Hunted by Darkness (Darkness #4) (11 page)

Bo looked at her, a mixture of shock and awe on his expression. The awe did strange things to her insides. She hated being looked at as weak. For as long as she could remember that was all she’d ever been considered. Being here, actually helping, fed something inside her she hadn’t realized had been missing.

“We need to get out of here,” Rory said as he and Ian moved to stand next to them. “Fast. If they have a bigger hunting party, fighting them will slow us down too much. We’ve gotta get to the exit before darkness.”

“But we’re going to talk about what you did later,” Ian said.

Bo ignored them both, running his hands—sans talons—down her arms. His eyes were lit up in that now familiar supernova, his chest rising and falling erratically, but she could see the concern in every line of his expression. “Are you injured?” he asked quietly.

“I’m good. Promise. Are you okay?” Her gaze flicked to his midsection. His tunic was shredded and the blood was definitely his. While she wanted to take care of him, she also knew that if his half-brothers were worried, they needed to get out of here now. They could patch him up later—though it would probably be unnecessary anyway given his healing capacity.

“Fine. I swear. That was…impressive.” Before she could respond, he looked at Ian, nodded, and they took off at a jog in the same formation as before.

The backpack was stupidly annoying but before she could dwell on it, Bo snatched it off her shoulders.

“I’ve got this,” he said. “You’ll move faster without it.”

She wanted to protest, but she didn’t want to slow the group down. “Thank you.”

He grunted, cast a quick glance over his shoulder as they raced through the rock formations to the other side of the clearing.

As they breached the line of red-trunked trees a shudder raked through her. Her entire life she’d been sheltered. All she’d wanted was to leave her old realm far behind, have some adventures, make some friends and definitely lose her virginity.

And now she wished she was anywhere but here.

Chapter 9

“We’ve got maybe one hour to go and we’ll be there,” Rory said quietly, barely turning around to tell her and Bo as they made their way down a crystal clear, lavender-tinged stream. “We’re making incredible time.”

They’d been traveling for pretty much eight hours straight. With the exception of the half-demons they’d killed and a few ballsy animals who’d thought to attack them along the way, they’d all been relentless in their trek. Ian and Rory had told them it would take nine or ten hours total to reach the exit so they should have an hour of padding at this rate. Still, she wanted to make it to the door with plenty of daylight left. Because in this realm there was only ten hours of light.

The two males hadn’t been kidding about cutting it close. She understood why they’d wanted to leave right at daybreak.

There weren’t any animal sounds in this part of the jungle and the canopy above them was so thick it was almost as if it was nighttime. Without the peeks of sporadic light filtering through the thick trees she’d have wondered if it actually was. Her pants and shoes were soaked from the water, but according to Ian, this was the quickest way to their destination and it helped cover their scents. She knew that he meant hers specifically since she was the one with the apparently alluring smell.

“How are you doing?” Bo asked behind her.

She shot him a quick half-smile. “Good. Ready to be home, take a hot bath.”

Bo’s eyes brightened with raw hunger. “Maybe we can take one together.”

She blinked at the bold statement and even he seemed surprised that he’d said it. After the way he’d been keeping her at arm’s length, both physically and emotionally, his words took her off guard even as they sent a rush of heat to her cheeks—and other places.

Without responding, she turned back around. Because right now she couldn’t answer him. He was definitely the king of mixed signals. She wanted to ask him what the hell he wanted, but talk about inopportune timing. Not only would his brothers overhear them, but she wanted a serious talk.

The stream started to thin, the water getting lower and lower even as the river bed itself grew wider. It was odd, but the scent filling the air was pleasing. It reminded her of fresh blooming jasmine.

As she stepped up onto a bed of flat blue rocks, following directly in Ian’s path, a sharp, haunted cry filled the air. “Stooooop!”

She froze, turned back to Bo, her eyes wide. He frowned, scanning the surrounding tree line. She tracked his gaze, scanned as well but just saw the same thing they’d seen the past hour.

“Come on,” Rory murmured.

She looked at Ian and Rory, both standing impatiently on a formation about a foot higher than the one she was on. “What was that?” Because it had sounded human and female.

“Sometimes the creatures in this area will set traps,” Rory said, disgust on his features. “Play on those stupid enough to have emotions.”

Bo was next to her in an instant, a growl rumbling in his throat.

“I didn’t mean she—you,” he said, looking at Nyx, “are stupid. I just meant what you’re hearing isn’t real.”

“Stop! Help us!” The screams were agonizing now, making the hair on Nyx’s arms stand up.

“Bo, we need to at least check it out.” Because she couldn’t walk away from that gut-wrenching cry. She simply couldn’t.

Rory and Ian stepped back to them, indecision on their faces. Which meant they weren’t sure the cries were fake either.

“That sounds real,” she murmured as another cry, this one weaker, cut through the air.

They all looked to the east, in the direction of the fading cry.

“We shouldn’t get off the path…” Rory trailed off, not even sounding convinced of his own words.

Nyx didn’t care what they thought, but she did care about Bo’s opinion. “What if it’s a female in trouble and we do nothing?” Because half-demon or not, Bo respected women. It was one of the things that had drawn her to him originally. He adored his sister and now that she knew what had happened to his mother, it made sense.

Jaw clenched tight, he looked at his half-brothers. “Can you walk away from females potentially in trouble?”

Their answer would tell Nyx everything she needed to know about them. To her relief, both males shook their heads, Rory letting out a curse. Instead of continuing down the stream, they moved toward the woods. They all spread out, though Bo stayed right next to her.

“Look for traps on the ground or in the trees,” Ian warned as they moved.

Nyx’s heart beat a staccato tattoo against her chest as her feet sank into the mushy ground. She ignored the gross feeling of mud and whatever else that squished into her shoes and between her toes.

