by Tes Hilaire
Good, enough already. Only the bastard wouldn’t stay down. Trembling, he pushed himself up, shaking his head. And then the succubus screamed again. And crap, here they went again. Ganelon tolerated the growls and taunts and rattling cage for a whole two minutes this time before glancing over his shoulder long enough to take aim and negligently toss another bolt of power.
And what do you know, history repeats itself when you do the same stupid shit over and over again. The cop slammed into the back of the cage, and, yup, was immediately trying to push himself into a position beyond flat out horizontal.
“Stupid idiot,” he hissed, not wanting to draw daddy’s attention. “Stay the fuck down. Or at least shut the fuck up.”
Mike glanced over at him briefly, then turned his attention back to the table. Only he actually listened to Damon this time as he sat on his heels, his eyes fucking glowing as he glared at Ganelon’s back.
Damon rattled his cage, trying to draw Mike’s attention. “Over here, Ward. Focus on me for a minute.”
Mike’s head snapped as he leveled his gaze on Damon, truly looking at his cellmate for the first time. And, yup, that was definitely surprise on the fucker’s face.
An entire conversation went on between them as the eye contact went on and on and, holy fuck this was awkward, on some more.
How the hell did you get down here? Mike demanded.
Damon raised his brow, giving a pointed look to Mikey’s cage. How did you, there, boy-o?
A good ole face rake with his hands. Shit, have you been here all this time?
Damon pulled up the bloodstained tunic, showing the healing wounds and scars.
Mike closed his eyes. Opened them. And yup, that was a whole bunch of disbelief going on. How did you survive all that?
Really have to ask that one, bud? Only guess he did because Mike still looked confused. Damon tipped his head, tapping the side of his eyes as he gave him a my-you-are-stupid look. Check out the black eyes, fucker.
And Mike’s jaw went all metronome-y. In his brain Damon could all but see the cop’s wheels turning, gears grinding, puzzle pieces clunking into place. Did you have a hand in Jessica’s death?
And ding, ding, ding, now Mikey boy was getting to the good questions. Though totally irrelevant. Past sins were past. Damon had other shit to angst over right now. Like the little girl that was slipping shadow to shadow around the edge of the room.
Crap, fuck, and hell in a hand basket. Did no one here understand they needed to stay away from Ganelon? Not draw his attention. The girl was actually really good at sneaking though. And as she drew closer Damon could also tell she was even dirtier than before, her plumped out child cheeks actually hollowed and splotched with white and red. Worse was the red eyes. She’d been crying, a lot, and still was, even as she swiftly moved across the one long stretch of a whole lot of empty in the room.
She had to pass by Mike’s cage, but after one look at the glowing eyed man, she scootched by him to Damon’s cage.
The girl started to open her mouth, but Damon raised his finger, hushing her as he looked pointedly at Ganelon. Things had gone quiet across the room. Though not because Ganelon had stopped, but rather because the woman seemed determined to not make a noise. Because she realized the child was in the room, or because her screams obviously upset Mike so much?
The girl nodded, then pulled something from her pocket and started fiddling with the lock. Was that? A key. How the heck had she gotten a key? And how the hell was she touching the cage without being zapped?
Merker, remember?
The lock clicked, the girl looked up at him expectantly with her big wide hazel eyes. And hell, he hadn’t even noticed that little, big-ass clue before. Her eyes weren’t black, but damn if there wasn’t a bit less vibrancy than the last time he saw her. Which just underlined the necessity of getting her out of here, like yesterday. He’d settle for in the next ten minutes or so. Heck, he’d even go for a half hour to make sure the moment was right to spring this joint. But it had to be soon, before the kid lost all her innocence. And wasn’t that messed? A merker? Innocent? It shouldn’t be possible, yet there she was, all cute and sweet, and yeah, innocent.
Fuck. Nature vs. nurture. If this didn’t prove it, he didn’t know what did. And yeah, sure, someday she was going to be one hell of a man-killer. There was no denying the sexual prowess of their species, but maybe she didn’t have to follow in daddy’s footsteps and be one literally. Was it possible for succubus and humans to coexist? More importantly, was it possible for a merker to be anything other than bad?
