31. Vessa
31
Vessa
H e tensed at the whisper leaving my lips as I unsheathed my dagger. I bared my teeth and went for him. He pivoted and took a few steps back as shock raked through the bond. In the same breath, he grinned, expecting nothing less of me.
“I will always love dancing with you, Desert Storm, even one as dangerous as this.”
So this was what wild love felt like; it was untamed and turbulent. Nameless and unexpected. Like a storm without warning, he’d come into my life with the force of his wind and pulled me onto his path. Like any unexpected storm, destined to leave mass devastation, one never had a name until it reminded you of the loss.
“Ryder,” I whispered, a word that nearly wrecked him through the bond as his jaw clenched.
All I saw was red and all I heard were words that drifted upon an echo of promises we had made.
“You’re going to be mine. I don’t think any forced bond could take that away from us.”
“You don’t have to hide from me, cowboy. I see all your demons.”
But I’d missed this one.
“Who we were before won’t matter if you will have me for who I’ll try to be from here forward.”
This was him trying? He had been hours from handing me over to Fang. Even if the woman behind that desk hadn’t told me where he was, all I would have had to do was follow his thread of betrayal and the faint wailing sound of the Eternal stone. Its cries only grew the closer we got.
I went into a stance, dagger at eye level, and kept my shadows lurking in my grip.
I saw the ring dangling against his chest, the one I’d given to him the night I’d decided to share a piece of myself with a reckless cowboy who had been on his way to stealing my heart, so I went for his.
He whipped his lasso around my waist, but I caught it pulling him forward. I tried to cut the rope with my dagger, realizing the bond we shared wouldn’t allow it.
Ryder tsked as he closed the space between us. “It cannot be done so easily.” I growled as he blocked every attempt. “We don’t have time for this; there are bigger things at stake here,” he said.
He somehow wrapped the lasso around my arms and yanked me toward him. With my arms pinned, he held a firm, warm grip on my sides. The subtle drag of his thumbs along my flesh fluttered my heart. Damn him.
He searched my face, finding that flicker of desire still burning for him.
“Gods-damn, woman. Your essence is everywhere, and I cannot escape you even if I tried. Your scent is in the wind, and your touch remains an imprint on my tarnished heart.”
“Go to hell,” I said.
He grinned. “Only if you sit beside me.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Fang’s satisfied glare enamored at the sight of me. It quaked down my spine sending my upper lip twitching into a snarl. I’d seen him before. Though he was clearly a Water Fae, something else stuck out. My mind reeled, trying to place where our eyes had met before as the two men stared at me from two distances—wanting me in different ways.
One with a loss of logic because his cock and heart were hand in hand, and the other with flat-out greed. I saw the look in Fang’s eyes; he wanted me dead.
I was done being seen as something to kill.
Ryder loosened his grip, and the lasso fell to the ground in a plume of smoke. I narrowed my eyes on Fang, taking a few steps forward, observing the contrast between his blue-tipped ears and terrible crimson shirt. “Blue is a shitty color on you,” I scoffed, feeling a flutter of darkness curl up my wrist.
“That’s what I said.” Ryder’s voice interrupted my following thoughts.
“I’d shut the fuck up if I were you,” I snapped.
The weapons on the wall behind Fang rattled from the water leaking through the cracks of its broken surface, gathering over pikes and axes. Some appeared to have been rusted over time; they must have belonged to beasts not of this world. No man or fae could hold such a weapon and remain standing.
“Still wild and free. It’s been a very long time since I’ve seen you, little shadow . But now that you’re all grown up, you remind me less of a shadow and more of a death comet .” Fang’s words swept a chill down my spine as my vision blurred, tunneling into a swarm of memories of the masked man Pa had traded with upon our shores.
“Little shadow. Is that your name? Here, have this…”
“We trusted you,” I whispered, shaking my head in disbelief with vengeance swirling around my hands. The more I looked into those eyes, the better I recalled the man who had mimicked my nickname the moment he’d heard Pa say it. The man who had made me feel we were a spectacle every time his boats had docked our shores. He hadn’t been there to trade with the Umbra Fae, he had come to scope us out.
Before I could spit out another word, his power of Ari forged a hold around the weapons. They broke from the shackles of the wall, shooting straight for us.
Ryder turned, pushing my body behind him as he summoned his power in a forceful gale. His wind parted the weapons, which speared past us into rubble. As I felt the rush of metal whiz by, the call of the Eternal stone was a hiss sending goosebumps along my arms.
The urgency to end Fang curled around my fists, but the call of the stone was louder.
This is not my fight.
The words sent an understanding, knowing the fight belonged to the man who stood behind me in what was once the doorway.
