by Lexi Ostrow
“And there’s not a damn thing I can do about it.” He growled and barely restrained from hurling a ball of energy at his wall.
Everything was coming to a head, and while he might have expressed that his side was ready for the war to come to light, he certainly hadn’t considered Dale’s disloyalty. He pushed his feet out of bed and winced as pain rippled through him when they connected with the floor. Whatever he had done was doing a damn number on him. He closed his eyes and focused on healing, something he’d never had to do to himself so frequently before getting involved with his Word Speakers’ lives.
The trickle of energy was a pleasant buzz through his body. The sharp ache in his head settled quickly to a dull ache and rescinded entirely in a moments time. He rolled his shoulders and leaned his head to the side to confirm he’d done the trick.
“What the fuck am I supposed to do to counteract this?” He wasn’t certain if the growled words were to himself or to Huracan.
The whole of the rules had just been blown to bits. He and Demus had done nothing but interfere with Word Speakers for the past year. They’d changed lives, attacked them, slept with them in Demus’ case and done whatever it took to help their side. Had they forgotten that they were dealing with people? Did what the impending war justify their actions?
His hands tightened into fists until his knuckles were white. “No.”
A breeze started around him just as the word was said. He paled but forced his feet to stand strong on the carpeted floor. Huracan had been showing up more and more lately. It might mean the war was coming or it might mean the God had finally had enough of them.
“Huracan,” he said firmly and bowed his head in respect.
“It is time we talk.”
The voice floated over his head as if the God was in the air above him. He expected Huracan to take the human form he’d seen only a handful of times, but he didn’t. The gentle breeze continued to push over him.
“You and your brother have fallen off the path we discussed many cycles ago. You were to be nothing more than figureheads in a prophesied war. You were to look out for the players that would make up each side, not to interfere. And yet, that is all you both have done, despite countless reminders on my part as to why that is not allowed.”
He swallowed hard as the memory of not one, but two beatings, from the God had felt like. They weren’t something he ever wished to repeat, and if his brother had been enduring the torture each time he broke the rules as well, Demus was more lost than he thought.
“Huracan, forgive me for saying this, you could not expect that we could watch over something for thousands of years and not grow attached?”
“It is what I have done.”
The words were devoid of any feeling and he was grateful the God wasn’t in physical form in the room, he didn’t think he’d like to see just how little the world as a whole meant to the God.
“If you have done that, then why pick warriors? Why have sides?” He should have held his tongue, but it was too late. His father was cringing from the grave, and his chief elders were stringing him up for punishment as well.
“You think you can question me?” Huracan’s gentle voice turned into a loud shout, the breeze kicking up into a windstorm.
Without warning the bookshelf, the only furniture aside from his bed, tumbled and slammed into the floor with a crash. He didn’t jump, he had been expecting it with the way the wind had been rushing over his own body. The God may be angry, but suddenly, he was as well.
“I think I am beginning to understand why some Word Speakers and Guardians decline their gifts. I accepted mine, and I am just a pawn to you. As they are to me and Demus,” anger laced his tone, but he kept his voice level, afraid to do any more damage.
The wind storm stopped dead. He couldn’t hear the roar of it past his ears or feel the sting of it against his cheeks. Huracan had left, or so he thought.
“There will come a time when you will learn the reason behind the war. Gods are not infallible, and this war will bring a balance to what we created,” his voice sounded almost sad, defeated.
It did nothing to temper the anger that was growing within him. “I followed the rules for far longer than my brother, and not only did you punish me, you punished Dale for my misgiving. It is his choice to not finish the fictional book that now holds the very real Ciara Miller. Allowing him another book, it’s giving my brother a warrior my side needs!” the exclamation burst from him before he knew just how angry he had truly become. “It’s not a fucking game to the Word Speakers. They are not meant to be warriors, and yet, they are. You’ve taken one who was primed and ready to accept that he was able to be better than he had been, and you gave him right back to the darkness!”
His chest was heaving with exertion, his shoulders rising and falling as he took short and choppy breaths to try to breathe.
“I am sorry you feel that way. Punishments had to be made. I have no side in this war until it begins to play out, no reason to care which side wins. My only role is to see that the sides have those meant to lead them.”
“Then remove whatever you placed on us and let us fight. It is the only thing that has kept us sane all these years, fighting one another. Without that, we’re fucked.”
“I think Demus would much rather I leave the magic over you both.”
He felt his fangs slice into his lip and knew his eyes would have flashed to red as well. “My brother should have thought of that before he gave me power over him. The war has not come. The sides are not completed. He made a foolish decision in telling me what he did, he should pay for it.”
“I can promise you, he has paid for the deaths of his Word Speakers. He will not pay for the deed of hubris, not from you. You have larger parts to play than this sibling rivalry. I have put an end to it. Your focus on the war you lead. Do not forget that.”
Though there hadn’t been any trace of wind in moments, he somehow knew the God was actually gone. He’d never noticed before, but the deity brought a certain feeling of pressure to the room that had dissipated. His eyes saw the mess of books on the floor, and he sighed.
