Kissed by Krista Street

Chapter 12

~ AVERY ~

When I stood from the bed, my body felt like I’d been run over by a bulldozer. Considering I’d carried dozens of full-grown supernaturals over hundreds of miles, I wasn’t surprised.

Wes begrudgingly led me from my room and down the hall. I knew that he wanted to question me further, but until I saw the goddess I wouldn’t be able to think straight.

Farrah walked on one side of me, Wyatt the other.

Wyatt’s hand continually drifted to my lower back. Every brush of his palm made my stomach tighten. I kept reminding myself that he was alive and okay. And I was still amazed that he wasn’t scarred. Because seeing those flames engulf him had made me think that if he did survive, he would have lasting damage.

Gods. He’d come so close to death. It had nearly undone me. But he was fine.

Which left room for my other thoughts to creep in . . .

He’d locked me in the Whimsical Room. I’d been drugged against my will and then abducted.

I stiffened and closed my eyes briefly as we continued walking. I didn’t know what to think. Relief that Wyatt was safe or annoyance at how he’d treated me.

Or both.

He removed his hand, his Adam’s apple bobbing as turbulent emotions stormed in his eyes. I could only imagine the scents I was giving off right now.

Several healing witches watched us when we passed them.

My stomach turned into a bundle of nerves.

Wyatt’s nostrils flared.

Yes, I felt things for him, but I also had a problem with being told what to do with no regards for my wishes. Wyatt was an alpha. He was incredibly dominant given his nature. That meant he had no problems bossing me around, taking the upper hand, or answering for me as he’d done with Wes earlier.

And while I liked his protective and possessive instincts, they also drove me mad.

If not for them, he never would have guilt-tripped me into the Whimsical Room. So what did that mean? Were we destined to be constantly arguing while he tried to dominate me and I tried to assert my independence?

And then there was the whole mate thing, which just made it more confusing.

Wyatt one hundred percent believed I was his mate, and given how I reacted to him when I thought he was going to die, apparently my body agreed. But did that innate bond mean that I didn’t have a choice in our relationship? Was I destined to be with him even if I came to resent how he treated me?

I nibbled my lower lip and shifted my attention back to the hallway. Ugh. I didn’t have the energy to think about this. I needed to focus on the goddess. The Gods knew that would be easier to deal with than this.

Wes paused at a doorway at the end of the hall. He waved toward the interior. “As you can see, she’s still asleep and alive.”

“She’s in there?” I hurried past him, and my shoulders slumped in relief when I saw the goddess lying quietly on the bed. A sheet was still draped over her body, but her face was exposed. And as Wes had said, she was breathing.

The power inside me rattled and hummed, swelling to the surface of my skin. Electricity zapped my nerves, and crackling energy filled the room.

It felt as if her power wanted out.

Of course! Maybe I could give her power back to her now. Maybe that would wake her up.

I closed my eyes and concentrated on her power. It swirled inside me like a spiraling tornado. Come on. Just go to her!

I grabbed and clawed at it, trying to release it, but it only crackled more. It felt as if I was playing tug-of-war with energy-infused mist.

Wrenching my eyes open, I tried harder.

Farrah gasped, and I knew that my irises had turned violet.

“This power is hers,” I said quietly. And I need to return it.

The goddess’s power continued to swell under my skin, but it wouldn’t leave me no matter how hard I tried to coax it up and out of me.

I nearly smacked my chest in frustration but managed to refrain myself. But dammit, why couldn’t I control it? It was bad enough I couldn’t use it at will, but to not even be able to give it back to its rightful owner? Gods.

But that didn’t mean I would stop trying. However, what I was doing wasn’t working. I would have to think of another way.

A fierce protective instinct surged through me. I needed to keep her away from Lord Godasara in the meantime. If their lives were linked, then I needed to protect her until I could find a way to unlink them and give her back her rightful power.

“Avery?” Wyatt said quietly.

It wasn’t until he said my name that I realized everyone had retreated to the hallway. Sizzling energy skated around me, filling the room.

Damn. I was going to start an electrical storm if I didn’t get myself under control.

I took a deep breath and reined the goddess’s power back in. Slowly, the current pulsing through the room abated, and those in the hallway exhaled sighs of relief.

“You’ve grown quite strong,” Wes remarked.

“I guess I have, even though I still don’t understand how to use her power, but in times of crisis it’s worked.” I darted another glance at Wyatt.

He was frowning.

