Conquest Read online

  “I know you’re worried, Quinn,” Mackenzie said. “If there was any other way—”

  “No, I know.” He paused. “If we tie her down, we may be able to prevent her from using her magic.”

  “She uses her hands to direct her alpha power. If she can’t use them, the threat will be minimized.”

  “Okay. I will sleep with her tonight. And when she is asleep, I will bind her hands then bring you into the room. How quickly can you complete the spell?”

  “It depends on how deeply the darkness is ingrained. It sinks deeper inside her every day. That’s why we can’t wait any longer. The longer we wait, the stronger it will become and the harder it will be to remove it from her.”

  “Do you have an estimate?” Quinn asked.

  “Anywhere between fifteen minutes and an hour. The spell itself takes about fifteen minutes to perform. But if it doesn’t work the first time, I’ll keep repeating it until it’s successful.”

  “How will you know it’s worked?” he asked.

  “That will be obvious. The shadow of darkness will be separated from her, and then we can trap it in the spirit box. No one else will be able to see it but me, but I will know it’s happening,” Mackenzie said.

  Quinn looked over at Kayla, and their eyes locked. Her mouth was pressed into a hard line, and she was examining him closely. She was probably just angry and suspicious because the witches were there. He hoped her suspicions would not stop her from allowing him to spend the night in her room. He would tell her he wanted to be close to her in case the baby came. The words were true enough that they wouldn’t be detectable as a lie.

  He worried about her every day. She never should have come to Smoke Mountain. She had put herself and the child at risk. But Quinn knew she was angling to take control of the pack by using her cousin as a surrogate. Smoke Mountain was full of resources, with mature flocks of sheep, herds of milk cows and goats, wool, grain, and metal from a well-established mine. It would have been an excellent base of operations from which she could launch her campaign.

  Mist Valley had been decimated by the witches, and the rebuilding of the village had taken all of their strength. They had little in the way of farm animals or crops, and they couldn’t maintain two packs unless they merged. Merging would mean moving the people of Mist Valley to Smoke Mountain, something that would not make her popular with anyone.

  After many toasts and rounds of feasting, the people of Smoke Mountain drunkenly returned to their homes. Quinn was there to help Kayla to her room, which was easier because Riddick had already passed out and was sleeping on a bench in the lodge. Sid was nowhere to be seen.

  “I’d like to stay with you tonight,” Quinn said as they walked up the stairs.

  “I’m awfully tired,” Kayla said. “I don’t think it’s a good time.”

  “Nothing like that. I just want to be close in case you have more contractions or need anything in the night. You’re very close to your due date. I can sleep on the floor if you don’t want me in the bed.”

  “I don’t see why not,” she said after hesitating for a beat. He could tell she wanted to say no, but there was no rational reason, so she relented.

  She slipped into her nightclothes behind the dressing screen at the back of the room and climbed under the thick wool blankets and furs on the bed. Quinn found some for himself and made himself comfortable on the floor. Kayla did not invite him to sleep in the large bed, but he hadn’t expected her to.

  He lay awake, listening to the sound of her breathing. She tossed and turned for quite some time until she finally settled down and her breaths became slow and steady. Quinn waited awhile longer, praying to the goddess for guidance. He hated what he was doing. He felt like a traitor. But he had no other option. He needed his Kayla back. Without her, there was no point in anything. There was no point in living.

  He rose slowly and tiptoed across the room like a thief. He sat beside her on the bed and whispered her name.

  “Kayla,” he said. “Kayla.”

  She didn’t respond. Her eyelids didn’t even flutter. He took a deep, quivering breath then took one arm and tied a knot around her wrist. Guilt slammed into his chest, and he stifled a sob. He tied the arm to the bed frame with the strongest rope he’d been able to find.

  He crept to the other side of the bed and repeated the process with her other arm. He felt like an evil man. He hated what he was doing, but he knew it was the only way to bring her back and to make her whole again. He owed it to her and to himself and to everyone else in the world who depended on her. Without her goodness and light, the prophecy could never be completed. The world would descend into darkness, and it would be because of his cowardice. He could not let that happen. He could not let Kayla fall that far.

