I couldn’t speak. Just like that, my friend was dead? I couldn’t believe it. But he hadn’t exactly said Natalie was killed. “What did they do with Natalie? Where is she?”
He swallowed. “In the forest with my people. She is inconsolable, hysterical. I knocked her out, but she will not be easy to deal with when she awakens. The only thing I have to offer you is I now know where your cousin is.”
The room spun around me. I threw out my arm to steady myself on the nearest thing, which happened to be Heath.
His concerned eyes scanned my face. I couldn’t meet his stare. Sam was dead. My brother was officially in the Order compound and from the unspoken pain in Creed’s eyes had been part of the slaughter. It was all happening the way Tabitha said it would. It should have never gotten to this point. I couldn’t understand why she hadn’t come for me. She promised.
“When was the last time either of you saw Tabitha?” I asked.
Creed opened his mouth, but he merely shrugged. Heath glanced away from me.
“What is going on? This isn’t supposed to happen! We were supposed to take care of the Order before they could do anything to my friends, my family, my brother!”
Red hot anger shot throughout me, transforming my body into a lethal weapon currently trained on Nigel Lambert. That man was going to die. He would not corrupt another young man with his poison. If Travis was involved in Sam’s death I didn’t know what I would do. How would I ever forgive him?
Creed stood in front of me. “My lady, you cannot go to the compound. They not only have dark matter, they have somehow created a way to store the power it steals.”
Nothing he said made any sense. “What are you trying to tell me, Creed?”
His face contorted into pure frustration. “It’s gone. Our powers are all gone.”
I gasped, my legs nearly buckling beneath me. “How?”
“A machine?” said Creed.
“Luke!” I yelled.
A blond head peeked around the corner almost immediately. His eyes skimmed over my companions then settled on mine. “What do you need, my lady?”
“Is this possible?”
“I’m sorry. I wasn’t privy to your conversation.”
Right. Bypassing an argument, I filled him in as quickly as I could. He shook his head. “The equipment Ainessa used on the island merely borrowed power. Once we were out of range, our power returned. I have no answer to your question.”
I frowned at him. “Get her here.”
“What?”
“Ainessa. Get her here. Now!”
“That is not a wise decision,” he said. “She is not to be trusted.”
I scowled at him. “Luke, if there is one thing I have learned it is that your enemy’s enemy is your friend. Don’t question me. Get her here.”
He snapped a nod at me.
Heath came up behind me. “You’re letting your emotions rule you. Come sit. Think.”
“There’s no time,” I said, pulling my arm away from his grasp. “What if he has my family?”
“You won’t be any good to them if you are taken. If they gain access to your power, we are done for. We have to strategize. We must find Tabitha.”
I shook my head. “Where did she go?”
He cocked his brows. “If I knew that I wouldn’t be here with you.”
Zach called to my mind while our bond pulled me in his direction. “You must come to me, love. We need to talk. It must only be you.”
I gritted my teeth. “Kind of busy here.”
I felt his sigh. “Please, Rayla. Time is running out for your brother.”
My eyes flew huge. I made some lame excuse to leave, Heath calling after me.
I ignored him. I couldn’t lose my brother before I had a chance to tell him how much I love him and need him in my life. I’d never had a true familial tie like other kids I’d grown up with. Travis and I had always been close, but I’d kept a distance between us I now regretted.
My feet wouldn’t move fast enough as I slipped along the polished stone corridor. I followed my instincts to reach Zach, which, surprisingly worked out fairly well.
He waited for me in a small den, sitting by a cozy fire. With his hands dangling in front of him he, slumped over his knees. His usually disheveled hair had taken on a crazed scientist vibe. Whatever was bothering him had to be epic. Oppression hung in the air like a thick barrier between us.
I bypassed the chair opposite his and knelt in front of him. “What is happening?”
“This just came for you,” he said, holding out a folded piece of paper.
My fingers shook as I took the thin, white letter. My eyes skimmed over the words, hardly processing what it said. Phrases stuck out in clumps. Phrases I would never forget.
I have your family. Come alone. Will trade your power for their lives. One hour.
“How can I rescue my family without my powers? He’ll kill them.” I breathed into the milky silence. My worst fears unfolded before me, taking my hopes with the realization.
“We must find Tabitha. She is the only one that can affect this now.”
Taking a deep breath, I shook my head. “I can’t just sit here and let him kill my entire family!” I curled a fist and flung it at his shoulder.
He caught my wrists, pulling me up into his arms. “I’ll not let you trade your life for theirs.”
Tears streamed down my face. I’d promised myself I wouldn’t shed anymore tears until this battle was won, yet here I was.
Zach’s fingers brushed through my hair. “Emotion is not a sign of weakness, Rayla. It is only the lack thereof that one should worry about.”
“He’ll do it.” I said. “He’s ruthless.”
“I know,” said Zach. “I was there too, remember?”
I closed my eyes, taking a staggered breath. His spicy scent seemed to fill every crevice inside me, bringing back memories I would rather forget. “Where do you think she is?” I asked to distract myself.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out his journal. “I found my memory,” he said, holding the book out for me.
