Anarchy (The Stone Legacy Series Book 4) (12 page)

Chapter Sixteen

“I know it’s all a lot to take in, but you can’t have a breakdown. Not now.” He squeezed Modem’s small hand, grabbing her attention. “We need to find a way out of here.”

“
Marco
,” Contessa called a second time. Another root from the tree punched through Modem’s barrier, shaking the wavering wall. “What a pity,” Contessa said in a pouty tone. “A game is not sincerely a game unless there is a second party to play.”

Modem’s arm trembled. “I can’t keep the wall up,” she said in a whispered breath.

“Yes, you can. You can.” She had to, or they wouldn’t survive.

The ground at Jayden’s feet pushed up, as if something were clawing to the surface. Jayden pulled back his feet and scrambled away, staring at the cracked dirt as it broke open, and a tiny root pushed through. “Oh no.”

Now it was clear what she’d used the book for, and that they were too late.

There were no more hands. She’d used the book to drive underworld souls into her grasp. The souls that had clawed their way up from deeper realms of the underworld had made their way straight into her trap, and been consumed by her dark craving. And now the roots of the sacred tree were everywhere.

She had them right where she wanted them—trapped—just like the souls she had consumed.

“Hey.” Modem smiled through shimmering tears that gleamed against the curves of her jaw. Her honey brown eyes held her familiar light. “Don’t be scared.”

Jayden stilled. “I’m supposed to be telling you that.”

“Take care of Brisa, okay? She needs you.”

Jayden narrowed his eyes. “Modem, what are you doing?”

“I can’t do…this.” She stared down at her hands splayed out in front of her. “Not forever.”

“You’ll be fine. We’ll take care of you.”

She shook her head. “No, you won’t.” She looked up at him. “You say that now, but even my own parents couldn’t take care of me. No foster family will want me. I’ll never find a place I belong.”

Jayden rested his hand on her shoulder. “You belong with us.”

“Maybe.” She pushed to her feet, still shielded by the abandoned ancient ruin. More roots pushed up from the ground around them, slithering over the cracked, dry ground. “But Brisa belongs with you, and you need to get back to her. Plus,” she shrugged, “I watched
Interview With a Vampire
. Living forever is way overrated when you’re stuck as a kid.”

“Modem.” His tone was more commanding. “We will find a way out of here. Just give me a minute—” He sucked in a breath and cringed away from a root crawling over his shoe. “We need to climb the ruin.” He pulled himself up onto the first step.

Modem bit her bottom lip. “Okay. Let me just try to reinforce my barrier.”

As Jayden climbed up to the second step, he stretched out his hand. “Come on. We don’t have time.” Dozens of roots pushed through the ground, growing faster and stronger as the tree punched more holes through the wavering barrier.

“I’ll be right there.” Modem drew an X over her chest and held up two fingers. “Promise.”

Jayden’s eyes widened and he tried to grab her arm, but she ran off before he could react. “Modem, no!” She darted around the side of the ancient ruin and out of sight. “Damn it, Modem!” He scrambled down, searching for a patch of soil to rest his foot, but the roots had taken over the ground, twisting and coiling around each other like an endless sea of venomous snakes. “Modem!” He scaled the height of the ruin, and then climbed as fast as he could up the narrow steps. He clung to the altar at the top, staring helplessly at the kid, who walked toward Contessa with a calm, poised posture.

He couldn’t hear what they were saying, though he strained to communicate with Modem using his mind, like had in the middleworld. All he got was radio silence. She’d cut him off.

The watery wall wavered as more of Contessa’s black magic spread through it. Modem swayed on her feet, and a moment later, the barrier parted, creating an unprotected opening to the dark realm.

Jayden reached out. “Modem, run!”

Contessa’s gaze snapped to where he stood. Her heinous grin taunted him.

A soft breath escaped his lungs. “No.”

Contessa threw her hand forward, directing a root from the tree to lunge forward and punch through Modem’s chest, throwing her to the ground.

“No!” Jayden leaped down the temple’s stairs three at a time, flailing his arms to keep balance as shards of stone broke off under his feet. When he reached the ground, he stopped, his shoe teetering above the hungry roots.

Jayden locked eyes with Contessa as the tree fed on Modem, pulling her tiny body into the second layer of the underworld.

The rumble of rushing water sounded in the distance, but Jayden never looked away from the witch. His lip curled, and he balled his hands into fists as the wall of roaring water grew closer.

Contessa turned to face him, her chin lifted and her gaze full of contempt.

Jayden lifted his hand and pointed directly at her. “You can bet your ass I’m coming back for you.”

The icy water plowed into him, making him gasp and claw his way to the surface.

When he woke, he opened his eyes to the smooth ceilings and crystal chandelier in the Marriott suite. Jay gasped and jumped to his feet.

Peter was hovering over Modem’s body on the bed, pumping her chest with the palms of his hands and forcing several breaths into her lungs. “She’s not responding!” He pumped her chest a few more times, paused, and then checked for a pulse. “Nothing. I’m losing her.”

Hawa took Modem’s hand and rubbed it, talking to her in a soft, sweet tone. Peter spread his hands over Modem’s chest and closed his eyes, conjuring another round of his healing ability to bring her back.

“Come on, Modem. Come back to me.” His fingers strained, pressing against her tiny body. Peter’s normally pale face flushed with color, his eyebrows drawn together as his concentration deepened.

The room fell silent, and Peter opened his eyes. He stepped away from the kid, lying on the bed with one arm rested over her chest, the other limply hanging over the edge of the bed.

Peter shook his head. “I can’t do anything else. She’s gone.”

