Running through the screaming crowds and pushing people away, I wondered if love was truly worth all this, if this was the price I could afford pay. I’d known the consequences would be great, but I relied too fully on the bond I shared with Ayden to help us survive this. We were strong, and stronger together, but it only took the death of one to ruin the other. It would take what freedom and hope I had. If a day without Ayden made breathing impossible, living a life without him wasn’t fathomable. He was the lifeline I needed to keep my head above the water, my only rescue against the storm. Hunter or not, I loved him.
I made it to the center of the foyer, bodies packed around me, and searched for Ayden’s face. My eyes frantically searched the place, but still found no signs of him.
“Burn it to the ground!” the crowd yelled. A window smashed and shards of glass flew everywhere. The people had gone mad and seeing as the Royals had vanished, they were taking their frustration out on anything they could get their hands on. They’d lost themselves in a frenzy even lost to this world.
“Echo!” someone yelled. I whirled around and dove through the crowd in the direction of Ayden’s familiar voice. I looked for his face and the traces of violet, but I stared back into unfamiliar brown eyes that seemed bottomless and cold.
“Ayden!” I screamed back, my voice cracking. The air grew stiff as I continued to push my way through throngs of people. I had long left the foyer and escaped into the bowels of the arena. Marble floors and glass ceilings were replaced with dirt-packed walls and cement. After spending a whole night down here in imprisonment you would think one got used to the screaming, crying, and the sounds of people being beaten mercilessly. But you couldn’t—wouldn’t. As you slept curled up on the sodden floors wet with your own blood, it was all you thought about. Death always had a mysterious way of greeting people.
A loud grunt came from down a dark hallway and I turned to follow it. Blood colored the walls and the floors, casting an eerie vibe to the chambers. The place was death incarnate, meant to trap souls of the damned. Though I had indeed spent a night down here, I’d closed myself off to everything till the point where I couldn’t feel. Twenty-four hours had been spent away from him, twenty-four hours of thinking he was dead. If tears could measure pain I was sure I’d endured enough for the both of us. The sword sheathed on my hip had never felt so heavy.
“Ayden?” I whispered, entering the sector. The smell of death—stale and rancid in every way—burned my nose and sent a retching feeling through my gut. I swallowed it down and moved further into the room.
Ayden sat unmoving in a chair, thick ropes tying him down. Scars and blood covered his body and if it wasn’t for the slow movement of his chest, I would have thought him dead. I stopped worrying about the pace of my heart for the moment and ran to him, lifting his head to inspect the cuts on his face.
“Ayden. Ayden, wake up!” I tapped his face and pushed the hairs out of his face. He still sat unconscious, but he was breathing. I unsheathed the sword from my waist and slashed the thick ropes in half, untying the rest from around his legs and wrists. “I’m getting you out of here.”
“Echo…” Ayden murmured. I pulled his arm over my shoulder and held him around the waist. When I tried to pick him up, he screamed out. The minute he stopped breathing would be the death of me, and I wasn’t ready to give up yet. No, not on him. “No, Echo. Don’t…”
I blinked the tears from my eyes and held him tighter. “Ayden, look at you. I need to get you to the garden.”
“Cyrus,” he whispered.
“What?” I looked up the same moment I heard the door slam and the lock slide into place. I looked into the darkness before me and froze. A figure moved from behind the door and the fear that had been lurking behind all this time finally seeped its talons into my throat.
Noah.
“I can’t say that I’m surprised you came back for him, Echo.” Noah crooned. He stepped out of the shadows and I noted his all-in-black outfit and the tattoo at his nape. I never noticed it before, but with the deep collar he wore, it was easy to tell the tattoo was of an asp.
“Get out my way,” I berated. “Do you not see the war outside? There is no time for your little game!”
Noah moved closer to us and I took the next step back. Ayden groaned and clung to me. “Oh, I see what’s going on. Great, isn’t it?”
“Great? There’s a massacre going on out there! You should worry about escaping yourself. It seems the King has fled his kingdom.”
“For now, yes,” he said to me. Noah glanced at Ayden and smiled. “It’s all a part of the big plan, Echo. Hasn’t anyone ever told you that everything happens for a reason?”
Ayden mumbled and he struggled to open his eyes through swollen lids. When his head slumped against my shoulder, I thought he’d fallen beneath the wings of unconsciousness again. Instead, he whispered, “Don’t move,” and reached for my waist to draw my dagger.
I went on like nothing had transpired. “What big plan? To ruin New Haven and kill thousands of people? Is that your idea, Noah, really?” Furtively, I eyed the door and its lock. No keys; I only had to slide it open and we were out.
“Not just my plan, Echo,” Noah said, his voice resonating off the walls. “The people’s plan.”
“Now I know you’re crazy,” I murmured.
Noah’s eyes flashed to me and they sunk into a deeper grey-brown. “Am I? I’ve anticipated this day for so long, a massacre that will finally put an end to the waiting. Not only is our victory within reach, but the construction of a new nation is already in procession.”
