by Jami Gray
“This way,” Raine answered. “Want me to take that?”
“No, but help her.”
Strong arms wrapped around Natasha, pulling her away from Darius and out of her exhausted daze. She stiffened.
“Relax, Natasha, it’s just me.” Gavin’s familiar voice had her muscles unknotting. “You’re barefoot, let me help.”
Any other time, she’d slap his offer away. Tonight…well, she was too damn tired to argue. She gave him a short nod then curled her arm over his shoulders as he lifted her. The movement proved too much for her and the looming blackness swallowed her under.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Raine led Darius inside the darkened building. A small ball of floating light hovered near her head, illuminating their way. “Hang on. I think there’s something we can use as a table.”
Darius stilled, looking over at Gavin who came to a stop beside him, Natasha cradled in his arms. The sight of her in another man’s arms, battered and bruised, sent a cascade of conflicting urges through him. Darius wanted to toss Ryder’s body aside and snatch Natasha out of Gavin’s arms. As if that was all it would take to keep her safe. The urge to see Gavin loose a few strips of skin along the way seemed perfectly acceptable. The strange, animalistic possessiveness was a key indicator that his demon was riding close.
Darius laid Ryder’s body down on a dusty metal table then turned to take Natasha from Gavin. “I’ll take her.”
Gavin arched a single eyebrow, but said nothing, simply handing her over gently.
As Darius settled her close to his chest, he felt, more than heard, her soft groan. His chest vibrated with a near silent rumble.
Her heavy lashes fluttered then finally lifted, revealing a wary panic, which faded as she recognized who held her.
He brushed his lips over the top of her white-blonde hair, then he raised his head. Raine and Gavin both stared at him, their faces carefully blank. Time to test his deductive ability. “You two are going to help me save Natasha.”
“You have a plan, I assume?” Raine asked from the other side of the table.
“Gavin, you need to keep Ryder alive until I say otherwise.” Darius walked over to a fairly clear spot on the floor near the table. He sat down, careful not to jostle Natasha too much.
“Is he the one behind the spell that killed Mulcahy?” Raine’s question was too even.
Darius looked up, Natasha’s earlier warning echoing in his ears. “If Ryder dies, so does Natasha.” That strange silver gaze didn’t move from him, the unblinking intensity reminding him of a large, predatory cat. “You’re going to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
Raine’s lips curled in a silent snarl.
“Start explaining.” Gavin’s voice broke their staring contest, even as he moved up beside Raine. He gave her a gentle nudge, as he studied Ryder’s injuries. “Because I’m not inclined to save his sorry ass unless I have no other choice.”
“You’re not saving him,” Darius bit out. “You need to give your girlfriend and me enough time to unravel the spell holding him to Natasha.”
Gavin lifted his head, the muscles in his forearms tensing as he gripped the edge of the table. “What exactly do you think Raine can do?”
Darius’s snarl filled the interior of the warehouse. “I don’t have time to play games, so let’s just lay it all out there, shall we?” He watched both Raine and Gavin. “Raine can see magic, and the two of you share some sort of psychic connection. If I had to hazard a guess, I’d say it was damned close to the mate bond shared by shifters.” Although neither one physically reacted, the tension between the three of them mounted, his observations cutting too close for comfort. “We don’t have time to discuss fairy tales and ponder the wonders of magic, but I’d be willing to bet Raine can not only see magic, but manipulate it, correct?”
Raine stiffened, and something very lethal moved behind Gavin’s stony expression.
Although Darius understood their inclination to hide their abilities, abilities that would set them in the middle of DiMarcco’s racial purity war, they were racing against the clock. He let his demon surge forward on a wave of frustration and fury. “I am not, however, willing to gamble with Natasha’s life. So before you decide covering your own ass is more important than her, know this. She dies, you will follow.” His threat wasn’t an empty one. Death followed his will and if Natasha died because they refused to act, he wouldn’t hesitate take this damned couple out.
