“Just a little farther,” he said, reaching for her hand. Earlier, Torin had e-mailed him the women’s location. They hadn’t moved, and they were still together.
Danika nodded again, her ponytail bouncing. Her features were pale and drawn and she pretended not to notice his hand.
Reyes hated seeing her like this.
He dreaded what would happen if—when?—she found that her grandmother had been killed and buried, and that was why the woman hadn’t moved. Would Danika rediscover her hatred for him? Would she rail at him or seek comfort from him?
Would she wish she had aligned herself with the Hunters?
Dread coursed through him. He should warn her, prepare her. But he opened and closed his mouth, and the words never left him. And then they were standing in front of the targeted building, a dilapidated structure with boarded windows and spray paint marring the brick.
“I’ll go in first,” he said.
“No.” A tremor of…dread? excitement? rocked her. “They’ll freak when they see you.”
Reyes cupped her cheeks. Clouds shifted, turning the bright sky to murky gloom. When they shifted again, sunlight tossed a beam directly at her, paying her smooth, flawless skin the homage it deserved. Just then, she practically glowed. She didn’t look part of the earth, but something more powerful, something beyond.
I’ve had this woman, tasted her.
His body tightened, preparing to have her and taste her again. Not yet…Perhaps not ever again. The demon purred happily, and Reyes didn’t know if it was because he wasn’t going to allow himself to have her or because there was a chance he would ultimately cave.
Where had that purr been the last time he’d made love to her? Where do you go when I’m with her? he couldn’t help but ask the creature.
Fires.
Fires. Hell?
Sometime soon, I have to let her go. It’s for the best, safer. For all the reasons he’d named before and a thousand more. Being with her opened that portal into heaven—which meant he might very well cause her to open the one into hell, as well. Also stood to reason that, if he traveled to heaven, she would be the one to travel to hell. Already her nights were plagued with terrors. She did not need more evil in her life.
Letting her go, though…His hands tightened into fists. One day, would she fall in love with a human who would not hurt her, destroy her or ruin her? A man who would give her children and—
Roaring sounded in his head. His. The demon’s. No man but him would touch her. Not without dying.
“Reyes, you’re hurting me.”
Instantly his arms fell away from her. He jerked a hand through his hair, no longer having to wonder how the demon felt about her. “I am sorry, so very sorry.”
She gave him a weak smile, reaching up and tracing a finger down his nose. “Hey, don’t worry about it. I’m fine.”
She seeks to comfort me. I am not worthy of this woman. Though he wanted to push her against the wall, claim her lips with his own, drown in her scent and her flavor, he motioned to the door. “Are you ready to go inside?”
Indecision played over her lovely features. She lowered her lids, spiky shadows tumbling down her cheeks.
“What is the matter?”
“Why didn’t they want me here?”
“They—”
Reyes caught a glint of movement in the window just above them. Two boards covered two windows yet they didn’t quite meet in the middle, allowing a crack of visibility.
The form he’d glimpsed had been too big to be a woman.
He’d thought that if the women were still alive, they were merely in hiding. He had not considered the fact that they might have been captured by Hunters. He’d assumed the Hunters would have contacted him and the other Lords if that had been the case, suggesting a trade. So foolish.
“Danika,” he said, gaze searching the surrounding area with new intent. He had to hide her, had to keep her safe.
Too late.
The door swung open, revealing three men. Each had a weapon, and all three were pointed at Danika, as if they knew training a gun on Reyes would not have mattered.
Fury surged inside him, intensifying when Danika gasped in horror. “Oh, my God.”
“Hands at your sides, demon,” one of the men told him, “and step inside. Try anything, and I’ll hurt the girl.”
Hurt Danika? He chewed on the inside of his cheek, purposefully shredding his flesh. The demon stalked and prowled, growling. Ready, Pain?
Oh, yes. Evil laugh.
“Danika,” Reyes said. “Close your eyes.”
He didn’t look to see if she had obeyed. He simply unleashed his demon.
THE BLOOD, the carnage, the screams.
