“What is your wish, Master?”
Darion sneered. “Eliminate the war—”
“Darion,” Esperanza drew out his name in warning. “Leave the warriors; they aren’t our concern. Have her send us home.”
Darion glared but acquiesced. “Take my lovely mate and I back to our home.”
“No!” Zander yelled and leapt towards them. They were gone in a swirl of gold. He hit Darion’s throne and flipped over it, rolling and slamming into the wall.
Bain growled. “Makyle is going to lose his shit.”
Uriah and Cree both went to help Zander up while Bain paced the floor, only stopping to slam his fist against the wall. “What the fuck else could go wrong right now?” he asked in exasperation.
With the warriors all sidetracked, Kadar made his move, bolting from the floor and out of the room.
Uriah and Bain both cursed and headed down the dark hall, chasing after the caster. Kadar hit the hidden door, closing it with a loud crash behind him. Uriah groaned, and with a flick of his arm, the wall blew apart.
“Nice,” Bain said with a fang-filled grin.
Uriah grinned back as they moved up the stairs, through the house, and back out into the night. Scanning the area slowly as he moved off the porch, he suppressed a shake of his head. With a subtle, two-finger gesture, he signaled to Bain. Bain caught the sign and headed away from Uriah to circle back around. Kadar was a dumbfuck; he hadn’t been smart enough to keep running. Instead, he decided to hunker down behind a tree less than fifty yards from the house.
Kadar’s eyes remained on Uriah as he attempted to conceal himself within the darkness. Uriah moved further away from the house, heading into the thicker forest around the property.
Bain crept up behind the crouching caster. With a quick pull on the hilt of his sword, he had it resting against the side of Kadar’s neck while his free hand grasped the caster’s upper arm.
“You’re about to get another free ride on us, my friend, and even a complimentary stay in our all-inclusive dungeon.” Bain grinned as he let his massive, white wings free and shot up through a small break in the trees.
“Got him!” he hollered. “I’ll meet you back at the castle.”
Uriah returned to the steps of the hidden forest home just as Cree and Zander were exiting.
Cree glanced to the sky and nodded. “Let’s go,” he said. They took flight, following Bain and his screaming prisoner. The trip was short, and soon they hit the cobblestone of the back courtyard.
Izzy and Lothar were holding Makyle back as Holly and Kale stood close by.
“Let me go!” Makyle roared.
“Calm down,” Bain said, as he shoved Kadar to the ground and hurried to Izzy’s side.
“Fuck you, pretty boy,” Makyle snarled.
Bain arched a brow and looked to Izzy, mouthing, “Pretty boy?”
Izzy shrugged and suppressed a smile. This was no time to remind Bain that she, too, thought he was awfully pretty.
“What the hell happened out there?” Lothar asked.
Makyle’s gaze landed on Kadar. With a treacherous growl, he lifted him into the air by his throat. “Where. Is. She?”
“He doesn’t have her,” Cree said as he, Uriah, and Zander landed next to the group. Cree handed Zander off to Uriah, who headed for the castle.
“Put him down, Makyle. We still need him.”
Makyle grinned savagely. “The great thing about it, Cree, is that he can’t die again. I can beat him over and over again—for eternity, if I choose—and it won’t kill him. Although it will make him wish for the death he once fought.”
“Put him down,” Cree ordered.
Makyle looked to Cree with an ire that cooled the air. “Where is she?”
“Darion and Esperanza were there. They have her.”
Makyle threw Kadar to the side and let his wings loose. Izzy grabbed his arm. She nearly flinched when he turned his diamond eyes on her. There was a cold fire burning in them that would force the strongest of men to cower before him.
Something clicked, and his stare softened. “I wouldn’t hurt you,” he said softly.
Izzy nodded. “I know you think that, but if you leave right now with no backup and something happens to you… that would destroy me, so please, just hang on while we figure this out.”
“You know what they are capable of… I can’t leave her with them.”
