The Mortal Falls

by Anna Durand

  Nevan's posture went taut, his demeanor shifted into predator mode. His voice became a soft threat. "So be it."

  I nudged him with my shoulder. "This is your plan? Interdimensional war?"

  "Trust me." He voiced it as a statement, but uncertainty flickered in his eyes, as if he still couldn't quite believe I did trust him.

  "I was just curious," I said. "But I've got complete faith in you."

  "As do I, in you."

  Someone blipped into view to my right. I blinked at the late-comer.

  Tris slouched with arms slack at his sides and scowled at us. To Nevan, he said, "We doing this or what?"

  "We are."

  I glanced from Tris to Nevan three times before pinning my gaze to the sylph holding my hand. "What the hell is going on?"

  At least a dozen men and women appeared, one after the other, individuals of various ages, shapes, and sizes. They wore casual attire, as if they'd just come from the mall — everything from jeans and T-shirts to crop tops and corduroys. One young woman sported a mini skirt.

  Every one of them carried a weapon. Daggers. Maces. Swords. Bows and arrows.

  "We got this covered," Tris said. "We've endued you team's weapons, temporarily, to give you mortals a leg up with the sylphs at the shop. Ya might wanna go help them, while me and my team cast a little spell."

  "A spell?" I said, totally confused.

  Nevan hooked an arm around my shoulders. "They will erase the soldiers' memories so they forget both their mission and why they sought you."

  "Ah… " I looked at Tris, speechless.

  Nevan spoke for me. "She's trying to say she appreciates the fae's assistance."

  Tris shrugged, making a noncommittal noise.

  "Don't worry," Nevan murmured to me. "Only Tris knows you are the Janusite. The other fae have no idea."

  Thank heavens for that. I glanced up at the sky, issuing a prayer for more good fortune. "I need to see my family. Take me, Nevan, please."

  He took me. And he didn't even make an off-color joke about my word choice.

  The gunshots battered my eardrums in the instant before the world blurred into view. The explosive noise made my ears ring, deafening me.

  Over by the RV, Mom and Dad unleashed a volley of gunfire at two sylph warriors. The soldiers flinched at the impact of the bullets but did not relent as bore down on my family.

  Stan huddled against the shop building, pinned down by a trio of sylphs. He squeezed off round after round, sweeping his M-16 left and right to hit all three soldiers. One dropped to his knees and clutched at his neck, blood streaming out from between his fingers.

  A weak spot. Hallelujah.

  Stan's lips moved as he shouted something to Travis and my parents.

  From his vantage in the driveway, Travis fired off a shot. The sylph in his path lunged at him, clamping one hand around his shooting arm and wrenching it. Pain contorted his features. He must've cried out, but I couldn't hear a damn thing. The gunfire ricocheting off the metal shop building reverberated off the trees in a feedback loop that amplified the ringing in my ears.

  Nevan threw an arm around me, his sword brandished in his other hand. My own voice sounded muffled when I told him, "Go. Help them."

  I had no idea how sylph hearing worked but I prayed he could still make out my words, by lip reading if nothing else. He nodded, started to leave, and turned back to me. He offered his open palm to me and two objects appeared in his hand. A box of ammo for my derringer. I took the gift.

  Nevan stalked off into the melee.

  Heart pounding, I yanked my gun free of the holster inside my waistband, popped open the barrel, dumped out the empty shells, and dropped in two .357 shells. As I clicked the barrel shut, I caught sight of Nevan.

  With his back to me, he clashed swords with a sylph taller and broader than he was. Their blades locked as the soldier drove Nevan backward.

  My mom shot a sylph in the neck. Blood spurted. The warrior tumbled backward onto the ground.

  The gigantic soldier battling Nevan swung his sword back and slashed it at Nevan, who thrust his own blade up to meet the assault. The other sylph pounded his sword into Nevan's with brutal force, knocking Nevan off balance. He lost his footing and his knees smacked into ground.

  With deadly precision, the other sylph hefted his sword up, aimed the tip down, and drove the blade toward Nevan's throat, exposed above his metal breastplate.

