by Mikayla Lane
Chris heard screaming from the second floor, but knew it wasn’t Quinn and continued to follow the energy that was drawing him towards it.
“Intruders! Intruders!”
Chris turned at the screeching sound from behind him and immediately drew his blades. It took a split second for him to see the gun in the older woman’s hand, and he let the knives fly. He’d already turned back around and was continuing on his way when both knives sunk deeply into her eyes, and she crumbled to the floor behind him.
He could hear his siblings fighting around him and on the floor above him, but he ignored them as he continued down several hallways. He’d just opened a door into the oldest part of the estate when a man on the other side shrieked at the sight of him.
Chris already had his hand moving and struck the man in the nose, driving the cartilage into his brain. He stepped over the fallen body and headed down the long hallway to an open door. He knew right away that Quinn had been in the room, and he ran inside.
He looked in the bedroom and the bathroom, and when he didn’t see her, his rage began to take hold as he felt the strange energies in the room. A sudden sense of urgency hit Chris, and he ran from the room. He leapt the body at the end of the hallway and headed back down another as Mikal appeared beside him.
“Do you feel it?” Mikal asked simply.
Chris nodded as he ran faster, his fear increasing with each step closer to the dark energy emanating from beneath them somewhere.
“It’s all clear on three!” Haruki called out through the shengari’.
“We’re clear on two!” Dane added next.
“Ground floor and outside are clear! What the hell, guys?” Reign demanded.
Chris and Mikal ignored the pounding footsteps of their siblings behind them and flew down the narrow stone staircase. They were met at the bottom by Indrid, who was holding his hands out to stop them from opening the door.
“What is in there?” Mikal asked, wondering what would cause the worry etched in Indrid’s face.
“It is terrible darkness. You can’t go in. It will only work for those allowed to pass through it. Anyone else will be forever consumed by the darkness,” Indrid explained as Lara and Trick pushed through the siblings to the door.
“Quinn went in there!” Chris argued.
Lara looked up at the stair full of Dranovians and warned them.
“You better get back. Really far back,” she said.
Everyone but Chris, Trick, Mikal, and Indrid scrambled back up the staircase out of view, but stayed close enough to help if needed.
Lara stepped to the door and laid a hand on it, shivering at the dark energy she could feel emanating from behind it. She turned to Trick.
“Is there an illusion within it?” she asked.
“A big one,” Trick said with a nod. “It’s much more intense than the ones we encountered in D.C. He’s spent a lot more time on this one.”
“What the hell is it, and where did it take Quinn?” Chris demanded as he paced behind Lara, Trick, Mikal, and Indrid.
“We’re going to try and find out,” Lara said as she looked up at Mikal. “Tell Grai what’s going on so they can look for Quinn at the other locations. Whatever this is, it’s also a portal, and she could be anywhere.”
Chris erupted into a string of curses and stomped towards the door. He had just reached for the handle when Indrid and Mikal yanked him away from it.
“It could kill you!” Indrid warned sharply.
“He’s right,” Lara agreed. “It’s specifically attuned to something. Anything other than what’s intended to go through there won’t make it out.”
When Chris didn’t look convinced, Lara threw her hands up. A golden barrier appeared, sparkling and shimmering between them and the door. Indrid took a healthy step back from the barrier and pulled Mikal and Chris with him.
When everyone was away from the barrier, Trick raised his hands and flicked his wrist. The door abruptly swung open, exposing the liquid-like black mass behind the door. Even with the golden barrier, the Dranovians and Tezarians were struck by the malevolent energy emanating from the mass.
“Damn . . .” Haruki muttered as he and the others tried to look from the safety of the stone stairwell.
“A dark portal . . . that can’t lead to anywhere good,” Reign whispered.
Cade slammed him in the ribs and gestured toward Chris and the tortured look on his face as he stared at the swirling mass that Quinn disappeared into.
Chris made up his mind that the risk was worth taking when Mikal rammed his palm into Chris’s chest, stopping him from moving towards the door.
