Uh-oh, stupid thought rambling. Exhaustion had settled in to stay.
Elsa gasped and grabbed my wrist before looking back at me, her expression one big question.
“Yeah, it’s not good. But Nikolos and I are going to sleep for a week, then we’re going to have to get Rory and his friends to do some investigative work on the Internet. We need to find this Sumerian god called Ninazu. He escaped during the Dweller battle. He’s the only thing that can heal these wounds.”
Elsa closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then shook her head. “You’re saying they won’t heal on their own?”
“No.” I swallowed and winced. My throat still ached from having Nikolos’s hands wrapped around it. “The other wounds will heal, but the demon ones won’t. They’re only going to get worse.”
She slumped back and pulled her legs up to hug them. She wore one of those soft-looking blue running suits—the kind I’d never found long enough for my legs. “How much time?” she whispered.
“How much do I have?” I shrugged. “I don’t know.” I glanced around the room. “Where’s my brother? And Blythe? And was Sophie able to fix Blythe’s magic yet?”
Elsa stared at me for what felt like forever.
I glanced at Nikolos, who looked ready to pass out again, though he watched my sister.
“Listen, Elsa. I’m so tired I don’t even know how to share how much. We need to sleep at least a day or two before we start looking for this Ninazu.” White caught my eye and my mouth fell open as I looked through the bedroom window. “There are flowers on the dogwoods.”
She glanced at the window then looked back at me, frowned. “You’ve been gone for three months, Beri. I was so scared you weren’t coming back. Castor has been beside himself, going crazy and bitching at Dooby to hurry up with the translating so they could find a way to get you back. But that’s not it.” She paused. “So much has happened.”
I closed my eyes. “Bad stuff?”
“Yeah. The night you jumped into that portal, Blythe’s monster daddy showed up. He took her and Sophie. Just plucked them up and stuck them under his arms and ran. I shot him. Twice. He never slowed. And that thing was huge. Huge. I don’t understand how he made a kid with a human.”
The panic in my mouth tasted bitter. “Blythe has been missing for three months? What all has been done to find her?” I asked because I knew my sister and Castor wouldn’t have let Blythe just disappear.
“A lot actually. Those kids managed to track down a few places with kapre sightings. One in particular seemed the most promising. I was planning to go, but your brother sneaked off in the middle of the night. Neither Dooby nor I could follow because we had to stay with your body. We take turns. He’s on while I’m at work.”
That panic taste turned to acid, burned my tongue. “How long has my brother been gone?”
“Two days. I was about to bring Jed in to watch over you while I went after him. Luckily, the place isn’t far. Seems kapres like the Florida Strangler fig trees—the big ones—and there’s a mass of them south of here. According to Rory, this area was already under watch on their network. Pretty handy, that network of theirs. The cops could use that group of kids.”
“What group of kids?” Nikolos asked. I twisted to look at him, groaning with pain when I turned my neck.
Elsa reached out to lightly touch it. “What happened?”
Nikolos’s body tightened. The clench of his muscles so hard it rattled the bed. I put my hand on an unbruised part of his stomach. Muck from that trek through the labyrinth covered him, but he didn’t look like he was getting up to shower or do anything for a while.
I answered Nikolos instead of Elsa. “The kids are fantastic. I think they’re a group of hackers, though they never admitted to that. You’ll get to meet them. They helped us get the lilin I tried to trade for you.” I ran my hands over my face and curled my lips in disgust when they came away with black streaks. “Elsa, we are in no shape to go after Castor and Blythe. Give me a day to sleep.”
“He called to check in this morning. He’s fine. And Blythe has been gone three months, so rushing off in your shape would be silly. I’ll call Castor, tell him you’re back. And I want you and Nikolos to take three days to recuperate.” She wrinkled her nose. “Three days and lots of showers. I’ll change the bedding in here while you get the first one out of the way.”
