The Darkling Hunters_Fox Company Alpha

by Rhiannon Ayers

  “How did you find me?” Sydney asked, more to get him talking than because she wanted to know.

  “Your DEA friends led the way,” he said with a smirk. “Marlon informed me that he’d been visited by a curious female hooker who happened to know more than she should about my criminal underworld. It took no more than a phone call to discover that you’d weaseled your way into the DEA’s good graces and were using them to infiltrate my network. I’d asked Marlon to detain you and your friends so that I could take care of you in person. Pity my pocket DEA manager decided to step in. This could have all been over had he not decided to think for himself.”

  “They’re turning on you,” Sydney said with a smirk. “The ones you so cleverly turned into darklings have decided they don’t want to be your minions anymore.”

  He gave a nonchalant shrug. “It happens. I have other plans in place. The DEA will be destroyed, brick by brick. They’ve never been much of a threat to me and my darklings.”

  “But I am,” Sydney sneered. “And now you’ve come out of hiding just to confront me. Let’s end this, Levi. No one else needs to get hurt.”

  Those icy blue eyes looked her up and down as a smirk twisted his lips. “Since when did you go into the medical field? I hate to tell you this, Sabina my love, but you haven’t the temperament for becoming a nurse. No bedside manner, I’m afraid.”

  “I’m not your love,” Sydney said flatly. “I never was. And I haven’t used that name for over five-hundred years.”

  Levi tsked, shoving his hands in his pockets as he moved to stand in the center of the hallway. “Come now, is that any way to speak to the man you married?”

  “Are you going to fight me, or bore me to death?” Impatience made her voice crack like a whip. “I’m tired of this shit, Levi. We need to end this.”

  “Yes,” he said with a little sigh. “I’m afraid that we do.”

  He took a half-step forward, and suddenly a sheet of black ink engulfed his eyes. All light disappeared into that dark, colorless void, as if he’d conjured a pair of black holes in the middle of his face. But he didn’t take his hands from his pockets. Didn’t move to call his own defenses. He simply stared at her. Waiting.

  Sydney let out a primal scream and thrust both hands forward. Twin fireballs shot from her palms, roaring as they closed the distance between them. Levi didn’t move. Didn’t even flinch. Both fireballs connected with his chest—

  And fizzled out without a trace.

  He huffed. “Are you finished yet?”

  Sydney screamed and released more fireballs, sending them one after the other to crash against his body. Levi withstood the onslaught, completely unmoved, as if enduring no more than a summer rain. When the last fireball fizzled out, Sydney stood there, panting, her knees shaking from the effort of staying upright.

  Levi just sighed. “You’ve never been strong enough to kill me, my dear. And you never will be, so long as you keep reserving your strength for the ones you love.”

  Sydney flinched.

  Levi smiled. “Yes, I know about them. I can feel the power you’ve wrapped around them—or rather, wasted on them, I should say, since that’s what’s making you so weak right now. Would you care to see who’s the stronger immortal? Do you think you can let that barrier fall away, draw your full strength, and fling another fireball at me—all before I drain their pathetic souls from their bodies?”

  Sydney took half a step back before she could stop herself. Levi saw it, of course. A knowing smile lit his face.

  “I thought not. This is when you get to choose, my dearest love. My life, or theirs. You can’t have both.” He cocked his head. “Or, should I say, all three.”

  Sydney sensed it the moment he released his power—twin snakes of black, oozing smoke that whipped down the hallway. Except he wasn’t aiming for her; the ropes twisted right past her position, headed straight for the elevator. Sydney screamed with fury, putting everything she had into maintaining the barrier she’d placed around Sam and Dex. She managed to reinforce it just in time.

  The ooze of power flickered out—and Levi chuckled.

  “So now, we both know where your priorities lie. Thank you. That was helpful.”

  Sydney whipped around, hands spread at her sides as she conjured more fireballs. Levi smirked at her, shaking his head. “This is getting ridiculous, you know. We could stand here and snipe at each other all day long. Don’t make me snuff your pretty light from the world, dear Sabina. It would be such a shame to waste yet another immortal life.”

