Winters awakening, p.14
Winter's Awakening, page 14
Home base.
No, Brenna!
Chapter 13
Brenna stared at the spot where Sebris and the other warriors had been moments ago. Her body still too warm from that hard stare and cool smile he’d sent her. And her traitorous mind slipped straight back to last night, remembering his mouth…everywhere.
Desire stirred again. She bit back a groan. How could her breasts respond like they had to him? They were just…breasts. She never thought of them as an erogenous zone until he touched them.
Despite what he’d said last night about wanting to see her, she understood their moment meant nothing deep…and yet, he drew her like the hapless moth to its doom.
Xever walked up to them, sporting an affable smile now. Even with his deceptively relaxed stance, there was a certain air of lethalness ingrained in him, and the others of Sebris’ trusted warriors. They couldn’t hide that dangerous energy even if they tried. She’d learned of their lethalness—of them being undefeated—through her very own otherworldly Google source, Erideni.
“Brenna. Erideni,” Xever greeted. “Don’t linger outside for too long…” He cast a look to the gray skies. “It will fall to sub-zero quite quick once daylight fades.”
“We won’t, my lord.” Erideni gave him a quick curtsey, her clasp on Brenna’s hand tightening. With a nod, he strode off. They tramped down the gravelly road toward the cluster of snow-laden blue-tinged trees at the end of the street.
Brenna studied the homes set into the mountain footholds. They all appeared similar, sporting shuttered dome-style windows. The entrances were sheltered from the weather by deep stone porches, with a few steps leading up to them.
Curious to know what the fortress looked like from the outside, she glanced back. And gaped. The building wasn’t just massive and loomed over everything, heck, a part of it literally sat on the beach as she knew. Disjointed edifices and rising towers made up the stronghold. The place was a reinforced battlement set against the backdrop of the menacing mountain with ice-capped peaks. Its stark beauty stole her breath. All of it Sebris’ domain.
“Wow. It’s really intimidating,” she whispered.
“Aye. Our world is deadly, but it is my home.” Pride laced Erideni’s voice. “And that’s my house, the last one. Some of the warriors prefer to live out here, like Papa. He doesn’t care for enclosed spaces. Here it is.”
They walked up the few steps and crossed the sheltered porch. Erideni opened the front door into a spacious living room. The aroma of something baked hours ago lingered. Two couches faced the smokeless hearth, and a low marble table sat in the center.
“This is our receiving room, and that,” she waved a hand to an archway leading into an open-plan dining room-slash-kitchen, “is our cooking and eating area.”
Soft footsteps echoed. A tall, slender woman wearing a sapphire gown emerged from the corridor, searching through the woven basket she carried. “Erideni—”
She looked up and stumbled to a halt. Nut-brown hair framed her attractive face and flowed down her back into a silky braid. Eyes the same leaf-green as Erideni’s widened.
A larger figure loomed behind the woman, and he gently nudged her forward. With both pairs of eyes on her, Brenna wanted to squirm, feeling like some lab insect.
The man, er, angel, had a deep scar running from his cheekbone to his jaw. Dressed in all black, he wore a heavy, ankle-length, leather-like cape with belts crisscrossing his chest, sporting a military appearance. She’d seen some of the warriors wear similar clothes when they went out on patrol. His blond hair was a shade darker than Erideni’s and brushed his collar. But he didn’t have wings.
“Pateri, Materi, this is her,” Erideni gushed, her expression bright with excitement. “Brenna, my parents, Nader and Evoni.”
Man, Erideni’s mother could pass for her older sister.
Evoni gave a reverent little curtsey. Nader lowered his head in a half bow. “It’s good to finally meet you, m’lady.”
Heat streaked her cheeks at their formality. “Please, it’s just Brenna. And thank you for altering my gowns,” she told Evoni.
“It is my great pleasure to help the chosen. You are all Erideni talks about,” she said with a warm smile.
Oh, man. Brenna’s face burned hotter. Dismay settled like lead inside her. These people, these Darkrean angels, celebrated her. And she prayed for a miracle that she could somehow help them.
Despite his stern expression, Nader’s gaze softened as he spoke to his daughter. “Will you be home this evening, little star? Mama will be alone.”
