“What do you mean? Isn’t the R’mannev unrequited? She’s sick.” Lisrn stares at my neck, confused.
“Not exactly.” Enteax walks up to me. He grabs my face and forces my head to the side. “Her R’mann claimed her. His teeth marks are still fresh in that pretty, juicy skin. Right where his mark is. White, silver, and blue. There is no doubt.”
“What?” Evesse screams, her voice cracking with fury. Her eyes land on my neck.
“You’re right.” Lisrn smiles deliriously. “This is perfect. She’s the one, then. Not the ex-queen.”
Enteax nods. “Tell me, do you think he’ll survive the guilt of knowing we took you? That we made every one of your last seconds sheer hell before destroying you?”
Evesse renews her struggles. “Get the fuck away from her!”
I spit in his face. “I’m not the one he loves, so do whatever you want. It will all end the same anyway.”
“Now that’s where you’re wrong . . . or in supreme denial. Or maybe just ignorant. That bite wouldn’t be on your neck if Salicyar didn’t want you. He might have already begun mating to you, and I’m going to make sure you die.”
I shake my head, seconds away from denying it when something Vedlyl said to me a few days ago pricks my memory.
They only desire blood when they want to mate.
But no . . . it can’t be. It just can’t. Dyletri can’t be mated to me.
Can he?
“This is fucking perfect.” Lisrn freaking giggles. “If Dyletri is mated to her and we let her be sacrificed . . . fuck. What are the odds that Mavrak is mated to this one, too?”
“Mavrak?” Evesse asks, at the same time I say, “Why do you need to take both of us? Why not just kill me instead?”
Lisrn speaks first. “That’s Zeniel’s first form. Big monster, that one. Physically, he always looked better than us, but internally? Indiscriminate punisher. Not even the children were safe.”
Enteax steps closer to me. “You’re being sacrificed to the Universe, girl. And I’m pretty sure that Salicyar is going to end up dying with you.”
My thoughts race with disbelief and fear.
Not because I’m going to die. Oh no. Because I’m praying that Fate isn’t so cruel. That Dyletri isn’t mated to me.
Please, no. Please, no. Please.
But I know in the end that Fate can indeed be that cruel.
CHAPTER 24
1 day and 11 hours later.
ISMINI
“I ss, can you hear me? Ismini . . . for fuck’s sake, open your eyes, girl.”
I hear a groan, and it takes me two seconds to realize it came from me. Groaning again, I roll onto my side and end up with my face pressed into stone. Gritty, painful stone. “Fuck.”
“Yeah. Wrong way, smartness.”
Eve helps me turn over onto my back. I blink, my lids feeling heavier than the stone I’m lying on.
“You’re getting paler. Even though it’s dark in here, I can tell.”
Eve comes into focus, her worried face right above me.
“Ah, shit,” I curse, everything coming back in a rush.
“Yup.” Evesse holds her hand out, slowly helping me into a sitting position. “I was starting to think you were in a coma or something.”
I clutch my stomach, looking around and trying to ignore how everything dips and spins. We’re in some sort of cave. One dimly illuminated by a yellow glow that seems to have no actual source. “Where the fuck—”
“There’s no way out. I already checked. And if you get too close to the walls, that dark energy, or whatever the fuck it is, attacks.”
I turn to Evesse. “They threw us in here?”
“Apparently. I was knocked out, too. Woke up way before you did, though.”
And just like that, my world dissolves into panic. “You shouldn’t be here. They’re only supposed to sacrifice me.”
Evesse’s jaw twitches. “No one is doing anything to you. I’m not going to allow it.”
“And how do you plan on stopping them? They’re obviously more powerful than we are.”
“Only because of that dark energy shit. We just gotta find an opening. Wait ‘til they aren’t using it. Everyone slips up eventually, and we didn’t get these powers for nothing.”
That’s Evesse. Always ready to fight. I would love to believe it’ll be so easy, but with every second that passes, I’m getting weaker.
