When Silver Moons Rise (Lost Immortals Saga #2) (16 page)

I’m tossed downstream for what feels like a good hour or so, even though I know it hasn’t really been that long. The waters suck into my nose, stinging my nostrils. I cry out and liquid rushes into my mouth. I scream one final time. My body turns over and over in the water, as though I’m a fish struggling against a riptide. Something bobs around behind me. At first, I think some weird river creature chases me. Nope. The bobbing thing is Seth’s head. He’s attempting to go against the water’s strong grip just to save me…again. And he does reach me.

“I’ve got you. Hold on to me,” he shouts against the roar of the river.

Grasping me around the waist, he manages to bring me to a standing position in the water. I have no idea how he’s doing this. I just know that I’m holding on to him with all the strength I have in me. As he paddles closer to the edge of the river, I begin to feel really dumb. How does the champion of a city almost drown? Don’t even mention the girl of royal angel-blood part either.

We step out of the water. I double over and cough out as much liquid as I can. “I—I dropped my bag,” I say, panicking because I realize I’ve lost Mabry’s rope and Uriel’s dagger too. Mother’s sword is still securely attached to my side. Thank the Lights for that. I glance at a dripping wet Seth with his dark hair that’s plastered across his forehead.

“I managed to save your bag before you decided to take a swim in the leech pool. You do realize that your debt to me is now sky high, I hope.”

I sigh, feeling relieved. The moment doesn’t last. A burning sensation starts at my ankles and works its way up to my waist. I begin to squirm. If Seth weren’t standing there, I’d strip. “Something’s not right. I’m on fire. It freaking hurts,” My feet give out, and I fall into Seth’s arms.

He catches me and lays me down on my back. Lifting my pants at the ankles, he takes a look at what’s causing my distress. His face shows no emotion when he glances back at me. “Your body is covered in paralyzing leeches. Hold still, I need to remove them,” he explains. There are no sarcastic remarks or an amused face staring back at me. He pulls one of my pant legs up and frowns at whatever he observes underneath it.

Oh crap. He’s serious.

This isn’t some stupid attempt at trying to see me naked. I nod my head, giving him permission to remove my clothing.

I cry out as the leeches sink deeper into my skin. At this point, I miss my sheltered world back home more than ever. We might be run by a government that controls every aspect of our life, but at least there aren’t giant slimy things in the water.

The paralysis seeps into my feet first. My breathing increases, and my chest heaves. Panic sets in. “My feet, I can’t feel them anymore,” I say and grab Seth’s hand. A violent shiver runs through my body.

“Right. Don’t flatter yourself with what I’m about to do here, Lotus,” he says and sets to undoing my shirt and pants. Thank the Lights he didn’t have to remove my bra and underwear. Fear seizes any embarrassment I may have normally felt under different circumstances, and the serious expression on Seth’s face concerns me. More shivers course through my body. More pain seeps into my skin. I cry out.

What the heck? These can’t be leeches. They must be little demons with razorblades for teeth.

“Look at me,” Seth orders. He wants to keep my attention on his face and away from my body. I should’ve listened. Instead, I glance down at my arms, stomach, and my legs. They are covered in green worms. A muffled scream chokes me. “I told you to look at me,” he hisses and grasps my face, forcing me to look at him.

The paralysis creeps up my calves and then my thighs. Blinding pain causes my teeth to chatter, but I don’t dare glance at my body again. Instead, I do as Seth instructed, and keep my hazel-brown eyes locked on his deep, dark blue ones.

As usual, I don’t see my reflection inside them. Seth Alton is an empty soul, someone who wanders around trying to escape a past that will eventually destroy him. The power inside my body allows me to feel things about people this way. I can’t see their future, but I most certainly can feel it.

“You’re screwing with my head,” he mutters as he caresses my hair. “Bad bad girl. Do you like what you see?”

My shaking lips attempt to speak, but the paralysis has now worked its way to my stomach and I can feel my lungs collapsing in its touch. I’m vaguely aware of Seth raising his left hand above my stomach while he continues to use his right one to hold my head in place. “Do you hate me? Despise me for what
you think
I did to your friend?”

That question does give me strength this time. “Yes!” I hiss, “You asshole. Yes! I hate you so much!” I gasp as a fiery sensation singes me from the inside.

