Chapter Two Alluna disconnected the charging crystal from Rayne’s glass enclosure. The raven-haired doll laid motionless, as she had for the past moon cycles. Mama had threatened to violently thrash Alluna’s hide if she ever allowed Rayne’s power to deplete itself. Alluna peered closer at her. Long sooty lashes rested against rose-kissed cheeks. Rayne’s lips were parted slightly, showing a hint of white teeth. The doll’s body was swathed in a pale blue cloth as she floated within the glass case with her long black hair flowing like liquid satin around her. Alluna had seen her eyes open once. She’d forgotten to hook the doll up one time in the very first days Mama had left her in Alluna’s care. When she’d remembered, Alluna had rushed to the top of the tower. Rayne had opened her eyes. The sparkling blue orbs leaked tears and her mouth worked soundlessly. The doll looked terrified, looking as if she were gasping for breath. Alluna knew a moment of sheer panic and took the blue crystal from the glowing metal box in the corner of the tower room. She attached it to a metal plate on the side of the glass case and watched the doll’s mouth slacken, her eyes flutter and soon she was still again, her chest rising and falling as though she slumbered. She sighed loudly, her breath misting the top of the glass case. Using the hem of her green gown, she rubbed the glass until it shimmered again. When would Mama come back? Days had gone by since the golden angel appeared in her tower room. Was Mama still upset that her flute had been lost? Alluna was certain the song she’d played had lured the angel to her. If she only knew where the flute was, she’d play again for him. “Dreaming about that fair-faced demon again?” Alluna spun to face the only other human that ever spoke to her: Mama. “Y-you frightened me,” she panted, her hand going up to her chest. Dismay filled her as Mama’s frown deepened. Alluna had forgotten to wear her chest brace. Her cheeks flamed with shame as she crossed her arms over her deformed chest. Mama snorted, her eyes narrowing. “Could it be possible? You crave the golden-haired demon’s touch?” Alluna flinched when mama stalked closer. Touch? “W-why would I do that?” Mama laughed, her eyes raking Alluna’s trembling form with disdain. “Aye. The seeds of lust are growing in you, my girl. The demon will see your filthy udders and crave them. He’ll clip painful chains on your nipples and tug just to hear you scream and beg for mercy. Alluna shrank back, quivering. Mama’s green eyes glowed, her dark face looming in Alluna’s vision, and then it wasn’t Mama anymore. Alluna saw herself standing in a chamber with dusky grey walls and a gleaming black floor. Her hands were chained up over her head and her nipples hurt. To her horror, when she looked down, two metal clips were attached to her erect nipples, a chain dangling between. “Feel the pain, Alluna,” a deep voice hissed behind her. A very large hand slid over her hip from behind to cup her between the legs. “Feel the pleasure.” Alluna moaned, her eyes darting to a glass wall before her. It wasn’t the vast darkness of a star-speckled void that had her eyes gaping, but the reflection of a golden, horned creature with demonic wings standing behind her that had her screaming in terror. Mama’s arms engulfed her as she sobbed, her whole body shaking. “There-there, my girl,” Mama cooed. “Don’t be afraid. Mama is here now. The demon won’t ravish you.” “R-ravish?” Alluna sniffed. She pulled back to look into Mama’s sullen face. Her hand smoothed down Alluna’s hair. “All males have an evil snake between their thighs.” Alluna shivered with revulsion. How she hated snakes, feared them terribly. “They’ll strike at you with their snake, cause you pain. They will make you bleed, and fill you with their poison over and over until you become addicted to it, crave it, beg for it.” Alluna stared wide-eyed at Mama, her fingers clutching Mama’s purple robes. Visions of the golden-haired one coming at her with a writhing snake between his thighs filled her mind. Alluna bit her lower lip with a whimper, shaking her head to dispel the disturbing thoughts. Mama cocked her head to the side as her hand stroked down Alluna’s hair. “The poison will make you sick, make you swell up until you explode and die.” Alluna’s heart raced with terror. She shook her head. “No, Mama. I won’t let the snake near me.” Mama pouted, “But you already crave the demon, my girl. He’s cast a spell on you.” Alluna gaped. He occupied her every thought. It was true. Mama was right. Alluna’s hand came up to her throat as she shook her head emphatically. “I-I’ll fight it, mama. I won’t let it happen.” Mama cupped her face and leaned down, her green eyes blazing into Alluna’s. “What you need to do is trap him.” Alluna’s jaw dropped. “T-trap? B-but.