Son of a bitch. What the hell?
Gabe. Quinn’s voice brushed across his mind. The light is almost gone. The mountain’s going to close in less than a minute. You need to get out now.
The red-hot fury blasting through Gabe’s mind obliterated Quinn’s comment before it could register. All he could think of was destroying the man who’d attacked his sheva. “You piece of shit!”
Gabe! Quinn tried to reach him again. Can you hear me?
Gabe slammed up his mental shields, blocking the irritating distraction. All he could see was Lucien. Every cell in Gabe’s body was focused on destroying the monster that had attacked his woman. He lunged again, fighting, fighting, fighting, moving faster and faster, but still Lucien evaded him, taunting, and laughing.
He would win this.
He. Would. Win.
Chapter 39
Gabe’s fury burned through Vlad, leaping across their blood bond like a poison threatening to consume him. Vlad dragged it into his body, pulling on Gabe’s power and harnessing it. The Calydon’s rage exploded through Vlad, ripping him out of his lethargy. Vlad immediately channeled it, shoving the energy into his own cells and fueling his magic.
Using Gabe’s power to augment his, Vlad flicked his hand at himself. His body shot up into the air, freeing itself from the stake that had trapped him. He landed hard, gasping for breath as Damon finally lifted his head, his head bloodied and raw.
Vlad! The voice of Quinn Masters, the interim leader of the Order blasted through his head. You have forty-five seconds of light left. Get the hell out! I can’t reach Gabe!
“Gabe! Let’s go!” Vlad lurched to his feet, trying to get his bearings. Gabe was in a battle with Lucien, distracting the demon. “Get Maria,” he shouted to Damon. “We have less than forty seconds!” He sprinted across the cavern toward Sophie, who was still dangling from the ceiling.
“Got it!” Damon shifted back to human form, and raced toward his sister, ducking past the battling warriors.
Vlad swept Maria’s abandoned dagger off the ground and slashed the ropes holding Sophie. She fell into his arms, and he pulled her against him. Her body was warm, and he could feel the pulsing of her heart.
She was still alive. Son of a bitch. He wasn’t too late this time. He wasn’t too late. He pulled her against his chest, pouring his energy into her as he sprinted for the opening to the tunnel that led outside.
Thirty-five seconds! Quinn shouted.
Damon scooped up Maria, and sprinted toward him. “Get on! We’ll never make it running!” He shifted back into dragon form as he ran, keeping his wings tucked so they didn’t get caught up in the battle between Gabe and Lucien.
As Damon neared, Vlad prepared to leap onto his back. “Gabe! Let’s go!”
But the Calydon didn’t even look over. Vlad paused. “Gabe! Come on! We have the women! We need to go!”
Gabe roared with fury and lunged at Lucien, not even responding to Vlad. It was then that Vlad realized that the Calydon’s eyes were glowing red. Son of a bitch. He’d gone rogue, just like that crazed Calydon that the Order had been hunting so long ago when Vlad had first encountered them.
“Shit.” Damon was also watching Gabe. “They don’t come back from that. Poor bastard.”
Vlad remembered all too clearly why the Order had been hunting the rogue that day. They’d claimed he couldn’t be saved. That he was irredeemable. Lost forever. His own kind, his own brothers, had been so certain he was lost forever, that they’d been willing to kill him instead of trying to save him. Vlad was the one who had let the rogue go, and he’d never found out what had happened.
Thirty seconds! Quinn warned.
Gabe’s rogue, he shot back. What do I do?
Quinn unleashed a string of epithets. Is it the sheva bond? Is that why?
Vlad glanced over at Maria, and saw the detailed outlines on her forearms that were a perfect replica of Gabe’s weapons. I think so. How do we bring him back? He didn’t ask if they could. This was Gabe. A good man. An honorable man. Vlad hadn’t given up on a stranger so long ago, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to give up on the Calydon who’d risked everything to save the woman Vlad loved. He expected Quinn to tell him Gabe was lost, but the Calydon surprised him.
Bring him out with you. We’ll deal with him out here. You have twenty seconds. Get out now!
“Come on, Gabe!” Damon shouted. “We need to go!”
