by Elena Gray
My uncle bent and pressed a kiss to my forehead. I still couldn’t believe that his father was Hades and that one day soon I would meet him. I gave him one last squeeze before he walked off to say goodbye to my guardians and Nicholai.
I hated that we had to wait even a minute longer to rescue Slade, but it was better than going in there unprepared and getting captured or killed. I wouldn’t let my impatience jeopardize anyone else’s life.
While everyone was finalizing the details, I curled up in the chair my uncle had vacated. I needed to let Slade know we were coming. I bit my lip as I attempted to contain my excitement. This time tomorrow, my soul would be complete. I would finally be able to hold Slade in my arms.
Slade?
I pressed my fist to my lips as I waited to hear his voice. What if they were torturing him, right now? What if he accidentally opened the connection and I heard and felt everything they were doing to him? The pain to myself I could handle. The pain inflicted on him would be my undoing.
Why wasn’t he answering? I tuned in to our bond, searching for any sign that something could be wrong. I knew it was pointless to look. He would never allow me to know when he was hurt. Even while weak and in pain, he still tried to protect me and yet he had no idea that he was my guardian.
Anxiety sank its claws into me. My chest felt so tight that I could barely suck in a breath. What would he do when he found out I’d lied to him? He thought I was one of the ancestors helping Samara and that I was his guardian angel. I hoped he’d understand why I couldn’t tell him about Samara.
Katarina?
Some of the tension in my chest eased at the sound of his voice. But the fear of not gaining his forgiveness still gripped me.
I have good news. We think we know where you are.
I waited for Slade to respond. Great. My emotions were such a wreck, I couldn’t hold onto the connection. I hoped he at least heard me say we were coming.
Katarina, how can you be sure?
I closed my eyes, thankful that he was still with me. I just needed to keep the connection open long enough for him to answer my question.
Are there shifters there? Or just Rose and Natasha?
If there were shifters, then that would be all of the confirmation we needed. Not that it mattered. We were going regardless, but Zander deserved to know if some of his people had been captured.
Yes. But I don’t know how many are left. I think they might be killing them.
His voice sounded so despondent. I couldn’t imagine how helpless he must feel to be a guardian and not be able to help the other prisoners. If they were killing the shifters, that would explain the trapped souls. It also meant they weren’t above killing their prisoners. So we only had one shot at getting them all out alive.
Everyone will be there at dusk tomorrow.
Katarina, please tell my brothers to be careful.
There was silence again. I could tell through our bond that he was in pain, but it wasn’t physical. He finally spoke and his voice was softer than before.
I don’t know if this will be the last time that I’ll be able to talk to you. Once I’m out of here, Samara won’t need you to communicate with me anymore. I just want to say thank you for giving me hope and erasing the darkness around my soul.
My vision blurred as tears flooded my eyes. He thought we would never see each other again, that I was a spirit here on a temporary assignment. And I could say nothing to ease his sorrow. I needed to break the connection before I told him the truth.
Umm...I have to go consult with Samara and your brothers to help them prepare for tomorrow. Good luck, Slade.
Severing the connection, I didn’t even wait for his response. Quinn glanced at me over Roark’s shoulder and I quickly swiped the tears off my cheeks.
He strode over to me and knelt in front of my chair. “What’s wrong? Are you worried about tomorrow?”
I shook my head and glanced at my hands clutched in my lap. “Not in the way you think. I’m worried that once Slade finds out I deceived him about Samara dying, that he won’t forgive me.”
Quinn tipped my chin up until my gaze met his. “Slade is the most level-headed of all of us. I promise you, he will forgive you. You are the core of our bond. You are the one who brought him back to us when we thought he was dead. You have nothing to worry about, love.”
His endearment had the tears flowing again. Would the rest of my life be like riding an emotional rollercoaster? Quinn and I needed to fix whatever happened between us, now.
“What happened last night, Quinn? We’re putting our lives at risk tomorrow, and I can’t have this rift between us. We need our bond to be secure.”
