They were running out of mountains because their headquarters kept getting blown up, but Ronan liked this one. Set in Utah, it was a hundred acres of forest land nobody could reach by car. They’d been building for months, and the interior was finally ready. Logan jumped from the copter and tapped his ear communicator, his arm still at an odd angle. “We have a serious problem.”
“Don’t we always?” Benny asked, turning and leading the way through the thick snow to the hidden doorway.
Ronan followed, still trying to heal his liver. He stepped inside a cave, surrounded by rock full of copper ore. If the humans even suspected what was there, they’d arrive instantly. For Ronan, the sparkly rock lent comfort and a healing energy.
The outside door closed, leaving them in darkness, with only the copper lighting the space.
Five seconds later, the opposite wall smoothly opened into a sheer rock hallway. Logan gave the commands, and the booby traps disengaged.
Hopefully. They hadn’t completely gotten those under control yet.
Ronan held his breath and walked down the hallway past the trigger points, finally expelling his breath as he reached relative safety and the first communication room, which held three wide screens and a multitude of computers, laptops, and consoles. Most weren’t functioning yet. “Where’s my mate?”
As if on cue, she hustled out of a far doorway, bandages in her hands. “Who’s injured the worst? This time?” she asked, her intelligent gaze already running over him, top to bottom.
He hardened instantly. “I might require assistance,” he allowed.
She rolled her eyes. “Does anybody need stitching up?” As a neurosurgeon, she often came in handy after fights.
“I think we’re all healing on our own,” Ronan admitted, his body settling as she reached him. Her scent filled him, soothing the beast inside that needed to find his brother. “We think it was Quade.”
Mercy O’Malley Kyllwood ran out of a second doorway, her dual-colored eyes wild and her red hair up in a spunky ponytail. “This is a disaster. A complete and utter shit show of a disaster.” The petite fairy reached her mate, and Logan instantly settled an arm around her shoulders to stabilize her.
A rock dropped into Ronan’s gut. “What’s happened now?”
Mercy turned toward him, her blue eye sharpening and her green eye darkening. “We can’t get off this world. Fairies. All of us are stuck here. There’s no path to other worlds anymore.” Panic painted pink across her delicate features.
Ronan blinked. Fairies were the only species, usually, who could teleport to other worlds. The ritual that had taken him, Quade, and Ulric to other worlds had bent the physics of this one in a way that could’ve been catastrophic. “You’ve checked with all your people?”
“Yes.” Now she paled. “We have seven people off world now, and we can’t reach them. They might never get back.” Her voice rose.
The Fae nation was small in number; only somewhere between fifty and seventy fairies were alive today. They couldn’t afford to lose any.
“What does this mean?” Ronan asked, looking around the wide room. “Where is Promise?” Ivar, another member of the Seven, had mated a brilliant woman named Promise, who was an expert in physics and their resident genius. As a human, she’d been one of the best physicists in the world; now that she was a mated immortal, she was the best.
“She and Ivar are working in Florida with the Fae nation right now,” Mercy said, bouncing in place.
That left Garrett Kayrs as the sole missing member of the Seven. He was Logan’s age, unattached, and worked continually to keep the Realm from getting pissed off at them. Since his uncle was the King of the Realm, his job wasn’t an easy one. “Garrett is at Realm headquarters?” Ronan guessed.
“Of course,” Benny said, loping down the hallway. “I’m starving. I’ll get food going.”
Mercy clapped her hands. “Everyone concentrate, damn it. Forget food. We have to find that Haven Daly, since it appears she’s the only one who can travel to other worlds without her body leaving this one. She’s our only chance.”
They’d been hunting for the woman for months, but with no luck. She knew how to run and hide, that was for damn sure. Ronan looked at Adare. “If the fairies can’t jump, then the paths between worlds are gone. That can only mean one of two things.”
“Agreed,” Adare said as he leaned against a rock wall, favoring one leg. “If Quade’s bubble broke, then it might’ve messed up the entire system, or whatever you want to call it.”
“Quade is here,” Logan said, his broad face smoothing into a smile.
“Maybe,” Ronan said grimly. “Or it’s Ulric. The bursting of his bubble would create the most chaos.”
Adare turned to limp down the hallway toward the kitchen. “My guess? One or the other burst, which means the end is coming soon,” he called back.
“It’s about damn time,” Benny bellowed from somewhere up ahead.
Ronan looked down at his quiet mate. He’d hoped to have more time with her before facing the ultimate evil. For now, he had to find his brother. “Logan, let’s call Garrett and have him reach out to the feline shifter nation to see if any of their people were in the area tonight. Then bring up satellite feeds for Wyoming.”
They had to get to Quade before the Kurjans did.
Chapter Thirteen
Energy and power sizzled through Quade’s veins like he’d been shot full of fire. Haven’s blood tasted like pure spice, and when she came undone, it was all he could do not to lay her down and finish what they’d started. He’d meant what he’d said. She was his. There was no question in his mind. In his heart. What the hell was he going to do about that fact?