But the Calydon just kept fighting, slashing violently.
“Fuck. We need to get him.”
Damon swore. “If we grab him, Lucien will see we’re leaving. We’ll never get out. Sophie and Maria will die in here, at his mercy.”
Vlad went cold at the idea of Sophie becoming Lucien’s plaything. “Fuck. No. We can’t do that.” He needed to get her out of there, now, but his feet were welded to the ground, watching the man who had somehow become his best friend fight a battle he’d never win. He couldn’t leave Gabe behind, but he couldn’t let Sophie get trapped in there either. He looked at Damon, desperate. “What do we do?”
Determination flooded Damon’s face. “He intentionally sacrificed himself to save Maria. We honor that sacrifice. We leave. I’d give my life for my sister in an instant. If you then decided to risk her life just to save me, after I’d already offered my life for hers, I’d be furious. It’s about her safety, not mine, and not Gabe’s. He made the choice to sacrifice himself to keep her safe, and we honor that choice by getting her out of here. If they both die, then what’s the fucking point of Gabe’s sacrifice? Let’s go.”
But still, Vlad couldn’t tear himself away. Gabe. Look at me. Maria needs you.
The Calydon didn’t even glance over. He was completely consumed by the rogue haze, utterly focused on the battle. Shit.
“Vlad.” Sophie’s voice caught his attention, and his gaze snapped to hers. His heart seemed to stutter when he saw her looking at him, awake, conscious, and lucid. His arm tightened around her, and suddenly, he could barely breathe. How could he have considered risking her to save Gabe? Damon was right. Gabe had made the choice. He’d violated every rule of the Order and chosen to sacrifice himself to save one, which meant if he died, the hundreds of lives he would have saved in the future would have no one to protect them.
Gabe had made the ultimate sacrifice, the one Vlad had thought no Order member would ever make.
“He sacrificed himself to save her,” she whispered. “And she did the same for him. That’s true love. We can’t let them die.”
Vlad stared at Sophie. He’d expected her to say that because of their sacrifices, they needed to honor Gabe’s decision to sacrifice himself. Her need to preserve that love felt so much more right, so much better. It felt like the only decision that they could make.
Vlad looked back at Gabe, at the man who’d abandoned his quest for Dante to save Sophie. An Order member who’d violated all that drove him, for the good of one. Not for the good of all. For the good of one, Vlad’s one, Sophie.
Gabe had sacrificed himself, and his own true love, to save the woman Vlad loved. He’d finally absolved himself of the guilt of failing to save her so long ago by saving her today, but he hadn’t done it by himself. He’d needed Damon. He’d needed Maria. He’d needed Gabe, and the entire damn Order.
For the first time in his life he understood what the greater good really meant. It hadn’t been what his parents thought it was, sacrificing their children to preserve the safety of the kingdom. It also hadn’t meant what the Order had believed for so long, that it was right to kill one person to save others. What the greater good meant was that one person alone couldn’t make a difference. That was why he hadn’t saved Sophie before, because he tried to do it all by himself. The greater good meant pulling together across boundaries to defeat an enemy or save a loved one with team effort, creating loyalties that bonded souls, hearts, and minds.
He looked down at Sophie, still in his arms, understanding, for the first time, what she had meant when sh
e told him again and again how important it was to her to be there to save the other women. For the first time in his life, he understood the power of knowing that he could make a difference to someone else.
Yeah, he’d saved all those kids, but he’d done it for selfish reasons, to distract himself from the guilt and self-hate that had driven him for so long. This was different. This was channeling all his energy into something good, for the sake of accomplishing something that helped someone else, not himself. He grinned at Sophie, his heart light for the first time in maybe his entire life. “You’re right. We’re not leaving here without him.”
Sophie beamed at him, her face lighting up, and he knew in that moment that he’d finally learned what it meant to truly live. He reached out with his mind to the Order leader fighting so valiantly outside to keep their exit available. Quinn. I’m sending Damon and the women out. Cover them. I’m going to stay and try to get Gabe.
Fierce determination flooded over their connection. Don’t you dare let him die. He’s one of us.