“You can’t save her if you don’t make it out of there,” Mikal growled as he stared at Chris.
Chris was getting ready to argue when Trick interrupted.
“Hey, it’s a portal, but it’s not going very far. Mir? Get over here,” Trick said as he knelt on the floor in front of the mass, well behind the barrier Lara erected.
The Dranovians moved around in the stairwell, allowing Mir to get to the bottom. He sucked in a breath at the darkness that intensified as he got closer to the mass and his brother. Mir placed one hand on the floor and held his other palm up to the golden barrier. He closed his eyes and sifted through the dark energy of the portal to the illusions contained within it.
“Trick’s right; the darkness is concealing the path, but the path itself is too weak to lead far. Wherever this goes, it goes close by,” Mir admitted.
“How close?” Mikal asked.
Trick and Mir stared at one another, obviously discussing the question privately before Trick nodded at his brother.
“100 miles at the most,” Trick said.
“How do we even know that Quinn made it through it?” Cade asked.
When everyone glared at him for saying that in front of Chris, Cade disappeared amongst his siblings in the stairwell in embarrassment.
Chris looked towards the stairs at his siblings.
“I can feel her. I know she made it through there,” he assured them.
“I feel the child’s energy,” Indrid added, surprising everyone.
“Can you follow it?” Chris asked, his hope rising.
“I am not sure. But I will try,” Indrid said before disappearing.
Trick raised his eyebrows at Mikal, wondering if he knew where his father went.
“He’s trying to follow the energy, but the trail is very faint. He will contact me if he finds something,” Mikal said, explaining his father’s disappearance. “The rest of you, get back upstairs. I want to know every damn building, home, or business in a 100-mile radius of this place. I want all of the security footage pulled and gone through.”
Footsteps pounded up the stairs as the Dranovians left to start searching the camera footage for any sign of Quinn or where the portal may lead.
Chris ran a hand through his hair, trying desperately to control his anger and fear at not arriving in time to prevent Quinn from going through the portal.
“Why the hell would she go through there? Even as a human, she had to be able to feel the darkness and evil,” he muttered aloud.
“There was someone with her,” Lara said. “I can feel the same strange energy that I felt in Alston.”
“You think the girl convinced her to go in the portal?” Drago asked as he and Dread joined them in front of the door.
“You feel the same girl in here?” Lara asked as she studied Drago.
Drago closed his eyes and sifted through the different energies he could feel emanating from the portal. Several moments later, he looked at Lara and nodded.
“It’s definitely the same energy I felt in the shop in Alston. It has to be the girl. Can you feel the . . . strangeness of her?” Drago asked Lara, hoping someone else could decipher why the girl’s energy was so unusual.
“I can, but I’m not sure what it is yet,” Lara admitted. It didn’t make anyone feel any better.
“I don’t give a damn what the hel
l the girl is!” Chris erupted in anger and frustration. “Where is Quinn and my son?”
Chapter Ten
Quinn fell to her knees the moment she went through the inky blackness and began violently vomiting. She felt someone gently holding her head, and she was grateful for the cool fingers that felt so good on her burning face.
She threw up several more times before her stomach finally settled down enough for her to look at something other than the stone floor and the lake of vomit now covering it. She turned to thank Ainsley for her help and instead looked into the deepest green eyes she’d ever seen. Quinn knew right away that the color and unusual swirls weren’t normal, and she slid across the floor away from the woman.
“Don’t be afraid,” the woman whispered as she put an arm around Ainsley. “We won’t hurt you.”
“Where am I?” Quinn asked as she tried to get off the floor.
Ainsley and the odd woman quickly moved to either side of Quinn and helped her to stand.
“You’re in Scotland. My home. My name is Fiona O’Malley,” the green-eyed woman with the auburn hair said with a small smile.
“Wasn’t I just in England?” Quinn asked, completely confused, her stomach threatening to heave again.
