Submerge (Apalala Clan Book 3)

by Dzintra Sullivan

  So odds are, she will be fine.

  Always bet on red, right?

  “I would ask if you were Toby, but the resemblance is quite striking,” Elyse said as she leaned on a large rock. She felt bad for having phoned Jenna back and changing the time. She hadn’t wanted the brothers involved when she could end this herself. Confidently, she took on her cousin all by herself. The Aberdeen Cliffs were beautiful, and this afternoon as the sun was setting over the water was no exception. The lowering glow made the green of the grass gleam with an iridescent emerald hue.

  “I’ve been looking for you for a long time, cousin,” Toby said. He stayed a reasonable distance away from her while he paced a few steps slowly to the left, then back to the right. He was obviously on edge and nervous.

  Elyse liked watching him pace. She was sitting calmly, her breathing normal as if she were just going about her normal day and not having a meeting with a killer.

  “You haven’t looked too hard, for it seems I was under your nose for a while now.” Elyse had given this a lot of thought on the way over. If she were going to die, if this were going to be the last time breath entered her lungs, she was going down fighting.

  “You wanted me to find you?” Toby stopped suddenly and looked at her, the dangerous glimmer in his eyes staring right into her very soul.

  Elyse snorted. “Until recently, I didn’t even know you existed.” She giggled lightly while watching the muscles in his jaw clench. She completely disregarded his existence. “If I’d known, I would have bought you a beer.”

  “If it weren’t for your stupid mother, I’d have been included in that family tree.”

  Elyse watched the spittle fly from Toby’s mouth as he let a crack appear, the venom she saw was of the darkest black she had ever seen a soul to be. “You have Mummy issues?” she stated. “And not just yours, but my mother as well? Greedy much?”

  He launched forward a few steps, his chest puffed out, and arms arched beside his body as if he were trying to make himself look bigger than he actually was. He suddenly stopped, realizing what she was doing and stepped back. “You think you’re so clever, don’t you?”

  “Nope. If I were smart, I’d be far away from here.”

  “Then why did you want to meet me?”

  “Because I want you to know I’m not afraid of you.” She watched his head jolt back with surprise, and she smiled warmly, continuing to lean casually against the large rock. “I mean, if you were any real danger to me, you would have killed me when you killed my parents, right?”

  His look was as intense as being shot. Again. “You should have died.”

  “That’s what they told me.”

  “Why didn’t you die?” he growled.

  “Why is the sky blue? Why do the fish only swim upstream?” she asked pointless questions. “I don’t know… it’s just the way it is. I’m sure Jenna reported back that her attempt on my life didn’t go according to plan either. Car accident, gunshot… what’s next?” Her head tilted as she issued her challenge.

  “This, bitch!”

  Elyse didn’t hear her coming, but she felt the cold blade as it entered her back. The searing pain was as intense as a white-hot poker slicing into her flesh like a knife into butter. Elyse’s eyes went wide as her head turned, and upon seeing Jenna’s face, she knew it was etched with insanity. Her mouth was awkwardly open as the rush of driving a blade onto a person’s back danced like a psychotic squirrel without a full tree of nuts across her face.

  Elyse’s body slipped down the face of the rock, landing heavily at the base where she sat. A stark contrast of a bright red blood trail followed her down the surface of cold, steel-colored granite. Her legs flopped out in front, her brain struggling to work out why they wouldn’t move. Her eyes flicked up to one of the single most evil sounds she’d ever heard in her life—Toby’s maniacal laughter.

  “Yes.” He pumped the air and high-fived Jenna. “I knew if we had the blade cursed, it would work. I just knew it.” Toby jumped around, bouncing from foot to foot as his fists pumped the air celebrating his success.

  Elyse’s chest pumped quickly with shallow breaths. Her brow creased with confusion as she felt nothing, lowering her eyes to the weird angle her legs radiated out from her body.

