Midnight Lies (Shifter Island Book 2)

by Raye Wagner

  “Two favors?” Rage growled, and his attention jumped to Justice, then Noble.

  I followed his gaze and noticed both brothers paled, and Noble grimaced.

  The evil mage nodded. “And I’m cashing in now. For my first favor, I want my sister, Kalama, released from her lifelong servitude to the crown.”

  I nearly choked on my own spit. “Kalama is your sister?”

  Rage sucked in a deep breath but stayed silent.

  Surlama slowed the rubbing of her hands, and the green light started to fade. Another howl rose into the air, this one closer. Leaning forward, Surlama asked, “Do we have a deal?”

  Ah, hello, rock. Meet hard place. It sucked to be Rage right now.

  “Fine,” he growled. “Just get us to the Realm of the Dead!”

  Dark shadows danced under the skin of Surlama’s face, and she shook her head. “I told you. Only the girl can go.”

  Rage flicked his gaze to Noble and Justice, and they each nodded at him. Could they speak into each others’ minds? Had Rage just spoken to them?

  “Nai?” Rage ducked down to look me in the eye.

  I swallowed hard but nodded. “I’ll be fine. I can do this.”

  I think. Hopefully. I was 50/50 on it really, but a glass-half-full had to be good enough right now.

  “Fine,” he said to Surlama. “We have a deal.”

  Huh. I figured he’d put up more of a fight about going with me, but I shook the thought from my head and faced Surlama. Honor was dead; every minute mattered.

  The light flared green in her palms once again and then she raised her gaze to the entrance as a ghostly apparition of an old man walked into the garden. I yelped and jumped backward, knocking into Rage.

  “Right on time,” Surlama purred.

  At the same time, I muttered an apology to my mate, who was staring at me like I was crazy.

  Rage grasped my arms to steady me. “What’s wrong?”

  “Uh … there’s a … ghost.” I pointed at the spirit, my hand shaking. Pretty sure the boys didn’t know what my new “gifts” entailed.

  “Over here.” Surlama waved to the ghostly man, and he floated toward her.

  “You can see him too?” I asked the dark mage. “Do you have spirit magic?”

  “I see all manner of things between worlds,” she replied cryptically. She produced her knife again and held out her hand to me. “Now, I need your blood. Just a drop.”

  “No,” Rage growled.

  I waved my hand toward the tent rooms. “You have a ton of it here already, use some of that.”

  She shook her head. “It’s more powerful fresh and freely given.”

  The ghost started to shake, his whole body quaking.

  “We’re going to lose the chance to open a portal if you delay,” she shouted. “Give me your hand!”

  Frick.

  I gave her my pointer finger. “Fine. Just get me to Honor.”

  She grabbed my finger and pricked it, squeezing a single drop of blood onto the tip of her knife, and then released my hand.

  I pressed my finger into the folds of my filthy shirt to keep any blood from dripping onto her ground. No way was I giving her any more that she might use later.

  Another howl filled the air, this one seemingly right inside her tent home.

  “Hurry up,” I snapped.

  She narrowed her eyes. “Ready?”

  “We’ll get Honor a body,” Justice told me. “Don’t worry.”

  I nodded, my throat clogged with emotion.

  “Be safe.” Rage stepped closer, and I felt the heat of his body at my back. Surlama plunged her sword into the ghost’s chest and his high-pitched shriek rocked the garden area, causing me to cover my ears. What the hell? I opened my mouth to ask what was going on, then the vined trellis behind Surlama began to shimmer with a golden light.

  “Get ready,” Surlama told me.

  I flinched. What was I doing? What would the Realm of the Dead be like? How would I find Honor there? And—crap! Turning to Surlama, I asked, “How do I get back, once I find Honor?”

  A portal opened into another world: vibrant green trees with turquoise flowers, blossoms in vivid colors blanketed the ground, and dazzling birds flew in a pale lavender sky. I stared, my jaw agape, and stepped toward the beautiful space.

  “I’ll send for you,” Surlama said.

