The Rise of the Underworld Page 15

  He’d tried to do nice things for me ever since he arrived in the Underworld, to make up for his sins, I bet.

  Part of me urged me to go to him, talk to him, and get to know him more, yet the other part, which was vengeful, proud, and stubborn, pushed me away from him. I kept telling myself that the last thing I wanted was another complicated relationship.

  And I was in no hurry of suffering the humiliation by succumbing to the mating fever and letting the druid do whatever he wanted with me.

  I woke up in the wee hours of the night, and Merlin’s loneliness slammed into me. He didn’t mean to, but his magic was leaking, despite his efforts to put his emotions on a short leash.

  He’d been so lonely for eons, as the only one of his kind.

  I almost called him to join us and share our warmth, but Ash murmured something in his dream and tugged me against his broad chest. Exhausted, I drifted back to sleep until the sound of thunder jerked me awake.

  Max and Ash had already shot up from their spots beside me, shielding me, ready to charge and fight.

  Merlin’s illusion dropped, and he strode toward us.

  “Thunder has never struck the Underworld before,” I said, rising from my bedroll and gazing up at the sky.

  “The Guardians of the Shades know we’re coming,” Merlin said. “That thunder was their magical manifestation.”

  “To scare us off?” I asked.

  Then we heard the increased shouting from the cave beneath.

  “It’s fine,” Ash shouted back. “It was just some thunder. Get ready. We’re setting out soon.”

  No one could sleep anyway, after that thunder.

  “Pack now!” Jonathan barked.

  The clans in the cavern started their preparations.

  “Ayanna,” Merlin said. Suddenly he stood very close to me, and I hadn’t even seen him move. “May I have a moment with you alone?”

  I looked at him warily. “What do you need?”

  “To get past the Shades, I need to help you activate the mating bond between us.”

  Ash and Max narrowed their stormy eyes at Merlin. They hadn’t forgiven him for kidnapping me to the Underworld. My mates were less forgiving than I. Still, they left the choice of accepting Merlin or not to me.

  My heart pounded violently. I wasn’t ready to mate with Merlin, despite my body’s urging.

  “I’m not ready,” I said, my voice terse, my pose stiff.

  “I’ll make it easy for you,” Merlin said.

  “She said she wasn’t ready,” Ash snarled. “Just fuck off, druid.”

  “We don’t have time for this continued grudge and pettiness,” Merlin said, and he attacked.

  A magical wind tossed Max and Ash away from me. My two mates charged back toward me, only to meet an invisible barrier. Max pounded the barrier with his wings and fists, and Ash tossed his ice storm at it. Both males cursed Merlin profusely.

  I put up my hands, red lightning sparking on my fingertips, as I was determined to defend myself.

  Merlin sighed, his violet eyes holding an ocean of remorse and sadness.

  “I’ll never harm you,” he said.

  But my expression told him that I wasn’t as confident as he was.

  “I don’t deserve you,” he continued. “I know that. I accepted that when I sent you away and robbed you of your birthright and made you live through all the hardships one can’t even imagine. I won’t claim you the way it was supposed to happen between us, between a man and a woman. I’ll activate the bond between us with a kiss, so you can access your full power when we enter the Shades. The Guardians will test you, and they aren’t exactly nice beings. You’ll need your flame to light the path and burn the shadows to protect your people.”

  “Just one kiss?” I asked, a hint of suspicion tainting my voice.

  “I’d prefer to do more,” Merlin said. “But we’ll settle for one kiss under the circumstances.”

  I dropped my hands, and the red lightning vanished.

  I wasn’t exactly sure if the lightning would hurt the druid if I moved against him. But it was a relief to know I didn’t need to fight him. And I hoped that I wouldn’t have to fight Elijah either. We’d just go through the Shades and not cross paths with my first mate. But then, how could I abandon him like that?

  Yet I couldn’t find any other solution. I tore my mind from Elijah and focused on Merlin.

  “You could have just said so instead of being so dramatic,” I told him.

