From The Falls (The Falls Trilogy Book 2)

by Heather Renee

  “I put the box with the dagger in my bag,” I said slowly. “Let me grab it and I will give it you. This dagger is not worth my friend’s life.”

  “HA!” he laughed. “If you only knew, you idiotic girl. Hurry up! I don’t have all day.”

  I called on my Arelia ability to make sure I had enough water energy around me and I was good to go. A plan was forming in my head and Lucas and Strix both agreed it was the best option.

  I placed my bag down and opened it up while I faced away from the Elf. I opened the lid, let the dagger fall deeper into my bag, and quickly closed the lid again. I brought the box to the Elf. He was going to have to set the knife down to open the box and then I could set my plan in motion.

  I set the box down on the ground and stepped back to where the others stood, waiting for his next move.

  “I want all of you to back up a little further,” the Elf growled. “No funny business. I will not hesitate to kill your friend.”

  Ryan let out a grunt and Oliver strained to keep him in place. Elf-man needed to hurry up and drop the knife before all hell broke loose in here and I couldn’t execute my plan.

  Lela hadn’t moved an inch or even let a squeak out. I was proud of her. She trusted us to get her out of this unharmed and that was going to make this a hell of a lot easier.

  Once we had all backed up a few more feet, the Elf slowly dropped his hand with the knife. He whispered something into Lela’s ear that I couldn’t hear. He must have put the fear of God in her, because she went completely stiff and didn’t move a millimeter when the Elf bent down to get the box.

  Lucas nodded to me and I called on the water around us. As soon as the Elf bent down and touched the box, I froze him in place. Before the water could reach his face, he had tilted his head up and opened his mouth. His mouth made a circle and he looked hysterical bent over with that face.

  Ryan ran toward Lela, swept her into his arms, and held her so tightly she began to cough from not enough air coming in. Lela glanced at me over his shoulder and said thanks, but before I could respond, the king came back.

  “What in the hell is going on in here?” King Alistair stood at the door with his arms crossed, not looking the least bit happy.

  “One of your guards attacked us and wanted the dagger,” Lorelle answered with a little bit of attitude that I was quite proud of. “Would you know anything about that?”

  His face lost a bit of the anger it originally held. “I had no clue. I promise I will handle him. He won’t be able to harm anyone ever again.”

  Well, that wasn’t the apology I was hoping for, but I planned on leaving this level of the Otherworld immediately and never coming back, so I didn’t care.

  “We appreciate the dagger, but I think our welcome has expired,” Lorelle said. “If you have those items, that would be helpful, but we won’t be waiting around for them.”

  “Understandable.” The King nodded. “Let me have someone come to detain him and I will see you out.”

  He called to the guards outside. Two of them came in and took away the crazy Elf without another word. I laughed a little when they got a look at their frozen friend. They had a hard time carrying him, but they eventually managed to remove him. The King and a few others led the way back to the main part of town. We made sure to follow behind, so none of the guards were at our backs this time.

  A small female Elf came running up to the King with bags. He took them and turned to Lorelle. “These are the items you requested.”

  “Thank you.” She took the extra bags and passed them to Kane and Ryan. “I think we can find our way from here. I wish this had been a more a pleasant visit, King Alistair.”

  He nodded. “As do I. Safe travels and good luck.”

  ***

  We made it out of the forest and back into the clearing where we had first seen the Elves. We gathered around in a group and tried to figure out a plan, but we weren’t getting very far.

  Lela and Ryan didn’t hang around long. They walked off to have a few moments together. Understandable since she just had a knife dangerously close to slicing her neck open. Thank the Fates that was over quickly.

  “Don’t forget your book,” Strix said to me mentally.

  Duh! I hadn’t had to use it in so long, it was easy to forget the Fates had told Lorelle and me to check our books for updates. “Thank you.”

  I set my bag on the ground and dug through it until I found the book. I swept my hand across the leather cover and briefly recalled the first time I was handed the book. That seemed so much longer than just a year ago. Lucas eyed me curiously, but didn’t say anything as I opened the book.

