“Hunter, shake it off and figure out why later. We have someone waiting for us.” Mateo pushed the image of the place they’d decided to jump to into his mind.
Tiaki closed his eyes and whispered the spell to direct the magic to summon a rift big enough for them to walk through. He opened his eyes and watched a ball of glowing energy form in front of him. The ball elongated until it was over seven feet tall. The air rippled with an invisible electrical current as the threads of energy began to separate, widening the portal.
A sense of spatial distortion filled the clearing as though there wasn’t enough space for both their current location and their destination to both inhabit the same space at the same time.
Tiaki could hear the team shifting nervously behind him. Pulling more from Earth’s core, he channeled the raw magic into the portal to reinforce it while they passed through. When he was sure it wouldn’t collapse, he disconnected from the core and turned to the team that was accompanying them. “Let’s get going. I have no idea what type of sensors the OS might have put in around the area.”
He glanced at Mateo. “Let’s go find our mate.” He didn’t wait to see how Mateo reacted to his statement. He faced the portal and stepped through, followed closely by the other members of the team.
When everyone was through, Tiaki closed the rift as quickly as he could, then turned to scan the area. The others had fanned out and were communicating through the com links and hand signals.
“This way, Tiaki. We’ll approach from the north. Once we’re inside, we’ll scan for Kiana and decide where to go from there.”
Tiaki glanced over at Mateo when he heard his voice in his head, wondering if Mateo even realized he’d used their tentative bond to communicate instead of the com link like everyone else. He’d been doing that more and more since Kiana had been taken. Deciding it best not to dwell on why, Tiaki turned his attention to his surroundings. He could broach that subject later. First, they needed to rescue Kiana and see if they could find out what the hell two of the Makhai were doing on Earth.
For that matter, who wanted to harness the magic within the core?
“I’m sure we’ll figure it out eventually. If Monte gets a chance, he’ll try to crack into their system. He might not be our tech person, but he used to be pretty good at it.”
“We’ll see. In the Phoenix Galaxy, we weave magic into the codes for added protection.” Tiaki grinned when he caught sight of the astonished look Mateo gave him. “When it comes to learning how to harness the magic within yourself or a planet, I’ve barely scratched the surface in training you.”
They fell silent when they reached the wall surrounding the perimeter of the palace. Tiaki reached out with his senses, trying to detect if any traps had been laid around the entrance. The only energy signatures he found were flowing within the two cyborgs patrolling several yards down the fence. The energy pattern felt wrong somehow, as though it were disintegrating. Shaking off the disturbing itch the magic set to crawling across his skin, he met Mateo’s questioning gaze. “Let’s find her and get out of here. Something doesn’t feel right with the energy those guards are emanating.”
Mateo nodded and relayed the information to the others through the com link.
Reaching out with his magic, Tiaki searched for a trace of Kiana. He prayed to any and all gods he’d ever known or even heard of that she was close. His senses were on alert the same as they’d been when he’d left the Citadel on Asmerya to go close the rift in 2013. Something wasn’t right. He could feel it.
Mateo laid a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, I asked you what’s up.”
Tiaki shook his head at Mateo’s harsh whisper. “I’m not sure. Something in Earth’s magic isn’t right. See if you can locate Kiana with your cybernetic link. I can’t find a trace of her magic.” He scanned the area and motioned for everyone to fan out. He didn’t like how open the grounds were. The few trees surrounding the palace didn’t provide much cover. “We need to get out of here. The sooner the better.”
Mateo opened his mouth to reply when they felt a shifting in the ground.
Tiaki glanced at Grant and Ash, then over to where the rest of the team had disappeared. “Did you guys feel that?” he asked through the com link.
Everyone concurred they’d experienced the trembling.
Tiaki was about to tell them to hurry when another vibration rumbled beneath them.
“What the hell?”
