His face is livid.
CHAPTER 13
Finley
“What in the fuck, Finley?” Carrick rages, those pupils tinged red, but I’m not worried. He’s simply scared I took that risk, and he’s reacting.
There’s something deep inside of me that makes me feel this might have been a common thing with us during my past lives with him. Impulsivity hasn’t always been a huge problem for me, but when I see an opportunity, I will take it. I imagine if I could give Carrick gray hairs, I’d have given him quite a few through the centuries.
I immediately walk into him, put my hand behind his neck, and pull him down for a kiss. At first, he tries to hold back to make a show of his irritation, but when my tongue swipes against his lower lip, he groans and opens up.
Something about his response hits me in a way that’s different. Obviously, my lust fires hot, which doesn’t take much from this man, but that magical warmth dead center in my chest sparks to life.
It’s as if Carrick himself is stoking my magic now that it’s been tapped.
And I find myself wanting to explore it even more.
I remember back to our first time together, when Carrick swept me up in that cyclone of wind and shadows, transporting me to the bed, and I wonder if I could do it. His bedroom is much too far away in my opinion.
Like the times before, I merely imagine it in my head, knowing I can do what I want with my powers and refusing to believe they have limitations at this point. My confidence level is at an all-time high after my success in the coliseum, and I envision a swirl of wind sweeping us up.
It’s not seamless like when Carrick has done it, and my stomach rolls as we’re both lifted from our feet. Carrick gives a bark of surprise and holds onto me tight. I direct the swirling funnel through the condo, vaguely hearing glass break and hoping it wasn’t expensive. Down the hall to his master suite, then I open the door a little too forcefully with a gust of wind and it bangs into the wall so hard I wince. That’s going to leave a mark.
Bed in sight, all that’s left is to remove our clothes. I squeeze my eyes shut, imagine Carrick naked—muscles rippling, erection hard and waiting. I think about my clothes coming off without effort, and even think about them landing in a neat pile on the floor.
Carrick and I are flung onto the mattress so hard that the wind is slightly knocked out of me. Carrick starts chuckling.
I open one eye hesitantly, then the other.
Carrick is indeed naked.
Well, almost.
His boxers ended up on his head and he’s still wearing one sock, but it’s on his hand. I managed to get all my clothes off, but I spy my bra hanging from the ceiling fan above the bed.
My face flushes as I look at Carrick in embarrassment, sheepishly admitting, “Not my best effort.”
Carrick laughs, plucking the boxers off his head and tossing them over his shoulder. I reach out and pull the sock off his hand, then whip it in the opposite direction.
I’m laughing, too, as his mouth descends on mine for a glorious, tummy-rolling kiss that excites me as much as it calms me down from my magical high. Carrick is always the exact medicine I need.
His mouth pulls away from mine and his eyes are glowing with amusement as he stares down at me. Brushing a piece of hair back from my forehead, he says, “You were really amazing tonight in the coliseum. I knew you had it in you.”
I flush with pleasure from the compliment. Before I knew who Carrick was to me—back when I thought he hated me and didn’t have much regard for me—I never thought I’d get an ounce of his respect.
I inherently know I have it, but hearing it out loud—in such a genuinely appreciative tone—bolsters my confidence even more. “Deandra was right about fear. I was afraid of failing. While it was totally sleazy to use Rainey to provoke me to push past it, it was exactly what I needed.”
Carrick nods thoughtfully. “That’s not exactly how I thought she’d reach you, but, in hindsight, it was the right move.”
I shift slightly, resting my head in the crook of his elbow. While moments ago, I was solely focused on sex, I’m focused on something else now.
“Do you think I have any limitations with these powers?” I ask.
Carrick frowns, and it’s obvious he knows what I’m thinking. “I think without knowing, it’s too risky to test them out on something big.”
I just stare at him, trying to look innocent.
