“I can’t believe him.” I turned my itchy forehead into my shoulder, scouring it against my sweater, my long hair falling across my cheek. I huffed out, blowing my grimy mane off my face.
The sizzle of Eli’s blood in my veins called to me, longing to be reunited.
“You fae men know that we girls don’t need to be saved, right?” I looked as though I were talking to Ryker, but I was really speaking to the fucker hiding in the forest along the road. “That sometimes all fae men do is create more work for us to save their asses?”
A deep laugh hummed through the dweller link.
Ryker’s eyes narrowed on me. He probably wondered if I was going crazy. I flicked my eyes to the tree line, mouthing Eli.
Ryker nodded and looked forward.
Come on, woman, you’re taking all the fun away from being your knight in shining armor. Eli’s sexy voice purred through the link.
Knight in shining armor? I choked. You’re kidding, right? I recall a time you told me you were the furthest thing from one?
How about a beast in the sheets?
Please. Stop. Cole’s voice jumped in. Or cut me out of this conversation. Between all of you, I am a step away from stabbing an ice pick through my temple, just to give me a moment of peace.
Did Eli talk you into this? I linked straight to Cole. Stavros is taking us to the castle now.
Actually, it was Lily. Your mother is a force I can’t even stop.
I sighed, bobbing my head in agreement. She really was. Even before the years she’d been locked away as Aneira’s prisoner, she was a tornado of strength. After she returned, she became even more so. After being tortured by Aneira for so long, I didn’t think there was anything she couldn’t take on. And if you threatened Mark or me? Mama Bear got pissed.
We have a little surprise for you, Eli said. You and Ryker be ready.
What? What are you doing?
You’ll see... just saying that Garrett guy is really handy with explosives.
Oh, crap.
“Be ready, Wanderer,” I whispered.
“For wha—”
Booooom!
A flash of light and the Rolls-Royce, with Stavros in it, flew into the air, flipped onto its side, and rolled into the ditch. Strighoul, trolls, and other creatures near the car flew back, their exposed skin shredding on the asphalt.
The back half of the procession stopped in shock, staring at their fallen comrades and leader, not knowing what to do.
Our window of time to escape was already closing.
As if Ryker heard my thoughts, we moved at the same instant. His elbow slammed back into his captors, while I whirled around and used all my weight to ram into the wall of strighoul, knocking them to the ground like bowling pins. This would have been a lot easier if my hands were free and I didn’t feel as though every move was similar to running through mud, exhausting my limbs.
Yells and roars slammed together, sandwiching the sounds of claws ripping through flesh. I didn’t need to look to know Eli and Cole were the source of the anguished cries.
“Ryker!” I swung around darting out of the way of a group of trolls lurching for me. Ryker moved close to me, using his size and weight to knock into anything that came for us. We sprinted forward, my eyes latching on to two black beasts, their sharp claws swiping at a sea of creatures. Then I spotted my mother and her skulk family member, Olivia, both in human form, swinging swords like Xena the frickin’ warrior princess.
“Mom!” I called out to her. Her petite build looked fiercely strong as she shoved her blade into the throat of a strighoul, blood raining down on the pavement. Olivia fought back to back with my mom, cutting through a troll as if he were butter.
Damn. All the women I knew were serious badasses.
“Ember!” Lily called out, joy flashing in her eyes when she saw me.
My boots pounded across the surface of the ground, every step bringing me closer to her. To Eli.
As though a noose had slipped over my neck, I was jerked by the throat and tossed into the air, my feet dangling above the road. I gasped, the hold around my neck cutting off all air. Panic thumped down my spine like a heartbeat, fluttering and jolting. My arms felt tied to my back, and I thrashed, gasping for air that would not come.
“Stop! Please! Stop!” I heard my mother cry, my vision going hazy as magic blasted into my head, squeezing.
“Brycin!”
Oh, holy shit. Pain. I had experienced a lot of it. In all variations and degrees. Lars even tried to get into my head before, applying pressure. But it was nothing—I mean nothing—compared to this. Agony so penetrating my mind flatlined because it could no longer register that level of pain.
