Must Remember: Dead or alive, they want her back. (Solum Series Book 1)

by Colleen S. Myers

“Yes, exactly. Now you understand our gift. Life and a chance to help make us perfect.”

  It was a gift.

  I was blessed.

  Power coiled inside me. My gut grew tight as the rest of the clearing chilled. Anger roared through me, laughter poured out my mouth. I couldn’t stop. Zanth regarded me warily as I wiped away my tears.

  “What did you do to me?” I paced in front of them. They remained swaying.

  “We sampled you, tested your reflexes, your pain threshold. I find it funny when people declare, ‘you cannot do this to me.’ Oh, we can do anything we want,” Xade purred.

  My breath came out in pants. A red haze started to encroach on my vision, and a mist formed in the air around me. Lightning flashed in the distance, thunder rolled.

  “I should thank you, then.”

  Godsmack ran through my head; they’d been my dad’s favorite band. Right at the end, before he left, he used to play Stay Away on a loop while he worked in the garage. Stay away from me. Those words floated through my head, soundtrack to the night.

  “Yes, that would be an appropriate response, and we told you this, but you were not so reasonable before. You sought a way to hurt us. We did so much for you. and you tried to harm us! It was unacceptable. The drugs should have killed you. But you survived and jumped. Why did you not die?”

  As if some signal had been given, the Imani moved toward me.

  “Magic.” More laughter pressed to escape, but I clenched my jaw.

  “Magic.” Xade shuddered. “We love magic. But how, how did you get magic? Is that why the Fost did not kill you? They do quite hate us. When you survived, we expected them to kill you. But they did not and now, look at you. Look. You bear the Fost marks, you clever girl. We cannot wait to figure it out. It has never taken us this long to get to the root of a problem. This magic, though. It is intriguing. I am sure we will need some local specimens, as well.

  “Lara, go bring some more people here. Elizabeth, come here. It is time to go home.”

  Lara turned and blinked at him as I goggled.

  They thought I’d just do what they said, because they told me to? After the first time they had me, I figured they knew better. I spat at their feet. Their laughter rang out, an empty, soul-sucking sound.

  “We do not have to leave anyone here alive, you know. We know you, we know your genetics. We can figure out this magic. We will be better. We will be perfect. Resist if you wish, but you know it is useless. Resist and everyone here will die.”

  Zanth had been quiet throughout all of this. When I moved forward, he misinterpreted and stood in front me.

  “We will die fighting. Land take them. We will die fighting.”

  I put my hand on his shoulder. Trust.

  He unwound enough for me to push past him. I faced Xade spine straight, head back, proud.

  Xade cooed and held out his hand. Extending my own hand, palm up, I smiled. I let the hate shine from my eyes, my face. The power coursed through me, and I reveled in the feeling. I watched the Imani when lightning crashed into the trees behind them, too close to be random. Ozone filled the air.

  They turned as one to look. “What is this?”

  Lightning danced in my vision, across my eyes, along my fingertips. They didn’t look afraid yet. I wanted them afraid. I wanted Xade scared and weeping before me. So many times, it was me scared, weeping. Rage tightened my jaw. Lightning struck in the middle of them. They turned and looked at me, crouching. A few moved back toward the woods in a swift wave.

  “Ungrateful child, still you would seek to hurt us after all the gifts you have been given? Your magic will not save you.”

  Xade lifted his gun. The metal called the lightning. It struck the clearing. Once, twice…three times, too many to count. Electricity crackled in the air. My hair punked out. A blue haze covered my hands, sparks flying. The marks along my left wrist glowed with power. As I watched, the band spread up my arm, a bolt forming in the blue background.

  Xade fired his gun. The bullets flew toward me. As if in slow motion, I swatted them aside. Xade tilted his head at me, a question in his eyes and finally, a trace of fear. He cocked his hand to Lara, who trotted up to him like a well-trained dog.

  Zanth made a desolate sound beside me and sprang at the Imani. The crackle of the lightning covered the sound of his movements. His air magic lent speed. He reached the nearest one undetected, not Xade unfortunately.

  I called more lightning and watched a bolt smash into the chest of another Imani. He arched back, screaming. Flames burst from his mouth, and he flew backward into a tree. The fire spread. Mist and smoke coated our surroundings, eerie in the daylight gloom.

