by Lizzy Ford
“You’re a mess,” she said in disapproval. He glanced down to see how bad his clothing looked. It was soaked through and dried with blood and his exposed skin was tinted red.
“Rough night,” he said, sitting on the bed across from her. “Really rough night.”
“So I hear.”
They gazed at each other for a long, quiet minute.
“This room has a lot of memories,” she spoke at last and looked around.
“Yeah,” he agreed, glance going to her stomach. He’d never had a thought more foreign than that of what grew within her.
“Not all good,” she said and crossed her arms self-consciously. “Megan said you brought the Council together.”
“They just needed a little encouragement,” he said with a shrug.
“It was a very good thing for you to do.”
“Sometimes I get things right.”
“You’re a better person than I am. I would’ve let them all go down in flames for how they treated you,” she said.
The awkward quiet fell again. He didn’t want her storming out as usual when he said something wrong.
“Is it a boy or a girl?” he asked at last.
“You don’t know anything about this do, you?”
“I assume one day it hatches.”
“Hatches?” she echoed, astonished.
“Demons hatch.”
“I’m not a demon!”
“It’ll be a boy.”
“It could be a girl.”
“It can’t be. Girls can’t fight and they just make life really difficult,” he snapped. He’d never felt like panicking in his life but in that moment, he almost did. He stood and paced.
“Look, I’ll make this easy on you,” she said. “I’ll go live with Hannah, out of your hair, and you can run around killing things and beating up your brothers. We’ll both be … happy.”
“We’ll see,” he said. His thoughts went to his father’s crypt.
“We’ll see what?”
“I’m thinking,” he growled. “You still intend to leave me. I still don’t want to lose you, but all I do is cause you trouble.” She looked down, and he noticed for the first time one of her cheeks was red. “What happened to your cheek?”
“Nothing. Just pissing people off today. Did you hear I found Sasha?” She hurried to change the subject. “Rather, he magically appeared at the Sanctuary.”
“He happen to be carrying a clear coffin?”
“No, but he had the vial of blood. I brought it to Kris.”
That explains her cheek, he thought darkly, not caring one bit about Sasha or the vial. Katie couldn’t stay with her sister if her sister chose Kris, or she’d be subjected to the same treatment he was. His gaze went to her neck, his resolve solidifying at the sight of her exhausted features and red cheek. He had one chance to make a safe life for her and their … hatchling. He found himself wishing again that Andre was alive. Instead, he found himself mulling over the advice from another brother.
“What’s wrong?” she asked as he paced.
“Maybe you’re right. We should split,” he forced himself to say. “Sasha told me how to break our mating. I think you have a better chance of being accepted by the Immortals if you’re not my mate.”
She looked surprised. “Rhyn, what are you saying?”
“I’m saying, I release you of our bond.”
“You what?”
“I don’t know exactly how to do it, but from this day forward, I’ll no longer claim you as my mate. You should be safe now.”
He couldn’t read the look on her face. Her emotions were flying and intense. He started to leave, and she stood.
“Rhyn, wait!” she said. “I didn’t want to leave you because of the Immortals or any of that. There’s something else I need to— ”
“Katie, if I do this, I know you’ll survive. If I stay with you, I don’t know if you will. And now there’s the hatchling to think about,” he said. “I’d rather lose you as my mate than lose you forever. So, it’s done. I’ll always take care of you both, but I won’t endanger you anymore.”
With regret heavy in his stomach, he left. She didn’t try to stop him. He strode through the halls and stairwells until he broke free of the castle. He would go to the Sanctuary and bring Sasha back to Kris. He’d serve on the Council and force it to stay together. He’d rebuild the Immortal empire and use his half-demon skills to protect them all. He’d sacrifice himself to the balance of good and evil by taking on the enforcer role Andre’s death had left open.
Most importantly, he’d protect Katie by building a world that was safe for her and watching over her from a distance. Kris had sworn to protect her if Rhyn unmated her. If Kris were willing to protect a twisted bastard like Sasha because of a stupid oath, he’d do the same for Katie. Maybe then, she’d know peace. No one would hurt her or hunt her just to get to him. He’d find a way to deal with the loss that ate a hole through his body. What mattered was that she was safe, and he no longer caused her pain.
Rage pounded through his body and he threw himself into the air, relishing the pain the shapeshifting brought.
*
“We found something while scouting the forest.” The Immortal on the other side of his door was too excited to wait until he entered to shout the news.
“Come in,” Kris ordered from his spot at the conference table. It was otherwise empty, and he’d escaped for a break from the death burning in the courtyards and any interaction with others, especially a certain mortal who’d managed to reopen an old wound. He looked up as the scout entered. Snow had begun to fall again and clung to the scout’s clothing. “What is it?”
“Darkyn’s preparing for another attack in the forest.”
“How many demons?”
“More than we have Immortals.”
Kris rose to find his brothers.
“Kris,” the scout continued. “There’s something else. The demons are heading to the mortal village. We heard them say they have orders to kill everyone.”
