“How will I know everything went well? Trust me, you’re going to need backup,” Damien insisted.
“Just let me go tonight. I still have a bit of time to get some information out of her. If I don’t return tomorrow, hopefully with Sammy, then things didn’t go as planned.”
Damien grabbed Shane’s shoulder and turned him to face him. “Go with speed, brother. If I don’t see you or hear from you soon after I awaken, I will come for you.”
Shane nodded. “I know you will.”
Knowing he was running out of time, Shane flew to Camille. Her scent led him to the outskirts of the city and into a large, vacant building. Within minutes, he was standing before her.
“My, my, Shane, you’re back so soon?” Camille asked with a sly smile.
Shane wanted to smack the smirk off her face, but he restrained himself. He had to be very careful if he wanted to find Samantha. “Where is she, Camille?”
“Who?” she asked innocently, batting her eyes.
“Samantha! Stop playing games, Camille,” Shane replied, his voice dangerously low. He had not been able to pick up Samantha’s scent after arriving in the city, which worried him.
Camille laughed. “That’s right, the human female has a name. Your precious little Samantha.”
“I told you not to go near her. Tell me where she is. Let her go, and I’ll forget this incident ever happened.” Shane tried to negotiate with her.
“Oh, darling, Shane, you always think you get to call the shots. I hate to be the one to break this to you, but you’re in no place to be making any demands right now.” Camille laughed again.
“If anybody has laid a finger on her, Camille, so help me God, I’ll—”
“You’ll what, Shane? There’s not a damn thing you can do. Don’t you see? I have the upper hand now.”
Shane sighed, closing his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he calmed himself down. “Fine, you have the upper hand. What do you want? You obviously want something.”
“It’s a bit too late for that, sweetheart. You haven’t been holding your end of the bargain. You took The Oath, but you had no intention of making me your mate. I’ve been waiting and waiting. These last couple of months have been hell with you. Guess what? I’m not gonna put up with it.” Camille’s eyes glowed with anger.
“I have held up my end of the bargain! What are you talking about? Besides, I have a full year, and my year is not up yet! I have been faithful to you, and you know it. Samantha has nothing to do with this. I demand you release her. This is between you and me. If you want me to claim you as my mate, I will. But first, you must let her go.”
Camille laughed. “I know you so well, Shane. I know as long as she exists, your heart will always belong to her. No, I won’t allow it!”
Shane was losing his patience. He only had about half an hour left before daybreak. Since Camille was not going to be convinced of anything, he decided the next best thing to do was to take her as a hostage. Once her brothers figured out he had her, he would trade Camille for Samantha. He knew he was taking a chance, but he was running out of options. If he had Camille, it may possibly buy Samantha’s freedom.
“This is your last warning, Camille. Where is she?”
“Aww, where is your precious Samantha? The human! I wanna see you beg, Shane,” she taunted him.
Without any warning, Shane leaped toward her. He knew he could easily overpower her and knock her out. Once she was unconscious, he’d carry her out of here to a secure place before sunrise. He was on top of her in an instant, even though Camille tried to fight him off. He had to act quickly if he was going to succeed in his plan.
Before he could go any further, he was already being pulled off her. Strong arms threw him across the room, and Shane realized all three brothers were now there. Shane was surprised that he couldn’t sense them being there in the first place.
The brothers were strong, but Shane was stronger and quicker. He wasn’t sure if he could take all of them on at once, but at this point, he had no choice. He had to battle this out and keep one of them alive long enough to find Samantha’s location.
As the three brothers charged at him, Shane used his speed to his advantage and jumped up to land on their other side. Before they could react, he flew toward them, tackling Luther. Marco ran toward them, but Shane picked Luther up and flung him toward Marco, knocking both brothers down. By then, Jared had kicked him from behind, but Shane flipped over and landed on his feet, facing Jared. Just as quickly, he landed a powerful kick into Jared’s gut, sending him flying across the floor. Camille was on her feet by then and landed on Shane’s shoulders, grabbing him in a death grip. Camille was no match for him, though, and he was easily able to pull her off and toss her toward Jared, who was trying to get up.
