Fierce Dawn

by Scott, Amber

  “Heather,” Sadie said, more incessantly. “Open the door. Now!”

  Sadie opened her wings, wondering how in the world she could ever gather enough energy to push herself through that door. The mere idea of passing through the dense wood particles irritated her skin. Whatever strength she could marshal, she had to save it for fighting.

  She had to protect her baby sister, be it with fledgling immortal skill or plain, primal human teeth and elbows and nails.

  Monica stepped out and disappeared again. The commotion fell quiet. Desperation coughed through Sadie.

  She smacked the door again and again. “Heather! Please! Open the door now!” Footsteps echoed down the hallway. Running footsteps.

  “Heather,” Sadie screamed as Monica blocked out splotches of view from camouflaging their bodies.

  The knob clicked and turned. Sadie shoved inside as Monica slipped away and two shadowed forms blurred forward. Sadie slammed the door closed and wrapped her arms around Heather.

  “Sadie,” Heather cried. “Sadie, I’m scared.”

  Before she could tell her sister everything would be alright, the door burst open. Heather froze. Sadie whipped about, fists ready—“Elijah!”

  ~ ~ ~

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Sadie almost crumbled from relief, but Elijah caught her into his arms and crushed her first. A throaty laugh escaped her, along with every last drop of fear. “What took you so long?” she asked, dropping her cheek to his chest.

  “So long?” Elijah said, his voice heavy with emotion. Carefully, he pulled away. He met her gaze. “It isn’t over yet, Sadie.”

  Lyric stepped around and, seeing Monica helping Heather sit on the bed, halted.

  “What do you mean? They’re gone, aren’t they?”

  “Like demons back to hell,” Lyric said. “But they’ll be back. Leastwise, Crusoe will be.”

  Elijah appeared weary, yet his stare glittered. The enormity of what happened hit her. She needed to understand the impact of this blow on him. “Did you know…before you saw him…that he and Holly—that he was alive?”

  “I knew he was alive.” Heartache rang in his tone, though. He stepped back from her. “I suspected he knew I thought his life was in danger, but this? No.”

  It was all she could do not to fall back into his arms. But what could she do? Say?

  “Elijah,” Lyric said. “We can’t stay. He’ll come for her.”

  As though snapped back to reality, Elijah nodded. “You and Monica go east. Try to create a subtle trail. We can meet up once you know he hasn’t followed.”

  “He has Jen,” Sadie said. “Holly gave him my mother’s journals.”

  “I want to know now, Lyric,” Elijah said. “What have you been keeping from me?”

  Lyric winced. “You aren’t going to like it.”

  “I think it matters little how much I like or dislike it, if you have a theory, I need to hear it. Now, because Crusoe will be back any minute.” Elijah took Sadie by both arms. “Please don’t think I take your safety lightly, or Jen’s. I need to focus on what we could be up against.”

  Sadie focused her attentions on Heather. She sat next to her sister, who stared from one face to another, shaking her head. The tension in the room was dizzying enough without acknowledging the upheaval in her heart.

  Elijah was here. Heartache could wait.

  “I left here a year ago because Holly played me. I fell for her.” Lyric kept his eyes on Elijah, gauging his reaction.

  Elijah narrowed his eyes on Lyric.

  “I know, I know. Me, in love with anyone, let alone my lifelong friend who, by all rights should be like a sister to me. The thing is, it made little sense after I left. Why would Holly turn her eye my way when she so obviously preferred someone else?”

  “Like Elijah?” Monica said.

  Sadie swallowed.

  “She refused me, claimed to love Crusoe,” Lyric said.

  “She refused Crusoe,” Elijah said, quietly. “She swore it when he left. She chose friendship over love. She regretted it, begged me to find him.”

  Lyric took a shaky breath. “Holly has loved you all of her life, Elijah. But when it became apparent that you couldn’t see her as more than a friend, she began a flirtation with me and with Crusoe. When I found her and Crusoe secreting off together, I confronted her. She lied. I confessed to him. All of it. We fought. I left.”

