The Luna Trials by Marissa Gilbert Read Online
Chapter 44
Bjorn’s eyes scanned the space around him calmly. As if he wasn’t in immediate danger. As if the presence of not one but two Lycan Kings was nothing to him.
He dropped Brigit to his feet, losing interest in her. The woman almost clawed her own chest, trying to get some air into her lungs.
She was lucky to survive as it was.
Kai and Gideon both growled again, warning the bear, letting him know his days were numbered. They saw what kind of chaos he caused and were ready to end him right there and now.
“On your knees!” Gideon ordered; eyes glowing golden. “Do it quietly, and your life will be spared!”
A chuckle escaped the white bear leader, and Savannah had a bad feeling about it as his gaze grazed over her. Calm, he was too calm. This kind of confidence could only mean he was sure he would be walking out of there unharmed.
However, this was ridiculous! She might have had trouble defeating him on her own, but now there were three Royal Lycans in the room and a few Alphas to top that off. Not to mention the feisty contenders who all looked like they wished to take part in his execution.
Bjorn knew all that, and he still remained unconcerned.
“So tempting!” He stepped over Penelope’s body which was on his way again. “Did you make an offer like that to my brother before you K*lled him, Western King?”
Everyone tensed as his red eye gleamed in the dimmed lighting of the ancient temple. They all had been thinking about the same person now.
“You are Castiel’s brother,” Riannon entered the shrine, and Gideon growled, trying to step in front of her for protection, but she only placed her palm on his shoulder and didn’t move an inch from where she stood. Those two had an understanding between them, and although Gideon wanted his wife safe and sound, as far away from here as possible, he had to respect her choices. And she chose to join the fight alongside her family as the Alpha that she was.
“Ah, Queen Riannon Stormhold in the flesh. I thought getting to you in person would be much more complicated.” Bjorn sneered, taking a step forward. The remaining warriors snarled at him; however, everyone’s movements were restricted because of the narrow bridge between the two platforms. There weren’t too many left, but with the royals in the room, their chances of winning were huge now.
“It’s bold of you to just arrive here like that in front of me.”
“I am not going to d*ie or get hurt today,” the Queen stated calmly, and now he stared at her with genuine interest. “He spoke about you a lot, you know.” Ria tilted her head to have a better look at him.
“He didn’t speak much about you,” Bjorn countered. “Which only means he treasured you, considering how much trouble he got into thanks to you. My silly brother was probably afraid I would want to take you for myself. He was a bit insecure like that.”
Gideon’s eyes flashed gold as he bared his teeth, but that only made the white bear chuckle.
“Relax” he lifted his hands up in the air. “I am not interested in what belonged to my brother. I have my own prize in mind.” Bjorn’s gaze locked with Savannah’s once again, and both Lycan Kings growled menacingly, realizing what he meant.
“Over my dead body!” Kai was next to her in an instant, pushing the three girls behind his back, his hand brushing over Savannah possessively. Gideon followed him to the center of the bridge, ready to rip the enemy to shreds.
“Funny you should say that because this is exactly my plan!” Darius threw his head back and laughed wholeheartedly.
Why don’t you come closer and try bringing it to life?” Kai scoffed, knowing there was no chance in hell the bear would do this. Although Darius had spent a lot of time on his territory lately, Kai had trouble meeting him face to face for months. Every time he was close, Bjorn changed his location. This chase had been going on for years, and there was no end to it.
However, right now, he was close. So close. It could attend tonight. The white bears would be broken easily without their scheming ruler. This was why the Norther King was so surprised that Bjorn was still here, with a smug expression plastered over his face.
“I am afraid you will be too busy for that.” The bear king’s grin deepened. This couldn’t be good.
“Savvy, take the other women and leave,” kai found her hand without looking at her as he had to keep his eyes on his foe and gave it a squeeze.
“I have a better idea!” Bjorn got angry for the first time as he observed them. “Come here, Savannah, and I will give you the best gift.
