Captive Beauty: Harem of Redemption 1, page 14
“It started right before I turned twenty-two and Orion was ten,” I began. “Mom fell sick, very suddenly, and passed away. Our dad died when I was a teenager, and we don’t have any other family.” I licked my lips. “Right after my mom’s funeral, I received the first note from my stalker.”
“Stalker?” Lucas growled the word.
I nodded. “That’s what I call him. He’s both a guardian angel and a murdering creep all rolled into one.”
“How so?” Zane asked.
“Well, the first note said to run or I’d die, and that he killed my mom. Since then, the notes have arrived with warnings, or threats, depending on how you look at it. Soon after, the hunters would find us.” I sucked in a breath. “Anyway, I took the stalker’s advice and ran with Orion. He was so young and didn’t fully understand what was going on. I went to my college dorm to get help from my best friend Claire, and her family. But my stalker, I think, beat me to her, killed her, and left a message warning me against seeking help from others. Since then…we’ve been hopping from city to city around the country. The stalker and hunters always find us, no matter how far away we go, however random the city I choose next.”
Zane stroked his thumb across his bottom lip. “Do you think this stalker is one of the hunters?”
“I don’t know. Why warn me that the hunters are coming if he’s a hunter himself?”
“You’re right, that makes no sense.” Zane swept a hand over his dreads. “But your stalker has inside information on those who want you dead.”
Lucas said, “A third party spy or assassin that’s gone soft on Emma?”
I shook my head. “Why kill my mother, admit to it, then spend the next almost eight years protecting me? I don’t get it. I don’t even know why these people are after us.”
“Have you tried to communicate with them?” Cade asked.
“Yeah. Once or twice.” I let out a humorless laugh. “The first time resulted in a bullet to my shoulder, the second opened my stomach and I almost died.” I skimmed my palm over my abdomen. “After that, I gave up. They show up and I run. End of story.”
Though I had several more scars to show that I was too slow in my escape at times.
“Tell us about them,” Zane said. “All the details you can recall.”
“They wear black leather.” I shivered, bringing up the memory of last night. “I know they’re witches because they all have wands, as well as other weapons. I’ve never seen any of their faces. They’re always obscured by magic or, like last night, wearing helmets. It’s always more than one who shows up to kill us.”
“Anything else?” Zane leaned forward, elbows on his desk. “Every little detail is important.”
I searched my memory. “I don’t know anything else. I’m not even sure how they track us down. All I’m sure of is, they’ll kill you to get to me. They’ve done it before and they’ll do it again.”
Lucas huffed. “We’re not that easy to kill.”
“I thought you hated us,” Cade said, his lip curled. “Why do you care?”
“I… I don’t want any more blood on my hands.” I gazed into his stormy eyes. “People have died trying to protect me. I won’t let it happen again. Which is why I need to leave. Now.”
“You want out so our deaths aren’t on your conscience.” Cade’s features hardened. “Fine. Leave. I knew you’d only bring us more trouble.”
I opened my mouth to retaliate, but what he’d said was only fair. Trouble is what I’d brought them.
Zane spoke, recapturing my attention. “You’re not leaving and that’s final.”
“Why? Why won’t you let me go?” I gritted my teeth.
“Because you belong to us.” Zane’s gaze heated. “We protect what is ours. You are ours and there’s no changing that.”
“You would die to keep me?” I frowned at him in confusion. “Why? I guarantee I’m more trouble than I’m worth.”
Lucas caught my eye, an intensity lingered in his gaze. “You have no idea what you’re worth.”
I glanced at the three of them. Why was I a prize worth risking their lives over? Again, the feeling that there was a greater mystery here surfaced. Was I the key to something they needed? Surely, not. I was nobody.
My jaw worked. I was so tired of being a pawn in my own life, kept in the dark about everything. The hunters wanted me dead, and I didn’t know why. My stalker seemed obsessed with warning me, and I didn’t know why. These men wanted to keep me here at all costs, and I didn’t know why. It was so fucking frustrating!
