Kallan stood firm, rolling his shoulders and cracking his neck. "I'd rather we use the portal. I know Heath would want us to get to his Fate as quickly as possible. Arguing about it is only eating up time. We need to get to Asherah, and we need to get to her now."
Carlo growled at the Fae, trying to keep his fear of the Chaos at bay. He understood where the male was coming from, and if it were any other situation, he would absolutely agree and do the same thing, but he could not. No matter what he tried, he couldn’t force himself to immediately go back into the Chaos.
"Fine, Kallan, let's compromise,” Carlo replied. “We'll move ahead for a little while, scope out our targets and see what we're doing, see what we're up against before we immediately portal inside. I'd rather not get my head fucking ripped off without knowing what's happening."
That seemed to mollify the Fae enough for him to nod in agreement.
Carlo looked over to Lennox. "Is that acceptable to you?"
The destructive arts mage shrugged. "That's fine with me. As long as we get the mission accomplished and I get back to Kalinda, it's fine enough."
Carlo narrowed his gaze on him. "You do realize she has mated and will never be with you."
Lennox nodded. "Of course. But that doesn't mean I can't have my feelings."
Before Carlo could react and grab the man, Teague jumped between them. “We're not going to spend time fighting here.” Teague glared at Lennox. "Knock it off. She is not yours and she never will be; that has already been established, so you need to stop. Let’s move on so we can do our job."
Lennox nodded but said nothing else. Carlo would make sure not to tell Romano or Dominic what Lennox said. It seemed the mage still harbored feelings for the woman.
"Well, at least someone knows how to keep his emotions under control," Nanshe commented.
Carlo didn't deign to respond to her. It would be better for him not to. It wasn't about her thought; it was about the Chaos. He might have sounded like a broken record, even to his own damn mind, but he was fucking scared. Terrified, honestly, and doing any more than that would hurt them both. He just tracked on quietly.
The three men with their one female member headed forward, streaking as silently as they could on fast and light feet. The terrain stayed mostly the same, but Carlo could see trees in the distance. They looked like they were made from onyx with the leaves hanging almost to the ground.
Teague groaned. "That's where we met the golem the last time we were very nearly at the Forgotten Tower."
Carlo looked over at Teague. "Is there any way for us to circumnavigate it so we don't have to see it?"
Kallan shook his head. "None. It spans across the entire space as wide as I can see. It might eat up our time to go around it than to go directly through it."
Carlo nodded. "Through it, it is. Kallan and Teague, since you know the terrain better, take point. Nanshe, you stay behind me and Lennox."
"I am not some weak little–"
Carlo interrupted her before she could get into her tirade. "It’s not about how big you are, and it's not about how strong you are. I know you're powerful, but do this for me as my mate. My wolf will go crazy if it sees you in danger and I won’t be able to focus on what I am trying to do. Now stay back there, woman, like I told you to."
Nanshe huffed, but she took up her position behind Lennox and Carlo. His wolf was quiet now that he didn't have to argue over his mate's safety.
They all forged ahead until they met the edge of the forest where the earth looked more like swamp than solid land. It was odd to say the ground was slightly moist in a place where everything was just shades of black and gray, but it still looked like a splattered ink spilled near the base of the trees.
"Don't go too close to them. You might fall in. We don't know the depth and we had to be careful of it before," Kallan warned.
They slipped into a line and snaked their way through the undergrowth. Not too far in, a grumble and rumbling sound filled the air just before a massive rock flew at Carlo and he barely dodged it. Fuck.
“Looks like the golem is awake,” Teague called out.
It was the only warning they had before a giant made of stone and vines crumbled into the clearing, roaring his way in.
Carlo nearly panicked. “We're going to have to take it down. What worked last time, Teague?”
“It was a concerted effort between us. Cynes and Kallan held guard while Heath, Eiravel, and I hacked away at it. Eiravel finally smashed the thing’s head to pieces.”
Carlo cursed under his breath. This was going to be harder than he thought, but they had to make it.
“Fine. I'll shift. We'll do what we can. I don't care if we just have to muscle through.”
Nanshe tapped him on the shoulder. “Or we could simply use a portal and get out of here.”
Carlo grunted, already shifting into his wolf and streaking ahead with a vicious howl. His strong claws ate up the ground underneath him, his pads spreading to keep him balanced as he ran and leapt forward. The freedom of being a wolf was unlike anything he had ever known.
The air had so much information about their enemies and what was going on around them. Boundless senses slid over his tongue. The world was alive with information, and his wolf reveled in it. This was much different from the almost-human side of Encantado, and it was obvious, even to his wolf. But he was an animal, and animals knew how to adapt.
Carlo jumped into the air. His supple spine arched as he flipped and landed on the back of a golem. His claws scraped for purchase as he tried to hold on, snapping at the back of the golem’s neck, trying to see if there was some sort of weak point.
“That's not going to work, Carlo!” Kallan screamed. “This thing is big, and you're going to have to try to find a sweet spot, but that's not it.”
Nanshe stood and balled her fists. “We need to use a portal. Please, just trust me and we will handle it together.”
