She didn’t have to wait long.
In seconds she shot out of the tube, flew through the air and landed on her side. The breath that had been in her lungs made an excruciating escape and she gasped, unable to pull in another. Somehow, she managed to will her body to relax and as the pain subsided her breathing returned to normal. She had no idea where she was and to top it off, it was pitch black. She couldn’t even see her hand in front of her nose.
“Seth,” she whispered.
Silence greeted her.
She pushed herself into a sitting position and did a quick assessment. As luck would have it there didn’t appear to be any broken bones and she wondered if she had Seth’s blood to thank for that. She put her hands at her side and felt around the floor. Her fingers dipped into small cracks and the texture was rough. If she had to venture a guess, she’d say it was some kind of stone.
“Seth.”
Again, no answer so she was pretty certain he hadn’t taken the plunge with her.
“Well this is a fine mess.” She remembered having a flashlight in her backpack and prayed it was still there. Slipping the pack from her shoulders, she was relieved to have the weight off even though it wasn’t that heavy. She felt around for the pocket and unsnapped the flap. Reached inside and was relieved when her hand made contact with the light. She pulled it out and clicked it on, shining it around the room. The walls had ancient murals, at least she assumed they were ancient since they looked much like the ones she’d seen earlier. As she shined the light around it reflected off of...
She let out a blood-curdling scream and dropped the light.
“Oh, hell no!” Her hands shook. “Deep breath, Katie. It’s only your imagination.”
She willed herself to pick up the light, which shined in the corner and swallow down her fear. With shaking hands, she pointed the flashlight across the room. Her bottom lip trembled.
“Dear god.” The memory of her mother’s letter flashed into her mind. All who have tried have perished. She couldn’t help but think the skeletons which stared back at her were the ones who had failed. She wondered how the poor souls met their demise, and then realized she was better off being clueless.
“Well this tells me there’s no way out.” Just to be certain she reluctantly shined the light around the rest of the room and found no visible exit. She flipped off the flashlight to save batteries. For what reason she was unsure.
Resting her head back on the wall she closed her eyes and fought tears. This was not how she wanted her life to end. Going up in a ball of flames would be better than slowly starving. There was no stopping the tears as they streamed down her cheeks. Memories of all the things she had wanted to do in life danced before her closed eyes. Falling in love, having children and leading a normal life. She also wondered if Seth would miss her. Would her death cause him to plummet over the edge? He liked to pretend he didn’t want her, but her gut told her it was all a ruse. If everything she’d learned thus far about mates was true, then she was afraid for him as well.
She laughed out loud. Should have known her destiny would never travel a normal path.
Katie let herself cry for several more minutes before she wiped her palms over her eyes and sniffed. “I’m an O’Hara and we are not quitters.” Her mother would not have let a little detour like this stop her and neither would she. She needed a plan. Even if she were doomed to fail at least she would die fighting to live. Taking a deep breath, she coughed from the stale air. Once her lungs recovered she took a mental stock of her supplies. A couple bottles of water and a few power bars, enough if she rationed she’d be good for a while. Maybe Seth would be able to find her.
Speaking of the vampire, an idea hit her. She closed her eyes again.
Seth?
Hell, anything was worth a try. Maybe he could hear her, or even the others if they were still close by.
She waited.
Seth? Can you hear me? Please tell me you can. I’m in a small room with a few dead people and I need rescuing. Yes, you can rub it in my face later, but first come get me out of here!
She pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. She’d give him a few minutes. Maybe he heard her but couldn’t respond. Perhaps she should hum or something so he could key in on her location. After all, he was an ancient with powers she would never understand. He would find her.
Not knowing what else to do, she began to sing. “Soft kitty, warm kitty, little ball of fur.” She rolled her eyes. God I’m lame. It was the only song she could come up with. Then her mind started to wander and suddenly...
“Oh, hell no.” She rubbed her arms as she realized that these places had all kinds of creepy crawlies. Snakes, scorpions, spiders. She curled into a tighter ball, her pulse raced.
“Why the hell did I have to start thinking about that?” Her mind imagined big, ugly, hairy creatures with poisonous sharp teeth or stingers. The skin on her arms prickled and she rubbed, frantic to get the creepy crawlies off her. Her breathing increased until she was near hyperventilation. She grabbed the flashlight and flicked it on. Shined it on herself and realized she had managed to work herself into a frenzy. There were no bugs, no snakes or any such creatures anywhere in sight and certainly not on her.
“I have to stop freaking myself out,” she gasped and tried to steady her breathing. Slow breath in the nose and exhale out the mouth.
Repeat.
Finally, her heart didn’t feel like it was about to punch a hole into her chest and make an escape. Her lungs stopped burning and the pins and needles feeling in her limbs dissipated. She licked her lips; her mouth so dry she could hardly swallow. Grabbing a bottle of water from her pack she took a sip. The water would have been much better ice cold, but at the moment she’d take wet over dry. A few more sips then she capped the bottle and placed it back in the pack.
“Okay. I need to think. There has to be a way out of here.”
