Chapter 9 Rhyland
Rhyland
I've had it with this shit. "Send me back. I'm done listening to this," I snarl, my patience completely shot. "I have a job to do—keeping your daughter safe." I fix Elysium with a glare. "You're keeping me from my goddamn job."
My thoughts drift to Dani, and my chest tightens. She better be safe at the mansion, though knowing my stubborn angel, she's probably trying to tear open reality itself to find me. Which brings up a good point—why hasn't she managed it yet?
Suddenly, a wave of fear hits me like a fucking semi-truck, nearly bringing me to my knees. I clutch at my chest, my heart feeling like it's being ripped out of my ribcage.
"Dani." Her name is a strangled sob on my lips.
"Are you alright?" Heimdall's voice comes from somewhere above me, his hand steadying my shoulder.
I must have collapsed under the weight of the terror coursing through my veins. I struggle to stand on shaky legs, the need to get to Dani is like a physical force crushing my chest—she needs me, NOW.
I've never felt anything like this from her before—this raw, primal fear that's clawing its way through our connection. Whatever or whoever is causing my mate this kind of pain is going to die by my hand. Tonight.
I'm going to find them, and I'm going to rip them apart piece by bloody piece. Death will be too kind for anyone who dares to hurt her.
"Get me the fuck out of here!" I roar. "It's Dani—" I can't even finish the sentence. My lungs feel like they're being squeezed in a vice.
Elysium's eyes widen, his heavenly composure cracking. "What? What is it? What's happened to my daughter?" he demands, his voice booming through the hall.
The mighty god of light doesn't sound so high and mighty now—he sounds like what he is: a father terrified for his child—for Dani. Welcome to the fucking club, pal.
"I don't know—she needs me. Send me back, NOW!" The words tear from me, raw and desperate. These pricks and their questions can go straight to hell.
"Heimdall, move!" Odin's command cracks like thunder through the hall.
We bolt from the chamber, the bitter wind and stinging snow whipping at our faces as we race toward the bridge. My boots pound against the crystal surface of the Bifrost—my only fucking ticket out of this place. Heimdall reaches the control chamber first, ramming his sword into the mechanism.
"Til Valhalla," he growls, and before I can process what the fuck he's talking about or what's happening, the bastard shoves me forward.
The floor disappears beneath my feet, and I'm falling, my body feeling like it's being ripped apart at an atomic level. The sensation lasts for an eternity and no time at all before I slam into solid ground, the impact driving every ounce of air from my lungs.
As I lay here gasping like a landed fish, trying to get my lungs to function—the scents quickly hit me—rich earth, scorched flesh, and rotting forest debris. My eyes snap open, taking in the dense canopy above. Back in the forest. Finally.
Now to find out what the fuck is happening to my girl.
I slam my eyes shut, reaching for that familiar golden thread that ties us together. Her signature pulses like a beacon, but it's distant—too fucking distant.
What the actual fuck? She's nowhere near Lucian's place.
"Baby? I'm here. What's going on?" I push through our mental bond, desperate to reach her. But all I get back is that same black void, that emptiness that pisses me off to no end. A growl rips from my throat, primal and raw.
I blur through the trees to where we left the cars, only to find empty spaces and tire tracks in the dirt. Goddamnit! How long was I stuck in that divine circus?
My fangs descend, razor-sharp points pricking my lower lip as I catch her scent heading north.
I launch myself forward, pushing my vampiric speed to its limits.
The forest becomes a green blur around me, branches whipping past my face and leaving stinging cuts in their wake as I tear through the wilderness like a man possessed.
But even at full throttle, I'm burning through energy like a motherfucker.
I need wheels, and I need them now, or I'll flame out long before I reach her.
The distance between us feels like a physical wound, each mile another knife in my heart. "Hold on, baby," I send through the bond, praying that she can hear me. "I'm coming for you. Just hold on."
Whatever's keeping me from reaching her is going to regret the day they were born.
I hit the city limits and force myself to slow down, my predator's gaze already scanning for a car.
A sleek black Mercedes catches my eye—perfect timing as some suit-wearing bastard is just climbing in.
I blur across the street, faster than any human eye can track, and wrap my fingers around his throat.
The guy lets out a strangled gasp as I yank him out of the driver's seat.
His eyes go wide with terror as I lean in close, my fangs visible as I snarl, "I'm gonna need to borrow your car." The stench of his piss soaked pants and fear fills my nostrils as I snatch the keys from his trembling hand.
With a dismissive shove, I send him stumbling back, not even sparing him a second glance as I slide behind the wheel. The engine roars to life under my touch, and I slam the door with enough force to rattle the frame.
Tires screech against asphalt as I punch the gas, the Mercedes leaping forward like a beast unleashed. I weave through traffic with reckless abandon, the speedometer climbing higher and higher as I push the machine to its limits.
Hold on, baby. Just fucking hold on.
"Brother. You return." Erik's voice cuts through my mind, precise and controlled as ever.
Fuck, why didn't I think to contact them? My brain's been so laser-focused on Dani that I've been operating on pure instinct. "Yes. What the fuck is going on?" I fire back through our mental bond.
Erik's hesitation bleeds through our connection like a freezing mist, his usual stoic demeanor wavering. That alone makes my blood run cold. "Erik. Answer me, goddammit!" My grip on the steering wheel tightens until the leather creaks.
"It's Lilith." Two words, delivered with Erik's characteristic restraint, but they hit me like a lightning strike.
My lungs seize up, and for a moment, I forget how to breathe.
That name—that fucking name—tells me everything I need to know.
The thought of that sadistic bitch anywhere near Dani makes my stomach lurch.
Hot tears burn behind my eyes, but I blink them away.
No. We locked that psychotic cunt away. We made damn sure of it.
I force myself to swallow past the knot. "Where? Where the fuck is she?" The words come out as more of a growl.
"We're here, brother. But the situation is…delicate. We have a plan—"
I slam my hand against the steering wheel, pissed off. "Fucking where Erik?!" I cut him off with a shout. I know what he's doing—trying to protect me from our maker like he always has, but I don't have time for his strategic bullshit right now.
Erik finally relents, giving me an address in that clipped, efficient way of his."Be careful, Rhyland. Don't let your anger cloud your judgment."
The warning in his tone is crystal clear. We both know the fucked-up hierarchy of vampire creation—we can't overpower our maker. It's like some cosmic joke, a glitch in the supernatural matrix. But I've got an ace up my sleeve.
I pull out the ring from my pocket—the Soul Stone drinks in what little light there is. My mother's power pulses within it, dark and ancient and hungry.
If she could wield it, why can't I?