“We need to get you out of this room,” Fiona said as she led Quinn from the portal room and up a small stone staircase. “The darkness inside is making your child very ill, and he’s trying to make you leave by sharing how he feels with you.”
Quinn leaned heavily on Fiona and Ainsley as they led her out of the room and up the stairs before she stood in surprise at the normal-looking kitchen.
“Where are we?” Quinn asked again.
She stared at the window above the sink in the kitchen at the sheep grazing outside and she walked closer to the window and the sunshine.
“Scotland, like I said. This is my home. Or it was, until Satalis took it from me. Now I come back whenever I can to try and remember who I used to be,” Fiona said sadly before she pasted a smile on her face. “You’re safe. For now. But we need to get you out of here soon.”
Quinn looked at Fiona and Ainsley with hope shining in her eyes as she patted her stomach, hoping to calm her son and the queasiness that wasn’t going away.
“Can you get me home? To the US?” she asked.
Fiona nodded her head and set a kettle of water to boil on the stove as Ainsley grabbed three cups from the cupboard.
“Yes. It’ll take some time though. We’re a little limited on friends and resources, but we’ll get you there before your son is born,” Fiona said with a gentle smile.
“Do you have a phone? I could call someone that could help,” Quinn suggested.
She prayed that Chris would answer if she called this time because she didn’t know anyone else that could help her get from Scotland back to the US without a passport.
“There’s no phones here. My màthair,” Fiona began until she saw Quinn’s confusion. “Sorry, I have a tendency to revert to my native Scottish Gaelic when I am here. I meant my mother didn’t like the intrusion of technology here. But do not worry, we have someone coming soon to help you.”
“How did we get here? Was that . . . black thing a passage here? Are we far from where we were?” Quinn asked as she moved towards the door, wondering if she was allowed to leave or if she was just a prisoner somewhere else with different jailers.
“Come,” Fiona said as she moved in front of Quinn and opened the door, gesturing outside.
Quinn looked between Fiona and Ainsley and took a tentative step towards the sunshine and freedom.
“It’s OK; you’re not a prisoner here,” Fiona added as she went out of the door and stepped into the sunshine.
Quinn watched Fiona grin broadly as she threw her arms wide and spun around once in the sunshine.
“Come on, silly. I told you I’d keep you safe,” Ainsley said as she ran past Quinn and outside into the sunshine with Fiona.
Quinn felt a weak thumping in her stomach, and it was all the encouragement she needed to step out into the crisp air and sunshine. She threw back her head and breathed in the sweet smell of freedom and smiled.
“Thank you,” she whispered as she turned to smile at Ainsley.
“You’re welcome,” Ainsley smiled back.
Quinn looked at the beautiful spring landscape, half convinced that she could see shimmering specks of light flickering around her. The air smelled so wonderful and was filled with the smell of heather and herbs as spring erupted all around them. She couldn’t help but put a hand on her stomach and pat her son in relief that they were safe for a moment.
She wouldn’t trust anyone until she was firmly home, and she’d stay there only long enough to get what she needed and disappear. Quinn wasn’t stupid. She knew that people with the kind of power to kidnap her to another country would come for her son again. But first, she had to get home.
“You’re just outside of Langholm, Scotland,” Fiona said, shaking Quinn from her own thoughts.
“It’s beautiful. When are we leaving?” Quinn asked.
She blushed when she realized how that sounded and opened her mouth to apologize when Fiona held her hand up to stop her.
“Don’t apologize; I understand completely. Sadly, our plans were disrupted by . . . friends. Friends that don’t know they are friends,” Fiona said cryptically.
“What the hell kind of answer is that?” Quinn asked bluntly before she slapped her hand over her mouth.
What the hell is wrong with me? she wondered briefly, appalled at the way she was snapping at the woman.
Fiona only laughed and waved off Quinn’s rude outburst.
