by G. K. DeRosa
I waited with bated breath as Talon loomed over the second creature. He took a step toward him, and the narkin’s eyes snapped open.
Chapter Eighteen
Shitzu!
The guard leapt to his feet and lowered his head, pointing its ivory tusks at Talon’s eyes.
“Watch out!” I screeched.
Talon pivoted to the right, and the narkin’s sharp horn nicked his shoulder instead. He didn’t even flinch as he slashed his claw across the demon’s chest. Blood poured from the creature’s torso as Talon pulled back a crimson-stained fist. The foot soldier opened his mouth, but my hand shot out from behind the wall and a swirl of energy flickered from my fingertips as I muttered, “Silencium.”
The narkin’s eyes bugged out as his jaw hung open, not a sound emanating from his mouth. Talon took advantage of the guard’s surprise and wrapped his hands around its monstrous skull. With a quick twist, the crunch of bone snapping echoed across the hallway and the narkin crumpled to the floor.
A chill rushed up my spine at the sickening sound.
Without missing a beat, Talon signaled for me to come out of my hiding spot. I tiptoed over the bodies and joined him in front of the door which presumably led to Vander’s cell.
“Thanks for the assist,” he whispered.
“No problem.”
Talon bent down and grabbed the key ring hanging from the dead narkin’s belt. He leaned into the door, pressing his ear to the decaying timber. “Seems clear.” He paused and scanned the mangled bodies splayed across the floor. Then he turned to me again. “Maybe you can do your mental magic thing and search for any brain waves in there?”
I nodded and scooted closer to the door. Clearing my mind, I searched for any stray thoughts. I found Talon’s immediately, his were always the easiest to decipher. I wondered if it was the bond or something else. Pushing his anxious thoughts to the side, I searched further. Nothing. Only silence as far as I could tell.
“I don’t hear anything,” I finally said.
“Not even Vander?”
I shook my head but didn’t voice what we were both thinking. Either he wasn’t in there or he wasn’t conscious. I didn’t want to consider the possibilities of the former or the latter.
“I’m going in. You wait here and keep watch.”
“Seriously?” I couldn’t help the whiny twinge.
His hands gripped my shoulders as his eyes fastened to mine. “This isn’t some lame attempt at keeping you safe. I don’t know what kind of shape Vander will be in, and I need you to give me a head’s up if more guards show.”
“Oh.” Heat seeped up my neck and blossomed across my cheeks. “Okay. I got your back.”
He rewarded me with a crooked grin before pivoting to the door once again. He slid the key into the lock, and a sharp keening sound froze the blood in my veins. After an endless minute of waiting for a troupe of guards to storm the hallway, I finally breathed again. So much for protecting their high-value prisoner.
Talon yanked the iron handle, and the door slowly creaked open. He skulked in as I waited in the archway, one eye on him and the other down the dark corridor. He turned the corner and disappeared a moment later, only his faint footsteps keeping me company.
From my limited view, the dark shadows of iron manacles hanging from the closest wall caught my eye. In the center of the room sat a long wooden table with rusted metal cuffs dangling from both ends. A few more chairs were scattered across the space, also equipped with fastening devices. This was definitely some sort of medieval torture chamber. Un-freakin-believable.
“Vander…” Talon’s tortured hiss twisted up my insides.
I peered around the door in time to see Talon hoisting a large body over his shoulder. Oh gods, what if Vander was dead? I chased the awful thought from my mind and focused on the motionless form. Metal cuffs swung from his wrists and ankles, clanking across Talon’s back as he sprinted toward me.
“Let’s go,” he growled as he raced past.
I darted behind them, struggling to keep up with his long strides. How the heck could he move that fast carrying a full-size male? I finally caught up to him and examined Vander’s still form from the corner of my eye. I could just make out faint breaths. A wave of relief crashed over me, and I slowed my frantic pace, immediately falling behind.
He was alive, thank the gods.
Picking up my pace again, I stepped in stride with Talon. Dozens of questions swirled around my mind, but I couldn’t get my mouth to form the words. It was like Vander’s presence had suddenly created a gigantic wolf-sized wedge between us. And he wasn’t even conscious yet.
