Branches of Life

You almost drowned.

The words kept bouncing around my pounding head. My entire body ached, fighting my searing headache for attention. A shrill ringing filled my ears, not helping my throbbing head in the slightest. At least I now had my hearing back. Kind of. Past the ringing, all other sounds were muffled, almost like I was trapped in a bubble. This happened once before when I stood too close to an explosion. One that—shocker—Ari caused. It had taken nearly an hour for my hearing to go back to normal.

Koa's heat and spicy scent enveloped me, easing the ache in both my body and mind. I knew I should've climbed out of his lap, but I didn't—couldn't. Instead, I let myself relax into him, pressing my cheek against his burning chest, while I mentally ran through the events of tonight. Entering the human realm, finding out about the possible creature realm, passing out the first time, Starling's missing necklace, searching for Koa, fighting the creature... No, she wasn't a creature. I had no clue what she was, but I knew for certain she wasn't created by the necromancers.

Creatures didn't display powers like that, and they most certainly didn't leave victims alive.

More memories flashed through my head. How she toyed with me, stabbed me, and finally the icy weight of the water. I gave my head a firm shake in hopes of ridding myself of that memory.

"Jay?" Ari asked in a quiet whisper, drawing my gaze back to hers. I'd never seen my sister so worried before. Normally, she wore a carefree smile and was easy to laugh off any situation. Even when we got ourselves in messy and impossible situations.

"I remember," I choked out, my throat burning in a reminder that I almost drowned. As if I could ever forget.

Ari moved from between the seats and sat down next to us. "Fuck off," she growled, making me frown. "That wasn't directed at you, Jay." Yeah, that didn't clear things up. I glanced up at Koa's chiseled face—an action I'd been avoiding—but his face was impassive as he watched Ari.

Sighing at this frustrating man, I faced Ari's expectant expression. What was she waiting for? Oh right, she wanted to know what happened. After taking a deep and steadying breath, I described what I remembered of the fight. As I delved into the story, I began remembering more details, glimpses of what the woman looked like. I didn't see much, just golden blonde hair, and tan skin. The whole time, my voice barely rose above a whisper, but I knew everyone could still hear me. Ari's face remained neutral, as it always was whenever she was contemplating something.

Like the mature woman I was, I kept refusing to look up at Koas's face. Based on the tight tension coiling his body, he was pissed, and I didn't know him well enough to know who he was pissed at. For all I knew, it could've been aimed at me. He was probably regretting bringing someone along, who was almost killed not even two hours into the mission. Despite the tension, he didn't interrupt me the whole time I relayed what happened. No one else interrupted either. Ander wanted to. I could practically feel the anger vibrating off of him in waves, aimed at both the woman and the siblings.

After I finished, Ari closed her eyes for a moment. "I knew it."

"Knew what?" Harmony asked, her voice barely audible over the ringing.

Ari's brows furrowed for a moment. "I said that out loud, didn't I?"

At Harmony's nod—because there was no way in hell I was nodding with this splitting headache—Ari leaned her head back against the side of the van, resting her feet on the seat beside me, closing her eyes as she did so.

One thing about Ari that only family and close friends knew, was that she didn't like lying. I don't know why, she's never explained her reasons. It was just one of those things we've always accepted without question.

"This woman demonstrated a whole number of incredible abilities. Yet, all she did when it came to fighting was give Koa a small head wound and stabbed you in a way that did no significant damage. Other than her use of silver, she showed no true desire in killing any of you." She paused with a long exhale, finger combing her hair. "I mean, the only thing that put you at risk of dying, was the water. And you were the one the jump into it."

Koa's growl rumbled against my body, sending sharp and pleasant tingles racing through me, rousing my wolf. Heat flared in my stomach and settled between my thighs. "Are you saying this was Jade's fault?" To say I was shocked would be an understatement. I thought he'd be the first one who criticized my actions.

Ari rolled her eyes with a low chuckle. "Don't be ridiculous. All I'm saying is that she could've easily killed all three of you, and done so with way less effort. Either she was bored, or while we're playing checkers, she's out here playing football." Ari gave a nonchalant shrug, leaning her head back against the window again.

"It's chess. While we're playing checkers, she's playing chess," Ander grumbled from the front seat.

"Close enough."

"Does she do that often?" Koa's warm breath brushed against my ear, sending shivers racing down my spine.