“Because telling me I’m worthless wasn’t enough, he had to leave the room a mess too.” He bent down, and with little effort, pulled the small white shelf off the floor and leaned it back up against the wall. There were only nine books on the floor, all ones he’d collected once he’d killed a Word Speaker and Guardian to change his name. He should have gently placed them back on the shelf, showing them the care and respect they deserved for their sacrifice, but he didn’t. “What am I supposed to do with that fucking information anyway?” He was distracted, focusing more on the conversation than the mess he was cleaning.
He set the last book on the shelf and left the bedroom. He’d made certain the rest of the house looked like the houses of the Word Speakers he’d been to. The whiteness of his bedroom was fine for sleeping, but he was confined to this home to an extent, and he’d never had a chance to learn who he was. His eyes traveled over the white leather sofa toward the plasma TV hanging on the wall. Then he looked over at the white leather chair and ottoman, to the small stack of Men’s Health magazines on the table and, finally, he looked up into the hole he’d created recently. His heart seized in his chest when he saw her again.
Hayley was standing over a person lying in a hospital bed. She wasn’t wearing a coat indicating a medical professional, but rather, she was taking a needle filled with blood from someone who was. He sucked in air through his nose and just held his breath as he watched her. Her movement was so sensual, he could feel the blood racing to his dick just from watching her walk.
A door opened, and she went back into the room he had seen her in before, only, this time, there were a number of people in front of machines and things. He guessed she must be some sort of a lab technician. She looked so at home as she slid into the pathetic excuse for an office chair and set down the bag holding the filled needle. Then, just like the last time, she suddenl
y turned and stared directly at him.
“Fuck,” he groaned as a round of lust hit him hard.
He needed to move away from the doorway and figure out some way to close it. Maybe paint would work over a magical doorway. He’d never tried. He didn’t even bothering trying to look away from her either. Their eyes locked together through the portal, and he felt the blood draining to his cock. Every breath he took was sucked in deep as he tried to push off the urge to go to her. She was human. She lived in his true home. Plus, there were no rules against what he and Demus did when it didn’t involve the war.
There was something about her, something serene and almost seductive that forced his gaze to remain on hers. Her eyes swirled with flecks of color, color that sucked him in deeper to whatever the connection to her was—because there had to be a connection. He had never had a viewing doorway open to anyone that wasn’t part of the war, and though Hayley might look older than twenty-seven, there was no way to know for certain she wouldn’t one day be his Word Speaker.
The pair of them remain locked in an almost stasis, eyes not moving as if see could see him. She didn’t return to whatever it was she had been getting ready to analyze, and all thoughts of his idiot brother and the infuriating way Huracan had just made him feel vanished as he watched her. Until a viewing doorway opened just to the left of it, and he smiled as his eyes caught it. Nessa was getting a new Word Speaker.
Hayley and her beautiful eyes were forgotten as he waved his hand, and he was suddenly in the in between, the swirling colors on the walls a pleasant sight for his relatively sour mood. He was shocked to realize his trench coat wasn’t on. He’d put it on when he’d gone to Demus, and he hadn’t taken it off. Yet, it was gone. There was the small chance Nessa wouldn’t know which brother he was without it.
“Well, I’ve broken enough rules to be my brother, time to go get this mermaid a new Word Speaker. If I scare her a little, well, it will just test her reflexes a bit.” He chuckled at the thought and waited as the doorway to her underwater beach formed and opened before stepping in to make sure at least someone from the Ciara situation had come out on top.
Dale felt it as his body slowly awakened. A slow, dull pounding resonated in his ears from the whiskey he’d drank before going to Breena.
Breena.
He opened his eyes and blinked, trying to get the damn contacts to focus. He’d put them in on a whim, just to see if he could get used to something different, like he wanted to do with Breena.
She looked stunning, even with her mouth almost wide open. At least she doesn’t snore, he thought with a laugh. Laying there, if he didn’t know her back story, he would call anyone that said she had evil in her a liar. Her skin was so pale it reminded him of first snow, and he loved the way it had a soft dewy look to it. He’d always noticed it, but with her looking so peaceful, it appeared even more ethereal.
Everything was astounding at that moment. They hardly knew each other, and he was willing to betray everything he’d known for the past six or so months because she said she wanted to change. It wasn’t as if he had any reason to trust her, just what his heart told him to do.
Absentmindedly, he reached out and tucked some hair behind her ear. She snorted abruptly and choked. Dale stifled back a laugh as she bolted up in bed, hazel eyes glowing with worry. When her hand grabbed the dagger on her nightstand, he finally put his hands on her shoulders.
“It was me. It was just me.”
A disgust filled snort passed out of her lips, and she raised a perfect eyebrow at him. “Clearly, none of your other Guardians were warriors, or you would have known better to than to touch me while I slept.”
She still sounded half asleep and it made Dale smile. Instead of fighting with her, he leaned down and gently placed his lips against hers. She immediately leaned into their kiss and his body stirred. But that wasn’t what he wanted.
