Immortal Dreams (Immortal Realms Book 1)

by Jennifer Sage

  Well, that’s just awesome.

  “But don’t worry, we’ll be surrounding you and I don’t want you busting out of the circle, Bel…do you understand? There’s plenty of time to be a hero later. This is just a little taste. You’ve got all the worlds to save still.”

  No busting out of the circle into the raging Uglies that want to kill me. Check.

  “Alright, I think I’ve got it. Anything else?”

  “Nope, this is going to be a blast. I haven’t gotten to go on a killing spree like this in ages!”

  Isabel scowled. “You’re really insane, do you know that? And geez, make babysitting me sound a little worse, Amele.”

  “Insane, perhaps. And don’t get your panties in a bunch, I’m talking about before you. Babysitting you has been a hell of a good time. I did spend five centuries in the Dragon realm locked up before that though. The King didn’t take it lightly when I kicked his females’ ass from one end of their realm to the other for calling me a faerie. You know, you should never call us that.” She smiled, even as she looked a million miles away in her thoughts.

  “Yeah, got that one the first night with Bodhe, thanks for telling me sooner.”

  Amele just chuckled. “And if you think I’m promiscuous now, wow, you should’ve seen me after the Dragon Prince set me free. There wasn’t a Dragon Lord on that countryside that I didn’t rake my claws on! They’re probably still talking about the sex crazed Sidhe that terrorized them! Well, the males anyway. Their females are not huge fans of mine, at all. Needless to say, I’m not entirely welcome there anymore.”

  “You’re nuts. Absolutely certifiable, Amele.” She laughed, the images too much to bear. “And you’re so going to be telling me that story later!”

  “I promise. Now, what do you say we go kick some Unseelie ass please? I’m jonesing in the worst of ways.”

  She took a deep breath and one more look in the mirror at the stranger staring back. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

  When they walked back downstairs the guards reverence was noticeable in their eyes and in the way they bowed as the two of them came off the final steps. Isabel just bit her lip, unaccustomed to this treatment but realizing she didn’t actually dislike it. While there were only a handful of them before, the entire lower floor was now filled with the Sidhe that they’d rounded up from town. And Loth, she noticed, had a new sword strapped to his back.

  “Majesties,” he opened. “I believe it’s time we cleared the forest a bit, no?”

  They both looked out at the bleak scene in the forest, and Amele nodded. “Yes, Loth, it’s time. Under no circumstances is anyone here to break the circle around Isabel, are we understood?” They all nodded in agreement. She named twenty warriors that were to join her in the circle and then the rest were to fan out and kill any in their path.

  Taking a deep breath, she looked at Amele and nodded that she was ready. Was she really ready to go out into the nightmarish horde? Her palms started sweating a little and she felt a little shaky. Even in this gear and Amele next to her, she was still nervous. She closed her eyes for a moment and took a calming breath, opening them to find the Sidhe waiting for her.

  “Isabel? You don’t have to go with us you know, but I’d prefer if you stayed near me, and I’ve got to go out there.”

  She stood as tall as her five feet, seven inches would allow and shook her head. “I’m going. I just needed a second. I’m good now, really.”

  Amele was by her side as they walked toward the door. “Remember, under no circumstances do you break the circle!” They all answered her in their native tongues, banging their weapons as they shouted. “And scouts, stay in pairs. I’ll be pissed if I see your heads as the ones rolling out there! Don’t piss off your Queen, but do go kill these abominations!” Another round of boisterous agreements followed and the door opened. She turned and winked at Isabel.

  The scouts went first into the soggy landscape, rich with mud from the storms overhead. And although the rain had stopped falling, lightning and thunder still shook the earth. The first set of scouts flew gracefully to the awaiting Unseelie and Shadow Demons, and when the clanking of swords was heard, Isabel’s group rushed out too. They formed a large circle around her and just as predicted the Uglies began rushing toward them. Isabel almost wanted to remove the necklace for a millisecond and then thought better of it. Better to see them and be protected from magic. Killing them, if it came to that, would be much easier if she was seeing them for who they really were.