Quinn closed his eyes and sighed. When he opened them, my heart pinched at the sorrow in his gaze. “Katarina, everything between us is fine. My feelings for you haven’t changed. It’s just that you have this connection with all of my brothers…”
Now it was my turn to cup his cheek. “And you think that I don’t have a connection with you?”
He didn’t need to respond. The doubt rushing through our bond confirmed it. I pushed back at his doubt with love and desire as my hands slid down his biceps. Leaning in, I pressed my lips to his. His muscles tensed under my fingers. Then he shifted, his hand fisting in my hair as his tongue slipped past my lips.
Fire licked at my core when he deepened the kiss. I knew we were in a roomful of people and I didn’t give two shits. All that mattered was Quinn and what his tongue was doing to my mouth.
When he finally pulled away, both of our chests were heaving. My entire body blazed with heat and was drenched in sweat.
“Wow.” Was the only word that my mouth seemed to form. If I tried to stand up now, I don’t think my legs could support me and that was from just a kiss.
Flames danced in Quinn’s eyes, then they dimmed back to amber. I clutched his shirt as he pressed his forehead to mine.
“What were you saying about a connection?” I asked. “I think we nearly burned down the house.”
Quinn pulled back and glanced around the room. I followed his gaze and realized everyone else had left. Oops.
“Well, I guess we’re lucky your grandmother was right,” he said. “You’re the only match for my fire.”
Chapter 15
~Jax~
I curled my hands around the sais at my sides and glanced toward Roark and Quinn. Both had their weapons drawn as the three of us surrounded Kat. Samara and Draven flanked us, while Nicholai and Mathias remained in the front. An army of shades was on standby. All it would take was one snap of Mathias’s fingers and they’d teleport from the underworld, ready for battle.
We hid within a thicket of briars and weeds, staring at nothing but trees. Slade was somewhere on the other side. It was like a secret passage hidden between two realms and no one but us knew it even existed.
Mathias had assured us that he could get the protective barrier down without alerting whoever was inside. I had no idea how he could do this, but he was a god and all that mattered was that he could.
As soon as he gave us the word, we’d sneak onto the property and search for Slade and the others. While I wanted to believe we would find them tonight, part of me worried this was a dead end. The longer we waited, the more anxious I became.
“What do you think, boss?” Nicholai asked as he glanced at Mathias.
“Dark magic is protecting this place, but it’s nothing I can’t handle.”
Nicholai looked at my brothers and me, then back to Mathias. “We’re waiting on your command.”
“Okay. Give me a moment to take down the—”
A silver mist formed beside Mathias, taking on the shape of man. When I realized we were standing in the presence of the god of the underworld, I wrapped one arm around Kat’s waist.
She didn’t question my motives, but instead, leaned into my embrace.
“Dad?” Mathias questioned. “What do you want? I’m right in the middle of something.”
Hades held his hand up to signal his son to quit speaking. “You are needed at home. I request an audience with you immediately.”
“But—” Mathias tried to argue with his father to no avail.
“This cannot wait.” The curt tone in Hades’s voice caused Kat to tremble. Roark noticed too and pressed closer to her.
When Hades’s form evaporated into the same silver mist he’d appeared in, Mathias looked our way. “Sorry, but he wouldn’t request my presence if it wasn’t something urgent. This won’t take long.”
“What should would do in the meantime?” Quinn asked.
“Stay here. Don’t do anything until I get back,” Mathias ordered.
Kat snuggled closer to Roark and me. The anxiety in the bond we shared had her soul wound tight. She was a ball of frustration ready to explode. I knew she wanted to find Slade as much as my brothers and me, but her reasons differed from ours. She and Slade shared a connection too, and in time, he would give in to his desire for her, just like I had.
Though I wasn’t sure if she and Quinn had been intimate yet, everything in my gut said she and Roark had completed their bond. I didn’t sense the hostility and frustration my brother had been carrying with him since Kat had come into our lives. Even the way he looked at her was different.
