by Raven Steele
I tried again, over and over, only to crash into the hard side walls, then slide to the bottom hard enough for my knees to ache from the impact. After only a short time, my body felt like it had been battered by a wrecking ball. This wasn’t working.
Slumping against the wall, I stared straight ahead to the opposite side, which was no more than a few feet away. An idea came to me. It might work.
I lifted my wet shoe out of the water and pressed it against the rocks. With my back pressed hard against the wall and my hands in my lap, I raised my other leg and balanced my body within the circular walls.
I could do this.
Very slowly, I pushed forward on my legs and inched my shoulders up. It was a long and excruciatingly painful process. Every motion shot searing pain through my body. I could only move an inch at a time, shifting my weight between my feet and back. It took every ounce of mental strength to keep myself from slipping on the stone’s slimy surface.
Eventually, I reached the top. This would be the hard part.
I carefully reached up my hands and pressed on the concrete. It didn’t budge.
I scooted up a little higher until my head touched the hard covering.
Trying again, I pressed upward with my hands while also using my head. Still it wouldn’t move. I needed a hard force behind the action.
Sucking in a breath, I shoved my hands upward as hard and fast as I could. The concrete bumped a fraction of an inch, but the motion made me lose my grip against the wall. I came crashing back down to my watery grave, knocking the air from my lungs. Stars exploded in my vision, and I gasped for air.
I laid there for a long time, my skin shriveling from the moisture, as I tried to recover. But holding still meant I was giving the silver more and more time to run its course through my body. Just because I was a Komira, didn’t mean I was immortal. Eventually, it would shut down my organs until I ultimately died.
Maybe I could get the bullet out.
Reaching my hands back over my shoulder, I stretched my fingers until I felt the wound. I flinched at the touch. Grunting, I tried to expand my reach but there was no way I had enough slack to get at the bullet.
I yelled in frustration and slammed my fists into the water, followed by a string of profanity. My thoughts spiraled, threatening to overwhelm me.
By now, someone had to be looking for me. Even if the Hydes had killed Lynx and Roma—I swallowed hard at the thought—Samira would notice Lynx and I weren’t home. She’d try calling. She’d get Luke involved. They would search, I knew they would. Maybe they’d find Roma’s car. How much evidence would the Hydes leave behind?
I screamed again, knowing I’d have to accept the likelihood that, they might never find me. At least, not alive.
I gritted my teeth against the pain and weakness wracking my body. Once again, I pressed my back against the wall and lifted my feet. I began my agonizing ascent all over again. I only made it halfway before my foot slipped and I fell to the bottom, gasping at the lightning pain shooting through me.
Try again.
This time, I almost reached the top, but my back slipped. I was too wet.
I attempted to get up again, but my legs could no longer support me. I fell back against the wall and breathed in deeply, still trying to keep the suffocatingly small space from overwhelming me.
Closing my eyes, I thought back to all the times I’d fought with Samira. She spoke of my ancient abilities as if they were a living thing, almost separate from me. She claimed I had yet to tap into their true potential, even though I had been able to call upon them fairly easily.
“That’s just the beginning,” she’d said. “The powers aren’t just in your body. They are in your mind.”
At the time, I hadn’t believed her, but what if she was right?
I stared at the silver bands around my hands. My flesh was blistered and raw where the metal touched. Using all the strength I had left, I pulled.
I cried out again, yanking them over and over, feeling them tear at my flesh, digging into the bones at my wrists. I had to break them! I had to survive this. I was strong and powerful.
And yet, they didn’t break.
Shit. Shit!
I inhaled several slow breaths. The powers are in my mind.
I continued to stare at the silver, redirecting the last of my strength and will to my mind. I tried to remember what it was exactly that gave me my powers before.
Memories of that terrible moment flashed. I’d climbed stone after stone, breaking fingernails, cutting my palms, only to ultimately fall again. This must’ve gone on for hours. Defeat overwhelmed me at one point. I remember lying in the water staring up into the darkness. Fear had replaced my will until it festered into a simmering rage.
