by Sadie Carter
“Enough!” Rye said loudly. “The longer you two argue, the longer she lays there, injured.” Impatience pulled at him, demanded that he return to her.
Willa let out a huge sigh. “Fine, go. I’ll wait here for Thor to arrive. We called him as well,” she explained to Rye.
Rye nodded but didn’t reply as he climbed the rocks with Darac following close behind him. Rye paused at the top then pointed down to where Elika lay on the rocks. “There she is.” He sighed with relief as she waved up at them.
“Good. We will go retrieve her.” Darac slapped him on the back, nearly sending him tumbling over the edge. Sometimes the warrior forgot his own strength.
“Careful, man, or you’ll be hauling my ass up this cliff as well.”
“I apologize. Willa would not be happy with me if I were to cause injury to her brother. I forget how weak you humans are. Perhaps you should remain up here while I retrieve Elika.”
“Weak? Weak! Hey!” Rye followed Darac down the side of the cliff. “Did you seriously just call me weak?”
Darac turned at the bottom. “Yes, I believe that is what I said.” Suddenly, a smile curved his lips.
“Asshole. I think I liked it better when you didn’t know how to joke around.” Rye shook his head as he followed Darac over to where Elika lay on her back on the ground.
Darac knelt beside her, and Rye bit back the ridiculous urge to push the large warrior away from her. What was wrong with him? Sexy dreams aside, he wasn’t interested in Elika.
“Elika, how are you?” Darac asked.
“I’m all right,” she replied in a quiet voice. Rye watched in amazement as she smiled at Darac. She never smiled at Rye. She glared or scowled. And she certainly didn’t speak to him in that soft, quiet voice.
“Rye said you hurt your knee?”
“It’s okay. Just a little sprain. I’m really sorry for inconveniencing you. I just need a bit of help getting up the cliff then I’ll be fine.”
Rye frowned, not liking the worry in her voice. Did she think Darac was annoyed with her?
“No inconvenience. Although I would like to know what you were doing climbing those rocks.” Darac ran his hand over her knee, and she winced.
Rye let out a small grunt, as though he were the one in pain. Elika didn’t appear to hear, but Darac turned to give him a curious look. Rye turned to look down at the glistening ocean, trying to get himself under control.
What was going on? He’d never felt possessive of a woman—well, other than his sister— but that was an entirely different feeling to this. Yeah, he’d wanted to pull Darac’s head off his shoulders for touching his sister, but that was because Darac had been half-crazy with mating madness.
And because Willa was his baby sister. No man was good enough for her, and he hadn’t ever wanted to think about a man touching her.
“I saw Norman go over the edge and I thought he might be in trouble. I climbed the rocks and started down the cliff, only I slipped.”
“You should have called for help,” Rye snarled. “Coming down here by yourself was an idiot move.”
“Thank you for your observations after the fact,” she gritted out, glaring at him. “I’ll remember your suggestion for next time.”
“Wasn’t a suggestion and don’t do this again.”
“Sorry. Don’t feel like you have to stay, just run along.” She waved her hand at him. Did she seriously think she could just dismiss him?
He took a step towards her, his temper bubbling. This felt good. Healthy. He would much rather be angry with her than attracted to her.
Darac sent him a quelling look, and he attempted to bring himself under control. What the fuck was going on with him? He was usually the calm, level-headed one.
“Your knee does not look too badly injured, but we will wait for Thor before moving you.”
“Really, really sorry about this,” Elika told Darac with a smile.
What the hell? It was like she was two different people. All sweetness and smiles with Darac. Vinegar and fire with him.
Darac patted her shoulder. “Do not worry. You thought that Norman could be in trouble and I thank you for caring. If anything happened to him, Willa would be most distraught. Still, Rye is correct. You should have called for help first.”
“I didn’t want to disturb anyone.”
Rye snorted. “Good job there.”
