Genesis (44 page)

“
You are fighting a losing
battle. It would be so much better if you just concede. I will
spare your family along with any other person you deem worthy of
living.”

“
Everyone has a right to
live!”

She laughed. “Come now. You can’t
possibly be that naïve. There will have to be casualties for my
plan to work. My followers need bodies, after all.”

I stared at her with unbelieving eyes.
“Your followers already have bodies.”

A chuckle split the morning. “Most do,
that is true, but immortality without the ability to progress is an
unbelievable hell. I do not expect you to understand. You will come
to submit. All do.”

“
I won’t.”

A dark smirk covered her brother’s
face. “You’ve been able to resist; I will give you that, but you
have no chance of keeping it up. No matter where you go, I will
find you. No matter how you fight, I will win. I’m offering you a
chance to save those you love. Why do you care about people you
have never met?”

“
I’m not a
monster.”

“
Ho. A monster, am I? I used
to have such ideals…until I saw what happens to those who do not
take what they want. You will come to see as your mother has.” She
reached out her hand. “I will take the pain away, Rayla. Let me be
your champion. Together we can create the world we both
want.”

I shook my head, backing
away.

Her ring flared and energy clamped
around my body like a tractor beam. “One moment of contact with you
is all I need. There is no escape.”

My feet shot forward before I could
stop them. My mind raced, searching for some spec of hope. I
remembered my angel giving me a spec of light; however, I still
didn’t know what it was for. I reached for that spec, but it was
just beyond my grasp. Giving up on that, I summoned my power,
pulling everything to the surface. My heels dug into the grass. She
was only three feet away. Any further and she could reach out and
take me. Our struggle intensified until my mind stretched to a
snapping point.

A voice so welcome, I nearly cried out
spilled into my thoughts. “I’m here. Take my power.”

Heath! I only had a split second to
think, to act. I called his power to me; it radiated into me like
sunrays through a breaking thunderstorm, slipping over me, buoying
me up. Zach’s face twisted in rage.

My arms glowed so bright my eyes
squinted. Power built up in me gaining strength until I had to
release it or explode. Lightning erupted from my fingers and
connected with Zach’s chest. His body flew backward, smashing into
a tree ten feet behind where he just stood. He lay there lifeless.
No matter how badly I wanted to help him I couldn’t risk her coming
to. I needed to leave.

That was the last I saw of him before I
drifted away…to the man I love…to the man I should have never
left.

It took me no time to lock onto Heath,
as if some force guided me along. I emerged from the matter stream
in a place so dark my eyes took several seconds to adjust. Heath
snatched me up in less than a second, filling my soul with his
essence. I buried my face into his neck, reveling in the feel of
him next to me. Tears came unbidden. “I’m so sorry, Heath. I should
have listened to you.”

He laughed. “Well, that’s not something
I thought I’d ever hear you say.”

I pulled back, joy overwhelming me as I
studied his face in the candlelight. I could never get enough of
him, not in ten million years.

“
Wow, if I’d known this was
how you’d greet me, I would have shipped you off to Zach
sooner.”

I frowned at him. “What are you talking
about?”

“
We had to know for
sure.”

I recoiled away from him. “You knew
about this!”

Tabitha stepped out of the shadows.
“I’m sorry for putting you through that, Rayla, but it was
necessary.”

My body went limp, and I
stumbled. Realization slammed into me. They’d set this whole thing
up—to see if Ainessa controlled Zach. Anger raged through me,
stiffening my muscles, hardening my mind. I took turns looking at
them, but I was angrier at Tabitha. I’d given everything up because
of her
visions
.
“How could you do that to me? I trusted you.”

Her face stayed serene as ever. “I told
you hope was not lost.”

Strong arms wrapped around me, pulling
me so close every inch of me was pressed against Heath’s body. “You
had to have known I would never let you go so easily.”

But I didn’t. I couldn’t.

His jaw brushed my hair back from my
ear, sending a quiver along its wake. “We can talk about this later
because right now we have unfinished business,
remember?”

I whirled on him. “Not so fast, one
track mind.” Shaking, I shot out a halting finger that touched his
broad chest to keep him from pulling me closer again. “I’ll deal
with you in a minute.” He smiled. I shook my head fighting the
distraction.

With a fraying leash on my temper, I
faced Tabitha. “Where’s my family?”

She didn’t react, keeping her voice as
calm as her expression. “They are safe, as are the Elementals who
have not been bonded.”

