It burned hotter than before, acting as if it had a mind of its own and was angry. My mind drifted with Aylin's memories. What did this all mean? I was never one to meditate, but I felt a need to. I clenched my fingers tighter. The warmth of the stone forced me to focus as I had before.
The sapphire guided me to Aylin. She was trapped in a cell, fighting to break free. A growl escaped me and outrage burned through my mind, hotter than the stone. Not some damn dungeon! I yanked her toward me and this place.
Frowning, she mouthed something. I hesitated. Maybe she didn't know I was trying to save her or that it was me on the other side helping her to escape.
***
Aylin
I paced the small cell, eyeing the shackles on the wall, thankful that Gabriel didn't see me as a big enough threat to chain me. A chill ran through my body. Why should he? I was powerless. I was vulnerable, weak. I spat with a bitterness that surprised me. I hadn't been weak since the night my parents had been killed.
I won't be weak. I am better than that. I trained to overcome.
With renewed purpose, I sat in the center of the cell and tried to concentrate on a way out. I can do this. Cassiel had escaped Gabriel's entrapment, and so could I. What I didn't understand was why he had sent me here after taking my power? What threat was I now?
Connor called to me. I felt him searching, guiding, pulling me toward him. The magic of our bond remained, despite the fact that the black char had stolen my power. Maybe my magic wasn't gone, only dormant, waiting to be reactivated. I hoped so.
Footsteps echoed beyond the wooden door, then stopped. Did the person hesitate for effect or to build up his courage? Maybe I could bolt around him and run.
The door creaked open and a small man shuffled in, closing the door behind him.
I frowned.
This is who Gabriel sends?
The insignificant man had sandy brown hair that was a little too long to be kept neat. When his sad copper-colored eyes met mine, my heart cried for him. He looked like a beaten dog trying to please his evil master.
Aylin. Connor's strength tugged me toward him.
“We've...”
I jerked back from the pull of Connor’s force.
“... waited for you.” The man tilted his head as I planted my feet firmly on the concrete floor.
This was my chance to get answers. I was sure I could get this man to talk like a drunk on dollar draft night at a bar.
I needed answers. I fought against Connor's pull.
Was this man like Cassiel? Held against his will? I wanted to rescue him from Gabriel’s grasp. The bastard!
I need you. The timbre of Connor's voice sent shivers through my body. His power pulled me from the cell into a powerful transport. My body felt as if every molecule, every fiber, every cell was being broken down, shifted through space, reorganized and placed back together. But better. Stronger.
How was that possible? I couldn't transport even with my power.
“You may be born with abilities, but true power is earned and felt in here.” Uriel's voice echoed through my mind. I could see him placing his hand over his heart.
“You were meant for more.” His voice whipped around me like a hurricane, and I was in the eye. Peaceful in the middle, but chaotic, vibrant on the exterior. The power to destroy and conquer overwhelmed me.
Our bond tugged me again, pulling me through the funnel’s pandemonium. I struggled, creating friction like two magnets attracted to each other even as they fought against the magnetism. My heart flickered like a light bulb about to lose power as I went flying.
The journey didn't take me to my love, or to a life I knew. Instead, it took me through my own circles of hell. Each one pulling me through its own form of acceptance. I had to face the cataclysm of losing my parents, of raising Drew and watching him turn into the man he was. Of going to school both in the human world and in the magical one. Mastering the creed of the Table of Seven, then crashing back down on earth to be an enforcer.
I rose higher through my own circles.
Of sacrifice. Living my life to serve others. Powell's pack. My brother. Of sacrificing to the Table and having them banish me to find passion and tenderness. Sacrificing my barriers to truly experience love.
My body heated with the acknowledgement that I was loved. My pain lessened.
I blasted through my anger and sped higher.
Being able to love unconditionally.
I surged through the fiery depths.
Forgiving the Table for their manipulation. Forgiving Gabriel for his evilness.
