He lifted the chain, using it as a bat, swinging it toward the vermin.
Rubbing his sternum, Takeo stumbled toward the wall and then leaned against it. Now that his feet were planted firmly on the ground, he needed to find a way out of here.
Takeo had no idea how long he had been in this room, but judging from the healed wounds on his wrists, the wounds that had reopened from his strenuous exercise of freeing himself, he’d been here for a while.
He pushed away from the wall, his legs weak as he tried to walk toward the door. The muscles in his legs shook as he made it over to the large metal door and skimmed his hands over the surface, trying to find a weak spot. Takeo growled in frustration when he found none.
The hinges weren’t even on this side of the door. He had nothing to work with.
His forehead rested against the cool metal as images of Kamiko came rushing to the forefront. The man was short, diminutive, and comical at times. He was also the most handsome man Takeo had ever met. Kamiko spoke to a part of Takeo that he had thought died a long time ago.
A part of him that now craved the shorter man with every breath he took. He slapped his hand against the door, wishing he could figure a way out.
There had to be. He wasn’t going to give up. He couldn’t give up when Kamiko’s life was at stake.
Takeo turned, resting his back against the door as he scanned the sparse room. There was absolutely nothing in here that he could use.
There wasn’t even a window. His freedom lay in the door he was resting against.
He kicked his foot out, scaring away the rat that had ambled too closely. The things were disgusting.
His life had been brutal and rough, centuries of fighting and bloodshed. Before Panahasi had come to take him away for his warrior training, Takeo had lived in Baku, a city east of Serenity City, a place where they fought for everything they had. Takeo had grown up on the streets, living from hand to mouth. Although he was told by many that he was destined to be a great warrior, he still had to fight his way through life. Many had tested him, tossing him into fighting rings in filthy basements or fiery pits to see just how great a warrior he truly was.
Takeo had learned at a young age to fight or else die. He had killed many to keep his life, to survive. That was a part of who he was and a part of him that Takeo kept buried deep inside in a place no one would ever know. In Baku, it was kill or be killed, and Takeo had survived.
Kamiko was like a beacon of light that led him to the small man every time. He had an innocence that Takeo had never known. It fascinated him that someone could be so pure of heart. Evil might have touched Kamiko at one point in his life, but the man still remained pure and sweet.
Takeo couldn’t understand that concept.
Even if he took the smaller man to bed and found out that Kamiko wasn’t his mate, Takeo knew he would stay with him forever.
He had fallen in love.
Yet another concept he didn’t understand. It was foreign to him.
He had never loved anyone in his life, and no one had given him that gift either. The thought of having Kamiko all to himself scared him, but Takeo knew he could never let the man go.
Takeo took a step back when he heard footsteps approaching. He knew the only way out of these four walls was through the door—a door that had no handle or bolts on his side. Someone was going to have to enter the room in order for him to escape.
Takeo grabbed the chains in his hands, pulling them taut as he waited for whoever it was on the other side of the door to enter. He was taking no prisoners and showing no mercy. A man’s life rested in him getting out of…wherever he was.
The human that held his heart needed him, and Takeo wasn’t going to fail Kamiko.
Takeo took a step back, waiting, as thoughts of Baku raced through his mind. That same adrenaline rush shot through his system as it did back then when he knew he had to fight for his survival. The bolt slid from its resting spot as whoever it was pushed the door open.
Takeo held his breath, wanting the person just a little further in the room. When a dark figure appeared, Takeo’s arms swung high in the air as the chain rattled, circling around the stranger’s throat.
The man wasn’t going down easy. Takeo’s back was slammed into the wall, the wind whooshing from his lungs for a second time today. He grunted, paying no attention to the pain that shot through his body as he tightened his grip on the steel in his hands.
He held on tightly as the man thrashed around, his hands smacking at his neck as he tried desperately to pull the chain loose.
Takeo wrapped his legs around the guy’s waist, adding extra effort as the stranger slowly went to his knees.
A loud grunt sounded, and then it was silent as the stranger slumped to the floor. Takeo pushed himself up, pulling the limp body to one corner, and then quickly ran back toward the open doorway, peeking his head around the frame.
The hallway was bright, a little too bright for his eyes. The cell he had been in was dimly lit, barely showing Takeo what had been in the room with him. He blinked a few times, trying to get his eyes to adjust as he slid out into the hallway and plastered his back against the wall.
