Release (The Protector Book 3)

by M. R. Merrick

  Transparent flesh revealed thick black veins and bones sliding down their arms. Talons as long as my forearms split their fingertips and extended outward. Fangs unlike any I’d ever seen hung from blood stained lips, and their eyes were filled with darkness.

  Vincent’s arms twisted at unnatural angles and he screamed into my ear until his body collapsed against me. I locked eyes with the first creature and power rocked inside my skull—it was strong. It tried to tear me away from them, convincing me it was the right thing to do. The creature’s power begged me to break the hold I had on Vincent and to close the portal, but I couldn’t. The portal wasn’t mine to stop.

  “What the hell?” I said to myself. I found myself moving my hand from around Vincent, ready to throw him to the ground and surrender ourselves, but just as I moved to push him off me, Tiki’s hand gripped my arm. The last thing I heard was the loud squawk of an angry crow before gravity sucked me into the earth, and then there was nothing.

  Chapter 7

  Time seemed to have stopped inside the portal. One instant I was ready to concede, give them Vincent, and throw myself at their mercy. The next I felt alone, surrounded by darkness, and crushed by unseen forces.

  My body spun and I squeezed my hand. Skin moved beneath my fingertips and memories flooded back, shooting pain through my head. With it came clarity of who I was and what I was doing. Like I’d been put into a trance, my reality swam around me.

  Darkness swirled and the pressure enclosed me. I was a snake’s dinner being swallowed whole and alive. Spikes of pain danced along my skin and hammered across my chest. The flesh began to tear like someone was pulling the skin from each side of my torso in a vice grip and winding it tighter.

  Heat scorched my skin and flashes of light sparked from my chest. Streams of hot blue flame exploded from my torso, shooting off tendrils of fire into the darkness. With each burst, more pain cut through me.

  Pain pierced my skull as the shadows banded around me. We spun faster and the dizziness won me over. I felt the vomit burning in my chest—or was that fire? My stomach rumbled and my muscles rippled. More blue flames erupted from my chest and the darkness stole my screams. I grew lightheaded from the pressure and lack of oxygen.

  A flicker of light appeared beneath us. The light shocked my eyes, and like an instant migraine that had been amplified, pain reverberated through my skull.

  Cool air rushed from below, carrying the smell of something sweet. As I was fighting the pain, a bright, colorful landscape came alive beneath me. Trees full of orange leaves with red and yellow branches swayed along the sides of a violet creek.

  I tried to brace myself for the coming impact, and the portal opened fully, swirling with color and storming my senses with the smell of berries and the sound of running water.

  The inky blackness spit us out and the sweet aromas enveloped me. I tried to conjure my air element to break my fall. I wanted it to carry me to the ground, but it wouldn’t come. All I could summon was more pain. A final surge of flame ruptured from my chest, and the blue ball streamed into the sky before exploding like a firework. Red, yellow, blue, and white embers spiraled in front of the sky’s green backdrop before vanishing.

  The trees came closer by the second. I lost my grip on Tiki and Vincent, and they spun away from me. Red and yellow branches slapped against me, their wooden stems cutting my skin as my body broke through layer after layer of the forest’s canopy. Finally, I hit a sheet of branches that didn’t break. They bent, creaking, as my weight pushed them down.

  The branches creaked and I grew still, trying not to move. My eyes shifted from side to side, trying to see what was below me, but as I blinked, I heard a snap.

  I flailed through the air as I tried to gain some kind of control. My hands searched for a branch—anything to hold on to—but each arm of wood slapped my arms and cut my hands until there was nothing left but air.

  I turned in the air, just in time to see the colorful dirt floor before my body hit the ground. I didn’t want to move. I wasn’t sure I could. Liquid rolled down my sides, a burning sensation covered my exposed skin, and everything else throbbed.

  I called to my water element, hoping the healing magic would wrap my wounded shell in a blanket and unroll a revitalized me. The water coiled inside my body but faded as quickly as it came. I didn’t have the energy to heal myself. I didn’t think I had the energy to move.

