Bedeviled (22 page)

Chapter Thirty-Four

I
know Haven's strong now,” Ryker said as he and Kyana sprinted toward the cave that traveled to the Underworld. “But she's not been in possession of her strengths long enough to get the upper hand on Geoff. He has god-strengths that not even her mixes can match.”

“Maybe she took him by surprise or maybe Cronos is nearly whole inside her. If it's Cronos”—which Kyana fervently believed the case to be—“then we don't
know
the limits of her strength. Teflon girl, remember?”

She cringed at the memory of Haven's body, untouched, impacting the Humvee and rendering it useless. No species alive was that sturdy. Fully risen or not, Cronos was far stronger than any of them had expected.

They started down the snaking staircase that led to the River Styx, and Kyana caught a glimpse of Ryker's shadow on the wall behind hers. He was raking his hands through his hair, his frustration mirroring hers. “None of this makes any sense. Sixx did the cleansing ceremony and a binding spell. Cronos shouldn't be able to possess Haven anymore.”

“Maybe she wasn't really purged. Would a binding spell work if he were in possession of her at the time?”

“Shit,” was Ryker's reply. “She won't get her hands on the Eyes of Power,” he said as they stepped onto the shores of the river. “Geoff will never betray the Order. Not even for Haven.”

“That's what I'm worried about.”

If Geoffrey didn't cooperate . . . there was no telling what Cronos was capable of doing to make him regret it.

“Ky—” The pain in Ryker's voice pulled Kyana's attention to him. She stopped, several feet away from Charon's ferry, and rushed back to Ryker's side. The color had faded from his face, leaving his skin a ghostly greenish hue. She grabbed his arm and helped him sit on the cool sand.

“What's wrong?”

“It feels like my skull's about to be ripped apart,” he whispered, his hand cradling his head. “The booming sounds like a . . .”

She grabbed his shoulder and gave it a hard shake. “Ryker, talk to me.”

He eased to his feet and took her hand. “We have to keep moving. Shit.
Shit!
”

“Ryker, what's going on?” The frantic pitch of her voice called Charon's attention to them. Ryker dragged her toward the ferry, making her stumble as she fought to find her footing.

“Hermes was calling Zeus, but I think I just made my first interception.”

She jogged to keep up with him, wanting answers but too afraid to ask.

When she moved to step onto the ferry, Ryker leaped onto the wooden planks ahead of her, placed his hands on Charon's shoulders, and bowed his head. “I give you my speed, Charon. Speed our journey through the swiftness of the gods.”

The ferry jerked into motion, rocking and swaying as it glided over the lapping waves of the normally calm water. What was usually a slow drift across the river had become a speedboat jaunt and Kyana had to hang on to the side rails to keep from toppling into the spirit-infested waters around them.

Her stomach pitched so violently that she dropped to her knees and braced herself as they crashed around the bend to slip into a narrow tunnel. The path hit a fork in the river that took them away from the Fates' cave and toward the Underworld, where the scenery changed to a lush, forestlike environment.

Finally, the pitching in her belly calmed enough to allow coherent thought. The only thing that would bring this much concern to Zeus, and in turn to Ryker, was if yet another brother had been hurt or . . .

“What did you see, Ryker?” Her voice was quiet, but demanding enough to force him to face her, his hands never leaving their guide's shoulder.

Through the ice blue of his eyes, she could see the anger and fear dwelling inside. “Geoffrey has been found.”

K
yana stepped off the ferry and followed Ryker into a copse of trees outside the entrance to the Underworld. Her boots felt as though they'd been woven with steel—heavy and burdensome with each step she took. Her heart constricted with worry over what they might find when they arrived at their destination. Ryker had been given a glimpse of something via Hermes. He'd seen blood, the entrance to the Underworld, and Geoffrey. That was all they knew, and the not knowing was worse than anything else.

She glanced up at Ryker's stone-cold face, watched him squint as he tried to peer into the trees. She followed his gaze until she saw Hermes standing guard over a form that she instantly recognized. Pulling away, she sprinted past Hermes, and finally collapsed at Geoffrey's side.

He was pale. Paler even than he'd been as a Vamp. Blood pooled beneath his head and shoulders, darkening the fine sand to near black. His breaths were shallow, but he was alive.

Gently, Kyana lifted his head and cradled it in her lap. Guilt weighed heavily on her heart, but she pushed aside the blame she'd carried for a week now. This wasn't her fault. It wasn't even Haven's. It was a hundred percent Cronos's. Kyana ached to rip him apart, limb by limb. He'd hurt Haven. He'd hurt innocents. Now he'd hurt Geoff. There wasn't a spell powerful enough in this world to keep him safe from all she planned to do to him if he was fool enough to let himself be raised.

