Fury

by Elizabeth Cole

  “Fenris?” I whispered a little louder this time, and nearly screamed when he stepped out of the shadows like he’d been wrapped in their embrace.

  “Mi’ lady.” He said, bowing before he walked to me. “I hear you’ve discovered the trickery in your manor.”

  “It’s not my Salem in there.”

  He nodded, “It is a demon. Sent here to take over this realm.”

  “How do you know?”

  “A few in my clan helped him, along with a woman who used to frequent this manor.”

  “Briella.” I spat, my eyes narrowing.

  I got being pissed, but to help overthrow Salem? That was low, even for her.

  “Yes. They believed Salem would be easy to overtake since he was weakened.”

  “Weakened?” That was news to me. “Weakened how?”

  “I do not know. I only know we felt it when it happened nearly two years ago. The Dark Fae are sensitive to all the magic in this land. We felt it and when the demon showed up in our forest, I was overthrown and he was welcomed in.”

  “When did he show up?”

  “Just over a year ago.”

  I’d wondered, but it was nice to have confirmation.

  “And when did he take over Salem?” I asked, wondering how we were going to get the demon out of Salem’s body. His father had been dead, Salem wasn’t. Was he?

  “You misunderstand, mi’ lady. The demon didn’t take over Salem’s body. Our Hades was taken to a cave and the demon took his form. The one that took over my clan, Lenox, he asked for a meeting with Salem, giving the demon his opportunity. I had already been removed, but my mate stayed behind to look after the clan. She’s kept me in the loop.”

  “Do you know where he is?”

  “Yes. But I cannot enter. The cave is lined with silver, and the electrical conductivity it puts off would rob me of my magic, killing me before I could get to him.”

  I nodded, “Will you take me there?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then we go now.”

  “If you wish it. You seemed the type to take action.” He said, with a very creepy smile that revealed pointed teeth, “So I already took the liberty of borrowing two of Salem’s horses. They are ready to go.”

  I wasn’t necessarily the type to act impulsively, but I also wasn’t going to delay helping Salem, which meant I was not going back to tell the others. Not when I could be caught sneaking back in and then again in a lie.

  I followed Fenris around to the front of the house, where two horses were standing next to a tree. Fenris stopped abruptly when we reached them, turning around and pulling the hood of the sweater I wore up over my head and said, “It is a long ride, and you mustn’t be seen by any of my people. The quickest way is through the forest, so hide your hair.”

  He pulled up his own hood and then climbed up on his horse in one fluid movement.

  I tried to copy the smoothness in which he’d mounted his horse, but failed. I’d ridden a horse twice in my life and was not the expert Fenris seemed to be.

  He didn’t say anything as I struggled to pull myself up and when I had finally situated myself in the saddle, Fenris double clicked his heels into his horse’s side and the horse took off.

  I did the same and my horse followed suit, kicking up dirt and rocks as it too sped into the forest. I slid in the saddle, barely holding on to the animal beneath me as I fought to right myself.

  I finally pulled myself upright, and could barely make out Fenris’ form ahead of me in the darkness. Thankfully, my horse followed without a problem and all I had to focus on was keeping myself on the saddle and ducking to avoid any low branches.

  We rode hard and fast, making it out of the forest and onto a road I’d never been on before, the horse still going strong long after my butt and thighs began to ache.

  By the time we turned towards a range of rocky cliffs, they’d gone completely numb.

  Fenris started to slow when he turned off the road, heading down a hill and I lost a little nerve. It was steep and even though we were going slower, if I fell or my horse stumbled, the jagged rocks that sprung out of the ground would make quick work of me.

  We wrapped around the side of the cliff and Fenris stopped, dismounting and walking up to me. He pulled on my reins and my horse came to a stop as well and then Fenris helped me down.

  A good thing since my legs were numb, the pins and needles sensation running through the entire lower half of my body.

  “I will stand watch. Salem is in there.”

