Chapter 17 #2
The figure started to disperse, then reformed. The stars glittered more brightly inside of it. I had a feeling like I was stepping over a boundary, but I wasn’t moving. Then everything was dark. The air smelled of mildew and the stars were gone.
“Eva?”
My knees nearly buckled at the sound of Gabriel’s voice. I could sense him again. He was somewhere just behind me.
A hand gripped my shoulder, hesitating as if he thought I might not be real, then he spun me around, pulling me into a crushing hug.
I trembled, taking in his earthy scent. Gabriel at the very least was alive. “Where are we?” I kept my cheek against his chest, feeling the beat of his heart. We should have never come to this place. There was a reason the pathways were severed.
Gabriel stroked my hair, making tears sting the back of my eyes. “I don’t know. I was watching over you while you slept, then suddenly I was here. I’ve been searching for hours but cannot find a way out.”
Oh gods, had the creature decided I was ruinous just like the guys? Had it trapped us in some sort of magical prison? “Did you see the guardian?” I managed to choke out.
“I have seen no one. I couldn’t even sense you until now. I thought—” His voice was tight with unshed tears.
“It’s okay. I’m okay.” I hoped it wasn’t a lie. “Let’s just keep looking for a way out.”
I forced myself to slide free from his embrace, even though I was so scared I just wanted to stay there forever.
“I have searched along the walls. There are no openings that I could feel, but I do not believe this space is airtight. It would have caused an issue by now.”
That was a less scary way of saying it, but I knew what he meant. If there was no air coming in, we would eventually suffocate. There didn’t need to be an opening for a celestial-made creature to jump us here. But even if there was air, we could still starve.
Extending my hands, I took small steps forward until my palms grazed a stone wall. Pressing along it, I started walking until I had circled the whole room. Gabriel was right. There seemed to be no way out.
“Can you reach the ceiling?”
“No,” Gabriel answered. “Come here. We’ll try together.”
I followed the sound of his voice until his hand grasped mine.
“Ready?”
“Sure.” My voice was almost steady. Bully for me.
His hands went to my hips and he started to lift me, fortunately slowly so I wouldn’t bang into the ceiling. I extended my arms overhead. I was high enough to sit on his shoulder when I finally reached the ceiling. More solid stone.
Once I’d had a good feel around, Gabriel lowered me, then moved his hands to my waist, keeping me close. The idea of no doors had me panicked, but the guardian had shifted us in here, so maybe I could shift us out.
The only problem was that I was absolutely terrified, and I couldn’t seem to summon a lick of my magic.
“Gabriel, I need you to kiss me.”
He didn’t ask questions. His hands skimmed up my body until he cupped my jaw, then his lips found mine.
It was a chaste kiss, but it was enough.
My skin warmed. I opened myself to the magic, and the faintest glow of sunlight surrounded us.
I thought of Mistral and the room shifted, then we were in another dark space.
Well, mostly dark. Mistral sat against a stone wall, a tiny white light bobbing at his shoulder. I’d seen him summon it before, so he at least had access to a measure of his magic here.
He was on his feet in a heartbeat, moving toward us. He pulled me against him first, then reached out his other arm for Gabriel. “I thought you were both lost to me. I couldn’t sense you.”
“That seems to be a theme around here,” I tried to joke, but my voice wavered. “There’s a guardian here. I met it outside. It thinks you guys were the cause of the draining magic.”
Mistral bowed his forehead against mine, his soft hair enveloping us. “I should have known this was not my homeland. I wanted to believe…”
I inhaled his scent, like drinking steaming vanilla tea after a rainstorm. Still gripping him, I felt his homesickness. His worry. “Is that why you felt so strongly about it?”
He shook his head, trailing his silken hair across my cheek. “This is the bridge between the Bogs and my home realm. The magic of all three feel similar.”
“But there was no magic where we landed,” I said softly.
Mistral looked past me at Gabriel, his silver eyes reflecting his bobbing light. I knew they must have discussed it already while they were out searching the estate.
“The trees,” Mistral sighed. “Even gray and withered, they are the trees of my homeland. They do not grow anywhere on earth. I was a fool to believe they could grow nowhere else. I just—”
He’d wanted to believe. I understood that feeling well.
“I’m sorry to have gotten your hopes up.” I knew it wasn’t really my fault, but still, we were here because of me.
“Eva, you are the only hope I’ve had in a long, long while.”
He kissed me, and more magic sparked within me. Mistral’s magic mixed with mine always felt like starlight. He gripped my waist while Gabriel wrapped his arms around my shoulders, his chest pressed against my back. I closed my eyes, reveling in their warmth as I thought of Crispin.
We ended up in another stone room. I saw Lucas first and was confused, then motion drew my eye to the other corner of the room as Crispin lifted an arm to shield his eyes from Mistral’s tiny light.
He slowly lowered his arm, looked each of us over, then stood.
“I suppose I should be flattered that I’m not the last to be rescued. ” He winked at me.
I shook my head, appalled that he could joke at such a time. Then I smiled. I couldn’t help it. “Just get over here,” I sighed.
He practically skipped over to us, then wedged himself against my side. “All aboard the Eva express.”
“Don’t ever say that again.” I closed my eyes as Lucas put a hand on me too. Now that my fear had waned, and three of the guys were with me—plus Lucas, I found it easier to spark my magic. I thought of Sebastian, but nothing happened.
I closed my eyes tighter. It wasn’t an issue with the magic. It was there. I could sense it was enough. I couldn’t feel Sebastian, but I hadn’t been able to feel the other guys either. It should have worked the same. Unless…
Realizing my dilemma, Mistral stroked a finger across my cheek, prompting me to open my eyes. “Perhaps try thinking of your little furry friend. Your connection to him is different, but you cherish him and know his energy.”
My palms were starting to sweat, and my magic was leaking out of me. I chewed my lip. “Right. Right.” I closed my eyes again.
When nothing happened, Gabriel started kneading my shoulders, and Crispin took my hand. I didn’t have to open my eyes to know which was which. With my heart thundering against my ribs, I thought of Ringo. The guys gripped me tightly as we shifted.
I swayed on my feet from the effort as we landed, but all three of them kept me upright.
“Eva!”
Tears welled in my eyes as I opened them. We were out front of the estate within the walls. Ringo must have been out looking for me. He was nothing but a dark blur as he charged toward us, leapt up the fabric of my dress, then nuzzled in against my neck.
“I tried to find you,” he rasped.
I took my hand from Crispin’s to cradle Ringo against my neck, then looked up at Mistral. “I couldn’t find Sebastian. I—”
He pulled me close. “Let us find this guardian you mentioned. Perhaps then we will have answers.”