock.
“There’s nothing here to summon those energies from and bend them to
your will. Beth can’t do that, and she can’t call down a tornado even
outside.” He squeezed my hand once more. “Jealousy, plain and simple.”
Grinning, he added, “Besides, you have what she wants.”
“I do?” There was no reason to ask for clarification. Once more, the
intangible bond we shared provided meaning. I had him. But I needed to
hear his answer.
“Yeah,” he murmured. “You do.”
Damn—something inside me slowly turned over. Mine. I didn’t know
what to do with that. No one had ever belonged to me, and more
importantly, I had never wanted to belong. Until now.

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Sixteen
After a few, unproductive rounds in the casting chamber with Kale, my
mind proved too tangled to accomplish anything, and I went to bed more
confused and conflicted than I had been since my arrival at the camarilla.
Beth hated me. My mother was evidently some prisoner to my uncle. Kale
wanted things from me I yearned to give but didn’t know how. And more
importantly, I couldn’t understand why, when he was obviously so
powerful, why they needed me to defeat the Yaksini.
In the chamber, with protective shields around us, he’d proved just what
he was capable of—multiple lightning strikes below ground; gale force
winds; the fire he summoned so easily, and even the appearance of three
shadowy animal-like creatures that pinned me in a corner before he winked
them out of existence. Comparatively, I managed a puff of frosty fog, a
yellow-green cloud of something that made Kale gag, another of those
thorny walls, and not a one of them had been anything I’d planned on. Even
when I read the ancient scrolls he pulled out of a codex, felt I’d committed
them to memory, something else happened.
He said I had my inflection wrong.
But I recognized the lie in the way he wouldn’t quite look at me. He was
trying to protect my feelings. Both of us were frustrated.
I tossed and turned, replaying the training round in tandem with the
conversation we had in the corridor. Avoiding considering what our
passionate kiss meant and where it would lead if I couldn’t find a way of
reconstructing walls and keeping him at a distance.
Somewhere around two in the morning, I gave up attempting to sleep
and struck off for my resource library in the front room once more.
Somewhere in those tomes was the answer; the reason why I couldn’t turn
conscious will into a productive outcome. Clearly, I wasn’t blocked; magic
flowed in my veins freely. I could draw on the power. It was now the
problem of creating the desired effect.
With Tufty dozing at my side, his beak tucked beneath a wing, I
browsed the embossed gold titles. Principles of Casting, Union with the
Elements, Intermediary Studies on Magickal Effects.
 My finger hovered over a two-inch thick spine, its metallic lettering
worn and faded to the point I could barely read it. Before the Storm:
Reflections of a Windwalker
Interesting. I’d looked through these books a dozen times or more, and I
didn’t remember seeing this one. As my fingertip grazed the worn leather
binding, a jolt of energy shot up my arm. I jerked my hand back in surprise,
then cautiously reached once more, prepared for the charge. This time it
didn’t spark like static, merely buzzed against the pads of my fingers.
Curious. Compelling.
I pulled it out of the bookcase and set it on my lap. An embossed gold
seal was emblazoned into the leather, surprisingly intact given the rest of
the wear on the book. Towerlike in shape, with the base wider than the top,
it resembled two pinchers on a claw opposing one another, the top smaller
but symmetrical with the bottom. A faint circle spanned through the middle
and framed another symbol I couldn’t identify. As I stared, the entire thing
pulsed with magic, making it shimmer from top to bottom before slowly
fading into the flat, gold, design it had begun as.
A shiver raced through me. Drawn inexplicably to the design, I ran my
hand over the intricate design. The power that flooded into my palm was so
sharp I nearly cried out in pain. But at the same time, it was intoxicatingly
pleasant, urging me to hold my hand in place, to close my eyes and soak it
in.
I inhaled deeply, breathed in that enormous energy and looked where
my palm had been. The sigil pulsed again. Narrow veins of lightning shot
beneath the design, making it stand out in three-dimensional bas relief. And
in the center of that eerie spire-like construct, where the symbol I couldn’t
recognize had originally been, a ghastly skull with elongated canines shone
in silver.
Demonic.
And yet…I felt no repulsion. If anything, the sense that I’d discovered
everything I needed possessed me. As the visage faded into the original
design once more, I brushed my hand over the surface again. Nothing
happened. It remained still and quiet, not even vibrating with the power I
knew it contained.
The pages were locked with an ancient book clasp that held no easy
means of opening. No keyhole, no ends to push together like some of the
older tomes in the vast library Kale and I spent so much time in. But as I
reached for it, it tumbled open before my fingers ever made contact.
My breath held, I opened the book. Page after page of handwritten
words stared up at me. And crazy as it sounds, I could hear it calling to me.
Read my journey.
I flipped to the title page, searching for an author’s name. But where
there should have been title, author, and the other elaborate scrolling
handwriting that detailed the book’s original creation—like so many others
I’d seen recently—I found nothing but a blank page.
In fact, the first page of anything, was evidently the beginning of the
subject matter.
Ten years after the dragons abandoned the world, my journey began. Some said
demons drove them away. Some said humans. I tell you it was neither—they chose to flee,
for they saw what would become of the world and the greed of men who would hunt them,
and they left before all they found beautiful turned to ash, leaving behind those they gifted
with divine power to protect their greatest treasure.
Though it would be another forty years before I understood this.
Unlike others, I had no tutor. My parents were poor farmers in servitude to a powerful
liege. My role was the same as theirs—bring in the harvest, sheer the sheep, cut wood to
keep the family warm, and reap the profits in exchange for our liege’s protection. I was
bound to follow their path. As all of us were in the small village I shall not name.
That is until thieves set upon us one midsummer night, lighting our thatched roofs,
raiding our granaries, killing the men who heedlessly thought to fight back, and dumping
their bodies into our wells. I was a young man, barely twenty summers, and pulled from
my bed at the sound of blood-curdling screams. I raced outside, wearing nothing but my
undergarments, setting foot on my front stoop at the same time my father raced out of his
neighboring house, my mother clutching frantically at his cloak to drag him back indoors.
I had no wife to pull me back.
A mounted rider, wearing a cape as black as night, his face hidden from all who
looked upon him, cut my father down before he ever raised the shovel he held. I would
learn later, the horseman was no man at all. But rather what I was to eventually become,
only twisted with the wrath of ages and poisoned by the kiss of evil. My heart was never
so tainted, though many believed it was, and I pay for their false perceptions as I write
this now.
As all young men who are driven by love of family and the deep desire to protect what
their lives have created will do, I raced into the packed earth street to avenge my father’s
killing. I held no weapon, only the fierceness of my fists. What vengeance I could extract, I
didn’t consider. I saw only blood and felt the longing to spill it.
The horse spun on me, so close his hot breath washed over my face as his nostrils
flared and he snorted. For a moment fear struck as I stared into two equine eyes that
glowed orange-red. Many months after, I would swear I imagined that demonic gleam. I
would learn my folly.
 But I digress. As I stared into that horrendous visage, fear was swiftly replaced by
fury. I threw myself at that great beast, enraged quite out of my mind. And in the next
moment, as lightning split the sky and struck the ground between us, my life forever
changed.
I flew backward, hitting the ground so hard my vision blurred. Agony raced through
my prostrated body, but I found the will to lift my head and confront my murderer as he
pummeled the life out of me, as he surely would.
But the beast stood in silence, his wild ebony mane dancing around his massive neck
and shoulders. His cloaked rider stared directly at me for one prolonged heartbeat. I was
certain it would be my last.
And then he wheeled backward, one eerie whistle piercing the air as he fled toward
the thick forest. His companions, other cloaked riders and their terrifying mounts, spun as
if the hounds of hell had been unleashed upon them. In a whirlwind of dust and debris that
spread the stench of freshly spilled blood throughout the village, they were gone.
My journey began there, in the middle of the road, that fateful night. Some said it was
the gods smiling down upon us, protecting the innocent who had done nothing to deserve
the senseless killing. I never argued. Even when I left the quiet village a week later, I had
never countered their beliefs.
Yet I knew otherwise. For as I struck off on the heels of those beasts, the full midnight
moon lighting my path, I still bore the bone-deep burn of lightning that, though I couldn’t
explain how, originated from my hand.

I looked up, possessed by chills. Needing the comfort of something

warm and tangible, I set my hand on Tufty’s back. He lifted his beak then
quickly tucked it beneath his wing once more.
I didn’t know why I was shaking. I didn’t know what prompted my eyes
to blur with tears. But something in the man’s words connected profoundly
with me. I was him. He was me. It sounded crazy, and yet…I knew.
Only what were we?
I grabbed the book, snapped it shut, and dashed for the door. Kale would
know. I had to see him. Had to hold onto him, because something inside me
was churning so violently I felt like I could shatter into a thousand pieces if
I didn’t.
Tufty protested my leaving with a soft quack, but even he seemed to
understand, not even bothering to follow to the door. I raced down the hall,
hell bent on finding Kale’s room. When it occurred to me…I had never seen
Kale’s room. I had no idea where he slept.
Despair crashed over me, along with frustration. I skidded to a halt
beneath the outward reaching branches of the oak and threw the book on the
ground. It bounced twice and came to rest beside the foot of the stone
bench, otherwise unharmed.
 “Damn you!” The curse exploded from my lips, echoing off the halls
like a clash of thunder. “What am I supposed to do?”
In the distance, a door shut. Nearby, another opened. Maude poked her
head out, blinking away sleep. Spring rushed out of the door neighboring
hers.
“Halle?” Spring called, hurrying toward me. “What happened?”
“Never mind, Spring,” Maude called quietly. Her steps were slower,
more purposeful, but she approached as well. “Go on back to your room. I
heard her call long before she spoke.”
Maude heard her call for help. She kept your grandmother in stasis.
Kale’s words reverberated in my head.
I stood still, watching Maude come closer. She had heard me, and I
hadn’t even realized I’d called out. But I supposed in some way I had been
silently screaming for help for years.
Dressed in a flowing white nightgown that looked like it could have
come from the 19th century, she crossed the grass on bare feet and walked
to where the book lay against the bench. Gently, she reached for it, but
pulled back with a pained grimace.
With a shake of her head, she looked to me. “I’m sorry, it is not meant
for me.” She took a very deliberate side-step around it, careful not even to
allow her long hem to touch the binding, and seated herself on the bench.
“Kale is coming. He is two floors up. It will take a moment more.”
“Kale?” I asked, confused.
A warm smile lit her weathered features. “It is he who you were looking
for, yes?”
Still trying to decipher exactly how she knew, I nodded dumbly.
“Sit down, young windwalker. Before he arrives, I must speak with
you.”
Windwalker. My gaze pulled to the book lying at her feet. Hesitantly, I
sat beside her.
Her bony hand settled on my knee. “I am a healer and a mentalist, and
my journey will never be yours. I would never wish it upon anyone, and
few are chosen for the purpose you have been.” Her smile faded, replaced
with grave warning etched into her weathered features. “Who you share that
purpose with should be closely guarded. Never tell Beth. You can trust
Kale. Beyond him, trust only the mind you have been given.”
“And you?” Impertinent as it might be, the question popped out
unbidden. Almost as if my subconscious spoke.
Her smile returned, warm in all its evident wisdom. “I will never share
your confidences, Halle, but whether that establishes trust is for you to
decide. You are right to question my motives. To question anyone’s.”
“And what are they, your motives?”
She glanced up at the high, arching ceiling and spread one thin arm in a
sweeping gesture. “My camarilla. You and Kale are the only ones who can
protect it. But in so doing…”
Her gaze dropped to her lap and she absently picked at the thin fabric of
her nightgown. “You must find the balance, Halle,” she murmured. “You
have the power to destroy him, and without Kale, we are nothing.”
“But how can that be possible?” I asked, my frustration creeping up
again. “I can’t cast a spell I intend no matter how I try!”
She let out a soft laugh. “Think not on the outcome specifically, but that
you can produce anything. For now. It will come. In time.”
“Halle?” Kale’s voice rang through the atrium. “Halle, where are you?”
He rounded the corner and his gaze fell on me. For a brief moment, as he
skidded to a stop, I read the concern in his expression, the deep-seeded
worry that had sent him bolting out of his room with his shirt buttoned in an
awkward mess. He thrust one hand through his disheveled hair. “Are you
okay?”
You have the power to destroy him.
As if Maude could hear my thoughts, she gave me a knowing look,
patted my knee and rose.
“I’m okay.” I nodded to Kale.
He hurried to join us. “Maude called for me. She said…” He trailed
away, glancing between us, then turned aside with a clenched jaw. “I guess
you didn’t need me.”
Oh, damn. Did he think I was blocking him out again? I set my hand on
his forearm. “No. I…want you here.” The confession was the hardest truth
I’d ever admitted. My hand slid to his, and I clasped his fingers. “I…was
looking for you.”
 His grip was strong and comforting, and the tenderness that washed
across his face a heartbeat before he brushed a kiss to my temple melted my
heart. I didn’t understand it, but I was done fighting it.
“You two be careful now,” Maude said as she backed toward the
courtyard gate. “Talk to her, Kale. She needs your wisdom.”
He answered with a succinct nod, disentangled his hand from mine, and
looped an arm around my shoulders. “I’ve got it covered, Maude.”
Once more, she laughed. “I’m sure you do, young man.”
As she retreated to her dormitory, I gave Kale a hesitant smile. “Thank
you for coming. I didn’t know where to find you.”
“What happened?”
I gestured at the discarded book. “I found that. I needed to see you.”
He twisted to look at where I pointed then froze. Where his body
pressed against mine, I felt the stiffening of his muscles. “Where in the hell
did you come up with that?”
Before I could answer, he left my side, picked up the book without a
trace of discomfort, and tucked it beneath his arm.

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Seventeen
The venom that clung to Kale’s question made me second-guess my
decision to come to him. Clearly he knew what I’d found, and it was
equally clear he disapproved. But the fact he could handle the book, unlike
Maude, left me more curious than ever. I reached to take it out of Kale’s
hands.
He gripped it more tightly and clasped me by the hand. “Not here,” he
gritted out through clenched teeth.
That heavy warning had me glancing around the courtyard, suddenly
overly conscious of where we were and who might be watching. My natural
suspicions surfaced: Maude had kept Spring away. Kale wanted to hide the
book. Just what the hell had I discovered?
“Kale?” I asked, unease creeping through my veins. “What is that?”
He didn’t answer, just kept striding toward the stairwell, his grip
tightening on my hand with each step.
I tugged to free myself. “You’re hurting me.”
He eased his hold, but didn’t let go. He mounted the stairs, secured the
book more closely to his body, and escorted me up. Past the healing
chamber, past the council meeting room floor, up to a recessed door we’d
passed a dozen times or more. He withdrew a key from his jeans pocket and
inserted it. The lock gave with a soft click. Kale pushed the door open,
ushered me through first.
Spice and warm comfort filled my nose—the scent I had come to
associate with him. Though the entryway was dark, I could make out a
small window directly opposite that told me we stood inside the rocky
outcrop that rose above the forest floor. Moonlight shone in, lighting a
leather couch with faint silver. I moved deeper inside as he closed and
locked the door.
My curiosity about the book was temporarily replaced by curiosity
about his room. He flicked on a lamp, and I took in my surroundings. I’d
pegged him for simplicity before, but to my surprise, although the furniture
was simple in design, his room was full of…stuff.
 Not just piled papers and mismatched odds and ends, like my aunt was
so fond of collecting, but significant things. Books especially. A section of
wall filled with mounted, antique weapons, swords and daggers and the
like. Opposite the makeshift armory, a widescreen television sat tucked
inside a wardrobe that had to be ancient. The two side doors stood askew,
giving me a glimpse of shelves full of movies. I would have liked to inspect
the titles to see if we shared the same taste, but he claimed a seat on the sofa
and gestured at the adjoining chair.
I sat as he placed the book on the scarred wooden table between us. His
gaze locked with mine. “Where did you get this, Halle?”
Yeah right, like I was going to just cooperate with that attitude. “What is
it?”
He arched an eyebrow as if to say, you first.
I sighed and stared at the magical tome. The sigil pulsed again, flashing
silver across the front cover, but Kale was watching me, not it. “It was in
my book case,” I answered quietly.
His hiss held the hint of profanity, though I couldn’t fully make out what
he said.
He clasped his hands between his spread knees, waited a beat, then
asked, “Did you open it?”
My patience snapped. I wasn’t a child, and I’d be damned if the man I’d
kissed like I couldn’t get enough of him was going to treat me like one. “Of
course I did. Now what is the damned thing?”
“You. Opened. Rafini’s journal.” He emphasized each word like he
doubted I spoke the truth.
“Rafini? That’s his name?”
When Kale refused to do anything but stare at me, I threw my hands up
in exasperation. “What is with you? Yes, I opened the book. I read the first
few pages. Now who is Rafini, and why are you acting so secretive?”
He blinked, then dropped his gaze to the book. “Rafini’s dead. The last
time I saw this book was when Gerard took it out of my hands and threw it
in the fire.”
Impossible—that book hadn’t burned. Aside from the wear on its
binding, it was in pristine condition, the pages barely touched by time. I
squinted at Kale. “You haven’t answered who Rafini is.”
 He shook his head. “A windwalker. The last that I know of. You read the
first few pages? What did they say?”
I opened my mouth to answer, then thought better of it. He was playing
me again, asking questions he already knew the answers to, to see if I was
being truthful. Something else kept me silent too, the intuitive awareness
that if he wasn’t playing games, he’d had possession of the book and
evidently wasn’t intended to know what it held.
I shrugged instead. “Gerard took the book from you. You already know
what it says.”
“No,” he answered wistfully. “I don’t. You see…” He reached for the
clasp. As it had with me, it tumbled open. He flipped to the first page and
tapped the words. “I don’t know the language.”
“What?” That was nonsense! It was written in plain English.
I scooted over closer with a scoff, and tapped the page. But as I started
to tell Kale I was done with his foolishness, I glanced at the writing. Scrolls
and loops I couldn’t decipher covered the smooth paper. “What the hell?” I
murmured.
“So you can understand why I find it hard to believe you’ve read any of
it.” His hand covered mine, pulled it gently off the tome. “This isn’t a toy,
Halle. It’s a vessel of great magic, written by one who gained more power
than he should have. And you have no business fiddling with it, even if you
can make out the words.” He snapped the book shut and latched the clasp.
You can trust Kale. Maude’s words echoed in my head.
“His family was attacked by men on wild black horses,” I blurted.
“They were serfs in a village he refused to name. He doesn’t give his own
name, unless it comes later.”
Kale stared at me with wide-eyed incredulity.
“He says his journey began ten years after the dragons left the world,
that they left of their own accord.” I wasn’t going to stop and question the
words that tumbled out of my mouth, no matter how ludicrous they
sounded. I kept on, not thinking about what I was saying. “And those
horsemen weren’t men. He became them. Whatever they are. I think they
were demons.”
With a prolonged blink, Kale leaned back against the sofa. He opened
his mouth, then closed it again, and stared straight ahead at the door to his
room. After a few silent minutes, his gaze slid to me. “Did Spring tell you
these things?”
“Spring?”
“It’s lore. Anyone could tell you Rafini’s legend.”
“Damn it!” I thumped my hand down on the coffee table. “No, Spring
didn’t tell me anything. I read it. It was in plain English. Right there for me
to see.” I jerked the book off the table, passed my hand over the sigil, and
the clasp opened again. I flipped open to where I’d left off. Once more,
fancy lettering stood out, as English as it had ever been.

“I knew not where I was going, only that I had to follow. That
somewhere in that forest was the answer to what happened that
night. The origin of those beasts. And I would not return until I had
discovered who sent them, though I was beginning to suspect the
question was what sent them. My dreams, my waking thoughts, all
told me they were not from the plane of man, but from some other
existence, and one I would be wise to never enter.”

I slapped the book shut and scowled at Kale. “Is that proof enough for
you?”
He grabbed the book out of my hands and tossed it absently on the
couch beside him. “You shouldn’t have this.”
Annoyance surfaced. I did not need him acting like my father. “He
called the lightning without knowing how. That’s my book, Kale. It’s meant
for me.”
“No,” he answered emphatically. “You are not a windwalker.”
“How do you know? What am I then?” I shot to my feet, full of
indignation and stared him down, daring him to argue. “Why can’t I control
my powers—you know it’s not because of inflection. It’s something else.
And the camarilla sent you after me because of it. There’s no other reason
they need me when they have you.”
“There’s a hundred reasons they want you, not one of them because
anyone thinks you’re a windwalker. God forbid if they did!”
“Why? Why, Kale?”
He covered his face with his hands, his expression tightening with a
grimace. “Because they thought I was when I could open this book. It
nearly killed me!”
His outburst was enough to stamp out my fury. I froze, blinking
dumbfounded. A second later, I managed, “But you can’t read it. I can.
How do you know I’m not a windwalker? I feel it, Kale. That book speaks
to me.”
He rose to his feet and grabbed me by the shoulders. His face loomed
inches from mine. “Because if you are, you will die. I won’t let that happen.
I can’t.”
As shock roiled through me, his mouth captured mine, fierce and
demanding. There was a desperation to his kiss I didn’t fully understand,
but it consumed me, erasing the book and all its meanings from my mind. I
fisted my hands in his hair, returning the urgent stroke of his tongue with
everything I had.
But that ardent passion knocked me off balance and I stumbled. Kale
grabbed for my waist, but his feet tangled with mine, unbalancing me more.
We fell, he somehow managing to twist just enough so we didn’t go
crashing into the table, but instead toppled onto the couch. I landed with a
squeak, he with a grunt.
He broke the kiss long enough to chuckle. His humor faded in a blink,
though, and he framed my face between his hands. “I won’t lose you,
Halle,” he whispered. “I want you too much to let go.”
Rendered speechless by the raw honesty in his words, I answered with a
slow nod, then lifted up and drew his mouth back to mine. Everything spun
away beneath the languor of his kiss, the slow way he claimed possession
over me. And I let him have it, let him have all he desired.
I wanted it too—everything he had to give. The world around us, the
demands of the camarilla, the unanswered questions about my purpose,
ground to a stop. There was nothing between us, nothing to divide us, and I
held in my arms a man who wanted me, whatever that brought. His weight
was comfortable, his body perfectly aligned with mine. The hard catch of
his breath made mine stagger, and the heavy beat of his heart against my
breast sent delightful shivers trickling down my spine.
He shifted, pressing his hips more firmly into mine as he brought his
hand between our bodies and his fingers closed over my breast. Pleasure
swept over me. I arched my back with a quiet groan. The ache of arousal
burned deep inside, and I flexed my hips to sate the need against his
confined erection.
Kale broke the kiss on ragged exhale. His sky blue gaze bore into mine,
full of silent questions.
“It’s okay,” I whispered. “I want this. I’m certain.” We’d been heading
here since the instant I decided to look after him in the woods…and it felt
right. Perfect, to be frank.
“Not here,” he murmured.
Graceful as a cat, he slid off the couch, gathered me close and lifted me
into his arms. I rested my head on his broad shoulder as he carried me
through an adjoining doorway into his bedroom. A bump of his heel nudged
the door shut behind us.
Kale laid me on the bed, and I closed my eyes to the pleasant scent of
his cologne that clung to the pillows. Oh, yes, this was right, indeed. A full
night of breathing him in, being absorbed by that comforting touch of spice.
Smiling, I reached for his hand.
When his fingers laced with mine, I tugged. He set a knee between mine
and leaned over me, a smile playing on his lips as well. “You look good in
my bed.”
“Mm.” I stretched beneath him. “Being here feels good.”
His lips danced over the line of my jaw. “Make no mistake, Halle. I
meant it—I won’t let you go without a fight. Certainly not if we do this.”
Was I okay with that, with surrendering my complete freedom? Yes…
because he’d never ask me to give it up. I sensed that inherently. If I wanted
to walk away, he wouldn’t stop me, even though he was more than capable
of doing so.
Even more, another realization hit me hard. “That’s mutual, Norwood.”
His low chuckle was the last thing I heard. He dipped his head, trailed
the tip of his tongue down the side of my neck. At the same time, his hand
slipped beneath my oversized T-shirt and skimmed up to encircle my bare
breast, and all sound was drowned out by intoxicating pleasure. A fleeting
thought of protection drifted to my mind then quickly floated to the
wayside, excused by the rationalization that he’d been alive one hundred
and fifty-two years—magic likely created all sorts of means of birth
control.
 The other, darker possibility that my father’s abuse had made it
impossible for me to become pregnant didn’t even surface, though every
time before it had remained central in my mind. Somehow, Kale erased that
nightmare. Wiped it completely out of existence.
His hands were warm, his fingers skilled, and I raked my short nails
down his back, writhing beneath him in a quest for more. More heat. More
skin. More him.
Sensing my growing desperation, he leaned back far enough to drag my
shirt over my head, then doffed his own and tossed both absently on the
floor. Sheer delight flooded me as I flattened my palms against his hard abs
and skated them up to his collarbone. And the look on his face, the pleasure
that filled his expression, made my heart stumble. Emotion I didn’t know
what to do with threatened to suffocate me. To escape it, I turned to what I
understood, what I could control—I dropped my fingers to his waistband
and popped the button on his jeans.
Kale’s eyes snapped open, the burn within them heady. He said nothing,
though, as I lowered the zipper and dipped my hand inside to wrap my
fingers around the length of his hard shaft. He watched, the muscles in his
jaw flexed, but he remained silent. And still as stone.
Puzzled, I furrowed my brow. “Something wrong?”
He shook his head. “Only that if you continue, I won’t have anything
left to give.”
Testing that theory, I swept my thumb over his swollen tip and gave a
firm squeeze. Kale let out a shuddering breath then dropped his hand to tug
mine away. “Troublemaker.”
I grinned. “You think?”
“I know.” With a playful growl, he pinned both my wrists above my
head and lowered his body against mine. His lips closed around my
distended nipple.
“Oh…wow…” I murmured, breathless. Arching my back, I fought the
intoxicating pull that sent heat scorching through my veins. The needy ache
inside me deepened to excruciating limits, and I spread my thighs, arched
my hips in search of contact.
Kale’s mouth tugged harder. But his hand, his delightfully warm hand,
slipped over my abdomen and crept beneath the elastic of my pajama pants,
to sweep even lower and slide between my damp folds. I gasped at the heat
of the pleasant intrusion.
His answering, low groan reverberated against my chest.
I lifted into his touch, stroking myself against his hand. He pressed one
finger deep inside, provoking me into a strangled mewl of pleasure. Then
another, and I began to tremble with ecstasy.
That was all it took for his lazy assault on my senses to come to an
abrupt end. He drew back, gasping hard, and fisted his hands at my waist.
One decisive yank left me bared to him. He stripped away his jeans just as
quickly. And then his body descended over mine. Holding himself on his
hands, he hovered, scant millimeters away from full-on contact, and closed
his eyes.
As I wound my arms around him, I watched the purposeful way he drew
in one breath after another.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “Give me a minute.”
“No.” I pressed the flat of my palm into his lower back and arched into
his body. I didn’t want him to take his time and think about what he was
doing. If he did, I might also, and might very well think myself right out of
the bed. I wanted him on the edge, so absorbed in the intensity of feeling
that it was necessary to give over to pleasure.
He collapsed against me, capturing me in a kiss that reached down deep
and turned me inside out. His erection nestled against my center, a taunting
promise of incredible bliss.
“Kale,” I urged quietly with a nudge of my hips.
“Christ, Halle,” he ground out between clenched teeth. “I’m barely
hanging on here. I really don’t want to embarrass myself.”
With a deliberate, hard, thrust against him, I insisted more emphatically,
“Fucking move.”
It wasn’t intended to be funny, but he chuckled. And he did as I
requested. He drew his hips back, and with one slow push forward, filled
me full of him. My eyes closed at the overwhelming sensation. He was
thick and hard, and the heat of him soaked into my veins. He was so…
everywhere. Consuming me, lifting me up to heights I had never known,
and promising to catch me when I inevitably fell. I held on tight and began
to move.
 Kale matched my rhythm in perfect counter motion. His deep thrusts
left my entire body tingling. But still, I wanted, needed more. I pushed back
harder, urging him on as I chased my own sweet release. Steady and
purposeful soon transformed into hard and frenetic.
Lost to sensual abandon, we hit the breaking point of ecstasy at the
same time. I wrapped my legs around his waist, taking him as deep as I
could, and squeezed with my thighs as rapture flooded my senses. His body
tensed against mine, then shuddered powerfully, and he let out a throaty
groan that I only dimly heard. As the sound became lost in the high-pitched
ringing of my ears, he lowered his full weight onto my body and rested his
cheek on my shoulder.
Gradually, I found the ability to move my weighty arms and slid my
hands up the broad expanse of his back. I held him close, and he held me,
the cool air kissing our perspiration-slickened skin.
It was Kale who broke the tranquil silence. “Did you…?”
I let out a soft laugh. “How could you miss it?”
“I didn’t.” He nuzzled the side of my neck. “But I wanted to be certain.
You’re amazing, Halle. Absolutely.” He pressed a lingering kiss to my
collar bone. “Amazing.”
I didn’t particularly think so. I mean really, what had I done, moved a
little to the left at the right time? To the right, maybe? Still, the compliment
wasn’t lost on me, and my heart fluttered. My cheeks also heated, and I
turned my head before he could notice. Praise wasn’t something I
encountered regularly, certainly not in bed.
“I could stay here inside you all night long,” Kale whispered. He
brought a hand to my cheek then slid it through my hair. “I don’t know what
it is about you, but when I’m with you, everything feels…right.”
Shit, what was I supposed to say? I’d thought the same thing a dozen
times at least, but echoing his comments seemed trite. And he was so
genuine. So honest. I didn’t want to cheapen his words. So I turned back to
face him and twisted enough to kiss his forehead.
That seemed to be enough. Kale snuggled closer and squeezed me
affectionately. “You’ll stay, won’t you? The rest of the night?”
“Yeah, I’ll stay. They’ll talk though, and judging by Beth’s remarks,
they won’t be happy.”
 “Screw Beth,” he mumbled on a yawn. He drew in a deep breath and
slowly pulled himself from within me. Twisting over my body to lay beside
me, he scooped me up and took me with him so I lay with my head on his
chest and one leg entwined with his.
That tiny bit of tenderness brought embarrassing moisture to my eyes.
No man ever had held me after sex. Not that I wanted any of them to, but
still it would have been nice if someone had tried. Kale didn’t hesitate. He
sheltered me in his embrace, gently pulling his fingers through my hair like
I belonged tucked against his side.
I blinked back tears before they could overwhelm me and concentrated
on less intimidating things. “I want to go back to the casting chamber
tomorrow.”
“Did you come up with a new idea?”
Yeah…and it started with that damned book. But Maude’s remark had
clicked—focus on producing anything. I wanted to try. And then, I intended
to discover who I was so I could save my mother and then deal with my
uncle. But confessing all that would only lead Kale and I into another
argument.
I fanned my hand over his beating heart and simply said, “Practice
makes perfect, right?”

OceanofPDF.com
Eighteen
I woke in a cocoon of warmth that made me unreasonably giddy and
awkwardly uncertain. Waking in a man’s possessive hold, his deep and even
breathing falling lightly on my shoulder, his skin brushing mine shouldn’t
feel so…good. So good that I wanted to turn into his embrace, slide closer
to his body, and never leave the soft heaven of Kale’s bed. That I could see
myself actually never leaving was the awkward part. That my body craved
his even after making love through the night also left me unbalanced.
I was supposed to be able to control my attraction to a man, not let it
rule my senses. Kale had stripped me of that ability completely. I needed to
be free, yet…I had moved so far beyond free…and I although I questioned
it, I wasn’t really questioning it. In my heart, I knew if he asked me to stay,
I’d say yes in a heartbeat.
And Faye needed me; I had to protect her. I couldn’t stay.
Could I?
My lungs tightened uncomfortably. Needing a bit of air—and space—I
slid one leg out from under Kale’s and off the edge of the mattress. Gently, I
wriggled, attempting to escape the weighty arm banded around my waist
before I suffocated from sheer contentment.
Instead, Kale murmured something I couldn’t decipher and snugged me
back against his body. He rose up on an elbow, a smile dancing on his
handsome mouth as he leaned down and nuzzled the side of my neck.
“Morning, princess.”
“Princess?” I scoffed, refusing to allow the pleasurable heat that stirred
in my veins to take hold. “Don’t tell me you’re resorting to sappy sentiment
now.”
He chuckled, but did nothing to indicate he intended to release me
anytime soon. I eyed him warily. This was new, and different, and I didn’t
know the rules. Was I supposed to thank him? Was I supposed to praise him
on the multiple orgasms? Or was I supposed to pretend this was like any
other morning we’d spent together?
“You wanted to return to the casting chamber today, yes?” he asked, his
voice still delightfully husky with sleep.
 Okay. Any other morning. Shew. I nodded and made another attempt to
escape the bed.
He rolled halfway on top of me, pinning me into the mattress, the
evidence of his arousal brushing my thigh.
Maybe not like any other morning.
But instead of teasing back into that wanting place he’d taken me to
three times since we fell into the bed, he merely planted a firm kiss on my
lips then crawled over me and stood with a stretch. No modesty here. No
shame about the half-mast state of his erection.
Just Kale. In the buff. And oh, so damnably beautiful to look at. I bit my
lower lip to silence a frustrated whimper.
He fetched a clean pair of boxer briefs from his dresser and glanced at
me as he dragged them on. “You stay put. I’ll bring you coffee. Eggs sound
okay?”
Eggs? Huh? I blinked. He really was treating me like said princess.
Realizing he was still staring at me, awaiting a response, I nodded. He
gave me a playful grin, accented it with a wink, then strode out of the room,
ruffling his hair with one hand. I suspected the gesture accompanied a
yawn.
Now what? Laying flat on my back amid three of the fluffiest pillows
known to mankind, I surveyed my surroundings. His bedroom was just as
neat and tidy as I would expect, save for the pile of last night’s clothes at
the side of the bed. But this room was noticeably different than the cozy,
quasi-cluttered front room. The furniture was harsher in design, lacking the
age that the other pieces held. His walls bore no artwork, no photographs,
no nothing. The only thing on the dresser was his wallet, and on the
nightstand, the lone adornment was a radio alarm clock.
Nothing that screamed Kale resided in this room. How very odd.
In fact, the more I looked around, the darker the bedroom seemed
overall. Black lacquer wood, dark grey curtains on the solitary window,
black and grey bedspread. The whole thing left me with an uncomfortable
chill.
Yeah, definitely time to get out of the bed. Out of the room. Without
him in it, the place seemed full of creepy shadows.
My feet hit the ground just as he poked his head in the doorway. For a
moment, his expression fell. Then he gave me a curious squint. “You didn’t
have to get up.”
“I needed to.” I glanced around again, uneasily. “I’m not used to this
whole idle thing.” Determined to shrug off the feeling something might
jump out from his closet, I forced a bright smile. “Can I help with
anything?”
Yes, that was me, offering to do something domestic. Ugh. He’d really
worked a number on me.
“Nope.” He passed me a mug of black coffee. “I’ve got it covered.”
“I suppose you have sugar covered too?”
“Huh?”
I gestured at the coffee. “I’ll get it.”
“Oh!” He laughed, a rich, rumbling sound that momentarily struck me
with awe. He sounded genuinely happy. Like maybe this morning left him
with that same contentedness I felt.
Quit being sappy. Before my head could run away with nonsense, I set
the mug on the nightstand and pulled on my clothes. When I ducked my
head through the sweatshirt, I found Kale watching appreciatively. Another
dose of self-conscious awareness smacked into me, and I awkwardly
shuffled my feet. “Um. Sugar?”
“Yeah, it’s this way.” He beckoned me to follow, and then led me down
the hall.
Each step took me closer to a hearty aroma that made my mouth water
—bacon. I hadn’t had bacon in months.
As we passed through his living room, however, my gaze pulled to the
sofa, where my book still lay on the cushion. I did my best to ignore it,
entered the kitchen, and pulled a tall stool to a scarred wooden island in the
middle of the small room. The stovetop sat prominently in the middle, and a
pan sizzled away.
Kale pulled a stoneware jug from beneath the island and passed it my
way. When I reached for it, he captured my hand. “Hey,” he said quietly.
“You okay? You’re acting like a nervous mouse.”
“Um.” Frantically, I searched for some logical explanation that sounded
better than I’ve never had a boyfriend before.
He clasped my hand a bit more tightly. “You aren’t having regrets, are
you?”
“Regrets? What? No.” I shook my head, adamant. “No, I’m good.”
 “Then why the agitation?”
I took a deep breath, blew it out hard. “How do you do that?”
It was Kale’s turn to look taken aback. “Do what?”
“Ask me one question that I presume is supposed to be simple and leave
me feeling exposed?”
He chuckled. “I didn’t realize I did.”
“Yeah. All the time.”
Kale released my hand and turned his attention on the pan. With a long-
tined fork, he flipped the strips of bacon, talking as he cooked. “So. What’s
up? Why are you fidgety?”
Drat. I’d hoped he would ignore it. “I just…” I turned my coffee mug in
slow circles, staring at the black brew. “I’m…” That’s a way to sound
completely intelligent. I gave myself a mental kick, took another deep
breath, and blurted, “I’ve never been in a relationship.”
“I gathered that.” He glanced up from the stove with a smirk that
quickly vanished, presumably at my widened eyes. “I mean,” he hurried to
amend, then shook his head. “No. That’s not what I mean at all.” Kale slid
the pan off the stove and studied me for a moment.
Talk about tongue-tied. He was making me look like a public orator. I
arched an eyebrow.
“You keep yourself at a distance, Halle. It’s pretty obvious personal
involvements aren’t a habit. I feel pretty special that you’re here.”
Oh man…my face flushed with heat. Quickly, I dipped my head to hide
the furious blush.
Kale reached across the island; gentle fingertips lifted my chin. “It’s just
me. Nothing changes. You’re not boxed in, and I’ll still take you back home
the minute you ask, even if it kills me to do so. I made you a promise,
Halle.” The seriousness fled his expression, and he turned his full attention
back to the pan of bacon. “Now, how many strips do you want?”
Just like that, once more, he melted my fears away.
***
Four hours later—yes, four, as breakfast led to a shower that landed us back
in bed, and we had to recharge with brunch—I found myself inside the
casting chamber with Kale’s back flattened against the wall by a spell that I
controlled.
 He was laughing.
In fact, he’d been laughing pretty much since we started. I suspected he
was attempting to trigger my anger, as we both now knew without doubt,
that anger allowed me to cast spells. But what I hadn’t let on yet, was I
hadn’t been even mildly irritated by his taunts. I’d used Maude’s
suggestion, and when I felt the prickle of power answer one of Kale’s
casted spells, I let it take whatever direction it wanted.
He grinned broadly, the only movement he could make. “Pretty
impressive. But easily countered by this.”
With a whisper of a few words, he flung my invisible force back at me
and knocked me on my butt. I landed with a hard thump that jarred the wind
out of me. But he wasn’t finished yet. Another downward slash of his hand,
and I scooted like a kicked soccer ball across the room and flush against the
opposing wall.
“Now what?” he taunted.
Okay, that wasn’t fair, and I admit, my ire sparked as my tailbone
throbbed. I searched my memory for the steps to one of the spells we’d
reviewed on our arrival: a fiery blast, pelting ice shards, or even that
incredible chain of lightning. But nothing would cooperate, the words
blurring together in my memory.
Still, my fingers tingled where they rested on the ground. I closed my
eyes to the sensation, let it flow through me, imagining it building with each
beat of my heart. I had to have done something right, because when I
looked at Kale again, surprise washed across his handsome face. He took a
step backward.
In the next instant, iridescent yellow light shot through the room. It
arced toward the ceiling, a pulsing ball of energy where it divided into
several smaller balls. Reds, blues, yellows, oranges, greens, and colors in
between churned a frenetic circle that spiraled outward, larger, and larger.
Kale let out a shout, and they all vanished in a blink.
“That’s cheating,” I muttered as I picked myself off the ground.
Before I could take a step, the ground shifted underneath me. No. Not
shifted. Fell away. I hovered over it by a good two feet. And I was moving.
Slowly floating toward Kale, who beckoned with one hand. The other he
held before him, fingers spread in the gesture I’d come to realize was his
way of channeling continuous energy.
 His eyes never left mine, even as he lowered me to my feet, my toes
scant millimeters from his. But his arms wound around my waist so quickly
I couldn’t grasp my bearings. I toppled forward into his embrace.
“It’s not cheating. You’re not supposed to deal mortal wounds.”
“Mortal wounds?” Horrified, I covered my mouth with my hand.
“Did you see the dark purple?”
I nodded.
“Suffice to say it’s deadly.”
“But…you can’t die.”
He shook his head. “No. I never said that. I said a banshee can’t kill me.
Now tell me truthfully, did you call that one on purpose?”
I debated lying. After all, the chances that he’d realize I wasn’t telling
the truth were slim—he couldn’t read my mind. But somewhere between
rushing to find him last night and toweling him off in the bathroom that
morning, the idea of lying to Kale left a bitter taste in my mouth. “No,” I
answered. “It just…happened.”
He ran his hands up my spine then slid them down to rest them at my
waist. “And the others today? Because you’re being pretty accurate.”
“No,” I confessed again. “Maude said last night to not focus on
specifics. So I haven’t. I’ve just let the energy go when I feel it.”
“Hm.” He released me and took a step back to lean one hip on the
nearby table that was littered with scrolls. “Can you tell what I’m using on
you?”
“Mostly, no. Some I recognize, but I think that’s because you like to use
them.”
“Hm,” he murmured again, reaching for my hand.
I placed my fingers in his palm, and he drew me closer, tugging me until
our thighs touched. Then he captured my other hand and laced his fingers
through mine, holding both at either side.
“What else did Maude tell you?”
I glanced up through my eyelashes and felt my heart kick hard. Hard
enough it knocked the sense out of my head, and I spilled another truth I
hadn’t expected to ever confide. “That I could trust you.”
A slow, sensual smile formed on his mouth. “Yes. That you can.”
“I know.”
 “I’m proud of you.” He gave my hands a squeeze. “You’ve come a long
way in a short amount of time.”
“I don’t have time to waste. My sister has been suffering for too long.
And so has Mom.”
A dark frown erased the soft lines in his expression. “You aren’t ready
yet.”
“No. But I will be.”
“And then what? How are you going to find your mother?”
“You’re going to take me.”
He chuckled. “I am, huh? Where’d you get that idea?”
I can’t explain what possessed me in that instant. But a sense of
confidence descended around me that had nothing to do with magical
powers and everything to do with femininity. I leaned in close to his long-
sleeved jersey, pressed a kiss to his pectoral, then deliberately raked my
teeth across his nipple. “I figure I can convince you.”
A shudder gripped him. “Yes, keep that up, and I expect you can.”
The sound of the thudding door jerked us both to attention. I swiveled to
investigate our intruder at the same time Kale let out a barely discernable
oath.
Gerard stood in the doorway, frozen as if he’d stumbled upon the last
scene he’d ever expected to witness, his features a mask of pure shock. He
recovered in a blink, cleared his throat, and strode forward. “Kale, Halle.”
He nodded at us both. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but the Council is requesting
a status update on Halle’s training.” He stopped at Kale’s left and looked
directly at his son. “You’re needed in the meeting.” His gaze slid to me.
“Now.”
Oh. That was my cue to vanish, I supposed. I shook my hands free of
Kale’s and moved aside.
“You’ll forgive me, won’t you, Halle?” Gerard continued. “Some of our
meetings are open only to the council. I can’t allow you to attend this one.”
Definitely my cue to go away. But there was something off in his
expression. He was looking at me, yet not quite. And the apology in his
tone of voice didn’t register in his eyes. My father had looked at me that
way countless times. Mostly when he tried to laugh-off the way he’d begun
to look at my sister.
A lie.
 About what? Why was it necessary? I frowned at him. “Do you want
my forgiveness for being cut out, or for lying to me?”
Gerard drew back in surprise. “I wasn’t—”
“You were. But that’s okay. I get it you don’t want me present. I’ve got
things to do.” I shrugged away from Kale.
“Halle, wait—” Kale’s fingers closed around my elbow.
I jerked off his hold. “No. You go on with your secret meeting about me.
I have a duck to tend to.”
With that, I stalked out of the room.

