by Brenda Trim
They had obviously found the female prisoners and this one couldn’t be more of a mess, but she had his body reacting with a ferocity that rocked him. It was the absolute worst time to be turned on and attracted to a female. It was even worse given the trauma this particular female had obviously suffered, but neither common sense nor the life and death fight he was engaged in stopped him from wanting this female beyond reason. He couldn’t think straight, he was so enthralled.
“Behind you!” the female shouted, breaking the spell.
*****
Shae was dumb-founded that the Vampire King and his Dark Warriors had come to rescue them. She blinked, wondering if it was a trick of the infrared vision she’d inherited along with the bloodlust. She knew something was happening when countless skirm and demons rushed into the room where she had been held prisoner. Seconds later her prayers were answered with the influx of warriors. She had prayed and begged to be set free or killed and now she couldn’t stop the hope and joy that sparked at the sight before her.
Tears brimmed in her eyes when she realized she was finally going to get out of that cage, one way or another.
She stared at the warrior with the gaze that was cold as ice. He had fought the hellhound like a male who had nothing to lose, charging the fiend and wrapping his muscular arms around the beast. It was a bloody and unreal sight, but now that she looked into his eyes, she saw a male lost, broken, and alone. It reflected how she felt inside. She noticed that he was scarred like her, too. The left side of his face had a scar from his temple to his neck, but the sight didn’t detract from his good looks. It just made him look dangerous…and delicious.
She caught movement out of the corner of her eye. “Behind you,” she warned.
Before she blinked, he swiveled and his blade found purchase in the chest of the approaching skirm. He wasted no time getting right back into the fight. He was a thing of beauty as he killed enemy after enemy, never tiring while blood poured from his shoulder. She smelled his blood and looked down to see it coated her fingers and bloodlust had her close to licking every drop from her skin.
A skirm banged into her cage, distracting her wicked thoughts, and she reached through and grabbed hold of its head. She twisted and pulled and tugged until the body fell at her feet. She lifted her head and glanced into stunned, whiskey eyes. “You came back for us. I thought you were dead,” Shae muttered.
“You bet your ass I came back. I’d have been here sooner, but I had a detour in Khoth. We are getting you out of here…just as soon…as we can.” The last was said while the female battled a skirm who had come up behind her. She was fierce and fought like the wind. And, Shae noted, she wasn’t human anymore. She had mated to one of the vampire royal family as the Tarakesh family mark inked below her left ear caught her eye. Shae hadn’t seen the mystical mate mark the last time she had seen the female and wondered if her prompting the search for the King brought her to her Fated Mate.
Shae knew the tales about mate marks, and how and when they appeared. For human mates, the mate mark always appeared below the left ear, and was a mystical mark until the mating was completed. At this point it became inked into the skin, never to be removed. Aside from those of her parents and grandparents, she had never actually seen a mate mark, thanks to a seven-century long mating curse. The curse had been lifted recently and Fated Mates were being blessed once again.
Prince Kyran worked his way next to the female and took care of the fury demon targeting his mate. “I see you’ve managed to find trouble, Firecracker.”
“No more than usual. What the hell are those nasty things?” the female asked. Shae looked over to see several pus demons had joined the fight. Shae recalled fighting one of those bastards in the cage not long ago. The slime they left in their wake made battle challenging as was evidenced when one of the Dark Warriors skidded and slammed into a wall. The brittle boards of the wall rattled, but held up as he pushed into a leap and sliced his knife through the demons throat. Green pus oozed from the wound and the smell it emitted was noxious. It didn’t faze Shae like it did the warriors who visibly gagged, but she had to agree it was vile.
Her scarred warrior was embroiled in his own fight with one of the four-armed pus demons. She had no idea why her mind insisted on claiming this stranger, but it did, nonetheless. He was caught by two of the demon’s arms while the other two reached for his head. Blue-eyes flashed and he elbowed the demon in the gut in an attempt to free himself. Shae watched as his elbow sunk ineffectively into the fleshy body.