But as much as it pained her to acknowledge it, she knew she couldn't let it come to that. Dead, Cronos was a powerful enemy. Alive . . . she couldn't take the risk to find out exactly how powerful he could be.

However, there was only one way to stop Cronos. He was going to ride Haven's body through this ordeal until he'd killed her—unless Kyana killed her first and put an end to it a lot sooner than Cronos planned. The thought made Kyana sick to her stomach, but she had no choice. The buck stopped right fucking here, and stopping Cronos meant killing Haven . . .

Kyana was the only one who could do it. This was the reason she'd been spared. The reason she'd been sent to search for Haven.

The time had come to kill her best friend.

“I'm sorry.”

Geoffrey's whispered words pulled her from the disturbing path her thoughts had taken. She stroked his black, blood-encrusted hair from his brow and forced a smile.

“The Healers will be here soon,” she promised, unsure how she was able to speak when it felt as though a dam had been constructed in her throat. “Once they have you fixed up, we'll talk about what happened. Can you stand? Walk?”

He shook his head. “She cast a paralysis spell on me before knocking me on the noggin. From the manly bits down I'm as impotent as Ryker.”

Her chest opened up and she could breathe again. If he was back to harassing Ryker, he was going to live. Seeming to sense that the mood had lightened, Ryker squatted beside them and glared.

“Care to set him straight on that, Ky?”

She blinked. “Not really.”

Geoffrey's smile at that was broad and childlike. Then just as quickly, it vanished and his face turned somber again. He gripped Kyana's hand with surprising strength. “Don't give up on her, lass. The possession is too strong for her to fight.”

“We'll talk when you're healed.”

His hand squeezed hers until her bones crackled with the pressure. “I watched him take over her will. Watched her change. She's not responsible.”

“I know.” But that didn't change what had to be done. Tears blurred her vision. She blinked rapidly trying to hold them off.

“She's not as strong as you. Don't forget that.”

“You love her.” The accusation spilled from her mouth before she could bottle it.

He sat up, gripping his head, but the gesture was proof he was going to be all right. Thank Zeus.

His eyes softened and they glazed over with tears she knew he'd never spill. “Am I that readable?”

“To me? In every way.” She placed a kiss on his brow and sighed. Somewhere in the cave in front of her, Haven had disappeared in her hunt for the Eyes of Power. There was a job to be done, and since Geoffrey seemed to be on the road to recovery, she was going to have to leave him in order to do it. “How did she get in if you're out here?”

He showed her his bloody palm. “This. She fed enough that my blood in her will open whatever gates Hades and I put in place.”

Kyana swallowed, disgusted at the images his confession brought forth.

“She may not be as emotionally strong as you, lass, but physically . . . the moment her cell opened, I didn't stand a chance.”

“I fought her. I won. I don't intend to lose this time either.”

“Aye. I saw her when you brought her in, remember? Nay, Kyana. This Haven isn't the same as that one, even. It was like she was made of steel.”

Teflon girl.

“I've seen it.” And she hadn't been able to fight Haven in that state either.

“Then you know. Be careful. Don't underestimate her. Don't underestimate
Cronos
.”

“I won't. There's still time. She doesn't have the trident, so even if she gets her hands on the other Eyes—”

“Aye, she does have it. It was here, hidden in the trees. If Poseidon hadn't been so injured he would have felt how close it was, but I suspect that's likely why she injured him in the first place. Cronos wouldn't have wanted any of us dead unless he was alive to soak the power from us first. Injuring Poseidon just meant tracking the trident would be more difficult.”

“How the hell was it here?” But as soon as she asked the question, she answered it. “The attack on Beyond. She was left Below for hours. She must have put it here then . . .”

Kyana gripped her head in her hands, feeling like every kind of ass as she realized how well they'd all been played. “She let me catch her, Geoff. Maybe she wanted Nettles, maybe she didn't. Regardless, she wanted to get caught. Wanted a way to stay Below where she'd be close to . . . you.” The prison sat right smack in the center of Below, only a few blocks from the cave that led directly to the Underworld. What a conniving bastard Cronos was. “We made it possible for her to get her hands on
you
. That's exactly what she wanted. She played me like a damned poker game—wait. Silas is Poseidon now. Shouldn't he have sensed the trident was so near?”

“He's never put his hands on it before. Even if he felt something, Silas wouldn't know what it was.” Geoff closed his eyes and took a deep breath. She could read all over his face that he thought she was right. “I'm so sorry. This . . . was about me. About getting to me so she could get to those conduits. I'm a fucking idjit.”

He craned his neck, revealing two puncture wounds on his jugular. “Drink, lass. If you're to enter the Underworld, you'll be needing my blood since I can't escort you.”

