Darkness Unleashed (Guardians of Eternity #5)(26)

Circling the long motor home, he cautiously peered through the windows. Empty. Unless the curs also managed to become invisible.

At last, Jagr approached the door, wrapping himself in shadows as he threw it open and flowed silently inside. He crouched low, prepared for attack. When one didn’t occur, he straightened and allowed his gaze to slide over the built-in kitchen and living room that were crammed into the small space.

It all looked…

Human.

Not at all the lavish lifestyle preferred by imps.

Of course, Regan had claimed that Culligan was weak. If he couldn’t produce hexes or portals, then he would have to depend on other means to acquire his wealth.

Such as abusing a vulnerable young Were in his sick sideshow.

With a low growl, Jagr moved toward the back of the RV, already knowing what he would discover when he yanked open the door to the bedroom.

Knowing, however, and seeing were two very different things.

The small room was surrounded by pure silver bars. The walls, the ceiling, the windows, and even the inside of the door. Even worse, there were silver shackles and chains tossed on a narrow cot that was the only piece of furniture, beyond a tiny TV and shelf of worn books.

This is where Regan had lived for the past thirty years. Where she’d been raised by a brutal master, and abused on a regular basis.

Had she been forced to wear the shackles whenever she was in this room?

The corrosive burn would have been near unbearable, and would have weakened her to the point where she could barely function.

Cold, lethal fury seared through him.

Someone would pay for this.

In blood.

Lost in his dark thoughts, it was the scent of jasmine that had him abruptly turning and heading back to the front of the vehicle.

“Regan. Do not,” he rasped, his voice thickening with his native accent as he watched her climb through the door.

Sick fear swirled about her, filling the narrow space, but her beautiful face was hard with determination.

“I have to see.”

“If there’s anything to discover, I will find it. There’s no need for you…”

“There’s every need, Jagr,” she interrupted, her voice low and ragged.

“Why?”

“To prove that I can.”

Stepping forward, Jagr cupped her chilled face in his hand. “You have nothing to prove, Regan. Not to anyone.”

“This is for me. I won’t be haunted by my memories of Culligan, or the hell he put me through.” She sucked in a shaky breath. “I won’t give him that power.”

A bleak, piercing memory of slipping through a deep cavern to slaughter his enemies without mercy flashed through his mind before he managed to scrub it away.

This was about Regan.

And the festering pain that ran like poison through her blood.

“He lost all power over you when you survived,” Jagr husked, willing her to believe the truth of his words. “Your strength and courage overcame everything he could do to you. You’ve conquered your demon.” His lips twisted, the ever present heat shimmering in his eyes. “Not the last demon you’ll conquer, I’d bet.”

As he intended, Regan was swiftly distracted, a blush staining her cheeks as she took a jerky step away from his lingering touch.

“You said you smelled blood.”

“Yes.” He moved to the very front of the RV, forced to bend over as he studied the driver’s seat. “I don’t know why Culligan came to Hannibal, but his welcoming committee was in a foul mood.”

“He’s dead?”

“He was alive when he left the RV, but he was hurting.”

“Damn.”

With an unexpected speed, Regan was moving deeper into the living area of the RV, punching holes into the faux wooden panels of the wall.

Jagr moved to her side, his lips curving as splinters filled the air. There was nothing more arousing than a powerful woman.

“Not that I don’t approve of wholesale destruction, but there are more satisfying means of exorcising your frustration,” he murmured.

“Culligan kept his money and private papers in a safe…ah.” Tossing him a smug smile, Regan tugged out a small metal box from the hole she’d just made in the panel. A smile that faded as she struggled to wrench the thing open. “Crap.”

“Allow me.” Without asking for permission, Jagr pulled the box from her grasp and wrenched the heavy lid off.

Not surprisingly, he was rewarded with a nasty glare. “Am I supposed to be impressed with your bulging muscles and mindless brute strength?”

“You can be impressed by anything you want, little one, although most women prefer my bulging…”

“Bleck.” She held up a hand. “Enough.”

Jagr might have been offended if he didn’t catch the unmistakable scent of her desire whenever he was near.

Glancing in the box, Jagr grimaced and shoved it toward Regan. “I think you’ve earned this.”

“Christ,” she breathed, her eyes widening at the stash of jewels and watches and neatly stacked money. “Humans. You would think thousands of years of evolution would finally give them the talent of recognizing a blatant swindle.” Regan shuddered, staring at the box as if it were contaminated. “I don’t want this. It’s tainted.”