  The Imani didn’t realize the danger, from me or from Zanth. Zanth’s knife slid across the first Imani’s throat smooth as silk as he skirted behind him and shoved his dagger into his neck, decapitating him. Their shields were useless against the imbued dagger and my magic.

  Zanth twirled in a deadly dance and moved to finish off the rest. They kept firing at me, not even noting the threat Zanth posed. I plucked the bullets out of the air. It was too easy. This felt too good. They all must die.

  Shouts rang out in the distance. The Fost were coming; they’d seen my lightning. I needed to work quickly. None of the Imani could leave this clearing alive.

  I forgot about Lara.

  She wrenched her hand from Xade’s and charged me.

  “No, you have to die. They will keep coming until you are dead. I have to save him!” She rammed me from the side. The lightning abated. I landed on my back. Lara scrambled on top of me, grabbing my dagger. I raised my arms up in defense. She straddled me and pushed down with the blade. I knew I was no match for her skill. She’d been training since she was a little girl; all Fost trained. But I was faster.

  Again there was that eerie feeling and everything slowed. I saw her arm coming down, oh so slow and easy to block. Lara’s face twisted. The knife slashed down again and again. She aimed for my belly. I twisted, slammed my fist into her face. A spark snapped between us.

  Taking advantage of her daze, I got to my feet. She was quick, but she wasn’t powered by the air, not like me. I laughed at how intoxicating this felt. There was nothing I couldn’t do. I feinted left and she fell for it, missing me by a mile. I feinted again.

  She anticipated me this time, cutting right.

  The blade skimmed the air next to me. That was close, too close. Pop, some of my bubble burst, and my power hiccupped. I tried to call lightning, but it didn’t answer.

  I hit her again, but it stung my hand more than it hurt her. Lara laughed, unhinged, and jabbed in my direction. Even with magic, I wasn’t sure I could beat her. She had training and was fueled by god-awful crazy. Godsmack was right—sickness spilled through her eyes. Lara managed to graze me with the blade.

  Damn that hurt. I struck out at her again. Weakness filled me. Fatigue pulled at my limbs. When I stumbled, she swept my legs, knocking me to the ground. She moved to finish me off.

  “I must keep him safe. You have to die.” Her eyes apologized, even as she chopped down with her knife. I still wasn’t sure who the ‘him’ she had to save was, but too late now.

  Her eyes widened and her mouth opened. Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. She fell to her knees.

  Xade balanced behind her with a knife. He’d shoved the blade deep into the back of her skull. She died instantly. I heard Zanth screaming. He stood across the clearing. Poor, crazy Lara.

  Xade smiled at me as he wiped the blade on his uniform. “No dying on me now, Elizabeth. We need you alive. Little Lara knew that. She chose to disobey.”

  He held out his hand.

  Lightning flashed. Zanth tackled Xade from the side.

  Xade fell back, arms up, halting Zanth’s downward strike.

  Another Imani came up behind them and shot at Zanth. Zanth stumbled back, blood pouring from his shoulder.

  Xade scrambled up, gave me one last burning glance before retreating t
o the trees.

  I had a choice. I could kill him or I could kill the Imani currently focused on Zanth, his gun raised for another shot. I channeled and lightning cracked. He blackened before our eyes. My hair stood on end.

  Xade escaped into the forest. Zanth blinked at me.

  “You killed the wrong one,” Zanth muttered out as he staggered to his feet and turned away.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Shouts rang out as the gang arrived. Marin, Finn, Ute, Torrin, all the others. They piled into the clearing. The Imani lay in smoking ruins around me. I hoped we got most of them. Xade got away, but I didn’t think many others did. I wasn’t sure who killed whom. Zanth insisted afterward that he got most of them with the knife. We agreed to compromise; he claimed one-half, I claimed the other.

  Stein didn’t speak. Broot and Ned restrained him. Lara had been his only child. He wanted to kill us on principle, but he had no grounds. The proof of Lara’s complicity was overwhelming. Lara betrayed us.

  The Imani weren’t defeated. They’d taken to the skies, watching and waiting.

  But we had weapons now, and the magic was returning. The Imani wouldn’t find us a soft target.

