Evergreen scented a cool breeze. It tickled Ryleigh’s nose and brought memories of Christmas. She and Mia had always decorated their tree on Christmas Eve. Their grandmother had made fresh oatmeal cookies with lots of raisins. She’d hand Ryleigh and Mia each one of the beaters to lick clean while she plopped spoonful after spoonful of cookie dough onto the pan.
While the cookies baked, Grandmother made hot chocolate. When it was ready, the girls twirled candy canes around and around, making small foamy whirlpools in the center of their mugs.
Evergreen would forever be the scent of home.
Home? She couldn’t be home. Couldn’t go home. Their home had burned to the ground. Thanks to Daygan and his savages. But Daygan was no longer a threat. She’d killed him. Jackson had been so angry.
Jackson.
She tried to snuggle closer to him, but she couldn’t move.
Strong arms held her. The rhythmic rocking as Jackson carried her soothed her, made her sleepy. She started to drift. When he put her down, maybe he’d tend to the ache in her side. But where was he carrying her? Actually, what was he even doing there? She’d entered a new realm without him. Where he had no hope of finding her.
Jackson? The hallucination evaporated.
Her eyes shot open.
She stared into the dark eyes of a woman.
Her thin shoulders didn’t look strong enough for her to lift Ryleigh, never mind cradle her and carry her any distance.
Instead of lulling her, the rocking motion now brought a wave of nausea as she struggled to hold on to consciousness.
Wind whipped the woman’s long, dark hair, braided with gold, behind her. Dark wings, interspersed with the same gold flecks as her hair, spread wide from her back. Thin as crepe paper, nearly transparent.
The woman wove expertly between enormous evergreens without disturbing a single branch.
Ryleigh tried to lift a hand, to prod the woman’s face. Maybe it would disappear beneath her touch. Her hand remained paralyzed at her side. “Is this a nightmare?”
“Close your eyes.” Steel hardened the melodic voice.
Ryleigh ignored the command.
They plunged straight down.
Her stomach lurched into her throat. She desperately tried to throw her arms around the woman’s neck, to cling as they spun and dove. Her muscles still betrayed her.
They stopped abruptly, and the woman dumped Ryleigh on the ground, jarring her shoulder and hip.
“Hey.” The paralysis finally released its grip. She sat up and massaged her shoulder, but thought better of any sharp retort. Better to figure out what was going on before saying something she’d regret. She had to remember she was the intruder here. “Who are you?”
“Who I am is none of your concern. Stay quiet, and be happy you’re alive. If you were a man, you’d already be dead.”
“Where are my men?” She’d seen three of her men attacked and had no idea what had happened to the others. If this woman was telling the truth, it didn’t bode well.
“The fate of your men rests entirely on you.”
Okay, so they were probably alive for now. As long as she didn’t screw up, maybe they’d stay that way. Ryleigh stood and rolled her wrist. The crunch of bone moving against bone made her flinch. She started to mend the bones as she assessed her situation.
The woman folded her wings neatly behind her and adjusted the shoulder straps of the gold dress that flowed to just above her knees. From the front, she could almost pass for a normal woman. If not for her slight build, deceptively frail if the strength of her arms was any indication.
Another woman, whose resemblance was eerily similar to the first, set down beside her in the small clearing, dumped Tatiana on the ground, and folded her wings.
“Tatiana.” Ryleigh fell to her knees beside her and gripped her hand.
The pulse in her neck beat strong. Her breathing, while shallow, seemed normal.
“Tatiana.” She gently shook her shoulder. “Wake up.”
“She’ll wake soon enough.” The woman who’d dropped Tatiana stood over Ryleigh, staring down at her. “Why is she awake, Cyenne?”
Uncomfortable in the submissive position, Ryleigh reluctantly released Tatiana’s hand and stood. “Who are you? And where are my men?”
“The only one that matters is right there.” She pointed a slender finger toward Tatiana.
“I had three men with me. I demand to know what you’ve done with them.” No sense mentioning the others if they hadn’t found them.
Another woman emerged from the forest into the small clearing. “Cyenne. Luna. Why is she awake?”
Cyenne bowed her head. “I’m sorry, Princess Maje. She woke while we were en route. I had no way to subdue her while flying.”
The woman waved off the excuse and pinned Cyenne with a glare. She pulled a tube from a belt around her long skirt.
The same kind of tube the other woman had shot something from in the jungle. Something that had knocked her out almost instantly. Ryleigh lifted her hands in front of her and backed away “No. Please. Wait.”
Cyenne and Luna each grabbed one of Ryleigh’s arms in viselike grips.