Natasha stirred in his arms, and her hand rose to cup his jaw. “Darius.”
Just his name, but it was enough for him to answer. “What?”
“Your word to protect what is mine.”
He looked down at who he held. “No.” Part of him wanted to howl in denial at her request. The chances of this not working were astronomical.
Ruthless determination stared back. “Yes.”
He clamped his mouth shut, but it didn’t stop the rumbles trapped in his chest.
“Say it,” she hissed, desperation beginning to crawl under her steely gaze.
“I vow it,” he snarled the oath, the weight of his words falling into place, leaving him no choice but to see it through, regardless of the outcome.
She patted his jaw. “There now, that wasn’t so difficult, was it, pet?”
Torn between exasperation at her manipulation and fury at their situation, he did the next best thing. He growled.
“Is he telling us the truth, Natasha?” Raine didn’t take her attention off of him, but came around the table and closer to them.
He felt Natasha turn her head toward Raine. “About?”
Her question made Raine frown and look at her. “If Jamie dies, do you die?”
“Yes.”
The blunt answer seemed to shock Raine. She blinked, a mixture of complicated emotions flying over her face. She finally settled on stubborn refusal. “Not happening.”
Natasha’s laugh was far from normal. “Already is, dear.”
Raine looked over her shoulder at Gavin. He gave her a small nod.
She turned back and, with a big sigh, sank to sit on the ground in front of Darius and Natasha. “What do you need us to do?”
“Ryder used the same type of spell on Natasha as Axel. Difference is there was a failsafe embedded in the magic.”
“Not Ryder’s,” Gavin said.
“Not Ryder’s,” Darius confirmed. “That failsafe binds Ryder’s fate to hers.”
Raine’s lips tightened and her hands flexed against her thighs. “Sounds like someone wanted to make sure their part in this mess stayed hidden.”
“More than you know.”
“Who?” she snapped out.
Darius held her gaze even as Natasha stiffened in his arms. “We don’t have proof.”
Raine leaned forward. “I want a name.”
“It’s not his to give,” Natasha said, garnering Raine’s anger. “Nor can I share my suspicions with you until I have proof.”
“Dammit, Natasha.”
“Listen very carefully, McCord, because I will not repeat myself.” Obviously even with death hovering nearby, Natasha had her limits. “The ones hunting us are not to be taken lightly. You do not have the luxury of rushing out and hunting them down without evidence of their betrayals. Your grievances do not out rank the safety of the Northwest Kyn. Your uncle taught you better than that. Think for gods’ sake. Be the warrior he created, not the grieving child.”
For a moment the air around him fairly vibrated with explosive tension. The two women stared at each other. Raine obviously fighting herself and the situation.
“You can’t fucking die, Natasha. It’s not fair.” For the first time, Raine’s voice cracked.
A fierce pride lit Natasha’s drawn face. “Then work your magic, girl, and make sure we give our enemies a reason to fear us.”
Darius wasn’t sure what to expect, but it wasn’t being shuffled to the sidelines. Gavin took over with Ryder, leaving Darius to focus on Natasha. In front of
him, Raine slipped into the psychic plane only she and Gavin seemed to see.
“Do you want me to call Cheveyo?” Xander had rejoined them moments ago. A quick debrief brought her up to speed.
“He’d never make it in time.” Darius carefully set Natasha on the ground in front of him. “Besides, the only ones capable of destroying this spell are in this room. No use in endangering any others.” He lifted his head and considered her. “Perhaps you should wait outside?”
Affronted, she jerked back, amber lighting in her eyes. “Excuse me?”
Females were damn touchy. He shook his head. “I have enough on my plate without adding Vidis to it.”
She smirked. “Then don’t screw up.” Then she deliberately sat at Natasha’s feet and wiggled her fingers at him. “What are you waiting for, tick tock.”
Oh, for the love of—
“Found it.” Raine’s voice snapped his head around. Worry clouded her face. Her eyes swirled like liquid mercury. “It a mess, Darius.”
