“I don’t like it, either, but what you guys did for Blake was surprisingly nice. So, we’ll handle this. It’s an easy task, right? We’ll be back at the fortress before you know it.”
He mumbled something, then met my eyes. “Promise me you’ll be careful. No hero tactics. If something goes wrong, we get the hell out of there. I know you made a promise to your friends, but I need you more than they do.”
Fuck. He struck my heart with his words. I had no idea where this was coming from, but shit was getting real between us and I wasn’t sure how to handle it. The attraction was easy, but actually letting myself open fully to him, risking that he’d hurt me just like everyone else in my past, was something else entirely.
It had been hard enough trusting him and the others enough to have my back when I first met them. But giving my heart was going to take a little bit more. The only thing that kept me from running, or pushing him away, was the fact that I did trust him. It was myself I had to work on before I let my guards down completely.
“I won’t put their lives before myself, I promise.” That was the best I could do, and it was the honest truth, but there was a fine line between taking risks and being stupid. I never said I wouldn’t take risks.
My feet pushed up onto my toes as my hands grasped his collar to pull him closer to me. His lips pressed against my cheek, then slowly made their way to mine. I opened for him eagerly, and he took advantage like I’d hoped.
Just as I contemplated jumping up to wrap my legs around him, Nixie made her reappearance, breaking Jaxon and me from our own little lust-filled bubble.
“Ethan and Gabe are in sublevel two along with several guards, including Deacon. Owen is chained to a wall in a room near the warden’s office.” She said the words with little emotion, telling me it was worse than we thought. Whatever those people had been through was likely not going to be easy to forget, even after they left.
“Zeke will take the admin entrance, I’ll take the one to the right, while Mason goes left. Cara, I want you at the common area door with Jaxon around the corner from you. When you’re done, head his way, and the two of you can go to sublevel two together. I’ll meet you there, and Mason, you’ll meet Zeke in the admin area to grab Owen. Everyone good with that?” Spencer asked.
There weren’t going to be any objections from me. I trusted completely that Spencer had vetted every possible scenario and made the best plan according to risk. Now, we just had to hope it worked.
Nixie flew to my shoulder. “I’m staying with Cara. Mason and Zeke can open their own portals, so they can help get the others out if we don’t meet back up.”
Still, nobody disagreed, and we moved forward with Zeke out in front, still keeping a shield over us to hide our magic until we were ready. As soon as we split up, there was a chance the Luccovinos would realize we were there, but if we had luck on our side, then hopefully they were asleep and wouldn’t even know what happened until morning.
Jaxon kissed me once more before we split from the others, causing Nixie to gag. She was just jealous.
Once the shield was gone, each of us ran as fast as we could to our posts. I made it to mine and watched Jaxon disappear around the corner before I placed my hand over the handle.
“Better hope they didn’t get an alarm system while we were gone,” I said with an easy tone, trying to make light of the situation.
“Not that I saw but doesn’t mean there aren’t any traps. Put your mask on first, and be ready to pull the tab as soon as that door is open, then close it so none of it comes outside and wastes.”
I’d almost forgotten the mask. It was tucked into the back pocket of my jeans. I pulled it out, placing it over my mouth and nose.
Nixie flung dust at me, then nodded. “Well, if that didn’t put you on your ass, then the mask should do the job against the gas.”
My eyes bulged. “What the hell, Nixie?”
“Would you have rather taken the risk with a gas we technically don’t know anything about?”
Touché.
Instead of letting her know she was right, I called my magic forward and unlocked the door before slowly turning the handle while listening for any sounds on the other side. Considering it was nearing midnight, there shouldn’t have been anyone in the common area, but we couldn’t be too safe.
When the coast seemed clear, I slipped inside, clicked the door shut behind me, and pulled the tab on the glass bottle. After setting it down, I inched closer to the wall and backed away as fog poured from the top, seeming thick for the first couple feet it escaped, but then dissipated, so I couldn’t track it.
