Immortal Craving: Immortal Heart (17 page)

Kat was reeling. Brie had found her true mate in the form of a vampire who was now willing to help them find her.

This night was not starting out the way she had hoped. They’d lost Bain and
Izzy as backup, as well as Izzy’s
Argolette.
The little bugger would be of no help without her there to tell him what she needed him to do.

But Cree’s
Argolette
had been the key to finding Evan, which as crazy as it had been was merely happenstance. Not to mention he was the Vampire that sparked Bain’s hatred for the entire species. Even she knew the story of his youngest sister Holly—who had disappeared nearly seven hundred years ago. Bain filled in the details when they’d gone to check on him and Izzy before heading out on their first scouting mission.

Holly was the youngest of her, Bain, and Rowan. She had wanted out of her of her life of being the doted upon youngest daughter of an important
Fae family. So she had run off. What few knew, not even Kale, was that Holly had turned to a coven of Vampires for escape. Only it hadn’t ended well and while Bain refused to delve too deeply into the details… Whatever had ensued had cost Holly everything—most importantly her immortality.

Since the plans for the night had changed and now centered on hanging the Vampire, Josh, out as bait, it had become important to make Kat less obvious. She’d been funny when the caster was brought in to change her appearance. She didn’t want any spell changing her, so she allowed them to cloak her power as they did to Kale, his
brothers and Jake, then she picked up some supplies on their way to a club. The original plan had them heading to the Venetian to start their search but now they were headed to a seedier side that Vegas had to offer. Kat had changed from her cocktail dress to a pair of leather pants, a black, sequined, backless top, red stilettos, and a red, pixie-style wig. Both Kale and Jake changed into new outfits as well, sporting leather pants with long sleeve, very snug, black Henleys.

“You two look good enough to eat,” Kat cooed. Seeing the uncomfortable look on Jake’s face made her smile.

Kale shook his head. “Focus Kat, there are going to be a lot of Fae in there, mainly Vampires, and most of them wouldn’t be happy to know we were there.”

Yeah, an underground club with both Light and Dark
Fae who had used one of the four unguarded portals might get a little twitchy knowing four of the five Immortal Warriors for the Light were invading their club. Though Kat felt better knowing Lothar, Uriah, and Cree were somewhere inside, sticking to the shadows as they were so good at.

Kat linked one arm through Kale’s and the other through Jake’s. She then smiled. “This is going to be fun. I can already feel the energy humming in there.”

****

Kat wasn’t kidding when she said she could feel the energy humming in the dark club. One step inside and Kale was greeted by the bodies creating the
energy. Sex poured from the dance floor, as half-dressed and leather-bound dancer all but fucked in the middle of the club. Kale scanned the club to familiarize himself with their surroundings. There was a dark hall past the dance floor that a glowing EXIT sign hung above. The second-floor balcony held multiple private rooms, though the velvet curtains provided little privacy in a building filled with Fae creatures—most of whom had excellent hearing.

Kale spotted Cree on one side of the balcony and
Lothar across the open space over the dance floor on the other side of the balcony. Which meant Uriah was somewhere near the dark hallway. Evan was sidled up next to a petite brunette and a Vampire he assumed was Josh stood next to them.

“What now?” Kat asked.

“Now we play the role of partiers,” Kale said.

“And I head to the bar,” Jake said.

They’d decided Jake was the best option for staying close to Josh and Evan. Even if Brie recognized him, she wouldn’t think of him as a threat. She didn’t know Jake was in the human realm and she never had much, if any, contact with him while she was in Darion’s prison.

Kat placed a hand on Kale’s chest and fisted his shirt. “Let’s dance,” she smirked as she pulled him towards the writhing and grinding bodies on the dance floor.

Kale grinned and let her pull him along.

Kat wrapped her arms around Kale’s neck, her gaze scanning the faces
behind Kale’s back as she swayed and dipped her hips against him.

Kale held Kat’s hip tight, his finger pressing against the inch or so of exposed flesh as he tried to focus on the faces of the
Fae around them. But even with his heightened vision, most of the faces around them were cast in shadows.

“You see anything?” Kat asked, her breath tickling the skin near his ear.

“Not yet, you?” he asked, turning his face slightly to get a glimpse of her profile. Her beautiful, soft-featured profile, the line of her exposed neck, and the soft skin that stretched over her kissable jawline that flowed to her curved chin. The only sharp feature on her face was her cheekbones but, while sharp, they were far from harsh.

