Suvi's Revenge: Rowan Sisters' Trilogy Book 3 Read online

  His shock matched hers as his orgasm continued. His release was like an aphrodisiac, arousing her once more. She may die from the pleasure, but she wasn’t going to complain.

  “Ah, Goddess, you feel so fucking good.” His hips continued to thrust shallowly and she laid her head on his shoulder. Tears burned her eyes as she neared peak once again. She took the moment into her soul, enjoying the pleasure of their union, unsurpassed as it was, while her heart wept that this may be all they would ever have.

  CHAPTER THREE

  “Pema, Isis,” Suvi hollered as she entered the house, Caine right behind her. “Get your asses down here, now!”

  She glanced down at her left ankle and the mating brand that still throbbed. It was a crescent moon with a drop of blood at the tip and the whole thing was surrounded by vines. She imagined it would be stunning after they were fully mated. She still couldn’t wrap her mind around the fact that Caine was her Fated Mate. Her body was thrumming with the after-effects of their love-making. She had never known pleasure so intense. She hated the fear for his life that was overwhelming everything, destroying what should have been the best night of her life.

  “What the hell are you yelling about?” Isis snapped as she walked into the living room.

  Suvi stopped in her pacing to glare at her sister. “What’s wrong is that we have work to do and no time to waste.” She was a loose cannon at the moment and knew she was being unreasonable.

  “Oh, but we have time for you to have sex with males you just met?” Isis countered, her anger spiking, making a lightbulb shatter in a nearby lamp. Caine startled at the noise, looking around in confusion.

  “Hey now! Let’s settle down before anything else is destroyed,” Pema intervened, as she entered the room.

  “He’s not just some male. He’s my male. He’s my Fated Mate and he has been sentenced to die. We need to get to work finding a way to save him. I can’t lose him…I just found him,” she declared, sticking her foot out and frantically pointing at the brand on her ankle. She felt strong arms wrap around her and Caine’s heat envelop her. She tried to find the comfort he was offering rather than the panic, but it evaded her.

  “Oh, Goddess. You’ve been praying for this since you were a stripling…” Isis trailed off, clearly at a loss for words.

  “Okay, calm down. We will figure this out. All of us together, just like we always have. We won’t let you lose him,” Pema promised. Suvi took several deep breaths, trying to control herself because the last thing they needed at the moment was for Isis to absorb Suvi’s emotions and wreck the house.

  “Welcome to the family,” Ronan told Caine, clapping him on the shoulder.

  “It’s never a dull moment here, but you’ll adjust,” Braeden added.

  “Is that code for ‘these witches are crazy’?” Caine asked with a smile in his voice.

  “Hey, we don’t hide our crazy around here. We put it in a bikini and prance it around the pool,” Isis retorted.

  “I know, little flame, and I love it,” Braeden told her sister before he kissed her cheek. Suvi appreciated how everyone had immediately welcomed her mate and he fit right in, falling into easy banter with them.

  “Speaking of the pool, we need to cancel our birthday party. There is too much going on right now,” Suvi added, hating that she had to take the celebration from her sisters, but it was necessary to save her mate.

  “When is your birthday? I can’t believe you are my mate and I hardly know the first thing about you. We haven’t had a chance to talk about anything aside from my…situation,” Caine observed. Suvi hated the expression she saw on his gorgeous face.

  “Our birthday is in two days. It’s been a tradition that we’ve always had a pool party,” Suvi explained, “but we can always have it later, after you’re cleared.”

  “You have a pool party in November?”

  “Yes. I’m sure you noticed the spell the sprites cast around our property. It makes the temperature perfect year round,” Suvi shrugged, already thinking of the people she’d have to call to cancel. Thankfully the caterer was a fellow witch and a friend and she hoped she hadn’t started the cooking yet.

  “No, you aren’t canceling your birthday party. I don’t want to be the reason you cancel anything. The party happens,” Caine insisted.

