Unity

by Jessica Wayne

She pulled out her sword. “Then how about we do this the old-fashioned way? I’ll still kick your sorry ass.”

  Thames laughed loudly. “I see why you like this one, Brother. She is arrogant, but has fire in her. You would have made a good queen.”

  “Not interested.”

  Thames took a step toward her. “You don’t stand a chance against me. Your best chance is to step aside and accept the inevitable.”

  “And what’s that?” she sneered.

  “That I will rule, everything.”

  “Not a chance. The worlds do not belong to you. From what I understand, Luxe chose your younger brother. How does that feel?” she mocked. “To know that even your own world—your own people—didn’t want you?”

  Thames’ hands clenched into fists. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “I think I do.”

  Thames started to move closer and stopped. “Wait, I have a much better idea.”

  Anastasia’s eyes widened as she realized what Thames was about to do. Charging, she raised her blade, but it was too late.

  “Go ahead,” Dakota said from behind her. Only, when she turned, the silver of his eyes told her it was no longer Dakota in control. Thames removed the choker from Dakota’s throat and tossed it to the side. “Kill me. You will never get your precious Dakota back.”

  Raising a hand, he blasted her with power so strong it threw her back into the wall. Ears ringing and vision blurred, Anastasia tried to get to her feet. Another blast of power knocked her back, and Dakota—or rather, Thames—wrapped his hand around her throat, lifting her from the ground.

  He leaned forward and breathed her in with a smile. “You carry a Luxe heir within you.”

  She didn’t answer, just gripped his forearm with her hands, glaring into eyes that were foreign to her now.

  “We can’t have that, can we?” Using his other hand, he reached behind his back and withdrew a short blade.

  “No!” a deep yell came from behind him, and Anastasia was dropped as Tony barreled into Dakota.

  “Tony!” Anastasia screamed as the blade meant for her was buried into Tony’s chest. “No!” she screamed. Conjuring just enough magic to stun Dakota and not kill him, she blasted him, sending him sliding back.

  With one last look at Dakota, Anastasia grabbed Tony and conjured a portal beside them, dragging him through and into the light.

  10

  Terrenia

  Anastasia

  “Fuck!” Anastasia screamed as soon as soon as she and Tony were safe in Terrenia. Pressing her hands to Tony’s chest, she pushed down, causing blood to spray her face. She closed her eyes and sent her healing magic into Tony.

  When the dizziness began to take hold, she pulled back, relieved to see the bleeding had stopped and Tony was staring up at her.

  “You okay?” he asked as she sat back on her butt and wrapped shaking arms around her knees.

  “Are you seriously asking me that? You almost died.”

  Tony laughed and sat up. “But I didn’t.”

  “We failed.” Anastasia’s throat burned as tears began to flow freely down her cheeks.

  Tony wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against him, running a soothing hand down her back. “We didn’t fail completely; we got Vinny back.”

  “But Dakota’s still there, Tony. You saw him, he’s not going to last much longer.”

  “Dakota’s tough, we’ll get him back.” Tony sat back and smiled softly at her. “Thames won’t know what hit him.”

  Anastasia shook her head. “I don’t know if I can beat him. My magic did nothing. It was almost like he absorbed it.”

  “Phoenix!”

  Anastasia turned. Argento rushed toward her. Pushing to her feet, she brushed the dirt off her pants.

  “Is everything all right?” Tony asked, following suit.

  “I’m afraid not. I have bad news.”

  “What happened?” Anastasia’s heart began to pound. Had there been another attack? Were people hurt?

  “We have determined how Dakota woke from his stasis.”

  “I assumed it was because Thames found a way to break free.”

  Argento’s mouth was a tight line, his eyes narrowed in anger. “I’m afraid that while that is true, he did not do it alone.”

  Anastasia crossed her arms over her chest. “You’re saying someone let him out.”

  “I am.”

  “And you know who?”

  “I do.” He looked behind him, and two Brutes shoved another forward.

