by A L Fogerty
Kayla followed Malik into the hotel. The front entrance was a large open room with a two-story ceiling. A fireplace raged in the hearth to her left, and windows provided a view of the mountain on every side. An elk-horn chandelier glowed with dripping candles. She was greeted by the familiar faces of the witches she’d met in Dark Haven. Willa and Mackenzie hurried to embrace their friends. They were all obviously happy to see each other again.
“I am so relieved you found us. We’ve been waiting for you to contact us for months,” Kayla said.
“We sent you many ravens,” Malik said.
“None of them found us,” Willa said, embracing her friend.
“That is the problem with sending ravens to a moving target. They get lost. But you are here now. That’s all that matters.”
“Are you sure we won’t be putting you out?” Kayla asked.
“Of course not. We have a portal mage here. We can get all the resources we need from almost anywhere in the world.”
“Anywhere I’ve already dropped a portal, that is,” said a curvy woman with wavy brown hair, honey-colored skin and big brown eyes.
“This is Gloria, our portal mage and my wife.”
“Congratulations,” Jagger said. The soldiers tromped through the entrance. “I’ll start assigning people rooms.” He and the other pack and clan leaders began assigning rooms to their soldiers while Kayla and the witches retired to the library for a warm drink.
“We’ve been keeping an eye on things,” Malik explained, “and I’m afraid we have some bad news.”
“What do you mean?”
“You know how I’m adept at scrying?”
“Yes,” Kayla said, remembering what that meant.
“I have been checking in on your daughter.”
“How is she? How is Riddick?”
“Riddick hurt himself, but he’s healing.”
“What about Oksana?”
“The baby—”
“Something happened to her?” Kayla demanded. Bane licked her hand frantically, responding to her mood.
Malik drew a breath. “It appears that Oksana was kidnapped by a demon.”
Kayla shot to her feet, cold dread gripping her shoulders and twisting her heart. “How can that be? Did Riddick take her outside the shield?”
“The shield around your village has been destroyed. The black goo has emerged from underground wells in precise locations, and I’m afraid it attacked your village’s shields.”
“What about the Mist Valley pack? Are they all right?”
“The ooze has receded, but it destroyed the shield and allowed a wraith into the village. Riddick tried to fight it, but he couldn’t do it alone.”
“Where is Oksana now?”
“That is hidden to me. I have a lock on the location of the nursery, but I’m afraid I’m unable to locate the child.”
“This can’t be happening. I thought she would be safe.”
Kayla collapsed in her chair, covering her face with her hands. Hot tears flowed from her eyes as she wept with guilt and grief and terror. Quinn gripped her shoulder, attempting to give her comfort.
“Poor Riddick,” she cried. “He must be beside himself.”
“I could go get him,” said Kelvyn, the telekinetic mage.
“It may take about a week to get there. But if I opened a portal, we could come right back,” said Gloria.
“You could do that?” Kayla asked, looking up with hope in her eyes.
“We can leave in the morning, as soon as the snow clears,” Kelvyn said.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Salient melancholy twisted around Kayla as she walked the halls of the witches’ compound. With Willa gone to retrieve Riddick, Kayla had time for the news of her daughter’s kidnapping to sink deep into her bones. Staring out the window and at the cool blue snow, she contemplated her many mistakes as a mother. Questions whirled around her mind. Did I make the easier choice to save myself from pain? She sighed, turning from the sharp sunlight and into the shadows of the hallway. All of it was her fault.
As she walked toward her chamber, Sid came into view, carrying a tray of cheese, bread, and meat. Their eyes met, and the palpable need they’d shared the day of the storm thrummed in her blood. Sid had taken away the pain before. Maybe he could do it again. Thoughts of using Sid to numb her heartache made the sting all the worse. He approached, an easy smile on his lips.
“I brought you some lunch,” he said in a husky voice. “Thought you could use it.”
“Thank you,” she said, gripping the handle to her door. “Would you join me?”
He nodded, following her into the room. He set the tray on a table by the window. Kayla slipped into a chair and watched him as he sat across from her. His massive body was surprisingly agile, and the sight of his strong limbs and solid core awakened her senses. The spike of desire in her body and brain only drove the guilt deeper. Sid deserved better.
She took a bit of bread, cheese, and cured meat, popping the bite into her mouth. Sid poured her a glass of cool water from the pitcher he’d brought up on the tray, and she drank deeply, quenching her thirst. Their eyes met as she looked up from her food. Sid bit off a large hunk of bread and cheese, throwing in the meat after. He chewed heartily, their eyes locked on each other.
Sid had always been a soft-spoken man, saving his words like treasures until their value was required. In that moment, she wished he would tell her everything he was thinking. Her nipples pricked as his eyes scanned her body. She let out a long breath and squeezed her eyes closed before looking back at her plate. Her body quivered, releasing the heat of her desire.
“This can’t be easy for you,” he said, breaking another hunk of bread off the loaf.