You mean do something like…say…sacrifice yourself for someone else, you stupid smuck?
Crap, crap, crap. He had to get out of here. Not for him. He’d already done too much to atone for, but this girl? She still had a chance. And damn if he wasn’t going to give it to her.
Damon pushed the door open just enough, urging the kid in the cell as he looked over at Ganelon. Who knew when the bastard would snap out of his unholy torture lust and turn around? They needed to plan and her sitting out in the open like that was not an option. The kid hesitated but a moment, then pulled the key and squeezed into the cell. Damon pulled the door closed, placing his body between hers and Ganelon’s.
Making sure he had Mike’s gaze, he pointed to the kid, wiggling his fingers like little legs, a little wrist twitchy thing to indicate unlocking Mike’s cage.
Mike and the kid both nodded, indicating they followed thus far.
Damon pointed back at kid, holding her gaze, then gestured toward the shelf of torture tools on far side of room. It was the one she’d been hiding by and was conveniently placed by the archway that led out of the room to Ganelon’s upper living quarters. She’d turned to follow his gesture so he tapped her shoulder to get her to look at him again. When she did, he swiped his hands, smashing them to floor, and pointed back to the archway, then did the finger thing again in front of her face but at high speed this time and moving up, i.e. climbing stairs. She nodded earnestly.
He mimed looking around, then did a little head duck, pretending to pull something over his head. Hide, kid, hide. Then tipped his head questioningly. She’d been sneaking around Ganelon’s quarters for days now, the way she moved in the shadows, she had to know some good spots, right?
Took her a second to get that, but she nodded. He grunted. Smart kid, too.
He looked over at Mike, pointed to himself, and then at Ganelon’s back. He indicated them both running, him tackling, and well, you know. He then gestured at Mike, pointing back at the tools, which, guess what, had another knife. He indicated the succubus, mimed a cutting motion, followed by a scooping one.
Mike’s eyes had narrowed, but he gave a curt nod, indicating he got it. Mike jerked his head at the kid in question. Damon tapped her shoulder again, bringing his finger to his lip in a hush-hush manner, then indicating sneaking back down the stairs into the room to join Mike and her mother. Then he pointed to the exit to the tunnel system at the far end of the room. Did the fast moving finger thing again.
Mike was looking at him hard. Another unspoken question. And you?
Damon gestured at Ganelon’s back, acted out a good headlock, a little jab-jab. Not that it was going to happen that way, but hey, close enough. He certainly wouldn’t be able to keep up. Best thing he could do was stay behind and divert Ganelon’s attention and buy them time.
Only Mike wasn’t buying it. Dude was probably wondered if Damon was playing them somehow. Didn’t matter, as long as Mike did what he was supposed to do. The kid had to get out. And if that meant helping Mike and her mother, then that’s what he’d do.
Only the kid didn’t look too sure either. She was back to clinging to his elbow, tears streaming down her face as she shook her head.
But then Ganelon did something to the kid’s mother that turned her whimpers and moans into a full out scream. And yup, that convinced the kid. She was out of his cage and scooting towards Mike faster than Ganelon could flip hi
s knife and start on the next horrific slice.
***
Gabby crouched beside a pillar at the far end of the platform, her vantage point giving her a clear view of both the stairs as well as the tunnel that led underground toward the back entrance to hell. Well, clear beyond the hazy mist of Valin, who shaded around her, protecting her from prying eyes. Hours. They’d been waiting here for hours, the night deepening then waning with the approach of dawn. And despite how keyed up she’d been when they started this mission, she was quickly fading.
She shifted, trying to relieve the cramping muscle in her left leg, even as she yawned.
Gabby grunted. Not necessarily, but the loss of contact coupled by the passage of time was definitely a bad sign. She’d lost contact with both Mike and Kat a good three hours ago, both of them falling off her radar at the same time. A shield? Had they been knocked unconscious? Killed?
