The Witch Is Back (37 page)

“We will discuss the dream later,” Mercedes said resolutely as she faced me. I noticed she was careful not to glance at Rand, who probably looked furious.

“So that was your plan?” I asked her, trying to decide if I believed it. “To send Sinjin back in time to avoid the threat of the Lurkers?” She just nodded. “Then what about saving yourself?”

Mercedes was the prophetess, yes, but not all Underworld creatures believed in her existence—mainly because no one had ever seen her. She had imprisoned herself in the year 1878. Why? Because she’d received a vision that if she didn’t relive the year 1878 repeatedly, she’d be killed by Lurkers. Luckily for her, she was able to harness my power to bring me back to 1878, and we returned to the present together. Thus, in sending Sinjin back and changing the course of history, she would also have changed the course of her own history, possibly sacrificing herself …

“I gave the vampire express instructions on how to train you until your powers were strong enough to send for me yourself,” Mercedes answered.

“So you had it all planned out,” I said, swallowing down the lump in my throat as the pieces began to fall into place. Did I actually buy her explanation? Any way
I looked at it, I couldn’t think of another reason why she would have bothered with such a grandiose plan. And I had to admit that I did believe Mathilda when she said every action by Mercedes was intended to protect the kingdom, and likewise, to protect me. So, in a way, I guess I had to believe her.

Yes, I was still angry about the whole thing, but when I thought about it in this new light … well, it offered an angle I hadn’t yet considered. And it also meant something else—that Sinjin had been telling me the truth. He’d insisted that he’d done Mercedes’s bidding because he wanted to protect me. Prior to the whole time travel thing, Sinjin had been a guardian to me, the Queen. He’d insisted that he was and always would remain my loyal protector.

Even though I didn’t want to, I turned to face him.

Sinjin Sinclair is in a word … stunning. He’s about six-foot-four and lean, with broad shoulders and long legs. His hair is the color of midnight—so dark that it sometimes appears almost blue, and his eyes an even lighter blue—like the color of alpine water. He is the quintessential rogue, a real Casanova, and six centuries old.

I felt something inside me rise up. It was a sort of numbness that quickly gave way to anger and pain, then feelings of betrayal. I refused to give in to them, though, and instead took a deep breath. “Is that true?” I asked him.

“Of course,” he answered simply. “It was to protect you.” His eyes bored into me as if he could see into the depths of my soul. I felt myself swallow hard. “As I told you earlier.”

“Jolie, don’t believe a word from his mouth,” Rand interrupted. “He’s done nothing but lie to you, and he will continue to lie to you,” he spat, staring at Sinjin.

“Poppet, I have only ever spoken the truth,” Sinjin
continued, not even sparing a glance at Rand. It was the same as always between them—Rand wore his emotions on his sleeves, and where Sinjin was concerned, those emotions were usually anger, protectiveness, and jealousy. Sinjin, on the other hand, while he probably did experience the same emotions, was always even-keeled and levelheaded. I attributed it to the six hundred years he’d had to master his art.

“You conniving—” Rand started.

Sinjin merely cocked a brow in his direction and turned to face me again, wearing a smirk. “I have always been and will always be dedicated to the protection and longevity of my Queen.”

Okay, so I was willing to suspend my disbelief for the moment and lend a little credence to Mercedes’s and Sinjin’s story, but there was one part of the whole thing that still didn’t sit well with me. Well, aside from the fact that they both attempted to change the course of my life without my permission. I faced Mercedes and took a deep breath. “Was it your intention for me to develop feelings for Sinjin?”

I suddenly felt deeply depressed, and recognized that I was experiencing Rand’s reaction to my words. I glanced at him quickly and smiled, letting him know exactly how much he meant to me. Even though Sinjin had in a way tricked me into falling in love with him, it wasn’t something that would ever be long-term. No, I would beat this. I knew I would because I loved Rand and always had, and ours was the type of love that was forged by fate, set by the fires of destiny.

“That was not my intention,” Mercedes said as she eyed Sinjin suspiciously. “But apparently it was a by-product?”

A by-product.

If only my feelings for Sinjin could be dissected and archived as nothing more than a “by-product.” I said
nothing, though, since I recognized the situation for what it was. Mercedes just didn’t understand the language of emotions—she was one of those people who lived only for the facts; there were moments when I envied her for that.

“I do not believe any of this,” Rand spat out at last. “And I have never trusted you,” he finished, glaring at Mercedes. “What you did was in no way defensible. You changed Jolie’s life when it was not your right.”

And Rand was correct. One hundred percent. Whatever their reasoning, I couldn’t deny that the wool had been pulled right over my eyes, that I’d had no say whatsoever.

And then something interesting happened. Mercedes’ eyes narrowed as she faced Rand, and I could see heat building in her face, staining the apples of her cheeks to a handsome shade of cherry. Mercedes is very pretty—she has long dark hair and the most gorgeous green eyes you’ve ever seen. At the moment, though, those eyes looked like they were about to resurrect World War II.

“Perhaps there was one other reason I sent the vampire back in time, warlock,” she said between gritted teeth. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen her so upset.

“And what was that?” Rand persisted, seemingly unconcerned that she was so angry, which hinted at his courage. The prophetess could have made a peanut butter and warlock sandwich out of him in two seconds flat.

“It was a test,” she finished squarely.

“A test?” he repeated, and I felt my heart rate increase. Tests are never good, particularly when you haven’t studied.