  As for me, I had some of my answers, but there were a lot more questions still to be answered.

  Zanth cleared his throat. Marin rushed up and pulled me into his arms.

  “I can confirm the metal works,” Zanth said. Marin chucked his shoulder, the uninjured one. Ute applied pressure to Zanth’s wound, leading him away.

  “What happened here?” Marin asked.

  “Lara came to get us. She claimed you sent her. It didn’t take us long to realize she was the spy, but we followed her,” I explained, burying my face against Marin’s neck, cuddling close. Using all that magic left me chilled, numb.

  “And why was that?” Marin bit out.

  I raised my head. “I wanted answers.”

  Marin ran his hands down my face. That was fast becoming his favorite gesture. “Did you get your answers?”

  “Yes, some.”

  His eyes searched mine. Finn came up beside us. He wrestled me out of Marin’s arms and hugged me. Marin retained tight hold of my hand.

  “Are you all right?”

  I lied. “I’m fine.” My eyes refused to meet his.

  Finn lowered his head to mine before Marin pulled me away, whispering. “You tell me if you need anything.”

  I turned and placed my head on Marin’s chest and wound my arms around his waist. Finn watched us. The Fost stacked the Imani bodies in the middle of the clearing to burn. Torrin helped pile them with a wide smile on his face.

  Even in death, I couldn’t tell them apart. I shivered and Marin rubbed his hands up and down my arms.

  The flames were hypnotic, the dance of yellow and orange. It called to me. I couldn’t look away. The heat helped dissipate my chill. More people walked up to see the Imani barbeque.

  Stein stood off to the side, not watching the fire, but me. The hate in his eyes burned almost as hot as the flames.

  As we walked home, I expected celebration, feasting, but I underestimated the Fost. The gravity of the situation was not lost on them. Yes, we’d won, but at what cost?

  When we got back to the house, the leadership convened in the meeting room. Marin perched me on his lap. I wound my arms around him and closed my eyes. He responded by stroking his hand along my back as he chatted with Ned about continued security. Eventually, their talk tapered off.

  People drifted home. Tomorrow, there would be a lot more to deal with. I still felt cold inside. I nuzzled Marin’s neck. The hand on my back clenched as his other traveled up my thigh. I sighed. I turned my face into his, nibbling on his ear. The hand on my thigh moved to my cheek, turning me to look at him. He ran his fingertips down my face. His kiss seared me. His tongue ravaged my mouth. Damn, I needed his heat, his spark. I skimmed my hand under his shirt and placed my palms flat, feeling skin, needing the contact.

  Marin stood up and pulled me against him, then placed me on the table. Without much ado, he had my shirt off and my skirt lifted. I looked around to make sure we were alone. The conference room had emptied. His mouth feathered along mine. “I thought I lost you today.”

  “You didn’t.” I moved my palm to rub against him through his leather. That got his attention; he grew harder in my hand. He pushed me so I was lying flat on my back, my hips and legs hung over the edge, his body anchoring mine in place. Once he had me there, he stopped and gazed down at me. That look again. He took off his vest, watching me watch him.

  I did love his chest. Chiseled. There was no extra flesh on him. His muscles moved smoothly under his skin. It was so damn unfair how sexy I found him.

  He took his knife from his belt and slammed in into the table with a thunk of metal sliding onto wood. Even the sound turned me on. I reached my hand up. He licked the middle of my palm as my thumb caressed his cheek. I felt the spark spread down to my belly, and lower.

  He ground his hips into mine. One by one, he nibbled each of my fingers. My legs linked behind his back as he jerked his hips against mine. With one hand, he held my wrists above my head and with the other he skimmed my sex. He pushed two fingers deep within my folds. Marin hummed, pleased when I bucked and moaned at the invasion. His fingers rubbed and found my sweet spot. I gasped and reached up to pull him down on top of me. Our gazes locked, his fingers still deep inside me, I leaned up to kiss him. Tongues clashed. Marin pushed me down again and reached to unlace his pants.

  “Off,” I said.

  He looked surprised and dismayed. “What?”

  “Your pants, off.” I grinned up at him.

  His relief evident, he growled and shoved his pants down. I bit my lip. Whoa.

