Escaping El Dorado

by Helen Scott

  20

  Tessa

  When I woke up I felt like I had been dead to the world. My body was stiff and achy and I needed to take a shower before I could function, but I had no idea where anything was. I stumbled around in the dim light until I found the bathroom. Though I couldn't help but wonder where the guys were, I knew that I needed to see to my own needs first this time. I was relatively sure that the Valkyries would leave them in peace since men were considered toxic to them. The idea that these women were where the myths of the Valkyries came from was enough to shut my brain down, so I was trying not to think about it.

  The door to the bathroom opened and I heard someone come in. Panic rose within me until I heard Griff's voice say, "You okay in here, Dove?"

  "Yep, just freshening up."

  "I've brought you some fresh clothes. They are just on the shelf next to the towels."

  "Thanks," I said before I heard the door shut. I was so sick of dresses, all I wanted was a good pair of jeans and a soft t-shirt. Was that too much to ask?

  A few minutes later I had finished up and dried off and began unfolding the material that was clearly the clothing Griff had mentioned. I could have squealed with joy when I saw the pants unfold. It was like that man could read my mind, or maybe Dres had and was just relaying messages. Who knows? I certainly didn't care if this was the result.

  By the time I left the bathroom I was clad in some sturdy tan-colored pants and a white shirt with billowy sleeves that sat over a brown leather chest piece that I used like a bra. There was also a matching belt-corset thing that was too big for me so I hadn't put it on and had just tucked the shirt into the front of the pants. I felt much more human again, much more like myself, which was a relief.

  The guys were all waiting for me in the common area along with a giant tray of food. I barely even had a chance to greet them since, as soon as I stepped out into the room, the scent of the food hit me and my stomach growled loudly, making all of them snort or grin. I tried to stop myself from descending on the food like a vulture, but the truth was I needed it more than I cared to admit. I had tried to take it easy my last couple meals so I didn't shock my system after having been starved, but now I was ready to eat.

  "We have a plan," Finn piped up eventually, even though I was still stuffing my face with whatever this delicious baked good was called.

  It was a couple hours later once I'd completely refueled and we had made it back down to the pit that reminded me way too much of the cell I had been locked in. I kept trying to think of it like the basement in my friend’s house where it was creepy but fun and exciting to be down there. I wasn't having a lot of luck though.

  "Ready?" I asked Griff as Niall awkwardly looped his arms around my mate's body.

  My vampire just nodded and the two of them took off, rising higher and higher with every second that passed. Dres was right behind them as well. I couldn't see what was going on, not really, at least not until Griff launched fire from his hands.

  The flames coated the wall and seemed to stick there, creating a ring of fire that Griff was supporting with extra flames here and there. Dres was up next as he used his abilities to push the flames into the already circulating wind. I watched in awe as what had looked like nothing suddenly turned into a spinning wall of fire.

  I could faintly see the steam that was sizzling from the block of ice so I wasn't surprised when the first drops of water hit the ground in front of me. I held my breath as I waited to see any indication that the stone was falling to me.

  The stone is incoming. Dres's voice spoke in my head and I focused even more as I searched for it. There was a tiny glint as some of the fire reflected off its surface and that was the only indication I had for where it was. I reached out, adjusting my position just as it became visible to me before it landed in my hand.

  The floor seemed to disappear and suddenly I was falling. The darkness of the pit I had been standing in was gone and when the falling sensation stopped I found myself standing in a doorway that appeared to be floating in the air, somewhere. There was nothing else around, I couldn't see the sky or the ground because of all the clouds that seemed to encase the area I was in.

  Stairs descended to a platform in front of me and then just seemed to break off into nothing. I wasn't sure what to do. With the stone in Atlantis there had been water for me to walk into, but here? Was I just supposed to jump into the air? Was it a trust fall kind of thing? I didn't know what to make of it, but I wasn't exactly comfortable throwing myself off a cliff.

  I ventured as close to the edge as I dared, but I couldn't bring myself to get any closer than a few feet away. As though my mere presence disturbed them the clouds began to part, or swirl. It was only as I stepped back that I realized it wasn't the clouds moving, but something within them. A snout slowly appeared and I gulped. As the clouds gave way I could see pale silvery-white horns and spikes coming off a gigantic head.

  Do you bring me the stone? a voice asked in my head.

  I'd been in this situation before with Laelak, and I wasn't particularly looking forward to it again. "Who are you?" I asked.

  Idhrish, Keeper of Hyperborea. Who are you, daughter of Eve?

  "Tessa, the Key," I replied, although it sounded much lamer when I voiced it aloud than it had in my head.

  Yes, I see that now. You kept the Atlantis stone. I would have as well. Laelak is much too demanding.

  "I don't really know what I'm supposed to do with them," I admitted, deciding that honesty was the best policy here.

  I cannot tell you. It is forbidden to sway the key but know that your choices will either bind the four worlds into a stable alliance or they will destroy them.

  "Why should it all depend on me? I know nothing of these worlds!"

