Rise of the Phoenix (Return To Avalore #2) (3 page)

“It. Was. Him. Wasn’t it?” She should have listened to her gut, heeded the dragon’s warning. Her throat constricted, and her teeth pointed. “It’s a simple question. Was it, or was it not my mate?” She took a step toward the Alpha male.

Wesken did not try to engage her, nor did he gather energy to him. His arms lay limp at his sides. “It was.”

Reflected in the pools of his big black eyes, she saw the flames dancing in hers. “I’d like to speak with you in my tent please.” Turning on her heels, Brienne walked away, shaking her hands to free them of the potent power she had unwittingly gathered. As much as Brienne needed to release her fury and frustration—her pain, the pack had suffered enough for one day.

Tapping her foot, she waited for Wesken to come inside. She crossed to the small, hard cot taking up the most space in her tent. When Brienne had left Avalore, she hadn’t intended on being gone so long. She hadn’t intended to leave at all. Her whole body shook as she teetered between complete rage and bone-chilling fear. Swallowing past a fist-sized lump in her throat, she spun to face the warrior when he entered.

“I’m leaving. Tonight. Now.” She lifted her chin, daring him to try to stop her.

His bulging biceps flexed as he stared her down. “You cannot. We have not broken the curse keeping us in this form. Without you, we are lost. We are doomed to suffer the same fate as our ancestors. To become vicious beasts. Is that what you wish? For us to become the enemy? For us to hunt your people? The Ancients were not always the evil beings they are today. They became that way over time. This is what you doom me and the rest of the New Order to.”

The soft, menacing growl rumbling in her chest had him taking a step back. They all knew what she was capable of, but until now, she had never needed to take a stance. “You think I don’t know this? I’ve told you I’m coming back.” She took a long, slow breath, pushing the dragon deeper. “I’m leaving. I need another gridom stone.”

“Brienne, use your head. What are you going back for?” Exasperation gave each word a little bite.

“Will you give me a damned gridom stone or not?” Fiery heat bubbled to the surface. Being born of the dragon line, her anger rose hard and fast, but under normal circumstances, she controlled her reactions. She paced as far away from him as she could in the small enclosure. She had to get out of there before she did something she would regret. None of it was Wesken’s fault, but the dragon, if unleashed, would not stop long enough to assign blame.

He stood his ground, his dark eyes never leaving her. “Then I will come with you. We will take a team and do it the right way.”

“With Argram gone, the pack will need your guidance now more than ever. You are Alpha now. You can’t leave them.” Grief sliced through her again for her fallen packmate.

Arms crossed over his chest, Wesken looked like he was ready to stand and argue all night. “My brother’s death will
not
be in vain. We have fought too hard to get to this point.”

“My mind is made up. I will return once I’ve brought my mate back to Avalore.” Her breath hitched in her throat. She refused to think he was no longer part of this world. She had to find a way to save Evan and take him home.

In a rare show of emotion, Wesken growled and then roared, making the walls of the tent quiver. “I’m not a fool. Once you leave, you will not return. Our only hope for freedom leaves with you.”

Grinding her teeth, she struggled not to roar right back at him. “Have I not sworn to help you?” She pushed the words through clenched teeth, standing before him, her finger poking at his massive chest. “Have I not kept my word and fought alongside you these last three years?”

“This is different. He is your mate. You’ll not
want
to come back.” The resignation in his voice was clear.

She wasn’t about to play a game with him, nor would she feel guilt over needing to go back to ensure her mate had made it out of that compound safely. She had already said she was coming back. Why was he now questioning her integrity? Her loyalty and honor should have told him everything he needed to know, and then some. If he couldn’t come to terms with her leaving, then so be it. They had no idea how much she had sacrificed in order to help them. How long and empty her life would be once they had broken the dark spell and she went back to Avalore.

Already, some of the males were able to experience sorrow, and brief moments of joy. It wasn’t much, but it was better than what they had started with. Soon, if all went well, they would be able to experience all the emotions ripped away from them with the curse placed upon their species centuries ago.

His dark eyes bore into her. “You would leave us after all of this?” His growl would have intimidated one of the cubs or even the beta males, but not her. He would never hurt her, even in his fury.

“What choice do I have?” She paced two steps and rounded on him again. “Tell me, if it were Kendra out there in the hands of those monsters, would you sit idly by and wait while a mission was planned and executed?”

Just as she had expected, he didn’t answer. “That’s what I thought. Don’t expect of me what you could not do yourself.”

He stared at her, grinding his teeth. “Stop by my tent before you go. Kendra will have provisions ready for you as well as a gridom stone.”

Without uttering another word, he marched away, head down and shoulders slumped. He didn’t believe she would be back, but she could never stay away. The pack was as much a part of her family as her own parents and siblings had been.

On days like these, when the toll was so high, and the finish line loomed so far in the distance, she wondered if she’d made the right decision in coming to the Dark Lands. Argram had been convinced that she was the one professed to break the curse, and he had made her believe. Now he was gone, and she just wasn’t sure anymore, but she would not give up until it was done.

Waiting until morning meant nothing in the Dark Lands. It was always dark. Even if she waited until dawn, she’d be just as weary. Knowing there was a chance the enemy might have her mate, she’d never get the rest she needed. With nothing but the clothing on her back, and the gridom choker she always wore, she headed out.

News of her departure spread through the camp. By the time she reached Wesken’s tent, the entire pack had gathered. The females hugged her and wished her well. While the men kept their physical distance, some offered to join her on her mission, while others wouldn’t even look in her direction. Wesken had been the only one to voice his fear, but it was clear he wasn’t the only one doubting her intention to return.

When she reached Kendra and Wesken, Miga stepped out of the tent to greet her. “Come back to us when you can.”

