Taste of Darkness (34 page)

“I smell snow,” Victoria murmured as she slowly made her way through the cavernous opening. They had to be close to an exit. Hope soared through her at the thought of freedom.

The cave rumbled again but she kept her footing and increased her pace. She was trying to be careful since Keelin was injured too, but decided a little pain was worth getting out of here sooner.

Less than a minute later they reached the mouth of a cave. Victoria stepped out onto a thirty foot ledge, into the freezing night air. A blanket of stars illuminated the sky. Her heart caught in her throat. The cliff dropped straight down farther than she could see. Even in wolf form she couldn’t walk down that type of angle. It was a straight freefall.

“Keelin—”

“I can’t shift yet,” she rasped out, clearly knowing what Victoria planned to ask.

Well, hell. She set the female on her feet and tucked the blanket tighter around Keelin’s shoulders. They might not be able to escape yet, but she could start healing the other female. “Let’s get you into the mouth of the cave.” It would keep the chill off Keelin. Later she’d worry about the fact that a Hell Gate was inside that cave. One problem at a time.

Keelin nodded and they both started back across the ledge for the mouth. The ground shook again, worse than before. As the ledge floor fell away beneath Victoria she shoved Keelin forward.

A scream tore from her throat as she tumbled backward off the cliff, her stomach jumping into her throat as she fell into darkness.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Victoria’s scream died in her throat as a huge rush of wind swept under her, making her tumble midair. A muscular arm snagged around her waist and she found herself slamming hard against…Drake. In dragon form.

She stared up from Drake’s scaled back at Gabriel who’d just grabbed her midair. “You all right?” Gabriel shouted over the sound of wind rushing over them. The Guardian sat on Drake’s back, holding on to the ridged scales down the middle of his long body.

She nodded, not bothering to talk. For a moment she buried her face against Drake, not surprised how smooth his skin was. He’d saved her.

Holding on tight to the pale diamond-toned ridges, she turned her head toward Drake’s. His head was turned back to her and though she could only see his profile, she knew all his focus was on her as sure as she knew her name. Wind rushed over her face and body as Drake flew down the mountain. “Drake! We need to go back and get Keelin!”

In response, he let out a loud growl.

Thankful he understood her, she laid flatter against him, hugging him tight as his jade-colored wings flapped rapidly, taking them higher and higher. Her stomach dipped at the sharp climb. It was exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. She’d never flown with him before, but once all this was over she wanted to do it under different circumstances.

As they reached the opening of the cave relief slammed through Victoria to see Keelin deep in the wider mouth of the cave, huddled next to a huge boulder. Her pale, blonde hair stood out like a beacon.

With surprising agility for such a large shifter, Drake landed in the mouth of the cave in seconds. The moment she and Gabriel slid off him, Drake shifted to his human form with a rapid fluidity that still amazed her. Gabriel hurried toward Keelin as Victoria threw herself into Drake’s arms, more thankful than she’d ever been to see him. Her throat was tight, making it difficult to breathe as she held him close. She couldn’t stop the shakes racking her body.

He returned her embrace, his big body quivering. “You’re alive.” She could barely hear his whisper.

She buried her face against his neck, her trembling starting to subside as she took comfort in his steel embrace. They needed to close the Hell Gate and get out of the cave but she needed to hold him for just a second first. Needed to know this was real. “You found me,” she managed to rasp out, tears clogging her throat. She didn’t bother hiding them. She’d been keeping it together until falling off the cliff. She might be supernatural with extra healing abilities, but she wasn’t sure she’d have survived the fall.

Knowing that she could have died, wouldn’t have gotten to see Drake again, to kiss him, and finally make love to him… She stopped her mind from going there.

He pulled back, but remained close, his bright silver eyes pinned to hers as he cupped her face in the gentlest hold. “I will
always
find you.” The deep vow pierced her.

