“Trachis conspired with my sister to remove my father as King. What they didn’t know is that neither of them have enough magic to take over. Now they seek the magic…” She stopped and rested her head back on the table.
“Rest.” Silas stroked her hair.
“No. You’re saying that thing is here to get the power to take over your kingdom?” Phaedra asked.
“Yes.”
“Don’t they already have it with your father…”
“No. You must either be worthy to carry the scepter and take your seat at the throne or have enough magic to rule. They have neither now. I wanted to keep it that way.” Cierce’s eyes fluttered. “Trachis cannot get the relics.”
“How do we defeat him?”
The room fell silent. Everyone exchanged glances not wanting to say the obvious. “We’ve seen her go against him.”
“How do we get you well enough to fight?” Phaedra asked.
“If I have the power from the Eye of Krull, I will be able to fight him. Save your town and send him back to my realm forever.”
“This Eye of Krull will save you?” Silas asked eagerly.
Cierce hesitated. “Yes.” Her skin dimmed and no longer lit with Silas’ touch.
Silas gently kissed Cierce’s forehead and turned to Phaedra. “Where is it?”
Phaedra shook her head. “No. If Trachis gets the relic, it could be disastrous for the town.”
“Phaedra, I’m not going to argue with you. She is my mate and I’m going to save her.”
“I’m going to save this town.” Phaedra countered.
“So am I.” Silas kissed Cierce’s forehead. “I’ll be back with the relic.” He glared at Phaedra as he stormed out.
Chapter Twelve
“Silas!” Phaedra barked.
Silas walked toward the woods with purpose. “Unless you’re going to tell me where to find the Eye of Krull, I don’t have time for a lecture.”
“I don’t know where it is.” Phaedra hung her head.
Silas stopped and turned to face her. “You expect me to believe you don’t know where it is?”
“I know where all the relics are, but I don’t know them by the names they’ve given them.” Phaedra admitted.
“How am I supposed to find it, how will I know that I’ve found it if I do stumble upon it?” Silas paced in frustration and dragged his fingers through his hair.
Phaedra closed her eyes in concentration. “If she is your true mate, you’ll know if you’ve found what she needs. You have to trust that.” Phaedra took one of the pouches from her belt. She unfurled the cord around it and handed it to Silas. “Put it around your neck to carry it back.”
Silas put the pouch over his head. He dropped to all fours and went through the shift, his face elongating, his knees bending backward. He barely felt the pain of it anymore. He wanted it to be faster, so he could run.
Phaedra met him where he stood, a huge wolf looking her in the eye. She threw her head back and her arms out. She gathered an invisible force and sent it toward Silas. “You will be able to get by the protections if you find the relic.”
Silas nodded and darted for the woods. He let his heart lead him praying to any god that may listen that he would be led to the relic.
Finding the relic was a matter of life and death. He had to save her, do anything in his power to save her. He’d fight a thousand wars, a thousand plagues, he’d cut off his own legs to save his mate. All he had to do was find something that wasn’t meant to be found. Hidden away from any who would use it to harm others.
He was haunted by the look in her eyes as she fought to breathe, to continue to exist drove him forward. She looked so hopeless, as though she had let go of her last bit of fight that was left. He felt her presence waning, she was slipping away. His heart and soul were slipping away with her.
He wasn’t giving up. He couldn’t give up.
His instincts lead him straight for the falls. He pressed as hard as he could, digging his paws deep in the dirt. He didn’t see, hear or smell anything surrounding him. He had one mission and that was to let his heart lead him to the one thing that would save his love.
He couldn’t bear the thought of a future without her. He would be nothing but an empty shell, a husk of a man going through the motions of each day, hour and minute knowing he would never feel happy again.
He drove forward until he reached the falls. He leaped through the water crashing against the rocks. Something was drawing him this way and he intended to keep following it.
His eyes adjusted to the darkness in the cave until he was too far from the entrance for light to touch. He followed his instincts until he came to a fork in the cave. He could feel the vibration of magic emanating from both sides. Both were strong, both called to him.
He steeled himself against the fear that he would go the wrong way, bring home the wrong relic and Cierce would be gone forever.
Something in him drew him to the left. He continued to the end of the pathway. There were two glowing lights. Both emitting the slightest sense of light. The purplish hue gave no light to the actual cave. He went for what he believed to be the relic. He shifted into human form and reached out for the relic.
He slid his fingers between the cold, wet rock and pried the relic loose. A dark vibration ribboned through his body. He knew he had the right one. He slid it in the bag around his neck and shifted back to wolf form. He ran at full speed back toward the mouth of the cave.
He pressed forward, selfish in the thought that healing her would keep him from being broken forever.
Chapter Thirteen
Cierce quickly succumbed to the difficulty to breathe and talk. Ayry and Stasia worked their magic to keep her alive. Sweat beaded on Ayry’s forehead, a look of exhaustion had taken over her features. Blake was holding Stasia steady on her feet.
Cierce’s skin had taken on a flat grey appearance instead of the typical vibrant glow.
“We’re losing her.” Phaedra said in a panic.
