“Join us and she goes free,” William offered, holding the weapon so that the candles flickered against the shiny silver blade.
“You’re without your armor,” Max pointed out, knowing a Beast without his protective gear could feel a great deal of pain. They couldn’t bleed but they could be tortured. “Let her go and I’ll kill you fast. I promise you’ll feel no pain.”
William smiled, seemingly pleased with that answer. “I figured you’d make this a challenge.” His eyes raked over Sarah’s body. “But something tells me, with Sarah around, I might enjoy convincing you.” He winked. “She’s a nice choice, brother.”
The words cut through Max’s heart for too many reasons to pin down in that moment. Right now, all that mattered was freeing Sarah. “You aren’t my brother, and I swear to God, if you touch her, I will take your head.”
“It’s not nice to make promises you can’t keep.” He slid two fingers down the blade and turned to Sarah. “Maybe we’ll join the others downstairs and play a while.” He grimaced. “No. I want you all to myself.” He glanced over his shoulder at Max. “But you can watch.” With the threatening words he inched forward, closer to Sarah.
She slid along the wall, retreating until she bumped into a tall pillar that held a flaming, three-wick candle.
“William, he’s your brother,” Sarah said. “Help us and maybe we can save you. Maybe Salvador will have mercy on you.”
His reply was instant, his words steely with hatred. “It is my mercy you should pray for.”
Max ground his teeth at William’s words. God, how he wanted William to exist beyond the shell of the man he once was—he had always held on to that hope despite Salvador’s insistence that he let William go.
William’s eyes lit with contempt as they settled on Max. “I offer you a chance for conversion because I am ordered to do so. If you are smart, you will do what you always failed to do in our human lives—follow my leadership.”
He moved then, fast and without warning. His blade touched Sarah’s neck, his attention still riveted to Max. “I’d hate to kill her before I show her who the better brother is, but don’t doubt for a second I will.” He paused. “So here are the hard-core facts, Maxwell. You must choose. Your soul, or your mate’s life. Which will it be?”
Max wasn’t a fool. He’d gladly sacrifice himself for Sarah, but to do so now would be for nothing. The Beasts would see her dead anyway. He could stand here and pretend he didn’t know that or he could take action. He was tired of playing captive to the two Beasts holding his arms. As for the knife at Sarah’s throat, that had to go. Now.
With heavy thoughts, Max surrendered to the inevitable. For the first time since he killed that human to save Des’s mate, he had to allow his inner beast to fully take control.
His resolve thickened, his eyes lingering on the knife at his mate’s neck; he let the raw emotions, the fury, take hold. Max embraced the heavy pulse of adrenaline pumping through his veins, welcomed the power of his beast as it rose to the surface—clawing its way upward, from the depths of his soul. Soon, man and beast existed as one.
The time to do battle had arrived.
Sarah watched in horror as the room erupted in chaos, the knife at her throat a constant threat. Since she wasn’t dead yet, she had to assume there was a reason to keep her alive—perhaps simply to torture her and make Max watch. Either way, she had a chance to survive, which meant she had to fight.
She watched as Max wrenched one arm free from one of the Beasts and smashed his fists into the same Beast’s jaw. The blow packed so much force that the Beast stumbled backward. Immediately, the second captor hit Max; the sound of knuckles cracking against bone filled the air. Sarah cringed, thankful that Max recovered quickly and returned the blow. She couldn’t believe Max had gone on the attack. He was outnumbered, in tight quarters. Her heart pounded so hard, she thought her chest would explode. She had to help. Think, damn it!
Max somehow freed himself from his two attackers and charged at his brother. William turned to face Max, shoving Sarah behind him, the blade finally lifted from her skin. Sarah stumbled into the candle pillar to her right, and it wobbled. Instinctively Sarah reached out to steady the candle. But then an idea hit her. Fire. Alarm. The people downstairs panicking. That might just work.
