Dark Deceiver (20 page)

Autumn turned her head to glance over her shoulder…and froze. The cop was standing as still as stone while another man reached for her—a man as white as snow. Terror raked sharp claws through her heart as she recognized the Esri who'd tried to attack her in the houseboat. Kade's nemesis.

Zander.

K
ade watched in cold terror as Zander reached for Autumn. He'd thought to submit to the two police, luring them close enough for him to touch and control. But at the sight of Zander, all he could think of was getting to Autumn before Zander stole her life. He struggled to escape the cops' hold, but one shot him with a Taser that roared through his body like Zander's hand of fire. When his head cleared, he was on his knees, the cuffs snapping behind his back, his wrists bound.

With a roar of rage born of fear for Autumn, he surged to his feet and flexed his arms to rip the cuffs apart. But nothing happened. He wasn't strong enough.

As his gaze wrenched to Autumn, he saw Zander's hand land on the head of the cop who was getting ready to cuff her. The cop pulled out his gun.

“The draggon stone for your lady, Kaderil!”

Kade again tried to lunge but felt an answering blow to the back of his head that nearly drove him to his knees, but he stayed standing and grabbed the arm of one of the cops. “Release me.”

The second blow did drive him to his knees.

Sweet Esria.
His power was gone. The virgin's power had already waned.

He had to get to Autumn.

The sound of gunfire exploded in the escalator tunnel. Screams rent the air. One of the bullets pierced his forehead, burning, but he barely noticed it as he struggled to escape the cops' hold and go after Autumn. She wasn't on the floor, thank the spirits. She wasn't there at all. And he could only feel relief that Zander hadn't already killed her, though he knew if he didn't reach her soon, she was as good as dead.

He felt the bullet ease out of his forehead and watched as it fell past his eyes.

“Holy shit!”
The cop who'd hit him stared at him in horror.

The second cop fell at his feet, shot, drawing the other's attention from him. Kade ran for the exit. He had to reach Autumn before Zander destroyed her.

Outside was chaos as humans scattered into the night, running from the violence. Though he ran, his speed was hampered by his hands being cuffed behind his back. He ducked into the shadows and bent over, sliding his bound hands behind his hips and knees. He had to roll on the ground to ease his feet through the circle of his arms, but he finally succeeded in moving his bound hands to the front, and lunged to his feet.

As he ran, Kade tried over and over to break the cuffs, to no avail. His newfound power was truly gone. Just when Autumn needed him most. Fear for her pounded through his body.

By the time he reached the marina, he was sweating and terrified he was already too late. Terrified he wouldn't find them on the boat at all. But as he raced down the dock, he knew he'd guessed right.

A sight met his eyes at once glorious and terrible. Autumn stood in perfect balance upon the back rail of the houseboat, silhouetted against the nearly full moon, in nothing but her sweatpants and a lacey bra, her unbound hair lifting in the breeze. The woman herself was glorious, but her perch, a hair's breadth from the water, terrified him. Clearly, she was enchanted. His sweet Autumn could never maintain such a balance on her own.

He lunged onto the boat. “What have you done to her?”

Zander blocked his path. “What do you think?”

Ustanis had never fully lost his fear of the Punisher. He ducked his white head then looked up. “She's not been touched, Punisher, by either of us. There wasn't time.”

Zander waved Ustanis to silence, his face in shadows. “One word from me and she falls into the river, Malcolm. To sink. To drown.”

Kade's eyes narrowed. “Why do you call me Malcolm?”

“Malcolm was the human who killed my mate, my Pensia. In the moonlight, you could be him again. I never killed him. I've rued that fact for fifteen hundred years.” Zander thrust out his pale white hand. “Give me the draggon stone, Punisher, or she dies.”

Kade's palms began to sweat at the impossible choice before him. Handing over the draggon stone to King Rith's man could destroy her world. Not handing it over would destroy the woman herself. The woman he loved.

“Call her down, Zander. I'm not giving it to you until you do.”

“No, Punisher. I would enjoy nothing more than to end her as my Pensia was ended. But I won't. Unless you refuse to give me the draggon stone.”

“I had nothing to do with the death of your mate, Zander. I was an infant.”

“Give me the draggon stone!”

He didn't trust Zander. As soon as he handed him the stone, he had little doubt Zander would push her into the water. But he would go after her. He'd find a way to save her. He must.

Kade lifted the draggon stone from around his neck and tossed it to Zander. He rushed for Autumn, terrified she would fall into that dark water before he caught her. But Zander was surprisingly true to his word. With hands still cuffed, Kade pulled her toward him. Her skin was cold to the touch. She collapsed against him in a dead faint and he lowered her to the ground.

Behind him, Ustanis began to chant. A sudden snap of magic burned over Kade's skin. In a perfect circle around him, six green stones began to glow.

Dread balled in his gut. “You found the last stone.”

“Ustanis found it in the marina office.”

“What are you doing? What magic is this?”

Zander smiled, his white teeth glowing in the moonlight. “One of the black chants, Punisher. The black magic accessible only through the seven stones.” His expression turned hard. “For a millennia and a half you've wondered why I didn't reveal your secret. It was because if I had, others would have challenged you. Destroyed your reputation, Punisher. Eventually, you'd have been banished and lost to me and I couldn't have that. I have been waiting for the perfect revenge. And for that, you had to fall in love, Malcolm.”

“I'm not Malcolm!” Kade laid Autumn on the deck and lunged for Zander, but he hit a wall as solid as any he'd ever encountered. “What have you done?”

“Have you never heard of a shadow cage?”

Kade's blood went cold.