“Show me your world, Breena. Show me what it is you’re asking me to protect. You’ve already seen mine.”
The smile that burst across her face was so large, he wasn’t even shocked when her arms wrapped around his neck in a hug.
“Really, Dale? Oh thank you, thank you!” She pulled back and jumped off the small bed, mumbling to herself. “Where can I take him? Where in the palace? No , no. Not the palace. Show him one of the brooks. Let him see the outdoors.”
The entire time Breena mumbled to herself, she wandered around her room grabbing the most clothes he’d seen on her since they’d met. She tugged them on and continued to mutter and wave her hands around in the air. Dale leaned back in the bed and laughed, watching her argue with herself. He’d always seen women do it, but when Breena did it, he found it endearing.
The room grew slightly fuzzy as he stared at her, the contacts dry from being slept in. “Breena, this will sound strange, perhaps too weird even.”
She finally stopped arguing with herself and turned to look at him, her pouty lips hanging open just slightly as she stopped mid-word. “What?”
She looked at him, her eyes wide, and he wondered if she’d completely forgotten he’d been there. He bit his lip to hold back a bark of laughter. “Your healers, do they use magic, or is it more stitches and treatments?”
She tugged on a black long sleeve shirt that amplified her small bosom and frowned. “Magic, of course. Why? You have so much magic yourself, why ever would you want to see more? I mean, aside from the nature magic I was talking about.”
“I want to see if they can fix my eyes. I hate glasses, and I’ve left them at home. If I leave without you, your world becomes nothing more than a book. I don’t want to do that to you, not right now.”
“While I appreciate that, you’re not wearing glasses.”
He sighed. “Women,” he muttered.
“What was that?” She tapped her foot, and he laughed.
“Nothing, never mind. Look, I want to see if they can help me not need glasses, or the contacts I’m wearing now.”
“I have no clue what contacts are, which is strange since our worlds appeared so similar in functional items. But perhaps that is because our healer can cure vision issues.” She smirked, as if she was holding a full house at a table where everyone else only had three of a kind.
“Well then,” he climbed out of the bed and fumbled as the sheet caught around his ankle. “How about we go see this healer first.” He reached her and stood behind her, wrapping his arms around her midsection and kissing the curve where her neck met her shoulder. “Then we can go see some of those things you were running on and on about.”
Her elbow jerked backward, and he gumphed as the air whooshed out his lungs. She stepped out of his embrace, the smile still large on her lips.
“Don’t forget who the real fighter is here, Word Speaker.”
Dale recovered from the hit, snaked his arm across her stomach and pulled her back into him. Their eyes locked and the deep brown of the hazel slowly bled over the emerald green. “You’ll never let me forget it if I choose you, will you?”
“No, and I promise you, by the end of the day, your ‘if’ will become a when. You’re out of a time, and I’m going to prove to you that this is the right pairing. No matter what you think of me.” She took a step back from him, hurt dancing just at the corners of her eyes and the edges of her smile.
He felt bad. It was his fault she looked like that. Even if he was ready to trust her, he couldn’t control that he’d still had doubts. There was a lot on the line, and she didn’t have very long to convince him.
“I’m going to hold you to that promise, Breena. I truly am.”
“Good, I’m counting on it.” She winked playfully at him and then opened her door. “I’m not supposed to leave, I didn’t tell you that last night. But I think there’s enough of who I used to be left in me to get us around without getting caught.”
His head shook side to side as he grinned at her. He liked the playful side of her, liked that she wasn’t embarrassed or upset by who she’d been crea
ted to be as long as he was willing to get the stick out of his own ass and try to do the same for her.
She snuck around the side of the door and out the room so quickly, he almost missed it. “Shit,” he cursed and grabbed his shirt off the floor, tugging it over his head while helplessly grabbing at the pants.
Dale’s ass hit the floor with a thud, and his teeth clashed together at the same time. “Son of a bitch. Now I’m never going to see where she went.”
The pants were closer once he was on his ass, and he grabbed them and stood up. That was when he heard the quiet sound of laughter. Pulling his pants up, he tugged the belt out and dropped it on the floor so he didn’t waste any time trying to buckle it. I can’t believe she’s seriously hiding around the corner laughing at me! Dale thought as he walked out the door and caught her, hand over her mouth, giggling.
“You know, for someone who wants my help, you don’t seem to care that I’m enjoying my time here.”
“You’re such a baby. You’re fine. Your muscles broke your fall.”
He scoffed at her, and she said nothing, just turned and started walking. “Follow me.”
Dale watched as her head darted back and forth before she quickly zipped across the hallway. Three more times, Breena zigzagged, what she was hiding from was beyond him, but it reminded him of watching some silly James Bond movie, or Halle Berry from Catwoman.
She turned back to glare at him, and even from the distance, he could see her eyes shining with anger. She mouthed, “Are you coming or what?”
He shrugged before following her lead, it wasn’t as if anyone would know who he was, but who was he to interfere with her covert operation.