Five

by Christie Rich

“I…” I looked between Zach and Luke feeling twenty shades of conflicted. “I need more time,” I said softly.

  “We don’t have that to give you.” Tabitha’s back stiffened. “You will bond with Jafan of Eldrea.”

  “No!” I screamed, backing away from everyone. The sky was the only thing behind me.

  “Seize her,” screamed Ainessa. “You have not yet tested my connection to the Elemental!”

  Where had she come from? I had forgotten I had to worry about her too. I glanced over the edge and back at the eager people in front of me. I shook my head. There were no good options.

  I wasn’t about to let some wild woman decide who I was going to be bound to for the next few centuries. I wouldn’t.

  Finding Cassie in the crowd, I gave her a look of goodbye. Finn would take care of her.

  “What are you doing?” shouted Zach, racing toward me.

  “Rayla!” cried Luke.

  “I’m sorry,” I said. Zach was a finger’s breadth away from me.

  Tears trickled down my cheeks. I smiled at him.

  Then I jumped.

  My heart thudded wildly. I hoped I was right, and I wasn’t actually plummeting to my death. I called the elements to my aid. A gust of wind shot up at me then sputtered out.

  I fell faster. I called water to me. The only thing that accomplished was completely drenching myself as I still went whirling toward the wispy mist below. Why wasn’t I better at this? Fire wouldn’t help. Earth would just end my life sooner. What was I going to do?

  I thought of a whirlwind, trying to visualize it lifting me out of this place. It was working. I kept my eyes closed. A gust cycloned around me. I could do it. I just had to…

  “What kind of stupid trick was that?” came an unrecognizable voice.

  I opened a lid. Ageless obsidian eyes gazed into mine. I screamed, but Styx was still circling me.

  “What is your problem, Elemental? Have I ever harmed you?”

  Was a pegasus really speaking to me? His lips hadn’t moved.

  Styx grunted out a puff of purple smoke before he whirled around me again. “Open your legs wider.”

  I snorted. “Like that’s going to happen.”

  The irritation was hard to miss in his tone. “Just do it.”

  A second later, I straddled the beast. Heat billowed off him in thick waves.

  I hugged his broad neck. “I thought I was dead for sure.” Why was I finding it so hard to say thank you?

  A rich laugh rang out. Could he read my mind too? Great.

  He grunted. “You would have figured it out in time, but Ammon would never forgive me if I let you test your powers any longer. I couldn’t take any more of his idle threats.”

  He banked left. Holy crap, I was flying. My heart sped up. The wind raged into me. I gripped his mane tighter, trying not to fall off. It was soft, but not quite as billowy as his feathers. They tickled my legs every time he beat his wings. I giggled even though I was still terrified.

  “You are a strange one,” said Styx. “Imagine the wind flowing around you.”

  Look who was talking. I closed my eyes, seeing the stream part. It wasn’t as bad now.

  I glanced behind me. The castle was a bright spot in the distance. Why wasn’t anyone following us? I thought Tabitha would send the royal guard to chase me down once she knew I hadn’t bit it back there. “Where are you taking me?”

  “The borderlands.”

  I shivered. I’d had enough of those horrible creatures the other day or whenever it was. Zach and Luke hadn’t exactly been forthcoming about how long I was actually out.

  “It is a treacherous place, but I doubt that it’s any less dangerous for you than anywhere else. We cannot be detected there. They will have to search on foot if they want to find you. Tabitha is more likely to let the lords figure it out themselves now.”

  I didn’t want Styx reading my thoughts. There was a reason thoughts are private.

  He chuckled. “It’s one of the many gifts granted to flying demons from hell.”

  I felt embarrassed for thinking about him that way, but he was freaky.

  “Thanks.”

  He sounded so human. “Would you stop listening to my thoughts?”

  “I wish I could.”

  Oh.

