Redeemed in Darkness

by Alexis Morgan

  Cullen’s laughter was silent. “Sounds like you liked poking that pretty nose of yours in places it didn’t belong.”

  “That was a side benefit.” She reached through the bars and positioned the picks just so. Then, with her eyes closed, she began the delicate process of undoing the lock.

  Cullen used the rest of the tools to work on Larem’s door, and Lusahn tried not to think about why. Cullen had already killed Joq so that she didn’t have to end her mentor’s life. It wouldn’t be fair to ask him to deal with Larem, too, just because she still felt something for her childhood friend.

  Everything went smoothly until the lock on Larem’s door suddenly gave way, and the door swung open before Cullen could catch it. The screech of the metal hinges jerked Larem out of a deep sleep. Warrior that he was, he went from groggy to full alert in an instant.

  “What? Who?” The second he recognized Cullen, Larem charged forward. Cullen met Larem’s attack head-on.

  Lusahn’s lock finally clicked open, and she rushed into Larem’s cell, trying to help Cullen without becoming entangled in the fight herself. Finally, she picked up the bucket and slammed it into the back of Larem’s head.

  The blow slowed Larem down enough that Cullen was able to shove him down onto the hard stone floor. He held him there with a knee on his chest and his hands around Larem’s throat.

  “Lay there and stay quiet, Other, or I’ll gut you right now.” Cullen’s lips were curled back over his teeth, the promise of death in his eyes.

  “I’m a dead man anyway, human. Who do you think will die in her place?” Larem glared up at Lusahn. “What honor she had died the day you first crossed the barrier.”

  “Shut the fuck up,” Cullen snarled, and slapped Larem across the face.

  When Larem started to speak again, Cullen pressed a knife to the Other’s neck, then looked up at Lusahn. “Here are the choices. I could knock him out, but if he regains consciousness too soon, we’re all in danger. So either I kill him now or he goes with us. What’s it going to be?”

  Chapter 15

  C ullen jerked the Other to his feet, keeping pressure on the knife. His instinct was to end Larem’s miserable life—any other choice only complicated things, and their chances were already slim.

  But one look at Lusahn’s pain-filled eyes stopped him. Even though the male’s blood would be on his hands, Lusahn would carry the burden of her Blademate’s death on her soul.

  “Take this rope,” he told her as he tossed it to her. “There’s a window on the other end of the building. Do you know the one I mean?”

  “Yes, it faces the back of the building.”

  “That’s the one. We’ll use the rope to climb down so we don’t have to fight our way out of this place. With luck, we’ll be in the hills before you’re missed.”

  Larem said proudly, “If you’re going to kill me, I’d rather die here.”

  Lusahn got right in his face. “Quiet! You have no say in the matter. Enjoy the ability to breathe while you still have it.”

  “You tell him, honey.” Cullen grinned. “And remember this, buddy: if it comes to killing you, I’m the one who decides if you get to die quickly or if it will take an eternity. Not her, not you. Me. Understand?”

  Larem jerked his head in agreement. Good. Now maybe they could get the hell out of Dodge.

  “Let’s go.” He shoved Larem out of the cell ahead of him, his pistol in the Other’s back.

  Lusahn led the way to the window. The temperature in the storeroom had dropped from the chill of the night air. They had to get out before someone noticed the cold air and came to investigate. He handed his knife to Lusahn so she could keep an eye on Larem, then leaned out of the window to look for Barak and the two Paladins.

  One of the shadows behind the next building moved as Barak revealed himself to let Cullen know they were there and waiting. He waved them closer, figuring on sending Larem down first and then Lusahn. If Larem tried to pull anything, Cullen could count on Trahern to take care of the problem with brutal efficiency. After they were safely down he’d start down himself, hoping to close the window behind him.

  “Come on, Larem, you go first.”

  The Other grabbed the rope as Cullen braced himself to lower the male down to the ground. He half expected Larem to make a last-ditch effort to sound the alarm by making noise on his way down, but his descent was almost silent. When he reached the ground, the Paladins quickly surrounded him and led him away into the darkness.