  Lyric’s lips curled downward. “I found Charity. Or perhaps she found me. I discovered Crusoe left after I did and I blamed myself. Holly encouraged my belief that Crusoe asked her to choose and when she couldn’t, became enraged.” He paused. “Charity strung me along with lies about Crusoe, and lured me with false hope.”

  “I don’t mean to be caustic, but very little of this is new information, Lyric.” Elijah turned to face Sadie. “I can’t delay transporting Sadie any longer.”

  “I think she should stay,” Monica interjected.

  “Absolutely not.” Elijah came to stand in front of her, blocking Lyric access. “You have nothing new to say. I’m taking her. Now.”

  “No,” Sadie said. “I won’t leave Heather. She isn’t taking this well.”

  Elijah glanced at her sister and after a moment sighed. “I’ll transport her to safety. To wherever you like. But I will not risk you again. We don’t have time to argue.”

  “I don’t think she can go through that again. I don’t know if I did it right. What if I hurt her? Can Astrid check her?” Sadie held to Heather a bit more tightly. Was it shock or the transporting that had put her in such a state?

  Elijah shook his head. “She returned over realm lines. I don’t know when she’ll be able to return.”

  “If she stays, Elijah, you and I can take on Crusoe,” Lyric said.

  “She isn’t bait,” Monica said and stood. “We all need to stay. It gives us home field advantage.”

  “Don’t you see, Elijah?” Lyric stepped closer. “Crusoe isn’t merely linked to the Illeautians. He is the Illeautians.”

  Elijah scowled. “The answer is no. I’ll find him on my own. Once Sadie is safe, I’ll find Jen, I’ll take care of Crusoe.”

  “The way you did before?” Monica asked. “Or have you forgotten that if not for Holly taking off with Sadie’s journal, you’d still think he was missing.”

  “No. Not this time,” Elijah said. “Not now that I know the truth.”

  Lyric scoffed. Heather’s eyelids fluttered. She collapsed back onto the bed. “Please, stop. Take Heather, Elijah. Take her to a hospital. Something is very wrong and I don’t care who is coming back for me. I need my sister to be okay.”

  “After all that she—,” he stopped the question but Sadie knew what he must be thinking. After all Heather had done to hurt her.

  “She is my sister. Take her, please. I’ll stay.” But not because anyone wanted her to and not because she couldn’t stand the thought of Elijah separating from her again, even to go fight and find Jen. She would stay because this was now her battle, too, and she would not run.

  “I can’t let you stay.”

  It wasn’t up to him. “Fight me on it later. She needs medical help!” Raising her voice helped. The room broke into movement. Monica adjusted Heather. Lyric stepped back. Sadie moved aside and Elijah crouched next to Heather. Before he could blur away, Sadie touched his arm. “It won’t make her worse?”

  “Possibly. But she’ll be alive. And safe.” So much emotion burned in his stare. How could he look at her like that—as though her every wish was his deepest desire to fulfill—and not love her?

  He waited. At last, Sadie nodded.

  Heather and he disappeared.

  Not a second passed and Monica was on her feet. “We need to prepare.”

  Lyric jerked his head at the door. “First, she needs food.”

  “By she you mean me, right?” Sadie asked. “I don’t think we have time to stop and eat.”

  “We have plenty of time. Elijah is being Elijah. Crusoe
has your cousin, remember? There’s no need to come racing back for you when we’ll come to him, is there? Trust me, we’re safe as kittens.”

  “We know why he wants you,” Monica said. “We have the upper hand.”

  Then why did she feel the opposite? Why was she gauging her energy levels every few moments, waiting for the moment she could transport? Why did she worry Elijah would come back too late?

  ~ ~ ~

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Mere hours had passed since Crusoe transported Holly away. At any moment, he could transport back and steal Sadie. But Sadie refused to go. Lyric and Monica’s arguments were too sound to her. Elijah itched to leave. Once he got his strength and distracted Lyric, he would take Sadie away, no matter how pissed she got after.

  “She’s getting the hang of it,” Monica said to his left.

  Elijah nodded, his attention absorbed in Lyric’s movements, in Sadie’s novice responses. “A handful of days of training won’t matter if he comes for her.”

  “You are a real pessimist, you know that?”

