The scratching came again, this time louder and longer. He stood and moved around the cell, trying to find the source. At last, he knelt and stared at a spot on the dirt floor. Was it coming from underground?
Hurrying across his room, he grabbed his metal cup and returned to the spot. Using the tool, he started to dig. Minutes ticked by. The scratching continued, and so he didn’t slow.
At last, the earth caved in.
He heard coughing. Acting on instinct, he reached into the small hole, and grabbed whatever was inside, then hauled it out.
A tiny woman, entirely covered in dirt, coughed and coughed as he set her on the ground next to the hole. He stared in shock, not sure exactly what he was looking at. And not sure at all how she’d come to be beneath the ground.
Reaching for her, he began to dust the dirt from her face, scooping it out of her closed eyes, and brushing it from her hair. At last, as the cloud around her began to calm, her eyes opened. Two bright pools of green stared at him from a face thin, to the point of starvation.
“Alec?” she whispered, and her voice cracked.
He frowned. “How do you know who I am?”
She held out one small hand, and he reached out and shook it without thinking. “I know a lot of things. Too many things.”
“You sound like a damned witch, with that kind of meaningless babble.”
A small laugh escaped her lips. Her big eyes widened. “Did I just laugh?”
He nodded, his frown deepening.
She touched her mouth as if in awe. “I can’t remember the last time I laughed. I forgot what it sounded like. What it felt like.” She closed her eyes, and her mouth twisted into a smile.
Fuck. His demon-heart was made of God damn steel, but he felt an immediate protectiveness flair to life. Someone had hurt this child-like woman. Caine. It just gave him another reason to tear the bastard limb from limb.
“Are you alright?” He was surprised by the gentleness in his voice.
“Yes. I’ve just been his prisoner for so long.... and there’s no joy in this place. No light. No happiness.” She looked to his sword. “I’d give anything just for that. A light in the darkness.”
Damn it. “Well, as long as I’m here, you have it.”
Her big eyes focused on him again. “I’ve seen you so many times. I know what you will do and how you will do it, and yet, it’s different to actually meet you. You’re kind. And handsome. And—“
“Married.” He held up his hand, moving the finger with his wedding band, and feeling remarkably uncomfortable with where the conversation was going.
The woman laughed, touching her lips again. “Don’t worry, Alec. I know about Sharen, and I know she holds your heart. I’m meant to be something else to you. A figure representing innocence, and the cruelty of Caine. A shadow that will haunt your thoughts in a way that turns your stomach.”
What the fuck? “I don’t understand.”
“I’m Lachesis, but everyone calls me Lachy.”
He stiffened. “Uh, Lachesis like the Fate who knows the future?”
She nodded. “I’ve been Caine’s prisoner for longer than you can imagine.”
His stomach turned. “Is that how he always seems to be one step ahead of us?”
“A little,” she hung her head, her voice growing soft. “I try to fight him. I throw him off every time I can. But being a Fate, I can’t lie.”
Alec felt a sting of regret for making her feel bad. Reaching forward, he gave her shoulder an awkward pat. “I’m a demon and the bastard got me, so no need to feel bad.”
She looked back up at him again and smiled. “Sharen really is lucky to have you.”
He winced and dropped his hand. Sharen. Where was she? And was she okay?
Then, an idea hit him. “You’re a Fate. Can you tell me about Sharen? Is she safe?”
The Fate, Lachy, shrugged. “I’m not the Fate of the present, so I can’t say. But I can see her future.”
“And...”
“I can’t tell you.”
His brows rose. “Why?”
“Because it would change the course of fate.”
He sighed and leaned back against the wall of his cell. “Of course.”
“But there are things I can do.”
His eyes snapped open. “Like what?”
“Like help you to escape.”
“Shouldn’t you be trying to help yourself escape?”
The look of pure sadness that struck her face made him regret his words. Fuck, it made him feel like a complete asshole.
“Sorry.”
“No,” she said. “It’s okay. The problem with knowing the future is that I can’t quite see my own, but through the future of others, I know I won’t be escaping any time soon. Maybe never.” A tear leaked from her eye, leaving a trail in her dirt covered cheek.
“I can’t imagine much worse than knowing you have a crappy future.”
She gave him a wavering smile. “I don’t think there is much worse.”
A thought occurred to him. “And we can’t change your future?”
“The future can always be changed.”
“And would I ruin the future if I saved you?”
Her brows rose. “I don’t think so... but I also don’t think it’ll happen.”
He smiled. “Well, that might be because you don’t know me too well. In this escape plan of yours, let’s adjust it so we both make it out?”
There was something in her eyes that he couldn’t quite read. “Okay.”
“So how will this happen?”
Instead of answering him, she crawled over to his sword and stared into the flames. “I miss light. I miss warmth.” Raising her hands over the flames, she made a soft sound of contentment and closed her eyes.
Even though he was desperate to return to Sharen and his brothers, he clenched his teeth and remained silent. This poor woman deserved so much. The least he could give her was a moment to feel warm.
“I remember the time before Caine was in power.”
He stared intrigued. “What was it like?”
