Immortal Awakening: Immortal Heart (5 page)

BOOK: Immortal Awakening: Immortal Heart
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Izzy turned her head to face the woman with the sharp and striking profile. Her high cheekbones and slightly pointed nose were accented by beautiful, haunted, golden eyes and a full mouth. She could see the pain hidden behind the beauty. She wasn’t sure where Samira would end up after they rescued Makyle, but Izzy suddenly hoped she would be close enough to find comfort in what this castle, and its residents, had to offer… Izzy knew a portion of Samira’s pain was born of loneliness. “What do you mean?”

“I tried to show him kindness and compassion… he said that was how he knew it was an hallucination—that I would never lay a kind word upon him.”

Izzy bit her tongue and listened as Samira continued.

“I hated him for so many years, and still I wish he had given me my freedom. I always believed that even if I ended up in the Underworld, it would have been better than the life he forced upon me. I was wrong. It’s horrible down there. I never would have wished this upon him.”

“Perspective changes everything. You do seem to be headed for a one-eighty as far as Makyle is concerned.”

“I think I am more like him than I ever wanted to admit to myself… emotions are scary, and when you’re alone, they make you feel weak. I’ll do anything I can to help.”

“We’ll get him back, and we’ll figure out what needs to be done to help sever the link. Then maybe you can move on, and the second chance you’ve been given won’t seem like such a burden.”

Samira smiled softly and nodded.

Izzy’s phone sang out from her pocket, and she smiled brightly as the lyrics of “My Wish” echoed off the stone walls. “Hold on,” she told Samira as she answered the call. “Hi Papa, what are you doing?”

“Looking for my girls,” Izzy’s father answered in that gruff voice of his that always made her smile.

“Well, here I am. What’s up?”

“I don’t hear your or Marie’s voice quite often enough anymore.”

“I’m sorry, Papa. Things are busy right now.”

“Things are always busy since you met Bain.”

Izzy grinned at the slight irritation in her father’s tone. He liked Bain, but he had trouble letting go of his girls. “Well, if I promise we will do a big get-together as soon as things slow down, would that make it better?”

“Yes, little Iz. You could call your mother and me a little more often, too.”

Izzy felt a small wave of shame; things in the Middle World had been so out of control that she really hadn’t had the time to spend with her family back in the Human realm.

“I’m sorry, Papa. I will call you in a couple days, and we can make a plan, okay?”

“Okay. I love you, Isabelle.”

“I love you, too, Papa.”

Izzy hit end on the call and found that Samira was staring at her. Izzy arched a brow, and Samira smiled.

“You’re lucky to have such love around you… I never knew my parents—I’ve never been loved for more than my magic, and I am no fool, that was never love.”

Izzy’s head tilted to the side. “I’m sorry, and I know how lucky I am. Love is an easy emotion to feel, but not always an easy emotion to control. My guess is you haven’t found the right people to care about and to let care about you… I think Makyle cares for you.”

Samira felt the corners of her mouth tip upwards as she recalled his lips against hers.
Why had he kissed her? What the hell had he been thinking?

Izzy laughed lightly. “Whatever you’re thinking about, it’s the first time I’ve seen you truly smile. Is Makyle the cause of that look on your face?”

“Perhaps he is,” Samira replied coyly, as she entered Rowan’s study, making a beeline for the books shelved on the back wall.

Chapter Seven

 

The banshee’s head tilted at an unearthly angle. Makyle let his good eye crack open to watch the creature. A hot breeze blew across his exposed flesh, he fought back a wince of pain as it slid across his marred skin, not wanting to draw attention from the banshee. He had led so many of them to differing depths of the Underworld, and still, as he looked upon the creature, he was reminded of the cruelty that had led so many of them to his domain. They were truly frightening.

The banshee’s alabaster skin lay over a sharp, skeletal face, and her deep, sunken eyes studied him with an almost curious tinge. Sharp teeth snapped together as she curled her lips and bit against the air. Her head fell back, and a piercing scream rent the night as she called out into the darkness.

He closed his eye as the call brought in the other creatures residing in the forest behind him. The trees came to life with the wails of the souls trapped there. They weren’t all banshees. There were the calls of so many different Fae who had lost their way in life, and found themselves punished in death—sentenced to this place by he and his brothers—and now all he could do was hope for mercy from the merciless. It was poetic in a way, and quite clever of his brothers.

With the release of a breath, he prepared for what this level held for him. He bit back a cry of agony as sharp teeth pierced and slid down his side, slicing his tender flesh and muscle.

 

****

Samira braced herself against the wall with one hand as her other flew to her side, and she screamed. It took all she had to keep standing as searing pain glided down her ribs from just below her breast to her hip.

Izzy ran to her. Grasping her elbow, she led Samira to the settee, where she helped her to her side and laid her down. “What happened?” Worry laced Izzy’s tone.

“It’s Makyle again.” Samira shuddered the words through the pain. When she lifted her palm from her side, red liquid stained her skin and bled through her white top.

“Son of a bitch,” Izzy growled as she pulled Samira’s top away from the wound. Five deep slashes ran along her pale skin. Izzy would have thought they were claw marks, but the shape seemed off. “What
did
this?” she asked, as she held her palms above the wound and began the healing process. Her eyes glowed bright blue, and she chanted softly.

“Banshee,” Lothar said from behind them. Izzy’s head swung to see Lothar with a concerned look on his face.

“You sensed her pain?” Izzy asked, as Samira’s skin fully knitted back together. Izzy pulled the fabric back over Samira’s freshly healed wound.

Spoken with concern. “It’s manifesting while you’re awake now.” Lothar stated.

Samira wiped the salty tears that blurred her vision and nodded. “This is the first time it’s happened like this.”