Pa strode forward, releasing a tremor under the ground that rippled like a whip, sending the stones beneath our feet rolling through the expanse of the room, splitting marble in its wake until a large boulder flung up and clipped Fang on the side.
The Umbra Fae knew how to make an entrance that showed the city this wouldn’t be tolerated any longer. Take it for what it was. The stone didn’t belong here, and neither did any of us.
“Look who it is. The devil himself.” Fang grinned, wiping the blood off his face.
“How does it feel to be so close to death?” Pa said, arching a salt-and-pepper brow. He plucked the toothpick from his mouth and flicked it away.
“I guess you’ll have to ask your wife and the rest of your village yourself.” Fang’s grin widened, satisfied to see the truth rake down my spine. A cold lick of sweat swept over me before heat coursed through my body. “The looks on your faces are as priceless as the blood in your veins, but now that I think of it, seeing your people die still takes the cake.”
There was nothing more to lose as we stood before the one who betrayed us.
Pa stalked forward, staking claim as he challenged Fang to a duel. The air was charged as the two faced off. Fang’s fingers twitched as they hovered above the holster while the other hand churned with power. I’d seen Pa in many showdowns but none that would avenge the years of grief and pent of rage we’d endured. The darkest shadows spun around his fingertips. I knew only one man would leave this room standing, and as Pa cracked his neck and squared his shoulders, my bet was on him. I felt his power surge. There was nothing that could quell the loss, only the vacant look in Pa’s moonlit eyes as End’s Wrath fully awakened.
I backed away, but Pa looked straight ahead with words that would forever haunt me. “Whatever you do, Vessa. Never look back.”
I paused, not realizing the effect it had on me until tears lined my lashes. The ground shook once more, causing the walls behind Fang to swell with water. Pa refused to look at me, but I caught sight of the anger brimming in his eyes as silence hung between us.
“Go,” he said, jaw fluttering as he darted a glance at Ryder, giving him a nod. I felt Ryder’s firm hold on my bicep as he pulled me away. I nearly stumbled, but my eyes remained on Pa, always on Pa, until the wall broke free behind Fang and he siphoned every drop to bend around him. Another quake shook the ground, and Pa sealed himself in. The rubble became an impenetrable wall as his silhouette disappeared into a cloud of dust. We were back in the foyer, a room of ruin, save for the few statues of faces and limbs that had survived his wrath.
“I didn’t know Fang was responsible,” Ryder said, full of devastation.
Shock still consumed me as his words echoed. There was no time to process anything.
The sound of muscles and bones meshing together made me turn. I caught sight of a limb being torn off a man as Raven so effortlessly ripped it from its socket. His shirt was torn, exposing his left pectoral. His hair disheveled as the muscles in his forearms glistened beneath a fresh layer of blood. Somewhere amidst the chaos, he’d lost his hat, exposing a sliver of pointed ears. He was in his element. Blood coated his lips and the tip of his nose. I felt like I was seeing how he hunted for the first time but as a blood-lusted fae. As I looked behind him into the city, plumes of smoke rose from homes and buildings. The smell of gunpowder filled the air while shots rang out in the distance. My lips parted slightly, unable to grasp what was unfolding before my eyes.
“This can’t be,” I murmured, taking a few more steps toward the chaos. I saw Elemental Fae with no more chains of glamor. There were more pointed ears and powers than I had seen in years, and they were fighting back. “How?” I whispered.
“Apparently, we started a revolt against Fang’s reign. They kept saying, ‘The Umbra is here,’” Raven said.
I looked over my shoulder at the wall, knowing Pa was getting revenge on the other side. Raven placed knowing hands onto my shoulders, dragging his thumbs in comfort. Anger swept down Ryder’s spine, ricocheting through the bond where I’d shut him out. I could tie off the threads that bound us all I wanted, but the truth was, that shimmering light would keep bleeding through the cracks toward him.
“I told you your day would come. Now, what do you need?” Raven said, searching my eyes; my bond with him was different. Before I allowed my thoughts to roam over how the fuck this would work, I cleared my throat and took a deep breath.
“We need to find where Fang is holding the stone,” I said, turning my attention toward the long-haired, brute cowboy who still elicited a burning desire in me. I stabbed a finger into his chest. Ryder grinned in response, sensing the effect it brought. “And you’re the asshole who’s going to take me to it.”
The sound of a civil war muffled the cries of the Eternal stone. Between Ryder and me, I knew we would somehow find the way. He led us down a narrow hall that veined east of Fang’s palace. The muscles in Ryder’s neck and forearms pulled taut as he walked the halls. An awkward silence loomed while emotions from the three of us were left to fester. I didn’t realize how deep in thought we had all been until Ryder spoke.
“So are we going to talk about why Raven has a mouth rimmed with blood, or is it going to be something we never mention?”