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Nineteen
I was halfway to my room when the combination of hurt and anger grew so
fierce all I could think about was slamming my fist into the stone wall. My
energy levels had surpassed the usual tingling. I had no doubt if I lost
concentration on holding it in check, something monumental would explode
out of me. While it might give me an outlet, the fallout concerned me. None
of the people hanging about the courtyard deserved my wrath.
They were talking about me. Kale, Gerard, Maude, and probably Beth,
too. Worse, Gerard had actually thought I was stupid enough to not pick up
on his ridiculous attempt to cover the fact I wasn’t being included.
Were they bemoaning the decision to bring me into the fold? Second-
guessing my ability to take down my uncle? That would serve them right.
More than anything, I suspected Beth had brought Kale’s and my
involvement to the Council’s attention, and that was the likely subject of
discussion. If it were magic, I could think of no reason they’d deliberately
exclude me. They were probably telling Kale, right now, how unsuitable I
was, how I was beneath him.
And one of those damned fools would probably trash my mother as
well. That I was just like her, bound to be remembered in shadows, not their
precious little lamps-lit portraits. If they even bothered to remember me at
all.
Oh, what I’d give to be a fly on the wall and hear every word of their
little bash-Halle session. Hah! Wouldn’t that surprise the hell out of them?
They could rip me and my mother up one side and down the other, and
when they finished, I’d wink into existence, smugly tell them they could all
go to hell, and walk out as they stumbled over their tongues. They’d
certainly never expect that from me.
Satisfaction built as my thoughts compounded, each angry little dig
pushing me that much further into full-out fury. Not the dangerous kind.
But the kind where someone was absolutely going to get a tongue-lashing
when I cornered them. Whether it would be Gerard or Kale remained to be
seen.
 For that matter, Kale might have protested the decision to exclude me. I
mean, he certainly couldn’t believe I’d shrug it off with a happy-go-lucky
smile. Then again, maybe he didn’t want me there either. He could tell them
how truly pathetic my magic was without risk of offending me. He could
even disclose my book and laugh at my claim I might be a windwalker.
Son of a bitch—my book! He probably would tell them. He was bound
by camarilla ethics, yes? The son of the current leader and destined to take
over, right? Of course he wouldn’t sit on that.
As fury shot through me, my control slipped. Energy poured through
me, flooded into the surrounding atmosphere. I stopped, squeezed my eyes
shut tight, and waited for something to crash, burn up, someone to scream
—whatever might come next.
But nothing happened.
I stood there, waiting for the worst, felt the power leave me, and
absolutely nothing happened.
Great. I was absolutely a failure.
With a sigh, I reached for my doorknob…and froze in place. Beneath
my fingers, the metal was cool and smooth. Yet my fingers were the
problem. I couldn’t see them.
I tapped a nail against the polished knob. Faint pinging bounced back. I
felt the hardness, felt the substance. And yet, all that was there was the
round little knob.
Astounded, I held my hand in front of my face, fingers splayed. I could
see through the spaces, but I could also see through where I figured the
meat of my hand should be.
Then again, maybe not. I couldn’t make out the grain in the wood finish,
as I could if I looked to the side of where I thought my hand was. The little
black whorls and curves were present, but nowhere near as defined.
As I studied the discrepancy, I began to make out the distinct outline of
my hand, my thumb, each remaining finger. Even my damned arm. What
the hell had I done?
Wait. I’d done exactly as I’d hoped to do. I wanted to be a fly on the
wall.
With a jolt of understanding, something connected that I should have
latched on to days ago. My first few lessons with Kale involved simple
things, and I’d decided the success I had over them was directly related to
the level of ease. The harder the spell became, the worse my success rate.
This afternoon, however, magic flowed through me because I wanted it to,
and the spell difficulty amounted to nothing.
In hindsight, those tiny insignificant spells were so much larger, because
every bit of me was hoping they would succeed. It wasn’t as if I had any
particular tone with the words—I could barely pronounce most of them.
Instead, I channeled everything I had into making them work. I just didn’t
realize the effort required, because the payoff was so, well, insignificant.
And I’d just done the same damned thing—my complete focus was on
hearing what they were saying about me. Only this time, the outcome of my
power surge came astonishingly close to my intent.
Another thought settled on my shoulders. If I could will the outcome
into existence, maybe success had nothing to do with words at all. Maybe
the words were simply like my mental tirade, designed to draw a user’s
focus. Maybe my problems had nothing to do with accomplishing magic,
but preventing the accidental occurrence.
Or maybe I was wrong all the way around and this was just damn good
luck.
I pushed the confusion aside. Whatever the reason, I was currently
invisible, or so I thought. I wasn’t about to let that go to waste. First though,
I had to test it out.
I glanced over my shoulder at the courtyard where two men who looked
vaguely familiar sat conversing with each other over a game of Chinese
checkers. Trying to pass them could be risky. Depending on their skills,
they’d likely sense me even if they couldn’t see me. If all I’d managed was
some novitiate illusion, they would definitely observe me.
Then again, I’d rather they notice me than someone in that council
chamber.
Squaring my shoulders, I braced for failure and took two purposeful
strides closer. The thump of my shoes, however, brought me up short. I
couldn’t very well sneak past someone sounding like an elephant. Using
more caution, I proceeded, my steps slower and much quieter.
Five feet away from the back of the dark-haired man’s chair, I stopped. I
stood still as a mouse, staring at their rough hands as they moved their
marbles. Still enough that if anyone could see me, they’d realize I was
observing. Close enough my observance would call attention.
 Several long moments passed. I held my breath, feeling each ticking
second pass like hours. Long, drawn-out, monotonous hours. My
anticipation grew, the urge to bolt to the chambers before they finished their
little meeting gnawing away at my patience.
I waited a few more minutes. Slowly, I began to accept the obvious—
they couldn’t see me.
Hot damn! I’d done something totally, amazingly right!
Possessed by giddiness, I allowed myself the childish act of dancing in
place. Then sucked up my composure and tip-toed away from the pair and
their colorful little marbles. When I was far enough away I felt confident
they couldn’t hear my boots on the ground, I ran.
I ran down the rest of the hall, up the flights of stairs, past the healing
chamber, on up to the meeting hall, and skidded to a stop outside the door.
Now what? I couldn’t very well just walk in—an opening door with no one
in the entry was a little obvious. So how to get to the other side?
As I muttered a curse beneath my breath, a duo of feminine voices
echoed from beyond the door—laughter. Growing louder. Completely
absorbed in their own conversation.
They’d never notice any slight trace of me.
Hope blossomed. I held my breath, waiting, staring at the doorknob as it
seemingly turned in slow motion. I ducked to my left, ensuring I was
positioned out of their way, and yet close enough I could dart back in before
the door shut behind me.
Please, please, please let this work. Things so seldom went right for me,
it was hard to believe in the possibility.
But luck was definitely in my favor. The door opened. A blonde and a
petite girl with tattoos down the length of her right arm stepped onto the
landing. I bolted inside as they let out another bright peal of laughter. The
door thumped soundly shut.
I’d done it. Twice in one day. Had the apocalypse struck when I wasn’t
paying attention?
To my left, the council chamber spanned the wall. The members within
sat in a half-moon arrangement, none directly facing the wide window
spanning the upper half of the dividing wall. Their voices rose, impassioned
and far louder than I remembered from before. They had seemed muted
then.
 Ah, indeed they were—the glass door to their chamber sat a few inches
ajar. Like someone tried to shut it with their heel and didn’t realize they
failed. With the way they were sitting, they wouldn’t notice the oversight
either.
I glanced skyward and said a silent little prayer. Someone was definitely
looking out for me today.
“You cannot mean to look past this, Gerard,” Beth all but screeched.
“This wasn’t the plan. She is weak. A rotten link that will end up destroying
us all. And you want us, want me, to sit back and pretend like Kale took in a
homeless puppy. Hell, he’s not even supposed to be training anyone. He
should be with the warriors, preparing.”
Okay. Maybe someone wasn’t looking out for me, but instead, wanted to
teach me a lesson. I gritted my teeth and glowered at Beth. That woman
was a piece of work.
“Beth,” Maude began quietly.
Beth overran her, not even bothering to pause. “Instead, he’s fooling
around, playing tutor, and playing between the sheets.”
“That is enough!” Kale thundered.
The ferocious boom of his voice was enough to stall my heart, and not
in any good way. More like the cower and hide way. I took an unconscious
step back, distancing myself from the furious man who all-too-calmly
placed both palms on the table and levered himself out of his chair. He bent
forward, his profile hard and severe.
“You have done your best to intimidate Halle from the moment she
arrived. You’ve tried to run her off, and now that those attempts have failed,
you’re trying to convince the rest of the council so they’ll force her out.”
“Only because you’re too blind to do what needs to be done,” Beth
countered. “You can’t even admit the truth—she’s worthless with magic.”
To my surprise, Gerard leaned back in his chair, arms folded across his
wide chest, perfectly content to let his wife and son go at it in front of
everyone. The rest of the council cast furtive glances between one another.
Kale slammed a fist onto the table so hard Maude’s water goblet
wobbled. “The truth is, Beth, she’s ten times more capable than you.”
My eyes went wide. Kale was defending me. Praising me. She’d given
him the opening to tell them how pathetic my spells were, how nothing
worked the way it was supposed to, and he wasn’t taking it.
 At Beth’s disdainful snort, he added, “In magic, in natural power, and
her heart is twice what yours ever could be.” He shoved away from the
table and began to stalk around the half circle. “Can she summon a spell on
a whim? Not usually what she intends, but what she releases is stunning.
She doesn’t even know she’s doing it. I’ve watched her every morning—she
doesn’t know the meaning of quit. Hell, I’d have thrown in the towel by
now.”
“See?” Beth gestured at him. “He’s caught up in her completely.”
“And so what if I am?” Kale stopped at her side, the glint in his eyes
downright dangerous. “I’m a grown man, not a child. Who I choose to be
with is my decision, just as it’s my decision which tactic to use in what
conflict. I may have feelings for Halle that go beyond what I ever intended,
but even with her present difficulties, there’s no one I’d trust more to fight
at my side.”
The man to Maude’s right made a murmur of approval, which set the
rest of the council into similar appreciative sounds. Color flooded Beth’s
face, and her lips pursed into a thin white line.
“That’s right, Beth,” Kale continued, “No one. Now, I think we’ve had
enough of your drama. If you want Halle to leave before she’s ready, I
promise, you’ll have to force me out as well.”
Ho-ly shit. Talk about lines in the sand. And me—me! He was standing
up for me! I mean, I could have bought he might say something like that if
I’d actually been present. But I wasn’t. As far as I knew, Kale had no idea I
even lurked nearby. He had no reason to sing my praises, nothing to gain
except possible condemnation.
The slow, steady beat of my heart turned erratic. Feeling swelled inside
my chest, expanding into all the empty places until I thought my ribs might
burst apart. Maude had been right—I had no reason to doubt him. He
wouldn’t spill my secrets, wouldn’t betray me even when given prime
opportunity.
“Kale,” Gerard interrupted quietly.
Kale turned to face his father, his teeth gritted, as evidenced by the tick
along the line of his jaw.
“You’re right to defend, Halle. We need her. I sense what you no doubt
have experienced—she’s incredibly strong. But be advised, Beth is not the
only member of the camarilla who will condemn your involvement with
Halle.”
Kale bristled at the same time I stiffened. His gaze flashed like the glint
of knives, and then he narrowed it sharply. “It is not their concern.”
Gerard raised a hand, begging him off. “It is, when you are to take over
my duties and lead them.”
With a shake of his head, Kale dragged in a deep breath. As he exhaled,
I observed the way the fight drained out of him. He glanced around the
seated council members. “I have told you all before, and I’ll say it again—I
won’t.”
“Kale, don’t be so stubborn,” Maude chided. “We need you.”
He chuckled and shook his head again. “No, you certainly don’t need
me. For the very reasons you’d all condemn Halle, you should condemn
me.”
Spring sat forward, leaning toward the center of the arched arrangement.
“It’s not in your blood, Kale. She’s half Yaksini by birth, and while I
certainly enjoy her company, I confess to a degree of wariness when I
consider what a united future between you both might bring.”
Spring, too? My spirits sank. She’d seemed so friendly, so warm and
approachable. And yet, by her own words, she equated me with the same
failings they assigned to my mother.
Kale seemed more determined not to be swayed than ever. He gave her
a curt nod. “You are entitled to your own thoughts. I, however, am done
with this conversation. Speak to me no more about Halle, my involvement
with her, or her training. If you have questions, ask her directly.”
Just like that he placed himself on my side. Another rush of feeling
swept over me. Tears pricked my eyes. Dear God, I had to get out of here
before I choked up.
Kale strode out of the room, yanked the door shut behind him so hard
the windows rattled. Directly in front of me, he came to an abrupt halt. Shit!
Could he—
A perturbed frown danced across his brow, before he gave in to an
almost inaudible chuckle. His fingers laced through mine.
Oh, yeah, he could.
With his broad shoulders blocking the view through the window, he led
me through the door and out onto the landing. There, when he had closed
the door once again, a grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Where’d you
learn this trick?”
“I…don’t really know.”
“Do you know how to undo it?”
I laughed. “Not hardly.”
“Good.” His grin morphed into a wry smirk. “Let this be punishment for
eavesdropping.”
“What?” I cried, appalled. “You won’t fix it for me?”
He laughed, just a bit too devilishly. “Nope. But I’ll keep you company
until you figure it out.”

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Twenty
I want to be seen.
I focused on the thought so hard it wouldn’t have surprised me if my
head exploded. Kale and I sat atop the high rocky outcropping that sheltered
the entrance to the camarilla’s stronghold. The evening air rustled through
the overhead branches and danced in my hair. Nearly two hours had passed,
both of us talking about everything but what I’d overheard in the council
chamber.
And for the third time, nothing happened to lift my invisibility. What
was I doing wrong?
“Ugh,” I muttered.
“Problems?” he asked, his smirk still fully intact.
“Kale.” I sighed heavily. “This isn’t funny any longer. You know I have
no idea how to control this stuff. Shit just…happens.”
“But how did you get it to happen?”
“Do we really have to go through this again?”
He’d asked the question both times before, and both times I’d answered
the same—I willed myself to be invisible. Exactly like I’d tried a second
ago.
“I’m trying to prove a point to you, Halle.”
“You think?” I elbowed him in the ribs—hard.
He grunted.
“I get it that I shouldn’t fool around with things I don’t know how to
undo. I can’t seem to—”
“No.” He swiveled until he faced me fully, assuming a cross-legged
position, his knees nearly touching mine. “I don’t care what you fool around
with magically. I’m trying to make you understand you can do this on your
own.”
Frustration welled. I smacked a balled fist on the rock then promptly
wished I hadn’t. Stinging pain tripped all the way to my shoulder. “Damn.”
“Probably not the smartest move there, genius.” He chuckled low.
“When I get free of this, Kale, I’m so kicking your ass. I’d do so now,
but it seems unfair when you can’t see the punches coming.”
 He arched a challenging eyebrow. “You think I can’t defend myself? Go
ahead. Give it your best shot.”
Scowling, I debated it for all of three seconds. But truthfully, I didn’t
really want to. I wasn’t angry with him, just frustrated with the situation.
Because, more than anything, I wanted him to see the sincerity in my eyes
when I thanked him for his defense against Beth. I needed him to witness
how much it meant to me.
“Chicken,” he murmured.
“I am not a chicken. I’m sparing you the embarrassment of having your
butt handed to you by an invisible girl.”
“Uh-huh.” He scooted back around and dropped his feet off the ledge,
gazing out at the starlit sky.
My gaze followed his. It was unreal how the Applegate city lights I
knew should be there were nowhere to be seen. Hard to believe I was sitting
in some other, intangible, place and time. But there was no other way to put
it. I’d left Applegate, left the woods I knew like the back of my hand, and
traversed through some unseen portal. Walked right into somewhere I didn’t
belong, only to find the place I’d probably belonged all along. Miami no
longer called to me. All I wanted now was to master this weird power of
mine, save my mother and sister, and destroy my uncle.
Maybe that’s why Beth’s insults stung. I’d reached a place where I
genuinely wanted to be that person who could carry out the camarilla’s
expectations. As long as I didn’t stop to consider just what depended on my
success or failure, the responsibility didn’t seem so unbearable.
“I heard what you said,” I whispered. Might as well spill it now, since it
didn’t seem like I was getting out of this invisibility trick any time soon.
“When?” He drew out the question hesitantly.
“In the chambers, to Beth, to the others.” Damn, this was awkward. If
he could just see the expression on my face, he’d know all the words I
wanted to say. He understood me like that.
Kale shrugged. “Flattery won’t get you out of the spell.”
“No. I’m serious.” I slid my hand to his thigh. “Kale, I…no one’s
ever…”
His hand covered mine, but he didn’t look away from the horizon. “It’s
okay. You don’t have to explain.”
 But damn it, I wanted to. Come on. “I want to. I’ve never…no one’s
ever stood up for me before. You stood up to your entire family. Powerful
people.”
A soft smile tugged at his lips. Still, he didn’t glance my way. “It’s no
big deal, Halle. You deserved every word.”
Ugh, he so wasn’t getting it. It was the biggest deal of my life. I pulled
my hand from beneath his and touched his shoulder, willing him to turn his
head though he couldn’t see my face. “But it is, Kale. It means so much
more than you could realize.”
The breeze stirred again, tumbling through my hair and dancing it
across my eyes. I pushed it behind my ears and blew out a sigh. “I’m
trying…to say…thank you.”
He turned then, his stare locking on the fall of my arm as I lowered it to
my lap. I glanced down and blinked twice. I was back! All of me. Solid as
I’d ever been. His gaze lifted to mine, the evident surprise there softening.
I brushed my fingertips across his cheek and gazed into those soulful
blue eyes. The odd tenderness reflected there unlocked everything I wanted
to say. Words spilled free, unhindered. “You’re the only person who’s ever
cared enough. And you do it all the time, while I push you back and away.
I’m sorry I haven’t trusted you entirely. Sorry that I thought you’d betray
me the minute I was out of earshot. That’s why I wanted to be there—I
expected you to laugh at me and insult me like Beth did. I doubted you. I
don’t deserve praise like—”
He gently set two fingertips against my lips, turning my prattle into a
gush of unintelligible sounds. I gave up trying and simply looked into his
eyes.
When I remained silent, Kale whispered, “I meant every word. I believe
in you, Halle. I’ll earn your full trust if I have to spend a decade trying.”
“But…why?” My words came out muffled. Immediately after the
question slipped free, I grimaced. Could I sound any more stupid?
Kale slipped his hand to the nape of my neck. “Because somewhere
along the line you became more than just a tool to benefit the camarilla.
More than a duty I had to finish. I care about you, and your trust means
everything.”
Oh no—sucker punch. My insides melted, and my heart flipped all the
way over. “You have it,” I blurted quietly. “All of it.”
 Slowly, his gaze traversed my face. Emotion radiated in his somber
expression—what it was, I dared not name for fear I’d call it all wrong. He
lowered his head, and his mouth tenderly captured mine.
His kiss was languorous, as if nothing else mattered, nothing else could
interfere. So thorough my stomach fluttered and my very toes began to
tingle with the yearning to somehow become part of what he was, part of
him. Like maybe if I could get close enough, I could absorb the faith he had
in me. That I deserved it.
He pulled away and rested his forehead against mine. “You are beautiful
and courageous, and I’d follow you to the end of the world.” He lifted a
hand, captured a fly-away lock of my hair, and rubbed it between thumb
and index finger. “Not because your fist is wrapped around my heart, but
because I’ve never met someone more capable of leading.”
Shit. I was toast. I sat before him, stripped to the bone, more raw and
exposed than I’d ever been. I didn’t know what to say, couldn’t have spoken
if I did—my throat felt like a narrow straw.
As if he understood the overwhelming vulnerability engulfing me, he
slipped his arm about my shoulder, turned toward the horizon once more,
and tucked me against his side. With his free hand, he pointed to the west.
“See that distant cliff?”
I nodded.
“Those are the old strip mines. The Yaksini are there. That’s where—”
“My mother is.”
“I was going to say your uncle.”
“But it’s true, isn’t it? She’s there.”
“Yes.” His chest expanded as he inhaled deeply. “What’s left of her.”
I turned to him once again. “I have to go there, Kale.”
Immediately, he stiffened. “You’re not ready.”
“I may never be ready.” I pulled out of his embrace, annoyed. “I can’t
wait forever. She’s there. She’s my mother. If it were yours, you’d go.”
The muscle along the side of his jaw ticked. Once. Then he pushed to
his feet and faced the north, presenting me with his back. “My mother is
there, and she can rot there.”
His vehemence so startled me, I forgot what sparked my irritation.
“What?”
 He pushed a hand through his hair and glanced over his shoulder. “She’s
power hungry, and your uncle was a better prospect than Gerard. She
arranged for my abduction about five years ago and gave me over to your
uncle’s purposes. I was a soul offering, another vessel to feed his dark
power.”
I stared, slack-jawed and wide-eyed, unable to comprehend what I was
hearing.
“He took me. And he took her. Only not as the bride she’d hoped to
become. Gerard rescued me, which caused the drain on his own power and
led to him marrying Beth.”
Oh my God. I’d never stopped to consider what had happened to his
mother, just assumed… I don’t know what I’d assumed. But hearing she
would sacrifice her own child certainly hadn’t ever entered my head.
“I’m…sorry, Kale.”
“Don’t be. If I’d been more alert, I’d have caught onto the band of Noita
warriors she paid to trap me and my training party that day. Four men died.
Good men. Men I should have been able to save. But things had been
relatively quiet with the Yaksini, and I wasn’t paying attention.”
I rose to my feet, moved to his side, and ran my hand down the length of
his spine. “It wasn’t your fault.”
“Oh, it was. As much as it was hers.” He shrugged off my touch. “But it
can’t be undone. Nevertheless, she will waste away to nothing in the mines.
A deserved fate.”
Silence strung out between us as I chewed on the details of his past and
tried to find something to say. When nothing suitable formed and the quiet
became unbearable, I asked the only thing that kept running through my
mind.
“Who are the Noita?”
Kale dismissed the question with a shake of his head, but that same
anger burned in his gaze, fierce and coldly dangerous. “They have their
own agenda. No one really knows where they came from. Those who are
smart enough keep a wide berth, because you never know what purpose
they’re serving. You can almost guarantee it isn’t what they tell you.”
“I see. And…there’s many of them?”
His gaze narrowed further and lifted to the surrounding trees. “There’s
one lurking around these woods. Marcus Wintergrave.” He spat the name
out like a bad poison. “We’ve sent out a few parties to drag him in for
questioning, but he’s always one step ahead of my men.”
Suddenly nervous, I glanced around the woods. “Here? Like nearby?”
“I don’t think he’d come that close to the camarilla’s compound. Just in
our territory. We know he’s here. So far, he’s not posed a threat. Doubtful
he’s that stupid. Not after—” Kale stopped, clenched a fist, then
methodically relaxed his fingers. “Guaranteed, he wants something.”
“So he’s not…dangerous?”
“The Noita are always dangerous.” Kale let out a bitter laugh then
captured my hand. “Enough about those faithless fools. I can think of better
ways to spend the evening.” He turned me into his arms and held me close,
his lips grazing the shell of my ear.
A pleasant chill raced down my spine.
“What do you say we go tuck that duck of yours in for the night? Then
tuck ourselves in?” Slowly, he captured my earlobe between his lips.
“Mm.” I wound my arms around his neck. “I think that sounds perfect.”

OceanofPDF.com
Twenty-one
There was something different about making love to Kale that night.
Something more profoundly intense than before. I couldn’t put my finger on
exactly what it was, but in a strange way, it was as if both of us sensed
something building around us and the more we touched, the deeper we
melded; the more we believed we could hold it at bay.
I woke in the middle of the night, terrified. My heart pounded
frantically, and my eyes snapped open like something had exploded near
my ear. I bolted upright, gasping for air. But try as I might, I couldn’t recall
what dream yanked me out of sleep. One thing was certain—I wouldn’t be
going back to dreams anytime soon.
Careful to not disturb Kale, I crawled out of bed and pulled his T-shirt
over my head. After wriggling into my undies, I headed for the door. Tufty
let out a muffled quack and hopped off the end of my bed. He followed as I
traipsed through the darkness to the front room.
Once more, I sought comfort from the horde of books. The
windwalker’s story remained in Kale’s room, a subject I hadn’t been brave
enough to broach, so I couldn’t turn to it for the answers I so desperately
wanted. But a different thought had been plaguing me since our
conversation about my mother. She was alive, but what had happened to her
exactly? Why did everyone keep saying she couldn’t be saved?
I thumbed through the titles, searching for something on the history of
the Tolvenar, or the Yaksini, or even the Noita Kale mentioned. I should
have known better—my luck wouldn’t be so good. Nothing remotely close
to what I wanted stood on the shelf, or in the pile next to it, or in the stack
on the coffee table. My only alternative was magic, once again.
Preoccupied, I robotically opened one and set it in my lap, not bothering
to inspect the title.
Kale had been so vague about his mother, only saying she’d been taken
and Gerard rescued him. He mentioned soul offering—had my father done
the same with my mother? I’d heard the disgust and resentment in Kale’s
voice when he spoke about his mother. Not once had anything run remotely
similar when he discussed mine. If she’d given herself to my father
willingly, surely Kale would have spoken the same about her.
Which could only mean, as he’d said, she hadn’t gone willingly.
Which meant my father destroyed her.
Which made his death even more justifiable…and satisfying. She’d
been good and decent, kind and gentle. The kind of mom all girls hope to
have. If she’d lived, no doubt by now we’d have been the best of friends.
Yet he had taken her from me. Taken her from Faye. Denied us both the one
relationship we likely needed most.
And now my uncle was in charge of the Yaksini. Leader. Ruler.
Commander of all. No wonder he had such a twisted way of demanding
Faye’s obedience. Was my aunt part of his vile ways as well?
No. She couldn’t be. If she were, someone would have been hunting me
long before Kale. Maybe that’s why she suggested I go with the supposition
I’d died in the tornado.
But why did she stay?
I sighed and dropped a hand to Tufty’s back. He sat tucked against my
thigh, his beak resting just above my knee. He chirred as he was prone to
doing when he dozed. Sometimes he made everything seem so simple. His
only cares were: eat, swim, sleep. Then repeat.
And snuggle. The little duckling loved to snuggle.
I had to admit, I’d become pretty fond of it too. Both with my feathered
friend and the pain-in-the-ass sleeping in my bedroom.
Ugh. I was turning all wishy-washy girlie. Blech. Pretty soon I’d be
fantasizing about rings and weddings and families…and then I’d know the
world had gone to hell.
Though I couldn’t deny the idea of long-term with Kale sounded pretty
fantastic. He had a way of infuriating me by refusing to help when I wanted
assistance. But at the same time, he forced me to believe in myself. And
that had a calming effect somehow.
“What are you reading?” His voice echoed from the entry to the hall,
quiet and filled with gravel from sleep.
“Um.” I glanced down at the book and scanned the spell I had absently
opened to. My eyes widened as I read the title: Animal Binding. I blinked.
No…after all this time?
 Kale rounded the arm of the sofa, and I dog-eared the page. Hastily, I
answered, “I wasn’t reading, really. Thinking more like it. I couldn’t sleep.”
He dropped heavily onto the edge of the couch. “Me neither. Tossed and
turned and kept waking up. Discovered you’d left.”
I set the book aside, hoping the action came off casual and didn’t betray
the careful way I watched where I put it. I’d explore that later, when it was
just Tufty and me. “Bad dreams?”
“Think so. Can’t remember them, though.” Kale reclined against the
back of the couch and stretched his muscular legs. Dressed in only his
boxers, he presented a tantalizing picture.
I could look at that man for hours, I swear.
As the thought registered, my cheeks heated.
Kale chuckled. “Why the blush?”
I refused to do as instinct suggested and look away. Instead, I managed
an awkward smile. “I like looking at you.”
“Huh. And to think I was a jerk not so long ago.” He gave me a wry
smirk.
I leaned over, grabbed the throw pillow off the floor, and pitched it at
him. It thumped into his abdomen. “You still are.”
He let out a deep chuckle. “At least you like me more, though.” He
patted the cushion beside him.
With a nudge, I eased Tufty aside and joined Kale on the couch, leaning
into his side, breathing in the cologne that made me all warm and fuzzy
inside. Tempted beyond the limits of my will power, I flattened a palm over
his corded abdomen and ran it in lazy circles. “I’ll give you that one.”
He dropped an arm to my shoulder and tucked me closer. We sat that
way for several minutes, both of us merely savoring the nearness of the
other. But try as I might, I couldn’t convince my mind to relax along with
my body. The questions kept hounding me—what had happened to my
mother, why couldn’t she be saved, what was she now? Why did the
camarilla need me when they had him? And if they mistrusted me so much,
why had they hoped he’d convince me to stay?
“Kale?” I asked, hesitantly.
“Yeah, princess?”
“I need to know more.”
“About?”
 “Everything.” Shrugging off the protective clasp of his arm, I sat up
straight and swiveled to face him. “Beth’s made it clear there are several
people who don’t trust my heritage. If that’s the case, why did the camarilla
send you after me?”
He scrunched his forehead into a frown. “I already told you—they want
you to defeat your uncle because you’re the only one who can.”
“No. That’s not true. You are as strong, if not stronger than me.”
He chuckled again and smoothed a hand down my bent leg. “Only for
the time being. I can’t command the wind like you, Halle.”
Hm. Maybe that’s really all there was to it. Still, the simplicity didn’t
feel right. I huffed a sigh. “They invited someone half of the camarilla
believes will turn against them, like my mother in their eyes, to reside with
them. It doesn’t fit, Kale.”
His brief amusement faded, replaced by a distant, somber light in his
eyes. “It’s war. When you’re losing, you become a bit desperate, I suppose.”
Now that made infinite amounts of sense. I’d been so desperate to
eliminate my uncle that I’d put myself directly in his path just to invoke the
degree of feeling necessary to repeat what I’d done to my father.
“Why are you losing?”
Another frown flitted across his brow before quickly smoothing away.
He gazed out the window, evidently searching his thoughts. After a
moment, he answered, “Your uncle isn’t a sorcerer. He is vested in the
undead. His power comes from the lives he’s taken.”
“Necromancy?” I asked in disbelief. “That’s for… games and such.”
“It’s not. It’s real.”
By now, that shouldn’t surprise me. Still, I experienced the reflexive
urge to laugh. I choked it down before it could escape. “Explain,” I
managed through my amusement.
Kale peered at me quizzically. “Do you know what an archlich is?”
“Um. Make that a no.”
“Do you know what a lich is?”
“Uh…” I was beginning to feel stupid, which was entirely nonsensical. I
shouldn’t have any idea what he was talking about given my isolation from
these things. “I’ll have to go with no, there again.”
His expression fringed with a hint of exasperation. “Have you read
Tolkien?”
 “Duh. Have you seen the movies?” I thumped him in the belly with the
back of my hand. “Stop talking to me like I’m dumb.”
He let out a grunt then sat up straighter. “Okay, the ring wraiths—that’s
a close example. And don’t get caught up in aesthetics. There’s no such
thing that floats off the ground, runs around in shadowy robes, and
screeches like some sort of owl on crack.”
No, but there were hooded riders who rode black horses and whistled. A
chill crept down my back as the windwalker’s words came back to me.
“Basically a lich isn’t living, although it’s perfectly alive. It’s a slave
that looks just like you, just like me—like any normal human being. Like
your father did and your uncle does.”
I gave Kale a sideways glance.
“They serve. It could be like our warriors here, or our healers, or like the
elemental summoner you are. The difference being, those in the camarilla
choose to fight, heal, summon, or what have you. A lich is ordered and
cannot disobey.”
“What happens if they do?”
Kale emphatically shook his head. “It’s impossible. Their soul is
controlled by the archlich. And in turn, those collective souls grant him
power. The more souls controlled, the more strength amassed. The more
strength amassed, the more souls needed to feed his thirst for total power.”
Oh. I was beginning to catch on. Entirely more than I suspected I
wanted to. “And that’s what happened to my mother. And yours.”
Kale nodded slowly. “Yes…and no.”
“No?” I didn’t want to know, I really didn’t. Still, I couldn’t silence the
question.
“My mother is a harvester.”
I grimaced in disgust. No need to ask for clarification there.
“Because of her incredible talent, yours is part of his personal guard.
She will do anything, anything to protect him.”
A sick feeling possessed me. My sweet, gentle mother turned into some
vile servant. What had she ever done to deserve that fate? If I could have
killed my father a second time, I would have bolted from my room and
hunted him down all over again. He’d destroyed her—utterly.
Struck with a new sense of urgency, I pushed to the edge of the couch,
intending to stand. “I have to get her out of there.”
 Kale caught my wrist, gently tugged me back. “You can’t save her. I
don’t know what to say to make you believe this.”
I jerked away. “All this time you’ve been telling me what I can do, what
I’m capable of. That I’m stronger than everyone else. That I can defeat my
uncle, for God’s sake!” As my voice rose, Tufty jerked awake. I stepped
around him, possessed by the need to move, and paced in front of the
bookshelf. “How do you know I can’t save her, Kale? What if I can?”
A pained look flashed across his face. He pushed both hands through his
hair, fell back against the couch, and let out a hard, harassed sigh. “No one
has ever converted a lich. No one.”
I halted and stubbornly folded my arms across my chest. “I bet the
windwalker has. Maybe I should find him.”
“He’s dead!” Kale exploded. He snapped his mouth shut, remained
silent for several seconds, then said more calmly, “You’re reacting
emotionally, not thinking logically.”
“Of course I’m being emotional! I’ve been using my emotions since I
walked into this cave, before that even! Now you want me to stop?” I
snorted. “Pick one or the other. Halle and magic, or Halle and logic. You
can’t have both.” As anger began to get the better of me, I stabbed a finger
across the distance between us. “And you won’t convince me saving my
mother is impossible. I refuse to accept it.”
Tufty half-hopped, half-fluttered onto the couch and let out a squawk,
seemingly agreeing with me. He followed the belligerent noise by spreading
his wings, puffing out his breast, and flapping at Kale. Whether he had
taken a side or not, the action was so perfectly timed that Kale’s attention
snapped to him. I couldn’t help but grin.
As Tufty settled into the corner of the couch, Kale studied him. The
ticking of his thoughts reflected in his face. First annoyance, then
contemplation, then…resignation. His shoulders slumped a fraction, and he
turned sad eyes my way. “What do you intend to do?”
“I don’t know.”
Several long moments of silence stretched between us, neither looking
away from the other. I refused to budge, refused to yield. I couldn’t.
Accepting felt like failure, and I hadn’t come this far to turn the other way.
Kale broke the quiet with an almost inaudible question. “When are you
leaving?”
 I hadn’t even realized I’d come to that conclusion until he asked. But as
the words wrapped around me, I realized the truth of it. I was done waiting.
He could choose to go with me or watch me walk away.
“Two days. We’re going after my uncle and rescuing my mother. You
have tomorrow to teach me whatever else you think I need to know. After
that, it’s up to fate.”
“Halle, this is crazy.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Are you going with me?”
“You know I am.” He slammed a fist into the cushion. “Fuck!”
His furious outburst softened me, and my shoulders sagged. I knew he
worried about my safety, hell, my very life. He didn’t want to lose me—
perhaps even more than I didn’t want to lose him. But I’d backed him into a
corner, drawn an unbending line between us…given him no choice. I didn’t
want to hurt him, and yet, I knew no other alternative.
Sudden fear struck. Had I broken us?
“Kale?” I whispered.
His gaze lifted to mine. The hard set of his jaw and his steely blue eyes
struck like a knife between my ribs. Without a word, he rose and stalked to
the bedroom.

