The sound of wood splintering and breaking dragged Saeed from sleep. The sun had risen. He felt it through every inch of his body. His limbs were heavy, his eyelids were reluctant to open. Not even the urgent plea of Cerys’s voice could rouse him.
“Saeed!”
She gave him a desperate shake and adrenaline dumped into his bloodstream. It helped him to become more aware of the chaos that erupted around them even though his body was still slow to respond.
“Rin! Wait!”
A booted foot connected squarely with Saeed’s gut and he let out a pained grunt.
“You asshole!”Cerys’s outraged shriek hurt Saeed more than a kick to his stomach ever could. They’d fallen asleep, limbs intertwined, nestled on the comforter on the floor. Saeed had meant to stay awake. He’d meant to only let her rest her eyes for a few minutes. Instead, their carelessness had invited Rin’s wrath. And Saeed was too gods-damned weak from the risen sun to do anything about it.
“I should run a stake through your faithless heart,” Rin seethed. “You think you can take her from me?” His voice escalated to a disbelieving shout. “Try it, and I will end you.”
Saeed might as well have been mired in quicksand. He rolled onto all fours and pushed himself to his knees. He’d tear out Rin’s throat with his fangs if he had to. He refused to let him take Cerys out of here. Gods, he was weak. Saeed cursed his own fallibility as his gaze met Cerys’s. Rin seized her roughly by the upper arm and hauled her against him.
“This.” He gave her a rough shake that rattled her. “Is mine.”
Saeed rocked back onto his heels. He prepared to launch himself at Rin, but as he readied to spring forward, one of the bastard’s henchmen ripped the heavy blackout drapes away from the windows. Sunlight streamed into the bedroom and Saeed’s back arched as searing pain raced along his bare arms and across his back. Blisters formed on his skin and he gritted his teeth to the point that his fangs punctured his lower lip. Rin thought to deter him with sunlight. Either that, or burn him alive. A cowardly move for someone who supposedly possessed so much inborn power.
Cerys broke from Rin’s hold and rushed toward Saeed. She bent low and grabbed the blanket they’d been sleeping on only moments before. She gave him a none too gentle shove and in his weakened state, easily toppled him to the floor. She tossed the blanket over him, effectively blocking out the sunlight that sought to burn him to a crisp. He felt her drop beside him. Her voice was muted through the thick folds of the blanket.
“Don’t come after me, Saeed. We both knew this was the only way this could end.”
The weight of her body fell away from him and Saeed’s heart clenched in his chest. A vengeful roar gathered in his throat and it ripped free with such force that it shook the walls and tore his vocal cords in the process. The chaos of Rin’s invasion died to eerie silence and Saeed was left with nothing but the sound of his own hoarse and tortured shouts.
Curse the gods-damned sun! Curse his own fucking weakness!
Saeed longed to throw the heavy weight of the blanket from his blistered and bleeding body. The pain that wracked his body was nothing compared to the pain of losing Cerys. He was a prisoner. Trapped. Confined beneath the blanket in this fucking room until the sun dipped below the horizon to set him free.
The floor fell out from under Saeed as he toppled toward unconsciousness. The Collective called, and Saeed unwillingly answered as he was sucked away from the pain and anguish of the present and thrown unmercifully into the past.
“Rinieri de Rege, meet Fiona Bain.”
Saeed raised an arm that wasn’t his as he made the introductions. He studied the delicate fae whose light eyes and fair complexion were so similar to Cerys’s. Her hair was a darker shade of auburn, every strand in its place and coiffed to perfection. She held herself with the same proud demeanor, chin held high, her shoulders thrown back, and her spine straight.
“A rare pleasure.” Rin took Fiona’s hand and placed a delicate kiss against her knuckles. “I’ve never met a true enaid dwyn before. I must say, you absolutely radiate power.”
Fiona seemed unimpressed with Rin’s gushing praise. Instead, she fixed him with a stern eye and smoothed a hand over the expensive silk fabric of the gown that clung to her hip. “Power, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder.” Fiona took a tentative step back toward Saeed and his arm came around her shoulder as though to offer reassurance.
Rin smirked. “I disagree. But of course, I’m not here to discuss the matter of power—or beauty—with you. I’m here because you’re in need of a favor, no?”
Fiona stiffened beside Saeed and the air soured with her unease. “Yes.” Her reluctant response piqued Saeed’s curiosity as much as it invoked his rage. This was the moment that would seal Cerys’s fate. The bargain, that once struck, would cost Fiona’s sister her soul. Saeed was helpless to stop it and yet, he was forced to witness it. Hell, the vampire whose memory he inhabited had facilitated it! One of his own kind had betrayed Cerys and his anger burned bright and hot.
