by Mina Carter
But nowhere in him did she sense deceit, lies, or dishonor. It simply wasn't there…or was it that she couldn't see it? Because all she could see was a man who made her heart sing, a protector her entire soul hungered for, a warrior she wanted with every fiber of her being. The intensity with which she ached for Ryland was far beyond anything she'd ever felt for Simon. What she'd felt for Simon had been enough to obscure her ability to see his true self, which meant that what she felt for Ryland could also be strong enough to keep her from seeing past her own cravings for him. How could she know what was Ryland's truth, when her perception of him was so entangled in a deeper need that could overshadow all else? How could she—
With a low growl, Ryland fisted the front of her shirt and yanked her over to him. He slammed his mouth down over hers, and the kiss erupted within her. Fire. Heat. Desire. She could taste the copper of her own blood in the kiss, still on his lips. Her entire body leapt into awareness, and all her walls fell, crumbling beneath the sensual assault of the man she craved so badly.
You can't think things like that and expect me to behave honorably. I can hear every damn thought in your head about how badly you want me. Ryland's voice was rough and raw in her mind, igniting a cascade of fireworks of desire.
You are honorable, she protested.
No, I'm not, and we both know it. If I was, I wouldn't be coveting another man's woman, and I wouldn't be kissing her. He framed her face with his hands, angling her head as he pressed deeper for the kiss, taking more, offering more, giving her everything he had. I'm the one who's a bastard, Cat, and we both know it.
No, you're not. Her heart swelled for this man who was so rough and so tormented, who didn't even understand love or kindness, yet made her feel safe and protected even when she shouldn't. He was addictive and dangerous and—
He swept his thumb over her lips, and awareness began to sing through her. Her lips began to tingle, and desire pulsed low in her belly. Ryland? What did you—
He captured her thought with another kiss, so deep that it seemed to unfurl something buried inside her. Something more than desire. Something more than lust. Something more than need. Something that ached so badly it seemed to bruise her deep inside—
You are mine. His voice was a feather whisper through her mind, and then his finger slipped past her lips. More coppery taste. Her blood? Dear God, no. His. He'd completed the blood bond?
You bastard! Fear exploded through her, and she started to pull away, but then something changed. The fear, the resistance, the anger…they were all instantly banished by the fierce, uncontrollable need that thrummed through every level of her being. Not just need. That same longing in her soul as she'd felt before, but now it was a thousand times more intense. The ache in her heart was beautiful, as if the bruises were the result of a battle won, of freedom achieved, of life and home finally coming together as one. She turned her head into his touch and accepted the gift of his blood, his soul, and his eternity.
Sweet, Catherine. Ryland's voice was a caress, so beautiful it was as if he were an angel himself, a sound that seemed to lift to the heavens and cascade down upon her in a shower of snowflakes and warmth. Mine to you. Yours to me. Bonded by blood, by spirit and by soul, we are one. No distance too far, no enemy too powerful, no sacrifice too great. I will always find you. I will always protect you. No matter what the cost. I am yours as you are mine.
The power of his speech was mesmerizing, and she knew instantly that it was Ryland speaking, not Thano, not as a proxy. His words bled with a thousand years of suffering. They hung with death. They reverberated with a passion born of a heart so powerful it could survive anything. It was Ryland, the truth of who he was, filling her, offering himself to her, swearing his allegiance to her.
The answer rose within her, unbidden, and she welcomed it, offering it with the same purity of truth that Ryland had. Mine to you. Yours to me. Bonded by blood, by spirit and by soul, we are one. No distance too far, no enemy too powerful, no sacrifice too great. Ryland, I will always find you. I will always keep you safe. No matter what the cost. I am yours as you are mine.
This time, when she felt the burn on her arm, she knew it was Ryland's mark, Ryland's connection, Ryland's claim. She was Ryland's, and right then, in that moment, in his arms, in his kiss, it was exactly where she wanted to be.
* * *
Still in the midst of battle with the cloaked warriors, Thano sensed Catherine behind him. He whirled around toward the entrance of the nether-realm, shocked by the sudden intensity of her presence in his mind, so powerful he was certain she was standing right behind him.
