Horizon

by Christie Rich

  Within a few seconds we were back in that field.

  “It’s about time you two got here,” Jett said.

  I snapped my head toward him just to make sure I hadn’t been hallucinating. Luke and Taylor stood close by and a dark figure lingered in the distance.

  My eyes swept down his body. I didn’t need to see his face to recognize the man. My pulse picked up, and I couldn’t breathe. My lungs worked better in space than they did at the moment.

  Before he could stop me I ripped myself out of Zach’s arms and raced toward Heath. My legs wouldn’t move fast enough.

  Zach called after me, but I didn’t make out the words. Every sound reduced to nothing more than noise in my head.

  Heath stopped. His eyes softened when our gazes locked, and for a second I thought he might welcome me. My knees wanted to buckle, but I wouldn’t let them. His name escaped my mouth and the sound of my voice startled me. The desperation in that one word made my heart beat faster.

  I launched myself at him, nearly throwing us both to the ground when our bodies collided. Tears leaked from my eyes as I cried into his neck.

  “Rayla,” he said. “We can’t do this. I’ve already talked to you…”

  I swallowed and pulled back, not willing to acknowledge his rejection a second time. “Why are you here then? To torment me?”

  “We couldn’t trust Levi, and we all had to be here.”

  I didn’t care what he said; his eyes told me another story. His desperation mirrored my own.

  I shook my head at him, and when my eyes stuck on his lips he immediately returned the gesture. I needed those lips as much as a shipwrecked sailor needed food and water. I pressed my mouth against his, but he stayed completely motionless.

  Letting out a sigh, he stepped back. “You are another man’s bondmate,” he said. “We cannot do this.”

  I stiffened. “That didn’t seem to bother you before.”

  A tight grimace covered his face. “I thought we could overcome the bond, but it didn’t work. We have to face facts.”

  I ached for him so badly I shook. “I’m not listening to this. I love you. I want you. I’ve made my choice, so why doesn’t anyone want to listen to me?”

  He held my face between his warm hands, his caramel eyes focusing on mine. “Something inside you feels a stronger connection to him than me.”

  I grabbed his hands before he could pull away. “That’s not true! I don’t feel anything for him anymore. I’m not sure that I ever did.”

  He backed away from me, but I didn’t have time to say anything else because the other lords surrounded us.

  Zach’s face pulled in a hurt grimace, which brought more tears to my eyes. What more could I have done to make this work? I couldn’t take the look he gave me, so I clamped my eyes shut.

  Warm fingers grasped my forearm. Taylor stood beside me, compassion written on his expression. “My lady, now is not the time to argue over matters of the heart. We came here for a purpose. We are all risking our future for you, because we believe in you. I know the pain you are feeling, but you must repress it. Nothing can be settled until we have figured out where the sanctuary is and how to handle the traitors in our ranks.”

  “Traitors, as in plural?” I asked, not understanding. Did he mean Ainessa and Valen? Luke was here, so he couldn’t be included.

  “We have known about the decline in our leadership for a few centuries now, but it wasn’t until Luke infiltrated the Raiders that we truly understood the magnitude of betrayal.” He paused, turning to Zach. “Is it safe to speak freely?”

  Zach nodded, taking a step closer to me. Even though I didn’t want to admit it, his presence comforted me. He’d always been a comfort for me, even when I didn’t want him to be.

  I’d hurt him. The feeling cut into me like a barbed heartbeat.

  Taylor spoke again, and so much was going on in my head I had to concentrate to listen. “Valen desires to erase all fae but his own court. He has been secretly working with the Order since inception. In fact, we are quite sure he founded it.”

  “But I thought Ainessa—”

  “She has followed her own course, for her own reasons, but even she has seen through to the evil in Valen’s plan. She has disavowed him.”

  It was like the air had a pulse. “Which means?”

  “He desires to rewrite time and has no intention of keeping her involved.”

