Aquarius (Guardians of the Stars Book 2) Read online

  My steps slowed as I neared the queen-sized bed. Stay. A voice whispered inside, stilling me as I lowered her to the mattress.

  Dragon? I called as I lowered her head to the pillow. But the sound was gone, as though it’d never been there at all.

  The thick white cotton sheet lay crumpled at the foot of the bed. I grasped the corner and dragged it over her boots and along her legs.

  Heavy steps echoed from the hallway, slowing at the doorway. “Is she okay?”

  I glanced over my shoulder, finding anguish in my older brother’s eyes, and dropped my gaze to his clean clothes. “For now.”

  The anguish softened as my brother held out his hand. “Good, let’s bring the big oaf home.”

  I gripped his hand, but felt nothing with the connection of my kin. There was no warmth, there was no power, and there was no dragon. “Yes.”

  Marcus tightened his grip and reached up to squeeze my shoulder. “I’m sorry, Victor. I failed you and I failed Odessa. I should’ve known… I should’ve protected everyone.”

  “We should’ve protected them, that’s why we were born, isn’t it?” The whisper slipped into a growl. “We can fix this…it’s not too late, right?”

  My brother reached up to grasp my shoulder. His gaze slipped into the room. Something passed through those black eyes and suddenly, I felt weak as Marcus answered.

  “We’ll do our damndest to try.”

  2

  Odessa

  I licked my lips and tasted blood.

  The shadowed wolf circled me from the darkened corners of my mind. I huddled against the fire, taking comfort in the dull orange light, yet I felt no warmth—I felt nothing. The beast lunged into the flickering light from the fire to threaten me with a snarl before moving into the darkness once more.

  Sold.

  A man’s voice echoed from somewhere below.

  Sold.

  The deep, familiar voice called me over. Look, it said. Come over here…

  A warning inside came to life. I was in unfamiliar territory—this was dangerous ground. I kicked the earth, finding strength in the familiar. But instead of dirt and sticks from the forest floor, I found the night. Stars sparkled far below, as if the grime had been washed from this world, and left only diamonds behind.

  Darkness shimmered, inviting me to dip into the endless pool. My feet tingled with the thought. One slight movement had been all I needed. I curled my toes, shifting my weight as the man’s voice rang out.

  Sold…

  But this time it was followed by a child.

  Please don’t make me go Papa…

  A tiny voice slipped through the night. The child’s voice was familiar, and my chest ached with the sound. I knew that voice… I knew that voice…

  Please Papa... I love you.

  Stop calling me that. I’m not your Papa.

  “No more. Please no more,” I whispered and instead of my own husky tone, I’d returned to that small, pathetic girl once more. “Don’t make me go back there. Please, don’t make me.”

  Chains rattled as I dragged my hands up to cover my ears. Heavy shackles weighed my wrists down. My thin arms shook as I heaved the manacles higher, until I couldn’t hold the strain. I dropped my wrists to the ground and the metal links clattered. The sound filled my head, blending with the snap of the fire. Sparks shot into the endless night, sending a flare for help. But no one would save me, not down here in the dark corners of my mind. Down here, I couldn’t even save myself.

  The guttural growl of the shadowed wolf came from my left. I spun, catching silver eyes glinting in the orange hue of the fire.

  You know where you are. You’re alone with me and all the nasty things you’ve done, Odessa. They’ve been waiting for you…all those memories just sitting here waiting to remind you who you really are.

  Heavy panting surrounded me. I clenched my fists and screamed. “Why don’t you show your face…fucking coward.”

  The snarl from the shadows turned into a guttural chuckle. I turned my gaze toward the click of nails as the wolf edged closer. Anger burned inside my chest and slipped through my lips. “You…you just stay away from me. You just stay away.”

  The shadows shimmered and blurred, until a tear spilled down my cheek. I dropped my head, catching the tear on my jaw with a swipe of my shoulder and whispered. “Stay away from Victor, and stay away from me.”

  Victor? Where is your Victor now?

  I shuffled backward, searching the darkness. Victor was here, somewhere. He wouldn’t leave me. We were meant to be…we were meant to be. If only he’d let us be together.

