by Nina Croft
“I need time to think about this,” she said.
“What’s there to think about? You all live, or you all die. It’s that simple.”
“Nothing is that simple. I do this, and I’ll be an outcast. The Council will hunt me down. And Caleb will be tied to me; they’ll kill him on sight. We need to talk. He needs to agree to this.”
She stepped toward Sardi and put her hand on his arm, stifling her sense of revulsion. She spoke in a low voice as though for Sardi’s ears alone. “I can make him cooperate, just give me an hour with him alone.”
Sardi looked from her to Caleb, then back to her. “Half an hour.”
She fought to keep her relief from showing as she turned away to speak to Caleb.
“Regan!” Sardi called her back. “Take longer than half an hour, and I will order my hounds to rip your sister into little pieces.”
She studied his face, searching for some vestige of the man she had fallen in love with. He was so handsome; she could understand how she had fallen for him, but the pretty exterior hid the heart and conscience of a demon.
A thought occurred to her then—it wasn’t his fault. He was a demon. He would always be a demon. And with that thought came another. Secretly, she’d always believed that what had happened between them was because of something bad in her character. Like called to like, but that wasn’t really the case. She’d been young, impressionable, experiencing her first real freedom, and Sardi had set out to make her fall in love with him, hiding his true nature.
She’d made a terrible mistake, but afterward she’d done what she could to put it right, and then spent the rest of her long life making up for it. Now, it was time to forgive herself, and deep inside her, two thousand years’ worth of guilt unraveled.
She turned to Caleb—she needed to tell him something. “Let’s go.”
They walked from the clearing in silence, not touching. At the tree line, Regan glanced back toward her sister. Catrin watched them, her eyes wide, and Regan tried for a reassuring smile. She was pretty sure she failed, but Catrin smiled back, and Regan’s resolve hardened. She could see no way out of this for them, and she had almost accepted that—could only hope that she and Caleb would meet again in another life—but Catrin was going to come out of this alive and well. Anything else was unacceptable.
They walked until they could no longer hear the growling of the hellhounds, then Caleb turned to her. Without speaking, he took her in his arms, backed her against the trunk of a huge oak tree, and kissed her.
They made love without words, slowly, erotically, until the last moments, when pleasure pulsated through her body. She framed his face with her hands and looked deep into eyes darkened by passion.
“I love you,” she said.
“I know.”
“You’d be better off if I didn’t. You’d be better off if you’d never met me.”
“Way better off.” He kissed her forehead, then her cheek and the corner of her mouth.
“Love doesn’t work out well for me, and I never intended to fall in love again.”
“I wouldn’t have missed it for the world,” he murmured. “Unlike you, I’ve never loved, never thought I was capable of feeling that much emotion. You’ve shown me different. I love you, and whatever happens next, it was worth the price.”
Something relaxed inside her at his words. She’d lived a long life, but death came to everyone in the end, even the immortal races. What was important was making that death matter as you strove to make your life matter. She sighed, then slid her hands into his thick hair and tugged him toward her for one last kiss. A kiss that held everything they would never have together. After long seconds, he raised his head.
“We have to go.”
“I know.”
She stepped away from him and reached down to pick up her discarded clothes.
“So, how do we do this?” she asked.
“You distract Sardi, I’ll get Catrin out.”
“You can’t take on a whole pack of hellhounds.”
“I can hold them long enough to get Catrin away.”
“They’ll kill you.”
He shrugged but didn’t answer. What was the point?
They walked back hand in hand, Satan and Diablo padding silently behind them. Caleb squeezed her fingers then dropped her hand as they stepped back into the clearing.
Regan strode toward Sardi. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Caleb moving closer to where Catrin still knelt surrounded by the snarling pack of hellhounds. She forced herself to focus on Sardi, coming to a halt only a foot from where he stood. “So how do we do this?”
Sardi looked at her with narrowed eyes. He leaned close and breathed in deeply. “You reek of sex,” he said.
