Deceived (Burned Book 2) Page 23

  "You are not alone." He pushed the flaming tresses from my face. "You have friends, real friends. You just need to let them in."

  I jutted out my chin, determined to argue my case.

  Daniel smiled at my familiar stance. "Kyra. Spencer. Gavin." He counted them on his fingers. "They'll be there for you once you get back." His eyebrows rose, a move that signaled that he was bringing out the big guns. "What about Zak?"

  "Oh my God! Zak! What if Alejandro's going after him?"

  "You need to get to him before Alejandro does."

  I was torn in two. My heart was shredded, aching with indecision. I was always choosing between two devils, always stuck between a rock and a hard place. I wanted to scream in frustration.

  I'd have to leave Daniel to save Zak. I had little doubt that Alejandro would kill him the first chance he got.

  "Zak is your future. I'm a part of your past. The cool part." He winked.

  I choked out a laugh as tears poured down my face.

  "You can't hang onto the past, Ari. The only inevitable thing in life is that things change. Change with them. Bend, don't break."

  He was right. My chest felt bruised and sore, almost as if I was watching him die all over again.

  It wasn't going to be pretty. Pain and unimaginable suffering waited for me. Surviving wouldn't be easy.

  "Will I ever see you again?"

  He smiled, his features lighter with my decision. "Sure you will, one day." He curled a lock of my hair around his finger. "In the meantime, when you are settled and safe on the other side, ask Zak about Fiona."

  "Fiona?"

  "His friend. You'll have to be persistent, she's almost as stubborn as you are." His eyebrows lifted and he looked pointedly at me. A laugh slipped free. "It's time that girl woke up."

  "I'll miss you. So very much." I squeezed him against me, my arms tight. I never wanted to let go. "I love you. You know that, right?" I mumbled into his chest.

  "Of course." He cleared his throat. "And I love you. Always." The words were thick and strained. A tear broke from its confinement. His shaky smile clawed at my insides.

  He was pretending to be brave, but I saw through it. He would be alone when I left. The solitude of Limbo broken only by whatever mysteries the water revealed.

  "You will make it Ari, although I'm sure it won't seem like it. You just have to hold on. Show the iron core that you're made of. Kyra got your message. They're on their way."

  We walked up the embankment hand in hand. The door had reappeared out of nowhere. "I'm not even going to ask."

  "It wouldn't do any good. It's Limbo." He shrugged. "Things don't work here like they do earthside."

  Curiosity got the better of me and I circled the lone door standing in the middle of the field. I refused to let go of his hand and he made the circuit around the odd door with me.

  "No more stalling, Ari. It's time."

  "I don't want to leave you."

  "You have to."

  I knew that, but my heart didn't. Tears fell without restraint as I sucked in a shaky breath and prepared myself for what was on the other side. I opened the door. The same blinding light greeted me.

  "Ari?"

  I looked into his cobalt eyes one final time, clenching his hand in a fierce grip.

  "Can you tell Kyra I love her?" His voice broke, pain etched onto his face. "I—" He cleared his throat. "Drag her with you to see Fiona. Please." He was hurting. It wasn't fair. His life had been cut off too soon. It was left unfinished, the dangling ends untethered.

  Squeezing his hand one final time, I forced myself to let go.

  "One more thing," he called to me as I had one foot over the threshold. I was bathed in light and couldn't see him clearly. The wind swirled around me. My hair beat against my face. The tangled strands whipped painfully.

  I could barely see his crooked smile but the mischievous glint in his eyes was blatant. He mouthed something, the words carried away by the wind.

  "What? I can't hear you!" I yelled and grabbed for the doorframe that didn't exist. It had already started. I was engulfed in the light and pulled into whatever waited for me on the other side. Daniel's laughter followed me into my new hell.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  The first thing I felt was the pain. It was gradual at first, pinpricks in my returning awareness. A tingling ache that radiated from my neck. In a flash it was everywhere. An incredible force, it seared through every cell in my body, centering on my ravaged neck. Alejandro hadn't been kind when he'd torn into me. I wouldn't have tidy twin scars like most of Alejandro's other feeds. If the jagged flaps of torn skin were any indication, my scars would be rough and obvious.