Tiaki heard the others through the link as his magic surged. He’d never felt anything like the pulse emanating from within the earth before. “Let’s go. We need to find Kiana and the others. I have no clue what the hell is happening with the core magic, but I can guarantee I’ve never encountered anything like it.” He started to search for a trace of Kiana’s magic again but paused when someone touched his shoulder. He turned and met Grant’s eyes.
Grant held his gaze for a long moment before speaking. “I don’t know exactly what is going on, son, but I can see some of what drew me to my beloved Kalani in your eyes. I understand why Kiana is drawn to you.”
Tiaki glanced up and found Mateo watching them. Apprehension crept up his spine, then settled in the pit of his stomach when he saw Mateo clench his jaw.
Mateo started to turn away, but Grant caught his shoulder as well.
Tiaki fought the urge to reach out with his magic to discover what Mateo was thinking. He’d promised he wouldn’t intrude unless it was necessary. He looked away, fully intending to focus on something other than what Kiana’s father was saying to Mateo, until he caught his name.
“I won’t pretend I don’t know there’s something more to both of your relationships with my baby. I know she cares about both of you. I trust you both care about her enough to combine all your efforts to find her and bring her home.” Grant shifted his gaze between them, then turned and moved over to talk to Ash.
Tiaki met Mateo’s eyes. Mateo looked as astonished by Grant’s words as Tiaki felt. Although Grant hadn’t said as much, it was obvious he knew there was something between the two of them as well.
“He’s right. We should combine all our efforts to find her.” Mateo extended his hand, the strength and certainty of his words still vibrating along their link.
Tiaki glanced down at the hand Mateo offered him. “What are you—”
Mateo dropped his hand. “We’re both having trouble locating her. You with your magic, and me with my cybernetic link to her. I don’t know as much about the magic as I’ve let on to be able to use it to find her.” He took a deep breath and extended his hand again. “It only stands to reason that we might be able to break through whatever is shielding her if we combine our strengths.”
Tiaki looked at Mateo’s hand, then glanced up to meet his eyes. The flare of desire he caught before it was masked made him wonder if Mateo was remembering the way he’d wrapped that same hand around his cock. He quickly shoved away the yearning to experience that connection again. The need to hold Kiana in his arms burned stronger.
Without another word, Tiaki grasped the proffered hand in his. His magic flared at the contact with Mateo, seeking to meld with his magic. Closing his eyes, Tiaki commanded his to flow through him and into Mateo. The way their essences mingled together made him want to sigh in pleasure at the rightness of being bound even in this small way to Mateo. He forced his thoughts away from the soul bond and the intense craving for it and focused on letting Mateo lead his magic to the cybernetic link he had with Kiana.
Mateo opened his link completely, using the image of Kiana the last time he’d seen her as a focal point to call to her. “Kiana.”
Tiaki shuddered as Mateo’s voice whispered though his mind. An invocation that warmed his heart, especially laced with the love Mateo had for her. His heart constricted with longing to be a part of the love they shared.
Mateo squeezed his hand. “Don’t pull away, Tiaki. I can almost feel her. You should call to her too.”
Tiaki opened his eyes to find Mateo stari
ng at him. When he felt a gentle pulse of Mateo’s magic hum reassuringly in his chest, he almost lost his composure. With a tight nod, he closed his eyes before Mateo could see the depth of what he felt for him. Sending his magic to bolster the link Mateo and Kiana shared, he brought up the last image he had of her in his mind. She’d been leaning over him after giving him one of the most intense orgasms he’d ever experienced. The thought of it made his cock harden, and he thought he heard Mateo moan. “Kiana. Mateo and I need help finding you. Please, ō mātou wairua. Help us.”
They waited, each gripping the other’s hand for what seemed like an eternity before they felt the faint brush of Kiana’s magic in their thoughts.
“Get out of here. There are too many goddesses or whatever the hell they are here. I’ll break…”
Just as quickly as they’d heard her thoughts, they were gone. Silenced by the gods only knew what. Tiaki looked up, gaze colliding with Mateo’s, all the fear gripping his heart reflected in the depths of Mateo’s eyes. “She’s inside the palace.” He gave Mateo’s hand one final squeeze before heading toward the building, sure that Mateo would tell the others what they’d learned.
