Chapter Two

 

Jasper’s head felt like it was going to fall off. Or maybe he just wanted it to.

“Jasper! Wake up!”

Ugh. Was someone talking? All he could hear was a loud drumming noise in his head. He turned so that he lay on his stomach, his hands spread wide against the ground to keep the world from spinning.

He tried to think through the pounding in his head. He remembered meeting Faren. Flying over the river. Holding Hayden.

“Hayden!” Her name came out as a moan. He couldn’t feel her; could feel nothing from her. No pain, no fear; nothing good either, though he doubted if he felt like this that she would be feeling anything good. He heard a deep rumbling from somewhere to his right. He opened his eyes just enough so he could see through them.

“Jasper! By the moons, wake up! Get her off of me!”

Jasper fought the urge to throw up and tried to focus on what he was seeing. He heard another of the long rumbles. “Brice?”

“Ugh. I think my arm is broken.”

The pounding in his head was receding and he stood shakily to his feet. “Oh, god!” He took a step forward but fell to his knees and decided that crawling would be faster. He reached Brice and sat with his head on his knees. “Are you alright?”

Faren made another grumbling noise.

“Other than the fact I have a dragon laying on me, I’m fine. What in the world happened? Both you and Hayden flickered, then you came back and fell to the ground, but she didn’t and Faren just fell out of the sky!”

Jasper crawled to Faren’s head. “Are you alright?”

The dragon nodded her head slightly then groaned.

“Can you lift your right forearm? You’re lying on Brice.”

Faren did as she was asked, though her whole body shuddered with the effort.

Brice took a deep breath to make sure nothing had been damaged by the weight of the dragon’s leg on his chest then stood, his right arm cradling the left. “Where’s Dodge?”

Jasper tried to look around and gasped at the pain that shot through him. He lay his head back down against Faren’s neck. “Dodge!” The sound of his own voice split his nerves and he groaned.

There was no answer. “Go check the river bank, Brice.”

Brice did as he was told, careful of his arm, and Jasper pulled back from Faren’s neck so he could watch her answers.

“Was it Ternach?”

She nodded.

“Did I only feel it because I was holding Hayden?”

Again, she nodded.

He took a deep breath. “I…I can’t feel her. Do you think…Would he have…” A lump formed in his throat and he swallowed hard to clear it. “Was he supposed to get her to them alive?”

She nodded and he let out the breath he had been holding.

“He’s not down here!” Brice started making his way back to them.

Faren gave a shuddering heave and rolled herself onto her stomach, her neck stretched out ahead of her, her eyes closed.

Jasper stood and leaned his back against her shoulder for support. “How’s your arm?”

“I think it was just my shoulder dislocated. I slipped on the river bank and it popped back in.” He moved his shoulder in slow circles and winced. “What do you think happened to Dodge?”

“He can feel magic, right? So the only things I can think of are that the nudge knocked him out and he was still in the water, in which case…” he didn’t finish the thought. “Or, he was transported elsewhere, which is what I think happened to Hayden.” He looked toward Faren’s head. “Do you know where he might have transported her?”

She nodded.

Jasper felt her tense and pushed away from her.

Faren gave a loud groan then pushed herself up onto all fours. She stood with her legs sprawled apart for balance.

Jasper fought down the urge to laugh. He was fairly sure he didn’t look much better. “Do you think you’ll be ready to go soon?”

She turned her head and he found himself staring into blood red eyes. Brice took a step back. Faren shook herself, took a deep breath, and straightened. The red eyes were on him again.

“Does that mean you’re ready?”

The dragon knelt down and waved her head toward her back.

“You can fly already?” He didn’t want to admit that his head was still killing him. He grabbed all of their bags as well as Hayden’s swords and her jacket, pulled himself up onto Faren’s back and helped Brice up, careful of his friend’s shoulder.

That was when he felt the best feeling in the world. Confusion.

Faren looked back at him.

“Let’s get to her before that confusion turns into something worse.”

He felt the dragon gather herself and then they were airborne.

 

*****

I felt something soft on my cheek and smiled. “Hey, Buddy. What happened?” I lifted my head up and looked around. “Where are we?”

Dodge snorted and I waited for Jasper to translate for me.

“Where’s Jasper?”

Dodge shook his head.

“You don’t know?” I wasn’t sure what to think. I wasn’t hurt. If our situation had been a bad one, Dodge would have found a way to let me know. I tried to see through the steam rising from the ground. My hair and clothes were plastered to me.

“Are we at the steam beds?”

My horse nodded.

“There was someone there, on the riverbank. I felt the magic.”

Dodge nodded again.

“Man, I wish I could hear you.”

He stomped his foot in agreement.

“Are we close to your stone?”

He turned away from me and looked into the distance. He nodded his head.

“Well, since we’re here, we may as well look for it. Maybe we’ll find everyone else along the way.”

I swung onto him and gave him a pat on the neck. He picked his way carefully over rocks and through pools of steaming water. More than once we had to detour around large puddles of mud that threatened to suck us down into their depths.

I squinted through another thick cloud of steam. “Dodge. What’s that?”

A small shape was making its way through the air toward us.

Dodge stopped and froze when it landed between his ears facing me.

“You’re a dragon!”

Of course, I’m a dragon. What did you think I was? The gruff male voice sounded insulted. The spines on his back were raised, like an irritated cat.

“It’s just…well…I don’t mean to offend you, but you’re very small.”

The dark blue eyes blinked at me. He looked back at himself, his gaze running along his dark burgundy body, to his tail, and then back to me.

I choked down the laughter that was trying to make its way up my chest. I reminded myself that even though he was only the size of a large sparrow, he could still turn me into ice. “The first dragon I have ever met was Faren. I didn’t realize dragons varied in size. I don’t suppose you know her?”

He relaxed and his spines lowered. I know her. She is one of the three fire dragons.

“There are only three fire dragons?”

He nodded. Three fire dragons, two water, five wind, four earth and one Mother. These numbers are constant. The Mother only hatches an egg to replace a fallen dragon. He shook his head. At the rate Faren is going, we should have a new hatchling to play with soon enough.

“Why? Where is she? What happened to them?”

She thinks Ternach has you. She is on her way to his lair. I assume your friends are with her. The mother had us all looking for you. We are to tell you to leave these regions immediately. Had it not been for the fact that your Winged One deflected Ternach’s magic and redirected you here, he would have captured you. Leave. Now.

I shook my head. “I’m not leaving. Where is Ternach’s lair?”

I won’t help you jeopardize your life.

Dodge shook his head and the little dragon had to take to the air or be flung off. My horse started forward at a trot.

The dragon came to rest on my shoulder. What are you doing?

“I have a feeling Dodge is going to get his stone and then we are going to help our friends.”

I heard a little sigh by my ear. My name is Bryenk.

“I’m Hayden.”

Dodge snorted.

“Only me?”

He nodded and I laughed. “I don’t do it on purpose. And you have to feel better that we have dragons as friends as opposed to enemies.”

He snorted again and I took it as an agreement. Back in the world where I had grown up I’d had a habit of picking up every stray that walked around. Here it wasn’t any different.

We moved along for a few hours before Dodge slowed and then stopped. He swung his head to the side.

“You want me to get off?”

He nodded. I did as I was told and gave him a pat on the neck.

Is he after an emerald?

I nodded.

Bryenk let out another little sigh. I am guardian of the emeralds. Tell him to go get it. I won’t stop him.

I relayed the message to Dodge, who nodded toward the dragon before trotting off into a large cave.

The Mother won’t be pleased with me, though I imagine she might not mind losing one emerald if it means you’ll leave these parts sooner.

