Tempt_The Pteron Chronicles Read online

  6

  Hailey

  I shielded myself from the falling debris as best I could, but several large pieces of stone made contact with my shoulders. At least it wasn’t my head.

  I ran, hoping we could escape the collapsed ceiling. We edged to the right and ran into another wall. I backtracked and found an open corridor. Halfway down that hall I realized there was nothing falling anymore. Strange.

  We stopped to catch our breath.

  Cade pointed to Eloise. “I thought you were Hailey’s Guardian Pixie.”

  “I am!” Eloise yelled.

  “Then why are you trying to kill her?” Cade rubbed the back of his head. Evidently his head hadn’t been as lucky as mine.

  I walked behind him to check it out. “Oh.” I watched blood stream from the cut.

  “What are you worrying about?” He adjusted his hand to cover more of the wound. “You know it’s going to close quickly.”

  “Yeah, but it looks painful.” I reached out to touch it, but then thought better of it. I might make it worse. I walked around so I could look at his face.

  “I can handle it. We need to focus on getting out of this place. And Pixie, please don’t scream at Troy again. I don’t think my head can take another round of that.”

  “I’m sorry.” Eloise looked down.

  “It’s not your fault.” I glared at Troy. “Troy, be nicer.”

  His mouth fell open. “Seriously? You are going to pin this on me?”

  “Stop fighting.” Hunter wiped blood off his bare shoulder. I was glad the stone had cut him there and not somewhere else. I was sure the makeshift loin-cloth wasn’t going to protect him much. “We have to find Anastasia and get out of here.”

  “We have to get out of here.” Cade removed his hand from the back of his head. “You know I want to find this girl, but I also want to live. And I want you to live.”

  “Since when did you care about whether I live?” I walked around to examine his wound. It was already healing, just as it should have been. Quick healing was one of the best parts of being a Pteron.

  “I’ve always cared.” He turned to face me.

  “At least the ceiling has stopped caving in…” As if in response a loud crash sounded from the corridor we’d just walked down. It was now blocked by the stone.

  “Great job, Hailey.” Troy patted my back. “Way to jinx it.”

  “It’s not as though we can’t move it.” I didn’t see it as all that big of a deal. I could even move it myself.

  “Turn your light back on please,” Troy spoke from right beside me.

  I looked down at my hands. “Oh. Sorry I didn’t realize it had turned off. I have no clue how it happened.”

  “The how doesn’t really matter as long as you fix it,” Cade spoke from just behind me. “I’m really not used to this complete darkness thing.”

  “All right, give me a minute.”

  “We need to act.” Troy crossed his arms.

  “Give her time and space.” Eloise pushed in to stand next to me. “I don’t like the dark either, but if we stress Hailey out we’re getting nowhere.”

  “Ugh. I have to do this again?”

  “Shouldn’t it be easier by now?” Troy rolled his eyes. I wondered if he remembered I could see.

  Something about his eye roll made me snap. “Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!” I felt heat spreading throughout my body. “In case you didn’t hear me I want you to shut up.”

  “Easy there, tiger.” Cade touched my arm. “That’s enough light. I wouldn’t want you to burn out.”

  “What are you talking about…?” I trailed off once I discovered my own answer to the question. “I’m growing brighter.” I should have flipped out, but I didn’t. Somehow I was glowing like a lightbulb, and I didn’t even care.

  “I’m going to pretend you did that to help her.” Eloise gave Troy a stern look.

  “Of course I did. What other reason would I have had?” He winked.

  “Ok. Let’s get serious.” Hunter rolled his shoulders as if trying to relieve tension. “I say we return to the burrowing idea Hailey had. Stumbling around based on Anastasia’s voice isn’t working. Speaking of. Anastasia!” Hunter called out her name.

  “Here!” She yelled back.

  “Ok good. She’s still within audible range.” That was something.