  “Not a chance in hell. There is no way I could celebrate right now. My focus is you and finding a way to save your life.” Anxiety over the thought of glibly partying while the sand was running out of her mate’s hourglass had Suvi’s heart racing and her chest constricting.

  “You are my other half, Suvi, and your birth should be celebrated. The moment you were born, I was completed, even if I didn’t know it before. This party happens,” Caine insisted, running a finger down her arm. That one touch alone calmed her, enabling her to breathe. She crossed to the sofas and sat down. Caine sat next to her and the others all followed suit.

  “Let’s table that discussion for later. Right now, we need to decide where we start,” Pema quickly refocused the conversation, kick-starting a plan.

  “Based on the information that Caine has provided, I think we go to the scene of the crime. It’s the one place we are guaranteed to get answers,” Suvi suggested, anxious to be doing something productive.

  *****

  The taint of evil was still in the air surrounding the house where Sally had died earlier that evening, making Caine’s skin itch. His blood and body was still humming from making love to his Fated Mate and now he was forced to return to this location when all he wanted was to be back in bed with Suvi. He hated everything about this situation. He wished that Sally was still alive, but he wouldn’t change meeting his mate. He wanted to be celebrating his union with Suvi instead of being worried that he was potentially placing her and her family in more danger.

  Putting those considerations aside, he glanced down the quiet street in Madison Park as he approached the dark, single-story home in front of them. The yellow crime-scene tape was still across the front door and the scent of the human authorities lingered, telling him it hadn’t been long since they’d left the house.

  The scent of Santiago and Orlando mixed with the humans reminded him that it was because of them that he wasn’t in a human jail. No member of the Tehrex Realm would do well in a human jail. It would be impossible to hide their supernatural status when surrounded by criminals that would pull at their predatory side. For vampires, it would be a death sentence come sunrise. They had covered up his involvement and he was grateful that they had, but he wondered what the two shifters had thought of the malevolent residue. For Caine, it was like ice in his veins.

  His mate’s sultry voice warmed his suddenly cold soul and had hers stirring in his chest. “Do we cut through the tape or go around back and break in? Did she give you a key?” Jealousy momentarily glittered in her brown eyes before it was masked. He reached out and tugged on a lock of her black hair.

  “No, love, she didn’t. Our relationship wasn’t like that. I cared for her, but things were not serious. Certainly, not what you shared with Bhric, the Prince.” He instantly regretted his words when he saw hurt flash across her pretty face and wanted to rewind the moment and take it back. Neither of them came to the relationship innocent and it wasn’t fair to judge or bring up the past. Unfortunately, there was no removing the foot from his mouth.

  The mating compulsion was bringing out all kinds of emotions. Couple that with the predicament he’d awoken to find himself in and the combination was dizzying. One thing he’d have to keep in mind was that the sense of urgency regarding his life amplified the natural possessiveness and jealousy experienced with a mating. His mate deserved to be treated like a queen, rather than made to feel guilty for what she couldn’t change.

  He had been through so much in the past few hours and to say he was overwhelmed was the understatement of his three and a half centuries.

  “Everyone is on edge. I know what it’s like when you are newly mated, but we need to
focus on getting evidence of what really happened here. Let’s go in through the back,” Pema interrupted.

  He leaned down and kissed Suvi, pouring all his jumbled emotions into it. He hated to burden her, but she was his mate and carried part of his soul. There was no one better suited to help him through this time in his life. “Your sister is right. My life is in your hands, love, don’t hold my blunder against me,” he implored. The smile that broke over her face made him weak in the knees.

  She stood on her tiptoes and placed a sweet, triumphant kiss on his lips. “I’ve always held your life in my hands, you just never knew it. Now, let’s get this shit done.” Suvi grabbed his hand and started walking around to the side fence. He glanced around and saw her two sisters and their mates. Ronan led the group of black-clad trespassers. He was carrying a large duffle bag and it reminded him of Mission Impossible, except for the fact that his mate stalked the night in the sexiest thigh-high boots ever made. He marveled at how she maneuvered so gracefully in the skinny, spiked heels. He’d like to see her in nothing but those boots and a smile before he died.

