Symbiosis (Scintillate Series Book 2)

by Karen Tjebben

  Alex grabbed my waist and tried to pull me down, but I fought against him and focused on the beads. I gathered them in my mind, merged them into one, and sent it sailing into the atmosphere. “I’m still not impressed,” I said. “Beads are nothing but children’s toys. Take off your ring and we’ll make this a fair fight.”

  “My lady, I am honored. It appears that the rumors are true.” Daevas touched his chest with his claws. “Fighting you would be a true honor. You have the genes of two species, like all Asteri, yet your power comes from another Asteri. You are truly an anomaly.”

  “You’ve heard wrong. I’m no anomaly. I’m just a girl who believes in doing the right thing.”

  “I think we define right differently.” Daevas chuckled lightly to himself. “I think it would be right to tear into your flesh, rip out your heart, and feast on it.” He stroked the ring and ran a claw over the shimmering jewel.

  “I look forward to your attempt,” I said. “It will make it that much easier for me to do the right thing. Kill you.”

  Daevas threw back his head and laughed. “I like your spirit. You do have spunk.” He waved a long curved claw in my direction. “You remind me of someone.” He stroked his chin. “I remember now.” Daevas smiled and his red pupils grew larger as he looked at us. “Sarah. The Reapers brought me a little morsel of her heart. She was tasty.” He smacked his lips together.

  The color drained from Alex and his fingers twitched at his sides. I felt the anger and pain wash off his body as he stood frozen, staring at Daevas.

  “Oh, that’s right. Sarah was special to you, wasn’t she?” Daevas said to Alex. “I wonder if her kisses were as sweet as her flesh. Perhaps they were sweeter? Please, do tell?”

  “Killing you will be the sweetest pleasure of all,” Alex said.

  “Will you eat my flesh?” Daevas teased and brought his fingers up to his mouth. “For revenge?”

  “No. I will feed you to the cerberi,” Alex said. “They aren’t picky. Perhaps their greedy stomachs will kill them when they feast upon your foul flesh.”

  “Ah, yes. But first you must kill me,” Daevas said. “And that will be difficult to do as long as I wear Vires.” He twisted the ring around his finger. “I do love this little trinket, but this conversation grows tiresome. So I must say that it is time to see you ripped to shreds.” Daevas looked at his army. “Soldiers, enjoy yourselves,” he said with a dismissive flick of his wrist.

  The monsters raced towards us. Alex pulled a knife from its sheath while I pulled a lighter from the bag on my waist. The lighter clicked softly as my thumb ran over the metal starter and an orange flame came to life. I held the flame close to my lips and blew. The flame grew and matched the heat that grew inside me. The flame spread before me, similar to the power that surged through my veins. As I looked into the eyes of each attacker, the fire consumed them; they exploded into flames and their bodies disintegrated. As I quickly killed them, one-by-one, they slowed in their advance until at last the final two ran off into the woods.

  Alex stared at me, his eyes full of wonder. “Where did you learn to do that?”

  I shrugged. “The thought came to me, so I tried it.”

  “Sarah could do that. She studied the art of fire.”

  “Well that explains it. Come on! We can’t let them escape,” I said. We followed the two monsters into the woods and left Daevas on the field. As long as he wore Vires, there was nothing we could do to him.

  Twigs and leaves cracked and crunched under our footsteps. The monsters’ tracks were easy to follow because they left broken tree branches and footsteps in the soft mud. We raced along, closing in on them until I crashed into the dirt. Branches poked into my back and legs as I rolled down a jagged hill. My head spun and the world shifted as a weight collapsed on top of me. Screams filled my ears and pain shot through my scalp. Nothing made sense as pain overwhelmed my brain and a rough, wet stripe lashed across my cheek.

  “Pretty, pretty,” the Dolum hissed. He flicked and dragged his tongue across my cheek again. The smell of his breath churned my stomach. As I’d fallen, I’d dropped the lighter. I groped along the ground for it, but to no avail. He pinned me at my shoulders and my head was still a mess. I couldn’t focus enough to throw him. I tried focusing on the tattoos that covered his body in order to get my brain to work properly, but he wrapped his fingers through my hair and pounded my head into the ground again. Bright lights dazzled behind my eyelids as the pain ricocheted through my skull.

  Alex screamed in the distance, but I couldn’t see him. He kept yelling, but nothing he said made sense. There was so much confusion and pain that I couldn’t focus on anything. All I sensed was that Alex couldn’t help me, and I had no idea if he needed my help. I fought through the fear and the pain and felt the heat radiate from my necklace and into my core. As my eyes focused, the pain and ringing in my head dissipated.

  The Dolum waved an ancient knife in front of me. “Does this scare you?” he said, slowly dragging the cold metal down my arm.