Maje lifted the tube to her mouth.
“Stop.” Ryleigh had no weapon. No escape. “Please, listen.”
The princess inhaled deeply.
Ryleigh struggled, trying to rip her arms free. No use. No matter how delicate they appeared, the women had holds like steel. She swept her foot behind Luna and shoved her to the ground.
Maje blew into the tube with one short, sharp exhale.
“No.” Noah lunged from behind the thick trunk of a nearby tree and dove in front of her. He slapped a hand over his shoulder and crumpled to the ground at her feet.
“Remove him.”
Cyenne released her and bent to grab Noah.
Luna glared at Ryleigh and climbed to her feet.
“No.” Throwing herself at Cyenne, Ryleigh braced for the sharp sting of a dart.
“Wait.” A familiar woman’s voice issued the command.
Ryleigh released Cyenne but planted herself firmly in front of Noah.
Payton strode from between the trees on the opposite side of the clearing.
Princess Maje gasped, her eyes wide as she ogled Payton. “It is not possible.”
Cyenne and Luna fell to their knees and bowed to Payton. “Your Highness.”
Rays of sunlight poured between the trees, almost blinding Ryleigh. A woman appeared before her as if from nowhere. The streaming sunlight surrounded her in a halo of golden light.
“Kneel,” Luna commanded Ryleigh.
“Excuse me?”
Cyenne and Luna grabbed her wrists, one from either side, and yanked her to her knees.
“Kneel before the queen,” Luna hissed beside her ear.
“Queen?”
Princess Maje stepped forward, took one of the woman’s hands, and pressed the back of it to her lips. “Queen Allura.”
One of the women shoved Ryleigh’s head down.
She acquiesced. If this woman was their queen, she’d do well to show the proper respect. Maybe then she’d get some answers. Ryleigh waited until Cyenne and Luna stood, and then she raised her head.
“Rise.” Queen Allura strode toward her. “Who are you?”
Before Ryleigh could answer, the queen spotted Payton and stopped short. Tears sprang into her eyes, and she pressed a hand against her chest. “Payton?”
Payton frowned. Her catlike green eyes darkened. “How do you know my name?”
The queen rushed toward her, arms wide.
Payton lurched back.
Queen Allura stopped and turned a glare on Ryleigh. “What have you done to her?”
“Done? I haven’t done anything.”
The queen returned her attention to Payton but remained firmly rooted where she was. “Step forward.”
Payton obeyed immediately, tentatively moving to the center of the clearing, her expression blank.
“Explain.” The queen’s command echoed through the forest, rattling leaves from the trees.
Payton’s frown seemed genuine. “I don’t understand.”
“What is your name?”
“Payton. But you already knew that. How?”
The queen tilted her head, her unwavering attention pinned on Payton’s face. “You don’t remember?”
Payton shook her head, her mane of blond hair drifting across her face in the breeze. She pushed it behind her thin shoulder.
Realization struck Ryleigh hard. Payton shared the same frail figure as the other women in the clearing. The same catlike eyes, tilting up slightly at the corners. All of Ryleigh’s suspicions about the woman careened to the surface.
“How did you get here?” Queen Allura demanded.
Payton gestured toward Ryleigh. “Queen Ryleigh brought me.”
“Queen?” Allura huffed out a breath. Her eyes narrowed. “How did you come to be with her?”
“Her mate, King Maynard, rescued me from the dungeons of Argonas.”
“King Maynard? Of Cymmera?”
“Yes.”
The Queen’s attention lingered on Payton another moment before she turned to Ryleigh. “Who are you?”
“My name is Ryleigh Donnovan. I am Queen of Cymmera.”
The queen’s flushed cheeks paled. She eyed Ryleigh’s disheveled state. “Queen? I have not heard Cymmera has a new queen.”
“I haven’t been there long.” She wasn’t about to give a full account of her life to this woman with no clue who she was.
The queen gestured to Cyenne.
She yanked Ryleigh’s T-shirt sleeve up over her shoulder, revealing the tribal tattoo that marked her as queen.
“My apologies, Your Majesty.” Queen Allura offered a stiff nod. “Will you please tell me how my daughter came to be with you?”
“Your daughter?”
“Yes. My daughter, Payton, went missing long ago, yet here she is among strangers. I demand an explanation.”
If Payton’s horrified expression was any indication, she was just as confused as Ryleigh, so she probably couldn’t offer any answers.
While Ryleigh wanted to tread carefully, she still had men missing. Men she was responsible for. “Of course, Your Majesty, but first, I had three men with me. Can you please tell me if they are all right?”