She wasn't.
There was nothing but the vast darkness of the cavernous entrance, and the odious mist drifting from the opening. Urgency pulsed through him, a need to connect with her. To find her. "Catherine!" he shouted.
No answer.
"Hey!" Zach yelled at him, and Thano spun around just as a massive cat-like creature leapt off a nearby rock right at him, massive teeth bared, ready to kill. Its eyes burned red with insanity, and its black and green striped fur undulated with living shadows as it launched itself at them. Apollo sidestepped with incredible speed, and Thano struck the creature as it hurtled past him, its claws trying to gut the horse as it passed.
"Too slow, kitty cat—" Thano taunted, then swore when shadows fell across the clearing. He looked up as dozens of the grotesque cats emerged from the trees, launching themselves at all the warriors at once, not just him and Zach. "Incoming!" he yelled.
The other men looked up, and with a chorus of fearsome shouts, they abandoned their battles and engaged the creatures. The enemy became the ally, loyalty springing up between clashing Order members united against a common goal. The battle launched into a full-scale assault, with Zach and the five mysterious Order members fighting side-by-side, defending against the onslaught, allied by the need to survive. Thano kicked his horse into a gallop, plunging into the fray, when Catherine's presence filled his mind again.
Swearing, he reined Apollo to a stop. What the hell was going on? Catherine?
No reply. No connection. But as he opened his mind, he suddenly realized he knew exactly where she was, deep beneath the earth, as if he were linked to her directly. At the same time, he felt Ryland's presence, and he realized what had happened. Ryland had blood-bonded with her. What the hell did that mean?
Weapons were clashing all around him as the others defended against the creatures that had cornered them. "Zach!" Thano shouted. "We need to get into the nether-realm—" Another wildcat landed on Thano's back, ripping open his flesh with such force that he felt the bones in his shoulders shatter. It yanked him off Apollo and dragged him over the rocks. Zach and the others were pinned down against the far side of the cliff, their space being ruthlessly encroached. No chance they could come to his rescue.
Thano jammed his halberd over his shoulder into the creature's head, a last desperate attempt to free himself. The creature howled with agony, and then clamped his mouth down over Thano's neck. The teeth sank deep, tearing flesh—
Apollo reared up over him, his massive hooves flashing as he slammed them down onto the creature, crushing it beneath the sheer force of the blow. The beast died instantly, its teeth still clamped around Thano's throat as it convulsed in the throes of death, deepening the wounds.
"Go party somewhere else, you son of a bitch." Thano pried the creature's jaws free with his halberd, gasping when it was finally off. Blood was cascading down his neck, and he knew that an artery had been torn open. He fell back down, too weak to stand. Apollo positioned himself over Thano, his forefeet on either side of Thano's head, his rear feet braced and ready, protecting his master as more creatures attacked, drawn to the scent of blood and the temptation of death.
Thano stared up at the belly of his horse, and knew that Apollo was his last protection. "Stay with me, buddy," he said, as he closed his eyes and directed all his energy onto his neck. He had to heal now, right now, or he would be d
ead within a minute. He concentrated on the wound, visualizing the slowing of the blood loss, the sealing of the artery. But even as he did it, his strength began to wane. He was losing too much blood too fast.
He was going to die.
Chapter Fifteen
THANO'S BRAND WAS still on her arm.
Ryland's insides turned to a fermenting, dangerous boil when he looked at Cat's arm and saw Thano's halberd sitting smugly on her skin. Son of a bitch. He grabbed her wrist and stared at it. "How the hell is that possible?" How could it be Thano's halberd traveling down her arm, almost finished? The blood bond had been between Catherine and himself. Not Thano. It hadn't been by proxy. There was no way that it would have felt like that. No fucking way.
But there was Thano's weapon, filling in even as he watched.
That fucking halberd was on her arm. Not his machete.
He wasn't going to deny the truth anymore. The sight of Thano's brand on her arm seriously pissed him off.
