Not that we didn’t have one of our own on our hands here.
We made it off the dock and approached what appeared to be a strip club. Xavier nodded to a green-horned demon, who opened the door and bowed his head.
“My liege.”
Xavier walked past without further acknowledgment, and we entered the club to the driving beat of Nicki Minaj as a human woman spun around a pole on stage. Demons had always made their money in sin, and lust was one of the biggest businesses, period.
We passed two more demon guards, both giant fuckers with double red horns, and a female winked at me from behind the counter, licking a forked tongue across her lower lip. To all the humans who frequented the club, they looked absolutely human, of course. Only the supernatural could see through the glamours they continuously wore.
“Where are his horns?” Corbin asked, and I rolled my eyes.
“He doesn’t have them, idiot,” Thorne hissed.
Xavier chuckled as we descended a flight of stairs, taking us into a stone-lined hallway. The king looked human enough, even to our eyes, but only a fool would mistake him for one, especially with the way the shadows at the corners of the hallways stretched out to greet him.
“For fuck’s sake,” Hawke muttered.
One lone guard stood at the end of the hallway, and he quickly opened the heavy, barred door at his king’s approach.
I unholstered my Glock and followed Xavier into what appeared to be—yep, it was a dungeon. Shackles fell from various points along blood-stained cobblestone walls. “My ancestors would be proud,” I said, taking in every escape route in the room. There wasn’t one. Not even a window. No sound, either, which meant we were either far enough underground that the club’s music couldn’t reach us, or the room was enchanted to keep the screams quiet.
My vision blurred, but I blinked quickly.
Hawke narrowed his eyes at me.
“I see we didn’t need to worry about him sneaking away.” I moved to Xavier’s side and stared down at the demon on the floor convicted of treason.
His eyes flashed yellow, and he scurried backward, slamming into the stone wall. There was dried blood on his clothing, and his lip had been split.
“You’re only here as a courtesy, highlander.” Xavier stepped forward and put his hands in the pockets of his black jeans. “Tell me, Marcus. Is there anything you’d like to confess before your sentence is carried out?”
“Sentence?” The demon paled, his skin looking almost waxy as his gaze jumped from Xavier to me.
“Oh, just say it already,” Xavier glanced at me before rolling his neck and shoulders.
“Marcus Seperatus, son of Frederick, you have been convicted of treason by your own admission by the Conclave and sentenced to death.” I raised my Glock. “Any last words?”
The demon’s eyes shone brighter, and he lifted his swollen lip in a sneer. “The Sons are coming for you. A new order is upon us where vampires will no longer sit in judgment.”
We didn’t sit in judgment of anyone—we just carried it out—but I wasn’t about to waste my time with semantics here.
Xavier’s hiss sent chills up my spine. “You have betrayed your own kind. Your king. Your people.”
The shadows moved from the corners of the room, slithering along the floor toward Marcus.
What the actual fuck?
“The one you shelter will be your downfall.” Marcus laughed, high and tinged with madness. “They’ll stop at nothing to have her, and with what they’re offering, I won’t be the last turn from the Covenant.”
Valor. Blues and greens streaked my vision, and my stomach pitched sideways. My fangs punched into my mouth, but my hand felt heavy, my limbs sluggish.
Marcus lunged forward, and I moved to evade, but everything felt slow like he was moving at normal speed, but I lagged at a slower pace. Before I could move my leg, he swiped his hand forward, slicing through my leathers with a taloned claw.
“Fuck!” The sharp bite of pain brought my vision back to normal, and I staggered back, already lifting my Glock and firing off a shot at his hand…which was no longer attached to his body because Hawke had gotten there first with his blade.
He looked over at me with narrow, appraising eyes that told me he’d have something to say about this when we were alone.
“Enough. I’m done with this.” Xavier flicked a hand, and the shadows lunged forward, wrapping around Marcus’s neck. His spine broke with a snap, and his head fell to the side. “Go ahead and feed,” Xavier said.
My mouth opened to tell him that my feeding was none of his damned business, when the shadows covered Marcus’s body.
They devoured him.
It took only a matter of seconds.
“Bloody hell,” I muttered.
“I told you,” Xavier said, already walking toward the door. “You were only here as a courtesy. I kill traitors myself.”
“Remind me not to piss him off,” Corbin mumbled.
Hawk nodded with a pleased smile.
Xavier disappeared into the arms of two mortal women once we entered the club, leaving us to find our own way out.
“I’ve never seen anything like that in my life,” I told Hawke as Corbin and Thorne trailed behind us.
“Me either,” he admitted.
I grimaced at the pain in my leg as I continued on toward the dock. The warm wetness seeping down from my calf combined with the foggy feeling in my brain told me I was losing blood. Fucking demon claws were always a bitch to heal.
“Wend out to the estate,” Hawke ordered Corbin and Thorne once we were out of sight of any humans.
They took one look at his face and obeyed, leaving me alone with Hawke at the end of the dock.
“You need to see Gabriel,” Hawke snapped.
“We’re wending to the rendezvous,” I countered. “There’s a chance we’ll find Daphne in that compound.” I swayed a millimeter but caught myself.