  Merlin flashed me a feral grin, all white teeth. “I think Max’s and Ash’s styles rubbed off on me. Besides, if I didn’t toss them away, they’d never stop bugging me. I hate the constant argument with them that goes nowhere, which is from personal experience.”

  On the other side of the barrier, Max and Ash cursed Merlin.

  “We need to do it quickly, Ayanna,” Merlin sighed. “Those two have brutal strength. They’ll soon break through the barrier. They’ve learned how.” He shook his head ruefully. “I have fewer tricks against them.”

  “You prick,” Ash hissed.

  “I won’t do anything with you until you drop the barrier,” I said. “My loyalty stays with them, now and forever. They’re my mates and my team, and we decide everything together, including the kiss you offered.”

  Max and Ash grinned, and then they pounded the barrier with their combined strength and brought it down.

  They charged at Merlin like two enraged bulls, but I moved fast, too, and cut in between the three males.

  “This isn’t the time to get into another fight,” I said, putting my foot down on their aggression.

  Merlin spread his arms. “She’s right. And I didn’t come to the Underworld to fight you. I came to solve the problem.”

  “Shut up, druid. Max and I need to discuss this with our mate,” Ash said, excluding Merlin.

  I regarded Max and Ash. “So what are we going to do about the kiss he mentioned?”

  Max sighed. “The fucker is right about the magical stuff. I say we get it over with.” He turned to Merlin and snapped his fingers to instruct him. “Press your lips to Ayanna’s and let your magic flow into her to boost hers. Make it as quick and brief as possible.”

  “Like you’re the expert on how to conduct magic.” Merlin schooled his face into a sneer. “It takes effort to prepare and make it happen.”

  Although he tried to do all these nice things for me, I could tell that it hurt him to see the three of us pose as a united front and exclude him from our tight circle.

  From what I’d glimpsed into his thoughts and angst last night, I knew he had always been an outsider, despite his power, despite his blood oath with my other mates, despite the fact that I was his destined female.

  “If we need to do it right, we’ll do it right,” I said. “It’s just a kiss.”

  Yet we all knew that it wouldn’t be just a kiss.

  I didn’t know what to expect. The thrill of anticipation and anxiety fluttered in my stomach. Part of me craved for Merlin to kiss me and then do much, much more.

  “So I’ll just stand here, right, while you, uh, do it?” I asked, wheeling toward Merlin.

  I wondered if I should part or close my lips. It might sound dumb to ask a question like that, though.

  Ash and Max flanked me, two pairs of hard eyes glaring at Merlin.

  Well, this wouldn’t be a hot kiss but a very awkward one. I was sure now.

  For a second, I wished Ash and Max weren’t around. If I hadn’t demanded Merlin drop the barrier, he would have enhanced it, and then by the time Max and Ash broke the barrier, Merlin and I could have enjoyed a hot, unsupervised kiss.

  I might not get another kiss from him again.

  I darted a quick glance at Merlin’s curvy lips, then at his warrior/scholar body. It looked hot and delicious. Mating heat raced in my bloodstream, urging me to go to my last mate, to claim him and be claimed.

  Merlin’s eyes glowed violet.

  There was no denial of the strong
pull and chemistry between us.

  Sexual tension whipped the air—the tension wasn’t just between Merlin and me, but Max, Ash, and me. But right now, with Merlin, it was thicker, because the mating call demanded I fuck my last mate at all costs.

  Merlin advanced toward me. I tensed, and my lips parted automatically.

  “Just don’t do something stupid, druid,” Ash said. “Get it over with quickly.”

  Merlin rolled his eyes, controlled anger in them, on top of his thick desire for me.

  Max gave me a look, then dragged Ash away with him.

  “Don’t be a dick, fae,” Max said, shoving Ash away while the Winter Prince tried to fight back. “This isn’t for him but for Ayanna.”

  “We must stand guard to protect her from him,” Ash said.

  “Do you really think he’ll hurt our mate?” Max said exasperatedly. “We may not like his past methods and dick moves, but what he did might have kept our mate from falling into the enemy’s hands.”

