Immortal Awakening: Immortal Heart (14 page)

“You were so quick to want to kill the warriors… I prefer that they suffer with the loss of one of their own… whether it be Makyle or her.” She gestured towards Samira.

Darion moved to Esperanza. Pulling her from her seat, he pushed her against the wall. “You are positively merciless.” He reached for the skirt of her dress, lifting it to her waist. Pushing her panties aside, he yanked his zipper down. With a quick thrust, he buried himself deep inside of her.

“I like an audience, genie. Enjoy the show.”

Samira shook her head and resisted the tears that pricked at her eyes.

****

Izzy’s brows furrowed. She stood with Makyle and the warriors in front of Zander’s cell. “How did they know?” she questioned.

“His seer, no doubt,” Zander answered in a deadpan tone.

“No, Juliette isn’t there anymore.”

Zander nearly rolled his eyes. “In case no one explained this to you, there are many seers in the Middle World.
Juliette
isn’t the only one.”

Izzy scoffed and mumbled under her breath, “I can’t believe I ever agreed to a date with you. You’re an asshat.”

Bain chuckled, and Makyle gritted his teeth in irritation. “Enough of this. Don’t be a sarcastic asshole, Zander. We need to figure out what we are going to do.”

“You’re the almighty
Makyle
. Quit wasting time, and go rescue her,” Zander sneered.

“It’s not that simple,” Uriah said, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. “There is no chance of Darion letting her lamp out of his sight. We need to be smart about this.”

“Of course we do, but—” Lothar was cut off as Cree let out a howl of pain, his knees hit the ground, and his hands flew to the sides of his head. Izzy and Bain were at his side in mere seconds.

“What is it?” Izzy asked, trying to force him to look up at her. Cree groaned as he lifted his face to hers. His lids slowly opened, and Izzy fought the gasp that rose in her throat. His irises had disappeared to show only white looking back at her. Cupping his face, she was struck by the pain that radiated from Cree as the room went white and she tumbled through the vision that took him to the floor. Lightning struck around her as the images flashed by. Visions of her standing with Jelena and Rowan, golden gates, and fields of wheat. The vision warped and moved to the Light Castle under siege as wood and stone shattered around them. The last thing she saw before her vision cleared, and she found herself in Makyle’s lap while Bain was trying to help Cree, was Samira, standing in the courtyard, a sword in hand, and thunder and lightning rolling in behind her.

“Talk to me, Makyle… is she okay?”

“Isabelle, are you all right?” Makyle asked, as he pushed her hair from her face. She shook her head and looked to Cree. “We are in some serious shit.”

Cree nodded as his eyes cleared. “Get ready; Samira, Darion, and Esperanza are bringing the fight to us.”

Makyle looked to Cree. “What did you see?”

Izzy sat up. “Too much, but it appears revenge is still Darion's goal, and it looks like he plans to use Samira to get it.”

“You’re okay?” Makyle asked.

“Yeah,” she answered.

Makyle stood and without another word was down the hall and heading up the stairs.

Izzy sighed. “This isn’t good.”

“Nope,” Kale agreed as he extended his hand and helped her to her feet. “What else did you see?”

Her gaze drifted to Cree. She bit her lip and shook her head. Looking back at Kale, she smiled softly. “Nothing that means anything right now.”

Bain narrowed his gaze on Izzy, but she never looked to him.

“Let’s go. We need to prepare. Bain, take Izzy to your room,” Cree said as he pushed off the ground and headed down the hall.

“What? You need me in this.”

Cree stopped and turned to look at her. He shook his head. “Not this time.”

“What the fuck did you see?” Bain demanded, but Cree didn’t stop. He hit the stairs and took them two at a time.

“I hate to interrupt here, but what about me?” Zander called after him. “I did my part.”

Lothar stepped up to Zander’s cell. “We’ll talk later.”

Zander scowled at him. “This is horse shit. You know it is.”

“Perhaps,” Lothar agreed. “But for now, we don’t have the time to worry about what you might do while our backs are turned.”

Bain grasped Izzy’s arm as they hit the main level, he pulled her towards the stairs leading to their room.

“Bain, stop,” she said, as she tried to follow Kale, Lothar, and Uriah.

Holly stopped, exchanged a brief look with Bain, and smiled softly at Izzy.

“It’ll be fine, Iz.”

Bain didn’t say a word until they were up the stairs and he was kicking closed their bedroom door. “What did you see?”

Izzy sighed. “I don’t know what it means.”

“Well, Cree is obviously concerned about you. What was it?”

Izzy sat down on the bed. Refusing to meet his beautiful, violet gaze, she whispered the words that described hers and Cree’s shared vision, “I was standing with Rowan and Jelena. I think I was in the Immortal Three’s domain.

Bain stared at her. “If you were with them, then yes, you were in the Underworld.”

“It doesn’t mean anything,” she said, still not looking at him.

Bain knelt in front of her. Cupping her chin, he forced her gaze. “It means everything, Iz. Can’t you see that?”

“It doesn’t mean something is going to happen to me. We were just in the Underworld. Maybe it’s like when we went to get Makyle.”

Bain shook his head and tried to hide the fear and pain that were fisting his heart. “It’s not, and you know that. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have that look on your face, and Cree wouldn’t be ordering you to stay in the castle.”

She wet her lips and nodded. “I get how Kat feels… it’s going to be bad, and you are going to go out there without me.”

Bain smiled and pressed his forehead to hers. “I am, and you are going to promise me that you will wait here, no matter what.”

Izzy wrapped her arms around his neck. She pressed her lips to his and murmured softly, “I love you… but I won’t sit here idly while everyone I love is in danger and I can help.”

