by Linsey Hall
Up ahead, a glitter of water caught my eye. I hurried forward, the sound of a crashing waterfall delightful in the stillness of the night. Somehow, the water sparkled brighter under the light of the moon, a tall, thin spire of water that poured from the cliff above. I went right up to the edge of it, then turned and surveyed the town below.
It was beautiful, a series of ancient buildings climbing up the valley ridge, the golden lamps like stars spread across the night sky. “It’s beautiful.”
“It is,” Ares said. “It’s your home.”
“It doesn’t quite feel like it, though I’m glad to be here.” The word home would always be reserved for Magic’s Bend. I turned back to the waterfall. Cool mist sprinkled my face. There was space behind it. A walkway. “Let’s check this out.”
The waterfall fell into a gleaming pool, but there was a ledge that was just wide enough to sneak behind the falls. I started on the path, then looked back at Ares. “Can you do your hand light thing?”
He held up his palm and light glowed from it. I grinned and turned back, edging into a cavern behind the falls. It was about the size of my apartment. The light from Ares’s palm gleamed on the glittering topaz rocks studded into the cave walls. They were the most beautiful gems, shimmering with a deep richness that made me think worlds could be found within them.
“This place is amazing.” Wonder filled Ares’s voice.
“It is.” I turned, awed, to face the waterfall. It still glittered in the moonlight, creating a sparkling veil that shielded us from the world.
Suddenly, I realized how close Ares was standing. He was right at my side, his shoulder just inches from mine. All I could hear was the pounding water. All I could smell was his winter fresh scent. All I could feel was the heat of him.
As if in a trance, I turned toward him. His gaze was hot on mine, his head tilted down because he was so much taller. The light from his hands blinked out, as if he were distracted. By me.
My eyes adjusted quickly, but there were only shadows here. Somehow, it made it easier to feel him, even though we stood inches apart. Tension thrummed in the air between us. My breath caught in my throat.
All I could think of was kissing him—pressing my lips to his and tasting him.
So I did it, standing on my toes and wrapping my arms around his neck. He groaned low in his throat, as if he’d been waiting for this, waiting for permission, and yanked me toward him. His touch enveloped me, his whole body burning against mine when I pressed full length against him.
I could feel the curves and planes of his muscles, the heat of his skin beneath his clothes. Every inch of me lit up. His lips were warm and soft, skilled in their pursuit of my surrender.
A small noise escaped me as I parted my lips beneath his, letting his tongue plunder my mouth. Warmth flowed through every inch of me, a current that made me tingle.
Ares’s arms tightened around my waist as he lifted me onto my tiptoes.
“You taste so damned good,” he muttered against my lips. “I want to taste you everywhere.”
The words stole my breath, images flaring in my mind. Images of Ares and me, doing everything I’d ever wanted to do. Even some things I’d never imagined before now.
His lips trailed from my lips across my cheek, grazing my earlobe.
“You’re so beautiful,” he rasped.
“I don’t need the words.” I stared blindly at the ceiling as sensation flowed over me.
“You’re getting them.” His lips trailed down my neck, his kiss delicate.
When his tongue traced my skin, it flooded me with heat and pleasure. I shuddered. His teeth grazed me, at first blunt, and then sharper.
Fangs.
I should have been terrified, but instead, heat shot through my veins. Bite me.
I wanted it more than I’d ever wanted anything. Wanted to feel him inside me.
His tongue swiped out, a lash of electric pleasure between the points of his fangs. All thoughts blanked out of my head. I clutched him to me, nothing but sensation and want and need. I’d have done anything at that moment.
But he pulled away, panting and shuddering.
My eyes flashed open. He thrust me away from me, but didn’t let go of my waist, no doubt so I wouldn’t fall. Because I would fall. My legs were made of Jell-O.
“What’s wrong?” My breath heaved.
Ares’s eyes were wide, his fang white in the dark. “Too close. I was—too close.”