“Castor checked in today,” I repeated, feeling a little better, but not a lot. Blythe. For me, I’d been away from Blythe only days. But in reality, she’d already spent three months with a creature so terrifying, the witch’s council had made sure that Blythe grew up never knowing the truth about her own magic. “Okay then, I’ll take two days to rest.” I groaned as I swung my legs off the bed. “I agree with the showers. Going to take one now.”
Nikolos reached out and snagged my waist, surprising me with the strength he still had as he pulled me back to him. I smiled down at him. “What?”
“I’ve been dreaming about my bathtub for over a year.”
“Over a year?” Elsa breathed out.
I glanced at her. “Yeah, I’ll explain later. Tell you everything that happened, I promise.”
My attention went back to the glittering black eyes looking at me with a little more heat than I’d expected. Heat that sparked a last bit of adrenaline. “Your tub, huh?” I asked, voice low. “You dreamed about your tub?” I grinned.
He spread his fingers across my abdomen. “Constantly. You were always in it with me.”
I twisted around so I could lean over him, our mouths a breath apart. “Sure we won’t fall asleep in there and drown?”
“You’ll be naked. Something else I’ve spent a lot of time dreaming about.”
As I pressed our mouths together, I felt my sister scrambling off the bed and heard her mutter, “I’m so outta here.”
Chuckling, I pulled back a little to meet his gaze. “Let’s bathe, be together and rest so I can go get my family.”
He ran his thumb over my lip liked he loved to do. “Our family.”
About the Author
Rinda loves unusual stories and credits growing up in a family of curious life-lovers who moved all over the country. Books and movies full of fantasy, science fiction and romance kept her amused, especially in some of the stranger places. For years, she tried to separate her darker side with her humorous and romantic ones. She published short fiction, but things really started happening when she gave in and mixed it up. When not lost in fiction, Rinda loves making wine, collecting music, gaming and spending time with her husband and two children.
She’s represented by Miriam Kriss of the Irene Goodman Agency.
You can find Rinda at relliott4.wordpress.com and www.deadlinedames.com.
Look for these titles by Rinda Elliott
Now Available:
Dweller on the Threshold
Blood of an Ancient
On a hunt to save her sister, the last thing Beri O’Dell needs is love. Aren’t demons bad enough?
Dweller on the Threshold
© 2013 Rinda Elliott
A Beri O’Dell Book, Book 1
Beri O’Dell is investigating paranormal creatures because she wants to know what she is. Taller and stronger than most men, she astral projects and can peel through dimensional layers to see the creatures and spirits beyond.
She once helped her foster sister, Detective Elsa Remington, track down killers in Jacksonville, Florida, but stopped when a nasty fire elemental turned her strength against her. Now, she finds herself pulled back when something steals Elsa’s soul and puts her into a coma.
With little time to spare, Beri searches for the reason behind her sister’s coma. She has help in her spirit guides Fred and Phro, but others come along for the ride, including a pyro-nervous witch, and an androgynous necromancer.
The last thing Beri needs is to fall in love with a mysterious stranger. But the handsome Minoan warrior Nikolos knows what creature she’s after because he’s bat
tled it before.
Warning: Contains a worried heroine with no time, a witch with fire problems, a pissed-off necromancer, a trapped goddess, and a damned sexy, but scary, warrior. Throw in bloody battles, mass-murderer history lessons and a bit of sexy time and you get the start of Beri’s new life.
Enjoy the following excerpt for Dweller on the Threshold:
Night had begun its slow creep over the Jacksonville skyline as I arrived back at the hospital. I slammed the door of my Jeep and took a deep breath of moist, sticky air. Felt like it stuck in the middle of my throat. At least it wasn’t as dry as it had been earlier. And wasn’t fall supposed to be cooler?
I was entertaining thoughts of moving north as I stomped through the parking lot. Fred still hadn’t returned and that was starting to worry me. Plus, the need to check on my sister burned my gut like I’d been shot.
