Eternal Sacrifice (Mortal Enchantment Book 4) (24 page)

Thunder filled the skies, startling us all.

I gazed up as lighting flashed. A bolt shot down, landing a few feet away from me. A thick puff of smoke covered the area. When the dust settled, I saw something lying on the ground and I cautiously moved toward it. The closer I got, the object came into view. A lump swelled in my throat.

It was Kalin.

She’d chosen to return to Avalon.

But something was wrong. She wasn’t moving, and her eyes were closed. I rushed to her side with Tricia right beside me. We both bent down beside her. I looked for Britta. “What’s wrong with her?”

Britta pressed the palm of her hand against Kalin’s chest.
“Her mortal-half survived, but she is weak. She will die if she remains in this state.”

My heart beat rapidly in my chest. “What can we do?”

“She will need a spark of power from each of the four royal houses.
Britta glanced at each of us.
“We must give a part of our essence.”

Marlena stepped forward. A green leaf with golden trim sprouted from the middle of her chest. “This is the essence Orion gave me during our wedding ceremony. I want Kalin to have it.”

“No,” Orion said, stopping her hand before she could pluck the foliage from her skin. “I will give her the essence you gave me.”

“You are the oldest and strongest of our kin.” Marlena placed her hand over his heart. “She needs your strength more than I do.”

He gently kissed her lips. “You’re right, my love.”

Marlena laid the leaf over Kalin’s chest. A glowing light appeared all around her essence. The greenery absorbed into her chest. “Let the strength of the woodland faeries nourish you.”

Britta held her hand over her chest. A tear-shaped droplet materialized in her palm. She held the water over Kalin’s body. A warm light flashed as the drop landed over her heart.
“This is our gift to you, brave queen.”

With my palm over my chest, I collected my essence. It was nothing more than a single red flame. I took a deep breath and slowly blew the fire. The blaze ignited over her chest, then quickly extinguished. As she inhaled the smoke, her skin glowed. “Let this fire help you rise from the ashes.”

All eyes turned to Tricia. She put her hand over her mouth.

Panic rippled through me. Kalin had requested that her mother reign as queen over the air court. She was a mortal with no essence to offer. That meant Kalin couldn’t be revived. Not without the air element. “What are we going to do?”

Wind tickled the back of my neck, and I spun around. Marcus held out a spinning ball of air. Ariel’s essence. “I can give her the essence of the air court.”

A lump swelled in my throat. “Marcus, I can’t take that from you. It’s all you have left of her.”

He shook his head as a tear ran down his cheek. “She’d want Kalin to have it.”

I pulled Marcus into a hug. “Thank you.”

I held my breath as he released the essence over her head. The wind blew through her hair, but nothing else happened. She still hadn’t opened her eyes or moved even an inch. I stared at Britta. “Is there anything else?”

“We have to wait and see how her body responds,”
Britta replied, stepping away from us as we crowded around Kalin.
“She was very weak when we began.”

Anger grew in my chest. “After everything, there is still a chance she’ll die?”

She cringed. A rare glimpse of emotion from her normally stoic persona.
“Yes.”

My stomach churned. “Was Kalin aware that this might not work?”

“Yes.”
Lowering her head, she replied,
“She knowingly chose to take the risk.”

“Come on, Kalin.” I took her hand in mine. An icy shiver raced down my spine. Her skin was pale and cold. “I need you to come back to me.” Tricia brushed the hair away from her face with the tips of her fingers. “If you can hear me, open your eyes.”

Nothing.

I laid my head on her stomach. “Please, Kalin.”

Kalin’s back arched, and I leapt up. Her red hair faded to a wheat blond that matched the other air court elementals. Tricia stood and stepped backwards. “What’s happening?”

Wings burst out from her either side of her back. Flexing wide, they were unlike any I’d ever seen. Instead of one particular kind of feather, she had a mix of all four courts. I saw scales, leaves, and even black feathers like mine.

“They’re beautiful,” Orion added. “Does this mean she’s the akasha once more?”

As the wings relaxed at her sides, she lay flat against the grass. But she still had her eyes closed with no signs of waking up. “I have no idea,” I replied. “I wasn’t expecting anything like this.”

“The future is always changing,”
Britta added.
“No matter how certain we believe it to be.”

Kalin

My eyes burst open.

The sun shone, blurring my vision. I tried to feel my way around to determine my location. There was grass in my palm. I was lying on the ground. When my eyes came into focus, I saw my family and friends. My mother and Rowan were the closest to me. Farther away, I saw Orion, Marlena, and Marcus. I was in the woodland court, right where I’d entered the mist. When I tried to sit up, pain radiated from my back. I reached behind to touch my spine, and my fingers ran over soft feathers. I glanced over my shoulder.

Wings.

I had wings.

Was I able to move them? They flexed. Yes, I could. But they weren’t like any I’d ever seen. Some of the feathers were leafy like the woodland faeries. Others were scaled like the fish in the water court. As I scanned them I realized that each of the four elements was represented. “Holy shit.”

Everyone chuckled.

I stood to take a closer look, and Mom wrapped her arms around me. “I can’t believe it. I’m so happy you came back to us.”

I felt the same way. When I'd stepped into the mist, I’d assumed that was the end. The premonition only said that I would die. No one mentioned I could be reborn. But what had I been reborn into? “I’m just as surprised as you are.”

