Dark Nights Dangerous Men

by Elisabeth Naughton, Cynthia Eden, Katie Reus, Alexandra Ivy, Laura Wright, Joan Swan

  Maybe. Maybe not.

  “Either way, I’ve got his scent.” Jace brought his head close to hers and those wicked claws didn’t move from her flesh. “I’m going to track him down and rip him apart.”

  Because Devon had killed a wolf.

  “He risked you. Tried to kill you.” His claws fell away. “The vamp will burn by dawn.”

  Wh—

  Jace lifted her up, moved too fast—damn him—and put her in the cell. Then he swung the door shut and locked her inside.

  She grabbed the bars. “You can’t leave us like this.”

  His brows rose. “Watch me.” He paused, staring down at Mike’s lifeless form. “Take care of him,” he ordered two of his men, and they immediately bent to pick up the body.

  Then Jace followed the bloody trail of footprints.

  “Jace! Dammit, I wasn’t going to betray you.”

  He didn’t stop, but she caught his growled, “I know.”

  What? “Then why are you doing this? Why?”

  One-by-one, the wolves exited the containment area. Jace was the last to leave. His broad shoulders scraped the arching sides of the doorway. “I’ll be back, Morgan.”

  Her breath heaved in her chest.

  “We’re not ending.” He spared her a glittering stare. “I’m not risking you, and I’m damn sure not taking the chance that the fire will get to you.”

  “Jace—”

  But he was gone, and Morgan was trapped with an angry cell of vampires.

  Her knuckles whitened around the bars. Alpha asshole. He thought he could go out and take all the risks? While she what—stayed there and worried about him?

  She wasn’t the kind of girl who stayed behind. Mostly because she wasn’t a girl.

  “I knew he wouldn’t hurt you.” Paul’s cocky voice.

  She’d known it, too. His claws had trembled and never so much as nicked her flesh.

  “We really going to let those wolves get all the glory?” He continued. “Because I’ve been wanting to give Devon a beating since I turned.”

  She pulled at the bars. Yes, they’d been reinforced, and normally, she’d never be able to break them.

  High on wolf blood.

  The bars began to bend.

  “Don’t worry,” she told Paul and the others. “Jace isn’t getting away from me.” And he sure wasn’t going into hell without her being there to pull her wolf right back out of the fire.

  Chapter Seven

  Jace and his pack chased Devon into the center of the Glades. The vamp had escaped by car, but instead of going back into the city, the guy had headed down the long, winding roads that led deeper into the growing darkness.

  When the road ended, they found his car. Lights on. Doors open.

  Jace stared out at the night. The insects had stopped chirping when the wolves approached. They knew when danger stalked.

  He inhaled, catching all the scents. Those that belonged, those that didn’t.

  Blood. Brimstone.

  Fuck.

  “Your vamp’s gonna be real pissed at you once she gets out of that cage,” Louis warned him.

  Tell me something I don’t know. But better her alive and pissed than dead and burned to ash.

  He caught the whisper of sound in the air. His head tilted back as he stared at the rising moon. He could see the shapes before the blood moon. So many.

  Too many.

  Outnumbered. The demons were coming.

  “Shift!” They’d have to change quickly. “Take their heads—take out as many of them as you can.”

  Then he leapt forward. The demons were coming because they were close to the doorway. Fuck that. Jace was slamming that door. Devon had run right back to this hole, and now Jace would kill him and stop the demons.

  Endgame.

  He shoved through the brush as the howls behind him filled the night.

  ***

  Morgan had seen the doorway, the great gaping hole in the middle of the blackened earth. Devon had opened the door to hell—opened it on vampire land, and she hadn’t even realized it.

  The vamps spread out when they arrived at the battle. The snarls and growls of the wolves blended with the vicious cries of the demons. Blood bathed the ground.

  “Don’t get any of their blood in you,” she warned, still tasting ash. “And make sure you cover the wolves.”

  Because the dead were already on the ground, and she didn’t want to lose anyone else.

