Kai was exhausted but there was no time to stop. He was anxious to see Emma. The trip took a lot longer than he’d expected. For weeks he’d searched for the secret meadow. When he finally found the forest and its maze of trees, it appeared untouched, frozen in time. The place hadn’t changed in several millennia. Time must pass differently there. It took some fast talking as well as some hefty promises, but Kai finally convinced the Guardian to part with a flask of the eternal spring’s water. By the time he was on a flight back to Emma, several weeks had passed in the meadow. To Kai it seemed only a day had passed.
Kai worried every moment he was away. He’d seen for himself Garrick’s brand of cruelty and he didn’t trust him to keep his word. Garrick had no remorse. If not for the promise, he wouldn't hesitate to kill Emma. But what choice did Kai have but to strike a deal? Garrick had Emma. The only thing keeping Kai sane was the knowledge that Garrick wanted the flask. If he broke his word, he’d have no leverage to use against him.
There was nothing Kai wouldn’t do to ensure Emma’s safety. He’d done everything in his power to convince the Guardian he’d never allow the water from the spring to fall into enemy hands. Kai hoped he could deliver. He couldn’t care less if he reneged on his agreement with Garrick. Garrick would do the same. He’d abide by their bargain until he had what he wanted. Kai had to believe that. But as soon as he had the flask, he’d turn on them in an instant. Kai only had a tiny window of opportunity to get Emma away before all hell broke loose.
All was quiet when he arrived back at the compound. Kai thought about sneaking in and getting Emma out before Garrick or his men even realized she was gone. It would save him the risk of Garrick getting the flask. He made up his mind, there was no use hiding his presence. He had a plan and if he saw it through, this would all be over. Garrick would be dead. Emma would be free. Kai marched straight to the gates of the compound.
“Tell Garrick I’m here!” The guard sent a runner to pass on Kai’s message. He opened the gate and led Kai up to the main house where he passed Kai off to another guard. The guard escorted him down a different corridor than the one that led to the office. This one led to a large dining room where Garrick waited for him. Garrick stood alone near the head of a huge formal dining table. Kai’s hungry gaze scanned the room. No sign of her.
“Where is Emma?”
“You’ve finally returned.” Garrick seated himself at the head of the table.
“Where is Emma?” Kai demanded.
“She's safe. I was about to fetch her to join me. Did you bring what I asked for?”
“When I see Emma with my own eyes, we’ll talk.”
“I don't think you are in a position to be making demands.” Garrick looked smug.
“Are you sure about that? I have what you want. There’ll be no negotiation until you bring Emma to me.”
Scowling, Garrick motioned with a flip of his chin to one of his men. The guard left the room without a word. “She will be along at any moment now. Why don’t we get down to business?”
“Not until Emma is here with me. I’ve already told you.”
“Fine but before she comes in, I would like to see proof you kept your end of the bargain.”
“Fine.” Kai slid his hand into the collar of his shirt and snapped the leather cord dangling from his neck. The cord was wrapped around the neck of a small flask filled with crystal clear water.
“Kai!” Kai and Garrick whipped their heads toward the scream. One of the guards lifted Emma by the waist when she tried to run from him. “Let. Me. Go!” She struggled and clawed at the arms that held her. He dropped her on her feet and she took off. Emma broke away before the guards could close ranks. Her dark hair swirled around her as she ran and launched herself into Kai's arms.
“You have what you want. We made a deal. Give me the flask!” He held out his hand waiting. With a flip of his hand, Kai tossed the flask, still attached to the cord, into Garrick’s waiting hands. A greedy smile split his face. Kai sneered. Garrick thought Kai didn’t realize he’d lost his leverage the moment Emma landed in Kai’s arms. He was wrong. Kai had a plan of his own.
“How do I know that the water is from the fountain?” Garrick pinned Kai with a shrewd, calculating glare.
“That's the thing about this gift. You won't know until you're injured.” Kai tucked Emma into the crook of his arm and pulled her close.
Greed gleamed in Garrick’s eyes. He removed the stopper, lifted the flask to his lips and drank. Kai leaned down and whispered in Emma’s ear. “When Garrick makes his move…run. All hell's going to break loose, and I don't want you in the middle of it. Whatever you do, get out of here!”
Emma whipped her head up. “No! I'm not going anywhere.” She kept her voice low. The mutinous look she shot him made it clear he wasn’t winning this one.
