Katie's Hope (Rhyn Trilogy, Book Two) (21 page)

“Not yet.”

Rhyn looked away from Jade and stepped back
before he snapped and was banned eternally from the Sanctuary.
Daniela’s lips were pursed and her frown deep.

“We need to talk to him for a moment before
we leave,” Kris said. “He’s taken a human hostage, and we need to
know where she is.”

Daniela crossed her arms and gave a stiff
nod. Rhyn snorted at her defiant stance and Kris’s respectful bow
and leaned down to grab the rope binding Jade’s ankles. He dragged
the Immortal over the grass and concrete into the vacant room
beside Sasha’s. Kris entered and closed the door. Rhyn planted a
knee in Jade’s chest and sliced his gag free.

A torrent of nonsense escaped from Jade, a
mix of words that made no sense. Rhyn slapped him hard enough for
him to fall silent.

“Rhyn, just move,” Kris said impatiently.
Rhyn knelt on one side of Jade, close enough to reach him when
warranted. “Jade, I want you to tell me where Katie is.”

“In Hell, dead-dead, I cut off her arm and I
brought to Kris-- ”

Rhyn slapped him.

“I don’t know.”

Rhyn slapped him again.

“She’s outside!” Jade shouted.

“Outside where?” Kris demanded.

“Darkyn said the girl or the vial. He said to
trade her for it. I brought her with me.”

“Here?”

“Iliana, I have to get her help then
everything will be okay. If I get her help, she said everything
would be okay, and everyone would understand Sasha killed the
Immortals.”

Rhyn looked at Kris, puzzled by the
nonsense.

“Was she right, Kris? Will everything be
okay?” Jade asked imploringly. “I never meant for any of this.” At
their silence, Jade’s face went red and his eyes blazed. He
thrashed, knocking Kris back. “The whore lied to me! I should’ve
killed her! She swore this would-- ”

Rhyn snatched a pillow from the bed and
covered Jade’s head to drown out the madness.

“I see why he was gagged,” Kris said. “Did
any of this make sense to you?”

“Fucked-up crazy talk,” Rhyn responded. “He’s
wearing a collar. Can’t read his mind with that on.”

Jade’s shouts turned to screams, and Kris
motioned Rhyn out of the room. Daniela stood where they left her,
frowning fiercely. Even with the door closed, Jade’s madness and
the sounds of his body thrashing against the wall were audible in
the small courtyard.

“Almost done, good lady,” Kris said before
she could kick them out. “I promise you.”

“I’m going to Hell to get her,” Rhyn said and
started away.

“No, Rhyn. Just wait a minute. It makes no
sense she’d be there, and if she is, the demons have her, or Jade
wouldn’t be here alone.”

“He’s not alone.” Gabriel’s voice was quiet.
The death dealer emerged from the hall running between the two
wings, the trembling form of Lankha held under one arm like a bag
of cement. “He brought them both with him.”

“Katie’s here?” Rhyn seized on his words.

“For now,” Gabriel said and looked away. His
reaction fueled the sense of doom that had been growing since Jade
appeared with Iliana’s hand.

“Where? Is she okay?”

“This…” Gabriel lifted Lankha’s trembling
body, “is for Iliana. I left her outside the walls because I didn’t
want Toby to see.”

“I’ll grab Jade and meet you there,” Kris
said, striding to the door. “Thank God Iliana is all right!”

The sounds of madness had subsided during
their conversation. Rhyn thought nothing of it until Kris opened
the door. Jade had freed himself during his thrashing and launched
out of the door, machete in hand as he flung himself on Kris. The
weapon fell once, and Kris’s blood sprayed them both.

Rhyn reacted out of instinct. He flew to his
brother’s side, snatched Jade, and snapped his neck. The Immortal
crumpled. Kris appeared surprised and furious. The machete had
sliced through his collarbone, and blood spurted from the wound
into the courtyard’s grass. He reached for the weapon with a
shaking hand. Rhyn hauled him over his shoulder in a fireman’s
carry.

“I want all of you out,” Daniela whispered,
horrified.

“That shit works on Kris but not on me,” Rhyn
snapped. “Gabe, give me the healer, and get Iliana. Daniela, go get
a room ready for Iliana and send Toby and Hannah to the cafeteria.
Keep them busy for a while.”

Gabriel crossed to him and held out the
healer. Rhyn took the small creature under one arm. He didn’t wait
for the shocked leader of the Sanctuary to respond but took Kris
into one of the empty rooms and laid him out on the bed.