  Demons flew from the air at her. “Go!” She shouted to the vampires.

  She lifted her gun. The vamps had taken the time to load up before they’d gone hunting. She aimed. Fired. The closest demon hit the ground. A wolf jumped on him and bit into his neck.

  More shots fired. The vamps knew what to do. Take the demons down. Make them weak. Let the wolves finish the kill.

  She fired as she ran through the heaving bodies. No sense calling for Jace. She didn’t see him there. Didn’t see Devon either.

  The twist in her gut told her where she’d find them both.

  Deeper, deeper into the dark she went.

  Her enhanced vision allowed her to see easily as she leapt over fallen trees and darted into the thick brush.

  The crackle and hiss of fire reached her ears. So close.

  The grass disappeared. The ground hardened beneath her feet.

  Then she saw the broken skeletons. The remains of the sacrifices.

  So many. Far more than she’d ever imagined. Hundreds of skulls and spines. Broken bones tossed aside like garbage. She stared at the stark white graveyard as rage filled her.

  Devon.

  She leapt over the bones. There—there. A sunken, sloping entrance on the ground. Smoke trickled from the thick hole and…she could hear the faintest echo of screams emanating from within the pit.

  “You always did let emotion rule you,” came Devon’s voice from the darkness.

  Morgan spun around, and took a few quick steps away from the pit. “You did this.”

  He shrugged.

  “They’ve been attacking us, Devon! Killing us! You were the Council leader, you had—”

  “Fuck the Council.” He smiled, showing off his bloody fangs. “And fuck you.”

  Her hands fisted.

  “Vampires were always so busy hiding. Oh, no, mustn’t let the humans know we’re here.” He smirked at her. “Wrong. It’s time for them to know. Time for us to show the humans that their only purpose is to feed us. They’re prey. We’re fucking gods.”

  She could only shake her head. “You bargained with the devil, you opened a doorway because—”

  “Because I wanted a war. Because the vampires needed to learn…it’s kill or be killed. We weren’t meant to hide. We’re meant to dominate.”

  Bastard. “And so you sent the demons after your own kind? How is that us dominating?”

  “I sent the demons after the weak. Those vampires who can’t survive don’t belong in this world.” His lips still twisted in that sick grin as he said, “And it’s not like I can’t make more of our kind.”

  More like him? No way. “You won’t be changing anyone. You won’t be killing anyone else.” Where was Jace? “This ends tonight.”

  He laughed. “Funny. That’s exactly what your wolf said…”

  A fist squeezed her heart.

  “Right before I kicked his ass into hell.”

  The screams behind her seemed louder. Like more demons were fighting to get out.

  “Sounds like they’re enjoying their new meal.” His fangs flashed in the dark. “That’s how it works, you see. For them to come out, I offer a trade. A life.”

  That’s why there were so many bones. A skeleton for each demon he’d brought forth.

  “They devour the flesh, then toss out the parts that are too hard.”

  Not Jace. He wasn’t in that pit. “We’re closing that hole.”

  Devon took a step toward her. “You don’t have that kind of power. You think you’re so fucking sp
ecial.” Another step. “Just because you were born pureblood. You always thought you were better than me.”

  “No, I didn’t.” But I do now. I’m not a psychotic asshole, so yes, that makes me better.

  “Do you know why I wanted you to marry the wolf?”

  Well, saving the vamp nest obviously wasn’t the reason. Morgan held her ground. Hell waited behind her, and this bastard caged her in front.

  “I needed you to get close to him,” Devon said. “I needed you to take his blood…because I wanted to give the demons a special tribute.” He inclined his head. “You see, now that they’ve been killing, they’re developed a taste for wolf blood.”

  “They’re not taking his blood!”

  “But in order to close the deal with them, I had to prove how much I’d be willing to sacrifice.” His eyes narrowed. “With demons, it’s all about the sacrifice. You have to offer them something, or the lazy assholes won’t do a thing.”

  “You’ve offered them humans—”

  “Because I’m fucking tired of hiding in the shadows. The vampires wouldn’t take control, they were too scared of humans finding out the truth. But my demons—they’re not afraid of anything.”

