The Third Fate Read online

  He had loved her.

  He should have changed her, had thought they possessed all the time in the world.

  The Fates could be cruel at times.

  Last night he had heard, felt her – if only for the blink of an eye. Blood of his blood, hers had cried out to him in acknowledgment. Just as quickly the link had closed. It had been enough to arouse the suspicions of every Council ancient. Half-vampire, his child would go through an Awakening, which should have occurred at the onset of puberty. But if the child lived, as he now suspected, he was sure that Agnes’ sister, Anna, would have hidden the babe and used whatever means necessary to mask her true nature. She had hated him, resented that he put her sister at risk. Half-borns were killed upon discovery unless they had already undergone Awakening and become fully vampire. The Council would not permit them to remain alive in half-mortal state, fearing their existence would eventually dilute vampire bloodlines and weaken their race. If mortals then mated with these half-breeds, they would inherit the genetic key-codes for stealth, speed, and psychic ability which would alert them to the vampire presence, enabling them to effectively remove the vampires’ ability to feed without detection, a necessary component to the race’s survival. He could not risk exposing her.

  A faint knock interrupted his brooding.

  “Enter,” he commanded.

  The gold-leafed handle turned silently admitting Pilar Michaels, her head held high, shoulders straight. Pride marked her features, the Roman nose, dark, mysterious eyes, small bow-like mouth with full lips.

  By the Fates she was beautiful to look upon.

  She was also his enemy. Supposedly.

  Malcolm ceased his pacing, greeting her formally.

  “Welcome to my home. I hope you will be comfortable during your visit.”

  Her head tipped in deferential reply, a slight action with mammoth implications.

  “You have need of my skills, Malcolm of Clan Gaunson. I, too, have need of yours,” Pilar Michaels reasoned. “Perhaps we can help one another.”

  “Do you propose an alliance of sorts?” Malcolm returned smartly.

  “An alliance?” she mocked, yet humor glinted in her shining eyes. “Surely reciprocity is a more apt term, Malcolm. Or would you prefer we enter into a more permanent agreement?”

  Malcolm caught her innuendo, breathing deeply. He would make no reply. It was safer that way.

  She sighed, the corners of her mouth lifting ever so slightly.

  “As you wish,” she stated, neither disappointment nor relief evident in her tone. “Now explain to me what it is I am to hide for you.”

  Malcolm returned to the beginning, telling of Agnes, their love, and her eventual refusal to see him. At the time he hadn’t known that she carried his child, and their separation had devastated him. After learning of her death and of the child, he understood. Agnes had been protecting him. If she had only trusted him things may have turned out differently, for he would have turned her at once. But for Agnes, the thought that he would be disdained for taking a turned mate because of his being a natural born vampire strengthened her resolve to be no hindrance to him in his world.

  Pilar listened silently, allowing him to finish before turning the conversation to strategy; Malcolm would not forget the kindness.

  “I will weave an enchantment the Fates themselves will admire, if ever they discover it. But you must trust me completely, Malcolm. For the enchantment to stand firm in the face of the Council, it must contain nothing of you.”

  “I understand, Pilar. Too well. That is why it is you who are here.”

  Malcolm dared not say more.

  “Then we must begin at once.”

  Casting her brocade cloak to the floor carelessly, Pilar began her work. Her long, slender hands cupped his temples, easing him to the chair as she closed her own eyes and sought the memories she would mask. Long moments allowed doubt to creep into Malcolm’s mind that even she would be unable to successfully cloak his mind from the Council. Pilar ignored his worry, if she sensed it, continuing on in quiet inspection. After prolonged study, her lips began their first, soft incantations, slowly weaving the layers of protection that would hide his daughter’s existence away from those who may seek to destroy her. Twisting and turning the memories in his mind, closing off portals to the past and hiding the pathways which led to them, Pilar Michaels practiced her craft in expert fashion.

  In rapid succession the Druid priestess repeated her charms, reinforcing their bonds in her mind’s eye, suddenly slumping to the floor in front of him, exhausted.