“I know, and I will go with you; just take a minute. We need clear heads if we are going against them with Samira on their side.”
Kale sighed. “Here, I’ll take him,” he offered as Bain pulled Kadar to his feet. “Go get Samira.”
Bain nodded and shoved Kadar to Kale. “Careful, there is a good possibility he relieved himself on our flight.
Kale grimaced. “Fucking pussy. You weren’t that high.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Darion stood before the large window in his throne room. He turned to look at Samira and smiled at his fortune.
“You know, genie, I almost didn’t come for you. When my seer came to me and said Kadar was back and he was after a lamp, I assumed it was time to put her down, for she had clearly lost her mind. Fortunately, my lovely mate and I decided to check it out, and now I have you.”
Darion gracefully reclined in his throne. He reached for Esperanza’s hand and lifted it to his lips. She smiled from her seat at his side.
“What next, my love?” he asked. “The castle is repaired, and I feel like a brand new man. What would please you, Essy?”
Esperanza looked to Samira. Samira felt the ice-cold stare to her very core—evil radiated from Esperanza’s cool, lavender gaze. “Tell me, genie, what was that look you shared with the warriors? Which one holds your heart? Are you Cree’s new conquest?”
Samira shook her head. “No, the warriors were merely helping me after I aided Uriah.”
Esperanza smirked. “Ah, you must be the one who helped cloak him—the child and the human. That would mean you had some kind of connection to Makyle. Do tell me about that.”
“What do you wish to know?” Samira asked, unable to fight against her need to please those who ruled over her. Darion had already wished that she would comply with what his mate wanted, and now she had no choice but to tell them all about Makyle.
“Who is the Ruler to you?”
Samira sighed as the words bubbled up. “He is my heart and my soul. He is all I wish for in this world.”
Esperanza arched a brow as she looked to Darion briefly before locking that cool gaze back on Samira. “And what are you to him?”
“He loves me.”
Darion laughed. “He is not capable of love. That’s not the kind of man he is.”
“You’re wrong. I know he loves me.”
Darion smirked and clasped his hands together. Placing his elbows on the arms of his throne, he sat up and rested his chin on his fisted hands. “If that is true, then we should prepare for a rescue mission; he will no doubt come for you.”
“Indeed,” Esperanza agreed. “If I am not mistaken, you are supposed to be dead. Did Makyle change your fate?”
Samira’s head fell slightly. “He killed me, then brought me back and placed me safely in the Human World.”
Darion stood and walked to Samira. He circled her and shook his head. “She needs better clothing—the male clothing from the Human World isn’t flattering on her.”
Esperanza scoffed. “It’s hardly male clothing. They’re jeans and a tank top. Besides, she needs to stay in pants for my plan.”
“And what is that plan?” Darion questioned from behind Samira.
“Easy—Makyle was the main cause of all the damage done here. I say we make him pay.”
“How is that?” Darion asked.
“Simple. He killed her once; I say we force him to try again.”
Samira’s eyes widened.
“You were so quick to want to kill the warriors… I prefer that they suffer with the loss of one of their own…
whether it be Makyle or her.” She gestured towards Samira.
Darion moved to Esperanza. Pulling her from her seat, he pushed her against the wall. “You are positively merciless.” He reached for the skirt of her dress, lifting it to her waist. Pushing her panties aside, he yanked his zipper down. With a quick thrust, he buried himself deep inside of her.
“I like an audience, genie. Enjoy the show.”
Samira shook her head and resisted the tears that pricked at her eyes.
****
Izzy’s brows furrowed. She stood with Makyle and the warriors in front of Zander’s cell. “How did they know?” she questioned.
“His seer, no doubt,” Zander answered in a deadpan tone.
“No, Juliette isn’t there anymore.”
Zander nearly rolled his eyes. “In case no one explained this to you, there are many seers in the Middle World. Juliette isn’t the only one.”
