by Bella Devine
"Aylin, hang in there! Help is here." I sank back against the seat.
My door screeched open. A hand shoved aside the deployed airbag, and a disarray of bleach blond hair appeared. Blood streaked his boyish faced.
"Mitch! Thank, God."I leaned forward, but was plunged back against the seat. What the f — I eyed the confining seatbelt. I tried to disengage it, but couldn't get my hands to operate the release button.
"We need to help Aylin! C'mon, Mitch." Tears rolled down my cheek as I pleaded with my friend.
"For chrissake, Bryn." Mitch jerked his hand across my body. I stiffened.
The seatbelt snapped free. Relief flooded through my body. When he grabbed my chin and forced my head to the side, I froze. Liam's love bite. Mitch snarled and backed away as if burned.
"Mitch?" My shaky voice was barely audible over the ringing in my ears.
"Don't you Mitch me!" He grabbed me by the arms and pulled me from the car.
My brain swam with the need to get to Liam and away from Mitch. I tried to reach out, but couldn't get past the white noise overtaking my mind. Liam! I hoped he came soon.
I stumbled, trying to catch my balance, but fell to my knees. The sting of glass brought fresh tears welling in my eyes. But I wouldn't show them. In spite of the glass shards, I pushed myself up. I wouldn't be weak. I was strong. Powerful.
We faced off, glaring at each other. He didn't budge. His golden yellow eyes tried to slice me in half with the hatred oozing from his stare — the only betrayal of his calm-as-a-still-life demeanor.
For God's sake, you're my coworker. My friend. Why aren't you helping?"Mitch, Aylin needs our help!"
When I tried to step around him, he grabbed my forearm. I winced, surprised my bones didn't crunch under his grip.
He turned my wrist to reveal the glowing imprint. "Always the whore. You're just like every other woman out there. I can't believe I didn't see it sooner."
I jerked free of his grip, surprised when he didn't put up a stronger fight. I wanted to punch him for the whore comment, but pushed my anger aside to focus on Aylin. She needed me.
"I'm not a whore and we'll discuss this later." My jaw clenched. "Mitch, c'mon. This is serious! I think Aylin cut her ulnar artery. Don't you see all the blood? We need to stop the bleeding."
"The imprint. The bite mark! The fucking soulbond. You completed it!" His face scrunched like he smelled something foul.
I waved my hands in the air. "It doesn't matter at the moment. We need to help." I ran my hands up and down my cold arms. The friction brought little warmth.
He glared at me. Those eyes. Familiar but not. Looking through me. Danger!
"Listen, I don't know what's going on, but right now, I need your help or Aylin will die!" I tried to step around him again, but he pushed me against the truck. His body loomed over mine. I fisted my right hand and swung hard, connecting with his face. The punch stung, and he staggered, as if caught off guard by the move.
I darted around the vehicle.
"I can't help you now! Don't you fucking understand what you did? You put a freaking target on your back. They'll find you," he shouted.
How did plowing into my friend's vehicle help me? His angry eyes pierced my heart. Visions of my night terrors swam through my mind. The monster from the dungeon! The lion! Even the faceless man who had pulled me to the alternate plane. All of them stared back at me with the same hate-filled stare plastered on Mitch's face.
"It was you! Always, you. The dungeon, the lion, even the darkness!" I pointed to the wreck before us. "This wasn't an accident, was it, Mitch?"
"I tried to help you, you ungrateful little bitch! But not now. You’re soulbonded. It wasn't supposed to be this way." He trotted to the edge of the road. "I fucking want out!" His tall, lanky body transformed into a sleek, golden mountain lion and disappeared into the forest.
I wasted no further time thinking about his spew. I eyed the height of the vehicle and calculated my chances of pulling Aylin out.
They were impossible. I detested weakness in myself, but couldn't dwell on it now. Wasting precious time would only hurt her more.
Bryn! Liam's voice shouted in my head.
Liam, there's been an accident! I can't talk right now. I need to focus on Aylin.
We're almost there!
I shut down my thoughts. In Mitch's presence, my mind had been eerily quiet. Now, Liam's connection was stronger than ever and my mind raced with options for pulling Aylin free.
I can do this! I will do this.
I struggled to open the door, which protested under the crumpled metal. With both hands, I gripped tighter on the handle and pulled. My muscles screamed with the effort. The damn thing squealed open.
Out of breath, I forced aside the deployed airbag and reached across Aylin to unhook the seatbelt. I braced one hand on her upper back and slipped the other under her knees. I pulled her body toward mine and lifted her from the vehicle. My knees shook with effort; my arms howled in pain, but I didn't falter. Instead, I gently lowered us both to the ground.
I remembered the countless times I had watched my mother weave a spell or heal with the powers of the white witch. I hoped that being soulbonded would provide me with a similar power to heal Aylin.
I closed my eyes and focused on centering my body, power, and soul. I felt Liam's anxiousness. He called to me, but I needed to concentrate. I imagined tiny healing balls swarming inside me. The kaleidoscope of colors broke into seven distinct hues: red, blue, green, orange, yellow, purple, and brown. I aligned each one in the center of my body and pushed them outward through my palms into Aylin's abrasions.