  “How are we going to do the burrowing?” Cade asked. “It’s not as if we can just go back to that crack in the floor Hunter found earlier. Not in this maze.”

  “Maybe not, but maybe we can still go with that concept.” Hunter seemed to have latched onto the idea. “Or maybe some of the walls are broken. We could retrace our steps and see.”

  “But we can’t just retrace our steps. We need a plan. I still don’t get any of this.” I hated being frustrated. It was such a worthless, powerless emotion.

  “Then what’s your plan?” Troy asked. “We’re all listening.”

  “I have no plan.” I was tired of everyone relying on me. I didn’t have all the answers.

  “I don’t have an idea now. My idea was burrow under hours ago, but we can’t do that without Anastasia. And now so much time has passed she might die, and maybe we will too.”

  “We aren’t going to die. If that thing wanted to kill you she would have done it earlier. Why throw you down here? There has to be a reason.” Eloise sent another wonderful wave of calmness through me. She could bottle that up and make a fortune.

  “Haven’t we already established this is all a game?” Troy leaned back against the stone. It didn’t budge.

  “Is she so bored she wants to play a game?” I didn’t disagree with the idea she was messing with us, but there had to be something more to it.

  “It has nothing to do with boredom. It has to do the pleasure she gets from watching us suffer and fight.” Troy scowled.

  “You think she’s watching us?” I hadn’t considered that yet. Suddenly even Eloise couldn’t help me relax.

  “Someone is. Can’t you guys feel it?” Troy looked around at all of us. “And it’s affecting us. All of us. I’ve been down here the longest so it’s worse for me, but trust me, you’re all going to be as messed up as I am soon.”

  Once again shivers ran up and down my spine. “I am so sick of this. All I was supposed to do was be Allie’s representative at a conference and then all this happened.”

  “And you met Veronica at the conference.” Cade pointed out. “Unfortunately.”

  “Yes.”

  “That’s why Veronica moved the date. She wanted you to be there.” Cade worked back through the timeline. “But what if there’s more? What if there’s even more to all this? Like it started way before the conference?”

  “Haven’t we already established this involves our ancestors?” I asked. “Not to interfere with whatever you are working out in your head.”

  “I don’t know if I’d say established, but discussed,” Troy spat out.

  “Troy.” I turned toward him.

  “Yes?” He watched me.

  “What happened with the Elders?” It was time to get more answers. We all needed to be open and honest with one another.

  “Why does it matter?” He straightened.

  “It does matter. I thought Dragos and the Elders got along. There has to be something important there you aren’t telling us.”

  “They wanted my power. There’s nothing more to it.” He looked down.

  “If that’s all it is, then why aren’t you dead? Why did they keep you alive?” I didn’t know all that much about the Elders, but I knew they had no problem killing to get their way.

  “I have no clue any more than you do.” He turned and started to push the stone. There was a loud pop, and it started to roll away, opening the corridor. He made his way down the hall.

  “I need to know more about the Emerald Flame.” Somehow that ancient organization tied us all together. The brief image I got from Sol and the brief details shared weren’t enough.
/>
  “And that history lesson is going to have to wait. We need to find Anastasia and get out of here.” Hunter made complete sense, but I also knew I needed the information.

  “Wait. I have an idea.” Cade jutted past me and stopped, effectively boxing us all in. “Yes. I think I figured this out. It’s all a game, right? She threw us down here to mess with us. I know she probably had other reasons, but I still think I’m right and this is a maze.”

  “Gotcha.” I nodded. “So what’s the idea?”

  “Let me show you.” Cade’s entire face was animated. “Anastasia!”

  “Here.” She replied. Her voice was weak. “Please. I need water.”

  “Ok. Hear that?”

  “Yes.” I nodded.

  “It sounds like it came from behind us, right?” He watched me expectedly.

  “Yes.” I tried to follow.

  “But it’s not. If we go in that direction we’ll never find her. There’s an echo effect or something going on to throw her voice. It’s really coming from the opposite direction.” He pointed in front of us.

