Alluring Raven

  My head whips in her direction. “Send her to Fate? Are you fucking kidding me? That’s too dangerous. And only Eternal Readers are supposed to communicate with Fate. Plus, that seems like it might take a lot of time and we don’t have time. In fact, we’ve been running on borrowed time for a while.”

  “I never said any of this would be easy.” Breezy unclasps her necklace and removes it. “If the girl wants to break the curse and live, she’s going to have to be willing to risk losing everything. And the journey to Fate isn’t hard or long. It’s just risky because if Fate doesn’t accept her visit, she won’t return.”

  My chest tightens, my fists clenching.

  Why does everything have to involve Raven?

  “But she’s already lost so much.” I smooth my hand over the top of Raven’s head. “How much more can this curse take from her?”

  “Let’s hope you never have to find that out,” Breezy says. Attached to the end of the necklace is a vial filled with a powdery silver substance. “Now, I’m going to need everyone to be quiet for this. One wrong word or movement and the girl could remain like this forever.”

  I gulp down a shaky breath. “Will she become conscious before you send her to Fate?”

  Breezy nods. “But just long enough for her to agree to go. You’ll only have seconds to explain it to her. If she doesn’t agree in time, the chance will be gone. And we only have one chance.”

  I swallow shakily. I used to be so strong. So stable. But the last few days I feel as though I’m walking on a frayed tightrope. A part of me just wants to fall, for this to be over with. But I vowed a long, long time ago that I’d protect Raven—that I’d be her sworn Blood Protector. And if there’s one thing in these lives that I’ll get right, it will be that. I owe her that.

  I owe her so much more.

  Not just because I love her, but for accepting that damn vial the queen gave to me the night of the curse. And for dumping it in Raven’s drink. If I could, I’d take the decision back. Make the right one. But back then I was naively stupid and truly believed that if I could kiss Raven, she’d realize she was in love with me and the whole thing with Rhyland and her wouldn’t be a problem anymore. That because I wasn’t king, things could work out between us. That she could’ve been with me without risking getting beheaded. That she could love me like I love her.

  But I never should’ve done what I did. It was beyond wrong and stupid and the worst sort of betrayal. I took so much away from her that night. And one day, when we make it out of this and I can speak freely again, I’m going to confess the truth to her.

  In the end, I know she’ll hate me.

  But it’s what I deserve.

  Raven

  Blood weeps from the field, the trees in the distance withering. The sky is a shadow of darkness, not cloudy, but tainted with smog. Despite the unfamiliar eeriness, I somehow know that this was once the Land of Moonlight.

  “Why is there so much blood everywhere?” I whisper as I make a path across the land, my bare feet sinking into the blood.

  The ground feels lumpy and uneven and the stench of the air is foul, even more potent than the rusty scent of blood kissing the air. Normally, this place would be a vampire’s dream—so much blood to feast on. But the air feels rotten and tainted.

  What happened here? What happened to the once sparkling world? Is this from the war that’s supposedly going on?

  I’m not sure. I’m not even sure why I’m here or how I got here. All I can do is keep moving forward until I find a creature who may be able to answer that for me. But so far, I haven’t seen another creature anywhere.

  The clouds in the sky begin to rain down, raindrop splattering against the ground and washing away some of the blood. That’s when I see them—the bodies. They’re everywhere, covering almost every speck of the field. I open my mouth to scream, but no sound leaves my lips. I want to run, but there’s a body in every direction I turn in.

  “Help me,” I whisper. “I don’t want to see this…” My gaze falls to the bodies below my feet and tears drip from my eyes.

  The pain they must of felt before they died has been frozen onto their faces.

  So much pain. I can feel it. Feel myself bleeding.

  I don’t want to see this anymore.

  I open and shut my eyes, trying to make the images fade, but instead they become more prominent.

  “Look closer.” The wind picks up, carrying a whisper with it.

  “Who’s there?” I whisper, goose bumps sprouting across my flesh.

