Katie's Hope (Rhyn Trilogy, Book Two) (17 page)

“They just needed a little encouragement,” he
said with a shrug.

“It was a very good thing for you to do.”

“Sometimes I get things right.”

“You’re a better person than I am. I would’ve
let them all go down in flames for how they treated you,” she
said.

The awkward quiet fell again. He didn’t want
her storming out as usual when he said something wrong.

“Is it a boy or a girl?” he asked at
last.

“You don’t know anything about this do,
you?”

“I assume one day it hatches.”

“Hatches?” she echoed, astonished.

“Demons hatch.”

“I’m not a demon!”

“It’ll be a boy.”

“It could be a girl.”

“It can’t be. Girls can’t fight and they just
make life really difficult,” he snapped. He’d never felt like
panicking in his life but in that moment, he almost did. He stood
and paced.

“Look, I’ll make this easy on you,” she said.
“I’ll go live with Hannah, out of your hair, and you can run around
killing things and beating up your brothers. We’ll both be …
happy.”

“We’ll see,” he said. His thoughts went to
his father’s crypt.

“We’ll see what?”

“I’m thinking,” he growled. “You still intend
to leave me. I still don’t want to lose you, but all I do is cause
you trouble.” She looked down, and he noticed for the first time
one of her cheeks was red. “What happened to your cheek?”

“Nothing. Just pissing people off today. Did
you hear I found Sasha?” She hurried to change the subject.
“Rather, he magically appeared at the Sanctuary.”

“He happen to be carrying a clear
coffin?”

“No, but he had the vial of blood. I brought
it to Kris.”

That explains her cheek,
he thought
darkly, not caring one bit about Sasha or the vial. Katie couldn’t
stay with her sister if her sister chose Kris, or she’d be
subjected to the same treatment he was. His gaze went to her neck,
his resolve solidifying at the sight of her exhausted features and
red cheek. He had one chance to make a safe life for her and their
… hatchling. He found himself wishing again that Andre was alive.
Instead, he found himself mulling over the advice from another
brother.

“What’s wrong?” she asked as he paced.

“Maybe you’re right. We should split,” he
forced himself to say. “Sasha told me how to break our mating. I
think you have a better chance of being accepted by the Immortals
if you’re not my mate.”

She looked surprised. “Rhyn, what are you
saying?”

“I’m saying, I release you of our bond.”

“You
what?”

“I don’t know exactly how to do it, but from
this day forward, I’ll no longer claim you as my mate. You should
be safe now.”

He couldn’t read the look on her face. Her
emotions were flying and intense. He started to leave, and she
stood.

“Rhyn, wait!” she said. “I didn’t want to
leave you because of the Immortals or any of that. There’s
something else I need to-- ”

“Katie, if I do this, I know you’ll survive.
If I stay with you, I don’t know if you will. And now there’s the
hatchling to think about,” he said. “I’d rather lose you as my mate
than lose you forever. So, it’s done. I’ll always take care of you
both, but I won’t endanger you anymore.”

With regret heavy in his stomach, he left.
She didn’t try to stop him. He strode through the halls and
stairwells until he broke free of the castle. He would go to the
Sanctuary and bring Sasha back to Kris. He’d serve on the Council
and force it to stay together. He’d rebuild the Immortal empire and
use his half-demon skills to protect them all. He’d sacrifice
himself to the balance of good and evil by taking on the enforcer
role Andre’s death had left open.

Most importantly, he’d protect Katie by
building a world that was safe for her and watching over her from a
distance. Kris had sworn to protect her if Rhyn un-mated her. If
Kris were willing to protect a twisted bastard like Sasha because
of a stupid oath, he’d do the same for Katie. Maybe then, she’d
know peace. No one would hurt her or hunt her just to get to him.
He’d find a way to deal with the loss that ate a hole through his
body. What mattered was that she was safe, and he no longer caused
her pain.

Rage pounded through his body and he threw
himself into the air, relishing the pain the shapeshifting
brought.

* * *

“We found something while scouting the
forest.” The Immortal on the other side of his door was too excited
to wait until he entered to shout the news.

“Come in,” Kris ordered from his spot at the
conference table. It was otherwise empty, and he’d escaped for a
break from the death burning in the courtyards and any interaction
with others, especially a certain mortal who’d managed to reopen an
old wound. He looked up as the scout entered. Snow had begun to
fall again and clung to the scout’s clothing. “What is it?”