“Okay. Stay close and if I say move, you move. There’s a knife in my back pocket. Take it out without them seeing and hide it.” Emma slipped her fingers into his pocket and retrieved the knife. “Got it?” Emma nodded once. “You’ll do what I say?” She nodded again. “Okay.” He blew out a sigh. Here we go.
Garrick interrupted the hushed discussion when he tossed the empty flask and it landed at Kai’s feet. “I don't feel any different. When does it take effect?”
“It’s done. Take a knife and cut your hand. You’ll see.”
Garrick snatched a knife from the table. He closed his hand around the blade, sheathing it in his fist. He gripped the hilt with his other hand and ripped the blade through the flesh of his palm. Blood dripped from the bottom of his still closed fist. Amazed, he opened his hand and watched as the blood slowed to a trickle. The flesh came together, mending itself at an inhuman speed until the cut closed completely. He turned it back and forth. Elation lifted his lips into a huge grin. He held his hand up triumphantly so his everyone could see.
“Finally!” He shouted. “We are equals!” He turned to look at Kai. “I now have the same power as you and more!”
Kai laughed out loud. “You are scum. You could never be my equal! And It doesn't work that way.” Time to drop his bombshell. “My gifts don't come just from the fountain. My strength and speed, those were gifts given only to me. You’ll heal fast, and you'll never grow old. That’s all.” Kai enjoyed pricking Garrick’s anger. He never meant for Garrick to live forever. He meant what he’d said. Garrick would never grow old. If all went as he planned, Garrick wouldn't see another day. As soon as Emma was a safe distance away, Garrick was a dead man. Kai would never let this monster roam the world forever.
“That wasn't the deal!” Garrick screeched and pointed the blade he still held at Kai.
“The deal was that I bring you the water, you give me Emma. We’ve both fulfilled our part of the bargain. You got what you asked for, and I have Emma. We’re done here.” Kai moved Emma behind him so his body was between her and Garrick.
“No, I want everything that you have. That was the deal.”
“I told you it doesn't work that way. You have everything you're gonna get willingly from me. If you want anything else you’re gonna have to get it yourself. The rest isn’t mine to give.” Kai knew he was goading him and that was exactly what he wanted.
“Then I'll take what is.” Garrick motioned to his men. The one closest to Kai grabbed Emma’s arm and wrenched her away from Kai. He whirled around to pull Emma back. The long sword he’d hidden beneath his jacket appeared in his hand. He slashed the assailant’s offending hand, severing it from the guard’s body. The man shrieked and lifted his arm to gape at the bloody stump. He squeezed his wrist tight with his remaining hand trying to staunch the flow of blood.
More guards moved in to attack. Kai couldn’t afford the time to finish him off. He shoved Emma behind him and backed away. The guards rushed at him. “Go!” He commanded her. He pushed her back and she ran for the exit. The guards no longer tried to conceal their true forms. They dropped the glamour of their human forms. Emma’s terrified shriek rose above the snarling commotion. Horrific beasts with snapping jaws replaced the guards closing in on her as she raced for the door.
Kai sprang to action. He pulled a dagger from his boot and lifted his sword to fend off a hulking spiked beast bearing down on him, long, sharp teeth gnashed and snapped at the thrust of Kai’s blade. The creature had bony spikes protruding from his shoulders and along his spine right down to the tip of a short, thick tail. Club-like fists, covered in smaller spiky protrusions, battered Kai’s arms while avoiding the slice of Kai’s blade.
Emma screamed again as another dark, scaly saurian slung her over his shoulder and bolted toward Garrick. Pride swelled as he saw her retrieve the knife he’d given her. She slashed at the creature’s backside from her upside down position. He dropped her and she lashed out with the blade severing tendons. He crumpled, howling in pain. She sprang to her feet and darted back toward the door. She never made it. Another guard tackled her from behind and she dropped the knife. He scooped her up and ran toward Garrick.
“Kai!” Her desperate cry carried over the commotion.
