Knight's Dominion (Knights of Hell Book 4)

by Sherilee Gray

  Mark and Laney took the right, and Grace and James took the left. The remaining members of her crew had surrounded the place and were waiting for Chaos's signal to move in.

  Zenon was by the back door, and he glanced up a moment before Chaos landed lightly at his side. They were talking, but it was too dark to read their lips.

  Then Chaos turned her way, somehow finding her among her people concealed in the shadows. His dark gaze locked on her and he shook his head.

  He wanted them to wait.

  “Hold,” she said to James.

  He repeated her command using his power of telepathy to communicate to the rest of their team. James could transmit words with his power, and it was seriously strong. He’d once screamed stop telepathically to a demon trying to escape them and it had slammed on the brakes so fast they’d nearly run right over it.

  There was a small shed at the back of the yard that had caught Grace’s eye, and she signaled to James that she was going to check it out. Crouching low, she ran for it.

  The thing was covered in grime, and she brushed away the cobwebs clinging to the window, trying to look inside. Nothing. Up close, she realized the glass had been painted black. She checked the door. It was locked with a padlock. She quickly picked it, trusting James to have her back while she concentrated on the task.

  The padlock was shiny, new, and clicked open smoothly. Gripping the edge of the door, she pulled. The well-oiled hinges moved freely, the heavy wood swinging open soundlessly.

  The fetid air hit her instantly, and she jerked back, lifting her arm to her nose and mouth. The stench coated her tongue, hitting the back of her throat. Retching, she turned and spat onto the ground behind her, barely stopping herself from throwing up. She pulled a small flashlight from her back pocket and lit up the interior. “Jesus.” She stumbled back a step.

  The floor was littered with human remains, most of the bones picked clean.

  James moved up behind her. “Holy fuck.”

  They'd seen some disgusting things over the years, but nothing like this. This jumble of bones and gore and rotting flesh had once been someone’s mother, father, sister, child. Somewhere, someone was missing them, wondering where they were, what had happened to them.

  A wave of emotion hit her and she struggled to swallow. She never let her emotions get the better of her, but all this thinking about her family lately…then Tina, it was messing with her head.

  This was how they were feeding the beast, keeping it full and sleepy, docile until it was needed. Lazarus landed beside them, looked into the shed, and cursed under his breath.

  He stilled suddenly, his head twisting, his gaze slicing to James. He quirked a brow at the smaller male.

  James squared his shoulders. “This is where I belong, Laz.”

  The corner of Lazarus’s mouth curled up, then he was gone, joining Chaos and Zenon.

  “Fuck,” James muttered under his breath.

  “You okay?” she asked him.

  “Yeah, I mean, I prepared myself for this, for whatever happened tonight after they saw me.” He lifted his hand and crossed his fingers. “Here’s hoping they don’t throw me out on my ass.”

  She patted his shoulder and tilted her chin to the knights. “I need to know what is going on over there.” She was done waiting on the sidelines.

  Her people looked to her, and she would not let them go into any situation blind. So ducking low, she sprinted across the yard and joined the knights gathered by the back door of the house.

  “It’s under the house.” Chaos motioned to the adjoining two-car garage. “The floor’s been dug out. It gets in through the garage. We’re going to try to tie it down.” Each of the knights had heavy chain looped over their shoulders. “We can sense demons in the house.” His gaze stayed locked with hers. “No idea how many. Can you hold them off while we contain the beast?”

  “Yes,” she said without hesitation. “Those chains, will they be strong enough to hold it?”

  “Honestly, I don’t know. They’ve been charmed by a witch. To most creatures they would be unbreakable. I’ve no clue if it’ll work here. But we have to try.”

  She nodded. “We’ll move in on your signal…and, Chaos?”

  His gaze locked on hers, and God, it telegraphed so much. There was no missing what he was thinking. I believe in you. Take the fuckers out. Be safe. But what came through the loudest? I want you. You are mine. She suddenly found it hard to breathe.