…” Mama removed a delicate chain from around her neck and placed it around Alluna’s. From the chain hung a pendant of a golden dragon with a tiny sapphire for its eye. “Sing to him the Dragon’s Lullaby and place this around his neck. He will be enslaved to you and do your bidding. Then call to me. I will take care of the rest, my sweet girl.” “Y-you’ll kill him?” Alluna swallowed, feeling something within her twist painfully at the thought of the golden creature dying. “No, darling,” Mama shook her head, her brows furrowed. “I want to add him to my collection.” Alluna remembered Mama’s collection in the dungeon. She had a sleeping golden dragon, a vampire, and a reaper. They were all under her sleeping spell, except the vampire who’d turned to stone from lack of nourishment. “Why do you need them, Mama?” Mama grinned. “I am going to unleash Leiravad from the realm of reflections.” Alluna blinked, confused. Mama had never told her this before. “Who?” Mama’s grin widened as well as her eyes, making a shiver of fear slide up Alluna’s spine. “The Angel of destruction’s reflection. His other self.”***Zak downed another bottle of Black Death. The whiskey no longer burned his throat, and he could barely see straight anymore. Hands groped his body, the sound of frustrated female whining filled his ears. He was more pathetic than ever. Not only was he failing to get a full erection, but he didn’t even have the urge to satisfy the horde of females surrounding him, seeking his attentions. He was just not interested in losing himself in sex tonight. Someone shoot me, please. Seth, on the other hand, was roaring for the fourth time somewhere to Zak’s left. The wereling had become a full-fledged male slut in Zak’s estimation. Zak grimaced, although he suspected Seth’s descent into rake-hood had much to do with being spurned by the pretty red-haired reaper they’d met while on the Angel of Retribution tour. Zak felt more than saw Seth crawling up next to him. Seth’s hand gripped the bottle of Black Death and he tilted his head back to drink. Zak broke into a giddy fit of laughter when Seth frowned and gave him a bleary-eyed glare. “You drank it all…again.” The bottle slammed onto the bar with a little too much force. Zak knew it wasn’t from Seth being enraged, but rather that the wereling was as shitfaced as he was. With a scowl, Seth raised his hand and tried to snap his fingers at the bartender. He swayed against the bar, his fingers tangling with each other, failing to make the snapping sound much as he tried. One of the females he’d been fucking curled herself around him, groping his crotch with her blue hand. Zak snorted and put his fingers into his mouth to let loose a shrill whistle. All eyes snapped to him, a hush falling over the entire barroom for a few seconds. Seth winced and glanced back at Zak with a frown. “Geez, Zak. That is so rude, man. I think you fucking broke my eardrums.” The blue girl trying to crawl into Seth’s lap stuck her tongue into his ear and purred. escort avcılar Zak chuckled. “That Gruesh will fix your ears, boy-o. Not to worry.” Seth shivered and blinked down at the blue-skinned girl with the four breasts. “My saliva can repair damaged tissues, cutie.” She grinned up at him. Zak leaned over and whispered into his ear, “Her saliva also helps keep your dick hard, bro. But let her keep it up for too long and your dick will be sore as hell tomorrow morning. You’ll be in so much pain you’ll want to cut it off yourself.” Seth’s mouth dropped open and he pulled the girl’s hand away from his crotch. “Later, baby.” He apologized to her pouting face before turning to Zak. “What’s up with you? I haven’t seen you stick either your dick, tongue, or finger into anything. Half of the girls here are ready to slit their wrists.” “Half?” Zak scoffed. Seth grinned. “Yeah. The other half I’ve already fucked. Trying to leave something for you in case you decide to get it up.” They both looked down at Zak’s lap. He could get hard if he wanted to. He just wasn’t interested right now. Pathetic, Zak-o, he thought to himself. It was all her fault… the hot little Arborian witch with the