Fallen Captive (The Fallen Cross Legion Book 2)

by Aliya DalRae

  “Raven,” he said. “Raven.” He had to wake him up, keep him talking. He would tell Jessica a lot of things, but he would not be the one to tell her that her mate was dead. “Wake up brother. I need some help here.”

  But Raven was out. He still breathed, and Nox took that as a positive, but for how long? He scanned the sky and was relieved to see Harrier approaching from the north. The Warrior lowered in front of them and reached for Raven. He didn’t need telling which of them needed saving the most.

  “I’ll be back for you as soon as I can,” he said, but Nox could see how worn their fallen angel appeared. His brow was covered with sweat, his hair plastered to his neck, and his wings beat at a much slower pace. If he made it back to get Nox before the sun came up, it would be a miracle.

  Harrier and Raven disappeared as the horizon faded to a lighter shade of blue.

  Alone in the water, Nox battled the remaining sharks, his thoughts on Rachel. How badly he wanted to share a life with her, if she would have him, if this wasn’t a case of a relationship based on an intense situation. That girl in Speed said they never worked out.

  But it didn’t feel like that. It felt like all the time they’d spent sniping at each other had been an extreme waste of time, time they could have spent doing other things, like having wild, monkey sex. Nox laughed out loud, the sound scaring away a small school of fish that had appeared in the sharks’ temporary absence. Here he was, alone in an ocean of frigid salt water, and he was thinking about sex.

  But it was sex with Rachel he thought about, and that made perfect sense. He lamented the fact that he’d never seen her naked, never held her trembling body beneath him as he slid inside what he knew would be the most perfect slice of femininity the gods had ever created. It was proof that his life had been a complete waste of time.

  He clung to the seat cushion, floating alone in that great big ocean, and he was tired. So very, very tired. Something brushed his legs, and it might have been another shark, but he was too damn exhausted to care. He laid his head on the cushion, his black hair floating in the water around him like an oil slick in all that aquamarine, and he wondered. Would it hurt more to be eaten by a shark or to burn in the sun? Not that pain was an issue for him. He’d had his share of experience.

  So. Fucking. Tired.

  He closed his eyes, the pinks and greens brightening the horizon the last thing he saw. In a dream, he became weightless as he was lifted from the ocean. Water sluiced from his body as frigid air surrounded him, and he thought maybe the humans were right. Perhaps he’d been good enough to join in their heavenly afterlife. His head fell back, and he opened his good eye a crack, enough to see that he was, indeed, in the arms of a fierce angel.

  “Come on, Nox,” the angel said. “Hang in there. I’ll not disappoint my sister.”

  Rachel.

  Nox looked up again and saw the angel’s halo as the sky lightened around them both. “Thank you,” he whispered, and his chin dropped to his chest. His hair fell over his eye, and as the angel carried him away, he prepared to meet the sun.

  Chapter Forty-Four

  R achel busied herself doing triage on each person who walked up the path. Rebecca was surprisingly injury free, and Mason had suffered only minor cuts and bruises. Most of those were to his hands where he’d tried to free her sister from that seatbelt. They would both heal, probably before the moon rose again.

  As she tended to her patients, she kept an eye on the path, waiting for that one Vampire she cared most about to walk into the clearing and tell her he was perfectly fine. She tried to focus on cleaning Mason’s battered palms, but movement on the path caught her attention. Harrier powered toward them, carrying what looked like a body. Black hair covered the face of the male, and they were too far away for her to see which of the twins her brother bore.

  Her heart leapt to her throat, and she silently begged anyone who would listen, “Please, not Nox.” She immediately felt guilty, of course, because that would mean her niece’s mate was dead or dying, but she couldn’t help how she felt. She ran to Harrier to give him whatever aid she could. At least that’s what she told herself, but truthfully, she just needed to know.

  “Raven’s in a bad way,” Harrier said when they were close enough to talk. “He’s been unconscious since I picked him up. I know he has the head wound, but who knows what other injuries we’re dealing with. He needs blood.”

  “I can help,” Rebecca said, surprising her siblings yet again. Rachel nodded, and Harrier carried Raven into the cave and laid him down on the stone ground.