I’d never seen him this trusting before and instead of being comforting, it worried me. I read over the page, but the old English didn’t mean much. I might as well have been looking at the book of Revelations for how well I understood the passage.
“What does it mean?” I asked.
His eyes found mine and stuck. “The end of the world is upon us; unless we find Tabitha, everything we know and love will be destroyed.”
I refused to believe such a thing. “How could God let this happen?”
Zach shook his head. “Everyone is bound by laws and that includes your creator. He cannot interfere with free will. Only humans are allowed to do that.”
Something he said slammed me in the face. “But that means I can’t change things. I’m not human,” I said, my mind rushing to find a solution to this not so little problem. “No one I know is human…except…Natalie.”
Holes in the shredded tapestry of my memories filled in. “What does the law state?”
“This world was created for humans to rule. When we interfere, we disrupt the governing bylaws.”
“What if a human interfered?”
He pondered this for a moment. “It should work. It is how the Order has survived for so long.”
“So if I could get Natalie to wish for time to rewind—”
He shook his head. “In events such as this, where death has occurred, we cannot change the past. We must find a way to appease the law without disrupting the balance of time and space. Once a death occurs it is written on time. We cannot rewrite that event. We can only overlay what has already happened to prevent further death.”
“That doesn’t sound right. People come back to life all the time. I heard about a guy that had been dead for over two days before they brought him back to life.”
Zach tilted his head in mockery. “Do you think to know more than I do on the subject? We have no tim
e for speculation.” When I opened my mouth to speak he shushed me. “You and your questions. It is possible to raise a person from the dead, but we have not been gifted with that power. Only those chosen by the creator can reanimate life.”
“But it is possible?”
He nodded.
“That’s great—”
“Rayla…giving Natalie false hope will only prolong her grief.”
“We have to try,” I said, my spine stiffening. “I refuse to let these people win. I refuse to allow them to ruin our world.”
“Every minute we spend not searching for Tabitha is a minute wasted.”
“I don’t agree. What if she doesn’t come? What if she gave up on all of us?”
“She would never do such a thing,” he said, eyes biting.
I smiled. “Then we have nothing to worry about.” I grabbed his hand and pulled. “Come on.”
Zach lumbered behind me the entire way to find Creed. Once I spotted him, I let go of Zach and bolted for my slumped over friend.
“Would you please take me to Natalie,” I said.
He shot upright and stared at me. His face scrutinized mine for a minute before he said, offering a smile. “It will be my utmost pleasure, my lady.”
I had a hunch why Tabitha was absent, but I couldn’t exactly be sure. All I wanted to do was figure out a way to get my family back. I’d lost so much time with them as it was.
My mind raced faster than we could move. Natalie would do it; I knew she would. The thing was, I didn’t know if she’d even be coherent enough for me to talk to.
We’d been jogging for a while, so I glanced at Creed and asked, “How much farther?”
He shrugged. “We should be upon it shortly.”
A bright clearing emerged in the distance that just so happened to be jam packed with dark fae. Natalie’s red hair stood out like a beacon in a raging storm. I made my way past the creatures that had gathered around her. She screamed for help when she saw me. At least I had my answer about her mental state.
Her green eyes blazed into mine, full of disheveled dreams and bridled grief.
“They killed him,” she said, her voice waif thin. “I tried to stop them, but then they had me and that horrible man raised his sword.” She shuddered. “Sam. I didn’t even get to say goodbye. They’d kept us apart for so long now and then they killed him. Rayla, they killed him. I saw it. They—”
I threw my arms around her, holding her tight against me. Her body shook with her sobs. With each sound I stiffened more. I should have done something sooner. I should have been there for her, but I was here now. I needed to be strong. I needed to be a leader. “I’m so sorry,” I said. “I know how horrible this has been, but I need you to listen to me.”
She pulled away slightly and stared into my eyes. Natalie had a practical side I’d always admired. “I know how this must look to you. You were right about the Order. It is the most horrible organization that could ever exist, and I need your help to destroy it.”
“I’ll do anything,” she said, swiping her tearstained cheeks.
“There are a few things you should know. First, humans aren’t the only people that inhabit this planet.”
She glanced around. “I kind of figured. No way even Hollywood could manage to create some of these things.”
I chuckled. “I have a plan that could get Sam back, but I need you to listen closely.”
She narrowed her eyes at me. “You been smoking something? Even I know the dead stay dead.”
By this time all five lords stood by my side, as well as those that had made it to the castle. All eyes were cast in my direction as if waiting for orders. I took a deep breath, letting my mind take over.
I clasped Natalie’s hands and stared straight into her eyes. “It’s a long shot,” I said. “I’m not saying it isn’t, but anything is possible if you have enough faith.” Surprisingly in that moment I believed it.
She shook her head at me. “You seem different. What happened to you?”