  When he was sure she was bound tightly with the steel-reinforced rope, he crept out the door and into the witches’ room. They were waiting, their spell components prepared, ready for battle.

  They followed him back to the bedroom. He sat at the edge of the room, watching Mackenzie prepare her spell. Kayla’s breaths moved her chest slowly up and down. He hated what was happening, and he hated himself.

  Mackenzie began her spell. The spirit box lay open at the foot of the bed. Mackenzie’s voice rose high and strong in the air. Suddenly, Kayla opened her eyes, a wretched groan slicing from between her lips.

  “What’s happening? Are you hurting her?” he asked quietly.

  “Quinn, what are you doing?” she screamed. But then she groaned again from somewhere low and deep in her body. Her stomach clenched under her nightgown, and Quinn knew exactly what was happening.

  “What are you doing to me?” she shouted. “Quinn, make them stop. I’m in labor. Make them stop.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Kayla screamed in pain, knowing exactly what was happening to her. The witches were trying to steal her strength and turn her back into the simpering weakling she once had been. The slicing pain of contractions gripped her entire body, and she arched her back as the pain tore her in two.

  “You have to let me go, Quinn,” she pleaded. “I can’t give birth like this.”

  “Finish it, Mackenzie,” he demanded.

  Kayla groaned, and the sound was that of a crazed animal. She pulled at her wrists with every ounce of her strength, but then a contraction shot through her again, sapping her power and diverting her mind. “How could you do this to me, Quinn? Of all my mates, I always loved you the most.”

  She could see the light of hope in his eyes. She would say anything to get him to let her go. The truth was she didn’t love any of them. She couldn’t care less about a single one. But they were useful. And at the moment, Quinn was causing a serious problem.

  “I can’t, Kayla,” he said, a conflicted expression clear on his face.

  “Let me go right now, or you will regret it.”

  “I already do, Kayla. I don’t think I’ve ever regretted anything so much.”

  “Let me go, and I’ll forgive you,” she barked.

  “Finish it, Mackenzie!” he yelled.

  “She’s almost done!” Willa screamed.

  Kayla could feel the edges of her darkness wavering. “No. No, no, no. You will not take this from me. You will not take it away from me!” she screamed, groaning as another contraction sliced through her belly. She used the pain as an anchor, pulling against the ties at her wrists.

  “Hurry, Mackenzie. She’s trying to get free.”

  “Hold on,” Willa said.

  Mackenzie’s voice rose strong and true over the sound of Kayla’s groaning.

  “Almost done. Almost done,” Willa said as the words of the spell grew in intensity.

  Suddenly, the door to the bedroom flung open, and Sid stood in the doorway. “What’s going on in here?” he barked.

  Kayla used the distraction to finally get a hand free. Just as she felt the grip of her darkness losing its hold on her soul, she blasted Mackenzie, sending her flying across the room. The
witch crashed against the wall then slid down, leaving a bloody trail behind her. She slumped on the floor. Willa ran to her girlfriend, screaming for help.

  Kayla whimpered to Sid. He ran to her aid and untied her other hand. “What are you doing to her?” he demanded.

  She raised her hands to attack Willa, but the pain of the next contraction was too deep. It overwhelmed her entire being. She would have to leave it for later. But she knew she really didn’t want to hurt Willa. That can’t be right. Of course I want to hurt her. What is happening?

  “Help me, Quinn!” she screamed. He scrambled off the floor and went to her side. “What’s happening?”

  “The baby’s coming,” he said in a low voice. “It will be here soon.”

  “Why did you do this to me?” She could see the pain in his eyes.

  “It didn’t work,” he said to Willa.

  Willa didn’t respond. She was consumed by her injured girlfriend.

  Poor Mackenzie. No. The witch deserved everything she got. The conflicting feelings caused by a battle of light and dark raged inside her as the contractions gripped the base of her spine and tore her in two.

