Primal

by Sara Fields

  “We’ve been looking for you for quite a long time, Luna,” the man growled by my ear and I froze with fear.

  I knew that voice.

  I hated that voice.

  That man was my father.

  I renewed my struggle and he forced a soft cloth over my nose. A sweet flowery aroma washed over me and I blinked several times trying not to breathe in the scent. His fingers tightened over my face and I couldn’t breathe.

  He left me no choice.

  My vision darkened and my body shuddered hard. I tried so hard to keep my eyes open, but a curtain of blackness closed in around me no matter how hard I fought it. I screamed, the sound echoing from a distance and my eyes finally closed.

  My head started to grow fuzzy in the darkness, and I knew no more after that.

  * * *

  When I opened my eyes, it was dark. I didn’t know how much time had passed. My memory felt so hazy and my body was numb. I could have been unconscious for hours or even days. I blinked several times, trying to see into the shadows as my eyes adjusted to the near blackness. It was so cold that my teeth were chattering, the icy chill sinking deep into my bones. My arms were bound over my head by harsh metal cuffs. I couldn’t feel my fingers or the tips of my toes. I choked back a sob, knowing that I was in very real danger.

  I tried to remember what happened.

  I’d never been chained up like this in Valgertha. Vikar would never do this to me. There was only one possible explanation and that terrified me.

  My memory came back in little pieces and I started putting them together.

  I’d been captured by the Cult. They had taken matters into their own hands and taken me for themselves. They would question me in order to find out everything I knew, forcing me to reveal every last detail that I had divulged to anyone else. They would punish me. They could even decide to kill me. In all honesty, they probably would.

  I shivered in fear, but it might have been from the cold. I wasn’t sure.

  The moist air circling around me only served to lower my body temperature and I could feel my muscles tremble in an effort to combat it. I tried to arch my body away from the freezing cold stone at my back, but when I did that, the cuffs cut into my wrists and before long, it became too much to bear. The chill of the wet stone was a lesser evil, although it still caused me to ache all the same. Everything hurt and the Cult hadn’t even started to question me yet.

  I sucked in a breath, trying to quell the raging fear inside me.

  There was a soft muttering somewhere to my left and I jumped when a drop of water splashed against my forehead. I shivered hard as it dripped down my face. I was thankful to still have Vikar’s shirt on my back, but it was soaked through. I’d probably been hanging here for quite a bit longer than I realized.

  The mumbling grew louder. I tried to look into the shadows, only vaguely identifying that it was a man. His voice wasn’t familiar, and it carried a certain deranged quality to it that meant he had likely been down here far longer than I.

  My stomach growled. How long had it been since I had last eaten? Days?

  I didn’t know.

  I tried to piece things together, but there was nothing down here that gave anything away. It was clear the Cult had taken me deep underground into a place where no one else ventured or was even allowed. I’d never even seen this place.

  The bond pulsed weakly inside my heart. Vikar was far away. He wasn’t close enough to find me, let alone rescue me.

  I was all alone, back in the hands of the Cult.

  I closed my eyes, trying to imagine myself in a warm place despite the aching cold all around me. It worked for a moment before the chill bit into me once again and I wondered how long I would be left here before they came for me.

  One minute passed. Or an hour. Or maybe several hours.

  I had no way of knowing, but it felt like forever. The man’s mad muttering never stopped and soon, I found myself listening to his insane ramblings despite my attempts not to.

  “Chaos and balance, as it were. Shame is no longer holds any meaning at all. Shame the Ghost is never going to find me. Should have tossed me out of a window. Drown in the brother’s river and swim deep to find the other side,” he murmured and for a while, I tried to figure out some hidden message behind his words, but I soon became too cold to care. The sound of my own teeth chattering together eventually drowned him out entirely.

  Eventually my body stopped shaking and I no longer felt anything at all.

  I surrounded myself in the protective layer of my memory, imagining the moment when I’d first held Esme in my arms. I held onto that image with every last ounce of me that I could, knowing it would probably be the one thing that kept me alive in the end. I had to survive.

