A Mermaid's Ransom (Daughters of Arianne 3)

In the intensity of his expression, the rest of the cavern disappeared for her. His hands were tight, every finger pressed into the flesh of her arm. You are mine?

It was the first time he'd posed it as a question. Though he said it with rough agitation, the uncertainty beneath it tightened her throat, so she answered in her mind.

I'm not sure what you want from me when you say that, or what it means. But some part of me wants to say yes.

His brows lifted as he considered her, as if he was plumbing her mind at the same time she was gauging his emotions. What a couple they made, she thought wryly. They'd be incapable of lying to one another, even white lies. That would be a pain in the ass, in any relationship.

Then she sobered. "Please, Dante." I know how terribly hard this is for you. But it is the only way. I want you to live.

A long, tense moment ensued before he inclined his head, so slightly she might have been the only one to see it. He quivered as she opened the latch on the collar and raised her arms. Steadying her weak body, he moved his hands to her waist, or perhaps that was to keep himself from stopping her, because his fingers dug into her flesh with the power to bruise. When he tilted his head down for her, she leaned into his chest to fit it around his throat. Another hard tremor went through him as it latched, making her want to reassure him further. Her father's sharp voice cut in then, the strain in his tone telling her he was at the limit of what latitude he would give her.

"All right, stand back, Lex, so Mina can activate the binding on it."

Dante's hands flexed on her waist, but then he released her with another nod, bidding her to stand back.

As she did, Lex realized something she'd yet to feel from him. Fear. Anger, yes, frustration, concern, but not fear of the type that would make a person retreat before an unwinnable situation or the frightening unknown. She remembered now what she'd felt when he'd thrust her into his circle, allowing her to take his place. A terrible resignation, a deep fatalism like suicides experienced, those who cared nothing more for their soul and were willing to release it to whatever end it sought for itself.

Uneasiness swept her. She sent a prayer to a Goddess that Dante would trust them enough to let her help him. Along with the uneasiness, dizziness returned, another wave from the gray world that wanted to drag her down. No, she couldn't go. She couldn't leave him yet. Not until she had him settled at her place, though she wasn't sure she was even up to the swim to the surface.

Mina gestured. "This may hurt some, but once it's activated, you'll notice nothing other than the weight of the collar." Before Dante or Lex could react to that, she spoke the enchantment.

The steel flared red-hot. Alexis gasped as Dante's body jolted, electricity spearing through it, strong enough to drive him to one knee on the narrow ledge. Lex lunged forward, trying to help him, but her father pulled her back, holding her against his solid immovable force as the magic swirled around Dante, creating a glittering shower of blue sparks that arced off him like fireflies. He didn't cry out, which seemed to impress Mina, whose lips tightened as the spell finished. Her hands came together in a way that reminded Lex of a yoga Namaste.

The magic died away, leaving Dante on the one knee, fingers tented on the ground, his breathing labored. When he lifted his head, Mina nodded to the angels. "Try to attack one of them. I want to make sure it works."

Alexis scowled. "That's not fair. He's already in pain."

Jonah ignored her, putting her behind him and squaring off with the vampire. Dante's eyes lighted with malicious pleasure that Lex was sure her father's expression mirrored. Maybe Mina was right about testosterone needing a babysitter.

"Uh, no." Mina jerked her thumb across the cavern, toward David. "Him you don't have a grudge with, and I know he won't do more than defend himself. Last test. Pass this one, you can immerse yourself in the wonderful world of human vice."

"You are fond of sarcasm," Dante observed. Rolling his shoulders, he eyed David.

"It's actually her native language." David sheathed his knives but braced himself in a defensive battle posture. "Like an accent she doesn't realize is there."

Mina scowled at him, but Dante had already launched himself. He was swift, faster than Alexis could follow, though Jonah turned with the motion, shielding her. Before she could draw in an apprehensive breath, the vampire had hit David midbody. The angel took the blow, using his wings to slow their propulsion backward, but by then, nothing else was needed. Dante was on the ground, coiled around his own midriff, his teeth gritted while he cursed.

"It works," Mina glanced at Alexis. "You can take your new puppy home now."

