“Kesi.” He took her hand. “You know I can get her through.”
“I know.” She stomped her foot. “But what if something happens to you?”
“Kesi, if I don’t get through, we will all surely die,” I reminded her. “Geb, is it?”
He nodded.
“How do you plan getting me through the army and the Naturals?” I asked.
“Here’s the plan,” he said, licking his lips, “you hold onto my shirt, and you touch Kesi and use her power for speed. All I have to do is touch people, and they fall. We stick to the main path. That way there will be less to deal with. If any of them advance, I’ll just reach out and touch them.”
This guy was smart. And his plan just may work. “Kesi,” I turned to her. “I need you to lead the Naturals in. Find out how the other Naturals are being controlled. It has to be a spell because Tiahna can’t do any magic by herself. There has to be a way to reverse what she’s done.”
“How about me?” Zinna suddenly appeared. “I have to go with you, right?”
I scrunched up my face. It was if she had read my mind, but then I remembered she was a seer. I was sure she saw where she would be placed. “Yes, I’ve felt your power. I’ll need someone to help me.” I turned around to Geb. “Are you ready to do this? You’re just following me to the main doors. Don’t let go of Zinna, and only me and Zinna go in.”
“What, no!” Kesi argued with me. “Layna, I don’t care if Zinna put a protection spell on that baby of yours. You’re still pregnant. Your body is weaker. Geb can help you fight.”
“Kesi, I have to go. It’s now or never. I’ll worry about that later.” I grabbed Geb’s shirt, who in turn took Zinna’s hand. I gave Kesi a quick touch. Her mouth opened as Geb, Zinna, and I blurred away.
The Regent’s troops never saw us coming, but the army of Naturals did. They sensed our energy and locked onto us, reacting quickly. Some of them raced to grab us, while others shot magic from the palms of their hands, but we were moving too fast for any of them.
I could hear the war cries of my own army advancing on the Regent’s troops, and the pain in my stomach reappeared. I had faith they would move through the humans with no problem, is was the magical ones I worried about.
A few of the Naturals made it in our path, and Geb reached out with his free hand, swiping at them. To my relief, they all flew back.
“Bring in the border!” someone screamed at the top of their lungs.
Then I felt the shift. I couldn’t go any faster. The weight of Geb and Zinna stringing along slowed me down. The energy went right through us, the force causing me to almost let go of Geb’s shirt.
“Hurry!” Geb yelled from behind. “I’m not sure how much longer I can hold her! She’s slipping!”
“Don’t let go!” I screamed, my eyes focusing on the door of the temple. It was right there, in reach. But as I made it to the top of the steps, my body slammed into the force field now surrounding the temple. “Fuck!” I bounced back, Geb and Zinna spilling over beside me.
“Get inside!” Geb’s voice filled with terror as he leapt to his feet, pulling Zinna up with him. He helped me up, and I looked behind us.
The Naturals were closing in fast. Their eyes were empty, their bodies nothing but a shell of their former selves.
I swung back around, placing my hand to the force field, the energy spreading apart slowly.
“Hurry up!” Geb continued to yell out.
As the energy opened wide enough for a person to slip through, I heard the sounds of heads smashing on the stone steps. The eerie cracking noise made me want to hurl, but I held it back.
Grasping Zinna’s shoulders, I pushed her through the hole. Then I looked at Geb. I couldn’t leave him here by himself. I stepped through the gap, grabbing the sleeve of his shirt on the way in, pulling him with me. I twisted around, placing my hand on the force field again, sealing it. The bodies piled against it, but the magic held them back.
“To the door! Both of you!”
They scrambled up the remaining three steps with me behind them. Geb threw himself at the glass door, and it opened quickly, the three of us falling inside.
Chapter 46
All three of us stood up. Geb looked around in amazement, but Zinna couldn’t care less. I was sure she had seen it before in one of her visions.
The temple was oddly quiet, but I knew my sister had to be in here somewhere. But where. I glanced down at Zinna. “Where is she?”