You can choose the one who will survive out of your family. Your brother or your pregnant sister-in-law.”
Silence engulfed the room as Savvy’s head snapped to Riannon. She already knew, of course, but this wasn’t something they announced to everyone. This was a secret. It was essential for safety reasons, yet Bjorn was aware. It started to seem like traitors were everywhere.
“I will repeat myself just once.” The white bear’s healthy eye found the Princess, immediately getting darker. “Come to me now, leave this place with me, and I will spare one of them.”
“Let’s start with the fact that you are not leaving this place!” Gideon was barely holding himself back. “Not after you threatened my wife and my unborn child.”
“Savannah is not going anywhere with you, Bjorn. And for the first time ever, I have to agree with Stormhold; neither are you. It ends now!” Kai joined the Westerner.
The bear wasn’t even looking at them, his eyes still lingering on the woman he desired.
“I only need your answer,” he said, frowning.
“I’m not going anywhere with you,” Savvy replied calmly. “My choice was made a while ago. I already told you that.”
“Then don’t blame me when the time comes.” Bjorn gritted his teeth, clenching his fists and turning his back to them. This was when Brigit tried to attack him again, but he caught her in the middle of it and threw the woman at the two Kings who charged at him. Savannah and Naya helped the group to keep their balance and prevented them from falling off the bridge, but all of them were delayed now. The warriors shifted into their wolves, ready to fight.
This was when a sound of an explosion reached them. The ground shuddered, and so did the walls of the ancient temple, threatening to fall on their heads at any moment.
“Yeah, I forgot to mention that the Forgotten City is about to explode!” Bjorn chuckled as he observed their reaction with some kind of amusem*nt on his face. “Now, it’s a real survival maze If you make it out of it alive, I’d be surprised! But I will give you a little clue on how to do it. Silver pits. Jump in them, and you’ll be safe. I’ll get you later, and we will continue where we left off!”
Gideon was furious, but his protector’s instincts took over. He knew he had to get his wife out first. There will be another chance to get this bastard.
“Everyone out!” He commanded, looking at his sister and then Riannon. The stubborn woman hesitated, and he knew he’d have to carry her out against her will if he had to. He wasn’t taking this risk, even if it was just a distraction for them.
Kai, however, still ran in Bjorn’s direction. Savannah followed close behind, even though Astrid tried to stop her.
“Savvy!” The Southerner begged, but the Princess wasn’t going to leave her chosen mate alone. Brigit rushed for the exit, and so did Naya after clicking her tongue. The cat knew better than to stay in a crumbling building,
Two warriors charged at the white bear, but he recoiled easily. The Northern Lycan King was close, ready to shift into his third form and end this,
“Aren’t you missing a Beta?” Darius burst out laughing, and Kai froze, blocking Savannah’s way, “And a little bird to go with him?”
“What did you do?” Savvy growled, growing her claws. “Where are they?!”
“No need to be so angry!” His l!ps curled into a smirk. “I am going to tell you! I ani not a monster. Maybe they are still alive… maybe not. Can they both swim?”.
Another explosion deafened them, some kind of dust or sand falling through newly created cracks in the ceiling. This one was too close.
Kai clenched his fists, knowing that he had already lost this light.
“Conic on” Bjorn chord for him with a mocking smirk. “You already know I locked them in the dungeon, don’t you? The first explosion caused a leak in the old water supply system of the city. The space where they arc is rapidly filling up with water. You have minutes to try and save your friends. Although, my personal advice would be to run and save yourselves.”
The two wolves snarled at him, but kai mentally ordered them to stop. They wouldn’t be able to win against the bear without him, and he couldn’t stay.
With a smug smile, Darius Bjorn bowed with contempt on his face and tell through the back exit, his laugh echoing through the building
“Take Penelope’s body!” Kai ordered his men and turned to look at Savvy. “Go find your brother. As long as Gideon and Riannon are with you, they will be safe.”
“Excuse me?” The Princess sorrowed her brows, shocked by his words.
