Eternal Island (Book 1 in the Eternal Series) (41 page)

“Water!” Ariana screamed at the same time.

A column of water ten feet high rushed over to Abe, extinguished the ball of fire as it flew through the air, but caught him full-on in the face and pushed him out of balance.

He almost smiled as he picked himself off the sand and caught the muted “Oops” from Ariana’s direction.

But Julia had not finished. She twisted back towards Ariana and pulled both her hands in front of her body, palms open, facing the cage. A purple light blossomed from Julia’s hands, gradually growing bigger, twisting as it grew. Ariana’s eyes widened in fear. If only she could tell what that was, she might be able to deflect it somehow.

Suddenly, Julia’s body jerked back, but she didn’t stop her spell.

“You, stupid cow! Julia exclaimed as she flicked the purple light over her head and behind her. The light turned into a swarm of buzzing insects, thousands of them. They soared through the air and converged around a dark shape directly behind Julia.

“Aaaaaahhhhh!” Rainey screamed and dropped to the ground.

Jonah ran to her rescue, swatting at the stubborn, tenacious little killers as Rainey twisted and rolled in the sand, screaming in pain.

“Water!” Abe shouted, feeling a little like Ariana’s inferior double act. “Take her into the water!”

Jonah picked Rainey up and dashed to the sea, the angrily buzzing insect cloud hot on their trail.

Julia cackled with glee as Abe advanced on her.

“Hey! It’s me you wanted. And here I am, you life-sucking leach. Stop playing children’s games and pick on someone your own size.”

“Abe! No!” Ariana brought fire to her hands.

Julia gave her a cautious look and then looked back at Abe. “Looks like your little princess has discovered her powers.”

Ariana threw the ball of fire at her and Julia dodged it.

Sudden movement right by the side of the cage caught Ariana’s attention. Out of the darkness, Becky’s face appeared. She held a finger to her lips, a sign to keep quiet. Ariana nodded in her direction.

Meanwhile, Abe was closing in on Julia. A shimmery blade flew towards him, and he flicked it off. Julia shot from place to place, rapidly changing position, and blades rained on Abe from all directions. It was all he could do to keep them from impaling him – not that they would have killed him, but they would probably slow him enough to delay him until sunrise. It looked like Julia was intent on killing him, whatever it took. Well, he would gladly play the same game.

He inhaled deeply and pushed closer and closer to Julia with every step he took.

Ariana couldn’t stand watching him under attack. She had to do something to help.

“Open!” she shouted at the gate holding her in. Nothing happened.

“Try removing the spell,” Becky whispered.

Ariana closed her eyes, trying to get a feel on the energy being used on the cage. It was strong, but maybe if she attacked the spell, instead of the cage, it would work.

Across the beach, Julia sensed the determination in Abe’s mind and brought her hands together once more. A bluish light formed between her hands, but the ball was not uniform. Sharp wedges of light flicked in and out at dizzying speeds. Abe seized his chance and rushed at her, tackling her to the ground. He grabbed her hands, so she wouldn’t be able to throw any spells. The blue light had vanished, and for a moment Abe felt like he was winning.

“I will enjoy killing you slowly, bitch.”

“Yes, Abe, but at what price?” And then Julia cackled and turned her face towards the cage. Abe followed her gaze to see a cloud of blades of all shapes and sizes twirl and twist through the air, on a direct collision course with Ariana. And her eyes were closed!

Becky shot upright as Ariana threw all her energy at Julia’s spell. A loud popping noise followed, and the gate swung open. A furious shredding noise and an ear-splitting scream pierced the air, and Ariana wrenched her eyes open to a terrible sight. Becky was under attack from what looked like a ball of knives; the blades struck and flew away, leaving cuts and gashes all over her body, only to turn and aim again, and then again.

Ariana thought quick – what stops metal blades? Cotton wool? Chainmail? Kevlar or bulletproof vests? Would any of them stop bewitched metal blades? Ariana imagined a combination of all the defensive materials she knew of and screamed as loud as she could, pointing at Becky “Shield!”

A shield materialized over Becky’s body. She’d curled herself into a fetal position on the sand, her hands over her face. The blades kept going, cleaving gashes into the shield, but for now it was holding. The bad news was that the sand was getting darker with Becky’s blood and she’d stopped making any sounds at all.