“Downstairs in the Regent’s chamber. She’s waiting for you.” Of course she was.
I turned to Geb. “You need to find a place to hide until this is over. Kesi will have my head if something happens to you.”
“I think it’s more than Kesi you should be worried about now, Layna,” Geb said, cutting his eyes at me. “I heard your sister can be a mean bitch.”
I had finally laughed. “Yes, you heard right,” I agreed. “But still, I don’t want you near that chamber. And that’s an order. Understood?”
He nodded, and then slowly walked over into one of the dark corners.
I took Zinna’s hand and moved further into the temple, knowing exactly where the Regent’s chamber was. I had been there many times with my mother, even though the council wasn’t fond of the idea. Of course, they were never fond of me in the first place.
“Where’s the council members?” Thinking of them had me worried. I didn’t need to run into any of them right now. They would only slow me down.
“They’re below. Hiding until all this blows over. Cowards they are,” Zinna spat the words, her hatred apparent for them in her voice.
I couldn’t have agreed with her more. Yes, all five of them were cowards. They always had others do their dirty work for them while their hands remained clean.
Our footsteps echoed through the deserted temple, bouncing off the walls. We made many turns, following the main hall in search for the stairs. Normally, I came in here through the secret way, so everything was a little confusing for me. Luckily, I did decide to bring Zinna.
We eventually made it to the stairs. They were grand and made of marble. My mother always lectured me for playing on them, afraid I would fall and break my neck. So many memories played back at me, each one tugging at my heart as I thought about my parents. I rubbed my hand over my daughter, silently promising her everything would be okay. But deep inside, I wasn’t so sure. But either way, if something happened to me, Zinna assured me my daughter would live. I took comfort in that.
We reached the bottom of the stairs and veered to the left, walking on a red, carpeted floor. This was the main area for the Regent. Everything she needed was in this area, so it was more lavish than the rest of the temple.
Portraits of past Regents hung on the high stone walls. I took notice as we walked by. Some were blood related to Sabana, my true ancestors, while others were nothing to me. Fakes. People the council chose so they could take control of the sector. This absolutely sickened me.
Then, there she was. My mother. Her head was held up high. Her dark hair curling around her beautiful features. Yes, I was angry she hid me, but she only did it to save me. To save this sector. I passed by her portrait and focused ahead of me, knowing we were only a few doors away from the chamber.
After a few more steps, Zinna stopped in front of a huge door and placed her hand on it. She looked at me, sadness consuming her eyes. “Are you ready?”
I took a deep breath and walked up beside her. “Yes.”
She backed up. “I have to let you go first.”
“What?” I glanced over my shoulder at her. “What for?”
She swallowed hard. “Trust me.” She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Go on. I’ll be right behind you.”
I pushed the door hard, the creaking sound working its way into my bones, causing a shiver to creep up my spine. Opening it wider, I stepped into the room. My heart dropped into my stomach.
Seth was standing on the far side. His back toward me, dark
hair tied tight against his head. I walked in, but stopped, leaving a distance between him and the door behind me. “Seth.” My voice shook so bad my teeth chattered. My arms and hands trembled, not knowing what to expect. It seemed like forever since I’d last seen him.
He turned around fast. His eyes narrowed, the blue icy and cold as he took me in. His lips curled up at the edges, hands balled into fists at his sides.
Zinna gasped behind me as the door slammed shut. I swung around. Tiahna stood there, her brown eyes amused as she held Zinna’s waist close to her body, her other hand clutching a dagger, blood dripping from the blade. My eyes zoned in on the cut along Zinna’s neck. So much blood. Dripping down and puddling on the floor.
Zinna looked at me, still gasping.
“Hello, Layna.” My sister’s face was flooded with amusement. Her cold, brown eyes dancing in front of me. “I hope you didn’t need this.”
She let go of Zinna and I screamed, diving for her body, desperate to catch it before it hit the floor.
“I’m sorry, Layna,” Zinna choked out the words. “It has to be this way.”
