Vance-
The sun dawned before I was ready, and I growled in protest as I laid an arm over my eyes. It felt like a hammer was chiseling away inside my head, a mixture of the effects of drinking so much of Rowan’s blood and then feeding my laced blood to Jett.
Milly, Hex, and Kyle had tried to help feed him at first, but it wasn’t enough. He’d needed a more potent source than their blood to make the conversion. It didn’t help that Jett had been mostly dead by the time I was able to try to heal him. To be honest, I was surprised he’d been able to revive at all. The wound he’d received from Rowan’s sword had pretty much shredded his insides, plus it had been tainted with something meant to poison. Desperation led me to attempt to drink straight from Rowan and then feed it to Jett. It was a good idea since it gave him my contaminated blood for the conversion and allowed the fresh blood to be laced throughout.
There was only one problem, though. Feeding Jett this way had turned him on a different level than a regular fresh blooded witch would have done. It made him crave something much more robust than I’d be able to give him if we made it back to our time. He’d never be satisfied, but I had to try and save him. Kenna loved him.
Kenna.
My heart ached, not knowing where my beautiful child was. I had no idea what she might be going through. Was she alive? Was Seth alive? Were they together, running scared and trying to protect each other? I couldn’t imagine her running off like that during the battle, especially if she’d seen Jett injured.
I’d been almost positive someone working for Rowan had kidnapped her, but he said otherwise. Brigid had sent people to his lands to ask Queen Rowena if she had Kenna, but she denied it. I didn’t believe her, but Brigid assured me that the Fae could not lie under this type of questioning. There was no choice but to accept her claim. She knew the way this place operated better than me.
For the millionth time, I wished Kenna had told me about that damn ghost in the house. If I had known, I might’ve stopped this whole mess from happening in the first place.
Groaning, I shook my head, trying to shake the grogginess away. I slipped on my clothes and went into the hallway, pausing at the next door and peeking inside. Portia was still in the same position I’d left her in the previous night. I glanced at the silent maiden sitting beside her, and she merely shook her head.
“I’ll be back soon,” I said before shutting the door and making my way to the baths we’d used on arrival to this magical place. Attendants were waiting for me with fresh clothing and drying linens at the door. I took them, nodding my thanks to the wordless women, and entered the steaming baths.
“Finally,” Kyle’s voice pierced the air, causing me to jump. “I was beginning to think you might never wake.”
“The sun just came up,” I reminded him.
“Yes, but you usually get up before it. Are you feeling okay?”
“Yesterday was particularly draining.” I disrobed and settled into one of the pools next to his. “I don’t know how much longer I can keep this up for Jett. His feedings and drinking straight from Rowan are starting to take a toll on me.”
“That’s why I wanted to talk. I had an idea to run past you that might help.”
“Lay it on me.” I leaned my head back against the rocky edge and closed my eyes. I was open to any ideas that might help.
“Have you ever paid attention to the tattoos that Rowan wears?”
I shrugged. “I mean, I’ve noticed them. They’re hard to miss since they glow, but I haven’t considered it much beyond that. Why?”
“What if we could do something similar to you and Jett?”
Cracking one eye, I stared at him. “What for?”
“Think about it. What if we tattooed the Fae blood directly into your skin using magical sigils to bind it there? You said it only required a drop to remove your cravings and withdrawals. If you had many drops tattooed directly into your skin, it wouldn’t be as potent as drinking it. It would be a slower absorption process, potentially lasting a lifetime. It would alleviate the need to drink blood while still consistently giving you what you needed. Maybe it would help Jett acclimate better, too.”
This was actually a pretty good idea. The more I pondered it, the more it seemed like it could work. The maidens of the Isle had half-moon-shaped tattooed marks on their heads, so they must have something we could use to get the ink under the skin.
“I think we should talk to Brigid and see what she thinks. You may have really stumbled onto something, Kyle. Thank you.” I flashed a smile.
“Wow!” Kyle replied, grinning back at me.
“What?” I asked, confused.
“You just smiled, and your face didn’t crack and fall off or anything. I was pretty sure you’d forgotten how to do it.”
“Screw you,” I said, unable to stop my grin this time. “It’s not like I haven’t had the world’s weight on my shoulders or anything.”
“I know. It’s just nice to see my jovial pal is still in there.”
“I’ve never been jovial.”
“But you could be,” he replied with a laugh. “I like to imagine a day will come that I might see you that happy and not worrying about a million things.”
Sighing, I closed my eyes again. “I like to imagine that day too. I’m beginning to wonder if it’ll ever happen.”
“It will.” He sounded so sure. “Just keep the faith.”
“I could do that better if Portia would wake up.”
“She will.”
I glanced at him again. “How are you so sure?”
He shrugged. “Law of Attraction, buddy. I’m envisioning the life I want us to have.”
“Let me know how that works out for you.”
“You should try it. You might get surprising results.”
“Right now, all I’m wanting is for my wife to wake up and for us to find our daughter. I can deal with anything else thrown at me if I have those two things.”
“Then stop fearing it won’t happen and believe it will,” Kyle encouraged.
“Easier said than done.”
He simply stared at me. “Name one time you failed in accomplishing a goal. You’re frickin’ Vance Mangum. Nothing stands in your way.”
I snorted. “If only that were true.”
“Okay, let me amend that. Anything standing in your way gets blown to smithereens. My friend, you have always cut your path, even through the darkest, most turbulent times. Even when winning didn’t seem like an option, you somehow managed to pull things off.”
“Hmm.” It was all I could manage, but still, his words stuck with me.
The movement caused my eyes to pop open, and I glanced at Portia’s hand in mine. She was definitely squeezing it tighter. The new purple swirling tattoos I was sporting beneath my shirt started tingling as if responding to her. Brigid had both Jett and me etched with the magical Fae blood markings and blessed them to withstand the test of time. If it all worked according to plan, neither Jett nor I should ever need to drink blood again. What a blessing that would be! I hardly dared to hope.