  The forest ceiling swayed above me, moving in a soft breeze. The entire canopy was thick with colorful leaves that blocked the sky, aside from the gaping hole my body had made.

  I heard moans and gasps in the distance, but they were muffled by the trickle of water running beside me. I focused on the water, craving to have it around me. The cool liquid could roll over my skin and wash away the pain like my own element had done so many times before.

  I gathered enough strength to turn onto my side, but it wasn’t without a price. Cuts, bruises, and random aches screamed at me to stop. I didn’t listen.

  Reaching out, I pulled at the orange dirt that surrounded me. I dug my nails into it and hauled myself forward. My chest screamed as I dragged it against the dirt. Pain begged me to stop, but I kept pulling until I was on the edge of a shallow creek. My eyes were heavy and I fought the sleep, feeling like I’d overexerted my elemental power.

  I dragged my body forward until I fell over the edge. Water splashed into the air and cascaded over my face. The creek was only deep enough to cover half of my body, but even that was more refreshing than I’d imagined.

  I lost myself in the slow pace of water flowing around my body and rushing past my arms and hips as it continued down the creek. Cold liquid ran into my ears and I wanted to lift my head, but the water felt too revitalizing to risk moving.

  The water rolling over my skin called to the magic inside me, but whatever had happened in that portal took too much of the energy I needed to use my elements.

  Images of cool purple liquid flowing over my body filled the darkness behind my eyelids. I was desperate to try and use the water around me, so without channeling my element, I imagined it washing away the pain and closing the wounds. I envisioned my body, fully restored and full of energy. I wanted the open wounds to stitch themselves closed with freshly made skin and the blood to wash itself away.

  A tingle of influence moved through the water and sent chills down my arms. It sparked to life in a mystic hum that beat like a drum in my ear.

  My element didn’t come to the surface. Instead, the water animated itself and pushed into me. Its vitality moved beneath my skin, sloshing back and forth over battered muscles and beneath deep cuts. All the wounds closed, except the long cut along my chest. It remained open, raw, and filled with dirt.

  Balls of melted fabric curled to the sides where the fire had burst through my t-shirt. Small flickers of blue flame bubbled inside the wound, and trickles of blood disappeared in the fabric of my shirt.

  I scooped water into my hand and poured it over my chest. It stung at first, washing away the dirt and blood. After a few splashes of water, the wound was clean and had stopped bleeding, but it was still wide open, running from the middle of my chest to the top of my belly button.

  “Chase Williams, are you alright?”

  “I’m—” I began coughing, and it made my chest throb. I turned onto my side and sucked some of the water into my mouth. “I’m okay. I just need a minute.”

  Tiki watched me from the bank of the creek. His skin looked darker in the shade of the forest, and his shaggy, black hair fell in front of his eyes.

  “Where’s Vincent?” I asked.

  “He is here. Or rather, there.” Tiki pointed towards the other end of the creek. “I fear something is wrong. He is still unconscious after many attempts to wake him.”

  “This gets worse every time we travel through a portal.”

  Tiki smiled. “I will help you next time and give you some…instructions to make it easier. Now come, Vincent needs you.”

  Vi
ncent needs me? Those were three words I never thought I’d hear in the same sentence.

  My waterlogged clothes were heavy and my foot slipped as I crawled up the muddy slope. Skid marks trailed in the dirt from the bushes to where Vincent’s body lay crumpled and beaten on a path not far from the creek. When I rolled him over, I could hardly recognize the creature in front of me.

  His black hair was dry and full of small twigs and broken leaves. His pale skin was no longer flawless but covered in dirt, bruises, and dried blood. The large claw wound on his chest and throat had stopped bleeding, but thick black scabs covered the wounds. Dirt, blood, and destroyed plant life clung to his body, which was now covered in small red scratches just like my arms. I’d seen Vincent heal a deep knife wound in seconds. He shouldn’t be this injured.

  “Help him!” Tiki said with an urgency I hadn’t expected.

  “What do you want me to do? He’s a vampire.”

  “I don’t know…can’t you heal him or something?”