“Darkyn’s preparing for another attack in the
forest.”

“How many demons?”

“More than we have Immortals.”

Kris rose to find his brothers.

“Kris,” the scout continued. “There’s
something else. The demons are heading to the mortal village. We
heard them say they have orders to kill everyone.”

Kris was silent, surprised at Darkyn’s
audacity. Immortals and demons fought among themselves, for mortals
were too weak and temporary to bother with. It was an understanding
as old as the Dark One, who had stopped his demons once before when
they launched attacks on humans. While Kris would love to sacrifice
a certain infuriating mortal to further his cause, he wouldn’t even
sacrifice her, let alone allow Darkyn’s to wipe out a village. Any
bleed over of their battle into the mortal world was
unacceptable.

He strode into the hall, calling, “Kiki!”

His brother poked his head from the burnt-out
remains of Kris’s own chamber.

“Scout, tell him. I’m going to find my
brothers.”

The scout bobbed his head. Kris opened a
portal to the Indian Ocean Sanctuary, where Erik had gone to seek
out Ully. The vial was in his pocket, and he strode into the
Sanctuary, eyes roving for Erik or Ully.

The largest of the Sanctuaries, it was packed
with the majority of the Immortals who had been present in the
castle. His eyes took in the different people as he sought out
Hannah before realizing she had likely gone to the Caribbean with
her sister. Katie’s words stung despite his attempt to ignore them.
Someone had lied to her about Lilith, who had died defenseless and
alone. Andre never approved of Lilith, either, but he’d never
accused her of evil. An unbound Immortal’s mate had no protection
from demon or Immortal Code. He’d learned this the hard way when
Andre refused to do more than send Rhyn to Hell for killing Lilith.
Had she been his mate, Andre would’ve made Rhyn dead-dead.

Kris wasn’t about to lose Hannah the same
way. While Lilith’s tattoo-- and therefore, her bond to him-- had
never fully materialized, he’d find a way to ensure Hannah’s
did.

Frustrated at not finding either of the men
he sought, he created a portal to the Caribbean Sanctuary and
emerged outside the walls. He beat on the door then entered
unbidden. A small woman in a brown robe rushed to remind him of the
rules.

“I know, good lady,” he said. “I will not be
here long. By chance, have you seen-- ”

“Kris?”

He looked up at the sweet voice, his anger
melting at the sight of Hannah’s pretty face. She smiled
uncertainly. He excused himself to cross to her. She appeared
healthy, and her blue eyes were bright.

“I am glad to see you well,” he said. “Did
Toby make it safely?”

“Yes, of course. Katherine brought us
here.”

“I see. I gave orders that everyone was to
rendezvous elsewhere, but I am happy you’re safe.”

“I have something to show you,” she said and
took his hand, pulling him toward the guest rooms lining the small
courtyard.

“Hannah, I must-- ”

“It’ll be quick.”

He allowed her to pull him into her small
room and close the door behind him. He waited while she rolled up
her sleeve in excitement, then displayed the blood-red tattoo
there. Inside an intricate pattern of Immortal writing was the word
K R I S.
His throat tightened at the sight of something he’d
waited his whole life to see. No matter what lies Katie had been
told, he couldn’t believe what was said about Lilith. The evidence
Lilith wasn’t meant for him was clear. Immortals only had one shot
at their mates, and Andre had tried to warn him Lilith was not his
intended. His dead-dead brother was right, or Hannah wouldn’t bear
Kris’s name.

He caressed the tattoo with a thumb and
smiled, feeling genuine happiness for the first time since Andre’s
death. Hannah’s face glowed, and she threw her arms around him. He
held her close and breathed in her scent.

“Katherine was gone before I could show her.
She’ll be so thrilled to welcome you to our family!” she
exclaimed.

Kris knew the opposite to be true but said
nothing, enjoying the moment of peace. There was a tap at the door.
He pulled loose from her to answer it, not surprised to see another
of the convent members there, probably to tell him the same thing
the first did.

“Master Kris,” the woman said, “we have your
brother, Sasha, here. He’s in a deep sleep, but his presence here
is causing much unease among us.”

