Kiss of the Night (Dark-Hunter 4)

There was no motion in the room or outside it. No sound of someone or something walking about. He listened for several minutes, but all he could hear was the creaking of the ice and the howl of the winds.

All seemed right...

Lifting himself through the trapdoor, he reached down to help Cassandra up. She drifted a small distance away in the closet while Chris and then Kat climbed up.

"Okay," Wulf whispered to them. "It looks good so far. I want you," he said to Cassandra, "and Chris to stay back. If anything happens, you two dodge back into the tunnels and press the red button to lock the door behind you."

"What about you and Kat?" Cassandra asked.

"We'll take care of ourselves. You and Chris are the important things."

Cassandra's eyes told him she didn't agree.

"It'll take a couple of minutes to lower the airboat from its harness down to the ice," he explained to her. "Let's hope the Daimons don't hear it."

Cassandra nodded and kissed him lightly. "Be careful."

Wulf hugged her gently, then opened the door. He took a step out, then hesitated as his foot collided with something large and solid on the floor.

No, wait.

It was left-behind clothing. Something that reminded him of Daimon remains.

Wulf pulled his retractable sword from his boot at the same time a slight shadow moved toward him. He prepared to attack.

"It's okay," a feminine voice whispered. "I'm a friend."

Wulf was far from placated.

He heard Cassandra gasp in alarm. Glancing toward her, he saw she was hesitating in the doorway as if unsure of what to do.

"Phoebe?" she breathed. "It is really you?"

Phoebe was the name of one of her sisters who had died with her mother.

The shadow stepped into the light so that they could see her face, which was strikingly similar to Cassandra's. The only difference was their hair. Phoebe's was golden blond and straight and Cassandra had tight strawberry blond curls. Phoebe wore a black pantsuit and didn't appear to have any weapons on her. "It's me, Cassie. I'm here to help you."

Cassandra stepped back and collided with Chris, who eyed the newcomer suspiciously. Even Kat was tense.

Cassandra gave her sister a disbelieving once-over. "You're supposed to be dead."

"I am dead," Phoebe whispered.

"You're a Daimon," Wulf said accusingly.

Phoebe nodded.

"Oh, Phoebe," Cassandra said, her voice thick with disappointment. "How could you?"

"Don't judge me, little sister. I had my reasons. Now we have to get you to safety."

"Like I'm going to trust you," Cassandra said, stiffening. "I remember Uncle Demos."

"I'm not Uncle Demos and I have no intention of turning you into me." Phoebe took a step toward her, but Wulf prevented her from getting any closer to Cassandra until he knew the truth of her intentions.

Phoebe gave him an irritated glare, then looked back at her sister. "Please, Cassie, you have to believe me. I would never, ever harm you. I swear it on Mother's soul."

Another Daimon came through the door. A male. He was tall and blond and Wulf remembered him well from the club. The Daimon had kicked the crap out of him.

This had been the Daimon who referred to Stryker as his father.

Kat gasped.

"Hurry, Phe," the Daimon said to Cassandra's sister. "I can't keep this covered much longer." He paused long enough to meet Wulf's gaze without flinching. The anger and hatred of the two men was tangible enough to make Cassandra shiver. She half-expected one of them to attack the other at any second.

"Why are you helping us?" Wulf demanded.

The Daimon curled his lip in repugnance. "Like I give a rat's ass about you, Dark-Hunter. I'm only here to help my wife protect her baby sister. Which I still think is a stupid idea." He looked at Phoebe who looked back at him irritably.

"You'll feel better tomorrow about this," Phoebe said.

The Daimon snorted. "It's a good thing I love you."

Kat gaped. "Urian has a heart? Who knew?"

Urian glared at her. "Shut up, Abadonna."

Cassandra saw the love on Phoebe's face as Urian neared her. "Urian is the one who saved me when Mom died," Phoebe explained. "He pulled me from the car after the bomb exploded and hid me. He tried to save Mom and Nia too, but couldn't get to them in time."

Cassandra didn't know what to think about that. It didn't make sense that a Daimon, let alone one related to Stryker, would help them when all their lives they had been pursued by Urian's kind. "Why?"

"There's no time for this," Urian hissed. "My father isn't a stupid man. He'll catch on quickly when he doesn't hear from the two dead men."

Phoebe nodded, then turned back to Cassandra. "I'm asking you to trust me, Cassie. I swear you won't regret it."

Cassandra exchanged frowns with Wulf and Kat. "I think we can trust her."

Wulf glanced to Urian, then to Kat. "You said they were sadistic. Any chance they're playing with our heads?"

Urian gave a low, bitter laugh at that. "You have no idea."

Phoebe smacked her husband in the stomach. "Behave, Uri. You're not making this any easier."

