Desire Unchained

Chapter 18

Wraith burst out of the Harrowgate into a sweltering jungle. Tracking Shade hadn’t been easy, not until his brother’s agony reached him, savaging Wraith’s mind until finding Shade became as critical as breathing. He’d followed Shade’s trail mostly by instinct and with a sense of urgency.

He wasn’t the only one tracking Shade.

Eidolon had used his Judicia contacts to learn that the Carceris had set their hellhound loose, and no doubt Roag had joined in the hunt as well. Wraith studied the ground, and satisfied that they hadn’t been this way yet, he took off down the lightly worn path leading away from the gate.

The jungle heat embraced Wraith as he shot through the vegetation, his senses tuned to Shade. Ahead. His brother was ahead and he was hurting.

Wraith broke out of the trees and into a small clearing where a waterfall gushed from the cliff above. He might have taken a moment to admire the sight, but he felt as if someone was squeezing his lungs and heart into a pulp, and it was growing increasingly hard to breathe.

Shade.

Wraith moved carefully around the waterfall, to a section of rocks that seemed to fit together a little too well. He searched the area, looking for openings, because although nothing indicated that this was anything but a tranquil oasis in the middle of a jungle, he could feel Shade, and his brother was close.

This had to be a cave of some sort, but he couldn’t find the entrance. There had to be another way.

He looked up at the river of water streaming over shiny, black boulders. Behind the veil of spray, shadowy recesses hinted at some sort of cavern.

He started climbing. The rocks were slick and rough, but he didn’t give a shit that he was tearing up his hands, his jeans, his really cool Hard Rock Café Bucharest T-shirt. Well, he mostly didn’t give a shit. The T-shirt, given to him by a Romanian half-breed waitress he’d fucked to get it, held some hot memories.

Fifty feet up and soaked to the bone from spray, he nearly lost his grip and plummeted to the ground, but he caught himself on some sort of thorny vine that hurt like hell. Wincing, he peeled his palm off it and moved in behind the waterfall.

Paydirt, baby.

About ten feet above him, he saw a flat, broad shelf that seemed to extend deep into the rock. Carefully, he climbed to it, and pulled himself up. The challenge was powering past the incredible force of the water without being slammed into the pool or rocks below, but finally, he made it. For a second he lay on his back on the smooth stone, gathering his breath, but Shade’s agony, like icepicks in his chest, urged him to his feet.

He moved deeper into the arched tunnel, which was smooth and clean, definitely not natural. And there was a towel lying over a chunk of stone, as if someone had used the waterfall as a shower. As his vision sharpened to accommodate the darkness, he heard sobs.

Oh, shit.

Wraith careened off the cave walls in a frantic bid to find a way inside, and when he found the opening, he nearly tripped over his own feet in his rush. When he entered a strangely modern kitchen, the weirdness registered, but only for a heartbeat.

The sounds of suffering hijacked all his senses, and the only thing he could think about was getting to his brother.

He scrambled through the kitchen, knocking a salt shaker off the table as he passed. “Shade!” He took a corner a little too fast and slammed his shoulder into a door opening …

And then he froze. Every muscle vapor-locked. His heart skidded to a smoking stop. His lungs turned to cement.

Shade was standing in some sort of torture chamber, holding a flail as Runa struggled to free herself from the cuffs around her wrists. She was sobbing, begging Shade to drop the weapon.

A biting chill of shock went through Wraith, and he swayed. Then, as quickly as it had come, the shock fled, its void filling with hot, searing rage.

Wraith launched at his brother and took him to the ground, pummeling him until he realized Shade wasn’t fighting back.

“What the fuck were you doing?” he screamed, but Shade just stared, his eyes glazed and unfocused. Nausea swirled in Wraith’s stomach. By the looks of the dungeon, Shade had been doing who knew what to who knew how many females. And hurting himself as well? Why?

“Do you kill them?” he whispered. “Shade, do you torture them and kill them?” His breath came in spurts, burning his lungs. The memories of his own torture at the hands of vampires flashed through his brain in sickening, fast-motion frames.

