Kiss Of Twilight (26 page)

Ben had a few minutes of clear thought. It happened that way sometimes, the part of him that used to be human trying to reassert control. He knew he was being followed. Stupid half breeds. Hadn't he trained most of them? These two hadn't learned a damned thing. Bad for them, good for him. He'd skipped dinner.

But, the neglected reasoning side whispered, these two could serve a purpose other than feeding his bloodlust. He could use them to his advantage. One at least. The other would be good for a quick snack. He let them follow him until they were leaving the residential area and moving into the woods, into his territory.

He didn't attack until he knew his demons were close and he could send out a telepathic summons. He let them kill the first soldier, a boy-man he vaguely remembered as being unimportant, while he reached with his mind to trap the other. He'd underestimated his growing weakness though, and the young soldier's strength. He had to release Gia to hold onto this one.

Instead of fury, however, he was euphoric. The woman was trapped in a cell she couldn't escape, and taking this prisoner would have the others running straight to him. He'd had plenty of time to telepathically send a cry for help. All Ben had to do was set up an ambush and wait. Dupree and Winter would fall right in, and the other one, the girl called Kara, he'd get her later with the help of his half breed spy.

Something was going on. The tension level outside her cell grew steadily all day. Ben raged. The stink of fear was heavy in the air. Her demon wanted to gorge on it and she felt her control slipping.

She huddled on the bed, knees pulled to her chest and arms wrapped around her legs, and a hysterical laugh slipped out. Losing control? She'd lost. She was barely sane. The demon, sensing it had won, surged forward, talons digging into parts of the mind that had always been barred from it.

She gasped at the pain and fought back.
No. I won't end like this.
It was a long struggle and in the end she didn't know why she bothered. She was going to die here. Alone and forgotten and nameless.
I'm Gia,
she reminded herself.
I'm Gia.

Somewhere in the distance Ben bellowed and something screamed, loud and inhuman. It fell silent in the next instant and Gia thought she could make out crunching sounds. Her stomach roiled and she curled into a ball on her side, eyes squeezed shut, and prayed for rescue.

It was dark and quiet the next time she woke. She stayed still a long time listening. It was too quiet. Some kind of trick? Had the demons abandoned the lair and left her behind? She stood and inched toward the wall next to the door. Nothing. No sounds. She peeked through the slats on the tiny window. She could only see a couple feet down the hall in either direction. Anyone could be lurking, waiting just out of view.

She stepped away from the door and leaned back against the wall. And that's when the change registered. Her mind was free. Ben had either decided she was no threat or he'd dropped his blocks. Why? It had to be a ruse, but it might also be her only chance to escape.

Moving back to the door, she set her palm over the spot where she guessed the locking mechanism was. She was a strong telekinetic but she'd never been great with locks.
It's just a matter of focus, Gia
. But ten minutes later, tears of frustration burned her eyes. She was half starved, physically and psychically weak. Her mind kept slipping off the lock.

Somewhere far away she heard noise, but was it really far? Sound traveled strangely in these underground caves and tunnels. She almost gave in to the urge to cry. They were coming back. Wiping her eyes dry, she glared at the damned door. She was getting out of here or she'd die trying. She ran mental fingers over the catch, gripped the spring and pulled with all the force she could marshal. It was finally enough. She wanted to sag in relief but there wasn't time.

She wrapped her fingers through the window slats and tugged. The door swung open and she cringed at the loud creak. Shit. If someone was close by, they had to have heard that. But no one came running. She poked her head out and looked in both directions before stepping out. Nothing. When she pulled the door closed, she listened for the click of the lock. Hopefully, it would be a while before they checked on her.

But now she had to find a way out. Teleporting wasn't an option. Even if she weren't too weak, she didn't have a solid memory of a safe place to go or know that she was close enough to attempt it. There were distance and depth limitations in teleportation. No, she had to get out on her own feet. So she went to the right, the way she remembered being brought in. Every few dozen feet thin sunlight filtered in from the ceiling. The edges around manhole covers maybe? So she was somewhere in the city.

She walked a long time, a slow ambling crawl more like, and paused where the smooth-walled sewer changed into a rough-walled tunnel. There had been a wall between them. Some of the bricks were still lying around the ground. The demons had punched through here probably to access part of the sewer system that was no longer used. Some memory pricked at her mind. Something she should know about the tunnels and closing off areas, but she couldn't grab onto it.