“No,” she sighed. “It’s impossible to see every face in this crowd.”

“That’s why we have so many other eyes out there looking with us.”

Nearly two hours later, Kale was turned on and frustrated in more than one way. Kat’s body had been pressed against his for at least three quarters of their time at the club; her hips hitting below his and his groin resting against her stomach. Kat’s eyes flicked to his, a sultry smile crossing over her lips as she swayed against his ever-growing erection.

There had been no sign of Brie as of yet.

“I don’t think she’s coming,” Kat said.

Kale turned her towards the bar, changing his point of view over the dance floor.

“I don’t think so either.”

Kale caught Cree’s gaze and shook his head; Cree nodded and fell back into the shadows.

“We’ll regroup and try again tomorrow.”

“What are you going to do with her? If she can stay with her true mate, she won’t be a threat any longer.”

Kale sighed, pulling away from Kat to lead her towards the bar. “I wish I knew, Kat. I really wish I had an answer for you.”

“Rowan’s fair,” she said, her voice barely carrying over the deep beats pounding from the speakers.

Kale nodded and hoped Rowan would find a way to help Brie, not only for Brie’s sake… but for Kat’s too.

“Well, now this is interesting,” a sarcastic voice echoed from behind Kale.

The voice sent slivers of unease down Kale’s spine and while he didn’t need to turn around to know who had spotted him… he didn’t need this particular
Fae at his back.

Letting go of Kat’s waist, Kale turned, making sure she stayed relatively hidden behind his stature.

“Zander,” Kale said the Luck-Eaters name with all the disdain he felt for this stain in Fae society. “Somehow I’m not surprised to find you here.”

Zander
chuckled, an ominous sound that had the hairs on Kat’s neck standing at attention.

“No, the depravity in this place is right up my alley, but this hardly seems like a place one would find one of Rowan’s Immortal Warriors.”
Zander pitched his voice to announce the fact that a warrior of the Light Fae had infiltrated the underground club.

While this place was filled with both Light and Dark
Fae, it bordered on breaking the rules of the Light. For one, the humans mingling with Fae, who showed no restraint or magic to hide who and what they were, was a punishable offense. Not to mention, while not technically a law, it was an unspoken rule that the Light and the Dark not mingle… a rule Kale had himself once ignored.

The grinding bodies that had surrounded them, occasionally even joining in on their dancing, slowed and mostly stopped. Every
Fae on that dance floor seemed to be captivated by the announcement that an Immortal Warrior had joined in on their fun.

“Is Rowan after something here?”
Zander asked. “I’d guess so if you felt the need to cloak your powers, and this beautiful thing hiding behind you… Well, you can’t hide the power of a
Succubus
—not in a place like this.”

Kale was more than acutely aware of what was happening around him and Kat.

“Umm… Kale,” Kat said in a barely audible voice.

Kale shook his head. He felt the press of bodies closing in on them. When the first strike came Kale ducked, spun, and grabbed the arm of the Vampire who’d attempted to take him by surprise. Kat yelped as the Vampire flew across the room, taking out a few of his buddies as he hit the dirty dance floor.

The next to strike out at him was a trio of Valkyries. The damn mythological creatures were a pain in the ass and most times Kale and his brothers avoided the warriors if they weren’t on the side of Light—they were a force to be reckoned with. As warriors themselves, they were well trained and didn’t always fight fair, but as Kale had learned long ago when it came to a life and death battle there were no rules and no such thing as a dirty blow.

He’d knocked a few balls in his day and, while he may have cringed the first time he threw a nut shot, it had given him the advantage he needed and saved a few lives in the process.

However, while the Valkyries had bigger “balls”—in theory—than a lot of the males he came across, their theoretical balls couldn’t be kicked to take them down and give him the advantage he needed. His brothers, however, could definitely sway the odds in his favor. Lothar landed with a thud next to Kale—Uriah and Cree soon joined in.

Jake was not far behind, closing Kat between himself and Kale.

“Get her out of here,” Kale yelled to Jake as more Fae joined into the fight.

Thankfully, not all of them were coming against him and his brothers. Evan and a handful of his Vampires were fighting off other Vampires that were clearly not part of Evan’s coven or the Light for that matter.

“I’m not leaving,” Kat shouted as Jake wrapped a meaty arm around her waist and hauled her off her feet. “Put me down!”

