Sewn & Scarred (The Fated Creations Trilogy #3)

Chapter Forty-FourWyott

Chapter Forty-Four

Wyott

“ T his is bullshit,” Maddox growled as he paced the sitting area of his suite in front of me.

I shook my head. “Don’t make this harder than it has to be, Mads. You know it’s not wise for Sage to see that you’ve come back. We still don’t know if we can trust her, and keeping this secret from Vasier is the only leverage we have right now.” I crossed my arms over my chest and watched him pace back and forth. “And you heard what Dean said about James and Charlotte. The Vasi killed her because they didn’t want the Vasi to know that it’s possible for a Kova to come back after the change. If they were willing to kill her, Gods know they’d be ready to kill Kovarrin’s son for the same reason.”

His fists clenched at his sides as he looked out of the window, and looked in the direction of the loft.

“It’s not fair. She’s the only connection I have to Evaline.” And with the mention of her name, he spun to face me. “And what about her?” he asked. “She deserves to know that I’m back.”

I shook my head. “Absolutely not,” I said, my voice hard. “I know more than anyone else how hard she struggled after you changed, I was the one who watched as she shut herself in and almost withered away from that loss. So I know, better than even you, how much she deserves to know that you’re back. But we cannot tell her, even if we could trust that Sage wouldn’t immediately go tell Vasier. If she knew you were back, she’d do something stupid to try and free herself, and get herself killed in the process.”

Maddox threw his hands up. “She’s ready to die, anyway! And what if she tries to kill Vasier before we can get to her?”

I sighed. “I will talk to Sage, try to decipher whether we can truly trust her. If I think we can, I’ll tell her.”

Maddox turned to face me, eyes wide. “You cannot tell his daughter that Evaline is plotting his death. Gods know what they’ll do to her in the meantime.”

I ground my jaw. “Fine. I’ll just talk to Sage, and come back and tell you everything. Then, we can make a decision on what you want to do, and give instructions to Dean for the next time he sees Sage.”

I crossed the room and put a hand on his shoulder. “Trust me, I know this is hard. But you will see her again, I know it.” I nodded toward the window. “Now, let me go meet with Sage and learn absolutely everything I possibly can about Evaline and how we can get her back.”

He didn’t say anything, or give any indication at all that he understood, or even that he heard me. He only turned toward the window and crossed his arms.

I made the walk to the loft incredibly long, because I didn’t want any of the Vasi off the shore to see me going in, because once they felt Sage’s portal, they’d know I was meeting with her, and I didn’t want that information to get back to Vasier, either.

I walked into town, then cut through the alleys between buildings to walk toward the training center and across the grass and fields that separated the town from the buildings on the beach so that they hid my presence, and went in the back door of the loft, through the small greenhouse where the ravens were kept.

Dean was pacing in front of the fire and I threw my head back.

“Gods, not you too,” I said, and he stopped at once and looked at me with furrowed brows.

“Maddox?”

I nodded and strode toward him and plopped down onto the leather couch.

“When will she be here?” I asked, and he shook his head.

“It’s not always the same time, sometimes it’s early evening, sometimes it’s in the middle of the night.”

I nodded and sat forward on the couch to rest my elbows on my knees. I sighed as I prepared myself for the question I knew I had to ask Dean. One that he had to consider.

I looked down at my wringing hands as I spoke with the softest voice I could muster.

“Have you considered what would happen if she’s playing us, again?” I asked. “If this does boil over into a war, and we meet Vasier in battle, and she’s standing beside him?”

I heard Dean swallow. “Yes,” he croaked. “It’s all I can think about, every day. But there’s nothing I can do to stop what will happen. I can only be there for her when she’s here, show her that there’s more to this life than the way she’s been treated by Lauden, by Vasier.” He took a long breath. “And pray.”

I nodded down toward the ground. “Yeah,” I started. “I think that’s what we’ve all been doing.”

I winced as I thought of the devastation on Cora’s face at the loss of her people. The terror that had wracked through my mind from our bond, the look on the faces of the mates that we’d dragged to the marina to communicate with their mates on the ships, only to watch as they died.

