Fear the Darkness (Guardians of Eternity #9)(81)

She heaved a frustrated sigh. She had celebrated the thought of Dolf ’s painful demise and now it seemed he was the one person she needed alive.

Such perfect irony.

“You can help him, can’t you?”

“I . . .” Salvatore abruptly cut off his words as Caine shifted on the ground, clearly starting to shake off Tane’s savage punch. “We need to get him inside.”

Cassie leaped forward to place a restraining hand on Salvatore’s arm. “Wait.”

The king frowned, clearly unaccustomed to having his decisions challenged.

Typical alpha.

“We don’t have much time before he wakes.”

“I need your promise that you won’t hurt him.”

He held her steady gaze, his expression hardening. “You know I can’t make that promise, Cassandra.” He held up a hand to halt her impulsive words. “But I do swear that I will do everything in my power to call him back.”

She scowled at his bleak promise. “That’s not good enough.”

“It’s all I have.”

Before she could continue the argument, Salvatore bent down to grasp Caine around the waist. Then, with an impressive display of raw strength, he had the still-unconscious Were slung over one broad shoulder and was heading toward the looming mansion.

“Crap,” Cassie breathed, forced to concede defeat as she rushed to catch up to his long strides.

She had no choice but to trust that Salvatore would do everything possible to rescue Caine from his feral madness. And if he couldn’t . . . She grimly squared her shoulders. She would make sure that Caine was protected.

She kept that thought in the forefront of her mind as they reached the mansion and the matching Pharaoh twins appeared to open the French doors.

They passed through a sitting room with a blue and silver decor and she had a brief impression of delicately carved furniture along with a large crystal chandelier that was reflected in ornately framed mirrors before they were entering a long marble hallway that held an unmistakable scent of female Weres.

“Are my sisters here?”

“Darcy is currently with Styx, but Harley and Regan are here.” Salvatore sent her a searching gaze. “They’re anxious to meet you.”

Cassie understood their desire. She truly did. There was a part of her that would never be complete until she was reunited with her twins.

But there was another part, a weak, cowardly part, that wasn’t prepared for the emotional meeting.

“Perhaps after Caine is recovered,” she hedged.

Salvatore shifted Caine on his shoulder as they passed by Grecian statues set in shallow alcoves and high, arched windows that overlooked the vast parkland.

“There’s no need to be afraid,” he assured her. “They already love you.”

She hunched a defensive shoulder. They might love her, but would they be able to accept her?

She wasn’t . . . normal. Okay, with Caine’s constant encouragement she was becoming more comfortable with the baffling rules of society. But she would never be able to easily mix with others. Not when she was plagued by her visions.

Besides, being a seer was a dangerous business. She’d been hunted from the day she was born. She would never willingly place her family in such constant danger.

“I’ve been alone a very long time,” she said, her gaze lingering on Caine’s limp body, her heart twisting with a savage fear. “Until Caine.”

Salvatore nodded, almost as if he understood. “Caine found you in the caves?”

“He did more than find me,” she corrected. “He gave his life to rescue me from the demon lord.”

A dark brow arched. “So he truly did die?”

She gave a somber nod. How many times would Caine be forced to suffer for her?

“Yes.”

As if sensing her surge of raw regret, Salvatore reached out to lightly touch her cheek, his power a soothing force as it flowed through her.

“I’m going to take good care of him, cara, I promise.”

She gave a small nod, but before she could respond there was the unmistakable sound of running footsteps and, with a dizzying speed, two female Weres pounced out of a side hallway and wrapped her in a fierce embrace.

“I’m Harley,” one of the females said, her heart-shaped face as delicately carved as Cassie’s but with large hazel eyes that were thickly lashed. Her golden blond hair was left free to tumble down her shoulders and her petite frame covered by a loose kimono that hinted at her growing baby bump.

“And I’m Regan.” The other claimed Cassie’s attention. She looked remarkably similar to Harley, except her golden blond hair was longer and pulled into a tight braid and her eyes were more green than hazel. She was casually dressed in a stretchy T-shirt and yoga pants, and there was a sheen of sweat on her delicate face, as if she’d been in the middle of exercising.

The two were laughing and crying at the same time as they bombarded a dazed Cassie with overlapping questions.

“How did you get here?”

“Are you hungry?”

“How long will you stay?”

“What about a shower? Do you need—”

“Wait.” Cassie battled her way free of the clinging arms, her focus trained on Salvatore as he attempted to slip away unnoticed. “Where are you taking him?”