  I held on to my prophecy, to the right order of things. “Blue eyes. Water. Blue eyes. Water. Hold on to me, Victor…hold on.”

  I stumbled closer to the fire and kicked something soft. Her hands and legs wind-milled as she spun and came to a stop beside my foot. A perpetual smile found me, one side faded, but the grin was still there…in my memory at least.

  “Abby?”

  I crouched and skimmed my fingers along the once blue smock. The orange hue illuminated the grotty fabric and thick, corded strands of red wool hair. I dropped to the ground and knelt beside the worn makeshift doll. Tufts of wool burst from the seam along the side of her face. I speared my fingers into the mess, shoving the cluster inside her head and picked her up.

  The doll blurred, melting into the shadows. I sniffed the mess that trickled from my nose and shoved the doll against my face, breathing in the dirt and the grime. “I… I thought…I’d lost you.”

  The chains clinked as I slipped my legs out from under my body and sat beside the fire. A bubble of snot grew from my nose, distorting my voice. “I thought I’d lost you, Abby.”

  Not lost, just waiting.

  Her half-faded mouth never moved…but the sound was real. The sound was really her. “Waiting for me?”

  Yes, silly.

  I cradled her along my arm, the shackle a hard pillow. One slow rock and everything was right once more. “I missed you.”

  I missed you too, Odessa. But you know what you have to do right? You know why you’re here? You want to be with your family…your real family, right?

  I stilled the motion and closed my eyes. Inside my mind the shadows became more than wolves, they became monsters. Men with leering smiles and cruel hands. Men who liked little girls like me. A tortured sound slipped out, screeching like a tiny bird had taken flight and had finally gone home.

  You know what you have to do.

  I shook my head and clutched Abby tight. “I don’t like it… I don’t like it when they make me.”

  It’s the only way. Be a big girl now. Show me how big you can be, Odessa. Can you do that? Can you do that for me?

  I opened my eyes to stare at the lopsided smirk. “Don’t make me hurt them… I don’t like hurting anyone.”

  If you don’t then they’ll take me from you, do you want that? Do you want them to take me away?

  “No,” I whispered and pressed Abby to my cheek. Her stuffing bulged and spilled free. “No, I don’t want them to hurt you. But I have to save Victor. He needs me.”

  He can’t even reach you. You’ll stay down here where it’s always dark and you’ll belong to me.

  “But what if I don’t want to?”

  Abby didn’t answer.

  I opened my eyes. The bad men were gone and so was Abby. I raised my hand and brushed the tips of my fingers across my face. Something thick fell across my cheek, my nose and my forehead.

  “Where am I? What’s happening to me?”

  The night looked different now. The flickering light from the fire was gone and so were the stars. In the absence of light, nothing remained.

  I stood in nothing.

  I breathed in nothing.

  With every breath, nothing filled me… And as I waited for hope to come and rescue me, I became…nothing.

  3

  Victor

  “Damn, what is that stench?” Orlando speared his hand thro
ugh the thick underbrush and surged forward.

  “That stench is the pens,” someone snarled behind me.

  I turned catching the dark hue of Rowen’s swollen eye and her protruding lip as she strode past.

  She lifted her hand, her fingers danced as she motioned toward the trees. “We’re close, but we should’ve split up like I said. They could be anywhere by now and they could come back at any second without warning. Hell, they might be here, watching us.”

  The musky scent of confusion—laced with the silky sweet scent of excitement—permeated the air around her and left a trail in her wake. Excitement? Why would she be excited? I lengthened my stride, matching hers. “Marcus said we stick together, until we know this isn’t a trap.”

  Rowen slowed her steps. Her sea green eyes turned cold as she found mine. “Sol doesn’t set traps. He just takes what he wants and leaves the unwanted behind.”

  “Just to be sure, we stay together.” Marcus slowed with Abrial in tow and scanned the woods. “Just until we know exactly what we’re dealing with. We don’t need any more fucking surprises. Just look for anything that might help us track these bastards.”

