Rise From the Embers (Lightness Saga #4)

by Stacey Marie Brown

  “I’m not here to hurt you.” A deep male voice came from the corner.

  “Holy shit.” I put my hand on Wyatt’s back protectively, feeling my heartbeat all the way through him. “You scared me.”

  “I apologize.” The King rose slowly from the chair, sparking memories of the dream from the night before. Something about his movements, the vacancy in his black eyes, had my alarms ringing. I never ignored my intuition.

  “What are you doing here, Lars?” I took a step back, pushing Annabeth with me. Lars was dressed in dark jeans and a Henley shirt, looking every bit as handsome as always. But something wasn’t right. This was not the King I knew. Even his demeanor felt different. The dread I had felt last night pounded in my chest.

  A strange, tight grin pulled at his mouth, looking wrong on his chiseled face.

  “What do you think?” His voice was emotionless and robotic. “I came for you, Zoey.”

  My gaze met Lars and I knew…

  My time was up. It hadn’t been a dream last night but a foretelling.

  “I don’t want the baby or the human, Zoey. I only want you.” Lars took another methodical step toward me. “But I will use or kill them to get what I want.”

  Terror flushed through my system, inciting the new rage that came from being a mother. To protect at all costs.

  Feeling frantic, my fingers fumbled at the straps, peeling the sleeping baby from my chest, my eyes never leaving the King’s.

  “Take the baby, Annabeth.” I shoved Wyatt into her hands. “Get out of here now.”

  Children and employees were all over this house. I wouldn’t simply jump and leave them, but I could only jump with so many at a time.

  “No.” She shook her head, clutching him to her chest along with Sprig. “I don’t understand. What is going on? Lars?”

  “We’re not dealing with Lars anymore.” I gripped my knife, holding it up. It wasn’t a question.

  The creepiest smile pulled at Lars’s mouth. “You were always my favorite, Zoey. The one who got away. You tricked me. Insubordinate, girl.”

  Fucking hell.

  “Annabeth, get the kids and go.” Until I knew the dozen foster kids playing on the other side of the house were safe, I was staying right here.

  “Zoey, I can’t lea—”

  “Go. Now!” I snapped over my shoulder, her eyes widening to blue plates before she tore off for the stairs, taking Sprig and Wyatt with her to the other section of the house.

  “Promise me you won’t hurt them.”

  “Oh, Zoey. We know how promises go between us.”

  Dammit. Hell. I really hoped they’d be safe. It was me the stone was after.

  And it was me the stone finally came for.

  Chapter 6

  Kennedy

  “Kennedy!”

  “Someone get Lorcan. I can’t wake her,” I heard a woman’s voice yell out. Everything sounded far away. As if it was happening on a different plane.

  Lars.

  Zoey.

  Wake up, Kennedy! Wake up now. My subconscious screamed at me, but I couldn’t pull out. My eyes were still glued on Lars standing feet away from the girl I had met only once but who had imprinted on me strongly. Her large green eyes narrowed, her gaze locked on the King as though she would kill him if she had to, a knife in her hand. She was short, but there was nothing weak about her.

  Still, she could not overpower the man standing before her. I could feel it. That man was not Lars. Not totally. The stone was trying to diminish his light, but he was still there. Fighting.

  “Kennedy, come on.” A voice called to me, trying to pull me out of the limbo I was stuck inside. Fionna. I could feel her, but my mind remained in the living room of the Honey House.

  My hand grabbed the sofa I stood next to, feeling the soft fabric under my fingers, fear crawling up my throat. Being able to touch and feel the world also meant I could be lost to it. Everything solidified around me, becoming more real. Magic thumped around me, jerking Lars’s head up. Slowly he turned his chin, his eyes landing on me.

  “Well, well…look who’s also decided to join us.” Lars’s black demon eyes sparked, his head bowing in false respect. “Druid. What a pleasant surprise.”

  Holy nerf-herder. He can see me.

  Zoey followed his focus, her eyes roaming as if she were trying to find who or what he was talking to.

  “Leave her alone.” I held his gaze. Even in the vision, I could feel the power of the stone. It radiated off him like a power line.

