Reynner dropped the man—thing, whatever it was—to the ground. He catapulted into the air and tackled another racing for the car. They crashed on the Porsche’s hood like a boulder dropped from the sky. Eve clutched her seat, fingers digging into the leather.
The man-thing pushed up, his eerie red eyes glowing like neon moons in the dark. Reynner seized him by the hair, ruthlessly ran the blade through his heart, and tossed him aside. The fallen man convulsed on the pitted asphalt. Within seconds, he deflated like a balloon and disappeared from sight.
A sickening realization dawned. No, they couldn’t be. Things like this only happened in horror movies.
Jesus, what did she walk into?
Another red streak of light hissed through the air, slamming into Reynner and sending him staggering back. The remaining monsters attacked.
Oh, no! They were going to kill him! Eve grabbed her pepper spray from her bag, opened the car door, and stepped out, her heart clocking like a racehorse.
Breathe, Eve, breathe. You can do this.
“Eve, get inside the godsdamn car!” Reynner’s roar reverberated through the alley.
She swallowed but didn’t back down. She didn’t think he’d been keeping an eye on her. One of those things turned, grinned, and in the next instant appeared in front of her.
Her heart pounding, adrenaline spiking, she sprayed him good in the face. The fiend yelled and cursed in a terrifying, raucous voice, rubbing his eyes. Reynner suddenly appeared like some avenging angel in front of her. A faint glow appeared in his hand and a six-foot-long sword took shape.
Where the hell did that come from?
Then she forgot her question as he swung that sword. Her jaw dropped.
She’d known Reynner was dangerous. His stone-cold features and tough body told her so. Kat had called him a badass, but Eve had never seen anyone cause so much carnage like he did. His sword arched, a deadly gleam of silver decapitating heads. The bodies fell to the ground and disintegrated, not even the clothes remained.
Now she was alone with this ruthless man who wielded an enormous blade like it was an extension of his arm. His eyes glowed a fiery blue in the night. Strands of his pale hair escaped their tie and streamed to his shoulders. Beautiful, menacing, he strode to her.
“What the hell were you thinking? I told you to stay in the damn car!”
Clutching her can of pepper spray like a protective shield, Eve stood face-to-face with a man who’d single-handedly taken down a small army of those creatures. They didn’t scare her as much as he did right then, with the cold fury emitting off him.
Slowly, she backed away.
“Now you’re afraid of me?” Like a whiplash, his voice stung her.
She stiffened her spine. “No, I wanted to help. It seemed unfair so many were attacking you—”
He growled, his glare morphing into disbelief. Then in a move that made her head spin, he hauled her to him just as a blinding red flash came hurtling toward them. The blast sent him forward, and he fell against her. Her breath exploded out of her lungs. Eve struggled to hold onto him, his powerful body a sensual blow to her senses. She fought to keep him on his feet and not topple them both to the ground.
With a snarl, he pushed off her, his enormous sword still in his hand. Eyes blazing, he scanned the alley. She hurried to him. “Reynner—”
Cursing, he grabbed her wrist and hurried her toward the car. “I have to get you out of here.”
“What were those men—things?”
“Hell on Earth—dammit!” He stumbled and let her go, bracing a hand against the grimy, graffitied wall.
“Let me help you.” She tried to prop him up.
“No.” He flung out a hand, stopping her. Then dug into his coat pocket, his movements jerky as he searched.
“But you’re hurt.”
“No.”
What the hell was the matter with him? She wanted to help, not cop a feel. Teeth snapping together, Eve waited for Mr. He-Man’s orders.
Leaning against the filthy wall, Reynner brought out his cell phone and attempted to make a call. The device fell from his unsteady hand and landed on the ground with a dull thud. Curses in English, mixed with some strange language she’d never heard before flooded her ears.
Eve picked up the fallen phone and held it out. His fingers clenched. She waited, didn’t say a word. His pained, furious gaze pinned hers, almost like he hated asking for help.