“It was... wonderful. No one can see it, but there are ten thrones in the throne room. That was where the Immortal Ten sat. They worked together to send the souls to the right places. The good people went to the angel realm. The people who made bad choices, but had good souls, went to the demon realm. There, they were given a chance to move up. During their journey, if they learned enough to do better, when they reached the human realm, they were given another chance at life. A chance to be reborn and try again. And the truly evil... they were locked in the darkest pits of the demon realms, never to return.” She sighed. “This place wasn’t a fortress. It was a palace. The Immortal Ten weren’t chained to their thrones. They lived lives. Had relationships and children. And... things were fair. Death wasn’t a bad thing, just the next phase of life.”
“So how did Caine become so powerful?”
Her eyes opened. “He is an immortal being with one horrible power. He can influence people’s minds. He erased their memories... the world’s memories too. And he took over.”
“Fuck.”
She nodded. “Yeah, fuck.”
He rubbed at his face. “But how do we take down someone like that?”
“We all have our roles.”
He sighed. “If I can get out of here.”
She crawled toward him, and he watched her wearily. “Thank you, Alec.”
“For what?”
“For talking to me. For reminding me of the goodness. And for letting me share your light and your warmth.”
He felt uncomfortable. “You’re welcome to use my sword as long as you wish.”
“I wasn’t talking about your sword.”
“Uh, okay.” He felt so sorry for her. She must really miss company if she thought he was something special.
“Are my brothers safe?”
She continued to stare at him. “None of us are safe.”
Shifting back
from him, she stood on legs that seemed to tremble. Then, after a moment she went and picked up his sword. She swung it around, her gaze glued to the flames as she smiled. Then, she handed it to him.
He took it, watching her with pity.
“Are you fast, Alec?”
“Fast?”
“Can you outrun the angels? Can you outrun the burn of metal? The kiss of arrows? The shadow of death? Can you run through stone and dirt? Can you cross the border between worlds?”
He stared at her.
“For Sharen?”
“For Sharen I would do anything.”
She smiled. “Then, Alec...,” her voice lowered. “Run, and don’t look back.”
“What—?”
Suddenly, he heard the scraping of a key in the door. Spinning to his feet, he tensed. The door swung open, and he knocked down the surprised guard. Two other angels waited behind the first. Without thought, he sliced their heads off, then started up the stairs, shouting, “come on!”
He heard the feet of the Fate behind him, but he followed her advice and didn’t look back.
Every angel that crossed his path met the sharp end of his sword. He didn’t know quite where he was going, but saw the light of a window staring out at clouds. Grabbing an angel by the throat, he dragged him to the window. Then, moving behind him, he shifted so his arm was against the angel’s throat.
“This is our exit,” he turned to the Fate.
She looked uncertain.
Sending his sword away, he grabbed her around the waist, then pushed them all out the window. The ground was far below, as he expected. The Fate shrieked, and the angel struggled as the ground grew closer and closer.
Come on, bastard, before we all die!
Suddenly, the white wings of the angel began to flap. They slowed but continued downward. When they were feet from crashing into the ground, Alec released the angel and braced himself for impact.
His feet hit hard, sending a vibration through his legs. But because the angel had slowed their descent, his bones stayed intact. Not releasing the Fate, he started to run for the border, calling his soul-blade back.
Overhead, he sensed the flurry of angels, even in the early morning light. Running as fast as his feet could take him, he had to skid to a halt in the desert sands. Six angels had landed in front of him.
Backing up, more angels appeared behind him.
“Let me go,” the Fate whispered.
His instincts screamed not to, but he obeyed. She did know the future, after all.
He expected many things, but not for her to start running between the angels.
His enemies looked confused, most started after the woman. A few remained.
“Lachy!” he shouted after her. What the hell was she doing?
“Go!” she shouted back. “For Sharen!”
His heart twisted, his protective instinct burning, but he did as she commanded. He ran toward the angels, barreling into them before they had a chance to attack. He continued on, his legs pumping.
Arrows hit the ground around him, but none struck their target. Angels tried to pluck him from the ground, but he swung his sword into the air, keeping them at bay. Ahead, he saw the shimmering of the border that kept Caine’s lair from the rest of the world. Putting his last ounce of strength into his legs, he did what he promised he wouldn’t.
He looked back.
The Fate was surrounded by angels. Her expression that of absolute sorrow. He wanted to save her, to go back for her. But there was no chance that he’d be able to take on that many angels.
He hit the magical border, her face, streaked with tears, the last thing he saw.
No matter what happened for the remainder of his life, he would not forget the woman who sacrificed herself for him.
Her words came back to him, like a whisper of wind, as magic tore around him. “I’m meant to be something else to you. A figure representing innocence, and the cruelty of Caine. A shadow that will haunt your thoughts in a way that turns your stomach.”
Sure enough, the Fate was right.
She would haunt him. But he’d try to push her to the back of his thoughts. Sharen and his brothers needed him, and he had no idea how to reach them.
Chapter Thirteen
Sharen followed Ryder, barely noticing as he stole a truck from the farm and drove them across town. It wasn’t until they came to an unfamiliar building that the full impact of their situation hit her. They couldn’t go to headquarters or to their home. So where were they going?