mouth-watering body. Zak scrubbed his face with his hands, as if in doing so he could erase the images of the Arborian girl from his brain… as well as her obvious hold over him. “I’m just tired from all that touring I did. Got so much pussy then, it was unreal.” Seth scoffed. “She’s got you under her spell.” Zak slammed his hand on the bar, feeling anger surge through him. Curling his fist and taking a deep breath, he controlled his temper at the first stirrings beneath his skin. “I’m not under any spell, Sethaliel.” Seth’s eyes narrowed. “Then give me the flute back. Let me break it.” Zak felt his hackles rise again. The flute was his only link with the Arborian witch. He’d never relinquish it to Seth. Never. “No.” “It’s the only way to break the spell.” Zak rose. “Alright. I’ll trade it for the black feather you have hidden away in your quarters.”Seth’s face paled. “What black feather?” “Amaranth’s feather. You have one of her secondary feathers.” Seth’s expression went blank. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Zak snorted. “Right.” Seth scowled. “I’m not the one under a spell.” Zak turned on his heel and would have stalked away, but fell instead. Everything spun around him and his stomach threatened to heave. A pair of black boots stomped to a stop a few inches from his face. One foot began to tap impatiently. Zak groaned as the scent of female assaulted his senses. “Baby, take a number. I am wiped out for the night.” “As if, Zachariel Wilder,” Anniel’s angry tone snapped. “Look at you. What kind of an example is this for Seth?” Zak wanted to cover his head and cower. There goes my big bad Dom image. He wasn’t stupid and knew how over-protective the girls were of Seth. “Remi, you grab Seth. Rowie and I will haul Goliath here up.” Zak heard Seth hiss and growl as four hands gripped him around the arms. He smiled sheepishly into Anniel’s angry countenance. Rowie just looked at him with pity. Zak grimaced. Yes. He was definitely very pathetic.***Alluna stared at all of the beautiful flowers that grew in the field. She wiggled her toes in the tall grass, marveling at the crisp, wet feel of the soil. Raising her face up to the warmth of the sun, she giggled and skipped forward, her arms raised to embrace the feeling of freedom racing through her. Blue sky and rose-hued clouds filled her vision until a shadow crossed, making her frown. Raising her hand against the glare of the Arborian sun, Alluna strained to see what was flying in the sky. Her heart skipped a beat and she turned with a gasp at the sound of a heavy thump behind her. Fiery light blinded her for a moment, dulling down to a golden glow. Wings, forty paces wide shimmered like liquid gold, reflecting the light of the sun. It blinded her. Still, Alluna blinked until she just made out a human form. The golden angel. He stood tall and proud, waist deep in the swaying deep green blades of wild Arborian grass, his deeply tanned skin offsetting his sapphire eyes. The breeze stroked through the wavy strands of gold that spilled over his bulging shoulders and pectorals. She remembered that hair fell down to his ass. Alluna walked slowly toward him when he extended his hand to her. His full lips curved into a gentle smile, dimples creasing his cheeks to either side of his mouth. It made him seem almost innocent, those dimples. When Alluna stood close enough to touch him, she had to crane her neck back just to gaze into his beautiful face. “Are you an angel?” She had to ask. He regarded her a moment, his head tilting to the side. His smile widened as he nodded slowly, the breeze blowing a swath of gold across his face. Gold-dusted, white wings spread open behind him, made of downy feathers now. She was almost certain they were different before. Carefully, she reached out and placed both her palms on his hard chest. He was magnificent, massive in breadth and stature. The feel of something winding around her legs and waist diverted her attention from his enticing chest. Alluna gasped, her terror so great, her scream wedged in her throat at the sight of a thick snake made of gold winding around her. Her eyes followed the long serpentine form winding around her and discovered that it was not a snake, but the tail of a….“Dragon,” she finally screamed, jumping up in her bed. Her heart thumped hard, her breathing rapid as her eyes darted around the gloom. The first rays of morning sunlight were already filtering in through the cracks of the shutters. Alluna clutched the frayed bed coverings to her chin and looked around. Except for her grinning dolls, she was alone.