“Aye, I’ll be here, Papa, as soon as I’m finished with my lesson.”
He kissed Erideni’s brow, nodded at Brenna, and swiped his black gloves from the side table. Evoni hugged her daughter, and after smiles of farewell, the couple left.
“Papa’s in charge of the watch heading to the western border,” Erideni explained. “He’ll be gone a few days.” She crossed to the sideboard and searched through a pewter dish there brimming with colorful stones. “Mama runs a dress store in town—there. Found it!” She picked up the six-sided blue stone.
As they exited the house, Brenna couldn’t contain her curiosity. “Why does your father not have wings?”
“When divine angels take mates, they lose their wings and fall from grace,” she said, shutting the front door. “It’s the Celestial Realm’s ruling. He loved Mama so much that he gave them up.”
“That’s so romantic.”
“Aye, it is.” Erideni clasped Brenna’s hand again and strolled out. “Sometimes, when a babe’s born from a pair like my parents, the young could end up with wings…” Her words tapered off as Paxyn walked past.
The warrior never smiled or spoke to anyone, not that Brenna had seen, but he gave her a slight nod. Erideni’s grip tightened on her hand, her wide-eyed stare fixed on Paxyn.
Brenna bit back a smile. “Isn’t he a little old for you?” she teased as they cleared the few steps and walked out onto the pebbly road.
A deep flush darkened the young girl’s cheeks. “He’s so handsome and strong. You should see him fight. The amphitheater arena contests are so wonderful. Of course, no one fights like Lord Sebris, but still…”
Brenna wanted to roll her eyes, but she cast another look at the warrior heading toward the stronghold. Yep, she understood why Erideni had a crush on Paxyn. With his striking azure eyes and golden skin, his ebony hair put in its usual knot, and a matching pair of gleaming night-dark wings pulled tight to his body, he’d be the perfect poster boy for angels-are-real.com.
“This…” Erideni showed her the stone. “It has the number of sides we need. We could mark it with dots like you said…” She frowned and glanced around her, then she shut her eyes as if concentrating.
“What is it?” Brenna asked, looking about, too. Nothing appeared out of place, but the tiny hairs on her nape rose.
“Something doesn’t feel right—nooo!” She threw herself at Brenna, and together they stumbled back just as a deafening explosion ripped through the air. The force threw them clear across the street. The thundering roar of shrapnel and rocks rained down, as if half the mountainside had collapsed.
Brenna lay on the icy gravel feeling as if her lungs had shut down, the booming sound continuing to ring in her ears long after the noise had died.
Inhaling a stuttering breath, she tried to sit but couldn’t. Something pinned her to the ground. With a pained groan, she shoved once, twice, to heave a flat hunk of granite off her chest, then pushed up. Warm wetness dripped down her brow, blurring her vision. She swiped the blood away.
Erideni! Her eyes doing a frantic bounce around the place, she searched for her friend. But with massive chunks of mountain pieces lying about, and dust clogging the air, it was hard to see anything. Then she spied part of a dark green dress a few feet away on the mushy snow. A massive rock lay atop the body.
No, no, no! Brenna pushed to her knees and crawled around the rock. Pulling in rapid pants of musty air into her hurting lungs, she half stumbled beside the girl. “Erideni?” She brushed back the loose strands of fair hair from her friend’s dust-coated face. Oh, please, please be okay.
Erideni groaned, and her eyelids flickered open. Relief shone in her dull green irises. She smiled but her face appeared leeched of color. “Y-you are okay,” she breathed and lifted her hand. Brenna grasped it gently. Her friend’s features contorted in pain and her eyelids closed.
Faint shouts reached Brenna’s ringing ears.
“No, no. Look at me, don’t close your eyes…” She gently wiped away the dust from Erideni’s face. The girl didn’t move. Not even a twitch of an eyelid.
Fear squeezing her chest, Brenna placed her fingers on Erideni’s throat for a pulse. So faint. Too terrified to attempt to move the mass of granite off her, in case she hurt Erideni more, she swiped away the small boulders on the other side of Erideni’s shoulder, and gaped in horror at the blood staining the snow under her right wing.