Rin’s lips curved into a self-satisfied smile and his eyes shone with a greedy intensity that made Saeed fight to move, even an inch, toward the mage. He wanted to pummel him. Tear into his flesh with his fangs. Exact justice for every creature he’d ever exploited. His inability to do anything but watch galled him. He nearly drowned in his own helplessness.
“And what can I possibly do for a creature as powerful as you, Fiona?”
Her eyes darted to the side and her head dropped with shame. “There is a mage … whose power I need bound.”
Rin’s eyes went wide and his smile grew. This wasn’t some simple favor Fiona asked, even Saeed realized that. Up until now, Saeed had doubted Rin had any power at all. He used others for their power. If he could bind another mage, or provide the means by which to do it, he was definitely more powerful than Saeed had given him credit for.
Rin stroked his thumb along his jawline as he contemplated Fiona. “Who is this mage?”
Fiona’s scent sharpened to the point that it stifled the air and Saeed fought for a breath.
He wondered, as he reached out and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, what this vampire’s relationship to Fiona was …
“He’s a mage from the clan McAlister.”
Gods.
“I can help you.” Rin’s hungry gaze roamed over her. “For a price.”
No! The word resounded in Saeed’s mind though it refused to push past his lips. This one moment would no doubt set so many terrible things in motion, he couldn’t even contemplate the scope of it.
Saeed turned to Fiona. He took her other hand and bent his head to hers. “Are you certain this is what you want?” Finally, the voice of reason. “Rinieri de Rege isn’t the sort to be trifled with. Using one mage to fight another is dangerous.”
“I know that.” The resignation in Fiona’s tone caused Saeed’s stomach to twist into an unyielding knot. “I have no other choice.”
He let out a slow sigh before putting his lips to Fiona’s cheek. She released his hands and turned to face Rin, her demeanor once again confident and fierce. “Let’s discuss terms, then. I don’t have time to waste.”
The floor fell out from under Saeed once again and no matter how he fought to regain the memory, it slipped from his grasp. The weight of the comforter pressed down on him and he breathed in lungfuls of warm air before his mind went dark and the hold of daytime sleep overtook him. One simple bargain. Lives ruined. And Saeed had witnessed it all.
* * *
A million curses against Rin sat at the tip of Cerys’s tongue. The sight of Saeed, blistered, his skin raw and bleeding, was permanently etched into her mind and nothing she could do would scrub the image clean. Worry vibrated through her, sickened her, and constricted her chest. She could still smell the stench of burning flesh and her stomach heaved. If Rin had killed him … Gods. Cerys blew out a shaky breath. She didn’t think she’d survive the loss.
If she had her dagger right now, she’d drive it through Rin’s black heart whether he still possessed her soul or not.
He’d wrapped a sheet around her naked body before he dragged her out of Saeed’s condo. Big of him. Like that—coupled with her kicking and boisterous protests—hadn’t drawn any unnecessary attention. He’d effectively kidnapped her and didn’t give a single shit who watched as he threw her into the back seat of the Range Rover and slammed the door.
Rin jerked open the passenger side door and settled into the front seat, slamming that door as well. “You’re lucky I don’t wring your neck.”
Her indignant fire calmed under the chill of his words. Over the centuries, she’d grown complacent, but that didn’t mean Cerys didn’t remember Rin’s punishments early on in her servitude when she’d done something to anger him. She had no idea how he’d retaliate if she managed to piss him off. He might choose to hurt her … or he’d go back upstairs to Saeed and make sure he finished what he’d started.
“I almost died last night.” Cerys made sure to keep her voice as calm and level as possible. “I wouldn’t have gotten out of Breanne’s alive if it hadn’t been for Saeed.”
Rin snorted. He gave a nod to the driver and the Range Rover pulled out into traffic. “And you showed him your appreciation by fucking him?”
Crass. And meant to rattle her chain. A hot retort begged to be thrown his way but she held her tongue. “Breanne had a small army ready to defend her. If Saeed hadn’t been with me, you wouldn’t have her soul, and you sure as hell wouldn’t have me anymore.”
“So I owe him my thanks, is that it? Perhaps even an apology for introducing him to the sun this morning? And Breanne’s soul isn’t in my hand, so I don’t have anything. Yet.”
Asshole. Gods, Cerys wanted to slice the blade of her dagger across his throat and watch as he bled out. “The vessel is in my jacket pocket.”
In truth, she didn’t want to give it to him at all. Breanne was a very dangerous enemy to have, and she and Saeed had both made her shit list last night. She might not have been able to personally retaliate now that she was basically indentured to Rin, but she had equally powerful allies who would likely stop at nothing to reclaim her soul and deliver vengeance upon her enemies.
