“Brother, please.”
At the soft plea, I couldn’t help the anger. I knew where this was going. Kelu couldn’t hear the truth. She wanted to offer reassurance for the devil. Well, I didn’t want to hear it. Ri would not change his ways. Not even for love.
“Your sister has been where your mate is now. I healed her myself. The dark was not easy for Kelu to face, but she managed. She faced the shadows and we brought back her light. Cara is not too far gone, Atlas.”
“How do you know? She’s human. She is not Paltenian or Dron. And she’s there right now, in the clutches of the vilest bastard I know. She’s not okay,” I stressed. “I could feel it. See it. The mate in me is not wrong. I need her back, and I need her back right now. Make me a portal, Daveed. I know you can do it. If I can’t check on her, I’ll go.”
“Atlas.” My sister surged forward. “You cannot go to Ri. If you appear there without me, he’ll never let you leave. He’ll use you for bait to get to me. He’ll hurt and torture you.”
“He didn’t before.”
Kelu’s stare lowered to the ground.
“No. I guess technically he wouldn’t. Not now.”
“Because you’re mates,” I said dryly. “So I have nothing to lose if I go.”
“Wrong.” Daveed crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes sparkling with something that didn’t look hopeful. “If you go, and he finds out you’re there, you lose your kingdom. Ri, he’ll gain a prisoner. But not just any run-of-the-mill lightbeing. You’ll be a hostage, Atlas. To your sister, to the Dron, through association. To the world, if he so chooses. He’ll hold captive a king. Who more powerful to use as a weapon for light than you, a twin flame who could set the universe on fire?”
At my silence, he continued.
“Right now, he wants his queen. When he sees that’s not going to happen, he’ll have nothing left to lose. The Ri live for revenge. You know this. What better than using Kelu’s own brother against the good she tried instilling in him? He’ll destroy you. First your mind. Then, your body. He could take down cities with your power. What happens when he decides to try to take more, like a planet?”
“I die,” I whispered.
“You die. And he finds another, all the while never giving up on Kelu. Do you see the path this could take? Do you see the beginning of what this could create?”
“Then you kill him.”
“And gain the tie to their kind? No.”
“Then I beg you. Make the portal and allow me. He can’t become such a big threat if I can kill him first.”
“But you won’t,” Kelu said, wiping a tear. “I’m sorry, Atlas, but he’s too powerful. Even for you. And that’s my fault. You can’t go. He’ll capture you if you do. The risk—”
“Is mine to take!” My fingers tore into my hair, knocking the crown from my head. “Do you not understand what I need? I need my mate. I. Want. My. Mate.” I turned to Daveed. “If he captures and tries to use me as a weapon, kill me. No questions. No hesitation. The moment I appear outside of Ri, and he has bad intentions, you have my permission to end my life. I don’t care. I’ve lived with the loss of love already. I won’t do it again when I can change the outcome this time.”
Chapter 30
Cara
Snap. Snap.
I brought down my middle finger to the pad of my thumb, trying to ignore the quivering of my bottom lip when the spark didn’t present itself. I was in a circular room. A connected tower to Ri’s massive bedroom. The tower suite was larger than I’d expected, with mirrors trimmed in gold and silk blankets that made me sneeze from dust. It spoke of another world. Another time that had my blood turning cold. I had a vision of the woman who had inhabited this room. The dead Ri queen’s scent still lingered in the air. How, I wasn’t sure, since she’d died so many years ago. But the sweet perfume drifted along the shadows, sneaking up on me when I least expected it. I had looked over my shoulder more than once in the days I had spent roaming the space. Maybe I expected to see someone. Maybe I wasn’t as alone as I felt. It was hard to tell with only one small lantern giving off light.
Snap.
Snap.
“I’m so much more open now. Come on. Just.” Snap. “Light up.” Snap. “Turn to flame.”
What sounded like footsteps had me sitting up in the bed. Faster, my fingers snapped, but they were already so numb from all the effort.