  The screams from the pit almost drowned out his words. “What are you sacrificing?” Because, shit, this was a trap. For the wolves. For Jace. For—

  “You.”

  Then he lunged at her.

  But Morgan was ready. She grabbed his arms, twisted, and tossed the traitor right over her shoulder. He hit the ground just feet away from the pit, and smoke billowed out in a heavy burst.

  He flew back to his feet. Smiled. “This will be fun.” He licked his lips, tasting the blood that stained his mouth. “You’re the only pureblood around here. You’re the best sacrifice I can give them. I bet you’ll be worth ten demons…”

  He’d lost it. “And I bet it will hurt when you fall into hell.”

  That wiped the smile off his face. “Your wolf sure screamed when the demons took him.”

  Dammit, that was the second time he’d said—her gaze darted to the pit. “Jace!”

  Devon slammed into her, and they hit the earth. “Bitch, I’ve got wolf blood in me. More than you. I drained that mutt.”

  And he’d left Mike’s broken body behind. Another casualty.

  Morgan kicked up, slamming her knee into his balls. He jerked back. “You’ve got wolf blood,” she said, “but now you also have balls in your throat.”

  She jumped to her feet. “Jace!” Her scream broke through the night. He couldn’t be in that pit, he couldn’t…

  Devon’s arms wrapped around her from behind. He squeezed so tight she lost her breath and her ribs burned…burned.

  Snap.

  Pain beat through her as her ribs broke.

  “So tired of you…” Devon lifted her and carried her toward the pit. “Fucking a wolf…blending with humans…crying when you lost the light…”

  She slammed her head back and heard the sweet crunch of bones when she broke his nose. Morgan clawed at his arms, slicing open his flesh as she fought him. His blood littered the ground as he took her to the pit.

  “Let her go!”

  Jace. His roar. Relief had her feeling light-headed. Or maybe that dizziness was from the pain.

  Jace leapt forward. He was naked and blood poured from a gash on his cheeks. His eyes glowed as he raised his claws and ran toward them.

  Devon had her nearly over the pit. This was what she’d planned. To enter hell. To close the door from the inside out.

  Only…well, in the original plan, Jace had been the one to go through the doorway. She was supposed to stay back and then pull him out.

  I won’t sacrifice him.

  The rules had indeed changed. Jace didn’t realize it. She did. If demons were all about sacrifice, then she’d give them a sacrifice all right.

  But she wouldn’t give them Jace.

  “Watch her burn, wolf!” Devon shouted. “Watch. Her. Burn!”

  Morgan stopped fighting. Instead of slicing her nails against Devon, she twisted her hands and locked tight to him. Her gaze met Jace’s. He yelled her name.

  “Bring me back,” she whispered. Then Morgan heaved toward the pit, and she yanked Devon with her.

  He tried to wrench back his arms, but she wouldn’t let go. His yells filled her ears as he fought and twisted, but Morgan wouldn’t let go.

  No more dead humans. No more tortured wolves. This was it.

  They fell into the pit, and the screams from the demons drowned out her voice as she told them, “I’ve got a sacrifice for you, assholes…”

  The fire burned, blasting at her skin and she refused to cry out.

  Even when the demons reached for her.

  ***

  Jace’s heart stopped when Morgan jumped into that fiery pit. “No!”

  Not her. She wasn’t supposed to go in. Not. Her.

  He flew forward, and his body slammed into the ground even as his arms snaked into that hole in a desperate bid to grab her.

  He’d moved fast, faster than he’d ever moved in his life, and when he shoved his hands into that hot furnace, he touched…

  Flames.

  The fire lanced his skin, but he didn’t let go. He could feel a body in the middle of that wild heat. He could smell the acrid scent of burning flesh.

  Morgan.

  He didn’t let go. He pulled even as he felt another force tugging his prize back down.

  “No! You can’t have her!” He yelled as the fire licked him.

  His upper body fell into the pit as he struggled.