“The groin!” she shouted, trying to get his attention. “Go for the groin.”
Ice-cold eyes turned on her and he inclined his head in acknowledgment. A second later, the demon bellowed and her warrior fell to the ground, and without wasting time, proceeded to hack its head off. He was a fearless champion, and made her blood boil hotter than a fresh pot of coffee.
Another warrior cried out as he was caught in four slimy arms. Her warrior leapt through the air and buried his blade in the top of that demon’s head as he sailed over it. He landed easily on his feet and swiveled to face a skirm coming up from behind. The first warrior took care of the pus demon while her warrior fought on. Within no time, both males were standing there panting, having vanquished their foes for the time being.
“Thanks, Gerrick.” Shae made a mental note that her blue-eyed, scarred warrior was named Gerrick.
“No problem, Caell.”
The two warriors turned and raised their weapons, ready to continue, but there were no more enemies in their immediate area. Shae could hear more heading their way. “Get us out, now. Hurry, there are more coming,” Shae pleaded with the female who had brought salvation back with her.
“My name is Mack, and it will be my pleasure to finally make good on my promise.” Mack lifted her foot to kick the lock while others worked on the remaining cages, but the prince was there before her foot landed.
“I had that, bloodsucker,” Mack complained.
“I know you did,” he replied as Shae was finally freed. Without thought, she was rushing Mack and enveloping her in a tight hug.
“I’m Shae and I owe you my life.” It had been countless weeks, maybe months, of torture, rape and fighting and now she was out of that cage. They may not be in the clear yet, but she wasn’t ever going back into that cage. She’d die first. “Saying thank you isn’t enough for what you’ve given us. If you ever need anything don’t hesitate to call on me.”
“Save that for later. Do you know a fast way out of here? The way we came in is too far from here,” Mack said, cutting her off and reached into her backpack.
“I have no idea. I was teleported into this room.”
Mack handed her a pile of clothes and Shae shook her head. “Give them to Cami. She needs them more.” She glanced over at the human who was shaking from the terror. She wasn’t so human anymore. The frail female had been in their midst the shortest amount of time, but was by far the most traumatized.
“We will have to go back the way we came then. Come on, we better get out of here now,” Gerrick barked. Even clipped and terse, his voice was a balm to her soul, and damned if her body wasn’t responding, as well. It was both reassuring and deeply disturbing that the horrors she had suffered hadn’t left her dead inside. Shae turned and started for the entrance, ready to leave this part of her life behind her.
CHAPTER TWO
Gerrick watched Zander lead the way out of the room. His body ached all over from the fight, but he wasn’t letting his guard down. He didn’t believe for one second that this rescue was going to be that simple. Kadir was a sneaky, ruthless bastard and this fight had been too easy, all things considered.
Cocking his ear, he heard animal snarls and whines coming from the east, away from their path of escape. Perhaps Hayden and his clan of shifters could keep the remaining skirm and demons at bay long enough for them to get the females to the cars. Gerrick examined the frightened females from his position at the rear of the group.
They were all filthy, bruised and bleeding, but none of them attracted him the way Shae did. He was surprised to see the variety of females that had been captured. There was everything from humans to shifters and vampires to Valkyrie and harpies. The sight of the harpy with her wings shackled made him see red. He was shocked she hadn’t succumbed to death, being cut off from the connection to everything that made her what she was. No one should be tortured in such a brutal manner. Zander hadn’t made any moves to remove the silver chain from the harpy’s wings and Gerrick surmised that was for everyone’s safety. No one knew how she would react and an out of control harpy was the last thing they needed at the moment.
On a good day, any of these females could be dangerous creatures, but they had been through a great deal and were unpredictable, glancing around nervously and jumpy as hell. When a rat skittered along into their path, the females all crouched down and snarled, brandishing fangs at the harmless rodent. Their eyes roved restlessly from Zander to Kyran to Mack and the rest of them. The wild, crazed look in their eyes told Gerrick that the best course of action was to keep them contained for the time being. A dozen feral females running rampant was the last thing the realm needed.
