Shadow Fate 3: Checkmate: Paranormal Romance Series Read online

  “Endora, answer me,” the angel snapped.

  You sound like Mom, I thought. I elected to not voice the thought.

  “What do you mean?” I stammered instead.

  The angel’s cool beauty turned downright frigid.

  “I told you not to come back here,” he spat. “It is much too dangerous. For both of us. Why part of that was difficult to understand? You should not be here.”

  Gritting my teeth, indignation rose within me. “I didn’t come here on purpose. And you’re the one who created this pocket of the dream world. You made this place so that we could visit and have these strange, less-than-satisfying chats.”

  “I told you not to come back here. I forbid it,” Azazel replied as though I hadn’t spoken.

  “I’m sort of new to all of this, in case you forgot,” I shot back. “Coming here wasn’t my intention. I was minding my own business. I was just trying to figure out where the three damn objects are located. You know, the ones you keep teasing but not explaining.”

  Tears of frustration burned my eyes. As I swiped at them with the back of my hand, I realized that my emotions had returned.

  What does that mean? Was I no longer under the influence of Helena’s potion? Was I dreaming? What about my medallion?

  “You put your faith in the river nymphs.”

  It wasn’t a question, so I considered not answering. Azazel wasn’t really the type of man—err, angel—that people ignored, though.

  “Helena said it was the only way,” I said stiffly.

  Lips pursed, Azazel breathed a heavy sigh through his nose. It reminded me of the huffing dragon from the chalice.

  “Do you now possess the knowledge you sought?” he asked after a minute.

  “Sort of. I think,” I hedged.

  His jaw tightened. “Your inability to lie with conviction will be a disservice when you enter the underworld.”

  “I’ll figure it out,” I retorted, unsure whether I was talking about the symbolic clues or how to survive the underworld with my poor lying skills.

  “I have no doubt you will, child of mine.” Despite the words, there was no affection or inflection in Azazel’s voice. “You must make me a promise, Endora.”

  “I already told you, I didn’t mean to come here,” I interrupted. “You can save your lecture for another time.”

  “Stay the course,” he said, waving away my comment with one graceful gesture. “You have one purpose in the underworld: Change your destiny. Do not deviate from your quest. Do you understand?”

  The angel’s gaze was intense, though it held a note of something like concern.

  I nodded slowly. “Yeah, of course. Don’t worry. This isn’t a vacation, I get that. No side excursions for me.”

  Relief flitted across his expression. “Do not forget, my child.”

  Gulping, I nodded again. Even as I agreed, a cold weight settled in my stomach. The promise I’d just made was complex. Breaking it would bring consequences. I wasn’t sure how I knew it, but I did all the same. Immediately, I regretted complying with Azazel’s demand.

  How could you be so stupid? I chastised myself. You know better than to agree to something you don’t fully understand.

  “I want to go back,” I blurted out.

  These visits with Azazel always made me uneasy. Then again, only someone lacking a pulse wouldn’t be uneasy while conversing with an angel in a pocket dream world where electrical storms—

  Wait, where’s the storm?

  The ever-present lightning and thunder were absent. Though I felt like I should’ve been relieved, I wasn’t. Even though it was unsettling, that electrical storm was as much a part of the world as the dock or Azazel or even me.

  “Your promise is your honor, daughter,” the angel replied.

  “Fine, whatever. Please, just send me back,” I said hurriedly.

  My internal sketch-meter was going nuts. Something wasn’t right. I mean, nothing was ever right anymore. But feeling like I wanted to crawl out of my skin was new. I would have sacrificed an appendage in that moment to escape the scene. Azazel had said before that I could send myself back. This time was different. Desperation trumped concentration. Panic set in.

  “Stay the course. Heed my warning. Take comfort in my advice. Abide honor.” The way Azazel spoke, it sounded like he was casting a spell.

  My lips parted again to demand he send me back. I never got the chance.

