“We can’t just leave them,” she insisted and leaned closer to the crying woman. “It’s okay. We’re here to help.”
The woman glanced up, tears streaming from her dark green eyes. “Please, don’t hurt me!”
“We’re not going to hurt you. We’re friends. I’m–” Elijah growled at her in warning. “Anne,” she opted to use her usual alias.
Kaylan, we came to look for information. Whatever you do, you can’t let them out. By the smell of them he knew they’d only recently been turned and that made them even more dangerous and unpredictable.
Kaylan’s dark eyes flashed. Why not? It’s an Amaranthine’s duty to help the people of this city, and they need our help.
If you let her out, she could kill you, Elijah warned.
Elijah, please. Enough people have died already at Ena’s hands.
Elijah grunted. Why did he have to be so enthralled by this woman? He’d do anything she asked, he couldn’t help it. Not now they were mystically bound to each other. He didn’t know how the bond worked yet, but part of him demanded that he please her. It was going to be a real pain in the arse to deal with.
Fine, I’ll work on them while you look around. He would not let either of the two newly turned shifters hurt her. Elijah glanced at the locks on the cage. They were infused with magic. This would take more than ripping off the door.
He got to work on trying to pry the lock open, using his shifter strength. It didn’t budge. Whatever it was made of prevented his kind from getting out. This would take a while and it may not be time they had to spare.
Kaylan went over to the table and scrambled with the computer just as the sound of footsteps caught Elijah’s attention. Kaylan! he yelled at her in warning, heart pounding.
A glance around the room revealed no way out and no place to hide as the sound of pounding feet drew more and more closer.
Chapter 4
Kaylan, sensing Elijah’s unease, felt someone closing in. She wasn’t sure how she knew but did. She grabbed a disc off the side as she ducked underneath the counter, dragging Elijah with her. Burying her face in his soft fur, she wrapped her arms around him and held her breath.
What about the girl? he asked.
She put her fingers to her lips when the woman glanced over at them and resumed her whimpering. She prayed the woman would be quiet, then maybe whoever was coming would go away. Now what do we do? she said.
Wait.
The sound of footsteps grew louder and someone gasped as they stepped into the lab. Kaylan leapt up and struck the newcomer with a strike to the head. He collapsed to the floor, unconscious.
She gasped. “It’s Flynn. I thought Ena had killed him earlier when they attacked everyone at the stadium.”
She’d need a way to stay close to the Zegan family after all these years.
She dragged Flynn’s body out of the way. “It won’t be long before someone notices he’s missing. I’ll try to break the other shifters out while you look around to see if there’s anything that might help us against Ena.”
Sparks flew from her knife as Kaylan tried to use its power to break open the lock, but nothing happened. She gritted her teeth, raised her hand and blasted it with a fireball. Still the lock refused to budge. “Elijah, it’s not working.”
He yelped as bone and muscle reformed back into his human self. He stretched, trying to get his aching muscles to return to normal. He gritted his teeth as his body readjusted to the change. Kaylan knew it hurt – she could feel it and winced.
“What’s wrong?” he asked her.
“I can feel your pain. Elijah, what did you do to me?” she demanded.
Kaylan, we don’t have time for this.
She scowled, knowing he was right. They had to help the shifters and get out of there before anyone came looking for Flynn, or they’d never escape.
Placing a crystal Sierra had given her on the main computer console, she waited until it glowed orange, then slipped it back into her bag. Maybe it would prove to have something useful in it.
Elijah pulled and battered against the lock. “These were designed so shifters couldn’t break free.”
Kaylan fumbled inside her backpack, looking for anything that might help them, and found another one of Sierra’s devices. It was a small blue crystal which didn’t look like anything special and she wasn’t sure what it did either. Sierra said to only use in dire circumstances and this definitely qualified as dire.
“Stand back,” she told Elijah, placing the device on the lock.
He stared at it, brow creasing. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
She knew he was probably thinking of the time that Geth had almost blown up the entire team and the building they’d been investigating, but they had no other choice. They had to get out of there. Now.
Kaylan raised her hand and formed a ward around the lock. She could only hope it would contain the explosion. She and Elijah ducked back behind the counter. A loud boom reverberated through the room, making the items on the countertop rattle and vibrate.
“I hope no one heard that,” he muttered.
They both rose and saw the cages were now wide open.
Kaylan hurried over to the distressed woman. “Come on, let’s get you out of here.”
The woman had stopped crying now. A golden glow flashed in her eyes as her expression darkened. She flew at Kaylan, fangs protruding and claws emerging. The force of the other woman slammed into her, sending her crashing into the wall. It felt like being hit by a maxi-bus. She winced as she felt her head take the force of impact and braced herself, expecting blackness to consume her as unconsciousness took over. Nothing happened.
Elijah appeared in front of her before Kaylan could blink and had the woman by the throat, yanking her away from Kaylan with a snarl.
She scrambled up, watching as he and the woman snarled and slashed at each other. The woman seemed much stronger than they’d expected as she and Elijah moved in a blur.
