by Eden Ashley
Her voice trailed as her hands stopped moving. Rhane frowned. Her gaze had drifted out of focus. “Kalista?”
Her eyes tracked toward the sound of his voice, but it was still like she didn’t see him. “I don’t think Shannon is a threat.”
“If she’s working with Gabriel, she could be very dangerous to you.”
Kalista stood up. The chair scraped across the hardwood as it was shoved backward. “Shannon has already gotten what she wants.”
“Whoa,” someone said softly in the background. Rhane was too intent on Kalista to discern who it was. Flames sparked at her fingertips like flickering florescent lights. Tendrils of black started to snake from within her eyes.
“Take it easy. We’re just talking about this.”
“Stop trying to control my life.”
Rhane got up slowly. Things were about to get ugly. Pointing at War without taking his eyes from Kalista, he asked, “Did anything unusual happen today? What did she do differently?”
“Uh…I don’t…” While War fumbled for words, grey scales rippled down Kalista’s arms. Four-inch nails spiked from her fingertips. No doubt, the sight of it left the boy stunned.
Finally, Rion blurted out information that was actually useful. “She fed from Shannon, the intern at work.”
Spitting a curse, Rhane yelled for everyone to get out of the kitchen. None of them moved. “NOW,” he repeated.
Cracking like a whip, his voice snapped them into action. Everyone headed for the double doors leading into the living area. York was the last through but paused at the door. “Bailen,” he called. “Bailen get over here.”
“Kalista, it’s okay,” Rhane said gently and risked a glance down. Bailen stood at his feet, partially concealed by the shelter of the table. Kalista hadn’t moved. A grey glow surrounded her form like an aura. Flames were licking from her feet. Scales covered the surface of her skin like cobblestones, leeching away the humanness of her features. “Bailen, get out of here.”
He whined quietly in protest.
“I’m not asking.”
Then Bailen did something Warekin never do. He barked. Rhane flinched. Kalista bared a wicked set of teeth. Bailen barked again and again. It didn’t stem from aggression, but was more like an anxiety-filled, “look at me” sound. Something in that noise reached her. The fire stopped creeping forward, and slowly dissolved. Claws retracted from her fingertips. Scales disappeared. The grey tint faded from her skin. She was human again.
Bailen fell silent as Rhane let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. Not wanting to startle her, he took a hesitant step toward Kalista. Her eyes were clear but blank as she looked at him. “It’s okay,” he repeated.
A thin strip of blood trickled from her nose. And suddenly more of it gushed from her ears. Rhane rushed forward, getting his arms around her waist just as her eyes rolled upward and her head dropped back. She collapsed into him. Her pulse was faint and steadily growing weaker, her breathing shallow and harsh. Easing her to the floor, Rhane retrieved a cell phone from the pocket of his jeans. Doing so was difficult because his hands were shaking badly. Everything seemed distant as he punched a speed dial and called the only person he knew could help. Struggling to breathe against the tightness in his chest, he waited. Finally, a connection clicked on the other end. “This is Rhane. I need you to get over here now.”
“I can’t. We are being watched.”
“I don’t care.” He willed his voice to remain even. “It’s Kalista. I don’t know…I think the human part of her may be dying.”
Chapter 37
This dream was like all the others. It was dark. And Kalista ran, constantly checking over her shoulder for fear that someone followed her. So many of her memories were filled with fear and pain. If not for remembering a taste of the happy times with Rhane and their son, she would have thought her past was all bad and she had intentionally left to escape it. Anxiety clutching at her heart, her feet plodded across the hard packed earth of a well-worn trail. But running didn’t hurt. The soles of her feet were used to being without shoes. She looked back again. Hunters wandered through these woods often, silent and nearly invisible. If they were out there, watching, she’d have never known it. She just had to trust he had cleared the way.
