Death’s Sweet Embrace

by Tracey O’Hara

  “Tether yourself with the inhibitor cord,” he hissed into her ear.

  “What?” she said, looking at the twins who were just as confused as she.

  “Pick up the cord and tie your wrists together.” His voice started to take on a panicky note.

  Kitt tried to take a step but his grip tightened. “What are you doing?”

  “What you said,” she said, confused.

  “No, not this you, that you.” He flicked the knife toward the twins.

  She suddenly realized that he saw the twins and her as one person. He was insane.

  Kitt needed to buy them time. “Can I talk to Nathan?”

  “No,” the male snapped. “Now, do as I say.”

  “Please! I really need to speak to my brother.”

  As the air moved around her, a coolness swept past.

  “No. I have control, not him,” Gideon said. “Don’t make me let him out. Yes . . . yes . . . no.”

  It was like listening to a one side of a telephone conversation.

  “I know I’m stronger now but . . . I understand.”

  Gideon shuffled her toward the twins. “Bind the wrists,” he said to the girls.

  They should have run when they had the chance. Kitt held her arms out and allowed Cal to wrap her wrists together in front. Now she couldn’t transform.

  Strength and fighting abilities weren’t going to win this one, she was certain. It’d take more than brute force to solve the situation. She had to try to get Nathan back. Maybe he’d see sense.

  “Please”—she tried to keep the panic wrapping around her throat from squeezing off her voice—“I need to talk to Nathan.”

  “No, I . . .” His voice trailed.

  “Gideon is useless.” Kitt recognized Nathan’s tone immediately.

  She could actually feel the difference in the way he held her too. Gideon pressed his entire body against hers, whereas Nathan tried to touch as little as possible. And she could feel the hate wrapping around them both. The cold certainty that Nathan would be no savior crept over her skin. In fact, she may have just leapt with both feet into a raging inferno.

  “If you want to save the twins, you do as he says,” he whispered into her ear.

  “Who?” she asked.

  “Ealund.”

  So, he shared Gideon’s illusions.

  Though she wasn’t sure it was a delusion as a cold sensation swept past her again. “Okay.” She tried to keep her voice even.

  “Now tie the twins’ hands together behind their backs with the other cord,” he said, and then he lowered his voice. “And do it quickly.”

  She needed time for Raven and Oberon to realize their mistake and return, but she knew she couldn’t be too obvious about it. God, she hoped they’d come soon.

  He released her enough for her to bend, but kept the knife at her throat. She took the cord from Cal and purposely let it fall from her fingers so it looked accidental, which wasn’t far from the truth. Her own bound hands made it much more difficult.

  “Careful bitch,” Nathan hissed and the blade bit deeper against her throat.

  “I’m sorry,” she said and picked up the cord again.

  Cal looked up, her eyes conveying all the fear Kitt felt; Seph’s just held angry hate. She was such the warrior.

  “It’ll be okay.” Kitt schooled her features to show more confidence than she felt. The twins sat back to back so she could bind them together by their wrists. She kept the knots as loose as she dared, hoping they would be able to get free.

  As soon as she was done, Nathan grabbed Kitt by the wrists and untied them, then wrenched her arms behind her back and roughly retied them together. He pushed her down on the ground and slammed the handle of the knife against her skull.

  Stars burst behind her eyes, knocking her almost senseless. Dirt filled her mouth and nose. A distant cacophony of dispute erupted from the girls; she couldn’t make sense of the words, but got the gist.

  She could also make out the menace in Nathan’s tone as he threatened them into silence. Her heart sank. While she struggled to rise on her hands and knees, she saw that Nathan was tightening the girls’ bonds. Her hope for them to get out of those loosely tied knots was immediately dashed.

  The other thing that struck her was Nathan appeared as he normally did, his hair color back to the same pale blond and his eyes the same angry amber. When he’d finished, he rose and stalked toward her.

  “You didn’t think I’d trust you?” He looked down at her with the burning hatred she’d seen many times before, but it was now tinged with insanity. “You wanted to take them from me, but I’m going to mold them to be everything our father wanted.”