And it isn’t because of whatever Enteax and Lisrn used to subdue us. The R’mannev is spreading within me, attacking my cells en masse.
Even if it’s not unrequited anymore, it’s still throwing a massive fit because it wants more of Dyletri.
It wants him to drink my blood.
Another wave of lightheadedness comes over me, and I almost double over.
“Jesus. That mating shit is no joke, huh?”
I nod at Eve, unable to say anything as my throat convulses. God, not more vomiting.
“This is bullshit. But I’m sure they’ll search for us. They’ll find us.”
“I have to be sacrificed, Eve. Even if they do find us, I . . . I need you to accept that if I don’t die, the Fates will hurt a lot of innocent people.” I gaze up at my best friend. “We need to worry about you getting out of here. That’s it.”
“Bullshit. That is the most fucked-up thing I’ve ever heard. You’ve never done anything to anyone. You’re one of the most amazing people I know. So you have to die because it’s destined—”
“And because now it’s promised, and no one has a choice over it—”
“Again, bullshit. And I . . .”
Eve trails off. A familiar and stubborn expression crosses her face.
I grab on to her arm and force Eve to look at me. “You what?”
She sighs. “Why did I have that dream if I have no future?”
She’s referring to the dream. Nylicia must have shown her Zeniel and the portal. The portal Evesse obviously walked through. “Because you do have a future. I’m the only one that is meant to die.”
“I don’t want you to fucking die!”
The words bounce off the cave walls around us, echoing back at us. I fight back tears as I stare into Eve’s furious, watery eyes. “Eve, please . . .”
Air blasts us. Both of us turn, eyes landing on the beige-skinned freak with the red hair. He stands before us, a smile on his fuck-ugly face.
“Hello, there.”
Eve tries to fling herself at him, but I hold her back. Something about the way he’s staring at us makes it very clear to me what’s on his mind.
Lisrn sneers at me, his eyes raking over me. “You . . . I can’t touch. You’ll fucking die on me right here.” He turns that hungry stare on Evesse. “But you . . .”
I pull Eve against me and force both of us back. She keeps fighting to get at him.
“I want to see you try.” Eve growls and manages to break my hold.
“Eve, damn it. No!”
Something about my voice gets through to Evesse. Her eyes dart between me and Lisrn. “You’re not touching me. Or her. Period. Do you fucking understand? Come near one of us and I’ll feed you your cock.”
Evesse’s warning only seems to excite Lisrn. He hums, running his tongue across his teeth. “I’m going to enjoy taming you. When I’m done with you, there will be no fight left in you. Hell, you might even beg me for more.”
“Never,” Evesse and I say as one.
Lisrn moves towards us, his sword hissing out of its sheath. His left hand is wrapped around a semiautomatic.
He’s not as sure about “taming” us as he’s making it seem. His weapons are proof that he knows we can cause him some serious harm.
I step in front of Evesse, adrenaline spiking and pushing past my weakness. “Forget feeding you your dick. You touch my friend and I’ll make you watch me cut it up piece by piece.”
“Now you’re just making me want you more.”
“Oh my God, I’m gonna shove my foot through his teeth.” E
ve shields me like I was shielding her.
Lisrn smiles wider, his expression morphing into something that resembles lust. “And I’m going to shove my—”
Another gust of wind overtakes the cavern, this one powerful enough to push us both a step back.
“Lisrn, what the fuck are you doing?”
Lisrn throws his head back and groans. “Stop being such a pussy. There’s no fucking reason I can’t have the black-haired one.”
Enteax storms around him, his completely light-blue eyes narrowed and black teeth bared. “Don’t go there. Just don’t. You don’t need to rape her—”
“Why the hell do you care?”
Enteax gets in Lisrn’s face, his own transforming with rage. “We’re doing what we have to do for power. How does raping her fit into that?”
“You said it—power. Not to mention she’s hot. I see no reason why I can’t have her. I will ask one more time, why the—”
“We have orders to leave them untouched,” Enteax says through his teeth.
“Unless you say something, how would anyone know?”