“And maybe that’s what matters.” A tinge of bitterness filled my tone. Despite trying to avoid all things complicated, the messy bond Wyatt and I shared resurfaced, eliciting a flare of irritation when I thought again about being locked in that safe room.

Wyatt’s eyebrows drew together more, and he made a move to step closer to me but I backed away.

A growl of dissatisfaction rumbled in his chest, but I ignored it.

“We can discuss what happened in the fae lands now,” I told Wes. “As long as Verasellee will stay here and be kept safe.”

“She will be,” the general replied, his attention shifting to the alpha at my side, whose gaze was so heated it could’ve melted lead.

But I rounded the bed despite knowing Wyatt was starting to wonder what was going on with me. “Then lead the way.”

∞     ∞     ∞

I followed Wes through numerous hallways and checkpoints to one of the main SF buildings, while Wyatt prowled just behind me.

And it certainly was a prowl. Low rumbles came from Wyatt continuously, and the few times I glanced at him, gold flashed in his eyes.

So he wasn’t happy that I was putting distance between us. Huh, imagine that. Well, that was too damned bad. I was in no mood to get into it now, not after everything I’d been through.

Wes scanned us in to a conference room on the second floor when we reached it. Once inside, he waved toward the chairs surrounding a large board table.

“Have a seat, wherever you wish.”

I pulled out a chair across from him, taking in the large, impressively sized room. From what I’d seen of the SF so far, there were numerous training facilities both inside and outside, wide hallways zigzagging through each building, and dozens of wings and command centers stationed throughout.

Everything was made of concrete or steel and seemed to swim in magic. Not to mention there was constant security scans at every doorway. Our movements were perpetually monitored.

It was intense, to say the least, and to think I’d trained here for three months and didn’t remember it . . .

That blew my mind.

Wyatt pulled out the chair at my side, the concern on his face giving way to frustration, but I still kept my focus on Wes.

The general settled himself on the chair across from me. “Now, I need you to tell me what happened while you were under Lord Godasara’s hold. All of the details. No matter how small they seem, they may be crucial to capturing him.”

I folded my hands in my lap. Despite distancing myself from Wyatt, with him at my side, his looming presence drew me in like a magnet. Damned mate bond. But I managed to keep myself firmly in my chair, despite my body’s irrational desire to shift closer to Wyatt.

“What will you do with him if you catch him?” I asked Wes.

Wes cocked his head. “If we catch him alive, which is unlikely, Lord Godasara will go on trial in the supernatural courts. The same process would happen to him that happens to all criminals apprehended by the SF.”

“Why is it unlikely he’ll be caught alive?”

“Given how strong he is, and how he has no qualms about killing our squad members—” The general’s jaw ground together, and a flash of remorse filled his eyes before he veiled it. “It’s unlikely we’ll capture him alive. Most likely, he will die in battle if we’re able to find him again.”

I interlocked my fingers. But if they killed him . . . I’d have to stop that or the goddess would be lost. “And would the supernatural courts execute him too?”

“No,” Wes said haltingly. “We don’t have capital punishment, but it’s likely his life would be leeched by the gargoyles should his sentence demand that.”

“Meaning he would die.”

“Meaning his life would be cut short.” Wes cocked his head. “Where are you going with this, Ms. Meyers?”

I leaned forward, resting my forearms on the table. I knew I had to come clean and be blunt with him. It was the only way. “You can’t kill him. He can’t be allowed to die.”

Wes glanced at Wyatt, a weighted look passing between them.

Wyatt leaned closer to me, his oak and pine scent drifting around me like a comforting cloud. I jerked back. I needed to keep my head on straight and not be persuaded by him. I needed to ensure the goddess’s safety.

Jaw locked, Wyatt retreated to the center of his chair. With a furrowed brow, he said evenly, “Lord Godasara is responsible for hundreds of deaths, if not thousands through the sacrifices he and the warlocks conducted to extend their lives. And you’re saying he should be allowed to live? Even knowing that he would have killed you?”

A heavy ache filled my chest. Wyatt’s question didn’t contain any judgment or derision. It was merely curious sounding. He genuinely wanted to hear why I felt this way.

Damn him. There he went being all perfect again when the reality was that our relationship was far from perfect.

Regardless, my body wanted to soften toward him.

I snapped my spine into place, refusing to let that happen. Seriously, the man was infuriating. It was as if he knew exactly how to make me cave, even if he wasn’t doing it on purpose.

Vowing not to let that happen, I replied curtly, “His life is linked to the goddess’s. If you kill him, you kill her. I can’t allow that to happen.”

A moment of silence fell.