Alexis nodded, but as she began to make her way back from the narrow ledge, the room tilted again. Her knees gave out, making her stagger. She thought the ledges had shifted again from the earlier damage, but then she noticed she was the only one falling, while her head was spinning like a helicopter's sharp blades. Oh, no.

Though she grabbed for consciousness with both hands, it had already eluded her. The ground and water rushed up to meet her, even as she cried out in protest.

Great Lady, don't let anything bad happen to him before I wake.

Thirteen

DANTE hissed his fury. His rage fought unabated within him, slashing between betrayal and frustration. Where was Alexis? He couldn't get her to answer. He sensed her mind, but either she was unconscious or they were blocking him. They'd said they were going to have her tended by a healer in the Heavens, Raphael. He remembered Raphael from the Mountain Battle. He'd been no healer on that day, wielding a spear that could puncture and thread together three Dark Ones on the shaft before it yanked itself free and returned to its owner.

In the meantime, they'd brought him to Hell. He'd been escorted by all four of the angels. Even Mina joined them for reinforcement. Jonah had said little, but the witch's mate, David, told him that Hell would be the best place for him until Alexis had regained strength and consciousness.

He hadn't been unkind, but Dante didn't like it. He didn't trust any of them. He remembered David only from when he'd come to the Dark One world, years ago. He'd threatened to rip Dante limb from limb then, and now he was expected to trust his words.

But he had escaped his world. Whatever treachery they planned, they were not yet executing it, and he could afford to watch, and wait. He'd done that for many years, and such patience was familiar to him.

What wasn't familiar were his feelings about Alexis's absence, his inability to be near her. His need for her was more unsettling than anything else. He'd told them his reasons for marking her the third time were his own, but the truth was, despite not knowing exactly how to activate it, he'd been thinking of his mother's words. Use it to bind a soul . . .

Lex was beyond his reach, and that was simply unacceptable. His cunning deserted him, leaving only the desire to tear, rend, destroy. They'd put this collar on him and then took away the one thing he would fight and kill to keep.

After they brought him to Hell, they left him alone on a spear of rock deep in the bowels of their Earth. It was warm and dim. A deep chasm surrounded his platform on all sides, so he could peer over the edge into endless fire and darkness. Beyond that were endless cliffs of high rock with no visible top point and crevices hard to discern in the shadows, even with his enhanced vision.

Despair rose like smoke from that chasm, but it had a different quality than in his world. It tugged at his memory, made him think about his mother. Perhaps what Alexis had called regret? Occasional screams of fear or pain were carried on the air currents.

He sensed no enemy to fight or defend against, to distract him from the madness closing in. Cursing, he shouted out a demand for Alexis, now. The echo of it rebounded, mocking him and driving him over the edge, literally.

He leaped, damning the consequences, and found himself slammed flat on his back into the center of the platform. He also found he was not alone at all. The dark-winged angel holding him with only a hand at his throat and knee

to his chest gave him a flat, assessing look.

"The chasm is spelled for you. If you leap outward, it would give you an unpleasant jolt, worse than this, and you'd end up back here."

Lucifer. He knew this angel, from the Mountain Battle and the stories of Dark Ones who'd seen others fight him, and lose. No one came back from a fight with him. He was the one dispatched to kill Jonah, all those years ago in the Canyon Battle, the one strong enough to do so if it was needed. His eyes were the only angel's eyes that held red, a crimson glow that glittered through the black void. His long, dark hair draped over broad shoulders and powerful arms tattooed with script that glowed like embers as he moved.

"I do not fear you," Dante snarled. "Get off of me. Where is Alexis?"

"Exactly where you were told. She is safe, and being treated for her wounds. Her life energy was very weak. Your world, and your demand for her blood, weakened her." Though his voice remained impassive, Dante knew what moved under the surface of that unreadable face was not so unperturbed. The merangel had many powerful friends.

"But she will recover."

Lucifer inclined his head, and something loosened in Dante's chest. The Lord of the Underworld straightened and within a blink was on the opposite end of the platform, staring down into the abyss of fire. His wings stretched out slowly, meditatively, his attitude suggesting now that he'd arrived, he did not care for conversation.