He couldn’t hear what they were saying, though he strained to communicate with Modem using his mind, like had in the middleworld. All he got was radio silence. She’d cut him off.
The watery wall wavered as more of Contessa’s black magic spread through it. Modem swayed on her feet, and a moment later, the barrier parted, creating an unprotected opening to the dark realm.
Jayden reached out. “Modem, run!”
Contessa’s gaze snapped to where he stood. Her heinous grin taunted him.
A soft breath escaped his lungs. “No.”
Contessa threw her hand forward, directing a root from the tree to lunge forward and punch through Modem’s chest, throwing her to the ground.
“No!” Jayden leaped down the temple’s stairs three at a time, flailing his arms to keep balance as shards of stone broke off under his feet. When he reached the ground, he stopped, his shoe teetering above the hungry roots.
Jayden locked eyes with Contessa as the tree fed on Modem, pulling her tiny body into the second layer of the underworld.
The rumble of rushing water sounded in the distance, but Jayden never looked away from the witch. His lip curled, and he balled his hands into fists as the wall of roaring water grew closer.
Contessa turned to face him, her chin lifted and her gaze full of contempt.
Jayden lifted his hand and pointed directly at her. “You can bet your ass I’m coming back for you.”
The icy water plowed into him, making him gasp and claw his way to the surface.
When he woke, he opened his eyes to the smooth ceilings and crystal chandelier in the Marriott suite. Jay gasped and jumped to his feet.
Peter was hovering over Modem’s body on the bed, pumping her chest with the palms of his hands and forcing several breaths into her lungs. “She’s not responding!” He pumped her chest a few more times, paused, and then checked for a pulse. “Nothing. I’m losing her.”
Hawa took Modem’s hand and rubbed it, talking to her in a soft, sweet tone. Peter spread his hands over Modem’s chest and closed his eyes, conjuring another round of his healing ability to bring her back.
“Come on, Modem. Come back to me.” His fingers strained, pressing against her tiny body. Peter’s normally pale face flushed with color, his eyebrows drawn together as his concentration deepened.
The room fell silent, and Peter opened his eyes. He stepped away from the kid, lying on the bed with one arm rested over her chest, the other limply hanging over the edge of the bed.
Peter shook his head. “I can’t do anything else. She’s gone.”
“What do you mean she’s gone?” Hawa braced her hands on both of Modem’s shoulders and gently shook the girl against the mattress. “Hey.” Hawa stilled, then shook her again. “Modem, you can get through this. You’re tougher than this.”
“Hawa.” Jayden stepped forward, his throat tightening. “There’s nothing you can do.”
“No. You don’t know Modem like I do.” She brushed strands of kinky hair away from the girl’s face.
“Maybe not, but some things you can’t change.”
Hawa turned her head and peered at him. “But you could have.” She stood and squared her boots with her shoulders. “You were supposed to be watching her. You were supposed to protect her!” Hawa shoved Jayden in the chest, and then shoved him again, slamming his back into the dresser.
“You don’t think I know that?” His pushed off the furniture. His nostrils flared. “I tried. We had nowhere to go. I told her not to—” His throat closed and he choked on the words.
“Whatever you have to say doesn’t matter. You failed, and now she’s dead.” Hawa curled her lip and threw a punch at his jaw, but Jay blocked it with quick sideswipe, and then stepped aside.
“Hey!” Peter shouted. “Knock it—”
Hawa swung again, sloppier than before, and missed him entirely. Jayden shifted his weight, holding her gaze. “You don’t have to do this. You’ve spent long enough torturing yourself over things you couldn’t change.” He glanced at her belly. “It’s time to let go.”
Hawa swayed, dragged her gaze to the girl, and fell to her knees. “I couldn’t protect her.” She sobbed into her hands, muffling her voice. It wasn’t clear if she was talking about the baby or Modem—or maybe both. Either way, it didn’t matter. Not anymore.
Jay knelt in front of her and pulled her against his chest. She melted into his embrace and coiled her arms around his neck. “I couldn’t protect her,” she whispered a second time.
He hugged her tight, running his hand down the length of her hair. There was nothing he could say to make it hurt any less, so he did what Zanya had told him he’d never done right in the past. He stayed quiet.
A few low sobs bubbled from her chest before she spoke again. “I want to go home.”
***
Instead of taking a commercial plane, they boarded a private jet Renato had hired for the job. With Modem’s coffin stored underneath, the luxury plane with leather seats and a private bar flew them home.
The commute was long, and nobody said much the entire way except for a few shortly worded whispers about getting a drink of water. Jayden peered out the window as they finally touched down on the runway of the private airport right outside of Toledo. Renato’s SUV was parked near the gate, where a few workers in hardhats and neon vests stood, waiting for the jet to come to a complete stop.
Hawa laced his fingers between his. “Are you ready for this?”
He brushed his fingers over the top of her hand. “Which part?” There were so many uncertainties ahead, he couldn’t pick just one.
“Everything.” She rested her head on his shoulder and let out a soft exhale. “Being in the house without Zanya and Arwan. Not knowing if we even have a dog in the fight anymore. It’s all so unsure.”