"What are you talking ab—" Catherine followed his glance, and she paled. "No," she whispered. "That's not right."
Wrath and irretrievable anger began to swarm inside Ryland, emotions that were so dangerous to his self-control. He could not go there. He would not go there. "Fuck!" He wrenched his gaze off her arm and searched her face. "Tell me you're mine," he gutted out, not even caring about being honorable enough to respect his teammate's claim on her. Not right now. He couldn't turn Catherine over to Thano. Couldn't even handle the idea. He was too close to the edge, and he needed this to be right. Thano's brand might be on her arm, but she could overrule it. She could deny it. She could fucking take her life for her own, and he needed to hear that her choice was the warrior standing before her. "Tell me that there is no fucking chance on this planet that you belong to Thano."
Catherine's eyes widened, and he saw the deep fear in them. Fear of being bound to anyone, including him. Crap. He realized she wasn't going to be able to say it. That was the one thing Catherine couldn't give him: herself. Stumbling away from her, he tried to pull his shit together. "We need to get to the temple," he rasped out, ruthlessly directing his thoughts to the battle they faced. "Come on. Now." His wrists hurt, and he knew that the cuffs would soon be appearing. He had no time to obsess about Thano stealing his damned woman, or her inability to give him what he wanted. They had to go!
He grabbed her hand and started loping relentlessly through the wasteland, knowing exactly which parts were solid, and which places would send them spiraling downward into hell if they stepped on them. Catherine ran beside him, her breath coming in short gasps as she labored to keep up. Against his will, he glanced over at her. She was too damned pale. Where was the woman who had run hard with him through the woods, having no trouble keeping up? "What's wrong?"
"I'm almost out of life force," she gasped. "I need light. Or a soul."
"How can an angel be out of light? That's what you are." He grabbed her around the waist and lifted her over an innocent-looking trickle of water that promised acidic torture.
"I'm an angel of death," she said, limping along beside him. "It's not the same thing. I can't generate my own energy. I'm a parasite."
"Parasite?" Just the idea of her cutting herself down like that pissed him off. "Fuck that, Cat. Come on! You're a powerful being of the Otherworld. You got the tools." He took them to the right, carefully skipping a fermenting pool of odiousness, and sliding between two burned-out homes.
Catherine stumbled beside him. "I know I have tools," she gasped. "But I have them because I steal lives and light." She tripped again, and Ryland picked her up, tucking her against him as he continued to move quickly over the carnage. Ahead, the temple grew larger. The place that had trapped him for so long. The site of his hell.
"You're no different than anyone else," he said, trying to focus on Cat instead of what he was approaching. "Everyone feeds on something. It's how life sustains itself. Cut yourself a break, woman. It's not helping us right now—" Something twisted deep inside his gut, and he lost his footing. He hit the ground hard, and Catherine spilled out of his arms onto the barren dirt.
She groaned softly, bracing her hands on the earth. Her face was pale, her beautiful hair hanging in tangled strands. "Ryland? You don't look good."
"I'm fine." He gritted his teeth as his stomach undulated, as life began to take shape within him. He remembered it all too well from the night they killed his faerie. It was the first stage of complete surrender. He surged to his feet, staggering as his equilibrium failed him. "Come on," he said. "We need to hurry."
Catherine grabbed his hand, and together they pulled her up. This time, they held hands tightly as they resumed their trek across the wasteland. They'd made it only twenty yards when dark shadows began to swirl over the earth. "Oh, crap," he muttered. "Really? Now?"
"What is it?"
Ryland shoved his hand into his back pocket, searching for the bag he'd taken from the crevice in the wall where the green glowstone had been. It contained a vial of a powder created by the water faeries. Marie had always kept a supply there, and they'd saved his ass more than once—until he'd come into his destiny and kicked ass all on his own.
He'd been hoping he wasn't going to have to use the vial. "Get on my back," he ordered Catherine, who immediately jumped on just as the shadows whirled around where her feet had been.