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Twenty-two
I stood in the middle of my front room, staring at the dark hallway, for what
seemed like hours. Did I go after Kale? Did I force him to talk? If so, what
more could be said? I wouldn’t convince him into seeing things my way,
and he couldn’t convince me to write off my mother for eternity. There
really was nothing more to discuss. I’d gotten my way, only victory lacked
the sweetness of success.
The silence became deafening in the handful of minutes that truly
passed. The bed squeaked as Kale lowered his weight onto it. With that
sound, my heart twisted a degree more. I closed my eyes, counted to ten,
and forced my feet to move. Whether he wanted me there beside him or not,
I needed his closeness.
I padded down the hall, so attuned to the rustling of my covers I barely
noticed Tufty followed on my heels. Light from my bedside lamp
illuminated the doorway, and I approached, each step feeling like iron
chains were wrapped around my ankles. More nervous than I could recall
ever feeling, I stopped in the entry.
Kale lay on the bed, facing the wall, his broad back to me. By the
tension that clung to his bare shoulders, I could tell he wasn’t asleep.
Twenty bucks said he was as aware of me as I was of him.
Say something, please.
He didn’t. The only movement he made was to adjust his pillow.
And I didn’t know the right words.
Did I go in and claim my side of the bed like everything was normal
between us? I glanced back the way I’d come, then looked to the empty
space beside him. I wanted to. More than anything I wanted to crawl into
that bed, curl up against his back, and hold on tight until all the anger
dissipated.
But the fear that he would shrug me off was suffocating. I turned away
and walked back down the hall. If he had called out to me, I would have run
back and thrown myself onto the bed. He didn’t though. And when the lamp
clicked off, I stopped hoping he might.
 I laid down on the couch, wrapped in the same dark emptiness that had
blanketed me every night in my rat-infested warehouse corner. Cold,
despite the warmth of the room. As alone as I’d ever been, only now I no
longer possessed the barricades that had once shielded me from the reality
of my life. Kale had stripped my defenses away.
For the first time in as long as I could remember, tears slipped down my
cheeks.
Humiliated that a guy could reduce me to crying, I swiped at them
furiously. They only fell harder. As a sob rose in my throat, I rolled over
and buried my face in the throw pillow. No matter how deeply he cut me, I
would never let him hear me cry.
***
I woke to the sound of something heavy thumping onto the table. Startled, I
rose to my elbows and blinked swollen eyes. It took me a minute to realize
whose shadow fell over me. When it did, I blinked harder.
Kale.
But I could have sworn after last night…
He gestured at the coffee table before I could say a word. My gaze
followed the trajectory of his arm to find my book sitting atop the smooth
surface. Confused, I summoned more energy, pushed into a sitting position,
and scrubbed at my face. God, I hoped he couldn’t see the tear stains on my
cheeks.
“My book,” I mumbled, uncertain what else to say.
Instead of answering, he tossed a wire-bound notebook on top then
motioned for me to scoot to the side. Still fogged from exhausted slumber, I
shuffled sideways, trying to make sense of what he was doing here and
what, exactly, was going on.
He settled into the cushion beside me, opened the notebook, and took
out two loose pieces of paper, which he spread on the table. “This is a map
of the Yaksini mines.” He tapped a circle on the far left hand side of the first
page. “We’ll enter here. The trick is to eliminate their first round of guards
before we get into the first old cart tunnel. If we don’t, we’ll have a hell of a
fight in an instant. If we succeed, it should be quiet until we reach the first
bridge.” He tapped what looked like a set of rail road tracks near the
middle.
 “But…I thought…” Perplexed, I squinted at him. I’d totally expected
that he’d be gone when I woke; that he’d decided I was too stubborn to be
worth his time.
As if he hadn’t heard me, he moved his index finger to a spiral drawn on
the far right-hand side. “These are the tunnels that lead into the heart of the
mine. We have to go all the way down. Unseen. At any point in here, we’re
apt to run into his personal guard. If we do, the best suggestion I have is to
run like hell.” Leaning across me, he moved to the second sheet of paper.
“As I remember, your mother is usually here.” He double-tapped a square
that had been outlined so many times the pen threatened to cut through.
“Here is your uncle’s…I guess you’d call it a lab. We don’t want to disturb
anything in this room. We are not confronting him.”
My attention locked onto that square, and I scanned the tidy print he’d
annotated different things with: lab, residential chambers, personal
chambers, room of souls. A small, solid diamond symbol stood out in the
far bottom corner. I ran my finger over it. “What’s this?”
“You can’t really tell—I can’t draw that well. But this is a cross section,
and that’s three or four layers deeper. I don’t remember clearly. I have
unfinished business there.”
“What sort of business?” I asked warily.
He gave an infinitesimal shake of his head. “Something I left behind.”
I’d learned enough about him to know he wasn’t sharing everything, but
given that he was here, that he’d taken the time to draw out a map, I didn’t
figure I should press for more information. I’d ask while we were en route.
When the timing was more appropriate.
Shifting position, Kale laid a worn leather scabbard on the table and
flattened his hand over it. His gaze met mine for the first time. “If your
magic doesn’t cooperate, use this.” He lifted his palm, revealing the full
length of a wide-bladed dagger. “I had the healers infuse it this morning.
Most undead creatures can’t be touched with a regular weapon. This will
kill. Strike first, aim for a critical area, because if you don’t, you won’t get a
second chance.”
Wow. The full reality of what I was about to embark on settled heavily
on my shoulders. I wasn’t just freeing my mother but walking straight into
the enemy’s camp, so to speak, and vastly outnumbered. Both in skill and
allies. I swallowed hard, unable to tear my gaze off the dagger’s tarnished
hilt.
As I digested the gravity of the situation, he shifted his weight again.
This time, metal clinked as he laid two heavy brass cuffs on the table top.
Joined together by a half-inch thick length of chain, they looked like
something straight out of a medieval prison.
“What’s that?” I asked.
He blew out a short, hard breath. “I don’t know if it will work, but
Maude advised it’s our best chance at saving your mother. I can bind her for
a short while. Long enough you can lock these on her wrists. The brass is
ancient. Forged by dragons and infused with magic very few have ever
controlled.”
My breath caught and my gaze pulled to the book. Dragons. They were
real.
Seemingly aware of my focus, Kale pushed the book beneath my nose.
“Legend has it Rafini was bound by these, or a similar pair. If that’s true,
I’m sure it’s in there.”
I couldn’t hold back a bit of sarcasm. “So you want me to read it now?”
“No. I don’t want you within twenty miles of that book.” He flopped the
notebook shut and rose to his feet. “But you told me I had today to teach
you whatever you still needed to know. There’s your lesson. When you’re
finished, if you’re still committed to this suicide mission, we’ll leave
tomorrow.” Still frowning, he held my gaze for several long heartbeats then
added more quietly, “I hope you’ll change your mind.”
“I see.” Inwardly, I sighed. He still didn’t get it. At the same time, he’d
handed me the thing that intrigued me the most, and I wasn’t about to tell
him there was no hope I’d decide to abandon my mother.
Caught up in my dismayed thoughts, I didn’t notice him bend closer,
and the soft press of his lips to my temple made me jump in surprise. But
before I could twist my head and return his kiss, he straightened.
“I have some things to do. I’ll come back to make dinner.”
With that, he turned and strode through the door.
Tufty let out a loud, protesting bellow, reminding me it was time for his
usual dip in the tub. While my mind swirled with what had just transpired
between Kale and I, churning it over and over, I drew a shallow bath and
helped my duckling friend inside. I really needed to investigate that spell.
He’d probably be so much happier out on the pond with his feathered
family. Yet I wasn’t ready to tackle that this morning. And Rafini’s journal
called to me like the song of a long-lost lover.
As Tufty splashed and squawked, I wandered back to the front room and
made myself comfy on the couch. I pulled the book into my lap, enchanted
once more by the magical shifting emblem on the cover. How was that
possible?
No need to ask. Everything I wanted to know waited behind that
alluring demonic skull.

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Twenty-three
Nine hours later, I’d found my answers. I knew the unspeakable destruction
an archlich could unleash. I knew what purpose those hooded riders served,
and I wanted to forget it. I knew how Rafini died…and I knew how he
continued to live.
I even learned the reason my magic didn’t cooperate like everyone in
the camarilla believed it should. Because I wasn’t one of them. I wasn’t
Yaksini like my father either. No, I had been born to a different fate. That of
a windwalker. Gifted—if one could call it such—with the power of the
ancient dragons.
I couldn’t say the knowledge excited me. Not by a long shot. What lay
ahead—I didn’t want to consider what the future held. And I didn’t want to
accept it. Not now, not ever. But there was no mistaking what I was. The
similarities were as identical as my two hands. Different circumstances, but
nevertheless, the same.
Wrestling that power into something I could control, however, was
another story altogether. The dark places Rafini went, the planes he traveled
—they were a far cry from Applegate, or even Miami. Hell, they made the
black market sectors of Singapore look like a trip to the zoo. Complete with
snow cones and cotton candy. I wasn’t about to embark on that journey. Not
now. Not ever.
Still, what I was, meant I could destroy my uncle and save both my
mother and sister. Not that I would but that I was capable of doing so.
Which made my conviction to try that much stronger.
I set the book aside, having merely held it for the last hour and
processing everything I’d read. I grabbed the nearest tome of magical
incantations and flipped to a random page.
Starburst.
I scanned the passage briefly, noting the spell was more or less a parlor
trick of lights. Good. No possible damage if it worked. If it flipped into
something else—well, that was the norm. I’d deal as needed.
Having absorbed the basic demands of the conjuration, I closed the
tome and closed my eyes. I mentally compared the ritual Kale tried to instill
in me with my understanding of Rafini’s manipulations. The way the two
methods aligned stood out instantly—they didn’t coincide at all. My poor
rationale the previous day was far closer. To succeed, I needed not only to
will the outcome into fruition, but I also needed to reach deeper within
myself, to the source of my strength, to the tiny particles the majestic
beasts’ gave to my long-ago ancestors.
I said nothing, recited no formal incantation. Power bristled on the tips
of my fingertips. I concentrated on that until I could feel that energy
pumping through my veins. The same, distant feeling of protection wrapped
around me as it had the night I exterminated my father. In all the spells Kale
and I had worked, it hadn’t been present. Now, it thrummed around me like
a living thing.
Slowly, I breathed in. Breathed out. Once. Twice. Three times…
I opened my eyes. Now.
In a dazzling flash of sparkles, bits of light burst through the room. They
radiated out from an unseen source, then floated like snowflakes to the
ground. Tufty, who I’d let out of the tub around lunchtime, let out a
frightened honk and bolted under the table. As the bright confetti fizzled
out, I laughed.
Laughed at my duckling, at the ridiculous splash of color, at the joy of
finally, finally, getting everything right.
I flipped the book open, chose another easy spell. After a few moments
of preparation, it too snapped into substance, sending a fluffy white cloud
floating across the room. Whoever had made this book must have been
thinking of a child’s party. But damn, it was perfect!
One after one, I tried again and again. Not all of them worked; a few—
okay a good half—flat out failed. No unexpected outcome. Just nothing.
Nothing except a sharp, agonizing pain in the middle of my spine that
varied in duration. I assumed the longer it hung on, the worse I’d failed.
And as much as I wished otherwise, the process remained arduous. Still off,
somehow.
A knock at my door had me scrambling to set the tome aside. Kale—it
must be dinner time.
Before I could stand, the door opened, and he let himself inside. He
carried a pot of something with a rich and hearty aroma that made my
mouth water.
 “Oh, wow, what’s that?” I nearly tripped on his heels as I followed the
delicious aroma.
“Pork tenderloin with roasted vegetables,” he answered as he set the pot
on the counter. “Just out of the oven.”
“God, feed me now,” I groaned with a laugh.
Kale chuckled. “Patience, princess. The wine’s still in the hall.”
Wine? I eyed him suspiciously as he stepped out the door then entered
again, holding a bottle and two glasses. “Trying to get me drunk and have
your way with me?” Or convert me to his way of thinking when it came to
rescuing my mother?
He flashed a devilish grin. “Ten bucks says I don’t need to get you
drunk.”
A delightful shiver possessed me. “No,” I confessed. “No, you don’t.” If
that wasn’t the shameful truth of it all.
“Later. I promise.” He tossed a wink my way. “Right now though…”
Trailing off, he pulled two plates out of my cupboard then set them on the
countertop. “I believe the princess requested food.”
“Yes, she did.” I grinned. This playful banter was so drastically different
than the way things had been when he’d left. But I didn’t dare spoil it by
asking where it came from. My gut said we’d have that conversation
eventually.
And instinct blared loud warnings Kale wouldn’t like what I had to say.
I leaned both elbows on the counter, content to watch as he dished out
two plates and filled the glasses. Red wine—that was new to me. Come to
think of it, I’d only drunk wine on two or three occasions, and that had been
the five-dollar, convenience store variety. I highly doubted the variety Kale
brought came from the same stock. He put too much effort into mealtime to
go cheap.
“Penny for your thoughts?”
I lifted my gaze, realizing I was smiling. You make me happy came to
mind, but just throwing that out there seemed weird. I shrugged. “Nothing
really. Just looks so good.”
He set a fork on both plates and pushed one to me. “Dig in then.”
We both moved to the small dining table off the kitchen and grabbed
seats across from each other. I did as instructed, and had to hold back a
moan as the first bite hit my tongue. Simply put—he was a genius when it
came to food. And if I ever had to cook for us, we’d probably starve,
because I sure as hell couldn’t do anything that didn’t come somewhat
already prepared.
Throughout dinner, we exchanged conversation pleasantly, talking about
everything but magic and my assignment for the day. But in the interludes
of quiet, underlying tension stretched between us that built until I couldn’t
take any longer and had to escape by taking our empty plates to the sink. I
made a production of washing them and putting them in the dish dryer. And
then I couldn’t procrastinate any longer.
When I returned to the table to finish my wine, Kale swirled his glass
thoughtfully. His gaze caught mine, at once serious and guarded. “Well?”
We both knew what he meant. I squirmed uncomfortably. Unable to
look at him, I focused on a whorl in the wood directly in front of me. “I
read the book.”
“What did you decide?”
Oh, God, I didn’t want to have this conversation. Didn’t want to fight
with him again. He wouldn’t understand, no matter how I tried to explain. I
took a gulp of wine to buy another moment of aversion.
“I have to try, Kale.”
“Damn it,” he muttered beneath his breath. Then he shoved away from
the table and strode to the front room. He paced for several seconds, saying
nothing.
I waited, feeling the explosion build, seeing it gather strength with each
flex of his hand.
He stopped abruptly, facing the bookcase. But the bellow never came.
When he spoke, his voice was deadly calm. “We will fail, Halle.”
A spark of anger ignited. I choked it down—fighting wouldn’t
accomplish anything. Now was the time for logic. Though sadly, it had
never been my strong point. I stayed in my seat, concentrated on keeping
my voice level. “You don’t have to go with me, but I have to try.”
That was evidently enough to set off the powder keg. Kale whipped
around, all but bellowing, “Not go with you? Like hell I don’t. You can
barely handle your magic.”
“No, I can.” I rushed to my feet. “I learned how today. I’m not like you,
Kale. Not like any of the Tolvenar.” If I could just make him understand,
then he’d realize it wasn’t as futile as he believed. “I’m what Rafini is. A
windwalker.”
“Like hell you are,” he growled.
Understanding crashed around me. It wasn’t that he didn’t believe. He
wouldn’t have handed me the book if he thought the possibility was
ludicrous. No, he didn’t want me to be a windwalker. Because if I chose to
follow that path, he would be forced to embrace my eventual death.
Kale cared too much about me to ever accept losing me. I swallowed
hard, choked by an enormity of feeling. I really mattered to him.
“I never thought you were stupid,” he muttered. “But right now I’m
questioning whether I was wrong.”
Oh, that was a low blow, and my pride refused to allow it, even if I did
understand what drove him. Without thinking, I snatched the throw pillow
and chucked it at him. It smacked him in the face. “You want to throw
insults? Fine. You’re an ass. A selfish jerk who only cares about what he
wants.”
“What I want?” He caught the pillow and threw it aside. “What the hell
are you talking about? I’ve spent every day working with you to help you.”
“No you haven’t. It’s not for me. It’s for the camarilla, for your father.
For you, because you don’t want to accept the leadership. If I defeat my
uncle, you don’t have to.”
“That’s insane!” Kale shouted.
Tufty tucked his head beneath his wing, cowering where he lay in the
corner of the couch. His movement drew my attention.
“Is it? The one thing I’ve wanted, the one thing that has really mattered
to me, you’ve shut down. Well damn it, so what if I fail! This is my life.
And I refuse to go through it regretting having never tried to help my
mother. If trying to save her, kills me, at least I tried.”
“And what about your uncle then? What about your sister? How will
you help her dead?” Hot color infused his cheeks, and his voice rose over
mine.
“Don’t play to my emotions, Kale. You’ve never cared about my sister
before. You took me away from helping her.”
“I took you away before you did something foolish that got you killed!”
I stopped, took a deep breath, and stared him down. When he remained
silent, defiantly challenging me with his eyes, I countered with a flat and
level tone. “Bullshit.”
Kale threw his hands to the side then shoved both through his hair. “You
are being completely unreasonable.”
I pursed my lips, unwilling to continue the debate.
He held my gaze as if waiting for me to change my mind. Like if he
glared at me long enough, I’d come to my senses and agree to give up the
idea of going after my mother. As if he might will me to do so.
“Damn it!” He stalked to the door. “Have it your way. We’ll leave on
your suicide mission at dawn.”
Then, as he had the night before, he jerked the door open and stalked
away.
The jarring slam as he yanked the door closed behind him, made me
shudder. But my own anger sizzled in his wake. Like hell I was going to
endure any more time fighting with him. He’d never understand, because he
was intent on not understanding. He didn’t want to go, and damned if I’d
have him tag along insulting me the entire way.
Screw him.
Without consciously thinking about what I was doing, I stalked to my
bedroom, cursing Kale beneath my breath every step of the way. I wasn’t
going to put up with his arrogance, with his superior attitude. I didn’t need
him to look out for me—I’d been doing just fine for years. Maybe my
magic wasn’t fine-tuned, but I understood it now. And if he’d given me the
opportunity to show him, he’d have realized that too.
But he wouldn’t give me the opportunity, because nothing would
convince him this was a logical endeavor.
I shook my pillow out of the case and shoved a pair of jeans inside,
along with a T-shirt, and my heavy sweatshirt.
Couldn’t he see I needed his support more than anything?
I stalked to the kitchen and jerked open the cabinet doors. The rice
cakes, crackers, and other inedible stuff I hadn’t touched tumbled into my
bag with a sweep of my arm. Kale might care, but he didn’t get the most
important thing—I needed him to believe in me. And he didn’t. He didn’t
want to.
I came to a stop in front of the book, map, and brass cuffs. Emerging
from my haze of fury, I glanced down at the baggy pillow case in my hand.
Was I really doing this? Striking off on my own?
 A moment of trepidation pulled my gaze to the door. Then, decisive, I
nodded. Yes. I was.
I put the map, dagger, and cuffs inside my bag and tied the open end in a
knot. My gaze fell to Tufty. Should I use that spell and change him back? I
probably ought to. I reached for the book that contained the binding
information.
As my fingertips grazed the spine, I changed my mind. No. If I left
Tufty like he was, I’d be that much more determined to get out of the
Yaksini mines.
Letting out a sigh, I stroked his soft head. “I’ll be back, little buddy. I
promise.”
With that, I went to the door, took one last look around the little
apartment that had become home, then slipped into the hall and closed the
door firmly behind me.

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Twenty-four
It wasn’t hard to orient myself outside the camarilla’s base, and I struck a
determined pace in the direction Kale had pointed the night before. But the
heavy overgrowth of trees quickly made twilight more like midnight, and
the woods came alive with the sounds of night. Creatures stirring in the
leaves. Twigs snapping. Crickets singing, then falling eerily silent.
My nerves began to fail, and I found myself jumping at every slight
noise.
Relax. You’ve been in the woods at night dozen times.
Taking a deep breath, I gathered my courage and stopped at a large, flat
rock to look at his map more carefully. The last thing I wanted to do was
stumble into Yaksini territory unaware. And maybe it was time to put up a
shield or two…just in case.
With one more uneasy glance at the looming shadows, I closed my eyes
and focused on one of the protective spells Kale had taught me early on. He
used it frequently in our spars, so I figured it was strong enough for just
about anything. Given no one ever knew exactly what I might summon.
It took three attempts before I felt the energy weave around me and snap
into place. Three frustrating attempts, and when it did come together, a
sharp pain shot through my left side. Sharp enough to double me over and
leave me wheezing. I didn’t understand—I did everything the way Rafini
suggested, and yet I struggled. It couldn’t be this difficult.
You’re just distracted. Calm down.
Maybe it would be easier, once I managed to swallow my heebie-
jeebies.
I drew my legs up onto the rock, pulled the map out of my pillow case,
and smoothed it open. One quick glance told me I was in trouble. He’d only
drawn the mines, not anything leading up to them. Damn.
Now what? I squinted at the trees, frustration mounting. Another twig
snapped to my left, followed by the hasty rustling of leaves. I whipped my
head toward the commotion as icy fear trickled down my spine. What spell
to call? What defense would be the best?
 The rustling grew closer. My hands began to tremble. Slowly, I rose to
my feet, facing whatever was rushing through the undergrowth. Too big for
a mouse. Too large for a bear. Too slow for a rabbit.
It would erupt through a tangle of vines and shrub any second now.
One…
Frantically, I searched my memory for something appropriate and
settled on ice shards. They seemed the most likely to deal damage, without
doing something crazy like setting the entire forest on fire.
Two…
Shit, I didn’t have time! I scrambled to focus on gathering my internal
energy. Louder now—I could hear claws scraping over smaller rocks. And I
still wasn’t ready, still didn’t have my shit together enough to—
A raccoon scurried out of the shrubbery, shot across my path a few
inches from my feet, and disappeared into the wilderness.
“Jesus,” I mumbled, stumbling back. “A freaking raccoon.” I seriously
needed to get hold of myself. How was I supposed to fight dangerous non-
living creatures if a raccoon nearly sent me into hysterics?
We will fail, Halle. Kale’s words came back to haunt me.
And with them, I found new strength. Like hell I was going to fail. If for
no other reason, I wouldn’t let him be right. Annoyance replaced the jangle
of my nerves, and I plopped back down on the rock. I needed a plan.
Something more solid than stumbling through the woods until I happened
onto the mines, and then barging my way inside.
Something that gave me the upper hand.
Maybe invisibility—I’d have a good chance of seeing a possible threat
before they saw me.
Then again, Kale once said magic could be seen, and he certainly hadn’t
had any difficulty spotting me. Invisibility might buy me a few seconds, but
nowhere near enough time to pull a full spell together. Besides, I still hadn’t
figured out how I’d undone that spell. No, I needed something more
reliable.
Like the ability to really blend in with the plants and trees.
Unfortunately, I’d never read anything like that, so it was pretty much
wishful thinking. Then again, if my magic came from the ancient dragons,
and the spells in the camarilla I’d read didn’t, maybe I hadn’t discovered the
secret to becoming a tree because regular sorcerers didn’t know how.
 Intrigued by the possibility, I cocked my head and stared at the crinkling
bark on an old ash tree. It couldn’t be that impossible. I could focus on
making my skin take on that appearance then consider my hair. I’d have to
deal with my face, but maybe the hair part would take care of that.
Something Rafini had written surfaced in my memory. We are limited
only by the logic others impose upon us.
That was why I was here—Kale had tried to make me believe his logic.
So why shouldn’t I dare to consider I might be able to emulate a tree?
I closed my eyes once more, concentrating on what I wanted to occur,
envisioning myself as something with bark, branches, and leaves. Deep
within me, something stirred the same way it did each time I tried Rafini’s
method of calling on my inner powers. That flutter told me I wasn’t out of
my league. This was possible. It was just a matter of making it happen.
A long, solitary howl echoed through the wilderness.
Whatever I’d awakened within me bolted back to slumber as my eyes
snapped open, and I stared at the trees in shock. No coyote called with that
much richness. They were higher, sharper, and their howls didn’t last as
long.
The last time I’d heard that sound—
Something heavy crashed through the wilderness directly in front of me.
Heavy and fast.
Shit!
I fell back on the methods I’d practiced with Kale for so long and
opened myself completely to the flow of magic. I didn’t care what sort of
defensive spell came out, so long as it blasted that creature into oblivion.
Meanwhile, I intended to take protective measures.
I scanned the elm I’d been studying, stood on the rock, and jumped for a
low-hanging branch. My fingers grazed the bark as another heavy thump-
thump pounded closer. Twenty feet away. Maybe less.
Come on.
I jumped again.
Saplings toppled beneath the weight of something bearing down upon
them. Leaves crumpled, the tearing sound as they shredded into bits
booming like gunfire in the dark.
I put everything I had into jumping for that branch. My knuckles
jammed into the bark. Pain arced up my arm, and I fell flat on my ass,
staring at the shifting foliage. Raspy breathing filled my ears.
Pant. Pant.
A low, menacing snarl reverberated through the forest, and fear seized
me. I felt a scream build, but it caught in my throat. Two glowing red eyes
glinted a scant five feet from my toes.
I scrambled backward, desperately trying to gain footing. But it was
useless. The creature burst through the vines and gnarled undergrowth,
vicious white fangs snapping.
Jadukara. The wolf’s ebony coat held the appearance of living shadows;
only the very tips that were fringed with silver created a distinguishable
outline. Though the rock I sat on stood a good foot above its head, it leapt
on top with ease. Muzzle lowered to the flat stone, it crept forward with
predatory hunger glinting in those terrifying eyes.
I crab-crawled backward, panic lacing my lungs together. I had no spells
prepared; the damned dagger was still in my pillow case. I needed to get the
fuck out of here. Fast.
Before my fingers could wrap around the edge of the rock, the beast
before me blurred. A hot gust of air washed across my face, and as I
blinked, a man stood before me. Long platinum hair flowed down his back,
rich and luxurious. Where scarlet eyes had bored holes through me, shards
of onyx glinted against his alabaster skin. His features were quite feminine,
delicate nose, high arching brow, defined cheekbones. But the button-down
shirt and loose trousers highlighted a masculine physique.
My breath caught for a moment, and I stared, spellbound not only by his
stunning presence but that he had transformed from that shadowy wolf.
In the next instant, his hand shot forth so fast I caught only a blur of
movement. He caught me by the ankle, his grip a steel vise locked around
my flesh by claw-like ebony nails. I couldn’t help but cry out as fire seared
beneath my skin. Cold fire. Like ice had melted in my veins.
He pulled, dragging me an inch closer to him. Rock cut into my hands
as I gripped hard, fighting his hold. “Get the fuck off me!” With my free
foot, I kicked at his hand.
“You bleed.” His voice rasped eerily around me, and those dark
haunting eyes glinted even darker. The hint of a sneer marred his beautiful
mouth. In the dim light, I glimpsed the unmistakable glint of unnaturally
sharp teeth.
 What the…? I glanced at where his hand held me and found no sign of
blood. “Fuck off!” Again, I kicked.
Only this time, he used my momentum against me and twisted my leg at
an awkward angle. Forced to release my hold on the rock or dislocate my
hip, I let go. He easily flipped me onto my back.
Panic surged through me. My heart raced. My lungs tightened. I grabbed
for another hold on the rock, but the effort was futile—my nails broke to the
quick.
Oh, God, I was going to die here.
He yanked hard, and my shirt caught on a jagged protrusion. My bare
belly scraped over the rock. I fought with all I was, bucking and writhing
for freedom. My elbows connected with the stone, my knees, my ribs as
well. But I felt none of the pain, only the sheer desperation to escape. I
didn’t know what he intended to do, but I damn sure didn’t plan on
discovering what type of damage those horrifying teeth could do.
I don’t know what happened next. All I recall was agony tearing
through my leg. The heat. Incredible heat as blood poured down my leg. A
hell of a lot of blood. The strange realization that if I died here I would have
proven Kale right followed on the heels of that excruciating pain.
In rapid-fire succession, three blinding flashes of white split the
darkness. The lower half of my body dropped to the rock like I’d been
body-slammed. I gasped for air, waited for the felling blow that would
inevitably come.
And nothing happened.
Slowly, the forest crept into my awareness. The rustle of a breeze. The
faint chirp of crickets. A distant owl calling out to the night.
I pulled in a short, sharp breath and glanced over my shoulder. Where
the man had stood, nothing but a pile of charred clothes remained. On either
side of that smoldering heap, three black singe marks scored into the rock.
Lightning. It was me.
Relief swept through me at the same time my battered body shed the
numbness of adrenaline. I let out a sob and curled my knees to my chest.
My left leg throbbed. My right tingled from knee to ankle. Bits of blackness
flecked the corners of my vision.
But I’d be damned if I passed out now. I needed to find shelter, needed
to see what the hell he’d done to me. Needed to try and heal.
 With what remained of my strength, I pulled myself into a sitting
position. The legs of my jeans were torn, the left shredded like someone had
taken shears to the heavy denim. Blood flowed freely, but thankfully not
with the tell-tale pulse of a damaged artery or vein.
Maybe I’d imagined how much blood I felt seep down my leg.
My hands shook as I fumbled for my pillow case. When my fingers
grasped the cloth, I refused to think about the blood spatters that proved
wrong my theory I’d imagined my injury. Instead, I dug inside until I found
the heavy dagger. I pulled it out, removed it from the sheath, and dropped
the leather back inside the case. No way was I going anywhere unarmed.
Magic might come when I most needed it, but I didn’t dare rely on that. If
I’d been holding this in the first place, I could have cut off his wrist the
instant he touched me.
Still trembling on the inside, I managed to push my legs over the edge
of the rock and drop to the forest floor. Another lance of pain shot through
me as I hit, my injured legs screaming out in protest. But I took a tentative
step forward, testing my weight—my legs would hold.
For how long, remained to be seen.
I took a quick glance around my surroundings and caught sight of a faint
trail winding around the rock that I hadn’t been able to see from above. It
led to an overgrown arch in the foliage. The only other way was where I’d
come from—back to the camarilla. Nothing would make me go running for
safety where I’d be ridiculed for my foolishness. Kale wasn’t right; I’d just
been unprepared. Now that I knew what was out here, what could be
lurking in the thick, I wouldn’t be caught off-guard again.
I took a wobbly step forward, my pillowcase dragging on the ground
behind me. With all the rocks around here, there had to be a cave
somewhere nearby. I’d find it, eat some of my rice cakes, and then see what
sort of healing spells I could remember. So long as nothing major was
damaged, I could recover without the aid of a formal healer.
Another deep breath gave me the fortitude to hoist my pack over my
shoulder, and I braced myself against the rock, pushing off for another step.
Behind me, two low snarls rumbled in warning.
My stomach bottomed out. No, my luck couldn’t be this bad.
But sure enough, when I turned to investigate the sound, a pair of those
godawful beasts stared me down. As I took a step backward, a third
emerged from the forest, taking place behind the other two.

