The Scarlett Legacy (Woodland Creek)(14)

The dark forest stretched on both sides as they drove down the empty road. He just wanted the final piece to the puzzle to be eliminated.

Wes was grateful for the rain, it kept him calm. Something about storms strengthened him. The amount of death and carnage he had seen kept replaying in his mind. He’d never been more afraid of what he could do.

But wizards were supposed to use their power wisely.

That’s what his father always said.

Too bad his death left Wes with no choice but to use his power to protect the family.

Wes squeezed his eyes shut. He couldn’t blame his father. For years the Scarlett’s and the Princes fought over territory and arms clients, but it wasn’t until Scarlett Research failed in saving Emma Prince from cancer.

That was the last straw for Hugh Prince. He blamed Wes’ father, and all restraint was forgotten.

When the car pulled into the circle driveway in front of their home, he made sure to get out and open the door for Adelaide.

Fat droplets of rain poured down in gushes. He opened his black umbrella and helped Adelaide from her seat in the back of his black Escalade.

“Thank you,” she said. She glanced at the sky, her gaze lingering on the moon partially hidden by black clouds. “It is such a lovely night. I almost wish I had the energy to go dancing. You know your father loved to dance.”

Wes nodded and she stepped onto the stone walkway, her black stilettos making her almost as tall as Wes. Shielding her long blonde hair from the spray of water, she walked along to the awning with Wes following her.

“Thank you for a lovely dinner, you two. I’m absolutely exhausted.”

“You’re welcome,” Wes said.

“Sleep well,” Olivia said.

“Thank you, dear,” Adelaide said. Safely under the cover from the rain she turned to both of them. “Sleep well the both of you. We will have a family meeting at Sunday dinner. We have much to discuss.”

“Good night,” Wes said.

He could see it in her face that everything was wearing on her. She was forty-nine, but usually looked to be in her late thirties. Tonight the dark circles under her blue eyes made her look her true age.

He hoped she was all right. She’d kept a smile on her face during dinner. They had been victorious in getting rid of Hugh Prince and his entire family, but it still wasn’t enough to bring his father back.

Adelaide had married his father when she was only nineteen and they had been in such a deep love that Wes sought to find the same for himself.

He had found that love in Olivia… and more. She had the power to do things that a wizard couldn’t, which made her invaluable.

Still, even love couldn’t keep his darkness at bay. The things he had done would haunt him forever.

Wes sighed, images of the Prince twins strewn across the pavement, only feet away from the car they’d crashed.

The car he crashed with his power.

He was a monster, but one the rest of his family needed. Perhaps soon everything would return to normal and he would never be forced to step out of character again.

No amount of magic could erase the images of his father’s dead body. The responsible parties had met their judgment. Wes and his mother had executed their revenge in ways that shook Woodland Creek.

“Goodnight,” Olivia said. They watched her walk up the stone steps to the front entrance of Scarlett Hall. “Is she okay?”

He looked down at Olivia, her black hair blowing in the wind as thunder crackled across the black sky.

“She is just taxed by everything that has happened. She’ll be okay once the media turns its attention to something other than our family.”

Olivia’s face looked worried. Her brows furrowed as she looked up at him.

“We did all that we could. The town is rid of any competition. Now what?”

Wes kept his face blank as he looked at her. Competition didn’t concern him. He would continue to run the lab as well as take up his father’s underground business of arms dealing and the assigning of assassins around the world. All of the other areas of the business would be put to an end.

That wasn’t the problem.

He kissed her forehead. She still didn’t know that their meeting hadn’t been by chance. She’d practically been recruited. He’d never bring it up that he knew of each and every dignitary and spy she’d assassinated.

“We wait,” he said, his eyes darkening as he looked off to the forest. “There’s still one more Prince to deal with.”





MAYBE THEY HAD ALL gone mad. It didn’t matter. A century old feud would end.

Olivia followed him to the white double doors straight through the front porch.

Inside Scarlett Hall darkness welcomed them. The main staircase wrapped upward around a single pillar to the two other floors of the house. On either side below the stairs were two corridors that led to different parts of the house; the library and den, and the kitchen, parlor, and dining hall.

Sandy, their house manager — a woman in her late forties with short blonde hair and thin blue eyes, waited in the shadows. She knew better than to turn on the lights. Adelaide enjoyed darkness, and so most rooms were kept dark or dim when she was around.

“How was dinner?”

Wes handed her his coat. “Fine,” he said and headed to the winding staircase that began in the front entryway.