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It screamed in pain and reared up, trying to knock Iain off.
He stabbed the thing at the base of the neck, but all he hit was a heavy lump of fat.
The demon staggered back, racing toward the cave wall. Iain didn’t have time to move. He was going to be crushed. If he dropped off, the huge paws would smash him just as dead.
That couldn’t happen yet. The girl was still trapped.
Iain’s mind raced to find a solution as he scrambled up the slippery body, reaching to cling to the thing’s head. The demon slammed backward. It was too late. Iain hadn’t moved enough. He held his breath, bracing himself for the pain.
Blue sparks spewed out from the wall, but there was no pain. Not even the chill of the stone touched him.
Jackie. She’d protected him.
Not that it would do much good. The burning sting of poison began sinking into his hands where he’d come in contact with the demon’s oily skin secretions.
Let go! he heard Jackie shout in his head. Trusting her, he did as she asked, releasing his grip.
She caught his body, and he swore he could feel the warmth of her hands lowering him to the ground. Not that that was possible, since she was across the room.
His body rolled in the bottom of a faintly glowing bubble. He didn’t try to fight his way free, because he could already feel her drawing in more power for another task.
Golden fire spilled from her fingertips, lashing out at the giant demon. The licks of flame wrapped around its body, setting its oily skin ablaze. It hissed in pain and fury.
Iain hit the ground hard, rolling over bones and filth to break his fall. His hands burned, and the tips of his fingers had started to go numb. He landed at Jackie’s feet, and his world hadn’t even had time to stop spinning before she locked her hand around his wrist and began pouring power into his arm.
Hot, tingling lightning erupted over his skin, burning away all traces of the poison. He felt something wet seep out of his palms, and then saw smoke rising as it evaporated.
The poison. It was gone, along with the burning, numbing effects.
There was no time for words, but he let his thanks slide into her, along with the next pulsing glow of energy she was pulling from him.
She hadn’t stopped slinging magic around since combat had broken out. He didn’t know how much more she could do, but it was already more than he’d ever expected for such a short burst of time.
Cain was holding his own, keeping the demons off both of them, herding them toward the flames consuming the hulk they’d taken down.
Iain ripped off his shirt and wrapped it around his hand. The hilt of his sword protruded from the burning demon, and he made a quick grab to recover it. His shirt smoked, but none of the heat met his skin, so he shoved his way up to Cain’s side, cutting a path through the few remaining demons scurrying about.
When the last one had fallen, he turned to find Jackie. She was slumped against a wall, breathing hard. A bright, pink flush covered her cheeks, and her bloodshot eyes glowed with a sense of accomplishment.
“Autumn,” she panted. “Over there. ”
Iain wasn’t letting her get more than a few steps away, so he wrapped his arm around her waist, taking her weight, and urged her forward.
Smoke wafted through the room, obscuring their vision. Jackie waved her hand, and the smoke parted from their path. Lying on the floor, on the other side of the bars, unmoving, was a young, scrawny girl.
“Autumn?” said Jackie, as if she found it hard to believe.
The metal bars were rusty, but not flimsy. Each one went into the surrounding stone at top and bottom. Iain grabbed one to test it and found it sturdy.
He was strong, but there was no way he was breaking those without some tools.
“I’ll do it,” said Jackie, weaving on her feet.
“Just unlock it,” said Cain. “Save your strength to cover our exit. ”
She nodded and put her hand on the lock. Her eyes closed for a moment, and then he heard a faint metallic squeak. The door slipped open a scant inch.
“I’ll get her,” said Cain.
Iain turned to watch their backs, peering through the thick smoke. Smoldering demons lay scattered across the floor. The big one still twitched occasionally, its skin blistered and cracking.
Jackie’s jolt of panic was his first sign that something was wrong. His head spun around to find the threat, his sword rising to destroy it.
Before, all that had been on the other side of the bars was a rock wall, but that had changed. Whatever illusion or veil had covered what really stood there, it was gone now, revealing a larger room stuffed full of eerily human guards. Each one was armed with a sword, and there were at least thirty of them, maybe more.
Standing in front of them, with his long, bony fingers wrapped around the throat of the little girl, dangling her unconscious body off the ground, stood another demon. He radiated power. Not a single creature behind him twitched, as if they wouldn’t dare do anything without his permission.
He was so human looking that it took Iain a moment to figure out that he was Synestryn. The faint green glow to his eyes and the black blood pulsing beneath his pale skin gave him away.
“Murak,” said Jackie, her hatred for the demon coming through both her tone and their link. Pulsing waves of anger spilled out of her, splashing against him, rousing the monster inside.
It wanted to kill this creature for her. It wanted to mount its head on a plaque and offer it at her feet as a tribute.
Iain tightened his control and shoved the desires of his beast aside.
“You’re looking well,” said Murak, his eyes lingering on her throat.