His head snapped up when screams echoed throughout the hallway. Takeo listened closely as he raced down the stretch of linoleum, trying to find an exit.
Finding a set of stairs, Takeo ascended, creeping along quietly as the tortured and haunted screams began to fade away. He vowed to find out exactly where he was and come back for the ones crying out for help.
But for now, Takeo had to find a way to Kamiko and save him from Constantine.
As he climbed to the top of the stairs, Takeo saw a door with a push bar. He glanced around quickly and then raced for the exit.
Kamiko inhaled swiftly and sat up, his eyes instantly scanning the shadows for any sign of movement. The air was displaced and slightly cold. He knew someone was there. He hoped it was Takeo. It seemed like ages since the demon had come to visit him.
Kamiko missed the tall warrior and felt like a hole was forming where his heart should be with every day that passed without Takeo.
“Who’s there?” he whispered softly. He knew someone was there.
Takeo had shown him how to tell if someone was watching from the shadows, to know the signs. He was in no way surprised when a figure stepped away from the shadows. “Panahasi?”
“Hello, Kamiko.”
Kamiko started to smile when a sudden dreadful thought entered his mind. He pressed his hand against the ache that appeared in his chest. Takeo hadn’t been to see him in two months. Maybe there was a reason.
Maybe…
“Takeo?”
“I am sorry, little one.”
“No!” Kamiko gasped almost breathlessly as the hole in his heart grew by leaps and bounds.
“I fear that your association with Takeo has placed your life in danger,” Panahasi continued as if Kamiko wasn’t sitting there on his bed dying a thousand deaths inside. “I’ve come to take you to a safe place.”
“I–I–I can’t.” Kamiko doubted he could move even if he wanted to. His entire body felt like it was shattering into a million little pieces. He didn’t care about his safety. What was there to care about if Takeo was dead? He’d rather be dead right along with Takeo. At least then, they would be together. “Please, I—” Kamiko didn’t know what he was pleading for. His entire world had come to a screeching halt with five little words. His mind was in an agony-filled fog, Panahasi’s words bouncing around inside his brain over and over again. Nothing else seemed to register. Nothing else seemed to matter.
Only Takeo had mattered and now Takeo was gone.
Kamiko blinked when someone shouted his name and shook him.
Panahasi had a concerned look on his face as he stood over Kamiko.
“What?”
“Have you ever had sex with Takeo?” Kamiko’s face flushed. “No.” But not from lack of desire. Kamiko wanted Takeo unlike anyone else he had ever wanted. He was just never brave enough to make his desires known to the big handsome warrior. Takeo had been visiting Kamiko for a few years now, keeping him company, talking as friends should, but he had never been brave enough to tell the handsome warrior that he was falling in love with him. Now he would never get that chance. It felt as though the hole in Kamiko’s heart had finally overtaken him as he looked up at Panahasi.
His words seemed to pacify Panahasi in some manner. The man nodded and stepped away. “We need to go, Kamiko.”
“Why?” There didn’t seem to be any reason to leave now. The man he loved more than his own life was gone. Kamiko wanted to ball up and wither away. Life without Takeo equaled no life at all.
“Your life is in danger.”
Kamiko shrugged. Who the hell cared? He was already dying inside. His body just hadn’t caught up with the death of his soul.
“Kamiko, are you listening to me?”
“Yes.”
“Then we need to go.”
“Why?”
Panahasi sighed deeply. “Because your life is in danger. And I owe it to Takeo to keep you safe.”
“He’s gone.” Kamiko hiccupped through a small sob, wishing he was already with Takeo. “What does it matter now?”
“No, little one.” Panahasi was instantly at Kamiko’s side. “Takeo isn’t gone. He’s missing.”
“What?” Kamiko’s eyes snapped up to meet Panahasi’s. “He’s not dead?”
“No.”
With one single word, Kamiko’s heart started beating again, the hole slowly closing up. “Is that why he hasn’t come to see me?”
“Yes. He went missing about two months ago. I’m sorry, but I have been unable to locate him.”
“But he’s alive?” Kamiko had to hold on to that belief. His very sanity depended on the belief that Takeo was alive.
“I believe so, yes.”
