Shadow's Awakening: The Shadow Warder Series, Book One (An Urban Fantasy Romance Series) (40 page)

When they’d had their own bodies, Vorati had eaten their prey. Michael had never appreciated what that meant until he was faced with the reality of what Druj really was. He’d seen drawings in textbooks, but no pen and ink illustration could translate the sheer alien menace of this thing. Druj’s face was as inhuman as his lizard man body. In his true form, Druj had the facial structure of a man, with the slitted eyes of a snake. Iridescent scales covered his skull. A forked tongue flicked out to taste the air. Those demonic snake eyes narrowed as he took in the disaster at Michael’s feet. Even incorporeal and partly transparent, ten feet of enraged demon had Michael fighting not to back away.

“The Shadow is gone,” Druj said, his voice a disembodied echo in Michael’s head. Michael started in surprise. He should have expected it—without a physical body Druj had no way to speak out loud. Somehow having that voice inside his mind made everything more terrifying. He wanted distance from the inhuman thing that was Druj. He did not want to share his head space with it.

“She escaped,” Michael said, trying suppress the plea in his voice. “She killed Henry and got out through the fire door.” Michael thought it was best to keep details to a minimum.

“She didn’t act alone,” Druj said with an odd resignation in his icy tone.

“No,” Michael said. “Whoever assisted her also blew up my house to lure me away.” A piece of the puzzle clicked into place. “They did something to draw you off too. So it’s more than one person.”

“Yes.” Druj ground out the word, not happy to admit he’d been taken in. “That Warder she was with in the mountains. And others. At least one Shadow I know of.”

“That’s impossible,” Michael said without thinking. “She doesn’t know any Shadows. Who could have helped her? I agree Munro must have been in on it but—”

A blast of power sent him to his knees in a writhing agony that speared him from the top of his skull to his toes. Every nerve ending was alight, firing in a discordant symphony of white-hot pain. Several minutes passed before Michael was able to draw an even breath. Still on his knees, Michael opened his eyes to see Druj floating above him, the colors of his scales more vibrant up close as he fed from Michael’s pain.

“You forget,” Druj hissed, “I am not one of yours. You are mine. I am the oldest of my kind. I am the most powerful. I do not need a body to break you into pieces. You will show me the proper humility or I will end you and find another to fill your place. If there is one more mistake, I will eat you alive.”

That horrible, reptilian face loomed above him, slitted eyes only inches from his own. Michael couldn’t stop himself from cringing away. He knew at that moment that he would beg, he would do anything this creature wanted, if it would prevent that explosive pain from coming back. For the first time, he saw how these demons had been so close to taking over the world of his ancestors. Understood what would have driven the Warders to risk anything to drive the Vorati back.

“Are we clear?” Druj asked, the sibilant hiss of its voice a living thing in Michael’s head.

“Yes,” Michael sobbed, hating his weakness, the fear that filled his bones with water. “Yes.”

“We’ll need a new facility for the remaining subjects. I’ll expect them to be moved to a secure location within a day. A group of Vorati are already after the Shadow. They’ve been tracking her through the collar. I might be able to recover her. If not, I don’t want to risk losing the three we still have. Don’t disappoint me.”

With that, Druj blinked out of existence, leaving only the memory of his presence to spur Michael into action. He had too much to do and very little time in which to do it. Fortunately, he already had a back-up location. Even so, he’d have to work fast to get their test subjects secure and the mess cleaned up before Druj checked in. The thought of failing to live up to Druj’s expectations filled Michael with fear-driven efficiency. He was not going to be replaced. Druj would give him the power he craved. Michael just had to live long enough to enjoy it.

Chapter Twenty-Five

The whine of an engine trailed down the deserted road, bringing Conner to full alert. He leaned forward in the driver’s seat of their newly acquired truck, straining to see the approaching vehicle. Nothing. The sound faded into the distance. He let out a disgruntled sigh. It felt as if they’d been waiting for hours. He checked the clock on the dashboard. Just over an hour and a half since he and Kiernan had driven out of Meyers Park, headed for this abandoned gas station off I-40. He knew it was too soon for Hannah to be there, but he couldn’t help himself. He needed to see her. He needed to hold her in his arms, smell her clean, sunshine scent.

Ever since he’d confirmed that she was being held captive by his own people, Conner hadn’t been able to repress the driving need to be with her. He didn’t care about anything else any more. Just Hannah. Hannah and their child. If he could have her back, he’d keep them both safe and happy for the rest of their lives. Whatever he had to do, he’d do it. As long as he could have her. Have their family. How much longer was she going to take? Had she escaped the lab? They were assuming that Zach would call if the plan went south. But Zach wasn’t exactly a reliable communicator.

Conner wanted to get out of the truck and pace, as he always did when he was stressed. The road by the gas station wasn’t well-traveled. They’d only seen one car in the half hour they’d been sitting there. But the gas station was supposed to be vacant and the sight of a large man pacing the damaged asphalt of the parking lot might draw attention they didn’t need. He’d have to rein it in and try for patience.

“I’m guessing that telling you to relax would be a waste of time,” Kiernan said. His words were light, but Conner heard the anxiety that lay underneath.

Neither of them was used to playing the secondary role. They made things happen, they didn’t sit around and wait. Allowing Hannah to face the bulk of the danger on her own went against everything they were as Warder soldiers.

“I’ll relax when I see Hannah. When she gets here, I’m never letting her out of my sight again.”

“She’ll be here soon.” Kiernan sat back in the passenger seat. He appeared relaxed if you missed the way his eyes scanned their surroundings. Sharp, cataloguing every detail. Kiernan would rest when they got somewhere safe. This weedy, cracked parking lot wasn’t it.

