Chapter 13

I awoke to the sound of thunder.

It took me a moment to realize what the weight was wrapped around my waist and tangled in my legs.

Starke. Starke was curled up next to me.

Even though my head was still clouded with sleepy cobwebs, memories of our lovemaking filled me with a happiness and euphoria I wasn’t accustomed to. I waited for the panic to set in. The awkwardness of the ‘morning after’, but it never happened. There was a strange absence of embarrassment, and I realized why. What had occurred between us had been so natural. So… right. Two people showing their love for one another. The way it was meant to be. It had been perfect.

I sighed in contentment. It didn’t matter that we were on a hostile planet with creatures that wanted to eat us, and we were being hunted by a queen bitch. My Starke was back. We were together. He told me he loved me. Nothing could be any better than this moment in time, and I sniffed loudly as tears flooded my eyes. Man, this love thing was turning me into a real wuss.

The fire still burned bright in the hearth. Starke must have added logs while I slept. The flames cast a warm, soft glow around the room, even though the sky peeking through the window above our bed was still pitch black. It wasn’t quite morning yet.

I rolled over slowly, trying not to disturb him. I just wanted to see his face. I snuggled my front into him, and a sleepy, pleased smile tugged at his lips as his eyes opened. A smile that made my heart quiver in my chest.

He reached over and brushed a strand of hair from my face. His gaze met mine, and I realized, not for the first time, how he was so damned perfect. Those beautiful eyes and long, dark lashes that made me envious, combined with the masculine jaw. A face carved by the gods. And those lips. Sweet baby Jesus. Memories of how those sensual lips had touched every part of me last night tugged low in my belly. Lips that I now wanted to kiss thoroughly… but… morning breath and all that.

“Hey,” he whispered softly.

“Hey, yourself,” I replied, unable to keep the smile from my face.

His hand dropped to my shoulder and gently ran down my arm to my hip. “Thank you.”

I shrugged. “You’re welcome, but for what?”

“For everything. For last night. For saving me.” His voice skimmed over my skin, velvet soft, as he gripped my hand linking his fingers with mine.

“I think we saved each other. And if anyone should be thanking anyone for last night, it should be me thanking you.”

He arched a brow, his lazy smile widening. “As much as that is a stroke to my ego, I don’t think you are referring to my bedroom skills.”

“But I am.” My reply was filled with fake seriousness.

“Oh?” His brow rose higher.

“Yeah, last night you made me realize I was wrong. It’s not often I’ll admit that.”

“Agreed. Do tell.”

“Well, remember that cold shower on Zoe’s world that I said was better than sex? It so wasn’t. I’ll never use that saying so flippantly again. If you ever hear me say that, then you’ll know whatever I’m talking about has to be damn good.”

The mattress underneath us vibrated with his deep laughter.

“I do believe that’s what you humans would call a backhanded compliment, but I’ll take it. Just like I take you and the package of weirdness that comes included, little rabbit. I cannot imagine myself without it.”

He pulled our entwined fingers to his mouth, his kiss gentle on my skin, adding to the warm fuzziness already filling me from his words. A glimmer of black on my wrist caught my eye, and I pulled away, flipping my arm in shocked surprise. Starke’s ring was once again emblazed on my wrist, connected to the others. All joined in unity once more.

“Look,” I whispered in awe, my gaze lifting to his. “Do you see this? Your ring is back. You’ve branded me again.”

He grinned as he lifted my wrist to his mouth, kissing it gently and nipping at the rings, sending goosebumps prickling over my body.

“In more ways than one,” he growled possessively, and I flushed at the innuendo.

I wanted to say something profound to acknowledge what had happened between us and how much it meant to me, but his beautiful eyes held me spellbound. I didn’t want to shatter our perfect moment. Our small sliver of paradise. After all we had been through, we deserved this tiny spark of happiness, and to hell with the rest of the world.

Another rumble of thunder filled the room. There was a storm approaching. I opened my mouth to say as much to Starke, but my happiness quickly transformed to uncertainty as the mood in the room shifted instantaneously. His hooded eyes, only moments before filled with smoky desire, opened wide with panic.