Ayden whispered in my ear, “When I count to three, go for the door.” I sighed in response, but didn’t look at him.
“That’s nice to hear, Noah, but whatever you’ve planned, I don’t want to be a part of it.”
“Oh, no. Never you. You’ll just get in the way like you always have. The King was right.”
And that’s when it finally clicked. “You are a conspirator, aren’t you? In allegiance with the King.” It seemed so crazy spoken aloud, but the talks of a new nation gave him away.
Noah’s smile widened, and he said, “You’re smarter than I thought.”
“But why would a King want to ruin his own kingdom?” I asked incredulously.
Ayden silently counted to one.
“This is not a kingdom, Echo. Compliance is the key, and with it we hope to achieve nothing but greatness.”
I snarled. “You are very vague.”
Noah cocked his head and took another step towards us with his hands deep in his pockets. “Do you understand that Cyrus does not have complete control? He is King, yes, but there are others. What would happen, do you say, if all the other Kings were to die?”
I held my breath.
Ayden counted to two.
“What have you done?” I asked breathlessly.
“With three other Kings out of the way and Old Haven soon blown to smithereens, we will rule.” A cryptic look took Noah’s face and I shied away. It was amazing how much people could change right before your eyes. I’d thought Noah to be a rich Prince who had no morals, but now I was looking into the eyes of my very enemy. At that moment, I didn’t know who I was more afraid of: the King or Noah.
“There’s just one problem with your plan,” I said to him. His eyebrows arched as he regarded me. “I’m not dead yet.”
“Three!” Ayden shouted. He moved from me and I darted for the door. Ayden had always been deft when it came to fighting, but with a wounded leg it seemed almost impossible how fast he’d moved.
Noah seemed startled, but quickly reacted to the dagger Ayden had pointed at his chest. “Echo, go!” Ayden shouted. I stared back at the door, and then at Noah wrestling to get the dagger. They fell to the floor and Ayden quickly threw a punch to Noah’s face. I frowned, my hands gripping my sword and itching to do something, and decided I wouldn’t run anymore. I was a Tigress and I was going to fight as one. I wasn’t leaving Ayden to battle a wa
r alone.
Noah kicked Ayden in the chest and Ayden fell back against the stoned wall with a grunt. The dagger slipped from his reach and Noah moved to get it. “Touch it and I’ll kill you,” I reprimanded. My breathing grew heavy and I began to see red. Not only did he hurt Ayden, but he’d raped me free of the freedom it’d taken me everything to attain.
“You’re brave,” Noah said. He moved away from the dagger and as soon as he’d gotten far enough from Ayden, I kicked him in the gut and threw him to the ground with another kick to his groin. Taking his hands and twisting them behind his back until I heard a crack, I pressed his face to the cold wall and kept my eyes on his feet.
“That is nothing new, Noah,” I growled, stooping and pressing the blade of my sword to the back of his neck. “Since you and the King are so friendly, I want you to deliver a message to him.”
“So, you’re not going to kill me?” Noah asked with a smile on his face.
“No, that would be too easy.”
“And way too much fun,” Ayden called, standing to his feet.
“You’re kidding, because I’m not saying anything. According to the King, you are already dead. Alwaenia is already dead.”
Fed up with Noah’s vagueness, I stabbed him in the shoulder with my sword and he cried out as he bled out on the concrete. “I’m quite crafty with a bow and arrow, Noah, but I think swords are definitely my thing.”
“Okay! Okay!” he yelled out. “What’s the damn message?”
Ayden watched me. “Tell the King Aleksandria Esolen said this isn’t over. Tell him she said it’s only begun and she won’t stop until diversity rules all.” With a grunt, I pulled back my sword and kicked him to the ground.
“We should go,” Ayden said. I nodded at him and we headed to the door.
All of what I’d said was true. The King—the man I’d believed to be my father—had started something I was gladly willing to finish. They weren’t taking Alwaenia like conspirators did so long ago. They weren’t taking Old Haven from the people who deserved more, from the people who were more. I was determined to change this nation and kill whomever I had to. The thought alone scared me, but five weeks had changed me.
Ayden suddenly yelled out. I turned to face him, but he was already a step ahead of me. Noah had lodged the dagger into his back and stood watching me in triumph. Before I could regret my decision to let him live, though, Ayden slugged him three times in the face and he fell to the ground.
I jumped and screamed, “Ayden, let’s go!”
He leaned forward and whispered into Noah’s ears. “Threaten my mother again and I’ll make sure you don’t live to see daylight.” With a final kick to the chest, Ayden crossed the sector to me and I helped him out of the door. He limped pretty badly, but he could walk for the most part.
“Echo,” Ayden whispered as we made our way through the empty corridors. “Are you smiling?”
I didn’t get his meaning until I looked up at him. “No. We haven’t reached the end yet.”
