Eternal Sin (29 page)

A sudden shock of sound and light stole everyone’s attention, including Feeyan’s. Gray rushed in and grabbed Dillon, who touched her throat and gasped as her mute state ceased. But everyone else stood frozen.

Staring at what had just landed.

A battered and bruised Synjon Wise stalked forward with a groggy male in his grasp.

Petra could only gape, her breath caught in her lungs and her gut tight with tension. She didn’t know what to think, what to do. The male she loved and the male who’d given her life were headed straight into the center of the gathering stones.

“Here’s your lost
paven
,” Synjon said, his eyes hard and narrowed on Feeyan. “Battered and bruised and showing off his pure blood.”

Gasps and murmurs echoed in the cavernous space as Syn tossed the unconscious
paven
at the Order leader’s feet.

Petra didn’t know what made her do it. What made her cry out and rush—not at Syn—but at her father. Curled on the ground, he looked so old, so pathetic. This was her flesh and blood. The male who had given her life, given her to the best family in the world.

Her hands ran over his back, his neck. Someone who did all of that couldn’t be completely evil. There had to be good somewhere in him, decency in him. She wanted so badly to know it. Not just for herself, but for her
balas
.

A hand crushed hers, and another gripped her shoulders. She managed only a squeak of shock and protest before Cruen jacked to his feet, yanked her up and slammed her back against his chest. Before anyone could move, he curled one hand around her neck.

24

S
yn felt every bloody emotion on the planet run through him as he stared at Petra’s face. Fury, fear, love, regret. They were all there and all shockingly intense. His hands twitched at his sides. His fangs dropped low and sharp. And a growl he’d never heard before ripped from his throat.

Life was repeating itself. Only this time, he wasn’t going to allow Cruen to take his heart and soul from him.

Around the gathering stones, everyone held their breath. Not only was Cruen slowly pressing Petra’s windpipe, but his fangs were out and pointed at a spot on her temple that could shut her brain down in an instant.

“Let her go,” Syn said in a low, dangerous voice.

Saliva dripped from Cruen’s fangs onto Petra’s cheek. “Another female for you to mourn, Wise?”

“And for you,” Syn replied, trying not to look at Petra. Her fear, her sadness would weaken him. “As this one happens to be your daughter.”

“Yes, that is unfortunate. But power comes before all.”

“Especially when you’ve lost yours completely.”

Cruen’s gaze flickered in Feeyan’s direction.

“That’s right,” Synjon said. “They know. They know you’ve been hiding out here, eating the flesh of some ancient water beast to try and retrieve your power. Can you flash yet? Or are you still using your Pureblood guard?”

Behind Feeyan, three Order members gasped.

Cruen growled and pressed his fang against Petra’s temple.

“Do it and I will rip your flesh from your bones in under a second,” Syn promised blackly, inching forward.

“And I’ll fucking eat it when he does,” Dani said, jumping down from the high rock to stand beside him.

Petra cried out, flinching.

“Enough!” From behind the Romans, an older female stood up. She was tall and lovely, and her eyes, so similar to Petra’s, locked with Cruen’s and she shook her head at him. “That is our daughter.”

“Cellie?” Cruen’s grip on Petra eased and his eyes softened as he stared at the female. “Cellie, you’re here.”

“Let her go, Cruen.”

He shook his head. “I can’t.”

“You won’t take her from me again.”

“Cellie, I didn’t—”

“You took her. From my birthing bed.” Her voice broke with emotion. “Not to protect her, but to forge an alliance with the shifters so you could use them.”

Though his eyes remained soft upon her, he didn’t deny it. “I could’ve killed her and I didn’t. I did that for you.”

Petra whimpered, and Synjon’s entire body erupted in flame. He acted without thought, but with a lifetime of military combat training to guide him. Flashing from his spot beside Dani, he landed directly behind Cruen and wrapped his own hand around the male’s neck.

Cruen gasped, but he didn’t let go of Petra.

“What do you want?” Synjon whispered in his ear.

“You. Dead.”

“No. That’s not what you want. Say it.”

Cruen hissed. “Take them back.”

“My emotions.”

“Yes.”

He could scent Petra, her fear, her sadness, and it made him insane. He pulled air into his lungs. “If I do, you will release her immediately following, or you’re dead.”

