A shiver moved down his spine. “And I guess you did.”
The poison demon grinned, his lips moving as if unaccustomed to forming a smile. “I will.”
Looking around in the darkness as if afraid of the shadows, the demon slowly withdrew something from his pocket and laid it on the floor between them. The item was wrapped in a stained cloth.
Ryder frowned, opened his mouth to ask what it was, and stopped. The poison demon slowly opened it to reveal a key.
His heart raced. “What is that?”
“It’s for your cage door.”
Is he really freeing me? And can I trust him?
“Why are you doing this?” Ryder’s hand twitched to reach forward and grab it, but something made him remain still.
“Because the Fate has said I will help the victor win the war... and Caine cannot be the victor. You see, it wasn’t just freedom that made me agree to help our enemies. It was also a need for revenge. I helped Caine when I entered your headquarters and ended the battle with my poison, knocking you all unconscious, but I never intended to simply help him. It was my way of gaining Caine’s trust.”
Shit. This might actually be the thing that saves us from whatever hell Caine has planned!
And then something made him freeze. “Will this key open all the cages?”
The poison demon shook his head. “Just yours.”
Damn it. His chest tightened. “And have you seen my brothers?”
He shook his head again. “Sorry, it was actually harder than you can imagine to secure that key and get in here without being seen.”
And he took a great risk to do this. To help someone he doesn’t know. It doesn’t matter if he had his own reasons for doing it, his actions might save us all.
“Well, thank you.” Ryder reached for the key.
“Wait!” The poison demon cautiously picked up the cloth, then flipped the key out of the stained material and onto the ground. The sound it made seemed to echo through the darkness. “I was careful not to touch the actual key.”
Ryder nodded and tore the bottom of his shirt, then reached forward and wrapped the key in the new fabric. Just to be safe.
The poison demon rose. “I don’t know what you’re going to do, but if everything goes according to my plans, I’ll never see you again.”
Ryder looked from the key to the demon. “I wish you the best.” And then a thought occurred to him. “What’s your name?”
“Golgoth,” he whispered, his voice strangely soft and with a touch of vulnerability.
“Well, thank you, Golgoth.”
The demon gave his strange smile again, opened the lantern and blew, swallowing the room in darkness once more. “One more thing. Whatever you do, do it soon. The Judge left all of you alive for one reason only, to use against her. If you don’t act fast, she’ll be caught in his trap.”
Sharen. God damn it. I can’t let that happen.
Ryder settled back in his cage, the key in hand. Things might seem simple now. He could escape, but if he couldn’t break open the cages of the others, he’d have to abandon them here.
Even the idea of it made his stomach turn. There had to be another way to warn Sharen and save their people. He just hadn’t thought of it yet.
Minutes ticked by as he racked his brain, desperately trying to find a scenario that didn’t involve leaving innocents in Caine’s hands. But no matter what plan he came up with, everything led to them getting caught again.
I have to leave them behind. He felt sick, even while he knew it was the only way.
But sometimes there is no good choice, just the better of sucky ones. He began to unwrap the key, moving to the front of his cage.
And then, he heard another strange sound. Was someone else coming? Gathering up the key, he stuffed it into his shirt.
Fuck. Why do I think that isn’t another unexpected person coming to help me?
Chapter Six
Sharen stood in the doorway of their headquarters, her heart aching. Blood was everywhere. On the floor. On the walls. Splattered on the supplies. And many of the lights had been shattered overhead, while others flickered as if afraid. The broken lights left much of the room in shadows, and the flickering gave it a spooky quality that made her clench her sword tighter.
Taking a step forward, she made the mistake of taking a deep breath. Bile rose in the back of her throat. The room was filled with the coppery scent of death... a heavy, revolting smell she never grew accustom to.
Note to self. Breathe through my mouth.
She continued inching forward, her pulse filling her ears. Her gaze clung to every shadow and corner. She felt sweat drip along her spine. The blood on the walls had dried nearly black, and the effect was like something out of a horror movie.
What could cause this kind of violence?
Whoever had attacked, they’d been powerful, and her people had fought hard.
In her heart, she felt that her demons were still alive, but she couldn’t imagine what could have stopped a battle like this without someone taking their lives.
Goose bumps erupted on her arms. Moving slowly through the building, she searched for clues. The library nook, where all her precious books on magic, demons, and angels were kept, was a disaster. The shelf had been thrown. The books were scattered everywhere. And every drop of peacefulness had been stolen from the space.
She went on to the research area, where their computers had been tossed and broken. Scanning the debris, she searched for something, anything that seemed out of place.
Again, there was nothing.
She moved through the entire warehouse, her hope fading with each step. If they wanted her to find them, wouldn’t they leave a clue that was a bit more obvious?
And what if they didn’t want her to find anyone? What if they’d simply slaughtered them all and left her behind to suffer for her mistakes?
Fuck. Don’t think like that.
Yet, she was beginning to panic. She felt it in the way her knees shook, and the way sweat gathered at her brow. She reminded herself that she’d been a fucking Hunter. That she’d been trained to withstand any emergency situation.
