by Mikayla Lane
Koda stared at her in shock.
How the hell does she know I’ve been in an accident? Did she see my pod crash? She couldn’t be that close to the Folly could she? he wondered.
“How do you know that? Are you a hybrid? From the Folly?” he demanded as he sat back down in front of her.
Emily shook her head, not knowing what he was talking about, but she knew she had to get through to him.
“In the accident, you must have been terribly injured. Life threatening injuries,” she said gently, wishing she could reach out and touch him. She’d never wanted to comfort someone more than she wanted to now.
Koda looked down at himself and snorted as he held his arms out beside him.
“I look pretty good to me,” he said.
Emily stood and moved beside him as she pointed to the chair.
“Kick the chair,” she ordered.
“What about the baby?” Koda looked at her like she’d lost her mind.
“Just do it. If you can,” Emily responded, crossing her arms over her chest as she challenged him.
Koda stared into her green eyes, his hand itching to move a stray curl from her face. He wasn’t sure what game she was playing, but for the moment he’d humor her. Though he wasn’t willing to wake the baby either.
He raised his foot, intending to put it on the edge of the chair and push it. He gasped when his foot went through it and he jumped back.
“What the fuck? What is happening?” he asked as he turned wide, dark eyes to her.
Emily felt terrible for him. She’d dealt with a few cases like this before, but never with someone she was so strongly attracted to. It figured she’d finally see the perfect man, and he was dead.
Actually, he’s close to dead, she corrected in her mind. Not that the semantics mattered.
She shook off her thoughts and concentrated on helping him through this.
“Listen to me, Koda. Your accident must have been really bad, and you’re tragically hurt. Now two things can happen. You can voluntarily give up. That means I can open the corridor and you can go in peace. But your physical body will die,” Emily explained.
Koda was stunned. There was no way this was real. This had to be a dream. A nightmare. This wasn’t possible.
“This isn’t real. What the hell is going on?” he demanded as he ran his hands through his short, dark hair and stared at her in horror.
“Koda, your other choice is to fight. To do that you have to go back to your body,” Emily said gently, waiting for it to sink in for him.
When he just stared at her in open-mouthed horror, she held her hands up and moved them through his ethereal form.
Koda gasped as a feeling of cold dread settled in the pit of his stomach, and his mind reeled as the memories came crashing back to him. He grabbed his head with his hands and dropped to his knees.
He saw and heard the warning lights and sirens in the pod as the shock wave from the dec charge neared him. Seconds later, he felt the energy hit the pod, and his head cracked sharply against the interior. He could feel what he assumed was blood begin to run down his face as black spots danced in his vision. Then the pod hit something so hard he felt like his spine had snapped, and he felt the searing pain in his face and arm before darkness took him.
“Oh gods,” he whispered in horror as he looked down at himself before turning tortured eyes to hers.
“Hey, hey! Don’t get so upset. You still have a chance, you just have to head back to the hospital and fight it,” Emily said, trying to reassure him.
Koda shook his head as he looked out of the window behind the chair.
“No, I crashed out there. My body is still out there,” he said as he pointed outside.
Emily shook her head, not sure she understood him correctly.
“Yes, in some hospital outside of here. Yes. You need to go back there if you want to fight. If you want to live.”
Emily didn’t know why, but she wanted him to fight. There was something about this strange, beautiful man that called to her on some level that she didn’t quite understand. But she knew she wanted him to live.
“No,” Koda said as he shook his head. “I’m out there in the forest. Not far from here.”
Emily looked mortified. It’s not possible, she thought. How could I not hear anything?
“No, you’ve had to be airlifted by now if you crashed out there,” she argued, unable to believe that Gran was right. About everything.
Koda shook his head as he moved to stand in front of the window.
“No. If my people had me, I wouldn’t be here,” he whispered. “I’m going to die out there.”
Koda had no idea why Grai hadn’t found him yet, but he knew that there had to be a good reason for it. His brother was the one person that Koda would never doubt. Either the military had taken over the area, or something had gone wrong in the Folly. Either way, if Emily was right, it didn’t matter. He would die before anyone got to him.
Emily tried to fight the wave of concern and fear she felt for Koda, but it was no use. Her heart bled for him, and she couldn’t seem to remain impartial. She moved to stand beside him and did something she rarely ever did—except for the child spirits she encountered: she tried to comfort him.
She closed her eyes and summoned what she called her “mojo” from deep inside of her before she raised her hand and placed it on his shoulder. She smiled and opened her eyes when Koda’s shoulder jerked beneath her touch.
“How can you do that?” Koda asked, amazement clear in his breathy voice.
Emily gave him a rare smile.
“It’s part of my curse,” she said as she squeezed his shoulder and tried to project warmth and friendship to him.
“Thank you,” Koda said sadly as he turned back to the window. “Do you know how much time I have? Can I go see my brothers?”
“No, I don’t,” Emily replied. “It’s up to you to determine when to stop fighting. As far as your family, I don’t know if you can or not. You can try . . . But there’s still hope that you’ll be found . . .”
