The Thrice Marked Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  About Author

  Copyright © 2020 by Liddie Cain

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form on by an electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Cover and title art designed by Emily’s World of Design

  Connect with Liddie Cain:

  www.liddiecain.com

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  To Aubrey-

  I hope you always live and love as boldly as you demand pizza now as a toddler

  You are the adorable reason it takes so long to finish a book

  And I didn’t understand what love really was until the moment I held you

  The sun had not lost any of the skin embracing heat that swept in with the sound of the emerald waves breaking against the shore despite it being fall. I lounged back in my cushioned beach chair in a rose red bikini and a vampire on either side of me. They laid there relaxing in the sun and ocean breeze, but that Gulf Shores humidity was as much of a delight for them as the sun bronzing my skin was for me. Vampires preferred humid air because it didn’t dry their skin out.

  To my left, my boyfriend, Jason. He laid on his stomach and quietly sang along to some pop song someone was playing on a radio a little down the beach from us. My head was turned slightly his way so I could watch the muscles of his dark back move as he danced his shoulders in rhythm with the song. His afro hair had been clipped close and lined up around his face then left a little longer on the top. It made the handsome features of his face even more eye catching, though nothing compared to his charismatic smile. Jason could make anyone like him with one well executed grin.

  On my right, was my boyfriend-ex-the-turned-boyfriend again, Macory Jacobs. He went by Mac. There was a hint of tan that had been the residual of the summer before he was turned into a vampire, but he was an enticing light contrast to Jason’s dark. And unlike Jason, he was perfectly still. The only movement was the breeze playing through the hint of wavy curls in his dark blonde hair. He had returned to my life at the beginning of the summer and had flipped my whole world. I had never imagined to see him again, especially as a vampire. The moment he walked back into my small town spa I had felt his aura and known. Vampires were out to the public and had been for a couple of years. A lot of spas like the one I owned had begun to offer vampire specific services such as blood donation programs. He returned to Steiner, Alabama, as the vampire magistrate of our district and asked me to work with him for the local donation services and our love had rekindled.

  I had also met his archdemon boss, Felix. It had been an instant connection and a love that both of our souls recognized. That was because our souls had known for each other before. We had been angels centuries ago. But we had fallen and I had returned as a human with the essence of fallen angel immortality in my mortal blood. A few drops of the magic in my veins elevated the power of any lower realm immortal who consumed it.

  The Unseelie Sidhe seemed especially sensitive to it since their own magic was so intertwined with nature and my blood was inherently mortal. Their King had gifted me with this beach trip to get my mind off of things as well as earn some favor. I had been kidnapped a few weeks ago by an archdemon named Monroe who wanted to use the power of my blood to gain him the lower realm throne of the demon overlord of the earth realm. The enchantments he had used on me had unlocked my memory of my past life as a guardian angel and the betrayal Felix had committed against me with another woman.

  I had not seen Felix since the day after I was rescued. The demon mark he had laid upon my skin was visible as I laid out on the beach. It sat on my right rib cage, two rhombuses, one on top of the other. A straight line ran through where their tips were joined. The line continued around my rib to the underside of my breast.

  Mac had also added to the mark after he drank my blood during my rescue and his power had temporarily been as great as Felix’s. There were three nickel sized circles from him that the line passed through the middle of as it wrapped around the front of my ribs. But the mark remained quiet with Felix gone. He had blocked his connection to it. When open, we could communicate telepathically and I could summon him to me. I had no benefit of a connection with Mac either because it needed Felix to bind the three of us together. His departure had left me with an ever present void.

  Mac remained sensitive to my moods, however. As I laid there enjoying the beach with the two of them, he knew that my thoughts were of Felix. He moved over to sit on the edge of my lounge chair and caressed my cheek as I turned to face him.

  “Hey Dove,” he said affectionately, making me smile. “You would feel better if you ate something.”

  In the few weeks of Felix’s absence and dealing with my grief over missing him and coming to terms with the returned memories of his betrayal, I had lost my appetite and a few pounds with it. Mac had only mentioned it once but I knew he was paying attention to it. He had started bringing me snacks more often.

  “Yeah, let’s do that. I’m ready to go back inside if you are.”

  He gestured over to the oblivious Jason. “Wanna just leave him?”

  I laughed and shook my head. “No. Good opportunity for you to catch him unaware though.”

  Mac took on a thoughtful expression, then with speed too fast for me to see with my human eyes he flipped Jason’s lounge chair and sent him rolling across the sand several feet. Jason rebounded quickly and came up with his gorgeous smile before scooping Mac up over his shoulder and charging toward the ocean. They both threw playful insults at each other as they horsed around in the waves. It is different when it is two vampires. Instead of splashing and dunking they were throwing each other through the air several feet or pinning each other underwater since neither needed to breathe.

