Darkness Arisen (16 page)

Distress emanated from Alice, and Ian glanced over at her. Her eyes were shining with unshed tears, and her fists were clenched as she watched the exchange.

Ian touched her arm.
You tried, sweetheart. Sometimes, that's all we can do.

Alice jutted her jaw out even as she took a deep breath, reining in her regret and drawing upon that same strength that he was getting to know so well.
It's not enough.

I know.
Shit, he knew that. His father's death was evidence of that. How similar were they? He got her, and he knew that she might understand what drove him as well. Suddenly, his need to get her alone was more than lust or sex. He wanted to talk to her, find out what drove her, and tell her things he hadn't been able to tell his teammates.

Jada's shoulders hunched with weariness. "You like the chandeliers?" she asked, drawing his attention back to the room. "They were a gift."

"A gift?" Ian walked under the nearest chandelier, carefully assessing the structure. There were no cords. It wasn't even attached to the ceiling. It was simply hovering there. In midair. Emanating light. Magic? Magic, definitely. Suddenly the taint and stink of the palace became clear. It wasn't simply magic. It was demon magic. And he knew only one wizard who played in that sandbox.
Cardiff was here.

I know.
Alice was staring at a small porcelain bowl on a side table.
I can feel his taint. That bowl is his, too.
Then she grinned at Ian, her face alight with such excitement that he felt his heart stutter. Since he'd known her, he'd seen only her tension, her fear, her worry, but in that moment, her optimism and courage was lighting up her face, making her look beautiful and alive.
We're close, Ian. They know him. They can help us.

"Come sit." Jada rose from the couch and gestured to a long blue-green table made of coral. There was a bench on either side, and an armchair at each end. All of the items were intricately carved by hand, so complicated that they looked as if they'd been created by someone who'd had nothing else to do for too many years...which was probably the case. Not much to do down here if there were no visitors to swarm and attack.

Alice quickly sat on one of the benches, and Ian stood behind her, his hands on her shoulders.

The leader looked at him. "Sit."

"No." He inspected the myriad of tunnels breaking off from the main room. "I don't trust you. I prefer to be ready."

She raised her brows. "Eternity is a long time to be on your feet."

"I won't be here for eternity," he said without hesitation.

Alice touched his hand in solidarity, the small gesture jerking his attention back to her. She gave him a small smile, and his heart almost stopped. That subtle affection was incredible. Her voluntary touch was, in some ways, far more intimate than making love had been. Fresh determination swelled through him, and he squeezed her shoulders. Deep beneath the ocean in hostile territory, they were a team, and he liked it.

Being part of a team was part of who he was, and without the Order at his back, having Alice's support felt damn good.

"Very sweet," the Mageaan said, but her tone suggested she didn't agree with her words. Instead, she leaned forward, her hands clasped loosely on the table. "My name is Jada Skye. I was bound as Esmeralda's co-leader a hundred years ago, after the existing leaders were slaughtered in a battle."

"Bound?" Alice asked, a slight edge to her voice.

"Yes." Jada held out her hands, and Ian saw green and blue tendrils tattooed on the backs of them. "These are my handcuffs. Ordinary Mageaan have white and gray tattoos, but the leaders are different."

Ian frowned. He hadn't noticed any marks on the hands of the other Mageaan. Had they already faded to the point of invisibility, etched on their spirits instead of their skin? Shit. He felt itchy at the thought, and his determination to get them out of there quickly ramped up.

Alice moved her hands beneath the table, and Ian saw her look down at them. He frowned at her actions, realizing what Jada was saying: if Alice was the new leader, she, too, would have handcuffs.
Are there marks, Alice?

She didn't answer, and his sense of danger grew stronger. It didn't matter what was on her skin. There was no chance they were going to spend their lives eating seaweed and growing gills. "Look," he said, no longer willing to play the polite hospitality game. "We need to find Warwick Cardiff. We know you've got something going with him, because his magic is all over the place here. Where is his lair?"

