The Unforgiven (15 page)

She walked around the pond, carving a line into the ground with the tip of her dagger to stake her claim over the sacred heart of their village. No immortal would ever have power over her again in this domain once Flame marked the gateway. After completing the circle, she dropped to one knee and summoned energy from within her soul to release fire through her blade. She touched one dagger to the dirt line. Instantly a trail of fire raced along the path she’d drawn, circling Sacred Pond, running behind the waterfall, then back around until both points connected.

A blazing ring of fire shot upward. Sitting on bent knees, she watched in awe of the power in her soul—the combined forces of a Sai Warrior and the strongest Satellite ever to roam the earth. Heat rushed through her, over her, as she felt Von’s fire join her own and seal the gate that would protect the nation she loved.

Only one imminent threat remained and Flame was determined to stop Naami from controlling Phoebe another day. Whether her daughter chose to live in the village or travel the world, at least the choice would finally be hers. Still, she had no idea if Phoebe ever wanted to know the identity of her birth mother, so Flame forced her emotions down deep. She’d promised herself that she’d never open that door unless her daughter came looking for her.

She watched the fire die and cool spray from the waterfall squelch the embers, then sprang to her feet and walked away. Keeping to the outskirts of the village, she continually scanned the area for any sign of Naami. The woman hadn’t shown her face since Flame returned.

“Hey,” she said in a soft voice upon reaching Von at their rendezvous point. She practically threw herself into his arms for a hug, then glanced at Phoebe. “You look well. I assume Von briefed you.”

“After he snatched me from the hall and took me for a wild ride, yes, he told me that you have reason to believe I am in danger.”

Flame gazed up at Von. “Thank you for getting her out in time. I was right. The Lioness was going to use Phoebe to force my hand.”

“The Supreme Lioness was going to hurt me?” Shock laced Phoebe’s voice. “I was loyal to her. In fact, just last night she granted my request to begin warrior training. Naami accomplished some brave deed and regained the council’s favor. They reinstated her as queen early this morning.”

Flame turned toward Phoebe. “I didn’t see Naami in the village. Are you sure?”

“Yes. She came into the Royal Hall before dawn, showed me the papers, and told me to gather my things, that I’d be starting training soon at a different location. Then she mentioned something about every queen needing a king, told me she’d be back, and she left.” Phoebe’s eyes shifted between them. “Von showed up minutes after Naami took off. He didn’t say much, only that you were the warrior who’d be training me and I should go with him.”

“You overheard them?” Flame looked at Von.

“Naami and I arrived at the same time. I hung in the shadows. Don’t worry, babe. If Naami had made the slightest move to take Phoebe, I’d have stopped her. I saw an easy way to get her out of the village without a fuss.”

“Smart thinking.” She smiled up at him, then shifted her attention back to Phoebe, who appeared a little confused. “There are some things you need to know about the matriarchs in our village.”

Phoebe listened with wide eyes as Flame told her everything about her journey to the Flaming Wall, Tahira’s story, the truth about Naami and the Supreme Lioness, Twilight War, and her encounters with Von and his fight to get free. She didn’t leave anything out except intimate details that a woman holds in her heart, and she carefully omitted information concerning the child she’d given up twenty years before.

Flame shared her vision for their nation, her feelings about the women there, and her vow to protect the sisterhood. When she finished, Phoebe stared back with teary eyes.

“You never knew your birth mother either?”

“Not in this world.”

“I knew Naami was misguided, but I had no idea she’d become so devious. I’m even more stunned by the Lioness. All these years, they lied to me. I asked her about my real mother but she told me that Naami was the only mother I needed to know.”

“I, too, had trouble wrapping my mind around their deception. I was nothing more than a pawn they hoped to use. The Lioness is gone. I must find and destroy Naami. She has been assigned to take you away.”

“Why?”

“They want me to break my blood-bond to Von because it makes me more powerful than them.”

“What does this have to do with me?”

Flame glanced at Von. Her heart burned to tell Phoebe the truth but unless she asked, Flame would not. Von gave her a reassuring wink.
Relax, sugar. Let’s just keep her safe
right now.
She smiled slightly with a faint nod.

“The Lioness knows that I would never let another woman suffer because of me. I was born and raised to become a true warrior. In that mindset, the cause overrides emotion. We are trained to give our lives to save others if necessary.”

“You’d give up this magnificent man just to save my life?”

“If there was no other way…I’d have no choice. I am bound by a code of honor instilled in me by the Sai Masters. However, Von and I have no intention of letting anyone come between us, which is why he slipped in and got you out of their crosshairs.”

“So you’re not really going to train me? It was a ruse?”

Flame smiled at her. “If you want to become a warrior, I’d be proud to take you in as a student.”

