by Lia Davis
A slight shift of pressure in the room told her Zach had arrived. Khloe briefly looked up and was relieved to see his sister with him.
Bethany went straight into doctor mode. She wasn’t technically a doctor but had enough training and experience as the coven’s midwife that she was the closest thing they had. “I need everyone out, except Lo and Zach.”
“Why me?”
Khloe giggled at the slight terror in Zach’s voice.
Beth and Zach stared at each other as if they were having an internal argument, and Khloe knew all too well that’s exactly what they were doing. Zach had always been able to communicate telepathically with his immediate family members and now the Divinities, thanks to the bond they all shared.
A few moments later, Zach’s shoulders dropped, and he drifted to the opposite side of the bed, sat, and held his hand out to Lydia. “Are you okay with me staying?”
Lydia nodded and curled her fingers around his. Just then, a contraction overtook her, causing her to squeeze Khloe’s and Zach’s hands.
With her free hand, Khloe conjured a damp washcloth and mopped her best friend’s forehead. Zach lifted his hand, still linked with Lydia’s, and brought it to his lips to place a kiss on her fingers, causing her to focus her gaze on him. Real concern and genuine care wove into his features. He used his empathy to sooth Lydia’s emotions, calming her.
Khloe’s chest tightened. Jagger entered her thoughts. The way he’d made love to her the night before, ensuring she was pleasured and sated before allowing his own release had torn down the walls around her heart. The poetic words he’d whispered in her ear as he’d thrust deep inside her had made her pulse race as if she were being brought back to life.
It was all too good to be true. She couldn’t let her guard down in the hopes that they could make a life together. He’d return to the Afterworld once the children were safe and out of harm’s way. So getting attached to the Death Demon was a heartache she didn’t need or want.
Another contraction hit Lydia, and she cried out and squeezed Khloe’s hand again. “Breathe, Dia. You’re doing great.”
“Beth, give her something,” Zach barked out.
“You know I can’t.”
The pressure on Khloe’s fingers let up, and Lydia started breathing normally again. Khloe scooted onto the bed to be closer to her. Helplessness wrapped around her at seeing her friend in so much pain. Another contraction, and Lydia started to push.
“That’s good, Lydia. Hold it.” Beth counted to ten. “Okay, rest.”
A couple of additional pushes, and the room filled with the cries of a healthy baby boy. Khloe’s heart swelled, and tears stung her eyes as Bethany cut the cord, wrapped the wailing infant in a blanket, and placed him on Lydia’s chest.
“What will you name him?” Zach whispered while peering down at the bundle in Lydia’s arms with a look of awe on his face.
Lydia didn’t blink or hesitate with her answer. “Logan Mikal. It’s his father’s name, flipped around.”
Khloe hugged her and pressed the side of her face to her friend’s. “It’s a beautiful name. Strong.”
Khloe held her finger to his hand. Tiny fingers flexed open and closed. That’s when she saw his birthmark. Lydia had seen it, too, and she had unwrapped him enough to get a good look at the Divine Rose on the inside of his forearm.
“Oh. He’s a Dark Divine,” Khloe said with uncertainty in her tone. Logan’s rose was a dark red. So dark, it almost looked black. Khloe looked at Lydia, who was equally confused, and smiled. “He’ll be safe here. We’ll protect him and love him.”
Lydia teared up and nodded. “Thanks.”
Khloe was unsure how long they sat marveling over the newest and smallest household member before Zach cleared his throat and suggested they leave Lydia to bond with her son.
Khloe reluctantly followed Zach through the bedroom door. She’d have plenty of time to spoil the little guy later.
Jagger leaned against the wall next to the fireplace in the living room, waiting for Khloe and feeling like an outsider. The family togetherness the Divinities shared stirred old feelings of pain and regret. Pain for the loss of his own family, too raw to unbury. Sure, he had Lex and Hecate and loved them both, but the emptiness never left.