“Then where—ahh!” Kamiko screamed when Panahasi suddenly yanked him over the side of the bed and pushed him to the floor. He sat up and started to ask what in the hell was going on when he saw a figure come flying out of the shadows. The face was demonic, twisted, and snarling. It was a sight that nightmares were made of.
Panahasi hovered over the top of Kamiko.
“Mine,” the other shadow growled into the darkness of Kamiko’s room. It was low, lethal, and carried a possessiveness that would make the meekest of men cower.
Kamiko blinked. Even as rough and uneven as it was, he would recognize that voice anywhere. It haunted his dreams and every waking hour. He pushed at Panahasi, trying to climb over the top of the bed. “Takeo!”
“Takeo?”
Panahasi’s grip on Kamiko’s arm lessened just enough for Kamiko to slip away from the large demon. He scooted back then jumped to his feet and raced across the room and into Takeo’s arms.
Takeo took just a moment to sniff at his neck then pushed Kamiko behind him.
“Mine,” Takeo growled again.
Kamiko’s heart started to hammer in his chest at the tension in Takeo’s voice. Had he ever seen the demon warrior so angry before, so demonic looking? And at Panahasi? Kamiko laid his hand on Takeo’s back, trying to soothe the beast that had somehow been released.
“Takeo?” he said softly. It was only as his hand slid down the man’s sweat-slickened back that Kamiko noticed the wounds marring Takeo’s body. They were in various stages of healing. Most were pink, puckered lines that were slightly elevated from the rest of his back. “Oh my gods, Takeo. What happened to you?”
“Kamiko?”
Kamiko looked up to see Panahasi standing several feet away. His body was stiff as if he was readying himself for battle. “What?”
“Move away from Takeo very slowly.”
“Wha—no!” Kamiko finally had Takeo back, and he was injured.
Kamiko wasn’t going anywhere. As fierce and commanding as Panahasi’s presence was, not even the leader of the demon warriors was going to make him leave Takeo’s side. “Takeo is injured. He needs help.”
“That’s why I’m telling you to back away from him, Kamiko.
He’s not in his right mind. He’s been wounded, and from the looks of it, for quite some time. He’s dangerous. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
“Takeo won’t hurt me.”
“Are you sure of that?”
“Yes.” Kamiko answered without hesitation. If Kamiko knew anything, he knew that Takeo would never hurt him. He couldn’t promise the other man wouldn’t be hurt, though. Takeo was looking at Panahasi like he wanted to rip the man limb from limb. “You might want to go, though.”
“I’m afraid that is impossible, little one,” Panahasi said. “I cannot leave you or Takeo here unguarded. Even though he has returned to us, it is still not safe.”
“Well, I’m not leaving him.”
“Then you must convince Takeo that I mean neither of you any harm.”
Kamiko’s eyes narrowed. How did he know that? What did he actually know about the demon leader? They had never even been formally introduced. Panahasi had simply shown up to reassure Zeus that Takeo meant no harm when visiting Kamiko. Beyond that, Kamiko knew next to nothing about the man.
Kamiko shook his head. “I don’t think so.”
“Kamiko!”
Takeo growled at Panahasi’s shout. Despite his misgivings about Panahasi, Kamiko knew that Takeo needed help. Another fight wouldn’t do him any good. Besides, Kamiko wasn’t sure Takeo could beat Panahasi in a fight. At this point, as wounded as Takeo was, Kamiko wasn’t sure the man could even beat him in a fight—and he didn’t know how to fight.
“Takeo,” Kamiko whispered softly as he inched his way closer to the injured warrior. He slowly slid his hands over the man, trying not to brush against any of his wounds. “We need to get you fixed up, Takeo.”
Takeo’s arm snaked around Kamiko’s waist and pulled him into the curve of his larger body. Kamiko felt like a rag doll, but he felt safe and protected, too. He couldn’t bring himself to protest, not when it felt so good to finally be in the demon’s strong arms—a place he had only dreamt of being.
“Takeo, please.” Kamiko stroked his hands over Takeo’s naked shoulders then up to his face. “You need help, Takeo. We need help.
Think. Who can we trust? Where will we be safe?”
Takeo’s brows furrowed, but he never took his eyes off of Panahasi, as if doing so would put them in danger. He seemed to be trying to fight his way back from whatever hell he was in. Kamiko just hoped Takeo was able to do so before something happened. He wasn’t strong enough to keep anyone safe if Takeo became violent.