He wasn’t surprised. A spell like this was complex. “Describe it.”
Raine worried her bottom lip. “It’s like a tangled web of knots. I’m not sure where to start.”
“Can you tell who’s tied to what?” There had to be a starting point.
“Okay,” she muttered, a frown marring her forehead. “I’ve got Ryder’s link. If I follow it this way…” Her voice trailed off and lines of concentration deepened on her face, her eyes studying something only she could see. “There she is.” A pause. “I can’t untangle the two. Part of it disappears every time I reach for it.”
He hissed in a sharp breath, brushing a hand over his goatee. “Because it’s attached to the last bloody anchor in the Side.” He ran his hands through his hair, his mind spinning through options. “Okay, we can’t touch that until we break through the failsafe. Can you find that?”
“Any idea what it would look like?”
“How the hell should I know? Magic is magic,” he snapped, feeling the press of time slipping away.
“What kind of magic,” she shot back. “Demon, Fey, Shifter, Magi?”
“Magi.” His oath to Natasha tugged at him but since he hadn’t specified a name, it let his response slide.
Raine didn’t answer, instead another handful of minutes ticked by, then he felt something brush against his magic. Startled, he turned his attention inward, trying to determine what happened.
His demon paced under his skin, as he checked his link to Natasha. She was holding on, but she seemed to be fading. He did what he could, sending his strength along their tie. Death prowled closer, but he held it back. No way in hell was he ready to let it in.
Again something brushed against the blood-tie. This time even Natasha reacted, a violent refusal of whatever was happening. He reacted without thinking, protective magic flaring to life shoving the strange presence back.
Raine’s reactive hiss barely registered. “I’m trying to help. That tie you two have won’t last long.”
He snarled. “Leave it alone. Find the damn failsafe and destroy it.”
Whatever Raine was doing, Natasha didn’t want any of it, and that was good enough for him. Playing with magic required a skill he was pretty damned certain Raine was still acquiring. Guess neither he nor Natasha wanted to be anyone’s guinea pigs.
The unsettling sensation disappeared. Another minute ticked by.
“There you are,” Raine’s voice was soft. Her head tilted to the side as if she was looking at something. When she straightened and blinked, she licked her lips. “Want the bad news first or the really bad news?”
Nerves stretched tight, Darius was in no mood for games. “Talk.”
“I can destroy the failsafe, but if I do, it’ll take Ryder with it.”
“And by extension, Natasha.”
She nodded. “That anchor used the blood they exchanged during their fight to cement its hold. The way it’s created, if you destroy it, there’s a high chance you’ll destroy Natasha’s bitchier half.”
Which would kill her any way. His stomach churned at her words. “But if we don’t?”
“We’ll lose her when I destroy the failsafe.”
Dread roiled through him. Locked under the thin veil of skin, his demon threw back its head, roaring a denial of the choice being forced on him. Damned if he did, damned if he didn’t. No matter how he looked at the situation, death was the only escape option for Natasha.
For the first time in his very long existence, he was paralyzed by indecision.
A hand brushed his. “Darius.”
He blinked down at Natasha, unable to answer.
Her fingers curled around his, and he held tight. “Do it.”
His grip tightened, but she didn’t look away, resigned knowledge adding a grimness to her features. Unmitigated fury raged through him, his demon battering at his precarious control.
One man’s arrogance and greed had brought him to this—to protect her he had to kill her.
Darius crouched over Natasha as sulphuric winds whipped through the Side, wailing through the skeletal remains of the warehouse—his grief and anger given physical form. He held her hand even as he gritted his teeth and sent the ebony ribbons of his magic to curl gently around her, careful not to let it touch her skin. Not yet.
She watched him, her gaze never wavering from his face.
“I’ll kill him for this alone.”
She gave him a small smile. “Make sure it hurts, pet.”
He growled, his claws flexing, his free hand scraping deep furrows in the ground.