“What is it?” I whispered.

“Get up!” His roar sent my heart thumping into overdrive.

“What…”

“Get dressed.”

I rolled from the bed, confusion slowing me down.

“How long has that been going on?” he asked as he leaped to his feet and began tugging on his pants.

“The thunder? A couple of minutes, I think. What’s happening?”

“It’s not thunder. It’s magic. Someone is trying to bring down the ward from the outside.”

Those words instilled shards of terror in my very soul and stopped me in my tracks.

“Asha?” I whispered, even as I forced myself to move again, reaching for my clothes.

“More than likely.” He shoved arms into his coat. “How did she find us? I was careful to not leave traceable magic.”

I paused for a second. But this wasn’t the time to keep secrets.

“I used Heligheas.” I whispered the word as if saying it out loud would allow Asha entry, but he heard me. He closed his eyes as if in pain.

“I’m sorry, but the spell you told me to use wasn’t working and you were dead, and I had to bring you back and…”

“It matters not,” he interrupted my panicked wailing. “There is no time for remorse. You did what had to be done.” His green eyes pinned me with their intensity. “We focus on escaping now. Grab your sai and do everything I say. I do not have my sword, and I cannot use blood magic. I am still too weak, and it will only allow her access back into my head. You have to be our strength, understood?”

I nodded in understanding, even if I didn’t agree. Me be the strength? But if anything, I trusted Starke. I would listen to his every word. I’d stand on my freakin’ head and juggle if he told me to. Yanking my shirt over my head, I buckled my sai sheath around my waist.

“She hasn’t penetrated the ward yet, so we still have time.”

“How do you know?”

“We are still alive and intact. That will not be the case if she gets her hands on us.”

Got it. We needed to get the hell out of here.

“What’s the plan?”

“As soon as we get outside, create a cloud cover to confuse them. Then, when I tell you, open the portal so we can jump. Not a second earlier. Got it?”

He didn’t wait for me to nod in agreement. He ran for the cabin door, me on his heels as we slipped outside into the freezing night air. After the brightness and warmth of the fire inside, the darkness encasing us felt like an icy shroud covering our skin. I blinked, adjusting my eyes to the star-filled sky.

I felt them long before I saw them. The morquals and Asha. Even with them being outside the ward, their magic hummed against my skin with the feel of maliciousness. Like they couldn’t wait to rip at our flesh, and the shiver that covered me from head to toe had nothing to do with the freezing air. How had I not picked up on this earlier?

“Cover us, Jette. Then, cease all magic immediately,” Starke whispered in my ear, and I jumped at his command.

Cover us. Right.

I closed my eyes and pulled one sai, tuning into the magic around us. Imagining in my head what I wanted to happen, I called to the magic, to the slushy water surrounding the cabin. The air around us thickened, and a cool mist sprayed my face as the fog rose fast, roiling around us and filling the ward with opaque clouds.

Starke reached for my hand through the thick fog. Good thing since I couldn’t see a foot in front of me, but Starke seemed to have no issue.

“Stay close,” he whispered, and I gripped his hand like it was a damn lifejacket and I was on the Titanic. He didn’t have to tell me. There was no way in hell I was letting go of him.

“Once they drop the ward, they will go for the cabin first since that will contain your magic aura. Hopefully, the fog will confuse them and keep us hidden enough so we have time to open a portal. As soon as you start using your magic again, Asha will know where we are, so you need to be fast and accurate. This has to be quick, Jette.”

His words were distorted by the dense fog but still clouded my brain with that familiar doubt. What if I couldn’t do it fast enough? As if Starke was aware of the panic strumming through me, he added, “I know you can do this. You will keep us safe. I have all the faith in you and your ability.”

Good. At least one of us had faith.

I stumbled through the haze, tripping over things, my breath ragged in my chest, but Starke’s grip kept me upright. I had no idea how he knew where he was going. I was totally confused and depending on him to keep us on point.

Something wet slapped me in the face. I stifled the scream on my lips at realizing it was just the leaves on a tree branch. Man, my imagination was in total overdrive. Understanding set in. We were in the small grove of trees behind the cabin. Starke led me in a couple more feet before stopping in a tiny clearing. Enough space to open a portal.

