by Kay, Sharon
He got a mug from a drawer and filled it for her. “One of the best things from Earth,” he said with a wink.
“I agree,” she said, as Kai growled. She shot him a glare. She loved coffee. Or did he have a problem with Mathias giving it to her?
Kai stalked to the freezer, took out a jumbo box of frozen waffles, and proceeded to microwave all of them at once. He found some syrup and divided the stack between the two of them.
She giggled and pushed half of them back to his plate. “I can’t eat all of these!”
“I’ll take you out for a real breakfast when we get back home,” he said. “There’s a great place just south of the Loop, on Jackson.”
“Mmm, Lou Mitchell’s!” she said. “I love that place.” Home. She missed Nicole. Here she was having waffles and coffee with two demons in a safe house in an enchanted realm. It was too strange to process, so she didn’t even try. “What’s the plan for today?”
“Find Cale,” Mathias said.
“But what about all those Serus demons with him?” Brooke asked.
“You have a pretty effective way of neutralizing them, remember?”
“But there were so many…”
“We have faith in you, Brooke. Plus, the odds have changed.” Kai nodded at Mathias.
“That’s true.” She shoved another forkful of soggy waffles into her mouth.
They finished breakfast, cleaned up, and walked back through the rocky corridor. Outside, the sky was the same drab gray she’d gotten used to. Wispy white clouds skittered overhead beneath huge dark rolling ones.
“Does the sun ever shine here?” she asked.
Kai shook his head. “Only a couple times a year.”
“Like All Summer In a Day,” she said.
“I always liked Ray Bradbury. And I sympathize with the little girl in the story, having to live without much sun.” Kai smiled, but mixed emotions flickered across his eyes before he wrapped an arm around her waist to help her over a section of sharp rocks.
Pleased that he was familiar with one of her favorite authors, Brooke leaned into him as he guided her to an area with smaller stones. The things I take for granted, like sunshine. She stood on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek.
They made their way down the rocky slope and retraced their steps from yesterday. After a mile, Mathias grinned and said, “Got ‘em. This way.”
Brooke huffed out a breath. “How do you do that?”
“Innate skill, Brooke.” Mathias replied. “I was born like this. Drove my friends crazy playing hide-and-seek. I always found them.”
“Are you the only…” She paused, unsure of her wording. Are you the only creature who can do that seemed rude. Then again, every inhabitant of Torth was technically a creature. Switching gears, she fell back on her Earth upbringing. “Are you the only person from Torth who can do that? I mean, Kai identified Jason as an elf, before we actually saw him yesterday.”
Mathias took a deep breath and puffed out his chest in an exaggerated way. “I’m the best.”
“Fuck.” Kai rolled his eyes. “I was able to tell that we were near an elf, but that’s all most Lash can do. The Hunter here can discern down to an individual scent.”
“If I have their scent. If not, I can still pick apart the subtle differences from one member of a species to the next.” Mathais picked up a baseball-sized rock and tossed it from his left hand to his right. “And no, I’m not the only one on Torth who can do this. There’s a handful of others out there. Different species.”
“Wow.” Brooke murmured. Her mind buzzed with the magnitude of Mathias’ skill. He could track criminals, find missing children…well, maybe he did that kind of thing for Arawn already. She didn’t know exactly what his responsibilities were. Her thoughts jerked back to the present at Kai’s teasing tone.
“Bet you drove the girls crazy, too. You probably found them even when they weren’t interested. One of the original stalkers,” Kai said.
“Oh, they were always interested, my friend,” Mathias said with a devious grin. “No stalking needed.”
“What do you mean, original?” Brooke asked.
Kai shot a glance toward his comrade. “How many centuries you got on me, old man?”
“I’m five hundred and twenty years old. And I could beat your ass any day.” Mathias snorted.
Brooke stopped in her tracks and gaped at him. “Five hundred and twenty? Oh my God.” Mathias didn’t look a day over thirty. Even though she tried to get used to the weirdness of her new reality, things still popped up and astounded her.
