Ann Gimpel

by Earth's Requiem (Earth Reclaimed)

  Fionn charged into the fray. Magic collided with D’Chel’s, creating a series of sparks so bright that spots swam before her eyes. She laid Bella in the shadows between two large fir trees. The bird folded her wings around herself. “Don’t you dare give up,” Aislinn hissed.

  Back in the clearing, a quick assessment told her that things were deteriorating. One of Fionn’s arms seemed broken. When had that happened? Somehow, he was still calling magic, lobbing jolts one-handed at the dark god. Two wolves lay dead. Rune danced just beyond D’Chel’s reach, but she sensed his energy fading. The other wolves were nowhere to be seen. She didn’t blame them. No point in getting killed in someone else’s war. She made a mental note to tell Metae they had to involve all the animals, not just Hunter bond mates, in this fight. After all, it really was everyone’s battle. If they lost Earth, no one would have a place to live.

  I need to make this work. Gritting her teeth, she strode forward and placed herself dead center in front of D’Chel. He’d shucked the wolf form and looked like a man again. He turned slowly to face her. The same lambent sexuality she’d felt from Perrikus oozed from him. Strange she hadn’t felt it before. Maybe when he was working illusion, it muted his charismatic qualities. Long hair so black that it had a bluish cast was braided close against a finely-boned head. Clear coppery eyes shone out of a perfect face with chiseled features. He wore hunting leathers that encased his muscled shoulders and slim hips like a glove, leaving little to the imagination. She let her gaze roam appreciatively over him, hoping to draw his attention away from Fionn and Rune.

  “Hey, pretty man,” she cooed, hoping against hope that he was as susceptible to lust as Perrikus. He sure had the same effect on her. She planted her feet shoulder width apart so her thighs wouldn’t rub together and ignored the heat in her loins.

  His gaze shifted. He looked at her appraisingly just before his eyes turned a delectable shade of pale blue. “Do you know who I am?”

  Should I tell him? She inhaled sharply to buy herself a moment to think. Because she couldn’t come up with a better strategy, Aislinn turned a brilliant smile his way and purred, “Of course I do.”

  Eyes hooded, he said, “Tell me.”

  “D’Chel, god of illusion.”

  “You do not have to do this,” Rune’s voice sounded in her head. “We can find a way that does not involve you sacrificing yourself.”

  Fionn limped to her side. He tried to take her arm, but Aislinn shook him off. “Let me do this my way.”

  “No,” Fionn muttered. “It will be his way or no way. He’ll fuck you and turn you to their side. Christ, didn’t they teach you anything?”

  “Believe in me,” she sent, focusing her mind voice only for Fionn. “Please don’t make this harder.”

  A cunning smile graced D’Chel’s face. “Your bond animal?” He gestured toward Rune. “And your mate?”

  “Well, you got one right.”

  The god’s eyes flickered dangerously. Apparently, he wasn’t used to making errors—or having them pointed out.

  “Let them leave,” Aislinn continued, holding his gaze. In a sudden flash of insight, she deployed a risky gambit and added, “I was visiting with Perrikus the other day, but one of the Old Ones showed up. Ruined our fun.”

  Surprise fluttered across his far-from-human features. Good. Let him try to figure out which side I’m on. Lots of humans, starting with the ones who had helped open the gateway during the globally synchronized surge, fueled the dark ones’ powers by their adoration—and lots of sex.

  Fionn clamped a hand around her wrist in a viselike grip and tugged. “Come on,” he snarled. “We’re leaving. Now.”

  “I’ll find you later,” she murmured. “Bella needs you. Take Rune.” She held her breath. Would D’Chel let them go if she stayed? She hoped he’d find her interesting enough to release the others. After all, most humans who followed the dark didn’t have much power. Perrikus had wanted children with her.

  “I am staying with you,” Rune growled.

  Aislinn clamped her teeth together so hard, she was surprised they didn’t shatter. It went against the grain to force Rune, but she had to see him out of harm’s way. “You will go with Fionn and Bella.”