He looked into her dual-colored eyes, which were wide with surprise as she remained on his lap. His hand flexed on her hip, and he relaxed his hold, releasing her chin at the same time.
The wind whistled outside as darkness began to descend along with more snow.
Her gaze dropped to his neck. “You’re healing.”
“Yes.” Faster than he would have thought possible. His healing cells felt as if they’d doubled in size. Maybe tripled. “Are you all right?”
Crimson colored her face. “I’m fine.”
He couldn’t help a smug smile. “That was to be expected, Haven.” Maybe. He had no clue, but why not reassure her?
“Right.” She uncurled her hands from his shoulders.
A sound thrummed from the sky outside. “Damn it.” He set her aside and jumped to his feet, moving for the crappy wall and peering through gaps in the slats.
She joined him, squinting. “That’s a commuter airplane.” Backing away, she shook her head. “How far do you think we ran? Is it possible we’re all the way across Wyoming? Maybe into South Dakota?” Turning, she paced to the far corner and back, seemingly talking to herself. “I don’t know how to calculate the distance. But that was a commuter plane—a large carrier. There’s an airport not far away.”
He tried to keep up with her ramblings. “You’re talking about territories.” That much he understood. An airplane had to be what he’d just seen, considering it had been in the air. “What are you thinking?”
“Well, it was landing, so we’re probably only about fifty miles away. Are you up to another run?”
He nodded. At the moment, he was up to anything, and getting out of the small space was imperative. His cock kept trying to jump through these odd pants called jeans, and after one kiss, he wanted more of her and right now. “I would like to run.”
“Okay.” She smiled, and his heart lifted. “Follow that plane.”
Fair enough. He held out his hand, and even though she hesitated a second, when she placed her palm in his, against the marking, his heart settled. “Do you wish to take a plane?” It was probably like driving a Jeep. He swung her around to his back, and she settled in
to position.
Her snort was cute. “No. But airports have long-term parking, and that’s the best place to steal a car.” She tucked her nose into his healed neck. “I have cash, so we can drive somewhere and find another crappy motel. Maybe we can get some hot showers and a whole night’s sleep.”
Hot showers were truly a miracle of this time. He lifted his head and scented the air, not smelling any other immortals. A couple of deer frolicked a few miles away, but he would have to eat later. Pushing out of the building and into the snowy evening, he ducked his head and started to run.
Fast. Even faster than before. Her blood was stronger than even he’d guessed. How could he get her to see the power in being immortal? She appeared strong and confident as a human—but she was not human.
They reached the airport in a shockingly fast time, and he set her on her feet.
“Okay.” She smiled and took his hand, blinking snowflakes off her eyelids. “This storm sucks, but that’s good, because the security cameras will have problems. The key to stealing a car is to act like you’re supposed to be there. Be casual.”
If this was akin to stealing oxen, the humans would be out for blood. Not that humans concerned him. “All right,” he said.
They walked up and down aisles of vehicles of all different sizes and colors, finally reaching one at the end covered in snow. “This is an older SUV I should be able to hot-wire,” Haven said, reaching for the door. “We might have to break a window.”
“Huh.” Quade grasped the handle and ripped the door open, careful not to take it all the way off.
She smiled. “Nice.” Then she ducked in, yanked blue and red strings down beneath the steering wheel, and started messing with them. “Get in the other side.” Leaning over, she reached to unlock the door.
His mate was rather handy, he had to say. He hustled around, and by the time he’d sat and shut the door, she’d started the engine. “Do I want to know how you can steal other people’s vehicles?”
“No.” She drove sedately out of the lot and pushed bills into a wide metal box. “These old fashioned fee machines are only in rural airports. Good thing we don’t have to use credit cards,” she murmured, driving slow until they reached a somewhat major road.
He wanted to drive, but she had stolen the car, so it probably was not his right. He reached for her laptop. “Why don’t I do some research while you drive, and then we can change places?”
She increased their speed. “You can’t get on the Internet here. There’s no connection.”
He frowned and paused in the middle of reaching for her bag. “You said the Internet is in the air. Air is all around us.”
She sighed. “Just trust me. You can’t get online until we reach a motel with a WiFi connection.”
How the hell did that make sense? He sat back and crossed his arms, watching the white world speed by outside. “I would like to drive.”
“In a while.” She bit her lip, leaning forward to stare into the storm.
He huffed. “Is there something wrong with the skies? I have never seen so much snow. It hasn’t stopped.”
“Strong winter,” she said. “We’re in the mountains, but now we’re headed south, so it’ll get better.” She switched lanes and put the outside lights on bright. “Quade? I do have a question.”
“Good.” He wanted her to know more about her people.
She swallowed. “You said the marking appears when a demon is with his mate?”
“Yes.” His pants grew tight just talking about mating her.
She worried her bottom lip. “What if that’s not it? I mean, you’ve been by yourself for a million years in a hell world, and I’m the first female you’ve even touched in that long. What if your marking appeared just because of that?”