Rin seriously didn’t have an ounce of sense.
Cerys shot an angry glare Rin’s way as he dug through her jacket. He pulled the glass bottle from her pocket and examined the glowing essence inside that pulsed as though with its own heartbeat.
“I’m sure you can expect a visit from Breanne soon,” Cerys spat. And soulless or not, he should expect the bean sidhe to come with her claws bared.
“You secured Breanne’s loyalty, but she’s the least of my problems.” He did nothing to hide the sneer in his tone. “While I was waiting on you last night, I had a visit from Ian Gregor.”
Fuck.
“Here.” Rin cast a disgusted look over his shoulder as he tossed her clothes into the backseat. “Get dressed.”
She never should have let herself fall asleep last night. Saeed had softened a part of her that Cerys had hardened over centuries. He’d made her feel. Encouraged her to hope. She’d let him make promises she knew he’d never be able to keep and by letting her guard down had led them both to ruin.
“Maybe you should be glad I didn’t show up last night.” Cerys was grasping at straws at this point. Anything to deter Rin’s vengeful anger. “Especially since Gregor’s looking for me.”
“Is he?” Rin’s snide tone sent a tremor of anxiety through Cerys’s body. “That’s what Saeed wanted us to believe.”
Cerys didn’t even know why she bothered to open her mouth. Every time she tried to put a positive spin on the past twenty-four hours, Rin managed to squash it. All thoughts of modesty went to the wayside as Cerys disentangled herself from the sheet, put on her bra, and pulled her T-shirt over her head. “What in the hell are you talking about?” She’d missed out on a lot over the past eighteen hours or so. It was time to do a little catching up.
“I was too eager to trust the vampire,” Rin said. “Certainly a mistake I won’t make again.”
If he was being vague in an effort to annoy her, it was working. “Oh, but you trust Gregor? Is that it?” Seriously, if Rin was so eager to believe the calculating berserker warlord, she had no choice but to believe he’d come unhinged. “I mean, why not, right? Everyone knows berserkers are incredibly trustworthy.”
Flippant? Probably. But Cerys was past the point of caring. Rin had obviously become even more suspicious and paranoid over the years. His insatiable hunger for power might have given him the clout he craved, but it hadn’t done shit to secure him any true and honest allies. Rin owned a horde of souls and not a single one of those they belonged to were loyal to him. Cerys included. They’d all just as soon see him dead than protect him.
Rin turned to face her. His eyes narrowed, and his lip curled into a sneer. “I didn’t find Ian Gregor naked and entwined with my property this morning. Already, I trust him more than Saeed.”
Hot, acidic anger bubbled up in Cerys’s chest. She was so gods-damned sick and tired of being referred to as a possession. As though she were nothing more than some liquid asset Rin could access on a whim.
“Use me again like you did last night, Rin, and I won’t belong to you or anyone else ever again.”
Magic sparked the air and Cerys shuddered. Rin had gone centuries without expending even an ounce of his own power. Did it build and swell like water behind the dam? And what would happen once that power breached the walls of his restraint?
“Is that a threat?”
Gods, he was dense. He knew her power had a shelf life. But he was so damned blinded by his greed and inability to share his toys that he couldn’t comprehend exactly what Cerys was trying to tell him.
“Are you not listening to me, Rin?” Cerys was tired of playing nice. Tired of kissing Rin’s ass. So tired of adhering to behavior he’d spent centuries teaching her. What did it matter if she defied him? If he forced her to take one more soul, she’d likely die. If he didn’t kill her now, he’d kill her later. She might as well go out on her own terms. “I almost fucking died last night!”
Rin turned away. He seemed unconcerned, and a tremor of fear vibrated through her. Had he found another enaid dwyn to enslave? They were rare among the fae. In fact, Cerys didn’t think there were more than a handful of them in existence. Fiona might not have had any qualms about helping Rin to enslave one of her own, but Cerys wasn’t quite so unscrupulous. She was going to die one way or the other. No way would she ruin someone else’s life on her way out.
“Did Saeed bury his fangs in your flesh, Cerys?”
Rin’s tone made the act seem lurid. Something Cerys should be ashamed of. She refused to let him devalue that intimacy she’d shared with Saeed. “That’s none of your fucking business.”
Rin let out a chuff of laughter. “If he survives the sun, he’ll come after you tonight. And when he does, I’ll introduce him to the most feared slayer in his history.”
Things were quickly going from bad to worse to catastrophic. Cerys prayed Saeed had the strength to survive the sun. And at the same time, she hoped he had the good sense to get the hell out of Seattle and stay as far away from her as possible. His absence would break her. But knowing he lived would make her inevitable death a little easier. And Cerys planned to take anyone who might be a threat to Saeed along with her.