  A smile hitched the side of his face. “What a waste of words.” He stood straight like a robot, no twitches or gestures of a normal person. He moved as if he wore a costume and was awkward and uncomfortable in it. “The fae-human tricked me. There are severe punishments for that.”

  “Li’l bird.” My feet stumbled back at a tug, but I fought against it, not wanting to leave Zoey by herself.

  “You know what I am. Who I came from.” I dug my fists into my thighs, burrowing my heels into the floor. “We made you. We can unmake you.”

  Lars’s head tipped back, a mechanical laugh emanating off the ceiling, sending chills through my flesh.

  “You, little girl, are nothing. I can smell how young and inexperienced you are from here. I have all the energy from the other treasures. And the Demon King. You think you can challenge me?”

  I couldn’t. I was nowhere near the level to fight him.

  “Kennedy.” Lorcan’s voice called to me again, forcing me to take a step back, the room wavering. Lorcan was my anchor, my line to reality. If I fought it and it broke, what would happen?

  “You don’t have the power of a king,” I countered. “You are too late for that.”

  The stone turned fully toward me, taking a step. Zoey raised her knife higher, still confused as to what was going on. His attention left her, giving her a perfect opportunity.

  Go. Run. I screamed to her in my head.

  “What are you talking about?” Lars’s nose flared.

  Come on, Lars. I know you are in there. Fight.

  Over Lars’s shoulder I saw Zoey disappear. Holy nerf-herder. She vanished in a blink. Not caring how she did it, relief washed over me, my shoulders inching down. Lars strode toward me, forcing me to stumble back. Instinct told me not to let him touch me.

  “What are you talking about, Druid?”

  “You couldn’t tell the man you took over was no longer King?” I shook my head. It was so strange to see the face of the man I had grown to love and respect used as a shell. “And you think yourself so smart and powerful.”

  Anger tightened his features, dark magic curling off him.

  “Then how about I take a Druid Queen?” He lurched for me.

  “Kennedy!” My name rang from behind me, and I jumped back, shutting my eyes. Lorcan pulled me back from the void.

  A guttural roar sounded in my ears, the feel of nails diving into my skin, trying to hold me. Like water, I slipped through, eyes popping open with a gasp.

  “Ken.” A man’s face blurred over mine.

  My heart slammed in my chest, confusion suffocating me.

  “Focus on me, li’l bird. Just me.” He cupped my face, centering my attention on his gorgeous green eyes.

  Lorcan.

  Home.

  Boots danced around my peripheral. A handful of others stood close to me.

  “Take a deep breath. What do you smell?” Lorcan’s thumb rubbed over my cheek, his voice low and soothing. But I couldn’t stop my heart from pounding, knowing something was wrong. I needed to help. Stop something.

  Crap times a thousand.

  Lars.

  Zoey.

  “Shit!” I sat up.

  “You smell shit?” He tipped back on his heels, adjusting to my sudden movement.

  “No… Lars…” My words fumbled around in my mouth, panic clouding my thoughts.

  “Lars?” Fionna stepped beside me. “What about him? What did you see? Where is he?”

 
; “Back off, Fionna,” Lorcan growled.

  “Honey House.” I rose to my feet. “He found where Zoey was.”

  Lorcan’s head jerked to Eli, who stood with Ember behind Fionna. I could sense the buzz of them talking through their link.

  Ember nodded. “Let’s go.” Because of a blood transfer, Ember had become part dark dweller and picked up a few of their traits. She could now link with them.

  “Zoey got away.” I rubbed my temple, recalling the way she disappeared. I had never seen anyone do that. I knew she wasn’t quite human, but I had never heard of a fae being able to disappear like that. “But they have children there.”

  Lorcan, Ember, and Eli were already out the door, Fionna right on their tail.

  “Fi.” I called for her. She turned to look at me. “It’s not him. You understand that, right?”

  “He’s still in there.” Her brown eyes flared with determination.

  Barely. I pinned my lips together. She swallowed, understanding my expression.

  “I’m going to fight for him,” she insisted.

  “I know.”

