Breaking Free (19 page)

Hayden looked to Preston. “You’re sure about me bringing down the cave? I mean, yeah, the sun will kill most of the vampires, but it could put us in danger too.”

“You got a better plan, big man?” Preston flung back.

“You know Amethyst
will kill me if I get her closest friend killed, or hurt her baby. That is, if Brody doesn’t shred me to pieces first.”

“Yeah, well
, the risk is too great not to try. They intend to use Fallon. The sun will likely damage DeMarco at this point. His essence is all dark, there is no shred of light. The liche decay has stripped anything good that might have been lingering. Although this is DeMarco, the same man notorious for feeding his children to the Shadowstalkers to form an alliance.”

“Wasn’t that how the Dales got their start?”

“That’s what the records say, though we’ve never proven it.” Preston scrubbed a hand over his face. “Look, we’ll collapse the caves as a last resort. Hopefully, if it comes down to it, it’s as simple as taking out a ceiling in one part.”

“Do you think we can save their father?” Hayden asked.

“Honestly, I don’t know. I’d love to say yes. However, he’s not all there. I get traces of him, but the bloodlust is riding him hard. Sometimes, the vamp can fight through it. Most of the time, they can’t. Devlin said he wasn’t a vampire last week. So, I’m guessing when they couldn’t get through to Devlin, they turned him, possibly by accident.”

“So he could very easily turn on his own family.”

Preston shook his head. “He doesn’t know Fallon. That woman can do anything, but I don’t want to know what happens when she’s forced to kill her father.”

“She has something very happy to live for,” Hayden offered.

He nodded, but he couldn’t help wondering what was going to go wrong. There were too many unknowns. Sarah for instance. She was fucking nuts.

“Tell me something,” Preston said. “Was Sarah always a crazy bitch?”

“No. She sort of lost it when Brody became a wolf. They were pretty great together before then. After Brody’s attack, she started to resent what he was. I never noticed her prejudice against werewolves before that. Maybe because she really didn’t pay them much attention, but it was like she thought it took him away from her.” He shook his head. “He was always all about her. And really, if anything took anyone away from the other, it was her being sent to Iraq.”

“Where Malachi swept in and turned her.”
Preston shook his head. “Did I hear Brody right? Was she pregnant at the time?”

“Yeah. And losing her, when he literally found out
she was pregnant the day before, hit him hard. It took Fallon showing up to make him live again.”

“We really can’t let anything happen to her. Brody’s a good guy, and Fallon is an old friend.”

“For being such a cocky bastard, you sure are a thoughtful guy. Why the front?”

“
Please. You are Mr. Grumpy-pants himself, unless Amethyst walks in, and then you’re a great big pussy-cat, asshole.”

A cheesy smile stole across Hayden’s lips. “I’m glad she’s not like Fallon, wanting to step into the fray, and join the battle. I don’t think I could handle that.”

“You did for the shadow fae.”

“Didn’t have much choice in that situation.”

“Yeah, well Fallon doesn’t here, either. She is as much a target as Devlin. DeMarco needs both of them to finish the ritual. Not that Fallon would ever willingly do anything for that slime bag.” He shook his head. “Only now, she has so much more to lose.”

“And she di
dn’t beforehand?” Hayden asked.

“If you haven’t noticed, she will put herself in the middle of danger first
. Before, she would have easily taken a bullet for anyone. Now, she has precious cargo. And she won’t give up Brody.”

“Fuck. I wish she would listen to one of us and stay home.”

“She won’t. She can’t. They have scouts waiting around Edenton to see if she goes back home.”

“And what are you doing with the scouts?”

“For now, they’re being watched. They will be taken in once we get where we are going.”

“And that is?” Hayden asked.

“Told you, the Dales set up a camp in the old mines another twenty minutes from here.”

* * * *

“I still think this is stupid,” Jess muttered to Jamie. “Fallon should be at home.”

“Because she’s pregnant?” Jamie sneered. “Like she said, she’s not handicapped.”

“No. Well yes, but Jamie, Malachi is a sick fuck who would totally use that baby against her and Brody. Hello, look what he made Tremaine and Robert do?”

“I’d rather not. I happen to consider those two men my friends, and they weren’t at fault. I can only get around it because I didn’t see it.”

“Yeah, well I saw the aftermath, and it was enough to put some serious cracks in my trust when it comes to them. I know they are both good men, but I think back to that and get the heebie jeebies.”

“
If you don’t trust them, then why are you coming?”

“Because Fallon protected us. I trust her with my life,” Jess
grumbled. “And I know they never would have done that without being mindfucked into it.”