"Very," I whispered, my voice breathless.

"You disloyal shit." Ari kicked my feet playfully, earring a hoarse laugh from me.

My laughter faded as I thought about what Ari had said, and the woman's last words to me. "Ari's right, she didn't want to kill me." Ari and Harmony leaned forward, letting me know I had their full attention. "It was after she stabbed me." I paused, feeling Koa's body stiffen beneath me. "She told me, that I didn't have to worry because she has excellent aim. That it wouldn't kill me unless I did something stupid."

"How long did you wait before doing something stupid?" Ander asked, unable to hide his amusement. Which turned into a full-blown laugh, when I lifted my hand in the air and flipped him off.

Ari laughed, her chest shaking. "That Jade's way of saying, I did something stupid immediately after she told me not to." I kicked her foot, only for her to laugh harder.

"I was injured and desperate," I defended, shifting around in the blankets, trying to free my arms.

Koa's arms tightened, momentarily making me forget about freeing my arms. Unable to stop myself, I pressed my face against his chest and deeply inhaled his scent, groaning under my breath as a shot of desire singed its way through my veins. "Is your wound hurting you?" Koa asked, mistaking the cause of my groan, peeling the blanket back on my right side. I caught his hand before he could make contact with my black shirt. One I definitely wasn't wearing before.

I pulled at the soft black fabric, recognizing it as one of mine. "Please tell me, Ari or Harmony changed my shirt," I begged glancing between the two. Harmony quickly turned away, suddenly fascinated by the window beside her. Ari just gave me a sweet smile. One I didn't trust, not one bit. "Ari," I growled and her smile only grew.

"Oh no honey, Koa only let Harm and Ander close enough to dry you off, and tend to your wound. There was no way he would've let any of us close enough to change your shirt. You know the shirt that was soaked in your blood," she said, her light tone taking on a hard edge on the last part.

I looked up at Koa, feeling equal parts of shock and anger. Shock at the fact that he was so protective over me while I was injured. The corner of his mouth twitched into a half smile, and there went those damn butterflies again. His fingers flexed where they rested on my side. Tingling heat seeped into my body and spread throughout. Our moment was broken when I was unable to hold back a yawn. "You're still healing. Your body needs to rest," Ari murmured while sitting up. "Besides, your bitch ass is taking up most of the backseat." She dodged my kicking feet.

"Asshole," I muttered, smothering another yawn.

Ari chuckled. "Rest Jay. Something tells me, we have a long drive ahead of us."

"We do," Koa confirmed, brushing the hair from my face, leaving trails of heat in his wake.

"Wow, so helpful," I remarked, pressing my face against the crux of his neck.

A small rumbling chuckle from him had heat blooming in my chest, and a deep throb settling between my thighs. What was this man doing to me? "Rest Jade, I'll be right here," he reassured.

Surrounded by Koa's soothing warmth and scent, I drifted off to sleep.

* * * * * * * *

I knew I was dreaming.

Standing on top of a cliff in front of me, sat a castle made of pale packed sand. Instead of having glass, the window frames sat empty, allowing the fresh and balmy sea breeze to flow through the castle. Sparkling blue-green water sat at the bottom of the cliff.

I had never been here in person, but I instantly knew where I was. The seaside castle, one of the capital cities of the elemental court, in the deity's realm

Growing up I heard stories of the deity realm and their cities. Countless paintings and murals depicted their courts and stunning scenery. When I was a child, my instructors would have me read "first-hand accounts" from the very few Mythics that had found their way into the deity's realm.

Storm clouds rolled over the castle as turbulent waves crashed into the cliff. Waves splashed the walls of the castle. Apparently my fears of the water weakening the walls were unfounded since all that happened was a wet spot being left behind by the water.

Screams filled the air, even though there wasn't anyone else around. And with the sheer amount of overlapping voices, I should've seen someone. Only two words were shouted in their main language, over and over—one of the few words I knew of their spoken and written languages.

I swiveled my head around again, looking for the source of the voices, but found nothing. And other than the oncoming storm, I was unable to find the source of their panic.

Lightning lit up the now dark gray sky, the wind picking up speed and ferocity. The crashing waves grew even more unruly, until a large and unnatural wave towered over the castle, moments away from smashing into it.

The screams turned into shrieks as the wave swallowed the castle whole.