My imprint pulsed. My hands grew warm and glowed. Healing strands ran from my palms and wrapped around Aylin's arms like a cobra enveloping its prey. The strands intertwined with her lacerations like stitches pulling her skin back together.
Sweat blurred my vision. My power grew stronger, which made my body weaker, but I didn't dare falter. I was too afraid of failing, of letting Aylin down. Or Liam. No one would die on my watch.
Squealing tires drowned out my thoughts.
"Bryn!"
Liam! Thank goodness. Aylin's skin was almost healed, but my power grew weaker. Sweat burned my eyes."Come here and help me. If our powers are truly linked, I can really use you right now."
He placed a hand on my shoulder. The familiar touch calmed me and sent strength through me.
"What do you need?" His voice was steady, but I sensed his inner turmoil.
"Aylin!" Connor skidded to his knees beside her. The skin crinkled around his pain-filled eyes as he stroked her face, then clutched her good hand.
I focused on Liam. "Concentrate on our connection. On its power. Let it build and then push it outward into Aylin." I moved my left hand from her forearm and placed it atop Liam's left one. The shining of our crescent moons brightened. I guided our joined hands to Aylin's heart and together, our magic flowed into her.
She gasped for breath and tried to sit up. Her eyes widened as we lingered around her. Then she looked at Connor and I thought I saw a familiar emotion flash in her eyes. Liam looked at me the same way. Love.
"I feel funny," Aylin said in a raspy voice.
"We were in an accident." I pointed to her banged-up truck. "You need to rest."
"No, I don't. I feel like I can fly." She touched Connor's hand, then pulled away. Trying to stand, she wobbled.
"Here, let me help." He jumped up, assisted her to her feet and placed an arm around her waist. She leaned on him.
"What happened and where is the other driver?" Liam supported my weight as I stood.
The power it had taken to heal Aylin had drained my reserves. I needed to rest, but first, I needed answers.
"It was Mitch! Can you believe it?" My voice rose. "It took me a little bit of time, but I finally pieced it together. This wasn't an accident. He intentionally ran into us." I was sure of it, but still didn't understand why.
"Where's the fucker now?" Co
nnor growled.
Liam's scowl deepened.
"He took off into the woods. As a mountain lion. It was him all along!" I looked into Liam's comforting green eyes. "He's been transporting me to all these horrific places! For days, I complained to him about not sleeping and having nightmares. He knew how terrified I was and played the sympathetic friend. But it was him."
"What did he say?" Liam asked.
"His behavior was odd and on the verge of erratic." I absently rubbed the bruise on my hand from his tight grip.
"He fucking touched you?"Liam caressed the bruised skin. The deep purple colors faded with his touch. "He just signed his death warrant!"
Dampness wet my skin and the smell of rain chilled me to the bone. A cold fog rolled across the road in waves, encompassing us.
"Stop!" A woman's scream pierced the darkness of the fog.
My heart stopped. It had been ten years since I heard that voice. It was hardened and scared, but it belonged to a woman who was long dead.
"No!" Chasing the screams of my mother, I ran into the fog, right into the flames surrounding a man I didn't recognize. He had scarred hands and my nose, the shape of my eyes. My father. He had died before I was born.
His face glowed red in the depths of the flames. "Daughter, I've been looking for you!"
Chapter Twelve
Bryn
I staggered backwards, buckling under the weight of the man's words. "Daughter?" Loud thumping in my head deafened my mother's screams. I had no father.
Hunched over, I placed my hands on my bent knees and pushed, but the harder I tried to stand, the further I sank to the ground. My vision tunneled, focusing on the man who grinned at me.
Father?
The evilness in his red-rimmed eyes made my stomach tighten. His glare suggested he was a man who shot first and asked questions later. This was the person my mother was running from. This was who Uriel refused to protect us from. This man had killed my mother and now had the balls to call me daughter. He was no father of mine. I would survive.
"I'm not your daughter."
Refusing to succumb to his hatred, I forced myself to stand. Power and rage surged through my veins and heated my blood. I felt indestructible. Like Dr. Bruce Banner when he became the Hulk. The combination was intoxicating. Addicting. My fatigue from healing Aylin was forgotten.
He circled me as if he examined a prized heifer at a cattle show."Oh, but I am. The name is Gabriel, and you are Cassiel's pride and joy."
I bit my lip, choking back the bitter tang in my mouth. But I never lowered my gaze from his.
"Cassiel. Your mother."The name rolled off his tongue like poison.
My skin crawled at the venom in his words. I stood in the presence of a monster.
A steady stream of sparks sizzled on my hands. Concentrating, I formed the individual flames into balls until they unified into an orb. I flung the fiery sphere.
He laughed and flicked his wrist, effortlessly deflecting the ball. "I knew you would be a frisky one. You remind me of Cassiel. It's too bad you're soulbonded with a shapeshifter." He tsked, as if that explained it all.
