Synchronicity (Scintillate Series Book 3)

by Karen Tjebben

  The Dolum stepped into Hayden’s cell and grabbed her. He jerked her up, crushing her to his muscular chest. Pain sizzled down her arm as the chains bit into her raw skin. She studied the strange markings that covered his white, glowing body. The markings were the easiest way to tell Dolums apart. She didn’t recognize him. She’d never met this one before.

  “What’s going on?” Hayden asked weakly. She glanced around the room. The guards were antsy. “Who are you?” she asked, her tongue heavy with dehydration.

  The Dolum gripped her face in his hand, his long, sharp fingers pinching her skin. “My name is irrelevant to you,” he barked. “We’ve never met because I’m too important to waste my time on a slave.”

  “Is that what I am?” Hayden murmured. She didn’t feel like a slave. Slaves served a purpose, accomplished things, even if they didn’t want to. She was no slave. She was a discarded trinket that Kahan occasionally used for his grotesque pleasure.

  Another Dolum stepped beside Hayden’s keeper. She recognized this one. They called him Wolf. “Captain Etric,” Wolf said, “where are you taking her? Do you have clearance?”

  Captain Etric’s hold on Hayden intensified. She knew her skin would bare the bruises from his rough handling. “Wolf,” he seethed, bringing his face mere inches from Wolf’s. “You are so low on the totem pole that you do not have authority to question me. Go do your work before you find a home within these cells.”

  Submission mixed with fear slashed across Wolf’s face. “Yes, sir,” he replied and retreated to the other side of the room.

  Etric jerked Hayden as he turned and stalked towards the stairs. His boots echoed against the stone floor. Anger bubbled within him and flowed out through his toes with each stomp. He shouldn’t be bothered with this prisoner. Hayden was a nobody, and he was a Captain. She shouldn’t be his problem right now. Something big was going down between the Nephilim and the Asteri, and this was the job they gave him. “Keep up!” Etric barked as Hayden lost her footing on the stone stairs.

  Her feet wobbled as she forced herself to plant one foot in front of the other. Each step tore the scabs from her ankles. Blood seeped from the reopened wounds.

  For the first time in a long time Hayden was leaving this hell they called a dungeon. Her stomach would heave if there had been anything in it, but instead, fear simmered within her core.

  Etric led her up the stairs and through the hallways. Servants and soldiers scurried around them. Hayden had never seen this kind of reaction from her captors before. Their concern pulsed in the air around them. They each carried a weapon, and some even wore strange leather garments and gloves.

  Etric gave her one last glare and pulled her close. His breath stank and breezed against her skin. She held his stare; she wouldn’t look away. She wouldn’t show fear. His lips curled into an oddly-formed smile. “Be good, little girl, or your time here will end.”

  “Promise?” Hayden asked. She was nearly at her breaking point. She’d grown tired of waiting for a rescue that would never happen. She’d grown tired of the suffering they inflicted upon her. She was ready to stop fighting to live. She’d lost sight of anything worth fighting for.

  He growled and tightened his grip on her as he opened the door.

  Hayden was awed by the beauty of the room they entered. It reminded her of the great throne rooms in castles she’d seen around the world. Gilded furniture covered with fine fabrics appointed the room. Exquisite paintings hung on the fabulous wallpaper that covered the walls. Marble columns stood at attention in their ordained spots, supporting the weight of the impressive castle.

  Her eyes stopped on the Nephilim across the room. He sat on a throne, a massive piece with intricate carvings forever etched in the wood. Her father had been a man of power, but he thought that meant he was to use his power to protect those around him. It was clear that Kahan believed his power was to meet his wants and desires. The gluttonous lifestyle he lived revealed his narcissistic tendencies.

  Kahan tapped his fingers on the armrests of his throne as his blood-red pupils fixated on Hayden. His tapping beat out a rhythm that dared her heartbeat to match it. She’d never been in this room. Whenever she’d seen Kahan, it was in the dungeon or the lab. He’d never brought her to his sanctuary.

  Etric escorted Hayden across the room and then shoved her to a kneeling position in front of Kahan. “Your majesty,” Etric said with a bow. “She is unharmed and ready to do your bidding.”