Izzy scoffed and mumbled under her breath, “I can’t believe I ever agreed to a date with you. You’re an asshat.”
Bain chuckled, and Makyle gritted his teeth in irritation. “Enough of this. Don’t be a sarcastic asshole, Zander. We need to figure out what we are going to do.”
“You’re the almighty Makyle. Quit wasting time, and go rescue her,” Zander sneered.
“It’s not that simple,” Uriah said, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. “There is no chance of Darion letting her lamp out of his sight. We need to be smart about this.”
“Of course we do, but—” Lothar was cut off as Cree let out a howl of pain, his knees hit the ground, and his hands flew to the sides of his head. Izzy and Bain were at his side in mere seconds.
“What is it?” Izzy asked, trying to force him to look up at her. Cree groaned as he lifted his face to hers. His lids slowly opened, and Izzy fought the gasp that rose in her throat. His irises had disappeared to show only white looking back at her. Cupping his face, she was struck by the pain that radiated from Cree as the room went white and she tumbled through the vision that took him to the floor. Lightning struck around her as the images flashed by. Visions of her standing with Jelena and Rowan, golden gates, and fields of wheat. The vision warped and moved to the Light Castle under siege as wood and stone shattered around them. The last thing she saw before her vision cleared, and she found herself in Makyle’s lap while Bain was trying to help Cree, was Samira, standing in the courtyard, a sword in hand, and thunder and lightning rolling in behind her.
“Talk to me, Makyle… is she okay?”
“Isabelle, are you all right?” Makyle asked, as he pushed her hair from her face. She shook her head and looked to Cree. “We are in some serious shit.”
Cree nodded as his eyes cleared. “Get ready; Samira, Darion, and Esperanza are bringing the fight to us.”
Makyle looked to Cree. “What did you see?”
Izzy sat up. “Too much, but it appears revenge is still Darion's goal, and it looks like he plans to use Samira to get it.”
“You’re okay?” Makyle asked.
“Yeah,” she answered.
Makyle stood and without another word was down the hall and heading up the stairs.
Izzy sighed. “This isn’t good.”
“Nope,” Kale agreed as he extended his hand and helped her to her feet. “What else did you see?”
Her gaze drifted to Cree. She bit her lip and shook her head. Looking back at Kale, she smiled softly. “Nothing that means anything right now.”
Bain narrowed his gaze on Izzy, but she never looked to him.
“Let’s go. We need to prepare. Bain, take Izzy to your room,” Cree said as he pushed off the ground and headed down the hall.
“What? You need me in this.”
Cree stopped and turned to look at her. He shook his head. “Not this time.”
“What the fuck did you see?” Bain demanded, but Cree didn’t stop. He hit the stairs and took them two at a time.
“I hate to interrupt here, but what about me?” Zander called after him. “I did my part.”
Lothar stepped up to Zander’s cell. “We’ll talk later.”
Zander scowled at him. “This is horse shit. You know it is.”
“Perhaps,” Lothar agreed. “But for now, we don’t have the time to worry about what you might do while our backs are turned.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Bain grasped Izzy’s arm as they hit the main level, he pulled her towards the stairs leading to their room.
“Bain, stop,” she said, as she tried to follow Kale, Lothar, and Uriah.
Holly stopped, exchanged a brief look with Bain, and smiled softly at Izzy.
“It’ll be fine, Iz.”
Bain didn’t say a word until they were up the stairs and he was kicking closed their bedroom door. “What did you see?”
Izzy sighed. “I don’t know what it means.”
“Well, Cree is obviously concerned about you. What was it?”
Izzy sat down on the bed. Refusing to meet his beautiful, violet gaze, she whispered the words that described hers and Cree’s shared vision, “I was standing with Rowan and Jelena. I think I was in the Immortal Three’s domain.
Bain stared at her. “If you were with them, then yes, you were in the Underworld.”
