An older warrior with the white-gold torque and cuffs of an elite marched to the center. His loose chocolate hair and full beard gave him an edgy, pirate look, but the gray sprinkled at the temples and shrewd eyes spoke of experience.
Graylin pointed at Abby. “Phillip, you transport Mrs. Haven. I’ve got Brenna.”
“Transport me how?”
Graylin frowned and scanned the skies. “Mrs. Haven—”
“Abby.”
He nodded his head, his flagging patience showing in his tight yet still polite smile. “Abby. As you’ve learned, the primary means of transportation in Eden is flight. You do not possess that gift. Therefore, Phillip will have to carry you. Under normal circumstances, I’d approach the experience less abruptly. But the longer Brenna is in a vulnerable environment, the longer she’s at risk.”
Abby gaped at them both. “We’re going to fly?”
“It’ll be fine.” Brenna squeezed her mother’s hand. “You’ll see. Once you relax, it’s very pretty.”
The color drained out of Abby’s face, and her lower lip trembled. “O-okay.”
Phillip inched closer, wrapping one arm around her mother’s shoulder. He spoke so low Brenna could barely hear him, but his baritone voice resonated with confidence. “You’ll be safe. I won’t let anything happen to you.” With that he dipped and scooped her up.
“Oh!” Abby circled his neck with her arms and hung on for dear life. The surprise and awkwardness would have been funny on any other occasion, but Brenna barely had a chance to ensure her mother had adjusted before Graylin swept her up in his own arms and shot to the skies.
The world around them was quiet, only the first soft rays of sun creeping across the vibrant landscape. The air was crisp and damp, still weighted by fog clinging to the mountain base in the distance. Absorbing the beauty felt wrong without Ludan.
Graylin’s fingers tightened on her shoulder. “He’ll be fine.”
“Serena killed her own mate. What makes you think she’d hesitate to kill Ludan?”
For a second, the tension pinching his face eased enough for him to grin. “For your sake, I’ll keep to myself that you dared put Ludan’s defense skills on par with Maxis’s.”
That was likely true. As far as she knew, Maxis’s only fighting skills centered on subduing those weaker than him. Ludan was a warrior, trained in warfare and capable of protecting the malran. That had to count for something.
Graylin sobered and looked Brenna square in the eyes. “My son is strong. Smart. He knew enough to send me a link and protect you. He’ll be wise enough to bide his time and wait for the right move.”
“But he’s still alive?”
“I can’t trace his link, but I can feel it.” His eyes slid back to the horizon, scanning for any sign of trouble. “Besides, I don’t think there’s a force in nirana or histus that would keep him from coming back to you.”
“You say that with an awful lot of certainty.”
He held his silence, but countless thoughts and emotions shifted behind his blue eyes. His expression sharpened into one of resolution. A decision made. “Ludan’s never once spoken of the future. Of wanting something more than exactly where he was in any given moment. This morning he did because of you. When I say he’ll be back, I mean it. There’s no way he won’t fight his way back to you.”
Chapter 34
A nauseating throb burned at the base of Ludan’s skull, nudging him toward consciousness. Praise the Great One, he hurt. His head weighed a ton, and his tongue felt cemented to the roof of his mouth. What the fuck had he done? The last time he felt this bad he’d polished off a fifth of strasse solo.
He lifted his head and sharp stabs radiated out from his shoulders. Shit. He wasn’t hung over, he was captive. Bound with his arms cranked behind his back and his legs roped to chair legs.
Adrenaline flooded his system, recounts of the moments before he’d lost consciousness carried on the wave. The throb in his head upgraded to a nuclear pulse. He forced his eyes open and bit back a groan. Candlelight was all that surrounded him, but it burned his retinas like a blowtorch. Wherever he was, it was dark. Rough rock walls reached at least twenty feet on either side of him with stone pillars evenly spaced to bolster the ceiling. A cave, from the looks of it, but not zeolite.
He reached for his links and came up short. They were gone. Dead the same way he’d feel in containment.
