Crais(28)

Were they still in the caves?

As I had this thought, and was turning around to head inside, something hard slammed into the back of my head. My skin scorched as the shield dropped and the world went dark around the edges. I hit the ground hard, before my legs were grabbed and used to hoist me over a shoulder.

Within seconds the intense heat abated and we were back in the caves. The burning of my skin distracted me and I was too disorientated to fight back. Warm blood dripped over my forehead, leaving visible marks on the floor. Spots danced before my eyes and nausea rose, probably a concussion, but at least with my Walker abilities I’d be healed enough to fight in a minute. Closing my eyes, I waited for the sensations to subside. In my weakened state my mind drifted closer to the golden thread, and by the time I realized, it was too late to stop from brushing against it. I was reeled in.

“Hello, mate. I’m glad to see you again.”

I took the first moment to drink in the sight of Brace. It felt like years since I had last seen him.

“I’m not your mate,” I said bluntly. “Let’s not get confused here.”

He smiled, just the slightest curve, which was actually quite sinister. “I don’t know, the more time I spend with Brace, the more I see the attraction.”

Great. Just what I needed, a Seventine who was absorbing some of my melding bond with Brace. Time to cut him off here and now.

“Look, ancient psycho, I understand that you’ve been buried below for a long time and there weren’t many available females down there. But let me spell it out for you: you’re a power-hungry, crazy-ass who is determined to destroy billions of people and all seven worlds for your own selfish gains ... so I don’t think you and I are going to have much hope as a couple. I mean, what would we even talk about?”

The smirk remained. He dragged me closer by tugging on the golden strand that held me immobile.

“You’re just like us, Aribella, one of the ancient ones. You will come to understand and then you will join us.”

He was close enough that I could have reached out and touched him, and it was so hard to restrain myself. I craved Brace in a way that would be considered an addiction on Earth. I needed a good rehab clinic.

“Go now, sweetheart, you and I will speak again soon. Once you have decided it is in your best interest to help me free the third.”

I shuddered as the previously endearing ‘sweetheart’ turned to sourness in my stomach. This creature must have full access to Brace’s memories.

Thanks for ruining that for me, asshat.

And then he released the golden cord.

I popped back into my own head. I was barely disorientated, my focus zeroing straight in on my surroundings. I was still underground, in some type of rock cavern. And there was no door. Not that that was usually a problem for a Walker but I had no idea where to go right now. I couldn’t leave the planet until I found Fury, and I was really worried for my friends’ safety. I’d wait until my captors came back; I had a few questions and I was kind of hoping I needed to beat the answers out of them.

The pain from the burns and head injury was already subsiding. Despite the many crazies it had brought into my life, I couldn’t complain about the fringe benefits of being a Walker.

“What are you?”

The forcibly spoken words had me spinning around. I obviously hadn’t checked the stone room thoroughly enough. I’d missed the woman slumped in the dark right corner.

“Excuse me?”

“I said: what are you?” she spat out again.

I raised my eyebrows. “That’s what I thought you said. I was just giving you a chance to be less of a bitch.”

She stood then and my eyes widened as she stepped forward into the lightened area. She had creamy red skin and long white hair that reached to her waist. A female nomad? Unless I was mistaken, Fury was my cell mate.

“You seem to be some type of pale-skinned creature, one I’ve never seen before and, since you can understand what I’m saying, how about you answer the question?”

She was not a happy camper, her arms crossed across her front. She was slim, around my height, and had piercing eyes. They were dark. If I had to hazard a guess at the color, it would be gray. I couldn’t distinguish the pupil and iris.

“Fury, right?” I was already over this day.

She almost snarled at me. “How do you know my name?”

I sighed. “Look, your attitude is starting to annoy me. How about you take a step back from the bitch-ness and maybe I’ll answer your questions?”

“The nomads have sent you in here to try and figure out my power. I promise you, they might take my body, but I will never allow them to have my fire. Never!” She flicked the white hair. “So don’t even bother with your witchy persuasions.”