Dalir's Salvation (2 page)

Dalir ran to her side and caught her as she sagged to the ground. “Who did this? Where is everyone?”

Pain lined Jalan’s deeply tanned face. “I’ve sent the oracles to another dimension, but Taliana…” She gripped his hand. A thousand years of wisdom shone in her violet eyes. “Heed my words, warrior. It’s done. What destiny has set into motion can’t be changed. It is fate.”

“I’m not leaving until you tell me what happened. Where’s Taliana?” Kell’s energy signature rippled over him. Dalir surged into a quick phase. The boundaries of time and space melded into a blur. Seconds later, he landed on solid ground at the rear of the temple.

Sunlight reflected off Kell’s blond hair and gold breastplate. His brother fisted Taliana’s auburn braid.

Dalir’s heart rate ticked up.

“Don’t come any closer.” Kell yanked Taliana back against him as he shuffled nearer the cliff.

She paled and clutched at Kell’s forearm. The sleeve of her long, flowing, blue tunic fluttered around a yellow jewel hanging around her neck, and the blade his brother held at her throat. The dagger, a gift from their father, matched the one in Dalir’s boot. The only difference was the hilt of Kell’s knife had an inlay of the sun instead of an infinity symbol.

“Kell, what are you doing?”

“Something I should have done a long time ago. I’ve joined forces with the retributionists.”

“Why? You have nothing in common with them.”

“Of course I do. Since the retributionists and I both had things stolen from us, we’ve made a trade. I’ll deliver everything they wish once they help me get what I want.”

Dalir risked taking a step forward. “What do you want?”

His brother yanked Taliana back against him.

She cried out.

Kell’s tight expression grew harder with a cruel smile. “Her and the throne.”

“She has nothing to do with this.”

“Oh, yes she does.” Kell snuggled her cheek. “Taliana’s the prize that father gave you. A nice, dutiful virgin bride. She’ll satisfy my needs well.”

He’d heard rumors about his brother’s needs. Heat and nausea roiled in Dalir’s gut. Kell would never touch Taliana. “I’m warning you. Let her go.” Dalir telegraphed a thought to Taliana, willing it to give her strength.
“I won’t let him hurt you.”

The blue light of the oracles dimmed in Taliana’s gaze. Her expression saddened as she stared at Dalir. She smiled as if she’d come to another conclusion.

Prickles spread over him as he replayed Jalan’s claim.
“What destiny has set into motion can’t be changed.”

This wasn’t destiny. Kell had snapped. Dalir shot out a wave of energy, testing his brother’s limits. His power clashed with Kell’s in a shower of light.

Kell raised his brow. Triumph gleamed in his blue, brown gaze. “Face it, brother. Your glory days are over. After I have you whipped in front of the castle for all of the warriors to see, I’ll assign you a job. Shoveling the stables or shining my boots, either way you’ll spend the rest of your life cleaning up shit and surviving on the crumbs I give you.”

Dalir’s hand twitched with reined in energy. He could go for a direct strike, but the risk of hitting Taliana was too great. Somehow, he had to get her out of the way.

Phase energy swelled through the ridge.

A squad of elite warriors landed behind Dalir.

Ronan appeared at his side. “The hunting party was a distraction. Retributionists attacked the city, but they didn’t succeed. Your father and the leaders are safe. Everything is secure.”

Dalir took one slow step forward, then another. “Did you hear that, Kell? It’s over. Let her go.”

“Or what?” His brother tightened his hold on Taliana.

Since childhood, Kell had used the same challenge every time he didn’t get his way. Kell always took things too far, but this wasn’t a game. “I’ll kill you.”

Taliana’s eyes widened. “Dalir, you can’t.”

Kell barked out a laugh so harsh she flinched. “Taliana’s right. You’d never disgrace yourself by breaking the law and spilling royal blood.”

But he wouldn’t let him hurt her. “It’s over. Release Taliana and I’ll let you escape.”

“And then what am I supposed to do? Become a hunted fugitive? Hide in the forest with the pathetic retributionists? I’m not doing that.”

Clueless not pathetic described the retributionists for believing in Kell. Self-preservation was his brother’s middle name. If Kell had succeeded in overthrowing their father, he would have betrayed the retributionists.

More warriors appeared.

“You’re running out of options. Be smart.” Dalir gathered all of his phase energy. He balled it inside of him, prepared to fling it out. He’d only get one chance to take down his brother and save Taliana. “End it now, and you’ll have a chance at leniency. I’ll recommend house arrest in the castle instead of prison.”

