“Wait,” he breathed.
Brigette’s growl of frustration echoed through the fog. “What’s wrong?”
“There’s someone…”
“No.” Brigette’s tone was urgent. “There’s just you and me.”
“Rainn.” The named reached out to wrap around his heart. Anchoring him in place.
Brigette cursed, glancing over her shoulder. What was she looking for? Then without warning the fog thickened in his mind. As if someone had opened the top of his skull and was pouring it in.
The name disappeared, along with the pretty face.
Nothing remained but Brigette.
“Come, Ulric,” she urged. “Let’s go home.”
“Home.”
He walked forward.
* * * *
Rainn had intended to leave the bed as soon as Ulric fell asleep. Instead, she’d cuddled close, trailing her fingers over his face, which was flushed with fever.
Worry had gnawed inside her like a cancer. Along with an aching sense of regret.
She hadn’t meant to hurt Ulric. That was the last thing she would ever want. But he’d caught her off guard with his sudden claim that she was his mate. What woman’s brain wouldn’t have turned to mush? It wasn’t like gorgeous, sexy males told her every day that she was the eternal love of their lives. Plus, he’d already started the brain-mushing process with his soft caresses and the press of his lips against her forehead. Her body had been on fire. And it hadn’t been caused by a magical fever.
Just good, ol’-fashioned lust.
She’d planned to calmly explain that she couldn’t risk making any decisions for her future until she’d finished her quest. That had to take precedence. But she completely and utterly bungled it.
Her stomach had instantly twisted with sick remorse at the sight of the raw pain that had flared through his eyes. She might as well have taken a knife and stuck it in his heart. But even as she’d tried to clarify that her people were depending on her, he’d closed his eyes and fallen asleep.
Or perhaps he was unconscious. Either way, she’d found herself unable to leave the bed. Not only did she have to wait for the sun to set so she could track down Tarak and ensure he found someone to heal Ulric, but she didn’t want to return to battle Zella without the opportunity to make him listen to her explanation.
Unfortunately, she’d miscalculated her level of weariness. Even as she’d rehearsed exactly what she would say when he awoke, she was drifting into a deep sleep.
It wasn’t until she heard the sound of a voice echoing through the cavern that she was jolted awake.
Blinking in confusion, she sat up. How long had she been asleep? A few minutes? Hours? Not that it mattered. She was more interested in why Ulric was standing in the middle of the floor. And why he was talking to himself.
“Ulric?”
He ignored her, his gaze focused on the far wall as he muttered something about home.
Rainn climbed out of bed, heading toward the male. Then abruptly she halted, a burst of fear exploding through her. Either his wound was causing Ulric to hallucinate, or he was talking to someone she couldn’t see.
Both scenarios terrified her.
“Ulric.” Jumping forward, she grabbed his arm as he started walking toward the tunnel. “What’s going on?”
Nothing. He didn’t even glance in her direction. Then, without warning, he simply disappeared.
A portal?
She stood in the center of the cave.
Why hadn’t she sensed it was there? Even if she couldn’t make a portal, she could tell when one had opened.
Then realization hit her with the force of a freight train.
Zella.
Just for a second, she was frozen in place. What did she do? There was no way for her to follow through the portal. And while she might be certain they were headed back to the burrow, it would take her hours to get there.
Too long to prevent Ulric from being sacrificed.
Muttering a string of curses, Rainn dashed out of the cavern and through the tunnels that were still half-filled with tidewater. Once on the beach, she glanced around, realizing that the sun had just set beyond the horizon. Dammit. She’d had no idea that so much time had passed.
Wading through the water to the pathway, she gritted her teeth and began the steep climb to the top of the cliff. She didn’t have time to think about her fear of falling. Or even the futility of her swift scramble up the damp rocks. She was going back to the village to destroy Zella.
One way or another.
Awkwardly pulling herself over the edge of the cliff, she was still in the process of standing upright when she felt herself being lifted off the ground.
She screeched in frustration more than fear as she watched a dark-haired vampire step out of a portal, followed by a much larger leech and two females.
She didn’t have time for this. Gathering her power, she struck out, slamming the air sharply against the vampire’s chest. He grunted in surprise, stumbling back as he released his hold on her.
Rainn felt herself falling, but she didn’t bother to ease her landing onto the hard ground. She’d already been forced to waste enough of her strength. And with the massive, golden-haired vampire charging toward her, she didn’t have to guess whether or not she was going to need it.
But before the male could take more than a few steps, the other vampire abruptly stepped in his path.
“No, Cyn,” the male rasped. “This must be Rainn.” He waited for her wary nod. “I’m Tarak,” he told her, waving his hand toward the female with long, pale hair with blue highlights. “This is my mate, Waverly.” He gestured toward the large male. “This is Cyn, the clan chief of Ireland, and his mate, Princess Fallon.” He took a step toward her. “How did you get here?”