  Unharmed? Was he kidding? Hayden shot Captain Etric a glare and then looked at the blood oozing from the raw skin around her ankles.

  Kahan stood and slowly circled Hayden. With his muscled body, he seemed as wide as he was tall. He sniffed the air and gave her a look of disgust. “Amazing!” Kahan hissed. “You look like shit, but you smell heavenly. How do you do it?” He slowly shook his head and templed his fingers in front of him, letting them tap through a silent rhythm. “No matter how we try to rid you of that stench, it hangs on.”

  Hayden kept her head bowed but darted her eyes up at him. She knew a smack or punch could occur at any moment.

  “Do you know why you’re here?” Kahan asked, his voice smooth and alluring.

  Hayden wanted to mention the little fact about killing Axilian, but she thought better of it. Whenever she spoke Axilian’s name, the consequences were severe. “No,” she said quietly. He liked her meek, so that’s what she gave him.

  “Hmm,” Kahan mumbled and then suddenly grabbed her by the hair and forced her face upwards. “You’re here to pay for your crime of murder,” he fumed, shoving her head away from him. She fell over, her head colliding with the cold marble. “Have you forgotten about Axilian?” he roared. “Does his life mean so little to you that he’s escaped your memory?”

  Hayden wanted to be brave. She wanted to stand up for herself, but she’d tried that route before and discovered that it only ended with pain and suffering. She was powerless. She was just a shell of the woman she used to be. Her one relief was that her friends couldn’t see her now. She was ashamed of her weakness. She had nothing to offer anyone.

  “Well?” Kahan bellowed. “Has he?” The muscles in his arms and chest bulged as anger washed through him.

  “Escaped my memory?” Hayden said softly. “No.” She shook her head. “Axilian is in my thoughts every day.” She shifted so that her legs were tucked under her bottom.

  “Excellent. Axilian should never be forgotten,” Kahan croaked before smacking her head. “Do you know why you’re in here with me right now?”

  Hayden tried to think of a reason why she’d be in this elegant room with him, but she’d lost track of time. Was this an anniversary of some sort? He frequently liked to celebrate and gorge on another’s pain. “No,” she whispered.

  Kahan paced around her, his arms behind his back. He’d debated not telling her the news, but he just couldn’t resist the chance to give her hope and then tear it away. Tormenting her was his favorite pastime. He stopped in front of her, enjoying her humility. He made himself bigger by spreading his legs in a broad stance and holding his hands behind his back to puff out his chest. “It appears,” Kahan began, barely keeping his voice under control, “that some Asteri are getting uppity. They are shucking off their official role as do-gooders and are now leaving a path of destruction in their wake.”

  Hayden lifted her face to observe him. Strength poured from him, and he wielded it mercilessly. Kahan ground his razor-sharp teeth together. The piercing sound grated on her nerves. She wondered what the Asteri had done that sent Kahan’s people into such frenzy. There was always a battle going on between them. How had that battle changed? She had no idea what Kahan wanted to hear, so she remained quiet.

  Kahan knelt in front of her, staring at her eye to eye. “Do you know who these do-gooders are?” Kahan asked, his voice deceptively soft. His eyes burned into Hayden as she purposely cast her gaze to the floor. She shook her head in response to his question.

  “They’re your frien
ds,” a voice growled from the shadows.

  Hayden turned towards the voice and saw another Nephilim step from a shadowed alcove. She didn’t recognize him, but she recognized the ring immediately. He fiddled with Vires as he crossed the room and stopped in front of her. His serpent-like tongue slowly licked his lips.

  Kahan stood, puffing out his chest again. “Daevas,” Kahan said calmly as he held out his hand to signal ‘stop’ to the new Nephilim. “You’ll get your chance. Right now I am conversing with her.”

  Daevas bowed his head and set his eyes upon Hayden. Hayden’s skin sizzled at the heat from his glare.

  Whatever they wanted to tell her, Hayden knew it must be good news for the Asteri because they could barely contain their anger.