  “It is finished,” she whispered weakly.

  Malcolm was beside her instantly.

  “This was too great a risk for you! I should never have summoned you!”

  His voice was strained with emotion, both joy in knowing that his daughter would be protected – at least for now - and worry for the woman in his arms. He was a fool for inviting her. Her presence reminded him of what he could not have.

  Scooping her into his arms, Malcolm carried her to the suite of rooms prepared for her stay. Being under the same roof with Pilar frightened him almost as much as facing the Council.

  “Malcolm,” she said softly, her hand reaching up to graze his bearded cheek, “Your daughter will be safe…”

  Brushing his hand over her dark hair, Malcolm looked his fill of her perfection. The sleep of exhaustion claimed her, and he tucked her into the lonely bed.

  The Council awaited him.

  Chapter Five

  “You’re seeing him again this evening?” Lara asked incredulously. “Getting serious about this guy?”

  “I don’t know,” Paige answered honestly. “I feel a connection with him I can’t explain.”

  They continued weeding Sissy’s herb garden, a square three meter area which held various potted plants in the tenement building’s backyard. No one complained since Sissy shared with anyone who asked. The potted earth steamed as Paige turned it over in the cool, evening air.

  “I can’t believe these are still growing,” Lara remarked, changing the subject. “Are we taking them inside, or risking another week outside?”

  “Let’s give them one more week,” Paige answered. “I’m a little afraid, Lara,” she confessed quietly. “It’s all moving so quickly. And my feelings are so strong. It feels so…so…right. I know it probably makes no sense, but that makes me want to turn and run the other way.”

  “I do understand, Paige. You know how I feel already. You’re afraid of losing someone again. You want to bolt so you don’t have to risk being hurt.”

  “I know I can’t run forever. I’m afraid of ending up alone.”

  “Then you’d better stop running, Paige.”

  Lara walked to the small shed and tossed in the gloves and hand shovels. Paige stayed on the porch stairs awhile, the exchange heavy in her thoughts. Crisp air caused her nose to run and brought the pink up in her cheeks. Other, more frightening things were happening to her. These made her want to run farther, faster, until she outran them.

  Drink…

  Paige closed her eyes. Last night’s dreams had been the most vivid by far. This time, there was no question of her dream lover’s identity. It was Cael Maccinnis. Only in her dreams Cael wasn’t simply a gorgeous man and successful furniture craftsmen. He was a vampire, and she welcomed him. She knew she should be shuddering with horror but couldn’t conjure the least bit, and that concerned her above all else.

  Almost.

  For in her dreams Paige kept another secret. She did shudder at this recollection.

  Thank goodness it was only a dream.

  Combined with the other changes she was noticing, Paige wasn’t sure she could dismiss her dreams so easily anymore. Her heart pounded, her thoughts swirling in violent tempest’s storm.

  What’s wrong, lass? I feel the tumult inside ye…

  The sound of his voice in her mind soothed her, and her heart rate slowed along with her thoughts.

  What’s ha
ppening to me?

  Paige knew instinctively she was hearing him, feeling him. They hadn’t acknowledged this fact, but there it was. Either she was losing her mind, or she was rapidly becoming capable of inhuman behavior, smelling things, hearing things, and just…knowing things.

  Everything’s going to be all right, lass. I promise ye.

  She didn’t know how, or even why, but she believed him.

  I miss you…

  This was crazy.

  Around the side of the building emerged a sight that brought tears to her eyes.

  “Hi there,” Cael smiled. “I know I’m early. I hope that’s all right with ye.”

  “I was just thinking about…”

  She didn’t finish the thought. The last thing she wanted was to have him learn she was on her way to becoming a nutter. Finally finding someone she cared for, maybe more than cared for, Paige wasn’t about to scare him off with her crazy imaginings.

  “About what?” he grinned.

  “Oh, nothing, really. Do you want to say hello to my Aunt Anna and cousins before we go?”

  “I’d like that.”