She grabbed the book and shined the light on it. It was nothing but gibberish to her, but she flipped through it anyway. Prayed there would be something she might recognize. With every turn of the page she found some new pictures. When she brought the book closer, she noticed a woman dressed in a white gown. Dark hair flowed along her shoulders and a wide gold band decorated one arm. The woman was beautiful and Katie couldn’t help wonder if she was a goddess. She ran her fingers over the image, the need to touch it called to her.
“Who are you?”
A breeze blew across her skin and a soft white light glowed on the other side of the small room. She raised her gaze from the book and swallowed intense fear. In front of her stood the woman from the page.
“W-who are you?”
The woman opened her mouth to speak but only gibberish came out. Katie shook her head. “I don’t understand you.” Her comment didn’t seem to help. The woman held up her right hand, palm faced toward Katie and glided closer, her voice grew louder and the words poured out faster. Katie would have backed up but was already with her back against the wall so she stood to face whatever it was head-on. The only weapon she had was the dagger so she pulled it free and waved it about. The blade flashed in the woman's light.
“Stay back.” Katie tried to hide the fear in her voice, but failed miserably. The woman continued her advance. The crazy lady’s gaze went to the dagger and the handle began to vibrate. The words rolled off her tongue and Katie started to overheat.
Dear god, she is going to burn me alive.
Sweat slicked her skin and in seconds her shirt was soaked. Her knees buckled and she could no longer stand. Instead, she let her body slide down the stone wall until her ass hit the floor. The air around her heated until her lungs burned.
“P-please, make it quick.” She thought of her mother and the letter. I’m so sorry. I’m a failure. It didn’t appear she was going to uncover any secrets either. Instead she would meet her demise the same as all the others before her. Her mind went to Seth. How would he take her death?
The woman was upon her and Katie met the woman’s stare, refused to close her eyes. She would not die a coward. Everything went quiet. The woman had stopped her chattering. Brought her hands together in front of her and a ball of fire formed. Katie held her breath as the woman launched it at her chest.
Seth heard Katie scream, but when he turned around she was gone. The only thing left was a hole in the floor and it was quickly closing. He leapt for it, but was too late.
“Katie!” He clawed at the ground until his fingers bled, but to no avail. There wasn’t even a crevice that indicated a trap door. It was like the floor had opened up and swallowed her.
He stopped for a moment and calmed himself. Tried to reach for a mental link to her. To anyone, but the only answer he received was the dark one’s sinister laugh. He tried to flash, but again nothing. It was as if his power had been short-circuited somehow. There was no choice but to move forward and try to find her.
Seth ran down the corridor until he came to a juncture where he stopped and turned to the right. Pushing out his senses, he detected nothing ahead. He made a left but still found nothing. At this point he wasn’t sure if it was because there wasn’t anything or if his senses had failed as well.
He raked his fingers through his hair and snarled. The need to find his mate and protect her tightened every muscle in his body. His jaw locked and he gained an understanding of how Marcus and Caleb felt. The only reason the structure around him stood was because blowing it to smithereens would only endanger Katie more. Forget the fact he had no power to do so anyway. It looked like the only avenue open to him was to do things the old-fashioned way.
“I’ll dismantle this place with my bear hands if I must.” He chose the path to the left and ran. The voices in his head screamed. Half shouted left, the others right, but one laughed hysterically.
You should have listened to me. Had you chained the bitch down, you’d have her right now. Pity it is that she has to die like this. Would have been more fun to make her bleed. You could have drained her just like you did the other.
“Shut up!”
He ran into a dead end. “Fuck.”
The voices laughed. He turned to go the other way then stopped dead in his tracks. The wall had moved. Hadn’t it? He shook his head and turned around from where he had been. A long corridor lit with torches on either side stretched out in front of him. He scrubbed his palm over his face and strode forward. “Who’s there?” He knew damn well it hadn’t been there before.
Are you sure? The dark one asked and then they all began chanting in their singsong voices. Are you sure, are you sure, are you sure... Pain shot through his head and blood dripped from his nose, yet he pressed forward. His lip curled and he snarled. He was so close to the edge a small wisp of wind would send him over into the darkness. In a state of near panic, he tried once again to reach anyone, but his telepathy remained uncooperative.
“No,” he cried out gripping his head. It couldn’t end this way. He had to at least save his mate then his brethren could send a cold blade through his neck. Worry pulsed through his veins. What if he couldn’t find her? What if he did but had already turned? There was no doubt whatever he did to her wouldn’t be pretty. He shook his head. Blood splattered the walls, but he didn’t give a shit. He wiped his face and walked down the lit path, ever alert to any danger. He gripped his dagger in his right hand for added support.
Like a panther on the prowl for its prey, he lifted his nose. Inhaled until his lungs couldn’t expand any further. A trickle of saliva ran down the corner of his mouth and his fangs ached.
Strawberries.
Chapter Fourteen
Lowan stood with Chaval at his side and watched as his minions readied their supplies. In a matter of minutes, he and his army would take over the guardian’s realm. After that came the human world and once he was there all would bow to him. There would be nothing to stop his terror.
“How soon before you are ready?” he asked Chaval.
“I am ready now, my lord.”
