Darkness Unbound (11 page)

“I’m really okay. You look…well, you look beat after working on all the others.”

“Thanks, but I’m fine. Just need a few hours of rest later. View this as a formality after your induction and first fight.” She pushed her long, black ponytail over a shoulder and sat hard on the stool.

Astrid sat rigidly in the chair. “Are there always this many daemons to eliminate?”

“Recently, yes. I think the Hashishins are trying to wear the boys down or something.” She shook her head. “I’m going to put a hand on your arm just to get an idea of what you’ve got going on. That’s it.”

“Okay.” When Kira touched, a soothing warmth spread through her, reminiscent of snuggling into a blanket after a long day of skiing.

Kira asked, “So you’ve worked with Kane for a while?”

“Yeah, partners for a few years in the Company.” Astrid recognized Kira’s girl-to-girl what’s-going-on-with-that-guy tone.

“He’s got a thing for you,” Kira prompted.

“I know,” Astrid said softly.

“I assume now that you’re a magus all the rules apply, which means there’s one guy out there for you. You think Kane might be the one for you?”

“Probably not.” Her brain immediately projected an X-rated image of Zannis.
He was NOT her guy either.
She wouldn’t allow it.

“He’s a good guy. A great catch.”

Hot, dependable, and with an edge of danger.
Yeah, Kane was the ultimate catch. “I know. I just don’t think it’ll work between us, though.”

“That’s too bad. He’s really…okay, I might be biased because his family took me in during a really rough time in my life, and he’s my cousin, but I think he’s pretty amazing. He’s a bit stubborn.” She rolled her eyes. “Like all the guys here, he thinks he’s always right. Even so, he’s the best.” Kira removed her hand and slid her rolling stool away.

I know,
thought Astrid. She rotated her healed ankle and noticed her ribs no longer complained with each breath. “You’re really good at this.”

“Thanks. I’m still learning, honestly. I trained as a human doctor first.” Kira crossed her legs. “I want to talk with you about the old damage in your chest.”

Astrid’s stomach cramped.

“I know you were a super spy, like Kane, and probably experienced some serious trauma over the years. Bullets, knives, and who knows what else. The last time I patched you up, I took care of a few things in there that were adhesed together…scarred.”

“Thanks.” Astrid respected her for not pushing to find out what happened.

Shay erupted into the room followed by a tall redheaded woman carrying a baby. Shay said, “There’s some major shit going on outside. V just went out there to figure it out.”

“What kind of shit?” Kira asked.

Shay said, “Hashishins. Sneak attack. They took out most of the gate guards. As in killed the guys. Got our attention by forcing Michael to phone in and they want…”

Kira rolled her eyes. “It never changes what they want, does it?”

“What do they want?” Astrid asked. She stood.

“Me,” Kira said. “Well, me and the amulet.” Kira patted her chest. “It’s what helps me do the healing thing. It’s also a direct communicator with the gods in a way.”

“How many hostiles are we talking about?” Astrid asked, her mind switching to business mode.

Shay shrugged. “Sounded like an army. V went to scope it out. That was at least fifteen minutes ago.”

“Where’s the safest place for you ladies to hide?” Astrid asked.

Kira said, “The conference room downstairs. In the basement. It can only be locked and unlocked from the inside. I think even if the house burns down it’s safe.”

“Go there.” Astrid strode toward the exit.

“What about you?” Shay asked.

“I’m a magus, right? That means it’s my duty to protect you.” She smiled humorlessly. “Besides, if worse comes to worst, I can pose as Kira.”

“We don’t look anything alike.” Kira plucked at her black braid and shot her a not-gonna-work.

“We’re female. I’ve got an amulet too, at least it was around my neck when I woke up after meeting Ma’at.” Astrid patted her upper chest.

“This won’t work,” Kira said. “You’re twice as tall as me. And blonde.”

“They’re men. How much will they notice beyond the tits?”

“You’re probably right,” Shay said. “What does Ashor think of this, Kira?”

“Pissed is an understatement.” Kira massaged her temple. “The daemons spread all over the country must’ve been distraction…yet again. We’ve got to quit falling for this ploy even though the daemons must be eliminated.”

“Go,” Astrid ordered.