Jada sat up, her eyes flashing. "It is hidden in the middle of the ocean. Only those with his invitation can find it. It's a land of dark magic, illusions, and danger, except for those who are invited."

Ian's adrenaline kicked on. "Can you find it?"

She shot him a look of pure condescension. "Of course I can. We are always on his guest list. We protect his island when he isn't there."

In exchange for chandeliers, no doubt. The call of luxury was a powerful thing for some people.

"Will you take us there?" Alice asked. "I need to get into his castle."

Jada shook her head impatiently. "You are water bound. You can't go onto his land."

"Am I?" Alice set her hands on the table, and Ian could see that they were as devoid of the tattoos as they were of his brand.

Ian grinned, relieved that his mark wasn't the only one that seemed to have trouble claiming Alice. Sometimes, elusiveness was a damned good thing. "That's my woman. No one's going to claim her against her will."

Alice glanced at him, as if surprised by his statement of approval.
You hate the fact you can't claim me.

Yeah, but it makes me feel better to know that some ancient angel fate can't land you either.
He shrugged.
I'm a guy. My ego needs the boost.

Alice rolled her eyes at him, but Ian didn't miss the hint of a smile.

Jada grabbed her hands, staring in shock. "That's impossible. There's no way Esmeralda's crown didn't transfer to you. I don't understand."

"Join the club. Alice defies nature, that's for sure." Ian grinned and eased down on the seat beside Alice, no longer able to be that far away from her. He kept his back to the table, facing outward so he could spring into action if he needed to, but he kept his shoulders turned toward Alice. He leaned in close to her and took over her space, shrugging his shoulders when she raised her eyebrows at him.
I can't give you room, Alice. I need more of you, not less.

Her lips tightened, but she didn't move away, allowing his body to rest snugly against hers. It didn't do much to assuage the need burning through him, but it was enough to keep him from dropping to the floor and impaling himself on his own weapon. For the moment.

"We need you to take us to Cardiff's island," he said. "Now."

Jada laughed softly. "There is no possibility of that, warrior. My job is to protect my people. I will not endanger them by making an enemy of that man."

"Protect them? You sent them to their slaughter against me," Ian snapped, fresh anger surging through him at what had happened. "How is that protecting them?"

Jada's eyes glittered. "We did not expect you to defeat us. We expected no casualties." She looked at Alice. "Since you are not our leader, I no longer owe you respect. It changes everything." She rose to her feet, her eyes glittering. "You murdered our leader. You will die in the morning."

Ian didn't bother to respond. Instead, he studied her intently for weaknesses and lies that he could exploit. There was no chance he was going to let himself and Alice die in the morning, or any other time in the foreseeable future. He did, however, need to figure out how he was going to make that happen.

"Wait!" Alice leapt to her feet, the desperate edge in her voice suggesting she didn't have nearly the faith in Ian's skills as he did, which bit deep. As his mate, she should believe in him even when he didn't believe in himself. "Since I'm still an angel and not a Mageaan, the pearl will work if I offer it to you. You want it, don't you?" She braced her palms on the table and leaned forward, her stance and tone a challenge the Mageaan could not ignore. "It could save Chloe or Esmeralda, and you know it."

It occurred to Ian that it was time he found out exactly what was so damned special about that pearl. He'd been so focused on all the other shit that he hadn't realized that the pearl might be a key tool for them. Alice had downplayed it as something useless, encouraging him to dismiss its importance, but he was beginning to realize that she hadn't been all that honest about the pearl.

Women. Can't trust them. Can't bond with them. Can't live without 'em, even for a minute.

Jada's eyes darkened. "As an angel of life, you could have saved them both. Many of my people are dead because you wouldn't help. Why would I trust you with the pearl, or honor you by giving you anything?"

Angel of life? Ian studied Alice, surprised by the news. If she was an angel of life, how was it that she had such difficulty staying alive? His mate was getting more complex by the moment, and a part of him liked it. She was a miasma of secrets and barriers that needed to be unraveled, and he was the guy to do it. Challenges kept the day interesting, and as long as she let him get up close and personal with her, it was good.

