by Sharon Kay
Finally, Gunnar’s keen ears picked up the eight-cylinder roar of an SUV, spitting pebbles up from the road in its speed. Its light came into view first as tiny points, then grew to illuminate the inky black Illinois field. Brenin hopped out, followed by Rhys with his tablet computer in hand.
Brenin laid a hand on the sedan that Nicole had driven. “They used some kind of magic on the car. Since when do Ghazsuls cast spells?”
“Or visit Earth?” Kai muttered.
“I did some research in the car.” Rhys opened a window on his tablet. “Check this out. There’s one foreclosed house about two miles west of here, and it’s right on a small river. There’re more old farmhouses in this area, but they’re all further out and not near water.” He tapped his screen and looked to Gunnar. “I say we start with this one.”
All the other Lash would defer to him on this mission. Even though the others were unmated, they recognized the depth of feeling Gunnar had for Nicole. There was no need to spell it out for them. They could see the glow of barely contained rage in his eyes. They knew that his inner beast had decided she was his. And they would do anything they could to help him get her back.
Gunnar nodded. They needed to go in carefully. If Ghazsuls were involved, then other predatory demons might be as well. His beast calmed down slightly as his tactical mind plotted their course of action.
They drove the first mile together in one of the Escalades, then covered the last mile on foot. They split up as they got closer, with Rhys and Brenin circling around to approach from the north. Kai and Gunnar had just taken cover in thick, overgrown brush a hundred yards from the house when Gunnar felt the unmistakable zing of Nicole’s power. It prickled over his skin and through his muscles in a warm electric current, driving his beast to the brink. She’s fighting. The beast bellowed to join her, to save her.
Kai’s head whipped around to Gunnar. “Holy shit!” He rubbed his hands along his forearms. “Your girl’s got game!”
“Almost there, Nicole.” Gunnar’s muscles urged him to bolt for the building, when his mind exploded in pain. He grabbed his head and doubled over, fighting to control the nausea flooding his body. He couldn’t allow himself to vomit or cry out. They were too close to nabbing this bastard. Nicole. Her name became a mantra in his mind, repeating on an endless loop as he willed her to hang on. Gunnar would shred the muscle and bones of whatever creature dared to harm her.
Kai crouched next to his friend and scanned the area. “Fuck. We gotta get her out of there”
Gunnar nodded. “No shit. I’m gonna skin every last one of those motherfuckers.”
“Save one for me, man. The good news is, looks like she got off a shot at one of them.”
And then, as quickly as the pain had started, it ceased. Gunnar blinked. “It just…stopped.”
“Is that good or bad?” Kai asked.
“I don’t know.” Gunnar straightened up.
They crept closer, advancing silently through the brush until Gunnar was hit with the odd feeling that it didn’t make sense to go any further. Their plan suddenly seemed ridiculous, their mission futile. The best course of action right now would be to turn around and leave. One look at Kai confirmed that his friend felt the same way.
“Wards,” Gunnar muttered, his warrior’s mind cutting through the magically-enhanced fog of doubt. They had been expecting as much.
Rilan had discovered several warding spells in the old Domu’s grimoire. The Lash demons figured that Maeron would use at least one of these to fortify his edifice. Because they knew the basis for the original spells, Rilan spent the morning working on a few counter spells, and relayed them over the phone to Kai while they waited for Rhys and Brenin to arrive. Kai then made sure all of them knew the counter spells, just in case they ended up going in separately.
Gunnar muttered the words now, and was infinitely grateful for Rilan’s skills as the heavy feeling of futility lifted from the air. They were close enough to see the house; their acute night vision noting every detail of the crumbling structure.
The roof sagged low over what had once been a garage. Many window panes had long-ago shattered, giving the home a gap-toothed appearance. The few gutters that were still attached to the eaves hung askew, swaying in the night air. Paint peeled from the siding and the front porch steps were rotted. As they watched the house, a flash of movement caught Gunnar’s eye.
A Skell. Unaware that it was being observed, it navigated the rotting steps and disappeared inside the house. Gunnar knew only too well that other demons’ sense of hearing equaled theirs, so he signaled Kai to wait. As they continued to watch, a Ghazsul demon came around the side of the house. It stopped near the porch and stood motionless, scanning the surrounding area.