The soot separated to allow my ascent. My skin heated, like lava ready to burst forth from a volcano. I blasted through the cinders, rising strong, powerful, determined.
Connor's presence welcomed me in a lover's embrace. He was the coolness to my heat.
Together, we were power. United, our bond replenished my magic. I was Reborn.
The strong force lowered me back to reality and the ground.
“Wow!” Wide-eyed, Connor wrapped his arms around me.
I held him close, but blinked against the onslaught of the sun. The sky seemed brighter. The leaves rustled louder. The wind tickled my ears. My heart blossomed with love. Even Connor's minty smell seemed stronger, enveloping me with his comfort.
This new me was someone to be reckoned with. I returned Connor's grin.
“How'd you pull me from the cell?” I side-stepped the fact that he needed to work on his delivery, because I never wanted to return to my own hell.
“I'm not so sure it was me.” He handed me the blue sapphire. When both of our hands touched, the cool stone burst into flames and exploded, before being absorbed into our bond. The warmth heightened until both of us glowed a golden hue, as if the sun kissed our skin.
Chapter Seventeen
Aylin
My heart throbbed almost as much as thoughts of new awareness raced through my mind. With a shaky hand, I cupped Connor's cheek. He was mine. His strong arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me flush against his hard body. I was a burning inferno. He was a cool splash of water. We balanced each other. Perfectly. Grasping the back of his neck, I guided his lips to mine. His tongue mingled with mine
Something crawled across my ankle, slithering around my foot. I pulled away from Connor long enough to give a slight kick, but the creepy coldness tightened around my ankle. I screamed and kicked harder. Glancing down, I eyed a serpent, a fucking snake with its neck flared and its fangs ready to strike.
I pulled away from Connor and screamed. I jerked back, lost my footing, and fell onto the rubble. Connor grabbed a charred section of a two-by-four and swung it at the snake's head. But not quickly enough. Its fangs punctured my thigh. I screamed again.
Its mission accomplished, the serpent uncoiled and slithered away. Blood oozed from the two wounds as poison spread through my veins.
“Fuck!” Connor shouted.
“No kidding.” I gripped my leg in a shoddy attempt at a tourniquet. Pain blurred my vision. My body fought the excruciating onslaught of the poison. My stomach churned, and I forced back bile. Once again, my world toppled out of my control.
Connor reached for my hand, but I shook my head. I didn't want to infect him. My thoughts mirrored the tumult of a maelstrom, making it impossible to think clearly. I sensed the battle within my body. My powers formed an army, fighting the poison, keeping it from spreading through my veins and piercing my heart.
Instead of one Connor, there were two. I squinted, trying to make out which was the real one and which one was a decoy.
A hiss to my left. I jerked my head in that direction.
The snake had returned. With its neck flared it swayed and hissed.
“Connor,” I whispered, reaching for him or the other him. I wasn't sure. “Is there more than one or is the poison messing me up?”
“Ugh, no, it's not just you.” He slowly knelt and lifted me into his arms. “Four are moving toward us.” He inched backw
ard.
My vision cleared, and I bit back another scream. My blood chilled—fear of slithering serpents. Each one's tongue licked the air. Poison dripped from their fangs. Snakes. Everywhere.
They crawled toward us like a militia with weapons armed and bayonets fixed. It made little sense. Snakes weren't organized creatures. They didn't attack in groups unless you disturbed a nest hibernating.
And it wasn't warm enough for snakes to be out.
“Connor, put me down.” I needed to get my bearings. The poison seemed to have run its course, and although I was slightly weak, my mind was clearing.
“No way in hell.” He tightened his hold.
“Seriously, Connor.” I slapped his chest. “Think about it. Have you ever seen snakes in the winter? Like that!” I pointed to the satanic group, surprised that their elliptical pupils weren't glowing red.
He loosened his hold. I practically jumped free of his arms.
The serpents’ murky aura changed from black to brown to a deep shade of red. Their mixture of darkness and power screamed Gabriel.