Kira laid her hand on Astrid’s arm. “You don’t have to do this.”

“Yes, ma’am, I do. I’ll make sure you three get to that room safely.”

“The boys will get you out, if you end up kidnapped,” Kira said.

“I’m counting on it.”

“Hashishins are not nice,” Shay said with a grimace.

“I don’t expect them to be. I’ve handled bad before.”

****

Astrid noiselessly moved through the now dark woods toward the entrance to the magi estate. She’d seen no sign of V in her cautious trek from the house. Cocking her head, she halted and detected footsteps behind her. Someone stalked her…no, three someones. Anger rocked through her. She wasn’t in the mood for clandestine bullshit.

“Bring it on,” she muttered, realizing she itched for a fight with a human. She pressed herself tight against a massive pine tree. The rough bark bit into her shoulders and arms where not protected by her shirt. She gripped her suppressed Glock tight in her right fist.

A small whistle sounded behind her. The footsteps split to either side of her. Smart.

To her left a darkly clad male crept past. After a small
pfft
sound, he fell with a thud from her single headshot. A small throwing blade ripped into her right upper arm. She dropped her gun.
Shit.

She plucked out the knife while simultaneously swiping her gun off the ground. And sprinted. She wondered if the blade had been poisoned like those that had hit her during her rescue of Cy. Her right arm rapidly went limp. That was a yes on poison. She shifted her gun to her left hand, her right arm now uselessly flapping. Yet, agony screeched through the unresponsive limb. Two knives hit—one into the back of each thigh, knocking her to the ground. Now she was pissed at these fuckers.

She plucked out the knives and stood to face whoever approached, unwilling to be in a vulnerable prone position. She stumbled backwards and ducked around a massive tree. Scorching heat blazed down her legs. Her right arm remained useless, and legs likely soon to follow. Shit, shit, and super shit. Her mind wailed for Kane. She needed him at her back. He safeguarded her on risky ops. He was her shadow, her protector. And now she was in deep deep trouble.

“She weakens,” a deep Arabic accented male said softly. “He wants her alive. We hold.”

Astrid leaned around the tree into the direction of the voice, and squeezed off four rounds. A small knife impaled her left arm. Oh, God. She squeezed off four more rounds in the direction she estimated the knife must’ve come. A soft groan sounded.
Hooray
. One point for her. The agony in her left arm escalated until it was too much to grip the gun.

Her legs trembled from the effort required to remain upright. They caved beneath her. Now she was easy prey.

Wasn’t she supposed to have a super metabolism now that she was a magus, like Christian said? Drugs weren’t supposed to work this well. Maybe she wasn’t like the other guys. She hoped this had nothing to do with her being female. She silently screamed a big
fuck you
at the gods, if so. The image of Zannis drifted through her mind. Should she open the portal? Let him through? Before she could get the power to open the doorway revving, a darkly dressed Arabic man jabbed a needle straight into her neck. She howled at its burn.

The man ripped off her baseball cap and cursed. “She’s blonde. This isn’t the right girl.”

A second male palmed her amulet. “We take her. She might be one of their women.”

Her mind went woozy. And then everything went black.

****

“Are the magi moving again? Within the U.S. or to a new country?”

From the metal table on which she was restrained, Astrid glared at her Hashishin tormentor, known to her as Zimeri. This was the same guy she’d tried to take out at the Hashishins’ main headquarters in Asheville just days ago when they rescued Cy. But this was a different torture center, at least she guessed based on the architectural differences. She didn’t bother replying to Zimeri. His eerie cataract-white right eye scanned her bloodied, nude form. Dried blood highlighted his right cheek. Her blood—a splatter from when he’d staked her like a vampire an hour ago. Staked her!

She hoped that would’ve ended this. That she’d bleed out and die. Finally. No such luck. She’d passed out. When she came back to awareness this
bisht
-robed bastard stood over her like a sadistic perv.

“Ready for round three today?” Zimeri asked. He scratched at the dried blood on his cheek and glanced at the debris under his fingernail.

Show no weakness
. She maintained her hatred glare. This wasn’t just about appearing strong. She was hardwired to convey invincibility to the enemy. She would die fighting. Well, if death was an option. Even so, terror beat a wicked rhythm in her chest. They already tried foul-tasting potions, injectable drugs, knives, electricity, breaking bones, and now he’d staked her. She dared not dwell on the next level of torture.