  “My lady?” Torin ran into the room, severing my moment with Fionna. She took off after the others.

  “Torin, I need my unit to go to the Honey House immediately.”

  He responded without hesitation, sending orders through the walkie-talkie before he was out of the room.

  It was beginning…the war I had seen in my visions. I hoped I could stop some of it…or the streets would run with the blood of those I loved.

  Chapter 7

  Zoey

  “It’s okay, Bhean.” Sprig patted my shoulder, trying to calm me down. In three groups, I jumped everyone from the Honey House to Casa de la Miel. The moment they were all safe, I let out a breath, my heart still thumping erratically in my chest. “You know what might help?”

  “Sprig, I swear if you say honey right now...” I pinched the bridge of my nose.

  “See, I didn’t have to,” he exclaimed. “It’s like you know. Maybe we’re mind melding and you can pick up on my thoughts.” He put his hands on his temples. “What am I thinking now?”

  “Honey.”

  “Holy toad trolls! You have superhero powers.”

  “Sprig.” Lexie bounced a crying Wyatt in her arms, sending a warning glare at my shoulder. “Shut. Up.”

  I had known the day was coming the moment the stone marked me. I had felt it in my bones. But I couldn’t bear I had put these kids in danger. I gripped my head, my lids squeezing shut.

  “I called Ryker.” Annabeth walked into the room, moving next to Lexie, stretching her arms out to take Wyatt. Lexie handed him over, probably hoping, as I did, Annabeth’s calming nature would soothe him. He had been crying nonstop since we returned, feeling my anxiety like a freight train.

  “Zoey?” Ryker’s voice boomed through the house. Right on cue.

  “Back here,” I responded, running my fingers manically through my hair, tangling Sprig in my locks.

  His massive form filled the doorway, shoulders knotted with tension. His white eyes scoured the room, settling with relief on his son and then me. As Annabeth bounced Wyatt in her arms, his wails started to ebb, her comforting aura working on him.

  “We’re fine,” I replied automatically but didn’t really mean it. Were we fine? Today I got lucky, something drew the stone’s attention away from me, but it wouldn’t give up. It would come for me again.

  It had been so strange to see Lars but know it wasn’t him. How did he let that happen? He was the Unseelie King. If he wasn’t powerful enough to stop it from claiming him, what chance did I have?

  Ryker stepped into the room, Croygen right behind him. Ryker didn’t move or speak, his demon filling the room, taking up all breathable space. This was how he handled fear, to shut down emotionally, his demon taking over.

  “O-kay.” Croygen clapped his hands together. “How about the three of us step out and let them talk?”

  “Hey, Swashbucket!” Sprig stood. “There’s five of us—oh honey farts, I forgot Pam. Ohhh, honey bears, she’s going to be sooooo pissed at me.”

  “Stuffed goats and banana-loving rodents don’t count.”

  “Whhhhaaaattt?” Sprig screeched. “How dare you call me a banana lover.”

  “Croygen,” Ryker growled, his eyes going dark.

  Croygen sighed, yanked Sprig from my hair, and marched from the room. Annabeth and Lexie followed with Wyatt as his hiccupped gasps tugged at my heart. I knew I’d only make him worse. My fear was palpable, knocking against Ryker’s.

  With the door shut, and my son’s sobs dying away, I could take a breath. Damn, I felt like a horrible mother.

  “What happened?” Ryker seemed twice as big as his hulking size.

  “What I have been warning you about for years. It’s finally come for me.” I faced the Viking.

  “How?” Nerves twitched along his jaw.

  “I don’t know what happened, but it’s possessing Lars’s body. And it’s a hell of a lot stronger than it was. Powerful enough to claim the Demon King.”

  Ryker balled his hands into fists with a big inhale. “Then we leave.”

  “What?” That was not the response I had expected. “We can’t simply leave. This is our home. Our family. I will not leave these kids.”

  “Zoey—”

  “No, Ryker.” I put my hands on my hips. “What happened to fighting? That’s what we do, right? We don’t run. We fight.”

