Tainted (Netherworld Book II)

by Christie Rich

  She smiles, pointing at Amelia. “She said that, too.”

  She would know. “Do you want to stay?”

  Amelia stands beside us now. “Kimber, we want to help you. I know you’re afraid for Kaylee, but she’ll be okay. Daddy doesn’t need to know you left. It isn’t safe to stay here anymore.”

  Kimber nods, giving me a stare more suited to a thirty year old. “Okay, but if Daddy gets mad, I’ll be mad, too.”

  Kimber really is a scary kid. She has no idea what to do with the anger inside. I didn’t either for a really long time. Now, I punch things or run. I can only imagine what Malcolm has instructed her to do, but we’ve got to help her to relax. If she doesn’t loosen her grip on this world, we won’t have a chance at getting out of here.

  When we make it into the other room, more Erobos rush in, but this time, they have what looks like fear in their eyes. I watch, waiting for the horror they run away from to crash in behind them. When Kelsby’s big body bounces against the doors, pushing them wider, I grin. He’s covered in weapons and ammo. My heart fills with relief. He’s like a one man army. Using his four legs, he crouches, then springs into the air. He unharnesses a couple pistols, then unloads the clips into the crowd of Erobos. Zings of electricity launch from a contraption strapped to his waist. One bolt heads straight for me, but zags at the last moment to catch Seth in the chest. He trips backward but seems okay. He frowns down at his hand. With so much going on, I forgot about Gregory’s invention. Seth pulls the gauntlet off and tosses it aside. The bolt of electricity coming at him veers right and crashes into an Erobos who is rushing us. The guy is caught in the side of the head. The electricity shoots through him, lighting him up before he bursts into a cloud of smoke that hovers over the floor.

  Kelsby cuts through the crowd, and the Erobos turn their attention to him instead of hacking away at Ian and Peter. Ian is covered in bloody gashes, and Peter isn’t much better off. If either of them is held down for even a moment, they could get tainted again. Peter is such a wanker. How he thought I would agree to be his mate is beyond me. I barely even know him. Seth is different. Although the memories aren’t accessible, I could never deny my connection to him.

  Some of the Erobos make for the doors, but they slam shut. The soldiers tug and tug, but they don’t budge. I glance at Kimber, realizing she’s keeping us all in this place. I imagine the doors open, and she shakes her head at me. She has such a tight hold on this world that I can’t penetrate it. Whatever she is, I’m not capable of taking over. How can someone so young have this kind of control?

  I turn to Seth, who still has Kimber in his arms. “What now?”

  Before we can move an inch, Daegan is there to block our way. “Tell your cargo to release us.”

  “What?” Seth and I say in unison.

  Daegan huffs. “None of us wants to be here anymore, but we can’t leave.”

  My breath stalls in my throat. Somehow, I’m beginning to think we’re nothing but a barrel of fish waiting to be shot. I take Kimber’s hand, and she curls her fingers around two of mine. “Kimber, what did Daddy say would happen if you let us all go?” She glances away. “It’s okay. You can tell me,” I say. “We’re sisters, remember?” She nods, but her lips don’t budge. “We have to leave. Some of the men are hurt. Do you see them?”

  She shifts her eyes to Ian but brings them back to mine as fast. “I don’t want to get in trouble.”

  It seems to me Malcolm has planned this whole thing to wipe out the Oneiroi. I highly doubt Zed could handle the duties of four men. I’m dubious he had a way to bind me to Peter without my permission. “Please, Kimber. If we don’t leave, we won’t ever be able to look for Kaylee.”

  She cringes. “He said he’d hurt her if I left.”

  “If we don’t do something, we’ll be trapped here with the Erobos. We might even die,” I say. “You’ll never see Kaylee anyway if we stay here. Daddy isn’t coming back.”

  “Kaylee’s already dead,” she says.

  I can hardly believe what she’s saying. “What?”

  “If I don’t do what Daddy says, she’ll be a ghost forever. She’s really sad. I don’t want her to be sad anymore.”

  “The Netherworld,” says Seth. “Did your daddy take Kaylee to the Netherworld?”

  Kimber nods. “He said we’d all live there someday, but Kaylee is in a bad place. He took me to see her once. It was dark and cold, and I didn’t like it.”

