Beautiful Hallucinations

RHIANNON

I’m startled awake by the king biting into my neck. I can feel my body growing weaker. I didn’t even notice him come in this time.

I stiffen as he gulps down a few large mouthfuls before painfully pulling his fangs from me.

My neck aches but I don’t have the strength to lift my hand to it. I let my head fall against the cold stone wall, watching him through half-closed eyes.

“Ten more today, pet,” he tells me, his red eyes glowing in the darkness. I nod and close my eyes.

Suddenly, there is a commotion outside. The ordinarily quiet hallway is filled with chaos. The king runs from the room, leaving the door hanging open.

I strain to see or hear anything. Things are crashing against the ground and people are yelling. I hear a snarling sound that makes my heart pound. I know it can’t be…

A shadow darkens my doorway. I feel a deep, relaxing calm wash over me.

It must be death.

I smile and think of Isaac. My brain is delirious—I can almost smell him.

The figure in front of me moves and my wary eyes try to understand what I’m seeing.

Warm hands. Rough but soft, they gently hold my shoulders.

“Baby,” a broken voice cuts through the air. It sounds far away.

“Isaac,” I smile. I’ve had this dream before, my beautiful hallucinations.

“Oh, God, little mate, I’ve got to get you off of this.” His voice is raw, a deep, painful echo.

He holds my shoulder and slides my body to the left, sliding the hook under my skin. A scream spills from my throat as I feel the hook move, my skin pulling across the metal.

I slump forward into his arms as he snaps the chain from the loop in the ground. He pulls me into his chest, his warm body wrapping around mine. His tears fall down onto my face.

His handsome face is marred by a deep frown. His eyes are dark, rimmed with deep, heavy circles that make him look exhausted and much older.

“Am I dead?” I whisper. This dream has never lasted this long. It’s never felt so real.

“No, angel, you’re not dead, we’re taking you home.” He pulls my cold hands into his, warming me.

“But,” my chest heaves, “you’re dead, they killed you.” I thrash in his arms. “This isn’t real.”

“Rhiannon.” His voice is serious as he grabs me and pulls me up, kissing my mark. Tingling warmth spreads over my cold skin.

I gasp. “Is this real?” I sob against him. He holds me, rocking me gently for a moment. He’s here, he’s ~alive.~

~“~It’s real, little mate. We’re getting you out of here. I’m so sorry,” his voice cracks. “I’m so sorry it took so long.”

He runs his hands over my arms and legs, his warmth making my frozen limbs thaw slightly.

“Isn’t this a touching reunion?”

My blood freezes in my veins. King Julius walks into the room, and Isaac is a whirlwind of movement. He places me on the ground quickly before shifting and leaping into the air.

My eyes can hardly keep up with what’s happening; each movement is done at lightning speed. Isaac and Julius fight, rolling over the stone floor.

Isaac has the upper hand, his teeth deep in Julius’s neck when Valera runs in, frantic. “They’re wearing off! Alpha! The pills aren’t working anymore!”

I don’t know what she’s talking about, but she looks afraid.

Julius throws Isaac; his wolf hits the wall with a thud before sliding down to the floor. He pulls himself up and leaps toward Julius, not giving up.

Julius pulls a gun from the waistband of his pants and fires two shots that make Isaac drop from the air.

A scream rips through my throat, a raw, hideous sound.

Isaac shifts and pulls himself to his feet, blood running from a wound in his shoulder. He growls as Julius pins him to the wall.

“Give up, ~Alpha,~ you can’t kill me,” Julius laughs smugly.

He runs the fingers of his free hand through the gunshot wounds, causing Isaac to flinch slightly.

I can’t see another wound, but Isaac is obviously injured and weakened.

Valera runs to them, trying to pull Julius off of Isaac, biting his neck and face while clinging to his back. Julius thrashes violently, throwing her backward into the opposite wall.

“~Rhiannon~,” a cold voice echoes loudly. I search the room for who is speaking. No one else seems to notice the voice.

“~Rhiannon, remember, the blood. Command the blood,”~ the voice echoes again, pounding against my ears.

“Rhazell?” I ask weakly into the air.

“~Remember…~”

I cry out as I extend my injured wings. I lift my body to float quietly, hovering above Julius. He still has one arm around Isaac’s throat, applying a pressure so tight Isaac is losing consciousness.

