Devoured by Darkness (Guardians of Eternity #7)(88)

Marika waved a dismissive hand. So much for sisterly concern.

“She was beautiful enough to tempt the fastidious demon and more important we share a telepathic link.” “You can read her mind?” “We share thoughts.”

Laylah recalled her brief contact with the woman claiming to be her mother. She had assumed there had been a spell that allowed her to hear her mother’s voice in her head. The thought she could share such an intimate connection with the woman who had given birth to her was oddly comforting.

It also reminded her to send up yet another prayer that the vampire Uriel had managed to rescue her.

“Then how did she keep me hidden from you?”

Marika looked like she’d just bitten into a lemon. “She shouldn’t have been able to. It was the only block she ever managed to put between us, and no amount of torture could force her to confess the truth.” Her lips thinned, not seeming to notice Laylah’s soft gasp at the thought of what her mother must have endured to keep her safe. Dammit, she’d been so hung up on the thought she’d been lied to and deceived that she hadn’t truly taken time to appreciate the sacrifices that had been made to keep her safe. Her mother had endured God knew what hideous torture. Her foster mother had given up her very life. Even Tane was willing to risk everything to protect her. It was her turn for sacrifice. “It was most annoying.”

“Obviously you underestimated the love of a mother for her child,” Laylah said softly.

“Such a human emotion,” Marika scoffed.

“And yet more powerful than a vampire and her stooge of a mage. Remarkable.”

“She’s a stubborn fool who has sacrificed her life for no reason.”

Laylah lifted her hands, allowing her power to flow through her body. “You don’t get it, do you?”

Suddenly wary, Marika took a step backward. “Get what?”

“A mother will do whatever necessary to protect her children.”

Glancing upward, she concentrated on the fissures that ran through the thick stones.

With Jinn blood running through her veins, she was intimately connected to nature. She could feel the age of the stone, smell the droplets of ice in the air, and sense the raging inferno that was churning deep in the earth.

The entire area was a powder keg waiting to blow and the numerous quakes had left several of the tunnels dangerously unstable.

Which was perfect for her needs.

Releasing her powers, she leaped backward, scrambling toward the small opening hidden behind a stalagmite as the entire cavern began to shake.

Belatedly realizing the danger, Marika tried to follow Laylah, only to be stunned as a large chunk of rock tumbled from the ceiling and struck her with a glancing blow. She fell to her knees, blood streaming down her face as she watched Laylah shoving herself through the narrow opening.

“No,” she screamed, flowing back to her feet, her hand slashing through the air.

Laylah felt a cut slicing through her chest, but she didn’t allow her concentration to falter. Exhausting the last of her powers she widened the fissures, ripping them apart with enough force to send several tons of rubble into the cavern.

The impact of the collapse thankfully tossed her backward rather than tumbling her into the lethal avalanche. She smacked her head against a low-hanging rock, and she choked on the cloud of dust that filled her lungs, but she was able to crawl away from the cave-in.

Which was more than Marika could say.

Or at least, that was the hope.

A grim smile touched her lips at the thought of the vicious bitch squashed beneath half the mountain. It would be a fitting end.

Of course, there was always the less pleasant prospect that the vampire had survived the crush of rocks and was even now clawing her way free to wreck horrible vengeance.

The thought was enough to make her curse the cramped passageway that forced her to squeeze through on her hands and knees.

She traveled several hundred feet before she at last crossed paths with a larger tunnel that led upward.

With a sigh, she straightened, only to lurch to the side, banging her head yet again.

Crap.

She hadn’t realized how much energy she’d drained. Now it was an effort to stand upright. Ignoring her exhaustion, the throbbing cut across her chest, and the various head wounds, Laylah forced her legs to hold her weight. Then, one slow step after another, she moved up the tunnel.

She lost track of time. It felt like an eternity had passed since she’d first fled with Marika hot on her heels, although she suspected that it had been less than a half hour. Funny how time could drag when she was battling a lunatic vampire.

At last she managed to stumble her way back to the original passageway. Then, finding the spot she’d been searching for, she lowered herself to her knees, her head bent as she struggled to dredge up the last of her failing strength.

Distantly she was aware of the mini-tremors that shook the mountain and the fine dust billowing through the air. You couldn’t create a cave-in without repercussions. But, so far the upper chambers hadn’t collapsed.

Which meant that Tane should be fine.

Always assuming the mage hadn’t …

No. She shook her head. She had to trust he could keep himself safe.

For now her duty was to her child.

Scrubbing her fingers through her short strands of hair, Laylah rose to her feet and squared her shoulders. Then, lifting her hand, she carefully searched until she’d found the exact spot where she’d left Maluhia before opening the veil.