“Star one. Michael. Call him.” The words were wrenched from him as he slid to the dirt-encrusted asphalt. Worried now, Eve pushed aside her hurt feelings and pressed star one. A man answered. His voice was low. Compelling. “Reynner?”
And scary.
She cleared her throat. The chilling air from the man had her speaking quickly. “Reynner’s hurt. He asked me to call you, I’m not sure where we are…” she glanced around the creepy place with its dingy buildings.
“I’ll find you.” He rang off.
Reynner rested his head against the wall, eyes closed, his hand still gripping his sword. The reek of decaying garbage from Dumpsters nearby blindsided her. Breathing through her mouth, Eve crouched beside him and pushed his cell phone into his pocket.
She hoped this Michael would come quickly. Her skin itched, she rubbed her arm. Something wet and sticky clung to her fingers. A coppery smell wafted to her. Blood?
Eve remembered that red bolt hitting him. Quickly, she pushed her hand behind his back, but he was too heavy to move. When he didn’t protest, her anxiety grew. She tried again, harder this time. Her knuckles scraped against the walls. Ignoring the burn, she ran her fingers over his body. There. Across the solid width of his back, she found the gashes in his coat and the wetness surrounding them. She pulled her hand away and stared at the bloody mess on her fingers.
“You’re hurt.”
“I know...”
Her heart slamming against her sternum, she jerked to her feet.
“No, don’t…leave…”
“I’m not.” Eve sprinted to the car and snatched the cell she’d dropped to the floorboard then hurried back to him. About to call 911 again, she saw a dark figure striding up the alley.
Please…please don’t let it be one of those things. Her can of pepper spray wouldn’t help them because there was no way she could haul Reynner to safety. Eve pushed her cell into the seam pocket of her dress, rushed to his side and picked up his sword now lying on the ground, and grunted.
Crap! The darn thing was too heavy. Heaving it, she stepped protectively in front of Reynner and struggled to appear calm—and hopefully dangerous—wielding his weapon.
The man closed in on them. The moonlight revealed dark hair falling in careless layers over wide shoulders. Shades covered his eyes, despite it being night.
Eve pointed the blade at him, her hands shaking like a leaf in a squall. She prayed she didn’t drop the weapon. Heat seeped into her palm, connecting with the metal she held. No, no dammit! Not now.
“Stop right there.”
He did. His gaze dropped to the sword she clutched and then came back to her face.
“Who are you?” she demanded.
“Michael.”
She recognized the dark cadence of his voice from their brief conversation on the phone minutes ago, and relief flowed through her. He must have been close by to get here this quickly.
“You have to let me tend to him, before he worsens.”
“Yes-yes, of course.” Eve stepped back and gratefully lowered the heavy weapon. The enormous man hunkered beside Reynner, pulled him forward, and examined his back. “Helluva place you chose to nap.”
“Ritz…not available.”
Michael snorted, then he glanced at her. “I have to take him with me.”
“She comes, too.”
“Why?” A cool note entered the man’s voice.
“Fuck—” A pained groan left Reynner. “Gonna keep me in this roach-infested dump ’til I answer your damn questions?”
“Y
ou know the rules, Empyrean—free will.”
Empyrean? Free will? What the heck were they going on about? Reynner needed help.
“Eve…” Reynner’s voice slurred. His dark gaze lifted to hers. “Come…with…me?”
“Of course, I’ll go with you,” she reassured him. He’d saved her, taking the hit that surely would have killed her.
“There, Michael…happy?” Reynner’s indistinct words held a mocking edge.
“I’d kick your sorry ass if you weren’t already down, but we need to get out of here.”
At his statement, Eve’s fear increased. “You can’t move him—he’s hurt. I’m calling 911.”
“Your doctors can’t heal him. We have to go now. Come here.”
Warily, she eyed him. “What do you mean my doctors?”
“Explanations later. Do you want his death on your conscience?”
When he put it like that—darn it. Eve hurried over and prayed this Michael knew what he was doing. “What do you want me to do?”
“Hold on and don’t let go.”
She frowned. “I don’t understand.”
