Horizon

by Christie Rich

  “What about dinner?” I asked, checking Zach’s expression. If he noticed the changes in my best friend, he didn’t give anything away.

  When she stood up, her skirt stuck on her heel. She didn’t even blink when the fabric ripped. “Excuse me,” she said, dazed. “I need to go now.” Without a glance back, she hurried out the door.

  I stared at her retreating form. There was no point in me going after her. She was just like the others. Lacey was wrong. This wasn’t twitterpation. This was a violation of freedom.

  As soon as the door closed, I turned on my bondmate. “You’d better start giving me answers, Zach. I will not sit here and do nothing when my best friend is acting like a freaking Stepford wife. Where did the real Cassie go? And don’t give me that crap about compulsion or the first few years. There’s something else happening, and I want to know what it is!”

  He held up a hand, clenching his jaw. “It is a precaution we take. It’s necessary for Elementals to adjust. Finn should have done this sooner.”

  “Bull crap.”

  He shook his head at me. “What has come over you?”

  I wanted to dip into a good old-fashioned rant, but I held my temper close. Somehow I managed to reel in my tone, too. I lifted my brows. “Why doesn’t your voodoo work on me?”

  He smirked at me. “I have no idea, but it is rather inconvenient.”

  “I just bet,” I said, seething. “It’s not like this is exactly convenient for me, either.”

  “Yeah,” he snarked out, “business arrangements have a way of turning on you when you least expect them to.”

  My hands found my hips. “Just what exactly is that supposed to mean?”

  “Nothing, your highness.”

  I clenched my jaw until my teeth hurt. “Why won’t you help me? This is Cassie we are talking about. She’s like my sister. I can’t stand to see her like that.”

  He lowered his face. “I don’t dare interfere right now. Besides, Finn just adjusted his control while we’re here. He can’t risk having Cassie go off on the council. You have to understand the way things work here.”

  I grabbed a pillow off the couch and twisted until something popped. Studying the thing revealed a two inch tear in the front. I shrugged and moved to drop it before I did more damage, but I thought better of it and tore the thing into little tiny pieces, the whole time wishing it was Finn’s face, or Ainessa’s, or Valen’s, or who knew who the real threat could be. Valen was the most likely candidate, but how could I be sure?

  Zach’s hands brushed over mine, stilling them. “I’ll not let them have you. You must know that.”

  Them? Now there was an official them? My fears shot up my throat. “I’m not safe here. I need to leave.”

  Zach’s eyes searched mine, his Adam’s apple bobbing when he swallowed. “You have every reason in the world not to trust me. I understand that, but as of this moment, I’m all you’ve got. If there was any way for me to take you out of here, I would. I don’t like being here anymore than you do, but it is necessary.”

  The truth of his statement sunk into me, turning my stomach into newly blown glass. Tabitha assured me Heath and I still had a chance to be together, but every day away from him widened the distance between us. I’d hoped to bring a diplomatic solution to the fae problems, yet that reality was slipping through my fingers, too.

  If something didn’t change soon, I might end up losing everything. I’d most assuredly lose some of the people I loved just through the passage of time, but I could lose them all if I didn’t act.

  My time in Lombarda reminded me of how slowly the fae deal with things. Time has no meaning for immortals. I still didn’t know where my family was or if the Order had managed to convert Travis. My only hope was that Creed was making some progress finding him. Something wasn’t right where Travis was concerned, something I was missing. The way Uncle John acted when I rescued him still bothered me.

  The urgency in his eyes had been unmistakable. He’d turned those hate filled eyes on me as if I’d ruined his life. Who knew how Aunt Grace had managed to get him to come with us, but I was sure it was no small effort.

  Zach continued to stare at me as though he expected an answer to his declaration. My voice came out hoarse. “You’re right. I’ve got to trust you.” Before he could fully form his smile, I said, “It might help me a bit if you answered a few of my questions. No evasion. Just truth.”

  He stayed silent for a moment. “What do you wish to know, love.”

  I held in my growl. When was he going to stop calling me that?

  Once I was fully composed again, I asked, “Why did you say you wanted to find Travis the day I left?”

  His jaw shifted and he snarled his words at me. “Left? You did more than just leave.”

  I scoffed. “Technicality. Please, just answer my question.”

  “If the truth is what you want, I’ll give it to you: I wasn’t the one who spoke those words.”

  A shiver sliced through me. “So your sister does want my cousin. Do you know why?”

  Zach sat and motioned for me to do the same. After we were both settled he began, “Ainessa has many reasons for wanting Travis. First, he is your family. If she controls him, you would likely be more compliant. Second, he is an unknown.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “We suspect he has endured Order experiments, just like Roger.”

  So obvious now that Zach said it. I should have known Lambert would experiment on him, just like he did me. “So he’s been genetically altered?”

  Zach shrugged. “It’s hard to say. We only learned about him after you mentioned him. His genetic signature is impossible to trace. He is the only human we have not been able to pin down until recently.”

  “Who else?”

  “Lambert.”

  “Do you think it’s another sanctuary?”

  He gave me an approving nod. “What else could it be?”

