Devoured By Darkness (23 page)

Sergei backed away, shaking his head. “No, I don’t trust you.”

Tane cursed his stupidity.

“And you trust Marika?” he snapped.

“Better the devil you know,” the mage muttered, heading in the same direction as Marika. And Laylah.

Briefly halting his attempts to escape, Tane closed his eyes and sent his senses flowing outward.

He easily located Laylah rushing through a tunnel headed deeper into the bowels of the mountain with Marika in pursuit. A violent fury screamed through him, but he grimly turned his attention to the fleeing Sergei.

He couldn’t stop Marika from such a distance, but he could keep the mage from following them.

Calling on his abilities, Tane allowed a tiny pulse of power to flow through the air, aiming it in the opposite direction of Laylah. The mage didn’t have the ability to use his sense of smell to follow the females, but he no doubt had learned to associate Laylah with the tiny prickles of electricity she released when she was mad or upset.

If Tane could lead the bastard away, then Laylah would have a chance to escape from Marika.

He continued to send out the tiny pulses, a cold smile curving his lips as he sensed the mage becoming lost among the vast spiderweb of tunnels.

He hoped the bastard rotted among the frozen rocks.

Concentrating on his self-imposed task, Tane abruptly snapped open his eyes, watching in disbelief as the tiny gargoyle waddled into the cavern.

“Well, well.” Levet came to a halt, his eyes widening before a satisfied smile spread across his ugly mug. “I would have gone in another direction, but there is a piquant charm in decorating frozen caverns with vampires.”

Tane’s brows snapped together. “How the hell did you get here?”

Levet shrugged. “I hitched a ride with Cruella de Vil through the portal.”

Hitched a ride?

Well … hell.

Tane had to admit the gargoyle was nothing if not resourceful. He was also Tane’s only visible means of escape.

Dammit.

He was never going to live down the shame of being rescued by a stunted gargoyle if word got out.

A thought that did nothing to improve his already foul mood.

“Get me down,” he barked.

Levet folded his arms over his narrow chest. “And destroy the lovely picture you make?”

A blast of frigid air tumbled the gargoyle backward as Tane’s temper flared.

“Levet.”

“Oui, oui”
Climbing to his feet, Levet made a show of brushing off a bit of nonexistent dust, before moving toward him with a deliberately superior expression. “I am rushing to the rescue yet again.”

Tane clenched his teeth until they threatened to crack beneath the strain.

“Why me?” he muttered.

Levet lifted his hands in a grand gesture, then he paused, as if struck by a sudden thought.

“You might wish to turn your head and close your eyes.”

Recalling the fireball that had taken out a good chunk of forest, Tane gave a sharp shake of his head. He’d rather freeze to the wall than be blown into a million pieces.

“Wait, gargoyle, if you …” His words lodged in his throat as there was a brilliant flash of light.

Braced to be barbecued by the unpredictable gargoyle, Tane was totally unprepared when he felt nothing more than a warm breeze before the invisible shackles were disappearing and he was hitting the ground with enough force to rattle his spine.

Surging upright, he snatched the sword off the ground, feeling like an awkward fool. He glared at his aggravating companion, not entirely convinced that Levet hadn’t intentionally ensured he dropped like a sack of potatoes.

Now, however, wasn’t the time to slice and dice his only ally.

He’d save that particular pleasure until later. “Come on,” he ordered, headed toward the back of the cavern.

“What? Not even a thank you,” Levet grumbled. “Next occasion I’ll leave you to the bats.”

Tane never slowed. “Laylah needs us.”

“Oh.” There was a flutter of wings as Levet hurried to catch up. “Why did you not say so in the first place?”

Laylah turned down yet another passageway, the chill brushing over the back of her neck becoming more pronounced as Marika steadily closed the distance between them.

She could have escaped.

She had halted only moments after entering the tunnel to shadow walk. But rather than disappearing into the corridor, she’d shoved Maluhia into the mists and returned to the frozen mountain.