I sat on a rock and pulled my damp hair away from my neck. I looked around at our surroundings. “What do you eat? There’s nothing here.”

I fish. The deeper ponds are full of them.

“So you can swim?”

I am a water dragon! His laughter rang in my head.

“Can you tell what Faren is doing?”

Bryenk shook his head. Only the Mother is linked to all of us and even that is only a one way connection. She can feel and contact us, but we can’t do the same.

I heard hoof beats and a snort behind us.

Hello, Hayden.

I turned and smiled. If I had ever tried to imagine what Dodge’s voice would sound like, this was almost it. It was deep and soft.

I got up and went to give him a hug. “Hey, Buddy. Let’s have a look at you.” I stepped away and walked around him.

He looked just like he always did with two exceptions. I reached up to touch the emerald that was embedded into his forehead and he closed his eyes.

“Did it hurt?”

No. It feels like some little part of me that was missing is back.

My hand made its way over his ears, down his neck, and stopped on his withers. Just behind his shoulders were bumps, one on each side. I touched one lightly. “Do those hurt?”

He shook his head. No. Not really. They itch more than anything.

“Do you know how long they will take to grow in?”

No.

Bryenk looked over to me. Will you leave now?

“No. Now we go find Ternach.”

The little burgundy head shook at me. Are you so eager to die?

“No, but I’m also not willing to let my friends die.”

Your life is more important. They will understand.

I shook my head. “That’s where you’re wrong. I’m no more important than anybody else. Will you tell us which way to go?”

He took a moment to think of it then lifted a leg and pointed.

“Thank you.”

He looked toward the mouth of his cave, shrugged, and then looked toward one of the steaming ponds. A wave of water left the pond and formed a wall at the entrance. Bryenk blinked and the wall turned into ice.

If you’re going up against Ternach, you will need all the help you can get.

“Thank you.” I fought the urge to pet the little head. I was pretty sure he would have been insulted. I turned to Dodge. “Can you displace us like you did before?”

No. He shook his head. I’m not even sure how I did it. I can feel magic, but I can’t use it. When I felt it, all I could think about was getting you out of there. The next thing I knew, we were here. He gestured back with his head. Hop on. We’ll have to do this the old fashion way.

I swung on and we trotted off. Under the direction of Bryenk, we made our way quickly through the steam beds.

“How far is it?”

Bryenk came to rest between Dodge’s ears. Once we get to the sand plains, if the Winged One can keep a steady pace, we should be there by night fall.

“Night fall. When we crossed the river, Jasper had said it would be time to make camp. Was I unconscious?”

Dodge shook his head. No. Days are longer here as are the nights. It takes two of our days and two of our nights to make one day and night here.

We had reached the edge of the hot springs and Dodge broke into a canter over a flat desert of hard sand.

 

*****

It was almost completely dark when Bryenk told us to stop. We had been traveling deeper into a forest of trees that looked like sugar maples in the fall. The leaves were beautiful reds, oranges, and yellows.

Ternach’s lair is just a little ways away. It doesn’t look like much, but you’ll see a hollow tree stump in a clearing. I imagine he already knows we’re here. Did you have a plan of some sort? Bryenk looked up at me from on my shoulder.

“I guess if he knows we’re here, there’s no point in trying to sneak up. Let’s go knock on the door and see what happens.”

I’ll go. You stay here. Dodge looked back at me.

“You’re not going by yourself, Buddy.”

His tail swished. Hayden. I’ll go scout around. If anyone sees me, they’ll just think I’m a Winged One on his quest.

“Fine. But I’m giving you two minutes and then I’m following.”

He nodded, knowing full well that this was as much cooperation as I was going to give him.

I watched as he walked away, Bryenk slightly ahead of him, leading the way. I started to count in my head.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,…

“Hayden! Thank the moons!”

I spun around and threw myself into Jasper’s arms. “Did you guys just get here? Where’re Brice and Faren?”

Jasper’s lips found mine and silenced any more questions I might have had for him. His hands ran up my back and I moaned. One instant I was thinking of how we needed to find everybody and get away, and the next all I wanted was for Jasper to push me up against a tree and take me right there.

I pulled away, trying to catch my breath. “Let’s keep that in mind for later,” I grinned up at him.

He laced his fingers in my hair and pulled me back to his lips. “Why wait,” he muttered. His hand ran up my shirt. He brushed his thumb over my nipple and I groaned.

“Oh, god.” I closed my eyes and gasped. He lifted me and wrapped my legs around his waist then pulled my shirt up and ran his tongue along the curves of my breasts.

Somewhere in the back of my mind a little voice was telling me that this was ridiculous. We had to get away. Jasper suckled me gently and the little voice disappeared. I shook with need. I ran my hands through his hair and tilted his head so I could look into his eyes.

He gazed at me and smiled a crooked grin.

I realized I was projecting how I was feeling full force. “Sorry.” I reined it in.

“What for?” He looked confused.

“I was feeling…” I took a few deep breaths and shook my head to clear it. Jasper ran his fingers lightly across my back and my mind clouded again. My shield dropped.

The look in Jasper’s eyes stayed the same.

“How are you not feeling that?” I reined it in again. Had this been any other day, he would have groaned; would have been vibrating with my need and his.

“Feel what, Hayden?”

He would have called me Shlova.

He can look like everything and anything. He never looks the same way twice. Faren’s description rang through my head.

“Ternach!”

Does it matter who I am if I can make you feel like this? I think I’ve decided the humans can keep their gifts. I’d rather have you. His voice was like a caress in my head.

“Put me down!”

He set me gently on my feet, but kept a hold of my waist. Jasper’s blue eyes gazed into mine. His hands, Jasper’s hands, ran up my sides. My mind clouded.

“Stop that!” I shook my head again. “Don’t touch me!”

Jasper’s face crumbled as if I had slapped him. I almost pulled him to me to comfort him. Almost.

The look turned from pained to sly. If that’s what you want. It works either way for me. He took a few steps back and stood with his arms crossed.

I felt invisible fingers brush lightly over my face. They moved down my neck, over my shoulders, and then were in my head.

I fell to my knees and moaned. It felt like I was being touched in all the right places simultaneously. I was breathing hard and groaning. I wanted to give myself up to him and let him finish what he had started. Pictures flashed in my head and I knew he was reading my memories. I looked up into his eyes. Not Jasper’s eyes. They were the same perfect blue, the same slightly catlike shape. But they were not his. Jasper’s eyes were full of what he was feeling; I could read him like a book. These eyes were blank. I focused on those eyes and took a deep breath.

“Get out of my head.”

Those eyes widened a bit and I said it again, this time with a bit more conviction.

“Get out of my head.” I pushed myself to my feet and started to feel my anger rise. “I don’t know who you’re used to dealing with, but back off!” I threw the red waves at him.

He put a hand up casually then cried out when the flames ran over him. Jasper’s form wavered and turned into a small man made of grey stone. I saw him pull his own waves toward him and got mine ready to counteract whatever he was going to throw at me.

The flames came at me so quickly I almost didn’t have time to throw the grey waves to blow them away from me.

Well, aren’t you a handy little one. I wonder how you will handle this! The little rock monster grabbed a silver wave and threw an energy bolt at me.

I pulled the ground up in front of me and the rock wall exploded with the impact of the bolt.

Not bad at all. He had turned into a man again. This one was blond with dark brown eyes. We are going to have fun, you and I. I love a good test of strength when the opponent is worthy. And just think. Once we are done playing, we can spend the rest of our time making you quiver like you were moments earlier.

I felt him try to enter my head again and I screamed in anger. My vision turned red and I concentrated on the ground at his feet. The flames shot up at him and this time he cried out in pain.