She shoved the candle to the ground, praying the carpet would go up in flames. It did. Well, one flame. A small one, but it would grow. That little success didn’t offer much comfort, though, because Max was in trouble. All three of the Beasts were pounding on him.
Sarah clung to the hope her plan offered and went into action, taking advantage of the attention being off her for now. She grabbed candles from anywhere she could find them, tossing them to the ground. Fire was beginning to form a circle around the battle, smoke rising, lifting, hopefully touching the alarm sensors. When one of the Beasts tumbled back into her, Sarah barely sidestepped the flames as she found herself crushed against the wall. Somehow, she held on to the candle in her hand, seeing it as a weapon.
Taking opportunity where it presented itself, she pressed the flame into the back side of the Beast’s long hair. The strands ignited with quick speed and the creature screamed as flames traveled up his head, jumping around in the center. He was now a live weapon ready to set anything in its path on fire.
William and the other Beast backed away from the fire and finally the alarm sounded. Water erupted from the ceiling almost instantly, screams filling the air as the customers felt its downpour. Apparently, this signaled a temporary retreat to William; he darted out the door, disappearing into the club. But she’d seen how determined he was to destroy Max and how devious he was about achieving it. He was most likely regrouping, planning another strike upon their attempt to depart. His uninjured Beast followed in his wake. The one that was on fire dropped to his knees as if he were submitting to the fire licking at his body, the water barely dulling the flames. In shock, she watched as the creature seemed to be melting into the fire, proving beheading wasn’t the only method of destroying these monsters.
Suddenly Sarah was in Max’s arms and being carried out of the room. He dodged the growing fire as if it required no effort, charging out the door and down the stairs toward the bottom floor. Sarah searched the crowd for William, the sound of sirens touching her ears. People were pushing and shoving their way to the front door. They had to find Allen now—before he was gone, before their hope of stopping his plans faded.
She tried to say as much, but the shrill alarm drowned out her voice.
Max weaved through the crowd, and before Sarah could object, they were outside the club. Still, he didn’t stop moving. “Max! Stop! We have to find Allen.”
Max didn’t stop. No matter how many times she screamed, ordered, pleaded, he stayed his path. They were blocks away from the club when she found herself on the sidewalk watching as Max flagged the cab that had apparently been the reason for his sudden stop. The cab responded, pulling to the curb.
Max yanked open the door and Sarah stared at him. “We have to go back,” she argued, not understanding his plan.
“I am going back,” he said, and handed her his cell, barely looking at her in the process. “Jag and Karen are both on speed dial. Jag will protect you. Have him orb you to his location and have him do it now. Then tell him I need backup. The immediate kind.”
He opened the front door and gave the driver the hotel address and tossed money onto the seat. He slammed the door. “Go to the room and stay there, so I know you’re safe.”
“Max—”
His gaze caught hers midair, and her throat went dry at what she saw. Yellow eyes…predator eyes. His voice was low, thick. “Just do as I say, Sarah.”
Answering wasn’t an option, not that she could find words in that moment.
And then he was running, leaving her behind. She’d never seen Max seem quite so on edge, so dangerous. She watched his departure, his muscular body, long and sleek, traveling at inhuman speed.
> Her mind raced with thoughts, fear pressing into her consciousness. She rejected it as a useless emotion. She’d seen how powerful those three Beasts had been. There were probably many more back at that club. Max couldn’t face them alone.
The cabdriver honked, and she slammed the door shut and waved him forward without her. A second later, she hit the speed dial for Jag, praying he would answer. He didn’t. Next she tried Karen, pacing as the phone rang in her ear.
She didn’t bother with hello. “Tell me Jag is there.”
“No,” Karen said. “What’s wrong?”
Five minutes later, Sarah hung up the line, discouraged. Jag’s next call-in time was almost an hour away. A lot could happen in an hour. Max could be dead in an hour. Sarah didn’t know what to do but go after him herself. At least, she could tell Jag exactly where he was when he called. Doing nothing wasn’t an option, because she wasn’t sitting back and waiting while Max got himself killed.
