by Lexi C. Foss
Ezekiel bowed his head in prayer and vanished from the room without another word.
Everyone gaped at the empty chaise lounge.
That was unexpected. Hell, the whole thing was unexpected.
But that’s what Ezekiel excelled at—breaking the rules and looking out for himself first and foremost.
“A Nizari assassin protecting a fledgling? Now I’ve seen everything,” Alik remarked.
“He could be lying.” Luc’s emerald gaze glowed in that eerie way that indicated the use of power. “However, I see no logical reason for him to add that information, or to give us any of the other details. Unless it’s all a trap, in which case, he did an excellent job of convincing me it’s not.”
“Even if it is, I’m going,” Jayson stated. “I’m not leaving her under Osiris’s care.”
“Tom and Stas will feel the same,” Balthazar added. “And that means Issac will follow with Tristan and Mateo.”
Jayson imagined other Ichorians would be willing to help as well, considering the alliance between Osiris and Jonathan defied the armistice. It meant the leader of their Conclave was actively allowing the CRF to hunt and kill immortals at will. Not many would approve of that agreement.
“Everything Ezekiel stated is logical and suits,” Luc said, his green gaze dimming. “If it is the wish of the Elders to rescue Elizabeth, then you have my support. I fear it will incite a war, but I also believe that fate to be inevitable. And this is one battle I’m willing to fight.”
Jayson’s phone buzzed on cue. He pulled it from his pocket and read the address out loud to the others in the room. “Sounds secluded,” he added as he set the phone aside.
“An excellent place to kill without drawing attention,” Alik mused. “I’m game.”
“We’ll need a solid plan,” Jayson admitted. He had a feeling they would have only one shot at securing Lizzie, and if they blew it, things would not end well.
“I’ll call Aidan,” Luc murmured as he started toward the door. “In the interim, please provide Issac your support. He’s putting on a good show, but we all know he’s not taking this well.”
Issac might not be a Hydraian, but all of them considered him very much family. His pain would be felt through them all.
Balthazar nodded. “We’re on it, Luc.”
“Thank you,” he murmured. “I would attend to him as well, but I sense my presence will only worsen his acceptance.” With those solemn words, he left to strategize. Jayson was torn between following him, going to Issac, and leaving for the address on his phone.
But as always, it was Balthazar who grounded him. “Take a shower. Afterward, we’ll talk. You can’t help her on your own, but we can as a team. And given what Ezekiel said about her importance to Osiris, it’s safe to assume she’s unharmed. We’ll get her back, Jay.”
He nodded, believing his oldest friend. “You’d better be right.”
“I always am,” he replied, cocky as ever. “But seriously, grab a shower. This bloody look on you isn’t appealing, and you smell like death.”
Jayson tried to smile at the obvious attempt at a joke, but it fell flat. To feel complete, he needed his Red. Because without her, he had half a soul.
I’m coming for you, Lizzie, he vowed. Just hang on.
24
Resurrection in the Light of Disaster
Subject was paired with a college roommate. Name: Astasiya Davenport. Age: 18. Origin: Havre, Montana. No known conflicts at this time.
—Entry Log 118.08.4-7
Another nightmare.
Lost in the depths of the ocean.
Stas struggled against the binds, but her deteriorated limbs refused to move. She resembled a skeleton, lost in the waves of time, screaming for no one to hear.
Everything hurt, but her heart most of all.
So much loss…
It wasn’t supposed to end like this.
“Aya…” Sandalwood and peppermint accompanied the nickname, but it didn’t fit.
Help me…
Find me…
Free me…
Water suffocated her thoughts, granting her temporary peace in the world of silence.
Only to awaken again in hell.
Over and over and over.
A dark, unending dance of solitude and death.
When will they come for me?
“Astasiya.” The voice grew stronger, pulling her somewhere new. Away from the familiarity of the ocean floor and into a world of sunshine.
Too bright, she thought, sheltering her eyes.
The vestiges of her nightmare disappeared into reality, revealing a room of mahogany and rich brown colors that didn’t belong to her or the man holding her hand.
She swallowed, her throat dry from her deep sleep. A straw slipped between her lips, and she sipped on instinct, welcoming the freshly squeezed juice. It replaced the bitterness that always followed her visits to the deep sea.
Issac, she thought with a smile. He’d learned so much about her in their brief months together and knew exactly how to pull her from the nightmares in the sweetest ways. She waited for his kiss after the drink disappeared, but it didn’t come.
Strange. He always kissed her after sleep.
She stretched her stiff shoulders and braved the light by opening her eyes. Issac sat in a chair beside her with his elbows braced on his knees, his expression carefully blank. A glance around showed they were alone and in one of Balthazar’s guest rooms.
Stas struggled to remember how she ended up here.
She’d been staying with Eliza in Amelia’s old home these last few weeks. The Hydraians had dubbed it the “Fledgling House” since both of them were unturned immortals. Stas disliked the idea at first but admired Eliza’s strength and conviction. She was a remarkable woman, especially considering everything that had happened to her prior to arriving in Hydria.
“How do you feel?” Issac asked, his voice soft.
