Chasing Promises: (Capturing Magic, Book 3) Read online

  A hand slaps down over my mouth, and I’m yanked back behind a tree. Panicking, I move to elbow them in the stomach, but then they whisper in my ear.

  “Relax. I’m not going to fucking hurt you.”

  The smell of darkness hits my nostrils then—Maxton’s scent. But this time a dash of something sugary and sweet is mixed in with it.

  I’m not sure if his presence should bring me comfort or not, since the last time I saw him, he was trying to capture me and take me to Axel. But Maple had said that Maxton was done. Though, I’m unsure exactly what that means.

  Maxton steps in front of me and turns me so my back is against the tree. His hand is still covering my mouth, but he puts a finger to his lips and slowly lowers it.

  I smash my lips together to keep my breathing quiet.

  He looks at me for a fleeting instant, the starlight from the sky illuminating his silver eyes.

  Wait … Silver eyes? The last time I saw them, they were black.

  He gradually leans in, lowering his head toward mine, and I make a fist, preparing to clock him throat

  “I’m going to get us out of here,” he whispers, and I put a pause on my throat punching. “We just need to be quiet. The hounds, they run on movement and noise sensors, so if we keep quiet and out of their sights, we should be able to get out of here alive.”

  I nod, not sure if I trust him. But, what other choice do I have? To run blindly and hope I make it back to the vehicle without becoming robot dog chow?

  “What about Maple?” I whisper as quietly as I can.

  “She deserves the painful death she’s about to get,” he grits out in a shaky tone. I can almost feel the tension surging through his body.

  Maple was abusive to him, and he has every right to think that, but …“I need her,” I tell him. “She knows why your father wants me, and she knows what I am. I need to get that information out of her before you let the hounds eat her … or whatever they do.”

  “Harlynn, I know all those things, too,” he stresses. “And I can tell you now that my father is finally, finally done with me. Although, I’m not sure why I’m not dead. That’s how it’s supposed to work,” he mutters the last part confusedly.

  So, I was right when I thought Maple meant that Maxton was dead. That still leaves a lot of questions, though. The most important being … “Are you still tied to him? Axel, I mean.”

  He shakes his head then breathes out, “No … I’m free.” He sounds so baffled, like he’s not sure what to do with that revelation.

  I really don’t either, so I just give his hand a squeeze.

  “Okay, let’s get out of here.” I only hope I’m not making a huge-ass mistake by trusting him.

  Nodding, he clutches my hand and pulls me with him as he carefully moves farther into the trees. I keep my footsteps as light as possible as I follow him, holding my breath and cringing at every movement—

  The sound of Maple’s screams pierces the night, and the darkness lights up with eyes.

  Maxton skids to a stop, and so do I.

  “Oh my gods, they’re everywhere,” I whisper in horror as I take in all the glowing eyes peeking out at us from the trees.

  Maxton casts a glance at me, but he weirdly doesn’t appear as terrified as I am.

  Then he parts his lips. “Run.”

  I don’t argue. I do exactly what he says, and we both take off in a mad sprint. Hounds dart at us from every angle as we maneuver around, jumping over logs and swinging around trees.

  The clanking of the hounds’ teeth chases after us, glowing eye reflecting from everywhere. It seems like we’re going farther into the mess as we run deeper into the mechanical forest.

  “Do you even know where we’re going?” I ask breathlessly as Maxton tugs on my arm and veers us out of the path of at least a dozen hounds.

  “Kind of,” he replies vaguely.

  “What do you mean kind of?” I hiss.

  “I mean, before I found you, I stumbled across Asher—my brother’s vehicle. No one answered when I knocked, and the door was locked, so … so I went looking for him but found you instead. I’m not very familiar with this planet, but I think I can find my way back to it.”

  “Think?” Well, that doesn’t sound promising.

  “Yeah, think.” He skitters to the side as a hound leaps out in front of us. “And if I can get us there, we just need to find a way to unlock it.”

  While I’m not a huge fan of his iffy plan, it might work if he can get us there.

