Endless Night (Fate's Intent Book 3) (6 page)

“Shouldn’t I? I saw you with him, Adele. I saw the way he touched you and how you liked it, how he changed you.”

My building tear fell. “Please. Don’t.”

“I’ve seen how you are with him and I realized you were never that way with me. So just go. Let this continue if you think it’s better. I’m done wasting my life on you because you are not the woman I fell in love with anymore.” He tried to push his way passed me but I wouldn’t have it.

“Then where were you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Where were you? You could have stopped all of this. If you were always a step behind me than you saw me ask you to save me but—you didn’t and I thought you just didn’t care.”

“Of course I cared.” He took a step closer to me, seeming like he wanted to reach out to me but he didn’t. “And of course I wanted to be there to take you home but I couldn’t.”

“Why? If you cared, nothing would have stopped you.”

“They locked me up!” His voice was loud and I stood just trying to understand the words. “They didn’t want me to get in the way.”

“What do you mean? They who?”

“You know who they are and I’m tired of being caught up in this. I wasn’t supposed to tell you anything but I guess someone had to if you’re not thinking like Adele anymore. They’ve always known. I was commanded to tell them everything I saw and it’s been worse for me just having to say it. You may have wanted to be saved then but you sure as shit don’t now.”

The next thing I remember, the door slammed shut and he was gone.

He was right though, wasn’t he? I didn’t want to be saved but worse, my father had always known. My pulse raced and I knew I had to get to him before Ryon got the chance to tell him they were here. I wasn’t ready for that but I was ready to go.

Just as I had turned from the door, it opened again.

“You had to just ruin his night, didn’t you?”

I turned and immediately looked away from Kole’s dangerous gray eyes. “It’s not what I wanted.”

“And this isn’t what I wanted. You ready? We have to go.”

“I just have to get my shoes. Stay here. I’ll be right down.”

Kole just laughed as I walked away. He probably already knew but I was going to play this out as I have been until my father would finally say something to me. I wasn’t the only one lying this week.

“You all right?” I walked through my door and Jaylyn was right there to make sure everything was okay as usual.

“Fine.” It was a lie. “Kole’s downstairs waiting for us. We should probably think about going.”

I wanted to tell them but I didn’t want them to worry, especially when we had to leave them here. Jaylyn never would if she knew they knew.

“Are you sure you’re all right?” Zayden asked.

“Yeah, I am but he might come back. If he does, it’ll be—not good. He fought hard not to let his temper out here but he won’t do that again and I need you to do something for me.”

“Kill him?” Darius asked.

“No!” My voice snapped just for him then I turned back to Zayden, touching his arms that were crossed in front of his chest. “I need you to listen to him.”

“What?!” He dropped his arms and took a step back from my preposterous request.

I knew he was going to hate it before I said anything but he had to know the logic behind it. “Please. Just do as he says. Submit to his will and he won’t do anything so abruptly. It’ll give us time to get back.”

“I am not—”

“Zayden! It won’t be as easy as you think and I don’t want you killing him. He’s not going to come back alone. Kole will surely be with him.”

“So, you won’t be distracting him?”

“I won’t be able to. If Ryon wants things to go his way then he’ll need Kole.”

“What exactly is his gift?”

“Well, first, let me just tell you that Kole’s normal skill is mostly with a bow.”

Ruby laughed. “Yeah. He practically sleeps with the thing on.”

“No he doesn’t.” Jaylyn said.

“Okay! Enough!” I cut in. We didn’t have time for this. I took a breath when they quieted down. “Who cares if he sleeps with it? The point is, he has a flawless form and can shoot an arrow through a stone wall. So imagine what one could do to your head. If that wasn’t bad enough, Trever had to go completely out of his mind and insist on getting him a gift. Trying to narrow down what it actually is, is hard but he’s the most dangerous person you’ll ever meet. He’s the only one that can stop anything I do and that would make him your biggest threat. Don’t provoke him. If he wants to kill you, he will and there would be nothing I could do to stop him. So, please just listen and chances are they won’t think to kill you before my father gets his turn.”

“How do you know?”

I didn’t want to say it. I felt the knot growing in my throat but kept the result of it in long enough to answer. “Because I already hurt him enough. Ryon would never ever hurt me and he knows killing you would. You’re actually lucky.”

Zayden laughed. “Lucky? Yeah. I have competition the second I get here.”

“There’s no competition.” I tried to make it clear by getting right in close to him. “You’ve already won.” I even leaned in on my tiptoes and kissed him just to make him end it. “We have to go before Kole decides to come up here and he’s the one I really don’t want you meeting yet so please just be subtle and don’t give them a reason to hurt you.”

“All right. We’ll try that.”

“Thank you.” I kissed him again, ready to turn away.

“Wait, I don’t think we’re done. Isn’t there another gift we don’t know about?”

“You and us both.” Jaylyn muttered.

I laughed. “What she means is, we don’t know what it is. Trever has one too but he won’t tell us.”

“We have to guess.” Jaylyn sighed.

“Yes, well, you shouldn’t spend your time worrying about that. You probably won’t see him yet. He’s usually found wherever my father is and I really don’t want to get to that yet.”

“So, we’re just supposed to stay here?” Darius asked.

“It’s probably better if you do.” Ruby said. “We won’t be that long. We just have to show our faces under these masks to the Queen so she knows we were there and be done.”

