Raintree Read online

  Remember.

  Hearing him utter that one word broke the spell, allowing her to put up a protective barrier against temptation.

  Judah turned around so that he couldn’t see Mercy and walked away, farther into the backyard behind the home of the Raintree royal family. It wasn’t as if the Ansara hadn’t known for at least a hundred years where the Raintree sanctuary was or that it was the home of the royal family; but until Judah’s generation came into power, the Ansara had not dared provoke their arch rivals. As a boy, his father had told Judah that when he became the Dranir, it was his destiny to lead his people into battle against the Raintree.

  His destiny, not Cael’s.

  But the time was not right. It would be at least another five years before the Ansara were ready to go up against their enemy and win. If they did as Cael wanted and rushed into battle too soon, the odds were against them. And if the Ansara were defeated again, the Raintree would not be merciful. He knew this because he knew who their Dranir was—Dante Raintree, a man not unlike Judah in many ways. A fitting opponent, one who could be as savagely brutal as Judah could.

  And he was Mercy’s elder brother.

  Judah had claimed them both as his kill. Dante because it was his right as the Ansara Dranir to do battle with the Raintree Dranir. And he had claimed Mercy because…

  Because she was his, and no one else had the right to take her life.

  And what of Eve?

  How could he have impregnated Mercy that night? Since they had reached puberty, he and Claude had periodically gifted each other with protection. Sexual protection. If his own father had used such protection, Cael would not exist. And think how much easier life would be for all the Ansara without Cael.

  Judah knew the gift of sexual protection worked with Ansara women and with human women, so why would it have failed with a Raintree woman?

  Did it really matter? Eve existed. She was six years old. And she was his daughter.

  She might be a tiny replica of Mercy, with the hereditary green Raintree eyes, but she was half Ansara. It was there in her spirit, in her very soul. And in her powers. Powers that would one day exceed those belonging to any Raintree or Ansara.

  In days past, the Ansara had issued a decree that any child born of a tainted union would be put to death. But there had been no such child born in centuries, and as Dranir, he possessed the power to rescind the decree.

  But did he want to?

  Would it not simplify everything if he killed Eve now, before she came into her full powers?

  But how can I kill her? She’s my child.

  If it were for the good of the Ansara clan for him to destroy his own daughter, would he? Could he?

  Eve was a complication he had not anticipated.

  A sharp pain, excruciating in its intensity, pierced Judah’s mind.

  Pressing his fingers against his temples, he closed his eyes and fought the pain. Cael’s rage bombarded him. Curses. Threats. Dire warnings.

  How dare you freeze my telepathic powers? Cael bellowed. You had no right!

  No, brother, how dare you try to usurp my authority and send Greynell to kill Mercy Raintree?

  Greynell was like so many of our young warriors—he grew tired of waiting to confront the Raintree. If you do not strike soon, they will think you a weak leader, an old woman.

  You have incited the young warriors, knowing we are not ready to do battle with the Raintree, Judah said. Your actions border on treason. Be careful that you don’t force me to kill you.

  Silence.

  Judah felt his brother probing, trying to lock on to Judah’s thoughts. Instantly he shut Cael out. He allowed no one inside his mind, least of all a man intent upon stealing his birthright. Cael would never be satisfied until he was crowned Dranir. And Judah would never allow such an atrocity to happen. His brother would lead their people to sure and certain annihilation.

  We have much to discuss, many decisions to be made. When will you return home? Cael asked, breaking the silence.

  In my own good time, Judah replied, then blocked Cael, shutting him off completely, ending their telepathic conversation.

  This trip to North Carolina to stop Greynell from killing Mercy and thwart Cael’s machinations had not turned out as Judah had planned. He had intended to slip in and out unnoticed, leaving Mercy without any memory of his visit. But Eve’s existence complicated matters.

  At present, he had enough trouble without having to concern himself with a child. Keeping Cael in line had become a full-time job. And the recent attempt on his own life had cemented his brother’s fate as far as Judah was concerned. He had no doubt that Cael had been behind the botched assassination. As the Ansara Dranir, it was not only his right but his duty to protect the monarchy from a toxic force such as Cael.

  He should return to Terrebonne first thing in the morning. The longer he stayed away, the more chaos Cael would create.

  But what about Eve?

  Mercy had protected her for six years, and she would continue to protect her. No one other than the two of them—and the old nanny—knew that Eve was as much Ansara as she was Raintree.

  Eve knew.

  Who would protect Eve from herself?

  It was only a matter of time before she would be able to override her mother’s protective spells, if she so chose. And if Eve were to try to contact him, what would happen? If she were to send out vibes into the universe, there was no way to know who might intercept them.

  If Cael knew of Eve’s existence…he would use her against Judah.

  It was at that moment Judah realized he did not want any harm to come to his daughter. Having a child made him vulnerable.

  The very thought of having any weakness enraged him. But he could not turn back the clock. He could not prevent Eve’s conception.

  The possessive elements in his nature claimed Eve as a part of him, an Ansara, to be cared for, nurtured, trained properly, and protected at all costs. His daughter was not simply Ansara and Raintree—she was the heir to two royal bloodlines, a fact he must keep hidden. If Mercy had any idea that the Ansara had grown in strength and numbers, that they were ruled by a Dranir as powerful as her brother Dante, she would realize the danger his clan posed to hers.

  When the time was right and the Raintree were vanquished, Eve would take her rightful place as an Ansara princess. In the meantime, he would leave her with Mercy. But before he left them, he had to make sure they were safe.

  Yes, they, both mother and daughter.

  Until he dealt with Cael and could be assured Eve would be safe with his people, he needed Mercy to protect their child. Once he had eliminated his brother and overturned the ancient decree to kill all half-breed children, he would take what was his.

  But how could he take Eve from Mercy without killing Mercy and bringing down the wrath of hell from Dante and Gideon?

  A question not easily answered, if there was an answer.

  Whenever he was restless, whenever trouble weighed heavily on his shoulders, Judah would walk. Sometimes for miles. He needed the cool night air more than ever now, to clear his head and help him devise a plan before morning.

  Cael threw open the doors that led outside to the deck of his beachfront home, the rage he had felt at his brother reduced to bitterness. Judah was proud and arrogant, secure in his position as Dranir. The beloved son. The chosen one.

  Anger simmered a few degrees below boiling inside Cael, just enough to create rumbles of distant thunder, but not strong enough to bring lightning down or spark blazing fires.

  Judah’s days were numbered. Cael had spent the past few years gradually injecting the seeds of anarchy into the bloodstream of the Ansara clan. At least half the young warriors were ready for battle, eager to prove themselves. But only a handful were loyal to Cael. Judah possessed a mighty hold over the tribe.

  Stripping off his robe, Cael walked down from the deck and onto the beach, then straight into the ocean. He and the water became one. Powerful beyond me