by Storm Savage
“I’m sorry to startle you, angel, I really didn’t know how else to approach. Please don’t be afraid.”
“Raef?” She staggered backward a few steps. “What have you done?”
He cocked his head to one side. “What do you mean? Didn’t the Supreme Lioness tell you?”
“T-tell me what?”
“Oh…I see.” He stared at her with the same big blue eyes she’d always loved.
“You can’t be back. The only way you could be here is if you agreed to become the next Satellite.”
“No, angel, while I was trapped in the void, your high ruler pulled me out. She needed to get me out in order to seal the gap.”
“No…that can’t be. She used Naami’s…your unborn child…to seal the gap.”
Raef nodded. “Yes, I needed the energy of a living soul to make the transition. I didn’t want Naami to bear my child, so I agreed to the Lioness’s offer to bring me back.”
“She summoned you?”
“You seem surprised. She did this for us, love, so we could become immortal together.” His gaze lowered to her neck and he smiled. “You accepted the necklace. Once you receive the gift awaiting you, we can be together.” He moved toward her.
“Stay back!” She raised her blades. “I went through hell after you died, but I survived somehow. No way am I falling for Twilight’s trick. I know you were slated as their next Satellite if Von failed again.” He must be a Satellite, she told herself. He never had this level of superhuman allure before.
“It’s true. They were going to use me, but the Lioness got me out in time. While Twilight was busy stealing Paloma, your clever ruler snuck me out of their clutches. I am forever grateful to her.”
“Surely you don’t think I’m that stupid. You should go before Von returns.”
A pained look flooded his eyes. “Von Calder is here with you?”
“He saved me. He helped me avenge your death. We killed Cooper, then went after my ex-in-laws who are now dead. Hatch, on the other hand, slithered away.”
“I know. Your council filled me in on your victory, but they didn’t mention Von.”
“No…I guess they wouldn’t.”
“Don’t be upset, love, they are only looking out for your best interests.”
“I was just in the village and nobody told me that you were alive, not one single person, not even the Supreme Lioness. Surely, if she’d brought you back, she’d have told me.”
“Didn’t she mention a chosen mate for you?”
Flame shot him a perplexed look. “Y-yes…”
“Everyone in the village had strict orders to keep my return private until I met with you. The Lioness wanted fate to take its natural course.”
“Why are you doing this to me?” Tears misted her eyes. “Wasn’t your death enough torment? Didn’t you see what I went through? How hard I cried? Why would you come back as the Satellite and torture me again?”
“Flame, I am not a Satellite. I’d die before serving the evil pricks who took me away from you.” He reached for her but she backed away. “Your ruler gave me that necklace,” he continued, with a nod toward the sapphire, “and instructed me to leave it in my bedroom before she took me into her realm, where I had to go through transition.”
“You’re lying. This is too much to believe.”
“Then how was Von able to hear me?” His eyes searched hers.
She didn’t have an answer. Raef’s connection with Von had always mystified her.
“Don’t you see, angel? We are meant to be and the good side has given us this rare opportunity. Once we knew that Von was willing to convey my messages, I left the necklace and went with the Lioness to complete the transformation into immortality.”
“If what you say is true, then you agreed to use an innocent life to obtain immortality. How could you agree to such a thing?”
“The Lioness told me that Naami took what was not rightfully hers. She returned my child to me as it belonged to my soul, not your former queen’s.”
Flame stared in shock. “An exchange? Your unborn child’s soul for your return?”
“Yes. But the energy source belonged to me,” he stated matter-of-fact. “I thought you’d be thrilled to know that Naami will not bear my offspring. That right has been reserved for you.”
“No—no way would my ruler use a Twilight trick just to bring someone back from the dead. No, I refuse to believe that.”
“She had no choice.” His voice held steady. “Naami opened the gap. It had to be sealed before the evil realm took control of your sisterhood. I was more than willing to help the good side than allow Twilight to destroy such a beautiful nation.”
“This isn’t happening.” She began to tremble with mixed emotion. “Don’t come closer or I will kill you.”
A stunned expression flashed through his eyes. “At least return to the village with me and seek the truth.” He furrowed puzzled brows. “Why are you hanging out here, with Calder, in his campsite? The war is over, why aren’t you looking for Paloma?”
“We are going into Twilight’s nest tonight. Von is the only one who knows the way and apparently, my high ruler knew this all along. She sent me after him, told me to steal him, and said he’d be mine if I won. Then she treated him like scum, yet wants him to help me with this mission.” Flame didn’t try to hide her disdain. “And, after Von helps me obtain my rare gift, my esteemed Lioness expects me to sever my ties to him. He’s just another tool to her.”
“You sound bitter.” He looked disappointed.
“You think?” She let out a mocking laugh. “I just found out that I’ve been a puppet all my life, that my sole existence was to become some immortal, infallible guardian for the sisterhood, and that my parents were sacrificed because they fell in love.”
“It’s your destiny. You’re the elusive warrior woman, the only one capable of keeping Twilight at bay. You embraced this calling before you started hanging out with Von.”