  “Look closer, my child,” the wind whispers to me again. “You need to see it. See the Fate of the world.”

  I stare up at the sky, refusing to look at the bodies again. “I don’t want to see it—I can’t look at it.”

  “You must. It’s what you are. It’s part of you.”

  “I did this?” I whisper in horror.

  “No, you misunderstand me.” The wind blows my hair out of my face. “These images, this place, they're part of you. The gift of seeing this—it’s what you are.”

  Icy tears roll down my cheeks. “You’re not making any sense.”

  “In time, I will.” Then just as quickly as the wind picked up, it fades, the rotten air returning.

  Swallowing hard, I force my gaze down to look for… Well, I’m unsure.

  As my gaze collides with the ground, the blood begins to drain from the land, giving me a good view of the faces of the bodies. And what I see makes me vomit all over the ground. Because amongst the bodies, are my parents, Rhyland’s and Kingsley’s parents, and Rhyland and Kingsley.

  “No!” A scream tears from my lips, tears pouring from my eyes. “This can’t be happening. They’re not dead! Tell me they’re not dead!”

  My only response is the echoing of my own voice. Panicking, I turn in a circle and scan the field, searching for an answer to why I’m here. That’s when I spot a figure standing near a cluster of trees in the distance. It’s far enough away that I can’t tell who it is, but every part of me shouts to go to it. I obey, moving forward and carefully stepping over the bodies. I try not to look at their faces, but every so often my gaze lowers. And each time, the pain in my chest increases. But I keep going, keep moving toward the figure who seems to be waiting for me near the trees.

  It feels like I walk for hours, pass hundreds of bodies, the stench of death biting at my senses. Finally, when I think I can’t take it anymore, the bodies covering the ground begin to thin out until all I can feel underneath my feet is grass. By then, I’ve arrived at the trees and the figure is there.

  Now that I’m closer, I can see it better, see that it has no face or skin, just light.

  “What are you?” I whisper as I dare another step closer.

  “Patience, my child.” The figure’s voice encompasses me. “Answers will come in time.” It offers me its hand and with reluctance, I take it.

  Its fingers are surprisingly warm and solid and calmness sweeps over me.

  “See, no need to be afraid.” the figure says as it guides me into the trees.

  “I’m not afraid anymore. Why is that? Because it seems like I’m always afraid.”

  “Those that are cursed with the gift usually are.” It steers us further into the forest.

  “Why is it always about the curse?” I ask, glancing up as light flickers through the tree branches.

  “Again, you misunderstand me.” It comes to a stop near a massive oak tree, the branches spun of leafy vines and black and silver-tipped roses. “I’m not talking about the curse of the fey queen. I’m talking about the curse of your existence.”

  “Gee thanks.” I eye the tree, feeling drawn to it.

  “It’s nothing to be upset about,” it calmly explains to me. “All of our kind have to go through it.”

  “Our kind.” An abomination. “Do you know what I am?”

  Before it can answer, I’m jerked back.

  Then everything goes black.

  Raven

  W
hen my eyes pop open, Kingsley is leaning over me and he instantly lets out a breath of relief.

  “You’re okay.” Panic rushes across his face. “Raven, you need to listen to me because we don’t have a lot of time.” He threads his fingers through mine and I realize I’m lying on his lap, which is odd since the last thing I can recall is straddling Rhyland’s waist. “We found out what’s wrong with you and I’m not going to lie. It’s bad. Really, really fucking bad.”

  “I figured as much,” I whisper, clutching onto his hand. “Am I going to die?”

  Is everyone going to die?

  What I saw before I awoke pierces through my mind and I suck in a sharp breath. What was that place? And why do I feel as if part of me is still there?

  “No, you’re not going to die,” he swears with intensity flaming in his eyes. “I won’t let that happen. But you need to agree to something quickly. That’s the only way you’ll be okay.”

  “Tell me what it is then,” I demand in a rush.

