*“We were meant to rescue each other, not cut down the forest to rescue one.” ― Shannon L. Alder*
***Third Person POV***
Navigating through the dark was hard, but trying to fight against unholy apparitions was another challenge.
The long, winding tunnel leading to Neron’s prison was guarded by sickly specters carved jaggedly from the shadows. It didn’t take Kiya nor Asim long to understand that a higher power summoned the misting beasts. Jonathan wanted to make sure no one but him and his lackeys were to get to his son, a significant sign of who he really wanted under his wing.
Unfortunately, the phantoms were horrifically weak against a powerful flash of light. Asim lowered his hand as lines of liquid gold sunk under his hickory flesh. He twisted his head behind him to glance at the shorter woman behind him. “Are you alright?”
“Yeah,” Kiya responded with a curt nod. “Those damn things didn’t touch me. We should probably get going before those things decide to put themselves back together again.” She tried to walk past the sun’s avatar but was stopped with a gentle hand on her shoulder. The woman paused and looked up at Asim, gesturing with her eyes for him to speak.
“I know you want to get to Neron badly, but we need to be prepared in case we’re ambushed before you can.”
Kiya blinked, exhaling quiet puffs of anger through her lips. Her body vibrated with the desire to dash forward and snatch her boyfriend from his cage, but she knew Asim was right. Violetta was fighting the mysterious woman at the entrance. Phoebe went to rescue Nuria, and here they were about to rescue the alpha; there was no doubt Jonathan was aware of their presence.
What bothered her the most was that the beast in the suit had yet to appear in front of them. If Jonathan knew they were slipping into his ‘home’ and taking the three people he wanted the most, wouldn’t he have put more preventative measures in place to stop them? Or was Jonathan so overconfident that he didn’t believe anyone would find him?
But there was the other option that he was *expecting* the infiltration, and the bastard was watching the events unfold behind the scenes.
Whether or not Jonathan was watching, it didn’t damper Kiya’s desire to get to Neron. In fact, the thought made the blood burn hotter. She wanted to prove to the old man that his interference won’t scare her away. It had been almost two days since he forcibly separated them, and her chest ached to have him close again. No, it was her *heart*. Kiya raised a hand and pressed it over her left breast, feeling the rapid thumping of the organ under the pads of her fingers.
She inhaled and exhaled slowly, letting Asim’s words marinate in her mind.
“You’re right. I’m getting a little too excited.” She lowered her hand. “Gotta stick to the plan, right?”
“Of course. You’re the one who made it.” Asim craned his neck upward to listen out for any anomalies in the now growing darkness. Waving his hand, he gestured for Kiya to follow behind him. The two trod carefully, using both stealth and the serrated walls as their guides as their flashlights gently illuminated the path for their feet.
Five minutes later, the woodsy aroma of sandalwood hit Kiya’s nose.
Her body grew warm, and her heart thudded faster.
Asim’s nose flared. “Not too far now.”
Another three minutes passed, and the two forced their backs against the wall when two voices floated in from the distant, barely lit entrance.
“*Not so tough now, are you, Neron*?”
“Another woman?” Asim asked in a whisper, flicking off his flashlight. He turned to Kiya to see her youthful face marred in a deadly scowl. He knew that look too well. It was the same look his Nailah would have if another woman got too close to him.
“*Get the hell off of me, Odessa*!” They heard Neron’s exhausted, almost pained voice shout. “*What is wrong with you*?!”
“*Why should I*? *You can’t even fight me*. *But that’s okay*!* I’m going to take care of you, just like old times*.”
Asim inhaled sharply and stepped to the side to allow Kiya to march past him with fire burning at her every step. An angry woman was a force of nature he couldn’t fight against, especially if another touched what belonged to her.
Odessa stuck her hands on Neron’s shoulders and straddled his waist, unable to contain the smile plastered on her face. She leaned forward to kiss the alpha, but Neron twisted his head away, narrowly avoiding his lips. The undead woman rolled her eyes. “Don’t be like that, Neron. If you kiss me, I’ll unchain your arms from the ceiling. They must hurt a lot.”