Shane sprinted, charging at them once again, but suddenly, he was unable to move. His feet were somehow planted at the same spot, and no matter how hard he tried, he remained frozen. Swiftly inspecting his surroundings, Shane saw nothing that could explain what was happening to him. Helplessly, he watched Camille and her brothers get back up on their feet and approach him.
Jared laughed as he shoved him. “Big, bad Shane, what are you going to do now?”
Utterly confused, Shane quickly tried to assess how this could possibly be occurring. He had never experienced such a power over him. He could feel the undeniable presence in the room. Unfortunately, he didn’t have to wait long to find out.
“You will pay for what you’ve done to my daughter!” Camille’s father entered the room.
Shane was well aware that he was one of the Master Gargoyles. What he didn’t understand was what he was doing here. Under no circumstances are Master Gargoyles allowed to get involved in such matters. They were not to act on their feelings, as this was considered a sign of weakness. Hell, they weren’t even supposed to interact with their family members. Shane had a personal knowledge of this since he’d basically lost his own father once he became a Master Gargoyle. No wonder he couldn’t sense Camille’s brothers earlier. Their father probably blocked their scent.
“Master Roman, what is the meaning of this?” Shane demanded. “You are not allowed to use your powers like this.”
“Shut up! I’m just getting started,” he roared.
Before Shane could react, he was swallowed into dark abyss.
Twenty-two
“You didn’t come to my talent show after school,” she accused him, placing her hands on her hips.
He chuckled at the sight of her. “Sammy, you know that I have to work at that time, right?”
“Yeah, but I thought maybe you would surprise me. I was waiting for you,” she choked out the words, looking down with disappointment.
Shane hated to see her like this. He never wanted to be the cause of her distress. He sighed, lifting her chin up and forcing her to look at him. “I’m sincerely sorry, Sammy. Believe me, if I could, I would’ve been there to support you.”
A slight smile played on her lips as she shyly watched him. “You know I won first place, right?”
“That’s what I heard! I’m not surprised. I expect nothing less from you, little one,” he teased.
“I really wish you could’ve been there,” she mumbled.
Sammy was thirteen years old now, and Shane knew she was at that fragile age where she was extra sensitive. He also knew that his support meant a lot to her.
“How about this? Let me make it up to you. I’ll come over to your house tomorrow night, and we can go to the park to celebrate.”
“Really?” Sammy’s eyes danced with excitement.
“I promise. And you know I always keep my promises. I’ll even bring us some ice cream.”
She threw her arms around him. “Thanks, Shane! I can’t wait.”
The next night, Shane made sure to grab her favorite flavored ice cream—cookies and cream. They walked to the park together and sat under the gazebo. He laughed as she devoured the ice cream within minutes.
??
?So, are you gonna sing the song for me?” Shane asked, arching his eyebrow.
“Here? Right now?” she asked, her eyes wide.
“Sure! Why not? You sang it on stage in front of strangers. It’s just me here. Let’s hear it! Oh, and I’m warning you, I’m a tough critic. So you better sing your heart out.”
Sammy giggled and stood up on the bench. After clearing her throat couple of times, she began to sing “Hero” by Mariah Carey.
Shane couldn’t move a muscle, as he was completely mesmerized by her singing. Sammy kept her eyes closed during the entire song, but Shane was incapable of looking away. Her voice captivated him, and he could feel the goose bumps forming up and down his arms.
When she finished singing, she finally opened her eyes. Smiling timidly, she waited for Shane’s response. When he remained silent, she said, “You hated it?”
That snapped him back to reality. “You’ve left me speechless, little Sammy.”
“So, umm, you liked it?”
Shane kneeled in front of her and kissed her hand. “Your beautiful voice brought me to tears, my lady.”