The memory of Vek’s ear-piercing howls echoed in my throat, but nothing could get past the hold Stavros wrapped around my neck. Every cell in my body felt his rage. His impulse to snap my neck and explode my brain over the street pumped through my stressed heart. Voices dulled, but I still caught Ryker’s voice.
“Stop!” Ryker growled. “Let her go. You want to pick on someone? I’m fuckin’ right here, demon.”
The next thing I knew was the burn of my face as I creamed into the gravel on the ground. The pain did not register at first, only relief as the pressure disappeared inside my head, my lungs grappling for air.
“You move, dweller, and she gets another dose, and this time I won’t be so kind.” Stavros’s voice swirled over me. I couldn’t move, curled into a ball, trying to breathe. A buzz hummed in my head, but I had no energy to link to Eli, my head pounding.
Footsteps neared me. “You volunteering, Wanderer? You think your low demon half can take it better than her?” Stavros hissed. “She may be an abomination, but at least she has High Demon in her. You are nothing but a servant compared to her. Your father was a trader, scum of the demon world. I wouldn’t even let his blood get on my boots.”
“Scum? I won’t disagree, but that’s pretty rich coming from you,” Ryker growled.
There was a moment of silence. Fear for Ryker, for my family, tugged my lids up, and I glanced out the corner of my eyes.
Stavros stood over me, his face dirty and blood drying around the healing cut and gashes he obtained from the explosion. The fur-lined King’s cloak, which he must have found in a costume shop, was smudged with dirt and burn marks. Unfortunately, besides the superficial wounds, he appeared fine. Dammit.
A croaked gasp broke the silence. I twisted my head to see the Viking standing on the other side of me, his back bowing forward, the veins along his neck straining the skin, ready to pop. A trickle of blood dripped from his nose.
“Stop.” Sitting up, my raspy voice wobbled. “Please. I will behave.” I forced myself to my feet, propping my body in front of Ryker’s, his head falling on my shoulder in torment. I captured Stavros’s gaze. “Please, Uncle.” Oh man, I can’t believe I had to say this. “King.” I need a shower now.
What are you doing, Brycin? Eli linked to me, but I ignored him, not breaking contact from Stavros.
“Love?” Amara came behind Stavros, running her hand over his back. “As you said, don’t waste your energy on a lower demon. He’s not worth it.” She purred into his ear, but her gaze locked on Ryker. Did I detect fear in her eyes? “He might come in handy later. It’s all about the long game, babe. We still need the stone, remember?”
Stavros inhaled, then dropped his hand. Ryker hacked and gasped for air. My fingers reached out to touch him behind my back, needing to be comforted as much as he might need it.
Stavros whipped around to face Amara. Her gaze dropped instantly from Ryker, a smile plastering to her face as he grabbed her head, kissing her fervently.
I took the moment to step closer to Ryker and look over at my family. Olivia, Mom, and Garrett stood in a group and farther behind were Eli and Cole. Naked as usual. I gave them a tiny nod.
I’m okay, I linked to Eli and Cole.
“My woman is always looking out for me. Always thinking ahead.” Stavros
grinned, flipping back to face the entire group. “While I’d love to crush all your brains into mush right now, she’s right. You still have some use before I kill you. How’s that sound?”
“Yayyyy…” I wiggled my hands in false cheer, the sarcasm dripping from me.
“Right?” Stavros waved his arms. “I am so generous, I can’t even believe it. Who else would let you guys live after attacking me? The King!”
Shit, this one is several pancakes short of a stack, Eli rumbled.
No kidding.
“Well, the car is totaled thanks to you guys. And I didn’t wear my walking shoes. We’re close, right? I hate when my shoes pinch.” Stavros huffed, straightening the cape over his shoulders, then stepping over a dead body. “Tie them up! And get those two clothes. I don’t want to see their beasty parts swinging like pendulums the whole walk there.” He motioned to a few of his men, then to the five attackers. “Hurry! I will be so angry if the battle starts without me. I don’t want my entrance to be overshadowed.” Stavros strode forward as though he did not notice the debris, blood, and dead bodies scattered over the road, a wake of devastation in his path.
