Sacrifice

by Sadie Moss

  Echo’s hand disappears from my thigh, and he pulls my dress back down. I feel bereft without his touch, but he joins Callum, four hands resting on my abdomen as they focus on the lowest puncture wound, just above my belly button.

  Paris turns my head to administer to my neck, and for a few minutes, I’m not looking at any of them. The sensation of their hands on my body and the magic pulsing from their fingers grows even stronger when I’m not looking at them, as if depriving my eyes of the tableau above me heightens my physical reaction to their touch.

  I’m nearly mindless with desire, shifting uncomfortably to try to ease the ache building inside me, but none of the men seem the least bit bothered.

  Can they not feel the tension between us?

  It’s so thick, it’s like a separate entity, a pulsing magic in and of itself.

  Finally, all three men draw away, finished weaving my injuries back together. The instant their hands leave me, I miss their touch. The cold air wafts over my bare skin, and I cross my arms as I sit up.

  Echo is already bringing me the cloak, which he settles around my shoulders, pulling the edge tight to cover my nudity.

  All three men stand over me like immovable stone statues, arms crossed, jaws tight.

  This time, Callum breaks the silence. His voice is hard, although the feral anger from earlier seems to have drained from him.

  “Now, little soul, you had better explain what the farse you were doing.”

  21

  Staring up at their stony faces, I know there’s no way I’m getting out of this. Honestly, they could have just let me go. Said good riddance and let that wild beast kill me in the woods, returning to their normal lives as if I had never barged into their midst.

  But they didn’t.

  They came for me, which adds a whole new level of confusion to the feeling crashing around in my heart. If Callum is so hell bent on me staying out of his way, why was he the first to burst through the trees to shove the beast off me?

  I don’t know. I don’t feel certain of anything anymore—not my feelings or theirs.

  But despite their sometimes callous behavior toward me, they’ve always taken care of me, and I realize with a start that I’ve come to trust them.

  So I drag in a shaky breath… and tell the truth.

  “I used the enchanted mirror in Callum’s room to spy on my village,” I say, avoiding his gaze as I admit to breaking into his private space. “I was able to get it to show me my family. And it’s awful there. Everything is even worse now. They have no food. All the crops are dead. Even the animals are dying, and winter is coming.”

  I raise my head to look at them. Echo and Paris are listening intently, but Callum stares at me with a strange, unreadable expression. I flush, wondering if he’s realized exactly how I knew the mirror would work.

  “But that’s not the worst of it,” I go on, my voice catching as I recall the images I saw in the mirror. “My brother won’t make it until winter. Nish, he won’t even have a chance to starve. He’s dying from an infection. From wounds he received before my sacrifice.”

  Hot tears prick my eyes. It’s the first time I’ve said it out loud, and putting it to words sends a sharp ache through my chest that has nothing to do with the healed claw wounds.

  “I can’t let my sacrifice be in vain,” I rush to add. Then I keep speaking, my words coming quicker, my voice becoming a little hysterical. “I won’t. It’s not right. Zelus accepted my offering and then didn’t fulfill his end of the bargain. I need to save my family from his cruelty and neglect. I need to help my brother. I need to do something. He’s going to die, and I won’t be there. My mother will have lost both of us—her whole family. I can’t allow that to happen when my sacrifice was meant to save him!”

  My hysteria has turned to panic, and now that dizziness and pain no longer cloud my mind, the single-minded determination that sent me venturing into the Unclaimed Expanse the first time returns.

  I’ll try again. I know what to expect this time. I’ll be smarter and more prepared. But I will not give up.

  I stand, brushing past the men before they can stop me and rushing upstairs to my room. I rip the cloak off, followed by the dress, and fumble in my armoire for a new one. I’m aware of the men coming into the room behind, aware that I’m naked as a jaybird, but my single thought is to get to Nolan. He’s dying, and every second counts. I don’t have time to be embarrassed.

  But as soon as I have the new dress over my head, Callum is in front of me.