  “You will save them from Ealund?” Kitt asked.

  “Yes, by sacrificing you to Ealund.” He smiled at her and she realized he was now more insane than Gideon. “The twins will be free to come with me. Ealund promised.”

  “Why do you hate me so much?” she asked.

  The look he gave her was pure venom. “Don’t pretend you don’t know.”

  As he dragged her to her feet, Gideon returned. She’d learn no more of her crimes against her brother.

  Gideon’s blue eyes glittered with malevolent desire in the dim light of the glow stick and his lips twisted into a mirage of a smile. She shrank away from him as much as his grip on her upper arm would let her. At least he no longer held the burning poisonous blade to her throat.

  He tilted his head, his brow creasing in confusion. “Why do you cower from me?”

  “Because you’re evil and sick and I don’t understand what you’re doing.” The revulsion pitched her voice a little higher.

  His features turned to stone. “No, I’m just doing my master’s bidding. But I want to be free—for you.”

  Kitt knew she shouldn’t be provoking him, but she couldn’t help herself. “For me? Is that how your sick and twisted mind justifies the murder of innocent people?”

  “THEY WERE NEVER INNOCENT!” he roared. “They were vile creatures full of lust for power.”

  “They were children,” she said. “You didn’t even know them.”

  “You lie. Ealund told me their crimes,” he said, confused. “He promised me I’d be free and the body would be mine.”

  And then it dawned on her. Gideon was evil, but he just wanted to escape Nathan as much as she did.

  “He’ll destroy you,” she whispered. “You will never be free of him.”

  “You lie,” he shrieked and dragged her toward the cavern entrance, opposite to the one the others took.

  “Where are you taking me?” she asked, terror constricting her throat again.

  He didn’t even look as he said something she barely caught. It took a moment to fill in the gaps and work out what he’d said. But she did and her blood froze in her veins.

  “To the edge of the beyond.”

  Chapter 37 - Silent and Deadly

  Raven transformed and held his arm out, bent at a right angle at the elbow, his fist clenched in the silent military-stop signal. He heard hushed sounds—whispering male voices. Tyrone stopped behind him and Oberon concealed the glow stick’s light within his thick fur. The three of them crept toward the whispers.

  Two dark shapes loomed ahead. Raven and Tyrone pounced and when they had them subdued, Oberon brought out the light.

  Beneath them, hands held behind their backs, were two confused and pissed tigers. Leon stood a short ways back, dropped his hands to his knees and let out a bellow of laughter.

  “What the hell?” Tyrone said through clenched teeth as he climbed off his captive. “Where did you come from?”

  Raven stood and offered his hand to his hapless victim. The felian’s lip curled into a snarl, then eased off to finally accept the offer. It took him a moment to work out it was Jericho, recalling Kitt’s description of his tattoo.

  The brothers were both solid, burly men. Perfect bodyguard material. He’d seen them before, but they’d never actually met face-to-fa
ce.

  “So where did you come from?” Tyrone asked.

  Leon pointed back to the way they’d come. “A few hundred yards back, the tunnel we were following came out into an apex—one way continued to go down and the other back this way. We followed the scent.”

  “He must have got past us,” Oberon said.

  “No.” Tyrone went pale.

  “The girls!” Raven said.

  “Please . . . don’t let me be right.” Tyrone shook himself as they all set off at top speed. Raven changed to wolf midstep. The change in the footfalls behind him suggested the others did the same.

  There’d been a gnawing feeling in his gut for some time, but he put it down to Seph being in danger. I left them behind, unprotected except for a hurt Nathan! What had I been thinking?

  It took much less time to get back. They knew the way this time. He entered the cave and found the twins sitting back to back, struggling to free themselves.

  They were safe, both of them. But his relief was short-lived.

  Where is Kitt?

  He transformed back to human and rushed to help the girls. “What happened?”

  “It’s Nathan—”

  “He changed—”

  The girls were talking at the same time.

  “We have to save them,” Tyrone said, cutting the girls off.

