Awakening Storm

by Larissa Emerald

  “You do not wish to see me?” Her heart sank, especially after all she’d withstood before coming here, to get to this point.

  “I do not wish for you to endure this endless life.” His eyes lacked any spark or joy as he spoke.

  Aidan eased forward. “We intend to escape this place. Do you have any information that might help us?”

  “Meditate. It is the only means of escape.”

  “We’re after something a lot more permanent,” Aidan said.

  “Then I cannot help you,” Katsu retorted. “If there was a way out, I would have found it years ago.”

  “What of the boundary. When I found it, it seemed flexible,” Aidan said, surprising her. He hadn’t yet had a chance to tell her what he’d found out. “Can it be pierced?”

  Katsu shook his head ever so slightly. “No one has ever left.”

  Rhianna averted her eyes and swallowed hard as disappointment fanned in her chest. She tried to control her breathing as she fought her emotions.

  Don’t cry.

  “What about Theodora? What is her weakness?” Rhianna straightened her spine as the idea materialized. “Maybe if we stole her scepter! It seems to be the source of her power. Surely that would get us out.”

  Katsu’s eyes met hers for the first time. “No one has accomplished that, either. And Theodora is a master of torture.” He glanced to Aidan and back to her. “It will not work. Do not try it.”

  Disillusionment and frustration flooded her. She wondered what sort of torture he spoke of and how he knew. Her gaze slid to Aidan. She didn’t want to see anyone she loved be put to the test.

  Tears rolled down her cheeks. She held her face in her hands. “I’m sorry. I’m tired . . . and . . . and I never imagined this world existed, let alone feared being here.”

  Aidan eased her up and put his strong arms around her, holding her to him. “I’ll find a way. I promise.”

  “But you’re on the right track in one respect,” Kastu said. “Any answer lies with the sorceress.” He stared intensely at Aidan, as if trying to impart a message.

  Rhianna glanced between the two men. Were they exchanging some sort of communication? Could there be more to Aidan’s powers than she knew?

  •

  Aidan escorted Rhianna back to the Falcon station, which had become their home base. She was stumbling as they went, and he supported her with his arm beneath her ribs.

  He was worried about her. She needed rest and food to keep going. And she’d had little of either since Theodora had seized her yesterday.

  “You need to rest, just for a little while,” he said to Rhianna.

  She shook her head weakly. “I can’t sleep. There’s too much at stake. We only have six days before the next Game Day.” She groaned. “And that’s only if Theodora sticks to the same schedule she’s been using.”

  “Two hours,” he pleaded. “We won’t lose that much for you to catch two-hour nap.”

  She pulled away from him. “Nope.”

  When they got inside the station, it was empty. Steve, Sean, and Dillon hadn’t returned. He plopped onto the sofa and patted the worn, faded cushion. “Have a seat,” he said. “They’ll probably be back any minute.”

  “Do you think they are all right?” she asked, furrowing her brow.

  “Sure. They were here before you, right?”

  She sat by his side and, with his guidance, rested her head on his shoulder. Her cinnamon scent filled his nostrils. Her softness teased his fingertips, and he listened as her breathing relaxed and slowed. She fell asleep within minutes.

  Having her there beside him felt so right. He couldn’t believe he’d lived his immortal life alone. And while she would sadly be more or less immortal now, this was not a life. He wanted so much more for her—love, joy, laughter.

  She moaned and clutched him tighter as she flung her arms around his ribs.

  He dipped his head and gently kissed her. “Any other time, and I’d make love to you.” His lips tugged on hers and his tongue traced the inside of her mouth. They groaned in unison. “I promise you, we’ll continue this another day. When we’re free of this place.”

  He cradled her against his chest and closed his eyes. He didn’t sleep, but his mind ran through potential scenarios for how to get them out of this before the next Game Day.

  * * *

  Awhile later, Steve and the others came shuffling in. Aidan pressed his index fingers to his lips. Rhianna was still sleeping.