“No!” I cried, tears erupting from my eyes, my hands almost making it to her to catch her fall. A strong hand clasped down on the back of my hair, jerking my body back and slinging me across the room.
My body landed on the floor with a hard thump, and I rolled over, clutching my head, swearing most of my hair had been ripped from my scalp.
Seth didn’t give me time to catch my breath. He kicked me over to my back and dropped on top of me, straddling my stomach with his legs, hands on my throat. Gasping for breath, I brought my hands up and clawed at his, desperate to get him to release me.
As I fought and struggled underneath him, my gaze went over to Zinna. Her eyes were open, but I knew the life she once had was now gone. This was why she couldn’t see if I lived or died. I didn’t disappear, she left this world before she could see what happened.
I bucked and twisted under Seth’s heavy weight, but his body wouldn’t budge. Air. I needed air. Grotesque sounds came up from my throat, gurgling and gasping and wheezing. I had to move my arms, had to get him off me. I finally found enough strength to shift my hands to either side of his head. I locked on tight, and then pushed my thumbs into his cold, dark eyes, pressing and pressing with all my might. Then I turned his head, rolling him off my body.
I scooted back on the floor, desperate to get away from him as he screamed and rubbed his eyes. When his hands came down, he found me again. I quickly flipped over, my feet moving but my body not going anywhere.
He grabbed the back of my shirt and threw me in the air as if my weight meant nothing to him. Tiahna’s sharp laugh reached my ears as I hit the floor and slid into the stone wall.
I could feel the blood running down the back of my head and the sides of my face. My vision blurred in and out. A steady stream of fire burning somewhere deep inside of me.
The shell of the man I loved was coming at me again. The features on his face contorted in anger, rage, and hate. Why? Why… was this happening? The man who swore to protect me, promised me even that I’d always be safe with him, was desperate to kill me.
I had no choice. I’d have to fight him. I pushed away from the wall, moving toward him as he took long strides in my direction. I knew his strategy, knew what moves he would try first.
His fist focused on my stomach, but I quickly threw up my arm, my bone feeling as if it had shattered when he hit it. I stumbled back, but caught myself before I could fall.
I had to get him down. But I wasn’t sure how.
He came at me again, my face this time, more than likely going for my nose. I ducked in response, striking him as hard as I could in his stomach. He went over for a quick second before he came back up.
“Always be on guard.” His words floated into my head as if it were only yesterday he told me that. I watched him, anticipating his next move.
Tiahna was becoming rather annoying in her little corner. If only I could make it over there and punch her in the face. I cut my eyes at her. Big mistake.
His fist burrowed into my stomach, feeling as if he split my spine in half. I doubled over, clutching the precious life inside me as the sharp pain spilled the tears in my eyes. I heaved, my body falling to my knees as I choked on the air.
The elbow, Layna. Watch for the elbow. The words screamed in my head. I let my body roll to the side, and I fell to the floor, still clutching my stomach.
His hands clasped down on me again, this time the back of my neck. Squeezing and squeezing and squeezing. Then he threw me again. This time I slid over the floor on my stomach. I reached for something, anything, to help me pull my body up, but there was nothing there. The fire had consumed my body, and I could no longer move. I pressed my face into the floor and sobbed, and even that caused my insides to turn to ash.
Seth walked up to me. His breathing was rushed, but not nearly as bad as mine. “There’s something else I forgot to tell you about fighting.”
“I thought you were done schooling me.” I picked my head up and suddenly became jealous. He barely had a trace of sweat on him.
“This one is important.” He stopped directly in front of me, eyes lowering to my level. “Never give up.”
I let out a puff of air. “I didn’t give up.”
“I’m sorry, Seth.” I choked on a metallic taste in my mouth as the vision came to me. “I’m so, so sorry.” I closed my eyes as his heavy footsteps approached me, hoping he would be quick.
Chapter 47
“Layna!” Her scream shook me to the core, awakened me from the darkness and pushed me back to the pain.
Kesi.