Khloe filled that void, offered a sense of belonging. He huffed and pushed off the wall. The irony. He didn’t belong anywhere. Not here. Not even in the Afterworld.
He reached the stairs as Khloe stepped off the bottom step, her beautiful face bright with a smile. She took his hand in hers, curling her fingers around his. He let her tug him back into the living room.
“He’s perfect.” She let go of his hand and sat on the loveseat across from Kalissa and Ayden. “Bethany said she’d bring him down in a bit.”
Everyone turned their attention to Jagger. He had a childish urge to disappear. Being the center of attention was one of his most undesirable things.
Jagger returned to his station beside the fireplace. “As you know, Lex and I had a meeting with Hecate. To say she is displeased with the kidnapping of the Dark Divine children would be an understatement. She’s furious that Khan would stoop this low. My mother offers whatever services you require. She is bound by Zeus, stopped from having direct involvement, but she’s looking into a workaround.”
“Hecate didn’t share how she would find this loophole, did she?” Zach shrugged at Jagger’s raised eyebrow. “It never hurts to ask.”
“Tell her we appreciate any help she’s able to give.” Kalissa snuggled into Ayden.
Jagger studied her for a moment. She looked tired. Her magical signature was slightly duller than usual. It was similar to the way Lydia’s aura appeared. Could she be with child?
Kalissa released a sigh. “We were waiting to make an official announcement until I was further along. But considering how things have been going, it’s better to get it out in the open. Ayd and I are expecting.”
Melaina gasped in surprise. “Congrats, you two. That’s wonderful news.”
“Thanks. So, I’ll be staying at home with Lydia and the baby, but we’re not sitting around doing nothing. I expect to be in the loop. Despite what Lo thinks, I can work a computer.” She looked at her twin and smiled.
Khloe laughed. “I know you can. But I’ll still go over some things with you and Lydia first.”
A ghostly figure appeared in the center of the living room. Jagger tensed until he realized it was the twins’ spirit guide, Barbra.
“The children are not at the warehouse.” The ghost floated over to hover in front of Kalissa. “But there are two witches in holding cells in the basement level of the building.”
“Witches? Are you sure?”
Barbra turned her head toward him and narrowed her eyes. “If you’re asking if they’re Divinities, I’m not sure. If they are, their magic is being muted somehow. I didn’t hang around taking surveys, demon.”
“Barb!” The twins spoke as one, drawing the spirit’s attention back to them.
Jagger held up a hand. “It’s okay. She’s allowed to have her opinion.”
“What did the witches look like?” Kalissa asked as Khloe went to the entertainment center and searched one of the shelves.
“Well, the man had light brown hair. He noticed my presence and peered right at me with irises so pale a blue they were scary. Something primal lay behind those eyes.” Barbra shuddered but continued. “The woman had long, red hair and looked a little like your friend, Lydia.”
The twins exchanged knowing glances, and Jagger didn’t have to be telepathic to know what they were thinking.
Khloe went to stand next to the spirit with a photo in hand. “Is this the woman?”
Barbra studied the picture for a brief moment and nodded. “Yes, that’s her.”
Chapter 17
He sat on a small cot in his dark stone cell with his back and head against the wall, his eyes closed. He didn’t dare sleep longer that the ten-minute catnaps he managed. T
he rest of the time, he sat on the sorry excuse for a bed and listened. He could identify each footstep. He could tell the difference between Demetrius and Paul and distinguish them from the rest of the lowlife demon scum that came down to poke at the tiger in his cage. Let them poke. Eventually, the beast would break out. When it did, they’d better run.
Kristof Rayners wasn’t only a Divinity; he was a shifter. Unlike weres, he wasn’t ruled by the pull of the moon. His shapeshifter abilities were purely magical. He was able to take more than one form, and always at will unless he was unable to shift. Like now. The collar they’d placed on him kept him from shifting, and his primary beast was getting restless.
The tiger wanted out, and he wanted blood.