Bain’s voice took on a brusque tone, and his lids slid shut. “I’m not surprised you would say that.” He pressed his mouth to hers in a hard kiss before he pushed her onto the bed and was gone, slamming the door shut.

Izzy rushed to the door. She yanked at the metal knob, but it didn’t budge. She pressed her ear to the thick wood and could hear Bain quietly speaking to someone.

“Bain! What did you do?”

“What I had to, sweetheart. The door won’t open from inside, and I know that you will be angry for a while over this, but I can take it.”

“Holly!” Izzy yelled. “I know you’re out there! Open this damn door
now
!”

“I’m sorry, Iz. Let us handle this.”

“God damn it, Bain, I will not forgive you if something happens to any of you.”

A small howl sounded from the gilded golden cage in the corner. The door to Trackers’ cage was wide open and the little
Argolette
flew from it to land on Izzy’s shoulder. Pulling a sad smile from her, even in this situation, she reached up and gently scratched at his neck to settle him.

Bain heard Tracker and knew the little creature—so strongly connected to Izzy—was responding to the overwhelming emotions flowing from its master.

“Maybe not.” His voice was pained and barely above a whisper as his forehead rested on the door. “But at least you’ll be alive.”

Izzy hit the door, and Bain actually flinched. “I love you,” he whispered, before turning and moving down the hall with Holly.

Izzy shook her head. “
I love you too, you ass
.”

Bain didn’t hear her as thunder began to roll beyond the castle walls and the sky turned from quiet morning to storm ridden.

“Will it hold her?” Bain asked.

Holly nodded. “She may be able to break through the door, but the magic should hold.”

****

As Makyle stood in the courtyard, his diamond gaze drifted up to the large window of Bain’s room.

Izzy stood with her palm against the cool glass, small droplets of water distorting her view. She lifted her gaze to the sky as the first flash of lightning danced through the dark clouds. She shook her head and whispered,
“Be careful.”

Makyle winked at her before turning his attention back to the entrance gates of the main courtyard. His gaze narrowed as Samira appeared before him. She looked like an avenging goddess to his eyes. Her red locks, tinted with gold, whipped around her. Her eyes locked on him, shimmering as the lightning flashed around her.

“That’s a new look for you,” Makyle called out over the roaring sky above.

Samira looked down at herself, taking in the black leather that covered her body.

“Darion’s choice of attire for this situation.”

“And what, exactly, is this situation?” Makyle asked.

“I’m so sorry, please just kill me quickly.”

Makyle shook his head. “I can’t kill you. You know that.”

Samira nodded. “Then it will be your death,” she said as a tear slid down her cheek. She reached back, pulling a sword free from the sheath on her back.

“Again you choose weapons over magic?”

She nodded as her sword cut through the air, arching and twisting as she strode forward. Makyle’s wings shook out behind him as he released them from his shoulders.

Samira smiled as a wave seemed to flow through them and the deep black of his feathers shifted to a nearly black, titanium armor. “You are a god—a gorgeous one, at that.”

“And you look like you belong at my side.”

She nodded. “There is nowhere else I’d rather be.” She stopped directly in front of him. “I love you,” she whispered with a sadness he never wanted to see on her beautiful face.

“I love you, too.”

She smiled and struck at him.

****

Darion and Esperanza sat back in the shadows. As Samira approached Makyle, a sinister sneer took residence on Esperanza’s face.

“They need to get to the fighting already,” Darion complained.

“Don’t you see the pain in her face, love?”

Darion turned to Esperanza and smiled.

“Look!” she said excitedly, as Samira’s sword arched through the air and narrowly missed Makyle.

Darion eagerly turned to watch the show. Makyle moved with fluidity and grace. There was little chance that Samira would win the fight. It was why Darion had completed all the wishes he could think of. His lands were thriving, his castle fortified with a new grandeur that would lead the luckiest of men to jealousy. Each room was adorned with precious metal, and his wealth now superseded that of any king before him. He and Esperanza were set for a long and glorious life.

Darion felt complete as the clashing of metal rang out before him. He watched as Samira struck out again, Makyle sidestepped and swung around, only lifting his sword to halt her next attack. With a growl that rang through the air and a solid shove, he had her reeling back, stumbling to catch her footing.

“Come on,” Cree ordered, as he threw open Zander’s cell door.

Running to catch up, Zander bolted down the long corridor and up the stairs. “What’s happening?”

“Samira just showed up at our gates. Makyle is dealing with her, but we need to find Darion and Esperanza. We have to get that lamp from Darion before someone gets hurt.”

Zander chuckled. “You don’t think Makyle can handle her?”

“I think Darion has her on a death mission, and eventually, one of them is going to get hurt. Now, shut the hell up and come with me.”

“What is you expect me to do?”

Cree grinned as he pushed open the front door of the castle. “Give us a little luck,” he said, grabbing Zander’s arm and pulling him towards the outer wall. He let his wings free and leapt over the stone barrier. Dropping to the ground outside the wall, he met up with Uriah, who was hunkered down, scanning the area.

“Over there, just past the gates,” Uriah whispered.

“What, exactly, is the plan?” Zander asked.

“You’re going to get to feed today, my friend,” Bain said as he came up behind them.

Zander grinned. “And pray tell… who will I be feeding from?”

Bain grimaced. “My mother will be your target while we get the lamp from Darion.”

Zander rubbed his hands together and grinned at Bain. “I imagine this will be hard for you to watch… That alone will make her luck all the sweeter.”

Cree groaned. “Knock it off. I’ll stick with Zander; you two get to Darion and get that lamp.”