  “Goddammit, Zoey,” he roared, his arms flying out. “This is not a fight we can win. Don’t you remember what happened the last time? You barely survived!” He barely had either, but it wouldn’t help pointing that out right now. “And don’t say it’s strong enough to take Lars?” Damn. He’d come to the same conclusion I did. What hope did I have? None. “We have Wyatt now. I will not put his life on the line.”

  “You don’t get it.” I flung my arms right back at him. “There’s nowhere I can run. The stone will always find me. And the more I resist it, the more the stone will go after those I love. That’s how it works. You know it better than anyone.”

  Ryker was the one who held the stone for many years, feeling its call, but had been strong enough to fight it. Or maybe he was simply too bullheaded to give in to it. Once I might have been able to resist, but now I was marked. Angry at my betrayal, the rock branded my hand with symbols of remembrance and vengeance. The mark had weakened me to its influence and forged a bond between us. It would always find me.

  “Ryker, I know you’re scared. But that’s not us. We stay and fight.”

  His head slumped forward, his teeth baring. “I will not lose you,” he gritted out roughly.

  I moved to him, taking his hand in mine. “Then we fight it together.”

  A rumble came from his chest.

  “It’s the only way I can see. There’s no running. There’s no hiding. It’s not going to stop.”

  He lifted his head, taking a deep breath, his gaze on the ceiling. Still full Viking, the demon receded some, letting air return to the room. “What is your plan then?”

  “We hide Wyatt until this is done. Kate will gladly take him. The magic Lars placed around the facility is thick.” The idea had come to me on my last jump with the kids. “We keep all the kids here for now. Spell it, as well, to keep it protected. We do what we can to guard them…then we go to Seattle.”

  “Do you know anyone who can do protective spells similar to that?”

  “Yeah.” I stepped closer to him, his arms wrapping around me, pressing myself against his body. “I happen to know a very powerful Druid Queen.”

  Ryker exhaled, letting his shoulders drop down, leaning his forehead against mine. “Here we go again.”

  I rubbed my hands up and down his arms. “We survive, Wanderer. We lie, kill, and cheat. Whatever we have to do to come back to each other, to our family, to our son.”

  “You better,” he rumbled in my ear. “There’s nothing I won’t destroy if that sto
ne gets its hands on you.” His nose skimmed my neck. “You’re fucking mine, human.”

  “And you’re mine, Viking.” I went up on my tiptoes, my mouth finding his.

  I was his…but deep down, I felt the pull.

  I was also the stone’s.

  “Oh, hell no!”

  “Lexie.” I folded my arms, standing firmly. “You will either stay here or go with Kate. End of discussion.”

  Kate Geer was the head scientist at Lars’s Labs. It was a version of the DMG, except this time no demigod scientist was putting pieces of human, animal, and fae together to create new races. Lexie and Annabeth both had been victims of Dr. Rapava’s Department of Molecular Genetics, but I was one of his prodigies. I was born in a petri dish, a fusion of egg and sperm from seers. He created extremely powerful seers, but something went wrong, a fault in our makeup, that ended the subject’s life too soon. Most of the other experiments had either died at birth or as young kids. Sera and I were the only ones who had made it to our twenties. Yet even she had died, and I would have if it weren’t for Ryker. Receiving his power, becoming fae myself, saved me.

  “No.” Lexie shook her head, her hair slowly breaking free of the bun she had it rolled into. Her sharp eyes on me. “I’m nineteen, Zoey. You can’t stop me.”

  “Not—”

  “And…” She held up her hand, cutting me off. “If you so much as say ‘not if you’re living under my roof,’ I will scream.”

  Dammit.

  “Lexie, we made our decision.” Ryker stood next to me, holding a sleeping Wyatt against his chest. The baby had calmed the moment Ryker took him from Annabeth. I understood how safe the world felt in Ryker’s arms.

  A squeak came from the coffee table. We were back home, getting things we needed for Wyatt, Sprig, and the girls before we left.

  “Don’t even think about it, Sprig. You’re going with Kate too,” Ryker declared.

  “No, I’m not!” he huffed, stomping his foot. “You need me. You need these magical fingers.”