“Where is he?” Ayry said in a huff. “I can’t hold on much longer.”
“He’s coming.” Phaedra didn’t know how long before he would get there. She wanted to give them hope, keep them going for as long as possible to keep Cierce alive. She might be the only one that could save the town from Trachis.
Phaedra thought of all the ways she would battle him. None of them were feasible and it was likely none of them would work. His magic was unlike anything she’d ever seen. It was dark and powerful, far more powerful than all the magic in Dark Moon Falls.
Silas burst through the door still in wolf form. He barely fit in the small exam room. He lifted his head exposing the bag strung around his neck.
Phaedra jumped up and reached into the bag. She winced at the touch of it. It burned a cold stinging gouge into her fingers.
She dropped the relic back in the bag and took it from around Silas’ neck.
He shifted into human form and went straight to Cierce. “How is she?”
No one answered. The light that was pulsing through her body had all but stopped.
“What do we do with that thing?” He yelled out for an answer from Phaedra.
She held the relic with the bag around it, but not letting it touch her skin. “I’m not sure.” She moved closer to Cierce.
“Do something.” Silas picked up Cierce’s hand in his. “Come back to me, my love.”
He pressed his eyes closed and tried to focus whatever energy he had into her.
The light running through her grew a little brighter, then dimmed again.
“Come back to me.” Silas pleaded. He looked to Phaedra. “Are you doing it right?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know anything about this.” She looked to Ayry and Stasia standing on either side of Cierce’s bed.
Ayry shrugged her shoulders and Stasia shook her head no.
None of them had any experience with this magic or how to use the relics for healing.
Silas s
queezed Cierce’s hand. “How do we do it? Help me save you.” The emotion was spilling into his voice with an audible waver.
She was weak and her eyes fluttered but didn’t open. She took his hand and put it on the relic. Silas felt the burn of the darkness but struggled not to react to the pain.
The relic went from dormant black to a faint purple glow.
“That’s it.” Phaedra’s eyes lit up. “Take it.” She pushed the relic toward Silas.
He took the relic in both hands enduring searing pain. His hands quivered holding it over Cierce. She sucked a deep breath inside her body, her chest heaved, hungry for air. Sweat poured from Sila’s brow.
Phaedra held her healing hands around Silas and encouraged Stasia and Alicia to do the same. All four women surrounded Silas and Cierce. The women healing Silas, Silas healing Cierce.
Energy in the room hummed and sparked as the relic grew brighter.
Cierce sat up in the bed, threw her head upward and her eyes rolled back. Her arms were outstretched as the trail of dark energy entered her solar plexus.
The discorded harmony grew in a maddening crescendo. Silas’ arms shook with exhaustion holding the relic with all that he had. His own lifeforce ebbed from his body into the relic and then to Cierce.
“We can’t hold on.” Alicia cried out.
“It’s too much.” Stasia crumpled to the floor.
The room shook and wind blew tarot cards and loose herbs in tornadic chaos. The healing candles smoked when they were extinguished.
Silas cried out in pain, “Keep fighting!”
Ayry couldn’t take anymore and fell back against the wall. Phaedra was the only one left standing to heal Silas. Her hands outstretched, shaking and her knees buckled. She was growing weak, her fingertips withered. She shook her head and chanted searching for enough strength to keep going.
Phaedra succumbed to the dark power that had taken over the room and fell to the floor.
Silas’ face showed rapid signs of aging. Wrinkles formed showing his true age, his hair lightened to a ghostly white, his arms effete. He remained standing, holding the relic with nearly all of his life force gone.
“Shift!” Ayry managed to shout over the cacophony of sound.
Silas slowly shook his head and with a wan smile looked his love in the eye one last time.
Cierce’s eyes glowed a deep red. She inhaled deeply and let out a screech that shattered the glass in the room.
Silas held the relic, never letting go and now it was fused to his flesh. Cierce placed her hands on Silas’ face and screeched again until the relic shattered from Silas’ hands.
Silas, appeared to be an old man, reveled at the feeling of Cierce’s hands on his face. His hands still outstretched as though he were holding the relic.
Cierce took her left hand and waved it in a circular motion above the dusty remains of the relic.
Her motion grew faster until the dust spun back into the shape of the relic.
She tilted her head with sincerity and pressed her heavy lids together. She threw her arms to her side and commanded, “Regressus!”
Ayry, Alicia, Stasia and Phaedra were all able to stand. Phaedra rushed to Silas.
Cierce held her hand up to stop her. Phaedra watched carefully from where she was standing.
Cierce put both of her hands on Silas’ chest and the purple energy flowed from Cierce into Silas until it formed a circle around them.
Huge flower petals grew from the floor and enveloped Silas and Cierce together.
Cierce put her hand behind Silas’ neck and watched as his youth returned. She pressed her forehead against his and smiled feeling her life force flowing into him.
It glowed and sparkled inside the flower petals and Silas felt revived.
His eyes locked with hers in a magical moment. She smiled and with a giggle in her tone she said, “You saved me.”
