“Braelynn’s apartment is a few doors down.” Tony nodded down the hall. “Maybe she already went back over there.”
Passing the third door down, they heard a loud thud followed by Braelynn cursing up a storm. Bryan knocked on the door, and the cursing stopped.
“About time,” the door swung open. “You’re not Annette.”
“She hasn’t made it back yet?” Bryan asked.
“No, she was going to come back over when the police left,” Braelynn told them. “I’ll get my keys.”
While they waited for Braelynn, they went back to Annette’s and knocked on the door again.
“Something’s wrong,” Tony looked at him. “I can’t feel the link.”
“When was the last time you linked with her?” Bryan asked not wanting to admit he had the same feeling.
“She was giving the officer her statement, you?” Tony asked in return.
“She was in the middle of having her fingerprints taken.”
Braelynn rushed over with her keys. With shaky hands she unlocked the door. Bryan could tell she was nervous and scared for Annette. She could barely get her key in the deadbolt.
“Braelynn, stay out here,” Tony told her.
“Not a chance,” she starred daggers at him.
“Fine, let us go first then,” Bryan offered.
Braelynn nodded and unlocked the deadbolt. All three rushed into the living room. It was still the same mess from earlier.
“Annette!” Bryan and Tony called out.
At a quick glance, Bryan knew Annette wasn’t in the living room or the kitchen. They started down the hall, but instantly came to a stop when they saw Annette’s bedroom door.
“Forcefield or portal?” Tony asked, taking a few steps closer.
“Judging by the lights, I’m going with portal.” Bryan said, then it hit him. “She took Annette to Nova Aurora.”
“We have to go after her,” Tony told him. “You know it’s probably a trap, right?”
“I’m aware, but we have to get Annette back.”
“You need to be careful,” Tony kissed him like his life depended on it. “Whatever Mara has planned will be aimed at you.”
“I want to go,” Braelynn said, peering over their shoulders.
“Braelynn, look at me.” Bryan turned her to face him. “We know nothing of this portal or how it was made. Portals are dangerous and they don’t just pop up with a snap of your fingers. This involved magic. You could be ripped to shreds like Annette’s clothes. There’s no way to know for sure. Do not go into this portal. If the portal closes let Ronan know. We may need help getting her back.”
“I’ll keep a look out then. Ronan’s on his way, too.”
“Good, we’ll bring Annette back,” Bryan assured her.
“Good luck.” Braelynn gave them quick hugs.
Bryan wrapped his arms around Tony, giving him one last kiss. They both took a deep breath and stepped into the portal. Instantly, they were pulled deeper into darkness.
Twelve
Annette finally reached the ledge of the cave. Her leg swung over the ledge and her body rolled itself onto the solid floor of the cave. She was exhausted, her body ached, and her hands burned. The t-shirt bandage was already soaked with blood from the cut on her palm. Blood dripped down her leg from her scrapped knee.
“I was kind of hoping you’d fall,” Mara walked over to her with her arms crossed. Her displeasure showing.
“Sorry to disappoint you,” Annette’s voice cracked. Her throat parched from the climb.
“I won’t be disappointed. Come along,” Mara snapped her fingers.
Annette’s body moved even though all she wanted to do was rest. She followed Mara into the opening of the cave. She was surprised to find that the cave was Mara’s home. Deep inside, it didn’t resemble a cave other than the stone wall and ceiling. Pictures hung on the wall of Mara and Bryan from years ago. Even in the photos, Annette could tell Bryan wasn’t happy. His smile seemed forced, almost painful. Was he ever happy in his relationship with Mara? From the part of Mara that Annette had seen, she didn’t see how anyone could be happy with her unless they were evil themselves.
“You see that rug over there?” Mara pointed to a large area rug in the corner of the main room. “I want you to stand in the center.”
“Why?” Annette asked, but her body followed Mara’s instructions.