He brushed the flames out with his hands and turned to stare at me. The dark eyes narrowed and I felt the push of magic coming from every direction.

“Hayden!”

I turned in time to see Brice running at me. I started to run toward him.

He caught me and pushed me behind him before turning to face Ternach. “Having a bit of fun, are you?”

Ternach started to laugh. “Braw has no idea what he is getting himself into.”

“Braw knows exactly what he is doing.”

I looked up at the back of Brice’s head. “What?”

Brice glanced back at me then behind me. He turned and pulled me so that my back was to his chest. His dagger was placed casually against my throat. “Stay there, Jasper.”

I looked at Jasper and tried to keep the tears from falling down my face. I pulled back on my fear, the hurt of knowing that this time, Brice wasn’t faking his betrayal.

The transformation on Jasper’s face was amazing to watch. The shock of seeing his best friend holding a dagger to his mate’s throat turned to fear for my life, anger that I had been put in danger and finally settled into a deadly hunter’s stare.

Brice took an involuntary step backward.

There was a loud whooshing noise, the sky lit up, and the air around us warmed a few degrees. Faren came crashing through the woods. Bryenk flew at Brice’s face and clawed at his eyes. The blade bit into my neck as Brice tried to pull away from the small dragon.

Ternach’s voice seemed to drown everything else out. “You tell Braw I’ll be taking her back when he’s done with her.”

Jasper’s eyes widened and he started to run toward us.

I felt the magic nudge me, everything around me wavered, and then I was standing in a completely different forest still pinned to Brice’s chest with his dagger still at my throat.

“I’m going to take my knife away and tie your hands together. I don’t want to hurt you, Hayden, so don’t try anything stupid.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded.

“That was pretty amazing how you kept up to Ternach.” Brice tied my hands behind my back so I couldn’t use my color waves. He straightened and looked at me. “You don’t have to worry. Braw just wants you to do one little thing and he’ll let you go.” He tilted my head up and looked at my throat. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cut you.”

I stared straight ahead at a tree.

“I imagine you’re mad at me.”

That statement got him a blank stare from me. I noticed that his face was bleeding from the scratches Bryenk had inflicted. I thought it was a pity there hadn’t been any water around for the little dragon to use on my abductor.

“Ok. Well, let’s go then. The sooner you do this little favor for Braw, the sooner you can go on your merry way.” He put a hand on my elbow and led me through the woods.

We didn’t have to walk very long before we were within sight of a large city.

“This is Paradin. It is the biggest city in the human colonies.” The city was surrounded by a rock wall that stood a good fifteen feet high.

There were two guards at the tall door. Both of them straightened and saluted as Brice walked me up to them.

“Captain.”

Brice stopped and saluted back. “As you were.”

They opened the doors and let us in.

As much as I was enjoying giving Brice the silent treatment, I was starting to burst with curiosity.

“You’re a captain?”

He nodded and looked down at me.

“For the humans.” I couldn’t keep the amazement out of my voice.

If he had been going to explain he didn’t get the chance.

“Brice!”

I looked up to see a blond woman running toward us. Brice let go of me and pulled her to him. She laughed and kissed him tenderly.

“Thanks to Braw, you’re home! Come. I just finished making supper.”

Brice smiled and kissed her again. “I’ll be there shortly. I have to get Hayden to Braw.”

The woman looked at me intently. “She doesn’t look like much, does she?”

I tried not to look insulted by the comment.

“Do you really think she can do what Braw wants her to do?”

He gave me a pat on the back. “I know she can. Hayden is amazing.”

Her eyes narrowed.

Brice laughed. “Don’t be jealous, Sonia. You are the love of my life and you know it.”

She continued to stare at me. I stared right back. Brice was right, I thought. We had the same eyes.

Brice stepped between us and looked back and forth, his eyes narrowed. “Enough.” He stepped toward Sonia and gave her a kiss on the forehead. “I’ll be home in a bit.”

I could feel Sonia’s glare on my back as Brice led me away.

“That story, about how she saved you?”

He glanced down at me and looked apologetic. “Just a story.”

“What does Braw want me to do?”

He looked straight ahead. “I’ll let him explain it to you.”

We walked in silence for a few more minutes before arriving to a stone castle.

“I have to put you in a cell.” He led me down into the basement of the castle and opened the door to a small room with nothing in it.

I simply stood in the middle of the room and watched him walk to the door. He hesitated at the door and turned to look at me. I was a bit shocked to see the same concern in his blue green eyes that I was used to seeing there.

He gripped the door frame. “Hayden.” He cleared his throat and frowned. “Just do what he says and he’ll let you go.” Brice turned, closed the door, and I heard the lock slide into place.

My legs gave out and I sat heavily on the floor. “What the hell is going on?” A hundred different thoughts were running through my head. Was everyone back at Ternach’s lair alive? How had a Namael ended up a captain in the human army? But most importantly, what the hell did Braw want me to do?

“Hey, Tom! Who’s the unlucky one they just brought in?” The man’s voice floated into my cell.

“Not sure. We’ll find out tomorrow night. I heard a rumor they found the Chosen One. He’s going to test her powers when the moons are at their highest.”

“Man, that sucks.”

“You’re telling me,” piped in a third voice. This one was a woman’s.

“Why?” I asked. “What is he planning?”

“What’s your name, honey?” the woman inquired.

“Hayden.”

“Quiet!” one of the men barked.

The sounds of footsteps echoed in the stairway.

“Great job, Brice. All those years have finally paid off.”

“Thank you, sir.”

The footsteps stopped in front of my door. I heard the lock slide open and my heart started to beat a mile a minute.

Brice walked in first, followed by a short man who looked in his seventies, with long grey hair tied in a ponytail. He looked like someone’s hippy grandfather. His dark grey eyes found me sitting on the floor and he smiled. “Hayden, dear. Please, stand up. You’ll excuse the fact that we can’t untie your hands at the moment. We wouldn’t want you to start throwing magic at the guards, now would we?”

Brice bent over and helped me up. “Are you alright?”

I glanced up at him and was again shocked at how worried he looked. I ignored him and turned my attention to Braw.

“Tomorrow night, we will have a small demonstration of your power. You will help me liberate five beings from their demons. If all goes well, we will wait four nights until the moons align with the star of Juns and when the magic of this world is at its peak, we will channel the power of Laif through the entire world, whereupon we will rid the world of demons.”

My jaw dropped. “You’ll kill them all!”

Braw shook his head. “No dear. We will free them.”

“You don’t get it!” I could feel panic taking a hold of me. “The Namaels, the Majs, they’re not possessed! That’s just who they are! It’s genetic!” I looked up at Brice and was shocked by the blank look on his face. “Brice! You have to explain to him. It will kill you!”

Brice turned slowly to look at me, his eyes wide.

“Now, Hayden, dear.” Braw put a hand on my shoulder. “You’ll be helping them.”

“No!”

The grip tightened and I dropped to my knees.

I looked up at him. “No.”

A second guard grabbed me by the hair and hauled me up.

“I don’t need you to cooperate, dear. It will simply be much easier on you if you do.”

“Go to hell!”

The guard’s fist connected with my stomach and I fell to the ground. I tried to suck in air.

A low growl made its way up Brice’s throat. “You said you wouldn’t hurt her.”

“You did your part, Brice. Go home.”

Brice seemed about to say something, but stopped. He nodded and left my cell.

Braw and the guard followed after him, leaving me crumpled on the floor with my thoughts.

 

*****

I hadn’t realized I had fallen asleep until someone nudged me with their boot. I looked up and found a blond man gazing down at me curiously. He looked about thirty five.

“You don’t look like much.”

I grunted. “Neither do you.” I looked out of the tiny window, if you could call it that. “What time is it?”