  “Rayden?”

  The older Brute’s face was bruised, his eyes hollow. “I am guilty.”

  “What? Why? You helped us put him there in the first place!” Rage flowed through her, sending her magic to a thundering storm, ready to release.

  Rayden straightened. “Thames promised to leave the Brute world alone if I did.”

  “What do you mean leave it alone? What exactly did he say?”

  Rayden’s mouth tightened. “I will say no more. I do this for my world, for my people. For my queen.”

  “You coward, you will answer her questions!” Argento roared.

  The healer began to shake with fear, bowing his head to his king. “My king, I will not.”

  “You will answer me,” Anastasia growled, the tone in her voice startling even her. She could feel the power inside, reaching out, begging to be used. Conjuring a flame in her hand, she sneered to the Brute healer. “This won’t kill you, but it will fucking hurt, and I will continue to tear you apart until you answer every last question I have.”

  She released the flame, and it slammed into the healer’s chest. The two Brutes holding him lost their grips at the impact, and Rayden flew back, slamming into the ground. He howled in pain as the flame continued to burn him inside, and Anastasia moved toward him.

  He was responsible.

  The reason she’d had to bury one of her best friends.

  The reason her husband was trapped in another world.

  He needed to die for it.

  Conjuring another ball, she started to slam it down onto his chest when a large hand gripped her forearm.

  Anastasia looked up into the worried grey eyes of Tony. “Not like this, Anastasia. We don’t torture.”

  “He did it, Tony. He might as well have killed Shane!”

  “Doesn’t mean you need to stoop to that level. You’re better than this.”

  Anastasia scoffed. “Better than this isn’t winning us any wars! You think Thames gives two shits about what’s right and what’s wrong? He ripped Shane’s heart out, Tony. Ripped it right out of his fucking chest!”

  Tears streamed down her cheeks, hot trails of the pain she felt inside. She was completely helpless to stop it, to stop any of it.

  She’d been helpless the night Shane died.

  Helpless moments ago in Luxe.

  And she was damn tired of feeling that way.

  “Not. Like. This,” Tony said sternly.

  Anastasia looked over his shoulder as Selena and Elizabeth approached, both of them watching her, eyes wide with fear.

  Anastasia’s heart sank. She was no monster. The Brute would pay for what he did, but Tony was right. It couldn’t happen like this.

  Closing her hand, the fire extinguished, and she stepped away from the Brute.

  “I assure you, Phoenix, he will pay for what he’s done. I will take him back to my world, and we will get answers.”

  Anastasia nodded. “Thank you, Argento. Let me know if you learn anything.”

  The Brute could make it back to his world on his own, using his people’s power, but Anastasia waved her hand and opened a portal.

  Not wanting to talk to anyone else, she headed straight for the solace of her cabin. Once inside, she threw a ball of flame at the fireplace, bringing both warmth and light to the room. Then, removing her sword, Anastasia took a seat on the couch and stared into the flames.

  “I killed him, Ana.” Dakota’s heartbroken
face popped into her mind, and Anastasia’s chest ached. Tears slipping down her cheeks, she replayed what could very well be the last time she saw her husband.

  Thames would have blocked the world from re-entry even by Sirens, so other than him venturing to Terrenia, there was no way to get to Dakota.

  Tucking her knees up to her chest, Anastasia wrapped her arms around her legs and watched the red and orange flicker in the hearth.

  “You okay?”

  Anastasia looked over to the door where Vincent had appeared. “Peachy,” she choked out through tears.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Not on you, I failed.”

  Vincent slowly walked toward her until he reached the couch. “You will do better next time. Now you know what to expect.”

  The fact that he didn’t argue with her was somewhat soothing. Her father was never one to placate either; when she’d messed up, he’d always tell her that now she knew what not to do.

  Even though she appreciated it, though, Vincent doing the same reminded her of the others she’d lost over the last seven years, bringing a fresh wave of grief crashing down on top of her.