I growled, quickening my pace as the sounds of gunfire faded behind us. I listened for the hum that felt like unspoken words, waiting for the gentle flutter along my arms to pull me into the Eternal’s unseen path. Whether it was fate or the stone itself, I listened. Ryder scratched the scruff of his beard as we came to a halt.
“Wait,” he said. I quickly turned, slamming my brows together, not realizing I had stepped into his space. “It won’t be long until more of Fang’s lawmen come after us. I know the stone could be in two areas, but we don’t have time to search both.” He looked down, searching my eyes as he pressed a hand on my arm—a plea in his gaze. With a subtle nod, I let him in. His end of the bond broke through those barriers, putting my thoughts at ease. I felt him, his voice, his aura, smooth and sultry as those piercing blue eyes stared back at me between a frame of wavy dark hair. He moved through my thoughts as wind, a warmth that settled over my body.
“You are connected to the Eternal as I am now with you. With my wind, the power of Nai will show its path,” he said through the bond.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Raven lean against the wall and look away, frustrated. I couldn’t go there now.
I gave Ryder a nod. He softly exhaled as he pressed a palm over my sternum where the mark was. The threads of our bond fused with power, creating a soft, glowing light between us. He closed his eyes as a rush of energy blew past us in a breeze. My shadows unfurled, giving sight to the wind glittering like the stars on the path to the Eternal stone. When he opened his eyes, a smile curved the corner of his mouth.
In a calm tone, he said, “Let’s go.”
It wasn’t long until it led us down a few more narrow halls. Around every turn, the ground gradually sloped deeper into the palace.
Ominously, the marble faded to old cobblestone walls as water dripped from the ceiling. Candles lit the path to a room with no doors. Through it, I heard the Eternal stone’s soft cry. I looked up at Ryder, whose stare remained on the entrance. Adrenaline coursed through me as I stepped forward, leaving the two men behind. Heat immediately wafted from the room, and I summoned shadows to curl around my hands. I kept my darkness at my fingertips, clenching my jaw as I stormed in.
Upon entering, the smell of fire filled the air, and the crackle of popping lava churned in a three-tier fountain made of lava stone. Its onyx structure encircled the palm-sized Eternal stone that was placed upon an altar. Behind it were three stained-glass windows depicting a man and a woman in medieval armor, warriors kneeling with swords for a dark-haired woman in the center. She was garbed in white and appeared to be in midair. Their eyes were closed with sullen expressions, magic etched into the glass above them with wind on one side and snow on the other. The windows looked out to an ocean view, indicating we were on the cliffside.
“What is this place?” I said, staring at the stone as something deep within my soul ached.
My jaw fell open.
“They are bleeding out the Eternal, keeping it under constant flame. This explains what the Fire Fae do for Fang. He’s been using them…for this,” Raven said.
“Fang mentioned the power was waning.” Ryder darted a look of concern my way as his lips slightly parted.
“It is… dying. ” Anger stung my eyes. I looked at my hands, but the illness coursing through my body was always a constant ache. If I am connected to the stone, then… I gasped. “I am dying.” I took a few steps back as my eyes bounced between the Eternal stone and the two men with the same worried expression.
This is why I’ve needed more tonic lately.
“This is fucking crazy,” Raven said as he walked toward the middle window facing the ocean. He dragged a hand through his hair and groaned. As he turned my way, his gaze was glossed over. Between the falling lava, determination soon found its way to the surface. “Vessa, what are you going to do about it?” he asked, not in a desperate plea, but with resolve.
A grin curved my lips. “These assholes are done fucking around.”
I looked at Ryder, who was beaming with pride as I stepped onto the fountain’s ledge. Now at eye level with the Eternal stone, I held out a hand, calling upon the power of Ano and Ama . I was a gods-damn half-light for a reason. The truth had bound me to harness both sides of the moon, the light and the dark. Born on a blue moon, chosen by the goddesses. This power that made me a prize and a curse coursed through my veins until it unveiled itself in my palm. I called upon the Eternal stone through my mind, searching for the threads of gravitation until I felt the connection to the stone. I screamed as pain spread across my chest, feeling the Eternal stone’s agony under fire. Sweat beaded down my face, and my pulse rose to a racing speed. I pushed forward, gritting my teeth against the hold. The moment I lassoed the bond, the ground rumbled beneath our feet. Lava swirled and lapped against the fountain. I moved my foot just in time.
Fuck…
I glanced at Ryder, who was seconds from pulling me off the ledge in case more toppled over.
“Come on,” he whispered, watching my every move. He nodded and licked his bottom lip in anticipation.
Another scream tore through my throat as the stone loosened from its hold, sending fissures to vein up the walls around us.
