Beyond the Darkness (Guardians of Eternity #6)(66)

She was headed toward the door when Styx moved to stand directly in her path.

“Wait, Harley.”

With no choice, she came to a halt. She might like to think of herself as a badass, but she wasn’t suicidal enough to try to wrestle her way past the most dangerous demon in all the world.

“Please, I’ve wasted too much time already,” she whispered. The need to get to Salvatore was becoming downright unbearable.

“When I spoke with Salvatore, he said that the Were pursuing the two of you was a projection.”

“That doesn’t mean he’s any less dangerous.”

“No, but it does mean that his physical body has to be somewhere. My bet would be that he’s remaining close to the protection of his master.”

She frowned, attempting to follow his logic. “The caves?”

“Yes.”

“It’s strange,” Abby muttered. “Why would this demon lord choose the same place to hide as the dark prince?”

“I suppose it’s possible that a portion of the dark magic lingers and attracts evil. Or maybe the mages chose the location because the barrier between dimensions is thinner there. We shall soon discover.” Styx grasped her shoulders. “Will you join us, Harley?”

Chapter Seventeen

Salvatore had to force himself to enter the labyrinth beneath the abandoned graveyard.

Dio, he was sick to freaking death of dark, dank tunnels. Once he killed Briggs he intended to spend the next century running beneath open skies.

Of course, such a cold, miserable setting seemed appropriate for the treacherous pureblood. He was a maggot who deserved to decay alone in the gloomy depths.

The long tunnel at last spilled into a barren cavern. Salvatore came to a halt, catching the unmistakable stench of rotting flesh.

His nemesis had to be near.

“‘Welcome to my parlor, said the spider to the fly…’” he muttered as he glanced around the empty cavern with the walls that had been smoothed and polished over the years.

“An apt anthology,” Briggs taunted from the shadows.

Salvatore grimaced, waiting for the spooky music to be cued. That was all that was lacking to complete the hokey atmosphere.

“I love what you’ve done with your crib,” he drawled, folding his arms over his chest. “What do you call this? Post-Neanderthal?”

“It serves my current purpose.”

“And what purpose would that be?”

“To watch you die.”

Salvatore shook his head. He’d spent too long being jerked around by enemies who manipulated him from the shadows. This ended now.

“I don’t believe you.”

The chill in the air thickened. “You don’t think I intend to kill you?”

“I think there has to be a hell of a lot more to it than just my death. You would never have gone to the trouble of kidnapping Harley and her sisters, or using Caine to keep me distracted if you were going to kill me.” Salvatore shrugged. “At least not if you are as powerful as you claim to be. You could have struck me dead in Rome after your miraculous rising from the grave.”

“But it’s been so much fun watching you chase your tail,” Briggs mocked, still keeping himself hidden behind his black magic.

“No doubt priceless entertainment,” Salvatore said dryly, “but hardly worth wasting decades when you could have been sitting on the throne.”

“My motives are none of your concern.”

“But they weren’t your motives, were they, Briggs? You’re nothing more than a toady dancing to someone else’s tune.”

Through the darkness, Salvatore heard the rasp of Briggs’s infuriated breath.

“Tut, tut, Salvatore,” he said, his voice tight. “Be careful you don’t annoy me.”

“Or what? You’ll talk me to death?” Salvatore sneered. “Too late.”

“You want more action? Very well. Your wish is my command.”

Salvatore lowered his arms, bracing for the attack. He had churned over the endless reasons he might have been lured to these caves since Briggs had demanded he come here. He hadn’t come to a logical conclusion—surprise, surprise—but he was certain as hell that it wasn’t going to be good for his health.

Still waiting for an unseen blow, Salvatore was caught off guard when there was an odd shimmer in the center of the room, and then the darkness seemed to part, like curtains being pulled back to reveal a stage.

With a frown, he watched as Briggs came into view. It wasn’t the projection of his physical body that Salvatore was expecting. This was more of a…window. A glimpse of Briggs as he stood somewhere else.

Somewhere in the caves, Salvatore decided. Although that didn’t precisely narrow down the possibilities. Even his limited ability to sense dark, creepy places could tell that the spiderweb of tunnels and caves were extensive.

Then Briggs gave a wave of his hand, and the vision widened to reveal that he was standing in a cave similar to the one to where Salvatore lingered. All bare rock and medieval torches. But that wasn’t what captured Salvatore’s attention.

No, it was the sight of the familiar Were who was kneeling at Briggs’s feet, his blond head bowed, his slender body wrapped in heavy silver chains.

Max.

Salvatore clenched his hands in impotent fury. He’d been prepared from the moment he caught the scent of his servants outside the graveyard to have them used against him. But that didn’t make the sight of Max being tortured any easier.