Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

TITUS

1000 years ago

" H ow dare you summon me." I ground my teeth together and spoke through thinned lips. I fought to stifle the growl that rumbled deep in my chest, then motioned to the gathering of rulers who'd been forced to this field in the dead of winter. "How dare you summon us all here!"

Outrage flowed through my veins, and I curled my hands into fists at my sides, barely resisting the urge to draw the sword from my hip. My blood magic floated around my fingers like a fine red mist. Yet I held my power at bay. A single move in one direction or another could start a war of epic consequences—a war the vampire kingdom was not ready to undertake, especially not against her. Standing here was like standing with the tip of a sword to my chest and a knife to my back, one wrong move and one would end up with a blade through the heart.

This gathering was overflowing with the most powerful leaders in Evermore. Magic hung heavy around us. I felt it run over my skin like a thick film. The sun had long since set and the temperature had cooled to a wintery chill. The moon shined bright on us all, turning the surrounding forest and open field into shadows blanketed in hues of blue. The grass was flattened into brown patches and the winter frost had set in. It crunched under my boots, and though this was not England, I had no idea where I'd been transported to. The lingering scent of snow drifted through the air and yet the weather dared not disturb her desires on this night. With every breath I took, fog blew from my lips. If I hadn't been wrapped in furs, the cold would've seeped into my skin, chilling me to the bone.

"How dare I?" Dracinda pressed her hand to her chest and smirked. She batted her eyelashes, playing coy, yet her undertone was clear. She was not one to be trifled with. "Do not court my wrath, vampire."

I let loose the growl I'd been holding back. "Do not court mine, Dracinda."

Dracinda was the most powerful witch to walk the Earth and the most beautiful, with her long silvery hair and huge blue eyes. She was comely in ways that would tempt even the most honorable of men to fall to her wiles. Rumor had it that she had indeed done just that many times over. She, along with her sister, Danna, performed the most powerful of spells. Powerful . . . but terrible. They'd been a scourge on the land, and now they'd done the most impossible of all: summoned us unwillingly.

I stood among all eight of The Fallen, the angels destined to rule all of Evermore. The entire supernatural world answered to them, and they ruled with a harsh swiftness, meting out justice with the strength of their fists and the edges of their blades. When dealing with The Fallen, I'd learned there were no second chances. Each of them was adorned in full battle gear. Leather straps held their breastplates in place, weapons covered their bodies, and anger rolled off them in waves. Even in the dark of night, their hulking black wings were shadows against the sky.

Matteaus, their leader, stood at my side. He was slightly bigger than me, with a muscular physique, wild blondish-brown hair, and an angular jawline. His sapphire eyes blazed with fury as he gazed at the woman before us. He rested his hand on the dagger at his hip. I had no doubt there were many more hidden among his leather armor. "Your sins against Evermore are many."

"It takes a sinner to know one, is that it? Or has your ego allowed you the role of creator as well?" Her face turned stone-cold as she turned to Tristan, the member of The Fallen with influence over all forms of love. "I'd forgotten it was your hubris that brought you to your knees and earned you your fallen black wings. Do not dare to scold me of sins, for there are many among us all."

Tristan lowered his gaze to meet her eyes. His wings twitched and black feathers fell to the ground around his feet. He ran his hand through the long strands of his blond hair. Where Matteaus was tall and muscular, Tristan was trim and fit with long, lean muscle. When his gaze met hers, his breath left him, and for a moment I saw a man tormented by his own cravings. His eyes softened when he met her gaze, and he lowered his voice to a near whisper, "Dracinda, please don't."

She gave him a withering smile and backed away. Her long hair flowed down her body and caught the light of the moon, giving her that ethereal look that would bring any man to his knees. She had the appearance of heaven but was made of sin. When he looked away from her, she turned from him to stroll within the circle of those she'd summoned. We all stood equidistant apart, separated by floating balls of fire between us. They flickered and danced like torches, yet there were no wooden stakes holding them up. Smoke and embers drifted up into the sky and disappeared.