  I pulled the trigger on my derringer, slamming both .357 rounds into the soldier. One round fractured his collarbone, blood running down his breastplate. His head jerked as the second round slammed into his neck. His sword veered sideways to puncture the ground beside Nevan's head.

  The warrior collapsed, face down in the gravel.

  With one hand, Nevan braced his sword on the ground and levered his body off the gravel. I rose with him, oblivious to the battle raging around us.

  Nevan shoved me behind him and thrust his sword straight into the sylph who'd been targeting me with his own blade — the soldier I hadn't seen coming. Nevan's blade pierced the warrior's neck, nearly decapitating him, and he fell down dead.

  Travis dispatched the last soldier with a shot to the larynx.

  Blood stained Nevan's armor and his sword. My gaze traveled around the parking lot, taking in the blood pooling around the dead sylphs, the red stains on the clothing of my friends and family. I was the only one not marked by the battle. My stomach twisted, at the gore and at the realization the ones I loved most in the world had risked their lives to protect me.

  Even Travis, the man who'd harassed me for three years, had stood by me in this fight. Of course, I now realized he'd been in love with me for years. I scratched my arms, plagued by a sudden itching all over me. Travis loved me. I had no idea how to deal with that, but the time had come to stop hiding from life and the problems it handed me.

  I holstered my gun.

  None of this would've happened if I weren't the Janusite. Nobody asked me if I wanted this burden. I was stuck with it, though, and I still had no conception of what the job entailed — or what I might become.

  Shedding his armor, vanishing it to wherever he sent his possessions, Nevan drew me into his arms. I wrapped mine around him and buried my face against his chest, the heat of him comforting me like it always did, though I needed it even more today. The ringing in my ears died away and I noticed sounds. My parents, Travis, and Stan chattering. The ka-chunk of rounds being chambered into firearms. The thump-thump of Nevan's heart.

  We both needed a cuddle. And damn, we'd earned it this time.

  "Is everyone okay?" I called out, unwilling to peel myself away from Nevan yet.

  "Fine," said Mom, Dad, Travis, and Stan.

  My head shot up and, without relinquishing my hold on Nevan, I twisted my head around to study my parents. "Where's Ash?"

  On cue, Tris and Ash poofed in. The leprechaun shrugged and poofed out again, as my brother exploded with glee. "Whoa, Zee, that was awesome! Teleportation rocks."

  I resettled my head on Nevan's chest. Warm. Solid. Velvety against my cheek. "Thank you, Nevan. For saving my life — again."

  "You saved my life as well." He combed a hand through my hair. "Once again, we're even on the gratitude front."

  "I like equality. Then I know you're here because you want to be, not because you owe me."

  "Never doubt that, love."

  "But we need to zip on over to the other side of the falls and officially cancel out your life debt."

  "We will. Later."

  A whoosh-whoosh-whoosh made all of us glance skyward.

  Brennus, the raven, soared overhead in a wide circle.

  My dad swung his shotgun up and loosed three rounds. The bird cackled and swerved out of sight behind the trees.

  We'd forgotten all about Skeiron's pet as
sassin.

  The raven swooped down with stunning speed, his body a blur of motion. His talons sank into my shoulders. I clawed at them, but as swiftly as he'd descended, Brennus ripped me away from Nevan and launched into the sky with me in his clutches.

  28

  I shut my eyes against the wind scouring my face, grabbed onto Brennus's talons, but no amount of scratching and pulling loosened his grip. I couldn't fight off a damn bird? So much for me being the most powerful muckety-muck ever. Plummeting to death from high above the earth appealed to me a hell of a lot more than whatever Brennus had planned. Daring to open my eyes, I choked back a scream.

  We plunged through the sky, toward the woods below. My stomach heaved at the sudden drop. The air bit into me like teeth and lashed my hair around my face.

  Brennus flew us straight toward a waterfall secluded deep in the overgrown forest. It stretched higher than the falls behind the rock shop. This cataract rumbled with menacing vigor, its water spraying up in a low-hanging cloud.

  We plummeted into the cascade. I gagged as water pierced my nostrils and throat.