Jay nodded. “It seems like there’s nothing we can be sure about anymore.”
She lifted her head and watched him. “I’m sure about more than one thing.” She squeezed his hand tighter. “I’m sure you tried your best to save her. I’m sorry I said any different.”
A soft smile teased his lips.
“And I’m sure about you. Us.”
It had only been a few days since Arwan and Zanya bonded, and any hope of winning her back was lost. It was like a raw kick in the balls when it happened—made his vision blur and stomach lurch into his throat.
But since he’d faced that reality, the cloud of fear he lived in had lifted, giving him a new take on the world around him—and the people. She’d been so close this entire time, but he never really saw her. Until now.
He leaned into her and pressed a kiss on her forehead. “I’m sure about that too.”
The aircraft finally parked. Peter’s seatbelt clanked when he unbuckled, and he grabbed his backpack from the overhead storage. “Come on.” Peter looked at them both. “Let’s get the hell off this plane.”
Jayden couldn’t have said it any better himself.
When the door opened, a narrow flight of stairs was rolled in place. The three of them scaled down to the black asphalt, Jay squinting against the bright sunlight.
The doors to Renato’s SUV opened, and all three of them stepped out—Renato, Eleuia, and Marzena. They watched with sad eyes as the three teens walked toward them. Renato’s warm gaze was more like Hawa’s than he’d ever realized, and the sight of their mentor’s fitted suit and combed, black hair was surprisingly comforting.
Hawa let go of Jay’s hand and ran toward Renato. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his chest. Renato hugged her, resting his chin on the top of her head, but his eyes stayed focused on Jayden.
When Jay and Peter approached the SUV, Marzena stepped aside. She bowed her head, allowing long waves of golden hair to fall on either side of her face, as if granting a moment of silence for their loss.
Jayden paused beside her and examined the childlike features of the dreamwalker. “I’m sorry,” he said in a low voice, prompting
Marzena to lift her gaze. Her bright green eyes were wide and searching. “I know Modem was one of yours.” Jayden looked away. “She was one of us.”
“For someone who’s already dead, I can’t believe you’re alive.” Zanya’s mother walked around the front of the car. “It’s good to see you all home.”
Peter stepped forward. “Thanks. It’s good to be back.”
Hawa finally let go of her uncle and took her place beside Jayden. “What are we going to do with Mode—” She cleared her throat. “With Chastity?”
Renato gestured to the airport workers unloading a tiny white coffin from the cargo area of the plane. “We’re going to give her the honor she deserves.”
Jayden nodded. “And then?”
Renato stood up straighter, one hand curled around the lapel of his dark dress coat. “We seek our revenge.”
Coming April 2016…
Birthright
Book of
The Stone Legacy Series
The thrilling conclusion to the
Stone Legacy Series
Chapter One
Zanya
The road was deserted just outside the city of Tikal. The car was quiet, and the air was thick with tension, making it harder and harder to breathe.
Zanya slouched in the passenger seat and pulled her knees to her chest. “I can’t believe that just happened.” She combed her fingers through her hair, pulling brown, wavy strands away from her flushed cheeks. “I don’t understand. I mean…” Her bottom lip trembled through her effort to hide it. “My mom wanted me to choose between you and her. How could she?”
Arwan trained his gaze on the long, straight highway, gripping the steering wheel until his knuckles turned dusky, and the tendons that wound up his forearm bulged with every movement. “She should understand.” He flexed his jaw. “She fell in love with a human once, even though nobody approved of their love.”
“But they never bonded,” Zanya said. Humans and Riyata couldn’t bond, but then again… She dragged her focus to Arwan’s angled jaw and dark, piercing eyes. “We shouldn’t have been able to bond. What happened back there?”
For the first time, he tore his attention away from the road and examined her. “I don’t know.”
The lights of aurora never should have chosen her and Arwan to be soul mates. He as part underworlder, and she as the Stone Guardian. They were incompatible, or so they were told.
A flutter rolled over Zanya’s belly as she looked into Arwan’s smoky eyes. It was just hours ago, while standing on the grassy hill that overlooked the solstice celebration, she was sure any hope of them being together was lost forever. Now her world had been turned upside-down, and their bond had been sealed. The heaven spirits, the gods of Tamoanchan, must have seen something in him. Something that made him worthy.
“Where are we going?” she said in a low tone.
“Into the city. We’ll at least have a place to spend the night.”
Heat wound around her muscles and crawled down the backs of her legs. Spend the night? Together? After their bonding, it never occurred to her what came next. She flushed just from being near him, let alone staying the night with him.
Besides, her first solstice was over and the effect it had on her carnal instincts was supposed to have worn off. Apparently, that wasn’t the case. It didn’t help she sensed the anchor of their bond deep in her bones. Her cheeks flushed with another rush of heat.
Arwan turned his attention back to the road. “Are you okay?”
Zanya tucked hair behind her ear. “Yeah, I think so. Why?”
“I can hear your heart racing.”
She let out a long exhale. “Right. I forgot about that whole instinct thing.”