"Don't speak of my mother. You killed her."My hands continued to spark. I tampered down the need to strike until the right moment. Instead, I gauged his reactions, his movements. He had no clue of the amount of burning hatred in my belly for him.
The bastard grinned again, this time showing all of his pearly whites.
I swung my fist to clip the grin from his face. With his scarred hand, he captured my left wrist, engulfing the crescent moon. Searing pain coursed through my body, dimming the light of my connection with Liam. I bit my lip to prevent my cry from escaping.
"And why should I not speak of Cassiel? That woman is mine. She belongs to me. Always!" He squeezed tighter, forcing my hand behind my back.
Pain shot through my tendons. My vision blurred.
I faltered. Is mine. Belongs to me. He spoke as if she still lived. The briefest amount of hope encapsulated my heart, seeping through holes that had never healed. Anger dissipated the despair weighing me down, and I jerked my hand, but he held tight. Electricity coursed through my veins as if my blood were a conductor of high voltage. When I couldn't hold back the vibrating surge any longer, lightning bolts shot from me like fireworks on Independence Day.
Gabriel howled in pain and released me. "You're a bitch, just like she is."
She is? Combined with his earlier word she spoke as if that fateful day ten years ago never existed. My suspicions grew. I clenched my fists. "Are you saying my mother is still alive?"
He shrugged his shoulders and tightened his lips, neither confirming nor denying.
I swayed, light-headed. I was at a loss for words. I thought I heard her screams again. Is he playing tricks on me? Torturing me with her agony. I clenched my jaw.
The smell of burning flesh pulled me back into the Fire of Hell. He wanted me to fear him, to succumb to his mirrored tricks. But I saw him as he truly was — nothing. I smoothed the front of my wrinkled sweater and took a deep breath, centering my power and aligning my chakras. His eyes reflected my glowing aura, and I grinned. I am more powerful than he is. The truth of that realization flowed through my bones and my soul, strengthening my potency.
"I see how the power affects you. You love it." He arched his fingers in a temple and held them to his lips. "I'll give you a choice, because you're my flesh and blood. Join my ranks and assist me in my crusade to wipe out the half-breeds, or die a very painful death."
His deliberate words sickened and chilled me. I was the flesh and blood of a murderer! He led the rebels. He was responsible for all the murders. Liam's family. Aylin's. All of them! A fierce protectiveness sluiced through me.
"Burn in hell!" I conjured another fireball and hurled it at his face, followed by several more. Gabriel dodged the first few, but the next hit him in the chest.
He stumbled, howling in pain, and charged.
I dodged left, but didn't quite clear his path. He grabbed my hip and we tumbled to the ground. I squirmed beneath him. He slapped me across the face. Tears welled in my eyes. Fire burned in my soul. I scrambled to my feet and flung a lightning ball that propelled him backwards.
Bryn let us in.
Liam's words caught me off guard and I fumbled. Gabriel threw a punch that sent me soaring through the air. I landed hard on my backside and skidded a few feet. I tumbled onto my knees, trying to expand my lungs and capture my breath. Damn, that hurt.
As if cradling my face, Liam forced me to focus on him, which was difficult as Gabriel lodged his own fireball at me. I imagined a cool frost enveloping my bones to counter his attack.
"Impressive." The satanic asshole eyed me with interest.
I used his moment of hesitation to my advantage. Concentrating on the smoky atmosphere, I dragged it back to the roadway and closer to Liam. As the fog engulfed us, I felt for him since I couldn't see him.
Trying to keep me contained in his little bubble, Gabriel staggered back. His controls were weakening. His face turned beet red. He might have been strong at one time, but his power was diminishing, whereas mine was expanding.
I could almost make out the wreckage of the two vehicles. Three silhouettes waited in the road. Connor held Aylin, but even through the shadows, I saw the tension in Liam's stance. He was ready to pounce.
I'm coming to you, Liam. Using our connection as a navigational marker, I pulled myself back toward reality.
"This alternate plane stuff is seriously pissing me off!" I doubted Gabriel had controlled my previous encounters with alternate planes. The magical markers differed from each other. The dungeon and the darkened room had an air of finesse, as if I had been in a perfectly controlled environment. Gabriel's fire enclosure was desperate and sloppy.
I began to sink back to reality. Gabriel moved with me. I wasn't sure if I meant to drag him along or if he just refused to let me go as I found my way back to Liam.
"Stop!" Gabriel shouted.
>
But I couldn't. I hit the road hard, thankful I landed on my feet. Liam pulled me to his side. His strength centered me.
Gabriel, however, floated in the air. He aimed hot flames at the trees and roadway where we stood. Within seconds fire engorged the forest. He lowered himself next to the flames.
"You will pay for this." He held out his hands as if opening a book. An image of my mother appeared. She was screaming. Her face drawn in agony. Her body chained to a wall.
"You fucking bastard! I'll kill you." I lunged for him, but Liam held me back.
"Bryn, he's taunting you. Trying to get you to act on emotions."