  The raven-man released me. The momentum of our flight hurled me across the cave behind the falls, straight into the rear wall. My bones cracked against solid rock, my nerves screamed from the agony. The tang of blood dribbled down the back of my throat, into my mouth. I toppled backward onto the floor, striking with a lesser, but no less excruciating, blow.

  My entire body burned, ached, throbbed in the worst way. I was fairly certain I'd broken multiple bones. I tried to move my legs but they didn't budge. I managed to lift my arms and palpate my head. My scalp was moist with a warm, viscous liquid spreading through my hair. I fought for each breath, wincing at the pain in my chest.

  Brennus landed by my feet. He squawked once and morphed into his humanoid form, rising above me, his head inches from the high ceiling. He dragged me by my feet into the center of the cave. His black eyes, cold and empty, bored into me.

  "You must die," he said, sounding vaguely regretful about it.

  I rolled my eyes to glance around the cave. Based on my glimpses of the area outside, I'd determined this wasn't the falls behind the shop. Brennus had taken me far away and I had no idea how long it might take Nevan to find me.

  I was a self-reliant woman, right? I could save myself.

  Except I couldn't move my legs. Or my arms. Turning my head, even a smidgen, shot searing pain through my skull.

  Brennus tilted his head side to side in a bird-like mannerism. "Thank you."

  I stared at him, unblinking. "Excuse me?"

  The wet rattling in my voice made my gut clench. Running out of time.

  "You killed Skeiron," he said. "I was bound to the king by a bargain he tricked me into, which prevented me from harming him. Skeiron commanded, and I had no choice but to obey." He swiped a hand over his bald head. "He is gone, thanks to you. But, I'm afraid, you still must die."

  "Why? You're free to do what you want." I coughed, spitting blood onto my chin. "I've done nothing to you."

  He gave a slow nod that turned into a shake of his head. "Another has bound me with a debt beyond all others. He spared my life once and forced me to admit the debt I owe him." Brennus knelt beside me, laying a hand on my stomach. "For a thousand years, I have served the will of my king. But on this day, I must enact the will of my true master — as I did when I terminated the life of the red-haired mortal."

  The truth shivered through me. "You killed Brad."

  His eyes narrowed. "Brad? Was that the mortal's name?"

  "Yes." I pulled in a crackling breath, my chest on fire with pain. "Who made you do it? Who is your true master?"

  He shifted over me, straddling my thighs. "Enough of this talk. You must die, but first I must know. Will your power be scattered or will it be destroyed forever?"

  "No fucking idea."

  He grasped my chin and yanked my head left and right, inspecting me with a ruthless focus. "I cannot perceive your magic. Only the guardian was permitted that right." His nails dug into my skin, triggering the hot sting of blood. "I must risk it. He commands me to do so."

  Brennus drew back one huge hand, like a baseball player about to pitch a ball. His fingers slimmed and sharpened into black talons.

  You've got magic, girl. Use it.

  Fueled by desperation, I reeled my thoughts back to the moment when my power first emerged, when Nevan kissed me in the woods to test me. The passion, the freedom, the burning connection between us — those elements awakened the magic. But it was trust and love that liberated my powers.

  Brennus shredded my shirt with his talons. He tapped the curved point of one talon on my chest, over my heart. "I will take your heart and hex it to bind your magic to the Four Winds. No one shall ever recover your power."

  "What is it with you guys and cursing hearts?"

  "The heart is the seat of the soul."

  He drew a circle on my flesh, marking out his path.

  I concentrated all my thoughts, all my desires, on one objective. I love you, Nevan. Could he hear me? I didn't know, but the declaration blazed through me. The potency of it wrung tears from my eyes and flooded me with energy. Hot, snapping power. It scorched my veins, energized my body, overwhelmed the pain. The doors of my mind and my soul flung wide. I might die in a few minutes, but in this moment, I was empowered.

  Brennus pressed his talon down to pierce my skin. His eyes rapt on the task, he parted his lips as if admiring his handiwork.

  He drove his talon deep into my chest.

  I swallowed my scream, because goddammit, I would not give him the satisfaction.