  “Please explain what you are doing to our queen, Quinn. Where is Riddick? What is going on here?” Sid asked.

  “There’s no time.” Quinn knelt at the end of the bed, checking her body. “The baby’s crowning, Kayla. It’s time to push.”

  With every ounce of strength and all of her power, Kayla pushed her child into the world. The baby slid from inside her, wet and slippery and red like a newborn calf. Kayla began to cry, the emotions overwhelming her. It’s a girl. Quinn turned the baby on her stomach and began to rub her back.

  “Why isn’t she crying?” Kayla demanded.

  Quinn muttered a prayer to Wolf Mother and continued rubbing the baby’s back.

  “Please, Goddess, please,” Kayla wailed.

  “Is the baby okay?” Sid asked. “Please say she’s okay.”

  Finally, a sharp thin cry filled the room, and Kayla’s heart fluttered with relief.

  “Oh, my beautiful sweet child,” Kayla said, her emotions slamming into her from every corner of reality. Feelings of love and tenderness flooded her, overwhelming her senses. It was as if every emotion she should have felt for the past nine months was suddenly pouring into her all at once. She began to weep, and heavy tears fell onto her child’s head.

  Quinn cut the baby’s umbilical cord and tied it off. He put the baby to her breast, covering them both with blankets. After several final contractions, Quinn patched up the small tears she’d suffered. Sid sat beside her on the bed, looking on in awe as she offered her baby her breast. The babe responded greedily, nuzzling into her mother’s body. Kayla couldn’t stop crying. All that time. All the time I’d been trapped inside myself, watching my own cold, emotionless calculations and my evil, dark deeds.

  “Check on Mackenzie, Quinn. She’s hurt,” Kayla said.

  Quinn looked at her. His eyes went wide, and he stood motionless for a beat before he turned and knelt beside the witch. He placed his hands on her body and spoke healing prayers. A moment later, Mackenzie stirred, groaning as she touched the wound on her head.

  “It worked,” Quinn said.

  “What worked?” Mackenzie asked.

  “The spell worked, Mackenzie. Kayla is back. I know she is. I can feel it. I can see it in her eyes.”

  “I am back,” Kayla said, still crying.

  “But the darkness never left her. I never saw it enter the spirit box.”

  “You were knocked out, Mackenzie. You missed it.”

  “No. No it didn’t work. It wasn’t complete. The spirit never left her. I can still feel it in the room.”

  “You were hurt. You’re not seeing things correctly,” Quinn insisted.

  Mackenzie stood on wobbling legs and approached the bed, staring down with haunted eyes at Kayla and her child. Kayla held her child protectively, pulling her closer.

  “It’s still here, Quinn.”

  “No, it’s gone,” Kayla insisted. “I’m back. I know I am.” Mackenzie lifted her arms, muttering a spell to herself as she waved her wand over Kayla and her child.

  “The darkness has left Kayla,” Mackenzie said with a shaking voice. “It has left Kayla and entered the child.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Kayla held her daughter in her arms, tears streaming down her face. The child was so perfect and beautiful. Riddick sat beside her, staring down at the babe.

  “What should we call her?” Quinn asked from the end of the bed.

  “We should name her after your mother, Oksana,” Kayla said.

  “That’s perfect,” Riddick said.

  “Oksana Blackfang,” Sid said from the back of the room.

  “Yes. Oksana Blackfang.” Kayla paused.

  “We need to focus on the matter at hand. Every moment that passes, the darkness grows deeper inside the child.” Mackenzie stood at the end of the bed, her hands clasped in front of her.

  “I don’t want to believe that the darkness is in my baby,” Kayla said with a sniffle. “I can’t believe it.”

  “I don’t want to believe it either,” Quinn said.

  “I can see and sense it as clearly as I can see you in front of me.”

  Quinn looked out the window at the predawn darkness, his face forlorn. Kayla squeezed her eyes closed and let out a shuddering breath. This can’t be happening. She couldn’t accept it. “Isn’t there anything that can be done?”