The queen glanced at Luna, who nodded.
“Very well, thank you. My…uh…” She hesitated, then choked out the word, “…mate, King Maynard, found Payton in the dungeons of Argonas. She’d been tortu…uh, hurt.” Heat flared in her cheeks. If this woman was truly Payton’s mother, she didn’t need the details of the torture the young woman had endured, first at Daygan’s hand and then Chayce’s.
“What was King Maynard doing in Argonas? And how did you come to be his mate? Cymmerans mate only once, for eternity, and Queen Dara is long gone.” Her eyes narrowed. Suspicion darkened them.
“No, ma’am. I’m talking about Jackson Maynard. He was taken to the dungeons and tortured by the man who killed his father.”
Her expression softened, and she appeared truly saddened by the news. “My condolences. I hadn’t heard about King Maynard. Please, forgive my lack of hospitality. We don’t often have visitors.”
“No worries. I understand.” She couldn’t blame the woman for being suspicious. They’d shown up in a realm they should have no knowledge of with her missing daughter in tow. Ryleigh would have been suspicious too. “I thought this realm was uncharted?”
“It is, my dear. Purposefully so. Just because something is uncharted doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.” She opened her arms to Ryleigh and Payton. “Now, please, join me. Walk with me.”
Ryleigh gestured toward Noah and Tatiana. “I can’t leave—”
“Of course, my soldiers will see to them.”
She clapped her hands.
Women emerged from the forest. They leaned close to their queen in a hushed conversation. Ryleigh couldn’t make out anything they said, not for lack of trying to eavesdrop.
Payton clung to Ryleigh’s arm, her hands trembling wildly. “Do you know what’s going on?”
“No idea,” Ryleigh whispered back. “Where did you come from?”
“I’m sorry. I couldn’t stand hanging around the clearing doing nothing.”
Ryleigh couldn’t really fault her there.
She blushed a deep crimson. “So I followed Noah.”
A small whisper of jealousy trickled into her mind. Ridiculous. She belonged to Jackson. But she hadn’t trusted Payton, and her obvious interest in Noah had bothered Ryleigh for some time. “How did Noah find me?”
“I’m pretty sure it was an accident. As far as I know, no one even knew you were missing yet. Noah and his team had split up, just a little in order to cover more ground. He went through some kind of hole at the base of a tree. I waited a few minutes, but he didn’t come back out.” She kept her voice low, eyeing the other women as she spoke softly. “I followed him. When I emerged from a tree here, Noah had already crossed the clearing. I started to call to him, but I heard something above me, so I ducked behind that tree. Noah took cover over there. Next thing you know, that woman dropped out of the trees and dumped you on the ground.”
Queen Allura strode toward them.
Payton clamped her mouth closed. Her jaw trembled.
Ryleigh squeezed her hand, offering what little reassurance she could. She hadn’t completely trusted Payton, and she’d obviously been right. Something about her story didn’t add up. But the woman was clearly terrified and had no clue what was going on, so maybe it wasn’t her fault. Either way, Ryleigh was responsible for her, and she’d do her best to protect her.
“Come, now.” Queen Allura reached for Payton’s hand. “Please.”
She shied away.
A pained expression crossed the queen’s face, but she let it go and inclined her head toward Ryleigh. “I don’t yet understand what’s happening here, but you’ve returned my daughter, so I can only be grateful. We will offer your people shelter and protection. For now.”
She gripped Ryleigh’s free arm and started down a path through the woods.
The other women dispersed.
With the queen crowding her on one side and Payton clinging on the other, Ryleigh couldn’t help the feeling of being trapped between two enemies.
* * * *
Jackson emerged in front of the remains of the home Ryleigh and Mia had once lived in. The stagnant stink of old smoke and burned wood lingered. Yellow crime scene tape rustled, the wind whipping it from the porch railing where one end dangled, having come free from the railing across from it. A small piece remained stuck to the opposite side. Nothing else remained of the house but rubble.
Two weather-beaten signs tacked to a telephone pole out front held pictures of Ryleigh and Mia, the word Missing prominently displayed across the top of each sign.
He ran a finger over Ryleigh’s smile. He’d never given any thought to the consequences of taking her from her home. Had people in the human realm missed her? It seemed impossible she hadn’t touched lives there. Someone had obviously cared enough to figure out she and Mia had disappeared. Or maybe it was just standard procedure to search for inhabitants when a house burned down and no remains had been found.
His ears popped.
Dakota emerged from the portal at his side. “Anything?”
He shook his head and backed away, his legs threatening to give out.