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Twenty-five
To my left, flames erupted along the edge of the shrubbery. As another burst
of terror shot through me, I took a hasty step back. Mirroring my motion,
the wolves crept forward a pace. Their glowing scarlet eyes remained fixed
on me, their muzzles curled in menacing snarls.
My leg began to throb, and with each pulse, blackness threatened the
edges of my vision. The nightmare scene before me blurred, wiped away
with the lightness of my head. Frantic, I scrambled to hold onto
consciousness and struggled to remember something, anything, that might
get me out of this alive.
But I was too weak. With the next searing burst of agony that shot up
my thigh, I stumbled to my knees. As I hit the packed dirt trail, the fire to
my left flared like someone poured gasoline on it. The resounding whoosh
sent flames shooting out both sides of the burning pile of dried leaves.
I closed my eyes, one thought consuming me: Forgive me, Kale. He’d
been right, almost. Only I hadn’t even made it to the Yaksini underground.
I breathed in and forced myself to stare down the trio of Jadukara. If this
was the end, I wasn’t going to cower. I’d brought this on myself, and I
would face the repercussions with what little strength I had left in my body.
When I opened my eyes, I was surrounded by fire. Front, sides, and
even behind me, it snapped and crackled, a deadly ring guaranteed to insure
I couldn’t escape. I would have much rather had my throat torn out than the
slow, painful experience of being roasted alive. At least the wolves could
still finish—
I blinked. They were gone.
No, not gone. Between the shifting hues of orange, I could still make
out their hulking shadows. But they loomed on the opposite side of the
flames. And those flames…I blinked again, certain I was seeing things. Yet,
there was no mistaking the way the fire pushed outward, away from me,
widening the circle and forcing the Jadukara to retreat.
Confusion, hope, and more than a little astonishment sent a fresh burst
of energy coursing through my veins. I pushed my weight onto my good leg
and wobbled to my feet. In time with the shifting flames, I shuffled
backward, each half-step taking me that much further down the path.
Another rustle in the trees, combined with the approach of a taller,
broader shadow gave me pause. Had Kale come after me? Joy threatened to
send me rushing across the circle. He must have. And right now, I had never
been more glad to see him in my life. Even if he’d give me hours of lecture,
and I’d be forced to admit I wasn’t as prepared for this excursion as I’d
hoped.
The shadow grew closer, and I made out the clear form of a man. My
heart skipped several dozen beats. Despite my earlier anger, a smile tugged
at the corner of my mouth. His name hovered on the edge of my tongue.
Only, it wasn’t Kale who stood illuminated by the firelight. A tall man
with long dark hair frowned at me. I didn’t recognize him, but the black
cargo fatigues and long-sleeved black jersey gave him a soldierly
appearance. Maybe he was one of Kale’s warriors. Could he have been the
man Kale spoke to the night I’d arrived? It had been so long I couldn’t
remember that man’s face, but the hair was similar.
Something about him, though, contradicted that thought. Something that
made me uneasy, even as I recognized he’d started the fire that warded off
those beasts.
My stomach knotted as he stepped through the flames. It hit me then—I
couldn’t feel heat. My back was less than five feet from the knee-high
blaze, and I felt nothing but the cool autumn air. Illusion, perhaps?
No, couldn’t be. If they were mere illusion, the wolves wouldn’t have
backed away. So what then? And who was he? Not another Jadukara—that
didn’t make sense either. Why ward off his friends?
Damn it. I was acting like a coward.
I cleared my throat and held his steady gaze. “Did Kale send you?”
“Kale Norwood?” He chuckled low. “Try again.”
Shit. Not a warrior. I scrambled back another several steps, turned, and
prepared to bolt through the fire.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” he cautioned. “They haven’t gone far.
Are you injured?”
Suspiciously, I looked over my shoulder. “What’s it to you?”
He shrugged. “It’s not. Might matter to you, though. If they marked you,
they can find you anywhere.”
 “M-marked me?” He’d said enough to get my full attention, and I turned
to face him. “What do you mean?”
He gestured at my torn jeans. “Did you bleed?”
“I…” I glanced down at my injured leg, remembering the blood I’d felt
rolling over my skin.
He bent to his thigh pocket and pulled out a long knife.
“Hey!” I backed up again, my heels a mere inch from the fire. “What do
you think you’re doing?” Reflexively, I tightened my grip on the dagger I
held. Not that I could outmaneuver him—I was positive he knew how to
use his.
His features went blank, and his hands stilled. He glanced at them then
lifted his frown back to me. “Why did Kale let you come out here so green?
Shouldn’t he be supervising you?”
Supervising me? My pride flared. I straightened my shoulders and
glared. “I don’t need anyone’s permission to go anywhere. I can take care of
myself.”
He paused a beat then nodded. “In that case, I’ll let you get back to it.”
As he turned away, the flames around us dimmed by several inches.
Okay. Maybe that wasn’t the most brilliant thing I’d ever said. And now
was clearly the wrong time to be snubbing help, particularly if the Jadukara
had marked me. “Wait.”
He stopped but didn’t turn around.
“Usually I can take care of myself. I’m a little…injured…right now.
That’s all.”
With another nod, he continued on.
“Okay, you’re right.” Damn, I hated admitting that. I rushed to follow.
“Please don’t leave me with those things.”
That brought him to a full stop, and he faced me, a smirk dancing on his
face. With the tip of his knife, he pointed at me. “Pride’s a bitch, isn’t it?”
I grumbled beneath my breath. “Who the hell are you?”
“That depends.” He lowered the blade until it pointed at my leg. “Are
you going to let me look at that?”
I arched a brow. “Are you going to tell me who you are?”
“We can do this all night, lady. It’s the leg or nothing. I value the skin on
my back too much to piss around.”
 I heaved a sigh, dropped my pillow case, and muttered, “Fine.” Still
grumbling to myself, I took a seat on the ground.
As he moved to crouch at my knee, I glanced over his broad shoulders
at the odd ring of fire. It shifted with the ambient breeze, and faint streaks
of blue shone between the orange and yellow colors. The more closely I
inspected it, the more I could see the unnaturalness of it. The height never
wavered, the surrounding debris never lit. It didn’t grow outward, and it
didn’t shrink in toward us. It remained perfectly controlled in an equally
perfect circle.
His fingers dipped beneath the long rend in my jeans, and I shifted my
focus back to him. Compared to Kale, his face was more angular, more
sharp and harsh, although the ruggedness held appeal. A day or two’s worth
of stubble added to the shadows in his expression, and his gaze held intense
concentration as he pushed the denim up to my knee. Warm fingers prodded
the inside of my calf and ankle.
“Right here.” He tapped just beneath the hollow of my knee. “They got
you good. I’ve got to cut it open.”
Before I could work what off my tongue, pain seared through me so
fiercely I cried out and jerked away. “You son of a bitch!” Doubled-over, I
clutched at the gaping cut in my leg. “What the hell are you doing?”
“Easy, ace.” Unfazed, he grabbed my ankle and straightened out my leg.
“Hang on a second.” In circular motions, he passed a hand over my skin
without touching it. A faint yellow-green light spanned between his splayed
fingers and washed over the bleeding wound. Each rotation created a
tugging sensation, as if he were literally fishing beneath my skin for a
foreign object. I felt the surreal pull, but it brought no pain.
“What are you doing?” I asked, more curious now.
“You want to see?”
I frowned at the top of his dark head. “Um. I am seeing.”
He shook his head. “Nope. Not really. Look again.”
This time, when I looked down, I gasped. A second ago, I’d watched
blood flow into the ground. Now, there was no blood. Only a silvery
substance spilling over my skin and rolling across the earth. It didn’t soak
into the loam, and I suspected it never would.
“Holy, shit,” I whispered.
 “It’s habit to hide what normal folks wouldn’t understand.” He worked
his hand down my leg again, hovering just millimeters away from my skin.
“Almost got it all. Just a few more seconds.”
“What is that?”
He shrugged one shoulder. “Bad stuff. The Jadukara can smell it miles
away. They must want you something fierce. Usually, once they have you,
they don’t go to the trouble.”
“He tried to eat me.”
“Not if he marked you like this, he didn’t.” Looking up from my leg, he
met my gaze. Golden eyes glinted in the light of the fire. “Who are you?”
I’d never seen such unusual eyes. They weren’t tawny like some shades
of light brown, and they certainly weren’t hazel accented by the light. Gold.
Like my mother’s wedding ring that was hidden behind a loose brick back
at the warehouse.
He tipped his head, and I realized he’d asked a question. The very same
question I’d put to him. “I asked you first.”
He released my leg and pulled the torn fabric down to my ankle. “There,
you’re good to go.”
“You aren’t going to tell me, are you?”
Taking his time with wiping his knife in the leaves, he made no
indication he intended to respond. He carefully put the blade back in the
small holster at his thigh, snapped the strip of fabric that held it in place,
and seated himself on the ground cross-legged. Just when I’d decided he
wasn’t going to answer, he spoke. “Marcus Wintergrave.”
“Oh.” The word came out heavily. In my head, I heard Kale’s bitter
tone, the loathing in his words. The Noita are always dangerous. Suddenly
wanting to be anywhere but here, I grabbed my pillowcase. “Well, thank
you for fixing my leg.”
Marcus chuckled. “See why I put it off? You’d have never let me touch
you. I see Kale has created quite the impression. Damned kind of him.”
The need to defend Kale possessed me, though I couldn’t explain why.
“You’re lurking in their territory. Then you run from them. What do you
expect?”
“So the faithful student defends her teacher.” Sarcasm dripped from his
voice. “Where is the saintly Kale, by the way?”
 I opened my mouth to tell him it was none of his business, but he waved
off his own question.
“Never mind. Look, we’re both out here, and for right now the Jadukara
are still close. You’re in no condition to take them on again, and my magic
strength is wearing thin. Might as well stay together until morning. Sunlight
doesn’t hinder them, but they’re pretty much nocturnal.”
His casual, almost friendly tone caught me by surprise. So quick was the
one-eighty, it left me stumbling over my tongue. I snapped my mouth shut
before some embarrassing, nonsensical sound came out.
“Are you hungry? I’ve got some food I’ll share back at my makeshift
camp.”
Hungry. I couldn’t process what he was saying, no matter how I tried.
And the idea of taking him up on the offer, despite my knotting stomach,
felt like somehow betraying Kale. I blinked. Twice.
“Fresh water too. Jugged it from the spring just that way.” He tipped his
head in the direction of the path I’d intended to follow. “You were heading
there, weren’t you?”
Heading to the spring, or to the path, I didn’t know. But the promise of
water had me salivating. The run-in with the Jadukara had taken more out
of me than I’d realized. I’d take the drink, but I didn’t intend to volunteer
much more information. “Um. Yeah.”
“Come on then. I have wards up there. We’ll be safe.”
He rose, dusted off the back of his muscular thighs, and gestured at the
path. “I’ll follow.”
I hefted my pillowcase over my shoulder, but held onto my dagger. Any
funny business and I’d…I’d…I didn’t know what I’d do with the knife.
Give me some time to recuperate, though, and I was positive I could deal
him some magical damage.
With a wary glance over my shoulder, I started down the path.
“You going to tell me your name?”
It couldn’t hurt, I supposed. After all, it wasn’t like I’d grown up in the
camarilla. Kale had just pulled me off the street; I was pretty much a
nobody. “Halle,” I mumbled.
“Aw hell.” His heavier footfalls came to a dead stop. “No wonder the
Jadukara marked you.”
 Well, so much for the idea of being a nobody. No need to keep up
pretenses then. “Because my uncle is in charge of the Yaksini?”
“Because your dragon blood is a powerful thing.”

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Twenty-six
It was all I could do to keep putting one foot in front of the other as
Marcus’s declaration registered in my brain. My dragon blood—somehow
this total stranger knew. Or maybe it was just supposition on his part.
Maybe the Jadukara had some history of biting anyone they encountered in
hopes they’d discover the blood of dragons.
Yeah, right.
But if Marcus was taking a guess, and I reacted, I’d confirm any
suspicion he held. So I kept moving, my mouth clamped tightly shut to keep
from blurting my surprise while I scrambled for some other intelligent
response.
Eventually, I decided to play it off and try to goad him into revealing
more. I shot him a curious glance and forced a chuckle, like he’d just said
the most ridiculous thing I’d ever heard. “What makes you think I have
dragon blood?”
“I don’t think. I know.”
Okay, this was seriously creeping me out. Kale said he’d been hanging
around. Had Marcus eavesdropped?
No, Kale and I hadn’t discussed my windwalker abilities outside, just
locked away in our rooms. So how in the world did Marcus know?
Doing my best to remain nonchalant outwardly, I asked in a level tone,
“So how do you supposedly know?”
“Simple. I’ve heard about you for as long as I can remember.”
“Do what?” My composure shattered, and I whirled on him, my mouth
agape.
He let out a low laugh. “Finally got to you, huh?” He waved me onward
with an amused grin. “Come on, I’ll fill you in. Let’s get out of the open
first. Your leg holding up okay?”
I’d completely forgotten about my injury, but the reminder made me
acutely aware of the dull throb in my calf. “Yeah,” I mumbled with a
grimace. “I’ll be fine.” I wasn’t about to let him know how much I looked
forward to sitting down.
 He must have sensed my lie, because he slowed our pace and fell into an
easy lope at my side. With an outstretched hand, he clasped my pillow case.
“Let me carry this.”
Chivalrous. Hm. Still, Kale had warned me about the Noita. I pulled my
pack away. “I’ve got it.”
“Stubborn too. That’ll get you hurt, Halle. Mark my words. The wise
know when to admit they could use a little help.” More determined, he
clutched my makeshift satchel again, this time pulling it out of my grasp.
He slung it easily over his shoulder.
Man, this guy could give Kale a run for the money in the arrogance
department.
I gritted my teeth and focused on the faint trail that led up the rocky
hillside. I wouldn’t have noticed it, if I hadn’t been looking—only the
separation of tree branches marked our path. I couldn’t even say it was a
human trail, more like something deer would cut out on routine trips to a
watering hole.
We walked in silence, me shuffling along and refusing to let on how
badly I hurt, Marcus scanning the surrounding woods. The sharpness in his
gaze told me he remained on alert, despite the relative stillness.
After several minutes of feeling his tension smack into me, I broke the
lull in conversation. “Do you think they’re still here?”
He nodded slowly. “They won’t risk it with me here, not with so few
numbers. But they’re watching. Guaranteed. They’ll hang around until
dawn breaks.”
“And you’re…okay with this?”
“It is what it is. Some things you just have to accept.”
“But you don’t have to. You could have walked away. Let me go on
alone.”
His smirk reappeared in a flash. “You were doing so well on your own
too.”
Okay, maybe I deserved that. Still, I didn’t have to like it. I grunted
begrudgingly.
“This way.” He cut sharp to the right.
I followed, ducking under a thick, low-hanging vine. The path gave way
to coarser gravel that shifted beneath my feet, making walking that much
more agonizing. I spent the rest of the short climb focused on breathing, not
gasping in pain.
When we reached a recessed opening in the limestone cliff, Marcus set
my bag down beside his belongings and swept a hand toward the darkened
space beyond. A small flame caught in an iron sconce, illuminating the rear
wall. The shallow space couldn’t be more than twenty feet deep, thirty at
best. But it was clear he’d inhabited it for a while. A pallet lay beneath the
lamp, nothing more than a bedroll and two blankets, one rolled tightly into a
pillow. In the middle, a circle of small stacked stones served as a fire pit.
Marcus grabbed the rolled blanket. “Let me get you someplace to sit.”
He situated it near the fire pit then beckoned me over.
I sat down, relieved to finally be off my leg and more than a little
anxious for some answers. “Okay, talk.”
He picked up a handful of small twigs and tossed them into the pit.
“Quid pro quo—I tell you what you want to know, you tell me why you
were with the Tolvenar and where you’re heading now.”
I considered my options. Refuse, and I’d likely find myself striking out
on my own again, as uninformed as I’d been when I left the camarilla.
Agree, and risk yet another person telling me I wasn’t capable or that I was
guaranteed to fail. Take Marcus into confidence, and likely Kale would take
offense. Shut Marcus out, and deny myself information I desperately
wanted to know.
Screw it—I’d left Kale behind. While it made me uncomfortable to
potentially betray his trust, how Marcus knew about my heritage concerned
me more.
I met Marcus’s expectant gaze. “Deal.”
He passed another hand over the small pile of twigs he’d placed in the
pit, and again, fire sparked. In seconds, the cavern filled with inviting light.
I stretched my feet toward it, chilled by the late night air.
Taking a seat beside me, he reached for a fat leather satchel. “We share
the same heritage. I don’t have your gift, but the Noita have guarded the
secrets of the ancients since the dawn of time.” As he spoke, he withdrew
cooking utensils and a hard hunk of something that suspiciously resembled
meat. “Rafini predicted your coming. Your name has circulated among my
people for decades.”
Once more, I stared, my jaw slack.
 “We knew only that you’d come. Not when, not which century, only that
you would.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I finally managed.
Marcus shook his head and shoved a sharp skewer into the stiff hank.
He propped the long fork-like utensil against two large rocks, effectively
positioning whatever it was over the flames. Then he reached sideways
again and dragged a pottery jug closer. “Water?”
I nodded.
He passed me the heavy container, waited until I drank and swallowed,
then began again. “It’s true, I swear. Halle Rhoads—it is Rhoads, right?”
Once more, I managed to nod, despite the frenzied whir of my thoughts.
“You come to us in need of something. He never shared what, or why.
But he wouldn’t have confided if we didn’t have a role to play. And so,
every Noita is raised with the legend and prepared to help however
possible.”
I remembered Kale’s warning: They have their own agenda. Yes, they
might help, but at what cost? I didn’t like it—my instincts went off like a
fire alarm. I shifted away from Marcus, unaware I was doing so until his
brow furrowed deeply.
“Is there a problem?” he asked.
I caught myself leaning obviously in the opposite direction. Suspicion
crept into my voice. “What do you want from me?”
His filled with surprise. “Want from you? What makes you think I want
anything?”
Well let’s see—my life experiences told me everyone wanted
something. But Kale had reinforced that natural mistrust when it came to
the Noita, specifically Marcus. I didn’t answer, merely stared unblinking.
He shook his head. “I have a duty to our mutual ancestors to grant you
aid, should you request it. I’ve answered your questions. It’s your turn
now.”
Smooth. If he thought my suspicion would be pacified with that, he
evidently didn’t understand much about my dragon blood. But I chose to let
his evasiveness go. However, I took care to use the same deliberate
approach to answering what he wanted to know—enough truth to not be
lying. Enough omission to disguise the truth.
 “The Tolvenar were teaching me how to use my magic. Kale took me in
to help them make a stand against my uncle. I was heading to the mines
when you found me.”
“To use your magic?” A brow arched in puzzlement.
I shrugged. “I’m blocked somehow. Well, was. I’ve fixed it now…I
think.”
He studied me for a drawn-out heartbeat. Dark eyes shone with some
reaction I couldn’t put my finger on. Doubt perhaps. Or he could have
realized I wasn’t disclosing everything.
He didn’t press. Turning to the skewered meat, he pulled it off the fire
and retrieved a metal pie pan from beside the pit. “You’ll have to use your
fingers, I’m afraid. And I haven’t but one dish. But I’m happy to share.”
Setting it between us, he made the offering.
“What is that?”
Marcus chuckled. “You probably don’t want to ask.”
“Well, I have.” I poked the crusted exterior. “Is it edible?”
“Highly. Cooked the right way, it’s a delicacy among my people. This,
though, is just burnt viper jerky.”
Viper—blech. I would have sworn it off if my stomach hadn’t been
knotted with hunger. And the rice cakes I’d brought along just weren’t
going to do the trick—they were like eating air. I poked the hard hunk
again. “Is it poisonous?”
“Not any more.” He reached over and tore a portion off. “The venom
helps preserve it, but the toxins cook out.”
Great. So not only was I eating something that slithered, I could become
a trial for ante-venom. He was right. I shouldn’t have asked.
He handed me a chunk. “Try it. Hard on the teeth but it fills the belly.”
Reluctantly, I popped the bite in my mouth. Chewing was like trying to
gnaw through wet bark. I gave up the idea and just rolled it around on my
tongue until it softened. When I could finally sink my teeth into it, it held a
surprising sweet-spice flavor. “Mm.”
“Told you. It’s better just slightly seared and fresh. But this will do.” He
passed the water again.
We shared the slight meal in silence. I watched the fire and turned over
the possible reasons why he might want to help me in my mind. There were
no easy answers, nothing that stood out. Which only led me back to my
blood and the evidential powers it held. And sadly, I didn’t know enough
about my heritage to make any solid connections. Rafini had been hunted
for his magic. But he’d also been known, legendary in his conquests, far
more so than I could ever be.
Exhaustion hit me as I swallowed the last of my portion. I braced my
weight on my hands, stretched my legs before me, and let out a soul-deep
sigh. When I’d left the camarilla, I hadn’t done much thinking about where
I would sleep or how. But as I sat beside the flickering fire, I missed the
recent evenings spent with Kale at my side. His big body would warm away
the chill that clung to the stone surrounding me.
I glanced up to find Marcus watching me.
“What?” I asked, suddenly self-conscious.
“If I know Kale, he won’t let you wander far alone.”
Unwilling to reveal how much I hoped he was right, I responded with a
slow, acknowledging nod.
Marcus gestured at his disheveled bed. “Go ahead and get some rest.
We’ll set out tomorrow and need every bit of daylight to get to a safe spot to
camp.”
“You’re going with me?” Astonishment pitched my voice higher. “What
if I don’t want company?”
Marcus gently tossed the tin pan aside, his smirk once more intact. “I’ll
say it again, Halle. The wise know when to ask for help.”
Grumbling, I picked myself up off the cave floor and trudged to the pile
of blankets. I said nothing more as I lay down on my back and clasped my
hands behind my head. Instead, I stared at the ceiling, envisioning Kale’s
fury when he found me traveling with Marcus. No doubt sparks would fly.
Only I was pretty sure they wouldn’t be the passionate kind we’d created
the night before.

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Twenty-seven
Morning came much too early. Marcus’ little cave happened to face the
east, and the hard bed I’d tossed and turned on most of the night also
happened to perfectly align with the entrance. I woke to a concentrated
beam of sunlight shining on my face. At some ungodly hour when the birds
had begun to sing but the rest of the normal wildlife still dozed.
Crazy damn birds.
I pulled the covers over my face with a mumbled stream of profanity.
“Not into mornings, huh?” Marcus chirped from somewhere to my left.
Slowly, I lowered the blanket to my chin. A slight twist of my head
averted my eyes from the sun and let me glare at him. “Not this morning.
How is it possible you picked the one spot where the sun hits first?”
His grin was entirely too jovial for whatever ridiculous hour it was.
“Early bird gets the worm sound familiar? Can’t waste the day away when
you wake with the start.”
“You did this deliberately?” Snapping the covers back over my face, I
grumbled, “You are insane.”
In the next instant, the blanket jerked out of my hands and disappeared
altogether. I barely managed to stifle a screech of surprise before I found
him standing over me, blanket balled in his hands, his damned grin still
intact.
“C’mon, ace. We’ve got to hit the trail.”
“Insane and an ass.”
He made quick work of stuffing the blanket into a sizable pack that he
dropped near my feet. “Want breakfast? I found some fresh quail eggs.”
“I want to sleep.” Mustering energy, I sat up. “But since I’m being
denied—I’ll pass on the eggs.”
He shrugged. “Have it your way.”
While he hovered over the fire pit, I dragged myself outside and down
the trail a few feet to use the bushes. My joints ached from the hard stone
I’d slept on, and after the encounter yesterday, my injured leg wanted
nothing to do with walking. My calf twinged and burned with every step.
Not exactly how I wanted to tackle a day-long hike. But I didn’t have much
choice, and I didn’t want Marcus thinking I was a puss. So I sucked it up
and pushed through the pain, telling myself that when I’d freed my mother I
could relax as long as I wanted. Days if need be.
When I made it back inside the cave, Marcus had polished off his
breakfast and had the rest of his meager belongings packed. He hoisted the
pack on his back with ease, shrugged his shoulders till it rested like he
wanted, and gave me a nod. “Ready then?”
“Just waiting on you.” I glanced around for my pillow case. “Where’s
my bag?”
He inclined his head over his shoulder at his own pack. “In here.”
I all but snorted. “Gee, nice of you to ask.”
“I have an idea. You keep your foul mood under control, and I’ll
actually lead you in the right direction.”
I glowered again.
Chuckling, he strode past me into the unwelcome sunlight. I followed,
glaring at his broad shoulders, willing him to trip.
He didn’t, unfortunately. In fact, the pace he set would have left me
winded even if my leg hadn’t been injured. In less than ten seconds, I could
barely see him in the trees.
“Hey!” I called in a hushed voice. “Slow the hell down.”
“Oh. Right.” He halted, leaned against a tree, and waited for me to catch
up. “Greenhorn.”
“Sorry, but I make it a habit to not run before noon.”
Surprisingly, he didn’t have a come back. But he did slow his pace
enough I could keep sight of his dark khaki jersey as he wove through the
overgrown path. I didn’t attempt to stay on his heels; I’d have been
crawling by noon. That and, with a slight distance between us, he couldn’t
hear me suck in a sharp breath every time my left foot came down.
One of these days, I was going to make a Jadukara pay for that bite.
Turned out, I didn’t have long to wait to fulfill that promise.
An hour into our hike, I blinked and Marcus had vanished. Bewildered,
I stumbled on ahead, assuming the trail took a sharp turn and I’d find him
around a bend. But as I neared a thick copse of shade, something grabbed
my elbow. Before I could squeak, Marcus dragged me into the shadows. My
heart in my throat, I opened my mouth to tell him off.
 He pressed one finger to his lips with an adamant shake of his head.
Then he pointed down the trail behind me. His expression had never been
more grave.
As the hairs on the back of my neck lifted, I slowly turned around. My
stomach knotted at the sight of shifting branches not more than ten feet
ahead. The unmistakable sound of something heavy moving behind them
made my pulse skyrocket. Fear slid through my veins. I knew that sound.
Recognized the wheezy snuffling as a canine nose investigated the ground.
Two seconds later, two glowing red eyes glinted behind a frond of
leaves.
Fucking hell. He’d said they were nocturnal. Why couldn’t I catch a
break?
Then again… I eyed Marcus suspiciously. Maybe he’d made that up. I
certainly had no way of knowing the Jadukara’s habits.
No. I refused to believe that fleeting thought. He had no reason to lead
me into the Jadukara’s path. He’d protected me from them the first time.
Even removed the silvery crap they left in my leg.
Unless that too…
Stop it.
I pulled in a deep breath and willed my pulse to even out. Below, a
massive wolf emerged from the foliage and lifted its snout to the sky.
Marcus whispered something in my ear. As I turned with a questioning
look, the energy around me shifted. That all-too-familiar feeling of being
somehow protected wrapped around me. Power I recognized. Magic that
didn’t match Kale’s strong shields.
My magic. And Marcus knew how to use it.
Intuition told me he had done something to hide our scent. The way the
Jadukara sentry lowered his nose and pivoted away from our direction
confirmed that suspicion. Slowly, quietly, I exhaled.
The trees stirred to my left. Inwardly, I groaned—not this again. Starting
my day surrounded by those bloodthirsty beasts wasn’t exactly what I’d had
in mind. But logic filtered through the hammering of my heart. I couldn’t
exactly make a stand against my uncle if I let these wolf creatures reduce
me to a trembling husk. I couldn’t let fear rule me.
Mustering my courage, I slid my gaze toward the approaching sounds.
Marcus twisted to glance over his shoulder, his eyes narrow and searching.
The hard set to his jaw that hadn’t been present a few seconds ago sent
another rush of unease scurrying through me. He looked…worried. And
just a little bit pissed off.
At me? I shoved the thought aside. Now wasn’t the time. I’d deal with
that possibility if we made it out of here alive.
In front of us, the wolf halted, its haunches not yet clear of the path. Tail
flagged nearly straight out behind, it lifted its nose. I could just make out
the shadowy muzzle through a clump of leaves. Not good—it was listening.
Or sniffing.
No, the damned thing was turning around. Son of a bitch!
I clutched Marcus’s forearm in a death grip and willed that beast to not
join his companions. To keep moving on, before we became pinned in the
middle. Marcus’s scowl deepened. His gaze never left the shifting foliage
where the unseen creature lingered.
My fight or flight instincts took over. This was getting ridiculous. We
could either wait to become trapped, or we could grab the upper hand and
eliminate the closest Jadukara. I nudged Marcus with my elbow. When he
turned his frown on me, I inclined my head toward the first wolf and
mouthed, Now.
His scowl darkened. He gave one quick, adamant shake of his head,
then jerked it to the side, indicating the other beast.
Crunching leaves to my left grew louder.
In front of me, the wolf pivoted another half-step toward the sound. Any
second now and—
A figure broke through the overgrowth, emerging onto the path. Backlit
by the sunlight, its features were nothing but a hulking shadow. Definitely
human. Or maybe one of those beautiful beings the wolf had transformed
into a heartbeat before he took a hunk out of my leg. But there was
something familiar about the stride. And something even more familiar than
the hint of a swagger that I hadn’t even realized had become so much a part
of me— Tolvenar magic. It swept over me like a gentle breeze.
Kale.
The shadows broke, revealing his blond hair and giving shape to his
athletic frame. He paused in the faint light, glancing at his surroundings, his
expression intensely thoughtful.
 Ten feet away from me, that damned wolf’s hackles lifted. It lowered its
head, curled its upper lip.
Oh, God, no! He had no idea what he was walking into!
I jerked forward, driven by sheer instinct. Marcus snatched at my arm,
but missed. His fingers grazed my sleeve, and I remembered myself a
heartbeat too late. I stumbled onto the path.
“Halle!” Kale shouted, relief filling his voice
Marcus bellowed behind me, “God damn it!”
The wolf whipped sideways, staring straight at me.
Uh-oh.
As my brain kicked-in, processing the situation, the trail erupted around
me. Kale charged forward. Marcus bolted from our hiding place. The wolf
sank onto its haunches, and with a massive leap, hurtled into the air. Time
moved in slow motion. I remained frozen in place, watching those deadly
canine teeth sail toward my head.
Then self-preservation kicked in.
Words I scarcely recognized flew off my lips. I dropped to my knees,
crouched as small as I could make myself, and lifted one hand. Yellow light
flared from my palm, blending with a flash of blue from somewhere beside
me. It sailed forward, then combusted with blinding ferocity. A resounding
crack! reverberated through the forest.
“Move!” Kale shouted.
A strong arm caught me around the chest and hauled me sideways.
Momentum carried us, rolling us sideways into the brush. It all happened so
fast, I didn’t know who had me until we slammed into a thick tree trunk and
stopped. Dark hair covered my face as I tried to spit out the dirt that worked
its way into my mouth.
Before I could shove at Marcus’ shoulders and demand he get off me,
his weight disappeared. I blinked in time to see Kale wrap a fist in the back
of his shirt and haul him to his feet. He shoved Marcus’s back against the
tree.
“What the hell are you doing? You could have gotten her killed!”
Marcus shoved back, sending Kale stumbling a foot or two. “I could
have gotten her killed? I found her in the woods, surrounded by Jadukara.
Where the hell were you?”
 And where was the damned wolf? I inched upright and scoured my
surroundings, momentarily ignoring the two men. My breath caught as I
looked back at where I remembered standing. An enormous hedge tree,
almost two feet in diameter, lay across the path. Beneath it, squashed into
the depression in the dirt, protruded the creature’s shadowy hindquarters.
Haunches and tail—I winced.
“Is he a friend of yours? Was that your plan?” Kale shouted.
I turned my attention back to the both of them and blinked at the sight of
blood trickling down the side of Marcus’s mouth. Damn. I would have liked
to have seen that punch.
He wiped his mouth with the back of his wrist, then spit on the ground.
“Fuck you, Norwood.”
Well, clearly we were getting somewhere. I rolled my eyes. With a
heavy sigh, I picked myself off the ground. “Could you two quit long
enough to tell me who dropped the tree? Or do you need to pound on each
other a little more first?”
As if they’d forgotten my presence, they both turned astonished looks
on me.
Kale found his tongue first, evidently still primed for a fight. “What the
hell were you thinking taking off like that? Do you have any idea how long
I’ve been looking for you? I found blood back there.” He thrust an arm
down the path. “Then not a God damned thing!”
Irritation niggled at the back of my skull. I narrowed my gaze but
refused to let him goad me into a yelling match. They were doing enough
shouting that if there were more Jadukara around, they’d have our location
pinned down in no time.
“If you’d been with her there wouldn’t have been blood,” Marcus
mumbled.
Kale whirled on him again, his fist cocked and ready. He took a
threatening stride forward. Marcus widened his stance and squared his
shoulders.
“That’s enough!” Marching between them, I stuffed my hands on my
hips. “What are you, fifteen? In case you’ve forgotten, there are things
hunting me. Lower your damned voices.”
The fact that I, the clueless one of the bunch, was forced into the role of
reasonable leader dimly registered. Both men’s postures sagged. Kale
dropped his fist and gave the leaves a furious kick. Marcus muttered
something unintelligible, walked several paces away, and dropped down to
sit at the base of the tree. He dabbed at his mouth with his fingertips again,
then looked up at me through his frown.
“God damned sucker punch,” he grumbled.
I gave him my best, cool it glare then turned to diffuse Kale the only
way I knew how. “I’m sorry I worried you.”
“He couldn’t have been worried if he’d been with you.”
Oh for the love…
As Kale opened his mouth to presumably re-engage Marcus, I lost my
cool and beat him to words. “Look, Marcus, not that it’s any of your
business, but I didn’t give Kale the opportunity to come with me. I left on
my own. Now knock it off.”
With a grandiose gesture, he swept his arm toward Kale. “By all means,
you two kiss and make up. Don’t mind me.” A smirk crossed his face as he
looked to Kale. “While you’re at it, might as well tell her the real reason
Gerard sent you to find her. Teaching magic is pretty convenient, isn’t it?”
If I hadn’t swung my head around to gape at Kale, I would have missed
the widening of his eyes before he managed to school his expression. That
tiny glimpse of surprise, however, pitched the ground beneath my feet. My
stomach dropped to my toes, and an overwhelming sense of dread balled in
the space it had occupied. In a flash of cycling memories, I remembered the
numerous times I’d suspected Kale wasn’t telling me everything, the way
he never could quite answer why the camarilla wanted me, when he was so
powerful.
“Kale,” I asked, not wanting to hear the answer. “What’s he mean?”
Kale shook his head a bit too quickly. “I’ve told you why, Halle.”
“And you’ve left something out too, haven’t you?” I didn’t want to
doubt him. I wanted to believe in him the way I always had. But every
alarm I possessed screamed he was hiding something. Something I’d sensed
all along and had deliberately ignored.
Marcus chuckled behind me. “You’re not blocked, Halle. He knows it. I
know it. Gerard knows it too. You’re dragonborn, and there’s not a
goddamned Tolvenar who understands that power.”
Kale closed his eyes with a pained grimace. And in that moment, I knew
Marcus was right.
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Twenty-eight
As much as I knew Marcus was telling the truth, I still didn’t want it to be
real. My voice dropped to a whisper as I asked, “He’s right, isn’t he? You
can’t teach me.”
“Halle, he’s doing this on purpose.” Kale reached for my hand.
I jerked away. “You can’t teach me, can you?” My voice rose with
indignation.
Kale shoved both hands through his hair, clenched them at the back, and
let out a hard sigh. Looking up, he answered, “No.”
Just like that, he shattered me. All I’d believed, all I’d felt—everything
was founded on a lie. And he’d known it all along. To my utter humiliation,
I couldn’t stop tears from welling in my eyes. Nor could I stop my voice
from cracking as I cried, “You lied!”
“Yes, but I can explain.” He reached for me again and managed to grasp
my fingers. “I’ve told you about the Noita. He’s trying to manipulate you.”
“Everything you said was a lie!” I snatched my arm free and wrapped
both around my torso. No matter how I tried to will them to stop, tears slid
down my cheeks. Hot with betrayal and full of scalding humiliation.
Kale finally managed to grab on to me and hold. Taking me by the
shoulders, he turned me to face him and lowered his gaze level with mine.
“No. Not everything, Halle.”
“That’s what Beth was talking about, wasn’t it? When she said the plan
was different. That’s why Gerard didn’t argue with her about my failure
with magic. She doesn’t know, but he does. That’s why Maude told me to
stop thinking on specifics—she knows Tolvenar magic doesn’t work like
mine.” Words rushed out of me as things clicked in my mind. I couldn’t
stop. One by one, all the weird oddities suddenly made sense.
His grip tightened on my shoulders. “Maude also said you can trust
me.”
With a violent twist sideways, I dislodged his grip. “No one wants me to
kill my uncle. It’s never fit—why bring someone they despise in and trust
them with something so important.” I shook my head again, not wanting to
accept the truths I was seeing. “I was brought there for another reason.
What is it, Kale?”
“Halle—”
Low and quiet, Marcus’s voice cut in, “What’s your sister doing these
days?”
“My…sister?” I backed up a step and glanced between the two men in
confusion. “What does Faye have to do with anything?”
“He’s fishing,” Kale all but growled.
I stared at Marcus, holding my breath.
Marcus glanced toward the canopy of leaves, his expression thoughtful.
“You’re too strong for the rite. Gerard let it go too far with Kale. But now
he’s got it figured out. Use you to get to her, and send her in. Let it go just
far enough, and you have the perfect spy. Meanwhile, you learn enough
about magic to be somewhat useful, though never to your full potential
because that might backfire if you’re not strong enough.” His cold hard
gaze dropped to Kale. “Sound about right?”
Kale’s face blanched.
“Kale?” My voice trembled. “Is that…true? Gerard wants Faye as bait?”
His pale features filled with crimson fury. “You son of a bitch!”
Releasing my shoulders, he stalked to Marcus and wrapped a fist in his
collar. One yank brought Marcus to his feet.
He didn’t struggle. His dark gaze remained locked on Kale, defiant and
full of accusation. “Son of the Noita, thank you. Take your fucking hands
off me.”
“So you can fill her full of more hate? You and your self-righteous
savior act. Why don’t you tell her the whole truth—that you’ll do anything
to get in the Yaksini mines! That you’d turn your best fucking friend over to
them, if it would get you inside!”
Why Marcus couldn’t go in on his own, or even why he wanted in,
didn’t even register. I was too numb, too devastated over the discovery both
men had used me for their own purposes. And I’d been too blind to see it.
I turned away, tuned them out, and made my way to the fallen tree and
the Jadukara’s lifeless body. Sitting heavily, I let the truth sink into me,
distantly aware of the shouting voices a mere five feet away. This was what
Rafini meant when he said everyone had a purpose for a windwalker, but it
was the windwalker’s responsibility to know that purpose first. At the time
I’d read the odd statement, it seemed like he’d mixed up his words. That
maybe he’d been distracted.
Now, I understood the meaning.
Worse, I realized how ignorant I really was. Not in the sense of book
smarts or street smarts, but when it came to this reality, this magical world,
I was nothing more than a helpless babe. Everyone around me could sense
energies, sense magical strengths, recognize auras. I’d only briefly
experienced that ability once, a little bit ago when Kale arrived. Even then,
I wasn’t fully aware.
They were miles ahead of me, light years. They’d grown up with this.
Kale was over one hundred years old. God only knew about Marcus. I’d
spent virtually my whole life living in an abandoned warehouse. The
biggest concern I’d faced, other than Faye’s safety, was finding a regular
meal each night. How was I ever supposed to become as capable as Rafini?
I closed my eyes, blinking back fresh tears. My mother’s face surfaced
in my memory, kind and full of loving encouragement. You can do anything
you put your mind to, Halle. So many times she’d said those words when I
became frustrated over little things. I’d believed them for so long. Yet now,
they seemed hopeless. My mind wanted to succeed. I didn’t know how.
And the person I’d trusted to give me that knowledge had been playing
me from the moment we met.
Through blurry vision, I glanced down at the Jadukara’s protruding
limbs near my feet. Blood matted ebony fur, seeped into the dirt beneath the
roughened bark. Pinned to death because he hadn’t seen what was coming.
I turned to glance down the length of the trunk, back to the jagged
stump that rose from the side of the path. The splintered ends were marred
in soot and ash. It burned.
Not for long—only where it had been severed in half. No fire could
produce that specific, targeted damage. But one thing could. One thing that
had come to my rescue unexpectedly.
Lightning.
Drawn to those charred remains, I rose to investigate further. When I
brushed my fingertips over an ashen splinter, it crumbled at my touch. A
fissure of energy crackled up my arm. Power that felt natural and right…
almost as if I’d come home from a very long trip.
My energy.
 I don’t quite know how I recognized it. But it wasn’t the same feeling
that I’d experienced when I sensed Kale on the path. Nor was it identical to
what enveloped me when Marcus used his powers.
As if to reinforce my assumption, faint yellow light pulsed between my
fingertips. I closed my hand into a loose fist, and like a sponge, my skin
soaked it up.
Trust what is spoken to you in words you cannot hear.
Rafini’s journaled directives surfaced in my mind. I resolved not to
question my understanding. The power belonged to me. I felled the tree.
Not Kale. Not Marcus. Me.
Which meant I wasn’t so helpless after all. I had it in me to succeed.
And while I was no longer naive enough to believe either one of the men
arguing off the path gave a damn beyond their own goals, nor was I naive
enough to believe I could rescue my mother alone. Kale had his reasons—
whatever they really were—for not wanting me to die. Marcus evidently
needed me to fulfill his own means. Both would follow me to the Yaksini
mines.
And if they could use me, then I could equally use them.

