“Tell me more about the ones who took you from the base.”
I frowned, remembering that night.
“I didn’t get a chance to take a good look at them. The one I saw wore the uniform like the rest of them at the base, so I didn’t get to see his face.” Thinking back to my second abduction somewhat cleared the sleepy fog of afterglow from my brain. “There was at least one other there. He caught me from behind. I heard someone give orders to the first, but I didn’t get to see him at all.”
“Did you get a chance to see them better in the car. Were they the same two who were in the cell?”
“No. I still didn’t see their faces, but the two in the car wore suits, not uniforms. They argued and seemed to be lost, but I can’t say for sure because I didn’t understand what they were talking about. They spoke German, I think, definitely not English.”
“German?” The incredulity in his voice prompted me to rise on my elbow to see his face.
Ivarr starred at the ceiling in visible concentration. The sharp focus of his features no longer held the confusion that I had often spotted on his face before tonight.
“Do you have your own demon language that you would speak to each other when you’re alone?” I asked.
“No. We don’t have one of our own. Normally, we would speak whatever language is spoken in the country where we are. So, I’d expect them to use English in this part of Canada. The only reason they would speak German would be if they had a German-speaking human with them.”
“Do you think one of them was a human?”
Turning to the side, he rose on his elbow, too.
“I’m pretty sure both of them were, Katherine. A retrieval team would not be wearing suits. They’d either have their uniforms, or if they planned to sneak unnoticed, grey hooded jackets to keep their faces out of sight as much as possible. You said they used drugs to make you unconscious.”
“Yes.” That was one major difference between my two kidnappings. “There was the sting of a needle in my neck before I passed out.”
“Can I see the marks again, please?”
I sat up, and Ivarr flicked on the lamp on his night table.
“There are several.” I tilted my head to the side, to expose the injection area to him.
Ivarr gently skimmed his fingertips over my neck.
“You were right, these were made at different times.”
“To keep me under during the car ride.”
“Demons wouldn’t do that, Katherine.” His fingers wrapped around the back of my neck, he slid his thumb gently up and down my throat. “There is just no need for drugs. Taking a part of your life force would be enough and much more efficient. It would give them some additional nourishment, too.”
“So, not demons?”
“I’m positive. Besides, most of the Council’s Soldiers are half-starved drones under Raim’s control. None of them would have enough creative energy to come up with a detailed kidnapping plan on their own.”
I recalled their hold on me and how it gave under my struggle. The unnatural strength of the demon guards would’ve never allowed me to move an inch in their grip.
“But why? People have no use for my sexual energy. Frankly, I have nothing that humans would find of much value at all.” It wasn’t like they could even demand a ransom from anyone for my release. “Besides, it was a human who told me that the rules have changed, and I was going to be set free soon.”
“I don’t know, sweetheart.” He kissed the corner of my mouth, his hand gently stroking my arm. “But I will figure it out. As soon as we cross the border, I’ll try to get hold of Andras. He was the other half of Sytrius’s team during the wars. I don’t know him well and have no reason to trust him, but in this situation, the risk is worth the chance to gain any knowledge we can. I want us to be on the other side of the border first, though. Just in case Andras lets others know about my call.” He stopped himself, as if another thought entered his mind. “If it’s humans who are after you, I never should have left you here alone. The amulet would not stop them.”
In one swift movement he got out of bed.
“Ivarr?” I called, unnerved by the grim focus of his expression.
Standing by the bed, he turned to face me abruptly, and my heart all but stopped at the sight of his strong, completely nude body. Unable to resist, I slid my gaze down his massive frame, taking in every hard ridge of muscle under the golden tan of his skin.
At this point, it wasn’t even about my sexual desire for him. After the multi-course dinner we just had, I felt completely satisfied without any lingering lust burning through me. My admiration right now was mostly of aesthetic nature. It was impossible not to admire the classic beauty of his tall, strong body.
My gaze stopped on his thick erection nested in the mass of curls the colour of old gold. It twitched under my shameless, appreciative stare, and I blinked, forcing myself to stop ogling him.
“Sorry, you were saying . . .” I mumbled, organizing my thoughts.
Resting his eyes on me for a moment, he shook his head, a flash of regret crossing his face, then reached for his boxers. “Even if they’d made it to my house, humans wouldn’t know what vehicle we’re driving. But we did leave a trail—your pajamas in the motel, the hospital visit. In any case, they would figure out you’d be most likely going south.”
Quickly, he threw on his jeans and a new white t-shirt then picked up my pants and top from the chair and laid them on the bed next to me. Propping his fists into the mattress, he brought his face close to mine, trapping me with his vivid blue gaze.
“We should get out of here, Katherine.” He brushed a soft kiss on my parted lips. “One of the advantages I have over humans—I don’t need rest. Sorry, but you’ll have to sleep in the truck again.” He shoved himself off the bed, and I began to throw my clothes on, too.
“So, are you sure that demons are not hunting me?”