  “Go ahead,” Rachel said to Rebecca, and she wasted no time in scoring her wrist and holding it to Raven’s mouth. Rachel worried that he would be too weak to feed, but he latched on in no time, leaving her free to see to his wounds.

  As Harrier had said, the crack to his head was the worst of it, but he had severe lacerations on his arms and abdomen, and what looked like shark bites on his legs. He’d never even cried out, at least not when Rachel had been there. The salt water had helped with blood loss, but these weren’t injuries that would heal overnight.

  This last trip had taken Harrier nearly an hour round trip, and he leaned against the cave wall, hunkered down due to the low ceiling, his breathing heavy and tortured. He pushed himself away from the wall and headed for the entrance.

  “Harrier,” Rachel said, and he turned. “I know you’re exhausted. You’ve done so much already. But please, please bring him back to me.”

  Harrier nodded, stepped out of the cave and took off right from the clearing. Raven was still feeding from Rebecca, so Rachel went about cleaning his wounds. It would be a while before Harrier returned, she knew that. But the sky was getting lighter, and she couldn’t help worrying. Mason was out foraging, but before long they would all have to crowd into this cave. Assuming her brother’s wings held out long enough to bring Nox and him back.

  By the time Raven had drunk his fill and she’d bound his wounds with remnants of his clothing, Rachel found herself with nothing to do but watch the skies. Rebecca sat beside her and laid her head on her shoulder. Rachel put her arm around her and they sat together, both lost in their own thoughts, until Harrier’s broad form fell from the sky. Nox lay limp in his arms, looking entirely too much as his brother had done on Harrier’s previous entrance.

  They landed next to the fire, and Rachel pulled them into the cave to protect them from the rising sun. Harrier placed Nox on the ground and backed away as she searched the injured male’s head for concussive wounds. When she found none, she ripped his shirt open.

  Rachel gasped. Not only were the partially healed wounds left over from the Primeval’s attention open and seeping, but there was a metal shard protruding from Nox’s abdomen as well.

  “Harrier,” she said. “Did you know about this?”

  Harrier shook his head. “Idiot never said a word. I’d have brought him straight away if I’d known. We left a trail of blood all the way here. I swear there were sharks following us.”

  Rachel closed her eyes, tried hard not to think about what might have happened had Harrier been the slightest bit slower. “Nox,” she said, stroked his hair. “Can you hear me?”

  Nox’s eyes fluttered and he turned his head toward the sound of her voice.

  “I swear, I didn’t know,” Harrier said again, exhaustion bleeding through the panic in his voice.

  “It’s all right, Harrier. Mason’s found fresh water for us, but we’ll have to wait for nightfall to see if there’s anything to eat here. You’ve done your bit, now get some rest while I take care of this one.”

  Harrier lumbered to the back of the cave and slid to the ground, his knees pulled to his chest as he rested his head upon them. “Bloody bastard never said a word.”

  “Don’t call him that,” Rachel muttered, and she could have sworn the corners of Nox’s lips turned up. The smile disappeared before she was sure of what she’d seen. “You are an idiot, though,” she whispered.

 
Nox lifted a hand to her but dropped it before she could grasp it. Rachel frowned as another hand dropped to her shoulder. She looked up to see Mason standing over them.

  “How can I help?” he asked.

  Rachel blew out a breath. “I’ll give him my blood, no problem, but we’ve got to remove that piece of metal first. We can’t have him healing up around it.”

  “It may be too late for that,” Mason said as he knelt beside her and pried at the shrapnel. “Removing it is going to reopen the wound.”

  “Bloody stubborn fool,” Rachel muttered.

  Had to be sure you were safe. All of you. It was barely a whisper, and if she didn’t know better, she would have sworn his lips never moved.

  “Well, this is going to hurt. That’s what bloody heroics will get you.”

  Worth it to taste your blood again.

  This time she was certain he hadn’t spoken aloud. Are you in my head? she thought?

  Is it wrong for me to want that?

  Rachel gasped.

