by Karen DuBose
Copyright
Black Ruins Falls is a work of fiction. All names, characters, locations, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
BLACK RUINS FALLS: A NOVEL
Copyright © 2019 by Karen DuBose
All rights reserved.
Editing by KP Editing
Cover design by KP Designs
Published by Kingston Publishing Company
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Table of Contents
Copyright
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Glossary
About the Author
Chapter One
It has been three days since Oceana left us here on this mountain to find help. I have been trying so hard to stay awake like she wants me to. My eyes are starting to have a mind of their own. Tell you the truth, I don’t know how much longer I am going to last. We have tried everything to keep me awake. Walking, fighting, talking, standing, and even swimming. All it does is make me want to sleep even more. I sure hope she gets back soon. I really don’t plan on dying in my sleep. I have too many people counting on me to do that. I won’t fail them like I have the others. I would never let myself live it down-- dead or alive.
I’ve been talking to the pack to make sure things are quiet for them. Bruno is getting restless and wants to start looking for the clues. I know how he feels, I want the same thing. I want to be back with my pack. I hate that they are going to be in danger looking for the Dragon Stone while I sit here waiting for the Source knows how long. I know I am protecting them by putting a cover over them so the Elders don’t find them. It still isn’t the same as being with them. The only way I can do that is by being around water. It keeps me hidden and protected from the hags. Unfortunately, they still have my lifecycle stone. With it, they can track me down or worse kill me. With the Dragon Stone, I can kill those hags and take back my lifecycle stone once and for all.
Kiernan startles me when he touches my shoulder. I was so lost in thought I forgot he was here. “Love, you are doing the best thing for all of us. You know if you don’t do this there will be death for a lot of people, not just us. Let’s talk about something else.”
Looking over at him, I give him a small smile. The last few days we have gotten closer with our bond. We could read each other without even asking what we were thinking about. It’s kind of handy, especially when I didn’t want to talk.
I sit down with him by the water and lay my head on his shoulder. “What would you like to talk about babe?”
“Tell me more about you and your childhood.”
“There isn’t much I haven’t told you already. You know I love to eat. My favorite color is teal. I used to love to sing and dance. There really isn’t anything you don’t know. I kept to myself. The only reason I ever went out was because of Kira.”
“Didn’t you guys get into mischief while you were out? Tell me about that.”
“Kira was the one who got into mischief, I just tagged along because I didn’t have a choice. I remember this one time where she thought it was a cool idea to go to this party at one of the jocks houses from school. I told her it was a bad idea. She insisted it would be fun. So, we went. Once we got there, they said she could go in, but they wouldn’t allow me to go in. Something about not letting freaks in or something like that. I can’t remember what was said. I’ve never seen her so mad before. She walked right up to the jock and kicked him so hard in his goods, I swear I heard a crunch. After that, he never even glanced our way again. If he was headed in our direction, he would turn the other way and high tail it away from us. I don’t even remember his name, nor do I care. Then there was the time she said it would be fun to go to the lake with some other classmates. It was fun until I ended up having a vision while I was swimming. If it wasn’t for some random guy grabbing me before I drowned, I wouldn’t be here. For months he would try to get me to go out with him. He finally gave up after I told him my answer will always be no and to quit asking me or I was going to a witch to make his manhood disappear.”
“I can say I am very thankful for Kira. If I was there that jock wouldn’t be here today. The guy saving your life and asking you out, I think if you would have said yes to date him, that would have made me get over my fear of rejection and persuaded you I was a better match then he was. What I don’t understand is why would you go if you didn’t want to go?”
“I went because it made Kira happy. I could endure it for her.”
“You are the most selfless person I know. I would have never been able to do that.”
“You would if you loved someone enough to make them happy. Even if you were not happy yourself.”
I lose myself in my thoughts for a few minutes. Thinking back to a simpler time. When he spoke again, I about came out of my skin. My eyes flying open. When did they even close?
“You’re right, I would do anything to make you happy. Are you alright, love?”
I hold on to my chest to get my heart to slow down. How could I not have known I closed my eyes?
“We need to do something, anything. I closed my eyes not even knowing it. This is getting harder and harder. I can’t stay awake much longer. I’m scared I will fail and all will be lost.”
He stands and reaching for my hand to help me up. “Ok, let’s go for a walk then. We can talk and walk.”
My body protest to standing. All it wants to do is sleep for a year. “Where is mom and Isobel? I need them to use another spell on me to keep me awake. I will probably sleepwalk at this point.”
“They were gathering stuff to do a spell the last time I saw them.”