  “Fine. We’ll give the druid two minutes to get the job done,” Ash said.

  “Make it ten. That’s all I ask,” Merlin said. “Ayanna is my mate, too, no matter how I wronged her. I won’t have many moments with her in the future. So indulge me for once.”

  My heart skipped a beat.

  I knew there was a big gap between Merlin and me, but as much as I hated to admit it, I’d started to warm up to him when he’d come to the Underworld for me, risking being trapped and even killed here himself. I’d thought he would court me just like my other mates, no matter how long it would take to get me to accept him. I hadn’t expected him to give up on me already.

  I meant so little to him. That was why he’d arranged to have me stolen and shipped to the Underworld to fit his agenda, even though I was supposed to be his mate.

  I thought I’d dealt with him and that he could no longer hurt me emotionally. Yet hearing that all he wanted with me was ten minutes and then he’d be done with me still hurt like a burning knife twisting my innards.

  “Just tell me what I should do to get this over with as soon as possible,” I said coldly.

  “Ayanna,” he said softly, peeking into my eyes with the tenderness and pain and passion of the vast universe. “You have no idea how much I want you. I’ve never wanted anyone or anything as much as I want you. Sending you away and not keeping you by my side is the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but I did it anyway. I have duties and responsibilities that supersede my innermost desire. If I satisfy my selfish need, I’ll disrupt the balance of the world. I see that possible outcome in my vision, and I see that you’re truly hurt in every sense, and I won’t allow it to happen to you. I’m not saying this to gain your sympathy or manipulate you to forgive me. You’re more than I hoped for, yet I can’t have you. At least not for a long while. My moments with you are limited. I’m saying this now like a sentimental fool because I need you to know how important and valuable you are to me. You’re everything to me.”

  I sucked in a breath as I heard the heartbreaking truth in his words.

  He held my chin up with his thumb and forefinger, and our gazes locked. His heat radiated to me, and I responded, echoing his desire.

  His hand trembled.

  “Ayanna.” He whispered my name as if it was divine to him, as if I was the only link to his lonely soul, and as if he would only go on as long as I lived.

  My existence and happiness in the end was his true reward, and that was the depth of his feelings for me, though we hadn’t spent enough time with each other.

  He’d had me in his heart all along.

  I was amazed that those profound feelings were even possible since we’d never had physical intimacy.

  “Merlin,” I whispered. “If you hadn’t sent me here, my people here might never have seen the light or freedom. They’d eventually die out. A whole race in the Underworld would go extinct. If you hadn’t taken me before Cain found me, we’d have lost more. And my parents might lose me forever.”

  And Merlin kissed me.

  It was feather light at first, then images that I’d never seen before wheeled in my head like a slide show—spectacular waterfalls; snowcapped landscapes; long-tailed, colorful birds chirping in a fairytale-like forest; sunrise, sunset, and twinkling stars filling the night sky…

  They were the wonders of Earth, and my heart ached with longing.

  Then I was flying with Merlin through galaxies to reach his home. I saw the birth of the stars, then their death, then their rebirth, unfolding before me like a terrifying yet wondrous mystery.

  I saw precious lives unfolding with pure purpose, and death entwined with life like an unending dance.

  I saw worlds beyond my wildest imagination, and in the vast universe, Merlin treasured me the most, despite the fact that I was but a dust mite in infinity.

  Merlin’s kiss deepened, scorching my lips and stoking my feminine fire.

  I suppressed a moan.

  His tongue invaded my mouth, sweeping over my teeth and hard palate to taste me before seeking my tongue. This time, a moan of pleasure escaped from the depths of my throat, demanding more of the druid. Demanding he give me everything he possessed.

  Merlin groaned, grabbing me to him tighter, and I inserted my shaking hand into his thick mane, pulling him down, pulling him closer to my core. I no longer wanted any space between us. I no longer cared about shielding myself against him.

  Merlin thrust his tongue toward mine, mating with me.

