Darkest Risings (38 page)

“No!”
Marilena cried out.

“It
is his decision. It is not unfair of him to ask this.” Aldin clenched his jaw
hard.

“And
you have no more say in what I do or do not do, Mother. Remember?” Uriah
practically spit the words at her.

“Take
it easy, Uriah. We can’t blame you for your anger, but this is not the right
time to express it.” Aldin glanced at Marilena, who had slumped back on the bed
beside Ragnor.

“Mother,
you need to tell us how to bring Ragnor back,” Ashe said.

“No.
I cannot tell you until the time is right.” She shook her head.

* * * *

Marilena
watched her sons, along with Malachi and Dominic, leave the room one by one.
Her chest hurt from the pain of losing Ragnor, and the thought that she might
soon lose another child She understood Uriah’s decision, but she couldn’t bear
to think of the possible consequences.
The
consequences will be much, much worse if they don’t come into their powers.
Maybe
that was true for everyone else, but the safety of the world paled in comparison
to the loss of a child.

She
brushed her fingers over Ragnor’s chest before going to the dresser across the
room and pulling the piece of paper from it. There was a way to bring Ragnor
back, but that way was dangerous. That way required Trinidad’s blood and the
summoning of Christos. One could not be achieved unless her sons came into
their powers, and the other could not be achieved without the possibility of
suffering the wrath of an angry God.

Not
to mention, there was a short window of time in which it had to be
accomplished. If Ragnor was not brought back within ten months’ time, he would
be forever lost to her. But she could not risk her sons’ lives unless they had
the means to protect themselves properly. They would shortly have that means,
but she still balked at giving them the letter.

Ragnor
had left the decision up to her, but her instincts told her that that decision
was one that could prove detrimental if chosen wrongly. She tucked the paper
back under her clothing and closed the drawer. “Oh, Ragnor, my love. What have
you done? Why couldn’t you have forewarned me of what I was to face? I wish you
could tell me what to do now. I cannot afford to make another mistake with my
sons.”

She
laid her head over his chest and sobbed when nothingness greeted her where the
sound of the soothing beat of his heart had once been.

* * * *

“I
can’t ask that of my sister, Aldin,” Wilhemina said.

He
reached for her and pulled her to him. He gently stroked her hair as she laid
her cheek against his chest. “I’m sorry. I would never ask you to do anything
that might cause your sister or you any pain.” Aldin tried to soothe her while
mentally kicking himself in the ass.

After
several moments, she let out a long sigh. “I know. I’m just a little
overprotective where Lindsey is concerned. I can’t contemplate suggesting that
she should give Uriah a chance. She’d go ballistic on me.”

“It
was wrong of me to ask you to put in a good word for my brother.”

She
stepped back, stood on tiptoe, and kissed his chin. “No. It wasn’t wrong of
you. You love your brother. I understand that. And to be honest, I think Uriah
is a decent guy, even though he did clock me one.” She snorted.

“I
don’t find that funny in the least,” he grumbled.

“It
was an accident, Aldin. Let it go. I have.”

“It’s
hard for me to let something go that hurt you.”

She
nodded. “That’s how I feel about my sister. And while I know neither Uriah nor
any of your family other than Marilena had anything to do with hurting my
sister, Lindsey doesn’t quite view it that way.”

“Forget
this whole conversation. Okay?” He cupped her cheek. He should have never
brought the subject up. He would never ask her to convince Lindsey to go out
with Uriah, to forget what had happened to her. He’d simply thought to ask her
to put in a good word for his brother. Simply tell Lindsey that he wasn’t a bad
guy. Maybe that would help her realize that it was okay to give him a chance.
But he’d been wrong to ask that of Wilhemina.

He
loved and cherished his mate above all others, above all
anything
, and he shouldn’t have asked her to do such a thing. Uriah
had pleaded with Aldin to put a good word in for him, and Aldin had caved.
 

“I
know you only want your brother to be happy.” She blew out a puff of air, which
signaled she was agitated. “He is as much a victim in all of this as Lindsey.
To be completely honest? I believe she and Uriah make a great pair, but I can’t
be a part of that decision. She has to decide on her own whether to give him a
chance or not.”

Aldin
nodded.

“I
really hope she does. I’m worried for him. For all of you. The ritual is
tonight. Do you think he will be strong enough to handle it without Lindsey by
his side?”

“I
don’t know.” He shrugged. “It’s our only chance. I have to tell you something
else, Wilhemina, and I hope you don’t hate me for it.”

She
turned to him, eyes big with worry. Funny how she could rip him to shreds with
one look. “What?”

“After
the ritual, after we come into our powers. If the darkness starts to over take
Uriah before Trinidad has been dealt with, Lindsey will be compelled to accept
him.”

“No!
You promised!”

Her
eyes spit daggers at him, and her anger beat in waves throughout the room. “I
did not make this decision, but will not deny being a part of it. I promise
you, I will do whatever I have to in order to make sure it doesn’t come to
that. But you have to understand my family’s position on this. We cannot stop
Trinidad without our powers, and if he is not stopped, you, your sister—all of
us—will be lost. There is no choice in the matter.”

“And
what happens if Trinidad has been dealt with? What if the darkness threatens
Uriah then?”

“I
believe he will choose to end his life. He does not want Lindsey to be forced
to accept him. None of us want that. But we have no choice but to look at the
bigger picture here. All of our lives may very well depend on Lindsey accepting
Uriah as her mate.”

Wilhemina
sat on the couch, and he sat beside her, relieved when she allowed him to take
her hand. Tears glistened in her eyes, and he wished he’d never told her about
Uriah, but he could no more lie to her than not breathe. He waited, and she
finally turned to look up at him.