A dangerous growl left Neron’s lips. “I rather remain like this than to ever kiss you again. Get the fuck off me.”
“No. I like us like this.”
“Are you fucking hard of hearing?” He moved his body to push Odessa off him, but she hung on by tightening her knees on his waist. “GET OFF!”
“Nope! I’m going to take what I’ve always wanted. You don’t have the power to stop me.”
“*But I do*.”
Odessa shrieked when her head was tugged violently backward by the hair, a pain so sudden that her grip loosened around Neron, allowing her body to be extracted from him. Kiya dragged the woman against the ground, hauled her on her knees, and delivered a punch so powerful broken bones sang with the impact.
Kiya’s vision flashed red. “I should cut off your fucking hands for touching what’s mine!”
Odessa roared and surged forward to tackle her enemy to the ground, thus beginning a brawl between the avatar and the undead lackey. Ignoring the attention they might bring to themselves, both women screamed and assaulted each other; kicking, punching, scratching, and more. Asim stepped in and saw the scene and did what every sensible man would do.
He walked past as fast as he could. “Pardon me, ladies.”
Neron looked up at the hybrid with tired eyes. “Asim, how did you and Kiya get here?”
“It’s not just us. Phoebe and Violetta are here as well.” Asim examined his chains, catching the nasty red stretching outwards from the clasp. The women continued to fight and scream behind them. “Your father is a monster for using pure silver on you. How long have has he chained you up like this?”
“Long enough to lose feeling in both my arms.” Neron huffed. “Get me out of these damn things, but be careful. Silver can hurt you too, right?”
“To some extent.” Asim inhaled deeply and reached for the chains. In seconds, he pulled them from the ceiling, taking some rock with it. Neron groaned in relief when he lowered his arms, allowing the hybrid to rip the cuffs off his wrists. “Vampires aren’t affected by silver as much as werewolves are. Since I’m half of both, I rely more on my vampiric abilities in case I encounter silver or wolfsbane. Silver won’t hurt me if I don’t touch it for so long.”
“Lucky you.” The alpha winced as he rubbed his wrists. “Every bone in my body fucking aches.”
“Can you stand?” Asim offered his hand and Neron took it.
“Yeah, but I appreciate the help.” A shot of pain erupted from his side, forcing him to grasp it. “Dad did something…I don’t know what, but I feel like my head is in the clouds.”
“Can you feel your wolf?”
“I can. Onyx wouldn’t go down without a fight.”
“We need to get you out of here to get properly examined.” The Egyptian encouraged, wrapping Neron’s arm around his shoulder to support him. “And we need to help Kiya—”
The men were silenced when Odessa’s body whizzed past them and crashed into a wall, forming a crater almost twice her size. Rocks tumbled to the ground and dust accumulated in the air. Kiya charged forward like an angry bull and continued to punch her opponent deeper into the hole in the wall.
Neron’s lips rose into a grin, his eyes shining like sapphires. “I think my angel has it taken care of.”
Suddenly, Kiya was slammed on her back with Odessa standing over her, hand squeezing her throat, and her blade raised. Her pale skin was decorated with plum-colored bruising and blood dripped from the cut on her left temple, but all it did was enhance her already-menacing appearance. “This time, I’ll make sure you die!”
Before Odessa could plunge the blade into the avatar’s chest, a hand gripped the back of her neck and yanked her off Kiya’s body. The woman on the floor watched as Neron lifted her opponent to his eye level, her legs dangling from the ground because of his tall, almost-bear-like stature. Flames of hatred licked behind his blue eyes, stabbing daggers into Odessa as she stammered and scrambled to appease him, dropping her blade.
“Neron, baby! Don’t do anything you’ll regret!” She insisted, shining a nervous smile. “You wouldn’t hurt me, would you? I’m a lady, remember?” Odessa blinked her eyes innocently, folding her hands in front of her.
The growl that erupted from Neron’s chest shook the ground Kiya laid on. Tremors rocked through his body as his lips curled into a snarl. A sound left his mouth, a mixture of an angry grumble and a pained moan.
His eyes flashed gold.
And Odessa went flying yet again, this time through the hole she made earlier.
