Fading Light: Shadow Born, Book 2

by Angela Dennis

  Gray tensed. “None of our people are going to die to send Ga’loh home.”

  Agnes rolled her eyes. “Of course not. It’s my fault the beast is here in the first place. It’ll be my blood, my pain, that sends him home.”

  Brenna shook her head. “That’s not an option.”

  “I’m two hundred years old. I’m tired, and I miss my daughter.” She smiled weakly. “None of you can defeat Ga’loh in his true form. I brought him here. I’ll pay the price to send him back.”

  Seraph moved behind Agnes, his hands on her shoulders. “If Ga’loh sees you, he’ll figure out what’s going on. You’ll have to sneak in during the ceremony when the demon’s distracted. Once he gives us the cure, we’ll start the ritual. I know you don’t have the strength to show us the spell, but you’ll have to teach us how to fuel it.”

  Agnes nodded. “There’s nothing to teach. I’ll use your blood to bind you to the spell. Once Ga’loh’s banished, the spell will release and you’ll be free.”

  “And if you fail?” Gray asked.

  “We won’t. My death will insure the spell is powerful enough. It’s the only way.”

  “No, it’s not.” Hilda materialized in the center of the room. “I understand your willingness to sacrifice yourself, but there’s only room for one ghost on this team.”

  Gray sucked in his breath. He had forgotten Hilda had been a witch.

  “Give me a corporeal form that will allow me to be the sacrifice. The spell doesn’t technically require a life essence, just the ability to feel pain–great pain, true suffering. If Agnes does it, it would be enough to kill her, but it won’t matter that I’m already dead. I can still pay that cost.”

  Seraph glanced at Agnes. “Would it work? And if it will, can you do it?”

  “She’s a ghost. It’s impossible.” Keegan snorted.

  Agnes shook her head. “She’s right. It could work. Giving her a temporarily functioning body is easy.” She glanced at Keegan. “With a little dragon blood.”

  Keegan backed up. “Not happening. I’m not giving that witch access to my blood.”

  Seraph shot him an irritated glance. “It’s time to take one for the team.”

  “Do you know what she could do with it?” Keegan shook his head. “I won’t be bound by a witch because I was stupid enough to bleed for her.”

  “I only need a drop, and you can supervise.” Agnes stepped toward him. “I don’t want you, dragon. You’d be too much trouble.” She glanced at Igor who sat at her feet, his head on his enormous front paws. “Besides, Igor would get jealous.”

  “Fine.” Keegan hissed, smoke wafting from his nostrils. “But I want back every drop you don’t use.” He glanced at Hilda. “And don’t get any ideas.”

  Hilda laughed. “I’m a ghost. I think you’ll be okay.”

  “Hilda, if Ga’loh figures out what you are, he could take you back with him,” Agnes warned. “You could end up his eternal plaything.”

  “I know the risks.” Hilda faced them, hands on her hips. “Don’t try to talk me out of it. My decision is made.”

  Brenna stood, moving to Gray’s side. “We have to go after Ga’loh now, and we’re going to need Mira and Seraph. You and Keegan will have to take the hunters who are in decent shape to go find Lucy.”

  “She’s right,” Seraph said. “Our time table has been ramped up. We need that cure.”

  Gray cursed. He knew they were right, but he didn’t like leaving Brenna vulnerable. Their magic complimented each other. They were stronger together than apart.

  He studied Brenna, knowing his answer would make or break their fragile relationship. “I don’t want to split up.” As her eyes flared with irritation, he quickly continued, “But I trust you, and I know you can do this. Promise me you’ll keep our link open so I know what’s happening.”

  Brenna wrapped her arms around his neck. Reaching up on her tiptoes, she kissed him. Keegan mumbled something indecipherable under his breath. She pulled back, smiling. “I’ll leave our link open as long as I can, but it will disrupt my concentration while I’m healing Ga’loh.” She kissed him again then let him go. “I don’t want to do this without you either, but it’s our only choice. We have to stop Adare. And we have to find a cure.”