  His voice slid over her like satin, raising the hairs on her arms. Following her up the stairs to Sissy’s back door he wrapped her waist with his arm, sending another delicious wave of pleasure rolling through her. Lara and Sissy sat around the kitchenette table; Brooke stood leaning against the counter-top. Conversation screeched to a halt when they entered through the back door, her cousins gaping at the sexy hunk beside Paige, and Sissy looking as if someone had just walked over her grave.

  “This is Cael,” she introduced. “And these are my cousins. Brooke has the strawberry blond hair and Lara the yellow,” Paige explained. “That’s how everyone tells them apart. And this,” she said, pointing to her aunt, “is Sissy.” Looking around, she added warily, “What’s the matter in here?” not understanding their odd reactions.

  “It’s great to meet you, Cael,” Brooke chimed in. “Paige never dates; that’s why we’re staring like fools, in case you were wondering.”

  Brooke always knew just what to say to lighten a situation. With Sissy still pale as a ghost and her cousins’ first reaction, Paige sent a grateful look Brooke’s way, even if it was a mite humiliating.

  “It is nice to meet ye, likewise,” Cael offered, shaking the twins’ hands. “And you also.”

  He moved to shake Sissy’s hand, but her aunt sat still as a stone.

  “Sissy!” Paige, Brooke, and Lara said in unison, unable to believe their eyes.

  None of the three had ever seen her act rudely toward another human being in her life. That she did worried them.

  “Oh,” Sissy recovered. “Ye have to excuse me young man. It’s that ye made me think of someone I knew long ago.”

  Paige dismissed the incident thinking Sissy overly affected from some long ago memory, as did Brooke and Lara, and they continued with pleasantries a few minutes.

  “Paige tells us you’re a wood craftsman. What exactly do you work on?” Brooke nosed.

  “Mostly I craft furniture pieces. I have done custom work for new construction and remodels.”

  “How interesting! Is that what your father did, too?”

  “Something like that,” he grinned, his sensual mouth curving upward.

  “Cael keeps a home in the Northern Highlands. It’s open to the public in the summer months. His wood shop is there, and he works through the winter months.”

  “You must be very talented, Mr. … What did you say your last name was?” Anna inserted herself into the conversation.

  “Maccinnis,” Cael stated. “It pays the bills,” he added lightly.

  “Well, Paige, ye have yer job here in the city. Ye can hardly be traipsin’ off to the Highlands,” Anna snorted her rebuke.

  Tension trailed Anna’s words, wrapping the kitchen in its grip. Paige was mortified.

  “Paige can do as she pleases, Sissy,” Brooke leapt to Paige’s defense. “She’s a grown woman with sense enough to know if she wants to be traipsin’ off anywhere.”

  Brooke laughed, Lara joining with her.

  “It’s the mother hen coming out in her,” Lara added.

  Paige relaxed somewhat at the girls’ comments, knowing Sissy worried overmuch for her. On the other hand, she bristled. She liked Cael. He was kind, smart, and thoughtful; and didn’t deserve to be treated rudely. A few minutes later Paige made her apologies and they departed.

  “As a matter of fact,” Cael started as they stepped out into the black night, “I was wonderin’ if ye would traipse off with me tonight. I want to show ye my home.”

  He awaited her response, aware that he was moving quickly yet desperate to remove her from the city after what he’d learned.

  After what he’d seen in his dream…

  “It’s not that I wouldn’t like to, Cael,” she apologized. “But I’ve got work.”

  “Ah, I nearly forgot,” he lied, pretending to be casual when he wanted to punch something. “I’m not used to a regular nine to five schedule anymore. How about this weekend?”

  “I’d like that,” she smiled shyly.

  Her hair hung in soft curls around her face, the knit tam keeping the night’s chill at bay. Black leather riding style boots came to just below her knees, soft blue denim covering her thighs and hips. The corduroy jacket lined with plaid cotton hid her beneath its bulk, and Cael wished to be indoors where he could relax his guard and appreciate her form without distraction.

