Out Of The Darkness

by Calle J. Brookes

  “What if something happens and we get separated? Shouldn’t I at least have an idea of what to do?”

  He couldn’t argue with that. What if something did happen to him? He wasn’t arrogant enough to think himself infallible. Time and Taniss had proven that fact to him more easily than he wanted to remember.

  The thought of his female lost in a world he knew nothing about bothered him. It would any male, he knew that. Didn’t he have the duty to ensure she could navigate this world safely? “I’m not an expert on the different worlds.”

  “You still know more than I do.”

  “There are eighteen different realms. Some Kinds call them layers. I prefer layers. It makes more sense that way. Portkeys are basically a temporary acid, if you will, that dissolves the right layer between the different worlds. Allowing travelers to pass through very briefly.”

  “Layers on what?”

  “For my understanding? Reality.” He stopped walking and motioned to a nearby outcropping of rocks. “Sit.”

  He could go on for hours without stopping, but though she’d done no complaining, it was obviously wearing on her. He recalled how narrow she had felt against him. She was a delicate human, why had he thought to push her so brutally?

  “So what do you mean by reality?”

  “Here’s the way it was explained to me a long time ago. Each world, for lack of a better term, occupies a certain space. On top of each space is another equally real space. Almost like the layers of an onion. Similar, but each layer is its own separate entity, and its shape and lands may be different, but the general functions are the same. Air, plants, land, water. Inhabitants. Each layer develops in its own time and way. We can’t see them, at least most people can’t. And not with the naked eye. But there are ways between these spaces.”

  “Portkeys. Theo told me.”

  “Very informative, your cousin-by-marriage.”

  “He was being nice. He knew I wasn’t exactly happy to be in Dardanos. Even with my sister and cousins there.” A pensive look hit her pretty face. A sadness that he definitely hadn’t expected.

  “Girl?”

  “Don’t call me that. I do have a name, just like you do, Nalik.”

  “Cassandra. Is that better? Ironic that you have developed such friendship with Theo, being named after the cursed prophetess. What troubles you now?”

  “Do you think my sister is ok? That thing that grabbed us didn’t hurt her or anyone else, did it?”

  He thought of the purple mist that had surrounded them. It hadn’t been like a normal portkey. He’d known that the moment it had snaked an ethereal tentacle around his Rajni’s leg and pulled her toward its center.

  Portkeys were static, though they opened for whomever needed to use them. They didn’t actively pull people into their worlds. He’d never seen such, until her.

  Why?

  His hand dropped the grip of his sword. His other wrapped around her arm. “Come on. You stay close to me. I’m sure your sister is fine. She’s got fifteen thousand Dardaptoans willing to protect her.”

  “And Rydere.”

  He fought a snort. “Yeah. He’ll take care of your sister.”

  “You don’t like him?”

  Like? That wasn’t the word he felt for the man who’d ordered him found and dragged back to Dardanos a year ago. Disgust. Betrayal. Apathy. Those were what he felt for the man who was one of his closest relatives, as well as a former friend. Rydere, more than anyone else, should have known Nalik would never condone a traitor in his House. Should have known Nalik would never be that traitor.

  But Rydere still hadn’t confronted Nalik with what he suspected. Damned fucking coward. “Hardly. Let’s get moving again.”

  “Well, I like Rydere. He’s good for my sister. And he loves her very much.”

  “‘Course he does. She’s his damned Rajni, after all. He has no choice.”

  “That’s horrible. Of course he loves her. You can see it when he looks at her.” She stumbled a bit and he grabbed her, harder than he’d intended. She dusted the knees of her denims. “I think he would even if they weren’t Rajnis.”

  He snorted. “What would you know of it?”

  “Have you met your Rajni? Emily said that once someone meets the person Kennera wants them to be with, they can’t help but be together. And that they pretty much always end up happy.”

  “Sister’s an expert, is she? Well, she’s wrong. Sometimes they just end up more miserable than before.”

  “That’s sad.”

  ***

  He sounded so bitter—did he realize that? Cass stayed close to his side as they continued walking. Did he really believe what he’d said? She’d asked her sister about Rajnis. Asked Theo and Mickey, too. They seemed to think it was a good thing. And all the couples Cass had met at Dardanos seemed happy together. Considerably.

  Theo had told her that very rarely did a Rajni bonding not turn out well. And the longest anyone had ever gone without pairing off with their mate had been when Aodhan’s sister Aureliana had denied herself her mate for nearly nine months last year. Because Auri had been convinced she would die soon.

  “Do you think you have a Rajni out there?”

  He stopped abruptly. Cass trembled. The air around them was charged, just that quickly. He could be a very scary man when he wanted to be. “That’s none of your business.”

  “P-p-probably not.” She hated herself for her sudden cowardice, but with him glowering at her like that what was she supposed to do? Maybe she shouldn’t have pushed his buttons so much? “I’m sorry. I was just trying to make conversation.”

  “Well, don’t.”

  He stormed on in complete silence for more than an hour.

