Spurn (13 page)

H
is tone wasn’t exactly panicked, but for the first time some of his confidence wavered.

His hand shot out again,
only this time I tensed. It did nothing to quell the agony. My screams echoed, bouncing off the acoustics of the surrounding landscape. Over and over he burnt me alive, peppering me with questions I would not answer. I would not set this psycho against my father or Brace. I would protect my remaining loved ones, if it was the last thing I did.

Eventually, my voice was barely a whisper, the screams
faded to hoarse gasps. I knew if I looked down again I would see more of the burn marks scattered all over. But I didn’t look.

“You
’re strong. I respect that, and I’ll leave you for the moment. I don’t want to break you before I enjoy you.” He studied me, his violet eyes dark. “Try and remember, I can do this for all of eternity. It will be easier if you simply give me the answers. You don’t have to suffer.”

I didn’t move as his presence disappeared from the small island. I gasped in small breaths, my aching throat protesting even the light pr
esence of air through the raw space. Despite the fact I had no moisture left in my body to cry tears, I sobbed in my mind.

O
ne face continued to appear before me. My body and soul were battered and bruised and they were screaming for Brace. I hadn’t forgotten that he had deceived me, lied with every breath he took. But my soul didn’t care. It ached for the comfort of its mate.

Brace.

The scream of a soul in agony was stronger than anything I could have ever imagined. There was no answer, and this time no blond psycho even appeared. I was well and truly alone. Shifting my aching shoulders, I could not move and find comfort. Slumping forward again, I closed my eyes. Again I drifted. For endless moments I was semi-conscious. I needed to pull myself together. I was stronger than this, and after I found Brace and killed him for his deception, I’d have to get used to being alone.

“Red.”

I thought for a moment I was still dreaming. The familiar voice, the annoying nickname, it was too much to believe that he had found me.

“I will always find you, Abby. Always.”
When he answered, I realized I’d spoken my thoughts out loud, my voice rasping over each word.

The ropes binding me fell free, and if strong arms had not encased me I would have fallen forward to the floor.
I found a sliver of strength to lift my heavy head. Brace’s beautiful face was close to mine as he held me up. His eyes were black again, fury burning in their depths. But his features remained gentle as he pulled me even closer, his scent brushing across me as he let out a relieved sigh. And in that moment my soul began to sing.

“
Shit – sorry, Abbs – I’m just ... not sure where to hold you.” He shifted his arms in an attempt to avoid the obvious burns.

My entire skin blistered like it was
still on fire.
Why weren’t the marks  healing?

“
Hang on, baby. I’ll get you out of here. And then I have a Doreen to eliminate.”

Fury crashed in around me, and I
realized that Brace was just barely holding onto his self-control. His aura was pulsing blood red, and despite his gentle hold I could somehow feel his unrestrained rage.

His anger awoke my own, and as c
larity returned I began to struggle in his arms.

“Get your hands off me
, you big lying liar,” I murmured past the rawness in my throat.

I pushed
at his chest, which did not move him even one fraction of an inch. A flash of fear chased some of the heat from his eyes.

“
Your voice, Red? What the hell happened to your voice?”

His
concern brought tears to my eyes. I managed to stop them from spilling over. He pulled me closer.

“
I need to know ... what did he do? He’s already to be destroyed. But I haven’t decided if I’ll make it quick, or take my time.”

“Don’t
... just, just don’t.” Weariness spilled from me.

His lips brushed against my cheek, whether by accident o
r design, I wasn’t sure. He inhaled deeply as he rested his face in my neck.

“
I promise I’ll explain everything to you. I don’t know what the Doreen told you, but I have my own side to this. Swear to me you won’t reject us until you hear the entire story.”

I
lifted my head slightly to examine him. His vulnerability appealed to me in a way I couldn’t fight. I knew that Brace was an exceptionally strong man. He contained himself and his emotions, but his power was always apparent. Vulnerability was not something he generally displayed. But how could I trust his words again?

“Lucy?” I had to ask,
even though I wasn’t sure if I could handle the answer.

“She
’s fine. Sammy and Lucas as well.”

My heart stopped. I clutched at him for the first time, pulling him closer.

“Swear to me that they’re all fine. Where are they? How did you survive the city collapse?”

“I
swear to you, Red. I would never lie to you about something so important.”

I snorted
.

He continued, although his expression
held something ... shame maybe ... and pain. “I opened a doorway and pulled everyone through. They’re on First World. Josian returned just after as well. For some reason he knew you were in trouble. Right now I’m pretty sure he’s out destroying worlds trying to find you.”

“How did you find me?” I asked
, my husky voice high with relief.

No one had died. I hadn’t lost those few people who made my world complete.

“I don’t know. I was going crazy, calling in every favor I’ve ever had to figure out who the Doreen was that took you.”

I held up
a hand to halt him.

“What
is an Abernath and a Doreen? And don’t even think about hesitating. When I ask a question about my life, I deserve to know the truth.”

I
’d had enough of being the last to know. That ended today.

“They
’re two of the Walker clans. You’re a Doreen – red marks. I’m an Abernath; we have black.”

“Like Talina?” I questioned.

He nodded once. His eyes locked on mine as he continued to hold me close. There wasn’t one inch of space between us. And, despite my anger, and the pain of the burns scattering my skin, I couldn’t find the strength to pull away.