“Good, hold on to that thought. You’ll need it.” His body tenses and now a flaming something I can’t describe showers down on my body. I want to see, so I strain against Seth’s hand holding my head, forcing me to stay locked inside his empty gaze.

The pain blinds me, and I scream through clenched teeth. Pinches erupt all over my body. It’s kind of like little teeth are being pulled out of my skin. Seth must be killing me, the same way he did Muriel. The hate he told me to keep close to my heart fuels my strength, so I don’t pass out.

At once, the heat eases up and the pinches stop tugging at my skin. Seth closes his eyes and struggles against something inside his own mind. I recall seeing burnt wood in the images of Mrs. Needlemeyer’s house Micah and I saw on the reader. Nina said the Tainted need a way to control their fire power. That must be what Seth is doing.

I lift my head while he finishes ridding my body of leeches. The creepy little things aren’t attached to my skin anymore. Crispy burnt bodies lay on the ground beside me. My lower body slowly regains some feeling, but I still feel drained both physically and emotionally. The tears come next. I don’t know why, but I can’t stop all of the emotions assaulting me at once: rage, love, confusion, disgust, love again.

I hate showing this kind of weakness to Seth. He’s a Tainted, my enemy, the people who murdered my mother.

Why does he keep saving my life?

He confuses me.

I hate him for making me feel crazy.

But I’m grateful to this guy who is also my enemy for saving me again. Seth might not want to admit it; but he still carries a few noble qualities. Okay, yeah, he has darkness inside him; but there’s something else there too. He’s a lost prince fighting against the darkness in his heart. That’s exactly what he’s like.

“Sleep, now. You’ll still hate me when you wake up. I promise,” he says and pulls me up against his body. I close my eyes, and sleep steals me away at last.

Chapter Nineteen

Flames and Flings (Faris)

“Camden! Damn you! How can you do this to me?” Olivia hisses. “Ashli’s power isn’t greater than mine? You don’t need her.”

“Is that so?” Camden holds a vial up between them. “Then cast the turning spell on the blood. Let me see you do it.” He stalks over to the table across the room and slams the vial down on it.

The cold sneer he gives Olivia almost makes me feel sorry for her. I did that once before, though, feeling bad for her and letting my guard down. That’s how I wound up chained to this bleeder. Today’s entertainment includes an argument between Camden and Olivia about Ashli, Seth’s imprisoned ex-girlfriend, and the succubus girl who helped the Tainted to create undead kids a few months back.

“You know I can’t cast an undead spell,” she mutters.

“Exactly as I figured. You are a witch of the Silver Light, Olivia. Try as you may, there’s no going against the forces that hold you. I need someone darker. Someone less likely to be ruled by her feelings,” Camden says in a frustrated voice.

“I have no feelings for anyone but you,” Olivia says through gritted teeth. “Can you say the same about me? Can you convince me this Ashli girl means nothing to you? That her power is the only reason you’re so desperate to free her?”

Camden hesitates a brief moment. He gives her a smile; Oh come on. Even I can see through his game; and I don’t know jack about the slime ball.

“You thought he loved you, didn’t you?” I ask, unable to stop myself. The witch has tortured me to the limits of my sanity. Watching her get scorned by scum like Camden eases my craving to watch her suffer.

“Quiet, Faris. You, of all people, have some nerve saying something like that,” she snaps at me. And then she turns back to Camden, her body shaking with rage.

“Handle the situation, Livy. Do it quickly. Lest I assume you’re going soft on our prisoner,” Camden accuses, moving his head down to kiss her lips. Instead, she snaps her head to the right. I can’t help but to laugh softly.

“Think this is funny, do you?” Camden barks to me. “Laugh now, exile. For it will be your last chance.” On that note, he takes one more glance at Olivia and then heads out the door. She stays quiet for a long moment, her eyes closed.

“Mistress?” The ogre standing near her looks concerned.

“Quiet, you idiot. I’m thinking,” she says. Opening her eyes, she moves her gaze to me. “I guess that made you feel good to see that little
moment
between Camden and me?”

“Nothing about Atrauser affects me in a good way,” I answer. “But I sure could take a leak, if you don’t mind.”