  “You are my blood, Endora,” he pressed. “You are more angel than human. The underworld is more your realm than the earthly plane. Remember this. But do not forget your humanity, child. It could save your life. The boy is more human than angel. The underworld is no place for him. His humanity will be his salvation. Never, never forget that.”

  In a blink, Azazel vanished. More accurately, I vanished. Two bright green spots appeared directly in front of me.

  “Endora?”

  Kaydon, I thought. My mouth formed his name, but no sound came out.

  “What’s happening, Helena?” he snapped.

  I blinked.

  “Patience, Grigori,” the river nymph snapped.

  Unable to do anything else, I blinked again.

  One by one, Kaydon’s other features came into focus. Long, thick lashes kissed the dark circles under his eyes. Without meaning to, I ran a finger across his cheek. His hand cupped mine and guided it down to his mouth. Soft, full lips brushed my palm.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, voice deep and throaty.

  “I…. I…. I….”

  Why can’t I talk? Am I broken?

  “Take your time, Endora,” Helena advised me. “Traveling between realms is a shock to the system. More so when only your mind goes on the journey.” She gestured in Bertine’s direction. “Mint tea with two dabs of Essence of Man. That should do the trick.”

  With a quick bow, the footman scurried away to fetch the tea.

  Helena turned back to me. “Deep breaths. In and out. That’s a good girl now.”

  The breathing exercise cleared my brain fog. My muscles were still tense, though. My shoulders were nearly pinned to my ears, and my tongue was glued to the roof of my mouth. A minute later, Bertine returned with the tea. My hands shook badly, so Kaydon held the cup to my lips.

  How long was I gone? I wondered. Unable to voice the thought, I swallowed the hot liquid.

  The tea sucked. It tasted bitter and smelled rank. Nevertheless, the effect on my body was immediate and gloriously calming. My reaction must’ve been noticeable, because Kaydon lowered the cup from my lips.

  “Finish it all,” Helena said firmly.

  Taking the tea from him, I drained the remaining liquid. As the warmth surged through me, so did the most pleasant sensation I’d ever experienced. It was like I was sitting on a cloud. My body was weightless, but my mind was sharper than ever. I had such mental clarity, it felt like I’d developed a sixth sense.

  “Endora?” Kaydon repeated my name.

  I smiled tentatively. “I’m fine. Good. Yeah, good.”

  A knowing expression replaced the hint of concern on Helena’s face.

  “You know the path forward,” she mused.

  Do I?

  The vision had been ambiguous at best. I had no idea what the sea of stars meant, let alone the feather that seemingly fell from the sky. Despite this, one word kept flashing in my head—banshee.

  Weird.

  “We should go talk to Jamieson,” I announced.

  Kaydon blinked several times, caught off-guard by my first truly coherent comment. He looked from me to Helena to Bertine, and then back to me.

  “Um, okay…?”

  Oddly confident, I stood. “Yes, let’s go talk to Jamieson.”

  Chapter Three

  The sky was a brilliant orange, flecked with dark pink and rich gold tones when our foursome emerged from the mountain. It seemed a lot of time had passed in the present, while I was busy falling through the future and speaking with Azazel. Doria and Serena
were waiting outside the magical doors, standing in the same stops as when Kaydon and I had entered Helena’s domain earlier that day.

  Hiking down the mountain proved much easier than the trip up had been, though I was so distracted trying to puzzle out what I’d seen while under the influence of Helena’s potion that it might have just felt that way. In an impressive show of restraint, Kaydon did press for details. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to share my vision with him, because I did. I just thought it would be better to wait until we were back with our friends and Zin. That way I’d only have to tell the story once.

  For an elderly woman, Helena was in incredible shape. She traversed the rocky terrain with absolutely no difficultly and set a brisk pace that was harder to keep up with than I would’ve imagined. Bertine, with his long toes and low center of gravity, navigated the trail like a billy goat born for this sort of activity.

  Our friends had moved from the hut to an open-air cafeteria on the opposite side of the river away from the housing accommodations. Doria must’ve had supernatural GPS, because she led us straight to them. Or, maybe, it was just dinnertime and she deduced their location. It could’ve gone either way.