I might as well have lived five lifetimes for how much I had changed since I saw her last. I wasn’t about to comment on the crinkles around her eyes that looked like they might be a permanent fixture. I gave her a smile. “One of these days, I’ll tell you all about it. Right now, we’ve got some planning to do.” If we had any chance of reversing time, we had to find Tabitha. She was the only person who’d ever managed it. Since no one could technically find Tabitha if she didn’t want to be found, my plan hinged on luring her to us.
Chapter Thirteen
I was surprised how fast Natalie came on board even with the stipulation that we had to have Tabitha’s help for it to work. Her suppressed grief had been replaced with a wary hope. Any hope at all was good in my book. If Zach was right, and our world was this close to being nothing more than stardust scattering the universe, we needed all we could get.
The lords had taken to my plan right away. It was pretty simple. After I told her what to say, Natalie asked us to reverse time and to make sure Sam survived. I had to do a little more coaxing to have her mention the creatures that were now regenerating. I learned that it could take centuries for some of them to get their bodies back. Until that happened, they would be trapped in the dark realms with all the other lost souls.
Now that we had Natalie’s will in the mix, we couldn’t be held responsible for what happened to the world if we were able to bring Sam back to life and stop Nigel Lambert from fulfilling his dastardly plans. At least I hoped not. I also hoped that my will mattered a little bit more than the lords would admit. Just because I wasn’t exactly human didn’t mean I should be treated differently. I still belonged to this planet and cared about what happened to it and everyone living here, including the fae.
Unfortunately, we still didn’t know what to do about those fae that had their power stolen. With as many as there were, it would be difficult to hide them. Zach figured he and I might be able to cloak small groups of them, but we hardly had time to make multiple trips to the borderlands or to his place only a few miles from here. Our only real hope was that they could hide until dark. After that we would move them to the woods around the Order sanctuary.
Since the Order seemed so fond of swords and guns, I wanted to arm our soldiers before we stepped foot into the sanctuary again. My suggestion was to get in, capture the machine and get the dark fae’s powers back so they could get themselves out of here, or help us win the war if they chose. Seemed I was being a bit simple minded.
None of the lords were psyched about me coming anywhere near the sanctuary. Not only did we have to worry about Lambert and his strange machine, there was always the possibility that Valen would show up with a different army to contend with.
I hoped that the machine had just temporarily short circuited the dark fae and that their powers would return soon. It was wishful thinking, but at this point I didn’t know what else to do.
Turned out Zach had a small armory in his estate. When I questioned him, he told me he’d prepared for any eventuality. The only thing was I had no idea how to wield a sword or a gun. Travis had always been the best shot in the family, which now, worried me. It had sort of been his thing with Uncle John and I had never wanted to intrude on their time together.
If Lambert managed to convert him already, I didn’t know what I would do. The worst thing I could imagine was to have to fight my own brother. That was, if I could get five, no six, men surrounding me to let me do anything other than wait things out.
Valen’s reign had to come to an end, but first we had to take care of the Order. I’d prefer the planet to be wiped from the universe than to let him have his way with it. He was just icky on so many levels. I didn’t think the man had a single ounce of caring left in him. I’d once thought Ainessa was the worst fae in existence, but it seems there was always someone worse out there.
No matter what happened, Ainessa had to be dealt with, yet I wasn’t so convinced anymore that she was completely evil. Jaded, absolute
ly. Misguided, yup. Delusional, oh yeah. But evil? After seeing the way she looked at Luke, I couldn’t think that about her anymore. If I had to use one word to describe her now, it would be desperate. Desperate people are capable of doing horrible things, so all I had to do was address her needs.
There had to be a way to appease all the fae, not just some. Everyone deserved happiness, including me. Even though the bond between me and Zach was stronger than what I had with Heath, it wasn’t a contest where my heart was concerned.
I hoped one day soon I’d be able to figure out why the elements had chosen Zach. They were definitely involved. I just didn’t know quite how yet.
Didn’t really matter at the moment because if we couldn’t figure out how to disrupt that blasted machine, power wouldn’t matter. As it was we waited for Ainessa to get here. She knew Lambert better than anyone and might be able to tell us where he would hide the machine.
I didn’t trust her. I was pretty sure if she could figure out how to harness the power she’d take it in a heartbeat. The truth was I had to convince her that my plan was better than hers.
How to do such a thing was still beyond me. She’d had this singular goal for so long now that I wasn’t sure any of us could get her to change courses. Sure, she’d act the part, but we’d never be able to tell if she was being sincere.
Luke paced a line in front of me. It unnerved me to see him so pent up. The weird thing was he seemed more than on edge. His scowl had turned into surprise when I told him I wanted to bring Ainessa here. With every minute that passed, he’d become more agitated. He was like a kid waiting for Christmas to come. He cared for her. It was strange to think about that, but it was clear to me now.
Her tinkling voice rang out down the hall, “Where is she?”
Zach mumbled something to her then moments later she glided into the room, her perfect veil of blond hair trailing behind her. Long limbs carried her swiftly to me, and all of the sudden, my throat tightened. This couldn’t be a good idea, but without Tabitha here to guide us, we had to try everything we could. For all I knew, this was exactly what Tabitha wanted.
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