“I’ll come by in a bit if that’s all right?” Dakota asked.
“Sure.” Tony stepped from the porch without another word.
Kaley rounded the corner and made her way over to him. She climbed up the stairs, her intelligent eyes focusing on him as she moved. “Hey, girl. I bet I know who you’re looking for.” He patted her head and opened the door so she could go inside.
Dakota and Carmen sat in silence for a few more minutes, enjoying the quiet of the morning.
Thirty minutes later, Dakota made his way toward the training cottage. When he turned the corner, he saw Tony already had Brady pinned to the ground. Dakota moved to stand beside his mom and Shane, who watched from the porch of the center.
Brady tapped and Tony stood, pulling him to his feet.
“Hey, Mom.” Dakota wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Shane,” he said to the other Fighter.
Elizabeth leaned against him. “Hey, honey, get some sleep?”
“I did, actually.”
“Good.” Her voice was distant, and her eyes never left Tony.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m worried about him,” she whispered, gesturing to Tony.
“What about him?”
“He’s bottling up all his anger and taking it out on the other Fighters. Not that he’s trying to hurt them, but he nearly dislocated Andrew’s shoulder. The only reason Shane is over here is because Tony separated his and I had to put it back in place.”
“He’s only been here for half an hour.”
His mom eyed him. “Exactly. He’s been on a war path since he made his way over here.”
“Shit.” Dakota studied Tony closer. The man’s jaw was set, his body tense. He was looking for a fight, but these guys weren’t right for that.
“Why don’t you go check on Ana?” he told his mom. “Maybe relieve Carmen so she can get some sleep.”
Elizabeth nodded warily and turned to leave. “Be careful, Dakota,” she said over her shoulder.
“Anyone else?” Tony asked, studying the circle of Fighters.
“I’ll take a run at you,” Dakota offered.
Accepting the challenge, Tony moved to the edge of the circle and Dakota removed his shirt.
“You sure you’re up to this?” Tony asked.
“Better me than these guys.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You’re angry,” Dakota said as they began to circle each other. “I’m pissed the fuck off too.”
Tony charged and Dakota barely dodged him in time. In skill and size, Tony had him beat, so his best bet was to evade.
“I don’t fight with anger.”
Dakota managed to catch him off guard, and threw him to the ground. Tony rolled him around and pinned him, but not well enough, and Dakota threw him off.
“That’s a load of bullshit.” Dakota jumped to his feet.
“Fighting with an angry heart only causes you to lose focus.”
“You can say that all you want, but you’re still human, Tony.” Dakota dodged him again, but Tony caught him with a kick to the leg. He fell to the ground and they rolled around for a few moments before Dakota managed to get him into a headlock.
Pure luck on his part—not that he’d admit that anytime soon.
“They nearly killed her,” Tony growled. “She was damn near naked when we found her. He stripped her of her strength and her dignity!”
“I know.” Dakota released him and they got back to their feet. “Let that fire burn. Shit, let that damn angry beast rage inside you, but don’t take it out on your people. On your Fighters.”
Tony studied the circle of exhausted men around him and nodded. “Training is over.” He headed back toward his cottage.
“Tony.” Dakota caught up to him, and when the man turned around, tears welled in his eyes. “We have her back and he won’t get his hands on her again.”
Tony nodded and walked away without a word.
Dakota watched him leave, then turned back toward the circle.
Shane held out his shirt. “Those were some impressive moves.”
“Yeah, well he’s not focused.”
“True. Still, though. I’d love to spar with you once your mom lifts my ban.”
Dakota snorted. “If she has her way, you’ll be down for a month.”
Brady walked past them and Dakota called out to him. “Hey, Brady!”
The boy stopped and turned to face Dakota. His eyes were darker, nearly black, and his jaw was set from what Dakota guessed was humiliation from Tony pinning him.
“You okay?”
“Fine.” The clipped, one-word response was so unlike Brady that it surprised Dakota.
“Your mom? Sister?”
“They are fine,” he snapped. As he walked away, he eyed the Brutes in their camp. How could Brady still hate them? Even after everything that they’d done for them?
Dakota spotted Selena walking toward her house and broke into a jog to catch up. “Morning, Selena.”
“Morning.” She greeted him with a smile. “What can I do for you?”
“I just ran into Brady and—”
She raised her hand. “Let me guess, he was short with you?”
“Yeah, actually.”
“He’s been acting strange since last night. I’m guessing he’s just worried about Anastasia, but he’s refusing to talk about it.”
“Nothing else is going on?”
“Not that I know of. I know he’s been stressed since the Brutes moved in, but no more than the rest of us.”
He nodded. “It was necessary.”
“I know that. But it doesn’t make it any easier for those of us who lost family and friends to them. We’ve spent years afraid of those beasts, and now they live within our village.”
“Can you let me know if he gets any worse?”
“I will.” She played with the edge of her shirt. “Listen, if you’re up for it, you can come over for dinner. I know with everything going on you could probably use a break.”