  “If you can get us there, I might be able to get us inside.”

  “Okay,” he says determinedly as he picks up the pace.

  I struggle to move as quickly as him, mostly because of these damn clunky heeled boots I’m wearing. I refuse to go down by becoming a mechanical dog’s supper, so I keep going, pushing myself to go faster.

  I’m not going to lie. I had a lot of doubt that we could find our way to the vehicle, so when we burst through the trees and I spot the guys’ worlds traveling vehicle, a sense of relief washes over me. However, that means I now have to break into it and before the hounds get us. And I don’t have any tools on me at all, besides a hairpin. That’ll have to do. Although, I’m still not sure how I’m going to break past East’s seal if he put one up. Maybe if I can channel some of my power, but I’ll start with the lock for now.

  As we slow to a stop in front of the door, I pluck a hairpin from my hair and reach for the doorknob, trying not to pay attention to the sounds of the hounds’ pounding footsteps rushing toward us.

  “Please hurry,” Maxton says with his gaze fixed on the land around us.

  “On it,” I tell him as confidentially as I can. But now that we’re here, I’m remembering how much of a pain in the ass it was to break into the guys’ vehicle the last time I tried. What if this doesn’t work? What if I can’t get us in in time? What if I can’t do this?

  What if I—

  As I place my hand on the doorknob, the door opens.

  “Okay, well, that was easy.”

  I rush in, grabbing Maxton and pulling him in with me. Then I slam the door shut right as a hound tries to pounce on us. It ends up hitting the door, and the entire vehicle shakes like thunder. I hold my breath, waiting to see if the door will hold. Thankfully, it does.

  I release a deafening breath as I turn around, expecting one of the guys to be there, because how else did the door open? When I peer around the living room and kitchen, though, I don’t see any of them. I also notice that the place has returned to its normal state, all signs of the party long gone.

  “Hello?” I call out, crossing my fingers that Maple was lying, that she didn’t turn in the guys for the destruction of the arch.

  When my only response is the growling of the hounds outside, my stomach drops.

  “I don’t get it,” I mutter, scratching my head. “How did the door open up if none of them are here?”

  “They probably put you on the security’s access list,” Maxton says from behind me.

  I twist to face him. “I highly doubt that. They’d have to trust me a freakin’ ton to do that.”

  He rolls his silver eyes then glances around at the instruments in the room, the kitchen, the golden albums covering the walls. “So, you’re naïve. Good to know.”

  “Hey!” I protest, crossing my arms. “I’m not naïve, dude.”

  “If you say so.” He doesn’t look at me, but I detect the slightest trace of a smile.

  “You think you’re funny?” I question, trying really hard not to smile myself.

  He just shrugs, wandering into the kitchen and examining the glass countertops with the water fey inside.

  Normally, I’d be annoyed by what he said, but considering he’s been a servant to an evil creature for who knows how long and now he’s suddenly free, I’m going to let him off the hook. Besides, it’s kind of fascinating watching him be fascinated with everything. So, instead of going toe-to-toe with him like I would with East or Asher, I just
silently observe him.

  He looks similar to Asher, with dark hair, only his is chin-length. He also has on a shirt, which Asher rarely does. He’s a bit thinner, too, but that might be because he’s been locked up in a cave, though I know Asher has been taking him food. And they have the same eyes now that Maxton’s are silvery instead of black. His are more haunted, though. Or, well, a different kind of haunted than Asher’s. Then I see his wrists and the dried blood covering his flesh.

  “Oh my gods, what happened to your arms?”

  His gaze drops to his wrist as he lifts one of his arms. As he does so, I get a glimpse of his sliced open skin, the fresh wounds still trickling out blood. “Asher had me chained up, and I had to wiggle my arms out of the metal cuffs to get out …” Smashing his lips together, he tugs down the sleeve of his shirt. “Anyway, yeah, I got out, and I’m free, so it doesn’t even matter.”

  I feel bad for him, because it does matter.

  “I’m sorry,” I say.

