Ch.11 For Hire

Chapter 11

Maya felt the warm blood soak up into her hair as it trickled down her neck and onto the floor. The sides of her rib screamed in excruciating pain as the metallic taste of blood filled the back of her throat. With watery eyes, Maya's vision struggled to focus on their pair of brown eyes gazing at her.

"You stupid little girl," Heyder said, his voice almost a whisper.

Maya struggled to breath as she laid on the floor gasping. She watched Heyder's hand reach out with deliberate slowness and caution. His long finger touched the edge of Maya's face as he crouched beside her. Maya shifted her eyes from his hand to his face.

A blissful comfort and warmth suddenly came over Maya. She felt the feeling begin in the pit of her stomach before it started to spread like ripples on the surface of still water. Her chest rose off the floor like a balloon being filled with air.

"Why did you do that?" Heyder asked, shaking his head. His finger traced along the edge of Maya's face before he came it came to rest upon her chin. Maya let out a small gasp as he took her chin in between his slender fingers. His thumb pressed onto her bottom lip before he ran it over her skin, sending a thrill down Maya's spine.

"You always have to do that, don't you?" Heyder asked, searching Maya's face as she stared up at him in confusion. Her big blue eyes swam in a sea of questions.

Maya slowly raised her hand from her side to touch the jinn's face. But a shrilling cry froze her.

"Get away from her!" Gemma screamed.

Heyder didn't even bat an eyelash as Maya's family ran into the room. His eyes stayed locked with the girl laying on the floor in front of him as Exton ran forward and pulled him away. For a few brief seconds, Heyder didn't move. But as Owen joined in and both he and Exton pulled, Heyder was dragged away.

Maya opened her mouth in a silent plea as the queen's guards marched into the room. Within a matter of seconds, they had Heyder kneeling on the floor with his hands behind his head. All their piping hot iron spears were pointed at him. The glowing tips of their weapons hovered in the air, ready to pierce into the jinn if he dared to make any move.

"Maya!" Rye ran over to where the girl laid on the floor. "Are you hurt?"

"No, she's auditioning for a role in a horror film," Heyder said. "She'll make the perfect dumb blonde cheerleader, don't you agree?"

"Somebody shut him up," Rye said over her shoulder as she began to examine Maya.

Exton stepped forward and flew his fist across Heyder's face. Maya let out a small whimper in protest.

"What did you do to her?" Exton demand to know as he grabbed the jinn by his collar and shook him.

"Maksim, Adeline," Mavi said in anger as she turned to look at the two. "In my office."

"Piggy, we-" Adeline took a step forward but stopped immediately as Mavi shot her a deadly glare.

"Now." Mavi's voice boomed.

"Oof," Heyder chuckled. "The lioness learned to roar."

"Xavier," Rye called her husband. "Pick her up. I need to get her to the infirmary."

"Is she okay? What's wrong?" Gemma began to cry as she hovered over Rye's shoulder. "Why isn't she speaking?"

"She's choking," Heyder said calmly from where Exton had dropped him on his knees. "Check her lungs. Sofia dear had her flying through the air like a rag doll."

"Did you go to med school while you were away?" Rye glared at the man as Xavier picked Maya up into his arms and began to move towards the door.

"No..." Maya could barely get the word out.

Xavier frowned as he pulled her closer to hear what she was struggling to say.

"Don't hurt him," tears ran down Maya's face as she fought to stay conscious.

"You know I can heal her if you let me," Heyder said.

"Why is he still talking?" Rye whirled around and yelled.

"You must have lost your mind if you think we're letting you anywhere near her," Owen sneered as he looked down at Heyder.

"Hello to you too, Radacovick," Heyder smirked. He looked over at Maksim and then back at Owen. "I see the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree."

"Gemma!" Sofia called to the witch as she tried to follow Rye and Xavier out the room. "You need to contain him. Maya broke the vessel."

Gemma hesitated as her eyes bounced from Heyder to down the hall where Rye rushed Maya to the infirmary. She struggled to make a decision as Heyder sighed and looked around.

"May I get off the floor?" He asked. "It's pretty uncomfortable."

Exton was about to answer when Gemma conjured up a piping red hot energy spell and shot the jinn in his chest. Heyder fell forward as he coughed, trying to catch his breath.

"If anything happens to my daughter," Gemma bent down to look into the man's eyes. "I will have you burn in the depths of Tartarus."

"Keep her the hell away from me then," Heyder snapped back.

"Gem," Mavi grabbed Gemma's shoulders and pulled her back. "Take him away."