Her hair fanned out around her as she spun to face him once more. Her dark-purple cloak hung from her shoulders down to the ground where it pooled at her feet. "Don't what, lover? Don't tell the truth? Don't see fault in the way things are done? I recall at one time you all saw fault in the way things were done."

"And have been cursed since. We've seen the error in our ways. ‘Tis not too late for you." Pain flickered over Tristan's face at the reminder of how their own fate came to be.

"I see no error, lover, only the weakness of men and their cowardice in the lack of tenacity to fight for one's beliefs." She cupped his cheek. "I find disappointment in how accepting you all are of the lot you've been meted out."

His face turned stone-cold. "I find disappointment in the lack of compassion you show others."

She chuckled and spread her arms wide, giving him a devilish smile. "It's a hard life . . . I make the most of it."

So, the rumors are true . The witch entangled herself with one of The Fallen. I arched my eyebrows toward Tristen. When he glared at me, I turned my eyes back toward the witch. No use making an enemy of one of The Fallen. A man could only do so much when faced with his own passions, even if those passions were poisonous to the soul.

Dracinda was indeed a poison. She spun in a circle and smirked. "You all have an opportunity before you."

Alataris, the newly crowned King of the Witch Court, snickered. "What opportunity could possibly interest us?"

Her unwavering gaze locked on his. Interest flickered deep in her eyes as she sauntered toward him. Her long purple cloak dragged over the ground with each step she took. It was a slow, enticing seduction of a lad who was not prepared to confront a woman of her particular talents. "Such a young, ambitious king would surely be in need of a favor from one such as myself."

He was a young king. It was apparent in his smoothed-back dark hair and the soft planes in his still boyish features. Alataris was tall and slim with sharp features that showed even in the dark of night. His black cloak hung from his shoulders to just past his knees. He wore no armor nor held any weapons. It made me question how ready he was for the role of King. Evermore was a wonderful yet dangerous place to roam unprotected. He'd only been placed on the throne through the mysterious downfall of his long-reigning parents.

His lips turned up in a smirk. "My only ambition is to see my people prosper."

She arched her eyebrows. "Indeed. That is your ambition, and you'll accomplish it . . . by any means necessary."

His smile faltered for a moment when he glanced around at the rest of us, then he shoved it back into place. "I am nothing like you."

"Time reveals all. You'll do well to remember that." She winked at Alataris as though she knew a secret we all didn't, yet he didn't respond to her words or react at all. She turned to all of us. "Still, my troubles remain the same and you all have the option to help me solve them. In exchange, I will grant your people peace from myself and Danna."

"Your word is worth nothing among the honorable." I didn't bother leaving the venom from my voice.

She spun on me, and her long cloak billowed out around her. "This would be binding."

"And what is of that much importance to you? What could possibly make me believe anything would be so dire?" I adjusted my stance and kept my hand resting on my sword. No doubt her deadly sister lurked in the darkness, ready to attack.If given the opportunity, I'd take either of their heads. But Dracinda was not only beautiful, she was also deadly with magic and her sword.

Dracinda lifted her chin and threw her shoulders back. Magic crackled in the air, and she waved her hand. It was like pulling a veil off a hidden box. Where there was nothing in the center of the circle, there was now a lone bed covered in silvery satin sheets and thick furs. The smell of sickness hung in the air. My gaze drifted over the woman lying atop the bed. The sheets around her were stained a shade darker by the sweat slicking her body. Her white nightdress clung to her body along with the mess of blankets. Her midnight hair was sweat-matted to her head. Her body shuttered with a chill all while she continued to sweat.

My breath left me. "Danna."

"Danna." Dracinda walked around her like she would command us all to save her, to stop whatever sickness overtook her . . . but I would not. She motioned to her sister. "Save her."

Silence.

Danna's skin was sickly pale and death lingered around her. I felt it. We all did. Even Dracinda had to know her sister would not last this night. She dropped to her knees and took up her sister's hands in her own. "Hold on a bit longer, dearest."

When she rose to her feet and faced us all once more, there was a desperation to the way she commanded us. "You are the most powerful beings to walk in Evermore. Save. Her."

Matteaus ground his teeth together. "I will not."

Dracinda hissed at his words. "Do you not know the wrath you court?"