Frustrated, she moved on. It was much darker in the tunnel with no sunlight flickering in and her pace slowed even more. She walked a long time, ignoring the tunnels that branched off every now and then, and was beginning to relax when she saw the glow of a fire ahead. Probably a torch, not a flashlight. Demon.

She turned into the next tunnel moving as quickly and quietly as she could. It wasn't long before she heard running water and eventually the tunnel opened into a large cave with a stream running through it. More tunnels branched off the sides, but up one sloping wall of the cave sunlight glared like a bright beacon.
Freedom.

Noise filtered through one of the tunnels, rough voices but too far away for her to make out. It had to be demons. Why would anyone else be down here? Unless her people were looking for her. She frowned and started to crawl up the loose dirt and rock slope. Who were her people? She didn't remember. Behind her the voices grew louder but were still indistinct. She hurried. She wasn't waiting around to discover if they were friend or foe and they'd reach this cave in the next few minutes.

She slid, bit her lip against a desperate cry and started moving again. So close. Ten feet. Five. Daylight. She peered out the small opening only a moment before slithering through. It was a small clearing next to a hill with a well worn trail leading from one side. She knew this place, but didn't know how and that made her suspicious.

The sun was low in the sky. She figured she had a few minutes till nightfall. A few minutes to find safe shelter. But where was that? There was one image in her mind, a place she knew she could wish herself to. No, not wish.
Teleport, Gia. Teleport.
Someplace safe. Someplace...only one other person knew about? She was certain that was true but she didn't remember who it was. A man she thought.

There was no help for it. She'd go there. Rest. Recover. Try and get her brain back in working order. It was full dark now. She closed her eyes and envisioned the room then pushed herself there. There was a moment of disorientation. When she opened her eyes, she took a deep breath, walked to the bed and collapsed.
Safe.

For now.

She sat up and looked around. The bed was huge, covered in a thick black mink blanket. There was a dresser, a short stack of books and a mini fridge. She went straight for it. It was well stocked. Someone had been using this place. She got a bottle of water and a deli sandwich. She unwrapped it, opened it, sniffed just to be sure. Roast beef and the best damned thing she'd ever eaten. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had food and she forced herself to take careful, slow bites.

It stayed down and though she was tempted, she didn't reach for anything else. She didn't want to push her luck. Now what? There was a hidden alcove she hadn't paid attention to before. Now she approached it cautiously and flipped a switch right outside the opening, glad no one was around to hear an exhale that had to sound like the pure lust it was.

As far as bathrooms went there was nothing exceptional about it. Unless you hadn't seen one in God only knew how long. She turned a knob in the walk in shower and hot water blasted out. Bending, she unlaced her boots and yanked them off, next went her clothes, no more than tattered rags after her captivity, and then she stepped under the water, pulled the glass door shut behind her. Heaven.

It poured over her, hot enough to sting and turn her skin pink but damned if she cared. She pulled her long braid over her shoulder and carefully started to work it loose. After being neglected so long she wasn't sure if she could save her hair. It was a ridiculous thing to be upset over but that didn't stop the tears from pricking her eyes. She worked at the plait, slowly untangling knots with her fingers until it hung loose. She couldn't do more without a brush and the floor of the shower was littered with long strands that hadn't survived the unraveling of the braid.

She moved to stand under the water, getting her hair wet as she reached for a bottle of shampoo on the shelf. She unsnapped the top and lifted it to her face to smell. Strawberries. Was this her choice? Or something the man had bought for her? The idea nettled, but she shrugged and poured some onto her palm. It was all that was available and the lure of being clean far outweighed irritation over a man choosing how he wanted her to smell.

When she was finished, washed, conditioned and rinsed, she didn't want to get out but the water was cooling. She turned it off, opened the shower door and stared at her ruined clothing on the floor with distaste. There was a towel on the shelf over the toilet and she wrapped it around her body, using a second smaller one to wrap around her hair turban style.

She hadn't seen a closet but there was a dresser. What were the chances it was empty? Slim, she was betting. Tile floor gave way to thick rugs as she reentered the main area and she was tempted to drop the towels and curl up in the big bed. She could sleep for days. But despite feeling safe in this place, she had a nagging sense of urgency. She didn't want to be caught here by the mysterious man she couldn't remember.

