Darkness & Lies: A Brotherhood Novel (#1)

by Brandi Salazar

  Just as quickly as he had jerked her to him, he shoved her away, his arms replaced with Behr’s. She was being dragged away into the daylight before she had a second thought.

  “I love you,” Erias called to her as she was pulled further away.

  Her mind screaming, knowing the danger before she even understood what was happening, Cheyenne screamed his name and struggled against Behr’s grip.

  “No! No!” Her feet beat the ground, her legs flailing about. She stomped on Behr’s toes, but he didn’t even seem to feel it. “Let me go! Erias!” She could see the red-eyed demons and that lecherous Leseot begin to engulf the opening and shrinking back when the light scorched their skin.

  “Take care of her!” Erias called, batting back a few of the minions who tried to squeeze past the barricade his large body created.

  Behr yelled back, “With my life!” It was then she knew what Erias was doing. He was sacrificing himself for her.

  “Don’t do this! Please, God, don’t do this! I love you!” The walls started sliding back in place, the opening narrowing to close. Erias stepped back to allow it.

  Somehow, Behr lost his hold on her, and she fell to her knees. Stabbing pains shot through her, but she didn’t care. Leaping to her feet, Cheyenne ran, her eyes clouded with tears that spilled continuously down her cheeks in a torrent.

  “Stay with me!” she begged. “Why are you doing this? Just step out! Hurry! Please!” But he didn’t listen, and she couldn’t understand why. He gave her a sad, apologetic smile that broke her already aching heart, and just before the gap closed, she heard him say, my love, then he slipped an old, battered helmet over his head and blinked out of sight.

  Her heart shattered at that moment, crippling her, sending her to her knees in a pain so unbearable she wanted to die. Wished for it.

  Behr stood behind E’s female as she beat on the wall, digging her nails into the reflective black granite until her fingers bled. Her grief was heartbreaking, even for him. Women had always been his soft spot.

  Of course, she couldn’t understand it now, probably never would, but E had chosen this. For her. When Hades had asked to meet with him, they had struck a deal. A sip of his soul, the remaining time he had left on the clock before he turned full-blood demon, for one shot at the Helm to get his female to safety.

  When they had talked about it, he hadn’t liked what E had planned, hadn’t liked the deal much in the first place, but he respected his wishes. He would save the Helm until the bitter end. And when he finally had to let her go; he would use the gift of invisibility to punish those who took her away from him.

  He knew, right now; his friend was on the other side of that wall battling it out. Cutting a swath of destruction, waging his own war the likes of which hell hadn’t seen since the angels fell from Heaven. And he would have been right there beside him if he could have, but he’d sworn to keep the woman safe. He would stand vigil until E could make it back to her.

  No matter how long that took.

  She went on like that for several hours, until the sun began its dissent and shadows pervaded the surrounding landscape. When she finally slumped in on herself from exhaustion, he bent and folded her into his arms.

  The human, Kris, and Dehstroy—finally able to stand with some assistance—looked after him with sorrow filled eyes. The woman, so small she was, had managed to bring three large men to the brink of tears with her agony that knew no bounds. It resonated to the depths of his very soul, and he knew, no matter how long it took for Erias to get out; he would never forget the sound of her cries.

  They would haunt his dreams for eternity.

  Behr flashed Kris back to his hotel room, only leaving after ensuring him that Cheyenne would be well taken care of and making him swear on his testicles that he would never speak about what he’d seen that night.

  He’d then flashed Dehstroy, the female, and himself back to his condo in Chicago where his old mentor would have time to recuperate and Cheyenne would deal, because he didn’t know how to care for anyone but himself, but he would try. He owed his brother that much.

  Laying her out on his bed, he studied her, seeing everything in her that he would want in his own woman. She was beautiful, intelligent, a fighter, and loyal.

  Drawing the blanket over her, he wondered if he would ever know a love like theirs, have a woman like her for himself.

  With one last look over his shoulder, Behr flicked off the light, plunging the room into darkness, and closed the door.

  It was going to be a long road for both of them, but they would figure it out. Together.