by Katie Reus
She stared and her brother stared right back. Colm blinked once at her, his blue eyes so much like her own. For a moment she froze, letting go of all her fear and panic. Why was her brother here? Was he in trouble? “Colm.”
Fiona stared at her brother, whom she hadn’t seen in decades. Of all of her brothers he’d been her favorite even if he’d been a bit of a hothead. They’d been the youngest, though he was still centuries older than her. He’d been so arrogant fifty years ago, the only other brother who’d wanted to buck their father’s control. She hadn’t been close to any of her brothers though—and none of them had attempted to help her escape when she’d been a prisoner.
“What are you doing here?” she whispered before glancing over her shoulder. She wasn’t going to tell him about Ian yet. Maybe not at all.
“I should be asking you that. But I think I know.” He motioned behind him when two armed half-demons appeared out of the hidden passageway Colm had come from. “Leave us. She is not an enemy. And no one is to touch her.”
A sinking sensation filled her gut as she realized that if he was giving those males orders, then he was at least somewhat in charge here. He wasn’t in trouble. Oh, God. Oh, no. A dragon had been at the site when she’d been poisoned and her friend taken. Had it been him?
Thinking fast, she decided to be as honest as possible. “Did you take my friend Ava?”
“We didn’t realize who she was. We got a tip that a male we were hunting decided to talk to someone about my business. I did not know that someone was you. Are you alone?” he demanded.
Yes, she had to play this very carefully. “Do you see anyone with me?” The answer was vague enough and wouldn’t give off the scent of a lie. “And just what the hell are you doing?” She kept her voice haughty, not letting any of her worry for Ian, Ava or Finn’s people shine through.
“Don’t worry about that now. I’ll take you to your friend.” He motioned that she should follow him down the stone hallway after he firmly shut the hidden doorway behind him. He gave her a slightly apologetic look that didn’t reach his eyes. “I can’t guarantee what shape she’ll be in.”
The sinking sensation grew worse. “What did you do to her?” She tried to call on her dragon out of years of instinct but felt absolutely nothing. The feeling of emptiness growing inside her was getting worse, making her want to all-out grieve for her loss. Somehow she forced herself to ignore it. All her focus had to be on getting to her friend.
Her brother didn’t answer, just continued his hurried walk down the hallway. “Byrne is here as well. We broke away from Mother and Father a decade after you did.”
That was certainly news to her. But then again, she hadn’t kept in contact with her clan or brothers. “Why?”
He lifted a shoulder. The look he gave her was almost calculating. “Their vision was too small. They’re happy living in the shadows like so many supernaturals. Happy to showcase their power among their own kind, not out in the open like it should be.” He let out a snort of derision.
The sensation that she was walking a tightrope expanded inside her like a balloon. So she kept her expression as neutral as possible. “Vision?” Somehow her voice came out normal sounding.
“Yes. They’re happy with the status quo. But we are dragons. We should rule the planet, not live in the shadows. To rule is our birthright.”
Oh, sweet angels. He was completely mad.
Again, she kept her expression dispassionate and tried not to give away her feelings because unlike him, she wasn’t crazy. And she planned to make sure all her friends and allies made it out of here. “We are dragons. The most powerful of all the supernaturals. But what else can we do? Humans would nuke the planet if they found out we existed.”
That probably wasn’t too far from the truth, considering how insane humans could be. When they realized they weren’t at the top of the food chain it would probably start a ripple effect until country after country started nuking everything. That was a worst-case scenario, of course. But…maybe it wouldn’t be so dire. She’d seen and met a lot of good humans over the decades. It just seemed that the ones in power were out of their minds with the need to control everything.
“Byrne and I are going to change things.” he said, his expression gleeful, his blue eyes just a little too bright.