  Who would? I have no idea how to reason with a child. Maybell speaks up. “Kimber, your daddy lied to us. Maybe he lied to you about Kaylee. Maybe she isn’t dead.”

  The little girl frowns at Maybell. “Daddy took me to see her. She was sleeping like Amelia’s sister.”

  “You see,” says Maybell in a gentle tone. “Part of Amelia’s soul was sleeping. Maybe part of Kaylee is sleeping, too.”

  Kimber considers Maybell, skeptical written all over her. Daegan growls, shaking his head as if he’s disgusted. “We are wasting time. The man will die, not your sister. I promise you this. Let us go, and I will look for her. Would you like that?”

  Kimber shakes her head and hides against Seth. Daegan gives me a look like regret before he moves to snatch Kimber from Seth’s grasp. It happens so fast I can’t think quickly enough to save her. Just like that, he snaps her neck and drops the body. I cry out, reaching for her. He speeds away in an instant.

  The palace dissolves immediately, along with the guards, which leaves us in the open to stare at one another. All that’s left of the world is a barren wasteland. My eyes widen when I take in Kelsby loaded for bear chasing after Daegan. He’s got every gadget I could ever think of attached to his big body in one way or another. He lifts one of Gregory’s rifles, pointing in the general direction of the enemy. Ian yells at him to toss a gun, and soon we are all armed.

  The Erobos straighten, and like the brainless soldiers they are, they move as a single unit to circle Daegan, who cradles my soul in his arms. He gives one last glance at me before he shifts into dragon form. He clutches my soul in his clawed foot. The rest of them shift into dragons, too. There are so many of them, but with Kimber no longer in control, I take over. Spikes fly out of the ground, some finding their target, some arcing toward the dirt. Kelsby begins shooting, and just like with Daegan’s companion, they pop the moment the light drills inside them. This is more than a laser. It’s as if the light is filled with goodness, and they can’t take it. For a moment, I allow myself to hope. Daegan has made it quite far with us having to deal with his minions, but we could still catch him. I implore Seth, who nods.

  His muscles coil and shift. The transformation happens in an instant. His claw comes around me as he bolts into the air. His leathery wings stir the air, sending my hair around my face to stick against my mouth and eyes. I brush it away, searching for the black beast which has a part of me. When I spy him on the horizon to our left, I yell out to Seth. He veers toward our enemy. The remaining Erobos leave the formation to protect their leader. They head straight for us, but we, too, are joined by dragons. Ian and Peter. I count three besides Seth. Who is the other one? I scan the ground and find Maybell and Kelsby staring our way. No more Erobos remain on earthbound. I catch a glimpse of blonde hair. My eyes bulge. “Olivia!” She gives me a nod. Zed. Zed is the other dragon. My heart fills with elation. The three dragons take on more than a hundred while Seth and I race forward.

  “Where’s the Erobos portal?” I yell at Seth.

  He answers in my mind. I do not know . . . I’m unable to feel the energy

  Not wanting to distract him further, I leave the rest of my questions unasked. We’re gaining on Daegan, who hasn’t once looked back. Arrogant suck. I was ready to let him take the part of my soul if it meant we’d be able to escape, but now the idea chills my blood.

  Who knew a person could grumble in your thoughts? Somehow, Seth manages it. We can’t let him take even the slightest piece of your soul, Amelia. Who knows where he’ll put it?

 
; I do. My mind goes to the place instantly. Darkness envelops everything. There’s a dais with a throne, just like Malcolm’s. As I recall the room where Volos reigns, I gasp. Malcolm created the identical room. The only difference is the existence of light. The significance isn’t lost on me. Volos is in control of more than he should be from his prison. “Hurry up!” I yell.

  “Working on it,” he says.

  When I glance ahead, we’ve made significant progress. That-a-dragon I think to him.

  He chuckles, smoke puffing out of his big which is full of bigger teeth. His wings flap louder with longer strokes. My heart races as we approach Daegan. He makes a terrifying dragon, not that such a creature is soft and cuddly by any stretch. Unlike Seth, Daegan will do anything to obey Volos. He could have tried to take this part of me, too. I steel off my emotions because we’re right on him now.

