Attainment (Between Two Realms Book 3)

by Amber Flora

  “If I attempt to harm you while Herrick and Mac are in the cage you will have full use of your abilities and will be free from my hold,” Ruby said to me before turning back to the boys.

  “Happy?” she asked in a nonchalant fashion.

  “Far from it, but I will be soon enough,” Mac replied with a deadly stare.

  “Yeah, yeah. You’re angry, I get it. The crowd is getting restless. I need an answer, gentlemen. Yourselves or the fiery bright-eyed dreamwalker?”

  Tears streamed down my face as Herrick and Mac nodded their agreement in unison.

  “Don’t do this! Let her kill me, I don’t care. Just don’t fight each other!” I begged.

  I was falling apart and there was nothing I could do to stop it. Herrick walked toward me, kneeling till he was my height.

  “I’ll have to make it look real but I’ll take a dive. I won't let him die, hummingbird,” he whispered in my ear as I tried to wrap my arms around him.

  Before I could say anything he rose and went to stand beside Mac. They both had the most defeated look on their faces and my heart felt as though it were being jabbed with a cattle prod. I wanted so desperately to save them. Stupid men, why would they do this? All they had to do was flash out of there and they were safe. Instead they had to be all noble and fight for my honor or whatever the hell they were doing. I screamed one final plea as the cage door opened and they made their way inside.

  I was close enough to the ring to get a clear enough view of both men. I prayed no one stepped in front of me; the bitch could have at least allowed me to stand during the fight. Instead I was completely helpless as I watched two men I cared for prepare to pummel each other just so that I could find a man that could potentially kill me the moment he puts his eyes on me. I felt as if I were dealing with a female version of Damon, except I was beginning to think she was more cunning. Herrick and Mac stood on opposite sides of the ring, neither wanting to make the first move. The crowd was getting restless and I knew if one them didn’t make a move soon, things would get even uglier. A hundred pissed-off vampires in tight quarters screamed blood bath. Mac slowly advanced on Herrick and I knew he was feeling him out. If Herrick wanted to win this fight it wouldn’t be difficult. While Mac was a decent fighter, he wasn’t a vibrant. Herrick was born and bred to be an assassin. A loud thump signaled the first hit. Mac had attempted a frontal attack, resulting in a leg sweep by Herrick that knocked him to the ground. The audience roared with approval as Herrick slammed his foot into Mac’s throat. I was beginning to believe that he didn’t understand the meaning of a forfeit when Mac grabbed his ankle with both hands and spun him until he landed on his stomach. I knew the real Herrick would have never allow someone to get the slip on him in that way. They battled for what felt like a lifetime. Both were bloody and exhausted. I understood that Herrick didn’t want to make it obvious that he was taking a dive, but enough was enough, end it already. Just when I thought things couldn’t get any worse, I watched in horror as someone slid a knife through the cage. I had no doubt that neither of them would use it. That was until I felt something cold and metallic touch my throat.

  Herrick was about to end the fight and admit defeat. He figured the crowd would be pleased enough with the beating he endured to accept his surrender. He should have known it wouldn’t be that easy. He looked to his left when he heard Ruby’s voice screaming Mac’s name. He wasn’t focusing on what she was telling him; instead he was looking behind her at the vampire who was stupid enough to be holding a knife against Ashtyn’s neck. Two things became clear to him in that moment: The first was that he would kill every one of them, no matter how long it took, and the second was that there was only one way they were getting out of that cage and that was for one of them to use the knife they were given. Ruby was smart enough to ensure her loophole when speaking to Ashtyn; she mentioned that Ashtyn would be free of her hold if she attempted to harm her. Ruby conveniently left out the part about anyone else doing so. Herrick watched as Mac picked up the knife and knelt before him. “I am sorry, lad, you’re a good fella but it’s you or her.”

  “Do it,” Herrick managed to get out in a raspy voice. As Mac was about to make his move, Herrick snatched his arm.

  “As soon as this is over you get her out of here; fight later, save the girl.”

