With a groan, she pulled away from Taren and stood on shaky legs.
“Now it’s your turn, turn around,” Leigh ordered Taren, excitement making her hands tremble with hope.
Taking the key, she looked at the back of the collar and found a small opening. She inserted the key into the slot. It gave a distinct snick before it opened and fell to the floor.
Taren shuddered, gasping for air as his face flushed. For a moment, she feared the backlash of magic pouring back into his system was doing him harm. Then he opened his eyes. The red swirls she remembered and thought never to see again were back, glowing brightly.
~*~
“Are you strong enough to leave now?” Taren’s asked with a heavy note of concern.
She couldn’t help the pang of longing as she noticed him fully clothed, hiding the beauty of his luscious body. His bandage lay on the floor. The wound had healed almost as soon as the collar had fallen to the floor.
He gave her a slow grin, the red of his eyes glowing with his hunger. “You keep looking at me like that, and we may never leave this place.”
His promise sent a shiver of excitement from her breasts to her core.
Ola’s voice cut into the heated exchange. If you two are through, we really do need to leave before the hunters find us.
Taren’s eyes widened in shock. “I can hear her in my head.”
Leigh gasped, eyes lightening with delight. “Oh my gods, you can hear her? You did say our magic’s may blend. Now, it seems our magic is compatible. You will be able to understand animals, and you can also speak with them too. I wonder what I will be able to do.”
You can figure that out on the way. Really, hello people. It’s still hours before dawn. Time to move!
Leigh and Taren laughed at the impatient tone in Ola’s voice. Following the little beast out of the cavern. Leigh stopped at the mouth calling to Ola. “The exit is the other way!
I know a shortcut. We will be out the other side of the mountain in just a few hours
Leigh looked at Taren and shrugged.
“We follow Ola then,” Taren said with a small smile.
Chapter Ten
After a few tries, Leigh summoned a small orb of light to illuminate the dark passageway. Still weak from that damnable collar. Leigh and Taren made their way after Ola in silence, heading deeper into the cave, secure in the knowledge Ola knew another way out. The only the sound was Ola’s sharp claws scraping on the stone floor.
Leigh was not fooled into thinking they were even close to safe. She’d heard stories of the deadly efficient assassins who hunted them and knew they could attack without warning at any time. The air, thick with the scent of rich earth, lightened, a small breeze telling them they were close to an exit.
And the danger waiting for them outside.
An ominous scrabbling echoed around them, and Leigh slowed her pace, frowning at Taren as the noise grew louder. Ola’s sharp squeak of fear filled the passageway, and an ear-piercing screech sent Leigh’s heart hammering against her ribcage like a trapped bird desperate to find freedom.
She turned toward the sound and took a step. Something crunched beneath her tennis shoe at the same time Taren muttered a harsh curse and grabbed her arm.
“Stand still,” he ordered. “Can you brighten your orb and angle the light to the floor?”
She did as he asked and gasped as she noticed the ground move before her. Like a black pool of water, it undulated and swelled in areas, lowered in others. Dread lodged in her belly, worry over Ola foremost in her mind.
“I don’t know what this stuff is, but we have to get to Ola. Now!” Her voice rose with panic, bouncing off the walls, a hollow echo adding to the macabre sound filling the air.
Using the skills of their bonding, Taren summoned another orb and added more illumination, filling the passage and another cavern to their right with light. Leigh bit back a scream as the source of the sounds were revealed.
Thousands of scorpions stretched before them, crawling up the walls and each other.
A flash of movement above the seething mass caught her attention. There, pushing up from the ground like boney, pale fingers, stood three tall stalagmites, and wrapped tightly toward the top of the farthest one was Ola.
Leigh’s voice shook with revulsion. “We have to find some way to save her. It’s too soon for me to be much use magic wise. I need a few hours more, and Ola is quickly running out of time.”
He seemed to study the distance between them and Ola before coming to a decision. “Run for all you’re worth and don’t stop running for any reason until your way is clear of them. I will be right behind you, and I’ll grab Ola on my way out.” His eyes glowed a vivid red as he pinned her with an intense stare. “Even if you’re stung, you can’t stop. If they crawl up your body, don’t hesitate to brush them away. Do you understand what you need to do?”
She could only nod in agreement as fear tightened around her throat like a noose, threatening to strangle the breath from her. She took a deep centering breath, concentrating on what she had to do.
Then she ran.
With every bit of strength she possessed, she ran.
~*~
Terror for his new mate flooded Taren’s veins.
She ran full out, never hesitating as she sped past Ola. He followed, his longer strides eating up the distance between them, ignoring the constant crunch of scorpion bodies being crushed beneath his heavy boots. Reaching out at the last moment as he passed the final stalagmite, he snatched Ola from her perch. He noticed only as he grabbed her how far up the scorpions had come to reaching her.
There was no time to check if she may have been stung. He pulled the shivering animal close to his chest, ignoring the pressure of a hundred tails stabbing at him. Thankfully, his thick boots and jeans prevented the poison from finding its mark.