  Anger, disappointment, and betrayal flashed from the wolf’s eyes.

  Fionn’s gaze moved from her to D’Chel. Giving her a terse nod, he moved toward where she’d left the bird. Rune followed him, refusing to meet her gaze.

  “Nicely done, human.” A lascivious smile lit D’Chel’s face as he drank her in. His hand snaked out, stroked her face, and then moved familiarly down her body. “Your loved ones are out of harm’s way—for the moment. What will you barter for their continued safety?”

  “I am under the Old Ones’ protection.”

  Full lips drew back in a sneer. “So what? Besides, I don’t see them racing to your defense.”

  His unnerving gaze shaded back to coppery-green and bored into her. A jolt of lust so hot that it made her come where she stood turned her knees to jelly. At least the sexual tension ratcheted down a notch or two, but not for long.

  His gaze never left her face. He smiled knowingly. “We could have a lot of fun, you and me. You’re a ripe one.”

  He pulled her to him. Close up like that, she saw flecks of silver in his ever-changing eyes. She also saw how alien they were. Despite his humanoid form, he was anything but. His perfect body felt cool against hers when he slashed his mouth atop hers. He drew heat from her until she started to shiver and pulled away from his mouth and his roaming hands. Away from the length of him pressed against her crotch.

  “Would you take me against my will?” Her teeth chattered. All the heat leached out of the world. Holy crap! He’s going to drain the life right out of me.

  “I am a god. I take what I want.”

  He reached for her again. A feral gleam shone from the depths of his eyes, desperation for something to warm him. She wondered how many thousands of years old he was.

  I have to do something before I freeze to death. She hadn’t understood before that if he entered her, he’d steal everything warm and living. What would be left? Not very fucking much.

  Sudden terror energized her. Because it burned inside her all the time, Aislinn drew fire. She made the surface of her body hot, so hot that D’Chel yanked his hands away. She stumbled and nearly fell.

  “What are you doing?” he demanded. “Stop that at once.”

  “You’re cold. I’m hot.” She panted with the effort of holding her magic. So long as she kept it within and didn’t turn it to energy for spells or fighting, it would heat her. Apparently, he couldn’t touch her when she was like this.

  He tried again, laying a cold hand against her breast, but he snatched it away at once. Barely contained rage built. She saw it in the set of his jaw and his narrowed eyes.

  “Let’s just agree that we made a mistake,” she suggested smoothly.

  “I could blast you out of this world with a thought.”

  “I don’t think so,” she replied evenly. If he could, I’d be dead now.

  His man-form wavered. A cobra stood before her, weaving its dance of death. Before it could strike, Aislinn mobilized the magic simmering inside her. First, she called invisibility, and then she jumped, ameliorating all traces of her destination.

  The journey buffeted her and was far harder than she thought it should have been for such a short jump. Something subverted her magic—from both sides. Fear clotted in her throat, and sweat ran down her sides. When she finally came out in Fionn’s grotto, she was unbelievably relieved to find all three of them there. Fionn cradled Bella against him. Rune turned his back on her.

  “This place is a whole lot deeper than I thought,” she said, eying Fionn. “I had a hell of a time getting here.” She sucked in a shuddery breat
h. Jump spells weren’t reversible. Either you came out the other end at the planned destination—or you didn’t. “For a while there, I was afraid I’d be trapped in my own working.”

  His brows drew together. “Sorry. That’s because I had to release my warding to let you in. It took me a while once I sensed you outside. I hope you covered your tracks.” He stumbled to his feet, Bella still in his arms, and glanced about, as if expecting D’Chel any moment.

  “I did. I also understand why you used magic to ferry me in and out of here.” Tension whooshed out of her, and she shot him an impressed smile. “Nicely done. No one could ever blunder onto this place by accident.”

  He looked surprised. “Thanks. I don’t get many compliments.”

