“He was not here, not even projected, or I would have felt him.”
“He was here! I saw him!” she insisted.
“I think that is enough for today. We need to pace you.” Carmen smiled and reached for Anastasia.
“What is going on?” Tony and two Fighters came down the path toward them.
“I think Anastasia is just tired.”
“I’ll walk her home.” Tony held out his arm, and Anastasia took it. “You two make sure Carmen gets back okay.”
“It’s not that far of a walk, Tony, I can see to it myself.”
“I know you can.” He smiled kindly. “I would just feel better if they went with you.”
“Well, all right,” she replied reluctantly, “if it will make you feel better. I suppose it has been a while since I’ve been escorted home by two handsome men.” Carmen winked at Anastasia. “Come on, boys,” she said with a laugh.
“Where’s Dakota?” Anastasia asked as they walked.
“Out on a scouting run with Argento and some of the others.”
“He’s out there? On the other side of the fence?” She stopped and her heart began to pound in her chest. Why was he out there?
“Kaley is with him as well, Anastasia. He will be fine. They should be back shortly.” They began walking again, and when they reached the steps of her cottage, he sat, and she followed. “Want to tell me what happened out there? I heard Carmen scream your name.”
“I saw Vincent.”
“He was here?” Tony’s jaw clenched, and he looked around them.
“Carmen didn’t see him.”
Tony’s brow furrowed. “I don’t understand… did he project himself? Like he did to you in Seattle?”
“I don’t know. Carmen said she would have felt him, but she didn’t.” She covered her face with her hands. “I think I’m losing my mind.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Things have just been different since I’ve been back. My nightmares are getting more real.” She pressed the heels of her hands to her eyes.
“Anastasia, what you went through was horrific. No one expects you to be a hundred percent overnight.”
“We don’t have time for me not to be.”
“I know the prophecy says you will be the one to stop Vincent’s dark magic, but that doesn’t mean you have to do it alone.” He rested his large hands on her shoulders. “You are not alone.”
“I know I’m not.” But that wasn’t how she felt. No matter how many people were on her side, no matter how many times she tried to remind herself that she had a family and a home, Anastasia felt more alone than ever.
The nightmares were only making that fact even more concrete.
“You coming down for the party tonight?” Tony asked.
Kline, one of the Fighters who’d been held captive by Vincent, was marrying a woman who’d come over from one of the smaller villages Tony had brought back with him the night Anastasia went to Seattle.
It seemed strange to her to have a wedding in the middle of a war, but it had been nearly all anyone wanted to talk about recently. There would be music, dancing, and food, and truth be told, she was looking forward to the distraction.
Hell, she’d bet they all were.
“Of course. I want to grab some sleep first, though. I’m exhausted.”
Tony wrapped his arms around her. “I’ll see you later then.”
He released her and she watched until he disappeared around the bend in the path. Anastasia headed inside and removed the daggers from her waist, before heading into her bedroom.
A slow smile spread across her face as she remembered waking up beside Dakota that morning. Even now, when he was nowhere in sight, just the simple memory of what they shared sent heat pooling low in her stomach.
She pulled back the heavy quilt and climbed beneath the blanket. Just as she closed her eyes, the door opened and she sat up quickly. Maybe rest wasn’t something she needed after all.
“Dakota?” Anastasia crept into the living room, a smile on her face. A smile that quickly disappeared when she saw who was standing on the other side of the room. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“I told you I would come for you,” Vincent sneered. He stood in black pants and a grey long sleeve shirt, and was flanked by four Brutes and—
“Brady,” she whispered.
“Don’t look so surprised.” The hatred in his eyes was so unlike the boy she knew, it drove a dagger into her heart. His eyes were completely black now, no shred of the chocolate brown.
“Why are you with him?” She tried to inch closer to her daggers in case the Brutes attacked, but they moved with her. Shit. She reached down for the power in her blood, and felt the familiar humming. Now she only needed to make sure Brady didn’t get caught in the crosshairs.
“You left,” Brady sneered. “And they brought those monsters here.”
“Vincent is working with Brutes too, Brady. The Brutes he works with are the ones who killed Emma, not Argento and his men.”
“They are all the same!” he screamed, and his face turned red. “Vincent is only using them, he doesn’t actually like them!”
“Get her.” Vincent instructed the Brutes behind him, “By whatever means necessary.”
They attacked, and she rolled out of the way. A large fist connected with her side and she cried out, her body still not fully healed from her time in captivity.
Anastasia flung out a ball of light, but the closest Brute dodged it and spun around to knock her to the floor.
Vincent laughed as the remaining Brutes wrapped their large hands around her wrists and ankles, pinning her to the floor. “I’m not going to have to kill everyone, Anastasia. Because you will.”
“No!” She screamed and thrashed against her attackers, but they held strong.
“Anastasia!” Someone screamed her name, but she focused on fighting off the Brutes. She flung her arms out and kicked her legs, using all the strength she had. The buzzing in her blood began to grow, and she looked down to see her skin glowing. The Brutes released her, and she jumped to her feet, feeling nothing but the power in her veins.