  “He wasn’t even fazed, Vincent. My magic did nothing.”

  “Then you find a new way to fight.”

  “Physically, he’s stronger, and he keeps using Dakota as a shield.”

  “If you keep making excuses, you won’t ever see past the failure.”

  Anastasia looked up at him. “I’m not making excuses, they’re facts.”

  “Excuses do nothing but help us feel better for our mistakes. The only way you truly learn is to take a closer look at what went wrong and determine how you can alter that for the future.”

  Anastasia was silent a moment, going over every detail of her time with Thames. She’d hit him with power, which he completely bypassed.

  Then he’d used Dakota as a literal body shield to keep her from doing anything physical to him.

  So, how the hell was she going to get around that? She couldn’t kill Dakota, and she didn’t have enough power to separate them. More power. I need more power.

  “The life core,” she whispered.

  “Anastasia, that’s hardly a solution.”

  “Your way didn’t work.” Anastasia rose to her feet. “You told me to stop making excuses. Getting the life core changes things. It means he can’t get it, and I will be more powerful.”

  “Power isn’t always the answer. Sometimes it’s the problem.”

  “Not here it’s not. If Thames gets his hands on it, we’re doomed—what better reason for us to go after it first?”

  “We don’t even know where it is, and looking for it could mean wasting time we don’t have.”

  “But if we find it, it could mean putting him down for good.”

  Vincent didn’t speak, just focused on the wall behind her as he contemplated what she’d said.

  Anastasia knew she was right. She’d hit that bastard with everything she had and he still beat her. Getting to the life core before him would mean not only stopping him—but possibly gaining enough power that he wouldn’t be able to counter her next time.

  It was the difference between getting Dakota back and securing a peaceful future for the worlds, versus having to bury more friends.

  He’d already destroyed the Guisnow world and killed Shane. Anastasia wasn’t willing to risk more lives. Especially when there was something she might be able to do about it.

  Vincent looked back at her. “Fine. But we do this carefully. If you end up overloading and killing yourself, the future will be damn bleak anyway.”

  11

  Luxe

  Dakota

  The second Thames released him, Dakota crashed to the ground. His head hit the cool marble, sending stars exploding into his vision and sharp pain radiating through his skull.

  Touching a finger to his forehead, Dakota pulled it back, not at all surprised to see the red sheen of blood covering the end of his index finger.

  Ana swam into his vision, her worried and devastated face at the forefront of his mind. Curling his knees up beneath him, Dakota leaned back, trying to remember every look.

  Was it possible that was the last time he was going to see her?

  Was this it for him?

  “Your wife is becoming more problematic than I’d originally considered,” Thames said from the corner of the room.

  Dakota laughed darkly, his hands touching the iron choker around his throat. “She’s going to find a way to kick your ass back into whatever hole you crawled out of.”

  Thames stalked toward Dakota, his face contorted in rage. “What do you think this is?”

  Dakota pushed to his feet so he was leaning against the wall, head still throbbing from its impact with the floor. “I think this is your twenty-fifth hour, and any day now my wife is going to blast in here and burn you to ashes.”

  Thames finished closing the distance so he stood only inches from Dakota. Leaning toward him, he reached out and shoved a finger at Dakota’s chest. “I can’t tell if you’re arrogant or just stupid.”

  The finger pushed harder into Dakota’s chest, but he hid the pain. Not going to give this asshole the satisfaction.

  “Oh? I have you pretty well figured out,” Dakota shot back.

  “Your wife is not going to survive this. I will slaughter her and your unborn child in front of you, before doing what I should have done ten thousand years ago and killing our mother. It will be a bloodbath, and every single death will be on your hands.”

  Anger burned in his chest, and Dakota shoved against Thames, knocking him back a step. “You won’t.”