Gunnar’s beast clawed at him, desperate to get out and fight the other predator. His blood boiled as he mustered the strength to hold it back. Soon. They needed to wait a few more minutes, to survey and try to gain every advantage they could before mounting their attack.
A faint yelp echoed from the other side of the house. Gunnar smiled. Rhys and Brenin had made their move. The Ghazsul at the front ran around the side, leaving the porch unprotected.
“Now!” Gunnar and Kai sprinted toward the house. There was no point in stealth. They had almost reached the house when three more Ghazsul demons came at them from the other side of the building.
The urge to fight rushed through Gunnar’s veins like lightning. He let his beast take control as he engaged the first Ghazsul, his sword swinging with a vicious urgency. Familiar rage engulfed him. His vision took on a red haze. His rational mind slipped under, buried by the fury of his beast unleashed. He moved faster than his opponent, slashing at him with unholy speed until he raised his sword for the killing blow. Slicing cleanly through the creature’s neck, Gunnar didn’t even stop to watch its head hit the ground.
Kai held his own with one of the Ghazsuls, so Gunnar turned to the third. It struck first, landing a blow to his shoulder. Gunnar grunted. Blood poured down his arm.
The Ghazsul lunged for him and Gunnar dodged out of the way, losing his balance in the process. The other demon was fast, and it leaped on top of him and rammed the huge ball of its fist into his face.
Gunnar looked the Ghazsul in the eye. This is what he’d been waiting for. Bring it, motherfucker!
He moved his head out of the path of the demon’s clenched hand before it could land a second blow, and then he rolled them both across the ground and into the rotting steps. Jumping up, he grabbed the Ghazsul by its arms and slammed it back against the packed earth. It groaned but got right back up, only to get smacked across the face by a wooden board that Gunnar had ripped from the stairs.
Still it came at him, producing a small dagger from a holster on its leg. Gunnar twisted to the side, avoiding a wound to his belly, and the blade caught his thigh instead. He grabbed the demon’s wrist, yanked the knife out of his own leg and turned it toward the Ghazsul.
The Ghazsul growled through clenched teeth, muscles shaking as the blade inched closer to its face, pushed ever closer by the strength of Gunnar’s rage. Gunnar gave a final mighty shove, and the dagger sank securely into the Ghazsul’s neck. Black blood spurted from the severed artery. Gunnar raised his sword and decapitated the Ghazsul, ensuring he was truly dead.
He looked up in time to see Kai finishing off his Ghazsul with a ball of demonfire. A Skell that had been peering out one of the front windows turned and ran when it caught Gunnar’s eye.
“He knows we’re here now.” Kai nodded toward the door. “I’ve got your back. Let’s go get Nicole.”
Gunnar vaulted up the porch steps and burst inside the doorway. The inside of the dingy house contained a minimum of furniture. A small decorative shelving unit hung perilously on a wall above a worn orange couch. Holes dotted the plaster throughout the room. There was no sign of the Skell that had peeked out at them, but he heard a noise from the back of the house.
He and Kai crept through the
front room and paused next to an open hallway. Stairs led up and two doors hung off their hinges, but no other demons were in sight. They continued moving to the rear of the dilapidated house, which contained a kitchen and what had once been a dining room. The kitchen sat empty. A forlorn, shabby door opened to the back yard. Striding to it, Kai looked outside.
“Rhys and Brenin are doing fine. Two down, two to go.” He twisted to take in the dirty kitchen.
Gunnar paused just inside the room as the familiar scent of peaches hit his nose. He and Kai noticed the square trap door in the floor at the same time, and rushed over to peer down into the space. Nicole’s scent saturated the air, but the little cellar was empty.
Turning around the room, Gunnar noticed a second hallway. Motioning to Kai, he moved toward it without a sound. A swift check of the open doorways revealed only empty rooms, so Gunnar kicked open the last remaining door.
The scent of peaches and Ghazsul blood assaulted his nose. And the tang of human blood and...another predatory demon. His beast roared as it recognized both its mate and its enemies in the same space. He rushed down the steps with Kai right behind him.
