The Skye Trilogy: Isle of Skye, Isle of Night, and Isle of Dawn. * Bonus: Scrumptious Skye Confections Cookbook* (30 page)

He had looked at me in grief and pity before he flew back up into the mirror. I wanted to follow him; I wanted to lie beside my friend and beg for forgiveness but suddenly my stomach felt like someone was punching me with flaming hands.

“Mathias,” I whispered in pain. Mathias was in trouble.

“Willa,” Julia said crying. “You must stay here."

But I was beyond that. I was beyond listening to reason and fortune telling. I just saw my new friend die. I was not going to see Frank, who had been nothing but kind to me since the day we met, meet the same fate.

And I sure as hell wasn’t going to lose Mathias. That was not even a remote possibility in my crazed mind.

I ignored the shouts and cries of my name as I took off down the hallway, chanting the masking spell and trying to prepare myself for what I would find. I entered a large windowless room and what I saw made me shrink inward. Mathias and Frank were fighting several Rau vampires; their figures were almost a blur of balletic motion, graceful but deadly at the same time.

I stepped back and looked down. There was a figure lying next to my feet. I bent down to take a closer look and saw a beautifully, scarred woman with cocoa brown skin and short, black hair. A few feet away lay a bag of blood just beyond her outstretched hand.

“Leona?" I whispered softly directly in her ear. “Are you all right?"

She licked her lips before shaking her head. She had pointed to the bag before she laid her head down exhausted.

I crawled over her and grabbed the bag. I looked for any kind of opening until finally I spied one but then my hands stilled. Opening a bag of magically enhanced Gypsy blood in a room full of Rau was probably not the best idea. Unfortunately, I had no choice. Leona was hurt and needed help quickly.

I offered up a short prayer for help and ripped the bag open before I placed it near her mouth. When she began to swallow, I breathed a sigh of relief. That’s when I noticed how quiet the room had become. There were about fifteen different pairs of vampire’s eyes on me, and only two of those were ones I could trust.

In an instant, Mathias and Frank were surrounded. Six vampires each held them tightly in death grips while they struggled in vain against their captors.

Out of the shadows, a tall, older, handsome man stepped out and walked slowly towards me. His hair was a dark chestnut colored with gray sprinkled throughout. His eyes, of course, were black with red pupils, and he wore an expensive dark suit that was tailored perfectly. I couldn’t help noticing that he somehow looked familiar.

“Well, hello there, and who might you be?" he asked in a deep voice that rang of British aristocracy.

Don’t say a word.
Mathias said

I stood there in silence. Not just because Mathias had told me too but because I had no idea what to say.

“Cat got your tongue my dear?" he asked. “I smell that you are human, so you have nothing to fear from us. Just tell us who you are and why you are here."

“Nobody,” I finally said as he moved closer to me.

“Nobody?" he asked, his voice rising in question near the end as continued his perusal of my face.

“I just met these guys and they asked me to come with them." I answered

Teleport NOW!
Mathias yelled

“Curious, very curious,” he said almost amused. “So you just met these men and agreed to go with them into an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town?"

“They said they needed help and it was for an important cause,” I shrugged. “They also gave me a great deal of cash."

“Ah, I see, a prostitute?" he reasoned

“No,” I said indignantly. “I’m just an American girl who got stuck here and now I have no money to get home."

“Interesting,” he said as he stared at me intently. “You wouldn’t happen to be from Yuma, Arizona would you?"

My heart started beating out of my chest. “Nope, I’ve never been there, I’m from St. Louis."

“Well let me tell you a story, Ms..?"

“Susannah." I replied without hesitation, using my former nemesis as an alias.

“Well, Susannah from St. Louis let me tell you a tale. Once upon a time there was a Gypsy Princess who fell in love with a Fae Prince...”

“What the hell is a Fae?" I asked, intending to keep up my act to the very end if need be.

“Fairies,” he answered. “So continuing, this princess and prince met and fell in love. Eventually, they ran away from the only lives they ever knew. You see their love was forbidden."

“Tragic,” I said, trying hard to look nonchalant

“Indeed. Their two kinds could not conceive children so being from royal families they knew that they would not be allowed to be together. So one night they took off, never to be heard from again."

“And your point being?" I asked

“A few weeks ago, two colleagues of mine, who have mysteriously disappeared, claim they encountered these lovers. Apparently they had adopted a human child, a girl that they named Willa."

“One of my all-time favorite names,” I said

“Yes, it’s lovely, isn’t it?"

“So is that it?" I shrugged, holding up my hands, impatiently

“I have seen paintings of Prince Cormac of Fairlia and the Princess Cecily of the Clan of Skye. You have your mother’s face but your father’s fairy eyes, Willa Cecilia McCormack."

“Look I don’t know what you're talking about...” I started to say

“Don’t play dumb with me little girl. I know who are but what I’m curious about is what exactly you are?” he said severely

I decided this little game had come to an end, and if I was going down, I was going down with a fight.