At one point, Danika had to cover her ears with her hands. She couldn’t stop trembling. Stupid girl that she was, she hadn’t closed her eyes as Reyes had demanded; she’d wanted to help. War was something she’d prepared for—or thought she had.
Then Reyes had seemed to change from warrior to crazed skeleton in a blink. She’d no longer seen the skin she so loved to touch. She’d seen gnarled bones and teeth so long, sharp and thick they could have belonged to a shark.
The Hunters had fired their guns at Reyes, but he hadn’t seemed to notice. He certainly hadn’t slowed. He’d simply devoured them. Even now, he propelled from one Hunter to the other, claws ripping into flesh. Snarls and snaps sounded, eerie, like something out of a horror movie.
Wide-eyed, she continued to watch, afraid to get in his way. Afraid he wouldn’t care who she was and would attack her, too. So badly she wanted to run and hide. Blood already splattered Reyes from head to boot, slicking his hair to his scalp and his clothes to his body. So badly—but she didn’t. Her family was inside this building. Were they okay?
I should have come for them sooner.
Amid the terrible chaos, she grabbed a fallen gun and rushed past Reyes and through the building. Where were they? She checked the nearest room—empty. The next room—four Hunters were inside, cursing, loading bullets into weapons.
One of them saw her and aimed his gun at her, shouting, “Filthy demon whore! I don’t care what they say you are.” She raised hers, too. They fired at the same time. But the next thing she knew, she was being shoved to the ground, eating dirt, and Reyes was racing past her, a mere blur. A second later, the men were screaming.
Oh, God. Danika lumbered to her feet, legs nearly giving out. She stumbled forward, determined to continue her search. Reyes hadn’t hurt her, had still managed to protect her. She rounded a corner, saw a flight of stairs. Weapon trained ahead, arm shaking, she climbed them two at a time. Another corner.
Three Hunters, all of them trembling and pale, waited at the end of the hall. They saw her and fired. Just like before, Reyes was there, shoving her down and taking the blows himself. Was he hurt? Oh, God, oh, God.
He likes pain, remember? He’s fine. Her ears rang and her heart raced.
When she looked up, the men were already on the floor, unmoving. Reyes was nowhere to be seen. Danika scrambled up yet again, racing forward, tripping and falling twice. She knew she scraped her knees, but her adrenaline was so high she didn’t feel a thing.
Down the hall, a woman screamed.
“Mom!” she shouted, recognizing the voice. “I’m here.”
“Danika?”
Another scream.
“Danika, baby, run. Get out of here!”
She ran, not away but forward. A moment later she was standing inside a bedroom, panting, sweating. Her mother and sister were chained to the heating unit. Her grandmother was chained to a bed, both of her legs in a cast.
Reyes was in the process of breaking those chains, his face still skeletal. He was shaking, bleeding. She should not have doubted him and would not again. Even in this form, he wanted her happy. The women were trembling and kicking at him, but still he persisted. Finally, all three were free.
Danika rushed to them and fell to her knees, gathering her mo
ther and sister in her arms. Hot tears were flowing down her cheeks, blending with theirs.
“Danika, he’s—he’s—” her sister stuttered.
“I know, I know. Don’t worry. He’s not going to hurt you. He’s a good guy.” Her family was alive. She was with them again, holding them. Shock and pleasure and relief all tumbled through her.
“I thought you were dead,” her mother said through her sobs. “They told me you were dead.”
“I’m here now. I’m here.” Wiping her face, she let go of them and pushed to her feet. “We will not be parted again. I swear it. I’m just sorry it took me so long to get here.”
They stood weakly, and together they walked to the bed where her grandmother lay. Tears were falling down her weathered cheeks, as well. Danika clutched the woman’s trembling hand in her own.
“What happened to you?” she whispered, using her free hand to run her fingers over one of the casts.
“The monster with wings.” Grandma Mallory sniffled. “He found me, threw me down and…and…” Her chin quaked.