  I nodded my head in submission. The Dolum smiled, his eyes sparkled as a he slowly dragged the blade towards my neck.

  I pulled the energy that coursed through my body into a tight ball and threw it at him. He catapulted through the air and hit a tree. The knife fell to the ground beside him. I stalked towards him. Fear rolled from him and soured the air as I effortlessly held him to the tree. “Now to drown your blade in your blood,” I said. And then the knife flew through the air and the blade plunged into his heart. He gasped and I sensed his energy cease to flow through his body. I held out my hand and the knife handle flew into my palm. I grabbed a clump of moss and wiped his blood from the blade. I found the lighter in the dirt and shoved it into my bag.

  Growls filled the air. Cerberi were close, perhaps fighting Alex right now. I raced in the direction of the growls. The body of a dead Nephilim lay on the ground, but two cerberi stalked Alex, one on each side of him. I reached into my bag, grabbed another fire powder bead and tossed it at the cerberus that was behind Alex. As the bead sailed through the air, I reached into my bag for another bead.

  “Kate!” Alex screamed. I looked, and he lay helplessly on the ground covered in fire powder. The cerberi attacked him. They tore at his flesh and lapped up his blood. His screams were incoherent and overwhelmed me.

  My heart clenched in confusion. The bead was sailing towards the cerberus. How did it explode on Alex?

  An evil laugh bellowed through the woods. Daevas watched from a hillside; his bony finger pointed at Alex. He’d redirected the bead. I willed the cerberi off of Alex and smashed them together. Their yelped as their heads crashed together. Then I drew the cerberi closer and grabbed my lighter.

  “Burn in Hell,” I seethed. The flame caught. I blew and the bodies of the cerberi went up in smoke.

  I ran to Alex. My knees rested in a puddle of blood as I knelt over the body that looked nothing like the man I was beginning to love. His face was distorted, and his flesh was ripped to shreds. He moaned as I hovered over him. I gently tried to knit his shredded flesh together. “Alex,” I whispered, “you’re gonna be okay. I’m gonna fix you.” My heart pounded as I realized how badly hurt he was. I’d never healed someone before, but I hoped that Sarah’s power would rise in me and give me the ability to save him. She gave up her life for him. Surely she’d summon her power in order to save him again.

  The gash along his forehead oozed blood, so I slowly dragged my hand across it. The gash knit together so that not even a seam remained. Warmth spread through my hands, and as I shared that heat with his face, his cuts sealed shut and his bruises receded. His face began to resemble the man that looked at me with desire and hope.

  My stomach churned as I examined his chest. His flesh was torn away and I could see his insides. His organs were damaged and leaking blood. Healing the outer flesh would do no good. I had to heal his inner wounds also. I wiped away a tear with my shoulder and then placed my hand inside his belly.
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br />   “Kate…,” Alex whispered.

  “Shhh! Save your energy.” The warmth of his blood oozed between my fingers and melted my soul. I finally realized how selfish I’d been. Being an Asteri required sacrifice. And sacrifice is an absolute necessity if one wants true love. He’d waited so patiently, never pressuring me, and always protecting me. His every action towards me demonstrated sacrifice. He sacrificed his own desires for my benefit. How long had he waited for me? How many centuries had he anticipated my birth? I wasn’t ready for him to die. This wasn’t how we were going to end.

  “Daevas,” he mumbled. He inhaled, wincing as his chest expanded. “Get safe.” His fingers twitched along the ground.

  I looked to the hillside where I’d last seen Daevas. “He’s gone.” I sniffled and tried to keep the snot from trailing out of my nose.

  “Find Nick.”

  “No! There isn’t time.” His soft tissue squished under my hands as I searched for the wound, but it did no good. I couldn’t see a thing; too much blood pooled in his abdomen. Panic started to pulse through me. What if I couldn’t save him? I continued to search, but blood blocked my view.

  A thunderous crackling sound filled the forest. His eyes fluttered and then closed. I stiffened and looked over my shoulder. It sounded as if trees were breaking in two and collapsing against each other. The ground began to quiver and shake.

  “Something’s… coming,” Alex whispered. “Run. Can’t protect you.” His cold hands weakly pushed at me.

  “I’m not leaving you.” How could he think I’d leave? The ground quaked under us. The trees shook. “I’m so sorry,” I gasped, and the tears streamed down my face. “I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you.” I swiped my arm across my nose and looked at my trembling, blood-stained hands. Instantly I realized how foolish I’d been to think that death could be clean. It’s never perfect. Death’s roots twine within our souls and haunt us forever. There is no escape from the horrors that we see. “Please, Alex, don’t die.” My vision blurred through my tears. His skin was pale, and he didn’t open his eyes. “This can’t be the last image I have of you.” I pressed my lips to his forehead. The shaking grew stronger, and the crackling grew louder.

