Suvi's Revenge: Rowan Sisters' Trilogy Book 3 (4 page)

Mist gathered at their feet and built to surround them. An electrical current raced through his blood. The sensation was erotic and made blood surge to his shaft. He questioned whether or not his arousal had to do with witchcraft or the fact that he was connected to his mate. Embarrassed by his reaction, he tried to drop Braeden’s hand, but the magnetic pull binding them refused to let go.

Brilliant, white light emanated from their joined hands and Caine noted that a blue light streamed from between Isis and Braeden’s hands and a golden light from between Pema and Ronan’s, coloring the area. He looked down at his and Suvi’s hands and saw nothing. Clearly, the light was a result of their mating and he felt bereft that he didn’t have that with Suvi. Someday, he told himself. He would make it through this ordeal and they would be mated.

He paused in his contemplation, as a sixth sense told him that it was critical to complete the mating ritual with Suvi, sooner, rather than, later. He didn’t know why, but didn’t think it had to do with the murder he was being accused of. He shook the thought from his mind, concentrating on the matter at hand.

Images formed in the mist and he saw himself sitting with Sally on the couch behind them. They were talking and drinking wine. She threw her head back and laughed at something he’d said and instantly Caine was grateful that he had not so much as touched Sally on that evening as the events played out before them. He didn’t think his mate would have handled seeing him with another female very well. He knew that he wouldn’t have been able to handle seeing her with another male.

He continued watching and noticed a dark cloud forming behind him in the image. It was disturbing to see it so clearly now, when he hadn’t seen anything earlier in the evening. That image slowly solidified into a vampire. He was unforgettable with long, bright-red hair and bi-colored eyes against pale skin. He flashed his fangs in a snarl and threw a small dart into Caine’s neck. Caine watched his body slump forward, obviously unconscious.

Sally began screaming as the male stalked her. He backed her up against the wall by her fireplace and picked her up by the throat with one hand. He savagely bit into her neck and drank deeply. Sally fought at first, but that fight slowly dwindled until she was still. The vampire fed several minutes more before tossing her to the ground like a piece of garbage. Sneering, he picked up Caine’s slack form and dropped him across the dead human.

He walked to a nearby phone, picked it up and called the police. Before he left, he grabbed the dart from Caine’s skin. The vampire seemed completely in control of his actions and Caine wondered how he was able to drain his victim and not be in a blood-induced blackout.

The images faded, the mist dissipated and Isis picked up a knife from the table to open the circle. Suvi turned to him and he saw tears brimming in her eyes. He saw his mate’s sadness for Sally’s fate, but felt her anger and frustration. “Do you know that male? Why does he hate you so much that he would set you up to die?”

“I have never seen him before. I live a simple life and generally keep to myself. I don’t understand why this happened, but this is the break we’ve needed. This can save me. Let’s go show this to Zander, it will prove my innocence.”

Suvi’s face fell and the tears streamed down her cheeks. Her defeat was clear, but he was confused as to why. “That’s not possible. We can’t even bring him here and re-cast the spell to show him. Our magic dissolved the memory. It now becomes our word against the evidence. And, despite the fact that he considers us an ally, this won’t be enough for him to overturn the sentence. As happy as I am that fate finally brought us together, the sad fact is that now works against us. You are my mate and there isn’t
anything
I wouldn’t do to save you. And everyone knows my sisters would do anything for me…even lie.”

He stared at her as her words sunk in. They’d discovered what had happened and yet he still had no way to prove his innocence. That little sliver of hope vanished, once again leaving him helpless. His heart twisted in his chest and he suddenly couldn’t breathe. He refused to be put to an unjustly death. And, especially now that he’d found the missing half of his soul.

Pema placed her hand on Suvi’s shoulder. “This isn’t the end. We will take this information to Zander and maybe he will know who this male is. He is the king of all vampires. I promise you we will find this vampire and bring him to justice.”

It was difficult for Caine to muster any hope that Pema was right as he looked to his watch. The clock was ticking…

*****

Cele Wells watched as one more scoop of earth was tossed onto an ever growing pile of dirt. The sounds of insects and night creatures joined Marshall’s curses. She was furious that Zander and his council had the nerve to bury her daughter, Claire. No doubt those Rowan sisters had insisted that her precious baby be laid to rest so that she was forever beyond Cele’s reach.

Cele stifled the urge to hunt them down and end them once and for all. It was their fault Claire was dead in the first place. Only the fact that she needed them alive to relinquish their power to her was saving them at this point. She called her Dark power and watched as a black ball of light formed in her palm. The power rush was immense, but she wanted more. She wanted the power of three. Once she had that, she could rule all of earth, not just the Tehrex Realm.

