by Ella Frank
He took a piece of black cloth from his belt, but before he secured it to the side of his hood, he added, “Our orders are to locate and transport these four women safely back to L’Mere. That means nobody is to touch them in any way. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes, Sire,” his men chorused as he raised the cloth to cover his face.
He turned and saw that Ry’Ker had stripped and was indeed dressed as he’d suggested, but he was also cloaked in a black, hooded cape.
“You almost look like—”
“Just lead out and shut your mouth. And I swear, Kai, if you lay a hand on any of them…”
Mala’Kai walked through the huge doors of the outer gatehouse, and as they made their way onto the dirt path that led straight into the darkened forest, he asked, “You’ll what? Kill me?” He laughed as if the thought were absurd and then continued forward, leaving his brother to follow.
“Are you happy now?” Fiona was the first to speak.
Siobhan let out an irritated sigh. “I suppose this is my fault?”
Marching over until she was face to face with Siobhan, Fiona pointed a finger at her. “Well, you are the one who couldn’t keep her mouth shut.”
“And you’re the one who just stood there, mute. At least I was trying to get some answers.”
Finally having had enough, Naeve pushed her way between the two of them and held her hands up. “Would the both of you please shut up?”
As the two of them settled, she saw Audra walking towards the tree they had spent the first night huddled against. Her black hair shifted in the breeze as she reached back in a familiar move to gather it over her shoulder. It was crazy to think that they’d now been gone for nearly a day and a half.
How many hours do they typically wait until an adult is declared missing? Twenty-four hours? Forty-eight?
She turned back to face her feuding siblings and asked, “Can’t you two see how much this is affecting Audra? She’s hardly said two words since we woke up here.”
“I’m pretty sure we’re all feeling the effects, Naeve.”
Naeve touched her forehead and then pushed her fingers through her hair as she took a step back. “You know what, Siobhan? Some of us aren’t as strong and brave as you are.”
Siobhan rolled her eyes and walked off to a tree several feet from where they were standing. “I’m going to sit here, silent and helpless, and wait for someone to come save me. Does that work better for you?”
Fiona looked her way and shrugged. “I don’t care what you do. You already managed to piss off the one person who was helping us.”
“Oh please. He wasn’t helping us. He was—”
“Helping us,” Naeve interjected. “That’s what he was doing.”
Siobhan picked up a stick beside her and threw it as if it would make her feel better. “He was screwing with us. Trying to confuse us into thinking we’re in some place that doesn’t even exist. He probably drugged us too.”
Shaking her head, Fiona muttered, “God help me. I can’t sit with her right now. I’ll kill her.”
Naeve agreed but knew she was the most even tempered, so she volunteered. “I’ll go and sit with her, if you’ll sit with Audra.”
Fiona walked off in the direction of their youngest sister, who was pressed up against the trunk of the giant tree opposite of where Siobhan was seated.
Naeve spun around and made her way over to her temperamental sister, who was viciously snapping twigs between her fingers. She looked down at her, and when Siobhan returned her gaze, she noticed for the first time a sliver of fear creep into those amber eyes.
Gathering her dress around her legs, Naeve took a seat beside her on the grass and whispered, “It’s okay to be scared, you know, by everything he was saying...”
Siobhan nodded as the wind picked up and the branches started to creak and moan. “It’s not what he was saying, Naeve. It’s who and what he is,” she confessed, turning troubled eyes to her. “If he’s real, then who are we?”
Naeve hadn’t thought of it like that. Too busy trying to think of a way out of here, she hadn’t really stopped to question her part in all of this. She’d conveniently pushed aside what she’d seen of their mother and their father and let Bastian sweep her up in his magic tricks.
Siobhan looked away to stare out into the darkness, and as Naeve continued to watch her, she heard her mutter a question that was truly frightening in its complexity.
“Who do you become when the you that you always were is no longer?”
* * *
Bastian emerged from the shadows above the women and cursed his short fuse. He’d been released from his chambers and sent out here with one simple instruction—keep the women safe until they arrived at L’Mere. Instead, he’d lost his temper.
There weren’t many who dared to doubt him, courtesy of his isolation. But the one who often did so—his father—had made his ego a particularly sore spot, and when poked at, it brought to the surface a side of Bastian he didn’t fully have under control.
His temper.
When Siobhan had called into question his competence, Bastian’s pride had reared its ugly head, and he’d felt a darkness gnaw at him. One that taunted him to teach them a lesson, prove his superiority.
He’d squelched the urge by getting the hell out of there, but not before jolting some sense into them. They had been scared of him tonight, and maybe that was a good thing.
It was better they not grow attached to one who was feared, one who was condemned to live his life in seclusion.
This way, they would not rely on him for anything at all.
* * *
Naeve wasn’t sure how long she’d slept. She was surprised she’d managed to at all, considering.
Opening her eyes, she sat up and noticed that Siobhan was nowhere in sight. She glanced over to the other tree to see that Audra and Fiona were also sleeping and wondered how long they’d been out.
