Guardian (The Protectors Series) (24 page)

N
o doctor could save a patient who truly wanted to die.

Stefan knew that as well as anyone, and no sane person could blame that nameless mage for giving up. She’d gone into shock and died, as she’d hoped. Three forced pregnancies, with repeated rapes leading up to each one and other abuse mixed in, had been more than she could bear.

Killing her would’ve been a kindness. What kind of wimp, what kind of naive, self-righteous prick, was he, that he couldn’t do it?

Shutting his eyes, leaning back on his crappy mattress, he tried to block the memory of that damnable procedure. The hybrid babe had lived, a female ghoul destined to grow up steeped in dark magic and prey on its mother’s kind. That was all anyone besides him cared about. The ghouls had tossed the unwilling mother’s corpse on the trash heap.

She’d deserved better. What an ass he’d been, promising her everything would be okay. He couldn’t even get himself and Mel out of this hellhole.

Fatigue dragged at his shoulders and blurred his vision. Stefan scrubbed at his eyes with the heels of his hands.

The ghouls had hosed her blood off of him in the yard. There had been so damned much blood. His cooperation had earned him dry pants and better digs, marginally. He had a suction straw for water and a shower, over in the far corner. No curtain, of course, but this room included a worn towel and a blanket for the mattress.

Whoopee. Wasn’t he so damn special?

The door handle turned, his warning to haul his ass up. For Mel’s sake, Stefan did. The ward between him and the door kept him from jumping the guards, even if he’d been willing to risk that.

The door opened. Despite the dampened state of his magic, he felt the ward drop.

“A reward for your good work,” the taller of the two male guards said. He held an Uzi trained on Stefan while his companion jerked Mel into view and slung her inside, sending her reeling. Stefan caught her before she fell. Damn it, she was shaking, clinging to him. He tightened his hold.

The ward rising again sent prickles over his bare skin. “You fuck, and she’s dead,” the guard announced, closing the door.

As though they would risk creating a child the ghouls would kill or use as an organ donor.

Mel buried her face in his neck on the uninjured side, and he locked his arms around her. When he laid his cheek against her hair, it felt sticky. Dirty. She smelled of sweat.

Stefan tightened his hold. “Mel, what happened?” He leaned back to look at her, but she kept her face hidden against his shoulder.

“They decided I needed a workout.” Miserably, she added, “To keep me fit for breeding.”

Damn them to the vilest torments of hell
. “That isn’t going to happen.”

“It could. We both know it could.” She stroked his back, offering comfort now as well as taking it.

“I’m doing what I can.” Once he succeeded, though, the ghouls would have no need to humor or bribe him. He and Mel would be used however their captors chose. Slow but verifiable progress was their only hope.

That and a mage rescue force.

But ghoul nests were screened from scrying, and trackers were hard to come by. Too bad Griff was out of the business.

Finally, Mel looked up at him. Her eyes widened when she saw his swollen lip, and her expression turned murderous. Yet her fingers were gentle on his injured mouth. “What did they do to you?”

“I got angry and stupid, and I challenged one of them.” He caught her hand and held it to his face.

“I’ll kill them, I swear,” she said in a low, hard voice.

Stefan shook his head. “I’ve had worse on the mats with Griff and Will. It’ll heal fast, thanks to the magic, so don’t sweat it. Let’s focus on getting out of here as soon as possible.”

“I’m all for that.” Her face tightened, with fear this time, and he wanted to kill whoever had threatened her with breeding today.

“I can’t promise,” he said, hating that truth, “but I’m doing my best to buy us time. As long as I can, they won’t breed you.”

“If it comes to that,” she began, but she stopped to press her trembling lips together and draw a deep, audible breath. “I will survive it, Stefan, somehow. I promise you. I’ll see these lunatics dead or caged if it’s the last thing I do.”

He stared at her, at the courage she’d forced through fear.

“I love you,” he said. The words bubbled out of him, simple, unanticipated, and undeniable. “I love you, Mel.”

A stunned expression washed over her face. “Oh, Stefan.”

“You don’t have to say anything. I don’t expect anything. But I wanted you to know in case I don’t have another chance to tell you.”

She cupped his face in her hands, and her grave eyes roamed his face. “I love you, too, Stefan. I always have.”