Before she could ask what he meant they reached a solid-looking door, this one not hidden to blend in with the wall. Colm pulled out an old-fashioned key and slid it in the lock. When they stepped inside what was clearly a prison, damp cold overwhelmed her senses. Holding her breath, she tried not to stare as the door slowly closed. She hoped Ian had made it inside with her. There were too many scents to sift through and she wasn’t sure if he had. And it wasn’t as if she’d heard the male. He was the ultimate predator, stealth personified.
Apparently they’d wasted no resources to heat this prison. There was just one big cage in the middle and it appeared to be reinforced with silver. A huge blue half-demon stood in front of Ava, trapped inside with her. He had no horns and wasn’t over ten feet tall so he had to be a half-demon, not a full-blooded one.
Fiona’s heart jumped in her throat until she realized the male appeared to be trying to protect her friend.
Ava stepped out from behind the male with a gasp as her gaze met Fiona’s.
Fiona stared at her friend and realized that Ava looked to be in good shape. She’d expected… Well, she didn’t even want to think about what she’d expected, but this was not it. Relief poured through her as she raced toward the door of the cage. “Are you okay?”
Ava hurried forward as well, but was careful not to touch the bars. Yes, they must be silver. Fiona was immune to silver, unlike vampires or wolves, so maybe the male inside was half wolf. “I’m okay. No one has hurt me. Not really.”
“Get her out of this cage,” she snapped at her brother.
At her words the male in the cage stepped forward and she realized he was bigger than she’d realized, about seven feet tall, just like Ian. And…he had the same pale blue skin and tattoos swirling over his body as Ian. Or at least the pattern looked similar. The half-demons she’d seen so far in this place were all pale green and none of them had been in a cage.
Her brother moved up next to her, his power rolling off him. “Don’t give me orders, little sister. You,” he said to the half-demon. “Stand back.”
To Fiona’s surprise the male did just that but not before snarling savagely at Colm. Once Ava was outside the cage she rushed into Fiona’s arms. Colm slammed the door shut quickly as Fiona hugged her friend tight and held her close for a long moment before stepping back and turning to her brother.
Even though she wanted to scream at him for what he’d done, she somehow managed to keep her cool. She was still deep in enemy territory and not only that but Ian, Finn and his people were here as well. And she was pretty certain that Colm or maybe Byrne had poisoned her.
Right about now it was instinct to reach for Ian but she had to act as if she was completely alone.
“Why don’t you tell me how the hell you found out about this place?” Her brother’s voice was deceptively quiet, his dragon in his eyes.
Thinking on her feet, she shrugged. The last thing she’d expected was to know who’d taken Ava, much less be related to them. She’d thought they’d have to fight their way out of the castle at the very least. “The male who came to me told me about the entrance to the Hell realm. Oh, your guards in that little cabin are dead as well.” Might as well give him real facts. The guards were dead, even if she hadn’t killed them.
“Fuck,” he growled. Just as quickly he straightened, his eyes narrowing. “What happened to the male, Gray?”
She chose her words with care. “He was badly injured, a dagger of some sort to his chest.”
He nodded. “Good. That’s what he gets for sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong. I’m going to escort you out of here and I never want to see you again. Not in this realm. If you come bac
k I won’t be so merciful.”
She nodded, appearing to be the meek little sister that she definitely was not. “I don’t care what you’re doing here. I just want to leave with my friend. And you better stay out of my territory,” she snapped, adding just a bit of heat. She couldn’t be too meek. Not when he’d seen the carnage she’d left behind when she escaped the clan. She’d razed an entire compound to the ground.
A quick nod. “I’ll stay out of your territory.” Then he scented the air. “You smell like that half-breed. Have you taken up with that male?” Suddenly he was the angry brother she remembered, the one who’d been livid she’d been sleeping with Ian.
Shit. He must scent Ian in the room with them. Fiona certainly did by now, but Ian’s scent was embedded into her. She blinked once, feigning confusion. “I have no lover.” A truth. “What half-breed?”
Colm tilted his head slightly to the side. “That pathetic half-demon from New Orleans.”