Oh, God. She looked around, terror choking her. A flash of black wings blocked her view. Paxyn appeared in front of her. “Are you hurt?” He grasped her hand, his darkened gaze running over her, scanning her for injuries.
“Not me. It’s Erideni—”
“You’re bleeding.”
“I’m fine. Her wings, oh, God, her wings! Do something, please,” she begged him, eyes crowding with tears.
Paxyn let her go and crouched beside her friend. With a wave of his hand, he moved the slab of rock off her chest, and gently eased Erideni to her side. Oh, Christ! Her right wing lay twisted in an odd angle as blood, dark and glossy, seeped out. The once beautiful, bright feathers, torn from her extremities and smeared with crimson, lay scattered on the ground like a macabre ode to the destruction.
A sob tangled in her throat at the sight of the utter carnage, not only to an innocent girl, but to these people and their homes—
“Brenna!” The harsh roar barely registered before powerful hands pulled her up.
Sebris’ eyes blazed white as he scanned her. Power rolled over him like a wave, and it swept through her body in a silvery blue haze. Somewhere in the back of her mind, the terror in his beautiful eyes struck her as odd. Nothing ever broke his control. “I’m okay, I’m okay,” she whispered. “It’s Erideni. She’s hurt so badly, please don’t let her d-die.”
His expression drawn, Sebris hunkered down beside Paxyn who’d already laid his hands over Erideni, attempting to heal her.
“Erideni—” Loetor appeared in a flash, chest heaving. He fell to his knees and grasped the girl’s hand, tears shimmering in his blue eyes. “What in Urias’ name happened?”
“I-I don’t know.” Brenna’s voice cracked. “We were walking back to the fortress when the explosion occurred.”
“Loetor, get yourself together and get Adara,” Sebris ordered.
“She won’t be done with the restoration spell for the forest,” Taegér said, appearing in a swirl of silvery-blue sparks. “It will mean starting from scratch if she leaves.”
“Then we’ll just have to start all over again. The trees will hold for now. Our people come first. Always,” Sebris snapped.
“I’m taking Erideni to the healing tower.” Paxyn gently scooped her friend into his arms. They both disappeared in a flash.
Brenna swiped her tears with the back of her hand. Several tall Darkreans in flowing maroon robes gathered near the fortress, but she barely paid them any notice, her attention drawn back to the destroyed part of the mountain and the houses at its base. Her friend’s home suffered the worst devastation. “Who would do something so monstrous?”
Sebris shifted his hard gaze from the robed people near the fortress to her. “Rebels.”
Bastards. Brenna gritted her teeth, wanting to kill every one of them, and winced at the pain spearing through her skull. She rubbed her throbbing temple, then stared blankly at the crimson wetness on her fingers.
Sebris cupped her chin and placed his other palm against her brow. She shut her eyes as a soothing warmth seeped into her, and the ache in her head receded along with the ringing in her ears.
“Thank you,” she whispered, looking up at his tight features.
Something shifted in those pearly depths, and her breath caught. His fingers curled over her nape, his thumb gently caressing her throat. Brenna so badly wanted him to hold her, needing a little comfort. No, she couldn’t think about herself now. She stepped back. “I-I have to go to Erideni—”
With a harsh curse, he pulled her to him and held her, and her own arms tightened around his waist. She breathed in his scent, taking strength from him. A second later, he dematerialized them, and she was sure his lips brushed her hair.
They reformed in a wood-paneled room rich with the fragrance of incense and herbs. Fat candles smelling of sage burned from black iron stands placed throughout the place, casting a soft glow over the few beds set against one wall. On the opposite side, shelves lined the wooden wall, containing glass jars with assorted colored solutions.
Erideni lay on the last bed where Paxyn continued with attempting to heal her. Brenna hurried over just as an agitated form solidified. Adara.
Pain darkened her face as she crossed to Erideni, then a calmness swept over her, concealing her distress. Paxyn stepped back. Adara held her hand above the girl’s chest, her eyelids closing…
After nerve-wracking seconds, Adara’s eyelids snapped open, and she reeled off something in their language. Paxyn nodded and left.