“Hello?”
At the silence, I swallowed back the fear of ghosts and monsters. I was a grown damn woman. Ri had me protected so it wasn’t the living I was afraid of. A fear was growing inside of me that I couldn’t ignore. It left me anxiety-ridden for the unknown. The dark. I felt different, like I didn’t even know who I was anymore. Like the Cara who used to collect plant samples, who fought cancer and won, who loved her friends and her simple life was gone. Did she ever exist? Was I even alive right now?
My hands lifted, and I gazed at the discoloration of my fingertips. The sight only added to the ball that sat in the pit of my stomach. I felt sick at what was happening. At how this had all turned out. The color hadn’t spread, but that didn’t mean it wouldn’t.
Snap. Snap.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
I jerked the covers closer at the returning footsteps. The sneeze was immediate, prolonging my need to call out.
“Who’s there? I know someone is in this room. Hello? You better answer me, or I’m going to scream.”
“Do not speak. Not out loud. He may hear you.”
At the low female’s tone, I leaned forward, searching the shadows for whoever was close by.
“Who are you? What are you doing here?”
“No-no-no. Shhh. I feel him. Even your thoughts are not safe. Do not respond to me. Close your eyes. You must not see.”
“See what? Who…I know you.”
“Don’t think of what is happening. Close your eyes, Cara. Imagine snow. There’s something you must know.”
“Snow?”
It wasn’t a question to the woman, but more of a thought as I obeyed and pictured specks of white falling from the sky. Winter was coming back at home. It would snow, and Dean would bitch the moment the smallest speck fell from the sky. I used to laugh at his grumpiness for winter. Now, all I felt was sadness for the friend I would never see again.
“Good. Just like that,” words whispered in my ear. “I shouldn’t be here, but I fear if I didn’t come, the repercussions could be far worse. Your love will come for you, Cara. He’ll find a way, and Ri will find him. I’ve seen them face off. Atlas does not live. You must leave before that happens. There is a chance you may die. That is risk a queen must take for her people and her king. Say nothing,” the voice rushed out, cutting off my thoughts. “Think nothing but snow. Of leaves falling. Feel sadness. He’ll believe that.”
Closer, the voice grew, until I swore a breath brushed my neck.
“Outside the castle, a quarter of a mile to the north, there are three large boulders. You must get between them. Where they’ll take you, I do not know. Run. Even when you appear to your location, run. The moment you call to Atlas, he will hear you. He will come.”
“But—”
“Nothing. I can hold your mate for three more days. That’s all I can give you to escape, sister. Three days. Please don’t risk my brother’s life by waiting longer. We need him more than you know. I need him.”
My eyes flew open. I expected to see Kelu next to me, but there was nothing but shadows. The door flew open, and Ri’s suspicious eyes scanned over me in the bed.
“Did you say something?”
“No.” My lips parted as he stepped in, looking around the room. “Can I have more light? I can’t sleep.”
“It’s morning. I wouldn’t expect you to.”
“Morning? Can you open one of the windows then? I’d like to look out, if I can.”
“You cannot.” Ri moved toward one of the sealed arch windows, tapping on the metal surface. “It’s too dangerous for a human to
be exposed this high up. There are grouls in these parts.”
“Grouls?”
“That’s right. Deadly birds. They’d peck your eyes out while you slept. Then, of course, there are the wailers.”
“What’s that?”
Ri smiled at my uneven voice.
“Little creatures, no higher than your waist. Beautiful fairy-sorts. Their voices have the power to immobilize their prey. It’s quite captivating. Like a deadly, little lullaby. That is, until they have you under control. Hence, the wailing. Most of those they capture experience getting eaten alive. I’ve heard some stories you wouldn’t believe. Sometimes, if you listen carefully, you can hear their shrill cries of joy as they feed.”
“They’re outside?”
“That’s right. They live underground, waiting for their next victim to come by. That’s why you won’t find any Ri outside the castle walls. They know better.”