And yet, no amount of training could have prepared her for the possibility of losing her husbands.
She brushed at her stinging eyes, refusing to cry. Refusing to give up as she hurried to her office. That had to be the place! Of course! They must have left her a clue there.
Exploding into the room, she found it... perfectly organized.
She scanned her desk, pulled open the drawers, and then just stood in the room, wondering what the hell to do next. Had no one actually been in her room?
And then she heard the slightest sound.
Pulling her blade from behind her back, she whirled to her small closet. What the hell was in there? Her mind raced to a thousand different things... none of them good.
Creeping forward, she took a deep breath, grabbed the handle, and yanked it back.
Her jaw dropped and her heart shattered into a million pieces. It was Darla, a bloody, broken mess of limbs. She lay unmoving on the bottom of the closet.
As she leaned down, she thought of the young witch with her beautiful strawberry blonde hair, her big eyes, and her eagerness to help The Rebellion. Why had they done this to her? And why, out of everyone, did they leave her body behind?
Then, she thought of the sound. Her heart raced as she leaned forward and touched the woman’s throat. There was no pulse. Of course there wasn’t.
And then, Darla’s eyes opened.
A shriek exploded from Sharen’s lips, and she leapt back. Darla’s eyes were black swirling pools of magic.
Her voice came, jerking and emotionless from the mouth of the creature. So like Darla’s, and yet, not at all.
“Beware. There is a betrayer among you who wears my face. A shapeshifter, Caine's own child. It is a creature of darkness and cruelty. It can take on any face and it has taken your people. It cares nothing for them, but o
nly to capture you. Only the Immortal Ten can save them now, only a being more powerful than Caine.” And then, the body slumped over.
She pressed her knuckles to her mouth and swallowed back a sob. They’d killed Darla, but somehow, she’d left a message behind. Which must have cost her so much to do.
The young woman didn’t deserve this. She didn’t deserve to be a dead body with a message. She had so much life to live.
“God damn it. Damn it. Damn it!”
And there’s a shapeshifter?
The thought held back her hysteria. She hadn’t realized they were real. Of course, if vampires, werewolves, demons, and angels were real, it made sense shapeshifters were too. But how could she defeat an enemy when she wasn’t even sure who it was?
And did the others think Darla was to blame for all of this chaos?
Just the thought made her teeth grind together. Fucking bastards!
She rose on legs shaking with rage. This trap they’d laid out for her? They might be surprised to find she wasn’t such an easy target. Her demons were counting on her. Her people were counting on her. Darla and Marval deserved revenge.
Magic flared around her fist. Her eyes widened, and she stared at it. This had only happened in the human-realm once before. She squeezed her fist tighter. If this power stuck around, she might have an even better chance at destroying the enemy.
Looking at Darla’s crumpled body, her magic faded away. Kneeling down, she whispered. “You’ve delivered your message. You can let go now.” With a gentle touch, she closed the young woman’s eyes.
Instantly, the body seemed to sink in, the magic used to animate the dead body gone.
Rest well, Darla. If you find yourself in the demon-realm, I’ll come for you.
Rising, she started back through the warehouse, and then her brain turned to the Immortal Ten. She’d heard something about them from Surcy, but they’d sounded more like a legend than something real.
Pulling out her phone, she dialed the number of the angel who secretly worked for The Rebellion.
Surcy’s voice came, soft and filled with power. “Sharen?”
The words rushed out. “I received a cryptic message from a dead woman.”
“What was said?”
“That only something called The Immortal Ten can save us.”
Surcy didn’t speak for a long minute. “Geez. Well, that’ll help Daniel, Triston, and Mark’s argument.”
“What argument?” she asked, feeling even more confused.
“So, even though Caine is the judge of all of mankind, my demons want to find someone else to rule. To decide where people go where they die. They’ve come across information that suggests that maybe... maybe Caine wasn’t always The Judge. That there were beings known as the Immortal Ten. But right now, all they have are a bunch of leads that don’t seem to go anywhere.”
“You’re saying maybe we could overthrow Caine?” she felt frozen in shock.
Surcy laughed. “No, as of now, Caine is the only one who can run things. My plan is to find a way to reason with him. To make him see that he’s making the wrong judgments about mankind. That he’s sending a lot of innocents to the demon-realm and creating angels who are absolute thugs.”
“Do you think he’ll listen?”
“I hope so.” But she sounded doubtful. “I just think it has a better chance of being successful than finding beings that, as of now, we don’t know exist.”
“But Darla—well, her dead body—said they were the answer. Why would she say that?”
Surcy sounded troubled. “I’m not sure. But as much as I hate it, I’ll tell my demons. They’re working on a way to find the Immortal Ten. This might inspire them even more.”
Sharen rubbed her temples where a headache was forming. “And what makes them think these beings will even want to rule.”
Sucy sighed loudly. “There’s a prophecy that they’ll be the ones who will overthrow Caine.”
Wouldn’t that be incredible! All-powerful creatures that could come and set everything straight for us. She felt her tension ease at just the thought.
“Sharen?”
“Yes?”
