With a sharpcracklike the wishbone of a turkey breaking after a Thanksgiving meal, the white bone hamsa split in two. Opening his hand, Hunter showed that the coral teardrop had also burst as the bone cracked – shattering through the smelted silver.
Layla felt something break inside her as the Hamsa Bind did. As she watched Hunter turn his hand over, scattering smelted silver to the floor of the crystal cavern with broken gemstones and destroyed enamel, a sensation of loss filled Layla. Her world tilted; her hands holding their ward faltered. And as had happened before, she was suddenly outside herself, watching from the shadows of the cavern.
Watching something precious in her life be destroyed.
Suddenly, Layla heard sounds high above in the stairwell. She regained focus as the sound of blasting hit her ears – enormous concussions coming from the sapphire door far above.
“Your lovers have arrived,” the Hunter spoke, a dark knowing in his eyes. “I must go. Look for me, Layla. For I will be haunting your steps when the shadows move, watching your progress. When the time is right, I will come again. And the Hunted and the Hunter will not be such strangers to each other next time; I promise it.”
Layla heard a deafening blast up above, shuddering the foundations of the crystal cave. The man of void and shadow suddenly swirled away in a flash of wind and darkness. As he snuffed out right before her eyes, Layla’s furious energy suddenly had nothing to duel. Her hands were still up, but with no cuff upon her wrist now and no enemy to face off with, her roaring gale began rushing around the cavern, unrestrained and murderous. Hitting pillars, surging up the river, it cracked stalagmites and exploded columns – Layla’s furious attack a writhing monster with no end.
And nothing she could possibly stop.
Layla saw Dusk and Adrian hit the bottom landing of the stairwell at a run, their hands up to deal with the storm surging through the cavern from her abductor. Murderous with power and magic, they smashed into flying shards of shattered quartz, ready for her kidnapper’s attack now ricocheting through the hall as they sprinted onto the flow of rose quartz.
But even as their gazes found Layla’s, it was too late. Dusk’s and Adrian’s eyes both widened to see it was not her abductor, but Layla herself casting the screaming gale around the crystal cave.
But they had already thrown their attacks meant for Hunter – twin killing strikes of fire-gold and midnight-diamond energy – straight to Layla’s heart.
CHAPTER 28 – TRANSFORMATION
Scents blasted Layla as her world exploded into a jasmine, cinnamon, and river-water fury. Cries slit her ears – two dismayed men’s voices. Her Dragon was motionless inside her as she fell, pierced by some terrible energy as crystal shards shattered on a shield of diamond-light far above. Someone rushed up, laying his body atop hers and pouring sound and light though her as he cradled her close. Someone else exhaled down her throat with scorching winds, sweet jasmine-cinnamon scent giving her breath.
She breathed. And breathed. And breathed.
Her world faded. And then it came back as she was being rushed up a flight of stairs in someone’s strong arms. And then returned again as someone did CPR on her, cussing a blue streak. And then it faded again, but not as far as before.
Layla surfaced, feeling strong hands holding her; warm flesh cocooning her. She was naked in a bed and a naked man lay behind her, breathing quietly. Curled close with one arm cradling her ribs, his palm was pressed to her heart. Another lay before her, his hips pressed to hers, one hand palming her waist as he exhaled spiced breath at her lips. Soothing, the man behind her rolled a lower-than-sound vibration through her body, pressing it into her heart. The warm scent of jasmine swirled around her as the man before her fed her sips of life each time she inhaled. Her lips parting, she breathed him in – sharing wind and fire, spice and heat.
Spinning her up into a bright funnel as they lay breathing together.
But the force at her back held her safe, in ancient caverns where time moved slow and strange. Layla nestled back into that strong body, feeling him curl around her, molding to her flesh like he belonged there. He did belong there. As the man before her reached out, stroking her face with his fingertips as their lips and life breathed together as one, Layla knew they both belonged there; breathing in time with her as if all three had been yoked together. One impossible loop smelted together like a figure-eight, bound through Layla’s own body.
Sharing energy, sharing breath – sharing everything.
A rumble of pleasure rolled through Layla, the man’s hand on her chest resonating love deep into her heart, healing her damaged body. The other one breathed with her, pulling her close by his hand at her hip, melding their bodies together as his lips softly touched hers; pouring life gently down her throat. They were everything Layla wanted; everything she needed. They were the perfect balance to the roaring winds that raged through her.
They were the balm to her heart, and the fire in her veins.
Her hands shifted, the only part of her that could move – one to clasp Dusk’s hand at her heart, the other to twine her fingers into Adrian’s at her hip. She felt them startle; then smooth out as they settled back into a gentle bliss.
* * *
Layla woke to clinking cutlery. Blinking back to awareness, she stretched in her canopied bed, the cobalt drapes drawn so the world was shut out from her blessed cocoon. Alone in bed now, her silk sheets were twisted from sleep, though she could still smell cinnamon-musk and river-water lingering on her pillows and skin. A smile lifted her lips as she cuddled into the covers, smelling her men. Curling up with her pillow, she opened her lips to that delicious musk – reveling in it as her Dragon roiled inside her with an orange-peel bourbon scent.
“She’s awake.” Layla heard Dusk’s low voice from beyond the curtains.
“At last.”
Adrian’s smooth baritone was gentle, and Layla blinked as one cobalt curtain was drawn back. The light was horridly bright and she blinked. Dressed only in a pair of cinnamon silk sleep-pants as he slid to the bed, Adrian’s hand was warm as he reached out, stroking back a lock of her curls, his aqua and gold eyes beautiful as the Mediterranean Sea. Leaning at her bedpost dressed in midnight-blue silk pajama pants, Dusk crossed his muscled arms, his eyes a deep sapphire like a high afternoon sky.
Layla watched them, her Royal Dragons. Feeling them, smelling their scents curling around her like relaxing in a hot spring on a snowy winter’s day.
“How do you feel?” Adrian asked at last, his fingers stroking her face.
“Strange.”
It was the first thing that came to Layla’s mind. Before she could say more, her Dragon-energy suddenly rose, uncoiling like some massive thing of cruel spines, roped muscle, and wicked talons inside her. Heat rolled through her in a wave, spilling through her entire body like wind and water locked in a delicious dance.