  Rowen’s words haunted me as she turned to break through the brush. The sun glinted off something on the ground. I blinked with the glare and lifted my hand to shield my eyes. A shadow moved just behind the gleam, low and careful…wolf. My breath caught.

  “Marcus…wait.” I turned finding nothing but the blinding glint in my eyes. I tracked the heavy sound of my brother’s steps as the smell of excrement filled me. I slid my hand to my nose and turned back.

  “Jesus,” Isaiah gasped, moving closer. “No…oh, no.”

  I blinked through the glare as Isaiah came into view, then broke away. My heart sped, filling my ears with the heavy throb. “Isaiah… Isaiah!”

  “I’m fine. I’m over here,” my younger brother snapped.

  A long whine echoed, too high to be any of my brothers’. The keening sound was filled with pain. Through the blinding glare, something moved and as I speared my way through the last of the trees, I caught sight of a wolf.

  No, not a wolf. A pup.

  I dragged in a breath…it was female.

  The motley bundle was so small—all skin and bones. Big, dark eyes watched Isaiah approach, until he came too close. The little wolf curled her top lip, baring white needle-like teeth. Isaiah slowed his steps and waved his hand, motioning for me to stay back.

  The gravel in his voice softened as he took one slow step. “It’s okay, we’re not going to hurt you little buddy.”

  “That’s a girl…”

  I turned my head toward Abrial as she slowed her steps, edging closer. She held out her hand, never once taking her eye off the tiny wolf as she spoke. “Her mom. She’s waiting for her mom.”

  The pup whimpered, standing on all fours, only to sit once more outside the pen. I scanned the mud and the muck, finding the cause of the glare. Stainless steel handcuffs stuck out of the ground. I stepped closer to the railing. The smell of blood and terror lingered, leaving behind a stain that would haunt this place forever.

  Her words hit me like a roundhouse kick to the balls. Not just a pup, a girl…waiting for her mom.

  Abandoned, a whisper echoed. Forgotten.

  “It’s okay sweetheart. You’re safe now. Come on.”

  The tremor in Abrial’s voice drew me into the present. She knelt at the edge of the enclosure and waited. Seconds seemed to last for hours as the little wolf stood on trembling legs and took a step before sitting once more. Over and over, she edged closer to Abrial’s outstretched hand, one tiny movement at a time.

  Abrial allowed the pup to set the pace. There was no hurry with trust.

  I licked my lips and tried to ease the desert in my mouth. “Why has she shifted?”

  “She’s terrified,” Abrial snarled, and then softened her tone. “It’s a primal thing—run, hide, bite.” She turned her attention back to the pup. “But no one’s going to hurt you now, you’re safe with me.”

  The gold of the pup’s fur sparkled as she moved into the sunlight. She craned her neck, dragging her back legs along the ground, and sniffed Abrial’s fingers.

  “Where’s your momma, sweetheart? Where did they take her?” Abrial murmured and slid her finger along the pup’s snout.

  “They’re gone. The entire camp’s deserted.” Marcus grunted as he thrashed through the trees behind me. “Fuck!”

  The pup whimpered and scurried backward. I spun and snarled, “You’re scaring her.”

  “Both of you are scaring her.”

  I shifted my focus to Abrial’s piercing green gaze. She held my stare, and then turned to Marcus, keeping her voice calm. “Your anger is stifling…both of you. Get control of yourselves. Snapping at each other won’t help us find Zadoc, and it won’t help us heal those left behind.”

  A whimper from the pup dragged her focus away. I stared at my brother. He was the leader. The brother I’d looked up to for all these years. Before this, I thought I’d follow him into battle…and I’d follow him into hell.

  But he was different…he’d changed.

  Or, maybe it was me. Maybe I was the one who’d finally woken up and saw us for what we really were—broken.

  For hundreds of centuries we barely raised our voices. Yet here we were, ready to lash out with our words and maim. But it wasn’t anger that filled me, it was hopelessness.

  Odessa’s slashed and bloodied face filled my mind, then morphed to Zadoc’s steely gaze. The sharp inhale from my dragon filled my ears. I waited, opening the door inside my mind. Just a trick. That’s all it was, just a trick.