“Gods above and below, Darius, don’t be so dramatic,” she huffed out on a shaky breath. “You’re a scion of the Blood of Death with centuries of experience. This is not beyond you.”
Hiding his trepidation behind an arrogant mask, he said, “Normally I’m not under a damn shot clock. It’s not a fucking light switch, Natasha.”
Amusement glittered in her gaze, but her voice remained droll. “Oh, I don’t know. On. Off. Dead. Alive. I’m sure you’ll figure it out.” Please figure it out.
Her unspoken plea sent a crack snaking across a hidden part of his heart. Another sin to lay at DiMarcco’s feet. “I’m sure I will, darling.”
He tugged his hand free and cradled her face, brushing his thumb over her chin. Strange to find such a women at this time. She fascinated him, touched places he though long buried. Such a protector who’d use anyone and anything to keep those that were hers safe, regardless of the cost.
What would it be like to have that aimed in his direction? She’d manipulate and scheme until she got what she wanted, what she thought was best. An intelligent, sneaky, beautiful, wicked woman full of contradictions. And he wanted time to discover all of her. Wanted her beside him as they pulled DiMarcco’s world apart, piece by bloody piece.
Ruthless determination rose, shoving his unusual emotional turmoil to the side. Natasha was right, death was his territory. Quick or slow, it answered to him.
Quick or slow.
An idea bloomed, awful and tricky. Death could happen between one breath and the next, or it could stretch the span of minutes, hours, or days. It was flexible. The anchor existed in the Side, set deep within Natasha’s demonic nature. Yet her human body remained unhindered in the mortal world.
The original spell was designed to cut off the link between an Amanusa’s two halves—intellect and instinct. It trapped the demonic essence on the Side, leaving the remaining spirit locked inside the untouched, mortal form. For all intents and purposes, the Amanusa became two separate beings.
Of course the spirit would eventually fade away, while the demon grew more and more lost in a feral rage. That’s why the longer the containment spell stayed in place, the less chance there was of recovering an Amanusa.
But magic wasn’t a thinking adversary, it followed rules.
If Ryder’s original spell was the containment spell, then there was a very slight chance Darius could fool the magic into believing
her death was very real. If it required death, then he could give it death, just not the one DiMarcco intended. There were so many ways to kill someone. Darius had played with them all through the years and he discovered some very interesting results. The transition between life and death was never instantaneous. There was a brief window in time where neither state existed. It wasn’t long, a minute at most, but a lot could be accomplished in a minute.
Like destroying a spell’s anchor.
Killing Ryder.
Setting Natasha free.
Dark anticipation curled through him, his demon purring with violent joy at the risky solution. He bent down and ravaged Natasha’s mouth, her stunned gasp lost as a primal heat roared into place.
She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, her nails biting deep even as her tongue dueled with his. When she finally tore her mouth away to drag in air, he took advantage of her exposed neck, nipping his way down the slender column until he covered his initial mark.
His tongued stroked over it, once, twice, then he sank his teeth deep. Even as a moan that had nothing to do with pain escaped her, her body bowed under his, her hands clawing at his shoulders. He curled his arms and magic around her, wrapping her in death’s embrace.
Chapter Thirty
The heat of Darius’s kiss burned away the cold tendrils of apprehension curling around Natasha like clinging ivy. Even as the desire she kept locked away rose in a cresting wave, she knew what he was doing. She gave him credit. As distractions went, he hit the damn bull’s eye.
Heat, hunger, need, all twisted together into one bright inferno. It burned away the ragged edges of betrayal and drowned out the distracting whispers of what might have been, leaving only crushing sensation and the incandescent moment in its wake.
Darkness began to creep along the edges of her awareness, edging out desire with a rising panic. Frigid ribbons glided over her, leaving a curious numbness in their wake. Fear had her eyes fluttering open even as her pulse began to slow.
Ice-cold blue lit with a savage determination dominated her vision. “Let go, Natasha. I’ve got you.”