“Something tells me Bjorn wouldn’t blow up the parts of the city where you walk.” I haled saying these words, but it was the truth.
The Bear King was a calculating bastard. He made a claim on Savannah, meaning that K*lling her wasn’t in his plans. He wanted her alive.
“More reasons for me to go with you!” She insisted.
“Savvy, please, we have no time!” He grasped her, almost ready to send her off f0rcefully and let one of the wolves carry her back to safety. But the stubborn glint in her eyes told him this would take a number of minutes he didn’t have at his disposal.
“Ria is blessed by the Moon Goddess.” Savannah reminded him. “When she said she isn’t dying today, she meant it. Trust me! Zara is my friend! I am not leaving her behind, and if you are right, it’s only more reason for me to stick with you guys!”
“Fine!” He growled and took her hand. They were running down spiraling stairs as the third explosion went off not too far away from the shrine. Kai swore under his breath at how easily they got into a trap. This place was checked. Other than traps,
nothing was supposed to happen. Yet Penelope was dead. And Fenrir knew how many other casualties they would have by the end of the night.
The staircase was too narrow, ceilings too low. Ancient Lycans were definitely smaller than modern ones.
“How long?” Savannah asked him as they skipped steps in the darkness to save time. There was no light in here, and they only relied on their night vision.
“Two or three minutes,” Kai replied on the way.
“Will it be enough7” She couldn’t help herself, worried sick for her friend.
“I don’t know,” the King admitted as it was the truth. “All we can do is try…”
Lachlan was furious. He had years of experience as the King’s Beta, but he still found himself in this situation.
A bait. He was bait for his own best friend. When they found themselves alone inside of this catacomb, he already knew it was a trap. The bears got Zara first, the werebird wasn’t a match for them, and when he saw a knife drawing blood from her delicate neck, he lost the ability to think clearly.
He blamed himself. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. He knew exactly what he had to do back then. She was the sacrifice he had to –make for the greater good of his kingdom. She was just an a*s*sistant of a foreign Princess. He had to be able to give her up in a heartbeat for the North, for Kai. But he wasn’t able to.
Bjorn wasn’t there. The damn bear didn’t even spare them a glance before he left. He clearly had more important things to do. His men brought Lachlan to his knees, threatening him to K*ll the bird. His bird. They injected him with something that made his head hazy and then chained the two of them together, back-to-back.
They left and didn’t leave them a single torch behind. Darkness surrounded them, and only the sounds of their breathing were their companions for a while.
“You shouldn’t have done it,” Zara said. He could hear her pulse quickening. The girl was terrified.
“They didn’t K*ll us,” he said, hoping to bring her some kind of relief. It didn’t work as she started panting. “Bird*ie, calm down,” he advised. “The stuff they injected me with will wear off, and I will break these chains.”
“You don’t know that,” she held back a sob. He could tell she was on the verge of crying.
“Listen,” he tried to chuckle, “I’m not a royal, but I’m still a lycan. Whatever it is, my body will process this sooner or later.”
Her breathing became ragged. He could tell she was panicking.
“I hate closed spaces!” She confessed all of a sudden and leaned her head on his back. He tried to do the same, stretching his hands as far as they would go thanks to the chains and reaching for her delicate fingers. She flinched when his large palm wrapped around her tiny wrist, drawing circles on her skin. It was surprisingly comforting.
“Will you tell me why?” Although he told her his strength would get back fast, sadly, this wasn’t the case. He could feel life slipping away from him, but he wanted to at least help her in his last minutes. Ever since his mate d*ied, he never wanted to care about anyone else.
Zara changed that for him.
“I was locked up for a long time,” she said in a broken voice. “Trapped in a golden cage. First, I didn’t understand what I was getting into, and by the time I did, it was too late. Every day, all I could do was fly to the unbreakable glassceiling and look at the sky, imagining! would be soaring free one day again. I swore to myself that if I ever got out, I would never let anyone lock me up ever again. And now look at me!”