  I was in a darkened room, bare except the cot I was laying on. The air smelled of musty, rotted potatoes. A revolting earthy scent that clung to my clothes. I wrinkled my nose. It seemed to be the only part of my body that didn't hurt.

  I took stock, unsure how bad the damage was. I was covered in blood, most of it mine. It was caked on my clothes and skin in itchy dry layers that flaked off with each movement. A dull ache throbbed from my left shoulder. It hung useless at my side, dislocated. I shifted. The slight movement transformed the ache to a sharp agony that burned through me.

  "Oh shit," I gasped with the sudden severity. I wouldn't make that mistake again.

  I had to be in one of the downstairs cells. It was the only thing that made sense.

  Acrid bile burned the back of my throat. I was trapped. Caught in a cage and at the mercy of Alejandro's whims. My headache pounded in rhythm with my heart. Coupled with the dizziness, waning consciousness, and nausea, I was sure I had a concussion.

  But why wasn't I dead? He'd had every opportunity to kill me, to drain me dry while I languished in oblivion. But he hadn't. He'd allowed me to live.

  Why?

  I drifted in and out of consciousness. Time blurred into an endless mass. The scent of food woke me at one point. I shifted on the cot and the blinding pain threw me back into the blackness. When I woke the next time it was gone. My stomach growled and churned with a mixture of hunger and nausea. I wasn't sure I'd be able to keep anything down if I tried.

  I escaped into my head, planning, enduring the endless pain.

  Just hang on. I reminded myself over and over again. Kyra would come.

  The irony wasn't lost on me even in my current state.

  I replayed the interaction with Daniel when I'd been unconscious. I wasn't sure if I'd dreamed the whole thing, or if it was some warped production of my imagination. Dream or not, he was right: I had to live. I had to get to Zak.

  I had no clue how long I was there, floating in the in-between, before they came. I jerked awake as the heavy metal door groaned open. I stiffened and refused to release the moan when the movement jarred my painful shoulder.

  I heard a gasp, then the shuffling of feet. I struggled to open my eyes. The lack of blood had made me weak and helpless. I couldn't fight, couldn't even sit up at that point, but I sure as hell wasn't going to face whoever was in this cell with my eyes closed.

  "Oh Ari," Kyra choked out, the sound of her boots pounding on the cement sent shards of pain splintering in my head. "Spencer!" she shouted.

  "Are we too late?" he asked from the doorway.

  "I don't think so." Her fingers brushed against my wrist as she checked for my pulse.

  "I'm not dead yet," I croaked through tight lips, my throat dry and scratchy.

  "That's good. I'd hate to have risked our lives for nothing."

  "Indeed."

  "Can you sit up?"

  "No. My shoulder," I gasped in pain as her hand brushed against my useless one. "It's dislocated."

  "Ouch."

  "No kidding."

  "Your neck is pretty torn up." She ran her fingers under my chin, her movements gentle and light. "At least it's stopped bleeding. I'm worried it'll reopen when we move you."

  I flinched as light hit me in the face. My jerky movement ignited a blaze of pain.
I hissed through my teeth, breathing through one heartbeat, then two. I blinked rapidly, struggling to adjust to the sudden light. A ball of fire hovered in the air. The unexpected source widened my eyes.

  "You've lost an awful lot of blood." Kyra's pinched face hovered over mine. Her sharp eyes were focused, determined to get us all out alive.

  "I'll lose more if you don't get me out of here." I ground the words between clenched teeth.

  "Very true." She called to Spencer. "Pick her up gently and carry her out of here. I need my hands free in case we run into any—"

  I didn't hear the rest. Pain tore through me despite Spencer's carefulness. I clamped my mouth shut before a scream could escape. Blackness widened in front of my eyes and I fell back into the dark abyss.

  ***

  I blinked and struggled to focus as the world tilted and weaved. The air was clear and scented with a hint of jasmine. Tiny flames peeked over glass jars perched on a dresser.

