The Dark

by Cheyenne McCray

  “Hell no, I’m not okay.” His tone came out harsher than he’d intended, but he couldn’t stop himself. “The whole world is falling apart.” He scrubbed his hand over his face before looking at her again.

  “And you—us.” He came close enough to her to grab her by her shoulders. “I can’t even kiss you without you blowing shit up.”

  Cassia averted her gaze so that she was staring at the wall. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” She looked miserable when her gaze met his again. “Why I let us get this close emotionally—I knew better.”

  “Hey.” Jake’s heart twisted as her words hit home and he softened his tone. The last thing he wanted was to chase her away. “I shouldn’t be pushing it between us right now.”

  He caught her under her chin with his finger, forcing her to look directly into his eyes. “We’ll find a way to make it work.”

  Like usual she didn’t respond, but she settled her face against his chest and let him hold her close.

  “Take me to Otherworld.” He rubbed his palm over her back, imagining the softness of her skin beneath his hand rather than the cotton of her T-shirt. “I want to talk with your mother again.”

  Cassia remained silent for a moment as he held her. “I don’t know what good it would do,” she finally said. “The Guardian—how can I explain her? She’s as old as time, and revered above all others. Some believe she is a goddess in Elvin form.”

  Jake quirked his mouth into a grin and tugged at a lock of her hair. “Should I start calling you Goddess Cassia instead of Princess?”

  “Don’t you dare,” she said, but his teasing coaxed a little smile from her.

  “Well, goddess or not,” he said, bringing a serious note back to their conversation. “I need to have a word with her.”

  “Maybe.” Cassia wiggled out of his embrace and rubbed her arms with her palms as she looked up at him. “If you promise to stop making her angry.”

  With a frown he scrubbed his hand over his face a second time. “I can’t be someone I’m not.”

  “I don’t want you to change.” She stopped running her palms up and down her arms and hugged herself. “I’m just asking you to maybe show a little tact?”

  Jake glanced up at the newly built ceiling of the command center before meeting Cassia’s gaze again. “Tact, huh?” She nodded and he smiled. “I guess I could try that this time around.”

  “You are the most tenacious human I have ever known.” She moved close to him and tilted her head. The dim lights in the room added to her etherealness. “You don’t take no for an answer do you.”

  “Now you’re getting the picture.” God, he had to kiss her. Just a little kiss. He caught her face in his hands and brought his mouth to hers so fast she didn’t have a chance to do anything but gasp.

  A moan rose up in her as she placed her palms on his chest. Sparks of magic traveled through his T-shirt from her touch, and he knew he shouldn’t be playing with fire.

  Literally.

  Just a taste.

  She’d had tea with a hint of lemon, which danced with her unique flavor that he loved so much. He loved everything about her.

  He dipped his tongue deeper into her mouth and felt her little moans straight to his toes.

  Then he realized he actually was feeling her to his toes. Her magic ran up and down their bodies, a tingling fire that made him even harder. He wanted to take her down to the floor and slide inside her, driving them both on until they’d climaxed at least six times.

  No, better yet. He’d take her to his room and make slow love to her. She deserved to be treasured as she gave him her virginity.

  Then he’d take her five more times.

  His mind spun as he brought his hands to her hips and ground himself against her belly. The fire surrounding his body grew more intense and he started to see sparks behind his closed eyelids.

  Need to stop, Macgregor. He groaned and thought about taking his mouth from hers, but couldn’t force himself to.

  Just a little more.

  Cassia seemed as lost as he was in their kiss. She made hungry, desperate sounds as she clenched her fists in his T-shirt.

  Maybe they could do it. Maybe having sex with this woman wouldn’t literally kill him.

  The sound of something popping and crackling, and the smell of burning plastic and wiring hit him as well as a two by four might have.

  They jerked away from each other as smoke spiraled from one of the computers, which also spit electrical sparks onto the concrete floor. The keyboard had been reduced to a bubbling mass of goo.

  She winced as she glanced at the damage. “Oops.”

  He would have laughed if he didn’t want her so bad. Instead he adjusted his jeans that felt like they’d shrunk down two sizes.

  “Yes.” She looked weakened and breathless as she braced her hands on the map table behind her. “Let’s go talk to Mother.”

  Fear made Cassia’s heart pound. She wasn’t scared of the Great Guardian. Cassia was afraid the Guardian was right—there was no way to make things between her and Jake work.

  Disappointment and hopelessness gripped her heart when she and Jake arrived in the meadow. The Guardian wasn’t waiting for their arrival. Definitely not a good sign.

  The seemingly all-powerful, all-knowing Guardian always arrived where any being needed to speak with her about something important. Or if the Guardian believed she needed to impart her wisdom.

  And riddles.

  Her mother had the irritating habit of speaking in riddles that bent one’s brain trying to figure them out. In Cassia and Jake’s case, the Guardian had been pretty straightforward.

  Like, “No way in all of the Underworlds am I going to allow you to be with this human, or make it easy for you.”

  Cassia sighed, and Jake squeezed her hand. “Where do we find your mother?”

  “She usually finds us.” She glanced up at him. “This doesn’t look promising.”