“Shh!” Jaylyn snatched, holding up both her hands. “Kole’s coming. He must be getting impatient.”

“Well, that’s a great start. Let’s go.”

I headed for the door with her but Jaylyn’s sudden anxious voice stopped me. “You know what? You go ahead. I’ll catch up.”

I turned right around. “Oh, no you don’t. You’re coming with us.”

She took a step back. “I can’t.”

“Why not?”

She hesitated while shifting her eyes around. “I can’t be around Kole right now. If I see him, I’m going to kill him. Just go ahead and I’ll meet you there.”

I didn’t know if this was some kind of game she was playing just to get out of going at all but I knew one thing for sure, I didn’t like it. “And if you don’t—”

“I will. I promise. Just distract him so I don’t see him.”

I still didn’t like it but I knew we had to leave. I needed to get to my father. “All right but you better be a few minutes behind us.”

She nodded and I had to trust that she’d keep her word.

Chapter 11

Troy

She was still, cold with her eyes on the door. She seemed to really hate Kole and I was glad to hear it but something still seemed wrong. She didn’t even want to see him and I was worried about why, about what he could have done.

She finally turned around and shown me that smile I longed to see but it was nothing more than fake.

“I’m sorry.” She said. “This is awkward to talk about.”

“Of course I want to know.” I told her truthfully. “But I wasn’t going to ask.”

“It’s complicated—sort of. He talks and I do the worst possible thing; I listen.”

Now it all became clear. It had to do with me. Perhaps the reason she stayed away so long. He made her believe I wasn’t coming and I could see she regretted every second of it.

“None of it matters.”

I took her in my arms and she relaxed in them. “I know that but he’s going to pay.”

“From what I hear, that will be hard to do.”

She pulled away and met my eyes. “Someone has to and I’m the only one that can.”

“Really?”

We both looked and Zayden was looking very curious with his arms folded like somehow he didn’t think it was possible and I was about to think the same.

“You’ll just have to trust me. I’ll handle it.”

“Be careful.” I warned, already fearing something happening to her if she tried.

“You don’t have to worry about me but I should probably get going. They’re close.”

“Okay.”

She put her arms around me tightly but only hugged me for a brief moment. “Just worry about keeping yourself safe and I’ll be back as quick as I can.”

I nodded and just like that she was gone and we were left alone.

“Great to see you again.” Darius said.

I laughed only for the humor I found in seeing her for what seemed like a mere minute. “It was.”

“You know what he told her?”

“Isn’t it obvious? That I wasn’t coming.”

“Well, I don’t think it matters.” Zayden said. “The point is they know we’re here and I’m sure they don’t like it.”

“Let them come.” Darius replied. “Something tells me they already planned for this.”

The room was silent and I was thinking of all the possible outcomes. If they really planned this, they were the ones to know what would happen next. All we could do now was wait for it to happen.

Chapter 12

Adele

“So, what’s our look?” Kole asked. “Happy?”

My eyes rolled. I didn’t want to be here and him joking about it didn’t help. “If you can act like it. I’ll be fighting to put on my mask.”

He laughed. “All right. Pleasant to be here, it is.”

We approached the ballroom and Ruby got to slip in a more private way like the lucky girl she is while I had to suffer through this public entrance. There were tons of people here tonight, talking with food and drink. Noise level was high and everyone seemed to be in a good mood. Everyone but me.

“I know.” Kole said. “It’s awful but we can make it. Here. I have your actual mask.”

He held his hand out to me and an elegant black mask appeared in his hand with black feathers to match, well—us.

“Thanks.” I took it and put it on. “Why did I agree to this?”

Kole laughed, finding amusement in my misery. “I doubt you did and I have something else.”

“What?”

“So your father can recognize you. He said you’d know what it is.”

He pulled a pouch from his pocket and handed it to me. Curious, I opened it and pulled out a silver chain that had a large tear drop stone hung on it. It sparkled many colors from the light. I could see myself in it and he was right. I did know what it was.

“This was my mother’s.”

He looked down at it like he was seeing it for the first time and paused there while examining it. “Really? This stone—”

“It’s very rare.” I said, snatching it from him. “There are only two known in the world.”

“No. Let me see it.” I held it out but made sure it stayed in my hand. “I’ve seen this before.”

“Couldn’t have. My father locked it away when my mother died.”

“No. It wasn’t like this. It was this shape but it was smaller.”

My eyes widened. “You’ve seen the other one? When? Where?”

He paused, maybe thinking if he was going to tell me at all. “Never mind. Forget it. Maybe it was this one.”

Now I didn’t know if he was telling the truth or trying to hide it from me.

“We should just go. The sooner you get in there, the sooner you can leave.”

“All right.” I took a long breath while putting the necklace on and we stepped in, me holding Kole’s arm for appearances.

People instantly started to notice. It was like everyone stopped just so they could look. It was one of the worst things about doing this. Small pleasant greetings were made as we walked through the ballroom but I felt like all eyes were on me; judging through their masks.

I was grateful when I spotted my father standing with the other military leaders, holding a glass of wine. He wasn’t too unnoticeable. It was a military outfit that only the General could wear.

We approached him from behind and everyone else around him saw us coming. They stopped talking just to look.

“What?” My father looked back as well and saw me making my way to him. He smiled and became overwhelmed to see me like he was glad I actually came. “You made it and wore it.”