  Raven finished untying them. They rubbed their wrists and turned as one to look at their grandfather, both heads tilting left at an identical angle.

  “Where’s Nathan and Kitt?” Oberon asked, pulling on his earlier discarded leather pants.

  Tyrone’s eyes flicked to the twins and shook his head.

  “He’s taken Kitt,” Seph said, looking at her grandfather. “She gave herself up to save us.”

  What did he know?

  “He’s taking her to the edge of the beyond, whatever that means,” Cal said, also holding her grandfather’s eyes—and then as one, the twins turned to Raven. “We think he’s going to sacrifice her.”

  Raven didn’t wait for more. He changed into wolf form and took off after the scent trail; he could hear the others following behind. The thought of Kitt’s life in danger spurred him on—faster.

  There was light ahead and he raced for it. Something bumped him and heavy jaws clamped down on his shoulder, tearing flesh and tossing him aside. He let out a howl of pain and caught a blur of red-gold as he fell over the edge of the yawning abyss.

  Only his training saved him.

  Raven transformed quickly back into human, starting with his hands. He reached out first with his good arm and caught a ledge as he dropped, then used his injured arm to slow down his descent. The black void fell away into dark nothingness under his dangling feet. His fingers gripped hard as his feet scrabbled to find a foothold and release the screaming pressure on his shoulder.

  Leon.

  He was going to kill that lion the next time he saw him.

  The mangled shoulder popped as it healed and he was able to move again, and he reached up as one foot found support. His heart pounded in his chest as he cursed the lion’s name.

  Then the sides crumbled. As he moved to find another foothold, a chunk of rock hit him on the head and he glanced up. The worried faces of his twin daughters peered down at him over the edge.

  Kitt struggled under Gideon’s thighs, her arms trapped behind her back. He pushed down as he hacked off a part of his shirt.

  “I’m sorry I left the disabling blade behind,” he said. “I would have used it higher in the neck for you, so you wouldn’t have to feel any of this.” He moved to stuff the piece of shirt into her mouth.

  “Wait,” she said, trying to buy more time. “Why did you kill Emmett?”

  “Who?” he said, his frown deepening then his face cleared. “Oh, the white tiger from years ago.”

  Gideon’s face morphed into Nathan’s pale features. “Emmett was going to oppose me in the council. He laughed and called me a sad little male, then turned his back. I struck him with the knife so hard the blade broke. He was alive and looked at me with those surprised eyes. He wasn’t laughing anymore, but I couldn’t kill him. Then I blacked out and woke later covered in blood. I didn’t mean to do it . . .” His voice trailed off.

  Then Gideon returned. She was starting to feel dizzy, seeing Gideon and her brother swap back and forth was very disorientating.

  “It was you,” she said.

  “Yes, that was my first.” The strange dark version of her brother smiled sadly.

  He looked at her again. “You know—that was the first time I escaped, and it was the first time I saw you. My sweet, beautiful angel.

  He looked to the side. “Now I must finish,” he said. “Ealund demands it. No more questions.”

  She almost choked on the piece of shirt he stuffed into her mouth and he brought the blade against her skin. As the pain seared, she fought her gag reflex at the scent of burning flesh. Her burning flesh. The silver in the knife blade exacerbated the pain tenfold. She tried to bite off the scream building deep in the pit of her stomach, but it ripped up her throat only to be muffled by the makeshift gag.

  Gideon stopped and frowned. “There, there, my angel. It’ll soon be over.”

  “STOP!” Kitt heard her father’s voice ring out in the cavern.

  Gideon climbed off and yanked her up before him, using her as a shield. “Hello, Daddy.”

  There was absolutely no trace of surprise on her father’s face as he answered: “Hello, Gideon.”

  The angel grew rigid in front of him. Gideon had wanted this for a long time . . . and for his father to see him again.

  Father . . . huh. More like jailer.

  “Have you missed me, Daddy? Have you missed me since you had the shaman imprison me in my brother’s head?” Gideon hissed.

  The angel they called Kitt struggled against her bonds, her words muffled by the gag.