Brace examined me closely.
“I heard you – you were with me for a moment – in my mind. I felt you calling for me, and a doorway appeared. I didn’t think twice, I just stepped through.”

“Impossible!”
The angry word echoed around us but with the acoustics here I couldn’t tell where the blond Walker was. “How did you find her? I have this realm barred to all doorways.”

M
y kidnapper strode out of a crevice to stand before us. Damn freak must just hang around in the caves.

Brace lowered me to the ground, but
my legs refused to bear my weight and crumpled. Without a pause, he simply shifted his stance and brought me back up into his arms.

“Sorry, I
think my arms and legs are asleep from being tied for so long.” I had tingles through them now, but they felt like they weighed a ton.

“
Don’t apologize, Red. I can hold you up and rip his head off. No problem.” His smile was confident.

I
resisted the urge to touch his perfect white teeth. At least one thing was explained: his unnatural looks: he was Walker.

The ground began to shake
beneath our feet. I turned my anxiety toward Brace. He smiled. A large crevice began to divide the space between us and the Doreen Walker.

Could Josian ex-communicate Walkers? Because this psycho needed to go.

“Your pathetic little power show does nothing but tire you,” the Doreen said. “I have claimed the baby Walker. Leave now and I will forgive your intrusion.”

I expected Brace to lose it
then. Instead he threw back his head and laughed. With a twinkle in his eyes, the stormy black faded slightly, not quite back to his beautiful brown, but closer.

“How can you have spent any time with Red and not know that she
’s owned by no one? I only wish she knew how to use her powers. She’d have ended your sorry ass.”

My lips turned up in a half
-smile as I lay my head against his shoulder. Hearing him swear was a novelty; he usually didn’t use much slang. Only what he’d picked up from me and Lucy.

Exhaustion was getting the better of me.
I started to miss bits and pieces of their words. Whatever lightning thing he’d zapped me with earlier had really knocked me around.

“You cannot escape. W
hy would you start a clan war over a halfling?” The Doreen’s words were interrupted by a bolt of energy smacking him straight in the face.

He was knocked backwards, off the island and into the endless abyss below.

“Shi – did you just kill him?” I struggled to sit up.

“Come on, Red. He’s a Walker
. That wouldn’t have even scared him. I’m just looking to buy us some time until I figure out how to get out of here.”

Okay
, I felt a bit stupid, but it wasn’t my fault I continued to forget that they weren’t human. I wasn’t raised to believe in Walkers.

As Brace strode
us closer to the edge of the deep gulley, I could see his mind working away, trying to figure out how to save me.

Since I wasn’t
the type of person that generally waited for a knight to rescue me, I decided to see if I could access a doorway. Brace had said I’d brought him to me, so maybe I could send us home. I gathered some energy. It responded far quicker than the last time. My power was growing.

Picturing my bedroom back home
, I was about to draw from my sticky taffy energy and create a doorway when I noticed something. Around the image of my room were these long, dangling and glittering threads, a bit like strings that anchored it to ... something. I hadn’t noticed them before, but maybe I just hadn’t been paying attention. Without much hesitation, with instinct guiding me, I latched on to one of the tethers and yanked hard.

“What
the hell, Red? – ”

My eyes were still closed, but they flew open at
his exclamation. I was in his arms, but we were no longer on the island of crazy. Instead we were standing on my bed, in my room, on First World. In the exact spot the cord I pulled had been attached. Brace and I stared at each other for a moment. My eyes were so wide with shock I was sure they were about to fall out of my head.

“Did you just trac
–?” His words were cut off as my bedroom door slammed open.

“Baby girl
.” Josian’s words were strangled as he wrestled me from Brace and engulfed me in a bone-crushing hug.

I breathed in chunks of his flaming red hair as he held on.
My skin screamed in protest, agony coursing through me. But I wouldn’t have pulled back for anything.

“Josian, you
’re hurting her.” Brace’s words were flat, his anger simmering once more.

Immediately
the bands surrounding me loosened and I could breathe again.

“How did you know I was back?” I asked him, still cradled in his arms
and my feet dangling off the floor.

Walkers had this
ability to make me feel small and dainty.

His molten eyes were bronze today, although they had a habit of changing
color like the turning leaves in fall.

“I
sensed the intrusion in your room. I didn’t know it was you.” His arms trembled slightly as he held on. “Who took you, baby girl? Who will answer to me and our clan’s wrath?”

Brace, who
’d just stepped off the bed, paused next to us. “He’s of your clan, Josian. The man was a Doreen.”

This statement was followed by a moment of silence and then an explosion of cursing.
Josian placed me on the bed so that he could storm around the room. He alternated between languages, but I figured out the general tone.

Brace eventually interrupted him.
“I know we have a lot to discuss, but I really need a few minutes with Abby.” He was standing beside my bed, his entire demeanor hard, his expression borderline frosty.

Josian stomped over, getting right into Brace’s face. He pointed his long finger in jerky motions as he spoke.

“If you do anything inappropriate for an unmated Walker I will rip you into little pieces, and then scatter them through the worlds. It will take you a long time to put yourself back together.”

Brace nodded
.

Josian
kissed me on the cheek before leaving the room. The door closed loudly behind him, before slamming back open again.