  For her.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the flickering flame of a torch moving through the distance and I tensed, unsure of who it might be. My eyes had adjusted to the darkness and the fire seemed impossibly bright. I squinted, trying to focus my vision even though I was so numb, hungry, and so very cold. I shuddered with anxiety and the light kept moving in my direction, leaving me with the terrifying conclusion that whoever it was had every intention of coming for me or the madman imprisoned in my cell.

  I lifted my head.

  No matter what was going to happen, I couldn’t allow them to see my fear. The pair bond pulsed weakly with Vikar’s anger and I wrapped my fingers around that like a vise. I took his fury and used it to strengthen my own, forming it into a formidable ball of fire that threatened to consume whoever dared to hurt me next.

  The fire moved close enough so that I could feel its heat. My body started to thaw and when my eyes finally adjusted to its light, the shape of a large man started to come into focus.

  His dark familiar eyes appraised mine with a certain practiced coldness that I hated deep down into the depths of my soul.

  “Father,” I snarled, my voice so hoarse that it shook.

  “Daughter,” he smirked, cocking his head to the side like the arrogant asshole he was.

  He moved the torch closer to me and inspected the exposed mark at the crook of my throat. He cleared his throat angrily and his upper lip rolled.

  “Worthless. Did the man we found you with do this? Did you let him claim you?” he asked, his tone derisive and ruthless. I expected nothing less.

  “I’m not going to tell you a damn thing,” I said, turning my head and refusing to look at him.

  “Don’t you worry your pretty little head, daughter. Before we are done with you, you’re going to tell us everything. Depending on your answers, I’m the one that gets to decide whether you live or die, and you’d do well to remember that,” he warned.

  “What have you done with Esme?” I asked, ignoring his threat entirely. I glared back at him, wishing he would drop dead where he stood.

  His grin widened.

  “The Cult has decided on a use for her,” he answered evasively.

  “And what is that?” I asked, trying not to reveal my desperation. “Have you hurt her?”

  He shook his head and laughed. I wanted to punch him right in the face.

  “She’s still alive, my daughter. That’s all I’m going to tell you,” he replied arrogantly.

  “Where have you taken her?” I screeched, my voice bouncing off the rocks and echoing loud all around me. “What have you done?”

  His smile grew even wider and my stomach plummeted. I no longer cared for my own well-being. I needed to get to my daughter and fast.

  “Do you forget your place here in Ravenrath, Luna? You lost the right to your daughter when you couldn’t give the king a son and especially so when the king ended up dead with you under the protection of that mutant queen,” he declared, and I stilled nervously.

  “I’ve done nothing wrong,” I answered meekly.

  “You and I are going to talk when you’re ready and you’re going to tell me everything you know. I want to know every last detail and I don’t care ho
w long it takes,” he sneered.

  I should have been afraid, but right now, there was only one thing that mattered.

  Esme.

  I had to save her from whatever atrocities that the Cult had planned for her.

  Chapter Eight

  Vikar

  Fucking hell.

  It felt like I had been chewed up by the gods, spat back out, and trampled by a thousand hooves all at the same time.

  Why was I even alive?

  Had I angered Odiyen? How had the Cult found us?

  I don’t know why they didn’t kill me. Perhaps they needed me to keep me alive for whatever reason or maybe they had forgotten about me once they shot that damn tranquilizer dart into my neck. I groaned, dragging my hand over my face as I fought the last tendrils of whatever concoction had coated the tip of that tiny arrow of misery. I’d been on the receiving end of a dart like it once long ago, simply because a warrior had missed the target he was supposed to be aiming for somehow and sent it straight into my thigh instead. It hadn’t been nearly as bad as this one was turning out to be though.