“I need answers,” I said, and three sets of jaws clenched shut. “Fine. Then go fuck yourselves.” I stood and headed for the door. I’d given them an out. If they got killed now, it was their own damn fault.
I reached for the door knob and paused, staring at my hand. The tattoo. I turned around. If they insisted on trying to protect me, they would need all the help they could get.
Lifting my hand, I pointed to the spot between my thumb and forefinger. “The guy last night had a tattoo right here. It was all black ink. A stylized V with an ouroboros around it. I’ve never seen it before. I’m not sure…”
Zane stiffened, Lucas growled, and Cade’s scowl deepened.
“You know it.” I stated, gauging from their reactions. A wave of anticipation wound up my gut. I was finally going to get another piece of the puzzle. “Who are they? Tell me.”
Cade answered, his tone flat. “5th Circle. I was right. You may as well have released Hell upon us.”
5th Circle… They’d mentioned them before. Bryon Vexx was their leader. “Why would dark witches want me dead?”
Lucas and Zane exchanged a concerned glance.
“Tell me! Damn it, I need to know.” Did they want me to beg? I would, for this information. My entire life, every decision, had been influenced by these 5th Circle people. They’d taken everything from me, and ruined Orion’s childhood. I wanted them dead. First, I needed to know who they were.
Zane stood, planting his hands on his desk. “5th Circle is an underground organization of dark witches. Their mission is to preserve the purity of the five supernatural types: Witches, werewolves, fae, vampires, and the catch all category of beast shifters for the various animal shifter types. While I believe they’ve been around for centuries, their activity took an upswing after the demise of the Tromara.”
An involuntary shudder went through me at the word Tromara. Decades ago, the Tromara had ruled the supernaturals on this continent. They feasted on the magic and souls of others to become both impossibly powerful and nearly immortal.
Every supernatural learned of our history with the Tromara at the academy, heavens forbid we ever forget their tyranny.
“Okay…” I said, shaking myself back to the present. I didn’t understand what Zane was getting at. The Tromara were all dead.
“They hunt and kill abominations,” he said. When my brow furrowed, he clarified, “Hybrids.”
A confused frown knit my brow. “There's no such thing as hybrids. I mean, the Tromara used to take from different supernatural types and mix them together, but…”
“I’m not talking about them. True hybrids exist, Emma. Natural born ones.” Zane cocked his head. “Let’s take an example of a witch and a vampire having a child. Usually, the dominant DNA will determine the child to be either a witch or a vampire—but not both. In, I’d say, ninety-nine point nine percent of such pairings, this is the case. But every so often, that point one percent results in a hybrid. A child with two active supernatural DNA types all in one person. It’s a fluke. Rare. And according to 5th Circle, a danger to us all.”
I stared at him, taking this in. “But…everyone knows hybrids don’t exist. Not as adults. It’s impossible. The academy teaches us that they would die at birth from DNA disorders. And it’s just a myth anyway.”
“For argument’s sake, let’s say that a fraction of that point one percent lives to adulthood,” Zane said. “Of course no one would know of them because 5th Circle makes sure of it. They hunt and kill hybrids.”
Suddenly, the personal implications hit me. “I’m not a hybrid. I’m a witch.”
“Mm, well, 5th Circle holds a different opinion.” Zane’s black eyes searched my face. “Do you have any idea why?”
I hugged myself. “Both my parents were witches. I can’t be a hybrid. Plus, I don’t shift into an animal or crave blood or anything. Orion…he would have been too young, since magical abilities don’t even start surfacing until the teen years.” I grasped my locket, taking comfort in the smooth metal. “So they are after me, not him,” I said to myself.
Lucas answered anyway, “It would appear so. Orion was never in danger. Only you.”
“How do you know for sure?” I bit my lip. “Orion is supposedly friends with these witches, but what if it only looks that way and they are holding him prisoner?”
“Either way,” Zane said, “they will be using him to get to you.”
