UnholyCravings (19 page)

“What a little troublemaker. We shall see how tough you are
once we clip your wings.”

Chapter Sixteen

Fuck, Soren, get up. Tara needs you.

Soren clung to Donar’s voice and fought through the pain.
What’s
going on?

Stand up and see for yourself.

Soren rubbed his eyes and noticed that the intense agony
that Nergal had placed on him before was receding. He glanced up into Donar’s
frustrated expression. The man seemed rooted to the spot. He flexed his fingers
at his sides, his gaze darting back and forth between Soren and something that
was going on behind him.

Move slowly, we don’t want to attract attention. But
hurry.

Nice. Go slow, but hurry. What the hell did that mean?

Mine.

Soren steeled his jaw.
Nice time for you to show some
support
, he told his
deahman
.
Why couldn’t you have helped me a
few minutes ago?

Too powerful. Mine.

Soren shook his head, pushed aside the last of the
controlling magic and stood. He looked questioningly at Donar.

Behind you, you idiot.

Soren turned, and saw Nergal drag Tara to the end of the
boat.
What is he doing?

I’m not sure. You better stop him.

Soren glanced at Donar.
Are you going to help?

Donar worked his jaw. That was when Soren noticed the beads
of sweat on his twin’s brow, and the tight lines around his eyes.
Nergal
still has control on my
deahman.
I’m fighting it, but it will
still take me some time.

Why can
I
move, then?

I think Nergal broke concentration to conserve energy. He
might have thought that you were in too much pain to be a threat. He doesn’t
know that we can mind-read.

Soren turned back toward Nergal and Tara and saw Nergal pick
a large knife out of a nearby toolbox.

Hurry,
Donar said.

Soren crept along the side of the boat, careful to remain
hidden from view. He watched Tara struggle, and anger bubbled up inside his
chest. Soren was tired of being that
deahman’
s plaything. It was time
that he taught Nergal a lesson.

He remembered what had happened back on the marina and
paused. He wouldn’t be able to fight Nergal with physical strength. Soren
needed the element of surprise, but Nergal’s back was to the edge of the boat.
There was no way to sneak up on him.

Even if Soren
could
sneak up on them, the element of
surprise would only give him a minute or two, not enough time to take out a
deahman
with no weapon. Soren also needed a way to gain the upper hand.

He scanned the deck, but found nothing that he could use.

Your pocket.

Soren glanced back at Donar and raised his brows.

Use the shard in your pocket.

The shard, of course. He had forgotten about it. Soren
reached in and pulled out the shard. The dull red glow illuminated his palm.
I
don’t know how to use it.

I don’t know either, but you have to try.

Soren thought back to what Urian did before. He curled his
fingers around the shard and stretched out his hand. He closed his eyes and
tried to concentrate on calling forth the magic.

Mine,
his
deahman
said.

Help me,
Soren pleaded.

Hurry.

Fucking
deahman
. What good was he? Soren pushed his
inner darkness aside and tried once more. He could feel the dark magic trapped
inside the crystal, but every time he tried to throw it at Nergal, he hit a
wall. He lowered his arm in defeat.

Maybe you need to get closer,
Donar suggested.

How do I do that?

Above.

Soren looked up and saw the cabin of the boat. If he could
climb on top and work his way over the side, he could get close enough to
Nergal and Tara without them seeing him. But that would mean he’d have to
climb, and then dangle his body over the edge of the cabin. Fuck. Soren hated
heights.

Hurry,
his
deahman
wailed.

Soren shifted his gaze back to Nergal and Tara. Nergal had
worked Tara to the ground and was trying to flip her over onto her stomach. He
swung the knife, creating a gash in her wings. Tara screamed and a flash of
pain whipped through his body, immobilizing him. Soren’s inner
deahman
cried out in frustration.

Tara’s struggling is creating a diversion. Nergal’s grip
on me is weakening, but I need a few more minutes.

Okay, give me a warning before you attack. I’m going in.
Soren had to help Tara. He couldn’t let that monster hurt her again.

Soren looped around the cabin to the opposite side from
Nergal and Tara. He spotted a ladder and climbed it to the top of the cabin. Once
on top, he plastered himself to the roof and crawled over to the opposite edge.
With each inch, fear gripped him a little harder. Images flashed through his
mind of that day back when he was a member of Venom. He remembered how his feet
dangled over the balcony, and how his stomach lurched during free-fall. It was
so terrifying, so horrific. His entire life had flashed through his mind in
those few seconds, and he was ashamed of what he saw.

About halfway across he stopped and pressed his forehead
into the roof. He couldn’t do this. He was too high up and it was too hard.

Tara screamed, and once more pain lashed through his body,
this round more intense than the last. Sweat beaded on his brow and his hands
shook. If he was in this much agony, then how intense was the pain for Tara?

He had to go to her. Back when he fell, Soren was ashamed of
his life. Not anymore. Because of Tara, he had hope for the future, something
to live for.

Somehow Soren found the will to move. He lifted his head
from the roof and wiped the sweat from his temples. Then he called out to his
inner darkness.
Help me.

Mine.

I need to get to the other side of this roof.

Mine.

Our woman is in trouble, she needs us.

Hurry.

Soren growled with frustration
. I’m trying. Help me get
to the side of the roof so we can save her.

The evil inside of him sprang to life and darkness filled
his mind.

Help.

The
deahman
took control of his limbs and Soren
started to crawl across the roof once more. Within moments he made it to the
edge and peered over the side.

Shit, he was high up. Soren swallowed the lump in his throat
and tried to focus on the task at hand.

Nergal had made several cuts to Tara’s body, but she wasn’t
going down without a fight. The
deahman
had managed to sit on top of her
and hold her arms immobile on the ground. The position caused him to lose his
knife, which lay on the deck beside him.