Leigh stumbled, landed hard on one knee, and fear skittered through his body and filled his veins with ice. Immediately, scorpions swarmed her, the black bodies crawling over her like a dark wave. Fighting back to her feet, she wavered for a moment, and he feared she would go down again under the onslaught of poison entering her body. To her credit, she began running once more, her pace slower, labored, but she kept moving through the danger.
They burst into an open tunnel to safety. Leigh’s breath came out in great wheezing gasps. Her orb flickered and died leaving only his to keep the darkness at bay.
She waved her arms wildly to dislodge the scorpions who clung to her clothes and hair. “Get them off me, get them off!” Her screams were nearly hysterical.
Sitting Ola on the ground, he quickly looked her over, removing all the nasty things before he turned her to face him. Her fair skin was white and pasty, her gaze unfocused and glassy.
His mind turned chaotic, panic threatening to crush him. He took a deep, steadying breath and fought for control. His woman needed help through this. If there was any chance of her survival, he needed to keep calm. He sent a silent prayer to his gods, hoping she would be able to harness the powers needed to heal herself.
“We need to pull out the poison. I know a way if you will do it.” He lowered her to the ground sitting close by her side, taking her in his arms so her head rested on his chest. She felt ice cold to the touch, and his unease turned into a desperate need to heal her before the venom reached her heart.
“I…I will.”
He closed his eyes, fighting the swelling terror tearing at his control with vicious claws. Gritting his teeth, he placed a wall between him and his raging emotions, refusing to give in to the tide of helplessness smashing against the barrier. He focused all his attention on their claiming bond, and it responded immediately, showing him a thick, bright thread of golden light flowing between them, pulsing slowly as the poison made its progress through her veins.
“Think of your body as a bright ball of energy, the toxins a dark shadow. Can you do this?”
Her head wobbled in a weak nod.
“Goo
d, now think of this ball of energy traveling through your body, pushing the shadows back. Let the light engulf every part of your being. Don’t leave a single area untouched.”
Her skin brightened, a shimmering aura emanating from her, starting at her head and moving slowly over her upper body. The light illuminated the cave, revealing an opening partially blocked with brush and tree limbs, a natural concealment. The colors blended into the brown and ash tones of the surrounding passageway.
He pulled his focus back to Leigh. The aura now reached her hips. Her breathing eased as the light pulsed and picked up speed and, in a matter of seconds, engulfed her entirely in a blanket of light.
“Very good,” he said. “Now feel the energy of the earth beneath you. Let it surround you with her life force. Can you feel the beating of her heart?”
“Yes, I feel it.” Her voice sounded stronger, her coloring a healthy pink. She instinctively pulled in the energy and pushed out the poison through her pores. The milky liquid beading on her forehead and neck. The glow slowly dissipated, and he used the end of his shirt to wipe the toxin from her skin.
She stirred next to him, her green eyes wide with wonder as she stared at him. “That was amazing! I never knew energy could be used in such a way.”
“We are taught as children how to tap into the natural energies around us. I feared you may not be able to use it the same as us. I am glad to be able to put that fear to rest.”
“And Ola? Where is she?”
I am here and fine. Are you able to move? We are quickly running out of time. I can sense the hunters’ approach.
Taren almost smiled at the oddness of hearing the small animal speak within his mind. He would have enjoyed spending more time learning about this newfound ability if not for the approaching danger.
“Ola is right,” he said. “We must leave this place now.”
Chapter Eleven
Leigh took a deep cleansing breath air cool against her heated skin. Moonlight cast the world in soft silvery light and shadow. Dawn still hours away. Without a word, they set out at a brisk pace with Ola leading the way.
Leaving the mountain behind, they trekked through the thick forest as best as they could. Leigh winced every time her foot stepped on a branch, the sound far too loud for her liking. Resentment burned through her chest, and she couldn’t help but glare at Taren’s broad back. How could he be so silent while she sounded like a herd of wild elephants? It seemed so unfair. No matter how quiet she tried to be, their speed made it impossible.
Another reverberating crack filled the air, and she muttered a foul curse. Taren glanced back, and she could swear a gleam of amusement shown in his eyes. Firming her jaw, she ignored him and, instead, followed Ola’s twitching tail as the animal darted through the brush, a furry silver blur.
A whoosh of misplaced air caught her attention, and she instinctively ducked as an arrow flew past her and lodged in the thick bark of a tree—right where her head would have been.
“They found us!” she yelled, pushing her body for more speed. She whipped around a tree—
Suddenly, strong arms wrapped around her waist and dragged her to the ground. Several more arrows whistled past their heads, and he covered her with his own body. He looked back the way they’d come and up into the dense canopy of branches and leaves.
“They are positioned above, in the trees. We have to find better cover,” he whispered near her ear.
Her heart pounded so hard she thought it would lodge in her throat. There was a difference between being told the assassins would attempt to kill them and seeing it in action. She also knew she was ill prepared for warfare. Hell, she’d never even touched a weapon in her life.
A sick dread twisted in her gut. Today, she may be forced into an unthinkable position. To take another’s life. The thought sent a wave of nausea through her belly.
“Don’t dwell on things that are not in your control. You must do what is necessary to survive. Remember that.” Taren’s words were a soft whisper in the air between them.
