Into the Ashes [The Arcadians 2] (36 page)

can get us out of here, but I need you

to just trust me…”

* * * *

Four rogue males came for them

about a half an hour later.

Neither Raven nor Mila fought as

the males unlocked the manacles and

jerked them to their feet. During the

wait, Raven had quietly told Mila

what she had planned. At first the

young

woman

had

been

understandably skeptical, but after a

quick down and dirty explanation,

tears of relief fell from Mila’s eyes.

Now Raven just prayed that she

could come through with what she

had planned.

She gritted her teeth as the males

dragged them out of the small cave,

down a long corridor into a huge

cavern that was well lit by several

large torches. The cavern also had a

large hole in the ceiling that allowed

her to see the stars twinkling in the

dark-crimson sky.

She looked around behind lowered

lashes, careful not to give the secret

of her glowing eyes away too soon

and saw that Brynt and Selina’s

brother Vadar was now present.

Hatred burned so bright within her it

took all of her control to try and stifle

the need to lash out at all the sick,

twisted males in the cavern.

Raven instinctively lashed out and

began struggling against the two

captors holding her as she was

hauled over to a crude stone altar,

where she was chained down to the

cold slab. There was nothing she

could do as new manacles were

secured to her wrists and ankles.

God, she hoped she was right about

what was going to happen soon or

she was seriously screwed.

“I always wanted to fuck a queen.”

One of the males sneered down at her

as he ran a hand up her leg, pulling

her

dress

higher.

He

laughed

mockingly as she tried to kick out at

him, only to be held in place by the

chains. “If you beg me like a good

little whore, perhaps we will go easy

on you.”

Patience, Raven reminded herself

and fought to contain her fear and get

her breathing under control. She felt

like she was a pinned-down butterfly

about to be dissected and the feeling

was absolutely horrifying. Once they

were done securing her, the males

stepped back. Raven heard Mila cry

out and turned her head as the young

female was roughly shoved to the

ground in front of Vadar.

“Kneel before me, you little bitch!”

Vadar growled down at her. He

ripped the rags off of Mila, baring

her bruised body to everyone in the

room. She tried rolling into the fetal

position to cover herself and

screamed out in pain as he started

kicking her. Several more males

entered the room, laughing and joking

with each other as they leered at both

Raven and Mila.

Brynt placed a calming hand on

Vadar’s shoulder. “Relax, brother.

She will learn to obey. Kelgar,

Samir, chain her up on the wall for

later. I believe it is time to get to the

main event.”

Mila screamed again as one of the

rogues pulled Mila up by her hair.

Raven automatically strained against

the bonds holding her to help the

other woman, but she was held in

place to watch helplessly as Mila

was chained to the wall with her

hands over her head.

“You should never have betrayed

us,” the one called Kelgar growled.

“Please,” Mila pleaded, “Please,

brother. Do not do this!”

A wave of raw rage and disgust

shot through Raven at hearing that.

Studying their faces, she decided that

Mila’s brothers would be the first to

die, after Vadar, Brynt, and Selina

that is.

Brynt and Vadar stalked over to

where Raven was laid out and she

cringed as one of Vadar’s hands

changed into claws. He ran the claws

over her bare leg, leaving thin bloody

lines in his wake. Raven struggled

against the bonds holding her down,

trying to get away from the sharp

claws piercing her skin.

“I like it when my females fight,”

Vadar

growled

with

sick

anticipation.

“Do not bloody her too much,”

Brynt chided. “She needs to still be

able to function. We have a lot of

males waiting for a taste of her.”

“Tear her to pieces,” Selina

growled with glee where she was

watching from the other end of the

cavern. The crazy bitch was sitting

on the lap of one of the rogues, still

wearing Raven’s circlet.

Vadar’s claw reached Raven’s

upper thigh and tried to tear through

her dress to bare her flesh to their

perverted gaze.

Only, the dress didn’t tear.

Score one for the gift given to her

by the Gods, but time had run out.

Shit, shit, shit! Come on magic

dragon powers!

Raven tried to channel the pure

power inside her to bring forth the

change she knew was to come, but

didn’t know how to complete it.

Frustration and fear ate at her as she

felt the burn of the manacles rubbing

against her raw skin. She turned her

head away from the brothers and saw

that the sky was turning a lighter

shade of pink as the dawn rapidly

approached.

Deep in the heart of the mountain,

cut off from her mates, there was still

hope.

Suddenly,

Raven

calmed

and

slowly smiled. She just had to hold

on a little longer then she would

make these sick bastards pay for

what they had done, not just to her but

all the other females being held there

in that cavern of horrors.

“And they will,” a deep voice

echoed in Raven’s mind, making her

want to sob in relief.