“Here,” he whispered. “Shay’s ward is strong, but it won’t take them much longer to break through. Find the door and open the portal as soon as that ward comes down. Be ready.”

I nodded even as I pulled my sai and conjured up the hallway. I paused for a moment. Where do we go? The wolven village? They’d probably rip Starke apart on sight without waiting for any explanation. Starke’s village? No, too far away, and I needed to warn my grandmother of the attack as soon as possible. And Asha already knew where my grandmother’s village was. I wouldn’t be giving it away. So, the village it was. I just prayed they’d ask questions first before shooting when they saw Starke.

Picturing the village in my head, I concentrated, waiting for Starke’s command.

A loud crack ruptured the dead calm like the sky itself had broken apart, and I nearly jumped from my freakin’ skin. Every part of me froze. My muscles petrified to rock. My eyes refused to blink as they peered through the fog. Even my heart fell quiet, too afraid to beat lest Asha and her creatures heard it.

“They’re in. Now, Jette.”

Only Starke’ reassuring touch on my back spurred me into action. Calling on my magic, the portal door came alive in my head with a beautiful glow like a welcome beacon. I ran toward it, twirling my sai and willing the portal open. Nothing happened. What the hell? I tried again.

Open, dammit.

Why wasn’t it opening?

A chilling laughter scratched its way into my consciousness, echoing down the long hallway of doors and piercing my mind, causing me to wince in pain.

“Seriously, elemental? You think you can outrun me? You think you can outsmart me?” the voice came from all around me, and I froze like her voice was ice water poured into my veins. I could feel her even if I couldn’t see her. Her dark presence and damned voice crawled into my head. I moved, twirling my sai in desperation, willing the door to open, but it remained stubbornly closed.

A whisper filled my ears the exact moment I felt the pull of her magic. I fought with all my might, but her power tugged at my core like she had a damn fishhook stuck in my gut and it dragged me across the clearing. The hallway disappeared, and I opened my eyes to Asha’s dark form as she emerged through the fog from the sky. She’d found us already.

Frantically, I searched for Starke. He was gone from my side. Where was he? What had this crazy witch done with him? Was he back under her control again?

I didn’t find him right away. The fog was rapidly lifting from the small break in the trees, now made even smaller by the two morquals standing on either side of the clearing and the half-dozen or so soldiers blocking the way. Running was not an option.

I caught a glimpse of movement over Asha’s shoulder. I saw Starke across the span, fighting to get to me. As his eyes locked with mine, they burned with warning. Whatever spell dropped from his lips, the three guards holding him flew backwards through the air, hit by an invisible explosion.

“Get away from her,” he snarled as he barreled toward us, but Asha’s hand shot out, and his lips clamped shut like there were invisible stitches holding them together. His hands and feet stuck together, suddenly held in place by invisible bands, and he toppled over to the forest floor like a felled Christmas tree. Two more soldiers approached and pulled him back upright, but he could no longer fight since her magic was holding him in place as if he were a trussed hog ready for the barbeque.

“Starke,” I called as he struggled against the bindings. An icy cold hand gripped my chin, trying to force my gaze away from him.

“Quiet now. Your attention is mine. Look at me.”

“Let him go,” I hissed, ignoring her words and trying to keep eye contact with Starke, as if letting go would mean never seeing him again.

“I said look at me. You understand if you obey me, I do not hurt you, yes?” she said softly, brushing a loose strand of hair from my cheek with her other hand. I flinched from her touch and tried to pull away. Her fingers dug into my chin even harder.

“You understand if you obey me, I do not hurt you, yes?” she repeated, her voice tinged with reinforced steel.

Swallowing back my helpless anger, I shifted my gaze to her and gave a tiny nod.

“Good. Now, forget about my traitorous son. I will deal with him later. You are the issue here right now.”

She twisted my head from side to side, studying my face.

“Hmm, I’m very curious as to your allure. You are far from a classical beauty. Not even close to the looks of the peasant girl, yet he seems to be more dedicated to you than he was to her. How is it that he betrayed me for you? He fought against the blood magic because of you. He defied me by hiding you instead of bringing you to me and lied to me about it. How is that even possible?”