I concentrated on that moment. What had happened? When had the change come?
I had never thought about this specific moment after breaking free. The memory had existed only in my nightmares. But here it was. The loneliness. The fear. The rage. The pain. It was all so raw. And powerful. Something had left me in that quiet moment, a silent prayer calling out in anguish to a power I still didn’t understand.
The supernatural God Kushin had responded.
A surge of energy had filled my entirety. Not just my body, but my mind and soul. I had forgotten until just now how intense the feeling had been. The only word to describe what had happened to me? Blessed. I had been blessed with a gift, and I had the distinct impression I was supposed to use this gift to help others.
Guilt stabbed at me, as sharp as the silver in my back. Had I been using my precious gift to help others? I thought of all the people I had avoided in my group homes, or those who had to suffer through my sarcastic retorts. I may not have been in-your-face-mean, but I sure as hell hadn’t been kind. I hadn’t helped people, either. I withdrew into myself, revenge my constant companion.
Tears rolled down my cheeks. So much time wasted. Kushin must be so disappointed. A voice, that sounded very much like Ryder, whispered in my mind. “There’s still time.”
I glanced up. If I could get out of here.
I wiped the tears from my face, smearing mud across my cheek.
Remembering the event that had given me my powers helped me to refocus. I returned to looking at the silver cuffs on my wrists. I studied it carefully, noting the smooth contours, the beveled edges.
I concentrated so hard that something began to tingle within my mind, like a faint tickling of a feather against my skin. I focused on the sensation and soon recognized it for what it was—pure power, ancient and unfiltered. It grew until it hummed inside me, a small heartbeat thumping with energy as great as the moon and stars.
Mentally, I reached for it, desiring to be a part of this foreign, celestial strength, but all of a sudden I was sucked out of my mind, just as the most excruciating pain electrified my body. My back arched, and I screamed so loud it hurt my ears. The poison was spreading.
I howled again and tried to get at the bullet. My fingernails dug into my flesh, and my toes curled so tight, three of them broke within my shoes.
Thrashing back and forth, I growled against the sensation, trying to fight it, but it was useless as long as the silver remained inside me.
I couldn’t die like this! Not when I was just about to finally realize what it meant to be a Komira!
I screamed again, refusing to give up as I clawed at my back.
My vision blurred, and I gave up on the silver bullet. I dug my fingernails into the grooves of the wall trying once again to climb, but I had depleted all my energy. I had to try something else. Hopelessness gripped me, and I slid back into the water.
A voice, faint and soft, filled my mind with one word: Briar. I recognized the voice immediately and I crawled to my feet. Luke.
I heard my name again, louder this time. I blinked. “Luke?”
I jerked my head back, looking up towards the opening. There was a crack of light and I blinked against it. It was growing bigger. Warmth hit my face
and I began to laugh and cry.
I wasn’t alone anymore.
Chapter 25
A breath of cool air rushed down to me. “Luke? Is that you?”
“I’m right here.” The direction of his voice changed as if he spoke to someone else. “Grab the rope!”
“Get me out of here! Please.”
His voice returned to me. “I’m coming. Just hold still.”
Relief washed through me, but my body began to shake uncontrollably. “I can’t see you,” I said, my teeth chattering. My chest burned, as the silver spread.
The sound of rubber scraping against stone reached my ears. A few pebbles fell on me.
“I’m coming, Briar,” he said again.
Water splashed in my face, bringing my vision back into focus. Luke came into view. I threw my arms around his neck. “You came for me. I thought I was going to die in here.” I couldn’t stop my hitched breaths, and unspent tears burned my eyes.
“Of course I did.” Luke’s warm hands cupped my cheeks. “Where are you hurt?”
“Silver,” I grunted. “In my back. They shot me.”
He pulled my arms from around his neck and turned me around. He had to grip my waist tight to keep me steady, then he pulled my shirt up to my neck.
