by Sophia Sharp
“A way out,” Rafael said. As the words left his mouth, a thunderous crash sounded against the boulder. The Vassiz were already on the other side – and they were trying to break down the entrance! Another crash, and thin beams of light streamed in around the edges. They were destroying the boulder!
“They’re here,” Rafael said stiffly. “You go. I will stay to buy you time.”
“They will overwhelm you!” Hunter exclaimed.
“Boy, I have more tricks up my sleeve than you may believe.” Another thunderous crash, and the whole cave they were in trembled. “Go now! You will find an enormous maze. There is only one way out. Take the crossings left, left, right. Every time. Miss but one, and your path will lead deeper into the ground, and there will be no escape. Hurry!” Another crash. Another massive vibration. “They will break in soon. The barricade won’t keep for long. GO!”
Nora felt herself being picked up again, then the wind slammed against her skin. They had left Rafael behind. The last sound Nora heard was that agonizing scrape of rock against rock.
Chapter Twenty-Two
~The End of Hope~
Hunter ran for his life, for both their lives. They ran down curving pathways with hard angles.
Left, left, right.
They ran ahead, far ahead.
Left, left, right.
The sounds behind them lessened. They were leaving their pursuers behind.
Left, left, right.
Hunter ran with everything he had, and Nora clung onto his back with a grip she would never release.
Left, left, right.
She couldn’t see anything in the dark, but she trusted Hunter. She could feel his heart hammering against her chest.
Left, left, right.
On and on they ran, until the sounds in the distance became an inaudible hum and then disappeared altogether. Only then did Hunter slow his pace.
“I think,” he said finally, “we got away.” A flood of relief greater than anything Nora had experienced before washed over her.
“We’re safe?”
“I think so.” He set her down and took her hand. “Come, we should be out of this labyrinth soon.”
Nora followed him – gripping his hand tightly. She couldn’t help but smile. She hoped he wouldn’t notice.
Hunter led her straight down the path, then turned left. They walked farther, and took another left turn. Farther still, for a stretch of time that seemed to last hours, and finally took a right – and Nora walked right into Hunter’s back.
“No…” he stammered. “No, no, no, no!”
“What is it?” Nora asked cautiously. She couldn’t see anything in the dark.
Hunter started breathing heavily, like a cornered animal. With no word, he picked her up again and ran down the path, until Nora saw a dim, distant light source far away. As they got closer, Nora realized they had come to an enclosure.
A single ray of light streamed into the middle of the circular room. A round rock slab stood at the center, and the light shone onto it. There were symbols carved into it, the same as the ones outside, in both scripts, and they gleamed in a brilliant turquoise against the light. Nora looked around her. The walls were smooth glass rock, the same as the wall underneath the entrance to this entire dungeon had been. And the light shone from a long, narrow chamber that was cut into the rock above them.
Nora looked around again, growing alarmed. The walls were smooth. There were no cuts or partitions in them. The only way out of this chamber was…the way they had come.
“A dead end,” Hunter said slowly.
“What? No!” It couldn’t be. Not after everything they’d gone through. Not after everything they’d done. Everything he’d done. For her.
“I must…have missed a turn.” He slammed his fist against the wall hard enough that Nora winced. “Dammit!” he roared in anger.
“We…we can go back,” Nora said. “We can retrace our steps.”
“No.” Hunter shook his head sadly. “You might not hear them coming, but I do. If we go back, there is only death.”
--
Silence fell upon the room. For Nora, it was a shocked silence. To have come so far, to have done so much…it didn’t seem fair that it had all been for nothing.
And now they were only minutes away from the imminent confrontation. A confrontation that would leave both of them dead.
“Nora.” Hunter’s voice was heavy. She looked across the room at him. At least in her final moments she could see his face, so beautiful against the moonlight. “I’m sorry.”
“No,” she told him, but he interrupted.
“I’m sorry for taking you away from your life. I’m sorry for everything. You…you did not ask for this. I have forced it upon you. I have taken so much away.” Nora thought she saw his eyes glisten. Were those tears?
“Hunter, no…” she began, but again he broke in.
“You deserve so much better.” He stepped toward her. “I should have never spoken to you.” He stepped closer, until he was right in front of her, and looked down sadly. “I should have never shown you the dream world. You would have lived the full life you deserve.” He took her face gently between his hands and placed a kiss on her forehead. She shivered at the touch of his lips.
He turned away and walked to the entrance. He stood there, staring out into the darkness. His shoulders were tense, and Nora could see every sculpted muscle of his back.
“When they come…” He swallowed. “… when they come, I want you to stay back. As far back as you can. Hide against the stone slab. And whatever you do – don’t watch.”
His words tugged at her heart, and tears welled in her eyes. He was bracing himself for the upcoming fight. To try to save her.
She knew it was a losing proposition. They would kill him, tear right through him to get to her. There was no escaping this time.