“Good to see Uther didn’t do too much damage.”
Ludan flinched at Serena’s taunting voice and narrowed his eyes in the direction from which it had come. Only shadows registered. Not that he’d expect any less than full-scale drama from her.
She sauntered forward, her usual penchant for gowns replaced with a functional legging and tunic combination that looked way beneath her standards. She fingered Trinity’s medallion around her neck. A sword twined with ivy that matched Lexi’s mark and was believed to be the key in the prophecy.
“To tell you the truth,” she said, “I was a little worried. Hard to hold your health and safety over your new lover’s head if you’re catatonic.”
Bile surged and bubbled in his gut, and the ropes at his wrists razored into his flesh as he wrenched against them. The mention of Brenna wasn’t unexpected. They’d all suspected Serena would figure out her role in the prophecy, but the fact that Serena knew what Brenna was to him was a game changer.
Serena grinned and cocked her head, obviously pleased at his response. “So it’s true. When Patrice told me the two of you would end up together, I couldn’t believe it. But here you are, ready and willing to protect the little human.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” His voice sounded about as smooth as the crude walls around him.
With a wave of her hand, Serena slid a simple wooden chair from across the room to sit roughly five feet in front of him. Definitely not a zeolite cave if she was pulling parlor tricks. So how the hell was she containing his powers?
“No point in protesting and pretending indifference to your little woman,” she said. “Patrice is a Spiritu, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that they have the market on history.” She perched on the edge of the chair and leaned in as though to share a secret. “And the future.”
Fucking. Bitch. The first chance he got, he’d gut her and hang her with her own intestines. His eyes burned and his temples kicked from the strain of his clenched teeth.
“Ah, there he is. The meandering oaf who trots behind Eryx like a little lapdog. I knew your temper would come out to play sooner or later.” She reclined in her chair and crossed one leg over the other as if she were discussing the weather instead of prodding a beast. “I would’ve thought you’d at least be smart enough to finagle details from me.”
“Why? You’re too vain to keep them to yourself.”
She pursed her mouth and bounced her crossed foot, irritation sparking brighter than the candles around them. “I wouldn’t call it vanity. I’d call it pride. Maxis came close to yanking the throne out from under Eryx, but I’ll finish the job. The fact that I take pleasure in my accomplishments isn’t something I’m ashamed of.”
“Kind of getting ahead of yourself. Last time I checked, that throne was still toasty under Eryx’s ass.”
“It is now. It won’t be for much longer. Not with the information I’ve got in my corner.” Her foot kept bouncing, projecting her unease more than she realized. Surprisingly, she didn’t dive into the details like he’d expected. A bonus considering his aching head, but not so good for intel.
“Did your soothsayer Spiritu tell you that, too?” he said.
“Oh, she told me lots of things.” She waved her hand over her head, motioning to the space around them. “Take for instance this cozy little spot. You’d think an ancient ritual site for our race would merit stronger mention in the history books, but it’s wasting away unattended.”
“What ritual site?”
“You remember. The pile of rocks near the castle
where Ramsay so loved to practice his naxtu? Turns out this was where the prophecy actually came into being. Where Kentar started his reign and held court.” She scanned the length of the cave and sighed. “It’s a little primitive for my taste, but handy considering that’s where Brenna needs to be when she brings the wall down. You’re just underneath the main altar.”
Ludan opened and closed his fists, pumping as much blood to his tingling fingers as he could and straining for his gifts. But nothing came. Not so much as a flicker of power or the trace of a link.
“Frustrating, isn’t it? Feeling like a worthless human?” Serena unfurled from her perch and strolled to the long table behind her. “That’s another handy trick Patrice shared.” She picked something up and winced at the contact.
A torque. One not unlike those given to warriors, but far more crude and embedded with shimmering zeolite.