The floor below us began to quake, pulled me from my thoughts, and I shot up to stand. My eyes darted around the loft, looking for where she’d appear. Ever since Dean had told us about her ability to portal, I’d wanted to see it with my own eyes.

Murmuring voices seeped into the room at the same time a puddle of light manifested in the space that stood between the kitchen and the office portion of the loft.

One moment, the space was empty with only the flickering light of the fire behind Dean to light it, and the next moment Sage appeared, stepping out of the portal.

I took a step back, stunned by what I’d just seen even though I’d been expecting it, and watched as her gaze landed on Dean, then switched to me.

“Wyott,” she said, her voice breathless. She took a step toward me. “I’m so sorry, you have to believe that. I was wrong, for all of it. I know that now.” She shook her head. “I was trying to stop it when it happened. I didn’t mean for Evaline to go to—”

Hearing my friend’s name pulled me from my disbelief, and I straightened.

“I know,” I said, interrupting her. “Let’s just get on with what you wanted to talk to me about.”

I truly thought that I’d be kinder to her, that I’d have more forgiveness in my heart for her once I saw her again and saw the regret on her face.

And it was there, in droves. She seemed sincere, she seemed remorseful, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell her that I understood why she did it, or that I forgave her. Because when I looked at her, all I saw was the sight of Maddox’s red eyes. When I heard her voice, all that filled my mind was the sound of Evaline’s sobs and the roar of her Fire after she’d seen Maddox had changed. And now, when pain flashed through Sage’s eyes at my dismissal, all I could think about was the pain Evaline had endured in the time since she’d been taken to Mortithev, and the pain that Maddox felt each and every moment of every day, without her.

The best I could do was to not become enraged. My kindest reaction was not to ask why any of us should ever trust her, even tolerate her presence, but instead to ignore her apology and move on.

She nodded and rolled her shoulders forward, clasping her hands in front of her.

“Vasier told me that he wouldn’t hurt Maddox, Dean, and the other Kova if I brought them to him in Mortithev. He told me he only wanted to scare them, to prove a point and get information from Maddox if he could, and send them back. I had no idea he’d do that to Maddox, and if I had I never would’ve helped to take them to Mortithev.”

She paused for a moment, but I didn’t speak. Couldn’t, past the lump in my throat.

Dean stepped forward and came to stand beside Sage and me. “What about Evaline?” he asked softly.

She looked up at him and I could see the relief flash over her eyes. I wasn’t sure if it was from seeing her mate and being near him, or simply having someone that was on her side.

She took a deep breath and stood a little straighter.

“Vasier and Lauden finally let me in on their real plan,” she said and then clenched her eyes shut for a moment. “They plan to take Alannah’s soul and put it into Evaline’s body so that she can take over, just like a Vasi would.”

When she opened her eyes, there were tears in them as they met mine. My eyes widened and some sort of gasping sound slipped from my lips.

“W-What?” My heart raced in my ears and Dean shook his head, frantically.

“No, that’s not possible,” he said, turning to look at me. “That’s not possible.”

She shook her head. “I don’t know if it’s possible or not, they’ve completely withheld all of these plans from me, for months. This was always their plan, but they’d only ever told me that they planned to use her magic, to get revenge on Alannah that way—”

“Wait,” I said, waving my hands and clenching my eyes shut for a moment. “Why does he even want revenge on Alannah? I know that he didn’t want her taking Kovarrin from him but—”

“No,” she said, looking up at me with furrowed brows. “That was never the reason for this bad blood. Between him and Kovarrin, or him and Alannah.” She cocked her head. “You really don’t know?” she asked.

Dread sank in my gut. “Know what?’

And then she explained.

All of it.

That Vasier and Kovarrin had both, separately, always been in love with Alannah. That she’d shut things down with Kovarrin because she only saw him as a friend just as close to her as a brother would be.

But Vasier, they’d had a relationship. And when she’d been caught as a Sorceress, when Kovarrin ran into Vasier in town and told him that he and Alannah were running away together, Vasier understood that she’d chosen Kovarrin over him.