There was no light to judge by, no sun rising or setting. Just a dull, consistent grey that turned to inky black, and right now, that darkness seemed to have engulfed them.
Standing up, she brushed her hands over the back of her dress, removing any leaves that had been sticking to her. Then she tugged her jacket around her waist and turned to see if Siobhan had walked off behind them, searching for a way out.
Circling the tree, Naeve saw nothing. Nothing but a never-ending stretch of darkness.
She let out a deep breath and tried not to feel disheartened by their situation. It seemed like the best thing to do was wait for Siobhan to return. Then, when the other two woke, they’d try to find a way out of there—they just had to stay positive.
Deciding to wait with the others, she started to walk in the direction she thought the girls were sitting, but the farther she walked, the more disoriented she became. She glanced around and spotted the place where she’d spent the night and then looked across to where the girls should’ve been and saw—nothing.
Wait a minute…
Feeling herself start to panic, she started walking faster in the direction she knew they’d been sitting. But still, there was nothing.
Nothing but trees and the loud thumping of her heart.
* * *
Kai crouched down with his back pressed against a giant Redwood. They’d been walking all night, and the morning was now upon them as they finally arrived at their destination.
He’d loved playing and hunting in this forest as a child, but now, he hated to come down this far. To witness the decay of these trees that had lived for thousands of years was devastating.
He’d just received word from his men up ahead that they’d spotted two of the four women. With a quick hand gesture, he’d signaled for them to go forward with their capture while he would continue on and try to locate the other two.
Removing the dagger from his belt, he slowly stood when he heard a branch crack underfoot. Whoever was coming his way certainly wasn’t aware of the dangers this forest contained.
The footfalls were light but hurried, almost frantic in pace, as the person moved about. Then, finally, they seemed to slow down and move closer until he heard nothing. Nothing but deadly silence.
When he stepped out from behind the tree, the first thing he noticed was her hair. Bright as the sun amongst all of the gloom, her hair fell in long waves to the middle of her back. The second thing of note was what she was wearing. Or, more accurately, what she was not. Though she was dressed in some kind of coat and tunic, the woman’s legs were left bare save for some rather tall but impractical boots.
Creeping up behind her, he noticed how he towered over her frame, and he allowed his mind to wander for the first time in decades. She would fit very nicely against my—
No, no, Kai. No touching.
Bastian…get out of my head.
I would if I could locate your brother. But as usual—
He’s blocked you.
You would be correct.
West bank. That’s where he’s headed. You may not recognize him though.
Oh?
I made him lose the armor. Kai pictured his oh-so-serious brother. Be sure to tell him I said hello.
I wouldn’t do that even if I knew him well enough. Meanwhile, remember what I said. We don’t know if they are subject to the Empress’s curse.
Fine. I will look and not touch… Kai let his thought trail off and then added, Yet, before he shut down the link.
* * *
Naeve placed a hand over her heart, trying to calm down. That only caused further anxiety, however, when she realized she was alone again.
She was about to let out a petrified scream when a huge arm wrapped around her from behind. It yanked her back against something solid, and there was nothing she could do when a blade was angled up towards her throat. After sucking in a quick breath, she then ceased breathing altogether.
If I’m going to die, make it quick. Please.
“Don’t. Make. A. Sound.”
The low, gravelly voice reverberated through her as she felt a tear escape the corner of her eye. The arm that was banded across her chest was full-on muscle as it easily held her in place against a body that was as impenetrable as a brick wall.
Naeve didn’t move a muscle, but she lowered her eyes the best she could and saw a black leather glove that went halfway up that thick forearm. As the hand on her right shoulder tightened, she grimaced and felt the tip of the knife press against her throat.
“Where is your other sister?”
Naeve remained silent, not sure she could even remember how to speak, and then she felt those fingers grip her shoulder harder as they spun her around and pulled her up close.
The sight that greeted her was like something from her worst nightmare.
She couldn’t have imagined ever feeling the terror she felt right then. For that reason alone, she’d never known that her response would be to become one hundred percent paralyzed.
As she stared up at the towering figure before her, she had to wonder if maybe she was already dead and he’d been sent to collect her. Cloaked from head to toe in nothing but black, he almost blended into the shadows except for the shiny blade he had pointed at her throat. She couldn’t make out a face behind the hood and mask, but all she continued to hope was that, if he planned to kill her, he’d do it fast.
“Where is your other sister?”
Naeve swallowed and tried again to open her mouth. “I…”
The pressure on her arm increased, and she winced as her eyes flicked to his huge shoulders, where she saw what she thought was a…bow slung over it.
“You..?”
She brought her eyes back to where she figured he was looking down at her—if the devil had eyes.
“I…I don’t know,” she managed. Then she waited for him to flick his wrist and end her life. After what felt like several minutes, she felt the blade leave her throat and then heard a soft whoosh sound.