“No,” Shade said, eyes wide. “No, never. Gods, Wraith! How could you think that?” He looked over at Runa. “I have to release her—”

“You aren’t going near her.” Wraith coldcocked Shade hard enough to knock him out.

The sharp tang of blood hung heavy in the air. As a vampire, he found the smell compelling, seductive, even as his nonvamp side was disgusted by how it had been spilled. Trembling in a way he hadn’t done since, well, he couldn’t remember when he’d ever been this fucked in the head, he went to Runa.

She was still on her feet, her hands clutching the post to hold herself up. How she found the strength to not slide to the ground was a mystery, and he found himself admiring her strength as he undid the manacles and peeled her fingers away from the wood.

“Hey,” he said gently. “It’s okay. You’re okay.”

“Sh … Shade?”

“He can’t hurt you now.”

“He d-didn’t …”

Maybe not yet. Wraith didn’t have the medical training or expertise his brothers had, but he knew shock when he saw it. Runa collapsed in his arms, and he carried her to the bed set into the wall. How nice that Shade was able to sleep in his chamber of horrors.

Christ, had he not known his brother at all? He shook his head, because he did know Shade. Knew how he’d grown up in a loving household with sisters he adored. Knew Shade’s favorite food and drink—fish tacos and Fresca, though not, thank gods, the same meal. Knew that Shade loved movies but generally liked to see them alone because he especially liked sappy romantic comedies.

That Shade didn’t jibe with the one who kept a torture chamber. And why the hell hadn’t Wraith been able to see Shade’s sick secret when he tripped through Shade’s mind?

Fuck.

Lying on her stomach, Runa moaned into the pillow. With a shaking hand, Wraith covered her with a blanket, careful not to touch her wrists, which had become abraded as she struggled in her bonds. He looked down at Shade, still knocked out on the floor. What now?

Eidolon. He had to call E. He’d know what to do. He always did.

Wraith fumbled around in his jeans’ pocket until he found his cell. No signal. Shock, that, here in the middle of BF Central America.

But even in BF Central America Shade would have a way to contact the outside world. Shade didn’t like to be isolated for long. As much as he tried to act all I-don’t-need-anyone, Shade was, at heart, a social creature. A sadistic social creature.

Fuck.

Wraith did a quick sweep of the cave, finally found a satellite phone, and dialed E. The moment his brother answered, Wraith’s calm exterior collapsed like an apprentice sorcerer’s first spell.

“E, we got trouble. Oh, man, oh, man—”

“Calm down.” Eidolon’s voice was barely audible over the static. “What’s wrong?”

“Shade. It’s Shade. I’m at his … torture chamber.”

Silence filled the airwaves. “Shit.”

“You knew?” Wraith realized he was practically screaming, and lowered his voice. “You knew about this?”

“We’ll talk about it later. Tell me what’s going on. Where is Shade?”

Wraith swallowed dryly. “He’s here. He’s hurt. And his female … just hurry.”

“I’ll be right there.”

Wraith sank onto the bed next to Runa and put his hand on the back of her neck. Closing his eyes, he concentrated on feeding her comforting images. Hopefully, she liked the beach. Piña coladas. Warm sand. Anything that would give her a few minutes of peace to help heal the hell she’d just gone through.

It was only later that he realized that instead of killing her, as he should have done to keep Shade from the Maluncoeur’s clutches, he’d helped her.

Maybe because deep down, he believed his brother was already too far gone to help.

Eidolon left Reaver in charge of the emergency department and went straight to Shade’s cave. That Wraith knew about it was not good, but when he saw Runa lying on the bed and Shade unconscious on the floor, he knew it was a whole lot worse than not good.

“I got it,” he said to Wraith, who stood and let Eidolon take his place.

“Hurry.” Wraith’s voice was a tangle of worry and pain and fear. Wraith, who generally didn’t give a shit about anyone. Eidolon would never figure his brother out.