#
It took forty-five agonizing minutes for Wesley to arrive at the manor. York sat worriedly watching Rhane pace the perimeter of the yard for the eleventh time. He couldn’t blame Rhane for being so restless. Kali looked pretty bad. She was upstairs. The bleeding from her ears and nose had slowed, but not stopped. Orrin and Rion remained at her side with cold towels, keeping them pressed to her head and wiping away blood. After calling the Builder, Rhane had lasted nearly five minutes before leaving the room. His exterior was calm, at least enough to fool the others. But York knew better. He knew Rhane. So, he followed him outside and was watching when Rhane reached the edge of the moor and sank to his knees. York went and sat in the grass next him.
“She’s going to be okay.”
Rhane said nothing.
York decided to risk a joke. “Think of it as food poisoning. She ate something that didn’t agree with her, and now she’s paying for it.”
Dipping his head lower, Rhane buried a smile. Count on York to find humor in any situation. Had he been there when Banewolf slaughtered Flynn and his legion, York probably would have stood over the field littered with bodies and said, “Hey, I think you missed one.”
It was a fact: Kalista had fed on the dark energy of others before. More than once, he’d been there to clean up her mess. And a time or two, Rhane himself had experienced what it was like to be on the receiving end of Kalista’s brutality when influenced by bad energy. But something about tonight was different. Rhane felt it in his gut. And then there was visible proof. Never had he seen such a toll taken on her body.
As far as he was concerned, this whole messed up situation was entirely the fault of the Builders. He and Kalista had been doing fine. Had the Builders only left things as they were--
“Rhane?”
He looked up at the sound of York’s soft inquiry. The big guy was tough, but sometimes even he needed reassuring. “I believe she’s going to be okay. I really do.”
York exhaled a sigh of relief. “Good. Because she is.”
“You’re a good friend.”
“Alright. Now I’m worried again. Are you about to hug me?”
“Tonight she is going to be fine. But if anything…permanent ever happens to her, don’t try to stop what happens next.”
“Just so we’re clear,” York started, and shook his head. “I don’t understand.”
“Stay out of my way, York.” It almost surprised Rhane, how detached his voice sounded. “If she is dead, I won’t be in control. And Banewolf isn’t too discriminating these days. Stay out of my way,” he repeated. “And make sure the others do the same. Are we clear?”
“Crystal,” York answered grimly. After a pause, he spoke again. “Warren is just like you. I remember when you were a young hothead, when emotion got in the way of your thinking and hindered your combat skills. But you eventually learned. Self-control gave you a level head. And that made you unstoppable.”
Rhane climbed to his feet. “If War is like me, then he’s pretty much screwed.” He turned his gaze to the house, and York saw the change in his eyes as they pulsed, glowing like dim flashlights. “The control you speak of died with my son. And I haven’t gotten it back.” He left without another word, blending into darkness as he headed back to the house.
A sudden chill slid between York’s shoulder blades. “That was only a little unsettling,” he muttered aloud to no one. Blowing out a long breath, he set his shoulders and resigned to ignore the uneasy feeling creeping all along his innards.
#
Sluggish water trickled from the ceiling and down the cavern walls. A harsh cold clung to the atmosphere, keeping the temperature near freezing. Moving cautiously, Kalista ventured deepe
r. It would be too easy to lose footing on the slippery rocks. The long journey had made her weary. So had fear. Even with all her power, she might not be able to save herself or her child. The thought pained her.
Light from the source dimmed with every step, until the light was no more. Darkness. It was always darkness. And she was always running.
Squeezing her eyes shut, she opened them again. Things were too black inside the cavern for even her senses. It only took a thought, and fire encircled her hands. Now she had torches to illuminate the way. But even with light, there was nothing to see. She forged ahead with only the sound of her breathing for company.
After what felt like hours, she saw a figure just ahead. Relief washed over her. Clutching her stomach, Kalista could have collapsed with emotion. He had come. He was here. Maybe. Just maybe, things were going to be okay.