“Mercy. That doesn’t sound like you. Prepping for your new advisor’s position already?” Kell’s gaze darted to the warriors, and then he zeroed in on Dalir. “What makes you think I want your help? You know what. Fuck you. Fuck father and being king.” With a feral grin, he pressed the tip of the blade to Taliana’s throat. A drop of blood emerged. “Making you suffer is a much better reward.”

Present-Day

The Drift

Dalir rested on his heels as he sat on the cool white tiles. Flattening his hands to his thighs, eyes closed, he sank into a meditative trance. He mind-traveled through time in the Earthly dimension. Thoughts of joy, hope, fear, and anger, he heard them all. Memories of Alandia overshadowed them. A dull ache gripped Dalir’s chest. His recollections had grown more persistent since he’d found out Kell had escaped.

At first, he hadn’t understood what caused the anomaly that fragmented a section of time. Then Kell had appeared. His brother’s violence in the Earthly realm had caused problems to erupt. And brought chaos back into his life. Eighty years ago, Kell’s sentence to float formless for eternity had made his own reprimand more palatable. At least Kell could no longer threaten their father’s rule. Just like Kell, the whereabouts of Alandia was stripped from his memory. The supreme council had exiled him to The Drift.

Twenty years into his sentence, he’d discovered he could travel to the Earthly dimension, but only as an incorporeal presence. When he’d done it, warriors from Alandia hadn’t crashed down on him so he’d traveled between The Drift and Earthly dimensions at will. For decades, he’d gone from place to place, carrying the burden of failure. He’d let down his father, disgraced himself as a warrior, and lost Taliana. Then, five years ago, he’d spotted a helicopter crashing in the desert. He’d sensed the honor and bravery of the men destined to die inside of it. In that moment, he’d found a way to give his, and their lives meaning again.

Violence, natural disasters and worse loomed in the future. Finding his brother, that’s what needed his attention. Not wasting energy on remembering a place where he could no longer return. Through the gift of time travel that he’d given Thane and the team, they could do what he couldn’t. Intervene and prevent danger. Stop the threats. Instead, the former Special Operatives now hunted for his brother.

Where was Kell hiding? They had to find him. Dalir’s heart rate spiked. Heat coursed through him. He rolled his shoulders and forced a deep breath. He concentrated on the time stream. The intertwined ribbons of seconds, hours, and months flowed smoothly in front of him. Farther up, part of the stream splintered into pieces as thin as threads. His heart sank. Not all of the fractures had healed.

A hammer banging on a wall, and what sounded like furniture legs dragging across the floor downstairs, broke his concentration. Women’s voices penetrated the closed bedroom door.

A month ago, allowing Thane and Reid’s fiancées to stay at his home in The Drift had made sense. In the Earthly dimension, once the guys traveled time, Celine and Lauren would forget them. The Drift was the only place the women’s memories would remain intact. Damn it. What were Lauren and Celine up to now?

Sunlight filtered through pale, sheer curtains that lifted with the breeze, revealing the blue sky and snowcapped mountains.

What he’d give to have the same peacefulness in his home again. Dalir sprang to his feet. He combed his fingers back through his long hair, and it fell along his shoulders. As he tightened the strings on the waist of his gray sweats, cool air drifted over his bare torso. Dalir snagged a dark tank shirt from a drawer in the pinewood dresser and put it on. He stomped past the thick-columned footboard of the poster bed and went out the room.

Wood floors gleamed in the hallway. The doors to the three guest bedrooms, occupied by Mace, Colby, and West, remained shut. It was only a matter of time before the women’s renovation project steamrolled upstairs and obliterated the clean, perfectly good, white walls.

In the beginning, Celine and Lauren had treated their time at his home like a resort vacation. They’d slept late, lounged in the gardens, trekked in the mountains, and sunned by the lake. Then boredom from isolation had set in. The team began including the women in some of their training at the shooting range and on the obstacle course to help breakup the monotony.

Somewhere along the line, Lauren and Celine’s interests had turned to his home. They’d claimed it needed a woman’s touch. Painting walls, adding a few frilly pillows, moving things around. That’s what he’d expected. What could it hurt if it kept them occupied? He’d mainly consented to keep the guys on task with the mission of finding Kell. Then all of the sudden, the women went rogue. He should have never given them access to power tools.

Colby jogged up the stairs wearing tennis shoes, shorts, and a sweat-stained T-shirt. His damp blond hair clung to his forehead. “Wouldn’t go down there if I were you. They’re moving furniture out of the sunroom.”

