Kissed by Krista Street

Chapter 19

~ AVERY ~

Wyatt’s smile was so bright as he watched the approaching woman that jealousy pinched me. They greeted each other warmly, fist bumping. I told myself I was being asinine, but I’d never seen him so happy to see another woman before.

“Wes told me you guys needed backup,” the woman said. She stood around six foot and was so toned her muscles looked like rocks. Her full lips parted on her dark-brown, blemish-free face.

The woman was beautiful.

Which wasn’t helping my ridiculous reaction.

“That we do,” Wyatt replied, still smiling. “Have to say, I’m glad you’ve got my six for this.”

The woman shrugged. “I couldn’t let a fellow commander down, and besides, I hear my former protégé has turned into something to be reckoned with. I wanted to see for myself.” Her gaze skirted my way.

I stiffened, but Wyatt waved me over. “Avery, this is Major Dee Armund. She’s the woman you trained under for three months.”

All jealousy left me. This woman was the reason I knew how to fight?

I squeezed Eliza’s hand goodbye as the fairy twirled back to her station before I joined Wyatt and Major Armund. Charlotte nodded at me as she stood in the corner with her squad, waiting for direction from Bavar. I couldn’t help but notice the lanky young man with brown hair who kept looking at her. Charlotte’s attention also kept shifting his way.

Hmm, something was definitely going on there, but I didn’t know what.

But that would have to wait for another time.

“Nice to see you again, Avery, even though I’m guessing you don’t remember me,” Major Armund said.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t.”

Dee shrugged, her eyes glittering. “I’ve been told you took down a dozen warlocks on your own.”

“I did,” I replied evenly, then suppressed a yawn as a sudden sense of sleepiness overtook me.

“Damn. That’s impressive. Maybe you won’t need the moves I taught you after all.”

“Actually, I did need them.” I remembered how I’d fought the warlocks in the cave system, how some part of my brain and body had known what to do, dipping and swaying, kicking and jabbing. “In fact, I think I have you to thank for being alive. If I hadn’t fought back in the caves, Lord Godasara would have been able to conduct the ritual earlier, before Wyatt and the SF found me. I’d probably be dead at this very moment.”

Wyatt stiffened. He already knew that detail from the debriefing I’d given Wes, but I imagined hearing it again wasn’t easy for a mated werewolf male.

Dee’s eyes lit up. “Is that so? Did something happen where you had to fight?”

I gave a small laugh even though my time in the caves had been anything but funny. “There was.”

“Then I’m all ears.”

I suppressed another yawn, and then divulged the details to Dee, which she seemed more than eager to hear.

Around us, Squad Three got busy preparing to go, strapping weapons to their suits, while Wyatt and Bavar discussed last-minute plans with Wes.

When I finished telling Dee about the caves, she cocked her head. “You were always a good student and so much tougher than the magic you had inside you. It’s good to see your magic now rivals your inherent strength.”

“Except it’s not my magic. It’s hers.” I pointed at Verasellee, who was still floating on the enchanted stretcher. Another wave of sleepiness overtook me, but I brushed it off. “I have to give it back to her, but I don’t know how.”

Dee crossed her arms, a contemplative look on her face. “Word on the street is that Corporal Baker and Reese have a plan.”

“Already?” I replied with a grin.

“That we do,” a tall man with crystalline blue eyes replied. He was walking toward us, evidently having overheard his name. “I’m Reese. We’ve met, but I’ve been told you have amnesia.”

“You trained with both Reese and me,” Dee added. “Reese helped you with your spells.”

I smiled awkwardly. “Um, nice to meet you . . . again.”

Unlike Squad Three, Reese and the young lanky man—the one who looked to be enamored with Charlotte—didn’t carry any weapons. I figured they were sorcerers who were powerful enough that they didn’t need them.

Reese inclined his head toward Verasellee. “With the help of a few ancient texts, I’m confident I know what to do. We’ll begin the unlinking process as soon as we’re in the fae lands. We need their stronger magical environment to conduct the ritual.”

My blood chilled at the word ritual just as another roll of fatigue overtook me. This time, I couldn’t stop my yawn. “What’s the ritual like?”

