by Aliyah Burke
Dane ran soundlessly along the branches, moving closer. A gateway tempted him when it appeared. I can make that with one leap. Seconds before he burst from hiding, Dane stopped himself. No way. Too easy.
As silently as he’d approached, he backed off. Then, he ran back toward the moss-shrouded area. The rancid stench of Drekflen assaulted his nose. Jumping from the trees to the ground, Dane stared at the gray-green brackish-like liquid between him and the moss-covered area.
Picking up a branch, he tossed it onto the surface. There was no splash. The wood sat there for maybe two seconds before the top layer rose up around part of the stick before hardening. Then, flames incinerated it.
Well, that’s pleasant. Lucky I wasn’t hoping for anything to be easy.
“Sidorov!” The single word dripped with venom.
Dane turned slowly to find Slim observing him. “Slim.” His old unit commander looked pretty much the same as he had when he’d killed him.
“I thought being dead would suck. Imagine my joy when I find out you are here, and I get the chance to inflict endless pain on you. Day in and day out.”
“Sorry to disappoint you, but I’m not staying,” Dane said without inflection.
Soulless eyes narrowed. “Where are you going?”
“Back to the land of the living. Your Master must be pissed at you. You were given power, and you still got bested.”
“I always knew you were a freak,” Slim bit off. “Back at the very beginning. I always knew.”
He shrugged easily. “And yet when you sold your soul for a fraction of the power I have, you died soon after. So that makes you, what, a failure as both human and freak.”
Slim pulled a weapon from the back of his pants. “I’m looking forward to making you bleed.”
Glancing back towards the shrouded area, Dane sighed before looking at Slim again. “I don’t have time for this.”
“You have nothing but time.”
Sorry, I don’t think so. “Don’t you have some dead thing to fuck, Colonel?”
Before Slim could respond, another figure stepped from the trees and approached. Siyamak. Dane focused more on him. His blue eyes now stared soullessly from his head.
“Don’t be stupid, Slim,” Siyamak said in an annoyed tone. “You can’t beat him.”
“Yes, I—”
Siyamak flicked one hand to the side, and Slim was launched violently and swiftly through the air to crash into the trunk of the tree. “Don’t ever refute me, Slim,” Siyamak snapped, asserting his power.
Dane continued to watch the one who’d attacked his mate. The voices grew in time with his anger until he realized he was losing control again. Quelling it, he forced himself to relax. Siyamak continued to just stare at him.
“Something on your mind?” Dane asked, adjusting his body so he could see the mossed area as well.
“Why do you persist in your belief you can save her?”
Dane ignored him. His analytical mind searching for an entry point into the lair of the one who called himself the Master.
“She doesn’t wait for you.”
That got his attention. “What are you talking about?”
Siyamak gestured, and Dane could see Aida, his Aida. Kees stood with her and pulled off her shirt. Dane rumbled in anger, and the view disappeared when Kees stepped closer to her.
“More child’s tricks?” he asked, refusing to even entertain the idea she’d go to Kees. Aida is my mate!
Siyamak grinned evilly. “I am here to show you where your army awaits you.”
Dane stared at him. Siyamak’s disposition seemed off. Odd even. “Why aren’t you trying to fight me?”
The man shrugged. “You will be my commanding officer. I don’t need you to want revenge for an attack which wouldn’t kill you anyway.” He gestured. “Shall we?”
One glance back to the moss and Dane said, “Lead on.”
They walked for a while, Dane noticed no one tried any more assaults but their stares were less than welcoming.
“How is it this place is so lush with life, being where we are?” he asked after a bit.
“The Master has many beings at his disposal. He enjoys…using their talents.”
Dane stopped and looked at his escort. For a brief second, he swore there was uncontrollable rage in those eyes. “So he forces them to do it?”
Siyamak’s eyes flashed. “Not everyone around here agrees with the Master.”
“I see. Then why don’t they rise up against him?”