Koda shook his head sadly, knowing that if Grai hadn’t gotten to him by now, then he wouldn’t be found in time. Now that he understood what was happening to him, he could feel the energy dying inside of him and knew his time was very short.
“My brother would be the one to find me; if he hasn’t by now, then he won’t get to me in time. I can feel it now. The dying of the light,” Koda whispered.
Emily was mute with sorrow for him. She knew that if he could feel the light dying inside of him that his body was close to death, and if he was out there in the forest injured, then his chances of holding on without medical care were slim to none.
“Koda, I’m so sorry. Try to hang on for a little while longer; they may be able to get to you soon,” she said, trying to reassure him even though she could feel the despair and resignation settling around his soul.
“I don’t think there’s much of a chance—Hey!” he began when Emily interrupted him by concentrating the light around her and smacking him in the shoulder with it.
Emily glared into his dark brown eyes with the odd blue swirls.
“I didn’t peg you for a quitter. You have a chance that 99 percent of people don’t get,” she held up her hand to stop him from talking when he opened his mouth to speak. “It’s a chance! No matter how slim. You’re young and obviously strong and fit. Fight!”
Emily could see him thinking about it, and she dug deep into her exhausted body, sending him more light and hope as she remembered what Gran had told her.
Damn if the crazy woman hasn’t been right so far, she thought with a disgusted snort.
Koda turned to face the beautiful woman and couldn’t help but wish things had turned out differently. He would have liked to think that maybe one day he’d have found a woman just like Emily to make his own. To have children with.
He had wanted to have a son like his nephew, Tristan, and he wanted to meet his new niece, who h
e had no doubt was going to be as beautiful and kind as her mother with the fierceness of his brother.
And Traze. He wanted nothing more to see his baby brother grow up to be happy and one day mate with Melina and have a beautiful family of his own.
But he had known that things would never work out for him. His path had been written in the stars long ago, and he knew there was a reason he’d spent most of his time on his ship in space instead of on Earth.
The scars from his past ran too deep, the pain too much, and his sins too great for him to find that kind of love. He was destined to die lost and alone. It was nothing less than he deserved for the things he’d done.
Koda pushed back at the memories that had turned into daily nightmares long ago, and he looked sadly, but resolutely, at Emily.
“It’s time for me to face the gods and the judgement due. Please help send me where I need to go.”
Chapter Three
Emily just stared at him blankly for a moment, unable to believe she’d heard him say he was giving up. Gran hadn’t warned her that he would do that. If fact, Gran had told her that he would fight like hell to live another day.
Crazy woman isn’t right about everything, she thought as she visualized strangling Gran.
Anger welled up in Emily that he would dare to give up when there was a chance he could live. She didn’t know why she cared so much about this one man, but Indrid had taught her long ago to trust her instincts about the spirits, and they screamed at her to make him fight.
“You listen to me! You’re going to fight!” Emily said as she clenched her fists and glared into his unusual eyes.
Koda smiled gently at the beautiful woman and shook his head.
“There are those who are meant to have a second chance; I’m not one of them. I’ve done terrible things in my life. Things I deserve no absolution from. The kindest thing I could do for my brothers is to leave,” he argued, then turned back to the window.
Emily was at a loss for words. She had no idea what he’d done that he felt deserved death, but she felt deep inside that he was being far too harsh with himself. She was proven right when she turned to see Gran standing behind him.
“He’s given up. You can’t let him. The things he thinks he needs to pay for were not his fault. Make him fight,” Gran warned.
“How can I reach him?” she asked as Koda turned and looked at her curiously.
“Who are you talking to?” Koda asked as he looked around the cabin.
Emily sighed, thankful that he was distracted from his resigned thoughts—at least for the moment.
“There are those who’ve gone on, but they can return to help, guide, and even protect those they love. I’m not sure how it works, but they can speak to me too,” she admitted with a half-smile.
Suddenly, the door burst open and in walked a large, angry man. His cold, empty eyes turned to Emily and she couldn’t help but shiver as she took an involuntary step back from him.
“Send me on, witch!” he roared, shaking the walls of the small cabin.
Koda was in front of the man so fast that Emily never saw him move at all.
“Get out of here now!” Koda growled as he towered over the man, his fists clenched in rage.
Emily closed her eyes and quickly tried to erect the white barrier, but her eyes flew open when she heard a crash and the door close quietly.
“Where did he go?” she asked as she looked around the empty cabin and Koda standing in front of the door.
“He left. Apparently, I can move things when mad,” he said with a half grin.
Emily looked at him in surprise before she ran to the window and saw the man standing outside staring at the cabin in amazement.
“I can’t believe you can do that,” she whispered.
“Focus. You must make him fight,” Gran ordered.
“I’m getting there! Just shut up!” Emily barked at the irritating woman.
“Who are you seeing? Why can’t I see them?” Koda asked as he looked around the room for who she was speaking with.
Emily glared at Gran before she turned back to Koda.
