Phobia (Interracial Paranormal Romance) (Wisteria) (22 page)

“
Can the imprimatur get us all through?” Wisteria asked Enric.

“
One of you maybe. Two I’m not so sure. Three?” Enric walked over to the mirror. “No.”

“
We’ll find another one,” Wisteria prompted.

“
The three humans should go back to Smythe. Your aunt’s house is protected from biters,” Enric advised.

“
I’m not going anywhere.” Garfield refused.

“
Garfield, you’ll have a chance of working things out with Amanda and maybe seeing the end of Nero.” Wisteria heard herself say.

“
Hailey should go, but I’m staying,” Steven protested.

“
Seriously?” Garfield scoffed.

Stepping up to her, Steven
placed an arm on Wisteria’s shoulder. “Whatever’s going on we’re going to get through this.”

“
You have no idea what you’re facing,” Enric exclaimed.

“
I didn’t come all this way to let something happen to her,” Steven replied, but he was clearly hurt from the revelation about Bach and her.

“
Human, you will not be able to protect anyone where we are going.” Enric moved to the window. “You will be lucky if you do not get yourself killed.”

“
I can’t believe I’m agreeing with Steven, but I’m not going anywhere. Wisteria, what happens when the Dy’obeths are done with their realm? They’ll cross over to Earth. This is our best chance to stop them here and I’ve a duty to do whatever is required to protect my people.” Rising up, Garfield folded his arms.

Steven glanced at Garfield for a second and his jaw dropped.
“Your people?”

“
D’cara
,” Enric swore and hurried to the window. “Turn out the candle and wake her.” Enric snapped his fingers at Hailey who lay asleep.

“
What is it?” Wisteria blew out the candle.

“
We need to leave now,” Enric ordered

Peering out of the window, she saw nothing but total darkness.

“There.” He pointed into the darkness in the direction of now calm waters. “Six Dy’obeths are climbing up the side of the mountain.”

“
Six?” Wisteria still couldn’t see anything. “Okay we’re going now.” Taking the dark glass from Enric, she placed it on the mirror. “Steven, wake Hailey up.” She tapped the mirror impatiently. “Send Hailey to Smythe and—”

“
We don’t have time for that now.” Enric grabbed Wisteria’s arm and placed his hand on the tile as if mentally telling it where he needed to go. “Your friends will hide in the mountains. I will come back for them if I can.”

“
No, we’re going with her. Well, maybe not Hailey.” Picking up the imprimatur, Garfield scowled at Hailey. “Get up.”

“
What’s going on Steven?” Yawning, Hailey asked.

The shack started to tremble violently, knocking everyone expect Enric over.

Hailey let out a blood-curdling scream. “There’s something out there?”

“
Get up.” Rushing to her, Wisteria pulled Hailey to her feet. “Hold on to Steven and Garfield, unless you want to wait here.”

“
Don’t tell me what to do.” Hailey clawed at Wisteria.

“
Fine.” Letting go of her, Wisteria marched to the threshold. “Stay here if you want to.”

“
You were right to leave her. She will be a liability,” Enric remarked as Wisteria placed her hand into the threshold. “I hope she enjoys her encounter with the Dy’obeths.”

“
We can’t leave her,” Wisteria said.

I
t might be a horrible death.

“
Up.” Garfield grabbed Hailey, hoisting her to her feet.

“
I’m not going anywhere with you freaks. Steven, are you going to let them do this to me?” Hailey hit Garfield violently as he lifted her over his shoulder. “Even you aren’t pathetic enough to let him do this.”

“
Garfield, go, go, go,” Wisteria ordered as the door to their shelter shook. “I’ll be right behind you.”

Garfield and Hailey vanished though the threshold.

The door swung open.

A
massive yellow-eyed man stomped in. “You chose to hide among the Terran Rats, Enric the race traitor.” The tips of his fingers glowed yellow. “You disgust me so much that death won’t be good enough for you.”

Steven slinked away from Wisteri
a and Enric as if trying to hide in the darkness.

“
Surrender to me now and your death will be painful, but short,” the Dy’obeth sneered. “And don’t pretend you’re not afraid. Your incredibly shrill shriek led us here. Granted, we would’ve found you all eventually, but your wails saved us a few seconds.”

No
t complying, Wisteria inched toward the threshold.

Streaks of yellow light emitted from
his hands, narrowly missing Wisteria. “Do not move,” the Dy’obeth roared. “You pathetic Terran
jaga
.”

Suddenly, the Dy
’obeths were pushed out of the room and the door was slammed shut by Steven. “Never under estimate the element of surprise,” he panted the words out as he tried to hold the door shut.

“
Steven,” she gasped as Enric lifted her off her feet. “Are you insane? You can’t hold off a Dy’obeth.”

“
Ria, go, I’ll make sure he doesn’t get through.” Steven shouted as the door shook behind him. “Enric, get her out of here and if anything happens to her, I’ll haunt you the rest of your life.”

“
Enric stop him,” Wisteria pleaded as Enric seized her and tossed her into the threshold.

When
she disappeared through, she caught glimpses of the door smashing open.

The Dy
’obeths marched in as Steven flew across the room. Before he even landed, a Dy’obeth pulsed him with a red light and he vaporized.

“
Steven—” She stumbled out on the other side of the threshold. She wanted to return.

Enric emerged after and shut down the threshold.
“He is gone.”

“
No, he’s been hurt. We’ll get him back.” Wisteria tried to sound rational.

