by Sara Snow
Cyrus
"I'm sorry, brother. But we'll get her back." Theanos pulled me into a hug, and while he'd never hear these words from my lips, I was glad that he had come.
"Thanks," I told him as we pulled apart. He hugged Elinor next.
Theanos pulled his long blond hair into a ponytail as he watched Saleem gather the ingredients for the spell. "Let's do this then. I like Skye, and I'm going to be pissed if she's hurt. But it’s weird—I haven't heard anything about supernaturals being taken."
"The supernatural leaders were keeping it a secret for a while. But it's become too much of a problem now to keep silent.” I pinched my chin thoughtfully. "I wonder if they took any dragons."
"If a single dragon had gone missing, the Dragon Council would have been notified. But if whoever is responsible for these disappearances manages to take a dragon against their will, well . . ." Theanos inhaled deeply as his lips formed a thin line. "Then there would truly be a reason to panic. First of all, any fight involving dragons would be absolutely chaotic. My father isn't known for his good nature. And also, if a dark creature was able to abduct a dragon, even a young one, it would have to be incredibly strong."
"Let's hope that never happens, then,” I said.
Blue light filled the room, and Saleem called Theanos forward. "Theanos, I'm going to need a drop of your blood."
I watched as she pressed a knife against his palm to cut him, only the knife bent. "Oh, ah, sorry," Theanos shook his hand before inhaling deeply and then exhaling. "Try again."
"You're only half dragon, but you inherited their unbreakable skin. Incredible." Saleem's violet eyes were practically glowing with intrigue. "It's fascinating that you can make yourself vulnerable at will."
"Saleem . . ." I drawled, and her grin widened as she moved Theanos's hand so his blood would drip into the cauldron.
"Oh, relax, Cyrus. You'll forever be my favorite incubus."
Blue light erupted from the cauldron, and once my blood and Skye's hair were added to the mix, we were ready to try again.
With Elinor in the middle and Theanos and I standing on either side of her, we held hands as Saleem began the ritual. After taking a sip of the concoction she had made, Saleem began chanting, and blue light filled the room once more. This time, I could feel my energy being pulled towards her, increasing the strength of her spell.
I squeezed Elinor's hand as she moaned in pain. Her energy was probably fading quicker than Theanos’ and mine.
"Almost!" Saleem groaned through clenched teeth as a ringing began in the room. "More boys, I need more! Release Elinor. Do it quickly!"
Theanos and I released Elinor and quickly held hands instead. The moment our hands touched, a burst of power was released. My eyes became red as his blue eyes turned black. Elinor was strong—there was no doubt about that—but this was black magic, something she wasn't used to. With her out of harm’s way, we didn’t have to hold back. Instead, we combined our energy and then released it.
Saleem’s eyes had turned white during our first attempt, but this time, they became black. Only the darkness didn’t stop there. It spread from her eyes to her skin. Soon it covered most of her face. A black liquid dripped from her lips, but she continued to chant as she reached up to hold her throat with one hand while the other hovered over her cauldron.
I grew worried about her safety when her skin paled. Theanos and I glanced at each other, about to release each other and end the spell, when Saleem was thrown back against her glass shelf.
"Saleem!"
"I'm fine, Cyrus, I'm fine." The old woman got up quickly, brushing shards of glass from her shoulder. She wiped the black substance from her mouth before reaching into her mouth and pulling out the strand of Skye’s hair that I had given to her. Her chest was rising and falling rapidly as her skin returned to its normal color, and she dropped the hair back into the cauldron. "I saw her."
My heart skipped a beat. I stepped forward and placed my hands on her desk. "Where is she?"
"So did I," Theanos added, and Saleem narrowed her eyes at him.
"You piggy-backed on my spell?"
Theanos brushed his hand down the sleeve of his white cotton shirt and grinned at her. I'd never get used to how mischievous he always was. "I wanted to see what you were doing. Besides, this way, I can track Skye myself.” He turned to me. “I can find her, Cyrus, but we need to leave now. She was lying in a cell with other supernaturals and humans."