I know. Vlad looked down at Sophie. “I love you, Soph. I free you. Go live your life the way you deserve.” He then handed her to Damon. “Get them out. I’m going to help Gabe.”
Damon swore and took Sophie. “You won’t make it. There’s not enough time.”
“I’m going to try.” He turned away, and then Sophie caught his wrist. He looked back at her, his heart tightening. “You aren’t beholden to me anymore, Soph. I let you go.”
“I don’t want you to let me go. I love you. You matter. You are enough.” She tightened her grip on his hand. “Together, Vlad. We do this together.”
He blanched when he realized what she was saying. “You want to stay here? No. Your safety is all that matters.”
“No, it’s not. Standing together with those you love matters. You won’t make it out without me.” She twisted out of Damon’s grasp, landing on her knees. “I can help. I can hold the doorway open. I can give you more time.”
Fifteen seconds! I don’t see Damon or the women!
Swearing, Vlad looked at Maria and Damon, and then back at Gabe…and then at Sophie, the woman he’d spent his life trying to protect. “I can’t let you stay here—”
“I’m not a princess anymore, Vlad. I’m a warrior, and we can do this together.” She met his gaze, and he finally understood what she’d meant when she said that simply being his protected woman wouldn’t be enough. Not when there were people she loved that needed help. He got it, because he was standing in a cavern, ready to sacrifice himself for a Calydon he would have disdained only days before.
This was what drove her, and this was what made her the woman he loved. He had two choices, to accept her as she was and allow her to be the woman she wanted to be, or to try to destroy it so she would live a safe, small life devoid of danger. He knew there was no choice. “I love you, babe. I loved you as a wimpy princess, and I love you even more as a badass warrior.”
Five seconds! What the fuck are you guys doing in there?
“Well, shit. If you guys are staying, then we are too.” Damon set Maria down beside Sophie. “Let’s fucking kick his ass, Vlad.”
He grinned, and looked down at Sophie. “You got this.”
She nodded. “I know. I’ll hold the doorway open as long as I can.”
It’s closing! Where the fuck are you guys?
Sophie slammed her hands onto the rock and thrust all her power into it. The mountain shuddered, lurching so violently that Vlad had to brace himself to keep from falling. The rocks behind her convulsed like a raging river, an earthquake ripping a trail back toward the entrance. Her hands dissolved and became one with the ground, but the rest of her body didn’t disappear. She held her form, controlling the rock, using it, not hiding.
Shit. It’s holding. Quinn sounded shocked. What did you do?
It’s Sophie. She’s strong as hell. Vlad couldn’t keep the pride out of his voice, and he knew Sophie heard it when she looked up at him and smiled.
“I’m never hiding again,” she said, her voice tense with the effort of controlling the stones. “Now go get him.”
Vlad kissed her hard, and then he and Damon turned to face the battle. Lucien had Gabe pinned up against the far wall, laughing as he easily ducked the warrior’s blows. Gabe was still moving with lightning speed, but Vlad could see the strain on the warrior’s face, and knew he would soon be out of energy. “How do we stop him?” he asked Damon, not taking his eyes off the battle. “How do you kill a demon?”
Damon was watching the battle intently, tracking every move of the demon king. “You don’t.”
“So, then, what do we do?” Vlad studied Lucien’s moves, noting which way he ducked to evade Gabe’s blows, assimilating data as fast as he could. He knew they would have one chance to take him down, one moment to act. Any mistake, and they’d fail.
“We trap him in the temple, then you get the hell back to the earth realm before he gets out,” Damon said, beginning to circle around the battling duo that had forgotten about them. “The temple won’t hold him a hundred years, but it’ll hold him for a few hours.”
Vlad began to move in the opposite direction, flanking the battling warriors. “He’ll hunt you down when he gets out if you stay in the demon realm.”
“I know, but I can’t cross over.” He looked over at Vlad. “She’s my sister. She’s all I have. She’s worth it.”
Respect rushed through Vlad, and he knew this was the kind of leader that his parents had never been. Loyalty. Courage. Honor. Everything he’d never associated with a demon before. They both knew that Damon would be fucked once Lucien got out, because he would be the only one left to blame. “She’s lucky to have you.”