“Enough of this!” Kai grunted. He still fought the spiked wonder and Emma needed him. The downward arc of his sword cleaved the spiky beast in two from the shoulder to mid-chest. Blood gushed from the fatal slice. Kai pulled his blade from the bloody corpse and Kai chased after Emma and her abductor. Kai moved fast. He caught the scaly creature by the opposite shoulder from where Emma dangled and spun him around. The momentum set the guard off balance. Emma crashed to the floor when he lost his hold and dropped her. Without Emma draped over his shoulder, Kai had a clear shot. He buried his dagger to the hilt in the reptilian’s abdomen. He twisted it and thrust upward for good measure. He pulled the knife from the body and wiped the blood from the blade on the carcass.
“I’m sorry. I tried to do what you said. I tried to run.” Emma was back at his side.
“I’d tell you to run again but that’s not working so well for you.” Kai puffed. “Get behind me and try to stay back to back so we can see them coming.”
“I dropped my knife.”
“Okay then. When I start moving, get low and stay down until I tell you! Get under the table if you can.”
Guards came at him faster now. Kai stood his ground and let his instincts guided him. He fought with strength and speed of a whole platoon of soldiers. He slashed his sword through the oncoming enemy like they were untrained newbies instead of the battle hardened mercenaries he knew them to be. He used every advantage at his disposal. Losing was not an option. Kai moved so fast he almost appeared to flash from one enemy to the next. His movements blurred as he hacked his way to his ultimate goal. Garrick.
Garrick’s mercenary guards were no match for Kai. Some might have had his strength, but none could match his speed. It was a significant advantage which he used it with deadly skill. A few of the remaining guards closed ranks in front of Garrick. He’d not budged an inch throughout the battle. He’d stood and watched with sadistic pride at all the devastation. Even the lifeless bodies of his own men. He didn’t care. They were expendable, dirty mercenaries.
There were no guards left to fight other than the ones holding the line to protect Garrick from Kai. Still he looked smug and secure in the knowledge that he too was immortal. Kai, covered in blood, stalked toward him. Garrick stepped out from behind them. He clapped his hands together.
“Bravo. I’ve underestimated you. You’ve annihilated my men. And you made it look so easy. It really is too bad you and I are enemies. You could be my greatest asset. We could own this world.” Garrick was drunk on what he saw as his ultimate power. Nothing could kill him.
“I don’t need to own the world.” Emma crept out from under the table where she’d hid during the fight. She looked uninjured save for some scratches.
“That’s too bad. This sense of duty and morality you have ingrained in you wouldn’t last. So where does that leave us? You can’t die, so my men can’t beat you. I’m afraid we are at an impasse.”Garrick commanded his men, “Guards! Grab the girl.” Two grotesque guards left the line and came at Emma. Kai prepared for them. He stepped in front of Emma and hacked the guards down before they could reach her.
“I plan to keep her for myself.” He couldn’t win yet Garrick wouldn’t let it go. “The thought of taking your woman is too tempting to resist. As a bonus, inflicting you with pain and humiliation gives me such a rush.” The man was insane. Someone should have taught him not to poke the bear. Kai held back. Garrick was only digging his grave deeper. “You will suffer imagining her with me, beneath me, imagining all the things I will do to her, have already done to her. I might even share. I’m not very good at it but in this case…Yes, that seems like a fitting punishment. Maybe when she is old and useless to me I will send her back to you, or maybe I will just kill her.”
Despite recognizing it for what it was, Garrick’s last taunt fueled Kai’s anger. Enraged, he roared and launched himself at the line of mercenaries still standing between them. He fought his way closer to Garrick, body by body. “My plan is no longer an option. I was looking forward to spending more time with her. She has been very entertaining,” Garrick goaded some more. He twisted and fiddled with the knife he’d used earlier to cut his hand. He exaggerated a bored expression while he watched Kai defend Emma against his men. He kept his emotions in check throughout it all until near the end when he finally realized Kai was unstoppable.
Garrick’s confident façade cracked as Kai charged through the final barrier of guards. He backed away. Blood spattered every inch of Kai as he stalked Garrick.
“You’ve lost Garrick.”
“You don’t deserve to win!” Garrick screeched like a child in the throes of a tantrum.
“I already have.”
“I can’t let you have everything.” He flipped the blade in his hand and caught it by the tip. His hand shot forward, with a flick of his wrist Garrick sent the dagger hurtling at Emma. The sharp tip entered the center of her chest, slicing through the edge her heart. She crumpled to the ground.
“NOOOO!!!” Kai howled in agony as if the blade had struck his own heart.