He frowned, his temples beginning to ache. “That is not how matehood and markings work, Haven.” He had heard of markings being forced onto hands with arranged matings, and he had also heard of unused markings disappearing after a long time. But that was not this case. “You came to me across time and space—more than once. It was you and your voice that saved me. If you think we’re not true mates, you’re not as smart as I believe you to be.” It was as gentle as he could be with his response, although he was more confused than ever. Why would Fate give him this female he should not mate?
She drove quietly for several moments. “I really need to paint, Quade. This has been too much, and I can feel the absence of the pills I was taking.” Her voice was soft. Thoughtful.
He did not understand the compulsion, but the urgency behind her words caught him. “Then we will find you paint.” After the hot showers. He hardened even more, and the unused marking on his palm burned as if he’d touched a fire. She would be an interesting mate.
The idea of her with somebody else clawed pain through his torso, beneath the skin.
There was a time he’d accepted the fate of dying alone on that horrible world. This was another chance to live a different life, one he had not even dared to dream about before. The female had saved him, and now he would save her. How could he not mate her?
* * * *
Haven watched Quade’s strong hands on the steering wheel as he maneuvered expertly through the darkened night. Snow continued to fall, and the wind blustered. It was probably after midnight, but they had to keep going and put more distance between themselves and all enemies. “Just stay on this road for as long as you can,” she whispered, her eyelids heavy.
He didn’t answer, his attention somewhere else.
She shut her eyes and let the heat blast across her, trying to relax her shoulder muscles. Even so, the sight of him remained stamped behind her eyes. Strong and handsome and outside this world. There was no question he was dangerous and coldly deadly; she’d seen him kill. Easily. That casual violence frightened her, no matter how well she hid it. If he turned on her, if he wanted to harm her, he’d win. Yet when he’d asked why the women on the show didn’t just pick their own roses, he’d taken a piece of her heart. Maybe more.
For years, she’d dreamed of him. The first time she’d visited him in that place, she’d felt oddly as if she’d finally found home. What did that mean? Just because she liked him, and just because he could bring her to orgasm with a bite, didn’t mean they were destined to be together forever.
Forever never lasted.
Right now he was lost and bewildered, yet still dangerous. What would he be like with his feet underneath him? Once he found his family, would he lose that aura of calmness? Of gentleness?
She’d known tough guys before, and he was the toughest she’d ever seen. Ever since she’d turned sixteen, she’d made a conscious decision to avoid danger. To avoid circumstances where she wasn’t in control.
Bit by bit, he seemed to be taking over, even without understanding the world around him.
Her breath quickened, and she exhaled slowly, counting to twenty. Once and again. She had to stay calm. After breathing calmly for a while, she slipped into an uneasy sleep.
She was seven years old, and she’d just drawn another picture of one of her dreams. Her mother had taught her to draw, and it was a good memory to keep. Until the frightening drawings came into being. This one was a scary one with monsters and a lot of fire with ice. Her mother was trying to hide the drawing just as her father came in the door. They both cringed against the counter.
He was tall with thick brown hair and round glasses. His eyes hard, he took the picture. For several moments, he just looked at it. Then he sighed.
His sighs were bad. Always.
She was Mary then, and she knew the name didn’t fit her. “I’m sorry,” she said.
He looked at her, and a part of him seemed sad. “I knew when I saw your eyes. One black and one green. If we save you, when we save you, both will be green.”
Oh no. He wanted to save her again. Her legs s
hook, and her belly hurt. Last time there had been no food and tons of praying with water being thrown on her. She’d gotten so hungry and tired, but they wouldn’t let her sleep until she couldn’t help it. “Mama?” she asked.
Her mom stepped toward her but stopped when her dad turned to her. “Call the assistant pastors. We’ll need help this time.”
In the dream, she cried out and waved her hand, and unlike what had really happened, a portal opened near the door. Still in little girl form, she jumped through it and landed on that heated rock.
Looking down, she could see that she was herself again. This was now and not a flashback to her crappy childhood. She stood, and a wicked wind battled her, nearly knocking her down. The same portal with swirling blue opened, beckoning her. She tried to back away, but its pull was too strong. She screamed.
“Haven!” Quade called.
She jerked awake to find his hand over hers. Had he said something? Had he called her back to the car? She pulled free and sat up, pushing hair away from her face. It was dawn, and she caught sight of a leaving Denver sign. She must have slept for hours.
“Bad dream?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said. Another reminder about how physical strength won way too often, but she’d escaped this time, unlike when she’d been a child. She had to regain control. “It’s my turn to drive.”
“Your hands are shaking.” He sped up and passed a semi as if he’d been driving for decades.
Her heart was beating too fast, as well. “I’m fine.”
“No.”
That one word nearly sent her fist toward his face. She was a peaceful person, damn it. “You are not in charge.” He didn’t answer. For some reason, that ticked her off more. “Quade,” she snapped.
“Tell me about your dream.” He slowed down and switched to the right lane. Snow still fell, but it had finally lightened to flakes they could see through.
“Why?” Her body felt thousands of years old.
He tilted his head, staring out at the icy road. “Well. You’ve been to my hell. Take me to yours.”
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