Chapter 30
Alchera
“Shut up! Face down!” Lydia is lying on the floor, her eyes wildly flitting between the men who are dressed in camouflage gear, giving me the impression they’re rebels.
“Where’s the medicine?” One of the men demands in broken English, the whites of his eyes yellow and bulging with hatred.
“In that cabinet…over there,” a man answers, pointing somewhere behind them. “But it’s all we have. Please don’t…”
One of the rebels lifts his rifle and smashes the back of it against the man’s head. He repeatedly beats the poor man until he sinks down to his knees, begging for mercy.
“Stop,” Lydia cries. “We’re just doctors.”
“Shut up! I will string you up and gut you like pigs,” the rebel spits the words at them, pointing the rifle at the beaten man’s head.
Another rebel, who’s standing by the doorway, moves closer with a savage expression on his face.
I stand frozen in pure horror. I can’t believe what I’m seeing.
“We’ll listen. We don’t want any trouble,” the beaten-up doctor tries to appease him. Blood seeps from the deep gashes on his face and head. He tries to move backward as he looks at them with terror.
“You think you can look at me? You think you’re better than me?” The rebel lifts his rifle, and the next moment, he fires several shots at the doctor.
My hands fly up to cover my mouth as horror fills my pounding heart. I wish Ares was here to shimmer Lydia away from this dangerous situation.
Lydia lets out a cry, her face pale and tense from shock.
“You are his woman?” the African man grabs Lydia by the arm and yanks her to her feet.
“Bring all the medicine!” another rebel orders from the entrance to the makeshift medical facility. “If you kill them all, we won’t get medicine next time.”
The one holding Lydia’s arm shoves her hard, and she falls to the floor.
I come to with a jolt, and just reacting, I pull away from Raighne and rush to Ares. Grabbing hold of his arm, I say, “Take me to her.”
“Wait,” I hear Raighne snap, but it’s too late as Ares immediately shimmers us away.
We appear right in the middle of the chaos left behind where Lydia’s checking the other doctor’s vitals. Her head snaps to us, and seeing the fear on her face makes me want to hug her so badly.
“It’s okay,” I say as I cautiously move closer to her. “I’m here to help you.”
Considering that we just appeared out of thin air, it doesn’t exactly make Lydia trust us. She darts toward a medical cart and grabs hold of a scalpel, even more scared of us than she was of the rebels who just attacked them.
Ares moves fast, surprising even me, and he grabs hold of Lydia. She shrieks and drops the scalpel, taking desperate and terrified gulps of air.
“Ares, let’s get out of here,” I say, my words rushed. “She’s terrified, and this isn’t making the situation any better.”
I take hold of his arm, and the next second, he shimmers us back to Doug and Sarah’s house.
When we appear, Lydia sinks to her knees and wraps an arm around her stomach. “Oh God.”
Dylan and Jason hurry to her side, and I leave them to explain everything to Lydia once she recovers from Ares shimmering us from Africa to Ireland .
Another one down. Two to go.
Raighne grabs hold of my arm, and I’m yanked down the hallway. Practically shoving me into one of the bedrooms, he slams the door shut behind us.
When he turns to face me, and I see the anger etched deep into his features, I exhale an exhausted breath.
“I don’t have the energy to fight with you right now,” I mutter as I move away from him.
When I sit down on the side of the bed, he growls, “Never fucking do that again. You go nowhere alone with Ares.”
My shoulders sag, and glancing down, I see the blood covering my shirt.
Memories of what happened after I got shot flit through my mind until the image of Void hovering over me makes me freeze.
Raighne stalks toward me, and wrapping his arms around me, he presses a kiss to the top of my head. “Don’t think about him.”
I tilt my head back so I can look at Raighne’s face, his anger from a second ago now gone.
“Who is he?” I ask.
“Where Awo is light, Void is darkness. He rules over the shadowlands on Vaalbara.” Raighne brushes a hand over my messy hair. “Thinking about him gives him access to your mind. Just block him.”
Easier said than done.
Letting out a sigh, I lean into Raighne and close my eyes. “Two more to go.”
“You can do it, my little dreamer,” he murmurs as his hands frame my cheeks and tip my head back. His eyes drift over my face, then he leans down and presses a tender kiss to my lips. “You’re so fucking strong it amazes me.”
“I don’t feel strong,” I admit as I grip hold of his forearms. My face crumbles, and I’m unable to stop the tears.
Raighne deepens the kiss, his warmth engulfing me, and I’m hit by a tsunami of relief.
He consumes me in a way that forces me to focus only on him. In this moment, there’s no destruction, no horror, no death. There’s only the incredible love he feels for me.