He sensed Palioxis and Proioxis were on the grounds. But there was another, more powerful person within the palace walls. Who, he didn’t know. He also sensed another energy pattern. One that didn’t feel right. He couldn’t tell what it was either. Who or what else was the OS hiding on Earth? For that matter, what could they possibly want? Even as the thought crossed his mind, he suddenly knew the answer.
The magic.
The sheer power he’d detected slumbering within the lush Hawaiian landscape could be vast enough to entice some of the most powerful of the gods to try to possess it. He knew Eris held a grudge against the other gods for not giving her an equal share of the power on Asmerya. Whatever her plan was, it couldn’t be good. He stopped along the side of the palace and waited for the others to join him before moving around the corner.
“That way.”
Tiaki was acutely aware of Mateo when he came up behind him. Mateo’s magic continued to flow through him, especially when he called to the trace of Kiana’s. He was surprised when Mateo commanded his to strengthen the locator spell and further helped to guide it with his cybernetic link.
Once Grant and Ash joined them, Tiaki moved stealthily along the side of the building, drawing heavier shadows around the group when there wasn’t enough foliage to conceal them. Sensing the mutated energy pattern around the corner, Tiaki held up a hand to call a halt. He didn’t trust the com links not to malfunction and call attention to them. He breathed a sigh of relief when the energy signature began to move in the other direction. He’d barely motioned for everyone to follow when there was a shrill keening followed by an explosion from the direction the rest of the extraction team had gone.
Tiaki glanced behind and saw billowing smoke blacken the already dark sky. “Shit.” He turned his attention back to the front parking lot just in time to see two guards rushing toward them. He took a deep breath and called his magic. Forming an energy bolt with little effort, he sent one of the cyborgs flying with one blow to the chest.
“Tiaki, watch out!”
Tiaki ducked at the sound of Mateo’s warning in his mind, barely missing the blast from the laser pistol the second cyborg carried.
Mateo let loose a stream of electricity from his fingers.
The cyborg screamed and jerked as the bolts of energy slammed into him, then fell to the ground and lay still.
Tiaki glanced up to find Mateo staring at the man, his expression unreadable. He opened his mouth to say thank you, when the earth rumbled again. Closing his eyes, he called to the core magic, trying to find out what was going on. The pulsing intensified, setting off all of Tiaki’s internal alarms. Something was definitely wrong here. The power he was sensing was unlike anything he’d ever encountered before.
“I have.”
Tiaki whipped his head up and met Mateo’s eyes. “You have what?”
“I’ve felt this type of energy before.”
Tiaki started to ask about it, but Grant cut him off.
“Guys, we need to move. There are more guards heading this way.”
“Come on. I felt Kiana’s energy pattern coming from inside the palace.” Tiaki moved quickly up the palace steps. “When did you feel that energy, Mateo? And where?”
“Spain. The night they captured Remi.”
Tiaki stopped dead at the top of the stairs and gaped at Mateo. That was the last thing he’d expected him to say. So many questions swam through his mind, vying for a voice.
“I don’t know what it is. I just know I felt it.”
“Whatever the hell you two are discussing can wait. We have bigger things to worry about.” Ash motioned to the now open ornate double doors of the palace.
Tiaki looked up to find a raven-haired woman watching them, a wicked smile curving her lips.
“We’ve been wondering when you were going to arrive.” She closed the distance between them until she stood directly in front of him and Mateo.
Tiaki barely had time to register the flash of blonde hair that whipped past him to where Grant and Ash stood before the lady grabbed him and pressed her lips to his.
The last thing he remembered before he lost consciousness was the sight of Mateo lying on the ground beside him as he fell. Fury burned through him at the woman for daring to touch his mate.