She opened her mouth to ask if he was reading her mind, but he touched his finger to her lips in warning. He then pointed a few paces toward an open space ringed with trees and to the left where a tangle of brush covered several boulders. Holding up three fingers, he began the count. He wanted her to make a run for those boulders, out in the open, with arrows aimed right at them.
Was he crazy?
Two.
She shook her head, fear a sledgehammer pounding through her and making her mouth go dry. He scowled and gave her a sharp nod. His second finger curled into his palm.
One.
He gave her no time to argue. Grabbing her arm firmly, he pulled her to her feet and sprinted for the clearing, dragging her with him in the process. The whoosh of arrows followed them, deadly blurs coming so close Leigh could feel the wind of their passing.
A stinging fire streaked across her outer thigh, then another at her shoulder, making her cry out. With a curse, Taren gave her a brutal shove and pushed her up and over the boulders to the relative safety on the other side.
He fell hard on her injured thigh, and she bit back a scream as the pain radiated out from her leg to her toes.
Taren quickly looked over her wounds and growled low. “Thankfully, the arrows just grazed you. Still, looks like they hurt like hell.”
“Ya think?”
“At least you still have your sense of humor.” He gave her a disarming smile.
Her mouth dropped open as she stared at the excitement glinting red in his gaze. “You are enjoying this aren’t you?”
He shrugged. “I spent much of my time hunting. It was a sport I excelled at in your world.”
“Well, I don’t hunt and don’t like being the one hunted. Not. At. All.”
“I’m sure you don’t.” His smile died as his gaze grew serious. “I must check to see how many we are up against. I think four, but there could be more. You need to heal those wounds.”
“You’re going to leave me here? Not a chance, buddy. Where you go, I go.”
“You need to be very quiet. Can you do that?”
“Yes, if I’m not running for my life.”
“I do not want you in harm’s way.”
“And I don’t want you in harm’s way either, so it’s a stalemate.” She firmed her jaw and gave him a defiant glare. She knew she’d won when he let out a heavy sigh, his shoulders dropping slightly in resignation.
He threw one last argument at her. “Can you kill to defend us?”
She took a second to think about what it would mean to take a life, and shockingly, she found, in order to keep him safe, she would do whatever it took. She held his gaze, showing him the firm resolve in her unwavering stare.
“Yes, I can.”
Taren recognized the grim resolve etched in the tense line of her jaw, in her unwavering gaze. He marveled at the courage his mate demonstrated, his pride in her warming something in his chest. He’d studied many human females since stumbling onto this world, and none had half the spirit she showed. He held no doubt she would fight at his side doing what was needed, even if it went against everything she believed in.
Love and pride overflowed into every cell in his body. Their bond, that golden cord connecting them filtered his emotions to her. By the widening of her eyes, she’d received his unspoken words. The wealth of love and acceptance he received back humbled him and filled him with pride for his woman. For whatever time they may have, he would be forever thankful for the time spent with such a wondrous female, humbled that she’d chosen him as hers. If they survived, he would gladly spend the rest of his life cherishing her.
Beatrice’s hateful voice filled the quiet forest, harsh with arrogance and cruelty. “I know where you are, and we have you surrounded. Come out and met your death.”
Their time just ran out.
Chapter Twelve
A rustling by their hiding place had Taren moving in front of Leigh as she came to her feet. Ol
a backed out from the brush, struggling with a long wrapped bundle.
Hey, a little help here would be appreciated.
Taren picked up the bundle, placing it on the ground by the boulders and untied the twine. Leigh gasped behind him as he studied the small array of weapons laying inside.
Without a word, he handed her the two daggers which lay by a long sword, its edge freshly honed, oil gleaming along the sharp edge. As far as weapons went, it would have to do. He preferred something with some range to it. Like a gun. But it was better than what they’d had before, which was nothing.
With their combined magic’s and the sword and daggers, they may have a chance—small, but still hope—to get out of this mess in one piece.
“I’m waiting.” Beatrice’s voice rose in irritation. “You don’t want me to flush you out now, do you?”
Taren met Leigh’s gaze. “Can you do something with the archers in the trees while I’m busy with Beatrice?”
A slow smile spread across her beautiful face, and his heart skipped a beat, heat curling low and wicked. “I think I have just the thing,” she said. “If he is agreeable that is.”
“He?”
She didn’t answer. Instead, she closed her eyes, and a small frown of concentration marred the smooth skin of her forehead. After a moment, she opened her eyes, her smile growing larger.
The rustling of something very big moved in the forest. The sound of branches breaking followed the mighty roar of an animal, and by the screams, it must be intimidating enough for a hunter to fear it.
“I can pick up on animals in a mile radius, and I found a brown bear who was more than happy to help dissuade the hunters from being in his area. It seems his mate is ready to birth his cub, and he’s not too happy with all the activity so near her.”
He caught a flash of brown fur through the brush and answered her grin with one of his own. With a quick wink at her, he tightened his hand on the sword and leaped over the boulder to meet his enemy.
The Hunted (Guild of Assassins Book 1) Page 6