“Shit, Briar, this is bad.”
“The poison has spread. I can feel it destroying my insides.”
“This is going to hurt.” I heard the unmistakable sound of a blade sliding out of its sheath. Its sharp edge sliced into my back. I yelped, falling towards the wall. I braced against it to keep on my feet.
“I’m sorry,” he said, his voice thick.
“What are you doing to her?” I heard Lynx’s voice call down.
I laughed a shaky breath. She was okay. Thank heavens. A calmness flowed through me and I no longer cared that Luke was digging the tip of a blade into my flesh. Lynx was alive, which meant Roma probably was, too.
“Hold still,” he said. “I’ve almost got it.” I felt the knife abruptly go deeper, then the sharp pain in my back dulled.
My body continued to shake, and I was worried it was too late. The silver had spread to most of my body. I moved to give Luke what could be our last embrace, but he stopped me.
“Lynx!” he called up. “Throw down the vial.”
“Don’t you dare drop it,” she snapped.
I heard something fall through the air. Luke caught it.
“What are you doing?”
“Just hold still.”
A moment later, a burning sensation lit up the wound on my back and raced through my body hotter than lightning. I screamed and nearly lost consciousness. Luke said something, and then Lynx’s voice came from above, but I couldn’t understand their words through the pain. My knees gave out. Luke held me up and ran his hand over my back in a soothing motion. I clenched my teeth, swallowing down the pain, until the agony reduced to a shallow burn.
I breathed heavily. “What was that?”
He grunted.
“Luke?”
“It’s from Angel. He said you would need it.”
My body stiffened. If Luke had a vial of Angel’s saliva, that meant he knew what Angel had done to me that night Dominic had stabbed me. I straightened, feeling sweat run down my face.
“I’m sorry,” I said, even though I wasn’t exactly sure what I was sorry for. It just like felt the right thing to do.
“The only apology you should be saying is for running off without texting me.” He frowned. “But we’ll talk about that later. Besides, I’m the one who owes you an apology.” He took hold of my hands and paused. His eyes roamed my face and his hand ran up my side to brush my cheek with his thumb. “I thought—” His breath caught and he bit his lower lip sharply. “I thought we were going to find you dead, Briar. I should’ve been with you. I should’ve been here to help you.”
I shook my head. “Stop this. You can’t be with me every single second.”
“I know.” He sighed, staring into my eyes. “I’m just so grateful that you’re alive. You have no idea.” He shook his head, then glanced up. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”
I nodded, tears now streaming from my eyes. “Yes, please.”
He looked up. “Is the rope secure, Lynx?
“It’s good!” she called back.
He turned around. “Hold on to my back.”
After I wrapped my still-bound arms around him, he began to climb up the well, using the rope to help him. I closed my eyes, resting my head on his shoulder as we climbed.
A few minutes ago, I thought my life was over. But I had been given a second chance. Never again would I waste the gifts I had been given.
I opened my eyes when we reached the top, squinting when bright sunlight blinded me. Lynx helped Luke pull me over the edge. I rolled onto the ground, sucking in as much fresh air as I could handle.
Lynx appeared in front of me, her eyes red and puffy. “Thank God you’re alive!”
“How’s Roma?”
“She’s okay. She’s back at the house, sleeping off a nasty concussion. I gave her something that should help.”
Luke dropped next to me and smoothed back my hair, his eyes glossy. He opened his mouth to speak but closed it again. He cleared his throat and his gaze dropped to my hands. “Let’s get those off of you.”
“I’m on it.” Lynx jumped to her feet and hurried around the other side of the well.
I looked around. We were in the middle of an unfamiliar forest, trees pressing on us from all sides. “Why do you think they put me in a well?”
“To scare you.”
“Dominic must’ve told someone about what he did to me, but it still doesn’t make sense. If the Hydes or the Big Bad want me, why throw me in that hole?”