“Come,” Sebris said, grasping her clenched hand. “We must go.”
“No, I can’t leave her—” Brenna fought his hold when he tried to steer her toward the door. “I have to know she’s going to be all right. Adara, tell me—” she pleaded.
“I cannot say right now,” the high priestess said gently. “From the damage to her wing, the healing will be long and arduous. Broken would have been easier to heal, and she’s lost a lot of blood.”
“Then use mine. You said I have magic in my blood, use it! Make her well—let me go, dammit!” She hit at Sebris’ hand tugging at hers.
“Brenna, stop. Adara will do her job, but you will be a distraction.”
She glared at him. He said nothing, but those usually calm eyes darkened with empathy. Tears fought for release, and a sob broke free. Brenna buried her face in his chest. “She-she threw herself in front of me. She g-got hurt because of me…”
“None of this is your fault.” He gently stroked her back.
Brenna shook her head, filled with anguish, and was barely aware when Sebris dematerialized them. They reformed, and he settled her into an armchair, in her room, near the blazing fireplace.
He hunkered in front of her. “Listen to me…” He grasped her clenched fists. “Erideni will be all right. But the healing will take time. You’ve been through a traumatic experience, so rest. I’ll be back later. I have to check on the injured and assess the damages. Find out what—how this happened, and find those responsible.”
She bit her lip, staring silently at his big, strong hands gently squeezing her cold ones. All she could see was Erideni’s excitement in getting the stupid stone…then lying there with her crushed wing on the blood-soaked snow.
And the scalding tears flowed again. She would have died from the extent of the injuries Erideni had sustained. As a Darkrean angel, Erideni was stronger. Tougher. Erideni had truly saved her life.
“Brenna?” She lifted her teary gaze to his. Sebris gently wiped her wet cheeks with his thumb. “You need me, send any of the warriors nearby. They’ll find me, but don’t go outside again.”
She nodded, finding it hard to swallow with her throat still swollen with tears. After a moment, he pressed his lips to her brow then rose and strode out of the room.
This was her fault. If she hadn’t taught Erideni that stupid game, they would have still been safe inside the fortress. Safe. But then others would have gotten hurt, like Erideni’s parents, the warriors—
Dammit. She wasn’t hiding in her room. She could help, too. Help Adara with bandages, heck, comfort any wounded in the sick bay if nothing else—anything other than sitting safe in her box like a glass doll.
Chaos reigned on the ground floor as people limped inside. Most were healed now with their quick healing abilities, but their blood-splattered clothes hit Brenna hard. She glanced around, looking for someone familiar she could talk to.
Talitha marched down the corridor. Good, she’d do. “Talitha, wait.”
The woman glanced at her, and her expression darkened, but she didn’t slow. “What are you doing here? Didn’t Lord Sebris cage you in your room?”
Talitha’s antagonism chafed, but Brenna refused to let the woman’s dislike stop her. She hurried after her. “You mentioned the Stone the other day. What exactly does it do?”
Talitha spun around like an enraged adder, and Brenna hastily leaped away, her back hitting the wall. “You want to know?” she hissed in her face. “Then, I’ll tell you. The missing artifact is our only chance at life. You, mortal, are apparently the only one who can find it since you possess the blood magic it will respond to, and return the artifact home. But being human, Lord Sebris fears further harm to your mortal self and would rather shield you and your minor injuries while our realm suffers. Without the Stone of Light reunited with the other six, we will eventually die, because we need its mystical blessing when we mate—”
“Blessing?” Brenna asked, trying not to let the hostile words hurt.
“To bear young,” she said with startling bitterness. “Unlike you mortals, we don’t produce babes like mice.” Before she could speak, Talitha rattled on, “And the only reason you are here is so those filthy Empyreans don’t get their hands on you while you take your sweet time making yourself useful in the only way you can…” Her eyes narrowed. “Or do you delay in the hopes of charming Lord Sebris? You are wasting your time. He is a high lord, his bloodline impeccable. Aye, he may dally outside his species, but he would never mate one, let alone want a weak human like you. Now go trouble someone else!” She stalked off.
