Chaotic War (7 page)

The front door to her house opened behind her, but she continued down the path toward the west where Nyx had said Zander liked to hang out.

“Elle,” Zavier called a moment before he reached her, gripped her upper arm, and tugged her to a stop. “Stop running from me.”

She opened her mouth to say she wasn’t, but the lie wouldn’t come. Instead, she tried to change the subject. “I’m going to find Zander and get the Dagger.”

A low growl rumbled from him. “Not without me. We do this together.”

Yeah, they’d agreed to that, but she wanted to get away from him to clear her head. Jerking her arm from his grasp, she paced away from him. “Then get dressed and come on.”

He was on her heels in moments. Out of the corner of her eye, she noted that he had conjured a shirt, and shoes, if the sound of them hitting the ground were any indication. When she glanced to him, she caught movement in the shadows. Opening her senses, she searched the area and slowed her pace.

“We have a tail.”

“Not for long, we don’t.” Elle marched over to where she sensed the daemon hiding behind a large boulder. The thump of his heart was like a beacon, leading her straight to him, even though he blended into his surroundings.

She got within two feet of the daemon she had been tracking, and four daemons stepped out from the dark shadows cast by the homes and buildings. The two in the middle were the tallest and looked like they could be brothers, they had the same blond hair and crimson eyes. Their skin had a golden hue. The daemons on the ends were more human-like with short, black hair and brown eyes.

Once the welcoming party of four appeared, the one she tracked ran away. That was when she noticed that he was young. Maybe in his teens, or at least he looked that way. You never knew with the way daemons aged. The others had used him to lure her to that spot. “You got my attention. What do you want?”

The male to the far right, the tallest one with long, white-blond hair, spoke, “Wanted to welcome you to
our
realm.”

The way he spat the word
our
told her they didn’t like her there. Or they were threatened by her power. Well, tough. “I’m touched. I’ll be sure to let Hades know about all the love.”

Behind her, Zavier let out a low growl of warning then moved to stand beside her. The brothers in the middle hissed at the same time and stepped forward. Blondie on the right, the one who’d spoken earlier, motioned to Zavier. “He doesn’t belong here.”

Elle fisted her hands. Her mate belonged anywhere she was. Knowing she wasn’t going to get anywhere by talking to them, she held up a hand, conjured a softball-size fireball, and then threw it at them, hitting the mouth of the group in the chest. He screamed as fire covered him.

Human compassion is your weakness. These daemons wouldn’t show you any
. She chanted the words in her mind, not letting emotions overtake her actions. She needed to send a message to the Underworld residents that she wouldn’t be bullied.

The males on the ends slowly backed up, but Elle formed another fireball. “I wouldn’t go anywhere if I were you. Zavier here is itching to take a few of you bastards out.”

The other blond must have thought she was bluffing because the male charged at her. He didn’t get within a yard of her before Zavier tackled him, one arm around his neck as they hit the ground.

Elle flinched at the snap of the daemon’s neck.
Don’t show weakness, Elle
. Focusing on the burning daemon, she willed the fire away. Once the flames dissolved, she froze the male on the spot. Nyx hadn’t been lying when she’d said that Elle’s powers were limitless.

With a bitter laugh, Elle walked closer to the daemon. All the while, his charred skin started to heal itself. Pain etched his face as well as anger. “You see, I’m still learning what I’m capable of. I’d love to stay and play with you to see just how powerful I am, but I have things to do and a drakon to see.”

Just then, the male’s eyes widened and he glanced over her shoulder. A large shadow fell over them. She sensed it was a dragon. No, it was a drakon. The next moment, a large claw grabbed blondie and snatched him up.

Elle squeezed her eyes shut at the sound of bones crutching. She knew the daemon was between the drakon’s teeth. Drops of warm liquid hit her cheek and arms.
Gross
. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to know if it was blood or drool. Probably both.

When everything fell silent, she opened her eyes, noting the two remaining daemons running away, then turned to face the large two-headed drakon. He was beautiful in a gothic, dark kind of way. His coloring reminded her of the stone gargoyles on top of the mansion in Maine. Iridescent waves of brown reflected on the surface of his scales.