Another snarl made Kaylan turn back to stare at the cages. She’d almost forgotten about the other shifter trapped there. He made a lunge for her. She blocked his first blow, then swiped him with a sharp kick to the abdomen. He made a grab for her again, she blocked, kicked and sent him staggering back when she punched him in the face.
Kaylan glanced down at her hand in surprise, shocked by the sudden strength running through her body. Whatever Elijah had done to save her had somehow made her stronger and faster. But she didn’t have time to worry about what that meant just then.
As much as she wanted to help both of the shifters, she knew that would be impossible now. Elijah had warned her how strong the blood lust was in the newly turned. But damn it, there had to be some way to help them! Enough innocent people had died already at the hands of Ena and her twisted experiments.
Elijah, can’t we do something to subdue them? she asked as she dodged her attacker’s next blow and took to the air in an effort to avoid him. The shifter leapt up, trying to grab onto her legs, but she moved out of his way just in time.
I could knock them unconscious, but it wouldn’t last a very long. Shifters have rapid healing abilities. He struggled to hold his assailant back.
Close your eyes, she told him.
Kaylan cried out a spell as she landed. Bright bursts of gold light shimmered around the room as she grabbed Elijah’s hand and dragged him out into the hallway.
He slammed the door shut and twisted the wires on the control panel so they sealed shut. He breathed a sigh of relief. “You should’ve let me kill them. They might be able to track us now.”
Kaylan shook her head, breathing hard. “Let’s just get out of here. We got what we came for.”
They raced down the hall and headed for the staircase when Elijah suddenly grabbed her arm. “I hear footsteps on the floor above,” he told her. “We can’t go back the way we came in. Bugger, there are more shifters outside.”
Her heart beat faster at the thought of having to take on
more of them. “Let’s find a window and I’ll carry you out. Flying is probably our quickest way out of here.”
“You can’t fly very fast when you’re carrying me even in wolf form. Let’s look for another way. There used to be a lot of old passages in this house, didn’t there?”
She did a quick scan of the area, spotted another hallway. “Let’s go this way. It should lead to the old servant’s staircase.”
They sprinted down the hall, passing rows of endless portraits of the High Lords and Ladies who had come before them. She spotted pictures of her father and some of her other ancestors and felt a pang of sadness, but there was no time to ponder the thought.
“Someone is coming,” Elijah hissed.
In a flash, he swept Kaylan off her feet and headed through the nearest doorway. The door creaked shut behind them as the sound of loud footsteps echoed down the corridor.
She blinked, unable to see in the inky darkness. It took a few seconds for her eyes to adjust and she heard Elijah click a lock into place. Though she doubted a lock would do much good against a rage-fuelled shifter.
He grabbed her arm, yanked her close to his chest. Stay close to me. It will make you harder for them to scent.
Kaylan sighed, resting her head against him. They both heard the heavy thud of footsteps as someone passed their hiding spot. She held her breath and clung to Elijah as if holding onto him would somehow conceal them both. His body felt hard and warm. He’d always been strong, but now he was all muscle. Being so close to him made a familiar ache rise in her chest. It felt comforting and agonising at the same time.
Once she’d been able to hug him whenever she liked, but so much had changed. It was confusing for both of them. She knew she still loved him, but was he the same man? No, he’d changed too. They both had. They’d come too far and been through so much since they’d been torn apart. Where did that leave them? Kaylan didn’t know, yet somehow knew they’d find their way back to each other.
She thought back to the kiss they’d shared the day before. Despite the darkness, she knew every curve and crease on his rugged face. She found herself reaching up to brush a stray curl of his forehead.
“I think they’re gone,” he breathed. “Let’s go before–”
Kaylan reached up and captured her mouth with his. This kiss was slow at first, then turned deeper. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he pulled her closer with a groan. Her fingers fisted in his hair as he picked her up, pulling them closer still.
You won’t hurt me, she said, sensing his hesitation and kissed him again.
Chapter 5
Elijah hesitated as Kaylan gave him another dizzying kiss. Part of him wanted nothing more than to lose himself in her again, give into the ever-burning passion that still existed between them, the passion that they both often had to ignore.
She tasted sweet, just as he remembered. Her body felt warm and inviting. With one move he could give into temptation and finally have her as he’d longed to ever since she’d come back into his life again. But another part of him feared what would happen if he gave in. He hadn’t been with anyone since her, hadn’t wanted to. Now he was a shifter he didn’t know if he could be with anyone without hurting them. It felt hard enough just being around people sometimes and having to constantly try to stay in control. If he hurt her, he’d never forgive himself.
You won’t hurt me, she told him.
How he wished that were true.
Reluctantly, he pulled back and let go of her, breathing hard. The beast fought to be free again, to claim what was his.
“What’s wrong?” Kaylan asked, letting out a breath.
“When I saved you, I gave you my blood,” Elijah admitted. “I didn’t know what I was doing – it was instinct, but I think I somehow bound you to me.”
Her eye widened in shock. “Does that mean I’m a shifter too?” she said. “I sensed your emotions earlier – I’ve always been able to do that, but not to that extent. When I fought that male shifter, I felt – stronger than I’ve ever felt before.”