I swallowed back Kelu’s words, trying my best not to think of them.
“Is there anything else out there?”
Ri studied my face for what felt like forever. Did he know I was trying to get more information out of him so I could try to escape? I was almost sure of it.
“So many scary things. Does someone need a bedtime story? Is that why you can’t sleep?”
“Bedti…these are not stories I’d want to hear before bed. I’m just wondering. I thought the Ri were the only ones at this place.”
“Humans are curious beings. And very bad liars. I’ll have your food brought up, and then tell you a bedtime story. You should sleep better on a full stomach.”
“I don’t want to sleep. I don’t want food. I just want…” My eyes closed at my sudden spark of anger. There was a softness to Ri because of our connection. Our darkness. I could feel it in the form of comfort as he sat on the edge of the bed.
“I know what you want. I feel it, Ina. You long for Atlas and your home.”
“I’d do anything to be back there. To wake up to my annoying alarm clock and know it’s time to go to work. To have a normal life. To have Atlas be a part of that.”
Ri’s head cocked to the side.
“You’d give up a crown for human life?”
“In this dream, I would,” I whispered. “In this dream, I’d wake up with Atlas at my side. We’d have coffee and donuts. We’d go to work, all the while, texting each other how we can’t wait to be home so we can be back together. The happiness. The familiarity—”
“Boring,” Ri said, cutting me off. “You can’t believe Atlas would be happy in that dream. He is a king. He was born to lead. It’s what he knows and wants. I don’t care what he tells you. I know him, just as I know you. We’re all tied, remember? Let that life go. Even you can’t believe you’d be happier there than here.”
“Here? You’re kidding me. I hate it here. It’s hot and dark. I want sun. I want a fucking coffee. I want my friends.” Tears burned my eyes. “Do you have friends?”
Ri threw me a look.
“Friends can’t be trusted.”
“Says who? You? Why am I not surprised you’d think that?”
“Because it’s true.”
“You’re wrong. Friends are wonderful to have. They’re like family. Sometimes better. I once had this cousin. Well, I supposed I still have her, but we haven’t talked in years. Anyway, if you had the friends I have, you wouldn’t be so quick to push them away.”
“Allies,” Ri said, standing. “Those are all I need.”
“Do you have any you trust?”
At the silence, I crawled from the bed. A thrumming warmth in my chest led me toward the reptilian king. Colors fixed around him, an aura just as dark as his gray skin. But it wasn’t our connection that had me going to him. It was my light. It wanted so strongly to help him. To be there for the man who never experienced good.
“I guess I am a little hungry. Would you like to eat with me?”
Ri glanced at the long white nightgown I wore. It was so big, it hung from me and trailed on the floor. When he pulled at the waist, my cheeks heated.
“So modest and good.” A pause. “There’s already whispers about you being up here with me, so I suppose I should make up for the damaged I’ve caused. My anger was high due to the circumstances. And I gave my people the wrong impression when you first got here. I couldn’t think. Without light…without her.” His head bowed as he grimaced. “The Ri do not disrespect our women. You’re part of us, Cara. You are becoming us. Seeing Kelu, and then your hands…it won’t happen again. One way or another, I will marry a Paltenian queen. The way things are looking, that queen may very well be you.”
Chapter 31
Atlas
Exhaustion settled in as I paced the hall outside Lu’s bedroom. The sun hadn’t even risen, and I couldn’t wait a moment longer. Daveed spoke of a pink or purple mist coming in the form of an energy wave for ascension, and so far, nothing. I didn’t have much longer to wait. I needed to see Cara before it hit. It was the only way I could calm the warrior in me. My mate was going crazy waiting for this fasting period to pass. And there was nothing I could do to speed it up. Without Daveed or Kelu, making a portal was impossible. Kelu said she’d be ready in three more days. I wasn’t sure I could wait that long, but what choice did I have? None. Lu was my bridge to Cara, and I had to take advantage of that while I could.