“Do you remember what happened?” Mom asked, as she ran her hands over the feathers. Orion and Marlena joined her, admiring my unique wings.

I tried to piece together what had occurred after I entered the mist. All I could recall were bits of time. Nothing that made a whole lot of sense. “I don’t remember everything, but I do know Dad was there.”

Mom put her hand over her chest. “What did he say?”

“I don’t know.” I rubbed my temple. “It’s all in fragments. All I remember is that he loves us. He seemed happy wherever he was.”

Mom stared into the distance as tears welled in her eyes. “Thank you for sharing that. It’s a relief to know he’s okay.”

As she spoke, a strand of my hair fell into my face. I startled. It wasn’t red. “My hair is blond? When did that happen?”

“Right before you sprouted wings,” Rowan replied, as he fiddled with one of my curls. “I think it’s hot.”

“Does that mean I’m an air elemental?” I asked.

I glanced at Britta.
“We revived you using a piece of each of our essences, and now you are a pure elemental akasha.”

“Is that any different than what I was before?” I questioned.

“You were half-mortal then. I suspect you are stronger now.”

I saw a flash of light. Images I recognized came into view. Islands were being torn apart by massive winds, hurricanes swirled in the water, and tornados whipped across farmland. There was devastation all over the mortal world. In an instant, I knew what I must do. I spread my wings and burst into the air, passing through Avalon’s mist. I flew hundreds of miles in the air, then stopped. My wings flapped, holding me in place.

I called to the elements.

Rowan flew next to me, his black wings flapping heavily. “What the hell are you doing?”

I had the answer I’d been searching for. My purpose was clear like never before. “I have the power to stop the devastation.” I put my hand over my heart. “I feel it growing inside of me. I have to help the mortals. It’s my duty to protect them.”

“I want to help you,” he urged.

“You can’t,” I replied, shaking my head. He didn’t look convinced. “Just trust me, okay?”

He stared at me as if he was preparing to put up a fight, then he sighed and glided back down to the ground.

The elements tugged at me, sensing my power. I tried to steady the unrest. I was stronger in my pure form. Energy flowed in and out of me with ease as I slowly calmed the natural disasters plaguing the mortal world. One by one, they subsided. But I knew I could do more. I focused on all that had been destroyed. Trees sprouted out of the burned ruins. Crops of fresh fruits and vegetables regrew in the flooded plains. Glaciers returned to their icy lands. Without any drain of power, I renewed the world.

When I sensed the balance had returned, and all had been restored, I returned to Avalon. Rowan was the only one that remained. “Where did everyone go?”

“They went back to their courts when Britta told us you had restored the balance. Tricia asked that you return to the air court when you can.”

“We did it, Rowan.” I wrapped my arms around his neck. “It’s finally over.”

“No, Kalin.” He pressed our bodies together until there was no space left between us. “You did it. You saved us all.”

I thought of Ariel and Dad. “Not everyone.”

“That’s true.” He tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “But you saved more than you lost. That has to count for something.”

In the scheme of things, it did. We’d loved and lost. Rejoiced and cried. That was all part of life. I had no idea what the future held for me, but I’d discovered a few things along the way. Avalon was where I belonged. This was the life I was meant to live and who I was destined to be. I’d spend the rest of eternity keeping the balance, and I was proud to be its chosen protector.

I leaned in and kissed Rowan.

“What was that for?” he asked, smirking curiously.

“I’m happy,” I replied, sensing all the peace around me. “I’m finally free.”

Would you like to read more from Stacey O’Neale? Here is the first chapter from
Under His Skin.
The first book in her new
Adult Paranormal series
, Alien Encounters.

Please be aware this is a series written for adults.

She was probably knee-deep in sugar and sprinkles by now.

As the Monday morning sun rose, Kaden Chance ran through the empty Main Street of Germantown, Maryland. A sheen of sweat covered most of his skin by the time he reached her bakery, aptly named, Yummy. Cinnamon and vanilla wafted from the exterior vents and his stomach growled. Inside, his human friend, Annabelle, hurried to prepare the pastries for the morning rush. Patrons would line up around the block within the next hour. While it had nothing to do with him, he was proud of her success.

He stood in front of the large store window and waited for her to notice him. She worked diligently, bent over the flour-covered counter pouring batter into rows of miniature cupcake pans. Beneath a pink apron, she wore a tiny white tank top and steel blue cotton shorts. From this angle, he admired the curve of her luscious bottom and muscular tanned legs. So many times he imagined taking her into his arms and kissing her pouty lips.

His blood warmed, his body working against him, urging him to break the rules he created. Rules that kept his family safe.

No, he had to bury those thoughts. Annabelle could never be his, no matter how badly he desired her. A knock on the glass pulled him from his thoughts. Annabelle waved at him with her oven-mitted hand; her smile was wide and cheerful. Noticing a smudge of purple icing on one of her cheeks, he held back a chuckle. She became embarrassed easily, so he ignored it.

A sweaty piece of hair fell into his face and he quickly tucked it back into place. She watched him curiously with a doe-eyed look that confused him. But that wasn't surprising. After two years in his human form, he still struggled to understand his own human emotions.

Her green-eyed gaze moved down to her apron, then back at him. He tapped on his watch and she playfully rolled her eyes. She was always running late, but by some unknown magic managed to open the bakery on time every day.

When she resumed her preparations, he let out a breath and returned to his morning routine.