A thought occurred to me several moments too late. “Wait, you don’t have a mask!” My words were muffled by my own mask but weren’t necessary. Nixie was encased in an actual bubble I could see that rippled in the air.
“I’m fine. The gas is trying to get me, but it won’t. I promise.”
Famous last words, I thought.
We moved closer to where I thought Jaxon would be coming from and then realized I’d messed up. I’d never asked if I was supposed to head toward Jaxon from the inside or the outside of the prison. Hopefully it was the former or there was going to be an extremely irate demon searching for me in the prison yard.
Silently moving through the hallway, I saw a flash of something and ducked into a doorway, waiting for whoever it was to come closer. My breathing paused as I listened for sounds of footsteps, but I couldn’t hear any.
Finally, a shadow cast on the floor in front of me. Making a quick decision, I darted out from the doorway and estimated where I thought I could hit with the most impact.
Someone grabbed my hand before it made contact and twisted my body against his. “Damn it, Flower. Calm down.”
Oh, just Jaxon. Oops.
“What was the shiny thing I saw?” I had assumed it was someone with a weapon, and as far as I knew, none of us had any.
“A knife I found on the floor by the door I came through. Looks like Deacon’s or I wouldn’t have grabbed it.”
Oh. Well, that made sense.
“Let’s go.” He glanced at his phone, and I spied a timer. “We’ve already been in here over a minute.”
We began sprinting through the hallway, hoping like hell the gas had already done its job like Raymond said it would, and that the need for stealth wasn’t required anymore.
The stairway to the lower levels was further from the common area than I remembered, and by the time we arrived, we were already two minutes into our five-minute window.
A guard I didn’t recognize lay on the floor, and I kicked him out of the way while Jaxon pulled the door open. At the bottom, there was another guard laying on the stairs, like maybe he had realized something wasn’t right, but there had been nowhere to run.
The cells we’d previously been kept in were all full. Without having Ethan, Gabe, or Deacon awake, it was hard to know who we should take, but I wasn’t going to worry about that. Once we were prepared to actually defeat the vamps, then we’d be back for the others who didn’t deserve to be in Mandora.
“Over here,” Jaxon’s muffled voice called from the third cell in.
“Nixie, you ready to do your thing?” I asked.
“Uh, yeah. Sure am.”
Glancing over my shoulder at her, I knew something was wrong. “Nixie, what’s happening to you.”
Her hands touched her face, and she wore a lazy smile. “Nothing at all. I’m the freest I’ve ever been.” She sounded like a hippy who had smoked way too much weed.
“Well, while you’re celebrating your happiness, can you open a portal back to Zeke’s?”
Her glossy eyes met mine, but she just stared at me.
I snapped my fingers in front of her face. “Hey, the gas is messing with your head. Get your shit together and open the portal.”
My attitude got her attention, but I only saw a glimmer of the Nixie I was used to before she reverted back to the creepy version.
“A portal? F
or you? Of course. I’d do anything for you, Cara. I love youuuu,” she cooed while reaching for me.
“Hugs later, Nix. It’s really important we get the portal open. Do you understand? It would make me nearly as happy as you are right now if you could do it really quickly, too.”
She grinned. “It would be my pleasure.” The words included no sarcasm.
Nixie rubbed her hands together, and then pressed them against the bubble holding her in. As she sent her magic out to open the portal, two things happened.
The portal opened, and Nixie’s bubble broke.
What little protection she did have was lost, and I snatched her from the air as she began to fall. Well, even though Nixie was out, at least we had the portal. Hopefully, she’d wake soon enough to close it, or Mason could.
Spencer arrived as I tucked the fairy into my coat pocket, then turned to Jaxon. “Did you get anyone out yet?”
“Working on it. A little help would be appreciated, though,” he grunted.
“What happened to Nixie?” Spencer asked as he moved in to dig through the cells.
“Her magic wasn’t strong enough to withstand the gas. She’s out for the count.”