The demons talked about a female witch they had locked up on the other side of the building. They called her the blind witch and bragged about how they’d taken her sight with some kind of chemical they’d dropped into her eyes. The news of the creatures torturing a female made Kristof want to rip every one of their heads off their shoulders with his fangs.
He had to find a way out of his cell, find the female, and then find Melaina or Noah. The other Divinities were dead. Except Angelica. She had been missing when he was captured. He just hoped she’d gotten away. He had no idea what had happened to her children, his niece and nephew. Of course, Jacan and Lydia were old enough to take care of themselves, but it was still the thought of them going through the loss of both their parents.
Footsteps coming down the hall toward his cell put his senses on alert. So far, the demons hadn’t used force on him. They only came to his cell to bring food. They called it food, at least. Kristof didn’t know what it was half the time. He only ate what he recognized and fed the rest to the rats.
The demons stopped outside the door. With a click of the lock, the door opened to reveal Paul and two of the larger demons that always accompanied him. “Get up,” Paul demanded. “We’re going for a little walk.” He motioned to the other demons to take hold of Kirstof.
Paul was afraid him. His fear fragranced the air like a Glade PlugIn. The sweet smell teased his beast. When the demons came to him, he let them take his arms and pull him to a stand. He was curious to see where their little walk would end up. So, he waited like the tiger waits for his prey.
They walked down the hall to where it forked off then turned right and continued down another hall with more cells. Coming to a stop in front of a door halfway down the corridor, one of the demons removed his collar. Kristof tilted his head and smiled. Demons weren’t that smart. Yet they seemed to be up to something.
“Getting brave, Paul?” Kristof purred as magic once again raced through his veins. He changed his eyes from human to cat-like and laughed at the fear rolling off Paul. If he had been human, he would have pissed his pants. The door opened, and Kristof froze at the scent he would know anywhere, raising a fear of his own.
Angelica Rayners paced her small cell along the wall so she could feel her way around the room. She had been strong until the day they’d blinded her with that chemical. They had dropped it into her eyes as one of her punishments for not telling them where the Sinew was and how to use it. She put on a good show, but deep down, she was terrified. Scared of what other creative ways they could come up with to persuade her. She just thanked the gods every day that they hadn’t raped her. Yet.
She stopped her pacing when footsteps stopped at her door. She breathed in a deep sigh and braced herself for what was coming. It was too early for dinner, so they weren’t bringing food. The door opened. She heard the scuffling of feet, and then the door shut and locked. A presence filled the room.
“Who’s there?”
“What the fuck did they do to you?”
It came out as a growl, but she would know that voice anywhere. “Kris? Is that you?”
Silence. She feared it was a trick, a ploy to get her to lower her shields.
After a few moments, he spoke, “Yes. You can’t see.”
She shook her head. “No,” she answered softly and shook her head so her hair would hide her face from him. She had scars on her face from the chemicals they’d used to blind her. She hadn’t been allowed to heal herself. They kept her in cuffs that bound her powers and prevented her from healing. She stepped forward and reached out to him.
“Please don’t come any closer,” he said with a shaky tone.
“They haven’t allowed you to shift.” It wasn’t a question. So, this was how it was going to end.
“They took the collar off before shoving me in here. I think they want me to kill you, or scare you.”
Kristof paced in front of Angelica. They’d left the lights out. As though it mattered if she couldn’t see. Damn bastards. He was so going to enjoy ripping each one of them apart. He would give anything to hold her at that moment. He didn’t dare try. His beast wanted more than blood. He wanted sex, and Angelica had always triggered that need. That was the reason he’d left when she’d married his brother, Caleb. They were fated life partners. Kristof couldn’t complete with that, so he’d given them their space.
“So change already.”
He snapped his head up to look at her. “What?”
“The cameras only pick up video. No sound. Shift, and I will push the call button and make a deal. When they come in…”
“I’m not sure about this, Angie. Once the beast is out, especially after being confined for so long, I can’t control it.” She knew this. Why was she tempting him?