  Pulling his hand from her grasp, Caine placed it at the small of her back, urging her along. He relaxed more when they reached the back yard, out of sight of any neighbors. The last thing he wanted was a nosy neighbor calling the police. The yard was a barren desert compared to Suvi’s piece of paradise, adding to the grim atmosphere.

  They stepped onto the small, square of concrete that served as Sally’s patio and with a flick of their wands, and a one word chant, the witches had the sliding glass door unlocked and opened. The stench of death slapped him in the face as soon as they entered through the kitchen. The house looked the same as it had earlier in the evening, clean and orderly, despite the disgusting odor. They bypassed the small bistro table and chairs, heading straight for the living room.

  “Goddess, this reminds me of the smell when I fought those hellhounds,” Ronan remarked.

  “Ugh, it reminds me of the dark magic Cele was using when she held Donovan captive,” Isis added with a curl of her lip. Caine had to hold back his gag when his stomach churned and bile rose to the back of his throat.

  It was in the living room that they found evidence that something had occurred in the house. The sofa was askew and the cushions were strewn about the floor. Fingerprint dust littered every surface, thickest on the coffee table. Knowing that supernaturals don’t leave fingerprints, he didn’t have to worry about the police having any record of him. The chalk outline sent a pang of sadness, reminding him that Sally had lost her life. She didn’t deserve the fate that befell her and he wondered what could have possibly led to this incident.

  He hadn’t told anyone where he was going that night and he didn’t really have enemies. He had never been threatened. Hell, he didn’t go around getting into fist-fights. The only time in his life that he was in any fights was during his transition to adulthood when all males were volatile due to the influx of hormones and power.

  He’d been pondering these issues ever since Zander had asked who might want to set him up or cause problems for him. As far as he knew, Sally didn’t have abusive exes or people who wanted to harm her, either. She had no knowledge of supernaturals so how she could have earned the wrath of a vampire was beyond him. Still, he had been wracking his brain for who could have done this and why. Each time he contemplated it, he came up empty-handed.

  “Suvi, get the salt and flowers. Isis, light the candles,” Pema instructed, catching his attention. “Ronan, help me move this table.” The couple picked up the table and maneuvered it into the middle of the room and Isis placed several items on top of it.

  “Are you going to be doing this, how do you call it, skyclad, mate?” Ronan asked, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. Caine had heard witches often performed their rituals nude to enhance their power and he wasn’t sure how he felt about that. He would never be able to stop Suvi from practicing her craft, and wouldn’t want to, but the thought of the other males seeing her naked made him crazy with possessiveness. Suvi belonged to him, no male would ever see her naked again.

  “With all these males present?” Pema retorted, arching one of her eyebrows at the bear shifter.

  “I have no desire for any other male to see you naked, but I know for a fact that the others will have only eyes for their mates and your nudity will go completely unnoticed. Besides, won’t my desire for you boost your magic?” Ronan replied hopefully. Caine knew the truth in Ronan’s words, there was no way he would notice anyone but Suvi. And, if he could be more than a burden to his mate, then he was all for it.

  Pema laughed at her mate and her expression shifted from business to bliss in a heartbeat. The love the two of them shared was obvious and had Caine yearning for the same. “Not this time, mate. We shouldn’t need the extra power for a simple reveal spell because the remnants of the murder are strong here.”

  Caine watched the witches work silently and efficiently. Suvi drew the circle with salt around the six of them and the sisters cast it and called the elements. He had never seen or felt such strong energy. It raced across his skin, leaving a blazing trail in its path. Suvi clasped his hand and Braeden grabbed his other hand until they had all joined and formed their own circle.