“No one goes against the Master,” Siyamak stated with vehemence even while he scratched his neck.
Dane touched his own neck, heart leaping with hope when he felt the leather cord from the necklace Aida gifted him with. He made sure it was tucked under his shirt. Glancing back to Siyamak, he noted the man’s eyes were once again cold and unfeeling. Dead.
Curious. Could something else be going on here?
“Here is your army,” Siyamak said, waving his hand down into the valley below where they stood on the rim.
Fuck! There were tens of thousands. “Where would I be leading them?” May as well find out all I can while I’m here.
“The Master would be the one to impart that information to you.”
Dane closed his eyes, shutting out the unending wave of minion voices and dug deep for his cat. In a dark corner, he found him. Dying.
No! You must not die.
I cannot survive without you, the tiger answered, sounding defeated.
Dane could feel the cloud creeping in again, concealing his animal from him. Don’t give up. We will be together again, and we will go get our mate.
Our mate?
Yes. I need you to protect her. I can’t get to her right now.
Tired. So tired.
Me ,too, old friend. Hang in there. I need you to do something for me.
Dane felt the pain of being removed from his feline again as he gave him his message. He opened his eyes to find Siyamak watching him.
“Problem?”
Dane fought back a snarl. “Why am I being kept from my tiger?”
“Thought you would try to find him. When you are completely the Master’s, he will allow you both to be together again.”
Of course I would. “Right.” That’s never going to happen. Dane turned his back on the massive army below and walked away.
“Where are you going?”
“Back to my mate.”
“Pointless.” Siyamak appeared in front of him.
Dane curled his lip in warning. “Never.”
“You cannot defeat the Master.”
Dane shrugged. “So everyone tells me.” He moved around Siyamak and kept going. A few steps later, and Siyamak walked beside him. “What?”
“I want to watch. It’s been a while since someone thought to leave. This may be fun.”
Dane glared at him but remained silent as he strode back to the area he wanted into. After a brief stare at it, he headed into the nearby trees. Siyamak remained beside him. With grace, Dane leapt up to a thick branch and sat with his back to the trunk. I’ll find a way back to you, solnyshko moyo. Trust me, I will return to you. Closing his eyes, he began gathering his strength. One hand curled around the teardrop pendant.
“Sidorov!”
Dane came to full alertness immediately. Jumping down, he watched as the so-called Master walked out from his space, fully cloaked.
“Letting me go?” he asked, preparing for anything.
“I’ve changed my mind. I’m going for her now. But I wanted to let you see her one more time before I drink her soul.”
One hand balled into a fist. “It won’t work. Killing her won’t get me to be your slave. I will never lead your army.”
The man pushed back his hood and said, “Look upon your new Master.”
Dane stared. The pale skin almost pearlescent. The figure before him was pretty with delicate features. Where his eyes should have been were black flames. As he stared, Dane could feel
the anguish of all the souls trapped within him.
“You’ll never be my master.”
Ater malum appeared, and with a wave of his hand, the Master opened a gateway. “Watch me kill your mate. I will suck her soul and make her mine.” He walked to the portal which hovered over the shit that Dane knew would incinerate him in a matter of seconds.
“No!” he yelled.
Picking up the nearest creature, Dane heaved him toward the retreating figure. The thing screeched and writhed in agony then went up in flames.
A maniacal laugh reached him. “You want out, Sidorov? Come on.”
Dane looked at the remaining ater malum and snarled at them. With incredible speed, he began throwing them out on the surface he needed to cross. He jumped on their bodies and continued on before they burst into flame.
The Master paused before the gateway and said, “Sorry. Not good enough.” A bolt of green raced toward him.
Beneath his feet, Dane knew the only thing keeping him from the fire was about to ignite.
Aida!
The lance of green energy never reached him. The Master vanished through the portal, and Dane had no words for his shock when Siyamak appeared between him and the shaft of power.
“Go, Dane!” he hollered. “Through the moss. Your tiger is there.”