Brienne fought to keep the moisture pooling in her eyes from spilling down her cheeks. “I will.” It was all she could utter as Miga wrapped her in a fierce hug.

“May your Goddess keep you safe, Brienne.” Miga released her and turned away.

“Thank you.” Only mated females resided with the pack. Unmated females created too much distraction and dissention within the ranks. Even she would not have remained had it not been for their need to break the curse. With Argram gone, Miga was unattached. Luckily, she was with cub, and the males had respected Argram too much to mess with her even after his death. No other male would encroach upon her at this time. Wesken would take her under his wing, but he couldn’t be with her at all times to protect and keep her safe.

Kendra handed her a small pouch of dried fruit and meats before giving her a tight hug. “If you’re to return to us, you’d best bring food to keep from starving. Keep your strength up.”

Wesken frowned as he dropped a gridom stone secured on a piece of twine into her hand. “Stay until morning. I will have a team ready to accompany you. It’s only a few more hours.” It was as close as Wesken would ever get to begging, and it made her heart squeeze hard.

Shaking her head, she did the last thing he would expect. She wrapped her arms around him and held him tight. “You know I can’t do that, but thank you for offering.”

Blinking back the moisture, she looked at her friends once more before turning and walking away.

The Ekasibe growled. “Call her to you now, phoenix.”

Eyes swollen shut, Evan tried to turn his head from the putrid stench of the creature’s breath. After all his people had been through in the past three decades, there was no way he would lead his sister into the hands of the beasts who wanted her dead.

Thoughts blurred in his mind as he fought against the haze. Even the phoenix deep within was quiet. It was never silent. If it wasn’t for the crushing pain engulfing his entire body, he might think he was dead. He had lost track of time with each bout of unconsciousness they inflicted upon him. Time had no meaning. He couldn’t even tell if it was day or night anymore. “I’ll die first.” His answer would be met with more blows, more pain, but it didn’t matter.

A swift, hard punch to his stomach had him moaning as consciousness threatened to disappear again and agony engulfed him.

“You will die, but not before she does. Call her to you now.”

Something hot and sharp cut through the skin along his left triceps. He refused to scream. The bastards would enjoy it too much. By all that was sacred, he wanted to, but he would not give them that pleasure.

Suspended by the wrists, with most of his weight resting on nothing more than the tips of his toes was hell. They’d put him in one of their makeshift shacks; at least that’s where he’d been the last time they’d knocked him unconscious and battered his face. The building was bigger than he had initially thought, and sturdier. He wouldn’t have thought it could hold his weight, but even as he struggled to free himself, nothing budged.

“No.” Another sharp blow to the solar plexus and the breath rushed out of his lungs.

“Call her.” The wicked voice rasped by his right ear.

“Fuck you.” Following the Erritrol’s rancid breath, Evan turned his head and spat before shifting his weight back onto his toes. It took more energy than he had to waste, but it was worth it when the beast roared.

“You’re going to wish you were dead after we’re done with you.” A low growl rumbled in the air. “Show this imbecile what happens when I don’t get what I want.”

Part of him—a huge part—already wished he was dead. A swift blow to his legs had Evan dangling heavily on his already bleeding wrists.

“Can I kill him?”

The hoarse voice sounded from behind him, making the muscles in his back tense. How did they keep from detection? He never knew where the bastards were.

“No, not yet. He will break. Just make sure he is docile for transport.”

Tiny hairs at the back of Evan’s neck stood on end. The anticipation of what was to come had all of his muscles tight and twitching. The phoenix struggled for freedom, furious at its inability to protect Evan from harm. How the hell was he going to get himself out of this mess?

He didn’t have time to ponder. A hard blow landed on his back just above his right kidney, sending pain ricocheting through him before another blow struck to the left. He grunted as the beast came around raining blow upon blow to his chest and abdomen, stealing his breath. Nausea rolled over him in a great wave, and black dots swirled before his eyes. With one final shot to his jaw all went black.

Brienne didn’t dare take her gridom stone from her neck. It would be faster and easier to travel through the air in the way of their people, using manipulated energy to cross distances at much greater speeds, but the beasts would see her bright energy like a glowing rainbow, and her mission would be doomed before she got anywhere near their camp.

The rough terrain and oppressive darkness made the journey slower than she would have liked. She had never had to fend for herself in the Dark Lands, but her pack had taught her well. She knew the dangers of these lands inside and out. Staying south of the ridge, she avoided the nasty little bird-like creatures that could pick all the flesh from a body within minutes. The Grondas couldn’t fly, but their razor-sharp teeth could tear through just about anything. Okay, so she had never seen them attack a live animal, but she didn’t trust them. The fleshless carcasses they left behind made her wary. Something in their beady little eyes made her heart race whenever she spotted one.

She had crossed the valley at a full out sprint, but slowed her pace now that she neared the camp. The thick brush, riddled with traps set by the Erritrols, took time to navigate. One false step and she would perish. Using a long branch, she poked and prodded the land before each step, more than once dodging a blade as it sprung from its hiding place in the damp vegetation on the ground.

A twig snapped behind her, freezing Brienne in her tracks. There were no malicious energies around her, no discernable threats, yet her skin pricked and a coppery metallic taste slid over her tongue, not strong and acrid like that of the enemy, but there just the same. Lifting her nose to the air, she sniffed and allowed the breath she had taken in to escape. Squatting low to the ground, she turned on the balls of her feet. Nothing moved in the impenetrable darkness, but then she hadn’t expected it would. Two of her packmates had followed. Not that she could see them, she wouldn’t unless they wanted her to, but their energies were not far behind. Shaking her head, she rose, intent on continuing her journey. She was almost there.