***Zak laced his fingers behind his head and crossed his feet beneath the golden satin sheet draped over his body. Billions of stars twinkled on the other side of the thick glass fifteen paces from his pedestal bed. He studied the view, pinpointing immediately which ones were in the Arborian sector. Unbidden came the image of the girl with the raven hair and golden eyes. Zak’s body tightened, and then he snarled, turning over abruptly and wincing at the feel of his arousal. “Damn it.” He sat up and ran a hand over his unbound hair. “Can’t sleep.” “Warm milk?” Zak jolted upright, ready to kick ass. He stared at his commander’s smiling face. Devon sat at the edge of his bed, a glass of milk in his outstretched hand. “Fuck,” Zak grumbled, “you scared the crap out of me.” Devon’s smile wavered and wilted. “I’m sorry.” Those eerie bioluminescent eyes blinked before turning away. Devon’s dejection washed over Zak. “Hey,” Zak called. “I just wasn’t expecting you to pop in, bro. Don’t take it personal.” Devon hesitated half way off the bed. “Oh.” With a shrug and grin, he sat back down, offering Zak the milk again. Zak recoiled, his stomach churning uncomfortably with the after effects of over-indulging in alcohol. He wrinkled his nose and shook his head. “Thanks, but I think I’ll pass on that.” Devon peered back down at the milk, one inky brow raised. “I heard it was an Earth custom to ingest warm milk for insomnia.” “Not after a night of heavy drinking,” Zak smirked. Fiery blue eyes flicked back at Zak, a slight smile tilting up one corner of Devon’s lips. “Heavy drinking? And lot’s of women I suppose.” He sighed, his eyes looking out through the glass. “I remember those days. We’d all go hang out at Heaven’s Pearly Gates and get wasted.” “And laid,” Zak chuckled. Devon turned back to Zak. “Don’t really miss those days now that I’ve got Angel.” Zak sobered. “What does it feel like?” “What?” Devon frowned. “Love.” Devon’s eyes lit up brighter, his grin spreading across his inhumanly perfect face. “It’s escort bahcesehir the most beautiful feeling.” His gaze darted away briefly as he shook his head, midnight hair spilling over broad shoulders before he looked Zak in the eyes again. “I just can’t describe it. There aren’t words for it, Zak.” Zak nodded. “Angel is gorgeous, but I don’t get how she went from hating you and wanting to kill you, thinking you were responsible for what happened to her planet and people, to loving you as fiercely as she does.” Devon laughed and shrugged. “Guess she found me irresistible.” Zak chuckled and then grew somber remembering the vision Seth projected into his mind. Devon’s face was exactly as the injured angel’s in the vision. “What’s wrong?” Zak blinked at Devon’s unsmiling face. “What…” Zak hesitated, hoping Devon wouldn’t feel uncomfortable with what he wanted to ask. “What do you know about your father?” Devon looked down, his pale fingers tapping softly against the glass. Zak was about to apologize and tell him he didn’t have to answer, but Devon began to speak. “Ashriel told me he was different from other reapers… one of a kind.” Devon looked back up at Zak. “They found him abandoned at the front gates of the holy city. He’d just been born, and still had the placenta attached. The person who left him there wrapped him in dirty old rags, and it was raining.” Zak felt appalled someone would leave a newborn that way. “All reapers have bright, silver-grey eyes, but Davariel’s eyes were an intense shade of blue. He also had a strange effect on most humanoids who came in contact with him. It’s said he might have been Cambion.” Zak knew Cambions were a mix of succubus or incubus with humanoid and had the ability to enthrall to the point of insanity. “Angel struck,” Zak murmured. Devon nodded. “Those that saw him became angel struck. The need to hold and touch him would drive the person into hysteria.” “I heard throngs of aliens would go to Seraphia and literally worship him.” “Davariel was revered as somewhat of a god,” Devon said in a soft voice, his gaze dropping down to his hands. “Unfortunately, the reality was somewhat different. Ashriel told me he couldn’t leave the holy city, Angeloria, because the beings would mob him.” “Sucks.” “And…” Devon looked back up at Zak, his expression one of anger although his voice came out as smooth as always, “one of the high priests