by Lynn Hagen
Kamiko smiled up at him as Takeo pulled air into his lungs, his smile impish, mischievous. “Now that was a proper hello.”
Chapter Thirteen
From the corner of his eye, Kamiko could see Takeo watching him closely, carefully, as if trying to figure him out. Kamiko didn’t know what there was to figure out. Yes, he wanted to be able to spread his wings and fly, but he needed Takeo by his side to do it. It was kind of like the two went hand in hand.
“What is this place?” Kamiko asked as he looked around the small windowless room. It was clean, white walled, but kind of creepy.
Takeo glanced around. “It’s sort of a cell, I guess you could say.”
“A cell?” Kamiko felt instant outrage flood him as he thought about his Takeo being locked away. He slammed his hands down on his hips as he glared across at his lover. “Why in the hell were you in a cell?”
Takeo looked sheepish, his face flushing as he glanced away from Kamiko. “Once mated, a demon doesn’t do so well when separated from his mate. Panahasi brought me here for my own protection, and everyone else’s.”
“Why?”
“Because I thought I had lost you.” Kamiko’s heart shuddered in his chest at the anguish he could see in Takeo’s eyes. He had done that. His selfishness had brought a great man down to his knees. Kamiko didn’t know if he had ever felt so low in his life. He had no idea how Takeo could love him after this.
“I—I’m sorry, Takeo.”
“Don’t be.” Takeo’s smile was rueful. “Maybe this is what we both needed to understand how important our relationship is.” Kamiko gawked as he looked around the barren room. “But—”
“I love you and you love me. What else do we need to know?”
“I’ll tell you what we need to know,” Kamiko snapped. “How in the hell do we get out of here?”
Takeo’s laughter was loud and rich, filling the room. Kamiko ran across the room and grabbed the hand Takeo held out to him. He smiled and inhaled deeply when he was wrapped up in his mate’s arms. Takeo really smelled fantastic.
“Panahasi,” Takeo called out to the room. “I’m ready to come home.”
Kamiko’s stomach flopped as the room started to waver. He squeezed his eyes tightly shut and held on to Takeo for all he was worth. When his stomach began to settle after a few moments, Kamiko cracked one eye open, then the other. His jaw dropped open as he glanced around.
“How in the hell did you do that?”
A deep voice chuckled behind Kamiko. “There are many things in this world unseen by the human eye, my friend.” Kamiko swung around, a slight snarl on his lips until he saw Panahasi sitting in a large wingback chair in front of a roaring fire. He held a leather-bound book in one hand, a glass of amber-colored liquid in the other.
Kamiko nodded at the man. “Thank you for bringing us back.” Then he frowned. “And don’t ever put Takeo in that room again. He’s not a danger to anyone, and you should know that.” Panahasi arched an eyebrow. “I did not request the room, Kamiko.
Takeo did.”
Kamiko’s eyes snapped up to his mate. Takeo’s face was flushing again. It was a new trait for his mate, and one Kamiko found endearing. “You asked to be put in that horrible place?” Takeo shrugged. “I thought it was for the best.” Kamiko punched Takeo in the arm. “It wasn’t. Do you know how hard it was to find you?”
“Just how did you find Takeo, anyway?” Panahasi asked. “He was in a detention cell that has no doors or windows. Not many know how to get in there.”
“Keegan.”
Panahasi’s eyebrows shot up. “Keegan? And just how did you find him?”
Kamiko smirked. “I called Yasuko.”
Panahasi sighed. “It should not have been that easy for you to reach one of our detention cells, Kamiko.” Kamiko’s eyebrows furrowed. “Sorry?”
“I need to know exactly how you reached Takeo’s cell, Kamiko. It’s very important.”
“Well, um, I called Yasuko and told him I needed a favor. He talked to Christian, who called Maverick. Maverick sent Carter to Japan for me. Carter took me to the demon realm. I knew from talking to Keegan that he was involved with Marino, so I went to Malcor’s Melting Pot and hid until Keegan saw me. Keegan took me to Takeo.”
“Did anyone see you at Malcor’s?”