Eidolon reached for Runa, but hesitated, his palm hovering over her spine. The smart thing to do would be to kill her. Now, while Shade was unaware of what was happening and while she was too out of it to know. He could do it quickly, humanely.

Humanely. What a joke. Humans liked to pretend they were superior, above all others, but how superior were people who stoned women to death for cheating on their husbands? Or who made animals fight for amusement? Sure, demons weren’t any better, but at least they didn’t hide behind religious tenets and cultural tradition to excuse their brutality. Demons pretty much just had the excuse that they were demons.

“E?”

Wraith’s voice jerked him out of his thoughts. Eidolon had never been fond of humans and their arrogance, which constantly cracked Tayla up, because she liked to remind him that she’d never met anyone as arrogant as he was.

“I don’t think you should do it,” Wraith said quietly. “She’s been through enough at Shade’s hands.” He looked down at the floor, but whether he was looking away to hide his embarrassment at being caught showing mercy or he was looking at Shade, Eidolon didn’t know.

“We’re going to lose him, if I don’t.”

“We’re going to lose him anyway. Look at him. The curse is already active.”

An instant, searing pain sliced through him. Wraith was right. It was clear that Shade was in love with Runa. Killing her now might only accelerate the curse. All he had to do was look at Kynan to figure that out. Immediately after Lori’s death, his love for her had probably been stronger than ever, tied to his misery over both her murder and her betrayal.

Shifting into doctor mode, he performed a rapid exam, was relieved to see that Runa was suffering more from exhaustion than anything. Shade had held back. He flashed a look at Shade, whose multiple wounds covered his chest, stomach, and shoulders, and then revised his thought. Shade had definitely not held back.

E concentrated until the warm tingle of his healing gift ran down his right arm, and then he put his hand on Runa’s shoulder. Instantly, the light pink streaks on her back and the abrasions on her wrists healed. Behind him, he heard Shade struggling to get to Runa, but Wraith sat on their brother, holding him down.

“Let me up,” Shade snarled. He grunted in pain, and Eidolon figured Wraith had applied some sort of pressure.

“E, shit,” Wraith muttered. “You done with her?”

Eidolon frowned. Shade’s lips were drawn back in a pained snarl, and he was reaching for the flail on the floor. Dammit. Eidolon grasped Runa’s hand.

“Runa.” She rolled onto her side, her glassy eyes blinking as she became aware of her surroundings. “Shade gave you a safe word. You need to say it.”

“What?” She tugged the blanket up over her breasts.

“Safe word! What is it? He needs to be released.”

She paled. “Shadow,” she whispered. “Shadow.”

Shade sagged to the floor, stark relief in his expression. “I’m sorry, Runa,” he rasped. “So sorry.”

“What happened, Shade?” Eidolon asked. “Why are you injured?”

“What the hell is going on?” Wraith demanded.

There was no point in lying or beating around the bush anymore. Eidolon moved off the bed to kneel next to Shade and channel healing waves into him. “It’s not as bad as you think, Wraith.”

Wraith leaped to his feet and made a sweeping gesture with his hand. “You wanna change your story, bro? Because I’m thinking that these—” he grabbed a pair of handcuffs off the wall “—are exactly what I think. Our brother is one sick puppy.” He laughed bitterly. “And I thought Roag was the sick one.”

Runa bounded off the bed so fast she nearly knocked Eidolon over. She got right up into Wraith’s face. Buck naked. “Don’t you dare compare Shade to Roag. You have no idea what you’re talking about. Say one more word and I’ll drop you.”

In all the years Eidolon had known Wraith, he’d never seen his brother speechless.

Runa had just done the impossible.

Runa spun away from Wraith and knelt on the floor next to Shade, who was ashen and shaky, and much of him was fading in and out. What he’d done for her, how he’d somehow fought her desire for punishment and turned it on himself, well, it was a sacrifice beyond comprehension.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured. “So sorry.”