“Thank you!” Phoebe wrapped her in a fierce hug. “It’s all I’ve ever wanted, and to be trained by you, the most esteemed warrior of all time, is my dream come true.”

“You’re welcome.” Flame gave a light laugh over her exuberant response. “Let’s rid the village of Naami and secure the borders, then we can start your training. For now, you must watch and stay close to me or Von, okay?”

She nodded eagerly. “I won’t get in the way. I promise.”

“You could never be in the way.” Flame looked her in the eye. “We simply want to keep you alive. You mentioned Naami went somewhere.”

“I think she went looking for Raef, by her comment. I can’t think of any other man she’d want as her king…except maybe him.” Her gaze went to Von. “But I have a feeling this man is off limits to all other women, love potion or not.”

Von arched one brow. An easy smile touched his lips. “Yeah, I am. No spells or tricks can take me away from Flame. We are bound in every way and I won’t hesitate to kill anyone who tries to break that bond.”

“I kind of sensed that the first time we met. Flame has found an ideal match in you. Our nation will definitely be safer under the protection of such a duo.”

“Let’s find pretty boy and see if he knows where Naami is lurking.” Von slid a strong arm around Flame’s waist, then gave Phoebe a nod. “C’mon, little darling, prepare for a fast ride to LA.”

“Just close your eyes and don’t think,” Flame told her as Phoebe allowed Von to wrap his other arm around her. “And don’t be embarrassed if you get sick.”

A look of apprehension traversed Phoebe’s face, yet she didn’t shy away. She hung on tight to Von’s waist with one arm and gripped Flame’s hand with hers, then closed her eyes.

Flame held Phoebe’s long red braid as she retched in the bushes. The immortal trip from Shamrock to Raef’s beachfront home in LA had been a wicked one. Von wasted no time.

“Oh…I’m sorry,” she groaned. “That was eerie.”

“Don’t feel bad. I got sick my first time, too.” Flame offered her bottled water.

They waited patiently for Phoebe to regain her senses before approaching Raef’s front door, keeping her closely guarded between them. Flame rang the bell. After a second ring, the door opened. Raef’s gaze moved over them quickly.

“I was hoping you got your house back,” Flame said. “You were very generous to leave most of your estate to me.”

“I have to admit, I was shocked that it still belonged to me.”

“I’d never take your money, Raef. This is your home. I was in no hurry to sell it. As soon as the will was settled, I pulled the house off the market.”

“It was supposed to be your home, too, angel.” Sadness hung on his voice. “Thanks, though, for returning everything I left to you. I’d gladly give it all away just to have your heart again. None of this means anything without you.”

Flame fought back emotion. If only Raef hadn’t played a part in the Lioness’s scheme, if only she could find a way to make him a part of her life. She just didn’t know how to make things right with this sweetheart of a man. His increased allure hadn’t waned one bit. He was still a gorgeous tanned hard body poured into skintight denim and she loved his longer hair, his edgier appearance. Death looked good on him. Even so, weakness, any weakness in a mate, was not something she could accept. She could never love him the way she loved Von.

“You tried to sever my bond with Von. I can’t get past that. You refused to accept my love for him.”

“I was compelled by the Lioness to do her bidding. She brought me back for one purpose…to take you from Von and stop you from becoming more powerful than her.”

“You knew?” Flame blinked in surprise.

“Yeah, but I couldn’t tell you. Not because I didn’t want to, I just couldn’t seem to utter the words. Hell, it took all my willpower to tell you about the key and about their intent to use your daughter. My mind was not my own. But something happened this morning, as if a huge weight lifted off me. My thoughts became my own again.”

“Are you saying that you’re miraculously free of her immortal mind control?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. It feels like it. What I do know is that this is the first day I’ve been in control of my thoughts since I died. I felt like a fucking volleyball between the two realms.”

She considered he might be telling the truth. After all, just this morning the Lioness had been driven away. “What about Naami? Have you seen her since your return from Nekkar?”

“No. You told me to go home, so I did.” A bewildered look flitted through his still amazing eyes. “Strange. What happened after I left Nekkar?”

“We destroyed it. Von and I carry the energy of both worlds. Nekkar is gone, buried at sea.”

“You truly have fulfilled your destiny.” He stared at her in open awe. “I guess the classy thing for me to do would be to step back and accept your choice.”

“It would be nice. None of us asked for this. We were all used, but here we are, immortal and alive…sort of.” She laughed. “I love you, Raef, part of me will always love you, but my future is with Von.”

“Is there any room in your life for me?”

“I don’t know yet. You broke my trust.”

“Yeah.” He nodded with sigh. “I fucked up by letting Naami seduce me. I’m truly sorry, angel.”

“I know. Still, you can’t undo what’s been done.”

“Is that why you’re here? To say goodbye?”

