Endless Night (Fate's Intent Book 3) (10 page)

“Well, I do now. I don’t have time to wait for my father to tell me. What is it?”

“All right but only because you’re a danger now. This is what’s known as the deadliest thing in the world. It’s your venom.”

“You mean like in snakes?” Troy asked.

“Quite so. Except in this case, Zayden’s senses are purely based off the entire arachnid family who also possess a potent venom.”

“So, it’s spiders?” Some of it makes sense based on other things I knew I could do.

“Yes. Not any one in particular but all of them and some can be quite dangerous as where the poisonous venom comes from. In several cases, it’s used mainly to feed but others have the tendency to use it as a source of aggression like you have. Inject this into an animal or even a human and their chances of living are zero. The poison would take an immediate effect once it reaches the bloodstream and your victim would only have seconds to live once it hits their heart.”

“How the fuck do you know so much about this?” Darius asked. He let out a breath of annoyance with it and I knew he didn’t like to be sitting here at all listening to Trever’s voice or worse that he was in his presence. I knew before it happened that he would hate anyone who has successfully been with Ruby and Trever was that someone many times over.

“Well, let’s just say this isn’t the first crossing between us where there were no intentions to harm anyone. You should have guessed that. Izin and I have a mutual respect for each other but I’m sure he’s told you all about that already.”

“About what?” I asked.

Trever looked at me curiously like he didn’t understand my question at first. “He didn’t tell you who I am?”

“He never spoke of you at all.”

“Interesting. Then you must have never asked why he agreed to see us.”

“Why did he? Was it something about our meeting being planned?”

“Surprisingly, no but I can’t tell you about that now. It’d ruin all the fun of the surprise later.”

This wasn’t making any sense. I wanted to know what he was talking about but it was already clear that he wasn’t going to tell us so I moved on to something maybe he would. “Was this planned too?”

“You coming here? We knew you would, we just didn’t know when. That’s what we had Ryon for. We needed to know exactly how it would happen.”

“Why?” Troy asked.

“You have to know what you being here means. We’re doing this to protect them. You being alive means their death and not just any death. Assassin traitors have their own unique way of dying.”

I was curious. “What is it? They’ve never mentioned it.”

“Of course they haven’t because it’s only revealed to the leader, so only Adele knows.”

“How does it happen?” Troy asked, hoping it would actually be answered.

“Publically. They’re forced to battle each other until there’s only one left alive but it doesn’t mean they won anything. It just means that they get to endure a slow death. First, they’d be stripped of their title which means the Black Wings of Death would be cut from their body but that’s only the beginning of their torture. So, naturally, Adele would be the one to knock off Red and Jay quickly and painlessly so she would take the ultimate punishment in their place but I don’t think it’s quite something that even needs to be mentioned. They’ve had a hard enough week. They don’t need to be thinking about that now that you’re here.”

It sounded awful. I definitely wouldn’t want Adele to go through that. I was glad he was going to do what he could to stop it, even if we couldn’t be with them.

“What do you mean about their hard week?” Darius asked.

“I guess you don’t fully realize what you put them through by taking as long as you did whether it was your fault or not. Adele had herself locked up in here for the past week, Jay has been living in denial under Kole’s protection so she wouldn’t eventually breakdown and tell someone and Red had spent most of her time trying to sleep the pain away.”

“Just sleep? That’s it?” It didn’t sound too bad to me. Must have gone by quickly for her, unlike Adele’s lonely suffering.

“Not fully. She wakes up a few times screaming from the nightmares you’ve given her then cries herself back to sleep. She’s refused to be alone so I’ve had a pretty lazy week.”

“That’s enough.” Darius muttered. “We don’t need to hear anymore.”

Trever laughed. “No, you probably won’t want to but nothing to worry about. She’s officially yours. Just be careful. You don’t want her killing you or anything.”

“I don’t need your advice!” Darius snatched. I was hoping I wouldn’t have to step in. We would need our energy for what was to come.

Trever only laughed again. “Oh, yeah, that’s right because the chances of it happening again anytime soon are quite slim due to your agreement but let me just tell you that she’ll be the one to break first. She’s always first so you should think about the consequences of your decision when she does. She’ll have no problem going elsewhere to get what she wants and you already know where that will be.”

Darius’s eyes were narrowed and placed right on Trever without a word. His look said enough. I knew what he wanted to do and was proud of him the way he held it off.

“What are you doing?” The Kalu Assassins finally made their appearance back to us and Jaylyn had her angry eyes fixed directly on Trever.

“What? I’m just sitting here.”

“Where’s my father?” Adele asked, looking around. “He wasn’t at the palace anymore. Is he here?”

“If he were here, I think you’d notice.”

“Are the other two still—” Jaylyn hesitated even asking.

“Do you see the house in total chaos? Smell the blood in the air?”

“No.”

“Then yes, they’re still asleep.”

“Then what are you—”

“No! Stop!” Ruby’s voice startled us all. “Don’t talk to him.”

“Why?” Jaylyn asked.

“He’s just delaying us, making us wait until the General finds us instead.”

“Awe, Red. You hurt my feelings.” Trever said maybe like he was joking but it was hard to tell. I didn’t know him enough to know if he would do that or not.

“Whatever you’re planning, it won’t work.”

Trever laughed. “Excuse me. I merely laugh because you don’t know how wrong you are. I’m just doing my job.”

“Yeah, what’s in it for you?”

“What do you got?” Trever leaned back and looked her over by moving his eyes down her body.