Gerrick recognized the sign for the steam baths as they passed and was surprised they didn’t encounter more enemies. He kept his guard up. This was way too easy and that made him nervous. They crossed through the area that had obviously housed the skirm and demons, finding it empty as well, even though his skin prickled in warning. Sharpening his attention, they continued as quietly as possible.
When the air cleared of the cloying scents of death, his heart raced. Something wasn’t right. His first instinct was to bring Shae into his arms and protect her from danger. As a warrior, it was his job to protect both the realm and humans, so this was nothing new, but with Shae, it went beyond mere duty. It came from his soul and the thought scared the shit out of him. He couldn’t go there right now because it brought up too much pain and heartache so he shoved it deep down and out of reach of further inspection.
A noise up ahead stopped them in their tracks and he stood on tiptoe to see around their group. “Stay here,” he told Aison and Caell as he shouldered his way to the front of the group.
When he reached Mack’s side, he saw that Kadir and Azazel were standing in the path of their group. Both demons wore smug grins and stood with their arms crossed over their chests. The difference in size between the Behemoth and the Daeva demon would have been comical if their presence hadn’t been stifling. One was over seven feet tall with grey skin and black horns while the other looked like a male model.
Gerrick glanced warily at the Dark magic of black and gray lights that surrounded the two demons. They were gearing up for a spell and Gerrick’s gut clenched as he tried to recall what spell he could cast that would effectively protect their group. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a spell strong enough to counteract that amount of Dark power.
Gerrick chanced a glance at Shae and saw her frozen in place, glaring at the demons. Her rage poured from her in waves and he saw that she stood there, with her muscles tensed and ready to attack. For the first time, he realized that the normal purple and blue aura that typically surrounded a vampire was sliced by black for Shae. All of the females’ auras were shot through with black. Whatever they’d been doing to them was very different from what had been done to Jessie. She exhibited a rainbow of colors, but none of them were black.
“I see you’re taking what doesn’t belong to you, again, Vampire King,” Kadir rumbled in a deep voice that vibrated the walls like the motor of a Harley.
Gerrick felt the females trembling behind him. The snarling, ferocious beings he had just seen were gone and in their place were frightened mice. Gerrick would bet that if Kadir told the females to scurry back to their cages, they would. All but Shae, that was. She wouldn’t scurry anywhere. Her rage called out for vengeance.
“We don’t belong to you,” she snarled and took a step forward. Gerrick put his hand on her arm, halting her progress. She glanced down at his hand and then at his face. He shook his head at her. She lifted her lip, flashing him fang. The sight was more erotic than it should have been.
Zander jumped into the conversation before Shae could speak. Gerrick had no doubt she had plenty she wanted to say to him at that moment. “Och, your plans have once again failed, Kadir. Are you ready to return to your maker, demon?” Zander lunged without hesitation, bent on destruction. Zander was a male possessed on getting revenge for the pain and agony his mate, Elsie, had suffered at Kadir’s direction.
“Bring me the amulet and I will let these females go. Well, all but my Shae. Her, I keep,” Kadir responded, easily dodging Zander’s attack.
Gerrick dropped his hand and gripped his knife tighter, taking several steps forward only to run into a broad back. Kyran had stepped in front of him and was glaring at him over his shoulder.
“Och, but you are dumb as rocks,” Bhric taunted the demon. Gerrick wished the other Vampire Prince would unleash his ice and freeze the demon in place. As if his thoughts prompted Bhric, Gerrick saw the lights of Bhric’s power flare.
Zander followed his swing and turned quickly to face the archdemons. “You will have no one and I sure as hell am no’ giving you the amulet. Lucifer should be used to his accommodations by now, frozen by a lake in hell.”
