by Cassi Carver
“Liel,” Aiden called. “Move the men into the hall. Let’s leave some room to breathe in here.”
Liel subtly met Gavin’s eyes, and with an almost imperceptible nod, Gavin released the men to do as Aiden had said. When they were out the door, Aiden pushed it closed. “Now tell us what he said, Kara. Leave nothing out.”
“Oh, man. I can’t remember every single thing. It’s all a blur. Mostly, it seemed like he wanted to talk to me and didn’t want me to call you guys. I did, and he said I would feel bad about that when I looked back on it. Then he dropped the bomb. His name is Dane and he’s my brother. My bro-ski. My—”
“Yes, we understand,” Aiden said. “Do you truly feel the need to flaunt your gullibility any more than you already have?”
Kara’s claws came out—literally. “You know what? Bite me. You’re just jealous because no one is showing up here wanting to claim kinship with you. And that’s no surprise.”
Gavin put his arm around Kara, and she wasn’t sure if it was to calm her or show her he had her back.
But Aiden must have had a bee in his bonnet because he wasn’t finished yet. “Well, if what Gavin thinks is true and the lad lives on Ailexon’s land—maybe he’s my brother, too! Oh, gee, Kara—we might be related!”
“Okay.” Kara turned to Gavin and pressed her face into his shoulder as though she was going to be sick. “Now he’s gone too far.”
“Did he say anything else?” Jaxon asked.
“No. I guess that’s all we know,” Kara answered. “He lives with the chief of the fallen angels. He doesn’t seem to be violent. He’s got speckled wings.”
“He does?” Aiden cocked his head. “The plot thickens.”
Jaxon looked confused. “What kind of wings does he have?”
“They’re speckled. Black and silver,” she told him.
“Like my brother’s were. I’ve seen them,” Gavin added, his arm tightening around Kara’s shoulder.
“Holy mother of Eve,” Jaxon breathed out. “Another mottled-winged monster in the Shadowland? I thought Gable would be the last. Maybe this one is the son of Brakken as well…”
“Yes!” Aiden hooted. “Maybe the scout is Gavin’s brother, too! Jaxon, what about you? You know, they say if you look long enough, we’re all related in one way or another.”
Jaxon seemed to choke on his saliva, and Kara raised her brows as he cleared his lungs.
“Aww,” Aiden said. “I was just teasing you, Jaxon. Don’t make yourself sick over it. Although, if I were related to Gavin, I’d feel the same way.”
“Kara.” Gavin’s hand slid possessively around her waist. “Forgive me, but I’m not letting you out of my sight from this point on, and we still have a job to do. We need to put this behind us for the moment while we focus on the map. Once Brakken is taken care of and the child is safe, I will personally request an audience with Ailexon so we can resolve this.”
His words had the power to make her feel ten feet tall. She was part of the team now, and she needed to act like it. “Yes, we do have a job to do. I’m ready.” She looked down at her towel. “Well, almost ready.”
“I’m coming with you,” Jaxon declared, like he expected an argument.
Gavin simply nodded. “Yes, you and Liel both. Aiden?”
The fair-haired lord just shook his head. “I can’t. I need to check on Julian’s progress. As you said, we still have a job to do.”
Kara blinked and leaned heavily into Gavin’s side. “Julian’s progress? How is he? Did he meet with Mazeki?”
Aiden grinned so wide his eyes almost crinkled shut. “Oh, boy—did he ever.”
Chapter Twelve
“So…what do you think he meant?” Kara asked Liel.
“Oh, may the Maker have mercy,” Jaxon muttered.
But Gavin was glad that Kara was warming up to the captain of the guard, even if the topic of the discussion didn’t sit as well with him. Liel was a good man to count as a friend, but he was more used to spending time with the warriors than conversing with his mate, and he struggled to hold up his end of the conversation.
“Well, my lady,” Liel attempted for the third time, “I believe that when Lord Aiden said ‘did he ever’, he most likely meant that Lord Julian’s time with Mazeki was a big event.” He tried with his hands this time, spreading his fingers and making them expansive, like what Kara might call jazz hands. “Big!”
