Release (The Protector Book 3) (28 page)

Stinging and burning converged in the wound when I pressed my fingers around the edges. The flesh around it was darker, but with the ink made it impossible to distinguish the color.

I jumped as a knock came at the door and winced as my fingers unintentionally slid into the wound. “Dammit,” I said in a hushed voice. “I’ll be a few minutes.”

An unfamiliar voice grumbled and footsteps squeaked away along the hardwood floor.

How the hell had this happened? Could it be Riley or the Dark Brothers? The wounds they had once inflicted on me in the dreams had become real, but I hadn’t had any more dreams. The cut on my chest had happened when I jumped through the portal with Tiki, but where had the other ones come from?

I turned the water on and grabbed a cloth, dabbing the wound and washing around the edges. The last time I’d tried to heal myself it caused nothing but pain and made things worse. I wouldn’t make that mistake again. I had spent seventeen years fighting demons without any elements, and I could survive a few cuts and bruises without them now.

I taped gauze over the wound the best I could. It wasn’t pretty but it did the trick. It would keep any debris out at least, and hopefully prevent an infection.

After I’d pulled my shirt back over my body, I turned on the taps and splashed water on my face. I tried to focus my mind and prepare myself for what we were about to do. Being in a foreign world with unique creatures and landscapes I wasn’t used to took me out of my comfort zone. I didn’t like that. The quicker we got this done, the better. I was trusting Vincent and Veronica to watch my back, instead of Rayna and Marcus. That in itself was discomforting. Thankfully, Tiki said Silas was, in general, a peaceful world. I was just hoping it stayed that way while we were there.

Chapter 24

The massive tree stood behind us; multi-colored flowers and dark green leaves were a backdrop for Tiki. We stood in a circle linking arms and I knew there were too many of us. Tiki could transfer a few people without any issues but not seven. Elyas had interfered last time and said he wasn’t strong enough. She had given Tiki the extra power he needed, but here we were again, with more people than he could handle.

Tiki raised this concern several times but I deflected it, telling him it would be fine. I didn’t know that it would be, but I had to go on faith. I’d pleaded in my mind, begging Elyas to show herself, to give us the strength to travel there, but there was no response. She didn’t appear and her voice didn’t echo in my head. So I pushed us forward on insecure hope.

I silently prayed, begging for Serephina to grant us her strength. To give Elyas permission to aid us and move us forward. There was still no answer, and my nerves clenched as Tiki’s power surrounded us.

The black portal opened under our feet and the pressure built. Tiki’s eyes locked with mine, and I could see how tired he looked. It had cost him more magic than it should’ve to open a doorway this large. The black expanded beneath us and began to fold on the air.

Beads of sweat dripped down Tiki’s face. His forehead creased, his jaw clenched, and he started to tremble. The black built up around us but the magic could not be sustained. The portal began to fade, swallowing itself inch by inch.

Tiki’s knees started to weaken and he struggled to remain on his feet. Rai gripped my shoulder and tiny claws poked into my chest. I felt streams of blood trickle down my back and neck, and Tiki’s hand nearly crushed mine.

I ignored the pain of his grip and kept my eyes locked on his. My elements flared with his power and heat nipped at my throat. Water crashed against the flame and I felt smoke at the back of my throat.
Please
, I thought, picturing Elyas’s face, when she silently came to our aid.

The smell of fruit wafted around us and Tiki looked relieved, as though a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. I thanked the gods as the magic revitalized the darkness, pushing it up around us. It enveloped our bodies, the pressure grew, and everything vanished.

I took a deep breath and held it in my lungs as the light of our dimension left. My grip on the others was firm but I relaxed my body, letting the portal press around me. It tried to squeeze the air from my lungs, but I didn’t cede to its demand. I remained calm and let the darkness swirl until the portal opened up beneath me.

Neon green exploded from the pinhole of light, and as it grew, the light grew warmer. Different shades of green appeared, lighting up the doorway in an emerald rainbow.

Cool air swept over my skin, and I inhaled it, my lungs nearly ready to burst with their desire for oxygen. Pine needles and wet dirt filled the air with their scent. A hint of smoke wafted in the distance, and the smell of ashy wood invigorated me, making the air element inside me pulse to life.

I kept the magic deep in my soul, not satisfying its urge to be freed. It fought against me, but it remained in my control and the impulse lessened as I denied it release.

Tiki and Karissa’s grip tightened on my arms, gripping either side of me like they would tear me apart. My muscles tensed as Karissa’s claws came out; she was having trouble containing her beast.

I flexed my muscles and let my magic ease her. Water and earth mingled together, whirling through my arms and into her hands. The last thing I needed was her scratching me. I had no desire to eat raw meat and walk around on all fours. Not for all the added grace in the world.

Karissa’s body relaxed as the magic flowed into her and her claws retracted. The portal began to move, revolving around us as the opening grew. The tops of trees came into view, and as the gateway expanded, it uncovered a forest that went on for as far as I could see.

A glint of something flashed as we neared the entrance. It looked like the head of a man. Not a real man, but a statue. Something inside me told me it was
the
statue we needed, but it was a long way off in the distance.

The pressure of the portal became absent as it spit us into this world. The air churned around me as I fell to the ground. The link we all had with one another broke and everyone began to flail.

I tried to remain calm and balanced as Tiki had instructed, but with legs and arms hitting me and swinging about, it was impossible. I called to my air element and let it come to life. The hands slapping against me drifted away as my speed slowed and theirs remained constant.

The air circulating around me grew thick and became a near-physical object. I guided my body lower like an unseen hand. The magic inside me had control of the air, and I controlled the magic. All the adrenaline from free falling faded, and the element’s warmth danced inside my soul.