  The huff of a breath came again, closer, louder, filling me up with the forceful sound.

  My Tormentor.

  My dragon took a step into the light. White enamel sparkled as he bared his teeth. Tormentor. His name bounced around my head like a hollow drum. After all these years…all these long years.

  Abandoned. Forgotten.

  His scales shimmered with a shudder, filling my mind with sky blue, and for a second I was blinded by just how beautiful he was.

  A rumble rolled through me like the low growl of thunder…a warning. “She’s right. I’m sorry, Marcus.”

  Marcus took a step, sweeping the thin branches of the spruce aside. “You want our brother home and our”—he turned to watch Abrial—“friends safe. We all do. So, you’ve got nothing to apologize for.”

  A gut-wrenching crack tore through the air. A whimper followed. That tortured little sound dragged me away from my brother. I spun to see the tiny wolf crouch and drive her claws into the ground.

  The tiny wolf’s tail curled between her legs. Pointed little ears flattened. Her lips curled, baring a row of puppy teeth and needle-thin canines. Pain flared in those beautiful amber eyes, and then she caught my gaze and blinked. The silver shine glinted for a second before it was gone. The little wolf bowed her head under the strain as she morphed from animal to human.

  A low keen slipped free, rising with tempo. She shuddered and shook, tearing claws through the dirt. I forced my stiff fingers to move, working the buttons on my torn, bloodied shirt open. “It’s not clean, but it’ll cover her.”

  I gripped the collar and stepped closer. Abrial turned at the movement, stared at the shirt, and then lifted her gaze to my bare chest. “Thank you.”

  Coarse brown fur shortened, sliding under pink skin. The pup’s gangly legs lengthened, tucking under her body. Her paws flattened, tiny rough black pads turned into smooth, perfect little feet.

  The sickening snap of bone made me wince as her hips tilted. Her spine straightened. The tiny wolf stretched one leg along the ground, and then the other as she moved from four legs to two.

  I exhaled and took a step closer. Thin, black claws turned to nails as bones lengthened to fingers to grip Abrial’s shirt.

  Her whimpers were nothing more than a hiss.

  Abrial clutched the little shifter’s body tight. Lo
ng, lithe legs curled as the little wolf buried her head, hiding her face from me. I edged closer and stared at the small swell of her buttocks. My cheeks burned, my chest tightened. I shifted my gaze to the dried pine needles on the ground and shoved the shirt into the air.

  The cotton slipped through my fingers. Abrial’s murmurs eased the fist around my heart. “There you go. It’s all right sweetheart. You’re okay now.”

  I risked a glance, watching the specks of silver and gold of her fur melt into the dark brown strands of her hair. I’d never seen that. My fingers twitched, desperate to touch.

  Her cries slowed to harsh, arid whimpers. Abrial’s hand skirted over the child’s head, smoothing her hair, stroking until her whimpers were nothing more than gasps.

  “Can you talk, sweetheart? Can you tell me where they took your momma?”

  I caught the tiny shake of her head.

  Abrial swung her gaze to me, then to Marcus. “She’s badly dehydrated. She needs water.”

  “Shit. I don’t have anything. I don’t think the others…” Marcus said.

  I dragged my feet, moving closer. The shifter, curled in Abrial’s lap, yanked her head up. Sparkling amber eyes drowned with fear. She pierced Abrial’s arms with her nails as a whine slipped free.

  “I’ll get her water. How about I make it rain?” I whispered and lowered my knees to the ground.

  The girl’s eyes widened. Her sob faded to a sudden hitch in her chest.

  I turned my palm toward the sky and opened myself up to the elements. Tension built inside me, gathering like the small dark cloud overhead. One wet drop smacked the center of my palm. I heard the child gasp as another hit, then another and another until I couldn’t help but smile.

  The ground around us remained cracked and barren, while above the tiny cloud opened up. I curled my palm as the deluge deepened. Water filled the creases of my fingers and then trickled over my wrists.

  A squeal of excitement slipped from the child’s lips. As the rain cloud emptied in one thunderous roar, I drove a thunderbolt of power through my palm, freezing the water as it hit, collecting the drops into one long icicle through the air.