"Thank you, Saleem," Elinor said, stepping forward. "We should get going."
"Wait!" Saleem held her hand up before turning back towards her broken shelf. She looked around for a moment, then picked up a small black bottle. "Here, each of you take a sip. It'll replenish your energy. After all, none of you know what you're about to face."
"Thank you, Saleem." I took a sip of the liquid, relieved that it didn't have a taste. "I'll return with your payment once I've found Skye."
She waved her hand dismissively as Theanos drank next, and then Elinor. "Yes, I know you will. I hope you find her and discover who's behind all of this."
After we made our way outside, Theanos removed his shirt and allowed his wings to burst from his back. While my wings had red feathers, his were comprised of multicolored scales. Being half dragon and half incubus, Theanos’s power was close to mine.
"Can you tell how far away she is?" Elinor asked him.
"Yes, she's about . . ."
"Wait," I said as a familiar scent drifted to my nose. I turned around to see a cloaked figure at the entrance of the alleyway. It was no doubt a vampire, but its smell wasn't pungent like most others’. "How did you find us?"
Elinor's heart rate spiked as she stepped forward, and the shadowy figure moved closer too.
"I told Elinor I'd find her, no matter where she goes," Will answered, removing his hood.
"I knew it," Theanos mumbled beside me, and I turned to him immediately.
"You knew what?"
Theanos waved his hand, his eyes remaining on Elinor and Will as they embraced. "Nothing. I’d smelled a vampire on her the night of the festival."
And you said nothing to me?
"How did you find me?" Elinor asked Will.
"I have friends everywhere. I heard about what happened to your friend, and I knew you'd do something reckless,"
"Life is more fun that way, you know," Elinor replied, and Theanos and I shared a look.
A part of me was still skeptical about Will, but he was looking at Elinor in the same way I looked at Skye—with love. I'd never heard of a vampire being able to have feelings such as love—they only felt hunger and lust, as far as I knew. But if William had a beating heart, maybe he was the only vampire in existence who had a soul too.
Even so, vampire or not, I could tell the feelings he had for her were real. I could also understand the strained relationship between them. While I got to spend as much time as I wanted with Skye, Elinor and Will had to settle for brief meetings in the forest.
"Wait, you have blue eyes? That's bizarre. Are you a hybrid or something?" Theanos looked Will up and down, and I closed my eyes at his habit of blurting out the first thing that came to mind. His question was a valid one, though.
"We need to go, Elinor," I added as Theanos's wings flapped loudly beside me.
"Your father has sent Guards after you both." Will reached out and held her hand. "I would come with you, if I could. Unfortunately, the sun will soon rise."
"It's okay, we'll be back soon. Um, there are a few things I want to talk to you about," she said.
He nodded. "Be careful, Little Wolf." Then Will pulled his hood over his head as I shifted into my demon form, and Elinor climbed onto my back. Her heart was hammering away in my ears as her cheeks turned red. "Don't make me come and find you," she said to him.
When he smiled and turned to walk away, I kicked off the ground, my wings propelling me upward. As we flew through the sky to our unknown destination, I readied myself for a fight. No life would b
e spared when I found whoever had taken my Skye.
"So your man's a vampire, huh?" Theanos yelled from ahead of us, and behind me, Elinor's heart began to pound once again.
I smiled at her reaction. Yeah, she was in love. Now I just had to save mine.
Skye, I'm coming.
16
Skye
My stomach growled loudly as I wrapped my hands around my body. I was so hungry, my eyes were getting blurry. But I couldn't sleep, not for a second. I needed to stay alert. Four hours ago, a cloaked figure had opened the cell door. He’d dragged out an elf, a human, and a witch and left.
None of them had returned, and my fear of what might happen here grew.
An hour before that, a human had died. She’d been thin and weak, her body unable to withstand this slow death any longer. Her body was still in the cell with us. Beside me, my mom looped her hand through mine, her chest rising and falling slowly as she rested her head back against the wall and closed her eyes.