  My tongue caught on my dry lips, parched and starving for moisture. I glanced to my side. A pull-top bottle sat, full and waiting. I forced myself to sip the tepid water, not wanting to lose it so quickly.

  I was safe. I sagged against the plush bedding.

  My head pounded and my shoulder and neck ached, but nothing like before. Hesitating, I shifted my left arm around. Tenderness lingered, but little pain. They must have manipulated the joint back into place while I was unconscious. Glad I missed that.

  I inspected the room around me. I was in a bedroom, a mix of industrial and contemporary. The exposed duct work and piping above me was softened by the hanging glass pendent lights and colorful fabric. The curtains and bedding were a soft sage, whirls of stitched white spirals broke up the muted tones. The bed frame was white, a painted cast iron monstrosity. A mismatched pair of dressers rested against the wall. The dark wood stood out from the cream walls.

  A sudden memory caught and held. I shot up in bed, my body screaming in protest.

  "Kyra!" My raised voice splintered my head.

  She flung open the door. Her eyes darted around the room, searching for an enemy to combat.

  "You need to get Zak. He has no idea…" Dizziness engulfed me and I sagged back into the pillows. My chest heaved as I struggled to calm my racing heart.

  "Ari, it's okay." Kyra walked over and sat on the side of the bed. "We got him. You were in and out of consciousness a lot. You were adamant in one of your lucid moments that we needed to get him." She sighed, a deep resigned noise from her soul. "It appears we are collecting Alejandro's victims in our secret hideout." Her laugh was loud, but I caught the sadness underneath. We had missed one. An echoing emptiness lay heavy in my heart alongside my relief. At least there wouldn't be another casualty to add to that pain.

  "Where is he?"

  "He had to visit a client—"

  "What?" My jaw hung, eyes wide. "But Alejandro could—"

  "It's okay. Spence is watching out for him."

  Relief warred with disappointment.

  "He said you'd know who he was seeing." Kyra lifted an eyebrow, her head tilted, waiting for me to clarify.

  "It must be the one he mentioned." I shrugged, staring at the blank wall behind Kyra. Something was teasing my memory, something I was supposed to do.

  "You must be feeling a little better." She lifted my chin and examined the wound on my neck.

  "Getting there." I downed a few more sips of water.

  "You aren't dead."

  "There is that." I laughed the sound lighter and freer than I'd felt in a long time, years in fact.

  "Congratulations." Kyra leaned backwards, resting on her elbows at the foot of the bed. She kicked her bare feet onto the bed beside me. Her pink toenails caught my attention. The color didn't fit; it seemed out of character. "You certainly have some brass balls."

  I rolled my eyes. "Yeah right. I was stupid. Weak." Frustrated tears threatened to choke me. "I failed."

  "You survived," she snapped. Her sharp eyes were relentless on mine. Their unforgiving stare sent chills racing along my back. "Sometimes that's all we can do."

  The silence stretched taut. What was I supposed to remember?

  "I suppose Alejandro is still alive? Unless you—"

  "He was already long gone by the time we'd arrived. He ran off to take care of some business." Her disappointment was almost tangible. She'd wanted that confrontation, that opportunity to get revenge. "That's why we took so long getting to you. It was safer to wait until he was gone, but we were worried we'd waited too long."

  "Still kicking."

  "Good thing, I hate to waste a friend. They're in short supply."

  "Is that what we are now?" I asked.

  There was something different about her, something I couldn't quite put my finger on. But then again, that pretty much defined our relationship. I was always feeling uneasy around her. She was a constant contradiction, a source of mystery. I liked to pick things apart until I understood them, but she didn't give anyone that liberty.

  "I guess so. Funny how things work." Narrowing her eyes, she asked what had obviously been floating around in her head for a while. "Why did you do it? The last I'd heard you were engaged."

  "Like I had a choice in that." I toyed with the edge of the comforter, picking at a lose thread. "I was so lost after Daniel died. The man I thought I loved, that I thought loved me, had killed my best friend." My chest burned, the ache still raw and painful. "There is no room for love in that monster."

