Deceptions fall, p.33
Deception's Fall, page 33
part #6 of Call of the Elements Series
She raised her glass of red wine and everyone joined in. I sank further into my chair, my face burning.
“And she didn’t stop there,” Elaine continued after drinking down half her wine. “She shows up at my house a month later ready to kick ass when she should’ve been curled up in the fetal position with a therapist. Her life swung from a socially unaccepted young woman who couldn’t hold a job to saving us all within a two-month period.” She smiled at me, and tears pooled in my eyes. “She’s one of the strongest people I’ve ever met. Don’t you dare argue with me, bitch.”
I choked out a laugh and flipped her off. “I hate you right now.”
“Elaine’s right,” Ronquil said, drawing our attention. “AJ showed up on our island, and our carefully-laid plans to train her and use her to free the Woodland Fae got pushed aside. She forced us to see how far we’d fallen without our connection to the elementals.”
I glared at him, and he gave me one of his rare smiles.
“Through her stubbornness and sacrifice, she brought us out of our isolation and helped us reconnect to the magic we lost years ago,” Ronquil continued, as if my feelings on the issue didn’t matter. “Without her, we wouldn’t have reunited with the rest of the magical community. Kellen and Victor never would’ve listened to our plea for help had it not been for Alisandra, and rightly so. Through her friendship with Elaine and Braden, we were able to reach out to the goblins and even force a meeting with the elves.”
Ronquil’s gaze rounded the table and finally stopped at me. He raised his glass again. “To Alisandra.”
Everyone joined in the toast but me. My shaking fingers wouldn’t let me pick up my glass, and the tears filling my eyes would ensure I’d miss my mouth.
“You have ten minutes to argue all our points,” Kellen said, lowering himself to his chair with a smile.
I waved my hand around the table and scowled at everyone. “You’re all assholes. We did this together. When push came to shove, you guys made it happen. You saw the evil threatening us all and did what needed to be done. I refuse to accept the blame for making it happen.”
Laughter erupted around the table, making it impossible to point out a single perpetrator.
“In case you’ve forgotten, I bitched and moaned the entire time,” I continued. “How many times did one of you have to carry my unconscious ass to bed because I was irresponsible with my magic?”
“You should just say thank you for the compliment,” Luria said, interrupting my tirade. “No one’s listening to your pathetic excuses.”
I opened my mouth to give her a piece of my mind, but she smiled, and a tear rolled down her cheek. I forced myself to look at the others. Even Victor held my gaze with a look of gratitude. Damn them.
“Thanks,” I muttered. “You’re full of shit, but I couldn’t ask for better friends. I never would’ve survived any of this without you.”
I firmly gripped the stem of my wine glass and stood on shaky legs. “I also never would’ve accepted my role as Dionadair without the fae pushing me forward. I wouldn’t have made it to Nardan’s kingdom without Braden’s insistence that I needed to go. I wouldn’t have connected so deeply with my elementals in the first place without Kellen and Logan.”
I raised my glass and pretended it wasn’t shaking with my emotions. The scraping of chairs preceded everyone else standing with me.
“To all of you and our future together.” I waited for the chorus of ‘cheers’ before I sipped my wine. “All right. Enough sappy shit. Let’s eat!”
I dropped into my chair and watched my favorite people retake their own. The restaurant’s servers came in a few minutes later with our first course of food. The conversations around me became light and distracted. Tonight’s dinner was about friendship and belonging. Something I never dreamed I’d have.
But there were still a few loose ends that needed tying up. Lodron hadn’t revisited the vampire’s failed attempt to turn him a couple weeks ago. I had no doubts he would remember my comment about the fae being immune to vampire venom, and I would have to explain. Maybe—hopefully—the fae’s relationship with the elementals was now strong enough to endure the truth.
My mind drifted to Zane’s anger just before he left the Highland Palace. As far as I was concerned, my deal with the dragon was done. But apparently Zane felt like I missed something. Knowing my luck, he’d show up at the most inconvenient time ever to hash it out.
Thinking of Zane led me to the Arcanists. We weren’t done with them anymore than we were done with the rest of Trom Laighe. The traitorous elves would likely try to open the portal in the Woodlands sooner rather than later. Our armies had suffered a huge loss, and we weren’t ready to jump into another battle. But Neobitch lost more soldiers than we did. Maybe she had even more waiting on the other side. We had no way of knowing.
And I still had to talk to the Dionadair about Neobitch’s ability to get into my head. I frowned. Maybe I should talk to Dusha first. Would he know how she reached across the realms to get me? Was that how she corrupted Elise and Sabina? Probably.
Lodron’s knee brushed against mine, and I glanced over at him. He raised an eyebrow at me. Are you okay?
Better now than I have been in a long time, I replied.
I hope I’m at fault for some of your happiness. He smiled, unaware of my inner thoughts. Thoughts I needed to set aside.
I returned his grin and leaned towards him. “I’m holding you personally responsible,” I whispered against his neck.
“I’ll gladly pay whatever price you demand,” he breathed in my ear.
Shivers of pleasure ran down my neck with the contact. I promised myself that he and I would pick up where we left off the night before. My feelings for him were just like the sense of belonging wrapping me in it’s warm embrace. They were genuine, not something forced on me because of a bond. Lodron earned his place in my heart with all the small gestures of kindness, flirty smiles, and unending loyalty.
“Be careful, Captain,” I teased. “I can be really demanding.”
He laughed and wrapped his hand around the back of my neck. His lips met mine, and my face flushed. It didn’t stop me from kissing him back.
“Get a room!”
