Her Immortal Mate (Brides of the Vrakken #3)

9. Eike

9

EIKE

L ight filters through the canopy as we leave the camp. Raziel and Brinda are ahead of me and Raina and Dominik behind. Mae stands close to my side, her copper hair catching the silver light. The urge to keep her near pulses through my blood.

"Looks like we could make the flight in half an hour." Raziel's voice carries across our small group. His dark wings fold against his back as he surveys the surrounding forest. "As long as everyone can do that?"

I look to Mae. "Do you mind if I carry you?"

She shakes her head, and I give Raziel a nod. He scans the others, but those of us with him all have strong wings and a good glamour.

I stop, having Mae move her pack so it rests against her chest, and I wrap my arms under her legs and behind her head, cradling her against me. She feels so perfect and I breathe in her scent.

"Is this okay?" she asks as she shifts her arms around my neck, and I nod.

"Hold on tight."

Her eyes flash with a hint of wariness just as I push off the ground, my wings beating as we take to the sky. I didn't carry Mae last time because I didn't mind the long walk with her, and unlike some vrakken, I prefer being on the ground.

Maybe the whispers that I'm too human are true.

Mae gasps as we launch through the air, her hands digging into the back of my neck, and I chuckle, my wings opening and leveling us out. "Never flown?" I guess.

"Do you see wings on my back?" she snaps.

I try to suppress my laughter this time. But as I fly, she slowly relaxes, twisting to watch everything below. I study her face, loving having her this close up. We haven't had a moment like this since we met, and I'm savoring what little I can get.

The forest thins as we head east, giving way to rocky terrain. The magic pulses stronger with each step, a familiar tingle that sets my teeth on edge. Mae notices my tension.

"You feel it already?" Her whisper barely carries.

"Ja. Gets stronger near the caves." My wings twitch, responding to the energy. "Like static before a storm."

Raziel signals a halt ahead. The rocky outcropping looms before us, its jagged face piercing the sky. The entrance is a slash of deeper black against the stone.

"Magic's thick here." Raziel moves forward, his ancient eyes narrowed. "I see what you mean, Eike."

"It feels raw." Brinda says, hovering beside him. "Untapped."

I set Mae down gently as we land, my hands lingering longer than necessary. The cave mouth yawns before us, darkness spilling out like ink across the rocky ground.

Raziel steps forward. "Eike, Brinda - you're with me. We'll check the portal." He turns to the others. "The rest of you stay here. Keep watch."

My jaw clenches. Leaving Mae exposed, even with guards, sets my teeth on edge. But I know better than to challenge Raziel's command.

Mae catches my eye. "Go. We'll be fine."

I nod and follow Raziel into the cave, Brinda close behind. The darkness swallows us, but our eyes adjust quickly. The stone walls pulse with veins of magic, casting a faint blue glow.

"This way." I point left where the magic feels strongest, like pins pricking under my skin.

Brinda's wings rustle in the confined space. "The energy's different here. Older."

"More concentrated," Raziel agrees, running his hand along the wall. "Like it's been building."

We wind deeper into the cavern, following the strengthening pulse of magic. The air grows thick, heavy with power that makes my wings twitch.

"There." I stop at an intersection of three tunnels. The middle passage thrums with energy.

Brinda steps forward, her hands raised. Magic flows from her fingers, illuminating the air. "I can almost see it..."

Raziel moves beside her, adding his power to hers. The combined magic reveals what our eyes couldn't - a slight shimmer in the air, like heat waves rising from summer pavement.

"The portal." Raziel's voice echoes off the walls. "It's stable, but..." He frowns. "Something's different about this one."

I reach out, not touching but feeling the energy radiating from the doorway. My wings spread slightly in response to the magic.

"What is it?" I ask.

"Concentrated energy. More volatile." Brinda seems to catalog to herself.

"Nyx told me that there were pocket dimensions," Raziel muses. "I wonder if this is one of those — a wildspont."

"There's only one way to find out." Brinda starts striding forward.

I hesitate, watching Brinda disappear through the shimmering barrier. Raziel glances back at me, his dark eyes reflecting the magical glow. But then he follows after her.

Taking a deep breath, I follow, hoping that the portal doesn't vanish with us. The magic washes over me like stepping into a warm bath, tingling across my skin and through my wings.

The cavern that I materialize in steals my breath. The chamber stretches impossibly high, the ceiling lost in darkness above. Veins of pure magic pulse through the stone walls in intricate patterns, casting everything in an ethereal blue-white light. The air itself feels alive, crackling with energy.

"Schei?e," I breathe. "This is..."

"Incredible." Brinda spreads her wings wide, the magic seeming to dance along her feathers. "I feel stronger already."

She's right. The constant ache in my wings from our long flight has vanished. A cut on my forearm from an earlier training session has already healed, not even leaving a scar.

"This magic." Raziel runs his hand through the air, watching the energy ripple around his fingers. "It feels like my own, just outside of me. Like it's in our blood. Like we were made from this."

I flex my wings, feeling the power surge through them. "Like coming home."

The chamber seems to breathe around us, the magical veins pulsing in a steady rhythm. Crystalline formations jut from the walls and floor, each one thrumming with concentrated energy. Small creatures I've never seen before dart between the crystals - beings made purely of magic, their forms shifting and flowing like liquid light.

"The stories were true then." Raziel's voice echoes off the walls. "The wildsponts aren't just portals. They're... alive."

"Not alive exactly." Brinda corrects him, examining a cluster of crystals. "But pure magic given form. This is what Nyx must have been talking about."

I step closer to one of the larger formations, watching the energy swirl within. "And the dark elves have different power. If they come down here, they might not even fight the portal — and the magic would more than likely overwhelm them."

Brinda traces her fingers along a pulsing vein of magic. "This could change everything."

"Exactly." Raziel paces the chamber, his footsteps stirring ripples in the magical current. "We could establish bases here. Safe havens where they can't touch us."

"More than that." Brinda's voice rises with excitement. "This magic - it's making us stronger. Healing us faster. Imagine what we could do with a permanent connection to this power."

She's right. I can feel it humming through my blood, singing to something primal inside me. My wings have never felt stronger, the muscles boosted by the magic.

"A fortress." The word slips from my lips as the realization hits. "Not just a hiding place - a stronghold. One they can't breach without destroying themselves."

Raziel nods slowly. "The dark elves will think they've pushed us underground, made us weak. But they won't understand - they've given us exactly what we needed."

"They forced us right into our source of power." Brinda laughs, the sound echoing off the crystalline walls. "And they'll be too afraid to follow."

The chamber pulses around us, as if responding to our understanding. The magical creatures dance through the air, their light-forms swirling in complex patterns. This is what we've been searching for - not just survival, but a place all our own.