The big man shook his head. He picked up Reynner’s sword then touched him on the shoulder. “You will soon enough.”
He held out his hand. Eve eyed it as if it contained a nest full of vipers. “I can’t...”
He studied her for a second. Then like a rattler, he struck and hauled her to him.
“Hey! I’m willing to hhhhhelp—” Her last word ended in a yelp. The alley disappeared as they were sucked into a mist of swirling darkness.
***
Sebrasius, leader of the Darkreans’ militia, stared out through the window at the dark silhouettes of the trees and shrubs in the distance, highlighted by the full moon. The incredible views here were the only thing from the mortal realm that appealed to him.
It didn’t compare to the deadly beauty of Dregarus. The ice-bound seventh dominion of Empyrea where his kind dwelled. A place he called home, a place where monstrous ice bluffs reigned.
He cared little for this elegant mansion overlooking the Hudson River they’d procured in upstate New York as a base. But the lush forest surrounding the estate had a soft spot, making opening portals into their realm easy and private.
Sebris’s gaze settled on his reflection in the windowpane. Nickel bronze hair fell past his shoulders. His eyes appeared almost black, his mouth a slash in his tight features. He was pushing it, remaining in this place when he should have left days ago to equate and recharge his waning powers. But the job came first.
Pushing his balled hands into the pockets of his trousers, Sebris turned as two of his warriors walked in, their expressions detached. Their dark gazes empty.
“Anything of import I should know about?”
Xever, his second-in-command squatted near the empty fireplace beside a huge white wolf, his hand burrowing through the beast’s long fur as if seeking succor. “No… No trace of the artifact or the female.”
Taegér shook his head. He prowled the enormous room as if measuring it for new carpets, his tight jaw revealing his discomfort.
Damn, not what he wanted to hear.
“It’s been months, Seb.” Xever rose, and a forlorn whine left the wolf. Xever’s narrow face wore a granite edge. Strains of black had taken over his gray irises. It was one of the main reasons they were known as Darkreans. “We’ve remained here for far too long. We grow weaker. We must go back to Dregarus and equate.”
That was a bit of a bother. As Darkreans, they needed to equate by connecting with their realm’s magic so they could function once again. Away from their realm for any length of time and they had to bury their emotions. An overload of feelings and pain became constant, eating away at their powers.
But nothing would keep Sebris trapped in Dregarus when their quest for freedom was all that mattered. They would take back what was rightfully theirs.
“We fought far too long to slow down now,” he stated. “The moment we have the missing Stone of Light, all will be as it should.”
“Yes…” Taegér stopped pacing. Anger flickered in his gaze. “Wipe out what’s left of the ruling family, and Empyrea is ours.”
“We didn’t come this far to screw up now.” Sebris cut him a cold look. “We still have the six high lords to contend with. Our chances at success lie in finding the foretold mortal first, then the lost artifact.”
Shuffling footsteps sounded, and Paxyn stumbled into the study. The warrior had taken far too long to return from canvasing the city. His ebony wings dragged on the floor, unable to use his depleting powers to conceal them.
He could no longer remain on this realm with those extremities in view.
“Anything on the artifact?” Sebris demanded.
“No,” Paxyn responded, tone flat, eyes a dull ebony. “We’ve searched homes, museums, galleries, even the labyrinth beneath the city for the Stone, and nothing.”
Sebris remained silent as he deliberated. Using the Empyrean to do the work held far more appeal, and it would mean a slower depletion of their abilities.
“There’s something else,” Paxyn said. He leaned against the doorjamb as if to keep upright. “Could be nothing. Reynner had a female with him last night when he tackled a horde of demoniis.”
A spark of anticipation jolted through Sebris at the information, a fresh rush of pain spreading beneath his skin at the elation. Finally, news he’d waited eons for.
He glanced at Taegér. The warrior’s darkening irises still held remnants of their blue-gold color. Good. He could hold out for a while longer.
“Shadow the Empyrean,” Sebris instructed him. “Xever, you and Paxyn have two days to equate, then I want you back.”