She dashed the last thought away. She’d give them as long as she could, but Valin was right, time was running out. Soon enough commuters would be flooding this platform as the early morning shift traveled in toward the city. Unless Bennett could pull the miracle he’d promised. Then, maybe they had a chance.
Gabby took a deep breath, blew it out as hope drained from her. Even if they could fix the commuter issue, the rest of the plan was unraveling. Jacob’s men had done a good job creating their initial distraction, but as hours went by and dawn neared, the enemy’s attention had waned, as if they realized all the hustle and bustle above was merely diversionary. Which meant, that though the majority might enter through the main gates, there were enough who had decided to risk Ganelon’s annoyance and take the short cut past his chambers.
Which also meant keeping Gabby’s team in hiding, fresh, and on hand to be called in at short notice was becoming difficult with the steady stream of returning demon and merker. As it was, the comforting cloudy haze of Valin’s shadow form was all that was hiding her from the almost constant flow of baddies.
Crap. Even if Mike and Katrina were okay in there, the chance of them making it out the flooded passageways was bad. Which meant she had to figure out where they were so she could initiate countermeasures to clear those passageways when they got near enough.
Taking a deep breath, she reached out with her mind, ignoring the sickly feel of hell’s shielding as she pushed through it, and did another sweep of the nearby tunnels.
How long she wanted to give them and how long she could were two different things. If nothing else they were going to have to take a break to rest and regroup. But if Mike and Katrina tried to get out now, while Ganelon’s minions were all returning?
Gabby closed her eyes, rotating her neck.
They’d give them a few more hours. By dawn, at least, the vampire would have to go to ground. There was probably just a hiccup in the plan. Mike was competent and Katrina was one tough girl to have made it out before. She’d make it out again. And Gabby and Valin would be here to help her.
Chapter Twenty-three
Mike’s didn’t like Damon’s plan, but saw no alternative. He had to get out of this cage. Had to stop the bastard who was hurting Katrina. Though she’d somehow cut off the scream that had driven Mia into action, Mike could feel every slice of agony that madman inflicted upon her. She wasn’t screaming not because it didn’t hurt, but because she was trying to keep him calm, trying to concentrate on blocking the bond that allowed him to feel her pain.
Damn it! It should be him. He’d tried to distract that bastard, but she wasn’t having it.
Something clicked, a hand touched his elbow. He blinked down at the child, his breath easing out of his tight lungs as he looked into her hazel eyes. Damn the girl was brave. There her mother was on the table, being tortured, and she was not only being brave enough to do something about it, but she was remaining calm enough to be smart while doing it.
Get it together, Mike. Your mate needs the coolheaded cop now, not the beast.
He nodded down at her, indicating he was in control. She nodded back, then pulling the door so it didn’t look like it was open, made her way back across the way to the shelving unit. Mike couldn’t believe Ganelon hadn’t seen her yet, even if he was distracted, but Mia appeared to be an expert at using shadow and stealth to her advantage.
Mike watched as she stood to her full height. All, what? Three something feet of her? Then swept her hands over the highest shelf she could reach, scattering the tools to the floor. Ganelon’s head snapped up, his eyes narrowing on the child.
“Mia, no!” Katrina cried, her fear slicing into Mike as she strained against her bonds.
And shit, this is where the plan fell apart, because Ganelon wasn’t moving. Mia glared. Ganelon merely stared. And nobody fucking moved.
Mike reached for the door of his cage, knowing this might be the best chance he got at taking Ganelon by surprise, but then Mia stooped down, grabbing up a knife from the pile of scattered torture tools, and flung it at Ganelon for all she was worth.
Holy shit the kid had guts, though maybe too many because Ganelon’s eyes as he took a step toward her were feral. She ran then, her footsteps quick as she bolted up the stairs.
Katrina screamed as Ganelon took off after her. And, fuck, no! Ganelon spun around, striding back to the table where he leaned over, placing his hand on Kat’s forehead. “Looks like our time together has been postponed while I collect our daughter. Sleep Kaitarina.”