She didn't look scared. In fact, she looked really calm and had appeared that way the moment she had woken up. She didn't panic or try to break the bars as I had. Instead, she remained sitting with her head back against the wall. Her unruffled attitude helped me to calm down . . . until the cloaked figure took those two supernaturals and the human away, that is.
"You don't look afraid, Mom."
"I am, but there is nothing we can do but wait," she mumbled.
"Wait on what?"
"To be rescued . . . or to be the next one taken," she answered. "You do know why they’re leaving us in this cell for so long, right?" I shook my head. "To weaken us, of course. That cloaked figure wasn’t very big. You could have fought him, although we don’t know if he had any special abilities. Even so, abducting so many supernaturals would be troublesome, even with a spelled cage. If everyone here had enough strength, and we worked together, we should be able to defeat anyone who comes into the cell."
Are you searching for me, Cyrus?
I inhaled and leaned back against the wall, sending a prayer to the Goddess to guide Cyrus or Elinor to me. I knew they were searching for me. They had to be.
"It's okay, don't cry," I heard someone whisper and then sobs met my ears. "You'll be okay," the woman's voice said again. I looked to my right and saw an elf and a child sitting together in the back of the cell.
The little girl's brown hair was matted on one side, and dirt was smeared across her cheek. She looked to be twelve years old, her brown eyes brimming with tears as her bottom lip trembled.
"Don't cry, honey. They might be listening. Don't cry." The elf wiped at the girl's tears and ran a hand down her hair, trying to calm her.
"I want my mother. They took my mother," the human child whimpered.
"Hey kid, stop crying, or they're going to take you next," a werewolf growled, the man's sunken green eyes turning black with annoyance.
"Leave her alone," I growled, and his eyes wandered to me. "She's a child, and she’s terrified."
"Do I look like I care? She’s making too much noise. We don’t want to give our captors any ideas about coming back, because if they do, I doubt they’ll be taking just her!" he growled.
As I leaned forward, my mom grabbed my arm. Then she shook her head. Fighting amongst ourselves wouldn’t solve anything, and we were making more noise than the child. My chest tightened with sadness as the elf pulled the sobbing child in close to her.
"I want to go home. I don't want to die," the girl cried. I rose to go to her, to offer her comfort, when the sound of a door opening caused me to freeze in my tracks.
Heartbeats spiked within the cell as those lying on the ground found the strength to scurry into the corners or to huddle together against the wall. Light streamed into the dark dungeon from the left, and heavy footsteps drew closer. My mom and I huddled together with the rest.
The girl cried louder, her panicked wails echoing around us, and I feared the worst. They would take her. "Shh, cover her mouth."
The elf covered her mouth quickly as two cloaked figures appeared outside the cell. I swallowed hard, my heart hammering against my chest while my mother clutched my arm. After opening the rusty iron bars, they stepped inside and everyone turned their heads away. We were like rats, cowering in a corner as cats advanced on us. The figures were unmoving, standing just inside the door, when suddenly one disappeared. I blinked rapidly when I saw him reappear further within the cell. Reaching out, he grabbed onto the hair of a human woman. The woman screamed and fought to be released from the gloved hand of her attacker. She shouted, begging for her life and kicking wildly as he dragged her from the cell.
Then the other cloaked figure stepped forward.
Werewolves, humans, and elves moved out of the way, and he came to a stop before the elf with the crying child. He bent down and grabbed the child's arm, and her head fell back as she screamed.
No.
"No, no!" the elf yelled, but the figure just backhanded her across the face.
Her head slammed into the wall and her eyes rolled back as she fell unconscious. I wanted to move, I tried to speak, but I was frozen with fear as the figure held the child up by her throat, her screams turning into gurgling sounds as she choked.
If Elinor had been here, she would have acted. I knew she would have stood up and defended that child, even if the odds were against her.
My eyes filled with tears as the little girl finally stopped clawing at the hand around her throat and her heartbeat slowed down.
