Pride

by H. C. Brown

  “I want to see my mates.”

  “I will bring Dallin to you, but only for a few minutes. I am sure he will tell you to agree to the terms.” Kaos got to his feet. “Or you can always try negotiation.”

  Lailii bit her bottom lip. This had to be a trick. “Negotiation?”

  “Yes, set the term of your stay with us.” Kaos shrugged. “I am sure Passio will agree if you give us your complete obedience.”

  Her gaze followed Kaos to the door. A few minutes later, the door opened and Dallin strode into the room with a broad grin. How strange her mate would think this situation jovial. Dallin sat on the bed and raised one perfect brow. Lailii inhaled to capture his unique scent. She grimaced at the sickly odor accosting her nose. Her hands came up to press against his chest—this was not Dallin. What should she do? Play the game and see what happened? Should she run around the room screaming? Blood pounded in her ears; her cub began to kick hard. Did the babe recognize the deception? I must survive. She lifted her mouth to accept the doppelganger’s kiss. Cold, hard lips brushed against her mouth, and the taste of violets pushed into her throat. She gagged and turned her head away. “I am sorry. I am unwell.”

  “It is okay.” The fake Dallin sat up and took her hands. “I think Lord Passio only requires your blood for a month, then there is a good chance he will let us all go.”

  Lord Passio? Another mistake. Dallin would never call a demon ‘lord.’ Who is this man? “So you would like me to comply? You want me to allow Passio and Kaos to suck my blood?”

  “Yes, and Stryker and I will visit you every day.” Dallin smiled. “That would be nice, would it not?”

  Nice? She could not imagine Dallin using that word with regard to sex either. She had little choice. She needed to boost her powers to keep her cub safe. Seeing copies of her mates would help. How long could she avoid sex? She grimaced at the thought of intimacy with these cold creatures. How would she survive without seeing the sun and nature’s beauty? She turned to the fake Dallin. “You know, sweet pea, I have to recharge my powers with nature. How does Passio plan to do this?”

  “I love it when you call me that.” Dallin beamed. “I will ask him straight away. You have a sleep, and I will be back with Stryker later.”

  Lailii watched him go. Once the door shut behind him, she shook her head. What a fool; imagine a warrior prince like Dallin allowing her to call him sweet pea. Lady’s blood. She threw her feet over the edge of the bed and noticed to her amazement the puddle of vomit had disappeared. She walked to the window and stared into the gloom. The black castle loomed beneath the window, guards patrolled the walkways, and huge, bat-like creatures swooped or clung to the crenellations. Gods, Terravampires—I thought they were a myth. In the distance, high mountains, black and rugged, rose against a turbulent sky. Lightening scored the darkness, showing glimpses of endless peaks.

  Folding her arms across her stomach, she rested her forehead against the pane. She had her powers; there must be a spell she could weave to incapacitate a demon. The last few days, her cat had bumped against her conscience, waiting to emerge after the birth of her cub. Therefore, it made perfect sense to assume the cat’s Pride magyck already flowed in her veins, waiting for her command. She had the knowledge of ancient incantations, and the ability to kill. She was a Spellweaver, and this is what she trained for all those long years at the Tark. She turned and gazed around the room. Her head ached. Walking slowly, she returned to the bed and lay down. Spells spun through her mind, tumbling her into an enchanted dreamscape.

  * * * *

  Fae Island

  Stryker landed the flybike beside the gate to the Lady’s grotto. He slid off the bike and paced up and down in an effort to collect his thoughts. He had never addressed the Lady in this manner, and the thought of actually standing before his goddess scared the hell out of him. With one hand clasped around Dallin’s amulet, he opened the gate and marched into the grotto. A welcoming glow surrounded the interior of the building. The scent of roses filled the night air. He stopped inside the small vestibule and gazed at the bowl of water. Gods, what did he have to do? Drink it? Wash in it? He searched his mind and could not come up with a damn thing. He scooped up the water with his hands and drank a little, splashing the rest over his face. He wiped his hands on his jeans, and then walked through the swirling portal.

  Peace surrounded him, and he fell to his knees in the center of the room. He bowed his head. “Dear Lady, unworthy as I am to be in this holy place, I have come to ask your help. Dallin is lost. I think Passio has killed him. I do not know what to do.”