“No, Von has nothing to do with how I feel about being misled. I’m nothing more than another tool to the Lioness. My birth was not an accident, as I was led to believe. My entire life has been carefully orchestrated by a higher realm for a cause I’m not sure about anymore.”
“You would never turn your back on those women.”
“I won’t let them down. I will protect them from the evil ones. But I will not allow them to dictate who I can or cannot love.”
“Love?” His voice faltered. “You love the Satellite?”
She turned away. “You wouldn’t understand. You weren’t here. While you were transitioning, I was going through hell on earth fighting things you’ve never seen…” She swung back around. “Or have you?”
He shook his head. “After I delivered the key and one last message to Von, I was taken into the light.” He paused with sad eyes. “I’m sorry you had to fight that battle without me, so sorry I left you alone. I heard you crying. I tried to hold on. It ripped me up inside to watch you fall apart.”
“But you’re not sorry about Naami’s miscarriage?”
“If I said yes, I’d be lying, and I’ve never lied to you.”
“This is really hard to believe, Raef. You have to admit, your story is really out there.”
“Then come with me right now to the village. You of all women know that Odyssey would never take me in if I was a Satellite or any type of enemy to your nation.”
Flame hesitated. Raef’s confidence seemed unshakable. His bold request did not sound like one made from a man with something to hide. Even so, she felt confused.
“She’s not going anywhere with you.” Von appeared out of nowhere.
Startled, Flame jumped, tripped over the fire pit, and landed on her butt. She stared up at the two men. Both offered to help her up but Von blocked Raef from touching her. He lifted her to her feet. Raef did not back off one bit when Von faced him.
“Flame deserves to know the truth,” Raef stated.
“Flame deserves
a break from everyone trying to control her.” Von’s arms tensed. He clearly wanted to strike. “Leave, Jackson. Don’t start thinking that your new immortal status gives you the right to challenge me.”
“You’d let her believe a lie? Is that the only way you can win her heart?”
“You died. She chose me.”
“Let the lady decide. I’m not any more dead than you.”
Von gave a heavy sigh then turned toward her. “Babe, what do you want to do?”
Flame reached for his hand. Their eyes met. She stared into him, reaching with all her heart. “Tell me, Von. Tell me the truth…is Raef the Twilight Realm’s new Satellite? Is he working for the evil realm?”
Von searched her eyes for what felt like an eternity as she waited for his reply. She could barely take a breath.
“No, sugar, he’s not a Satellite. He’s not on their side.”
For a moment she couldn’t think. She simply stood there, dumbfounded. Her eyes shifted between both men as she grappled for reason, struggled to process the truth.
“Is this what you were holding back?” she asked Von in a quiet voice.
“Yeah. I had a strong sense of what happened after we left the village, but I couldn’t lay this on you until I was sure. I wasn’t trying to keep it from you.”
She offered him a warm smile. “I believe you.”
“Touching,” Raef muttered. “Now that you know the truth, love, why don’t you come with me and hear it from the Lioness herself.”
“I have an assignment to complete. I’ll confront her when I am ready.”
“You’ve changed,” he said, standing there looking unexpectedly hot with his new edge.
“So have you.”
Raef turned to Von. “This isn’t over, Calder. It’s just the beginning of the end for you. Flame has always belonged to me, and dying didn’t change the way I feel.”
Von appeared completely unfazed. “Unless you know the way to hell and how to help her rescue that horse, I suggest you run on back home now while I’m still in a generous mood.”
“Is that a threat?”
“Nah,” he said with a slight grin. “I don’t make threats. If I decide to take you out, believe me, Jackson, you won’t see me coming.”
Flame didn’t flinch, waiting on edge for one of them to back off. After several tense minutes, Raef finally relented.
“I’ll see you again, Flame…soon.” He turned and walked away.
She felt frozen in shock while watching him leave. The Lioness had omitted some vital information during their meeting, most likely because of her anger over the blood-bond with Von. Seeing Raef again, knowing he’d been brought back by the sisterhood and not the evil realm was both confusing and a relief. Her mind reeled over the lengths taken to control her future and she didn’t like at all how that felt.
Sliding to her knees in the sand, she dropped her head into both hands, unable to look at Von right now. She could only imagine what was running through his mind. This had to be his worst nightmare coming true.
He knelt on one knee, casually resting a bent arm over his thigh. She glanced at his legs but couldn’t stare into his eyes for fear of revealing her uncertainty.
“Remember that conversation we had? You said I was unfair. Yet here we are, face-to-face with reality. Raef is back. Not by my doing, not by yours, we both stayed on course. Yet your sisterhood borrowed a clever trick to bring him back.” Von paused and let out a tense breath. “Tell me, babe, what will you do now?”
“You’re actually offering me a choice?” She didn’t look up, but nervously drew lines in the sand.
“Of course. I’ve never tried to control you. Hell, nobody can control a raging river.”
“You seemed very angry over his return.”