40
Dakota
Dakota made his way down the path toward home. The scout had gone well—there were no new Brute camps to report—but they still hadn’t found Brady. Selena had been avoiding Dakota, probably hoping that no news was good news—which, typically, he would agree with.
Except with this. There was no telling where Vincent was keeping Brady or, shit, if he was even forcing him to do his bidding. No one wanted to think about the idea that maybe Brady had chosen to switch sides.
He shook his head, he didn’t honestly believe that. Brady may have had a grudge against the Brutes, but it would make no sense to form an alliance with the man in charge of bringing them here in the first place.
His and Ana’s cottage came into view and a scream tore through the air. Even in the daylight, the light shooting through the windows was near blinding. He broke into a run and closed the distance in a matter of seconds.
Dakota pushed the door open and raced inside, skidding to a stop in the living room. His breath flew out of him in a whoosh.
Ana was on her back in the middle of the room, thrashing and screaming against some unseen force. Her eyes were open and she stared wide-eyed at something above her, but there was nothing there.
“Ana!” He rushed to her side, but she kicked out and he blocked it just before her bare foot contacted with his chest. “Ana!” he screamed again, but she continued to thrash.
“What the hell is going on?” Tony shouted.
Dakota looked over his shoulder. Tony, Shane, Argento, and Elizabeth stood in the doorway, breathing hard like they’d been running. Tony’s eyes flicked all over, quickly scanning the room for threats.
“I don’t know,” Dakota said, panic gripping his chest. “She screamed and I can’t get her attention.”
“Anastasia?” his mother called, tr
ying to get her attention.
Ana thrashed again and this time her fist contacted with the side of his head.
“Fuck!” Dakota shouted.
Elizabeth stepped beside him, placing her hand firmly on his shoulder. “I need you to hold her down
Shane, Tony, Argento, and Dakota each grabbed an arm or leg and pinned her to the floor. She continued thrashing, her body bucking uncontrollably, and Dakota held firmly. Her pupils were tiny pinpricks in the center of eyes blazing blue. “Look at her pupils,” he whispered. “What the fuck is happening to her?”
“I have no idea.” Elizabeth sat back on her heels. “Let me see if I can get some herbs, maybe we can sedate her until we figure it out.”
“Anastasia!” Shane yelled. “Come on! You’re tougher than this!”
Ana’s skin began to glow. “What the hell?” Tony murmured. They released her and stepped back. She jumped to her feet and grinned menacingly at them. There was no trace of the Ana he knew on her face. This woman was powerful and dangerous.
“You better run.” She grinned at them. She opened her palm, and flames danced on the skin.
“Anastasia, come back!” Shane yelled.
They backed away from her as she moved closer. Tony tucked Dakota’s mom behind his body as they moved. Ana continued stalking toward them, and Dakota took a step forward.
“Ana!” he screamed.
She shook her head as if trying to clear it, and her skin dimmed back to normal. Her eyes faded back to their normal blue, and widened.
He took a step toward her, but Argento gripped his shoulder. “Stay away from her.”
“Get off me.” Dakota pushed away from him and reached for her.
“Don’t touch me.” Ana stared at them, her mouth open and tears shimmering in her eyes.
Shane took a step forward. “Ana—”
“Get out!” she yelled. “It’s not safe! Get out!” Her skin started glowing again, and everyone but Dakota began backing away.
“I'm not leaving you!” He told her.
“Go, Dakota! Tony, please make him leave. It’s not safe! Get away from me!” she screamed, tears trailing down her red cheeks. “I don’t know what’s real!”
“I am real!” Dakota shouted.
She backed away from him and fell to the ground in the corner. Dakota moved toward her but she flung a hand out, and they were thrown against the wall of the cottage.
“Get out of here!” Ana screamed, and the others scrambled out while he got to his feet. Dakota’s head rang from the impact with the wall.
“Ana,” he said and took a step toward her. She lifted her hand again and he was slammed outside. He was dazed, but wasted no time getting back to his feet and racing for the door.
“Ana!” He slammed his shoulder into the wood, but it wouldn’t budge. “What the hell is happening?” he yelled, turning to face the others.
“It is the effects of the stasis,” Argento said. “She unable to discern reality from illusion.”
“I thought that this would clear up; why is it getting worse?” Elizabeth asked him.
“I honestly am not sure. I have never seen a human put into stasis, let alone ripped from one as abruptly as she was. Normally, when we pull a Brute from stasis, we do it gradually by adding doses of reality back in until everything is back to normal.”
“She thought she saw Vincent today, while she was with Carmen,” Tony told them. “And she’s been having trouble distinguishing reality from nightmares.”
Dakota clenched his fists at his sides. He knew she’d been having nightmares, but that wasn’t anything new. She’d had them all growing up. Why the hell hadn’t she told him they’d gotten so bad? “Care to explain why you’re only just now telling me about this?” Dakota stepped toward Tony and Elizabeth moved in between them.
“Dakota, calm down,” she urged.
Dakota saw the look of guilt on her face and felt his anger spike. “You knew?” he accused her. “Why wouldn’t you tell me? I understand Tony keeping her secret, to some extent,” he added with a glare at Tony, “but you should have told me.”