  The land was amazing from this height. The entire planet glowed with an inner light. The patchwork quilt of plant life covered Mother Earth. Finger Lakes gleamed in the distance. Where were we anyway?

  The sun was setting, bringing a chill to the air. If it weren’t for the blessed heat coming from Styx, I would have frozen to death. Why was the human realm so different?

  “Do you really want to know the answer to that question, or was it rhetorical?”

  I nodded, as if he could see me. Oh yeah, he didn’t have to.

  “It is part of being mortal. There are many things you do not see.”

  That was comforting.

  “You asked.”

  My first impressions of this beast were wrong. He was being rather pleasant and kind of funny. “I thought you hated me?”

  “Far from it, Elemental. I have been waiting for you for millennia. I used to enjoy living here. Not so much anymore.”

  “Why not?”

  The beast’s muscles coiled underneath me. Anger radiated from him. “They have captured my herd.”

  “Who has?”

  Styx slowed to a hover. He searched the ground. Was he looking for those creatures?

  “There are worse things than hellhounds in this place.”

  Wonderful news. I really didn’t need to know that.

  He descended. Great puffs of dust whirled out with every flap of his wings. I coughed, shielding my face in his mane.

  He touched down softly and stood still. Was I supposed to get off now?

  “Up to you. You don’t weigh that much.”

  “Are you going to finish what you were saying?”

  He trotted over to a stream. I bounced on his back, sure I was going to fall off. I tried to tighten my thighs, but he was so wide.

  He snorted.

  “I wasn’t calling you fat, okay?”

  Silence. Had I hurt his feelings?

  His head reared back as he whinnied. He pawed at the ground then lowered his muzzle to the stream. I hopped down. Hitting the ground hard, I fell to my knees. Styx paid no attention to me as he guzzled the water.

  “I’d like to see how you’d manage if you had to fly that distance?”

  “I wasn’t trying to insult you. This telepathy thing is weird. How can you stand it? I’d hate having to listen to everyone’s inner chatter.”

  He gave me a nod. That was it.

  I cupped my hand and brought some water to my lips. It was icy cold and made my head hurt worse, but I gulped it down. I hadn’t realized how thirsty I was.

  Styx wandered over to a grassy area under the glimmering branches of a gnarled oak tree. I finished another handful of water and ran after him. The sun was almost gone now, and I didn’t know how I was supposed to stay in this place knowing what was out there. Or, worse yet, knowing that even more horrible creatures could be lurking in the darkness.

  As if on cue, one of the shadows detached from a tree fifty feet away from me. My breath hitched. I readied myself to call the elements.

  The beautiful beast of a man strode forward, every bit as lethal as anything else I could come across in this place. The expression on his face was unyielding.

  I backed into Styx who nudged me forward. I searched for an escape, knowing there was none. I would never be free of this man, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to be.

  Zach smiled, sauntering toward me as though he had all the time in the world. “A bit rash back there, don’t you think?”

  “I—”

  He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. You’re safe.”

  If that were true, why did I feel like a little bunny trying to outwit a circling hawk?

  Styx snorted. He was laughing at me
.

  I turned and glared at him. A purple-black flame roared from his mouth.

  I somersaulted then staggered to my feet. I glared back at him. “Traitor.”

  Zach laughed. “He has known me quite a bit longer than you.”

  I looked at Zach, trying to keep my expression from belying how much I wanted him to take me in his arms. How much I craved his kiss. I couldn’t let that happen right now. I knew what his kiss could mean for me. “So, what now?”

  Zach shrugged, inching closer to me. He stood directly in front of me.

  There was no point in running. Where would I go that they wouldn’t find me? I knew better than to try to traverse this place alone. Besides, if I was really going to fight fate, I had to know more about what I was dealing with.

  “It’s good to know you’ve found some sense,” he said, tracing a finger along my hairline.

  I shivered. “You didn’t answer my question, as usual.”

  He smirked. “Give me a minute. I was just trying to decide what I should do to you.”

  “Don’t you mean with me?”

