Beyond the Darkness (Guardians of Eternity #6)(76)

Easier said than done.

She might still be buzzing from the mating with Salvatore, but the altar was massive. It would be nothing less than a miracle to move it by herself.

She was considering how best to tackle the daunting task when the feel of Salvatore’s pain echoed deep inside her. A glance over her shoulder revealed the black mist had nearly engulfed him.

As if he sensed her hesitation, he sent her an impatient frown.

“Harley.”

“I’m working on it,” she said, putting her shoulder against the altar and shoving with all her might.

“Work faster.”

“If you think this mating thing gives you the right to nag at me, then you better think again.”

Her muscles burned, her legs shaking with the effort to shift the stupid lump of stone. She gained a smidge. Then a half an inch, but she could still hear the relentless drops of blood hitting the flames.

She gritted her teeth. Her muscles were on fire and her shoulder popped out of joint, but she refused to concede defeat.

Dammit, this had to work.

Focused on the altar, Harley barely heard Salvatore when he shouted in warning.

“Look out.”

She grunted as the pain slammed into the back of her head, digging through her skull with nauseating force. Her knees went weak and knowing she was losing the battle, she glanced over her shoulders, relieved to discover that Salvatore was already headed in her direction.

“We’re going to have to do it together,” she gritted.

Something hot and dangerous flashed in the golden eyes. Something that would have sent Harley fleeing in terror if she hadn’t been distracted by her pesky fear of imminent death.

“Si. Together, cara.”

Using a running start, Salvatore rammed into the altar, making it shift another inch. There was a shrill scream of fury that filled the cavern, and the pain in Harley’s brain became crippling.

The demon lord was clearly displeased with their efforts.

Which meant it had to be hurting the bastard.

“More,” she managed to gasp, sensing they had only moments before the demon lord could gather enough strength to crush them like bugs.

Salvatore grunted as he placed his hands against the altar and pushed with all he was worth. Which happened to be a great deal. His muscles bulged and the veins of his neck popped out as he added his strength to hers.

The unnerving screeching continued, and the pain filtered from Harley’s brain down her spine, threatening to drain the last of her strength. But with Salvatore at her side, they managed to keep the pressure on the altar, and with a deafening crack the bottom at last broke free of the stone floor.

Breathing heavily, Harley watched as the massive stone slowly toppled over, breaking into a dozen pieces. For a moment, Salvatore stood at her side, then with a low curse he turned and kicked the brazier.

The flames sputtered, the hot coals spreading across the floor like glowing gems. Immediately the ravaging pain disappeared and with a gasp, Harley sank to her knees.

“Is it gone?”

“I don’t intend to stick around to find out.” Reaching down, Salvatore scooped her off the ground and headed for the entrance to the cavern. “Time to go.”

On the point of commanding that he put her down, Harley stiffened as a deep boom echoed through the air and dust trickled down from the ceiling.

“Why don’t I think that’s a good thing?” she muttered.

“Cristo.” Tucking her against his chest, Salvatore sprinted through the tunnels. “I’m growing tired of having caves falling on my head.”

“No shit,” she muttered, feeling the tremors that preceded a full-scale collapse. “Next time you piss off a demon lord, could you make sure he has a lair on the Riviera?”

His laughter echoed off the crumbling walls of the tunnel. “I’ll see what I can do.”

Chapter Nineteen

Caine didn’t know how much time had passed when he returned to the land of the living.

It had to be long enough for the worst of his injuries to have healed, although he wasn’t ready to do any backflips. He was still weak, and his muscles groaned in protest when he forced himself to his feet.

Glancing up, he studied the tiny opening of the pit far above his head. One thing was for certain. There was no way to get out the way he came in. He was a cur, not a damned bat.

“He’s right about one thing. I am a stupid prick,” he muttered, recalling Briggs’s mocking words as he’d plummeted through the air. “Stupid and oh-so-dead. Why did I ever believe that bastard?” He turned his attention to his stark surroundings. “Because I wanted to believe. I was convinced I was so freaking special. What a joke.”

With a shake of his head, Caine headed toward the nearest tunnel. He could wallow in self-pity and walk at the same time. God only knew how long it was going to take to find a way out of the hellhole.

He traveled through the low tunnels, occasionally slogging through water that tumbled from God only knew where, and more than once he was forced to bend over nearly in half to keep from banging his head.

All and all, a perfectly miserable journey.

Over an hour passed before Caine at last caught the scent of something besides damp rocks. Coming to a halt, he peered through the crack in the tunnel wall that revealed a small cave on the other side.

“Hello? Who’s there?” He sucked in a deep breath, testing the air. There it was again. The faint scent of…Were? “Harley?” There was a rustle of sound and he caught the glimpse of a shadow dart past the narrow crack. “Shit.”