Devoured By Darkness

by Alexandra Ivy

  He stuck out his own chin. “It couldn’t have been.”

  Tane brushed a comforting hand up and down her back. “How do you know?” he challenged the Sylvermyst.

  Ariyal muttered words in a harsh, foreign language, looking at them as if they were too stupid to endure.

  “After the Dark Lord heard the prophecy he realized that he would eventually be banished from the world,” he said, his tone indicating he was repeating something that should be obvious to the most dense creature. Jackass. “Everyone knows that it drove him crazy and he commanded that all prophets be slaughtered.”

  Tane and Laylah shared a brief glance. It was common knowledge that the Dark Lord had commanded that true prophets be destroyed. Still, Laylah had never heard that it was because he’d learned of a foretelling he didn’t like.

  Frowning, Tane swiftly came to the same conclusion. “He could have twisted it to make sure you remained faithful even during his banishment.” He continued to stroke Laylah’s back, his steady touch keeping her volatile temper in check. A good thing considering she was too weak to do more than get herself killed. “So long as there was hope he would eventually return to this world, he could be certain you would continue to search for a means to open the veil.”

  The heat of Ariyal’s anger swirled around them, only to be swiftly countered by Tane’s blast of frigid power. The combination made the ground shift beneath them. Laylah grimaced. The mountain was unstable enough without adding the stress of two alpha demons flexing their muscles.

  “The prophecy hasn’t been altered by the Dark Lord or anyone else,” the Sylvermyst said between clenched teeth.

  Laylah shook her head at his stubborn refusal to accept he could be wrong. “How can you be so certain?” “Because it came from the lips of an Oracle.” Tane stiffened at her side. “What Oracle?” “Siljar.”

  “Shit.” Tane’s hand gripped Laylah’s shoulder and she turned to study his grim expression. “She’s a prophet?”

  Ariyal slowly nodded, easily reading Tane’s shock. “The rumors are that it was her one and only foretelling and that when she spoke the words it unleashed such fury in the world that whole civilizations tumbled into dust.”

  Tane snorted, his hand shifting from Laylah to rub the tattoo marring the skin of his chest.

  “Yeah, she does have a way of making her point,” he muttered.

  Laylah sent him a frown of astonishment. “Was she the one …?” “She was.”

  “Dammit.” Ariyal moved forward until the silent Jaelyn stepped directly in his path. With a hiss of frustration, he stabbed Laylah with a fierce frown. “Then you understand this isn’t a joke. You can save the world or destroy it.” His hands clenched at his side. “Your choice.”

  “No.” Laylah didn’t even hesitate. “There is no choice.”

  The Sylvermyst turned his frown toward Tane. “Can’t you control your female?” The words barely left his lips before he jerked in response to Laylah’s infuriated bolt of electricity. “Shit.”

  Tane smirked in pleasure. “You want to try?”

  Laylah ignored the byplay, just as she ignored the ball of dread in the pit of her stomach.

  Okay, the prophecy hadn’t been concocted by the Dark Lord, but that didn’t mean it had anything to do with the children.

  Dammit. She’d held Maluhia in her arms for years. She would know if he was evil.

  Just as she’d known there was a second child? A ruthless voice whispered in the back of her mind. A child she still couldn’t sense despite being only a few feet apart.

  With a shake of her head she dismissed the troubling suspicions.

  “You’re taking an obscure prophecy and twisting it to suit your purpose,” she accused. “The words could mean anything. Or nothing.”

  “You’re being willfully blind, and you know it.”

  “You’ll say anything to get what you want.”

  “I don’t need your help to get what I want, Jinn.” For some reason the Sylvermyst’s attention turned toward the female vampire. “I can take care of that all on my own.”

  Jaelyn growled low in her throat. “Bring it on.”

  Laylah lifted her brows. Odd. But then, what wasn’t odd about the entire encounter?

  As if to add to the confusion, Sergei took a wary step forward.

  “Dammit, why are you arguing with them?” he rasped. “Let’s go.”

  Ariyal’s expression hardened, his eyes remaining trained on the female who blocked his path.

  “Stand aside,” he commanded.