“They might be.” He grabbed his backpack and collected his things around the room. “The Council could very well have sent someone after you, too, once they realized that you were gone. Catching a human may give them a sense of urgency, as opposed to hunting me. I’m still not sure what to do with them claiming you were free in the first place. That’s what I need to find out next.”
“Could those two be from The Priory?” I did up my shoes and found my coat in the closet.
“Well, Priory members are the only humans permitted to enter the base. Beside the Sources, of course.”
“I was hoping The Priory would protect me from the demons. Now, I really don’t know whom I need to be running from.”
“All of them. We’ll stay away from both the Council and The Priory until we know more.”
“Humans are much weaker than you, physically,” I pointed out. “Why would The Priory have any power over your Council at all?”
“The Priory has a reach that is far greater than the power of an individual human, but I could never figure out what gives them their strength.” He took my hand in his and took a hold of the doorknob, ready to leave. “For centuries they had been instrumental in shaping the rules governing all of us. Until now, though, they exercised their power exclusively through the treaty. I’ve never heard of them meddling in the affairs at the base or abducting Sources.” He shook his head and added, “I need to find out what’s happening here.”
Chapter 21
IVARR
Eyes fixed ahead, he drove along the narrow road that skirted the side of the mountain. They had been heading south then west into the mountains where he had crossed into The States many times before.
Katherine dozed off for a short while, but fear had been building up inside her with every minute they spent on the deserted road, keeping her from getting a decent rest.
He hated to see her natural, sunny happiness marred by the muddy cloud of fear. He longed to make her feel safe to have that bubbly ray of light reign over her again, but he couldn’t figure out how to do it. Without ha
ving enough information, he didn’t know how to ensure her safety.
So, he did what he’d always done. Ran.
Over the centuries, he had become good at running. Except that this time, he had so much more at stake than his own freedom. He had Katherine’s life and happiness to guard.
He decided to cross the border, reasoning that the farther from the Incubi Base they got, the hungrier and weaker the demons chasing them should be. The easier it would be for Ivarr to deal with them if it came down to a fight.
Back in Seattle, Katherine had an established life to return to, and he hoped to be able to give it back to her soon. Although, he couldn’t bring himself to think about having to part from her then.
In the brief time they had spent together, her vibrant emotions had become addictive. The distinct taste of her attraction to him was too alluring to let it go easily. In her, he had glimpsed a trace of the same warm feeling he’d seen in Margreta.
Except that in Katherine it was for him and only him. Unlike Margreta’s, her heart was unoccupied, with plenty of room for the feeling to grow and thrive.
Her dimwit of an ex never claimed her heart, it seemed. And Ivarr longed to take it for himself. Grab it, conquer it fully, and keep it for him alone.
He could take her budding affection for him and grow it. Make her his, and keep her for as long as she should live.
Would it be fair to her, though? To take her on the run, something that would most likely last all her life. What could he, an age-long criminal offer a sweet, innocent person like Katherine? He couldn’t even guarantee her freedom. What would happen to her once he inevitably got captured again?
The possible answers to these questions made his heart ache in a way, more torturous than the pain of Inferno.
In any case, the main priority right now remained her safety. First, he needed to figure out exactly who was after her and why. Then he had to get her away from them for good. After that, he’d work on finding the strength to part with her.
“Ivarr,” her soft voice came from the passenger’s seat.
“Yes, my queen.” He made an effort to keep his voice neutral, but the warmth he felt in his heart for her found its way into his words.
“What will happen after you smuggle me across the border?”
“Technically, it wouldn’t be smuggling.” He couldn’t resist a smile. “You are a US citizen, aren’t you? You have the right to enter the country. You just don’t have the documentation to prove it.”
Her concern seemed to lie elsewhere, though. She shifted in her seat, uneasily.
“Then what? After we cross?”
“I’ll make sure you’re safe to go back to your old life.”
“Will I ever get to see you again?”
He glanced her way, before returning his attention to the twisting road ahead. He couldn’t decipher her emotions in that one glance. They seemed to be tangled into a knot that required longer examination.
“Would you want to see me again?” Her answer shouldn’t matter—he knew what he had to do. Yet her reply was the most important thing to him in the world right now.
Watching the continuous turns of the road winding along the site of the mountain, he tuned all his other senses on her, halting his breath in anticipation.
“I—I don’t know . . .” Her voice trailed off. Then, she added with much more confidence. “One thing I am certain about, though—I do not want to live the rest of my life, knowing I’d never see you again.”
His chest deflated—all air left it at once, even as his wayward heart sang with hope.
“Katherine . . .” He wished to give her the world. He longed to promise her everything her heart desired, to clear every dark trace of fear and worry inside her.
Following the tight curve of the road close to the mountain, he was momentarily blinded by the headlights of a vehicle parked in his lane ahead.
He slammed on the brakes.
Jerked forward in her seat, Katherine cried out and braced herself with her hands on the front console. He spotted the second vehicle, parked across the road behind the first, and threw the truck into reverse.
The blinding light of the approaching car behind them blurred his vision through the rearview mirror for a moment, forcing him to hit the brakes again.