“To biting me?”
“Yes.” His voice was hard, disappointment clear in his voice.
“But that’s not so bad, right?” Vampire bites—as long as they didn’t drain you dry—were supposed to be awesome. Especially in situations like this.
“No. No, but… it’s a big step. You should think about it. Or at least say yes while you’re in your right mind.”
Amusement peeked through the desire that was still turning my brain to mush. “You mean, when I’m not under the spell of your sexual charms.”
“That’s exactly what I mean.” He all but growled the words, as if this situation pained him. Which it did, if he was feeling anything like I was. He had to be suffering a real serious case of blue balls right now. In the dim light of the cavern, I could barely make out the tension in his neck and the way his jaw clenched. Yet his hands were so gentle on my waist.
He just wanted to make sure he had my consent before he chomped into me. And frankly, it was awesome.
“Have you learned anything else about the connection we feel because I’ve had your blood?” I asked.
“I’ve asked scholars in the Vampire realm, but they know nothing. It’s how I found you, though. I was able to track you.”
“Wow.” I stepped back slightly, stunned. That was kinda huge. But then, I’d felt like I’d sensed him yesterday when he’d arrived at Ancient Magic.
“Exactly. It’s strange, but welcome.”
Welcome?
Maybe we were fated or something.
Nah. Crazy talk.
“Want to head back?” I asked, desperate to distract myself from any stupid thoughts of being fated with Ares. That was a dangerous path, and one I would not tread.
“Sure. Let’s go.” He took my hand, and we left the cave, heading back out into the dying wonderland that was my home.
Chapter Seven
The next morning, Moira and my parents walked us to the portal where we would leave Elesius. The town was quiet this early, the trickling water of the fountains a soundtrack as we walked down the street.
“This is the same portal that we use when we go on trade expeditions,” my mother said. “It will take you wherever you envision on earth.”
“Trade expeditions made necessary because I’ve sucked all the life out of this place.”
“No. You did not. Elesius gave you its power. You are the chosen one. It is different.”
I swallowed hard, hoping I was up to the task.
The portal was at the base of the city, near a massive fountain that spewed clear, cool water. My mother stood in front of me and took my hands. “Be careful, Phoenix.”
“Careful is my middle name.” Okay, that was kind of a lie.
A small smile curled my mother’s lips. “Somehow I doubt that. But we will be here. Now that you have found your way home, you may return whenever you wish. Just think of this place and a portal will appear.”
Joy warmed my chest. The idea that I could come back whenever—that I could have dinner with my parents—was surreal. I hugged her. “I love you.”
“I love you.” She squeezed me hard and let go.
I hugged my dad next, my heart overjoyed. My parents turned to Ares to say goodbye, and Moira came to stand next to me.
Her voice was fierce as she whispered, “You must return. You must stay.”
“What? Why?”
“You must.”
I frowned, about to ask for more detail, but my mother and father turned back to us. Moira snapped her mouth closed and
smiled at them, as if nothing had happened.
“Ready?” Ares asked.
“Yeah.” I glanced at Moira one last time. Her insistence made me nervous. I’d get to the bottom of her weirdness, but it wasn’t a priority right now. “Let’s go.”
I said one last goodbye to my parents, then stepped up to the portal. I looked at Ares. “To Death Valley Junction?”
It was the closest town to where my dragon sense said Ademius would be, and we wanted to get started right away.
“To Death Valley Junction.” He reached for my hand.
I took it and clutched the box to my chest with my other hand, then we stepped through, together.
Once again, the world swirled around me, crazy sights and sounds from all over the globe. When I stepped out into the real world, the silence was deafening.
This time, I merely stumbled instead of landing on my face. When my eyes adjusted, I realized that we were in an old desert town. It looked like the Wild West, with a wide flat street made of dirt and wooden buildings running down either side.
There were actual saloons.
A freaking tumbleweed bounced across the road.