  “If you insist.” He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me close.

  I had thought it hard to breathe before he claimed my mouth. Breathing is overrated. I shouldn’t have participated, but I needed his strength, his reassurance. I had to learn how to find the will to resist him if I was going to ever get control over my life.

  Someone cleared his throat. Luke. I could feel him behind me. What was he doing here?

  Instead of pulling back, Zach deepened his kiss. I pushed away from him feeling more than a little awkward.

  Zach sighed hugely before turning to Luke. “You have great timing.”

  Luke shrugged, leveling a self-satisfied expression at Zach. “What’s the plan?”

  “Finn will be here shortly. We have to deal with the Order before we can come to any sort of agreement where Rayla is concerned. The compact has been broken. Wayne’s house was full of Elemental research. The data I gathered is current.”

  Luke nodded. “I was going to check on an island in the pacific before we started the hunt. The place disappeared from our radar three years ago. It reappeared last week.”

  So that was what Zach had been up to at Roger’s. “How will we get there?” I interrupted.

  Both men shot me an irritated scowl. Even Styx seemed to be conspiring against me.

  Zach raised a brow. “After a stunt like that, you are not coming. And if you think either one of us is going to give you a say in this decision, you are deluding yourself.”

  I looked over at Luke hoping for some softness and recoiled from the hard expression he shot my way.

  “We gave you the opportunity to decide,” said Luke. “You didn’t. What happens now is no longer your choice.”

  I threw up my hands. “What did you expect me to do, just let that crazy woman tie me to Jett?” I wasn’t going to use his real name and give him any idea where to find me. I never wanted to see that man again. I turned toward Luke. “Tell me more about that island.”

  Zach gave a sharp look toward Styx. The pegasus moved between me and the men then corralled me toward the stream.

  “Hey,” I said, backing up in spite of my protests. I yelled under Styx’s belly, “Bullying me won’t help either of you.”

  Styx pawed at the ground in front of me. “Just move.”

  “I think my first thoughts of you were exactly right. You are a beast.”

  He laughed.

  How absurd. I stood in front of him, reaching up a hand to his muzzle. He obliged, bringing his head lower so I could see into his eyes.

  “I thought you have waited for me for millennia. Don’t you want my help?”

  His gaze was fathomless. I wished I had his ability to read minds.

  “No you don’t. Trust me. They are not including you in this discussion for good reason. There are sensitive things that you should not know just yet. I realize it doesn’t feel like it, but we are all trying to protect you.”

  The sincerity of his resolve settled into my heart. I should have found it comforting to know I had these men trying to keep me safe, but I didn’t like being ignorant.

  When Styx lay down, I nuzzled into him and brought my skirts under me. His warmth was the only thing shielding me from the bitter cold. “Luke,” I yelled. “I could use something a little warmer than this thing.”

  He obliged without uttering a word. I now had on jeans, warm boots, a tight knitted sweater, and a hooded down jacket that I pulled around my ears.

  “Thanks,” I said, but he didn’t acknowledge me.

  I studied the two men. Were they really friends? They looked like they could be, but how could rivals be friends. Zach squatted and drew a blazing image with his fingers as though he was cutting into space. Was that the island Luke had mentioned?

  What was happening there? I couldn’t just sit here and do nothing.

  “You can, and you will,” said Styx. “Stop making stupid decisions. They will tell you what you need to know.”

  I grunted. “That’s easy for you to say. You know everything as soon as they think it.”

  “Give me more credit than that, young one. I have lived longer than you can imagine. Take use of my experience.”

  In order to do that, I would have to trust this beast. Was he a beast? I wasn’t so sure anymore. I felt as though I was gazing at an old weathered sage. If he was dishing, I could use some wisdom.

  I hesitated, looking over at the men again. “Which one do you think I should choose?”

  A laugh rang out in my mind. “Only your heart can give you that answer, Rayla.”

  Darn. It would have been nice to get an opinion.