Mara didn’t respond, only grinned. She felt a static pulse as she stepped onto the rug. She didn’t have to be part of this world to know she stepped through something magical. When she was in the center she turned to face Mara. Annette wanted to smack that grin off her face. Mara looked up at the ceiling and clapped her hands. A large metal cage came crashing down around Annette where she felt the static.
“Why the cage? You already have power over my body?”
“You think that’s for you?” Mara laughed. “Please, you’re in no shape to kill a fly. You’re helpless. The only reason you’re still standing is because I have control. Wanna know how you really feel?” Mara’s grin widened into a devilish smile.
Mara snapped her fingers. The weight of the journey slammed into her. Her legs instantly gave out. She collapsed to the rug. Her body hurt bad enough to bring tears to her eyes but she wasn’t going to give Mara the satisfaction of seeing her cry. Her body felt heavy. She tried to move her hand but the muscles in her arm protested.
“See? Helpless.” Mara ran one of her pointy fingers down a bar of the cage. “I don’t need a cage for you. This beauty is for Bryan. He will come for you. Only his love for you will get him through that portal. He’ll see you hurt and helpless, like the pathetic damsel in distress you are. He’ll rush to your side, getting trapped in this wonderfully crafted fire-resistant cage. It was specially designed for him and his dragon.”
“He won’t fall for that,” Annette made slight movements with her arm. If she could inch her hand to her chest, she could rip the necklace off and be free of Mara’s hold.
“Nice try,” Mara noticed her movements.
Annette went to snatch the necklace off but Mara was quicker as she snapped her fingers. Annette’s body stiffened. Mara had control once more.
“Lay back down and listen,” Mara spoke and Annette had no choice but to obey. “Don’t speak to anyone. The next person to step on this rug…kill him.”
Annette’s eyes widened. No way was she going to do this. She had to get the necklace off. She had to warn them not to come. She tried to link with them by calling out in her mind. Annette was so weak that she could barely hold her eyes open. Mara pulled out the knife she used on Annette’s hand. She tossed the knife in front of Annette. It landed inches from her face. Mara grabbed one of the bars with her hand, chanting her magical spell. The bars on the cage disappeared before Annette’s eyes. Mara’s hand went straight through where the bar was moments before.
“Now he can get in, but no one can get out. Slip the knife underneath you, and lay back down. He can just walk in none the wiser to the cage. Use the knife when he leans down to check on you. Either you kill him, or die trying.” Mara shrugged her shoulders.
Annette would rather die than cause harm to Bryan or Tony. She tried again to make a connection with them. She closed her eyes and repeated their names in her mind. When she blocked them earlier, maybe she broke the connection. What if she couldn’t connect with them anymore? It didn’t matter, she still had to try.
“Our guest should be here soon. I’ll be back,” Mara warned.
Mara walked deeper into the cave, leaving Annette alone with her thoughts. She tried with all her might to break free, but the control Mara had was too strong. Anger stirred inside Annette. If she ever got out of this, she was going to plunge that knife into Mara’s black heart.
Loud thuds sounded outside the cave. The cave floor shook below her. It had to be them. Annette wanted to run to them, and get as far away from this cave as possible. She tried to move her legs, but it was still no use. A tear
slid down her cheek, knowing what was to come.
From where she laid, she couldn’t see who came in. She was surprised when she saw Tony come around the end of the couch. She screamed in her head for him to stop. She tried to speak, her throat closed up so fast she thought she’d black out. Mara was using her as a puppet and there was nothing she could do about it. She pleaded with her eyes for him to stop. He only picked up his pace as Bryan came near. Tony stepped on the rug, pausing a step in.
“Bryan, stay away. There’s something here,” Tony warned.
“No!” Mara screamed from the depths of the cage. “You’re not supposed to be here.”
“I’ve got Mara, you take care of Annette.” Bryan ran out of Annette’s sight, following where Mara voice had come from.
“Annette, love. What has she done to you?” Tony bent down next to her. A tear fell as her hands tightened on the knife hilt.
I’m sorry, she said in her head as her hand came out from under her. Tony was quick enough to hit her hand out of the way. The blade nicked his skin. Her body moved on its own, bringing the knife around for another swing. Tony blocked her again and grabbed her wrist, temporarily stopping her attack.