He was frowning. “Morning. What am I supposed to look like?”

I started to laugh. You found a bright one, Hayden, I thought to myself. “Just like you do, I suppose. What am I supposed to look like?”

He smiled. “I pictured you taller. And blond with bigger…” He stopped short and blushed. “Bigger eyes.”

“Well, I’m sorry to disappoint.”

He shook his head and set a tray on the ground. It had a bowl of porridge and a cup of coffee on it.

“Thank you.” I looked down at the tray. “How am I supposed to eat with my hands behind my back?”

“I…I don’t know.”

“What’s your name?”

“William.”

“I’m Hayden.”

The sound of someone walking down the stairs echoed through the cells. William and I both looked at my door. It opened.

“What are you doing?” Brice came storming in and marched toward William.

I stepped between them and Brice stopped short. “He brought me breakfast. What do you want?”

“I came to make sure you were alright.”

I raised an eyebrow at him and he looked at the ground. “Geez, Brice! You kidnap me, tie me up, throw me in a cell then expect me to help the humans annihilate the shifters and you want to see if I’m ok?” I kicked him as hard as I could in the shin. “Of course I’m not ok!” I yelled at him. I kicked at him again. He dodged to the side and I lost my balance, which managed to land me on my rear.

He took a step forward to help me up and stopped when I spat at him. “Go to hell, Brice.” I turned myself around so that I was facing the far wall and tried to keep the tears from flowing.

I heard him take a deep breath and the cell door slammed shut.

William was looking at me with wide eyes.

“Go on, William. I’ll figure out how I’m supposed to eat. I’m sure you have better things to do than sit here and babysit me.” I blinked and the tears made their way down my cheeks.

William surprised me by sitting in front of me. He reached across the tray and wiped my face with a rag. I smiled sadly at him and took the spoonful of cold porridge he offered me. When the bowl was empty and the coffee was gone he stood and took the tray.

“Thank you, William.”

“You’re welcome, Hayden.” He started to leave, but stopped at the door. “I changed my mind.”

I frowned. “About what?”

“You look exactly how you should.” He closed the door and I heard his footsteps echo their way up the stairs, leaving me to wonder what in the world had changed his opinion.

 

*****

I spent the morning in my cell with nothing to do but wonder what would happen later that night. I had the pleasure of William’s company at lunch when he brought me a bowl of stew.

“How many shifters are in here, William?”

He looked at the door and back to me. “Are you a shifter?”

I shook my head.

“Five.”

“Are they Namaels or Majs.”

He looked at me blankly.

“Cats or dogs?”

“Oh. I don’t know.”

“Hmm. Ok. Are they tied like me?”

He shook his head. “They can’t do magic like you.”

“How did you know I did magic?” All magic wielders wore an amulet. I didn’t have one.

“The captain told us. Said that for no reason whatsoever were we to untie your hands.”

I grunted. He fed me a spoonful of stew.

“Were you born here? Or did you cross over?”

He closed his eyes and a pained expression passed over his face. “I crossed.” He opened his eyes. “You?”

“Um, well, both I guess. I was born here, then they shipped me off to your world, and I came back about two years ago.”

“You can go back and forth?”

I nodded.

“God, I would give anything to go back. I’ve been here six years. I had a house, a car, a girlfriend. One day, I’m taking a walk in the park and the next thing I know I’m stuck in this godforsaken place.”

“Do you think the shifters are possessed?”

He shook his head. “I don’t know what they are, but I’ve seen enough of this world to know that there is shit here that will never be explained. If they say they can turn into cats and dogs just for the hell of it, then who am I to argue?”

I noticed that the more he talked, the less dimwitted he sounded. I smiled. “You pretend to be stupid.”

He chuckled. “They don’t send me out of the city if they think I’m slow. I get to stay here where it’s relatively safe.” He offered me another spoonful and I shook my head.

“Thanks.”

“No problem. I’ll bring you supper later.” He frowned. “Do you think you can do what Braw wants you to do?”

“God, I hope not.”

“You don’t think they’re possessed, then?”

I shook my head. “I know they’re not. I’m fated to one.” I felt a lump form in my throat. “If I can do what Braw wants me to do, I’ll kill my own husband.”

“Shit.”

“Yeah.”

We were quiet for a moment.

“Hey, Hayden?”

“Yeah?”

“What do you miss the most?”

I smiled. “Showers.”

He laughed and nodded. “Yeah. That’s high on my list too.”

“What about you? What’s number one on your list?”

He smiled. “Fast food.”

“Ahh. French fries with too much salt!”

“And big greasy burgers with extra pickles.”

Someone behind us cleared his throat and we jumped. I turned and made my glare as uncaring as I could.

“Captain.” William bent to pick up the bowl he had dropped. He glanced at me, his hazel eyes concerned, and I gave him a smile.

“Thanks again, William.”

He gave me a nod before leaving the cell.

Brice watched him leave then turned to me. “Hayden.”

“Brice.”

“I just came by to make sure they were feeding you.”

“William is taking good care of me.”

“Alright.” He took a step toward me. “Hayden…”

“Don’t.”

He growled low in his throat. “But…”

“No. Save your breath, Brice. I don’t want to hear it. I don’t want your excuses or your reasons and I sure as hell don’t want to hear you say you’re sorry.”

“Damn it, Hayden!”

The tears were starting to run down my cheeks. “No, Brice. Damn you.” I sat myself in a corner and closed my eyes. A couple of minutes later, I heard the cell door open and close. I broke down.

“Hayden, dear?” It was the woman I had heard the day before.

I took a few deep breaths. “Yes?”

“I couldn’t help but overhear your conversations. I was just wondering who you fight for. The Namaels or the Majs.”

“Neither. Both.”

“So you don’t think we’re possessed?” That was a man.

“No. I don’t. I’m not sure what Braw wants me to do exactly, but I’m going to try my damnedest to make sure it doesn’t happen. Have you guys tried to escape?”

“No.” This was a younger woman. “We’re chained to the walls. The only one that can get out of the shackles is Jeff because his legs are so small when he’s a fox.”

“I can’t anymore.” Jeff sounded very young. “They put it around my neck. I tried shifting and just about choked myself.”

“Heads up, down there,” William’s voice called down the stairs.

Everyone was quiet. A few minutes later, two guards came down dragging something. They put it in a cell and left.

“William!” I whispered as loudly as I could. “William!”

I heard William come to my door.

“What did they just bring in?”

“Another one. A man.”

My heart thundered in my chest. “What…” I had to swallow. “What does he look like?”

“Dark hair. I didn’t see his eyes. They were closed.”

“No…no…no.” Had they captured Jasper? Was it possible he could have gotten this far in less than a day? “His hair? Is it curly?”

“No. Straight and long. In a ponytail.”

Relief flooded through me and made my knees weak. I sat on the floor.

“Hayden, are you ok?”

A shudder ran through me and I tried not to cry. “I’m fine. I thought it might be Jasper.”

“Hayden?” This was a third man I hadn’t heard before.

“Yes?”

“Why don’t you just burn them all?”

“I can’t. My hands are tied behind my back. I need them in front of me to call the colors.” I frowned. “How did you know I could use the red waves?”

“I was on the ridge the day you threw the wall of fire and killed Ream. I’m part of Jasper’s pack.” He was starting to sound familiar.

“Michael.”

“That’s right.”

“You took an arrow in the arm that day.”

“That’s me.” You could hear the smile in his voice.

“How did you end up here?”

“Same as everybody else. I was out patrolling and they took me by surprise.” He growled low in his throat and I could imagine him shifted into a cheetah. “Is it true? It was Brice that brought you here?”

“Yeah. He’s a captain here! How does that happen?”