was sexually molesting him.” Shock tore through Zak. “What the fuck? I thought they were supposed to be celibate. How’d you ever find that out?” “Ashriel told me.” Zak frowned, remembering all too well the seven-foot reaper. The Seraphian death angel, as they were sometimes referred to other than reaper, never smiled. “How did he find out?” “My father, Davariel, told him.” Now Zak’s jaw dropped. “Ashriel knew your father?” he frowned, scratching his head. “That must’ve been well over three hundred years ago. Ash looks young.” “He is young,” Devon said. “Seraphians life span is about two millennia. Ashriel hasn’t even reached the first quarter of his life span. He’s still considered an extremely young adult by Seraphian standards. My father was little more than a boy according to Ashriel. He’d just come into full bloom before turning demonic.” “Full bloom?” Zak arched a brow. Devon gave a small smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “It’s what they say when a young Seraphian loses the last of their baby feathers and show full adult plumage.” Zak absorbed all Devon had said. Davariel had been sexually molested as a child and was barely coming out of boyhood when he fathered Devon and Lucien. “He was supposed to sacrifice my mother while she was still a virgin. She was supposed to kill him.” Zak grinned. “Guess that didn’t exactly happen, eh?” Devon smirked. “No.” His smile withered. “According to legend, he comes back. He opens the gates of hell and sets Lucifer free.” Zak remembered the vision Seth pushed into his mind, and what Seth said concerning Devon and Angel’s baby. “The legends never name the angel, Devon. How can you be so sure it’s your father who sets Lucifer free?” “Seth has had visions. So has Angel.” “Angel?” Zak sat up straighter in his bed. “Angel has visions?” Devon nodded. “She’s having lots of strange and disturbing dreams.” Devon rose and strode toward the glass to look out into space. “I’ve had my own share of disturbing dreams… of falling, seeing myself not in a human body, but made of light.” Zak frowned, looking closely at his commander’s luminous eyes in the reflection of the glass. The man was inhumanly perfect. Maybe he’s a little more than human. Maybe…. Devon’s voice interrupted his thoughts. “I’m reaching out, there’s another like me falling ahead of… us. There are two more behind me… two below.” Devon went silent and still. Zak waited, almost holding his breath for he was seeing in his mind what Devon was describing. Five entities of pure energy, not light, but pure energy, falling, falling… “W-what happens, Dev?” Devon’s fingers curled into fists on the glass as he hung his head. Taking a deep breath, he turned to face Zak, shaking his head. “Then there’s nothing. Just darkness and…” he lifted his arms, palms up, “nothing.”Chapter Three One moon cycle later… Zak stared at Remi with raised brows. “What mission?” Remi grinned, the bright overhead lights in Alpha 7’s hangar glinting off his deep red hair. “A rescue mission.” He turned to a wet, enraged Seth. “You in or not, Kitty-cat?” “I will never become involved in one of your harebrained schemes,” Seth spat, shaking from fury. Zak would have been pissed, too, if Remi had sobered him up by power-forcing him to vomit and then dropping a half ton ball of icy water on him. Just remembering Seth’s body jerking in shock made Zak cringe.“Rem,” Zak sighed, “be a little more specific on the details of this rescue mission, bro.” Remi rolled his big green eyes with a long-suffering sigh. “Does no one on this space station trust me?” “Not if one is sane, Red.” Zak turned to see Annie strolling up to where they stood. Zak slipped an arm around her shoulders when she stepped up next to him. Her gaze swept over Seth, and Zak tried not to snicker when she growled a bit, her gaze narrowing on Remi. Remi scowled. “He was drunk. I was only helping sober him up for the mission.” Annie gasped and gave Seth a disapproving look. Before she could launch into chastising Seth about his behavior, Zak asked once more, “Remi, would you tell us who needs rescuing.” Remi’s green-gold gaze blazed into Zak’s. “Your witch.”