“Oh God, what’s happening?” Katherine breathed out, barely audible.
Nothing good, my sweet darling queen.
“They caught up with us,” he announced grimly, quickly scanning all three vehicles to get a grip on the situation.
“Who?”
Good question.
He clicked his seat belt off.
“I’ll find out.”
“Wait!” She leaned to him. “Ivarr, please. They can hurt you . . .”
“They can’t kill me.” He shrugged, but the usual fatalistic indifference to his own wellbeing was greatly overshadowed by the need to stay fit in order to be able to defend her.
The sound of car doors opening forced his attention to the windshield. In the headlights, he caught the blinding white of Raim’s flowing robe.
Incubi.
It seemed he’d get some answers after all, even if not from Sytrius.
He grabbed his handgun from the backpack.
“Get in my seat,” he said quickly. “If they get me down, back up through there.” He tipped his chin at the section of the road still open between the car behind them and the sharp drop-off of the mountain.
“Let’s do it now, let’s back up now . . .” she begged in a frantic whisper. “You and I, together.”
But he shook his head.
“I’ll have to stop them from following you.”
“Can’t you just . . . shoot them?” Her gaze flickered to the gun in his hand.
“A bullet wouldn’t do much against them. This is for the tires. The most effective way to incapacitate a demon is to break his bones, so he can’t move. I can do it more efficiently with my bare hands. If I get Raim out, the rest of them wouldn’t be able to organize a chase.”
He put the gun on his thigh and took hold of her slender shoulders, staring into the bright hazel of her eyes which were shimmering with tears.
“Whatever happens, stay in the truck.” He traced the red cord around her neck down to the amulet nestled between her breasts. “Don’t let them in.”
He hit the door lock button for a good measure, useless as it may be.
“If things go . . . bad, then drive like you did when you got us away from the bikes. My fearless queen.”
Her chin quivered, and his chest tightened painfully with worry and an overwhelming tenderness.
He trusted she would get out of here. She had more strength inside her than she realized. But he had to keep Raim away from her.
“No matter what, I will find you. Wherever you are,” he promised with absolute certainty in his heart, vowing to make it happen.
With one quick kiss on her soft lips, he whispered, breaking the only Incubi rule he’d never broke before. “My demon name is Eligor. Repeat.”
“Eligor?” Fear overshadowed her misery. The fear was for him.
“Remember it. Dream about me.”
Without opening the door, he slipped out into the night to face the demons.
Chapter 22
HIS KISS STILL LINGERED on my lips as Ivarr appeared outside the truck window backlit by the headlights of the car in front of us.
Squinting in the bright lights cutting the darkness, I watched Raim’s robe whip in the mountain breeze.
Demons, not people, had caught up with us.
Quickly, Ivarr fired a shot at the tire of the car behind our truck then swung his arm, shooting at the two vehicles in the front.
Two uniformed guards jumped out of the large, black car and ran towards Ivarr, not bothering to duck away from his shots. A bullet meant for the car hit one in the chest, without so much as slowing him down.
Tossing the gun aside, Ivarr swiftly walked to Raim, who stood in the m
iddle of the road. I had no chance to hear their exchange. A few moments later, with a brief glance my way, Ivarr leaned back and landed a blow on the side of Raim’s face that made the Grand Master stagger.
I remembered Ivarr’s instructions and scrambled into the driver’s seat with full intentions to follow them, when the two guards rushed him at the same time as two more jumped out of the car.
Panic rising to my throat, making it hard to breathe, I watched in horror as they swarmed Ivarr.
Quick on his feet, he deflected most of their blows, moving with fluid grace and shelling out powerful punches left and right.
Raim stepped aside, observing the scene coolly, his arms folded across his chest, as two more guards emerged from the parked cars and joined the others in their attack on Ivarr.
For whatever reasons, Raim didn’t seem to be paying any attention to me or the truck. His focus, as well as that of his Soldiers, appeared to be entirely on Ivarr.
I should have used the demons’ lack of interest in me and try to get away, but I frantically searched for a way to get to Ivarr first. With the demon vehicles disabled by his bullets, maybe we could have a chance to get out of here together?
A fourth vehicle pulled in behind me, completely blocking the road and cutting off my escape route. With a mountainside to my right and the sharp drop to the left, we were essentially boxed in on this section of the deserted highway.
My heart thundering in my chest, I turned my attention back to Ivarr.
He continued to fight his attackers with steady efficiency, despite their greater number. One of them dipped in a crouch and kicked his leg out, planting the heel of his armoured boot into Ivarr’s shin.
The way Ivarr staggered and crashed to the side sent my heart plunging into an icy abyss.
“Ivarr!” A choked cry ripped from my throat as I clenched my fists so hard my fingernails dug painfully into the skin on my palms.
Lying on his side, Ivarr grabbed the ankle of the guard closest to him and yanked him to the ground. Then he managed to rise to one knee and continued to defend himself from the blows until another guard kicked at his other shin, knocking it from under him. The angle of his leg when Ivarr fell again indicated it was broken.
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