Avoiding the temptation of sleep, she went to the dresser and started with the top drawer. The first and second were filled with men's things. She pulled out a pair of jeans and held them up to unfold. He was tall. She put them back and lifted a T-shirt. It would engulf her. Whoever he was, the man was big. The feeling of urgency grew sharper and she opened the next drawer with a sigh of relief. These might not be hers but she could tell when she pulled out black pants and a matching long sleeved shirt they'd fit.

She found socks and underthings in the bottom drawer and beneath them two wicked looking blades and a holstered pistol. The weapons felt natural in her hands, like she'd been born to use them. She set them on the bed and dressed quickly. She stuck the knives into her boots, checked the gun's magazine to find it full and clipped the holster to her jeans at the small of her back. Then she took a last uncertain look around. She wanted to stay here but the compulsion to leave was too strong to ignore. Where could she go, though? She didn't remember any place else. There was also the not so insignificant matter of her former captor. She should wait until she was stronger to go after him. She knew it. But even with her memory full of holes, she knew that was against her nature. Knew she had a duty, an obligation, to eliminate his threat. Find some place to recover and build her strength or attempt to kill Ben?

And then there was no time to debate it. The air grew heavy and charged, an event she associated with someone teleporting in. Friend or foe? Lover or ex? She didn't stick around to find out.

Dupree ordered Kara to stay at the rear of the squad, but it didn't alleviate the queasiness knotting his stomach. He didn't want her there with them, but Winter had called the squad. The
whole
squad and not even the master at arms had the authority to overrule her. They'd come out here to check out a cave entrance a patrol of lupines had discovered. The young wolves had only gone in far enough to verify it led to more tunnels, and they were obviously in use.

But before the squad could reach the area, a two-man patrol downtown had spotted Ben near dusk. Dupree had been beating it into the younger soldiers' skulls how dangerous Ben was and that no one was to engage him without backup. It had apparently worked. Just not the way Dupree would have preferred. The two idiots had followed Ben, who'd realized he was being followed. He'd killed one and taken the other hostage. The soldier wasn't just any captive either. Dupree wondered if Ben was aware he had Jordan's son? If he'd known he was taking the one most guaranteed to get the entire quad out looking for him?

Speaking of the quad, Dupree scowled as he took a quick look around. Where the fuck was Robert? Dupree had called him personally and told him to haul ass up here. They were only a couple miles north of the old grotto where mate bondings were performed. He knew the area well enough to teleport in, then find them from Dupree's direction. A body short or not, they didn't have time to delay.

Elora didn't know Jordan's son, Jonas, and couldn't track him, but Ben was another matter. She'd found and tracked him this far. Her presence was another stroke of luck which made him itchy as hell. She was stable. He'd spent enough time around her in the last couple of days to be sure of that. But finding the cave, spotting Ben and having Elora on hand to track him all at the same time? It stretched the bounds of credulity.

Ben was traveling on foot, heading north out of the city to an area that accessed the extensive cave system. He was going to ground, but the tracker had been able to get them ahead of Ben. Now they lay waiting, the ambush ready when Ben came over the next hill. It was a perfect set up so why the fuck was he so nervous?

It's too damned easy, that's why.
Winter's voice in his head sounded as frustrated and anxious as he felt.

They were a few feet apart, both crouched low behind brush, hiding in shadows. He saw the unease when he looked over to meet her gaze.

We should abort.
He hated to advise that and his demon snarled a protest against the suggestion.

Winter shook her head.
Marcus and Luke will be here soon with their people. Ben will be vastly outnumbered. This is our best chance.

I don't like it.

She didn't have to reply for him to know she felt the same way. They'd hunted together too long not to anticipate the other's actions or thoughts. He looked in the direction he'd directed Kara to but she was well hidden enough he didn't spot her. Would the day come when he'd know her as well as Winter and Gia? Would that dull some of the thrill from what still felt like an illicit relationship?

Thinking of the woman agitated his demon more and he moved quickly to suppress it. He was only partly successful. One day soon he'd lose that battle. Unless he bonded with her. Even then it was a risk. The bonding might kill her. Might kill them both. A hell of a risk. He knew he was going to take that risk, but he hadn't fully accepted it yet. Christ. Why was he worrying over this now? What had happened to his discipline? Her fault. She shredded his control.

The nightwalkers arrived--Winter's mate Marcus, his twin Luke, and several others Dupree didn't know. They moved into the trees. It was less blending in and hiding, and more like becoming one with the night. Everyone was ready. Everyone was in place.

