Dark Solace

by Tara Fox Hall

  Lash abruptly shoved him backwards, and looked up at me. “Thanks,” he hissed.

  I swayed, blinking back welling tears as I looked down at Devlin’s covered form. “You wrapped him in an altar cloth.”

  “It was available.” Lash picked up Devlin, shouldering him. As he did the cloth moved, revealing the extent of Dev’s injuries on his arms: most of his naked skin scorched black, giant red blisters on the remainder weeping fluid.

  I swallowed hard. “Oh God—”

  “Hurry, Sar,” Lash ordered. “We’re not safe yet.”

  We hurried to the Hummer. I opened the back hatch for Lash, and he laid Dev carefully inside. “Will he be okay?” I asked.

  Lash nodded. “He needs blood. I’ll be back with some. Stay with him and guard him, Sar. But do it from the front seat; no closer. He’ll be uncontrollable when he awakens.”

  I nodded.

  “It’ll be close to a half hour.”

  I put my hand on his shoulder. “You can’t go back, not alone. You’re hurt.”

  “I’m fine,” Lash said with a grimace, straightening himself up. “The armor took the bullets. None got through. But I’ll be feeling it tomorrow for damn sure.”

  I gave him an uneasy look.

  “Just stay quiet here in the Hummer,” he said, speed dialing his cell phone. “Lee to Jackson,” he hissed into it. “Teleport now.”

  A moment later, Titus appeared with all of the bears, all dressed in armor and loaded up for war. I gaped in amazement. So much for Terian’s decree that a being couldn’t teleport more than one person at a time.

  Titus and the bears clustered around Lash.

  “Nick and Jazz, go to the left and create a diversion with Titus. The rest of you are with me at the front.”

  “How many?” Titus rumbled.

  “Sar and I have killed over half,” Lash replied. “There are only maybe eight or nine left, including a female vampire. Do not shoot to kill. We need all the prisoners alive, though wounds are acceptable. Meet back here in thirty minutes. Titus, stay and raze the church to the ground when we’re done.”

  All the bears shot me a look when they heard I’d killed that many, but none said anything. Titus, Nick, and Jazz headed off through the trees, Lash and the rest going down the road a ways, then into the woods.

  I locked all the doors, reloaded the pistol, and then sat there in the front seat with it in my lap, trying to muster up the strength to look back at the ruin that was Devlin.

  I’d gotten another glimpse when Lash had put him in the car. His face had been unrecognizable, his eyes closed. Most of his skin was blackened, at least from what I’d seen. How much of the damage was healable?

  I looked in the glove compartment again, this time searching for a phone, but there was none. Danial needed to be told Devlin was safe...

  I rubbed my eyes. Why wasn’t Terian here, or Theo? Even if they’d hated Devlin, they’d have come for me. Hadn’t anyone told them we’d been kidnapped?

  I wasn’t sure how much time passed. Finally the sound of approaching bears became evident, the sounds of struggling and cursing loud in the still night air.

  The werebears came into view, most of them each holding onto a male prisoner who was struggling. Last came Lash dragging Catherine, whose hands and elbows were bound.

  I opened the door and got out. The scent of smoke filled my nostrils, carried by the wind.

  “Let me go, you vile snake!” Catherine screamed. “I’m a state Ruler! I demand my rights—!”

  “Get out of the Hummer, Sar, and stand over by the trees,” Lash hissed, pulling her towards the Hummer.

  “You bastard!” Catherine screeched, stumbling, trying to dig in her heels. “Let me go, Lash! He had this coming for how he treated me! He deserved it!”

  Lash opened the hatch, then whirled, his knife flashing in an arc as it cut her throat. Catherine gagged, clutching at the wound. It began to close, even as her blood spilled out. Lash pushed her inside next to Devlin, then slammed the hatch, locking the doors.

  There was sudden movement through the glass, and then Catherine begin screaming, wailing in fear and terror. She pounded on the glass, her superhuman strength shattering it, the shards exploding outwards in a shower. She scrabbled at the ragged opening, then black hands with taloned fingers snatched her, dragging her backwards as she screeched, blackened skin falling off to reveal red angry flesh. Her screams cut off abruptly, the sound of wet crunching and sucking loud in the cool night air.