Reese grinned. “You’ll see.”

∞     ∞     ∞

We used portal keys to transport back to the fae lands, except this time instead of hiding in a sequestered castle in an enchanted forest, we stayed well away from all trees. The portal dropped us smack in front of a huge palace in a bustling city.

“Where are we?” I asked, my eyes drooping. Seriously, I needed a nap. I shifted closer to the goddess, who lay beside us on the magical hovering stretcher.

Her power crackled and burst inside me as if responding to her presence.

“The capital,” Bavar replied. “We’ll be staying in the king and queen’s residence. It’s one of the most heavily guarded palaces in the lands. And as you can see, there are very few trees for the elf lord to call upon.” His arm swept out to the cobblestone lanes and busy streets zigzagging below.

“But what if he comes here and hurts innocent people in the city?” I asked.

“He’s a lone elf now,” Wyatt reminded me. “Without his warlocks, he’s not as strong as he once was, and I don’t think he’s a fool. If he came here alone, our numbers would overpower him. We’ll keep you and the goddess safe.”

I bit my lip. The goddess’s power hummed again inside me, and another yawn overtook me.

Wyatt eyed me, concern lighting his eyes. “Are you feeling okay? Do you think your sickness is returning?”

I knew he was referring to how sick I’d become after the Safrinite comet. Despite the positive results of the scan Cora had performed on me, he still seemed worried.

I shook my head. “I don’t feel differently or worse. I’m fine, really. Just a bit tired.” I turned my back to him, so he wouldn’t see my next yawn, and in doing so, I got a rather impressive view of the capital.

I pretended to admire it as I fought the fatigue sweeping through me.

The palace rested on the top of a small mountain, and the sprawling city swept out below. The hustle of it was apparent as fairies meandered the lanes, peddlers sold their wares on street corners, and music spilled from one area.

To those living here, it was just another normal day.

Yet for me, it was anything but. Damn, why am I so tired? I smothered yet another yawn.

“Squad Three, come with me,” Bavar called. His orange hair flashed in the sun, while his jeweled dagger glittered on his waist. “I’ll get you up to speed on the palace while we work out a plan to capture the elf lord. The sooner he’s dead the better.”

My heart rate picked up. I’d overheard a bit of Wes, Wyatt, and Bavar’s conversation at the command center. The SF was still adamant they had to stop the elf lord by killing him, and if the unlinking ritual worked then they could.

But if it didn’t work . . .

“See you soon,” Charlotte whispered to me as she departed with Bavar, Heidi, Bishop, Terry, and Dee.

I gave her a tight-lipped smile, wishing I could have spoken with her more, but everything had happened so fast since we’d met in the command center.

The sorcerer everyone called Nick, along with Reese and Wyatt, hung back with me.

“We need to set a few things up before we begin the unlinking ritual,” Reese explained, “but we should be ready shortly.”

“Do you really know how to unlink our souls?” I shifted my weight as I stood by the goddess. As it had on earth, her body lay quietly, but already I could feel her strength returning. She didn’t feel as distant and as weak as she had in earth’s realm. At least bringing her back to the fae lands had been the right move.

“I believe so,” Reese replied. “Corporal Baker comes from a rare line of sorcerers. If we combine our magic, I think we may succeed. But it’s not an easy ritual. We’ll need to prepare for it. We’ll call you when we’re ready.”

Behind us, the sentries standing at the palace doors watched us with blank expressions. When we walked toward them, they extended their spears until an X formed, blocking us. A clang of magic reverberated through me, the goddess’s power humming in response.

The sorcerers and Wyatt stopped, letting the sentries do their monitoring. Since they were so good at detecting ill intentions, sentries guarded many entries and exits in this realm.

I jolted. How do I know that? Once again, it was apparent that I remembered things just not me.

The sentries’ eyes shifted to silver, swirling like mercury pools as they studied us closely.

The goddess’s power fizzled inside me, zapping in response to their magic as they scanned us.

One of them cocked his head at me, his expression never faltering. A moment passed, then another, before he finally relaxed his stance and moved to the side. “Proceed.”