"Why should you trust me?" Alice stiffened. "Because you need that pearl too badly to do anything else but trade for it."

Jada stared at her. "You know nothing about us."

"I know enough."

For a long moment, Jada said nothing. Then she surged to her feet, anger crackling off her. "You are my guests tonight. Tomorrow you will die, or I will bargain with you. It is my decision." Then from the folds of the harness that covered her breasts, she pulled out a small thin stick.

Ian swore at the sight of one of Cardiff's wands and dove across Alice to shield her, but it was too late. A razor-thin stream of light hit them both. Turquoise light swelled around them, and when it was gone, they were no longer in the ballroom.

They were in a small, barren chamber with no windows, no doors, and no way out.

* * *

Two hours after being transported into the cell and searching for a way out, Ian finally had to accept the fact that escape was not going to happen. Feeling caged and impotent, he paced across the floor, clasping his hands behind his head, trying to mask his frustration.

Their prison was small, maybe ten feet in diameter, with an arched ceiling that went up at least twenty feet. The walls, floor, and ceiling were smooth oyster shell, but must have been protected by magic because his mace was powerless against it. The only furnishings were a cot and tiny bathroom, as if it were designed to keep prisoners for a long time.

They were in jail, and he didn't like it. Not one bit. "There's no way out."

Alice was sitting on the floor, leaning back against the wall, her forearms draped over her knees. She had accepted their fate long before he had. "I know. We'll have to wait until morning."

The frustration of inactivity gnawed at Ian. He didn't like being incapacitated. Being trapped in the small room reminded him too much of the months he'd spent in the Order's dungeon, fighting for his sanity.

Shaking out his arms, he paced restlessly, needing to do something to further their mission. For a split second, he debated trying to reach out to Ry and have Kane teleport in, but he quickly dismissed that. Turning himself over to the Order would not get them to Cardiff. He would not give up that easily. Plus, he suspected they were too far away anyway. Since he wasn't blood-bonded with either of them, the range of their telepathic communication was limited. "We need a plan for the morning," he said. "Tell me what you know about these people."

"As I said, they are fallen angels. They were originally in human form, but they lost that when they were cast aside." Alice shrugged. "They were once like me, Ian. Then they did something terrible and were banished."

"What kind of terrible?" Those hadn't been women with good hearts out there. He'd felt their need to destroy him, their thirst for his pain and suffering. If he hadn't sensed that about them, he wouldn't have been able to fight to kill. But he'd realized instantly that it was his death or theirs, and the choice had been made.

"It depends." She leaned her head back and studied him warily. "But once an angel loses her status, it isn't just her body that decays. It's her mind and her soul. They become what they chose to be when they broke the rules." She bit her lip. "Chloe was brand new. She was still so close to her humanity. I don't even think she is full angel. Maybe a half or a quarter. She doesn't belong here. She's not even dead yet, Ian. What kind of suffering is she going through right now?"

Ian reached the end of the room by the foot of the cot and turned back. "I'm the one who delivered the blow. I take responsibility." Once he'd seen Chloe's humanity after he'd struck her, he'd replayed that fight again and again in his head, haunted by the fact that he had made a mistake and struck an innocent. But no matter how many times he revisited the moment that he'd struck her, he was always absolutely certain that there had been not even a whisper of decency in the foe he'd been fighting. She had become something else in that battle, or been possessed by it. But how was that possible? He was a highly experienced warrior, taught from day one to know who was the enemy and who was the innocent. During the battle, Chloe had not been an innocent.

What had happened out there?

He knew there would be no answers tonight, and solving the mystery of the Mageaan wasn't his mission. He had to stay focused. "We're not leaving without directions to Warwick's," he said. "We have to convince Jada she needs that pearl." He looked over at her. "Why
do
they need that jewel, Alice?"

"The pearl of Lycanth can save an angel's soul," she said, sounding too tired to play games anymore. "It's like a get out of jail free card. One soul, one pearl. Only three exist. I have...had one of them."