The Ripple Effect (Rhiannon's Law #3)(70)

It’s my fault. It’s all my fault.

“There, there now,” Revenald said, easing his hold on me. “It’s done.”


Done? Was he crazy? It had only just begun. I wouldn’t leave my sister with Victoria, no matter what he did to me.

“Now you’re going to collect the dagger I requested, and when you do I expect total subservience. Whether you like it or not, you belong to me now. Gabriel Trevellian is a long forgotten memory. From this moment forward, you do as I say.” He moved away from me—a destroyed mess at his feet—and pointed at Goose. “Take her to recover the dagger. Bring her to me when she has it.”

“I’ll see to it, Sire.” Marius stepped in. “This mess is my making.”

“Very well.” Revenald spoke, but I didn’t dare look at him. Emotions blurred together—horror, fear, loss, devastation—until I couldn’t tell one from the other.

Someone helped me to my feet, but I didn’t know who. Faces were unidentifiable, bodies no more than large blobs in my vision. As we exited the ballroom, walked down the hall, and left the residence, I couldn’t think clearly. Thoughts of Paine, Jennifer, and Disco bled together. What did I do? Give Revenald what he wanted? Bow down to his power? Was there any other choice?

We entered the limousine, and I was certain it started moving. Unfortunately I had no idea where the vehicle was taking us. Home? Where was home? There was no home anymore. Home was where your heart was, and my heart had been broken beyond repair.

“This is your fault,” Marius snapped. “You stupid, stupid girl.”

Yes, I heard him, but it didn’t register. I knew Goose held me, whispering apologies and reassurances in my ear that made no sense. This couldn’t be happening. The things I’d witnessed were not real. It was a dream. A horrible, horrible nightmare.

No, it isn’t. Balls the f*ck up and grow a goddamned pair. The part of me that never bowed down to anyone or anything surfaced, drowning out the voices that had taken me over. If you’re hit, hit back harder. They f*cked with the wrong person. Show them why you’re the one to be feared. Bring it back to them, make every single vampire, half-demon, and demon between Hell and earth afraid to speak your name. Show them why they shouldn’t f*ck with what they don’t understand.

But what if I couldn’t? What if I wasn’t strong enough?

Memories of my past pervaded my mind—of Ray, of Jennifer, of crazy child vamps, hell on earth, grief and comfort during a night spent Paine’s arms, Disco’s betrayal, my ability to overcome it, and everything I’d faced to bring me to this time and place.

I held out my bloodstained arms and looked at them, imagining the weight of Paine’s body. He was so special—so unique—but I’d never told him. Now he was gone. Lost to all of us. Then there was Jennifer, turned into something she might not ever understand. Becoming a vampire changed things. She wouldn’t experience life in the same manner. She’d be stronger, more powerful, and her thought processes would begin to change.

Would her mind hold up? Or would she be lost to me forever?

How could I leave something like that unanswered? How could I let it go?

Simple. I couldn’t.

Jennifer and Paine deserved more than that. I owed them more than that.

Slowly, the despondency lifted, the light eclipsing the dark, leaving fury and clarity in its wake. I would make sure those I loved hadn’t suffered in vain. This was a fork in the road. The question was which path I would take? Did I leave those I loved behind? Forcing Disco to endure one hundred years underground? Could I possibly leave Jennifer to suffer in the hands of Victoria?

Fuck no, I couldn’t. No way.

I settled against Goose, allowing him to comfort me. I couldn’t exist like this. I wouldn’t survive it. Living as Revenald’s bitch. Doing anything and everything he said. Knowing my sister and lover continued to suffer and I hadn’t done a damned thing about it. I would have to take a risk, one that could put an end to it all.

Revenald had brought death to my door.

It was time to return the favor.





Chapter Sixteen



By the time we arrived at the mansion Disco and his family called home, I’d stopped crying and had made the proper mental preparations. I moved away from Goose, ignored him and Marius, and climbed from the back of the limo before the driver opened the door. The trip back to Bhevencourt Estate would take at least two hours—meaning I had to hurry. I wanted to return before sunrise, when Revenald and the vampire masters at his home would feel safe. I had to make sure none of them would view me as a threat. But before that, I had to gear up and perform a summoning.

“Rhiannon,” Goose called out to me but I kept going, running up the stairs.

The rest of Revenald’s vampiric household were just climbing from the other vehicle, so there was no one to stop me as I shoved the front door open, strode toward the stairs, and headed for Disco’s bedroom.

His scent hit me the instant I walked in—giving me a measure of comfort and strength. Moving past the bed, I retrieved my luggage, jacket and boots, and walked into the bathroom. Once I was certain the door was locked behind me, I quickly washed the blood and tears from my arms and face, knelt in front of the case and sat my shoes on the floor.

First order of business—clothes.