***Alluna knew she shouldn’t cry, but the face of the beautiful golden angel haunted her dreams day and night. Mama had warned her he wasn’t an angel, but a devil that had come to snatch her away. “An evil snake lies between his thighs, ready to strike at you, bring you pain and make you bleed,” she’d warned. Still, every time Alluna closed her eyes, she remembered with despairing clarity how blue his eyes were, so deep and brilliant. His hair was spun gold, falling in thick waves down his back… and his body….Alluna shivered. He had looked at her, mesmerized, with utter adoration shining from his eyes. His memory brought about an awful ache between her thighs, made her breasts feel heavy and tender, and she did not know how to make the hurt go away. Throwing open the shutters to her tower room, she allowed the rain to drench her face. The front of her white cotton slip became soaked, but she didn’t care. The rain poured over her, making a puddle at her bare feet. She ran her fingers through her tresses, eyes closed, as she tilted her face up to the heavens. “There she is!” Alluna gasped and stared down at the base of her tower. A multitude of villagers surrounded the base, their faces scowling up at her. One of them tossed a four-pronged hook with an attached beylikdüzü escort rope to her sill and began climbing. Alluna shrank back as she heard them scream, “Kill the witch! Kill her!” Whimpering, she ran deeper into her room, but there was nowhere to hide. Cowering on the bed, Alluna watched a big, burly man step over the sill into her room. Another followed close behind. They were huge and had hair covering the bottom half of their scowling faces. “Please,” she sobbed, “Don’t hurt me. I’ve done nothing wrong.” The first man gripped her by her hair, making her scream. He yanked her out of the bed and pulled her to the window again. “See that, witch?” Lightning slashed across the sky and the heavens poured more water down in torrents. The land around her tower was flooded. “We’re sick of your calamities,” the second man hissed. Alluna shrieked in surprise when he gripped her breast painfully. “Aye, as fresh and alluring as your body is, you’ve ruined our crops. We’ll be damn near starving this season. I say we rape her first before offering up her body to the fire god.” Rape? Alluna wondered if that were some horrid torture. “Nay,” the first man growled. “We can’t offer the fire god a less than perfect sacrifice. We sacrifice this witch untouched.” They gripped her between them and tossed her out the window. Alluna flailed before landing in a tarp they held at the bottom. Although it softened the lethal fall, she still felt her head spin and her body ache from the impact. The villagers tied her hands behind her back, gagged her mouth, and pushed her along to walk on shaky legs. Where was mother? Why was she not intervening? Alluna slipped and fell in the mud numerous times, her once white cotton slip was a muddied, torn mess. The villagers hit her along the way, some of the children even threw rocks at her. When one struck her temple, making her fall dazed to the ground, they dragged her the rest of the way. They climbed the Misty Mountains for what seemed like forever. Rocks and twigs tore at her flesh until her entire body was nothing but a mass of fiery pain. At last, they stopped. They forced her to stand again, cutting the ropes from her hands and pulled her to a steaming pit. Alluna looked down the black hole. Billowy steam rose from its depths. Rough hands pushed her headlong into the abyss. Her body descended, limbs too weary to flail, turning, turning, the hole to the surface becoming smaller and smaller, the darkness deeper and deeper. When she hit the bottom, the pain was only brief. She couldn’t breathe, but it didn’t matter. As blood bubbled from her lips, she saw the pinhole to the surface brighten. The sun had come out again.***They flew in a tight formation, Seth and Remien in front with Zak and Anniel trailing behind them. As they neared Arboria, Seth’s power overtook all four Viper’s, cloaking them in invisibility. Zak closed his eyes, clenching his teeth as gravity hit and his stomach bottomed out. Holy shit, he heard Remi hiss in his mind. Zak opened his eyes a sliver and then gasped, opening them fully. They were descending into what looked like a hurricane. Black clouds blotted out the Arborian sun and rain pelted the Viper’s glass-domed roof. Zak frowned wishing they would touch ground already. Seth. Are you sure this is the right coordinate? Positive. The sick feeling of falling faded signaling they’d reached the surface. Zak took a deep breath and opened the Viper’s top. The rain poured over his head making him wince. He hopped out and cursed when the water level came up to mid-thigh. “Son-of-a-bitch.” Chuckling