“Kitty, please stop fighting! We have to get out of here,” Jake pleaded with her as he fought through the dense crowd of both fighting and fleeing bodies.

“I won’t leave here without him, Jake. Please, I can’t let him get hurt.”

Jake growled with frustration as he turned to see Kale still facing off with a
Valkyrie. Thankfully, the other two were dealing with Cree and Lothar, evening out the odds.

Jake set Kat down, only to be rocked as the floor shook and a deafening roar drowned out the sounds of flesh being bruised and bones being broken. A hot flash of air swept through the room, flinging him, Kat, and every other body in the way to the left and opening up a path to the center where Kale and his brothers were still fighting.

This was not good. Kale felt the spark of flames—his instinct sending out a barrier to cover him, his brothers, and any other Fae fortunate enough to be within the magical protection. Kale’s eyes found the Jinn, who had just shook the building, sending bottles to crash against the floor as they lost their hold on the shelves behind the bar, knocked tables over, and sent bodies flying…

Bodies… Shit, Kat
. Kale couldn’t take his eyes off the Jinn long enough to search for her. All he could do was hope Jake had gotten her out of here like he’d asked. Because the damage the shower of fire the Jinn had spit across the room had vaporized those who hadn’t hit the floor in time to be spared from the flames.

Kale took a deep breath, fear for Kat nearly paralyzing him in his place.

“What are Rowan’s warriors doing here?” the Jinn sneered, releasing his human façade to reveal his true, more demonic form. An eight-foot, smokeless, flame body stood in front of Kale, narrowing its hollow eyes of onyx at the warriors.

It didn’t escape Kale’s perception that the
Valkyries he and his brothers had been fighting were nowhere to be found. Even the Vamps that had been attacking Uriah were gone—whether they had been destroyed or fled like cowards he couldn’t know.

“This does not concern you,” Cree spoke, stepping up next to Kale. “Can you hold the flames back?” he questioned quietly.

Kale gave a quick short nod.

“Well, considering the situation,” the Jinn responded, “I think I hold enough cards to ask you once again… What are you doing here?”

“Drop the fire act,” Cree responded, not about to be bossed around or questioned by anyone.

The Jinn laughed, tripling the flames he’d spewed before.

“Get as many out of here as you can. You have maybe five minutes,” Kale grunted to Cree. “There are too many flames; I can’t fight them and keep you all safe.”

Cree nodded and Kale pushed back the flames, encasing the Jinn as his brothers sprang into action, getting the injured
Fae from the building.

The Jinn continued to laugh at Kale. “So you can harness the flames that sustain me. Shall we see who can better
handle the unforgiving element?” he roared, pushing the flames back.

Kale stood his ground, sweat beading at the base of his neck. With one final sweep of his eyes, he caught Cree helping Jake move towards the exit and Kat’s limp body cradled in
Lothar’s arm. Her red wig and blood the only things left where she had landed.

Fear pricked Kale’s heart, followed by a roar of anger spiraling out of control at the thought he had lost Kat once again. The pain and rage flowing through him set his mind and body into action.

Kale smiled, a malicious twist of his lips. “Let’s,” he growled, releasing his hold on the fire.

Kale sucked in a deep breath, pulling the flames into a massive ball of fire, and then released it with a swing of his arms, sending it flying into the far wall of the club. The ball exploded, using
the broken bottles of alcohol to fuel its heat.

The Jinn merely smiled at Kale as the warrior stalked towards him, showing no sign of fear. Not even a drop of apprehension flared in him when Kale stopped inches in front of him.

“You don’t fear me?” Kale asked low and dangerously.

The Jinn chuckled. “Not in the least, little warrior.”

Kale nodded and smiled. “That will make this easier,” he said flatly.

With a movement too quick to track, Kale thrust his hands deep into the Jinn’s flaming chest. For the first time fear flashed in the dead, black eyes of the fire demon. Kale held his ground and pushed his hands further into his chest, closing his fingers around the source of the fire. With a grin, Kale pulled the
heart of the Jinn’s fire from him—a pulsing blue flame the size of a large fist was held tightly in Kale’s hand. The Jinn fell to his knees as the flames that created his body began to fade.

“I wield the element,
always
,” Kale whispered before closing his hand completely around the blue flame, essentially snapping out the fire.

The Jinn turned to ash at Kale’s feet. Kale wasted no time leaving the burning building that began to crumble around him. The flames couldn’t hurt him but a couple tons of falling debris would make for a real shitty ending to the evening.