  The hairs on his nape stood up. His cat shrank in fear. A soft whisper echoed in his head. “Open your eyes.”

  Stryker’s eyes flew open. The shimmery image of a woman sat cross-legged on the floor before him. She smiled sweetly and tossed moonbeam curls over her shoulder. He opened his mouth to speak, and then shut it again with a snap.

  “Do not fear me. I am your goddess.” She inclined her head. “You must have faith, Stryker, my champion lives. He is returning to the castle.”

  Stryker grinned. “Thank you.”

  “Not so my daughter, Lailii. She is imprisoned by the demon, Passio.” Her face grew sad. “I cannot enter the Underworld to save her, nor can you. Once inside, there is no escape for us.” She got to her feet and began to pace the room. “The Great One allows me only one champion. Dallin must go alone and fight the demon. Bring him here in the morning. I must have time to beg my father for a small indulgence. Use your talent to contact Lailii; make plans for escape.”

  Stryker looked at the goddess in disbelief. Passio had Lailii. How could this have happened? Grief hit him like a sledgehammer. He fought words past the lump in his throat. “Will Lailii survive? What about our cub?”

  “For now, Lailii surrounds your son with magyck so strong even the demons have not detected his presence. She knows nothing of her heritage. When she was born half-mortal, I locked pure, white magyck deep inside her. It took your bonding to release her goddess power. She will have the knowledge to defeat the demon, but Dallin is the only one capable of bringing her back through the Gate. The innocent cub she carries will prevent the demon magyck no matter what poison they try to inject into her.”

  “And if Dallin fails?”

  “He will become Passio’s toy, and Lailii and your son will remain in the Underworld for eternity.”

  * * * *

  Midnight struck, the old clock in the Great Hall counting down the hour. Dallin shouted for the servants to feed his starving battalion and ran up the stairs to his uncle’s chambers. He brushed past the guards and threw open the door. His aunt was on her knees before the king’s chair, sobbing into the cushion. He moved to her side. “Aunt.”

  “The king is dead, all hail the king.” The queen lifted her tear-streaked face. “Are you satisfied now? Your little whore has killed your uncle.”

  Dallin’s hands balled into fists at his sides. Not even the death of her mate would soften his aunt’s frozen heart. “He sent my queen to the Underworld. He imprisoned her and had her bound in silver. Do you know why he would do such a thing?”

  “He wanted to make sure you never damaged our bloodline.” The queen sobbed. “You live your life with a Talynx, then chose an ancient Spellweaver—you might as well have mated a Neanderthal.” She dashed away the tears. “He wanted to burn her the moment you left the castle.”

  Rubbing his neck, Dallin gazed helplessly at his aunt. How could she condone such treatment? “Could you not see the man was deranged?”

  “He was my mate.” The queen staggered to her feet. She slapped Dallin’s face, then leaned heavily against the chair and glared at him. “You will never be the king he was. You are weak—Blaise should have drowned you at birth. He should have killed all of you. You do not deserve to live.” She sank into a chair. “If you bring that girl and her bastard cub into my castle, I will destroy them both too. Go away. I cannot stand to look at you.”

  W
ith a shake of his head, Dallin turned to the door. The king’s servants hovered in the corridor. “Pack up my aunt’s belongings. She will be moving to the summer palace first thing in the morning.” He turned to her. “Well, now you won’t have to look at us ever again. Feel free to take your staff with you, aunt. They have become as twisted as you over the years.” He strode from the room.

  In the hallway, he stopped and pressed both hands against the wall. Lady help me. I am king, and my queen is trapped in the Underworld. He must address his people to assure his loyal subjects of his ability to rule with compassion and strength. They would be living in fear of a demon attack. They needed their king—and he needed to rescue his mate. He rested his forehead against the cold stone. Lailii was his first priority.

  Gods only knew where Stryker was. His head spun with fatigue; he could not think straight. His cat reminded him that he needed to eat. He sighed and jumped to the Great Hall. To his surprise, the entire gathering stood on his appearance. He gazed around at the bent heads and prostrated servants. He lifted his chin. “From this day forth, all men are equal. No man will lie at my feet, and a bow is all that I require for courtesy. Those of you who wish to leave the castle may do so. Those who wish to serve me of their own free will may stay. I offer you what any employer offers his staff—good pay with time off and my gratitude.”

