by Ravyn Fyre
Deciding to save my energy and the water left in my body, I approached the mattress with reluctance and nudged it with my foot. I prepped myself to jump back at the first sign of any kind of life, be it critter or bug, as the room started to spin around me. When nothing made its presence known, I plopped myself down and instantly regretted it. I forgot about the things you couldn’t see with the naked eye. I was coughing uncontrollably when a puff of yellow spores filtered up from below me. I scrambled off the mattress, knowing all too well it might be too late.
When my eyes started to close in irritation, and I felt a tickle in the back of my throat, I stuck my finger in my mouth until I gagged. Aware my very life might depend on it. I wanted to purge myself of the fungus already working its way inside me and prayed I wasn’t too late. As my body expelled everything it was capable of, I waited patiently to see if I was overreacting. When nothing happened, I laughed nervously and backed myself into a corner, trying to stop myself from hyperventilating. Monitoring my body for anything abnormal, I eyed the bed with disdain. There was no way I was sleeping on that thing!
Besides feeling a bit faint from lack of water and my mouth tasting like the exactlies, Where you mouth tastes exactly like shit. I think I’m okay. Talk about torture. Damn, what I wouldn’t give for some water. Maybe it was because I didn’t know when my next drink was coming, but the more I thought about water, the thirstier I felt. Once my mind latched on to the idea that I would die of thirst, I could barely focus on anything else. I convinced myself I was losing it when I started hearing water dripping. Slamming my head back against the wall to stop the hallucinations, I cringed when I connected with the unforgiving black stone behind me. Cradling my head, I prodded the sore spot and sucked in a sharp breath when I encountered a golf ball-sized lump already forming. When my fingers came away wet, I expected to see red. Imagine my surprise when they were clear.
The sound of the water intensified. I glanced up at the ceiling, expecting to see drips forming above my head, only to find it dry. Pulling away from the wall, I looked over my shoulder and scowled at how dry it looked. Spinning around on my knees, I patted the wall like a maniac searching for any sign of moisture, only to come away empty. Muttering to myself, I dropped my head and probed the knot gingerly, “I’m not going crazy. This is a test. There is no water dripping. I’m hot. My head was merely wet from sweat. No need to give in to the insanity of this situation . . . Gah! I can’t believe he left me here with nothing to drink!” Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath and blew it out forcefully. After a few more breathes in and out through my nose, I pushed myself to my feet and murmured, “The human body can go seven days before dying of thirst . . . I need to quit being a fucking baby, act like the queen I want to be, and start thinking of a way out of here!”
Grappling with the necklace, blocking me from my gift, I felt for some kind of button to turn it off. About to give up, I used my fingernail in place of my finger and almost squealed out loud when I detected three tiny buttons. I took a gamble and tried the first one. It didn’t seem to press in, so I pushed it to the side with my fingernail and yelped when it delivered a shock strong enough to zap my fingers away. Sucking the wounded appendages into my mouth, I switched hands and tried my luck with the second button. Trying not to tense up, I closed my eyes before taking my fingers out of my mouth and made a fist. When I felt like my heart wasn’t going to climb out of my chest, I opened my eyes. I was having trouble convincing myself a little bit of pain would be worth it even if said pain granted me access to my gift. Scrunching up my face with my finger hovering over the second button, I started counting down from three. As the word one was forming on my lips, a large drop of liquid hit my nose with enough momentum and volume that it splashed into my eyes. Not sure what was happening, I must have jumped five feet into the air.
Scrambling to put my back against the wall so whatever I faced would be head-on, I scrubbed my face frantically to clear my eyes. My gaze flew around the room with apprehension. I gasped when I spotted a drop of liquid collecting at the center of the room on the ceiling. It looked like an ever-expanding see-through balloon, capable of bursting at any moment. I laughed out loud at my luck. With no guarantee it wasn’t teeming with microscopic bugs, I might have pounced on the chance to slake my thirst. I was thirsty but not thirsty enough to risk it . . . yet. Yet being the operative word. If they left me down here much longer, I might not have a choice. The water balloon was gaining size rapidly and soon had me wondering if drowning would be the cause of my death rather than dehydration. Oh, the irony. I sure hoped my mind wasn’t playing tricks on me. Unable to resist getting a closer look, I approached the expanding liquid, hissing under my breath, “This better not be what they expect me to drink and bathe in!”
