Xavier’s voice booms across the space, echoing off the walls with a false sense of authority. “You know what to do, and remember...... Your brother will lose more than a finger if you fail.”
Lies! All lies!
“Luuuiieemmmmmssss” I try again to warn him, giving up when once again my words fail me. Words will not save me now. No. I have to think of another way.
“I understand,” Zander nods. His voice carries a sadness that fills the air with its heaviness. His back is stiff as he turns toward me. Like the coward that he is, he does not look at me. It is only because I am looking at him that I see his lips move. The whispered words spoken so softly that I see them more than I hear them.
“I’m sorry.”
He closes his eyes, dropping his head as he begins to chant in a language that I am fairly certain is Latin. I feel a static charge to the air as goosebumps spring to life on my arms. Then he opens his eyes, and I see the Zander that Xavier wanted.
I was wrong before. Zander is not weak. He is a weapon. A beautifully broken weapon. After all, aren’t the broken easier to manipulate?
His eyes glow bright red, as the power in the air turns to wind that whips across my body. He spreads his arms, and the same red light that shines in his eyes, races from his outstretched fingers, like lightening before a storm. The hairs on my arms raise as the air charges. The pull of his power causing me to lift from the rock that holds me down. Only the chains keep me in place.
My eyes widen as his body lifts, floating over the bloody river and landing soundlessly beside me. Whatever human part of Zander that I saw before, isn’t here right now.
He throws his head back, the final words of a spell bellowing out of him. He moves before I can blink. His hand comes down, the same energy that flew from his fingers moments ago slamming into me as he places his palm to the center of my chest. A burning heat tries to pull a scream from me, but my voice still cannot be found.
I thrash under his touch as the heat from his palm expands, making me feel like I am burning alive. I turn my head, a tear leaking free as I turn my emotions off. I take the pain I am feeling, and I lock it away. For the first time I pray that Jaxon cannot feel me. That our connection does not work here. That just like he cannot travel here, that by some miracle he cannot sense me here. This...this is a fate that I never want him to know that I suffered.
Blackness dots my vision just as the tugging begins. The heat turns to a coldness that steals my breath. I gasp as slowly my mind begins to replay my memories. I cry out as one by one they are stolen from me. Pain is the only thing that I can feel as his spell whips through me, taking everything but darkness.
I can’t.....I can’t hold on. I was stupid to think that I could win this. That I could save anyone, because in the end.....I couldn’t even save myself.
I close my eyes, waiting for the sweet embrace of death to take me, and praying that it is kinder to me than this life.
I shiver as it draws closer. Zander’s words echoing in the background. I am almost there. Seconds away....
Then the world explodes, raining rock and debris on top of my failing body. The coldness dulls slightly, and just before I slip away, I hear his voice.
“NNNNOOOOOO!!!!!!”
Jaxon. He came to deliver me from this life. A smile transforms my lips as I imagine his touch one more time. It is with that smile, and the image of him in my mind that I give into death.
∞
~ Chapter 20~
I don’t know what I thought dying would feel like, but the part that no one tells you is how much it hurts. It is not all go into the light like they make it out to be. It is pain, and fear, and darkness.
As a matter of fact, I am kind of pissed right now. My entire life everyone has always said that your pain ends when you die. Well.....the splitting headache behind my left eye says otherwise.
Dying sucks.
A soft chuckle filters across my mind, and my heart clenches at the sound of his laughter. A sound that I missed so damn much that my heart aches. A sound that I never thought that I would hear again.
“Princess. You are not dead. You know I would never let that happen. I just need you to wake up.”
Not dead? How am I not dead? I was dying. I felt it. Whatever Zander was doing to me on that altar.....
I shudder, even in my unconscious state, the memory of his magic pulling on my soul is too much for me. I have endured a lot. Lived through things that no one should have to suffer, but that....
That made me wish for death. Made me welcome it. It broke something in me. Drained what little light I had left. I should be dead. I....I wanted to be.