“She’ll definitely feel that in the morning,” Asim said, unable to take his eyes off the glaring hole, exposing another pathway likely leading deeper into the cavern system.
“Neron?” Kiya whispered, propping herself on her elbows. Her injuries slowly closed up. “…Babe?”
The alpha slowly turned his head toward his girlfriend, gold returning to mellow blue. His pupils dilated as he drank up Kiya’s form and presence, his heart calming to a gentle tempo. Her scent was still strong and sweet, just how he liked it. He leaned downward and offered his hand to her, waiting for her to take it.
Kiya’s lips curled into a sweet smile, her hand grasping Neron’s like two puzzle pieces fitting together. His fingers curled around the back of her palm, pulling her to her feet gently. Once Kiya stood upright, Neron wrapped an arm around her waist, slithering his fingers under the hem of the black V-neck shirt she wore. Her hands flew to his exposed chest, his shirt hanging off his elbows.
He brushed up against hard and tightened slits of skin.
“The scars will fade,” Kiya whispered when she felt his muscles taut under her hands.
“They shouldn’t be there,” Neron whispered back. “I should’ve stopped it from happening.”
“Neron, there was nothing you could do. We were ambushed and unprepared.” Kiya raised a hand to his cheek, brushing her thumb under his weary eye. “What matters is that we’re here, and together again.”
“Yes…” He whispered, removing her hand from her stomach and fusing it back to her waist. “You never called me that before.”
The avatar raised an eyebrow. “What did I call you?”
“Babe.” He repeated, his body heating from the endearment. “You called me babe. And you said I was yours.”
Kiya rose on the tips of her toes, unable to resist the magnetic pull of his lips. Neron followed suit by closing the distance between them, capturing her lips with hers. The woman sighed in absolute relief in the kiss, her body melting like ice to fire in his arms. The fog cleared from the man’s mind, all focused on the woman below him. All dooming thoughts about Neron’s condition and health faded into nothing when she welcomed the heat he was giving her with his body and hands. Neron wrapped both arms around his woman’s body and pulled her hips into his, squeezing as if he was trying to stop her from disappearing again. His tongue licked the seam of her lips and pillaged her mouth when she parted her lips for access.
It was two days. Almost two damn days. He was trapped with the image of her viciously stabbed and tossed into the river. He kissed her harder, drinking in her soft moans and radiating heat that shot to his navel like rocket launchers.
Whatever Jonathan did to him, it didn’t damper what he felt for Kiya. He fought as long and hard to remain in control; to hold on to the love he had for Kiya and the bond he had with Onyx. He could still feel his wolf and the mate bond. However, Neron knew the cavern system was fucking with his mind, because he could feel his father *everywhere*.
*Even in his head*.
But, with Kiya in his arms, pressing silent messages and wishes into his lips, none of that mattered. When they separated to catch their breaths, he pressed her forehead against hers, swiping the tip of his tongues against her lips playfully. Kiya giggled and blushed.
“The ‘babe’ thing just…came out.” She explained, averting her eyes to the side. “It felt…natural, I guess. Do you like it?”
“You know I do.” Neron chuckled, kissing her nose. “It makes me feel giddy.”
“Giddy?” She arched an eyebrow, finding his eyes again with a smirk. “Aww, that’s adorable. I’ll keep it up.”
“You better.” He growled playfully. “Goddess, I missed you.” His hands went to her waist again. “When we get home, I’ll work on replacing the memories of your stomach scars with good ones.”
“How are you going to do that?” Her answer was a suggestive smirk from her boyfriend, forcing her to blush again. “Goddess, Neron. You’re such a—”
“A man?” He laughed. “I told you before, Kiya; I can be a gentleman when you want me to be, but sometimes…” His hand twirled around a twist framing her cheek. “…I don’t want to be.”
“*Can you be a gentleman until we leave the cavern*?”
Neron and Kiya jerked their heads toward Asim lingering at a corner, waving a hand. The couple blushed hard and awkwardly separated, clearing their throats. In their reunion, they had completely forgotten that they had another person in the room.
“Sorry.” They apologized in unison.