Shit! It wasn't in that pocket! "Climb higher," he commanded as the shadows entwined around his ankles and began to climb his legs, like vines. His legs went instantly numb, and his muscles started to tremble as they fed on his life force. His fingers closed on a small vial, and he jerked it out of his pocket. He tore the stopper out as they reached his hips. His pelvis went numb, and weakness assaulted him.
Swearing, he turned the bottle over, fighting desperately not to collapse. He'd seen too many creatures fall into the mist and be instantly consumed. They had to stay vertical. A silver powder floated out of the bottle, sifting down into the shadows.
The shadows went still, and he gritted his teeth, waiting for that telltale whoosh as they retreated...but it didn't come. With a fresh surge, they moved higher, around Catherine's ankles and his torso. Jesus. The powder must have lost its impact over the centuries.
"Ryland!" Catherine's voice was shaky now, and he knew they were closing around her chest, taking away her oxygen.
His legs were shaking violently now, and Ryland stumbled again as weakness invaded his body. Catherine slipped slightly, and he knew she was weakening as well. It was too much. They were so close, and they weren't going to make it—
"Balthazar. You have returned." The voice was ancient and beautiful, like glass bells tinkling in a light wind as it called the name he hadn't heard for hundreds of years, the name that used to be his.
"Matalan?" he whispered in shock. "Help us—" Then he collapsed.
The shadows swarmed them, and he pulled Catherine into his arms, uselessly trying to shield her with his body. He tucked her head against his chest as weakness consumed him, waiting for the death—
Balthazar. The name whispered again, and he opened his eyes to see a blue-green apparition floating above him. The woman was ethereal and beautiful, an oasis in the hell they were facing. Her skin was as flawless as it had been a thousand years ago, but her eyes were nothing but sadness and pain. She was the mother of Marie, the faerie who had died for him, a woman who had never been able to look at him again after her child had lost her life. And yet, here she was, seeking him out. In her hand was a long, wispy frond and she waved it gently over them, showering them with a sparkling silver powder.
The moment she did, the shadows vanished, seeping back into the parched ground, leaving them behind. Alive.
Ryland sagged to the earth, his body so depleted he could barely hold himself up. "Matalan. Thank you."
"It is you, Balthazar. The boy has returned a man." She smiled sadly. "I never thought I would see you as a man again once the beast took you."
Ryland rubbed
his chest, knowing all too well how she had last seen him. "I'm sorry about Marie," he said. He'd never had the chance to apologize. He'd been a monster from that day onward. "I'm so sorry she died for our friendship."
Matalan smiled sadly. "She loved you, Balthazar. She would never have traded what she had with you in exchange for a longer life."
Her words were a shock. Love? Marie had loved him? He didn't understand. How could she have chosen death over life for him? "I didn't ask her for that. I wouldn't have wanted her to do that—"
"No. You do not get to choose how others love you. All you can do is honor their choice if they bless you with their love." She shook her head as she floated down, running her ghostly hands through Catherine's hair. "An angel's hair," she said. "Life-giving. May I take some?"
Catherine sat up, her eyes wide as she stared at Matalan. "Of course."
Matalan nodded, and she swiped the frond through Catherine's locks, taking a handful. She bowed gracefully. "Balthazar," she said. "Time grows fleeting down here. The border grows thin. Desdria is working with dark, dark forces. We are leaving."
Ryland sat up. "What? The water faeries are leaving the nether-realm? But without you, it will fall into darkness."
"We cannot hold it up anymore." She smiled sadly, her fingers drifting over his cheek like a soft breeze. "Less than a hundred of us remain. We are dying, Balthazar, and we must go."
At her words, he suddenly heard the weakness in her voice, and saw the trembling of her hands. Realization surged through him, and he grabbed her hands. "No, Matalan. Not you." She was the only kindness he'd had there. She and Marie.
She touched his face, and tears fell over her misty cheeks that were becoming even more faded. "You have returned to us, Balthazar. You will either bring the final destruction or hope for redemption. May peace be with you." She faded further, her turquoise eyes shifting to a pale gray.
"No!" He lunged for her, but his fingers went right through the apparition.