She hated feeling helpless. Hated feeling like they had come so far, done so much, and achieved almost nothing. She was alone with Hunter, deep beneath the earth, and he was readying himself for one last desperate fight to save her.
He would lose.
And…she couldn’t let that happen.
A thought had tickled her mind ever since she first learned what Hunter was. A thought she had suppressed and kept hidden. A thought that frightened her. But now, in the darkest of hours, there was no other choice but to face it head on.
“Hunter,” she said with unspoken conviction. “They’re tracking us by my scent, right?”
“Yes,” he said curtly.
“Otherwise, they wouldn’t know where to go in the labyrinth, would they?”
“That’s right.”
“And you…you have no scent?” The words came slowly, but she was determined.
“Yes…?”
“So…” she swallowed, summoning all her courage. “So, convert me.”
“What?” Hunter spun around, the shock clear on his face.
“Bite me. You said you were once human, you were converted. Bite me, and make me one of you!”
“No.” He shook his head vehemently. “It would go against everything.”
“So?” Nora wasn’t about to be pushed away now. “You’re an outcast anyway! If you do it, we can get away.”
“I can’t do that to you.” Hunter walked up to her.
“Why not?” she demanded harshly. The stubborn man wouldn’t listen!
“It’s a life of suffering, of immortality. You watch loved ones age and wither away. There is no peace.”
Nora closed her eyes. The words that escaped her mouth were barely a whisper. “There is peace, with you.”
She opened her eyes and, for a long moment, regarded Hunter in silence.
His gaze locked onto hers, held it in an iron grip. Then, in a voice just as quiet as hers had been, Hunter spoke. “Are you certain?”
Conviction flared up within her. She took his hands in hers. “Yes.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
~Fo
rever~
Hunter stood before her. He traced the curve of her neck with the back of his hand.
“Lift your chin,” he said softly.
Nora swallowed. Her whole body was trembling, and not only from Hunter’s proximity. “Will it hurt?”
Hunter’s thumb dipped into the hollow of Nora’s neck. His eyes focused on her lips. “Yes.”
“Is it…dangerous?”
“Yes.”
“Will I die?”
He chuckled. “No.”
“You…you won’t lose control, will you? You can stop yourself, right?” Nora knew she was blabbering, but her nerves were frayed.
“With you, I can.” He looked up and met Nora’s eyes. His next words came as a whisper. “It’s not too late to change your mind.”
Nora put her hand over Hunter’s. His skin was cold and smooth. Like ice. “No,” she told him.
“Then show me your neck.”
Nora took a deep breath. She exhaled and lifted her chin high.
She waited for a long, anxious second. Then two. Then three.
Nothing happened.
“What are you waiting for?” she whispered.
“You’re so beautiful,” Hunter answered. His voice was hushed. “So innocent. So pure. And you’re asking me to turn you into…” he hesitated, “…a monster.”
“Hunter.” Nora brought her head back down and met his eyes. She spoke with a conviction she did not feel. “I want you to convert me.”
“You realize that once I do,” he said, “there is no going back. You can’t change your mind. You can never see your family again. You throw your old life away.”
She picked up his hands. “That’s what I’ll do,” she told him gently, “if it means a new life with you.”
A fire erupted in Hunter’s eyes. His hesitation was gone. He nodded. “Okay.”
He brought his head down so their foreheads touched. Nora shivered as his cheek brushed against hers. He brought his lips to her ear. “Close your eyes,” he said.
Nora did. She could feel Hunter’s hard body pressing against hers. She could hear his ragged breathing and could almost make out the feel of his pounding heartbeat.
He nuzzled his nose into the crook of her neck and inhaled deeply. Another cold wave of shivers ran down Nora’s spine. The anticipation, the wait, the worry…it was killing her.
And yet, it would be worth it, because she could imagine herself next to Hunter. Forever.
Hunter cupped her face. He lifted it gently and brushed her hair away. Nora’s breathing hitched as she felt Hunter’s cold lips trail down her neck. Butterflies exploded in her stomach.
Two fangs sunk into her neck.
Her eye burst open. She opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out. The venom mixed with her blood. Her chest constricted. She couldn’t breathe.
The pain was overwhelming. Every nerve in her body screamed in agony. The poison started to spread through her body. She could feel it working its way down the inside of her neck. Her muscles constricted in protest. Her vision went white as shockwaves rocked her.
A frigid iciness slid down her back and paralyzed her. She felt herself being consumed by the poison. It was eating her away from the inside like an infectious disease. She was weakening, and she could do nothing to stop it.
Her eyes rolled to the back of her head. She knew pain and agony. Heat and ice. Molten lava washed over her, followed by rolling chills of deep winter. Her skin was red hot, and suddenly too tight. Her heartbeat doubled, pounding against her chest like a caged bird desperately trying to break free.
The only grip she had on reality was the feel of Hunter’s fangs in her neck. Every vein in her body contracted in protest against the poison. She could feel it taking over, feel its murky blackness seep into her muscles beneath her skin. The venom coursed through her, taking over her body, until Nora was no longer sure she could retain her grip on sanity.
