Darkness Wanes (42 page)

Yerik gave Kerbasi an impressed look. “I had not considered that, but the guardian would be helpful to us. When we reach the wards surrounding the protected area, Melena will not be able to break them. They are as powerful as the ones at the fae city—in fact, stronger.”

A chill ran down my spine. Last year, when an attack brought the fae city wards down, it took a sensor giving up all of their life’s blood to break them. Who knew how much sensor blood it would require to bring down wards in Hell?

Lucas stiffened. “This is the part of the plan I do not like. Melena would have to travel alone for the final part of the journey.”

“Not if the guardian goes with her.” Yerik pushed his empty bowl aside.

“I would protect her with my life,” Kerbasi swore.

Micah stared hard at him. “You do realize that in Hell your immortality might not mean as much. If anything goes wrong, it will be your life you’re risking.”

“The way I see it.” Kerbasi met my gaze. “Melena has a lot more to lose than I do. If she is willing to risk herself for this cause, then I can do no less.”

Lucas took my hand. “Even with the guardian’s help, it will be dangerous. Yerik, Micah, and I will not be able to help you once we get near Ariel. I do not feel comfortable with this.”

“All I have to say is if Kerbasi comes back without Melena, he’s a dead man anyway,” Micah said, giving the guardian a warning look.

Kerbasi didn’t waver. “If she does not come back, neither will I.”

That was good enough for me. “What about your ankle cuff?”

“I thought it odd at the time, but I did not say anything for obvious reasons. The archangel did not put it back on me.” Kerbasi frowned. “He must have known I’d wish to accompany you.”

Emily gave me a worried look. “Maybe you shouldn’t go, Mel. This sounds…crazy.”

“Don’t worry,” I reassured her. “The archangels must have had some faith in us to set up this trip so well.”

“Maybe you have a point,” she said, not sounding entirely convinced.

“Of course I do.” I slapped my hand on the counter. “So let’s talk weapons. I’ve got a long list upstairs starting with RPGs, machine guns—”

“I found your list and have already begun acquiring the items,” Lucas interrupted.

I gave him a broad smile. “You just made me fall in love with you even more. Add canteens to the list. Something tells me we’re going to want water while we’re there.”

Chapter Thirty-four

Melena

The man sitting across from my desk fidgeted. I was fairly certain Isaac James wasn’t guilty of anything other than taking a suspicious job, but no one felt comfortable being dragged into a Department of Homeland Security office. The bush pilot wore a pair of oil-stained jeans and a black t-shirt. His brown hair could have used a trimming, but it fit his overall tousled appearance. Isaac was about thirty years old with a devil-may-care attitude and probably didn’t have much trouble attracting the ladies—except for me, who he looked ready to run from at any moment.

It took us two days since Aniya’s disappearance to track him down since he rarely stayed in one place for long. I was fairly confident Isaac had flown Aniya and her kidnappers out of Fairbanks. We’d gone over every flight that left an airfield in the area the afternoon she was taken and based on the details, he was the only one who could have flown them.

“According to your flight plan, you took three men and a large crate to an airfield outside of Anchorage,” I said, skimming a report on my desk.

Isaac slouched in his seat. “Yeah. What about it?”

“Did your passengers act suspicious in any way?”

His brows drew together. “Well, they seemed to be in a big hurry when they showed up, but they paid well, so I didn’t really care.”

“What about the crate? Did it make any noises?” He’d already told me it was three feet by three feet. I was rather confident Aniya could have fit in it if they’d scrunched her up.

The pilot shook his head. “None that I heard, but my engines are loud. I probably wouldn’t have heard anything.”

I’d been in enough small planes to understand that. “What happened after you landed?”

“They had a truck waiting for them by the airfield. It pulled up after we landed and they offloaded the crate onto it. They told me to go after that.” He shrugged. “Whatever they were doing—it wasn’t my business.”

I jotted down the details on my notepad. “How many men were in the truck?”

“Just one. An older guy in his fifties would be my guess. The main thing I remember about him is that he had a long beard.”

I’d already gotten descriptions of the three men who’d hired the pilot. Their ages ranged from mid-twenties to early forties. Nothing about them was particularly distinctive. No visible scars or tattoos we could run through a database.

O’Connell appeared in the doorway and gestured for me to come talk with him.

“Just a moment,” I said to Isaac as I stood up. I followed O’Connell a short distance down the hallway.

His expression was sour. “None of the names are real. I’m guessing they gave the pilot fake IDs.”

“Damn,” I swore. They’d also paid cash so we could track them that way. It was beginning to feel like the deeper we dug, the more questions we had. I was trying really hard to keep my hopes up that we’d find Aniya soon.

“I’ve got a sketch artist coming in half an hour. Once you’re done, send Mr. James to me, and I’ll get him prepped for it. Maybe once we know what they look like, we’ll be able to find them on the security footage we’ve pulled.”

“What about the van? Anything on it yet?” I asked.

“There was one fitting the description that was reported stolen the day your friend was kidnapped, but we haven’t found it.” He shook his head, his expression reflecting the frustration I felt. “I’m thinking a fourth party got rid of it. Most likely, it’ll turn up in a ditch somewhere a few months from now.”

I rubbed my face. “Alright. Thanks for letting me know.”

O’Connell’s expression softened. “Whatever it takes—we’ll find her.”

“I appreciate that.” I gave him a weak smile.

When I returned to my office, I found Isaac in his chair with his head tilted back and his eyes closed. He’d complained when we first brought him in that he hadn’t slept much the night before. Judging by the faint scent of alcohol coming from him, I was guessing he’d had a night out on the town. He wasn’t drunk now, but he’d definitely had plenty to drink the evening before.