“Why am I digging up your dead daughter?” Marshall asked, pausing and leaning on the end of the shovel. The night was dark, well past midnight and there was no artificial lighting in the realm cemetery, but her and Marshall could see clearly with their enhanced vision.

She was worried that the wards she’d disabled to get to the gravesite would be detected and quickly scanned the surrounding area to ensure they were still alone. It would not bode well for them to be discovered. “Because, vampire, that demon promised that he would bring Claire back from the dead. That is why you need to get into Zeum and steal that amulet. Surely, as one of Zander’s subjects, you can accomplish this.” Cele clenched her fists and crushed the black light, reabsorbing the magic. This vampire and his whining were testing her patience.

“It is not as easy as you think. I have no idea where Zeum is, and even if I did, I have no clue where the Triskele Amulet may be,” he groused, still not working. She couldn’t take his pathetic demeanor and pulled out her wand, pointing it at the vampire and chanted the ancient spell. Obviously, she needed to reinforce her authority over the male. She couldn’t afford for him to break free from her enchantment and gain back his control.

His back arched and his face pulled tight with his pain. After several long minutes she stopped the spell and smiled when he silently returned to his digging. With her plan back on track, she reveled in the fact that soon, all would be within her grasp.

Suvi’s mate, Caine, was going to die in less than three days and she would be devastated. She would come to Cele begging to have him brought back to life, willing to give her anything to make that happen. Those sisters of hers would easily agree to Cele’s terms to make their sister happy. Knowing how much the sisters loved one another, manipulating them was all too easy.

On the other hand, if Suvi joined with Caine and completed their mating, the triplets would be unbeatable. That was something she would never allow. She recalled feeling the additional power when the sisters had ruined her previous plans and freed that stripling. Her rage over all that had occurred that night sent black sparks shooting from her fingertips. Soon, she vowed, she’d have everything she wanted. Her daughter by her side and ultimate power.

“You had better hurry vampire, before that sun crests the horizon and you burn to a crisp.”

CHAPTER FOUR

Nausea swirled in Suvi’s stomach. Her life had been upended in a matter of hours and she no longer knew which way was up. Her body and mind were being torn in different directions. The mating compulsion was driving her crazy with unspent lust while at the same time her stomach was cramped and twisted with fear for the life of her mate. She watched the magic shimmer as they passed through the gates and were admitted to Zeum.

She prayed that Zander would believe them and have information about the red-haired vampire. They needed more evidence for Caine to walk free and she didn’t have the slightest idea where to go from here. Warm fingers curled around her hand and squeezed. The knot in her gut unfurled with the contact and she found she was able to breathe easier. The comfort from her Fated Mate soothed her like nothing else. She tried to hide her distress, but ultimately knew it was futile. Their connection that had been growing stronger with each passing second, laid bare their emotions to one another.

Ronan pulled the car under the portico and they were greeted by the majordomo, Angus, a sexy dragon shifter who ran the compound with an iron hand. She marveled at the many layers of protections the Vampire King had woven around him, with Angus being a formidable part. Her eyes widened at the male who stood behind Angus. He was taller than the dragon, but just as muscled and good-looking. His lips curved into a sinful smile that was at odds with the thoughtful expression Angus wore.

Angus approached her door and assisted her out of the car with old world elegance. “Suvi, so good to see you again, lass.” She loved his Scottish accent and almost blushed as he brought her hand to his mouth and pressed a kiss to the back of it. At the low ominous growl, she turned her head and smiled at her mate. He was as possessive as her sister’s mates were of them. “Good to see you, as well, Caine. I see that you have found your better half.” Angus winked at Suvi, his eyes twinkling with humor.

“Thank you, Angus. She is my everything,” Caine murmured and twined their fingers together.

“Let me introduce you to one of my people. This is Nate, one of my Máahes. I am training him to take my place here at Zeum. Nate, this is Suvi and her sisters, Isis and Pema and their mates, Braeden and Ronan.” Suvi was shocked to hear that Angus was leaving. As far as she knew, Angus had always been with the Vampire King and his household and she wondered how Zeum would fair without him. Somehow, she didn’t see Nate filling his shoes.

She would have asked about Angus’ departure, but Nate spoke up. “It’s a pleasure to meet all of you. I believe I’m going to enjoy it here if visitors to the compound are as beautiful as you three.” Suvi recognized a player a mile away and this male was definitely a smooth talker. She glanced at their mates and saw them scowling at Nate and she had to laugh.

