The Darkest Captive (Lords of the Underworld 14.5)
“We are minutes from invasion,” he grated.
“Impossible. This is a trick.” She rushed around him to peer out the window. Shudders wracked her. “The soldiers probably work for you.”
Galen followed and glanced over her shoulder. Sunlight illuminated more than a hundred men with crossbows, swords, and spears.
“You think I’d ever allow my men to harm me?” he snapped.
The next shudder nearly knocked her off her feet. “All right. Yes. Just…stay here. I’ll grab my go-bag.”
“Leave everything behind.”
Fury exploded in her eyes. “My jewels. Mine.”
A show of spirit, over jewelry? Color him intrigued. He held up his hands, palms out. “Do what you must. But hurry.”
Realizing she’d all but challenged him, she withered. Then she sprinted from the room, the soft pitter-patter of her footsteps resonating.
What if she ditched him?
No matter. I will find her.
Palming two daggers, he scanned the living room. A homey nook with well-loved furniture: a floral print couch, two recliners, a coffee table with golden turtles under each leg, and a fluffy ottoman. Posters decorated the walls, each one depicting a different forest animal in lingerie.
Some kind of raccoon porn?
On both sides of the marble hearth, bookcases displayed a collection of how-to guides and fiction. How to read, how to utilize proper etiquette, how to “grammar properly,” and the complete collection of works by Jill Monroe, Kresley Cole, and PC Cast.
In the far corner was a cluttered desk. Beside it, a small trashcan with one… five… ten…fifteen crumpled up pieces of paper. Curiosity got the better of him. The ends of his wings brushed the floor as he stalked over, every step a new lesson in anguish.
Ignore the pain. Focus on the papers, the words.
When he read the first two words—Dear Galen—shock jolted him. Legion could read and write, and she had responded to him, she just hadn’t mailed them via robo-express. Knowing she hadn’t left him hanging soothed his heart. In a totally manly way. Super manly.
He’d never been a good guy, but what the hell. He would do Legion a major solid and hand-deliver the letters to himself, saving her time and postage. He stuffed as many sheets of paper as possible underneath his shirt. Because why not? Perfect timing. Legion returned, a backpack slung over her shoulder.
He confiscated the pack. Or tried to. She growled at him and snapped, “Mine!”
She really liked her jewels. Got it.
When she spotted his blood-soaked daggers, she lost her fire. She opened her mouth, then closed it, only a strangled sound escaping.
He fought a scowl. “These blades will never harm you. They will only ever protect you.”
The tension didn’t leave her. She scooped up the raccoon before croaking, “We’re ready.”
Even more baggage. Perfect. “We’ll go out the back door and—”
“No.” Once again, she went from kitten to lioness in .02 seconds. “You will follow me.”
He almost smiled. How he’d missed her passion and zest for life.
She hurried through the small cabin and stopped inside a bedroom, where she kicked a rug out of the way, revealing a hidden latch. “There’s a tunnel below the house.”
“Where does it lead?”
“A mortal dimension with creepy-ass rodents. Hades’s words, not mine. He says this is an emergency escape hatch only.” She chewed on her bottom lip, glancing from the hatch to the door. “Maybe we should split up. You know, to better our odds of success. I’ll take the tunnel, and you take the back door. Okay? Yes?”
He narrowed his eyes. “Do you want to survive the coming attack?”
She gulped as if he’d just issued a threat. Nodded.
“Then we stay together.” Injured muscles protested as he opened the latch. Rusted hinges popped and warped wood groaned, a murky pit soon revealed.
Dust motes danced up, up, carrying a musty odor. Light spilled from a lantern that hung from a wall hook, highlighting a set of decrepit stairs. The bottom…too dark to see.
“Climb down and wait for me,” he commanded. He would have preferred to go first and clear the way, if necessary, but Legion wasn’t strong enough to close the hatch.
“Climb down…by myself? You were right. We need to stick together.” Sweat beaded on her brow and upper lip, while her cheeks bleached of color. “I—I…can’t be trapped…won’t…”
He understood her panicked reaction. Trauma could forever alter your reaction to old and new situations. “I once spent a hundred years trapped in a grave,” he said. “Feeling helpless isn’t my idea of a good time, either, but there’s no time to argue.”
Footsteps resounded in the distance, the army closing in fast.
Galen ripped the sheet from the bed, tied one end around the hatch’s handle and fisted the other end, then yanked Legion against the hard line of his body, careful not to smash the freeloading raccoon. She gasped—unsurprising. The shocker? She also melted against him, as if suddenly comforted by his presence. The feel of her…
Focus! Right. He tightened his hold—and jumped into the pit.
As they fell, the sheet pulled taut and the lid closed with a heavy thud, sealing them inside the tomb-like tunnel. The light in the lantern snuffed out.
When the sheet lost all slack, the material ripped from his grip. He flared his injured wings, despite the pain, attempting to slow their momentum, but the walls were too close together, and he accomplished nothing. Left with no other recourse, he enfolded Legion inside the soft cushion provided by his feathers and angled their bodies, ensuring he would be the one to—
Impact!
He hit first. Legion smashed into him, the heavy backpack adding to her weight. Numerous bones snapped. His wings broke and twisted. Multiple organs ruptured, a new round of agony searing him. The taste of old pennies coated his tongue, and he was pretty sure blood leaked from his every orifice.
“You okay?” The words were slurred, and he realized he’d bitten off half his tongue.
“I’m okay, I’m okay,” she rushed out. “Sips?”
The raccoon said, “Eeeee, eeeee.”
He’d take that to mean, I’m fine.
Galen spit out a mouthful of blood, the piece of tongue, and maybe a
tooth. Releasing Legion, he labored to unsteady legs. Dizziness flooded him, and stars winked across his sightline. Must remain conscious. Can’t pass out until my woman is safe.
My woman? As if we are a done deal?
As his eyes adjusted to the gloom, he noticed flickering light about a hundred feet ahead. He took Legion’s hand and kicked into motion, taking stock of his surroundings along the way. The tunnel reminded him of an old, abandoned subway station. Graffiti on the walls, rats scurrying this way and that. Nothing creepy-ass about—
Nope. Never mind. The rats had horns. And fangs. And forked tails.
With his free hand, he dug the cell phone out of his pocket and fired off a text to Fox.
Probs dying, def being chased. Need pick up for 2 ASAP
He’d trained himself to text blindfolded, and with one hand, whether left or right. He also paid handsomely to use mystical Wi-Fi, so he could message anyone, any time. Note to self: add Legion to his monthly bill.
The phone vibrated. He glanced at the screen, and relief washed over him.
Fox: Did my baby boy get an owie? No worries, I’ll track & find you
Cheeky little wench. But then, they’d been together for centuries, had seen the best in each other, and the worst. Had fought side-by-side, and saved each other countless times.
Fox was a Gatekeeper, able to open a portal anywhere. A secret they’d kept for centuries. Gatekeepers had a limited lifespan known as a rotation. Roughly two thousand years. When she’d reached the end of her rotation, Galen had helped her acquire the demon of Distrust to ensure she lived forever.
It hadn’t taken long for the demon to begin changing her personality, as Galen had expected. Fewer smiles and jokes. Darker temper tantrums. Much darker. Moments of black-out rage.
A small price to pay to stay together.
They’d met in Ancient Greece, a time when Galen had warred with the Lords of the Underworld. Thirteen immortal warriors possessed by demons of their own. Aeron, Torin, Maddox, Amun, Reyes, Baden, Strider, Paris, Cameo, Gideon, Kane, Lucien, and Sabin. Once his closest friends and allies. Then his greatest enemies. Now…friends again?