I spoke without thinking. "Put her down, you fucking monster!" I rushed forward, my eyes black and my claws brandished with rage.
A chuckle met my ears before the sting of a slap spread across my face and I fell to the ground.
"Skye!" my mom screamed, but as she rushed towards me, I held my hand up to stop her. I shook my head and tears streamed down her eyes. "Don't do it," she begged me.
"Stay down," the cloaked figure said, and the others within the cell gasped. Had they not heard these monsters speak before?
How could I stand by and watch this happen to a child? My mother and I were the last to arrive here, and the only ones with enough strength left to resist. Maybe I was foolish, but if I was going to die here, I wouldn't go down without a fight.
I got to my feet and spat on the ground. Suddenly the werewolf I had argued with earlier rushed forward, his howl echoing around us. The little girl fell to the ground, but blood splattered across the wall as the figure beheaded the wolf in a flash. Bile rose to my throat.
The world around me grew cold as my mother rushed forward next, her movements almost silent. But she was easily thrown across the room, blood spilling from her mouth as she slammed against the wall hard enough to crack the stone.
Time slowed down as I saw my mother's eyes roll back and she fell to the ground. Fueled by pain and fury, I howled long and hard, trying desperately to listen for her heartbeat.
A gloved hand grabbed the back of my neck from behind. Blinded by panic and rage, I spun around and punched my attacker, then rushed towards my mother, her name a pained cry on my lips. She inhaled deeply as her eyes widened and she regained consciousness.
Before I could get to her, an arm grabbed me around my waist and another hand covered my mouth, as someone dragged me from the cell towards the open door.
"I like this one," the man behind me chuckled when my attempts to bite the hand over my mouth failed.
We stepped through the door and he threw me onto the ground so hard, the pain of a bone breaking in my arm had me biting down on my lip hard enough to draw blood. The man stepped over me and my face twisted with disgust when my hand slid in a pool of blood as I tried to sit up.
"I want to keep this one," the same voice said as I finally sat up and saw legs dangling in front of me. "She's feisty."
I fell backward, scurrying away the best I could with a broken arm. My eyes roamed around the room, horrified by the multiple pools of blood on the floor. Goosebumps broke out on m
y flesh at the sight before me, and my mouth went dry as the man removed his hood.
My empty stomach clenched as I dry-heaved. I stared at him, unable to look away as I screamed, the sound ripped from my mouth in terror as the man—no, the creature—stepped towards me.
“Now,” the man drawled, “Let’s do something about that attitude of yours.”
Elinor
We flew for three hours straight before Theanos finally descended. We landed on the outskirts of an abandoned town, and I watched as Theanos bent down and dug his hand into the soil.
"I'm not picking up any life here." He stood up and brushed the dirt off his hand. "There's no aura or heartbeat, but I can feel Skye here."
"Let's go, then." Cyrus walked away, his wings vanishing, and I followed close behind him.
As the early morning sun beamed down on us, the abandoned town appeared to be in worse shape than it had seemed from above. Some buildings had crumbled walls, some had missing doors and windows, and others were just walls where a house had once stood. Trees grew haphazardly throughout the town, proof that the forest was reclaiming the land.
"It’s the perfect place to hide. This town is in the middle of nowhere. But there's also nowhere to hide. All the buildings are ruined," I said as I stepped over a child's broken doll.
"Do you still feel her?" Cyrus asked Theanos when we stopped walking. Theanos nodded and took the lead.
"Yeah, she’s up ahead." He pointed to a house with broken windows. "In there."
My eyes changed to black, and Cyrus's changed to red. Our steps were silent as we approached the house. We all knew that just because Theanos hadn't detected anyone, it didn't mean there was no one there. After all, we knew nothing about whoever had taken Skye, so we couldn't let our guard down for a minute.
Cyrus waved his hand to Theanos and me, signaling for us to wait as his wings appeared and he flew above the house. He dived downward, breaking through the roof, and I growled as I ran forward. We were doing this together for a reason. No matter how strong he might be, rushing in like that was a horrible idea.