Darac frowned at him. Elika turned her face away, her shoulders slumping. Regret filled him. Shit. He hadn’t meant to hurt her.
“Elika,” he started to say.
“Good morning,” a cheerful voice interrupted. He glanced up, trying to hide his irritation.
He nodded at Thor who walked up with a smile. Thor was different from most other Zerconian warriors; he had a more easy-going personality. Unless his mate, Lucy, was threatened. Then he could be just as intense and protective as the rest of them.
“How are you feeling, Elika?” The healer knelt beside her, taking her hand in his.
For fuck’s sake, what was with all the touchy-feely shit today? Didn’t they have mates of their own?
“Are you okay, Rye?” Darac moved closer to him.
“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?” He watched as Thor examined Elika, pressing on her knee. She winced, and Rye bit back another pained noise.
“You seem on edge.”
“I’m fine. It’s just been too long since I’ve been on a job. I hate just sitting around.”
“It has been less than a fortnight since we returned,” Darac pointed out.
Rye shrugged. He wasn’t lying. He hated being inactive. He was used to being busy. When he wasn’t leading his team, then he was taking care of village matters. Now, the village no longer existed, his people no longer needed him. If they had an issue, they could go to Willa and Darac, or Dex and Zoey.
For years he’d longed for freedom from his responsibilities, now that he had that freedom he almost found himself at a loss. He needed another job. That was the cure for whatever was grinding at him. Plus, it would have the added bonus of getting him away from Elika.
“Well?” he snapped as Thor stood.
Thor raised his eyebrows. “Hello, Rye. Nice to see you.”
Rye blew out a breath. “Is she okay to be moved?”
“I told you if you had more important places to be that you could leave,” she snapped. She turned to Thor. “Can I be moved now?”
Wasn’t that just what he’d asked?
Thor’s lips twitched. Was he amused? “Other than a few bruises and scrapes, it is only your knee that is the real issue. Once we get you into a regen chamber, you should be as good as new. I have secured a brace on your injured knee to keep it supported while we transport you.”
“Exactly how are you going to transport me?”
Thor opened the large pack he had carried down on his back and pulled out a small box. After pressing a few buttons, it transformed into a floating stretcher. “With this. We will lay you on your back on it. I will attach it to my backpack then you will simply float up beside me.”
“Just float up? What if I slip? What if that thing malfunctions?” Her pale face took on a sickly green tinge.
“I could carry her up,” Rye suggested, even knowing he couldn’t manage to carry her and traverse the steep cliff. But he didn’t like how frightened she appeared.
“I promise it is very safe,” Thor reassured them both. “You will be tied to the stretcher, and it will be attached to me. These never fail.”
“First time for everything,” she muttered. Then her face took on a determined look. “If it’s the best way to get me out of here then that is what we will do.”
Thor lifted her onto the stretcher, it dipped, and she squealed. Rye stepped closer, his hands clenched against the urge to touch her, to rip her off the stretcher and promise to get her to safety himself.
“It’s okay. It’s just adjusting to your weight.” Thor patted her hand. He pressed a button and straps moved over her chest, stomach and thi
ghs, securing her to the stretcher. “I’m going to attach it to my backpack, then we will start up the cliff. Ready?”
She nodded, biting her lip worriedly.
“I will follow behind,” Rye found himself promising her.
Those blue eyes turned to him. “You planning on catching me if I fall?”
“Yes. I will catch you.”
Chapter Two
I will catch you.
Those words tumbled through her head as she lay on her bed, waiting for dawn to approach. They had haunted her for the past week. There hadn’t been a chance in hell of him catching her if she’d slipped out of the hover-stretcher, but she’d still felt safer knowing he was there.
Ridiculous.
Why did Rye make her feel safe? Mr. I-must-always-be-in-control-and-everything-must-go-my-way was a pain in her ass. She needed to try harder to be nice to him, though, because she didn’t want to get on Willa’s bad side. Elika was under no illusions as to where Willa’s loyalties lay. Willa might be friendly towards her now, but cross her family, and it would be another story.