That she’d chosen friendship, over love.

And when he’d confronted her, and she’d admitted that she did not love him in the same way that he’d loved her, he’d snapped.

A crime committed in the heat of passion, that ultimately led to the death of him and his brother.

But what Sage didn’t have to say, was the next part.

Because a woman rejecting you, that was one thing. It would hurt, but it could be forgiven. It could heal.

But to know that the woman you loved, chose to save another man, your brother, instead of you, that pain would last a lifetime.

A millennia.

I swallowed.

“No,” I rasped. “No, I didn’t know that.”

Fear ravaged through me.

This hate Vasier had for Kovarrin had seemed misplaced before we knew that they were brothers, and then after seemed conceivable, but aimed wholly at Kovarrin and the Kova.

Even the hate we’d known he had for Alannah, we thought it was only for the fact that she’d tried to take Kovarrin, his twin, away from him.

And neither of those had ever seemed like reason enough to harm Evaline.

But this, this revenge was personal. It had stewed for hundreds of years, and it very much involved Evaline.

“When is this happening?” I said, trying to keep my voice as even as possible even though my entire body felt numb.

She shook her head. “I don’t know, but as soon as I do, I’ll come here and let you all know. You have to understand that this isn’t as bad as we think it is. Vasier can’t accomplish this without mine and Evaline’s help.”

My brows furrowed but it was Dean who spoke. “What do you mean?”

“I’m the one with the ability to open portals. Evaline is the one who can pull souls from the Night into the world of the living. Without me to portal us in, and out, and Evaline to allow her mother through, Vasier has no way of getting ahold of Alannah’s soul.”

I shook my head. “We are not basing any plans, or our hope for that matter, on whether or not Vasier has contingencies in place,” I said, turning to walk to the fire while I dragged a hand through my hair. “If he’s steeped in this rage for this long, he would have assurances that he could get what he wanted. He would know with absolute certainty that the outcome he wants is the outcome that will be.”

“You don’t understand—” Sage said, but I whirled to face her.

“No, you don’t understand, Sage. You led her into this trap, she is in the mess, we’re all in this mess because of you. So why should I believe you, or have faith when you say that Vasier is counting on you and Evaline to make this happen?”

“Wyott,” Dean said, his voice stern as he looked at me with a set jaw.

I took a deep, rough, breath, and shook my head. “Gods, Dean. You’re lucky this is all I’m saying.” Sage winced. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I’m having trouble looking past it all. I’m sorry that we all can’t be as blinded in mating as you.” Dean’s jaw twitched at that. “I can’t help the rage I feel when I hear that Evaline is fucked , and there’s no way for us to help her, and it’s all because we were betrayed by a woman who we befriended, who we cared for.”

The guilt was winding through me even as I said the words, but I continued anyway. I knew it was mean, I knew it was harsh. But Gods, I couldn’t always be patient, I couldn’t always be understanding. Sometimes shit hurt and the people who caused it deserved to hear at least a portion of it.

I let out a breath and dragged my hands over my face, trying to calm myself down. I was looking at my boots, hands on my hips, when I heard her speak.

“I only meant that you don’t understand the way Vasier thinks,” she said, her voice so soft, and the guilt twisted in my stomach. “He has had control over me for most of my life, and what’s worse was that I spent most of it—all of it nearly—trying to prove to him that I was a good daughter. That I was powerful.” I heard her swallow. “That I was useful,” she said, and Gods-dammit, she sounded so sad . “So when I say that Vasier needs Evaline and me, it’s because I know that he truly believes that I will continue to be blindingly faithful to him. And that’s because I have been so far. Even when I had my doubts about him after Maddox’s change, and was convinced that I would choose you all, that I would abandon my father’s cause and leave everything I knew, to join your fight, I still fell into his control the moment Evaline told me about her gift from Mortitheos. The second I knew that what my father wanted, what he’d attempted for centuries, was within my reach, he had his grasp on me again.”

I looked up at her now, and saw the pain in her eyes. Saw Dean standing beside her, looking down at her, every muscle in his body coiled tight.