“What do you mean?” I demanded.

She glanced at me and frowned. “You have admitted yourself that your feelings for Rand have caused you
pain. As far as I was concerned, your feelings for him were getting in the way of your duty to your kingdom and your people.”

I swallowed even harder. This was going to end badly. I could see it already. “That was not your place—” I started.

“It was and is my place,” Mercedes interrupted, her eyes ablaze. “I am responsible for your safety and your happiness. And as far as I could tell, Rand has caused you nothing but agony.”

“But—” I started, but she wouldn’t be silenced.

“Do you recall the time when you begged me to send you back to 1878 because, in your own words, you ‘hated your life’?”

Damn, I did, and now those words were coming back to haunt me. But it’s not like I’d really meant them. I mean, at the time, Rand was being his usual obstinate self and I was having a pity party for myself, remembering 1878, when he and I had loved one another openly. But it wasn’t like I really wanted Mercedes to send me back … or was it?

You asked her to send you back to 1878?
Rand’s words echoed through me, but I couldn’t face him. His voice sounded too hollow, surprised in its sadness.

Yes, but I didn’t. I didn’t mean it
, I responded, feeling guilty. Looking back on it, I was happy that Mercedes hadn’t sent me back. Somehow I hoped all those thoughts translated over to Rand.

“I wished to spare you the heartache inflicted upon you by this man,” Mercedes finished. She crossed her arms against her chest as if daring any of us to argue with her. I couldn’t really find it in myself to be that angry with her because I did believe her. And somehow it’s hard to be super irate with someone when they can’t see the full picture, since they probably had good intentions. As it was, I actually felt sorry for her.

“That’s just life, Mercedes,” I said, shaking my head. “You can’t control people’s destinies. You aren’t God.”

She swallowed hard. “I was only doing what I thought right.”

“Well it wasn’t right,” Rand insisted. “And Jolie is much more forgiving than I’m willing to be.” He gritted his teeth. “Because of you, I nearly lost her.”

“But you didn’t,” Mercedes snapped. “I had to ensure your worthiness to court my Queen,” she continued. “This was a test of your loyalty and affection for her and of whether you were the ideal recipient for her love.”

I watched Rand swallow hard as his arms tightened around me, his anger suddenly consuming me.

“Then you knew I would go after her? That I would time-travel just as Sinjin did?” he asked.

Mercedes glared at him for a few seconds before responding. “I did not know, but I suspected, or rather, hoped you would.”

“And?”

She cocked a brow and frowned. “Obviously, you passed the test. This is proven not only by the fact that you are standing here, but also that you are bond mates again.”

There really wasn’t anything Mercedes didn’t know. I’d reached that conclusion a long time ago. She had an uncanny ability to detect things, our bonding status a prime example. I mean, it wasn’t like bond mates had to wear matching shirts proclaiming themselves bonded. It was just one of those things Mercedes knew.

“You are bonded?” Sinjin asked, turning to me. His expression was tight, his fangs indenting his lower lip. He didn’t look happy. Instead, he seemed surprised, yes, but more than that—hurt.

“Yes,” Rand responded before I could. “You lost, Sinjin,” he said, his eyes angry as he took a few steps closer
to the vampire. “Even though you did everything in your power to ensure that I would lose Jolie, you failed.”

Sinjin said nothing, and I faced forward again. I didn’t want to see pain in his eyes. I just couldn’t believe it—couldn’t believe that he’d ever cared for me.

You know he cared for you
, a small voice piped up from within me.
Don’t try to kid yourself, Jolie
.

Sinjin tricked me
, I responded.
I don’t care what Mercedes says or what excuses Sinjin makes—he isn’t being honest. Yes, he wanted to protect me but he also hungers for power, and I’ve always known that. Everyone knows that
.

“At any rate,” Rand continued. “Punishment must be doled out to those who transgressed against the Queen. I will not allow this to be swept under the proverbial rug.”

I swallowed hard as I considered it. It wasn’t like Mercedes could be punished, Or could she? She was like this supreme being—way more powerful than any of us—so how could we hope to punish her? I wasn’t sure. Which left one person. I couldn’t help it—I glanced back at Sinjin, only to find his eyes trained on me.

“I await my punishment with bells on,” he said as he disappeared into the cold night air.

Sinjin Sinclair was a bloody bastard.

“I am just attempting to point out the obvious,” he said and shrugged as if his interests in Jolie were merely casual, nonthreatening. Clearly he’d overheard my most recent conversation with her—the one where I’d told her in no uncertain terms that I would not allow her to fight in the Underworld civil war. No, Jolie was too valuable, too precious … she meant entirely too much to me for me to allow her to risk her life.

I glared at him as he leaned against my desk and acted the part of unconcerned. I wanted nothing more than to evict him from my home but that was an impossibility—not with our legion of Underworld soldiers currently stationed at Pelham Manor, my home. And as much as I disliked the vampire, he was fighting for our side and, therefore, a comrade, so here he would remain … until further notice.

“I will not allow Jolie to take part in the battle.” I took a quick breath. “And that is the end of it. This conversation is over.”

I glanced outside at the throngs of our soldiers as they sparred against one another in the moonlight, practicing for a battle that would be much more black-and-white—either they would survive or they wouldn’t. The only thought that caused me any comfort was the fact that
if
our side prevailed, Jolie and I would see to it that every soldier who perished would be reanimated. It was Jolie’s gift—the ability to bring the dead back to life.