“How disgusting. Whatever,” she says, waving her hand dismissively. “Take him to the stalls.”

Tank frowns, looking confused and skeptical. “But, Mistress, why can’t he just use the corner of his cell the way he always does?”

“Do you challenge my authority?” Olivia shouts, trembling as a white haze forms around her body.

“No-no, Mistress. I’m sorry.” Tank lowers his head.

“Good. Make sure he gets to the restroom.
Unharmed
.” She passes one last glance my way and walks out of the room.

Tank moves over to me. Ever since Camden arrived and revealed part of my secret, the ogre has acted this way towards me. I smile. Might as well keep my true intentions disguised as mock kindness.

Removing the chains on my wrists, he keeps one narrowed eye on my face the entire time. “Try something. I dare you,” he says and yanks the chain around my neck, pulling me forward.

I suck my teeth three times, and say, “Careful with me. You heard what the Mistress said, right?”  He grumbles and leads me out the door.

Along the way, we greet a few guards; but other than those few men, the place seems pretty deserted for some reason. Tank’s body isn’t half as tensed up now. Good. He’s let his guard down. We round the corner that leads to the bathroom stalls.
Time to make my move.
The galena chain around my neck binds my angelic abilities, but not my physical ones. Even though I’m a little weak, I still manage to flip up and over Tank’s head.

“What the—” his sentence gets cut off by me wrapping my chain around his neck. Yanking the part he holds in his hand away, I move too fast for him to be able to do anything besides grab at his neck.

He drops to his knees, and I pull tighter. I keep tightening the chain until I hear the snap. His oversized body falls over to the side. I search his pockets for the key, finding it faster than I thought I would. And then I unlock the chain around my neck. For the first time in three months, I no longer feel a burning sensation on any part of my neck.

Focus, my friend. Move now. Celebrate later.

Everything about what’s happening seems too simple. I almost start to believe Olivia has planned my escape to happen. She’s pretty ticked at Camden; and I’ve experienced her anger firsthand now. She doesn’t play around with letting someone know how she feels about being duped.

I don’t question my luck. Instead, I head down the dungeon’s dank, dark hallways. The gray flooring and walls are a direct contrast to the way the outside of the prisons look. Screams sound all around me. Rot and death smells linger in the air. I don’t understand why Olivia wants to rule over a place like this.

I use my sense of direction to guide me. During hunting trips with Father, my ability to eventually find a way through the woods always impressed him. Right now, something tells me to go straight ahead and to the left. I turn and find myself running along an even longer hallway. The windows in this place are small. They’re situated no less than fifty-feet away from the floor. I approach a set of double doors and stop.

Something hitches at my chest. It’s a warning, I’m sure. I don’t listen. I never do. This makes me push the doors open and step inside.

“No lock. That’s usually a bad thing,” I say aloud. I step into a large room that not only smells like something died, but it also gives off a strange type of energy that makes me stagger as the waves vibrate through my body.

Moans come from inside the dark area facing me. I swallow hard and flip the switch next to the desk sitting against the wall on the right side of the room.

I stumble backward. About one hundred or so angel-bloods are attached to bleeders. Since I already know Camden runs this show, I don’t have to try and guess which group has the most members attached to the machines. These are mostly my people, the Caduceans and children of the Archangel Gabriel.

“Faris,” a girl’s weak voice says from somewhere along the row furthest to the right side of the room. I rush forward, careful to avoid hitting any of them. About ten machines down the row, I find her. Teulah! I rush over to where she’s strapped to a machine that has three times as many needles as the one I’m chained to.

“I’m so sorry.” She starts crying. Her dark hair hangs in strings and her face reminds me of the snow covering the land outside this place.

“I’ll get you out of here.” I mean what I say. Her betraying me for Seth doesn’t matter at this point. I just know one of my people is being tortured and mutilated, and it’s my job to do something about it. I know I can’t budge the metal that holds her, but I try anyway.

“It’s okay. If you see my parents, please tell them I’m sorry I let them down,” she says through her tears. Her voice fades on those last few words.

“You’ll tell them yourself,” I say, fighting back my rage. She makes a raspy gasp, just before her eyes flutter back closed. Desperation still swims inside them, even as she prepares to stare into the eyes of death.