I braced my feet wide and held out my hands toward them. I called forth my abilities. My power eased outward—either from lying dormant or because it was stronger, more vital than before. Either way, I was thankful.
“Aylin,” Connor called.
The snakes were inches from us, but I held tight. They masked a coward, and I felt Gabriel's power as their aura deepened to an even darker hue of red.
“Ipsum revelare.” I demanded. Reveal yourself.
The serpents halted. Their reptilian presence flashed. Slowly, they slithered toward each other, pairing and pairing again to form larger vipers. A wave of chills ran down my spine, tickling my skin.
“Stop!” I forced as much power as I could from my palms. A spark of light flew from my fingertips and dissipated in the air.
The largest serpent tilted its head, as if surveying me like delectable prey. A glint, almost amused, flickered in its eyes, only to be replaced by a menacing glare. Its powerful jaw jutted wider apart. It flung itself forward.
“No!” Connor grabbed for my arm, pulling me backwards.
The snake struck air, but came back hissing. Its cool demeanor was a stark contrast to the anger burning in its eyes.
Connor's touch had sparked another type of blaze—a will to survive, to have a chance at being us. A reason for fighting beyond that of duty. He glowed a cool translucent blue that was almost as white as the air around us.
But me? Well, I struggled to comprehend the changes happening so quickly.
My hair became fiery strands that flowed around my face. My hands glowed a blazing orange with tints of red. Hot air surrounded me. I sucked it in, craving the flames. I rose from the ground, floating like an avenging angel.
Connor's fingers linked with mine. His touch was cool, but the chill mingled with my heat to become icy hot. His eyes widened and he smiled. United, we were becoming what we were meant to be.
I held up my free hand. “Ipsum revelare.” Reveal yourself.
The larger snakes slithered into a single hoard, from which arose one massive snake. Each hiss unleashed a spark, and the sparks united into a tongue of fire that rose to a towering height. Thunder cracked and the flame finally transformed into the evil bastard behind this blitzkrieg.
Gabriel stood before me, his dark hair slicked back with too much hair treatment, his frown glowering. At one time, I imagined he was quite the charmer, but his evil had turned him into the vilest creature I had ever seen.
“How?” he asked.
“Thought you had us, didn't you?”
“Your power?”
This man took down my parents. Our loved ones. Our kind. Yet he couldn't even form complete sentences.
“Has returned.” I stepped forward, pushing Connor to the side, but he nudged me back. Our struggle to see who would protect whom. I was the enforcer. He was the beta. And we both wanted a piece of Gabriel.
“Gabriel, we warned you to halt your crusade or face the consequences.” Connor's hatred flowed through every word. The muscles in his arms tightened.
“And what are you going to do about it, boy? You're nothing.” Gabriel spat out the words.
Connor's gray eyes darkened to the shade of smoke. I'd never seen him so angry, so ready to kill. It was such a contrast to his normal laid-back demeanor, and I liked it. Really liked it.
His essence flowed into our connection until his anger and my power melded together.
“Now, her,”—Gabriel pointed a scarred hand at me—“she is something I've never seen before.”
Dark tendrils wrapped around him. Images of darkness flashed through my mind. The black char I had pulled from Connor. The black crows that flew over the octagon the night Luna and I pulled the black chars from my body. Now? Those same tendrils freely joined with Gabriel—their hold on him similar to the translucent, glowing bond between mine and Connor's imprints.
Connor, the char. I used our bond to communicate with him.
I know. That's how he took your power. Without it, he won't be as powerful. Somehow, it heightens his abilities.
So how do we—
A whoosh interrupted me. Gabriel lunged forward with a flaming black sword. I sidestepped, but not quickly enough. The blade sliced into my upper bicep. I bit back a scream.
“Aylin!” Connor slammed Gabriel to the ground, following through with a few jabs.
“Just a flesh wound.” I doubted Connor heard me. He was as consumed in his attack as a champion UFC fighter. I admired his fluid grace during the battle.
When Gabriel wielded another sword, I intervened. “Enough!”