  “I don’t have the energy to heal myself, let alone him. Even if I did, I’m not sure it would work. My water element seems to have a mind of its own.”

  Tiki looked back at Vincent and slapped his face. “Wake up!” he shouted, but Vincent lay unmoving in the dirt.

  “He’s a vampire, he just needs some time to recuperate,” I said. “Maybe—” my thought was cut off by the faint chirping of what sounded like a bird, and panic set in. “Have you seen Rai?” I asked, my eyes panning from tree to tree.

  “I have not. Once we arrived, I immediately tended to Vincent. He was stuck in a Whisper Bush.”

  “A what?” I asked. “Never mind, we need to find her.” I started off down the path, but Tiki didn’t follow.

  “Are you coming?”

  “We cannot leave him here, Chase Williams. He is hurt and unfamiliar with this world. It is not safe.”

  I looked down at the limp body of Vincent and shuddered. To think he needed us to keep him safe was an idea I wasn’t sure I could get used to. I called out to Rai, my voice echoing off the high tops of the trees and coming back at me, but she didn’t appear.

  “Come, Chase Williams. You too need to sit and rest. If you pass out from overexertion, we will be here much longer than you want.”

  Tiki was right. The last time that had happened, I had been stuck in a coma for twelve hours, and we couldn’t afford that now. The thought of doing anything for Vincent made me feel uneasy inside, but Tiki was adamant about waiting, and he was right; I needed to rest.

  Chapter 8

  I tried calling my element several times over the next hour, but all it did was cause pain. The water in the creek had healed almost everything, but my chest was a raw wound that throbbed continuously.

  Tiki had disappeared into the forest and returned with a large handful of strange looking berries. They were large, white, and round with small blue dots. When he tore one open, a thick green juice dripped from the center.

  “Try them,” Tiki urged, pushing his hand closer to my face. I backed away and grimaced. “They are very good, and they will give you energy.”

  “And they’re safe?” I asked.

  “You don’t see me dying, do you?” he asked, as a drop of green juice ran down his lip.

  “I guess not…” I said, reaching out and taking a single berry. I examined it closely and sniffed it, as though that could tell me what it tasted like. I let the tip of my tongue lick the outer edge at first, but there was no flavor. It was dry, bumpy, and rough. Finally, I held my breath and popped it into my mouth.

  As I bit down, a strange gush exploded and thick liquid rolled over my tongue. The liquid crackled and popped in my mouth and a surprising flavor formed: a mix of watermelon and honeydew sloshed between my lips, and something else…a flavor I’d never had before.

  “Wow, this is delicious.”

  “I told you they were.” Tiki extended his hand and offered more berries.

  I reached forward and took a small handful when Vincent coughed behind us and began to stir.

  Tiki and I crouched on either side of him. He’d been out for nearly an hour but already looked to be in better health: the scabbed cuts on his throat had shrunk, the little red scratches that had covered his face and arms were gone, and the creamy color had returned to his complexion. With the exception of his hair being covered in dirt, he was almost recognizable.

  “Vincent Taryk, are you alright?” Tiki asked.

  Vincent gagged and rolled onto his side. Dust shot up from the dirt as he coughed and his hands plunged into the earth. He crawled towards the creek and dipped his hands in for a drink. When he tilted his head back to swallow, the coughing stopped, and he fell back onto his butt.

  “Are you okay?” I asked.

  Vincent took a few deep breaths before nodding. “Fine…” he said. “I just need a moment to compose myself.”

  “Well, make it quick. We’ve already lost an hour and we’re running out of daylight.”

  Vincent’s eyes opened wide and he was on his feet in a flash, his head looking up, then around him in quick, sharp motions.

  He disappeared and blurs moved left and right around us. Leaves and small branches wavered on the bushes, and even at his speed I could hear his panicked breaths. Rushes of wind blew past my face and finally he stopped in front of us. Creases lined his forehead and his brows were furrowed. He gripped both my arms and pulled my face close to his.

  “Daylight? You brought me to a place with a sun?”