“Love, you’ve been bewitched. Put down the knife,” Tony spoke calmly.
Her knee came up connecting with his inner thigh. He grunted and wrapped his arm around her leg, lifting her off the ground. Her back hit the bars and suddenly they were visible again. Tony looked at the cage around them. Her free hand fisted and connected with his face.
“Love, I thought you didn’t like torture chambers?” He smiled and kissed her lips.
She wanted nothing more than to kiss him back at this moment. Her fist came down on his back and he bit her lip. The necklace, she shouted in her mind. Over and over she repeated it. He had to get the necklace off. It was the only way to get her free will back. Tony pinned her free arm with his shoulder.
“You know, this would be sexy if I didn’t think you were trying to kill me.” Tony spoke in her ear. “I’m sorry it’s come to this.”
Tony blew his cold breath on the hilt of the knife. She felt her hand getting colder but she couldn’t drop the knife. She tried to scream, but her throat tightened to where no sound came out. Tony must have realized she couldn’t drop the knife and stopped his assault.
“Damn it, love. I’m sorry.” He brought her cold hand to his lips. “I thought a kiss would break the spell.”
The necklace, she pleaded. Her leg tried to kick out but Tony had her pinned with all his weight. He looked her over, his eyes finally coming to rest on the necklace. He let go of her leg. She freed it to kick him in the shin. Tony grabbed a hold of the pendant around her neck and yanked it off. Immediately her body was hers again. The knife dropped from her hands. Her weight was too much for her to hold. She fell into his arms.
“I got you, love,” he eased her down to the rug. Her first movement of free will was to bring him to her lips. “Why did you block us?”
“I was trying to protect you,” she tried to smile.
“Funny, way of protecting me.” Tony looked at the nick in his side.
“I’m sorry. It wasn’t me,” she began but he cut her off by kissing her.
“I know, love.” Tony looked around at the cage once more. “I need to help Bryan.” They could hear Mara’s frustrated screams down the hall.
“She can disappear,” she warned Tony.
“Yeah, we found out from her brothers,” he informed her.
“We can’t get out of the cage. Mara said it was designed specially for Bryan.”
“Designed for Bryan not me. It was made to hold a fire dragon.” Tony went to the bars. “I can break these.”
“How?”
“By freezing them then using my dragon to bust through,” he told her with a smile.
“You’re going to turn into a dragon, in here?” She asked worried she’ll get squashed in the process.
“Once I freeze the bars, I need you to stand in the corner. Make yourself as small as possible,” he instructed.
Tony blew cold air onto the bars. Annette feared it wouldn’t work until she heard the bars start to freeze over. He took a few deep breaths and blew again. This time, the bars glassed over with ice until the bars themselves turned a shade of blue. Annette crouched down in the corner next to the cold bars, trying to make herself as small as possible. Tony smiled over at her as his transformation began. His face elongated, and his body swelled. His clothes were replaced with large scaled skin. His long tail wrapped around his body to fit in the cage. His scales were a deep blue with white spiked horns running along his face. He arched his body up, pressing against the frozen bars. All at once he pushed and swung his tail out. Bars flew out across the room as they broke from the cage.
“Incredible!” Annette jumped up. The movement was a little too fast for her body and she became light headed.
“Easy, love,” Tony’s dragon said in a deep voice. “Get on, I don’t want you out of my sight while she’s loose.”
Annette picked up the knife, Mara wanted her to kill with. Without the necklace there was nothing stopping her from whooping Mara’s ass now. She put the knife in the waistband of her shorts and climbed on Tony’s back. His scales felt strange on her legs but it wasn’t a bad strange.
“I’m ready,” she told him.
Together they went in search of Bryan and Mara. The cave was deeper and larger than Annette thought. Tony was easily able to fit down the stone hallway in dragon form. The cave broke off into different tunnels. She felt heat coming from the tunnel on the right of the cave.
