Inevitable Darkness

by Cassandra Lawson

  “Jase wants to claim me as his mate,” Vexx replied.

  “Which is a good thing,” Winter added.

  “No,” Vexx argued. At first, she’d seriously considered giving in and being with Jase, but her doubts had quickly returned. “It’s not a good thing. Jase is the leader of his clan. He needs a responsible mate, and he needs strong kittens. I can’t give him any of that.”

  “You’re wrong,” Mitchell argued. “Not just about what Jase needs, but about yourself. On the surface, you seem like the opposite of Jase and the opposite of what he wants in a mate. You can be impulsive and childish.”

  “I’m aware of my flaws and how they don’t fit into Jase’s plans,” Vexx grumbled.

  “The problem isn’t who you are so much as your perception of yourself. The things I just mentioned aren’t flaws,” Mitchell stated. “That’s who you are. They are part of what makes you fun, exciting, and passionate. Those are all things Jase lacks in his life. I suppose Zane brings some spontaneity to his life, but it’s not the same.”

  “He’s right,” Winter agreed. “You’re good for Jase, and he wants to be with you. When he first met you, he didn’t appreciate your impulsiveness, and he wanted you to change. That wasn’t fair of him.”

  “My lies hurt him and made him feel foolish,” Vexx stated. “I don’t blame him for wanting me to change.”

  “But he doesn’t want you to change anymore,” Winter pointed out. “He’s asking to be with you without any conditions.”

  What Winter said was true, but Vexx didn’t know if he’d change his mind after marking her. Putting up with her impulsiveness was much easier when he didn’t have to live with her. “I need to tell him it’s never going to happen. Then, maybe he’ll see that going with us is a mistake. He has a responsibility to his clan.”

  “They’ll be fine with Max in charge temporarily,” Winter told her. “Jase isn’t running off and leaving them without a leader.”

  Mitchell grinned. “It’s funny hearing you complain that Jase isn’t behaving responsibly.”

  “And it shows how irresponsibly he’s behaving,” Vexx replied before letting out a sigh. “Am I turning into the voice of reason with Jase?”

  Winter and Mitchell both laughed, and soon Vexx found herself laughing. No one would ever suggest she was the voice of reason in any situation unless it involved another witch.

  “Fine,” she admitted around her laughter. “That sounded crazy. Can we stop talking about Jase now and focus on one of your problems?”

  “Not quite. Jase needs someone who will compliment him,” Winter told her. “You were his true mate because you are perfect for him. Losing that bond didn’t change anything.”

  “You sound like Jase,” Vexx grumbled.

  “Why not give him a chance?” Mitchell asked.

  “I’m trying,” she assured them. “At least, I was until I convinced myself earlier today that I shouldn’t give him a chance. It’s scary.”

  “I understand,” Mitchell assured her. “It’s scary putting yourself out there when you think the person might reject you. Jase wants to be with you, and he knows what that will mean.”

  “And what about you and Abram?” Vexx asked.

  “Abram is attracted to me because I’m like Kish,” Mitchell argued.

  “That’s not true,” Winter insisted. “Kish is nothing like you.”

  “Abram keeps saying that,” Mitchell admitted. “I’m not sure I believe him.”

  “Maybe you don’t want to believe him,” Winter suggested.

  “Part of me doesn’t,” Mitchell admitted. “I have a family and people I love. Being with Abram would mean leaving that behind. Abram can’t move to Connor’s settlement even if we somehow worked things out between us. I won’t be able to live there if I end up with Abram.”

  “It’s not like you’d be moving to another continent,” Vexx reminded him.

  “You’re right, but I’m still not sure I can do this,” Mitchell said on a sigh before turning to Winter and waiting.

  “I didn’t have time to even look around when we took Kish home,” Winter began. “There won’t be much time when we retrieve her since I’m not sure how long we can keep the portal stable. It was my home, and I miss it. The memories are coming more frequently in dreams. It’s not that I forgot my life there, but I pushed those memories so far back that I rarely even think of my father or brothers. Part of me wishes I could run through the rainforest like I did when I was young.”

