“I know.”
“It scares you shitless to think about going down there. I’ve felt it.”
“I know. I’m also scared to stay up here alone. I’m pretty much doomed to be afraid tonight, so I might as well do the right thing.”
“There’s no way to know what we’ll see.”
“I’m not a child.”
“No, but there could be one down there. If there is, we may not be able to rescue them—at least not without backup. Are you going to be able to do that? Are you going to be able to walk away from a child in need?”
She knew that was beyond her, but it changed nothing. If she went down there, then any child in captivity would have a better chance of surviving with her help. “I’m going down there, Iain.”
Anger tightened his jaw, making muscles bulge beneath his skin. “I could duct tape your ass in the seat.”
“And leave me helpless to defend myself? You’d never do that.”
“I can’t risk your life letting you go down there. My brothers need you too much.”
“It’s not your life to risk. It’s mine.”
His nostrils flared and he shook his head, cursing beneath his breath. “Why are you being so obstinate?”
“Because you need me. Because despite the fact that you seem to have little regard for your own life, I happen to regard it very highly.”
His gaze slid away as if he was trying to hide something. “Don’t get too attached to me. We won’t be working together long.”
“So you’ve figured out a way to break our connection?” For some reason, the idea didn’t seem as appealing as it had before. Maybe it was some kind of inherent magic in the luceria that tied them together, or maybe it was that she was no longer quite so appalled by the idea of sharing her emotions, but whatever the case, she was becoming used to having him around. She was getting used to having so much power as well, but even if she tapped into that of another man, she was sure it wouldn’t feel the same. She wasn’t sure she even wanted it to feel the same, as if that would somehow be cheating.
“I’m working on it,” he said.
“How?”
“Don’t worry about that right now. We need to focus on what we’re doing here and now.”
We. A jolt of victory shot through her as she realized she’d won. Then all she felt was dread, because she’d won. She was going down into that cave with him.
* * *
Iain kept careful tabs on Jackie, opening himself to let her chaotic emotions trickle into him. It seemed to feed his rage, but he couldn’t tell if that was because he was somehow fueling his own feelings, or if it was a reaction to the trembling pile of fear she was putting off.
Either way, the monster within him—the one that Tynan had put to sleep somehow—was slowly waking and growing in strength. He could feel it happening and knew it wouldn’t be long before he was right back where he’d been, fighting the constant need to kill.
He buckled Jackie into a harness, making sure that her face shield was in place. The magically enhanced trench coat she wore would protect her from some attacks, but he didn’t plan to let her get close enough to need it.
They lowered themselves down. He kept tabs on her progress, staying by her side in case she started to panic. To her credit, she kept herself in control, even though he could feel how desperately she was fighting her fear.
Once this was done, he was going to inform Joseph that she needed to be kept out of combat situations. She wasn’t ready for this. It was too much to ask of her, no matter how brave a face she put on.
They hit the floor of the cave. Jackie’s breathing was shallow and fast, and he could feel little spurts of panic trembling through their link, beating in time with her frantic heartbeat.
He scanned the area, seeing no sign of demons this close to the entrance. During the day, it would be a dangerous place for Synestryn, so chances were they were deeper, where no light could reach.
Iain disconnected her line from the harness and cupped her face in his hands. She was so pretty, even though she was too pale and her gray eyes were wide with fear. He wanted to do something to ease her, but he was out of practice with such things, unsure what to do to comfort her.
The best he could offer was a distraction.
He lowered his mouth to hers, giving her the briefest, fleeting kiss. He knew if he let himself go further, he’d forget there was danger lurking nearby. She went to his head, driving out all rational thought.
Iain pulled back and tried to give her a reassuring smile. He couldn’t seem to remember how to make those muscles move, or maybe they were weak from lack of use. Either way, all she got was what he was sure was a painful grimace.
“What was that for?” she asked.
“Luck,” he said, hiding his true purpose.
Her cheeks had pinkened, and her pupils had dilated so she no longer looked so terrified. In fact, what he felt coming through the luceria now was a mix of confusion and the faintest hint of desire.
She wanted him, and that knowledge swelled within him, making him feel powerful.
His monster lifted its head as if scenting prey, but Iain ignored it. “We should go.”
She nodded, licking her lips.
He was going to kiss her again. Not now, not when doing so could get her killed, but soon. He promised himself that he’d kiss her one more time before he died. That wasn’t too much to ask in the way of a consolation prize.
Iain stepped away, shifting his focus to the job at hand. “Stay behind me and move as quietly as you can.”
“I need a light.”
“You can see in the dark. Just draw on my power and funnel it toward your eyes.”
“Oh,” she breathed. “Wow. That’s amazing.”
The speed at which she learned was what was amazing. It took most women weeks, sometimes years, to do what she seemed to be able to do almost instantly. He wasn’t sure why that was, but if Tynan or one of the other Sanguinar found out, they might want to experiment with her.
Which would happen over his fucking corpse.