If she could get out of these restraints and reach the knife still around her neck, the one Amun-Ra gifted her that these magical weirdoes didn’t detect, then she’d show Zimeri what it meant to be staked.

A thick snake slithered from Zimeri’s sleeve. It tensed and struck her arm. White-hot pain burned her forearm. She bit her lip to dull her scream to a moan.

Zimeri laughed. “You like my pet? Looks like his nectar works on you. Let’s try again.” He murmured a command in an Arabic dialect she didn’t recognize.

The snake struck her right thigh with a burn that had her bowing against the restraints. Then there was black oblivion.

She clawed through a haze to awareness of agony in too many body parts. Everything was marred, broken, or swollen. She couldn’t fist her right hand due to swelling. How long had she been out this time?

Tears crested, but she glanced up at the camera. These assholes would not see her cry. She pressed her eyelids together, willing the leakage not to happen. Once the tear-burn diminished she glanced around. The world shifted eerily—likely a combo of snake venom and blood loss.

They’d won. If she didn’t find a way to end her existence right now, she feared she might blab everything they wanted to know the next time Zimeri appeared.

She couldn’t imagine hell being much worse than this. Damn that goddess for forcing her into a corner.

Death might claim her only if she called for
him
. She hated succumbing to a preordained plan by a meddling deity. But she had no other option.

Did she have enough juice to pull off opening the doorway? She screwed her eyes shut and envisioned him.

The crackling of energy tickled her chest, awakening her cells. Pulsating waves of heat spread down her limbs and flowed from her. The energy radiated in waves that burst from her fingertips and toes, then coalesced and shot to the wall to her right. The dazzling energy swirled until the wall lost its form and a black doorway opened. She could no longer hold her neck cranked against the restraints to watch the doorway. She rolled her neck back to neutral position. And stared at the tiled ceiling, unable to find enough breath to speak.

She thought,
Zannis. You can cross. Kill me. Please finish it this time.

A rush of air between teeth hissed close by. She sensed his dominating presence. Hope buoyed her with the promise that this agony would end.

Come on. Why delay? Kill me!
she screamed at him telepathically.

She popped open her lids, expecting a blade above her neck, but met his wide-eyed stare as he performed a slow southward exam of her bloodied, naked skin.

His dark eyes returned to hers. Black sludge swirled over his blue irises like thunderclouds across a blue sky. He rested his hand on her cheek. Hoarsely he asked, “Who did this to you?”

The skin of her cheek tingled at his warm touch as if awakening from a long snooze. He was still movie star gorgeous with his strong, hard profile and laser blue eyes. How she wanted to touch his golden hair just one last time.

Stop it,
she ordered herself
.
He’s a homicidal maniac. Make that married maniac.

“Please,” she wheezed out. She thought to him,
Kill me. I can’t keep secrets any longer. They’re coming back to do more.

“I will not kill you.” Rage morphed his face. The swirling sludge in his irises coalesced to black. “But I will kill every one who hurt you.” He smoothed her hair away from her face. Softly he added, “You should have called for me sooner.”

She hated the tears that wet her cheeks. Hated that he’d make her beg. “Why won’t you kill me? You tried once. Am I no longer worth the effort like this? Too easy?”

“That…before…now is not the time to discuss that. I shall get you out of here, but stay awake. I’ll be sent back to the other world, if you pass out. What the…” He released what she suspected were curses in his native language. His hand passed down her chest to encircle the metal stake. His touch feathered across her grossly swollen arm and leg. He pulled at the restraints, bending the metal to allow her limbs freedom. “Forgive me,
rouhi
, but I must remove this.” He yanked out the stake.

She screamed. Tears streamed.
Please, no more. End this.

Warm moisture gushed over her chest. She touched the area and brought her fingers to her face. Red. “Will I finally bleed out? Is this how I die?” she asked, hopeful.

“You will not die today. Please, don’t cry.” He wiped at her tears with his large fingers. He whispered, “I know you hurt. I would take away your pain, if I could.” He shrugged out of his black shirt, scooped her into his arms and wrapped her in the warm cloth. Its residual heat soothed her.