She didn’t make another sound, but he could feel her body twitching, recognizing a silent sob.
“it’s not your fault,” he grunted, trying really hard not to close his eyes. He knew that if he did, it would be the end. “I should have protected you.”
“No,” she laughed through tears as she struggled against the chains, “you really shouldn’t have.”
He knew that.
“I wanted to.” A confession came easy to the dying man. There were no games between them anymore, no teasing.
“Why?” She asked desperately. She needed the answer on a physical level because she knew he was now dying because of her.
“You … you make me feel alive again.” He laced their fingers together, and she didn’t object one bit.
There was nothing around to help them. No weapons, no metallic hooks to help them break the chains. Just the dirt on the floor and n*ked walls.
His eyelids became too heavy, and Lachlan started slowly falling asleep. Zara could feel it, and it scared her more than she could imagine. She knew what it meant, and her heart clenched at the thought.
“Hey mighty Lycan Beta,” she taunted him, challenged him. “If you don’t d*ie today, I will let you see me n@ked as soon as we get out of this city.”
“I am listening!” He chuckled weakly, but surprisingly it did help him a lot.
“I will personally come into your room and let you peel every piece of clothing off me.” Zara’s voice became raspy.
“Go on,” Lachlan encouraged her. He may have lost the fight with his own eyes, and they were now closed, but his vivid imagination was keeping him going.
–” will let you explore every inch of me,” the woman continued.
“With my hands?” he asked, Lips curling into a smile.
“First with your hands,” Zara purred. “Then with your tongue.”
“And then7” His breathing hitched, but this time it wasn’t the poison’s fault.
“And then everything will depend on how good your tongue is!” The werebird laughed.
“I call fennier to be my witness, Bird*ie, you will come undone before you even know it!” He growled.
“I sure hope so,” she ground against him, making blood run faster through his veins.
“Seductress!” He breathed out. “You will raise a man from the dead with your promises.”
“Oh, Lachlan!” Zara turned her head so that her hot breath burnt the skin on his neck. “I haven’t even started seducing you. After all, when you’re done exploring my body with your tongue, it will be my turn.”
He wanted to say something hot and dirty in reply, but this was when the first explosion went off.
“What’s that?” Zara was worried now.
“I have no idea,” the Beta admitted, fearing the worst, He knew Bjorn didn’t just leave them to sit here for hours.
However, soon they both heard the sound of gushing water and knew that it promised nothing good for them.
Soon ice-cold water started streaming through a hole at the top of the room created for ventilation. There were no windows, and the two doors were sealed.
“Cr*p!” Lachlan muttered. “Bird*ie, we need to get up Now!”
She did not object, although it proved hard given the way their arms and legs were chained tightly. Luckily, they still managed to do.
The water was streaming fast, its coldness helping him to come back to his senses. Nonetheless, they were still trapped.
“Let’s move towards the door,” he offered, and she did not object. “Stay still and I will try to knock it out!”
The Beta tried hitting it with his feet, but he was weaker than usual, and the ancient door did not budge.
Soon the water was at their chests, and panic started to grab them both. They knew they wouldn’t be able to swim. Not with their hands and legs tied up and heavy chains weighing them down.
The water was at their necks.
“Listen to me, Zara.” Lachlan’s tone was serious now, not containing a hint of playfulness from a few minutes ago. “I want you to give me a signal when it is near your mouth. Then we both take a deep breath and count to thirty. After that, we bent down and jump as high as we can. This will give us a chance to gulp some air. We’ll be doing it while we can. Do you get me?”
“Yes,” she was already breathing heavily. “Thirty seconds.”
She tapped his hand in less than a minute, and he knew it was time. They bent down slightly and then pushed as hard as they could, taking in full lungs worth of air before they went down underwater again. Counting seconds in their minds helped them to avoid giving.
They were still alive and had a goal to keep them going. It might have been silly, but it worked.
It worked right until they slipped, lost balance, and fell down…