  “I know.” Gray closed his eyes. He prayed Sam wasn’t with Ga’loh. It would be better for all involved if he had slunk back to Adare. Gray would kill the bastard for the pain he had caused Brenna.

  “If you find Sam, don’t kill him,” she said, and he wondered if she had read his mind. “We don’t know everything. I want the truth before we judge him.”

  Gray wanted to argue. One of the things he loved about Brenna was her big heart, but it was going to get them both killed. “I won’t kill him unless I have to.” He kissed her forehead. “I promise.” It was one of the most difficult promises he had ever made.

  “All right, boys and girls, we need a plan.” Keegan stepped further into the room. “There’s less than forty-eight hours before you meet Ga’loh. We’re beat to hell and exhausted. In this condition we’re no good to anyone. We buckle down here. Agnes will bring in her healers so Brenna can rest her magic. We need at least a day to recuperate or we’ll get our asses handed to us. We have to play this right.”

  Mira stepped beside Keegan. “Aye aye, sir.” She considered. “If we need more men, I can try to get Claudius to help us.”

  Seraph shook his head. “There’s no time. Claudius is fickle, and even though he’s our ally, he’d have to go to the vampire counsel first.”

  “We probably should have kept them in the loop,” Brenna said.

  Mira shook her head. “You did the right thing. You can’t trust Claudius.”

  Gray looked at her with surprise. Mira had always hated her substitute sire, but there was a new level of rancor in her words. Something had happened between them. And it wasn’t good.

  “I agree.” Agnes stood. “I dealt with him a few years back. He’s a bad seed.” She leaned against the tables. “My healers are on their way here, but someone just walked in the front door, and he’s not one of them.”

  They tensed as the door to the kitchen swung open yet again. Louie appeared in the doorway. His eyes widened. His face was drawn and tense. “Um, sorry.” He stared at the floor. “I didn’t realize you were having a party.” He backpedaled toward the door. “I’ll be upstairs.” He disappeared before anyone could correct him.

  “Useless.” Keegan shook his head. “Still don’t understand why you took him in.” Brenna glared at him. “If you hadn’t kidnapped him, I wouldn’t have had to.”

  “He had information,” Keegan growled.

  “Enough.” Seraph slammed his hand on the table. “Leave it alone. We’ve got bigger things to worry about.”

  As Agnes stood she pulled a dagger and a vial from inside her coat. She handed them to Keegan. “We need to start the spell. It will take at least a day for it to work.”

  He glanced at the implements in her hand, reluctant to take them. After a moment he groaned. “What the hell.” He grabbed the blade and sliced it across his forearm. Once his blood filled the vial, he handed it back to her. “I don’t trust witches.” He watched her carefully. “Don’t make me regret this.”

  “I won’t, dragon.” She slipped the vial into her pocket then cleaned and sheathed the blade before turning to Brenna. “I need a quiet space. If I cast the spell now, Hilda will be fully formed tomorrow night. If it doesn’t work, I want to be able to try it again.”

  Brenna nodded. “There are tunnels beneath the house. Marissa used them to practice spells, so they should work for your purposes. If not, I’ll find you someplace else.” She led Agnes and Keegan through the hallway to the dining room. Hilda followed close behind, still in semi-corporeal form. The perfume of anticipation flowed through the hall in her wake.

  The
trapdoor to the tunnels was hidden beneath a ragged red and blue circular rug in the far corner of the dining room. Brenna pushed the frayed carpet to the side and kicked open the wooden plank covering the entrance. A cloud of dirt exploded into the room, dancing in a cloud around them. Brenna stepped back, coughing.

  “Believe it or not, we cleaned the tunnels out a few months ago.” Brenna shrugged. She motioned for them to follow as she stepped onto the first rung of the rope ladder and began to climb.

  The tunnels had been built during the war to move humans from place to place outside the threatening gaze of the deviants who had taken over the city. They were similar to the ones that led to headquarters, but these were more like true hallways beneath the earth. They were lit by sconces that had been shoved into the earthen walls.