“Hmm. Thanos may have been right about you. Interesting.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Mateo struggled through the fog clouding his mind. What the hell happened? Sensing movement nearby, he kept his chin tucked toward his chest. Best not to alert whoever it was of his state of consciousness until he’d assessed the situation. What he could tell was that they’d bound him to a chair, and he didn’t have access to either his cybernetics or his magic. Not good.
“Palioxis and Proioxis believe Thanos is correct about the Hunter, and what were their names?” a sultry feminine voice asked.
“Mateo and Kiana.”
Mateo tilted his head in the direction of the voices as much as he dared when he heard the man’s reply. Why were they talking about him and his mates? No. The Hunter was not his mate. Still, why are they discussing us? Feet appeared in his line of vision as he continued to peek from beneath his lowered eyelids.
“Ahh. Yes, now I remember. So this is the one the Akadios—Remigius, wasn’t it?—cried out for as he died.”
“Yes.”
Mateo fought the anger threatening to boil up inside at the mention of Remi’s name. His heart clenched at the thought of his lover crying out for him. God, could this situation get any worse? A shuffling in the chair beside him followed by a muffled groan caught his attention. Shifting his eyes to the left, he saw Tiaki roll his head as he groaned aloud.
“You should be happier about this, Mordred, my love.”
Mateo lifted his head a fraction of an inch to see a stunning red-haired woman trailing her finger along the jaw of a man he could only assume was Mordred.
“Mother may indeed agree to give the three of them over to the kyrios to do some experiments. Who knows, he may even find a way to stabilize the serum so you won’t have to consume the core magic the way you have been.”
Mordred jerked his face away from her touch. “Don’t call me love, Atê. You and I are nothing to each other.” He stalked to the window. “I don’t like it. There’s something not right about that old man.”
Atê laughed. The sound rang off the high ceiling, sending a chill down Mateo’s spine. “You really believe you have a choice in this matter, Mordred?” She moved closer to him. “Need I remind you that you’re the one who agreed to be one of his guinea pigs? All because you were mad at Daddy.”
Mordred spun on her and caught Atê by the throat. “I did not agree to him experimenting on me. That was Aizik and Thanos.” He released her and paced to the throne and back. “Fine. If you want to give them to her, I don
’t care. As long as you get them off this planet. They’re interfering with the mission I was sent here to complete.”
Tiaki moaned again, drawing their attention.
“Ahh. They stir.”
Mateo finally rolled his head to ease the stiffness in his neck and groaned when a sharp pain shot through it. Glancing around from beneath his lowered eyelids, he saw Tiaki, Ash, and Grant also strapped to chairs. There was another chair off to the side, but all he could see was a pair of boots. Despite not being able to see who was sitting in it, he had a sinking feeling he already knew.
The woman Mordred had called Atê came to stand before him. “Shall we test Thanos’s theory, my darling, and find out if they are truly bonded as he says?”
A shadow fell across Mateo’s face as Mordred moved to her side. “I don’t give a damn if they are or not. Call Eris or whoever has been helping you move back and forth between the galaxies and get them out of here.” Mordred spun on his heel and slammed out of the room.
Atê leaned in until her face was level with his. “Hmm. First I hear an Akadios was so taken with you that he called out for you as he died. Now Thanos tells us you’re bound to a Rift Hunter. I wonder what it would take to make you break and reveal what you truly feel.” She raised a delicate eyebrow as another door slammed somewhere behind him.
“What is it you require, Atê?”
Mateo stiffened at the sound of Thanos’s voice. He’d encountered the man enough to know it was him. He was still stunned Tiaki was his brother. They couldn’t be more different.
Atê stood and motioned for Thanos to join her. “It’s quite simple, Thanos.” She waved her hand, and a dagger appeared out of thin air in her palm. She held it out to Thanos handle first. “I’d like you to help me ascertain if you’re correct about them being bonded.”
Untamed Hawaiian Heat (Rift Hunters) Page 22