Kellan pulled up beside her on Aquila. “We may be the only ones to get through, Isa. You realize what we’re up against, don’t you?”
“Yeah, I know. Did you try opening a portal to the castle?”
“Did, but I didn’t get anywhere. The way the residents of the Water Realm are talking, no one can get in. Some can leave, but not all.”
“I’ll find a way, even if it’s only me,” she vowed.
“You won’t be alone,” Kellan promised.
Zoe held tighter to Kellan and kissed his shoulder. “If I can follow, I’ll be there.”
Chapter 14
Toryn woke to a cackle. He tried to jerk away as the voice came closer. Pain pushed at the bones in his wrists and near his ankles. More pain ripped through his pelvis, and his collarbone felt like it might snap. He was stretched out, something driven through his body at each of those points, pinning him in place.
He sucked in a breath and glared into the crazed emerald eyes.
Saressa cooed, “I couldn’t have you then, and I can’t have you now. Instead, I’ll ruin you so she can’t have you either.”
“Doesn’t matter what you do. She’ll still have me.”
“Wouldn’t be too sure. If I break you bad enough you’re useless, she’ll get bored and seek a man who can please her.”
“Shall I begin?” a deep, dark voice asked.
The Arachnian king. The stuff of nightmares.
Damha rose up over him, standing to his right. “I want to taste his blood once more.”
Fear trailed through Toryn. How the fuck did he mean taste him?
“Be my guest. Remember, no pleasure. Pure pain.”
Damha tore Toryn’s shirt and leaned down, sinking his fangs into Toryn’s belly.
His muscles spasmed as venom pumped into him. Pain spread as the fucker drank deep, pulling on his blood.
Toryn clenched his jaw, fighting back any other reaction because every jerk of muscle pulled at his pinned limbs.
Damha’s fangs receded, and his coarse tongue swept over the punctures. Pain flared and Toryn fought back a guttural scream.
His insides churned, burning, flinching. The venom couldn’t control him, but it made his stomach sour.
“Told you he found a way to block your bond. Have to admire his courage. Though that won’t last.”
There was a ratcheting sound and his arms and legs were yanked further.
“Let me tighten the bonds,” Damha hissed, moving over him, working the Arachnian silk tighter around every point near whatever they’d staked through Toryn’s body.
The bonds were constricting, nearly crushing. He panted to keep the screams at bay.
Gray spots floated through his vision.
I’m coming, Toryn. Fight it. Whatever the fuck they’re doing, fight it. I’ll be there.
A smile pulled at his lips as his eyes fluttered shut. His whole reason for living. This isn’t going to be pretty, Princess. I’m going to be a mess by the time you get here.
She pushed strength at him. I’ll make them pay.
More cranking and stretching. He let the scream out in his head.
Sorry, love. I can’t concentrate if you’re awake.
Peace flooded him, drowning out the pain as wet pops echoed in the room. Before more pain could hit, he went out like a light.
* * * *
Isa gripped Alenathos’ scales as he flew lower, down the mountain, toward the Water Realm’s Dark Forest. Those fuckers had dislocated so many places on Toryn’s body she wasn’t sure why he hadn’t passed out on his own.
A dull ache still throbbed through her shoulders, her wrists, her hips, her chest, her ankles. He had to be in bad shape. She felt the joints pop out.
“Breathe, Isa,” Alenathos murmured.
“You try feeling what that bitch and her monster are doing to Toryn, and tell me to breathe.”
“Don’t imagine it’s anything good.”
“How much farther?”
“Depends on how she’s blocked off the borde—” He made a shrill sound as he dodged a firebolt, then a spear caught Alenathos through the wing and he careened to the right, tumbling through the trees.
She threw a shield around them, hoping to absorb most of the damage, and dispersed into air, following him down.
He landed in a heap with a cry of pain.
Isa reformed beside him and reached for his wing. “Don’t. You can’t heal me the way you heal Toryn. I need one of my own to help, or Jayde, but then she may remove some talent I need to help you finish Saressa.”