For an instant, he couldn’t breathe. Then joy erupted in his soul, powerful enough to lift his heart even though they stood in this hell. Grinning so broadly that it hurt, he kissed her, ignoring the pain in his lip. She opened for him, warm and passionate and welcoming. He could feel the love rolling between them. If they were going to suffer and die here, they’d at least have this moment to rejoice in their reborn love.

Mel pressed her face against his shoulder, holding him. For a few moments, he simply held her, savoring this bit of sweetness in this abominable place.

“I didn’t have time to tell you much the other day,” he said, caressing her waist, “and there’s a lot you still need to know.”

She scanned his face, her eyes solemn, before her lips turned up in a wry smile. “If you can get us out of here, I think I can deal with whatever that involves.”

“You’re amazing.” He brushed a kiss onto her forehead. She was stronger than he’d expected. When they were out of here, she wouldn’t stop until she knew everything.

After this, she had a right. And anything he did now was justifiable on grounds of saving her life.

Regardless, he was done lying to her.

Her fingers slid gently over his healing shoulder wounds. “You recover fast. I’m glad, but we need to talk.”

“Yes, but first things first.” He led her over to the mattress. “If you were hiding a camera in here, where would you put it?”

“That’s easy. Air vent. With no furniture, I wouldn’t have many choices.”

As he’d suspected. “If I boost you up, can you look? You’ll also need to touch the vent cover, see if you feel anything similar to what you felt in Cinda’s living room when I showed you how you could sense energy.” If ghouls could screen something as big as a nest, they could screen a tiny camera.

“Okay, and then we absolutely have to discuss how you know so much about these freakazoids.”

“Agreed.” He bent over to wrap his arms around her. Warm, smooth, bare hips and buttocks pressed against his arms. Gritting his teeth as his cock throbbed, Stefan straightened and lifted her.

Mel peered into the grating, then ran her fingers across it. “Nothing.” She glanced down at him. “It’s clear.”

Stefan lowered her slowly. “Microphones?” If the ghouls came back soon, this time might be wasted, but discussing escape was a waste if they were overheard.

“I’ll check,” Mel said.

As she moved through the tiny space, feeling around the toilet, the plumbing fixtures, the doorjamb, he couldn’t help watching her. That scrap of fabric barely covered her. When she bent over, it showed everything she would consider private. Yet she was holding herself together.

His patient today had held on for a while, but everyone had a limit. The dead mage had reached hers. Stefan couldn’t allow Mel to lose hope.

“Do you want a shower, a fast one?” he asked. “We could talk while you wash.”

She cast a longing glance at the rig in the corner. “What if they come back?”

“We’ll get that pornographic excuse for a dress on you fast.”

“Okay.” She untied the side strings and pulled the scratchy fabric over her head.

Stefan’s cock jumped. His palms ached to slide over those sleek curves. Not smart, not now. He wheeled, putting his back to her.

The water came on. “You can look.” Mel sounded amused. “You’re the only person here I don’t mind looking.”

“It’s better if I don’t get distracted. We have no idea how much time they’ll give us.” Behind him, she gasped and he figured the water was probably cold. “When we’re out of here, I promise you a hot shower and a great meal from room service at the hotel of your choice.”

“I want a nice California cabernet, too. An expensive one.”

“It’s yours,” he promised.

“We need those paper clips. Can you really steal them?”

He told her about the cluttered desks. “I’ve never seen anyone sit at them though the junk seems to move around on most of them. Whoever uses them must do it at night.” Ghouls were more active then, anyway. “I’ll find a way to bump into one and knock some stuff on the floor. I should be able to palm a couple of paper clips.”

Behind him, the water shut off. “Don’t take chances,” Mel said. He heard the slide of rough cloth over wet skin as she dried herself, then a rustle as she pulled on the minuscule tunic.

“I’m careful.” Someday, he would wrap her in cashmere and cradle her in his arms in front of a roaring fire. Once he’d warmed her, they would make love by that fire, then go to bed under a down comforter.

“Okay.” Mel slid an arm around his waist. “Talk to me about our charming hosts.”

Stefan kissed her lightly and finger-combed her wet hair. “You have goose bumps. Lucky for you, my upgraded suite comes with a blanket.”