  “Three suns!” Tiki said with excitement. “And wait until you see the landscapes. Drakar is known for its beautiful—”

  “You idiot!” Vincent growled. “I can’t go in sunlight. Why did you bring me here?”

  I pushed Vincent back and watched him stumble to regain his balance. He really was out of it. His torn dress shirt, which looked like it had once been a baby blue, was dark with blood. “You begged me to take you with us. We did. Maybe you should show some appreciation. You’re alive, aren’t you?”

  “You have no idea what…” Vincent turned and paced the dirt like a predator on the hunt. His eyes squinted from the stream of sunlight that poked through the hole I’d made in the canopy forest and he was careful to avoid it. Rays of purple and blue light shone onto the ground, highlighting small particles of dust and leaves floating in the air. “Thank you,” he said through gritted teeth.

  “Don’t mention it.”

  “I’m not sure I understand your fear of sunlight, Vincent,” Tiki said.

  “It is not fear!” Vincent stormed towards Tiki. “It’s a natural apprehension to that which destroys us.”

  “Destroys you? Strange…it’s true that the original vampires prefer moonlight, but it’s mostly because they’re nocturnal. They’re nearly blind during the day. I’ve never heard of sunlight killing one before.”

  “Trust me, it does,” Vincent snapped.

  Tiki shrugged. “We will have to wait until nightfall to travel then.”

  “Nightfall? Forget it. He can wait here until we get back.”

  Tiki shook his head. “That would not be safe. Pure bloods are constantly in these woods. Just as they come to taste the purest water in all the dimensions, Underworlders come from all over to hunt in the forests of Drakar. They are considered the finest grounds among the Underworld. You know from our last visit here, pure bloods don’t care for half-breeds. Leaving him here would be careless.”

  “Half-breeds? How dare you! I am a born vampire. My blood is the purest there is,” Vincent scoffed.

  “Not in this world it’s not,” I said.

  A high-pitched screech came from above, and I immediately recognized it as Rai. I whistled back, and silence hung in the air before the small white and golden body of Rai burst through the forest leaves.

  Streams of sunlight broke through and landed on Vincent. It took a moment before he noticed and a shrill sound shot from his lips.

  “I’m melting!” he yelled. He dove to the gro
und, rolled away from the newly made sunbeam, and unknowingly stopped in the one I had created when I fell. Vincent lay on his side in the fetal position while sunlight beamed down on him.

  “Wait a minute,” I said, stepping closer.

  Vincent’s hands covered his head, as though that would protect him from the sun’s touch. Beams of light reflected off his pale hands, but they didn’t catch fire and they didn’t burn—they didn’t even smoke.

  “Vincent,” I said.

  “Get it away from me!”

  “Vincent, the sun is touching you.”

  “What?” Vincent yelled and unfolded himself in a rush. The moment he caught sight of the rays, he crawled backwards, huddling in the shadow of a nearby tree.

  “Perhaps it’s possible the sunlight here does not affect him,” Tiki said.

  “How?” Vincent asked. His messy hair was dirty, and he rocked back and forth. Pulling his knees up to hide his face, his eyes peered out, staring at Tiki.

  “I know as half-breeds we develop different strengths and weaknesses from our original brethren, but it is possible your inability to be in the sun’s light has something to do with your world only. Just as I can only teleport in certain places on earth, perhaps your world’s sun is what causes you problems.”

  Vincent watched Tiki fiercely, and after a long moment, he rose to his feet. He stared into the bluish rays poking through the canopy. Reaching out a single hand, he held his fingertips at the edge of the light. His eyes moved back and forth between Tiki and me before he inched his fingers forward.

  When no smoke rose from his hand and his pale skin remained, he extended his arm, letting his entire hand shine in the light. His face cycled from one expression to another. Confusion at first, then a smirk of disbelief, before a smile curled at his lips.

  “This is incredible,” he said, his voice just above a whisper. “It’s warm, yet it does not burn.”

  “Wonderful,” I said. “We have Vincent, the day-walking vampire. Blade would be so proud. Can we go now?”