  Brenna led them down the narrow corridors into an open chamber. It was the size of a small living room and perfectly round. A fire pit had been dug into the dirt in the center of the room. It was filled with fresh wood.

  “This should work.” Agnes pulled off her black leather coat and threw it on the ground. For the first time, Brenna saw the scars dancing across her arms and shoulders. They were old wounds, but still horrifying in number.

  Agnes followed her gaze and shrugged. “We all have our battle wounds. Mine are more noticeable than some.” She settled on the ground beside the fire pit. “None of this has been what I expected. If I could go back in time and stop my coven from summoning Ga’loh, I would.” She sighed. “At least I can end it now.”

  Brenna sank beside her on the dirt. “You’re not sacrificing yourself. Hilda can do this. It’s a workable solution.”

  “We’ll see,” Agnes said. “Ga’loh is smart, too smart. You’ll have to get the cure from him before he sees me or Hilda, or this will be for nothing.”

  “Brenna is smarter than any demon.” Hilda reached down to light the fire. “You have to stop looking at her as Marissa’s friend. It keeps you from seeing how powerful she is.”

  Agnes nodded. “Forgive me.”

  Brenna shook her head. “No worries. Do you need anything else to complete the spell?”

  “No.” Agnes drew out a fresh athame and held it in the fire to cleanse it. “Quiet and time is all I need.” She glanced at Keegan.

  He snorted. “I haven’t said a word.”

  “Keep it that way.”

  Brenna left as Agnes began to cast her circle. A part of her wanted to stay and watch, but she needed to get back to Gray. In a few hours they would separate and he would go after Adare without her. To say it made her uneasy was a gross understatement. Leaving them to their craft, she left the tunnels.

  Gray was waiting for her in their room. She smiled when she realized he had used their time apart to clean some of the mess. A path had been cleared through the debris so she could walk unencumbered through the room. What was left of the mattress had been laid against the wall, a fresh one in its place. She didn’t ask where it had come from. She wasn’t sure she wanted to know.

  He lay on the bed in a pair of black boxer briefs. Hands behind his head, chest stretched to showcase his muscular abs, he stared back at her. “Was Agnes okay with using the tunnels?” he asked.

  “Yeah. Keegan’s with them. He wouldn’t leave his blood unattended.” She settled beside him on the bed and pulled off her boots. “I don’t get Agnes. I feel like she’s not telling us everything.”

  “Agreed.” Gray shifted. “But I can’t put my finger on what it is.”

  Brenna stood and pulled off her jeans and sweater. She tossed them into the pile of clothes near the closet before turning back to the bed. Clad only in her tank top and panties, she slid into the bed beside him and snuggled against his chest.

  “I’m not comfortable with us fighting apart,” he said as he pulled her close. “It’s not that I don’t think you’re capable. We’re stronger together.”

  “I know.” She glanced up at him. “But we don’t have a choice.”

  “That doesn’t mean I have to like it. The timing sucks.”

  Brenna pressed a kiss against his chest. “It’ll all work out. It always does.”

  Gray sighed. “I’m not worried about the end result. It’s what we have go through to get there.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Gray clenched the steering wheel, his nerves on edge. It had taken every ounce of his self-control to leave Brenna and, even now, he wanted to turn the car around and drive back down the mountain. It was an impossible situation.

  “Slow down or pull over.” Keegan glared at him from the passenger seat.

  The dragon didn’t know how to drive and he hated confined spaces. Gray rolled his eyes, but then he noticed the witches in the back were hanging onto the seat, their faces white with terror. A glance at the speedometer told him he was going almost a hundred miles per hour. Considering the road was curvy and there were sheer drop offs on either side, it probably wouldn’t hurt to slow down.

  “I should have flown,” Keegan muttered. “You’re going to kill us.”

  Gray hit the brakes, slamming the dragon against the dash. “That better?” he growled.

  One of the witches screamed. Fat lot of good she would be in battle.