“Hannah, I promise to come back soon. I must
handle this,” he said, turning back to give his mate a kiss on the
cheek.

“You’ll return today?” she asked hopefully.
“Or can we go back to the castle?”

“I have to make sure the demons are gone
before you come back,” he said. “I will visit again soon, my
Hannah.”

She beamed another brilliant smile, and it
took all his willpower to leave her to see one of his least
favorite people. He rejoined the awaiting convent member in the
courtyard outside Hannah's room and trailed her through the
Sanctuary. A familiar shape in the dark corner of the cafeteria
caught his attention as he passed, and he paused to raise a hand in
greeting.

“Gabriel?”

The death dealer emerged. He looked …
different, though Kris couldn’t pinpoint why. His eyes were colder,
his face more somber. At Tamer’s height and built like a tank,
there had never been anything soft about Death’s assassin, but he
seemed more distant than usual.

“You here for me?” He gave the typical
greeting.

“No,” Gabriel said.

“For Sasha maybe?”

“No.”

“It would ease a lot of my issues if you
were,” Kris admitted. “Walk with me. You’re here to watch over
Toby, as usual?”

“Of sorts.”

Kris gave him a sidelong look. Gabriel had
been a friend to all the Council members, though he suspected the
assassin favored Rhyn the most.

“I hadn’t seen you in a couple of days.
Demons attacked us after Sasha did something with our father’s
body. I don’t know what he intended. He was safe at the castle,”
Kris said as they walked.

“People are often victims of their own
natures.”

“Do you ever find it difficult to follow the
Code when it seems so wrong to do so?”

“Not until recently.”

Gabriel’s ominous words made Kris uneasy. The
assassin had been an even greater stickler to the Code than he was.
Kris had come close to breaking the Immortal rules or his own oaths
to his father. To his knowledge, Gabriel never had, and the
assassin was not one who would ever allow emotion to cloud his
decisions.

“I guess there comes a time where even the
best of us are tempted,” he reasoned.

“Unfortunately, it seems that way. A good man
once told me sometimes all the choices we have are bad.”

“Wise words from a wise man,” Kris said. They
reached Sasha’s room, and the convent member pushed the door open
to reveal Sasha’s torn-up body. “What I can’t figure out is why he
came here.”

“His name isn’t on my list. He doesn’t have a
contract out on him yet,” Gabriel said.

Kris took in his mutilated brother’s body. He
thought of what the Council wanted him to do and of what Sasha had
done. Killing in cold blood was forbidden. He’d have to figure out
what to do with the wounded man. He could buy an assassination, but
part of him preferred the idea of handling family matters within
the family.

“When he’s well enough, we’ll move him,” he
told the anxious woman in brown. She frowned in response. “I’ll
post two Immortal guards to ensure he doesn’t do anything
stupid.”

She nodded, relief on her face, and he turned
away from his injured brother. He’d send someone to take Hannah to
a different sanctuary, unwilling to risk his newfound mate to one
as unpredictable as Sasha.

For her sake, he had to find a way to live
with Katie, or their differences would turn into a family feud. He
couldn’t bring himself to include Rhyn in the picture and hoped
Katie came to her senses one day and dumped the half-demon before
the worst happened, and she ended up extending the bloodline of the
loose cannon that was her mate.

“How long are you here for, Gabe?” he
asked.

“As long as it takes.”

“You’re here on business.”

“I am.”

“Good luck to you,” Kris said. “You’d have my
eternal gratitude if you could find a place for Rhyn in the
underworld.”

“Not here for him.”

“Maybe next time. I’m returning to the
castle. I’ll send Immortals to watch over Sasha.”

His thoughts on preventing demons from
killing innocent humans, he missed the resentful look that crossed
Gabriel’s face.

* * *

“
You will find him and bring the vial or
the girl to me, or I will spend eternity tormenting you!”

Darkyn’s angry words echoed in Jade’s mind.
His body was bloodied from Darkyn’s whip. The cold early winter
wind dried the tears on his face and made his cheeks stiff.
Limping, Jade returned to the site where he’d killed Sasha. Sasha’s
blood was hidden beneath fresh snowfall. He stopped to lean against
a tree to rest, unable to shake his own surprise at discovering
Sasha wasn’t dead.