A deafening bellow of rage escaped his lips as he took in the sight that greeted him. Nicole drooped, unconscious, her limbs chained to the wall. Blood covered her leg.
One Ghazsul demon guarded her. Numerous Skells lined the walls, attempting to hide in the shadows of the basement. A bloody Ghazsul slumped on the floor. A work table held some kind of container, reeking of human blood. And in the center of it all, grinning a sadistic grin, was a Domu demon. Maeron.
“Ah, the Lash demons have come to save the day,” he called out with false cheerfulness. “What took you so long?”
“Release her.” The words Gunnar meant to say came out as a series of snarls.
Maeron seemed to know the intent behind Gunnar’s rough voice. “Oh, I don’t think so. This little female has caused me quite a bit of trouble today. Besides, I want her to work for me. She has a most unusual talent.”
In one swift move, Gunnar leapt toward Nicole. He swung his sword at the Ghazsul in front of her, severing one of its arms. Gunnar wanted to roar that its head was next, but he was no longer capable of speech. Only a furious, deafening sound came out of his mouth. The Ghazsul screeched in pain, but still managed to lunge for Gunnar.
Gunnar growled in victory, knowing that the lunge would put his opponent off balance. He spun in a circle and swung his sword up in a flashing arc, decapitating the Ghazsul. Its head thudded dully as it hit the cement floor behind him.
Standing in front of Nicole, he hissed at the sight of her bruised and filthy face. Her jeans hung on her hips, half of the denim gone. At least the claw marks on her leg seemed to be clotting. He tried to say her name, but could only manage a low rumble.
He turned to Maeron, releasing a bellow that shook the glass on the shelves, and charged. The Domu was prepared for him and blocked Gunnar’s sword, but Gunnar was the faster fighter. And he was in the throes of battle-rage.
His senses flared as they registered the presence of another male in the room. Brenin. Gunnar struck out at Maeron, carving a long line into his chest.
The Domu cursed and jumped back, and then muttered something under his breath. Gunnar realized he was casting a spell and lunged at him to stop the flow of words.
Maeron finished too soon, smirking. “Ah, ah. I wouldn’t be so quick to wound me now.”
Behind him, Nicole let out a sigh and a tiny moan.
What did you do to her? The thought pounded in his head, his voice reduced to jumbled, animalistic sounds. Terror for his mate fought through the fury in his mind, forcing him to pause.
“I can just about see the wheels turning in your little brain,” the Domu sneered. “What could I have done from over here? Why don’t you take another swing at me and see?”
His beast was beyond tolerating the Domu’s jeers. The pause over, Gunnar lashed out with his sword and connected with the thick muscles of Maeron’s shoulder. A second too late, he understood that the Domu allowed the strike, though he dodged just far enough to ensure it was non-lethal. He heard an agonized shriek behind him as blood poured from Maeron’s wound.
His own shoulder burned white hot. Looking down, he saw no wound. He blinked, but his confusion was buried under a surging wave of concern for Nicole.
Turning to vent his rage on whoever had hurt her, he froze as he saw the fresh wound on her shoulder. It was identical to the one he had just inflicted on the Domu.
And no one was near her.
“Fuck!” Kai shouted. “He linked his pain, his wounds, to her with that spell!”
“Oh, the blonde gets points for having brains,” Maeron jeered.
“You cocksucking piece of shit!” Kai rushed the Domu, but Brenin grabbed his arm and clamped a brawny hand just above his elbow.
“Watch it, Kai!” Brenin shouted. “Hold off until we reverse that damn spell.”
“You won’t succeed, Lash. I’ve amassed a collection of spells, amulets and magic that is beyond anything you can comprehend. Some of the most ancient and powerful evil that ever existed has contributed to my personal grimoires.”
Gunnar couldn’t move. The rage-filled demon inside him howled at seeing its mate hurt. Its desire for revenge on Maeron licked at his soul like an inferno. But the rational part of his mind fought its way to the forefront, staying his hand. He couldn’t risk harming Nicole. Kai’s words rolled around in his head as he stood there, torn.