He shrugged. "I do."

"I will plague this world for centuries to come . . . Any one of you can stop this now. Stop death from taking her." Her voice grew more urgent as Danna's breaths became shallower.

If Dracinda lost her sister on this night, I had no doubt she would spiral into the darkest magic. But the world would be better if there were only one sister to deal with. When death called, it would be answered, and it was calling out to Danna. This death was a kindness for the likes of Danna. Their atrocious ways should be punished by a much crueler way befitting their actions.

I lifted my chin and said the one thing no one here had: "Death cannot be stopped."

She glared at me. "You are a vampire . . . Death is nothing to you."

"We will not do this," Tristan raised his voice. "Her time has come."

"You would have me hate you?" Her eyes widened. "I swear I will hate you for all of eternity. Save her."

His eyes glowed with power as his body vibrated with emotion. When he looked down at her, there were unshed emotions in his eyes. The muscle in his jaw ticked as he spoke through thinned lips. "I. Will. Not."

When she looked to each one of The Fallen, they all stood firm, repeating the one line Matteaus had, "I will not."

She'd been denied eight times and each time she grew angrier. Tears pooled in her eyes when she turned to Alataris. "Come now, King. Are we not to be allies?"

"Your offer intrigues me, to be sure, but your allies have a way of coming to an early death, and I do not wish such an outcome for myself." He shrugged and waved her words away with a carelessness that only came with na?ve youth. If he knew he courted her wrath, he would not take his denial so lightly. "I plan to enjoy the years to come."

"I vow you will not have an end with Danna and I by your side. You'll be the most powerful Witch King of all." Her words grew desperate as her sister's breath rattled in her chest. "I would give you the world if you would give me her."

Alataris smirked down at her with those deep black eyes of his, and for the first time I saw a hint of something . . . sinister. His words were slow and deliberate. "I will not."

Before she could say another word, black smoke billowed around him and he was gone, disappearing in a dark cloud. A scream ripped from Dracinda's throat. She dropped to her knees beside her sister and fisted the sheets on her bed. Strands of her hair fell over her face as she hung her head. "I have done all the magic I know."

Danna's eyes peeked open and she slowly lifted her hand to rest on Dracinda's head. "I will die this night."

"No." Dracinda shook her head as her tears slipped over onto her cheeks. "I won't let you."

A heavy sigh left Danna's lips, and for a moment I thought it might be her last breath. Long moments passed before she sucked in another breath. "There is naught to be done. Just be with me in these last moments."

"They will not be your last, dearest." She took her sister's hands and gave them a squeeze, then rose to her feet and turned on me. "What say you, vampire?"

I said nothing.

"Turn her."

I held my breath. Dare I court the wrath of this witch?

Power rose around her. Her magic flowed in bright lights from her hands up her arms. Wind kicked up, sending her hair flying about her face. She was deadly beautiful in a way that would ruin us all. She screamed over the sound of her storm of rage. "TURN. HER!"

I threw my shoulders back and tightened my grip on my sword. "I. WILL. NOT."

Tears poured down Dracinda's cheeks, yet she didn't sob, didn't draw in one hitched breath. She lifted her arms, and I felt her power about to slam into me.

"Dra . . ." A wheezing cough took Danna's breath away. "Come."

Her magic stopped and she turned back to her dying sister. Once again, she dropped to her knees and leaned on the bed beside her. "I am here."

"I'm . . ." Danna drew a slow breath, ". . . scared."

"No, no, dearest." She gathered her sister's hand into hers and pressed it to her own cheek. "Hold on just a little longer."

"I fear," she let go of a slow wheezing breath, "I cannot."

"No. Fight this! We will find a way." She leaned over her sister and used her cloak to wipe the sweat from her brow. Her voice lowered to a whisper. "Sister . . . please."

When Danna's eyes slid shut and those deep, labored breaths started, I knew it was time. There was a specific sound to those last gasping inhalations. It was like the body was preparing to let go of the spirit for good. The weak vessel that her body was could not contain her any longer. Death had come for her. Dracinda jumped to her feet and ran toward me. She wrapped her hands in the lapels of my furs and fell at my feet. "I beg of you . . . turn her! She will live eternally in your kingdom. You will rule her, and me, as subjects. I vow it. I vow a loyalty only we can offer."