“I was afraid you were going to say that.” Ayden held me close to him and I took the moment thank the gods for our survival. Our plan hadn’t worked and our freedom was still a fragile thing, but we had each other and that would do.
The foyer had cleared once again and we made our way out the arena doors. I wondered about Mother, Everlae, and Shadow and tried to suppress the tears. When I tried to remember happy moments before things led up to this point, I got nothing. I only had this moment and every second spent with Ayden. If someone had told me mere weeks ago that loving a man would lead to my own demise, I would have thought them crazy. Now I knew, and I was eager to fight.
The night still bled an inky orange and I held tight to Ayden as we stared out at the ruined houses, burned bridges, and dead bodies. The air smelled stale as if rain was approaching and estranged survivors still loitered in the streets. Sweat, blood, and tears—we went through it all, and yet we hadn’t even reached the end. This time, though, I was sure we were ready to take on the world if need be. A border couldn’t stop us now.
Just beyond the horizon, Ayden and I gazed out at the setting sun. “Today is yesterday’s victory, yesterday is tomorrow’s conquest, and tomorrow is today’s war. Though I face death, I am not fearsome.” Ayden nodded and I looked on with pride.
This is love. This is your life, Echo. Own it. Start over. Fight.
Stay alive.
###
THE SECOND VOLUME IN THE BLEEDING HEART TRILOGY…
DECEIVING DESTINY
DECEMBER 22ND 2012
Acknowledgements
This story would be nothing without Him, so I want to thank God for giving me this remarkable ability to share my love for writing with the world. It’s only by the grace of Him that I have made it thus far. Secondly, I want to thank my loving parents. I know as they are reading this, they probably have big smiles on their faces. I know, guys, I love you too.
I also want to thank Chamera Sampson, Jennifer Don, Dominique Goodall, R.K. Ryals, and Tianna Scott. You girls rock and are a huge impact on this entire journey. You guys have encouraged and inspired me from the very beginning and I hope you will to the very end. This wouldn’t have happened without you girls, so thanks again.
Thanks to Carley Zucco for putting up with me through most of this. HUGE thanks to Silviya and her amazing talents! The cover of this book is wonderful and it’s all thanks to you! You’re friendly and trustworthy—two attributes I find so rarely in this world.
Thanks to Shanna Roberson, Alicia Chunn, Nyzeera Green, Bella Belikov Colella, Michelle Figley, and my family for being some of the best supporters EVER!
And last but surely not least, I want to thank Saline Elder and Naomi Garcia: my girls. When I need a break from writing you guys always seem to be right there and that means so much! Thanks to everyone who has supported me (you know who you are!) in the biggest and smallest ways. You guys have made this experience memorable, something I will definitely never forget. I love you guys from the crown of my head to the soles of my feet.
-N.R.
About the author
Born in New York and raised in Pennsylvania, Nadège Richards has traveled to six other states and two countries, but aspires to travel the world some day. Forever a lover of Art and all things pertaining to Literature, she hopes to obtain knowledge from her writing career, rather than popularity. She wrote her first novel about aliens and goats in the 8th grade and has had a passion for story-telling ever since. Her friends and family are her biggest inspiration. She enjoys being part of the Indie community and sharing her stories with the world.
When not reading, writing, and blogging obsessively, she’s usually found hiking, studying, camping, or at home with her family. She’s been a martial artist for two years, a singer for three, and always seeks a common ground in everything. She considers her writing very personal, as she’s always been a private person. She enjoys writing about what could or should happen, rather than what did happen—she’s a dreamer and a procrastinator.
For more information on Nadège and her new releases:
Blog: http://www.authornadegerichards.blogspot.com
Website: http://www.nadegerichards.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NadegeRich
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/NadegeRichards
Table of Contents
Copyright
Dedication
O N E Echo SIPHON’S CITY, NEW HAVEN
T W O Ayden
T H R E E Echo THEDIBY, NEW HAVEN
F O U R Ayden SHADOW HILLS, OLD HAVEN
F I V E Echo
S I X Ayden
S E V E N Echo
E I G H T Echo
N I N E Ayden
T E N Echo
E L E V E N Ayden
T W E L V E Echo
T H I R T E E N Ayden
F O U R T E E N Ayden
F I F T E E N Echo
S I X T E E N Ayden
S E V E N T E E
N Echo
E I G H T E E N Echo
N I N E T E E N Echo
T W E N T Y Ayden
T W E N T Y- O N E Echo
T W E N T Y- T W O Echo
T W E N T Y- T H R E E Ayden
T W E N T Y– F O U R Echo
T W E N T Y– F I V E Ayden
T W E N T Y– S I X Ayden
T W E N T Y– S E V E N Echo
T W E N T Y– E I G H T Ayden SIPHON’S CITY, NEW HAVEN
T W E N T Y– N I N E Echo
T H I R T Y Echo
Acknowledgements
About the author
Burning Bridges Page 27