“Of course, you are my one true mate.”
“You could’ve died.” She said in awe.
“It was selfish, I would’ve died without you.” He put his hand on her face and stroked down to her chin.
He guided her lips to his and nibbled softly on them. She smiled and ran her fingers through his hair. “Still white, but it will grow back darker.” She looked at the white in his hair. “I kind of like it.”
“Maybe I’ll have to keep it this way.” He said between kisses.
Cierce rested her head back exposing her neck to him. He kissed each small scar where there was once a magical metal choking her. “I will always protect you, I will always be here.”
A breath hitched in her throat at the feeling of his lips. Her skin glowed a soft purple and lit up wherever he touched her.
He pulled her shirt off over her head and kissed lower on her décolleté marveling at how she tasted like perfection and how she lit up when he touched her.
He dragged his lips down to her nipple and cupped her other breast in is hand.
She gasped at the pleasure and the color of her glowing skinned turned from light purple to a deep shade of pink, then red. “Silas.”
He gave equal attention to her other breast and trailed his fingers down between her thighs. They were soft, warm and inviting. She spread her legs slightly to let him in.
He found her moisture and stroked the hard bundle of nerves gently in a circular motion.
Cierce took his head into her hands, she needed to feel his lips on hers. She writhed against his fingers pleasuring her. Kissed him with force and passion.
At first it took his breath away and he was stilled by the intensity of the moment. Cierce wriggled her hips around his fingers.
He pressed inside her warm walls and felt her tongue dancing against his.
Cierce slid her fingers down his hard chest leaving a trail of light the entire way. She reached past the band of his sweats and took his hard shaft into her hand. She stroked him leaving him struggling for concentration.
She bit her lower lip and looked him in the eye. “I need you inside me now.”
She tugged on his pants and threw them on the floor. She lifted her skirt up breaking the contact he had with her. It was too long, she felt his absence.
He rushed back to her lips and put his hand against the small of her back. She was so small and anything but fragile. He lifted her up on to him and she hovered over the tip of his cock. She pressed her opening against him and teased moving her hips.
Silas stroked his hands up and down her back, caressing softly watching as the colors glowed and changed.
She lowered herself on to him. Her eyes closed and her breath hitched in her throat. “Silas.” She said it like a proclamation.
Silas was momentarily stilled. He cupped her ass in his hands and moved her up and down his shaft.
She wiggled and rode him hard with wild movements feeling him fill her, parting her walls that pulsed around him.
Sweat beaded on Silas’ chest and his muscles rippled.
“This heat, it is building.” She whispered in his ear.
They both reached a crescendo of pleasure crying out at the pure ecstasy they exchanged in that moment.
Silas released her and they held each other in the safety of the flower petals.
Chapter Fourteen
“I don’t mean to be a killjoy, but there’s an evil creature on the way to town to destroy everything in his path unless he gets the relics.” Phaedra said standing next to the huge flower in the middle of the room.
Silas closed his eyes partly deflated and tired from the entire experience.
Cierce’s color turned from a content purple to a deep angry shade of black. “Enough is enough.” She pulled her shirt on over her head and motioned for Silas to put on his pants. She finished getting dressed and waved the petals of the flower away.
“Let’s go.” She said heading for the door.
Silas followed closely behind. “Are you okay, are you really ready for a battle?”
“More ready than I ever have
been.” The determination sounded like hard gravel in her voice.
Cierce pushed past everyone in the front room and stormed out the door. She stood for a moment sniffing at the air. She looked left and then right.
Silas joined her outside. “What are you going to do?”
“First, find him. Then kill him.” She said freezing in place. “This way.”
She inhaled a deep preparatory breath. Her body changed and twisted, wings sprouted from her back and she grew three times in size. She flapped her wings lifting her feet from the ground and flitted forward.
Silas shifted into wolf form to follow her. Cierce moved at an incredible speed through the streets. Silas struggled to keep up as she made her way to the outskirts of town toward the ranch.
Silas reached out using the pack link to tell Jeramiah, Levi and Elias where they were going.
They were already there with the pack hunters fighting to keep Trachis from getting any closer to town.
Cierce burst from the tree line. “Trachis, this ends now.” She announced with a look of determination in her eye.
“I’m so glad we can agree.” Trachis said forming a black ball of energy in his hand. “Give me the relics and we can go back to Silodaria.”
Cierce’s lip snarled when she answered, “No, Trachis. You’re not getting the relics. If you and our sister want to rule over Silodaria, then you’re going to have to figure how to do so without them.”
Trachis raised his brow. “If you think I’ll show you mercy, you’re wrong.”
“I have never made that mistake. You don’t know what mercy is, which is why you will never lead.” Cierce showed no fear. Her wings grew larger as the edges glimmered razor sharp in the light.
The ground rumbled when he lunged for her. His size still larger than her in giant form but she showed no fear. He took her by the throat, his huge hand wrapped all the way around her neck. “With you dead, Charlotte and I will rule. We will bring an army through the portal and destroy everything here until we find them.”
Dark Moon Falls: Volume 2 Page 8