  Nevan's energy poured into me. Warm. Spicy. Earthy. Just like him.

  The talon fractured my ribs. I screamed and hurled everything I had at him, uncertain of what I was wielding or how it worked. A wave of glittering, ice-blue magic collided with the raven-man. His body jerked. His talon popped out of my chest. Another, stronger wave — a tsunami of power — bowled him over backward. He flipped end over end, flying through the air, to wham into the wall.

  "Nobody curses my heart."

  Speaking sent me into a fit of wet hacking. Liquid dribbled from my lips, accompanied by the bitter taste of blood. Blackness invaded my vision.

  Nevan blipped into view beside me, his face wrenched with grief.

  Yeah. I was dying. The idea bothered me less than I would've expected, lost as I was in a haze of numbness. I wanted to see my family, to be held by Nevan one more time.

  From far away, I watched Nevan produce his sword, targeting Brennus.

  "Don't kill him." I spoke the words, my voice rattling, though I felt detached from my own voice. "Someone else made him do it. A bargain."

  Nevan stopped with his sword still raised over the assassin and glanced at me. "Who?"

  Another figure materialized near my feet, on a diagonal to Nevan and Brennus. In a throaty Texas drawl, the newcomer said, "I made him do it."

  A chill like none I'd ever experienced froze me from my skin straight down to my soul. I croaked, "Calder?"

  "Howdy, angel." Hunched over, as if his spine had been permanently crooked, he extended a bony hand to point his claw-tipped finger at me. His eyes had no whites, only golden brown irises that filled the orbs, with black pupils dilated by the gloom in the cave. "Took me a long time to figure out how to get you, how to get the power to do it. You got no clue how many bargains I had to make."

  Calder's voice scraped like sandpaper on granite. Long, wiry hairs sprouted from his arms, exposed by the ripped and filthy short-sleeve T-shirt that hung on his emaciated torso.

  Nevan let his sword-holding arm fall, the tip of his blade lodging in the dirt. "This is Calder?"

  My formerly dead ex-fiancé laughed, the sound sharp and rough as broken glass. "And you're her new honey. Sorry, but you lose. She's mine, forever.
"

  Nevan gritted his teeth, forcing words out between them. "You made it appear she had murdered that man. Why?"

  "You oughta know how it works." Calder dropped into a crouch, running his teeth over his bottom lip, revealing two sharp canines, inhuman in size and shape. "The forging has to be entered into willingly. She's gotta want to die."

  I tried to sit up, but pain racked my body and forced me down again. "Forging? What are you talking about?"

  "Why d'ya think I did all this?"

  "Revenge. I shot you."

  "Nah, you got it all wrong, sweetness." He trailed one claw up the inside of my calf, raking it over the denim of my jeans. "I was trying to tell ya that night. We can have eternity together, but only if you go through the forging. Like I did."

  The forging. Puzzle pieces clicked into place in my mind, forming a vivid picture I'd never wanted to see. Nevan had told me how, as his mortal body lay dying, his blood had opened a portal and drawn the sylph king Notus to him. On the night I had shot Calder, he kept saying my blood was the key, and if I died, I'd be strong enough to become his mate forever.

  Oh God. His mate.

  I focused on his eyes, the odd coloring and the lack of whites. His wicked canines. The long hairs on his arms. He wasn't human anymore. He wasn't a ghost either. Nevan had told me it took enormous strength of character to survive the forging process intact. Why on earth would Calder have volunteered for it?

  "I was attacked," he said, curling those clawed fingers over my knee. "I can tell you're wondering why I signed up for this. Well, I didn't — exactly. I went hiking in the woods and a damn cougar got me. I was dying, but I'd fallen next to a stream."

  Water. A portal.

  "All of a sudden," Calder said, "this man was there. Offered me a chance to live, but in a different way. I'd be immortal and powerful, practically invincible, and he swore I could still have you. But only if you went through the forging."

  I coughed, wheezing for air, dizzy from blood loss and pain — and the stark reality of everything Calder had done. For me. No. For himself. "If you loved me, you would've let me go."