  The cries of the Unseelie and the sight and sound of steel hitting their flesh made her stomach turn. Strangely, it also made her acutely aware. Her senses seemed heightened to a maximum and she drew both her sword and her dagger in ready. Amele was dancing with her sword, taking down two at a time when they neared her. The other warriors were fierce, but Amele was by far the most skilled that she could see. There were a few other female warriors in the circle around her as well and she envied their grace as they fought. She almost wanted the circle to break so she could see if she could really do this. She didn’t want to be inside it while all the others had to fight.

  Isabel watched in wonder as the Shadow Demons slipped in and out of form, only to be beheaded by one of the Sidhe guard when they resumed again in body. Her whole body was glowing, as were the rest of the warriors. She watched in short lived horror as one of the Sidhe guard was thrown out of the way by a ruthless Unseelie that stormed straight for her in the circle. In one deft move she wouldn’t have believed she could do yesterday, she jumped and whipped the sword around her head, taking its own off his shoulders. Though everything in her screamed that she should be throwing up right now, the simple fact was that she was buzzing with energy.

  There were too many of them charging, and the guard couldn’t hold the circle—not that it mattered. Isabel spun, kicked and chopped anything that came inside it. She must have taken out twenty by herself and was so damn proud that she was helping a little. She heard Amele shriek a command for them to tighten the circle in their tongue and she came to join her in the center, a grin on her face.

  “You little beast,” she screamed, as they fought back to back, taking the Demons and Unseelie that slipped inside, one by one. The warriors that made up the circle were fierce, but it was a simple matter of numbers, really. Plus, the Demons had an unfair advantage. When not in form, they could slither in between them and get to the center. One was coming at her now in shadow form. Come on you ugly thing, come and get me.

  She felt the blow strike her face before she even knew it had materialized and though painful, it really just pissed her off more. This one wanted to dance with her, so they would dance. Amele was handling an Unseelie that broke through and she was left with the Shadow Demon. Each time she thought that it was formed she struck out, but it was nothing but air when her blade sank in where the thing should be.

  Dammit!

  Getting frustrated, she got careless and felt another blow of the Demons’ claws, this time raking across her stomach. Warmth spilled from her center and she let out a small cry of pain. Shit, that had to be deep! Isabel growled and tried to focus but it was too little too late. Caught off guard completely now, the creature pummeled her in the face again and she felt like bones were crushed in both her cheeks. Was that blood falling from her mouth? When she felt the pain of his claws on her back she whipped around faster than he could dematerialize and glared at him with her golden eyes.

  Don’t move, you overgrown rat.

  He didn’t. He just stood there staring at her with his eyes blazing and muscles twitching, like he was struggling against something. She didn’t hesitate and swung the sword hard, taking off his head.

  “Isabel! Gods, you learn quick, girl. You had him eating out of your hand like a pup! I’m so jealous! See, wasn’t that the best ever? Wow, you really are a Sensati!” Amele yelled over her shoulder before she finished off the Uglies that had invaded the circle. Isabel just watched, completely stunned.

  I
made him stay still?

  Amele chuckled even as she was killing the last of them. “Of course you did, dear. You don’t think a Shadow Demon would willingly stand there in form to be beheaded, do you?”

  She just shook her head, unsure of how she had done anything at all. Pain roared from her face and she was losing blood from the wounds caused by that very dead Demons’ claws. He really did just stand there. Huh. Now if only she knew what she had done to provoke that power?

  “Amele…” she whispered, blood that was previously being soaked up by her leathers was pooling now around her feet. As Amele turned sharply toward her, those amber eyes smoldered and the smile completely left her face.

  “Oh my Gods, Isabelle! HEALERS! Get to the Princess, NOW!!!” she screamed as she flew to catch her just as her legs didn’t feel like they were beneath her anymore.