Elika would not look good with pink skin. It had taken Darac a week to get his skin color back to its normal hue after Willa dyed it pink in retaliation for him tying her to a tree. Elika was surprised he could still walk normally. But then, Willa did love him, so she’d probably held herself back.
The best way to keep her temper with Rye was to stay away from him. It seemed like the minute she was in his presence she lost all control over her tongue.
“I am in trouble.” She rose, knowing she wouldn’t get any more sleep. It was still hours until she was due to her job. Surprisingly, she was enjoying working as Mila’s assistant. The other woman was very sweet, but she was not someone to be crossed.
Elika would love to be more like Mila. She wasn’t proud of the person she had once been. Haughty and overly proud. She’d been a powerful witch, and she’d loved to show everyone how good she was.
Which is probably the reason she came to Husan’s attention. He liked having the best, and she was the best. Or she had been. She was much weaker now. When she was outside, she was at her strongest. Being locked away for years had weakened her, and she was desperately out of practice.
Useless. Unloved.
She took a deep breath, pushing Husan’s voice away. He still haunted her, months after his death. The counselor she’d talked to said it would take time. Elika felt she didn’t have the luxury of time to heal. She only had herself to rely on.
She hadn’t been entirely truthful with Thor and the others when they rescued her the other day. She’d actually climbed the rocks to practice some of her spells while no one else was around. It was peaceful up on the rocks, looking out at the ocean below. Norman had followed her up. She hadn’t expected him to discover an interesting scent and follow it down the cliff.
She practiced in secret because she wasn’t entirely sure how the Zerconians felt about her powers. Did they want her to use them? Or would they rather she kept her magic to herself? No one had even mentioned her powers. Well, no one except Rye, and it was obvious how he felt.
She threw on some exercise clothes, then left her small house. She still couldn’t believe she had a house. She might not own it, but for the moment it was hers. Her little space, which she didn’t have to share with anyone else. Windows, doors that weren’t locked and a bathroom that wasn’t a hole in the corner of the room.
Her heartbeat quickened as the memories threatened to flood her. Elika took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. Thinking about the way she’d spent the last twelve years wouldn’t help her now. All it did was upset her and risk the tremulous control she had over herself.
Husan might have stolen twelve years of her life, but he wouldn’t ruin this for her. This was her last chance to have a life. To find a place of her own. Moving outside, she strode over to the same place she’d slipped down a week ago, carefully climbing them. This was her favorite place, and she wasn’t about to let one incident ruin her enjoyment. Besides, her knee was as good as new now, thanks to the regen chamber.
Sitting, she crossed her legs and closed her eyes.
Think calm. Think peaceful. Think serene.
She reached for that happy place in her mind and let everything else slip away. Calmness slipped over her, and she smiled, finally at peace in the quiet of the morning.
“What the fuck do you think you are doing?”
Rye glared up at where Elika sat on one of the large rocks jutting out of the top of the cliff. She turned, gaping down at him. “Do you have a damn death wish?”
“No, of course, I do not wish for death,” she snapped back. “I was minding my own business. What the fuck do you think you are doing?”
The way she hesitated over the word ‘fuck’ was a little endearing. It was obviously a word she wasn’t used to saying.
“Don’t swear,” he told her.
She frowned. “Why not?”
“It’s just, it’s not polite.” Why the hell did he care? He swore all the time. But it just sounded wrong coming from her.
“You swear. I’ve heard Willa swear. Why can I not swear? Is it one rule for me and another for everyone else?”
How the hell had this conversation turned around on him?
“It’s obvious you don’t have the first clue how to obey the rules.”
She frowned. “What are you talking about?”
He pointed at the rock. “You are not allowed up there.”
“Says who?” Her genuine confusion stopped him from snapping at her.