  “She’ll never stand for that. How would he do such a thing anyway?”

  “We believe he has seen Ainessa’s germ. At the moment it responds to her will, but if another possessed more power, she could awaken the germ without wielding it.”

  “She?”

  “Creation responds best to female influence.”

  Really? That was interesting. Was that why up until Travis, there were only female Elementals? “That’s why Valen wants me?”

  Taylor nodded, but Zach was the one that answered. “My sister may be many things, but she would not destroy her own race.”

  No, just three quarters of mine. “Wait a minute,” I said. “Is this about the dark and light court thing?”

  Zach sighed, as if exasperated with me. “The dark court is not a thing, Rayla. It is a mindset. Where we used to rely on each other for the flow of balance, now we bicker over control. If we do not put a stop to this your entire civilization will be altered, and each of us standing before you will cease to exist.” His expression darkened. “If you die, your spirit will go on. We have already made that transition and cannot go through it again. If Valen gets his way, your Earth will be transformed beyond recognition, if it even survives the ordeal.”

  I narrowed my eyes at him. “I thought you said the creator would never let one of you gain so much power.” When he opened his mouth to speak, I held up my hand. “Let me finish. I know you think that just because some fools believe Valen’s lies that he will have enough power to overcome the laws of free will, but I don’t buy it. We’re talking about the fate of an entire planet. How could any creator overlook a blatant attempt to usurp what is rightfully his? I cannot, no, will not believe he will allow it.” I’d hidden my experience with the angel from so many people. I’d tried to convince myself it was a dream, but it wasn’t.

  “I have something I want to show you,” I said, speaking to all of them. When I opened my mind and let the images flow, Jett gasped.

  I hadn’t even gotten past seeing the angel when he spoke up. “How did you keep this from us for so long?”

  I shrugged, letting my mind recall every detail of the experience.

  Heath stood opposite me, giving me a slight nod of approval. If what they told me was true, I had to set aside feelings and work with these men. I had to figure out a way to overthrow the Order and Valen. Ainessa was another issue entirely. Despite what I’d originally thought about her, I now wondered if she and I could come to an agreement. If she got what she wanted without risking human lives to do it, why would she complain?

  I just hoped one of these guys had an idea what we should do first because I was all out of plans at the moment.

  Luke grunted. “This changes nothing. So, the messenger showed her some memories. They haven’t exactly helped. Besides, she is not telling you everything.”

  I narrowed my eyes at him. “What are you talking about?”

  He mirrored my expression. “There is the little problem with your brother.”

  “Brother?” Heath hissed, as if I had betrayed him.

  For a moment I got caught up in his stare. Would this information have made a difference for us? “I still don’t know what to think about it, but Ainessa claims Travis is my brother.”

  Jett shook his head, fisting his hands at his sides. His dark eyes bored into mine. “That is not possible. We have tried to breed a male Elemental since the first came into our world and have never succeeded.”

  “Save your arguments” I blurted. “I just said I didn’t know if I should believe it or not.”

  “
Do you know who your sire is?” asked Taylor.

  Should I tell them my theory? “I have an idea, but it’s totally speculation. And before you ask, I’m not about to rat him out just yet. If it turns out to be true I’ll think about telling you guys, but I can’t risk it right now. I have to find out if Travis is really my brother or even an Elemental. If he doesn’t have any power, his parentage won’t matter. Maybe the power is only passed on through the X chromosome?”

  “You seemed to have thought about this a lot,” said Zach.

  I pressed my lips together, trying to come up with what to say to them. “Look, I know this is life changing if it is true, but do you really want to go advertising that there is a male Elemental in the world without being sure?”

  “Rayla’s right,” said Jett. “If word of this spread, we would have every fae out in the mortal realm hunting the boy. Knowledge of her sire would cause riots.”

  Zach shook his head, giving me an expression full of disappointment. I didn’t care; at least, I didn’t want to. I looked at all of them in turn. “We are wasting time here. Luke, have you made any progress locating the sanctuary?”