He grinned, ever so slightly. “At least you’re not crying anymore.”
Her soft smile vanished from her lips as her mind flashed back to her mother’s death glare and rigid shoulders. She really hated Arwan, with every fiber of her being. The way she glared at them standing together was chilling. Her mother had never seemed so cold.
“We’ll stop at an ATM, and then find a hotel. I’ll call Renato. He’ll know what we should do.”
“An ATM? Did Renato give you a bank card or something?”
“No.” He stole another glance at her. “I have some savings stored away.”
“Savings?” As far as she knew, he’d spent his entire life at Renato’s house. “How did you save anything? I thought you’d never lived outside of Toledo.”
His features grew sober. “I inherited enough to keep us comfortable.”
“Inherited?” From his mother who abandoned him? That didn’t sound like something a careless woman would do. But it was too sore of a topic to bring up now, and in all honesty, it wasn’t important. As long as they had enough money to eat and keep a roof over their heads until they figured out what to do, everything would be okay.
As long as she was with him, it didn’t matter.
Zanya rested her head on the side of the car they’d taken from the solstice celebration—another issue they’d have to deal with later. The hum of the engine and the muffled roar of wind flowing through the cracked windows relaxed her rigid muscles. She reached up and skimmed her fingers over the wicker pendant Cualli had given her.
Her stone vibrated from the pouch it was tucked away in, on the bracelet her mother had given her. She sucked in a tiny breath. Her stone. It must have been terrified after everything that’d happened, even though it had never translated that to her.
She opened the pouch and slipped her stone into the palm of her hand. “Hey.” She held it between her fingers and rolled it around. “Sorry. I know it’s a lot to take in.” The stone illuminated with hues of blue and white, rolling with magic. Streaks of joy and comfort rushed through her—translated from her stone. “Hm. Not so tough then, huh?” She smiled and glanced at Arwan. “Yeah, he’s not so bad.”
“I suppose I’ll have to get used to you talking to your rock?” He snickered.
“Shh.” She hugged it against her chest. “It’ll hear you call it a rock.”
“And?” Arwan’s eyes lit up. “What’s it going to do?”
“You shouldn’t be afraid of what it’ll do.” She pressed her index finger on his biceps and summoned a pulse of electrify to course over her hand. The shock sparked when it kissed his skin.
He swerved and shouted. “Are you trying to kill us both?” He rubbed his arm, still half-grinning.
Zanya couldn’t tear her gaze away from his caramel skin and dark lashes. Away from his lips.
His grin spread. “Your heart is racing again.”
She blew out a puff of air and slouched back in her seat. “You’ve got to stop using your heightened senses for your personal advantage.”
He rested his hand on her thigh. “Why?”
She suppressed the urge to gasp as heat spread over her skin where he touched.
She hadn’t been with anyone before. Jayden was her first real boyfriend—if there was such a thing in a mental institution—but they’d never gotten past second base. It was all too much to wrap her mind around at once.
Arwan slid his hand down to her knee and squeezed it, just once, before returning his hand to the wheel, as if he knew what she was thinking.
The heat gripping her lungs gradually cooled, but not before she realized the light in her chest had flickered on. A dead giveaway.
She drew in a slow, deep breath and turned on the radio. Some music would help pass the time, at least until they got to the city. Then they’d call Renato and find out when it was safe to go home.
Something told her it would be a while, if ever, before her mother would welcome them back.
***
Arwan had driven through the night, watching the secluded desert terrain morph into wide highways and twinkling lights from towering buildings. Zanya had been asleep for almost an hour. Her rhythmic breathing and steady heartbeat kept him calm as he searched for an explanation. She was right. They never
should have been allowed to bond.
He grabbed his cellphone from the cup holder and swiped his finger across the screen. He’d hoped to talk to Renato in private. This would have to do. Once Zanya woke, he didn’t want to shut her out, though he didn’t want to alarm her with his conversation to Renato, in case anything unexpected came up.
He tapped his thumb on the screen and pressed the phone to his ear. It rang just once before Renato picked up.
“Arwan. Are you two all right?”
“Yeah. We’re okay.”
“Where are you?”
“Driving.” After a few nights in a random hotel, he still didn’t know where they’d go. “We’re both confused, and Zanya is still trying to wrap her mind around her mother’s ultimatum.”
“I know. I’m sure you are both very shaken up. Ellie hasn’t given Marzena a moment’s rest since you two left, begging her to somehow connect with Zanya using her ability. She’s terribly worried for Zanya’s safety. She still believes you’re going to hurt her.”
Arwan tensed. The mention of anyone hurting Zanya drove a spike of fear up his spine, followed by a rush of searing heat that simmered in his gut. He’d protect her from anyone or anything, no matter what, and with his life. “Tell Marzena we appreciate her giving us our privacy.”
“Of course. I’ve spent every waking moment researching, trying to understand exactly what happened. The gods of Tamoanchan must have somehow blessed your union with—” There was a brief pause. “Your bond. How could I have neglected to congratulate you? I’m terribly sorry. It’s just that under the circumstances—”
Anarchy (The Stone Legacy Series Book 4) Page 11