And then Hunter stepped back, and it was over.
Nora stood for a moment, dazed and unable to think.
An explosion of senses she never experienced before crashed into her.
She could see. Really see. She could see the minute details of the rocky walls. She could see the tiny cracks splintering along the ground. She could see every individual strand of Hunter’s thick, dark hair.
She could feel. The hairs on her arms stood up as they swayed in the tiniest of breezes. The fabric of her dress, which seemed so smooth before, was now rough as sandpaper.
She could hear. She could hear the steady drip, drip, drip of water somewhere far away. She could hear the sound of a gale blowing above ground. She could hear Hunter’s rhythmic pulse.
She could also hear the Vassiz horde running after them.
“Shit!” she exclaimed, jumping up. “Hunter, they’re coming!”
“I know. But they are still far,” Hunter answered. His voice was hoarse. “How do you feel?”
“I feel…different. New. And…” Nora paused, noticing the growing pit in her stomach for the first time, “…hungry.”
Hunter smirked. “We’ll deal with that later.” He looked around the room. “For now, we have to figure out how to get out.”
Nora strained her ears. “Hunter, they stopped,” she said in fascination.
“Yes. They cannot sense you anymore. We still don’t have much time.”
“What do we do?”
“Retrace our steps,” Hunter said. “You can outrun them as a new convert. So can I.”
“But we don’t know where to go! Rafael said we can get stuck for ages down here.” She looked around the cavern, hoping her new vision might help her find something unnoticed before.
The rock slab behind Hunter caught Nora’s eye.
“This,” she said, running toward it. “This has to be something.” She knelt down by its sides and traced her fingers over the symbols. She looked up at the moon through the hole cut in the rock above her. It seemed so far out of reach.
Hunter was beside her in an instant. “You might be right,” he said. “No other space we passed had anything like this.”
“If only we could read these!” Nora exclaimed, motioning at the symbols. “Maybe they’d give us a hint.”
Hunter dropped to all fours and looked at the slab from the bottom. His fingers touched the edges. He inhaled sharply.
“Not up,” he muttered to himself, “but down.” He stood in a flash. “Nora, quick, help!”
Nora ran to his side. “What?”
“I think there is a passage beneath this slab.” He put his shoulder against it and tried to push. “But it’s jammed. Dammit!”
Nora strained her ears. She could hear the other Vassiz off in the distance. They weren’t running, but they were still moving, probably confused.
She and Hunter were running out of time.
“Maybe we can lift it,” she said.
Hunter grunted. “Go to the other side.”
Nora ran across. She put her fingers under the edge. “Ready?”
“Yes. On three. Three, two…”
Nora bit down on her jaw and started to heave up. Hunter did the same on the other side. The slab groaned but didn’t move.
“More,” Hunter grunted. “Nora, you’ve got to give me more!”
Nora bent down, got a better grip, and pulled up with all she had.
The stone slab groaned, and moved a fraction of an inch.
“Yes!” Hunter said. “Yes, just like that! Keep going, keep going!”
Nora gritted her teeth and heaved. The slab grated against the floor…and lifted free.
Elation bloomed in her chest as she saw the stairs leading down underneath.
“Quickly,” Hunter said, motioning her over. “Quickly, Nora, come on!” He held out his hand.
Nora ran to him. He grabbed her hand. Together, they descended into the darkness.
--
The stairs curled round and round, tunneling deeper into the ground.
&
nbsp; At the bottom, Nora and Hunter came upon a narrow path. They started walking forward. The path gradually sloped up. There were no twists or forks in this tunnel.
When Nora sensed the first scent of clean air an hour or so later, her heart leapt with joy.
“Hunter, we made it!” she exclaimed.
He looked at her and smiled. It was a genuine, full-on smile.
“Yes,” he told her. He gripped her hand tight. “Yes, Nora, we did. Only because of you. Only because of the courage you showed when you asked me to convert you.”
Nora’s heart filled with unexpected warmth from his words. She knew, right there in that moment, that he was happy to welcome her into his life.
Forever.
The End, Book One.
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Revelations
(Book Two of the FORSAKEN SAGA)
Copyright © 2013, Sophia Sharp
Awesome editing provided by: Denise Nicholls
eBook Version 2.0 - Amazon Edition
Publication Date: December 15, 2013
Cover Art by: Laura Sava
http://sophiasharp.blogspot.com
Book Description:
Nora has survived the dark caves, and emerged with Hunter by her side. But her escape is quickly tainted as she realizes the biggest danger still lies ahead...
She has been transformed, and powers she has never known begin to manifest themselves within her body. As she struggles to gain control, how long will she be able to restrain herself - and her new bloodlust - from taking over?
As she journeys onward, doubts begin to creep into her mind. Doubts about leaving home, about the decisions she's made. But with the Vassiz still behind her, there is no turning back, now.