The four of us entered the palace with the goddess hovering behind us. Her stretcher was spelled to follow as commanded, but I still made sure to keep close to her side.

The main gates deposited us into a huge foyer, but even though the palace’s decadent architecture was impressive to say the least, I couldn’t have cared less about the vast stone floors, soaring domed entryway that reached up to the third floor, numerous stairways and balconies perched above, or the luxurious tapestries that hung from the walls.

All I could think about was the churning anxiety in my stomach. I knew the SF wanted Lord Godasara dead, and I knew that I had to be unlinked from the goddess at some point, but what if their spells failed? Worse, what if they didn’t unlink the goddess from the elf? Then she would still be tethered to him, and she would die if the SF killed him.

“I think I need to lie down.” I came to a stop near the stairwell.

Nick and Reese were still peering around at the grand display, their eyes wide with excitement. I figured it was their first time in the palace.

Wyatt’s brow furrowed as his hand went to my lower back. “Avery, what’s going on? I can tell something’s the matter. Are you sure you’re not sick?”

“Yes, I’m sure.” My lips parted when his warm palm settled on me. His touch soothed the roiling in my stomach, but it didn’t fully quell it. I wanted to tell him that something didn’t feel right about unlinking the three of us, even though I had no rational explanation for that, but damn, I was just so tired. I couldn’t think straight enough at the moment to voice it.

“I think I just need a nap. So much has happened lately. Do you mind if I lie down for a bit?”

Worry flashed in his eyes, and he waved at a passing servant, summoning them over. “Will you please show Ms. Meyers to an empty bed chambers? She needs to rest.”

The servant bobbed her head. “Of course, my lord.”

“I’m not a lord. Sir or Wyatt will do.”

The servant blushed. “Apologies, sir. Of course, sir.”

The servant beckoned me to her side, but I glanced toward Verasellee. “Can she come with me? I feel better when she’s near.”

The concern in Wyatt’s eyes grew, but he nodded. “I suppose, but only if you promise to tell me if something is actually the matter. Are you sure it’s just fatigue?”

I hesitated, my weight shifting between my feet, but then I forced a tight smile. I figured I wasn’t lying, just withholding information for the time being. I would tell him everything after I’d taken a nap and didn’t feel this bone-weary exhaustion anymore. “Yeah. I’m just tired.”

“You have time,” Reese called. “The king and queen still haven’t approved the ritual, but we’re expecting a response by this afternoon at the latest. We’ll collect you when we’re ready. Rest up.”

The other sorcerer—Nick, the one that had googly eyes for Charlotte—gave me an encouraging smile before shifting his attention back to Reese.

The two sorcerers were now in an intense discussion, obviously shifting their focus to the ritual.

Wyatt gave me a kiss just below my ear. As always, having him so near and feeling one of his soft kisses pressed to my skin made tingling start deep in my belly.

“Take the time you need. I’ll hold these two off if need be.”

I brushed my lips over his before he pulled back. A contented growl came as his response.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

He squeezed my hand, and then I followed the servant who scurried ahead of me down one of the long stone corridors.

I kept a tight hold on the magical stretcher as royal guards followed, some of the power inside me relaxing with the goddess so near, but it didn’t stop my persistent fatigue.

I smothered another yawn.

The servant guided me to an opulent room on the second floor. It was probably bigger than those in most homes, and reminded me of the bed chambers at Shrouding Estate.

One thing I was quickly learning about this realm was that the king and queen had more money than they apparently knew what to do with.

“Thank you,” I said to the servant.

She curtsied before closing the door as the guards stood watch outside.

Alone in the room, I gently moved the goddess closer to the bed, until she was hovering beside the large mattress. I didn’t bother shutting the thick velvet curtains even though bright daylight streamed in through the narrow windows shaped like icicles. Instead, I could barely keep my eyes open as I climbed onto the huge bed.

The second my head hit the pillow, I was fast asleep.

∞     ∞     ∞

I was floating in a sea of nothingness, warmth and tingling energy surrounding me. It was soothing and tranquil here, and it felt as if I could exist in this moment for eternity.

“Avery,” a voice whispered.