I could give up. Just stay here in this place. I could, but that wouldn’t be fair. Not to me, and not to him.
Jaxon.
He came for me. He found me, just like he always said that he would. He saved me, even when I didn’t deserve it. His love for me is the only good thing in my world. I owe it to him to fight for that. To fight for us.
It is a struggle at first, but slowly my eyes obey my command. They blink open, the light stinging them as the world slowly comes into focus. My surroundings are unfamiliar, but not the face that greets me.
He is just as beautiful as I remember, maybe more so. Every part of him, perfect. It is his eyes that I have always loved the most. They see me, even when the rest of the world cannot. Right now, they shine with tears, and it breaks me to know that I put them there.
My Jaxon. My strong, brave warrior....crying..... for me.
I slowly bring my hand up, unable to control my trembling as I touch his face. He exhales loudly, burying his face in my palm and soaking in my scent. He places a kiss there, and some of the ice around my soul melts. He grips my hand, his voice soft as he holds to me tightly.
“Never. Never do that to me again. I don’t care to hear your reasons right now. You are safe, and that is all that matters, but always trust that I will help you. That I will protect you. That I love you. Never lie to me again Princess.”
I nod, a tear falling and then another as the conviction in his voice soaks into me. How could I have been so stupid? Jaxon Lux loves me. He would have helped me. All I had to do was ask. Instead, I went behind his back, with someone he hates. I lied to him. I betrayed him, and yet...he still treats me with so much love.
“I don’t deserve you,” I cry. I wish that I could take it all back. His thumb sweeps down, wiping a tear from my cheek. He leans closer, his lips inches from mine.
“No one is perfect Princess. I love you, even when you hurt me. Just as you love me, even when I hurt you. Love was not designed to be perfect. It was designed to be imperfect. Real love fights for each other. Forgives each other. Real love always finds each other. You Maci Madison, are my real love. My only love. My perfectly imperfect love. If anyone doesn’t deserve a love like that, it is me.”
Then Jaxon Lux kisses me. Every pain. Every fear. Every doubt melts away as his lips seal that promise. I gasp as he presses harder, his tongue sweeping in. My hands pull at him greedily as I drink him in, finding comfort in his embrace. Strength in his arms. He pulls back slightly, biting my bottom lip as he does so.
“Sorry to break this up, but we need to get the sword. We are running out of time, and my spell will only hold for so long.”
At the sound of his voice, I break away from Jaxon. Anger dulling my pain as I jump to my feet. I spin toward him, my hand moving before my brain can catch up. I feel the sting as my palm makes contact with his face. It isn’t enough. I want to hurt him. I want to punish him. I want to kill him for what he did.
“Whoa there Princess. I don’t like him either, but he did save you,” Jaxon laughs. He comes up behind me and grabs me gently by the arm. There is a hint of laughter in his voice, but there is also a hint of something much darker.
“Save me,” I laugh, pointing at Zane. Zane’s eyes look away from me and his jaw is locked tight. He looks up, his eyes focused not on me, but on Jaxon. Then I really l
ook at where I am, noticing that we are in the cave close to where I was being held prisoner. That isn’t all I notice though. I also notice that the others are here. Braxton and Ryker look ready to kill someone as they step closer to Zane.
“Yes,” Zane hisses, his eyes snapping to mine. “I saved you. I also gave you back your voice. Nasty spell that one is. I left you there so that I could get the others. I had no choice. It was all part of my plan. Remember.....”
I don’t know what thought or image flashes through my mind, but I know the moment that Jaxon sees it. I try to turn it off. I try to not think about Zane’s lies and betrayal. I try, but once the images pour in, I can’t stop them.
I sag against Jaxon’s muscular chest as he pulls me closer. He touches his forehead to mine as he uses his mate power to see the secrets that this world didn’t want others to know. The secrets that Zane now wants me to keep.
I won’t though. I am done lying. I will never lie to Jaxon again, especially not for him.
