“No! This is all wrong!” He reached for her, hand gripping her forearm, but she slid from his grasp as if she were covered in oil.
“Dakota!” Ana screamed again, falling back into the death.
Not knowing what else to do, he jumped from the platform after her, landing on his feet beside the body of a man he didn’t know.
“Ana!” Dakota called, searching for her. Shouldn’t she have fallen right here? “Ana! Where are you!”
“I’m right here.”
Dakota spun. Ana stood just behind him, wearing black leather pants and a tank top. Her arms were bloody and scraped as if she’d been in battle.
Dark hair braided behind her back, sword in hand, she looked every bit a fierce warrior.
“What happened?”
She cocked her head to the side. “You don’t remember?”
“No, I don’t know what…” He stared out over the bodies.
“Thames did this. You let him do this.”
Dakota shook his head frantically. “No, I wouldn’t ever let this happen! Please, Ana, you have to believe me.”
“I wish I could.” Tears filled her eyes, and she pressed her hand to her stomach. “We were supposed to be a family.” Pulling the palm away, Dakota saw a fresh wound on her abdomen, and her hand came back covered in dark red blood. “We were supposed to have a happy ending.”
She started to fall, and Dakota reached for her, catching her before she hit the ground. “We will, baby. Please tell me what to do!”
Ana’s eyes fluttered closed, and she took her last breath in his arms.
Dakota woke with a start.
Heart pounding in his chest, it took him a moment to realize what had woken him up. Thames bashed the metal bars of his prison again, sending a ringing echo through the room.
“Wake up.”
“I’m awake.”
Dakota’s body ached, and he did his best to roll over despite the shooting pain in his side. Too fucking bad that broken rib didn’t puncture a lung. Dying seemed pretty damn good compared to the hell he was in now.
He turned to face Thames, who stood just on the other side of the gate, cup of purple liquid in his hand.
“Sweet dreams?” Thames asked with a grin.
“Wonderful,” he lied.
“Sounded like it.” Unlocking the gate, Thames swung it open on squeaky hinges and stepped inside. “We have work to do.”
“What work?” Dakota ground out.
“You’ll soon find out, won’t you?” He held out the glass in his hand. “Drink this.”
“Abso-fucking-lutely not.”
Thames glared at him in annoyance. “It’s not poison; I still need you alive.”
“Still not fucking drinking it.”
“It will heal your body.”
“You mean the rib you broke?”
“Yes.” He held it out again. “If you don’t drink it now, I’ll simply use our connection and make you.”
Dakota stared him down, pissed the hell off because he wanted the release and also because he knew Thames could make him do whatever the hell he wanted. “How can you do that?”
“Do what?”
“How are you controlling me? Rosabel is dead, so how do you still have control? Don’t you think I deserve to know at this point?”
Thames smiled, an eerie grin that chilled Dakota. “Sirens have the most wonderful gift of—persuasion.”
“But you aren’t a Siren.”
“No, but you see those fancy blue lines climbing up your neck? Siren poison linking us. I told you Rosabel gifted us with a connection.” He tugged down his shirt and turned around, revealing a single blue line climbing up his back. “Till death, Brother.”
“Yours or mine?”
Thames didn’t answer, simply held out the cup again for Dakota to take. Which, he did, begrudgingly.
The liquid smelled sweet, like flowers, and after taking one sip, he discovered it tasted sweet as well. Downing the glass, Dakota wiped the back of his hand over his mouth and waited.
Seconds later, he screamed in agony as sharp pain wove through his body, making it feel as though he were being simultaneously stabbed and burned.
“What did you do to me?” he yelled, falling back against the bars and sliding to the ground.
“The healing process is painful,” Thames said, leaving the room and locking the gate behind him. “Feel well soon.”
Dakota yelled again, clutching at his abdomen as his body knit itself back together.
12
Terrenia
Anastasia
Rolling out of bed, Anastasia raced for the trashcan she kept near her dresser. As the contents of her stomach forced their way out of her, tears of frustration slipped down her cheeks. How the hell was she supposed to fight a war when she felt like puking every other hour?
Once the vomiting subsided, Anastasia leaned back against her dresser and closed her eyes. As her breathing steadied, she thought back to her plan.
With Vincent finally on board, she had at least one person on her side. Not that it mattered—no one else would listen to what he said. It took time to earn forgiveness. She’d resigned to the fact that it hadn’t truly been him who put her through hell, and still, she wasn’t completely ready to take that step.
She needed at least Carmen and Tony on board in order for it to go smoothly. Carmen for the research side of things, and Tony for the help she was going to need traveling around Terrenia searching for the damn life force.
No one had any clue where to even start. It could take weeks—months, even—that they didn’t have to track it down.
Opening her eyes, Anastasia got to her feet and used the bucket of fresh water she’d placed beside her bed before going to sleep to wash her mouth out and brush her teeth.
Once she felt human again, she stepped out into the kitchen for a cup of instant coffee Dakota stocked up on before everything went to shit.