  “No, you farsing don’t.”

  He picks me up by the waist and tosses me on the bed, then follows me onto the soft mattress, straddling my waist and pinning me down.

  Paris and Echo both step closer to the bed, and the blond messenger shakes his head, his brows pulling together. “Little soul, you can’t leave. Did you not learn your lesson the first time?”

  I shove at Callum’s solid thighs and curse. “Get off me, you walking mountain.”

  He crosses his arms, muscles bulging beneath his thin cotton shirt. “I’m not moving as long as you intend to prance back into the woods.”

  “I don’t prance!” I snap. I know I’m being petulant, but this is ridiculous. I’m clamped between his legs so tightly I can’t even sit up. If he hadn’t left my arms free, I’d be immobile. “You have to let me go!”

  “We can’t let you go, Sage,” Echo says tiredly. He looks worn out, the usually playful expression on his face nowhere to be found. “You belong here. With us.”

  “I belong with my family!”

  “You belonged with your family in life,” Callum says. “In the afterlife, you belong here. That isn’t going to change, girl.”

  I buck and toss beneath him, trying in vain to move his massive form off me. But it’s impossible. I might as well be trying to move the bear-wolf again. I’m not a wilting flower, and I’m not weak—but he’s more than twice my size.

  “Fine!” I say, glaring up at him with my teeth bared. “If you won’t let me go, then help me.”

  The three men exchange a glance, something passing back and forth between them that I can’t interpret—as if they’re somehow speaking in full sentences without ever saying a word.

  I have no idea what they’re thinking, but they haven’t said no yet, so I speak quickly before they can say the word. Ceasing my struggles against Callum’s hold, I gaze up at them instead, pouring everything I have into my plea.

  “You may not care about me,” I go on, my voice earnest and quiet, “but my brother needs help. If we don’t help him, he’ll die. Isn’t that your job as messengers? Don’t you help people?”

  “No.” Callum’s voice is blunt. “It’s not. Our one and only job is to serve our god. And the people of your village are Zelus’s followers. We have no obligation or allegiance to them.”

  His lips curl into a sneer as he says my old god’s name, and I remember that Kaius isn’t the only one who hates Zelus. Of course his messengers hate their god’s enemy just as much as he does. What possible reason could these men have to help me?

  Tears sting my eyes as I feel my last hope slipping away.

  I could promise to let it go and try to sneak away next time the men are preoccupied with a job for Kaius. But by then, I’ll probably be too late. And as much as I want to believe I could handle the dangers of the Unclaimed Expanse on my own, I know that’s a risky proposition at best.

  My eyes squeeze shut, and I clench my jaw, hating that the three men above me are seeing me like this. Vulnerable. Weak. Helpless. Two tears escape past the barriers of my eyelids and slip down the sides of my face to disappear into my tangled hair.

  When Callum’s rough thumbs brush the tear tracks away, my whole body jerks with surprise. But I don’t open my eyes.

  They must see the defeat on my face. They know they’ve won. Sooner or later, they’ll leave me alone, and I can curl up into a ball like I want to and let my agony escape. Then I can try to think of some way forward, some
way to help Nolan.

  Except… they don’t leave. Long moments stretch out in silence, and although my eyes remain closed, I can still feel them all surrounding me, feel the weight of Callum’s body. More traitorous tears leak out, and Callum’s thumbs are there to catch every one, brushing them from my skin with gentle strokes.

  Finally, the mattress shifts. I think for a moment that Callum is climbing off me, but instead, two other bodies join us on the bed. A hand brushes my cheek, and Paris’s is soft when he says, “Little soul, open your eyes.”

  I don’t want to. Zelus help me, I don’t want to at all. I don’t think I can meet their gazes without breaking down, and I refuse to show any more weakness. But whether because of the bond we share or because of something in his voice, my body responds to his words even without my permission. My eyelids flutter open, and I swallow as I look up at the three men.