“Zander?”

Both heads looked down at her then tilted to the side. “Nyx? You look different.” They inhaled and added, “And smell different.”

Zavier moved up beside her, catching the drakon’s attention. He snorted out a puff of smoke then waved a claw at Zavier. Elle’s heart pounded as her mate disappeared. “Where did you send him?”

“I don’t talk to him. Only you.”

He picked her up and tossed her on his back before walking down the path. “Zander, answer my question. Where did he go?”

“Sent him home. I no talk to him.”

Great
. Zavier was going to be pissed. Meanwhile, she apparently had a date with a two-headed drakon. Life was getting better by the moment.

Seth sat in a high-back chair next to Blair’s bed, staring at a photo of Rayna on the teen’s phone. She had shoulder-length blonde hair and blue eyes. The scent of his mate lingered on Blair. Until the girl had been brought to the mansion a few hours ago, Seth hadn’t understood his intense reaction to both Blair and Rayna. To protect. Something deep inside him pushed him to find Rayna before Garrick did so that he could keep her safe.

As he sat, listening to Blair’s slow, peaceful breaths as she slept, he flipped through her phone for signs of where Rayna could be. However, he didn’t find her number. That made him wonder if Blair had deleted it from her phone. Or maybe she’d never kept it in the contacts to begin with.

When he opened the photos, he stilled and stared at the two of them, cheek-to-cheek, smiling as Blair took a selfie. Rayna was beautiful.

Mine
.

He agreed with the dragon. Rayna was theirs.

A soft groan followed by a yawn pulled his attention to Blair. She opened her eyes, met his gaze, and then scrambled off the bed. Her eyes were wide and the sour scent of fear rolled off her. “Who…who are you? Where am I?”

Seth placed the phone on the bed and raised his hands in what he hoped was a placating gesture, to show her he meant her no harm. “You are safe.”

Inching backwards, she watched him, her gaze still lit with fear. Power flowed around her, but he guessed she didn’t know it was coming from her. He relaxed his body and sat back in the chair. The last thing he needed was for her to teleport herself somewhere unfamiliar to him. Plus, he didn’t have the time to track her down. “I’m here to help you and Rayna.”

Still, she watched him in silence. He took a breath and tried again. “What is the last thing you remember?”

“Where am I?”

“Markus, can you have Gwen come to Blair’s room?”

A snarl inside his mind was his brother’s initial reply before he growled out, “
My mate is resting
.”

“Blair is awake and a little freaked out
.”

Fine
.

Studying Blair, he answered her question. “You’re in Serenity Cove, Maine.”

The girl stared back at him, wide-eyed and pale. She averted her gaze to glance around the room. After several moments, she said, “Are you like him?”

Seth forced back a growl, guessing the
him
she spoke of was Garrick. He was nothing like that bastard. “I’m not cruel, nor do I mean you any harm. My brothers and I want to protect you and your sister.”

“Rayna.” It came out as a whisper, but his dragon ears had heard it. Blair met his stare then. “Where is she?”

“I was hoping you’d know.”

She shook her head. “He’ll kill her.”

Curling his hands into fists, Seth breathed in then exhaled. “Did he say that?”

“Not really.” Blair shivered, and when he reached for the covers, she scooted off the bed and inched to the door.

A light knock sounded, making the girl jump and whirl around as the door opened. Gwen entered and met Seth’s gaze. Her blonde hair hung loose, cascading over her shoulders. With a gentle smile, she said, “Leave us, please.”

Seth glanced to Blair, who had moved closer to Gwen and stared at her in awe. He nodded and made his way out of the room. As he shut the door, he noted Gwen taking the girl’s hand and speaking to her softly. “My name is Gwen. You are safe here.”

“Are you a goddess?”

Gwen sighed and spoke with a smile. “Yes, and so are you. Or you will be someday.”

The door clicked closed, shutting him out of their conversation. Without glancing at his brother, Seth growled. “She should be enjoying her friends in school or something.”

“I agree.”

“I’m going to get Rayna.”

“I know.”

Seth glared at Markus. “And?”