  “It’s true. Call it what you like, we need to relocate. We need to find Jen.”

  “Meaning you need to take her away from here. Alone. Or have you changed your mind about our advantage here, or about Lyric and me coming with you?”

  Elijah ground his teeth. The late afternoon sunlight through the tall windows lit every muscular curve of Sadie’s legs as she leapt into the air and kicked Lyric. His stomach tightened. Again, unbidden, the image of her lying prone, clutching her head, Crusoe above her, smashed through his concentration.

  “We won’t lose contact. She and I can cloak a trace together while you and Lyric create a false trail. He won’t hurt Jen because he really wants Sadie.” If not for Sadie’s flat refusal, they’d be gone by now. If he could convince Monica, or Lyric, maybe Sadie would listen to reason. He wouldn’t force her. Yet. But the moment he sensed danger….“Don’t you see? I can protect her. You two can track Holly and Crusoe.”

  “This isn’t up to me, Elijah. It’s up to her. It’s her family in jeopardy.”

  “Exactly. Every minute we stay, we are wasting time and putting Jen’s life in danger.”

  Monica clucked her tongue and shrugged. Elijah exhaled loudly. This was useless. He didn’t want to, but Sadie wasn’t leaving him much choice. How furious would she be if—when—he simply took her?

  Her anger couldn’t be worse than her cool indifference. Maybe he’d turn off the ice and light some fire. Was that what held him checked? Fearing his tenuous resolve would evaporate if she turned any sort of ardor his way?

  Coward.

  Lyric came at her faster than before. Sadie sidestepped and tripped him. She was growing accustomed to her wings, learning how to use them to maneuver her body and create a new balance. Watching her took his breath away.

  Imagining being alone with her sent ripples through his wings.

  Sadie lit to the ground and Lyric dropped his battle stance. A break. Elijah was next with her. Another ripple ran through him.

  “Mon ami,” Lyric said, gesturing to Sadie grandly.

  Elijah shook off his anticipation, walking to the center of the floor to await her first move.

  From the room’s edge he could hear Lyric and Monica talking, but couldn’t make out the words. Only their conspiratorial hum. They were on Sadie’s side. He had to wonder how much they knew about what Sadie and he had shared.

  Sadie didn’t look him in the eye. Instead, she closed hers, seemingly preparing herself, a thing she only did with him. She sparred differently with him as well, taking great care to avoid him rather than attack. She didn’t want to touch him?

  Elijah followed her lead, wrestling down the urge to be easy on her. To keep her safe, he had to push her limits. Once he got them away from here, she would need to defend herself as if he wasn’t there to help.

  She spun upward, quite fast. Elijah shot upward as well, watching her body, reading her intentions in the flex of a muscle and flick of her gaze. He met her strike with a block, sending her backward, nearly into the wall above the carved marble fireplace mantel. A few feet lower, a measure harder and she might have struck her head. Elijah backed off, waited for her to come again.

  “Take your time,” he said.

  Sadie tipped her head and narrowed her eyes. The light caught the bare lines of her neck. Desire shivered through him. She licked her lips. He swallowed and attacked. Sadie dropped and tucked out of his way, sending him hurtling against the wall. She’d intentionally flirted with him to distract him!

  Suppressing a deep grin, Elijah came at her with equal force, spinning at her feet, knocking them under her. She lost her balance and fell into his waiting arms. She gasped, landed on his weight, their bodies suspended horizontally. Her scent enveloped his senses, making him groan. Days of pent up attraction broke free.

  From the edge, Lyric cleared his throat. Sadie pushed away but Elijah held tighter. This was his chance and feeling her body struggling against his only encouraged what he wanted. Her, alone. “Forgive me,” he whispered.

  Sadie fell still and met his gaze. “No!”

  But it was too late.

  He’d propelled them to the only place he knew he could keep her safe, the only place he’d decided Crusoe would not search. Too far for her to go back on her own. Gently, he set her on her feet. A brisk wind assaulted his face. He hardly noticed. All he saw was Sadie. Her eyes rounding, fury burning in them, so angry she couldn’t seem to speak.