had him looking up. Remi walked over the surface of the water, a bubble of power keeping him dry. Zak scowled. He really needed to develop his telekinetic abilities. “Remi,” Seth snapped. “Fuck. Stop using your powers, you stupid idiot. The Arborian Master Guardians will feel it and know we’re here.” Remi pouted. “I don’t want to get wet.” Seth let out an enraged snarl, flashing fangs as his tiger stripes appeared on his skin. “Shut it down or I swear I’ll drown you.” Seth’s pale blue eyes began to glow and the air around his body distorted as he unleashed his own power. “Alright, alright,” Remi sunk into the water. The bubble of power surrounding him popped and the rain flattened his hair against his head, making him look almost normal. He made a sound of disgust and sneered at Seth. “There. Are you satisfied? Besides, I wasn’t exuding that much energy. You, on the other hand, would’ve alerted them faster smacking me down.” Seth opened his mouth, but Anniel interrupted. “This is getting us nowhere, Seth. Please.” “I agree,” Zak growled, impatient with their constant bickering. They’d landed in a small clearing, but beyond a thick band of tall trees, Zak could see the remains of a fortress. To the left was a tower standing solitary. He began to wade in the direction of the tower, only slowing down to grip Annie’s hand. The field surrounding the tower was flooded. “Wait,” Seth called. Zak stopped and looked over his shoulder as Seth and Remi caught up. “The tunnel has to be underwater,” the weretigri said scanning the field. He pointed. “There. It was in a direct line beneath the window. It’s about fifty paces from the tower.” Zak looked up. The tower window shutters were open making him frown. The interior looked dark and abandoned. He began to let out his power to see if he could get a feel for the girl but Seth gripped his arm. “Don’t. If the Master Guardians catch us here, we’ll be in deep shit.” “What’s the plan then?” Zak asked. Seth’s eyes narrowed on the tower. “There’s a rope. Look.” Zak turned again, his eyes focusing on the battered stone tower about a hundred paces away. The rope swung gently in the wind, the rain having made it heavy. They waded closer until they stood directly below the window. It was about one hundred feet high. Zak did not hesitate and began to ascend first. His hand gripped the wet rope, his feet finding purchase against the rough walls. Hand over hand he climbed until he reached the windowsill. The room was as he remembered, except for the water that flooded the gray stone floor. Apprehension crawled up Zak’s spine as his eyes went over the darkened interior of the room. The rug in the center of the room was drenched, along with the bench in front of the window. Her bed was still rumpled. He walked over to it and lifted the blanket. Bringing it up to his nose, he took a deep breath. Her sweet scent filled his lungs and made him ache inside. He remembered her beautiful face, raven hair and golden eyes. “She’s not here,” he said. Seth stood next to him and took a small pillow from the bed. “I think I can send out a trickle of power to see if I can feel her life force.” The weretigri closed his eyes and Zak shivered when he released his power. After a moment he growled low in his throat and opened his eyes. “What?” Zak prompted when he remained silent, scowling at the pillow.“Anger. The villagers came here.” Remi and Anniel drew close to Zak and Seth. Seth turned and looked back at the window. “They blame her for the rains. She’s really depressed and is inadvertently affecting the weather.” “What happened to her?” Zak demanded. “Where is she? What did they do with her?” Seth’s gaze narrowed on the window. “They took her through there.” They all rushed back to the window and looked down. Seth huffed in frustration. Zak felt himself grow more agitated. “Well?” Seth pushed the dripping strands of his hair from his face. “I can feel her life force, but it’s very faint.” Zak gripped his arm hard. “What the hell does that mean?” Anniel touched Zak’s arm, trying to soothe him as Remi stood frowning behind Seth. Seth blinked his pale eyes, his expression grim. “It means we need to haul ass because she isn’t very close. The farther they go, the less I can feel her without putting out more power.” “Fuck it,” Zak snapped. “Let your power loose and—“ “And what? Have the Arborian Master Guardians pop in on us and declare war, that’s what.” “We can take those fucking idiots,” Zak seethed.