Kamiko started to answer when he felt, rather than heard, a deep growl building up in Takeo’s chest. He turned and looked at his mate.
The corner of Takeo’s mouth was curled back in a snarl, a fang glinting in the light.
Kamiko sighed and patted Takeo’s chest. “I’m sorry if I put myself in danger, but I am not sorry for doing whatever I needed to do to find you. I promise you can keep me locked up in the apartment for the next month.”
The snarled lip on Takeo’s face began to waver then slowly curled into a smile. “A whole month, little flower?” he asked as his hand skimmed down the side of Kamiko’s face.
“Please, Kamiko, I need to know if anyone at Malcor’s saw you.”
“Oh.” Kamiko turned to face Panahasi. “I don’t think so, but I can’t be positive. I tried to stay out of sight, but you never know.”
Panahasi closed the book he had been reading and set it on the small table next to his chair. He gulped down the last of the amber-colored liquid then set his glass down next to the book.
“If you two will please excuse me, I need to go talk to the keeper.”
“Panahasi, what’s going on?” Takeo asked.
“I think I may have figured out how Crypt and the others got out of prison.”
Kamiko’s jaw dropped. “How?” Was it something he said?
“If you can get into one of our detention cells, who else can do the same?”
“Just how many elves are there?” Kamiko asked.
Panahasi grimaced. “There are a lot of elves in the world, both the human realm and the demon, but not that many know the location of our detention center. Keegan is one of the few.”
“I don’t think Keegan would help Marino like that.”
“Even for the life of his brother?” Kamiko shook his head. “No, there are a lot of things he would do and has done. Letting Marino treat him like his own personal sex slave is one of them. But I really don’t think he would help Marino free everyone.”
“People will do a lot of nasty things in the name of love, Kamiko.”
Kamiko knew that, and he even understood that. But still…
“What would you do for Takeo?” Panahasi asked.
And there was the million-dollar question. “I’d do anything for him.”
“Then you cannot say Keegan wouldn’t help Marino if it would save his brother’s life.”
“I suppose.” Kamiko moved a step closer to Takeo, suddenly feeling very cold. “I just don’t see Keegan doing that, though. He hates Marino with a passion.”
“Like I said, Kamiko, people will do a lot of things in the name of love.”
Kamiko regarded the demon leader for a moment. “What would you do in the name of love?”
A pained expression came over Panahasi’s face. “What wouldn’t I do?”
“I’m worried about Keegan.”
“I am, too,” Takeo replied.
Kamiko snuggled closer to Takeo’s chest, needing his mate’s warmth. He had been cold ever since talking to Panahasi, and nothing seemed to warm him enough. “Is there any way we can check on him?”
“No. If Marino saw us anywhere near Keegan, he might figure out that Keegan has helped us out. It could put him in danger, more danger than he is already in.”
“Well, I don’t like it.”
“I know, little flower.” Takeo’s hand rubbed up and down Kamiko’s arm. “I don’t like it either.”
“Can’t we send Carter or something?” Kamiko smacked Takeo on the arm when he burst out laughing. “It wasn’t that funny.”
“I’m not laughing at your idea, little flower. I’m laughing at the look Tryck Santiago is sure to have on
his face when he discovers his mate has been shimmering around the world. From what I’ve been told, he isn’t a very understanding wolf.” Kamiko didn’t want to get Carter into trouble. After all, the guy had helped Kamiko. He wasn’t sure what they should do, but Kamiko knew he couldn’t let Keegan get into any trouble for helping him. All the guy wanted was his brother. “Do you know if Panahasi has found Keegan’s brother yet?”
Takeo sobered as he shook his head. “Wherever Marino has him is undetectable.”
“So was the location you and I were held. Panahasi said that he couldn’t locate you. Is it possible that Keegan’s brother is in the same place?” Kamiko yelped when Takeo sat straight up, his eyes wide.
“I heard a lot of screaming there,” his mate confessed, his eyes tortured. “We already saved one man. Wayland rescued him.” Takeo jumped up from the bed. “I’ll be right back.” Kamiko nodded as he lay back down. There was nothing else he could do at the moment. If Keegan’s brother was in the same place he and Takeo had been locked up in, the poor soul was probably either close to death or out of his mind.