I reach down and grab his arm. For a moment, he tries to jerk it away, but he stops. He feels it. I close my eyes and focus, connecting with my blood. My body shakes from the effort.

I feel it tingling through my veins, but I can also feel it in his. I call it back. I command it back.

His face distorts, pain in his eyes as blood begins to rise to the surface of his skin. It trickles out through his eyes, his ears, his mouth.

Rhodes runs into the room and grabs Isaac, pulling him from Julius’s now weakened grasp.

Valera steps forward and plunges a knife into his heart. In his weakened state, he falls to his knees. Stepping forward, she grips the sides of his head.

With a sickening snap, she removes his head as his body falls limply to the floor.

I collapse, falling from the air. Isaac throws his body onto the ground with the last of his strength, catching me before my body hits the floor.

No one moves. Isaac and I lie sprawled across the floor, with Valera leaning against the wall next to us.

“Holy shit,” Rhodes chuckles lightly, “we actually did it.”

Isaac’s chest moves beneath my back. A rough, pained laugh mixed with a groan leaves his chest.

“I wasn’t…” Rhodes starts, but the words die in his throat. His eyes go wide as he stumbles forward slightly from the doorway.

Isaac pushes himself up in concern just as a knife rips through Rhodes’s chest.

“Rhodes!” Isaac lunges forward as Rhodes falls to his knees. As he falls, I see Mirele standing behind him, looking furious.

My mouth falls open but no sound comes out. Isaac supports Rhodes against his chest, helping him to sit.

Mirele sees Julius’s robe, laying in a mess of melting mush. She screams and lunges forward into the room.

Hunter steps in behind her, grabbing her by the hair and twisting her neck with a loud crack. Her lifeless body falls to the ground and I heave a broken sob.

I don’t have time to mourn or grieve for the thing that was once my sister, not now.

I crawl forward to Isaac and Rhodes. I cry and try to stop the bleeding. He coughs painfully and blood drips from his mouth.

“Don’t cry, Luna,” he says with a sad smile. “I told you my fortune. ‘My lonely life will end, when with a dark wing she bleeds.’ I always knew I wouldn’t make it out of this.”

I sob, turning to Isaac’s broad chest and burying my face against him. Suddenly, I jolt back, a gasp leaving my lips.

“Wait, wait, wait. Life is at stake!” I yell into the room. Everyone looks at me wearily, not understanding my sudden outburst.

“Life is at stake!” I keep shouting as I frantically pat down my disgusting, tattered shirt.

I find the pin hooked to the seam on the inside of my shirt and yank it free. I press the silver ball open between my fingers and it cracks open.

The pearl swirls in my palm.

“Pull the dagger out,” I tell Hunter.

“Look, Annie—”

“Do it now!”

“Do it,” Rhodes chokes, his eyes getting heavy. He groans as Hunter pulls the dagger free. Blood quickly pools on the ground.

I take the pearl and carefully place it inside of his open wound. His eyes close and his breathing slows to a stop. Everyone watches quietly, unable to move or even blink.

Fresh tears spill down my cheeks, burning against my raw skin.

~Come on, this has to work.~

~“The bleeding stopped,” Valera says from behind Isaac. She can clearly see the wound in his back.

His chest rises, a slow shallow movement at first but it grows stronger with each breath.

We all breathe a sigh of relief. He’s not bleeding and he’s breathing. Until we can get him to a hospital, that’s the best we can hope for.

“We need to leave, give him to me,” Hunter pulls Rhodes up, over his shoulder carefully.

Isaac pulls himself up from the ground and lifts me into his arms.

“You’re hurt,” I whisper to him.

“It’s nothing, baby,” he smiles, but I can feel that he’s suffering.

We make our way through the halls slowly. Beta Morris comes out of a room, bloody and slow. “Madelyn and Lucas are waiting with the trucks. Are you guys all right?”

Isaac and Hunter grunt and everyone else is silent.

We hobble down a long hallway before coming to a door. The adrenaline I felt before is wearing off fast. The room starts to spin and I lean my head against Isaac’s chest.

“Rest, little mate, it’s all right,” Isaac’s voice hums against my fading consciousness.