I wanted to spit into her hateful face, but instead all I could do was growl, “Because he’s nothing like you, idiot. He actually has this thing called a heart. He’s good and kind, and nothing can change that about him, not even blood magic. He cares for people. And he cares for me, and not even your evil influence could change that.”

Her fingers dug in cruelly, and I thought for sure she was going to snap my neck right then and there. Instead, she let out a low hum that turned into an ugly laugh. She threw back her head and laughed like my vicious words were the best joke she heard in a while. She released my chin, and I swear I could feel the bruises forming on my skin already.

“You have spirit. I like that.” Her gaze moved down my body. “I can see where you have certain… charms that would captivate him, but certainly not enough to turn him against his own mother.”

I felt ickiness crawling over my skin at her malicious words. Like she knew exactly what happened between us and she was trying to cheapen it. To ruin it. I refused to let her. I lifted my chin as I glared at her.

“Like being able to show him love and affection? Something you know nothing about. You’d be surprised at what love can do to a person.”

“Love?” she huffed. “You actually believe he loves you? He is a Ryhill. They are incapable of such a thing. Trust me, I, of all people, should know.”

Maybe it was a trick of the light, but I swore a wounded look marred her icy composure for a split second before it disappeared. Really? Did Starke’s daddy break her stone heart at one time? Was her madness a result of a woman scorned and all that crap?

“He does love me,” I replied firmly, the slipup in her demeanor emboldening me.

“Hmph. Such a foolish girl. You must know that you are a simple human. A distraction. An oddity. A plaything. But what you hold over him cannot compete with the power I can give him. He will come back to me once he sees reason. You are nothing to someone as potent as him.”

She used her words like knives, trying to sink them into me up to the hilt. And before what had happened last night, she may have succeeded. But she was too late.

I shook my head at her lack of understanding, my connection with Starke making me reckless.

“You don’t get it do you? He cares nothing for the power that you crave. You already had your chance to turn him to the dark side. You failed. He remembered me. Even under your influence he still protected me. He still kept me safe. He will always keep me safe, no matter what you do. And this is proof.”

I held up my wrist for her to see Starke’s black sigil joined in unity with mine. A bond that would never be broken again.

She stared at the rings in silence. I expected anger and sarcasm. Instead, she lifted her head, and a smile lit her beautiful features, making her appear almost ethereal. Even knowing her true evil heart, I still sucked in air at the effect her Fae charms had on me. I almost wanted to agree with her totally. To apologize and tell her she was right. Starke belonged to her. Luckily, that feeling quickly passed as she turned to the man in question.

“Is that true, boy?” she asked, shrugging her delicate shoulders. “Will you always take her side?”

He winced as she ripped the invisible binding from his lips, only increasing the hatred in his glare.

“Accept your defeat, Asha. You cannot win. I will never stand by your side, no matter how much you try. I will not fail her again. You have my word on that.”

I couldn’t help the way my silly heart palpitated at his words and the sincerity in them. He truly meant it. He would never leave me again.

Unfortunately, Asha heard it too. She turned back to me, crossing her arms and tapping a blood-red nail against her chin like she was puzzling over a math problem. “Maybe you are correct. Maybe you are not the issue, but he is. I failed at wiping you from his mind. Maybe he truly is a worthless cause.” She sighed, a frown marring her beauty like she had the weight of the world on her shoulders. “A pity really. I had such high hopes for him. I mean every parent’s wish is for their child to follow in their footsteps, yes?”

“I wouldn’t know,” I growled, anger brewing in my chest. “You killed mine.”

“Yes, I did,” she replied nonchalantly, like I just mentioned the weather. “They were being an issue. Refusing to obey. They had such ridiculous ideas.” She leaned toward me and grinned like she was about to share a secret with me. A little tidbit between friends. “Did you know on the night your parents died your mother tried to kill you as well? It’s true. I was there. Instead of handing you over to the morquals, she threw you in the river and tried to drown you. She was more willing for you to die than to hand you over.”