“I said I wouldn't take her from you, Punisher and I won't. Ever. She will be with you for all eternity. It's nearly complete, is it not, Ustanis?”

“Aye, my captain. Forgive me, Punisher. This was not my choice.”

Kade pounded at the invisible walls. “Zander, no.” Shadow cages were once used as prisons in Esria. Horrific prisons. “She won't survive without food and water.”

Zander ignored his plea. “When it's done, we'll drop it into the water to settle on the bottom of the river. You will spend eternity alone with your lady.”

“She'll
die,
” he growled.

“Of course. And when we're through here, we'll take the stones to the gate and open it. At midnight tonight.”

Kade stared at him. “The full moon is not until tomorrow.”

“Another power of the seven stones in the hands of one who can use it. By opening the gate tonight, there will be no Sitheen to stop us. King Rith will have his stones and, when next we return to this world, 'twill be as conquerors.”

“It is done, Zander,” Ustanis said. He placed his hands against the cage.

Zander stepped forward until he was nearly nose to nose with Kade, and placed his hands against the cage's walls. “Goodbye, dark blood.”

And suddenly the cage was levitating. Kade turned and dove for Autumn, laying atop her to brace her as the cage magically lifted over the boat's rail and dropped into the cold river. They hit the water with a jarring thud, then sank slowly, rocking from side to side until they settled on the river bottom.

The dark forms of fish moved past as the dock lights and the moon glowed distantly from above. He held Autumn's sleeping form against him and knew the darkest despair of his life. They were trapped, doomed to spend the rest of their respective lives in this dark abyss. Autumn's would end quickly without sustenance. A few days and she would be gone, while he would linger here for thousands of years, his only company the remains of his one brief love.

A magic cage could not be breached except by the most powerful of magic. A magic he'd never possessed even when he and Autumn were at their strongest.

He'd risked all to save Autumn and her world.

And failed.

 

Kade held Autumn's shivering, unconscious body tightly against him, within the circle of his bound arms, as the fury that rode him slowly turned to desolation. Autumn was doomed. He couldn't save her. Yet how was he supposed to watch her die? His heart twisted with a regret so deep he feared his soul would begin to bleed.

Time was impossible to guess, but he suspected a couple of hours had passed when he finally felt her begin to stir.

“Kade?” Autumn's voice was tight with cold and she gave a hard shiver. “Where are we?”

He wasn't sure how he could tell her. Instead, he pulled her closer, wrapping his open jacket around her shoulders as far as it would go. “How are you feeling?”

“I'm…
freezing.
” She wiggled her bottom against his groin as she tried to press herself closer to his warmth. Her arms moved, and she gasped, clearly realizing her upper body was nearly bare. “My clothes…”

Kade rubbed his cheek against her hair, his misery sharp enough to cut. “Zander stole them while you were enchanted.”

She went rigid against him.

“He didn't hurt you, sweet one. Ustanis told me as much, and he had no reason to lie. Besides, they had no time for such mischief. It was a ploy to make you appear more vulnerable. A ploy to get the draggon stone from me.”

“Did it work?”

“Too well. I'm sorry you're cold. I would have given you my clothes, but I can't get out of the shirt and jacket. I'm still wearing the handcuffs. The best I could do was open my coat and pull you inside with me.”

“What happened?” She looked up at the ceiling of the cage as if trying to make sense of where they were. He followed her gaze to the dock lights flickering high above. As he watched, the dark shape of a fish obscured first one light then another.

“We're underwater!” she gasped.

“Yes.”

“But…I'm breathing. And it's dry. I don't understand.”

“Magic.” He spat the word with all the hatred he'd ever held for Zander and those who used, and abused, that fine power.

“Are we stuck?”

He didn't answer,
couldn't
answer. Instead, he pulled her tighter against him.

“Kade, tell me what's happened.”

“I couldn't let him harm you.” He shuddered, but knew he couldn't keep the truth from her. He owed her that much. His palm stroked the chilled flesh of her bare arm. “It's called a shadow cage. One of the dark magics the power stones are capable of.”

“Are we really underwater?”

“Yes, but you don't have to worry about breathing. We can't run out of air.”

“Oh. I hadn't thought about that. How do we get out?”

He couldn't bring himself to utter the words, but he didn't need to. She understood.

“We don't, do we?” There was no fear in her words. No panic. And he suspected it was too soon for her to fully comprehend the utter bleakness of their situation.

That was just as well. He understood their situation all too well and wished he didn't.

“How did we get in the water?”

“Zander. He has the stones.”

“
All
of them?”

“Yes. Ustanis used them to build this cage.” He would use them to open the gate tonight. But she didn't need to know that. Let her think her friends would stop the Esri during tomorrow's full moon. Let her think her world would survive. If only…

A harsh breath escaped his lungs. “I shouldn't have let you come with me. I should have sent you away, far from this city where you couldn't be touched by Zander's hatred.”

He felt her pull away, then twist in his arms until her soft breasts pressed against his chest. Her arms wrapped tightly around him, at once easing and intensifying his pain.

“This isn't your fault, Kade. I saw Zander in the Metro station. I knew we were in trouble.” She rubbed his back with her palm. “He won't leave you behind, will he? Won't people come looking for you?”

There would be no one to seek him out even if it were possible. “A shadow cage deflects magic. No one would find it unless they specifically looked for it. And, yes, Zander will most happily leave me behind. He's somehow convinced himself that I'm the human who killed his mate. He can't kill me, or he could never go home. Ending the existence of another Esri is strictly forbidden. But he found the perfect revenge.”

“You can live without food and water?”