I turned to Ares and tipped an imaginary hat. “Howdy, Pardner.”
He grinned.
“Seriously, though,” I said. “I think John Wayne is going to come out of one of these buildings any second. We could duel.”
“You’d win.”
I punched him lightly on the shoulder. “Thanks.”
The dry heat was oppressive, but not unbearable. There were some people walking down the street, going in and out of shops or houses. There were no obvious threats, like angry demons or a corrupt sheriff looking to run us out of town, but still…
“Let’s duck out of sight,” I said. “I’d like to call Cass and Nix.”
Ares nodded. We walked to an alley between two buildings—the Death’s Door Saloon and the Murderous Mercantile—and I pressed my fingertips to my comms charm to ignite its magic. “Cass? Del?”
“Nix!” Two voices squawked out of my comms charm, fear and anger obvious in their tones.
“Where the hell have you been?” jumbled over top of “Why the heck haven’t you called us?”
“Sorry, guys! Sorry!” Shit. I really should have found a way to contact them when my comms charm hadn’t worked in Elesius.
“Where are you? We’re coming there right now,” Cass said.
“We’re in Death Valley Junction, in the alley between the Death’s Door Saloon and the Murderous Mercantile.”
They said nothing, but a moment later, Cass and Del appeared in the middle of the street, Cass having used her transportation magic to zap them here in an instant. They spun in a circle, their gazes finally landing on the saloon, then hurried toward us.
Del was still in her polar bear pajamas, and Cass’s hair was wet. They threw their arms around me.
“We were so worried!” Cass cried.
“Why the hell didn’t you call us?” Del demanded.
They stepped back, brows scrunched and gazes angry. I told them about Elesius—how I’d been so shocked and amazed that I’d been a jerk and forgotten to try harder to get in touch.
“Your family’s alive?” Tears glinted in Cass’s eyes and her voice rang with joy. “That’s so amazing.”
“I’m so happy for you!” Del threw her arms around me. Cass joined in.
Tears pricked my eyes as I hugged them back. I was so lucky. I’d waited the longest to find my family, but I’d found them alive. I pulled back from them. “How are things back in Magic’s Bend? Have you learned anything new about Drakon?”
Cass nodded. “Roarke finally had some luck with a contact in the Order of the Magic, though it took him a little while.”
The Order was secretive. As the governing body of all Magica—magic users who weren’t shifters or fae or vampire—they took their jobs seriously and didn’t hand out information easily. Roarke, who worked alongside them as Warden of the Underworld, was the only one among our number who even had a shot at getting info.
“What’d he learn?”
“Drakon’s compound on the outskirts of Magic’s Bend was bought by a company that paid cash. But their origin is unknown. When they tried to track it, they found nothing.”
I sighed. “Not a surprise, considering that he’s supposed to be a criminal mastermind.”
“But Roarke did learn more from his contacts in the Underworld. Apparently there’s been a call put out for more mercenaries. A lot of cash for anyone who joins up. He doesn’t know who’s hiring, but we bet it’s him. And he’s hiring hundreds.”
Hundreds.
Damn.
Anyone who wanted hired muscle usually went for demons. It was both costly and illegal, but they were strong and had no morals. In order to hire a demon mercenary, you had to perform some pretty complex magic to get them out of hell and onto earth. This guy had that much magic and money? Bad news.
He was building an army and already had the prophecy untangled. Two steps ahead of us.
“Why are we here, anyway?” Cass asked.
“My ancestor was the one who made the vessel of truth. My mother gave me a lock of his hair so that I could use my dragon sense to find him, and this is where it took me.”
“Wow, so this has been fated for a long time,” Del said.
I nodded. “Seems like.”
“So you’ll find him and get the recipe for the potion.” Cass grinned. “Hot damn!”
“Yeah. Or he’s still in Drakon’s clutches.” I frowned. “In which case we’re heading straight for him.”
I wished I knew what we were walking into.