Chaos reigned inside the hospital. Crowds of angry, scared people milled in every open space—waiting rooms, hallways, and when I pushed open the door to the stairwell, they filled that narrow gap as well. I considered the elevator for about a second. I much preferred moving up and down in buildings on my own steam. I could control my time spent on the stairs as well as have more room to fight should the need arise.
So, I shoved my way into the crowd, doing my best not to jostle anyone too hard as I looked over most of their heads. The noise level—so unusual for a hospital—didn’t drown out the dull throb that beat against the back of my skull. I was going to have to let my hair back down a while in my sister’s room or suffer a seriously bad headache later. I shouldn’t have put it back up. Did I really care what people would think?
Sometimes. Truth was, I got enough strange looks with my hair hidden. With it down, people tended to do stupid things like make finger crosses and stuff. It didn’t help that the smell of sweat, antiseptic and blood had forged a lethal mix that had my stomach rejoining my head’s pain parade.
I had had just about enough of the smell of blood today.
I spotted Blythe the second I stepped onto Elsa’s floor. The witch hovered near a gurney but I couldn’t see why until I nudged and poked my way around the throng. She was busy unpinning a sprig of rue from her dress and fastening it to a small boy’s collar. The little guy smiled up at her, a look of utter bemusement fogging his brown eyes. Great. Even for one that young, her overwhelming girliness disarmed. I tapped my foot, waiting for her to finish.
“Now, leave it there and it’ll help you get well faster, okay?” Blythe winked and patted his curly black hair before turning to look up at me.
I grabbed her arm—gently—and pulled her away from the boy. “I thought you were going to call me when you found a spell.”
“I didn’t want to take the time to find a specific one—not after hearing how many larvae are hanging out here.” She shuddered, glancing up. “I can’t see them but I sure can feel them. It’s like swamp soup in here.”
I blinked at the witch. I didn’t have to look up to know there were at least ten of the disgusting bulbous creatures floating around the ceiling. Come to think of it, swamp soup was a pretty decent description of the hot, heavy feel they gave the air. “If you don’t have a specific spell, what do you plan to do?”
Blythe patted the happy-faced tote bag on her shoulder. “I have an ancient fumigation spell that’ll work just fine until we find the right one.”
“Good. Let’s go do it.” I started to pull her toward Elsa’s room, growling when the witch halted. “What’s the problem?”
“Um, maybe we should do this outside.”
I eyed her, taking in the flush on her cheeks and the way she avoided my eyes. “Do I even want to ask why?”
“Well, you see, I have to…”
“Who’s the Neanderthal in Elsa’s room?” Fred’s abrupt arrival caused me to lose track of Blythe’s answer.
“What Neanderthal?”
“He’s sitting back in the shadows so I couldn’t see his face, but even—”
I didn’t wait for him to finish. Fear grabbed me by the back of the neck, and I shoved past the anxious, injured and even the few dead who milled about. I hoped whatever usually drew them to me would stay under wraps long enough for me to get this man away from my sister.
I burst through the door and skidded to a stop when it felt like I hit an invisible wall. My sister looked the same, so I peered into the shadows of the corner of the room and held my breath.
He took up all the space.
I didn’t know how to explain it, but it was as if his presence filled every corner of the room. Power shivered over my skin. I took another step, wishing I could see him better because I felt his gaze on me.
A surprising wave of need washed through me as something in this stranger called to me on an elemental level that shook the foundation of my world. Without even seeing him, I could sense his loneliness, his disconnection. He was like me somehow.
I squinted into the dark corner, trying to see what it was about him that pulled me forward yet made me want to run away screaming.
There was something very, very wrong with him.
I stalked forward. “Who are you?”
He didn’t move and his utter stillness was unnerving. “Nikolos.”
I shot a glance at Phro only to find the spirit had gone translucent. She did that whenever her emotions grew too strong to handle—almost as if the effort zapped whatever vitality she used to appear in near-solid form.
“Do you know him, Phro?”
She nodded.