  Lash suddenly walked over and grabbed another one of the prisoners. The man struggled in mortal fear, flailing and screaming. Lash decked him hard in the face, and the man went to his knees, swaying. Lash cut his throat quickly, then pushed him through the hatch opening in one fluid motion.

  Again there were screams, though these cut off quickly. There was the sound of gagging, then frightened whimpering, then gurgling that became a rattling gasp.

  I walked closer to the trees, sitting down with my back to a tree facing into the woods. Leaning back against the trunk, I put my helmet on, blocking out the worst of the sounds and closed my eyes.

  Three more times there were screams, and each time, they died into silence. Then finally, Lash opened the back of the SUV. “Another?” he hissed softly.

  “No,” Devlin replied in his usual voice. “Bring the others to Hayden. I’ll need to feed again in an hour or two. There is too much damage to me to heal it all at once.”

  “Sure,” Lash hissed. “Nick,” he said loudly. “Gather the prisoners and get them settled in cells. Jazz, I want a complete tally of injuries later tonight. Get moving.”

  There was the sound of movement.

  Knowing I had to face it, I stood up and turned.

  Devlin stood there with his back to me, his golden hair again shoulder length, his arms no longer black, but still an angry red, like a bad sunburn. He was naked save for the altar cloth tied around his waist. There were a few bodies lying by the open back door of the Hummer, contorted in death. Lash loaded the bodies into the SUV, then stepped back. Titus hit it with one of his fireballs. Within seconds, the Hummer was burning. The gas tank exploded soon after, making me cringe behind the nearest tree.

  The smell of blood, urine, and fecal matter was pungent, laced with the sickening smell of burned rubber and oil. Titus teleported the prisoners back to Hayden and most of the men, leaving only Devlin, Lash, and I left to watch the remains of the fire as it began to die.

  “I’ll make a final sweep,” Lash hissed to Devlin. “Ulysses was not among the men we captured or those killed. Catherine said he was to come back tonight to finish you.”

  “Yes,” Devlin said hollowly. “He told me that, too.”

  “I’ll be back soon,” Lash hissed. “Half hour, tops.” He gave Devlin a lopsided grin. “Stay here by the fire, and don’t be wandering off.”

  “Thanks for coming for me,” Devlin said softly, deep emotion in each word. “I owe you one, friend.”

  “You owe me nothing,” Lash hissed, grinning wider. “I still owe you, Dev.”

  “Fuck you, Lash, I do owe you,” Devlin said in broken tones, walking over to him. “I owe you everything all over again.”

  Lash grabbed him in a fierce hug, even though Devlin was covered with blood. Devlin held Lash to him just as tightly, as if he would never let him go.

  “I’ll always come for you, so long as I can still move,” Lash hissed affectionately. “I’m glad you’re still alive. I thought there was a good chance you wouldn’t be, when Catherine said it was Ulysses who had done this.”

  “If you hadn’t gotten here when you did, I wouldn’t be,” Devlin said tiredly, drawing back. “And it’s my own fault, for being so fucking reckless. How did you finally find us?”

  “I used the magical tracer you had Titus put on Sar months ago. You’d thought someone might try to get to Theo through her; that she might be kidnapped. We never had to use it, but the tracer was still active. The bitch of it was
the signal was weak because the spell was so old. The beacon faded out miles from here, long before I got close to this spot in the Hummer. Because of that, it took a while to track you down. I had to search a lot of fucking fields and forest before I found you.”

  That tracing spell was what Titus had bribed Dev with to let him build his house for Leri. I’d stake my life on it...

  “Where’s Sar?” Devlin interrupted. “She’s okay, or you would have said already—”

  “She’s behind you, watching us,” Lash said, casting a glance at me. “And yes, she is unharmed.”

  Devlin didn’t turn, which I thought odd. Lash moved off into the trees, making his final sweep.

  I went up closer to Dev, but stayed a few feet back from him. “Are you okay?”

  “No,” he said softly. “I’m still badly hurt. Don’t touch me or come any closer, not until I’m healed. I can smell your blood from here, and I want it desperately. Move back right now, Love.”