“It wasn’t an answer, I’m sorry. You aren’t the only pregnant woman being held captive by Satalis. There are four others. All in different countries. The moment Ainsley heard you were pregnant with a Dranovian, I knew it would bring Satalis out of hiding. I also knew it would bring the Dranovians,” Fiona explained, noticing the confused look on Quinn’s face. “You don’t have a clue what I’m talking about do you?”
Quinn thought about lying but knew she wouldn’t be able to pull it off, and she shook her head.
“No, I don’t.”
“She just found out that the daddy is a hybrid,” Ainsley interjected. “She says she doesn’t know who he is, but she does. His name is Chris.”
Fiona drew her brows together in concentration for a moment before she grinned.
“Tall, blond hair, blue eyes. He’s the leader of the Dranovians,” Fiona said with excitement.
“I . . . I don’t know,” Quinn said, wishing she didn’t feel like the only one without the wherewithal to buy a clue.
“I met him. He’s deadly as hell, and he will definitely come for you,” Fiona said.
Quinn wasn’t jealous so much as bothered by the fact that Fiona knew more about the father of her child than she did, and she’d been best friends with him for 10 years. He’d never mentioned a Fiona to her. She would have remembered it if he did.
“Where did you meet?” Quinn snapped.
Fiona burst out laughing, which didn’t help Quinn’s mood at all.
“He was trying to kill Satalis. The one who likes to be called master. The same bastard keeping us prisoners,” Fiona admitted, levelling a serious gaze on Quinn.
“What?” Quinn asked as she took a step away from the women.
“Don’t panic!” Ainsley warned.
“You are safe,” Fiona reassured Quinn. “Satalis is not here and most likely thinks you were killed or retaken by the Dranovians when they overran the estate.”
“Wait . . .” Quinn said as something niggled at the back of her mind and her son kicked wildly in her stomach. “Are you saying, the Dranovians . . . and Chris, were just at the estate I was at?”
“Yes,” Fiona said simply.
Quinn turned accusing eyes to Ainsley.
“You knew his father was coming to rescue us, and you brought us here instead? Why would you do that?” Qu
inn yelled at the girl.
Ainsley looked away from Quinn’s angry stare.
“Don’t blame her. This is my fault, not hers,” Fiona said calmly before the kettle inside the kitchen whistled. “Let’s make some tea, and I’ll explain things to you. I think once you understand, you’ll agree with what had to be done.”
“Do you have any intention of ever letting us go?” Quinn asked as her hopes hit rock bottom.
“We plan on keeping you and your child completely safe and will take you back to the US or bring the Dranovians to you. I swear that on my life,” Fiona said with sincerity. “Let’s have some tea, and I’ll tell you everything I know about the Dranovians, Satalis, and what you’re doing here.”
Ainsley surprised Quinn by laying a hand on her stomach and instantly quieting her son’s erratic movements. The girl looked up at Quinn and smiled.
“It’s going to be all right. I’d never do anything to hurt him. You’re safe,” Ainsley promised before she headed into the kitchen and Fiona, leaving the door open for Quinn.
Quinn took one more look around the completely isolated area and knew she didn’t have a choice but to figure out what the hell was going on if she was ever to get her son somewhere that she knew was safe.
She also couldn’t deny that she was dying to know more about what Chris was, who this Satalis guy was, and what the hell was going on.
With a heavy sigh, she headed back into the kitchen, but she left the door open. Quinn knew she could never outrun the women in her condition, but it still made her feel better to see the sun shining outside. She also knew her son hadn’t killed Ainsley and Fiona—or harmed them either—and that made her feel more confident as she sat down at the table.
Fiona smiled and scooped some tea leaves from a tin and placed it into a small mesh ball that she dropped into a pot before she poured the kettle of hot water into it.
“My màthair would always tell me that the best tea was made by steeping it the moment the water boils. Then you let it brew for a full five minutes,” Fiona said casually as she put a cozy over the pot.
Fiona’s odd comments did little to make Quinn feel better, but she hoped it was the woman’s awkward attempt to put her at ease and not a sign of mental instability. Either way, she wasn’t waiting five minutes to find out.