“Silas? Are you really there or am

I just imagining you?” Raven asked

as she saw Silas’ form shimmering a

few feet away from her.

“Breathe easy, little dragon

warrior,” Silas said calmly. His

body was transparent, as if he wasn’t

really there in the cavern with her,

but a sense of calm washed over her

anyways. He may be bound by the

power of the sun, but he had come to

her aid at the first chance and she

was eternally grateful.

Their eyes met and she saw the

dark fury burning bright in his

glowing golden orbs. “You are not

alone. Unleash your beast, Raven.

Do what needs to be done. I have

limited power here, but I will use

what I have to shield the females.

Let your magic free and finish this.”

Raven gave a slight nod and

embraced the power within her.

Letting go of all restraint, she tapped

into all the fury and fear she felt and

let it merge with the fierce need for

retribution that dwelled within her

soul. A brutal joy swept through

Raven as something deep inside her

broke free.

“What is that bitch smiling about?”

Selina growled.

“She will not be smiling for long.”

Vadar tried again, raking his claw

over her middle, but the dress

remained intact. “What magic is

this?” he snarled out.

Raven’s heart began to race,

pounding so fast she could almost

feel it swelling in her chest. Rage

surged through her, igniting a

firestorm within and her body began

to glow with a golden light.

No longer afraid, she let the flood

of power consume her.

The males in the room froze and

paled at the sound of her primal

growl. Their eyes widened as they

took in the sight of her glowing body.

No longer hiding behind veiled

lashes, Raven turned her head and let

Vadar and Brynt see the anger

burning in her glowing green eyes,

wanting, needing them to see what

they were up against.

They had kidnapped a woman, but

had unleashed a dragon…

Chapter Sixteen

“Get the hell away from me!”

Raven growled out.

She could smell the fear rolling off

the males in waves, and it pleased

her. Focusing predatory eyes on the

males in the room, Raven let out

another growl then saw the smile

spread across Mila’s face when their

eyes met. The younger female looked

back at her with trust and respect

shining from her glowing eyes and

Raven knew she would destroy these

monsters so no one would ever have

to go through what Mila had

experienced.

The males had sealed their death

warrant, and she was going to

collect.

“What in the name of the Gods is

going on?” Mila’s brother Samir

whispered, fear filling into his voice.

“Nay, it cannot be!” Brynt gasped,

taking an involuntary step back.

“Oh, but it is,” Raven growled out.

She let the magic flow from her and

the manacles holding her and Mila

opened and fell to the floor with a

clatter. She sat up and swung her legs

over the altar, sliding down to her

feet. Vadar and Brynt skittered away

from her now that she was free, but

she slowly stalked forward, pacing

them.

Several of the males tried to make

a run for it, but Raven held a hand up

and blocked the exits with an unseen

force. They clawed and pounded on

the invisible barrier then turned to

stare at her in terror.

Good. It was their turn to know true

fear…

“What is this?” Vadar snarled out.

“You wanted a fight,” Raven

growled out, holding her arms out to

her side mockingly. “I’m just giving

you what you wanted.”

A slow smile spread across Silas’

transparent face as he watched. He

floated to the far end of the cave,

positioning himself near where Mila

was inching away from the others.

Silas raised his hand and a

shimmering protective halo appeared

around the young woman.

Trusting that Mila was safe, Raven

felt a sharp pain as the change began,

but used it to feed her fury. Her body

shimmered into pure white light, and

stars burst behind her eyelids,

blinding her for a moment. Her body

seemed to explode into a million tiny

pieces as she let the power free and

was terrified as agony devoured her

alive.

“Breathe,” Silas ordered softly in

her mind. “Stop fighting it. Drop

your guards and let the change

come…”

Raven took a deep breath and let

go, embracing the change. Suddenly,

the agony stopped. She felt an ancient

power moving inside her, the dragon

spirit merging with her soul, binding

itself to her so they became one.

It was like becoming power itself.

She felt her body shift, growing

into a magnificent dragon. The spirit

of the dragon had no gender. It was

simply a combination of knowledge

and raw strength, an untapped source

of unending power that made Raven

more than she had ever imagined in

her wildest dream.

The magic flooded into her,

altering her spirit to become one with

the very essence of the land. Her

senses went into overdrive as time

slowed down. She heard every

whisper of sound, from each frantic

heartbeat in the room to the rush of

wind outside the cavern walls. She

saw colors she had never imagined,

from the darkest shadow to the most

vibrant luminescence in a single star

high above. She felt the heart of the

mountain beating as if it were

synchronized with the one in her

chest. Felt the flow of lava below her

feet as if it were the blood flowing in

her own veins.

In her dragon form, she was a

guardian, a protector, and defender of

Arcadia.

She was no longer Raven Sanchez,

human woman taken from her home

and brought to this alien planet. She