Epilogue
Dusha stood before the Elemental Council he once led with pride and honor. Now, he struggled with the regret and shame of his past choices. Under his leadership, the Council had allowed the fae kingdoms to weaken and fall, opening the door for Neònach to enter. His fellow council members refused to admit their failure and accept responsibility for their part in it, but Dusha couldn’t let go of his blame.
The Council’s discontent with his actions in the last few months would ensure their rejection of his next request, but he’d ask anyway. He would no longer sit in the comfort of their silent knoll and act as a watcher. The only way to keep Neònach in her own realm was through action and sacrifice.
His request would indeed be a sacrifice, but it was worth it to save their world from the chaos humanity would not survive.
“We won’t allow it,” the female spirit elemental who took his place on the Council proclaimed. “There are not enough spirit elementals in the world to risk losing you.”
“I will not be lost, Erae.”
“Really?” Magic raced along her extended wings as she glared at him. “You’ve already tied your magic to hers. We will not permit you to bind your death as well. You will be mortal, Dusha. Mortal. I will not allow you to bind your soul to hers!”
Dusha’s muscles tensed in an effort not to respond to her display of power. When he’d tied himself to Alisandra, it wasn’t a full binding. Only enough to share his magic and keep his own soul intact. At the time, he’d agreed with Erae. Only six spirit elementals remained. He couldn’t take the risk of tying his death to Alisandra’s.
But yesterday’s battle changed everything.
“I see no other way to keep Neònach out of Alisandra’s mind,” he argued. “I didn’t recognize her nightmare as the intrusion it turned out to be. The demon witch never should’ve been able to connect to Alisandra. What do you think will happen if she subverts our strongest Dionadair?”
“And what do you think will happen if Neònach takes you both?” Erae countered. “Our enemy would love nothing more than to command one of us, trapped in a mortal soul.”
Dusha lowered his head and clenched his fists, reining in his frustration. “I will kill us both if Neònach succeeds in taking her, something I know Alisandra will not be able to do.”
Silence fell across the knoll. He didn’t have to see Erae to know she closed the space between them.
“Why would you do this?” she asked.
“Penance for my failure,” he replied without hesitation.
A slender hand snapped out and collided with his cheek. He didn’t move more than a fraction of an inch with the impact, not flinching under Erae’s blazing eyes.
“You’re a fool if you think you failed,” she hissed.
“Neònach’s minions would not be in our realm if I hadn’t failed. I’ll do what I must to put her back where she belongs.”
The new leader of the Elemental Council closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. “Come with me.”
Erae extended her hand to him. Dusha looked at it skeptically, wondering where she would take him. She knew she couldn’t imprison him, and for all the reasons she already stated, she wouldn’t harm him.
He gripped her fingers, and the grassy knoll disappeared. The smell of smoke, blood, and death greeted him with the new destination. He recognized it immediately.
“Why have you brought me to the Highland Palace?” Dusha released her hand and looked around the destroyed throne room where Queen Sabina had once held court.
His eyes landed on two men bound to a broken column. Two of Neònach’s vampires bound by strands of magic. Neither lifted their heads nor opened their eyes at the sound of Dusha’s voice, but he could hear their beating hearts. They weren’t dead.
“I didn’t realize we had taken prisoners.” Dusha crossed the room until he stood a few feet from the vampires. “Did they talk?”
Erae glided up beside him. “No, but it’s not like we need them to.”
Dusha turned to face her, surprised by the bitterness in her soft voice. Her focus remained on the prisoners, giving him the opportunity to see her narrowed eyes and pursed lips.
“What did you see?” he asked.
“Look for yourself.” She waved a hand at the two vampires, still not looking at Dusha.
“I’d rather not,” Dusha replied. “Not with my connection to Alisandra and not if I intend to take it one step further.”
Erae finally turned his way, a deep scowl marring her face. “The previous Dionadair are in Trom Laighe. They lead a group of rebel vampires trying to dethrone Neònach.”
Dusha stared at his protégé with disbelief. How could that be? They’d been gone for centuries! How would they survive in the chaos of Trom Laighe all this time? Did their elementals survive? He had to assume so. Their lives were tied to one another. If one perished, so did the other.
“How do we get to them?” he asked without truly thinking about the consequence of his question.
Erae smiled. “We need Alisandra’s connection to Neònach. Your ‘little goddess’ is good at making people talk. I believe she can provoke the demon into revealing much. But not if you tie your soul to hers and create the mental shield you intend.”
Dusha took a step back, away from the vampires and the elemental. He’d used Alisandra so many times in the last few months. He couldn’t stomach the thought of doing it again.
“Not without her consent,” he said. “I won’t manipulate her again, Erae. It’ll be her choice to keep the connection with Neònach or not. It’ll be her choice to find a way to Trom Laighe to find our brothers and sisters. Or not.”
Erae’s smile grew, and Dusha shook his head, knowing her thoughts without needing to see her mind.
“Do you honestly believe she’ll say no?”
Alisandra wouldn’t object and they both knew it. She’d jump at the opportunity to save the others, especially if it meant saving the vampires for Braden as well.
Dusha sighed. “Very well. I’ll speak with her.”
More books by Yvette Bostic
The Light in the Darkness Series
The Watcher and the Sentinel Series
Thank you for reading Deception’s Fall, the sixth book in Call of the Elements series. Obviously, AJ’s adventures are not yet finished, but I’ll be giving her a short break. While AJ’s enjoying her beach vacation, we’ll be diving into The Witch’s Triad – a new series with some of your favorite characters from Call of the Elements. You guessed it…it’ll be a story about the witches and how they view the reemergence of the fae. Unlike AJ and friends, not everyone sees it as a good thing.
Stay tuned for more…
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Yvette Bostic, Deception's Fall