  “You should have been scared of me, you stupid fucking bitch. You thought you had me all sorted out. You thought I would turn up and just magically be powerless to your superior abilities. How fucking dumb can you be?” Toby had lost it—he was getting off on the power rush he felt right now looking at his cousin, sitting at the base of a rock, wounded and unable to move.

  Ash had arrived in Scotland a few months ago from Alaska. She had been part of a global united plan and was assigned to come here to mix with the clan for a year. She missed all the snow she normally dealt with. When you looked like her, blending in with green was almost impossible. Her skin was the color of a dark walnut shell which stood out in stark contrast against her silver hair. She was born with a flock of silver hair at birth, and her mother had immediately called her ash because of it. She was the only silver-tinted bear amongst the polar bear clan.

  Ash knew this was one reason her leader had sent her away. However, little did she know that Ash craved the adventure. Polar bears are a matriarchal society, so the clan leader was a woman as were all the decision-makers of the clan. None of them could answer why she was silver as opposed to the white of everyone else. Many times, she had overheard a heated discussion about the shame she brought to the clan.

  When this new global blending program popped up, she was thrust forward very quickly into packing and being the first to go. It’s hard to hide thoughts from others when you’re a bear shifter—bears easily talk mind to mind. It took her a long time to work out how to stop others intruding on her thoughts without invitation.

  She had been taking a walk around the cliffs as she completed the surveillance duties she had been assigned by her new clan leader. Being told what to do by a male had taken some adjustments to get used to. However, she was excited about the adventure and promised herself as the plane took off from Alaska that she would embrace everything about this journey, no matter what.

  Hearing some raised voices, Ash walked a little closer but didn’t come out from the tree line. She had exceptional sight at a distance and could clearly see a man and woman arguing near the cliff face. Ash didn’t think much and was about to turn away when she saw another woman approaching from behind. She hit the woman from the back sending her crumpling to the ground at the base of a large rock.

  Hey, Darlington? You around?

  Ash was able, as were all bears who practiced, to direct the message to a specific person. It had to be someone you knew and could picture clearly in your mind. Darlington was one of the first bears who had embraced her uniqueness when she had arrived. He had shown her around and given her a kindness even her own clan never gave her. She thought of him as a big brother, and right now she was comforted he was also a police officer.

  What’s up, Ash?

  Where are you?

  Heading out of the station. Why? What you got?

  I’m up at the cliffs, and there’s an altercation involving two women and a man.

  Heh, lucky guy.

  I’m serious. It looks like… one of them can’t get up.

  Okay, send me an image.

  One of the talents Ash had perfected was being able to send a mind image. She could look at something and capture it like a slide and send it through to a specific person. It took a lot of focus and left her feeling a little breathless for a couple of minutes afterward. She stared at the three of them making sure to wait until she could see their faces and snapped the image then sent it directly through to Darlington.

  Darlington, Did you get it?

  Don’t move, stay right there. The woman on the ground is in danger. Don’t intervene before I get there unless you have to.

  Like, real danger?

  He’s going to kill her. H
opefully not before we get there.

  Darlington?

  Ash knew he had broken the connection. Obviously, he needed to call for backup. She looked back up and saw the man walking closer to the female on the ground. He was towering over her screaming.

  Ash moved into a position where she could make a move quickly if she had to.

  “Darlington?”

  He had used his cell to call the clan leader as this was the protocol he preferred. Darlington didn’t know if it was just a preference, or if he had a problem in doing it, but either way, right now it didn’t matter.

  “Aberdeen Cliffs. I’ll meet you up there. Ash is already there. Don’t do anything until I arrive.”

  “Hunters?”

  “I’ll explain after. Just go.”

  He pressed end and dialed the number he had for Ladon. He’d taken it at the police station when they were pretending to be Elyse’s lawyers.

  “Darlington?” Ladon answered cautiously.

  “Ladon, are you with your brothers?”

  “Yes,” Ladon answered.

  “Put me on speaker.”

  “What’s this about?”