  Mason pulled a knife from a sheath at his hip that had somehow survived the crash and transfer, then stepped out into the shadows to hold it over the fire. The sun had broken the horizon but had yet to get through the protective trees.

  “Are you hearing this,” Rachel whispered hoping Mason would hear her without disturbing the others. He didn’t respond, but Nox did.

  Shhh. Definitely in her head. I don’t want them to know.

  Can you do this with everyone? Rachel sent her thoughts to him, tried hard not to flip out over what was happening between them.

  Nox shook his head as Mason returned with the glowing blade. Taking it as a reaction to the knife, Mason said, “Sorry, Nox. It has to be done. Rachel, hold his arms. Rebecca?” He glanced over his shoulder to where Becca slouched against the cave wall. “Rebecca. Come here and hold his feet.”

  “But…”

  “Don’t puss out on me now, Rebecca. Harrier’s exhausted and Raven’s still out. We have to do this now.”

  Rebecca joined them, grumbling under her breath as she grabbed hold of Nox’s feet. Rachel understood. She was probably feeling a little woozy herself after feeding Raven. Holding down a male who was about to have a hot knife shoved into his gut didn’t appeal much to Rachel either, but as Mason said, it had to be done.

  Only me? Rachel sent to Nox, hoping to distract him from what was about to happen. She leaned across his chest to hold him steady as Mason leveled the knife near the metal shard.

  One other, he sent, and her heart skipped a beat.

  Mason was swift, pulled the shard from his side in one hard yank. He then laid the glowing knife to the open wound to cauterize it. Nox roared in agony, straining against the weight of Rachel and Rebecca as they tried to hold him still, the scent of burning flesh permeating the dank air in the cave.

  When the pain ebbed, and Nox ceased his struggles, Rebecca excused herself to the mouth of the cave, where she promptly lost the fancy sandwich she’d scarfed down just after the plane had taken off.

  Mason grasped Nox’s arm, gave it a squeeze to comfort or encourage, Rachel didn’t know. He then nodded at her, patted her shoulder and left to join Rebecca at the cave’s entrance. Rachel heard him ask after her wellbeing, but Rebecca’s response was indiscernible.

  Not the slightest bit interested in her sister’s drama, Rachel retrieved the cloth she’d torn from Nox’s shirt and laid it across the wound, which had already scabbed over. Satisfied with Mason’s work, she lifted her wrist to her mouth to open her vein. Before she bit, she heard Nox’s voice in her mind again. May I?

  Rachel blushed. She checked to be sure no one was watching, then lowered her wrist to Nox’s lips. His fangs descended and the moment her skin touched his lips, he bit. As his fangs sank into her flesh, she felt the first pull in her groin. She groaned, and Harrier looked up from his perch against the back wall. Thankfully, he was too exhausted to grumble, as what blood wasn’t going down Nox’s throat or throbbing in her nether regions was flushing her face.

  “Good,” her brother mumbled. “He’s taken your vein. He should heal up quickly now.”

  Rachel rolled her eyes, and shifted her position so she could sit close to Nox while he fed. She heard him chuckle in her head.

  You’re not helping, she thought.

  And you’re adorable when you blush.

  Rachel looked to see that his eye was open and that he was, indeed, watching her. Who is the other? she asked silently.

  “Hmm?” He hummed the question against her arm, sending shivers down her spine.

  You said there was another you could speak with mind to mind. I was just curious who it was. Sasha?

  Sasha’s communications were all her doing. I had no say in what she transferred between us.

  Raven, then?

  Surprisingly, no. This is one connection my brother and I do not share. I think this has more to do with your bloodline than my own.

  I don’t understand. Rachel brushed a lock of hair from his brow and removed the patch from his left eye to check for potential damage. Satisfied, she replaced the black covering and moved on to the cloth that covered the recently sealed wound in his abdomen. It appeared Mason’s work was sufficient.

  The other is Jessica. Nox’s voice in her mind interrupted her inspection. His revelation took a moment to sink in.

  The other was her niece, and wasn’t that a kicker. I had no idea.

  We’ve told no one, as my brother probably wouldn’t be too keen on the idea.