“Shit, okay. Is there another way I can help?”
Fuerah landed beside them. Xander and Preston hopped off the dragon as she shifted back to her human form.
Fuerah knelt beside Alenathos. “I’ll heal Alenathos. We’ll catch up.”
Alenathos groaned. “Not sure anyone but Isa and Kellan will get through the wards. Where are Aquila and Ororo?”
“Coming, but they were held up by the hydra.”
“One?” Isa asked.
“A dozen or more,” Fuerah answered. “They should be able to handle them. Go. We won’t be long.”
“We’re coming,” Preston said.
“Until you can’t,” Isa corrected and headed in the direction she felt Toryn.
“Isa, have any clue where you’re going?” Alenathos asked as Fuerah moved behind him and gripped the damaged wing. A pained howl left his lips.
“I can track him. I have some idea. Find me when you’re whole. Otherwise, I’ll tear apart the entire Water Realm until I have my husband back.”
Xander snorted. “Too bad you’re so completely mated. You’re the type of woman I’ve been searching for.”
Preston laughed out loud. “Don’t tell Toryn that.”
“Oh, he knows how men think. He knows she’s a fantasy most men shall never have.”
Rolling her eyes, she continued down the valley, toward the dark trees.
“Shit, the trees are moving,” Preston stated.
“No one said you had to come,” Isa snapped. She was done waiting. Alenathos was done for the moment, and she had a feeling she was making the next part of the journey alone.
Preston’s chest puffed out. “You know why I’m here. I have as much right to be as you do.”
Isa closed her eyes. “You’re right. Sorry.”
“Don’t, I get it. Now let’s figure this out,” Preston stated.
The wards hummed, and a wall of shimmering light flickered in front of her. Taking a breath, she shielded herself and stepped past the magic.
Preston cursed and slammed his hands against the transparent wall with a sizzle.
She turned back. “I’ll find a way to bring it down. Don’t worry about me. Unless you want a portal back to the Castle of the Sky, but I’m not waiting for backup. They’ll be too late. Toryn’s in bad shape now.”
He nodded, a grim expression on his face. “Then don’t waste time. I’ll try to find a way through before then.”
“My first priority is Toryn.” Isa turned and ran across a fallen tree, down into a gulley, and out of sight of everyone else.
Training with Leon had really paid off. He’d been training her in Parkour, and she saw just enough to know the whole forest was one giant obstacle course.
If you could see me now, my knight.
She didn’t dare push her voice louder. She needed him asleep because if he woke up in that much pain he might just cripple her. Though once she made it to the castle, he might be able to guide her. There were four dungeons, and she suspected he might be on a rack. Kellan showed her two.
And as much as he wanted to help, she wasn’t sure she wanted him there when she slaughtered his mother.
* * * *
Saressa paced the halls. Her son drew closer with every moment. Isa was even closer.
What’s Kellan doing?
Helping?
Hin
dering?
Coming for revenge?
The boy was clever. Perhaps he’d finally severed all ties to her. It would have been the wise choice since he’d abandoned her already. In hindsight, she couldn’t blame him. He chose love over her twice.
The first was unrequited. She’d sent him to kill Jayde, and even when she chose another man, he protected her, and the man Saressa had claimed, but wasn’t meant for.
And when Kellan let Jayde go, he found Zoe, who was his true mate.
During all that, she found her true mate. It was a sick, twisted bond she wished to sever.
Her thoughts turned back to her son. Hadn’t she given Kellan a good life? Did she not prove her love? She’d helped him reclaim his poor excuse for a mate.
A harpy. A cursed, wretched beast. Yet, Zoe had inspired her boy to be more. He was willing to fight for her. Something she should have learned long ago.
Damha hissed in frustration. “Someone put Toryn under a spell to keep him asleep. I cannot break it.”
Saressa looked up, her brow arching. “Must have been Isadora.”