Lance and Janie were running to the beach. “Keep her away, Lance!” Ariana shouted, and Lance instantly obeyed her command. He put his arms around Janie’s waist and held her in place.

Ariana ran towards Abe and Julia. “Stand back! She’s mine!” Ariana shouted.

“The sun is rising, Ariana. I created this monstrosity, and I will take her out.”

“But the sun will kill you, too.”

“I’m well aware of that.”

What? “Abe, no!”

Ariana wanted to reason with him, make him see sense, but there was no time for reasoning. The dim glow of dawn was visible in the distance, getting nearer. The sky was already bright enough to make them uncomfortable. She couldn’t believe Abe would do this to her. He was going to receive a hell of a talking to, when they got home. Right now, she wasn’t ready to lose the love of her life, and he’d better believe it!

She got her energy together, found Jonah’s thoughts and tried something she hadn’t tried before. “
Jonah!”
His head popped out of the water. Good, it was working.
“On the count of three, get him off her so I can end this. I’m ready.”
She could feel the agreement in his thoughts.

“One, two… three!”

Jonah ran and tackled Abe, knocking him off Julia.

Julia got up fast and had made it twenty yards before the ball of fire hit her square in the back. She screamed in agony as her body was engulfed in flames.

“To the car! Run!” Rainey waddled out of the water and shoved Abe and Jonah towards the suburban. “Ariana, are you all right?”

“Of course I am. But I’m not so sure about Becky.” She pointed at the shield covering her best friend. “Go!” she whispered, and the shield disappeared. There was no sign of insects or blades; Julia’s spells had died with her. “Take Abe and Jonah to the plane, and then come back for us. I’ve got to try and heal Becky.”

“Oh, no, you’re not. I’m not letting you out of my sight!” Abe put his arm around her middle and lifted her off her feet. He started walking towards the car, carrying her as if she was a rolled-up blanket. “Rainey will bring Becky over, and you can heal her in the car, or when we get back on the plane. She’s alive. I can hear her heartbeat and her breathing. You two coming?” he shot at the frozen forms of Lance and Janie.

C
HAPTER 64

As soon as they got on the plane, Rainey put a sleeping spell on Janie and Lance – they soon fell asleep in each other’s arms. The best way to deal with the trauma, Ariana thought. They could always talk when they got back home.

They’d laid Becky down and Ariana was using the last of her energy to heal her devoted friend who’d stepped up bravely in front of danger to protect her. She owed Becky her life, and probably Abe’s and Jonah’s, too.

Luckily, there were no deep lacerations. Becky would heal completely, given time. In the background, Abe and Rainey were talking.

“I owe you an apology,” Rainey said, dabbing some orange potion on her bites.

“No, you don’t, Rainey.”

“But I do!” she insisted.

“I don’t want one, Rainey. This was all Julia. Nothing to do with you. And she’s gone now, so let’s hear no more about it. We worked as a team and got it done.”

“Ariana was fantastic,” Rainey sniffed. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“Yes, she was. Did you expect any less from your future Queen?”

“Ugh!” Ariana couldn’t contain her reaction.

Abe chuckled.

“That’s all I can do,” Ariana stood up. “I think I’m gonna…”

Abe caught her before she hit the floor. That was becoming a serious habit of hers. He sat her on his lap and held her close while she slept. She had spent a lot of energy getting rid of Julia and Max, and doing all the extra magic, and then healing Becky. She had good reason to be exhausted, and he’d have to make sure these kinds of reasons never arose again.

He wished he could dream walk; he would go see her in her dreams and she would still be able to rest. Jonah was in bad shape, he’d used most of his energy on the swim to California and he’d passed out. Abe had laid him in bed and covered him with the blankets they’d used to black out the car, but Jonah was still shaking with cold sweats. He’d been right when he said he might not make it back without a meeker’s blood.

Abe needed a blood fix himself, but he would wait for Ariana to recover. He had the feeling she didn’t like it when he fed from the meekers, and he didn’t want to disappoint her.

Ariana opened her eyes and looked straight at him, as if she’d sensed his need or his thoughts. She moved her hair away from her neck and he had to fight back the urge to take it.

He closed his eyes for a moment and then opened them slowly again before he spoke to her. “No. You are so tired and weak. I’ll wait till you build up your energy.”

Ariana stared up at him with pleading eyes, and held her wrist up to him. “You came to save me. Let me save you.”

