Darkness Unbound (12 page)

“Why didn’t that kill me? Why can’t I die?” she asked as he rolled her tight against his chest.

“I have thought upon that. And of why you were made a magus, even though that makes no sense to me, but now is not the time to discuss my thoughts on these issues.”

“Am I not good enough to be a magus? Not a job for a girl?”

“So feisty, even as you beg for death.” He chuckled. “I never wished this life for you. We need time to converse. Not now. When you are healed and not out of your mind with pain, we shall speak. Do not succumb to sleep until I get you free of this dwelling.” His body tensed. His demeanor morphed to lethal. “They approach. Say the word, and I shall destroy all humans here.”

She traced the sharp line of his chin and the blue tattoo that trekked down his neck with her eyes. “I don’t know how long I can keep you here. Can you really get me out?”

He granted her a cocky leer that promised blood and terror for her enemies and broadcast absolute confidence.

She enjoyed the security of his arms too much. That seemed wrong. She should fight him. But between blood deprivation and exhaustion, she’d collapse if he put her down. She needed him. Damn it. Somehow, realizing she wasn’t in control helped her relax against his hard chest. “Kill the Hashishins. But please don’t leave me alone in here.”

“I will be pulled back to the other world, eventually. While here…” His grip around her tightened. He ordered, “Come forth, Chanti and Myrum.”

She raised her head when she detected movement. Two black dinosaur-looking creatures enlarged from lizard size to horse sized. Each was covered in a body armor of dark scales. “Are those dragons?”

“Yes.”

She heard but didn’t see the door to her prison cell crash open. Screams echoed in the hallway for a few seconds followed by crashing. Then silence.

Zannis followed the dragons. “They have not been allowed a hunt for a long time. I only hope they can be satisfied by what they find.”

You command dragons?
She struggled to see them better but groaned when her chest wound complained at the upright movement. She fell back against him. Her mind wrapped itself around the reality of the winged, tailed mystical creatures.

“We all have our unique talents.” He took the stairs two at a time. No sound of life met them when he cornered into a hallway. Only the noise of distant architecture destruction and the rare scream broke the silence. Then they were outside.

I sense magi await nearby.
His voice rumbled in her head
.

She wanted to walk on her own, and avoid the embarrassment of other guys viewing her as the weak female. They’d deduce she broke under the torture pressure, and brought into the world the nightmare they all feared. She attempted a head roll outward, away from Zannis. The world spun, nausea crested. Nope, she needed him to carry her, damn it.

He jogged to a forested area, and halted. She lolled her head outward to view the reason for stopping. Ashor and Javen greeted them with silence. But they weren’t looking at Zannis. They gazed beyond him. A vicious howl-roar signaled the dragons approached.

“Come home,” Zannis ordered. She saw nothing, but the dragons’ noise ceased. “There are none alive in the building,” Zannis reported. She knew not if Zannis said that to her or the other guys.

She couldn’t meet the eyes of the other guys, embarrassed at her weak condition. But to be pressed tight against Zannis’s chest was bittersweet—as if her body was happy to quench a thirst of drinking in his masculine scent. Yet her brain swirled with distrust of her emotions and fear that he’d turn homicidal at any moment. Being unable to defend herself infuriated her. Stars sparkled in the periphery of her vision. She whispered, “Going to pass out soon.”
Let me go.

Zannis addressed the magi, “She needs the healer.” His voice broke as he choked out hoarsely, “They…did much damage to her.” He paused.

Astrid glanced up when he stopped speaking. His hard gaze rested on the two magi. He asked, “Which one of you has your
senariai?
”

“I do,” Ashor said.

Zannis said in her mind,
I can only relinquish you to another man who cannot be affected by your beauty.

Seriously? Weak as shit, bloody, and half-dead? You’ve got to be joking.

I had forgotten you do not take compliments well. We are warriors who find nothing sexier than a strong woman. You are that type of woman. You will make it to the healer.

She bit her lip against an insane need to beg he not release her, and admit she wanted to stay in his arms. Shit, where had that come from? This psycho tried to kill her. He was unpredictable and vicious.
Let me go.

Zannis rolled her into Ashor’s arms whose touch was an uncomfortable ache on skin that screamed for the one that rescued her. She turned in time to see twin dragon tattoos squirm on Zannis’s left wrist.