  Daegan circles to send a bolt of fire at us. Seth tucks me under his belly, so I can’t see a dang thing. He shifts in the air, pulls in his wings and rolls. We zig and zag. Seth sends fireballs that singe my nose. I’m so useless, and I can’t stand it.

  Seth tells me to hold on, so I wrap my arms tighter around his talon. We crash into Daegan. My head spins with the impact until all I want to do is clutch my skull to keep my brain from scrambling. We’re jarred again. I can’t make heads or tails of where I am. When something rams us a final time, I slip out of Seth’s hold. Once again, I’m falling. The ground looms closer with each thought. My fears choke me . . . until—

  I remember I’m in a dream. Another idea jumps in my mind: I can shift. Terror turns to elation. I glance at Seth, who races toward me as I continue to fall. This time when I morph, I don’t let myself think about the process. I know I can do it because I did it before. The only difference between a snake and a dragon is size, which doesn’t even matter.

  Seth slams against me, but my wings catch. The wind lifts me up. I flap my gargantuan wings, surprised by the power in them. Again and again, they move, without me having to think about it. It’s like breathing. It just happens.

  Daegan’s gotten farther ahead again. I send Seth a mental note to go left, so I can go right. We need to flank him. With my new eyes, I can make out the battle off in the distance. Ian, Zed, and Peter are still holding back the other Erobos, while Kelsby and Maybell fry them with lasers. As it should be. I hate being the factor tearing these people apart. They should work together. They have to if we have any chance of changing things for good.

  When I shift my attention back to Daegan, he’s no longer in the sky. Seth is dive-bombing him, while I’m wasting time. Seth transitions and runs after Daegan who is racing for a cliff at full speed.

  “Cover the portal!” Seth shouts at me.

  I send out a blast of fire in front of Daegan. He plows through it. His hair and the bundle in his arms catch fire, but he’s not slowing for anything. I dive toward him, clipping his legs with my tail. He trips forward, dropping my soul, which rolls toward the cliff wall. I land, morphing instantly. Taking off, I bypass Daegan to jump at my missing self. She thuds against the rock, and I freeze. Portals are tricky things. I shouldn’t be able to pass through an Erobos gate because of my energy, but I’m not sure if I dare go any closer. I drop to my knees, reaching out for my other self’s ankle. My fingers brush her icy skin, but the portal is pulling her in.

  “Seth!” I scream.

  His arms come under mine. He yanks me to my feet and pushes me behind him. Daegan stands no more than a foot away, glowering. His hand reaches over his shoulder to pull out a long, gleaming sword.

  I cringe. When I cast a glimpse around him, my soul is nearly through the gate. He looks at me, smiles, then blows me a kiss. His backflip is such a surprise, I gasp. He lands on his knees inside the portal, but I manage to see his arms come around the girl I no longer consider part of me.

  A blast flashes past us, catching Daegan in the arm. Another one zings forward to thwap against Daegan’s bundle. He roars in rage as the light dissolves his shoulder. They disappear before I can make out what the blast did to my soul.

  When I turn, Kelsby stands forty feet away. The grim look on his face reflects my mood. I barely notice the fly as it flitters toward the portal. “Shoot it,” I shriek.

  Kelsby frowns. I point. “Get it. It’s Erobos!”

  Seth lunges at Kelsby, but it’s too late. An entire swarm rushes past and through the gate. What remains is a rock wall and silence.

  Amelia stares ahead, emotionless, as I cradle her in my arms. Kelsby waddles sheepishly to us. He stops in front of her to tip her chin back. She blinks up at him, giving a hint of a smile.

  “Don’t you worry, Miss Amelia, we’ll get it back” he says, chipper as a new recruit. “There’s always a way to do things. Don’t give up.”

  I can hardly believe he’s here. He’s got an aura about him, one I haven’t seen in a very long time. I give him a smile. “Thank you for coming, friend. We could have ended this battle with a lot more lost than a piece of Amelia’s soul. I truly am grateful, but how did you get out?”

  “I thought it was time to release him,” says Zed from behind us. “We need to work together; otherwise, we’ll all end up losing. I’m sorry it took us so long to find you. We followed but encountered a nightmare along the way.”

  We’re joined by Ian and Peter, who hangs back with his gaze averted. Never again will I trust him, no matter how much time passes. I’m honestly surprised he didn’t go through the portal with Daegan. We have a lot to sort out, but I won’t stay here with Peter.