  Aislinn strode to her wolf and crouched next to him. “I apologize for forcing you. I wanted you safe. You need to know that I would do the same again if it meant your life.” Rune’s fur rippled beneath her touch, but he ignored her.

  Coming to her feet, she made her way to Fionn and Bella. “How is she?”

  Fionn shook his head and sat back down. “Weak. She’s lost a lot of blood. I was just getting ready to see what I could do for her when I had to stop to dismantle my wards for you.” He looked at Aislinn. “We only beat you here by a few minutes.”

  “I healed Rune. Would you like me to try to help?”

  Nodding, he moved over to make room for her. Aislinn held out her arms for the bird. “I did what I could in the forest. Like with Hunter magic, I didn’t think I had Healing abilities either, but it appears I do.”

  She linked to the bird and tried to figure out what D’Chel had injured. Fionn was right. His bird had lost blood, but nothing critical seemed damaged. One of her wing bones had snapped. That would be an easy fix. Taking her time, Aislinn infused Healing energy into the large raven. She felt Fionn in her mind, working alongside her. When she was certain the bird could tolerate it, she mended its broken wing.

  Looking up, she met Fionn’s gaze, grateful he hadn’t tried to talk to her while they’d been navigating through unfamiliar avian physiology. “She’ll be fine. A good rest, and she’ll be good as new.”

  “I think the same. Thank you.” His heart was in his eyes. He lifted the bird off her lap and placed her on a cushion off to one side. Turning back to Aislinn, he said, “Do you feel like telling us what happened?”

  Sidestepping his question, she quirked an eyebrow. “How’s your arm? And you were limping earlier.”

  “Hmph. Ankle was just a sprain. Not so sure about my arm. I’d planned to see to it once I was done with Bella. Didn’t expect you back quite so soon.” He paused for a beat and skewered her with his gaze. “Truth was, I didn’t expect you back here at all.”

  She snorted. “Oh ye of little faith. Would you like me to look at your arm?”

  Wordlessly, he held it out. Her Healer magic was still close to the surface. She laid a hand on either side of his arm and called her power front and center again. “Something took a hell of a chip out of the bone right here.” She pressed gently, trying to get a sense of what she needed to fix.

  “Whooph.” He winced, apparently biting back the rest of what would have been a yelp.

  “Sorry.” She chanted softly and wove strands that would bring new bone cells to patch the weak spot. His body heated under her touch. She smiled as she felt the damage recede, replaced by healthy tissue.

  “Thank you a second time.” He dipped his head her way. “I didn’t want to disturb you while you were working, but what in the name of the gods happened out there?”

  “If Rune will forgive me for forcing him to go with you, I’d like to tell all of you.” The wolf still faced away from her and didn’t budge. Not so much as an ear twitched, even though he had to be listening.

  A corner of Fionn’s mouth turned downward. “I want to know, even if he doesn’t. Say, we have all those greens we gathered earlier. I could cook them while you catch us up.”

  Aislinn realized she was famished. “That would be great.”

  “Would you like dried meat along with them?”

  “Even better.” Pushing heavily to her feet, she went over to Rune. The wolf drew away, and she knew how badly she’d hurt him. Settling next to him, she stroked his fur. After a time, he turned reproachful eyes on her.

  “I do not care if it means my death,” he said with dignity. “I do not want you to ever order me away from your side again.”

  “You left me earlier,” she pointed out. “While we’re on that topic, why couldn’t I sense you?”

  He dropped his amber gaze. “Because I know how to shield myself.”

  Aislinn glanced at Fionn, who was using magic to cook their meal. “Is that a common bond animal trait?” He shook his head. She refocused on Rune. “Yet you can do this.”

  “Yes.”

  “Why didn’t you want me to know where you were?”

  “So you wouldn’t stop me. I was trying to help Bella.”

  Confusion rocked her. “Why would I have interfered?”

  “Because his first loyalty must be to you,” Fionn answered, handing her a cracked earthenware plate.