“It doesn’t mean anything,” she said, still not looking at him.
Bain knelt in front of her. Cupping her chin, he forced her gaze. “It means everything, Iz. Can’t you see that?”
“It doesn’t mean something is going to happen to me. We were just in the Underworld. Maybe it’s like when we went to get Makyle.”
Bain shook his head and tried to hide the fear and pain that were fisting his heart. “It’s not, and you know that. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have that look on your face, and Cree wouldn’t be ordering you to stay in the castle.”
She wet her lips and nodded. “I get how Kat feels… it’s going to be bad, and you are going to go out there without me.”
Bain smiled and pressed his forehead to hers. “I am, and you are going to promise me that you will wait here, no matter what.”
Izzy wrapped her arms around his neck. She pressed her lips to his and murmured softly, “I love you… but I won’t sit here idly while everyone I love is in danger and I can help.”
Bain’s voice took on a brusque tone, and his lids slid shut. “I’m not surprised you would say that.” He pressed his mouth to hers in a hard kiss before he pushed her onto the bed and was gone, slamming the door shut.
Izzy rushed to the door. She yanked at the metal knob, but it didn’t budge. She pressed her ear to the thick wood and could hear Bain quietly speaking to someone.
“Bain! What did you do?”
“What I had to, sweetheart. The door won’t open from inside, and I know that you will be angry for a while over this, but I can take it.”
“Holly!” Izzy yelled. “I know you’re out there! Open this damn door now!”
“I’m sorry, Iz. Let us handle this.”
“God damn it, Bain, I will not forgive you if something happens to any of you.”
A small howl sounded from the gilded golden cage in the corner. The door to Trackers’ cage was wide open and the little Argolette flew from it to land on Izzy’s shoulder. Pulling a sad smile from her, even in this situation, she reached up and gently scratched at his neck to settle him.
Bain heard Tracker and knew the little creature—so strongly connected to Izzy—was responding to the overwhelming emotions flowing from its master.
“Maybe not.” His voice was pained and barely above a whisper as his forehead rested on the door. “But at least you’ll be alive.”
Izzy hit the door, and Bain actually flinched. “I love you,” he whispered, before turning and moving down the hall with Holly.
Izzy shook her head. “I love you too, you ass.”
Bain didn’t hear her as thunder began to roll beyond the castle walls and the sky turned from quiet morning to storm ridden.
“Will it hold her?” Bain asked.
Holly nodded. “She may be able to break through the door, but the magic should hold.”
****
As Makyle stood in the courtyard, his diamond gaze drifted up to the large window of Bain’s room.
Izzy stood with her palm against the cool glass, small droplets of water distorting her view. She lifted her gaze to the sky as the first flash of lightning danced through the dark clouds. She shook her head and whispered, “Be careful.”
Makyle winked at her before turning his attention back to the entrance gates of the main courtyard. His gaze narrowed as Samira appeared before him. She looked like an avenging goddess to his eyes. Her red locks, tinted with gold, whipped around her. Her eyes locked on him, shimmering as the lightning flashed around her.
“That’s a new look for you,” Makyle called out over the roaring sky above.
Samira looked down at herself, taking in the black leather that covered her body.
“Darion’s choice of attire for this situation.”
“And what, exactly, is this situation?” Makyle asked.
“I’m so sorry, please just kill me quickly.”
Makyle shook his head. “I can’t kill you. You know that.”
Samira nodded. “Then it will be your death,” she said as a tear slid down her cheek. She reached back, pulling a sword free from the sheath on her back.
“Again you choose weapons over magic?”
She nodded as her sword cut through the air, arching and twisting as she strode forward. Makyle’s wings shook out behind him as he released them from his shoulders.
Samira smiled as a wave seemed to flow through them and the deep black of his feathers shifted to a nearly black, titanium armor. “You are a god—a gorgeous one, at that.”
Immortal Awakening: Immortal Heart Page 10