Claimed: Paranormal Romance (Immortals, Vampires and Shifters) (Many Lives Book 4)

by Laxmi Hariharan

And the past that never leaves. The past that I’m going to put to rest one way or the other today.

  Head bent, I rush him. He bends his knees and thrusts the dagger forward. I swerve and then head-butt him, slamming into him.

  Noah goes down, arm flung out, still holding the dagger. I straighten before he can recover, before he can draw another breath, and I leap on his chest. I slam my foot down, trying to snap his ribs. All the while my vision crowds in on the edge. All I see is his death.

  Then he moves. White-hot pain rips through my legs. He cuts another slash into my thigh. My vision shakes. I know I’m bleeding, but I don't care. All I know is I have to kill him.

  But it's not enough. I’m weakening, and I know I won't last long.

  With a final roar, he shakes me off, and I fall to the ground. I look to the skies, the blue being steadily covered by boiling clouds.

  Until Noah's face blocks that out too.

  "You are no match for me," he snarls. He kicks me in the side, sending another pulse of pain through me, forcing me to turn and hunch over onto my side.

  I try to raise my arms but find I can't move, every part of me burning with pain, weighed down.

  I look inside, reaching for something, for a reason to stay alive.

  Don't you dare give up!

  Along with a cool dawn breeze is the scent of green apples brushing up against my psychic mind.

  Tara's right. I should be fighting Noah, fighting for my life, avenging Zayn's death. But instead, all I can think is that if I die, this will end. This pain, this need for revenge, the grief I've carried inside for so long…All of it will be gone.

  I’m trapped in my mind, the thoughts racing around.

  I sense movement as Noah holds up the dagger. But then he turns as Leana leaps at him. A hard slash of the dagger and a single thrust sends her flying.

  "No!" I try to move, but I can only manage to crawl to my hands and knees. I see Mikhail leap. He manages to get beneath her and cushions her fall.

  It's a signal for the wolves to charge. They will not stand to see her hurt.

  Howls rent the air, the snapping of jaws, claws slipping on the dirt. I hear a roar as they leap, to be met by the vampires.

  Cries of war, of anger and pain, fill the air.

  "See what you've done," Noah gloats. "One way or the other, it's you who's responsible for starting the war between the species. You!"

  No.

  I shake my head, trying to deny it. But no word emerges. I can only watch as Aaron springs to his feet and attacks Noah, can only watch as they grapple.

  Aaron gets in a blow, and another.

  Noah staggers, only to recover. He moves so fast he blurs. He's tasted blood, and now he can't stop until he's killed us all.

  No. Not Aaron too.

  The chant in my head intensifies as Noah brings the dagger to Aaron's throat.

  I’m not even aware of getting to my feet. All I know is its time for this to end, time for me to give myself up.

  "Let him go, and I'll do what you want. I'll activate the sword, harness its energy, and help you take over the city."

  Slashing Aaron across the chest, he pushes the other man aside. Aaron stumbles to the ground, holding his bleeding flesh.

  "Why?" I cry. "Why do that?"

  In response, Noah points the dagger at Logan. "Down."

  Logan looks at him, eyes burning in his face. He makes as if to go to Aaron's aid, when two vampires leap on him, bringing him down.

  When Noah jerks his head toward the temple, I stagger past him.

  Past an unconscious Leana, past Mikhail and Logan held down by vampires. Past the fallen Aaron and Zayn.

  I climb up the steps again.

  Noah walks toward me and follows me to the top of the steps. Walking up to stand on the top step, he holds the tip of the dagger to my neck and pushes it in enough to draw blood. A hiss of pain leaves me before I bite it down.

  "On your knees."

  Not waiting for me to comply, he kicks my legs out from under me. I hit the ground, ignoring the pain that slashes through me, and stay there.

  Picking up the scabbard, he pulls out the sword and holds it up, a sign for the vampires to cheer.

  I always found my way out of tough situations, had always managed to escape with my life. This time…I have nothing.

  Nothing except the anticipation of peace. Of death.