“Some place safe,” is all he said, a response that would have irritated her if she wasn’t so exhausted.
Right now I’d sleep in a trash can, if it meant I could recharge just a little.
He led her inside and down the stairs to a basement apartment. His every movement screaming of a soldier on the alert. She walked behind him, muscles tense, ready for any danger that might come their way. Ryder might radiate the strength of a demon, but he was battered and bruised. And even though he tried to hide it, she could sense his exhaustion growing with every step.
If something attacked them now, they’d be in a lot of trouble.
But to her relief, the hallway was silent. Nothing more than a stretch of blank walls illuminated by dim bulbs.
When he typed in the code on the keypad by a door, she half expected to find a roach-infested, hole-in-the-ground. But when he opened the door and turned on the light, she was surprised to see a more basic version of their home. It was sparsely decorated, but had a relaxed feel that spoke of her demons’ touch.
"Nice—what is this place?"
He grinned. "A demon has to keep some secrets... This place has everything we need for a few days, and even better, a lot of weapons."
She felt her tense nerves relax ever-so-slightly. “Sometimes I’m thankful you three are so damn paranoid.”
Walking in slowly, she gazed around in gratitude. The one bedroom apartment was set up efficiency style, with a small bedroom to one side, and a main room containing a tiny living room, dining room, and kitchen.
Basically... a slice of paradise after all they’d been through.
Without another word, he ushered her into the bedroom and led her straight to the bathroom. She felt like she should probably protest... but for the life of her, she couldn’t think of anything better than getting clean and crawling into bed.
He turned on the shower and undressed them both. When he moved her beneath the warm spray of water, he touched her bandaged arm. Pulling back the wrap slowly, they both stared at her perfectly healed, smooth skin.
She ran her hands along his body. The fight at their headquarters had been as brutal as she imagined if he still carried the evidence. The dark bruises decorating his skin looked painful, and the slashes from the angels’ blade had left raised scars over most of his body.
Kissing each wound, she touched him, worshipping him with her lips. She kissed him for every ounce of pain he’d gone through, and because she’d thought never to hold him again.
They cleaned each other with gentle touches, rubbing shampoo in each other’s hair and soap over their bodies. They remained in the water as long as they could, letting it work their aching muscles. When it grew cold, Ryder switched it off, and they dried each other.
Then, she stretched out beside him on the unfamiliar bed, her head on his chest and their hands locked. “I missed you so much.”
He kissed the top of her head. “I missed you too.”
Her heart squeezed. “What are we going to do? They have Alec and Kade. We have to save them. How can we ever be safe with Caine’s angels constantly surrounding us?”
Silence stretched between them for far too long. He finally answered. “How about we kill all of them?”
“Alright, let’s go with your plan,” she agreed.
He laughed, a soft sound. “Now that we have that figured out, I’m going to make love to you.”
Lifting her head, she stared at him.
“Sha
ren, I need to. I need to be inside of you. I thought—I thought I might never see you again.”
Something within her stirred, a longing to take away the loneliness and fear she’d felt since first seeing the headquarters covered in blood.
Leaning up, their lips met. At first the kiss was soft, tentative, as if exploring each other. And then, it grew harder, deeper. Her lips parted, and his warm tongue swept into her mouth.
She felt her body come to life. It sung beneath his touch. And when his hands moved up to cup her naked breasts, her skin tingled and her nipples hardened. His hands brushed her breasts, lifting her mounds as if to feel the weight. When he moved to her nipples, she gasped as his fingers pinched the peaks, sending heat shooting straight to her core.
He moved so that he was on top. Then, he broke their kiss, moving down her neck.
He sucked a path down her body, making the hairs on her body stand on end. When he came to her breasts, he took her nipples into his mouth and worshipped them with his lips.
She dug her hands into his hair, and leaned her head back, enjoying ever flick of his tongue, every spark of pleasure his touch brought.
When he started to kiss her belly, her body tensed, knowing what was to come. Her legs spread, and he shifted beneath her thighs. First his fingers teased her, stroking her bare mound. Then, he parted her folds and his fingertips slid along her folds, making her inner-muscles tighten in anticipation.
One finger buried inside of her, drawing a gasp of surprise from her lips. And then, when a second finger joined the first, his mouth lowered to suck her clit.
She never grew tired of this. This feeling that made her remember that she was alive. That made her feel as if her demons weren’t just a part of her heart, but part of her body too.
She pushed against him, rotating her hips to take him deeper. She moved against his mouth in a rhythm, her thoughts scattering with each incredible touch. When he sucked her clit deep into his mouth, she cried out.
This was what she wanted. This was what she needed.
Her orgasm came like an explosion, rocking through her body. Her hands suddenly dug into his hair, and she rode his face and fingers as if her life depended upon it.
When at last her orgasm calmed, he withdrew his fingers and mouth. Moving to lay on top of him, she wrapped her arms around his back, needing his closeness.
Mates of the Realms: The Complete Collection: A Paranormal Reverse Harem Box Set Page 29