  You are experiencing them without being swayed by politics, are you not? The Key was designed to make an unbiased judgement as to whether each world was worth saving. Idhrish grunted then and it sounded painful. I have said too much. The choice is yours, either give me the stone or do not.

  "I'm going to hold on to it for now," I said cautiously.

  Idhrish made a noise that I thought sounded satisfied with my answer, but whether or not that was a good thing I'd yet to discover.

  If you are keeping it, then I have a gift for you. A long white tail whipped toward me and as it uncurled it launched an egg at me. Part of me wanted to duck and hide because I felt like the impact would hurt, but the rest of me was worried about the baby dragon that I knew lived within the egg.

  When it crashed against my stomach I discovered it was soft. The shell gave way on impact and suddenly I was left holding a pale creamy-purple colored dragon. It shook and I realized that what I had assumed were scales were actually feathers. Large silver eyes looked up at me for a long moment before it peered over its shoulder.

  He will keep you safe. Idhrish said before turning and spinning away.

  The baby dragon launched himself from my arms and attempted to follow Idhrish, but the other dragon was gone in a burst of speed that was surprising given its size. When it was left with no other choice the baby dragon turned back toward me and flew at me, picking up speed as it went. I braced myself for the impact that I now knew was coming and held my breath trying to stay as still as possible.

  When the dragon flew into me I felt its claws pierce my skin as it connected and seemed to drag itself into me. Feathers tickled my insides and I clenched my hand around the stone, feeling the sharp ridges cut into my palm as I tried to let myself accept the sensation. I glanced over my shoulder and looked toward the door that I thought I'd come through only to find that it was gone. All that remained was a platform.

  "Well, now what am I supposed to do?" I muttered to myself.

  The stone began to burn my hand, and when I unclenched my fist I found blood smeared over it. The fiery sensation shot up my arm and I felt the band around my arm warm for a moment before the feeling continued across my back and down my other arm, rebounding an
d settling around my bicep. I looked down and wasn't surprised to find that a band had appeared on this arm as well.

  I felt a tug at my chest and the baby dragon reappeared, but this time the water dragon came out as well. The two of them soared through the air together, twisting and spiraling through the remains of the clouds. I wasn't sure how long I watched for but after a while I heard a tiny voice in my head.

  Fly!

  I wasn't sure how to respond. Was it just telling me what it was doing or giving me a command? "I don't have wings. I can't fly," I said aloud, hoping it understood me.

  The two of them barreled toward me and when they impacted I felt my body reabsorb them. Not only that, but suddenly there was a weight on my back. I tried to look over my shoulder but all I saw was black.

  Fly now!

  I tried to think of something to say, something to stop them from expecting the impossible from me but my mind came up blank. A gust of wind came across the platform then, as though someone was blowing out the candles on a birthday cake, but all it succeeded in doing was blowing me off the edge. I screamed bloody murder as I fell.

  Something took over though, maybe it was the new dragon in me, but all of a sudden I slowed and my scream died out. I opened my eyes, which I hadn't even realized had closed, and found large ebony wings extending from each side of my back. I could feel them working as they moved me through the air but I wasn't sure how to control them. Gaining wings wasn't the only change though, at some point during my fall my clothes had changed as well.

  White, gauzy fabric flapped next to me in the wind and I found myself once again clad in clothing that seemed to have appeared from nowhere. There was a belt around my waist that was silver and heavy, from that a skirt flowed behind me, but not in front. My lower half was covered in iridescent leggings and boots that came up to my knees, which almost seemed to have feathers all over them even though it was only the way the materials were designed.

  The top was basically a longline bra or a cropped tank top similar to what I had been wearing before except this was all white with silver outlining the edges. I also had sleeves that were off the shoulder and seemed to have sprouted from my arm bands. The piece that I felt more than saw was the tiara, or maybe it was a crown. I honestly had no idea and I didn't want to take it off mid-flight since I wasn't sure what this change meant. It felt heavy though, and I was sure there was a part hanging down in front of my forehead.

  As I moved through the air the fear slowly left me and I actually started enjoying myself, swooping around this way and that as I descended. It was only after the land started coming into view that I realized I was high above the Valkyrie. A sudden urge to be reunited with my guys flooded me. As though the realization itself had triggered a faster descent I arrowed toward the ground, aiming for the green patch of grass where the eagles had landed before.

  I was there in what felt like the blink of an eye and I had to jerk up quickly, causing my landing to be rougher than I had hoped. It was my first-time having wings though, so I didn't think I did that badly. I had to drop to one knee to prevent myself from falling face first onto the grass. There were some things a girl just couldn't live down.

  When I rose it was to find myself surrounded by priestesses who all had spears and swords pointed at me. Not exactly the welcome back I was hoping for. The High Priestess pushed through the crowd and stared at me slack jawed before dropping to her knees.

  "You truly are the Key!" she cried before chanting something I didn't understand. The others all seemed to calm down after that, lowering their weapons and dropping to their knees.

  21

  Tessa

  My eyes roamed past the Valkyrie in search of my guys. When I found them all moving toward me I couldn't help but smile. Dresden was leading the charge, and I felt a strange rush of emotion.