  Tyrone’s face fell. “I did it to protect my children. If the Pride discovered what you were, they would’ve killed you both.”

  “But why me?” Gideon pleaded. “Why not Nathan?” It was something he’d been dying to know for a very long time. “How did you choose?”

  “The Pride had already seen your brother,” Tyrone said.

  The one called Kitt made a confused noise, still gagged.

  “Tell her, Daddy. Tell her what you did to me,” Gideon said.

  “Two heart beats, all normal. But the birth was difficult. Things went wrong. In the end there was only Nathan.” Tyrone hung his head for a moment. “We told the Elders that Nathan’s littermate died in birth. It just seemed easier.”

  “You lied,” Gideon whispered.

  Tyrone held out his hands, pleading. “We didn’t know. You didn’t manifest, Gideon, until Nathan was two. We had to save our child.”

  “Wasn’t I your child too?” Gideon asked in disbelief, his hatred increasing.

  “HE WAS AFRAID OF YOU,” Ealund intoned.

  “Were you?” Gideon said, he tightened his arm around his angel. “Were you afraid of me?”

  “What?” Tyrone’s eyes flicked away. “No.”

  Gideon could taste the lie. This whole time Nathan had been strangely quiet in his head.

  Tyrone stepped closer. “Like I said, if the Pride found out what you were, they would’ve demanded your death. So I had the shaman perform the ceremony in secret.”

  “They took you from me.” Nathan spoke for the first time. “I was all alone.”

  “Your mother fought my decision. She demanded I tell the truth . . . She wanted us to leave the Pride and take you away.”

  Gideon’s heart came into his throat. “She fought for me?”

  “Yes. She loved you very much. But I was the new Pride Alpha.” Tyrone paced sideways, his eyes taking on a faraway look. “She was devastated when she lost you.”

  “She loved me!” He had thought she hated him for so long—this was hard to believe.

  “HE LIES! TO SAVE HIS OTHER PRECIOUS CHILD,”
Ealund whispered. “TO SAVE NATHAN.”

  Tyrone nodded. “She grieved so much for you, it sent her into estrus again. Dylan and Kathryn were conceived.”

  She did care. His mother was the real angel. Not this one.

  “YES!” Ealund’s ghostly form floated above the abyss. “SHE’S UNWORTHY. SEND HER TO ME.”

  “Yes, send her to Ealund,” Nathan whispered in his mind.

  Gideon nodded and he plunged the knife into the false angel’s chest.

  Chapter 38 - Time’s Up

  Dirt and debris rained down on Raven from above as they reached for him, but his grip started to slip. He closed his eyes and spat out a mouthful of detritus.

  “Hold on,” the ursian’s voice rumbled from above.

  A second later Seph was lowered over the side by her ankles. She gave him an unsteady smile as she wrapped her fingers around his wrist.

  “Okay,” she called over her shoulder.

  Raven brought his other hand to also grip her wrist, then Oberon hauled them slowly toward the top. Until the edge broke away.

  “WAIT!” yelled Raven.

  More small rocks and dirt rained down, and when the debris settled, Oberon continued pulling. Finally, they reached the top and he and Cal helped Seph up as Raven climbed over the ledge and to his feet.

  He dusted off his hands and looked at Oberon. “Thanks.”

  “Don’t mention it,” he rumbled. “Just be a little more careful next time.”

  “Let’s go,” Raven said, slapping him on the back. “We must stop—”

  A strangled cry reverberated off the rocky walls.

  Raven didn’t need anything else to spur him on. He ran with his heart thumping in his throat, but he felt like he was running in treacle.

  Finally he came out into a wide cavern with a great black abyss extending away in either direction. Two figures grappled at the edge while another lay on the ground a short ways off. Deathly still.

  Kitt.

  He raced to her, sliding on his knees to her side and lifting her head into his lap before brushing back the hair from her face and removing the scrap of material from her mouth. The silver knife was still lodged deep in her chest and he gripped the handle. She looked up at him through her pain, gave him an infinitesimal nod and closed her eyes, squeezing a tear from the corner.