“Hey, guys.” Sophie’s voice was strained. “I know I’m a badass and everything, but I can’t hold this temple open forever.”
Vlad glanced over at her, and opened his palm toward her, thrusting his magic into her. She connected with it, and the mountain shook again as she renewed her hit. “Can you do that to Maria? She’s in trouble. Give her life force?”
Vlad and Damon both looked at Maria. Her skin was pale, and she was barely breathing. Swearing, Vlad pointed his index finger at her and poured living energy into her. For a moment, nothing happened, and then she coughed, sucking her breath. Her eyes slitted open, glancing at him, and then slithering to Gabe. “Gabe.” Her voice was a raw whisper.
Her voice was low and weak, dying out long before it reached the one who’d gone rogue for her. Damon swore. “She needs to heal, and Gabe’s the only one who can save her. Let’s go.”
“You bet.” Together, they stepped forward, man and demon. Vlad flung out his hands, catching Lucien off guard. His power ripped the demon off his feet and slammed him against the wall, impaling him on the same stones that had trapped Vlad. He hadn’t even landed when Damon leapt forward, howling with rage as he shifted into dragon form. He swooped down and attacked Lucien, who screamed and ripped himself free, diving at the smaller dragon.
Vlad focused his energy on Lucien, merging his mind with the demon king’s cells. He flicked his finger, and jerked the demon back, slamming him against the wall again. The moment he hit, Damon tore into him, his claws and teeth ripping at the thick, impenetrable scales. Once again, Lucien recovered almost immediately and lunged at Damon, screaming with fury, his face twisted and deformed as the demons battled.
Vlad narrowed his eyes, summoning more energy, realizing he had to hit Lucien hard enough to stun him—
A movement out of the corner of his eye caught Vlad’s attention, and he glanced to his right just as Gabe turned toward him, his eyes glowing hellishly red. Vlad swore. “I’m not the enemy, buddy. It’s Lucien—”
Before he even finished, Gabe unleashed an unearthly howl of crazed fury and launched himself at Vlad, his hook sword streaking through the air right at him. Vlad swore and threw himself sideways, barely evading the gleaming blade. As he rolled away, he saw Lucien strike Damon, throwi
ng the smaller demon against a rocky outcropping. Vlad extended his hand toward Lucien, trying to drag the demon king backwards away from Damon, but before he got a good grip on him, Gabe struck again, his blade glancing off Vlad’s right shoulder.
“A little help, big guy,” Damon shouted.
“Trying!” Vlad held out his left hand, trying to hold Gabe back, but he couldn’t control both Lucien and Gabe at the same time, and both assailants ripped out of his grasp. Vlad rolled to the left, evading Gabe only because the Calydon was moving too fast to be able to change direction. “Gabe! Maria’s dying! She needs you!”
But Gabe didn’t even slow down. He just whirled toward Vlad, and he saw in his eyes an absolute commitment to death. In that second, he understood why the Order had killed so many rogues over the centuries. In that second, there was nothing left of the man he knew, just an insane, crazed predator who was about to destroy everything that he’d sacrificed himself to save.
Chapter 40
“Maria!”
Sophie’s voice forced its way into Maria’s foggy consciousness, and she forced her eyes open, trying to respond to the urgency in her friend’s voice. She blinked several times trying to focus, but her eyes hurt, her body hurt, even her blood hurt.
“Maria! Wake up!”
The urgency in Sophie’s voice jerked Maria out of her daze. This time she forced her eyes to stay open as she sought to find the source of Sophie’s voice. She found her several feet away, her hands buried in the rock floor of the cavern. Sweat was dripping down her temples and matting her hair, and her arms were shaking. Alarm leapt through Maria. “Soph?”
“You have to get Gabe back on track. We can’t win without him.” Sophie twisted around to look behind her.
Gabe! The events of the last two minutes came rushing back into Maria’s mind. She jerked her gaze off Sophie and gasped when she saw the battle raging in the cavern. Lucien had Damon pinned against the wall, and Vlad was fighting for his life against an enraged Gabe.
Hunt the Darkness (Order of the Blade Book 11) Page 35