  Don't you fucking give up on me, Kris. I'm coming for you.

  The witch's voice echoes through my head. I'm hallucinating. Wishing she was here to see me die? Laughter swells up, a dry chuckle.

  Noah hits me on the side of the head with the pommel of the sword.

  "Get up," he snarls.

  I stagger to my feet and let him push me over the threshold and through the inner sanctum.

  A slight hum fills the air, like the buzzing of a thousand bees. I fall to my knees against the altar on which purple and green sparks are flaring up.

  He looks at the altar and then at the sword in his hand, to where the blade glows. He thinks the sword has been activated. There is no reason to keep me alive now.

  I must move and get the sword.

  But the comforting black lapping at the edge of my consciousness beckons. The warmth. The peace. And Tara. I'll be leaving her behind.

  The thoughts swirl, melding together in my head. I can't look away from the growing sparks that are flaring up, higher, higher. They almost singe my eyelashes, my hair, leaping up to meet the sunshine pouring through the window.

  Propping me up, he sets me against the altar so my neck is over the rim.

  Noah holds up the sword, the movement swaying my hair. As he raises the blade, my eyelids flutter down.

  A cool brush of dawn air rushes in with the scent of green apples. Then the sword descends toward me.

  41

  Tara

  I'm not sure what wakes me up. Perhaps it's the heat missing from my back or the sudden gust of wind from the open window making me shiver. Either way, when I open my eyes, I know I'm alone.

  Shoving aside the sheet that covers me, I get out of bed. Walking into the living room, I don't see him. A sudden thought strikes me, and I run back into the bedroom, only to find his sword and clothes gone. The torn remains of my T-shirt and shorts are placed neatly to the side.

  Thinking about how he'd slashed my clothes right off me and then kissed me, bringing me to climax, all if it sends a hot flush of desire through me. Even then, I refuse to believe what my common sense insists is true.

  He can't have left me behind.

  He couldn't.

  Could he?

  Swearing aloud as the first flush of panic hits me, I look around the room, searching for something to wear. Rushing to the wardrobe, I fling it open. A rummage around yields a pair of shorts and T-shirt shrunken with age, which I slip into. Cinching the too-big shorts around my waist with a belt, I slip into my partially dry shoes.

  Armed with a sword and modified guns from what can only be termed as a small armory that stands off the kitchen, I rush to the pier. Of course the motorboat is gone.

  The panic recedes to be replaced by pure, unadulterated anger. The devil couldn't resist, could he? He simply had to stay true to his dominant self and leave without me.

  Damn Alpha male!

  And yet, somewhere inside, hope blooms. He cares for me; he does. He knows me well enough to realize that if he'd asked me to stay behind, I never would’ve agreed. I wouldn't have let him off the island without me.

  So, he simply left me behind in his home. It's the only way he could think of to keep me out of danger.

  Well, if he thinks I'm just going to stay put, he's wrong. He may be an immortal warrior, but I survived a childhood where danger lurked around every corner.

  Besides, he forgot one thing.

  Running to the other side of the island, I chuckle. Then I break out into a full belly laugh.

  There it is—a sliver of land connecting this island to the one
in the distance, the one he's headed off to. Poor, darling devil. He forgot that at low tide, the sea falls back enough to connect this island to the next.

  I take off toward it, running on the narrow strip of soil. One of the advantages of being vampire is that I run much faster than humans. I’m almost shifter fast, with enough strength and endurance to keep going for hours. The wind whips my hair back as I race. Adrenaline pumping, I leave grooves in the sand as I cut through the wet sand toward the neighboring island.

  When I find him, I’m going to give him hell for leaving me behind. I’m going to…kiss him. Seduce him until he has no choice but to make love to me.

  I’m going to—

  Red and white sparks race down the mating bond. I almost stumble as pain slams through me.

  His pain.

  The breath whooshes out of me as I realize it's Kris. He's hurt. Another pulse of white, tinged with black, and a hopelessness strikes fear in my heart.

  He's wounded. He's losing hope? No fucking way.