“Like going up against Kymaris,” he clarifies, although he didn’t need to. That’s exactly what I had been thinking. Maybe I should just take her on now to save the heartache of retrieving the Blood Stone. Somehow, deep in my gut, I don’t think it’s going to work out well for Lucien. It’s going to end up being so dangerous that I could lose friends in this mission.
“Finley,” Carrick admonishes, his palm going to my jaw and thumb grazing my cheekbone. “We need to focus on the Blood Stone versus going after Kymaris. If we get that, it’s our best and easiest chance of defeating her and keeping you safe at the same time. And frankly, you’re no match for Kymaris right now.”
“You want to keep me safe. I get that. But why are you so focused on the Blood Stone?”
We’re leaving in two days as we had to get word to Titus that we needed him. He promised to be in Seattle tomorrow, and we’ll be doing some major planning as a group. There was never any question I would go. It was a given with me, and Carrick never voiced a concern.
Because we are clearly not getting to the sex part any time soon, Carrick rolls more to his side so he’s facing me, not hovering over my body. “I don’t know if there’s a right answer. But we do have to go with what we think might be the best choice. And I think the Blood Stone is the better bet.”
I frown. “You didn’t quite answer my question. Why is getting the Blood Stone a better option than just killing Kymaris now?”
And that’s when I see it. A tiny flash of guilt in his eyes, and it means he’s hiding something from me.
“Carrick.” I go up on one elbow to get face to face with him. “Why is the Blood Stone so important to you?”
A demi-god is never one to look away, and he stares boldly at me. “Because the Blood Stone is incredibly powerful.”
“Yes, I know. It’s limitless, and it has the ability to let Kymaris tear down the…”
My words trail off as I don’t focus on his words, but the tone in which he said them.
There was a hard, protective edge to his voice.
Then it hits me like a tsunami as I understand exactly why he’s so intent on making this our play—marching on Micah’s realm for the Blood Stone, which also includes a nab at the chalice.
Limitless power.
What is the one power Carrick has been seeking outside the bounty offered him by the gods when he was created?
My eyes flare wide with astonishment and my tone is slightly accusatory, but tinged with awe. “You think it can make me immortal?”
Carrick’s gaze doesn’t waver. He holds my eyes with his own, and it’s all the confirmation I need that he’s made this personal to him. It’s not about the prophecy when it comes to the Blood Stone.
“Whoa,” I murmur, settling back down on the pillow. I stare at his chest blankly as I ponder the implications.
“I don’t know that it would work,” Carrick says, but I keep my eyes fully on his chest. It’s a beautiful one, and I’d rather look at it right now than have to face the emotions swirling within me.
An immortal life with Carrick?
I didn’t think it was possible once the elixir was destroyed, so I didn’t give it much thought.
But now that I do think about it, I lift my eyes to his. “Why did Rune need the elixir? He’s a god, and he’s certainly more powerful than the Blood Stone. Why couldn’t he just make his human love immortal with his own power?”
“Majority rules for most decisions with the gods. But, sometimes, it takes a unanimous ruling. Making a human immortal is one such example. He aske
d, but they denied him.”
“But you could use the elixir—hypothetically—without asking permission?” I press.
“Demi-gods don’t have the same demands or responsibilities as the gods.”
“I guess I still don’t understand why they’d deny him,” I murmur pensively.
“None have ever taken a long-term partner. Not even with each other. Love can get in the way and interfere with the hard choices they have to make as gods. One having a relationship would make The Council weak.”
“So, if he had used the elixir, wouldn’t that still be going against them? Wouldn’t that anger the gods?”
“Most definitely,” Carrick replies. “And Rune would most likely have suffered some repercussions, but the gods would not have taken it out on the innocent human turned immortal. Once he turned her, she’d be his forever.”
“But you don’t face those same rules?” I ask him to reiterate, just because I need to be sure. If he were to face something heinous for making me immortal, I wouldn’t agree to it.
Still not sure I would.
It’s a big decision.