“There isn’t a scenario in which he would ever foresee my betrayal. He simply doesn’t have enough respect for me to think I could pull it off.”

I cringed at that, and in one moment I saw how her life, her childhood, must have played out.

Lonely nights, torturous days. Never receiving love from a man incapable of it anymore. Never feeling heard, or seen, or worthy.

I shook my head, my voice wavering with emotion as I spoke. “I’m sorry, Sage. I shouldn’t have lashed out at you like that.”

She looked at her wringing hands, and shrugged. “I understand why you did.” Then she looked up and took a step toward me. “But you have to understand that I know what I did was wrong. I tried to stop it, and regretted it as it was happening. If I could go back and change it, I would. But all I can do is fix it now. So that’s what I’m trying to do.”

I nodded. “How will you fix it, though? How can we save her if she’s locked inside in a ward?”

She moved to the leather couch now, to sit.

“I’ve been trying to break the ward, but so far it hasn’t worked. But I will keep trying, and as soon as I find out when the ceremony to combine Evaline and Alannah is happening, I will come here and bring you back with me. We can all go to save her, and if I haven’t broken down the ward yet, then we’ll keep portaling around the castle until I can do it.”

Dean and I shared a look.

“We can’t go with you,” Dean said softly.

She looked up at him, one brow cocked. “Why?”

I took a step toward her. “You don’t know about the ward here?”

She turned toward me, and I could hear her heart start to race. “Only the ward to keep Vasi out, why?” Her eyes widened and she looked between us frantically. “Did it get taken down, somehow? I can put it back up, I can protect—”

“No,” Dean said, going to sit beside her as he told her about the ward locking us in, about the Vasi outside, and the Sorcerers.

She was shaking her head, tears in her eyes, before she jumped up and ran to the window, then peeked out.

She was still shaking her head as she saw them out there, lined up off the shores, and I saw her body tremble.

“Just another thing he kept from me,” she whispered so low and to herself.

Her fists clenched at her sides and she whirled around and stormed back to us.

“Where are the wards? I can try to dismantle this one, too. With any luck it might actually work.”

I nodded, hope filling my chest. “Yes, that would be amazing. The ward extends out there, a foot or so in front of where the Vasi are standing.”

Her lips twisted into a look of apprehension. “Are there any spots on the island that there aren’t Vasi beside the wards?”

My stomach sank. “No.”

She took a shuddering breath and looked down. “Then I can’t. We can’t risk my father finding out that I’m helping you all. If he does, then there truly won’t be any way to save Evaline.”

My fists clenched at my sides and I had to force my jaw to unclench.

“It’s fine,” she said, her voice hard. “It’s fine, I’ll figure out a way to save her.”

Dean stood. “How? By yourself?”

Her wild eyes raised to meet his and she nodded. “If that’s what it takes. I’ve made the gravest mistake of my life and I will do whatever it takes to right it. No matter what it takes.”

Ice washed through my veins at the words, and I wondered for a moment if she’d read Evaline’s note to us. If she knew that both of them, independently, vowed the same words.

My lips twitched, I wanted to tell her. She seemed strained enough from Vasier that I was inclined to trust her, but I remembered my promise to Maddox and didn’t speak.

Dean shook his head at her words, opening his mouth to speak, but she beat him to it.

“I’ll continue bringing Maddox blood,” she said, pulling the jar out of her bag and handing it to Dean. “And I will let you know any updates. If I portal here, and there’s no one, I’ll leave a note again.”

Dean didn’t hesitate, staring down at her with a steady gaze. “I will be here.”

She nodded, kept her eyes on his as she took a slow breath, before responding. “If I don’t come back, then, you’ll know. That there was no time to alert you, and I did absolutely everything I could to save her. That I gave everything, to try.”

He shook his head, his eyes misted, as his heart hammered in his chest. I saw him reach for her hand and I turned away, toward the fire as if to give them privacy. We all understood what Sage was saying. We all knew what she would give, what she would sacrifice.

Herself.

I heard Sage sniffle, heard Dean clear his throat, but his voice still wavered, cracked, when he spoke.

“Come back,” he whispered. “Come back to me.”