I met her gaze unflinching. “That’s a lie. She saved me. She sent me through a portal to another world.”

“Ha! Is that what you believe? Silly girl. She did no such thing. You opened that portal yourself. If you hadn’t used your untapped powers, you would have died in that river. She was willing to let you go. She figured it was more trouble for us to let you die so we would have to start over. Find another water elemental, which she knew would take much longer.”

I tried not to react in any way possible, but she must have seen something in my expression that amused her, for she emitted that awful laugh again.

“But I digress. Family issues are a bitch, right? Same goes for Starke. Maybe it is far more trouble than it is worth to try with him again. Who would have thought your holier-than-thou mother and I would have something in common?”

I swallowed the metallic fear coating my tongue. “What the hell do you mean?”

She ignored me as she turned to a still glaring Starke. Before I could yell out a warning or try to stop her, she sent a flicker of magic through the darkness. I knew the moment it struck Starke since he stiffened before his whole body started jerking, like he’d just stuck a knife in a toaster. His look of agony tore at my insides as he collapsed to his knees, his now unbridled hands grabbing at his head, as if he was trying to keep it from ripping apart.

“Stop it,” I yelled as I ran at her back, grabbing at her damn arm, burying my fear under my anger. “Stop it. You’re hurting him.”

Despite her words, there was no remorse in her actions since I knew from the big, jagged grin on her face she was enjoying every moment of his pain.

Without losing her concentration with Starke, her now demented face turned my way and her free hand reached toward me. I held my breath as I took a step backward, but I was too late. She caught me in her magic web, and I froze in place, unable to move under her control. Her hand trailed contemplatively over my neck before sliding down my chest and resting on my heart.

She pressed in slowly. I felt the pressure of her claw-like nails against my chest, as if her whole hand was trying to slip between my chest bone and rip my heart out. The pressure was excruciating, and my body quivered with the scream I refused to give her. The chill of her eyes, her voice, terrified me as she whispered, “I wish nothing more than to rip your heart from your chest at this moment and let him watch you die as punishment for his betrayal. He would deserve it. You both would. Love is an illusion. It does not exist. Only pain and power matter in this world. You do realize his pain is your punishment to keep you in line?”

“No,” I grunted through the agony, trying to break her hold on me. “He’s your son. You can’t…”

“He is his father’s son.” Her face contorted in rage. “He is too much like him for his own good. I tried to change that, but I can see now he will clearly never see reason because of you, elemental. You will be his downfall. And since I need you more than I need him… well, life and death choices are never easy to make but undeniably necessary.”

Was this crazy-ass bitch talking about killing her own son? Over my dead body.

My anger broke through her hold, jolting my magic into responding before I did. The magic ripped me from under her control as it jolted down my arm and into my sai. The six-inch ice blade ejected from the tip of my sai within seconds and the scream that ripped from my throat was fueled by fear and anger as I lunged, aiming straight for her damn heart.

It never connected.

She slapped her hands together, catching the blade between her palms like she was killing a mosquito mid-air. Her emerald eyes transformed to black as I watched her face lose all traces of its former beauty. Her skin looked like it literally melted, sagging off her sharp chin and cheekbones, highlighting the ghoulish grin splitting her now wrinkled face.

Holy shit. Either this bitch was a master of glamour or she had one wicked makeup artist on payroll.

Her black eyes gleamed at me maliciously, and I could literally see the wisps of magic oozing from her hands into my sai. I tried to pull back for another attack, but her hands gripped my sai like a heavy-duty suction cup. I couldn’t escape her. And I couldn’t let go of my sai. My hand was superglued to it, and I had a sinking feeling this wasn’t going to end well.

Pain ignited in the fingers wrapped tight around the sai handle. It felt like hot flames were burning my digits, scorching off all the skin and sending waves of agony through my hand. It quickly spread up my arm and through the rest of my body, like I was being roasted alive and my body was melting from the inside out. Black spots swirled in front of my eyes as I struggled not to pass out. Still, I couldn’t let go.