“I
understand the position that we are in, but we agreed to never lie to one
another so I’m going to tell you the truth. If it comes to Lindsey being forced
to accept Uriah, I do not know if I can ever forgive you for being a part of
it. Because even if you don’t do the compelling, you are a part of this family
and are playing a part in it by allowing it to happen.”

He
squeezed his eyes shut and tightened his hold on her hand before bringing her
palm to his chest and laying it over his heart. “You are my life. I swear to
you that I will do everything in my power to keep your sister from being
affected by all of this any more than she already has. Even if I have to give
my life to do it.”

She
bunched his shirt in her fist and pulled him closer. “Aldin.” She waited until
he opened his eyes and focused on her. “While I may not be able to forgive you
for such a thing, I will never stop loving you. I cannot tell you how bad it
pains me to think of your life ever being in jeopardy. I know you would never
do anything to intentionally hurt me. You are my other half and that will never
change, no matter how angry you might make me.”

“I
love you, Wilhemina.”

His
mouth crushed hers, and they frantically tore at one another’s clothes until
they were both naked and she was underneath him. He loved the way her thick,
red hair lay in wild waves around her head, forming a halo. She was perfect in
every way. He roamed her body with his eyes and rested on the small black rose
on her hip. He ran one long finger over it. “Mine.”

She
reached up and did likewise to the identical rose on his hip, which was proof
that they had been bonded, that they were mated until one of them died. “Mine
too, and I love you too,” she whispered.

As
his body sank into hers and his mouth drank in her cries of pleasure, he hoped
that Uriah could control the powers they would shortly receive. He’d have no
choice but to allow Lindsey to be compelled if it came to it. Although he
couldn’t bear the thought of such a wedge being driven between him and
Wilhemina, he could make that sacrifice if it meant she wouldn’t end up dying
at Trinidad’s hands.

“I
love the way you feel inside me.” She moaned and flexed her hips to welcome his
hard thrust.

“I
love the way I feel inside you,” he answered as he slammed into her again.

After
those endearments, there was no more room for words. Caresses and kisses said
all that needed to be said. Nothing mattered at that moment. Not the upcoming
ritual, nor the impending second round with Trinidad. All that mattered was
her, him, and the love they shared.

Uriah’s
life had been complete and utter bullshit up to this point. No innocent should
suffer hundreds of years in captivity. He snorted. No innocent should spend one
minute in prison yet it happened every day. He hadn’t been deprived. He’d been
given everything anyone could ask for…everything except family, friends, and
Lindsey.

It
had been bad enough that Marilena had kept him from his brothers, from his
father, but she’d planned to keep him from his life mate as well? That, he
could never forgive. And now, because Lindsey had suffered the same fate he
had—being kidnapped and held in captivity by Marilena—she hated him, would
probably never accept him. His one chance at true happiness had been taken from
him by the very person who should have loved him above all others.

He
understood the reasoning behind his mother’s actions, but that didn’t mean he
agreed with them or condoned them. In fact, he hated her for them. A son should
not hate his own mother, but the seething anger that slithered through his
veins every time he thought about her was consuming. He’d been willing to try
to get past what she’d done to
him
.
But after finding out about Lindsey? He’d never get past that, no matter how
hard he tried.

His
heart thumped when he thought of Lindsey’s clear gray eyes, full lips, and
long, strawberry-blonde hair. She was beyond breathtaking. She was an angel.
She was his angel. He snorted again, linking his hands with Aldin and Aiston,
who in turn, linked theirs with Ashe’s, forming a circle. The blue moon was
nearly upon them, and the completion of the ritual was at hand.

She’d
never be his angel. She’d made that bluntly clear to him. He couldn’t blame
her. Even though he’d had nothing to do with her kidnapping, she couldn’t help
but tie his whole family in with Marilena’s actions. She was an intelligent
woman, and he was sure that logically, she could differentiate between him, his
family, and his mother. But apparently, her subconscious didn’t want to play
along with logic.

She
tolerated his family only because Wilhemina was with Aldin, and agreed to stay
at the mansion until the uprising with the drifters had been dealt with to keep
her sister and herself out of harm’s way. She was forever tied to his family
whether she wanted to be or not, and Trinidad knew that. Trinidad would use
that and any other means to destroy his family. She’d never be safe again until
Trinidad was dead.

And
what of Ragnor? Marilena said there was a way to bring him back, but she’d been
instructed not to share that information just yet. Unfortunately, there was no
way to bring Conrad back. They had all gathered last night and burned his body
in the traditional ceremony of their kind. Dominic had not been himself since.

Rain
began spitting from the sky as if Mother Nature herself was condemning the
ritual about to take place. The breeze picked up, and clouds periodically
blocked out the rising moon’s light in the pitch black night.

“Are you sure about this, Uriah?”

The
concern in Ashe’s voice was evident.

“Yes.”

He
had no choice. They had no choice. He was taking a risk by completing the
ritual without being accepted by his life mate. Ragnor had warned them that
anyone not bonded would be threatened by the darkness of the overwhelming true
blood power. Without Lindsey, he was in danger of losing his marbles so to
speak.

He
took a deep breath. If it happened? So be it. He’d do his damndest to keep the
darkness at bay until they had Trinidad’s head on a platter. After that? He
refused to think about after that. Whatever would be would be, and there was no
sense dwelling on it like some whiny bitch with her panties in a bunch.

The
blue moon was finally at its peak, and Ashe nodded. Without hesitation, Uriah
sank his fangs into Aldin’s wrist, Aldin sank his into Ashe’s, Ashe sank his
into Aiston’s, and Aiston sank his into Uriah’s. There was no going back now.