  This one felt far more potent. It left me feeling like I’d drunk an entire barrel of mead last night. My mind felt fuzzy and my limbs were as heavy as a bag of lead. I tried to move my fingers and toes, forcing them to wiggle at least a little bit as the seconds ticked by. Eventually, my arms and legs stopped tingling and I gained control of them once again. I pushed my hands against the ground, only to lean up against the roughened trunk of the tree closest to me.

  I shook my head in agony. It was pounding harder than any hangover I’d ever had before. I growled and just sat there for a long moment until the ache lessened the tiniest amount before I climbed to my feet and staggered to the side, eventually catching my balance on another ancient tree.

  Fuck. Waking up from a tranquilizer dart was a bitch.

  I rubbed my head again and blinked several times as the events of the night finally came back to me. My heart dropped as it all slammed into me at once.

  Luna.

  They’d come for her and they’d taken her. By the look on their faces, they were not her allies either. I tried to remember exactly how many of them I’d seen, but it was foggy. I’d seen so many of them that it was hard to focus on the hazy images that plagued my memory. There had been at least a dozen of them, but I wasn’t sure exactly how many. One thing I was sure of though was that they were all men based off of their sheer size and the way they strode through the camp like they owned it. There was one man in particular who had stood out in my mind though, simply because of the blatant animosity in his expression. That man had grabbed her, and he looked like he wanted to kill her himself.

  He was important. I just didn’t know why yet.

  I was her alpha. I should have been able to save her.

  I could still feel her. She was alive, I knew that much at least. If they had already killed her, I would be in more pain that I could bear. I could also tell that she was located in the general direction of Ravenrath, but I couldn’t pinpoint her location. I needed to get to her, but I couldn’t do it alone. Not in Ravenrath, not in the stronghold of the Cult.

  They were extremely powerful, and I had no doubt that their defenses would be brutally hard to break through. It would be nearly impossible to sneak in the city gates and that didn’t even guarantee that I’d be able to find her in whatever place they kept her captive.

  I pushed my fist against the trunk of the tree, trying to rein in the impulse to punch it as hard as I could. Everything in my heart was telling me to go to her, to protect the omega that was mine, but I knew I couldn’t go in alone. I hated everything about it.

  I sighed, knowing what had to be done even though it hurt my soul to have to do it. I had to return to Valgertha and when I came back to rescue her from the clutches of the enemy, I’d bring the power of the Brotherhood with me.

  It was my best chance to get her back. No. It was my only chance to ensure that the two of us came out of this alive.

  I whistled low, the sounds carrying throughout the forest all around me. In the distance, the answering roar of a skotaur rumbled through the air. Bayla would recognize my call and she would come. It wasn’t long before her massive charcoal gray form came slinking through the trees. She sat back on her haunches, waiting for her pup to join her. I smiled when the tiny creature skipped to her side, its movements young and clumsy. He would grow to a size nearly a third bigger than her, but he had a long way to go to get there.

  Bayla yawned, clearly a little annoyed that I had awakened her during the day. Skotaurs were typically nocturnal and slept in the safety of their dens while the sun while high in the sky. Hers wasn’t very far from where I was now, and I was exceedingly grateful for that.

  I bowed my head toward her, and she growled softly. It made the ground rumble beneath my feet and I was more than thankful that I called her my ally rather than my foe.

  “It’s been a long time, Bayla, but I must ask for your help. Will you let me ride with you like we used to together? Will you take me back home?” I asked softly. I lifted my head and smiled gently in her direction. I reached for her and she lowered her thick horns to my level, allowing me to pet her in the way she had enjoyed since she was a pup herself. Her growl deepened to something like a purr as she lowered herself to the ground and looked back at me expectantly. I nodded with understanding. Carefully, I wound my arms around her pup, ensuring that I didn’t hurt him in any way. I was one of the only humans she trusted enough to get near her young, let alone touch him, but she still watched me carefully. I was as gentle with him as possible and he mewled quietly in surprise. At first, he squirmed and wiggled to escape my grasp. Eventually, he settled when he realized I wasn’t going to cause him any harm. Bayla never took her eyes off the two of us the entire time.