Rousing, I opened my eyes to a world of swirling violet light, wispy fuchsia clouds, and glittering distant stars. I hovered amidst it all, my body weightless, my soul content.

Wow. It felt as if I were in another dimension, a beautiful, otherworldly space of nothing and everything, of endless time and eternal grace.

I tried to sit up, but it was as though I didn’t have a body. I simply floated. Existed. Yet instead of feeling panicked, I felt nothing but calm.

“Avery.” That soft whisper carried through my senses again, and I swiveled left and right, taking in the vastness around me.

I didn’t see anything at first, just the same awe-inspiring, endless beauty I’d been looking at since opening my eyes, but when I turned fully around, I gasped.

A glowing figure of a woman hovered behind me. She bobbed in spectral form, her black hair flowing down her shoulders and her smooth brown skin glowing faintly.

“We don’t have much time,” she said urgently. “Once the ritual is complete, we won’t be able to find him.”

My lips parted. “Verasellee?”

She dipped her head.

Stunned, for a moment all I could do was stare at her. She was so beautiful, so enchanting, and I soaked up every moment of her presence. My form tingled, my nerves electrifying. I’d never been in the presence of a goddess before, and the effect was absolutely intoxicating.

“Avery, we must find him,” she said, breaking the spell.

I jerked, forcing myself out of the trance I’d been falling into. “Find who?”

“Lord Godasara. With our souls linked, he’s able to find us, but it’s a mutual bond. We can also find him.”

With a start, I realized why I’d felt so tired. The goddess had wanted to communicate with me, and the only way to do that was when we were projecting.

Except, unlike my other dreams, this one felt as though it’d transported me to another dimension, a plane between this realm and the others. That innate instinct, the one that occasionally guided me, told me that Verasellee was able to speak with me so clearly because of how physically close our bodies were.

Of course. Her stretcher was hovering right next to my bed in the palace.

That had never happened before because we’d always been so far away from one another, except in the caves—

The memory slammed back into me of the dream I’d had in the cave. Of the crystal clear memory Verasellee had shown me of the ritual two thousand years ago. That was how she’d shown me her memory. Because we’d been in close proximity to one another.

I shook my head in wonder. “How is this possible—”

“We don’t have much time,” the goddess interrupted. “I need to show you something.” She shifted and waved a glowing arm. The purple mist parted to reveal a scene in the fae lands.

A forest appeared below us, as if we hovered a mile above it. The thick swamp of trees looked nearly impossible to penetrate.

We zoomed toward it, careening toward the ground like a comet barreling toward earth.

I yelped in surprise when we crashed through the trees, even though I didn’t feel or hear anything. Our movements abruptly stopped and I found that we were now hovering just above the ground.

I gasped. A man who I didn’t recognize at first was crouching on the forest floor, but then his hood tipped back.

Huge pointed ears rose alongside his head. A pale-green hand rested on one of his knees, the skin taut and shiny. He was bent over, the skin on his lower legs similar to his newly regrown hand.

Lord Godasara. He’d regrown all of his appendages, and he was scribbling runes frantically into the soil.

A chill made me shiver. “He regrew his limbs?”

“Yes, but that’s not all he’s done. He’s still in the Derian Forest, except now he’s conjuring new spirits. If we don’t stop him, he will raise a vast army that will march on the capital. Your friends think that he’s been weakened, but he hasn’t been. Even though he lost his warlocks, he’s not weak. He carries such immense power, and when he’s with the trees, that power only increases. If he comes here, he will destroy the city. You can’t let that happen.”

My eyes snapped to the goddess’s. Fear was etched into her ethereal features. “But what do I do? How do I stop him?”

“You must first unlink me from him, so that he may be killed, but you cannot unlink the two of us. I need my tether to you. If we are unlinked, my soul will be lost. I will no longer exist. You are who ties me to the fae lands, to my body. You cannot return to earth until he is dead, and until then, we cannot be unlinked. You have to stop the sorcerers from doing that.”

It struck me then why I’d felt such an urgent need to sleep. If I hadn’t taken a nap, Verasellee never would have been able to tell me all of this before Reese and Nick conducted the ritual. Her soul would have been lost.

