Lightbringer (Silverlight Book 4)

by Laken Cane

  Leo was mine.

  But he’d known, even if I hadn’t, that I was his.

  He’d taken my power as I’d taken his. He’d tasted the magic in my blood as I’d tasted his. We climaxed together, fingers grasping, tongues touching. I clenched around him, greedily milking every drop he had to give me, wanting more. Wanting everything he was.

  Fate smiled, and my circle was complete.

  I was one with all my men.

  And together we would fight the darkness.

  We would fight it every day for the rest of our lives.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  CAGED

  I heard the roar of Angus’s truck seconds after I limped from the woods with Leo.

  Maybe he didn’t know that his child had been taken, but he’d know the possibilities.

  I closed my eyes for a second, trying to gain strength for what was coming, and wished for the master. I needed him to keep my mind quiet.

  “Where’s Amias?” I asked Shane, grimacing at the tenderness of my body. I would recover quickly, but if I’d had my way about it, I would have lain in bed for a few days, basking in the afterglow of the half-giant’s attention and the not unpleasant soreness he’d left behind.

  “He went to search for Rhys,” Shane answered.

  Good. If anyone could discover what had happened to the dragon, Amias could.

  The men—even Crawford—stood with me as we waited for Angus.

  He slammed on his brakes, leapt from the truck, and strode toward us. I could tell he hadn’t yet heard about Natalie. Whoever had reported to him had likely been too afraid to tell him his youngest was now in the hands of Mikhail Safin.

  I gestured for Harlan to bring Angus’s other children, and I went to meet the werebull. He was going to need us all.

  When I was halfway to him, his cell rang. He frowned and ripped it from his pocket, then started to lift it to his ear.

  “Angus,” I yelled. “Wait.”

  But he didn’t wait. His stare roved the area, distracted and searching as he looked for his kids, and without even glancing at the screen, he answered.

  We gathered around him, and his kids clung to him, and they were what kept him calm when Safin’s voice slid into his ear.

  He met my stare as he listened.

  “Angus,” I whispered.

  He dropped his phone back into his pocket and began hugging his kids, and his calm was so extreme that I was afraid for him.

  “Dad,” Harlan said, his voice breaking. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t stop them.”

  “No one could,” I said. “They’re surrounded by an unbreakable magic.”

  “I will break it,” Angus said.

  My heart lightened. Safin was a dark, powerful force—there was no arguing that.

  But Angus…

  Angus would take death to Darkness.

  And he would get his little girl back.

  On my back, Silverlight buzzed.

  Crawford excused himself to take a call, but he was back in seconds. “I sent men to Hyde Hill,” he began.

  “Safin won’t be there,” Angus said.

  “No,” Crawford agreed. “He was gone. Some of his men were there, but Safin took Aspen and Edgar and went into hiding.”

  “Where would they go?” I asked.

  “Somewhere secluded,” Crawford told me. “He was warned that deliberately putting the humans at such a high level of risk would not be tolerated. He’s controlled—to a point. The government will not hinder him as long as he leaves the city, but they won’t help him, either.”

  “We’ll see if Clayton can track him,” I said. “I need to get close enough to rip out his heart.”

  “You can’t go up against him again,” Crawford said. “Especially not alone. Find someone who can break his protection spell, and then take him on. The last time you fought him, you ended up skinned alive by his whip. He’s going to be even more prepared now that he knows what he’s up against. If you—”

  “Captain,” Angus interrupted, almost gently. “Trin is immortal now. And she absolutely will fight Safin.” He looked at me, his stare stark and blue in his pale face. “And If I’m not there, she’ll keep him alive until I arrive.”

  I nodded. “I’ll save him for you, Angus.”

  “She’ll kick ass,” Leo said, and though he sounded confident, I saw the worry on his face. “Every time she fights to victory, she comes back stronger.”

  “And colder,” Shane muttered.

  Jade, leaning on Jamie Stone’s arm, stood behind us. “You can’t treat her like she’s human, Crawford. You have to treat her like she’s badass.” She grinned at me, though her eyes were flinching and bright with pain.