His eyes narrowed. “You won’t allow me to bite Endiscott again?”
She sighed. “I don’t imagine he can rouse Toryn any better than you. Apparently, my niece is bound so thoroughly, she can perform spells on him through their link. Which means we keep him on the rack.”
“What about your enchanted blades? He may be immune to most magic, but not that.”
“True,” Saressa answered. “Though I want him awake. I want her to feel it as I cut into him. We need to find a way to break the spell.”
“Perhaps Scotty will know a way?” Damha suggested. “Or perhaps he can find the answer for us another way.”
“Leave me to my thoughts. I need to prepare for my niece. And possibly my son.”
“Let’s hope he realizes whose side he belongs on. I would hate to have to kill him.” Damha slid into the shadows and scuttled up the stairs.
She closed her eyes and reached for Kellan. He was locked down so well she was repelled physically, slamming into the wall with a thud.
If he truly had turned his back on her, he would pay dearly.
* * * *
Aquila dove below the treetops, and Zoe and Kellan hopped off to search for the beasts. Kellan’s mother had a whole zoo full of various creatures thought to be myth and legend.
They had always existed, but most of the people who had lived to tell the tales had made their way through a portal to this side of the veil without ever realizing it.
How they got back was often a mystery, but seeing as they never fully figured out how they stepped across the veil, it was safe to say someone took them and sent them back.
Kellan pulled the elements to him as he made his way to the first hydra.
All nine heads rose up and spat. He dodged as he pulled out a blade made of flames and swiped through three heads, near the base.
Zoe shifted, wings springing from her back as her feet became talons and her hands claws. Crimson streaked her feathers and hair. The harpy pulled a small tree from the ground and slid the trunk against his blade, setting it on fire before cramming it down the biggest mouth. He sliced off two more heads as the skin bubbled and sizzled, cauterizing them to prevent another head from growing in its place.
One of the heads reached for Zoe, and Kellan cleaved clean through it before taking out two more. Then he severed the last and turned to the next hydra.
He sent a bolt of fire at the two creeping his way. They went up in flames with an awful shout before retreating farther into the woods.
Kellan turned to Aquila. “Check on Isadora. See if you can find them. Hopefully I can catch up to her.”
“And if I can’t go with you?” Zoe asked.
“Do you trust me, love?”
She grinned, landing before him to capture his face. Then she laid one hell of a kiss on him. “Of course I do. Don’t worry about me. I can take care of myself.” Her wings beat, lifting her into the sky to look at their surroundings.
Kellan shouted, “Kick some ass, gorgeous.”
“Oh, I plan on it,” Zoe promised.
Aquila came back. “Alenathos was injured. Fuerah is healing him. Isadora already went through the barrier. However, Alenathos believes he knows a way to bring it down from this side. We may be able to catch up to her if we do that.”
“Go. Do it. I’ll find Isa. I can feel her. I just need to hurry. There are beasts in this damned forest she may not be prepared for.” Kellan took off at a run, heading through the barrier.
“See you soon, Kellan,” Zoe called.
He smiled as he chased after Isadora, hoping his direction wouldn’t get turned around in the mire.
Chapter 15
Hellhounds howled, creatures slithered and hissed. Once upon a time Isa had been terrified of the nightmare beasts. She’d never seen the Dark Woods, but there was no mistake she was in hostile territory.
She’d been running for hours, battled a dozen hellhounds and other creatures she couldn’t identify to save her life. She wasn’t stopping to figure it out either.
Amazingly the hell Leon put her through had built her endurance and Scotty had taught her a few spells to keep her adrenaline up.
She vaulted over a boulder and pulled a mana-blade to slash through the vines reaching for her. The forest wanted to keep her out and she was about two minutes from burning the whole damned thing down.
Saressa’s crazed laugh washed over her. The bitch wanted to play. Oh, she had another thing coming.