“Never thought you’d defend me,” Kris managed
through teeth clenched in pain. “Thought you’d be the first to turn
on me.”

“You’re a shitty brother, and you’re an even
shittier judge of character,” Rhyn replied. He set the healer down.
“Heal him, or I eat your village.”

“You’re such a dick,” Kris muttered. His face
was white with pain, and Rhyn looked over his brother. He’d lost a
lot of blood. If anyone could fix him, an Ancient healer could.

“I thought Lankha would be too busy,” Gabriel
said. “I brought her here.”

Rhyn moved to the doorway and watched him set
Iliana down gently on the floor beside the healer. The woman was
unconscious, her severed wrist wrapped in Katie’s sweater.

Katie’s sweater. It was her favorite one, and
she’d been wearing it when he last saw her. She really was on the
island.

“I have to go,” Gabriel said. He started
toward the courtyard. “I’ll come back in a little bit.”

“Where are you going, Gabe?” Rhyn asked,
following him. Gabriel stiffened, and Rhyn’s suspicion ignited.

“I have to go.”

Gabriel disappeared, and Rhyn gazed at the
spot where he’d been. The assassin had been acting strange for
quite a while. That he was troubled was no secret, though Rhyn
didn’t understand why, aside from being a slave to Death.

I don’t think our friendship will survive
what comes
.

She ordered me up for a job, but I’m
considering not going back
.

Katie was the job. Rhyn’s realization
paralyzed him for a long moment. He whirled and strode into the
room, pushing the healer aside to kneel over Iliana. He rested his
hand on her head and rifled through the half-dead woman’s
memories.

Jade locking her in a trunk, Katie screaming
at him not to cut off her hand while she writhed on the bed, Katie
sobbing and bandaging her after, blurred memories, the vision of
ocean and sand, nothing.

She was somewhere on the island. With a
curse, he rose and ran to the courtyard, changing into his demon
bird. Beating his wings so hard they hurt, he rose into the sky and
soared around the small island, finally spotting three lone figures
in small valley not too far from the Sanctuary. He dropped fast and
changed shapes too soon, landing hard on the ground near them.

All three whirled, and Katie’s eyes lit up.
It was the demon leader, Darkyn, who caught his initial attention.
He didn’t expect to see Darkyn here.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” he asked
before his eyes went to Gabriel.

“Half-breed,” Darkyn sneered. “Negotiating
with Gabriel over who gets your former mate.”

“There’s no negotiation,” Gabriel said in a
hard voice. “She’s on the list. She goes with me.”

“No, Gabriel,” Rhyn said. “She can’t be on
your list and if she is, the hatchling isn’t.”

“Death ordered both dead-dead.”

“Brother, I’ll kill you both if either of you
tries to take her,” he said. “You have a contract on her, Gabe?”
The assassin nodded. “Let me guess, Darkyn, the Dark One ordered
this.”

“We’ll just say he doesn’t disagree with
me.”

Rhyn’s heart dropped to his feet, and he
looked at Katie. He’d meant to make her safe and left her to the
worst fate imaginable. He’d never wanted to lose her, and he wasn’t
about to back down now. He leveled his gaze on Gabriel.

“All right.” He drew a knife from his boot.
“I’m challenging you, assassin, demon. You can have her when I’m
dead.”

“Rhyn, no!” she cried.

“I can handle it,” he said.

“Rhyn-- ” She started forward, and Gabriel
held out an arm to block her. Katie planted both her hands on his
arm to push it away. Gabriel resisted, and she glared up at him.
“Back off, Gabriel. It’s not like I can run anywhere!”

“Two minutes,” Gabriel warned. “By Immortal
Code, Darkyn and I are obligated to accept his challenge.”

Rhyn watched her approach, his gaze dropping
from his foes to her sweet face. Her eyes glowed with emotions he’d
been waiting for weeks to see. He wanted to sweep her away for one
last intimate moment before his death but doubted the assassin and
demon would wait.

“This is the stupidest thing you’ve ever
done,” she said.

“Letting you go was the stupidest thing. I’m
doing something right for once,” he replied, glancing at Darkyn as
the demon shifted.

“They’ll kill you,” she whispered.

“If they do, go with Gabriel. Death’s a
bitch, but she’s better than Hell.”

“This isn’t right,” she whispered. Her eyes
watered, and he marveled once again at how a half-demon fuck-up had
almost ended up with such a beautiful creature. He cupped one soft
cheek and rubbed away a hot tear with his thumb.

