Absolute Surrender (51 page)

He reached out and ran his fingers over her stomach to her breasts. She nearly hurled in revulsion. She batted his hand away but her blow lacked strength. He laughed then trailed a finger down between her legs. Echo kicked at him, fear constricting her chest. She reached for the obsidian dagger tucked in her boot. Glad now she’d hidden the blade in her footwear.

Andras snatched her weapon and smiled. He grasped her flaying arm when she tried to grab it and shoved the blade into his pocket.

“Dear girl, you’re going to be mine. Yes, you’ve joined with the warrior, but you see, once he’s dead, your mating bond will be broken, and I shall claim you—Neal, you fool,” he snarled. His eyes flamed red. “Be careful with that.”

Neal stood near the wall, watching her with an avaricious look, edged with hatred. In his hands was some kind of gun, his finger nervously playing with the trigger.

“It’s my little surprise for the warrior,” Andras said, turning back to her. “A lovely spelled bullet made especially for him.”

“No!” Echo cried. Twisting, she broke free of the clamp Andras had on her arm. She lashed out and nailed Andras across the face. A snarl filled the cave, a fist crashed into her temple, and darkness closed around her.

***

A’Damiel stepped out of Andras’s chambers and found Belphegore leaning against the rough wall of the passageway, studying the glowing crevice that spurted out flames on the opposite side of the corridor.

Bel turned and a smirk rode his face. “Another visit? I’m honored. Or does the delectable ward of yours need guarding, again?”

A’Damiel narrowed his eyes at the demon he’d left guarding Andras’s chambers. “I need to find Lazaar fast,” he snapped. “Echo’s life depends on it.”

Instantly, Bel lost his banter and straightened. “What happened?’

A’Damiel growled, “Andras tied himself to his brother. Makes killing the bastard impossible while he wears Lazaar’s glamor.”

Bel shook his head and sighed. “Yes. Kill Andras in glamor, his brother dies, and the twit escapes. The laws of a glamor spell.”

A’Damiel dematerialized, heading deep into Lower Strata of the Dark Realm, followed by Bel. The immense heat was so thick, A’Damiel thought he would need an axe to cleave a path through it. Nostrils flaring, he closed his eyes and scanned psychically for Lazaar. In a place filled with hissing flames and scaly demons slithering about, he found one still figure.

“He’s close.” Ignoring the broken cries coming from behind the walls, he headed into a narrow passage. The searing heat and shooting flames filling the tunnel would have incinerated him, had he not been immune to it.

Bel shot up beside him, scowling as steam rose from his body. “I hate this place,” he muttered. “I’m a mist demon, not of fire—the things I do for a pretty face.”

A’Damiel stopped at the dead end of the tunnel. Two seven-foot tall
demoniis
in their lizard-like form, snarled.

“Take care of them,” A’Damiel ordered Bel.

The
demoniis
attacked.

“Oh shit!” Bel vanished. The next moment a heavy fog surrounded the
demoniis
.

A’Damiel left Bel to his games and scanned the area again, finding the entrance he wanted. With his mind, he willed the walls to open. Creaking loudly, the granite rock-face to his left shuddered apart.

Lazaar lay in a tangle of limbs on the ground in an obscure, dugout cavern. A’Damiel hoped to the Heavens he was in time to break the spell as he set to work.

***

When Echo came to, she was still lying on the stone slab. She squinted, trying to focus but everything remained hazy and dark.

Torches burned in the distance now and added an eerie glow to the huge space. The serrated rock-face gleamed wetly with what she hoped was water. The thick stench of sulfur made breathing hard. A cough racked her lungs.

Have to get out of here, have to get—no, no, have to kill the demonii bastard first. He’ll kill Aethan.

She turned her head to the side. Neal watched her with a zeal that didn’t bode well for her. Yeah, she’d have to hurt the snake, make him wish he’d never crossed her path for threatening to kill her mate. She’d slice him up into pieces and toss his useless carcass to the Hellhounds.

First, she had to get out of here. She rolled to her side and sat up. Only she fell off the slab and landed on her ass. Echo bit down on her lip as pain darted along her spine. The cavern spun, or was it her head? Scooting on her bottom, she backed up until she hit the stone block behind her.

Hastily, she took stock of her condition and found she was able to move all her limbs, which was good. The grogginess faded a bit, but her jaw ached from when that bastard Neal had slapped her. She winced. Her head pounded like spikes were being drilled into it, and she recalled Andras planting a fist on her temple. She fumbled in her boot for her dagger. Empty.

Please, please work.
She willed her dagger back—and breathed a sigh of relief when she felt the reassuring steel of the hilt moments later.

Andras flashed in. Echo pulled her hand back as he sauntered over to her. “You’re up again. Good. It’s time, precious. Bring her.”

Terror raced through her.
Oh God, no!

‘
Aethan, help me
!’

Neal grabbed her, dragging her to her feet.

The barricaded entrance exploded, showering the cavern with rubble. The stone ground beneath her feet vibrated violently. She stumbled and braced herself against the slab. Dust flew in the air as Aethan and Dagan burst inside.

His expression cold and lethal, Aethan’s gaze zeroed in on her. Relief crossed his face.

‘
Hold on, me’morae. I’ll get you out.
’

“Keep her away from him,” Andras ordered Neal. “And shoot him.”

Neal seized her arm and held the gun with his other hand, aiming the weapon at Aethan.