  Jaelyn folded her arms over her chest. “No.”

  “Jaelyn,” Tane warned softly, pointing a warning finger toward the mage who was chanting beneath his breath.

  Laylah grasped Tane’s arm as she felt the stirring of black magic in the air.

  “Tane, please,” she pleaded. “We can’t let him escape.”

  Her mate lifted his sword, his beautiful face set in lethal lines.

  “He won’t.”

  Ariyal sidestepped toward Sergei, his arm held out as he clenched and unclenched his hand. Laylah braced herself, assuming he was conjuring a spell. Which just proved it was true about the whole “assume makes an ass out of you and me” thing.

  Instead, a slender ash bow appeared in his hand, complete with a wooden arrow that she would bet her last nickel would be magically replaced the moment it was shot.

  Hell of a trick.

  And one he was swift to use to his advantage.

  With one smooth motion the bastard had his weapon pointed at Tane.

  “Stay back,” he warned, his gaze narrowing as Laylah stepped in front of her mate.

  A wooden arrow would hurt like a bitch, but it wouldn’t be fatal. At least not to her.

  “Laylah, be careful,” Tane muttered.

  “He’s not leaving with my babies.”

  “I agree, but let’s not provoke him into something stupid.”

  She shot a frustrated glance over her shoulder, meeting Tane’s resolute gaze.

  “If he takes the babies through a portal we’ll never catch him.”

  “He’s not going anywhere,” Tane assured her.

  “Arrogant leech,” Ariyal mocked and Laylah turned back in time to see him reach for the mage.

  Her heart came to an agonizing halt, but before he could create a portal there was a blast of icy power and Jaelyn was slamming into the Sylvermyst at full speed.

  Although Tane had obviously been expecting the attack, Laylah was caught off guard. Unfortunate since the damned mage chose that moment to launch a spell in their direction.

  A scream was wrenched from her throat as Tane grasped her arms and shoved her to the side, saving her and taking the full brunt of the spell.

  She cursed, her knees making painful contact with the hard ground. Swiftly she scrambled to her feet, her heart in her throat as she caught sight of Tane flying through the air to land with a bone-rattling force against the side of the tunnel.

  Muttering her opinion of vampires who always had to play the hero, Laylah stumbled to where he leaned heavily against the wall.

  Distantly she was aware of Jaelyn battling with the Sylvermyst and the mage trying to edge toward escape, but Laylah couldn’t concentrate on anything but her wounded mate. “How badly are you hurt?”

  He caught her hand that she was skimming down his chest in search of injuries, lifting it to his lips.

  “Nothing that won’t heal,” he assured her, his voice thick with pain.

  She gave a twist of her hand, pressing her inner wrist against his lips.

  “Drink,” she commanded.

  He hissed, his head abruptly lifting. “No time, my sweet.” “What do you …”

  Her words came to an abrupt end as she caught the scent of herbs. Not Ariyal, but another Sylvermyst. And close.

  She reached to pull the handgun from Tane’s pocket, sensing that Jaelyn and Ariyal had brought a sudden end to their battle as they too caught the scent of the ap
proaching intruder.

  Lifting the gun, she pointed it at the tall, copper-haired Sylvermyst that stepped into view, praying that Tane had loaded it with silver bullets.

  “Tearloch,” Ariyal growled, the shock in his voice genuine. “I thought you left.”

  The fey moved with liquid grace to wrap an arm around Sergei’s neck, pressing a dagger to the mage’s temple.

  “I returned to right the wrongs of the past,” the Sylvermyst said, his voice harsh and his gaze locked on Ariyal. “We were led astray by those who lost the faith, but we have paid our debt and it is not too late to return to the fold. Come with me, brother and we will free our kin.”

  Laylah’s brows snapped together.

  Tearloch sounded like a bad actor out of a B-rated movie, but she wasn’t stupid enough to dismiss him. There was a fanatic glint in the sterling silver eyes and a savage expression on his slender face.

  “You’re not going anywhere,” she informed the fey, giving a wave of her gun on the off chance he’d missed seeing it aimed at his head.

  At the same time Ariyal stepped forward, his face a mask of arrogant command.