  “Good luck,” she rasped.

  He dipped his chin, those eyes not wavering from hers, and she forced herself to walk away, which was way harder than it should have been.

  She and James followed the knights to the front so she wouldn’t miss the signal, and her blood began pumping thickly through her veins, adrenaline quickening her breath.

  Brent moved up from the edge of the yard, standing at her side. He gave her a chin lift and bumped fists with James.

  “Ready?” James asked as the knights moved to the garage’s entrance.

  She nodded, not taking her eyes off Chaos.

  Chaos turned to her, then and dipped his chin, then he was gone.

  “Move in,” she said.

  James repeated her order, and they rushed for the house.

  "Let's give the bastards a surprise party they'll never forget,” Brent said, an evil grin on his face and a wicked-looking knife in his hand.

  Grace rushed the front door and kicked it in with a grunt. James, Brent, and several other demi moved in behind her, while the rest of her crew came in through the back. They ran through the small house, feet pounding, weapons drawn and—

  Nothing.

  The house was empty.

  A roar filled the air from below the house, so loud the ground shook beneath their feet and several windows shattered. The knights were fighting the beast.

  Grace spun around. “This doesn’t make sense,” she yelled. “They wouldn’t leave it unguarded.”

  A shriek came from the other end of the house.

  Grace gripped the knife in her hand, ready, the space was too confined for her bow.

  Demons appeared out of nowhere, swarming the house, climbing up from beneath the floorboards, dropping from the ceiling. “Take them out!” she yelled.

  Moonlight filtered into the house, the only light to see by. The demons came at them, some with vacant gazes, some with glowing eyes full of excitement. The sounds of fighting and the roar of the beast below echoed all around them. Grace moved in with a cry of rage, engaging the first demon that came at her, ducking his fist and following through with one of her own to his throat. Spinning, she kicked it in the chest, and he staggered back toward James. James grabbed its hair, face twisted with rage, and dragged his blade across it’s throat, removing his head with quick efficiency.

  The next moved in, and at the same time a weird sensation moved across her skin, like someone had plugged the place into an electrical socket, lifting the hair on her arms. The demons began to vanish, then reappear all around the room, making them impossible to follow.

  One appeared in front of her, knocking her knife from her hand. She swung, but it vanished. She spun, looking for it. Suddenly he was back in front of her. Before she had a chance to react, he plunged a blade into her right side.

  Crying out, Grace looked down in stunned disbelief at the knife lodged between her ribs. All around her demi fought, engaging wildly, confusion on their faces as demons popped in and out of the room.

  With a hiss, Grace clutched the knife in her blood-slicked hand and pulled it free. When the demon appeared in front of her a second time, she brought the knife down in an arch, catching it and spraying her and the wall with the demon’s blood. She didn't know where she’d injured it, or how deep, but it was not enough to incapacitate it because it came at her again. This time pain shot up her thigh. The fucker bit her.

  “Backs to the wall!” she yelled.

  At least that way the demons couldn’t reappear behind them. Christ. T
hey couldn't fight this. Her people would be slaughtered.

  The floor began to shake, then the floorboards in the kitchen exploded, giant splinters firing across the room like daggers. A scaled claw broke through.

  “Get out now! Now!” she cried.

  She stumbled but managed to right herself, starting to feel weak from blood loss. Demons were still popping in and out of view, ruthlessly attacking. She forced herself to stick to the walls so at least her back was covered.

  She'd almost made it to the door when another blow came from her left, a fist to the jaw so hard she almost blacked out.

  More of the floor exploded, demons and demi falling through to the Hell beast’s cavern below. Demi scattered, the rest escaping through the door.

  One of her people fell on the floor a few feet from her, badly wounded.

  Fighting consciousness, she stumbled to him, gripped him around the waist, and hauled him up with every bit of strength she had left. Brent grabbed his other side, and the three of them all but threw themselves out the door.

  "Where's Mark?” she called out.