So she did the only thing she could. She took off running—back to the nightclub. Back to Max.
Chapter 20
Allen stood in the corner of the ritual room, naked, without his prior reservations about being a part of what went on here—about the sexual explorations required by Caden. His duty to contribute to the power of the stones could not be questioned—not when Kate would be the reward for his actions. Two women clung to him, touching him, kissing him. For days now, he’d shoved aside guilt, promising himself this was for Kate, that it did not betray his love for her. This was to bring her back. To bring her home.
Murmurs filled the room, and Allen pried one woman’s lips from his to see what was going on. The Shadow Masters had returned after a short rest, and they now stood center stage. The robes they wore pooled at their feet, and all eyes turned to them, all activity stilled.
Each time they returned, Caden tested the stones with some magical spell, and so far he’d been pleased with their progress, which was ahead of schedule. That progress kept Allen going, kept him focused on the magic that could bring back Kate.
He held his breath as he awaited Caden’s update…but it never came.
Without warning an alarm sounded and the sprinklers came on, raining water down on the crowd. Allen’s heart slammed against his chest, and he shoved aside the two women, storming toward the stage, taking the stairs two at a time. He stopped just behind Caden, who directed the Shadow Masters to depart. “Where are they going?” Allen demanded.
Caden turned to face him. “The same place you are. Away from here. We are compromised.”
“It’s a fire alarm. It might not even be real.”
Irritation touched Caden’s eyes. “You fool,” he spat.
“The sprinklers are on. That means smoke.”
“That can quickly be dealt with,” Allen countered.
“We are exposed,” Caden reiterated. “We leave, and we do it now.”
Allen wasn’t accepting that answer. “We can’t leave. The ritual can’t be delayed. The full moon is coming. And what if this is a ruse? What if someone is trying to use the fire to get us out of here?”
“We are leaving,” Caden said, the bite to his words telling of his growing impatience. “We have escape tunnels. Vars didn’t choose a fool in me. You, though, I am beginning to wonder about.”
Panic formed and Allen exploded. He couldn’t let this happen. Not with Kate’s future on the line. “I am the one who controls this vial.” His fist closed around the glass that hung from a string around his neck—the vial that would hold the souls of the Shadow Masters once the stones had enough power to make it happen. “I am the one who can give Vars what he wants. Without me Vars cannot be a part of this ceremony. He speaks through me. And I say we stay and finish the ritual. I say—”
Caden waved his hand and Allen’s words were magically lodged in his throat. “You say nothing, and if you aren’t careful, I’ll silence you permanently. You are nothing but a useful puppet that Vars needs right now to free himself. A tool to aid my efforts in this ritual. I, however, am bound to Vars, his eternal blood servant, gifted with abilities that would make you wet your prissy little pants.” He pointed to the end of the stage. “Now walk. We are leaving. Before we find trouble I can’t fix.”
Hatred crept into Allen’s heart in that moment, and it scared him. He’d never been one to feel such things, but he did now. He hated this man for claiming his control. This was his journey, his path, launched for Kate, not this man. Stiffly, he turned and walked to the edge of the stage, wishing he had the magic to make Caden eat his words. And just as he’d never been a man full of hatred, Allen had never sought vengeance on anyone. But if Caden failed to perform this ritual properly, if he cost Allen his Kate, he would deliver vengeance against Caden.
The air crackled with Adrian’s fury a second before he appeared on the stairwell of the club in front of U2—or William as he was once known. Adrian pointed at U2 and the Beast flew against the wall, back plastered to the concrete with magic, feet dangling in the air.