“Watch it.” Darius said as he pointed across the table.

“You know what I mean.” Ruby put her hand on Darius’s arm for him to relax. I was glad he listened. “There’s always something in it for you.”

“But what do you give to someone that already has everything? Hmm, I can’t think of anything. What do you think, General?”

The Kalu Assassins all gasped and we turned around to see General Balwin standing in the doorway. His face was still but cold. His eyes were focused but burning fear through their veins. I’ve seen this look before on me; the only difference, I wasn’t afraid.

Chapter 19

Adele

My heartbeat was almost visible through my chest and I felt this fire of dread trace through me. The only thing I thought to do was get this started and try to get him to understand. “Father, I can explain this.”

“Silence!” My father made even me jump from his deep voice. “Trever.”

“Good luck.” Trever muttered under his breath as he got up from his chair and walked around to him. They talked to each other so we couldn’t hear and my father put his hand on Trever’s shoulder with a nod. Trever smiled to it and nodded back before he left the dining room.

It was quiet for a moment and my father turned back with a long breath.

I had to do something before things went wrong. “Father—”

“Do you realize the extent of the trouble you’re in?”

“Father, please.”

“Lying to the Queen may be acceptable enough as I’m sure you’ve done it a lot but lying to me is not. I can’t even believe how long you’ve kept it from me but if this gets to her ear, they’ve just ensured the dishonor that my daughters are kill by the hand of their own.”

“Father—”

He held up his hand to silence me once again as he was stepping closer to us and we were backing up towards the table. “Not this time. This time, you’ve taken things too far. It would seem that I’ve been generous to you for too long. Opening up my home, giving you a place to call yours and just plain giving you anything you could ever ask for and this is how you repay my hospitality? By lying to me and trying to isolate yourselves from the world?”

I backed all the way into the table and I honestly didn’t know what to do. He’s been mad at me before but never like this.

“Stop talking down to them!”

No! This would have been worse. “Zayden, please.” I took his arm and tried pulling him back.

“No.” He only pulled away and continued. “He doesn’t have the right to treat you like this.”

“Oh, I don’t? My house, my daughters and I don’t have the right?”

I tried to stop him but I couldn’t and Zayden pushed the boundaries to get right in his face. “Stop acting like they did this alone. If you’re going to be mad at someone be mad at us.”

“Oh, I am mad at you and I shall have you know that your trip here has been in vain.”

“You know why we’re here and it has nothing to do with war.”

“Yes. I know all too well why.” My father rested his hand on the handle of his sword and my eyes watched him cautiously. “But I’m going to have to deny your staying here. It’s for their safety. You need to leave.”

“Father, please—”

Zayden held out his hand to me and continued this, only strengthening my fear. “My father didn’t spare your life and suffer in his own so you could live to condemn ours.”

I didn’t know where this would lead but the unthinkable happened. My father’s face softened and his breathing became calmer with his lower voice. “You speak of what you do not know. He has no one to blame but himself for what happened to him. He told you the story but perhaps he left out one very important detail. I never asked him to take my punishment for me. He did it willingly. If I knew that it was going to change him the way it did, I would have gladly taken my life for him so he wouldn’t have to. I even tried to fix things between us but he wouldn’t let me. His hate could never be broken and when he became King, I knew he’d remind the world of that hate and raise his son just the same. Now here you are, proof that he’d never let it go.”

“He may someday. He still remembers what it was like when you were friends but we’re not here because of that. You’ve seen everything and it worries you because it’s so familiar. The misdeeds of your past have resurfaced and your way of dealing with it is ending our chance.”

My father stood with no emotion as my chest began pounding with heavy breaths. I couldn’t let him end this. I needed Zayden and that’s how I wanted it.

“Father, please. Listen to him. They saved us. We’re alive because of them. Yes, we may have lied about it but it was to protect everyone.”

There was a long pause and I hoped I was getting through to him but he slowly started taking out his sword instead. It was the complete opposite of what I wanted. “But to protect everyone, you know I have no choice. My past was a mistake and I can’t let you do the same. Step aside.”

“I won’t let you. I can’t.” I held on to Zayden’s hand behind me, my grip strong like I would never let go.

“Do it now!” He demanded.

“No. You’ll have to kill me first.”

“Adele, lose the dramatics and move.”

“But I love him!” Silence hit. It just came out. Everyone was shocked by my statement, maybe even me but no one more than my father. He stood in dismay and I tried to make him understand. “I know you don’t want to believe it but you have to trust me when I say I didn’t want to believe it either but I looked passed what I’ve come to know and chose the way of life. You can’t hate them for saving us.”

“No, but I don’t have to feel obligated to let them stay either. We don’t have the resources to sustain them here. The Queen will find out eventually and when she does, it’s death for all of you. You cannot ask me to see that through.”

I looked over at Ruby and Jaylyn and planned without words what would really be best for everyone. She had to go. “That won’t happen. She’s pretended to rule long enough.”

They smiled, knowing what I meant but my father took me by the arm and pulled me aside with a low but urgent voice. “Adele, if you plan on doing what I think you’re going to do, you better think twice about the consequences. The palace is impossible to penetrate for so few.”

“Father. It has to be done. She wants to marry you so you can be King. Do you know what that will do if she’s still living? It has to be stopped and we will be the ones to stop it.”

“This isn’t about that, Adele. You must think this through for one second. If you were to manage to make it inside there is no way you could get passed the Queen’s defense shield. There are too many.”