  Her voice drew me back, and I glanced over my shoulder just as something crossed her face, a wild expression I didn’t trust. Before I could demand more answers, the ghost stepped through the portal, and I felt a sharp tug at my navel …as if I was tied to the apparition.

  What the…?

  My blood. She’d bound me to the spirit?

  Cursed mage council!

  “Better hurry, it’s closing,” she hissed as the edges of the portal began to shrink.

  I spun to get one last look at Rage, to tell him I’d find Honor and be back soon, but he leapt across the distance, slammed into me and, wrapping me in his arms, pushed us both through the opening and into the Realm of the Dead.

  Surlama shouted, but the sound cut off when the portal snapped shut.

  Chapter 2

  With the force of Rage’s body, I stumbled through the portal and tripped over my feet, but my mate held me upright, standing on solid ground.

  “Nai.” He pressed his hands to my back as his breath feathered over me.

  I sucked in a sharp breath, but not even a heartbeat later, my legs trembled, and the air whooshed out of me. The tethering sensation, tying me to the ghost, snapped, and the spirit flew off over the rolling hills toward a white castle in the distance.

  “Rage!” I gasped, looking up at my mate in shock.

  He panted but met my gaze with a grin. “You didn’t think I’d let you come here alone, did you?”

  His black hair was disheveled, and dark soot still smudged his face from the mid-year games. His green eyes were bright and filled with emotion as he stared down at me.

  “Our first date. In the underworld. Very … romantic.” I quirked an eyebrow but couldn’t completely stop the smile of relief. The Realm of the Dead wasn’t the kind of place I wanted to visit alone.

  He pressed a kiss to my forehead before releasing me. “Only the best for you.”

  “Har-har.” I wiped my sweaty palms on my pants and then looked around at the beautiful land. The longer I stared, the more surprised I felt. It was so … pretty. I didn’t know what I’d expected, but it wasn’t this. We’d dropped into an orchard of some kind. Silvery fruit I didn’t recognize hung from the branches of the nearby trees, their neon-green leaves so vibrant they didn’t seem real. I moved down the row, brushing my fingertips along the golden bark.

  “Maybe we should go to the castle,” Rage said, pointing to the stone structure on a large hill overlooking the valley where we stood. His forehead beaded with sweat, and he winced with each step.

  “You okay?” I hurried back to him. “Are you hurt?”

  “You shouldn’t have come here,” a man’s familiar voice sounded from behind me. I yelped and spun. “I told you to go to the mortal world and wait for me.”

  “Holy Mother Mage. What are you doing here?” I gasped, pressing my hand to my chest where my heart was racing to escape. The kindly old high mage in the silver robes, who’d repeatedly helped me now stood before me in spectral form, and my eyes widened in horror. “Are you dead?”

  “No, I’m not dead,” he said, stepping closer to me. He chuckled, as if the prospect of death amused him somehow, and then added, “At least, not yet.”

  Okaaay.

  “I don’t believe we’ve ever been officially introduced, for which I must apologize.” He offered me a tight smile. “I’m Geoff Drudner the Fifth, the Mage Master of Spirit. I can walk between both worlds … and so can you.”

  No. Way.

  First of all, Geoff Drudner the Fifth was a legit name. A fancy name to go along with his fancy title, Mage Master of Spirit. Second, I could …
what the what?

  I just stared at him, my jaw agape.

  “You didn’t need to come here in your live form,” he continued, and his brow furrowed. “The dark mage tricked you.”

  “What?” I gasped. That dirty Surlama! How did he know we were working with the dark mage?

  Rage growled and then clutched his side. I stepped closer to him and wrapped my arm around his waist.

  “What is it?” I asked.

  “I don’t know. I feel achy, dizzy.” Rage offered.

  Crap.

  I turned my attention back to the Mage Master of Spirit. “What’s wrong with him?”

  “He lacks any power over spirit, and this is the Realm of the Dead. With no magic to keep his body and soul together, his body will decompose, and his soul will be trapped here forever.”

  What!?

  No, no, no!

  I shook my head. “But Madame Surlama said she would help me get out. She said—”

  “She’s a liar and a trickster!” he shouted, causing me to flinch. “She’s trapped you here. Both of you now. She can’t get you out—she’s never had the ability.”