Lowan clapped his hands together and rubbed. Excitement zinged through him at the thought of killing the guardians. “Fucking menaces.” He looked to Chaval. “Proceed.”
The Sumari warrior stepped forward and placed his hands on the stone wall. Lowan knew better, it was no ordinary obstacle. Had it been, he would have smashed it down decades ago. This was a force field that blocked his entry into the next realm. The guardian king was powerful, but he was more so. Chaval held the knowledge of the dark fae and the ability to use it.
Chaval chanted under his breath in a language even Lowan didn’t understand. The bastard better not think to try and deceive me.
The earth groaned in protest as rocks slid against each other. Explosions were both felt and heard and then the barrier began to crack. At first, small hairline fractures, then they grew into large veins that snapped and popped until the wall started to toss debris into the air. Lowan’s pulse raced with each small opening until at last the entire barricade exploded into dust. Once the dust had settled, he sent his army through first to make sure the realm was clear. He knew the guardians could have a trap on the other side just in case he breached their magic. He began to pace, his patience worn thin. He was ready for war and could almost taste his own victory.
A scout came running back. “All clear, my lord.”
“Excellent. Come Chaval, we have a war to start.” Lowan entered the opening with his warrior on his heels. In seconds, he flashed himself to Vandeldor and stood on a rocky ledge of the Vutha Mountains. The terrain below was burnt and covered in rubble from the homes that once stood there. The dragons had done a good job of destroying everything. Too bad they had become traitors and taken sides with the guardians. However, he had come to the conclusion that having his daughter mate with their leader and live among them was the best thing that could have happened. He hadn’t been happy about losing her, but soon realized she was in the perfect position to infiltrate the Draki. One day soon, he would take advantage of that fact and make her betray her mate and his people. He fisted his hands. No one betrayed him. Ever. His daughter would rue the day she had ever decided to do so.
He watched with excitement as his army dotted the landscape below. A wicked laugh escaped him. “Chaval, we need to find the perfect location for my throne.”
The warrior tipped his head. “May I suggest the highest point of the mountains? It will provide the best advantage and you will be able to see everyone below you.”
Lowan raised a brow. It seemed the warrior was smarter than he’d first anticipated. “You will do well, Chaval. See to the preparations then.”
The demon bowed. “As you wish, my lord.” He turned and moved out of sight.
Lowan looked to the demon on his left. “Bring me a sacrifice and be quick about it.”
The Wendigo bowed. “Does my lord have a preference?”
He rubbed his chin. “Yes. Make her young and beautiful.” He felt like fucking before he fed. Perhaps he might even keep this one for a few days before he drank her dry.
“As you wish.” The Wendigo removed himself from Lowan’s side and he was finally alone to bask in his achievement. Pleasure rushed through him, he was finally in his mother’s homeland and it caused him to smile. He only wished she could have been here to witness his success. The one thing he desperately missed was her. She had loved him with every ounce of her being and had forsaken her people for him. Her death angered him again and he began to plot the destruction of the vampires.
Katie expected pain to rip into her when the fireball smacked her chest. Instead, there was a rush of coolness that bathed her skin before it dissipated. The woman stared at her with a smile on her face.
“What the fuck did you just do to me?”
“I balanced your powers, but it is only temporary.”
She blinked. “You speak English now?”
The goddess shook her head. “No, but you can now understand me. You must hurry though. Time is running
out.”
Katie pushed herself up the wall until she was standing. She hadn’t realized until that moment how tall the other woman was. “Time for what? Are you going to help me out of here?”
“I have done all I can. The rest is up to you, but you must save the guardian. Complete your transformation and the rest will fall into place.”
She rubbed her temple. Now she understood what the others had meant by riddles. “I don’t know what it is I’m supposed to do. A little, oh I don’t know...instructions perhaps?”
The woman leveled her gaze. “I am Vivian. I sacrificed myself so the guardian could live. He belongs to you now and it is your turn to sacrifice for all humanity.” She started to back away. “If you don’t save him, the Phoenix god will never remember who he is and humanity will suffer. All will be forced to bow to the demon king.”
Her heart skipped several beats. “Nothing like laying a huge guilt trip on my ass.”
The woman pointed. “It is in the book. Read it and you will know the way.”
Katie looked at the book that now lay at her feet. “But I tried.”
“Try again.” She began to fade.
“Wait! How am I the daughter of the god when he died before I was born?” That question had been haunting her since she’d learned he was dead.
The woman smiled. “Never take for granted the power the gods hold. He put into place a way for his DNA to be passed to each female in your ancestry. They have all failed to complete the transformation. You are the last one who still carries a part of him. Succeed and you will be born again.” She vanished.
“I really hate this shit,” she growled. “I never asked for any of it.” She bent over and retrieved the book. Opened it to the first page and let her eyes adjust. “Oh my.” She could read it. She scanned the page and flipped to the next. Read up to where the book had ended previously then something strange happened. Words began to form on the next page and then the next until she had read to the end. Those pages had been blank when she and Seth had looked at them, now she wondered if they had been meant for her eyes only. Closing it she swallowed down bile.
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