A voice echoes through the cavern. “I will. And, frankly, I’m starting to get infuriated that you would even think of defying my orders.”
My head whips around to find the woman who spoke.
There’s no one here but the two freaks who stiffen, almost as if waiting for an attack.
“You have your orders. The one that belongs to Lust must die. Kill the other one, too. It’ll hurt Tranquility. But under no circumstances are you to rape either of them. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes, Mistress.” Enteax glares at Lisrn.
“I wasn’t talking to you, Enteax. Your partner is the one with an authority issue.”
The fear on Lisrn’s face tells me all I need to know. Whoever this female is, she’s obviously in charge of the two dumb-fucks keeping us hostage.
“Mistress, you did make it clear. I just don’t understand—”
“I will never condone you raping a female, Lisrn. If you have an issue with that, perhaps I should tie you down and let the females do what they threatened.”
“Yeah, you should,” Eve says.
The woman they call “Mistress” speaks up again. “I’m still waiting, Lisrn. Do you or do you not understand?”
Lisrn sheaths his sword and puts down his gun. His expression’s furious, but he stares at the ground, almost as if afraid that his mistress will see his face. “I do.”
“Good. Now get them to the vortex. It’s almost time. Oh, and if you disobey my orders, Lisrn, don’t think I won’t know. I know everything you two do.”
“I fucking told you,” Enteax hisses, slipping a small, odd gun out of the holster he’s wearing.
“Let her go. You don’t need her.”
“Ismini, shut up!” Eve stares at me, furious.
Why doesn’t she understand that I’m the one meant to die, not her?
Lisrn stands back, watching Enteax approach us with a scary glint in his all -blue eyes.
“Both of you are coming. Those are the orders.” Enteax aims the gun at Eve, and with a hiss, more of that dark energy shoots out. Evesse arches on impact, a cry ripped out of her.
I shoot forward, intent on catching her, but I don’t make it a foot before Enteax turns the gun on me.
CHAPTER 25
11 hours and 45 minutes later.
– Earth. Boynton Canyon. Sedona, AZ. (USA)
ISMINI
W e awake in the back of a minivan, held to the walls by that black energy. The longer we stay in contact with it, the more it weakens us.
Considering I’m inching closer and closer to death, I’m starting to doubt I’ll be able to hold on long enough to make it to the sacrifice point.
“Your mark is huge,” Eve tells me.
I know it is. I felt it burning a path through my skin as it spread. And when I look down at my wrists, I see that the veins beneath the skin have begun to blacken.
Whatever powers Nylicia gave us are now gone; no doubt because of the putrid energy that’s slowly poisoning us.
The minivan rattles as it makes its way down the highway. My sacrifice was to occur inside an energy vortex in Sedona. It’s a place full of so much pure energy that, according to Thing One and Thing Two in the front seat, we could only teleport within ten miles of it. After that, it was good, old-fashioned travel.
Evesse shakes her head. “Fucking energy vortexes are real too! I can’t freaking believe this.”
I lean my head back, fighting exhaustion. “It makes sense when you think of it. Those areas are said to have a huge concentration of energy. Native Americans would use them as prayer sites because of that.”
“Yeah, I guess. They say even regular people can feel the energy there. At least that’s what I’ve heard.”
I nod.
Eve motions with her head towards the two assholes in the front of the van. “Any idea who the mystery voice that ordered these ugly ass fuckers to leave us alone was?”
Lisrn calls out to us from the driver’s seat. “We can fucking hear you, human! Watch it or I’ll forget those orders.”
“Don’t let her goad you. She likes that,” Enteax says from the passenger seat. He has earphones in and is busy watching The Vampire Diaries on his tablet.
Look at that. Even the pieces of shit animals in the Universe have a use for technology and Netflix.
“How sweet. You’ve taken the time to get to know me.” Eve’s voice drips with poison.
I’m still curious about their boss. Whoever she is, she has no problem with seeing us killed, but she does have an issue with either of us being sexually abused beforehand.