The farther they walked through the forest, the more the trees started to thin and definite male voices filled the air. And females crying.

Worry hummed through Nyx. From what she knew this wasn’t a place for females of any species. She glanced at Bo and saw the same concern etched on his sharp features. Shelving all her mixed emotions right now, she reached out and grabbed his hand, linking her fingers through his.

His eyes widened, but he simply squeezed her hand, held tight. The feel of him grounded her, eased her fear of whatever was through those trees. The louder the voices and laughter grew, the four of them slowed and Ian and Rory moved toward them with an incredible stealth.

She could see smoke and sunlight through the thinning trees, but it was still darker under the awning of foliage.

As the two males reached them, Rory made a bunch of hand signals she took to mean they should wait while he did some recon. It was clear Bo and Ian didn’t like it, and neither did she, but it made more sense for one of them to scout as opposed to all of them. And the brothers had way more knowledge of this realm than Bo or her.

After they all nodded, Rory slid through the trees like a wraith, seeming to blend with the shadows.

Blood rushed in her ears as the seconds turned into minutes. Bo never let go of her hand as they scanned the trees, waiting and watching. It was as if an eternity passed but Rory was back in less than ten minutes, his expression grim as he hurried toward them.

“It’s an old castle, mostly ruins. Koighans are running it. Three female captives. One is in the leader’s quarters, two are in cages. The ones in the cages look like they’ve been there a while.” He swallowed hard, his jaw clenched tight as he looked at his brother. They seemed to be having some sort of wordless conversation.

“So what’s the plan?” Bo asked quietly, interrupting their non-conversation.

“The female in the leader’s quarters is in bad shape, but I think we can get her out undetected. At least for a little while. The only way we’ll get the other two free is with a distraction.”

“How do we do that?” Nyx looked between them. Her battle tactics were pretty much nil, but she could create some havoc. “Should I bring down a wall of the ruins?”

“Yes…” Rory trailed off, looking at Bo warily. “That might work. There’s only one thing that will distract all of them completely.”

“No.” Bo didn’t raise his voice, but the savagery in that one word was unmistakable.

She frowned. “What is it?”

“You.”

Chapter 10

Victoria linked her fingers through Drake’s as they strode down the cobbled streets of the Quarter. Even though they were a few blocks back, they had a perfect view of the back façade of St. Louis Cathedral in the distance. It was one of the oldest cathedrals in the United States and she’d been in it many times over the years. Unfortunately they weren’t in New Orleans to visit, but to see a magic man.

“I don’t like going in here without any recon.” Drake glanced around the street they were headed down.

Vehicles lined the curb and a few people strolled down the sidewalks, but not many. A Clydesdale horse pulling a small buggy with no customers in the back clomped past them. The driver nodded once, slightly tipping his hat. She smiled back. There was a parade in another part of the Quarter so they’d gotten lucky that there wasn’t much traffic this time of day. There were a few shops and cafes nearby but mainly it was a residential street, which also helped.

“I’ve been there before. The owner is human and a sweet old man.” Well, maybe sweet was a stretch, but Thurman had always been kind to her. So when Cynara had gotten a tip about someone who owned a magic shop losing a wormhole spell in New Orleans, Victoria had known where to go. There were plenty of magic shops in New Orleans, many real, but Thurman’s was the most likely to have something along the line of a wormhole spell.

“How does one even
lose
a spell?” Drake frowned, his handsome face the picture of frustration.

“The man is human and I think in his seventies. Or close to it by now.” It bothered Victoria though. Thurman was known for being careful. He’d always hired shifters or vamps for extra security at his shop. He was definitely human, but there was a little more to him. She’d never pressed, but his ability to wield magic was inborn, that much she was certain of.

“We should have just let Cynara come here instead.”

“Whining isn’t sexy,” she murmured, nudging him with her hip.

He shot her a sideways look, his dragon flashing in his eyes. “I do not whine.”

She leaned her head against his shoulder, grinning. “That’s up for debate. And Cynara was too wired. She’s worried about her brother. Granted so are we, but she’s more likely to attack and kill him, or get herself ashed by this magic man if she comes in fangs blazing. It’s better for us to be here, especially since he knows me.” It had been about two years since she’d been here though.

Drake just made a grunting sound, probably muttering about his stubborn mate.

“Here,” she said, motioning to an iron gate off the sidewalk. She groaned when she saw the heavy lock in place. The shop didn’t have a website and no one had answered when she’d called earlier. It had kept ringing and ringing. She peered through the bars, able to see only lush plants spilling over an arched entryway. She could hear running water and remembered he had a fountain in the garden past the archway as well. His shop was beyond the courtyard but not visible from the sidewalk.

Drake grasped the lock, pulled. It snapped off as if it were made of plastic.

“Drake,” she whispered, looking around. There was a couple across the street walking their dog and a woman wearing spiky boots headed their way along the sidewalk. No one was paying attention to them, but still, she felt bad.

He just shrugged and pushed the gate open. It creaked as he stepped through, doing a full scan of the archway, definitely looking for traps.

When he was certain they were okay, he nodded once and held back for her hand without looking at her. Her heart warmed at the way he automatically reached for her. She was always doing that to him too. It was like breathing now. The need to touch him, to hold him, it was something she’d never tire of. “I don’t scent anything off,” she murmured. No other supernatural creatures at least.

“Me neither.” But Drake was still tense, his big body vibrating with energy as they strode through to the garden area.

To Victoria’s surprise Thurman was sitting at a round iron table with a ceramic tray, a teapot and small cup in front of him. He wore a gray three piece suit with a burgundy tie and a tan bowler hat. As always his pocket watch chain dangled from his vest.