Bound By Darkness (Guardians of Eternity #8)(70)

They followed her back to her lair with the Addonexus, haunting her... .

Always haunting her.

Jaelyn woke with a low curse, rising to her feet to glance around the abandoned church.

She told herself the dream was a result of her near-death experience.

After all, if she hadn’t been a Hunter with the ability to shroud herself in shadows so thick she could bear the sunlight for short periods of time she would even now be a tiny pile of ash in the nearby caves.

As it was, she’d barely managed to climb out of the cave and dart to this church before she’d passed out from exhaustion.

Was it any wonder that in her weakened state she would be plagued with a nightmare she’d struggled so hard to banish?

Yeah, a convenient excuse.

A pity she didn’t believe it for a minute.

Not when she knew the sensations of guilt and nearly overwhelming regret that she had felt walking away from Valla that night had been stirred by Ariyal.

She had never forgiven herself for leaving the nymph behind, no matter what punishment the Addonexus would have doled out.

How could she survive if she abandoned the man destined to be her mate?

With a shiver she stepped over the rubble that littered the floor of the nave and made her way to the nearest window, which boasted a few tenacious shards from the once magnificent stained-glass window.

Now was not the time to brood on her complicated relationship with Ariyal.

Not until she was certain he’d escaped from the caves unharmed.

And oh yeah, stopped the end of the world.

Ignoring her lingering weakness and growing hunger, Jaelyn cautiously made her way out of the church and crossed the graveyard. Halfway through the moss-covered headstones she came to an abrupt halt, her senses on full alert.

Ariyal.

Or at least it had been Ariyal. Along with the granite scent of Levet and ...

Sergei?

Shaking her head in confusion, Jaelyn bent down, running her fingers of the faintly singed grass. A portal had briefly opened and then closed here.

Dammit. Had Ariyal been captured by the mage and forced to use his powers to leave this place? And if so, where the hell had they gone?

She lingered in the spot long after she was forced to accept that Ariyal wasn’t coming back. As if his fading scent could give her some sort of clue to where the mage had forced him to go.

Or perhaps she desperately needed to cling to the tangible assurance that he was still alive.

At last she forced herself to straighten and consider her options. Although her sense of duty had been beaten into her with brutal force, she knew what she had to do.

What Ariyal would want her to do.

And if that meant she was punished by the Addonexus and the Oracles ... so be it.

A smile curved her lips as she abruptly stiffened her spine and squared her shoulders. Hell, before she was done this small transgression would be the least of her concerns.

Wrapping herself in shadows, Jaelyn headed directly toward the glowing lights of Chicago.

She didn’t slow as she hit the suburban outskirts, knowing that her destination would be in the seedier part of the city. Not that there wasn’t plenty of evil lurking behind the perfectly manicured homes. But she needed to find a specific place.

It took nearly an hour of searching, but at last she managed to track down the Viper Pit. Predictably, the most exclusive club in the entire city of Chicago was also the most difficult to find.

Not only was the entire building hidden behind a magical glamour, but there hadn’t been a single demon willing to reveal the location.

If she hadn’t been a Hunter she wasn’t sure she’d ever have stumbled across the hidden entrance.

Once inside, she hurried past the marble pillars and glittering fountains. She had no interest in the demons who were busy indulging in the various vices on offer, from gambling to orgies to cage fighting that made the MMA look like a fun game of slap and tickle.

If she was running the joint, she’d have an office on the second floor where she could keep an eye on the entire club.

Reaching a back hallway, she had just caught sight of a narrow staircase when her path was abruptly blocked by an Andrax demon.

At least a foot taller than her, the demon had taken the shape of a human with a brutish face and bulging muscles that were covered with scarlet tattoos. His head was shaved and his ears were lined with gold studs, but it was the teeny-tiny loincloth that attracted her attention.

A loincloth? Really?

Oblivious to her flare of amusement, the demon flexed his muscles before pulling back to lips to reveal his massive fangs.

Andrax demons didn’t drink blood, but they did eat raw flesh. Usually while it was still attached to the person.

“Going somewhere, beautiful?” he demanded.

She rolled her eyes. Did males always have to be so predictable?

“Step aside.”

“Hmmm ...” He skimmed a hungry gaze down her body. “A mouthy one. I could change that.” He stepped close enough to nearly overwhelm her with the stench of his sour sweat. “All you need is a little training.”

She bared her fangs in warning. “All I need is for you to move your ugly ass before I forget how much I hate Andrax blood.”

“Bitch.”

“I’m not telling you again. Move.”

“Yum.” He licked his lips. “I’m going to enjoy teaching you a lesson. By the end of the night you’ll be begging for it.”