“Dakota, I—”
“It doesn’t matter now.” He turned abruptly toward Argento. “What can we do?”
“I do not know. As I said before, we have never used stasis on a human. If we try to reinsert her, then her mind could break, and we may not ever recover her. I think the best course of action is to leave her be until she comes around.”
Dakota pointed to the cottage. “Does that look like she is going to come around?” he spat.
“We need to place guards outside so someone can sound an alarm if need be,” Argento suggested.
“Guards? Are you kidding me? She is not the enemy!”
Tony stepped beside Argento. “He’s right, Dakota.”
“You agree? How can you, of all people, agree to this?”
“She is dangerous right now, Dakota. Think about it from her side… how do you think Anastasia would feel if she tore this village apart?” He stepped closer to him until they stood nearly chest to chest. “Do you think this does not tear me apart inside? She is like a daughter to me! I will not risk her hurting any one of our people. Not just for their sake, but for hers.” He turned to face Argento. “I’m going to get Carmen. She might be able to keep her inside until either Anastasia comes around or we find a way to drag her ass back to reality.”
“Dakota,” his mother began, but when he refused to look at her, she turned and headed back toward the village with Tony.
“I am sorry, Dakota.” Argento touched his shoulder. “I will see to it the guards stay hidden and do not harm her.” He began his way down the path leading to the village.
Dakota slumped against the door. Her crying was deafening, and the screams as she fought her battle inside tore him apart.
“I’m here, Ana,” he said quietly. “I'm not leaving until you come back.”
41
Dakota
“Anything?” Tilly walked down the narrow path to the cottage, carrying a plate of food.
Dakota shook his head and continued staring at his hands. He had never felt so helpless in his life. Even when Anastasia was taken from him, he’d been able to do something to bring her back. Now, everyone kept telling him that if he went in there, she might kill him by accident, which would only cause her to spiral further.
“She will come around, Dakota.”
“Thanks, Tilly.”
She smiled and gently patted his cheek.
“That for me?” he asked.
“Unfortunately, no.” Tilly laughed and set the plate by the door. “Your mother is still angry with you, so I am under strict orders to not bring you any food until you go talk to her. But just in case she asks”—Tilly gestured toward the door to the cottage—“there’s an extra helping of stew on the plate.” She winked and headed back toward the village.
“Ana?” he asked, pressing his hand to the door. “There is food out here.”
The silence began to worry him, but she screamed and threw something at the door. He reached for the knob and then pulled away. She was fighting her own war in there, and he would only be in the way, at least until Carmen and Rayden, the Brute healer, came up with something to snap her out of it.
“How is she?” Argento asked.
Dakota turned to face him. “The same.”
“Rayden is working with Carmen. They will find something.”
“I hope so.” Dakota sat back on the steps and Argento took a seat next to him.
“It is hard to feel useless when you are so used to being strong.”
Dakota nodded in agreement and stared out at the trees in the direction of the village.
“My wife is so strong that sometimes I feel useless.”
His words shocked Dakota. “You are married?”
“Of course.” Argento scoffed. “It is how I am king.”
At Dakota’s curious look, Argento smiled. “We Brutes are a matriarchal race. Th
erefore, the royal line is passed down through females.”
“Seriously?”
“You seem surprised.”
“Well, honestly, yes.”
“Most who learn of it are. We may seem tough, but it’s mainly on the outside. We are very family-oriented, and honor is incredibly important to us.” His jaw set. “It is why these traitors must be brought to justice.”
“They will be.”
“Your Anastasia will come back, Dakota, you must have faith. She has a strong mind, and when she comes back to you, it will be with a fire that will propel her forward into victory.”
“Thank you, Argento.” Dakota smiled lightly.
“You should go and talk to your mother. Time is not on our side right now, and you don’t want to miss an opportunity.”
“You’re right. I just can’t believe she didn’t tell me.”
“Perhaps it’s because she was being faithful to Tony.”
“Tony?” At Argento’s awkward silence, it hit him. He’d been too wrapped up in An’s recovery to notice the new relationship. “So she finally took that step. Good for her.” Dakota smiled, glad that his mom had finally gone for what she wanted.
“You are not angry?” Argento asked, confused. “Does it not bother you that she is with someone when you lost your father?”
“Honestly, no. My dad would have wanted her to be happy and to not be alone for the rest of her life. Tony is a great man, and I know he will be good to her.”
“He is very honorable,” Argento agreed. “I will wait here while you go speak with her.”
Dakota eyed him warily. “I appreciate the offer, but maybe wait out of view? If she does come out, I don’t want her to mistake you for the enemy.”
“Good idea.” Argento moved to the side of the porch, out of sight from the front door. “Go. I will be here.”
During the short walk back to the village, Dakota almost turned around three times. He was still pissed off. Could this have all been avoided had they just told him about her dreams? Maybe he could have talked to her, and they could have figured out what was going on sooner.
They wouldn’t know now, he supposed, so there was no need to focus on the past when there was already such an uncertain future ahead of them.
Fighter Page 15