  “Fuck, Jace!” Louis’s yell from behind him. Then suddenly Jace felt other hands on his body, trying to haul him back.

  But he wasn’t going back without Morgan. “Keep him!” He roared the words in the fire. “Choke on him—but give her to me!”

  A breath of flames blew against him and blisters immediately covered his flesh.

  “Give her to me!” He bellowed.

  “Pull him up!” Louis snarled at the same instant. “Get him out of there, now!”

  They yanked him back, but he didn’t let go of the fiery prize he held. Be Morgan. Be…

  He broke from the pit and fire raced along his body. Louis shoved at him and Jace fell to the ground. He rolled, battling the flames on him and—on her.

  Sweet fuck, he’d pulled her out.

  The others immediately joined him and battled the flames that covered her flesh. Red, swollen, every inch of her body had felt the kiss of the fire.

  Should have been me.

  Her eyes weren’t open. “Morgan?” Now, he was afraid to touch her. He didn’t want to hurt her, and he knew his touch would. She was injured so badly, even a breath on her skin would hurt.

  His touch would pain her, but his blood wouldn’t. Jace lifted his hand to his mouth and bit his wrist. He tore with his teeth and put his hand over her mouth. “Princess, please…”

  The blood trickled into her mouth. Her lips moved the faintest bit against his skin.

  “Take more.” She could take everything if she needed it.

  “Alpha.” Louis’s quiet voice had his head lifting. His friend stared at him with a tense face. “You’re weak, too. Let me help you.”

  Jace shook his head. “No, she’s—”

  “I know she’s yours, but she’s also pack.” Louis offered his bleeding wrist. “If the blood of one wolf makes her strong, how fast do you think she’ll heal when she drinks from six?”

  And the others who’d survived the battle crowded behind him. All had their wrists open.

  All were ready to sacrifice for the vampire who’d seen hell.

  As she fed from him, her lips like a whisper on his skin, Jace’s gaze tracked back to the pit. Only the entrance wasn’t there any longer. Dirt had filled in, totally blocking the gaping hole. The ground was blackened, cracked, but no smoke drifted into the air.

  The doorway was closed.

  He leaned close to
her. “You did it,” he whispered. Her vampires were safe. The battle was over.

  Now, his princess just had to survive.

  Chapter Eight

  The vampiress walked into the werewolf bar as if she owned the place. Since she was mated to the alpha, Jace figured that, well, she pretty much did.

  Her skin was pale and perfect, not even a blister left from the fire that had nearly stolen her from him. Her lips were red, full, and he’d soon feel them beneath his mouth.

  She was wearing a new pair of fuck-me boots that showed off the long length of her legs.

  And her eyes—they were on him.

  When the others became aware of her, they stopped talking. Heads swiveled toward her. Toward him. The bar waited.

  He didn’t move. Jace wanted to jump up, run to her, grab her, but he was also enjoying the sexy picture she made as she crossed the bar.

  Morgan smiled at him, flashing fangs. “The Miami Vampire Council would like to officially extend its appreciation to you,” she said, her voice clear and her eyes bright. “And if there is anything that the Council can do for the pack…” She stopped just a foot away from him. “You have only to ask,” Morgan finished, her voice softer.

  She’d spent two days healing. Even with all the wolf blood, she’d had to battle to stay alive. He’d been by her side, determined to keep death away.

  He’d succeeded.

  When she’d woken, the vampires had made her the head of their Council. He knew she’d weeded out the vamps who’d been secretly working with Devon. The bastard hadn’t been implementing his plan alone.

  She’d cut the head off the snake when she sent Devon to hell, and now Jace knew that she’d cut up the body, too.

  Still, he didn’t touch her, not yet. “Glad the Council approves,” he said, his own voice mild.

  Understanding flared in her eyes. She lifted her hand and put her palm against his chest. “And you have my personal gratitude…” Her lips curved. “For pulling my ass out of hell.”

  He caught her hand. Pressed it harder against his chest. “Leaving you there wasn’t exactly an option for me.”