She opened her mouth to protest but quickly shut it again. He was right. If she was going into that cave, there was no other way. And now more than ever, she wanted to get her hands on Haven. But whether it was to save her or kill her, Kyana couldn't tell anymore.

She tongued her teeth, frustrated to feel her fangs gone. Tonight she would become a goddess, but right now she needed the trademark of her Dark Breed lineage and they were gone.

“I can't,” she admitted.

He nodded, understanding as he too had been stripped of his fangs the moment he'd replaced Hades.

“There'll be no need for that,” a Healer said, scooting to Geoffrey's other side. “He'll be good as new as soon as we can get to work on him. He'll be able to escort you.”

The confidence on the woman's face relieved the tension in Kyana's shoulders. At least one thing had gone her way today. She could be thankful for that much.

As promised, Geoffrey was up on his feet again ten minutes later, though his color was still ghostly pale.

He shooed the Healers on their way and faced Hermes. “Have you checked on the Eyes of Power?”

He sighed and shook his head. “It's as we feared.”

“She has them?” she guessed. “How could she have possibly gotten to them so quickly?”

The Underworld was massive, a realm unto itself. Haven would have had to know precisely where to go through the mazelike tunnels and stairways.

“More than likely, Cronos had somehow known where we'd placed them all,” Geoff said, taking a sip from the skin of water the Healer held out to him.

“That's it, then,” Kyana said. “She has all the tools she needs to raise Cronos.”

Except one.

Her blood turned to ice water, chilling her from the inside out.

She scanned the copse of trees and the shores along the River Styx. Haven would still need to get Cronos's bones, and only two people could take her there. One was safely tucked away on Olympus. The other . . . had disappeared from her side.

Chapter Thirty-Five

W
hen the Healers had arrived to tend Geoffrey, the chaos gave Haven the perfect opportunity to snatch Ryker like he was nothing more than a two-year-old kid. Her unnatural strength hadn't even belonged to her Dark Breed halves. It had belonged to Cronos.

But whatever Illusion Charm she'd placed on them both to get them through the streets undetected still hung over them like a small bubble making the outside world oblivious to his plight.

“You'll either do what's asked of you or you will die. The choice is yours.”

“Easy decision,” Ryker managed. “Kill me if you can.”

The Binding Charm Haven had shackled around his neck, after she'd thrown a muting spell on him, cut into his skin with each breath and made talking difficult.

As much as the woman standing before him looked like Haven, he knew it wasn't. Her dark eyes and menacing smile belonged to Cronos. And the disdain in Ryker's voice was aimed solely at
him
.

Haven's laughter, much like her strength, her voice, and her eyes, wasn't her own. “Then I'll kill you and make your father port me to my destination.”

She gripped Ryker's hair and dragged him forward. He managed to get his feet beneath him and pull them to a stop. His strength dissipated with each passing second the Binding Charm remained around his neck, but he fought against Haven's attempts to carry out her possessed orders.

It wouldn't take long for Ky to figure out that he was missing and come looking for him. If he could just last that long . . . or at least outlast the Binding Charm, maybe he'd get out of this alive.

“Ares will never give you what you want.”

Haven tugged again. “Perhaps he will be more cooperative if it's the only way to save his son.”

Ryker would have laughed if he could have. “I hope you have a backup plan. Protecting the Order, keeping the human world safe, and ensuring Cronos's sorry ass never walks again are more important than an estranged son.”

“We'll see about that.”

Haven prodded him through a small backstreet that led around the far side of the prison cave where she'd been held captive. A thatch of trees walled the easternmost side of the structure, changing the scenery from beach to mountain as though they'd stepped into a strange painting. It was a spot for worshipping, meant to appear secluded from the rest of Below.

As Haven pushed Ryker through the trees, he found himself staring down the side of the cliffs, his toes precariously close to the edge.

She caught him by the collar and yanked him backward as the wind shoved him toward a very painful death. Thankfully, he was thrown to his knees. It was easier to balance like this. Easier not to sway on his feet at the horrifyingly high fall he'd been faced with.

He craned his neck, watching the wildness in Haven's eyes. It was hard to believe the mall-rat Barbie-doll Witch who refused to so much as say the word
shit
was hiding beneath the maniacal gaze staring down at him now.

“If I port you—if I give you what you want, someday when this is all over, you won't be able to live with yourself.”

She laughed, quietly at first, until it crept to the crescendo of a chest-bouncing cackle. “As if I care. You could throw this Vessel off this cliff right now, and I would prevent her from breaking into a million pieces.”

It was the first time he'd heard Cronos speak through Haven as though they were separate entities. Cronos was definitely growing stronger, and that didn't bode well for how today would turn out.

“Look at her. She has already tried to stop me from using her. And failed.”