Elijah shook his head. “I don’t know what any of it means,” he told her. “That's why we can’t – I can’t be with you in that way. Not yet.”
A smile creased her lips, and he realised he’d just said that there might be a future for them after all. “Kaylan, I – I’m not saying I don’t want to be with you. It’s just that we have to be careful. I couldn’t bear it if...” Elijah felt surprised too. He’d been so adamant that they had to stay friends, but they both knew that was impossible. There was too much history between them to ignore their lingering feelings for each other.
“Maybe we should just take things slow for now,” she agreed. “We’ll figure out this bond together.”
His eyebrows rose. “You’re not angry then?”
“I know why you had to do it. If it were me and you’d been dying, I would have done the same thing,” Kaylan said. “But I need you to be honest with me from now on. No more secrets. We’ve been through too much already.”
She was right. He’d done nothing but hide the truth from her since he’d first been turned. Now she knew the truth, he didn’t need to hide his secret anymore.
“Let’s get out of here.” Elijah clutched her hand again and kept his senses alert.
A quick glance around the room revealed it to be a storage cupboard with coats, cleaning supplies and other junk lining the floor. No sign of a window or any other exit in sight.
“Weren’t there secret passages through the house?” Despite not having lived there for over a decade, he remembered sneaking around to see Kaylan during their teenage years through the passages in the house.
“Well-remembered,” she said, raising her hand. A small glowing white orb called a maglight appeared, illuminating the room with a chalky white glow. Kaylan felt around the walls and watched Elijah do the same as she moved the maglight closer to examine the back of the room.
“Turn the light off,” he suggested.
“What? Why?” Kaylan’s brow creased in confusion.
“You’re stronger now we’re bonded. Maybe you’ll have my heightened senses too.”
She extinguished the orb. “What do I need to do?”
He rubbed the back of his head. “I don’t think it’s something that can be taught. It just came to me. Try focusing.”
Kaylan took a deep breath, focusing on the far wall. At first nothing happened, then glowing lines formed into the appearance of a doorway. “I see it!” she exclaimed. “How do we open it?”
“We should be able to open it with a touch. The magic senses someone’s intention, as I recall.” He reached up and touched the old brickwork.
A door creaked open, revealing a long narrow passageway. Crystal torches lined the wall as they hurried down the passageway. Motes of dust blew up in their faces, making Kaylan cough, and the air smelt damp and musty.
The passageway bent and twisted, leading off into separate directions. Elijah took her hand and led her on as if he knew where he was going. She certainly hoped he did.
“Do you know where we’re going?” she asked.
“I think so. The passages don’t just lead through the house, there is an escape route that should lead us out to the underground tunnels.”
They seemed to walk on for miles and the passageway felt never-ending. Kaylan stopped to catch her breath while Elijah carried on walking.
He looked at his porta-crystal hoping the device might show them their exact location, but all it showed him was a blank screen. He wished Sierra had come with them. Strange, they hadn’t heard from either her or Geth since they’d split up earlier that evening.
“Kaylan, I think I’ve found a way out,” Elijah called.
She hurried after him as he pushed open a stone slab aside and gasped when he saw what was on the other side.
Elijah gasped, covering his eyes as a blinding flash of light dazzled him. When he dropped his hand, he blinked several times. “Kaylan?”
Sh
e appeared beside him, breathing hard. “Is it a way – oh!”
The tunnel vanished as they appeared inside a dimly lit room. Cobwebs covered the crumbling grey stone walls. A single flickering orange crystal sent shafts of light around the enclosed space.
He heard Kaylan’s heart pound as her eyes fixed on a large coffin made from gold marble. An enormous symbol of the amaranth flower was engraved at the base. “That’s – why are we here?”
Elijah realised whose coffin it must be and gulped. Edmund. They were inside his tomb.
Kaylan felt around the walls, trying to find a way out. He felt her panic rising.
“Kaylan, we need to stay calm,” he told her.
“Calm?” she said. “We were supposed to be getting out of the mansion. I don’t want to be here! How did we even get here?”
Elijah gripped her shoulders. “Kaylan, we must have been brought here for a reason. Maybe your father knew you would come looking for the book and cast a spell to…”
“My father wouldn’t make it easy for anyone to find the book. This is Ena’s twisted sense of humour. Maybe she knew about the passages too.”
He sighed, knowing nothing would calm her down until they got out of there. Perhaps answers could be found after all. He approached the coffin, searching for the tell-tale scents of magic, of old leather. Anything that might signal the presence of an old tome.
“Kaylan?” Elijah said as she kicked and pushed at the walls. “There’s no body in here.”
She turned, stared at him wide-eyed. “What do you mean? I went to Dad’s funeral. Just because I couldn’t reveal my identity doesn’t mean…” She straightened. “How do you know?”
“I can smell it.” Elijah gripped the edge of the coffin and pulled at it. With a loud groaning, it came free.
Kaylan walked over. Inside it was empty. She breathed a sigh of relief, then frowned. “Where’s my father’s body?”
The Amaranthine Chronicles Complete Series: Betrayed By Blood, Dark Revenge, The Final Battle Page 9