I side-eyed Talon’s brother unable to contain the conflicting emotions as we darted down the quiet passageway. What would happen when he awoke? I shook my head. I was getting way ahead of myself; first, we had to find the others and get out of this place. That was all that mattered.
Talon slowed his unrelenting pace to glance at his watch. “They should be right up ahead, around the next bend.”
“Okay,” I panted out, slowing.
We turned the corner, and my magically cloaked crumpled-up coat on the floor caught my eye. But no Logan, Hayden or Dallas. “Isn’t this where we were meeting the guys?”
Talon shifted Vander’s body to his other shoulder, a faint groan rumbling in the back of his throat. “Yes,” he muttered. Checking his watch again, he paced a tight circle. “We’ll give them five more minutes and if they don’t show, I’m going in after them.”
He bent down and slid Vander off his shoulder, propping him up against the wall. I grabbed my coat and tucked it under his head, hazarding a quick peek at the infamous guy. Even unconscious and unkempt he was attractive, with dirty-blonde hair, high cheekbones and a wide scruffy jaw. I could almost imagine what he’d look like with his tousled hair clipped and scraggly beard trimmed back.
“Something’s wrong,” Talon muttered, yanking me from my musings.
I popped up and reached for his hand, but he shoved it into his pocket. The moves were nearly simultaneous, so I tried to convince myself he wasn’t avoiding my touch. Swallowing back the pang of hurt, I said, “Okay, so we go in there and help.”
“Not we, Azara. You have to stay here with Vander.”
“Talon, he’s fine. Nothing’s going to happen to him in the tunnel, but you guys could need me in there.” I pointed through the wall at what I assumed was Thax’s private chamber. “What if Delacroix was screwing with us, and it was all a trap? You can’t go in there by yourself.”
He closed the space between us, and his fingers entangled with mine. “Please, Azara, stay with Vander. I can’t risk losing him again and you…” He shut his eyes and exhaled a long, slow breath. “Just stay.”
I crossed my arms over my chest in defeat. When he looked at me like that, like I was the only person left in the world, I had no option but to concede. “Fine.” Unless I hear that you’re in trouble, I added to myself.
“Thank you.” He jerked on my hand and pulled me closer. “One more thing.” His eyes seared into mine, and my head automatically tipped forward. “If we don’t come back in fifteen minutes, you take Vander and you get out of here.”
My head whipped back and forth. “Absolutely not. I’m not leaving you guys.”
“Azara, this isn’t a request, it’s an order from your team leader.”
I pressed my lips together and scowled. “That’s a bunch of B.S., Talon. I’m not even officially in the SIA yet.”
“But you will be soon and if you can’t follow orders, you won’t make it past day one. That’s exactly why relationships within teams are highly discouraged. Neither of us would be able to make a rational decision.”
“Well, it’s a little late for that isn’t it?” I held my breath waiting for an answer. I knew this wasn’t the time to discuss this, but I couldn’t help myself.
“We’ll talk about this later, Azara. Right now, you need to follow my direct order. Can you do that, agent?”
I wasn’t sure I liked that name much more than inmate, but I supposed it was a step up. “Yes,” I finally hissed. Lie.
His lips crashed into mine before I could get another breath in. They were fiery and demanding, each stroke a promise of more. I matched his fervor, wrapping my fingers around his neck to deepen the kiss. I knew we were on borrowed time, but I couldn’t tear myself away. Too soon, Talon pulled back and I sagged against him.
“Fifteen minutes,” I breathed into his chest before stepping back and wagging my finger at him. “You better hurry because I am not leaving you, not today and not ever.”
“Fifteen minutes,” he repeated before spinning toward the next passageway and disappearing into the darkness.
The moment he was gone, I slumped to the ground, only a few feet away from Vander’s motionless form. Now that it was just he and I, I was free to shamelessly ogle. He was big, that was for sure. Not quite Talon big, but definitely around Dallas’s size. Beneath the grime and overgrown hair, there was something oddly familiar about him.
