Electric Heat (27 page)

Rylan didn’t say a word as he raked his fingers through his
hair. It fell back into place, not a strand out of order, everything in his
life ever obedient…except for her. It must annoy the very snot out of him that
she didn’t fall into line with the rest of his well-ordered life. When he
lifted his head, the raw emotions on his face, something he never allowed
himself to display so openly, struck terror in her heart.

He didn’t want her anywhere near that kind of powerful
destructive force. Hell, she didn’t want to be there either. Too bad neither of
them had a choice.

The Prime was coming for her one way or another.

Yet, despite all that, Rylan seemed to believe she was
capable of handling the weapon and the Prime.

Warmth spread through her at his belief in her, but she
wasn’t sure it was merited. Rylan had never seen the Prime in action, his
ruthlessness in battle, only the devastation he’d left behind. “I wish I had
your confidence.”

 “You don’t have a clue why people are drawn to you. Your
iron will and determination are a lethal—not to mention irresistible—combination.
Being a leader isn’t about giving orders. You don’t ask anything from anyone.
If there’s trouble, you’re the first one on the line. Courage and bravery are bred
into your very bones, and people are drawn to that strength. They know they can
trust you, that you won’t betray them. Once you give your word, you keep it. While
others issue orders…you get volunteers.”

Raven shifted uncomfortably. Something about the phrasing of
the words let her know it wasn’t exactly praise.

“Some people see your compassion as a weakness, but you
inspire them to be better and want more. That’s dangerous.” He stalked toward
the door, his shoulders bowed as if under a heavy weight. He glanced back at
her with unfathomable eyes. “You know what happens to heroes? They die. I have
no intention of letting you kill yourself.”

 Chapter Twenty-three

DAY FIVE: LESS
THAN AN HOUR BEFORE SUNSET

R
aven
waited in the tunnel that lead outside, needing a few minutes by herself before
the last of the wards fell. Rylan had disappeared after his dramatic
declaration, and she hadn’t seen him since. She was worried about what he might
do.

Each blow now shook the mountain so hard she half expected
it to tumble down at any moment. The walls seemed to close in on her, and the
need to get out scratched at the inside of her skull. Her energy had risen at
her unease, a living, breathing thing that pulsed in the air around her.

“I see you managed to scare away everyone else.” Nicholas
strolled into the tunnel as if he didn’t have a care, but his gait was stiff, still
not completely healed. With his curly hair and open face, he could pass for
human. That was until he stopped. It was as if he turned into a statue from one
moment to the next. There was something predatory in his stillness, and the way
he studied her sent her hackles rising.

“Why did you come?”

Though he remained smiling, something sinister moved behind
his eyes. “The Council sent me.”

Raven listened closely. Though she couldn’t detect a lie,
the total lack of inflection in his voice made her hand tighten around the
sword, and she cursed her carelessness for being caught alone. “Why are you
really here?”

He gave a humorless laugh and leaned his shoulder against
the wall. “I volunteered. You’re so honest and upstanding, I thought it might
be an act.” All humor was stripped away, his eyes becoming hard, seemingly
baffled as he stared at her. “You have no artifice.”

“Rylan said the same thing. You both make it sound like a
bad thing.”

“Those kinds of traits aren’t valued in the paranormal
community, not if you want to survive.”

“I don’t understand.”

He sighed, a gust of air which seemed to deflate him, and
shook his head. “Hope is a dangerous thing, especially to paranormals. You
don’t belong to anyone. You’re an outcast no one should look at twice.”

Each word gouged out a piece of her, not because they were
wrong, but because he was right. “What do you want?”

“You value honesty, so here it is. Jason was my friend. I
was his guard from the day he was turned. You worked his case, caught his
killer, but his father blames me for his death. I went from being a protected
member of the clan to having a target painted on my back. Those clawing and scratching
for status see me as an obstacle to overcome. All they have to do is take me
out to earn favor in the clan.” He spat the last word, but the unadulterated
fear on his face was very real.

Raven gave a half-laugh. “So you came to me to die on your
own terms? Maybe exact a little vengeance while you’re at it?”