  He stepped closer, holding a small gadget in his hand. It looked like something off Star Trek with lights flashing and bleeps that grew louder when he pointed it south. “There are two possibilities, based on what we know about the previous sanctuary. One position is located a hundred miles from here. The other is in central Mexico.”

  I couldn’t imagine Mr. Lambert in either place. He hated living in Utah and complained about it all the time. As rural as Castlerock had been, it was city living compared to this.

  Zach touched my shoulder. “What is it?”

  “I don’t know…maybe a hunch?”

  “Tell us,” said Heath.

  Hearing his voice did strange things to my heart. I had to get a grip. It was clear he didn’t want me anymore. I’d probably become too much of a burden for him. I swallowed, closing my eyes so I didn’t have to look at him. Being this close and not being able to touch him was painful. I steeled my resolve, cutting out my rumbling emotions for Heath. If I had any chance of getting him back, I had to focus. “Lambert would have chosen somewhere different than where I grew up. It wouldn’t be remote. He hates the country. He spent more time in Dublin than at home. He said it was business, but I think it was the lifestyle. Even on the island he told me he couldn’t wait to get back to civilization.” The more I thought about it, the surer I became. “He’d create a sanctuary to fit his needs. What I want to know, though, is how did he do it without fae help? Or do you think Valen assisted him?”

  Luke shrugged. “I’m only going off preliminary data. I haven’t been able to search the entire globe. To tell you the truth, I’m not sure where he acquired this technology. Every indication tells me this is not human or fae.”

  “What else could it be?” I asked.

  Luke shrugged.

  Taylor frowned. “Since we are here, we should check out the closest location.”

  I pressed my lips together, folding my arms across my chest. His plan made sense, but I couldn’t get the idea that we needed to hurry out of my head. Something was going down. I wasn’t sure if it was some weird connection I had with Travis or not, but I had a feeling if we didn’t find him soon, he wouldn’t be worth finding.

  The lords started discussing strategy, but I wasn’t into it. I wandered toward the trees, contemplating what I knew about Mr. Lambert. The day had become sweltering. Even the slight breeze didn’t help. I found a spot under a wispy tree and sat down in the dirt, taking what shade I could get.

  Heath peered at me from over Taylor’s shoulder. His sad expression made my weary heart squeeze.

  Why couldn’t I change this? What good was my power if I couldn’t have what I wanted?

  A hiss sounded behind me and for a second I thought I’d invaded the home of a pissed off snake. I jumped to my feet and scanned the area. Nothing but dirt was visible.

  The sound came again, and this time I got it. Creed! I looked over my shoulder, but the lords weren’t watching me. If I wandered deeper into the trees, I might be able to provide enough cover for him to come out of his hiding spot.

  I made like I was suddenly interested in nature, pulling a few leaves off the braches for show then wandered casually into a thicker clump about ten feet away.

  “Creed?” I whispered, searching for any sign of him.

  “I’m here,” he said, stepping out into the open. “I thought I’d never get you alone.”

  If it wasn’t for his brown eyes I would have never recognized him. He looked completely normal now, even handsome enough to rival the lords on the other side of the trees; although, his kind face held years of worry.

  “Sorry,” I said, trying to not make a big deal out of the change in him. “I had no idea they would block you from Lombarda. I’ve been going crazy wondering what’s happening. What news do you have for me?”

  He got straight to it. “When our attempts to find your cousin failed, I decided to follow the troll. I overheard your conversation just now, and I think you are right. Gibbit has been searching city after city. He has not ventured into the country once.”

  “So you haven’t found Travis?”

  “I’m afraid not, my lady.” He ran a hand through his sandy brown hair. “I’ve had my best people on it for these months, and we have found nothing. We’ve followed key Order members hoping to catch any lead.” His brown eyes settled on the ground. “They don’t even mention Lambert anymore. It’s like he doesn’t exist.”