“Where is he?”
“I don’t know. He was standing by the gate over there when I saw him through the portal. When I got here, he was gone.”
Ranger strode through a step behind Dakota. He retrieved Dakota’s sword from the weeds that had once been the lawn and handed it to him. “At least we know we’re in the right place.”
“He was standing right here.” Jackson stood on the sidewalk in front of the house. Chayce must have had a reason for being there, but Jackson couldn’t even begin to figure out what it was.
A car barreled toward them, its high beams momentarily blinding.
Jackson stepped back, his hand dropping to the handle of his sword.
The car slowed as it passed, a woman’s face pressed against the passenger side window, gawking openly.
If they were going to stay in the human realm, they’d have to lose the battle armor and weapons. Thankfully, the night was dark enough to provide some cover.
Ryleigh’s car sat in the driveway, miraculously untouched, exactly where he’d left it the night he’d driven her and Mia home from the hospital a lifetime ago. He used his sleeve to clear a circle in the dirty window and peeked in, even though he clearly remembered removing the key and locking the door when they’d arrived, right after he’d shared his story with Ryleigh and Mia. Well, most of it, anyway. He’d left out the part where he’d come to the human realm to kill Ryleigh and take her to Cymmera.
The ignition sat empty, as expected.
“What do you want to do?” Dakota rocked from one foot to the other, practically vibrating with nervous energy.
“Chayce would have known I’d recognize Ryleigh’s house.” Of that, he had no doubt. He’d been taunting Jackson, issuing some kind of bizarre challenge Jackson had no clue how to win. “Question is, why did he want me here?”
The neighboring houses were mostly dark but for a couple of upstairs lights in a house three doors down. Most houses in the quiet, residential neighborhood had porch lights burning. They should be safe enough walking around the house without removing their armor. If they had to leave the area, though, they might have to sacrifice a bit of safety in order to appear inconspicuous. “Let’s take a look around.”
Jackson vaulted the fence into the backyard and landed on the scorched grass. He ran a hand over a half-burned picnic table lying on its side, then brushed the soot and splinters from his hand onto his jeans.
A swing creaked as the wind rocked it back and forth from an old swing set in the corner of the yard.
“Anything?” Ranger folded his arms and leaned on the fence, a deceptively casual pose, since his gaze darted around continuously.
“No.”
“Do you really think it’s a good idea to hang around?” Dakota frowned. “If you’re right, and Chayce knows you know where to find him, it’s probably a trap.”
“No doubt.”
“So why hang around?”
“This has to end.”
Dakota shrugged. “Fine by me. If there’s any chance of taking him, I’m in. But don’t forget, Chayce is m…”
“Chayce is what?”
“Uh…nothing. Don’t worry about it. Do you want to take a look around or just stand here and wait for something to happen?”
The sense of something long abandoned hung over the empty yard.
“Let’s go out front.” Jackson climbed the fence and set off down the narrow side lawn.
Two dogs barked in the house next door. Small dogs from the sound of it.
Dakota and Ranger hung back a little, clearly on edge, and followed him toward the front yard.
A man strode toward them down the middle of the street. His dark hoodie concealed his features, but Jackson would recognize Chayce’s stride anywhere.
“Here we go.” It was about time. He’d grown tired of Chayce’s games.
“Hello, brother.” Chayce stopped, careful to stay out of reach, and shoved his hood off. Raw burns mangled the side of his face. Something oozed from the worst wounds.
Shock held Jackson still. He couldn’t imagine why Chayce would have left the mess unhealed. Not only for cosmetic reasons, but the pain had to be incredible.
“Nice, huh.” He gestured to his ruined face. “This was a parting gift from Elijah. Burns borne of magic that can’t be healed.”
“Parting gift?”
His laughter filled the night. “You certainly don’t think I allowed him to live after this, do you?”
The knowledge the man who’d once been his brother had turned into a complete lunatic chilled him. Jackson clenched his teeth and brought his emotions under control. He schooled his expression, keeping it carefully neutral. He wouldn’t believe a word Chayce uttered. Though the fact the burns were inflicted by magic seemed reasonable.
Jackson shrugged, as if it didn’t matter to him. No way he’d show Chayce any indication of weakness. He worked to keep his voice calm. “What would you expect from him after you betrayed your kingdom?”
“That man raised me!” Spittle sprayed from his mouth. The burns turned a deeper shade of purplish-red. “Then he left me permanently disfigured to save that human slut you call a mate. What kind of loyalty is that?”
Save? Could that mean Ryleigh had escaped? “Loyalty? Like the loyalty you showed your father? Your king?”