Carlo still attacked, fighting as hard as he could against the golem to get free. Teague lifted his head and bellowed out sound. His song was so powerful and strong, reverberating and sending leaves sprinkling off the trees and wood splitting with a resounding crack. The power in Teague’s voice was astounding.
Carlo dropped off the back of the golem with a whimpered flop, the noise hurting his sensitive ears.
Teague didn't apologize, though, blasting the golem with another barrage and sending the rocky monstrosity sliding back farther. Finally, more space for them to get out.
“Stop acting like a baby. It’s not that loud. Everybody runs for cover when I sing, but I swear I can be rock star.” Teague winked.
“Shut up, Fae.”
“I’m wounded, Carlo. I’ll have to sing for you sometime so you know I’m telling the truth.”
Carlo flinched when Teague let out a few lilting notes, and then he gaped at the Fae. It was fucking beautiful.
“Told you.”
Of course, the next instant he bellowed and destroyed earth as he attempted to attack the golem. Teague was indeed powerful.
“We gotta to do something, and do it now!” Lennox called out, frustration clear in his tone. “Follow me as best you can. I'm going to try to turn that motherfucker into liquid. Cover me if it doesn’t work. And I'm not fighting with you anymore about the Chaos Realm. We do what we have to do.”
Outnumbered by the others that were talking sense into his head, Carlo could do nothing else while Lennox poured fire from his palms, shooting it through the brush and setting the swampy area on fire. The orange and gold Carlo expected to see from the blaze was muted into crisp whites and darker shades of gray. The sight of it was startling as it spread. It was like they were in a black and white fucking movie. A firm grip landed on Carlo’s shoulder, and he swung his muzzle around, exposing all his teeth.
“Get over it, mate,” Nanshe admonished seconds before she clenched his fur and jumped into a portal.
Carlo screamed in his head, but it only came from his mouth as
a whimper. They were hurtling once more through the miasma. Oily and inky power curled around his wolf and played with the sensitive magical energies his animal side contained. He could sense Nanshe wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him tightly to her warm body.
“Just listen to my voice,” she whispered into his head.
They slid from the other side, hurtling out of the portal, and Carlo struggled to his feet, shaking his head to get rid of the sudden sense he didn't know where he was.
I really don't like going to the Chaos Realm, he groused.
Nanshe had the class not to say anything.
As much as he might have thought they were safe for a moment, they’d just leapt out of the frying pan and into the fire. Black and white bodies coiled around them.
“Hollows!” Lennox yelled.
Carlo had gotten very familiar with them back in Encantado, and he knew he could fight these creatures with claws. He decided to run through them, biting and swiping as he went, fighting until his fur was covered in thick, black blood.
With these enemies, he could release some of his anger.
He could release the stress he felt from having to fight these things.
In battle, his head was clear.
Here, he could make sense of it all and do what he had to do.
He didn't have to worry about his fear. He didn't have to worry about having a sense he was failing everyone because of his own terror. No wolf liked to feel they weren't doing enough for their pack and their people. The Chaos and what it represented had locked Carlo in a never-ending slide of not knowing what to do.
Cool hands threaded through his thick fur, gripping the edge of his tail, and Carlo whipped around. But even as he did, Nanshe moved with him, staying out of danger from his sharp teeth.
“I'm here, mate.”
The calming sound of her voice spread through his mind, pushing away the panic until he could breathe. How she could keep up with his running wolf form and not miss a beat, even following him through battle, he would never understand. But she did it anyway, using what she had before when she’d protected Arturo.
She created a ten-foot radius around them, where the Hollows simply melted. She couldn't get rid of them all, but at least she could assist him.
Carlo shifted as best he could so he could speak to the others. “Get within her sphere of influence!”
Lennox was the first at his side, grabbing a Hollow by the head and tossing him into the air. He used fire to enhance his strength. Teague screamed again, creating a bloody path until he could move, sliding in with Kallan at his side.
“What is this … this sphere?”
“Nanshe is doing it, Kallan. She can protect us and get us to the inside.” Carlo looked at his mate. “Do you know where she would be?”
Nanshe raised her eyes to the Forgotten Tower. “At the top. That's where it would be the most secure.”
Carlo followed her gaze, the building rising high into the sky like a jewel carved out to create the castle-like structure. The Gothic archways and architecture were breathtaking. If he wasn't so worried about getting in there as quickly as possible and saving Asherah, he might like it.
Oh, and if it wasn’t owned by a bitch who wanted them all dead, he might actually think this was a cool time to do some sightseeing.
“Easiest way to get in will be straight up the stairs, or we're gonna all port again,” Kallan offered.
Again with the fucking porting.
Nanshe, her hands spread at her sides, couldn’t hide the faint tremble in her limbs. She was maintaining the sphere for now, but she couldn’t do it forever. It was draining her, and Carlo didn’t like to see his mate pain.
It didn’t matter if he’d claimed her or not.
Gritting his teeth, he seethed, “Why didn’t we port directly in the first place?”
“We all can't port directly into each other's homes. We can port closely and then get deeper. I could have gone straight to the door in one jump, but I'm also trying to hide my presence as best I can. I’m hiding behind Kallan’s magic, and by doing so, it limits what I can do.”
