The Dark

by Cheyenne McCray

  The Dryads were so not going to be happy with her.

  Cassia’s arms shook and she clutched one of the tall bedposts of her canopied bed in an attempt to gain control over herself.

  The finest embroiderers in the city had created designs of colorful leaves and flowers on the canopy fringes and the blanket covering the bed. Her gaze followed one of the vines on the cloth as she thought about Jake.

  He had either been furious at her for not taking her home, or he’d been jealous. The way he’d been staring at Daire when he was speaking, rather than looking at her, gave Cassia the feeling that maybe Jake had been jealous.

  Cassia took deep breaths as she lit all the candles in her chamber with a thought. Scents of vanilla and cinnamon filled the room as the candles began flickering and dancing in the slight breeze coming in through her window arches.

  She could have cleaned the room with one sweep of magic, but she left the mess as a reminder to herself.

  Get a hold of yourself, Cassia.

  She moved away from the bed to the center of the large room and stepped into a circle inlaid on the smooth wooden floor. Fortunately the powder hadn’t reached this far across the room.

  Black Elvin runes of peace, serenity, and tranquility made up the circle around her. Beneath her feet was a colorful mosaic of an Otherworld fire orchid.

  Cassia closed her eyes. She raised her arms from her sides and stretched then out, moving at an unhurried pace, taking deep inhalations and consciously slowing her racing heart. When her arms were even with her shoulders, she turned her palms up, facing skyward.

  She reached deep inside herself, to the very center of her soul, for every bit of calm and serenity she could muster.

  “Anu, please grant me the strength to maintain my true self.” She inhaled the vanilla and cinnamon scents that helped her relax.

  “Since my ascension day I have felt conflicting emotions battling inside me, and I have released them.” Cassia swallowed. “I have experienced embarrassment, fear, concern, anxiety, terror, fury, and even passion. I wish to banish these strong emotions and return to dealing with all situations as I had before.”

  Silence met her ears and her magical core.

  “The Alliance in Otherworld needs that Cassia.” She opened her eyes. “As I was. Stable. Soothing. Measured and, at all times, controlled.”

  No response. Not even a flicker from a single candle flame.

  Cassia blinked back tears as she looked into the semidarkness of her chamber. Her voice came out in a hoarse whisper. “I don’t want to change. My friends, the Alliance—all Otherworlds—need me as I have been.”

  She thought about the spitfire of a child she had been before she began to emulate her mother. “No one would benefit from the unruly little demon I once was.”

  Cassia touched her finger to her cheek, blotting out a tear as she willed Anu to listen.“I can’t afford to fall apart.”

  “Cassiandra.”

  Cassia whirled in the circle to face the doorway and the Great Guardian in all her radiance. “Mother.”

  “Return the human to the Earth Otherworld.” The Guardian’s features looked unusually cool rather than serene, as normal. “You, however, must remain here long enough to complete your transition.”

  Heat flushed over Cassia at thoughts of Daire, Jake, and her transition.

  “Unless you act within this critical window”—the Guardian spread out her hands as if to emphasize what she said—“you will pass on to Summerland.”

  Her expression darkened. “It is not a fate I would wish on anyone, especially not my own heir.”

  Cassia’s stomach sank with every word her mother spoke.

  “Remember,” the Guardian continued, “as you well know, to not complete your transition will affect the balance of all Otherworlds.”

  Cassia had the urge to scream, but she managed to keep her voice somewhat controlled. “That’s not fair. To put the weight of Otherworlds on me.”

  The Guardian gave a delicate shrug. “It is who you are. Why you were brought into this world.”

  Cassia sucked in a deep breath. This is too much.

  Before she could stop herself. Cassia said, “Why must an Elvin male of pure blood take me through my transition?”

  The Guardian raised her brows and her expression darkened further. “You are not thinking of lying with that human male, are you?”

  Cassia felt like she was on fire from embarrassment. “N—no.”