He ducked beneath an overhang of rock, following the natural opening in the stone. Jackie was at his back, so close he could feel the heat coming off her. The rough tunnel sloped down, hooking to the left around a giant stalagmite and stalactite that had been there long enough to meet and become a solid column. He moved to go around it when he felt Jackie tug at the back of his jacket.
Iain stopped and looked down at her. She was frowning, scanning the area as if confused. “I’ve been here before,” she whispered.
“You said that.”
“No, here,” she said, walking to what looked like a crease in the rock wall. Instead, it was a narrow opening that led to another tunnel. “This way.”
“Step back.”
She did, and he squeezed through the gap, barely. He had to let his breath all the way out so that his chest collapsed enough to shove through. Jackie slipped through easily.
After a few steps, Iain could smell the fetid stink of Synestryn. It was cloyingly sweet and rancid, filling the tunnel like a fog. He tried not to gag, but the reflex was strong.
“Ugh,” said Jackie.
A moment later, he felt a cool bit of power hovering over his mouth and nose. The air was clean, and he breathed it in.
“Better?” she asked.
Iain turned as he realized she’d done that. He’d never heard of such a thing, but then again, Jackie was nothing if not amazing. “I don’t know how you did that, but it’s handy.” His voice came out slightly muted, as if he’d cupped his hands over his mouth.
Hers did, too. “It’s necessary.”
He continued down the tunnel, sword in hand. The rocks under their feet were loose, mixed with odd bits of bone. He heard Jackie stumble, heard the rocks shift suddenly and her quick inhalation of breath. Reflexes had him spinning before he could think about it, and he grabbed her arm to hold her up.
Her lips were parted in shock and the urg
e to kiss her again slammed into him out of nowhere.
This was not the time or the place. He knew that, but his body ignored facts, his fingers itching for the feel of her bare skin, his cock twitching in interest beneath his jeans. What he wouldn’t have given for a nice, safe, quiet place where he could strip her bare and take his time kissing her from head to toe. Not that she’d want that, but Iain hadn’t wanted anything quite this much for a long, long time.
Before he did something stupid, he let go of her slender arms and turned away.
The tunnel angled down, widening out as it went.
“I think we’re close,” she said in a faint whisper.
Her fear was no longer trickling into him—it was flowing, becoming more frothy and chaotic with each passing moment.
Iain tried to reassure her, forcing calming thoughts of safety and comfort through their link. He wasn’t sure if what he’d done was working, or that he’d even reached her. Maybe there was something wrong with him—something about his dead soul that kept him from making the right connection. All he knew was that she was afraid, and the need for violence, the need to kill what was scaring her, was growing faster than he could control.
The monster pushed to its feet and began pacing the confines of its cage.
Iain moved forward cautiously. Inside his head, he got a momentary image of a cavern with three exits. One was lit, glowing with a faint golden light. In the next second, the image was gone, leaving him feeling oddly alone.
He ignored it, creeping round a bend in the tunnel. It opened into a cavern nearly identical to the one he’d seen a moment ago.
Left, whispered across his mind, corresponding with the glowing exit.
Jackie. That had been her inside of him, guiding him forward.
The realization left him humbled and shaken. As much as she hated being part of their world, she was doing what needed to be done. He had to respect the hell out of her for that.
Of course it also meant that she was tying herself to him more tightly, or she never would have been able to communicate with him like that.
He was a fool for stringing her along like this. The closer she got to him, the harder it would be on her when he went to his death. What if she decided not to bond with another man, as Tynan had feared?
Iain turned to tell her to go back to the vehicle. He needed to end this here. Now. He didn’t want her anywhere near the violence he was about to unleash, and he sure as hell didn’t want her to witness his death.
From behind her, slinking along the path was a small, cat-sized demon.
He shoved Jackie aside and lunged at the beast before it could raise any kind of alarm. Its head flew through the air and hit the cave wall, tumbling until it bumped against Jackie’s feet.
She let out a squeak of dismay and scrambled back, hitting her head on a section of rock protruding out from the wall.
Her body sagged, but she locked her knees and held herself up long enough for him to reach her.
“Are you okay?”
She pulled her hand away from the back of her head and her fingers were smeared with blood.
“Oh, shit,” she whispered.
Iain didn’t waste time echoing her sentiment. He grabbed her arm and started hauling ass back out the way they came. There was no wind down here to push the scent of her blood around, but that hardly mattered. They had only minutes, at most, to get the hell out of here before every demon in the place came hunting for a snack.
Jackie heard the demons coming. She remembered the sound of their hunger all too well. The little ones made these odd chirping sounds, while the bigger ones would hiss or gurgle when they smelled a meal.
During her captivity, Zillah had commanded the demons, keeping them all at bay, allowing only those he chose to feed from her. She hadn’t realized until just now how lucky she’d been.
They cleared a bend in the tunnel and came face-to-face with at least a dozen pairs of glowing eyes. There was no way they were going to make it out of this alive.
“I’ll clear you a path,” said Iain. “You run like hell, shielding yourself from them.”