Dane saw the thing he personally stood on begin to incinerate. Around his feet, he saw a glow of pink but ignored it and gathered the last bit of his energy then jumped. Right before he hit the moss, an orange tiger flew past and hit it. The large feline screamed in agony before it turned to ash, but there remained a rift in the moss. Dane lunged for it, the stuff burned like acid where it touched him. He hit the ground and spun around in time to see back through the closing hole. Siyamak erupted into a ball of green fire then he could see no more.
Thank you, Siyamak. He understood now. While he’d had to kill Siyamak for crossing the line—the line he’d been fighting for so long to defeat the darkness—and giving in to the darkness, part of the man he’d once been had still remained within him. The Master had been able to control him but had never had total control, which was why at the end, Siyamak had given up his own damned existence to save Dane and give him a chance to be free and back with Aida.
Heart pounding, Dane crouched in the darkness and reached for his tiger. Dane felt renewed energy pour through him when it answered. Stronger than before and definitely angry. Trusting him, Dane moved through the blackness until he knew he’d found him.
“Let’s go get our mate,” he uttered as the tiger’s spirit returned to him.
It purred and swiped affectionately at him. We are both injured.
Touching the teardrop pendant, Dane smiled. We’re together again. And therefore unbeatable.
Bleeding and tired, Dane headed for the sliver of light and reached into it, using his hands to tear it wider. Light flooded the darkness, and he narrowed his eyes from the brilliance. A thin line shot out and slammed into his chest, knocking him back to hit the ground hard.
Aida.
Aida waved goodbye to Kees. He’d stopped by again in the morning to help her out. He’d also brought some more meat for the tiger as well. Finally alone, she cast a look around nervously before going back inside. Kamau lifted his head slightly and wagged his tail.
Tears pricked her eyes, and she sat on the mattress beside him. “Good boys. Come on now, I need you to pull through. It’s not time for me to let you go yet.” She kissed them and walked to the tiger that lay there. His coat no longer shone but was instead dull and stiff. The wounds no longer bled, but the cat remained listless.
“I don’t know how to help you any more, tiger-mine. You have to do something. Don’t go giving up on me.”
Three deadly growls filled the room, and Aida couldn’t stop the whimper of fear from escaping. Heart pounding uncontrollably, she got to her feet and snuck a peek outside. A figure approached. The walk was extremely familiar. Dane! Her heart thumped even harder. He wore all black but his stride confident.
Aida frowned. Glancing behind her, she saw the tiger lying there, still bearing his teeth. How is this possible? Anger grew within her, pushing aside the fear. Why was this happening? Stepping out of the house, Aida closed the door behind her. Time to protect you, Dane.
It was uncanny. The man approaching was a dead ringer for Dane Sidorov. And she would have believed it to be him if not for two things. One, the tiger laying in her living room, and two, the way her skin recoiled when those eyes fixed on her.
“Dane,” she said, injecting joy into her tone. “I didn’t expect you back so soon. Are you okay?”
He grinned, which felt more like a bearing of teeth to her. “I missed you.”
Damn, even the voice is his. Aida walked toward him, wanting this imposter to stay away from the house. His eyes raked her form again, and she couldn’t hide the revulsion it gave her. She couldn’t pretend. “You’re not Dane.”
“Of course I am.” He beckoned to her. “Come to me.”
Aida stopped and shook her head. “No. I don’t know who you are or what you want but I know you’re not Dane.”
One lip curled up in a sneer. “True.” He waved a hand and his entire body became covered in a black hooded cape. “Do you want to know who I am?”
Not really. “I don’t care who you are. Leave.” Aida could taste the fear in her mouth, and she spoke with way more bravado than she felt.
“You can call me Master. I’m here to kill you and collect what belongs to me. Dane’s soul is mine.”
This is the darkness he was talking about. “No!” she gasped. “His soul will never be yours.”
“Do you really think he’ll be able to control his rage when your beaten and raped body is dropped before him?”