  “A band of rebels attacked Daevas’s house. HIS HOUSE!” Kahan roared, pulling her up to him and pressing his face to hers. His spittle assaulted her lips and cheeks. “They killed all of his servants and destroyed his home. It appears a different group slaughtered some of my soldiers. This kind of aggressive behavior is not tolerated.” Kahan released her and rolled his shoulders as he reigned in his emotions. “Attacking someone’s home, killing servants who happen to wander by, this behavior is intolerable.” His voice took on a terrifying calm. “You will pay for their sins.” Kahan shoved her hard, and she toppled onto the marble floor.

  Hayden stared at the beautiful colors in the marble. The various colored flecks sparkled in the light. She touched a gold stream that flowed through the polished stone. Beauty had long ago stopped having a presence in her life. She had no doubt that she would suffer for the actions of the Asteri. It didn’t matter that she had nothing to do with them. It only mattered that she was under Kahan’s control.

  “Shall I mention their names?” Kahan continued. He pointed to Captain Etric and said, “Get her up. I want to see her face as I share the news.”

  Etric squeezed her arm as he jerked her up. With one arm wrapped around her thin waist, he pulled her back against him. The other hand gripped her chin and forced her to look at Kahan. She tried not to wince as his fingers bit into her skin.

  “It appears that Nick is upset about something,” Kahan said.

  Nick? Hayden swallowed hard. Please, God, don’t let him get captured. She wouldn’t survive if Nick was forced to live as a tool for a monster’s enjoyment.

  “He destroyed my home,” Daevas barked as he struck Hayden. The sting of his hand left vibrations on her cheek. He clutched her hair and jerked her towards him as Etric released her. Daevas’s rancid breath washed over her. “He stole things from me.”

  Hayden stared into his black eyes and watched as his laser-like pupils pulsed. It was obvious that whatever Nick had done struck fear into them. Asteri and Nephilim battled all the time. Kahan had never reacted this way before. Curiosity got the better of her. “Please accept my sorrow for your loss,” she said quietly. “What did he steal?” She looked up at him, but she couldn’t stop her lip from twitching into a slight smile.

  When Kahan’s blow knocked her into Etrick, she wasn’t surprised. They didn’t like backtalk.

  “For now you will remain with us,” Kahan said. “You will be safer that way.”

  The true purpose of her visit into Kahan’s private chambers nearly stopped her heart. They weren’t concerned about her safety. They were concerned about her rescue. Her heart beat a little faster as a rush of goose bumps skittered over her skin. Did she dare to hope that Nick would finally rescue her? Fear crept in as she realized that he was not prepared to deal with the poison that slowly sucked all life and hope out of the victim.

  Kahan stared at her. He loathed her kind, always putting their noses where it didn’t belong. They asked for all the trouble they got. Their self-righteousness nauseated him. “I see the tiniest flame of hope in your eyes. It’s beautiful,” Kahan mocked. “What will be even more beautiful will be the dimming of that light as your friends join you here.”

  “My friends are coming? Who?” Hayden asked, her voice oddly tinged with hope and fear.

  Kahan debated telling her. The joy and hope she displayed at the mention of Nick did please him. He knew he’d dash her hopes soon enough. “Your merry band of hoodlums is coming for you.”

  “Alex?” she asked. She purposely displayed fear on her face. She didn’t want him to have any pleasure in her hope.

  “Yes,” Kahan replied. “I intend to add a beautiful Asian to my collection along with a cute blonde.”

  “Zoe,” Hayden murmured. She racked her brain to come up with the name of the blonde, but then she realized that they must have replaced her after so long. Did Nick love this blonde? Had this blonde replaced Hayden in all things?

  Daevas read her face. She was concerned, and he relished it. “I hear the blonde and Nick are very close,” Daevas said with a cruel smile. He templed his hands and tapped his fingertips together. “I’m surprised they waste their time even thinking of you.” He flipped his hand in an act of dismissal.

  There was her hope. Nick hadn’t forgotten about her. Whatever his relationship with the blonde was, at least a small part of him still cared for her. That was all she needed to know. She only feared they didn’t know what they were walking into.

  15. Unify

  Nick woke to the singing of birds. A light breeze danced over his skin, and the rising sun cast an orange glow across the sky. The others lay scattered on the ground in their sleeping bags. The unicorns still slept, but he noticed one stirring. Everyone would be up soon.