Just when I thought Asha’s demented look of enjoyment would be the last thing I would ever see, a woosh of cool air enveloped me and brought blessed relief to my roasting skin. Asha’s eyes widened with exaggerated surprise as an arrow whizzed by me, catching her in the middle of her chest. She flew backwards, releasing me in the process. I stumbled back, the forest floor rushing up to meet in solid contact with my ass. I landed hard on my elbows, my head swiveling in confusion. What the hell was happening?

“Jette, come on!”

Zoe’s beautiful freakin’ face swam into focus. I shook my head in confusion, even as she reached out a hand to me. Zoe had shot Asha? Where the hell had she come from? I didn’t question my good fortune. There was no time. She yanked me to my feet as I noticed everything at once.Bish, Kara, Baylor and his merry men; my rescue party all highlighted by the most magnificent, brilliant blue portal I’d ever seen. They’d found me. They’d come for me.

“Starke!” I yelled out to him, knowing we had to haul ass, but he was already ahead of me. Without Asha ripping his head apart, he was back on his feet and rushing toward us, realizing as well as I did the portal was our only option of escape. And that he was most likely jumping from the frying pan into the fire.

Zoe yanked up her bow, aiming for Starke as I yelled at her, “No! Trust me. He’s with us.”

I saw the quick moment of indecision on her face before she thankfully accepted my words at face value, turning her arrows on the guards pursuing him instead.

“Jump!” Kara shrieked, the pressure on her face intent as she kept up the ward surrounding the portal while Baylor and his men sent a volley of arrows toward Asha’s guards and morquals, trying to keep them from penetrating the ward.

“Jette girl, what is this?” Bish shot at me as he stepped in front of Starke, blocking him.

“He comes with us,” I snapped, my words rushed, praying he wouldn’t argue.

He gave a quick nod as he stepped aside. “I hope you know what you are doing.”

Me too.

“Stop them!” Asha’s shrill words echoed about the clearing. Go figure, the witch survived an arrow to the chest. Of course it couldn’t be that easy.

“I go first,” I yelled at him, hoping he’d catch my point. If he went through first, he’d probably be shot on sight. I didn’t wait for his agreement. I jumped.

I went through, landing on the other side with my eyes squeezed tight against the fiery light assaulting me. Blinking back tears, I finally made out the massive shapes of the wolven and Jill in the center of them all, concentrating hard on keeping the portal open. The ring of fire crackled, and I knew someone else was coming through.

“Prince Starke is with me,” I yelled the warning so they all would hear. “He is not our enemy. Don’t retaliate against him.”

The words dropped from my lips just as Starke emerged from the portal. I heard the uneasy rustling as I rushed to his side, hoping my close proximity would keep him safe. He was soon followed by everyone else.

“Close the portal,” Kara yelled as soon as her feet hit the ground, and Jill didn’t hesitate. With impressive agility, her whip twirled, rapidly decreasing the ring until it disappeared from existence with a tiny pop.

Without the brilliant blue lighting up the field, everyone standing there became mere shadows. The sound of heavy breathing punctuated by uneasy murmuring filled my ears. No one really knew how to respond to Starke’s presence.

“Will they be able to follow us?” Someone from the group of silhouettes broke the silence, asking the question bobbing around my head.

“No. Not here. The wolven have this warded too well.” This voice I knew. It was attached to a lighted torch moving my way at a rapid pace. I squinted into the flames as the carrier came into view. My grandmother stared back at me, her gaze jumping from me to Starke. “Welcome back, Bridjette. It is good to see you whole and safe.”

Her tone suggested anything but, and I knew it was due to Starke’s presence at my side.

“But as you very well know, his presence will require some explaining. And it better be damned good.”

I sighed as Starke took my hand in support.

“We have a lot to talk about, Lady Athena.” Starke’s tone was solid and sure, so void of the fear running through my body.

“You have nothing to say I’m willing to hear right now, boy.” My grandmother’s tone could have frozen a river solid. “I only wish to hear from my granddaughter.”

This was not going to be easy. Athena already had her mind made up about Starke. I was going to have to do some intense convincing, and I wasn’t looking forward to that. It had already been a hell of a long night, and it was far from over. Yay.