Scowling at his wife, Urian rubbed his stomach where she'd hit him, but didn't say anything else.

"Go for it," Kat said. "If he's lying, I now know how to hurt him." Her gaze went meaningfully to Phoebe.

Urian went ramrod stiff. "Destroyer or no, you ever touch her and I will kill you, Katra."

"Then we understand each other," Wulf said. "Because if anything happens to Cassandra, Kat is the least of your problems."

Urian stepped forward, but Phoebe forced him back. "You said we have to hurry."

Urian's rigid features softened as he looked at Phoebe and nodded. Without another word, he led them toward a black airboat that was already on the ice, waiting for them.

Chris climbed on board first, followed by Kat.

Cassandra followed suit. "Is this the same boat the Canadian Mounties use for search and rescue?" she asked Wulf.

Wulf cleared his throat as if offended. "Same company makes both, but I'd like to think mine is a bit nicer."

And it was too. Plush to the extreme, right down to the padded chairs.

"Yeah," Chris said as he took a seat and strapped himself in. "Dudley Do-Right is us."

Cassandra smiled at him as Wulf took the helm. Her sister jumped in, then paused when she realized her husband had stayed on the dock and wasn't making any moves to join them.

Phoebe's face was even paler. "Come with us, Uri," she begged, reaching up to take his hand into hers. Her voice was filled with strain and worry.

Cassandra stared at their joined hands that showed how much each one wanted to hold on and never let go.

"They'll slaughter you if they find out about this."

The pain on Urian's face as he stared longingly at Phoebe made Cassandra ache for both of them. "I can't, baby, you know I can't. I have to stay and cover your tracks, but I promise I'll be in touch as soon as I'm able."

He kissed Phoebe passionately, then kissed her hand and let her go. "Be safe."

"You too."

He nodded, then removed the last bit of harness rigging. "Take care of my wife, Dark-Hunter."

Wulf glanced at Phoebe and nodded. "Thanks, Daimon."

Urian scoffed. "Bet you never thought you'd utter those words."

Urian raised the doors to the dock at the same time a group of Daimons broke into the boathouse.

Phoebe gasped and started for her husband. Chris pulled her back as Wulf gunned the engine and flew north over the ice. Luckily, the wind was with them and they accelerated quickly.

"No!" Phoebe shrieked as they sped across the lake. "We can't leave him."

"We have no choice," Chris said. "I'm sorry."

Cassandra saw the despair on her sister's face, but Phoebe didn't cry. She merely stared behind them where the boathouse was quickly drifting out of sight, her eyes filled with horror.

Cassandra held on tightly to her seat belt, her heart pounding. "How fast are we going?" she asked Chris.

"Over a hundred at least," he answered. "These things can move as fast as one hundred forty with the wind, but only about forty against it."

Wow. She looked over at her sister, who still hadn't stopped looking behind her even though the boathouse had already faded from sight.

"He'll be okay, Phoebe," Kat said. "His father wouldn't really hurt him. Stryker may be psychotic, but he loves Urian."

Phoebe's face showed every bit of her doubt.

"Keep going north," Phoebe said to Wulf. "We have a safe place where we can hide all of you."

No sooner were the words spoken than Cassandra heard the fierce shriek of something that sounded like it came from Hollywood. It was followed by the distinct sound of wings flapping.

Looking up, she saw the dragon headed for them.

"Oh, my..." She couldn't finish the words as horror choked her.

Kat reacted instantly. She threw herself over Cassandra.

The dragon shrieked louder as if frustrated by her actions. Fire blew across the prow of the boat.

Wulf didn't slow down at all. He pulled his gun out and fired up at the dragon.

The dragon dove straight for them, screaming as it came. Cassandra could see when the bullets struck it. The dragon recoiled, but didn't really slow or veer off.

It continued toward them with a single-minded determination.

Closer.

Closer...

It swooped in so close she could feel the dragon's hot breath.

Wulf reloaded his clip and fired more rounds.

Just as Cassandra was sure it would devour them, the dragon vanished instantly.

For a full ten seconds, no one moved.

"What happened?" Chris asked.

"He must have been recalled," Kat answered. "It's the only thing that could have stopped him like that."

Wulf finally slowed a degree. "Recalled by whom?"

"The Destroyer," Phoebe said. "She won't let him hurt Kat."

"And just why is that, Kat?" Wulf asked.

Kat appeared uncomfortable with that question. "Like Stryker, I'm one of her servants."

"I thought you served Artemis," Cassandra said.

"I serve them both."

Cassandra tilted her head as she looked at her friend. Someone she had thought she'd known for years, and now she realized she really knew nothing at all about Kat.

"Question," Cassandra said, her heart pounding in fear. "What happens when you have a conflict of interest? Which one of them will you follow then, Kat?"