  "Then I met Zak." I couldn't stop the smile. It was sappy and stupid and real, so real. I didn't hide behind a mask. I didn't make excuses. I allowed it to rest there in plain sight, ridiculous as it was. "He showed me what real love is. Real love doesn't force you to do things that give you nightmares, real love doesn't coerce or manipulate you. Real love is honest and giving. Zak opened my eyes to a lot of things I'd been avoiding. He made me see what I'd been blind to."

  My smile slipped. "I'm not like you Kyra. My skills are limited. I had to agree to marry Alejandro."

  "I know that. He'd have killed you if you'd said no."

  "He was going to turn me the next day." The words fell from my trembling lips.

  "What? I thought there were repercussions?"

  "He decided he was ready to take that risk." The pain was jagged and alive, but it would dull with time. I'd wasted so much of my love on the wrong man.

  "He decided, huh? Let me guess. He didn't ask if you wanted to be turned, just told you it would happen?"

  "Exactly. He broke my cell during an argument and never replaced it. Convenient, right?" I shook my head at my stupidity. He could have asked his assistant or any number of servants to do it. "I couldn't reach Zak or you. I had no choice, killing him and escaping was the only thing I could come up with. I panicked. I couldn't live an eternity like that—like him."

  "I'd kill you, don't worry."

  "Gee, thanks." I rolled my eyes at her. "You are so nice."

  "I did just risk my life to rescue you."

  "Thank you." I conceded. "Why did you?"

  "Daniel would have wanted me to get you out. Plus, I knew, deep down that you were a decent person. Deep, deep down." She flinched and grabbed her chest in pain. "Oh God."

  "What?" Alarm widened my eyes.

  "All those shoes! We had to leave them all behind." She flopped backwards onto the bed. The back of her hand rested on her forehead in imitation of a dramatic southern belle. "The horror."

  My laughter exploded. It rolled from me with a relieved force. I hadn't laughed so hard since before I lost Daniel. "I'll prove that I'm the better choice," I choked the words out as I struggled to catch my breath. My head throbbed, but I didn't care. The laughter felt good, healing.

  "I don't know how, those shoes, man." She shook her head. "He'll probably burn everything in your closet."

  "Probably." I sighed. "But I'm done being bought."

  "I know the feeling." Her eyes darkened shining with regret.

  "I
saw Daniel," I rushed the words out. They hung heavy in the air, impossible to take back.

  Kyra's head whipped up, eyes wide with shock. "What?" The single word was whispered, laced with a mixture of fear and fury.

  "I'm not sure if it was a dream or what, but when I was unconscious—before you and Spencer got to me—I was in this weird place." I described it to her: the endless hall, the field, and the pond.

  "Weird. What happened?"

  "He was," I laughed, my lips splitting in a wide smile, "Daniel. He's the one that told me to stay strong, that you were on your way. He said he forgave me." I cleared my throat and fought the tears. "That he was sorry he didn't get to say goodbye."

  Pain flashed across her face, fleeting but honest. "It's hard. I dream about him sometimes too. But they are just that: dreams. It's just wishful thinking."

  "Is it?" I leaned forward, energized. "Think about it: vampires, shifters, fey exist. Hell we exist! What's to say that there isn't something else, something after all this?" I waved my hands in front of me.

  "I don't know. What if it is just guilt? Or your suppressed Catholic sensibilities rearing their head?"

  "He was right about my rescue, about me holding on."

  "That could be because you didn't want to die, Ari."

  The memory finally cleared. "He said to ask Zak about …" I struggled to remember the name Daniel had mentioned. "Fiona! That was her name. He said something about her tipping the scales. We're supposed to talk to her. Apparently she can do something to help." I shrugged, unclear how some weird client of Zak's was supposed to help us.

  "He also said he loved you."

  Kyra shook her head and frowned. Her hard eyes had softened. "I wish I could believe that you saw him, that it was all real." The tears that had threatened to escape spilled over. She turned away and swiped at them.

  I frowned. A nagging memory begged to be remembered. "There was something else. Something he shouted as I was leaving, something he wanted me to tell you." I concentrated hard, trying to remember. In a flash it hit me. "It was something like—hey, baby or a baby maybe? I don't know. Why would he ask about a baby?"