The water or liquid looked pristine and clear and was oh-so tempting looking. Studying it from every angle, I noticed I couldn’t see my reflection. Wondering if it was a play on the light, I stepped closer and just as I was about to touch the surface when Levi’s face appeared in the water like an apparition before he spoke, “Greetings dear one! I’ve come to save the day!”
Back peddling in surprise, I lost my footing and landed on my ass. Mouth wide open in shock, I swore I would never look at water the same way, as the liquid detached itself from the ceiling and morphed into the figure of a seven-foot giant before it touched the ground. At a loss for words, I watched in fascination as his body solidified into the man/creature Kalen had called forth the morning I went back in time. My brain practically tripped over itself as the magnitude of his presence caught up with me. How the hell did he know me? Realizing I was still staring, I closed my gaping mouth and looked away. Hating how inferior and small I felt, practically cowering on the floor, I pushed myself up off the floor. Taking a moment to gather my wits, I brushed myself off before I faced him, lifted my chin, and asked him flat out, “Save the day? How did you know I would be here? In fact, how do you know me at all? I went back in time, which means in the grand scheme of things, technically speaking, of course, you shouldn’t be here yet or at all, for that matter, if I do my job right. I must be going insane!” The walls almost felt like they were closing in on me as I set about pacing from one side of the room to the other while waiting for his reply.
“Lass, you’re not going insane. I have the gift of true sight,” Levi offered, running his fingers through his hair. He looked uncomfortable with my distress and acted like his statement should answer all of my questions. Holding his arms up in placation, when he noticed my continued confusion, he added, “Time doesn’t work the same on my species when we are actively using our true sight ability. I was in the middle of interrogating Selene when I felt you go back in time. As I watched everything rewind around me, I decided to stick around and find out what you were up to. Which it’s a good thing I did. I’d bet my immortality you didn’t anticipate you’d end up here.” Sweeping his arms out dramatically as he made his point. When I giggled in response to his theatrics, he gave me a small smile and added, “Although I’d like nothing more than to find out what you hoped to accomplish with your unplanned time-travel, something tells me we should take this conversation somewhere else. Unless, of course, you’d like to wait for Kalen. I can feel him approaching, so we wouldn’t have to wait long.”
I froze at the mention of Kalen’s name. I wanted to see him with every fiber of my being, but unless I intended to confess and give up any hope of being involved in solving this mystery, it would be best to leave before he returned. Levi must have noticed my apprehension and assumed it meant I was scared to face Kalen when he spoke up next, “You have no reason to be afraid of your mate. He’ll never truly hurt you, no matter how much you anger him. Say the word, and I’ll hide and let you two work it out.” Levi finished moving into the corner. He cocked his head to the side as a door squeaked on its hinges in the distance. Raising an eyebrow, he opened his hand in invitation before he whispered, “The decision is yours. I’ll still be around until I fulfil
l my assignment if you change your mind later. The doppelganger is a danger to everyone, and I won’t stop until I uncover who hired it.”
Knowing if I waited around until Kalen showed up, I’d lose my nerve to defy him. I sighed with longing before I made my way over to Levi. Stopping just short of his outstretched hand, I said, “You have it all wrong. I know Kalen would never purposefully hurt me. That’s not the problem here. No, what I fear is the exact opposite. I’m afraid of his love. Once he finds out my life is in danger, he’ll remove me from the fight even if he needs my powers. Our bond will blind him to the possibilities. He’ll think he’s protecting me from danger, but I know without me, he will fail. I’m selfish. I can’t imagine a world without him now that I know of him. I’m willing to make this small sacrifice because, in the end, all this pain and heartache will go away. But man, do I crave the comfort his arms promise me. My heart and soul long for the connection our bond provides, but my mind knows that if I give into that desire and become complacent, lives are at stake. There will be time for Kalen and me to work things out at a later date. For now, he needs to stay in the dark.”