Once the two warriors had left, he turned to Taegér. His tone cold as the ice-laden seas of their dominion, he said, “I want that female.”
Chapter 6
Eve found herself on a couch when she came to, the dizziness fading from her mind. Sunlight streamed into the semi-circular room from enormous windows with scenic views. Transparent white curtains fluttered in the soft breeze flowing in from outside. She frowned at the rough, dark granite walls surrounding her. The place appeared as if someone had excavated deep into a mountainside to form this space. It held a raw, rustic appeal.
Movement in her peripheral vision caught her attention. Turning, she saw the huge man toss a smoky gray comforter to the foot of the bed then pull a matching sheet to cover the naked form lying on the bed.
Reynner!
Eve lurched to her feet and stumbled across the room to the giant-sized bed.
Reynner’s discarded clothes were in a heap on the dull, granite floor. He lay on his front, his face turned away. A gasp of horror escaped her when she saw the wounds across his back, like someone had used a blowtorch. Black, charred skin surrounded the open lesions, and they oozed bright red over darkened, drying blood.
“That looks awful... He won’t, he won’t—” She found she couldn’t say the word die.
Michael glanced up.
Eve gaped. Finally, she understood why he wore shades. His deep blue eyes appeared like splintered glass. An eerie silvery glow escaped from the cracks…
Otherworldly, the thought seeped into her mind.
Uneasiness stirred at his piercing stare, like he could see into her soul or something.
“Don’t worry, he won’t die,” he muttered, straightening the sheets over Reynner. “He’s too damn stubborn for that. How long have you known him?”
“Not long—yesterday…actually, I’m not sure.” Eve looked out the window and at the bright afternoon sun. It had to be the following day, she decided, unable to make sense of time. “I met him on Friday night…” She explained about the mixed-up cell phones. “He offered me a ride home before those, er, things with red eyes attacked.”
Michael looked at her for a long second, probably making sure she wasn’t some nutcase spurting garbage then nodded. He crossed to a door at the far end of the
room and disappeared inside, only to reappear a few minutes later with a container of water, a small glass jar, and towels.
“What where those things that hurt him?” Eve asked, her gaze on Reynner’s ruined back.
“Demoniis.” Michael set the items on the bedside table.
“Demon eyes?”
“Yes. They are what demons turn into when they first steal a human soul.”
Shocked, Eve pressed a hand to her roiling stomach. “Why?”
“To experience the light of a mortal soul.” He picked up a thick towel and tore it in half. “Once they steal a soul, the demon’s own dark spirit dies. To survive, they constantly need new ones because human souls were never meant for them. It fades, and the cycle starts all over again. That’s why we—Reynner and I and others like us—exist. We hunt and destroy them.”
God. Eve dragged both hands through her hair. This all sounded so unreal, like she’d wandered into an alternate world. But if she’d suddenly developed abilities after the accident, like being drawn into people’s thoughts when she touched them, then demons existing shouldn’t have surprised her.
I’m such an idiot. As if I could protect Reynner from those things.
“You need to be careful,” Michael said, folding the ripped terrycloth into an even smaller square. “Not only humans walk this realm. Others do, as well. And evil is one of them. In the future, don’t put yourself in dangerous situations.”
At least he didn’t yell at her like Reynner had. “What Others?”
“I’m sure Reynner will fill you in.”
Nodding, she watched as Michael laid a hand over the gaping wound on Reynner’s back. A silvery glow pulsed out from his palm. Fascinated, Eve leaned in closer. “What are you doing?”
“Aiding his recovery.”
“You’re like a healer?” She saw the slight smile tugging at his lips. It rearranged his hard features into a stunning visage.
“I’ve been called many things, but never a healer.” Michael dampened the square and started to clean the messy wound.
“Let me.” She hurried around the bed and joined him.
“No—” Reynner turned to them. Michael’s healing had awakened him. Sweat poured down his face and pain darkened his eyes to dull blue stones. Worry took over when she met his feverish gaze. “No, not her. Get Izzeri,” he rasped.
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