  Dillon nodded, and set a small plate of chicken and rice on the table. The guys each dropped into one of the mismatched chairs scattered around the room. Sean’s seat slid and squeaked.

  Aidan held his breath. Rhianna stirred but didn’t wake.

  He exhaled. Good. His job was to be a Guardian. He’d done it for hundreds of years, and now he needed to protect her.

  He fisted his hands at his side. The weight of being alone for so long had finally been lifted, only to be replaced by the fear of losing Rhianna. He couldn’t allow that to happen.

  The passage of time was a strange thing without the normal rise and fall of the sun. Rhianna, along with the guys, dozed for a few hours, barely moving. But when she did, Aidan stroked her back to rouse her. He wanted to take a stab at the perimeter before the rest of the population stirred. If he found a way out, he felt compelled to return and help the others escape this torturous existence also.

  “Rhianna, wake up,” he nudged.

  She kicked her leg over his waist, slid on top of him, and snuggled down into the sofa. He hissed in a breath. God, she felt so good.

  But now was not the time, he reminded himself.

  He jostled her. “Hey, we have to see if we can find a way out.”

  As she came awake, she sat abruptly, pushed off him, and stood in one motion. “You let me fall asleep,” she accused him, her face turning red with fury. “Even after I told you I didn’t want to.”

  He lifted both hands and shrugged. “You’re not the only one.” He jutted his chin to indicate the other three men, each sacked out on a chair, looking uncomfortable but dead to the world.

  She waved a finger at him. “No. You knew perfectly well what I wanted and you disregarded it.” She made a growling sound deep in her throat. “Look at the time we’ve wasted!”

  He stood, ignoring the uneasy feeling in his chest, a discomfort that worsened the angrier she got. He wasn’t used to having a female mad at him. Part of him didn’t know how to react.

  Unable to resist and thinking this may be their final day together, he cupped her face with both hands and kissed her lovely lips. She tasted even better than he’d remembered. “If we get out of this . . .”

  Her hands slid up to his biceps, where she dug her nails in, seeming unwilling to forgive him. Then her eyes flashed with lust, and she moved her palms to his chest and up to his jawline. She matched his movements and passionately kissed him back, tangling her tongue with his and finishing with a long, sensual pull on his lips.

  They were both breathing hard. “That’s when. When we get out of here. We will finish this.” She met his gaze with a promise.

  He threaded his hand into her hair and brought her close for one more kiss. “Okay. When.”

  Dillon cleared his throat. “Now that that’s settled, what’s next?”

  Aidan held on to Rhianna as he answered. “We head out.”

  “I know you’re coming up with a plan,” Dillon added. “Just wanted to make sure you include us.”

  “Yeah,” Steve said, still groggy. “We’ll help. Tell us what to do.”

  He turned away. “Sure.” He stared at the guys, silently daring them to contradict him “Bring your weapons.”

  A few minutes later, he ushered everyone out the door, then paused. “I want to prepare you . . . If we encounter Theodora, it will get ugly. You don’t have to go.”

  They looked around at one another.

  “One corner of Hell is as bad as another,” Dillon said. “I’m in.” />
  Steve nodded.

  “Damn right,” Sean agreed.

  “Okay,” Aidan said. “Just don’t expect me to save all your asses.”

  Although he knew it wasn’t in him to leave a man behind.

  * * *

  It had taken them an hour or so to make it to where they had entered this pitiful world. She had a vague feeling that time may not pass the same in this world. So she couldn’t be sure.

  Whether they made it or not, she was thankful that he was trying. At least they were doing something other than waiting for the next Game Day. It gave her hope that they could do it, that they would get out of here.

  “Hand me your sword,” Aidan said to Rhianna. She held it out to him as he pushed on the elastic wall with his hand. Once he was holding the hilt of the sword, he nudged the barrier with the tip of the blade. He hesitated.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  He pressed his lips together. “I’m just wondering what will happen if I can slice through the barrier. Will it lead us out of Riam and directly to our world? Or does it lead elsewhere?”