It hadn’t been easy to leave her child behind.

Even knowing that she’d never encountered another demon in the mists, not to mention the fact no one but herself could touch the babe, had made it easier.

Still, only the grim determination to bring an end to danger, once and for all, gave her the strength to leave Maluhia behind as she resumed her terrified flight.

“You can’t outrun me, Laylah,” Marika’s mocking voice floated through the air.

Laylah shivered.

Turned out that being chased through dark caves was just as creepy the second time around.

Just like when Tane was hunting her, there was no sound of approaching footsteps, no heavy breathing, not even the accidental kick of a pebble.

There was only thick silence and a relentless cold that froze her heart.

On this occasion, however, she wasn’t running blindly.

She had a plan.

A wild, insane, please-God-let-it-work plan. But a plan.

Entering the small cavern she’d been seeking, she slowed to a halt and turned to watch her aunt surge into the space behind her.

With an eerie ability, the vampire came to a precise stop. Laylah grimaced. One minute Marika had been charging forward at full speed and the next she was frozen in place. Not even a strand of hair moved.

Too weird.

The woman’s dark gaze scanned the cavern, searching for hidden enemies or a stash of weapons.

Thankfully, Marika was too much a vampire to consider that the cavern itself might be the trap.

Once confident she had her prey cornered, the older woman allowed a sneer to twist her lips.

“I warned you that you couldn’t escape.”

Laylah tilted her chin, but she didn’t bother to try and hide her fear.

If she’d learned nothing else, it was that it was impossible to hide emotions from a vampire.

Besides, she wanted Marika to believe she had conceded defeat.

The longer she could keep the woman off guard, the longer she could slowly build her power. If she did it too quickly the revealing sparks of electricity would warn the vamp of danger. She was certain to strike out and try to disable her.

And truthfully, she was still aching from her trip through the mists while hauling along a very large vampire, not to mention her side trip to hide the baby.

“Then I suppose I’ll have to kill you,” she said, knowing the arrogant bitch was bound to think it was a bluff.

Marika stepped forward. “You really are the most ungrateful brat. If it weren’t for me you wouldn’t even exist.”

“You want me to thank you for arranging to have my mother raped by a Jinn just so you could use me to sate your lust for power?”

She shrugged. “Not everyone is perfect.”

Laylah snorted. “Yeah well, not everyone’s a psychopath either.”

A frozen fury slammed through the cavern as Marika’s gaze lowered to Laylah’s arms.

“Where’s the child?”

Laylah grit her teeth.

Obviously the pleasant small talk portion of the encounter was over.

Things were bound to get ugly in a hurry.

“Somewhere you can’t reach him.”

“We didn’t have to do this the hard way, Laylah.” Certain that Laylah was no threat, Marika slowly circled her, like a shark sizing up its prey. “We are family, after all, even if you don’t approve of my… methods.”

“Family?” Laylah shook her head. “You know, there was a time when I would have done anything to find my family.”

“If my bitch of a sister hadn’t given you away you would have been properly raised to understand your duties.” Marika halted in front of her, a cruel smile curving her lips. “In fact, one could claim this entire mess is her fault.”

Laylah suppressed the suicidal urge to punch the bitch in the nose.

She was very close to having the necessary power gathered. She wasn’t going to screw up her plan for a momentary sense of satisfaction.

“Why did you choose your own sister to sacrifice to the Jinn?” she demanded. “There must have been demons more suitable?”

Marika waved a dismissive hand. So much for sisterly concern.

“She was beautiful enough to tempt the fastidious demon and more important we share a telepathic link.” “You can read her mind?” “We share thoughts.”

Laylah recalled her brief contact with the woman claiming to be her mother. She had assumed there had been a spell that allowed her to hear her mother’s voice in her head. The thought she could share such an intimate connection with the woman who had given birth to her was oddly comforting.

It also reminded her to send up yet another prayer that the vampire Uriel had managed to rescue her.