  “There is no erasing the past, Tearloch. If you release the Dark Lord he will destroy us all.”

  The younger fey shook his head, obviously lost in his dangerous delusions.

  “We will be his saviors,” he breathed.

  “No.” Ariyal’s voice held the authority of a natural leader. “We will be nothing more than traitors that he crushes beneath his heel. The Dark Lord never forgives or forgets.”

  Tearloch briefly wavered, his metallic eyes shifting from Ariyal to the others gathered in the tunnel. Then, with a sharp shake of his head, he was dragging the terrified mage down the tunnel.

  Laylah’s heart squeezed with terror as she belatedly caught sight of the shimmering portal the fey had already created. Shit. A few more steps and he would disappear with Sergei and the babies.

  “You know nothing,” the Sylvermyst was accusing Ariyal, his scent of herbs edged with the putrid taint of madness. “The Master has whispered the truth in my heart.”

  “The only truth is that we’re doomed to a slow, painful death if the veil is ever opened,” Ariyal said with a grim certainty.

  The fey gave another tug on the mage, one step closer to the portal.

  “Then that will be our destiny.”

  Sergei gave a small moan, his face a pasty white. “Someone do something.”

  Ariyal lifted his bow, pointing the arrow at his fellow Sylvermyst.

  “With pleasure.”

  “Stupid, mage,” Tearloch hissed, pressing the dagger deep enough to draw blood. “Your only hope to get off this mountain is me.”

  Realization struck Sergei at the same moment that Ariyal launched the arrow. The mage squeaked, then muttering a swift spell, he managed to knock the speeding arrow aside at the last minute.

  Laylah grit her teeth. Dammit. She felt like she was in a French farce. Only without the humor.

  Keeping her gun trained on the Sylvermyst, she tracked his struggle to yank Sergei toward the portal, but she didn’t pull the trigger. She was an excellent shot, but she wasn’t perfect. What if she hit one of the babies?

  Thankfully, Tane didn’t have to hesitate.

  With a hair-raising growl, he launched himself forward, his sword slicing through the air and his lips curled back to reveal his massive fangs.

  Tearloch hissed in fear as he watched the very large, very pissed-off vampire barreling toward him, but once again Sergei was muttering frantic words of power.

  Tane had nearly managed to reach them when he ran into an invisible wall. With a grunt of pain, he bounced backward, the sword flying from his hand.

  “Tane.” Laylah instinctively stepped forward, only to halt as the mage held the babies high over his head.

  “No.” His voice was harsh with fear as the fey continued to drag him toward the portal. “Stay back or I’ll kill them.”

  “Dammit,” Ariyal cried from behind her. “Stop him.” Yep, it had to be done.

  Her gaze locked with the mage’s and time seemed to halt.

  Peripherally she was aware of Ariyal moving forward with Jaelyn hot on his heels. Of Tane slamming his hand against the invisible barriers. And most importantly, of Tearloch stepping through the portal, tugging Sergei in his wake.

  But her concentration was centered on Sergei and the babes who screamed in his hands. Fear slammed into her, making it impossible to breathe. She had to act. And she had to act now.

  Sending up a prayer, Laylah squared her shoulders and pulled the trigger, aiming directly at the center of Sergei’s chest.

  Bam.

  The sound of the gunshot was deafening as it echoed through the vast tunnels, making her ears ring and a shower of tiny stones land on her head. Holy crap. She’d never shot a gun in such a confined space. It wasn’t an experience she intended to repeat.

  Worse, Sergei managed to dart to one side, avoiding a direct shot to the heart.

  Bastard.

  Of course, in the nanosecond he had to move, he couldn’t entirely avoid the speeding projectile. And it had at least managed to penetrate the invisible barrier.

  He shouted in pain as the bullet ripped through the flesh of his shoulder, tearing his muscles and forcing him to drop one of the babies. Laylah’s heart lodged in her throat, but the screams of the child assured her that it was still alive.

  Grimly she aimed again, squeezing the trigger just as the mage disappeared into the shimmering swirl.

  There was an unpleasant shift in the air pressure as the portal popped shut, and the magical barrier that the mage had conjured disappeared.