Lifting her chin despite the terror coursing through her, Aida said, “I know it. You don’t have power over him, not anymore.”
The air was ripped from her body as some force closed about her neck, lifting her off the ground. Unable to do a damn thing but dangle and claw at the invisible grip, Aida was pulled closer to him. Her heart seized when she found herself looking into a face of evil. She had no other way to explain it. Scelerate eyes of black flames bore into hers. The thing opened its mouth, exposing pointed teeth, aged yellow. The putrid scent of sulfur poured from it. As she hung there, the lower jaw split in two and distended. Multiple tongue-like organs stretched toward her.
“I’d offer up a bet,” it hissed, “but you’ll be dead so you have nothing to bargain with.” One mucus-colored tongue trailed along her skin, bringing tears to her eyes at the thousands of needles of pain which stabbed her. “I want to hear you scream.” The words crawled over her skin. “You’ve seen your last day.”
Spots began flickering before her eyes, and while she struggled to find some remaining air, Aida quoted a proverb she grew up with. “There are many dawns.”
A piercing shriek filled the air and a chain of silver lightning streaked between her and the grotesque thing who’d been holding her. Aida fell hard, desperately gasping for breath even as she scrambled backward, torso aflame with pain as her ribs took yet another beating from the fall.
The creature squealed in pain and hissed. A large golden eagle lowered between them only to shift into a man at the last second.
Oh fuck. Will this day ever end? Aida didn’t know how much more of this she could take.
“You can’t defeat me, Van der Ness,” the evil voice ground out.
“Doesn’t matter. I’m not here to kill you. I’m here to protect Aida.”
The front door stopped her from crawling back any farther. He knows my name. Why does he know my name? She stared at the tall man standing between her and the being who had tried to kill her.
“I will tell you this. Hunter Adamek Nervig has picked up your trail and he’s coming for you.”
Black eyes snapped over to her. “We will meet again, Aida.” Just like that, the thing vanished.
The eagle-man turn
ed slowly and faced her. Shit. Aquiline features, golden-brown eyes, and in the lobe of his left ear a small diamond stud sat. His dark hair, tousled on top, was short on the sides. He wore distressed jeans and a black t-shirt. And some black boots on his feet. Handsome or not, she squeaked when he stepped toward her.
He stopped immediately and held his hands up like he meant no harm. It didn’t make her feel any better. Her teeth chattered so hard, Aida was sure he could hear them.
“Are you hurt?” he asked in a concerned tone.
“I’m fine.”
“I mean you no harm, Aida.”
“Who are you?”
“My name is Aren. Let me heal you.”
She shook her head. “Stay away.”
“You are Dane’s mate. I could never harm you. Something happened to him. Where is he?”
“I don’t know.”
“Time is of the essence.” He looked past her. “His tiger is there. Your fear is agitating him. How can I make you believe I am only here to help?”
“I don’t know. I don’t understand anything,” she said, trying desperately not to cry.
“Dane sacrificed a part of himself for my mate. Allow me to help him in return.”
“Lady Zora is your mate?”
“No.” His gaze narrowed. “My mate is Lady Nahia.”
Unsure of how else to ensure her safety and double check who he said he was, Aida got slowly to her feet and opened the door. Aren strode past her and froze before hurrying to the tiger. She watched him sink to the floor beside him with a low curse as she rubbed her sore neck.
“Mijn vriend. Mijn broer. Vechten niet. Laat me je genezen,” he muttered.
My friend. My brother. Do not fight. Let me heal you. Wringing her hands, Aida continued to watch, not saying she understood what he’d said in Dutch. “Can you help him?” she asked.
Aren looked over his shoulder at her then to her dogs. “Let me heal you first. And your dogs.”
“That’s not an answer.”
Aren moved to her beloved pets, ignoring their warnings. One hand settled upon each, he dropped his head, and they were surrounded by a gentle silver glow. When it faded, Aida couldn’t see more than a few of the new scars on them, and they both slept comfortably.