“Do you need your shirt back?” she asked.

He worked his jaw back and forth. His cheeks heated. “I…these are my only clothes where I go. I have no opportunity for more. I prefer you remain clothed in the presence of other men.”

Javen unbuttoned his shirt and handed it to Zannis with a silent nod.

“Thank you.” He quickly donned the shirt.

She asked,
Why didn’t you kill me? I don’t want to do this life anymore.

Killing you was never my intent. My concern is your safety.
He paused before he added softly in her mind,
And your happiness.

Zannis pinned Javen with a pain-promise glower. “Although I appreciate the clothing, keep out of my head.” He stepped into Javen’s personal space. Javen backed up a step.

Zannis said, “If I ever catch you taking her into battle against a daemon so unprepared again, I will gut you and allow my pets to feed on your entrails while you scream to your death.”

Weakly Astrid said, “Back off. Can’t hold out much longer.”
Let me send you back. I wish you’d killed me so we didn’t have to do any of this.

Neither of us gets an easy way out of this life.

She closed her eyes to block him out, fighting the pain of seeing him, wanting him, and remembering the past. Sadly she thought to him,
I can’t believe you never told me you were married. That hurts almost as much as you trying to murder me.
She opened the portal, sensing the moment he stepped across. Gone. She caved to the darkness pressing at her brain.

Chapter Eight

Terek tapped his upper lip with an index finger while circling Zimeri outside of the destroyed remains of the interrogation center. “Explain to me why you disobeyed my order to wait for my arrival before commencing interrogation?”

Zimeri shifted on his feet, an unusual sign of unease. “I apologize. You seemed…busy.”

“I was delayed in DC, but this fiasco could have been avoided had you waited twenty-four hours. Do you even know what destroyed this building?”

Zimeri shook his head and swept his gaze over the skeletal remains of the interrogation center, the above ground part of which had served as a homeless shelter during the day. The police and fire crew had come and gone long ago. A solo Hashishin survivor who’d fled to the woods stood twenty feet away.

“Dragons,” Terek said.

“There’s no such thing.”

“There is one magus who has been gone a long time whose power is to command dragons. Apparently, he has returned. That female magus you captured was the key to his destruction.” He backhanded Zimeri, which did little to dissipate his anger. He stomped to the Hashishin survivor and swiped his ceremonial blade across his neck. With a small slice on his inner wrist, Djoser flicked his blood onto the Hashishin as he crumpled to the ground. He whispered the sacred words of summoning. For endless moments he stood above the freshly dead human, the high of the kill igniting his daemonic nature. He shuddered in ecstasy before he removed an emergency preloaded syringe of pentobarbital from his jacket and jabbed it deep into his thigh. What he wouldn’t give to have the freedom to the kill until drunk from its high. To feel that bliss run through his veins. But he knew too well that insanity equaled a guaranteed visit by his favorite meddling pseudo-immortals. The enemy. Scimitar Magi.

The killing craze dulled as his mind went into slo-mo from the drug. With deliberate movements he faced the daemon he’d summoned. “Imotep. Welcome.”

The daemon silently evaluated Djoser with shimmering copper eyes, waiting.

“Good. I see that your intellect remains in this form.” He jumped forward and jabbed Imotep with a syringe filled with pentobarbital.

Imotep growled and swiped at him, but missed. Then he stumbled as the drug took effect.

“Be calm. The drug will help suppress the daemon rage. I need your brain functional, not trapped by the daemon psychosis.”

Imotep righted himself and glanced around, disoriented. In daemon language, Imotep rasped with prominent s’s, “Djoser. You have been absent from the Middle Realm for some time. I had assumed my summoning would occur long ago.”

“These things require the right moment.” He waved at Zimeri. “I offer you a worthy vessel for incarnation.”

“What?” Zimeri asked. His eyes dilated, and he flexed as if to run.

Imotep’s arm shot out to grip Zimeri’s forearm. He held a dagger-sharp nail to Zimeri’s neck. After a convulsive swallow, Imotep asked, “Why should I not kill him?”

“Wish you to remain here? To thrive and rule?” Djoser asked.

“But…to kill.” He traced his nail teasingly down Zimeri’s neck. “It would be so delicious.”

Djoser stabbed Imotep with a second pre-loaded syringe of drug.

The daemon hissed. He wavered and stumbled.