I can only watch as the entire thing plays out in rapid succession in my mind. The cells, Cain’s lies, Zane’s manipulation. I feel him stiffen during the harpy incident.
I can almost taste his rage when he sees the bond that Zane used to save me. A bond that I still don’t understand. A bond that he forced on me.
I try to pull away then, but Jax holds on. His breathing heavy as he watches the rest. I tremble as Xavier comes into view. Tears fall as Zane is revealed to be a liar. The pain that I tried so hard to block out as I was strapped to the altar, my blood flowing into the river below as they laughed at me. Then I show him Zander, and what he did to me. How he pulled on my soul. How he made me wish that I could die. How I was ready. How I had given up, until I heard his voice.
I am not sure what power allows Jaxon to pull these memories from my mind. The powers associated with our bond must still work for him. Losing his wings must have only influenced his personal powers. I am not sure how this is possible, but for the first time ever I am glad that he invaded my privacy. I wanted him to know. Hell...I needed him to, but I never would have found the words. This way is easier.
When it’s over, the room is silent. For a moment I worry that my little movie projected to the others. I close my eyes, shame and pain making me too weak to face the man that I love. I wasn’t lying when I said that he deserves so much better.
“Princess,” Jaxon says softly, words meant just for me. “Three things. That was called transference. It is possible because our bond is complete. No one saw but me. Secondly, you deserve the world. I am so sorry that I wasn’t there to protect you. I keep failing to protect you, but I will never fail you again.” He says it vehemently, pressing a kiss to my forehead.
“That was only two,” I laugh. I choose to ignore the others for now. I would ignore them forever if I could.
“Right,” he says with a smile. “Lastly.....I am going to kill Zane.”
The moment the words leave his mouth, I am tossed to Ryker. He catches me with a grin, patting my head as he places me gently on my feet. Jax charges Zane, his fist connecting with Zane’s face. I gasp as blood flies from Zane’s nose. A nose that I would bet is now broken.
He pulls back, punching him again, this time splitting his lip. I hold my breath, waiting for Zane to heal. He doesn’t. I guess witches don’t heal like angels do.
I struggle against Ry, who looks like he is enjoying the bloodshed just a little too much.
Braxton stands off to the side, tree-trunk arms crossed over his massive chest. He looks bored. He lets Jaxon get in three more blows before he steps forward, grabbing his brother by the arm and pulling him away.
“Let me go Brax!” Jaxon booms, pissed off and trying to get around his brother. In any other circumstance I would find this hot, but right now Zane is the least of our problems. As much as it hurts me to say...we need him if we have any chance of saving Ashlee.
“No!” Braxton says, pushing Jaxon back another step. “Can you not see that he isn’t fighting back. This is not how you win Jaxon! Think! Think of the bigger picture. For once brother, think before you act!”
Whoa. Where did that come from? Something about that statement sounds way deeper than what is going on here, but that is a problem for later. Right now, I have a witch to kill. Luckily for him...it isn’t Zane.
“Brax is right,” I say, stepping forward and into Jaxon’s personal space. “Zane is a problem for later. We need to save Ashlee, and we are running out of time.”
At the mention of his sister’s name, all of the anger leaves him. He nods his head slowly, taking three healthy steps away from Zane before turning back around.
“Fine, but this isn’t over,” he seethes, pointing at Zane. To his credit Zane simply nods.
“What all did he tell you?” I ask, pointing to Zane. I am waiting on the brothers to answer, so it takes me off guard when he does.
“I told them everything. Well....except for the part about trading you for my brother. I left that part out. The rest they knew,” he says with a lazy shrug.
Good. That’s good. It saves us time.
“How are they here?” I ask, needing to know the answer to that before I can do anything else. “I thought that Angels could not walk in the void? That only souls that possessed darkness could travel here.”
“You forget that I am powerful Maci,” Zane laughs. “They are here because I cast a spell to cloak their essence in darkness. I brought them here. In a way, Jaxon was correct. I did save you.”
