Devoured by Darkness (Guardians of Eternity #7)(74)

He might be forced to accept Jaelyn’s hospitality, but he didn’t trust her near Laylah.

Actually, he wasn’t sure he trusted anyone near Laylah.

Wisely halting several feet from the door, Jaelyn lifted a hand in a gesture of peace.

“Easy, Charon,” she said, still dressed in the spandex although she’d replaced the shotgun with a Glock 18. “I’m no threat to your female.”

His lips twisted at his fierce rush to protect Laylah. Especially considering she could destroy this entire lair with a single thought.

“My female can take care of herself,” he said wryly.

Jaelyn rolled her eyes. “Yeah, she can, but I doubt you’re willing to give her the opportunity.”

“What do you want?”

“My prisoner is awake.”

“Your prisoner?” He arched a brow. “Having trouble with your pronouns, Hunter?”

“My only trouble at the moment is you.” The female pointed a finger toward the ceiling protecting them from the late afternoon sun. “I held up my end of the bargain.”

Not sure what Jaelyn intended for the Sylvermyst, Tane turned to retrieve the sword he’d leaned against the wall near the door.

“Fine,” he said, “but I need to question him before you do any damage.”

She gave a lift of her shoulder, turning to walk down the narrow hallway.

“Come with me.”

Tane readily followed. “Are you going to tell me why you’ve been hunting the Sylvermyst?”

The vampire paused to tug open the trapdoor set in the center of the hallway. Tane smiled. The lead door had to weigh a ton, but Jaelyn had lifted it with ease.

A testament that the rumors of her innate powers weren’t inflated.

A pity she was still so young. He would have sponsored her in the battles of Durotriges, the gladiator-type games that were for the most elite of demon warriors. The few vampires who survived walked out with the mark of CuChulainn, a dragon-shaped tattoo that earned them the right to challenge for clan chief.

She lifted her head to stab him with an impatient glare. “I was hired by the Oracles, that’s all you get.”

Tane grimaced. It was more than he wanted.

He had enough trouble with Oracles without adding more.

Jaelyn could keep her damned reason for wanting the Sylvermyst to herself.

She disappeared through the hole and Tane was swiftly dropping into the darkness behind her. His feet had barely touched the hard floor when Jaelyn flicked a switch and he studied his surroundings.

He wasn’t entirely surprised to discover they were standing in the center of a dungeon. Where else did you keep a prisoner?

But he was a little startled by just how elaborate the dungeon was.

Ten cells lined the walls, each of them custom constructed to hold different species of demons. Some made of silver, some of iron, some of wood, and even one of solid gold. But it was the large room at the far side of the dungeon that captured his attention.

Had Jaelyn gone to a close-out sale for TortureR-Us?

There were racks, branding irons, enormous pinchers, spiked clubs, and the always popular electric chair that did nasty things to a vampire. There were even a few devices that Tane didn’t recognize.

And in the air the scent of disinfectant hung like a cloud. As if someone spent a lot of time cleaning up gory messes.

“Nice,” he murmured, shooting his companion a mocking glance. “Yours?”

She flipped him off, headed toward one of the lead cells. “I’m subletting the place.”

“From Marquis de Sade?”

“I have a strict policy of not putting my nose where it doesn’t belong.” “I can imagine.”

A haunted expression briefly darkened her eyes. “No, you really can’t.”

She opened the cell door, before Tane could press her for an answer. Not that he was sure he wanted to. She didn’t seem like the kind of vampire who wanted to share.

Exactly like he used to be.

He paused, then hastily squashed just what his stray thought had revealed.

Instead he turned his attention to the Sylvermyst seated in a wooden chair.

Ariyal looked decidedly worse for the wear.

His hair had come loose from his braid to fall about his face streaked with dirt, and his clothes were stained and ripped. At some point, Jaelyn had tied his arms together behind his back and shackled them to the wall with iron cuffs.

He had to be in considerable pain, but his expression was mocking as they entered.

“Ah, the fanged Bobbsey Twins. How cute,” he drawled, stretching out his long legs and crossing them at the ankle. “Are we going to play games?”

“If that’s what you want. Let me explain the rules.” Tane strolled casually forward, touching the tip of his stolen sword to the bastard’s throat. “I’m going to ask you a number of questions. If you refuse to answer or try to lie I will carve a strip of flesh from your body. We’ll continue until I have the answers I want or you run out of flesh.”

The bronze gaze shifted to Jaelyn who had closed the door and strolled to stand at Tane’s side.

“If we’re going to play rough I’d rather have the female. No offense, but she’s more to my taste.”

“You’d never survive me.” She leaned down to grab his chin, only to release it with a hiss, shaking her hand as if she’d been scalded. “Shit.”