“What makes you think that?” Similar to Wyatt, Wes sounded curious.

A tiny part of my guard lowered, and for the merest second, I wondered if I could trust both of them. “Because Lord Godasara told me. The reason Verasellee’s body is still here, living and breathing, is because he tried to kill her but then realized that if he did he would die too. It’s because of the curse she placed on him. If she dies, he dies. It was how she ensured that she lived, but unfortunately, that curse works both ways. The universe is nothing if not fair, karma or whatever. So the lord placed her in a dormant state to keep her alive because he’s unable to kill her.”

Another veiled look passed between Wyatt and Wes, and irritation prickled my skin.

“If you have something to say, just say it,” I snapped.

Wes cocked an eyebrow, and a low discontented rumble came from Wyatt.

“We’re not hiding anything from you, Avery,” Wyatt said calmly. “I think both of us are just surprised at what you’re saying.”

“Why is it so surprising?”

“Because the man—” Wyatt took a deep breath. His hands curled into fists, the veins on the backs of them standing on end before he said in a clipped tone, “He abducted you, held you prisoner, and was going to sacrifice you in whatever ritual we interrupted. Just the thought of him doing any of those things makes me want to rip his head off, yet you, the victim of those atrocious crimes, are trying to save him.”

“But it’s not because I want him saved. I just don’t want her hurt. There’s a difference, and I would have killed him if I could have, but since I couldn’t I—” I licked my lips as bile rose in my throat. “I incapacitated him so we could escape.”

Wyatt frowned. “Incapacitated him how?”

My stomach churned. “I . . . I cut his legs off so he couldn’t follow us.”

Wes’s eyebrows shot clear to his hairline, and surprise filled Wyatt’s eyes.

I slapped a hand over my face. “I know that makes me sound like a monster, and I feel sick about it, but I had to stop him. He would have killed all of you, and it was the only way to slow him down while not killing him and getting all of you out.”

Wyatt’s fingers curled around my hand and gently pulled it down from my face. Gold light rimmed his eyes. “You’re one of the bravest women I know. You have nothing to feel guilty about, and if keeping Godasara alive right now is what needs to be done then—” His throat worked a swallow. “We won’t kill him.”

He held eye contact. And in that moment, I could see that he truly was trying to understand. All of the protective feelings he had for me, all of the possessive mate-driven emotions that had been birthed between us and were begging him to end Godasara’s life at the next opportunity were there, yet . . .

He was listening to me.

I turned away from him toward Wes, that flipping feeling starting in my stomach again.

Not what you need to be focusing on right now!

“So do you promise you won’t kill him? Or turn him over to the gargoyles or whatever?” I asked Wes. “Because if you do, she will die. The only way out of this is if we can find a way to unlink them. If their souls are no longer linked, then theoretically, the elf lord could die and Verasellee would still live.”

General McCloy studied me for a long moment, then tapped a finger on the table. “But . . . does she need to live?”

My breath sucked in.

“I’m just asking the question. What you’re proposing makes this assignment more complicated, and our mission first and foremost is to protect supernaturals here on earth. It’s not to protect gods from other realms.”

I clasped my hands together as they’d begun shaking. Rattling energy skittered along my nerves. Verasellee’s power rumbled and swelled inside me. I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself, but it did no good.

“Yes, she needs to live.” My words thundered toward Wes, ringing with Verasellee’s power. He leaned back in his chair, as if a rush of air had blasted over him.

I tried to rein my anger back inside. I didn’t know why, but I felt incredibly protective of the goddess. Despite choosing me as her heir and fucking up my life, I still wanted to save her.

Maybe that was a byproduct of having her power inside me, maybe it wasn’t. I didn’t know, but I wasn’t going to sit on the sidelines and let them kill Lord Godasara and destroy Verasellee in the process.

“You feel strongly about this,” Wyatt said quietly.

“Very much so.”

He and Wes shared another look—those damned looks—before Wes said, “All right. I’ll confer with my sorcerers about unlinking them. It seems the least we can do given how much you’ve helped the SF. However, I can’t promise anything. You have to understand that my priority lies with the SF. If Lord Godasara resurfaces and threatens the safety of my squads or innocent bystanders again, we’ll take him down without question.”

“But—”

He held up his hand. “I can promise that I’ll look into whatever connection links Verasellee and Lord Godasara. I’ll have Nicholas get on it right away. If we can find a way to unlink them safely, we will.”

I sat stiffly since I knew that was the best compromise he was willing to offer. “Okay, then I guess that’s the plan moving forward.”