I wasn’t jealous over what they may have shared. If anything, it relieved me. It meant Kat was one step closer to happiness. She deserved as much, and I was determined to give her everything she needed.
A long, exasperated sigh left her mouth. “I don’t know about this.”
“What?” I asked.
She leaned her head back long enough to look at me, then she glanced at where the hidden realm was supposed to be. “I don’t know if we should wait for my uncle. We have no idea how long he could be gone.”
“What other choice do we have, lass?” Roark asked as he clasped her hand.
She broke free of both of us, then fell into Quinn, whose back was turned. Flames rose in his palms as he spun toward us.
“What’s going on?”
“Something’s not right,” Kat answered, shaking her head. Her brow was scrunched with worry. “We can’t wait for my uncle.”
Quinn observed Roark and me once again, then Katarina. “Is something wrong with Slade?”
Kat nodded, her lip tugged between her teeth. “It’s our bond… It’s stronger here. I feel his pain. It’s not the same as what it’s been in the past. It’s more of a sick feeling you get when you’re worried about something or someone.”
Samara drifted toward Kat. “Is it Rose and Natasha?”
“Possibly. I don’t know for sure.” Kat rubbed her arms through her jacket and focused on where she thought Slade would be. She opened her mouth, like she was about to say something else, but gasped a second later. “The link between us is active. I can hear him.”
“What’s he saying?” I asked.
She held up her finger for me to wait and closed her eyes. “He’s definitely here, and so are Rose and Natasha.”
Samara’s eyes widened. “Are they okay? Where exactly are they?”
“He thinks they’re below ground, possibly a basement. He said it reminds him of an old dungeon with cells.”
“Oh my goddess,” Samara cried.
“Slade, we’re outside the ward,” Kat whispered the words. “We’re coming for you. Please, tell Rose and Natasha to hold on.”
Samara wrung her hands together. “What do you mean, hold on. What’s wrong?”
When Kat opened her eyes again, they were full of tears. “Slade says whoever has them is draining their powers. He said Rose and Natasha aren’t strong enough to go through it again. Rose is weak and he has no idea about Natasha. They keep talking to her, but she hasn’t been answering.”
“We have to do something.” Samara glanced at Nicholai. “Please, will you try to take down the ward?”
Nicholai winced. “I can’t go against my boss’s orders, and even if I could, I don’t think I have the power to take on magic of this magnitude.”
“Then I’ll try to go through it,” she said. “I’m a ghost. I should be able to go anywhere.”
“No,” Nicholai growled as he shifted into his spirit form and grabbed Samara’s arm before she could reach the ward. “I know how anxious you are to save your friends, but if you try to go through this barrier, it could shatter what’s left of your soul. There is a reason why the souls can’t get out.”
“So? It would be worth it if I could save my friends.”
“Worth it to who?” Nicholai retorted. “Your soul is far too precious to me to waste. We’ll find another way to get inside if Mathias doesn’t return soon.”
“Maybe I can help.” Draven said. He’d been hanging back this entire time. His voice didn’t hold the same resentment it had when he’d argued over Nicholai helping Samara remember her death.
“What are you going to do?” Samara asked.
“I’m a mage. Maybe my magic will respond to the ward and I can take it down.” Draven bent over and unfastened something he had strapped to the side of his leg. It appeared to be a wand. It must be his magically imbued item of choice. All mages had an object that linked them to a higher power source.
Inside his other hand, he formed a blue orb, then he lifted his wand and shook it once. Within seconds, the wand transformed into a full-length staff.
As he brought the staff closer to the orb, the ball of magic crackled and sizzled, arcing toward the staff. Tendrils of energy attached to the staff, causing it to glow. The orb increased in size. Then, Draven aimed the orb toward the ward. The energy shot out, colliding with the magical barrier. The barrier shook and the energy disappeared.
“Damn it,” Draven said. “It didn’t work. Whatever magic was used to create this ward, it’s stronger than anything I’ve ever manipulated.”
