Page 17 of Awakening Storm

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Aidan kept his eyeson Theodora as the mountain moved and shifted and she walked out of her world and into his.

Well, fuck.Rhianna’s time was already up.

There was only one place she’d be safe—his Divine Tree. He burst into a run toward her. Her eyes grew wide as he approached her, and he reached out to grab her hand and tug her with him.

His strong fingers enveloped hers. “Come,” he commanded.

She narrowed her gaze on him, and the next thing he knew her other arm had come up and shoved his arm out of the way. Then her leg swung around like a fan, struck him in the side of his head. He went down, flipping over in the process and landing flat on his back. She stood above him looking strong and mighty fine in a defensive karate stance, shooting daggers from her eyes at him.

Staring up at her, he was shocked by the precision move. As air returned to his lungs, he let out a painful gasp. He lifted his feet, rolling higher onto his shoulder blades, then snapped his legs downward while going airborne. With a jerk, he landed on his feet. “What the hell are you doing, woman? I’m trying to save you.”

“You . . . you just transformed into a man from afucking tiger. What are you?” she bit out.

“We’ll get to that when you’re safe.” He tried to keep his voice even. But he wouldn’t brook any argument, and he wouldn’t give her a choice. He took her hand again and pulled her after him. It was either she moved her feet willingly or he’d carry her.

“My things,” she said, dismissing his commanding demeanor and dragging her feet.

He kept going. “You don’t need them.”

“Yes, I do. I need my video equipment. This is exactly the sort of thing I was sent here to document,” she said adamantly.

Just then, Theodora hurdled balls of energy at them that burst into flames just off to the side of where they stood. The heat of the blast scorched across his legs. Rhianna yelped, more out of shock than injury, given she didn’t seem wounded. But still, Theodora’s aggression infuriated him. She seemed angrier than usual. What had happened to instigate the change?

“Don’t interfere, Aidan,” Theodora growled.

They raced along a narrow path that circle the pond and cut into the space where two mountains met. At the back of the opening, a tunnel took them between the ridges, a tight hallway that led into another opening on the other side. In this valley, his Divine Tree stood proud and tall with its branches stretching wide and touching the ground.

When he came to the hidden opening and hurriedly acknowledged the tree, he entered, taking Rhianna along with him. Inside the great oak, he paused, breathing hard. This was the first time he’d brought someone inside the tree. And Custos had let them in. Good. Good. In retrospect, there had not been time to reflect on whether the tree would allow her entrance. His breath slowed. But he’d had little choice. It was imperative they escape Theodora.

Once they were safely inside the tree, he released her hand. She rubbed the blood back into it with her other hand. Then took in her surroundings. She slapped her palm against cheek and then ran it up over her forehead in awe. “Holy shit.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t have time to prepare you for this.” He watched her reaction. This was normal to him, but he supposed it would be shocking to the average human.

“Prepare me? I don’t think that’s possible,” she said in awe.

He allowed her a minute to take in the sanctuary of the tree. He hadn’t stopped to admire its beauty in a long time, and he tried to see it as she would. The endless paths of smooth golden wood glowed. The way it seemed so much bigger from within. The magical quality it elicited. He watched her face as she took it all in. Somehow he thought she saw with more than just her eyes...he sensed an extra ability, perhaps. He couldn’t allow her to stay in here. The tree and its secrets were sacred, after all.

“Let’s go,” he said. “She can’t get you in here.”

“Who isshe?” She gave him a piercing glare.

“I’ll get to that.” He led the way down to a hallway that led to his quarters, allowing the pup to follow at will. He explained as they walked. “Theodora is a siren of sorts. She’s a misplaced Valkyrie warrior with magical powers. She rules over an alternative universe and captures people and traps them within it. As far as I know, she possesses the only means of entering that world. To get in, she must take them over or let them in. And if they go, they don’t come back.”

She halted, shaking her head. “Wait a minute. What are you talking about? What alternate universe? That’s the stuff of science fiction,” she said in disbelief.

“I assure you, there are many strange things in this world you don’t know about,” he said.

She grew quiet, seeming to think it through. “I came to the Dragon Vortex on a quest: to figure out what had happened to all those people who never returned after coming here. Maybe this alternate universe has something to do with that,” she said, despite the skepticism on her face.

“People stay away from here for a reason, honey. You should have, too.” His voice had a sarcastic bite to it.

She bristled at his use of ‘honey.’ As if to herself, she said, “I wish someone had told my great-grandfather that.”

“What?”

Her dark-brown eyes locked on him. “He was from Sendai, Japan, actually closer to Nabekura Castle. My research indicates, he came to this island around 1922, and then no one heard from him again. My grandfather came to the States sometime after that and married. Go a little further down the line, and here I am.”