STANDING STILL, ALEK WATCHED PHROMA land before him and Gredel slid down.'Alek!' The strawberry blond man's face almost split with a beaming smile and he strode over, enveloping Alek in a bear hug. 'I thought we must have lost you this time! Damn good to see you, friend.'Alek hugged him back feeling an odd mix of emotions but at the very least, joy, for seeing his friend alive and well. When they separated Gredel spotted the body and made a gruff noise in the back of his throat before making the old motion of grief, head bowed and right hand curved, palm up to the sky, wishing the soul a prosperous new life when reborn. Alek showed the necklace while they walked to the group and the two talked about the trip to Benhyll, Phroma making the occasional interjection via Gredel. After ridding Phroma of her armour and fastening Cat well to the saddle, they all set into the air.Within an hour they landed again, discovering Sabyn and Tomiar making their way on foot down the side of the va
THE PATTERING OF RAIN ON Loushka's wing lightened and Cat whimpered. In the dark Alek rolled onto his side, leaning over her and brushed a hand gently across her forehead and hair. Any sound she made wrenched him out of sleep, no matter how deep, and exhaustion combined with worry kept trying to drag him back down. He could feel she still burned hot and he tried again, letting his gold energy smooth over her while gently stroking her hair.'Kitten, love, can you hear me?'She made no obvious response, just the restless smacking of lips and he reached for the damp rag, keeping his energy bright enough to see to wet her lips. She murmured at the touch of the cloth, her closed eyes twitching.He kept dreaming of when she found him in the dark; the joy and terror at seeing her there. The weeks of torture, of being Jenviet's plaything while she experimented with various ways to extract his energy, it all seemed worth it when Cat arrived. He could hear her voice broken with tears and that
SIAN STARED IN CONFUSION AT Cat, who glowed. The colour wasn't like Cat's normal red, but a dark shade with hints of red and it didn't trigger Sian's energy like it should. Cat's eyes snapped open and Sian leaned forward with Alek then felt her mouth go dry. Cat's eyes rolled back, only the whites showing, and a vicious smile spread over her lips. Alek reacted in an instant, grabbing Sian by the waist and heaving her back out of the way when a black energy pulse snapped out. She hit the ground hard and heard a strangely familiar cackle.Boots pounded past her head and Sian coughed, spitting out the dirt in her mouth. She sat up shaking her head and blinked rapidly, trying to get rid of the rubbish in her eyes as she looked for Cat. Her eyes watered profusely but she made out Sabyn leaning over Alek, shaking him and calling his name. Kassie stood near Cat, shielding her.And the sounds!Awful sadistic laughter and shrieks bubbled out from Cat's mouth, her body jerking while more of t
THE CATERWAULING SHRIEK SCRAPING THE insides of her skull vanished and Kassie sat up, swaying at the sudden silence and looked at Alek embracing Cat. The dark-haired man's energy started to resonate in gold waves, his outline shimmering and before Kassie could blink a shockwave exploded out from the couple, flinging her over the rough ground. Her head connected with something solid and it all went black.Sometime later Kassie woke.Both her body and head rang with pain and she blinked, wincing at the sensation. Both eyelids felt like they'd been sandpapered on the inside. The action of blinking sounded shockingly loud against the thumping of her head and her stomach lurched. Twisting to the side she retched, throwing up the contents of her stomach, then tipped onto her back with a moan, closing both eyes again. Being sick didn't improve the pain in her head and she cried out quietly when the thumping increased, her skull feeling like it might separate.Reaching within, Kassie discov
THE SMELL OF SALT ON the air confused me and I blinked, eyes blurry and sleep clogged, while my mind refused to tell me what the hell was going on. The low wooden ceiling I stared at looked familiar but I couldn't quite place it, yet. Then the room swayed and I gasped, throwing my arms out for a hold on anything. Sheer panic hit when my brain registered it. I sat abruptly and cracked my head on the top of the berth bed. 'OW!'The panic subsided to some extent with the ringing of my head and I stumbled out of bed before freezing when the room tilted again.The same room.Everythingexactlythesame.Oh god, no, no please no, my gut clenched in horror when my scrambled brain seized on the idea that I'd dreamt it all. The door creaked open and I gasped a sob, eyes filling with tears while I stared miserably at Ignatius.'Love?'I gulped in shock and frantically blinked the tears away, barely daring to breathe. Alek's navy eyes watched me, a warm smile spreading on his gorgeous face.
AFTER HAVING HER SO OUT of it for the trip back to the ships, it felt fantastic to see Cat really awake. Alek held her hand high while helping her up the stairs but before she could step out onto the deck, jerked her back so her chest hit his.'Behave yourself,' he growled in mock anger and with a quick glance over her shoulder to check the others weren't within view, scooped her up so to kiss her firmly. She flushed, nearly sparking with annoyance and frustration when he set her down and smacked at him.'Damn you,' she grumbled and he grinned, squeezing her ass.'Payback.'The voices of the others caught her attention and her small hand found his. Alek lifted it to his lips, touched to see the glimmer of tears at the gesture.'No, kitten,' he said softly. 'No tears now. We've won. It's all done.'They walked out onto the deck, fingers entwined and rounded the corner to the open area of the main deck. Loushka, sprawled in the evening sun with Kerak, and Phroma, lifted her head an
LITTLE THINGS LIKE THAT MADE me uncomfortable as Alek casually arranged the meal. Mainly because I knew that's what we sailed back toa life with servants and massive responsibilities.And no Yakov, I thought, feeling a weird mix of grief and betrayal. He'd been such a fantastic advisor, so genuineor so it seemed. Yet he'd been personally responsible for my parents' deaths, directly aiding Jenviet. I wonder what Al will tell Elena? I almost shuddered. What an awkward thought and there appeared such a genuine attraction too, on Elena's side at least.I pushed the thoughts away when the smell of food reached us, my stomach rumbling in approval. The cooks brought out a range of dishes, all simple but it looked like far too much for our small group. Still, it surprised me, how much I managed to eat.'I'm looking forward to red meat,' I commented while working my way through another fish dish.Alek shrugged and winked at me. 'I'm just enjoying food.'It wasn't said with anything other t
Book Four: AwakeningIT STARTED WITH A SOUND. Asleep in bed, Elena thrashed as the sound grew, a mounting pressure against the inside of her skull. Her eyes snapped open, unseeing, as an image of a face angular, pale and feminine filled her mind. The image screamed for mercy, voice pitching higher and higher. Hands curled claw-like Elena's breath came short and fast at the pain. With a muffled 'pop' the sound and sensations evaporated. Elena woke gasping for breath and lurched upright. Her chest convulsed as she choked on the sudden intake of air. The thin nightgown she wore stuck to her clammy skin with sweat running beneath the long plait down her back. Tears squeezed out while she fought against coughing as her head rang in pain with each harsh hack. Finally, she caught her breath and leaned back against the headboard with a shuddering sigh of relief. Across the room, the mirror on her dresser began to glow.'Ellie!' Verani's voice sounded hoarse.'Wait,' Elena called out in a