  They started gathering an audience of some appreciative ladies so I eventually left them to it and headed back up to the penthouse we were using. The Unseelie King, Conall, was waiting sitting in the living room waiting for our return without his usual entourage of guards.

  It was redundant to say that Conall was good looking since every member of the Sidhe courts were beautiful, but he stood out even among them. His body was similar to Felix’s. He was tall with broad shoulders and a wide sculpted chest with large pec muscles. But Felix was dark headed with brown south Asian skin and brown eyes. Conall was pale with snow white hair that swept the floor when I first met him. He had cut it since the last time I saw him and it now reached his shoulder blades. His piercing gaze was a brighter than natural shade of green, like a new spring leaf. I was surprised to see him, even more surprised to see him dressed down in black pants and a long sleeved black shirt with no crown. Every other time I had seen him he wore a delicate black jeweled crown and dark robe
s with a cape that was covered in the same glittering black jewels that decorated his crown.

  He was typically spoken to with some deference by everyone around me, but he seemed to like that I had dropped some of the formalities. He also did not look like he was here for formal reasons.

  “Hi there,” I said as I came into the room.

  He inclined his head in greeting and pleasantly responded, “Hello, Rozalyn.”

  “Thank you again for this gift,” I gestured around us, indicating the penthouse. “I think I needed something like this.”

  “I enjoyed arranging this for you.”

  “Want anything to eat or drink?”

  “No, thank you,” He replied.

  “Do you mind if I do?”

  “Of course not.” He stood and followed me as I turned into the kitchen. I was suddenly very aware that I stood there in front of him in only a bikini, no makeup and wind tossed hair.

  “You still have not heard from Felix?” he asked as I made a sandwich. Beach sandwiches were on a whole other level than any other. Coming in feeling all brown and toasty from the sun somehow made them taste so much better. The sandwich was easier to focus on than what he had just asked me. It was a tough question because I had been hearing it from everyone. I could feel myself tense up as I shook my head. He was quiet for a moment.

  “I’m sorry. I want to help.”

  “Thank you. But I think this one is pretty much on Felix.”

  No longer interested in food, I left it sitting in the microwave and poured myself a glass of sweet tea. Conall waited until I had taken a drink then he held out his hand for mine. I sat my cup back on the counter and took the hand he was offering. He stepped up close to me and asked politely, “May I embrace you?”

  “Are you asking if you can hug me?”

  “Yes. I think you are sad and frustrated right now and I wish to hug you.”

  I was very tempted to laugh because he sounded like an android but I reminded myself that this wasn’t anywhere close to normal behavior for a Sidhe royal. He was trying to be sweet.

  “A hug would be nice.”

  I did the hugging for him. I wound my arms around his waist and laid my head against his chest. He put his hands on my shoulders, then moved them to my back, then back up to my shoulders again. I could almost hear him debating this in his head. He lifted one hand and lightly started to pat the back of my head and I had to bite my lip to not giggle. I finally whispered, “It’s okay to put your hands on my back.”

  “Okay.” he moved his hands onto the bare skin of my back again. “I did not want you to think I was being inappropriate because humans are worried about nudity and your skin is uncovered.”

  “Thank you for that.”

  I pulled back but kept my hands on his sides as I met his gaze. “Will you stay a while?”

  “That would please me.”

  “Did you come for a specific reason?” I asked as I grabbed the sandwich I had made and headed towards the table.

  “Yes. But I was hoping to talk to both you and Mac about it.”

  “Mac and Jason should be back soon. They will realize I left them on the beach at some point.”

  He nodded and sat down while I ate. “There have been some rumors in my court regarding Felix.”

  “Oh. Something bad?”

  “Of that I’m not sure. Felix is more powerful than the majority of those that inhabit my Court.”

  The private elevator for the penthouse chimed its arrival and we both looked towards it as the doors opened. Jason and Mac stepped out, still wet from their time in the ocean and laughing at each other. They paused when they saw Conall with me.

  “Conall, King of the Unseelie, I am honored you are here.” Mac switched to a more formal tone as he walked over to us with Jason following. When they reached the table they both leaned down and kissed me one after the other before taking seats with us. Conall watched the exchange with obvious interest but he did not comment on it.

  “I am glad to be here, Macory.”

  He and Jason also exchanged greetings as he sat down beside me. I reached over and took Jason’s hand because being touched made him happy. He gave my hand a little squeeze as always and his expression showed a moment of deep affection. It tugged at my heart every time.

  “There have been some rumors floating around that Felix may have been in Fairy searching for the angels that Devina had imprisoned and I fear he might have ended up detained himself.”