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Twenty-nine
When I struck off down the path alone, the arguing ceased as I anticipated it
would. Both Kale and Marcus hustled to catch up, Marcus going so far as to
try and stop me with a hand on my shoulder. I didn’t bother to speak to
either one of them. Instead, I shrugged away, increased my stride, and
continued on ahead.
From that point on, neither man approached me. And they said nothing
between themselves.
The long hike through the forest gave me time to think, to sort through
my emotions and line everything up in logical order. Only, I did more
thinking about Marcus and his motivations than I did Kale. Kale only made
me hurt.
It made sense that Marcus needed something from me. The camarilla
knew he wanted something. That he happened to be there, ready to save me
from the Jadukara attack could be no lucky coincidence. He’d been
following me. How else could he have stumbled onto the scene at precisely
the moment I needed someone? I’d even known to suspect his evasiveness,
enough to hedge my answers.
I also quickly discounted what he said, precisely, as a lie. He could spit
out more about me than I could, and no one just snatched those things out
of thin air. It was the same approach I’d used with him—tell enough truth to
be plausible. The two of us had been playing the same game since we met.
Unlike Kale and I, who had been on opposite fields the entire time. Kale
had lied. Deliberately.
Which was why, when the sunlight dwindled and Kale tried to fall into
step at my side, I dropped back even with Marcus. Kale defined betrayal,
where Marcus felt safer. Easier. Definitely somewhat predictable—anything
he said held some self-serving purpose. Simple enough. I could count on
the same from most of the people I knew.
Marcus slid a glance my way. “We should stop for the night in the
clearing up ahead. It was protected against Yaksini magic centuries ago.”
He paused a beat then added, “By the Tolvenar.”
I shrugged. “You know the territory.”
 He remained silent a long while as we followed Kale along the bramble-
covered path. In fact, we made camp without speaking another word. The
men established themselves near a small fire Kale built, and I chose a more
secluded section a few feet away, though still well within sight. I gnawed on
my rice cakes while they ate more of Marcus’s meat. The smell had my
mouth watering for another bite of that tough hide, but I was intent on not
asking them for anything unless I absolutely needed assistance. I had food.
It might not be flavorful, but it was certainly edible.
Despite the fact I tried to pretend Kale didn’t exist, I found myself
watching his broad shoulders as he sat facing the fire. A part of me I
despised wanted to drag him away and demand answers, to scream at him
for breaking my heart. That same part of my soul hoped he’d say something
I could forgive. Anything that could excuse the truth so I could curl up in
his arms and forget today had happened.
He must have felt my stare, because he glanced over his shoulder. His
sad eyes met mine, and I swiveled away, effectively preventing myself from
looking again. I couldn’t let the possibility he might be upset get to me.
He’d fucked up. In an unforgivable way.
I leaned back on my hands and stared up at the sky. Tomorrow we’d
reach the Yaksini borders. It was time to start figuring out how I’d knocked
over that tree. If I could just remember the words…
A shadow fell over me. I looked up into Marcus’s contemplative frown.
Before I could shoo him off, he sat beside me and thrust a plate of meat into
my lap. “Kale’s right. I can’t get in the Yaksini mines without someone to
distract them.”
I stared at the food. If this was confession time, I really wasn’t
interested. But I had to admit, I respected his honesty. At least he wasn’t
trying to hide behind some elaborate ruse. Picking at a bite, I waited for
whatever he intended to offer next.
“They’ve warded it against me. But I can blend my presence into
someone else’s and slip past the wards. You asked what I wanted. I should
have told you then.”
“Yeah. Maybe so.”
Marcus picked up a small rock and pitched it into the shrubbery. He
stared at where it hit for several long seconds. Then continued in a lower
voice. “He’s also right about my fishing. I didn’t know Gerard’s plan. But it
made sense, based on what I did know of you. I took a lucky guess.”
Staring at the same indentation in the ground where the rock had landed,
I asked in irritation, “Why are you telling me all this?”
Slowly, he turned to look at me. Dark hair tumbled around his
shoulders, and the moonlight hit his eyes, adding richness to their deep
color. “We have something mutual to offer each other. I have unfinished
business in those mines. You need someone you can rely on given your
limited powers. And you can’t depend on me when you think I’m hiding
something.”
I narrowed my gaze. “What kind of unfinished business do you have?”
He shook his head. “It’s personal. I only need a few minutes to tend to
it. I’ll make sure you’re safe before I see to other things. The journey down
will be hard on Kale. It’s hard on him now.”
Hard because the jerk hadn’t anticipated Marcus would come along and
reveal his dirty laundry. I mumbled an oath beneath my breath and let out a
disparaging snort. “He made his own bed.”
“Maybe,” Marcus offered thoughtfully. “But he’s right about something
else, and I expect it will come up. When it does, I don’t want you doubting
me.”
I chuckled. “I doubt you already.”
“And I mean for you to stop.”
“Not likely.”
He brought a knee up partway and rested a forearm on it. For the first
time I noted the strength in his arms. He was lean, and at a glance, rangy.
But now I realized that assumption was false. Quite like his words, there
was more to him than he deliberately revealed.
“I’m responsible for his kidnapping.”
Oh, joy. Like that was supposed to make me trust he wouldn’t turn on
me as well. My frown deepened.
“He was my best friend years ago. Had been as long as I can remember.
I spent a lot of my youth with the camarilla.”
“You’re not helping to convince me.”
“I know.” He switched position and rested his chin on his drawn-up
knees. While he talked, he idly played with the pebbles at his feet. “I didn’t
realize it was a trap. I had no idea what would happen once the Yaksini had
him. His mother asked me to retrieve some herbs she needed and to take
Kale with me as he could recognize them better.”
“It’s fairly convenient to blame it on his mother.”
He gave a slow nod. “You’re right. It is. But what happened is my fault.
I know these woods like the back of my hand. It’s part of the Noita ways;
we’re sensitive to the wilderness. I knew we were being followed. I could
have warned him.”
I arched an eyebrow as my heart twisted for Kale. “Why didn’t you?”
His shoulders heaved with his heavy sigh. “It’s complicated.”
“I have all night.”
A frown tugged at his brow once more, and he leaned back on his
hands, his legs stretched before him. “The Yaksini hired a band of Jadukara
and Noita mercenaries to take Kale. I had an alliance of sorts with their
leader. If I had interfered, I would have brought their wrath on my people.
Suffice it to say I thought I could negotiate Kale’s freedom with the band’s
leader after the fact. I expected they’d release him in a day, at most.”
My gaze strayed to where Kale sat, a wave of empathy washing over
me. “Does he know?” I whispered.
“From what I hear, he thinks I was part of it. My negotiations failed
miserably. I would have been better served all the way around by thwarting
their mission and killing them all when they intercepted us in the glade.
Kale hasn’t spoken to me since, and I can’t say I blame him.”
Nor could I. In fact, if I’d been Kale, I’d have been hard-pressed not to
want to kill Marcus. But in Marcus’ voice I heard regret and sincerity I
hadn’t expected. Yet the hard set to his jaw didn’t match the self-
depreciating tone of his voice. Nor did it explain why Marcus had been just
as intent on breaking Kale’s nose as Kale had been.
“If you accept the fault, why do you hate him then?”
One corner of his mouth twisted, and he tipped his head back so far his
long hair dusted his elbows. He pitched his voice loud enough Kale
couldn’t possibly miss his words. “Because he should have goddamn well
known I wouldn’t willingly turn my best friend into a Yaksini science
experiment.”
I cringed, anticipating the inevitable fallout. Waited for Kale to bolt to
his feet, charge over to where we sat, and take up the conversation with his
fists again. To my surprise, Kale remained facing the fire. He stiffened, the
fork he held frozen halfway toward his mouth. But as time dragged out like
cold molasses, he merely set the utensil down, set his plate aside, and stared
at the flames.
Marcus threw one last rock into the bushes, then rose and dusted off his
pants. “I’m going for a walk.”
He didn’t give me time for any parting remarks before he disappeared
into the shadows.
For a long while, I played with the overcooked meat on my plate. Best
friends torn apart—Kale knew betrayal first hand. Yet he didn’t hesitate to
do me the same injustice he believed Marcus committed against him. How
was that possible?
And Marcus—he did a fantastic job at hiding his true pain behind a
barricade of anger. Not that I could blame him. I’d expect my best friend to
believe in me as well. Still, no one deserved to carry around that much guilt
and be denied a resolution. I didn’t know if he wanted me to side with him,
or if he had been truthful with his claim he didn’t want surprises cropping
up.
“Halle?” Kale’s quiet voice intruded on my thoughts.
I closed my eyes, searching for fortitude. I couldn’t deal with him now.
Couldn’t even sort through my feelings enough to name them.
“We need to talk,” he called across the distance that separated us.
I didn’t want to hear what he had to say. Too much of me wanted to
instantly forgive. And I couldn’t forgive, because I’d be right back where I
was, vulnerable to anything he said. It was easier to stay angry. “Leave me
alone, Kale.”
Shutting him out as best I could, I lay down on my side, rested my head
on my arm, and closed my eyes.

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Thirty
Morning was even more difficult. I woke with a blanket that smelled like
Kale tucked around me and the sturdy length of his back pressed against
mine. As my brain slogged into full awareness and his body heat soaked
into me, everything inside me cried out in agony. I caught myself turning to
him subconsciously, seeking the heavenly bliss that came with his strong
arms wrapping around me. I wanted to feel the pull of his morning stubble
against my hair as he nuzzled the crown of my head.
I wanted him. The way things had been when I’d left the camarilla.
And yet, the man I remembered was a false reality.
I couldn’t summon my anger—the urge to cry threatened to possess me.
To stop what would be a pitiful display, I crawled from beneath the cover
and rushed, blindly, into the nearby trees. With luck, my abrupt departure
would look like an immediate call to nature and Marcus wouldn’t come
chasing after.
Kale had wounded me in a way that made losing my mother feel small
and insignificant. In all my adult life, I’d never known the pain another
human being could cause. And I didn’t know how to make it go away, how
to make myself numb. How to stop the despicable feeling.
I stayed tucked behind a veil of interwoven scrub, choking down silent
sobs, until I managed to get my traitorous emotions under control. When I
emerged, Kale had packed his belongings and sat on a large rock near the
path. Marcus kicked dirt into what remained of a fire. Smoke clung to the
air, and sunlight roused the birds. Kale watched my approach, his
expression unreadable save for the troubled pull around his eyes.
Marcus glanced my way as I bent for my pillowcase of meager
belongings. “If we keep moving today, we’ll hit the edge of Yaksini
territory this evening and make camp just outside. We can enter the mines at
first light.”
I slung my satchel over my shoulder. “Let’s enter tonight.” The sooner I
collected my mother, the sooner I could get out of this hell.
“It’s not…smart,” Kale countered. There was something rusty about his
voice. Like his prolonged silence stole his confident timbre.
 To my surprise, Marcus nodded in agreement. “Your uncle comes and
goes after sundown, when he can escape his human façade. Those who
serve him directly, like your mother, will be more alert when he’s there. To
get to her, we’re better served by waiting until he leaves for Applegate
again.”
I cut my gaze to Kale. He’d told Marcus my intention? Something
significant must have happened after I dozed off.
Kale cleared his throat, but still his words rang unsteady. “We’ll need
his help. There’s no reason to keep him in the dark.”
Whatever. I shrugged and took a purposeful stride toward the path.
“Halle, be on guard,” Marcus warned behind me. “We’re close enough
we could run into all kinds of trouble. Don’t get too far ahead.”
“I’m not a fool, thank you.” Not anymore at least. I’d had one too many
reality checks in the last forty-eight hours to think this was going to be
simple. It was a far cry from sneaking past grocery store employees to lift
some food. My world had changed, and I was all too aware of the darker
things surrounding me.
I struck off down the path, careful to watch my speed until both Marcus
and Kale followed. A sense of companionability stretched between them,
tense as it may be. They’d definitely worked through something last night.
Enough so they no longer sought each other’s blood. Or maybe it was just
necessary, as Kale claimed, the need for all of us to work together.
I didn’t really care. Whether they put the past behind them or not didn’t
affect me. Once I had my mom out of the mines, I was out of here. I’d take
her…
I stumbled as reality once again clanged over my head. Where exactly
did I intend to take her? According to Kale, she was some magically
enslaved being. I certainly didn’t know how to undo a spell like that, and I
couldn’t exactly just drag her back home with me like a stray kitten. I
needed her to help rescue Faye, but getting to that point was out of my
league.
Crap. I couldn’t just wash my hands of Kale and Marcus after all.
“Hey.” Marcus fell into stride beside me, jerking me out of my thoughts.
“You need so much more than we have time for. But your magic—don’t
think on it too much. It lives inside you and knows what it needs. Don’t try
to control it.”
 I snapped my mouth shut, trapping the smart remark that had surfaced
with his sudden intrusion, and eyed him uncertainly. “What do you know
about my magic?”
His gaze narrowed. “If you can’t recognize our powers are similar, you
have no business going into the mines.”
Okay, so I sort of asked for the condescension. But the whole learning
my magic thing struck a sensitive nerve. I pursed my lips and kept walking.
He had a point though—I had recognized the similarities. And while I
didn’t want to admit it, I knew his advice held wisdom. Of anyone, he was
most apt to understand.
And damn it, part of me wanted Kale to possess that knowledge.
“I told you, the Noita protect the secrets of the ancients,” Marcus
continued, unaffected by my determined march. “Who do you think helped
Rafini?”
That was enough to bring me to an abrupt halt. I stopped so quickly it
took Marcus a moment to realize he’d passed me. He turned to look back,
and a grin tugged at his mouth.
“You know Ashryn?” I asked in disbelief.
“Her granddaughter, Tasmina is our High Reverent. I suspect you’re
more familiar with Nelwin, our King.”
Nelwin. The name sent chills sliding down my spine. Rafini had never
seen his own son. He’d been seriously injured in another plane by things I
had yet to fully understand, and Nelwin hadn’t been born when the journal
abruptly stopped. Rafini’s bloody fingerprints still stained the last several
pages.
I glanced back at where Kale braced an arm against a tree, presumably
catching his breath. Another lance of pain tore at my heart. Certainly he
knew Nelwin was the king. Had he kept it from me because of his feud with
Marcus? Had he known all along the Noita could help me? Not so long ago
I would have never believed he’d hold me back. But now…too many lies
stretched between us.
“There’s too much to teach you, and I’m not qualified to even scratch
the surface.” Marcus continued on ahead as if he hadn’t just made the world
shift beneath my feet. “Just remember to give it freedom. Ask it to
cooperate. Accept the solution it provides.”
 So similar to what Maude had advised. My brow furrowed as I tried to
digest and make sense of the two advisements. They’d both made it sound
simple. Did they have any idea how hard I tried?
“Damn,” Marcus muttered beneath his breath as he looked behind me.
I turned to find Kale standing in the path, seemingly lost in thought.
Was he debating returning to the camarilla? Seeing me talking with Marcus
couldn’t be easy on him. To him, it must look like I’d chose a side, and
obviously not his. But a part of me, a petty part of me, wanted to hurt him
the way he’d hurt me. So I turned away, pretending I didn’t care what he
chose to do, while Marcus dropped back. Their hushed voices carried to me,
but I couldn’t make out the words. In a few moments, their mutual footfalls
fell back into pace with mine. Marcus remained with Kale, our conversation
set aside.
***
Mid-afternoon sun beat down on us. Though it was autumn, the temperature
did a one-eighty, and the day was unseasonably warm. My long-sleeves
were stifling, and I would have gladly killed for some cold water, not the
warm blech in Marcus’s jug. I turned from my point position on the path to
address my two companions. “Is there a creek around here? Anything?”
Marcus gestured to my right. Where Kale and I were obviously
withered, sweat soaking the front of our shirts and dripping off our brows,
Marcus seemed unaffected by the heat. “There’s a little spring up there.
About thirty feet off the path.”
Thirty feet I could do, particularly if it meant cold water. I veered right.
Kale’s silence had begun to gnaw at me. The man I’d left in the
camarilla would have brought the fight to me. He never would have let this
silence drag on or accept my shutting him out. In ways, it was like he was
lost in his own world, reduced to a shell of himself, and I simply couldn’t
accept I was the cause of his behavior. Kale Norwood wasn’t that weak.
The way Marcus hovered around him too made me wonder more about
what happened while I was sleeping. Had their conversation impacted Kale
as well?
Every now and then, I caught snippets of their conversation. Enough to
clue me in that Kale had a concise strategy worked out for what we’d do
when we reached the mines. In those moments, I expected him to pull
himself together, demand I pull my head out of my ass, and get over myself.
Because that was the sort of challenge he’d issue to drag me into a
confrontation and force me to let go of my feelings.
But he didn’t. And that left me edgy and preoccupied. I kept waiting for
the inevitable explosion. Turning the delay over and over in my mind.
“Hal-le!” Marcus bellowed.
I stopped and looked up from the ground. Lost in my own thoughts, my
simmering anger must have fueled my speed. I stood in the middle of a
dense copse of trees, and I couldn’t see Marcus or Kale anywhere.
“I’m here!” I hollered, scanning the trees for some sign of movement
that would clue me in on their location.
Slowly, I turned to investigate my surroundings. How in the world had I
lost them? And…where was I? This didn’t look anything like the brightly lit
patch of green I’d spotted after I stepped off the obvious trail. The trees
hung gloomily overhead, skeleton branches reaching down to snag my hair
and clothes. Dry, barren ground rested beneath my feet, not the cushy pad
of moldering leaves. And it was so…dark. Like the sun never set foot here.
“Where are you?” Marcus yelled again.
“Right here. I hear you!” I turned back in the direction of his voice and
squinted into the shadows.
“Don’t move!”
My heart drummed to a slow stop. I wasn’t going anywhere. Three
shadowy creatures coalesced at the edge of the trees. Panicked, I whipped
around the way I’d been headed. Three more blocked that direction as well.
Holy fuck.
A low, haunting moan echoed through the gloom. Marcus swore in the
distance. Kale shouted. Something exploded. Another masculine bellow
followed—I couldn’t make out who it belonged to.
The creatures surrounding me moved closer as a coordinated unit,
tightening my circle. Their figures took on more substance, morphing into a
grotesque humanoid representation. Where boots should have made prints
in the bare earth, the things hovered, barely touching the ground. Long arms
hung unnaturally from narrow shoulders. Three-fingered, claw-like hands
lumbered near their knees, twice as large as they should be.
Overwhelming foreboding pressed around my shoulders. My chest
tightened. I fought the erratic stumble of my heart.
 I had to get out of here. No way could I take on six of these things.
Maybe one or two…if my magic cooperated.
In a desperate measure, I flung my pack off and snatched out the dagger.
Brandishing it in front of my chest, I turned back and forth. If one of them
broke the circle and leapt at me, I didn’t intend to be caught from behind.
God help me.
Marcus answered my silent prayer. Our earlier conversation drummed
through my mind. Ask for cooperation. Accept the solution. Don’t try to
control the magic.
If there was ever a time for my power to cooperate, now would be ideal.
I closed my eyes on the creatures and focused on the ever-present tingle
deep inside my soul. The air around me chilled so suddenly, I almost lost
my focus. But despite the shiver that rolled down my spine and the
constriction in my chest, that power answered.
It flared to life like kindling struck with a match. I opened my eyes,
exhaling a breath that quickly turned to frost. Three feet away—if those
things lifted their claws in unison, they’d shred me to pieces.
Following sheer instinct, I crossed my wrists in front of my face. As I
opened one hand fully and three fingers on the one that held the dagger,
white light burst forth. A radiant ball that shot upward into the trees, then
spread through the dead canopy. Sunlight filtered down on the barren
ground.
In an ear-splitting shriek, the creatures pulled back.
“Halle!” Kale’s voice thundered. He was closer.
“In here!” Calling on that same force again, I managed another round.
The sunburst that rocketed from my palms joined with the overhead
illumination and spread deeper into the trees where Kale’s voice had come
from.
The shadow horrors shrieked again, and their circle broke. With each
pulse of my heart, the sunlight spread, dividing them further, until they
remained on only one half of the glade.
It was working! I could do this. Another cast, aimed just behind them,
and I could trap them in the light. With nowhere to go, maybe…
Marcus and Kale crashed into the glade. Before I could free the spell,
one of them shoved me roughly aside. Protest lodged in my throat as
another heavy thump resonated through the forest. They flanked me as a
gargantuan beast with a cat-like face broke in on their heels.
The size of that creature made the six shadowy things look like candy. It
dwarfed us by a good ten feet. Three horn-like spikes rose from shoulders
that were as wide as a truck. Blackened teeth protruded from a hog-like
snout and dripped with yellow saliva.
“What the fuck is that?” I managed to squeak.
“Demon,” Kale answered as he jostled me sideways again.
Marcus pushed me back closer to Kale. “Big demon.” Fire once again
rained from his hands. It separated in mid-air, breaking into small marble-
sized balls that pelted the beast.
The beast snaked its neck with lightning speed, and teeth slashed at the
air above my head. I barely had time to duck.
“Stay down,” Kale snapped. “We’ve got this.”
Down. Evidently neither of them realized that massive thing wasn’t the
only creature in the glade. I glanced behind me at the shadowy things that
seemingly gained courage from the larger creature’s presence. My sunlight
had shrunk, and they were closer now.
Thought clashed in rapid fire. Distract Marcus and Kale from the demon
and open them to an attack. Stand here and do nothing, and we’d all get
caught from the backside.
Those things were mine. Kale and Marcus could deal with that drooling
giant.
I edged around both men. Marcus’s attention snapped to me, obvious
objection on his parted lips. But his gaze slid sideways to the hovering
shadows, and he gave an affirmative nod. “Ask it,” he murmured.
His words distracted Kale, who turned over his shoulder. Whatever
energy spanned between his fingertips dimmed. The demon clipped him
with a sweep of its arm. He stumbled to his knees.
My heart stopped. Unable to tear my gaze off Kale’s kneeling form, I
willed him to get up. He braced a foot. The demon thumped him again.
Kale fell back.
Just as I began moving toward Kale, Marcus darted in front of him with
another blazing ball of fire. Flames fanned across the demon’s torso. He let
out a murderous snarl and lowered his head again. Razor-sharp teeth
gnashed at Marcus’s midsection.
 Kale shot to his feet. With a flash of his arm, he shoved a dagger into
the demon’s snout. The beast recoiled with a groan that made the ground
shake.
A breath of relief spilled out of my lungs. He was okay. I could focus on
our other threat.
I turned back to the shadows and stopped thinking. My body moved as
if it were somehow separate from me; I was aware of my actions, but not
consciously instructing the movement. Magic spilled from my fingertips. A
blaze of greenish luminescence melted the closest one. A bit astonished, I
tried again, concentrating everything I was into the energy that built in my
hands. Asking. Accepting whatever resulted.
Nothing happened.
Undeterred, I tried again. Power radiated through my veins, gathered at
the base of my palms. In a pulse that thrummed through my entire body, the
air before me rippled like a pebble hitting water. It radiated outward and
punched clean through the shadow in the middle.
Despite myself, I let out a delighted squeal.
But my joy shattered as I glanced at my two companions to see how
they were faring, only to witness Kale fail another spell. I blinked hard.
That never happened.
In answer, the demon’s entire body shuddered. Scrapes that had carved
into his ebony skin at the shoulders healed over. The gaping wound in his
belly closed by half.
Kale shrank sideways with an agonized groan. What the hell?
Icy claws raked down my arm, telling me I didn’t have time to worry
about Kale. I spun to find that bold shadow mere inches from my face. With
catlike reflexes, I slashed with my dagger not really certain what I was
doing. Luck sided with me—the blade ripped across the thing’s chest. It let
out a ghostly moan, but otherwise seemed unaffected.
So much for weapons. I dropped the dagger, opting to have both hands
free.
I could feel that demon’s foul breath on my back, taunting me to turn
and help my companions; warning me if we failed, we’d end up a snack in
seconds. But I pushed the worry aside, shoved back the encroaching fear,
and concentrated on channeling the gift I’d been given.
 When two different sparks of color flared from my opposite hands, an
electric blue swath enveloped one of the shadows. Simultaneously, a sold
ball of brilliant white slammed into another. I stared in stunned disbelief.
Nothing like that had ever happened with Kale—not from him or me.
Awed, I looked down at my hands.
A claw flashing a breath from my nose snapped me out of my stupor.
Holy crap, the remaining two had closed in. One had Marcus a hairbreadth
away from its oversized hands. The other was bearing down on me.
Self preservation demanded I deal with the thing intent on taking me
down. But reason stepped in, a higher discipline warning that if I allowed
the other to attack Marcus, he couldn’t possibly focus on the larger threat. I
darted three steps to the left and placed myself in between the grotesque
hands and his back just as it slashed. Claws seared across my left breast.
Grimacing, I swallowed down a pained cry and forced myself to focus.
Words filtered into my head. I gave them freedom with an urgent whisper.
A thin veneer of sheer ice crackled into place, separating me from the
shadow. It hurtled forward, throwing itself against the barrier. The fragile
wall shattered.
But the seconds it remained intact gave me time to organize. I was ready
—and when that shield broke, I raised an open palm.
Nothing. Fucking. Happened.
Goddamn it! Now wasn’t the time for my magic to fizzle. Scrambling
sideways, I strove to keep myself between that thing and Marcus. From the
corner of my peripheral vision, I caught the remaining shadow creeping up
on Kale.
There was nothing I could do. My hands had failed. The tingling
sensation was completely gone. Fuck, fuck, fuck!
“Kale!” I belted out.
His attention snapped to me then his scowl locked on the lesser creature.
He lifted a hand, his lips moving as he conjured a spell. Darkness oozed
from his splayed fingers, spiraling outward at its target. The inky cloud
enveloped the shadow and merged with it. For an instant, I thought another
of his spells had failed. But then the shadow splintered into pieces,
imploding on itself.
My jaw dropped, and I gaped at Kale. Where did he learn that stuff?
 His distraction, however, produced exactly what I feared when I leapt in
front of Marcus’s back. The demon spied weakness. With a giant heave, it
lurched for Kale. I stared helplessly, frozen in place by the slow-motion
drip of yellow saliva above Kale’s head.
“Damn it,” Marcus muttered. He arced an arm across his body, and the
decrepit trees above came to life. With eerie creaks and cracks, they
morphed down, wrapped around the demon, and trapped its powerful arms.
The demon surged against its restraints with a deafening roar.
I glanced down at my hands again, closed my eyes, and sought the
energy within.
It answered with a dim fizzle.
Please. Come on.
Bit by bit, it acknowledged my plea, gathering strength with each hard
thump of my heart. As my power built, I saw the glade in a different
perspective. The demon lunged at the imprisoning branches. Several
snapped in half. Marcus stood beneath it, ensconced in its ominous shadow.
Kale stood several feet away, shaking his head as if to dislodge a stun. He
pressed a hand to his temple and grimaced.
Directly in front of me, the two shadows remained. My arms trembled
violently as I brought my hands together before me to confine what power I
could harness. It wasn’t my magic failing me, but my body. The effort of
channeling my energy had taken its toll. I had one, at most two, bursts of
energy left. And I had to make them count.
There was only one choice—the demon. Marcus could easily handle the
shadows.
I spread my hands several inches apart, transfixed by the growing red
hue between my palms. Then I spread them again. My entire body shook as
the power doubled in size and veins of gold crackled across the opaque
surface. I didn’t know what I might create, and I didn’t care. So long as it
stopped that ginormous thing.
The last of the branches crumbled to pieces. Enraged, the demon threw
its head back and howled. Marcus lunged sideways, horror etched into his
face.
“Move!” Kale shouted.
With a deep breath, I opened my hands. The red and gold sphere
barreled forward, elongating as it traveled. It slammed into the demon’s left
shoulder. Then, like poured water, it spread across its grotesque body.
Across its chest, down tree-trunk legs, over its scaly head. The brilliant
colors shimmered in the dim light, dazzling in their intensity.
Marcus stumbled backward, staring at the sight. Kale’s whispered oath
carried to my ears.
In a blinding flash that bathed the glade in scarlet, the demon winked
out of existence.
Too stunned to move, I gaped at the space it had occupied, dimly aware
that Marcus and Kale turned to tackle the shadows. What the hell had I
done?

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Thirty-one
While Kale and Marcus dispatched the remaining shadows, I couldn’t stop
staring at the empty space in the decrepit glade. Where had it gone? More
importantly, would it come back?
Silence descended around me. I looked over my shoulder to find Marcus
and Kale doubled over, heaving in one gulp of air after another.
“Um,” I ventured, again glancing at the emptiness. “Is it…gone?”
“Looks that way,” Marcus answered between gasps. He straightened and
stuffed a fist in his side with a wince. “Nice work.”
“But…what did I…do?”
He chuckled. “Zapped him to another plane. He’ll stay there unless you
call him back.”
I blinked. I’d done…what?
“How?” I blurted.
Kale lifted his head. Sky blue eyes, bright with anger, burned into me
before he pushed upright and stalked to where his dagger lay on the ground.
His movements were jerky as he wiped the blade with a handful of dried
leaves then stuffed it into the sheath at his hip.
I frowned after him. What the hell had crawled up his ass? With
furrowed brows, I asked Marcus again, “How exactly did that happen? Why
didn’t one of you do it if it was that easy?”
Marcus’s laughter deepened. “Well, ace, aside from a few select others,
that little trick is reserved for dragons.”
“Oh.” My eyes widened as full understanding hit me, and I repeated,
“Oh.” No wonder Kale was pissy. He could no longer ignore what I was.
As if he sensed my thoughts, he shot me another glare and dumped his
pack on the ground. It took everything I had to resist sticking my tongue out
at him. But I suspected that would come off a little more childish than was
expected of a windwalker. Damn it all.
Instead, I looked back at the pile of crumbled branches. Another wave
of awe hit me. I had made it vanish. Me. Holy cow. I wanted to skip and
dance around the barren patch, but my legs felt like Jell-O. Downside of
pouring myself into a spell. I’d never been more exhausted in my life.
 “Let’s get out of here,” Kale muttered, hiking his pack on his back once
more. “It’s a spawning ground from the looks of things.” He shoveled the
toe of his boot through the loose dirt.
“I didn’t run off on you two,” I rushed to explain. “I was heading—”
“It’s not your fault,” Marcus answered. “They shifted it around us.”
“They?” I cocked a solitary brow.
“Your uncle,” Kale grumbled. “Let’s go, before he can do it again. No
doubt he has spies everywhere.”
Marcus wiped his brow with the back of his wrist and gestured at an
opening in the dead plant life. “Water’s this way. Follow me.”
I fell into step behind him, Kale on my heels. A small part of me longed
for his praise—I’d just accomplished the feat of my life. That needy little
section of my heart, however, only made me irritated. A woman didn’t need
a man to give her a sense of value. I definitely didn’t; I’d been on my own
too long. But still I wanted him to celebrate with me, to be as proud of what
happened in that glade as I was.
As I sighed, Marcus led us around a tree that was every bit of four feet
wide. We emerged at the mouth of a small clearing. The sound of running
water filled my ears. I broke rank and followed the peaceful gurgle to three,
large, flat stones arranged in a triangular fashion. They framed a clear pool
no bigger than the width of a tractor tire. In the center, the natural spring
bubbled up from underground, rippling the mirrored surface. On closer
inspection, I observed the pool trickled between the boulder I stood on and
the one to my right, then flowed lazily across the short grass in a narrow
channel.
I eased onto my knees, bent over the boulder’s edge and cupped a cool
drink. It went down like a much-needed popsicle on a blistering summer
day. Heaven.
While my companions followed my lead, each occupying their own
rock, I eased into a cross-legged position and turned my face to the sun,
eyes closed. Birds twittered in the nearby trees. Further into the woods,
small animals scurried through the forest debris. The tiny meadow was so
peaceful it was hard to believe we’d just fought off horrific creatures. That
similar beasts might still lurk within the deeper shadows.
“I’m going to have a look around. Do some scouting,” Marcus declared.
 I tipped my head forward enough to squint at him through one eye. “Is
that a good idea? Going off by yourself, I mean?”
He tossed me a grin. “I understand the wilderness. Besides, I won’t be
seen.”
Before I could ask, he murmured something beneath his breath and
quite literally blended into the surroundings. I had to really look hard to
make out his outline as he strode for the trees. I might have been more
impressed if his sudden departure hadn’t left me alone with the one person I
most wanted to avoid.
Kale sat across from me, supporting his head in one hand. With thumb
and middle finger he massaged his temples. His pained expression
reminded me of how he’d shaken off a stun a little while ago.
I couldn’t help but ask, “You okay?”
His head snapped up as if I’d fired a gun near his ear. But the surprise
quickly vanished from his expression and his features became unreadable.
“I’m fine,” he mumbled.
Okay then. I leaned back again, soaking up the radiant warmth, relaxing
my exhausted muscles. Who would have known magic could take so much
out of a person?
“He’s only partially right, you know.”
I stiffened from head to toe. I knew what Kale referred to—Marcus’
suppositions about Gerard’s intentions for me. The very last subject I
wanted to discuss. I clenched my teeth, hoping he’d take the hint.
“Gerard did want to use Faye as bait, more or less. When I agreed to
retrieve you, I was all for the plan. We were desperate for some advantage
over your uncle. But by the time we returned to the camarilla, I no longer
supported the strategy.”
I straightened with a mutter. “I don’t want to discuss this, Kale.”
His blue eyes held mine. “Maybe not. But it needs to be said.” He
looked down at his lap, silent for several long seconds. Then, with a shake
of his head, he continued. “That’s what started our argument in the council
chambers the other day. Beth brought Faye up, and I vowed I’d have no part
of it.”
Damn my traitorous heart—it skipped two beats. I bit down on my
lower lip, tamping back joy I didn’t want to feel. “Why are you telling me
this just now?” I asked tightly. “I asked a dozen times or more why me,
Kale.”
He pushed to his feet, stepped over the narrow gap in the rocks, and sat
down at my side, facing me. “I didn’t want you to know. I thought…” He
paused, bounced a balled fist on his knee, and cringed. “I thought I could
dissuade them. And then it would be irrelevant. Something that had been,
but no longer was, and therefore insignificant.”
“Insignificant? She’s my sister. You and I were sleeping together. I
trusted you. All along you knew what your father expected. We could have
at least been on the same page together.”
“I know.” He gave a heavy sigh and looked into my eyes. Sincerity
shone in those mesmerizing depths. “I was wrong. I thought I could keep
from hurting you.”
I let out a soft, disparaging snort. “People are made to hurt each other.
It’s the scars that matter. How deep they run.”
Tentatively, he reached out a hand and brushed a stray hair off my face.
“If I could take those scars from you, I would.”
Oh, God. His gentle touch sent shivers skipping down my spine. The
tenderness in his voice melted chunks of ice around my heart. My eyes
watered, and I blinked them furiously, willing myself not to cry. When that
didn’t work, I bit down on my lower lip until pain chased the tears away.
His fingers slipped through the hair at my temple once more. “You were
amazing today.”
My heart flat out turned over. Just like that, he won me back.
Pathetically simple, but I had no defenses left. He’d come to mean so much
to me. Even if he had known he could never teach me my powers, he’d
become my partner. My confidant. My safe haven. And I longed for the
closeness we shared.
I braved his earnest gaze. He held mine silently. Unable to deny myself
what I most wanted, I leaned forward. Our breaths mingled.
Kale sucked in a sharp gasp and turned his head, his grimace contorting
his handsome features. He clenched his temples again, fighting back
obvious pain.
Intimacy shattered. Overwhelming concern drew me to push the hair off
his forehead. “What’s the matter, Kale? Are you sick? What can I do?”
 He eased out of my grasp with a slow shake of his head. “I’ll be fine.
It’s just a headache.”
No, no it wasn’t. He’d failed his spells. Faltered during the fight more
than once. Had he taken a blow to the head before he and Marcus joined me
in the glade? Worried, I frowned at him. “You weren’t yourself with the
demon.”
He shook his head again but didn’t look at me. “I’ve been fighting a
migraine all day. It distracted me.”
My gaze narrowed more as suspicion reared its dark head. “Swear it.”
With an uneasy chuckle, he shot me a puzzled look. “Swear that I have a
headache? You doubt me that much? Come on, is this really necessary?”
The way he deflected only made my internal alarms ring louder. He was
doing it again—keeping something from me that I innately knew was far
more serious than he let on. “You’re lying. Again.”
“Halle, really, I—”
“No. Save it. I’m done listening. I’ve had enough of your half-truths and
omissions. If you can’t be honest with me, there’s no point in this. Clearly
you can’t.”
“Halle, wait. You’re over-reacting. I have a headache.”
I shot to my feet as fury swept over me. “You’re still doing it. God damn
it, Kale! Just…just…get away from me. Don’t speak to me anymore. I can’t
do this. I won’t! You’ve made it clear I can’t trust you at all.” I jumped
down from the rock and stalked to my satchel, more out of need to move
than a need to retrieve anything from it.
As I wrapped my hand around the knotted end, Marcus crashed into the
clearing at full speed.
“Run!” he bellowed, slowing only long enough to retrieve his pack from
where he’d left it by the rock. “Move, now! This way!” He tore off toward
the opposite side of the meadow.
Before I could issue the order to my feet, a thick black cloud of bats
swept in. They tangled in my hair, flapped in my face. I swatted them away
and stumbled forward. But the stinging in my arm explained Marcus’s
adamant order. The bats were out for blood.

