Today Tomorrow and Always (Phenomenal Fate 3)

“Yes. And happily married to her sworn enemy, of course. They’re honeymooning in Iceland.”

“Iceland? That broody shit suits them perfectly. Holy shit. Roks is a vamp? Literally nothing makes sense anymore.” Tucker slapped a hand to his forehead. “Hold on, we didn’t even get to throw Elias a bachelor party? What a rip-off.”

“Considering his mate is freshly Silenced and volatile, that’s probably for the best.”

“Come on. I would have made it tasteful. Who doesn’t like Jello wrestling?”

“I rest my case.” Jonas’s mouth twitched, but he was obviously trying to stay in serious business mode. Although Tucker could never have predicted what the king was about to tell him. “As I said, we are now in possession of the slayer list. I thought long and hard about what to do with the information and it comes down to this. The slayers might be our long-standing enemy, but right now, we have a more powerful common enemy.” The king’s eyes ticked to his. “As of now, we’re aligning with the slayers. It might be our only chance to defeat the dark uprising.”

Tucker’s jaw was somewhere in the vicinity of his knees. “Vampire and slayers on the same team? Boss, I realize now that you’re royalty, you probably have access to bomb-grade weed, but you might want to lay off.”

“I’m serious. In fact…” Several seconds passed. “Some of them traveled here with me.”

Panic sliced through Tucker like a hot knife through cake. “They’re here? Now?”

“Mary is safe,” Jonas reassured him, his tone firm. “Relax.”

Sensing movement to his left, Tucker glanced over and found a rock garden hovering in the air, the stones humming loudly, as if anticipating an order. They were under his control—though there was very little control, wasn’t there? They were being compelled by his sudden fear for Mary’s safety.

And his rage.

“Three slayers tried to kill her at a roadside diner yesterday. They would have if I’d let them. Now you expect me to fight on their side?”

“They send their apologies. A deal between us wasn’t reached until an hour ago. Furthermore, it’s not as though they understand or give a shit about things like matehood.” Jonas was watching the stones with an almost curious fascination. “Believe me, I had no choice but to align with them. We need numbers for a fair fight.”

Tucker ground his molars, trying to rid himself of the memory of Mary cowering beneath the table at the diner. How could he be asked to forgive that?

Before he could launch another protest, Jonas spoke again. “Tucker, I’m not saying this because I want a rift in the alliance. I’m saying this as your friend.” He gave a tight headshake. “You can’t bring her to Hadrian. It will kill you.”

“He can give her sight,” Tucker rasped. “More than that, she believes that marrying Hadrian is the noble act of sacrifice she needs to bring back the Assembly, ruled by her father, Anton. This alliance could reunite her family. If she’s no longer blind, her mother thinks she’ll be worthy of returning to the Faerie Realm.”

“Do you believe that?”

“I think if they didn’t want her before, they can kiss my ass. But there’s no point in having a mate if she spends her life resenting me. I’d rather her be happy.”

“What about you?”

Tucker shook his head, as if the matter was inconsequential.

“He’s…powerful, Tucker. Giving Mary her eyesight is a mere party trick for this being.”

Those words rocked Tucker, unleashing the kind of misery that rampaged and rioted, tearing at his insides with razor-sharp claws. He didn’t want Mary within a mile of this motherfucker. How was he going to stomach it? How could he go on living afterward?

“Jonas…”

He hardly knew what he was asking.

Only that the favors he needed were important. The most important favors he’d ever ask of someone in his life. “If we have a chance to take out Hadrian, we don’t do it until he’s given Mary what he promised. Give me your word on that.”

Jaw tight, Jonas glanced away, but eventually gave a nod.

“How do we defeat him?” Tucker asked.

“We fight,” said the king. “Even aligned with the slayers, we risk losing because Hadrian is a wild card. He was cast out of the High Order before either of us were born and he’s never lost his resentment for authority, no matter what it stands for. Diplomacy or intimidation. If he succeeds in taking my throne, there will be anarchy in the underworld. The rules we’ve come to live by will be laughable.” Jonas was no longer hiding his worry well, the grooves deep between his brows. “Defeating him will be near impossible. He has spent the last century collecting power from the strongest beings among us.”

Tucker’s brow knit. “There’s no way to weaken him?”

“There is one way. But it’s…” Jonas slashed a hand through the air. “It’s not possible.”