“No worries.” Asim laughed. “You both reminded me of how much I needed my wife.”
Kiya opened her mouth to speak until a voice flooded her mind. “*Kiya*. *Celeste and Nuria are on their way to Violetta right now*. *I have my hands full with Rhea, so don’t be alarmed if I don’t show up when you get Neron*.”
“*I already have him*. *Asim and I will leave the cave soon*. *Do you need help*?”
“*No*. *I have this handled*. *Just get the family out before Jonathan ambushes us*. *It’s only a matter of time*.”
Understanding the gravity of the situation, Kiya inhaled sharply, capturing the attention of the men. “We need to go. Phoebe mind-linked me that she got Aunt Essie and Nuria out from their prison.”
Neron sighed with relief above her.
Asim turned to Neron. “Are you sure you’re able to walk on your own?”
“I’m not handicapped, Asim.” Neron winced, moving his hand from Kiya’s cheek to his hurt side. Pain exploded on contact, forcing a groan from his lips. He closed his eyes when he felt his girlfriend’s hands on his arm.
“What the hell did that bastard do to you?”
“A story I’ll tell once we get out of here.”
Asim wrapped his arm around his shoulders. “You’re not handicapped, but I’m still helping you out of here. It’s better this way; I can protect your back while Kiya protects your front.”
“But, just in case…” He pointed to the ground. “Give me that knife.”
Kiya followed his finger and spotted Odessa’s fallen blade. She hadn’t heard her stir since she crashed into the wall a second time. Kneeling, she picked it up and handed it to Neron. After giving her his thanks, the trio left the prison with haste.
Upon learning that its prisoners had escaped their chains, the ground rumbled and groaned with fury. Torches shook in their holders and rocks rained from the craggy ceiling like scattered rain. Asim, Neron, and Kiya made it to the platform where they split off from Phoebe, watching pebbles and boulders roll down into the darkened pit leading to deeper earth.
“Earthquake?” Kiya asked.
Asim shook his head. “This is not a natural earthquake.”
“Dad knows.” Neron groaned, clutching his side harder. “We can’t stay. He’ll trap us here forever before giving us the chance to escape.”
“That’s what he thinks.” The woman growled, gesturing with her hand for the men to follow her. They entered the tunnel that held the path to the outside, leading to familiar faces hovering over a fallen woman Violetta set against the wall. The air rippled with the smell and feel of electricity, undoubtedly coming from the sea goddess’ avatar.
“Neron!” Celeste cried out with relief. Nuria turned her head and broke out into a run, hugging her brother in silence, but the hug spoke louder than her words. The alpha smiled and hummed weakly when his mother came over and also hugged him, dropping a sweet kiss to his forehead. Celeste looked down and noticed her son clutching his side, her eyes watering with tears. “Oh, my baby, you’re hurt. What did that man do to you?”
“What hasn’t he done yet?” Nuria grumbled, running a hand through her hair.
“I’m all for family reunions, but we need to go,” Violetta announced, dropping her gaze down on her mother. She and Katalina engaged in a long-standing, electrifying battle, both sporting electric burns on their skin and bloodied bruising. Violetta sustained more because of her reluctance to fight back, but in the end, with Amphitrite’s blessing infused in her powers, she put an end to her mother’s onslaught, knocking her unconscious. Huffing, she turned to the crowd. “The exit isn’t far.”
“No!” Nuria shook her head. “We’re not leaving without Phoebe!”
“She didn’t come back yet?” Kiya asked, looking behind her. “We can’t stay! This place will collapse over our heads because of this damn earthquake.”
“Then I’ll go back and get her. You all go ahead without us and we’ll meet you outside. I can’t leave her alone with her crazy-ass sister!”
“Like hell we’re leaving you!” Neron spoke up. “Phoebe wouldn’t want you throwing yourself head-first into danger.”
Everyone jumped at the increased rumbling of the ground, leading to an explosion. Heads turned to see the ground splitting in their direction, thrusting toward their feet. Adrenaline pumped through multiple bodies, forcing everyone to break out into runs, away from whatever was slithering underneath the ground.