They trekked through the gray and green forest, ghostly silver trunks standing motionless among the gently swishing leaves of the healthy trees. Sparse gray grass covered the ground. Besides the plant life, they didn’t see any other living creatures. After an hour, Brooke felt a familiar pressure in her bladder.
“Hey, guys, I need a bathroom break,” she said.
Kai looked around and scowled. “You can go over there.” He pointed to a group of healthy oaks. “But stay right on the other side. Don’t go any farther.”
“Got it.” She jogged toward the trees. She took care of her needs, buttoned up her pants, and was about to get up when she noticed an odd pattern of striations in the dirt. It looked like the structure of tree branches, with smaller lines flowing into larger ones. Where had she seen this before? She reached out to trace a finger in the loose dirt.
Hells bells! The memory flashed in her mind, of Kai showing her how to find the elusive plant by tracking the fissures made by its roots. And they had lost the precious blooms they’d collected earlier. Excited, she followed the unique linear pattern for a few dozen yards, until it disappeared behind a large boulder. She crept around it and smiled as she spotted a vibrant patch of red, bell-shaped flowers suspended on graceful stalks.
“Yes!” she said as she knelt to pluck as many blooms as she could. She’d snapped off five or six when she heard a twig crack several feet in front of her.
Her heart jumped into her throat as she looked up to see a shrub moving. Then another bush rustled, over to her left. Oh, shit.
A figure armed with a loaded bow stepped from its concealed place behind the leaves. A petite and familiar figure. “State your business, female,” he said.
Brooke gasped in relief and stood. “Jason! You scared me half to death. Do you mind putting that down?” She gestured toward his weapon.
The elf didn’t speak. His eyes narrowed, fixed on her. Two more elves, also holding bows, emerged from the foliage.
“Do you know this fae?” one asked.
“No,” Jason replied.
“Is she an illusion? I sense no dark magic,” the third elf said, frowning.
“There’s no magic. It’s me, Brooke! Remember, we walked to Ros—” She broke off, wanting to smack her forehead. Of course he didn’t remember her. Rosa had erased his memory, before she zapped him back home. And now he had returned with his search party.
“Rosa? The witch? Why were you with her?” Jason asked.
Brooke extended her hands, palms up. No sense in agitating the diminutive elves. She didn’t want a lesson in their archery skills. Not from this side of their bows, at least.
“Okay, guys, I’m not going to hurt you. I’m just gathering these plants here.” She nudged the bells with her foot.
“Answer the question, fae,” the second elf’s tone was hard. None of them had lowered their weapons.
She drew a calming breath, annoyance flickering through her mind. Why did the witch have to take Jason’s memories? Oh, yeah, so he couldn’t betray us. But right now it was a pain in her ass.
“Rosa asked to see me.”
“Why?”
“She wanted to talk about my family.” Brooke didn’t feel like divulging her race to the elves. Not yet.
“Speaking of family,” the third elf piped up. “Have you seen four elves around here?”
She shook her head. “I’m sorry, I haven—”
Jason opened his mo
uth to speak. A bellow echoed through the forest. All around them, leaves rustled and braches snapped. Three large, gray-skinned creatures crashed through the foliage. Saliva dripped from the snapping fangs in their wide mouths. Demons? She didn’t know what they were. Her stomach churned. Her fight-or-flight instincts screamed to get out.
The creatures grabbed the elves as if they were dolls. Brawny biceps locked around her from behind, pinning her arms to her sides. She shrieked and kicked, to no avail. The stench of fetid breath slammed into her head-on, turning the waffles sour in her stomach.
A malevolent chuckle filled the air. “Four elves? I see three elves and one fae whose luck just ran out.”
No! Brooke shuddered at the tangible evil that slithered over her skin. Eyes wide, her head snapped to the side. Her throat went dry as her eyes locked onto the greedy, crimson gaze of Draven.
CHAPTER 21
BROOKE’S HEART STUTTERED AND HER breath caught. She struggled against her captor’s hold, but she may as well have been stuck in a vise. Thick gray arms grasped her, and the scent wafting from its skin reminded her of old sushi, making her gag. What the hell is holding me?