“It’s not something I had intended to talk to you about until we had the stone in hand.” Carrick moves his body over mine, elbows pressing down into the mattress near my ribs. “But since we are… would you want to be immortal?”
It’s not an exact answer to his question, but it’s the surest one I can give. “I know I never want to be apart from you.”
His smile is tender as he nods in understanding, but then his expression sobers a bit. “Listen… tomorrow when Titus gets here, we’ll be going over plans to get the Blood Stone, but there’s something I need to discuss just with you.”
I don’t like the sounds of that, and I’m most definitely not thinking of sex now despite the magnificence of a golden demi-god laying naked beside me. “What?” I ask, going up on an elbow.
Carrick’s fingers nab onto a curly lock of my hair and he gives it a small tug. He watches the hair stretch, then bounce back when he lets it go. He takes this time to gather his thoughts, and the fact he needs to do that causes my anxiety to rise.
When his gaze finally meets mine, he says, “If something bad happens to me while we’re in Micah’s realm…”
“Bad?” I exclaim almost hysterically as I sit all the way up. He matches my movement, coming up to one hip so we’re face to face again. “What do you mean bad? You’re indestructible.”
“I’m not,” he replies softly. “You know I’m not. Yes, I’m as immortal as they come and nothing can generally kill demi-gods but the gods themselves, but I can be obliterated into nothing.”
“No,” I say with a shake of my head.
“Yes,” he says firmly. “There are any number of modern weapons that would tear me to shreds so badly I couldn’t heal myself. But I’m more worried about how powerful Micah may have become with centuries of soaking up magic from the chalice. He could be strong enough to obliterate a demi-god.”
I had truly not considered this. In my mind, Carrick was invincible. I was the weak link in our relationship, which was why the thought of immortality had some appeal.
“If something bad happens,” Carrick continues, “Maddox, Lucien, and Titus will get you out of there and back to safety.”
I start to feel panicky again. “No, that can’t happen. It’s not—”
Carrick’s fingertips press to my lips, effectively silencing me. He leans in closer, lasering his eyes onto mine. “I will come back to you, Finley. The gods will put me back together, but I don’t know how long it will take. I don’t know how long I could be gone. I just need you to know that you might need to continue on without me and if I don’t find you in this lifetime, I’ll damn sure do it in the next.”
“No,” I say in denial because I can’t do this without him.
I can’t do life without him.
“You have to push forward.” His hand comes to the back of my head, and he touches his mouth to mine. “If you don’t get the Blood Stone, you attack Kymaris with all you have. Maddox, Lucien, and Titus will help. She’s going to have a lot of forces around her and it will be dangerous, but you don’t give up because I will be back. Okay?”
Christ… part pep talk, part fated goodbye.
But I’m strong, and I don’t want him to know how scared he makes me. I smile confidently as I nod effusively. “I got this. I promise.”
“I will come back,” he reassures me once again.
“I believe you.” I glance away for a moment, trying to steel my emotions so my lower lip doesn’t erupt into a tremble. Garnering strength, I ask, “What if Kymaris wins?”
Carrick quirks his lips, trying to lighten the moment. “Then you and I will reunite in a shitty Earth realm. I’ll find you as I’m fated to do, and I’ll take you to another reality where we can live out our time together. And I’ll never stop trying to break Rune’s curse.”
“And I’ll keep coming back to you, too,” I assure him. Because in that respect, the curse at least provides us with continued chances.
“Make sure you do that,” he says before kissing me.
It’s the type of kiss that says this conversation is over. And it’s not just the kiss that distracts me.
It’s his hands and then his body as I end up flat on my back with him covering me. His warm skin, the ridges of muscles I let my fingers play along. His scent. The dirty words he sometimes pauses to tell me.
All of this so familiar to me now because I have the knowledge that it has been mine for an awfully long time.