“Groggy,” she admitted as she rolled to her side and tucked her arm beneath her head on the pillow. It throbbed a little, likely from the nightmare. “Why aren’t you in bed with me?” He wore one of his trademark suits, minus the tie, and his midnight hair was freshly tousled from his fingers. She loved this look on him but preferred him naked.
“Aya,” he whispered, his voice cracking as he dropped his head into his hands. He visibly trembled, stirring alarm in her chest.
“What’s happened?” She sat up despite her body’s complaints. “Is Lizzie okay?”
The last she heard, her best friend was in Bora Bora enjoying alone time with Jayson. Definitely not the type of man Stas ever would have recommended, but at this point, all she wanted was for Lizzie to be happy. She deserved it after all the pain, and he seemed to be helping her work through the process.
Issac shuddered again, and Stas couldn’t take it anymore. She reached for him, but he flinched away from her touch, almost as if she burned him.
“You’re starting to scare me,” she admitted, hurt that he would reject her in such a way. “What’s going on?”
He shook his head. “I’m trying.” His broken voice shot an arrow through her chest, eliciting an ache deep inside that fizzled and burned.
“What’s wrong?” she whispered.
He ran his fingers through his hair and pulled on the strands. “Fuck, I’m trying, Aya. You…” His cheekbones hollowed with the words as he struggled to say whatever he needed to say.
This was a side of him she’d never seen, and it terrified her.
“Trying to do what?” she asked, tears in her eyes. “What’s going on?” She grabbed his wrist and squeezed when he grimaced. “Tell me what happened, Issac. Now.” The command slipped out of its own accord, but she couldn’t pull it back, not even as his damp eyes met hers.
“You died, Aya.” Three words, uttered so softly she almost didn’t hear them. Or maybe that was the wind tunnel suddenly taking residence in her head that distorted the sound.
“What?” S
he couldn’t have heard him right.
“You went to Bora Bora by yourself—without backup—and were shot in the head.”
She blinked as the memory began to surface. So lost in her nightmare, she hadn’t realized the truth of the moment.
“John,” she breathed. “Where’s…?” Her voice faltered.
Oh, fuck.
No.
No way.
This can’t…
“I…” She released his wrist to feel her forehead and found nothing but smooth skin.
Her heart stuttered as her breath caught in her throat.
I died. Her mind fractured beneath the assault of those two lethal words.
I…
This…
She didn’t want to believe it, would have begged for a different outcome, but the agony radiating from Issac’s blue eyes confirmed the truth.
“I’m a Hydraian.”
Her fingers went numb.
“I’m…” She couldn’t say it again. That made it real. Too real. Just like the tears trailing down Issac’s cheeks. And hers.
“No,” she whispered, shaking her head over and over as if that would take it all back and fix everything.
She wasn’t ready.
They weren’t ready.
Her vision blurred as anguish ripped through her abdomen, tearing a scream from her throat. “NO!”
It wasn’t fair!
She didn’t want this future. She wanted him. The man she could no longer have. The man who meant everything to her.
Her heart…
And the despair emanating from him…
They needed more time.
“I can’t touch you,” she whispered. “But I need…”
Oh God, how would she survive without touching him? Without kissing him? Without his love?
All those tender moments and nights.
The unspoken words.
Those looks that said he wanted to devour her in the best ways.
His tenderness in the mornings.
All of it hung in the balance and shattered behind her eyes.
Forever cementing itself the past.
Too soon…
“Issac.” Her soul withered as it sought the connection she knew it needed but couldn’t have. She couldn’t go to him. But, oh God, she wanted to.
“I’m so sorry.” The words sounded foreign to her own ears. Was that shriveled, broken rasp her voice?
Issac merely shook his head, because what could he say? Nothing could be done now. She sealed her fate when she went to save her friend without thinking things through.
And she lost everything in the process.
Her decision had shattered their bond.
Stas broke under a sob meant to destroy her being, her entire body convulsing uncontrollably.
This can’t be happening.
Please…
I can’t breathe.
Issac brushed his lips against her forehead in a devastatingly careful kiss, his fear of touching her evident, and yet saying so much. Sorrow, hurt, and pain.
Even now, he wished to comfort her, when they both knew he couldn’t, and she longed to allow it.
It’s all my fault.
I destroyed us.
“Oh God, Issac…” The words burned her throat and singed the air, forever separating them. Because he would never be hers again, not in the way she craved. Her heart would never recover. And her soul… It died when John pulled that trigger.
“Aya,” Issac breathed, his internal suffering etched into that single word. He finally took her hand and squeezed, his head bowed as the tears fell silently from his eyes.
Stas couldn’t help the whimper that escaped her. It felt as if her entire world had ended before it even began.
And now she had an eternity of suffering to live through. Alone.
She curled into a ball, her hand still clasped in his, and relived every memory of him behind her eyes. Every touch. Every kiss. Every word. She would dream of him every night, think of him every day, and miss him every moment. Even when he stood beside her, she’d miss him.
It would only ever be Issac for her.
Forever and always.
A silent vow.