  The Guardian focused intensely on Cassia. “Going through the transition is a powerful and frightening thing. Only an Elvin male trained and prepared to guide you through this time is acceptable.”

  When Cassia opened her mouth to speak, the Guardian cut her off by raising her hand. “This is how it must be. Do not think to do otherwise.”

  Cassia lowered her gaze. “Yes, Mother.”

  “Then you will stay until your transition is complete.”

  “First I need to check that my Coven and my friends in San Francisco are safe,” Cassia said as she met her mother’s eyes again. “And I must see if I might help the Alliance find the traitor betraying them to the warlock-god.”

  The Guardian simply studied her for a moment. “You must make your own decisions. I cannot choose for you, or instruct you otherwise—no matter how much I would like to do so. However, as Great Guardian, I must warn you. Do not tarry long. You will run out of time.”

  A ripple in the air…and the Guardian was gone.

  Cassia wanted to stomp her foot like a child. She wanted to explode everything in her room and scream.

  The force of the emotions made her head spin, and she left the circle. She walked through the white powder still on the floor and sat on her bed. With a sigh, she absently traced a flower pattern on her blanket, then looked out the windows and watched darkness descend. The candles in her room glowed brighter as they filled the room with light.

  What did this loss of control mean for her, for the Earth Otherworld, and for the battle to stop Darkwolf and restore balance across all Otherworlds?

  And what did all of this mean—for her and Jake?

  8

  Otherworld

  * * *

  As if she would give Jake Macgregor the satisfaction of going to him when he demanded it.

  It was now the morning following the day of kisses and explosions. She was still making him wait. When she was good and ready she would return to his chamber and take them back to San Francisco.

  She moved to one of the arches surrounding her room and sunlight warmed her face as she looked out at the beautiful world of the Light Elves.

  Tree leaves winked in the breeze. Streaks of red, blue, orange, yellow, pink, and white wildflowers swathed the city. Rich scents of flowers, grass, and the ever-present perfume of spring met her senses.

  So perfect.

  She bit her lower lip. Maybe too perfect.

  Jake would probably be more than angry that she hadn’t gone to him, but he could go to Underworld and live with the Fomorii for all she cared. Along with Daire.

  Daire’s mate. Right.

  She turned back to face her room. She had already used her magic to clean up the porcelain powder of the sculpture, the scraps of wood, and the wool stuffing, and vanished them to nothingness.

  It was time to return to the San Francisco Otherworld. She would dress as she usually did since they were at war. No skirts or dresses or robes. Jeans and T-shirts, and when they went to battle, body armor provided by the PSF.

  Now that she was allowed to utilize her training with the shirre and hand-to-hand combat, and her magic was magnified, she knew she’d be even more of an asset to the Alliance.

  After Cassia slipped into a pair of jeans, she pulled her hair out of the collar of her T-shirt and let the mass fall past her shoulders. Her hair had grown quickly since she’d neared her ascension, and during the past few months her looks had gradually returned to her normal self.

  Almost.

 
If she didn’t gain control over herself, she would drop more of her illusion and her ears would curve into their natural points.

  Likely the others in her Coven would be surprised at the changes that did show in her appearance once she returned to San Francisco.

  Along with changes in her attitude.

  Fierce emotions, of anger and the fear of losing control of those emotions, made her body shake. She needed to seek solace, to know that this was temporary, not permanent.

  Cassia moved from the window to the circle of runes and covered her face with her palms. She could have control over her emotions again so that she remained in a state of near serenity—most of the time.

  Right?

  She lowered her hands as no response from the goddess filled her. No tingling in her body, no warmth of the deity’s presence as Cassia would feel if Anu had answered her confusion and pain.

  Maybe that was an answer unto itself.

  Figure it out your blessed self.

  Well, so be it.

  Cassia battled a surge of rage and had to rein in another burst of wild magic. She lowered her head as she left the circle to grab a pair of clean human socks from a chest. She tugged them on before she jerked on her jogging shoes.