  Styx chuckled, shifting behind me. “Your thoughts are jumbled enough. I wouldn’t want to make it worse.”

  “Funny pegasus, aren’t you?” I patted his mane. “So follow my heart, huh?” It wasn’t exactly helping much at the moment. What if I chose the wrong one? Was there a wrong one? Could I be happy with either of them?

  “That’s the idea.”

  I wasn’t sure which question Styx had answered, but he wouldn’t elaborate.

  How could I trust my feelings? One minute I knew I couldn’t live without Zach, and the next it was Luke that held me captive. How could I even be sure those feelings were coming from me? Even with Zach’s explanation about compulsion, I didn’t trust my own heart. What was I going to do? When things settled down, I was going to find Gibbit and get my book back. I had a lot to settle with the little troll. If I could learn how to handle the lords, I might be able to survive this. And how better to learn the ropes than from someone who had already experienced bonding.

  I lay my head against Styx, curling into a ball at his side. I still didn’t know much about either man.

  I had only seen Zach’s homeland under the cover of darkness. I hadn’t exactly been immersed in the culture. For all I knew, they could be cannibals.

  Styx groaned. “You have a vivid imagination. Try to control it.”

  I huffed and stood up. “What exactly do you want me to do?”

  “Stop talking to yourself for starters,” Cassie said from behind me. She laughed, mischief dancing behind her pale eyes. “It’s not a good sign.”

  I smiled back. “Don’t lecture me on something you haven’t conquered.”

  I gave her a huge hug, more because I needed one than for her sake. She seemed happier than she had ever been. I wasn’t sure what was going on, but maybe I could find out now.

  Finn shot me a nod before he stalked over to Luke and Zach.

  “What happened, Cassie?”

  I turned toward Styx. “Don’t you even think about stopping this conversation. I haven’t been able to speak to her for ages.”

  “I wouldn’t dream of it. Forget I’m here.”

  Cassie gestured toward Styx. “So now you’re buds with that nightmare?”

  I shook my head fractionally. “Don’t. You’ll hurt h
is feelings. He’s not as scary as he looks.” I turned around, giving him a once over. “At least I don’t think he is.”

  Cassie laughed, but then her face fell to a serious line. She moved over to sit on a rock. “It was my dad, if you can believe it. He set the whole thing up.”

  I sat on the ground in front of her. “What?”

  “They raided the sanctuary. Found hundreds of Elementals. It was crazy to see that sort of place under a factory. Whoever came up with it was brilliant. Who would want to rummage around in pig crap to find a hideout?”

  Who indeed? “What about Aunt Grace?”

  Cassie grimaced. “They took her too. In fact, they took your whole family. Grace is some kind of bigwig in the resistance. No one suspected anything. My dad knew there was something different about you. He told me that when I first met you. I thought he was trying to make me feel better, but I know better now. The whole reason we moved to Castlerock in the first place was because he was searching for you.”

  I shook my head. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Cassie’s dad was part of the Order. Kind, selfless, Mr. Lambert was actually a greedy manipulator. I had to know for sure though. “So your dad is part of the—”

  “Not part. The head.”

  “What!”

  “I know. I can’t think about how horrible he really is. He took everyone to an island. They have an entire compound there. They’ve been doing experiments for ages.” The outrage faded from her eyes. She looked at the ground. “He told me I was his greatest one.”

  I gasped. “Your dad wouldn’t do that. He couldn’t.”

  She scuffed her shoe against the grass. “He would have taken me with the others, Rayla. I caught him talking to Roger. I hid in the hallway and listened to my own father talk about me as if I were his greatest asset to be sold to the highest bidder.”

  I was confused in so many ways. “Why would he do that? You aren’t even an Elemental.”

  She shrugged. “He was giving me injections of something, hoping to create one. I thought it was to help my hallucinations. They’ve been trying for decades, but I was the first to have any real results. I always wondered why he took me on those vacations knowing how disturbing they were to me. He was testing me every time.”