“It’s nice to meet you, Nate. I’ve never met another dragon shifter aside from Angus, so I expected your magic to feel like his, but it doesn’t,” Pema replied. “Is that because you are his Máahes?”

“What is a Máahes anyway?” Isis asked before Pema had finished talking.

Nate chuckled and looked to Angus. “‘Tis a long story, but they are my warriors from my home realm of Khoth.”

“Your warriors?” Suvi couldn’t stop the question from escaping.

“Angus is the King of Cuelebre in Khoth, and as such, he leads us all,” Nate answered.

“Wow,” Suvi exclaimed, looking at the majordomo. She was shocked to hear that he was the king of dragons and from another realm.

“Nate is correct. I am King of Khoth, but that is a story for another day. I assume the unfortunate situation with Caine is what brings you here.”

“Yes, it does,” Caine interjected following the change of topic. “Is Zander waiting for us?”

“Aye, he and Bhric are in the war room. Please, follow me.” Angus turned and entered the house, the rest of them following closely behind.

“Why did it have to be
that
Prince?” Caine muttered under his breath.

“What?” she asked for clarification, even though she’d heard him clearly. He simply shook his head in response. She knew he was jealous of Bhric, but he had no reason to be. She may have enjoyed numerous trysts with the Vampire Prince, but he didn’t hold a candle to her mate.

“Don’t be jealous of him. He pales in your light,” she reassured him. She understood all too well how he would feel such an emotion. After all, when she watched the human flirting shamelessly with her mate, she couldn’t stop the green monster from rearing its head. It didn’t matter that this occurred before they had met one another. The mating made you insane with possessiveness and there was no way to deflect those emotions. Your Fated Mate carried part of your soul and was made for you and no one else, so the thought of that person being with another, past or present, was enraging.

Caine turned and the look he gave her stopped her heart. It held need, desire, love, and so much more she couldn’t discern. How could a male show such vulnerability without fear or ego? The Goddess had blessed her with the perfect mate. Surely, she wasn’t going to take him from her so soon. She clutched him to her with every ounce of urgency coursing through her. They could not fail to find the culprit and clear Caine’s name. She lifted her chin stubbornly as they entered the war room. Come hell or high water, she would convince Zander to help them.

Bhric and Zander were sitting forward in their seats with their arms folded on the large conference table, deep in conversation. They stopped talking and stood the moment they entered the room. Zander was dressed in an Armani suit while Bhric was in his fighting leathers. Suvi noted that the sight of Bhric in his leathers did not affect her like it usually did. It was unbelievable how life could change in such a short amount of time.

Zander looked pointedly at Caine and then their clasped hands. “Please, have a seat. I see you brought the witches. Does this mean you have information for me?”

Caine sat and pulled her into the chair next to him. “There have been many developments since I left your dungeons.” Caine’s gaze met hers and held for several seconds.

By the time they looked back, Zander had one of his eyebrows imperiously arched. “First, Jace was right about these talented witches being able to help. They were able to perform a spell and replay the night of the murder. We watched as I sat with Sally having some wine and a dark cloud formed before a vampire appeared. He injected me with a toxin that rendered me unconscious immediately. I didn’t see him at the time and didn’t feel the dart hit my skin.” Caine paused when Zander and Bhric’s eyes went wide and they looked sharply at each other and then at each of the room’s occupants.

“That is no’ possible. There isna a toxin that would act so fast in one of us,” Bhric uttered in denial.

“Give me all the details you can. And, describe this vampire for me.” Zander demanded.

Suvi listened as Caine related everything they had seen in the mist, unable to stop from becoming angry over the entire situation. She appreciated that Zander and Bhric listened attentively and didn’t dismiss them outright. She had seen Zander take note of their relationship and worried he may not listen.

“Och, what a bluidy fucking mess. How the hell does one of my vampires transport withoot a portal? And how did he get ahold of this drug? He never should have been awake after drinking the human past death, let alone call the police.” Zander paced the room, clearly lost in thought.

“The vampire sounds like Marshall. He is a young male, under two centuries and no’ verra powerful. He certainly shouldna be capable of producing such a powerful agent. On the surface, this proves your innocence, but I sense something else is at work here...” Zander pinned them both with his Sapphire-blue eyes. “Can you take me there and show me what you saw?”

Suvi’s heart sank at his request. He wanted to believe, like she had hoped, but he needed proof. “No, we can’t. The magic we utilized was so powerful it destroyed the memory remnants that clung to the house. And, to put this out on the table, Caine is my Fated Mate. We understand that fact places suspicion on what we are reporting, but it is the truth, nevertheless.” Tears burned in her eyes and emotion choked her. She was ready to fall to her knees and beg for her mate’s life if that’s what it took.