“I don’t know. It doesn’t make sense.”

I heard a moan. “William, is he ok? The new guy?”

William moved away from my door and came back. “He’s pretty beat up, but I think he’s ok.”

“I don’t suppose you would untie my hands long enough so that I could heal him?”

“Sorry, Hayden. I don’t have anything against any of you guys, but I don’t feel like being executed for helping you out.”

One of the heavy doors upstairs opened and closed.

“I’d better get back to my post. I’ll be back later.”

I leaned my head back against the wall and closed my eyes. “How the hell am I supposed to get out of this mess,” I mumbled to myself.

 

*****

The sound of my cell door opening roused me from the light sleep I was having. I kept my eyes closed, trying to keep the dream as vivid as possible for as long as I could. Slowly, the feel of Jasper’s arms around me faded away.

“That smells good, William.” Jasper’s blue eyes started to blur. When William didn’t answer, I opened my eyes. “Oh. It’s you.”

Brice was leaning against the opposite wall, holding a plate with scrambled eggs, bread, and fruit. I loved eggs. My stomach rumbled.

“They had stew on the menu again. I thought you might like this better.”

I shrugged and winced at the pain that shot through my shoulders.

“Are you alright?” Brice looked about to take a step toward me, but stopped.

A lump formed in my throat and I swallowed to get it down. He looked so concerned. He looked just like the Brice I loved. I blinked and a tear trailed down my cheek. But he wasn’t the Brice I loved. I had no idea who this man was.

“Where’s William?”

His blue green eyes saddened. “He’s getting supper to the others.”

“Don’t you have better things to do than to keep pestering me?”

“You would think so.”

“Then go do them.” I swallowed and wiped my cheek on my shoulder.

“No. Not until I say what I have to say.”

“Get out.”

“No. Hayden, I am sorry I stole you away from Jasper. I’ll make that right as soon I can. Help Braw tonight, do what he wants, and he’ll let you go. I’ll get you back home after that. But if you don’t help him willingly, he’ll hurt you. By the moons, Hayden! Can’t you stop being stubborn for one minute and just go along with this!”

“What?” I got up and stomped closer to him. “Do you even realize what you’re asking me to do? You’re asking me to kill people! And not just these people in here. You’re asking me to wipe out two entire populations!” I took a few more steps and closed the distance between us. “If I do this, Jasper dies! Luke and Mel, they die! Tyler and Trent! Zane and Dawn!” I was right up to him and yelling. “If I do this, I don’t have a home to go back to because my entire family will be dead!”

The truth of my words struck me and I found it impossible to breathe. I felt my legs go weak and buckle.

Brice dropped the plate he was holding and caught me before I fell to the floor. He pulled me to his chest and held me. Great sobs shook my body.

“Hayden, are you ok?”

Brice turned at the sound of William’s voice. “She’s fine.”

“She doesn’t look fine, sir.”

Brice growled low in his throat. “What is your interest in her, William?”

“I don’t have an interest in her at all, Captain.” William’s voice dripped with sarcasm at the last word. “It seems to me you might be the one with an interest in her.” I heard him step farther into the room.

“I certainly do not! Hayden is like a sister to me.”

William gave a hard laugh. “Is this how you guys treat family around here? You kidnap her from her husband, lock her up in a cell then expect her to wipe out everyone she loves because some quack job who isn’t even from here thinks he can play god?”

I looked up at Brice and wanted to laugh at the shocked look on his face.

“I don’t know about you,” continued William, “but that doesn’t seem very brotherly to me.” He gently took my arm and pulled me away from Brice. “Now. I think I heard the lady ask you to leave.”

Brice looked down at me, his eyes wide. “I…” He frowned, as if confused, gave William a quick glance, and left.

William held me by the arms and looked me over. “Are you ok?”

I nodded and he wiped the tears from my face.

“Why did you do that? They’ll kill you.”

He shrugged. “Maybe. If he cools off before I see him again, I might just get a lashing.” He let go of me and started to pick up the eggs and fruit off of the floor. “Do you want me to get you a bowl of stew?”

“No. I’m not hungry.”

“Alright. Just let me know if you change your mind.”

I nodded. “William?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

He smiled. “Sure thing.”

Once he had closed the door, I sat on the bed. The tears were starting up again with the thought that in a few hours, I was going to try and find a way to save six beings.

 

*****

When a guard I didn’t recognize came to get me from my cell, I knew the time had come. He marched me up the stairs, out of the castle, to a courtyard. The night was dark and the moons were hidden by the clouds.

There were four men and two women tied to posts on a stage. This was surrounded by a huge crowd. Everybody, tied or not, stared at me. Michael flashed me a smile and I tried to smile back. I noticed Brice and Sonia standing to my left. William stood toward the back of the crowd, a frown on his face. The guard took me to stand in front of the prisoners. My heart was pounding in my chest and my mouth was dry. Surely Braw was wrong. How in the world could he use me to kill these beings?

The crowd parted and Braw made his way to me. He stood a few feet away from me and addressed his people.

“Hayden comes to us, willing and able to aid us on our quest for a pure world.”

I opened my mouth to contradict this statement but changed my mind when the guard dug his fingers into my arm.

Braw closed the distance between us and touched the black staff Brice had talked about to my arm. It didn’t look like stone. It seemed to be made out of black crystal. I felt the magic flow into me in waves. The energy it created caused my muscles to cramp and I fell to the ground as a spasm raked through my body.

My eyes widened as a scream filled the inside of my head. It split through me and my own scream joined into the chorus. I tried to push it out of my mind, but couldn’t. Whatever this magic was, it was stronger than even Ternach.

I felt the energy reach deep inside of me before projecting itself outward. I heard my screams being echoed by the six tied to the posts. I looked around wildly until I focused on Brice, expecting him to be one of the screamers. He was staring at me, his eyes wide. Sonia had a smile on her face. Another spasm shook me and I tried to keep the energy from leaving me. I jerked as it broke through my barriers and I heard a wet ripping noise. A look at the posts showed me six animals, cats and dogs, all of them falling to the ground. An instant later, their human halves joined them.

Braw pulled the staff away from me, the magic sucked away from me and the screaming stopped. I lay on the ground whimpering. I couldn’t catch my breath and my head as about to explode. My escort grabbed me roughly by the hair and hauled me to my feet.

When I tried to get my feet under me but couldn’t he pulled again, then decided it would be easier to drag me back.

“Let go of her!”

I heard Brice’s fist connect with something that crunched in the other guard’s face. Brice’s arms cradled me and lift me up. “Shush, Hayden. I’ve got you.”

I leaned my head against his chest, my eyes closed against the pain in my head. “Why, Brice?”

“I’m not sure anymore.” He started walking back toward the castle.

I started to sob. “Oh, god. They’re all dead. I killed them all!” My whole body shook with shock. “I felt it in my head, and I tried to push it out. But I couldn’t! And then I felt it projecting out of me, so I tried to hold it in. And I couldn’t do that! And now they’re gone.”

Brice opened the door to my cell and stood in the middle of the room for a moment. He turned back to the door, closed it, and sat with his back against the far wall with me still in his arms.

I opened one eye so I could see his face. He was frowning, staring at the door. He glanced down at me, gave me a sad smile, and tucked my hair behind my ear.

“I was thirteen the last time I saw him do that. It made sense at the time.”

“How could you have thought that? You saw them die! And how are you still alive? That thing, it projected everywhere. Why didn’t it get you?”

“I’m not Namael, Hayden. I’m human.”

I frowned. “But I’ve seen you shift. You’re a jaguar.”

