Immortal Awakening: Immortal Heart (6 page)

“Is she all right?” Kale asked.

“Yeah, she’s coming around.”

“Oh, son of a bitch,” she murmured. “I fucking hate flashing.”

Uriah chuckled. “She really is spending too much time with you, Bain.”

“Not possible,” Bain argued with an arched brow that dared Uriah to suggest something so ludicrous once more.

“It’s not just Bain’s fault… you all have mouths like sailors,” she groaned, as she cracked open her eyes and sat up.

“Holy crap, it worked?” Izzy took in the dark sand she sat upon and the river of fire that flowed in mesmerizing elegance, snaking through the terrain. Thick, black silhouettes stood in the distance, lit by the heated glow of the river. Izzy’s gaze lifted to Kale, who stood in guard stance but seemed less than aware of anything around him.

“Think he just found his next tattoo?” Izzy asked, as Bain helped her to her feet.

Bain studied the youngest warrior for a brief minute. “That, or he thinks he’s fallen into a wet dream.”

Izzy and Uriah both shook their heads at him as Kale chuckled. “Kat is all the wet dream I need. Besides, big man, you don’t want to know about the things that used to get me off in my sleep.”

He grinned and winked at Izzy. Bain growled, narrowing his violet eyes.

“Oh gross, Kale.” Izzy brushed the sand from her pants and pushed past the warriors to get a better look at the legendary river.

Bain grinned. “You’re just not her type.”

“Ah, but in my drea—” Kale was cut off by a solid shove to the side of his head.

“Do not finish that sentence,” Bain warned.

Kale laughed as Uriah broke into their banter. “Time to focus, gentlemen.”

Izzy scoffed. “
Gentlemen?
Uriah, you are so kind with your words; right now, they are both being jackasses.”

Bain ran up behind her, wrapping one arm around her waist, and lifted them into the sky. Izzy yelped and spun to slap his chest as soon as they landed on the other side of the river.

“Jackass.”

Bain chuckled and buried his face in the crook of her neck. “But I am
your
jackass, sweetheart.”

Izzy sighed. Yes, he was
her
jackass, her love, and she couldn’t imagine him being any different. Uriah and Kale landed next to them. Both pulled their wings back as soon as their booted feet hit the black sand. They all wore black pants loaded down with weapons, black T-shirts, and black hooded sweatshirts to hide their features. In the dead of night in the Underworld, surrounded by so much darkness, they were easily hidden among the landscape.

Kale lifted his chin towards the mass of trees about a mile from them. “That’s Kore.” He smiled at Izzy. “You did good. We're damn close.”

Izzy smiled. She really had hoped to land closer to Makyle, to keep their time in this domain to a minimum, but for only having flashed a handful of times—mostly by accident—she’d done all right. Lacing her fingers with Bain’s, they all set out towards the forest. Keeping on the ground and out of the sky was the safest way to travel.

****
 

Samira smiled as her vision cleared and she found herself back in the castle with eager faces staring down at her.

“They made it, and from what Kale was saying, they aren’t far from Kore.”

Holly blew out a deep breath. “Thank the Gods.”

Cree smiled. “I had no doubt this would work.”

Holly smirked. “It’s easy when your omniscient… we don’t have the luxury of foresight.”

Cree arched a brow. “Neither do I, most days. ” he said with a humorless smile.

Holly instantly felt bad. Cree didn’t talk much about it, but they all knew his visions were spotty at best lately. “Sorry.”

“You shouldn’t be. If I’ve learned anything from my gift, it’s that all things happen for a reason. Perhaps there are things I am not meant to see.”

Lothar felt a wave of sadness flow through the room. He squeezed Holly’s small hand—it was her pain that he felt. The sting of regret, born of the years lost with her family, only to find her way back to them and then for them all to lose Rowan. Not to mention the sadness they all felt for what her death had done to their leader.

It was no secret that Rowan’s death weighed heavily on Cree and had changed something very crucial in him. Cree blamed himself, but as time went on, Lothar saw Cree crawling out of the darkness that consumed him because of it. Rowan was gone, and she would forever be missed. However, Cree finally seemed to understand that he wasn’t meant to stop it, and though it hurt his pride and shattered his heart, some things were inevitable. Just like the fact that Cree knew all too well when the end would come for each of them. There is no changing the facts. Death is the unavoidable end for everything that lives.

Cree stood. “It’s time to tighten down the castle. The Immortal Rulers won’t waste much time in coming after Makyle.” Looking to Samira, he smiled genuinely at her. “Are you sure you want to be here for this?”

She nodded. “I don’t plan to run. Plus, I owe Makyle my li—well, I owe him a lot of things, and I believe I can start my repayment by helping you. I think just being in the Middle World has strengthened what is left of my magic. So the least I can do is help protect your home.”

Cree held a hand out to her. She took it cautiously, but smiled as he pulled her to her feet. “Let’s see what you got.”

Holly grinned as the two left the room. “He just needs something to fight for.”

Lothar nodded. It was true; Cree was at his best when he was in full warrior mode.

Samira walked the grounds of the light castle, placing large crystals around its perimeter. The sun lightly shone off the randomly shaped clear rocks, causing rainbows to reflect off them. They were one of the most powerful tools she had for casting spells. There had been a time when all she had needed was a flick of her fingers to completely hide a castle of this size. Now she needed crystals for a simple warding spell. The spell and cystals may not stop the Immortal Rulers from entering the grounds, but they would slow them down and at least give Cree and the others a little warning that they had arrived. And they
would
come; there was no doubt in her mind.

With a smile, she placed the last crystal near the far gardens. She lifted her gaze to the sky to see Holly and Lothar heading out to make a sweep over the lands. When she turned to head back towards the castle, she saw Cree.