  Jake gazed calmly around the meadow. “Guess we’ll just have to deal with it and track her down.”

  How does one track down the Great Guardian?

  She faced him and took his other hand so that she was holding both of them.

  “The palace is as good as any place to start,” she said just before she used the transference to take them to the city of the Light Elves.

  Jake groaned and swayed a little the moment they appeared in the sunshine-warmed city. “I hate when you do that.”

  Cassia smiled. “Come on, big man.”

  He shook his head as if to clear it. “After you, Princess.”

  She clasped Jake’s hand in hers as if he might disappear any moment. The Great Guardian had the power to do exactly that, and right now Cassia wouldn’t put it past her mother.

  The palace in the trees was considered to be Cassia’s true home, but after four hundred years in the Earth Otherworld it didn’t feel like home. More like a place she went to when she wanted to visit what friends she had there, or to work on her physical and magical training.

  Scents of roses, orchids, and rare flowers flowed over her in the balmy air. Elves they passed bowed in deference to her, but most refused to acknowledge Jake with their gazes.

  Bigots.

  Cassia felt out of place in her human black jeans and T-shirt, but she needed to be prepared in case they had to return to the San Francisco Otherworld in a hurry.

  Jake squeezed her hand, and she realized she’d been trembling. She glanced up at him and offered him a smile even though she didn’t feel it. Her chest was too tight thinking about confronting her mother.

  The stairs leading up to the palace entrance seemed to go on forever, as if the Guardian was making it more difficult to reach her.

  When they finally passed through the enormous wooden doors into the hall, Cassia felt like she couldn’t get enough air into her lungs. Even though the place was enormous and airy, at that moment it stifled her.

  As the guards shut the door behind them, Jake looked
around the great hall. “Where do we find Mom?”

  Cassia elbowed him in his side. “You’re going to make this harder if you keep that up,” she said under her breath. “Not that there’s a chance in all the Underworlds that anything will be easy for us with the Great Guardian.”

  A pair of royal guards approached her and Jake, and she stiffened. She recognized the blond twins at once as her mother’s personal guards. Not that the Guardian needed any. The presence of the men was more of a formality than anything else.

  The guards carried no swords, daggers, or bows. They wielded such great magic that weapons were inconsequential.

  Each man bowed to her. “Princess Cassiandra, the Great Guardian awaits you.”

  Cassia gave a regal nod to acknowledge the summons and followed the guards, still clenching Jake’s hand so tightly that she might break his fingers if she didn’t ease up.

  His nearness, the warmth of his body, and his male scent that she loved so much gave her strength.

  The path to the Guardian’s receiving room wound up to the height of the enormous trees. Flowers and vines curled around columns while yellow and red butterflies floated in and out of the great archways along the path.

  She’s going to roast us, slipped through Cassia’s mind.

  When they reached the topmost step, she and Jake stood on a wide landing. It led into a vast open chamber devoid of any decoration, with the exception of the ivy and fire orchids climbing through the windows.

  Cassia had always imagined that if her mother had collected “treasures” over the countless millennia, the entire city of the Light Elves would be buried beneath it all.

  The Great Guardian stood at the center of the room.

  Sunlight spilled through the arched windows, caressing her and causing her floor-length blonde hair to almost glitter. Her wildflower scent swirled around the chamber, a perfume that captivated the senses.

  Until Cassia and Jake had asked to be together, she had never seen the Guardian as anything but calm. Like still water with the strongest of currents rushing beneath.

  The Guardian’s expression showed nothing, but the fact that she did not smile or appear serene made Cassia’s heart stutter.

  This was not a good idea. Definitely not smart. And with Jake’s penchant for saying exactly what was on his mind, it was a double mistake to be here now.

  Cassia tried to keep her own expression calm as she held Jake’s hand and walked toward the Guardian. When they were a few feet from her, Cassia dropped to one knee with her head lowered.

  Thankfully, Jake did the same, and laid his weapon at the Guardian’s feet.

  Maybe Jake could show a little tact and respect after all.

  “Daughter.” The Guardian’s voice fell flatter than usual. “Human. You may rise.”

  A burst of anger sizzled inside Cassia’s chest as she rose with Jake. From her side view she saw him clench his jaw, as if he was fighting to hold back words that would definitely make the Guardian angry.

  But Cassia couldn’t stop herself or keep all of the heat out of her voice as she said to her mother, “Jake. Not human. His name is Jake.”

  The Guardian let silence hang between them for a long moment. “You refused the choices I gave you when last we met. What brings you to me now?”

  As if she doesn’t know.

  To her relief, Jake spoke in a calm, controlled tone. “There’s got to be another option.” He glanced at Cassia and his expression softened before he met the Guardian’s gaze again. “This isn’t about sex—that’s not why I want to be with Cassia.”

  The Guardian’s words were like silk-encased steel. “Then what is required for her ascension should not be a problem for you to concern yourself with.”

  She focused on Jake, her blue eyes glinting with the same sharpness as her words. “Once a male of pure Elvin blood guides her through her transition without your interference, she is free to experience intercourse with any male of her choosing.”