“Yeah. I saw him approach you, but decided to hang back. I’ve never been one to force a woman’s hand…never had to.”
“Then why did you step in when he wanted me to go with him?”
“You’re upset, confused, I wanted you to make up your own mind without outside interference. You deserve that.”
“So you heard everything?”
“Yeah, sugar.” He placed a gentle finger under her chin and lifted her face toward his. “What will you do?”
Staring into those captivating eyes, feeling his heart reaching out to her, she wanted to cry. Both men had gone to great extremes, both loved her and now both carried shadows in their souls. How could she weigh one against the other? Was Raef’s betrayal with Naami worse than Von’s involvement with Twilight? Both had sired offspring with other women and both of those babies had been used to return their souls. Raef had the advantage once, but he’d just evened the playing field by making a deal with the Supreme Lioness.
Is the Lioness’s strategy any less cruel than the evil realm’s just because she did it in the name of justice? How does one gage the value of an innocent soul? Using an innocent life to one’s own benefit was wrong no matter what. She could not justify her high ruler’s actions any more than she could accept how Twilight used whomever they chose to accomplish the same results. The only difference she saw between the two realms now was that Twilight murdered in cold blood. Yet her sisterhood stripped a woman of her child and her memory, then sent her away. The parallels were maddening.
Von gave a slow shake of his head. “Don’t answer that yet. You’re a mess inside.”
“I’m sorry.” Tears pushed through and slid down her cheeks.
“Don’t be.” He placed a sweet kiss on her lips. “You’ll do the right thing.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“You always do.”
“You give me too much credit. You know I loved him.”
“Loved?”
She shrugged. “Love, maybe, I don’t know. I still see Naami when I look at him, it’s hard not to.”
“And what of me? Do you see Cassie?”
“Not anymore.”
“Do you still want to go after the horse tonight?”
“Yes. I need to finish this. I was thinking while you were out. The Lioness is trying to control something that cannot be controlled. My mother died to give me life. I will avenge her death…my way.”
Chapter Eight
Flame managed to pull her emotions back together by nightfall. She’d even forced herself to eat the delicious food Von had cooked over the fire. Watching him prepare their meals was more appetizing than smelling the sizzling steaks. Her thoughts drifted while watching him lock down his bike—they would not be going by motorcycle this time.
He’d looked amazingly hot, stripped to the waist while working over a fire. Not many men filled out black leather pants like Von, and he made them look so casual, as if they were his second skin. His skills in roughing it and looking like a sex god at the same time turned her on. No posh hotels or fancy beds, everything they did was raw and natural. Now here he was crouched beside his gleaming black masterpiece of chrome and steel, turning her on again without even realizing it.
“Feel like trying something new?” she asked before holstering her daggers.
He stopped working and looked up at her. “With you? Hell, yeah.”
“I’d like to take our blood-bond to a deeper level. I have no idea what we’re about to face and this morning left me feeling disconnected. I need to be focused in battle.”
“What do you have in mind, sugar?” He finished securing the bike, then stood up.
“Skipping the knife.” She held out her wrist. “Can you do it?”
A heated look flickered in his eyes. “Can you? It’s gonna hurt a hell of a lot more than a quick slice.”
“I want this with you.”
“Still shaken up, hm, babe?”
“Yes. You are the one constant I’ve known since this war began. Even when you were their Satellite, you never deviated away from your goal.”
He gave an easy laugh. “I never will. One thing you can count on, I will always be loving you.”
; “No matter what?”
“No matter what,” he replied in his naturally soft-spoken manner, yet the strength resonated in his tone. “Every minute of every day, since the day we met, has been devoted to winning your heart.”
“Then don’t hold back, gorgeous, show me.”
After walking around the bike, Von took her forearm in both hands. Beginning at her palm, he kissed a tantalizing trail up her arm, over her shoulder, along her neck and upward to her lips. She sighed as his mouth covered hers and his tongue slid through parted lips. They sank into a heady kiss for several minutes before he eased away. She gazed into his shimmering eyes as he raised her upturned wrist to his mouth. Utterly enthralled that he’d agreed to this new and daring act, she barely took a breath. Her focus shifted between his mesmerizing eyes and the sensual lips sucking her skin.
He didn’t look away while teasing her flesh with his teeth. His eyes made love to her while baring her soul as only he could do.
She winced and exhaled sharply when he finally bit down. Pain raced up her arm. He never backed off. She loved him more than ever for ignoring her pain and giving her what she wanted—a pain she could handle.
He offered her his left hand. Without delay, she took hold of his softly haired forearm and savored the salty taste of his skin. Closing her eyes, she left a path of affectionate kisses from his hand to his bare chest then back again. His teeth latched at her wrist, combined with the delectable sucking, rocketed her into a new dimension of pleasure. She welcomed the pain, embraced it, needed it as much as she needed him this very moment—not his sex, but something deeper she couldn’t quit discern. Her blood flowing into his mouth and the pain of his bite simulated the torrent of emotions raging inside her soul, making her feel she was releasing all that hurt to Von.