He shook his head. “Sometimes, when a Namael or a Maj gets separated, Braw is able to capture the animal spirit. He traps it in a stone. Whoever carries the stone can use it to shift at will.” He pulled a stone out of his pocket to show me. “I got this when I was thirteen. Braw said my orders were to get into the Namael’s guard, find you, and get you back. He said you could help us rid the world of demons.”

The door opened and William looked in. “Hayden?” He glanced at Brice and turned his attention back to me. “Are you alright?”

I tried to look better than I felt. “I’m ok, William.”

“Captain?” The tone wasn’t sarcastic this time. Obviously, Brice had scored some points with him after punching the other guard.

“Close the door and lock it,” Brice ordered. “Go stand guard at the top of the stairs. If anyone comes down, I want to know who it is before this door opens.”

William nodded and did as he was told.

Brice looked back down to me. “I’ve lived among the Namaels for almost seven years. They aren’t evil. But how am I supposed to convince them all of that?”

“You’ve been one of them. Won’t they believe you just because of that?”

He shook his head. “I’m not the first to pretend to be a shifter. The others come back feeling the same as when they left. That all shifters are possessed.”

“So why is it different with you?”

He shrugged. “I’m not sure. Maybe it’s because I was so young. I grew up with them and didn’t have quite as many years of being told otherwise.” He gazed into my eyes and blinked. “No. It’s you. I don’t have bonds to Braw like Jasper has to Melana, or Luke has to Damian, but I can still feel a pull to you.”

His eyes saddened and he wiped a fresh tear off of my cheek. “I’m sorry, Hayden.”

He sounded so sincere that I started to cry again.

“Shush, now. I’ll figure something out.” He kissed me softly and hugged me tightly to his chest. “I made a promise to you, do you remember? The only reason I brought you here was because I was told you wouldn’t be hurt.” He frowned. “I promised to fight for you. Die for you if I must. I’ll get you out of here, Hayden, if it’s the last thing I do.”

I completely broke down.

There was a commotion at the top of the stairs and Brice tensed, but stayed where he was. The lock slid back and the door burst opened. Sonia stood in the doorway, her face flushed with anger. Behind her, William looked in. His eye was already starting to swell shut.

“I’m sorry, sir. She took me by surprise.”

Brice waved him away. “What do you want, Sonia.”

She glared at me. “What did you do to him?”

“She didn’t do anything to me.” Brice’s voice was soft. “Love, this is my decision. I promised to keep her safe. Whether she is out in Sageden or in a cell here, I will keep that promise.”

“She’s a sorceress! She put a spell on you!” She took a step toward us. “Get away from him you evil whore!”

Brice growled low in his throat. He set me gently on the ground and stood. He didn’t raise his voice, but the tone of it made both of our eyes widen. “That’s enough.”

Sonia seemed to shrink back into herself. “I told you this would happen.”

He nodded. “You did.”

“You can still change it. Come home. Forget about her.” A tear slid down her face.

He walked to her and pulled her to his chest. “I can’t. Sonia, look at me.” He put his finger under her chin and tilted her head up. “I can’t.”

“I can’t lose you, Brice.”

He tried to smile down at her. “Would it actually make a difference if I was around or not? I’m only home three or four times a year and it’s never for more than two weeks at a time.”

“But once this is done, you would get to stay home. You wouldn’t have to leave anymore.”

He swallowed hard. “I know.” He kissed her softly. “I love you.”

“Then come home.”

He kissed her harder this time. “I can’t.”

She leaned her head against his chest and started to cry. “You promised me you would love me forever.”

Brice cleared his throat. “And I will,” he whispered. He wiped the tears from her face and tucked long blond strands of hair behind her ears. “Go home, Sonia.”

She stood on her tip toes and kissed him softly. “I love you.” She glanced around him to me and I was shocked by the hate in her eyes. Without another word, she left.

I heard the lock slide back into place. Brice leaned against the door and took a deep breath.

“Don’t pick her over me, Brice.” Sonia sounded as if she had called it down from the top of the stairs.

A growl exploded out of his throat and he turned, punching the wall with all of his strength. I heard the bones in his hand break against the stone and I cringed. He stood with his head against the wall, his hand against his chest. I got to my feet and made my way over to him, leaning against the wall for support. When I reached him, I simply lay my head on his arm.

We stood like that for a moment, each of us lost in our thoughts.

“Let me fix your hand.” I looked up at him.

Without a word, he took his dagger and cut the ropes from my wrists. I rolled my shoulders and groaned then took his other hand and pulled him into a kneeling position. The greens moved in front of me. I wrapped his hand in a wave and held on to it. I expected him to gasp, even jerk, but all I heard was a sob. I looked up. His eyes were closed, the tears flowing freely from them, his shoulders shaking with his sobs.

I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him into my lap then brushed his hair back out of his eyes. My lips found his forehead.

“Dying for you, that’s not what’s bothering me. It’s the fact that I’ll never be able to give her what she always wanted.” His voice was just a whisper.

“What are you talking about?”

“Sonia, she sees things like you do. She dreams about them. She saw me bringing you back here. That’s why Braw picked me.” He took a deep breath. “The next time Braw takes you out, I will interfere and I will be killed while trying to save you.”

“No.”

“What do you mean, no?”

“I mean, you’re not allowed to interfere. Too many beings have died because of me. I won’t lose you too.”

“I promised to keep you safe and I will.”

Suddenly, I wanted Sonia to be back here. I wanted to hear her dream in detail. “Do you know what she saw?”

“She saw Braw taking you to the courtyard. When he touches you with the staff, I try to stop him. When he turns to fight me off, you get away.”

“Go back to Sonia, Brice.” I gently pushed him away so I could look at him. “Braw won’t use me to wipe out the shifters. I won’t let it happen.”

“If you don’t help him, he’ll make you and then he’ll kill you.”

I shivered at the memory I was having; the power that had been in my head, the feel of it flowing through me, out of me. I shook my head. “It’s not going to happen. I have to be alive for him to use me.”

His eyes widened.

I thought about my statement and rolled the idea through my head. It wasn’t that I wanted to die. But I was tired of the killing. So many beings had died because of me. “Maybe it’s time I die for me.”

“You sound serious.” He stood and pulled me up with him.

“I am. If anyone can end this nonsense, it’s me.” I looked into his eyes and smiled. “You can do me a favor, if you like.”

“What’s that?”

“When things blow over, could you find Jasper?” My voice caught in my throat. “Tell him I loved him. Tell Dodge he was the best friend a girl could have asked for. And tell the rest of them thank you.” I tried to blink back the tears. “Tell them I’m sorry.”

“No.”

“Please. Brice. I have to do this.”

“No.” He turned me toward the door. “William.”

Footsteps came down the stairs and stopped at the door. “Sir?”

“Unlock the door.”

The door opened and Brice guided me through.

“Hayden?” William looked worriedly at me.

“I’m alright.”

He glanced down at my unbound hands and back to Brice.

“You were pretty brave when it came to putting me in my place, William.”

“Sir?”

“I need to know if you can be that strong when Braw comes to question you.”

William looked down at me, back to Brice, and nodded.

“Tell them I took Hayden to my father’s old house to let her recover. When they ask why you let me take her, tell them I cut you.”

“Um, sir? You’d better do it if the story will work.” He held his arm out to Brice. The latter pulled his dagger and made a quick gash on the former’s bicep. William sucked in a breath and put pressure on the cut.

“Why can’t William come with us?”

William shook his head. “If there’s no one here to tell them where you went, they’ll automatically assume he took you out of the city and start the search. This will slow them down and give you a head start.”

I gave him a hug. “If I ever see you again, we’ll try to get you home.”

He hugged me back. “Take care, Hayden.”