No! Echo clawed at Neal’s hand, struggling to break free. For some reason she couldn’t seem to dislodge his hold. Had to be the crap they pushed down her throat which had weakened her.

Demoniis
rushed in from the shadows, filling the cavern. The horde attacked. A white light lassoed out of Aethan’s sword, filled with his power, decapitating several
demoniis
at once as he worked his way to her. More came at his back, crawling over him like ants. A white flare of his powers seeped out of him to incinerate the fiends on him. Their bodies, turning to ash, rained to the ground.

Dagan dropped
demonii
bodies as he waded through them with his sword, his long hair flying around him like another weapon.

Echo let her body go lax. No way would she allow a vermin like Neal to hurt Aethan. A
demonii
crashed into them, Neal’s grip loosened. She broke away. Too close to plant a good fist in his belly, she gathered whatever strength she had and kneed the snake in the balls, dropping him to his knees. His howl became lost in the fracas of guttural grunts filling the cavern. She slid her hand into her boot and grasped the hilt of her dagger.

‘
Echo, get out of here
!’ Aethan yelled through their mind link.

A brutal hand grabbed her arm, almost crushing her bones. The odor of coppery vanilla taunted her nostrils. She didn’t think, just reacted. Stumbling, she turned and plunged her dagger into the bastard’s
sternum. Andras reeled back in surprise, staring in disbelief at the obsidian blade in his chest. He staggered to the other end of the cavern. His form shimmered, but the glowing obsidian dagger in his chest kept him from flashing out.

But dammit, she’d missed his heart. Echo shook her groggy head. Then an arm hauled her against a rock-hard chest. Breathing hard, she took in the scent of rainstorms. Aethan.

Through their mind-link he said, ‘
Go with Dagan. He’ll get you out of this place
.’ Aethan handed her over to the warrior and then decapitated his way to Andras.

Dagan grabbed her wrist, causing Echo to stumble as he hauled her to the cavern entrance. He swung his sword with one hand, clearing a path as he lopped off heads. One landed by her feet. Echo jerked back.

A flash of white light filled the dark cave. She looked over her shoulder and her heart seized.

Aethan’s fist punched through bone and flesh, straight into Andras’s chest. White light flowed down his arm and into Andras, incinerating the
demonii’s
body.

Echo’s jaw fell open.

The moment Andras’s body disintegrated into dust, the remaining
demoniis
scattered, leaving the cavern empty. Dagan let Echo go. She looked around unable to believe it was truly over.

Andras was dead.

“Don’t you listen?” Aethan growled as he came toward her, a scowl on his handsome face.

She smiled, not caring he was annoyed. All she wanted was to feel his arms around her—for him just to hold her.

A metallic click echoed in the silent cavern. Echo turned. Neal rose from behind the rock where he hid in the shadows, the gun in his hands aimed at Aethan.

“No!” Her scream caught in her throat. She darted toward her mate, who leaped for her.

A loud explosion filled the chamber.

***

Kira paced the dusty concrete floor, stopping to pick off the ash-colored, spidery threads clinging to her clothes and hair. She turned to the two men standing on the other end of the crypt.

“Why haven’t they come back yet?” she asked again. Not like she expected
him
to answer. He was as silent as this horrible place.

Týr barely spared her a look, just stared at the steps leading up to the outside entrance. Almost as if he wished he was out there instead. She certainly rubbed him wrong but he made her feel like a frivolous airhead every time he looked at her. Jerk!

Well, she didn’t care. He could go jump into the Hudson. Better yet, dive off Niagara Falls.

At his sharp glance, she pivoted away from him, tugging at her loose braid. All that mattered was finding Echo. Another turn, she stomped back to them and saw Týr sitting on a stone ledge of a monument.

“You’re sitting on someone—a
dead
someone,” she pointed out. “Have a little respect.”

Toffee-brown eyes flared in irritation. “Would you keep quiet for one damn second? I can’t hear a damn thing.”

“Of course, you can’t. We’re underground.
Everything’s
damn quiet.” Scowling, she continued her walk-a-thon across the corrugated stone floor.

All she could think about was Echo. What if the
demonii
—no, no! She wasn’t going to scare herself with crappy thoughts. Tugging at her hair, she stopped in front of Blaéz. “Please, tell me what’s happening. Tell me something,” she begged.

“He’ll get her out safe.” His gaze traveled over her face then settled on her hair. “Your hair is blue.”

“What?” Oh crap. She inhaled deeply, forced her mind to relax, and changed it back to red. “What about the
demonii
?”

Blaéz shrugged.

Fine. If they wanted to sit here waiting, hoping for divine intervention, she wasn’t. She wheeled around and headed for the opening in the wall.

“What the hell—”

Týr’s snarl resounded off the tomb walls. He could go to hell if he thought she’d sit on her ass and wait. Kira sprinted into the dark, musty passageway. She’d find her friend and help her, like she always did.

Heavy footsteps pounded behind her. Driven by a burst of adrenalin, she put a few precious feet between herself and her pursuers, only to stumble to a halt. Her heart jumped to her throat as a hard body slammed into hers. Arms grabbed her around the waist to steady her, the masculine scent of a cool night breeze informing her it was Blaéz. The dark shimmering portal a few feet ahead, rooted her to the spot.

“That’s a portal,” she whispered, her heart racing in terror.

“That it is,” Blaéz said.

The fact the two warriors hesitated to enter it surprised her.