Regan shrugged and allowed a small smile to play across her lips. “I had to persuade him I was worth a life in exile.”
His gaze wandered down over her body. “And are you?”
She lowered her eyes, and then looked up at him through her lashes. “What do you think? I’ve learned a lot in two thousand years.”
Heat flared in his eyes until they glowed golden. His tongue flicked along his full lower lip.
“Do you remember how good it was between us?” he murmured. “Do you think of me when you lie with your dog?”
She moistened her own lips, saw his eyes follow the movement. “I’ve tried to forget but seeing you again has brought it all back.”
She thought she might have gone too far as his eyes narrowed on her. Then she heard the sound she’d been waiting for, the roar of an enraged animal, and the rush of air as a huge black wolf leapt into the midst of the hellhound pack, followed by Satan and Diablo.
She kept her attention fixed on Sardi. His gaze swung from her, and his eyes widened as he took in the attack. Regan lashed out, kicking his legs from under him. He lost his balance, and she leapt for him. She knew she couldn’t take him, but she had to give Caleb a few extra seconds to free Catrin. She landed across his hard body. For a moment, he lay still, and she glanced up to see what was happening.
The circle of hounds was broken, but Catrin still knelt in the middle.
“Catrin, run,” she screamed.
Catrin shook her head as if coming out of a daze. She stared, wild eyed, at the chaos surrounding her, then she scrambled to her feet, ran a few steps and turned back to look at where the wolf fought furiously against the hellhounds.
“Run,” Regan screamed again.
This time Catrin took off, disappearing into the forest without a backwards glance.
Beneath her, Sardi shifted. He was immensely strong, wrenching himself free of her grip with ease. She whispered a word of magic, but he held up his hand, and the spell bounced harmlessly from his palm.
“Bitch,” he snarled, and flung her from him.
She slammed into the ground hard, the breath rushing from her lungs. For a moment, she lay winded, then she rolled over and struggled onto all fours, shaking her head to clear the stars and trying to take in the scene around her.
Satan and Diablo were down, still and lifeless, but they had fought hard. At least six of Sardi’s hounds lay dead around them. There were plenty more, and the black wolf fought on almost hidden beneath his attackers. The air filled with the snarling snapping of the hounds.
Then Sardi roared, the hounds fell back, and Regan’s heart stopped beating. The black wolf lay motionless. Then it was gone, and Caleb lay in its place, his naked body streaked with blood. A howl built up inside her, then his eyes flickered open.
***
Caleb blinked, trying to clear the red film from his eyes. Pain swamped every nerve ending, and blood seeped from a score of wounds. He struggled to raise his head. What had stopped the fight? It had been nearly over anyway, he’d been about to die.
He looked around him, his eyes fixing on Regan. She stood to one side, arms wrapped around her as though her ribs hurt, but she was alive. His eyes met hers, huge, haunted. The knowledge that this was the end
clear in their silver depths. There was a deep sadness, but no regret.
Reluctantly, he dragged his gaze past her. Catrin was nowhere in sight, and some of the tension inside him eased. They’d done what they’d set out to do. Catrin was free.
His eyes finally settled on the demon. Sardi’s face was stamped with an inhuman fury, and for the first time, Caleb prayed that he still had genuine feelings for Regan. The bastard could do what he liked to Caleb, just so long as he didn’t make Regan suffer.
“So,” Sardi said, “this is your answer?”
Regan nodded. “This is our answer. We’ll die before we free your people into this world.”
“Your lover will die now,” Sardi said, and he drew a long knife from the scabbard at his back, “but I think I might keep you alive for a while. See just what you have learned in two thousand years.”
Fury rose inside Caleb. “Touch her and I’ll—”
“You’ll what?” Sardi sneered. “Nothing. Perhaps I’ll let you watch before you die. The last thing you will ever see is Regan in my arms.” He gestured toward Regan. “Come to me, Regan, and I will give him a swift death.”