Carlo nodded at Nanshe’s explanation.
“We have to take the stairs, or the port.” Kallan looked pointedly at Carlo. “I don't think it's a choice between which one we're going to do; we do one or the other.”
“Port it is,” Carlo finally agreed. “Because I want to get out of this goddessforsaken place as quickly as possible.”
“Finally, you have some sense in your head,” Kallan returned.
Carlo clipped the Fae on the shoulder in retribution for his smartass response, but he couldn't say the Fae was wrong.
Nanshe, make this as painless as possible.
“I'll do what I can.”
Nanshe lowered herself to the ground, pulling closer to the center of the men. “Everyone grab on to me and hold on tight.”
They did as she commanded, and then she lifted her head and screamed.
Carlo was worried about his mate, too worried to be afraid when the portal suddenly opened underneath them and they dropped through the hole.
He gripped her. “Are you okay?”
She said nothing, and the Chaos ripped away whatever response she tried to give. Before he could take his next breath, they were already sliding across the onyx floor in a room with a huge archway with glittering runes across it. But they didn’t glow or have the same power Carlo felt from Torin’s.
“They're not active,” Nanshe mused. “They're not holding anything. Where's Asherah?”
Carlo’s gaze swept the room. “She’s not here, and there aren’t any enemies either.”
What the fuck is going on?
Chapter Eleven
Thick blood from the battle with the Hollows dripped from Carlo’s hands hanging loosely at his sides. They had come ready for war, yet their charge was nowhere to be found. It confused him. Why had Skuld’s beasts attacked if Asherah wasn’t there? She could be somewhere in the Tower, but Carlo had a feeling holding someone with that sort of power wouldn’t be easy. It would make sense for Skuld to put her back in the rune-enchanted room after taking her away. There was no way the Norn would know they had the power to come already.
Right?
“She won’t know I am here; I’ve hidden myself. She doesn’t even know I’ve left my tower or gotten involved. The future won’t show her that skill. I–”
Nanshe’s sudden choke alerted Carlo she had information she couldn’t provide.
“Don’t worry about it, mate. We will have to deal with the intricacies of your powers as we go.”
This entire situation was getting hazier by the minute.
Carlo was used to his wolf being able to attack a known enemy and go at them without having to worry about what he was going to do, or what it would look like. Now, it seemed the threat was constantly doing things that made no sense, and he had no idea what to expect.
Kallan moved around the room, touching the archway with hesitant fingers. “There should have been something here if Asherah were truly captive. But where would she be? Where would the Hollows have taken her?”
Those same questions were going through Carlo’s mind, and he wasn't quite sure he had any answers either.
Nanshe moved deeper into the room. “I can't see what is happening. The only option I have is scrolling to the past to see if there may be some hint.”
Carlo was confused. “Nanshe, how does the past affect what is going on right now? I know you said the past repeats, but that doesn't mean people's exact actions will be seen in the past, right?”
Nanshe shook her head. “I know it seems confusing, but often things that are done in the future can be seen through hints in the past. It's just about scrolling through and finding what I can help with or what I may be able to see. There is no guarantee, but what can we lose by trying?”
Well, that was true, and Carlo couldn't argue with that.
Teague stepped to Carlo’s side. “Well,
we need to try something. If we don't bring back Asherah, Heath is going to blaze a hole through fucking Encantado, and none of us are prepared for that.”
No, nobody wanted that, and Carlo knew the Fae was telling the truth. He had given up a lot for his mate and losing her would break him. Losing the other half of their souls would break any of these paranormal creatures, and they all knew it.
“Then we must find her and figure out what we have to do.”
Faint scratching and sniffing at the door made all the men tense.
Lennox took up a defensive pose and waited, flames dancing in his palms. “If anybody comes through this door, I'll keep an eye out and attack.”
Carlo nodded. “Thank you. For now, Kallan and Teague, search for hints of that will assist us. If Asherah isn't here, maybe Skuld put her somewhere else, since this is where you saved her last time.”
Kallan shook his head but did as he was told, searching through the room. Carlo didn't need Kallan’s words to assume what the young male kept from saying.
If Skuld was doing something different than before, they all were fucked.
Nanshe came up to Carlo. “Let me go through the past and see what I find.”
Carlo nodded. There wasn’t really any other choice.
Nanshe let her head fall back and closed her eyes. It was disconcerting watching her skin begin to glow with the dust that floated over her flesh, the true essence of the past. It became marble and gold over her skin, and her eyes flickered behind her closed lids, showing she was scanning through what she could. Sweat dotted her brow, and Carlo couldn't stop himself from taking her into his arms and pulling her in tight. If this was going to become painful, he needed to do everything in his power to stop her from looking too far into it.
After a moment, she relaxed into his body, her soft curves meeting his. “I can't see anything right now. It's all dark; the past hasn't changed enough.”
Carlo grunted. “If the past hasn't changed, does that mean we're in the wrong location? Surely, if Skuld did something to affect it, we would see some traces or essence of her.”
Mated to the Chaos (Portal City Protectors Book 5) Page 9