She opened her mouth to respond but the cave rumbled again. She clutched on to his forearms to steady herself. Panic slid through her veins, an icy reminder of what they needed to do. “Drake, your psycho cousin started to open a Hell Gate. He was using Keelin’s blood to do it and the process has already started. You’re the only one I know who can close it.” He’d done it in New Orleans when none of them had known how. From what Victoria knew about sacrifices and spells, she guessed that because of the strength of Keelin’s dragon blood things were moving at an accelerated rate.

“Stay here… Never mind, come on.” Drake grabbed her hand and they raced past Gabriel and Keelin. “Keep my sister out here,” he threw over his shoulder as they hurried deeper into the cave.

Drake held Victoria’s hand tight, knowing she’d never stay put and they couldn’t waste time arguing. His female would never leave him to face this alone.

Or anything else. And it was one of the reasons he loved her. When he’d seen her falling from that cliff he’d lost a century of his life. He’d never flown so fast or pushed so hard. His heart was still pounding erratically at the sight and he wasn’t sure he’d ever get over the terror that he might have lost her.

“Nevin sacrificed you. He was behind it all,” she said as they hurried. “I killed him.”

The raw satisfaction in her voice shocked him, but he didn’t stop now. There was no time. Not until the gate was closed and Victoria and his sister were safe.

Keep my mate safe and claim her
. The two primal thoughts were the most prominent that raced through his mind. As he and Victoria spilled into the heart of the cave, his heart stuttered at the sight of Nevin’s decapitated body on the ground and the rapidly opening Hell Gate above it.

Victoria had killed the traitor. For him. He’d never be able to thank her for what she’d done for him, for slaying the bastard who’d taken his childhood away.

But he sure as hell was going to protect her now.

“Stay behind me,” he ordered as he jumped over a fallen, shattered stalactite. Too many emotions swelled inside him but he had to keep everything locked down until Victoria was far away from here.

Needing the spilled blood to close the gate, he started toward the altar when a snarled, claw-tipped reptilian hand appeared from the viscous hole. Fuck.

“Akkadian demon. Get out!” he ordered Victoria as one of the ancient demons crawled through the door.

He knew they could glamorize themselves in this realm if they chose, but right now the thing staring at them was seven feet of nightmare. Short horns topped its head and his body was covered in thick, reptilian looking skin. Both hands and feet were clawed, like monkeys. Its eyes glowed eerily yellow as he snarled at Drake.

It raised a fist in the air, his reptilian face twisting oddly as it shouted, “Freedom.” The creature spoke in ancient Sumerian, but Drake understood perfectly well.

“Not for long,” he growled, opening his mouth and letting a burst of fire annihilate the demon.

It burst into flames as the thing screamed in agony. Drake was aware of the pounding of boots echoing off the cave walls, but ignored the sound since he knew it was Gabriel.

When the demon turned to ash, Drake stilled his fire and turned. Victoria was still there, her blade in hand, along with Gabriel, two blades in hand.

“I’ll handle this!” he shouted at them. He just needed to close the gate and he didn’t need their damn help.

He
needed
Victoria safe and away from here. It was the only way he could focus.

“Fuck you,” Gabriel snarled. “If you’re her mate, you’re fucking
pack
. End of story so shut up and let’s close this damn gate.”

Victoria nodded once, her expression beautifully fierce. “What he said.”

Throat tight, he stared at Victoria for a moment before turning back to the gate. He didn’t want to look at the fallen body but he couldn’t help it. His gaze snagged on Nevin’s decapitated head and stayed there.

Nevin’s lifeless eyes stared up at him from the rocky ground, the sulfuric scent around them as disgusting as the dead male. Drake started to shake, wishing he’d been the one to destroy the monster who’d stolen everything from him. Killing one Akkadian demon wasn’t enough to stop the rage burning through him like an out of control volcano. His shaking worsened and he tried to order his body under control, but couldn’t tear his gaze from Nevin’s head.

