Shifters’ Fae Captive by Lacey Carter Andersen
Chapter 8
Ann
When I walkinto the cave, Onyx follows, glaring at a wound on his shoulder. The others can talk outside all they want, but I don’t care. I’d heard all I’d needed to hear. Get rid of her. He’d said it. I didn’t catch the rest, but he’d suggested it… I would scream if I thought it would do any good.
Jerk.
Were these three actually acting like I’d come here of my own accord? Did they not remember the whole kidnapping thing? Hadn’t I already asked to go home?
But instead of listening to me, or even explaining things to me, they’d insisted I was stuck here. It was annoying, but I was working on my plan. Then I went and used some weird power that’s got me really freaked out, and suddenly they’re ready to kick me to the curb?
Nice, real nice.
Onyx sits across from me on a pallet of blankets near the small fire in their cave. He’s quite good looking except for the scowl he’s wearing when he looks up at me. I get the feeling--those scowls say a lot--that he doesn’t like me. I don’t know much sign language, just enough to ask a couple questions, but I move closer to him and touch his shoulder.
When he looks at me, I sit for a second, dumb-founded because he’s beautiful. Blond and built for battle. His hair is gathered on top of his head in a ponytail. And he’s bare-chested, so there are acres and acres of muscle and skin in my eyeline.
“Are they your brothers?” I mouth the words as I sign them because I’m not sure if I’m signing the right words.
He doesn’t answer, and I don’t know if it’s because he’s a rude asshat or if I’m mangled the question so badly he has no idea what I’m trying to ask.
I drop the ASL and use generic signals that make sense in my head. “Is this where you live?” I point to our cave then air-draw a house.
He shoots me another glare then winces. The cut on his shoulder is seeping blood down his left arm and he pulls it around to look. The laceration is deep but something inside me is drawn closer. Like the moment I first saw the light in the forest. Somehow, I can feel power vibrating inside me. It’s like an angry bee, buzzing to be released, but I don’t know why or what it’ll do if it gets out.
I sit beside him and like my hands have a mind of their own, they glow and he pulls away, flinches, shakes his head. This is different than the glow when I… killed those disgusting creatures in the woods with Dusk. Still powerful, but soothing. There’s no part of me that thinks the power will hurt anyone, but I honestly don’t know what it’ll do.
I slide my thumb against my fingertips. The light doesn’t even flicker. And then I have a strange sense that makes a shiver roll through my body. I’ve never seen a light fae’s hands glow, but I have spoken to fae with the ability to heal. It’s a rare gift, but when they described how it worked, they described it like this. Like a power in their hands. Like a buzzing through their body. Just not with the weird glow.
All fae want to try to utilize the rarest of our kind’s gifts, but those that have it, simply have it. They can use it, even from a young age. Still, there were times through the years where I concentrated and willed myself to be able to do something special. I wanted so badly to be someone special.
I never was.
But right now… right now I have the strangest feeling that I can heal him, if I just try.
Instead of reaching to touch him right away, I continue trying to touch the light until a loud breath whistles out of his nose followed by a huff like I’m annoying him. It’s enough to snap me out of my amusement with my glowing hands.
“Hold still.” Either he understands or my touch repulses him enough he’s holding still in the hopes I’ll think he died and leave him alone. But as I lay my palm on the wound, the power flows between us, more from me to him, and his head tilts to the side, exposing a long length of neck I have the sudden and powerful urge to taste, especially when my gaze runs along the scar on his beautiful neck. The need arises inside of me, and then I’m imagining more. More than just touching him.
I jerk away because no way should I be thinking about licking the guy who is clearly repulsed by me. It just shows that I’m even more screwed up than I thought.
But I am.
Thinking about it.
Still.
And my mouth waters. I let my tongue slide along my lower lip and his eyes follow the trail. And just when I think he’s going to get up and walk away from me because I’m too close and making too much out of all this, he lifts a hand and brushes the back of his finger along a trail from my jaw to my chin then lets his fingertip tease the skin just below my lip.
The touch might not glow like my hands, but his touch is electric and it tingles through me all the way to my toes. “Wow.”
He smiles, or as close to it as he probably ever gets, and I swallow hard. When I said he was beautiful, I lied. He’s whatever is better than beautiful. His dark eyes smolder with what I hope is desire because that’s what’s purring through me.
And it’s as scary as being stuck here with these guys. I don’t know everything. I don’t really know anything, if I’m honest, but I can’t stay here. I can’t be attracted to a guy who thinks he’s “claimed” me as his mate. What the fuck does that even mean?
Honestly. There are three of them and they all claimed me. Truth be told, it’s flattering, especially since these guys are built like gods and look like GQ models. And the thought of three of them claiming me, wanting me, is hot. For a second, my mind spins with fantasies--erotic and blissful--and I lose the reasons I want to leave. But just for a second.
Then, I remember Rayne. My mate. He’d walked onto campus with all the strength and power of a royal fae. Every woman had wanted him. Every guy wanted to be part of his crew. But when he’d spotted me, he had eyes only for me. The connection between us was like nothing I’d ever felt in my life. It was a calling. A deep need to be with each other or cease to exist.
My gaze moves to the Blood Stone Necklace that’s been around my neck every day since he gave it to me. It’s dark red, a deep scarlet color like nothing else on earth, save maybe blood itself. And the colors swirl together in a memorizing way.
