Of Water and Madness (37 page)

His body felt loose and light and free, as if he were floating, and until Thea spoke again, he thought he was submerged in the ocean somewhere, enveloped lovingly by the water…

“Open your eyes please, and look to one another,” Thea commanded, her hands clasped together in front of her as she admired the beauty of them as they lost themselves to their inner gift, their innate power and true identity…

Liam heard Capri gasp, and Blythe curse numbly under her breath, and so he opened his eyes as well and took in the sight around him.

He had heard of auras before and had never believed in them. But it struck him now that an aura was exactly what was surrounding each of them now.

It seemed as though his entire body shimmered with a glowing bluish light, bright and iridescent, as if somehow emanating from his very skin. Across from him, Capri was staring at her arms with wide eyes, the silvery radiance shining in her lovely gray eyes. Blythe’s lips had curved into a childlike grin as she examined her own golden ethereal glow that sparkled with a tinge of fiery red. And when he turned to Rhiannon, he saw that she was inhaling and exhaling slowly, fighting to calm the frantic beating of her heart as the truly supernatural appeared to be occurring. But he knew that she could no more deny the power coursing through them at this moment than he could. He thought she looked incredibly stunning, her body surrounded by a vivid green light, gleaming with hints of brilliant gold.

Through their joined hands, it felt as though the power they’d drawn from their elements pulsated, uniting them together. And though there was no wind, not even a breeze, it felt as though the air had turned to a smooth and sultry fluid around them, flowing over their clothes and hair until it looked as if they were suspended in water.

A strange, static humming sound resonated through his ears and in his mind, and the anticipation of what was to come thrummed through his very veins.

“I know this all seems very strange to you, but it is as natural as breathing,” Thea said, noting the tension behind Rhiannon’s eyes and the nerves in Capri’s. At their feet, Dante was staring up at all of them in stunned disbelief and eager jealousy, as though he wanted nothing more than to join them, to be one of them… “I want you all to repeat after me.”

When they looked to her and nodded, she tilted her head up grandly and beamed with sheer control and purpose. And when she spoke, the words seemed to flow toward them, and pour right back out of their own mouths in unison, as if she were speaking straight through them.

“We four, the elements, Air, Fire, Earth and Water, unite to destroy this evil, this monstrosity of darkness, and banish him from this world to the place where demons may not arise. So it will be, for all eternity.”

As they finished repeating the enchantment, their words seemed to echo and resound forcefully off the mountainside and in the air, loud and thundering, filled with absolute power. And as the words struck out into the air, Dante began to laugh.

His chin was resting on his chest as the laughter began, bubbling in his throat and coursing through his blood, the very actions happening against him so unbelievable and yet so forcefully desired that he couldn’t even begin to understand it all. All he could do was laugh.

His head fell back as the laughter burst from within him, no longer a chuckle but now a raucous release of humor and petrified horror. The golden ropes that held him began to glow even brighter, blinding him so that he had to shut his eyes, but he continued to laugh, boldly and madly.

The ground at their feet began to tremble, and a misty rain suddenly began to fall from nowhere. A howling wind began to rush around them, a cyclone of roaring power. And when flames burst from the ground beneath Dante’s knees and enveloped him in fire, his laughter was drowned out by the roar of the wind, and it seemed as though the world was on the verge of annihilation.

But instead, a vivid flash of golden light exploded from the flames, and before they could do more than blink, everything was gone, leaving behind nothing but obscurity.

The next thing Liam knew, he was lying on his back, his head pounding dully and his body aching with a deep and hollow pain. His eyes flew open as he gasped for air, his hand flying out to clutch at his chest, his lungs gratefully drinking in clear, fresh mountain air with greedy gulps. He stared up at the clear, blue sky above him, momentarily stunned and lost.

Suddenly, Rhiannon’s face came into view as she leaned over him, her sage eyes filled with worry. When her hands fluttered over his cheeks they were trembling and weak, as if all of her strength had been ripped from her body.

“Liam, are you okay?” she asked, her voice breathy, alarmed tears swimming in her eyes.