  “I wish we could give you more time there,” Vexx told her.

  “I’m not sure it would be good to spend more time there,” Winter admitted. “My father and brothers are gone. If there are any others alive from when I lived there, they’re strangers now. I never got to mourn. By the time I learned of my father’s death, it seemed like someone else’s life.”

  “Do you want to visit longer while we’re there?” Mitchell asked. “Or does it just bother you to have no choice? I ask because we could go back there another time. If this works, there’s nothing to stop us from going there again.”

  Winter opened her mouth to respond and closed it to consider her words. “This may not make any sense, but I want to visit the time before my father and brothers died.”

  “We could do that,” Vexx told them. “We’re going to be able to do it.”

  “When Zane first came back with Lexi,” Mitchell began softly. “I didn’t want to hear anything about my involvement. Something about traveling along the timeline frightens me. I’ve often told myself it can’t happen.”

  “But you’d already dreamt of it,” Vexx reminded him.

  “And I still refused to discuss it with Zane,” Mitchell replied.

  “We’d never ask you to do anything you’re not comfortable with,” Winter assured him.

  “And that’s part of the reason why I know we’ll go back to the time before your father died if you really want to.” Mitchell continued when they looked confused. “Knowing that you care about my feelings makes me care more about yours.”

  “I know exactly how you feel,” Vexx replied. “So, are you ready to make a massive portal tomorrow?”

  “Yes,” Winter replied, sounding more like herself. “I hate to say it, but these heart-to-heart talks seem to help.”

  “No more talk about love and loss,” Vexx stated. “Where are we going tomorrow?”

  Chapter 32

  Terigin was about to summon Destran so they could search for Kishara when Satan ordered him to his chambers. As he approached Satan’s throne room, he took several deep breaths, struggling to get his temper under control. Later, he could take out his anger on one of his underlings. Until he finished his meeting with Satan, he needed to act like a servant. This Satan might be weaker than the previous ones, but he wouldn’t tolerate insolence. Days in one of Satan’s cells, not to mention the recovery time, would delay his plans.

  “How can I be of service, my Lord?” Terigin asked as he entered the room and bowed. To get ahead, sometimes you had to grovel; that was Terigin’s motto. He kept his voice pleasant by reminding himself that soon, he’d be the one with people kissing his ass.

  “There’s no need to bow to me, old friend,” Satan told him with an amiable smile.

  Terigin managed to contain his laughter. Satan didn’t consider him a friend, merely someone he trusted to not put a knife in his back. That was as close to friendship as you got in Hell. “I could never show such disrespect to the King of Hell.”

  “You are one of the few I can count on,” Satan said with a sigh as he sagged in his throne. Satan and Terigin were of the same species of demon. He was so beautiful that Terigin hadn’t minded the times Satan had demanded his company in bed. His long golden hair went to the middle of his back, and thick lashes framed his deep blue eyes. Along his chest and arms were a series of tattoos that served as a birth certificate, labeling him a member of the royal family in Hell. Atop his head sat a crown with large black spikes.

 
“You’ll always have my loyalty, my King,” Terigin assured him from his spot near Satan’s throne. “How may I serve you? Who do you need me to kill?”

  Satan sat straighter and shook his head. “It’s nothing like that. Others take my genial nature as a sign of weakness, but not you. It’s nice to have one subject who appreciates the work I put into gaining this position.”

  Satan hadn’t done much to gain his position since it was his birthright. A new ruler was named every five-hundred years. At that point, the old leader stepped down and allowed the next in line to take over—at least, that’s how it happened when things went as expected. A more zealous heir killed the current leader to assume his place sooner rather than later. This was Hell, so no one complained. Ruthlessness was rewarded as long as the person had a good scapegoat. Someone had to pay for the murder of the King. Demons were sticklers for their own rules. All this King had done was wait until it was his turn to rule.