“We only have one minute left,” Jaxon called out.
We all moved even faster, Jaxon grabbing Deacon, Spencer getting Ethan, and me taking Gabe. The incubus had a solid hundred pounds on me, but I tapped into my magic and used it to help me lift him.
Jaxon and Spencer were already on the other side of the portal, opening the front gate when I stepped out of the cell. I could see freedom just on the other side, along with Mason, Zeke, and Owen appearing.
But just as I thought, it was all too easy. We weren’t that lucky.
“Cara, dear. Where do you think you’re going with my toys?” Luca called from behind me.
The others were too far away to hear the words, and it appeared Mason had been hurt, so their attention was divided.
“Oh, I hope you didn’t care too much for that fae out there. I might have stabbed him a time or two before I sensed you and came to claim my prize. It wasn’t very nice of you to run away last time, but I knew you couldn’t stay away.”
I shoved Gabe toward the portal, his body landing just on the other side but face-first into the gravel. I cringed, knowing that would leave a mark.
“If you step through that opening, I will follow you through and kill every single one of those people out there. Is that what you’d like?” Luca taunted.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Why didn’t we think to make sure Nixie was more protected? We could have been long gone if so. I needed a plan B.
Turning around, I faced Luca and took a step toward him.
“That’s a smart girl. You come with me and I’ll leave your friends alone.”
Plan B was already formulating, but I needed Nixie to wake up to fully execute it, so I bided my time. “Why weren’t you affected by the gas?” I asked, taking another half-step closer.
“One of you set off one of my alarms. I knew something was happening and took certain precautions. Once you decide to embrace your family, then maybe I’ll teach you a few of my tricks for always staying one step ahead of everyone else.” He winked at me, and I wanted to gag but managed to refrain.
“You didn’t warn your brothers or mother? The four of you in a fight?” Two more steps closer; he was only an arm’s length away now.
“We didn’t see eye to eye on security measures. I figured they deserved to learn their own lessons for not listening to me, but I did at least ward their doors in case you tried to kill them while they were vulnerable. I must say, I’m rather surprised you didn’t.”
Yeah, that definitely should have been included in our plan, but from the sounds of it, thankfully, it hadn’t been.
Movement caught my attention in my coat pocket, and I closed the gap between me and Luca. “What can you offer me that I don’t already have? Why should I choose this family over the other?” I asked with sincerity, reaching my hand up and cupping his elbow.
It was a friendly gesture. It wasn’t like I could come on to him considering he was my uncle, but maybe I could distract him long enough with his loyalty to family.
He smirked. “Because we’re more superior. What other reason do you need?”
As I held his attention, my grip on his arm pulled on his magic. Even though I’d had bad luck with vampires in the past, Luca wasn’t only filled with venom. He had powers beyond the normal bloodsuckers, and that was what I focused on as I smiled lovingly at him.
When I didn’t respond to him, his eyes narrowed. “What are you up to, Cara?”
“Just showing you what I’m capable of,” I replied before removing my arm and slamming my hand into the center of his chest.
Powered poured from me and knocked him back into the far wall. Without wasting time, I turned for the portal and pulled Nixie from my pocket. She was furious and glowing silver.
As soon as I stepped onto the gravel road, she raised her hands to close the opening, and I watched Luca stand with a smirk.
“Well played, Cara. Good to see you aren’t afraid to use your powers like your father. Until we meet again.”
The portal closed, and I was lost in my own thoughts for a second before Nixie screamed in my ear and darted away.
That’s when I remembered Mason. He’d been stabbed, and there was more blood on the ground than I’d ever seen in my life.
Chapter 18
The light around Nixie was brighter than ever before, and she was letting loose a string of profanities I could barely understand. Jaxon and Spencer backed away when she began throwing swords at them, and I moved closer.
“Why is Gabe laying face first in the dirt?” Jaxon asked, momentarily distracted from the fact his best friend was bleeding out.