“I love you,” she whispered. She’d never said it out loud, and it wouldn’t matter now, but he had to know… “It’s only ever been you, Issac.”
“I know, love,” he replied, just as soft. “I know.”
25
Wall of Fire
Subject’s infatuation memories with Thomas Fitzgerald were implanted today. Team psychologist says it will counteract potential relationships with unsuitable mates.
—Entry Log 118.05.4-7
“Stas is awake but won’t be able to help us in her current state,” Balthazar said as he entered the makeshift war room. “Issac isn’t in the proper frame of mind to assist, either.”
Aidan nodded. “It’s for the best. Strategically, I recommend keeping Stas hidden for as long as you can. The sooner Osiris hears of her existence, the sooner he will come for her.”
“There’s no denying that her ability to compel would be useful in this situation, but I am inclined to agree.” Luc flattened a drawing on the table. “Which is why we’ve devised a plan that doesn’t include them.”
The omniscient father-son duo had drafted over a dozen attack plans before settling on this one, all while the rest of the room observed. They spoke too quickly for anyone to completely follow their logic, but Jayson understood the main idea.
“How are we going to counteract the wards?” he asked as he folded his arms. Luc and Aidan had been discussing them just before Balthazar entered.
“We’ll handle them,” Luc replied, indicating himself and Aidan. “Between the two of us, we should be able to draw some ancient runes that will counteract the wards long enough for us to volley an attack.”
“Yes, I suspect the point of them isn’t necessarily to keep an army out but to give Osiris enough warning to relocate,” Aidan murmured, his eyes that same emerald shade as Luc’s. “Hopefully, that relocation plan does not involve Elizabeth, or we’ll be playing a game of chase.”
“That’s where I come in,” Ash said as she tied her light-blonde hair up into a ponytail. “Ring of fire.”
“Exactly,” Luc agreed. “But we’ll have to stay back, just in case. Especially with Jeremy manipulating the earth.”
Jayson nodded. “And if we see Lizzie—”
“I’ll grab her,” Jacque announced from his spot in the corner. He had three empty pizza boxes beside him and a protein shake in his hand. Teleporting burned calories at an insane rate, and they needed him fully charged.
“Good. Any questions?” Aidan glanced around the room. Several of Hydria’s most powerful immortals had volunteered to help even though they didn’t know Lizzie. Their support and unyielding friendship were why they would win a war against the Ichorians. Luc ruled with love and affection, as opposed to Osiris, who chose fear.
“Do you think my father will make an appearance?” Tom had his arms folded over the back of the chair he’d flipped around to straddle earlier. He hadn’t said much but listened intently while Aidan and Luc debated.
Tom’s previous sniper experience and general military knowledge would be very useful. Not to mention his perfect aim. And he seemed to have an uncanny ability to turn off emotions, because the man had to be furious about his father’s actions, yet he didn’t show it.
“Likely not,” Aidan replied. “He’s done his part by handing over Elizabeth to Osiris, and he believes he’s just killed Stas and Jayson. The smart move for him would be to protect his headquarters, as he’s now owed retribution from Issac for killing Stas and from the Elders for killing their brother.”
“Why not take him alive?” Tom asked, causing everyone to look at him in confusion. “Sorry, I mean Jayson. I’ve been trying to figure out why my father would kill him. He’s a powerful Hydraian, just like Amelia. Not that I condone it, but why not take Jayson
back to headquarters for testing?”
“Because I’m too powerful for him to contain.” Not an overstatement, but a fact. “He could have tried with that device, but I would eventually have found a way around it, and that would have ended very badly for him.”
“Or it’s his ego,” Aidan suggested with a shrug. “When it comes to my progeny and the Elders, Jonathan does not think clearly. He wants power and craves theirs, while also seeking to appease.”
“If it’s ego, he would have claimed Eli’s death,” Balthazar pointed out. “Instead he framed someone else.”
“To hide Amelia,” Luc added. “But we don’t know if he plans to make some grand statement later, or if he already boasted about his kills to Osiris. I’m inclined to agree that all of this has been about improving his ego since he’s always been very touchy about his weak ability.”
Tom snorted. “Small Dick Syndrome, not that I inherited that problem from him.”
Balthazar grinned. “We’ve all seen proof of that, Fitzgerald.”
Jayson cleared his throat. “Are we ready? Because I can’t stand around here doing nothing much longer. I need to see Lizzie, and soon.” An understatement. This whole multi-hour planning session nearly killed him. All he could think about was holding his Red again and telling her how he felt. He never had the chance, and now he worried it would be too late.
Balthazar bumped his shoulder against Jayson. “We’ll get her back, Jay. I promise you. No matter what it takes.”
“How can you be so confident?” It hurt to ask, but he wanted to know.
“Because in three thousand years, I’ve never seen you regard a woman the way you do Lizzie. And I am determined to give that back to you.” The solemn words were followed by one of his trademark grins. Balthazar never could be serious for long. “I also might want to see you play dad for a few years. Should be incredibly entertaining. I hope you have a girl.”
Jayson smiled despite the circumstances as a picture of a beautiful little redhead crossed his thoughts. “She’ll look just like Lizzie.”