“I know.” She walked toward his voice with her arms out in front of her. “I trust you to keep me safe.” She stopped when her fingertips brushed his chest.
He closed the distance between them and turned her around so her back was pressed up against his front. “You know the beast wants more than food,” he whispered in her ear. He closed his eyes and hated the fear he caused with that statement. He prayed that they would make it out of there alive.
Kristof released her, and she scrambled to the far wall in search of the call button next to the door. Regrettably, he shifted. Once in tiger form, he let out a roar. She screamed and fumbled her fingers to the intercom.
When she reached it, she pushed and held down the button. “I’ll tell you how to get the Sinew and use it. Please get this animal out of here.” She released the button and moved around to put Kristof between her and the door. “I’m cuffed and can’t use magic,” she whispered.
“Don’t worry. I can.” Kirstof sent the thought to her.
She relaxed a little and straightened her back. His brave Angie.
“We’ll get out of here. I promise.” Kristof sent the thought to her and shook off the tiger’s claim. He couldn’t go there.
In tiger form, his night vision was better. He could see only half of her face. There were shadows of scars running down her face like tears. He had to get her out of there and the cuffs off her so she could heal if it wasn’t too late. Her magic might erase the physical scars, but her mental ones would not heal with magic. Well, maybe with his mindbender ability, Jacan could take the memories from her and replace them.
The door to the cell opened wide with a loud bang as it crashed into the wall. Kristof whirled around and leapt at the demon that came through the door. He sank his large fangs into the demon’s neck and, with a shake, snapped his neck, killing him. Two more demons came through the door. One lunged for him. Kristof killed him with the same ease as the first. Some army Demetrius had. They couldn’t even stand up to a tiger.
Angelica screamed. Kristof turned to see another demon dragging her to the door. Kristof changed back to his human form and willed clothes on at the same time. The demon stopped and stared at him. Kristof laughed. “Yeah, asshole. I can change at will. That is the difference between weres and witch-shifters. Let her go and I’ll make your death quick.”
“Don’t kill me. I can get you out of here,” the young demon said with real fear in his voice.
“How can I trust you? I let you live, and you go to your s
uperior. I don’t think so.”
Kirstof raised his hands toward the demon. “Wait! I know what they had planned for you. I know how to stop him.” The demon released his hold on Angelica and helped her steady herself. “I’m sorry, miss.” The demon touched her face, and the scars lightened. Then he brushed his fingers over the cuff on her wrist, and it too vanished.
“Why are you helping us?” Kirstof asked, still not trusting the demon.
“I am dead either way. You kill me, or Demetrius kills me for failing.” The demon shrugged. “This way, I have a chance.”
Angelica reached out for Kristof. “Kris, Ryn is the only one who refused to hurt me.”
Kristof took Angelica’s outstretched hand, drew her to him, and turned a piercing glare on the demon. “How did you manage that without getting killed?”
“My main responsibilities are surveillance. Who do you think gave them the idea to put you with her? I told them that you were half were and couldn’t control the beast.” Ryn smiled and shook his head. “They can be stupid when they get desperate. We should be going before Demetrius and Paul return.” He looked down at the dead demons on the floor. “He may reanimate them to get information.”
Kristof created a fireball in his hand and flung it toward the bodies on the floor. The bodies went up in a poof like charcoal soaked with lighter fluid and lit with a match.
“You will pledge your allegiance to Hecate?” When the demon nodded, Kristof said, “We’ll see.” He walked out the door and up the hall while holding Angelica’s hand, Ryn close on his heels. Once on the ground floor above the basement where they’d been imprisoned, Kristof teleported the three of them out of there.
Chapter 18
Khloe sat at the kitchen island, tapping her foot against the base of the barstool. Her mind whirled with the confirmation of the whereabouts of Angelica Rayners. She was so close. Intuition had told her that warehouse was more than it appeared.