Destined (War of the Covens 2)

Prologue

The State of Things

Existing in the shadows of our world are supernatural races, children blessed by the ancient Greek gods with unimaginable gifts. At present, they are fighting a two-thousand-year-old war with one another. The Midnight Coven, an alliance of dark magiks, faeries, and daemons born of black magik, believe that the vampyres and lykans are lesser supernaturals and a threat to mankind. They are at war with the Daylight Coven, a confederate of light magiks, faeries, vampyres, and lykans who believe in the equality of the races.

Into this war nineteen-year-old Caia Ribeiro is born … a lykan with a heritage unlike any other. A consequence of the manipulation of the gods and fate, Caia is unique—half lykan, half water magik. And to make it even more complicated, her mother was the daughter of the Head of the Midnight Coven: Caia is half Daylight, half Midnight.

No one is sure of the extent of Caia’s abilities, not even her mentor Marion, the sister to Marita, the Head of the Daylight Coven. All they know is that after her explosive killing of her uncle Ethan, Caia is the heir apparent, and with it has trace magik—the ability to sense the emotions and whereabouts of every member of the Midnight Coven. The pack, Marita, and all their allies believe Caia is the key to bringing down the Midnights. But Caia is not so sure.

Not only is she an nineteen-year-old girl trying to come to grips with adulthood but she’s also reeling from the death of her friend, Sebastian, confused by her feelings for the pack’s Alpha, Lucien, excited but terrified by her magikal powers, and frightened by the contradiction of the trace magik.

Caia is beginning to realize that the war isn’t black and white. There are members of the Midnight Coven who are good people, magiks who have long forgotten why the war began, magiks who don’t view other supernaturals as a threat, Midnights who would happily see the war end. Is the trace wrong? Is she going insane or falling to the other side? Because everyone closest to her would believe her to be a traitor if she shared her concerns … wouldn’t they?

And if all that weren’t enough, her best friend Jaeden is still missing from the pack, having run off after being rescued from the malevolent clutches of Caia’s uncle Ethan. Caia had seen through Ethan’s eyes the atrocities he committed against Jaeden’s young body and mind; only she understands Jaeden’s need to be separate from the pack for a while.

However … perhaps it’s best Caia isn’t fully aware of Jaeden’s true situation. It would be just one more major worry to add to her never-ending pile of responsibilities. For not only is Jae out hunting rogue vampyres—a crime against the coven, as the law constitutes that only a vampyre can hunt a rogue vampyre, and only a lykan can hunt a rogue lykan—she has even bigger problems.

When Ethan had Jae locked in a cage, messing with her body and mind, using an enormous amount of fire magik to torture her, something … happened. It had to have had, right?

What else could explain Jae’s sudden telekinetic abilities?

1

Lone Ranger

“Son of a—” Jaeden launched into a somersault to avoid the bullet whizzing toward her head. She whipped around from her position on the muddy grass in time to propel a blade at the vampyre’s wrist. The vamp girl screamed as it hit, the gun falling to the ground as she clutched her bleeding artery.

“You bitch!” Blondie screeched, glaring at her as Jaeden stood and sauntered toward her with an intimidating lack of fear. The wound caused the vampyre’s eyes to glow with deadly intent.

“Ouch.” Jaeden winced wryly. “Your oh-so-original comeback is like a veritable stake to the heart.” She paused as her fingers brushed the line of steel blades she had strapped to her belt.

Blondie hissed, her incisors lengthening. “My boyfriend is not going to like me coming home wounded.”

“Oh, honey, you’ve been such a bad little girl, chewing on humans and breaking the coven laws … your boyfriend is going to be a little more concerned with the fact that you won’t be coming home at all.”

The husky laugh that comment provoked was eerie. “I’m breaking coven laws? What about you, wolf girl?”

That didn’t even deserve a response. She was breaking coven laws for the common good. Blondie here got off on killing human boys after she had sex with them. Yeah, she wondered how the BF felt about that.

Jaeden opened her leather jacket and pulled out the small ax she kept hidden there. The vampyre’s eyes widened and then shuttered when she realized Jaeden was watching for her reaction.

“So, vampyra”—Jae grimaced, hitting the blunt edge of the ax on the heel of her palm—“you ready to meet your ma—”

The vampyre launched at the gun on the ground, cutting off Jaeden’s unoriginal parting quip. With a flick of her wrist, Jaeden pushed with her mind and the gun jumped from the grass, inches from the vamp’s fingers, flying into Jae’s outstretched and waiting hand. She then tucked the gun into the other side of her belt and smirked at the amazed look on the girl’s face.