  Each sound, each smell had to be cataloged, explored. The Druid magic surrounding Paige was very old and very strong, the spells crafted specifically to mask a vampire’s signature. In other words, someone put these enchantments on Paige Kinnell believing that she was vampire. She wasn’t – yet. Cael intended to change that. But it hinted at a dark possibility.

  Paige could be half vampire, half mortal.

  It would explain why she responded to him, why he was attracted to her scent in the first place. It also made their situation more dangerous than ever. Paige had powerful and ancient blood running through her veins, of that he had tasted. His bite would have begun her Awakening, the Druid masking spells only able to hold so long. With every day, every drink of her he stole, their bond grew and her Awakening mounted. He would only be able to conceal her for a time, and if she hadn’t completed her Awakening – or begun to drink – the danger would grow. The Vampire Council would not allow her to live. Cael would not allow her to die.

  He dare not stray far, for it was impossible to tell when first thirst would consume her. Her first drink would be of him, and if it be in his power she would drink from no other. Changes were about to take place in Paige’s body and mind, and Cael needed to be near, comforting her, ensuring she made it through unscathed. The Awakening was a brutal process, and Paige lacked the advantage of knowing what was happening to her. He wanted to get her far away. His home in the Highlands was secluded, and once there he could devote his full attention to her, for it was well protected.

  Protected.

  That bothered him. Danger could come from any direction here in the city. His woven charms would keep out any intruder or lesser vampire, but he could not guarantee protection from another ancient. He had to maintain constant vigil until stealing her away. His dream of the previous night haunted him as well.

  He had felt the shadow of her death.

  *

  Charity slumped back against the chair, cross and pouting. The game wasn’t exciting anymore.

  “What’s wrong, Charity?” Jael asked, her curls bouncing as she hopped on the chair beside her sister.

  “I’m bored with my new game is all.”

  “Here,” Jael smiled, taking a small metal object from her sweater pocket. “Play with this. Games are always better with one of these.”

  Charity, taking the miniature figure, smiled at her younger sister in delighted glee.

  “Oh, Jael! It’s perfect!” she clapped. “Will you play again, just like yo
u did last night?”

  Jael rubbed the scuff mark from her Mary-Jane.

  “Can I show more this time?” she asked innocently.

  “Of course, silly,” Charity chided with a loving hug. “What fun would it be if we kept all the secrets to ourselves? But you can’t show it all in one dream, Jael,” the older sibling warned. “That will spoil it too soon.”

  Jael bounced on the cushion excitedly.

  “Can I show the toy, Charity? A clue.”

  “I don’t know…” Charity thought about it a moment more. “I don’t want him to stop playing. Maybe you’d better.”

  Charity would need Harry, too. She set up the board and moved the pieces, Jael showed the players glimpses of what lie ahead, and Harry flipped the cards. The last card read that Charity had to skip her turn. That’s why she was sulking in the first place. But later, Harry would turn a new card, and she would play again.

  With renewed interest, Charity could hardly wait.

  “Let’s go find Harry. Maybe he’ll want to play now,” Charity invited.

  “No!” Jael stomped her foot in childish protest. “You promised to come to my tea party. That’s why I came looking for you.”

  Charity laughed.

  “I never want to miss one of your tea parties, Jael. We’ll find Harry later. Are there biscuits – and jam?”

  The sisters skipped toward the nursery holding hands, lost in the joy of make believe.

  *

  Polished mahogany gleamed under the green glow of the lawyers’ lights. Council members clad in crimson robes filed into the meeting chamber. In silent order each took their place around the U-shaped table, all facing the podium, large and looming at the table’s open end.

  Malcolm of Clan Gaunson, one of the oldest members of the vampire society, took his place. Peculiarly, he was quite confident that the Druid priestess’ enchantments would hold. He wondered if that made him a traitor – or a realist. Quickly, he put her from his mind. He could not draw unwanted attention to himself and thinking of Pilar would garner just that.