  “There you are!” Dev exclaimed as we entered the palm frond enclosure. She leapt to her feet and beelined toward me, knocking over a cup of dark liquid in the process.

  My best friend wasn’t the only one either. With the exception of Jamieson, every single breathing creature rose as one. But as where Devon ran over to us, the rest sank to their knees, heads bowed. For one brief, narcissistic moment, I actually considered that the show of respect was meant for me. Of course, I was wrong. Helena was the reason they’d all been brought to their knees.

  “Good evening, my children,” the elderly river nymph said serenely, as Devon threw her arms around my neck and squeezed me tightly.

  “Are you okay? You’ve been gone for hours,” Dev whispered in my ear.

  For someone so skinny, she sure was strong. Extricating myself from her grip was like peeling gum from the sole of a shoe.

  “I’m good. I’ll explain later.” I gave her a reassuring smile. “Promise.”

  “Rise, please,” Helena said like a queen speaking to her subjects. Which, I supposed, was exactly what she was to them: a queen. Though no one actually called her that.

  “It was not my intention to interrupt evening meal,” continued the river nymph.

  Her keen eyes surveyed the space, landing on the table where Jamieson sat looking uncharacteristically uneasy. On either side of her, Mandy and Zin were on their knees, left fists clutched over the right side of their chests. Helena didn’t address Jamieson directly, but it was clear to everyone that this was the reason the river nymph had descended from her mountain.

  With grace I could never have mustered, Helena practically floated to the center of the dining tent, to a raised circular dais with a round table and nine chairs sat. Doria nudged me in the ribs. “Follow,” she hissed.

  Unwillingly to let me out of her reach again, Devon looped her arm through mine and together we obeyed Doria’s command.

  Bertine held Helena’s hand as she ascended the ten, grass-covered steps to the dais. He only let go to pull out the largest, most ornate chair at the table. It was more of a throne, really. With a high back and carvings of various water-based creatures, including Poseidon and his trident.

  Doria and Serena only accompanied Dev and me as far as the foot of the steps. If Helena thought it weird or improper for my best friend to tag along, she didn’t give any indication. Bertine held out the chair to the right of Helena’s throne for me, and then the one beside it for Devon. Only once the three of us were seated did those kneeling rise and resume their seats.

  “Where did Kaydon go?” I asked, realizing for the first time that he hadn’t followed us.

  Helena inclined her head toward Jamieson, who was looking up at us from across the room, an expression of childlike wonderment on her pretty face. Kaydon offered Jamieson his hand, and the two of them and Mandy came to join us on the dais.

  “You will sit here,” Bertine instructed Jamieson, indicating the empty chair on Helena’s left. To Kaydon, he gestured to the seat beside Jamieson but didn’t pull out the chair for my boyfriend.

  To my surprise, Mandy didn’t sit. Instead, she stood behind my chair. Hands held loosely behind her back, my friend looked like a sentinel guarding her charge. Before I could ask what that was about, servers appeared with trays of roasted meat and steamed vegetables. They all had the small stature of Bertine, so I assumed they were also some kind of tree sprites.

  “Wine, miss?” a female asked me.

  I shook my head. Between the tea that had put me on cloud nine and the crimson liquid that sent me falling through space and time, I wasn’t ready to drink anything else that altered reality.

  “Do you have water? Like normal water?” I asked, immediately cringing. In my head, the question sounded innocent enough. Spoken aloud, it came across as rude.

  Luckily, Helena chuckled.

  “Bring Endora water from the Sky River, Bernadette,” she told the sprite.

  The woman bowed and left immediately.

  Turning to Jamieson, Helena cleared her throat. “How are you finding the River Valley?”

  Jamieson met the river nymph’s eyes without hesitations. The simple gesture seemed bold when compared with the deference of everyone else in the room.

  “Enlightening,” Jamieson answered.