“Then how did she keep me hidden from you?”

Marika looked like she’d just bitten into a lemon. “She shouldn’t have been able to. It was the only block she ever managed to put between us, and no amount of torture could force her to confess the truth.” Her lips thinned, not seeming to notice Laylah’s soft gasp at the thought of what her mother must have endured to keep her safe. Dammit, she’d been so hung up on the thought she’d been lied to and deceived that she hadn’t truly taken time to appreciate the sacrifices that had been made to keep her safe. Her mother had endured God knew what hideous torture. Her foster mother had given up her very life. Even Tane was willing to risk everything to protect her. It was her turn for sacrifice. “It was most annoying.”

“Obviously you underestimated the love of a mother for her child,” Laylah said softly.

“Such a human emotion,” Marika scoffed.

“And yet more powerful than a vampire and her stooge of a mage. Remarkable.”

“She’s a stubborn fool who has sacrificed her life for no reason.”

Laylah lifted her hands, allowing her power to flow through her body. “You don’t get it, do you?”

Suddenly wary, Marika took a step backward. “Get what?”

“A mother will do whatever necessary to protect her children.”

Glancing upward, she concentrated on the fissures that ran through the thick stones.

With Jinn blood running through her veins, she was intimately connected to nature. She could feel the age of the stone, smell the droplets of ice in the air, and sense the raging inferno that was churning deep in the earth.

The entire area was a powder keg waiting to blow and the numerous quakes had left several of the tunnels dangerously unstable.

Which was perfect for her needs.

Releasing her powers, she leaped backward, scrambling toward the small opening hidden behind a stalagmite as the entire cavern began to shake.

Belatedly realizing the danger, Marika tried to follow Laylah, only to be stunned as a large chunk of rock tumbled from the ceiling and struck her with a glancing blow. She fell to her knees, blood streaming down her face as she watched Laylah shoving herself through the narrow opening.

“No,” she screamed, flowing back to her feet, her hand slashing through the air.

Laylah felt a cut slicing through her chest, but she didn’t allow her concentration to falter. Exhausting the last of her powers she widened the fissures, ripping them apart with enough force to send several tons of rubble into the cavern.

The impact of the collapse thankfully tossed her backward rather than tumbling her into the lethal avalanche. She smacked her head against a low-hanging rock, and she choked on the cloud of dust that filled her lungs, but she was able to crawl away from the cave-in.

Which was more than Marika could say.

Or at least, that was the hope.

A grim smile touched her lips at the thought of the vicious bitch squashed beneath half the mountain. It would be a fitting end.

Of course, there was always the less pleasant prospect that the vampire had survived the crush of rocks and was even now clawing her way free to wreck horrible vengeance.

The thought was enough to make her curse the cramped passageway that forced her to squeeze through on her hands and knees.

She traveled several hundred feet before she at last crossed paths with a larger tunnel that led upward.

With a sigh, she straightened, only to lurch to the side, banging her head yet again.

Crap.

She hadn’t realized how much energy she’d drained. Now it was an effort to stand upright. Ignoring her exhaustion, the throbbing cut across her chest, and the various head wounds, Laylah forced her legs to hold her weight. Then, one slow step after another, she moved up the tunnel.

She lost track of time. It felt like an eternity had passed since she’d first fled with Marika hot on her heels, although she suspected that it had been less than a half hour. Funny how time could drag when she was battling a lunatic vampire.

At last she managed to stumble her way back to the original passageway. Then, finding the spot she’d been searching for, she lowered herself to her knees, her head bent as she struggled to dredge up the last of her failing strength.

Distantly she was aware of the mini-tremors that shook the mountain and the fine dust billowing through the air. You couldn’t create a cave-in without repercussions. But, so far the upper chambers hadn’t collapsed.

Which meant that Tane should be fine.

Always assuming the mage hadn’t …

No. She shook her head. She had to trust he could keep himself safe.