Kamiko prayed it wasn’t either, but he had a bad feeling about this.
Panahasi walked the underworld, thinking of the question Kamiko had posed. What would he do for love? He had a ready answer for Kamiko, but honestly, Panahasi wasn’t sure.
He’d never been in love.
It was a foreign and strange concept to him. He had been alive for so long, walked the planet for thousands of years, that Panahasi had given up on finding his light, his other half. The problem with closing off his heart and resigning himself to a lonely existence was watching the other warriors mate.
It drove home that he had no one to warm his bed or call his. Sure, he took a lover here and there, but it wasn’t the same. As mighty as he was, as all-powerful as he was, Panahasi couldn’t find his mate.
Maybe he didn’t exist yet, or had died long ago before Panahasi discovered who he was. Regardless of the reason, he still walked alone.
“What brings you down here?”
Panahasi pushed his somber thoughts aside as he walked into the keeper’s personal chambers. The room always reminded Panahasi of a wizard’s laboratory. Concoctions brewed with unsightly things floated around in jars. There were tons of books perched everywhere.
Some lay open while others looked as though they hadn’t been touched in eons.
“An elf was able to shimmer down here. He brought one of the warriors mates with him. How can that be?” Panahasi posed the question as he picked up what looked like a green crystal ball.
“Are we speaking of Keegan?” the keeper asked.
“Yes.”
“That elf is a unique one. Not even he is fully aware of his true potential. He is more than meets the eye,” the keeper explained as he took a seat on a stool that looked as though it were going to break any second. Panahasi watched for a moment, but it didn’t collapse.
“How so?”
“That is for him to discover, my friend. Keegan has the power to find his brother, if only he looks inside himself.” Panahasi hated talking to the guy sometimes. The keeper liked riddles. He knew probing wouldn’t get him anywhere, so he didn’t ask the man to elaborate. He had promised Keegan that he would try and locate his brother in exchange for the elf’s help, but he wasn’t too sure he would be able to keep his end of the bargain.
And that pissed him off to no end.
Panahasi kept his promises. “Have you located Constantine or Crypt?”
The keeper smiled, a twinkle in his eye. “I know where both are at. The problem is that they move around so much they are hard to pin down for more than a second.”
“How did they escape?” That had been the question he had meant to come down here and ask.
The keeper sighed as he leaned over an open book, entwining his hands together. “The locket.”
Panahasi’s brow rose as he leaned against the wall. “But I thought only a warrior or the crystal could unlock the detention cells?” This was very disturbing news. If other objects could be used, they were in deep shit.
Shrugging, the keeper answered, “Marino found a way to transfer the crystal’s powers using Dillon’s blood. The crystal is unlocked by submerging it into a pool of human blood. Marino figured that part out. He must have used dark magic to transfer its powers. He’s dabbling in the ancient arts, which is not good.”
“No shit,” Panahasi replied. “He’s proving to be a big pain in the ass. Even I am having trouble taking him down.” The keeper chuckled as he stood, walking over to Panahasi and patting him on the shoulder. “You are truly a great warrior, Panahasi.
One of the few I would trust with my life. But even you have your limitations. There are only a handful that are the oldest creatures to walk the earth, you being one of them, but some things are so obvious that they are overlooked.”
There went those damn riddles again.
Panahasi knew he had gotten all he was going to get from the keeper. And from their conversation, he was even more confused than when he first walked in. He didn’t have any answers and was no closer to finding out how Keegan had entered the underworld.
But the keeper knew Keegan could enter. That was all he needed to know. If the man was fine with it, Panahasi wouldn’t worry about it.
He just had to figure out what he was overlooking.
God, he hated riddles.
Takeo found Wayland at Diablo’s slamming back drinks. Roxy was on stage strutting his stuff as multitudes of men gathered around the stage to drool and pant. He pushed his way to the bar and leaned against the wood as he stared around the room.
