Alluring Raven

  In the blink of an eye, my dad dashes toward her and grabs her by the throat. “You will do no such a thing.” He growls. “No one must know.”

  “That’s not your call to make,” the Eternal Reader chokes out, her face turning red.

  “It’s not yours either,” my dad snaps, his grip tightening.

  My mom rushes up to me and shields my eyes. “Don’t look, sweetheart, okay?”

  I nod and look away, my gaze traveling to the window where a tiny water faerie is flying near the glass. I’ve never seen one before, but I’ve always wanted to. It’s so pretty.

  I wave and smile and she waves back, a smile twisting at her purple lips. Then she flutters off toward the sky…

  The scene shifts again, only this time I’m not sure I’m me, just a spirit hovering in the corner of a large room with columns and a wooden throne. Perched in the seat of the throne is a woman wearing a dress spun of gold, and a glittering, jewel encrusted crown is balanced on her head. Fluttering in front of her is the water fey I waved to earlier.

  “And you say you found it. That Fate is a vampire child?” The queen’s eyes shine bright with wicked delight. “And that she’s here in our worlds?”

  The water fey bobs her head up and down. “She has great power, though, and others are protecting her.”

  “Still, she’s just a child and children are easy to manipulate.” She drums her finger against her lips. “Imagine what I could do if I manipulated her power. I could change the Fate of the entire world—I could control everything…”

  The images swirl into the day Rhyland and Kingsley made friends with me, only now I’m near the alcove where I saw the figure with glowing eyes. I can see it has wings and shimmering silver skin—a faerie.

  It’s watching Nadine just as closely as it’s observing me. Well, the me that’s sitting in the cafeteria.

  After Nadine rushes out of the cafeteria, the faerie hurries after her, cutting her off near the restrooms.

  “What do you want, faerie,” Nadine spits out, the blood Kingsley dumped on her earlier still soaking her dress.

  “I want to make all your wishes come true,” the faerie purrs. “Starting with making you the new queen.”

  Nadine sneers. “Stupid faerie. Only Fate can do that.” She starts to swing around the faerie, but it sidesteps, cutting her off.

  “Fate is weak right now,” the faerie explains with a sinister grin. “And with the right amount of magic, the fey queen can give you what your heart truly desires—a crown on your head and your sister’s suffering.”

  “How do you know I want that?” Nadine questions, peering around the empty hallway. “And why are you even here?”

  “I’m here to give you what you want,” the faerie purrs. “And I know what you want because I have the gift of seeing other’s desires.”

  “You’re a Desire Faerie?” Nadine asks, more interested than she was before.

  The faerie nods. “That I am. And I want to make all of your desires come true.”

  Nadine eyes over the faerie. “And what do I have to do in return?”

  “Nothing at all,” the faerie moves toward her, its wings curling out. “Just simply accept the gift and become friends with the fey queen.”

  Nadine considers her offer then a grin spreads across her face. “All right, make me queen and make it so my sister suffers. That’s what I want. For her to feel how I’ve felt for years. To know what it’s like to have parents who barely acknowledge your existence. Ever since she was born, it’s been Raven this and Raven that. And now Kingsley and Rhyland are doing it too.” Her lip twitches, her eyes flowing with anger. “She always gets what I want, so I want to take everything from her.”

  “And you will in time. I promise.” The faerie places a kiss on her forehead and vanishes into a cloud of smoke…

  After that, the images move swiftly, showing me how the queen had her minions watch me for years to learn my weaknesses. Nadine helped her too, spying on us and reporting back to the queen. Then the images alter again, replaying the night of the curse, most of the stuff I’ve already seen. But when it arrives at the end, when the curse is about to be set, I manage to move up to where Rhyland is. In his hand is a contract, along with a list of the things I must do in order to break the curse and what will happen when the curse is broken. But the words are blurry and unreadable. I reach for the piece of paper, but I’m jerked back—

  I gasp as the scene fades, and I’m pushed back to the forest where Fate is waiting for me.