I walked up the stairs and into the fresh air. We made our way through the dark city, crossed the courtyard, and came to stop at some bushes by the stone fence.

Brice glanced back and stiffened. A couple was walking hand in hand through the courtyard, both of them giggling. He pushed me up against the wall and bent so that his forehead was against mine.

“Come on, Chum! You can do better than that!” the man called to him. His partner laughed and told him to be quiet.

Brice waved backward to him, hesitated and placed his lips softly on mine. He had one hand up against the wall by my head and the other one moved to my shoulder. If ever there was a brotherly kiss, this was it. I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. Even after all of this, I still thought of him that way. My overprotective little brother.

I could still hear the other couple sitting on a bench. My heart felt heavy in my chest. I didn’t care what Sonia saw. I wasn’t going to lose him anytime soon.

The couple on the bench stood and left.

Brice grabbed my hand, led me into the bushes and through a narrow opening in the wall. He paused before leaving the safety of the wall. He shifted and cocked his head in both directions.

He shifted back. “I can’t hear anything. Let’s go.”

I followed him out. We were in a dense forest. “Follow me. Step exactly where I step.”

I did as I was told.

We had been walking for about an hour when Brice picked up the pace. “There are no traps after this. It’s safe to speed up now.” I felt completely devoid of any energy. Brice carried me off and on to try and quicken the pace. We ran, then walked, then ran again. We finally stopped just as the sun was starting to come up.

“Come, we’ll have a rest in here.” We walked farther into the cave and Brice let go of my hand. “I’ll be right back.”

I watched him walk back toward the mouth of the cave.

“Brice!” I screamed and he fell to the ground as two arrows stuck into his side. I ran toward him and he started to scramble backwards into the cave.

“I’m fine! Get back in there!” He stopped, broke off the arrows and got to his feet. “This way.” I took his hand and he led the way deeper into the cave.

“I used to come here when I was small. There are about fifty different tunnels that lead out of these caves.”

The caves were damp but not dark. There were vines that grew up the walls that gave out a soft blue glow. Every once in a while something would scurry away before I could see it. I could hear the sound of running water ahead of us. It got louder the farther we went along.

Brice led me to the underground river. “I found this exit quite by accident,” he grinned at me. “There is one section where you have to hold your breath for about twenty seconds or so. Other than that, it’s a fun ride.”

He turned and the blood drained from his face.

“Let me fix you first,” I said.

He shook his head. “There’s no time.”

“But…”

“No. Now, don’t let go of my hand. There’s one place I need to stop to grab something.”

I frowned. The blood was soaking into his shirt and I knew he was acting stronger than he actually was.

Brice jumped into the water. I had no choice but to follow. The freezing water engulfed me and I gasped when my head broke the surface. The current took us along at a fast pace. Brice turned toward me. “Duck on three and hold your breath.” He looked ahead. “One… two… three!”

I ducked under and felt Brice tug me along under the water. I kicked to help move us along a little faster. My lungs were starting to scream for air and just when I thought I was going to have to take a breath or die, we came up in a large underground lake. We swam to the shore and I helped Brice get up on the bank.

He lay on his back, his eyes closed, his breathing fast. “Do you see that little ledge behind us?”

I looked up. “Yes.”

“Do you see the flat stone? It’s a dark green color.”

I walked to the ledge and looked. “Yeah.”

“Lift it and take the sac out of the hole.”

I did as I was told. The flat stone was heavier than it looked and I had to use two hands to move it. Under it was a small bag made of deer skin. I took it out and went to sit by Brice. I took his hand and put the sac in it.

He shook his head, his eyes still closed. “It’s for you.”

I opened the sac and looked in. “What is it?”

“It’s a displacement stone. I stole it when I was young. There was a sorceress that came to the city. She was selling all sorts of stones and potions. My friends dared me to steal one.” He chuckled. “I didn’t know what it did until a group of older boys were chasing me one day. I was holding the stone and all I could think about was how great it would be to be here instead of where I was at the time. The next thing I knew, here I was.”

“So why did you hide it here? I would think this would be a handy stone to keep around.”

“Oh, it was. I did keep it on me for a while. But when Braw gave me my shifting stone, I found that the two of them cancelled each other out. Since I had to shift to pretend I was on the queen’s guard, I hid the displacement stone here for safe keeping.” He took a deep breath. “I want you to use it.”

I shook my head. “I’m not just going to leave you here.”

“Hayden, you dying isn’t an option. Now, take the stone, think of your cabin, and get out of here.”

“No. I’m not leaving you. You dying isn’t an option either.”

“By the moons, Hayden, I just handed you over to a man who was going to use you to wipe out the shifters.”

“And you got me away just like you always do when I get in a mess. Do you think I should hate Luke for abducting me?”

He shook his head. “Luke was following orders. And he brought you back.”

“So how is that any different from what you just did?”

“I have been lying to you for a year; lying to Jasper for seven.”

I was quiet. He opened his eyes and looked at me. The fact that he had been lying to me all this time was what cut the deepest. But he was still Brice and I still loved him. I leaned down and gave him a kiss on the forehead.

“I don’t care.”

I repositioned myself so I was kneeling. “You might want to bite on that bag. These are pretty deep.” I took a deep breath and worked the arrows out of his side.

Brice groaned and bit down on the bag. Tears ran down his face.

It took a while and by the time I was done both of us were sweating and shaking. “I’m sorry.”

He placed a hand on my arm and pulled me down so I was lying in the crook of his arm. “Give me a minute.” His voice was a hoarse whisper.

I put a hand on his chest and felt his breathing slowly get back to normal. “Are you ready?”

He shook his head. “No, but get on with it.”

I knelt by his side once more and pulled the green waves in front of me then picked the safe one and spread it over his side. I pushed the wave with my mind and concentrated his energy on where he needed to heal. I could see the tissues heal; the vessels reattach, and finally the skin close again.

Brice jerked under my hands. He took a few deep breaths then laid his arm out on the ground. I lay back against him and he pulled me close. “Get some sleep. I’ll try to figure out how I’m supposed to get you back to Jasper.”

I yawned. “You need some sleep, too. Will anyone think to look for us here?”

“I don’t think so. If anyone does come, you make sure to use that stone.” He looked down at me. “Promise me.”

“I promise.” I closed my eyes and let sleep take me away.

 

*****

When I awoke I was warm and dry. I was also naked. Soft lips kissed my neck. Fingers laced with mine and I heard a contented sigh. My eyes flew open and I found myself looking into the fireplace at our cabin. I slowly gazed back over my shoulder and got lost in the perfect blue eyes that were smiling at me.

“Good morning, Shlova.”

For an instant I didn’t care how I had gotten home. All that mattered was that I was there. I turned and crushed my lips to Jasper’s.

He groaned and pulled me against him. “I still can’t believe we’re home,” he whispered into my hair. He ran his tongue along my lower lip and I moaned. “Hayden.” His voice sounded funny. I looked up at him.

“Hayden, wake up.”

I blinked, and when I opened my eyes again I was staring into blue green ones. My heart sank.

Brice gave me a lopsided grin. “It’s not that I don’t appreciate being woken up like that, it’s just that I would rather both parties involved be awake.”

I blushed. “Sorry. I had a dream I was home.”

“That’s kind of what I thought.” He gave me a kiss on the forehead. “So, let’s get you there.” He stood and helped me up. “You know, I was thinking, you saved me from the archers. Do you think you’ll be able to save me from Jasper?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, the last time Jasper saw me, I had a dagger to your throat. I saw the look on his face. The next time he sees me, I’m a dead man.”

I had seen the look he was talking about. “He’ll see you’re bringing me back. He’ll see that I’m not hurt.” I grinned up at him. “Don’t worry. I’ll protect you.” I hoped.