  “I’m not just doing this for me,” Sydney said, raising her chin. “You’ve pissed off a lot more than me over the last few centuries.”

  “Oh? What makes you say that?” The slimeball still sounded amused.

  Sydney forced a grin. “Did you think the true immortals wouldn’t notice you’ve been playing in their backyard? Pretending to be a full-blood when you’re nothing but a tainted half-breed?”

  That got his attention. Levi scowled. “Carefully, my love. I believe I’ve proven my power—”

  “You’ve been making waves you don’t understand, Levi,” she said through gritted teeth. “How long do you think the immortal community will allow you to continue playing your petty games with the humans before they step in to stop you themselves?”

  He scoffed. “They’ve put up with it this long. Truly, I don’t think they even care. My little empire is nothing to them. They’ll continue to ignore me, just as they always have. Although, it tickles me no end to find you’ve been worried for me.”

  “Not for you,” Sydney spat. “For them. The humans. Do you think they’ll survive another immortal war? The last one almost wiped out the entire human race.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Please. As if I care about any of them.”

  She let a trickle of derision roll through her voice. “Don’t you? Who will you play with then, Levi? Who will you torture when your powers no longer make you someone special?”

  His eyes flashed black, then settled back down to their normal blue. “I see we’re descending into petty insults once again. Fair enough, my love. We never could stand to be too long in each other’s company.”

  “This ends here,” Sydney growled. She lifted her hands, preparing to throw more fireballs at him.

  “Indeed, it does. I’ll make a deal with you,” he said, tone gone silky with promise. “You leave me alone, allow me to live my life as I see fit. In return, I’ll leave your lovers’ souls intact. You go your way, I go mine. Simple. Elegant. Effective.” His expression turned stone-hard. “And permanent. This is the only time I will make this offer. Cross me again, and I will come at you with everything I have. And, just like you, I keep my promises.”

  Sydney snarled at him, vibrating with so much fury her power manifested as a sheet of white flames that danced around her bare feet. Levi just rolled his eyes, stuffing his hands deeper into his pockets and rounding his shoulders, looking for all the world like a bored teenager. Sydney balled her fists, shaking from head to toe as the power rippled through her.

  She could release it. Release it all, give it everything she had. Let the barrier fall, take the risk of exposing Sam and Dex to Levi’s influence, add that last bit of power to her offense and let loose with a lightning strike that would singe Levi’s stain from the face of the earth. She could do it. She could do it in a heartbeat, faster than the blink of an eye.

  She could do it.

  She should do it.

  But…she wouldn’t.

  Levi knew it, just as she did. He smirked, tipped a finger across his brow in a sarcastic salute, and turned on his heels.

  Sydney watched him walk away. She watched him pass through the glass entry doors and step into the passenger side of a waiting SUV. She watched the door close behind him. Watched the SUV speed off into the afternoon sunlight.

  Watched her last chance at revenge disappear into the distance.

  The flames around her feet fizzled out. Sydney dropped to her
knees, then slipped down to sit on her ass in the middle of the wide marble floor.

  She put her head in her hands—and wept.

  ◆◆◆

  Sam kicked at the wall of white light, putting all his strength behind it. His toes and ankle already sang with pain, so this time the impact merely felt like a thunderclap instead of a lightning strike. He roared with frustration as his boot bounced off the barrier yet again, but still, he prepared for another kick.

  “Move,” Dex barked, shoving Sam sideways. Then he pressed himself flat against the back of the elevator, hands gripping the waist-high handrails. His leg muscles coiled like twin springs, veins and tendons standing out in his neck as he wound himself up. He took several deep breaths, almost like a diver preparing for a long drop. Then, he whipped himself forward and turned his shoulder down at the last second, as if to use it as a battering ram. Sam cringed, expecting the smack of taut muscles against a hard surface—

  And the barrier winked out, seconds before Dex’s shoulder would have made contact. He sailed right through the doorway, barreling into the hallway and tripping over his own feet as unexpected momentum carried him much further than he’d expected. He slid to a stop like a runner at third base, his expression hovering somewhere between elation and outright confusion. It would have been hysterically funny, if the situation hadn’t been so dire.