“You can’t see them because you’re in between. My mother comes all the time as well as Gran,” she admitted before a thought occurred to her. “Do you think you can keep everyone out of here tonight?”
Koda looked at her strangely for a moment before he looked out of the window and saw four more people—including the man he’d thrown out—standing in the small clearing. He could tell it must be night and had seen the deep, dark circles under Emily’s eyes. She was exhausted, and if he’d understood correctly, she was bombarded by people like him constantly. At least there was one kind thing he could do before he left this life.
“Go to sleep. I will guard the door and keep them away,” he promised.
Emily’s smile seemed to brighten the room, and Koda couldn’t help but return it. He hoped when he left this life that he would remember that smile and how beautiful she looked.
“Thank you, Koda. Thank you so much,” she whispered as she moved to a small chest and grabbed her blankets and pillow.
“What are you doing? You have to make him fight!” Gran yelled at her.
Emily laid a blanket on the floor in front of the sheet covered door to the bed where Joey slept, then put her pillow down before laying on top. She pulled another thin blanket on top of herself and curled up in a ball.
“If he’s watching me, he’s not giving up. Just let me sleep . . . I’ll think of something . . .” Emily whispered before she drifted off to sleep.
Koda watched her with a heavy heart. Even if Emily didn’t know it, he could tell by her gift that she must be a hybrid, and it hurt him to see one of his people forced to live like that. He could easily understand why she was out here in the middle of nowhere.
Even he had walked for miles to get to the light. He knew many others probably did the same and figured she must never have a moment of peace. He shook his head, wishing there was more he could do for her when he saw a small, pink fuzz covered foot slide down from behind the sheet, quickly followed by a second.
He watched bemused as a small blond head peeked out from behind the sheet before the small girl somehow managed to maneuver herself around her sleeping sister before falling to her knees and crawling to him.
She looks like she’s been sneaking past her sleeping sister forever, he thought with a grin at the stealthy toddler.
Koda didn’t think the adorable child could see him, but he couldn’t stop himself from kneeling down in front of her and smiling into her averted face.
“I’m Koda. Will you go back to sleep?” he asked, not expecting an answer.
Joey shook her head, her left hand dancing in the air as she stared off into the fireplace.
“Mmmmm . . .” she cooed then broke out into a brilliant smile, showing Koda her four adorable teeth.
Koda immediately recognized the same characteristics in the baby that he’d seen in Tristan, and he smiled before sitting cross legged in front of the baby.
“I’m betting that a special little girl like you probably can understand what’s going on here. So, how about you sit out here with me until you’re tired again, and we’ll let Emily sleep a while?” he asked, wondering if she really could understand him.
He was left with no doubts the child could when she nodded her head dramatically one time before staring back into the fire.
Koda smiled down at the precious little girl.
“Do you like stories? My nephew, Tristan, loves them,” he said before he started telling the baby a story about a very special little boy, like her, named Tristan.
*****
Emily drifted in the colors weightlessly, her body swaying comfortably, and she knew she was traveling. Her mind fought to wake herself up as she flailed her limbs through the strands of colors until she skidded to a stop.
She stood and took in the scenery around her and breathed out a sigh of relief when she realized she’d not en
ded up in one of the really bad worlds tonight. She just didn’t think she had the emotional or physical energy to deal with it after sending so many on and meeting Koda in one day.
With a lot less dread than she’d felt while travelling the colors, she headed over to the familiar, large rock near a clear lavender stream. She crawled up on top of the rock and turned just as the first person arrived.
She’d been here so many times before that the odd appearance of the species no longer startled her. More than that, it was the kindness the people always showed to her that made it one of the better places she went to in her sleep.
The dark blue skinned, waif-like humanoid dropped to its knees in front of the rock and mumbled something that Emily couldn’t hear or understand even if she could. She’d learned a few words here and there over the years, but not enough to teach her the language.
Several more began to arrive as she closed her eyes and opened the corridor for the one already waiting. It’d have been so much easier if she could have held it open and just let everyone jump on inside as they came, but it didn’t work that way.
Everyone was different, their paths in their lives so unique that each corridor was distinctive as well. Emily never knew how the corridors formed in her mind or how she knew which to create for each being, but she knew each was created specifically for them.
The being quickly went inside of the corridor, and Emily opened her eyes to help the next when she noticed that there weren’t that many waiting. She shivered in fear for a moment before she went ahead and helped the next one. There was no point in delaying the inevitable.
She’d learned from hard experience that delaying the traveling only made things worse. Fighting it made it a nightmare for her, one that left scars on more than just her physical body.
Resigning herself to her fate, Emily quickly dispatched those who’d come and relaxed into the waves of color that carried her through the darkness. She closed her eyes before she shuddered to a stop and knew right away that her worst fears had come true. She was there.
Emily kept her eyes squeezed shut as she felt the heavy breath on her neck and smelled the scorched air. She drew in a deep breath, kept her eyes shut tight, and opened the corridor in her mind. She tried desperately to keep her mind focused on anything but the dingy, gray corridor or the creature that slipped inside. Her only thoughts were getting done and getting out.