Danika almost made her granny stop, but she had to know. She covered her mouth, cutting off any words that might try and escape. She nodded to prove she was listening.
“He could have killed me after I fell, but he didn’t. He picked me up and carried me to this building. I think I used to dream of him. I’ve tried to block those dreams so long they’re only mist in a storm now, but I think maybe he saw me during those dark terrors, because he looked at me as if he knew me. I don’t know why, but I told him not to relive his past mistakes. He backed away and then he left me.”
Tears splashed down her face. Dear God. They’d always dreamed for a reason. What could she have avoided if she’d studied her dreams rather than feared them? Didn’t matter, she supposed. In the end, Grandma Mallory’s dreams had saved her. And there was still time for Danika’s to save Reyes, once and for all.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” her grandmother said. “Now isn’t the time for that. You want to know how I got here. I couldn’t move, was stuck in this building. The bastards with guns had been following me, I guess, because they found me later that day. They already had your mother and sister.”
Her hand fell, her gaze circling the still crying group. They were pale, with bruises under their eyes. “Were any of you—”
“No,” Ginger, her sister, said. “No, we’re fine. For the most part, they left us alone. They fed us, kept us healthy. Apparently they planned to use us to draw out our former kidnappers.”
Like they tried to use me, she thought angrily. Thank God Reyes had—her gaze circled the room again, not seeing him. Give him a moment to calm down. Enjoy your family. Because in that moment Danika knew, all the way to her bones, that she was going to help Reyes bring down the Hunters once and for all.
No one threatened her family and lived. And Reyes was her family.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
REYES HAD ALREADY COME DOWN from his demon-high, had caged the beast even now drenched in agonizing physical pain and sated bloodlust. A beast currently purring with satisfaction. Now, Reyes feared the thoughts that must be running through Danika’s mind. He trembled, weakened from his injuries, knowing he couldn’t reassure her yet.
She was currently wrapped in the loving arms of her family—gods, how she glowed. If she knew he was in the room, she gave no indication. Quietly, he stepped into the hall and withdrew his cell phone.
He’d wanted to do this all night, all day, but hadn’t wanted Danika to overhear and hadn’t been able to reach Lucien when he’d been collecting their haphazard breakfast. With Danika preoccupied with her family, there was no better time.
As he dialed Lucien’s cell, his knees gave out and he sank to the ground. Once again, his friend failed to answer. This time, however, the keeper of Death simply appeared in front of him, mismatched eyes bright, face tight with fatigue. The fragrance of roses drifted from him, stronger than Reyes had ever smelled it.
Reyes wiped at his face with one hand and used the other to pocket the phone. He didn’t bother standing. “Here to collect souls?”
“Not yet, but I feel the tug.” Lucien’s gaze slid past him, past the cracked open door. “What happened to you, my friend? You have more holes than a slice of Swiss cheese.”
“Hunters happened. They were here, waiting, holding Danika’s family hostage to use against us later.”
Those unusual eyes jerked back to Reyes, shock in their depths, before once again peering past the doorway. “Bastards. And they call themselves the good guys.”
The sound of feminine laughter, then silence, then urgent female warnings drifted to them.
“You have to kill him, Dani.”
“No, no. You don’t understand.”
“There’s nothing to understand.”
Reyes didn’t hear Danika’s response. Their voices became whispers. Was he the “him” who needed killing? Probably. After this latest battle, he was surprised and humbled to find that Danika hadn’t rushed to agree.
Lucien arched a brow. “The reunion, I take it.”
He nodded and lumbered to his feet, hand immediately going to his temple and rubbing, as if the motion could shove the dizziness away.
“The building is probably wired and monitored,” Lucien muttered. “We need to remove the women as soon as possible.”
“Let’s see what we’re dealing with first.”
“Very well.”
They searched the entire structure and did indeed find a room very much like Torin’s in Budapest. There were computers and screens of the surrounding area, as well as one monitor that seemed to be showing another compound—where a large group of Hunters were gathering weapons.