#
The air downstairs wasn’t exactly tense. It was uneasy. Rion, who already had a hard time keeping still, looked ready to jump out of his skin. Bailen had disappeared altogether, and War couldn’t take his gaze away from the man who had walked into their midst. A faint trail of light followed behind him, red and menacing. An angel of death, or the devil himself had come through their front door.
Rhane appeared to be unaffected by the unworldly presence. Face set hard with determination, he led the Builder upstairs without hesitation. York told the others to stay behind before he followed. Not even War looked as if he minded the order.
The hinges creaked on the bedroom door as York lightly pushed it open. Funny, he didn’t remember the hinges being squeaky before. Rhane glanced up, acknowledged York. Then his eyes immediately went back to Kalista. Lying prostrate, her form was so tiny in the huge bed. The Builder, in deep concentration, stood over her with its eyes closed. York joined them at Kalista’s bedside, but took a position as far away from the Builder as he could discreetly manage.
Out of sight from the others, Rhane’s emotions were only marginally more evident. He watched Wesley, not really knowing what to expect. One thing was certain: if Wesley made a move to harm Kalista, Rhane wouldn’t hesitate to kill.
“Why are you glowing?”
The Builder’s eyes opened with a start. Rhane silenced a growl of impatience that bubbled up in his throat. York did his best to ignore the dark glare that crossed the warlord’s face. It had been more of an inside thought, meant to remain on the inside in the manner which inside thoughts traditionally do. But somehow words had escaped his mouth. Maybe he was just as jittery as the rest of them. This was his first encounter with a Builder, too. Up until two months ago, he hadn’t really believed such beings existed. The idea of a master race responsible for creating all other supernatural races was unsettling. Such a truth would redesign everything he thought he knew about his origins, his purpose, and the fighting. York shook his head. Later. He couldn’t think about that stuff now. But the painting in the tunnels beneath the Gobi had already told the story. And he couldn’t help thinking, if all of it was real, then the finale Rhane described—the huge monster rising from flames and ash—was real also. What the heck were they dealing with?
“The same as you,” the Builder said, leaving York surprised that his question was actually being answered. “I am limited in human form. More power can be garnered in my natural state.”
“So, beneath that disguise, all you are is a giant flashlight?”
The creature’s face blurred into something a little less human, but still achieved a slow smile. York shivered.
“We are many. And we have many forms.”
“What’s wrong with her?” Rhane interrupted.
The Builder looked at him and spoke hesitantly. “Sometimes imprints of traumatic memories put the receiver into an unresponsive state. It usually passes.”
“I haven’t given her the stone. And if you’re telling me it could cause this, I’m not sure I ever will.”
“It could help you understand what we’re up against,” the Builder insisted. “Some you think foe are friend. And some friends are foe.”
“If it’s so important that I know,” Rhane said, growing increasingly impatient, “Then just tell me what I need to hear.”
“That would be interfering.”
Rhane held up the red jewel. “And this isn’t?”
“The imprint simply returns what was taken. It does not violate our terms.”
With an abrupt motion that hinted at finality, Rhane shoved the memory stone back into his pocket. “If using the stone didn’t trigger this, what else could have?”
“I spoke with her at the office and she was fine. Whatever brought her to this state took place after our meeting.”
York flicked a gaze over to Rhane. “She took energy from the intern at work.”
Red glow brightening, the edges of the creature’s light grew sharper. It tilted its head to the side and regarded Rhane with an imperceptible stare. “Your life is the only thing which sustains her. Only your energy can tether her to this form. I explained this to you.”
“You did. And I remembered. It’s not like I told her to go feed on that girl.”
“This is the third time she has strayed. This is the third time she has lost control.”
“She’s not out of control.” Rhane glared at the Builder. “She’s suffering. The first time she lost control, it was because of contact made with The Siren’s Heart. And that was a move you initiated.” Staring down at Kalista, his anger softened. He allowed the confusion he felt to show. “I don’t understand. Kalista fed from humans for years before I found her again. Why would feeding from one suddenly lead to this?”