Well damn. I guess he did. That still doesn’t make what he did right.
“Look. I know you want to ask a million questions, but we need to go,” Braxton says impatiently.
Turning to Zane he sneers. “Can you lead us back to this sword or not?” Braxton asks, always to the point. I smile. His no bullshit attitude is one of the things that I love about him.
“Yes,” Zane says, taking off down a dark corridor. He doesn’t wait for us. I guess he just assumes that we will keep up. Jaxon reaches down, threading his big fingers through mine and squeezing. We follow without a word.
Here is to hoping that trusting Zane again doesn’t get us all killed.
A fact that I am not very certain of.
I do have a million questions. Like how in the world are we going to get the sword? I saw it before everything went to hell. It is in the very rock that I almost died on. If by some miracle we can get back in there without the trio from Hell killing us, I still have to pick it up without the magic it contains frying my ass. Then I need to stab the most powerful witch in the universe through the heart with it.
Nope.....I don’t see what could possibly go wrong. I wish we had a plan. Any kind of plan would be great. I am not a let’s just see what happens type person. Not when failure means death.
He must sense my worry because Jaxon reaches over. His voice whispers into my mind, his words sure and steady. A lot like he always is.
“Princess. We have a plan. Just trust us. The only thing I need you to do is stay close to me. I will keep you safe. We will save Ashlee, and the monster who killed my sister and all those who helped her will die. If you trust me, we will walk out of here today.”
“Always,” I say back through our bond. I hold tightly to him as we navigate our way through the darkness. I hold on to him because Jaxon Lux is my light. With him beside me I can do anything. “I will always trust you.”
He nods, and together we walk into the devil’s lair. Two souls who love one another enough that nothing seems impossible. Today will end in one of two ways. We will either defeat the evil that threatens to destroy us, and free the soul of the one we love; or we will die trying.
No matter what happens.
No matter how today ends....
I will face it with the man that I love.
Together we will rise.
Or.....
Together we will fall.
∞
~ Chapter 21 ~
We reach the opening where
I almost died within minutes. The cowardly part of me was hoping that it would take longer to get here. We stop behind a large rock, Zane having whispered a spell a few moments ago to cloak us from the others. He explained that we can hear each other, but no one outside of our circle will hear or see us coming. If I didn’t currently hate him, I would be impressed.
My eyes scan the cave, a shudder working its way through me as I see the altar that I was strapped to hours ago. My blood still a fresh stain on the wide rock. I push back a wave of nausea, for once glad that I haven’t eaten in what feels like days. I am fairly certain that if I had anything in my stomach right now, it would be splattering across Jaxon’s feet.
“They aren’t here,” Ryker grumbles, agitation evident in his tone. He takes a step forward, but my hand reaches out. I grab him by the shirt, pulling him to a stop. He cast a curious glance over his shoulder, his brow raising as panic claws at my insides.
“They are here. We have to be smart about this Ry,” I say. I pull my hand free from Jaxon’s so that I can step closer to his brother.
“We won’t get another chance. I know you. You think that they can’t touch you, but you are wrong. Their power is greater than ours. What we lack in magic, we must make up for in strategy. We stick to the plan. No bad boy bullshit today Ry. This is for Ash.....”
Whatever he sees on my face changes his signature I don’t give a shit grin into something more serious. Something deadly. I didn’t forget the darkness that lives inside of Ryker. In fact, I am counting on it. In a perfect world Jaxon and I could defeat Hecate and live happily ever after. Too bad this world isn’t perfect. Sometimes to defeat the darkness you have to be willing to absorb it. To let it change you. I am willing to do that now. To save Ashlee I need Ryker’s dark side. I also need him to follow the rules. Just this once.
The plan that Jaxon whispered to me may not be perfect, but Zane for all his faults is strong. Our best hope of defeating his mother, and saving Ash’s soul, is following the plan he set forth for each of us.
Avenge (Hillcrest Book 2) Page 18