Jason and his friends dangled off the ground like twigs, each clasped by a fanged creature. Their skin was the color of ash, and yellow claws tipped the fingers of their large hands. A few more fiends stood behind Draven, as well as a short older-looking man. His wrinkled face looked human…until he turned to her. No color showed in his gaze, just a shimmery, milky haze.
She jerked her eyes away from his eerie stare. Two Serus stood with him. That made ten creatures, including Draven.
Draven’s eyes devoured her from her neck to her toes and back up, lingering at her wrists. “How the fuck did you get Yves’ manacles off?”
She didn’t know if it would be a good or bad idea to spill that she had a sort-of-ally in Rosa. “Kai broke them.”
“Impossible,” Draven snarled. “Only magic can remove those.” He glared at the old demon. Or spellcaster. Or whatever he was. She’d bet her beautiful condo he was the one behind the dungeon’s dampening spell, too.
Brooke straightened her spine, calling on any scrap of courage she could summon. “It’s supposedly impossible to break out of your dungeon, but Kai did it. Twice.”
“Whore!” Draven’s hand connected with her face before she ever saw it move.
Her head spun sideways, stopped only by the hard chest of whatever creature held her. Stars danced in front of her as darkness swirled at the edge of her vision. Her cheekbone ached like it had been smashed with a hammer. The air against her face felt cooler than a minute ago. Her skin was wet. Blood. Shit.
“Where’s your Lash now, little fae?” he drawled. “Shouldn’t leave a pretty thing like you all alone. This forest is full of nasty creatures.” He leaned forward on the last two words, his mouth close to her ear.
She leaned her head to the side, trying in vain to put distance between them. No, no, no. They’d just gotten away from Draven. How did this happen?
“Well, female? Where is he?” Draven moved closer and dragged his hand down her arm, his tone mocking. “Why isn’t he here to save you?”
He’s looking for me. She knew in the depths of her soul that Kai would find her. But she didn’t want Draven to know that. Maybe I can throw him off.
She swallowed. “He’s dead.”
Draven’s eyes narrowed. “Dead? Bullshit.”
“When we jumped into the river, he…he broke my fall…he landed hard on the rocks. He didn’t make it.” God, that had been entirely possible, hadn’t it? She blinked and tried to look hopeless, casting her eyes down.
“You lie.” He lowered his head and sniffed her hair. “You’re covered in the scent of a Lash male. Only one. And it’s a recent scent. He fucked you.” Draven drew another breath. “Several times.”
Oh shit. Now what? Brooke looked up at him, unable to move.
“And now it’s my turn. I should have done it when you were in my dungeon.” He chuckled and bared his teeth. “When I’m done with you, you won’t have any trace of that Lash on you. Or in you.”
No! A shaky breath escaped her lungs and her body started trembling. Please, no!
Turning to the white-eyed man, Draven barked a command in a language she didn’t understand. The atmosphere crackled with power, sending shivers down her skin. Trees and bushes shuddered as if absorbing the malevolent force. The air shimmered and wavered like a mirage over hot pavement. It surrounded them in a huge vibrating circle.
She could see the forest on the other side of the weird barrier. What the hell?
Draven looked at one of his goons and jerked his head toward Brooke. The demon stalked over to her and grabbed one arm. The thing that had been holding her shifted its vise grip to her other arm.
Icy panic flooded her arms and legs. Frantically she scanned the trees beyond the barrier, but saw no movement. Heard no sound. They were alone.
“Do you think your white knight is around here?” Draven sneered. “He’ll never see us. He won’t hear you scream. He’ll walk right by, wondering where his bitch is. If he hasn’t found another one already.”
He prowled close, standing mere inches from her. Stringy brown hair tickled her face as he leaned over. Foul breath skated past her nose and her stomach lurched. His tongue curled over yellowing teeth for a slow, salacious lick of his lips, and he squeezed her breasts.
“No!” She tried to jerk away, but the two demons held her immobile.
Draven groaned. A sick smile curled his mouth.