If Builders were capable of nervous fidgets, York could have sworn he saw the creature commit one or two. “The intern has sided with Gabriel. She is no longer human.”
And with that admission, Rhane ran out of patience. Looking as if he was seriously considering hurting someone, he spoke in a low voice. “You let a Reaper into the same room as Kalista.”
Depending on how the conversation progressed, it was a strong possibility that the gates of hell were about to be opened. York wondered if he should try to stop it. He wasn’t sure which would be more dangerous—having Rhane mad at him or the Builder. Well, he’d seen what Rhane could do in a pissed off state. So far, the only super power this Builder had shown was the ability to be a fancy nightlight.
“As I have told you, our interference is severely limited. It is your responsibility to keep her safe,” the Builder retorted. Though riddled with accusation, his tone was low and steady.
Rhane was obviously seething but kept silent. York knew the Builder’s statement had hurt. If the “guilt Olympics” was ever held, Rhane would be a serious contender for a silver medal. But keeping Kali safe wasn’t just his problem, York and the other kin had failed too. An impasse wasn’t helping anyone, and it certainly wasn’t going to make Kali better. “Okay.” York held his palms up in a peace making gesture. “So, Kalista reacted badly to feeding on a Reaper. Not surprising. Will she snap out of this?”
“She will come back to you. Right now she is regaining more of who she was.”
“She’s remembering?” Rhane was incredulous. “How is that possible?”
“You’ve said Kalista has regained memories by touching you. Perhaps the Reaper that Shannon embodies has a direct connection to her former life. Feeding from it has triggered another memory.”
“Kalista didn’t have contact with Gabriel or any of his Reapers in our past life.”
“And perhaps she did.”
Rhane suddenly felt very anxious. Wesley had nodded as he spoke, and Rhane had no idea how to receive that gesture. “Can you wake her up?”
“Forcing a return to this life may cause the memory to be lost.”
Rhane set his jaw. “Wake her up.”
Chapter 38
When Kali awoke, a pair of green eyes unlike any other stared down at her, narrowed with concern. She tried to sit up, but things kept shifting in and out of foc
us, keeping her unbalanced. A hand cradled her shoulder, steadied her efforts. A cup was pressed against her lips, and she drank from it gratefully. Cool water drizzled down her parched throat, almost painfully soothing the ache there. She clutched Rhane’s wrist to signal she’d had enough. He took the cup away.
“Did I hurt anyone?”
“Only yourself.” His voice sounded rough. “Why would you take from her, Kalista?”
“She grabbed me.” Kali swallowed. “She was hurting me. It was the only thing I could think to do. It was either that or set the bitch on fire.”
She felt rather than heard a soft laugh rumble in Rhane’s chest. “York will begin training you soon. I promise.” Taking her shoulders again, he eased her body around so that she faced him. “This can’t happen again.”
“I know.”
He pulled her close, folding her into his strong and capable arms. Kali quietly savored the warmth and security of that embrace, knowing he and the others would always be there to protect her, no matter how much she deserved to be abandoned.
“Did you remember anything while you were out?”
Kali hesitated. Then she nodded. “I was in a cave…looking for you.”
Rhane exhaled deeply. “That’s all?”
“Yes. The memory just sort of stopped after I found you.” That wasn’t entirely true, but it was all she could tell him. Something else nudged at her. “I thought I heard Wesley’s voice.”
“In your dream?”
“I don’t know. It was like his voice was echoing inside the cave, calling to me.”
He gave her an odd look. “Well, that’s…weird.”
She nodded. “I think it’s what brought me back.”
“I’m glad you came back.” He planted a soft kiss atop her hair and sighed. “Shannon works for Gabriel now. She’s a servant. Likely hosting a Reaper.”
Shock rippled through Kali. “Are you certain?”
“York and Orrin have gone to confirm it.”
“Are they going to kill her?”
“Um…” Rhane looked rather taken aback. “Reconnaissance doesn’t usually involve executions.”