He only stopped when he felt Victoria’s soft hand on his forearm. “We need to close it and you’re the only one who can do it.” The trust in her expression filled him with warmth despite that they were standing in front of a Hell Gate with more demons ready to escape at any moment.

The black viscous-looking hole was halfway open, gray smoke spilling out faster each second that ticked by. It was starting to coat the altar, floor and Nevin’s body. Though Drake hated to do this, he knelt down in front of the altar and coated his hands in Keelin’s spilled blood. It was fresh enough that he could use it to reverse what a monster had started. He began smearing it along the edges of the gate. Before he could tell them to stop, Victoria and Gabriel started doing the same on the opposite side of the gate.

When a rush of smoke shoved through the hole as if it was tangible, shoving into all three of them and making them stumble back, all the hair on Drake’s body stood on end.

No.

Diving for Victoria, he wrapped his arms around her and tackled her, throwing them behind a huge stalagmite. “Take cover,” he shouted at Gabriel.

The other male jumped with them, using the natural formation as a shield. “What’s happening?”

Ignoring him, he looked at Victoria, his focus laser sharp on her sooty face. “Demons are coming. At least fifty of them. I can scent them. I’m only going to have one shot at this. There are too many for all of us to take in hand to hand combat but I can incinerate them. I need you to trust me. This isn’t about not wanting your help.” He looked at Gabriel then. “Pack trusts each other, right?”

Gabriel muttered a curse but nodded.

“Good. Stay here and let me handle this. Do
not
move away from Victoria, her essence will protect you.” He gritted his teeth at the newest rumble, knowing what was happening, and looked back at Victoria. “I’ll never say this again, but…wrap your arms around Gabriel, keep him close.” At that he jumped up to see a mix of demons, mainly Akkadians. He didn’t care what type they were.

They were all going to die.

Over twenty were in the huge cavern with more spilling out. They all turned to look at him at the same time, their creepy yellow eyes glowing brightly.

“Dragos,” one hissed angrily.

That’s right, stupid fucker. His most primal side relished that the demon knew who he was. Taking a deep breath, he let free the same energy he’d felt while killing the Veles dragons. The energy inside him burned so brightly, the need to protect his mate an all-consuming thing with a life of its own.

Unable to stop himself even if he’d wanted to, that bright supernova flame tore free from his throat, the burn liberating as he ashed every single demon, swinging his head back and forth, cutting them down like they had no more substance than paper. He kept his focus tight, directing his energy only to the demons. Even if Victoria was protected, he wasn’t risking Gabriel either.

Screams filled the air and some demons raced for the Hell Gate, desperate to return to their prison, but none escaped his wrath.

For long seconds he felt like that beast he’d become in Hell. As the demons burned and screamed around him he relished their deaths and his darkest side dreamed of bathing in their blood. Until Victoria’s sweet image flooded his mind and all that rage and anger dissipated as if it had never existed.

The demons were dead. His mate was safe. That was all that mattered.

Silence reined as his fire dimmed, pieces of ash floating aimlessly in the damp cave. He turned toward his mate, adrenaline jagging through him as intense as his fire had been. Before he could take a step in her direction, Victoria popped up from behind the stalagmite, Gabriel next to her in a defensive stance, weapons drawn.

Her eyes widened as she took in the ash floating everywhere, but she didn’t say anything other than to ask if he was okay. When he nodded, she just rounded the barrier with Gabriel and hurried to the altar. There was no time to waste, something he was glad she realized because he still wasn’t thinking clearly. He just wanted to pull her into his arms, but there would be time for that once the gate was closed.

Working together the three of them finished coating the edges of the circle in blood and Drake chanted the same ritual he’d done in New Orleans. He hadn’t remembered four months ago but he now knew exactly why the Hell Gate spell was imprinted in his memory. When that witch and his treacherous cousin sacrificed him, he’d memorized the spell she’d chanted, determined to eventually escape and get his revenge.