The Eternal stone lifted. Upon release, a calm washed over me as it cooled before dropping onto my hand. With just a touch, the glow melted into my palm and up my arm, a temporary rejuvenation, enough to get me through this.
My eyes bounced between Ryder and Raven as tremors still shook the ground. “I’m going through Blightstone Hollow to Earth’s Fall, and from there, I will place the stone far from reach.”
“At dusk we ride.” Pa’s voice sent me spinning on my heels, a sound that brought me much comfort. He stood in the doorway with a toothpick hanging from his mouth. “I ain’t dying in this shithole. Let’s get the hell out of here.”
It didn’t take long for Raven to scout where our horses had run off to. While we followed Raven to our mounts, Pa dragged Fang’s body by a rope binding his hands and legs. The monster was hardly recognizable, having been nearly beaten to death.
“Better him than me,” Ryder scoffed.
Pa turned, looking him dead in the eye. “I don’t involve myself with the melancholy of love.” He glanced my way. “She’s your problem now,” he said with a wink.
Pa was more than a man. He was a predator who knew how to keep his prey barely alive long enough to torment them. The city dwellers stared upon End’s Wrath, getting a taste of their fate if they dared to step in his way.
“Who we were before won’t matter if you will have me for who I’ll try to be from here forward.” Ryder’s words echoed in my mind. He looked out into the city as sweat beaded above his brow with a few strands of hair clinging to his neck. Beneath the exterior of this beautiful man was no hero—he was the villain just trying to survive the monster he’d become. I knew that now. We all had a side of ourselves we kept hidden. I didn’t forgive him, and I certainly wouldn’t forget it either. Still, I couldn’t help feeling we were on borrowed time. Once we reached Earth’s Fall, I was uncertain what would come next. I stepped into Ryder’s space, catching a faint smile beneath his stare. He leaned down and linked an arm around my waist. Wind drifted between us as he brushed a few strands of hair behind my ears, exposing them in broad daylight.
“Look at what you’ve done, Desert Rose,” he whispered. There was a warmth that spread across my chest as I turned to see Elemental Fae stepping into the light, no glamor, no gloves. I could finally take a moment to truly soak in a sight that nearly brought me to tears.
“We’ve made quite the mess,” I said. “I wish my Ma and Lia?—”
Pa whistled loud enough for his stallion to hear.
I chuckled faintly, linking my arms around Ryder’s neck. “I see all your demons, every single one.”
A sliver of that pearly smile peeked out from the corner of his mouth.
“And I see you,” Ryder said through the bond. I was reminded of how he’d felt, his scent, and the way his body had rolled against mine as he’d buried himself inside me.
I pressed up onto my toes, brushing my lips along his dark, shadowed jawline, loving the way his scruff felt against my lips before they found his.
I deepened the kiss in a serene surrender. “I’m in search of a guide who can accompany us through Blightstone Hollow. Extra points if he has the skills of a bounty hunter.”
Ryder’s eyes roamed over my lips as if he were still starved. He took my chin in his hand, chest pressing against mine. “As long as I’m breathing, anyone who steps in your way will be slain at your feet.”
“Is that a promise?” I drawled. He smiled, the sharp edges of his canines peeking out. “Your promises seem painful,” I said.
“Are you afraid of pain?”
“Are you?” I pressed my palm against his chest, shadows unfurling to claws that slipped between the fabric of his shirt, caressing his chest hair.
“I asked first,” he challenged, sweeping his gaze across my face. Silence hung in the air as I mischievously grinned. “You’re staring at me like I’m a prize,” he claimed.
I smiled. In some ways, he was. A dangerous one at that.
Raven’s silhouette flew above us, drawing my stare to the sky as he scoured the area.
One by one, we quickly reined in our horses and rode east, away from Fang’s crumbling palace with his body strapped across a riderless horse. We weaved through brawl after brawl between humans and fae. The Eternal stone was tucked inside a small pouch hidden in my vest pocket. Ryder led us to the east side gates as fast as our horses could carry us.
When two worlds collide.
The words of our ancestors echoed through my mind. I felt the power of amber and bloodstone that made the Eternal what it was.
I felt its yearning for Earth’s Fall.
Home.
The word descended upon my thoughts.
I glanced over my shoulder, seeing Pa’s look of satisfaction as Fang’s body rode beside him. Fire scorched several areas of the city we left behind.
They said you had to forget who you were in order to survive these lands. Behind those walls had been a future built off greed. No one should be forced to forget where they came from.
I was the equalizer.
The half-light who had carved a path for them to decide how their own futures would pan out.
As we headed east for Scarlet Gallows, destiny would lead us down the Serpent’s Path in Crimson Valley and into Blightstone Hollow, where fate patiently awaited.