Markus shrugged and pushed off the wall. “I didn’t stop Ty from going after Ash even though I didn’t trust the female. I’m not going to stop you. Nothing in the three worlds would stop me from going after Gwen.”

Just then, the door opened. Gwen smiled wide and Blair looked a little more relaxed. “Blair, this is Seth. And that one,” she pointed to Markus, “is my mate, Markus. The reason I have a constant craving for rocky road ice cream.”

Blair giggled and her cheeks colored. “Will you make sure Rayna is safe?”

Seth nodded. “I will ensure it personally.”

Gwen handed a slip of paper to Markus, who pointed to Seth, indicating for her to give it to him. She sighed and offered the note to Seth. Her brows drew together and she opened her mouth to speak, but Markus let out a warning growl. Most likely to stop the female from speaking a new fate for Seth.

Placing the note in his hand, Gwen said, “Stay safe.”

The females and Markus left him standing outside of Blair’s room. Opening the paper, he stared at the address and the note from Gwen.

Blair says very few people know about the location. It was their special getaway
.

Crumbling the paper in his hand, he rushed to his room at the end of the hall and grabbed his tablet. After a quick search in the maps app, he teleported to the roof of the mansion. He knew the general area of the Rocky Mountains where the address was, so all he had to do was search for Rayna. Then bring her home, where she belonged.

***

Rayna shivered as she entered the cool, damp cabin. She’d bought the place a few years back on a whim. Somewhere she could call hers. Only her mother and Blair knew about the place. She felt safe here.

Like she belonged in the natural setting. Plus, there was no cell service that deep into the valley. Or cable, or a landline. She was as secluded as she needed to be to escape her busy life and her crazy ex.

She checked her phone and frowned. Blair hadn’t called her in a couple of days. That was so unlike her kid sister. However, Rayna brushed it off. Blair was probably hanging out with her friends.

A knock sounded on the front door, making her jump. She chuckled and shook her head.
Chicken
. She moved to the door, peeking out the window before she got there. A tall man with short, dark hair stood on the porch.

A new neighbor? Not taking chances, she eased the chain in place and opened the door as far as it allowed. “Yes.”

“Rayna Winters?”

Uh oh. “Why do you ask?”

He smiled a sexy smile. “I apologize. My name is Seth Sullivan. I’m a friend of Blair’s.”

Not likely, creeper
. “You’re a little old for Blair.”

When she tried to close the door, he placed his foot in the crack. Her pulse kicked up several beats per second. Suddenly, the peace she got from being secluded in the mountains turned to bone-freezing fear.

His nostrils flared. “You have no reason to fear me. I’m here to take you to Blair and protect the both of you.”

“I don’t believe you.” She managed to shut the door and ran toward the back of the house. When she reached the back door, it flew open and another large man filled up the frame.

She heard footsteps behind her and she ran to the kitchen, grabbing a butcher knife. “Stay away from me.”

The man from the front door came into sight, his hands raised. “You need to come with me now.”

She shook all over. “I’m not going anywhere.”

The second man appeared out of thin air and Rayna gasped, not believing her eyes. People didn’t just appear. “Who are you? What are you?”

The first man charged the second, hitting him like a linebacker. They hit the floor and slid into the wall. She took that opportunity to run.

She raced around to the front of the house and climbed into her car, then cursed as she realized she didn’t have her keys. A loud crash made her glance in the rearview mirror. The second man lay on the ground; the front window of her cabin, along with most of the wall, gone.

The first man jerked the car door open and held out his hand. “Please, Rayna. You have to trust me.”

Shaking her head, she scooted across the gearshift to the passenger seat. Suddenly, the man jerked, his eyes growing huge. There was a black arrow sticking out of his chest. He held her gaze as he pulled out his phone then threw it to the ground.

Yeah, no cell service.

She opened the passenger door and scrambled out of the car. When she straightened, she met the second man. He placed his hand on her forehead, and then everything faded away. A moment later, she was in some kind of bedroom, but not hers.

The man released her with a shove. Another man with long, black hair turned to her and smiled. A sting, like a needle shot through her arm. “Where am I?”

The black-haired man glanced from her to the one who’d brought her there. Wait? How had she gotten there?