“We might as well go find them. At this point, anything I do will just make me fall asleep. I don’t know how much more of this I can take. I can feel my body shutting down.”
We both jump into the water. It wakes me up a little bit, but the more of the waters warmth seeping into me the heavier my eyelids get. Ducking under the waterfall, I slowly swim to the shore. I drag myself out of the water and lay on the shore trying to get some energy back. My eyes close on their own accord again and there is nothing I can do about it.
I felt Kiernan’s hand lightly slap my cheeks. The first time he did that, I punched him in the chest out of reflexes. “Nope, open those be
autiful eyes, love. Let’s go find your mom.”
Trying my hardest to open my eyes again, I felt him lift me up to my feet. Once I got my eyes open, the first thing I see is a worried mate. I didn’t blame him. I don’t know if I can last much longer. Swaying on my feet, I try to take a step forward. At least I thought I did. The ground is coming extremely close to my face. Strong arms wrap around me before my face met the ground and became my best bud.
“Love, have you tried getting a hold of Oceana?”
“Yes…. I…. have,” I slur.
I felt his anger through our bond. “Damn it! Let’s go see if your mom and Isobel can help.”
As he pulls me into his arms, I feel this underlying energy that is trying to tell me something. I was not about to listen to it. The last time I listened to some strange pull I died.
Kira’s voice broke through the fog in my mind. “You know if she doesn’t get there soon, I’m going to hurt her myself. I can hear everything you are thinking. That tells me just how exhausted you are. She needs to get her ass there now!”
With the exhaustion, all I could do is laugh. There was nothing funny about what she said, I knew that. My mind is starting to lose it and is trying to shut down. I’m laughing so hard, I have tears in my eyes.
“Baby, do you care to share what you find so funny?”
“Kira is… pissed because… Oceana isn’t here… yet. She says all… my thoughts are being… heard,” I say still laughing.
“And you think that is funny?”
“No… I… don’t. I think I… finally lost it.” I try to get my laughing under control. At least it woke me up a little bit more. There was no other explanation for my behavior. All I want to do is sleep. I can feel its claws trying to drag me down into the darkness.
“Eimear, can you and Isobel do another spell on her? She can’t keep her eyes open anymore and I think her mind is playing tricks on her. She said Kira told her… her thoughts are leaking through. I haven’t heard any of her thoughts at all.”
Mom’s pissed off response wasn’t a shock to me. It’s not the first time she has responded this way. “This is getting out of hand. Oceana should have been here by now. What is taking her so long?”
“I don’t know. I don’t have the link her and Dariya have. I can’t ask her. I will ask Pim or Jax to see if they can get in touch with her. I just hope she gets here in time.”
Hearing my mom sigh brought me back to somewhat reality. Turning my head to see her, there were more worry lines on her face since yesterday. I wish I could tell them all it would be ok, but I don’t know if it will be or not.
“Lay her down. We can’t keep doing this to her. Soon her mind will go completely. She needs to rest to recover from dying. This is taking too much out of her. I am worried about Runes as well. This can’t be healthy for her either.”
Hearing my daughter’s name brought more clarity to my mind. I need to survive for her. I will not let evil win. Not now, not ever. I sit up on my elbows to look at my mom and Kiernan. The world starts to spin out of control and I almost lost my contents. I close my eyes to make it stop.
“I will survive this. Give me some faith. Yes, I am pretty much losing it, but I’m still here. I will do my best to stay awake. I will need all of you to help me with that. Okay?”
“Love, we never gave up faith in you. Your body and mind can only take so much before it takes care of itself. We are here to help you in any way we can.”
My mom’s voice is laced with worry and anger when she speaks to me. “Sweet girl, we have never doubted you at all. We know you will do everything in your power to do what needs to be done. Your body, on the other hand, will do what it needs to do as well.”
“Can you please just do the spell. I will try again to reach out to Oceana.”
There was no more talking. I couldn’t keep talking like that if I tried. Isobel came over to my other side. I didn’t dare close my eyes. I knew what would happen. They both placed their hands on me. Mom had her hands on my head and right arm, while Isobel had her hands on my chest and left arm. They began to chant in a language I didn’t know yet. The magic that wraps around me is like a warm blanket. I feel my eyes close to embrace the magic. The jolt of energy made me sit up so fast I got dizzy. This wasn’t the first time they have done this for me. Hopefully, this will last a day or so help me I will not survive.
Mom takes my hand into hers and squeezes it. “How are you feeling?”
“Like I can run for days. Thank you, mom. I know this isn’t what you planned for my lifecycle. You raised a very stubborn, strong-willed woman. I’m sorry for all of this.”