  “No!” I cry out. “I need to see it! Need to know what to do to break this awful curse!” Pain and anguish claw at my chest as I crumble to my knees, tears streaming from my eyes.

  Nadine was part of it. Part of the curse because she was jealous of me. It’s hard to take in. I mean, I know we never had a good relationship and she didn’t fully understand what she was getting into, but she handed over my suffering to the fey queen so easily.

  “Relax, my child, in time, it will all come to you.” Fate pats my head.

  I straighten, glaring up at her. “How can that be possible when I’m dying?”

  “You won’t die.” Its hand lowers to her side. “But saving yourself isn’t going to be easy. Nothing about what you face is going to be easy.”

  “Because I’m… I’m Fate.” I can’t believe this is happening, can’t believe what I saw.

  “Believe it,” Fate says as if reading my mind and maybe it can. “Fate never sees anything that doesn’t carry some partial truth to it.”

  “But…” I peer over my shoulder at the bleeding land just outside the trees. “But what about that? Because I’m seeing that and if I’m Fate…” I look to her for a answer, but her light is fizzling.

  “I don’t have much time.” She sets her hand on my head again. “Just know that after you break the curse—after you’ve completed all the tasks—there is one final sacrifice you must make to survive. You must kill a creature that was part of the original curse, a creature who was there that night, a creature that you love. If you don’t, the curse will win—it will consume you--which means the queen will gain all the power she’s ever craved. And that power will channel to the Created. Then no creature or worlds will be safe from bloodshed.”

  “What?” I cry out, shaking my head. “No, I could never do that. I could never kill anyone.”

  “You must. Or else you’ll die… Taking another life is the only other exception to the end of the curse, which was supposed to be your death. And the worlds need you, Raven. You’re the next Fate and without your existence, no one will be there to guide the creatures, and Chaos will take over. Blood will weep across the land, just like the field behind you.”

  “But I can’t kill anyone,” I whisper hoarsely.

  “I’m sorry, my child. But it’s the only way to put the balance back into the worlds.”

  “That doesn’t even make sense.”

  “It will in time.”

  “And then what happens?” Tears cascade from my eyes. “I mean, if I manage to do everything? Will my parents be okay? Where are they even? Will I end up queen? Will Rhyland end up king?” Questions rush from my lips.

  “Then everything goes back to what it was supposed to be,” Fate simply says.

  “But I’m not even sure how things were supposed to be…” An image sears through my mind, branding my soul.

  It’s the first task I must complete in order to break the curse. And it’s more awful than I ever could’ve imagined.

  “And Raven?” Fate whispers some final words. “You are one of the most powerful Fates to ever step foot in the worlds. You need to be careful and only trust those who are truly trustworthy. The fey queen isn’t the only creature who wishes to steal your power. And while she may not currently be able to step foot into the Land of Moonlight where our powers flow from, there are plenty of other creatures who can—and will, if they get the chance—to kill you or use your powers for their own gain.”

  “If it
’s such a risk of me being in the worlds then why can’t I just stay here...” I’m dragged back before Fate can answer, but I have a feeling it wouldn’t have anyway.

  Raven

  When I open my eyes again, I’m lying in a wooden bed inside a tree room, just like the time I woke up from Rhyland’s freezing spell. Kingsley is sitting beside the bed with his head lowered, his clothes are a little wrinkled, and his shoulders are hunched over. The only difference this time is that Aeribella is curled up in a ball, sleeping beside my feet.

  For a hopeful moment, I wonder if all that stuff with Fate was just a dream. But the final image I saw before I left Fate flickers in my mind and I know…

  It’s real.

  All of this is real.

  I’m the next Fate and I’m cursed. And if I want to uncurse myself, I’m going to have to complete an awful task and probably even more than one.

  And then I’m going to have to kill someone.

  I don’t understand why, what the purpose of the death is, and the idea of doing it, of taking someone’s life, makes me feel ill and disgusted inside.