  Gray’s irritation grew as they traveled what had once been Interstate seventy. Now it was nothing but a curvy dirt and gravel road. All night they drove through the old casino towns until they passed the carcass of the resort town that had once been Breckenridge. Several miles later, Gray went off road until he came to an abandoned hillside. He screeched to a halt amidst the scattered IRT tents. Jumping from the SUV onto the makeshift dirt road, he motioned for them to follow him inside the largest tent. The side of the tent was stacked from floor to ceiling with cases of weapons. Knives, guns, and anything else a hunter might need were at their fingertips.

  As the other SUVs roared to a stop, he pulled back the makeshift entrance and motioned the other hunters and witches inside. The tent easily held them all. These were the only ones still standing. The rest were nursing their wounds inside the boarding house and praying the demons didn’t attack.

  Gray studied each of their faces, memorizing them. He was leading them into battle, and he would make damn sure they made it back. “Go through the crates and load up. You’ll need all the help you can get.”

  The witches stood to the side, acutely out of place. They were not creatures of brute force. Their strength lay in the sophistication of their magic, a skill just as important, yet not as visible. Gray moved toward them. “Thank you for helping us. I know this isn’t your fight.”

  The eldest of the group stepped forward. Her long white hair fell almost to the ground, her bright green eyes glazed with age. “I’m Gwen.” She held out her hand. Gray shook it without hesitation. “Agnes asked us to help, but we would have come anyway. We want to be here.”

  “Good.” Gray motioned them forward. “I want you to check the perimeter for spells, but wait before you try to unweave them. I don’t want Adare to know we’re here.”

  The witch nodded then led the others outside.

  Uneasy, Gray watched them go. They weren’t as powerful as Agnes. He wasn’t sure they could handle the level of spell casting Adare was capable of. But he wouldn’t know until they tried, and he had no choice but to let them.

  “Sucks being in charge.” Keegan stepped beside him. “But it looks like you’re taking it in stride.”

  “Old habits die hard.” Gray smiled despite himself. He missed the adrenaline of battle and the thrill of command. “How are the hunters?”

  “Weak.” Keegan snorted. “Not my first choice, but they’ll do. They’re cannon fodder so we can get inside.”

  Gray shook his head. “I’m going to wrap them in a defensive spell. They’ll survive.”

  “Against Adare?” Keegan sighed. “Maybe.”

  A high-pitched s
cream rent the silence. It was one of the witches.

  “Damn it, I told them not to do anything.” Gray cursed as he threw open the tent flap and stepped into the snow.

  The sight that greeted him was unexpected.

  Three of the witches lay sprawled across the ground in a prone position. Their blood pooled beside them on the snow. The others had gathered around them, visibly trembling as they stared across the hillside at the ruined structure of the old hospital.

  “What happened?” Gray moved toward them. His eyes remained on the survivors. They glowed with ethereal power, but it wasn’t theirs.

  Keegan knelt beside two of the fallen witches. After checking them for signs of life, he glanced at Gray. “They’re dead,” he said as he rose to his feet.

  “We didn’t see the barriers until it was too late.” One of the witches stepped forward. Her long blond hair was wrapped around her head, her flowing white dress singed at the bottom. “The wards used our detection spell to pull us in.” She motioned to the women on the ground. “They weren’t strong enough to get free.”

  “What type of spell was it?” Keegan asked.

  Gwen stepped forward. “He’s using a corrupted form of blood magic.” She shook her head. “I’m not sure how to get past it.”

  “We have to find a way.” Gray stepped toward the barrier, ignoring their warnings. “We can’t attack until it’s down.”

  “We need Agnes,” Gwen replied. There was a panicked look in her eyes, and panic was one thing they could not afford.

  Gray grasped her arms. “No, we don’t. We have everything we need. You can figure it out. If you don’t, we’re all dead. Adare knows we’re here, so either we get in, or he comes out.”

  She trembled against his hold, but met his gaze unflinching. “Bury our dead. I can’t work with them lying here.”

  He glanced at Keegan, who nodded. The dragon would take care of it.