Rai leaped from my shoulder, cutting through the air while I descended. I hadn’t figured out if I could stop myself in the air completely, but as I neared the ground, my descent was a slow and even pace. Leading myself through one of the holes in the canopy forest—no doubt made from one of my fallen allies—I floated through the trees, unscathed from the fall.

My arms extended and I began to walk on the air. Like a staircase, I took the final steps and touched the earth, filled with a sense of power and confidence.

The happiness was short lived, however, and darkness replaced it. Moments after I touched the ground, flashes of black dots filled my vision and pain tore through my left leg. I screamed and my knee buckled, my body dropping to the ground. I curled my legs into my stomach; the pain was intense as if someone had sliced a blade across my heel, and the ache wound its way up my leg.

My teeth ground together and I rocked back and forth while taking quick, hard breaths. I groaned and squeezed my hands on my legs, causing a different type of pain I hoped would distract from the rest. It didn’t.

I closed my eyes and called to my water element, and as it came, so did more pain. I dropped the magic and screamed again, slamming my fist to the ground and cursing. Dirt shot up around my body with unnatural force, and a shock of pain moved through my arm, a welcome relief from my leg.

Everyone was on their feet, standing around me and looking unsure what to do. My fingers scraped the earth, digging deep into the dirt until the pain subsided. Faint throbbing pulsed from my knee to my calf, and although it still hurt, the pain was no longer unbearable.

“What should we do?” Karissa’s voice echoed through my head.

“I don’t know,” said Garrett.

“Give him air. Everyone back up and let him breathe,” Vincent commanded.

Their faces blurred in and out of my vision. Black dots swarmed in the blurred light, but I shook my head, trying to push them back. As the throb shifted into a dull burning, I took a long, deep breath.

My heart pounded in my chest, ready to break free of its cage. I could feel something running down the back of my leg but I didn’t want to look. The burning was constant, with a piercing pain coming at random intervals. I felt glued to the earth.

“Are you okay, Chase Williams?” Tiki crouched in front of me, Willy standing beside him.

“I…think so…” I said, still trying to catch my breath. “I just need a minute.”

I reached down my right leg and grabbed the ankle of my black cargos. I took a deep breath and pulled them up over my knee.

Blood ran from my knee to my foot. My white socks were now dark red, soaking up the fluid as it ran down my leg. I closed my eyes and took another breath. What the hell was happening to me?

Willy gasped and shook his head. “I can—can’t lo—look at this,” he said, pacing back and forth until he settled for crossing his legs on the ground.

“As a wolf, you hunt and eat animals,” Vincent said. “How can the sight of…never mind. The last thing I want is a better understanding of
you
.”

“Shut up!” I screamed between breaths, glaring at Vincent.

“My, my, a touch emotional, aren’t we?” Vincent scoffed. “It’s just a scratch.”

“Just a scratch?” I turned my calf over to display the gash in the center of it. It was nearly six inches long, and although it wasn’t as deep or as wide as the pain had led me to believe, there was a thick flow of blood pouring out of it.

“Perhaps more of a slight laceration…” Vincent licked his lips, staring at the wound. My eyes burned through him and he cleared his throat before turning his back to me.

Veronica stepped towards me and I pulled a dagger from its sheath.

“Don’t take another step,” I said in a low, serious tone.

She stopped and her blue eyes studied me, trying to determine if she should proceed. I could see the desire in her eyes as black veins rippled beneath her skin. Her bottom lip trembled as her tongue slid over it. Vincent touched her shoulder and guided her away from me. “Come, my dear. Let’s take a walk.”

“But I’m hungry now!” Veronica’s voice carried a low growl and she stomped her foot.

Veronica shuddered and a strange look came over her face. With her head tilting to the side, staring at me, a disturbing smile came over her lips.

“We’ll find you something,” Vincent said in a soothing voice.

The smiled faded and Veronica looked slightly confused. The veins beneath her skin disappeared and she let Vincent lead her away.

Garrett stepped forward and pulled his shirt over his head. A white muscle shirt beneath it showed off his defined arms and muscled chest. “Here,” he said, kneeling in front of me. He tore the shirt in half and began wrapping it around my leg. The pressure that followed caused more pain than I wanted, but it was necessary.

“Give me a hand,” I said, reaching forward.

Garrett locked his grip in mine and pulled me forward. Attempting to walk caused searing pain in my leg, and I dropped back to the ground and cursed under my breath.

“This isn’t going to work,” I said.

“Does that mean we get to go home?” Vincent’s face reappeared in front of mine, a hopeful smile playing across his face.

I didn’t respond with more than a glare, and disappointment replaced his excitement. “So we’re staying. Lovely…”

“You need to heal this,” Karissa said.

“I can’t. It hurts when I try.”

“Then try harder,” she demanded.

“Karissa’s ri—right,” Willy said. “We can’t do this if you can’t walk.”

I looked between the two of them and then up at Tiki. Although he looked concerned, Tiki shrugged and remained silent.

I closed my eyes and pulled up my element. The water came with ease and swished from side to side, sending a cool rush through my limbs. Moments later, it felt like a thousand knives were piercing my body and I cried out.

Heat burned the mostly healed cut on my chest, tiny daggers cut across the wounds in my back, and a hammer covered with spikes smashed itself into my leg. I fell back against the cool earth and stared up at the sky. Thick white clouds rolled across it and I took steady breaths, forcing my focus where I wanted it to go.

I didn’t let the magic go; I pushed through the pain by digging my fingers into the ground and screaming through gritted teeth. I pictured water washing away the blood, and cool ice numbing my calf.

My focus wavered as barbs of pain tore into my arm, but I didn’t stop. I thrust the elements through the wound and a riptide of magic knitted skin across it, soothing the pain.