  Applause broke out, along with cries of “Long live the king.” Dallin straightened his weary shoulders and met the gazes of his people. He would speak to his brothers and delegate responsibility for the running of the empire in his absence—or death. “My queen was taken to the Underworld by the demon Passio.”

  Cries of disbelief echoed through the hall. Women fell to their knees, pleading with the Lady for help. Dallin held up his hand for silence. “I am the Lady’s Champion. You have my word as your king, my mate will be returned.”

  Amongst the cheers and well-wishes, Dallin strode to the head of the table. He sank into the king’s chair and waited for his squire to fill his plate. Before he took his first bite, Stryker walked stiffly into the Great Hall. The man looked bone weary, and his hair stood out in all directions. He let out a long groan and slumped into the chair beside Dallin. Meeting his lover’s gaze, Dallin squeezed Stryker’s hand under the table. “Passio has got Lailii.”

  “I know. I went to see the Lady. Then when I left the grotto, Zane filled me in by phone. I cannot believe this. It is a fucking nightmare.” Stryker downed a full goblet of Miza, and then refilled his glass. “Best we eat. After, I will tell you what the goddess told me, but not here in our room.”

  Dallin dropped Stryker’s hand and rubbed both palms over his face. “I am worried—what if the demon has hurt Lailii and she loses our cub?”

  “You look like you have been dropped off a flybike.” Stryker grimaced. “How did you survive the Underworld?”

  “Dunno. Passio let me go when he swapped me for Lailii.” He groaned. “Lailii, gods, Stryker, she has not got a chance down there. They are not what I imagined, but they have more power in their pinky finger than our entire Pride.” He stared into the distance. “Fuck, for the first time in my life, I do not know what to do.” Dallin met Stryker’s gaze.” The Underworld is like nothing I have ever faced before. Not the fire and brimstone I expected—the demons look almost normal, but they are psychopaths. They feed on fear and pain.” His hands closed into fists, and he banged on the table. “I felt defenseless and weak. The guards have this superhuman strength, and when I tried magyck, my head almost exploded. I am guessing the zaps will not work either.” He held his head in his hands and moaned. “I have to work out some brilliant tactic to beat them, and then try and find a way back into the Underworld without being detected.”

  “Eat. The Lady is working on a plan.” Stryker accepted the plate of food from a servant and began to eat. “You will need your strength. The goddess wants to see you first thing in the morning.”

  With a shrug, Dallin forked up some food. His lover was right. He must be strong to meet this challenge. Lailii’s life depended on it. “Oh, I bet the Lady is real pleased with me. She gave me one specific thing to do. Take care of Lailii. What do I do? I lose her in under a month.”

  “I do not think the demon wants to kill her, or he would have done it by now.” Stryker’s brow furrowed. “I believe Passio wants her for her powers. This being the case, he will need to keep her happy, or she will not have any magyck for him to steal. This at least gives us a little time.”

  “How will he extract her magyck?” Dallin chewed slowly. “She cannot just hand it to him. Gods, my stomach is in knots just thinking of her in that place. I feel so fucking useless. I wish my father was here. Can you contact Nox?” He reached for his wine and drank, then placed the goblet back on the table.

  “I have tried but the force field around the island prevents contact.” Stryker sighed. “Apart from the Lady we are on our own.”

  ”Damn!” Dallin dashed a hand through his hair. “I fear our cub will not survive such terror. We will be lucky to get her out of there alive. If Passio knows she is immortal, he will know how to kill her too. The bastard will do it out of spite.”

  “We have a son.” Stryker met his gaze. “The Lady said our son was safe.”

  Tears pricked the backs of Dallin’s eyes. A son he would never see. He dashed his knuckles over his cheeks and drew a deep breath. He grabbed Stryker by the back of the neck, drew him close, and kissed him hard. Stryker’s large hand closed over Dallin’s thigh and met Dallin’s kiss with urgent passion. His body responded, his cock pressing hard against the front of his pants. Reluctantly, Dallin pulled away and met his mate’s eyes. “Promise me, if you have to make the decision to save Lailii or me, you choose her and our son.”