  “Yes, I imagine learning of your heritage has been quite an experience for you,” Helena replied. She picked up a gold fork and knife and cut a small piece of white meat on her plate. Closing her eyes as she chewed, an expression of bliss made the years melt from Helena’s weathered face. “Exquisite,” she declared.

  “Octopus, miss?” a server asked me.

  “Um, sure,” I replied absently.

  Though I’d never eaten octopus, I didn’t want to turn down the food and risk committing a second offense on par with asking for “normal” water.

  “It’s good,” Devon assured me. Another tree sprite piled a helping onto her plate.

  “So, they told you what you are?” Kaydon asked Jamieson.

  When I’d imagined the conversation, a formal dinner with hundreds of eyes watching hadn’t factored in. It seemed I was the only one who found the situation bizarre, though. Helena acted like discussing private matters in front of an audience was normal. Maybe it was for her. Or maybe she didn’t consider this a private matter.

  “What do you mean?” Jamieson snapped.

  Her tone made me smile. Life felt a little more normal when Jamieson donned her bitchy armor.

  “I’m me. That’s what I am,” she continued. “Being a banshee doesn’t change anything.”

  Beside me, Devon sighed loudly.

  “I feel so left out. I’m the only human among us,” she mused.

  No one responded to her comment. Secretly, I was relieved by the fact she was utterly mortal. Being human meant that my best friend couldn’t join us in the underworld, no matter how hard she argued. Devon would remain safe.

  Even though I wasn’t hungry, I played with the food on my plate to look like I was eating. The nibbles I did try were delicious, but my stomach was in knots. My mind raced to process everything we’d learned and everything still to come. My throat burned with bile from the anxiety.

  “We need a favor from you,” I finally said. My eyes remained on the mush pile forming on my plate instead of meeting Jamieson’s.

  I already knew that she’d say yes. Not just because I’d seen the future, though. As much as she liked to pretend otherwise, Jamieson did have a good heart. Deep down. Very deep down.

  “I’ve heard,” Jamieson drawled, though her nonchalant air was a façade. She sipped wine from her crystal goblet, and her eyes flicked behind me. “Your bodyguard told me.”

  When I glanced over my shoulder, Mandy gave me a small smile that I didn’t return.

  Tur
ning back to Jamieson, I held up a hand. “You don’t have to do anything you—”

  “Save it, Eel,” she interrupted with a roll of her eyes. After another sip of wine, Jamieson held her glass in the air. One of the tree sprites scampered over with a jug and refilled the cup. “I’ll do it.”

  “Really?” Even though I’d known she would eventually agree, her quick response surprised me. “Do you understand what we’re asking of you?”

  Jamieson’s smile was wry. “I’m not stupid, Eel.”

  If that’s not a setup…, I thought but resisted the bait.

  “It will take focus and determination to master your ability,” Helena interjected. Her fork held a fatty orange fish that looked a little like salmon; it was probably lake urchin or something. Without explaining further, she closed her eyes and savored the food.

  My mouth watered. Though I hadn’t been hungry just seconds before, watching Helena’s near orgasmic reaction gave me the sudden urge to eat. Or maybe it was because Jamieson had agreed to take a trip into the underworld so readily, loosening the knot in my stomach. Though we had a ton of other hurdles to deal with, I’d felt worst about asking my friend for the monumental favor.

  I looked down at my plate, which held a piece of the same orange fish drowning in a buttery cream sauce. Using my own goldware, I sampled the seafood. It was the best thing that had ever crossed my taste buds. My mouth filled with complex flavors that a Michelin chef would’ve given her right leg to create. The sauce was creamy yet tangy, rich yet light, sweet and salty at the same time. I took another bite and practically moaned.

  “What is this?” I asked a male sprite, pointing to my plate with the fork.

  “You don’t want to know,” Mandy interrupted. My friend shrugged sheepishly. “Trust me. You won’t be able to look at it the same, let alone eat it.”

  And now I really want to know, I thought. Still, my empty stomach was hangry for the delicious food. There were also more important things to focus on, so I didn’t press for an answer.

  “How long can she hold a soul?” Kaydon asked once Helena was done chewing.