Braving the Elements (Darkness #2)(39)

If army men were the gasping type, the room would’ve been stuffed with inhales. I knew, though, that anger made people do stupid things. Rash things. The White Mage would kill me—obviously—so I could only hope I pissed him off enough to do it quickly, or make some other mistake that freed me. Yes, I was grasping at straws, but I couldn’t see any other way.

“He found this place only after I took you and that sniveling wretch into our walls. The missing link exists with one of you, and I am betting on you. You have only a fraction of time to tell me before I feed you to my Dulcha.”

I pushed and yanked at that damn block, trying like hell to get it out of the way. My inner compass on all things danger said to stall. To keep pushing at him. To prompt some sort of response.

I was not having a good day.

“Then what?” I glanced around, noting exits, planning an unlikely escape, feeling Stefan coming, but slowly. So, so slowly.

“Then they will suck the magic out of you, of course. They need to feed, to replenish their magic supply. Humans with power as high as yours don’t come around all that often. You’d be a great treat.”

Another blast, shaking the compound. Pain bled through the link; Stefan had taken a hit.

I forced down the desperation. I had to get the show on the road.

“Bring ‘em on in. You won’t get anything out of me—“

Agony.

Blinding, consuming, soul wrenching agony.

My mind detached and drifted away, shutting off the ripping, tearing, heart-stopping pain. Like pure fire burning every inch of my body while electricity fried my thoughts and peeled away my skin. My hair pulled out one by one. My teeth pulled without drugs. Needles jabbed in my eyes and under my finger nails.

When I distantly realized my body stopped hurting, I floated back into my head gradually, embodying the residual pain enough to laugh like a madman. Blood oozed out of my mouth. I must have bitten my tongue.

“Fuck you, Trek!” I spat, a long red smear on the wood floor. “Bring your useless Dulcha. Before I die, I will kill you.”

My mind drifted away again, closing off into a chamber without pain. A place I knew I couldn’t exist for long without my body dying. But at the minute, my body was dying anyway, might as well cut off the pain.

Chapter 9

Stefan stabbed a man through the stomach, then swung his sword around and took off his head. Blood sprayed his body.

The door to the warehouse loomed just up ahead. Their guards were falling one-by-one, unable to counter the excellent fighting of Stefan and his men. At the opposite end of the long, white, rectangular building, Jameson led another crew, trying to divide and force their way in, as well.

Stefan knew very well that heavy magic awaited them inside.

Shock and fear bled through the link thus far, which was fine. It meant Sasha lived. But he’d just felt a body-consuming pain; so much so, he staggered, narrowly missing a dagger to the face. They tortured her, most likely. It meant he had no time.

“Hurry!” Stefan screamed, charging forth. “Give it all you have. We must get through!”

He ran forward, blade swinging, cleaving and felling anyone in his path. Slash to the chest, another to the gut, one more to cut off an arm, and he pushed closer still.

A magical blast pulsed out from the warehouse, vibrating Stefan’s core. Sasha’s magical influence in his body reared up, soaking in that blast and ingesting it. He felt high from giddiness. If he had to face off with Trek, he might just win. After taking Sasha’s blood, he was still a small step behind in power, but he’d trained harder. He had more finesse. Knew more tricks and attacks.

If Sasha lay unconscious, what he had would have to be enough.

“Dulcha!” Charles roared, his body covered in blood and burns. His tattoos lit up in a pale gold, active and working.

It just got real.

*****

“Maybe the mark relays location,” Andris estimated as he crouched by my head, looking me over.

I blinked blood out of my eye. I’d banged my skull pretty hard on that last lovely little ditty, opening a gash. “What does it matter?” I croaked. “He’s here. He knows.”

“It matters because he still might not find us.” The White Mage flung his cape in a temper as he paced. “If it is that mark, which makes the most sense of anything—you took her cell phone?”

“Of course. And we don’t have coverage down here, anyway.” Andris flexed his gloved hands.

“Right. Well, I can think of nothing else. Which means this will end by killing her. We can then leave some men behind to take him down while we make an escape. We will be safe, this portion of the area will remain undetected, and his forces will be trimmed.”

“She has to have more value than a plaything. Stefan wouldn’t risk his clan for a pretty human,” Andris reasoned.

The White Mage reflected, turning to me. “He’s right. What is so exciting about you, girl?”

I laughed sardonically as he stood there, patiently waiting for an answer as though we were chatting over tea. My laugh turned into a wet cough. “I have candy flavored ni**les.”

Trek scoffed. “Bring in a Dulcha. We’ll let it feed off her for a few minutes. They tend to have more influence on people like this. Hurry—we need to wrap this up. They’re nearly inside.”

Intuition said to be ready. Something was about to happen. Some chance would be available for a brief moment, and I’d have to take it then or not at all.