Oh, yay. Somebody anoint her for sainthood.
I turn my head in Eve’s direction, fighting back tears. “I’m so sorry. I dragged you into this.”
“Shut up. I’m doing my job as your friend, and I do believe Nylicia would say this was destined. Everything happens for a reason. And I’d rather be here with you than with anyone else, even if it means we’re going to die together. If Soleria was here, she’d tell you the same thing.”
I feel unworthy of so much loyalty. Blinking, I look at the floor of the minivan. The only way I can imagine this working out is if I’m the only one who gets hurt. If I can somehow get Evesse the fuck out of here, and if, impossible as it now seems, Dyletri’s heart belongs to Dimithinia.
Nylicia. Please. Please hear me. Save her. Please. And . . . if Dyletri is mated to me, then save me. Don’t let either of them get hurt. Please.
The vehicle stops suddenly, throwing Eve and I against the energy field. Our captors exit, walk around to the back doors, and throw them open.
“We should’ve materialized at least a little bit closer instead of driving this piece of shit like a regular mortal.”
“And help Hunt find us?” Lisrn asks. “He’d lock on our energy signatures in a heartbeat.”
“He’s going to find us anyway if we don’t hurry the fuck up. That asshole can find anyone, anywhere.” Enteax turns away from Lisrn and smiles at us. “All right, pretty ones. Time to meet your destiny.”
Beyond them, I see nothing but open land.
We’re deep in the desert. The stars and moon light up the nighttime sky, and huge mountain formations dot the dry landscape.
“You don’t need her.” I know they want to hurt Zeniel, and therefore convincing them to leave Eve alone is impossible, but I have to try. “Just let her go.”
“No. Don’t think so. I think I’m going to have a piece of that anyway.” Lisrn wills us out of the minivan. We’re dragged behind them as they begin walking.
“Lisrn, we have orders—”
“No, Enteax. I don’t give a fuck what Ver—”
“Watch your mouth!”
We come to a stop at the foot of one of the mountains.
“They’re going to die anyway!”
“I said shut it!”
Our restraints loosen some. The dark e
nergy must be reacting to the pure energy vibrating in the air.
Eve breaks free and tries to lunge at Lisrn.
He dodges her and slaps her into the side of the mountain with enough force to cause a fissure.
In a split second, he appears behind me, and fists my hair.
Enteax points a sword at Eve’s throat. “Try me, little girl.”
“Now you.” Lisrn shifts behind me and I hear a swish sound—
His blade slides into my chest, right through my heart.
Eve screams my name.
I stare into space, drowning in pain, waiting to die.
But I don’t. Somehow, my heart struggles to continue beating around the steel inside it. Each beat tears my nerves apart.
“Don’t worry. You’re still immortal enough to survive this.” Lisrn licks the shell of my ear, and the R’mannev ignites more pain through my body. “You won’t die until you’re inside that vortex. And when you do, you’ll finally know what true suffering feels like.”
Eve tries once again to attack.
Enteax slides his blade into her throat, choking her with steel and her own blood.
I lock eyes with my best friend. I’m sorry. I love you. I’d save you if I could.
Lisrn starts chanting in a language I don’t understand.
A burst of light illuminates the sky. It taints the air until what looks like a tornado of energy begins to form. Lightning twists and swirls until the air is nothing but a huge roar.
The bottom of the tornado touches the ground feet from us.
Survival instinct bursts to life and I struggle to break free of Lisrn’s hold. My hair tears at the roots as he fists it tighter.
Each movement sends the blade in different directions and it shreds my entire chest apart.
He turns me so I’m facing Eve—
And flings me backwardss into the vortex.
The raw power shreds through my skin. I can’t even yell.
Evesse screams my name, a garbled sound due to the blade tearing apart her throat, and tears stream down her face. She manages to push Enteax off her.
I open my lips to beg her to stop and feel the power around me ripping them off my face.
Eve runs straight to me, her hand out to grab me.
Ryze Series: Books 1 & 2 Page 18