“No, I think you’re right, Liel. That’s exactly what I got from it, too. But, I mean, did you get the feeling that it was going well?”
“I only heard him through the door, mind you…” Liel paled and snuck a glance at Gavin. Gavin nodded. “But yes! I got the definite feeling that it was going very well.”
“Kara?” Gavin called. “Will you come look at the map just one more time, please?”
He didn’t intend for his tone to sound disgruntled, but in all his days, he never imagined that the very morning after the single most important night in his life he would be spending one straight hour talking about Julian Mercés. His skills in bed must have been getting rusty if Kara could forget him so soon after.
“Sure.” She jogged over to him. They were miles off from the gates of Nefren’s city, but the scenery looked the same—rolling hills covered in tall grass with gray granite boulders scattered about. “Yeah? Did you find something?”
He wanted to kiss her so badly his lips ached, but he could hardly ask her to stay focused while he himself had his head in the clouds. “I’m more and more convinced that the only person who will be able to find the clue is you. If the Mount of Truth is never in the same location twice and this map will lead you to it, then it’s almost as if the Sanctiáre are guiding you, isn’t it?”
Kara slowed to a stop. “Oh my gosh. What if you’re right?”
“So what are your instincts telling you?”
“Seriously? You really want to know?”
He laughed. “Yes. I do.”
Kara bit her lip, staring up at him, but the two other warriors were still searching the field. “I don’t think it’s here, Gavin. If I’m supposed to feel something here—I don’t. I think we need to head to the other…prong, so to speak. The mountains.”
“That’s what I was afraid of.” It irked him to have wasted valuable time, but none of this was Kara’s fault. “And how are you feeling otherwise?”
“I’m worried about Julian, I guess. That’s stupid, right?”
Gavin sighed and pulled her close, squeezing her tight because he needed to feel her against him, safe and present. “He was my best friend, Kara. What type of cad would I be if I begrudged you your feelings for him? I’ve never been as close to another man. Your love for Julian honors my memories of him, and I love you even more for it.”
Even if the man he knew was dead and gone.
She smiled and squeezed him back. “I swear I don’t deserve you, Gavin.”
“Eh.” He shrugged. “I’m just trying to earn points for later, hoping you’ll agree to go home with me. Is it working?”
“It is so working.”
She did a little grind against him, and he laughed, trying to quell his body’s desire for her. Searching the hills would be that much more difficult with a hardwood log between his legs.
“Men!” he called, releasing Kara from a bear hug to wrap one arm around her waist. “We’re done here. Onward—to the mountains!”
The three men flew in a close grouping, and Kara was very much enjoying the scenery. And no—she didn’t mean Liel’s and Jaxon’s backsides. Really, being in love with two men was plenty for her.
She was amazed that Gavin could still want her after all she’d put him through. How could he love her when she’d admitted that she was in love with the re-embodiment of his oldest friend? It hadn’t been flattery when she’d wondered aloud if she even deserved him. But not everyone thought that Gavin was such a catch.
When Kara had told Abbey about Gavin’s baby, Abbey had had a serious problem with i
t. But that was just her being loyal. Kara had asked her what other choice Gavin had, and Abbey was stumped, just like they all were. Brakken was a black-wing, and he’d threatened to take Kara and breed her until she conceived unless Gavin provided him with a replacement for Gable.
The women had been willing, apparently, thanks to Demiáre DNA and utter starvation for warm male affection. The true travesty—the thing that made this entire situation hellish and unbearable—was the baby. Rachel needed to raise him and love him and know he was safe. For her…and for Gavin. And Kara was damn well going to atone for her part in this by getting them what they needed.
As they approached the mountains, Gavin shouted something to Liel and Jaxon, pointing out some feature of a war during the blah-blah-blah dynasty. Kara wasn’t really listening. She was focused, figuring out how to make this right.
“Okay…um…hello? Is anyone there? Can anyone hear me? I know you’ll only reveal yourself to me if I’m pure of heart, and I just wanted to tell you that I think I am.