“My father was a fool. He was no king. We could have ruled all realms, yet he was satisfied to sit on the throne of Cymmera and wallow in self-pity at the loss of his mate. And then, he didn’t even have the nerve or skill to find the man responsible for her death and destroy him.” Chayce raised a clenched fist. “He should have had the strength to crush him. But he was weak and pitiful, like the son he left to rule in his wake.”
Static electricity ruffled his hair, but Jackson kept his gaze firmly locked on Chayce. He didn’t dare look away.
Ranger and Dakota could handle whatever emerged from the portal.
“Well, that’s about to change.” Chayce pulled a handgun from the back of his waistband. “I am the new ruler of Cymmera. I have crushed that disgusting excuse for a queen, destroyed the prophet, your most powerful sorcerer, and now I will remove you and take my place as king.”
No wonder he’d fled to the human realm. He couldn’t have used the weapon in Cymmera. Jackson started to reach for the bow on his back. He’d never make it.
Chayce aimed the gun directly at Jackson’s head, his hand rock steady. A quick flick of his gaze to Jackson’s right was all the warning he had.
Jackson ducked and spun toward his right.
A hard blow to the side of his head knocked him to his knees.
A savage leaned over, grabbed his helmet, and tried to yank it off.
Jackson swung back with an elbow, catching him in the jaw.
The savage grunted and lurched back.
Ranger intercepted him.
For Chayce to win, he had to inflict an instantly fatal wound. Even in the human realm. With his head and heart protected, Jackson at least stood a chance. He yanked the bow from his back.
Chayce fired.
The bullet hit Jackson’s breastplate. It ricocheted off and grazed his chin.
He grabbed an arrow. Surged to his feet.
A soft thump from behind him. Something whizzed past his ear. An arrow pierced Chayce’s chest. Dead center. A perfect kill shot.
Chayce fell.
Dakota strode past Jackson. “I said a long time ago, Chayce Maynard was mine.”
Ranger squeezed Jackson’s shoulder. “It’s better this way.”
He couldn’t help feeling cheated. Dakota had robbed him of the obsession that would have driven him if Chayce had escaped, given him focus, given his life purpose. Consumed him. “I’m fine.”
Dakota crouched beside Chayce and felt for a pulse and respiration.
Ranger stayed at Jackson’s side. “You sure?”
Dakota stood and drew his sword.
Jackson shrugged. “What’s done is done.”
He lifted it over his head and plunged it straight through Chayce’s heart.
Jackson turned away.
“He didn’t do it for himself, you know.”
“I know. He did it for Mia. He loves her.” Hopefully, they would find her safe.
“No. Well…yes and no. He did it for Mia, hoping it would stop the nightmares that plague her every night. He did it to avenge Ryleigh, who he came to care a great deal for. He did it for Cymmera, to keep her people safe. But mostly, he did it for you.”
“Me?”
“He also said a long time ago, no man should have to carry the burden of his own brother’s execution.” Ranger patted his back and strode toward Dakota.
Together, they stripped Chayce of his weapons, Dakota’s arrow, and any other sign Chayce might be something other than a normal man. Thankfully, he was dressed as a human, but he’d have no ID, no fingerprints on file, no way for them to identify him. The man who’d aspired to be king of all realms, who’d betrayed his own family to achieve that goal, would go into an unknown grave. Alone.
Grief overwhelmed Jackson, the ache in his heart a physical pain. He longed for the simpler times of his childhood, before Queen Dara had sacrificed herself to save her kingdom, before Chayce had become obsessed with power, before Jackson had met Ryleigh and emotions he had no hope of controlling threatened to destroy him. Before he lost the only love he’d ever know.
Sirens split the night.
Ranger and Dakota ran toward him.
“Let’s go.” Ranger clasped his hands together, lifted them, and paused. “Where to?”
Jackson stared at Chayce’s body. His grief for the boy who’d once been his brother would never diminish. Perhaps Dakota had done the right thing.
A dog started barking. The sirens came closer.
Ranger looked over his shoulder. He shook with the strain of holding the energy he’d leashed to open the portal. “Come on, Jackson. We have to go.”
Jackson turned his back on Chayce. Turned his back on his childhood. “We need to search every inch of those tunnels. I want every one of the ice creatures destroyed without burning or damaging the dragon caves.”
Ranger opened the portal to Cymmera.
“Then we have to find whatever that smoke creature was.” The stench of that thing still lingered in the back of his throat. “Nothing like that can be permitted to exist.”
Keeping his gaze firmly locked in front of him, he strode through into the dragon caves.