The Consort's Fate

Chapter 8

He swivels his gaze to me. In this instance, I am inclined to agree. We are still recovering from the last war from mere years ago. Although The Force cannot be considerable in size, the bits of information Tegan has passed to us leads me to believe they are as destructive and as hateful as another group of vampires from centuries ago - Axel's group and his followers.

"She would not knowingly put Finn in danger," I respond assure him, thinking back to the vow she made just before Kelly and I escaped the Secondary fortress. "Of that I am sure."

"Yea, but what's convenient for us now might bite us in the ass later." Kelly glances at Reggie and lowers his voice. "I want the Secondaries out of power just as much as the next person, but The Force sounds like a group of extremists. And we don't have to look too far back in history to know how well that ends."

Beside him, Maggie shudders, tightening her hold on the purple ornament still in her grasp.

"Kelly has a point," she says, keeping her eyes downcast. "I don't mean to question her intentions, but when Lady Elain told us her plan to save Finn, she never mentioned how she contacted The Force. She never even told us how she knew about them in the first place."

"Exactly!" Kelly snaps his fingers. "There's something she's not telling us. It just doesn't add up."

"Looks like we got some company," Reggie announces, rising to his feet.

Clumps of mud fall from his boots, leaving a trail of dirt behind him. Graceful indeed. Our small huddle dissipates. Kelly and Maggie move to the windows, taking turns peering out the small panels of viewing space. The intensity of their excitement and trepidation is heady, so much so that it is almost as if I can experience the emotions through them.

"They got him. They got him!" Kelly squints. "But who the hell are all these people with him?"

Maggie shakes her head, unsure. I swiftly move behind them and follow their gaze, but the attempt is futile.

All I see is him. Vampires surround him, and a man is hanging to his back, but Finn holds his head high, as if he is the one leading the group. Every step is made with unequivocal certainty, and when he shifts his focus to the house, his eyes lock with mine.

The intensity of it devours the space between us. There is no recognition in his expression. No emotion. There is only an invisible tether between us, drawing him closer to me. Pulling me closer to him.

"My, my," Maggie whispers beside me. "He's quite handsome, even more so up close."

"Yes," I say softly. "He is."

"S'pose I'll go out there first," Reggie grumbles, forcing us out of our small huddle. "One of you want to come with me?"

"I shall go with you," I say, sticking to the original plan.

Although this turn of events has slightly altered our course, we are back on track. Tegan anticipated Finn might resist and assigned me to be the one to assist in the drop off. What she had not accounted for was Finn fighting back so soon.

"Lady Elain should be with you," Kelly spats in frustration. "She's the one who made a deal with that band of extremists. She should be the one to finish the transaction with them. Not you."

"She didn't want Finn to know she was a part of his capture," Maggie reminds him. "In case he escaped, she didn't want Finn to turn her in to Mr. Primary. She's the only one on the inside of that Fortress who's on our side."

Kelly rolls his eyes and grumbles. "Yea. Or so she says."

I sweep past them and follow Reggie, leaving them to their useless bickering. I do not blame Kelly for being so distrustful. He suffered greatly after the last war. I would wager a great deal of that pain still festers inside him, a demon of darkness always on the prowl for escape.