  Get up! Get up! Now! I scream at him through the shared mating bond, praying he'll hear me. He must.

  Don't you dare give up on me. On us!

  Then I am at the next island. Leaping over a narrow strip of sea water, I keep going. Crossing the short beach, I reach the incline of the small hill. I don’t even notice the stones stabbing my soles or the heat burning through as I race up the slope.

  All thoughts go out of my head as I burst upon the edge of the plateau on top. The scene that meets my eyes is so unexpected that I struggle to understand what I’m seeing.

  A few feet from me, a wolf throw itself at a vampire, bites off its head, and then flings it aside. Only then do I understand that this is a full-blown war between wolves and vampires.

  The stench of blood and fur tinges the air. And below it all is the scent of ozone and rotting fruit.

  Skirting the fight, I begin to jog toward the far side of the plateau, toward the temple. My pace picks up as I see a figure staggering up the steps. Something in the angle of his shoulders, his height…

  Kris!

  With a burst of adrenaline, I break into a run.

  The devil is hurt. He's in danger. For following him is another figure holding a dagger. He places the dagger to Kris’s throat before kicking him down and retrieving Ruby’s sword.

  My heart slams against my ribs. All I can think is, My mate. He's in danger. I can't let anything happen to him.

  Don't you fucking give up on me, Kris. I'm coming for you.

  42

  Kris

  I'm not ready for the sword that goes flying out of Noah's hand, crashing to the floor. Not ready to hear the scream as the witch flings herself at him. Both go sprawling toward the wall on the far side.

  I pick up Ruby's sword and let the pulse of energy spark through me, pour through my veins, my soul. Opening my senses to this world, to the next. To the unseen that I've always believed in.

  Now as all my pores open, my cells hum with the vibration of the energy that slams into the sword from the altar. Into me. Electrifying me.

  And the world swings into focus. I can touch and taste and feel clearly. Can see the seas rising in the distance, a wall of water. Building. Rising. Asking…for what?

  "Kris."

  Mikhail's voice pulls me out of the haze. I look behind me to see him carrying Leana's limp human form, his chest bare while his T-shirt covers her. And behind him, towering over him, stand Aaron and Logan.

  "Use the sword." Mikhail's eyes flick to where Tara and Noah are still grappling.

  As if sensing my scrutiny, Tara gasps, "Do it, baby."

  I’m not sure what hits me more: her term of endearment, one which arrows straight to my core, or that in the next moment my Alpha female hooks Noah with a left, a right, and another left to the jaw.

  He staggers back, stunned, only to spring right back. He slams his fist into her side. She screams as she goes flying through the air.

  That scream of fear, of terror, slices through me, sending red fury and black fear right through me. It's the scream that haunted my dreams. And I know I've been wrong.

  I’m not ready to die, not unless it’s to exchange my life for hers. That’s all the prompting I need. I raise the sword and glance over my shoulder.

  Mikhail nods. Aaron and Logan cross their arms over their chests, their eyes focused on the sword. With Leana's shifter power transmitting through Mikhail, they channel their energies to me, through me, pushing it into the sword.

  When I raise the blade, a flash of energy crackles. Lighting zings through it as thunder rolls in the distance. Outside, the clouds boil, and the shifter wolves howl. But inside, it's not over yet. Something is missing. Something.

  A grim chuckle from Noah. "Seems I’m a better master of the sword than you. You may as well give it to me."

  No. No. With Zayn's energy missing, I need something as potent to replace it.

  The scent of green apples brushes my psychic mind. Of course! Tara's energy, a mix of human and vampire wavelengths, can cover for Zayn.

  Besides I need to harness the energies of all the species to wipe out not just Noah, but to do away with this sword that has caused this city so much grief.

  This is my mission, it dawns on me. The one that started with Ruby finding the sword, and the one which I must bring to an end.

  This is why Brahma took me, taught me, and then made sure I came back to this city. This is what he prepared me for my entire life.

  A feeling of peace, of everything finding its place, washes over me.