Zander’s eyes softened as he watched Caine react to her despair and wrap comforting arms around her shoulders. Bhric broke the tension of the moment. “Damn, another good one gone. Doona worry Suvi. It never would have worked out between us anyway.”

Caine lifted his head and glared at the vampire prince, but it was Isis who spoke up. “You’re right vamp, because she came to her senses a long time ago.”

“Ignore my
brathair
, Caine. He has no idea what tact is and uses humor as a shield. He doesna understand what happens between mates, but I assure you he will work hard to see you cleared. He really does care for your mate,” Zander disclosed.

“As long as he understands that she is mine now,” Caine growled.

“You mated ones have no sense of humor,” Bhric said shaking his head in mock disgust. Suvi didn’t buy it for a second, but also knew that Bhric meant well. “Zander is right, Suvi, we won’t just sit by and let this happen. We need to find this vampire and get this cleared so you two can live happily ever after,” he said and smiled. He was such a smart-ass, one of the things she had found so attractive about him.

“Bhric is right. Find Marshall and bring him to me alive and I will get to the bottom of this. According to his TRex profile, he works as a bartender at Confetti Too. Check with Killian aboot his schedule. Kill will be able to give you an address, too. Most importantly, congratulations on your mating. ‘Tis truly a new and exciting time for the realm.” Suvi appreciated the confidence Zander offered that she and Caine would make it through this.

Caine leaned forward, intent and determined. “I will find this male, but I get a piece of him after you are done with him. And, I want to mate Suvi, soon. I don’t want to wait. Will you perform the ceremony, Liege?”

Suvi saw the startled look in Zander’s eyes before he masked it. She guessed the king wasn’t used to being asked such things yet. “You will have your piece and I will be more than happy to mate you. I would be honored, actually. But, you are running oot of time.”

*****

“Do you see him?” Suvi asked, craning her head around as she scanned the bar again.

“No, dammit. He could be lying low to avoid scrutiny, love. It would be hard to hide the effects draining a human would have on him. It’s hard to hide when your eyes are dilated and you are jittery as hell. Anyone here would be able to feel the stain on his soul from such actions,” Caine said.

Pema set her drink down and lifted her hand, signaling Killian. “Don’t get discouraged, sis. I know this is hard for you both, but trust me, I feel the urgency, as well. I hate that you are both going through this right now. Hey, Kill,” she said as the club owner approached their table. “Has Zander spoken with you?”

Killian embraced the witches and shook the males’ hands. “It’s good to see you all. And, yes, Zander called earlier. Although, I admit I didn’t expect to see you tonight with it being so close to sunrise.”

Suvi’s temper flared. She had always been the easy-going one while Isis was the hot-head, yet she found herself snapping at even the slightest thing. “We have no choice but to be here right now. Caine doesn’t have time to wait until tomorrow night, now does he?” she spat and hated the tears that burned her eyes and threatened to spill over. She was not a crier, but along with the temper, had come the tears.

Killian rubbed his hand through his golden hair and his jade eyes reflected his empathy. “I didn’t mean to imply that you shouldn’t be here or wouldn’t be working hard to save him, only that you would be doing what you could while remaining safe from the sun.”

Caine smiled and leaned on the table. Caine was a strong, formidable male that shone with light and Suvi admired her mate’s composure under pressure. She, however, was about to come out of her skin with anxiety. “What can you tell us about him? When was he here last?”

Killian placed his hands in the pockets of his black slacks and surveyed his club. Suvi had the image of a great lion surveying all he ruled. “He is an easy going male who has never been an issue. The females seem to like him well enough and the males in the club have never had a problem with him. In fact, I’ve never seen him be aggressive. He has worked almost every night since I hired him, but called in about six days ago and hasn’t been seen or heard from since.”

He sat down on a barstool at their table. “The last night he worked I saw him in the parking lot with Cele when I was walking Kim to her car. Zander had already put out word about Cele so it shocked me to see them together. I know it was him because Marshall’s hair is hard to miss, you know. I cast a spell making myself invisible then cautiously approached them. As I got closer, I heard her speaking in a foreign tongue that I didn’t recognize. It was a harsh and rough language and as soon as she was done speaking, Marshall’s demeanor changed. Cele must have sensed my presence and she barked at him to get in her car, but there was no mistaking that it was as if he was a puppet waiting for its master. I tried to follow them…” Killian lowered his head and shook it sadly.