You provide the distraction. Once the spell is broken, I’ll
grab the knife and finish him,
Donar said.

Soren glanced over at his twin, who nodded. Soren took out
the shard once more. He stared at the pulsing red stone in his hand, unsure of
what to do.

Mine.

Help me. I don’t know how to use this thing.

Mine.

I need to use this stone to hurt the deahman who wants to
kill Tara.

Too strong.

We just need to provide a distraction.

Souls are in there.

Deahman souls?

Yes. Source of magic.

Well, harness them. Let them go. Do what you need to do
to help Tara.

We will be punished.

It was in that moment that Soren realized that he had a
level of clarity that he had never achieved in Nergal’s presence before. Tara’s
bond did that to him. She had said that with time, the bond between them would
become stronger and the stone would no longer affect him. It wouldn’t affect
Donar either. She had given them quite a gift and deserved everything that they
could give her, and more.

No, we won’t be punished,
he told his
deahman.
Tara will protect us.

Freedom.

Yes, she gave us our freedom. Now we need to give her
freedom as well.

The darkness swirled inside of his head and Soren could feel
his
deahman
considering.

I will help,
it said.
For her.

Soren closed his hand over the shard.
Good. Tell me what
to do.

The darkness surged in his mind.
Control.

Soren relaxed and let his inner
deahman
take control
of his body. He felt the evil pump through his veins. Instead of fighting it,
this time he embraced it. Soren felt stronger, more alive. He tightened his
grip on the stone and outstretched his arm. His
deahman
growled inside
of his head as he saw Nergal grab the knife.

Now,
Soren said.

He focused on Nergal as the ancient spell fell from his
lips. Power seeped from the stone and pumped through his body. It was
addictive. Soren felt the souls trapped within the shard, felt their agony and
pain, felt their power. He called it all forth and forced it to do his bidding.

The spell was quick, but effective. Red energy burst from
the shard and slammed into Nergal’s back as he bent over Tara. The
deahman
cried out as he was thrown against the side of the ship.

Donar was already moving. He threw his body on top of
Nergal. They struggled and the knife was thrown across the deck.

Soren felt the power drain from his body and go back into
the stone.
No.

Tired.

No, we have to help Donar.

Too tired.

The energy had worn out his
deahman
. It had worn out
him as well, or was that Tara’s exhaustion? His emotions were so entwined with
hers that it was difficult to separate them.

Soren tried to call forth the power once more, but without
his inner darkness, the shard was nothing but a glowing stone. He tightened his
jaw in frustration and pocketed the shard. It looked like he was going to have
to help Donar himself.

He crawled up onto his feet and looked down.
Fuck.
It
was a long drop. How was he supposed to get there?

Soren tried to call forth his
deahman
, but the coward
remained silent.

He glanced at Tara, who lay motionless on the deck. Blood
stains spattered around her and pain lanced Soren’s chest. He had to get down
there.

He watched Donar and Soren struggle. They rolled on the deck
below, first one gaining the upper hand, then the other. Nergal rolled on top
of him, then punched him in the face. Donar twisted his body and was able to
get out from underneath the
deahman
. He sprang up on his feet.

Suddenly Soren knew what he had to do.
Duck.

What?
Donar asked.

Get out of the way, man.
Long ago, Donar had saved
his life on a Venom mission. Now it was his time to save his twin’s.

Nergal charged for Donar, who dropped and rolled to one
side. Soren’s whole body shook with fear.
Help me.

His
deahman
was too worn out to respond. He was going
to have to do this himself. Soren aimed himself at Nergal and closed his eyes. Memories
flooded his mind, memories of him dangling in the air, of him falling. He
forced them aside and leaned over the edge.

He tightened his jaw as he fell, his effort not to scream
eating him up inside. He opened his arms and, for one horrifying moment, was in
freefall. Panic tightened his chest and his mind froze with fear. Then he
crashed into Nergal on the deck. The
deahman
lost his balance and staggered
to the side of the ship.

Soren opened his eyes and grabbed onto Nergal’s neck. They
both fell forward and toppled over the side of the boat.

The water was cold. Shock slammed into Soren’s body as he
sank below the surface. He felt Nergal slip from his grip. Soren opened his
eyes and searched for him, but everything was a blur.

There he was. The bastard was trying to swim away.

Soren reached out for Nergal, who twisted from his grasp.
The
deahman
sank a fist into Soren’s gut. Soren’s breath left him in a
whoosh
.
Nergal sent another blow to the jaw. Soren saw stars. He tried to move, but his
limbs felt as if they were lead. He watched Nergal as he swam away.

Suddenly Soren felt large hands under his arms.

Stay with me buddy.
Donar dragged him up and out of
the water. They burst up onto the surface and Soren gulped large breaths of
air.

Take it easy. You’re safe now.

Soren relaxed and allowed Donar to drag him back to the
ship.

Thanks.

Don’t mention it.

Donar helped him back onto the boat and handed him a towel.
Soren worked to dry himself off as Donar moved over to Tara on the other side
of the boat.

“Is she okay?” Soren asked.

“I don’t know. She’s alive, so I suppose that’s something.”

“We need to get her to a doctor.”

“I know.”

Soren moved over to where Donar knelt and watched him move
his hands over Tara. She looked a mess, but she was alive. All they needed to
do was heal her, but how?

Soren glanced up from Tara’s body and looked at the other
ship. The flames had finished eating through the hull, and now it was reduced
to nothing but random driftwood and supplies. He wasn’t going to find any help
there.

The layout of their current ship was similar to the other,
which meant that there was a small living quarters below. Maybe he’d be able to
find something there that could help him.

“Let me see if I can find a medical kit or something,” he
told Donar.