“That’s because it’s old magic.” Samara’s voice cracked as her shoulders slumped.
“You’ve experimented with old magic.” Draven pointed to her. “If anyone else here has the power to take down the ward, it’s you, Samara.”
She shook head, unable to look at him. “My power is inside of Katarina. I don’t think she’s strong enough to handle that type of magic yet.”
Kat stepped up to Samara. “Try me. We were able to get your Book of Shadows. Why can’t we deactivate this barrier?”
“That was a concealment spell for a book. This one is strong enough to hide an entire city,” Samara answered.
Roark pulled Kat closer. “You haven’t had enough training. Let’s wait for your uncle, he could return any second.”
“We may not have another second. I’ll be fine.”
Roark was about to argue when Draven waved at him to stop. “Katarina would be a lot stronger if she could combine her powers with another source. I’d volunteer but—”
“No way,” Samara interjected. “It would bond you and Katarina for life, Draven.”
“I’ll do it.” I knew this wouldn’t be a popular option, and based on the angry glares and head shaking, I was right.
“You can’t, brother,” Quinn objected. “This old magic is dark. We can’t risk losing you to its temptation.”
“I’m not asking for permission, Quinn. I’m doing this.”
“Jax, stop.” Roark’s threatening tone had me fisting my hands. “Katarina needs the three of us to protect her. We can’t chance you slipping into the darkness again.”
I looked from Roark to Quinn, then met Katarina’s gaze. I didn’t try to hide the smile creeping over my lips. “Think what you want to, but I have faith in Kat. You know she keeps me grounded.”
Kat’s throat wobbled as she looked up at me. “I appreciate your confidence in me, Jax, but I thought we would practice more in a controlled environment. We can’t afford to have something go wrong here.”
“You’re right.” I crossed my arms and turned to Roark and Quinn. “But you won’t be doing this alone. We’ve proven that we’re stronger
when we do it together.”
“Like we did when I repaired the veil?” Kat’s eyes left me and shifted to Quinn and Roark. Hope burned in her energy.
I nodded. “They’ll take some of the influx from the magic, allowing us to balance the good and bad.”
Pulling her bottom lip between her teeth, Kat hugged herself and grew quiet. Then she exhaled loudly. “Do you really think we can do this?”
I stepped closer and cupped her face. “Trust me. We can do this. I believe in you, Kat. You hold the power of the ancestors for a reason. You have what it takes to wield them.”
“You got this, Katarina,” Samara confirmed. She floated away from Nicholai and pressed her hand over her heart.
“Okay. I’ll do it.” Kat reached for my hand. Once our fingers laced, she peered over her shoulder, waiting for Roark and Quinn to join us. Both were hesitant, but after a death stare from Samara, they shrugged at each other and joined Kat and me.
As we stood under a canopy of trees, I held Kat’s hand, gazing into her big brown eyes. She tightened her grip once we were all in a circle with our hands joined.
“Let’s do this.” She smiled at each one of us.
Closing my eyes, I found the tethers that connected all of us. It became my only focus, especially when the connection with Slade throbbed. Much like Kat told us, there was pain in his energy, excruciating pain that affected the heart and mind more than the body.
“Hold on, brother.” I said the words aloud, unsure if he could hear me the way he heard Kat.
Jax?
Slade’s voice was as audible as those around me. Hearing his voice caused my energy to shift, and I sensed the dark magic surrounding us. It called to me, beckoning my soul forward. I focused on my connection to Kat, allowing the light I sensed inside her to wrap around me.
“Concentrate on the ward,” Quinn told us. His voice sounded strained, but I didn’t open my eyes to check on him. I had to focus on the energy forming between us. It weaved around me, tugging on every fiber of my physical composition.
The air around us turned warm, a sure sign that Quinn had called upon his fire element for help. Icy raindrops greeted my skin soon after. Roark had tapped into his affinity with water, drawing the magic within it to him and our circle. All that was left was for me to call upon my element.