Hawke scoffed. “I don’t give a shit if we found Bella-fucking-Swan in that safe house. You’re not coming. That wound needs to be treated before it festers and takes off your leg.”
“I outrank you,” I ground out through my teeth.
“Not for long if you keep this shit up. You let a chained prisoner slash you, asshole. You’re too slow to react. Too hungry to focus. And at the rate you’re losing blood—I can smell it—you’ll be too dead to help out if we even do stumble onto Valor’s cousin. Go. Home.” He wiped off the demon’s blood on a nearby coiled rope and sheathed it at his chest.
“Damn it,” I cursed, knowing he was right and hating every fucking second of it.
“Can you wend? Or do you need me to call you an Uber?” he asked with a shit-eating grin.
“Fuck off.” I flipped him the bird and gathered what strength I had left to wend back to the estate.
It was time to face the facts—I’d become a liability.
12
Valor
“You’re getting faster,” Olivia said, ducking my second attempt to land a hit to her jaw.
“Not fast enough,” I said, breathless. Olivia was the picture of poise and grace, not even a flinch or flicker of exertion on her smooth features. Once again, I envied the strength and abilities of vampires. Just as quickly, I chided myself for the kernel of jealousy in my chest.
“Don’t do that.” She tipped her chin at me from across the mat. “You’ve never been one to downplay your assets, Valor,” she continued. “Don’t start now.”
I dropped my attack stance, beads of sweat rolling down the back of my neck. The gym had become my second home the last few days—I was in here training almost as much as Lyric was in the library researching. Though, Lachlan’s room had been a close second to my most visited place in the residence.
Warm shivers danced along my already flushed skin, the brand on the back of my neck practically sizzling with the thought of him. It wasn’t just the sex either—though that was something I knew I’d never get tired of—Lachlan a
nd I finally had an understanding. We were…partners.
Not mates—at least not accepted mates.
Not boyfriend and girlfriend—as hilarious as that sounds.
But partners—two people who kind of, sort of worked well together. Whenever we could stop fighting, which, I’ll admit, was rare. But it had…shifted lately. Our fights were more like a dangerous game where each word lobbied at the other was a test in merit and strength. And how fun it was to play with Lachlan, especially since the highlander was constantly shocked by my ability to not only keep up with him but match him word for word.
The only time we stopped battling was when his mouth was on mine, stealing the fire from my tongue. When his body was against mine? When he was inside me? God, he turned me into exactly what the mating bond wanted me to be—his. Wholly, unequivocally his. But, he was mine too—at least between the sheets. He might turn me into a limp, panting mess with the way he squeezed pleasure out of my body, but I always returned the favor. That might be one of the reasons he’d been less…prickly toward me lately. My ability to surprise him, to ignite him like he did me. No doubt he never guessed a mere human could do such a thing.
“Another round?” Olivia asked, her words spearing through my thoughts.
I waved her off, heading toward where Avianna and Lyric sat at a small table across the room. Several books were strung between them, and the two looked deep in research mode. Couldn’t help but warm a little at the fact that they’d hauled their research in here, simply to be close to Olivia and me while we trained. I thought I’d been lucky when I’d found true companionship in Lyric all those years ago, but now? With Olivia and Avi, and hell, even the Order…I’d found something I never thought possible.
A family.
A unique and sometimes terrifying family, but a real one. One that had been built on love and loyalty instead of hate and fear.
And, sure, I was still definitely grappling with my new surroundings and the darkness I kept buried regarding what my own family had done to me…
But I was just on the verge of being happy.
“Anything new?” I asked Lyric as I plopped down in the open seat next to her. Olivia followed suit, taking the one next to Avi.
Lyric shook her head, gently closing the book. “I thought Avi and I were close to finding someone from the past who successfully denied the mating bond, but in the end…”
Her voice trailed off, and I tried my best not to wince. “They always accept it.”
She nodded, and Avi flashed me a pitying look laced with just a hint of panic.
“I’m fine,” I said, wanting to stop their concerned looks. “Honestly, things are better now…”
“Now that Lachlan has blown your mind?” Olivia finished for me, and we all laughed. “What?” she asked, flashing us teasing looks. “I’m allowed to live vicariously.”
“You could live for yourself too,” Avi chided.
“Oh, yes, sure,” Olivia said, rolling her eyes. “I can simply go out and have loads of hot sex whenever I feel like it.”
I flashed her a confused look.
“The last thing I need is a mate,” she said, giving me an apologetic look. “But with my position as a female in the Royal Guard—not to mention my family’s status—males have been trying to pin down my bloodline for centuries. Not as bad as Avi, but nearly. So, random sex is off the table for me.”
“Because you’re afraid that would lead to a mating bond?” I asked. “I thought a mark showed up at first touch.”
“Not always,” Lyric answered, her eyes lighting up the way they did when she had intel to share. “During Avi’s and my research, we found that mating marks can show up in all sorts of ways. Sometimes they don’t show up until a relationship is consummated—”
“When two people fuck,” Olivia cut her off, and we all laughed again.
“Yes,” Lyric continued. “Sometimes, it’s the mere brush of a hand across the skin. Or after years of dancing around buried emotions.”