  Cass said nothing else, either. Before too long her feet began to hurt. She wasn’t accustomed to hiking through strange wildernesses, especially not in flimsy shoes and thin socks. But she said nothing, just kept going, even when she was absolutely convinced that the blister on her right foot had popped and was bleeding. Would he even care?

  Somehow she doubted it. She couldn’t see this man caring about anyone. Least of all a woman he didn’t even like.

  What kind of woman had the goddess chosen for a man like him? Did he have a Rajni out there waiting for him? Had he met her and lost her? Kindara, his sister-in-law, was the only Dardaptoan to ever live more than a year past her Rajni. Her cousin Josey had told her that story. How Nalik’s brother had died and Kindara had nearly gone insane from grief. How it wasn’t until Rathan had kidnapped her that Kindara began to truly live again.

  Kindara had been captured with her Rajni. And Nalik. Had his Rajni been there, too? Had she been killed, by Cass’s grandfather? Was that why he was so unhappy with everything?

  She watched him as he walked out ahead of her now. He was so...

  Strong. That was the best word to describe him. His muscles were easy to see beneath the black tunic. The material wasn’t very thick, and as the temperature around them had risen he’d started to sweat. The cloth clung to his chest and back. He was far bigger than any of the men in her family, though he was still smaller than Mallory’s Aodhan. By a bit. Maybe a couple of inches. But he seemed stronger, thicker through the chest and arms.

  His hair was as black as his name. But was his heart?

  She kept walking, following him as the sun moved over their heads. How many hours had they been walking? Four hours? Five? Finally she had to stop him.

  “I’m going to have to rest for a minute.”

  His impatience was clear, but at least he stopped. “What’s the matter?”

  “My foot’s bleeding.” Why did she feel guilty for it? What was this guy doing to her peace-of-mind? “I need to stop and put something on it before it gets worse.”

  He didn’t say anything else. He grabbed her under her arms—again--and lifted her onto a rock. He yanked her shoe off.

  “Other foot.

  She cooperated when he pulled her other leg up and slipped the sh
oe off. He put the shoes on the rock beside her then studied the small injury. “How long?”

  “How long what?” His hand was warm on her skin. Gentle, though his glare was still harsh.

  “Have you been bleeding? We don’t know what kind of shit exists in this place. What kind of bacteria. And we have nothing to put on wounds. I wouldn’t even know where to begin with a damned bleeding human. You’re food, not pets.”

  “It’s just a blister.” Now she felt stupid for not saying something sooner. “I’ll be ok.”

  “Sure you will.” He ripped a strip of cotton off his tunic. “It’s relatively clean. Best we can do.” He wrapped it around her foot and tied it off. “Put your shoes back on. We’ll find another spot to rest for the rest of the day.”

  “But that will just delay us getting home. I’d rather go on.” She wiggled her ankle, testing for mobility. “Please?”

  He lifted her off the rock and Cass found herself crushed against his chest. Her legs dangled until he pulled them up around his waist. “Hold on.”

  She really had no other choice, did she? She’d suffer the indignity of him carrying her if it meant they got back home just that much sooner. “I’m holding.”

  ***

  He carried his Rajni against his chest and tried to ignore the feel of her body pressed against his. Again. Instead he chose to focus on berating himself for being so stupid to think that because she hadn’t protested, that she could handle a six hour hike over rough terrain. What were human girls capable of, anyway? He had to remind himself, had to remember that she was more fragile than any female who’d ever been in his care.

  And look how the last females in his keeping had fared.

  His arms tightened around her.

  This was just another reason why he’d never let her know who she was to him. How could he? She wouldn’t even want him if she knew the truth of things.

  “We’ll go on a few more hours, then stop for the night. Even if we pushed ourselves we wouldn’t get to Rachion tonight. It’s too damned far away.”

  “Rachion? What about Edni?” Her words tickled his skin and he fought the urge to crush her against him and sink his own teeth deep into her neck. Just for a taste. Like Rajnis had been enjoying for millennia.

  “No portkeys there.” The young bartender had finally relented and passed him a note. Told him to search for a particular shopkeeper in the larger town forty miles east of Edni. It would cost a great deal of coin, but supposedly what they needed could be bought. “Got a tip what we need is the next city to the east.”

  “How far away?”

  He thought for a moment, calculating how far they’d already traveled. “Another thirty miles or so.”

  “On foot? How long will it take us to walk there?”

  “At this rate? Three more days.” He for damned sure didn’t intend for it to take that long. Not by a long shot. He’d find the appropriate place to keep his female safe, then get what they needed and bring it back to her.

  As soon as he found the safest place to put her.

  “I don’t suppose you can fly us there?”

  He snorted. “Hardly. A bat’s about all the flying animal I can manage.”

  “You’re not going to leave me in a cave again while you go exploring.” Her fingers clung to the back of his vestis. “I mean it. No go. We stick together.”

  That wasn’t about to happen. There was no way in three hells he was taking her into Rachion. He’d asked a few drunken youth how to get to that city, and even with their swords at their sides and the battle scars that told him they were experienced fighters, they’d been extremely hesitant to give that information. He’d had no difficulty sensing their fear. Until he reconned the place, she wasn’t going near it. For any reason.

  “We’ll see.”