  “Okay, honey, it’s your turn.”

  Lusahn gave him a quick kiss, then swung her legs over the windowsill and used the rope to walk herself down into her brother’s waiting arms. When they moved out of the way, Cullen wound up the rope and looped it over his shoulder. Leaving it behind might implicate Berk, and he had no desire to cause problems for the Kalith warrior. He eased himself outside and slowly lowered himself to hang from the sill.

  For the life of him, he couldn’t figure out a way to close the window from the outside without risking a nasty fall and a lot of noise. Hopefully whoever discovered the open window would think it had been left open by mistake. Bracing himself for the impact, he pushed back and dropped. He hit the ground with a teeth-jarring impact, but otherwise intact.

  Trahern loomed up out of the shadows. “You cut it pretty damn close, Cullen.”

  “We ran into a complication.” He looked past Trahern to where Lonzo had gagged Larem with a strip of cloth.

  “Yeah, we noticed. What are you going to do with him?” Trahern’s silver eyes glittered coldly in the darkness. “Devlin won’t like you bringing an extra across with you.”

  “Tell me something I don’t know. Maybe we’ll think of an alternative on the way.”

  “You know what the best alternative is.” Trahern’s hand went to the pommel of his sword. “I’ll take care of it if you can’t.”

  His friend meant well, but it was hard not to be insulted by the offer. Cullen could kill, and Trahern damn well knew it. They’d fought together against the Others often enough, sometimes back-to-back against overwhelming odds. But Larem was the innocent in this mess. If Cullen had stayed on his side of the barrier or if Lusahn had taken him prisoner like she should have, Larem wouldn’t be in disgrace and likely under the same death sentence as his Sworn Guardian. As much as Cullen hated the Other male, he didn’t want to have to kill him.

  But he would if there was no other choice.

  “Let’s move out. We’re heading for the cave above Joq’s place, Lusahn.”

  Trahern gave Cullen one last hard look and then nodded. “Come on, Lonzo, let’s keep our new friend company.” Then he shoved Larem out in front of him.

  Lusahn’s emotions were in turmoil as they slipped from shadow to shadow, trying to make it out of town without incident. The only constant comfort was Cullen. There had only been time for a quick hug before following her brother away from the Guild. But Cullen held her hand as they walked, never letting go unless the path became too narrow to walk together.

  She concentrated on his touch rather than letting herself think about the two Kalith males in their party. Barak had hugged her, and she’d automatically hugged him back before she remembered how much he’d hurt her. His risking everything to come for her, though, would go a long way toward bridging the gap between them.

  And Larem—her friend, her Blademate, and now her enemy. Now wasn’t the time for solving problems, though, not until these brave men were safely back on the other side of the barrier. That was another puzzle she had no answer for. Why had the other two Paladins risked their lives for hers?

  Like all of her kind, she had grown up hearing about the monsters who lurked on the other side of the barrier, killers who relished their jobs, dancing in the blood of her people. Cullen certainly didn’t fit that description, and she had to think his friends weren’t all that different from him.

  Barak came to a sudden halt. “Everybody get down! There’s a patrol coming this way.” He led t
hem into a cluster of boulders and ducked down.

  Lusahn knelt between Cullen and his cold-eyed friend. The third Paladin had control of Larem, with a knife held at his throat, telling her Blademate without words that if he made a sound, it would be his last. She closed her eyes and prayed that the gods would guide Larem wisely.

  The soft crunch of the passing Blade’s boots echoed in the night. The Sworn Guardian leading them seemed more intent on returning to town than on watching for invaders, and they continued on without pausing.

  Cullen waited until they were well out of sight before signaling to continue. Exhausted, Lusahn kept planting one foot in front of the other; stopping would risk everyone’s life, not just her own.