  I flipped through several pages until I found the most recent ones. There were two of them. Probably would have helped to check the book sooner. The first spoke of a traitor among the Elves and that we shouldn’t trust the King’s guards. The Fates had that one right. The next would help resolve our current problem of not knowing where to go next.

  We are glad to see you all made it out of the Elves territory unharmed. Now you are wondering where to go to next. The Elves are on the third level of the Otherworld. There isn’t anything else there besides the Elves. You’ll need to port to the second level and find anyone willing to offer you shelter for the night. You have plenty to barter with, so it should be no problem.

  The girl has reached the eighth level and will soon be to Cassius. The Parias that took her is having a hard time controlling Jenna’s body, which is slowing them down. She is strong, but she will not be strong enough to withstand Cassius.

  Travel fast, stay alert, and blend in with your surroundings as much as possible.

  Remember, we believe in you. You must believe in yourself and those around you.

  I wasn’t sure if I found that helpful or not, but it was all we had, so I was going to go with it. I relayed the information to the others and they were feeling the same embarrassment I did for not remembering to check our books.

  “Everyone needs to have a weapon out at all times,” Lucas said. “We should be paired up with our Merakis with Lorelle in the middle.” Lorelle rolled her eyes and was going to say something, but Lucas went on. “Yes, Lorelle. I realize you could probably kick most of our asses, but it would make me feel better. Just give me this one thing.”

  Lorelle smiled and agreed. I think she actually liked that Lucas was looking out for her. She probably hadn’t had anyone do that for her in a long time.

  “Well, who’s ready to go face the unknown and hopefully not get turned into vampires?” I asked with a laugh.

  Tiana shook her head at me. “Not funny at all.”

  Lorelle handed each of us a small bag before we left. “You each have a few gold and silver coins as well as some rare stones. If we get separated for any reason, use those to barter with. If necessary, use anything you have on you to barter with, but the items in the pouch will hopefully do the job for any of the supernatural beings we come across.”

  I yawned for the first time since we got here and realized I had no idea what time it was or when we might be able to rest. We would need to find some sort of shelter and recharge before we faced Cassius or we’d be useless when it came time for the battle.

  “Anyone know how long we’ve been in the Otherworld?” I asked.

  Lorelle pulled out an old watch from her bag and glanced at it, “We’ve been here for around eight hours. It’s about three in the afternoon in Arvata. Your body will feel like we’ve been here longer with the shift in time on each level, though. We will rest as soon as we can find somewhere in the next level.”

  “Will it be safe to stop and rest?” Lela asked.

  “As long as we choose a smart place where nobody can sneak up on us, yes. We will be fine. I would suggest staying here, but everything is too open. There is no good place for us to stay without leaving us vulnerable from several directions.”

  We gathered up our belongings and paired up. Ready or not, we were about to go where the creatures most
of us never believed could be real, existed. I sent a prayer up to the Fates that we’d all make it out of this together and in one piece.

  We ported right in front of several beings who were fair-skinned, extremely beautiful, and very angry looking. Crap. Guess my prayers didn’t travel fast enough.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  The one on the end took a deep breath and sniffed the air. “What do we have here?”

  His voice was smooth like honey and I wanted to lap it up. What the hell? No, I didn’t. I had no idea where that thought just came from and glanced at Lucas. He smiled at me.

  “That’s part of their draw,” he said mentally. “It’s how they lure their victims in. Don’t worry, though. I’m not jealous.”

  Lucas winked at me and turned his attention back to the vampires. I couldn’t believe he just joked about something like that, especially when we were standing right in front of said vampires! He could be such a brat sometimes.

  “I’m not sure, boss,” the middle one said. “I smell Guardians and a couple other things I can’t identify. Should we taste them and see if we can figure it out?”

  “Hell no, you shouldn’t!” Jordan spat out.