  A sob burst from Laney. “He didn’t… Grace, he didn’t make it."

  She wanted to scream, to rage, to cry, but demons would erupt from the house at any moment and there was no way they could outrun them. All they could do was brace for the attack—

  A roar ripped through the night sky, and the house literally exploded in front of them. Grace scrambled back as a beast, it’s skin scaled and crimson, emerged from the wreckage. Its heads shook with force, its eyes—one in each head—wide with fury. It’s fang-like yellow teeth dripped as it snapped at the knights surrounding it.

  The warriors circled the beast, each holding the ends of their chains. The thick lengths were wrapped around the body, but it fought viciously against the five males struggling to hold it.

  “Help them!” Grace cried.

  Somehow, she made it to Chaos’s side, the other demi joining in, grabbing the chains, helping to hold the beast down. The creature vibrated, its skin pulsing and glowing as a scream tore from its mouths and the chains surrounding it shattered like they were made of glass, sending them all flying across the yard.

  Grace winced, waiting for the pain as she hit the ground, but Chaos had surrounded her, cradling her in his arms, cushioning her landing and holding her close.

  His head shot up as soon as they stopped rolling, his eyes scanning the area. “Fuck. It’s gone.”

  Some of the demons they’d been fighting stood motionless, that vacant look back in their eyes, and the rest ran, escaping into the night.

  "What the hell is going on?” Laney said beside her, backing up several steps.

  "It's like the warehouse a few months back, like the abandoned shop. They're just standing there like zombies," Lazarus said, voice low and rough.

  “They were forced to fight, unlike the ones who ran,” Chaos said in a low, terrifying voice that made her shiver. “Finish them. Most of them are already fucking half dead.”

  Grace clutched her side and felt the blood oozing through her fingers. "We need to find Mark. I’m not leaving him here.”

  Chaos gripped her shoulder, looking down at her. “Mark?”

  Black spots danced across her vision. She'd lost too much blood.

  Lifting one of her blood-slicked hands, she gripped the side of his throat, needing him to listen, and groaned as another gush of warmth pushed past the fingers of the hand still clutching her side. “My people, my dead, wounded…”

  “Grace, you’re hurt.”

  She grinned. “I’ll live.” If she got to a hospital in the next fifteen minutes, anyway.

  He cursed low and long and leaned back carefully, scanning her body. “Jesus.”

  “Please, I need to get my wounded to a hospital,” she forced out.

  The sound of his voice was muffled, and she knew he'd turned to bark orders at someone. "Cars are on the way,” he said when he turned back.

  They’d be okay, they had to be. Chaos would make sure of it.

  Then her thoughts scattered as the black spots invaded her vision and her legs turned limp. Fucking typical, she’d gone all this time with barely a scratch and now both times she’d been badly injured, it was in front of him. He’d think she was weak, and that pissed her the hell off. She didn’t want him to think she was weak.

  Semiconscious, she was aware of someone moving in, one of her people, trying to take her from Chaos.

  Her knight growled, the viciousness of it lifting goose bumps over her skin. “Don’t touch her,” Chaos said, his voice all demon.

  Her knight? Where had that come from?

  But she was glad he didn’t hand her over—she wanted to stay where she was, with him.

  Grace tried to open her eyes again. Nope. Not happening. Damn, she hurt, so much. She wanted to get closer to Chaos, needing him. His warmth, his scent, his comfort.

  “Let me take her to the hospital," someone said urgently, and attempted to take her from Chaos again.

  “Put your fucking hands on her one more time and you’ll lose them.” No mistaking who'd said that.

  Chaos started barking orders. He was looking after her people. They were safe now.

  She relaxed into him, felt his arms get tighter around her, possessive, sure.

  Then her belly plummeted and wind whipped through her hair. They were flying.

  "I'm tired," she said against Chaos’s chest, the rapid beat of his heart somehow soothing.

  "Stay with me, Grace. You fucking stay with me. You hear me?"