“How much pain your future holds is up to you,” Adrian snarled between his clenched teeth. Irritation wracked his nerves, the sound of the fire alarm screeching with warning and reminding him of U2’s stupidity. If Vars didn’t escape his prison, Adrian couldn’t claim his demon army. Vars had to be freed, yet the ritual to aid that escape was now being interrupted and he had U2 to thank for that. “If this fire destroys my plans, you will wish you were dead. And make no mistake—I am allowing you to continue for only one reason. I want what is Salvador’s and your brother is his. I suggest you deliver him to me.”
Adrian sliced his hand through the air and U2 fell to the ground. “Don’t make me come to you again. Next time you will not get off so easily.”
He shot a dart of electricity through U2’s body. The Beast shook with the jolt, his eyes rolling back in his head. Adrian inhaled with pleasure; U2’s fear and pain were almost as sweet as sex. Yes. He felt calmer now.
But what he wanted was not calm—it was power. The power he would soon take from Vars. With his own army and that of Vars, Adrian would be unstoppable. He would destroy The Knights of White with ease, ridding himself of the hindrance they had become in his quest for power. His power would allow him to overtake Cain, and Adrian would then be king in his place. He would finally find his position within the royalty of the Underworld. And then, one by one, he would overtake and destroy the other leaders—until he ruled all of hell.
Chapter 21
Max sprinted toward the club, determined to get there before Allen took flight. He found the front door as the fire trucks pulled up. Flames flickered through the front entrance, energized now, spreading through the structure. Searching for a discreet entry point, Max darted around to the back of the building.
Even as he scouted for trouble, on alert as his senses picked up the presence of Beasts, his thoughts were dimly fixed on Sarah. Leaving her worried him. Towing her along with him worried him more. Protecting her from an army of Beasts—which could well be the case—would be damn near impossible. Not to mention his present state of internal struggle. He’d barely reined in his beast after that last battle. He was clinging to a proverbial limb, barely holding on to reality. Days ago, he’d wanted to scare her away. Now, he was terrified he might really do it. He couldn’t let her see him like this. Not if he wanted her in his life. And he did. More than anything he’d ever wanted in four centuries of living.
Kneeling by a window, Max yanked up his pant leg and removed the gun he had strapped to his calf. The compact Glock wasn’t his preferred weapon considering it wouldn’t kill a Beast. At least a few well-placed bullets would stun his enemy long enough for Max to steal a real weapon. Using the butt of the gun, Max broke the glass that blocked his entry into the building and then cleared the opening of the remaining jagged pieces. He slid through the tight space and found himself on a smoky industrial stairwell. Sucking in the thick air, he adjusted his breathing, appreciative that he was far less affected by su
ch things than a normal human.
Not wasting any time, Max charged down one flight of concrete stairs and found a closed door in his path. Cautiously, he opened it, finding no resistance and no enemies. Just another set of stairs. These were narrow and winding in a snakelike path. He trotted down their distance and found himself at the edge of a dark, empty auditorium, with a stage overlooking the room.
Using his exceptional night vision, Max assessed his surroundings. Chairs were folded at the sides of the room; silk blankets and cushions were covered in water from the spray of overhead sprinklers. The scent of sex and perfume lingered in the air, telling of how recently the occupants had fled.
“Damn,” Max murmured, his instincts flaring with the warning of Beasts. He surveyed the room, finding no movement, but that didn’t fool him.
Max went into action—the idea of being a sitting duck holding no appeal. He plowed across the room, the water soaking his already damp clothing. Somehow, this room had another exit, different from the way Max had come in. The fire up above would have stopped their departure.
A search turned up no departure points, but Max knew, damn good and well, there was another exit somewhere. Obviously high-tech and well-hidden. And the darkness wasn’t helping matters.
A low sound had Max whirling around, his weapon in front of him.
“Max.” It was Sarah. He saw her the same moment he heard her voice, and she immediately started running toward him. “Thank God, you’re okay.”
His heart lurched at the idea of her being here, at the epicenter of danger. “Damn it, Sarah, it’s not safe here.”
“For either of us,” she countered, leaping across an overturned chair in her path. “You’re one against many. I couldn’t leave you alone.”
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