  I moaned and whimpered and answered his call with my every raw need.

  I’d give anything to have him claim me. I wanted him to bury his cock deep inside me and to imprint me forever. Every part of me had forgiven him, and now I wanted to fuck him.

  A rough sound rumbled in his chest.

  Lust and power formed an energy beam and poured into me.

  Merlin’s magic.

  It was the galaxy fire.

  The most potent power now flowed through my veins, waking up every dormant cell. My magic responded and leapt, reaching his, circling before joining him.

  Fever, lust, pleasure, desperation, dreams, and despair came together. Merlin’s magic mated with mine, touching and caressing me everywhere at once and in every possible way.

  It stoked the flesh between my thighs and entered my depths, filling me with magic and wonder and promises.

  Together, our magics rippled, vibrated, and sang until they coaxed out my orgasm, wave after wave lapping at the golden shore.

  Lightning ran across my skin and shot into the gray sky. Our magics finished the final mating, gazing and whispering at each other in awe and tenderness.

  When I opened my eyes, Merlin wasn’t at my side anymore.

  The rose gold icon beamed like a star, and the glyph of an ivy vine that connected the four icons sparked to life; the mating circle was finally complete.

  Merlin had done what he’d promised.

  My power transcended everything, and I felt I could reach the stars again.

  Initially, Max and Ash had tried to get me to the Upper Realm to have Merlin train me. There’d be no training now. It was up to me to learn how to use my full, awoken power.

  I felt complete, yet at the same time, so lost. Merlin and I were no longer together. But in a sense, he would always be with me, as he’d whispered to my soul while our magics mated. He wouldn’t be with me physically, unlike Ash and Max.

  My gaze shifted to the icon of dark gold. The pale light from it had never vanished, even though Elijah was hunting us. Maybe the mating bond was beyond even the dark force? Maybe the archdemon was still redeemable? I’d have to check with Merlin later and get the druid to help him.

  I soon joined all of my mates to help the seven clans get above ground. Many of them inhaled the dense, sulfur-filled air and laughed, especially the children. They had never in their lives come to the surface until now.

  There were always many more who were less fortunate than us, and helping them kept our humanity al
ive.

  My gaze traveled between Ash, Max, and Merlin as they worked together to help our people to safety. Their hair was tussled and wild, their hard muscles flexed and sweated, they had dirt and grime all over them, yet they were the hottest in my sight.

  And the kiss with Merlin still burned in my memories that would last for a lifetime.

  CHAPTER 20

  __________________

  We continued our exodus toward the Shades.

  The cracked land was hot and dry beneath our feet. The air was thick with sulfur and smoke, as we marched closer to the volcanic hills. No one complained, not even the children. We moved on as one people.

  Max, Ash, Merlin, my tiger, and I trekked in the front. Sebastian, Octavia, and the Alpha Pure warriors marched right behind us. The children, elders, and civilians were placed in the center. The Omega Power team and fighters from other clans brought up the rear.

  During the whole day’s journey, we hadn’t spotted a single demon. Maybe we finally had a lucky break. But the tightness in my chest told me that the Guardians of the dead in the Shades might be worse than the demons. But we had to face them. We had no choice. We had to cross over the Shades to get to the last leyline. It was either risk the wrath of the dead or be hunted by the demons and die.

  We stopped at the fringe of the land of the Shades.

  The entry to the realm was a narrow trail between two columns of black mountains that spewed lava now and then. The path beyond the entrance was pitch black.

  When the lava stopped, smoke and ash spilled from the red-gray sky.

  Max ordered the Alpha Pure team to get the seven clans to camp where they were for the night.

  Only my mates and I would enter the Shades to get a pass first. If we made it out alive, we’d then bring our people in. That was the solution we and the Protectors came up with. And despite all her nasty objections to our exodus to the Shades, Halia had followed us, all the while spreading rumors and negativity.

  I allowed her to follow, but I wouldn’t allow her to reside in Atlantis if she ever made it with the rest of the clans. But I had bigger issues than her to worry about at the moment.