  Finally they reached the small stream where she and Cullen had stopped only days before. Barak led them a short distance off the path and then collapsed on the ground to rest. The others took long drinks of the cool water before joining him.

  Cullen dropped down beside Lusahn, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her tightly against him. “Did my friends get a chance to introduce themselves?”

  She mustered up a smile for the two Paladins. “No, there wasn’t time.”

  “The tall one is Blake Trahern. Lonzo Jones is the one keeping Larem in line.”

  Each man nodded in her direction at the mention of his name. Lonzo reminded her a bit of Cullen, but the one with silver eyes had an air of danger that set him apart even among his own kind. She shivered, not entirely from the night air. Were all human males so intense?

  “How much farther?” the one called Trahern asked.

  Barak studied the dark outline of the hills to the east. “Another hour, maybe two, depending on how heavily patrolled the area is. If we keep having to avoid them, it could take longer.”

  Lonzo Jones spoke up. “Would it be better if we separated? A smaller group might find it easier to avoid detection.”

  They all looked to Cullen for a response. She hoped they stayed together, knowing he would worry about his friends if they weren’t with him. Besides, no one should have to deal with Larem alone.

  Cullen mulled it over. “I’d rather stick together in case we have to fight our way to the top. Lusahn isn’t armed, and neither is Larem. That leaves four swords to protect six people.”

  “Now that we’re out of town, is there any reason we can’t use our guns if we were cornered?” Trahern asked.

  “Only the noise factor. If we start blasting away, every patrol in the area will know right where we are.” While he spoke, Cullen toyed with Lusahn’s braid, as if he needed to be in constant physical contact to believe she was really there.

  She knew just how he felt. If her brother and the other men hadn’t been there, she would have been all over him, touching and tasting, absorbing his warmth into her soul.

  “We should get moving.” She stood, and the others followed suit without complaint. They had to be as tired as she was, but the driving need to reach safety provided a surge of energy.

  The climb grew more strenuous as they started winding their way up the steep hillside. The path that Joq had shown them would have been easier to follow, but they would also be more likely to run into a patrol. It was hard to find solid footing in the darkness, but Barak had an uncanny knack for finding the easiest way through the terrain.

  Though she was grateful, his skill reminded her how much her people had lost when he’d chosen to leave their world. And now she was no better than he was, choosing her heart’s needs over duty by following her Paladin lover across the barrier.

  A shower of gravel rained down from above. Cullen shoved her against the hillside, covering her body with his, as the rest of their party drew their weapons and sought shelter among the rocky outcroppings.

  For several seconds, the night was silent. Then, in a rush of running feet and battle cries, a Guardian charged into their midst with his Blade spreading out behind him.

  Lusahn reached for her sword, only to come up empty. Cullen tossed her a knife and then engaged the Sworn Guardian. Barak had infused his energy into the blue stone inlays in his sword, which gave off swirls of blue light in the darkness. Her heart was in her throat as she watched him fight. She had always known he was good, but his skill had visibly improved in the time he had spent in the human world.

  Barak used the flat side of his blade to strike a ringing blow to his opponent’s head, who collapsed on the ground. The Blade warrior would likely live to fight another day; she hoped the rest of them would be as lucky.

  No one was having an easy time fighting on the steep hillside. She noticed Larem trying to sidle away from the group and was tempted to let him escape, but where would he go? Even if he managed to journey to a distant town, the Guildmaster would eventually find him.

  She charged after Larem and grabbed his arm. He tried to fight free, but her knife at his throat took the fight out of him.

  Barak joined Cullen in fighting the Guardian, and it wasn’t long before they had him cornered. Neither of them moved in for the kill, confusing their opponent. He clearly expected to be fighting for his life; instead, he was herded step by step back toward his remaining two Blade members. Their proximity further hampered his ability to fight.

  “Drop your sword, Guardian,” Cullen growled as he danced forward, forcing the Kalith warrior to retreat until he had nowhere else to go. “I’d rather not kill you, but I will.”