Abe looked at her, then looked at Jonah. “If that’s the way you feel, help me save Jonah. I can wait, but he can’t. I’m afraid he’s not going to make it.” Ariana’s eyes held a mix of guilt and reluctance. Abe played his last card. “I promised Lidia I won’t let him break her heart, and if I don’t get him back to my daughter and her babies in one piece… Please, help me keep my promise.”

Ariana looked at him, then around the cabin at the sleeping forms of Janie and Lance, Rainey tending her own wounds and Becky out cold on the floor. What other options were there? She nodded at Abe and lifted her head off his lap with his help. She sat there a minute, trying to make the dizzy feeling pass, then she stood up and walked to Jonah.

Jonah’s eyes were closed and he was shaking. His brow was streaming with sweat. She felt Abe at her back and looked up at him.

“He won’t be able to break your skin. Here, let me.” Abe took her wrist and elongated his fangs, breaking her skin as gently as possible, then putting her wrist to Jonah’s open mouth.

It took him a minute to take it, but eventually he latched on and moaned. Abe gritted his teeth as he heard a small sigh escape from Ariana’s lips, too.

Elton came over the PA. “Attention ladies and gentlemen. We will shortly be landing at the Eternal Island International Airport. Hope you’ve enjoyed the flight. Have a good day.”

Abe turned his head quickly, then stepped out of the plane’s only bedroom, unable to watch another man giving pleasure to his woman.

“It’s nothing, Abe. She is saving his life. She doesn’t want him, really, and you know that.”

He looked up at the ceiling with tears in his eyes and put his hands over his face. “I know. It’s just hard to watch her do that with someone else. I know how I feel when I take her vein, and to know Jonah is feeling that with her… it just kills me. I know it’s nothing, Rainey, but… God, it hurts.”

The plane landed, taxied into the hangar and stopped. Rainey opened the door and then went to wake Lance and Janie.

“Abe?” Jonah spoke with a nervous quiver in his voice.

Abe’s head peaked around the door in his direction. “I think I took too much…” His face was worried and guilt stricken. He’d sat up in bed and was trying to support Ariana’s slumped body. “I’m sorry, I…”

Abe didn’t feel anger. Jonah had been unconscious. He could have kicked himself, though, for not being man enough to stay and watch over them.

“I’ll carry her.” But Ariana’s heartbeat was faltering. “Shit! Move!” he shouted at Jonah.

Jonah shot to his feet as if he’d been burned. Abe laid Ariana on the bed and pierced his own wrist. She’d bloody better make it. He wasn’t going to lose her now. And through his own fault, for God’s sake! Julia’s evil hadn’t killed her, but his pathetic jealousy and inattention would.

Abe parted her lips over the puncture marks in his wrist and held it there. After a few drops, instinct took over and she began to swallow his vampire blood. The color started to come back to her cheeks and the pulls she took from his wrist became stronger. Abe relaxed; she’d be okay. Good thing she was out cold, he smiled to himself, because if she knew she was drinking blood… well… she’d only pass out again.

Abe lifted his head and saw a wrist in front of his face. “Take it before I change my mind. You’re exhausted and if you’re going to be any use to her, you’d better replenish your own.”

“I can get a meeker.”

“It’s stronger than a meeker’s. Take it, Abe! She’ll need you to look after her now. You’re two seconds away from passing out, yourself. Take it!” He took Rainey’s wrist in his mouth, closed his eyes and pictured Ariana in his mind.

Rainey let out a sigh and sat down beside him.

“Abe!” Jonah shouted, puncturing his bliss balloon. “Take it away from her! She wants to have a baby, have you forgotten? She’s fine, man. Any more, and it will be too late.”

He’d got caught up in the moment, thinking of Ariana and the feeling she stirred in him, but Jonah was right. If he didn’t stop her soon, Ariana was likely to complete the change. In small amounts, vampire blood would only make her stronger. Too much, and she would wake up with fangs.

Abe sealed Rainey’s wrist and took his own away from Ariana’s mouth. She tried to resist, but he pulled his arm out of her grasp and cradled her in his arms. She had been unconscious the whole time, so he was pretty sure she wouldn’t remember anything.

He looked up at Rainey, who was still on cloud nine from the arousing feeding experience. “Thank you, Rainey. Are you okay to drive us to the palace?”