Out of nowhere, they both heard the throaty roar of an engine heading down the side road. The hairs on Conner’s arms rose as if there were an electrical charge in the air. He was vaulting out of the car before his brain clicked into gear. She was close. He felt his odd connection to Hannah strengthening as she moved toward him. The car came into sight; a low, wide, modern muscle car in midnight purple with thick black racing stripes down the hood. The vehicle made a sharp turn in front of them, skidding to a precise stop a few feet from their beat-up truck. A tall, slender woman unfolded herself from the driver’s seat. Her chestnut hair fell halfway down her back in loose, casual waves but her light blue eyes, the exact shade of arctic ice, were all business.

“Conner?” she asked, those arresting blue eyes narrowed on his face. It felt as if she was looking straight into his soul.

He meant to answer her, but he was already moving around the front of the car. Wrenching open the passenger door, he caught Hannah as she tumbled into his arms. She was pale, her skin cool against him. And completely unresponsive. Conner’s chest seized, his worst nightmare coming true until he felt the slight move of her ribcage as she drew a breath. More than that, he could feel her, the essence of her, seeping under his skin now that they were touching. She was alive, but something must have happened. Whirling, he was surprised to see both the driver and Kiernan only two feet away.

“What’s wrong with her?” he demanded.

“She’s okay,” the woman said. “I put her in a healing trance. She was injured and she lost a lot of blood. They put some kind of collar on her that messes with her access to energy so she can’t heal herself. I didn’t want to try to take it off until we got to you. I’m Kate, by the way.” At his blank look, she clarified. “Zach’s cousin? Didn’t he tell you he was sending me to get Hannah?”

Conner shook his head, focused on Hannah’s white face.

“Not a shock,” she said with a small smile. “Zach takes ‘need to know’ a little too far sometimes. Anyway, if we can get this thing off her, her body should be able to kick in and heal on its own.”

“They put a collar on her?” Kiernan asked. “It looks like a necklace.” He reached for the copper strands wrapped around Hannah’s neck.

It was hard to say who was the most surprised when Conner yanked Hannah out of Kiernan’s reach with a possessive growl, tucking her tight into his chest. Kiernan’s eyes popped open in shock for a second before he grinned and stepped back, hands held up in a placating gesture. Conner caught Kate giving him a knowing smirk. He tried to ignore the hot flush that hit his cheeks when he realized what he’d done. Kiernan was like a brother to him, yet the idea of the other Warder laying even a fingertip on Hannah made Conner want to bite off his head. Clearing his throat in embarrassment, Conner readjusted Hannah in his arms so he could see her neck. Kate came closer, making no attempt to touch Hannah. She still smirked at him. Conner tried not to be annoyed.

“I think I can remove it,” Kate said, studying the collar closely. “But I was afraid there would be a rebound of her energy and I wanted to make sure you were here to absorb any fluctuations.” She looked at him, making sure she had his attention. “I’ve never seen one of these before, so I’m guessing about how it works.”

“But we need to get it off her.” Conner stated. He didn’t understand what the collar was doing to Hannah. Why did Kate need him there to remove it? It didn’t matter. He’d do whatever was necessary to help.

“Yeah. It has to come off. Brace yourself. I’m going to have to touch her.” Kate came closer, eyeing Conner as if he was a rabid dog.

Conner might have laughed at her if a wave of possessive aggression hadn’t risen in his chest. He had to force himself to relax and allow Kate’s hand to touch Hannah’s neck. This drive to protect Hannah was understandable but he didn’t get why he was suddenly so territorial. It was clear by her caution that Kate knew more about his behavior than he did. Conner added that to the lengthening list of questions he had to ask when they had a chance. For now, his curiosity would have to wait until they were somewhere safe.

Kate gripped the collar in both hands and pressed her thumbs down together at the single seam in the copper. Her arms strained with effort, muscles tight with more strength than her slender arms should have possessed. With a sharp jerk, she snapped the collar apart, pulling it from Hannah’s neck. Conner shuddered on his feet at the pulse of power that shot through him into Hannah. It felt as if she had been in a vacuum whose seal had broken. The second the collar was gone, energy rushed to fill her empty spaces. Already, Hannah’s pale cheeks had a hint of pink. Her breath seemed deeper and easier. Conner began to relax. At least until he saw Kate snap to attention, head cocked to the side as if listening to a sound only she heard.

“I think they used that collar for more than containment,” she said. “I think they used it to track her. Too bad. I wanted to bring it to the Sanctuary so they could study it.”

Slowly, she paced away from the cars and scanned the perimeter of the parking lot, searching for a threat yet unseen. Conner felt it before Kiernan. An ugly electric prickle firing across his skin. Vorati. From the feel, a lot of them. With care, Conner slid Hannah’s still unconscious form onto the bench seat of the truck. He locked the doors, pocketing the keys. He hoped they could keep their attackers distracted and away from Hannah’s helpless body. The demons would have to cut him down to get to her. Conner would make sure of that. Nothing would hurt her. Never again.

“Get away from the truck,” he barked in a low tone. It was impossible to narrow down the source of the prickling heat. It felt like they were completely surrounded by the enemy.

As a unit, Conner, Kiernan and Kate moved to the front of the derelict gas station building, fanning out among the decrepit pumps. The broken structures would at least give them a semblance of cover. Afternoon light filtered through the treetops in golden fingers, gilding the shadowed forms that emerged, one by one, from the scrubby woods surrounding the abandoned station. All male, all large, they moved like trained fighters. If Conner hadn’t already understood how badly her captors wanted Hannah returned, he got it now. With a deep breath, he focused all he had on the fight to come. If he couldn’t keep Hannah safe from the attacking Vorati, he wouldn’t have anything left to live for anyway.