“I’m not a hybrid! They’ve made a mistake.”
“Are you sure?” The vampire rounded his desk.
“I’m one hundred percent sure I’m a witch, just like my parents.”
“Well then, they’re wrong about you. Unfortunately, I don’t think 5th Circle apologizes.”
Cade’s fist slammed down on his desk. “It doesn’t matter what you are, they’ll hunt you and see you dead. They’ll kill us too for protecting an abomination.” He strode passed me to the door. “You all know my opinion,” he said and left.
I spoke up. “I agree with Cade. You should let me go. This isn’t your fight.”
Zane drew closer, his long fingers clasped my chin. “It’s too late to turn back now, sweetness.”
A tingle of electricity shot through me at his touch. I glanced around his shoulder to Lucas, who gazed at us with a wolfish glow in his eyes. No matter what, I couldn’t shake these two, could I?
But would they help me protect Orion, and seek revenge?
I roamed around the library, picking out books from several different sections. A hefty stack was piled in one arm by the time I’d finished—for now—and I narrowed my selection down to three. No pleasure reading this time, I was on a mission. One was a text on abnormal supernatural biology. Another covered the mythology of chimeras, strange creatures featuring numerous animal and human parts. The last was a history of dark witches.
After stashing the remaining books on a side table, I climbed back up to the third floor and eased into the hall. The corridor was empty and quiet except for…was that music?
I cocked my head to listen. So very faintly, the melancholy notes from a piano floated to my ears. I stepped toward the sound, which was coming from the opposite wing from my bedroom. The arm of the mansion that Lucas had said was off limits. But…someone was down there.
Books in hand, I followed the music along the hallway, then turned down another corridor which was shrouded in darkness. At the end, I barely made out a partially open door. The hinges squealed as I pulled, revealing a narrow staircase that wound upward to… The attic.
Each step creaked as I climbed, but the music continued. Tiny beams of light spilled through cracks and illuminated the dust particles floating in the air. The sound grew louder as I emerged into an attic space surrounded by trunks and old furniture. A passage had been made through the mess, leading to a wide open space.
There stood a magnificent grand piano, with Cade sitting at it, his profile in view.
My mouth dropped open. Never in a million years would I suspect the cruel-eyed fae to play so beautifully. Light filtered in around him, making his pale blond hair glow. His eyes were closed and his features contorted in deep concentration—or perhaps pain. The scene was eerily beautiful. He was beautiful.
At that moment, I knew I was invading his privacy. That I shouldn’t be here. Shouldn’t see him like this—vulnerable.
I took one step backward and the floorboard groaned, spiking my panic. The music stopped with a couple of fumbled notes. Cade’s head turned, and even from here, I knew there was rage in his stormy eyes.
“I’m sorry—” I started.
He roared, gaining his feet and coming at me so fast I stumbled backward into a tall trunk. Cade pinned me in place with his body. He stooped to stare me in the face, his features twisted in anger.
“What the fuck are you doing up here?” He glared.
“I-I—”
“Don’t fucking stutter!” He lashed out, toppling the stack of boxes beside my head. They crashed to the floor. “You just can’t help yourself, can you? Always poking your nose where it doesn’t belong.” He leaned closer. “You may have my brothers under your seductive spell, but I see you for what you truly are. I’ve been inside your mind, remember? You’re nothing but trouble. A selfish bitch who will do anything to save her own hide. You bend men to your will.”
His words lit the fire of my temper. I glared back at him. “Do I? I think you’re just jealous because you’re not one of them.” I shoved his shoulder with my free hand, but he didn’t budge. “I think you’re just scared and lonely and—”
Cade curled his massive fingers around my throat.
“You know nothing about me,” he said in an icy tone.
I held his gaze, my anger disappearing, and extended my neck to allow him full access. He wasn’t going to kill me, of that I was sure. I said, “I know you think you’re ugly. But, Cade, your scars—”
He grimaced, his fingers squeezing my windpipe.