Both men fell to their knees, shaking with the effort to break free of my mental hold on them.
I pointed to Gabriel's swords and snapped my finger. They vanished. He eyed me with interest. His hungry glare made me falter.
“Aylin, let me go.” Connor forced out each word.
“Promise to behave.” My voice rang teasingly, but I was far from relaxed. With a wave of my hand, Connor fell forward.
He stood, dusting sooty snow off his pants. “How'd you do that?”
I didn't respond. Even now, the black tendrils wove together to protect their master from my onslaught. The tighter the filter grew, the more sweat beaded my face. My ability to hold down Gabriel was failing, weakening.
Connor touched my uninjured shoulder, which twitched. We need to extract the char.
Our bond reunited. The sensation intoxicated me. Together, we called to the tendrils like a lover. Each black strand unraveled and slithered from Gabriel.
“No!” He grabbed hold of the strands, pulling them back to him.
Like a toy caught in the jaws of two dogs, the chars snapped. Gabriel absorbed half and the rest ignited like brittle kindling. The dying embers sprinkled the white-capped ashes of my house.
“You will pay.” Gabriel forged several fireballs and threw them at us with abandon.
Connor waved his hands, extinguishing them before they hit their marks, but he missed one that clipped my wound.
I yelped, and formed my own flaming ball. Whereas Gabriel's were many and tinged with power, mine was one huge orb of molten lava. I tossed it, guiding it with my power until it slammed into his stomach.
He doubled over with pain as the lava coated him from the stomach down. His screech pierced the air, and wolves howled in the distance.
Backup was on the way. Thank goodness!
Even as Gabriel rose from the lava burning his flesh, he launched another fireball. This one aimed at Connor.
I snapped my fingers. The ball vanished. But it had been a decoy. A much faster, larger orb raced toward my heart. I tried to concentrate, but couldn't respond quick enough.
The fire barreled into my chest. Waves of bluish-black flames engulfed my body.
I gasped for breath, clawing at my throat.
“Noooo...” Connor's agonizing words faded as I passed out.
; Chapter Eighteen
Connor
Wolves howled, but the blood rushing in my ears muffled their mournful cries. Aylin collapsed to the ground, her hands clutching her throat as if she couldn't breathe. The agony of her pain splashed through our bond like a geyser bursting for the first time in a decade. It was quick, painful, then gone.
I stumbled to the ground, reaching for her, and cried for the woman I loved. My throat constricted. I couldn't form the words I needed. The ones that would comfort her as she dealt with the agony of whatever Gabriel had done to her. I placed my hand upon hers, expecting it to be cold, but it was warm and heating by the second. The fire within her must be fighting the orb trying to choke her.
Gabriel sneered with a glorified smirk that said 'I finally won.'
But he was wrong. So wrong. I stomped down my initial shock and anger with something more lethal. Revenge. My vision blurred red with it.
Aylin's power, our power, absorbed and smothered the fire ball. As she rose from the ground, her power blossomed, matured into something new. Something that was uniquely ours and flowed freely through our imprint.
I grinned at Gabriel with my own devilish smirk. “Think again, bastard.”
His disbelieving eyes took in my soul mate and he gaped. “No. No. No.”
My Aylin. She was beautiful. Her skin was incandescent. Like the phoenix, she rose from the ashes. I wrapped my arm around her waist and she returned to stand beside me, united. We would fight Gabriel together, but I wouldn't let her take another hit. I gritted my teeth. Even if the affliction had only lasted for a second, her agony sliced through my heart the same way his sword had sliced open her shoulder. I couldn't, wouldn't, let her suffer by any means.
“That hurt!” Her voice carried through the air like a gust of wind.
“You'll pay. You all will pay!” Gabriel growled.
“You think you are so much better than us. Smarter than us.” Aylin formed a fireball so intense that I squinted to shield my eyes from the pain. Black smoke drifted skyward.
The Half Moon: Soulbond Series Book 2 Page 12
