The Rise of Fortune and Fury (Chronicles of the Stone Veil 5)

“Other than the fact they have Finley and want the Blood Stone,” Carrick said dryly. “That pretty much sums it up.”

“So how are we going to take Kymaris and Pyke out tonight when we get Finley back?” Maddox asked.

“We’re not,” Carrick replied darkly. “We’re making the trade.”

Titus frowned. “Is that really a good idea?”

Carrick snapped his head toward Titus. “You’d rather we keep the Blood Stone and let Finley die?”

“That’s not what I want at all,” Titus admonished. “I’m merely suggesting we consider alternatives. For example, what would Finley want you to do?”

A low growl emanated from Carrick as he was forced to admit, “She’d tell me not to give up that Blood Stone for anything in the world, including her. But that doesn’t mean she’s right.”

“Maybe we should consider just ending this at the park,” Titus continued, nodding his head toward Maddox in credit for the idea. “Get Finley safe, then destroy Kymaris and Pyke. We have the power to do it, especially with the Blood Stone in our possession.”

“Deandra would help, I’m sure of it,” Maddox said. His meeting with Deandra had been short, but he’d quickly learned that she had no clue Pyke wanted the Blood Stone and no idea what he intended to do with it, but she was pissed about it. And she hadn’t even known about the Kymaris connection when Maddox met with her. Once she learned that, it would probably bring her firmly onto their side.

Carrick hated to admit it, but it was the fact they had the Blood Stone that made it so he had to consider this idea. It was far more powerful than Kymaris and Pyke. It alone could probably destroy them.

But the risks were great.

Finley could get caught in the crossfire, and he wasn’t prepared to lose her yet.

There was a bigger reason not to attack, though.

“Kymaris chose a public place that will have a tremendous amount of human foot traffic,” Carrick pointed out in a low voice. “If we go in to end this with proverbial guns blazing, humans will get killed.”

“And the oblivious throngs of humanity will come to know that immortal creatures exist,” Myles adds. “We can’t unleash that knowledge on the world. It would cause chaos and panic.”

Carrick and Maddox exchanged a look. The other’s concern for humanity wasn’t their priority, but they both knew it would be for Finley.

And Rainey and Myles, for that matter, and they cared about them.

“We have to do the trade,” Carrick said, his voice bearing a confidence the rest didn’t acutely feel. “We’ll have to battle Kymaris another time.”

“Most likely at the ritual,” Maddox added.

“We should still go as backup to the trade.” This came from Titus, who was as good a strategist as Carrick and Maddox were. They both nodded their agreement.

Plans were made as they ate sandwiches and Maddox availed himself of a beer. It was decided Carrick would take Maddox and Titus, leaving Boral and Zaid at the condo with Rainey and Myles. They agreed Deandra wasn’t needed at this point, but that they would bring her on board if she’d agree to it. They needed all the help they could get if the battle was going to occur at the new moon.

While Carrick would make the actual trade, Maddox and Titus would blend into the background and watch, ready to move in if it so much as looked like Kymaris would go back on her word not to harm Finley.

If that occurred, Carrick laid it out plain and simple. “If Finley goes down, we burn that motherfucking pier to ashes—Kymaris along with it.”

CHAPTER 4

Finley

The sound of footsteps coming down the stone staircase rouses me from the half-doze I’d fallen into. With my hands chained in front of me, I roll to one hip, curl my legs in, and shift the other way to propel myself up. I stifle the groan that comes from the stiffness of my muscles, ignoring the fact my pants are wet and my ass is numb from the damp dungeon floor.

Pyke comes into view, but I expected no other. Kymaris doesn’t think I’m worthy of her notice.

“You’re looking no worse for the wear,” Pyke says genially with a smile. “Feeling okay? I really hope this hasn’t been too much of an inconvenience for you.”

I glare, my spine straight so as to appear strong and unbreakable, but my back is actually killing me. “How can you do that? Act that way when you’ve sided with evil? Of course I’m not okay, you dolt.”

Pyke’s smile doesn’t falter at the rebuke. It stays in place, his eyes shining with amusement as he waves his hand to make the chains disappear. His expression sobers slightly as I rub my wrists. “I hope you don’t take any of this personally. I mean… you’ll die and Kymaris will rise, but I actually do like you as a human.”