  “What can I do for you?” Terigin asked him again.

  “I’ve heard rumors of a powerful halfling,” Satan began.

  “A halfling?” Terigin asked with a raised eyebrow. “While it’s true that some have a little demon power, they’re useless creatures.”

  “I’ve heard this one could be a threat,” Satan stated, sounding worried—a strange reaction.

  “Maybe if you tell me what you know, I’ll be able to help you locate the halfling, that is, if they even exist. You know demons love to exaggerate.”

  “The halfling is a female,” he clarified. “Two demons were overheard talking about her connection to the strange energy surges.”

  “Did they give you the identity of this halfling?” Terigin asked.

  Satan shook his head. “I brought the demons in for questioning. One died during the interrogation while the other claims he has no idea where he heard the information. I don’t trust him. I need you to question him.”

  “Of course,” Terigin assured him, glad Satan had delayed him. This would give him an opportunity to see who knew of Kishara’s existence.

  “Report anything you find to me,” Satan told him, already sounding bored with the conversation. “He’s in the upper level of the southern detention area.”

  “I’ll head over there immediately,” Terigin assured him. “Don’t worry too much about this halfling. It sounds like useless demon gossip to me.”

  Terigin walked briskly out of the room and opened a portal to a spot close to the prison. Guarded by spells, portals wouldn’t open within the prison itself. Once there, he had to sign in. Since Satan had sent him, the guards fell all over themselves to rush him through the security process.

  “I’ll escort you,” a guard offered. “He’s in cell seventeen.”

  “There’s no need,” Terigin told him. “I’ve been here enough to know where I’m going.”

  “Satan considers this demon a high-profile prisoner, so someone should accompany you,” another guard argued.

  Terigin’s eyes narrowed as he regarded the guards, making sure they saw his anger at being questioned. “I am here at Satan’s request. I understand his desires better than you.”

  “Of course,” the first guard stammered out. The second guard looked like he was going to continue arguing, but the first cut him off. “We don’t want to end up in a cell ourselves, right?”

  The other guard still didn’t look convinced, but he nodded. “Let us know if you need anything.”

  “I will,” Terigin assured them with a condescending sneer.

  As he made his way down the dimly lit hallways, he did his best to not gag at the smell. It was a potent mix of sweat, blood, excrement, and urine, with a hint of rotting flesh. No one cleaned the cells or torture chambers.

  Only a few demons knew of Kishara’s existence, and Terigin intended to make sure this one couldn’t be tied back to him. All but a few of his minions were too lowly to be on Satan’s radar unless they did something stupid.

  Screams echoed through the hall accompanied by the usual sounds of despair. When he finally reached his intended destination, all Terigin heard were the pitiful whimpers of the occupant of the cell.

  “Destran,” he hissed as he let himself into the cell.

  The frightened demon scurried across the floor and huddled in the corner. “I didn’t tell them anything. I was loyal.” His voice was hoarse from screaming.

  “You’ve done well,” Terigin praised. He’d never had reason to doubt Destran’s loyalty, just his intelligence. Destran’s stupidity had landed him in the cell. “You’ve always been loyal to me.”

  “Always,” Destran wheezed out. “Have you come to get me out of here? You don’t know what they’ve done to me.”

  Terigin had a good idea of what they’d done to Destran. It would only get worse. If Terigin didn’t get information from Destran, Satan would send someone with even less restraint—someone to break Destran’s mind. Eventually, Destran’s loyalty wouldn’t matter. They all talked if they survived that long. Prisoners died during torture all the time. Loyal or not, Destran was about to join the numbers of prisoners who didn’t survive interrogations.

  “Where is Kishara?” Terigin asked.

  Destran wheezed and squeezed his eyes shut before responding. “I’ll show you when we go there.”