  “We could try the same ritual we used on you. But I’m afraid the spell drove the darkness deeper when it exited during the birth. If we tried to remove it from the child, it could be fatal,” Mackenzie said.

  “We could try and see what happens. If it looks like it will harm her, we could stop. With Quinn’s help, it’s possible we could succeed,” Willa said.

  “There’s nothing wrong with the baby,” Riddick said. “She’s perfect. I don’t understand what any of you are talking about.”

  “You need to explain what all this is about, Quinn, before you feel the force of a hammer and the slice of a few blades.”

  “I’d like to be alone to think,” Kayla said. She looked down at her beautiful, glowing baby girl, unable to fathom that something so innocent and pure could possibly be full of the twisted evil that corrupted the world.

  “Come, brothers, I’ll explain everything.”

  Quinn, Riddick, and Sid slipped out the door behind Mackenzie and Willa. Once she was alone with her baby, she opened her shirt and offered the babe her breast. Oksana latched on, happily suckling. Kayla’s milk came easily, and a flood of love and contentment filled her body and soul.

  “I know that there is light inside you, my daughter. It is your true nature, just as it was mine. I will not let you be harmed, but I will not allow the darkness to consume you. I will save you from the curse.”

  After Oksana fed, Kayla laid her in a basket beside her on the bed and drifted off to sleep. Her dreams were filled with darkness and horror. All the emotions she hadn’t felt during her absence flooded her senses from every side.

  She woke with a gasp, feeling flushed and sweaty, her heart pounding. She leaned up on her elbow, checking the child in the basket. Oksana still slept, seeming to be in peaceful, contented repose.

  Kayla let out a sigh of relief and lay back down, staring at the ceiling. She did not know what to do next or what her next move would be. She did not know how to overcome the darkness in the world and never had. While she had been filled with evil, she had gathered packs and clans of shifters under her rule, with the goal of moving on the witches and vampires. They had been so ready and willing to follow her. A tear slid down her cheek at the thought. The witches and vampires had been disproportionately affected by the darkness that had consumed the world, but they hadn’t always been that way.

  For instance, she’d heard stories about the vampires before the cataclysm. Many had subsided off of blood-bank donations or animals. Ther
e had always been evil among them, just as there was with humans, witches, and shifters. But it hadn’t been so pervasive.

  Before, the witches had been even more oriented toward the light. But those who chose that path had been outnumbered in the years after the cataclysm to the point where the traditions of old seemed to have disappeared. The anger and frustration over human persecution built their culture and caused their violent actions. It was so much like her own murderous attitude toward the witches and vampires while possessed that a shudder went down her spine.

  “You’re awake,” said a voice from the door. Aunt Myrtle stood in the doorway with another bowl of stew. “I thought you might be hungry.”

  Kayla sat up in bed and accepted the tray. She took a tentative bite, blowing at the hot liquid before she ladled it into her mouth. Myrtle’s stew was always delicious, and the warmth of the love and nurturing in her cooking slid down her throat and into her soul.

  “Thank you, Myrtle,” Kayla said with a sigh.

  “They’ve been talking about the baby,” Myrtle said, concern in her eyes. “I just can’t believe it. How could anyone know? Our destinies are not determined. We choose them ourselves.”

  “I wish that were always true. But I have come to understand that sometimes our destinies are predetermined. It was a prophecy that led me to my mates. I didn’t believe it at first, but I spoke to Wolf Mother myself. She convinced me that it was true.”

  “That’s all well and good for prophecies. But no one can know that a baby is going to turn out to be bad.”

  “The darkness was inside of me, and Mackenzie sensed that it moved into the baby.”

  “And you believe them? These witches?”

  “Willa and Mackenzie have been loyal, faithful friends who have gone above and beyond. I believe them and trust them completely. They have little reason to still be here after how I treated them, but they are. They are the reason I’m even here.”

  Myrtle attempted a smile. “Well, I trust your judgment. You always were a good girl.”