  “Put me on fucking speaker, now.” Darlington didn’t have time to explain twice.

  “Speak,” Ladon said.

  “V?” Darlington said.

  “Yes,” V answered.

  “I don’t know why, but Elyse is presently at the Aberdeen Cliffs collapsed on the ground with Toby standing over her.”

  The silence that descended on that office at that moment was as instant as being frozen in liquid nitrogen.

  “Sorry, what? She just left here.”

  “Obviously, because she’s hurt, and you guys aren’t with her. One would think you’d have fucking learned with Kylee, not to let your women stand alone. If she dies at the hand of this madman because I can’t get there…” he paused, “… it will be on your heads.

  The roar that burst free from Ladon’s chest was deafening. The effect Elyse had placed on him unfurled instantly as his dragon woke up and fully understood his mate, the one who was destined to be his love was hurt and in danger. He hadn’t protected her, and now she was at the hands of a madman. It was filled with so much anger, fear, and pain, it even made Darlington flinch on the other side of the phone.

  “I’m on my way, and I have the clan coming, too. We don’t fully know what he’s capable of and right now, leaving it up to you dragons to protect isn’t proving effective.”

  “Darlington,” Volos growled deeply as his abilities were being questioned. “We look after our own.”

  “Funny, don’t think Elyse would be agreeing right now.”

  “Leave it to us. We’re leaving now.”

  “No can do. I have made the call. The bears are on their way.”

  Volos stared at the phone as it went dead. “She lied to us.”

  Ladon flicked his head to his leader, his oldest brother, his blood. The scales appeared on his skin more and more with each second that ticked by. “I don’t care. That’s my mate, and she’s hurt. We move now.” Ladon spun and ran, his arms pumping side to side as fast as he could. He sensed his brothers were only a few seconds behind him. He could see the caves opening up ahead, and the blue of the ocean just beyond. It spurred him to run faster. His foot hit the edge as he leaped, his arms wide as he freed the dragon that he held within. He didn’t drop, the ocean wouldn’t give him the speed he needed. As his wings unfurled fully, his beast roared to its magnificent primordial form, and with a beat of his powerful wings, his huge body lifted and flew. Glancing back, he saw his brothers right behind him. They were all the same blue and green colored scales of the deepest ocean, except for Jo. His ink-black scales stood out amongst his brothers.

  Ladon looked back around. He couldn’t see the cliffs from where he was right now but knew the direction.

  He beat his wings harder—his mate was in trouble.

  She needed him, and he wouldn’t let her down.

  Not again.

  “Why?” Elyse whispered. Her eyes wide with panic as her mind struggled to keep some basic form of control. She wasn’t prepared for an attack from behind. Keeping her shallow breathing as constant as she could, her hands bracing her numb body against falling over. It didn’t seem to matter how much her mind screamed at her legs to move, there was no response.

  “Why? Why?” Toby screeched to the gods above. “She wants to know why?”

  “If you’re going to kill me, which seems to be the end game, I think I deserve to at least know why.” Lifting her head to look up at him through her dark lashes, she tasted blood in her mouth as she bit her tongue to stop the tears threatening to flow freely from her eyes. She might be about to die, but she’d be damned if she would satisfy his psychotic need to see her crumble.

  Toby walked over slowly, and with each thud of his boots, it caused her body to twitch with impending doom. He crouched in front of her, his elbows resting on his knees as his head tilted slowly from side to side soaking up the glorious prey he’d finally captured. It had been decades in the making, and to be sitting here looking at her was almost orgasmic to him.

  “Did you know I was given up? Did you know that my mother walked up to a set of cold, dirty stone stairs and left me there, wrapped in a stained blanket with no food, no note, no nothing?” His voice was softer than before. Not kind. It wasn’t softer because he was feeling compassion. His voice was softer because he had ventured past angry and was now onto indifference. Whether Elyse lived or died was now no longer a choice. His mind had fractured beyond understanding, and she knew right then and there this would be the day she died.