  I clasped his hand. “Thank you for looking.” A grateful smile slid easily onto my lips. “It’s so good to see you. I’ve missed you.”

  He smiled too, and I nearly gasped at his newly improved teeth. The box-cutters had been replaced with a set of pearly whites any star would envy.

  He gave me a sad glance. “I’ve nearly completed my transformation.”

  Nearly? I didn’t see one thing wrong with him, but from the look on his face, he wasn’t happy about the change. I hoped I hadn’t ruined his life by naming him. “And?” I asked when he didn’t elaborate.

  He smiled and this time it looked real. “I do have some news for you. We caught word of your friend, Natalie, I believe is her name.”

  Excitement overtook me for a moment. “Where is she? Is she okay? What about Sam?”

  He patted my hand. “They seem well enough, although, I am somewhat concerned about them.”

  My smile faltered as my heart hammered my chest. “Why?”

  He raised his brows, giving me a smirk that put Heath to shame. “Seems your friend has a penchant for finding trouble.”

  I gave a one sided shrug. That was Natalie. Had to be the reporter in her. “What’s happening?”

  Something shifted in his expression that I definitely didn’t like. All the humor vanished and nothing but concern remained. “We have reason to believe the two may be marked for death.”

  My eyes flew wide. “You’ve got to get them to safety!”

  He pressed his lips together. “I have some men watching them, but I’ve been hesitant to interfere. They were captured a couple months ago and have been kept in a high security Order facility in South America until recently.”

  “You can’t leave them there.” The way Roger described the Order had impacted me on a deep level. Once on the wrong side, the Order took no chances. They destroyed people without thought or remorse. I couldn’t understand his hesitation. “Would you get in trouble with the fae for helping them escape?”

  He shrugged. “The fae have strict commands to not interfere with human free will. We may have fallen out of favor with our brethren, but we are under the same dictates. All options must be considered before we intervene.”

  “You helped me,” I said, stiffening slightly.

  He chuckled, surprising me with his easy manner. His lazy smile seemed at odds with the monster he had been not so long ago, a humanoid with no eyes and a gappi
ng mouth full of razor sharp teeth. For not the first time, I wondered who he had been in his former life.

  “No offense,” he said, pulling me out of my musings. “But, Rayla, you are not exactly human at the moment.”

  I still wouldn’t admit to such a thing. “I feel human,” I said.

  “So do I…most days,” he replied with a shrug.

  I chuckled. “Well, you certainly look more human now.”

  His eyes held no light when he answered me. “I am, as they say, nearly back to my old self.”

  “Are you not happy about that?” I finally asked. I mean, if it were me, I’d be thrilled to have my eyes and hands back, not to mention a few other things.

  He took a deep breath. “It is not that. I am grateful for what you have done, yet I cannot interact with more than half of my followers. My people grow weary of having a leader that can no longer understand them.”

  I shook my head, remorse filling me. “I’m so sorry, Creed. I had no idea giving you a name would cause this many problems for you.”

  He dipped his chin in an understanding nod. “You have nothing to apologize for. In case you forgot, I asked you to name me. It is not as large of a problem as some are making it. We have had to use different methods of communication, nothing more. It’s not difficult, only different.”

  A thought occurred to me. “If I ask you to rescue Sam and Natalie could you do it?”

  He tilted his head toward the sky as if thinking for a moment then shrugged. “It might give us the protection we need. You are not human, but you do have the same creator as humans. The truth is I do not know if the laws of free will apply to your kind. However, you need to understand that using our assistance comes with its own risk.”

  “What do you mean?”

  He glanced away from me. “Sometimes we cannot help what happens to people. Much like yours, our powers are…unpredictable.”

  That didn’t sound so great out loud. These were my friends we were talking about. “If you can get them out safely, without too much of a risk, will you do it?”

  “Of course, my lady. We would do anything for you.”