  When I was situated on her back with her son cradled safely against my belly, she rose up on all fours.

  “Thank you, Bayla. I won’t forget this,” I whispered, dragging the backs of my fingers down the line of her throat. Her charcoal skin was hairless, but unbelievably soft, and I could see the hint of her fire pumping through her veins just beneath it. The blaze ignited underneath her flesh as she responded to me and I gently patted her neck in gratitude.

  Her youngling squeaked in excitement when she turned in the direction of the city and started to walk. Rapidly, she built up her speed until she was sprinting through the trees as if they weren’t even there. On foot, the journey back would take several days. On Bayla’s back, it would take far less than that.

  She leapt high into the air, bounding over the tallest trees and covering ground more swiftly than I could have hoped for. Her claws dug into the ground, propelling her forward in one of the most graceful runs of any animal I’d ever seen. The fates had rewarded me for caring her so long ago.

  I prayed to Oslin to grant me even more fortune in the coming days.

  I would need it.

  Bayla would ensure that I made it back to Valgertha as fast as possible. I had to call a meeting with the Ghost as soon as I arrived and then I had to rush back to Ravenrath to rescue my omega.

  I would protect what’s mine no matter the cost.

  * * *

  I rode Bayla all the way to the clearing just outside Valgertha. I asked her to stay close if she was able, in case I needed her to go back. The moment I walked back through the city gates, I sent word for those I led to meet with me that night at our usual meeting place, but more important, I needed to meet with the Ghost first. I rushed to my home, located only a short walk from the castle, and lit a candle in my window. In addition, I tied a scarf to the ledge of the windowsill. The Ghost would have someone watching and before long, he would knock on my door. He would know and he would come.

  It didn’t take long.

  He arrived within the hour. I’d left the door unlocked and he had taken a seat in my foyer, waiting for me as I prepared for what was to come next.

  The Ghost cleared his
throat and I left my personal armory room to meet with him. I had been gathering the best of my weapons for the days to come. I dropped my eyes respectfully once I entered the room before I sat down by his side.

  “Welcome to my home, Ghost,” I said in greeting. As expected, his face was covered by his mask and his cloak signifying his membership was closed tight enough so that I had no idea what he was wearing underneath.

  “Thank you for having me, Sage Vikar. Pray tell though. Why have you called me here?” he demanded gently.

  “The Cult has taken Luna,” I said angrily.

  “Tell me everything,” he said softly.

  I guided him through it all, from the second I’d realized that Luna was planning to flee the city to the moment I’d seen the face of the man who had taken her away from me. He listened patiently.

  “I need your help,” I finally said, and he nodded slowly. The ache in my heart had grown. Such a large distance between an alpha and her omega was physically painful, and it would only intensify the longer we were apart. It angered me knowing that she was likely hurting as well, so much so that it overcame my own pain completely.

  I had to save her. I would do whatever it took.

  The Ghost cleared his throat and that made the blood rush through my veins.

  “Ravenrath has stood against us for a long time, Sage Vikar,” he began. “Valgertha stood against her once and crushed her with only a fraction of the Brotherhood’s assistance. We have many more stocks of liquid fire at our disposal. Perhaps it’s time to throw the world into chaos so that we may tip the balance in our favor and unseat the Cult once and for all.”

  “What are you suggesting?” I asked.

  My heart pounded in my chest. I feared what he was about to say, but my gut told me to welcome it.

  “Perhaps the world is finally ready to be consumed by the Second Great War,” he whispered darkly.

  I turned my gaze toward him. To all of us, the Ghost was a mystery. We didn’t know his name. We didn’t know what he looked like, but there was one thing all of us knew. The Ghost had a direct connection with the gods, and I had always wondered if he was in fact a god himself. I’d known him since I was small and the skin around his eyes had never wrinkled with age. He spoke and carried himself like he was in his mid-forties, but he’d been that way since I’d been old enough to carry a sword and shield all by myself.