“Bulls eye!” He’d defeated Kai with Emma’s death. “Now you have nothing!” Garrick laughed at the pain he’d inflicted.
Kai roared Emma’s name as he drew back his sword and swung. He released the jeweled hilt and it spun in the air. Garrick’s eyes widened in shock mere seconds before the blade sliced through his neck. Garrick’s head toppled from his shoulders and rolled onto the blood-slick floor.
“And neither do you!” Kai’s tone was cold. He didn’t wait for the body to fall. He raced to Emma’s side. Blood pumped from the wound where the hilt and a few inches of the blade protruded from her chest. “Don’t you die on me Emma.” Kai gathered her in his arms and draped her across his lap. “Please just hold on.”
“Kai, no…choice…” Emma’s voice was thready and weak. “So much…I need…to tell…”
“You will sweetheart, I promise.” As he assured her, he dug another flask from inside his shirt. Removing the blade could make the bleeding worse. She only had minutes before she’d bleed out either way. “I saved some for you.” He grit his teeth, gripped the dagger and pulled it from her with one hand while simultaneously sloshing liquid over the wound. “I’m so sorry. I was going to let you choose. But I don’t want to live without you.” He lifted the flask to her lips and poured the rest into her mouth. Emma swallowed every last drop then slumped back in the cradle of his legs exhausted from the effort.
Kai watched as the blood flow slowed. The wound no longer gaped in her chest. The water was working its magic to restore Emma. Kai checked the gash again before he shifted his attention to Emma’s face. Her pale skin looked even paler from the loss of blood. Her eyes were closed. She was so still, he wondered if he was too late. No! He refused to believe she wouldn’t make it. The wound had almost healed. It wouldn’t be healing if the magic didn’t work. Would it? No! She can’t die, she had to live. He’d waited an eternity for her.
Emma’s lashes fluttered. Kai drew her close in his arms and buried his face in her neck. Relieved tears formed in the corners of his eyes. He did something he hadn’t done since he was mortal. He lifted his face to the heavens and whispered a heartfelt prayer of thanks. “I’m here sweetheart. I’m here.”
“What happened?”
“You’re gonna be ok.”
“But that’s impossible. I had a knife in my chest. I was dying. I felt myself slipping away." She looked up at him, suspicious all of a sudden. “What did you do?”
“Em, I’m sorry. I had no choice. I was going to offer you the choice. I wanted you to choose whether you wanted forever with me. Then you were dying, and I couldn’t let you go.”
“Kai! What did you do?” Kai heard her distress rise.
“I saved some of the spring water. What I gave Garrick was only a few drops diluted with regular water. I had no intention of wasting it on him. I wanted it for you. When Garrick threw that knife, and you collapsed…I couldn’t bear the thought of losing you. If I hadn’t made the decision, you’d be gone. I couldn’t live with that.”
“You mean I’m immortal like you?”
“Not exactly like me but yes. I’m sorry I just couldn’t let you go. Honestly, I was going to offer you the choice.”
“Oh, Kai,” Emma said. Kai was confused. Why the anguish? Was the thought of forever with him so horrible? “You don’t know what you’ve done.”
“What do you mean?” Wary now, he pulled back to look at her.
“I had so much to tell you. Kai while you were away, I discovered I’m pregnant.” Kai felt the punch to his gut. Emma was pregnant!
“I’ll kill him again!” Kai roared as he started to move away from her to do just that.
“What are you talking about?”
“Are you alright? I knew I couldn’t trust him, but I never thought…”
“No, Kai. It is your child.”
“Mine? But Garrick said…”
“It doesn’t matter what he said. He never touched me. Well, at least not like he wanted you to think.”
“What did he do to you?” Kai asked, suspicion heavy in his voice he leaned back to look at her from different angles. Only then did he notice the fading bruise along her cheekbone. He brushed her hair away from her cheek. An instant flare of anger burned in his eyes.
“It’s not important now. What’s important is this child. What’s going to happen?”
“We’ll love it and be there for him or her.”
“You don’t know how glad I’m to hear you say that, but it’s not what I meant. I just drank from the same eternal spring that made you immortal. What’s going to happen to the baby growing inside me?” Emma’s voice quivered as she asked the all-important question. The seriousness of the situation hit him like another hammer.
“I don’t know, but I know someone who will.”