  “How is that possible?” I tried to understand. “And if it’s true, how did you figure it out?”

  “It makes sense. I can’t really explain, but trust me on this. Let me try?” Cade looked only at me even though he knew as well as I did I wasn’t the only one making decisions.

  “I don’t see why we shouldn’t try,” Hunter answered before I could. “We’ve had no luck so far. We might as well try something different.”

  I nodded, agreeing with Hunter’s logic. Troy and Eloise said nothing, so I assumed that meant they agreed. We’d wasted enough time already so I started walking. “Anastasia?” I called as we walked.

  “Here.” Her voice was soft and sounded far away, but I wasn’t sure how much of that was distance and how much was her growing weakness.

  I caught Cade’s attention. Even though her voice sounded like it was behind us, we kept moving forward. “I hope this works.”

  “You and me both.” Cade kept pace with me. “I’m sorry.”

  “What are you apologizing for exactly?”

  “My role in getting you to Veronica’s house. I should have known it was too dangerous.”

  “Did you know what she was?” I studied the stone walls on either side of us, looking for anything that looked different and might be a clue as to how to escape.

  “No, but that doesn’t absolve me.”

  “If your plan works right now it’s all forgiven.”

  “And if it doesn’t?” He looked deep into my eyes.

  “I’ll forgive you anyway.” I looked away. I had enough of my own guilt. I couldn’t handle being part of his.

  7

  Wyatt

  I didn’t want to see Randolph, but I knew the meeting was unavoidable. I also knew I had to get it over with. Although I’d lost all sense of time in my dragon form, I knew time was ticking. I needed to get to Hailey, and I needed to do it quickly.

  My meeting came sooner than I expected. I heard loud, heavy footsteps, and moments later a gray-haired man leaning heavily on a cane hobbled in.

  “He’s not emerald.” He coughed, hesitating near the doorway.

  “He’s close enough, and I can work on his fire.” Veronica shifted her weight from foot to foot.

  “We need emerald.”

  “There are no more emerald Dragos. I’ve searched everywhere.”

  “Then search harder. Or get the information from this one.”

  This wasn’t Randolf. It couldn’t be. At least he wasn’t the Randolf I remembered. The one I knew was young with a full head of black hair with a deep purple hue. Demons didn’t age quickly. If it was him, he’d completely changed his appearance.

  “There are no more. What can I do to convince you of this?” Veronica sighed. “It’s taken me years to get this far.”

  “Work harder.”

  “Time is running out. We both know it.”

  The old man shook his head. “No. There is always enough time.”

  “Have you looked at yourself recently?” Dara asked.

  He threw his cane across the room striking Dara across her face with it.

  Her hand flew to her face. The old man stalked toward her. “I look the way I do because of you two. I have given you everything, and you have given me nothing. Maybe your third can do better. Where is she?”

  “We can retrieve her for you at any time.” Dara removed her hand revealing a deep red gash. Normally I would have felt bad, but considering the kind of things Dara would do to innocents, she didn’t deserve my sympathy.

  “Then do it!” The old man screamed. “And find me the emerald one!”

  “Sir, this one will work. Shouldn’t we at least try?” Veronica took a step back from Randolph as she spoke.

  “I may be a demon but that doesn’t mean I wish to kill for sport. Well, at least not these days.” Darkness swept over his face. “Besides, he may still prove useful.”

  “Can I use him to help collect the girl?” Veronica asked. “He may be helpful.”

  “I don’t care what you do. Get your third and find the emerald. I know it’s out there. I’ve seen it in my dreams.”

  Dara sniggered.

  “What about my words amuses you?” Randolph stepped toward her.

  “Sorry. But you are a demon talking about your dreams. You don’t dream.” She hooked her thumb in the pocket of her black pants.