  “No, we won’t. We stick together. That’s the deal.”

  “And you get us both dead. You can’t even walk ten miles without needing carried. Puny human.” A puny human that barely weighed enough to survive. Had he not seen how small her sister and a few cousins were he’d half think she’d starved herself to be that thin.

  Not so, though. He’d seen her eat—girl had a healthy appetite. For a human. His girl was just thin, delicate. Fragile.

  Mortal. Vulnerable.

  “We’re finding a safe place for you to stay. Then I’ll get the damned portkeys. Rachion’s supposed to be a nasty place. I’m not letting you go there. They’d make a pretty little slave out of someone like you. I can fly in, get the lay of the place and then get back to you before you can even walk a mile.”

  “I get it, I’m the dead weight.”

  “Don’t say that.” The word dead and his Rajni did not belong in the same sentence. Ever. It was a Dardaptoan male’s worst fear and had his chest tightening to the point he almost couldn’t breathe. “I’ll keep you safe! I vow to the goddess that.”

  “By leaving me behind while you go play hero.” She’s leaned back in his hold, until she could see him.

  He stopped walking and stared at her for a long moment. His Rajni was so damned beautiful, with those green eyes the same color as the foliage surrounding them. Green eyes filled with stubbornness and determination. “You’ll do as I say.”

  ***

  She didn’t want to just give in, but what other choice did she have? He was right. He could move faster by himself than with her. Why should she be stupid about it? She wanted to go home, and Nalik could get her there quicker.

  “I don’t want to be underground. I can’t breathe like that.”

  “It’s safer that way.”

  “Is it? What if I go crazy down there? Did you think of that?” She’d been terrified in that cave when she realized he’d sealed her in. Every bit of rationality had fled out of her head and she’d been a whimpering mess for the first twenty minutes or so. Only her tree had consoled her. As long as she had a tree, she had air. She’d told herself that over and over until she’d regained some sort of balance. And until she’d found the tiny trickle of light coming in from those two small holes in the top of his cavern.

  “I’ll make it big enough that you can have plenty of breathing room. And you can put a hundred trees down there if you need to.”

  Gee, thanks. His hands were on her rear again. They’d slipped there quite a few times while he’d been carrying her. Cass really hadn’t minded. It had proven to be enough of a distraction from what they were facing. His hands were strong, the fingers long.

  It had been several years since Cass had been held this close to a male body. She’d been seventeen then, with a boy she’d known her entire life. They’d been friends long before they’d become lovers. When he’d been lost to a fast growing cancer three months later she’d been devastated. She hadn’t had a lover since.

  Maybe this was her body’s way of telling her it was time again?

  Why else would she be feeling this heat for a man she definitely didn’t like? Or maybe it was just the situation they were in causing her to develop feelings that she really shouldn’t? Either way, if he kept holding her for too much longer she might start to think he didn’t hate her as much as she’d once thought. “I can probably walk now.”

  He dropped her, and Cass’s foot landed on a sharp rock. She cried out, not meaning to, and the sound echoed off the hills around them.

  “Quiet.” His hand covered her mouth. “Put on your shoes, and stay very close to me.”

  What was he afraid of? They hadn’t seen a single person or animal other than squirrel-type rodents and some strange looking deer. Still, she obeyed and silently put on her shoes.

  “We’ll make cave here.” His tone left no room for questions and though the idea of going underground again terrified her, something about the way he was acting terrified her even more. What had he heard?

  He did the same moves, said the same words as he’d said the previous time. The cave shot up out of the rocks fifteen feet away from her. It was just as awe inspiring as it had been
the last time, but she managed to keep silent while the cave grew. When he nodded at her, she tried to force herself to go in. But she couldn’t. She shook her head at him. “I can’t do it. I can’t.”

  “You have to. Or I knock you out and carry you in. Leave you tied up until I get back.” He wrapped his fingers around her arms and lifted her. Cass knew he meant it. But she still didn’t care. There was no way she could voluntarily go under that pile of dirt and be able to breathe. Why didn’t he understand that? “Make your decision.”

  “I can’t do it. Please. You need to understand...”

  He glared at her and Cass closed her eyes. Waiting for him to knock her out like he’d said. She wouldn’t put it past him.

  Instead she was pulled against his chest and his hand rested on the back of her head. Why did he both terrify her and make her feel so safe, sometimes at the very same time? “I’ll get you down there. If you just trust me.”

  “Do I have any other choice?”

  Chapter 14

  He carried her into the den, three times as large as their last one, and he knew with one look that the power he carried had enhanced while in this realm. With a place like Evelanedea—most likely based on the old magics—what on Gaia was minimal power would grow in the magic-charged atmosphere.

  This was a den even the oldest of the damned Lupoiux dogs would envy. It would do for his female for one night.

  He’d added a larger stream than in their previous den, and lined a portion of the floor with the softest moss. She would like that, his little Druid female. It would give her a place to rest while he was away. “You can let go of my back now, little one. We’re inside. And I even added a few skylights.”

  The holes at the ceiling weren’t large, and would be pitifully easy to clog up if someone discovered them, but they would let in enough light that hopefully she would be alright. At least while he was gone.