  “At this point, it doesn’t matter. It’s the only option we have,” she said with a frown.

  No, he thought, it’s the first option we have.

  And the easiest. But it was worth testing the theory because other options involved confronting Theodora face-to-face, which was a far more dangerous prospect.

  Steve stepped toward them. “What do you think will happen? Perhaps it will exhale us like a balloon does air.”

  “Whatever occurs—” Aidan’s brows came together and he scowled at the men “—we get Rhianna out. If something happens to me . . . you get Rhianna out. Understood?”

  The three men nodded. “Understood.”

  Aidan thrust the sword into the fog that hovered around the barrier. The steel bounced off the elastic structure, almost flying out of his hand.

  “Try it slowly,” Rhianna said. “You might be able to use the point to tear it.”

  Aidan did as she suggested and pushed it slowly this time, his bicep bulging with the effort. He twisted the sword, pushed harder, and then tried again. But the invisible barrier still did not yield.

  A hissing female laugh made all four of them turn. “Well, well. What have we here?”

  Dillon literally shook in his boots, Steve’s mouth gaped open, and Sean threw his arm over his eyes.

  Aidan stepped to the front of the group. “I had to at least try.”

  “Of course you did.” She gave a wicked laugh as she hurled fireballs at him in quick succession. He made quick work of deflecting them all, but it took a toll on him

  Rhianna grabbed his arm as he stumbled, exhausted.

  “Oh, gag me,” Theodora said, eyeing Aidan and Rhianna. Producing another magical net with her staff, she locked the five of them in it and floated them back to the city.

  Aidan cut at the net with Rhianna’s sword, but it held strong. Everything she used had magical properties. How did he fight that?

  Then a bronze chariot pulled by six black horses materialized out of thin air. Theodora hurled the net in the back and flew into the city with great fanfare.

  Instead of being mad, she seemed quite pleased, as if she was utterly entertained by this change of events and their attempt to flee.

  Oh God. What did she have in store for them now?

  •

  Aidan’s arms ached from pushing on the confines of the net to make more room so as not to crush Rhianna. The invisible trap hugged the five of them tightly, and he worked it so she would at least be on top.

  Theodora placed them on display in the center of town, hanging the net from a large hook that extended from the facade of the library. She had obviously done this before. Now more than ever, Katsu’s comment about torture niggled at Aidan.

  The people didn’t come out of the dwellings, but he could see their eyes watching from behind the windows. A few heads extended beyond doorways, then quickly ducked back inside.

  “Sharpen your weapons. At five o’clock, there will be an extra special Game Day,” Theodora announced.

  Aidan fisted his hands. “Theodora, how about something a bit different? Why don’t you just pit me against your best fighter? I’m certain it would be a good show.”

  He’d expected some form of retribution for their attempt to escape, but he was worried about Rhianna. He needed to shift the sorceress’s attention.

  “I don’t give a damn about their entertainment,” Theodora bit out. “I will not be deserted. You should not have tried to leave.” Her voice had a insane quality to it.

  He put his lips beside Rhianna’s ear and whispered, “If we fight, stay behind me. And if you must fight, position yourself around those who have many marks on their neck. They will be the weakest. With your fighting skills, you will do well.” He attempted to build her confidence. It might be the only thing she had going for her.

  She glanced sideways at him. “Okay.”

  He let his lips brush her cheek. He didn’t want her to fight at all, dammit. A fire started to burn in his gut at his helplessness.

  Theodora took a position on a terrace in the middle of the square. She waved a hand. A strange, eerie sound echoed along the street, it was like a high-pitched horn, signaling the fight to begin. Then her voice boomed. “Kill the Guardian and you earn an extra boon!”

  Aidan wondered how the people would know he was a Guardian. Then he recalled that he’d transformed into his eagle form during the last war.