Zimeri spun out of his grip and sprinted.

Imotep smiled and pursued, dissolving into mist and channeling into Zimeri’s back.

Djoser clapped his hands together and laughed. “Forget the name Imotep. We shall now call you Zimeri.”

Chapter Nine

Steady deep blue eyes greeted Astrid when she awoke. Kane’s large, callused hand clasped hers in a tight, but not crushing grip. Supportive, reassuring. Exactly what she needed. She squeezed back.

She croaked out, “Hi.” Emotion clogged her heart.

“Hey, Bella,” he rumbled in his gritty voice. He only used her middle name when worried, usually after she disregarded his advice and got injured. His levelheaded gaze promised everything she wished for from a man. He would protect her with his life, make her laugh when needed, and promised ultra hot sex.

She wished her heart belonged fully to him. But that fickle organ and its ability to love had died years ago. Countless times she’d been tempted to succumb to the magnetism zinging between them and steal that promised satisfaction. But he deserved everything from her, not just a superficial piece. “How long have you been here?” Her eyes roamed up his strong forearm to the biceps that guaranteed a powerful embrace.

“A while.”

“Thanks.” Her chest squeezed when she took in his messy blond crew cut and the lines etched at the corners of his eyes, which were darkened by exhaustion. The shadow of stubble highlighted his squared off chin. Unshed tears burned her eyes for what he wanted to give her, and that she couldn’t accept. She slowly pulled her hand from his and sighed out, “Kane.”

“You aren’t supposed to fight dragons without me. I thought we agreed you weren’t going to do crazy anymore,” he said.

Dragons. If he only knew. “I got myself a new job.”

“I know. Sucks.” He combed his hand through his hair, a telling, yet rare, sign of nerves. “Astrid, I—”

“No. Don’t.”
Don’t ruin what we’ve got by saying what goes with that look.

“Seeing you this way…I want you clear on how I stand about us.”

She dropped her gaze to her hands. “I’m sorry. We can’t go there. This isn’t your fault. It’s all me. You deserve better.”

“I know what I want. I’m not seeing better from my perspective. You put your life on the line for everyone else…to save Kira.” His voice lowered, heavy with emotion. “I can’t thank you enough for that. There’s only one of her. She’s like my little sister.”

“That’s my job now, protecting her, that is.” She glanced into Kane’s fathomless blue eyes. They sucked her in and confused her. She wanted to fall into his embrace and just let go. Pain seared her chest as if it was being ripped down the center. A vision of Zannis flashed through her mind along with a hefty load of guilt. “Long ago, there was someone.”

“He hurt you. I get it. I can help you move beyond that.”

“If only it was that simple. He and I are…”
Are what?
Connected? Forced by ancient Egyptian deities to work together? Forced to relive the past every damned time she saw him? “He did hurt me. He tried to kill me, at least I think so. Now, though, I don’t know.”

“You’re hung up on a guy who tried to kill you? Jesus, Astrid.” He ran his hand through his hair again in an ineffectual attempt to smooth the blond spikes.

“Like I said, I don’t know. Maybe I was wrong.” She latched onto Kane’s gaze, finding strength in his fury.

“Was it a sniper thing? Or did he put a contract on your life? Or did he come after you himself?”

She chewed her lower lip. She should cut this discussion short. If she dodged his question, though, he’d know. Kane was a pit bull when he detected evasion. He’d chomp down and never let go until he got answers. “He stabbed me in the chest.”

Kane’s face ghosted. “He did what? He stabbed you, and you’re telling me it wasn’t over after that?”

“I thought it was. Wanted it to be, but he—”

“I’ll kill him. I swear, I’ll make the decision for you. Where is this fucker? He still alive?”

She put a hand on Kane’s muscular tense forearm. “You can’t. If you meet him, please, don’t engage him.”

“Of course I can kill him. Unless…damn it. He’s a magus, isn’t he?”

“Yes.” She must calm Kane. Most perceived he had it together at all times, but she knew beneath that ever-cool exterior churned a volcano. He’d granted her a glimpse of that explosive core twice after failed missions. She didn’t think he’d hurt anyone that didn’t deserve punishment, but the emotion he hid made her wonder at the result, if he directed that wildness toward passion.
Don’t go there
, she advised her brain even though her body decided to start channeling heat toward her core
.