  I probably shouldn’t have said what I was thinking, but he’d asked me to trust him and I had to try. “Do you think they might have figured out a way to block fae abilities on a smaller scale?”

  Zach’s face hardened then he shook his head. “Such a thing is impossible.”

  My eyebrows shot up. “Just like the existence of a sanctuary was impossible before you found out about mine.”

  “You don’t know the half of it,” he said. “That sanctuary has started an unofficial investigation to discover who gave the technology to the resistance in the first place. Human science has not progressed enough to even begin to be able to produce that type of shield. In fact, many believe we have not even made sufficient strides to build such a machine.”

  “Not even in Altasia?” I asked, avoiding the subject of angels.

  He shook his head, fisting his hands. “Altasian’s might have the capability to produce the machine, but they don’t hold the elemental power to sustain it.”

  “So, who does?”

  “Only someone from my realm, someone who wields power over space.”

  “Ainessa?”

  Zach walked to the window, gazing out into the darkening night. “I’m not so sure. She contacted me almost immediately, blaming me for the act.”

  “She could have been trying to deflect blame,” I hedged.

  He sighed and the glass fogged up under his breath. Weird. It shouldn’t have been cold outside. “When is she not?” He paused for a moment. “But this time, I believed her. I spoke to Luke about it, and he is certain he is the only one in his realm with the ability to build such a machine.”

  “There you go. He’s working with her,” I said, my body tensing at the thought of him.

  Zach turned around. His face held compassion where I had expected shared anger. “He never was working with her. You have to understand. Things became complicated for he and I on that island.” When I opened my mouth to protest, he held up his hand. “We were arrogant. I believed I had complete control when I didn’t. Luke most likely beli
eved the same thing.”

  “Where is he?” I asked.

  “Recovering.”

  My reply came out as venom. “Recovering?”

  “No one knows what truly happened, Rayla, and I intend to keep it that way. I need him intact.”

  “Why?”

  “One, he’s my best friend and I owe him no less. Two, he is the only one capable of detecting a cloaking machine if there is such a thing. And, three, he has a right to redeem himself.”

  A part of me bristled at Zach, but another part of me hoped Luke could redeem himself. I had no doubt that if he really was the only person capable of finding a sanctuary, Ainessa would use him if she still had control. “Are you saying she’s not inside his head anymore?”

  Zach glanced away from me. “I’m not completely sure. I’ve been working through my own mind to mine for triggers before I attempt to help him with his.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “When I told you my sister had used a parlor trick on me, I wasn’t kidding. I’ll explain, but first, you have to know a few things.

  “When we came to Earth we ran wild. It had been so long since we’d been able to touch solid ground, experience life.” A small smile curved along his mouth. “The power was unbelievable. Soon, however, we let our lust for power override our sense of responsibility to the planet.

  “We agreed to uphold the laws of nature, to do no harm, and to prosper the inhabitants as progression allowed. The one thing we were not told was how to manage the power we had been gifted.”

  I frowned. “But I thought you already had power when you came to earth.”

  “We had knowledge, but unlike the old saying, sometimes it is not the same thing as power. Knowing how to wield power does not give you access.”

  “So, how did you get access?”

  “All of creation follows the same rules. For example, a fish would not suddenly transform into a bear unless the DNA of the fish was altered. I cannot share everything with you, Rayla. It is forbidden, but I will tell you this. Earth was created by power. The same power that keeps the stars aligned is what we tap into, but we have to have permission to do so. The power is on loan. Just like when I access your power, I only have it for a short time. It does not transfer to me.”

  “Okay, so what does this have to do with your sister?”

  He sighed. “We experimented at first. She was a different person when we came here. She was joyful for the first time in what would be forever to you. I saw in her the sister I thought I’d lost. I opened myself to her as we tested our abilities together. I allowed her access to my mind as she did for me. It became a game for us to see who could contain the most power at once. Pretty soon, her games became dark.

  “I wasn’t open to it at first, but she took me to the fire realm and showed me the progress they’d made. In those days, the fire realm was much different than it is today.”

  “How so?”

  “Most of the land was covered in water not ice.”

  An image of Ignis as I’d last seen it shimmered into my mind. The rugged cliffs and pine trees had been awe inspiring. Envisioning the place green and luscious made me ache for a home I would never know. “Why did it change?” I asked.

  “Many reasons, some of which I am not allowed to share with you, but what you need to understand is, we went to war over that land.” He cringed at my gasp. “I am not proud of those days. Slowly, Ainessa, took over my mind, but the way she did it was subtle, I hadn’t noticed each time she touched me.”

  “Touch?”

  “If you remember, she hugged me when we arrived in Eirie. I was too worried about what she had planned for you, I didn’t bother to check for her imprint.”

  “Her what?”

  When she hugged me, she pressed her fingers at my nape. She planted an imprint, sort of a command, that could only be released when I was touched in the same place again. I normally never let her touch me, but I was too caught up with having you.”

  A blush heated my neck then my cheeks. I had no idea what to say to that, but after a while of silence, I had to know. “So when we were…together in the clearing, I touched you there?”