“Aw, the bastard bitch looking for her lost love.” The voice was everywhere, but came from nowhere. “Oh, that is so sweet, but I plan to keep him. Toryn has always been my favorite fantasy.”
“Where are you?” Isa demanded.
“Right here, but I don’t think you have what it takes to reclaim your mate.” The canopy of trees opened to show the woman with tangled red hair and shimmering green eyes.
Isa reached up toward the sky, pulling lightning as easily as summoning a spell. She redirected the energy at Saressa. The drake swerved and flew off.
“Oh no, child, this is too much fun to let it end here. Come find me. Let’s see what kind of games you’re willing to play.”
“Toryn, I’m coming!” she promised at the top of her lungs.
Kellan appeared beside Isa with a grunt. “You’ve covered a great deal of distance but could have gone faster as air.”
“Didn’t stop the Lake Monster from attacking me. Whatever it spat at me hurts.”
Kellan grabbed her arm and hissed. “Shit, why didn’t you heal yourself?”
Isa snorted. “Didn’t slow me down.”
His eyes narrowed as he ran his free hand over the sticky burning mess, healing as he went and drawing the toxic spit from her skin. Green ooze rose from the burn and hovered in the air before he threw his hand to the side, flinging it to the ground where it burned through the underbrush.
“Oh,” she muttered.
“Getting yourself killed won’t help Toryn,” Kellan pointed out. “Now let’s move. I don’t want to deal with the cockatrice that lives nearby.”
“You mean the bird-like thing that can turn someone to stone with their gaze?” Isa snorted.
“Or kill you with its breath. No joke,” Kellan added.
“Great.” She started running.
“Follow me, this might be faster.”
She didn’t ask, just dispersed and followed. Hopefully, Alenathos wasn’t too banged up.
* * * *
Toryn woke up screaming as his pelvis was crushed. He looked down to find Damha’s legs wrapped around his hips and between his thighs, pulling his body against the board beneath him.
The agony was worse than anything he’d ever felt and he did his damnedest to block the pain from Isa, who was cursing up a storm in his head.
“Enough,” Saressa hissed, walking in front of him.
His body felt like every joint had been pulled out of socket and pain throbbed up and down his limbs. “My turn.”
The spider legs released him. Blood dripped down his thighs. He didn’t dare look, didn’t dare to think about what he could or couldn’t feel.
It took everything he had to stay conscious and block the agony in his body from leaking through his bond.
Saressa tore his shirt open and brought a blade up to his vision. The etching glowed blue. Fucking thing was cursed.
Toryn glared into Saressa’s eyes. “Isadora will kill you and your mate. I have no doubt in my mind.”
Her lips curled into a smile as she dragged her eyes over his damaged body. He didn’t dare follow her attention.
He was a broken mess. No question. There was so much pain, he couldn’t tell what, if anything, was left whole.
“Too bad I can’t use you. I would take so much pleasure watching ecstasy wash over you, even while your body is destroyed.”
Damha hissed. “You will not touch him, Saressa!”
Toryn’s jaw clenched. At least there was trouble in their fucked-up paradise.
The blade bit into his right pectoral. His skin froze even as she dragged the tip in a curling pattern. Ice traveled through his veins, constricting his muscles as it went. His joints froze and cracked.
Killing the cunt, Isa promised, a viciousness he hadn’t ever heard in her voice.
A laugh escaped Toryn’s lips.
“I’ll keep you alive and carve into your skin until all that’s left is a reminder that I destroyed you.”
Never! Isa hissed. Nothing will change my love for you, Toryn.
“Love you, Princess,” he cried out as the pain dug deeper and blood ran down his chest.
Saressa hissed, pressing her nails into his cheek as she dragged his gaze to hers. “Maybe I’ll just kill you. She can’t put a corpse back together. What good are you broken?” She slapped his crotch and lights sparked through his vision until everything started going gray. “You’ll never produce an heir.”
“I will be a father even if I’m dead,” he spat.
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