  “I’m so sorry, Amele. I failed…”

  “No the hell you didn’t, Bel. You sent more of those Demons and Unseelie back to hell on your first fight than I’ve ever seen. You’re going to be fine. No, don’t close your eyes. Not yet. LOTH! Where the FUCK ARE THE HEALERS?!”

  Amele’s voice sounded so far away even though she could tell she was screaming by her expressions. Why did she seem so frantic? The Unseelie and Shadow Demons were retreating as she curled into Amele’s arms, the pain thankfully had been replaced by numbness a moment ago. Mission accomplished, mostly, Isabel thought, as her body began to feel like it was floating. Or was she being carried?

  Please, I can walk! She roared inside. I just need a minute to rest…

  Her lids felt like cement though, and try as she might to keep them open, a deep, dark hole had swallowed her up completely.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Mortal Heart

  “MOTHER, QUICKLY! GODS, she’s still mortal! How did this happen?”

  The light screamed through her head as she attempted to open her eyes. A groan escaped her lips as her body trembled with the waves of pain that threatened to make her fall back into the darkness again.

  Through the small slits she could see out of, Bodhe was looking at her wild eyed and frantic.

  “Princess, how did this happen to you? Gods be my witness, I’ll kill the one that caused this suffering.”

  “Too late, Bodhe, I killed him myself,” she moaned, weakly. Her mouth felt parched and swollen. His eyes raised incredulously but did not soften. The blood rushed to her cheeks when she licked at her split lip and realized what a mess she must be. She shut her eyes tightly, not wanting him to see her this way. Every single ounce of her flesh was on fire, and not in the good way either. A tear rolled down her cheek unprovoked as she lay there shivering.

  “Mother!”

  One of the most luminescent, beautiful women she’d ever seen appeared next to Bodhe and looked down to Isabel with concern. “These are the marks of a Shadow Demon.” They both looked at each other confused.

  “But there are no Demons in the mortal realm. Why would they be there now?” He gasped as soon as he said it.

  The woman just nodded at him silently and Isabel choked out, “Well, there are plenty there now, ugly little monsters. Oh my God, I have to see if Amele is okay.”

  “If there is anyone in all the realms that is fine, dear, it is Ameieloreya. Now, please relax, this will only take a moment.”

  Isabel looked at her strangely at the use of a name that wasn’t Amele’s, even if she felt like they were talking about the same person. She winced as the woman’s hands lay on her stomach, and a ball of light burst forth.

  “Isabel, I am Queen Danua, but more importantly, I’m the best healer in Loveryn at the moment. It is a pleasure to meet you, child, even if the circumstances are certainly less than pleasant. Now, I am trying to help, but I need you to lay still a moment longer for me. The damage you have sustained is…extensive.” The Queen spoke softly to her, and all Isabel could do was nod. Even that was a horribly excruciating task in itself.

  The Queen rested her hands on her gently again, and she felt the power rush through her. She could actually feel the balls of light that moved forward from her hands, and the warm sensation of her body mending from the inside out. Tingly heat flowed from her toes to the top of her head, and she could feel every rip, bruise, and broken bone being put to rights. She could feel it when her eyes turned gold too now, as everything came into a clearer focus and brighter colors as well as her senses being heightened to peaks she’d not known before. When she opened her eyes and took in the two before her, Queen Danua and Bodhe both took in a sharp breath.

  “The eyes of an immortal warrior from such a frail being, it’s too soon,” he whispered to the Queen.

  “I heard that, Bodhe, and I am not frail,” she growled through clenched teeth.

  She heard him laugh a little and felt the incredible power surge stop moving through her body as the Queen’s hands were removed. “We shall meet again soon, daughter of Keiren.” Queen Danua smiled gently at her and stepped silently from the room.

  “What I meant to say, Princess, is that they’re beautiful,” he said as he looked at her with a half smile on his lips. “Better?”