“Shut up! I’m being serious! You know that song was for you. You are my hero,” Samantha said, smiling brightly at her confession.
Shane’s eyes widened in shock, and he stood up, taking a step back. “No, Sammy, I’m no hero, believe me. That song is about inner strength and finding a hero within yourself. You’re the real hero.”
“I know what that song is about. I’m just saying that you’re my hero. When I sang it, it was for you. You help me believe in myself and gave me that inner strength. Besides, I know if I were ever in trouble, you’d come and save me… just like a real hero.”
“You bet I will, little Sammy. I wouldn’t let anybody hurt you. That’s a promise.”
The pain was unbearable. Could it be possible to have every inch of his body in agony? He knew he was in trouble, but he had no idea why. There was something that was imperative he had to do. What was it? He did everything in his power to ignore the pain. Unable to tolerate it anymore, darkness took him once again.
Soft hands were touching him, caressing him. He could hear the angelic voice calling out to him. Yes, he was sure there was an angel there. She was going to guide him to heaven.
“Is he dying?” a male voice asked.
“Who cares? I wish he would die already,” another voice responded.
“She’s not gonna let him die. Look at her. She hasn’t left his side,” the first voice said.
“Go away!” the angel demanded.
His angel was upset. Why was she upset? The voices sounded familiar. Who were they? Were they talking about him? Was he dying? No, he needed to stay alive. He was sure he had to do something very important. But what was it?
This beautiful angel’s voice was calling to him. He wanted to go to the angel, and if that meant death, then so be it. He relaxed to the soothing voice, comforting him. Yes, that felt much better, and he welcomed the darkness again.
It was cold, so unbearably cold. Heaven was not supposed to be cold, was it? Was he in heaven? Maybe he didn’t make it. He was sure he was following the angel’s voice. Did he lose her? This couldn’t be heaven, could it? The floor was too hard, and it was freezing. His body was trembling uncontrollably. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t stop the shakes. Maybe he was in hell. But all this time, he believed hell was burning hot. Either way, this was pure torture.
He felt something warm against him suddenly—something soft. A warm body was snuggled close to him. He wasn’t trembling anymore. Arms wrapped around him and held him tight. He could feel himself getting warmer. Yes, this was much better. He nuzzled closer to the wonderful comfort this warm, soft body was offering. Maybe he was in heaven after all. He could finally go back to sleep.
“Wake up, damn it! Either wake up or die already!” He felt an intense pain in his abdomen.
“Leave him alone!” a woman screamed. “Get away from him!” It was his angel, and she was upset.
He heard laughter—a horrible, hateful laugh. “Shut up, bitch! I could crush you in seconds.”
“I’m not afraid of you!” His angel sounded strong and brave. “You’re a coward, threatening a woman and beating on an unconscious man!”
“I said shut up! If it were up to me, I’d have killed both of you long time ago! Instead, I’m stuck watching over you guys!”
He heard a strike, and his angel released a scream of pain. She was hurt. The evil was hurting her. He had to help her. Why couldn’t he see what was happening? Why couldn’t he move?
“You can hit me all you want, you coward! I’m not afraid of you,” the angel repeated.
“Just you wait! You’re gonna get slowly tortured, and you’ll wish you were dead. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Shane heard footsteps stomping away.
Was his angel okay? Where was she? He then felt her hand on his torso where he was hurt. She rubbed it softly, and he could hear her sniffling.
“Shane,” she whispered. The angel knew his name. “Shane, can you hear me? Please, I need you to wake up. I need you to fight. Don’t you give up!”
No, he wouldn’t give up. He would fight. He didn’t know what he was fighting, but he’d do anything she’d ask of him.
He felt her slip next to him. Ah, yes, the soft body was in his arms again. This was exactly what he needed to make the pain stop. The pain sometimes was excruciating. Every inch of his body was on fire. It was better when he was asleep. At least the pain disappeared. But then again, he couldn’t feel his angel when he was sleeping. No, he’d rather deal with this horrific pain than not be able to feel her.