“You take care of the person we found?” Wayland nodded as he slammed the glass down. Diablo, the owner, refilled it, only to have Wayland empty the glass in under a second. He was going at it hard, which only meant he was troubled.
“Care to tell me?”
Wayland shook his head.
Takeo sighed. And people called him closed off. All the warriors had assorted backgrounds of varying degrees, but he knew Wayland’s, and it hadn’t been a picnic.
It hadn’t been the same as his years in Baku, but his was on a different level. “Where did you stash him?” Wayland turned his head, eyeing Takeo before he downed his drink. As fast as Wayland was pitching them back, Diablo was refilling them. Takeo was surprised Wayland wasn’t laid out by now.
“Can’t tell you.”
Takeo leaned in close, making sure his voice was only a whisper.
“I need to see him and identify who he is.” He needed to make sure the guy wasn’t Keegan’s brother. If he wasn’t, Takeo needed to go back to where he and his mate had been tortured and search every last godforsaken room.
“It’s not that easy.”
“Why?”
“I took him to the human realm to heal. And then he was moved. Not even I know where he is.”
Chapter Fourteen
Kamiko cuddled closer to his mate as sleep slowly left him. He inhaled Takeo’s scent, smiling to himself. There was no place he’d rather be than tucked under his mate, feeling Takeo’s weight pressing down on him.
“Are you finally awake, lazybones?” Takeo asked in his husky, sleep-laced voice. Kamiko could listen to the gravelly timbre of his mate’s voice all day long and never grow tired of it.
“No,” he answered as he burrowed deeper, enjoying the warmth of his mate’s body.
“Then how are you answering me?”
Kamiko smiled again as he rubbed his cheek against his mate’s muscular side. He was content to stay right where he was. He didn’t want any intrusions to disturb his comfort. If he opened his eyes, he would have to get up. That was the last thing Kamiko wanted to do right now. Nope, he was happy right where he was.
“Kamiko?”
Sighing, Kamiko opened his eyes and gazed up at Takeo. Now that was a sight he looked forward to seeing for the rest of his life. A rough shadow formed on Takeo’s jaw, making him look ruggedly
handsome. Not that his mate wasn’t gorgeous already, but it only added to his striking appearance.
“I’m awake,” he grumbled but didn’t make any attempt at moving from his spot. He was warm and cozy.
“I have to leave, little flower.”
Kamiko stiffened at Takeo’s words. The last time his mate left, he had to hunt his location down. He didn’t like this one bit. Kamiko glanced up at Takeo, feeling dread fill him.
“Where are you going?”
Takeo must have seen the apprehension in his eyes. He smiled as he cupped Kamiko’s face and laid a soft kiss on his lips. “I won’t be gone long. I may have a lead on Keegan’s brother.” Kamiko breathed easier knowing Takeo would be back soon. He grabbed Takeo when his mate attempted to leave their bed. He wasn’t ready to let Takeo go yet. The man was his entire reason for living, and he just wanted a few more minutes with him before the bed turned cold with his absence.
Using all the strength he possessed, Kamiko pulled Takeo back down to the mattress and then straddled him.
“What are you doing, little flower?” Takeo chuckled as he placed his hands on Kamiko’s hips, smiling up at him. Kamiko loved when Takeo smiled. It made him devilishly handsome in a way that made Kamiko’s heart swell with love. His mate’s eyes sparkled when he smiled.
“I’m kidnapping you,” Kamiko said as he ran his hands over hard, rigid, and lean muscles. Takeo was perfectly shaped in every way.
Kamiko could lie there for hours just worshipping his mate’s sculpted body.
The man was a god in Kamiko’s eyes.
“And what are you going to do with me?” Takeo teased as his thumbs drew lazy circles around Kamiko’s hips.
Oh, Kamiko had many ideas of what he wanted to do to Takeo—too many for just one morning. It would take days to explore all the possibilities.
Kamiko was all for that. He knew he didn’t have that much time, though. As much as he wanted to explore every possible way he could love all over Takeo, Kamiko knew he had to be choosy.
But there was one thing he was curious to do. He just wasn’t sure how far he could go with Takeo. Would his mate let him?