Reaching out to grab Levi’s hand, I glanced behind me with longing. The second our hands collided, I saw Kalen flash into the room. The look of surprise on his face was one thing, but when his gaze dropped to our clasped hands, my heart wept at the look of betrayal written all over his face. Trying to yank myself free of Levi’s grip, I screamed in frustration when he pulled me close and wrapped himself around me. Blackness threatened to swallow me whole, but not before I felt Kalen wrap his arms around my middle and whisper in my ear, “Going somewhere, Jade?”
Chapter Twenty-One
Sandwiched between two men might be somebody's fantasy come to life, but I felt like taffy stretched between the two. I wasn’t sure what Kalen or Levi were trying to accomplish, but each time we materialized somewhere different, they took turns pulling me back through the ether again. Like it was some kind of race, they hoped to be the victor, but considering we were touching each other, no one was in the lead. When we finally stopped, I felt like we had been at it for hours. Sick to my stomach and less than two seconds away from losing my guts, I shoved out with my arms and pushed out my ass. I was trying to give myself room to hurl. Taking deep breaths to calm my tumultuous tummy, I rested my hands on my knees and tried to focus on breathing. All while attempting to ignore the male posturing going on behind me. Once the nausea passed, I wiped the sweat from my forehead and stood up. Turning to face the music, I wished to fade into the background at the tormented look on Kalen’s face.
“I should kill you for daring to steal my mate away from me, but something tells me Jade’s just as much at fault as you are! You have five seconds to explain yourself before I squash you like caviar!” Kalen growled, sending shivers of awareness down my spine.
I wasn’t sure if I was ready to explain myself or my actions to him, but it didn’t look like I would have a choice. Especially when my would-be rescuer betrayed me with his next comment, “Considering you know less than I do Kalen, I’m going to ignore your last comment. Although when this is all over, if you would like to try and squash me, I would be up for the challenge. I haven’t had a good spar in ages. As for an explanation, we’ll need to ask your mate. You showed up before I got around to asking her what she hoped to accomplish by going back in time.”
Caught like a bug in a spiderweb, I froze as both men turned their attention to me. My gaze bounced between their scowls, and for a brief moment in time, I considered dropping to the floor and faking some ailment or another so I could prolong the inevitable. When neither of them gave me any indication they would be lenient, I looked down in defeat, sighed, and said, “I doubt either of you will understand, but I’d hoped to uncover who was trying to kill me and sabotage your throne. It seems fate had something else in mind.”
“You’re damn right. I don’t understand! How could I possibly begin to understand why my mate would choose to erase our mating bond!” Kalen roared.
With a gasp, my head whipped up to meet his gaze before I whispered, “I didn’t erase it. It’s still active on my side.”
“How convenient for you,” He growled. Pulling at his hair, he began to pace before adding, “You made me think I was losing my mind! Not to mention making me look like a fool in front of my people! What were you thinking!”
“Well, obviously, I thought I could save the day and prove I was worthy of being your queen!”
“Sometimes I forget how young you are.” Shaking his head slowly, he pulled up short and turned to face me. “You speak of fate, but you know nothing of it! You had nothing to prove! Fate said you were mine! In fact, by going back, you basically told fate to fuck off! Tell me, where does that leave us?”
“What do you mean, ‘where does that leave us?’ There is no way you know the definition of fate if you have to ask me that question! Hypocrite much! Gah! Fate to me and the rest of the universe means we are destined! Regardless of how we get there! It means you and I belong to one another! My decision to use my gift doesn’t change our fate; it just prolonged when we’d be together. Your decision to be an asshole before you have all the facts is another matter!”