“Yeah…it’s true that I love two men. And yeah, I slept with them both. But if it’s my heart you’re concerned with…I really want to help this baby. He didn’t do anything, and he doesn’t deserve to be punished for me killing Gable.
“Please, I’m begging you…if you are out there…if angels are real…please show me the way to you so I can get that feather and give Julian what he needs to take that motherfucker Brakken down. Uh…oops. Sorry. Okay, bye.”
She opened her eyes, and the wind whipping her hair about made them water. She wiped the tears away with the back of her hand and glanced again at the range below them. She blinked…and wiped again. “Uh, Gavin?”
“Yes?”
“Do you see it?” She pointed to the mountains far below them.
“I’m afraid I don’t. What am I looking for?”
It was the Y shape again, but this time it was inverted, like a Y standing on its head. The triangular base was the mountain itself, and above that…the pinnacle. “I think you’re looking for that—the Mount of Truth.”
Gavin’s whistle just about pierced her eardrums, but it got the men’s attention.
“What is it?” Jaxon asked as he and Liel hovered in front of her and Gavin.
Gavin pointed in the direction Kara had showed him. “Do you see anything?”
“Mountains,” Liel answered. “What do you see?”
She pointed straight ahead. “I think it’s that one, Gavin. I’m sure of it.”
He paused for a moment. “Who am I to argue with you? If you say that’s the one, then let’s hope it’s the one.”
Kara balled her fists in excitement, barely holding back from shaking them in victory. “Okay, so are you just gonna drop me off up there or what?”
Liel laughed. “Your lady has the best sense of humor.”
“Liel,” Gavin growled, “she’s serious.” And to that, Liel’s eyebrows rose and his lips molded into a surprised O.
Jaxon shook his head. “I’m not sure you understand, Kara. Only one person came climb the Mount of Truth. If you truly believe that’s the mountain, we’ll have to leave you at the base and steer clear.”
“Give us a minute, will you?” Gavin asked the men, and with powerful strokes of their silver wings, they retreated out of earshot. Gavin gave Kara a little squeeze. “I’m sorry, but he’s right. Are you still up for it?”
Kara swallowed. All the sudden she was feeling much less victorious. “Yeah. It’ll be fine.”
“I want you to know that I don’t expect this from you. I would never want you to put yourself in harm’s way on my account. If you choose not to solicit the Sanctiáre for the feather, I will find another way to help Julian. Rachel is not your responsibility.”
What she wanted to say—what she finally wanted to admit to him—was I love you, and I would do anything for you, Gavin. Instead, she sniffed. “Hey, we’re a clan, remember? We have one another’s backs. I’m gonna be fine.”
“Are you certain?”
Kara chuckled. “Give me fifteen minutes, and I’m gonna be strutting down that mountain, feather in hand. Just you watch.”
Gavin wasn’t smiling. He shifted Kara in his arms and kissed her so tenderly, she actually felt the love flowing into her lips from his. She relaxed in his grip, focusing her whole world on the joy of simply being held and loved by Gavin Cross.
A month ago, she’d never seen this coming. She’d wanted him from the first day they’d met, but she’d never known that over the months, shallow lust would change into something so much deeper. This man was her friend. Her lover. He got under her skin and made her so mad! And he could make sense of this crazy world with just one kiss.
It was difficult to pull away. She wasn’t sure if she would ever get enough of her golden-haired lord. But she nuzzled against his cheek, then looked back to the mountain. “Okay. I’m ready. Take me to the bottom. This is going to be a piece of cake.”
An hour later, Kara realized that being immortal didn’t automatically give her stellar hiking skills. She could see the glint of silver wings way off in the distance, but the men hung back, as though the base of the mountain formed a vertical wall they dared not breach.
She waved, just to let them know she was okay, but she doubted they could see her clearly enough to get the gesture. When she twisted her ankle on sliding rocks for the third time, she shouted another curse. “Damn it! Ouch!”
Then when she looked up and noticed the peak was closer than last time she’d checked and she was actually making steady progress, she decided she needed to work on her concentration. I am pure of heart. I am so, so pure in my heart. My heart is so clean it’s practically squeaky.