She let out a derisive snort even though it pained her to do so. What she’d shared with Ian had been precious, and her male was not pathetic. “That male was a way to escape.” A sort of truth. He had been a way to escape. She’d also been deeply in love with him. “Turns out I didn’t need him anyway.” She rolled her eyes for good measure.
He started to respond when a half-demon of different coloring than the male in the cage appeared. “Sir, we have a situation.”
Her heart rate increased. What if they’d discovered the others? She, Ava and Ian needed to get out of here right now.
Her brother nodded and then turned back to her. “Give me a few minutes. Do not leave this room.”
She nodded even though she had no intention of following that order. When he left, she heard the lock click into place, but that shouldn’t be a problem. She shoved out a breath of relief, knowing their respite was only temporary.
Just as it clicked into place, Ian’s camouflage fell. Ava let out a gasp and the half-demon in the cage abruptly stepped forward.
“I don’t smell blood, but did the male in the cage hurt you?” Ian demanded, looking like the fierce warrior that he was.
Ava shook her head. “No. He actually tried to protect me from the guard who kicked me in the stomach when they tossed me into the cage. And I wasn’t hurt in any other way.”
“Thank God,” Fiona murmured.
Ian turned to the male. “What’s your name? And why are you in here?”
“None of your fucking business.”
Ian looked at the prison door and then back at the cage door. Then he let out a curse. “Are they using your blood for something?”
The male paused and then nodded. “Yes.”
“I’m going to let you out but if you attempt to hurt these females I’ll rip your head off then burn your body to ash. There will be nothing left of you.”
Surprise flickered in the male’s gaze, but he nodded. “I understand.”
Using impressive speed and strength, Ian grasped his fingers around the bars and ripped the entire door free as if it took no effort. For him, it probably didn’t.
The other male stepped outside the cage, lightning fast. “You’re obviously not half wolf.”
Ian shook his head.
“Thank you,” the male continued. “I’ll be leaving now. Stay away from the footbridge and moat. There are things in the water you don’t want to deal with.”
“Okay. There are others here with us. Wolves. If you hurt them, I’ll hunt you down.”
The male paused, then nodded before he hurried to the prison door and yanked hard, breaking the lock and pulling it open.
“There are more of us,” Ian said quietly, pointing to himself. “You have other brothers.”
Holy shit. Fiona didn’t make a sound and the male didn’t turn around. Just paused at the door, his back to them. Instead of responding, he eased the door open farther and rushed out into the hall where shouts of alarm were growing louder.
So Ian had another brother? They needed to talk about that later, but now they had to run. They’d gotten what they came for: Ava.
“We need to get out of here,” Ian murmured as the three of them moved to the partially open door.
“Are we just going to let him go?” Fiona asked as they stepped out into the hallway. She handed Ava one of her blades, kept another firm in her grip.
“Fire in the battlement!” an angry male voice cried out from somewhere down the stone hallway. His voice echoed, making it difficult to pinpoint the actual location. A siren pierced the air, drowning out the man’s cry of alarm.
“He’s not our problem.” Ian kept his voice neutral as he pointed toward the east. Now wasn’t the time to discuss a new half-brother. The male had the same coloring that signified they shared a very distinct lineage. None of that shit mattered though if the male didn’t want to come with them. They needed to get the hell out—he needed to get Fiona and her friend to safety. Clearly the people in the castle knew others had infiltrated it.
So no more being subtle. It was time to burn shit to the ground and make their escape. For Fiona’s sake he hated that her brother was involved with this.
“Should we look for Finn and the rest of the team?” Fiona asked as she and Ava raced with him down the hall.
He paused at a door, leaned close to listen, then slammed it open to reveal a curving stone staircase. It was wide enough to fit his broad shoulders, clearly having been made for supernaturals. “No. We stick to the plan,” he said as they started climbing the stairs. If anything happened or an alarm was set off, the plan was for them all to make their way separately to the escape route—the top of the biggest mountain. The exit from this realm.