“Lu?”
I rapped on the door, debating whether I should head in or wait. Something told me not to enter. I did anyway, throwing the door open as a woman with cat-like features jerked herself to a sitting position, pulling the covers up to her neck. Lu lifted his head, letting it fall back to the pillow when he saw me.
“Oh, hell. I can move in the middle, I guess. Whatever. I just fell asleep.”
“I need you.”
“Atlas,” he groaned. “Come get in the bed. You can hold my hand while I sleep.”
“I will not.” I paused, watching the woman fade out. Within a blink, she was gone completely. I shut the door, heading for the bottom of his bed. “Who was that? Did you mate her? How’d she get in here?”
A smile came to Lu’s face, even though his eyes were closed. “She’s Lyran. Eight-D. She can go anywhere she pleases. She’s taller than me, but oh so fine. And no, Lyran’s don’t mate.”
“What do you mean, they don’t mate?”
One eye peeked open. “They mate, as in sex, but they don’t bond when they do. It’s amazing. Different girl every night if I want. They like me,” he said, closing his eyes, but still smiling. “They call me—”
“No. I don’t want to know this.”
Both eyes opened as he sat up. “Don’t you even want to know how I came across them?”
“Does it affect the throne?”
“…no.”
“Then, no. Right now, I want to check on Cara. The mist hasn’t come yet. We still have time.”
“I don’t think so. What if you didn’t see it?”
I paused. “I would’ve. I’ve been awake the entire time.”
“Daveed said that didn’t matter. Not everyone would.”
“I’m fifth density.”
“So?” Lu yawned, scratching his beard. “Your density doesn’t matter.”
“How do you know?
“Because I think I saw it.”
“You saw the mist?”
“Maybe.”
A growl rumbled up my throat. “What do you mean, maybe?”
“I was sort of busy. I wasn’t really paying attention to some barely visible pink smoke. Besides, I blinked, and it was gone. I don’t think we should risk it.”
“Do you feel anything?”
Lu’s features drew in as his hand went to his stomach. “I did drink quite a bit last night. My stomach does sort of hurt.”
I rolled my eyes, wincing at the dull headache taking over. It’d been there for hours, slowly getting worse. But it was stress. Lack of sleep. I was wound so tight over Cara, I couldn’t stop my body from staying tense.
“There was no mist. I would have witnessed it. Let me see your hand. Just a few minutes so I can check on her. We’ll have our walls up as high as we can. Ri won’t even know we’re there.”
“I don’t know, Atlas. My stomach. It really doesn’t feel good.”
Even as he said it, his hand came out. I didn’t wait as I withdrew the dagger and made the smallest incision. Lu’s lips tightened through the pain, but he remained quiet as I poked the blade into my own palm. The prick sent blood bubbling up, and I immediately connected my wound with Lu’s. Voices clouded my mind, a soft gasp I knew all too well as colors spun to form in front of me.
“What is this witchcraft?”
“You’re hurting me,” Cara bit out. “I haven’t done anything.”
“My king would not dine with the likes of a Paltenian traitor.” The white-haired Ri woman spat on the ground, snarling at Cara as she jerked the laces to the dress tighter. “You’ve done some sort of spell. What ritual did you perform for him to take you to his bed? Was it a love spell, witch? I know you used enchantments to stay in the tower.”
“I’m sick of this. I did nothing. Let go of those laces or you’re going to wish you did.”
At Cara’s jerk, a large wooden door opened to the side. Ri entered, his skin darker gray than it had been before. Although his eyes were still pale yellow, I could tell the light was already wearing off.
“Is there a problem here?”
The woman’s face flashed with anger as she looked between the two. “The traitor queen has bewitched you, Sire.”
“Is that what you believe, Beth?”
“There’s no other explanation. She wore the black galla. She stays in the queen’s chamber. Her blood should be painting the walls.” Yellow eyes held nothing but murder. “Please allow me to honor you in such a way, my king.”
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