Savior of Midnight

by Debbie Cassidy

  Rivers shook his head. “I’m staying with you.”

  No time to argue. “Fine.” I chucked the keys at Xavier. “Get to the mansion. Marika is waiting to let you all through the wards.”

  Rivers looked like he was about to argue, but I shoved Xavier away from us, grabbed Rivers’s hand, and broke into a run, tugging him with me. I ran toward the shades, waving my free arm.

  “Hey! Asher’s bitches. You want the shade killer?” Asher’s grunts faltered, their attention caught. “Yeah, that’s right. It’s me Asher wants. I’m the one that can blast you to infinity. So who’s gonna claim the prize?”

  “Serenity, what the fuck are you doing?” Rivers asked.

  But the grunts—the not-so-bright grunts left without their general to guide them—abandoned their marks and rushed toward us.

  I backed up, turned, and ran. Rivers was hot on my heels.

  “Serenity, what the heck are you doing?”

  The sea beckoned, crisp, smooth, and ready for some rocks to be chucked at it. “I’m going to introduce the shades to the kelpies. The kelpies who hate their territory being encroached on.”

  “What if they don’t come?”

  “Then we’re fucked.”

  I scooped up a pebble as we hit the seafront and lobbed it into the moonlit sea. “More. Rivers, come on.”

  The shades were almost upon us, but we managed to get three more stones into the sea. And then there was no option but to turn and fight. Rivers’s sword sliced an arc through the air, forcing two shades to leap back out of range. I countered another’s attack, but there were several more barreling down the beach toward us.

  Had I messed up? What if the kelpies didn’t come?

  But then the shades further up the beach faltered, and the ones attacking Rivers and me backed up. Their gazes were on the water behind us, and the prickle of awareness skating across my scalp had my lips curving in a sadistic smile.

  “They’re here,” Rivers confirmed in a hushed tone.

  I laughed. “How do you like the odds now, bitches?”

  A high-pitched, siren-like noise filled the air behind us. It was the battle cry of the kelpie. They rushed passed us, their seaweed hair whipping out behind them. Weapons like I’d never seen before were clutched in their hands, creamy white weapons that glinted in the moonlight.

  Bone?

  Juno appeared beside us, her eyes as dark as an abyss. “Go now. We will deal with this encroachment on our territory.”

  “Thank you.”

  She inclined her head. “No. Thank you. It’s time we too fought back.”

  Rivers and I slipped away, leaving the battle to rage in the sands.

  ***

  Ryker and Orin were settling the resistance into the guest house building, but Bane had dragged Rivers, Xavier, and me into the lounge as soon as we’d arrived. It was a typical Bane control move, leaving no doubt that he was back to himself, even though his outside image might not fully reflect it. He gave me a once over, checking for visible signs of injury, but thanks to Xavier, I’d escaped with minor cuts and scrapes and a couple of claw marks which were already healing.

  Xavier paced up and down the lounge. “I don’t understand. I don’t understand. They couldn’t have known about the meeting.”

  “Maybe you have a mole in your resistance,” Bane said.

  I was thinking of him as Bane again, even though the Black Wings kept calling him Lucifer, even though he still looked more like Lucifer than Bane. Inside, he was my Bane, and that was all that mattered.

  “It’s possible,” Xavier said. He shook his head. “What if we’ve brought the mole with us?”

  Bane looked to Rivers questioningly. Was he suggesting we bring out the Mind Reaper?

  “No.” I stepped in front of Rivers. “There’ll be no need for that.”

  “No need for what?” Xavier asked.

  “You don’t want to know.”

  He looked at me quizzically.

  I focused on Bane. “Look, all we can do is keep an eye on things. I’ll ask Marika to close off the wards to your shades for now so none of them can leave without us knowing. That way, even if you do have a mole, there’ll be no way for him to get a message out to Asher.”

  He nodded. “Good plan.” He locked eyes with me. “And thank you for trusting me.” His gaze slid to Rivers, but there was no reproach in them, just resignation.

  “Well, you did save my life.”

  “What happened?” Bane asked.