“There you go. Exact reason I’m going, plus Devlin,
who I refuse to turn my back on.”

“Are they going to do this the whole trip?” Devlin quietly asked Slater.

He chuckled. “They can hear you, and yes.”

Jamie leaned over the seat. “Sorry, Dev.
Jess worries too much, but I’m not letting you go by yourself.”

“I don’t want Slater to go by himself either,” Jess
snipped.

“Exactly,” Jamie turned back around with a triumphant smile.

“Okay, ladies. We are almost there,” Slater reminded.

Jess piped in, “I really hate not
knowing what to expect.”

“Welcome to the club
.” Jamie smirked.

* * * *

Fallon couldn’t stop messing with the top of her boot. She was trapped in the SUV with Liz, Tremaine, Robert and Brody. Robert and Tremaine were there officially, but Liz wasn’t letting her men go without her.

She kept reminding herself that the past couldn’t repeat itself. That wasn’t helping though. There were so many new things to worry about.

Her father was alive, but a newly turned Shadowstalker.

Devlin, the brother she wanted, but only recently found
.

Brody, she couldn’t lose him.

Their baby, or babies since she could feel two different seeds of magic growing within her.

All of her friends. She didn’t want anyone risking themselves for her or Devlin, but it wasn’t a choice.

So much could change in the blink of an eye, and they were walking right into hell itself, with little idea what was waiting for them.

“We’ll be all right,” Brody murmured against her ear. “I expect it to get ugly in there, but we’ll pull through and be stronger for it.”

“We could have found a way to do it with the Council,” Robert offered.

“Yes, but you already have one of your people being watched for conspiring with the Dales
. Do you really want to chance finding more possible traitors? Now really wouldn’t be the best time,” Fallon asked with a raised brow.

“No,” Tremaine
agreed. “I still think you need to launch an investigation into everything going on with the Council, Robert. Not everyone can be trusted.”

“Yeah, I know,” Robert answered. “Preston and I are working on something, but it’s going to take time.”

Liz spoke up, “You know you have our help if you need it.”

“
I know that.” He gave her a brief smile in the rearview.

Fallon could feel the
Shadowstalkers, asleep for the day, the dark mages, and DeMarco. But there was a problem, she felt an old familiar darkness. Malachi was back.

Her eyes went wide
as a piece clicked into place. “Sarah went to the Council to get Malachi. That’s why Preston saw her there.”

Robert nodded
, agreeing. “I was hoping no one would find a way to release him.”

“Fuck, Robert, why didn’t you tell me? That would have been good to know.”

“Would it have stopped you from coming?” he asked.

“Of course not. I want that bastard truly dead this time.”

“Yes, well, we can kill him outside that damned prison, so at least there’s that.”

Sarah sat huddled in the cell, staring at Declan. He was
still filthy, but his body was finally mended. She couldn’t do what Malachi was demanding.

C
an’t. Won’t. Refused. I’m never fucking going to do it.

Declan stood calmly in the corner, his expression cold indifference
, while his words encouraged. “It will heal. You’re not using fire. Teeth won’t leave permanent damage. It’s no worse than what he’s done in the past.”

Sarah turn
ed away, unable to look at him. She’d seen similar done to Declan in the past. Hell, she’d tortured him herself, but with instruments, while she was still brainwashed by her master.

Declan sighed.
“Malachi has done worse to others.”

“Devlin was kind to me when I was first brought
to Harewood. You’re his father. I can’t do that to you. I already abused his trust once. I can’t do it again.” Bloody tears slipped down her face.

“Might be the only way to get what you want in the end.”
The understanding and acceptance in his voice was tearing her apart.

“
I can’t have what I want in the end. Malachi made sure of that when he changed me.”

“And what’s that?”

“My husband. I couldn’t accept what my husband became. I let a vampire change me, thinking it was no worse than becoming a werewolf. I was wrong. Brody never hurt an innocent. He was always in control. I’m the monster, not him.”

“You
don’t have to be,” Declan offered softly. “Malachi got in your head, twisted your perceptions. You’re finally finding the truth. You can still be what your husband wants.”

“No. Can’t do that either. He wanted our child. I can’t give him that now. He’s remarried to
your
daughter. They mated. That never happened for us. It wasn’t real.”

Declan closed the distance and sat down beside her. “You can move on.”

“I’m a monster.”

“No, child. If you were truly a monster you would have torn into me the second Malachi ordered you to, without thought. If you want to suffer less, do as he commands. Trust me, in the end
, it will be easier for both of us.”