“How much did they pay you for the job?” I asked, taking my seat.

Isaac lifted his head. “Two grand.”

That was his first lie. I narrowed my gaze at him. “Try again.”

“It was two grand,” Isaac insisted. I had to give him credit that he didn’t show any of the usual physical signs for deception.

“Mr. James, I should warn you that I am very good at discerning the truth. Until now, you’ve been honest with me.” I leaned forward in my chair. “Let’s not change that.”

He didn’t blink. “I’m not lying.”

“You know I don’t care what you report to the IRS for tax purposes. My investigation is focused entirely on finding a woman who has been kidnapped. Try again.”

Isaac was quiet for a moment. “Alright, five grand.”

That was a steep price for the trip. “Did you ask for that much or did they offer it?”

“They offered.”

I cocked my head. “Did they give any reason why?”

The pilot stretched his feet out in front of him. “It was short notice, and I had something else scheduled for that afternoon. They paid me extra to fly them instead.”

“Did they give any other reason?” I asked.

“Only that they needed me to be ready the minute they arrived.”

That much didn’t surprise me. “Did they talk much? Maybe say where they were headed after you dropped them off?”

“Nope.” Isaac shook his head. “They weren’t real forthcoming, and I’m not the nosy type.”

Maybe that was why they’d hired him. “Have you heard from them since then?”

He snorted. “No, and I don’t expect to.”

I asked him a few more questions, but he didn’t have anything else useful for me. It was frustrating. He was the closest thing we had to a lead, and the best we could hope for was that the men’s descriptions turned up something. We’d have to check the flights and ships leaving Anchorage around the time the suspects arrived near the city. I had to assume that’s why they headed for the coast. It was probably easier to transport Aniya by sea, though I hated the idea of her being trapped in a crate for this entire time.

With nothing else pertinent to ask, I dropped Isaac off at O’Connell’s office. Lucas and Yerik popped up on my radar while I made myself a cup of coffee—they’d flashed into the corridor. Kristen had come by the day before to update the ward so Lucas could get inside freely, but Yerik had to fight his way through the protection spell. The daimoun was extremely powerful. It only took him a few seconds, though his expression was pained when he entered the reception area.

The secretary looked up at the large man wearing nothing but a kilt and a pair of hiking boots and her jaw dropped. “What…who are you?”

“Don’t worry,” I said, giving her a reassuring look. “He’s a friend and won’t be here long.”

“But…” The way her mouth opened and shut, she resembled a fish out of the water. I would have taken pity on her, but I wasn’t in the mood to explain Yerik.

Before she could formulate a coherent reply, I gestured for the men to follow me to my office. “What’s going on?”

“I’ve located the portal,” Yerik said after shutting the door.

“Where is it?” I asked.

Lucas held himself stiffly. “About a two-hour drive west of here.”

He didn’t seem particularly glad the portal had been found. I wouldn’t have been surprised if he’d hoped it would take too long and then he, Micah, and Kerbasi wouldn’t have been able to go—effectively shutting down our best chance of making the rescue operation successful. Even now, we only had about a day and a half before Remiel would return to put the ankle bracelets back on them.

“When do we leave?”

Yerik glanced at Lucas before answering. “As soon as we can gather the supplies.”

“Did you get everything on my list?” I asked, giving my husband a hopeful look.

He nodded. “I acquired the final items shortly after you left this morning.”

“Okay, well, let me go break the news to O’Connell that I’ve gotta leave work early.” And encourage him to keep searching for Aniya. It was bad timing, but without any solid leads, I had to put rescuing Ariel first. We didn’t have much time left to delay.

“I’ll meet you at home.” Lucas gave me a kiss.

Chapter Thirty-five

Melena

I checked the straps on my holster and vest one last time before hoisting on my pack. The heavy gear sat uncomfortably on my shoulders, but I’d likely need everything I brought. All I had left to grab was my RPG and rifle.

Emily stood there, watching me with a forlorn expression on her face. “You’re gonna come back. Right, Mel?”

I pulled her into a hug. “Not even a pack of wild demons could keep me away.”

“That’s not funny,” she said, pulling back to glare at me.

Ah, well, I was trying to keep the mood light. If I thought about what I was about to do too much, I might change my mind. One of the things I’d learned during my time in the military was that you had to think strategically when facing danger. No matter how much people might claim otherwise, they all feared death. We were hardwired to want to live. Jumping into a battle where we could die went against our very natures—assuming one had a choice in the matter.

It wasn’t that I shut down all sense of self-preservation, but that I had to clear my head of any emotions that could debilitate me. I needed to believe I could get through this. We had a team of five powerful immortals, with a variety of unique skills that would be useful. If ever there was a group who could successfully invade Hell and make it out alive, we were it.

“Have a little faith in us. Pray while we’re gone if it makes you feel better,” I said, squeezing her arms.

She cocked her head. “Think it will help?”

“Well, it certainly couldn’t hurt.” After all, it was the angels who’d set us up for this, whether they admitted it or not.

“Okay,” Emily spoke the word slowly, doubtfully. I couldn’t blame her for being a little skeptical.

“I have a gift for you,” Cori said, walking up to me with a clear squirt bottle in hand.

I eyed it in confusion. “What is that for?”

“It’s holy water. Don’t ask how I got it, but just know it’s been years since I stepped foot in a church, so it was a big sacrifice on my part.” She located a semi-empty pocket in my pack and stuffed it in there. “I figured spraying would work easier.”