I relaxed a little bit, but something
unexplainable kept the wariness in my mind. “Where are
we?”

Creed’s voice came from behind me.
“Don’t tell me you’ve already adjusted to being here. Last time
took you hours.”

The dark realms? A smile found my
mouth. His were the hands I’d felt guiding me here. He’d brought me
where not even Ainessa could touch me.

Every time I saw him lately, his face
was more human. His skin had paled again to a light gray. It could
have been the lighting, but I figured soon he’d be back to his old
self.

“
Thank you,” I said, finding
it hard to use my voice. This was twice he’d helped me get away
from Ainessa, and this was twice I had no words to express how
grateful I was to him.

“
As I told you before, we
are at your command, my lady.”

My jaw tightened. “In that case, I need
you to do me a favor.”

“
Anything.”

Zach had mentioned Travis. If I didn’t
act fast, they would take him to use as leverage against me. “I
have a cousin that needs rescuing, and unfortunately, I’m not able
to leave the realms.”

“
I will dispatch a team
posthaste, but, my lady, are you sure you want to bring him
here?”

Why wouldn’t I be? “He’s important to
me.”

Creed nodded. “I only ask because some
of your family members have not been happy about
their…accommodations.”

Some? No. Aunt Grace most likely. “I’ll
talk to them. We appreciate your hospitality.”

He gave me a nod before he
vanished.

I had so much more to talk to Creed
about, but now was not the time. I’d need every last member of the
dark realms if I had a chance of defeating Ainessa, and it was
about time they were rewarded for good service. I fully intended to
name all of them. It’d be hard to come up with that many names, but
I’d manage.

Heath took his place at my side,
capturing my hand. His voice came out soft, alluring, making me
aware of his body that was deliciously close to mine. “Might take
him a while to find that one.”

“
Why do you say that?”
Travis was hard to miss in a crowd with his dark eyes that looked
almost black and his bright blond hair. It was such an odd
combination. Something nagged at me about him, but I couldn’t name
it.

Heath moved in, crowding me deeper into
the room. Tingles exploded across my skin where he touched me. He
gave me a look that shot heat to my toes. “Answers later. I’m not
waiting another second to have you.”

My whole body flushed. Tabitha made
some excuse to leave that I didn’t make out. I couldn’t hear
anything above the beating of my heart.

Heath pulled me into the corner where
more candles illuminated a bed decked out in red velvet. Soft music
washed over me. I gasped. I knew that song.

I’d picked it out a long time ago as
the song I wanted to play the first time I…my hand covered my
gaping mouth as I took in the rest of the room. Every detail set
the tableau of my dreams.

I turned in Heath’s arms and settled my
fingers on his chest. The growing warmth of passion ignited my
mind. Seeming to be all I could manage, my voice came out in a
whisper. “How did you know?”

He smiled down at me with his too
tempting lips. “I know everything there is to know about you,
Rayla.” His eyes grew dark with promised pleasure. The spicy scent
that could only belong to him lingered around me, luring me deeper
into his spell. “Now, enough talking.” Warm lips met mine, carrying
me away to a blissful shore.

I took everything he gave me before I
ventured into my own seduction, setting my fingers to explore every
inch of his body. He clasped my hands, stopping my downward
progression.

“
Heath,” I said, doubt
twisting my insides.

He stroked my fingers before he placed
my arms at my sides. “Not yet.” He gave me a wicked once over then
smiled. “First, let me make you mine.”

I nodded, vaguely aware of his body
pressing against mine, of my clothes disappearing, of the warmth of
his skin, of his hands straddling my back before he lifted me into
his arms.

My mind surrendered to him completely,
no longer capable of thought, all I could do was feel.

Christie Rich lives in a small town in
Northern Utah with her husband, two kids, spastic dog that thinks
she is a horse, and two lazy cats. Christie loves to be creative.
Whether writing, painting, or exploring something new, she spends
the majority of her free time unlocking the creations inside of
her.

http://christierich.blogspot.com/

Also available:

Five (Elemental Enmity Book
I)

Dark Matter (Elemental Enmity Book
II)

Coming Soon:

Horizon (Elemental Enmity Book
IV)

Personal Note from Christie

To all the readers out there who have
taken the time to read and welcome my stories and characters, I
thank you from the bottom of my heart. I hope you enjoyed reading
this book as much as I enjoyed writing it. As an “indie” author,
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exciting series!

All My Best and Happy Reading
Everyone~