“Have you forgotten that you slipped from these rocks a week ago? What are you thinking?”
“I always come here when I need to think. It is very calm and peaceful. There is no rule stating I cannot come here, is there? Otherwise, Darac or Thor would have told me the other week. Why are you making things up?”
Because he didn’t want her here. He didn’t like her sitting so close to the edge of the cliff.
“Just like there is no rule stating I cannot swear if I wish to. I do not understand you.”
Rye snorted. “Goes both ways, sweetheart.” Shit, why did he call her that? He quickly continued, hoping she hadn’t noticed the endearment. “Just get down from there. Now.”
“Hmm, let me think,” she said, appearing to consider his words. “No.”
“Get down from there, Elika. I am not going to tell you again.”
“Oh, I am sorry. Did I not make myself clear? No, I will not get fuck down from here.”
“First of all, that makes no sense. It would be, no I will not fucking get down from here. Second, if you don’t get down on your own, I’m coming up to get you. Believe me, you will not like that.”
“No? I would like to see you try.” She smiled smugly at him.
Oh, she did not just dare him. He had five younger siblings. He did not back down from dares. He leaped up towards her and smacked into an invisible wall. He tumbled back, falling on his ass. “What the fuck!”
“No swearing.” She wiggled her finger at him, a wide smile on his face.
“A spell? You used a spell on me?” His anger morphed into something darker, deeper. “Remove it. Now.”
Lines appeared between her eyes as she stared down at him in puzzlement. “The spell is not for you. I placed walls up to protect myself.” She waved her hands. “There was no danger of me ever falling.”
“Is it gone?” he asked between gritted teeth.
“Yes, although I do not understand why you are so ang—” she screeched as he climbed up and grabbed her, throwing her over his shoulder. “What are you doing?”
“Something someone should have done a long time ago.” He laid five heavy smacks to her ass. Was it a wise move? Probably not.
Could he stop himself? Not a chance in hell.
He climbed down the rocks with her wriggling over his shoulder, her hands beating down on his back. He had one arm firmly over the back of her thighs to prevent her from kicki
ng him.
“Let me down. Now!”
“No.” He gave her ass another resounding smack. Damn that felt good. “Do not ever, ever use a spell on me. Understand?”
“It wasn’t on you, you-you asshead!”
He guessed that was supposed to be an asshole. As the warmth of her body pressed against his, he tried not to think about how right it felt to touch her. Even if she would rather throttle him than kiss him right now.
“You cannot hit me.”
Hit her?
He heard the fear in her voice and pulled her off his shoulder, placing her gently on her feet.
Fuck! Had he frightened her? Of course, he had. What an idiot!
She wrenched herself free from his hold, turning away. But he saw the glimpse of fear on her face. Shit, she was so full of confidence and sass, he often forgot that it was only a few weeks since she’d been held prisoner by a sick son of a bitch.
“Elika, crap, I’m—”
“Is everything okay here?” They both turned at Lucy’s voice. She was dwarfed by her large mate by her side. Thor frowned as he watched them both. “What’s going on?”
Rye tensed. He fully expected Elika to complain about his behavior and he didn’t blame her a bit.
“I was up on the rocks, trying to meditate. Rye strongly objected to me being up there.” There was a shaky note to her voice he didn’t like, but she managed to smile at Lucy and Thor. What the hell? Why wasn’t she telling them about the way he’d treated her? She had every right to; he was in the wrong for the way he’d just grabbed her like that. He certainly had no right to spank her sweet ass, even though it had felt damn good at the time.
He didn’t know what had come over him, but the idea of her hurting herself combined with the spell had sent him over the edge of reason.
But that didn’t make the fact that he’d scared her okay. Just the idea she might be afraid of him or that he might have set off any triggers made him feel ill. He needed to be more careful. More considerate.
Damn it. He didn’t have the first clue how to be considerate.
Thor frowned. “Rye is right. It’s not safe for you to be up there.”