He smiled awkwardly. “I appreciate it, but I’m going to stick by Ana, just in case she needs me.”
“I completely understand. She’s a lucky woman, Dakota.”
“Thanks.” He turned headed back toward the medical cottage.
33
Anastasia
Anastasia opened her eyes, slowly assessing her body from the neck down. She wiggled her fingers, her toes, twisted gently to test her ribs—she sucked in air through her teeth as pain throbbed through her abdomen. Her body still ached, but as long as she didn’t twist her torso again, it was a dull pain that only reminded her of why she needed to keep fighting: to save those she loved from suffering anymore at the hands of Vincent.
She sat up and put her feet on the floor. The wood felt warm beneath them, and she stood. The simple act of standing without help brought a smile to her face. Vincent probably hadn’t believed she’d ever stand again. In fact, she’d be willing to bet that he’d counted on her remaining broken.
She looked down to see she was wearing a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. Desperate to feel the sun on her skin, she didn’t worry about trying to change first, she just stepped out onto the porch.
The sight of the village bustling around her was nearly enough to bring tears to her eyes. People that were out and about stopped and stared at her, surprised to see her standing before them.
“Anastasia!” Sarah called with a smile and rushed toward her.
She accepted the hug, smiling at the other villagers who greeted her and welcomed her back. Dakota came into view and Anastasia’s heart leapt. His dark hair was messy and had grown a decent amount since she’d last seen him. A short beard covered his face, and when his blue eyes landed on hers, Anastasia felt a jolt of lust break through the pain.
She nearly ran to him, aching to feel his arms around her, but the harsh setting of his jaw had her resisting. Instead, she continued greeting those she passed, enjoying the way the dir
t felt beneath her bare feet.
The crowd faded away, and soon it was just Anastasia and Dakota staring at each other. The space between them was too much to take, so she stepped forward.
“Hey.”
“Hey,” he said tightly. “Want to get changed?”
She nodded and they headed away from the medical cottage and the village, toward the home where she’d learned who she truly was.
When the familiar site of the cabin she’d shared with Gregory came into view, Anastasia had to force herself not to break into a run.
They stepped inside and she smiled. She’d never thought she would see this place again. The last time she’d been here, she’d cried over Gregory’s journals, but now she felt nothing but peace and a sense of belonging.
She still grieved her father, but it felt lighter somehow, and she knew that he was somewhere watching over her. She stepped forward and trailed her fingers across the back of the couch.
Everything was so much the same, but parts of Dakota had made their way in as well. Little things like the mug on the counter, the whiskey glass on the table next to the couch, and his scent that clung to the air.
She turned to face him, alone at last, and saw the questions in his eyes before he even opened his mouth to say them.
“What happened in that clearing?”
Just starting with the hard hitters, huh? Anastasia took a deep breath. “I knew only one of us was getting out of that clearing, and I chose you.”
“But why? Why not come through with me? You could have closed the portal from the other side.”
“I didn’t trust myself. I felt that power, Dakota, the humming in my blood, and I wanted it.” She stared down at her hands. “I changed that night, and had I come through the portal with you, I worry I would have hurt someone.”
“I could have brought you back.”
She stepped forward and cupped his face. “You did. In more ways than one.”
When he leaned into her touch but didn’t press her further, she dropped her hand and continued. “I killed Mitch.”
His eyes widened but he didn’t pull away. “Can’t say I’m super bummed about that one.”
“He didn’t fight back. Vincent offered him to me and I reached into his chest and ripped his heart out.” She studied his face for any sign of horror at her words.
“If you think I’m going to be angry or upset, you’re wrong. That asshole shot me and spent your entire childhood beating you. If I’d had the chance, I would have done the same.”
“But after feeling that rush of”—she searched for a word—“power, I lost myself for a time. I don’t really remember what happened, just that, for a brief moment, I wanted more.” She sighed. “Then your face popped into my head, and Vincent was so angry, he hit me with a blast that knocked me out. Carmen came to see me and told me to hang on, that you all were coming for me.”
Tears burned in her eyes and a lump formed in her throat as memories from her captivity came back. “He killed you, Dakota. In front of me, so many different times, in so many different ways. I watched you die every single day for what felt like eternity. Even though I knew it wasn’t you, it felt like a part of me died each time you did.” She closed her eyes tightly.
“But I’m here, Ana.” He gripped her shoulders.
“I know you are.” She smiled through the tears and he rested his forehead against hers.
“I know you are,” she whispered again. “When that didn’t work, he sent Brutes in to beat me, thinking I would use my magic to stop them. I didn’t, afraid that if I did I wouldn’t come back again. I fought the beasts off without weapons for nearly two weeks. I lost count after that.”
Anastasia stepped back.
“We know he had you in a stasis for a while; is that what he did to you in there?”
“No, I think the stasis was how he manipulated my reality.”
“What do you mean?”
“The son of a bitch put me into a new world and made me feel like I was going crazy. It was probably the worst of the torture methods he tested on me.”
Dakota leaned against the counter. “What happened?”