She palmed his cheek, feeling the rough scrape of new whisker growth. “No. Don’t be. I’m the one who’s sorry. What you did for me—”

“I’d do it again.”

Her eyes stung. “I know you would.” She tugged the comforter off the bed and wrapped them both in it. “Can you feel it? I’m free.”

The guilt over her mother’s death was gone, as was her anger at Shade. Suddenly, nothing mattered but the bond they shared. She might not be physically marked, but that didn’t make the connection any less powerful.

He swallowed. Once, twice. “The darkness in you is gone. But I still can’t … Gods, Runa. What I did to you. I’ve never been able to protect the females in my life. I always hurt them. I hurt you.”

“Shh.”

She pressed her finger against his lips, and he tugged her into his lap and held her so tightly she had to struggle to breathe. The sound of his heartbeat came to her in a rapid-fire punch, nearly drowning out the voices of his brothers as Eidolon tried to explain Shade’s gift for releasing females from whatever troubled them. From Wraith’s angry words, she guessed it wasn’t going well.

Gently, she pushed away, but stayed in Shade’s lap. “You need to tell me what’s going on with the disappearing act.” She glanced meaningfully at his left arm, which flickered in various stages of transparency. She felt him begin to shake beneath her, and her heart nearly broke. Whatever the problem was, it was bad.

“Remember when you asked about the Maluncoeur?” When she nodded, he continued. “It’s a curse. A curse I brought on myself.”

“How?”

He reached up to stroke her hair, but when her hair passed right through his hand, leaving behind only a whisper of air, he dropped his arm. “Do you know how long it took me to stop being angry at the warlock who cursed me? How long I blamed him and not myself?” He shook his head. “I was twenty. My mom went hunting, left me to take care of my sisters. But while she was gone, I entered my first transition.”

She nodded, remembering what he’d said and what she’d read about a Seminus demon’s maturation process. “You need nonstop sex for days to get through it.”

“Yeah. I went out, prowling for females, taking what I needed. And when I say take, I mean it.” He blew out a long breath and looked up at the ceiling. “I’d never had sex before the transition hit me, and then when I did, it was insane, fast, violent. I just needed to get off to get through the transition, you know? So when it was over, I wanted it because I wanted it. Not because I needed it. Does that make sense?”

Not really, but she nodded, noticed that his brothers had moved to just outside the doorway to give them some privacy, and she wondered how much of this story they’d known and how much was new.

“So instead of going back to the cave to protect my sisters, I pick up this human starlet. We go to her place.” His gaze strayed to the tools on the wall. “That’s when I discovered that I’d inherited the Umber ability to sense the things females bury deep inside—and that when she needs to be free of it, I can help.”

“So you …”

“Yeah. I did. And while I was doing it, her husband came home. It wasn’t pretty. We fought. I killed him.” Shade shuddered. “But before he died, he cursed me. Cursed me to never know love, because if I did, I’d fade away.”

“You’d die?”

“Worse.”

She listened in horror as he described what would happen to him. “Oh, my God.” She put her hand over her mouth. “That’s … that’s why you wanted to hate me. You didn’t want to—”

“Fall in love with you,” he croaked. “But it’s too l—”

“Shade!” Eidolon stalked into the room. “Don’t say it. Don’t say anything else.”

She watched in horror as Shade’s entire body flickered, and she had a sick feeling that if he actually said he was in love with her, it would all be over. No wonder his brothers had wanted to get rid of her. And though it still hurt that Shade had considered it, she understood.

“It was right afterward that you discovered your sisters, wasn’t it?” Wraith asked, and Runa recognized the attempt to get Shade off the subject of his feelings for her.

“Yeah.” Shade’s voice broke, right along with her heart. “I went back to the cave where I’d left them. They were dead. All but Skulk. If only I hadn’t picked up the starlet, maybe they’d still be alive.”

Hatred rolled off Shade in waves, along with grief so thick she could practically taste it. “Is that why you think you can’t protect females?”