Regan glanced from him to Sardi. Caleb could almost see her mind working. “Don’t go near him,” he ground out. “I can take anything he can dish out.”
Sardi came closer, the knife at the ready.
Caleb struggled to his knees, then to his feet, locking the muscles of his legs to hold him steady. He was naked except for something around his neck. Looking down, he saw the ring Kael had given him. His mother’s ring.
In the past when he’d changed, he had lost everything. So why had the ring remained? Maybe he did have shapeshifter powers after all. He concentrated on the ring, focusing his mind, clearing it. Sardi was almost on him now. He stood before Caleb, a half-smile, half-sneer on his face. He raised the knife.
Concentrate!
In his mind, he saw the image of a creature. He focused everything he had on that picture, and his world shifted.
***
Regan cried out as Caleb vanished.
In his place, a huge, winged serpent slowly uncoiled its long body. Beside her, Sardi stood transfixed, his eyes stretched wide in horror as the black wings unfurled. They spread wide, blocking out the moonlight so they stood motionless in its shadow. The wings beat languidly, and it rose without effort into the air to hover above them. Its jaws opened, revealing the inky blackness inside and the bright white of razor-sharp fangs. The yellow, slitted eyes never left Sardi as its long, sinuous body undulated from side to side.
Sardi shook himself, then before her eyes, he transformed—grew taller, broader, his skin darkening. Curved horns sprouted from his forehead, black leathery wings sprang from his shoulder blades, and the knife in his hand became a flaming sword. Only his eyes remained the same. This was how he would appear in his own realm, and Regan’s breath caught in her throat.
He raised the sword toward the hovering serpent.
Regan hardly caught the movement as it struck. It dove down toward Sardi, and they clashed with a scream of fury. The force of the collision sent the sword spinning from Sardi’s hand. They grappled, but the serpent’s long body coiled around him, its vicious claws dug deep into the flesh of his shoulders, and they rose into the air entwined as lovers.
The serpent turned its massive head to Regan, the eyes held hers, and in their inhuman depths, she caught a glimpse of Caleb. Suddenly, she knew what she had to do.
This time Sardi wasn’t coming back.
She summoned up her magic, let the power build within her, and whispered the words. The air shimmered, and the portal opened before her.
Sardi came alive as he saw the gateway. Understanding filled his eyes, followed swiftly by horror. He tried to struggle, but it was too late as, with a beat of wings, the serpent rose through the air and swooped toward the portal. Regan made to step back, but at the last minute, Sardi reached out a hand, clasped his fist in her long hair, and dragged Regan through the gateway into Hell.
They tumbled through darkness, the icy air rushing past her, until she heard the beating of wings, and their freefall slowed. Down and down they went, until they finally crashed onto a bare rock floor, Sardi’s hand still locked tightly in her hair.
Dark figures melted away into the rocks surrounding them, only to loiter, red eyes watching from the shadows. Regan tore free of Sardi’s grip and crawled backward, staring around her. They were in some sort of deep gorge between steep cliffs and, above them, a sullen moon hung crimson in a black starless sky. The air held a bitter coldness, and she hugged her jacket around her.
Sardi lay unmoving in the serpent’s claws. For a moment, she thought he was already dead. Then his head rolled to the side, his eyes opened, and he looked straight at Regan. His lips parted as if to speak, but the words never came. The serpent’s head reared back, and it struck, the fangs sinking deep into Sardi’s throat. He lifted his hands trying to tear free, but the jaws locked in place. Finally, it released its hold and drew back. Sardi swayed, toppled to his knees, then to his back, and he lay still.
For a minute neither moved. The serpent looked straight into Regan’s eyes, and then Caleb was back.
He stepped closer and nudged the body with his toe.
“Is he dead?”
Sardi’s eyes flew open, and his whole body convulsed, his back arching from the rock floor as he clawed at the open wound on his throat. Regan stared in fascination, unable to look away as the white foam frothed from his mouth and nostrils.
Within minutes, he was motionless, his face a rigid mask of agony as the light of life faded from his eyes.