  “Tell me now,” Terigin snarled. He took a deep breath and calmed himself. He needed Destran to give him the information quickly. “Come, my friend. Tell me what I need to know before I free you.”

  “The realm she’s in is near the center of the cluster of realms in the blue section of the map,” Destran replied.

  Terigin ground his teeth in frustration. Destran’s description narrowed it down to five realms. He cursed himself for allowing his brother’s appearance to distract him. He should have gotten Destran to point out Kishara’s location on the map. There was nothing he could do about that now.

  Reaching out with his magic, he thrust a black cloud of energy into Destran’s nostrils. The demon tried to gasp, but Terigin’s power filled his lungs, leaving no room for air. It took only seconds for the dark magic to move through his body, burning like acid down to the marrow of his bones. Were Terigin using this for torture, he’d withdraw his magic and allow Destran to breathe long enough to answer a question. This wasn’t torture; it was a mercy kill, though Destran didn’t look like he appreciated Terigin’s kindness as he collapsed to the floor and clawed at his own throat.

  “It’s nothing personal,” he assured Destran in a bored tone. “I can’t have you telling others what you know. No matter how loyal you are, you’ll give in. Had you kept your mouth shut, none of this would be happening.”

  He sighed in frustration at how long it took the demon to die. He worried one of the guards would enter and see him killing Destran. “Why won’t you die?” he growled as Destran twitched on the ground with his tongue sticking out.

  Finally, Destran stopped moving. Terigin kept his magic in place longer, to be sure the demon was dead before allowing it to flow back into himself. He walked out the door and shouted, “Who was responsible for questioning him last?”

  A guard scurried down the hall, looking worried. “I don’t know,” the guard stammered out.

  “You don’t know?” Terigin roared. “Isn’t it your job to know what’s going on down here?”

  “I wasn’t here the last time he was questioned,” the guard explained. “No one told me anything about his interrogation.”

  “Well, he was in such bad shape, he died within five minutes of me questioning him,” Terigin spat out. “This is unacceptable. I thought your torturers were experts? This is the work of a child.”

  The guard suddenly grew a backbone and decided to question Terigin. “If you were in with him, how do I know you weren’t responsible for his death?”

  “Do you know who I am?” Terigin asked in a quiet voice.

  The guard simply nodded.

  “Then you know that I’m down here doing Satan’s bidding,” Terigin told
him. “The only way I would have killed this prisoner was if Satan had ordered me to do so. Do you honestly think he would have died this quickly if Satan had ordered his death?”

  “No,” the guard replied, shaking his head vigorously. “I’ll find out who questioned the prisoner last, and the matter will be investigated.”

  “I know it will be investigated,” Terigin spat out. “Satan will see to that.”

  Terigin stormed out of the prison, cursing the delay. He needed to update Satan, and then he needed to locate another tracker.

  Chapter 33

  The day had finally come, and Jase felt nervous energy racing through his veins. He could only imagine how Vexx felt. The larger portal she’d created with Winter and Mitchell the day before had been a success. They didn’t anticipate any issues making the one to the jaguar land, but there were no guarantees.

  “Are you ready to do this?” Jase asked as he reached out to stroke Vexx’s cheek.

  Her eyes widened, and she stared at him for several heartbeats before responding. “Yes, I’m ready. Our last portal was much easier. This is going to work out fine.”

  They were all gathered north of their territory. The location was far enough from three of their settlements to avoid drawing any attention to them if the demons followed. Connor was there with Ian and Simon to see them off. Once Vexx, Winter, and Mitchell opened the portal, Connor and his vampires planned to leave. According to Connor, they were there to impart last-minute instructions and advice. No one mentioned it, but they were there so Ian could see Mitchell off.

  Jase could only imagine what Ian was going through. His son was putting himself in great danger. Jase hoped his own kittens never had to face anything similar. Thoughts of kittens made him smile. He’d never thought much about fatherhood before Vexx came into his life. His gaze moved to her, and he smiled.

  “Why are you smiling?” she asked.