  He pointed to a cave entrance not too far in front of us and a little more of my nerve wavered.

  Okay, I trusted Fenris, but I felt like I was walking into a situation I didn’t have a handle on. What if someone else was in there? What if Salem wasn’t alone or he was unconscious and I had to drag him out? What if I walked in to see Salem dead?

  That last question had my knees shaking.

  “Fenris,” I asked, my voice coming out hoarse, “do you think he’s dead?”

  “No. We would feel it and if he was, your demon wouldn’t be able to take his form any longer.”

  I nodded, “Okay, thank you, Fenris. I owe you.”

  “It isn’t wise to make a debt with a fae, mi’ lady. You have my word not to take advantage, but in the future, it would be best if you didn’t make it a habit.”

  I nodded, and headed towards the cave.

  It was dark, but somehow not enough I couldn’t make out a few inches in front of me at a time. My eyes worked to adjust, but it didn’t get any easier as I made my way deeper into the cave. The rocky wall I was following was damp and my sleeve was soaked by the time I saw a small light in the distance.

  After what seemed like an eternity, I stepped into a small cavern, the dim light casting enough of a glow I was able to make out details. A good thing until my eyes landed on the man in the center of the room and I forgot to breathe.

  Chains that were hooked into the ceiling held bloody hands hanging over a lowered head of dark hair. He wasn’t moving, was he even breathing? His toes were the only part of him that touched the floor and I had to steel myself before his name left my lips in a harsh whisper.

  “Salem?”

  The sound echoed off the walls, but Salem didn’t answer.

  I picked up my pace, reaching the center of the room and I let out a small cry when I saw that it wasn’t just his hands that were bloody, but his face, his chest and…was that a knife protruding from his thigh?

  “Salem?” I asked again, cupping his cheeks. I ran a thumb over his swollen and split lip, pushing back the tears I felt.

  A deep sound from the back of his throat startled me, but I didn’t pull away.

  After everything with him, I could never be scared of him.

  “Salem, it’s Nyx, can you hear me?”

  His lids slid open a little and then a little more. When his eyes met mine, there was no stopping the tears.

  “Nyx?” My name came out rough and strained, but the light in his eyes was soft as a shudder moved over his body.

  I nodded vehemently because words wouldn’t come. Relief washed over me as I took him all in.

  Salem was here.

  Salem was breathing.

  Salem was alive.

  I hadn’t known how much doubt I’d been holding onto until it crumbled away.

  I pushed up onto my toes and my mouth collided with his.

  Inappropriate? Yes.

  There had never been a time in my life where I’d fantasized about kissing a blood and sweat covered man in a creepy cave while he was chained to the ceiling, but I didn’t care. Right now, I knew he was alive and right in front of me, which was more than I’d known for the last year.

  His mouth moved with mine, his tongue flicking out to run over my lip and I couldn’t stop a hysterical giggle from bubbling up my throat.

  “You’re alive.” I said, not breaking the contact between our lips. Then I pulled back, looking into his eyes as I repeated the state
ment. “You’re alive.”

  “I am.” He said, trying to smile, but it looked more like a wince. “He’s been bleeding me a little at a time, buying himself longer to find where I hid my power.”

  “I don’t need an explanation right now. We need to get you out of here.”

  “I’m inclined to agree. There are keys on the table to unlock the chains.” He said, nodding to the far wall. “There’s a small chair next to the table.”

  I retrieved both, but the small chair was more a small stool and I could barely reach his wrists.

  “Next time you get taken and tortured, could you ask them to leave a step ladder instead?” I asked, straining to reach the lock and position the key the right direction.

  “Never.” He said, as I finally got the key in the first lock and twisted until it clicked and one hand was free. “This is the best view I’ve had in months.”

  I wasn’t sure what he meant until his stubbly chin grazed the top of the zipper on my sweater and I realized Salem was eye level with cleavage.