I shivered, my fingers going to the back of my neck without me telling them to. The brand on my neck seemed to pulse, and I knew if I dug deep enough, I’d be able to sense Lachlan wherever he may be now.
“And in some cases, it can even be an accidental touch that does it,” Avi added. “Bump into a stranger on the street, and boom.” She snapped her gloved fingers. “Mated.”
I furrowed my brow. “Sounds like fate has a fucked up sense of humor.”
Lyric shrugged. “No one really knows why fate chooses mates. I’m of the firm belief that it does so with the best matches in mind.”
I glared at her, but she glared right back.
“Alek and I shouldn’t have worked,” she said. “I was a human with no knowledge of this world, and yet…we fit. I challenged his dominant, primal side, and he strengthened the softer parts in me. And now?” She let out a long, happy sigh, and I smiled at her.
I was happy for her. She deserved her happy ending.
“Things are better, though, right?” Olivia asked. “All joking aside.”
“Yes,” I admitted. “Operation seduce the highlander to help take the edge off the bond has been a complete success.”
And yet, cold shivers laced through my chest. Shivers that had everything to do with how well the plan had gone, and how unexpected that had been. But that was Lachlan—totally, frustratingly unexpected. The kindness he displayed when his exterior was nothing but teeth and sharp glares. The humor he pulled out when I retreated into myself, guilt-ridden and anxious to the point of screaming. Everything about the vampire seemed designed to both drive me crazy and quiet my chaos at the same time.
“And your focus?” Avi asked. “Has it been…easier?”
I nodded. “It has,” I said, though just because we’d taken the edge off that need for each other didn’t mean the craving had disappeared.
No, I wanted Lachlan more than ever now. But at least now we knew what happened when we crossed that line—that mind-blowing, world-shattering line. It was easier to tell my brain that I’d be with Lachlan later, to focus on what mattered right that second than it had been before. Before—when we’d resisted the physical pull between us and all our bodies and souls could do was rage and scream and focus on the one thing we weren’t doing.
“It’s easier to separate now,” I continued when they still looked expectant. “Compartmentalize.”
Olivia leaned back in her chair. “There still hasn’t been news?”
Pain lashed through my chest. “No. I haven’t gotten an email or even a hint at where my brother has taken her.” And that was the crux of what kept me training until my muscles ached, what kept me up long after Lachlan had retired for the day, what had me on edge so much my brain hurt.
Where Kyle was keeping her.
What he was doing to her.
All because of me. Because of my love for Daphne.
“We’re going to find her,” Lyric said with all the determination and confidence of a queen. “The Order is working nonstop—”
“I know,” I stopped her because it just hurt too damn much. Hurt to hear of all the power at my fingertips—I had the Onyx Assassins on my side for fuck’s sake—and we still didn’t have her.
That terrified me. The fact that the Sons, in my brother’s hands, had become more diabolical and malicious than it had before. And while I was helping Lachlan and the others at every turn, there were still pieces of me—of my past life—I hadn’t been able to give them. Not yet. Not when Daphne was still vulnerable.
A mess.
All of it.
I raked my palms over my face, trying to rid myself of the sticky guilt eating at my insides like tar.
Guilt for keeping things from Lachlan. Guilt for enjoying our time together while Daphne was sequestered away somewhere without one genuine person who understood her, cared for her. Guilt for wanting to rage at the Order for not finding a whisper of her whereabouts and even more guilt for knowing it wasn’t their fault at
all.
The Sons—my ex-family—had been hiding from the supernaturals for centuries. Their affinity for hiding in plain sight had been the only way they’d survived so long. I couldn’t blame the Order or anyone else for not being able to track down an organization that prided itself on being uncatchable for over two-hundred years.
I had no one to blame but myself. Because I had been in the Sons—been heir to the damn Moorehouse line—and I couldn’t find her.
“I’ve gone over every detail in my mind,” I said, shaking my head. “Over and over again. Every story, every planned event, every safe house, lab…” My shoulders dropped. “And I don’t have a clue where he took her.” Tears threatened to sting my eyes, but I sucked in a sharp breath. Every day it got a little harder to hold back the well of terror pounding at the wall I’d built around it.
What happened if I didn’t find her? What happened if I didn’t get her out?
Kyle would force her to marry that old, abusive sack of shit. And she’d be miserable for the rest of her life—if she was even allowed to live long after she produced a male heir.
“It’s not your fault,” Lyric said, laying her hand over mine.
“It is, though,” I said, drawing my hand back. “If I would’ve—”
“You have to stop doing that to yourself,” Olivia cut me off. “You can’t think about the what-ifs. You have to focus on the what-you-can-do-nows. That’s the only way to win this battle.”
I breathed in deep and released it slowly as I nodded to her.
She tipped her chin, placing her hands on the table. “Good,” she said. “So let’s go through it all again.”
After two hours of verbally illustrating every detail and memory and spot about where Daphne might be, I was beyond exhausted. The strategy session, coupled with a few more rounds with Olivia, had my body on the verge of collapse. Even a shower hadn’t soothed the aches.
Crimson Highlander: An Onyx Assassins Novel Page 15
