KISS (19 page)

She was in a dungeon. It smelled of death and
body fecal matter. She heard screams. Layla was scared she didn’t
know where she was or how she got there. The woman’s screams were
scaring her. She ran out of the dungeon door, but it was as if the
screams followed her, haunting and punishing her. Everything looked
the same; the walls were washed out brick and a thin layer of mucus
covered them, skeleton figures littered the floor while their
shifty smiles mocked her. Horror filled her veins. Her screams soon
filled joined air along with the other woman’s. Layla stopped
running and sat in a corner; she pulled her knees close and tucked
her head in. Sobs wrecked her body. Instead of crying out for her
father; she cried out for the stranger from her dreams. When she
looked up a figure engulfed in shadows stood gazing at her; she
knew it was him.

“
Come, I’ll protect you.” He said
extending his hand.

Layla wiped her eyes and reached for
him.

Pain filled her and she shot up from her bed.
Confused—was it all a dream?

“
Layla!” Ryu shouted at her. Layla
turned to her left, Ryu sat in a chair with Layla’s hand clasped in
her own.

“
Are you okay? What happened to
you?” Layla asked, remembering everything that happened.

“
I’m fine, I was so worried about
you. You’ve been asleep for three days. I was scared,” she
said.

“
I thought you were mad at
me.”

“
Never, Layla.” Both girls hugged
each other weeping.

Layla’s father entered the room. They both
looked up.

“
Ryu, I’m going to talk to Layla,
now” he said dismissing her. He didn’t have a choice. She needed
training, and it was training he couldn’t provide. He watched as
Ryu exited the room. Layla’s gaze settled on her dad. She didn’t
know what to make of the expression on his face. He looked almost
afraid. This certainly could not be good.

Khalel sat in the space Ryu once occupied and
watched Layla. The sacrifice her parents made was a great one. He
was selfish, he did not want to share those secrets with her. He
wanted her to remain as his. He knew she wasn’t his flesh and
blood. Words could not express the pain that engulfed him, when she
would no longer regard him as her dad. He thought long and hard
about his decision. His hands were tied. He pulled Layla into his
arms and held her tightly.

“
I am so glad you’re safe,” he
whispered into her hair.

“
Dad, I’m sorry I scared you. I was
so worried about Ryu, and she wouldn’t return my calls. Then that
guy was doing something weird to her,” she startled
rambling.

“
Calm down, tell me what
happen.”

Layla looked at her father and began to tell
him her story.

Onyx and the King sat in the King’s study. The
King—Emry was like a child asking questions about a place called
earth. Onyx laughed. He was happy his friend had finally found his
mate. They’d been side by side for many eons.

“
Where did you hear this term
from?” Onyx asked his King.

“
I discovered an old book in the
archives. Covered with dust, it called to me.”

“
It’s called the archives for a
reason,” he laughed. His laughter turned into coughs when the King
blew a ball of smoke his way.

“
Very well, you win your majesty.
Now show me this book.” The king handed over the book, and waited
for Onyx’s response.

“
I can understand where the
confusion is coming from. This is a book from the human realm. It’s
the human’s version of history. Dragons, and other supernaturals
are nothing but folklore to them. They rely heavily on science and
technology. The technology they have makes it easier for them to
live their lives. Things that were once difficult and took long to
accomplish are easy.”

“
Interesting. I need to visit this
realm.”

“
The humans do not have magic, or
abilities to communicate with each other like our species. They are
not as strong as our race,” Onyx said.

“
She does not have to be strong, I
will protect her,” the King said thinking of his mate.

“
What the humans call Earth, our
people refer to it as Yamanu. The planet is rich with the
elementals, such as fire, water, air and earth.”

“
Why do you know so much about
Yamanu?”

“
I’ve been there once. Why the
interest my King,” Onyx asked. The King was really enjoying his
discussion with Onyx. He debated about whether or not he should
tell Onyx his mate was there on earth. Suddenly, fear filled his
paralyzing his limbs and forcing his blood to rush in his ears.
What’s happening? These feelings, they were not his own.

Mate.

His head gave a nasty throb and pounded in his
ears. His heart flew into his chest.

“
Majesty, what is
wrong?”

“
I do not know.” A feminine voice
filled his mind. He tried communicating and was thrilled when the
link succeeded.

“
It is my mate. Drainer!” he roared
standing up.

“
Majesty, calm down,” Onyx
stated.

“
She is under attack. We must go to
her! He wish to make her his. She belongs to me!” He roared
savagely. He immediately calmed once the drainer had been repelled.
It pleased him endlessly. She was made only for him.

Mine.

The King used a bit more power to push further
into her mind. He remained perplexed by the symbol of protection on
her chest. The markings were an ancient one, only able to be seen
by his people. Did this make her a dragon? If she was a dragon,
what was she doing on Yamanu otherwise known as Earth instead of
with her people?

“
My King we will go there,” Onyx
said. Tension seeped from his bones at the general’s statement. His
mate would soon be in his arms. He wanted to tell him about her
possibly being a dragon, however, he decided to keep that
information to himself. He needed details and only his mate could
provide him with such knowledge. Onyx realized he was in the moment
and hadn’t really figured out where they were going.

“
Where exactly are we
going?”

“
Earth,” the King said
smiling.

Khalel looked at his daughter. It would seem
she was displaying traits of a witch rather than that of a dragon.
What would Onyx do? He couldn’t take her to Solaris where his
people lived. They were still leery of witches. Khalel’s blood ran
cold when Layla told him the witch or warlock in this case stated
he would not stop until he had her; that meant there would be more
after them. The warlock would send reinforcements. Tonight would be
the last night they spent here in the house. They already lost some
time. The coven could already be on the move. He needed to make
some calls. There was only one person he could rely on in a time
like this. This person owed him a huge favor and was in fact in his
servitude. He usually didn’t like making shady deals, but he had no
time and therefore no choice.

“
Everything will be okay. I need to
make some phone calls.” He said as he got up and left the
room.

“
But dad, what’s going on? He was
doing something weird to Ryu. How come no police were called? What
about that…that thing I made?” she asked looked down at the
covers.

“
It was magic.” He said looking
back at her. Layla’s body became extremely heavy and difficult to
move. Her world was falling apart.

“
Magic?” she asked for
confirmation.

“
Yep.” Layla watched as he walked
away. She wanted to ask him more questions, but her mind was
shutting down on her. She did magic. What did that make her? Was
she a monster like Zack? Would her magic eventually become tainted?
Her thoughts ran rampant. She didn’t want to be a monster. Why
couldn’t she be normal?

Are you okay?

Yes? I just don’t know what to
make of everything that’s happening.

Want to elaborate?

I do but, I’m so tired.

Show me an image.

Layla didn’t know whether or not she should
put so much trust in a voice. However, it hadn’t let her down so
far.

You’re tired, you can show me next
time. What’s your name?

Layla, you?

Call me Emry.

A smile graced her face. She finally had a
name to the voice in her mind. Emry, she liked it. It was
different. She whispered his name as she fell asleep.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

I’ve been writing for as long as I
could remember. Burrowing myself into the mysteries of books and
exploring their unique worlds is what I do best. Books are
essentially an imprint of the author’s soul left behind—well I tend
to think so. I have two children (Dobermans) Lily and Rose and an
endearing husband who listens to me rattle non-stop about my
adventures. I am sweet, a little sarcastic and I enjoy creating new
worlds and adventures for people to explore.

For blurbs, excerpts, and more about
Jalissa’s published books, please check out the Books page of her
website.

Website/Blog:
http://jpastoriusbooks.com

Twitter:
https://twitter.com/jpastorius14