She didn’t want to be weak, but fear was clinging to her soul and grasping at her heart. The thing about it was, she couldn’t wrap her mind around how much of the fear and pain was solely for herself, and how much of it was for Makyle.

Lothar came and sat next to Samira. He could feel her confusion, and the pain the link was causing. He frowned at Izzy. “We have to hurry. And you and Bain need to talk… one healer needs to stay behind.”

Izzy’s gaze bounced from Lothar to Samira and back to him. He was right; if it was manifesting while she was awake, there was no way they could leave her without a healer close by. “Has Holly gotten any closer to mastering healing?”

Lothar shook his head. “Not really. She hasn’t had the opportunity to practice.”

Izzy nodded. “I’m going to see what we can do in terms of a spell…” She smiled pleadingly at him. “Perhaps
you
could speak with Bain?”

Lothar chuckled. “You’d do that to me?”

Izzy grinned. “Come on, Lothar, it’s just little ole Bain.”

Lothar shook his head. “Don’t let him hear you call him little.”

Izzy arched a brow.

“I’ll speak with him, but I would suggest you see if there is something you can do to block the physical manifestation of their link while you come up with a spell to link the two of you… There is pretty much no chance Bain will let you go without him.”

Izzy knew he was right. Bain would flip his lid if she tried to go without him. All hell would break loose, and they would lose valuable time fighting over it. There was no chance she was going to stay behind while he went without her.

“You work on the blocking spell, and I will work on the linking spell. We’ll figure it out—and quickly,” Samira added as she stood and headed back to the bookshelf.

Lothar dipped his chin. “I will go speak with the others and let them know what is happening.” He smiled briefly at Izzy and headed out.

 

****

One blocking spell and a linking spell later, Izzy and Samira parted ways. Feeling accomplished and ready to go, Izzy made her way to the room she shared with Bain. Entering, she found Bain with his elbows resting on his knees as he stared at the polished wood floor.

“That doesn’t bode well,” she said, as she made her way to him.

He lifted his face to her, his violet eyes sad. Reaching out, he pulled her to him, resting his forehead against her stomach.

“Bain, what’s wrong?”

He shook his head as his strong arms tightened around her waist.

“You’re scaring me… talk to me.”

He took a deep breath and lifted his face to catch her gaze. “I love you, Isabelle.”

She smiled and cupped his face. “I love you, too.”

He smiled, but there was melancholy in it. “I know, but things are changing, you’re changing. And with those changes, you are becoming increasingly headstrong.”

She arched a brow. “I thought that was what you loved about me.”

“I do—I love that fire in you. But it scares the shit out of me, too, and I don’t have a great feeling about us going into the Underworld.”

She bit her lip and sighed, then moved to sit in his lap, her knees landing softly on the mattress on either side of his hips. “Please don’t ask me to stay behind.”

He shook his head and pushed his finger through her black locks. “I wouldn’t, because I know you won’t. You want to be sure Makyle is safe—”

“It’s not just him. God, Bain! I would never forgive myself if something happened to you while you were out there, trying to rescue him… I am not a warrior, and I don’t know all there is to know about this world, but the one thing I know to my very core is that I can’t live in it without you. So there will never come a day when I won’t follow you.” She smiled, then leaned in and kissed him softly. “I may not be willing to stay behind, but I am absolutely planning to follow your lead. Because together, I know we will both be fine.”

Bain blew out a deep breath; it took little from her to calm his nerves. She really was his heart, and with those few words, he trusted that they could do this.

“Now,” she said, with a mischievous smile, “how much time do we have?”

“Kale, Uriah, and I came up with two plans, both of which require you using some of Holly’s magic, so you’ll need to go see her. Also, we all agree that we really should use the cover of night. So we have a few hours.”

Izzy slid her hands down his chest, reaching for his belt. She bit her bottom lip as she pulled it loose.

“I have a plan for those few hours. You want to hear about it? Or would you rather I just show you?” she asked sensually.

Bain grinned devilishly while a low rumble emanated from deep within his chest. “Show me, sweetheart.” With those words, she pushed against his shoulder, sending his back to the mattress, and reached for the hem of her shirt.

Chapter Eight

 

Bain pulled a thin black hood over Izzy’s head. Holding the sides, he smiled down at her. “You ready, sweetheart?”

She took a deep breath. “I think so.”

Bain lifted his gaze to Kale and Uriah, who stood close behind her. “Ready, boys?”

Kale grinned, and Uriah dipped his chin. They each placed a palm on her shoulder, and Bain cupped her face.

“Whenever you’re ready.”

“You got this, Iz,” Kale said encouragingly.

“Of course she does,” Uriah agreed.

Izzy blew out a deep breath and cleared her mind. She searched for the part of her that was filled with Makyle’s magic, with his essence. Calm fell over her as his power flowed and sparked in her veins.

Next, she called on Makyle himself. She pulled up all the memories that sat so readily in her mind. The twinkle in his diamond eyes the first time he saw her use magic, the sardonic smile he would bestow upon her as she eagerly questioned him about the world he brought her into. She remembered the fierce way he fought for Makiah and the warriors, the way his wings looked like armor, and how his body moved in flight. The way his muscles looked like liquid grace as he fought. She recalled everything that made Makyle the demi-god he was.

Finally, she remembered the pure love she felt when he hugged her and told her he was proud of her. With all those things ready to lead her to where she needed to be, she searched for Holly’s magic and let it take her and the warriors deep into the dark domain of the Underworld.

Heat was the first thing she felt after being lost in the abyss of flashing. The next was the embrace of strong arms as they pulled her from wherever they had landed.

“Come on, sweetheart, wake up.” Bain ran his fingers gently over her cheek. Encouraging her to open her beautiful eyes.

BOOK: Immortal Awakening: Immortal Heart
2.04Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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