For now her duty was to her child.

Scrubbing her fingers through her short strands of hair, Laylah rose to her feet and squared her shoulders. Then, lifting her hand, she carefully searched until she’d found the exact spot where she’d left Maluhia before opening the veil.

She trembled from the effort, sweat dripping down her face as she reached into the mists and wrapped her arms around the baby.

It would, of course, be safest to simply remain in the corridor and travel as far and fast away from the mountain as possible. But, the very fact she could barely hold open the smallest doorway warned she was far too weary to make the attempt.

She would need hours, if not days, of rest before she could shadow walk again.

Allowing her cloak to drape around the babe, Laylah closed the veil and turned to continue her path through the dark tunnels.

For the moment her only thought was finding Tane. And then curling up in the nearest corner to rest.

After that …

Any fuzzy plans beginning to stew in the back of her mind were forgotten as the unmistakable scent of fresh herbs mixed with the thick dust in the air.

A Sylvermyst.

Heading in her direction at a rapid pace.

She glanced over her shoulder, as if she hoped a magic door had suddenly appeared. What she saw instead was a whole lot of nothing.

No magic door, no quick escape route, no fairy godmother.

Just the cramped passageway that led back to the crumbling caves below.

Effectively trapped, she clutched the baby tight against her and watched the Sylvermyst with long chestnut hair and bronze eyes round the corner and step into view.

Ariyal.

“Don’t move, Jinn.”

The fey kept his crossbow at his side, but he didn’t have to wave his weapon around to make his point. He screamed danger from the coiled muscles of his slender body to the lethal intent etched onto his beautiful face.

Laylah tried to swallow the lump in her throat. Judging by the Sylvermyst’s ripped T-shirt and the blood staining his jeans, his past few hours had been about as much fun as hers, but unlike her, he didn’t look like he was running on empty. Just her luck.

“What do you want?” she demanded.

His lips twisted in a parody of a smile. “We have unfinished business.”

Great. She gave a shake of her head.

“Is there a freaking demon who isn’t lurking in this cave?”

The odd, metallic gaze lowered to the child she had tucked beneath her cloak.

“You hold the fate of the world in your arms.”

“And that’s exactly where he’s going to stay.”

He took a step forward. “No, I’m afraid that’s not possible.”

“Stop,” she gritted. “You’d better keep your distance …” She deliberately allowed the threat to dangle. He didn’t look particularly intimidated. Big shocker.

“Or?”

“I’m not helpless.”

He took several more steps toward her. “Neither are you at your full …” He jumped backward as she released a bolt of energy that hit him square in the chest. He glanced down in shock at the singed hole in his T-shirt.

“Shit.”

“I warned you,” she rasped, praying he wouldn’t suspect that she was as astonished as he was. “Next time I won’t be so nice.”

For once her prayer seemed to work.

Or maybe the fey just assumed he could talk her into handing over her baby.

“Easy, female.” He lifted a hand, his tone patronizing.

“There’s no reason we can’t discuss this in a rational manner.”

“My name is Laylah, not female,” she snapped. “And this is Maluhia.”

“Laylah,” he grit between clenched teeth. “This isn’t your battle. Give me the child.”

“You’re wrong. It’s very much my battle.”

“Why?” He appeared genuinely perplexed by her refusal to toss aside Maluhia as if he were no more than some trash she’d found. “That babe has no connection to you. Unless Marika lied and claimed …”

“Maluhia became my child the moment I took him from the mists,” she fiercely interrupted.

“Admirable.” His tone revealed he found her anything but admirable. “But don’t you think it’s unforgivably self-indulgent to condemn the world to hell because you want to play mommy to a creature born of sin?”

Her spine stiffened at his accusation.

Maluhia was an innocent. And there was nothing self-indulgent in her desire to protect him.

Schmuck.

“I’m not the one who wants to return the Dark Lord.” “Neither do I.”

The stark words brought the conversation to a screeching halt.