  Sam launched himself forward, stopping long enough to help Dex to his feet, then pounded down the hall, heart in his throat. There were scorch marks all over the once-pristine white tile, along with several goopy, grayish-green piles he realized must have once been fake potted plants. He saw Sydney up ahead, sitting on the floor with her back facing toward them, her head cradled in her hands. Sam dove for her, sliding to a stop on his knees.

  He wrapped his arms around her and held her to his chest. “Are you all right? Syd? Are you hurt?”

  Her shoulders were shaking. Shit. Was she injured? Bleeding?

  Dex skidded to a halt on her other side, his face a mask of horrified concern. He tried to brush the hair out of Sydney’s face. “Syd? Syd, baby, talk to us. Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”

  “No,” she whispered against Sam’s chest, her whole body shuddering in his arms. “But he tried to hurt you.”

  Sam looked up at Dex with a frown, then looked around. No ash piles anywhere in sight, but then, he didn’t know if her power would have the same effect on a fellow immortal as it did on a human. “Where is he? Did you kill him?”

  Another hard shudder went through her body. “I had to let him walk away.”

  The broken, forlorn tone of her voice made Sam’s heart hurt. He gathered her to his chest as another shudder rolled through her body—and finally realized she’d been crying this whole time. Cursing, he stuffed his arm beneath her knees and stood up, cradling her against his chest. “Go get the car. We need to get the fuck out of here.”

  Dex nodded, yanking the keys out of Sam’s back pocket without a single sign of hesitation. He was off like a shot, the huge glass entry door swinging so violently it got caught by a passing wind and stayed wide open. Sam strode toward the exit, holding the woman he loved in his arms, and waited impatiently for Dex to bring the car around.

  Something scuffed against the marble floor behind him. Sam whirled, heart in his throat—

  Only to find the young female receptionist standing ten feet away.

  “I saw them,” the woman said. Her voice cracked, barely breaking a whisper. “I saw…I saw them fighting.”

  “Did he hurt her?” Sam barked, not caring if he frightened the poor girl. “Did he do something to her?”

  Slowly, so very slowly, she shook her head. “She tried to kill him. I mean…really, really tried. But he said…he said she was wasting her power.”

  Sam frowned. “What? I don’t—”

  The woman’s eyes lit up with sudden fury. “She could have ended it. She could have killed that bastard right there. But she didn’t. She chose to protect you.” That last word held so much venom, Sam actually flinched.

  The woman stalked a few paces forward, tiny fists balled at her sides, and met Sam’s gaze with a hate-filled glare. “I hope you’re worth it, Mr. Spencer. I hope you and Mr. Peterson are both worth what your lives just cost the rest of the world. She could have ended it. She could have ended him. Instead, she chose…you.”

  Sam felt like he’d just been slapped. The woman glared at him a moment longer, then turned on her heel and stalked away.

  A car-horn blared through the sudden silence, making Sam jump. He pulled himself together and hurried outside, Sydney still cradled in his arms. Dex was already out of the driver’s seat and pulling open the rear passenger door. He climbed inside before Sam could protest, accepting Sydney’s warm, limp body as Sam passed her up to him. Sam made sure they were both safely inside the cab of the SUV, then slammed the door shut. He dove around for the driver’s side, stuffed himself into the seat, and hit the gas before closing his door or bothering with his seatbelt.

  His heart didn’t start settling down until well after they’d reached the highway. He glanced in the rear-view and found Dex cradling Sydney in his lap, her head braced against his shoulder. Dex met Sam’s eyes, expression grim, and shook his head, just once.

  Sam broke every speed limit on the planet getting them the hell out of there.

  Chapter 30

  Two days passed.

  Sydney never said a word.

  No, that’s not true, Sam thought as he wiped steam from the bathroom mirror. She’s said plenty of things…snarky comments, snappy comebacks, jokes about jokes about other jokes. But not one word about what happened between her and Levi at the DEA building.