They were ten feet from the exit when they were stopped by Kiya’s screaming.
What burst from the ground was a large snake phantom wrapping around Kiya’s frame, lifting her body off the ground until it shifted into the form of a man. Hands gripped the woman’s chin and forehead, clutching tight in a lethal position to snap her neck. The phantom cleared to form the man responsible for the madness, Jonathan Prince.
Everything happened so fast.
Jonathan’s threats to kill the woman dangling in his arms and to trap his family carried through the tense air. Snake apparitions burst through the ground, launching toward his family and the avatars. Panic and anger amalgamated together in a concoction threatening to spin out of control. The exit to the safety of the outside was slowly clouded over with black.
Until Neron put a stop to it with a roar of fury and threw the blade in his hands, landing with expert position into Jonathan’s right eye.
The beast roared in pain, flinging Kiya out of his arms to clutch his now injured eye. Neron caught her in his free arm, cringing when he saw his father was bleeding black as opposed to red.
Suddenly, a booming shock-wave expanded the space between the group and Jonathan and a flash of deep blue and violet energy hitting the latter square in the chest, sending him propelling back into a distant wall.
Everyone gasped in shock, but Asim was the only one who paled.
That action alone increased the intensity of the earthquake, forcing stalagmites to hit the ground.
“Head to the exit!” Asim yelled.
All but one obeyed. Nuria turned on her heels and ran deeper into the cave, dodging her father’s fallen body and raining rocks and boulders, taking advantage of the distraction.
Stuffy earth cleared to fresh forest air, the natural darkness of the night blanketing the forest from above. Bodies flew out of the cave’s exit, rocks tumbling down from the cliffs to block the hole in a staggering heap. Breathing heavily, everyone caught their breaths as their lungs filled with pleasant air.
“I am never going into a cave again.” Violetta declared with a hand over her chest.
“Ditto.” Kiya responded, coughing out dust.
Celeste looked around the crowd, rubbing her sore, reddening wrist at the familiar faces of her children. When she saw one was missing, she shrieked, “Where is Nuria?!”
Everyone shot their heads up and darted their heads around for the familiar head of hair, but didn’t find her. However, before the panic settled in, rocks were kicked from the entrance from the inside. The group bristled in preparation that Jonathan or his lackeys might have followed them out but were met with both an unexpected and relieving sight.
Phoebe, in her avatar form, walked out of the rubble with Nuria in her arms. “We’re alright. Dusty with minor injuries, but we’re okay.”
“I told you that you looked hot, right?” Nuria asked, waggling her eyebrows. “But, up close? You look *ravishing*.”
Phoebe dropped her gray eyes down to her mate, her jet-black hair fluttering in the wind. “There is no reason that you should have the energy to flirt with me after you almost lost your life. Do you ever think before you do something?”
“Eh, about forty percent of the time.”
“Never risk your life like that again.” The avatar reprimanded as she walked closer to the group. “I would’ve made it out fine. You got lucky.”
“Are you angry with me, Phoebe?”
“I’m not.” She set Nuria on her feet with a sigh. “I should’ve expected it, actually. You’re an alpha and your protection senses don’t have a limit.” Phoebe wrapped her arms around her waist and rested her head on her chest. “Do as I say next time, alright?”
Nuria chuckled, pulling her mate in by the hips and kissing her hair, watching it fade from black to strawberry blond. “It’ll depend on if we’re in battle, on a date, or in bed.”
“Oh, get a room!” Nuria heard her brother bark out and shot back with sticking her tongue out at him.
“Let them have their moment.” Kiya reached up and touched Neron’s arm. Asim released him once he saw he could hold up on his own. Her eyes softened when she looked into his. “They’re safe. We’re safe.”
“Yeah, for now…” Neron mumbled, thinking about the undead inside the cave. It wasn’t over between him and his father, not by a long shot. He had all the time in the world to think about what had happened, but all he wanted to focus on was Kiya. Everyone he knew and cared about was out of the hellhole. That was all that mattered.
He pulled Kiya into another kiss, melting into her essence as Phoebe teleported the entire group to Garnet Moon, officially putting an end to the cave fiasco.