  “No, I didn’t. I barely knew my parents.”

  “Do you want to know why my mother chose this for my future?”

  “Yes.” Her eyes blinked slowly, resigned to her finality.

  He leaned in really close, his lips an inch away from her lobe, the heat of his breath causing shivers to travel down her spine into the blank canvas of flesh she used to be able to feel. “Because your mother told her to. She told her that I was worthless. That I had no mark, and I was a throwback to a lost generation of non-hunters, and if she knew what was good for her, she would dispose of me and try again.”

  Elyse’s breath caught as she heard the story. Why would her mother say such awful things? She couldn’t imagine what it would have been like growing up feeling unwanted. Knowing that you were given up by the very person who’s love should be immortal and unconditional.

  “And she did. Funny thing is… when she finally got pregnant again, she died in a car accident along with the baby. I was eight. I was standing at the side of the road as they drove past. I made her see things… she crashed, they died.” He pulled back slightly as the grin crept across his face.

  “Oh God,” Elyse breathed out the words.

  “He won’t help you. I prayed for years, begged for forgiveness. Pleaded to fix whatever I had done that was so horrifically bad that it made my mother dump me on the stairs and walk away. Turned out what I had done was simply to exist.” Toby shrugged. “Hard to fix that.”

  “What about the mark?” Elyse asked.

  Toby suddenly burst out laughing. “That’s the sucker blow of all this, I am marked.” He tilted his head for her to see the dragon mark on the back of his head.”

  “Then why?”

  “Because your mother made it appear invisible.”

  “I don’t understand… why?”

  Toby reached up and grabbed a fist full of her hair, reefing her head back with a force that could have easily snapped her neck. She grimaced as he held her head at an unnatural angle. He looked down at her, baring his teeth as his eyes flittered as quick as a hummingbird’s wings. “Why? Because nothing but evil ran in her veins.” The same grin that had sent terror rippling down her flesh appeared once more as he looked at her. “But I fixed that bitch… and now it’s your turn.”

  “Toby,” Jenna said nervously.

  “No
t now,” he spat, never taking his eyes off the prey of his dreams.

  “T-Toby,” she said with a crack that made him look up.

  Over in the sky, Toby could see five very large winged figures coming fast for the cliffs. At first, he thought they were phoenix, but as he saw their long tails, he realized the dragons were coming to play.

  “Toby,” Jenna shouted.

  “Jenna, I see the goddamn dragons. Stop the screeching.” He got up to look at her. When he saw it wasn’t the sky she was looking at but the tree line, he turned to take in what had her freaking out. Walking toward them were seven large bears, six large brown ones and one silver.

  “Bears and dragons?” He looked at Elyse and repeated, “Bears and dragons?”

  Elyse’s laugh was brief and laced with defeat “At least I know your death will follow swiftly after mine.”

  Toby grabbed Elyse under her arms and dragged her back a few feet. The thud of dragons landing on the ground rumbled deep within the soil under their feet. He looked up into the ferocious eyes of five very angry beasts.

  “Don’t come any closer,” Toby yelled as he stood there proudly, his fingers threaded through Elyse’s hair as he held her tight. Tears ran down her cheeks as he held her limp bodyweight fully by her hair. A deep growl from the left made Toby look at the bears who had come close enough to join the party.

  “One of you is that cop, right?”

  A very large bear, his fur the color of dark honey stood up on his hind paws. He let out a growl that made every animal within a twenty-mile radius silent with fear.

  “I knew you’d be here. How’s the other girl? I hope that bitch is hurting. Although the way her hips bucked as I sliced into her white flesh, yeah… bet she’d be a fantastic fuck.”

  The bear growled as the large black dragon launched forward. His eyes flared as he pushed on and opened his mouth to blast him with fire.

  Toby laughed as he ripped harder on Elyse’s hair, making her cry out in pain. The bear and dragon stopped instantly at the sound of her screams.

  Elyse?

  Her eyes frowned as words suddenly entered her head from Ladon.