“Oh. Sorry,” Sarah interrupts us, and when Raighne pulls away, the shadows pour so fast back into my mind I sway like a zombie for a moment.
“I just wanted to give Alchera some clean clothes,” Sarah says. “Doug and Jason are making something to eat.”
“Thank you,” Raighne replies as he takes the clothes from her.
“Dylan’s given one of his clean shirts for you to wear. Hopefully it will fit,” she tells Raighne while I sit frozen on the side of the bed as my destructive emotions bombard me.
“Thanks,” Raighne grumbles while wrapping his fingers around the back of my neck. His touch is instantly soothing, and my eyes drift shut for a few seconds.
“I thought you’d like to know Lydia is doing okay under the circumstances,” she informs us.
“That’s good to hear,” Raighne replies, his thumb skimming over my skin.
“Is Alchera okay?” Sarah asks.
“She just needs rest,” he murmurs.
Sarah nods, giving me a worried look before she leaves.
With the clean clothes in one hand, Raighne slips his arm around me and pulls me from the bed. “Come. Let’s get cleaned up.”
I let him steer me to the bathroom, and completely drained I just stand and watch as he sets the clothes down on the counter. He opens the faucets, and while the water warms up, he comes to stand in front of me. When he takes hold of my shirt, I lift my arms so he can tug the blood-stained fabric over my head.
As Raighne undresses me, I glance down and take in all the scars on my body. The gunshot wound has closed up, the swollen skin red with a blue tinge around it.
Steam starts to fill the bathroom while Raighne quickly strips out of his clothes. My eyes drift over his chest, and I watch as the strength ripples beneath his skin with every movement .
I would’ve been dead by now if it weren’t for Raighne.
He shakes his head as he moves closer until our bodies touch. Cupping the back of my head with one of his hands, he locks eyes with me. “No, you’d still be alive. In a fuck-ton of pain, but alive. You’re so much stronger than you give yourself credit for.”
Slowly, I shake my head. “You’re my strength. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
His eyes soften on me. “You’ll never have to find out. I live and die for you.” He closes the distance between us, and when his mouth takes mine in a tender kiss, his voice is a soothing balm in my mind, “Only you.”
As his lips nip and massage mine, sending tingles through my mind and body, he moves us into the shower.
The warm spray falling over us feels amazing, and standing on my toes, I wrap my arms around Raighne’s neck. The kiss deepens, and with Raighne filling every inch of my worn-out mind, a relieved sob escapes me.
He increases the intensity of his assault on the shadows inside me, and lifting me up against his body, he pushes me back against the tiles.
I wrap my legs around his waist, desperately needing to be as close to him as possible.
I feel him position his cock at my entrance, and when he slowly pushes into me, his hands grip my butt, and his body squashes mine against the tiles.
Caged in by Raighne and with him filling my mind and soul, all I can do is feel as his cock pushes inch by inch deeper into me.
The sensation is so intense I stop breathing and cling to him with all my strength.
By the time he’s buried all the way inside me, our breaths are already rushing over our lips. He pulls slightly back so he can meet my eyes, and seeing the look of absolute love and devotion on his face, I can’t keep the tears from falling.
The moment between us is so intense that I’m completely overwhelmed by the good emotions I desperately need.
My tone is hoarse as I whisper, “I love you so much.”
“You’re my entire being, Alchera.”
As Raighne’s mouth finds mine in a kiss that touches the deepest parts of my soul, his hard length pulls out of me before slowly pushing back inside.
It feels as if he’s savoring every second, every movement, every touch of our skin.
I lose myself in Raighne, where there’s only love, hope, serenity, and pleasure. It’s intoxicating, and as the world around us goes to shit, I moan against his mouth, begging for more.
With a low growl rumbling from his chest, he increases his pace, his thrusts becoming a dominating force that strips my soul bare.
One with him, I moan, “Raighne.”
With every powerful thrust, his cock strokes my inner walls, making my abdomen clench more and more until I explode, and Raighne’s the only thing keeping me together.
He becomes my beginning and end, and I know with dead certainty that without Raighne, I’m nothing but a million broken pieces.
I whimper and moan into his mouth as pleasure seizes my body, holding onto the man I love more than anything with all my might.
“I love you. I love you. I love you,” I chant as I’m taken to heights where nothing can touch me.
I’m caught in a daze of warmth, love, and pleasure, and I have no idea how much time passes before I drift down to reality.
The first thing I become aware of is Raighne’s body jerking against mine as he finds his own release.
Then I feel the heat of the water as it washes us clean.
I suck in a deep breath, my lungs expanding and my body deliciously numb from the pleasure Raighne wrung from it.
I blink a few times, and as Raighne’s face comes into focus, he fills me one last time before keeping still and staring deep into my eyes.