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Thirty-two
Kale grabbed my hand and ran. Between swatting off tiny claws and teeth
and our breakneck speed, it was all I could do to remain upright. Each time
I stumbled, he helped me up. Each time I tripped, he caught my fall. But the
bats took their toll on him as well. By the time we sighted Marcus standing
at a cave entrance, blood coursed freely down Kale’s face.
Marcus brandished a flaming torch in one hand while waving us inside
with the other. We ducked under the overhanging rock, panting. Marcus
swung at the flock following us. High-pitched squeals filled the air.
“Grab another!” He motioned at three thick tree branches swathed in
cloth against the wall behind him.
Forcing my exhausted body to cooperate, I grabbed one and hauled it to
him. After the exertion I’d put myself through, the normally manageable
weight pulled on my shoulders. My arms began to tremble again, and the
flame he lit on the end wavered precariously.
Kale tugged the torch out of my hands. “I’ll get it. You rest.”
With a grateful nod, I sank to my feet. But guilt quickly sucked me
under. They beat off the horde, sending little flaming balls of fur flying
through the air, but the bats kept coming. We needed a gate of some type.
Marcus evidently came to the same conclusion. He passed his torch to
Kale. “Hold them off,” he barked.
When Kale accepted, Marcus stepped back to me, bowed his head, and
slowly brought his palms up from his side, face down. The rock around us
shifted and groaned. From the ground in front of us, small peaks of rock
emerged. The higher he lifted his hands, the more the rock grew. Inch by
inch, a wall began to form.
Sweat slickened his brow, strong veins popped to life as he concentrated
and brought his hands into his body. The rock opening drew inward,
narrowing, narrowing, narrowing…until the exit shrank to a waist-high hole
large enough to crawl through. With a final murmur, he dropped his hands
and drew a deep breath.
Their years of friendship showed as Kale passed a hand over the
opening without a word of instruction. Iridescent green-blue flames filled
the gap. He dropped to sit on the earthen floor and let out a bone-deep sigh.
God, he looked tired. More so than even the day he showed up at my room
after the fight with the banshee. Once more I found myself wondering what
plagued him. But I’d already discovered asking would get me nowhere.
“I hate bats,” Marcus muttered as he joined us on the ground. “We’ll
wait here till sunrise. They’ll either burn off or give up by then.”
Emphasizing his statement, the fire snapped as another bat tried to fly
through what remained of the entrance.
I studied the new wall, curiously. I was beginning to witness differences
in magic. What Kale cast held a very faint silver color around the perimeter.
Thin like a fishing line and indiscernible at a glance. The wall Marcus
crafted, however, didn’t have that sort of demarcation. More, though, I’d
begun to witness a pattern, and I felt like I was on the edge of
understanding something significant. Marcus…everything he did seemed
somehow…alive. The branches in the glade. The fire he wielded so easily
—so very different than the blue flames Kale had crafted. Shifting the
stone…
I glanced between them, uncertain how to phrase my question. I gave it
my best shot. “How come Marcus’s magic seems to relate to nature, and
Kale’s and mine are similar…yet not?”
“Because they are,” Marcus answered.
My brows furrowed. Say again?
“The Noita are part of the wilderness,” Kale answered quietly. “He
couldn’t begin to craft an unnatural flame.” He pointed at the transformed
rock. “The stone isn’t magical. He merely shifted it to the shape he
desired.”
Comprehending, I gave a slow nod. “And you and I?”
Marcus answered for Kale. “Yours is different than everyone’s. It acts
differently, it’s called differently, it exists differently. And your limits are
very few. It depends on the dragon lineage you descend from.”
“And how do I discover that?”
He chuckled. “Only the strongest sorcerers can identify it.”
“Oh.” So much for clear and concise. I’d add that to the list of things I’d
likely never discover. “And Kale’s?”
“Mostly elemental in design. Evocations, illusions, and an occasional
simple nature bond as well.”
 Mostly. Did that explain why he could do what he did to the shadow?
Make it self-implode? But Kale didn’t look like he wanted to discuss his
abilities. His expression held a far-away appearance, and he seemed miles
from our conversation.
Concern got the better of me. “Kale?”
He startled then turned a questioning gaze on me. “What?”
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
He nodded. “Exhausted.”
“Yeah, me too.” Feeling totally safe for the first time in days, I stretched
my arms above my head and yielded to a wide yawn.
“Let’s get some rest,” Marcus suggested, moving to his feet once more.
He pulled two blankets out of his pack and threw one at me. “You need it
especially. Magic takes a toll on the body, especially when it’s new.”
“Tell me about it,” I muttered as I spread the blanket out.
“Kale, could you…” Marcus gestured at the floor. “There’s nothing here
I can light.”
Nodding, Kale lumbered upright, gathered a few larger rocks, and
fashioned them in a circle. With a barely audible murmur, he created
another fire in the center, more yellow-orange in hue than the barricade
across the exit. If I hadn’t been too wiped-out to talk, I’d have asked about
the difference. But another yawn possessed me, and as the crackling light
danced across the high rock ceiling, I closed my eyes.
***
Restless dreams finally roused me sometime in the middle of the night. I
inched upright, giving up on sleep, to find Marcus seated near the fire. A
quick glance around the tiny cavern showed me Kale slept near the
entrance. He shifted a leg in slumber and mumbled something
unintelligible.
“Can’t sleep either?” Marcus asked quietly.
Though his voice was low, it startled me, and I jumped like a firecracker
had gone off behind me. He chuckled softly then stabbed a long stick into
the fire. When the end caught, he held it up to the ceiling, slowly rotating it
as it burned.
“It’s these woods. We’re right at the Yaksini border. Evil is everywhere,
even in your dreams.”
 “We’re there already?” I tossed back the blanket someone had thrown
over me—presumably Marcus as Kale slept in his—and dusted off my
pants before tip-toeing over to the fire. I took a seat beside Marcus. The air
held a chill, and I stretched my hands toward the flames to warm them.
“You can see the entrance over the ridge. Something’s going on in there
—it was active as hell earlier today.”
Joy. Just what we needed, more complications. I’d had enough of
fighting, running for my life, and blood-thirsty abominations. But I hadn’t
started this expecting it to be easy. Hoping for simplicity now was pretty
pointless.
“Kale and I laid out a plan.”
Immediately defensive, I eyed him sharply. A hard edge crept into my
voice. “Without me?”
He shot me a perturbed look. “You were sleeping.”
I grunted.
“He said he’d drawn it out for you. Do you remember it?”
“Yeah. It’s in my pillow case.”
“Good. Keep it handy in case we get separated. It’s best if we leave
shortly, right after dawn. We need to go in when the liches escort your uncle
out. You’ll want to travel light. Leave what you can here. Weapons are
useless against most of what we’re likely to run into. Anything we have on
us, at least.”
“I noticed.” I couldn’t help but chuckle as I thought back to the way the
dagger had sliced through the shadow.
He turned a hard stare on me. “Are you sure you want to try and capture
your mother? Neither one of us would think less of you if you changed your
mind.”
I gulped hard. It wasn’t like I hadn’t considered maybe I’d gotten in
over my head, that maybe Kale was right and I wouldn’t survive this
journey. But if there was even a slim chance to somehow help her, all the
demons in hell couldn’t stop me.
“Is it futile? Really? Do I have any chance of saving her? Kale said it
was. But he also said…” I couldn’t bring myself to finish; pain stabbed
between my ribs at the mere thought.
Marcus looked back to the fire and poked it once again with his stick.
“There’s a difference between a lie and omission, Halle. Both are deliberate,
but one is done selfishly. The other is founded with the intent to protect.”
Kale had said as much. Hearing it now made me question whether I’d
reacted too harshly. Maybe whatever he was still keeping from me was
another attempt at safeguarding me. I didn’t like the possibility, but it made
me think.
Marcus tossed his stick into the flames. The resulting snap and crackle
filled the silence. After several drawn-out seconds, he finally answered, “He
wouldn’t be here if he didn’t believe in you. So no, your intentions aren’t
impossible. It’s just the chances…” He trailed off with a shake of his head.
“There are only a few sorcerers in the world who can undo what she’s
suffered. She may never be the woman you remember.”
“But she’d be free, right?”
“You have a point.”
I studied his profile, the lines of concentration in his face, the angular
line of his strong jaw. There was a ruggedness about him Kale didn’t
possess. Signs of a life fraught with difficult choices and hardship I could
only guess at. He rarely showed the passion Kale did, and I suspected
Marcus did very little on impulse. Even if he didn’t realize it consciously,
he calculated every move. Where Kale was more of a commander of men,
Marcus better fit the role of guerilla fighter. So very different.
And yet, so very similar. Both strong, wise, capable leaders. Both
willing to dedicate themselves to whatever they committed to, even if the
cause wasn’t their own. They believed in me. In their own way, they both
supported me, though Marcus freely admitted he had his own motivations
for doing so.
“What is it you need from the mines, Marcus?”
He glanced heavenward, something I couldn’t name reflecting in his
dark eyes. “A stone. A tiny onyx shard deep in the belly of the earth.”
“What’s it do?”
“Nothing,” he answered with a bitter chuckle. “It doesn’t do a damned
thing. But I made a vow to retrieve the shard. Until I do, it holds me in
chains.” He pushed away from the fire and stood. “You best wake Kale. We
should be moving out now.”
Just like that, he closed the subject.
OceanofPDF.com
Thirty-three
We stopped on a high ridge ten feet above the mine entrance and twenty
away. With the brass handcuffs hooked onto my belt loop and Kale’s map
stuffed inside my back pocket, I lay belly-down behind a thick line of
bushes, staring at the activity below. Seven men gathered outside a pair of
spiked, iron gates that looked more like they belonged in a Medieval bailey.
I recognized the navy attire as the uniforms my uncle’s security attaché
wore, but instead of the pistols those men wore at their hips, these men had
long swords strapped to their backs. Those blades caught my attention more
than the torches that blazed on both sides of the entrance, the clank of
something metal I couldn’t see, or the totally modern black SUV parked
outside.
Kale was closer, so I nudged him in the ribs. “What’s with the
weapons?” I whispered.
“Magic can’t be fought with bullets. Outside, in the normal world,
they’re perfectly fine. Here, they’re useless.”
His answer perplexed me. As certainly as I bled, if someone shot me,
I’d die here as easily as I would in Applegate. And I’d seen firsthand what
hand weapons could do to magical beings—relatively nothing. Though, I
guess Kale had damaged the demon with his dagger. In any case, it was the
wrong time for the discussion, and I’d have to wait for more answers.
Marcus subtly pointed in front of us. I looked back to the entrance to
find the men parting, four on one side, three forming a perpendicular line
toward the SUV. A figure emerged from the dark recesses. Tall and
distinguished with his silver hair and immaculate navy blue suit, my uncle
stepped into the torchlight.
Revulsion twisted my stomach into a knot. Faye’s cries, the blood on
her swollen lip, the way she’d plead for him to be reasonable all surfaced in
my memory. That anyone could follow him, that the citizens of Applegate
actually elected him mayor, blew my mind. He was a fake, a bully, a man
fixated on power.
And now I knew he was evil. Not the kind I’d imagined, but the kind
that seeped into the earth and tainted everything it touched. The kind that
fed off innocent souls.
I had never wanted to kill someone more. Not even my father.
I must have tensed, because Kale set a hand on my forearm and
squeezed in reassurance. That simple touch did more for me than offer
grounding. It quieted my rage. But even more, it reminded me of the bonds
we shared. He was still part of me, and I part of him. We weren’t entirely
broken.
The SUV roared to life. The three closest to it piled inside after my
uncle ducked into the passenger’s seat. The remaining four jogged down the
path out of sight.
“Where are they going?” I asked
“To take him to the perimeter. On the count of five, run with all you
have,” Marcus instructed, lifting into a crouch. “Kale, how’s the head?”
“I’ll be fine,” Kale ground out tightly.
So Marcus had noticed too. At least I wasn’t the only one concerned. I
crouched as well and listened as Marcus counted us off in a low, confident
voice.
When he hit five, we vaulted over the short hedgerow and half-ran, half-
skid down a winding gravel path. Marcus made it down unscathed. I conked
my ankle on a protruding rock, and Kale got hung up in a tree-root, tripped,
and rolled the last three feet. He wobbled to his feet, ignoring both Marcus
and my looks of concern.
But he didn’t limp as we booked it to the imposing iron gates.
Thankfully.
Inside the dark cavern, the metallic clanking noise echoed formidably.
Whispered voices met my ears like voices from beyond, and chills surged
down my spine. Had anyone stumbled in accidentally, they’d have soon
realized this place was vile. Knowing it ahead of time only made the feeling
of foreboding that much heavier. Truth told…I wanted to run in the other
direction, as far as I could go. Instead, I fingered the brass cuffs for
reassurance.
Marcus urged us on with an impatient wave, and we ducked to our left
as footsteps approached from behind. My mind raced with unanswerable
questions: Could they smell us? How long would it take them to sense our
presence? What if we made a wrong turn? In the dim light of torches it
wouldn’t take much to lose our way. Too many narrow alcoves, tunnels, and
wide halls broke off from the old cargo route we followed.
The air shifted when we made another sharp jog to the left. Decay and
rot overwhelmed the smell of must and earth. I wrinkled my nose, trying
not to gag on the thick odor.
“Undead,” Kale whispered at my ear. “Newly created.”
Oh, God, I so could have gone a lifetime without that visual. Images of
rotting corpses lined up against a rough stone wall filled my head. Eyes
shrunken into their sockets, flesh falling off exposed bone, swollen and
purple limbs—yeah, not what I wanted to run into.
Light spilled into the hall ahead, and the clanking became deafening.
The sound of rattling chains blended into the rhythmic clatter, and every
once in a while, a ghostly moan broke over the noise. What in the world
were they doing?
Scratch that. I probably didn’t want to know.
Yet as much as I hoped to remain ignorant, Marcus headed straight for
that yellow-orange glow. He stopped just at the arching stone that opened
into a wider cavern and flattened his back to the wall. Leaning into Kale
and I, he whispered, “Holding up okay?”
I was, other than the churning of my stomach. But a quick glance at
Kale had my heartbeat slowing in dread. His face was ghostly white, and he
leaned against the wall like he might give over to exhaustion at any minute.
I grabbed his forearm, concern lacing my lungs together tight. “Kale?”
“Hm?” With a shake of his head, his glazed expression cleared. “Did
you say something?”
From the corner of my eye, I caught Marcus’s sharp frown. He watched
Kale for a moment, then seemingly deciding there was nothing to be
concerned about, he leaned back against the wall. “This is where we go
down, right, Kale?”
“I don’t think so.” Kale glanced around the corridor, frowning. He
pointed further down the way. “That one. The old shaft.”
Marcus shot him a dumbfounded look. “The old shaft leads to the cells.”
“No, it goes to the lair.”
Again, Marcus studied him, his gaze searching for Kale’s face in a way
that made the hair at the nape of my neck stand on end. “We’re going this
way.” He took me by the wrist and tugged me around the bend.
 Kale followed, a slight wobble in his gait.
“He shouldn’t be here,” I whispered to Marcus. Whatever blow he’d
taken to the head with that gigantic demon was more serious than he wanted
to let on.
“His mind’s made up.”
And how well I knew his stubborn streak. He could make a mule look
like an amateur. I let out a harassed sigh.
Clank, clank, clank. The surrounding racket made my head pound. As
we drew closer to the mouth of the bright maw, I spotted fat chains
chugging vertically in front of us. Thick chains that could have pulled a
fully loaded freight train—I’d never seen links so big.
Then a wooden cargo box rose into view, loaded down with huge
chunks of rock. Not coal, not stones that glittered with embedded gems or
precious metals. Plain ass grey rock. Marcus tapped Kale’s elbow and
gestured at the rising crate. Kale nodded, but otherwise didn’t react. I would
have asked, but nearby voices kept me silent.
“Shit,” Marcus muttered and quickened his stride.
My already tense nerves tightened even more. I moved faster, following
Marcus as he ushered us along the narrow route, occasionally glancing over
my shoulder to make sure Kale still followed. To our right, a stone wall
framed us in. To the left, we walked the rim of a drop off. Precarious to say
the least. Another wobble out of Kale, and he could slip right over the edge.
The voices disappeared, but so did the path we followed. We came to a
stop in front of a thick pile of rubble. Great. We’d taken a wrong turn after
all.
Or maybe not. Marcus hurriedly waved me forward. What in the…
My heart skidded to a stop as he pointed at two fat knots wrapped
around iron stakes that had been driven into the ground. I leaned ever-so-
slightly toward the ledge then recoiled. No way, no how, was I scaling a
rope ladder. Particularly not one that seemed to go on forever. What the hell
was it doing here anyway?
I gave Marcus an adamant shake of my head.
He pointed to himself, then me, then Kale.
Again, I vehemently shook my head. “Not in a hundred years,” I
whispered.
“Listen,” he countered.
 I waited for him to continue. Instead, he rolled his eyes and gestured at
the corridor behind us. It hit me then, the faint but unmistakable sound of
boots. Two or three pair.
Memory hit me hard. Kale had said we had to eliminate the first round
of guards before we came to the old cart tunnel. Once we did, we’d be safe
until the first bridge. I glanced down at my feet, and noticed holes set at
precise intervals all the way back as far as I could see. Indentations large
enough to contain spikes like the ones that held the ladder, which resembled
old track spikes. We must be standing in the old cart tunnel; they had to
have pulled up the track since Kale’s capture. And the guards—Marcus had
kept us out of a fight by knowing when they’d be there and when they
wouldn’t. Only they had to return. Those boots must belong to those men.
We hadn’t taken a wrong turn. Much as I wanted to avoid that damned
ladder, we had to go down. Fuck. I despised heights.
Annoyed, I signaled for Marcus to go ahead. He dropped to a crouch,
pivoted, and stepped down. In seconds, the top of his dark head
disappeared. My turn. Ugh.
I wasn’t nearly as graceful. I had to lie on my stomach and edge my toes
off until I felt the coiled cross pieces. Then I wriggled backward, lowering
myself slowly. When it came time to grab onto the rope, it shifted hard to
the left, nearly dislodging me. I stifled a squeak and clutched the knots in a
death grip. Time moved in slow motion as I waited for the ladder to stop
swaying. With each twitch and jerk, I vowed to deal Marcus physical
damage when we escaped this foul-smelling place.
Eventually, I made it onto the ladder and descended like molasses. Kale
dropped on rather easily, but looking up at him only made my stomach twist
harder. He pulled each hand free with deliberate, jerky motions. He wasn’t
fluid as he lowered each foot, more like it took conscious effort to execute
the simple motion. Like he moved through tar that threatened to suck him
down.
If he fell on me…
I descended faster.
When my feet hit hard ground, I backed away from the ladder with a
deep, relieved breath. Marcus gave me a congratulatory clap on the
shoulder, and I glanced at him to find him grinning.
 I might have grinned too, if I wasn’t so worried about Kale. My gaze
skipped back to him. His efforts had slowed. He was only halfway down
and had started out three rungs behind me. I pointed up to where he hung
on.
Marcus’s grin faded. He took two steps toward the ladder. Kale’s foot
slipped. As his weight pulled him sideways, the rope swung violently.
Horrified, I clapped my hands over my mouth. He couldn’t fall. Please,
God, no.
Marcus grabbed the swaying rope and held on tight. Slowly, it leveled
out, settling into a few jerky bounces as Kale managed to recover his
footing. He started down again, his pace far more natural.
These dizzy spells of his—I vowed to deal him physical harm as well.
When he finally made it all the way down, he collapsed against the wall,
breathing heavily. Marcus and I reached his side as his knees buckled. With
both of us supporting one elbow, we helped him ease into a sitting position.
“Stay here a minute,” Marcus instructed.
Kale nodded and closed his eyes.
Backing away, Marcus motioned for me to follow. I gave Kale one last
worried look then complied. We turned a small bend. Before us, the path
branched in two with a gaping, deep, V-shaped gouge in between. The
leftmost route led to a dark, arching tunnel. The right hugged the wide wall
of the cavern and formed a mezzanine, more or less. Doorways looked out
onto the smooth path, the closest less than thirty feet away.
A shadow moved across one, and Marcus pushed me back into the
alcove with Kale.
The first bridge. Kale had said we’d be clear until here. No wonder. If
anyone in those rooms spotted us, we’d never make it down the other
bridge without a full alarm being sounded.
Marcus crouched down and motioned me closer. I joined him, one knee
resting on the ground.
“We’re close. We’ve had good luck so far. If we can find your mom
before anyone discovers us, we should only have to deal with her. You
hanging in there okay?”
I nodded, once again fingering the cuffs. “What about what you needed?
You were going to slip off for a few.”
 His brows furrowed as he murmured, “Don’t worry about it. Let’s finish
what we came here for.” He nodded toward Kale. “I don’t dare leave you
two to deal with her on your own. He’s not doing well.”
“He shouldn’t have come,” I mumbled. “You and I could have made a
different route, grabbed that stone, and then worked together.”
Marcus’s frown hardened. “Don’t be so hard on him, Halle. It’s this
place. Neither of us expected he’d have such a difficult time.”
“This place?” Not a bump on the head? I squinted at Marcus, confused.
“I’ll explain later. Let’s get this done.” He started to rise.
I caught him by the pant leg and tugged him back down. “What do they
use that ladder for?”
He shook his head. “Nothing, by the amount of dust that was on it when
I climbed down.”
“Are Kale and I safe here?”
His gaze skipped around the deep recess, canvassing the high ceiling,
the ladder, the ledge overhead, and the bend just behind us. “I can’t
guarantee it. But if they don’t use that ladder, and you two can stay silent,
I’d say it’s pretty slim anyone would happen onto you.”
“Then go. Get what you need. I’ll wait here with Kale.”
His expression filled with exasperation. “No. I’m not leaving you to
fend for yourself.”
I gave his shoulder a gentle push. “We’ll be fine. I’ll keep us hidden.”
With a small grin, I waggled my fingers.
Marcus eyed me, clearly debating. “I don’t like this.”
“Look—” I set my hand over his “—you’ve gone out of your way to
help me. You didn’t have to. Go get what you need. This isn’t just about me
now.”
He heaved a sigh, and his gaze pulled to the footpath. Slowly, it shifted
back to me. “You feel comfortable enough with your magic?”
“I’ve rested. I feel it deep inside. It’s stronger than last night. A lot.”
“Halle—”
“Go,” I insisted more firmly. “I’m a big girl, Marcus. I’m making this
decision.”
With one more reluctant glance, he finally consented and stood. “If I’m
not back in fifteen minutes, get the hell out of here.”
 “Deal.” I could wait it out that long. My nerves might never unravel, but
it was the least I could do after all Marcus’s help.
He rounded the corner at a jog, his feet amazingly making barely a
sound. Had it been me running, the entire world would have known I was
here with my hard step. I looked back at Kale. Eyes still closed, he sagged
against the wall at the foot of the ladder, his face now ashen. This place—
what was it about these mines?
Truly worried over what I didn’t understand, I moved to sit by his side.
His hand fumbled at my leg, brushing my thigh. I slipped my fingers into
his and squeezed. “We’re just taking a little break,” I murmured.
He gave a weak nod and slunk down further against the wall.
Minutes ticked by, each one seemingly slower than the last. How I was
supposed to tell when fifteen minutes had passed, I didn’t know. But I
guessed it would become obvious when my uncle’s band of non-living
things took off after an uninvited guest. Kale’s grip turned cold and
clammy, only worrying me more. But there was little I could do, and if
these mines were the cause of his oddness, the only way to fix it was to get
him out of here. So I shoved my growing concern to the far corner of my
mind and tried not to think about the circumstances.
After a little while, a sound floated to my ears. I cocked my head,
listening. Singing? Surely not down here. And yet…
A distinct melody carried through the cavernous tunnel. One I knew by
heart. My mother had sung it to me every night as a child.
My heart skipped several beats. I disentangled my hand from Kale’s,
rose to my feet, and followed the lilting melody to the edge of the recessed
hideaway. I had to be imagining things. Kale made my mother out to be
some sort of monster. Monsters didn’t sing.
I peeked around the bend and scanned both routes for traffic. Nothing
occupied the bridge, and the mezzanine stood empty as well. Save for one
open doorway, the rest remained closed. The melody grew more distinct,
more clear in word and tune. It was most assuredly my mother’s voice. I
took a tentative step forward. Then another. And another.
Drawn like a magnet to that all-consuming memory, I approached the
mezzanine and that open doorway. They had to be wrong about her. No
monster sang so beautifully. Only my mom could. Sweet, gentle Mom,
who’d be grateful when she was free of this place.
 My heart thundered in my ears as I approached the door. It slanted
inward at an angle, hiding my approach. Visions of my mother tucking me
in possessed me. Smoothing the hair away from my forehead with hands
that were always gentle, bending down to kiss me goodnight. Wiggling her
fingers at the entrance to my bedroom before she shut off the light. Oh,
God, I missed her.
I reached out and nudged the door open further. She stood in front of a
counter on the opposite side, her long platinum hair tied back in a thick
braid—the way she always wore it on housework days. While she worked
at something on the countertop, that beautiful melody trilled from her
throat. She turned to pull something from a cabinet, and I gasped at the
glimpse of her profile. So many years had passed since I’d seen her face.
Her smile. She didn’t look like any monster. She was still as lovely and
angelic as the last time I’d seen her. Ethereal in a breathtaking way.
I stepped into the doorway. My voice trembled like a scared little girl as
I called out to her. “Mom?”

OceanofPDF.com
Thirty-four
My mother’s busy hands stilled, and she stopped singing. Yet she didn’t
turn around. I took another step into her room and called again, “Mom? It’s
me.”
That got her attention. She pivoted in my direction.
I braced for the onslaught of emotional greetings I’d fantasized for as
long as I could remember. Mom rushing to me, her arms outstretched, her
hug tight and full of never-ending comfort. She’d smooth a hand down my
hair, lean back and take my face between her gentle hands, and gush, “I’ve
missed you, sweetheart. So much.”
But nothing like that happened. She didn’t hurry across the room to
embrace me. She appeared. She must have moved, but she did so with such
speed, my hair blew back in the breeze.
And she didn’t embrace me. Instead, she grabbed me by the wrist and
sharp nails dug painfully into my skin. I shrank away with a strangled cry.
She answered with an unholy shriek. Her beautiful face transformed into
a skeleton-like visage barely covered with taut skin. No warmth radiated in
her eyes. No light reflected there at all. Just dark…nothingness.
“Mom!” I pried at her hand to dislodge her grasp. “It’s me, Halle! Let
me go, you’re hurting me.”
Instead of the elation I had longed for, terror squeezed my heart. Kale
had been wrong. She wasn’t a monster. She was worse than that. Demonic,
evil…oh, God, I’d been such a fool.
She dragged me closer, foul breath washing over my face. “Your timing
is perfect.”
Like a ragdoll, she jerked me across the room. The force of her tug
pulled my shoulder at an awkward angle, and I wrenched sideways with a
groan. Deep inside, my powers stirred to life. For an instant, I considered
using them, but I couldn’t guarantee the outcome. I didn’t want to hurt her;
she couldn’t be held responsible for her actions.
I opted for logic, hoping if I said enough something would crack
through whatever spell trapped her and she’d at least let go. “Mom, stop
please. It’s Halle. I won’t hurt you. Someone’s put a spell on you. I’m here
to help.”
She wrenched harder on my arm and hissed in my face. “No, you won’t
hurt me.” Laughing hollowly, she whipped me around and pressed my back
to the wall. Her free hand crept to my throat. “But I’ll hurt you.”
Her cackle chilled me to the bone. Maybe magic wouldn’t be such a bad
idea. Something small. Just to throw her off long enough I could snap those
cuffs on her wrists. I closed my eyes and let the power build.
With an enraged shriek, she flung me aside. My knees hit a small table,
and I toppled headfirst into the hard stone floor.
“Games!” She let out a horrifying, girlish giggle. “I’ll go first!” In a
flurry of movement, she raised her arms above her head, chanting, then
brought them down like a strike of lightning.
Bone-shaking panic infused me. I lay there paralyzed by terror, all the
while knowing I should get up, do something. Yet I could do no more than
stare as she cackled.
That sound, however, snapped me into action. Mustering my courage, I
shoved to my knees and then to my feet. “Stop it! I’m your daughter. I don’t
want to hurt you, Mom!” Seeking cover to buy myself time for my power to
surface, I darted behind the large dining table.
She approached on the other side, a grotesque smile twisting her mouth
as she stretched a hand forth. Pale grey energy glowed on her fingertips. I
took a step back. She lunged forward. Her icy-cold hand streaked across my
cheek. My heart lurched, and my vision blurred. Weakness infused my
knees. To keep from falling again, I clutched the edge of the table. God,
what was she doing to me? She was my mother. Was there nothing left of
her but a memory?
She lunged again, and I shook off hesitation. With all the force I could
summon, I shoved the table at her. It tipped sideways, scattering the surface
contents. Glass shattered on the floor. Three heavy books went flying.
Her gaze narrowed to vile, empty slits. “Gamesss,” she hissed, “are
over. You’re mine.” Her skeletal hand shot forward again. Darkness oozed
from the center of her palm. It surged across the barrier between us.
For a moment, I thought she’d missed. But a heartbeat later, my skin
began to burn like fire. I glanced down to find tiny splotches of blood
seeping through my shirt. Shocked, I pulled my collar out to investigate my
body. Tiny open sores covered my torso.
Fucking hell—enough was enough! I didn’t want to harm her, but I
didn’t know what else to do.
With a lift of my palm, I gave my power freedom. Pale blue light shot
from my hand. As it engulfed her, the particles of energy transformed into
particles of ice. She lurched backward, shrieking in pain, swatting at her
face and arms. My power answered her weakness with uncharacteristic
might. It surged forward, demanding to be unleashed. I could end it all now.
She wasn’t prepared for my attack, and with my gathered strength, I’d put
her out of her misery forever.
Closing my eyes, I breathed in deeply. Kale had been right. I couldn’t
save her. I’d come here for nothing, and if I wanted to leave alive, I had
little choice. One by one, I opened my fingers.
At the last instant, I couldn’t do it. My attack had thrown her off focus,
and she huddled into herself, one hand tucked beneath her chin, nursing it
like a feeble child. She paid me no attention.
I dropped my hand to my waist and unfastened the cuffs. Holding them
loosely, I edged around the toppled table. If I could just grab her, it would
only take a second to snap on the restraints. Cautiously, I took another step
forward and reached for her elbow. Just a little closer.
She whirled on me with a vicious growl.
Before I could pull back, she latched onto my arm and gave it a furious
twist. Agony raced through my shoulder as something cracked. Dropping to
my knees, I let out a scream. Tears rolled down my cheeks.
My pain fueled her. She dragged me across the room like I weighed
nothing and threw me into a barren wall. The back of my head slammed
into stone. Once more, my vision blurred. When I sagged to the ground, the
fight beaten out of me, she roared in triumph. Again, the vile smile
contorted her face. “Your soul belongs to me, pitiful human.”
I lacked the strength to fight. Or maybe it was the will. I no longer knew
anything except the brutal reality that the woman who’d nurtured me as a
child intended to kill me. Her own daughter. I’d let heartache delusion me.
I never should have ignored Kale’s warnings.
She reached down and grabbed me roughly by the shoulder. With
strength her frail body shouldn’t possess, she pushed me up the wall until
my feet touched the ground. Then higher, until my toes dangled uselessly.
Distantly, it occurred to me if I kicked, I could knock her over. But as her
unholy gaze burned into mine, and her fingers tightened cruelly. Weakness
infused me. My pulse slowed dangerously. Deep inside my soul, something
shuddered. Where her palm met my shoulder, I experienced pain, but it felt
cold and distant. Otherworldly.
“Halle!”
The shout rolled over me, hollow and insubstantial. I didn’t recognize it.
Through bleary vision, I saw a man burst into the room. In the same instant,
yellow-green light blinded me entirely. My mother let go with a bone-
chilling howl, and I fell to the floor in a heap, too weakened to move
anything more than my heavy eyelids.
Kale stood on the other side of my mom.
I let my head loll against the wall in a moment of relief. He’d come for
me. I wouldn’t die here, wouldn’t fail him.
Another flash of light filled my closed eyes. She shrieked again. Kale
bellowed in fury. Something thumped heavily.
Groggily, I opened my eyes.
On both knees, Kale arced a hand across his body. I waited for the
accompanying streak of blue I’d come to recognize so well from our
sparring sessions. But once more, nothing happened. He swore and tried
again.
With vile laughter erupting from her lips, my mother rushed him. He
toppled backward. The back of his head bounced off the hard floor and he
went utterly still. My mother pounced on him. Sitting astride his lap and
cackling, she clawed at his chest. Blood streaked across his shirt front, and
still, he didn’t move.
“No!” I cried, feebly.
In a frenzy, my mother scraped through skin, carving wide gashes into
Kale’s flesh. My stomach heaved at the sight of his blood. All the hours
we’d spent together cycled through my memory. The night he’d shown me
Tufty, the countless hours spent pouring over antique scrolls, quiet moments
of mutual contemplation, angry outbursts in the halls. His touch, his smile,
his laughter.
A roar I didn’t recognize as my own ripped from my throat. With
strength I didn’t know I possessed, I surged to my feet and threw my hands
in front of me.
Above my mother’s head, the ceiling cleaved in two. A tremor raced
through the entire room, nearly toppling me sideways. My mother looked
up, bloodied claws raised. Enraged, she hurtled off Kale and threw herself
at me.
Two steps into her charge, a violet streak of lightning cut her down. As
she fell, a second charge split the atmosphere. It surged into her shoulder,
arcing her body so violently she nearly bent in half. She fell in a crumpled
heap.
I willed my legs to hold and waited for her to move.
When she didn’t, I sagged to my knees. Blackness pulled at my mind,
tugging me away from the pain in my body. But Kale kept me from
succumbing. Pushing past the agonizing wounds, I crawled on hands and
knees to his side. His chest bled freely, turning his shirt into a crimson
sponge, but the bone I’d expected to see, I didn’t find. I stretched a hand
toward his, and when our fingers touched, I laid my cheek on the floor and
closed my eyes. I could go no further.
Kale’s shallow breathing rasped around me. He needed help. Hell, we
both did. And quick. No doubt the entire compound had felt the stone shake
as it cracked, and someone would come to investigate. I had to push on.
Somehow.
I forced my eyes open and swallowed hard. With what energy I could
summon, I tried to lift myself up. But my arms gave before I managed more
than a few inches. I collapsed again, a whimper slipping free. God, please.
Help me.
Instinct ordered me to try again. I wanted to. I wanted nothing more
than to drag my ass up and get off the damned stone floor. In my heart,
however, I knew it would be futile. Even if I could manage to haul myself
to my feet, no way could I help Kale. And nothing would make me leave
him behind.
I shoved upward again. Damn it, I wasn’t giving up.
The sound of heavy boots pounding on the stone outside the door
clanged into my awareness. My breath caught. Bracing my weight on my
forearms, I looked at the open entryway. Fear sent my pulse into an erratic
rhythm as a shadow barreled down the mezzanine floor.
 “Come on, up,” I muttered to myself, dragging one knee beneath me to
better support my swaying body. If I could at least shut the door, I might
buy myself a little more time.
The commotion outside intensified. Shouts broke out, distant yet still
close enough to be concerning. More running feet trampled through the
cavern. I hauled another knee beneath me and struggled into a crouch. The
room swayed dangerously, but I closed my eyes and focused on drawing
one breath in after another until my equilibrium leveled. When I looked
again, I felt steadier.
Slowly, I leaned to the right, fingers outstretched for the edge of the
door. As my fingers grazed the wood, a hand grasped the knob. The door
flung backward, out of my reach.
Marcus bolted inside.
Relief trumped terror, and I sagged onto the floor again. “Thank God.”
His gaze snapped to me, then fell on Kale. “Fuck,” he muttered. He
turned a scowl on me. “I thought you two were going to stay put?”
“I…” I snapped my mouth shut. What could I say? It was obvious I
hadn’t listened.
Marcus waved my explanation off and stalked toward Kale. “Never
mind. There’s not time. Your uncle came back before we got down here.”
“What?” The thought of Allen somehow managed to refill my stamina. I
stumbled to my feet even as my incredulous question ricocheted off the
high walls. “We saw him leave.”
“He must have sensed us. More likely, he set a trap and we fell right in.”
He gestured at Kale’s shoulders. “Can you help me get him up? I think I
found a place we can hide. At least long enough I can figure a plan.”
I nodded feebly. But no amount of effort could make my body move. I
was too beat, too stunned, to lift so much as a finger. A trap? How was that
possible?
“Halle,” Marcus scolded in a hushed whisper.
Right. Kale. Uncle Allen was coming. We had to move.
I bent to grasp Kale’s shoulders. Yet the sudden pitching of the room
sent me stumbling. I hurtled forward, barely managing to catch myself with
the back of one hand before I landed directly on top of Kale.
Marcus caught me by both shoulders. Gently, he eased me to my feet
and closer to the door. Concern shown in his tawny eyes as he searched my
face, then my neck, and then canvassed my body all the way down to my
toes. “You…” As if what had happened finally clicked in his head, he
glanced at the other body in the room. That of my mother’s.
Regret washed over his angular features. “Christ, Halle, I’m sorry.” He
shoved a hand through his hair then hurried back to Kale. “Take it easy. I’ll
get him. Head back to the ladder. I’ll meet you there.”
Sure. I’d get right on that as soon as I figured out how to make my feet
shuffle forward. I let out a heavy sigh and pushed the screaming pain in my
limbs to a corner of my mind. “She…she was trying to kill him.”
“And doing a damn good job of it.” He bent and heaved Kale’s limp
body into a slumped sitting position. “Save the play-by-play. You can tell
me when we’re out of here. We’re no use to him if we get caught.”
“If? I believe it’s more of a question of when, Marcus Wintergrave. And
from the looks of things, I’d say the answer is now.”
The all-too-familiar masculine voice boomed through my head,
snatching me out of my stupor. My gaze snapped to the doorway. Shock
claimed whatever sense I had remaining, and I stared, wide-eyed, at my
uncle’s sneering face.