Elora signaled Ben was approaching.

And then it all went to hell.

The air was suddenly thick with the stench of sulfur and death, but the demons didn't pour over the rise with their leader. They came from the trees, forcing hybrids and walkers both to retreat into the clearing.

He looked for Kara in the melee, but didn't see her. Couldn't get to her if he had. He fought with a gun in one hand and knife in the other, and the air quickly filled with the smells of blood and nitrate. More hybrids began to teleport into the clearing and he knew Winter must have sent a telepathic call for reinforcements with an image of their location.

He didn't have time to feel any relief. As soon as he killed one, he was fighting another. His demon side rejoiced in the blood and death and carnage, and Dupree let his control of it slip a little. Not enough to endanger him, but enough to give him that extra edge. The demons' numbers were beginning to suffer. Some tried to flee and were caught in the trees. Some just fought more bitterly. But finally, Dupree stood clear and turned around for a good look at the progress of the battle.

They were winning. It would all be over soon. He rushed to help Luke who was fighting a demon on each side, answered the man's vicious grin with one of his own as his blade thrust into a demon's back, clear through his heart and chest. He ripped his knife free and looked for something else to kill. There were no demons left so he turned his attention to the hybrids.

Winter was with Marcus and a couple of members of the squad mingled with the quad. He'd partnered Kara with Quinn but there was no sign of them. Dupree started digging through the bodies. Winter, alerted to his panic, joined him.

Luke saw them first. He set a hand on Dupree's shoulder and nodded at a spot behind him. The man's face was so stricken Dupree was afraid to turn and look. She was thirty yards away, halfway up the rise. Blood dripped down her face from a cut on her head. It was the knife pressed against her throat that tripped his heart, though. When he tried to reach for her mind he met a blank wall and Ben laughed.

Kara wasn't surprised Dupree had forced her to stay in the rear with Quinn, but she might fume a little anyway. He wouldn't let her patrol until she had some experience, but how the hell was she supposed to get it if he kept protecting her? Her new demon side shared her frustration, clawing to get free, pleading for blood and violence. She gritted her teeth against the sensation and her rising irritation. The benefits of the merge were awesome, but dealing with the demon was like babysitting a spoiled three year old. Unreasonable, undisciplined and a total pain in the ass.

She knelt next to Quinn behind a clump of bushes and watched the clearing. Nothing was happening. She looked around and almost fell on her ass when her mother appeared right in front her.
Yes, mom, I know there are demons coming,
she thought at the same time she grabbed Quinn's shoulder to steady herself. She jerked her hand away before his thoughts could overwhelm her and scrambled backward on her hands and knees.

His mind was a seething cauldron of rage and bitterness and jealousy. He hated Winter, but the real vile was reserved for Dupree. All these years he'd pretended to be Dupree's friend, pretended to be everyone's friend. He was the one who'd told Ben where and when to find Kara. He'd lied about someone trying to recruit members of his quad, intentionally letting suspicion of Robert fester. And for years he'd been selling information to Ben's worst enemy, Jericho Cruz. She saw it all in the half second she'd touched him to steady herself.

You have to get out of here, Kara. Ben is coming.

I can hear you.
She was so surprised it was the first thing that popped into her head. Her mother smiled.

Yes. Now go, honey, before he gets here.

But it was too late. She should have realized when Quinn was watching behind them instead of the clearing where the ambush was supposed to take place. As she tried to focus on another location, any location, to teleport to, she felt a veil fall over her mind. None of her powers worked. Even her mother vanished. Then Ben was grabbing her arm and pulling her with him. No matter how hard she fought his hold, she couldn't break free. Her strength was nothing compared to his. She hoped she could talk her way out.

"Ben, I know you're still in there somewhere. You don't want to do this."

Suddenly a knife was pressed against her throat and he dragged her from her hiding spot to a place about halfway up the small hill. "You know nothing, girl."

He pointed and she followed his finger to watch the fight. Dupree was smack in the middle of the battle, moving so quickly, so fluidly the eye slid away. "I want his power, and for your life, he will give it."

No. She wouldn't let Dupree sacrifice himself for her. She jerked against Ben's hold, and the knife pressed against her carotid. He hissed at her to stand still. Then used the power of his mind to immobilize her when the order didn't work. The battle only lasted a couple more minutes. It was over so fast, the silence fell so quick, she thought she was dreaming it. Until Dupree turned around and look at her. Until she saw the determination in that steely gaze.