Kris was silent, surprised at Darkyn’s audacity. Immortals and demons fought among themselves, for mortals were too weak and temporary to bother with. It was an understanding as old as the Dark One, who had stopped his demons once before when they launched attacks on humans. While Kris would love to sacrifice a certain infuriating mortal to further his cause, he wouldn’t even sacrifice her, let alone allow Darkyn’s to wipe out a village. Any bleed over of their battle into the mortal world was unacceptable.
He strode into the hall, calling, “Kiki!”
His brother poked his head from the burnt-out remains of Kris’s own chamber.
“Scout, tell him. I’m going to find my brothers.”
The scout bobbed his head. Kris opened a portal to the Indian Ocean Sanctuary, where Erik had gone to seek out Ully. The vial was in his pocket, and he strode into the Sanctuary, eyes roving for Erik or Ully.
The largest of the Sanctuaries, it was packed with the majority of the Immortals who had been present in the castle. His eyes took in the different people as he sought out Hannah before realizing she had likely gone to the Caribbean with her sister. Katie’s words stung despite his attempt to ignore them. Someone had lied to her about Lilith, who had died defenseless and alone. Andre never approved of Lilith, either, but he’d never accused her of evil. An unbound Immortal’s mate had no protection from demon or Immortal Code. He’d learned this the hard way when Andre refused to do more than send Rhyn to Hell for killing Lilith. Had she been his mate, Andre would’ve made Rhyn dead-dead.
Kris wasn’t about to lose Hannah the same way. While Lilith’s tattoo— and therefore, her bond to him— had never fully materialized, he’d find a way to ensure Hannah’s did.
Frustrated at not finding either of the men he sought, he created a portal to the Caribbean Sanctuary and emerged outside the walls. He beat on the door then entered unbidden. A small woman in a brown robe rushed to remind him of the rules.
“I
know, good lady,” he said. “I will not be here long. By chance, have you seen— ”
“Kris?”
He looked up at the sweet voice, his anger melting at the sight of Hannah’s pretty face. She smiled uncertainly. He excused himself to cross to her. She appeared healthy, and her blue eyes were bright.
“I am glad to see you well,” he said. “Did Toby make it safely?”
“Yes, of course. Katherine brought us here.”
“I see. I gave orders that everyone was to rendezvous elsewhere, but I am happy you’re safe.”
“I have something to show you,” she said and took his hand, pulling him toward the guest rooms lining the small courtyard.
“Hannah, I must— ”
“It’ll be quick.”
He allowed her to pull him into her small room and close the door behind him. He waited while she rolled up her sleeve in excitement, then displayed the blood-red tattoo there. Inside an intricate pattern of Immortal writing was the word K R I S. His throat tightened at the sight of something he’d waited his whole life to see. No matter what lies Katie had been told, he couldn’t believe what was said about Lilith. The evidence Lilith wasn’t meant for him was clear. Immortals only had one shot at their mates, and Andre had tried to warn him Lilith was not his intended. His dead-dead brother was right, or Hannah wouldn’t bear Kris’s name.
He caressed the tattoo with a thumb and smiled, feeling genuine happiness for the first time since Andre’s death. Hannah’s face glowed, and she threw her arms around him. He held her close and breathed in her scent.
“Katherine was gone before I could show her. She’ll be so thrilled to welcome you to our family!” she exclaimed.
Kris knew the opposite to be true but said nothing, enjoying the moment of peace. There was a tap at the door. He pulled loose from her to answer it, not surprised to see another of the convent members there, probably to tell him the same thing the first did.
“Master Kris,” the woman said, “we have your brother, Sasha, here. He’s in a deep sleep, but his presence here is causing much unease among us.”
“Hannah, I promise to come back soon. I must handle this,” he said, turning back to give his mate a kiss on the cheek.
“You’ll return today?” she asked hopefully. “Or can we go back to the castle?”
“I have to make sure the demons are gone before you come back,” he said. “I will visit again soon, my Hannah.”
She beamed another brilliant smile, and it took all his willpower to leave her to see one of his least favorite people. He rejoined the awaiting convent member in the courtyard outside Hannah’s room and trailed her through the Sanctuary. A familiar shape in the dark corner of the cafeteria caught his attention as he passed, and he paused to raise a hand in greeting.
“Gabriel?”
The death dealer emerged. He looked … different, though Kris couldn’t pinpoint why. His eyes were colder, his face more somber. At Tamer’s height and built like a tank, there had never been anything soft about Death’s assassin, but he seemed more distant than usual.
“You here for me?” He gave the typical greeting.
“No,” Gabriel said.
“For Sasha maybe?”
“No.”
“It would ease a lot of my issues if you were,” Kris admitted. “Walk with me. You’re here to watch over Toby, as usual?”
“Of sorts.”
Kris gave him a sidelong look. Gabriel had been a friend to all the Council members, though he suspected the assassin favored Rhyn the most.
“I hadn’t seen you in a couple of days. Demons attacked us after Sasha did something with our father’s body. I don’t know what he intended. He was safe at the castle,” Kris said as they walked.
“People are often victims of their own natures.”
“Do you ever find it difficult to follow the Code when it seems so wrong to do so?”
“Not until recently.”