The guards all began to move in unison as Owen picked Heyder up by his arm and began to drag him out of the throne room. As they passed Sofia, Heyder looked over and gave her a tiny wink accompanied by his signature lopsided smile.

"Sofia," Mavi said. "Gemma will take care of the spells. I need you in my office."

________________

"Maya!" Xavier raised his voice as the two nurses struggled to hold the girl down to the hospital bed.

"Get off of me!" Maya screamed.

As soon as they had arrived at the infirmary, Rye had injected Maya with a tiny dose of Mavi's blood they kept in case of an emergency. It only took a few minutes for the lungs and cracked ribs to heal before Maya sat up in bed, ready to run back out.

"Stop fighting them," Xavier said as he frowned at his granddaughter.

"What happened?" Rye asked as she ran back into the room. "I left for two seconds."

"Mimzy! Maya called to Rye in desperation. "Tell them not to hurt him. He didn't do anything. Please, please, I need to see him."

Rye's worried gaze flickered to Xavier. She rushed forward to the bed as one of the nurses stepped aside.

"Maya," She said calmly as she took the girl's face into her hand.

Nurse, Rye mind-linked the woman standing beside her. Get me the sedative.

"You have to stay here, baby," Rye said calmly as she tried to encourage Maya to breathe.

"No," Maya shook her head as she began to cry. "I have to go. I have to go see him."

"Okay," Rye got off the bed. "Come with me. I'll take you."

Maya's eyes moved from the nurse to Xavier. She wasted no time to wait around and see if they would try and stop her as she jumped out of the bed and ran towards the door.

"Slow down," Rye pulled at her arm. "You're not fully healed yet."

Maya looked over her shoulder as she tried to pull her arm back. But Rye held on as she carefully guided her out of the room.

"He's not going anywhere," She said. 'Slow down."

Maya didn't have a single cell in her body that wanted to slow down. She bit down on her tongue as she tried to match Rye's pace. But her feet were moving on their own. Urgently, Maya moved ahead of Rye.

Just then an irritating sharp object poked into Maya's outer thigh. She looked down in confusion as she spotted Rye's hand holding a syringe. Maya looked up in surprise as her feet stumbled.

"What are you doing?" She tried to ask as her speech slurred.

Just as Maya was about to collapse onto the floor, Xavier caught her in his arms. He picked her up with ease and walked back into the hospital room. Rye followed behind him as she handed the empty sedative to the nurse.

"What do you think he's up to?" She asked as she looked up at her mate with worry in her gray eyes.

"I don't know," Xavier confessed honestly as he hung his head. "But I don't like this feeling one bit."

____________________

Heyder stood eyeing the guards as Gemma boarded up the prison cell with layer upon layer of boundary spells and any other type of spells that would zap the jinn if he tried to even think about escaping. It wasn't a permanent fix. But until they figured out what was going on the spell fortress had to do.

From the other side, Owen instructed the guards to stay on high alert as Exton checked over all the iron weapons they carried.

"This is quite the welcome," Heyder said as he looked down at his rings and examined them.

Gemma ignored him as she sealed the perimeter of the cell. Her angry blue eyes shot daggers at the tatted up jinn in his black black t- shirt and dark jeans. Heyder tried to suppress his smile as he watched her.

"I think magic is the only thing she inherited from you," he said. "She most certainly didn't get her looks from your side of the family."

"Tartarus," Gemma said calmly. "Remember."

"How can I forget?" Heyder chuckled.

"I want eyes on him at all times," Owen said to the guards. "Keep constant communication with Alec. If he tries anything, call for backup before you engage. We'll be right upstairs."

"Remember," Heyder spoke up from within the cell. He pointed to the spot over his heart and then to the spear the guards were holding. "Right through here."

Owen and Exton growled in their throats. Just for extra precaution, Owen doubled the guards before Gemma informed him she was done with the spells.

"I did as many as I could," she said.

"I think you missed Pandora's spell," Heyder said. "Seal me in like her box."

Exton's eyes flickered to Gemma and she groaned low in her mind. She reluctantly turned around and sealed the cell. The corner of Heyder's lips pulled up into a small smile as a sheer force field of blue light appeared between him and the mini army outside.

"Must better," he said.

He couldn't help the amused laughter that bubbled to his lips as Gemma stormed off. He bit down on his bottom lip as his watchful eyes followed Exton and then Owen out of the dungeon.

Heyder let out the breath he had been holding as he took a seat at the edge of the narrow uncomfortable bed. He dropped his head as he ran his hands through his dark hair. The muscles on his harp jaw jumped as he remained in that position and channeled his gifts.

Like tuning a radio, Heyder worked through the hundred voices in the palace. With his eyes shut and hands slightly over his ears, he roamed the halls in search of that one voice.