Portia’s hand tugged at mine once more.
“Portia?” I said excitedly, sitting straighter, eyes searching her face.
Her brow crinkled as she frowned slightly. Her grip relaxed, and she tried to pull her hand from mine. I held it tighter.
“Portia, baby, it’s me. Wake up.”
“No,’ she mumbled weakly, still trying to retract.
I stroked a hand over her dark hair. “Don’t worry. I’ve got you now. You’re safe.”
“Liar,” her whisper was soft but sharp. “Get away from me. I hate you.”
Shock filled me at her retort. I released her hand, though, not wanting to cause her more trauma. “I love you, baby. There’s no reason for you to be afraid.” She was obviously confused. She’d never say these things to me.
“I want Vance,” she mumbled.
“I’m right here. Open your eyes and see me.”
“No,” she said, still fighting against me. “Go away, Damien. Stop your tricks.”
Immediately, I sat straighter. Damien? She must be having one hell of a nightmare from the past if she was dreaming about my dad.
“Babe, Damien is dead, remember? Your dad killed him all those years ago.”
“Murderer,” she breathed out, her head thrashing restlessly.
She wasn’t making any sense. “He did it to save us, baby. Sean’s not a murderer.”
“You’re the murderer,” she said, her voice growing stronger but eyes remaining closed. “I will hate you until the day I die!”
“I don’t understand.” I didn’t know what else to say.
“I hate you,” she said, her voice growing weaker as tears leaked from her eyes. “You will never have me.”
Her limbs slackened then, and her head drooped to the side.
“Portia?” I whispered, shaking her slightly, but there was no reaction. If it weren’t for her deep breathing, I would think she was dead. Scrubbing a hand over my face, I didn’t know what to make of our exchange. It was progress, though. Maybe she’d come around again soon.
However, our little conversation set me on edge. She thought I was my father.
Why?
I waited for what had to be another hour to see if she’d come around again. Unable to take any more, I climbed into the bed beside her. Slipping an arm under her neck, I dragged her body close, relishing her warmth. I’d missed holding her.
Placing my head against hers, I allowed my tired brain to rest, drifting off to sleep.
I couldn’t breathe! Something heavy settled over me, and I tried to gasp for air. Struggling, I awakened to find Portia straddling me. Hands wrapped tightly around my neck, and her eyes glittered dangerously as she leaned over me.
“Portia,” I attempted to say, but the word barely squeaked through my windpipe as she gripped me harder. Grabbing her wrists, I wrenched them away, dragging in a much-needed breath. “What the hell?” I gasped as she attempted to jerk free of my grasp.
“I hate you, you bastard! Why won’t you just die already?” I could feel the hate behind her words.
I was so damn confused. “Can you at least tell me what I did to bring this on?” I let go of her hands and rubbed my neck. She quickly climbed off me, but I saw how weak she was when she almost tumbled to the floor.
Jumping up, I caught her before she hit.
“Don’t touch me, you sick bastard!” she yelled.
The door burst open, and Milly, Hex, and Kyle rushed in, followed by the silent maiden who’d been keeping watch outside the door.
“What is going on?” Milly snapped, hurrying to Portia’s side. “The whole castle can hear you!”
“I woke up to her attacking me,” I tried to explain. “She’s talking out of her head, not making any sense.”
Portia’s eyes widened as she stared at the others before turning back to me. “Vance?” she whispered, tears welling in her eyes.
“Yes?” I replied, wondering why she seemed to question my authenticity.
A massive rush of air escaped her, and she launched at me, throwing her arms around my neck and squeezing me tightly. “Oh, thank God!” She shuddered against me, and I pulled back to stare at the tears rolling down her face.
“Who else would I be, baby?” I searched her eyes.
“Damien. He’s been holding me captive.”
“Damien’s been dead for years, Lollipop,” Milly said, resting a hand on Portia’s shoulder. “We got sucked back in time, remember? He doesn’t even exist here.”
“Maybe the time jump messed your memories up,” Hex added.
Portia shook her head. “You’re all wrong. Damien’s alive. A ghost named Dee Dee helped him get here. They’ve been holding me captive, and Damien keeps shape-shifting to look like Vance to try and trick me into sleeping with him.”
“What?” I roared, and Portia suddenly shrank away from me.
“How can I be sure this isn’t just one more of his tricks?” Fear filled her eyes once more as she glanced around at us.
“Maybe I can help,” Brigid’s voice broke in as she entered the room. Moving toward Portia, she stopped in front of her. “I am Brigid, High Priestess of the Isle of Apples.”
“You know it as Avalon,” Kyle interjected with a whisper.
“May I touch your forehead?” Brigid asked Portia.
Portia hesitated slightly before nodding. Her eyes closed, and she gasped as the connection was made. Brigid outstretched her other arm, and I could feel the tug on my memories.
“This is what your family has gone through since you disappeared,” Brigid said. Portia’s eyes flitted around quickly beneath her lids as if she was watching a movie. When Brigid was finished, Portia slumped to the floor, and Milly dropped beside her, wrapping her arms around her.
“Kenna,” Portia breathed out. “Damien has Kenna.” Her eyes bore into mine. “We have to get her out of there, no matter the cost!”
My heart sank as I comprehended what she was saying. This was the link I’d been missing all along. This was why nothing felt right. Somehow, against all the odds, my dad was back. He’d had my wife all this time, and now he had my daughter.
I couldn’t stop my demonic features as they morphed into place, anger seething through me so hot and pure. “Tell me where he is,” I demanded.
I was going to kill him, and this time I’d make sure there was no hope of him ever rising again.