  Devina had been the demon that had facilitated my fall from heaven. In heaven, I had lived as a guardian angel named Alidia and grown up next to Felix’s family. He had been known as Cyrus with his sister Naomi being my age. Naomi and I had been like sisters. Cyrus and I had been lovers. He betrayed me with another woman and broke my heart. Devina had tried to make a deal with me to fall and be a leader for her army as she sought to take over the throne as the demon overlord for the Earth realm. Naomi had heard this and made her deal first that I no longer grieve Cyrus and that Cyrus never hurt me again. Devina had made her mistake then and twisted this deal to kill Cyrus and took Naomi’s soul. I struck a deal to return Naomi’s soul back as a mortal and revive Cyrus in exchange for leading her army. Cyrus had then made the final deal, that I be returned as a mortal with Naomi and he would be her war general. Devina had agreed only if she could take away our memories to cover up her mistake of killing an archangel. Cyrus had placed a stasis enchantment on me while he made his deal to keep me from interfering, so when Devina took my soul, part of my immortal essence remained attached when I was reborn as Rozalyn and Naomi was reborn as Darby.

  Darby and I had grown up together again as friends who were like sisters with no memory of our previous existence.

  “Do you have an idea where?” Mac asked.

  “Yes, but it is in the Neodrach and I wanted to be sure he had not contacted you.”

  I looked between Conall and Mac. “What is that?”

  Conall glanced back at me. “A neutral land between the Courts in Fairy. Wild magic reigns there.”

  Mac was rubbing his jaw line and added, “And lawless. The royals don’t travel into the Neodrach because they could be killed without a threat of war.”

  “So what happens in the Neodrach stays in the Neodrach?”

  Mac grinned but Conall looked confused. “An odd way to put it, but yes.”

  The rest of us shared a moment of amusement at Conall’s expense, then I sighed and dropped Jason’s hand to dig my fingers back through my wind tangled dirty blonde hair. “So we are stuck. Conall can’t go find him.”

  The Unseelie King reached over and touched my arm and said, “Barden and Iona both are eager to help you.”

  I laid my hand over his because I was relieved at hearing that. I knew both Barden and Iona but I knew Barden a little better. We had even slept together.

  “However,” Conall continued quietly, “they will not go with the vampires.”

  Mac and Jason both snapped their heads in his direction. Jason immediately put his arm around my shoulders and shook his head. “No. If you are suggesting that Rozalyn go without one of us, it is not happening.”

  Conall was expecting their protests and did not flinch even as Jason’s voice grew louder. Mac had grown still and quiet but I knew it only meant that anger simmered beneath the surface. He spoke very pointedly, “She is mortal, she needs more protection than that.”

  I leaned into Jason’s body as he kept his arm around me. Even with their objections I had already decided I would do it. By the way that Conall was looking at me, I think he already knew it too. He nodded to me. “The Seelie are far more likely to attack if a vampire is with one of us. Vampires offend them.”

  “So I go with them alone?” I asked.

  “No, they want Darby too. The Seelie like to think of themselves as helpers and protectors of mankind and will usually avoid attacks on us Unseelie if we have a human pet with us.”

  “If they are our protectors would they not
try to save us?”

  He shook his head. “Unseelie is still Fairy, which is better than the human world.”

  It was obvious that he believed this too. I widened my eyes toward Mac who shook his head at me to drop it. Jason had taken his arm out from around my shoulders so he could cross his arms across his chest and be visibly irritated. I touched his thigh. He softened his expression as he looked at me but he did not move from his cross armed stance.

  “I will go back home tomorrow and talk to Darby about it.”

  Conall stood up with me. “I will need some time to arrange things and make sure there is a real chance he is there. Give me a few days or maybe a week.”

  Waiting did not sound like much fun but there wasn’t a lot I could do about it.

  “Okay, I’ll be ready.”

  He took my hand and lifted it to his lips. One quick brush of a kiss against my fingers while he held my gaze with his, then he nodded at Jason and Mac before walking to the roving candle.

  A fair amount of the Fae could travel by flame even as small as a candle. I had brought the enchanted roving candle that wouldn't extinguish on its own with us since Conall had gifted us with the trip. It was lit in one of the spare bedrooms and he walked in there to return to his Unseelie Court in Fairy.

  Mac had stood up and walked over to me and took my hand as I felt Conall’s aura leave.

  “I am not happy that you will go without us.” His face showed his concern.

  “I know.”

  “Guys, Sylvia just texted me. A new archdemon showed up a few minutes ago at the district residence.”

  Mac sighed as he pulled me up against him. “I had a feeling that would happen. Time to go home.”

  I looked at the wall of windows and could see the sun brightly glinting off of the sand even over the balcony. The ocean beckoned us back with that happy roll of wave crashing to the beach. Reality would no longer allow our escape.

  Steiner was only a two hour drive away so we got home not long after nightfall. Rose, a short blond-haired and blue-eyed sorority type, came out to meet us. She easily passed for human instead of vampire. I had employed her to start running my spa, The Rejuvenate Shop, when I was busy with other things.