  “Jade,” Al said. “You’ll need to sit this one out.”

  “Fuck off,” she snapped. Then she gasped as her legs gave out, and only Jamie’s supporting arm kept her upright. “Oh, that motherfucker.”

  Al took her other arm. “Jeremy,” he called.

  A young man jogged to us, and Al handed Jade off to him. “Take her to the Deluge.”

  “I don’t need the fucking healer,” Jade snarled. “I need a big bloody piece of Mikhail Safin.”

  Al didn’t push it, but we all knew Jade wasn’t going to be fighting. She couldn’t even stand on her own.

  “Anybody who wants a ride, get in the truck,” Angus said. “Safin won’t be calling back for a few hours.”

  “Where are you going?” I asked him.

  “I’m going to see the wolves.” Calm. So calm.

  But as Angus turned to walk to his truck, Amias returned.

  “I know where Rhys is,” he said. “But I don’t know how to free him.”

  “Free him?” Clayton asked.

  And I understood what Amias was going to say before he said it. “The elders.”

  He nodded. “Yes, my love. The elders have taken it upon themselves to protect the dragon. No one can touch him now, and he cannot exchange himself for the child.”

  “We need him,” I said. “Safin’s protection can’t withstand a dragon’s fire.”

  “Rhys can’t burn them,” Angus said. “Not while they have Natalie.”

  And not even I was cold enough to sacrifice a child so I could kill the enemy. Not if I could help it.

  Himself walked from the shadows, surprising all of us.

  “If you cannot kill Darkness,” he told me, “it will not be done. We cannot risk the dragon. You must not attempt to free him.”

  “None of us can do anything alone,” I said. “My men and I will kill Darkness. It was never just me and my sword.”

  Clayton stood next to me, his body brushing mine. I knew he would always crave the touch of another person. Miriam had created that need inside him, and it would never die.

  “Fate,” Himself muttered, as though he would like to strangle said fate, and then he slipped through the dark night and left us to it.

  None of us tried convincing him to free Rhys—not even Angus. We knew he would not be convinced. If we wanted Rhys free, we would have to find a way to do it ourselves.

  Once again, Angus turned to go.

  “Angus,” Leo said, stopping him.

  Angus turned to the half-giant, and in that instant realized that not only was Leo truly one of us, but that he was afraid Angus doubted him.

  I saw the dawning realization in the werebull’s eyes.

  Angus glanced at me, then clapped Leo on the back. “Good,” was all he said, but Leo’s entire face lit up. He straightened his shoulders and gave Angus a nod, then he, Angus, and Clayton strode on to Angus’s truck.

  I grabbed Al’s arm when he would have hurried to his own car. “Alejandro.” I pointed my chin at Jamie. “Can he weaken the walls and free Rhys the way his mother did the rifters?”

  I waited for his answer, and Amias, Shane, and Crawford waited with me.

  “He’s getting stronger every day,” Al said. “But I don’t think he’s strong enough to break an elder’s wa
ll.”

  Jamie kept his calm gaze on Al, but said nothing.

  “For you,” I said, “he’d be strong enough.” He’d do it or die trying—but I didn’t voice that part.

  Finally, Alejandro nodded. “He’ll try.”

  We left him there, his arms around Jamie, murmuring into his ear, and we raced to the wolves’ village to stand with Angus.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  WOLVES

  The pack was waiting for us. They’d known we’d come. Because he’d harmed Angus the most by taking his child, Angus had the right to retaliate.

  He wouldn’t take the wolf’s child. He’d take the wolf’s life.

  The wolf pack’s main cabins were built in a crude semi-circle with a large clearing in the middle. They used the clearing for most things—meetings, fights, parties, punishments, and the like—and the ground had been worn smooth and packed hard by hundreds of feet over the years.

  Nearby, a wolf’s howl rose, and I rubbed the gooseflesh from my arms.