“I’m complicated." I answered sweetly. “So you know who I am.  May I ask who you are?"

He laughed. “Forgive me for not introducing myself. My name is Benedict Edmond Wulfric Worthing."

I stiffened in surprise and glanced at Mathias, who was staring at me intently.

“Oh and that fine fellow holding Mathias’s, or shall I say, my soon to be dead son’s neck is his brother, my pride and joy, Darias Worthing."

Chapter Twenty-Two

Oh, fuck, this is not good. This is not good at all. I now knew who ‘they’ were that Julia mentioned in her letter to Mathias. This was his father and brother. His father and brother whom I’m guessing weren’t on his Christmas card list.

Then the reality of what he said hit me.

“You turned your own son’s into vampires?" I asked in disgust. “Why on earth would any parent do that to their children?"

“To be with one’s family eternally is what all parent’s wish, do they not?" he asked. “I had such high hopes for Mathias, but again, he’s done nothing but disappoint me."

WILLA! TELEPORT NOW!
Mathias screamed

NO. I just watched Serena’s heart get ripped out of her chest. I am not going to let that happen to you. Let me help you.

Willa, get the fuck out of here now. That’s an order.

Ordering me around really doesn’t work well for me.

This discussion is over Willa. Go.

No. I’m sorry, but I can’t. Let me help you.

I don’t need any help. Now GO!

Really? Because from where I’m standing, things aren’t looking too good in your favor.

I’m fine. We just need a few minutes so Leona can help Frank. I will meet you in the alleyway in twenty minutes.

This conversation is going nowhere. I’m staying. Furthermore, you can’t ask for anyone better to buy you some time. Not only can I run my mouth, I’m pretty sure, I can distract him by making him royally aggravated.

Fine, Fuck! Keep him talking then. Leona is done drinking. She needs a few minutes to get her strength back.

I didn’t even respond. I was glad he didn't fight me on this too much. I was pissed off; grief stricken and my magic was bubbling up to the surface of my skin itching to get out.

I wanted to kill every Rau in this room. Mathias’s father was a good start.

“You see Willa, I offered Mathias the chance of a lifetime, and what did he do? He held on to his humanity at the last second, denying himself and me, an opportunity to be a family forever."

“Somehow I think there's more to the story than that,” I said snorting with disgust.

“I married Mathias’s mother because she was lovely, yes, but also quite wealthy. Her father had gone from being a mere peasant farmer to one of the area’s most prosperous men. After we married, and I had produced a son with Morgan, I thought Merrick would be more generous but instead he held on to the purse strings tighter."

Benedict snorted. “I was never happier than the day the old prig had a heart attack and died. He had already turned Mathias against me, but I made sure Darias would be my prodigy. Mathias was a Mama’s boy who made his grandfather so proud, but I refused to let that happen to my other son."

“Of course Mathias and Morgan conspired to keep the money to themselves, which was against the law. I was the head of the household, not a bratty, self-righteous seventeen year old. Who did they think they were? So I took what I could get my hands on right away. I cleaned out the safe, collected the rents from the villagers, and went off to London, where I would be appreciated for my status."

“The day Merrick died was one of the happiest days of my life, yes, but when Morgan died after having contracted pneumonia ten years later, I was ecstatic. That woman ruined my life. So when I came home to play the grieving husband, I also made plans to take Darias with me."

“Mathias and his poor little sister were devastated by the death of their beloved mother. Although, you would never guess by Mathias’s demeanor, he was as cold as ever. But I could see the pain that lurked in his eyes. After the funeral, he called me into his office and gave me a great sum of money to disappear from his life."

“Although his offer was meager at best, I jumped at the chance. I knew if I played my cards right I would get more out of him. So we struck a deal. Darias and I would go and never come back for twice as much money than he originally offered. He threw a bank note at me and told me to leave at once."

"We never looked back,” he said fondly. "That was until Darias and I ran into a bit of trouble at the tables. We didn’t know at the time that the gaming hell we frequented was owned by the Rau. They made us aware of it though when we ran up quite a debt. When they were going to kill us, I was scared but I was also intrigued by them. I begged for Darias’s and my lives. Pleaded with them to turn us into what they were."

“They must have seen our potential because they gave us immortality and riches beyond our wildest dreams almost immediately. Our awakening was a profound rebirth of life, and since we took to our new lives with zest, we found ourselves climbing up the ranks quickly. Not long after we started to be looked on with respect and admiration. There still was one thing that was missing though."

He paused for effect. “What was missing was all these untold riches. The Rau has no use for money; their only definition of wealth is by how much Gypsy or Fae blood they can acquire. The plan to turn Mathias into an immortal was not one built out of love, but a desire for what he would bring with him. Wealth."