  “It’s big. Run,” his voice barely audible.

  “No.” I tried to fight back the tears. I couldn’t leave him to suffer whatever miserable death this beast would give him. He didn’t deserve that. I had to be strong. Shouldn’t that be easy for me? But I didn’t feel strong. I felt weak. Too weak to accept my destiny. Too weak to kill Daevas. Too weak to heal Alex. And now Alex was suffering for my weaknesses. But that was going to change, because I was strong. I had Sarah’s power coursing through my veins.

  A tremendous roar filled the air. Flocks of birds flew from the trees. Their wings beat and they squawked as they escaped the oncoming beast.

  “I have to hurry,” I moved my hands frantically over Alex’s body. I went back to healing his outer wounds. Perhaps if I could stem the blood loss then I could move him and help increase his chances for survival. “We’ll make a run for it.” I pressed against his ribs and felt them mend as the skin sealed shut.

  Before us, the trees and shrubs shattered as a giant creature cleared a pathway. The ground shook as giant tree trunks crashed to the ground. The source of the destruction landed in front of us. A gigantic griffin beat his powerful wings and blew a breeze over our bodies. Goose bumps broke out along my skin and the tiny hairs on my body stood upright. I wasn’t sure if I shivered from the breeze or from awe. The griffin let out a bellowing squawk. I covered Alex’s ears protectively with my hands and pressed our faces together. This griffin was much larger than the first one I’d seen.

  The griffin purred as he approached us. Then he pressed his curved beak against my shoulder. I clung to Alex and locked my fingers tight around his neck, but the griffin purred a little louder and nudged me.

  “Okay,” Alex whispered. “Griffins good.”

  I cradled his head in my lap. “I’m not leaving you.”

  The griffin pushed me harder with his beak and separated me from Alex. He nudged me again and pushed me farther away. Then he softly squawked and spread his wings over Alex’s body. Are all griffins good? What if he’s not what he seems? My stomach twisted and acid rose in my throat. I couldn’t see what the griffin was doing to Alex. The griffin made soft mewling noises as he covered Alex with his wings. His head bobbed up and down. What was his beak doing to Alex?

  The next thing I knew, the griffin approached me. He brought his eagle head close to mine and quickly tapped his beak together. That razor sharp beak mesmerized me as it clicked out a message.

  I stared in awe as the griffin took off, skimming through the trees and shaving off branches with his mighty wings. I replayed the griffin’s message in my mind. Had he really said that? Was it possible?

  I crawled along the leaves and dirt towards Alex, pondering the message. The ramifications would change everything. We wouldn’t be able to stay here. We would have to leave. How would I make my exit?

  Alex lay on the ground, his bloody body healed. He moaned and sighed as he sat up.

  I ran my hand along his back for support. “Hey, take it easy,” I said. He leaned against me. “How do you feel? Does this hurt?” I pressed my hand into his abdomen.

  Alex took a few deep breaths and gave me a crooked smile. “I’m okay. The griffin saved me.” He placed his hand on my cheek and his thumb cupped my chin. “You should have left. You put yourself in danger.”

  I shook my head. “I was never in danger. Griffins are helpers of the innocent, remember?”

  “You didn’t know it was a griffin.”

  “Maybe my faith is returning.”

  Nick broke through the trees and stared at the blood soaked ground. “Are you two okay? What happened?”

  “We lost control of the situation for a moment, but everything is fine now,” I said.

  Alex gripped my hand. “What did the griffin say to you?”

  I looked at Nick. I knew this information would turn his world upside-down. I stood up and chewed my bottom lip. Once I said these words, everything would change. “Hayden is alive.”

  Nick held up his finger to stop me. The color drained from his face as he processed the words. His eyebrows narrowed and he took a deep breath. “The griffin told you that? Are you sure that’s what he said?”

  I slowly nodded. “Yes, I’m sure. Daevas knows where she is. We have to find him.”

  Nick shook his head and shifted his weight. “But she has no glow?”

  I shrugged “I don’t know how. I just know that Hayden is alive.”

  Thanks for reading Symbiosis.

  I hope you enjoyed this book as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please consider posting a review on Amazon and Goodreads. Your support makes a huge difference.

  The final book in the Scintillate series is Synchronicity. It is available at Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Karen-Tjebben/e/B00F1VIJKQ

  About the Author

  Karen Tjebben lives in central North Carolina with her encouraging and supportive husband, twin daughters, and two hamsters. When her girls left for kindergarten, Karen discovered that she needed to fill her days with something, and that was the beginning of her writing career. She loves to create worlds filled with unique creatures that she hopes will delight and raise goose bumps on her readers. In her free time, she enjoys traveling with her husband and seeing the world through her daughters’ eyes.

  You can find Karen at:

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