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Thirty-five
Marcus flew into action before I could fully process he was moving. He
lunged at my uncle…and promptly hurtled backward into the wall. His head
slammed against the stone, and he let out an agonized moan.
Cold fingers latched onto my upper arm as Allen laughed. He kept his
focus on Marcus, though, not addressing me. “Didn’t think I’d see you
again here. Especially after Surana made it clear how unwelcome you are.”
Surana? I knew that name. My uncle’s thugs had said it the day Kale
knocked me sideways in the woods. Jadukara. Wolf. She’d possibly chased
us. My brow furrowed. Marcus knew her?
“Fuck…you,” Marcus wheezed. He cocked his head and spit at Allen.
Allen’s laughter intensified. “And just as I was about to thank you for
bringing my long-lost niece to my doorstep.” He tugged on my arm and
dragged me closer to his side.
I tried to squirm away, but his fingers clenched so tightly, I could have
sworn his nails scored into my bone. Gasping in pain, I stopped fighting.
From the corner of my eyes, I caught the movement of Marcus’s fingers.
“It’s useless to try,” Allen said, still chuckling. “The wards against you
—that’s why you had to have her, right? Your magic is useless here, Noita.
As are you.” He leaned out of the doorway and bellowed, “Guards!”
In answer, three hulking skeleton-like creatures formed a solid wall
behind him. He stepped aside, allowing them into the room, and for the first
time, his gaze turned to me. Malice glinted in grey eyes that were identical
to my father’s. “She, however, is quite useful to me. Much more than this
worthless vessel.” With the toe of his dress shoe, he kicked Kale’s leg.
Indignation shot through my veins. It was all I could to do keep my
mouth clamped shut against a response similar to Marcus’s come back.
Wisdom held reflex in check though—if I spoke, I sensed it would be worse
for me.
One lift of my uncle’s hands instructed the three ghastly creatures to
shuffle inside the room. They marched toward Marcus, leaving a trail of
foul odor in their wake. I wrinkled my nose and grimaced against the reflex
to gag. They had clearly been men once. Tall, robust, and definitely strong
judging by their size. But now, their hair covered their heads in scant
patches, their exposed skin was grey and leathery, and their gaunt faces held
a chilling emptiness that reflected in their eyes. Soulless was the word that
came to mind.
Likely, I wasn’t far from the mark.
One reached for Marcus’s shoulder, and I had to look away from the
fleshless fingers that clasped into his shirt. My stomach protested with a
violent lurch.
Allen glanced down at his watch and muttered an oath. “A pity we can’t
catch up, Halle. I have a meeting at City Hall in twenty minutes. I’m afraid
you’ll have to remain with your friends a little longer.”
He thrust me straight into the arms of the third guard. Bony appendages
locked around my upper body tight. I cringed as the aroma of rotten flesh
filled my nose.
That atrocious smell knocked my common sense aside. “What do you
want from us?” I blurted.
Allen paused, half-way through the door. “Want with you?” A chilling
smile pulled his expression into tight lines. In that instant, something shifted
in his features. The vision of the man I knew so well changed. Flesh sank
more deeply against his facial bones. His lips thinned. The white veneer of
his teeth assumed an ashen pallor. “My dear, I think you know perfectly
well.”
He reached a hand out and ran an icy finger down my cheek. “You had
me fooled, but I should have known what you were when your father told
me how you tasted.”
He drew his fingertip over my mouth, summoning a shudder from deep
inside me. God, this wasn’t happening. Not with Marcus present to hear my
shame. To witness my humiliation.
As if sensing my desire to hide, the guards dragged Marcus closer,
grunting against his attempts to free himself, ushering him toward the door.
His gaze met mine, and I closed my eyes.
“Now you’re here,” My uncle continued, unfazed by my reaction,
seemingly taking delight in taunting me. His finger drifted down the curve
of my jaw, stroked the length of my neck. “And I have you to myself. You
will serve my desires perfectly.”
 At the thought of him abusing me the way my father had, every warring
instinct I possessed surged to the surface. I bucked against my captor’s
restraint. My gaze locked with Allen’s, narrowed with hate. “You’ll die
first!”
A hollow, mirthless laugh slipped from his lips. “You won’t have the
opportunity to try.” He dropped his hand and turned for the door once more.
“You’ll be locked away, where your magic is useless, and your friends will
watch as I drain your soul. Your blood will be mine, and then perhaps, your
sister’s. I have little use for her these days.”
“You son of a bitch!” I screamed at his retreating back. “Don’t you
touch, Faye!”
He stopped and looked at me once more, the picture of innocence
reflecting in his face. “Or what, Halle? You might call me more names?” He
nodded to the creature that held me.
One twist of my left arm sent agony ripping through my body. I sagged,
rendered helpless as my shoulder threatened to rip out of the joint.
“You’re not in a position to make any useful threats, windwalker.”
With that, my uncle strode away, leaving Marcus and I struggling
against his guards as two more stalked in and hoisted Kale to his feet.
***
The guards herded us down the tunnel Marcus had traveled earlier, into a
damp and humid cavern where the clang of machinery was deafening. Two
barred-off recesses in the hall faced one another, like jail cells from another
era. The faint glimmer of yellow-green lacing through the steel bars,
however, marked the cells as distinctly magical.
Without a word, they shoved us inside, giving Kale’s limp form the
barest of consideration. He toppled in a heap, and Marcus had to jerk
sideways to prevent Kale’s face from smashing into the stone floor. My own
weakness left me swaying precariously, one hand gripping the top of a
narrow wooden bench to keep from falling. But anger kept dizziness from
consuming me.
I eased onto the bench and glowered at the thick iron bars. “Fucking
asshole.”
Marcus gently laid Kale on his back and crouched at his side. He tore at
Kale’s bloody shirt as he spoke. “He was just trying to upset you. He won’t
touch Faye.”
“How do you know?” I snapped.
His gaze lifted, and even in the dark, I could see the seriousness in his
eyes. “There can only be one windwalker. She’s useless to him.”
Kale’s soft groan prevented me from arguing further. His color had
worsened, and his breathing was more labored. Worry urged me to his side.
I clasped his hand, rubbed my cheek over his knuckles, and looked to
Marcus. “We’ve got to do something for him.”
Marcus shook his head. “No, you have to rest. You’re not much better
than he is, and I sure as hell can’t heal you both.” He gestured at a long, thin
bed of reeds atop a hard, rotting, wooden platform. “At least lay down. Let
me check you out first.”
On that thing? I gave him an incredulous look. God only knew what
kind of despicable creatures had occupied it. Maybe even died atop it.
“It’s not much for comfort, granted,” he continued, a touch of
amusement lacing his words. “But it’s bigger than the bench and drier than
the floor. We’ve got to make do with what we have. And I’m going to need
your help, eventually.”
He had a point. Oh, but that bed looked so far away. And I was so tired.
I let out a heavy sigh and shook my head.
“Halle—”
“Can’t make it there.” I lowered Kale’s hand and stretched out alongside
his battered body. “My skin burns. And I’m so…tired…”
“Your skin burns?” All trace of humor vanished. He stepped over Kale
purposefully and knelt near my hips. “Where?”
Closing my eyes, I answered, “All over.”
My T-shirt shifted as he tugged at the hem. “Mind if I?”
All I could muster was the energy to shake my head.
A cool breeze washed over me as he pulled my shirt over my ribs. An
oath hissed off his lips, and then warm fingertips drifted over my skin.
“Jesus, you’re lucky.”
To my own ears, my words sounded slurred as I asked, “What do you
mean?”
“This is bad stuff. It eats from the inside out, not the outside in. She was
attacking your life force.”
 Oh. Well, I guess that explained why I was so worn out. Why even
breathing felt like a monumental effort of will.
“Most people can’t survive long enough to have wounds erupt on their
skin.” His palm smoothed over my abdomen, leaving behind a pleasant
tingling sensation. “Good thing you’re made of tougher stuff.”
Yeah. Scales. I smirked, though I couldn’t make the words come out.
Instead, I lay unmoving, tracking the path of Marcus’s hands and fingers as
they soothed the burn. Bit-by-bit the feeling that I’d rolled in a mound of
fire ants began to fade, leaving me with just the overwhelming exhaustion.
“Did you get what you were after?” I mumbled.
“No.” He pulled my shirt back into place. “I’m going to try to do
something with Kale now. Just rest.”
Yeah…not like I was going anywhere anytime soon. Even if I could
manage to stand up again, there were still magically charged bars keeping
me confined. And an entire horde of Yaksini out there waiting. By now the
entire compound must know.
“How are we going to get out of here?” I asked, opening my eyes once
more.
Marcus looked up from Kale’s exposed chest. His answer sent a chill
sliding through my veins. “We pray.”

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Thirty-six
Something clicked in the corridor.
I had been dozing for hours, never really falling asleep, but hovering
somewhere on the verge while Marcus tended to Kale, who still lay
unconscious on the floor. My rest had served some purpose though; my
body no longer felt like a train had rolled over it, and my energy was
beginning to return. I edged onto my elbow and cocked my head at the bars.
“Did you hear that?”
From his seat on the bench, Marcus shot me a quizzical glance. “Hear
what?”
Another clatter, like a skipped pebble, broke the rhythmic clang-clang
of machinery.
“That,” I whispered as I pushed to my feet. “Someone’s out there.”
“Well stay the hell back then, ace,” he snapped.
I shook my head, sensing…something. Slowly, I reached to wrap a hand
around the bars and peek out. But as my fingertips touched the cool metal, a
sharp zing sizzled up my arm. I drew back with a sharp yelp.
Marcus chuckled.
Despite the glare I shot his way, I couldn’t blame him. He’d done the
same thing some time earlier. I should have remembered his violent oaths.
Oddly though, the charge that hit him had nearly dropped him to his knees.
Nothing like the jolt I’d just received that felt quite a bit like the time I
plugged in a faulty curling iron.
Two more skitters in the corridor drew me back to the bars. I leaned
close enough I could feel the pulse of power against my cheeks. I craned
my neck to see down the dim passage, but the barrier in front of me made it
impossible to glimpse more than five or six feet. And in those five or six
feet, I found nothing.
Silence descended around us. I stayed still, waiting. But nothing
happened, and I began to suspect whoever it was had moved on. With a
sigh, I turned around and studied Kale. Marcus had done what he could,
mainly feeding him energy that restored his color somewhat. It seemed his
injuries were beyond Marcus’s abilities. Kale still struggled for each breath,
still lay frighteningly unmoving. I didn’t want to consider what would
happen to him when my uncle returned. Speaking of—I’d expected him to
be back by now.
“How long have we been here?” I asked Marcus.
He shrugged, scrubbed at his face, then let out a haggard sigh. “My
guess is six—” His eyes widened at something behind me, and whatever
he’d intended to say faded into silence.
I turned to find a shockingly beautiful woman standing on the other side
of the bars. My own eyes widened in surprise. She wore dark fatigues like
Marcus, paired with a simple black tank top, and somehow the plain outfit
accented curves even I could appreciate. Alabaster skin stood out in the
weak light, accented by a wild mane of rich auburn hair that fell past her
waist. Her deep blue eyes flicked over me then locked on Marcus.
“You are such a fool,” she whispered. “Did you really think you’d find
that shard?”
Fury darkened his expression. He rose swiftly and crossed to the bars,
shouldering me aside. He raised both hands, clenched his fingers like he
intended to shake the bars, then thought better of the idea and dropped both
to his waist. They closed into tight fists. Tension snapped his body into one
hard length. When he spoke, his voice was nothing less than a vicious bite.
“I was a fool for trusting you.”
Oh, boy. History laced them together tighter than the boots on my feet.
And sure as shooting, this was about to get ugly.
Her eyes narrowed, the glint within them every bit as venomous. “I
should open these bars and sound the alarm. Let them tear you apart. I
warned you what would happen if you came back.”
Marcus didn’t blink. Hell, he didn’t flinch. His voice dropped to a low,
threatening tone that sent chills up my spine. “I promise I’ll reach you
before they get through the door. And I’ll enjoy every moment of breaking
your pretty, deceiving neck.”
I had no doubt he meant every word of his threat, and glanced between
them warily, wanting nothing more than to meld into the stone. The very air
between them crackled with charged energy. But I was curious too, and that
curiosity locked me in place, afraid if I so much as exhaled, they’d fall into
silence and I’d never hear the rest.
 The woman’s laughter surprised me. Sharp and brittle, it didn’t hold the
chill my uncle’s had, but it was false and humorless all the same. Forced to
no slight degree. “Such drama. Over something so ridiculously petty.
Really, Marcus, it doesn’t become you.”
“I loved you.”
My jaw dropped. Now was about the time for the floor to drop open and
swallow me whole. I shouldn’t be hearing this. In fact…I shuffled
sideways, edging closer to Kale, intent on at least appearing focused on
him.
“That’s your fault then,” she answered coolly. “I never asked for it.”
“Yes, it is my fault. But I didn’t realize you were completely heartless.”
“I wouldn’t say I am.” She let out another soft laugh and took a step
back away from the bars. “If I were, I wouldn’t be here now.”
I caught the suspicious narrowing of Marcus’s gaze as he cocked his
head and studied her. That mistrust was enough to freeze my retreat. I stood
stock still, muscles tightening in anticipation. Of what, I didn’t know. I
expected something monumental.
Beyond the bars, the atmosphere warbled. Power pulsed through the
cell, lifting the faint hairs on my arms. Magic I recognized… Tolvenar
power. My pulse skipped.
As I stared, a figure took shape in the rippling air. Long lithe limbs,
thick grey braid that draped over an aging shoulder. Maude faded into clear
view. She cut a sharp sideways glance to the redhead. “Yes, you’re all heart,
Surana. Your compassion drips off your fingertips. Now go, as we
discussed, and don’t make me come after you. I’m in no mood for the
journey to Abernon.”
As my brain stuttered over the discovery that not only was Surana
standing on the other side of my cell, but that she also knew both Maude
and Marcus, Marcus stepped back from the bars. Surana disappeared down
the corridor. A door closed firmly in her wake.
The sound knocked me out of my stupor, and I hurried toward Maude.
“What are you doing here? How did you…”
Her smile held warmth my heart yearned to know. “I heard your call for
help. But we mustn’t waste time with conversation. The others are here.”
Her gaze drifted to where Kale lay, and worry drew her silvery brows
together sharply. Her whisper held urgency. “Hurry.”
 “Others?” I asked.
“Gerard, Spring, a handful of others. Even Beth,” Maude answered. As
she spoke, she examined the bars, seemingly studying the magical pattern
that flowed between each thick length. “Ah, clever. He built it to hold an
archlich. No wonder you’re magic is worthless here, Marcus.” She spoke
more to herself than us, I suspected, and fanned her hands before the bars,
occasionally murmuring words I didn’t understand. Muted sounds of
snapping followed in chain reaction.
Beth and Gerard were here? I blinked, still trying to absorb the
revelation. “How did you get in?” I blurted.
Maude traced her leathery hands over the bars once more, producing
another round of quiet snaps and clicks. “Surana owed me a favor.”
“She owes everyone favors,” Marcus muttered. Lips pursed, he turned
away from Maude and crouched near Kale. He tucked one arm behind
Kale’s knees and the other beneath his shoulder blades. With a grunt, he
stood, hefting Kale into his arms. “Where are we going?” he asked Maude.
“Spring and Surana will lead you out. I cannot stay. My magic is no
good for battle any more.” She gave one last twist of both wrists and took
two steps back. “That should do it.”
Nothing happened.
Not at first. But a second later, the furthest bar on the left shuddered.
Then the one beside it. And the next, and the next, setting off a domino
reaction, until they all rattled like an invisible force shook them. Then, as
one collective unit, they crumpled into ash. Nothing remained between us
and the wide-open corridor.
“Wow,” I murmured beneath my breath.
Maude clasped me tightly to her. “Be careful, Halle.” She let go and
looked beyond me at Marcus. Compassion filled her eyes, along with a
discernable, hopeful plea. “And you too, Marcus. We need them both. I’ll
slip out behind you and hurry back home.”
In the next blink, she faded into the atmosphere once more, the air
shivering in her wake as it had before she appeared.
A cacophony of noise erupted beyond the closed door at the end of the
corridor. Shouts, deafening booms, even screams pierced the air. Marcus’s
grave expression held me in place. Apprehension knotted my lungs. I might
have regained some energy but nowhere near what I would need for spells. I
would be as effective as Maude. Which meant we had to rely on Spring and
Surana to lead us to safety. And the Surana half of that equation made me
uneasy. Could she be trusted?
“I’m out of commission, ace.” Marcus adjusted his hold on Kale. “I
can’t bail you out if we get into anything.”
Great. Just what I needed, although I wasn’t really surprised. With his
arms full, his limitations were a little obvious. I shot him a hesitant glance.
“Can we trust her?”
His hard, unblinking stare never left the distant door, but the muscles
along the side of his jaw ticked.
Maude answered for him. “You can trust me.”
I took a deep breath, answered with a short nod, and struck off down the
corridor. Now or never, and I wasn’t spending the rest of my life in that cell.
The door opened before we reached it. Surana waved us forward,
glancing over her shoulder, her sharp quick motions wrenching my nerves
into knots. Beyond her, a flash of brilliant turquoise illuminated the dark
tunnel. A guttural howl rose above an anguished scream. Goosebumps
lifted on my arms as fear broke over my skin.
Down deep within me, though, something I had only begun to
understand stirred to life. My power slowly churned, answering the dark
call to battle. Though I knew I hadn’t rested long enough to regain my full
strength, the pull was strong and hard to resist. Every instinct I possessed
demanded I veer away from Surana’s escort and hunt down my uncle.
Though I’d failed to save my mother, Faye was still paramount, and that
fiend had her. If I could destroy him now, while he was distracted by Kale’s
clan, Faye would never again suffer his abuse.
Surana set a hand on my shoulder and urged me beyond her. “Spring’s at
the end of the corridor. I’ll guard the rear.” Deep blue eyes lifted to Marcus
and a flicker of some emotion I couldn’t quite name washed over her pale
features. “Get Kale out of here. Before it’s too late.”
Marcus answered with a terse nod, shouldered around me, and struck
off, his head bowed ever-so-slightly as if to somehow shield Kale from
view. Before it’s too late? A shudder gripped me. He was in a bad way, but
was it all that dire?
Another thundering boom jolted me into action. I raced after Marcus,
quickly assuming the lead. My hands began to tingle less than twenty feet
in. Curling my fingers into my palm, I let the energy build. I was in no
shape to fight, but if Surana had ushered us down a trap, and Spring wasn’t
at the end of the corridor, I’d be better be prepared. Just in case.
The longer we jogged, the more my anxiety began to pick away at my
thoughts. I couldn’t see Surana behind us when I looked back. Ahead, an
empty tunnel stretched in front of us. Marcus’s gaze darted around
anxiously, and what he didn’t say, only fed my apprehension. As I began to
become more and more convinced we were running straight into my uncle’s
waiting arms, a shadow leapt from a hidden alcove. Yellowed teeth snapped
as the bipedal creature hunched into a fur-covered body and crouched,
ready to pounce. I stumbled back and bumped into Marcus.
Reflex took over. As I scrambled for my footing, I brought my hands in
front of my body, concentrating on the building energy between my
fingertips. It was weak, but perhaps serviceable.
The creature lunged again, this time at Kale and Marcus. Misshapen
hands snatched at Kale’s dangling arm. Marcus whirled to the side,
shielding Kale. “Halle!”
“I’m trying!” I opened my fingertips, fanned them outward. Between
my palms a faint effervescent green light crackled like lightning. I didn’t
know what it was. Didn’t care. So long as it worked.
I lifted my arms, prepared to smash that slobbering furball into pieces.
“No!” Surana appeared seemingly out of nowhere and shoved me aside.
Tripping over my own feet, I toppled to my knees. The power I’d
gathered dissipated with my surprised grunt. Damn it. “I thought you were
on our side.”
“I am,” she ground out tightly.
It was then I noticed the knife flashing in her hand. She arced one arm,
and in a stunning move of agile strength, sent the blade flying through the
air. It struck home soundlessly, lodging in the creature’s throat. The beast
dropped like a rock.
I blinked.
“Not your magic. Not here.” She shook her head at me, then strode to
the creature. With one foot braced on its chest, she pulled her knife free.
“Not if you want to get out.”
Before I could process her meaning, she offered me a hand and helped
me to my feet. “Use your head, or he’ll be only too glad to relieve you of
it.”
I snatched my hand away with a scowl. I opened my mouth to tell her
where she could put her advice, when another voice filtered through the dim
corridor. One I trusted far more.
“She’s right.” Spring stepped from the far shadows, joining us. “Halle,
he’s too powerful to not sense your spells. He’ll know exactly where you
are. You must only use magic as a last resort. Hopefully, you won’t need
to.” She tipped her head to look beyond me at Marcus. “How are you
holding up?”
Marcus nodded. “I’m good. More than I can say for him. He’s fading
fast.”
At those words, my heart stopped. My gaze pulled to Kale as a silent
gasp slipped off my lips. Fading? No, no he couldn’t be.
Spring reached into her long leather duster and pulled out a silver vial.
She unscrewed the cap and moved to stand at Kale’s head. “Leaf said it
helped last time. He made it as soon as Maude brought word.” With one
gentle hand cupped around Kale’s cheek, she poured a pale lavender liquid
into his mouth.
I watched, feeling more helpless than I ever had. It was my fault Kale
was hurt, and there wasn’t a damned thing I could do to heal him. And I
envied the fact Spring could. For that matter, I envied them all—Marcus
and his wisdom; Surana and her deadly arm; Maude and her superior magic.
I looked away. I was out of my league.
Surana pulled another blade from the belt at her waist and flipped the
hilt toward me. “Take this.”
Like that was going to help me be any more competent. Sighing, I
accepted the knife and tucked it in the back of my waistband. “Thanks.”
“Let’s keep moving,” Marcus suggested.
“This way.” Spring pointed the way she’d come. “Leaf is waiting. Beth,
Sevrin, and Gerard have the mezzanine locked down, but we have to move
fast. Gerard can only handle so much.”
We fell into line behind her, moving at a fast clip. The racket intensified
the closer we came, and the rumbling effects of magical attacks made the
very walls shake. I tried to ignore the constant tingling of my palms and the
stirring deep inside my soul. I’d been warned, and this time, I wasn’t about
to question anyone’s wisdom. Doing so the first time had led to this mess.
 As we broke into the cavernous belly with its bridge of stone and the
mezzanine I’d taken to my mother’s dormitory, the sound of barking dogs
broke over the intense clatter. Punctuating the high-pitched, frenzied yelps
came the menacing echo of something far more vicious, more ferocious
than a pack of canines.
“Hurry!” Surana shouted over a cannonade of rock that fell from the
high ceiling. She ducked as an intense flash of white washed the through
cavern and a deafening crack split the air. “He’s set the corvits free. They’ll
shred Gerard’s company if they get that close.”
Corvits? Now wasn’t the time to ask. I suspected I didn’t really want to
know either. Instead, I doubled my pace, glancing back once over my
shoulder to check on Marcus. He lagged behind us, but he too had picked
up his stride. Kale’s weight didn’t seem to be hindering him too greatly.
At the bend in the path that led to the rope ladder, Surana came to an
abrupt halt. Her gaze sought Marcus’s, and something unspoken passed
between them. His features sharpened, anger once more flashing in his
tawny eyes. She shook her head, and then backed two paces away. In
answer, he shouldered around us all and disappeared around the bend.
When I looked back to where Surana had been, she was gone.
Another series of yellow, violet, and green flashes trumpeted a bone-
jarring explosion, and I bolted after him with Spring on my heels. We came
to a halt, all of us panting, at the bottom of the swaying ladder.
Despair punched me in the gut. No way could we get Kale up those
unsteady footholds. Not unless someone strapped him to Marcus’s back.
Even then, it might through his balance out of whack. And who knew how
much weight that ladder could support at one time? “Damn it,” I muttered.
Spring tossed me a wink. “Got it covered.” She lifted two fingers to her
lips and let out two, low whistles.
In answer, a head popped over the tall ridge above. Untamed brown hair
framed a boyish grin. He returned her whistle, then disappeared out of sight.
In the next instant, he pitched his entire body over the edge, arms and legs
flailing, as he dropped a good four feet.
My heart lodged in my throat. Too stunned to move, I gawked. What the
hell was he doing? He’d break a leg…if he was lucky.
But to my absolute astonishment, as he cleared another foot, his body
eased to a stop. He hovered, mid-air, his hair blowing around his head as if
some breeze flooded up from the bottom of the cavern. He let out a laugh,
as if he was actually enjoying the situation.
When my shock wore off, the soft sound of someone murmuring filled
my ears. I glanced to my right, where Spring stood, her eyes closed as she
chanted beneath her breath. So that explained the breeze. But the faith Leaf
had to have in her to take such a risk… I shook my head. Must have
something to do with being twins. I couldn’t imagine ever trusting anyone
so much.
Slowly, Leaf descended until his knees dangled in front of Marcus’s
face. “I’ll take him off your hands.”
With a half-grin, Marcus passed Kale into Leaf’s outstretched arms. The
combined weight dropped Leaf even lower, and for a moment, I questioned
whether he’d manage to lift them both up. But I should have known better.
Spring’s words increased in volume, and Leaf inched upward once again.
Bit by bit, he elevated to the ridge.
When the toe of his boots touched the edge of the rock, he heaved his
body forward onto the landing. Spring broke her evidential trance and
jogged for the ladder. Marcus nudged me after her.
Behind us, the snarls and howls grew closer.
All fear I’d initially experienced over the ladder vanished as I hauled
myself up, hand-over-hand. I forced myself not to look down, not to look
up. Merely kept my eyes level, waiting for the rungs to give way to the
spikes that secured the twisty length.
When they did, I pushed up and rolled away, panting. My heart was
racing, my head in a frantic whirl, and I felt like I’d just run a marathon…
through sand. But I’d made it. We all had. And escape was just a few
hundred feet away. Judging from the surrounding silence on this higher
level, we wouldn’t have to fight our way to freedom either.
Marcus’s fingers wrapped around my wrist, and with one determined
yank, he hauled me to my feet. “Come on, ace. Let’s get the hell out of
here.”
“I couldn’t agree with you more.” For the first time in what felt like
days, a smile pulled at my mouth.
“You got him?” Marcus asked Leaf.
“Yeah. We’re good.” He strode ahead, his gait more swagger than
determined march.
 Marcus leaned in close to my ear. “He doesn’t like me much.”
I cocked an eyebrow.
But Spring cut off whatever Marcus might have said by bolting after her
brother. Marcus struck off on a jog that I struggled to keep up with. Damn
his long legs.
“Are the others coming?” I asked Spring as I caught up to her side.
“Yeah. Or they will be. I signaled to Sevrin. They know we’re out.”
“So…” I glanced around at the quiet cavern. “It’s over? We’re free?”
Her grin set off a solitary dimple in her right cheek. “It’s never over. But
for now, it’s at a lull.” She grabbed my elbow and quickened her pace.
“Come on. We need to get Kale back.”
We tracked the others down the tunnels, curving back around to the
main entrance. I couldn’t shake the surreal feeling that clung to my
shoulders. This felt too easy. Why wasn’t my uncle guarding the entrance?
Unless the camarilla had thwarted every strategy he employed—which I
assumed could be possible—he knew we wanted out. Someone should be
here waiting for us. A whole hell of a lot of someones.
But no, as we emerged from the corridor and sunlight cascaded through
the iron gates, those gates stood wide open. Not a single soul, living or
dead, lay in wait. We walked outside, into a clear blue sky and the merry
song of birds.
A shiver rolled down my spine. I tugged at Marcus’s elbow, dragging
him to a stop. “This doesn’t feel right.”
He glanced over my head at the entrance, then looked up to the
surrounding cliffs. His serious expression and the thoughtful glint in his
eyes told me he shared the same thoughts.
“Trap?” I whispered, instinctively whirling to face the entrance. My
hand fell to the dagger in the small of my back, and I took two backward
steps.
Marcus shook his head subtly. He too watched the gates. From deep
within the mines, another resounding boom shook the ground, but no
demons rushed out. No horrific beings poured down from the surrounding
rock.
Something moved inside the recessed entry, and Marcus stiffened. I
tugged the knife free, clasped it tight in front of me. Then let go as three
Tolvenar warriors jogged outside. They hurried over to Spring and Leaf,
who stood several paces away, gesturing animatedly at the entrance.
A few moments later, Gerard stumbled out, supported on the arms of
Beth and another man I didn’t recognize, but whom I presumed was Sevrin.
Gerard looked weak, but I observed no particular injury.
Not until he turned around. And when he did, I sucked in a sharp breath.
His entire back side was charred and black. Where the blackened edges of
his burned clothing met exposed flesh, his skin was raw and bleeding.
“Jesus,” I muttered.
“Fire,” Marcus explained. “Must have got caught by a shard. Doesn’t
look bad enough to be an orb.”
“Doesn’t look bad enough?” My voice rose incredulously. “It’s a
miracle he’s walking.”
Marcus shook his head. “He’s seen worse. Much worse.”
I shuddered again. But before I could say anything more, Beth turned,
and her stare locked on me. Her eyes narrowed. Her chin lifted. And her
mouth tightened into a severe, harsh line.
She marched past the camarilla members surrounding her on a direct
trajectory toward me.
Halfway across the entrance of the mine, a blast of thick shadows
knocked her to the ground.
Chaos erupted.
Shouts broke out as the camarilla members tried to regroup. From the
mines, thundering footsteps echoed. Marcus jerked me sideways, half-
dragging me toward the cover of an overhanging rock. He shoved me
roughly under, then bolted to where Leaf had laid Kale on the ground. As
Leaf rushed forward, side-by-side with Spring, hurrying to Beth’s
unmoving form, an array of color wove through their fingertips.
Marcus scooped Kale up, dashed back to where I crouched, and placed
him by my feet. “Stay put.”
With that, he charged into the growing nucleus of attack. I lost sight of
him as a dozen or more ghostly specters poured from the mine entrance.
I would have stayed. I wouldn’t have moved, and would have been all
too happy to let the others handle fighting given my weakened state. But
Marcus’s order proved impossible. On the specters’ heels—granted, they
didn’t really have any—a big hairy thing that looked like a rhino had its
way with a dog, charged from the mine entrance. It made a lumbering right
turn…and headed straight for me.
“Shit,” I mumbled beneath my breath.
Scrambling sideways, I clutched my knife in a death grip. I might not be
able to fight the damned thing, but I could distract it until someone else
could. If nothing else, I could divert it from Kale.
From ten feet away, it leapt into the air.
Dumbstruck, I gaped. That kind of creature was not supposed to have
incredible agility. Physics would never allow it.
As it’s massive shadow descended over me, I shook off my stupor and
managed to hurl myself sideways. My shoulder hit the ground, jarring the
air of my lungs. Gasping, I rolled.
Two fat paws pinned my left arm to the ground.
Something wet dripped onto my face.
I looked up, into fat jowls and razor-sharp teeth that were exposed in a
vicious snarl. Fuck me.
I had to get up. Up on my feet. Protect my neck. Get this damned beast
off me!
Instinct claimed me. There was no skill, no strategy. I struck. I slashed.
Whatever I could connect with. I didn’t feel the blood fall on my skin.
Didn’t taste it when it splattered across my mouth. All I knew was that if I
didn’t get out from under this beast, I’d never get up again.
Teeth raked across my arm, scored in deep. I cried out against the pain.
Twisting the best I could, I jerked the knife across my body and drove it
down hard on the creature’s snout. Bone grated against the blade. It recoiled
with a combined yelp and growl.
Before it could rush in and grab me again, I scrambled another foot
sideways and managed to set one knee on the ground.
But I was too slow. Or maybe it was too fast. As I pushed to my feet, it
lunged for my knees. The impact drove me backward once more, landing
me flat on the dirt. Only this time, I held distinct advantage.
The beast’s own momentum had worked against it. Instead of the teeth
and thick skull that hovered over me before, I stared into the soft underside
of its massive belly. Just above my head, its ribs spread like an umbrella.
I summoned every bit of strength I possessed and shoved the knife just
beneath its breastbone. Blood gushed forth, pouring down my hand and
making my fingers slick. The creature arched backward, an enraged growl
tearing from its throat. But I pushed again, thrusting my knife in another
few inches.
With a drawn-out, echoing groan, it went still.
Time slowed to a crawl, though only seconds passed. But in that slight
fraction, I realized if I didn’t move, three hundred pounds or more would
come crashing onto me. I reached down deep for my remaining strength,
brought my feet up, and shoved them into its belly. At the same time I arced
my body sideways, and when the creature collapsed, only one leg remained
beneath it.
I huffed out a hard breath and dropped the knife. For several seconds, I
allowed myself to just sit and decompress, let my heart slow down and the
adrenaline pass. But the sounds of fighting intruded on my sense of victory,
and gradually I lifted my head to take stock of my surroundings. Marcus
battled it out, hand-to-hand, with a decomposing man who reminded me of
the guards. Spring and Leaf fought beside each other, both clearly
overtaking some creature whose face pulled back in the same frightful way
my mother’s had. I couldn’t see Beth, or Gerard, or any of the others, but a
dust-cloud in the center of the clearing indicated a melee.
I looked to where I’d left Kale and let out another relieved breath to find
him still lying beneath the rocky cover, seemingly undiscovered.
With no immediate threat lurking nearby, I tugged on my leg, intending
to go back to Kale as Marcus had ordered. But no matter how I twisted and
pushed, my foot was stuck fast. Lodged beneath hide as thick as an
elephant’s and as hairy as Sheepdog. Three hundred pounds had been an
underestimate—the thing weighed an easy ton.
“Son…of a…bitch!” I swore between each futile jerk to dislodge my
foot, then gave up and thumped a fist on its lifeless body. From knee down,
I was pinned to the ground. The only option would be to somehow get
Marcus’s attention. He was closest to me.
I maneuvered myself onto my good leg, lifting up the best I could so he
might see me over the hulking carcass. I watched the flash of his knife, the
fluid way he arced his arm, somehow managing to deflect his attacker’s
blows while still managing to land a few well-timed strikes of his own.
It was over in minutes. He jerked his arm, twisted his elbow just-so, and
sank the long blade into his opponent’s jugular. As the body dropped,
Marcus shoved it away.
I opened my mouth to call out to him. But movement in my peripheral
vision drew my attention. I turned, and my blood ran cold.
Standing just outside the entrance, my uncle lifted his hands skyward.
Lightning crackled from the cloudless sky, reaching down to fill his
fingertips and illuminate the length of his arms. He curled his palms toward
each other in a gesture I immediately recognized—gathering the energy.
“Marcus!” I shouted.
He marched toward the cluster of combatants, clearly not hearing me.
Panic infused me. I jerked on my leg, desperate now to gain my
freedom. I had to do something. Warn them. I was the only one who
evidently had seen him appear.
He drew his hands down, focused them on the center of the melee.
Electricity jumped off his fingers, bounced between his palms. It formed an
orb more dense than any I’d encountered. More power than I’d seen even
Kale summon.
More power than the red-gold energy I called that sent the ginormous
demon to another plane.
“Marcus!” I bellowed again.
But he was too far away. He stepped into the fray and jabbed his knife
into a skeleton-like back. Once more, I shoved on the beast that trapped my
leg.
Across the way, my uncle turned his palms outward, tipping them so the
orb could spill free. It rolled off his hands.
“No!” Without thinking, I threw my hands in front of me. I hadn’t even
realized my own magic had risen, or so much of it. A massive field of white
fog barreled forth, surging toward the unprotected spot where my uncle
stood.
He turned. His fingers stretched toward me. Surprise crossed his face for
the briefest of instants, and then, a smile twisted his mouth.
Horrified, I stared as that blue-white orb hurtled off his hands, barreling
straight for me. The atmosphere snapped with its release, filling the clearing
with a ear-splitting crack. From the corner of my eye, I saw Marcus whip
around.
In the next instant, white-hot fire engulfed me. It seared beneath my
skin and rolled through my veins, making it feel like my blood had begun to
boil. I opened my mouth to scream, but no sound came out. My body
convulsed. Thoughts disassociated as my heart lurched into an erratic
rhythm. My back arched so severely, my leg pulled free. As the power
ripped through me, I jerked forward like a discarded rag doll.
The last thing I saw was Leaf and Spring moving forward together.
From their palms, crystalline white energy poured free in two identical
beams. Then everything went black.