  One step, and another, and then I’m at Tara. Sliding my body behind her, cushioning her, I take her hand and wrap her fingers around my hand holding the pommel.

  "Do it!" Mikhail yells.

  And this time when I raise the sword, all the circuits connect. I see our energies dance together on the psychic plane.

  The power of the Ascendants: my turquoise, Mikhail's violet with Leana’s amber strands winding throughout, Logan's ultramarine, and Aaron's a brilliant cobalt.

  And anchoring the brilliant tapestry is Tara.

  My mate's emerald green holds it all together. The strands bind around each other—a twisted double helix, the building blocks of the new world.

  Then the power lashes out at Noah. It pours through him, turning him a deep, dark blue. But then he begins to fill with light, so bright I have to shut my eyes. The power spirals right through him, part of it through the ground slamming into the earth; and part of it returns right back into the sword, through my veins, and into my heart. Ruby’s sword collapses on itself, combusting into energy that burns right through my arm.

  The last thing I’m aware of is my arm falling to the side without the sword, the other wrapped around Tara's waist.

  "I'm sorry I left you behind. My warrior. My mate. Forgive me," I manage to whisper, knowing she won't hear me but knowing I must at least try. Then everything goes dark.

  43

  Tara

  His voice whispers against my mind, jerking me awake. I try to move and find I’m pinned down, Kris's arm still around me. His grip is tight even in his unconscious state, holding me as if he'll never let me go.

  Where Noah stood just seconds ago, now there's not even a stain…nothing to show that an immortal warrior once stood there.

  Then dampness seeps into my back. My heart slams against my ribs.

  Kris! He's hurt.

  Forcing myself to move, I manage to pry his arm free and crawl out of his grasp and onto my knees. Kris is on his back, hand flung out. But that's not what holds my attention.

  It's the angry wound that crawls up his arm that was holding the sword, zooming all the way to the left side of his chest where it still smokes. And above that that, his face is pale, eyes closed.

  Is he even breathing?

  "Kris!" His name is torn from me as I pull my shirt off and press it against his chest.

  Footsteps slam against the floor before Logan drops down next to
Kris.

  When he reaches for Kris, I snarl and shove his hand away. "Don't…" I fling my arms over the fallen form, not wanting anyone else to touch him.

  "Ah! Okay!" Understanding dawns in those startling ultramarine eyes.

  "He's mine," I snarl.

  "Yours," he agrees.

  Mikhail's voice rings out, cutting a path through the haze that fills my head.

  "Let Logan help, Tara."

  I still hesitate.

  I don't want to let go of him, not when he’s injured.

  And yet I know if I don't, he'll die. In panic, I reach out to Kris with my psychic senses. Until now, I'd stopped myself from holding onto him.

  For though I belong to him, it still feels wrong to touch him in that way, not when he's made it clear he belongs to Fia on the psychic plane.

  I don't want to come between him and Fia.

  But now, I'll do anything to keep him here, to anchor him to me, to this earth. So, I open myself up and step into that brilliant turquoise that pulls me to him. I let my soul entwine with his. And just for a second, I see how it could be, the sheer oneness that comes with bonding to your mate.

  I don't resist.

  I pour all my love, my strength, and the will to live into him.

  And I’m rewarded with a tug, a subtle pull. He's alive. I know that much now. I receive a pulse of heat in response, and I almost laugh. Even in near death, this immortal knows it’s me. His body and mind and soul know me, react to me. And it reassures me.

  For I know then that he isn’t leaving.

  A breath rushes out of me, and my muscles go slack. I let Logan heave Kris up and then follow as Mikhail and Logan walk ahead, supporting Kris between them.

  I’m not letting him out of my sight.

  My heart pounds against my ribcage.

  Stay with me, Kris. Don't you fucking die on me, not now. If you live, I promise I won't bother you again. I promise to leave you alone, even if it breaks my heart. Do you hear me, my immortal mate?

  At the threshold of the sanctum, Mikhail pauses and looks over his shoulder. "Did you see any sign of the sword?"