  Dammit. That’s why she had that wild look. Note to self: don’t ever trust Surlama again.

  Time to eat humble pie. “Can you help us?”

  Please tell me that’s why you’re here. Because having my mate’s soul ripped from his decomposing body didn’t sound like a fun first date.

  He pursed his lips and then nodded. “If you do exactly as I say, you can both leave with your life, but you’ll have to hurry.”

  Right. Somehow, I needed to find Honor and get Rage out of here ASAP.

  No pressure.

  “How long do we have before Rage…?” I didn’t dare say the word decomposes, let alone dies, but I needed a timeline to work with.

  “I don’t know. If he were human, he’d already be dead. I’ve never been here with an alpha heir. An hour? Maybe two. At most.” He frowned and flicked his fingers toward Rage. “Your mate’s body is already weakening.”

  An hour!

  My stomach turned to stone as I squeezed Rage’s shoulder and gritted my teeth. I could do this. “And what about Honor? We came to get him back.”

  Unease flickered across the old man’s face. “Sometimes the dead are better left that way.”

  I shook my head. “Not this one.”

  “What you’re proposing is close to impossible, and if you do manage to pull it off, it will only come at great sacrifice.”

  “Honor is family. He’s my mate’s brother, and what happened to him—” My body trembled as I remembered the horrific scene of the mid-year games. Honor burning. The high mages screaming “high crime.” Pretty much it was the most horrifying moment of my life.

  Why did this old dude care about me anyway? And how did he know I could walk between worlds like him, unless…

  “How do you know I have this spirit gift?” I asked.

  He swallowed hard and held out his hands in supplication. “At first, I was too hurt at her passing and then too afraid to hope. I told myself I wasn’t completely sure although you look just like her…”

  His cryptic words made my head spin, and I frowned. Was he saying … he knew my mother?

  “When I discovered you’d survived your mother’s death, I decided to move up your training. I should’ve told you sooner.”

  “What are you talking abo—Wait … you sent the forged summons?” My eyes widened, and I swallowed hard, my mouth suddenly filled with sawdust. He nodded, but his tight expression made me 85.8% sure there was a bigger surprise coming.

  “What else aren’t you telling me…?”

  “You’re my granddaughter.” He reached out as if to touch my face and then retracted his hand. “You’ve inherited all of my high mage power, including the mage master power of spirit.”

  The world spun. I blinked and shook my head, certain I’d heard wrong. Because if I was his granddaughter … that meant… “My mother…”

  He nodded as if he knew what I was thinking. “Elia was my second born. A high mage in training.”

  Holy mage.

  A million questions raced through my mind, but all of them evaporated when Rage doubled over, grabbing his stomach.

  “You don’t have time for this now, Nai. I promise, soon, I’ll answer all of your questions. Now, you must go to the Keeper of Souls and give him this.” He held out his palm and closed his eyes. A small turquoise jewel, translucent and insubstantial, appeared in his hand. I stepped away from Rage, closer to the transparent form of the high mage. As soon as the stone touched my palm, it immediately solidified.

  “Will this help us bring Honor back with us?” I stared at the thumbnail-size jewel, far heavier than its size would indicate.

  His form flickered and he shook his head. “No. It is just enough to get you and Prince Courage back to the magic lands. From there, you can retrieve Honor’s soul—if you’re able to broker a bargain with the Keeper and you have a body to place your friend in.”

  “Wait, so we didn’t even need to come here?” I growled. I wasn’t mad at him. I was mad at myself and that damn witch.

  “No. Not in human form, you didn’t.”

  Hate wasn’t a strong enough word for how I felt about Surlama.

  Another negotiation? With this Keeper of Souls? Just great. “Okay…” What was I supposed to call him? I didn’t even know this dude, but he was helping me … because he was my grandpa.

  Weird.

  “Thanks … Mr. Drudner … or Grandpa Geoff. Or is that too weird? Or too soon?” Ugh. I offered him an uneasy smile. “What do I call you?”

  Dude I barely know…

  A ghostly smile lit his features, and I waited, wondering what I’d said to please him because, so far, nothing seemed to be going right.

