The Darkest Torment
Page 86
When Destruction went quiet, the other voices once again filled his head with those disgusting desires. He fought so fervently, foam actually dripped from the corners of his mouth. But all the while, he continued hacking at the legs that bound him.
Finally! Free! He rolled toward Pandora.
If one warrior could put down ten of these creatures, two warriors could put down a hundred.
Despite her obvious pain, she struggled against her captors. Black blood leaked from her eyes, nose and ears, as if the thoughts inside her head were too much to bear.
“Behind you,” she repeated, her voice weaker now.
He went low and twisted, firing the guns.
Click, click, click.
Out of bullets. Fine. He hacked at the creatures closest to him until they were nothing but bits and pieces and dove, using those pieces as a wall to block any oncoming stragglers. Midair, he ejected the empty cartridges and slammed the handles into new ones. When he landed, he popped to his feet and shot the creatures around Pandora.
They fell away from her as their legs detached from their bodies, but their daggers remained under her bands. She fought to remove them, but all too soon her knees gave out, and she collapsed.
Even writhing on the floor, she worked at the daggers, finally removing the last. She cried out with relief, the shadows springing from her arms.
With a hiss, they leaped at the creatures—now backing up. But not fully retreating. More amassed in the room, covering the ceiling, the walls, the floor, creating a sea of evil.
A war cry sounded amid the crowd. Creatures and shadows leaped into action and collided.
Baden yanked the remaining daggers out from under his own bands. When the last one slid free, his shadows joined the fray, Destruction now huffing and puffing.
His gaze met Pandora’s as he extended a hand in her direction. She hesitated only a second before accepting.
He hefted her to her feet, asking, “Aleksander?”
“Taken.”
He tried to flash to him, but failed. Too weak? He gathered his strength and tried again...failed again. Perhaps Aleksander had been killed?
A man could hope. “The coin?”
“No,” she said, as though pulling the word through a lethal obstacle course. “I was unsuccessful.”
A scream pierced the air. A limb plopped to the floor and black goo sprayed. The shadows were ravenous; he could feel the sharp pangs of their starvation as they feasted on the demons like the savages they were. Their teeth ghosted inside the creatures to rip at their spirits. Because that’s what the shadows were. Spirit. Like to like. But what happened to the spirit must manifest in the body, the two connected; the creatures began to lose hunks of bone, muscle and skin.
They were being devoured from the inside out.
Sitting back and watching wasn’t in Baden’s nature. He was cut up and seeping his own black-as-night substance—were there specks of red mixed in?—but he dove into the heart of the battle, slashing, slashing, slashing. Pandora took a position at his six, stopping any ambush from behind.
We are...working together?
When the last creature was slain, the shadows returned to him and Pandora, sinking back into their proper places.
She hunched over. Panting, she said, “I could have...won without you.”
“Yes. I’m sure. You could have won a second death.”
She pursed her lips. “We need to retrieve the human.”
“We?”
“A mistake,” she rushed out. “I meant me. I’ll retrieve Alek on my own.”
“You won’t. You had your night,” he said. “Now he’s mine.”
“Bastard! You had more than a night and got less out of him. I think...” She gasped, closed her eyes to hide the disgust suddenly growing there. “I think we need to work together.”
He didn’t trust her. Even without Distrust coloring his thoughts, he would never trust her. Not fully. But...she was right. “Now isn’t the time to go after him. There’s no telling what kind of combat situation we’d face.”
“So? He’s weakened.”
“We’re weakened. Most likely the ones who took him are not.” The truth was the truth, no matter how much he hated it. “I’m not giving him another opportunity to walk away. Or even to crawl. Next time, he loses.” Everything.
She thought for a moment, reluctantly nodded. “We could use the wife to draw him—”
“No!” A roar. A threat, if she was smart enough to hear it. “You won’t turn your sights to her or our dogs. And you won’t use that title in reference to her, either.”
“Title? You mean wife?”
She’s mine! “Swear it or our truce is null and void.”
She arched a dark brow. “We have a truce?”
“You’re still alive, aren’t you?”
She snorted. “Fine. Whatever. I swear it.” She straightened, scrubbing a shaky hand down her face. “I never thought you’d commit to anyone, much less a human.”
He could say the same. Humans were feeble, easily killed. And now, with as many enemies as Baden had racked up, he might as well paint a target on Katarina’s back. If he wed her—bonded his life to hers as Puck had bonded his life to Gilly—she could become immortal, but would she also become a slave to Hades?
He couldn’t risk it. There had to be another way.
One task at a time. First up: healing so that he was strong enough to protect her. “Have you learned to use a cell phone?”
“Am I a better warrior than you?” she replied drily.
“I’ll take that as a no.”
“It’s a yes!”
He rattled off his number and stood to unsteady legs. “If Lucifer sends another ambush, let me know.”
“Planning to save the day?” she sneered.
“You mean again? Yes.”
She spun, kicking him in the stomach, but there was no actual anger to the strike and he simply lost his breath for a moment. “Bastard.”
“Bitch.”
“Pussy.”
“Failure.”
They peered at each other in silence, and he would have sworn the corners of her lips twitched, as if she was fighting a grin. “I’ll text if I’m attacked,” she said. “Or when I’m fully healed, whichever comes first.”