She pulled at the ends of her hair as she stared off in the distance and whined,
“How can you say that?”

“I’ve pushed
aside pain before. I can do it again. Now I’m stronger, and will heal faster. He may be right, I may break and drink from whoever they throw in here, but I plan to fight it until I die.”

“I couldn’t,” she whispered.

“He was also in your mind, twisting everything you believed. You’re stronger than you think. Devlin gave you freedom from Malachi’s demands. How do you think you were able to defy his orders and go to Edenton? You have an advantage now, but this is the time to be smart about what you fight.”

“
I can’t do that to you, or Devlin.” She pressed her hands to eyes, trying to block out all thought, but it wasn’t working. “And if Fallon is anything like what I’ve heard, she’s going to kill me when she finds out I harmed you.”

“You have
harmed me far worse in the past. It’s no different now. You have little choice in the matter. They are likely to kill you if you refuse to be useful. They are only using me until they realize Fallon has found a way to block me like Devlin did. Do what you must to survive.”

“And what if surviving is no longer enough? What if I want to die?”

“That’s no way to think. If, after all this time, I can still want to live, you can too. I managed to let go of my beautiful, sweet Moira. I can move on now, if I ever get out of this prison. You can as well.”

“And if you don’t?”

“Well, then I hope I’ve done enough to keep my children safe. I regret not knowing Fallon, and getting Devlin into this mess. At least he finally found his way out.”

“Why do you sound
defeated? Like it’s over?”

“After everything I’ve been through, I don’t think there is much left for me in this life.
However, I plan to take as many of these monsters with me as I can.”

“You don’t want to know Fallon?”

“I’ll tell you a secret,” he whispered. “I’ve watched her dreams for years. She’s a strong woman, who doesn’t need me. Why do you think I gave her a dream where she could escape me? I did as asked, within the confines of what they asked. More importantly, I gave her the opportunity to find a way out. Exactly like I’m giving you.”

“But if I die today, I want to know I made the choice not to destroy someone I would call a friend.
I want to know that a piece of the real me survived after all the horrors I’ve seen and committed.”

He gave her a gentle smile. “Then, for both our sakes, I hope they arrive soon. Malachi won’t give you much more time to mete out my punishment.
”

* * * *

DeMarco stood at the mirror with his shirt off. What was left of his flesh had taken on a deep gray color, the smell putrid. There were holes in his skin, leaking a dark slimy substance. Time was running out. These were the final stages of his body’s decay.

He pulled linen pants over his already wrapped lower-half before winding bandages around his chest and arms. He needed everything to go as planned or he would fade into the abyss, locked away forever in a wasteland of tortured souls.

Malachi stormed into DeMarco’s chamber, and coldly sneered, “Sarah won’t touch Declan. She won’t take my orders anymore.”

“Yes, well
, there’s not enough time to worry about that right now. Fallon, Devlin and half of Edenton are on their way. Other than your defiant pets, are any of your Shadowstalkers awake?”

“No.
Besides Santos, who is busy elsewhere, none of them are strong enough to wake before the sun sets. Fallon and her mage friends took out the ones who were capable last time I plotted against her.”

“
Have the shifters arrived yet?”

“No, they have not. There was a hold up in Bangkok last night
when one of the cats went berserk and ate the flight crew.”

“And you didn’t think to tell me this before now?”

“Would you consider reason and move this operation back? Waiting until we are prepared would be the best course of action.”

“Fallon is
already bringing her friends from Edenton. They are close. There is no time to wait.” Not to mention the fact a few more days and his body would give out completely. He only had the strength to move through magic, and he was running out of cattle to drain. There were only so many casters in the cells, and most of them were too far gone to provide much strength.

“As you wish,” Malachi dipped his head, but DeMarco saw the malice glittering in his dark eyes.

As Malachi exited the room, DeMarco cast a binding curse on the Shadowstalker. He wouldn’t be able to leave the premises of their current base without him. Otherwise, the shady bastard would find a way to sneak out in broad daylight, letting him fall to ruin.

Once DeMarco became a full liche, he
looked forward to destroying the vampire.

* * * *

“Where are the shields?” Preston hissed, clearly suspicious of the lack of defense.

“They’re expecting us,” Fallon answered. “If
DeMarco is decaying, he doesn’t have much time left. He’s not going to waste it by throwing more hurdles at us.”

“When he had you,” Devlin asked, “how long was it for?”