Gabriel’s ominous words made Kris uneasy. The assassin had been an even greater stickler to the Code than he was. Kris had come close to breaking the Immortal rules or his own oaths to his father. To his knowledge, Gabriel never had, and the assassin was not one who would ever allow emotion to cloud his decisions.
“I guess there comes a time where even the best of us are tempted,” he reasoned.
“Unfortunately, it seems that way. A good man once told me sometimes all the choices we have are bad.”
“Wise words from a wise man,” Kris said. They reached Sasha’s room, and the convent member pushed the door open to reveal Sasha’s torn-up body. “What I can’t figure out is why he came here.”
“His name isn’t on my list. He doesn’t have a contract out on him yet,” Gabriel said.
Kris took in his mutilated brother’s body. He thought of what the Council wanted him to do and of what Sasha had done. Killing in cold blood was forbidden. He’d have to figure out what to do with the wounded man. He could buy an assassination, but part of him preferred the idea of handling family matters within the family.
“When he’s well enough, we’ll move him,” he told the anxious woman in brown. She frowned in response. “I’ll post two Immortal guards to ensure he doesn’t do anything stupid.”
She nodded, relief on her face, and he turned away from his injured brother. He’d send someone to take Hannah to a different sanctuary, unwilling to risk his newfound mate to one as unpredictable as Sasha.
For her sake, he had to find a way to live with Katie, or their differences would turn into a family feud. He couldn’t bring himself to include Rhyn in the picture and hoped Katie came to her senses one day and dumped the half-demon before the worst happened, and she ended up extending the bloodline of the loose cannon that was her mate.
“How long are you here for, Gabe?” he asked.
“As long as it takes.”
“You’re here on business.”
“I am.”
“Good luck to you,” Kris said. “You’d have my eternal gratitude if you could find a place for Rhyn in the underworld.”
“Not here for him.”
“Maybe next time. I’m returning to the castle. I’ll send Immortals to watch over Sasha.”
His thoughts on preventing demons from killing innocent humans, he missed the resentful look that crossed Gabriel’s face.
*
“You will find him and bring the vial or the girl to me, or I will spend eternity tormenting you!”
Darkyn’s angry words echoed in Jade’s mind. His body was bloodied from Darkyn’s whip. The cold early winter wind dried the tears on his face and made his cheeks stiff. Limping, Jade returned to the site where he’d killed Sasha. Sasha’s blood was hidden beneath fresh snowfall. He stopped to lean against a tree to rest, unable to shake his own surprise at discovering Sasha wasn’t dead.
He’d chopped him to pieces; he shouldn’t have survived! And the vial never should’ve found its way back here!
It was Katie again. His fury rose once more. She’d been the reason Kris turned his back on him, and she’d been the one to bring the vial to the demon she thought was Ully. If he found her, he might find the vial.
His mind foggy with pain, Jade began to humor thoughts he’d previously rejected. They appeared more reasonable in his current state. If he killed her, Kris would finally see the folly of his ways. He’d have to deliver the vial to Darkyn first. Maybe there was a chance he could leave Hell and come back to Kris. After all, Kris hadn’t died in the attack, and Jade could blame it all on Sasha.
A new idea struck, and he looked down at his bloodied body. He would go to Kris and tell him just that— that Sasha had done this all, and he, Jade, had tried to help but been nearly killed by the demons!
It would work. It must work! Darkyn was too cruel a master to betray.
Jade shook his head, feeling as if madness born of desperation were creeping into his mind with the pain. He straightened and limped toward the castle. No one challenged him, fo
r the Immortals had no idea what he’d done. He passed through them tensely, many of them as bloody or bruised as he was. He saw only warriors on the main floor of the castle and ascended with increasing pain to the floor where Kris would be.
Kris’s chamber was a burnt-out hull, and he lingered for a moment, regret in his belly. He’d spent many wonderful nights in the now crispy bed. He went next door to the conference room and opened it.
Kris looked up, surprise crossing his face. Kiki, the Ancient from Asia, sat beside Kris at the small conference table and looked him over with a frown. Jade’s words stuck in his throat at the sight of Kris’s beautiful emerald eyes. Emerald was the color of Kris thinking, and Jade’s favorite hue.
“My god, Jade, where have you been?” Kris managed at last, standing.
“I needed some space,” Jade replied. “When I came back, the demons were attacking. I chased them into the forest and ended up surrounded. Barely made it back.”
“We lost half of Kris’s warriors and quite a few of mine,” Kiki said. “You’re a lucky man.”
“Kiki, can you leave us alone?” Kris asked. Kiki obeyed and left, closing the door behind him. Jade’s heart started to soar. His one love wanted to be alone with him!
“I would hug you in greeting, but I’m down to one of my last sets of clothing,” Kris said somewhat ruefully. He moved to the edge of the table nearest Jade and crossed his arms as he leaned against it. “You need a healer, my friend.”
“I’ve seen better days,” Jade agreed. “I am sorry I wasn’t here when you needed me.”
“We survived. Barely. Waiting to see what Darkyn intends by sending his remaining warriors to the human village.”
“He would do that?”