“It was of course, no surprise when I found that he was engaged to the local Vicar’s daughter. I suppose she was fair but having no dowry behind her to speak of, as well as being rather sickly, I knew it was a sense of duty that prompted Mathias to take her as a bride. We travelled home the night before his wedding to talk some sense into him." he laughed

Benedict’s laughter cut through me like nails on a chalkboard. I trembled from head to toe as he continued to tell his story. A part of me was horrified by what he was saying, but another part was also morbidly curious.

“When we arrived, Mathias was out at the local pub, celebrating his last night of freedom. His sister Elizabeth met us at the door and Darias disposed of her quickly. Unfortunately though that is when Mathias came home."

I closed my eyes and tried desperately not to start crying. I sent out a small prayer for Elizabeth, who I only imagined, suffered a horrible death.

“Of course he was shocked and angry but that quickly turned to madness when I showed him what we had become and why we came. I was elated. After all these years, Mathias had finally dropped his cold, hard shell that he spent years building up around him. Finally, some of my good fiery genes broke through."

“I know the only reason he agreed to become a vampire was so he would have his revenge on us. I had hoped that when he was reborn, all those emotions would dissipate. At the last minute though, he clung to his pitiful soul, and it changed him into this. A damned Guardian of Solas."

“When I realized that he would be of no use to me, Darias and I dumped his body in a cave on our way out of town."

Benedict walked over towards Mathias. “After all these years, you have finally found us. Now look at you. Captured like a little mouse. I should have never feared you. I should have known that in the end, you would be just the same, a wimp, a little Mama’s boy who would never even hurt a fly."

Mathias just stood there with his eyes glittering with anger. I sensed his emotions coursing through his body with our link. Mathias was ready to explode, but I couldn’t let him yet because Leona wasn’t ready.

So I did what I do best. I shot off my mouth.

“So let me get this straight. You’re a gold digging scumbag who married your wife for her money. When her father realized what a pig you really are, he turned his back on you and focused his attention on his grandson because he was perfectly aware of what an absolute failure you would be as a father."

“Then when he died,” I continued. “You came back, stole some money, took off like a thief in the night and proceeded to blow a fortune on your gambling habit. Later when your wife died, instead of returning home to comfort your children, you returned with your tail between your legs, because you already had run through the money you had stolen."

“Correct me if I get any of this wrong?" I paused, addressing Benedict sarcastically.

“So you decided to take whatever you might be able to pry from Mathias, who was grieving from his Mother’s death. Oh and that’s right, money and your other son who sounds like he’s a chip off the old block, that block being called  ‘Douchebag Road’. You both left to go blow some more money and in general continue to be a waste of space that you both are. Then you get in trouble with the Rau, who, of course, saw what a perfect specimen of soullessness that they had in you and your son."

"But no, that's not enough for you. A lifetime of immoral immortality and you still had to have even more power, and more money. So you devise a plan to turn Mathias, your cash cow son, into an evil, bloodsucking vampire."

I let out a short laugh. “Not before though, you kill his baby sister and rip out her throat, and you were what? Surprised at the turn of the events? That's your brilliant plan? You don't have a clue who your son is at all if you honestly thought for one second he would ever willingly turn into someone like you."

“Do you realize if you all went on Dr. Phil., you would like, keep him on the air for the next twenty years with all your dysfunctional family drama, you sick fuck."

Benedict face was twisted in fury as he flew back over to stand in front of me. I lifted my chin up in defiance. Fuck him, let him do his worse.

“You have quite the mouth on you,” he sneered

“You should hear what’s in my head.” I answered back

Benedict stood back and peered at me. “But, again, I ask what are you? What gifts were passed to you from your parents Princess Willa?"

“Their good looks and charming personality,” I retorted

"You're not afraid." he observed rather than asked.

“Of you? No." I replied. “You’re not going to kill me. I’m far too valuable."

He smiled. “Yes you are. You’re probably the most valuable commodity ever to cross my path. I’m just not sure who I should offer you to first. Any wealthy Rau would pay a fortune for you, yes, but the Fae; however have much deeper pockets."

“A Fae Lord you mean?" I asked hoping like hell he would give up a name.

“Ah, so you are aware of him?"

“I might have heard something around the water cooler,” I replied

“I think perhaps I might keep you to myself for the time being, myself and Darias of course. When we get through with you, you’ll be begging for mercy."

“As much as I would love to be a part of your father/son tag team I’m going to have to decline."

“You have no choice Princess,” he smiled condescendingly.

“Yeah, I do." I said in a bored voice. “I have the choice to tell you to fuck off."

“I admire a woman with spunk, so I’m going to ignore your impertinence. Tell me who do you choose to die first?" he asked softly

“Umm, how about you, Father of the year?" I returned

Benedict’s laughter echoed through the silent room. Only Darias responded by smiling broadly.

“Drop your masking spell my dear and let us inhale your divine scent. You're obviously hiding it. It’s only a matter of time before I taste you."