“What do you mean she’s gone?” Hawa braced her hands on both of Modem’s shoulders and gently shook the girl against the mattress. “Hey.” Hawa stilled, then shook her again. “Modem, you can get through this. You’re tougher than this.”

“Hawa.” Jayden stepped forward, his throat tightening. “There’s nothing you can do.”

“No. You don’t know Modem like I do.” She brushed strands of kinky hair away from the girl’s face.

“Maybe not, but some things you can’t change.”

Hawa turned her head and peered at him. “But you could have.” She stood and squared her boots with her shoulders. “You were supposed to be watching her. You were supposed to protect her!” Hawa shoved Jayden in the chest, and then shoved him again, slamming his back into the dresser.

“You don’t think I know that?” His pushed off the furniture. His nostrils flared. “I tried. We had nowhere to go. I told her not to—” His throat closed and he choked on the words.

“Whatever you have to say doesn’t matter. You
failed
, and now she’s
dead
.” Hawa curled her lip and threw a punch at his jaw, but Jay blocked it with quick sideswipe, and then stepped aside.

“Hey!” Peter shouted. “Knock it—”

Hawa swung again, sloppier than before, and missed him entirely. Jayden shifted his weight, holding her gaze. “You don’t have to do this. You’ve spent long enough torturing yourself over things you couldn’t change.” He glanced at her belly. “It’s time to let go.”

Hawa swayed, dragged her gaze to the girl, and fell to her knees. “I couldn’t protect her.” She sobbed into her hands, muffling her voice. It wasn’t clear if she was talking about the baby or Modem—or maybe both. Either way, it didn’t matter. Not anymore.

Jay knelt in front of her and pulled her against his chest. She melted into his embrace and coiled her arms around his neck. “I couldn’t protect her,” she whispered a second time.

He hugged her tight, running his hand down the length of her hair. There was nothing he could say to make it hurt any less, so he did what Zanya had told him he’d never done right in the past. He stayed quiet.

A few low sobs bubbled from her chest before she spoke again. “I want to go home.”

***

Instead of taking a commercial plane, they boarded a private jet Renato had hired for the job. With Modem’s coffin stored underneath, the luxury plane with leather seats and a private bar flew them home.

The commute was long, and nobody said much the entire way except for a few shortly worded whispers about getting a drink of water. Jayden peered out the window as they finally touched down on the runway of the private airport right outside of Toledo. Renato’s SUV was parked near the gate, where a few workers in hardhats and neon vests stood, waiting for the jet to come to a complete stop.

Hawa laced his fingers between his. “Are you ready for this?”

He brushed his fingers over the top of her hand. “Which part?” There were so many uncertainties ahead, he couldn’t pick just one.

“Everything.” She rested her head on his shoulder and let out a soft exhale. “Being in the house without Zanya and Arwan. Not knowing if we even have a dog in the fight anymore. It’s all so unsure.”

Jay nodded. “It seems like there’s nothing we can be sure about anymore.”

She lifted her head and watched him. “I’m sure about more than one thing.” She squeezed his hand tighter. “I’m sure you tried your best to save her. I’m sorry I said any different.”

A soft smile teased his lips.

“And I’m sure about you. Us.”

It had only been a few days since Arwan and Zanya bonded, and any hope of winning her back was lost. It was like a raw kick in the balls when it happened—made his vision blur and stomach lurch into his throat.

But since he’d faced that reality, the cloud of fear he lived in had lifted, giving him a new take on the world around him—and the people. She’d been so close this entire time, but he never really saw her. Until now.

He leaned into her and pressed a kiss on her forehead. “I’m sure about that too.”

The aircraft finally parked. Peter’s seatbelt clanked when he unbuckled, and he grabbed his backpack from the overhead storage. “Come on.” Peter looked at them both. “Let’s get the hell off this plane.”

Jayden couldn’t have said it any better himself.

When the door opened, a narrow flight of stairs was rolled in place. The three of them scaled down to the black asphalt, Jay squinting against the bright sunlight.

The doors to Renato’s SUV opened, and all three of them stepped out—Renato, Eleuia, and Marzena. They watched with sad eyes as the three teens walked toward them. Renato’s warm gaze was more like Hawa’s than he’d ever realized, and the sight of their mentor’s fitted suit and combed, black hair was surprisingly comforting.

Hawa let go of Jay’s hand and ran toward Renato. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his chest. Renato hugged her, resting his chin on the top of her head, but his eyes stayed focused on Jayden.

When Jay and Peter approached the SUV, Marzena stepped aside. She bowed her head, allowing long waves of golden hair to fall on either side of her face, as if granting a moment of silence for their loss.

Jayden paused beside her and examined the childlike features of the dreamwalker. “I’m sorry,” he said in a low voice, prompting Marzena to lift her gaze. Her bright green eyes were wide and searching. “I know Modem was one of yours.” Jayden looked away. “She was one of us.”

“For someone who’s already dead, I can’t believe you’re alive.” Zanya’s mother walked around the front of the car. “It’s good to see you all home.”

Peter stepped forward. “Thanks. It’s good to be back.”

Hawa finally let go of her uncle and took her place beside Jayden. “What are we going to do with Mode—” She cleared her throat. “With Chastity?”

Renato gestured to the airport workers unloading a tiny white coffin from the cargo area of the plane. “We’re going to give her the honor she deserves.”

Jayden nodded. “And then?”

Renato stood up straighter, one hand curled around the lapel of his dark dress coat. “We seek our revenge.”

Coming April 2016…

Birthright

Book of

The Stone Legacy Series

The thrilling conclusion to the

Stone Legacy Series