She navigated around a poky branch, glancing at her capris and the small tear there. She knew in the half hour since she’d cut her leg, it had already healed, but sewing up the tear was going to take all the rudimentary sewing skills she could muster. I am pure of heart. I am— Oh, look! A rabbit!
She had no idea that the Aniliáre, or maybe in this case, the Sanctiáre, actually went to the trouble of populating their worlds with critters. The rabbit’s gray ears were twitching, and he seemed frightened. His nose twitched, and he looked like he was going to bolt, but when Kara hiked closer, she saw him pulling on his hind leg, as if he was stuck.
He wasn’t really hurt. He was just imaginary, right? Wasn’t that how the Shadowland worked? And yet when Gavin and Aiden had told her that the things made of will were real here, could that mean that those little critters actually had feelings, and could feel pain, joy or even fear?
“Oh, crap.” She seriously didn’t have time for this.
Kara approached the rabbit very slowly with her hands out. “It’s okay, little bunny. I’m going to help you.” It squealed and yanked harder, seeming more frightened of Kara than of being stuck.
She bent over to get a better look at the pile of rocks its foot seemed to be wedged into. “Please don’t bite me…” she mumbled as she began to clear the dirt away from the rock.
Shoot. It looked like it had gotten its foot trapped where two rocks came together, and it wasn’t going to be possible to just pull his leg in the opposite direction to release it. She was going to have to dig out the smaller of the two stones and free him that way.
She started scraping at the dirt around the edges of the rock, as the animal bucked and pulled, but the more dirt she cleared away, the more obvious it became that this was no small stone. Ah-ha! Claws! she thought, and focused on bringing her claws out. Thankfully, willing those types of changes without her body being in fight or flight mode seemed to come so much easier in the Shadowland.
She wasn’t sure how long it took, but by the time she’d worked enough soil loose from around the boulder, her claws were bloody and her clothes were a stinkin’ mess. At some point along the way, the rabbit had exhausted himself and was now quiet, his furry little body quivering with shock.
She bent her shoulder to the loosened stone a
nd pushed with all her might. When it shifted an inch, the rabbit’s ears went erect and it leaped back. Kara exhaled and swiped her forearm across her forehead to clear the sweat away. As she stood and clapped her hands together, trying to brush off as much dirt as she could, the rabbit’s scuttling movement caught her attention out of the corner of her eye.
She turned her head just in time to see the rabbit stand on its hind legs, and to Kara’s shock, it began to grow bigger and bigger until it stood a good two feet taller than her.
Its speckled gray fur started changing, turning whiter and brighter until it glowed so bright, Kara had to squint to be able to look at it. And then the glowing form changed to something humanoid…male or female, she couldn’t be sure. It was so bright, its edges were fuzzy, and it seemed to lack distinct features.
“Holy shit,” Kara whispered, too in awe and taken aback to do much else.
The glowing thing glided toward Kara and extended what on a human would be a hand, but in this case, it seemed to lack fingers. The thing made a sound, and Kara had never heard the language before. The closest she’d come to hearing something like that would have to be music, like the sound of flutes. Still, by the way the sound rose at the end, Kara would have to guess it had been a question of some sort.
So was this a Sanctiáre? Or was this rabbit creature the thing that ate you on your way up the mountain to see the Sanctiáre?
The chimes and notes got louder and the thing’s arm stretched longer, coming closer to Kara’s hand. She was so scared and overwhelmed, she was somewhere between peeing her pants and just dropping to her knees. But instead, she did the hardest thing she’d ever had to do…she reached out and grasped the tentacle of light.
Chapter Thirteen
Rachel put her hands to her stomach and frantically met Darrinda’s eyes. “No…it’s too soon.”
Darrinda looked back at her, her face filled with pity. “I wish it were, love, but it seems the time has come.” The other woman felt Rachel’s belly, her gentle hands smoothing over the distended surface as she closed her eyes in concentration. “The boy will be with us before the sun rises again.”