I shook off the stray thought. Where would I have ever met him? Unless it was a repressed memory of that night… I gulped as flashes of panicked faces and blood-curdling screams tore through my mind. I still saw them—the faces of those I’d killed. I may not have remembered that night, but my subconscious had imprinted their terrified visages in my mind for all eternity.
But not his face. In all the nights I’d woken up drenched in sweat plagued by nightmares, I’d never seen his face. Then why did he look familiar?
Standing, I paced a tight loop in front of Vander’s still form. I couldn’t help but check my watch every few seconds. Three minutes…five…seven.
A sharp pain in the gut wrenched me from my manic trudging, and I buckled over from the intensity. I sucked in a breath and gritted my teeth through the pain. I had to clear my mind to search Talon’s.
Talon! Talon, are you okay?
Nothing. Of course. Why didn’t this damned connection work both ways? Squeezing my eyes shut, I focused on my bodyguard—the man who had become so much more to me in the past months. I could see his face, make out each fine line at the corners of his eyes and mouth. His scent filled my nostrils and drew me to him.
Hayden, watch out!
Jab, jab, duck.
Thax—where did he go?
Damn, these she-devils are strong.
A slew of jumbled thoughts raced through my mind, some Talon’s but also the other guys’. It was all too chaotic and muddled to decipher. But one thing was clear, they were in trouble.
I ran my hand over my side where the phantom pain had been, but it was gone. I searched my insides for Talon’s signature. He was okay. Maybe wounded by the slight sluggishness creeping through the bond, but he was alive.
His parting words rang out in my head as I glanced at my watch. Only five minutes to go. From the sounds of things, they wouldn’t make it in time.
I pivoted to Vander. “I know we don’t know each other, but I wish you’d wake up so you could tell me what to do. I don’t know much about you, but I have a feeling you wouldn’t want me to leave Talon either. I never had any siblings, but I’m fairly sure leaving your brother is never an option, regardless of orders.”
I stared at him for another few seconds, hoping he’d magically wake up and answer me. Another slew of curses rang out in my mind, a mixture of Talon’s and Dallas’s by the silky baritone. “You’re right, Vander. I should go after them. Screw orders, right?” I knew what I had to do. It was the only way to keep my word to Talon and make sure he and the guys were okay.
I leapt up and muttered the words I now knew backwards and forwards. The portal blinked to life, it’s swirling blue lighting up the dark tunnel. “Come on, buddy.” I slung Vander’s arm over my shoulder and heaved. Damn, this guy was heavy. I should’ve opened the portal a little closer. Calling on all the strength I could muster, I dragged the big werewolf to the opening and gave him a little shove. As I muttered the words of the incantation, I visualized the prison infirmary and our resident healer, Fiona. Please let this work, please let this work.
The whirling winds subsided and shrank into a pin-size hole until it disappeared altogether. I gave myself a quick pat on the back and darted down the tunnel in which the guys’ had vanished. I didn’t have a map, but I did have a veritable internal homing device in Talon. I focused on our bond and let the blood lead me straight to him.
When I reached a barred door, I leaned my ear against the thick timber. Muffled sounds of battle seeped through the cracks. I drew in a breath and tried to channel my inner Talon. I couldn’t go in there half-cocked. I had to have a plan, but without knowing what exactly was going on in there, it would be tough.
I searched my mind for the litany of incantations in GG’s spellbook. Yes, got it. I waved my hand across the door, whispering the words, and a mystical window appeared.
My breath hitched as my eyes landed on the scene on the other side of the door. Four females in what I could only describe as Xena: The Warrior Princess attire, dark leather and chainmail, were battling the Triad. No sign of Logan or Thax. I squinted to make out more, but I could only get a small glimpse of the massive chamber. Hayden was limping as he parried with one of the warrior females, and one of the she-devils tossed Dallas across the room with her manly muscles. He smacked into the wall, and his head lolled to the side.
I’d never seen demons like these. I drew in a deep breath to slow my racing heart. I could do this. I just had to come up with a plan. Again, I cursed the one-way connection Talon and I shared. If he knew I was coming, he could get ready.