  “Live and learn, learn and live. I endeavor to receive what life can give. Bring to me the lessons true. And knowledge of what to do. Amid the mess and chaos fierce. Shine a light to darkness pierce. Show the way to knowledge deep. Which to let go and which to keep. Clear the way so I might heed. The lessons that I truly need. Show me what I need to learn. By the Power of Three, so mote it be,” the witches called out in unison.

  Mist gathered at their feet and built to surround them. An electrical current raced through his blood. The sensation was erotic and made blood surge to his shaft. He questioned whether or not his arousal had to do with witchcraft or the fact that he was connected to his mate. Embarrassed by his reaction, he tried to drop Braeden’s hand, but the magnetic pull binding them refused to let go.

  Brilliant, white light emanated from their joined hands and Caine noted that a blue light streamed from between Isis and Braeden’s hands and a golden light from between Pema and Ronan’s, coloring the area. He looked down at his and Suvi’s hands and saw nothing. Clearly, the light was a result of their mating and he felt bereft that he didn’t have that with Suvi. Someday, he told himself. He would make it through this ordeal and they would be mated.

  He paused in his contemplation, as a sixth sense told him that it was critical to complete the mating ritual with Suvi, sooner, rather than, later. He didn’t know why, but didn’t think it had to do with the murder he was being accused of. He shook the thought from his mind, concentrating on the matter at hand.

  Images formed in the mist and he saw himself sitting with Sally on the couch behind them. They were talking and drinking wine. She threw her head back and laughed at something he’d said and instantly Caine was grateful that he had not so much as touched Sally on that evening as the events played out before them. He didn’t think his mate would have handled seeing him with another female very well. He knew that he wouldn’t have been able to handle seeing her with another male.

  He continued watching and noticed a dark cloud forming behind him in the image. It was disturbing to see it so clearly now, when he hadn’t seen anything earlier in the evening. That image slowly solidified into a vampire. He was unforgettable with long, bright-red hair and bi-colored eyes against pale skin. He flashed his fangs in a snarl and threw a small dart into Caine’s neck. Caine watched his body slump forward, obviously unconscious.

  Sally began screaming as the male stalked her. He backed her up against the wall by her fireplace and picked her up by the throat with one hand. He savagely bit into her neck and drank deeply. Sally fought at first, but that fight slowly dwindled until she was still. The vampire fed several minutes more before tossing her to the ground like a piece of garbage. Sneering, he picked up Caine’s slack form and dropped him a
cross the dead human.

  He walked to a nearby phone, picked it up and called the police. Before he left, he grabbed the dart from Caine’s skin. The vampire seemed completely in control of his actions and Caine wondered how he was able to drain his victim and not be in a blood-induced blackout.

  The images faded, the mist dissipated and Isis picked up a knife from the table to open the circle. Suvi turned to him and he saw tears brimming in her eyes. He saw his mate’s sadness for Sally’s fate, but felt her anger and frustration. “Do you know that male? Why does he hate you so much that he would set you up to die?”

  “I have never seen him before. I live a simple life and generally keep to myself. I don’t understand why this happened, but this is the break we’ve needed. This can save me. Let’s go show this to Zander, it will prove my innocence.”

  Suvi’s face fell and the tears streamed down her cheeks. Her defeat was clear, but he was confused as to why. “That’s not possible. We can’t even bring him here and re-cast the spell to show him. Our magic dissolved the memory. It now becomes our word against the evidence. And, despite the fact that he considers us an ally, this won’t be enough for him to overturn the sentence. As happy as I am that fate finally brought us together, the sad fact is that now works against us. You are my mate and there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do to save you. And everyone knows my sisters would do anything for me…even lie.”

  He stared at her as her words sunk in. They’d discovered what had happened and yet he still had no way to prove his innocence. That little sliver of hope vanished, once again leaving him helpless. His heart twisted in his chest and he suddenly couldn’t breathe. He refused to be put to an unjustly death. And, especially now that he’d found the missing half of his soul.