  “Mmmhmmm,” she said, peering at him through narrowed slits. Her eyes of course opened of their own accord when she did get that first glance that was unhindered by the roaring pain. It should be against the law to go running around with that much sexual prowess. He wore his straight white hair in the warrior plaits he favored rather than the curls that she did, but this time he was in all black clothes. She’d never seen him in black before. The tunic he wore had leather bands that crisscrossed over the front and his muscles bulged beneath it. His arms were bare except for silver bands and the ones in his ear matched them today. A thin silver circlet wove around his forehead and had a dark stone in the center. Dark pants and boots finished him off and for the first time he didn’t look so pure. His eyes heated to an emerald green with the attention her own were paying him, and she felt the same ripples of pleasure on her skin. Her bare skin. What? She was naked!

  “Um, Bodhe. Did you mean to jump me right when I entered, or did clothing just slip your mind?”

  He looked at her with false shock before he answered. “Well, yes and no. You came early, and I was still trying to decide what to put you in when you showed up. In the condition you were in, there was no time to worry about dresses. This is good, except for the reason you were here early. That, I’m not pleased with, not at all, and we will have words on that later. But, how about today I’ll let you pick your clothes, instead?” he said, then paused for a moment, “You do have a closet here, you know.”

  “I have a what? And words? What words will we have?” She stood up and wrapped the piece of cloth that she was laying on around her. Her body was clean of her own blood and Ugly remains, thank you God. Or thank you Gods? She still couldn’t wrap her head around all of that.

  “No words now, it’s not the time. A closet, you know, with clothes and female things in it. Surely you’ve had one before?” He cocked his head to the side and looked at her with a confusion that would’ve made her laugh since it was completely sincere. But seeing as the whole idea of her having a closet here was presumptuous, she didn’t laugh at all.

  “I have had a few in my life, yes. But…what if I’m not staying here?”

  Something dark and possessive rose in his features, and she wasn’t sure she liked it very much. Until her back was to the wall and his teeth were marking the flesh above her breasts, then she wasn’t exactly sure what she had been thinking in the first place.

  “Isabel, don’t mistake my kindness for weakness,” he growled, “that will be a terrible mistake. You’re my partner, and if you ever give me another scare like you did today, I’ll lock you up myself somehow for a hundred years!” His hands loosened the sheet from her body enough for her to feel every inch of his commanding form and pressed her against him hard, every ounce of her melting even though she wanted to scream at him. One of his hands grabbed her
hair and tugged it so that she was looking up at him, his eyes ablaze with melted emeralds and his flesh glowing fiercely.

  “Isabel. You are Mine. I couldn’t live if you didn’t. Don’t you understand that? You must know at this point on some level, even though you’re not immortal yet. You must,” he pleaded with his words and eyes, the look in his eyes worth a billion dollars if he was faking it. It ripped her in shreds, that look, and told her just how many shreds he was in.

  Before her eyes, the plaits turned into the soft curls she loved so much, and his appearance softened as his eyes shone with beautiful light. She couldn’t even utter a response when he lifted her effortlessly and came down on her mouth like a caged beast. He bit and sucked at her lips until they were ablaze with electricity; until all of her was. His magic had made him into his joyous self, soft and surreal in his ethereal beauty, but his passion wasn’t soft…nothing about his touch or presence was soft right now.

  She wrapped her legs around him as he pressed into her further, a sound coming from his throat that was positively animalistic. She could feel the strain of his pants and the huge bulge beneath that fabric pressing against her own almost naked flesh, as his mouth came down on hers. Lightning pressed further against her tongue and surged through her body, awakening her desires. She moaned his name, lost in the passion that he was feeding her. His teeth grazed her lips and the hand that previously held her head wandered down her breasts, quickly followed by his hungry mouth. She was being devoured, inch by inch. And damn it to hell if she didn’t want to be.

  She tugged at the cords of his tunic but couldn’t release it from him. He looked up at her and ripped it from his body, a pleased expression on his face when she sucked in a breath as it fell. Still against the wall and somewhat limited, her hands ran down the smooth flesh of his chest, eliciting a response in her own body that gave her goosebumps. He closed his eyes and bit his lower lip as she toyed with the hard buds that reacted to her touch, groaning softly as she did.