  I could only imagine how Cassie felt. I was having a hard enough time dealing with how betrayed I felt, and he wasn’t even my father.

  Maybe I should have been grateful all these years that I didn’t know a thing about mine. The more truth I found out, the more I understood why Aunt Grace had hidden it from me.

  If Cassie’s dad was working with Roger Wayne, he couldn’t be the good natured, understanding man I had trusted. The Order had Elementals to spare from what I understood. Why would they want more? I asked Cassie.

  She shook her head. “They are trying to create a male Elemental, and I am the first step. My dad would have had me on that cursed island already if Finn hadn’t come when he did.”

  I was distracted by the sound of footsteps. The lords walked toward us. Each had a grim expression on his face. I wished it had taken them longer. I wanted more time alone with Cassie.

  Finn sat beside her on the rock and slid his arm around her shoulder. She leaned into him with a sigh. I got up to give them some privacy. The temperature continued to drop; soon it would be below freezing. I zipped my jacket higher. I might as well have had a neck brace on, but it was better than getting frostbite.

  Zach stood in front of me, his arms crossed, his stance wide. Luke nudged my shoulder as he passed. He gave me one of his monumental grins.

  Zach rolled his eyes. “It’s set. You will accompany Finn and Cassie to his homeland. Luke and I are going to check out the island. We will come for you in three days.”

  I frowned. A tiny piece of my heart split at his news. I didn’t want to be without him. Or Luke.

  I was pathetic. Maybe it was a good idea to get some distance from them. I still had no idea how compulsion really worked, and I didn’t know if either or both of them were using it on me. Maybe the distance would help me understand my feelings better. Besides, it was only three days. What could happen in three days?

  I thought that over. Great.

  “May I speak with you alone, Rayla?” asked Luke.

  I glanced at Zach. He didn’t seem to mind, so I took Luke’s hand. His touch was reassuring as he led me behind some trees.

  He pulled me into his arms, caressing my hair. “I want you to know, whatever happens, your happiness is important to me. If my brother can do a better job of accomplishing that than I can, pick him. I don’t want to spend the next few hundred years with you if you are in love with him. I couldn’t take it.”

  I swallowed hard. I didn’t know what was going to happen, but the thought of being without either of them was too hard to dwell on. I blinked back a tear. I wanted him to be happy too. I just couldn’t see a good outcome no matter who I chose. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  He stepped back from me, his cerulean eyes holding that same terrifying certainty they had the first time I had seen this man. Had that really only happened a few weeks ago? It felt like decades. How differently I viewed him now. His arrogance was gone. In its place was a hopeful determination. I could be happy with him, but I was not ready to decide.

  He started to leave then stopped, turning back toward me. A slow smile spread across his perfect lips. Dazzling. Enchanting. Bewitching.

  I was in his arms in seconds. His kiss seared through me into every crevice in my heart. He pulled away too soon.

  I swayed. I could get used to that.

  He walked into the trees without a backward glance. A slight glow radiated from him. Luke had a way of making me forget about everything while I was near him. It was what scared me most about being with him. Was I really me when he was around? I didn’t want to have feelings for him, but they were there regardless.

  A rustling sounded in the bushes. I whirled around. My heart did a flip when Zach emerged. He was so different than any of the other Lords. He was beautiful in every sense of the word, but he didn’t have the otherworldly quality of his four brothers.

  They could take some pointers from him. His true form was more appealing than any glamour could be.

  He loomed over me, dark, seductive. His magnetic pull encircled me. I took an involuntary step toward him, bracken crunching under my shoes.

  He knelt in front of me and clasped my hands in his. “I count the seconds until I can see you again.” He kissed my knuckles formally then looked up at me. A boyish smile floated along his lips before his expression darkened. The intensity of it penetrated into me. My smile faltered. “Rayla, you have never been in more danger than you are now. Do as Finn asks. He will protect you.”