She remembered the scar on the back of his hand—the one that he’d gotten in a six-to-one fight. The odds here were half as good as that, and he’d said he’d nearly died that night. She refused to let that happen.
“I won’t leave without you.”
“You’ll do what it takes to get out alive.”
“With you,” she insisted. Even the thought of climbing out of these caves alone left her shaking and cold. She needed him at her side to stay strong and not break down into a quivering mass of cowardice in pissed pants.
Iain let go of her arm and waded forward, as if he was actually going to take on all of those things single-handedly.
Before he could, Jackie yanked on his power and shot a glob of fire at the closest demons.
Their fur burst into flames, and they screamed, leaping back into their own numbers. Several more caught fire, until it was one giant mass of singed fur and flame.
Iain pressed her toward the wall, shielding her from the threat with his body. “We have to move. More are coming.”
Right. She knew that. She’d been so distracted by the fact that her magic had worked that her brain had stopped spinning for a moment.
The scent of burning hair and rancid demon filled the tunnel. The magic she’d used to filter the air had failed when she’d lost concentration.
She put that back in place, and then erected a thin straw-shaped shield. The cylinder shot through the writhing mass of dying demons, glowing blue like at the heart of a flame. She ordered that skinny straw to bend to follow the curve of the rock, then widen, opening up a tunnel for them to crawl through.
Jackie tried to send Iain an image of what she was doing, but she wasn’t sure if her message got through. What she was sure of was that if she went through that tunnel, so would he.
As soon as it was wide enough for his massive shoulders to pass through, she dove in, scrambling for the far side of the tube.
Blood from her hand smeared against the wall she’d created. Those demons that weren’t being consumed by fire clawed at the shield, trying to get to her.
Panic closed in around her, making it hard to breathe. More demons were going to be waiting at the far end. She didn’t see them yet, but she knew they’d be there.
She couldn’t let them take her alive. She couldn’t go back to being used by them, starved and tortured on a daily basis. She’d rather die than live through that again.
“Don’t you fucking quit on me,” growled Iain from right behind her. “Move!”
Until his roughly given order, she hadn’t realized that she’d stopped crawling. His words had her arms and legs moving, as if he’d simply taken control of them. She wasn’t sure how he’d done it, but right now, she had other worries.
Namely, what would be waiting for her on the far side of the turn.
“Close it down behind me,” shouted Iain. “They’re following through.”
Her head was throbbing, and a slow spin of dizziness had started to make it hard to balance. She hadn’t thought she’d hit her head that hard, but now she was starting to think differently.
Maybe it was just all the slinging around of magic that was wearing her out.
Jackie tried to do what Iain said, being careful to err on the conservative side. She really didn’t want to accidentally lop off his legs. They were way too nice for that.
She kept moving, slowing as she reached the turn. She was sure that one of the demons was going to fly through at any moment, clawing at her face.
As if in response to that worry, she felt power flow through her, and a faint blue glow filled her vision.
There was a barrier directly over her face shield—the one Iain had insisted she wear in case they ran into demons that spat poison. The barrier moved with her, rather than stopping her from progressing farther. It seemed to cling to her, which made her wonder if she could
n’t simply wear it around like armor.
The stray thought clattered around in the back of her mind while she forced herself to make that final turn and face what lay ahead. As soon as she did—as soon as she saw what was waiting—she desperately wished that she’d let Iain go first.
Chapter 17
Torr followed Brenya out to where the Sentinel Stone stood. Grace was limp in his arms. Every few steps, he covered her mouth with his and forced a breath into her lungs.
He was terrified. She was so fragile, so light. Her body was even weaker now than it had been only hours before. He could see it in her pale skin and fluttering heartbeat. What if Brenya couldn’t help? What if the simple process of moving Grace was enough to kill her?
Torr was never going to forgive himself for letting this happen. He should have seen it coming. He should have known that Grace had such a soft heart that she’d do anything to ease his suffering. He should have seen it the last time she came to visit him to tell him she was taking a vacation. It was there, shining in her eyes—her determination, her sorrow-filled farewell. All he’d had to do was pay attention and he could have stopped her from sacrificing herself for him.
But it was too late for that. All he could do now was carry her weakened body and give her the breath from his lungs.
It wasn’t enough after what she’d given him. Not even close.
Brenya tilted her head to the side as if listening and then she turned to Joseph. “You have a visitor. Along the back wall. She’s been waiting a long time for someone to free her from her prison. Apparently none of you could hear her cries for help as I did.”
“What are you talking about?” asked Joseph.
“I have freed her. Go and learn for yourself.”
Joseph nodded to a couple of the men, and they set out, jogging toward where Brenya had said.
Torr didn’t care about visitors, welcome or not. His entire focus was on Grace and keeping her breathing. He held her close, trying to keep her warm in the chilly air. The blanket tucked around her body wasn’t enough in this wind.
Andra had Tori by the arm, fighting against her sister’s hold.
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