"Ben," she pleaded. "You can't do this. I'm family. You raised me. I'm your only living relative, remember?"

He glanced down at her and for a moment a horrified expression crossed his face.

Kara,
his mind whispered to hers.
I'm sorry
.

And then the demon struck.

Dupree moved forward, slowly at first, like wading through molasses. He had to close the distance between them without alarming the rogue holding her so tightly. If he could get near enough to hold his attention someone else could get behind him. Winter was probably already moving to do just that.

He got within ten yards before Ben stopped him. The bastard didn't even have to say a word. He simply pushed the blade hard enough against her skin to start a slow trickle.

"Let her go, Ben. It's me you want. I'm right here." He spread his arms out. "Come fight me."

The smile that answered him was cruel and mad. He was going to kill her. Right in front of Dupree. He could see the intent on his former commander's face and Dupree's demon rose in fury. Before he could charge, Winter appeared behind Ben. He whirled around, thrust Kara at her, and ran his blade through Kara's side. Then he was gone. Son of a bitch.

Not that Dupree spared more than an instance's thought about losing Ben again. He ran to where Winter had laid Kara down on the ground and lifted her shirt to expose the wound. The blade had cut into one of her organs and she was bleeding heavily. It wasn't a wound that would kill an older and therefore stronger hybrid. If they could stop the bleeding.

He pressed his hands against it and prayed to every god he could think of. Winter was murmuring into her phone and a moment after she flipped it closed the healer teleported into the clearing. She knelt on Kara's other side and pushed Dupree's hands out of the way. Dupree felt heat radiating from her, knew she was trying to repair the damage, but her eyes didn't promise much.

"You have a mental connection with her?" she asked softly. He nodded. "Use it. It might mean the difference."

He wasn't much of a telepath, but Kara was his and he found it easy to slip into her mind.
Kara, baby?
She didn't respond, though he had a sense of her hand brushing over his face. He called. He cajoled. He ordered. And still she faded. He only knew one way, maybe, to keep her alive. A way he could share his strength with her.

"Winter?" She knelt next to him and he knew the demon was in his eyes when she met his gaze. "I can't lose her."

She picked up Kara's hand, turned it palm up and stared. "It's dangerous this way. We'll probably lose you both."

"Do it anyway," he snapped.

If anyone else had asked, he knew she wouldn't and he wasn't at all concerned about using their old friendship to force her to now. She started the chant and Dupree drew the black blade he'd first used sixty years ago to bind his soul with a demon's. Others gathered around them, not in support but just in case this new bond backfired and he snapped. His demon sensing it was fixing to be permanently caged and tethered scratched at the walls of his mind, so maybe the others weren't so far off with their concern.

Winter's chant reached a crescendo and at just the right moment, Dupree slashed first his palm and then Kara's. He dropped the blade to the grass and pressed the cuts together while Winter finished the rite. The world exploded in color and sensation. First, red colored everything and fire licked over his skin. The demon trying to assert control. He fought it and felt a feeble response from Kara before everything turned blue and it seemed an icy wind put out the flames. Just like that it was over.

He took a deep breath, filling his lungs with balmy night air. There was just a hint of chill, of the coming fall. His heart slowed its racing as he let the night seep into him. As he focused his will on the woman dying on the ground in front of him. She would
not
die. She would
not
leave him, damn it. He wouldn't survive this a second time.

The bond made it easy for him to move through her mind, but every time he got close to her, to that essence, soul, whatever it was that made them human, she scurried away. Commanding, ordering, only made her run harder until finally they were both locked deep in her mind. She was a powerful telepath. Young and untried, but oh, the power of her mind, it was stunning. It shook him. She was a match for him, in every way, if he could just bring her back. Make her live.

When he opened his mind's eye he stood in a sunlit glade with a gurgling pool in its center. A small ledge of rock hung out over its lip and she sat on its edge, leaning over to trail her hand through the water. She was not dressed as a hybrid warrior. She wore tight brown leather breeches tucked into knee high boots and a loose billowy white top. Knife holsters criss-crossed the front of her chest and a gun was holstered to her thigh. Her hair was unbound. Wild and red and flowing down her back. She took his breath away. Then she looked up at him with a sad little smile that broke his heart.

"You have to leave this place, Dupree. If you don't, you'll die with me. Trapped in my mind."