Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
Dara
I find Elijah, Alaric, and Kayla downstairs in the living room. I sit down next to Kayla, she places her hand on my leg, offering me a smile. I haven’t spent much time with her the past couple of days with everything going on; I’ve seen her at night but only briefly. She’s looking so much better and seems to be back to her healthy self. Alaric has been staying in my room with her, never leaving her side. It’s safe to say they are officially a couple. They are all loved up when they’re around each other. It feels good to see her here with us and back to normal; that’s one less thing we have to worry about.
“We need to send a team out with Dara to see if we can get any leads on the Ruby. I think we should head for the castle and its surrounds to see what we find,” Harlan suggests, glancing around the room at everyone.
“I know our main priority is finalising the cure, which will be ready any time now. But we still need to get some leads on the final stone. James will have slayers patrolling the forest and surrounding his kingdom, waiting for Dara, so we need to be on high alert,” Harlan continues, his eyes staying on mine this time. My throat goes dry. He’s right; we have to be on high alert.
With everything else going on, finding Ruby isn’t going to be easy. I’ve been cooped up inside all week. I feel on edge. Maybe some time out in the forest will help clear my mind.
“Who’s going and who’s staying?” Blair asks, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Me, Dara, Declan, Oliver, and Alaric,” Harlan responds, pausing and looking to Kayla next to me. Her hand tightens on my leg and starts to sweat.
“Are you up to coming, Kayla?” Harlan asks, sounding unsure.
Kayla’s silent for a minute before opening her mouth.“I-I’m not ready just yet,” she stutters out.
I reach down and give her hand a squeeze, silently telling her it’s okay. She doesn’t have to be ready.
“That’s fine. You can stay here with Blair and Jolie,” Harlan says, offering her a smile.
Oliver claps his hands together.“All right. Let’s head out.”
After standing, I lean down to give Kayla a tight hug.“Please be safe,” she whispers in my ear.
“Always. Hard to bring me down.”
She smiles back, giving me one last squeeze.
I meet the guys at the door and we head off. It’s deadly quiet. Only a few people are out walking through the village, and they are on edge constantly looking around, peering over their shoulders. One guy with deep blue overalls who I’ve seen with Albert before is lent down in his garden bed picking out herbs. He stands, his eyes scan the forest, and his brows draw together. After a minute, he takes an axe from the ground, hoists it over his shoulder then hurls it into a log. It splits in two with a satisfying thwack. He catches my eye, and a smile hits his lips. He nods then goes back to work.
Everyone’s tucked away inside their homes—not one child is out playing. This hits me hard. Everyone deserves to wander around, especially kids. They should be able to play and feel safe. But James has causedthis; he’s caused panic. Everyone’s on edge, waiting for his next attack and worrying about those who are sick. I want to scream out to the forest, to tell him what I think. I want him to hurt like we are. To live in fear like we are. The only way I’m going to hurt him is by finding the Ruby and finishing this once and for all.
Oliver places his arm around my shoulder, bringing me back from my thoughts.
You ready, Vixen? he mentally asks me. It has been so long since we’ve used our mental connection to communicate. It sends a shiver down my spine.
I was born ready. I smirk, leaning over and placing a light kiss to his lips. Just as we reach the border of our village, Harlan turns around, crossing his arms over his chest.
“I’ll be heading out in front; Oliver and Declan, you both stay next to Dara at all times. Alaric, you take up the back.” He pauses, catching my eye. “Dara, as we head through the forest, I want you to connect with the forest and your magic.”
Taking my lip between my teeth, I nod and we set off.
It feels different out here now; it used to be easy to connect to the forest, but this outside part is now dead. I can’t feel the magic.
We continue on, but I stop as a crack of thunder booms around us followed by bright lightning. I glance up. The sky’s turning darker and darker as each second goes by. A shiver works its way down my spine. It’s eery how dark it suddenly got.
The guys are up ahead, still walking. They’re looking up at the sky, clearly noting the change, but don’t seem to have noticed that I’ve fallen back. Alaric stops in line with me.
“Storm’s coming in strong. Maybe you should try connecting to the forest now before we head back,” he suggests just as more thunder rumbles around us.
“I’ll signal for the guys to stop,” he says, walking away.
Kneeling, I place my hands on the dry, blackened forest floor. I grab a handful of dirt. Closing my eyes, I take several deep breaths, trying to calm down my racing heart; the thunder roars aggressively from above, putting me off slightly. My heart beats louder and louder. Focusing on the soil between my fingertips, I manage to bring my breathing back to normal. Reaching within, I find my blue magic and give it a light tug, bringing it to the surface.
Please help me find my Ruby. Please help me find my Ruby, I repeat over and over again in my head, digging my hands farther into the ground, gripping onto the soil. A light flicker appears in my vision, showing me a glimpse of a figure, but I can’t make out its features. It’s too faint. I try to push deeper into my magic but then suddenly everything disappears, and I’m brought back just as a crack of lightning hits the earth right next to me.
The sound is deafening. I cover my ears with my hands, letting out a loud scream. Just an inch and that lightning would have struck me. I stumble, landing on my arse. Someone hovers over me.
“Dara! Dara, are you okay?” Harlan asks, reaching for my face.
I give him a small nod, but I’m shaking. He gives me a moment, and I catch my breath as Oliver, Alaric, and Declan join us.
I fill them in on what happened with the vision. Just as I finish, we hear a squeal from above. Looking up, I see an eagle coming toward us but it’s not Oliver because he’s right here next to me. I look to him in question.
“I’ve got no idea who the hell that is,” Oliver answers, his brows drawn together.
The eagle flies down and lands right in front of us. Declan helps me up and we stand there, waiting for the eagle to reveal itself. Harlan stands in front of me, Oliver and Declan next to me, and Alaric is at my back. They’re my protective bubble.
I peer around Harlan. It takes a moment for the eagle to transform back to human form, which is odd. Normally, shifters make it look effortless, changing in one swift movement.
As it transforms into human form, I gasp. Pushing past Harlan, I run forward.
It’s Kayla.
We know that Kayla was given shifter abilities when James brought her here, but she hasn’t had the energy to change over yet.
She looks terrified. Tears are flowing down her cheeks. She’s trying to speak, but I can’t understand her. Taking her hand in mine, I finally make out what she’s trying to say.
“Home, now. It’s Anna,” she whispers, barely audible.
I whip around, screaming out to the guys. “We need to get home now. It’s your mother.”
As soon as the words leave my mouth, Declan and Oliver turn and run off. Alaric’s right at Kayla’s side, helping her up. He takes her into his arms carrying her. Her skin’s gone pale, and her eyes start drooping. Obviously, the transformation took a lot out of her.
We run, following the guys back to our village as rain starts pouring down followed by the crack of thunder and more lightning filling the sky. The rain gets heavier with each step we take, but we don’t let it slow us down. People are outside their homes placing buckets around collecting the clean rainwater. We make it back in record time, heading straight for home.
Anna, please, please be okay.