  He squeezes my hand. “In order to save you from the curse’s poison that’s eating you from the inside, you need to talk to Fate and find out how to save yourself.”

  “But only Eternal Readers can communicate with Fate,” I point out, so damn confused.

  “That’s mostly true, but Breezy—the witch doctor—knows another way. You have to agree to do it, though, right now. And you need to understand that it’s dangerous, especially if Fate rejects your visit.”

  I smash my lips together as his words sink in. “I worry it might. I mean, I’m me and…” I shrug because… Well, I don’t even know what I am.

  Nervousness creeps into Kingsley’s expression. “I know you’re scared—I am too—but this might be the only way to stop you from… from dying.”

  I’m going to die.

  Everyone is going to die.

  The images rush back to me again; how the Land of Moonlight was stained with blood and the bodies of everyone I care about.

  “Did you just admit you’re scared?” I crack a joke. “The world really must be coming to an end.”

  He smiles nervously and it looks all sorts of wrong. “I’m a little off my game right now, but I promise once you’re better, I’ll go back to how I was.”

  Better? Will I ever be better?

  I guess there’s only one way to find out.

  “All right, I’ll go to Fate.” I start to sit up. “How do I get there?”

  He gently pushes on my shoulders, guiding me back to his lap. “You just need to drink this.” Then he hands me a vial filled with a powdery silver substance.

  I glance around the room to see who gave him the vial, but all of my surroundings, besides him, are blurry.

  I take the vial from him and eye the substance inside. “Where did you get this? And what is it?”

  “All explain all of that when we have more time,” he promises. “But right now, you need to drink it before it’s too late.”

  I remember the last time I drank something from a vial. Unintentionally of course, but I still did it. Then Kingsley and I kissed and the curse soon followed.

  Kingsley must sense my distrust because he whispers, “I promise I won’t ever hurt you again. You can trust me.”

  Can I?

  Do I?

  I’m not fully certain, but a part of me must trust him enough because I put the vial to my lips and drink the powder.

  “It tastes like glitter from a faerie’s ass,” I crack a joke as the foul taste of whatever I just drank burns at my throat.

  He chuckles, but pain crams his eyes. “I’m so sorry you have to do this.”

  “Why? It’s not your fault.” I can feel myself fading.

  “But it is,” he chokes out.

  I’m not sure what overcomes me, whether the fear that I might die soon scares my rationality away, or if I’m just a little out of it. But whatever the reason, I find myself reaching up and stroking his cheek.

  “It’s going to be okay,” I say.

  He leans into my touch. “I’m supposed to be the one reassuring you.”

  “You always do,” I utter. “Now it’s my turn…”

  My eyelids slip shut as I get dragged away.

  Raven

  When I thought I was going to visit Fate, I didn’t expect to end up right back in the bleeding Land of Moonlight standing beside the massive oak tree. The glowing figure is still standing beneath the branches, patiently waiting for my return.

  “How did I end up back here?” I peer around at the trees. “I was supposed to go to Fate.”

  Great. Was I wrong to trust Kingsley and drink that powder?

  No, my gut tells me. You weren’t.

  “Then you’ve come to the right place,” the figure says. “Although, you’ve come in your true form. That was a bit unexpected, but we’ll have to make it work.”

  “Wait… my true form…” I glance down at my hands. “But I look the same as I always do.”

  “Do you?” The figure stretches out its arm toward me and its fingers curl around my shoulder.

  A flash of blinding light pierces through the forest and my skin illuminates.

  I jerk back. “What did you do to me?”

  The figure steps closer. “I put you in your true form.”

  “My true form isn’t light. I’m a vampire,” I protest, stepping back. “What is this place? What did you do to me?”

  “Calm down, my child. All will be explained in time.” It plucks a rose from one of the oak trees branches. “If you wish to see the truth about yourself, your past, and what you need to do to become who you truly are, a sacrifice must be made.” It hands me the flower.