“Maybe they wanted to scare you first. Maybe they would’ve shown up later to retrieve you.”
“Maybe,” I whispered, but that didn’t feel right either. “How did you guys find me?”
Lynx returned to my side with large bolt clippers and handed them to Luke. “It wasn’t us. Angel. He knew where to find you. Well, sort of. He had an idea.”
“Angel? But how could he, unless…” My heart clenched tight.
“He had nothing to do with your being taken,” Luke said quickly.
“How do you know?”
He pried off the shackles, and I flinched in pain. Even though the bullet was gone and Angel’s saliva had begun to heal me, mind-numbing agony still wracked my body. Luke tossed the shackles aside and rubbed his fingers gently around my swollen wrists.
“Angel showed up at my apartment this morning. I woke up with him standing over me saying he could feel you were in trouble, but since daylight was approaching, he couldn’t make it to you in time.” Luke swallowed, glancing away. “His whole body was burned.”
I touched my mouth, sucking in a breath.
Luke continued. “He tried to get to you himself, but he couldn’t be outside any longer. He could barely stay awake. He’s the one who told us where to go. That you were somewhere in the Biloxi Woods, and that you felt claustrophobic, so you were probably trapped somewhere.”
His eyes were pained, and he brushed my hair behind my ear. “I’m sorry it took us so long. If Angel had been able to come here himself, he would’ve been able to find you quicker. But it took us most of the day to search the woods.” Luke stared into the woods, as if he just remembered something. “The whole pack is here. We should let them know we found you.”
“How did Angel know where I was?”
“Later,” he said, staring down at my injured wrists with fire in his eyes. “I’m taking you back to Fire Ridge to heal. Vincent parked close by.”
“He’s here?” I looked around, hoping to see him.
“Yeah, we split up a while ago.” He bent over and scooped me up, holding me to his chest, and I relaxed into him. I was so tired! But having Luke and Lynx with me, having friends care … I couldn’t describe how good that felt.
&n
bsp; I thought of Angel and shivered, thinking about the pain he endured. I owed him big time, like usual.
“Isa—Briar!” My uncle called out, hurtling towards us through the trees. He was smiling big through watery eyes. I half-laughed, half-cried, so happy to see him.
He was almost to us, when Luke’s muscles tensed around me. My heart started pounding at his sudden fear.
Before I could say anything, an arrow burst out of my uncle’s chest. Blood misted my face. Luke dropped to the ground and rolled over me, trying to protect me. I groaned in pain. Lynx caught my uncle and they both fell beside us.
“Uncle!” I reached towards him and Luke sprang to his feet in a defensive stance. He stepped over Lynx and Vincent, scanning the forest for the attacker. “Shh, Briar.”
We froze, listening, but it was silent. Too silent. Hyde silent.
Luke grabbed his phone and held it to his ear. “Gerald. We’re at the north end of the woods. Someone just attacked Vincent.”
“On it.” The line went dead and Luke shoved his phone back in his pocket. We waited a moment longer to see if anyone would attack us again. When nothing happened, Luke took off in the direction of where the arrow came from. I scrambled to my knees, pulling my uncle into my lap. Blood bubbled past his lips.
“Vincent?” I said, my voice shaking.
He tried to talk but blood replaced the words. My gaze dropped to the arrow sticking out of his chest. It looked like it had a silver coating. My heart sunk into my stomach. I couldn’t lose him; not again. He wouldn’t survive this, unless … “Lynx, is there any more of Angel’s saliva?”
She shook her head, her eyes wide and full of fear. “That’s all we had!”
I glanced up at the afternoon sun. We couldn’t call Angel, not until night time. I swallowed and thought hard. First thing first. The arrow had to go. I met Vincent’s pain-filled eyes. “This is going to hurt.”
He looked like he wanted to answer, but he passed out instead.
I grabbed the tip of the arrow and snapped it off. It took a lot more effort than I expected. Gasping for air, I attempted to turn him over. Lynx jumped in to help.