  “You are ridiculous.” I griped, finally getting the key in the second lock and turning it over several times. I’m trying to save you and you go into horny Hades mode.”

  There was another soft click and Salem was free.

  He fell into me and I wish I could say I held us up, but we fell to the ground, Salem on top of me, my back hitting the dirt floor.

  The fall didn’t seem to faze him. He reached up, running his hand over my hair and down my cheek.

  “I didn’t think I was ever going to see you again, Nyx.”

  “That’ll teach you to send me back for more than a week.” I retorted.

  With that comment, Salem—my Salem—grinned and those stupid tears sprung to my eyes again and began to fall.

  We got the knife out of his leg and by ‘we’ I mean ‘he’. He’d yanked it out. A sick, sticky sound accompanying the movement that made me cringe. I unzipped my jacket and wrapped it around the oozing wound, tying it tight.

  It was a slow process getting him up to the caves opening and as we limped, I talked.

  I told him about the fae and Briella. I told him about the demon asking for my help to find Salem’s power. I told him about Joshua coming to get me, about all of us trying to figure out what was wrong and I told him about finding Jane and us going to get Fenris.

  Salem didn’t ask me anything and I wondered if it was because he was using his energy just to keep upright.

  When we finally made it to the mouth of the cave, Fenris rushed to us, taking the brunt of Salem’s weight from me and helping him up onto my horse.

  “I have a place we can take him.” Fenris said, “Then I’ll go back and tell your people what has transpired.”

  “Thank you, Fenris.” I said, climbing up onto the horse in front of Salem. “When this is over, I will help you with your clan. Lenox might not have been worried about Salem’s retribution, but he should be terrified of mine. In the last ten minutes, I’ve discovered I’m a huge fan of revenge.”

  That creepy smile of Fenris’ was back and it was bloodthirsty. “I’d be happy to help, mi’ lady. It would be a pleasure.”

  Note to self, never get on a fae’s bad side.

  Fenris clicked his heels into his horse, and I did the same.

  Salem’s head fell forward to rest on my shoulder and one hand took hold of the horn on the front of the saddle, while the other splayed against my stomach.

  We followed Fenris back towards the forest, and every so often I heard Salem grunt with pain. I wanted to slow my pace, but I also knew we needed to put distance between the cave and us.

  If I’d thought him a weaker man, I would have slowed regardless, but Salem was strong even half dead as he was.

  The moon lit our path for a while until we veered into the forest.

  When Fenris slowed a while later, a small cabin situated inside an open grove came into view. If there wasn’t light coming from inside, I never would have seen it.

  We rode up and the door opened to reveal another fae.

  “Fenris.” She greeted, “I see you have retrieved him, but I will not stay here.”

  “Of course, Malaya. Thank you.”

  “Just get him better and come back to save our people.”

  “I will.”

  She took off, running through the forest so fast I wasn’t able to track her movements.

  “There are salves for his wounds and tonics for his pain. Clothes, food and drink for the two of you as well.”

  “How did you set all this up?”

  “Like I said earlier, I thought you were the type to take action, and I responded in kind.”

  “Thank you, Fenris.” Salem said, his voice low and weaker than I would have liked.

  I dismounted and Fenris helped Salem down as he said, “Of course, old friend. I’ll be back tomorrow night.”

  Salem nodded, and then Fenris turned and disappeared into the trees.

  “Come on, you need to lay down.”

  I helped him through the door and to the bed. Food first, then we’d look at his wounds.

  There was something cooking over a fire, when I lifted the lid, it looked like some sort of stew. It smelled good but I was hoping it tasted like it smelled, because it looked horrible.

  He ate while I busied myself pulling out the things I’d need.

  Everything was labeled, but they were in a language I didn’t understand and had to ask Salem.

  He ate three bowls of the stew, downed several of the vials I’d handed him between bowls and then it was time to get his clothes off.

  Holding up a knife I said, “You have extra clothes now, and it’ll be easier to cut those ones off rather than try and save them.