  I take the flower. “How is this a sacrifice?”

  “Because it is life.” It gestures around at the blooming trees, the flourishing bushes, and the grass sprouting from the dirt. “Everything is.”

  “So you want me to kill a flower and then you’ll give me the answers?” I twirl the rose in my hand, my brows knitting. “Kingsley said if I talked to Fate, I wouldn’t die. That’s where I’m supposed to be—with Fate.”

  “And like I’ve said before, you’ve come to the right place.”

  I peer up at the figure and it clicks. “Wait… You’re Fate?”

  The figure nods, glowing brighter. “Indeed, I am.”

  “I’m so sorry I was so disrespectful.” I bow my head, unsure what else to do.

  But seriously, I’m standing in front of Fate. Have been for a while. In fact, I came here before I drank the powder.

  “Can I ask a question?” I ask, my gaze fastened to the ground.

  “You may, just as long as you look at me,” Fate says. “There’s no need to bow.”

  “Sorry.” I raise my head. “How is it I came here before I drank the powder?”

  “You weren’t really here then,” Fate replies. “Your spirit was.”

  I hold the rose delicately in my hand, unsure what I’m supposed to do with it. “So I was dead. Well, more dead than I already am?”

  “No, creatures like you—like us—can never truly be dead.” Fate gestures at itself. “We just have different forms.”

  “So what form are you in right now?”

  “My true form.” Fate takes my hand, the one holding the flower. “I know you have a lot of questions and while I can answer some, it’s better if I show you most.”

  “Okay, what do I need to do?”

  “Eat the petals from the flower.” She urges the rose toward my lips.

  I stare down at the black and silver rose. “That’s it?”

  “Don’t take the death of nature lightly, my child,” Fate warns. “You will feel it—the flower’s pain.”

  Just how much pain can a flower feel?

  When I stuff the petals of the rose into my mouth, I quickly discover that even a flower can experience great agony, pain and heartache shredding at my throat and chest as I swallow it down.

  “It hurts so much,” I whisper, tears dripping from my
eyes. “Why did you make me do that?

  “Because you need to learn that with everything you see, there is a price, but you will still have to see it.” Fate places a hand on top of my head. “Seeing is your gift, Raven.”

  As if a light switch flips on in my mind, I suddenly see.

  I see everything…

  The day I was born, my mother holding me, staring down at me with such love in her eyes. “She’s special,” my father whispers as he stands beside the bed.

  “That she is,” my mother agrees, rocking me back and forth.

  The images shift, zipping forward a couple of years to me standing on a hill amongst a crowd of vampires, who are all laughing, dancing, and drinking. At first I don’t know why. Why would I need to see myself at a party? But then my skin begins to glow as I turn around and stare at a tree.

  My mother rushes up to me, scoops me up in her arms, and zooms off somewhere.

  The images change again, but only to a handful of minutes later. We’re at the house I grew up in—in my first life. My mom and dad are talking in hushed whispers, huddled together, while I sit in the corner in a chair.

  Moments later, a vampire strolls into the room, wearing a long, black dress, her cheek branded with a star—the mark of an Eternal Reader.

  “You better not be wrong about this,” she warns my parents. “Fate will be upset if I disturb it for no reason.”

  “We’re sure,” my dad says. “We just want confirmation.”

  Nodding, the Eternal Reader lowers to her knees in front of me and stares into my eyes. Then she gasps.

  “She has the light,” she whispers. “She has the light of Fate.”

  “What does that mean?” My mom hugs her arms around herself, tears shining in her eyes.

  The Eternal Reader rises to her feet and faces my mom. “I’m not sure.” She glances at me. “Usually new Fate isn’t born as a child, especially a vampire child. It’s unheard of. An abomination, if you ask me. And the risk of her existing here in our worlds where any creature can get ahold of her and change the fate of everything…” She trails off, rushing for the door. “I need to discuss this with the other Eternal Readers. She might need to be sent somewhere. Or destroyed.”