  Cassia’s face burned hot and flames licked the inside of her chest. Sparks crackled at the ends of her hair even as she fought for control of her emotions.

  Jake’s face had completely reddened, anger obvious in the set of his jaw, the tenseness of his body.

  “Cassia is mine,” he said in a low growl as he released Cassia’s hand and put his arm around her shoulders. “I love her, and there’s no way she’s going to be with another man.”

  Cassia’s jaw dropped.

  Jake had more or less just told the Great Guardian to go to hell.

  Wind whipped through the room, spiraling around them so fiercely it was almost painful. Cassia’s hair rose from her shoulders and across her face. She and Jake swayed from the force of the wind that plastered their clothing to their bodies.

  The Guardian’s clothing and hair didn’t so much as move a fraction.

  Dread anchored itself deep in Cassia’s belly, but the anger in her heart overpowered it.

  “Stop it!” Cassia moved out of Jake’s embrace.

  She clenched her fists at her sides as she tried to take a step closer to her mother without teetering from the power of the wind that continued to blast her body.

  “I don’t want to be with any other man,” she shouted above the wail of the wind. “By the goddess, I love Jake and I will have no other!”

  The wind stopped. Dazzling white light flooded the room, outshining even the Great Guardian’s glow. The entire palace trembled as the trees embracing the palace shook and the ground rocked.

  Almost unable to keep her balance, Cassia backed into Jake and hit his solid chest. He grasped her shoulders. Her heart raced as she blinked and tried to get used to the brilliance.

  It felt as if some great being had entered the room—a tremendous presence that nearly overwhelmed Cassia.

  Shock coursed through Cassia like the prickle of needles on her skin to see an equal measure of shock on the Great Guardian’s face. Even the Guardian looked unnerved as she stared into the white light.

  Having a hard time believing what she was seeing, Cassia’s jaw dropped and her eyes widened.

  Wind rushed through the room and Cassia could almost swear the sound of someone speaking was on the wind.

  Then her mother’s stunned expression gave way to one of resignation. The Great Guardian bowed her head in deference toward the light.

  It hit Cassia.

  The presence was Anu herself.

  Cassia gasped and moved so that she could grab Jake’s hand and she jerked them both to the floor in a kneeling position for yet another time. She kept her head bowed until the light faded, the palace and grounds stopped rocking, and the wind vanished.

  After a moment’s silence, Cassia rose and Jake got to his feet along with her. The Guardian turned and faced them again.

  “What the hell was that?” Jake asked.

  “My mother,” the Guardian said under her breath.

  Cassia thought Jake was going to burst out laughing and she elbowed him, hard. He kept his mouth shut.

  The Guardian studied Cassia. Jake gripped her again with his arm around her shoulders in a possessive, protective stance.

  Her mother looked like she was having a hard time not glancing back to the window where Anu had made herself known.

  “Apparently Anu believes you should be allowed to make these difficult choices of your own accord,” the Guardian said, looking extremely miffed.

  “If this human takes you through your transition,” she continued, “you will face consequences when your time on the Earth Otherworld has come to an end.”

  The Guardian’s gaze held Cassia’s, and Cassia couldn’t have looked away if she tried. “These are choices born of your decision to be with this human in this most crucial time of your life.”

  “I accept,” Cassia said with no doubts in her mind and heart.

  Jake stiffened, his whole body taut against hers as he held his arm around her shoulders. “What is she going to have to deal with in this game yo
u’re playing?”

  Shock bolted through Cassia at Jake’s words and she jerked her head up to look at him.

  Mother’s going to kill him on the spot.

  The Guardian didn’t say anything. When Cassia snapped her attention back to the Guardian, Cassia saw her mother studying Jake. Silence fell so heavily Cassia felt as if the Guardian might create a hole in the floor for them to drop through.

  The Guardian didn’t move her gaze from Jake’s as she said, “Daughter, it is you who will confront difficult consequences and choices when it is time to bring you home.” She turned her head to stare at Cassia. “Do you wish to maintain your decision to go through your transition with this human?”

  Jake looked like he was going to say something, and again Cassia dug her elbow hard into his gut.

  “Yes,” she said clearly.

  “Then so be it.” The Guardian raised one of her hands and opened it, palm up. A clear glass tube rested there, and it contained something that looked like black sludge.

  “The contents of this vial will not change you in any way,” she said to Jake, her tone icy. “You will remain fully human, without even a minuscule amount of magic in your body outside of the transition.”

  She lowered her hand, but the tube continued to hover between them. “Take it if you wish to live.” Cassia’s stomach churned and her heart beat faster as she stared at the vial. What was her mother doing?

  “In addition,” the Guardian said, “you will require instruction on how to take Cassiandra through her transition. I will summon Daire.”

  To Cassia she said, “At this time the only other stipulation I will place on this mating is that you must complete it here, alone, in your own chambers.”

  The Guardian gave Jake the hint of a humorless smile. “Better yet, one of the empty chambers where there is less opportunity for Cassiandra to ‘blow shit up.’”

  32

  The Great Guardian vanished like sunlight shrouded by mist, leaving the chamber dark and unwelcome.

  Cassia stared at the place her mother had been and swallowed back fear combined with excitement and relief.