  “You are going to pay for that.”

  “Yeah, yeah.”

  He grabbed my hips and guided me, so his shaft rubbed against my entrance. He pressed forward a few inches, and then withdrew, moving his hips in a circle. Tease. I was having none of that. I pushed up, but the angle was wrong. I hooked my ankles behind his back and arched to rub against him. He just braced himself above me, grinning at my impatience.

  “You like that?”

  I nodded at him.

  He chuckled “Good. You want me inside you? You want to feel me stretch you and fill you?”

  I didn’t realize Marin had a dirty talk fetish.

  “You want me to come inside you?” He held my shoulders down as he continued to tease, muttering dirty things until I snapped.

  “Marin!” He smiled and leaned down. His rod filled me, but not enough. Not deep enough. “Stop teasing and take me!”

  His pupils constricted; he tensed and shoved into me with one hard deep stroke. “I love when you tell me what to do,” he purred. He thrust hard, setting a fast rhythm. His fingers slid between our bodies. The thrusts rocked the table.

  “Oh lands.” He leaned his head back, and his shaft swelled inside me. His fingers flicked my moist sex once, and I joined him, screaming his name. My magic settled tight in my belly, finally dispelling the cold. The tension melted away as I relaxed. Sex had never felt like this before. I felt so connected to him. My mind, my body, my magic.

  He leaned down to nuzzle my neck, licking and kissing. His head rose, and he kissed me. His tongue stroked mine. He tasted male, sweet, and hot, mine. He tightened his arms around me, lifting me up. He turned his head. “Upstairs. I want you on the bed.”

  I breathed against his ear. “No. I want you on the bed. I want to be on top.”

  He shuddered. In a flash, Marin had me on the bed and I had him.

  We didn’t get much sleep that night, but it was worth it.

  I woke to fingertips stroking my face. I knew that touch.

  “Marin,” I said, my eyes still closed. His mouth covered mine, his lips soft. His hands framed my face.

  I looked up to see him gazing at me, eyes shining. He opened his mouth to say what, I didn’t know. I kissed him, pulling his hair, whi
ch got me a groan as he moved to cover me on the bed.

  “None of that now,” I laughed, then wiggled away and got up. Wait. We were in Marin’s room. I poked my head out the door to check if the way was clear.

  Marin climbed into my personal space, bracing me from behind. “Where are you going?”

  “I need my clothes.”

  He licked my neck. “You do not need clothes for what I am planning.”

  I wiggled against him before I looked back outside. Zanth exited his room across the hall. I turtled back, slamming the door. “Zanth.”

  “What about Zanth?”

  “He is in the hall!” I felt my cheeks burning.

  “I am sure he has no idea what we are up to.” Yeah, right.

  Zanth knocked on the door. Marin nuzzled my neck, shaking with mirth.

  “You two alive in there?”

  “No,” Marin yelled.

  “Yes,” I replied. I stomped on his foot. He started to laugh like a hyena.

  “The clan leaders are here. They wish a meeting. They cannot wait till Midday.” And all of Marin’s plans went boom.

  “I will be right down.” He ground into me one last time. With a sigh, Marin turned to dress.

  I scooted out to my own room. We met near the bottom of the steps. Great minds and all that, we were both in black leather pants and vests, armed and ready to rumble. I felt badass. Imani beware. Marin grabbed my hand as we entered the room, his thumb slipping down the back of my fingers. That small touch grounded me. Support. Affection. Acceptance.

  The room was packed. There were over thirty people, crowded close to hear Marin’s news. Along the back wall, guards and citizens stood, waiting.

  “Report,” Marin commanded after he sat, tugging me next to him.

  Finn stepped forward. “I stayed up all night. All the traces of Imani I found ended in a body except one. I do not think there are anymore, but we still do not know where they came from. We are widening our search.”

  Marin nodded as others stepped forward and gave reports on the damage from yesterday.

  Marin turned to Zanth last. “Report.”

  Zanth stood. “After the blast in the conference room, I secured Elizabeth in the library. Lara came up to us, stating that you wished Elizabeth to go to Ute’s. The situation seemed strange. I knew you would not have sent anyone but a guard to get her. I also know you would not have sent Lara. You would have told us yourself.