  He nodded, “All right.”

  He tried to help several times, but I waved him off.

  I’d seen Salem cut up before, I’d even stitched him up before. But I’d never seen a body that had been put through what his had.

  There weren’t two inches of space between the bruises covering his back. Some were still black and purple, others the healing tones of yellowish-green. There were several angry looking cuts and I had no doubt each had been excruciating.

  Lenox wasn’t the only one who would catch my wrath for this. Briella would be lucky if I didn’t ask Fenris to help me hunt her down.

  I cleaned what I could using water I’d set near the fire to stay warm. I rubbed the salves into the wounds and the bruises and then the stitching began.

  The first time I’d done this I hadn’t loved him and stupidly it seemed to make a difference. I was much more hesitant this time, flinching every time the needle pierced the area around the deep cuts.

  Some were deeper than others, some were jagged like the skin had been ripped, and some were clean, like the skin had been sliced. I saved his thigh for last, and by the time I finished, I had tears streaming down my face.

  “I’m going to kill them all.” I hissed, tossing down the needle and picking up the rag and water again.

  “You’ll have to get in line.”

  Once his back was wiped off I started cleaning up, using it as an excuse while I tried to reign in my emotions. I tossed the rags covered in his blood into the fire, put the tops back onto whatever bottles still held fluids and was just about to throw his old clothes into the fire as well when two hands came around me and grabbed my wrists.

  “Nyx.”

  He said my name with a softness I didn’t want to acknowledge because it would push me over the edge and I could not fall apart right now.

  “Don’t.” I protested, my voice hitching. “I need to move. I need to do something.”

  “Nyx, I’m okay.”

  “I know. I can see that.” I snapped, my temper flaring because seeing his body that way, knowing that I’d been so mad at him because I’d thought he’d abandoned me, it was too much. I should have fought harder. I shouldn’t have given up so easily. But I had.

  He turned me around to face h
im and my eyes went to every freshly stitched cut and the tears fell.

  His hand came up, lifting my chin so I was looking at his face. My eyes followed the cut running down his bottom lip, to the yellow bruise on his cheek and then back up to the purple and black surrounding his eyes.

  “I’m okay, Nyx.” He repeated, wiping my tears away with his thumbs as he cupped my cheeks. “I’ll be okay, I can already feel my magic working.”

  “It took me too long to realize it wasn’t you. I thought you were done with me and were upset I’d found my way back to the Underworld. Joshua came to get me, he said you needed help and I said no. He had to get the Cleric to order me to go. When I got here we all knew you weren’t right, but I dismissed all the signs.” I explained, as the guilt hammered at me until I felt two inches tall.

  “What gave him away?”

  I snorted, shaking my head as I said, “A smile, of all things. It was your face, but it wasn’t your smile. My smile. If I had been more observant…I’m so sorry, Salem. I should have realized sooner.”

  “He spent days watching me. Watching how I interacted with people and studying my days. When he’d come to me in the cave, it was like watching my twin. He mirrored my movements, the way I spoke, ate, everything.”

  “But I should have noticed. I should have at least wondered the first time he called me Onyx.”

  Salem pulled me into him, and I knew it hurt him because his breathing hitched. I wanted him to go sit down but I wasn’t going to hurt him more by trying to pull away. “You’re blaming yourself too much. Everyone else has known me much longer than you.”

  “But I love you! I should have—” I bit my lip to stop the tears from starting up again. “I didn’t think—” He wasn’t getting it, and I was having a hard time trying to figure out a better way to explain it. His lids closed as he took in a shuddering breath and my focus was back on his health in an instant. Why hadn’t I told him to sit back down? He shouldn’t be standing. This conversation could wait. He should be resting.

  “Say it again.” Salem said, cutting into my frenzied thoughts. His eyes were still closed, and I didn’t know what he wanted me to say again. So, I went with what I wanted to say again.

  “I’m sorry. So terribly, sorry.”