Beyond the Darkness (Guardians of Eternity #6)(73)

“You’re not Darcy,” he at last growled.

“No shit, Sherlock,” she muttered, not entirely reassured by the knowledge he was familiar with her twin.

Would she be able to tell if he was under the influence of Briggs?

“Who are you?” the cur demanded.

“Darcy’s sister, Harley. And you?”

“Hess.” He sucked in a deep breath, coming back from the edge of shifting. Not that he was any less dangerous. “Why do you smell like Salvatore?”

Hess. The name clicked into place.

Salvatore’s most trusted soldier.

She could see why. He was a freaking mountain of muscle.

“The idiot seems to think I’m his mate,” she said.

His brow furrowed, as if stumped by her explanation. “Weres can’t mate.”

“Yeah, well, that’s something you need to take up with your king.”

“Salvatore.” Instantly distracted, the cur slammed his fist against the stone wall, his expression twisted with regret. “Shit.”

Harley instinctively stepped back. “What?”

“I attacked him. Christ, I knew he was my master and I still tried to kill him.” He stepped toward her, his expression wild. “I couldn’t help it. I swear to you, I couldn’t help it.”

Anger exploded through Harley. Damn Briggs. He had to know that forcing Salvatore to hurt his own pack was the worst torture that Salvatore could endure.

“Save your pity party for later. I need to find your master,” she snapped, sensing that Hess was in need of a strong leader, not a shoulder to cry on. A good thing. She wasn’t a touchy-feely kind of gal. “Where did you see him last?”

As hoped, Hess was jolted out of his shame and squared his shoulders in determination.

“I’m not sure,” he admitted, the muscles of his jaw knotted as he struggled to control his emotions. “He knocked me out during our fight and when I woke up, he was gone, so I took off. I wasn’t going to risk being used against him again.”

Which explained the bruises and his stumbling.

“How did you get here in the first place?”

He growled, his eyes flashing red. “Caine.”

Stupidly, Harley was caught off guard. It wasn’t that she thought Caine was above using and abusing his fellow curs. He was so lost in his delusions of grandeur that he was willing to sacrifice anyone and anything to make his vision come true. But he usually preferred to leave the grunt work to others.

Precious Caine didn’t like to get his hands dirty.

“Someday soon I’m going to rip out his treacherous heart,” she muttered.

“Not if I find him first.”

“Did Caine kidnap anyone but you?”

“Three others.”

Harley grimaced. “Where are they?”

“The cur had us in silver cages before the whacko Were came to take me away.” He waved a hesitant hand to the left. “That way…I think.”

Harley didn’t fault him for being confused. The place was like an endless maze of barren stone.

“Go find them and get them out of here,” she commanded.

Hess instantly bristled. “No, if you are the mate of Salvatore, he’d kill me if I let something happen to you.”

Harley swallowed the urge to tell him exactly what he could do with his macho bullshit. It didn’t matter that she could kick this cur’s ass with one hand tied behind her back. Just because she had a uterus rather than a c**k meant he had to protect her.

Instead, she simply outwitted him.

Not a particularly difficult task.

“Do you truly think you would be of any use to me if Briggs decides to take control of you again?” she demanded.

Hess scowled. “He won’t…”

“Look, we’re wasting time,” she interrupted, her tone warning he was taking his life in his hands to argue with her. “You know that it isn’t safe for you to be around Briggs.”

Hess folded his hands over his massive chest. “How do you know he can’t control you?”

“My connection to Salvatore protects me,” she blatantly lied. She wouldn’t let herself consider the possibility. “Go rescue the others.”

There was a brittle silence, then with a foul curse, Hess swept past her, headed for the entrance of the tunnel.

“I’m going to be pissed if you get yourself killed and I’m blamed,” he muttered.

Harley rolled her eyes. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Waiting until she was alone in the tunnel, Harley sucked in a deep breath and continued her nerve-wracking journey. She hated feeling as if she were buried alive in this endless web of caverns. The vamps could have the dark and dank, as far as she was concerned. She wanted the open sky overhead, and a fresh breeze filling her lungs.

Ignoring the growing chill that prickled over her skin, Harley headed deeper and deeper into the darkness, losing track of time and direction as a creeping sense of claustrophobia threatened to choke her.

She concentrated on keeping her heartbeat steady and one foot moving in front of the other, her years of training at last coming in handy as she flowed silently through the empty tunnels.

On the point of turning back and trying another path, Harley caught the unmistakable scent of smoke. It wasn’t exactly proof positive that Salvatore was near, but it was the first indication she wasn’t completely alone in the barren hellhole.