“Are you finished?”

She nodded. “I am. It’ll at least provide you with a little time.”

“Every second counts.”

She nodded in agreement. “That is does. What do you think they will do once your warriors bring Makyle here?”

“They’ll come for him, and I have no doubt there will be threats that will be followed with violence when we refuse to give him up.”

“You’d risk it all for him?”

Cree dipped his chin. “He risked it all for one of us.”

“Makiah.” She smiled. “He was worth the risk.”

“That little boy is the rebirth of our line. He may not be my descendent, but we’re a family, and new blood brought to the warriors is worth fighting for. There has been too much loss in our world… we won’t lose anyone else.”

Her voice took on a sad lilt. “I heard about Rowan… I didn’t know her, but I knew of her, and if what I’ve heard is true, then it really was a great loss that I am sorry you all had to feel.”

Cree smiled. “She was an amazing woman.” He fisted his hand over his heart and sighed. “I’ll never stop missing her—none of us will. But all we can do now is what she would have expected of us.”

“I have no doubt that she looks upon you all with great pride. You’ve built something here most of us will never experience.”

Cree smiled. His visions were spotty, but he saw her. “You will,” he said with a wink, and headed back towards the castle.

Samira looked at the world she’d only stepped into days ago. It was beautiful and filled with life. The gardens lit the grounds with color, and the subjects milling about the courtyard seemed at peace, happy and fulfilled. It was what the warriors created for their people. Samira found herself hoping that their leader was right, and that maybe there was a future for her among them.

****

Izzy felt a slow burn in her thighs as they trudged through the dry sand of the Underworld. A half-mile trek and she was about ready to hitch a ride on Bain’s broad back.

“You okay, sweetheart?”

She grinned. “I was about to hop a ride on your back; I hate walking in dry sand.”

Bain chuckled and lifted her up, tossing her over his shoulder. “Is that better?” he asked.

“The view certainly is,” she said, as she slapped his ass.

“We’re almost to the forest. We’ll cut through it, but try to keep the river in sight,” Kale told them in a quiet tone.

Bain squatted down and set Izzy’s booted feet back on the dark soil. “Come on, we’re getting out of the sand.” He kissed her forehead, and then turned to take the lead as they entered the forest. She followed close behind while Kale and Uriah flanked her.

“Stay quiet,” Uriah warned. “There are residents in this forest.”

With quiet stealth, they moved through the forest. Whispers of tortured souls carried through the air, causing the little hairs on the back of Izzy’s neck to prick at the sounds. Keeping close as they moved through the sparse landscape, staying sharp, and scanning their surroundings, they somehow missed the dark eyes in the distance that tracked their every movement.

Izzy’s heart dropped as they slipped past the forest to the sandy shore of the river. She felt tears sting her eyes, and her breath was shaky as she tried to pull air into her lungs. Standing tall in the middle of the sand was the crucifix Makyle hung from. Her childhood flooded back to her as she recalled all she had learned of the sixth hour and the death of Jesus Christ. How odd was it that the Fae would sentence their own god to much the same punishment? Her pain turned to anger as she watched the residents of this level circle and attack him. He wasn’t even responding to the punishing blows that were being laid upon his exposed body.

Izzy’s back straightened as she began to stride forward. Bain didn’t bother to stop her—he, Uriah, and Kale fell in line, flanking her. With a wave of her arm, she sent the pale-faced creature that snapped its jaws against Makyle’s flesh soaring through the sky. An ear-piercing howl echoed through the dark night as the creature landed in the river of fire and was quickly consumed by the churning liquid.

“We got this Iz; go get him down,” Bain spoke with compassion as he, Uriah, and Kale rushed past her, pushing the Fae who stood around Makyle back.

Izzy nodded and moved to Makyle. “Son of a bitch,” she breathed. ”What did they do to you?”

Using the telekinesis that now resided within her permanently, she untied Makyle’s feet first, then his hands. As he began to fall from the cross, she did her best to catch him. They landed on the dark sand, him cradled in her arms.

Fighting and wails of unearthly creatures rang out around them. Her gaze lifted briefly to see the warriors in a melee of slashing swords, flying fire, and soaring bodies. They were definitely taking the higher ground among the creatures that had been attacking Makyle. She didn’t know what happened when someone or something died in the Underworld, but she hoped Bain, Kale, and Uriah did serious damage to anything that stepped up to them.

She sniffed back another round of tears as she brushed Makyle’s black hair from his face and began the process of healing what she could see. His breathing began to steady, and he let out a sigh of relief.

She raised her hands over his bruised and swollen eyes. “Come on, I need to see those diamonds—they are a girl’s best friend.”

Makyle coughed and whispered, “I thought you were more of an amethyst kind of girl.”

She let out a sob of laughter and dropped her forehead to his. “Thank you.”

“You shouldn’t be here, Isabelle. This place should have never touched your grace.”

“Fuck my grace. We are getting you out of here.”

Through the pain, Makyle sighed. “Such a mouth on you… I can’t. This is my punishment, and this is Makiah’s freedom. You have to leave me here.”

“Not a chance,” she whispered.

“They’ll come for me and for him.”

“And we will fight for our family as we always do. That includes you,” Uriah said as he knelt beside them.

Makyle sat up, stretching his arms and rotating his wrist. The joints popped and snapped, relieving the pain he had felt only minutes ago. His ribs were still bruised, and blood was still slowly seeping from his multiple wounds.

“I will admit to not having the energy to fight you on this.”

Rubbing at his sternum, Makyle’s fingers brushed against the vial Lechesis had placed around his neck. Clasping the vial, he looked over Izzy’s shoulders and watched as Bain cut down a tall, brunette woman.

“Bain!” he called out, catching the blond-haired warrior’s attention.