  “I’ve always wanted to be called Grandpa,” he said softly, almost as if speaking to himself.

  Then he disappeared.

  What the hell?

  “Please tell me I’m not delusional.” Rage gasped, still clutching his side. “We’re stuck in the Realm of the Dead, I’m dying, and you’re worried about what to call your new … grandpa…”

  It took two full breaths before I realized his wheezing was laughter. I sidled up to my mate and slid my arm around his waist again. Shaking my head, I muttered, “I’m glad you’re seeing the humor in all this because I’m seventy-five point three percent sure I’m losing my mind.”

  I rubbed at my temples.

  Rage tucked me closer to him until our bodies were flush from my shoulder to our hips, touching almost like we were teammates for a three-legged race, except my mate had several inches on me and weighed at least twice what I did. We walked toward the white castle, and dread tightened its hold on my chest as he leaned on me more every step we took.

  “Well, at least if I die, Madame Surlama won’t be able to collect those lame-ass favors,” Rage wheezed.

  I shook my head. “That isn’t funny. I’m not going to let you die.”

  Rage groaned, holding his stomach as he doubled over. “Are you sure? I feel like I’m dying.”

  He grunted and moaned with the next three steps before he stumbled and pitched forward as his legs gave out.

  Time slowed as he swayed, panic holding me captive, and then Rage collapsed to the ground.

  “Rage!” I dropped to my knees beside my mate, my heart hurtling desperately against my ribs. “Rage?”

  No response. Didn’t Grandpa Geoff say we had, like, at least an hour? I was 100.6% sure that our time wasn’t up; we’d only been here all of fifteen minutes!

  I grabbed Rage’s shoulder and, with a grunt, rolled him over onto his back. One look, and my stomach sank. His skin, once golden-tan, was now ashy and gray, and his lips were tinged blue. Resting my head on his chest just over his heart provided a measure of relief. His chest still moved up and down, a little, and I could hear his heartbeat although it was faint and reedy. He was alive. Now, how could
I keep him that way?

  Rolling thunder reverberated through the air then, and I glanced up to the sky, frowning when I couldn’t spot a single cloud.

  What the heck was that? The last thing I needed now was a storm on top of my mate’s fatal illness.

  I threaded my fingers through his and then straightened, glancing toward the castle. How fast could I get there? Once there, would I find help? Given the fact that Grandpa gave me a gem to bargain with, I was only 10.2% sure someone at the castle would help me. Even worse, I was less certain I’d return to find Rage alive if I left him here.

  Another rumble of thunder made me glare up at the pale purple expanse. All of the beauty of this realm seemed to mock my dire circumstances.

  Months of lessons at Alpha Academy were worth exactly nada in this situation. How was it that healing ability wasn’t taught until second year of water studies? I didn’t even know what was wrong with Rage. Other than the whole body-decomposing thing.

  His breathing grew more shallow. More rapid.

  Crappity-crap, crap, crap.

  Did I need to perform CPR? Maybe he was having a heart attack. Could a werewolf even have a heart attack?

  “Please don’t make me do CPR on you,” I muttered, shoving the small gem into my back pocket. “I don’t even know how to do that!”

  One of the facets of the gem raked over the tip of my finger and, with a yip of pain, I withdrew my hand. I cursed Surlama as fresh blood oozed down my finger. Wrapping my finger into the hem of my shirt, I applied pressure to staunch the flow of blood.

  Think. Think. Think.

  I slid my other hand into Rage’s, and his fingers twitched. My gaze dropped to our entwined fingers—then zeroed in on our mate marks. Kissing Rage for the first time had bonded us with magic. Would it help now? Did it even count as “kissing” if the other person was unconscious? Pretty sure that was creeptastic. And desperate.

  Do something, Nai!

  “Please wake up.” I leaned over him and traced his lips with my finger, cringing at the streak of glowing purplish-red left by my touch. Yikes, that was my blood. I lifted the hem of my shirt to wipe off the gruesome streak but froze as the purplish glow melted into his skin, leaving behind only a small smear of blood. Was that … magic?