  Trahern and Lonzo had taken their cues from Barak and Cullen, disarming rather than killing the Blademates. Their leader was still armed, but bleeding from a slash on his sword arm. His expression was grim with pain and defeat, but he finally dropped his sword and held out his hands. His Blade did the same.

  Cullen held him at sword point until Barak and Lonzo could find and confiscate their remaining weapons. They had a nice little stash piled on the ground when they were done.

  Breathing heavily, Cullen looked around. “Lusahn, why don’t you borrow one of their swords? I’d feel better if you were armed with more than a knife.”

  She left Larem’s side and checked out the three captured swords. After trying them for fit, she picked the one the Guardian had been fighting with. He started to protest, clearly not happy at the loss of a favored weapon. But when Cullen brought the tip of his sword up in the male’s face, he shut up.

  She removed his scabbard and belt from around his waist and strapped it onto her own. “Consider it a loan, Guardian, rather than a theft. I promise to take good care of your sword, and I will try to leave it behind when I no longer have need of it. It’s the best I can do.”

  The male glared at her, then turned his venom in Cullen’s direction. “You won’t live long enough to reach the barrier, human.”

  “We’ve made it this far. No reason to think we won’t make it the rest of the way.” Cullen pulled out the rope he’d been carrying and cut several lengths of it. “Let’s truss these turkeys up.”

  Trahern and Lonzo made quick work of binding the prisoners, and Cullen was relieved that his friends had accepted his decision to spare the Kalith warriors’ lives. It was the right thing to do, but he hoped it didn’t come back to bite them on the ass before they reached safety. He told himself that he’d done it for Lusahn’s sake, knowing that each life lost in freeing her would weigh heavily on her. But the truth was that he couldn’t kill them in cold blood. They didn’t deserve to die for protecting their world and doing their job. If they crossed the barrier, intent on murder, he would draw his sword. But not today, if he could help it.

  Barak had already started up the slope, with the rest of the group following at regular intervals. Even Larem was climbing without needing Lonzo’s sword to prod him along. Lusahn waited until Cullen picked up the last of the captured weapons. He slipped a couple of the knives into his belt, and bundled the rest under his arm.

  When they’d gone a short distance, Lusahn looked back to where they’d left the warriors tied up. “Thank you, Cullen.” She rose up on her toes to kiss hi
m. “For them and for Larem, I thank you.”

  “Yeah, well, I can’t promise it will happen again. I’m almost out of rope.” Part of him was serious, but the small joke helped lighten the worry in his lover’s eyes.

  That was when he realized that the star was rising. The unrelenting darkness had faded to a shadowy gray, allowing him to see details that had been only dim shapes a short time before. They could travel faster as the path in front of them became clearer.

  It also meant that their enemies would have an easier time tracking them. They were less than two miles from the caves, but the Guildmaster would have ordered the Sworn Guardians and their Blades to heavily patrol anywhere the barrier was exposed. His gut told him there was still blood to be spilled before they reached safety.

  About thirty minutes later, with the star shining dully overhead, they reached the top of the ridge. Barak was puffing from exertion almost as badly as the Paladins, and Cullen teased, “Barak, one would think you were human from the way you’re gasping for breath.”

  It was hard to tell if Barak’s nasty look was directed at Cullen, or at his sister for laughing.

  Larem shifted his weight from side to side, largely ignored since no one had any good ideas about what to do with him. Devlin was going to have Cullen’s hide for showing up with yet another stray, especially one who was likely to bite the hand that saved him.

  Cullen sighed. “Weapons check.”

  When Lusahn automatically drew her sword and examined the edge of the blade, Trahern and Lonzo both stopped to watch her. Cullen didn’t blame them. She was a beautiful woman, and the added confidence of her warrior training shone like a beacon, drawing their eyes to her strength.

  Barak pulled a small sack out from under his cloak. “This may be our last chance to eat.” He handed out cheese and some fruit that had seen better days. “Sorry it’s not more.”