“Actually, no. We have reason to suspect that Naami will be coming to you. She’s still running amok and trying to use Phoebe as a bargaining chip. She and her sister have not given up. They want to break the bond and strip my power.”

“Sore losers, huh?” Raef smirked. “You’re all welcome to come in and hang out. I have nothing to hide.”

“Thank you.” Flame motioned for Phoebe to go on ahead of her. Von walked in behind them.

No sooner did Raef close the door than Flame caught swift movement coming from the side. Before she realized what happened, Naami had Phoebe around the throat with a dagger aimed at her left side.

“What the fuck?” Flame flashed Raef a furious look. “You lied to us? Where the hell did you get a Sai dagger?”

“The Lioness wanted me to be prepared for the unexpected,” he quipped.

She fumed at his arrogant use of her own training against her. “You know if I get a chance, you’re dead.”

“Back off, Flame!” Naami pulled Phoebe backward toward the staircase. “Drop your daggers on the floor or your daughter gets one straight through the heart.”

A host of wild expressions swept across Phoebe’s face. This was not how Flame wanted her daughter to discover her mother. Naami’s heartless ambush seemed to have gained her the upper hand. Flame struggled for a quick solution as she placed her blades at her feet. As an ancient, Naami could only be killed in one manner. If Flame made a grab for her blades, she had no doubt that the bitch would sacrifice Phoebe. Everyone seemed frozen as they stared each other down.

“Now the fun part,” Naami said with an evil sneer. “Tell that hot stud of yours to give Raef his knife. Remember, I didn’t hesitate to stick Sandra to the wall. My loyalty is to the sisterhood and nobody else.”

“Von, please…” Flame’s eyes met his. She didn’t know what else to do.

Von shot her a pointed look but did as she asked. Raef took the knife and moved toward Naami. Every nerve in Flame’s body sparked on edge.

“Good, good.” Naami laughed. “Now, Flame, dear sweet prodigy child, you come on over here, but keep that sexy hunk back by the door. He gets to watch you drink Raef’s blood and sever that precious bond. Your unborn child will soon be mine. My sister taught me all about Twilight’s secret.”

Horror raced through Flame. She nearly choked on the tears straining to break forth. Her feet could barely take a step as she inched toward the traitorous queen and the man she thought she’d once loved. A quick glance at Von indicated his concern as well.

This is not
good,
she thought.
How could Raef betray me like this? Is he so angry that I chose Von, that he’d stoop to Naami’s trickery just to have me?
Her mind raced with panic.

“Now make the cut in your hands,” Naami commanded, then her focus shifted to Von. “And you stay there, hot stuff, or I’ll take more than your unborn child. I’ll take Flame, too. When you see who truly carries all the power, perhaps you’ll be more welcoming the next time I offer myself to you.”

“Doubtful.” Von glowered.

Flame saw the seething rage in his eyes, felt it churning in his soul. She knew if Naami so much as blinked, Von would kill her without a thought even though he’d never killed a woman.

Raef dragged the knife across his palm, then took Flame’s left hand. She made a tight fist, unable to willingly break her precious bond to Von.

“Do it!” Naami barked, causing Phoebe to jump. “I swear, Flame.” She pressed the point into Phoebe’s side. “Let him cut you—now!”

Reluctantly, Flame uncurled her fingers and watched Raef slice her skin. Blood dripped onto the white carpet. Tears misted her eyes as Raef lowered his head to drink her blood. He groaned his pleasure while sucking fervently at the wound.

“Now you,” snapped Naami.

Raef’s eyes met hers. But the betrayal Flame expected to see wasn’t there. Instead, his striking blue eyes brimmed with love and loyalty. For a split second, she felt confused, then a feeling of trust washed over her as her blood flowing into him bridged a gap. Slowly, she bowed her head to take his blood. Before her lips touched his skin, a flash of light glinted off the blade of Von’s knife as Raef tossed it to him.

In Flame’s next breath, Raef knocked Phoebe down, swiped the dagger from Naami’s hand, and winged it across the room. The blade twirled through the air and stuck into the far wall. Von caught his knife in midair, grabbed Flame’s daggers off the floor, and in one blinding move, thrust one into her hand and the other into Raef’s.

Phoebe scurried out of the way like a smart trainee. Naami backed up the steps, dread flooding her eyes. Flame didn’t waste a moment. She knew Naami’s immortal status could open a door for escape if the bitch managed to force her fear aside for one second. Raef was right beside Flame with a dagger poised in one hand. As if sharing the same reflex, they plunged the blades into Naami’s chest.

“Don’t release the blade,” Flame told him as Naami shrieked her terror.

Flame gave her dagger an upward tug, staring straight into the woman’s eyes. “Just like your sister, you underestimated the power of love.”