Twenty-three
Shane could feel the evil’s presence again. He was back. But, where was his angel? Shane desperately tried to feel for her. He had to protect her from that evil.
“Look at you now, Shane. You’re pathetic! You can’t do shit now. Where’s the big, bad Shane?”
Shane felt a heavy weight on his chest, and it increased with pressure. Damn, that hurt! He wanted to push the weight off him, but was incapable of moving.
“Get off him!” He heard his angel scream. “Leave him alone, you monster!”
Shane heard the monster laugh. The weight was finally lifted off him, and Shane could breathe again. But, in the next moment, he heard his angel scream and a banging noise a few feet away. She sobbed in pain.
“You can do whatever you want with me. I don’t care! Just leave him alone,” she hissed, putting up a brave front.
Laughter exploded again. “Anything? Tell me, human, have you ever had sex with one of us before? I promise you, I will rock your world.”
“Go away!” Shane heard the fear in his angel’s voice.
“Oh, I’m not going anywhere, sweetheart. They told me I couldn’t kill you, but they never said I couldn’t do anything else with you.”
Shane’s heart raced, and his body broke out in sweat. He had to do something! He couldn’t just let the evil monster have his way with his beautiful angel. He would never forgive himself if he didn’t help her. Besides, it was his job to protect her. He had promised…
Desperate, he willed his eyes to open, but everything remained dark. Gathering up every ounce of strength he had left and ignoring the pain, he forced his body to shift toward the voices. If he could just reach them, he may be able to protect her. The more the laughter echoed around him, and the harder his angel screamed, the more Shane’s rage grew.
He flung his arm out, hoping to grab something. When he felt something solid, he wrapped his hand around it in a tight grip. At least he thought it was a tight grip, but whatever he was grabbing, slipped out of his hold.
“Well, well, he finally awakens.” The monster laughed and kicked Shane’s stomach.
Shane doubled over in pain, coughing uncontrollably. He still was not able to open his eyes, but he was glad that he distracted the evil monster enough to focus on him and not his angel.
“I’ll be back for
more later, bitch! I gotta let them know he’s finally showing some life.” With that, Shane heard heavy footsteps stomping away.
“Shane! Shane! Can you hear me? Oh my gosh, open your eyes and talk to me,” the angel begged.
He felt her urgent hands on his face. He tried to open his eyes again. He needed to see her and make sure she was okay. Still, no matter how hard he tried, it was useless. He then attempted to open his mouth to say something—at least to make some kind of noise. But, his muscles were frozen, and they refused to cooperate.
The hands on him became more frantic and began to shake him. “Shane, I need you to wake up, please! You must fight! Can you hear me? Let me know if you can hear me. I need you, Shane.”
Shane then heard a sob, and he knew his angel was crying.
“It’s Sammy, Shane. Please, I need you to fight. It’s Sammy. I beg you, do everything in your power to open your eyes. You’re strong! You can beat this!”
Sammy? What was Sammy doing in this horrible place? She shouldn’t be here. He had to get her out. He had to protect her.
Her lips landed on his face as she showered him with kisses. “Please, Shane,” she sobbed. “I need you more now than ever.”
With every fiber of his being, he exhaled heavily, emptying his lungs of air. He forced his vocal cords to work at the same time. He needed to let her know he could hear her—that he was there for her. Somehow, a sound was released. It was nothing more than a moan, but at least it was a sound.
“Shane! Oh, thank God! I heard you! I want you to open your eyes right now. They’ll be down here soon!” Samantha continued to shake him. When he was unable to open his eyes on his own, she said, “I’m going to help you.” He then felt her forcibly opening his eyelids.
Shane was able to release another moan.
“Can you see me? Can you see anything at all?” Samantha asked.
There was nothing but blackness, no matter how hard Shane tried to see something—anything.