“You must love my daughter.”

“I love Petra,” Syn clarified. No male who treated his young like this could be called a father.

Still gripping the
paven
’s throat, Syn lowered his head, so his temple was flush with Cruen’s face and fangs.

“Go back on your word, and every Roman,
mutore
, and shifter in this place will take you down before you have a chance to pull your next breath.”

The last word wasn’t even out of Syn’s mouth before Cruen’s fangs thrust deep into his temple. As before, on the floor of Erion’s dungeon, the blood drain was executed painfully, quickly, but this time Syn let go and gave in. As he opened his mind wide, to a world of past hurt and sadness and regret, emotions flooded his senses like a massive and unceasing ocean wave.

And then there was nothing. And everything. And Cruen was pulling out of his head, and he was back, standing in the gathering stones, scenting Petra, gripping Cruen, with his entire arsenal of baggage. All the hate and all the love.

And bloody hell, all the newfound strength.

Syn’s fingers dug into the
paven
’s throat. “Release. Her. Now.”

Cruen stood there for a moment, unmoving, no doubt thinking and plotting and planning. Could he use Petra another way? Could her death be of benefit? Or her life? And then suddenly, he opened his hand and freed her from his grasp.

“Go, Petra,” Syn commanded gently. “Go to your family.”

As Petra took off, holding her neck, stumbling forward, dizzy, into the arms of her mother, Cruen shouted at all of them, “You’ll never contain me, and you know it. None of you are able to. Even with my power waning, I will always be the one to rule this Breed.”

Her eyes frosty, yet the most controlled Syn had ever seen them, Feeyan moved forward. She began with an incantation, then slowly circled her arms around Cruen, wrapping him in some kind of invisible magical vise. She sighed, clucked her tongue. “I’ve always enjoyed our back and forth, Cruen. Our sharing of knowledge and power. Even our battles. But you have shamed not only yourself but the entire Eternal Breed. Your daughter”—her lip curled—“forcing her to live with these creatures. Not knowing her true worth. A Pureblood
veana
.” She leaned in, snarled as he struggled against her magical bonds. “Consuming the flesh of . . .” Her nostrils flared. “You have just insulted every Pureblood on the planet. In truth, I have stumbled somewhat in my governing of our kind as of late. Perhaps I was under the impression that I could not measure up to your way. It made me reckless and far too interested in proving myself to others. But I see now that your way wasn’t in service of the Eternal Breed. It was in service of you.” She glanced up at Syn, who was still holding Cruen by the throat. “I will take him now. Deal with him in my own way.”

“Not a chance,” Syn said, shaking his head. “I escort him to Mondrar, walk him into the cell, make sure he’s contained by the most powerful magic possible.”

Feeyan titled her chin. “You do not have a choice in how the Order punishes—”

“After all that’s just happened, I bloody well do.”

And with that, Syn flashed himself and Cruen from the gathering stones, the Rain Forest, and the strange sadness in his beloved
veana
’s eyes.

•   •   •

Seconds after Synjon flashed from the Rain Forest, the Order followed suit. Well, all but Dillon. She was still holding her throat, standing close to Gray, who looked like he wanted to put his fist through a fucking wall. In seconds, the sand disappeared, and all was back to normal within the gathering stones.

From his perch on the highest rock, Phane watched the shifter leaders attempt to find calm, understanding. But it was crystal clear to all, now that the Order knew about the Rain Forest and its inhabitants, that things would be very different from now on. They were no longer hidden, no longer safe.

His gaze cut to Dani. The hawk shifter female was comforting Petra, her arms wrapped around the
veana
as she shook with great sobs of grief. Below Phane, her mother by blood looked on, watched her daughter, then turned to look at Wen, who was embracing Dillon.

“I can’t thank you enough,” Wen said to the jaguar female, who looked both shaken up and pissed off by what Feeyan had subjected her to.

The leader of the Mountain Faction approached Dillon as well. “We won’t forget what you did for us. How you spoke up for us. Please know that you are all welcome here at any time. For those who have shifter blood, it would be our honor to introduce you to your kind.” His eyes warmed. “We have jaguar in my faction. If you ever want to know them . . .”