“They were probably alerted, might even have watched the battle,” Lucien said. “I imagine they’re coming here.”
Reyes hunched over, trying to catch his breath. “Is the fortress secure?”
“Yes.”
“Take us back, then,” Reyes said. “All of us. Me last.”
Lucien nodded, began to mist a second later, when Reyes grabbed his arm, stopping him. “How is Sabin?”
“Better. He’ll recover.”
Good. Lucien disappeared completely then. Reyes couldn’t allow the Hunters to see what was going on, so he used the last of his strength to disable the wires. As he worked, he heard several of the women screaming and knew Lucien had just materialized in front of them. He wanted Danika unafraid, but he wanted her safe more.
Several minutes later, Lucien reappeared. “You’re the last. Ready?”
He gave a single nod. It was all he could manage.
Lucien touched his arm. Next thing Reyes knew, he was standing inside his bedroom in the fortress. His knees gave out again and he collapsed on the edge of his bed, remaining upright by clutching the nearest post. “Where are the women?”
“Locked next door. I will help you deal with them, I just need…the souls are calling to me.” Lucien disappeared. When he returned a long while later, he reeked of sulfur. Reyes, who hadn’t moved an inch, wasn’t surprised the Hunters’ final resting place was hell.
Reyes’s head lolled forward, chin hitting his chest heavily. “Listen. I need you to go to Aeron’s cell.”
“Why?”
“Please. Take your phone and call me when you get there. If I had the strength, I would go myself.”
Expression confused, Lucien once more disappeared. In a heartbeat of time, Reyes’s phone was ringing. He flipped it open, fingers fumbling, and barked a quick, “You there?”
“Yes,” Lucien said.
In the background, beyond his door, Reyes could hear mumbling. He would have given his left arm—literally—to walk to it and press his ear to the wood. But in the end, he didn’t have to. He could hear Danika soothe her family, her voice gentle yet determined. A grin curled the corners of his lips. My little soldier.
He had to see her.
The overwhelming need gave him strength, a surging
heat that swarmed through him and lifted him to his feet. One unsteady foot in front of the other and he was flipping the door’s lock and winding his fingers around the knob.
“Reyes, are you there?”
Lucien.
“I’m here. Listen, last night Danika told me about a dream she’d had,” he whispered so the women wouldn’t hear him. “In it, she visited hell. Heard and saw the demons there, heard and saw their victims. But Lucien, I don’t think it was a dream.”
Crackling static. Reception in the dungeon was spotty at best. “I don’t understand.”
“When I’m…with her, I’m somehow propelled out of my body and into the heavens. I think she’s a portal into the hereafter.”
“Are you sure? Perhaps you—”
“I’m sure. Last time, an angel actually spoke to me.”
“Dear gods.”
“I know.”
“But what does this have to do with Aeron?”
“Not Aeron. His friend.”
“The little demon?” Shock rang in Lucien’s voice. “Reyes, break this down for me as though I were a child. Why?”
“Do you remember the Hunter Danika killed? Well, she saw him in hell and a demon was questioning him, demanding to know about the All-Seeing Eye.”
There was more crackling static, tense and heavy. “The repercussions of this could be devastating.”
Reyes knew that well. “Ask the demon why his friends would want information on Danika.”
Bars rattled. Dark curses arose. Both so loud they managed to blast through the weakened phone signal. Lucien sighed. “I only see Aeron.”
“Damn. Try to draw him out. I’ll compose myself and be there in a moment.” He closed the cell and once more pushed it into his pocket—or rather, missed his pocket. The phone clanked to the ground. Scowling, he bent over and swiped it up. He swayed as he straightened, but managed to slide it in place and enter the women’s bedroom without falling.
All four were on the bed and clamped their lips together as they turned to gape at him. Three of them paled. He was still covered in blood, he realized, and probably looked every bit the monster they imagined him to be. He’d been shot. A lot. Stabbed, too. His clothing was tattered, his wounds still seeping. Still, his hungry gaze sought Danika.
Lords of the Underworld Bundle Page 98