He ran a hand over his hair and began pacing. Raven flexed
her fingers on the sword, not certain she’d be fast enough to defend herself if
he used his vampire speed. He didn’t even bother to look at her.

“You found justice for my friend. I will be forever
grateful. My failure was not protecting him in the first place. For that I was
sentenced to a year of entombment.” All defiance evaporated at the bleak future
before him.

Raven flinched at the harsh sentence. He would literally be
placed in a coffin, then buried alive. He would starve in the first month.
After three, he would be insane. After a whole year, all his humanity would be
stripped away, nothing remaining but a monster to be put down. “By coming here,
you delay your sentence.”

“Yes.” But he didn’t seem pleased at the reprieve.

Her heart sank as she stared at him.

He wanted her to save him.

The last thing she needed was to make an enemy of the whole vampire
clan.

“What do you want from me?”

He appeared hesitant for the first time, unable to look at her.
“Talk to Rylan for me. He severed his blood bonds and survived. I’m nearly a hundred
years old, the same age he was when he went through the process. I need to know
how he survived. It’s the only way I can escape my sentence.”

A sour taste filled her mouth, especially since she’d long
suspected her involvement had something to do with Rylan’s change. “When did
this happen?”

He gave her an odd look. “Nearly two hundred years ago. It’s
a legend. He’s one of only three who managed to break with his master without
willingly being released.”

She nearly dropped to her knees in relief.

Then her mind started functioning again. “If we stop the
war, do you think you might be granted a reprieve?”

He didn’t look hopeful. “Possible, but vampires aren’t
exactly known for their lenience. He might pardon the entombment, but leave me
to be ripped apart by the clan. I’m strong enough to protect myself, but it wouldn’t
be long before I’d be overwhelmed with challenges.”

Raven narrowed her eyes. “I’ll agree on one condition.”

He stilled, not even his chest moved, a fragile hope lighting
his eyes. “Anything.”

“Watch Rylan for me during the battle. Protect his back.
Don’t let him do something stupid.”

Only when he nodded did she release her breath. “Then I’ll
do my best to find your answers. If we survive, you’ll come back with us to my
house.”

He looked like she’d just thumped him over the head with a
two-by-four. “You’ll really do it.”

Raven smiled until a whisper of sound made her whirl. She
lengthened her stance and brought up the sword, the hilt tight in her grip. It
might be useless as a magical weapon, but it was still a usable blade.

A young witch gave a startled yelp when she turned the
corner, raising her hands in surrender. “Your shifter sent me to find you. He
found something in the well he wants you to see.”

“Durant?” She lowered the blade. “Where?”

She eyed the sword, both fear and awe in her expression.
“I’ll show you.”

Raven took a step when Nicholas pushed away from the wall
and followed. “I think I’ll join you.”

The witch stopped and stammered. “I didn’t…you don’t…” she
took a deep breath and tried again. “He said come alone.”

That would be the last thing Durant would ever say, since he
harped on her every time she disappeared without a guard. The creature rose,
scenting the air, and found the girl reeked of fear.

Anxiety for Durant coursed through her with crippling
strength. She barely held back from leaping at the girl and beating the truth
out of her. The chit wasn’t smart enough to concoct the plan and lure her away
all on her own.

“Nicholas, find Rylan and stay with him.”

He barely spared her a glance. “Once I deliver you to your
cat.”

He knew.

He’d somehow figured out it was a trap, and the stubborn
jackass wasn’t leaving. She debated ordering him to obey, but didn’t dare for
fear he’d make a scene, and their slight edge of surprise would be gone.

She couldn’t risk Durant being harmed.

The girl gave a nod, unaware of Raven’s private exchange
with the vampire, and scurried away like a mouse. Raven glared at the vampire
and picked up her pace. She’d become used to the noise of war and filtered out
the sounds, focusing on what remained. Whispered conversation. Laughter.
Running footsteps. A couple engaged in sex.

No sign of Durant.