“I woke up in your parents’ house in Seattle. We were married, and we had a beautiful little girl together. She was so perfect, and we were all so happy.” She smiled softly. “I was a writer. You were a doctor, just as you had always wanted, and none of this had ever happened.” She opened her eyes and looked at him, afraid to stop talking.
“The book I had been working on was about all of this, a work of fiction—if you can believe that crap. You—or rather, fake Dakota— told me that I had episodes where I would forget my real life and believe that my story was my life. In fact, I was nearly convinced of this. So much so that he talked me into seeing a psychiatrist who just so happened to be Vincent,” she growled. “That bastard told me that to have the life I always wanted, I had to delete the book I was working on and admit that I had no magic. To erase everything I believed was reality. I almost did it, even though on some level I knew all along that it was an illusion. I wanted that life so badly that I nearly gave everything up to have it until I saw you—the real you.”
“Me?”
“You appeared in a mirror in his office, and you asked me to come back to you.” She shut her eyes and wiped the tears from her cheeks.
“Our daughter was screaming at me, crying and begging me to stay with her, and I left, forced myself out of the illusion, and when I woke up in that cellar again, a part of me was so angry at myself.” She clenched her jaw and shook her head. “So angry for leaving all of that behind.”
“It wasn’t real, Ana.” He walked back over to her and touched her face gently, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
“It could have been… for you. Had you never met me, you could have gone on to be a doctor and have a beautiful daughter. You could have had a normal, happy life, Dakota.”
He cupped her face in his hands. “Ana, I wouldn’t have wanted any of that unless it was with you.” His thumbs brushed away the tears on her cheeks. “You hear me? You are it for me. I don’t want anyone else, and I never would have wanted my life to turn out any other way. Everything has happened the way it was meant to. We will have that life one day, and you will hold a daughter in your arms, I swear it. But I don’t want any of that unless it’s with you.” He wrapped his arms around her and held on tight.
“It hurts so bad, Dakota.” She cried into his chest. “It all felt so real, and I wanted it so badly.” Her fists balled in the front of his shirt. Emotional pain she hadn’t realized she’d been carrying poured from her as they stood there.
“I know, baby.” He stroked his hand down her hair.
“I thought I’d never see you again.” She stepped back and looked into his bright blue eyes.
“I never would have stopped looking.” Dakota leaned down and pressed his lips to hers, gently at first, and she savored the way they felt. This was reality, and this felt right.
34
Anastasia
Anastasia stepped out into the sun for the second time that day, feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. It was amazing what fresh clothes and the first actual bath in weeks could do to one’s mood.
“So, what’s been going on?” she asked Dakota as they made their way back to the village.
“We’ve been doing what we can to take out the Brute camps popping up all over the damn place.”
“So, before they stayed hidden, and now they’re setting up shop in the open?”
Dakota nodded.
“That’s worrisome.” She paused as a group of Brutes chased some younger kids in a game of tag. Her hand itched for her sword even though she knew there was no danger; Dakota had told her of Argento and his followers, but it was hard to break the habit.
“It’s obvious they’re planning something, but we don’t know what that is just yet,” he said, pulling her from her thoughts.
“Anything else?”
He shoo
k his head.
“Brady!” Anastasia called, but he barely looked up at her, and when he did, his eyes were darker than before.
And a hell of a lot colder. She’d never seen anything but warmth reflected in those brown depths before. “What happened to him?”
“No damn clue. He’s been like that since we let the Brutes in. Selena thinks he’s just having trouble adjusting.”
Anastasia bit the inside of her cheek “All right.” She’d go check on him in a bit.
They continued walking until they reached the medical cottage. Elizabeth sat on the porch, and when she saw them, she smiled. “Anastasia, it’s so good to see you.”
“You, too.” Anastasia grinned and wrapped her arms around Elizabeth.
“How are you feeling?”
“I feel great, surprisingly.”
“Carmen said your body would begin to heal itself.”
“Why?” she asked.
“Your magic.”
Anastasia’s brow furrowed. “But I never had that capability before.”
“It grows as you use it, like any muscle does,” Carmen said from behind them. She smiled as she made her way up the steps and into a chair next to Elizabeth. “I’m so happy to see you out and about.”
“It’s nice to be out and about.”
“I can imagine,” her grandmother said. “I’d like to start working with you soon.”
“Working with me on what?”
“Your magic. We need to get you trained up.”
Anastasia shook her head. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”
“Anastasia, you can’t beat Vincent without it.”
“I’m strong, and if I can get close enough to him, I can take him out with a sword rather than power.”
Carmen opened her mouth to argue, but stopped.
The truth was, Anastasia was terrified of what was inside her. What if she reached down for it, and it drug her back into the void? What if next time Dakota couldn’t bring her back?
The emptiness she’d felt the night she’d embraced her magic still chilled her. and just the memory of it made her feel like shivering. She remembered how it had felt to have the power surging through her, how she had wanted nothing more than to gain more at any cost.
Fighter Page 12