Frowning, Enric shook his head.

“No, please no.” Wisteria froze. “Maybe he escaped?”

“
You should be relieved to have one less person to worry about,” Enric commented.

“
How can you say that?” Wisteria snapped.

“
You made it,” Garfield approached her. “Where’s Steven?”

“
He didn’t make it. Dy’obeths—” she stammered. “He died, so we could get away.”

“
I’m sorry.” Garfield squeezed her shoulder.

“
Why did he do it? He shouldn’t have come,” Wisteria stated.

S
aying it now wouldn’t change anything, but it was still true. Regardless of how Steven irritated her, she’d never wanted anything to happen to him.

“
Isn’t it obvious?” Garfield replied. “He was in love with you.”

Biting her lip, she spun roun
d to face Garfield and found they were both standing in what looked like a grand living room. “Where are we?”

It
s lush forest green furnishing reminded her of the five-star hotels her mother took her to when they left Lagos on their grand holiday. The floor looked like olive marble and the walls were adorned with rich oil paintings, ranging in size from a few inches to nine or ten feet tall. The center of the room encompassed an indoor pond, complete with a stone fountain.

“
He wasn’t in love with her. He was confused,” Hailey said quietly.

“
I’m sorry Hailey,” Wisteria whispered. “I wish—”

“
You’re not even crying. It’s like you don’t care. Steven was the love of my life and you killed him.” Hailey dropped the ground while sobbing.

“
Wisteria—perhaps you should take a moment,” Enric suggested. “And mourn for your friend?”

“
Enric, I don’t—I can’t.” Wisteria’s voice wavered. She wanted to cry for Steven. She wanted to weep for Coles, but she wasn’t going to allow herself to breakdown, not here and not now. If she gave into her emotions, she feared she'd never be able to regain control. “Where are we?”

“
Is this the Hall of Ages?” Garfield asked.

Enric strode to the ten feet tall stone doors that led out of the room.
“We are in the Moon Desert, but not the Hall of Ages. This is where my friend lives.”

“
How do we get to the Hall of Ages? We should go straight there.” Racing after Enric, Wisteria reached the door and opened it.

When
the door swung back, two women dressed in deep green velvet robes stood on the other side. One appeared to be in her eighties or nineties while the other appeared a few years older than Wisteria. Both women looked like they were from East Asia, except for their bright green eyes. They seemed familiar.

“
Daughter of Hemlock Zey, welcome to my home.” The elderly woman smiled.

Reapers do not exist

“You finally brought her,” the younger Famila woman added as she glanced at Enric “I was afraid you had given up.”

“
I never give up,” Enric answered. “As you requested I did not force her, but it took longer than I thought to
convince
her to come.”

The younger wo
man smirked at Enric and glanced at Wisteria. “I hope he did not hurt you.”

“
Who are you?” Wisteria asked. “What do you want?”

“
I am called Sen-Filla Merce,” the old woman answered.

“
Sen Filla? That is like a Sen-Son? You’re a princess.” Wisteria recalled Bach telling her this once.

“
More like the child of a governor. My father was the Sen of the Fifth Pillar,” Merce continued. “But who I am and who my father was, is not as important as who you are Wisteria of the First Pillar.”

“
You are shorter than Enric described.” The younger woman examined Wisteria closely. “I find it surprising how small humans can be at times. You are like a woman-child.”

“
What is that supposed to mean?” Wisteria backed away. “Listen, I’m here to help you, not to be insulted. We both have to deal with the Dy’obeths and—”

“
Turia, apologize,” Merce instructed.

“
I am sorry Wisteria, but I mean nothing by it.” Turia took a black scarf from around her shoulders and draped it over her head. “Enric made her sound taller. My father was a short man—for a Famila. He made us promise to marry the tallest men we could find. I suppose that was one of the reasons Radala fell in love with Enric.”

“
You are Radala’s bloodline?” Wisteria looked up at Enric and witnessed the hurt in his eyes when that name was mentioned.

Radala
was Enric’s girlfriend. She’d died in Franklin as a result of what Doc did to her.

“
We did not come here to discuss her,” Enric said coldly.

“
You know me?” Wisteria changed the subject.

“
Wisteria, come with me.” Merce shuffled down the corridor to an antique sofa in the hallway and sat. She patted the sofa as a gesture for Wisteria to join her. “I am certain you have a lot of questions.”

No way
did she intend to fall into another trap set by a seemingly kind member of the Family. Sure, she kind of trusted Enric, because he’d always be loyal to Bach, but this Merce woman was quite a different story.

“
I have many questions too. You were there when my grandbaby died,” Merce said.

Baby
, that was what Wisteria’s mother called her sometimes. Hearing the word spoken with such sadness softened Wisteria’s heart.

“
Take a seat. Standing after she has offered is disrespectful,” Enric prompted while glaring at her.

Wisteria felt
exhausted. Her heart raced and she felt dizzy, but she wasn’t going to give Enric the satisfaction of thinking he could intimidate her. Snapping her head up at him, she glared. “Don’t ever talk to me like I’m nothing.” She intended to say more but was struck by how distressed he appeared.

“
Radala died to save you. The very least you could do is show her grandmother the honor she requires,” he stated.

Wisteria gasped.
“She died because of me?”

“
I sent her to find where Coia had been hidden and also bring you back here,” Merce revealed. “I should have never let her go in that Red Phoenix stronghold.”