  The surety of his words hit me like an omen. I shook my head. “If that’s true, why are you leaving me?” My vision swam with unshed tears. “I need to know what’s going on, Zach.”

  He stood and stepped back, already withdrawing from me. “This is my job. My primary function when I am not seeking a mate is to maintain the stability of the accords between the council and the Order. I have a duty to safeguard my people. I am the only fae with the authority to deal with the Order’s betrayal.”

  “But what have they done? Cassie said my whole family was taken to that island. I have a right to protect my people, too. You’re asking me to stay here while you risk your—”

  “Life?” He smiled. “You forget. I am immortal. You are not.” He touched my face and for the first time, his emotions flooded into me. He was more worried than he was telling me.

  I doubted he was even aware that I could sense his feelings. “Maybe so, but you can still feel pain.” I was surprised when he didn’t argue with me. I searched his eyes. “Shouldn’t you enlist some help?”

  He turned away sharply as though he couldn’t stand to look at me. “Luke has agreed to come with me. He should be all the back-up I need. It’s imperative for you to stay within the fae realms. I ca
n’t explain much to you right now, but I will tell you this: the Order has found a weapon that could shift the balance of power.”

  I swallowed my gasp. “What do you mean?”

  His expression hardened. “We don’t fully understand it yet, but it is a machine and machines can be broken.”

  He was purposely withholding information from me. Why? Didn’t he trust me? “I still think you need to get reinforcements.”

  He clasped his hands behind his back. A slight grimace marred his handsome features. “I’m not exactly popular at the moment. The council is close to disbanding, Rayla. The courts are polarizing. The dark court grows weary of petitioning for things they think are their right. Fae have been known for our patience, but I fear war is imminent, especially if swift action is not taken to resolve this issue.”

  “I can’t stay here without you,” I whispered.

  He took my hand. The heat of his skin against mine distracted me. “I need you to trust me. I would never leave you if I had any other viable option.”

  Something bad would happen if he went to that island with Luke as his only companion. What would I do if he didn’t come back? What would I do if I lost him? I’d gone through so much trouble to avoid making a choice, but I would have to eventually. Luke overwhelmed me when I was near him, but Zach, Zach was my air. I had to get him to stay no matter what. If I waited to decide, things could get much worse. “What if I agreed to bond with you now?”

  Zach gasped, releasing my hand as though scalded. His jaw was tight. His expression guarded. “I will not see you bound to me because you are frightened. I will only claim you when and if I am the only man you desire.”

  I began to protest, but he covered my lips with his big hand. “Rayla, trust me. I want you more than any woman I have ever known, and between you and me, that is saying a lot. I can’t do it now; not knowing how you feel about Luke. You need time to decide.”

  Arguing with him was pointless. I couldn’t in all honesty do it with any real conviction. I wanted to think he could go to the island, kill the bad guys or whatever he was going to do, and return to me without any problems arising. I wanted to think the heaviness restricting my lungs was because I wouldn’t see him for three days, but there was more to it. “I don’t want you to go.”

  He stroked my cheek. “What about your family? I may be the only chance they have of escaping the Order.”

  I let out a suppressed sob. “I need to go with you.”

  He stiffened. “I will not risk it. It’s decided, love. I won’t be gone that long. Besides, I’m banking that you will beg me to bond with you when I return. You know, absence and all that.”

  Shaking my head violently, I ignored his attempt at humor. He hugged me to him. His arms fit around me perfectly, as if he were made to hold me. I didn’t want the moment to ever end, but it would eventually. It was why I couldn’t completely give myself to him now. No matter what I did, the slow tick of time would steal him from me, one way or another.

  He held me for what seemed like hours, swaying as if we were dancing to a rhythm only he could hear. Warm lips brushed mine softly.

  Then he was gone.

  I covered my face and sobbed. Three days in the fire realm without him.

  I would be in hell.

  End of Book One