She pulled out the box of Black Rifle Coffee Company’s instant coffee and used magic to heat some water in a mug before dissolving it. The first drink hit her tongue, and she felt the caffeine seeping into her body.
After learning she was pregnant, she’d pulled back on the number of cups she drank, but she’d be damned if she gave it up completely.
There was no way in hell she’d survive the coming war without it.
“Morning.” Vincent appeared beside the couch.
Anastasia nodded, taking another sip of coffee.
“You ready for this morning?”
“I am. If they don’t agree, I’ll just do it by myself.”
He folded his arms. “Not by yourself.”
“You know what I mean.”
“Are you still sure it’s what you want to do?”
“Give me a better option, and I’ll be all for it. Right now, I don’t see another way.”
“Unfortunately, neither do I.” His brows drew together, and she could see he was contemplating something.
“What is it?”
“I’ve been trying to think back on where Thames may have believed the core was, but I can’t remember. It’s just bits and pieces that don’t make any sense.”
“We’ll find it. At least we know it’s on Terrenia.”
“In Terrenia would be more apt, I believe. I can’t imagine it’s sitting out in the open.”
“Do you think we’ll have to dig for it?”
He shook his head. “I think we should start in the mountains, it’s the most logical place for it to be hidden. As far as fortification goes, those caverns are intricate. If I were going to hide something, I’d choose there.”
“Then that’s where we’ll start.” Setting her mug on the counter, Anastasia secured her sword to her back and stepped out into the early morning sunlight.
For a brief moment, she saw Dakota sitting on the porch, and it brought tears to her eyes as a memory that felt like lifetimes ago, but in reality, had only been weeks, resurfaced.
; He sat on the porch with his shirtless back to her, and she stood for a moment, drinking him in. She doubted she would ever grow tired of seeing him this way, bathed in the sunlight of a new day.
It certainly helped he was incredibly easy on the eyes.
As if her thoughts crept into his own, he turned to grin at her. “Enjoying the view?”
“Always.” Anastasia took a seat next to him, and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders as she leaned against him. His body was warm, a comfort to her even during the darkest days of her life, and it helped now to erase the remnants of the nightmare.
“Sleep well?” He placed a kiss on the top of her head and offered the steaming mug in his hand.
“I did. I can’t believe I slept that long.”
He laughed lightly. “You needed it.”
“How about you?”
“Eh, I slept all right.”
“What happened?”
The area between his eyebrows creased, and Anastasia straightened.
“It’s nothing. Just a bad dream.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
He smiled and pulled her back against him. “Nope. I want to sit here with my beautiful wife and watch the sunrise over our home.”
“It is beautiful, isn’t it?” Brightly colored birds took flight for the day. She could see it every day for a hundred years, and Terrenia would still be just as beautiful as it had been the very first day she arrived.
“My view is better.” He grinned down at her, and she smacked his chest lightly.
“Corny.”
“So true though.”
She leaned back against him, grateful for the warmth his body offered to her.
“All those years ago, did you ever think this is where we’d be?”
“In an alternate world?” She laughed. “Can’t say that would have been my guess.”
“Mine either, though, that’s not what I meant. I mean here, together. Sitting on the porch of our home, watching the sunrise.”
Anastasia smiled. “I had hoped.” She turned her face up to his and accepted a sweet kiss. His lips were tender on hers, a gentle caress, and she nearly groaned.
How was it that after two years he could still manage to turn her into a pile of mush with just one kiss?
“Have I told you today that I love you?” he whispered against her mouth.
“Not yet.”
“Well, I do. With everything that I am.”
“I love you, too.” She pressed her lips to his again briefly and then leaned back against him.
Wiping tears from her eyes, Anastasia stepped down past the mental image of him sitting there, arm wrapped around her.
We’ll be here again, she promised herself. Just as soon as she put an end to the Thames threat once and for all.
Vincent fell into step beside her as they made their way toward the village. There were still only a handful of people who could see him, so to the villagers she passed, it looked as though she walked alone.
Lifting a hand in greeting, she greeted the three women and two men tending to the large garden just outside the village’s center. With spring coming soon, they’d planted an abundance of lettuce, potatoes, onions, and other miscellaneous vegetables that would survive in the cooler temperatures.
Luckily, Terrenia didn’t drop below freezing once December passed, so there was no risk to their crops.
She passed the stables, where the horses and other livestock were being fed their breakfasts, before turning the corner and entering the village center. The small marketplace was already bustling, sellers getting ready for a day of trading, and she did her best to avoid conversation as she made her way toward Carmen’s cottage.
Not that she didn’t want to talk to anyone, she just knew where their questions would lead, and talking about when Dakota would return, or how sorry they are about what happened to Shane, was not something she felt like doing this morning.
Or ever.
Her grandmother stepped out onto the porch, coffee and book in hand, then looked up as Anastasia approached. She simply waited and stepped aside, ushering Anastasia and Vincent inside.
“You eat yet?”