“Until next time...” he said, and flashed away without problem.
Finally! Free! He rolled toward Pandora.
If one warrior could put down ten of these creatures, two warriors could put down a hundred.
Despite her obvious pain, she struggled against her captors. Black blood leaked from her eyes, nose and ears, as if the thoughts inside her head were too much to bear.
“Behind you,” she repeated, her voice weaker now.
He went low and twisted, firing the guns.
Click, click, click.
Out of bullets. Fine. He hacked at the creatures closest to him until they were nothing but bits and pieces and dove, using those pieces as a wall to block any oncoming stragglers. Midair, he ejected the empty cartridges and slammed the handles into new ones. When he landed, he popped to his feet and shot the creatures around Pandora.
They fell away from her as their legs detached from their bodies, but their daggers remained under her bands. She fought to remove them, but all too soon her knees gave out, and she collapsed.
Even writhing on the floor, she worked at the daggers, finally removing the last. She cried out with relief, the shadows springing from her arms.
With a hiss, they leaped at the creatures—now backing up. But not fully retreating. More amassed in the room, covering the ceiling, the walls, the floor, creating a sea of evil.
A war cry sounded amid the crowd. Creatures and shadows leaped into action and collided.
Baden yanked the remaining daggers out from under his own bands. When the last one slid free, his shadows joined the fray, Destruction now huffing and puffing.
His gaze met Pandora’s as he extended a hand in her direction. She hesitated only a second before accepting.
He hefted her to her feet, asking, “Aleksander?”
“Taken.”
He tried to flash to him, but failed. Too weak? He gathered his strength and tried again...failed again. Perhaps Aleksander had been killed?
A man could hope. “The coin?”
“No,” she said, as though pulling the word through a lethal obstacle course. “I was unsuccessful.”
A scream pierced the air. A limb plopped to the floor and black goo sprayed. The shadows were ravenous; he could feel the sharp pangs of their starvation as they feasted on the demons like the savages they were. Their teeth ghosted inside the creatures to rip at their spirits. Because that’s what the shadows were. Spirit. Like to like. But what happened to the spirit must manifest in the body, the two connected; the creatures began to lose hunks of bone, muscle and skin.
They were being devoured from the inside out.
Sitting back and watching wasn’t in Baden’s nature. He was cut up and seeping his own black-as-night substance—were there specks of red mixed in?—but he dove into the heart of the battle, slashing, slashing, slashing. Pandora took a position at his six, stopping any ambush from behind.
We are...working together?
When the last creature was slain, the shadows returned to him and Pandora, sinking back into their proper places.
She hunched over. Panting, she said, “I could have...won without you.”
“Yes. I’m sure. You could have won a second death.”
She pursed her lips. “We need to retrieve the human.”
“We?”
“A mistake,” she rushed out. “I meant me. I’ll retrieve Alek on my own.”
“You won’t. You had your night,” he said. “Now he’s mine.”
“Bastard! You had more than a night and got less out of him. I think...” She gasped, closed her eyes to hide the disgust suddenly growing there. “I think we need to work together.”
He didn’t trust her. Even without Distrust coloring his thoughts, he would never trust her. Not fully. But...she was right. “Now isn’t the time to go after him. There’s no telling what kind of combat situation we’d face.”
“So? He’s weakened.”
“We’re weakened. Most likely the ones who took him are not.” The truth was the truth, no matter how much he hated it. “I’m not giving him another opportunity to walk away. Or even to crawl. Next time, he loses.” Everything.
She thought for a moment, reluctantly nodded. “We could use the wife to draw him—”
“No!” A roar. A threat, if she was smart enough to hear it. “You won’t turn your sights to her or our dogs. And you won’t use that title in reference to her, either.”
“Title? You mean wife?”
She’s mine! “Swear it or our truce is null and void.”
She arched a dark brow. “We have a truce?”
“You’re still alive, aren’t you?”
She snorted. “Fine. Whatever. I swear it.” She straightened, scrubbing a shaky hand down her face. “I never thought you’d commit to anyone, much less a human.”
He could say the same. Humans were feeble, easily killed. And now, with as many enemies as Baden had racked up, he might as well paint a target on Katarina’s back. If he wed her—bonded his life to hers as Puck had bonded his life to Gilly—she could become immortal, but would she also become a slave to Hades?
He couldn’t risk it. There had to be another way.
One task at a time. First up: healing so that he was strong enough to protect her. “Have you learned to use a cell phone?”
“Am I a better warrior than you?” she replied drily.
“I’ll take that as a no.”
“It’s a yes!”
He rattled off his number and stood to unsteady legs. “If Lucifer sends another ambush, let me know.”
“Planning to save the day?” she sneered.
“You mean again? Yes.”
She spun, kicking him in the stomach, but there was no actual anger to the strike and he simply lost his breath for a moment. “Bastard.”
“Bitch.”
“Pussy.”
“Failure.”
They peered at each other in silence, and he would have sworn the corners of her lips twitched, as if she was fighting a grin. “I’ll text if I’m attacked,” she said. “Or when I’m fully healed, whichever comes first.”
“Until next time...” he said, and flashed away without problem.