****

Kat’s head was throbbing, her eyelids felt heavy, but her body felt
weightless against the cool night air…
cool?
That didn’t seem right and why was her hair whipping around her face? And what was that whooshing sound?

Kat cracked one eye open, to find her herself cradled against a chest covered in a ripped and singed black fabric, and a set of massive black wings carrying her through the dark night sky.

“Kale?” she managed in a weak and rough voice.

Kale looked down at her and smiled as he dropped to the roof of Desert Brew. How Kat found the strength to replay the events they’d shared on this very roof was beyond her, but a flicker of heat threaded its way through her body.

Kale released a relived breath. “There’s my
Kitten
, you scared me.”

Kale shifted her weight to pull open the rooftop door and head back to their suite.

“What happened?” she asked, finding her voice muffled as she snuggled into his embrace.

“You got knocked in the head pretty good.”

Memories flashed back to Kat as they descended the stairs.

“The last thing I remember was Jake trying to make me leave the club.”

“And being the stubborn woman you are, you chose not to listen to me,” Kale said with a stiff tone.

“I was worried,” she admitted.

Kale huffed. “Yeah, well, so was I—about
you
. You’re lucky that Jinn only threw you out of the way; some others weren’t so fortunate.”

Oh god…

“But our people… they’re ok, right?”

Kale smiled down at her with a lifted brow.
“Our people?”

“You know what I mean—your brothers, Jake, the Vampires that were there with us?”

The amusement left Kale’s face. “Everyone’s alive.”

“
Who’s hurt?” she demanded, fear spiking her tone higher than normal.

“Uriah got burned pretty badly and Jake suffered a knock-out blow a bit worse than yours.”

“Oh god… How bad was Uriah burned?”

She knew Jake would be fine. He was tough and it wasn’t like this was the
first time he’d been knocked out, but burns—those were a whole different story. They were painful in a way someone like Kale probably couldn’t even begin to understand.

“The burns cover most of his back, which means his wings are likely going to take some healing as well. They may not have been out but his back is in pretty bad shape… Cree brought him back while I finished with the Jinn. He’s with Bain now.”

Kat let out a shaky breath. “Good… Bain can fix it? I mean, he’s like a super healer right?”

Kale shook his head, a grin spreading across his face. “Never tell him you think he’s a super healer. The man has an ego a mile wide already… but
yes, Uriah will make it through this.”

When they reached the bottom of the stairs and Kale pushed open the door
to their living space, five sets of eyes lifted to them—all drawn yet relieved to see their return.

Izzy
leapt from the couch as Kale set Kat on her feet.

“I’m sorry, Kale,”
Izzy said frantically.

Kale lifted a brow at her.

“You now, for what happened in the dining room and for Bain not being able to be there with you guys because of me.”

Kale shook his head. “This isn’t your fault,
Iz—you know that.”

“That’s what we’ve been telling her,” Rowan said, rising from her spot next to Cree. “Are you ok?”

Kale nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine. How’s Uriah?”

“He’s passed the hell out,” Bain said as he entered the living area. “He’s pretty much all healed but he needs to sleep the rest of it off.”

“Thanks, man,” Kale said to Bain.

Bain rolled his eyes. “No need for thanks. Who’s next?”

“Kat might need her head checked,” Kale said, looking down at her at his side.

“No doubt,” she said, “but physically, it’s fine.”

Bain chuckled. “You sure?”

“Yeah, what about Jake?” she asked.

“He’s still out. I put him in his room. His vitals seem good,” Lothar answered.

Kat looked to Bain.

“No worries, I’ll go check on him now.”

With that, everyone started to separate—it’d been a long night. Cree and Rowan headed to the balcony.

“I’m going home with Rowan. I’ll be back in the morning. We’ll regroup then and decide on our next move.”

Lothar
said his good nights before heading off to check on Uriah once more and then turn in for the evening. Izzy had followed Bain when he left to check on Jake.

Kat started to follow, heading for the hall and to her room, but no more than three steps later, she pitched forward.

“Kat? What’s wrong?”

She waved Kale’s concern off. “I’m fine, probably a little internal bruising.”

Kale studied her face, pain evident in her soft features. With gentle hands he swept her into his arms and headed for his room.

Kat didn’t fight Kale’s concern. She didn’t fight him when he took her to his bathroom and started the shower. Not even when he began stripping her clothing off, or when he stripped himself down and pulled her into the warm spray with him.