Brice laughed. “I’ll hold you to that.” He took my hand and started to lead me toward the water.

“Hang on.” I pulled back on him so he would stop. “I want to try something.” I took the displacement stone out of my pocket. “I want to see if I can get it to carry both of us.”

“You can do that?”

“I’m not sure. But if I was able to project that thing to the shifters, I think I might be able to project this too.”

“What should we do?”

“I think if you hold me, it might be easier to transfer it if we’re touching. And we’ll have to think of the same thing.”

“Jasper?”

“Jasper.”

Brice wrapped his arms around me in a bear hug and leaned his chin on my head. I thought of Jasper and tightened my hold on the stone. It started to warm my hand. The warmth made its way up my arm, and slowly enveloped my whole body. I pushed the warm wave over Brice. It crossed over to him easily enough to start with but stopped short then began receding back toward me. I felt the power of the shifting stone trying to deflect it. I pushed it harder and was relieved when the warmth of the displacement stone covered the other’s energy and I had him completely engulfed. I concentrated on Jasper, of having his arms around me. The heat gradually warmed up until the sensation was almost unbearable.

I was suddenly free falling and I held on to Brice as hard as I could. As quickly as it began, the feeling was gone and there was ground under my feet again.

The first noise I heard was the sound of a cat growling. The second was of a man screaming in pain.

I opened my eyes and saw Jasper crouched low, his body tensed, tail twitching, ready to dodge as a man came at him with a dagger. Dodge was farther to the left, spinning from side to side, trying to keep three men away from him. His new wings were folded tightly over his back.

I noticed five more men coming out of the woods. A glance at the ground showed me my swords beside our packs. I dove and rolled, pulling them out of their scabbards as I stood up.

Jasper’s attacker was joined by two more. One of the men made their way toward me.

Brice shifted and circled around so that the three men going after Jasper were caught between the two of them.

Jasper gave some unseen signal. Both cats leaped toward the men.

All I heard were the screams as I focused on my opponent. He lunged forward aiming for my chest with his dagger. My swords swung up and scissored together. Blood sprayed me, the man’s arm cut off just before the elbow. He screamed and clutched his arm to his chest and ran into the woods. I let him go.

I looked over at Dodge in time to see him jump forward and bite one of his challengers in the face. Jasper and Brice took care of the other two.

We all stood, unmoving, waiting for another wave of attackers. The only noise to be heard was our heavy breathing. Jasper shifted back. He still had his battle face on.

I bent down and quickly strapped my scabbards to my back but didn’t put the swords away. The movement drew his gaze to me. Perfect blue eyes looked into mine and blinked. He turned to look at Brice who had shifted back.

If Brice saw the punch coming he wasn’t quick enough to dodge it. His head snapped back and his nose spurted blood.

Jasper picked his dagger off the ground, stuck it into his belt and stalked over to me. I sheathed my swords and ran to him, wrapping my arms around his neck.

“Thank the moons,” he whispered. He simply held me tightly to his chest and I felt him take a long shuddering breath.

“Shush. It’s ok.” The words barely made it out with my sobs. Tears were running from my eyes. He smiled and wiped them from my cheeks, then used his arm to wipe his own away. He held my face gently in his hands and kissed me softly. My lips tingled and my heart jumped. I felt him smile before he kissed me a little harder. His tongue found mine and I moaned.

He was breathing hard when he pulled away and leaned his forehead against mine. “You’re alright?”

I nodded. “Are you?”

“I am now that you are with me again.”

I hate to interrupt, but I’d like to get away from here and closer to home if we could. Dodge was walking toward us.

I smiled. “Hey, Buddy. Are you alright?” I gave him a hug.

He nodded.

I walked around him and he spread his wings so I could see. Jasper walked with me, his hand in mine, neither one of us wanting to stop touching.

“Wow. Those are amazing! Have you tried flying yet?”

I have. It is unbelievable. I can’t wait to take you up there.

“Awesome!” I turned to look for Brice. He was leaning against a tree, trying to get his nose to stop bleeding. “Did you have to do that?” I asked Jasper.

He shrugged. “It’s less than what I really wanted to do to him.”

The three of us made our way over to him. I let go of Jasper’s hand and made Brice kneel so I could heal him.

When I was done he stayed where he was, looking at the ground.

I gave Jasper’s hand a squeeze and he sighed. “Stand up, Brice.”

Brice’s eyes were wide as he did as he was told. Jasper moved toward him and he flinched.

“Relax, Brice. I’m not going to kill you.”

“I would understand if you did.”

Jasper shook his head. “You’re like a brother to me. If I can forgive one brother for taking her, I can’t very well kill the other one for it.”

I started to laugh and everyone looked at me.

“What’s so funny about that, Shlova?”

“I was just thinking what a messed up family we are.” I grinned at him. “You’re a Namael, Luke is a Maj, I’m half human, half Wedelve, and Brice is a full human.”

The look on Jasper’s face was priceless. “But…”

“We’ll explain on the way. I tend to agree with Dodge. Let’s head home. Do you know where we are, Brice?”

He looked carefully at our surroundings then nodded. “The Wedelven River is about three hours from here. If we can get across the river, we should be safe; from humans, anyway.”

Jasper gave me a boost onto Dodge. I rubbed a hand over his wings. “You look like a bay Pegasus.” His laughter echoed in my head.

We started off at a trot, Jasper and Brice staying human so they could talk. Jasper explained how the Mother had given Faren permission to fly him closer to the human border. Brice told our story from the beginning. By the time we were done exchanging stories we could faintly hear the river.

Jasper looked up at me. “Do you think Braw’s plan would have worked?”

I shuddered and nodded.

There was a thudding noise not far from my head and I looked up to see an arrow sticking in a tree. I flattened myself against Dodge.

Jasper growled at the sight of at least twenty men coming through the woods toward us. Brice went to stand beside him.

I reached into my pocket and came up empty. “I lost it! I must have dropped the stone when I grabbed my swords!”

I saw Brice take a deep breath. He put his hand on Jasper’s arm. “Get her out of here. Get her across the river.”

Jasper glance quickly at him then back to the men. “You can’t take them all on by yourself.”

“She needs to be safe and she needs you with her. Go. They won’t know what hit them.” He grinned at Jasper.

“What makes you think you’ll be able to stall them?”

“I had the best teacher.” He gave Jasper’s arm a squeeze. He turned and put a hand on my knee. “Stay safe, Hayden.”

“Come with us.” The tears were flowing.

He shook his head. “I have to give you enough time to find the bridge so Jasper can cross.” He reached up and kissed me softly. “Good bye, Hayden.”

He gave Dodge a pat on the neck then shifted and ran toward the oncoming men.

Jasper watched him for a fraction of a second. “Go, Dodge!” He shifted and we raced toward the sound of the river. It didn’t take long to break out of the trees and into a meadow.

I leaned forward. “Fly! We have to find that bridge!”

Dodge spread his wings and lifted into the air. Jasper looked up and followed from the ground. I looked both ways along the river. “There!” The Wedelve half of me spotted the invisible bridge.

Dodge flew back down and hit the ground running beside Jasper. I guided them over the bridge. Jasper shifted back. “Burn it, Hayden.”

“But Brice…”

Jasper shook his head.

My throat tightened and I swallowed hard. I threw a red wave at the bridge and closed my eyes. Dodge moved away from the fire and I shivered.

“Bloody hell,” I mumbled. I had forgotten it was winter on this side of the river.

Jasper handed me my jacket and pulled on his extra tunic. “Let’s go, Shlova.”

I gave Dodge a pat on the neck, gave the other side of the river one last look and we trotted off into the snow, getting as far from the border as we could.