“Why am I not surprised?” he mumbled before he grabbed her other arm and hauled her up off her toes. “You’re coming with me. Don’t even think about screaming.”
So I’m definitely not dead.
“No running either. I have a dagger, and you have nothing. Remember that.”
Not dead…yet.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
The smooth voice that surrounded Ry’Ker had him halting with his hands cupped over the rushing water where he knelt by the West bank.
Looking to his left, he sat back on his heels when he spotted Li’Am’s son sitting at the base of a tree. For some time now, he’d known of the man who was confined to the East chambers of L’Mere, but never had they had a reason to cross paths.
Something he was grateful for, considering what Si’Bastian was.
Ry’Ker watched him cautiously as he got to his feet and started to walk his way. Gods. Exactly who I don’t want to deal with right now.
“That’s no way to repay me for your life. If it weren’t for me, you’d be lying dead at my feet,” Si’Bastian told him, answering the thought inside his head as he crouched down so they were eye to eye. “That would displease my father greatly. Wouldn’t you agree?”
Ry’Ker stood and backed away, uncomfortable at being so close to the sensualeer.
Having grown up under the mercurial temperament of their Empress, he knew not to have skin contact or show his emotions. The rumors of what exactly their kind could do made him wary as hell when it came to Li’Am’s son. He’d honed and implemented his defense against the sensualeers a long time ago, and it wasn’t something that was about to change because Si’Bastian had been let out of his chambers for a day.
“Nothing has been reported of the Hei Falls being contaminated.”
Si’Bastian shrugged and walked closer. “Feel free to test the theory, but it will be hard for me to say I was right when you are dead.”
Ry’Ker gave Si’Bastian a quick once over, and then turned to the water, which looked deceptively refreshing.
“I can sense her magic. The curse is strong. One sip of that and you or any other man would be incapacitated quicker than even I could blink. The Empress sure doesn’t like your kind.”
Ry’Ker spun back and pinned Si’Bastian with a confrontational stare. “And nobody likes your kind.”
If he’d hoped to offend the man, he was in for disappointment. Si’Bastian merely nodded once and then shifted his gaze back to the water.
“It will likely hit the surrounding water supply within days.”
Ry’Ker cursed under his breath and thought back to a time when this place he lived in had been a sanctuary. Not an infected wasteland where the Empress’s need for revenge had destroyed any and all mortal connections.
“We need to hurry and get the women back to L’Mere before she regains enough strength to locate them. We only get one shot at this.”
“I agree,” Si’Bastian stated. “Marcus has two of them. One is still wandering, and the other, Naeve… She is with—”
“Kai,” he finished in a tone that was less than pleased.
He noticed the dark eyes studying him, but before he could speak, Si’Bastian disappeared.
* * *
Kai looked down into the terrorized face staring up at him and felt the woman vibrate from the shivers racking her body.
How long had it been since he’d been this close to a woman? Since he’d touched one?
The answer came to him quicker than he’d expected, and when the number of years hit the double digits, he realized just how isolated he’d been.
He bent down to get a closer look at the remarkable blue eyes that were brimming with tears. She was terrified of him but trying her hardest to keep a brave face. He’d figured she would have been much easier to control if she was too scared to ask questions, but he hadn’t meant to send her into shock and have her fall faint at his feet.
Kai loosened his hold on her arm, and the second he did, he saw something new flash in those shiny e
yes of hers—determination.
The rabbit is about to run.
Why that idea appealed to him, he couldn’t say, but he found himself releasing her just the same. He lowered his arm to the side as if he were fixing his belt, and just as he’d suspected—she ran.
For the first time in decades, he felt a genuine smile stretch behind his mask. Then he took off after her. She was fast as she darted off to the left, deeper into the forest.
But he was faster.
Following close on her heels, he saw her turn back and check where he was in relation to herself. When she saw that he was coming up on her, she pumped those bare legs of hers even faster and flew like an arrow.
His boots thumped loudly on the earth as he closed in, and when she tripped on a snarled root of one of the trees and fell, he knew he had her. She rolled over until she was on her back and then pushed herself up until she was half sitting.
Before she could scramble away, Kai dropped to his knees and straddled her slender thighs. Then he reached forward to grip the sides of her coat in his hands. He dragged her up until her nose was touching the mask he wore, and her eyes finally locked onto his.
“I told you not to run.”
Her breathing was coming in quick pants, and her sweet, warm breath was seeping through the material covering his mouth.
“If you’re going to kill me—”
“I’m not,” he admitted. “But if you run again, I may be tempted.”
She blinked several times. This close to her, he noticed that her lashes were thick as they brushed across her smooth cheeks.
“Then…then…what do you want?” she asked, stumbling over her words even as she tried to put up a courageous front.
He remained silent as he continued to look at her and took a moment to enjoy how she felt trapped between his legs on the ground. “This isn’t about what I want.” He paused as he let her go, and she fell back on her elbows. “Not yet, anyway.”