Her calves ached from downward angle as they wound deeper
and deeper into the bowels of the earth. Soon everything faded until the
absolute silence became unnerving.

The tunnel became less carved and more roughhewn.

A low rumble echoed through the tunnels, and the girl smiled
nervously at them before speeding up. “Almost there.”

Raven shared a glance with Nicholas, her hand flexing on the
sword, and he gave her a nod.

They were ready.

The opening was surprisingly narrow, the walls worn and thin
with age. As they entered the well, she scanned the room for any sign of
Durant.

It was empty.

The cavern was ginormous, the soaring ceiling at least
twenty feet high. Ten foot spikes dripped down, resembling a giant maw about to
swallow them. It was downright chilly, the cold rising from the water, the twenty-degree
drop in temperature like a slap in the face. The walls were curved and smooth,
worn away by years of swiftly-moving current.

The acoustics amplified the roar of the underwater spring.
The water was like an impenetrable wall, spanning ten feet across, leaving a
narrow path on each side if you considered five inches a wide enough walk space.
The current churned like a whirlpool, the water frothing as it whipped past at
an amazing speed. It bubbled up from under a massive rock, before curving
around the bend and disappearing.

“This is the only way out of the fortress without triggering
the wards.” Two witches, a man and a woman, walked through the opening behind Raven.
Another one stood further back, next to the little mouse who trembled in the
shadows, his presence the only thing preventing the young girl from bolting.
“We were able to contact those outside. They’ve promised to let everyone go if
we hand you over.”

Raven didn’t care what they thought they were doing, only
one thing mattered. “Where’s Durant?”

“We just delayed him for a time. He should wake up in an
hour with a nasty migraine.” The woman waved her hand as if it was unimportant.
“Unless you don’t do as I say. Drop the sword and get in the water. The weapon should
never have been yours in the first place.”

Bitterness and the need for retribution oozed from the witch
in a toxic brew, corroding her ability to listen to reason.

Raven’s fingers clamped down possessively on the hilt, and she
glanced at the churning pool behind her. Part of her trembled at the thought of
being pulled under the water. “Don’t do this. If we strike hard and fast, this
might be our only chance to defeat the Prime.”

Doubt darkened the man’s face, but the woman scoffed. “This
is the only way to prevent a war. We negotiated a peace treaty. Once you’re
gone, we can leave safely.”

They honestly believed what they said, but they were fooling
themselves. “War is coming either way. You can leave today, but he will hunt
you down. By then it will be too late. He’ll be too strong, and you won’t be
able to stop him.”

“Get in the water or your cat won’t be the only accident.”
The woman showed her teeth in a malevolent imitation of a smile. “Funny things
happen in battle. Mistakes happen. People die.”

Raven backed closer to the ledge, and a spray of freezing
water soaked her clothes. Her creature snarled in displeasure, but didn’t make
any overt threats against the witches, not without confirmation that Durant was
safe. She could kill one or two of the witches, but not all four without giving
them a chance to escape. If Durant was unconscious, they could slit his throat
before he was even aware of the danger.

Though they seemed confident she’d survive being thrown into
the water, Raven wasn’t so sure. If hypothermia didn’t kill her, drowning
would. There was no guarantee she would come back this time.

“I won’t ask again. Drop the sword and get into the water.”
The pleased expression had dropped away.

Magic built in the air, but Raven wasn’t able to tell if the
attack was aimed at her or Durant.

She couldn’t take the risk.

Frustration at having her hands tied roared through her, and
Raven tried to release the sword but she couldn’t get her fingers to obey. A
sheen of light ran down the blade, barely visible under hundreds of years of
grime. When she blinked, it had vanished. Though she didn’t sense any magic,
the sword was preventing the separation.

“I can’t get the blade to let go.”

It didn’t deter them.

“It’s stuck.”

Magic swelled as three of the witches began chanting.

Raven stepped backwards and landed in water up to her thighs.
The cold literally stole her breath. The current was so strong she struggled to
remain upright. Nicholas clenched his jaw and jumped in after her, grabbing her
arm to steady her. He took a position at her side to keep her from being swept
away.