  The one on the end, the boss, quirked his brow. “Oh, really? And why is that?”

  “Because then you’d get your ass kicked. We came here peacefully, and we’d like to leave the same way.”

  The boss chuckled, “I like you, you’ve got spunk. I’ll tell you what. We will only taste one of you and then you can be on your way.”

  Before I could blink, my hand was yanked from Lucas’s and I was in the arms of the boss vampire, his teeth way too close for comfort to my throat.

  Lucas let out growl, but stayed in place. “I can’t attack first, my love. Just stay calm. The more fear you put off, the more you’ll entice him,” Lucas said mentally.

  I couldn’t even reply. I was frozen solid in fear. I knew Lucas told me to be calm, but there was no way in hell that was happening. A flash of white caught my attention and I flicked my eyes to the left. Strix was perched up in a tree and watching.

  “You’re going to be okay, Kaliah,” Strix consoled. “We won’t let anything happen to you.”

  “Puncture her skin the slightest bit and you’re not going to like the consequences,” Lucas stated. “Maybe we have something else you’d be interested in.”

  I really hoped these vampires wanted to barter. I had no desire to be someone’s snack tonight.

  “What could possibly be better than the power I feel from this one?” the boss indicated to me. “She is special. I can smell it.”

  He dragged his nose down my neck, while taking another whiff of me. My body betrayed my mind and I leaned into him and whimpered. This could not be happening! My mind knew this was bad, very bad, but my body needed this vampire’s touch. It craved for more.

  “LUCAS!” I cried out mentally. “Make this stop somehow.”

  My eyes were closed and I felt like I was being pulled in two. I had never felt so much confusion. If I hadn’t been bonded to Lucas, I had no doubt I would have gone willing and done anything for this vampire.

  “What about a mage’s blood?” Lorelle asked.

  The vampire lifted his head from my neck and I was irrationally annoyed that he could possibly want something other than me. I was seriously losing it.

  “That’s the rarest type of blood out there,” he replied. “How much blood are we talking?”

  Cheese and rice! I just realized what Lorelle was offering. I wouldn’t let her sacrifice herself for me.

  “I have six small jars,” Lorelle said. “There are only three of you, so divide them how you will. As soon as you let the girl go, I will hand over all six.”

  I heard the vampire inhale sharply and he let out a hum of contentment. “I can smell it now. You have it masked well, but not good enough to hide from me. You have much more than six small jars.”

  Lorelle rolled her eyes, “Don’t make this more difficult than it needs to be. I am happy to hand over what I’ve offered, but if you don’t accept, then we will leave here now and let Cassius take over down here. I doubt that would be good for your kind.”

  He let out an angry hiss and his hold on me tightened. “Don’t threaten me, woman.”

  “I was simply stating a fact. On this level, you’re currently at the top of your food chain. If we don’t move along and get to Cassius quickly, all of that will change for you and you know it.”

  Lorelle knew her stuff and she was pretty badass when she wanted to be. I, on the other hand, was still ridiculously drawn to the disgusting bloodsucker that didn’t want to let go of me. I was going to need several scalding hot showers when this was over.

  I glanced at Lucas and his body was rigid. His fists were clenched at his sides and his jaw was locked tight. I could see a twitch in his cheek. If Lorelle didn’t wrap this up soon, Lucas was going to do it for her.

  “Why do you want to stop Cassius?” the vampire asked.

  “Oh, come on Cian!” the vampire at the other end complained. “Why not just end them and take what we want? Cassius won’t be able to stop us.”

  Cian, the vampire who was holding on to me, switched me to the other side and turned to the vampire who questioned him. I couldn’t see Cian’s face, but I could see the other vampire’s face and he was about ready to pee his pants out of fear.

  Cian reached out, grabbed the vampire by the neck, and raised him off the ground with only one hand. “Are you questioning me?” Cian seethed.