  Rachel glanced at Nox’s twin, who slept soundly a few feet away. True.

  Nox gave a healthy pull on her vein and Rachel shuddered again. You’re doing that on purpose, she sent.

  She felt Nox’s smile against her skin. You’re not wrong. I find your blood not only healing, but absolutely intoxicating. Would I be out of line if I told you I planned to take you like a savage before we leave this island?

  Another hot blush crept up Rachel’s neck and painted her face.

  Once I’ve healed properly, of course.

  She cleared her throat, though it wasn’t necessary for the type of conversation they were carrying on. Of course, and no.

  Nox frowned. No?

  It wouldn’t be out of line at all.

  She smiled as that frown of his turned upside down. With their silent conversation, she could easily have convinced herself that they were alone there in that cave. Just the two of them, doing some crazy mating dance that just happened to include medicinal feeding. Oh, but he had a way of taking out the clinical and turning it into a nurse/patient fantasy. She closed her eyes, let the sensations pulse through her as Nox toyed with her blood. It was almost as if he were not at her wrist, but rather…

  “Rachel?”

  Her eyes flew open and she looked up to see Mason standing, well hunched, over them. Rebecca had apparently recovered and returned to her spot on the wall, where she wore an odd smirk on her face.

  “You got this?” he asked and nodded at Nox’s wound. He was frowning at her, though she couldn’t for the life of her understand why…

  Oh, gods. She was sitting in a tiny cave with a bunch of Vampires stuffed in like sardines. Vampires who could smell arousal at a hundred paces.

  She cleared her throat, ignored the extra layer of blush she felt coloring her cheeks and in her most professional voice said, “Of course. Thank you.”

  Once again, Nox chuckled in her head, and she wished she could give him the mental ear flicks she’d heard he delivered to Raven when he was on the verge of being a twit.

  All business now, she moved her free hand to check on his other wounds. The piece of his shirt she used to stem the blood flow from his reopened wounds was nearly soaked through. While his newer injuries healed nicely, the older ones continued to be a problem. Whatever the Primeval had done to him, he was awfully damned thorough. At least the injuries didn’t show signs of infection. It was small consolation to know that the Sorceress hadn’t been involved to tha
t extent.

  There will be payback for this, she sent. He responded by laving his tongue over her wrist, reinserting his fangs and pulling hard at her vein. She managed to contain the groan this time, but only barely, and she vowed that vengeance would be hers.

  I look forward to it, he thought, and by the purple swirling in that gorgeous sapphire eye, she had no doubt his words were true.

  Chapter Forty-Five

  I t took nearly an hour for Merlin to organize a rescue, an hour his people didn’t have. Tracking down his one daywalker capable of piloting a helicopter was the first problem, as the male lived off Compound with his human mate. They had taken a day trip to Cincinnati and he was at least forty minutes out, if the traffic cooperated. While they waited for him, the ground crew prepped the chopper, and Merlin pulled up maps of the area where the plane went down.

  He was thrilled and devastated to learn that there were thousands of islands in the area. Depending on where exactly they went down, it was possible that Harrier would have been able to locate one and get them all to safety. If not, well then, they were racing the sun, and the chances of finding any of them alive were next to nil.

  As he put the final touches on the plan, Jessica burst into his office, a big pregnant bundle of determination.

  “I’m going with them,” she said and folded her arms across her chest.

  “First of all, I told you and Kythryn to go back to your suites and I would call you with any news. Secondly, are you freaking nuts? Raven would kill me.”

  Jessica hissed and bared tiny fangs at him. “I’ll kill you if you try to stop me.

  Merlin gave her his best watchutalkinaboutWillis look, but she would not back down.

  “I can feel them,” she said. “I’ll know when we’re close. It could take the others forever to find them, time they might not have. Once we get close, I’ll be able to tell the pilot exactly where to go.”

  Merlin held her stare a moment longer. She had a point. Raven would still kill him for putting her in harm’s way, but she was their best chance at finding them before the sun came up. “Fine,” he said, “but if Raven goes all beasty on me, my death will be on you.”