  I immediately moved back from him several yards. “I’m glad you’re okay. I was so worried you were dead, Dev.”

  Devlin didn’t reply, watching the dying embers of the incinerated Hummer.

  Titus appeared. “Who’s first?”

  “We’ll all go together,” Devlin replied. “Go check on him.”

  Titus winked out, then reappeared with Lash.

  “No sign of Ulysses,” Lash hissed to Devlin. “Likely he was warned back when we attacked.”

  “We’ll deal with him later,” Devlin said hatefully. “Titus, take us home.”

  “One at a time,” he replied. “I’m tired.” Titus grabbed my hand in his and took me to Hayden, then appeared a moment later with Devlin.

  Dev abruptly went to the basement door and opened it. “I’m going to go downstairs to feed. Sar, please wait for me upstairs.” He went down, shutting the door after him.

  “He’s still badly injured, Sarelle,” Titus rumbled. “His face, especially. He doesn’t want you to see him until he’s healed more of the injuries.”

  I nodded. “You’d better go back for Lash.”

  Titus nodded. “Go upstairs and take a long hot shower. Tell me if you discover any wounds that need healing. I’ll be right back.”

  When I emerged from the shower, I tossed my wet hair in a clip, threw on some clothes, and then went looking for Lash. As I brought up my hand to knock on his door, Titus caught it in his grip.

  “He’s resting,” Titus said, his red eyes glowing in the gloom. “He’s been up since he realized you were both being held somewhere. He’s exhausted. Let him sleep.”

  I nodded reluctantly, then went back to Devlin’s room. After putting on some heavy pajamas, I crawled into bed, drifting off into sleep almost instantly.

  * * * *

  When Devlin came up sometime later, he woke me.

  “Dev?” I called, suddenly scared.

  “Don’t turn on the light, Love,” he said softly in the darkness. “I don’t want you to see me like this.”

  I was worried for him, but also scared of what he might do in his wounded state. “Should I leave?”

  “No, I won’t hurt you, Love. I’ll just be a moment in the shower. Stay here, please.”

  I nodded, knowing he could see me, and then settled back into bed. I meant to stay awake, but in my exhaustion, I drifted back to sleep.

  Again he woke me when he slid into bed beside me. But instead of hugging me as he always did, he lay there on his side, not touching me.

  I turned and faced him. “Will it hurt if I touch you?”

  “No,” Devlin said, uncomfortable. “Just don’t touch my face.”

  I pulled him carefully into my arms, cradling his shoulders. He moved over closer to me. I reached down to help him and felt silk.

  Devlin took my hand quickly, moving it into his. “I’m glad you weren’t harmed. I was worried when I first heard you scream.”

  He had put on pajamas, to cover the remaining injuries. Don’t call attention to it. “I love you,” I said tenderly. “I thought I was never going to see you again, Dev.”

  “Me, too,” he said softly, laying back on me. “I thought I’d never hold you again.”

  “I’m here,” I said, biting my lips to hold back the tears. I touched him gently, sliding my hand into his hair. Instead of hair, I suddenly touched a patch of rough ridged skin. Dev instantly recoiled, moving away from me.

  I felt terrible. “I’m sorry, if I hurt you.”

  “It’s not that,” he muttered brokenly. “I want to feel your arms around me more than anything, Love. But I’m still badly hurt. Worse, it will take some time to heal.”

  “It doesn’t matter what you look like. I still love you.”

  “You will not say that when you see me,” he said, anguished.

  Time to be brave. “I’ll see you tomorrow when we wake up together. You might as well show me now.”

  Devlin gave a deep sigh, then reached over and turned on the light. He carefully turned to face me.

  I wanted to scream. Ulysses had taken one of Dev’s beautiful golden eyes. There was just a ruined socket where the right eye should be. His face was red in places, and there were some small patches of new skin. But most of his face was still scorched black, bubbly and blistered.

  I clamped down on my terror and pity. If Dev could take the pain of his injuries, I could handle looking at them. “You must be in agony. Can’t Titus do anything?”

  Devlin shook his head. “Ulysses did the worst to my face, though there was one other area he worked on with equal vigor,” he said morosely. “But at least the pain is bearable now.”