  She was cold and tired. She pressed closer, to take more of his warmth, but her limbs wouldn't work anymore. Her arms slipped from around his neck.

  He cursed several times, and shook her lightly. "Grace!”

  Then everything went black.

  Chapter 16

  Chaos landed on the control room balcony with Grace limp in his arms. Her skin was cold and clammy, her breathing weak.

  He didn't need to take her pulse to know her heart rate had slowed. He could feel her slipping away. She was dying, her life's blood running right out of her body. He’d kept pressure on the wound at her side, but it didn't matter, she’d already lost too much blood.

  Fear like he’d never experienced slammed down on him. Shoving open the steel doors, he strode in.

  “Where’s Jack?” he said when Eve came rushing forward.

  "Your quarters. Do you need help?”

  “I’ve got her.”

  Eve let him rush past, not pushing. Good thing because he was walking on a razor’s edge and the last thing he wanted to do was bark at the female when she was only trying to help.

  Jack was a doctor, a demi who worked at a human hospital and was called in to treat his people when “unexplainable injuries” occurred, like demon attacks or powers gone haywire. Chaos had asked Gunner to call him before he’d taken flight.

  There were demi all over the city in important and high-powered positions, and there were also a good number in the health sector. Grace’s were on their way to a human hospital since demi had the same internal makeup as humans. But Grace needed the best. And that was Jack. Plus, a hospital could mean leaving her side, leaving her unprotected while they worked on her, and right now he physically couldn’t do that, not without losing his mind completely.

  Her breathing turned shallow and labored, and his panic rose. He took the elevator and when it opened on his floor, jogged the remaining distance, clutching her to him tightly, trying not to jostle her.

  He burst through the door and Jack was waiting, his living room set up like a makeshift ER. Jack had the ability to see inside a patient, like a living, breathing X-ray machine, and he could speed up the healing process. He motioned for Chaos to place her on the gurney he had by the couch.

  Reluctantly, Chaos laid her down.

  Jack lifted each of her eyelids, flashing a light over each one. “Name?"

  "Grace."

  "Hi there, Grace, I'm Dr. J
ack Connors. I'm going to take a look at you, okay?" She didn't move, gave no indication that she'd heard a word he'd said. Jack glanced up at Chaos. "She's your mate?"

  He swallowed hard. Just hearing the other male say the words set off his possessive and protective instincts as well as calling his demon to the surface. "Yes." His voice sounded like a wounded animal. “But we haven’t…finalized things yet.”

  Yet.

  Suddenly the idea of not making her his was intolerable. Unacceptable. Grace was his.

  The doc gave him a brisk nod. "I'll let you cut off her clothes, then. I need to see what I'm dealing with."

  The guy was no idiot. The barely controlled flood of emotion swimming though Chaos’s head and pumping through his veins was no doubt written all over his face. Touch her and die.

  Pulling his blade free, he cut through her shirt first. “Fuck.”

  The cut to her side was narrow but deep and still oozed blood. While he worked on cutting off her leather pants—the second time he’d done it since he’d met her—the doc started doing his thing.

  Placing his hand over the wound, Jack closed his eyes and went completely still. After several minutes, he turned to Chaos. "She's lucky, the knife missed her major organs."

  Thank fuck.

  Her leather pants fell away, and his gaze slid over her, taking in every inch of her pale skin. Her beautiful, strong body was covered in faint scars. Battle scars. His mate was a warrior. A tough, ruthless, intelligent, smart-mouthed warrior. Pride filled him even as the sight of those scars twisted fear in his gut.

  How the hell had she survived this long? Grace seemed to have a death wish, threw herself into every fight like it was her last. Like she didn’t care if it was.

  That thought did nothing to calm the hurricane of emotions inside him.

  The near-fatal scratches she'd received on her thigh not long ago were still healing, and now her other thigh didn’t look much better. Teeth marks decorated it, and although it had stopped bleeding, the surrounding skin was severely bruised. He lightly brushed his thumb over the abused flesh.