  Their alpha stepped out of her little cabin, flanked by two rather large male wolves, and her stare went straight to Angus.

  “Let me save you some time, Stark. I won’t give my wolf to you. His punishment will be decided by me—and I can assure you he will be punished.” And she turned to leave, dismissing us all.

  Her arrogance was astounding.

  “Vonda,” Angus growled, and again, gooseflesh dotted my skin.

  The wolf hesitated, but didn’t turn to face him. “Carlos had a reason for what he did. Safin had taken Carlos’ brother. He could have withstood his own torture, but he couldn’t bear his brother’s. I will punish him. Go home, Angus.”

  But I’d gotten a hazy glimpse into Safin’s house of horrors. “There was only one wolf in that motel,” I said. “And Alejandro freed him.”

  “There was only one wolf alive,” she told me. “Safin killed the brother—but Carlos didn’t realize it at the time.”

  Angus took a step toward her. “None of that matters. There is no excuse for a grown wolf harming a child. The wolf will die, and I will be the one to kill him.”

  Apparently, the alpha wasn’t above using children to get what she wanted. She muttered a command, and wolves began creeping from their tiny houses. They spread out beside the alpha, and their children peered around their legs.

  The alpha sent Angus a satisfied smile. “Go home, Angus,” she repeated.

  And he would have. He would have figured out another way to get the wolf who’d taken Natalie, because Angus wasn’t ever going to hurt a child.

  We turned at the sound of an engine and watched as Alejandro braked to a stop beside Angus’s truck. He got out but didn’t join us—just leaned against the hood of his car and waited to see what we would need.

  Shane leaned over to whisper into my ear. “The bastard is in the cabin on her left. I saw him peeking through the curtain like a fucking little old lady.”

  Angus wasn’t willing to so much as scare the children.

  But Shane and I…

  We were assholes.

  We streaked to the cabin on the left—Shane couldn’t get inside without an invite, but rifters could go wherever the fuck they pleased. The door crumbled when I kicked it, and I sprinted inside, then grabbed the wolf almost before he’d realized the door had been turned into kindling.

  I tossed him through the doorway to Shane before turning to fight the two wolves who’d been in the room with him.

  I didn’t kill them, but I made sure they would stay down for a while. I ran back outside just in time to watch Shane fling the wolf to the ground at Angus’s feet.

  Seconds, that was all it took.

  I turned to the wolf alpha and smirked. “Fuck you,” I said. “This wolf belongs to us now.”

  “Get your babies back inside,” Amias told her, “before you get them hurt.”

  Maybe we needed the wolves as allies—but as long as Vonda was their alpha, we would be enemies.

  Not that the vampires and wolves were friendly to begin with.

  Vonda’s wolves were poised to fight. Some of them shifted and stood trembling with eagerness, heads low, growls floating from between pulled back lips, teeth showing.

  But Vonda didn’t give the command. “You will pay for this,” she told me, “with your blood.”

  “No, she will not,” Amias said. “But I will reimburse you for the wolf. Name your price. We should not fight amongst ourselves. How much for peace?”

  Vonda squinted at him. “You want to give me cash money for my wolf?”

  “Yes.”

  Everyone knew the wolves were not rolling in money. She put her hands on her hips and considered his offer. “Five thousand dollars.”

  “Done.”

  “Then I will let your two vampires live.”

  Amias was not without pride. He curled his lip. “My vampires would destroy you,” he said. “And you know that.”

  She looked like she might argue the point, but in the end, as her wolves stared out at us from eyes that had become stark and hopeless in expressionless faces, she inclined her head. “Five thousand dollars. Tomorrow.” And when she turned to go back inside, I heard her mutter, “I should have asked for more.”

  I felt bad for her wolves.

  Angus threw Carlos the wolf into his truck and peeled out, off to get information and vengeance.

  “Give Clayton and me a ride back home?” Leo asked Alejandro.

  “I’m happy to. Want a ride, Trinity?”

  I shook my head. “Cars make my head hurt.”

  “You’ll be okay after you get used to it.”