Chapter25
Zoey
The white stone castle rose over the tops of trees, declaring its splendor. Our progression silently came upon the Queen’s citadel. Most of Stone’s pets marched behind us, about fifty of them, all ages and types. And most were either a part of me or Sera. Our features and coloring still displayed a mark of who they originated from.
Even though they had my eyes and hair or my body type or smile, overall, I felt no attachment to them. The only exception was Zeke. Something about him seemed more human, more of me, which was extremely disturbing when I looked into a face of a man appearing to be my age.
Zeke and Zander, another of mine who had a barbed tail, flanked me, their weapons ready. I wasn’t sure if they were ready to attack or protect me. Not that I would be doing anything Stone didn’t want me to. He was in complete control, keeping me perched at his side. My silent partner, until his nails dug in deeper, controlling my voice along with my will.
If I’d thought years of abuse, of being violated, was the worst I would go through; I was wrong. At least when I was in a bad foster home, I was still myself. I could voluntarily retreat into my head. They had no claim over my will. Here Stone twisted my mind, making me bow to his wishes, dropping me into a new level of terror where you could lose yourself to the darkness forever. Would he mentally break me for good?
He still bequeathed me with sight and sound, clearly wanting me to watch and hear but not be able to do anything. I gasped inside my shell when we got closer to the gate where I spotted all the friends I had gotten to know since we came to the castle. The need to run to them, warn them, almost overwhelmed me. The stone used its power so they could not see the massive group of creatures walking through the gate into the kingdom along with us. No protective shield was powerful enough to stop a treasure of Tuatha Dé Danann.
I latched on to my sense of sight, searching everyone until I landed on a blonde dressed all in black standing near the blond dark dweller Cooper. Annabeth... my soul squeezed, then dropped when I saw what was bundled in her arms.
Wyatt! He was there. Safe. I shouted his name inside, a voice locked deep below the surface. Howling and wailing, my cries went unheeded. I was prisoner in my body, as though I were watching a film I was in but had no control over it. A viewer of this horror. My son was before me, safe in Annabeth’s arms, and I could do nothing to get to him. To hold him, confirming he was unharmed.
“Bhean?” a voice called as a bird dipped down to Kennedy’s shoulder. Sprig waved from the back, his mouth parting in a smile. The pure innocence and love crushed me. “Bhean!”
“Sprig, no.” Annabeth shot over to him, grabbed him off the raven, and tucked him into her chest with one hand, her eyes narrowing on me with caution.
“What? Bhean is back! Maybe her tits are full of honey.”
“It’s not Zoey, Sprig.” She tucked him next to Wyatt, and my son immediately stopped whimpering. He cooed and stretched his tiny hands out for the sprite, acknowledging his friend with a joyous gurgle. Sprig sat with him but watched me sadly, seeing the shell of the person he knew.
“Bhean,” he choked out softy, as though he’d lost his best friend.
Another piece of me died. The trust and love he held felt fragile. If the stone made me hurt him, any of them, it would end me. Even if my body kept going, I would let Stone have my mind and soul. If he took my family from me, he could have me too. Just like he always wanted.
“Get the children inside!” Kennedy waved to a familiar man with a cane. I was pretty sure his name was Nic, the Spanish incubus who lived at Lars’s and had been prisoner with Kate and the kids.
Speaking of—where was Kate? Or Ryker? Lexie? Croygen?
“No, you need me.” The little girl, Piper, shook her head, trying to pull away from Nic, his grip tightening on her shoulder.
“Piper, please go with Nic,” Fionna shouted back.
“But…I’ve seen…”
“Piper. Go. Now.” Desperation sounded in Fionna’s words. I could feel Stone perk up at her fear, licking his lips, understanding the power which came with that type of terror. Stone didn’t stop Nic from taking Wyatt and Piper inside. To him, walls meant nothing. He could easily get to them when he wanted.