  “Why? It’s not your fault.”

  “It is that you’re here.”

  He rolls his eyes. “No, that’s my father’s fault. And mine for being what I am.”

  “That’s not true,” I say softly.

  He just shakes his head and turns away from me, focusing on the countertop. “What’re these things in here? And why are they trapped in here?”

  Okay, so I guess we’re doing the whole subject change thing.

  “They’re water fey,” I explain as I wander over to the kitchen.

  “I know, but …” He glances up at me with a frown on his lips. “Why do my brother and his friends keep them locked up in here?”

  “I … I honestly don’t know,” I tell him.

  He seems bothered by it, and I wonder if it has to do with his father keeping him as a prisoner.

  He gives one more glance at the counter then lets out a quiet sigh and looks at me. “Do you know where my brother and his friends are?”

  Now I’m the one to sigh. “Well, if Maple was telling the truth, then they’ve been arrested for the destruction of the arch.”

  He cocks a brow. “You mean, the one your powers collapsed?”

  “That’d be the one.” I sink down onto the sofa with a weighted sigh. “I’m not really sure what that means, though, since I don’t really know much about this planet either.”

  He hesitates then takes a seat across from me. “We should probably start figuring a way to get them out of whatever prison they’ve been sent to.”

  Worry stirs in my chest at all the possibilities of where they could be. Back in my world, when you got arrested, you were locked up in an electric cell and had to constantly endure being zapped by electricity. Like I said, though, I know hardly anything about Steel.

  “I completely agree with you, but I really have no idea where to start.” My worry increases as I realize the truth of my words.

  I literally have no clue where to start to save the guys from wherever they are. It also scares the hell out of me that I’m so worried about them.

  East was right when he predicted I’d get attached. I did. And that scares the sneaky troll babies out of me. My initial instinct is to fight it, to protect everyone from the curse, but Asher said that the curse might be able to be broken …

  I swallow hard as reality nearly swallows me. I think it’s finally hitting me, that thing that I thought would never be possible.

  I could be free from the curse.

  Free to feel whatever I want.

  Free.

  Free.

  Free.

  “If we can find out where they are,” Maxton says, drawing me from my thoughts, “we can get them out.”

  “How?” I ask eagerly.

  “With your powers—”

  The doorknob to the front door clicks.

  Shit, did the hounds figure out how to open the door?

  Maxton and I leap to our feet and rush for the hallway. Then I snatch ahold of his hand and pull him toward my room—

  “I can’t believe this shit!” East growls out with more rage in his tone than I’ve ever heard. “That stupid, obnoxious faerie. We should’ve killed her instead of focusing on capturing her.”

  I freeze as a waterfall of relief cascades over me.

  “We needed to capture her,” Arrow reminds him, his voice cracking with more emotion than I’ve ever heard. “We need to know what Harlynn is.”

  “Yeah, well, we should’ve found another way,” East snaps. “We never should’ve used her as bait. We’re going to hell for this. And we should.”

  “I know,” Arrow mutters, guilt overflowing from his tone.

  Giving Maxton a reassuring look, I let go of his hand and make my way back to the living room, wondering where Asher is since I haven’t heard him say anything. The worry that perhaps he’s still in prison starts to cross my mind when I hear him speak.

  “We deserve worse than hell,” he says, his voice weirdly hoarse. “We—I fucking failed her. I promised her that nothing would happen to her—that we’d protect her—and I did the exact opposite.”

  Silence encases them as I’m guessing they all have a pity party for themselves, which is stupid since I’m fine. And that’s exactly what I tell them as I step out of the hallway and announce my presence.

  “Will you guys quit sulking? I’m perfectly fine. Although, I’m a little offended that you thought I wouldn’t be able to escape Maple.”

  They’re standing near the sofas, and their attentions snap to me. Like I’ve said in the past, it’s kind of a lot to take in when all three of them are looking at me, and that’s under normal circumstances. Apparently, when you add the doom that I might have been captured by a crazed faerie/genie who’s working for a nutjob, power hungry genie, the intensity in their gazes … intensifies.