  Keeping Amelia close, I say, “So did Amelia and Ian. We have a mole in our midst.”

  All eyes go to Peter, who frowns. “I may have a different vision for our people, but I would never betray any of you to the Erobos.”

  Tired and cranky, I grunt and turn Amelia away from the scraggly group. She looks back at Kimber in Ian’s arms. He gives her a nod. “I’ll take care of her.”

  Her stiff muscles loosen enough for me to guide her again. Once we are far enough away, I morph into a dragon. The pull of my world calls to me. I move to lift her against me, but she shakes her head. “I’ve got it.” Her transformation takes only moments. She stands there, regal in her red and purple scales. She’s beautiful no matter what form she dons.

  We leave the others to deal with the cleanup. Our journey to her world is long, especially with so much on my mind. When she stops at the waterfall, I shake my head. I’m not wasting a single moment longer in the Dreamscape. I have much more important things in mind.

  Too many people have been damaged because of my mistakes. I should have never taken Amelia to see her father. I should have listened to her. I squeeze her hand. “I’m sorry,” I say again, knowing words will never be enough to ease the sting of the evening.

  She shakes her head. The light in her eyes has dimmed considerably. “I was too cocky. I thought I could handle Malcolm. He’s worse than I ever thought possible, which is pretty damned bad.”

  Her jokes usually lighten my mood, but all I can do is nod. When we get to the portal, she halts. Her fingers graze my face. “It’s gonna be okay, Seth. I’m fine. We lost someone tonight, but it wasn’t me.”

  I pull her close. Her words should be comforting, but she’s in shock. Who knows how she’ll feel once she has time to think things through. “I wanted you to remember so badly. Now, we may never recover your memories.”

  She smiles; even if it is a halfhearted attempt, I appreciate the gesture. “I don’t need them anymore. I’ve got my own memories, and I’m pretty sure we can make more.”

  I fully intend to. “Are you ready?”

  She nods. I lead her through the flames, holding on as tightly as I can. The fire barely singes the tips of her hair this time. She’s being accepted by my realm more and more as the days go on. Soon, she will be able to move about however she wants, unscathed.

  Once we are in my chamber, she clasps my hand more firmly, pulling me along until we reach the library. We
ascend the steps quickly, and despite my fatigue, my body vibrates with the anticipation of feeling her in my arms again. She doesn’t say a word, and neither do I. I’ve got so much to explain, but I want her to be as completely present as possible.

  When we come to the glass doors to her dreaming quarters, she gives me a reassuring smile. I take a deep breath and watch as she pulls back the covers and dissolves into the woman on the bed. She wakes immediately, and I heave a huge sigh. Giving me a secretive grin, she pats the spot beside her. I tilt my head to one shoulder then the other to loosen my muscles, making my way over the mattress to her. After I push the covers back and spread out, she takes my hand to cradle it in both of hers. Her head bows as she brings each of my fingers to her lips. I let myself get carried away by the welcome sensations her touch brings me. I pull her against me, frowning when something firm keeps her body from mine.

  I lean away and lift my hand to her jacket. Her lips upturn in a smile as I unzip it, revealing a gold disk the size of a salad plate. My heart leaps when I consider what this could be. I turn it over, studying the intricate designs of a scene which both frightens and excites me. “How?” I ask.

  “Daegan helped me,” she says, shrugging. “I couldn’t get it off Malcolm’s throne, but he did.”

  I frown. “And he gave it to you?”

  She nods. “Weird, right?” I take the disk in my hands and roll to set it on the nightstand. I don’t want to think about keys or wayward brothers who have too much of a fascination with my mate. I stand and move around the bed until I kneel before the woman I love. She sits up, her face filling with worry. “What’s wrong?”

  I shrug. “Many things, but I do not wish to discuss them at this time.”

  She laughs, flipping her dark silky hair over one shoulder. “What do you want to discuss, then?” I’ve imagined this moment for nearly five years, but I never thought my mouth would be this dry. I never considered how much my hands would shake. I swallow back my fear and press forward. I reach for her hands and pull them both to my lips to place a kiss to each one. She chuckles. “What’s going on, Seth? Why are you acting so weird?”