“It wasn’t just them. My mother, too. And then there was Skulk—”

“Stop it,” she said softly. “I blamed myself for my mother’s death for so long, so I know I’m a terrible hypocrite, but none of that was your fault. You did your best. And Shade, you did protect me. You got me out of Roag’s dungeon. You saved me from him just today. And you lifted me out of that that dark place full of guilt over my past. I’ve never felt better. We just have to find a way to cure you of this stupid curse.”

“There is no cure,” Eidolon said. “Not now that he’s fallen … ah … yeah, anyway, there’s no cure. It can be transferred, but only to a loved one.”

Runa felt her hope drain away. Then anger rushed in, and hell no, she wasn’t going to lose him now. There had to be a cure.

“Where’s the phone?”

Shade frowned. “Why?”

“I’m going to call Arik. Maybe the Army can find something you guys missed.”

Wraith snorted. “The United States Army? They couldn’t find their dicks with a whore’s—”

“Wraith,” Eidolon said gently. “We need to take any help we can get.”

Wraith said nothing, but he brought her the phone. She thanked him and turned back to Shade. “Just hold on, okay?”

“I will.” For Runa’s sake he smiled reassuringly, but he had given up hope a long time ago.

God, she wanted to hug him, hold him, make love to him until all of this was forgotten, but she needed to keep her distance. She didn’t want to accelerate the curse. And she definitely didn’t want him to see that she was on the verge of a breakdown.

She dressed quickly in jeans and a tank top and then left the three guys in the bedroom to call Arik from the TV room. She hoped he’d learned something about the Maluncoeur. Pacing the length of the room, she dialed.

Arik answered, but she could barely hear him.

“It’s Runa.”

He replied, but she couldn’t understand him over the static. She moved to the kitchen, where the reception was better, but that made the connection on Arik’s end worse. Finally, she stepped out of the hidden cave door. Better. Not great, but she couldn’t risk moving too far from the entrance.

“How’s this? Can you hear me now?”

“Like a commercial,” Arik said, his breathing harsh and rapid.

“Did I interrupt something?”

“Just my workout.”

The usual. If he wasn’t at the office, he was at the gym. “Look, I have something for you. The Maluncoeur I asked you to investigate? It’s a curse.”

“I know. But that’s about all I know.”

“Apparently, it can be transferred to a loved one, but there’s got to be another way to get rid of it.”

“There’s not a lot of information for me to go on.”

“Do whatever it takes. You’ve got to find out more, and fast. It’s killing Shade. It’s some sort of vengeance curse that causes the victim to fade away if he falls in love.”

“What are you saying?”

The tears that had threatened earlier fell. “I love him.”

“Son of a— He’s a demon, Runa!”

“And I’m a werewolf. No one’s perfect.”

“Not the time for humor, sis.” She heard a thump that sounded suspiciously like a fist hitting a wall. “This is unacceptable. I’m sending a team for you.”

“You are not,” she snapped, and then softened her voice, because getting Arik riled was only going to bring out his hyperprotective, controlling side. “And I don’t want the Army messing with the hospital.”

“That’s not your call. They heal demons there. Our enemies.”

Her blood ran cold. “Sounds like maybe that’s what I’m becoming.”

Arik’s curse burned her ear. “We’ll discuss this later.”

“There’s nothing to discuss. I love Shade.”

“You can’t have it both ways. The military kicks people out for freaking sleepwalking if there’s a danger that they might spill secrets. You think R-XR is going to let you work for them and then go home to a fucking demon?”

“That fucking demon saved your life.”

No doubt Arik didn’t appreciate the reminder. “That doesn’t change the fact that this won’t go over well with command.”

“If they can’t deal with it, that’s their problem.”

“So you’re ready to give up your job, your life, for Shade?”

The past year came at her in a rush, all the interesting research and exciting missions. All the poking and prodding and experimentation. The loneliness. Shade holding her tight. “I’m not giving anything up.”

There was a lot of cursing, followed by a long silence. “Kynan made contact,” Arik said finally, but his tone said their conversation about Shade wasn’t over. “Said you talked to him.”