“I’m fine.” He tried to sit up, his arms shaking pitifully as he balanced them on the ground beneath him and rose into a sitting position. His eyes darted over Rhiannon’s shoulder. Blythe and Capri were both lying on the ground as well, hands still clasped and breathing heavily as they came to. Clearly, whatever power they had harnessed had whiplashed back at them and knocked them off their feet.

Turning back to Rhiannon, he managed to pull her into his arms, his eyes shutting tight as a wave of dizziness washed over him. What had happened to them? Was Dante gone?

“I’m sorry, I should have warned you that this was a possibility,” Thea’s voice echoed somewhere in his head, causing him to open his eyes and look up, only to see Mother Earth standing over him. “I’m afraid sometimes powerful enchantments such as that one can have a devastating effect on those who perform it. But you’ll all be fine, just give yourselves a moment to recover your strength.”

“Damn, that was intense…” Blythe murmured, clutching her head and sitting up, her eyes shut tight against the tension straining behind them. One moment, she had felt like some kind of goddess, all-powerful and filled with vigor and vitality. And now, it felt as though she had been sapped of all her strength, drained dry of every last drop.

Beside her, Capri moaned as she rested her forehead against her knees, wrapping her arms around her legs and fighting back the nausea swimming miserably inside of her. But when she remembered Dante, her head whipped up and her eyes darted around, searching for him.

“Is he gone?” she whispered, her voice hoarse and desperate, her eyes wide and wild.

“Yes,” Thea said, kneeling down to cup the girl’s face in her hand to steady her. Capri’s eyes met Thea’s and held, and seemed to calm somewhat at the assurance in the other woman’s voice. “He is gone, forever, to a place where demons do not resurface. You will never have to worry about him hurting you ever again.”

Capri’s eyes filled with grateful tears. “Thank God…”

“Thank God, indeed.” Thea smiled, helping Capri to her feet. “Now, I don’t know about all of you, but I’d like to be reunited with the rest of my family.”

For Liam, coming home to Euphora was like returning from an epic, year long war. Even though the entire ordeal had only lasted several hours, it felt as though it had been several months. He was exhausted; his nerves frayed and his body sore and used. He wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed and sleep for a thousand years, maybe two.

Rhiannon refused to let him carry her, but instead insisted on walking by his side, holding his hand in her own as they went into the castle together with the others. While the Muses and Fates reunited with their children, others came together to share battle stories and a sense of triumph and victory. The rest drifted off in search of a bath or a bed to collapse into.

Liam was pleased when Rhiannon simply followed him up to his room, not saying a word as he opened the door to let her inside. She continued her silence as she shrugged out of her dress and climbed into his bed, curling up under his blankets and resting her head comfortably against his pillow.

He glanced over at his dresser and spotted the engagement ring, where he had left it before going out to find her. He slipped it into his pocket once again, unsure what she would say if she noticed it lying there in plain view. It was probably best to hold off on the whole thing for just a little bit longer…

He crawled in beside her, pulling her against his body so he could enjoy having her safe in his arms. They both exhaled a deep and contented sigh before tumbling into a wonderfully dreamless and long awaited sleep.

“I can’t believe
you’re seriously pissed off about this.”

Jax rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest and grunting. “I’m not pissed off, I’m just jealous.”

Blythe let out a husky laugh and punched him playfully in the shoulder. They were seated together on one of the lounge sofas in the parlor, and at his heated look she leaned into him to nibble delicately at his ear, grinning. “C’mon, cowboy, don’t be mad at me for doing what needed to be done…besides, now you can fantasize about me slapping Dante in the face.”

“God, I wish I could’ve seen that,” he mused, tilting his head to grin at her wickedly. “I bet it was damn priceless.”

“Of course it was. Everything about me is priceless.” She preened, laughing at herself as she cuddled against him, happy for the first time in what felt like forever. They were home and they were both safe…

She looked up at his face, noting the scar that trailed down his cheek, marring his once ruggedly handsome face. But to her, it was a symbol of the horrors they had been through, and a reminder of what he had sacrificed to be with her. This wasn’t his war, but he had fought beside her regardless, because he was just that way…

“I can’t get over you just fading away like that,” Rian said suddenly, the memory haunting him as he looked down at Capri, who was cuddled up in his lap in an adjacent armchair to the sofa.