“Are we going to find guards?”
“I am sure we will encounter things guarding this area soon enough.”
“How far into this mountain do we have to go?”
“Thankfully, not far. Tabatha cannot venture to the lower levels of this realm. She is still amongst the living, those levels belong solely to the dead. She remains on the first, near the water, no matter its taint…so will Shawnah. They are near each other. Hopefully, we can find Shawnah and get out of here before Tabatha wakes up.” At least she hoped so—with a lot of luck.
“Are you sure she’s still asleep?”
“Yes. I can sense her clearer now, and she is still in a weakened state, at rest, but not sure for how much longer.”
They continued only a few more yards into the mountain, and the walls appeared an even darker red, rocky like the side of a cave. The ground changed from just the fine coal to become littered with the bones of the denizens of the depths Hades could claim. As well as creatures like they’d faced at the portal. They hurried as best they could, treading very carefully, the connection to both Tabatha and Shawnah drawing her unerringly toward them. They hadn’t gotten far from the entrance when they met their first challenge. They’d been lucky so far.
“Holy fuck!” At least Cyrus’ cry was a thought and not vocal.
Sienna began softly chanting, reinforcing the illusion of invisibility around them, projecting into the thing’s mind.
It looked like a lizard on two legs, guarding a tunnel branching to the left. The direction they needed to go, unfortunately, he blocked the way into the five-feet-wide tunnel pass with his bulk.
Entering its mind, she grabbed a hold of the section controlling reasoning. She forced it to think something was wrapped around his neck, a large eel choking him to death.
Must get it off. Rip it off. Use your claw. It raised its muscular arm, the ends of its hand were knife-like claws, instead of fingers and slit its own throat.
“Shit! Fuck!” Cyrus cried. Vocally, this time.
“Don’t freak out.” She grabbed his arm to reassure him.
“No shit, woman. Remind me not to piss you off! I’m assuming we’re going that way.” He pointed in the direction the creature had been guarding.
“Yes. Quickly. And let’s bring the guard with us. I don’t want anyone coming by to find him dead here.”
“Good idea.”
She stepped past the guard while Cyrus clutched him under the arms and dragged him after her. Sienna spied a dip in the molten rock and stopped to investigate. It was actually an indentation. Deep enough, so no one would see the body if they were just passing by. “Here. Roll him in here.” She moved to gather up his legs to help Cyrus. They dumped the body and kept moving.
Sienna led them only a few more yards when the wall stopped, and they came upon an open area. “This way. Slowly.”
They entered a small cavern, staying close to the wall, but careful not to touch it. The heat emanating off everything in there would fry them with but a touch.
The entire room was bathed in hell light casting the walls in a reddish haze, and two bodies lay within the center of the place, each on top of a stone slab, spread out side by side.
One was Tabatha and the other, Shawnah.
Standing guard over both bodies were two more hounds of hell. Both carried battleaxes four feet long. They wore helmets covering their faces, so their features were obscured, but they stared at the entrance. While she knew they could not see them, it did not mean they did not sense them.
They continued to move cautiously into the room and made their way around the guards, stopping beside where Shawnah lay. One of the guards raised his head as though he sniffed the air. She could not tell if he heard the almost silent sound of their footfalls or used other senses. He stepped forward toward the entrance, stopped and sniffed again. Suddenly, he swung back around and yes, smelled the air again.
“Shit!” Cyrus said. “He knows we’re here.”
“Time to use that power of yours.”
The second guard hadn’t moved, but suddenly, his battleaxe was ripped out of his hands and embedded in the exposed neck area of the guard now paused in front of him. The beast fell where he stood. The remaining guard rushed to his side and bent down, to touch the axe.
By then, Cyrus had grabbed the other ax and divided the second guard from his head.
“Quickly, I can feel Tabatha stirring.”
Cyrus swung back to her. “What do you need me to do?”
“Shawnah has been placed in a death like sleep. Only you can wake her.”
“How.”
“With a kiss.”
“Shit! Fucking fairytale.”
“What?”
“Too late, little sister.”
They swung toward the sound of the voice. Her sister had not moved, but it was Tabatha’s voice in her head. Tabatha was waking up. Knowing they had one chance, no matter the path she’d viewed there had always only ever been one chance. And Sienna took it. “Take her, Cyrus. Get out of here now!” Sienna shouted to Cyrus.
“I can’t leave you.”
“The only way to save me is to take her. Go now.”
“There could be more guards.”
“None among the living would venture here, Tabatha counted on that. Now, go!” The illusion would not work against Tabatha, so she removed it from herself, but not Cyrus. He would need it to get himself and Shawnah out of there. “Remember a kiss. Once you’re in the dark depths.”