  And for a moment, that’s all they do—just stare at me.

  “Um … Are you guys okay?” I ask. “You all are just staring.”

  That seems to snap them out of their trances.

  East is the first to move toward me, crossing the room with long stride. When he reaches me, I’m unsure of what to expect. Then he grabs me, pulls me against him, and wraps his arms around me.

  “We are so, so fucking sorry, sweetheart,” he whispers, hugging me tightly.

  I loop my arms around his waist, aware that my movements are a bit shaky. It’s the hug. I’m not used to hugs, let alone hugs like this. It’s like he doesn’t want to let me go. Ever. And that in itself is frightening, partly because a small piece of me doesn’t want him to let me go.

  “You don’t need to be sorry,” I assure him. “Our plan didn’t work. It’s quite common. At least, that’s what I hear. I, on the other hand, rarely fail.” I move back and flash him a cheeky grin.

  He doesn’t return it. And it might be the most fucking weirdest thing I’ve seen all day, which is saying a lot since, while I was at the party, I saw a twenty-eyed demon creature eating a bowl of eyeballs, and I’m pretty sure they were his own eyeballs.

  “I swear I’m okay,” I try to alleviate his worry. “I was able to escape Maple without so much as a scratch. I even managed—”

  East kisses me. And without a drop of faerie wine in me, my mind is crystal clear about what’s happening. Not that I was drugged up the other times he kissed me. No, I knew exactly what was going on and fully wanted it. But I can also feel my self-conscious without the fey wine humming through my veins.

  I’m kissing East, and it feels so good, but Asher and Arrow are right there and can see how much I like it.

  “East,” I murmur between kisses while grasping his sides.

  “Just one more,” he whispers.

  He brushes his lips against mine one time before slanting back. His eyes are a cloudy grey, the shadows extremely prominent. He quickly closes them, takes a deep breath, and then opens his eyes again. The shadows have faded, but tension still ripples through his body.

  “Are you okay?” I ask him cautiously.
<
br />   “You’re seriously asking if I’m okay? After Maple took you … After we …” He shakes his head, turning his back to me and yanking his fingers through his hair.

  His wings are out, but they look strange; dull, grey, cloudy like his eyes were moments ago.

  “What happen to your wings?” I ask, extending my hand toward them.

  “Don’t touch them!” both Asher and Arrow shout, leaping toward me.

  I jerk back. “Why not?”

  “Because it means it’s too close to the surface,” East mutters. “I’ll be right back.” With that, he strides toward the hallway.

  It dawns on me then that I totally left Maxton in the hallway and that he hasn’t made his presence known yet. I don’t want East to spot him and freak the wild faeries out.

  “Uh … guys,” I start, but I’m too late.

  “What the hell are you doing here?” East slams to a halt in front of the entrance to the hallway.

  Asher and Arrow exchange a look then hurry over there.

  “Maxton …” Asher shakes his head, then his eyes darken. “So the lockdown has been lifted, I take it.”

  “We need to get Harlynn out of here,” East says, glancing at Arrow. “Go. Get her someplace safe.”

  The last time they decided I needed to be someplace safe, East picked me up and threw me at Arrow. Then he took off before I could even attempt to escape.

  Nope. That is so not happening this time.

  Squaring my shoulders, I push my way past them and stand in front of Maxton.

  “Will you guys chillax?” I cross my arms. “No one needs to get me someplace safe because Maxton isn’t going to hurt me.”

  Asher shakes his head with his gaze fastened on mine. “Need I remind you of what happened the last time you were around him?”

  “No, I can remember it clearly,” I reply. “Because I was around him like a handful of minutes ago when he helped me escape about a hundred of those hound robot things. And I should probably also tell you that they killed Maple. But only because I hit her over the head and knocked her out.”

  Asher’s eyes morph into smoky clouds. “What?”

  They all look so confused. And worried. And I can tell they’re one step away from making sure nothing happens to me, even though I’m probably the safest I’ve ever been in this moment.