  I smiled to hide the tremor that shot through me at the memory of my almost-demise. “Oh, I got pinned by two shades and was gonna get my throat ripped out when Xavier intervened.”

  Bane’s eyes hardened for a fraction of a second, his jaw ticked, and then he exhaled through his nose. “I can’t fucking stand this.” He turned toward the drinks tray but didn’t make a move to actually pour a drink. “I should have been out there with you. I need to be out there.”

  “But you can’t,” Rivers said coolly. “You’re no longer a neph.”

  “Fuck you, Rivers.”

  Rivers didn’t even flinch. “I’m just stating facts.”

  Xavier looked more confused than ever. Of course, he didn’t know about the whole Bane to Lucifer then back to Bane thing, and it wasn’t important for him to know.

  I waved my hand in a dismissive gesture. “Long story.”

  “Yes, it is,” Rivers said. “And it doesn’t apply to you. What does apply is that we kept our end of the deal and now you need to keep yours.”

  Xavier swallowed hard and then nodded. “Yes. Of course. The key to bringing Asher down is Ambrosius.”

  My heart sank with foreboding. “Ambrosius?”

  “Ambrosius is the final remnant of the true owner of Asher’s host body, and he will know how to access the hidden part of Merlin’s mind where he locked away the majority of his power. If Ambrosius can get access to it before Asher does, then he can use it to weaken Asher and take back the host body. He can eliminate the shade within. He can eliminate Asher.”

  “And if he can’t, then Asher gets what he wants?” Bane surmised. “He gets the final piece of Merlin’s soul and access to all the fucking power. Not happening.”

  Damned right. It was way too dangerous. “We can’t ask him to do this. We can’t ask him to risk his life like that.”

  “But what choice do we have?” Rivers said. “You can’t bring Asher down, and you refuse to kill shades. So, we can’t even capture them and have you burn through them all.” His expression darkened. “You refuse to allow us to help you to live. So killing Asher is the only way to stop the shades. With their commander gone, they may be persuaded to listen to reason, and maybe the secret to saving you is hidden in Merlin’s mind. If Ambrosius can access it, maybe we can save you.”

  He had a point. I was dying. Even if we captured all the shades and had me burn through them on a rationed basis, we would still eventually run out, and then this power inside me would kill me. Ambrosius may be our key to killing two birds with one stone, but how could I ask him to put his life on the line for me?

  Bane’s eyes had lit up at Rivers’s words, at the idea of going on a shade hunt and then feeding them to me. Dammit, I could read the neph like a fucking book.

  I narrowed my eyes. “The shades are confused innocents being led by a madman. I hate to admit it, but Rivers is right, we need to bring Asher down. It’s the only way. We can set the shades free and maybe we can all find a way to coexist, but asking Ambrosius to risk his life ... I can’t do that.”

  “Then you’ll die,” Bane said softly, too softly. It was his lethal, I’m-going-to-explode-in-a-minute tone. “That is not okay with me.”

  Movement at the periphery of my vision had my head whipping toward the window, but there was nothing to see besides the velvet drapes blocking out the night.

  “What is it?” Rivers asked.

  “Nothing.”

  “Harker.” There was warning in Bane’s tone. “
Death is not an option.”

  The all-too-familiar sinking feeling I’d been experiencing assaulted me again. It was a reminder of my fate. I plastered a smile on my face. “Trust me, I’m not about to give up so easily. But I’m not going to throw Ambrosius under the bus to save my ass either.”

  “Don’t you think he has the right to make that decision?” Rivers said. “It’s not just about the possibility of saving you. It’s about saving Midnight.”

  Fuck, he was right. “Fine, we get a message to Ambrosius and get him back from the cliff house so we can talk to him about this idea and ask him what he wants to do.”

  “I’ll send a Black Wing over there,” Bane said tightly.

  “I need to check on my shades,” Xavier said.

  “Hang on a second.” I pressed a hand to Xavier’s chest as he made to move past me. “You still owe us. We get to speak to Drayton, remember?”

  His body tensed. “Yes. I haven’t forgotten our bargain.”