“But how is any of this even possible?” I asked, shaking my head. “How am I linked to you and Lord Godasara? How did I get your power? How did we even end up in this situation thousands of years after you came to this realm? I know you showed me the scene when you shot your power into the galaxy, but why did it come to me? Why was I chosen?”

She gave me a sad smile, the violet light around her flexing and flowing as if disturbed by a breeze. “You ask many questions, and we don’t have much time.”

Annoyance flared through me. “Your power killed me. I lost all of my magic. My entire life was turned inside out and upside down because of you. I think the least I deserve is an explanation for why I was used to do your bidding even if it takes a few minutes.”

Violet light flared in her eyes. “Careful, child. Remember to whom you speak.”

A burst of her power flowed over me, scorching me in its intensity, and it was enough to remind me that her being was so much greater than mine.

Still . . .

“Please. All I want is an explanation.”

“Very well.” She began speaking rapidly. “Thousands of years ago, the elf lord tricked me. I thought my lost love was in this fae realm, but he wasn’t. But by the time I got here, it was too late. Lord Godasara and the warlocks were ready and they captured me. Using their immense magic, they took my power. I tried my best to show you that in a dream. I showed you what they did to me and how I fought back.

“Flinging my power into the galaxy was the only thing I could think of in the short time I had, so I wove a spell around my power. My power would only go to an heir of a starlight-fated couple. I wanted the heir to be born of love—real love—and grow in a happy family so she could be strong and whole. But I also spelled it so the heir had to be strong. She would have to be strong enough to complete my task.”

Her eyes glowed violet. “It took two thousand years before my prophecy came to light. You are the heir of the starlight couple, and you have the strength to right what’s been wronged.”

I shook my head. “But I’m not strong. I never have been. I’ve been told that my magic was weak before the Safrinite comet, and now I don’t even have my magic anymore.”

“No, you don’t. My spell had to kill your magic and body before my power could reside inside you. My power is so great. It’s not meant for a human or supernatural body. It had to burn away all of the magic inside you and unlink your soul from your body before you could endure the physical feat of accepting my power inside of you.”

Shock rippled through me. “That’s why my magic was destroyed and why I was killed by the Safrinite comet.”

“Yes, and once that part of the prophecy was complete, the alignment birthed my power inside you. You were born again when the alignment glowed as bright as a moon. Except with that birth, you now had the power of a goddess even though you were still in your human form.”

My mouth opened as understanding slammed into me. “And Lord Godasara knew that. He knew you had flung your power into the galaxy and it was only a matter of time before it returned to fulfill your prophecy.”

“Yes, which is why he also went into a dormant sleep. He stayed alive by feeding off the warlocks, using their dark magic conjured by human and fae sacrifices.” Rage erupted in the goddess’s eyes, making them glimmer like purple diamonds. “Thousands died to keep them alive, all in the elf lord’s attempts to take and wield my power. For that, he will pay.”

She looked down, her fury-filled eyes dripping with vengeance. “But you have my power now, Avery. It’s up to you to stop him and save me and this realm. If Lord Godasara succeeds, he will capture the both of us; he will take my power from you, and you will die.

“But it’s not just your life that will suffer. Everyone in this realm will suffer. If he ensnares the Power of Time—the power you currently have—he controls everything. Do you understand? If you control time, you control the world. You can stop it as you wish. You can go back in time if you desire. You can go forward in time if you make a leap.

“With that kind of power, you control the planet. All you would need to do is pause the realm, kill your enemies, and take their riches. He would have absolute and complete control of the fae lands. You cannot let him succeed.”

My lips parted. “But I don’t know how to wield your power. The few times I’ve used it, it just happened without me doing anything. And the times I’ve tried to consciously stop time, it didn’t work.”

She hovered closer to me, her glittery form bobbing and swaying. “Let me show you.” She placed a hand on my spectral body, and then memories slammed into me.

The power of the action was so great that my mouth opened in a silent scream.

Millions of memories coursed through me. Hers. The realm’s. The universe’s.

Her eternal knowledge consumed me, filling me, devouring me.

Only seconds had passed, yet it felt as if years, and then a millennium, had been lived through me. The goddess removed her hand. “Do you see now?”