“Hey, Jackass!” Geb’s voice now. “Do you always go around hitting on girls?”
The heavy footsteps faded away from me.
“Where do you think you’re going, bitch!” Kesi yelled. Then there was a loud thunk.
“Kesi, let her go! I’ll keep him distracted while you check on her!”
Hands touched my body, feeling, seeking, searching for any kind of life. The hands slid underneath me and flipped me over. “My god, Layna. There’s so much blood.” Her voice was broken and torn.
A small warmth ignited in the core of my stomach, giving me enough strength to open my eyes. “Where is he?” My own voice reverberated in my ears, the heavy pounding in my head blurring my vision.
“Beating the hell out of Geb at the moment.” There was no humor in her voice, only panic and distress. “Don’t worry about him now. You have to worry about yourself and that baby.”
“Get me up, Kesi.” I reached for her, finally gripping her arm.
She placed her other arm around my waist, helping me sit up. “I don’t think this is a good idea.”
She wasn’t joking. Geb was across the room, Seth pounding on him hard. Every now and then Geb would reach out and touch him, but it only threw Seth back a step. I had to do something. Geb was no match for Seth’s strength. “He’s going to kill him, Kesi,” I choked out the words. “I need to stand, please.”
Kesi stalled, her hand still gripping my waist, shock twisting her features.
“Now!” I couldn’t let this go on any longer. I had to put a stop to it before Seth killed him.
She sighed deeply and hoisted me up. “Why do you always have to be so damn stubborn? It’s not like you are in the position to do anything.” She glared at me menacingly.
She was wrong. She just put me in the position. I touched her with my other hand, and then I was off, the room blurring around me. The pain was there, hurting like mad, as I raced around Geb and Seth. And my body was getting weaker and weaker from the loss of blood. But I had to keep going.
“Layna, stop!” Kesi’s eyes tried to follow me.
I moved in closer, waiting for the exact moment, and then stuck my arm out, catching Seth by the head and throwing him back. He stumbled, his cold eyes catching sight of me. On my next loop, he reached out and caught my shirt, swinging me aro
und and around and then letting me go.
I crashed into the stone wall, hearing the crack in the base of my skull before a bright light clouded my vision. Fuck!
Something solid plunged into my stomach. Striking me and striking me, each blow harder than the first. A weird sound came from my mouth as I slid down the wall, the pain nearly rendering me unconscious. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t do much of anything except cradle my stomach in my arms. I managed to open my eyes. Colorful lights danced around the room as the inferno inside of me continued to rage, engulfing everything in its path.
Kesi was on Seth’s back. He reached around, grabbing her shoulder, and throwing her to the ground. Then Geb. Neither one of them could stop him, or even slow him down. This was the warrior. The savage. The dark part of him he never wanted to tell me about, never wanted me to see. He would kill them both without a care, without flinching. Yes, this was a part of him I never got to know. Until now.
There was only one thing to do.
I used the wall to brace myself as I stood up, concentrating solely on my target. The tall man with broad shoulders, muscles flexing and rings of fire tightening around his skin. His large hands, the hands that knew every inch of my body and knew exactly how to light the fire inside of me, smashed into Geb’s face over and over again.
“Layna, my god, fucking shit!” I’d never heard Kesi string out so many curse words before in one sentence. “You’re bleeding!”
I nodded. Yes, I had been bleeding for a while now. Not only could I feel it, but I could also taste it. Pools of the crimson liquid were all over the floor.
“No, I mean you’re bleeding. The baby!” she screamed hysterically, her face turning pearly white, as she lay on the floor.
I managed to look down to see my shorts drenched in blood, the red moisture dripping from between my legs. The baby will be fine. Zinna told me so. She told me she would be protected. I smiled as much as I could manage and cupped my stomach. “It’s okay,” I whispered, but in reality, something was very wrong. The cramping in my stomach made it very clear. But it would have to wait. I had something to do.
Forbidden: an Adult Paranormal Witch Romance: Othala Witch Collection (Sector 12) Page 21