The
veana
visibly winced as the male’s voice trailed off. Like his half sister, Phane felt the strangeness of being in a place with others similar to himself. But truly, there was something here that called to him. To Helo as well. He shook his head. Foolish Lycos. The male was missing it all because he refused to get involved, refused to see this as an opportunity to know his history, know more about himself.

“My love?” Alex called out, his voice suddenly fearful.

A sound, low and filled with pain, brought everyone’s attention around to the large boulder where Sara had been sitting, waiting to see what would happen, waiting to be flashed home by Alexander if a fight truly broke out between the shifters and the Order.

Kate and Bronwyn were at her side. “What’s wrong?” the former asked, her tone deeply concerned.

“Sara?” Dillon rushed over to her as well, her own concerns completely forgotten.

Alexander’s female looked up, her eyes bright, her smile nervous. “My water broke.” She turned to Alexander, who was trying to get past the small crows and the worried
veana
s. “Our
balas
, Alex.”

•   •   •

It was a miracle of sorts. The mood inside the gathering stones changed in an instant. From dark and dismal to hopeful and excited.

When Alex finally reached his mate’s side, he scooped her up in his arms and barked at anyone who would listen, “Leza needs to be contacted immediately.”

Sara laughed and leaned in to kiss her mate’s neck. “It’s not coming this very second, my love.”

“We must also inform Evans,” Alex continued, undaunted. “He must get the house ready. Get our room ready. Clean sheets, towels . . .”

“Oh, yeah, someone’s about to become a father,” Nicholas said with a wide grin.

Getting in on the ribbing, Lucian snorted as he jumped down from his rock. “And look at his face. He looks scared to death. You know Sara is the one who has to do all the work, right?”

Alex growled. “Shut it, Luca.” Then he turned to his mate and kissed her gently. “Hold on, my love. I’m taking us home. All three of us.”

25

P
etra sat beside Sara on the bed and melted at the sight of the one-week-old little bundle wrapped in a soft yellow blanket, sleeping peacefully in his mother’s arms. His lips kept pressing out into a cute little pout, as if he were dreaming about his first blood. “He’s so beautiful.”

“I think so too, but I may be partial.” Sara looked up and smiled at her. “I’m so glad you came.”

“Me too.”

“I’ve been worried about you. I haven’t heard from you in a few days, and after everything that went down at the gathering stones . . .”

Ah, yes. The gathering stones, Petra mused. And the apartment, and the River House, the tree house, and the caves. She’d been through much in the past few months. Revelations and disappointments. Hopes and fleeting happiness. But now it was time to take things slow and easy. Stop moving and build a life in one place for herself and her
balas
.

“I’m good,” Petra insisted, reaching out to touch the baby’s soft head. She couldn’t wait to experience this. Holding her sweet child in her arms. Such perfection. Such intimacy.

“Well,” Sara said, her eyes warm. “You’ll forgive me if I have to come by and see that for myself.”

“You’d better come by. Have Alex flash you and baby over. It’s so beautiful in the Rain Forest now. So green and wet. We’d love to have you stay.”

Sara raised one dark eyebrow. “We? So, does that mean you and
balas
? Or is Brodan in the picture?”

A sigh escaped Petra’s lungs without her consent. “Let’s just say Brodan is going to be a kick-ass uncle.”

Over the past week, the bear shifter had been around to see her at her parents’ house several times. He’d been his usual incredible self. Kind, caring, generous. And the list could go on and on. But the one thing he wasn’t was the one thing Petra wanted more than anything.

Synjon.

“I’m going to make a family for myself,” she told Sara, but truly the words were also for herself. She had to keep telling herself that, reminding herself that she would get through this, and that everything would be fine.

“You told Brodan how you feel?” Sara asked gently.

Petra nodded. “I would never even try to care for a male when I am not yet remotely over the one who broke my heart.”

Sara exhaled heavily and nodded. “Have you heard from him?”

Petra shook her head. After what had happened at the gathering stones, what he’d done, sacrificed—what she’d experienced at the hands of her father—she’d thought she might. Hell, she’d hoped he would try to contact her, come to the Rain Forest to see her. After all, they’d both made mistakes and bad judgments and choices that were unfortunate and filled with regrets. But clearly he was done. Maybe those emotions that Cruen had forced back into his mind had tamped down any feelings he’d had for her and the
balas
. After all, the loss of Juliet had been among them.