As soon as Tabatha had spoken, alerting them she was waking, Sienna grabbed onto her consciousness, so she could not move. Could not wake up. She placed her own kiss upon her niece’s brow. Now, she moved to stand beside her sister, touching her forehead, putting up mental blocks to keep Tabatha unaware of the couple, unaware of Cyrus. Giving him the time, he needed.
She glanced over at him and watched him pick up Shawnah, the illusion encompassing her now, too. Sienna smiled then turned back to face her sister.
“You’re stronger than I thought, little sister. But not strong enough I think.” She spoke in her thoughts, but her eyes hadn’t opened.
“You’d be wrong there.” Sienna pulled every scrap of moisture she could draw from the realm around her to hold her sister, giving the young couple the precious time necessary to make it back to the portal. She dug deeper and sent Tabatha back into a dreamless sleep, dulling her senses. She would not have much time.
Removing her hands, she backed out of the room, then turning, she ran the way they had come. Thanking Poseidon, she encountered no more guards, because she no longer had the strength to craft an illusion of invisibility. She made it back through the tunnel and into the dark waters. Even though unclean, it helped rejuvenate her flagging strength. Then she swam for the portal, a race against time. She did not bother to waste precious seconds and turn to see if she was being pursued, or who might be following. It wasn’t her sister, not yet—she used all her energies to move faster than she’d ever moved before.
Up ahead, she saw the doorway to her waters. The dark outline of the portal loomed so close, but still just a little out of reach. She could make out three figures, through the murk standing before the door. If she could make it over the threshold, they could shut the portal. Her powers were strained, and she was so tired fighting against her sister’s resistance, but she pulled powers from her very soul, she had no choice. Since that is what she risked. If she were caught here, she would certainly die here and be trapped for an eternity.
“Sienna!”
The scream of rage came from behind her. But she did not slow down…didn’t hesitate. Aaron was on the other side of that door. He depended on her—he needed her. If she did not reach it in time, her death would close the portal from this side. That is the path she had viewed, what she kept from Aaron. Xavior would know what to do from the other side and Shawnah. For Cyrus’ kiss would awaken her powers. All of them would do what was needed, and she had placed her knowledge in h
er niece’s subconscious.
She had just reached the portal, the very tips of her fingers touching it, but there was a barrier. Like a wall had been placed over the opening, she could see to the other side, but she could not pass through. She raised her hand, calling forth her powers. Water swirled around her palm, pushing against the barrier. It was like pushing against a balloon, her hand stretched, extending into it, but it only expanded and engulfed her hand within the barrier. Not breaking through. Still, she pushed, Tabatha and her minions were right at her back, she would not have much time.
Then she saw the three figures standing directly before the doorway, two large males and a smaller one on the right. She could not see their features only gray silhouettes, but they knew she was in trouble. Then the one in the middle, raised his hand, suddenly, a large strong hand grasped around hers, and she was being pulled. Her body felt as though it passed through a harsh waterfall refusing to yield her passage, her skin was bruised with each brush of water, but the hand kept pulling her. Salvation lay on the other side, but she continued to feel the pain, until she was held securely in her mate’s arms.
“I got you.”
“Close—door. Close. Door.” She gasped and for the second time in her life, she passed out.
COMING LATE 2015
SEA CHILD
Children of the Waves #4
“Help! Help!”
Cyrus heard the frantic cry for help while he was at the controls of his boat. He was already out in open water, planning on leaving the area. He’d been around long enough and some were beginning to notice he didn’t age, but he couldn’t ignore this. Cutting the engines, he heard the cry come again, from the shore. He figured the person in need of help had to be in the water. Placing his hands over his eyes to shade them from the sun, he scanned the water near the shore.
A woman frantically paced the beach, pointing toward an area to the right of where he was.
He couldn’t see anyone in obvious distress, but there was definitely a riptide in the area. The person could’ve been dragged under and farther out to sea.
Not waiting a moment longer, he dove in anyway. He had better than average vision underwater. Who was he kidding? He could see underwater, period. In fact, he could swim to unheard of depths without scuba or any kind of gear. Fucking merman or some shit, but without the tail.
He had no idea why he could do that and a few other things. If staying under water for hours wasn’t weird enough, he was 94 years old, but looked like he was in his early twenties, when he’d seemed to stop aging. Unfortunately, his mom died before he could get answers. Like what the hell was he? And who the hell was his father?
The place that listed the name of the birth father on his birth certificate had “unknown.” From age thirty, Cyrus had lived his life in constant motion, never staying one place for long. The only thing remaining the same was the sea. His affinity with it, he’d been a sailor all of his life. More comfortable being on a boat and near water than anywhere else. Perhaps somehow, he knew it was here where he would find all of his answers.