  I groan and Kingsley’s head jerks up.

  “You’re awake?” He blinks his bloodshot eyes.

  “I am.” My voice sounds hollow. “Why are your eyes red?”

  “Don’t worry about that.” He rests his arms on the bed. “How are you feeling?”

  I shrug. “Not cracky.”

  “That’s good, right?” Hope reflects from his eyes. “It means Fate healed you?”

  I shake my head. “Not exactly.”

  A crease forms between his brows as he examines me over. “You look fine.” He brushes his fingers along the base of my throat. “Even the dragon fire burns aren’t as bad as they were.”

  I scratch at my neck. “That’s probably because I drank some of Rhyland’s blood earlier.”

  A flash of pain crosses his expression when I mention Rhyland.

  “Something happened,” I say, eyeing him over closely. “Where’s Rhyland?”

  Guilt takes over his expression. “Something happened while you were out… Another obstacle.”

  I sit up and slide to the edge of the bed. “Tell me what it is.”

  He stares down at his hands. “Apparently, my brother has been… Has been unknowingly harboring a demon in him. And it took over his body.”

  Fear lashes through me. “Is he okay?”

  He shrugs, elevating his gaze to mine. “I’m not sure… He took off before I could talk to him.”

  “So how do you know he’s being controlled by a demon?”

  “Harper saw him before he left the shimmer blob.”

  I shake my head in shock. “I bet the queen had something to do with this.”

  “Maybe…” He rubs his lips together, dazing off.

  “Is it something else?” I question, because he’s acting like a squirrely vampire right now.

  “I’m not sure,” he mumbles.

  “Well, shouldn’t we be out searching for him.” I start to get to my feet.

  He blinks the dazed look away and snags hold of my hand. “You can’t leave the shimmer blob, sweetheart. You know this.”

  “But Rhyland could be hurt.” I try to jerk my hand from his, but he only constricts his grip.

  “I know you’re worried, but you can’t go looking for him.” He tugs on my hand, his eyes silently begging for me to sit back down. “Harper and Dex have offered to go search for him. I think, while they might not be the best option, it’s our only option right now.”

  “But I can’t just sit here.” Shock seeps through me as I sink back onto the bed. So much is happening and so much still needs to be done. “We need to help him… And I… I need to break the curse.”

  He promptly shakes his head. “No, Breezy—the witch doctor—said that would kill you.”

  “It won’t if I do it the right way.” If I listen to Fate and kill someone at the end.

  Someone I love.

  Tears well in my eyes as I think about what I’m going to have to do.

  “Hey.” Kingsley wraps his arms around me and pulls me against his chest. “Don’t cry, sweetheart. We’re going to get through this.”

  “It’s not really a we thing.” My tears soak his shirt.

  He smooths his hand up and down my back. “I don’t give a shit. I’ll make it a we thing.”

  My lips begin to turn upward, but then I remember what I’m going to have to face.

  “I have to steal a soul,” I whisper, clutching onto the bottom of his shirt. “That’s the first task I have to complete.” As I utter the words aloud, reality crashes against me, about what I must do, about what’s been done to me, about what I am.

  I break, a sob tearing from my chest. I may have cracked apart completely and shattered to the floor if Kingsley didn’t wrap his arms tighter around me and held me up, protecting me like he vowed all those decades ago.

  I just hope I can trust him. But maybe it’s time. Time to let go of the past, move on from the distrust, and focus on the future.

  Focus on freeing me and everyone else from this curse.

  I just hope I can do it—complete every task. Because if I don’t, Chaos is going to take over the world and the land will bleed. I’ve seen it with my very own eyes. And what about my parents? And Rhyland? Gods, it hurts deep inside my chest to know he’s out there, wandering around somewhere, being controlled by a demon.

  I’ll be fine, sweetheart. Rhyland’s voice rises in my mind so suddenly I gasp.