OceanofPDF.com
Thirty-seven
The crackle and spit of a fire woke me from nightmares of death and dying.
I groggily opened my eyes, blinking against the unexpected light. I was
warm and comfortable. No pain radiated through my shoulder. The rest of
my body no longer seized in agony. Disoriented, I pushed to an elbow and
glanced around. I lay in the small cave Kale, Marcus, and I had occupied
the night before we entered the Yaksini mines. Blankets covered my torn
and bloody clothes, telling me I’d not dreamt the encounter with the rhino-
dog or the last confrontation with my uncle. But how had I gotten here?
What happened to everyone else?
Where was Kale?
As panic threatened to suffocate me, I pushed onto my elbows and
searched the flickering shadows for a familiar face.
Across from the fire, Marcus set a mug he’d been holding down and
started to rise. As our gaze connected, he lowered himself back onto a log.
“You’re awake,” he observed.
“How did…I get here? What happened? Where is everyone?” Kale. I
struggled to free myself from the covers. “Where’s Kale?”
“Relax.” Marcus gestured to my left then picked up his mug. “He’s here.
Everyone is reasonably okay.”
Reasonably? If that was the case, why was Kale still with us and not
back at the camarilla? I swiveled to look at him, and to my surprise, my
entire body relaxed. His bare shoulders rose and fell steadily beneath a
heavy blanket as he slumbered. His color looked much better now, almost
normal. And the sheen of perspiration that had covered his body no longer
clung to his skin.
In that split second of time, as relief flooded my veins, the entirety of
what had happened pummeled into me. He’d come after me, even when I
left him behind. He’d come to my rescue with my mother…
Oh, God. Mom. Closing my eyes to rising tears, I blocked the image of
my mother’s body. A sense of loss engulfed me for the first time. I’d found
her, only to do the unthinkable. She’d brought me into this world, and
demon or not, I’d killed her.
 To protect Kale. Who wouldn’t be fighting for his life if it weren’t for
my stubbornness.
I cleared my throat, unable to deal with the reality and turned to Marcus,
blocking it out. “What happened?” I asked again. I couldn’t dwell on the
events. If I did, they’d eat me alive.
“What do you remember?” Marcus asked quietly.
“The rhino-dog.”
“Corvit.” He wrinkled his nose. “Nasty things.”
So that’s what a corvit was. A shudder rolled through me. I never
wanted to run into one of those creatures again. I frowned, struggling to
remember. “Spring and Leaf—my uncle threw a lightning orb at me.”
Marcus nodded. “They didn’t kill him.”
No, I hadn’t suspected they might. If they were capable of destroying
him, they would have done so a long time ago. Sighing, I leaned back down
on my makeshift pallet.
“They did manage to occupy him long enough I could get you and Kale
out. Beth and Gerard made it out also. Allen retreated inside, and the rest
felt it wasn’t the best idea to pursue.”
“Beth is okay?” Despite everything, hope flooded my question. I didn’t
like her, but she had helped to rescue me. I didn’t want to be responsible for
her death.
“Yeah, she’s fine. We lost Sevrin.”
I closed my eyes to a pull of sorrow. “Leaf and Spring?” Please let them
be okay.
“Probably setting foot inside the camarilla now.”
Nodding, I opened my eyes to look at the high stone ceiling. A man had
died because of my choices. Others were injured. Kale…
I pushed upright again, twisted to face Kale, and reached out to run my
hand over his shoulder. His skin was warm to the touch. Tiny scrapes
covered what I could see, but the gashes I remembered were no longer
present.
“Did you heal him more?” So he was capable of tending Kale. But why
hadn’t he done so earlier? It didn’t make sense.
Marcus tossed a twig onto the fire. “A little. His body’s healed itself
some as well. But he needs more than he or I am capable of. Leaf’s tonic is
most likely what’s keeping him with us.”
 “Then why isn’t he with them?”
“No time. I had to get you both away. It wasn’t safe for them to follow,
not knowing if your uncle might pursue. We agreed I’d take him back to the
camarilla with you.”
Again I smoothed my hand over Kale’s shoulder, reached up and gently
brushed away the hair that clung to his stubbly cheek. My heart swelled
with emotion I hadn’t realized was possible. Every argument we’d had
seemed insignificant in the face of almost losing him. “Why can’t you heal
him?”
Marcus stared at me.
“What?” I frowned and rubbed the place where the corvit took a hunk
out of my arm. “You healed me. I ate a lightning orb, for God’s sake. He’s
just got scratches.”
As if he didn’t quite believe he’d heard me correctly, he set his mug
down by his feet and furrowed his brow. “He didn’t tell you?”
“Tell me what? He said he had a migraine.”
He muttered something unintelligible beneath his breath then shoved to
his feet and hastily began to stuff items in his heavy pack.
“What is it, Marcus? I’m fed up with secrets.”
“He didn’t have a fucking migraine, and if he’d told you the truth, he
wouldn’t be hanging onto life by a thread.”
I blinked. Twice. “What truth?”
With a muttered oath, Marcus dropped his satchel and glared at Kale.
“It’s the mines. When the Yaksini took him, they tried to turn him into what
your mother was. Gerard saved him before the final rite could be
completed. But they completed six of seven total, and his soul took
irreparable damage. A lich is controlled by its maker. When Kale gets too
close to the source of his darkness, it tries to take him over.”
My eyes widened as I turned to stare at Kale. “You mean…he’s…”
“Part lich, yes.” He snatched his satchel off the ground and once again
began stuffing items inside. “When Gerard brought him back to the
camarilla, the healers corrected what they could. They couldn’t take it all
away. That’s the magic you asked about. Dark powers. That of the undead.
They’re an eternal part of him. I’m guessing he thought he’d scare you off
if he told you.” He kicked a rock in frustration and sent it skittering across
the cave. “I can’t believe he didn’t tell you.”
 Part…lich. Part evil, demonic, creature that would be more than willing
to tear my head off and serve it to my uncle if influenced the right way.
Marcus swore again. “I wondered what had gotten into his head. Rescue
a lich? Damn it, of all people, he knows how impossible it is.” He spun and
glared at Kale. “Why the hell didn’t you tell her?”
In that instant, as I studied the dark circles under Kale’s long eyelashes,
I knew. I reached out a hand and gently stroked his cheek. “Because part of
him hoped I could succeed, and he didn’t want to seem weak.”
Coming to an abrupt halt, Marcus stared at me as if I’d grown three
heads. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Weak? Of all the asinine—” He
stopped abruptly, blinked, then gave me an incredulous look. “He’s not just
your teacher, is he? You two…”
“Yeah,” I murmured, unable to tear my gaze away from Kale. He might
very well be part lich, but though darkness lived inside him, the man I’d
come to know was nothing but divine. He’d come with me, knowing the
risk, the impossibility. He’d supported me on a quest that was doomed to
fail. And in so doing, jeopardized his own safety.
Not selfish at all. Fresh tears welled in my eyes. I blinked them back
furiously. What I’d give to have him wake up so I could tell him how wrong
I’d been.
As emotion threatened to suck me under, I sniffed hard and threw off the
covers. Marcus recovered himself and returned to packing his belongings in
a much more calm manner. After a few minutes, his chuckle drifted to my
ears. “You’re in love with that stubborn mule, aren’t you?”
My heart did another slow flip as Kale drew in a ragged breath. Again,
the vision of my mother attacking him struck. I heard the unrecognizable
roar that burst from my chest. The fury that engulfed me, stronger than the
rage my uncle could provoke…Yeah, I supposed I was in love with Kale
Norwood. But those words weren’t meant for Marcus. Someone else needed
to hear them first, if my mistakes hadn’t destroyed what we’d once been.
Instead, I asked quietly, “When do we need to leave?”
“Soon as you feel up to it.”
I dusted off my jeans and stretched. My shoulder pulled uncomfortably,
and my legs ached like I’d just ridden a hundred miles on a bicycle, but I
wasn’t going to waste another minute of Kale’s precious time. “Let’s get a
move on then. The entire camarilla will hunt me down if he doesn’t come
back.”
***
We traveled under a spell to cloak our movements that Marcus crafted.
When I asked why he hadn’t done so on the way to the mines, he explained
it took so much energy to maintain over an extended time, he hadn’t wanted
to wipe himself out before we entered my uncle’s domain. After
experiencing the drain on my system, his logic made sense.
Carrying Kale, I could have done without. While my body seemed
physically healed, after a few hours of supporting one end of his makeshift
travois, it let me know it wasn’t perfect. Aches set in with a vengeance,
forcing me to remain silent for much of the trip down to the cave I’d stayed
in the first night I met Marcus. We were close to the camarilla, but not
knowing if my uncle had creatures on our tail, and burdened with Kale, we
didn’t dare risk continuing after dusk.
Marcus wasn’t immune to the all-day journey either. By the time we
settled into the narrow space and set up for the night—my bed nowhere
near that damned beam of sunlight—Marcus looked as drained as I felt. He
sat on his blankets, his shoulders bowed, his dark eyes barely open.
“Get some rest,” I called to him as I checked on Kale once again.
He nodded, but made no move to recline. With sluggish movements, he
lifted a dried piece of jerky to his mouth and chewed slowly. Time had
come, I supposed, for me to look after him.
I went to his pack and pulled out the tin plate and what remained of his
preserved meat. I found tea leaves tucked into a leather pouch. With what
remained of the water in our jug, I took everything to the fire, found the
spears and spit we’d used that first night, and started a meager meal.
When I looked up, his smile was grateful. “Thanks.”
I nodded. My gaze strayed to Kale, who shivered under my stare. When
I squinted, I noticed goose bumps on his exposed skin. Worried, I ventured
over to him to tug the blanket to his chin, but as my knuckles brushed his
shoulder, his body heat made me draw back in alarm. “He’s got a fever.”
Marcus nodded. “It’s been coming and going.”
“Infection?” God only knew what might have been on my mother’s
claws.
 “Most likely side effects of being nearly consumed all over again.”
I let out a sigh and passed an empathetic hand over Kale’s forehead.
Guilt pulled at the base of my spine. I couldn’t shake the awareness that he
wouldn’t be suffering if I’d listened to his arguments. If I hadn’t been so
caught up in my own desires.
On pure impulse, I bent and pressed a soft kiss to his pale lips. “Don’t
leave me,” I whispered in his ear.
As the meat began to sizzle on the spit, I forced myself to leave Kale’s
side. Still caught up in my thoughts and guilt, I prepared enough for both
Marcus, and I then took the solitary tin to him. He scooted over, making
room for me to sit by his side. With the plate supported on one of each of
our knees, we ate in silence.
When we finished, I made to put up the dishes. Instead, Marcus took the
plate out of my hands and rose. “I’m not an invalid,” he offered with a
chuckle.
“No, but you should be resting.”
“So should you. You’re favoring your shoulder.”
I was? I glanced at the joint in reference. I hadn’t intentionally done so.
Marcus tucked the plate near his pack. “If you were fully trained, you’d
be recovered. The might of dragons comes with rapid healing powers.”
I couldn’t contain a sardonic scoff. “Lots of things would be different if
I were fully trained.”
“I can help you with that.” Joining me on his pallet once more, he sat
cross-legged, facing me. “My people can teach you the ancient rites.”
My breath caught. Temptation tugged hard. “Really?” I asked, a little
more hopefully than I cared for.
He nodded. “Nelwin and Tasmina would be overjoyed to meet you. And
Nelwin, especially, could tell you more about Rafini.”
A thread of disappointment pulled through me. “So you can’t do it at the
camarilla?”
Marcus gave a short laugh. “The camarilla would rather kill me than let
me inside. You saw how Leaf reacted to me. No, you’d have to come and
stay with my people.”
“For how long?”
His amusement faded with a slow shake of his head. “I don’t know. A
year or two. Maybe more? Maybe a few weeks. It depends on you.”
 A year away from Kale. A year of leaving Faye to my uncle’s care. I
closed my eyes with a grimace. “No. I can’t. Faye needs me.”
His warm hand gathered mine. “Halle, Kale told me Faye thinks you’re
dead. The whole world does.”
Unwilling to acknowledge the truth in his words, I tugged on my hand.
“I’m all she’s got. I have to protect her from my uncle. Especially now that
I know what he is and the way he threatened her.”
Marcus held on more tightly. “Listen, ace, I don’t mean to be
insensitive. But she hasn’t had you since you were kids. She’s almost a
grown woman. She’ll go to college soon, and he’s not interested in her. He
was only trying to get to you. There’s only one windwalker. She’s just a
human.”
“She’s my sister!”
“She is.” He nodded sagely, wrapping his other hand around mine as
well. “But she has to come into her own. You can’t solve all her problems.
She’s strong. She doesn’t need you.”
Ouch. That truth pricked more savagely than any physical pain I’d
experienced the last few days. I jerked my hand free with a furious shake of
my head. “I can’t leave her.”
Nor could I just walk away from Kale. Not after all this. I’d already hurt
him once, and nothing would make me readily do so again. Even if he
decided to never forgive me for running off in pursuit of something stupid, I
owed him my life.
“Halle, we all need you.” Frustration sharpened his voice. “The
camarilla can’t train you. You have a gift, and you’re the only one who can
restore the balance.”
“I can’t,” I repeated. Decided, I stood and went to my own pallet.
He pursed his lips then studied my face. “If you change your mind—”
“I won’t. Thank you, but it’s impossible.”
He expelled a heavy sigh that carried through the cavern. His blankets
rustled, and I knew he’d given up.
It was for the better really. Rafini’s journal made it clear what happened
when one accepted the windwalker path. I’d had one too many recent
brushes with death to welcome that fate. Right now, I wanted nothing more
than to fix what I’d broken with Kale and embrace the life he offered. And I
certainly didn’t want anyone else depending on me—not Marcus, not the
camarilla, and certainly not all of magickind. I wasn’t cut out for saving the
world. I couldn’t even save those who mattered the most.

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Thirty-eight
Despite being out of the path of the sunbeam, I woke at dawn’s first light.
Marcus opted to leave his things in the cave and helped ready Kale’s and
my belongings. With the same cloaking spell woven around us, we hefted
his travois through what Marcus explained was the Outerlands and into the
camarilla’s borders.
To my delighted surprise, I recognized it before Marcus pointed it out.
There were no clear lines of boundary, magical or otherwise. It was more of
a feel: the lifting of my hairs on my arms, a prickling of my skin. It
wrapped around me like stepping into a waterfall, and then blended in with
the atmosphere until it became entirely indiscernible. Strangely, that
sensation comforted more than I’d anticipated it might. It felt like…coming
home.
And there was no better homecoming gift than the healthier color that
replaced the unnatural grey pallor in Kale’s face. At first I thought I
imagined the change. But as Marcus and I trudged deeper into Tolvenar
land, there was no mistaking his cheeks weren’t as shadowed nor his lips
quite as white.
About fifty feet away from the entrance, Marcus eased his end of the
travois to the ground. “Better stop here. It’s probably best if I’m not around
when they arrive.”
“Do what?” I asked as I set my end down.
Marcus pointed at Kale. “Did you forget he hates me?”
“But I thought you guys worked that out.”
He chuckled. “We didn’t discuss it at all.”
“But the looking out for him, the talking about me, making a plan
together…” It didn’t make sense. They’d carried on like everything had
smoothed out.
Marcus rolled his shoulders and glanced down at Kale. “You take care
of him, Halle. If you need anything, I’ll be around.”
With that, he took three steps backward and blended into the trees.
I stood there listening to the rustle of leaves, watching Kale’s eyelids
twitch, and reflecting on the last few days. Marcus had known Kale wasn’t
himself. The worse Kale became, the more Marcus looked after him—albeit
in a non-smothering kind of way. No, he wouldn’t have brought up the
subject of Kale’s capture. It would have seemed like taking advantage of his
situation. He’d simply been the friend Kale needed.
Kale let out a quiet moan that jerked my attention back to him. As my
heart leapt to my throat, I dropped to my knees at his shoulder. “Kale?” I
grabbed his hand, held it tight. “Can you hear me?”
He murmured something, and his lashes fluttered.
I pressed a lingering kiss to the back of his hand. “We made it, Kale.
We’re home now.”
As his lashes finally, finally, lifted, a cold feminine voice barked behind
me.
“Kale is home. You don’t belong here.”
I whipped around to find Beth staring me down. Several feet behind her,
Gerard led a handful of men and women closer.
“It’s good to see you too, Beth,” I replied icily. “Your stepson needs
help. Thanks for asking.”
She opened her mouth but snapped it shut as Gerard limped into view
and crouched on Kale’s opposite side. Kale’s gaze slid to his father. Ever so
slightly, his mouth firmed.
“He’ll need Sephora. And Maude,” Gerard declared quietly. He placed a
hand on Kale’s shoulder and gave it an affectionate squeeze. “Welcome
back, son.” Stepping away, he signaled to the group that accompanied him.
“Take him to the healing ward.”
“No,” Kale croaked.
The sound of his voice made us all stop and stare. His gaze held mine
for a long breathtaking moment then pulled to his father’s once more. “My
room.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Kale,” Beth snapped. “You need the healers.
You’ll go where they can best tend to you.”
Kale struggled to sit upright, but the effort proved too much, and he
sagged into the travois. As two men and women each picked up one corner
of his makeshift stretcher, his gaze drifted back to mine, full of a silent plea.
It was up to me to convince them. Clearly, he lacked the strength.
“They can tend him in his room,” I blurted. “It’s what he wants.”
 “I don’t care what he wants,” Beth answered, ignoring the way Gerard
tugged on her arm to presumably lead her away. “He’ll go where he
should.”
Before I could stop my tongue, it ran away from me. I darted around in
front of the procession, effectively blocking their way. “How do you intend
to trust his decisions as the leader of this camarilla, when you can’t trust his
decisions about his own health? Or did you hope to install a puppet, Beth?”
As my anger grew over her refusal to honor such a simple request, I
marched up to Gerard and stabbed a finger in his chest. “And what sort of
man are you to yield to her? No wonder you want Kale to lead. You can’t
say yes or no without consulting her! You heard Kale. He wants to go to his
room. He nearly died out there. Let the man have peace!”
Gerard’s face infused with hot color. Before he could respond, however,
Beth stalked up to me.
“He nearly died because of you,” she cried in outrage. “His decisions
can’t be trusted as long as you influence them!” Her energy vibrated,
warning me I was pursuing a course I’d likely regret.
I ignored the silent threat. She probably thought I was still a naïve
spellcaster, unable to feel her rising magical might. But I wasn’t that
clueless, helpless girl any more. I’d fought for my life, for Kale’s, and for
Marcus’s as well. For God’s sake, I’d killed my own mother. I would no
longer let this poor excuse for a woman try to intimidate me.
I narrowed my gaze on her and allowed the power within me to bubble
to the surface. It thrummed through my veins, delighting in the momentary
freedom.
Beth took a half-step back.
Gerard studied me, his expression intensely thoughtful.
Yeah, that’s right. I’ll knock her out of my way if I have to. I held fast to
her furious gaze, refusing to back down.
Gerard directed the men and women to proceed with a short sweep of
his arm. “Send Maude and Sephora to tend him in his room.”
As the procession marched past me, I folded my arms across my chest.
Beth brought up the rear, several feet behind Gerard. She stopped in front of
me, her voice so low only I could hear. “You think you’ve learned magic
because you can cast a few spells? You’re nothing but an ignorant little girl.
You’ll never be part of the Tolvenar, and that, I promise.” She spun away,
her long blue robe billowing out behind her.
Just who the hell did she think she was? Or rather, who did she think I
was? Someone who’d cow to her bullying? I stalked off toward the
entrance, glad she had the good sense to hurry in ahead of the others.
Because right now, if I ran into her again, I couldn’t guarantee I wouldn’t
knock her flat.
As the party lumbered up the stairs with Kale, I stomped down to my
room. Hopefully Spring had checked on Tufty—if not… I didn’t want to
think about what might have happened.
I shoved open my door to find him sitting contentedly on my couch.
When he lifted his downy head and let out a soft little quack, all my anger
seeped away. I dropped my pillow case, rushed over, and collected him in
my arms. “Hey, little buddy. I missed you. Did you miss me?”
He pecked at my nose, pulling me into giggles.
But as I stroked his tuft of feathers my amusement turned bitter sweet.
What would he do if he were his real self? This display of emotion came
from magic. A duck should be playing in the pond, not splashing in a
bathtub. I was being selfish by keeping him under a spell so I didn’t have to
be really alone. Did he remember, at all, what it was like to be free?
I dusted a kiss to the top of Tufty’s head, set him back down on the
floor, and picked the spell book up from where I’d left it on the table.
Turning to the earmarked page, I took a deep breath. I had to let him go. It
was time for me to stand on my own.
As I uttered the words, my throat tightened. I sure would miss the little
guy. God, I didn’t want to be forgotten…
I set my hand on his back as the book instructed and winced as magic
flowed through my fingertips. He cocked his head, peered at me with those
bright eyes, but nothing spectacular happened. I set the book down with a
frown. “Whatcha think? Do you feel different?”
He tipped his head in the opposite direction and chirred quietly.
Hm. Maybe it took a while to kick in.
My mind strayed to Kale. I should let him be, let him rest. Beth and
Gerard were probably hovering over him, along with a dozen healers—he
didn’t need me there too. For that matter, when he’d woken outside, he’d
said nothing to me. Not that I could blame him; I wasn’t sure I’d be
speaking to me either given my outburst in the glade. I never should have
doubted him.
Screw it. It might be selfish, but I had to see him. Had to know if he
would be okay. Because if he wasn’t…somehow I had to make it right.
He’d put himself in danger for me. Let himself be attacked because of me.
Bottled-up feeling struggled to the surface. Truth was, I just wanted to sink
into his arms and hold on for a while. Soak up his strength.
But what if he didn’t want to see me?
With a shake of my head, I dismissed hesitation. There was only one
way to find out—open myself to the rejection. I wasn’t a coward, and I
wouldn’t become one now.
I strode to the door, refusing to acknowledge the jittery nature of my
legs.
All too aware of the eyes on me as I passed the people in the courtyard,
I walked to the stairs. Did they hate me? Like Beth, did they blame me for
Kale’s injuries? Or was it merely what had been present from the start, that
I was half Yaksini?
My legs felt heavier as I trudged up the stairs. My heart knocked like it
might crack a rib. I told myself I wouldn’t drag him into a long
conversation. He needed his rest. I’d just peek in and make sure he was
doing all right. Come back later when his strength had returned.
And then suddenly his door stood before me.
I reached for the knob but a burst of fear refused to let me grasp it. What
if Beth had instructed the healers to keep me out? Could she even do that?
You’re being ridiculous. Open the damned door.
With a deep fortifying breath, I grabbed the knob and turned.
Silence greeted me, unlike the hustle and bustle I’d expected. I spotted a
young woman sitting on his couch reading a magazine. I didn’t recognize
her, but then I’d only met a handful of the camarilla. She glanced up as I
entered.
“You must be Halle.” A timid smile lighted her face.
I nodded warily, bracing for the announcement I wasn’t welcome.
“I’m Sephora.” She gestured down the hall toward his room. “Kale’s
been asking for you.”
“He has?” I cringed inwardly—did I have to sound so pathetic? “I mean,
he’s awake?”
 She nodded, her smile broadening. “Quite. In fact, if Maude hadn’t
ordered him to stay put, he’d have been looking for you already.”
Oh, wow. My gaze slid down the hall, and I nibbled on my lower lip. I
took a tentative step in that direction then stopped and turned back to her.
“Is he well or is he just being a bad patient?”
“Halle?” he barked from his room.
Sephora chortled beneath her breath. “He’s not one hundred percent, but
being here, in the camarilla, helped immensely. I did manage to drain out
some of the…darker effects…they were unable to address the first time. It
would seem the chest wounds he suffered somehow brought that poison
closer to the surface—if you will.”
“So when he heals, he’ll be stronger than he was?”
“Halle!” Kale’s voice rang with impatience.
“Yes.” Sephora giggled. “You best see what he wants. I stayed only so
he didn’t leave, and I’ll be taking my dinner now. If you need anything,
send for me.”
Heat crept into my cheeks at the obvious insinuation that she was giving
us time to be alone. I turned toward Kale’s room, trying not to give in to the
ear-to-ear grin that threatened.
When I ducked my head through the doorway, Kale shot out of the bed.
Before I could tell him to take it easy, he swept me into a bear hug. “God,”
he murmured into my hair. “I thought I’d lost you.”
“Me?” Sliding my arms around his waist, I chuckled. “You were the one
bleeding all over the floor.”
He pulled back to gaze into my eyes, and my lighthearted banter caught
in my throat. Without warning, all the fear, the heartache, the trauma I’d
experienced in the last few days surged past my barriers. Tears coursed
down my cheeks. I tucked my face into his bare chest and hung on to him
like my life depended on it.
“Shh,” he soothed, stroking my hair. “I have you, princess. I have you.”
“I killed her,” I sobbed. “I almost lost you. All this is my fault. You told
me we’d fail. You warned me not to go. But I didn’t listen. I killed her.”
Kale moved backward, slowly taking me with him until he reached the
bed. He sat on the edge of the mattress, then lifted me into his lap, cradling
me in arms that felt more heavenly than I deserved. He said nothing as I
blubbered on nonsensically, spilling all the grief I hadn’t been able to shed.
When I trembled, he held me tighter.
A handful of days ago, I would have been humiliated to break down the
way I did. But in his room, in his embrace, I felt no shame. He let me talk
until there were no more words. Until no more tears would come. Then he
held me through my broken hiccups.
When I pulled myself together to brave whatever emotion might reflect
in his eyes, he settled two fingers beneath my chin and tipped my head back
a smidgeon further.
“I love you, Halle,” he whispered.
Denying me the opportunity to respond, his mouth settled softly over
mine.

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Thirty-nine
When Kale’s lips released mine, I spluttered. “How the hell can you say
that? It’s my fault you almost died. You told me we’d fail, and I refused to
listen. People died trying to rescue us because I screwed up.”
“They chose their fate. And after what Gerard told me you did in the
end, many would choose to do so again.” He leaned back against the
pillows, carrying me with him. One strong hand stroked my hair. “It was
never you I doubted. Not in my heart. I knew what you were the moment
you showed me Rafini’s book. I just didn’t want to admit it.” He ran his
knuckles down the side of my cheek and gazed into my eyes. “Not because
I might lose you, though I’d move heaven and earth to keep that from
happening. But because I’m not your equal.”
I blinked. “What? That’s insane.”
He shook his head on a heavy sigh. “You saw my weakness. I can’t
overcome it. I can’t lead the camarilla when I’m chained within its
boundaries. I failed you, far more than you could ever fail any one of us.”
“No,” I murmured emphatically. Framing his face between my palms, I
gazed into his eyes. “That’s not true. Everyone sees what I do, Kale. So you
can’t go into Yaksini territory. I don’t see Gerard ordering warriors there, or
him taking the fight to Allen.”
“He used to.” A shadow fell over Kale’s face, and his gaze slid to the
wall. “I’m the reason his powers faded.”
“Oh, Kale…” This was insane—how could he think so wrongly? He
was strong, courageous, damn near perfect. Not knowing what to say, I
scooted up his chest and drew him into a tender kiss.
His tongue tangled lazily with mine, but the way his fingers rested
gently at my waist told me he held himself back. That self-restraint
infuriated me. He’d just told me he loved me. He couldn’t pull into a shell
now.
To force him to engage, I bit down hard on his lower lip. He grunted in
surprise and drew back, eyes wide.
I arched an eyebrow. “Well at least you felt that. I could have sworn you
were numb.” Scooting further up his chest, I caught him in another kiss.
When the tip of his tongue touched mine, I slid my palm over his pectoral.
God, how I’d missed touching him.
His hands skated up my back. Pressed me into his body. Slid down my
spine to grip my bottom. “Mm,” I murmured. I lifted to my elbows. “I
forgive you, Kale,” I whispered, “I need you to forgive me.”
Tipping my hips forward, he lifted his. “I did a long time ago.”
Arching up, he sought my mouth again. I gave it to him freely, pouring
everything I was into the kiss. His warm hands slipped beneath my shirt and
ran over my skin. Tingles swept through me down to my toes. Against the
juncture of my thighs, the hard ridge of his erection teased delightfully. I
shifted position and aligned our bodies more intimately.
Kale groaned as his body jerked. “You feel good,” he murmured against
my lips. “I’ve missed you so much.”
I rocked my hips slowly into his. “Should we be doing this?”
“Yes.” His teeth nipped the sensitive skin at the base of my ear. “We
absolutely should.”
I gave him a playful smack to the shoulder. “No, I mean with your
injuries.”
He lifted his lower body, stroking me again. “I’ll be fine.”
“You’ve said that before.” Though I lectured, I couldn’t stop from
dropping my mouth to his chest and flicking my tongue over his nipple.
Kale sucked in a sharp breath. His fingers clenched my buttocks for a
heartbeat. Then, with a push of his foot, he flipped me onto my back.
Bracing himself on his hands, he smiled. “This time, I swear it’s the truth.”
Swept away by the magic of being together, I cupped his cheek in my
palm. “I love you too, Kale,” I whispered.
His lips parted in brief surprise, and then a tender smile broke across his
face. He dipped his mouth to mine as his hand curved over the flare of my
hips. Time moved in slow motion as he removed my clothing. My eager
hands didn’t waste seconds with his. I savored the warmth radiating off his
body, the hard drum of his heart beneath my palm, and the intoxicating
scent of his skin.
We’d been through so much together. So many things I had never
dreamed would be possible. Positive, negative—I couldn’t imagine my
world without Kale. Now, he was mine, and I was his. No more barriers. No
more secrets.
 His body trembled as he glided into mine. Pleasure shot through me,
and I gasped. His low, throaty groan rumbled in my ears.
“I won’t last long,” he whispered at my shoulder.
I locked my calf around his waist and slid down the length of his
erection. “Good. Me neither.” Another burst of ecstasy pulsed through my
veins as he pushed deep within. He felt so perfect. I’d never connected with
anyone the way I did with him. It transcended the physical, merging into
something far richer, far more intangible than I could describe. And I never
wanted it to end.
We loved slowly, drawing out each slight motion each soft kiss. As if by
doing so we could somehow stop time long enough we could draw the
pleasure out forever. But we’d spent too long apart, and need refused to be
tempered. Slow and measured gave way to an urgency that sent ecstasy
crashing over us. I cried out his name. He gathered me close and murmured
mine.
Then we lay still, and I bathed in the simple pleasure of hearing his
uneven breathing. With a sated smile, I ran a hand lazily down his spine. He
rubbed his cheek against my shoulder.
“I’d do it all over again,” he said quietly.
Playing innocent, I batted my eyelashes. “Make love to me?”
“Mm.” Chuckling, he pushed off my body and rolled onto his back.
“Not exactly what I meant.” He gave into a yawn and stretched. “But now
that you mention it, yes. As soon as I wake up from a nap.”
My giddiness gave way to empathy, and I lifted onto one elbow. As I ran
my hand down the broad expanse of his chest, I asked, “You sure you’re
okay?”
“Perfect.” He closed his eyes with a smile. “Just exhausted.” He
crooked an arm around my shoulder and dragged me into his side. “I
wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Nor would I. Settling my head onto his shoulder, I tucked my knee
between his and closed my eyes.
***
Hushed voices outside Kale’s door dragged me from intangible dreams. I
rose up on both elbows and peered at the partly open entry, listening.
 “You will not, Beth,” Gerard insisted emphatically. “He’s a grown man,
and you insult me by questioning my decision to choose him as my heir. If
you take this to the council, you will bring irreversible trouble between us.”
Beth countered in a passionate whisper, “You know what she is, and that
darkness in her already controls him. Given his right mind, he would have
never let anyone convince him to go to the mines!”
“I know exactly what she is.”
“It’s her fault we lost Sevrin and Alyssus. Bartholomew is fighting for
his life in the healing ward as we speak! Where is your concern for them?”
“It is war, Beth. You cannot survive it without casualties.”
“Did you not hear her in the woods? She threatened me! The council
deserves to be informed of that alone.”
Gerard’s words became biting. “You will divide the entire camarilla!
And if you do, Kale will go with her. Who would you have lead us then?
No one knows the Yaksini like he does. For better or worse, his fate is
aligned with hers, and there is nothing you can do to stop it. Trust his
judgment as you covet his body, my dear wife.”
Beth let out an indignant squeak.
“Let that young woman prove her love for him. Let her become what he
knows she is capable of. If you cannot sense her power, you are deluding
yourself.”
A door shut firmly. Two seconds later it opened and closed again.
It’s her fault we lost Sevrin and Alyssus. Beth’s angry words pounded
through my mind, and I sank into the bed, staring at the ceiling, a heavy
weight pressing down on my chest. A few hours ago, I’d embraced the only
happiness I had ever known. Now, the full measure of what I was, what I
had done, threatened to choke me. I loved Kale; I wanted nothing more than
to live a full life at his side.
But that life didn’t come with laughter or the simplicity we found in
private moments. The Tolvenar needed him. His future wasn’t solely mine;
he belonged to the camarilla as well as me. How many would turn against
him if he stayed with me?
Maude’s warning echoed in my head. You have the power to destroy
him, and without Kale, we are nothing.
At the time I didn’t understand her meaning. Now, I did. Gerard was
right—Kale would go with me if I was forced to leave. Much as I would go
with him in a heartbeat, anywhere he asked. But if that happened, I robbed
him of his own fate. I was the perfect excuse for him to shirk the leadership
the Tolvenar so desperately needed. If I stayed, I did much the same. I
didn’t belong here. I was out of my league, surrounded by things I couldn’t
fully comprehend and had brought heartache to the camarilla. Allied with
me, Kale would never have the camarilla’s entire support. They would
come to despise him as Beth despised me.
And in my heart, I knew Maude’s warning went deeper than the fate of
the camarilla. She’d known, much as Kale had when I touched the book, the
destiny I would eventually be called to. I couldn’t deny my ancient blood
forever—even now, tucked into a bed I never wanted to leave, I felt that
essence stir restlessly. It had awakened in the forest against the giant
demon, and hadn’t fully slept yet. But I knew where the path of a
windwalker led. Even if I ignored my power, I would be hunted. More
trouble would come to Kale and his people. If I accepted my calling and
failed the journey, Kale’s love for me would shatter him. It wasn’t an
egotistical conclusion—his death would destroy me as well.
As he would eternally be my Achilles heel, I would be his.
A tear slid down my cheek. I couldn’t allow that to happen any more
than I could denounce my dragon heritage. No matter how I wished
otherwise, I didn’t belong here. Not in the camarilla, not fighting a war I
didn’t comprehend, not playing with magic in a game of life and death.
Beth was right—I was a liability. A huge, cankerous liability that would
only destroy Kale and his people unless I mastered my powers.
Hell, even Marcus was right. Faye didn’t need me. As long as my uncle
remained in the public eye as Mayor of Applegate, he would never do
anything to truly harm her. She wasn’t in jeopardy, and in a few months,
she’d be free of him. I was hanging on to her because I was too afraid to let
go. Faye didn’t belong here with me. No more than I belonged in the
camarilla.
There was only one place meant for me. One road to follow.
As quietly as I could, I edged out of the bed and collected my clothing. I
dressed, biting back gut-wrenching sobs. I couldn’t even explain—he
couldn’t go with me, and I couldn’t allow him to convince me to stay. Not
when I knew, deep in my heart, our paths were divided.
 I paused in the doorway to etch him as he was now into my memory.
Peaceful. Content. Happy.
Then, as tears filled my eyes, I turned away.
I didn’t dare stop once I left his room, though everything inside me
screamed to turn back. I took the stairs two at a time and bolted for my
room. When I darted inside, Tufty flapped his wings in alarm. I scooped
him under one arm. With the other, I snatched Rafini’s book. Halfway to the
door, I set both down and hurried to the tablet on the counter. My note was
simple, yet final all the same:

Look after Faye and remember me with a smile.

Swallowing down a hard lump in my throat, I gathered Tufty and my

book and fled, stopping only long enough to set my little buddy down at the
water’s edge. When he dove under the clear surface, I ran for the stairs.
And I didn’t stop.
Tears spilled freely down my cheeks as I bolted through the forest. They
still flowed unchecked when I stumbled into Marcus’s cave.
He startled, a spell illuminating the tips of his fingers as he jerked
upright in his pallet by the wall. Wide eyes gave way to concern, and then
his expression transformed into one of sympathetic knowing. He didn’t ask,
and for that I was grateful.
Instead, he rose to his feet and gestured at the bed. “It’s not much, but
it’s still warm. We’ll leave before dawn breaks.”
I sniffled down another sob. “Could we go now?”
His brows furrowed as he studied my face. Then, with a slow nod, he
bent and gathered the blankets.
I moved to the entrance and stared out at the dark silhouettes of trees. In
my hand, Rafini’s book pulsed with subtle energy that filled my palm. The
words I had read within echoed in my head.

It happened when the stars shone bright on a warm spring night,

when all around me was all that it should be and all that I wanted.
My child grew, safe and warm, in Ashryn’s belly. The lullaby she
sang to him danced through my ears. Its melody was bittersweet,
beautiful in lyric and note, but where it should have filled my heart
with joy, the tune drowned me in sorrow. For I realized, as I gazed
into the silvery moonlight, I would never hold that tiny fragile life.
My life was not of theirs. Theirs, not of mine.
What was required of me, demanded I confront it alone.

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Author’s Note
Thank you for reading Before the Storm! This book has been in the works
for the better part of a year—an exceedingly long time for me—and I’m so
excited to have it on the shelves now. If you enjoyed the story, one of the
best ways you can help get the word out about it and support the
forthcoming series is to leave an honest review. It only takes a few seconds,
and I’d love to hear your thoughts.
If you’d like to be part of my Street Team and receive all the news first,
please connect with me on Facebook. We have a lot of fun, you get first
peeks at all the new stuff, and occasionally there’s a prize or two.
Thanks again, and I hope to hear from you!
~Claire

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About the Author
Building on a background of fantasy game design, a fascination with history, and a lifetime love of
books, Award-Winning Author Claire Ashgrove brings to life action-filled, passionate journeys of the
heart. Her paranormal series, The Curse of the Templars, marries the history of the Knights Templar
with the chilling aspirations of the most unholy--a must-read for speculative fiction fans. For
romance fans, she also writes as the National Bestselling Author Tori St. Claire and historical
romance as Sophia Garrett.
In her non-writing time, she owns and operates Finish The Story, a full-scale editing house co-
founded with Bryan Thomas Schmidt. She lives in Missouri and enjoys cooking, studying ancient
civilizations, and spending downtime with her two sons and too-many horses, cats, and dogs.
To learn more, visit her at: claireashgrove.com or toristclaire.com. For all the latest updates look for
the Untamed Spirit blog, via any of her websites.

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 Other Claire
Ashgrove Books
The Curse of the Templars Series
Immortal Hope
Immortal Surrender
Immortal Protector
Immortal Trust
Immortal Sacrifice

Inherited Damnation Series

Cursed to Kill
Tormented by Darkness
Destined to Die
Ensnared by Blood
Fated for Sacrifice
Doomed to Torment
Enslaved by Fear
Marked for Death

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