“I thought you said the name didn’t ring any bells.”
“This is an old bell.” The words bounced on a shaky whisper.
I turned to Fred, who only shrugged, his stare never leaving the man in the corner. “He can see us.”
My head whipped back to the stranger. “Why are you in my sister’s room?”
“She’s a friend.”
“You date?” I had no idea why, but for some reason the very idea made me curl my hands into fists.
“Not that sort of friend.” Amusement laced his voice.
I stilled the sudden feminine urge to tug up my jeans, smooth a hand down my black T-shirt, pat my hair. “What sort of friend, then?” I asked, and then frowned. “This is ridiculous. Come into the light so I can see you.”
“Demanding little thing aren’t you?” But he stood and stepped forward.
“Little?” I snorted. “You must be blind—” I broke off because yeah—to him—I could seem little.
He strode to me on impossibly long legs and just like that, cupped my chin to lift my face. “You don’t have the color of women from my home.”
“Uh—”
He used his free hand to tug the hat from my head. I’d pinned it on, so I winced as the pins went flying and my mass of hair fell with a heavy whoosh. In the next instant, he was running his hand down my hair, lifting strands to rub between his fingers.
“Just a damn minute! Who the hell do you think you are?” I jerked my chin away and stepped back, glaring and marveling over how much I had to look up.
Fred had been right. Oversized Neanderthal fit him to a T. He had to be around six-foot-six or seven. I stared into his face, intrigued by its interesting mix of Native American and Asian features—dusky skin, long, sharp nose and lightly slanted eyes so velvety brown they were nearly black. I ran my gaze down to his mouth and felt a rippling awareness dance along my nerve endings. The man had a wicked nice mouth.
Blythe, whom I had forgotten entirely, broke the spell. “Wow. You’re really pretty.”
Pretty was maybe taking his description a bit far, especially with the very strong, masculine slant to his looks, but he was seriously nice to look at—beautiful even, though I could tell by his withering glance at Blythe he wouldn’t appreciate that adjective, either.
When he’d turned his head, I caught a glimpse of a long, fat, black braid. I immediately wanted to know how long it was and what it looked like loose.
This wasn’
t like me at all.
“What are you?” I whispered, forgetting how very much I hated that question when it was aimed at me.
His eyes softened as he turned back to me and once again, he reached out to touch my face. I flinched. People didn’t touch me. Ever. I didn’t know how to react. I wanted to step back from those warm fingers and yet, I also wanted to sink into them and see if maybe—just maybe—I wasn’t all that different from other women after all. I shivered.
“I’m a man, but like you, I’m something more.”
Cryptic. Weird. “More what?”
“I don’t know.”
It took all my effort not to let my shoulders slump with the crushing disappointment that draped me from head to foot. For an instant, one glorious instant, I’d thought all my questions were about to be answered. That maybe this person knew what I was. Why I was here…
Why I was so very, very different from everyone else.
Everyone other than him, though. The thought struck me with the force of a blow. We didn’t have the same coloring, but he was like me on some elemental level I didn’t understand and I had every intention of learning.
“I’m Beri, by the way. Is it just me or is this really strange?”
A half-smile tilted one corner of his mouth. I didn’t know how I knew this, but Nikolos was not a man to smile often. And as he stepped back, I suddenly got it. I’d been distracted by his beauty—his overpowering presence. I’d completely missed the very thing that set him apart from other people and now that I saw it, black smudged the edges of my vision. I reached blindly to the side and grabbed Blythe’s arm, pulling the unnaturally silent woman into my narrow line of sight. “Do you still have that spell for auras?”
Wispy, blonde strands of hair bounced as Blythe shook her head. “I don’t need the spell with him.” Face white, she tilted her head back and stared at the giant. “He may be pretty but his aura isn’t. It’s nothing but black. Not just a spot either. The whole thing. It’s all black and thick and just not…right.”
Blood of an Ancient: A Beri O'Dell Book, Book 2 Page 24
