Tempest of Wrath and Vengeance (Legacy #3)

48. Eviana

48

EVIANA

H ead tipped back against the wall, Eviana reveled in the utter silence. Not in the surroundings. No, she could hear Ford shuffling around his cell. He’d tried to talk to her the first day, but had finally given up after she’d repeatedly ignored him. The sound of footfalls above them was a dull thumping here and there, and the sound of water in the pipes was a constant lullaby. But in her head? That was blissfully quiet.

Still, she heard the footsteps on the stairs, cracking an eye open. From what she could gather, Theon had cleaned out all the staff. Smart really. They were all loyal to Valter and would report any and all movements back to him. Even their beloved Pen and Caris betrayed Theon and Axel at various points. Denying the Arius Lord was simply never an option. It explained why Ford was down here and everyone else had presumably been reassigned to different duties. Food was delivered at various times, but it wasn’t a consistent schedule like it had been in Faven.

She was still a little taken aback when it wasn’t Lange and Corbin or even Razik and Eliza who appeared in front of her cell. Instead, she was staring into the sapphire eyes of Luka Mors.

“Show me the Mark,” he said roughly, crossing his arms as he waited.

Without a word, she tugged the collar of her shirt to the side, twisting so he could see the blocking Mark. When she turned back to meet his stare once more, he asked, “Why did you take it?”

Her head tilted. “I suppose for the same reason you pledged your allegiance to Theon rather than Valter.”

“But you have been his Source for decades.”

“Have you not been forced to do unsavory things over the years? Or was it of your own volition that you took lives and inflicted pain?” she countered.

He was quiet for a few moments before he said, “We can’t trust you.”

“Then don’t.”

“That is hardly helpful,” he scoffed.

She said nothing. Only held his stare and waited to see what he would do next.

Finally, he pulled a key from his pocket, slipping it into the lock before pressing a palm to the door. Recognizing his magical signature, it unlocked. He slid it to the side and gestured for her to follow him. She’d been here a few days now, and she assumed this was about being allowed to bathe. When she was led to the dining room, her curiosity grew.

“Take a seat,” Luka said, sinking into one of his own.

Eviana scanned the room, taking them all in. It took effort to keep her surprise from showing when she found Xan at the table. It had been some time since she’d seen him. She’d known Valter had betrayed him, of course. She’d helped set it all up, so this was an interesting turn of events. He still wore the collar around his throat that kept him from his magic and from shifting, and she idly wondered how they planned to remove it.

“You truly cannot communicate with him?” Luka asked.

Her hands folded in her lap, she answered, “Will you believe my answer either way?”

His stare was icy, but he didn’t respond.

“I already told you,” Eliza cut in. “We have experience with this Mark. The only way it will stop working is if her power is allowed to completely drain.”

“Did you ever see him in Faven?” Luka asked.

“No,” she answered, her attention now fixed out the window. The sun was setting, not that she could see much of it through the clouds that had gathered. New life was starting to show though. Small buds on trees and glimpses of green in the yard. It made her magic thrum where it was locked away.

“But you could speak with him?” he pressed.

“Yes.”

“And?”

Finally, she met his gaze once more. “The bond may be blocked, but I still cannot tell his secrets. It appears you are more than capable of unearthing them yourself,” she added, her eyes flicking to Xan.

“Hello, Eviana,” the male said coldly.

She didn’t bother replying.

Luka rubbed at his temple with his forefinger, his elbow resting on the table. “We know he’s going to come for her first now that he’s free.”

“What do you mean he is free?” she demanded, turning to Luka so quickly, her chair scraped on the floor.

He eyed her with suspicion. “When we freed Xan, we inadvertently freed everyone in the cells. Assuming he found his way out, I mean. We left him there.”

She swallowed thickly, getting herself under control.

“Obviously he is going to want to find you. Does he have a Tracking Mark on you?”

“Why would he do that if there is a bond in place that allows for the same?” she asked.

“You’d be surprised,” he muttered. Then louder, he said, “The point is, when he doesn’t find you in Faven?—”

“He knows I was moved,” she interrupted. “I was not given the blocking Mark until I was here. He felt the bond being stretched and knew I was taken a great distance from him.”