Turning around, I rolled Gabe over onto his back. “Um, I might have shoved him out of the portal when Luca showed up and tried to take me while you guys were otherwise distracted.”
Jaxon’s face hardened, changing from distressed to raging and ending on frightened. “I left you.”
“No, you didn’t. You were right there, and Luca set it up perfectly, so that you were all distracted. What he wasn’t prepared for was the fact I could steal his power and use it against him. Turns out Greggor is smarter than I was hoping.”
If I hadn’t practiced so much during the days we waited for Zeke, I had no doubt I wouldn’t have been able to utilize Luca’s power like I did. How Greggor had known it would potentially save my life, I didn’t know, but I’d certainly be asking the demon about it.
Jaxon was frozen in emotion, but I was still present enough to remember Mason needed our help more than Jaxon needed to worry about me. I tugged on his hand and pulled him as close to our friend as we could get without facing the wrath of Nixie.
She was no longer visible, and only the outline of Mason was present. Everything else was glowing so brightly that it was hard to stare at.
Blake came out with Jenna at his side. They wore matching expressions of happiness until Blake really took in the scene and rushed toward us.
“What happened?” he demanded.
“Luca stabbed him,” Zeke answered, still covered in fresh blood.
That’s when I realized we should have been more careful, but as my mouth opened to warn Blake, it was already too late.
Jenna lunged herself at Zeke, fangs elongated and eyes blazing with a fire of hunger. She latched on to the sorcerer, and they tumbled to the ground, but Zeke was more skilled than her and took control, pinning her beneath him.
She thrashed like a wild animal intent to kill, and my heart broke for the pained expression Blake wore as he recovered from the shock and went to her. He grasped her shoulder and closed his eyes. A minute later, she was still with her eyes closed.
Zeke stood, and Blake picked Jenna up. “I’m going to take her back to the house. Please come get me from the room when Mason is back in the house.” His face pinched. “Or if the situ
ation worsens.”
His tone was lost of all emotion. Too much had happened in such a short amount of time, and reality smacked us in the face right before bending us over to seal the deal.
First Mason getting hurt, Luca almost grabbing me again, and then Jenna losing her shit. It wasn’t fucking fair.
Our feisty fae had better live, or I was going to hunt his soul down and drag his ass back to his body forcibly. I wasn’t done with him, and neither were all of the people around us that loved him.
The light around Mason and Nixie began to fade, but only enough for Nixie to become fully visible. Tears leaked from her eyes, and her body was drenched in blood. Everything from her head to her toes, as if she’d sunk into his wounds and tried to mend him from the inside out.
“I’ve closed the wounds, and healed him the best I could, but the blood… there was so much of it.” She choked on her own words, and I went to her, reaching my hand out.
“You did excellent work. Better than any of us. Let’s have the guys bring him inside, and we’ll get cleaned up. We don’t want to stay outside Zeke’s shield for too long, especially knowing Luca saw where we were.”
Zeke’s head snapped up at me, but that was a conversation for later. My friend needed me, and he could wait.
Nixie settled onto my hand, and I brought her close to my chest before glancing back at Jaxon. He nodded, telling me they would take care of Mason, along with Ethan, Gabe, and Deacon, just as I hoped.
Picking up the pace, I took Nixie into the house and went straight to the room Jaxon and I were sharing. It had an attached bathroom with a shower that I immediately turned on without letting go of Nixie. Next, I ripped off my shirt and tugged off my pants, still keeping her shaking body close.
Blood smeared onto my chest and bra, but I didn’t care. She was a wreck, nothing like I’d ever seen before, and I was going to do whatever I could think of to make the pain of what she’d had to do go away.
Dressed in only my underwear, I entered the shower with her and washed us both. The entire time, she stayed silent, and I didn’t step out of the water until she no longer shook and the drain only took on clear liquid.
Escape (Elite Supernatural Trackers Book 3) Page 13