Surcy’s voice lowered. “I have to go, but be careful. The angels are in an uproar, and I’m guessing you have something to do with it.”
I wonder how involved Surcy is with Caine’s plans? She would’ve told me about this attack and where my people were taken, so I know she wasn’t told about that, but could she know something else of use?
And then, it hit her! She didn’t need to track down an angel for information. She had access to one right here.
Please let her know something! “Do you have any idea where Caine would take a bunch of prisoners in Shady Falls?”
Silence followed the question for so long Sharen worried she’d been disconnected. But then, the angel’s voice came again. “The only place I can think of is a farm they own just outside of town.”
Her pulse raced. “Can you text me the address?”
“Of course.”
They said their goodbyes and she ended the call.
For the first time since her demon’s disappearance, she felt like she knew what she was doing. She hurried toward the door, but froze when it slid open. Heart pounding, she stared as one angel after another sauntered into the room.
Her gaze ran over them as she took several steps back. Fuck. Now what?
Chapter Seven
Ryder hid the key just in time. Darla walked straight to his cage, surrounded by angels. Her cruel gaze swept over him.
“Time to come out, little demon.”
“When I get my hands on you, bitch, you’re going to wish—“
She laughed. “Save your anger, because I don’t give a shit. I just wanted you to know that your girlfriend is walking right into our trap as we speak.”
His stomach clenched. “You’ll never get your hands on her.”
Darla’s face was twisted in a strange way that reminded him nothing of the sweet witch. “The Fate has decreed her death and soon it will come to pass.”
“I thought your master wanted her alive?” he asked, trying to ply the traitor for answers.
“Oh, he doesn’t plan to kill her quickly. First, he’ll get what he wants from her.” She smiled. “I just wondered if you could tell me which of you demons she loves the most.”
Ryder spit at her in response.
She wiped the liquid from her cheek, not looking amused. “Well, then. I’ll have to go with my own choice by personal observation.”
Ryder tensed, prepared for what was to come.
“Men,” she said, gesturing to the angels behind her. “Go get Alec. Lay him where we need him, and be ready to severe his head.
“No! Take me... I’m... I’m her favorite.”
Darla smiled. “Sorry, but the choice was made long before I asked you.”
“Then, why did you even ask? What the fuck game are you playing?”
Her brows rose. “I came because I get a little bored putting all my father’s chess pieces into place, especially when it’d be so damn simple just to kill your human. And, because I have a message for you.” Again, she waved to the angels.
Something wet and bloody dropped to the ground, partially wrapped in cloth, just outside his cage. It was a finger... one that could only belong to the poison demon.
He swallowed the bile that rose at the back of his throat.
“See, unlike your people, we’re good at ferreting out traitors. Now, Ryder, will you give us the stolen key, or do we have to take it from you?”
For a minute he considered lying, but what was the point. “Come and get it. Unless you’re scared?”
Darla smirked, pulled another key from her pocket, and unlocked the door.
Ryder leapt toward her, determined to tear out her throat for her treachery. But the angels were on him in an instant. He fought like a madman, but there were too many of them. They pulled him down, piled on top of him, a sea of punches and
kicks that he registered somewhere in the back of his mind.
Damn it! I’m not going to win this! My only chance is to do something unexpected!
He gathered every drop of strength within him. Picturing his brothers. Picturing Sharen’s sweet face.
With a roar, he stood, throwing the angels off of him. Barreling between the cages, he ran toward Darla, whose eyes were wide with fear.
But instead of pummeling her as he longed to do, he raced past.
When he exploded into the sunlight, he didn’t give his eyes a chance to adjust to the light. He just kept running, no matter that his body screamed in pain. Within seconds, he realized that he was running through broken down farm equipment, and then he was in a field of dried corn.
He heard the angels shouting and knew soon they’d take to the air and easily reach him. He pumped his legs with all his might until he reached the woods, and then he kept going.
The trees were old, thick, and provided the perfect cover. The angels wouldn’t be able to reach him by air. Their only chance was to follow him into the shadows of the forest.
And Ryder was a demon, accustomed to the shadows. Accustomed to hunting his prey in darkness.
The angels wouldn’t stand a chance. And the second he finished with them, he’d find a way to get back to his people. He would rescue them and warn Sharen.
He just hoped that wherever his brothers were, they were safe.
And that I get to Sharen before she falls into their trap.
Chapter Eight
Sharen stared at the six massive angels. Three men and three women, all had white wings. They stared at her with absolute hatred in their eyes.
“The Judge expected you back sooner than now. But maybe he overestimated your love for the demons?” The angel who spoke had long blonde hair and wore a red dress, as if she had just stepped from another world into theirs.
A strange sense came over Sharen as she stared at the angel with her unyielding face. There was something under the woman’s skin. Something she hid deep inside. But what was it about her that made every instinct within Sharen scream to life?
Not all demons are good and not all angels are bad. Surcy is an example of that. Give her a chance. She stood straighter. I can’t defeat six angels... but maybe with an angel by my side we could defeat five of them.
Mates of the Realms: The Complete Collection: A Paranormal Reverse Harem Box Set Page 26