“Great,” Luka said dryly. “All the more reason to believe this is going to be one of his first stops while he tries to track you down. We need to move you somewhere else.” He looked at Xan. “Do you recall any holdings that wouldn’t be obvious?”

“Much has changed during my time of imprisonment, Luka,” he answered. “I suspect where he prefers to do business has as well. She would be your greatest source of information, but we cannot trust her.”

“What did you and Tessa discuss when she’d visit you?” Luka asked suddenly.

“We drank wine. Or rather, she did. She can talk. A lot,” she replied.

The male’s brow furrowed. “She doesn’t talk a lot.”

“She does when given the opportunity.”

Luka’s glare was harsh. “And what will you do if Valter finds you?”

“What can I do?” she countered. “I am bound to him.”

“Then you would return to him?” he clarified.

“You speak as if I have a choice to do anything else.”

His finger steepled along his temple now, he contemplated that before saying, “That is a valid statement.” He sighed. “Theon might know of a lesser-known holding, but he’s in a Tribunal Hearing all day today. I don’t think we’ll be lucky enough to have that much time, especially if Valter figures out how to get those bands off.”

“There is a place outside of Raven Harbor,” Eviana said tentatively.

“I know of it,” Luka replied.

“Valter does not enjoy going there. Says the city smells like fish.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“I am offering a suggestion,” she replied. “A show of good faith, perhaps.”

“We’ve already established we cannot trust you,” he said.

“Believe what you will, but I do not desire to see him. He will be angry, and you know well how he expels such emotions,” she answered.

She watched the male as he clearly debated what to do. One of his first real tests at being Theon’s advisor and being forced to make a decision without consulting him first. Valter had never trusted anyone with such a role. He had close nobles like Julius and Mansel—had others who were trying to claw their way into such a position—but they were all disposable to him in the end. Theon, Luka, and Axel had forged something different. She’d watched it grow over the years, and while it allowed them to share burdens, it also created exploitable weaknesses.

“I can’t leave you there by yourself,” he said, rubbing a hand along his jaw. “Eliza and Razik are needed here, and Xan is not in any condition to monitor you.”

She waited, letting him come to the conclusion on his own.

“I suppose as long as you are in bands, I could leave Corbin and Lange with you,” he went on. “It won’t be for long. Just until I can talk to Theon.” His gaze bored into hers. “But I swear to the gods, Eviana, if you fuck with them or betray us, the only place you’ll be going is the Underground.”

As if that was any type of threat to her.

“May I retrieve things from my cell before we go?” she asked instead.

“What things?”

“A coat that Tessa gave me and a book I was reading.”

“If Eliza and Razik will escort you while I speak with Corbin and Lange,” he agreed.

Ten minutes later, they were gathered in the living room. Apparently Razik could Travel like Tristyn, and they were pulled through the air and stepping into a three-story brick manor. It was decorated as lavishly as any of Valter’s other properties, and she stood with her hands clasped in front of her while Luka laid down a set of rules she paid no attention to.

The sun was setting fully when the male’s phone rang, and he pulled it from his pocket to silence it. Seconds later, a message came through, and Luka cursed.

“I need to go…deal with something,” he said. Looking at the Fae males, he asked, “You two can handle this?”

Lange rubbed at the back of his neck. “I mean, we don’t really have a choice, right?”

“You are the two who went to retrieve her,” Luka argued.

“Well, yeah. At Tessa’s request. We didn’t realize we would be responsible for her,” he said, clearly uneasy about this entire situation.

He really should be.

“You have a phone. Contact me if you need anything,” Luka said. “Whatever you do, don’t take her bands off, and you’ll remain more powerful than her.”

Even without the bands, that was likely true, but no one needed to know that.

“I’ll check in,” Luka added.

“It’ll be fine, Lange,” Corbin said.

“I don’t think we have the same definition of that word,” he muttered.

Luka clearly didn’t like this either, but whatever message he’d received had obviously made him feel like he had little choice.

“I’ll check in,” he said again before Razik Traveled them out.

She turned to the Fae, a hand slipping into her coat pocket and pulling out the extra comb that matched the one in her hair. The pair eyed her uneasily.