“Stop right there. You didn’t drag me into this. Fate brought us all into this and we will come out of this stronger. I didn’t raise a strong-willed woman for nothing. You take after me. Now go see if you can get a hold of Oceana. This needs to end so you can rest.”
She kisses the top of my head before she stands up. I cross my legs to get comfortable. I sat there and opened my mind to search for Oceana’s link. Once I found it, I tug on it. Letting her know I need to talk to her. She has a shield over her mind that I can’t get through. While I wait for her to answer I reach out to Kira.
“Did you just talk to me a few minutes ago or am I losing my mind?”
“No, I haven’t talked to you since this morning. Are you ok?”
“I had to have mom and Isobel do another spell on me. I won’t last much longer.”
Her anger shoots through our bond. “What the hell is taking her so long? She knows you wouldn’t be able to last long.”
“She has a shield up blocking me, I can’t get a hold of her, no matter how hard I try. At least I know she is still alive.”
“She won’t be if she doesn’t hurry the hell up. You and Runes don’t need to go through this. Have you asked Jax or Pim to try yet?”
“I think Kiernan is doing that now. I swear, he has aged since yesterday. The worry is drowning me over here. Between him, mom, and Isobel, I can barely breathe. I know it has everyone worried. Hell, I’m worried, but it doesn’t change anything. I love the fact I have so many shifters to care and love me.” I need something else to talk about or I’m going to lose it. “Okay, enough depressing crap. What have you guys been doing?”
“Well, Bruno is on the verge of saying the hell with it and going to look for the first clue. The only reason he hasn’t is because I have threatened him several times with bodily harm. Rome is being his broody self. Cicero has been a little on edge. I haven’t seen this side of him. It kind of worries me. Knox has been keeping the peace around here. Yes, there has been some fights nothing too serious though. Aidian and Desean have been trying not to shift since you left. Brody, Taz, and Errol have been planning our next move. The safest places to stay and all that. Almus is being his normal self. Even though I can see his restlessness underneath. Jax and Pim left the second day we were here. I have no idea where they went. Bruno says they are safe and are keeping in touch.”
My anger and worry flares inside me with her words. “What the hell are those two up to? Hold on!”
They are going to get themselves killed going out like this. What the hell is wrong with them. I search for their bonds and yank on their links so hard I knew they felt the pain I intended. I felt them both flinch.
“You better have a great reason as to why you are not with the others,” I seethed
“If you wanted our attention so bad you could have just talked to us. You didn’t have to almost yank our brains out of our heads,” Pim says
If they think that was bad, I could do more harm to them. “Oh, there will be worse than that once I see you. You promised me you would stay together and stay safe. This is not being either. Where the hell are you?”
“Scouting,” Jax simply says
“Scouting! Is that all you are going to give me? Because I am about to leave this mountain to find you if you don’t give me a good enough reason why you would break a promise!”
“Don’t worry so much Dariya. Pim has us cloaked. We need to know what is going on in Zilo. We do not want any more surprises. We need to make sure all the districts are still standing and who is on what side or if there is anything suspicious going on,” Jax says
Damn him. He knew I would want to know that. They didn’t need to risk everything to get those answers though. I’m still going to kick their asses when I see them.
“Fine, but you better be careful. I want an update when you have one. Don’t make me come after you two for not being careful.”
“We promise to be extra careful. We will keep you updated as well. Stay safe,” Pim says
I swear those two are going to be the death of me. I know why they are doing it. I just wish I was there instead. They all have risked enough as it is.
Kira pops back into my head. “Are you done yelling at them?”
“Yes and no. I understand why they are out there. It doesn’t make me feel any better about it though.”
“They are grown men who will do whatever they think will keep everyone safe. If Bruno wasn’t my mate, he would be out there with them.”
“Yeah, I know. It still doesn’t make me feel any better. I will talk to you later. I am going to try to get a hold of Oceana again.”
“Okay, be safe. Love you sister.”
“Love you too. Be safe as well.”
I try again to get ahold of Oceana one more time. There is just silence coming back to me, which is making me worry about her.
Chapter Two
Oceana
This is the tenth time Dariya has tried to get a hold of me. I can’t tell her I am failing to find my other sister. I know she doesn’t have much time left. Gracen and I have tried connecting with Naya but we can’t find her. There is nothing there, not even a faint hint of her. I sure hope she is okay. Bexley won’t even try to help us. I know if she would we would find her.
I finally have had enough. Facing her I put my hand on my hip and let my anger wash over her. “Bexley, this isn’t about you or Naya. We need your help finding her. A lot of people need you to get your panties out of your ass and help.”