  The vampire gurgled as he struggled to breathe and stuttered, “Of c-c-course not.” Cian loosened his grip some and the vampire took a gulp of air. “I’m sorry, Cian. I didn’t mean to step out of line.”

  The bloodsucker was vibrating with fear. I would have been too, if my traitorous body wasn’t enjoying every minute of being captured by this vampire.

  Cian threw the vampire to the ground and turned back to Lorelle. “As I was asking, why do you even care what Cassius does?”

  “He has someone who belongs to us and we don’t intend to let Cassius torture her. She’s also the key to him getting out of his imprisonment. If we get there soon enough, he won’t get the chance to use the girl. Plus, we aren’t uncaring assholes like some people. We actually care if someone is trying to take over the Otherworld and Earth.”

  Jordan was definitely rubbing off on Lorelle and I loved everything about it.

  “Will you stop smiling and moaning?” Lucas snapped in my head.

  “I thought you weren’t the jealous type, darling. I’ll do my best, though. Maybe you guys could hurry this along and I wouldn’t have to be wrapped up in another man’s arms.”

  Lucas didn’t reply back, but rolled his eyes and let out a growl. I gave it two minutes’ tops before Lorelle lost control over the situation and my Merakis testosterone took over.

  “We will take your deal,” Cian said, surprising me. “I want one jar of blood before I hand over the girl to make sure you’re not lying, though.”

  Lorelle nodded and pulled a single jar from her bag. She started to walk it over to Cian, but Lucas stopped her. He didn’t say a word, just stuck his hand out and waited for Lorelle to give him the jar. She smiled and shook her head. I thought I heard her mumble something about stubborn, overprotective men, but I couldn’t be certain.

  Lucas walked over to us quickly and held out the jar for Cian. I could feel the excitement bubbling out of Cian. He wanted this blood bad. I was once again moved to the side of Cian, but he still held on tightly with one arm. He snatched the blood from Lucas and ripped the top off with his teeth before quickly downing the jar without spilling a single drop of it.

  Cian’s body shivered and he purred like a kitten. He threw me to Lucas and grunted out for more. Lucas walked me back to our group and Lorelle walked the rest of the jars to Cian.

  “We shall leave you in peace this time,” Cian said. “Don’t expect the same courtesy twice.”

  I blinked
once and they were gone. The power he had held on me finally broke, and I lost it. Lucas held me while I hyperventilated and tried not to cry in front of everyone. Thank the Fates I had been in some sort of trance while the vampire held me, because under normal circumstances, I would have been a basket case much sooner.

  “It’s okay, love. I have you. We’re going to be just fine,” Lucas whispered sweetly as he gently held me.

  The rage Lucas felt was loud and clear through our bond, but he poured as much love as he could over me. I soaked it all up and regained my composure a few minutes later.

  Jordan came over to me and hugged me next, but it was an awkward hug, because Lucas wouldn’t let go of me either. I didn’t complain because I didn’t want him to.

  “I’ll give you a few days to cope with what just happened to you,” Jordan stated. “Just know that the jokes about you rubbing up against a vampire will be coming eventually.”

  “Too soon, Jordan,” Lucas growled and I patted his chest. I knew Jordan meant well. She was always trying to lighten the mood and I couldn’t fault her for that.

  She held her hands up and backed away. “So, what now?”

  Strix came swooping down and landed on my shoulder. “I found shelter and it’s close by. I went in and made sure it was clear, but we need to hurry. Those weren’t the only creatures out tonight.”

  My body was wracked with shivers. I relayed the message and we were immediately on our way. I prayed to the Fates we’d make it to the shelter without interruption this time.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  We made it to the shelter Strix found in record time. We were all huddled together in the dark cavernous cave. The temperature was starting to drop, and I was a little worried about freezing to death out here. Lucas was kind enough to let me know he’d share his body heat with me which caused me to smile and shake my head. I was glad he was making jokes, because I knew how angry he still was about the whole “vampire holding me hostage” thing. To be honest, I was still having a hard time wrapping my mind around it.