  “Thanks.” She sat on the floor next to Rune and shoveled food into her mouth. Now that it was in front of her, it was all she could think about. When she came up for air, she gazed at Rune, who’d laid his head next to her thigh, and at Fionn, who sat across from her. “I need a tutorial on Hunter bond mates. There’s a whole lot I don’t know about them. While we’re at it, there are things about myself I guess I don’t know, either. I got away from D’Chel by concentrating my magic. But I kept it inside, so it made the surface of my skin uber hot. Turns out, he couldn’t tolerate touching me when I did that. He shape-shifted, and I took the opportunity to jump.”

  “Did he fuck you?” Fionn’s stark question startled her.

  She shook her head. “No. The closer he got, the more I understood it would kill me—or turn me into some sort of mindless zombie—if he got his dick inside me. That’s when I came up with my idea to use fire. I was so damned cold from his touch, I had to do something.”

  Deep worry lines etched into Fionn’s forehead relaxed. “Thank God,” he breathed. “I tried to tell you back there. Mortals who fuck the dark gods end up, well, not exactly human anymore. They turn you so they can pilfer your power. I don’t know about the zombie-thing, but sex with them makes you useless to our side.”

  “Yes,” Rune seconded. “Do not ever do that again. You thought you could control a god. Ha! You got lucky.”

  “I am lucky—” she grinned at them “—because I have both of you to care about me.” As soon as she said the words, she knew how true they were. After three years of being alone, she had a family again. Joy, a feeling so unfamiliar that she barely recognized it, warmed her heart.

  “We need to leave as soon as Bella’s strong enough to travel,” Fionn said.

  “Agreed.” Aislinn nodded. A daring thought took root. “Even though Metae called me off, I think we should head for the gateway.”

  Fionn shot her an appraising glance. “Bold move. Especially without an invitation.”

  “Well, she didn’t tell me I wasn’t welcome. Just that she wanted me to have a few more experiences in the real world, first.”

  He chuckled. “You’re certainly racking those up.”

  “So I am.” Her eyes felt suddenly heavy.

  “Sleep. You’ve earned it. Plus, you’re exhausted.” Fionn reached across the space between them and laid a hand on her arm.

  Aislinn sensed his spell, but didn’t fight it. Leaning against her wolf, she fell asleep before she could say another word.

  Chapter Eight

  The murmur of Bella’s and Fionn’s voices woke Aislinn. It was impossible to tell what time it was, since, unlike her cave, no daylight
filtered into Fionn’s home. She pulled air into her chest and took stock of how she felt as she blew it back out. Hmph. Not too damned bad.

  Rune padded over to her and licked her face. “Bella is much better today,” he told her.

  Good. One less thing to worry about. Since she didn’t know all that much about the dark gods, she hadn’t been sure how sophisticated, or interested, D’Chel might be in terms of his ability to track them. Fionn kept wards about his place—they’d nearly been the death of her—and she’d taken care to cover her tracks, but she doubted if either strategy could stymie a god. “How late is it?” she asked Rune.

  “The morning is close to gone.”

  “You’re awake.” Fionn walked over to her, a broad smile on his face. “Bella is—”

  “I already know,” she interrupted. “Rune told me. I’m so glad. That means we can get going.”

  “I need to check outside to make sure it’s safe.” The air around Fionn took on a shimmery hue as he pulled magic.

  “Why can’t we just leave from in here?”

  He spun and looked hard at her. Enough illumination shone from his mage light for her to see an odd look on his face. “It’s almost impossible to travel from underground.”

  “It is harder.” She stood and rose on her tiptoes to stretch. When she tried to run her fingers through her hair, they tangled in hopeless mats. “With two of us, I think we can manage it. I really pissed D’Chel off yesterday. Unless something more pressing came up, I’d bet my last dollar—if I still had one—he’s out there, hanging around and waiting for the first wisp of magic to surface.”

  “You’ll have to show me how to help you.” Fionn was still eying her strangely.

  “Why are you looking at me like that?”