“You said this is Death Valley Junction?” Cass asked.
“Yeah.”
“There’s only one thing this place is really known for,” Cass said. “It’s the starting off point to reach Hider’s Haven.”
“What is that?” Ares asked.
“It’s where you go if you don’t want to be found,” Cass said. “Like, really don’t want to be found.”
“It can’t be that hidden if you know how to get there,” I said.
“I don’t, really. Aidan just told me about it. It’s supposed to be insanely difficult to get to, and this is just the starting off point. You’ll need someone to take you across Death Valley.”
“Death Valley?” Damn. If I was supposed to be Life in the Triumvirate, that was the last place I wanted to go.
“Can we not transport across?” Ares asked.
“No. Death Valley’s magic prevents it, and that’s part of the appeal of Hider’s Haven. You have to go through—and mostly likely die—to reach it.”
“It makes sense that he’s hiding out then,” Ares said. “He must have escaped Drakon somehow and doesn’t want to be re-caught.”
Excitement thrummed in my chest. “Which means we can kill two birds with one stone—learn the prophecy and find out where Drakon is.”
“Exactly.” Cass grinned.
“We’ll come with you,” Del said.
“No.” I shook my head. “We only need a couple people to find him. And fates forbid that we fail.”
“You’ll need to pick up the job if we do,” Ares said.
“We’ll watch your backs as we cross the valley,” Del said. “You need us.”
“No.” I made my voice firm. “You know as well as I do that hunting someone who doesn’t want to be found is best done in small numbers. We don’t need to scare him. Ares and I can take care of ourselves.” I removed the strap that held the box to me and handed the box over to Cass. “And you need to keep this safe, back at our place.”
The last thing I needed to do was carry the beaker through Death Valley. That was crazy.
Cass took the box, but opened her mouth as if she were about to argue.
I held up a hand. “This is my fight, Cass. And right now, this is the best way.”
She snapped her mouth shut. As worried as she and Del were, they knew I
was right.
“Fine, but call us if you need us,” Del said. “We can be there in a heartbeat.”
“Exactly.” I smiled. “So no need to worry!”
She laughed. “Hardly. But be careful.”
“And find someone to take you across the valley,” Cass said. “You’ll need a guide.”
“Will do.” I hugged her and Del.
We said our goodbyes, and they disappeared back to Magic’s Bend, the beaker in tow.
“Glad to have that off my hands.” I looked at Ares. “What do you say we head into a bar and try to find a guide?”
“Lead on.”
We headed out onto the old street and went into the Death’s Door Saloon. We stepped through the swinging doors and I felt like I was in a John Wayne movie. It smelled of beer and cigar smoke. My eyes adjusted to the dim light within.
Though it was fairly early, there were a few men and women at the bar—all dressed kinda like old Western cowboys—and a few more playing pool. I pointed to an old guy with a big white mustache who sat at the end of the bar. “How about him?”
“Why him?” Ares asked.
“Because old guys have done it all and when they’re finished, they sit at the bar, knowing it all.”
“Good enough logic for me.”
I walked toward the bar, choosing a seat one down from my target. Ares sat on my other side. The bartender, a tall man with straight black hair and piercing eyes, came over. “What’ll it be?”
“Coffee, thanks.” It was too early for beer or whiskey. Not that I’d tell that to the old guy next to me. I pointed to him. “And another one for him.”
The old man’s keen blue eyes raised to meet mine. “Thank ya’ kindly. But what’s that for?”
The bartender busied himself with our order, along with Ares’s coffee, and I turned to the man and smiled. “Hoping you could help us with some information.”
His bushy white eyebrow rose. “Information, ey?”
“We’re trying to get across Death Valley. To Hider’s Haven.”
His brows lowered. “Whatcha want to go there for?”
My mind raced. Better to be the hunted than the hunter, if I wanted help. I lowered my voice. “I’m looking to lay low for a while.”
