Beyond the Darkness (Guardians of Eternity #6)(40)

Salvatore waved a hand toward the waiting car. “Take us to Santiago.”

Tonya pouted. “What about my reward?”

A dangerous smile curved Salvatore’s lips. “I won’t leave you tied to a tree for the hungry pack of curs chasing us. Good enough?”

“Party pooper.” Turning on her heels, an impressive feat considering the rutted dirt road, she returned to the car. “Let’s go.”

Harley lifted her brows as Salvatore led her toward the car. “Charming as always.”

A smile filled with wicked promise shimmered in his eyes. “I need a good woman to teach me manners.”

“Don’t look at me.”

“Oh, I intend to do more than look.”

“Watch it, Salvatore, or I’ll kick your royal ass.”

He reached to pull open the door to the backseat, whispering in her ear as she bent to climb inside.

“Promises, promises.”

Heat swirled in the pit of her stomach, making her stumble and sprawl awkwardly across the leather seat.

Damned Were.

Straightening, she glared as Salvatore slid smoothly beside her, but his attention was on the imp as she turned a wide circle through the field before bouncing them back onto the road.

“Do you have any werewolves as customers?”

Tonya glanced in the rearview mirror. “Those of the furry persuasion tend to avoid vampire establishments. A pity.” Her voice lowered to a husky invitation. “They always make the best strippers.”

Salvatore slid a glance in Harley’s direction. “Stripping is not all we do well.”

“Amen,” Tonya breathed.

Harley could have added a few amens of her own, but instead she gritted her teeth. The imp and her femme fatale act was wearing on her nerves.

“Are you done?”

“Not nearly…” Salvatore began, only to grunt in surprise when she nailed him in the ribs with her elbow. “Ah, I’m done.”

“Good choice,” Harley muttered.

His smile widened. “At least for now.” He returned his attention to the imp. “We need food. Any drive-thru will do.”

“I can prepare you a meal at the club.”

“I prefer my dinner hex-free.”

Harley frowned in confusion. “I thought purebloods were immune to hexes. It was one of the numerous things Caine used to bitch about.”

“Tonya is not just another imp if she’s related to Troy. She’s royalty. Which means her hexes are considerably stronger.”

Tonya batted her annoyingly long lashes. “I’m not allowed to hex Santiago’s guests. Only the customers.”

“The drive-thru,” Salvatore commanded.

Tonya shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

Harley settled back in the leather seat. “He always does.”

Briggs was wrenched violently from his healing sleep.

He groaned, the pain of his wounds thundering through his stiff body.

Damn Salvatore. The bastard was going to pay for every second of his suffering.

With interest.

For a moment he savored the image of Salvatore on his knees before him, his pride crushed as he begged for mercy. Then the lovely fantasy was interrupted by the savage pull of his master.

Shuddering at the sensation of an icy hand clutching his heart, Briggs tumbled off the narrow cot that was set in the back of a bleak cave.

He paused long enough to throw cold water on his face from a ceramic pitcher and pull a clean cloak from the carved chest set next to the bed before leaving the cave to enter the tunnel that led through the vast catacombs.

Briggs didn’t know who had originally burrowed beneath the graveyard that was attached to the abandoned Victorian church outside of Chicago. Or even who had kept the ancient catacombs maintained during the years. He had been led here only a few weeks ago by the ruthless call of his master.

Until that moment, his contact with the demon lord had been through the former Were king’s amber pendant that Briggs had stolen after it became obvious Salvatore Giuliani was destined to become the heir. Or the painful process of the demon speaking directly into his mind.

Something that always left him regretting his blood oath to the bastard.

Then, without warning, the demon lord had commanded that Briggs leave behind his very comfortable lair in Kansas City to squat in the barren caves like a forgotten hermit. Even worse, the inner chamber that had once been an altar to the dark lord allowed the barriers between dimensions to thin. Briggs had traded his morals for power long ago, but even he had to shudder at the throat-clogging evil that crawled through the air.

He moved through the tunnels that headed ever lower, struck as always, by the smoothly polished stones beneath his feet that were unmarred by so much as a speck of dust or stray cobweb.

Not even vermin would dare disturb the malevolent shadows.

Bypassing the caves that had once been prisons for immortals, with their silver chains and walls lined with lead, Briggs entered the inner chamber, his nose curling at the lingering stench of human blood.

More than one sacrifice had been made in front of the forgotten altar in the middle of the floor.

And very soon there would be one more. Although this one wouldn’t include worthless humans.

The knowledge was almost enough to compensate for the wounds that were taking far too long to heal.