  Please be okay. Please be okay. Please be okay. I couldn't take it if she was hurt again in my world. Bad enough that that fucking bitch Ailsa hurt her.

  Dresden?

  Tessa? He said my name a moment before he tripped and fell flat on his face. Blood gushed from his nose as he sat back up and all the other guys were snickering at the epic fall.

  I waded through the priestesses, apologizing for smacking a lot of them with wings that I didn't understand how to control yet, but I didn't stop until I reached Dres.

  Are you okay?

  How are you doing that? he asked while holding his nose.

  I wish I knew, I said to him before turning to High Priestess Erissa. "Is there a medical area? Somewhere we can fix his nose up?" I asked.

  "In that door to the left," she said pointing at a door on the right.

  "We'll be right back," I said to the other guys when they moved as though they wanted to join us. I wasn't exactly impressed with them laughing at their brother and friend. I also needed to figure out how Dres and I were talking psychically, and I thought that might be easier to do without the peanut gallery around. "I'm fine. I'll tell you all about it in a minute," I said when Griff opened his mouth to protest.

  I took Dres by the hand and dragged him into the infirmary. Blood was dripping down his face and onto his shirt. "Sit over there and take your shirt off," I said pointing to the large couch that rested against the wall. Before I could do anything else I needed to find some supplies, so I began ransacking the cupboards that lined the wall opposite the couch until I found what I needed.

  When I turned around my breath caught. He had followed my instructions and his shirt was on the couch next to him. I grabbed it and threw it into the sink running cold water over it while I tried to get myself together. It was just Dres. It wasn't as though I had suddenly developed a crush on him, in fact, I'd had feelings for him from the start. Seeing him here and shirtless though had my mind going in all sorts of directions, most of them leading somewhere dirty.

  My mind filled with images that couldn't be my own. Images that focused too much on me, and that was not how my brain worked. Hands were exploring my body, peeling my leggings off, bending me over the sink, fucking me until I screamed his name.

  I spun to face Dres. My cheeks on fire from what I'd just seen. "Did you just put that in my head?" I asked.

  "What?" he raised an eyebrow at me.

  My brain short circuited as I saw the blood was now dripping down onto his chest. Before I could talk to him any more about this or the weird thought conversation we had been having a few minutes ago I needed to clean him up. Grabbing the washcloth I'd picked up a few moments ago I wet it in the water in the sink and went over to where he was sitting so I could begin to clean up the blood.

  As I knelt before him I ran it over the fresh drips on his chest first since they would be easier to clean up before moving onto the blood on his face that had already dried. My mind filled with a different image, one of me sucking his cock and looking up at him while his length disappeared between my lips.

  "You want me to suck your cock?" I asked, practically panting from the lust that was flowing through the vision.

  "What?" Dres's voice sounded strangled as though he'd just been caught making out by his parents or something.

  "I just had an image in my head of me sucking your cock, but it wasn't from my perspective. Were you thinking about that?"

  His mouth worked but no words came out.

  "Dresden, do you care about me?" I asked as I brushed some of his ebony locks out of his face.

  "Of course I do. You're so important to us, to the worlds, how could I not?"

  I pursed my lips at his answer. It wasn't really admitting anything. It was talking around it. "Do you, Dresden the individual, not the warrior, care about me, Tessa the individual, not the Key?"

  His hand seemed to come up and touch my cheek of its own free will as he stared into my eyes. I fell into the dark orbs of his stare and felt like I could live there. I hadn't realized I was moving when I connected with his lips. As soon as we did the whole world seemed to rush away and all that was left was the two
of us. Memories flowed through my mind like water and they all belonged to Dres.

  The first time he saw me. How he walked me home and asked me to dinner, how he didn't want to admit to himself that he was attracted to me so he acted like an ass the whole time, realizing that I was Griff's mate and that I'd slept with both Griff and Finn, realizing that he might have a chance with me. The last thing I saw was me looking like an avenging angel as I landed like a superhero in the grass of Valkyrie. My black wings that flared behind me were bigger than any he'd ever seen, not to mention the new markings on my other shoulder that I hadn't even noticed yet, then when I stood up in this insane outfit and how much he just wanted to rip it all off me. All the emotions, all the secret looks, all the worries, grief, and blame... it all flowed through me like I was a conduit for a river.

  "Dresden," I breathed between kisses. "I had no idea."

  "Still waters run deep," he said with a growl before he took control of the kiss.

  His hand fisted in my hair and his lips became possessive, clashing against my own as he claimed my mouth. Lips, teeth, tongue, it was all involved and it all set my blood on fire for him. He nipped at my bottom lip and I moaned into his mouth as he deepened the kiss. I spread my hands over his chest as I rose up and climbed onto his lap.

  Dres's hand left my hair and slid down my back until he was cupping my ass, squeezing and massaging and pushing me against his hard length. My whole body felt like a spring that had been coiled too tightly and was ready for release. It wasn't that I was starved of sex or anything like that, although it had been weeks since anyone had touched me in a romantic sense, but the buildup between Dres and I, and now being able to see some of his emotions as well, it was all a lot to take in.