Cain shifted forward. Murak tightened his grip until Autumn’s face began to darken with lack of oxygen. “I wouldn’t do that. Not if you want the girl to keep breathing. ”
“What do you want?” asked Jackie.
“To bathe in your blood. For starters. ”
“Fine. Take me,” said Jackie. “Let the girl go. ”
Iain growled.
Cain said, “Like hell. ”
Murak grinned and his gaze caught Iain’s. “Judging by your bare throat, you’re her power source, correct?”
Iain said nothing.
Murak continued to stare at Iain as a grin widened his mouth, displaying sharp teeth. “I’ll take you in exchange for the girl. ”
“Done,” whispered Iain at the same time Jackie screamed in denial.
“Drop the blade. Come here. ”
Leave. Take the girl and run, Iain told her silently.
He felt her resistance, but even as it formed, it crumbled. She knew his time was up. This was as good a way as any for him to go.
Iain stepped past Jackie and through the cage door.
Murak tossed Autumn at Cain, who caught her before she hit the ground.
“Go now, before I change my mind,” ordered Murak.
Cain backed out, never taking his eyes off the demon. Tears slid down Jackie’s cheeks, and she bit her lips as if trying to contain a sob.
Murak pulled a foot-long dagger from his belt and shoved it into Iain’s chest. The strike was so fast he barely had time to realize what had happened before pain bloomed inside of him, shoving out all rational thought.
The blade ripped out of his body, and blood cascaded down his naked chest.
Jackie screamed in horror. He tried to tell her it was okay, but he couldn’t gather his concentration enough to form words or thought. And even if he could, all breath had left his body, rendering him mute.
“Run, Jackie,” warned Cain in a tone that screamed he knew what was coming next.
Iain fell to his knees, landing there before he recognized that he’d started to collapse. Blood seeped from his wound, wetting the waistband of his jeans. Strangely, he wasn’t upset. He was freeing Jackie. Cain would protect her now.
He’d always wondered
how it was going to end for him. At least now he knew his life had saved that of a little girl. It was a good trade.
Murak kicked Iain the rest of the way to the ground. There was a smile in his voice as he ordered his troops. “Kill the man. Bring the women to me. ”
Chapter 29
Beth woke up from her bleak dreams suddenly. Her heart fluttered in her bony chest, and a deep tingle spread out through her arms and legs. She kept her breathing quiet out of habit. The less attention she drew, the better.
An unfamiliar noise echoed down the stone wall to the small cell where she was kept. Voices. Words. Not the gurgle of demons. A woman’s voice.
Someone was here.
Excitement trilled through her. What if whoever was out there could save her? It might just be another unfortunate soul being sentenced to this living hell, but she had to try.
Beth yelled, “Here! I’m here. ”
She strained against the bars, pressing her ear as far through the space between them as she could. Whoever was there, their voices faded, growing more distant.
They were leaving.
Your blood is the key….
Her blood was her enemy. Every time she bled, the demons would come, hungry for a taste. The little ones would crawl through the bars, nipping at her until one of the bigger ones would come and chase them away.
Your blood is the key….
It was her curse. The demons could all smell it—even the smallest cuts would draw them.
She pounded against the bars in frustration, yelling for those people to come save her.
Their voices were gone now. She could no longer detect even the faintest echo of them any longer.
Your blood is the key….
She didn’t know what that meant. All she knew was that if she bled, the demons would come.
Maybe that’s what these people were after. Maybe if she drew the demons to her, they’d come, too.
What did she have to lose? She wasn’t going to last much longer in here. If they didn’t kill her now, delivering the demon baby inside of her would. Her life was down to a few months at most. This was the best chance of escape she’d had since that fence had loomed high overhead, taunting her with freedom.
Beth brought her wrist to her mouth and dug her teeth into her skin. The grit and dirt coated her teeth, and the metallic tang of blood smeared over her tongue. She spat the muddy, bloody spit onto the ground and blew a breath across the seeping wound.
Fear curled around her, making her shiver. If this didn’t work, if the little demons came fast, she had just become food.
Jackie stood in stunned shock as Iain fell to the ground. Rage and horror mixed together within her, swirling in a thick, black fog she couldn’t see through. Her body was frozen, her voice locked in her chest. Pain sliced through her where the dagger had hit Iain as if it had struck her as well.
Her legs were weak, and the need to scream bubbled from deep within as she felt Iain fading from the world.
Cain tossed Autumn’s limp body over his left shoulder. “Work fast, Jackie,” he said. “Once he’s gone, you’ll have no power. ”
Power? That’s what he was worried about? She didn’t give a fuck about the power. She wanted Iain. Forever.
But that had been stolen from her, just like her former life. Everything she cared about, everything she’d ever wanted for herself, had been taken from her and burned to ashes at her feet.
It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t right. The pain and injustice that these demons had heaped on her was not something she’d earned. How dare they cause her more pain? How dare they even touch a man like Iain—one who’d devoted his entire life to helping others?