No! Terror surged rampant through her body. All her self-defense training, all her years of martial arts skills jumped to her frontal lobe. To defend herself from multiple attackers, she needed to be mobile. Shit! Mobile wasn’t an option. Held tight to the sushi-smelling creature, she had one choice.
She used her arms as leverage to slam her knee up, aiming for Draven’s balls. He anticipated her move and grabbed her leg. Wrapping it around his hip, he pressed against her.
“Be careful, little fae. Kneecaps are one of my favorite things to break.”
She spat in his face. “Fuck you!”
His answering chuckle burned like a thousand fire ants crawling on her skin. “Gladly.” He looked up at the two that held her. “On the ground.”
Brooke thrashed as they pulled her down. She kicked at Draven, but the demons moved fast. Her head bounced off the scrubby grass. She couldn’t move her arms. She barely felt them anymore, her circulation cut off by the fists clenching her biceps.
Draven dropped onto her, his weight on her thighs, pinning her. He leaned down and licked her neck.
“Stop,” she whimpered. “Please don’t do this.” Hot tears stung her eyes. Kai had to be looking for her by now. Right?
Draven grunted and groped her breast again. “Such big tits. It gets me hard when you girls beg.” Without warning he ripped the neckline of her shirt and bit her shoulder.
She screamed as her flesh tore. Oh God, no. Tears streamed down her cheeks, prickling painfully over her injured one. No!
She turned away from him, her eyes skipping around in a frenzy. The strange wavering air danced, taunting her. The guards looked straight ahead, not seeming perturbed in the least. The elves looked at the ground.
A movement in the distance caught her eye. Someone’s here!
“Help!” She struggled under Draven’s weight.
“Scream again, little fae. Try it.” Excitement shone in his red eyes. His hand moved to his belt. “Just so you understand, beyond a doubt, that they can’t hear you.”
Two figures walked closer, stopping just on the other side of the barrier. One blond, one dark, both huge. “Kai!” Her throat seared from the force of her voice. They couldn’t be more than fifteen feet away. Kai had to hear her. Somehow, some way, she willed him to sense her.
The Lash demons didn’t react. Intent and grim, their voices drifted across the shimmery air.
“Her scent goes cold right
here,” Mathias said.
“That’s not possible,” Kai snapped.
I can hear them. Why can’t they hear me? She didn’t want to believe Draven. “Kai!” she screamed with every ounce of air in her lungs.
Kai and Mathias just stood there.
Draven leaned over her, shifting his hips. Fear and disgust tumbled her stomach. She fought the rising bile, keeping Kai in her sights like an anchor.
“A portal? Dark magic? And what about the elf scent?” Kai asked, scowling. He raked a hand through his hair and paced.
They can’t see you. Can’t hear you. Draven’s words ran around in her mind. Terror closed in on her. She had one option left. With all her willpower, she focused inward, her ability building and crackling the air around her.
Draven raised a hand. “What are you doing, whore?” He struck her injured cheek again, tearing it further. His hand landed on her thigh, shoving it outward.
She gasped, her face on fire. Suffocating pain lanced through and destroyed her concentration. Blood mixed with tears, stinging, drenching her in panic.
Draven fumbled with her pants, cursing at the closure that his clumsy hands couldn’t seem to manage. A crack and a pop echoed from the other side of their small group. Brooke raised her head to peer around his shoulder.
One of the elves flailed in his captor’s grasp, a blur of arms and legs. Silver flashed in his hand. The demon holding him roared. Its balance teetered as blood flowed from a wound in its thigh and it lost its grip on the elf.
Draven pushed up and turned toward the disturbance. “Kill the elf!”
“Fucking dark magic,” Mathias swore from the other side of the barrier.
“Find. Her. Now.” Kai’s voice was an arsenal of fury.
The elf yelped and ran as another demon rushed toward him. Reaching the perimeter, the diminutive creature shoved into it and was repelled as if pushing against a rubber wall. It yielded a fraction, but then snapped back into place. Impenetrable. He turned around, an oh shit look on his face.
One of the Serus standing by the spellcaster bellowed and pulled his head back. He exhaled at the elf, producing a white cloud that hung and curled through the air. Graceful and toxic.