“How dare you try and turn this around on me! I don’t know all the facts because you high tailed it out of here! Leaving me feeling like I wasn’t worthy or strong enough to protect you.”
“Well, how do you think I felt when you proclaimed at the first sign of conflict that I should be ushered away to a safe room, hidden away like some damsel in distress. I am a powerful Sixer! When are you going to consider me an asset instead of a liability?” I screamed in frustration.
“You’re not a liability!” Kalen countered with a roar. Cringing in remorse at his proclamation only made me feel worse. If I could do it all over, I’d start with an apology. I watched him war with himself as he tried to control his emotions and wished once again, I had never gone back in time. Breathing in deep, he let out a large sigh before he added in a defeated tone, “You are irreplaceable to me.”
Without warning, he flashed away before I could respond. I wasn’t sure how he thought it would be ok to just up and leave in the middle of our fight. Our eternity wouldn’t be bliss if this was how he handled all of our disagreements! My growl of frustration turned to a squeak when I felt his presence behind me just milliseconds before his arm snaked around my waist. He pulled me into his chest roughly, moving my hair to the side with his other hand. Trailing soft kisses up my neck that sent shivers to every nerve ending in my body. The act lulled me into complacency as he nibbled on my ear seductively.
When I relaxed into his embrace, reveling in the connection, he whispered, “I should be considerate and allow you to tell me in your own time, but I’m having a hard time controlling my basic instincts. Especially since it seems your little stunt wasn’t in your or my best interests.”
Before I could answer, he sunk his fangs into my flesh and took a large pull. I couldn’t help the gasp that turned into a moan at the erotic sensations his bite brought me. His answering groan was a balm to my insecurities. It told me I wasn’t alone. My eyes fluttered closed in ecstasy as ripples of pleasure coursed through my body. A part of me knew I should be worried as he continued to drink. Not because I feared he would harm me. No, my soul knew he’d rather die than kill me. I was worried he’d never forgive me. I knew he wouldn’t be happy with my decisions, but I could only hope he’d take my intentions and true devotion into consideration before he passed judgment. My heart was in the right place when I went back. That had to account for something.
As I felt myself slipping away into the darkness, I found myself letting go of my previous worries when Kalen’s acceptance and forgiveness pulsed through our bond. The warmth radiating throughout my body gave me a false sense of protection, even as black spots dotted my vision. Using the last of my strength, I raised my hand slowly so I could caress his face. When he leaned into my touch, I barred my neck further in
submission. Letting him know how much I trusted him. Levi’s voice broke through my high, “I’m sure by now you’ve seen all you need to know, Kalen. Knocking her unconscious will only complicate matters between the two of you, and I don’t want to have to step in. ‘Cause, although I’ve known you longer, the lass deserves my loyalty.”
In my languid state, I didn’t feel Kalen retract his fangs. I only realized he was cradling me in his arms when he maneuvered my mouth to a trickle of blood coming from a nick he had made for me in his neck. He didn’t answer Levi until he felt me latch on, but I could feel his barely contained rage the moment I swallowed my first mouthful of his essence. As flashes of our interactions assaulted my mind, I wanted to cry out with empathy. Witnessing the battle, his soul and brain engaged in each time we were near each other added another fracture to the already shaky foundation we had.
After watching his take on our interactions, it was easier to believe we could overcome anything in our path. Observing our bond from his perspective gave me hope. I watched our lives in the reflection of our could-be’s and found myself wishing I could lose myself to the possibility of the us he envisioned. It felt like every time I blinked, we shared a different scenario, with a different outcome. At times the onslaught felt overwhelming, but a part of me knew it was the least I could do to atone for my decisions to leave him behind.
“Why are you still here? Jade and I have unfinished business,” Kalen answered with a snarl breaking through the haze I found myself under as I watched our interactions through his eyes.
“I have no doubt that’s true, but I’m here because you hired me, and I won’t stop until I’ve fulfilled that duty. Plus, I just so happen to like your mate. Which brings me to the point that your little reunion will have to wait until we eliminate the threat against Jade.”