And on the chance that not everyone made it to the mountaintop, they wouldn’t leave anyone behind. But it made more sense if they all worked on their own, since they already had partners to aid in escape. His heart raced as they stepped out into another stone hallway floors higher. Getting Fiona and Ava to safety was his top priority and he hated not knowing the full layout of this castle.
The sound of boots stomping echoed way too close for comfort.
“In here,” Fiona whispered as she tried the handle on a door. A draft of wind rolled over them as they ducked inside a big open bedroom and shut the door behind them.
“I have a plan. You might not like it,” he said, his gaze on the thin, slitted windows set into the exterior stone wall.
“What is it?” Fiona’s voice was cautious, her body language tense as the sound of booted footsteps grew louder.
“I’m going to burn a hole through this wall. My fire is hot enough to incinerate it. Then you two will ride on my back and we’ll fly out of here.”
Fiona and Ava both nodded.
Okay, maybe it was a good plan. “Stay behind me.” He automatically held up his arms, shoving the two women behind him as he released a raging-hot stream of fire. Fiona should be immune to the heat, but all the same he gave both females a bit of his essence, protecting them from the inferno. When he was in dragon form, his fire was hotter but this would do the trick and it would give him enough room to shift forms so they could get the hell out.
The stone wall was stronger than he’d anticipated but under the heat of his fire it began to burn away. And burning stone was no easy feat, but he was a dragon. At the sound of the door slamming open behind them he stopped his fire and whirled.
Ava threw her blade at one of the armed half-demons, hit him through the eye.
Fiona did the same to another one, slamming right into his throat. Dark, thick blood spurted everywhere as the male fell to his knees.
Before he’d hit the ground, Fiona had her crossbow in her hands and was shooting rapid fire with the speed of a supernatural at the dozen or so males as they poured into the room like cockroaches. Their bodies started piling up on each other as Ian shoved Ava out of the way and released a stream of fire at them. His dragon side rejoiced at their short-lived screams. The darkest, most primitive part of him savor
ed the sound and scent of their deaths. Both his dragon and demon relished the blood and violence. When he stopped, only ash remained scattered around the room.
“Well I think they’re all dead.” Ava’s voice was as dry as Fiona’s expression.
He didn’t bother to respond, just turned and shot out another stream of fire. The stone blasted away, forming a giant hole.
Not bothering to take off his clothes, he let the shift roll over him. In a burst of light and magic, his dragon took over. Before he could scoop up the females, they were climbing onto his back.
A gust of icy wind whipped through the now destroyed room as he dove for the newly created entrance and broke through into the cold air outside.
Below them was utter chaos. He saw three massive holes clearly created by fire in various places around the castle. Finn and the others must have set up explosives. Good. It meant they were alive. If he saw any of them during the escape he would grab them up but for now, he was sticking to the plan. Those warriors were skilled and didn’t need his help anyway. Right now, his concern was Fiona and her friend. He needed to get them to the realm’s exit. Then he’d go back for Finn and the others.
Chapter 12
The top of the mountain was colder than Fiona had imagined. Despite her higher body temperature and the fact that cold had never truly bothered her before, this place was different. And whatever she’d been poisoned with was affecting her more, especially after fighting with the half-demons. She was weaker. Not terribly, but this cold was actually affecting her like it would a human.
And she wasn’t used to feeling weak. Ever.
They were the first ones here. No surprise, considering Ian had flown them straight to the top. It had been a rough ride and the three of them had ended up walking a good portion once he’d landed because of the terrain and fog—and Ian had killed five half-demons guarding the gate.
A blistering wind rolled over them as Ava crossed her arms over her chest. Fiona wasn’t sure if it was from the cold or if her friend was being stubborn. Since vampires didn’t get cold she figured it was the latter. “I’m staying with you guys. You rescued me and I won’t leave the others.” Ava’s voice was heated.