“I’m not dead yet,” he said, amused and
touched by her tears. She wrapped her arms around him, and he
pulled her close. Her small body molded against his.

“Can’t we just run away, right now? Turn into
a bird and carry me with you?” she asked, desperation in her
voice.

“Even if we did, they’d both come after
us.”

“You can go. I’d rather know you’re safe than
live without you.”

“No, Katie,” he said, his world clear for the
first time in his life. “I know where I belong, and it’s right here
with you. I have to make things right. I couldn’t live if I lost
you.”

“Katie,” Gabriel called.

“Rhyn, I love you,” she said.

“I know.” He forced himself to withdraw. He
gave her one last, long look and pushed her hair from her face.
With a kiss on her forehead, he stepped away. Gabriel drew a long
sword, and Darkyn pulled two free. Gabriel motioned her over to the
rocky area.

“Bring it, my friends,” Rhyn replied. He
moved a short distance away to more level ground and lowered
himself into a fighting stance. He’d never faced a full-blooded
demon and assassin at the same time before. Gabriel bent to whisper
something to Katie and then moved in front of him. Rhyn lowered his
machete and held his hand out. The assassin took it, and Rhyn gave
him a quick hug.

“To our destinies, brother,” he said for
Gabriel’s ears only.

“Forgive me, Rhyn.”

“Sometimes all we have are shitty choices. I
don’t fault you,” he replied. A tormented look crossed Gabriel’s
face, but he nodded once. Rhyn shook his arms out and looked at
Darkyn. “See you in Hell, demon.”

“Look forward to it,” Darkyn said.

Rhyn lowered himself into a fighting stance
and faced off against the two.

* * *

Horrified, Katie watched the battle from her
dreams as it began. Unlike the nightmares, this time it was real
and agonizingly slow. She’d cheered Rhyn’s sudden appearance but
then quickly understood what it meant: only one of them was going
to walk away from this. She wasn’t sure what she expected, but it
wasn’t for him to fight for her, especially when she was already
damned.

I love you, you fool!

The men battled with speed and agility that
left her breathless. Her eyes stayed on Rhyn, and she’d never been
as awed as she was watching him fight a flawless battle against the
full-blooded demon and the assassin. The scary, confusing world
she’d entered weeks before crystallized and grew clear as she
watched the lethal battle. She belonged with Rhyn. Nothing else
mattered

Break the bond, and Death will save you
both. Rhyn will die-dead otherwise
. Gabriel had whispered the
words from her dream before facing off against Rhyn. She tried to
decipher his meaning as she watched them fight, terrified to take
her eyes off Rhyn.

Rhyn landed a blow on the demon, who snarled
in response. She gasped.
He can do this! He can beat them!
A
few minutes later, Rhyn went down under Gabriel’s blow, rolled,
then bounded up, but not before Darkyn slashed his side.

“Rhyn!” she cried. Rhyn gave a throaty
chuckle and launched himself back into the battle. Though his side
was soaked with blood, he showed no sign of slowing. He couldn’t
outlast them. He’d landed one blow on Darkyn and none on
Gabriel.

Break the bond
,
and Death will free
you both
. She knew what it meant in her dream but was terrified
of following her footsteps. Katie tried to concentrate on the
words, wanting to help Rhyn before it was too late. She forced
herself to close her eyes to the battle and repeated the phrase
over and over, searching for another meaning.

“Not the time for riddles, Gabriel!” she
muttered. Rhyn had broken their bond. Unless, like her dream …
I
have to break it, too.
Her eyes flew open, and she stared at
the men battling. What words had Rhyn used? “I release you of our
bond, Rhyn.”

She opened her eyes, expecting a miracle to
occur and the battle to be won. Nothing happened. “I release you of
our bond, Rhyn.”

Nothing. Darkyn turned on Gabriel and slashed
his back. Rhyn blocked a second blow that might’ve taken the
assassin’s head off and shoved Darkyn before whirling to meet
Gabriel’s blow. Darkyn changed into his demon form and tackled
Rhyn, who threw him off.

He wasn’t going to make it. If he died, it
was because of her, and either Death or Hell would claim her.

“I can’t live with that, Rhyn,” she
whispered.

Death would free them.
Her
death, as
in her dream. There was no other choice. Her attention turned to a
different direction, the way they’d come from the beach. She
hesitated only a second more before she started running. She left
the sounds of the battle behind her, her thoughts on Rhyn and
nothing else.