Gerrick saw Kadir’s outline waver before he solidified once more. “Like our little spell? That’s courtesy of the witch triplets you conspired to eliminate. Know that each of your endeavors will meet failure. It’s best if you return to Lucifer with your tail between your legs,” Zander promised and swiped at Kadir. Zander’s blade managed to nick his arm and black blood trickled from the wound. The scent of brimstone filled the narrow passage.
Kadir bellowed his anger and tossed Zander into the wall. Kyran jumped aside when Zander slammed into the wall next to him, trying to join the fight only to come up against Azazel. Kyran sifted behind the good-looking archdemon and plunged his blade into his shoulder.
“I didn’t give the witches my best effort. Perhaps I’ll try again,” Kadir panted as he danced away from Zander and Kyran. Gerrick bounced on the balls of his feet, wanting to get into the fray, knowing it would only cause more problems. The space was too narrow to allow for freedom of movement and they would be too busy trying to avoid each other to do any damage.
The foursome was a blur as they fought. Kyran slammed into a wall next and dust and debris rained down from the ceiling. Gerrick waved his hand in front of his face to clear the air and Shae took that moment to run past him.
“You took my life from me and now I’m going to take yours!” Shae yelled and threw herself at Azazel. The good-looking demon smiled and caught her mid-air.
“Oh, my pretty, Shae. I didn’t take your life. I gave you a new one,” he purred into her ear and sank his fangs into the ravaged side of her neck. She screamed and writhed in pain and Gerrick acted on instinct, pulling his staff out of its pocket, chanting a spell. The spell hit Azazel in the arm, making him jerk upright. His fangs tore through Shae’s skin as he lifted his head.
She didn’t flinch at the injury, but took advantage instead and sunk her nails into one of the demon’s eyes. Kyran sifted behind him and went low, swinging his blade. Azazel stumbled and dropped Shae while Kyran cut him again, this time slicing through the injured limb. The severed leg fell to the floor and the demon ripped a beam from the ceiling and hit Kyran with it. Mack joined the fight while Gerrick pulled Shae free of the skirmish. Mack and Kyran fought a weakened Azazel while Kadir faced off with Zander.
Gerrick thought the tides were turning when the rest of their group moved to help those at the front, but a slew of lesser demons and skirm swarmed the tunnels behind them. Gerrick and the others were forced to fight against the newcomers. He kept his staff in hand and cast spells. When the spells were ineffective he resorted to using the staff as a club. With one fury demon he shoved the staff through its
neck and forced his magic down the wood, making the demon’s head explode from the energy.
Gerrick lost sight of Zander and the archdemons, but heard the shouts. Without warning, black light engulfed the tunnel. When it cleared, the archdemons had disappeared. The only thing that made sense was something must have happened to the witches to allow for the archdemons to teleport.
Breslin came running toward Gerrick and fell over something in her way before she reached him. He thrust the end of his staff into a skirm’s chest and muttered an obliteration spell. He relished when the minion blew into a million pieces, while at the same time he ducked as Azazel’s severed leg went flying over their heads followed by Breslin’s cry of rage. Gerrick was surprised Breslin hadn’t used her power to set the limb on fire after it had tripped her.
He found it difficult to track their enemies and the females at the same time with the chaos that had erupted in the small tunnel. One thing that struck him was the ferocity with which the rescued females fought the skirm and demons. Their anger and bloodlust rivaled that of a feral animal, and it concerned him greatly about their state of mind.
As the enemy count dwindled, the warriors’ fight mode receded, but the females continued. All signs of the somewhat rational beings had left their eyes. He stepped into the path of the small human they’d called, Cami only to be shoved back as she clawed his arms. Bhric encountered the same when he intercepted Shae. Gerrick saw red when Bhric raised his hand to use his power against Shae and purposely stumbled into his back, making his ice slam into a wall. No one would ever hurt Shae again. He would make sure of it.