“You came from the Anala Estate originally, right?” she asked, watching Corbin’s reaction.

“Uh, yeah,” he said, a divot appearing between his brows.

Eviana nodded. “Lady Aithne has lots of secrets tucked away. What was her Estate like?”

“Similar to the others,” Corbin answered.

“No need to lie,” she tsked, toying with the comb. “We all have secrets. There’s no denying that.” She moved to the window, watching twilight settle over the Night Waters. Valter always had to have his grand homes just outside of the cities. Always separating himself from his people. “Can either of you drive?” she asked.

“No,” Lange answered immediately.

“I suppose it’s never too late to learn though, right?”

“Listen, I don’t know what you’re trying to imply, but we’re not going anywhere,” Corbin said. “Luka said to stay here, and that’s what we’re going to do until we’re told otherwise.”

“Spoken like a Fae.”

“Because that’s what we are,” he shot back. “And while I understand our experience in the Arius Kingdom differs vastly from yours, we have it pretty good here. We’re not going to do anything to jeopardize that.”

Eviana smiled, something dark and promising. “I’m happy to hear that because if one of you doesn’t learn to drive, the pretty good life you’ve grown attached to will cease to exist.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Lange said. “All we have to do is call Luka and tell him?—”

“You won’t,” she answered, sliding the second comb into her hair.

“I’ll bite,” he drawled. “Why won’t we?”

“Because I know what you both are, and if that gets out, you’ll undoubtedly never see each other again.”

They stared at her, neither of them seeming to breathe.

“We’re Fae,” Corbin said slowly.

She sent a knowing look. “You’re as Fae as I am,” she agreed. “Which means not entirely. You even less than him.”

“We don’t know what you’re talking about,” Lange said, but his face had paled.

“I’m sure you’ve done well hiding the signs. Survival instincts and all that,” she said, making her way out of the living room and down a hall. They followed just like she knew they would, and she led them up a small set of stairs before entering Valter’s study.

She moved to the desk, pulling open the top drawer on the right and lifting the false bottom. A dagger sat there, the blade so black it absorbed the light.

A blade capable of killing a Fae or Legacy if you knew where to strike.

Valter had taught her where.

She supposed that was one thing she could actually thank him for.

Turning to the males, she held out her hand. “I’ll take that phone.”

“The fuck you will,” Lange scoffed.

“You forget I have spent decades with the rulers of this realm,” she said, her tone filled with venom as she darted forward. They weren’t expecting it, and her dagger was at Corbin’s throat before either of them could blink. “I know their secrets. In the time it would take your call to Luka to connect, I will have already killed your lover. While you were panicking, I will have alerted the Serafina Lady that you can hear the winds.”

Lange’s eyes went wide. “What does that even mean?”

But Eviana only smiled. “Make your choice. I don’t have time to waste.”

“What choice?” Corbin balked, holding out the phone to her. “You’re essentially blackmailing us.”

“This is Devram,” she said casually, stepping back and lowering the blade as she slipped the phone into her coat pocket. “I don’t know why you’d expect anything different.”

“We freed you!” Lange cried in outrage.

She shrugged. “That was your mistake.”

“And what, exactly, is the plan? Where are we supposed to go?”

“To the Serafina Estate. Why do you think I suggested this location? It will be the easiest place to cross the border.”

“You planned all this?” Corbin said in shock.

But she’d planned more than this.

She’d planned wrath and vengeance.

“Tessa won’t like this,” Lange said.

“My loyalty is not to Tessa,” she replied.

“It is to the Serafina Kingdom ?” he said. “How is that possible?”

“I am loyal to no one but what I seek there,” she answered, turning from them and heading for the door.

“Which is what?” Corbin demanded. “Maybe we can help another way.”

“There is no other way,” she replied, moving back down the stairs and heading for the door that would lead to the garage.

“We will be caught, and then we will all pay the price,” Corbin argued.

“Then make sure we don’t get caught,” she answered.

“This is madness,” he said, but a thread of acceptance was creeping into his tone.

Perhaps he was right. Perhaps this was madness. But madness would be needed to carry this out. She truly did not care if she died in the process, nor did she care who went down with her.

If this was madness, it was the only gift Devram had ever given her.