My lip curled, remembering that very day. Mer-Ka was my birth name. Ain was Gabby’s, and Eoria was the home where we knew peace so long ago.
Shattered.
“Follow me this way.” He tipped his head toward the flap of cloth that acted as our door. He carried her in his arms like she weighed nothing. How strong was this strange man? I swallowed and nodded, following along. As long as he had Ain, I would do whatever he said and follow him anywhere.
I exited our home, my feet barely a whisper behind him. He didn’t check to see if I followed, moving silently and quickly as if he were walking on air. We passed empty stone homes left and right. Half of our village had left the second the pieces of the sky fell. They knew something bad was coming, but my parents didn’t listen. They didn’t believe the danger existed. Now, watching Ain cough, I wished I would have pestered them more.
“W-where are you taking us?” I asked, my voice sounding every bit as scared as I felt.
He turned slightly, offering me a small smile over his shoulder. “I have a friend who may be able to help.”
I nodded again to avoid his eyes. They seemed to dance with molten fire, and the gold edges were unnatural. He was beyond gorgeous, with dark curls that framed his face. His skin was the same shade as Ain’s and mine. I had never seen another that looked like him. Maybe he was from another world, too. I had begged for a savior. Maybe he was mine. He did look like the pictures my mom had shown me of the winged angels she believed in. She’d told me stories about how strong and powerful they were, and this man certainly seemed to be. He carried my sister without effort. Not that either of us had much weight on our bodies at this point. We had run out of real food weeks ago and had been living off what rations I could find. I gave her the most, even when she fought me, but I had promised my mom and dad I would take care of her. She was my baby sister. I wouldn’t let her starve.
I watched the back of his dark curls as we walked, heading toward an abandoned part of the city. Unease shivered through me when he stopped before a broken and misshapen temple that was half collapsed. He started down a brown stone stairway, the statues on either side chipped and worn beyond recognition.
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “We can’t be here. These are closed off because they are unstable. They are not safe. We could get crushed.”
He turned, looking at me as if I were insane. “Wait here. I need to speak to them. I’ll return for you.”
I gasped. “Them? How many are here?”
“Just wait.” He smiled as if he could hear my thudding heartbeat and sought to calm my fears.
“You are not taking my sister, gods know where, without me.” I stepped closer, looking between him and the empty, dark hole in the ground. I would fight him if I had to, even knowing I wouldn’t win. His muscles were apparent through the thin garbs he wore. The unusual fabric crisscrossed over his entire frame, faithfully clinging to his physique. He must have read my expression because he smiled soothingly once more.
“Look, I appreciate you trying to help, but she,” I pointed toward my sister as she leaned on him and coughed once more, “can’t be alone in there. I don’t know who you are, but she barely breathes as is.”
“My name is Drake.” He smirked. “Now you know who I am. Please wait here.”
I started to protest, but his eyes shone a shade brighter. My mouth closed, and the anxiety left my body. Maybe it was a good idea. “Okay, I’ll wait here.”
He smiled once more, then turned, disappearing down the stone steps and out of my sight.
I paced despite my exhaustion, twisting my fingers as I waited.
And waited
And waited.
I stopped and stared at the stone staircase and sighed. Wait here, he’d said. I had to wait here, but why? My heart thudded. He had my sister, and he was going to help her. I needed to wait, but why again? I moved my foot, tapping it on the sand, my body resisting the order he’d given me. I flexed my hands once, twice, my stomach lurching. I needed to get to Ain. He’d taken her, and I didn’t know him or who else was down there. What had I done? Wait here. No. I couldn’t wait for her. I moved, my feet scraping on the sand. I didn’t think about anything other than getting to Ain as I started down the steps.
I splayed my hands against the walls nearest to me, trailing my fingers along the dirty stone as I carefully started my descent. It was pitch black, and I couldn’t see anything. This was a bad idea. I knew it, but what choice did I have? The walls ended as my feet made it to solid ground. I outstretched my hands in front of me, trying to grasp onto anything.
“Drake?” I whispered, trying to get the beautiful stranger’s attention, but I heard nothing. “Drake?” I whispered once more.
I heard a rustling near me as if something slithered across the sand. I’d forgotten about the sand vipers that loved the dark, cool places. What was I thinking? Okay, okay, I could do this. I could do this. It was for my sister. I took a deep breath, making sure I avoided the area where I’d heard that little movement, and turned toward the opposite side. I kept my hands outstretched, not wanting to run into anything as I walked slowly but surely forward.
A solid wall finally met my fingertips, and I sighed in relief, tracing the uneven texture of the wall and the symbols carved into the stone. I kept walking, keeping my hands on the wall. Gods, I wished I could see. It was still so dark. How did he see anything? My rambling thoughts stopped as I heard voices. At first, they were soft murmurs, but the closer I got, the louder they grew. Someone was arguing.
“We don’t want a carcass that’s decaying from the inside out. I’m not going to eat that,” I heard someone say, and I gulped.
“She is not to eat. I brought her for Kaden.”
“You intend to feed me scraps then, vampire?” A deep voice replied.
Vampire? What was a vampire?
I shuffled closer, and their voices grew. I saw a dim light ahead and breathed a sigh of relief before dropping my hands from the wall and stalking forward. It wasn’t a lot of light, but enough to draw me to them. It spilled out at the end of the temple, casting dancing shadows across the far wall—lots of shadows.
“No,” the curly-haired angel said. “I intend for you to save her. I know you can.”
“And why would I do that?”
There was a slight pause as I drew closer. “Maybe another person to help you with your plans.”
I stopped in the doorway, afraid to interrupt their conversation. “Hmm, I don’t need anymore. Kill her.”
My heart dropped, and I didn’t think before running into the room. “No!” I screamed, skidding to a stop in front of Ain. I spread my arms wide, trying to protect her with my body. Ain clutched her arms around herself, frozen in fear.
Terror swept through me. I hadn’t just walked into a room with two men talking. I’d walked into a room with more than a dozen people. They were all dressed in various colored garbs, and they were all staring at me.
“You’re the travelers they spoke of. The ones who crossed the desert on foot and made it in one piece.”
“Is that what they call us?” The large man in front of me laughed, and a few others around the room joined him. I gulped, staring up at him. He was taller than me, and that was saying something. My eyes trailed from the thick black sandals he wore to his pleated skirt and over the wide expanse of his muscled chest. His skin was darker than mine, not like the sands of my home, but richer. The red garbs that covered his shoulders and part of his chest contrasted beautifully with the rich tones.