  He nodded. “She’s very clever. I usually can detect her initial intrusion, but this time I was too busy feeling you. She didn’t touch me on the island, so I thought I was safe. She’d been planting compulsions into my mind, but I’d been wiping them out. I just didn’t put everything together when I should have. I’m sorry I failed you.”

  I didn’t want to talk about this. Zach had to know I couldn’t go back to that moment as if nothing had happened. “Just another reason we shouldn’t be together.”

  He chuckled. “Keep telling yourself that, love, but it will remain untrue.”

  “I can’t—”

  He held up his hand again. The weird part was when he did it, I had to stop talking. I glared at him, but he didn’t seem to notice. “I’m not going to push you into a physical relationship. Our bond speaks for itself.” His eyes roamed over me, taking uncomfortable to a whole new level for me. “Once Heath is out of your system, you will be more open to us.”

  After a couple seconds of silence, I was able to speak again. “I don’t understand any of this. I don’t feel that way about you anymore. I’ve already told you that. Our bond should be snapping by now, not holding.”

  “Just because you are not allowing yourself to feel romantic emotions toward me does not mean you do not have them. The mind is capable of convincing us of whatever we want to happen.”

  “I know what I feel,” I snapped.

  A twisted smile crinkled his face. “I could show you, but I won’t. Not yet anyway. One day soon you will see just how wrong you are.”

  I rolled my eyes at his dramatics. He acted like he knew more about me than I did. “So what are you doing to get rid of her booby traps?”

  “Once I find them, they are simple to remove. I basically have to envision every part of my mind, my memory, to fully be able to detect her presence.”

  This was just too complicated, and I didn’t want to press further into our relationship, so I let the topic dissolve. Standing up, I asked, “Do you mind if I get some air?”

  A pleased smile settled on his features. “Of course not, in fact, I’ll come with y—”

  It was my turn to hold up my hand. “I’d rather be alone, if you don’t mind. I need to think, and I can’t really do that very well when you’re around.”

  Zach’s smile widened, and my heart squeezed. I closed my eyes and took a cleansing breath. When I opened them again, he was already entering the closet.

  Chapter Seven

  I stepped into the courtyard, glancing behind me again aware of the person following me. Even though I wanted nothing more than to high-tail it out of there, I made myself stroll into the gardens, hoping to ditch whoever it was along the way to my real destination.

  The person kept their distance, but I could still feel a strange energy around me. I was pretty sure Zach wouldn’t have followed me after our conversation, and Nicco wasn’t in the hall when I left. Valen should have been busy with his dinner guests, so that left…for all I knew it could be Heath.

  After a while, it was clear to me they weren’t going to give up, so I whirled around and stayed where I was. Movement caught my eye.

  My heart thundered in my chest, yet somehow, I recognized the person in the shadows. “Gibbit?” I whispered into the darkness.

  His gravelly voice came out soft. “No foolin’ you, huh, miss?”

  I shook my head at him. “You scared me.”

  He raised his brows, ambling up to me. “Weren’t the first time. Won’t be the last neither, I suspect.”

  I dropped to my haunches, looking him in his purple eyes. “What are you doing here? You could get in trouble.”

  “Never let the risks derail ya, miss. If I only got one life to live, I’m gonna make it count.”

  I had so many questions to ask him, but none seemed appropria
te at the moment. There was something I had to take care of first. “I’m sorry, Gibbit.” I wanted to say so much more, but unshed tears broke my voice.

  He scrunched up his face. “Don’t go getting all sentimental on me, my lady. It’s not like I didn’t have my reasons for warning ya when I did.”

  I cleared my throat and dabbed at my eyes, straightening again. “Thanks just the same, my little friend. It means a lot to me to know you’ll have my back.”

  His face scrunched up. His high-pitched reply startled me. “I promised no such thing. I looks out for myself.” His mouth hardened. “You do the same.”

  “Okay,” I said, not wanting to push the issue with him. He could say what he wanted, but he’d do just about anything for me. He already had. I sniffed. “So why are you here?”

  He looped his pudgy finger into his belt loops. “Had some business to attend. Thought I’d check in on ya…for Cerberus. He hounds me something awful.” Gibbit’s sharp teeth flashed at me, and it hit me.

  “Did you just make a joke?”

  He smiled again, and I wanted to hug him. I chuckled instead, knowing how uncomfortable physical touch made him. “How is my dear hellhound anyway?”

  Gibbit pursed his thin lips, his head bobbing with his words. “Eats me out of house and home, most days. Thank you very much.”

  I shrugged. “All I did was fall asleep.”

  His feet shifted as if he was on alert for hidden dangers. “Oh, no, miss. You done way more than that.”

  I folded my arms over my chest. “Not consciously.”

  “That don’t matter none. Results are what you’re judged by, not your intensions.”

  “Well then, I shouldn’t be talking to you, should I?”

  He smiled. “Point taken.”

  He shuffled his feet again, looking around. “I do have a message to give you, miss. From an…admirer.”

  My brows puckered. “Really? Who might that be?”

  Gibbit lumbered over to me. He gave a little huff then threw his arms around me. I nearly toppled backward, more out of shock than force.