"I want to kill him," Gemma said somewhere upstairs.

"Why were you thinking?" Mavi yelled in a different place.

"Have every guard ready and armed," Owen commanded someone.

"I didn't know what was happening," the blonde twin cried.

"Adeline, baby, take a deep breath," A man said.

"She's asleep," A voice, clear as daylight entered Heyder's mind.

Heyder's eyes snapped open as he lifted his gaze. With a heavy sigh, he slowly straightened up and observed the girl in front of him. Her wild gray eyes pinned him in his place as she waited for him to speak.

From the corner of his eyes, Heyder noticed all the guards laying on the floor. When he focused back, the girl had moved across the room to the blue force field imprisoning them both. She lifted her small hands and ran a finger across it as if she were running her hand over the surface of a pool.

"Does it bother you that I look like my mother?" she asked as she looked over her shoulder.

"You have more of your father in you," Heyder said.

The girl smiled. She took a step forward and held out her hand, "My name is Clare. Nice to finally meet you."

"Heyder," Heyder reached out and shook her hand.

"Welcome back, Heyder, son of Elvan and Ira," Clare gave him a small nod.

Heyder held her stormy gaze for a long minute before his narrow eyes relaxed and he looked back at the silent guards once more.

"Are you convinced of what I am or should I continue?" Clare asked in a soothing voice.

"Sweetheart, I sensed you from miles away," Heyder sighed as he rubbed his hands over his things before he got up and walked over to where Clare stood in front of the forcefield. The reflection of the blue light danced over her eyes as she waited for him.

"What I don't understand," Heyder continued. "Is how you aunty hasn't picked up on you yet."

"My favorite game growing up was hide and seek."

"Mine was cops and robbers."

"Would I be the cop or the robber?" Clare asked.

Heyder shrugged, "Doesn't matter. You pay hide and seek."

Clare gave a smile as she went back to playing with the forcefield. Heyder turned and pushed his hands into his pocket before sighing.

"She's been looking for you for a very long time, you know."

Heyder remained unmoved. His face was unreadable as his piercing gaze locked onto the hot iron rod in one of the soldier's hands.

"I don't see why?" He said.

"Don't be rude," Clare rolled her eyes. "You don't want to piss off Maya. She's vicious and scary."

"That's new," Heyder couldn't help himself but follow Clare and run his finger through the forcefield.

"I have a job for you,"

"I'm not looking for a job."

"I need you to retreat something for me. I will give you only the name. You must find it and bring it back to me safely."

"You seem very confident that I will accept your job," Heyder looked over at the young girl.

"You will," Clare nodded.

"What makes you so sure?" Heyder raised a brow.

"Bring me what I need and I will lift your curse."

Heyder's hand froze in the forcefield. He peered at Clare wondering if he had heard her right. When she didn't back down or look away from his terrifying eyes, he knew she was serious.

"There is no cure for the curse of the Noia," Heyder said.

"No cure that you know of," Clare clarified.

"I've been searching for centuries," Heyder's eyes darkened before they flashed silver.

"And I have been sitting with it all along,"

"You know her faith," Heyder said. "Why wouldn't you just give me the cure to save her?"

"Because what I need for you to get is more important," Clare said. "I will save Maya from your curse. But if you refuse to help me then I can't save her from what's to come after."

"How do I know you aren't pulling wool over my eyes?"

"What have you got to lose by trusting me, Heyder?" Clare patiently counted in her head as she watched the wheels in the jinn's head turning. She saw his mind shift and battle behind his brown eyes as she waited for him to answer.

"Don't worry," she said to give him the extra push he needed. "She will be fine. And you know it."

"Oh yeah?" Heyder huffed.

"She's never lived this long before," Clare said. "She turned 23 this year."

"You forget I was locked away."

"Oh please," Clare rolled her eyes. "You practically volunteered."

Heyder let out the long breath he had been holding in his chest. Clare watched him as he ran a hand through his hair and then nodded.

"She'll be fine?" He asked.

"She'll see more than three whole moons," Clare gave a simple nod.

"Alright," Heyder said. "What do you need from me?"

"How about I show you?" Clare asked.

"Lead the way."

Clare turned to the forcefield in front of her and then looked back at the jinn.

"Do you mind?" She asked.

Heyder chuckled as he gave a push of his hand and all the spells Gemma has spent hours setting up collapsed at his feet. He held out his hand for Clare to take as he guided her through the fallen bodies of the sleeping guards.

"By the way," Clare said as she slowly stepped over a guard. "Maya has already met Mirza."

A short chapter but took me forever to write because I couldn't give too much away.