  Thames smiled. “Won’t I? It would be all too easy to pretend to be you. To sneak into their lives through you as—what is it you humans call it? Oh yes, a wolf in sheep’s clothing.” Thames laughed. “I will feel your wife’s blood as it drips down your arm. And you know what the best part is?” he asked as he leaned closer. “She will only see you when she dies, smiling and laughing as she breathes her last breath.”

  “Shut the fuck up!” Dakota screamed, shoving against Thames. He reared a fist and slammed it into his face, knocking Thames’ head back.

  Taking the opportunity, Dakota slammed his body into Thames and hit him again. Blood sprayed Dakota from Thames’ now busted lip, and he reached down into the top of Thames’ tunic, searching for the amulet he wore.

  Dakota’s fingers closed around the gemstone only moments before Thames head-butted him.

  As Dakota fought to gain control of his vision, Thames got to his feet and landed a kick in Dakota’s side.

  Pain shot through him, and he heard the crunch of bone. “You stupid human,” Thames spat out, reaching down and lifting Dakota from the ground. “I cannot wait until I no longer need you. When that day comes, I will take great pleasure in killing you just as I did our other brother.”

  Dakota spit at him, and Thames threw Dakota into the wall behind him. Breaths ragged, vision wavering, Dakota stood, pressing a shaking hand to his aching side. “Then kill me now!” he roared.

  If he were dead, Ana would be safe. There would be no way for Thames to reach her through him. Hell, he wouldn’t be able to leave Luxe at all. “You hear me? Kill me, you son of a bitch!”

  Thames looked back at him and laughed. “Soon, Brother. Very, very, soon. For now, unfortunately, I need you.”

  “Ana, come on. We need to go.”

  “I’m coming!” she called from her bedroom.

  Dakota couldn’t help but smile. In the few months they’d lived together, he’d come to realize that if he wanted to be anywhere on time, he had to give a thirty-minute buffer on any of their time constraints.

  Not because she took forever to get ready. Actually, she could get ready and look beautiful quicker than he could. Her hold up was finishing the last few pages in the chapter she was reading, or rather, the last few chapters in the book she was reading.

  Dakota walked into the kitchen and grabbed a roo
t beer from the fridge. The pop followed by the carbonated sizzle filled the small space after he popped the top.

  Mid drink, Ana stepped in wearing the most gorgeous dress he’d ever seen. He choked, soda coming out of his nose as he tried to recover.

  Ana laughed, her red lips pulling back into a smile. “Do I look that bad?”

  Dakota grabbed the nearest napkin to wipe the soda remnants off his face before they dripped down onto the tux he wore.

  “Bad is not the word I would use.”

  Her face fell. “Horrible?”

  “Come on, Ana. You know damn well you look amazing. Gage is going to annoy the crap out of me tonight.”

  She laughed, making her bright blue eyes light up. “He always annoys us.”

  “I know, but I’m going to have to field his ‘hook me up with your friend’ comments all night.”

  She smirked. “He’s desperate.”

  No, you’re just beautiful, he wanted to say, but didn’t. They were friends, and had only just started living together. Making things awkward between them now was not a good idea. They had time; soon, he could tell her how he really felt.

  “Ready to go?” he asked, setting his root beer on the counter.

  “Absolutely. I can’t wait to see your mom.”

  They were headed to his dad’s holiday party, an annual event held by the precinct every year. And, every year since Dakota had been seven, he’d asked Ana to go along. Those nights, dancing beneath the twinkling Christmas lights were among his favorite memories.

  Dakota held open the door, and Ana stepped past him. As she moved, he inhaled her lavender perfume before following her outside. Turning to lock the door, Dakota heard her mutter, “Oh my God.”

  “What is it?” he asked with a laugh. “Forget something?”

  He turned, expecting to see the parking lot of their apartment building. Instead, sprawled out in front of them, was a sea of death.

  Bodies covered the broken concrete, bloody and unmoving, and the air carried the putrid stench of death.

  “Dakota!” Ana screamed, and he turned just in time to see her falling back off the platform.