“Gunnar.” Nicole’s whisper broke into his thoughts.
He rushed to her side, trying to tell her not to speak, but the sounds that came out were muddled. One side of her face was swollen and turning purple, and blood flowed from her shoulder. Her arms dangled in the chains, her weight balanced between her uninjured leg and the wall.
Gently taking one of her hands in his, he grasped the metal cuff to snap it in two, but it didn’t budge. He grunted, low and frustrated. Of course Maeron wouldn’t have put her in ordinary manacles; he would have ensorcelled them.
She blinked up at him. “You’re here.”
He opened his mouth to speak, but words wouldn’t form around his sharpened teeth. Her eyes opened wider as she registered the scene before her and then settled back on him. “Oh,” she sighed, “I know you can’t talk. But I knew you’d find me.”
She smiled and gazed at him, her green eyes radiating relief and hope. His beast backed down from its seething rage, basking as her strength flooded him. Good gods, she shouldn’t be trying to talk right now, but her coherent words eased his heart.
Finally his voice started working again, coming out as a throaty croak. “We’ll get you out of here,” he rasped, rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand.
“Well, isn’t this a pretty scene,” Maeron chuckled behind them.
Gunnar turned, standing in front of Nicole, and saw that Rhys had made his way down to the basement. That meant that any demons who had been upstairs were now dead. Kai motioned to the other two Lash, and spoke in a low, quick tone
“Ah, one more Lash joins the party. You all better get used to these walls. You’re going to be looking at them for a while.” Maeron’s eyes flared with yellow light, and his lips moved with rapidly murmured words.
Gunnar’s skin prickled with warning, his eyes drawn to movement at the base of the stairs.
A pale blue fog took shape, snaking along the perimeter of the basement. It stretched and rose until it was as tall as the Lash demons.
The fog pulsed and sighed like a living creature. Vertical lines of a darker blue ran up and down it, like the warp threads on a giant loom. All of them, including the injured Ghazsul and the Skells, stood trapped within the misty barricade.
Dark magic rolled off it like a slap of humid July air. Beads of sweat formed on Gunnar’s brow, and he fought the pull to let it envelope him. In his long years of fighting, he’d encountered this sentient mist once before. It was an enticing trap as well as
an impenetrable wall. Weaker-minded creatures tended to fall prey to it sooner rather than later.
One of the Skell demons chattered to itself, transfixed by the mist. Its mouth formed soft cooing sounds, its eyes growing wide. Gunnar could guess what would come next, but couldn’t look away. As if drawn, the Skell moved forward in a flash, all gangly gray limbs, and dove into the barrier.
Its shriek filled the room and cut off, ending on a pop. A small flash of light shone from within the fog and the smell of burning flesh spilled into the room.
Nicole gasped behind him. “What–”
Maeron’s chuckle rumbled through the room. “You see? And when the last of my Skells returns to me tonight, I will have everything I need to crush you. I’ll make you sorry you ever existed. And that female will be mine.”
“Never!” Gunnar roared and started to lunge for him, but he was stopped by the combination of Kai’s loud protest and Nicole’s soft whisper behind him. “Be careful, Gunnar. He’s so dangerous.”
“I know, love.” He turned to her, aching inside at the sight of her bonds and wounds. “Don’t worry. He won’t hurt you again.”
“Of course I won’t,” Maeron said. “You’ll do it for me.”
CHAPTER 25
YOU’LL DO IT for me? Nicole sucked in a breath. What the hell does that mean? After seeing a Skell demon get vaporized by the blue fog, she wasn’t about to put anything past Maeron.
Don’t worry. Gunnar had said those words to her before, and each time everything had turned out okay. The difference was during those times she hadn’t been chained, beaten up, and in the presence of a psychotic demon who could cast spells and who laughed when other creatures went up in smoke.
The searing pain in her shoulder had jerked her back to the realm of consciousness, the burn fading as she took in the view of Gunnar. She knew he was caught up in his battle rage. His eyes radiated an unnatural turquoise, the planes of his face sharp and defiant. And when he opened his mouth...it was like when they had been on Torth. Not words, but instead a vicious rumble had torn out.