  “Lady willing, I will never have to make that decision. But you have my word.” Stryker smiled thinly. “Although I do not think Cruz would agree. He does not want to be king.”

  Dallin snorted. He ran the pad of his thumb across Stryker’s bottom lip. “He will not be. On my death, my son will become king, and as my mate, you will make it so.”

  “Oh yeah.” Stryker lifted Dallin’s gold amulet from under his shirt. “This belongs to you. I found it near the demon fissure.”

  Thank the gods. Dallin gazed into Stryker’s clear green eyes. How he loved the man. In all the confusion and pain, his lover stood beside him like a rock. “You keep it safe for me until I return.” He brushed Stryker’s lips with a kiss. “I will not be able to sleep worrying about Lailii. I need you so bad. I want to take the sweet memory of our love with me into the Underworld—my shield against the horror.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Later, in Dallin’s bedchamber, Stryker shrugged out of his clothes, and then turned to gaze at the prince. He ran both hands down Dallin’s muscular arms. “I think you deserve to relax in the hot tub, and then perhaps have a nice massage.”

  “Sounds good. I will put the Loop out. I do not want her attacking you again when we make love.” Dallin moved to the bed, scooped the sleeping beast up in one hand, and walked to the door. “Why do you not make sure that tub is nice and hot?”

  Stryker strolled into the bathroom. He placed one finger in the water to heat it with magyck, and then slipped into the bubbling water. Dallin joined him, his muscular body gleaming in the water. With one stride, Stryker closed the distance between them. Splashing water over the edge of the hot tub, he straddled Dallin’s thighs and sank his fingers into the man’s damp hair. His mouth closed over his lover’s full lips; his tongue fought and gained entrance. Dallin’s long fingers dug into his hips, lifting him with urgency. The mushroom head of the man’s cock found Stryker’s hole and thrust home. So full and hot, Stryker moaned into Dallin’s mouth. Without complaint, Stryker let Dallin take charge. The man thrust upward, sending great waves crashing over the edge of the tub. Long, sizzling shivers of desire curled in his belly. He kissed Dallin hard, dragging his head closer. He drank in his flavor, branding it in his mem
ory forever. His lover drove in deep, trembled, and came. Hot jets of cum filled his ass. Stryker sighed. He would take his lover long and slow in bed—give him a night to remember. Dallin pulled his head away, his lips swollen from the kiss. Stryker met his passionate gaze. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too.”

  After half an hour of soaking, Dallin climbed from the tub and dried off on a white, fluffy towel. Stryker had explained his visit to the Lady. Dallin headed toward the bed to find Stryker had placed an assortment of oils on the nightstand.

  “Sandalwood, I think. Lie on your stomach.” Stryker poured oil into the palm of his hand.

  Dallin climbed onto the bed and sighed. He enjoyed the way Stryker’s hands moved across his skin. He tried to concentrate on the plan to rescue Lailii. Fear for her safety constantly pushed logical thought from his mind. “Okay, what do we have so far? I will dress like a guard. That is easy enough. They wear black and a leather helmet. Are you sure you can dreamwalk in Lailii’s dreams?”

  “Yes, and your dreams too, with any luck. I will try to link us.” Stryker massaged oil into Dallin’s buttocks. “At least she will know we are coming for her. It is a shame I cannot give her the Lady’s plans.” He sighed. “Try to stop worrying. There is nothing more you can do tonight until we go to bed.”

  “I do not think I will sleep tonight.”

  “You must, or I cannot Dreamwalk in your dreams.” Stryker kissed a path down Dallin’s back. “Let me relax you.”

  With a groan, Dallin opened his legs to allow Stryker access to his ass. He loved the way Stryker used his fingers to tease him. The small circles of his lover’s thumb made Dallin’s cock rock hard. “Make sure you ask her exactly where she is. I am guessing Passio has her in a room near the ballroom. I saw a row of doors in a hallway close by.”

  “Turn over.” Stryker wiped his hands on a towel. “Bring those knees up.” He positioned himself between Dallin’s knees.