In the Dark (19 page)

His heart dropped to his stomach. No. It couldn't be. “Faith?”

Soft footsteps rushed toward him, then her slender fingers grasped the bars. She knelt, peering into the cell. As she caught sight of him propped up in the corner, she smiled.

Using the bars, he hauled his drained body to her. Pain splintered through his flesh, but at least he could move. Unable to stand, he sat in the dirt and reached for her hands.

“You're hurt.” She scrambled with her hands to find the injury, then at the sight of his ribs, stilled.

He'd entered the muted light but didn't have to inspect himself to know fresh blood had soaked through his shirt. “You shouldn't be here,” he said, but his attempt at stern and commanding fell short. The effort sent pain like needles through his insides. “Get out.”

“I won't leave, not without you.” Eyes wide, the look in them expectant, she shook her head sharply.

“They'll hurt you. You need to go.” He pressed a kiss on her fingers and let go of her hands.

“Damn you, Soren. You're stuck with me. I'm not going anywhere.” Small form stiff, she tipped her chin up. She'd fight him on this until they locked her in with him. It was there in her eyes.

“Fine. Then how, exactly, did you plan on getting me out?”

“I don't know. The plan was to find you.” The disparaging look she sent the lock broke his heart. “Maybe there's a key down here.”

“No keys. The captain wears them on his belt.” He sighed and lowered his head. “We can't leave unless I feed from you. I can't feed from you the way I need to. It would kill you.”

“No you won't.” Faith smiled, showing off her new front teeth. “Elin wouldn't let me leave until I fed.”

“From who?” he demanded, jealousy ripping through him, regardless of the situation at hand.

“From Elin. And that was weird.” She wrinkled her nose.

A strangled cry came from above. Through the dim light, the lifeless body of a man thumped down a few steps. Had the captain killed one of his own?

Slim legs followed, dodging the corpse. Then Elin flew down the steps, skipping the last three entirely. “Six coming,” she snapped.

“Go, Elin. Get out of here,” he urged, but she didn't budge.

“I stay,” she said, bracing her legs as she reworked her grip on the knife.

Grasping the bars with both hands, he towed his body upright, leaned heavily against the iron for support. “Elin, you're a Guardian. My Guardian. You will follow an order when it's given.”

With a defiant look, Elin disappeared.

A hard-voiced, angry man bellowed from the top of the stairs, “Did you bother asking her name?”

“I only detained her,” the nervous Guardian said from farther away.

“Find her, or I'll have you gutted,” his superior barked.

“We're leaving,” Soren whispered, drawing Faith's rapt attention from the Guardians. “Press your neck to the bars.”

She didn't waver, but pressed her neck between the bars tightly.

“I'm going to take a lot from you, and fast. You will pass out,” he said quickly.

She nodded, and he bit her, his arm crushing her against the bars. This was not the passion-laced feeding they'd shared before. This was urgent, rough. He felt her weakening, fading under his palms.

She lost consciousness, and he sealed her flesh closed and clutched her waist. He wouldn't let her drop.

As her blood surged through him, he pressed his forehead against the bars. Vampires didn't take this much blood. He needed the strength, but the drunken sensation rushing through his body sapped his energy, and he struggled to keep Faith off the ground. His vision became hazy for a moment, and then the overindulgence paid off. Warm, tight burning spread over his left side, and his wound knit together from the inside out.

“Hey, you.” The captain's sharp voice dispelled the healing fog. He ran at them, blade drawn, livid, his focus on Faith. “Get away from there.”

Soren caught the captain's gaze over her head, sent him a deadly glare. A second later he and Faith disappeared from the cell.

* * * *

He hadn't let Faith out of his arms since they'd returned home. The very first time her eyes had fluttered open, he'd kept her awake long enough for her to feed from him. With that feeding, he had acquired two symmetrical swirling marks to match the ones he'd given her. The identical marks of Possession declared them fully mated.

She'd slept heavily for the first few hours, her body mending from the shock of losing so much blood. Warmth had finally returned to her limbs, proof she'd soon recover.

Faith woke, her breathing panicked and her hands flying out to catch hold of anything solid. “Soren?”

“We're home,” he whispered.

With a deep sigh, she relaxed into his embrace. “We made it out,” she said, her wispy tone filled with wonder and relief, and she skimmed her fingers over his cheek.

“We're fine.” He kissed the top of her head.

“Are we? How do you know?”

“You're still here with me,” he said softly.

“We're stuck together forever, then?” Faith smiled, a shy and inviting kind of smile he'd come to love.

He kissed her smiling lips, and planned on kissing every part of her that he'd thought he might never touch again. With her in his arms, this contentment would never end. Smiling, he pressed his forehead to hers. “It's not nearly long enough.”

He'd lost so much in such a short time. Guardians, friends, all destroyed by demons. But through some miracle, he'd held on to what had become the most important to him. Faith.

Epilogue

Soren watched the woods. Did demons wait outside of his home, or yet from within? He'd walked past four Guardians posted inside the chateau, and eight patrolled the entire property above ground. The increased numbers might be enough to stave off another attack, but he had no way of knowing for certain.

Steffen leaned hard on the wall, staring out into the night. He'd walked for the first time tonight, and he'd ended up at his gate.

“Steffen. How are you?” Soren addressed the man beside him, half hidden in the shadows.

“If you're asking about my injuries, I'm fine. If you're asking about the sun, those demons gave me one hell of a reason to live,” his friend said through clenched teeth, and likely a great deal of pain.

“Good.” They only had a minimal number of fully trained Guardians. He needed Steffen.

“If you catch another demon, I want in the arena.” Steffen's tone had slipped into something dark and hateful.

“Done,” Soren agreed. “Your feet will be in the same sand, Gatekeeper. That I promise you.”

After the attack, Steffen had become a different man, as had he. Fear changed people. For the first time in centuries, the people of Balinese feared the world above.

Jen Colly

Jen Colly is the rare case of an author who rebelled against reading assignments throughout her school years. Now she prefers reading books in a series, which has led her to writing her first paranormal romance series:
The Cities Below
. She will write about anything that catches her fancy, though truth be told, her weaknesses are pirates and vampires. She lives in Ohio with her supportive husband, two kids, one big fluffy dog, and four rescued cats.

Acknowledgements

Thanks to the beautiful ladies of the DHA for steering me down this road, and to Renee and Mary for giving me the keys and teaching me how to drive.