“Nothing like luxury accommodations.”

Yeah, paid for with the blood of a patient who deserved so much better.

Stefan shoved the memory aside. Mel was only trying to lighten the mood. They wouldn’t have much time, and he refused to bring her down to his gloom.

“Let’s huddle under the blanket while we talk,” he suggested. It was thin, blue fleece, cheap but heavy enough to warm her.

Mel snuggled against him, and he draped the blanket around them both to hold in shared body heat. “Right,” he said, “our hosts. They call themselves ghouls. They eat only fresh kill and can’t breed with each other.”

“Can’t breed? What, like mules? Or is it some kind of rule?”

 “I know this is tough for you to believe, but they’re not human.”

“I’d kind of gone there already. What else?”

“Their use of dark magic creates genetic mutations that cause those restrictions. They kidnap other people, mages and normal humans, for breeding. They want mages because sucking out magic with their claws gives them an energy boost.”

“What does ‘dark magic’ mean?”

“Blood rituals. Demon summoning. We think that’s where the ones with purple eyes get their extra power, from demons. They also use magic to manipulate people for evil purposes, and those talons of theirs can inject venom, suck out life energy and magic, or, apparently, blood. They’re vicious and completely amoral. Nothing matters except what they want. They’re also nocturnal, so our best chance to escape will be during the daytime. Noon would be good.”

“When the sun is highest.” Mel nodded. “Their eyes aren’t right. The whites are muddy. And they have those claws that seem to appear and disappear on their hands.”

“Yeah. Those claws inject the toxin that was in Cinda’s blood and Wiley’s.”

“The toxin that was in your shoulder.” She touched it gently.

Stefan caught her hand to kiss it. “The same. I could give you a long explanation, but the rest is complicated.” Discussing ghoul mutations would lead directly to the specifics of magic and interdimensional portals and demon invasion. That wasn’t the stuff of quick little chats.

Mel’s gaze sharpened. “How do you know all this?”

“I’ve seen their handiwork before. But the wounds don’t usually look clean and smooth inside, and the location of Wiley’s and Cinda’s wounds and the business with Cinda’s liver are new.”

The disappointment in her eyes deepened into disapproval. “You should have told me and Burton.”

“The one we fought at Wiley Boone’s house looked like one I’d seen before but far bigger and stronger. Faster, too. Add that to the forensic evidence from Cinda’s death, and I wasn’t certain.”

“That’s a point, I guess.” Mel rubbed her face against his shoulder. “You can trust Burton.”

“I know, but I also didn’t want…hell, I might as well tell you. I may never be able to tell Burton.” Stefan ran a hand through his hair. “Some people freak when they face the truth about magic, Mel. It could be dangerous, for him and for…people like me.”

She frowned, and he could see the disapproval in her face, but she said only, “We can talk about that later. First, we have to get out of here.”

“I can’t argue with that.” He couldn’t stifle his relief, either. “Once I ditch this collar, I’ll need a few minutes to recharge my magic, and we have to get the guards to drop the ward, the energy shield, around this room. The collar keeps me from drawing natural energy the way I need to, and I can’t take out that ward until I’m back to full power.”

Mel’s lips twisted in a wry smile. “I have no idea what that means, but you can explain it to me later. I want to know about all of it.”

He kissed the top of her head. “Whatever you want.”

Mel sat silent, maybe thinking about what he said. After a couple of minutes, she looked up at him. “What do they have you working on?”

“Whatever they’re using to hop up their guys burns through their metabolisms. They want me to stabilize it.”

“Stefan, you can’t.” Her face tightened. Fear made her eyes huge, but she spoke firmly. “You mustn’t.”

“I don’t mean to. I’ll give them just enough to keep us safe until we can escape.”

“They said something weird to me, the guards. About opening a portal with the ‘transformed’ and their allies. Do you know what that means?”

“Yeah, and it’s bad.” Stefan pinched the bridge of his nose. “The kind of portal they’re talking about means access for the worst kind of demons. The ghouls tried that in the late summer, but some of us managed to stop them.” He was going to tell Mel everything, but he couldn’t give up his friends, even though their actions at the swamp might’ve unmasked them.