“DeMarco? A few hours. He lured me in, using one of my friends. Only he didn’t know Lonny was expecting me, or that he was there to bail another friend out. The two of us got Samuel out, but before we could escape, he cast a curse. I shoved my mana-blade through his chest, doing plenty of damage, but I didn’t know what he was at the time.”

Preston gave her a long look. “You wouldn’t have been able to stop him on your own. Not completely. Even if he falls apart, he can find a way to ascend. We need to bind him to the
abyss.”

“Yeah, I know that now.” Fallon stopped and pointed at the trapdoor hidden in the rocky pit they had descended into
, practically an invitation “I already don’t like this. I’m not crazy about being underground.”

“Yeah, neither am I,” Brody answered.

“Unfortunately, I’m used to it by now,” Devlin muttered as he waved his hands over the door. “No wards. I only sense twenty or so dark mages, and probably thirty vampires, most of whom are still sleeping.”

Jess looked back
the way they came, then down at the door that Devlin opened. “I hope to god this ends it forever.”

Robert sighed. “Even if we kill the founders of the Dales, it won’t end, not forever. There will always be someone to take their place.”

“At least Devlin and Fallon won’t be their target anymore,” Jamie answered.

Brody descended the ladder before Fallon could stop him. She followed, expecting the worst. No one was waiting.
“Shit, I really don’t like this,” she whispered.

Brody nodded, pulling her back against the wall
while the others joined them. He whispered in her ear, “You sure you’re okay to do this?”

“Have to be. What about you? Your wife is down here somewhere.”

“She’s right here in front of me,” he answered with a smile.

She sighed. “
I know that. There is a death certificate for her, but she’s here. We might have to kill her, or we may be able to save her.”

“Even if she survives, and can get over her addiction to Other blood, you will always be my wife. I’m not letting you go, Fallon. I can’t. You’re mine.”

“Didn’t you hear me say
I know
?” She smiled back but it didn’t last long. “Doesn’t change the fact she was someone to you, and if we can save her, we should. I don’t want you to regret anything later.”

“I
won’t. Not when you’re everything I want and more.”

“Come on
, lovebirds,” Preston muttered. “We need to find them so we can be done before the sun goes down. I don’t like what I’m sensing.”

“We need to stay together, no matter what comes our way,” Liz whispered.

Preston nodded as Hayden, the last one, made it down the ladder with a grimace.

Fallon was starting to think there were too many of them. All the werewolf enforcers, several mages,
Erik, Tom, Jess and Jamie, her and Devlin. Preston worked a silencing spell to keep the noise from traveling.

* * * *

Devlin could sense his dad reaching for him. Not in a dream, but to speak to him. That generally meant he was free of whatever mindtrap the Dales had set for him, but with him being a Shadowstalker, there was no telling what he had in mind.

At least
Jamie could pull him out if need be, so he paused, closing his eyes.

Dad’s voice rang through his head, clearer than it had been in years,
I hope you know what you’re doing, son. DeMarco is desperate. Sarah seems to be gaining herself back, but I don’t trust her not to snap if I’m really sensing twins in your sister’s womb. Malachi is losing patience and wants everyone dead.

Devlin grimaced. His father certainly se
emed more coherent. Whose side was he on though? Devlin shook his head.

Dev, whatever you are planning, be careful. Don’t trust me when you see me. They changed me, but I haven’t fed, and I feel the hunger
growing.

Dad, we’ll figure it out.

No, son, put me out of my misery if you need to. It’s better that way. Whatever you do, get out of here alive with those you care about.

The connection snapped and Jamie stood there staring into his eyes. “What happened?
What was that?” she asked softly.

A tear fell down his face. “Dad spoke to me. Something he only does when he’s himself and firmly in charge of his own head.”

His own pain was reflected back in her big blue eyes. “What did he say?”

“To kill him if it comes down to it.”

Fallon let out a breath and shook her head. “If there’s another way, we’ll find it. If not, we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”

The tunnel kept descending, never ending, or so it seemed. There were no doors, no offshoots that anyone could see.

“How much further down can it go?” Tremaine asked.

“Too far,” answered Devlin. “The deeper, the better the Dales seem to like it.”

Fallon stopped and gripped Brody’s arm. “Wait, I feel shields up ahead.”

Devlin’s head cocked to the side. “Those are mine. I gave them to Dad years ago. Maybe he is trying to help.”

“What do you mean?” Fallon asked.

“He’s been so damaged, I wasn’t sure we could trust him.” He looked so
distressed that Fallon pulled him to her for a hug. She whispered against his ear, “Don’t blame yourself. You’ve witnessed the hell they bring. You know better than anyone how bad it could have been.”