“I . . .” My mouth opened and closed like a fish. The knowledge of how to use her power was suddenly there. “Yes. I see now.”

“You have my power and its strength.” She drifted back just enough to disperse her crackling energy. “And you are worthy. It is why you were chosen. You have inherent strength, Avery, and now you know how to use my power. Do not doubt yourself.”

My heart hammered as something came back to me that Wyatt had said. Your magic may have been weak, but your soul is strong.

Was he right? I didn’t know, because I couldn’t remember.

“Why can’t I remember anything?” I asked, my eyes pleading. “Why don’t I know who I am?”

Her gaze turned apologetic, the first truly remorseful expression I’d seen her wear. “For the same reason you had to die to birth my power. It killed all of you, including the connection to your memories. Your memories are still there, but the pathways to access them are gone. It’s possible some of those pathways will return, some probably already have, or they may never. For that I am sorry, but we don’t have time for more questions. You need to wake, and you need to act.”

I took a deep breath, my thoughts whirling, but she was right. Now wasn’t the time to answer all of my burning questions, or mourn the loss of my memories, not if Lord Godasara was building an army as we spoke. “What do I need to do?”

The increasing urgency in her voice when she spoke next let me know that time was still ticking. The irony of it made a bitter laugh bubble up in my throat. Because of one sick elf lord, the Goddess of Time was unable to fully control time.

“First, you need to stop the sorcerers from unlinking us. Convince them to unlink me and the elf lord, but that’s it. And then once I am free of the lord, you must go after him.”

“But what if they don’t agree? What if I can’t make the sorcerers do as I ask?”

“You must. That is all I can say. You have to find a way to succeed.”

“And then I have to kill the elf lord?”

“Yes. After the link he and I share is broken, go to the Derian Forest and kill him.”

“But he’s so strong. He’s the only one who’s been able to break through your power inside me.” Fear flashed through me when I remembered how he’d watched me at the inn, and how he’d spoken to me at the mountain when I’d stopped time.

Verasellee drifted closer, urgency flaming in her eyes. “Do not doubt yourself, Avery. You have my power. You have a soul of steel. You are strong. You can defeat him, but you must hurry. The more time that passes, the stronger he grows. If you wait too long, he will have an army at his fingertips. The warlocks were merely a gateway to the ritual to ensnare my power. He knows that. He knows he’ll need to create new warlocks to finish the ritual to harvest my power, but he doesn’t have time for that now.

“But he’s smart. He knows what’s most important right now is to capture you and me. If he does, he will bind you again, and all will be lost. And remember, Godasara will go to any lengths to make that happen. That’s why he’s using the forest right now to create an army. Because if he has an army, he can destroy the capital. The capital will fall, and all will be his. Then time won’t matter. He can re-create his warlocks if he has us ensnared.”

She drifted closer to me, her eyes alive with violet light. “You have to wake now, Avery. Unlink him and me, and then finish him once and for all. The fate of this realm depends on you.”

“So I go to him with the SF? We fight him before he can finish his army?”

“No! Aren’t you listening? He’s almost done building his army, and once he is, he’ll be unstoppable. You must go to him now. You cannot wait for the Supernatural Forces from the earthly realm. By the time they arrive, it will be too late. His army will have risen and this realm will be in peril. You must go now, Avery. Unlink my soul from his and stop him!”

Her voice thundered in my ears as a rush of energy barreled into me. Violet light. Crackling power. Her command careened into my soul with the strength and magic of a godly entity. That sense of fractured time cut into my spectral form, as if everything had stopped and then was joltingly restarted.

I bolted upright in bed, gasping for breath. Bright sunlight drifted around the bed chambers as my thoughts whirred with everything the goddess had just revealed.

I frantically sought for her physical form.

She lay on the enchanted stretcher, her figure still, her expression serene. Until she and the lord were unlinked, she was vulnerable to his power.

My eyes widened at everything Verasellee had revealed. I didn’t have much time. I had to act now if I wanted to stop Lord Godasara. Because if I failed, this entire realm would perish.

Throwing the covers off me, I shot out of bed.