Thrusting out her arms, she shoved beneath his nose white skin that was marred by ugly red scars raking from palm to elbow. Dozens of slashes, horizontal and vertical. She lifted her filthy dress, baring her belly, and revealed a puckered wound between her ribs.

“Even piercing her heart with silver didn't work,” she said. “I will not let her go.”

A new hope lit up inside Ryker. Haven wanted out. Wanted death. She hated what she'd become so much, she'd rather die than live with it. It was a good sign, a sign that somewhere under all this, she'd retained some of the Haven Kyana knew and loved.

“On your own you don't stand a chance, Haven,” he said, hoping he could break through whatever hold Cronos had over her. “But if you help me, I can banish Cronos forever. He'll never be able to hurt you again. I swear it.”

“You think she'd choose to let you take her in? To let you exile her to that desolate island as I once was? She wouldn't. She'd never allow herself to become food for my children the way her boyfriend was.”

Her ex-boyfriend had been delivered a cruel fate for his crimes of murdering Chosen, it was true. He'd deserved no less than to be fed to the pure Vampyre on the penal isle. But Haven was different. Or at least she could be if she just took his offer for help. And he believed Cronos was wrong. Haven was good enough to accept that punishment if it was given to her. But none of this was her fault. She wouldn't get sent anywhere if he had any say in the matter. Cronos, however, was going straight to Tartarus . . . as soon as Ryker could get the damned Binding Charm off.

He struggled to his feet. “Haven! Haven, if you can hear me . . . don't stop fighting this prick. You have me and Ky and Geoff fighting for you out here, but I need you to fight even harder
in
there!”

She scratched at her throat. Her black eyes flickered to green and the stoniness left her face. “I don't have Geoff anymore. He's . . . I killed—”

Haven was back! He had to hang on to her, had to convince
her
to hang on to herself. “No he's not. You didn't. Didn't you see him? When you grabbed me? The Healers were tending him. He's fine, Haven.”

“
He
said I'd killed him.”

Right. She hadn't seen that Geoff was okay because it had really been Cronos at the scene, not her. Ryker slowly reached out to her, but she stepped out of his reach.

“Geoff is going to be fine. Give me your hand and I'll take you to him.”

Haven shook her head. Her tears fell faster. Her hands trembled. He watched her battle to hold on to her soul. And in the blink of an eye, the young woman slipped back into nothingness as the black, soulless eyes filled her watchful stare once again.

Cronos was back.

“You think you can save her with a few kind words.” Haven swung and hit Ryker in the jaw. He staggered but managed to keep his feet. “I'm done with the games. You either help her complete her mission or I'll torture you until you do.”

“Give it your best shot,” Ryker spat. “I won't grant her access to your bones.”

“You think because you carry the blood of my son that you can beat me? It didn't save Hades.”

“You didn't kill him and you won't kill me either.” He swayed on his feet. If he didn't reach Haven soon, have her unleash him, the Binding Charm would kill him without Cronos's help, Zeus's blood or no. With each passing second, it was draining him of his power, draining him of his life force. He had to get it off. Had to find a way to fight back.

“You're weak,” he said. “And when I get this collar off, I'm going to that island, all right, but it will be to grind your fucking bones into ashes.”

Through Haven, Cronos struck Ryker four times in the ribs in rapid succession. Ryker stumbled, crashing to his knees. The Binding Charm intensified the pain of the beating, but he hid behind a mask of outrage.

“I wouldn't count on that.” Haven's body leaned forward and whispered, “Your father might not go against the Order to save you, but will you be able to do the same when it's Kyana's life on the line?” She tightened her fist in the binding collar and grinned. “I don't think so.”

The thought of Cronos hurting Kyana sent a fire through his belly that made it difficult to tamp down his anger.

“Kyana can hold her own,” Ryker choked out in a harsh whisper. If he flew off the handle now, he'd do something rash and get himself tossed off the damned cliff. “She doesn't want to kill Haven, but if it's the only way to stop you, she's prepared to do it.”

“Oh, if that were true, she would have done it already.” Ryker was jerked to his feet like a rag doll. “Draw your circle or I will test how immortal you've become.”

“Unbind me and I'll show you.” Ryker shook his head in an attempt to clear the blood from his eyes. His head pounded, his body ached in every imaginable muscle and some unimaginable ones too.

He struggled to hold on to his strength, to stall Haven and Cronos long enough for Kyana to find them. “Come on, Haven. Fight it, damn you. You're stronger than this piece of shit.”

“You can't have her.” Cronos's evil cackle sent birds scattering. “There's only one option here. Port her and I'll save your life.”

It took several failed attempts, but Ryker finally managed to get on his feet. He stared at Haven, not seeing the small blond, but the monster hiding within her. “I'll see you in Hell first.”

“Have it your way.”