They'd committed crimes, murdered the innocent, stolen, and cast the darkest of magic. Evermore would be a better place without them, and if I courted her wrath . . . then so be it. I pried her fingers from my coat and took a step back, leaving her on the ground at my feet. "I will not, and none of my people will either."

Her eyes flared and anger ravaged her face. She sprang to her feet to stand and face us all. "Fools!"

When a single breath left Danna's chest and she did not draw another, we all stood there for long moments waiting to see if her chest would rise once more. When it didn't, Dracinda threw her head back, screaming the agony she felt at the loss of her beloved sister. The air grew colder, and the moon seemed to glow brighter. Magic crackled around her, and her eyes flared with wild madness. Tears poured down her face, yet she said nothing to any of us. A crazed smile spread across her face as if her last bit of sanity fled with her sister's soul.

Tristan stepped forward, trying to stop her from building her power. He held his hand up, and for a moment pink smoke seeped around his fingers. Would he use his influence to bring her to heel?

She glared at him as if in warning. No one, not even The Fallen, could control Dracinda. "Don't." When she turned to face me, her tears were gone. Her face was smooth with a coldness that sent a shiver down my spine. "Do you know what it is to love another more than you love yourself?"

I didn't answer.

"You will . . . Oh, you will." Her words were low, almost like a threat. "Love is a curse you will know well."

"There is nothing left for you here." I drew my sword as her magic lit up her palms.

She lifted her hands, and her power wrapped around me, holding me in place like chains I could not break. "Mark these words, avenge thy crime. Bound by blood in space and time."

"Let me go." I struggled against her to no avail. I couldn't move, could barely breathe.

Wind whipped through the clearing and wound around me, mixing with her magic. It grew impossibly bright and hot.

"From kin to kin, one wretched vine. A wicked curse seals a shaded line." Her lips drew up in an evil smile. "What was denied shall now be taken, for when thee love thee turn forsaken.

Deep in thy veins thy soul will burn. Forever more thy thirst shall yearn."

"NO! DON'T!" Tristan leapt in front of me, but she lifted her other hand and fired a ball of fire at him. His large body soared across the sky and crashed into the forest in the distance. Trees cracked around him and fell to the ground. Fire exploded over the dry, dead trees, nearly engulfing him in flames.

The other Fallen all leapt into action, drawing their weapons and running toward her. A tornado of power surrounded her, forcing them back just enough for her to keep her hold on me. "Breath by breath, thy mind unwound, to madness now thy life is drowned. And if fate shall deem thy love requited, don't speak the words or curse the blighted. For if on the wrist thy souls entwined, death shall call and forever find."

Power seeped into my body, and I felt my blood boil in my veins as it wrapped around my every cell and sank into my bones. Pain like I'd never known riddled my body, and my back arched so hard I thought my spine would snap. Light shined from my skin so bright it burned my eyes. Burning, so much burning, from the inside out. My mind whirled with the need to just survive. But I felt that all would be left of me was a ball of ash and dust. Drops of my own blood beaded my skin like sweat. It streaked down my face and into my eyes. It felt like acid with every blink and every move I made. My skin felt like it was peeling from my bones. Everything ached, and I felt my bones would snap beneath my muscles.

A bellow ripped from my throat, and I struggled against her hold, calling upon my own blood magic to make it end. Red mist flew from my skin, and with the little strength I had left, I shot it toward her. It smacked into her chest, and for a second, I felt the hold I could have on her. With my last bit of strength, I bellowed one word: "STOP!"

She released her magic, finally freeing me. I dropped to the ground and my legs gave out as I fell. The frosted ground felt like a balm against my burning skin. The breath felt tight in my chest, and a sharp ache spread through my body.

"What . . . what did you do to me?" I managed.

"The House of Shade will know love . . . and the pain it will bring for all eternity."

Blinding light filled the area and The Fallen charged forward, but it was too late. She was gone, leaving me there to live or die with the curse of love . . .