  For good measure, she kicked the trunk. Hard.

  Pain shot through her big toe and she bit her lower lip to keep from crying out.

  “You are acting strangely,” Kael said in her mind, and she glanced at the doorway to see the white wolf had entered her chamber.

  “Whatever,” Cassia grumbled aloud.

  She’d been on Earth for so long that she had picked up colloquialisms of the times easily over the past couple of centuries. When she returned to Otherworld, however, her language tended to slip back into the formality of the Elves.

  “Tell me.” Kael neared her and, instead of touching his head like she normally would, she crossed her arms over her chest and ground her teeth.

  Another male thinking to make demands on her.

  Okay, something was seriously wrong, with her thoughts running along this vein. How could she be mad at Kael?

  Cassia closed her eyes and took deep breaths, again trying to find her calm center. It eluded her, evaded her with every attempt, and she wanted to scream and scream and scream.

  She opened her eyes and glared out the window. She didn’t like this—none of this. These extreme emotions were foreign, unwanted. Her head ached, her body tensed, tingles prickled her skin, and sparks snapped at her fingertips.

  No! No, no, no, no. She did not want this.

  Like she had a choice, though.

  Cassia felt like her brain was about to melt.

  “Cassiandra?” Kael cocked his large head to the side. “Something has changed, greatly.”

  She wanted to laugh and say, “No kidding,” but instead she said, “I’ll explain on the way to Jake’s room.”

  The wolf listened intently as she grumbled to him in her thoughts about the emotions bombarding her so hard she had difficulty controlling them.

  Kael actually sounded relieved when he said, “Finally.”

  Cassia came to a full stop in the hallway just outside Jake’s room. “Excuse me?” she said aloud as she stared at the wolf.

  Kael gave the equivalent of a wolflike shrug. “I have known you since you were born, Cassiandra. For over four centuries I have watched you bury your emotions as you emulated the Great Guardian.”

  He studied her with serious blue eyes. “Do you not remember the adventures we had when you were a youngling? Before we left for the Earth Otherworld?”

  Cassia rubbed her fingers over her forehead. She needed some lavender oil to ease the tension in her body and lessen her headache. “This isn’t right.”

  “What’s not right?” came Jake’s voice and she snapped her attention to the doorway of his room.

  For a moment she couldn’t respond as she looked at him, let alone breathe. He was incredible. From his dark hair to his blue eyes to his firm lips that knew how to kiss so well.

  The rest of him was just as spectacular. The sleeveless tunic he wore displayed his powerful biceps better than his T-shirts normally did, and the soft blue material stretched taut over his well-developed chest.

  Thanks to having seen him naked yesterday, she knew his entire body down to his calves was all sinew and muscle, raw power that she wanted to take for her own.

  Desire stormed through Cassia like gale-force winds as her eyes met his. Images raced through her mind—of her bringing him down using her fighting skills and straddling his chest before kissing him.

  He was so physically powerful and skilled, though—would her skills be enough of a match for him?

  The corner of Jake’s mouth curved as if he could read her thoughts and crooked his finger. “Come here, Princess.”

  Cassia’s eyes widened but she obeyed, almost blindly following as he stepped back into his chamber and closed the door behind them, shutting Kael out.

  The wolf made a disgruntled sound in Cassia’s mind before letting her know he’d stay right outside the door until it was time for them to leave.

  Cassia stopped in front of Jake and tilted her head up, her entire body shivering as they locked gazes. He was so close she felt his warmth, caught his spicy masculine scent, which made her belly feel like the gale-force winds had turned into a hurricane.

  Jake brushed her cheek with his knuckles then slid his fingers through her hair, causing her to shiver. “You grow more beautiful every day, Cassia.”

  She swallowed, not able to get any words out and trying not to melt against him at his sensual touch.