  “But I do.” He walked toward her slowly, his eyes blazing. “If I didn’t need you, I’d kill you.”

  “But you do need me.” She lifted her chin.

  “Of course he needs you. Everyone needs you.” Daniel picked that very bad time to speak.

  “What was that?” Randolph turned toward the human.

  “He’s programmed that way. Ignore him.” Her hands fell to her sides.

  “Programmed? He’s a human.” Randolf stepped toward him. “You’ve enchanted him.”

  “Impressive, isn’t it?” A smile returned to Dara’s face.

  “Destroy it.” He flicked his hand.

  “I thought you didn’t like to needlessly kill?” There was a slight quiver in her voice. Did she care for this human? Did she even have it in her to care?

  “I was talking about high-level supernatural creatures. Not humans.” He spit at Daniel’s feet.

  The fire started to build inside me. The small embers doubled, and then tripled.

  “Wait. What if I can make him useful?” Once again Dara sounded like she actually cared for the human. Wonders would never cease.

  “And how are you going to do that?” Randolph leaned heavily on a new cane he must have pulled from thin air. Demon magic was a powerful and terrible thing.

  “I can make him do anything, and yet from the outside he merely appears human. Most creatures would never sense the magic. We can use him.”

  Randolph swatted the air. “You could always make others.”

  “But that would take time and waste my magic.”

  “You will destroy him when the mission is completed.”

  “Which won’t be long,” Veronica interjected. “We’re getting close.”

  “Why are you still here?” Randolph barked. “I thought you were leaving to get the third?”

  “Oh.” Veronica visibly startled. “I’m leaving.”

  “Wait.” Randolph held up his hand. “Take him with you.”

  “The human?” Veronica’s forehead furrowed.

  “No. Him.” Randolph gestured to the door.

  A thin orange and white cat strutted into the room.

  “A cat?” Veronica laughed. “Are you serious?”

  “I could eat you in one bite.” The cat spoke, narrowing his eyes.

  The voice was one I knew well. It belonged to a cat who’d helped us save Hailey’s brother and his mate. Glendale, the cat, stared at me and then at Randolph. “You are collecting dragons now?”

  “He’s the closest I could get to the emer
ald.” Veronica sighed. “I figure you would understand as you’re supposed to somehow help me.”

  “I decide who I help.” Glendale stared off in the distance.

  “Glendale…” Randolph shook his head.

  Glendale stretched, his back arching. “You are so uptight and no fun anymore. I need better friends.”

  Was Glendale really working for Randolf? I knew he was a demon, but I thought he’d have better taste in associates. Either he’d fooled us when he helped us, or he was fooling Randolf now. I really hoped it was the latter, but luck hadn’t been my friend lately. I wouldn’t get my hopes up.

  “Pray, tell me what I’ll be doing to help this time.” He flicked his tail in the direction of Veronica.

  “They found their third. You are going to help retrieve her before Veronica messes things up.”

  “Ok. Simple enough.”

  “But we are also bringing the dragon with us,” Veronica added.

  “Why?” Glendale asked, boredom dripping from his voice.

  “Because our third has a specific interest in this dragon.”

  “So you really made it, huh?” He studied me. “Took a Drago and turned him into one of these?”

  “Yes. Impressive, isn’t it? He’s also fully under my control.”

  “Fully?” Glendale glanced at the scorched walls and floor. “I see.”

  “He got a little angry, but we took care of it right away. He understands what’s at stake.”

  “And what’s at stake?”

  “The love of his life.” She looked right into my eyes as she talked. “He knows I will torture her and make him watch if he doesn’t behave.”

  “A little harsh, maybe?” Glendale inclined his head toward her.

  “No harsher than I need to be.”

  He looked away. “Ok. Let’s go.”

  “Can I come?” Dara popped up on her toes.

  “No,” Randolph grunted. “I have other things for you to do.”

  “What things?”

  “Does it matter? Would you refuse anything I requested?”