It’s priceless. Quite literally. If someone tried to sell it, they’d be offered any number under the sun and have to take the highest offer, even knowing it was worth more. The stones are rare, and only found around Rayne’s lands. And he’d given this to me.
Because we were always going to be together. We were mates. For life.
Tears sting my eyes. These men claim I’m their mate. I feel a connection to them, but not the same way I did with Rayne. With him, there was no question. With these men, all I have are questions, and one of them seems to be whether they plan to get rid of me or not.
Now, I really want to go home.
Pulling my hand away from the giant man, his hand has already dropped back to his side. On his shoulder, blood has stained his skin. But underneath that, his wound is gone.
Any other time, I’d be dancing around hooting and hollering that I was actually able to heal someone. But I don’t feel any joy at the realization, just a mind-numbing sadness for all I lost, and all I can never forget.
I move back to my own side of the cave and sit. There has to be a way out of here. I have to get back to my real life. Away from these men…
He stands and moves to the cave entrance and walks out. I frown. He’s not going to guard me? Are the others staying close to ensure I don’t run?
Or is now my chance?
I creep to the doorway and look both ways. None of the guys are there. In fact, everything is almost painfully silent.
If I’m going to go, it’s now or never.
I scan the woods one more time, take a deep breath, and run like I’m the anchor in the last leg of the Olympic relay. The air whips around me, and I run and run until I’m sure I can’t see the cave any longer, then keep going as fast as I can.
The forest around me feels dark and creepy. This far away from the cave, there’s no light from the fire. There’s only the moonlight and stars. My mind keeps flashing back to the shadow beasts and the creatures they fight. None of it makes sense. And as much as I want to believe the beasts are the good guys, I’m not really sure.
I don’t even know how long I would have been safe with them. Or if when they said to get rid of me, they meant to let me go back home, or if I was going to end up on the end of one of their swords. It’s true fae would never kill their mates, but I don’t even know if I believe these guys about the mate-bond. For all I know, it’s all just a lie.
So why does it feel like I’m running from safety into danger?
Out of breath, and with my legs burning, I stop to lean against a tree. I have a cramp in my side, a rock in my shoe, and not enough breath to pant, but I’m not going back. I’m going home. Period.
But as I catch my breath, the birds and night creatures go silent around me. Every hair on my body stands on end, and I slowly look around, even though I already know I’m not alone. My gaze connects with two silver eyes in a hulking shadowy creature. And then, I spot another pair of silver eyes near the first.
Fuck.
Okay, so I’m going home. No matter what... As soon as I figure out a way around the hideous and terrifying trolls who’ve come to stare at me.
I inch away from the scary creatures and glance at my escape. A second later, Onyx is there, breathing so hard his entire chest rises and falls like he’s run a marathon. And the look in his eyes? Even beneath the moonlight it’s scary as hell.
Even if I’m not sure whether his anger is directed at me or the creatures in front of me.
So, I guess I’m going home. After I escape the trolls, and the ponytailed-blond man who is still bare-chested and behind me now.
I might not have thought this through...
I fade left, dodge right and try to weave around the pair of ugly trolls blocking my path, but not only are they the most unfortunate looking creatures, they’re sturdy and wide. My fades and dodges are no match for the bulk of these critters. No matter which way I go, they seem to be in front of me again.
One grabs for me and I duck under his arms and around him. He doesn’t come after me though, even though I hear growls of rage and anger. Which means I should keep going, right?
So why do my steps slow and I feel like I have to go back?
When I turn to glance behind me, the trolls are both attacking the shadow beast, and Onyx is fighting from the ground. Probably not because he finds it easier. His sword gets knocked from his hands, and goes flying out of his reach, but he’s quick to recover, grabbing a dagger from his belt. He thrusts it into one of the trolls and wraps both hands around the handle then twists, and the squishing sound makes my stomach turn.
Okay, he’s got this. So just go.
I blow out a few quick breaths, trying to convince myself to see this as an opportunity to escape. But one of the trolls takes a log, I never even saw him pick up, and swings at the shadow beast. Onyx drops his dagger and catches the log, but it still crashes down on him.
And then, the troll races forward, disappearing into the night.
I should run. I should escape while I have the chance. But for some reason, I stay rooted in place. A little voice whispers in the back of my thoughts that I can’t just leave Onyx like this.
The log is suddenly shoved off of him. He manages to get it onto the ground beside him, but he barely moves. He just lies in place, and all I can hear is the sound of his uneven breathing.
Help him, the voice whispers again, and I want to obey.
Which is stupid. But even still, I rush back to him.
I kneel beside him, and see that his eyes are squeezed shut, and he’s most definitely breathing unevenly. There’s no blood, except for the black troll blood that covers him. Nothing immediately off. But I don’t believe for a second he’d be lying here if something isn’t terribly wrong.
Just the thought of his internal injuries from that log has my stomach turning. Try to heal him. You did it once, you can do it again. I bit my lip, and hope that when I hold my hands out, they glow.
For a second, I’m just a fool holding out her hands while a man dies in front of me. But then, they surprise me by slowly glowing until they’re as bright as they were last time.
Swallowing hard, I lay my hands on Onyx... and hope.