“I thank Awo that I exist to be loved by you.” His words are like a soothing balm, dulling the sharp edges inside me. “You are my everything.”
Our pleasure fades, and returning to the present, I hate when Raighne pulls out of me .
“Once we’re home, I plan on staying buried inside you for as long as possible.”
I let out a breathless chuckle. “Who needs food and sleep?”
Raighne squirts some body wash into his palm, then brushes his hands over my skin, cleaning the day’s hell from me.
“I can feed you and you can sleep with my cock buried deep inside you.”
My cheeks warm from the provocative words, but I love hearing them.
I squeeze body wash into my hand, and silence falls between us as we wash each other’s bodies. Once we’re done, I feel a hundred times better than before the shower.
“Now for food,” Raighne mutters while we get dressed. “And then you can sleep for a few hours.”
“That’s if I don’t have another vision,” I say as I put on my sneakers.
Sarah’s jeans are a little too long, and I take a moment to roll the fabric up to my ankles.
Just as I straighten up, Raighne comes to stand in front of me, and I can’t help but grin when he pulls his fingers through my hair to tame the strands.
“It’s not the most flattering hairstyle I’ve ever had,” I mention.
“It’s sexy as fuck,” he grumbles. His fingers brush over the side of my neck. “You look beautiful, my little dreamer.”
His compliment boosts my self-esteem and standing on my toes, I press a quick kiss to his mouth before we leave the bathroom.
Raighne places his hand on my lower back as we walk to the kitchen, where the delicious aroma of beef stew hangs in the air. My stomach grumbles loudly, drawing a chuckle from him.
Doug glances up when we enter the kitchen, and he points at two bowls filled to the brim. “I already dished up for you. We used what we had to make stew, and there’s some bread as well.”
“Thank you,” I say, giving him a smile.
“How are you holding up?” he asks, genuinely sounding like he cares.
“I’m much better after the shower,” I reply as I take the spoon and bowl Raighne holds out to me .
“That’s good to hear.”
We stand by the counter and eat like starved wolves, and when I can’t take another bite, I say, “You can have the rest of mine.”
Raighne’s eyes inspect my face as he stirs inside me. Happy with whatever he finds, he continues to eat while I help myself to a glass of water.
Clean and full, I struggle to suppress a yawn as I glance out of the window by the sink.
Everything looks calm outside, but I know it’s just a facade. It’s only a matter of time until Ireland’s destroyed as well.
Raighne comes to place our bowls in the sink, and his hand wraps around my hip. “Time for you to get some sleep.”
I glance at him. “I just want to check on the others.”
I can see he wants to argue, but instead of forcing me straight to bed, he walks with me to the living room.
Brenna’s the first to notice us. “You look much better.”
“I feel better,” I chuckle.
I glance over the group until my eyes land on Lydia, who doesn’t seem as terrified anymore where she’s sitting beside Sarah.
“Did they explain everything to you?” I ask Lydia.
She nods, then lets out a nervous chuckle. “I’m still wrapping my mind around everything. It’s all a little overwhelming, and if I didn’t see you appear out of thin air, I wouldn’t believe any of it.”
My attention is pulled away from Lydia when Riccardo steps closer to me. With remorse tightening his features, he says, “I didn’t mean to shoot you. I’m so sorry.”
I shrug and offer him a smile. “I’m okay. How are you holding up?”
“Confused as fuck, but I’m hanging in there,” he answers honestly with a thick Italian accent.
I glance at the group again, then say, “I just need to get two more chosen ones then we can return to Vaalbara.”
“I was thinking everyone can stay here while you collect the last two instead of me shimmering everyone all over the world. I’ll be able to move faster, and it won’t tire me out as much,” Ares says from where he’s sitting on the floor near the sliding doors with his forearms resting on his knees.
“I don’t like the idea of the group separating,” Griffith mutters.
“It might be better for everyone to stay here instead of taking them into a disaster scene,” Finian says, surprising me because he’s been quiet since his father joined us.
I look at my late father’s guardian. “Griffith, you, Brenna, and Finian can guard the chosen ones and get to Vaalbara via the waterfall if all hell breaks loose while Ares, Raighne, and I search for the final two.”
“As much as I hate the idea of splitting the group, Alchera’s right,” Raighne says from beside me. “But we can talk about this after she’s had some sleep.”
He takes hold of my hand, and considering the conversation done with, he pulls me down the hallway and into the bedroom.
I wait for Raighne to lie down before I make myself comfortable, lying half on top of him. Burying my face in the crook of his neck, I take a deep breath of his scent while my eyes drift shut.
He brushes his hand up and down my back, and within minutes, a deep breath escapes me as I drift off to sleep.