For a moment, she thought he meant her desire for him, but then she realized he was talking about her missing child. A sob stuck in her throat, and tears threatened the corners of her eyes. She gave him a tortured look, wishing they could just forget all of it and be in each other’s arms and finish what they had started that day in the basement. For all the weeks of journeying since then, she’d been so preoccupied with keeping the troops’ morale up that she’d forgotten just how much Sid’s love had supported her when she’d needed it most.
“It never gets any easier,” she whispered, poking at the crumbs on her plate.
“You’ll feel better once Riddick gets here.” He chewed another mouthful of food.
Watching him eat was oddly comforting. Sid always had a hearty appetite that never seemed to waver, even in the worst moments. She appreciated how he just kept going like that. Nothing seemed to effect him or get him down. “I hope he’s okay,” she said, knowing that losing Oksana must be killing Riddick. She could feel his pain even over the many miles between them.
“Riddick acts like a witty fool, but he’s more fragile than he seems.”
“I know,” she whispered.
“He’ll be fine once he’s back with the family.”
“I hope so.” She felt tears threaten again, and a shuddering sob escaped her lips.
Sid was on his feet, crossing the distance between them in a heartbeat. He pulled her into his arms and squeezed her gently. The tears fell in earnest then, hot, heavy sobs of pain and torment. All the guilt, all the shame, all the anxiety poured out of her in a torrent of emotion.
Sid held her, strong and sturdy, not faltering or wavering even in the slightest. He didn’t say a word. He just held her and rubbed her back, allowing her to feel all the dark feelings she had pent up inside.
When the tears had fallen and she could cry no more, she looked up at him, wiping her face. His face was sober and open. His eyes accepted her just as she was. He cupped her face, examining her as Felix examined an interesting specimen.
“I’m fine,” she whispered, her throat scratchy.
“I know you are. You are the alpha queen, the strongest woman alive.”
“Not nearly strong enough… but with you, I think I could be.”
/> His gaze went foggy just before he leaned in and captured her lips. The hard heat of his mouth was exactly what she craved and exactly what she needed. It wasn’t just to placate the pain. She needed Sid to be hers.
Her kiss grew hungry and demanding. When she broke away and they looked at each other again, they both knew what the other was thinking. He growled and lifted her up off her feet, carrying her to the bed. He laid her down gently, gazing at her for a split second before sliding beside her. He rolled on top of her, sinking between her legs.
His hardness pressed against the heat of her core, teasing at the throbbing desire between them. Their lips met, and their tongues lashed. The taste of him and the feeling of him on top of her made her know she needed him inside her. She needed to claim him. She needed to be his.
She pulled at his hemp shirt, sliding it up over his head. Sid’s broad, deep chest, chiseled with hard muscle, lay before her like a work of art. She licked his flesh, flicking her tongue over one of his tight nipples. He chuckled and slid his hand between her legs, cupping her sex in his massive hand. His thumb pressed into her clit. Kayla looked up into his eyes, and she undid her leather pants.
Moments later, they were both bare and glowing with desire for each other. Sid sank down on the bed, his thick tongue sliding up the slit between her legs. She gasped, throwing her head back as he pressed deeper, tasting the nectar of her need for him. A full-bodied groan ripped from her throat as Sid twirled, pressed, and dove into her sex. She ran her fingers through the long hair at the top of his head. Her fingers brushed over the short hairs on the sides as he flicked her clit with his tongue. His beard pressed against her skin, and the power of his body moved her as he made slight movements. Her body clenched as the release came. Sid gripped her hips, his fingers pressing into her flesh. The orgasm sliced through her, tearing her in two.
She lay open and exposed, completely wiped by the pleasure he gave her. He crawled over her, his massive erection pointing straight at the ceiling. She reached out and wrapped her hand around him, her fingers far from touching. He bit his lip and stared at her as she stroked him. He smirked and moved forward, taking her mouth with his.
He slid between her legs, pressing his thick shaft into her wet core. He entered her slowly. She could barely breathe when he sank inside. Her mind stretched like her body until she didn’t know where she ended and he began.
Sid had always been her rock. He was the foundation, the root of the Blackfangs. He carried them all. When the others fought, he smoothed it over. When the others despaired, he helped them rise, stronger than before.
He ran his hand over her thigh. She held him gently, taking in the fullness of who he was. Her heart burst with the magnitude of the love they shared. He was the port in the storm, the home and security she had always longed for.
He thrust deeper, moving her with the power of his body. She surrendered to the wave of his love, allowing herself to move to his rhythm as orgasms rose and fell, over and over again. With Sid between her legs, taking her to the heights of passion and desire, she felt as if she was finally safe, finally home. She could feel his body growing stiff, throbbing inside her.
She pressed her teeth to his neck as his pressed his to hers. As the culmination of their love erupted at the base of their being, they bit each other hard and shared the taste of each other’s blood.
The moment his blood hit her tongue, she felt fortified, sturdier than a steel wall and more resilient than a witch’s barrier. Sid’s love and silent presence filled her with understanding. He was so close and yet so foreign. It was as though all of the hope and self-assurance she had ever longed for had always been right there, with him. It had taken her so long to see what he had to offer her, to realize he had everything she ever wanted and everything she lacked.