“Is he going to help you?” Betray the hospital?

“He’s not playing ball right now, but he’ll come around.”

She doubted that, not after seeing the expression on Kynan’s face. She swatted at some huge insect buzzing around her face. “Look, I need to go, but I’ll call later to see if you find out anything.”

“I don’t like this.”

The insect dive-bombed her, and she swatted again, ducked away from it as she spoke. “You’ve made that clear. Just make the Maluncoeur a priority.” When he didn’t answer, she had a sudden suspicion that he wasn’t going to do anything to help. “Remember the bond I mentioned? If Shade dies, I do, too.”

“Oh, Jesus.”

She didn’t even feel guilty for lying. “Yeah. So get the info.”

“I will,” he breathed. “And Runa?”

“What?”

“I love you.”

She smiled weakly, because as crazy as he made her, he’d always had her back. “Love you, too.”

She hung up, and the stupid bug, an orange thing with a wingspan of a bat, landed on her neck. She squealed, leaped around a little, and geez, she was a wuss. The creature whizzed away in a flurry of wings, and she sighed in relief. Having grown up in the city, she wasn’t big on nature, and this was as natural as it came.

The smells, the sounds … she frowned, becoming aware of the silence in the forest. The last time this happened, Shade had come at her from out of nowhere, his eyes glowing red as the s’genesis ravaged him.

“Runa.”

She pivoted around as Shade emerged from the brush, dressed as always in black leather. And he was solid. No transparency at all. It wasn’t Shade.

Her heart threw itself against her ribcage as though leading the charge toward the cave entrance. It was only three yards away, but it might as well have been the distance between goalposts on a football field. She darted toward it. The Not-Shade shot forward, grabbing her around the throat and cutting her off with a strangled cry.

The phone fell from her fingers. She clawed at his hand, kicked at his legs, but he just stood there, his hand squeezing and loathing burning in his eyes.

His features began to swim, half-blotted out by the red spots swimming in her vision. The last thing she saw before darkness swallowed her was Roag’s face.

“Take my hand.”

Shade stared at Wraith as he sank down next to him. “What?”

Wraith forced Shade’s palm into his. “Now say these words: Solumaya. Orentus. Kraktuse.”

“Why?”

“Just do it.”

Shade jerked his hand away and, still sitting on the floor, tugged on his pants. “Tell me why.”

“I didn’t have a chance to explain it all in your office, mainly because you were pummeling me—”

“Wraith,” E interrupted, “what’s going on?”

“I was getting to that.” Wraith impatiently shoved his long hair back from his face. “I sought out an old sorceress friend. Enemy, really, but that’s all behind us now.” Eidolon cleared his throat, and Wraith rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. On with it. Okay, so we know the Maluncoeur can be transferred to a loved one, but we didn’t know how. She gave me the way.”

“The words you just said?” Shade asked.

“Yep. So lay it on me.” He held out his hand. “We have to be touching. Glad you put your pants on.”

Shade scooted back, wishing he didn’t feel so shaky, because he’d be on his feet and out the door if he could. “Are you crazy? I’m not transferring it to you!” He kept backing up, but Wraith stalked him.

“Yeah, bro, you are.”

“Fuck. You.”

“I’m never going to fall in love, Shade. The curse won’t affect me. Ever. So just do it.”

Shade shook his head so hard his hair stung his face. “I will not.”

“Damn you, Shade.” Wraith’s voice was pure whisper. “You’ve saved my life so many times. Let me do this for you.”

“No. I—”

Shade broke off as a feeling of unease centered in his chest. Evil prickled over his skin and tightened around his neck like a noose.

“Runa,” he gasped. “Where is she?” He bounded to his feet, grabbing Eidolon’s arm when a wave of dizziness nearly sent him to his knees.

“Probably still talking to her brother,” Wraith said.

Shade swore, his head swimming. “Outside. She’s outside. Something’s wrong.”

Eidolon’s gaze caught his. “The Carceris.”