“He is now,” Regan said.
She stared at the dead demon. It was over. The knowledge was fizzing in her blood. She crossed quickly to Caleb, wrapped her arms around his waist, and burrowed her face against the soft hair of his chest, breathing in the scent of him.
She raised her head. “You did good.”
He grinned. “I did, didn’t I?” He looked around them. “Where are we?”
“Hell, of course.”
“Hmm. It’s not as warm as I expected. Can you get us out of here?”
She stepped back, nodded and closed her eyes. Her magic was almost drained, but she dredged up enough power and spoke a word. The air shimmered, and the portal formed. They passed through back into the clearing.
Caleb’s wounds were healed, the blood cleaned from his body. He was perfect. She couldn’t believe it. They were alive and Sardi was dead. A wave of joy washed through her.
She looked around, and her joy dampened; the surviving hellhounds had vanished into the forest; only the bodies remained. She moved across the clearing and crouched down beside Diablo. The huge body was already cold and stiff, and she stroked her hand over the coarse fur of his muzzle, blinking back the tears.
“They died fighting,” Caleb murmured from beside her. “It was a good way to go.”
She nodded, straightening and rubbing her hand over her eyes. Then a movement at the edge of the forest made her turn. It was Catrin. She walked toward them, arms wrapped around her middle.
She came to a halt beside Caleb and gestured to the pendant that circled her throat. “Please,” she mouthed the word.
Caleb lifted the necklace over her head, and Catrin sagged with relief. “Thank you,” she whispered.
He dropped the pendant to the ground, and Regan crushed it with her boot. Turning to Catrin, she regarded her sister through narrowed eyes. “Why aren’t you still running?”
Catrin managed a weak smile. “I thought I would come back and help. Is Sardi dead?”
Regan nodded. “For good, this time.” She glanced around. “I suppose we’d better call the Council, get them to come and clear this mess up and round up the rest of the hellhounds.”
“Then can we go home?” Catrin said.
It sounded wonderful. “Definitely.”
“So,” Catrin asked. “Do you want that spell now? Just in cas
e I get kidnapped again before I get a chance to tell you.”
Regan frowned. “Which spell?”
Catrin rolled her eyes. “The one to reverse the werewolf bite.”
Regan glanced up at Caleb. His whole body had frozen at Catrin’s words. Now he caught Regan’s gaze, held it, a question in his eyes. Regan smiled at him and shook her head.
“No,” she said. “You know, I think I quite like being a werewolf after all.”
Caleb stepped toward her, wrapped her in his arms, and pulled her against him. It was like coming home and, inside her, wolf awoke and howled her approval.
Caleb tightened his hold. “Quite like?” he growled in her ear.
“Okay, I love being a werewolf.”
And he kissed her.
Epilogue
They’d been married that morning, in front of the Council and Caleb’s wolves. There was much work for them to do. Caleb had joined the Council, and tomorrow he would go with Kael to start the search for his mother. But for this day, they were together. They had run through the dark forest and made love beneath the trees. Now they lay, bodies entwined before the altar to The Morrigan.
A shadow passed across the sun. Regan glanced up as a crow landed on the stone slab beside them. It cawed once, and then her mother stood before them.
For some reason, Regan wasn’t surprised. She rose slowly to her feet, pulling Caleb beside her. She flicked him a quick glance. He appeared reasonably calm for a man about to meet his mother-in-law. Especially considering he was naked and the mother-in-law also happened to be the goddess of war and pestilence. Still, he might feel a little more relaxed if he had some clothes on. She whispered a word, and they were both dressed.
“So, is this the bridegroom? Are you going to introduce me?”
“Mother, this is Caleb.” Regan tugged Caleb forward. “Caleb, my mother.”
The Morrigan looked him up and down, a small smile playing across her full lips. “Nice,” she said. “Very nice indeed. For a wolf.” She shook her head. “A vampire, now a werewolf. I don’t know where my children get their taste in men.”