  Kingsley pulls back. “What’s wrong?”

  I blink confusedly. “I think I just heard Rhyland inside my head.”

  Kingsley goes rigid. “Are you sure it’s him and not the demon?”

  I hold up a finger. “Just a second.”

  If this is really you, I think, Prove it.

  It’s me, sweetheart. We were best friends up until I cursed you. Up until then, I knew everything about you, like your fear of being made fun of, like how you secretly think bats are creepy. I know you’re blood taste like sugar and magic and power. And I know how much it hurt when I betrayed you that night of the curse… Guilt creeps into his tone—it has to be him.

  “It’s him,” I tell Kingsley. “I can tell.”

  Kingsley slides forward in the chair. “Ask him where he is?”

  Where are you? When Rhyland doesn’t respond, I ask again, Where are you? Please tell me so we can help you.

  Raven, you need to listen to me. You need to get out of the shimmer blob right now. Go somewhere else that’s safe because you’re not safe there anymore.

  Why?

  No answer. I try again. And again. And again. But all I receive is silence.

  “He says we need to leave the shimmer blob,” I inform Kingsley. “He wouldn’t say why and I can’t reach him again. But he said we’re not safe here.”

  Silence trickles by as Kingsley considers something then he quickly pulls me to my feet.

  “Then we’ll leave,” he says, towing me toward the door.

  I stumble after him. “Where will we go?”

  “I’m not sure yet, but we’ll figure something out.” He yanks open the door and Aeribella lets out a yap as she leaps off the bed and chases after us. “We need to grab some supplies first.” He pulls me out the door and I struggle to keep up with him as we rush down the hallway, tears pooling in my eyes.

  Kingsley slows to a stop when he notices my waterworks. Then he sets his hands on my shoulders, leveling his gaze with mine. “Sweetheart, I told you we’ll get through this and I meant it.”

  “But is everyone else going to get through this?” I whisper as icy tears flow down my cheeks.

  He nods, but I can see it in his eyes—the doubt. He doesn’t believe we’re all going to survive and if I do what Fate told me to do, I know for certain someone won’t.

  The Demon

  The vampire’s body that I gained control of is a bit weaker than I’d hoped, but his mind is filled with delic
ious secrets. Secrets I’m feeding off of. Secrets I’d like to use to my advantage.

  “Well, well, what do we have here?” The fey queen’s shimmery lips tilt upward into a delighted smile as I enter her garden just outside of her palace. “You’re definitely one of the last vampires I expected to show up here.” She plucks a rose from a bush and twirls it between her fingers, spinning it to ash. “Tell me, Rhyland, what in the worlds made you so stupid as to believe you could walk into my garden and walk away alive?”

  I circle her, bearing my fangs. “Maybe you’re the one who’s not going to walk out of here alive.”

  She tracks my movements, the ash from the rose falling from her fingertips. “You’re different.”

  I stop in front of her. “Am I?”

  She nods, gathering her dress and stepping closer. “You’re eyes are shadowed over.”

  “Are they now?” I’m toying with her. It’s been a long time since I’ve been this free and I have no plans of giving up my freedom anytime soon, even if the vampire’s soul is fighting to take over his body again. But I’m going to fight it. I’m going to win. It’s part of why I came to the fey queen.

  She reaches up and scratches the side of my face with her fingernail. I hiss, ready to strangle her when she wipes up a drop of my blood and licks it off her fingertip.

  Her eyes radiate with glee. “You’re not Rhyland at all, are you?”

  I smile wickedly. “I’m not. But I know all of his secrets, including where that vampire is that you so desperately want.” I inch toward her. “How about we make a deal? You let me keep this body and I’ll tell you everything the vampire knows.”

  Her lips broaden into a devious smile. “All right, demon, you have yourself a deal with the fey queen.”

  About the Author

  About the Author

  Jessica Sorensen is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who lives in the snowy mountains of Wyoming. When she’s not writing, she spends her time reading and hanging out with her family.