  “Yeah,” I said. “Like with the whiskey.”

  He smiled, then walked to his car, Clayton and Leo at his side.

  I tossed a look in the direction Angus had gone. “I wonder if the wolf has any information.”

  “Not likely,” Amias replied, “but Angus will get it if he does.”

  “Yeah,” I said. “I hope killing Carlos makes him feel better.”

  But we all knew it wouldn’t.

  Only getting Natalie back—alive—would make Angus feel better.

  And freeing Rhys.

  And ending Safin.

  Call me pessimistic, but I was pretty sure Angus wasn’t going to be feeling better anytime soon.

  “What’s the endgame?” Shane asked, as we walked home. “Even if Safin gets the dragon’s power, what’s he going to do with it?”

  “Own it,” I said grimly. “And that’s enough for him.”

  Amias agreed. “The conquest is why he lives. When he has nothing left to take, the blackness inside him will destroy him.”

  “Depression?” I asked.

  Amias shrugged. “Blackness.”

  In the distance, a wolf’s long, lonely howl ended in a scream.

  I couldn’t help but shudder.

  “I guess there’s blackness in everybody,” Shane said quietly.

  Indeed.

  “When dawn arrives,” Amias said, “I will want both of you with me.”

  The night had become bleak and sad, and we would end it in each other’s arms.

  I hated the thought of dawn because I would be forced to sleep, and Angus would be without me. Without the vampires.

  And he’d be without Rhys.

  That left only Clayton, Leo, and Alejandro. And I was terribly afraid they just wouldn’t be enough.

  Not against Safin.

  We went back to the way station to check on Jamie Stone’s progress, and to wait for Mikhail Safin to call Angus with his demands.

  But Safin didn’t call Angus.

  He called me.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  HUNT

  “Hello, Trinity.”

  “Mikhail.” I remained calm, but rage rose up inside me at his voice. If he’d been in front of me, I’d have killed him—captive child or not.

  I put Safin on speaker so the others could hear, then paced the kitchen floor as he talked. I
figured nothing he said would be a surprise, and I was right.

  “This sweet child is terrified,” he told me. “I’m afraid that if she’s here much longer, she will simply collapse.”

  “The dragon is gone,” I snarled. “If he were here, he’d turn himself over to you.”

  Jamie Stone ended up in Willow-Wisp. There was more power there, he’d said, and we’d left him there with Alejandro watching over him. We could only hope he’d free Rhys, because Safin wasn’t going to settle for anything less than the dragon.

  Angus had yet to return. Clayton and Leo sat at the table shoving protein and carbs down their throats. It was going to come down to a battle, and they’d need their strength.

  Amias and Shane stood at the open kitchen door, letting the cold air in as they stared into the darkness.

  “I want the dragon, of course,” Safin said. “He is the entire reason I’ve come to Red Valley. But you knew that.”

  “We don’t have him. The vampire elders took him. They knew he’d—”

  “You must be wondering why I’ve called you instead of Stark,” he interrupted, not at all interested in my excuses.

  “Why did you?”

  “Because you’ll be the one to neutralize the dragon before you bring him.”

  “How would I do that?”

  “Your sword, Trinity. Do you know where dragons are most vulnerable?”

  I didn’t, but because Rhys’s sex was all tangled up in his dragon, I expected it was his cock.

  “His eye,” Safin said, dispelling that notion. “If you slide a powerful enough weapon into a dragon’s eye, he will be unable to function. Certainly unable to shift. And your sword is powerful enough.” He paused. “And also, I would like the sword.”

  I’d known he was going to want Silverlight, so I wasn’t surprised by his request. “You weren’t listening,” I told him. “There is no dragon. There is no dragon eye. The vampire elders have hidden him in a prison between worlds. Surely you heard about our recent circumstances—the elders’ return, the rifters, the reason I’m no longer human…?”

  He said nothing for a few long seconds, then, “The rifter prison. You expect me to believe they’ve captured the dragon and are holding him in a rifter prison.”