Rainn battled back the urge to ignore the question and make a mad dash for the truck. Although she’d never met Chiron’s master, she knew he could be trusted to help her. And more importantly, that his mate had an ability to open portals.
Exactly what she needed.
“We managed to escape from Zella,” she muttered.
The four demons frowned in confusion. “What’s a Zella?” Tarak demanded.
“The dark spirit that destroyed Ulric’s village.” Rainn waved an impatient hand. “She’s working with Brigette to open a doorway.”
Tarak’s expression remained confused, but he latched on to the most pertinent point of her rambling. “A doorway to what?”
“Evil.”
“Evil?” The large vampire made a sound of disgust. “That’s a little vague.”
Rainn clenched her hands into tight fists. She couldn’t afford to waste her energy just to topple the clan chief of Ireland on his ass. “All I know is that they need Ulric’s blood to open it.”
Tarak glanced around, easily capable of seeing through the shadows that now draped the landscape. “Where is he?”
Her heart twisted with pain. “Gone.”
Something that might have been suspicion tightened Tarak’s features. “But he was here. I sensed him triggering the alarms I set around the lair, but I couldn’t return until the sun set.”
“He disappeared.”
“How?” Tarak demanded.
“We were asleep in the cavern under the cliff. I woke up when I heard Ulric talking to someone I couldn’t see.”
She was still babbling, but who could blame her? She could physically feel each second ticking past.
She had to get to Ulric.
“They were invisible?” Waverly asked, her tone perfectly serious. As if she wouldn’t be surprised to discover they had enemies who could hide their presence.
She forced herself to take a deep breath. She was only making matters worse. “Either invisible or on the other side of the open portal.”
Rainn was shaking her head before Tarak finished speaking. “The spirit has powers that none of us understand. I doubt any traditional magic could halt her.”
There was a short silence as they absorbed the impact of her words. It was Waverly who at last asked the obvious question.
“They took Ulric?”
“Yes.” Rainn wrapped her arms around her waist, suddenly chilled by the brisk breeze blowing off the ocean. “I tried to stop him, but he looked like he was in some sort of trance.”
“Damn.” Tarak squared his shoulders. “We need to get back to the village.”
“I can take us there,” Waverly offered.
Relief crashed through Rainn, along with a fresh batch of impatience. It was almost as if she could feel Ulric deep inside her, urging her to hurry.
“I’ll go with you,” Cyn offered.
“No.” Tarak shook his head. “Levet might actually find something that will help us defeat the…whatever the hell it is,” he said. “He’ll be returning to your lair to find us.”
Cyn didn’t argue. “Okay. Take care.”
Rainn’s eagerness to leave was briefly overshadowed by her concern for the tiny gargoyle. “Where is Levet?”
Tarak grimaced, as if the mere mention of the gargoyle gave him a sour stomach.
“He’s searching the libraries in the mer-folk castle,” Waverly answered. “We believe there is a book that might offer information about what caused the decay that consumed Ulric’s village, but most copies have been magically destroyed. We hope that the protection that surrounds my homeland will have preserved the book if it’s there.”
“Oh.” Rainn wasn’t sure she entirely understood. And right now, she really didn’t care. As long as Levet was safe. “We need to go.”
Waverly lifted her arm, then waved it in a swooping motion. Rainn felt the familiar tingle of magic wash over her as the air was split to reveal the narrow opening. She hurried forward, despite Tarak’s warning to allow him to go first. She didn’t have time to deal with his male ego. The need to get to Ulric was an overwhelming compulsion.
Still, she wasn’t completely out of her mind. Once she was through the portal she waited for Tarak and Waverly to join her. Once they’d rescued Ulric, she was going to depend on them to get the injured Were to safety while she found a way to destroy Zella.
Tarak moved to stand beside her, muttering a curse. Whether it was at the sight of the thick fog that boiled just ahead of them, or because Rainn had refused to let him play the role of the big, bad male, she didn’t know.
A second later, Waverly was joining them.
“I can’t get us through the barrier,” she said, her pretty face twisting with distaste at the foul smell.
“I can,” Rainn announced. “Follow me.”
Jogging at an angle away from the fog, Rainn headed for the edge of the cliff. She could only hope that the opening was still there. Otherwise they were screwed.
They’d inched along the edge for several feet when the fog finally thinned. Rainn released a shaky breath of relief.
Thank the goddess.
Tarak peered into the darkness, his face tight with concern.
“You can stay here if you want,” Rainn offered.
She understood that the vampire wasn’t worried for himself. It was the beautiful mermaid that was obviously causing him to hesitate.
Tarak continued to study the rotting landscape visible through the swirling mist.
“We can’t be sure that Ulric is inside. This might be a trap.”
Rainn shook her head. As soon as she’d stepped out of the portal she’d been able to feel Ulric. It was as tangible as if he was physically reaching out to touch her.
“He’s in there.”
Tarak sent her a glance that was more curious than suspicious. “How do you know?”