“For what?”

“They’re changing the back wall into a built-in bookcase.”

Why couldn’t they just read the damn books instead of turning everything fucking upside down? “Where’s Thane and Reid?”

“They made themselves scarce early this morning along with Mace and West.”

Of course they had. Thane and Reid had led the team to stop rebellions, disasters, even a super virus from destroying humankind, but they couldn’t control their fiancées. The flush spreading over him and supernatural energy expanded in equal proportions.

A buzz emitted from the light switch.

“Whoa. Chill.” Colby raised his hands. “You’ll fry the circuits again. No electricity will only prolong the agony. Just do like the rest of us and leave.”

“You’re still here.”

“Not for long. I’m on recon duty.”

At least someone was getting some real work done. “Do you have a lead on Kell?”

“Possibly. The police in New Jersey are looking for a slasher. The victims’ wounds may have been caused by a sword.”

Knots tightened in Dalir’s gut. Since his escape, Kell had killed a woman scientist, kidnapped Lauren, and tortured Reid. Those were the incidents they knew about. Was he responsible for these murders, too? Recollections of the pain his brother had caused seared into him. Four weeks ago, he’d fought Kell and nicked his brother’s throat, but Kell had leaped time and escaped before he could finish him. He would have pursued him, but Reid’s injuries couldn’t wait. Time in nothingness had weakened Kell’s phasing and fighting skills. His brother wouldn’t make the same mistake twice. Kell wouldn’t show his face until his powers and fighting skills reached full potential.

Colby’s green eyes grew cold with a hard expression. “Don’t worry we’ll find him.”

“When are you reporting back?”

“Later tonight. After New Jersey, I’m tracking down Ari.” Colby answered Dalir’s questioning look with a chuckle. “You know who she is, Celine and Lauren’s friend.”

Right. Celine and Lauren had agonized over leaving her behind in Florida. His decision not to bring Ari to The Drift hadn’t gone over well. Lauren and Celine had a reason to occupy his home. Ari, a grown woman capable of taking care of herself, didn’t. First they’d want one friend to live with them in The Drift. Then another. He wasn’t a damn innkeeper. Just like their little redecorating project, the list of people they would have wanted at The Drift would have gone on forever. “What about Ari?”

“We’re taking turns checking in on her so the girls won’t worry so much.”

An electric saw buzzed to life downstairs.

Dalir’s jaw ached from his gritted teeth. He could camp in the mountains or go to his place near the lake. Or he could let Colby do the job the recon expert did best. Hunt for leads.

“I’ll check on Ari.”

Colby rubbed the stubble on his jawline. “I was just going to pop in where she works, make visual confirmation that she’s okay, and move out. I can handle it.”

“Focus on finding my brother. I’ll take care of this side errand.” Dalir stalked back to his room to change clothes. “It’s time to bring this shit to an end.”

Present-Day

The Earthly Dimension

The young woman tucked a strand of auburn hair behind her ear and sighed. “I’m not sure what I’m looking for.”

“Don’t worry. Something will catch your eye.” Ari Frasier led her customer further into Diva Unique. Soothing light-colored walls, artfully draped displays, and hints of jasmine and lavender scenting the air invited customers to linger. Of all the stores in the mall, Diva Unique contained the best selection of women’s specialty gifts.

“It has to be perfect. My mother-in-law is extremely picky.” The woman’s gaze roamed over scented candles, bath soaps and moisturizers. “Finding a gift for her is so difficult.”

“This moisturizer is nice, and it’s one of our bestselling products. May I?” Ari pumped a small dollop into her customer’s hand. Infused with sweet orange, it would help calm the woman’s rising anxiety.

The woman massaged it in. “I like it, but for my mother-in-law, who knows if it’s right?”

Ari’s palm itched. A brief touch or the lightest brush over the woman’s arm could reveal the answer. Or lead to trouble. Ari curled her hands into fists. Just like it had at the car dealership, the real estate office, the catering company, and everywhere else she’d worked in the past. Her bosses had reprimanded her for not obeying the prime rule of sales. The customer is always right. She’d steered buyers toward what she sensed was best for them which didn’t always equal a profit or a happy customer. Of course, she couldn’t tell her bosses or anyone else that her special insight led the way. Instead, she’d endured the label of failure and accepted termination after termination. But she wouldn’t bring crystal-ball antics into Diva Unique. The store was her best friend’s baby. Celine had entrusted it to her while she trekked through Bali and Tibet. She couldn’t let her girl down.