  They’re all watching me intently, grave looks on their faces. Callum withdraws his hands from my face, and Echo places two fingers on my chin to turn my head toward him. His brown eyes seem like endless pools, deeper than the deepest space, as he leans a little closer from where he kneels on the bed beside me.

  “It’s that important to you, little soul?”

  I can’t speak. Words will bring more tears, so I just nod once. Echo’s fingers follow the movement of my chin, and he brushes them over my cheek before pulling them away.

  Then he nods too.

  “All right. We’ll help you.”

  His words are so unexpected that it takes me a moment to comprehend them. For a few heartbeats, I just stare up at them dumbly, my mind frozen in shock.

  Then gratitude floods me, so fierce and overwhelming that I let out a gasping sort of sob. “You will?”

  “Yes.” Paris answers this time, resting a hand on my shoulder. “We have no duties to carry out for Kaius for the next several days. If we go quickly, he’ll never even know we were gone.”

  I can’t believe it. What they’ve agreed to do is huge—a bigger debt than I could ever repay.

  My gaze flits to Callum, and I can’t disguise the look of distrust on my face. His brothers have agreed, but surely the moody, stoic warrior will never allow this. He certainly won’t consent to be a part of it.

  His expression darkens as he catches the look in my eyes, but he presses his lips together and turns his attention to Paris. “You’re right. We should move now though. The sooner we go, the sooner we’ll return. We can’t afford to waste time.” His emerald gaze flicks to me quickly as he adds, “For many reasons.”

  For Nolan.

  Not just because their god might miss them if they’re gone too long, but because my brother might die if we don’t reach him in time. The fact that Callum values each of those reasons equally makes a sweet ache fill my chest, as if my heart has expanded so much it’s crowding out my lungs.

  My messengers will help me.

  Maybe Nolan won’t die.

  “Agreed,” Echo puts in, nodding. “We should leave today.”

  Callum grunts in acknowledgment and climbs off me, moving to the edge of the mattress to put his feet on the floor, though he doesn’t stand up. He shoves a hand through his long hair and sighs. I can only guess he’s immediately regretting his decision—wondering what possessed him to go along with this.

  But he won’t take it back. I know that, as surely as I know that I love my brother.

  Whatever else Callum may be, he’s a man of his word.

  A man of honor.

  A good man.

  The warmth in my chest seems to infuse my entire body. I ache with an unnamable need just like I did downstairs when all three men had their hands on me, but this is different.

  This is purer. Sweeter.

  I sit up and crawl to his side, my heart as light as a feather but fluttering as fast as a moth’s wing. I cup his cheek in one hand, and he turns sharply to look at me.

  “You have no idea what this means to me,” I say softly, gazing into his mesmerizing emerald eyes. “An eternity won’t be enough time to repay you. Thank you, Callum. Truly.”

  Before I realize what I’m doing, and before the smarter half of my mind can talk me out of it, I put my other hand on his face. He has a hint of scruff on his jaw, and the texture feels delicious against my palms as I lean toward him and press my lips to his.

  The massive warrior stiffens beneath my touch. His lips feel as hard as granite, his entire body hard as stone. I think he’s going to shove me away, and suddenly, I don’t want him to. After everything he’s said and done to me to push me away, I still think of the vision of him standing before his mirror, and the memory of his hands on my body the night I came here.

  I think if he pushes me away now, I might break.

  So I open my mouth and deepen the kiss.

  Something in him seems to snap, and he responds immediately, one strong hand curling into my hair. He fists my tangled locks close to the roots and tugs lightly, turning my face up toward him. This angle puts him in control, and a little thrill shoots through me, sparks dancing through my body. He kisses me long and hard, taking command in a way that frightens me as much as it makes me want more.

  Then, just as suddenly as he pulled me toward him, he breaks away, yanking his hand from my hair like I’ve burned him. For a brief instant, his hard face is soft, slack with need, but then that instant is gone, and his facade settles back into place. He stands up and walks away without saying a word.