“Maybe a jaguar got her,” Wraith offered, less than helpfully, though at least he was back to his usual self.

E shot Wraith a glare before turning to Shade. “Stay here. Wraith and I will take care of it.”

“Like hell,” Shade growled. The choking feeling had faded, leaving him unsettled and unable to sense Runa’s mood. He could feel her proximity, but even that was fuzzy. He broke away from Eidolon and hauled ass toward the exit.

“Shade, wait! We aren’t done!” Wraith followed, and behind him, Shade heard E’s curse.

If those Carceris bastards had hurt Runa to get to him, he’d kill someone. Or several someones.

He burst out the side entrance and braced himself for a confrontation with the Nightlash and Seminus he’d seen earlier. No doubt they’d have hellhounds as well, and those beasts loved a good fight. Well-trained Carceris hounds wouldn’t kill their target, but they’d fall just short of it. Worse, they were perpetually horny, and what they did to a demon when it was down amounted to a lot more than a little leg-humping.

With Wraith and Eidolon on his heels, he charged down the path to the south side of the cliffs where the waterfall met the pool, not bothering with stealth. Ahead, in the clearing, Runa lay on the ground, her body crumpled next to a tree.

“Son of a—” Something struck him in the head, and pain exploded in his skull. He wheeled toward the source, a slimy Drec demon holding a cudgel.

Wraith struck with the bullwhip. How he’d managed to grab the thing while on the run was a question for later. His brother wielded it as if it was an extension of his arm, and the Drec’s face split open, sending blood and teeth flying.

More creatures burst from the brush, but Shade weaved around them or barreled through them, his entire focus on Runa.

Almost there. Almost …

A massive four-winged creature dropped in front of him. A demon he’d never seen before, a hideous black beast that smelled—and looked—like rotting flesh. Its head was little more than a gaping mouth full of rows upon rows of razor-sharp teeth.

Not good.

Behind him, the sounds of battle raged. He figured his brothers were dealing out the worst of the punishment, but he couldn’t look back. The winged thing was between him and Runa, and nothing would get between them ever again.

Shade dropped, swept his leg out to catch the creature in one of its bony ankles. It crashed to the ground but was up in an instant. He struck hard, crunching his fist into its gut. The spongy, wet flesh sucked his hand into the demon’s body up to his elbow. Hell’s fires, that was nasty.

Shade spun away, bringing his foot up between the thing’s legs. It screamed and slammed a heavy wing down on Shade’s shoulders. He ducked, taking only a glancing blow, but an explosion of pain and the smell of blood told him the strike had been damaging enough. Another beast landed next to him, its wings stirring up the trees, creating a whirlwind of vines and leaves. Something struck his back, the shock of the impact stunning him.

What the hell was going on? This wasn’t a Carceris operation, not unless they’d changed their methods in recent years.

“Khroyesh!”

The word, spoken in Sheoulic, the universal demonic language, meant to stand down, which might have been a relief if it hadn’t been uttered in Roag’s damaged, deep rasp.

The winged monsters backed away. Roag stepped out from behind one of the things, a barely conscious Runa in his arms. He wore some sort of brace on one hand. Wicked, Freddy Kruger—like extensions gave him sharp fingers where his own should have been.

“Stay where you are,” Roag said, bringing the blades to Runa’s throat, “or she dies.”

“Trust me, brother, you don’t want to do that.”

Roag raised his eyebrows, dark, sickly things that hadn’t completely grown back after the fire. “You aren’t in a position to make threats.” He nodded at Wraith and E, who were on the verge of being overwhelmed. “Tell them to stop.” To emphasize his command, he slashed Runa’s cheek with a blade. She whimpered, but through the bond Shade knew she was too out of it to feel much pain.

“Damn you.” Shade struggled to keep his voice low and even, when what he wanted to do was scream.

“Do it!” Another flick of a blade opened a gash dangerously close to Runa’s jugular.

