Forever 21

7 | The Curse of Immortality

"Our Creator would never have made such lovely days, and have given us the deep hearts to enjoy them, above and beyond all thought, unless we were meant to be immortal." ~ Nathaniel Hawthorne

The sound of his voice sent a small rush through my veins, and I wondered if he would always have that effect on me. It was something I both dreaded and yearned to find out.

"Fate," Rachel acknowledged with a quick bow. It wasn't the curtsy of a lady or the groveling of a servant, but the obeisance of a soldier.

He tilted his head toward her in a silent admission before turning his attention back to me.

"How are you feeling?"

It was a simple question with an answer that was anything but. Health wise I'd never felt better, but mentally? Mentally, I was beyond exhaustion, beyond help. I wasn't sure how long I'd been out this time and in light of recent events, I didn't really care to know. In the end, I opted for the truth.

"Like Hell froze over. Why are you here?"

I hadn't meant for it to come out so rude, but it kind of just happened. Judging by his face, he hadn't taken offense.

"As I said, I've come for you. Not much escapes my sight and your run in with the Mistress of Avalon was no exception. I tried to give you and your sire the freedom you both crave, but coupled with your penchant for trouble and the fact that you've been linked to the disappearance of Banphrionsa Falere, I have no choice but to request your permanent presence at my estate until she has been secured."

Fate was going from zero to sixty faster than I could hope to follow. He acted as if I knew who the Mistress of Avalon was, implied that Ivy was my maker and dropped foreign sounding names as if I could instantly understand him. Lastly, he made me sound like a burden. In his defense, it was probably the truth, but in mine, no one had given me a chance to get of this merry-go-round and get my bearings. Suffice it to say, I barely knew my ass from a hole in the ground, but if he was as powerful as his offer of protection implied, he could at least be a tad more gracious about it.

Almost as an afterthought he added, "I know this may seem very untoward, especially to your human sensibilities, but complying with my request would be the most prudent choice. Not only would it allow me to teach you about our world at my convenience, it would also give you safety from any powerful fae you may or may not have pissed off."

He smiled wryly during that last part and for some reason it made me want to tell him exactly, and in excessive detail, where to shove his "requests". He reeked of hidden agenda and nothing, not even my curiosity was going to make me just pack my bags and go.

"And if I say 'thanks, but no thanks' anyway?"

"I'd have to ask you to rethink your answer."

Passive agressiveness forgotten, I narrowed my eyes at him. "This is such bullshit."

A gasp from the momentarily forgotten Rachel and the clenching of Fate's jaw, alerted me of the fact that he wasn't used to people calling him on the carpet. Fate wrapped a cold hand around my throat, leaning in until we were almost nose to nose.

"Imagine if I were your enemy. It would be so easy to snap your neck and be done with it."

His frosty breath blew in my face with every word, and my own caught in my throat. Just as quickly as he had invaded my space, he left it, returning to his original place in my doorway. His speed left little room for question in regard to his power, and a small part of me began to doubt Ivy's knowledge with regard to the vampire world. Fate was almost too fast, even to my eyes.