Nadya woke with a groggy feeling, at first not sure why she was so hung over when she didn’t recall drinking anything. Gradually, the sound of her name penetrated the fog, and she turned her head, wincing at the dull dart of pain accompanying the motion. “Rem?” She blinked, not certain if the room was really dark, or if her vision was affected by whatever had left her so unfocused. A gasp escaped her when she remembered the guards attacking her. Some safety measure they had turned out to be. She almost said so, but the sight of the thick ropes holding Rem distracted her. “What’s going on?”
He shrugged and then winced, seeming to regret the movement. “I don’t know. Some cowards attacked me from behind. They caught me unaware, and it was too late to stop them by the time I realized they were there. Next thing, I woke up here, beside you.”
Just where were they? Nadya squinted to make out anything familiar, but it was too dark. Even her increased visual acuity didn’t assist her in discerning anything more than a couple of feet away. If Rem hadn’t been so close, she wouldn’t have been able to see him either. As it was, she could make out little more than the shape of his form. “That’s basically what happened to me too. Have you seen Jalen?”
“No.” Rem grunted. “I’ve almost got this knot free,” he whispered, clearly worried they were under observation or some kind of surveillance. “Work on yours.”
Nadya nodded, testing the ropes holding her. She’d determined she was bound to a chair, but little else. Her bonds held her tightly, but she could feel some slight give when she struggled against them.
A light clicked on from a distance, and Nadya stopped to study her surroundings. The illumination had reached them from another room, but provided enough ambient glow to make out a four-post bed, dresser, and chaise lounge. It appeared to be a guest room similar to the one where she’d spent the first days of her time with Jalen, after he chose her as a tribute.
“What’s this all about, Kumiko?” asked Jalen, his voice distant but approaching. “It’s been a long day.”
“I know, but I have to show you this before I go. You do still want me to leave tonight, don’t you?”
Nadya rolled her eyes at the way Kumiko’s voice had dropped an octave, to a seductive pitch.
“Yes.” His voice was much closer now.
Nadya blinked when the door opened and the light came on. Her eyes had grown accustomed to the gloom, and it took a moment for them to adjust. Her heart leapt at the sight of Jalen framed in the doorway, backlit by the bright light from the suite’s sitting room.
“What the hell is this?” Jalen demanded. Nadya could see his rising anger, barely kept in check, as he strode toward them.
She looked around as much as her captivity would allow, finding they were near the closed doors of a balcony. Straining, she looked over her shoulder and saw the same two guards who had accosted her standing on the balcony. Clearly, they weren’t meant to be part of this unless Kumiko had need of them.
“That’s close enough.” The whisper of steel against leather followed the other woman’s orders. The tip of her blade rested at Jalen’s throat. “Don’t take another step in their direction, please.” Her formal politeness somehow made her all the more chilling.
Jalen froze, looking more annoyed than frightened by the sword at his throat. “What do you expect this to achieve, Kumiko? What do you want?”
“I want you to come to your senses. I’m offering you a choice. The other clans have fallen in line. They will not challenge you now, with Savage’s army added to yours.”
“What kind of choice?” Jalen seemed intrigued, but Nadya could tell from his coiled muscles that he was still seething with fury.
“Get rid of these two. I have two stakes from the wall they insisted on toppling awaiting them in the courtyard. How very symbolic, don’t you think?” Her girlish giggle sent a frisson of ice down Nadya’s spine. “The families will still follow you. Why would they care if you disposed of two human vermin with no bloodlines once they were no longer useful?” Her voice dropped almost to a hiss. “Think of all the power you can wield. It will be all yours.”
“And yours?” asked Jalen softly. “That is the point of all this, isn’t it?”
Kumiko gave a demure shrug. “I will take my place as your wife, and we will share the power.”
Jalen shifted, appearing to be contemplating the scenario. “What happens when I’m no longer useful to you? Will I meet a similar fate?”
Kumiko seemed shocked by the possibility. “Of course not. You are from noble bloodlines. Despite a few misjudgments, “she cast a glance at Nadya, “You are everything one would expect from a DuMond. Jalen, you are a perfectly suitable mate. Our children will unite all the provinces under their leadership if we don’t manage to.”
Jalen hesitated, and then shook his head. “You put such stock in bloodlines, but I don’t think I am the mate for you. The DuMond blood isn’t as pure as you think. After all, DuMond blood flows in my brother’s veins, and he’s nothing like our father, or the man my father raised me to be.” He jerked his head in Rem’s direction as he spoke, leaving no doubt about whom he spoke.
Kumiko looked at Rem, clearly horrified at the revelation. “It can’t be.”
Jalen continued as though she hadn’t spoken. “Rem is not a man like my father. He’s a much better one, and I thank Nadya for helping me realize that. Your plan will never work, because I want nothing to do with you, and I don’t lust for power the way you do.”