She slipped away from Sid and lay breathless on her back, feeling blessed by the enormity of his essence. He lay beside her, silent and sturdy as ever, holding space for her to allow the moment to come to its fullness. She rolled over toward him and rested her head on his chest, hearing his heartbeat. It throbbed like a bass drum to the rhythm and undercurrent of life.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Riddick still limped when he walked, the pain a constant reminder of his loss. He sat in his living room, staring at the empty hearth. Wind gusted down the chimney and chilled his hollow bones. Tom left after Melody was killed, leaving Riddick alone in the cold, barren house. The deep, grinding sense of loneliness and despair ached worse than his sprained ankles.
His heart stung with regret as he looked at the baby blankets and toys still strewn on the floor near the hearth. He had failed his daughter, his mate, his family, and his pack in every way a man possibly could, and it hurt to the very core of his being.
He stood from his chair, gripping his furs around his shoulders with one hand and his cane with the other. Someone had offered to make a fire that morning, but he had declined. He hobbled to the back of the house and into the kitchen, where he stared at the pantry. He hadn’t eaten in two days. He knew he should be hungry, but his stomach simply wouldn’t accept food.
Riddick limped back into the main room and stared out the window at the snow in the village beyond. It had piled high in the last several days, muffling the sounds of the forest. It weighed on the roofs as heavily as the weight of despair on his heart. The sky was gray with the threat of more snow to come. A shiver went down his spine, and he finally decided to make a fire. If he didn’t at least try, he could freeze to death. He would hate to burden whoever found him, and Kayla deserved to have someone to be angry at when she found out her daughter was gone.
He threw some kindling into the fireplace and lit some dried moss with his flint and steel. Once it had taken, he placed a few logs onto the growing flame and soon had a fire flickering in his hearth. When he stood, his legs ached, and he winced as he trudged back to his place in Kayla’s favorite armchair. Warmth filled the room and thawed his frozen body, even if it couldn’t thaw his soul.
A knock resounded on the front door, and he gritted his teeth. He didn’t want any visitors. Riddick was tempted to snap at them to go away but instead absently invited them in. He stared at the fire, not wanting to acknowledge that anyone had come to visit him in his darkest moment.
“Riddick?” came a familiar voice.
“Willa?” he asked, turning around to find the young witch standing in the doorway, accompanied by two others, one whom he recognized from Dark Haven.
“Kelvyn? Willa? What are you doing here?”
“We came to get you,” Willa said. She gestured at the third witch. “This is Gloria.”
“What? Why?” he asked with a grunt as he stood and started toward them.
“We know what happened,” Willa said, “with the baby.”
Riddick squeezed his eyes closed and took a deep breath. He let it out slowly. “Does Kayla know?” He opened his eyes to look at them again.
Their faces were serious and guarded. “She knows,” Willa said.
“Where is Kayla? Is she here?” He looked past them out the door.
“No. We have been flying for a week on Kelvyn’s carpet. We’re going to take you to our stronghold in the Rocky Mountains.”
“Is that where Kayla is?”
“Yes. She’s waiting for you there.”
“How did you know about Oksana?”
“Malik has been keeping an eye on the child. He was watching the night she was taken from the nursery.”
“He saw that? Why didn’t he do anything?”
“There was nothing he could do.”
“I’ll open a portal, and we’ll be there as soon as we step through,” said Gloria.
“Kelvyn and I will get the carpet,” Willa said, starting toward the door.
“Our shields are down,” Riddick said.
“I have already cast a temporary barrier. The black goo that disintegrated the last one has receded and hopefully will not be a problem again. We have to go. Ther
e’s no time to waste.”
Willa and Kelvyn disappeared out the front door, and Gloria began to cast her spell, waving her wand in the air as she spoke in muttered tones. Snow followed them through the door when Willa and Kelvyn carried the carpet inside. The door slammed shut with a bang as a wind gust pulled it out of Kelvyn’s hand. Gloria completed her spell, and a shimmering portal appeared in the middle of Riddick’s living room.
“We just walk through?” he asked.
Gloria nodded.
Riddick stepped toward the portal but stopped. “Is Kayla angry at me?”
“Why would she be angry?” Willa asked.
“Because I failed our family. I lost our child.”
“Kayla is distraught, but she’s not angry at you.”
“She should be.” Riddick stared at the portal, ready to walk through. He hesitated and took a deep breath, feeling the magic radiating from it. Cane in hand, he limped inside. A wash of magic blew over him, and for an instant, he was in a complete void of nothingness until he suddenly materialized in a new place.
He met the eyes of his brothers and the witches gathered in a library. Tall ceilings stretched high above, and shelves covered in hundreds of books lined the walls. A large stone fireplace held a raging fire, and the smell of cinnamon and pine filled the air. At first, he didn’t see her, but the moment their eyes met, Kayla came running toward him and threw her arms around his shoulders. The force of her love nearly knocked him over, and he stumbled backward into Willa, who was walking through the portal, carrying one end of the magic carpet. Kayla helped right him and pulled him out of the way. He hobbled behind her, and they watched Kelvyn come through the portal.
“Now that we have a lock on the village’s location, we can cast a portal there anytime,” Gloria said.