  Mac nodded his agreement.

  “It’s going to hurt like a bugger, but it won’t kill ya.”

  Herrick felt the penetrating blow that dulled his senses. He looked down at his side to see the blood pouring from the wound. He managed to turn his head just enough to get a glimpse of Ashtyn. Her face was pale and her eyes were swollen from the tears. Even with all the bodies between them he could taste her emotions; the fear and pain that radiated from her tore him in two. He mustered up his most sincere smile in an attempt to calm her beating heart right before it all went dark.

  Chapter 9

  Cody and Ben had been in Cardician for nearly two days and still hadn't managed to track down Damon's mother. Cody was starting to understand where Damon got his hiding skills from. They were exhausted and angry but they had no intentions of giving up, not when the psycho had Kat. Cody knew it wasn’t right to keep asking Algon for help. The man was in hiding himself and every time he poked his head out to lend a hand, it put him and his rebels in danger. This time was different. Whoever took Kat also captured others and if they didn’t put a stop to Damon once and for all, many more could suffer.

  “Anything?” Cody asked, walking into Ashtyn's grandmother's shop. Algon hadn’t sold it after her passing. Not only did it make for a nice rendezvous spot but Cody knew that Algon didn’t want to throw away his mother’s life’s work.

  “I think I found her. She goes by Mala. It wasn’t easy but after a little provoking I managed to get some intel on her whereabouts. Mala has an aunt in an apartment by the train station on the edge of town. Rumor is her aunt is out of town and she’s posted up there for the time being.”

  Cody was halfway out the door before Algon could finish his sentence.

  “Thanks, Algon, we appreciate your assistance once again,” Ben said, shaking his hand before turning to chase after Cody.

  “Ben, wait, have you seen my daughter recently?”

  It didn’t seem wise to tell Ashtyn’s father the last time he saw her she was in shadow realm French kissing a female vampire. He didn’t know much about parenting but he was certain that no father would want to hear that.

  “Yeah, just the other day. She was with Mac and … ” Dammit, would Algon be all right with Ashtyn hanging out with a vibrant? Ben prayed that Ashtyn wouldn’t fillet him for ratting her out.

  “Herrick,” he finished, watching Algon’s face for any sign of anger.

  “He’s back, huh? I wondered how long it would take him,” Algon said, surprisingly calm.

  “You aren’t upset that he is back in her life?”

  “I’m not thrilled about it, but he did help her escape Damon. Plus, you know my daughter. Does telling her you don’t want her to do something ever work?”

  Ben thought about how stubborn Ashtyn was, how every time someone attempted to talk her out of something it seemed to only fuel her desire to push forward.

  “No, sir, I guess it doesn’t.”

  “Just keep an eye on her for me, would you?” Algon shook Ben’s hand before opening the shop door.

  “You have my word. Ashtyn will always have our protection.”

  “I believe you. Now go help your other friend. He’s in a bad place. I fear what he’ll do if he doesn’t find Katrina soon.” Ben nodded and took off down the street after the man, on a mission.

  Mala’s aunt didn’t live in the best part of town. Even magic realm had its shady areas and the apartment she resided in was known for shady potion dealings and back-alley magic. Cody made his way through the complex asking anyone he passed if they knew where to find Mala. After shelling out about three hundred dollars, he found himself on the third floor, Apartment 308.
Ben waited down the hall in case she tried to make a run for it. Cody knocked a few times on the door but got no response. He decided he wasn’t going to play nice and turned the knob to let himself in. The moment he stepped through the door he saw a short-haired blonde who looked to be in her mid-forties murmur something to herself right before she thrust her palms in his direction. Cody attempted to advance on her but his feet wouldn’t move. It was as if they were glued to the floor. He cursed himself for thinking he could sneak up on a wizard.

  “The Credo are getting sloppy,” she said, eyeing him.

  “I am not with those monsters,” Cody tried to explain before she turned him into a fly and swatted him.