  Cursing, Laylah scrambled forward to scoop the baby off the hard floor, cradling the child to her chest as Tane swiftly joined her, wrapping a protective arm around the both of them.

  “Is he hurt?” Tane rasped, his large hand stroking with astonishing care over the baby’s tiny head.

  Laylah ran a frantic gaze over the delicate body, wincing at the small abrasions and numerous bruises that bloomed on the pale white skin. But she could detect no serious injuries and as the child snuggled into her arms, the tears slowly halted to be replaced by a smile that quite literally melted her heart.

  Maluhia.

  Her son.

  She knew it with a certainty that nothing could change.

  Just for a moment she savored the feel of his warm weight and sweet scent that had been disguised by the stasis spell. This was the baby she’d always sensed, but now she could physically feel. The steady beat of his heart, the soft, satin skin, the downy hair on his head.

  Completing her.

  Not that she was about to forget Maluhia’s twin, she fiercely promised herself. Somehow, someway they were going to track her down.

  As if reading her mind, Tane gave her a gentle squeeze. “The mage won’t be allowed to escape.”

  “He already has, genius,” Ariyal snapped. “And it’s entirely your fault.”

  “Watch your tongue, Sylvermyst, or I’ll rip it out.”

  Laylah laid a restraining hand on Tane’s arm. Not that she gave a crap if he ripped out the tongue of the Sylvermyst. But for now the most important thing was getting Maluhia to safety.

  “Tane, we have to get out of here.”

  He returned his attention to the child in her arms. “Yes, you’re right.”

  She grimaced. “I don’t have the strength to enter the mists. We’re going to have to walk.”

  A weary smile curved his lips as he leaned down to kiss the tip of her nose.

  “Styx promised that word would be sent to the local clan chief that we would need a helicopter. It should be waiting nearby.”

  She readily leaned against his strength, brushing her lips over the top of Maluhia’s head.

  “Then let’s go home.”

  “Home,” he repeated softly, his expression remarkably tender. No one would recognize the terrifying Charon in this moment. The
n, lifting his head, the lethal predator returned as he studied the Sylvermyst standing with proud dignity down the tunnel, the female vampire a step behind him. “But first we have some unfinished business.”

  “No.” Jaelyn stepped to the fey’s side, managing to look insanely beautiful despite her smudged face, her ripped clothing and the faint bruises. Laylah heaved a sigh. It had to be a vampire thing. “It’s my duty.”

  Tane shrugged. “You’ll get your bounty, hunter. But only after he’s been questioned. His—” A taunting smile curved his lips. “Clan has obviously turned against him and decided that they want the return of the Dark Lord. They need to be contained before they can do any further damage.”

  Jaelyn looked far from satisfied. In fact, she seemed downright pissy.

  “The Sylvermyst belongs to me.”

  “You say the most charming things, vampire,” Ariyal mocked, his eyes glowing with a sudden burst of power as he reached to clamp a hand around Jaelyn’s arm.

  The female vampire hissed in fury, but before any of them could react, the Sylvermyst had formed a portal and with a smooth motion disappeared into the shimmering void, hauling Jaelyn in with him.

  And just like that, they were both gone.

  Tane and Laylah exchanged shocked glances.

  “Gods,” Laylah breathed. “I didn’t know it was possible for a fey to create a portal so quickly.”

  The muscle in Tane’s jaw knotted, his body humming with a frustrated fury.

  “Ariyal is no common fey,” he bit out, the words clearly not a compliment. “Dammit. That’s the second time I’ve allowed my guard to slip and the second time that Jaelyn has been forced to pay for my stupidity.”

  She placed a comforting hand on his cheek. “There was nothing you could have done.”

  His lips parted to argue. Alpha males were always eager to take the blame when they failed to protect another. But before he could assure her that he should have done something ridiculously impossible and heroic, the baby in her arms stirred, his plaintive cry warning that he was cold and no doubt hungry.

  “Tane, we can’t rescue Jaelyn without help. And we can’t forget that Sergei still has the other child.” she pointed out softly. “The quicker we can get word to start searching for all of them the better.”