  “Looked to me like you were trying to dodge,” Rivers said.

  Xavier’s lips tightened. “I am a shade of my word, but right now my people need reassurance. Leaving Asher would not have been easy for them. Making this break is a big deal, and they need leadership. They need me right now. They need to see me.”

  He was holding back something. “What’s the real reason, Xavier?”

  His shoulders sagged, and he tucked in his chin to look down on me. “I need to rest and recharge.”

  The penny dropped. “You’re worried that if you let Drayton out right now you may not be strong enough to take back control.”

  He clenched his jaw, but there was a flash of what looked suspiciously like fear in his eyes. “My people need me, and you need the resistance.”

  “Not if we can take down Asher, we don’t,” Rivers pointed out. “If we take him down, then the rest of the shades will come round.”

  “Not all of them. Not easily. We may still need to fight to cull the numbers that are loyal to Asher’s dream to rule.”

  “We still need a plan B,” Bane said. “Xavier is right. As much as I want Drayton back for good, right now it’s Xavier we need.”

  Xavier’s shoulders relaxed. It was a miniscule shift, but I caught it regardless. How must this be for him? He’d basically thrown himself at our mercy, walked right into enemy camp and asked for sanctuary, offered to help us. He’d turned his back on his leader, a man he must have respected dearly at one time. None of this could be easy for him either.

  I inclined my head. “Fine, see your men and then get some rest. We’ll do this in the morning.”

  Rivers shot me a hard, flat look, but Bane just nodded in agreement.

  “I’ll take you to the guest house,” Rivers said. He headed for the door, not checking to see if Xavier was following.

  Xavier hesitated a moment. “Thank you,” he said softly before following Rivers out the door.

  “You trust him,” Bane said.

  “Yeah. I guess I do.”

  “You know to get Drayton back we’ll need to get rid of him.”

  I straightened my spine, standing tall. “I know.” The words were strong and sure, masking the flash of unease, because to get Drayton back, we’d need to kill a good shade.

  Chapter 9

  It was late, almost one in the morning, and the mansion was silent. The humans were asleep, their bodies needing more rest than the rest of us. Black Wings were doing whatever Black Wings do and the Order were taking shifts in the library, searching for a way to help me and probably fixing the wards to prevent the shades from leaving without our knowledge. Ambrosius would be back soon and then we’d be able to plan our next move. Normally, I’d have taken a nap, but it was getting harder and harder to shut down recently. The power inside was like a battery that grew in strength and kept me on the move, which was why I found myself in the training room burning off excess energy when the world was sleeping.

  “It won’t help,” Death drawled from the doorway.

  I released the rope I’d just climbed and dropped neatly to the ground, landing in a crouch. “Unless you know what will, I suggest you leave me alone. I’m not in the mood to be reminded about the ticking time bomb inside me.” I strolled over to the punching bag and began to strap up my hands for a good session.

  “And even if I did know, why would I tell you?” Death asked.

  My stomach fluttered, but I kept my expression nonchalant and shrugged. “Oh, I dunno, because it would be the decent thing to do. Because watching someone die when you could do something to prevent it is just as good as murdering them yourself.”

  Death flinched. “The rules aren’t always so clear cut.”

  I finished with the bandages on my hands and looked up to meet his glinting gaze. “Yeah, they are. When it comes to someone’s life, they are. I could have killed a bunch of shades the other day. It would have certainly made me feel better, given me more hours on this earth, but I didn’t, because they didn’t deserve to die. If I’d killed them all, then I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself.”

  “And now you’re going to die. Smart move.” He shook his head, as if despairing of me, and turned to leave.

  “Maybe. But at least my conscience will be clear when I do.”

  He paused with his back to me for a moment and then slipped away. I stared at the blue punching bag. It always helped to visualize a face when giving the thing a pummeling, and Death’s smug mug would do just fine.

  ***

  It was almost five in the morning by the time I made it to my room. A quick shower and a lie down were in order. My bed was a lumpy shape in the dark. I drew closer to find two figures sprawled out across the king size bed. Orin’s tousled head was turned to the side, his profile highlighted by moonlight, and Ryker lay curled on his side. A smile tugged at my lips and my eyes pricked. Damn these guys.