“No,” shouted Nadya when Kumiko shrieked, slashing the sword across Jalen’s throat. She jerked against her bonds, and a reserve of strength she’d yet to discover came to her aid. In her fear and anger, she ripped the ropes from the chair. They fell to the ground as she surged forward, lunging at Kumiko. Peripherally, she saw Jalen stagger but not fall. Rather than ease her concern when he didn’t fall, the sign of him staggering with weakness fueled her anger.
She reached Kumiko as the vampire swung her sword toward Nadya. Instinctively, she ducked under the blade and up the other side. She wrenched the sword from Kumiko and turned it back toward the other woman. “It’s time you left. Get out now, while you can still move.”
Kumiko seemed unafraid. She darted to the side, away from the sword. In the process, she scratched Nadya’s cheek, flaying her flesh. “You will die, vermin.”
All the rage exploded from Nadya, centering in her arm. She thrust the sword forward and up with all her strength, lodging the blade solidly in Kumiko’s heart. For a moment, they appeared equally startled, and she clapped a hand over her mouth, stunned that she had stabbed Kumiko. The insane urge to apologize hovered on her tongue, but she remained speechless.
Kumiko looked down at the hilt extending from her chest. She placed a hand on it, almost caressing her family seal. “It wasn’t supposed to be like this.” Still looking shocked, she backed away from Nadya, toward the balcony. Her gaze shifted to Jalen, making it clear he was the only one in the room whom she considered an equal. “You did this. You and your whore.”
Jalen and Rem stood close together, the guards unconscious at their feet. They appeared stupefied by the turn of events, and he didn’t deny the accusation.
Kumiko stumbled over one of the chairs that had imprisoned Rem and Nadya. She didn’t fall, but seemed close to collapsing. Her eyes shifted out of focus, and what little color had been in her face drained away. She shambled to the railing of the balcony, staring at Nadya with unseeing eyes as she braced herself against the metal balustrades. Nadya edged closer, not sure whether she was wanting to reach out to Kumiko or shove her over the balcony. She froze when Kumiko started speaking.
“I spent most of my life in my brother’s shadow.” A shaky smile crumbled as soon as it formed, leaving Kumiko looking lost and more than a little dejected. “My father ignored my existence until he needed me. Once I killed my brother, the Yazura clan had no leader. I was the only remaining heir and finally got his attention. I endured his disappointment and abuse so that I could rule one day in his stead.” She shifted dark, accusing eyes to Jalen. “In the end, he betrayed me. Father never had the confidence that I could rule, so he arranged for me to marry you. Do you know what a bitter pill that was to swallow?”
“Kumiko, come inside.” Jalen took a couple of steps nearer her. “Perhaps it isn’t too late for you to return home and take over the leadership of your family.”
Kumiko stroked the blade piercing her heart. “It’s much too late. I have lost everything.” She glared at Nadya. “You stole everything from me. It should be you…” Her face contorted, and her body went rigid. No further words passed her lips. A convulsion racked her frame, knocking her backward.
Nadya cried out as Kumiko plunged over the railing. As one, the three of them rushed the distance to the edge of the balcony to look down. Sickened, she looked away from the sight of Kumiko impaled on the stake she herself had arranged to have planted in the ground in that location. At that moment, it didn’t matter if Kumiko had planned the same fate for Nadya. She pitied the other woman and hoped she’d been dead before the sharpened stake pierced her.
“It’s over,” said Jalen, turning away. Rem followed suit, wrapping an arm around Nadya to lead her from the room. She was aware of Jalen speaking to guards as they walked down the hallway, but tuned out the conversation. Upon entering their suite, he said, “She was the last opposition to our union.”
“I can’t pretend I’m sorry she’s dead, but that’s a terrible way to go.” Rem shook his head.
“I killed her.” Nadya was numb, uncertain how to process the events that had transpired. She didn’t regret her reaction to Nadya wounding Jalen, but she couldn’t be glad that she’d disposed of the other woman either.
Reminded of his wound, her gaze jerked to his neck. Nadya reached out to touch the jagged line, finding it mostly healed. “How can that be?”
“Vampires heal quickly.” He seemed unbothered by the injury.
“Thankfully.” Nadya embraced Jalen before drawing Rem to her. Pressed between them, she was calm. Relief spread, though couldn’t completely obliterate her darker emotions regarding Kumiko’s death. She would carry that with her a long time. There had been no other choice, but it would be a while before the other woman’s countenance at the moment of her death faded from her memory.
Rem and Jalen would be there for her. She knew that as instinctively as she knew how to breathe. They were the other parts of her soul, and there was nothing to divide them now. “I love you Rem, Jalen.” She snuggled closer and Rem followed.
“I love you too, Nadya.” Jalen kissed the top of her head. “Thank you for bringing us together. Unified, we are invincible.”
“More than that, we’re complete.” Rem sounded choked up.
That summed it all up. Jalen and Rem completed her, she completed them, and they completed each other in ways they had only begun to realize. It was wonderful to finally be whole.
*******
Cover Image source: Depositphoto.com/©periodimages
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