“You bastard, I’ll kill you, I’ll—” and then there was a spike of pain, then nothing as Katrina sunk down onto the table.
Ganelon raised his head, smiling as he looked right at Mike. “Not so much a savior now, are you, Paladin?”
Mike vibrated with the need to kill the bastard who’d touched his woman, but he had to stay calm. Had to wait for the right moment. Ganelon staring at him, waiting for him to snap, was not the right one. He wouldn’t make it out of the cage before the man would slap him down with a bolt of power. The beast couldn’t let this moment pass without prompting some sort of response though.
“You hurt her again. Hurt Mia. You die.”
Beside him he could all but feel Damon’s tension, though the merker was obviously smart enough to stay out of this conversation. Probably waiting for Ganelon to strike Mike down to remind him how little control he had over that. But all Ganelon did was throw his head back and laugh.
“Oh, this is going to be so fun.” And with that he spun and took himself out of the room.
“Go!” Mike hissed at Damon the moment Ganelon cleared the archway. Not that he needed to have said anything, the merker had already pushed open the cage door and, despite the healing wounds, was sprinting across the room after Ganelon. Mike scooted out of his own cage, grabbing up the knife that had landed just a few yards past the table, and immediately went to work on the straps holding Katrina down.
Above him there was a thump, bodies hitting, then rolling. A crack, then a roar of anger.
Two straps down, he started on her left leg. Katrina was definitely unconscious, whatever Ganelon had done last putting her under, but her chest rose and fell evenly.
Above him there was another crash, running footsteps that moved further away. Mike wasn’t sure how much of a fight it was, it sounded more like Damon was playing a cat and mouse game with Ganelon, with Damon taunting Ganelon on all his failures. “What? Can’t find one little girl?” and “You’re getting slow, old man.”
Last leg.
“Mommy?”
Mike glanced up to see Mia framed in the archway. Good, the kid had managed to sneak away.
“She’s okay, but she’s sleeping right now.”
The girl rushed over, taking Katrina’s hand that had fallen over the table and buried her face in it as she apologized over and over and over and over again
as Mike sawed at the last strap.
He’d been inspecting Kat while he’d cut her bindings and the damage wasn’t as bad as he first feared from his view in the cage. Mostly shallow slashes across the tender part of her underarms and torso, wide burns to her stomach and collarbone from the broadside of the hot knife, though, fuck, her feet…they were blistered and burned too. No way was she walking anytime soon.
Something crashed above them, followed by a roar, a crack of air, and another crash.
Shit. Damon wasn’t going to be able to buy them much more time.
“We got to go,” he told Mia, scooping up Katrina.
He looked around the room, not sure where to go. The stairs up? But Damon had pointed to the wall perpendicular to the cages. His question was answered as Mia rushed ahead of him, laying her hand on the stone. And instead of a wall, it was another archway.
He pushed through the opening Mia held open with her touch, and popped out into a long tunnel. Immediately the sounds of the ongoing fight was muffled, though they could still hear the occasional crash as it vibrated down the tunnel.
They’d made it most of the way down the tunnel when Damon screamed, a string of curses followed by more thumping and thudding, then silence. Mike took two more steps before he realized Mia had stopped. He spun around, saw Mia standing ten feet back, her body posed with indecision.
“Come on, Mia, we have to go.”
“We can’t leave him.” Her lips quivered, tears pooling in her eyes.
And shit, the idea of leaving Damon left a bad taste in his mouth, too. Even if he was a merker. Damn, a fucking merker!
No doubt about it. The theory that Mike had resisted for months—that Damon’s disappearance was too damn coincidental to not signal his involvement in Jessica’s death—was true. But Mike had brushed that theory aside, because he hadn’t liked Logan and his mega-ego, and because Mike had actually started to like his fellow brother in blue. Whether Damon had been the one to ultimately kill Jessica or was simply involved in the events that led up to Jessica’s death didn’t matter. Just because Jessica had given up her wings and come back a Paladin didn’t make that involvement any less forgivable, though the torture Damon had obviously endured since then… How much did a man have to pay for his sins?