  He stretched and grabbed his cell phone from his backpack. He needed to cross over, back to their real world, so he could check his messages and get in touch with Zoe and Evan. He needed good news from them. Hayden’s life, their lives, all depended on it.

  Evan felt the phone vibrate against his leg as a call came through. He pulled it out and handed it to Zoe. “Hey, good to hear your voice,” Evan said. Earlier he’d left a detailed message for Nick explaining Netra’s presence and her powder. “You’re on speaker.”

  “Hey,” Nick said in greeting. “That’s great about the powder. Daevas won’t know what hit him.”

  “Tell us where to meet you,” Zoe said. Excitement thrummed through her. She’d missed Hayden, and now they had a real chance at freeing her. Things were looking up for them.

  “Will do,” Nick said. “But I’ve got some news for you.”

  “Better be good,” Evan said.

  Netra listened with trepidation. At the sound of Nick’s voice, she recalled the feel of his hands around her throat the night Sarah died. Anger had rolled off of him as he watched Alex suffer, and Nick blamed her. It didn’t help that she felt responsible. She hadn’t known for sure that her spell would work, and as Sarah lay dead, she feared that she’d failed. This was Netra’s chance to redeem herself. She had to make this right for them, for Sarah.

  “Mixed bag,” Nick replied. “We know how they’re holding Hayden hostage and hiding her glow.”

  “If there’s a problem, we can solve it,” Netra spoke up.

  At the sound of Netra’s voice, Nick recalled the night of Hayden’s rescue and Sarah’s death. So many emotions roared through him that night. The whole messy event bubbled to the surface of his mind and replayed for him. He’d blamed Netra for the massive failure that night turned into. It was the words of hope that she fed to Sarah that had kept them there. They should have left with Hayden much earlier, even if it was against her will. Nick had threatened to kill Netra that night. He would have if Alex hadn’t stopped him.

  “Good to hear your voice, Netra,” Nick said. He meant it. He’d heard about her shaming, had even believed she deserved it for a while, but now he knew otherwise. Guilt ate at his heart as he realized how wrong he’d been.

  “So what’s the problem?” Evan asked.

  “Poison,” Nick replied. “They’ve amassed weapons coated with a poison that renders Asteri powerless. But the upside is that they have protective gear. We’ve stolen some of the weapons and
gear. But it’s not safe to assume that there isn’t another manufacturing plant.”

  “You destroyed the ones you found?” Zoe asked. Poison weapons, Vires, this mission apparently planned on throwing everything at them.

  “Sure did. At least everything at Daevas’s mountain retreat,” Nick said. “We believe Hayden is at Kahan’s residence.”

  A shiver skittered down Zoe’s spine. Kahan was powerful. He’d also been seriously pissed when Hayden killed Axilian. The upper echelon in the Nephilim Army considered themselves off-limits. They were willing to allow a certain percentage of their underlings to die. They considered it a cost of business. But Kahan took Axilian’s death personally. Apparently this was how he exacted his revenge.

  “Is that where you’re headed?” Evan asked.

  “Yes, it’s somewhere up north, near Hade’s Well,” Nick said. “Get here and then we’ll forge ahead. I’m texting you our coordinates. Meet us in the other side.”

  “We’ll see you soon,” Netra said. She leaned back against her seat and looked out the window. She missed Paul, the support he always gave her, but she was glad that he hadn’t come with them. She knew he didn’t have the tools that he would need in this kind of battle, and she didn’t want to have to protect him. There would be enough distractions.

  “How long ‘til we get there,” Evan asked, glancing quickly at Zoe as he drove.

  Zoe entered the coordinates into the GPS. “About two hours,” she said. She glanced at Evan. “Things are looking up. Protective gear, poisoned weapons, and we have a way to defeat Vires. Daevas and Kahan won’t know what hit them.”

  Evan loved the way optimism flowed from Zoe. But he also saw the negative factors. Even with Netra and the protective gear, they were not guaranteed a victory. He glanced in the rear-view mirror at Netra. Her powers could be critical in this fight. “Don’t underestimate them,” he said, adjusting his hands on the steering wheel.

  “Don’t underestimate us,” Zoe replied. She saw the negative, the challenges they’d have to overcome, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t win. She believed that right always won in the end. If it didn’t, the world would have destroyed itself several times by now.