  He lowered his head so that his mouth was close to hers, so close she was certain he was going to kiss her. Goddess.

  Oh, how she wanted him to kiss her.

  But, at the last second, he moved his face into her hair and inhaled.

  “I’m sorry,” he said as he nuzzled her hair before he drew away with an apologetic expression on his handsome features.

  “Why?” She brought her hand to his chest and an electrifying sensation sizzled between them as she settled her palm over the soft cloth covering his heart.

  She let her hand drop away as Jake sighed and stepped back. “I shouldn’t have kissed you before. I shouldn’t be this close to kissing you again.”

  “Why not?” Cassia asked again, before she could stop herself.

  His gaze turned stormy. “For starters, you have someone you’re supposed to mate with.”

  She gave him an equally hard look. “Like I said, I’m not Daire’s mate. He was chosen by the Great Guardian to—to—” She swallowed hard and now her cheeks burned. “Take me through my transition to complete my ascension.”

  “Ascension, transition.” Jake took her by the shoulders, drawing her closer to him. “I’m not getting any of this.”

  Cassia wanted to fall into his arms and wrap herself around him. Envelop herself in his embrace and his spicy, masculine scent and never let go.

  But she couldn’t. Why she’d even allowed this brief, intimate encounter—she had lost her mind. These rampant emotions played havoc with her senses and released her potent desires.

  “I am a daughter of the Great Guardian,” she finally said in one breath. “Like all Elves, I stopped aging on my twenty-fifth birthday. As she did with my brothers before me, the Guardian sent me to an Otherworld. To the Earth Otherworld. For four centuries.”

  “You’re kidding me.” Jake tightened his hold on her upper arms, a stunned expression on his face. “You’re over four hundred years old?” he asked with total disbelief in his voice.

  “I first came to Earth toward the beginning of the 1600s.”

  Cassia straightened her shoulders. “I served my time before my ascension by watching over Elvin Halflings and others with Elvin blood, like Silver, Copper, and Rhiannon.”

  She tried to relax her posture, but couldn’t. “My responsibility,” she continued, “was to do so without revealing myself as a full
-blooded Elvin being, to use my wit and determination, sharpen my intuition, understanding, and fighting skills. I traveled from D’Anu Coven to Coven as the witches aged and I did not.”

  Jake released her and pushed his hand through his hair, ruffling it. She wanted to reach up and brush the strands into place, just to touch him. “So that’s why you disguised yourself. You’ve been faking it all along.”

  “Oh, no. Never faking it.” His words punched her gut even though she tried not to show it. “I serve Anu as much as any D’Anu witch does.

  “But being months from my ascension,” she continued, “I found it more and more difficult to hide my appearance and nature.”

  Jake sucked in his breath and let it out in a loud rush. “Okay. Let’s say I manage to let that all sink in, what’s with the ascension and transition?”

  “On my four hundred and twenty-fifth birthday, four days ago, I ascended as I came into most of my powers.” She stared at Jake. “I am far more powerful now than I have ever been, more so than most Elves.”

  He held her gaze as he scowled. “And this transition that guy Daire is supposed to take you through?”

  “Sexual energy is one of the most potent forms of magic that exists.” Cassia’s whole body heated, and certainly her face turned as red as the setting sun. “It can be very dangerous for the male paired with a Guardian ascending.”

  She went on in one long rush, “I learned on my ascension day that Daire had been prepared by the Great Guardian to guide me through this transition, because—because an untrained male could die from the power released by my first mating.”

  “First mating?” Jake’s jaw dropped. “You’re a virgin?”

  Cassia looked away from him and out one of the arched windows. Heat swept her from the roots of her hair to her toes.

  “Yes,” she whispered. “As the daughter of the Great Guardian and a Guardian ascending, it was forbidden for me to have sexual relations.”

  She turned back to him, trying to get her embarrassment under control. “And, as I have said, my first mating will be highly dangerous to the male.”