“Maxis would have loved to know about these.” She held the torque higher, letting Ludan look his fill. “It’s what we used before containment. Not as effective for blocking links, but extremely helpful in restricting a prisoner’s gifts once wrapped around his throat. Something about disconnecting the mind’s connection with the body’s inherent powers.” She tossed it to the tabletop and shook her hand as though to get the blood moving again.
“What makes you think this Spiritu’s not using you?”
Serena stilled, only her eyes shifting toward him from beneath her sultry lashes. A beautiful snake coiled and eager to strike. “Because she needed me for her cause. To help push the dark and light passions out of balance.”
“The rogues.”
Serena smiled, pure evil curling her pouty lips. “She said you knew of them. That the rogues had faltered in their plans one too many times.” She strolled closer, hips swaying with confidence. “It was her mate who pushed that dagger in Maxis’s chest and screwed things up for the rogues. Patrice was smarter. She told me all I needed to know to make sure the balance not only shifts, but stays where it needs to be. The prophecy. Brenna. The wall and who the powers go to. I know it all. All I have to do is line up the pieces and make them fall.”
She paused in front of him and pushed a stray lock of hair off his forehead. “She even told me about you. Pointed out how you were my only exposure, then showed me how to use it.” She petted the top of his head and smirked. “I knew you were all brawn and no brains, but I thought you’d figure it out faster than you did.”
Oh yeah, he’d kill her all right. Slowly. Then he’d offer her blood up in tribute. “Enjoy the moment, Serena. Futures change. No destiny is set in stone. Or did your Spiritu fail to mention that?”
“She mentioned it. Then she made sure I knew every variable needed to adjust accordingly.” She dropped her hand and stepped away. “Don’t worry though. I’ll make Brenna’s ending short and sweet. Just as soon as she gives me what I need.”
She ambled toward the far end of the cave but glanced back over one shoulder. “I figured you’d enjoy thinking on that while I round up my reinforcements.”
Chapter 35
Too many stares, all of them aimed at Brenna. Lexi, Galena, Trinity, Orla, and her mother all watched her. Oh, they pretended to make small talk, but the chatter was distracted. As though they were waiting to jump into action at even the tiniest sign of distress from her.
She paced Eryx’s private chambers, the only underground chamber complete with an escape route known only to a limited few. A fact that made Graylin only marginally satisfied as far as her safety went.
Her stand-in protector glared down at the huge rock tableau depicting Eden’s regions. Carved to show the elevations in 3-D, it had to have taken years to complete and was spotlighted by a wide solar tube from aboveground. For the last fifteen minutes he hadn’t moved, one arm crossed at his chest with his other elbow propped on top and his chin in his hand.
“I feel like we should do something.” Galena abandoned her seat on the leather sofa and rubbed her hands. Considering how confident and graceful Eryx’s sister always was, it was quite the telling gesture. “All this sitting around and looking at each other isn’t helping Brenna.”
“I’m fine.” The mother of all lies, but if it meant less pity aimed her direction, it would be worth it. She crossed her arms and stopped beside Graylin. “Have they said anything? Found anything?”
Graylin’s mouth tightened. As somo to Eryx’s father and a warrior in his own right, he had all the links necessary to stay in constant contact with the search.
Before he could answer, Lexi sat forward in Eryx’s desk chair and propped her elbows on the mammoth desk. “You know, I still don’t get it. The Spiritu were quick to help us before, but now they’re just lying low and being all cryptic.”
“It’s not that easy.” Perched with one hip on the arm of the sofa, Trinity was a bold ray of sunshine in the otherwise somber room. Everything about her was bright, from her short, sassy blonde hair, to her turquoise painted toenails. “Their very existence is tied to fate and the balance of passions. They could share with us before because the rogues screwed up. This time, the rogues thought things through. Somehow, someone ponied up payment so the light wouldn’t have leverage to help us.”
Lexi scoffed and plopped back in her chair. “That’s insane. It’s gotten so bad in Evad that Ian won’t let Jilly go with him anymore. Aggravated assaults have quadrupled in the US in the last twenty-four hours, and the atmosphere is behaving like something out of the first Ghostbusters movie. They’re out of their minds not to help us.”