The scent of Runa’s blood filled Shade with a bitter, sharp rage. He wanted to shift form into something horrible and bite Roag’s fucking head off. But he couldn’t risk Runa, and even if he succeeded in killing Roag, the army of monsters he’d brought with him would probably take them all out.

“Wraith! Eidolon!” He didn’t take his eyes off Runa as he shouted to his brothers. “Back off!”

“Not happening, brother.” Wraith’s words were mushy, gurgled, and Shade suspected his little brother was speaking through split lips and a mouth full of blood. Which meant the taste was on his tongue, and between that and the pain, he’d gone into vampire bloodlust.

Shit.

“Stop him,” Roag warned, digging his blades into the delicate skin between Runa’s throat and jaw.

Shade’s heart hammered hard, and cold sweat broke out on his brow. “E! You’ve got to stop Wraith. Now!”

Torn between staying as close to Runa as possible and helping E take down Wraith, Shade hesitated, but the sound of Eidolon getting pummeled by Wraith tipped the scales. Shade darted toward them. He caught Wraith from behind, managed to pin his arms to his sides, but only for a moment. Wraith had the advantage on any day, but add to that the bloodlust, and gaining control of him turned into a vicious battle.

They muscled him to the ground, but damn, Wraith was strong and pissed, and with the way his eyes burned red and his fangs had elongated into daggers, Shade doubted Wraith even knew who he was fighting anymore.

Eidolon used his weight to hold Wraith down while Shade channeled power into him, using his gift to slow Wraith’s heart and breathing, then reaching deep to cut off the adrenaline flow.

“Ease up, bro. Idle down,” Shade murmured, even as he looked over his shoulder to make sure Runa was okay and none of Roag’s minions were going to launch a surprise attack.

Bringing Wraith down was agonizingly slow, and most likely futile. As soon as they let him up, Wraith would probably go ballistic on Roag’s demons.

“Very, very good,” Roag said. “But honestly, I can’t believe you two haven’t figured out that killing Wraith would make life a whole lot easier.”

Eidolon bared his teeth. “You know what would be easier, you fucking—”

“Don’t.” Shade gripped E’s arm and squeezed. “I can’t risk Runa.”

The wind rustled the leaves in the trees, bringing with it the scent of brimstone. Hellhounds.

“Where’d you get the trackers?” Eidolon eased off Wraith, who leaped nimbly to his feet and stood there, quivering with the amount of restraint it must have taken to not go for Roag’s throat.

Roag stroked his blades through Runa’s hair, and now it was Shade who had to restrain himself, especially when locks of her gorgeous hair began to flutter to the ground. “What, you think I don’t have my own kennel?”

It was on the tip of Shade’s tongue to say Roag couldn’t control his own female, let alone a hellhound, but with Runa still in danger, Shade kept his mouth shut. Two Carceris officers stepped into the clearing, held prisoner by Roag’s minions.

So that was how he’d found Shade. He’d taken the Carceris officers prisoner and forced them to use the hounds to track him. Son of a bitch.

“Shade?” Runa’s voice was quiet but steady, and pride swelled in him. He smelled no fear from her, instead her strength permeated the air. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, lirsha.”

Roag snorted. “You’re fading, you know. I’m thinking it’s not okay.”

A deep, low growl rumbled in Runa’s throat. Shade’s pulse went tachy with panic. “Runa, no!”

She struck. A double blow, one sharp kick to Roag’s shin and a reverse punch to his face. A shockwave of energy hit Shade; she was trying to shift.

“Little bitch,” Roag hissed, and buried one of his blades in her shoulder. Her scream rent the air. “This blade is solid silver. You can’t shift.”

A veil of crimson came down over Shade’s vision. He sprang forward, because he was going to tear out Roag’s throat. Something pierced his neck. A dart, drugged, no doubt. He fell to the ground hard enough to knock the wind from his lungs. Determined to get to Runa, he yanked the dart from his skin. Eidolon and Wraith’s furious shouts told him they’d fallen victim to the same fate.

The last thing he heard before he lost consciousness was Runa’s bloodcurdling wail.