  I showered fast, and then, wrapped in my robe, crawled onto the bed between them. They turned to me in their sleep and wrapped their arms around me. Their breath tickled each side of my neck, and a strange peace settled over me. It was like coming home. Orin mumbled something in his sleep, and then his lips brushed my ear in a feather-light kiss. Ryker’s fingers tightened on my hip possessively. I stroked his hand, and he relaxed back into sleep.

  The door clicked open softly and Rivers’s scent hit me. He walked up to the bed and looked down on us, his expression inscrutable as always, but then his throat bobbed.

  “Can I sleep here tonight?” he asked in a whisper.

  “Sure.”

  He climbed up onto the bed, which sagged under all the extra weight. Orin and Ryker shifted as if on instinct to give him room, and I parted my thighs to allow him to lie between them with his head on my abdomen. Silence, broken only by our deep, even breathing, filled the room, and sleep stole over me without making a sound.

  ***

  Xavier sat on the couch, his hands clasped tightly. Nerves were written all over his face.

  The guys had made themselves at home around the room. Bane was at his usual spot by the hearth, Rivers stood by the door, as if he expected Xavier to make a run for it, and Ryker, Orin, and Cassie had taken the long sofa. The guys looked composed, but Cassie looked just as nervous as I felt, which helped a little.

  The wingback was mine. I wiped my clammy palms on my jeans, ignoring the thunder of my heart. We were about to speak to Drayton. Drayton was alive. He was here in the room with us.

  Xavier locked gazes with me, and I ignored the fingers of guilt teasing my mind. Instead, I nodded curtly. “Okay, do it.”

  He closed his eyes and tucked in his chin. There was a silence that went on for several beats. Each beat seemed to last forever, and then he raised his chin and opened his eyes.

  Warmth flooded my limbs. “Drayton?”

  He fell forward out of the seat, his hands slamming into the coffee table to brace himself. Ryker and Orin were up in a flash, reaching for him.

  “You’re okay, mate.
It’s okay,” Ryker said.

  Drayton’s breathing was fast and shallow. Panic ... He was panicking.

  I slipped off the wingback and insinuated myself between him and the table. The guys sat back, letting me take the lead. I cupped Drayton’s face and forced his head up, giving him no choice but to look into my eyes. His gaze was glazed and his pupils rolled as if unable to fix on any one spot.

  “Hey, big guy.” I gave him a cocky grin. “Long time no see.”

  The haze cleared, and he finally locked onto me. “Serenity?”

  “Yeah. It’s me, and you’re safe. You’re home.”

  He pulled me against his body, his heartbeat like a hammer oscillating between us. His fingers slipped into my hair to caress my scalp, and I lost it. The tears, all the fucking tears I’d been holding at bay for way too long, came flooding out. My hands were claws, digging into his back as I pressed my mouth to his shirt to stifle the sobs. We remained locked like that, rocking back and forth, until Rivers interrupted us.

  “Serenity, we don’t have much time.” His voice sounded thicker than usual. Emotional. Yeah, Drayton was alive.

  I pulled back reluctantly but didn’t let go. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

  “No,” Drayton said. “You did good. You did what I asked you to do and you survived. That’s all I wanted.”

  It was so good to have him back, so good to look into his eyes and have him look back. “I thought you were dead.”

  “I almost was. If Xavier hadn’t taken my body, I would be.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Drayton licked his lips. “Did he not tell you?”

  “Tell me what?”

  “He kept me alive. I was so weak, he could have snuffed me out, but he didn’t. He did something ... I’m not sure what you’d call it, but he somehow bound us and fed me enough power to slowly recuperate.”

  Xavier had kept him alive? He’d deliberately helped him? “I don’t understand. I thought you’d fought back. I thought you were trying to get control of your body again.”

  He frowned. “The thought did cross my mind, once, maybe twice, but ... I couldn’t do that to Xavier. Not after what he did for me.”