Trinity frowned and smoothed her pretty leggings, the color a perfect match to her to Caribbean-hue painted toes. “They can’t intervene with destiny, Lexi. I’ve never been dialed into the things they see and hear, but I know it almost killed my dad knowing what lay ahead for me and not being able to do anything about it.”
“I wouldn’t call giving up his life so you could have yours nothing,” Lexi said.
“He made that choice, yes. But only after he gave me the chance to make my own.” Trinity’s gaze slid to Brenna. “If the Spiritu intervene beyond their role, then they undo what the Creator intended. This is your time. Ludan’s time. Fate is the life we’re given. Destiny is what we do with it.”
“She’s right.” Abby sat in a comfortable, man-sized club chair angled against the corner, her feet tucked under her and her eyes locked on Graylin. Empathy and understanding lined her features, as though in watching him she relived the last fifteen years of her life. “It took me until Brenna’s father died to figure that out. I stood there, staring down at his coffin, and tried to understand what I’d done to deserve so much hardship. I’d been a good mom. A good wife. Fulfilled my responsibilities. But my baby was taken and my husband took his own life.”
She looked at Brenna. “Then one day I woke up. I decided I could follow my husband’s path, or keep going and make a difference. I don’t think I ever really took a full, easy breath until you found me, but I helped countless other families in the process. I held their hands. I listened. I helped search for other lost children when I couldn’t find my own. It’s nowhere near what you have to face, but you’ll do what’s right. You’ll take what you’re given and make it your own the way you have your whole life.”
Brenna huffed and spun for a fresh lap across the room. Everything her mom shared was beautiful. Poignantly so. But right now she couldn’t process it. She was too raw. Too exposed and angry at the universe for all it had thrust her direction. At the injustice of a man like Ludan, who’d only wanted to protect her, being subjected to a spoiled, sociopathic woman.
A heavy boom resonated down the hallway, wood slamming against stone, followed by the rap of boot heels marching closer.
Graylin snapped from his thoughts and shifted, putting himself between Brenna and the door. Behind her, the women rose from their varied seats and gathered close.
The door opened and Eryx strode through, his glower frightening enough to scare the diabhal himself and the corded m
uscles at his neck bunched tight. Reese and Ramsay stood slightly behind him at either side, neither offering much better in their expressions.
Brenna rushed forward. “Did you find him?”
Eryx kept his gaze on Graylin, the mix of regret and fury behind his gray eyes jetting a fresh burst of panic through her veins. He looked to Brenna, and the muscles at the back of his jaw twitched. “We found Uther’s home.” He lifted one hand. Pinched between his fingers was a simple parchment, folded in half. “And this. Serena left it at Uther’s place. She has Ludan, and she wants a trade in exchange for his life. The time, the location—it’s all here.”
“Then give it to her,” Brenna said. “Whatever she wants.”
Graylin’s hand settled on her shoulder. Big, like Ludan’s, and just as steady. “What she wants we can’t give her, Brenna.”
She faced him, the resignation in his voice sparking a wildfire she couldn’t contain. “Why not? Nothing’s as important as saving him. He’s your son. How can you not give her what she wants?”
Pure torture smoldered behind his blue eyes, their surface glossy, bordering on tears. “Because what she wants is you.”
Her breath left her on a rush, her middle hollowing out as though she’d been punched in the gut. Of course that’s what Serena wanted. She was the judge, and Serena wanted power.
The one task she’d wanted to avoid, the fate she’d tried to dodge, was the one thing that could save Ludan. If the mere thought of being alone with someone like Serena didn’t terrify her, she’d have laughed at the irony.
Fate is the life we’re given. Destiny is what we do with it.
Stillness seized her. The world around her grew hazy, and the voices of those gathered around her turned to muffled, distant chatter.
You survived, Brenna. You survived, and now your something better is here. You’ll just have to fight a little more to get it.
Eden's Deliverance (The Eden Series Book 4) Page 29