  His arms were now completely healed, his skin luminous there. I reached out, and touched his arm, stroking gently. “Come to me, so I can hold you,” I offered.

  Dev came into my arms. I stroked his hair, careful not to touch his face.

  “Love,” Devlin said, sighing. “There’s more I have to tell you. I won’t be able to make love with you for a while until I completely regenerate. And even then, it...I may not be the same. I’ve never been burned this badly there. And burning wasn’t all that he did. He cut me as well.”

  I froze, closing my eyes at the horror of it. But from Ulysses’ point of view, what better punishment? What would be more fitting? He’d wanted to hurt Devlin as much as he could. Devlin valued his good looks and his sexual prowess above all. Ulysses had taken both from Dev with sunlight. “The pain must have been unimaginable—”

  “I’ll heal in time,” Devlin said sadly. “But I understand if you don’t want to be around me until I do. I look like a monster.”

  I leaned in and kissed him very gently on his partially healed lips.

  “How can you kiss me?” he said, abashed. “Am I not repellent to you?”

  “No, of course not,” I said lovingly. “I love you, Devlin Dalcon. And I’m going to take care of you until you’re better.”

  Devlin began crying softly. I gently kissed away his tears, wincing a little at the taste of burned flesh.

  Chapter Five

  That next morning, I drove to Danial’s house and told Theo and Danial what had happened. Both of them were furious that Lash hadn’t told them of the kidnapping.

  “He told me you were in bed with Devlin,” Theo growled. “That he couldn’t disturb you. Now who is this Ulysses? What did Devlin do to him?”

  I shrugged. “Something about turning his sister and her getting killed by vampire hunters.”

  “Ulysses’s sister was just another casualty of Devlin’s ever-present lust,” Danial said with a sigh. “I’m not surprised. This is not the first time this has happened, that a male came to get revenge for one of his female relatives.”

  “Was Dev burned before?” I asked. “It’s bad this time, Danial. Really bad.”

  Danial held my eyes. “Was he red, or black?”

  “Black,” I replied queasily. “He’s taken the blood of five weres plus Catherine, and he’s still not healed—”

>   “Who is Catherine?” Theo asked.

  We both ignored him. “This sounds like it’s the worst so far,” Danial said with a sigh. “He never learns, Sar. He should not be going out with you alone, not unless you can teleport.”

  “And even then, not without guards,” Theo growled. “He’s supposed to be protecting you. Instead you’re in more danger than you were before—”

  “Lash saved us,” I interjected. “And I helped him. I killed at least ten of them.”

  “You?” Theo said, giving me a shocked look. “With what?”

  “You fought, Sar?” Danial said, looking at me as if I’d grown a third arm. “How? They were much stronger—”

  “Yes, me,” I said, suddenly irritated for some reason. “I’m an excellent shot, especially with a rifle.” I paused. “I need to get back to Devlin. Danial, I’ll be back later in the week to help you with e-mail, and hopefully see Theoron and Elle. Maybe we can see a movie here and get a pizza or something?”

  Danial nodded. “That sounds like an excellent idea, Dearheart. Let’s wait to make plans, though, until Devlin’s healing progresses a little further. He needs you beside him, until the worst is over.”

  I nodded in return, relieved at his understanding. “All right,” I turned from him to my werecougar husband, who was looking a lot less receptive. “I’ll see you nights, Theo—”

  “What?” Theo said incredulously. “You need to come home with me now. Devon needs you.”

  “Devlin needs me,” I said angrily. “Devon has you, Theo. But I’d appreciate if you’ll let him stay up to visit with me when I come later—”

  “Do it, Theo,” Danial interrupted. “Devlin needs to go with us to see the Rulers shortly. He needs to be recovered by then completely. You and I both know Samuel is not afraid of me.”

  I felt a chill.

  Theo shut his mouth and nodded. “All right.”

  “I’ll see you later, Sar,” Danial said softly, giving me a hug. “Help Devlin call me later tonight, if he’s well enough to. I want to hear his voice.”

  “I will,” I affirmed, and then turned to Theo, holding out my arms for a hug.