I croaked, “I heard you play that piano. I saw you.” The recent memory stuck out in my mind. “You hide from people.”
“You think you know me? You think you’ve seen me?” He released my throat and with both hands tore off his shirt. Shimmering silver wings appeared behind him. Though they didn’t capture my attention as much as his ruined flesh. The scars on his face joined with others at his neck, chest, and torso. Jagged white and pink stripes covered over half of his skin—so damaged that I gasped. Yet, I wanted to touch them. To trace my fingertips over each trail of knitted tissue.
My gaze wandered over each scar, from his toned abs, up to his face. What had happened to him? Fae healed from wounds. How could he have so many marks on his skin?
Who had done this to him? My body trembled with outrage.
When I didn’t speak or look away, Cade whispered, “Get. Out.”
Unable to help myself, I reached for him. “Cade…”
He flinched away, his face reddening. “Get the fuck out!”
I clutched the books to my chest and backed toward the stairs. He was trying to scare me by showing me his mutilated skin. Instead, he’d revealed his vulnerability. He’d suffered much more than I ever had. He hid behind those scars, too, and pushed people away. Why?
I fled down the staircase. In the unlit corridor, the mansion began to shake again and I braced against a wall. Another earthquake. I called bullshit.
As suddenly as it had come on, the tremors stopped. A door to my left creaked as it opened. I stepped closer and poked my head inside the room with a murmured, “Hello?”
The space was similar to Zane’s parlor, though smaller and with fewer furnishings. The far wall housed double glass doors which opened onto a balcony. There was a seating area with only three chairs. And, strangest of all, was the single round table in the middle and a double heart hourglass that stood upon it. A crimson liquid dripped from the top heart and splashed into the bottom chamber. It glowed with an unnatural crimson light.
I crept toward it, arm outstretched. It was beautiful, mesmerizing. The magic beckoned me closer, to caress the delicate glass and peer into the blood red liquid.
The door smacked against the wall, followed by a bellowed, “Don’t touch that!”
22
Cade
I snarled at Emma, placing myself between her and the enchanted hourglass. “How dare you come in here! You have no right!” I seethed. Her curiosity and disregard for our privacy was going to get us all killed. If she couldn’t control herself, I was going to have her locked in her room.
“I-I’m sorry,” she said, her eyes wide. “I didn’t mean—”
“I don’t care what you meant.” I stalked toward her with a growl, making her step back. “You never think, you just act. You could have ruined everything. Now, get out! I never want to see your face again.”
This time, she didn’t argue. She didn’t fight back. No, she ran out the door like I was the biggest, scariest monster she’d ever seen.
My chest heaved, my fists clenched as I stared at the countdown on our lives. I fell to my knees in front of the table. What was the point? We were only prolonging our agony by not destroying the hourglass and letting the enchantress take our souls.
Several pairs of footsteps sounded in the hallway. First Jace appeared, followed quickly by Zane and Lucas.
Jace asked, “Is everything okay, sir?”
I gained my feet and rounded on them. “Put your girl on a leash!” I glared at Lucas and Zane. “The next time I find her in here, she’ll wish 5th Circle had her instead.”
Lucas made to advance on me, but Zane stopped him. “We have a new lead on the enchantress,” he said. “You coming?”
“One of us needs to stay and keep that girl out of trouble, and it’s not going to be me.” I folded my arms.
Zane glanced at Lucas, then back to me. “I’ll stay.”
“Good.” I jerked my head toward the door. “Let’s go.”
Ocean waves crashed against the pale, driftwood-strewn beach. A storm brewed on the horizon, hiding the setting winter sun from view. I let my silver magic envelope the area and seek out any remaining energy from recently cast spells.
“Well?” Lucas asked from behind me.
I faced him. “Nine unique magical patterns, and none of them are our enchantress. Probably some local coven messing around down here.”
His features tightened. “This was a long trip for nothing.” He glanced up the bank to where we parked the sports car.