Anastasia shook her head, and Carmen walked into her kitchen, pulling a loaf of bread down and slathering it with a healthy helping of fresh butter.
“Eat, honey, you’re looking a little green around the gills.”
“Morning sickness,” Anastasia explained and took a bite of bread. It was still warm, and Anastasia savored every last bite of the homemade yeast bread.
“I was up early this morning and got some baking in. There are cookies, too, if you’re interested.”
Vincent groaned. “I hate being dead sometimes.”
Carmen glanced over, eyebrow raised in amusement. “Only sometimes?”
“Definitely when there’s freshly baked food available.”
“Well, if you were alive, I’d share.”
“Thank you. I suppose it’s the thought that counts,” Vincent responded easily. “I will let Tony know you wish to speak with him.” Vincent disappeared, and Carmen took a seat at her table beside Anastasia.
“Everything okay?”
“I have a plan.”
“Terrenian life core?” When Anastasia didn’t answer, Carmen sighed. “It was your backup plan if the Siren portal didn’t work. I’m assuming it’s your plan now.”
“I think it’s the best way.”
“I wish you were wrong. I wish I could tell you there was another way. But I’ve been looking into everything, and if Thames gets his hands on it first—there will be no stopping him.”
Anastasia nodded. “That’s my fear as well. If I can absorb the power, I can put an end to him once and for all.”
“If it doesn’t kill you first.”
“Let’s hope like hell it doesn’t.”
The door opened, and Tony stepped inside with Elizabeth and Vinny in tow. The little boy smiled at Vincent, who appeared just on the other side of Carmen.
“Dadda!” he said, rushing to Vincent.
The agony on Vincent’s face when the little boy ran straight through him by accident was enough to rip Anastasia’s own heart to shreds.
How sad it must be to not even be able to hold your own child? She ran a hand over her abdomen, thinking of Dakota and how close he was to experiencing the same pain.
No. Can’t think like that.
Vinny took a seat on the floor, playing with a stack of blocks Carmen kept at her house for him. Vincent watched on, and Anastasia forced herself to look away.
“How are you feeling?” Elizabeth asked, giving Anastasia a hug and pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
“Much better now that there’s food in my stomach.”
“When I was pregnant with Dakota, I had to keep saltine crackers by my bed. If I ate one before getting out of bed in the morning, it would ease most of the nausea.”
“I may be popping over to Seattle and grabbing some.”
“Let me know. I’m more than happy to go with you.”
“Will do.”
“So, what’s going on?” Tony asked, taking a seat beside her.
“I think I have a plan.” Anastasia pushed her plate away and turned to face Tony and Elizabeth, who stood behind him, hands on his shoulders.
Tony lifted an eyebrow. “Oh? Let’s hear it.”
Anastasia took a deep breath. “I want to obtain the Terrenian life core.”
If someone dropped a pin, Anastasia was sure you would’ve been able to hear it. Both Tony and Elizabeth simply stared at her as if they expected her to laugh and say ‘just kidding!’.
“I’m sorry, you want to do what?” Elizabeth asked.
“I want to track down the life core.”
“To guard it from Thames?” Tony clarified. “Makes sense.”
“No, not just to guard it. I want to take the power in, use it to defeat Thames and save Dakota.”
Tony got to his feet so quickly
Elizabeth jumped back. “You want to do what?” he roared, causing Vinny to get to his feet and run to Carmen’s side.
After a glaring look from the older woman, Tony quieted his voice. “Please, clarify.”
“If I can take in the power, I will be powerful enough to take out Thames for good.”
“If you can.”
“There are—possible consequences.”
“Like?”
“The power could kill her,” Vincent answered.
“You can’t risk that, Anastasia. There has to be another way,” Elizabeth said.
“There’s not. I already tried to face off with him and look how that ended up. Tony nearly bled to death, and we’re still no closer to getting Dakota back.”
“We can try and find—” Tony started, but Anastasia put her hand up to stop him.
“There is no time. If Thames gets the core before us, it will mean the end—of everything. He will kill Dakota, then come here and wipe us out. You and I both know it, Tony, this is the best way.”
“If it doesn’t kill you first. If you die, do you really think any of us stand a chance?”
She bit back an aggravated sigh. “I am not the only magical being on the face of the planet. If something happens to me, another Sorceress will rise up.”
“So, that’s your logical reasoning? If you die, there will be another?” Tony began to pace. “You are the only Anastasia; there will never be another you. Not to mention the fact that you’re pregnant. What do you think the power will do to the baby?”
“Nothing. This baby is already going to be magical. If I survive the power, this kid will, too.”
Tony shook his head. “This is suicide.”
“Maybe, but it’s the only way to get Dakota back and end this damn war once and for all.” Anastasia got to her feet and crossed her arms. “I’m going whether you come with me or not. I just thought you might want to come along.”
Walking to the door, she pulled it open and stepped outside without another word.
13
Pickrie
Plews
There was nothing in any world Plews could compare to the sweet, yet tangy, flavor of the nectar on his home world.
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