  But I’m not done. Callum may have been the deciding factor, but the other two men gladly agreed to help me. Since Paris is already sitting beside me, I turn to him and capture his soft lips with mine.

  There’s no hesitation on his part. He wraps his arms around me and nearly tugs me into his lap, his kiss recklessly passionate. He tastes of chocolate and wine, and I’m not the least bit surprised. Where Callum’s kiss was deep and soul-searing, his brother’s kiss is playful, full of nips and tugs and the gentle dance of his tongue on mine until I’m breathless. By the time I pull away, my heart is pounding so hard I think it might burst out of my chest.

  Then Echo is in front of me, pulling me off Paris’s lap until I’m standing in front of him. He traces his thumb over my lower lip, and his dark eyes give away none of his thoughts. His arm snakes around my lower back and he tugs me against his body, his lips slanting over mine.

  Echo’s kiss is wild and reminds me of my younger years—of running over grass fields with joy in my heart and not a care in the world. The scruff along his jaw tickles my fingers, and he pulls me so deep into him, I’m on my tiptoes.

  Tension hangs in the room between all of us, as if the strands connecting us are pulled taut. I can almost see each of these men as a part of me, and me a part of them—the four of us a single unit, even when my attention is on Echo.

  But something else is in the air too. Something hovers around us, expectant. A shift, like changing winds.

  When Echo finally pulls away, his hands are tangled in my hair. He presses his forehead to mine in a sweet gesture, but then he balls his hand into a fist and grips my hair tightly, tugging my head back until I look into his eyes.

  “Don’t run off again,” he says shortly, then releases me.

  I stumble back a step, bumping into Paris’s legs. He steadies me, but his expression—and Callum’s from across the room—reflects the same sentiment.

  Squaring my shoulders, I drag in a deep breath. “I won’t. Ever.”

  Truth resounds in my words, and I realize as I speak how much I mean them.

  I won’t run again. I won’t leave these men.

  I don’t know what I am to them and can’t even articulate what they mean to me, but my future is entwined with theirs as deeply as my soul is. I can feel it.

  That tension hangs for just a minute longer, and then it dissipates as Callum returns to my side and sweeps me into his arms.

  “All right, then,” he says gruffly. “Let’s get to work.”

  22

/>   The burly warrior carries me through the house in his arms, cradling me gently against his chest like he did when we left the no-man’s-land.

  “I’m not injured anymore,” I point out awkwardly, motioning to my torso and the fresh dress that’s replaced my destroyed one. “I can walk.”

  He gives me a look but makes no move to put me down.

  I sigh and consider pushing the subject, but I don’t want to test the limits of his good graces when he’s just promised me the thing I desire the most—a chance to save my brother. At least I’m not over his shoulder like a sack of dry goods. I consider this a victory, even though he seems to think I’m incapable of transporting myself from room to room.

  Callum’s bedroom is exactly as I left it earlier today, although that feels like a lifetime ago. His blankets are still rumpled and untouched, and the mirror stands against the far wall just as I left it. Callum deposits me on the bed, then turns toward the framed looking glass.

  He calls up the magic of the weave with a single finger to the mirror, which I suppose is an indication of his power versus mine. When the earthly realm appears in the glass, the image is stronger and clearer too. There’s more detail and a greater range of motion.

  “Which village is yours?” Callum asks, his gaze sweeping the mirror.

  “Stonehill,” I say, sliding to the edge of the bed so I can see better without being in his way. “Between Greenleaf and Avondale on the border of the Black Forest.”

  Callum’s fingertip moves over the mirror, and the picture responds rapidly to his commands. The image blurs into motion, and then we’re looking down on my village from above. Everything appears to be the same as when I saw it several hours ago, except for the thin layer of smoke that hangs over everything.

  “Something’s happening,” Callum says gruffly, using his fingers to push the image closer.

  I slide from the bed and join him in front of the mirror, leaning so close to it I’m nearly pressed up against the glass. What’s going on? Where is that hazy smoke coming from?