  “Oh sure, you just happened to break into this home with me inside.”

  “Mala, please. I am in the guard. My mother was on the dreamwalker council. I don’t wish to hurt you.”

  “You truly think I’m a fool, don’t you? I don’t care who you are, you're not welcome here.”

  Cody saw her lips moving and he knew she was conjuring another spell. Luckily for him Ben burst through the door and seized her hands, forcing them behind her back.

  “Let go of me!” the woman screamed, bucking against Ben.

  “Release my friend first and I’ll consider it,” he demanded.

  Mala stopped struggling and turned her head, attempting to get a better look at Ben.

  “You're Elias’ second-in-command, I remember you.”

  “Yes, and that is his son you have stuck to the floor.”

  Mala looked back and forth between them. Cody knew she was weighing her options. If she managed to get away they might never find Damon.

  “We’re going to kill Damon but we need your help in doing so. We can put an end to all of this. You’ll be free.”

  Mala gave a menacing laugh as she waved her hand and freed Cody.

  “Let me get this straight. You want me to help you kill my son, and you think that will free me? Last I heard Ser’ie was still alive.”

  Ben finally let her go but didn’t step back. He had no intentions of trusting her not to bolt.

  “Ser’ie is trapped somewhere; he can’t harm you. As for Damon, when did you ever give a shit about him? He is the very thing you are running from.”

  Cody couldn’t understand why she would want Damon spared. She left him when he was just a child and had been on the run ever since.

  “Don’t pretend to know me or my life. Even if I wanted to help you, Damon would kill me before you made it out of this realm. You have no idea who you’re dealing with.”

  Ben laughed.

  “Lady, we know exactly who we’re dealing with and I promise you we will end him. You have spent decades running. Don’t you want it to be over? Aren’t you sick of hiding?”

  Cody was trying to see the resemblance between mother and son but it wasn’t there. Damon looked nothing like her; he must have gotten all his father’s genes. He slightly pitied her. She fell in love with the wrong man and birthed a child hell bent on destroying the world. Although, if she hadn’t abandoned him he might not have turned evil. Now they will never know. The only thing he knew for sure is that Damon had to be stopped and Mala needed to understand that whatever good she thought was left in him actually wasn’t. There would be no saving him; the longer they waited, the more damage he would do.

  “I can assure you that you don’t know all of it. Damon doesn’t even know the whole story. It's one of the reasons I left. His fate was already sealed. Nothing I could have done would have changed that but I could still save myself. You think I’m a coward, that I have no compassion, but you’re wrong. I have thought of him every day since. The humane thing to do would have been to take his life when he was just a baby, to never let him grow to know pain and suffering, to prevent the world from experiencing the demon that lurked just below the surface. But I couldn’t. When I looked into his eyes and he reached for my hand I was his. I didn’t want to believe it. I thought if I had hope, if I loved him enough, he would be different, but fate just laughed in my face.”

  “What happened, Mala? Why did you run?” Cody asked, trying to keep her talking and not running.

  “When he was seven he accidentally killed our cat with a lightning bolt. It had scratched him and he was frightened. He didn’t mean to — he was just a scared little boy — but I knew then that it was too late. Not soon after that I disappeared. I didn’t know what else to do. I couldn’t kill my son, my only child. If I had been strong enough, brave enough … ”

  Mala lowered her head and began to sob. Cody couldn’t understand what she was saying. What was he missing? How could Mala had possibly known that Damon would have ended up on this path? Why was she so afraid of a child? He didn’t have time to question all of that. They needed her help and he would do whatever it took to get it.

  “Here’s your chance. You may not have been able to stop him then but you can now. At this very moment he is holding a dear friend of mine captive along with countless other women, all in an attempt to create a super race.”

  Mala’s head shot up.

  “What did you say?”

  “He’s holding women captive,” Cody repeated.

  “No, the other part.”

  Cody didn’t know if he should divulge everything. If Damon did get to her, Cody didn’t want him knowing they were on to him.