My friends understood the stone was formidable. They had seen a taste of it with Stavros, but they had no idea how powerful. It could take everything right now. End it all in a blink. Now I knew how long it had been planning this takeover. The only reason the stone didn’t end it all was because Stone reveled in the chaos and game; otherwise it was bored and empty. It liked feeling alive. And this was the ultimate game—pitting humans and fae against each other. It didn’t care who won. It drew strength simply from participating in the act, not the endgame.
Relief still swirled inside me when the door closed behind Nic, Wyatt and Piper behind the castle walls.
Sprig had jumped to Annabeth’s shoulder, tucking himself next to her neck, his eyes still watching me. I also noticed the blond dweller next to her placing his hand on her lower back, bringing them both into him protectively. She let him, but she also stood strong, her chin lifted, one hand stroking Sprig’s tail, her lids narrowed and defiantly telling me, “I will do what I have to do to protect them. Even from you.”
“Good girl,” I whispered inside. “And please do.” I wanted her to take me down if Stone forced me to do anything to hurt those I love.
“I will win this war for you. There are just a few things I ask for in return,” Stone’s voice boomed over the courtyard.
“I doubt it will be beneficial to us,” Kennedy said.
“Look around, Queen. Your people still live. Do you know what is waiting for you behind your barriers? Ships filled with monsters ready to tear you apart. Thousands of the King’s warriors marching toward you right now. Soon the field will be nothing but blood and bodies. You will not win. I am giving you a chance. A way to save your people.”
“And what do you want in return?” Kennedy’s voice was cold and sharp, as if she were only humoring it.
The creepy uneven smile curled over Lars’s mouth. “To rule all, of course.”
Stone didn’t want to rule. He wanted supremacy to have endless players for a never-ending war. That was where it found power.
“That makes you no different from Stavros,” Kennedy responded, standing a few feet in front of everyone, declaring her sovereignty.
“Except if you give me what I want, everyone walks away right now, safe and sound. No bloodshed.” Lie. The way Stone curved his top lip, I knew he was egging Kennedy on. He knew she would never agree. He was having fun watching the Queen squirm with the choice. I could only imagine the weight of her decision, all the lives on her conscience. “I kill Stavros and his men, and we all go home. Well, except, this will be my new home. Yours will be either quietly at my sid
e or down in the dungeons depending on how well you obey.”
“No deal.” Kennedy took a step forward, her fingers wiggling at her sides.
“Yes.” Fionna stepped in slightly behind her sister.
“What?” Kennedy spun to Fionna, anger lining her forehead. Fionna stared at her sister like she was trying to tell her something, but Kennedy pinned her mouth together, turning back to Stone, dismissing Fionna. She took two steps closer. “I am still Queen. My answer is no. Making a deal with the devil to get rid of a monster is not a choice.”
“You do realize I am being nice. Shields do not keep me out. No magic can stop me. I can end this all right now, with or without your approval, servant.” Stone tried to smirk, as though he humored her.
“But you won’t.” Kennedy stopped only a few feet from him, her back rigid. “You wouldn’t go through all this if you wanted that. You will kill Stavros anyway, because he is a nuisance to you. A fly in your soup. You are basically different sides of the same coin. You take pleasure in breaking me.”
“You are going to be fun.” Stone grinned, showing his teeth. The rush of desire he felt overflowed into me, his new sexual awareness taking over him. And physically showing.
A deep growl vibrated the ground. Lorcan’s eyes flashed red, his teeth growing as he moved around Kennedy, ready to attack. She snatched his arm, the shake in her head so subtle I could almost have missed it.
This only amplified the lust coursing through Stone. He was equally turned on by either sex. Power and dominance didn’t have a gender. Stone enjoyed being challenged by someone strong.
I was a survivor and learned early in childhood to wear different faces in different situations to survive. Each one protected me or let me fit into society. Fighting Stone would only give him what he wanted. I couldn’t fight him with my will…it had to be something else.
Rise From the Embers (Lightness Saga #4) Page 31