  Not one word about what comes next.

  Sam sighed, bracing his hands on the sink and staring at his reflection. Damn that nosy little receptionist and her preposterous accusations. That angry woman’s sanctimonious tone had invaded Sam’s dreams over the past two days, filling his nightmares with scowling, disapproving, disappointed people who kept shaking their heads at him. How the hell had he done something wrong? He’d been trapped in an elevator while Sydney faced off against her ex, for Christ’s sake. How could it be his fault that she hadn’t killed him?

  Why did he feel as if he’d let the world down by making Sydney fall in love with him?

  She chose you. She could have killed him, could have ended it right there. But she didn’t. Instead, she chose…you.

  Sam shuddered and clenched his teeth as hard as he could. Sydney wasn’t talking, so he had no idea if what that little receptionist said was true. Even if it was, did that mean it was a bad thing? Had Sydney made the wrong choice by choosing to protect him and Dex instead of vanquishing her oldest enemy?

  Were he and Dex really worth that much to her?

  Bam-bam-bam!

  “Get out here,” Dex barked through the closed bathroom door. “Syd’s fucking leaving.”

  Sam jolted upright as if someone poked him with a cattle-prod. Cursing in every language he knew, he wrapped a towel around his hips and bolted from the bathroom, nearly bowling Dex over in his haste. He found Sydney standing beside one of the beds, calmly packing her duffle bag.

  Leaving. She was leaving. Panic settled in his gut, making his muscles twitch. How could she leave them? Why? Did she hate them that much for making her choose between them and her revenge? Did she regret what she’d done to save them? Did she regret falling in love with them?

  Sam studied her face. Studied the stone-cold determination behind her eyes. Studied the set of her shoulders, the tightness at her jaw, the jerkiness of her movements. She looked cold. Adamant. Focused on her goal.

  And yet, Sam saw tears pooling at the corner of each eye.

  Maybe she wasn’t as determined to leave as she thought. Only one way to find out, and that was to get her talking. Fortunately, he and Dex had already figured out the best way to deal with Sydney Carpenter when she got like this.

  Here goes no
thing.

  She didn’t even bother looking up when Sam stalked over to her.

  “What the fuck is this about? You’re leaving?”

  “It’s time.” Her voice, like her face, held no emotion whatsoever. “I’ve put it off long enough.”

  “You’re not going anywhere until you tell us what the fuck is going on,” Dex snarled, marching over to the motel room door. He put his back to it and crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at Sydney like he might burn holes in the back of her head.

  Sydney shouldered her bag and pivoted on her heels. She saw Dex blocking the only exit—and heaved a long-suffering sigh. “Dex. Honestly. By your own words, I’ve got phaser-blasters in my fingertips. Do you really think a blocked door is going to keep me inside a room I don’t want to be in?”

  “So tear the whole damn building down,” Dex replied with a scowl. “I’m still not letting you leave.”

  “You can’t stop me.”

  “So you just thought you’d take off? Did you think I wouldn’t come running after you just because you waited to do this until I was in the shower?” Sam countered, moving so that he stood halfway between Dex and Sydney. He mimicked Dex’s stance, glaring at her. “I’ll do it, Syd. I will run buck-naked through the streets of downtown Boulder, Montana if that’s what I have to do to chase you down. Don’t think I won’t.”

  Her lips twitched, but she looked down quickly. “Look, guys, I appreciate you trying to cheer me up. But you don’t have to pretend anymore, okay? It won’t…it’s not good for any of us.”

  “Pretend?” Sam echoed, incredulity making his voice rise. “Who’s pretending? Who said anything about pretending?”

  “Wait, is this one of those role-play games?” Dex chimed in. “Are we playing doctors and nurses again? Because I would totally be down for that.”

  Sydney snorted, but she didn’t look up. “Funny. Come on, guys. I’m just trying to be realistic, here.”

  “Realistic,” Sam echoed, scowling. “Funny, it doesn’t look like you’re being realistic. It looks like you’re running.”