  Sadie released a shaky breath and for a second, Elijah thought she would slap him. Or try to transport herself back to the safe house. He’d already considered she might, though. If he took her unwillingly, and he did, he had only one weapon in his arsenal. Kissing her. He didn’t want to manipulate her, however, so he banked on the location unsettling her confidence in transporting.

  “Where are we?” she demanded and stepped out of his arms.

  Elijah kept hold of her arm, though, the cliff edge too close for his comfort.“Bryce Canyon.”

  Sadie balked, glancing about, but didn’t yank her arm free. Snow flurries fell through the silent air. One melted in her hair. Elijah eyed her every move, ready to stop her if she tried to flee. So long as he kept close, maintained physical contact, she shouldn’t be able to leave him.

  “It’s freezing, Elijah. Couldn’t you have kidnapped me to someplace warm?”

  He smiled. By the sound of it, her irritation with him was surmountable. “This is the safest place I could think of. Crusoe won’t believe I would ever come back here. Plus, Holly’s powers would be diminished in the cold.”

  Her teeth chattered. “I think ours will be, too.”

  “Will you give me your word you’ll stay?” Something lit her eyes. Had he given her the idea he’d tried to avoid altogether? “Don’t transport. It’s too big a distance. Wait and give me the chance to explain why I brought you here and help decide what to do next.”

  “Will you get something to keep me warm?” she asked, arms hugging herself.

  “If you promise.” Her mouth scrunched up. He resisted tightening his hold on her arms. “There are things I need to say to you. Will you allow me that much time, at least?”

  Just perceptibly, she nodded. He let go.

  “Hurry,” she said, facing the canyon.

  He wished he could see her face as she took in the majestic snow capped scene of craggy rock and steep hill. What lay before them had always moved him. Did it move her, too? It had been too long since he’d been back. Shaking off the past, he stretched his wings and left her, keeping the image of her wind swept hair, the elegant sweep of her wing line and shoulders, close.

  He took the excuse of leaving for food and supplies gladly before emotion choked out his resolve and he bared his heart to her. Too much else had to be done first. Rescuing Sadie’s cousin, foremost.

  Unfortunately, he completed his tasks too efficiently. Transporting steaming hot pizza, shelter in the form of a
tent laden with downy sleeping bags and space heaters, even a bottle of wine, took too little time and effort. Sadie kept her attention away from him. He looked for signs he’d pleased her with his creative solutions.

  Not even a single eyebrow quirk.

  Instead, she snuggled into a blanket, ate the pizza, drank the wine. He followed suit, unsure what he should say, where to begin. His world had turned inside out. He’d lost Crusoe and Holly. All their centuries together felt like a lie. How could he never have seen or sensed their true natures?

  How could he ever trust his own judgment again?

  Rather than allow himself to be consumed in the stab of betrayal, Elijah gave in to being consumed with Sadie. Her nearness filled a void he’d grown accustomed to. So accustomed he would never have guessed it existed. How had he lived with such a gaping hole inside and never noticed it? Seeing her again, having her alone with him now, crumbled all his remaining walls of denial.

  “What now?” she asked, wiping a napkin over her mouth.

  He exhaled slowly. “Now, we decide how to get Jen back.”

  “Will he hurt her?”

  He hated the quaver in her voice, the way she swallowed after each sentence. Was he the reason? Or was it Jen? “No. He needs her. If they believe your mother’s journals contain code, decipherable or not, Holly knows you’ll come for her.”

  “Lyric wouldn’t tell me. Will you?”

  “Tell you what?”

  “What is the Book of Sorrows exactly?” Her gaze pierced him. The determination burning there struck him. “Why are my mother’s journals linked to it?”

  “I can’t say that they are. I haven’t seen the journals.” What he would do to erase that frown. “The Book of Sorrows is a sort of code. Immortal code. Mortals have the Bible, they have folklore and fairytales carried from generation to generation. We have the Book of Sorrows.” Her frown receded and interest lit her features, encouraging him. “Imagine Nostradamus’ prophecies were real and they were handed down for thousands of years, through a line of prophets that translated the predictions. The collection would be similar to what the Book of Sorrows is.”