  Theodora lifted her scepter, the net vanished, and the five of them dropped to the ground. Aidan landed on his feet and helped Rhianna up from the ground. A cloud of dirt swirled around them, getting in his eyes and making Rhianna cough. He pushed her behind him as he heard the battle cries of the people.

  Men and women alike burst from the buildings, converging on them but clearly aiming for him. Which was good, he thought. It would take the pressure off Rhianna.

  One man in particular caught his attention as he rushed toward them with a samurai sword—Rhianna’s great-grandfather. Katsu positioned himself next to Rhianna. She nodded at him and assumed a fighting stance, her feet wide apart, one foot forward, and the other back to easily shift her weight.

  Her great-grandfather wielded his sword, taking down any opponent that came near Rhianna. When there were so many he couldn’t fend them all off, one slipped through. Rhianna was ready, though, and she swung around in a karate jump, fanning her leg and knocking her attacker off his feet. Katsu finished the man off with a clean stab to the heart.

  Six men charged at Aidan then. With a bend and jump, he shifted into his tiger form. The change was enough to throw the fighters off guard and cause them to hesitate. He leaped over them and burst into a full run. Men darted into his path, swinging their swords, striking wildly as he passed, hoping to do damage. He roared, bared his teeth, and dodged each attack.

  Out of the corner of his eye, he kept watch on Theodora and the scepter. If they were going to get out of here, that was the key.

  He sprinted for the elevated terrace from where she observed the battle.

  Theodora watched him approach. His great paws thudded over the ground as he got closer and closer. Her gaze slid back to the fighting.

  “The woman! Kill the woman!” Theodora ordered her subjects.

  Aidan looked back. “No!” he screamed.

  But the crowd didn’t hesitate, and they shifted their attack. Katsu slashed every opponent that came within range of his blade. But two men with bloodlust on their eyes got past. Rhianna hit them hard, using her karate and weapons training, but one man spun clear of her kick and struck her down with a blow to the side of her neck. It was enough topple her. Rhianna fell, blood seeping from the wound, and her eyes rolled back into her head as it hit the ground.

  A roar ripped from Aidan’s throat, so violent that the taste of blood invaded his mouth. A throbbing pain squeezed his chest at her unmoving body, an ache he couldn’t bear r
acking through his body. Focusing all of his abilities on her, he tried to distinguish her heartbeat.

  Nothing. A volcano of agony erupted inside of him. He had lost her before he had ever truly had her.

  He used all his rage and anguish to vault himself off the dais, transforming into his eagle and launching into flight. He soared, and soared, and soared, trying to push past the agony to think clearly. He couldn’t make an attempt for the scepter now. He had to wait until Theodora brought Rhianna back to life. So what did he do now?

  Another fear hit him. Would the sorceress even bring her back?

  •

  Soaring above the crowd, Aidan held his breath as he watched. All of the people who had gone with him to the barrier were dead, including his beloved Rhianna. He flew to the highest perch at the top of the library to watch and wait as the leaders gathered their dead.

  Katsu carried Rhianna. A sharp pain stabbed at Aidan’s heart seeing her limp body in her great-grandfather’s arms.

  Aidan was afraid to breathe or move. What if Theodora decided not to revive them this time? What if she chose to keep Rhianna from him forever to get back at him?

  He ground his teeth at the thought, trying to restrain himself from going down there and demanding Theodora release Rhianna from the grip of death.

  Theodora made a show before her players, bringing the warriors back to life. The tension in Aidan’s chest eased. She was doing it. He would get another chance with Rhianna, another chance to get her out of Riam.

  The sorceress set down her scepter when there were only four bodies left unmoving on the ground—Dillon, Steve, Sean, and Rhianna. All the pain rushed back into his body as her eyes searched the crowd him, probably for him, he knew. Would she make them pay just to twist the knife in his gut? Of course she would. He turned and flew down the street, intending to present a devil-may-care attitude, just as he had essentially done for years when she’d stole people from his island. He hadn’t known then what this life was like for them. A living hell.