I scanned the room one more time for Thax but still came up empty. It didn’t mean much though because my magical window left a few blind spots. Talon was in the middle of the room, battling two of the fearsome females, while Hayden took on a third. Now the fourth one vanished from view. Had she gone to finish off Dallas?
Ugh! I couldn’t wait any longer. I ran my hand down my pantlegs, confirming both daggers were still in place, then summoned a ball of witchfire in each hand. Here goes nothing.
Chapter Nineteen
I whipped the door open with magic and flung each fiery orb at the two females surrounding Talon. One was a direct hit, and the girl went down. The other hissed and ran as blue flames licked up her arm. Talon’s eyes widened as he spun toward me, his hard gaze locking on mine. Oh yeah, he was pissed. It wouldn’t matter though—not if I saved his life and the others.
“Azara, no!” Logan’s voice rang out, and I spun around as an arm locked across my neck. The bite of a sharp blade nicked my skin, and I gritted my teeth to keep from wincing.
I struggled against the iron grip as hot breath warmed the shell of my ear. “How nice of you to finally arrive, dear Azara.”
“Release her!” Talon shouted from across the room, his thundering voice echoing through my insides.
My captor clucked his teeth without even flinching.
The hair on the back of my neck rose as I squirmed beneath the man’s hold. I’d never met Thax, but I knew without a doubt, it was his hard body I was crushed against. It was as if my blood recognized the familial tie.
“Let go of me,” I growled.
He pressed his cheek against mine, squishing our heads together. “And risk losing the chance to finally meet my infamous cousin?”
“Me, infamous?”
“Yes,” he hissed in my ear. “I wasn’t even sure you existed until a few months ago. Your parents did an excellent job hiding you. I imagine it has something to do with that sigil imprinted on your arm.”
From the corner of my eye, I caught Talon’s murderous glare. He leapt toward us, his immense wings on full display, his raging dragon lurking just below his skin. I could feel him clawing his way to the surface.
“Stop right there, dragon.” Thax spun me to the side as his hand shot out toward Talon. “I’ll cut off her head if you so much as twitch.”
Talon froze a fe
w yards from us. The swell of fear and panic leeching through the bond nearly stole my breath. “If you touch her, I’ll kill you myself. You won’t need some fancy oracle to predict your demise.”
A wicked laugh burst from Thax’s lips, whipping his hot breath across my face. “Ah, now I know who you are. Remy saw you too.”
Talon’s eyes widened for a fraction of a second before his icy calm mask slid back on. “Good for him. I don’t believe in that prophecy bull, so you’ll have to excuse me. Now, if you could return the girl to me, we’ll be out of your hair.”
Thax tsked, cocking his head. “You have a lot of nerve, dragon. You come into my home, threaten my ladies and me, and now you think you can simply leave?”
I scanned the room and noticed the fighting had stopped. One warrior girl lay on the floor motionless, Dallas was still slumped against the wall, and Logan and Hayden hovered a few yards from Talon. Both were covered in blood, their clothes in tatters. The remaining three women formed a circle around the guys, their eyes fixed over my head on their warlord.
Logan hobbled forward. “It appears we’re at an impasse.”
“It does.” Thax tightened his hold around my neck and pressed the dagger closer. I quickly contemplated blasting him with some witchfire; my magic tingled across my skin. I could probably get away before the blade sank in.
As if Talon had read my thoughts or maybe he felt my powers light up, his eyes met mine and he slowly shook his head. Don’t do it, Azara. His voice broadcasted across my mind in stereo.
“What is it going to take to get us all out of here?” Talon asked, his tone surprisingly calm.
I suddenly wondered where all the guards were. His warrior princess harem, though impressive, couldn’t make up his only line of defense. And surely, the narkins must have heard the commotion by now.
“Hmm, now that is a good question.” My demonic cousin paused, his hot breath wafting over my face. His gaze moved further down to the glowing mark on my arm. With my life threatened, my warlock magic was ready to make its cameo. “I would like confirmation that Azara is in fact whom my seer, Remy, foresaw through the oracle.”