Carrick enters me and as always happens in that moment we join, the amount of love I have for him is almost painful in how overwhelming it is. It’s a prediction of how devastating it would be if I were to lose him.
It’s exactly how he would have felt every time I died.
Our story is tragic but as it’s fated, we will continue to find each other. I will have to trust in that and let my worries go.
CHAPTER 14
Finley
Tensions are high because tomorrow we march on Micah’s realm.
Well, not march.
More like stealthily slip in.
Everyone is waiting down in the library except the one we’re still waiting for, and I’ve been so excited all day, I refused to go down with the others. Instead, I wait for the elevator to arrive, nibbling on a fingernail and trying to contain myself.
The doors swish open and there he is, a giant man with cocoa skin, graying dreadlocks, and the most beautiful hazel eyes I’ve ever seen.
His smile breaks broadly and I hesitate only a heartbeat before I take a running, flying leap into his arms.
“Titus,” I exclaim joyfully as I lock my arms around his neck. His arms go tightly around my back, and he swings me around a full three times while I laugh in glee.
When he finally sets me down, I’m a little dizzy. He steps back and peruses me thoughtfully, tapping a finger to his chin. “You’ve changed a lot in the last month and a half.”
God, has it been that long since we last trained together? Titus has been in other realms, tracking down and destroying evil fae, or, in other words, living his real life.
“I have so much to tell you,” I say, linking my arm through his at the elbow and leading him toward Carrick’s office. “I’ll try to give you the CliffsNotes version, and we’ll catch you up as we go along.”
Titus chuckles, moving easily alongside me despite his size.
“So, let’s see,” I mull aloud. “Kymaris, who is Queen of the Underworld, is here in the Earth realm. We’ve deduced that her intent is to bring the veil down and let her Dark Fae and demons run amok so she can rule Earth.”
“Kymaris, huh?” Titus says with surprise. When he’d last been here, he only knew there was a prophecy but not anything about it.
We move past the piano and enter Carrick’s office. “Fallon wasn’t my real sister at all but a changeling that was placed after my real sister—who is my identical twi
n—was stolen. Her name is Zora, and she was kept in the Underworld to funnel dark magic into Kymaris—who was in stasis, mind you—and on our 28th birthday, the ritual was enacted and Kymaris was projected into Fallon’s body.”
“She was a changeling?” Titus asks for clarification.
“Yes, but a changeling actually becomes a human baby, so Fallon was my sister for all intents and purposes until she died. Zora is still alive in the Underworld, and I’ve contacted her. Are you with me?”
“With you,” he mutters as I unhook our arms and move past Carrick’s desk to the end of the built-ins. Titus stops by the desk as I turn to face him.
“There was an angel named Sarvel—not the divine type—at my birth, and she put some type of light powers within me that I just learned how to use.”
I look up at the ceiling, trying to think what else I’ve missed. “Oh yeah… Kymaris is going to use a ritual that requires twelve Dark Fae that are original fallen to bring the veil down on the October new moon. You don’t even want to know about the little ritual I observed her perform to bring some of those fae to her, but let me just say she is one twisted and demented lunatic. At any rate, she needs the Blood Stone to power up this ritual, and we’re going to go steal it from a monster in another realm, which is why we need your help.”
Titus just stares at me with wide eyes, speechless for a heartbeat or two, before he hesitantly asks, “Is that all?”
“Actually… no. I learned I’m actually a reincarnated version of Carrick’s first love and I’ve had many reincarnations over the centuries with him. It’s all part of this whole curse thing by Rune, which I’ll tell you about later, but suffice it to say, I love him madly and he feels the same.”
“Unbelievable,” Titus drawls. “It’s like a supernatural soap opera.”
“Don’t I know it,” I say with a laugh, then reach under the molding to the button that will open the secret passageway. As the door slides open, I didn’t think it was possible for Titus’ eyes to get wider, but they do and it makes me laugh. “Right this way, sir.”
A Battle of Blood and Stone Page 13