“I can sense him.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yes, he…” Her words trailed away, a blush staining her cheek.
It was idiotic, but the thought of discussing Ulric’s most private emotions felt like a betrayal.
She sensed a gentle touch on her arm as Waverly stood next to her. The mermaid’s soft scent wrapped around her, easing the foul odor that was putrefying the air.
“Rainn?” she prompted.
Rainn grimaced. She had to explain. These two were risking their lives. They deserved the truth.
“Ulric is convinced that I’m his mate.”
Tarak and Waverly looked more baffled than shocked.
“Should I offer my congratulations?” Tarak demanded.
She waved away the question. “I can sense his wolf. It’s reaching out to me.”
Tarak nodded. As if suddenly understanding. Then, he glanced at his mate. “Waverly—”
“Are we a team?” she interrupted. Clearly she knew exactly what he was about to say.
His jaw tightened, but he was wise enough not to speak the words that were clearly on the tip of his tongue. “Yes, we’re a team.”
Rainn arched her brows. The vampire was smarter than she expected.
“Good.” Waverly reached beneath her sweater to pull out a small trident.
Rainn had never seen anything like it, but she could feel the magic that hummed around the weapon.
“I’m ready,” Waverly announced.
Rainn nodded, then without giving herself time to consider what was waiting for them, she entered the fog.
Chapter 14
Warily, Brigette watched as Ulric stepped out of the portal. She clenched the silver dagger she’d stolen from her father just before the mongrels had attacked the village. It was magically enhanced to ensure the blade would penetrate even the thickest armor. And while it had been created to battle trolls and orcs, it was equally lethal to Weres.
It was all well and good for Zella to claim that she had complete control over the dangerous male, but Brigette knew who would pay the price if the old woman was wrong.
Zella had no concern for anyone or anything beyond her own single-minded obsession with destroying the barrier that kept her trapped.
Of course, if Brigette were being honest, she would admit that she would destroy Zella in a heartbeat to achieve her own goals. She’d already sacrificed her family. Clearly, she hadn’t been cursed with the tedious need for loyalty. Or morality. Only fools allowed such weaknesses to rule their lives.
Now she braced herself. One hint that Ulric was about to come to his senses, and she was sinking the blade into the center of his heart. She believed in killing first and asking questions later.
“Tell him to lie on the altar,” Zella commanded.
Zella had used a portion of the rocks that had fallen during the cave-in to create a long, four-foot-wide platform. She’d even forced Brigette to help her arrange it directly in front of the skeleton. As if it wasn’t bad enough that her hands were still raw from clearing the tunnel.
Once the woman was satisfied with the stupid thing, she’d created the portal. But obviously she wasn’t as clairvoyant as she liked to pretend. The opening had led them to Ulric, but neither of them could penetrate the magic that was surrounding him.
It’d been left to Brigette to try and coax him into the portal. And now she was still expected to get the Were into place.
Really, what was the point of Zella if Brigette was expected to do all the hard work?
“Ulric, I need you to lie down,” she commanded between clenched teeth.
He swayed, gazing at her with clouded eyes. “Why?”
Good question. She didn’t bother to glanc
e at Zella for the answer. Although the older woman easily adapted to look and sound like a modern-day human, there was always something “off” about her. Brigette didn’t want the woman alerting Ulric that he was walking into a trap.
“Because you’re tired,” she said in a cooing voice.
He swayed as if he was about to collapse. “I am.”
“Then lie down.”
There was a long silence as he continued to sway from side to side.
“No,” he at last rasped. “Rainn. Where is she?”
Zella clicked her tongue in annoyance. “The hold of the female is greater than I expected.”
Brigette frowned. Zella was right. After the portal was closed behind Ulric, any hint of the mysterious female should have disappeared. But the misty, summer scent remained embedded in Ulric’s skin.
“I can smell her. As if…” Brigette’s words ended with a low hiss.
“What?” Zella demanded.
“She’s his mate.”
Zella sent her an aggravated glance. “This would have been a lot easier if you’d killed her like you were supposed to.”
Anger boiled through Brigette. She wasn’t sure why the knowledge that Ulric had found his mate was pissing her off. She’d decided a long time ago she didn’t want to be permanently tied to any male.
It had to be the fact that this male had been out there living his life, having a great time with his precious friends, while she’d been…A humorless laugh was wrenched from her throat. Just be honest. She’d been a damned servant to the crazy bitch who was glaring at her as if she was a bug.
“Why didn’t you?” she challenged.
Flames danced around Zella’s hands. “You forget your place, servant.”
Brigette tilted her chin, refusing to back down. “Are you going to finish this or not?”
There was a dangerous silence before Zella was turning her attention back to Ulric. Heat surged in the already smothering cavern as she intensified her hold on the male.
“Ulric, you must lie down,” Brigette said, her tone firm. “It’s the only way to save the village. To save your family.”
Sweat dripped down her face as he unconsciously battled against Zella’s magic.
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