“This one goes to the other side of the cliffs.” Tony told her in the dragon’s deep voice.
A flame shot out towards them from the long hall like tunnel. Annette tucked herself behind Tony. He blew cold air blocking the flames from hitting them. At least they knew they were going in the right direction. The cave opened up into a rear entrance. Mara’s laugh came from the left. Bryan’s dark red dragon blew flames where her laugh came from, only for Mara to start laughing from the right.
“She’s invisible,” Annette stated the obvious.
They watched as Mara continued to play cat and mouse with Bryan. They needed a way to see her. Looking around all Annette had was a knife, fire and ice. Thinking for a few seconds, she came up with an idea. She patted Tony’s long neck to get his attention. When he turned his head toward her. She whispered in his ear. He’ll be able to communicate the plan with Bryan. Mara laughed moving around the room. An electric orb flew toward Bryan’s dragon, hitting him on his left wing. Annette wanted to run to him, but Tony backed up. He turned around and spread his wings out creating a barrier between her and Mara. Tony breathed out, blowing a blue liquid. It crackled and turned to icicles on the ceiling. The more he blew the longer and wider the icicles became until they reached the floor trapping Mara in with them. Tony carried her back to the opening where Mara and Bryan were still fighting. With long breaths Tony covered the cave floor and walls with a thin coat of ice.
They heard Mara scream out from the right as she slipped on the ice. A clay pot busted by the right wall. Bryan blew a flame towards the broken pot, catching Mara’s arm with the flame. Her arm charred for only a second then disappeared like the rest of her. Annette was done feeling helpless. She wiggled herself higher on Tony’s neck, trying to see over him. I’m not helpless, she told herself. She pulled the knife from her waistband. She didn’t win dart tournaments three years in a row for nothing. Patiently she waited for the ice to crack. Suddenly it cracked in the center of the room. Bryan shot out a flame hitting her leg. That was all the target Annette needed. Before the char marks disappeared, Annette threw the knife a couple of feet higher. Mara screamed as the knife appeared to be floating in mid-air. Bryan didn’t throw another flame at Mara as she fell to the ice. The ice turned red, coated with Mara’s blood. Her body slowly started to appear again. She clenched the knife at her chest and stared at Annette. She saw not
hing but pure hatred in Mara’s eyes.
“I’m not that helpless after all, am I?” Annette said to Mara.
Bryan warmed the floor, melting the ice so Annette could get down. She climbed off Tony as Bryan shifted back to his human form. Annette ran up to him jumping in his arms. She kissed him long and hard. Tony came up behind them, engulfing them both in a tight hug.
“I’m glad we’re together again,” she told them. She kissed them both in turn.
“Where did you learn to throw a knife?” Bryan asked her, looking back down to Mara.
“I don’t know how to throw a knife. I can hit a bullseye with a dart every time, though.” Annette shrugged. “I figured it couldn’t be too much different.”
“That was brilliant.” Tony kissed her cheek.
“Never block us again,” Bryan ordered.
“Deal,” Annette agreed. “Can we go home now?
“Of course, love.” Tony kissed her cheek.
“I don’t have to climb back down the cliff, do I?” Annette asked.
“You climbed all the way up here?” Bryan looked at her in disbelief.
“Afraid so,” Annette held up her bloody hands.
“We’ll fly you out,” Bryan said, then stepped back and shifted into his beautiful red dragon.
Tony helped her onto Bryan’s back. Once she was settled, he took a couple of steps back and shifted. She was going home. Not to her torn up apartment but home with Bryan and Tony. There was no other place she’d rather be.
Thirteen
Flying out the cave, Annette finally got the chance to look around at the beautiful scenery of Nova Aurora. The planet was thriving. Everything had a purple hue. They flew over the trees. The different shades of purple was stunning. She held on tight not trusting her muscles. They made distance between them and the cliff fast. Annette looked back, at where she had just taken another’s life. The yellowish mountainside stood out from the purple forest.
For the Love of Fire and Ice: Paranormal Dating Agency (Heads N’ Tails Series) Page 8