  “Damon believes mixing bloodlines will create the ultimate impure, one that will have unmatched powers.”

  Mala’s face went rigid. She looked to Ben for confirmation and he nodded.

  “I’ll do it, but I need you to promise me that if he succeeds, you won't make the same mistake I did. No child of his can be allowed to live. If you think he’s evil, anything he creates will far exceed him.”

  This lady had a few screws missing. He understood her fear of Damon, but to be afraid of a hypothetical child? Cody had no intentions of harming any baby even if it ended up belonging to Damon, but if it got her to help them, he would agree.

  “It won't have to come that.”

  “But if it does? Will you have what it takes to ensure it ends with him?”

  “Yes, I will do whatever is necessary to end the bloodshed and restore dream realm.”

  Mala walked into the kitchen and began opening drawers. She rooted around until she found a beige piece of parchment. She then grabbed a knife and walked back into the living room, taking a seat on the torn brown sofa.

  “It won’t pinpoint his exact location but it will get you close enough.”

  Mala held her palm over the paper, taking the knife and cutting into it.

  “Sanguinem sanguine meo; blood of my blood. Manifestaturus es ad; reveal yourself unto me.”

  She turned her palm down and opened her hand, allowing the blood to drip onto the parchment. The blood ran along the paper, swirling and gliding along the edges. After about thirty seconds the blood stopped and words appeared.

  “Tyumen, where’s that?” Mala asked, looking at the word that formed from her blood.

  “Siberia,” Cody and Ben said in unison.

  Cody had convinced Mala that she would be safer with their allies. He and Ben dropped her off with Algon before returning home to update Gloria. Algon wasn’t thrilled about taking in the mother of the man who wanted his daughter dead but he did agree that it was better for everyone to keep a watch on her until Damon was dealt with.

  “We are going to need all hands on deck. Every dreamwalker in the guard will need to fight,” Ben said as they entered the sanctuary.

  “Agreed. After we speak with Gloria, you round up the men. I’ll hunt down Mac and Ashtyn. We need to get a plan together. I want everyone ready to go by three moons.”

  Ben raised his eyebrows at Cody.

  “Did I miss something? I’m pretty sure I am the general. You know I like you, Dakota, but don’t forget your place.”

  Cody rolled his eyes. “Orders, general?”

  “I’ll hunt down the soldiers, you go and get Mac
and Ashtyn. We leave in three moons.”

  “Good call, general,” Cody smiled, patting his friend on the back.

  Chapter 10

  I lay on Brian’s couch next to Herrick, my head resting on his chest and my arms wrapped around his waist. I needed to hear his heart beating. It was the only thing that kept me from losing control and going on a rampage. Once Ruby allowed the referee to call the fight and I was freed from my bind, we flashed Herrick back to Brian’s to bandage the wound. Mac knew well enough to avoid any arteries or major organs but it still didn’t change the fact that Herrick had been stabbed. Given that he was already exhausted from the fight, the loss of blood was enough to knock him unconscious. If Kat were around I would have whisked her here to work her mojo. I felt myself unraveling again at the thought of Kat. One of my best friends was God knows where and the man I love was near death and I couldn’t fix any of it. I circled back through my thoughts when the realization hit me. I loved Herrick. I don’t know how or when it happened but I couldn’t deny it any longer. I had to be honest with everyone, including myself. They both deserved to know the truth. I had no delusions of a future with him. He had made it perfectly clear that he didn’t care for me in that way when he conveniently withheld his newfound ability to feel emotions but I couldn’t help it; I still loved him. I wiped the tears that were rolling down my face when I felt a presence in the room. I knew it wasn’t Mac or Brian; they were posted outside in case Ruby or her minions came knocking.

  “You are just like your mother. When will the Lane women ever learn?”

  I instinctively jumped from the couch, placing myself in front of Herrick.

  “Who the hell are you?” I bore my gaze into the strange woman's green eyes. She didn’t come off as a vampire although she was pale, especially against her auburn hair.