Fear the Darkness (Guardians of Eternity #9)(47)

“Fine.” He waved a dismissive hand. “Get the curs in place and I’ll join you in a few minutes.”

With a last glance at the motionless whore, Sally left the room, pulling the door shut behind her.

Once alone, Gaius reached beneath his jacket to pull out an antique gold locket. Pressing the hidden lever, the locket sprang open, revealing the miniature portrait of Dara.

His unbeating heart warmed at the sight of his mate. Her pretty features. Her satin-smooth hair. The proud tilt of her head. And the piercing sweetness of her smile.

His fingers tightened on the locket, the aching void in his soul so large he thought at times he would fall in and never crawl back out.

“I know you wouldn’t approve of my methods, my love, but I do these things for you. For us,” he whispered. “I can’t bear this life without you and since I’m too much a sinner to join you in heaven I must return you to my hell. Please, my love, forgive me.” He pressed the locket to his lips. “Forgive me.”

Reluctantly replacing the locket, Gaius headed toward the door, allowing his anguish to transform back to the frigid anger that kept him from sinking into complete madness.

Soon Dara would be returned from the grave, he reassured himself. And he would forget the vile cost of having her back in his arms.

As if to remind him that the vile costs weren’t over yet, the scent of fairy blood filled the air. With a hiss, he moved with fluid speed to enter the kitchen, not at all surprised to discover a circle of flickering candles on the floor with a wooden bowl set in the center filled with thick blood.

Black magic always demanded a sacrifice.

The greater the magic, the greater the sacrifice.

Without hesitation he charged around the circle to grab the witch by her neck. “I told you to wait.”

“Hey, it’s not me,” she squeaked, her eyes wide with panic. “Do you think I could kill and drain a full-grown fairy?”

His fangs burst from his gums as he dropped the female and whirled to prowl toward Dolf, who tried to scramble backward. “What the hell are you doing?”

“Preparing a spell.” He gave a yip of pain as Gaius slammed him against the wall. “Shit.”

Keeping the cur pinned to the wall with one hand, Gaius lifted the other to point a finger directly into Dolf ’s flushed face. “You’ve obviously forgotten the first rule of this household.”

“What rule?”

“No magic without my permission.”

“I wasn’t going to cast it,” Dolf hastily assured him. “At least not yet.”

“No. Magic.” His power was a tangible force that blasted through the room. “Is that clear enough?”

Blood trickled from Dolf ’s ear from the explosive burst of power, but with a dogged determination, he refused to back down. “Let me explain.” He grimaced as Gaius’s hand pressed against his chest with enough pressure to crack a rib. “Please, it’s important.”

Dio. Gaius dropped his hand and stepped back. Obviously the stupid dog wasn’t going to be satisfied until he’d pleaded for his cause. “Make it quick,” he snarled.

Dolf sucked in a shallow breath, his expression wary. “We have to assume that Caine will be protecting Cassandra.”

“And?”

“And unless you plan to get your hands dirty, we’re going to need a weapon to keep him out of the fight.”

The bastard had a point. If Gaius was forced to use the medallion to take them to the prophet, he would be weakened and not about to risk a battle with a pureblooded Were.

That didn’t mean he had to like it.

“A spell?” he managed to spit out.

Dolf fumbled to grab the crystal hung around his neck. The clear stone glowed with a disturbing green light. “Yes.”

Gaius stepped back, his nose flaring in revulsion. “What does it do?”

“Once the magic is released it will hold Caine in stasis.”

“Explain.”

Dolf furrowed his brow. “It’s like a magical coma,” he struggled to explain. Thinking always proved to be a chore for the cur. “He’ll be suspended in a place between life and death.”

Gaius abruptly narrowed his eyes, struck by a sudden inspiration. “He’ll be completely incapacitated?”

“Completely.”

“How long can you hold it?”

Dolf nodded toward Ingrid, who stood in a corner with a duffel bag that matched her cammo pants and T-shirt. “Long enough for Ingrid to put him in a pair of silver shackles.”

Absently smoothing his tie, Gaius paced across the floor, weighing his options. “Can you put the prophet in the same spell?”

There was a startled silence before Dolf nervously cleared his throat. Did he sense that Gaius was plotting to betray their twisted little Justice League?

“I can only cast it once, but if she was standing close enough to Caine, then it should work on both of them.”

“Good.” Gaius turned back to meet the cur’s guarded gaze. “I want them both incapacitated.”

“There’s no guarantee—” Dolf bit off his words as Gaius took a step forward. “Of course. No problem.”

Confident the cur would obey, Gaius snapped his fingers in Sally’s direction. “Witch.”