He noticed a few dolphins swimming in the area toward him and then away, then doing it again. Like they were trying to tell him something. Anyone who knew anything about these mammals knew they were smart as hell. Even sailors learned to heed them. Their actions weren’t hostile, but they seemed to be trying to communicate with him, like they wanted him to follow them—so he did. He dived overboard. Maybe, they knew where the person had gone under.
Swimming down well over a hundred feet or so, he finally spotted the movement of a person. The dolphins moved out of the way, but he didn’t need them now. The long hair and slender body told him it was a young girl, and she appeared to be swimming in circles. How the hell she managed to get this deep he didn’t know, but she was obviously buzzed, experiencing nitrogen narcosis. She probably didn’t know which way was up. He came up behind her and she spun around, smiling at him.
Smiling back at her, he gestured up. She shook her head and he took her hand, swimming upward, pulling her with him as fast as he could move. Which was pretty damn fast. As soon as they broke water, a lifeguard was there to assist him with her. They both helped her onto the beach, and she fell to the sand.
The woman who’d been crying for help raced toward them, as well as a few other people surrounded them.
Knowing she’d be all right, Cyrus thought it best to disappear. The last thing he wanted or needed was attention.
He moved away from the crowd and the ambulance, making its way toward the people on the beach. When he was far enough away, he returned to the ocean and swam back to his boat.
About The Author
LaVerne Thompson is an award winning, best-selling, multi-published author, an avid reader and a writer of contemporary, fantasy, and sci/fi sensual romances. She also writes romantic suspense and new adult romance under the pen name Ursula Sinclair.
She is currently working on several projects. Both of her daughters are now away at college. However, she and her husband don’t like the term empty nester. She’s added a cat to the household to keep the dog of the house company. Hopefully writing will keep her sane. Visit her website at http://lavernethompson.com to read excerpts of her books or Facebook to contact her, http://facebook.com/groups/lavernesnews or http://facebook.com/ursulasinclair98 .
BOOKS BY LaVERNE THOMPSON
http://www.amazon.com/LaVerne-Thompson/e/B002GWEWAY
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/laverne-thompson?store=allproducts&keyword=laverne+thompson
https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/search?query=LaVerne%20Thompson&fcsearchfield=Author&fclanguages=all
http://www.allromanceebooks.com/storeSearch.html?searchBy=author&qString=LaVerne+Thompson
Ursula Sinclair
http://www.amazon.com/Ursula-Sinclair/e/B00415YAVK/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1429306099&sr=1-2-ent
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/ursula-sinclair?store=allproducts&keyword=ursula+sinclair
https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/search?Query=Ursula+sinclair
http://www.allromanceebooks.com/storeSearch.html?searchBy=author&qString=Ursula+Sinclair
**Self-Published from Isisindc Publishing
PARANORMAL/FANTASY
Dragon’s Heart- Story of the Brethren
Sea Bride- Children of the Waves
Sea Storm- Children of the Waves
Tatianna (free read at wattpad.com)
Journey of the Princess of Ice- The Elementals- New Adult
Dark Mist- The Hidden Series
Dark Shadow- The Hidden Series- New Adult
Angel Rising- Redemption Book 1
CONTEMPORARY
The Ballerina & The Fighter- Book 1 (writing as Ursula Sinclair)- New Adult
Maze- The Ballerina Series Book 2 (writing as Ursula Sinclair)- New Adult
Come To Me
The Three Sisters Series Boxed Set
Ringside-The Three Sisters Series Book 1
Masquerade- The Three Sisters Series Book 3
Take Me A Romance Box Set
ROMANTIC SUSPENSE
Hold On
Sci/fi/Futuristic
Day In The Sun
Shadow Wars Homebound (writing as Ursula Sinclair)- New Adult
**Coming 2015/2016
The Dancer – The Ballerina Series Book 3 (Ursula Sinclair)- New Adult
Dragon’s Blood- Story of The Brethren
Living On The Edge
The Otherworlders- Wolfen (Ursula Sinclair)- New Adult
Prison Guard’s Son- Young Guns
Shadow Wars Ronin Riders (Ursula Sinclair)- New Adult
Skye High
Promises
Chances Are
Kissed By A Rose
Highland Jack
Lexi’s Journal
**From Decadent Publishing
Writing as Ursula Sinclair
White Wedding- The Guardian Agency Series Book 1
Something Blue- The Guardian Agency Series Book 2
<
br /> Wine and Roses- The Guardian Agency Series Book 3
In print
Guardian Agents- All 3 books in The Guardian Agency Series
**From Phaze Books
Model Misbehavior
**From Freya’s Bower
Believe
Lavernethompson.com
Sea Witch: Children of the Waves Page 10
