Katie's Hellion (Rhyn Trilogy, Book One) (18 page)

She didn’t feel cold inside; she felt frozen.
She’d grown up never having seen death, and in the past week, she’d
seen it in its most gruesome forms. She felt something squish
beneath her shoe and almost vomited.

The sounds of heated discussion made her look
toward the river. Three forms with glowing tattoos were moving
slowly toward the road, stopping to sift through the dead bodies.
One grabbed an arm and took a bite.

"Not here."

The words were loud. She looked around,
panicked, and darted to the massive stairs. Keeping along the long
wall, she inched her way upward, sticking to the shadows. The three
creatures continued to hunt through the fallen, sometimes eating,
most of the times pushing body parts aside in search of
something.

In search of Rhyn. She reached the top of the
stairs and stared at a similar scene leading past the Arch and all
the way up the park toward the city.

She heard a shout and whirled. The three
creatures made a run for the stairs.

"Rhyn!" she called, darting forward.
"Rhyn!"

Another vision, one of the Arch through the
branches of a tree. She staggered and looked around widely before
going to the right. She stepped on something squishy but didn’t let
herself stop to think about what it was. Instead, she half ran,
half leapt through the piles of bodies into the treed area lining
two wide walkways.

"Rhyn!"

She was closer. She
felt
him. No
vision came to her and she continued. The creatures had reached the
top of the stairs and were looking around, trying to figure out
which way she’d gone.

"Rhyn!"

Her shout drew their attention, and they
started toward her.

"Goddammit, Rhyn!" she said, tears rising to
blur her path.

The taste of death was in her mouth and if
she looked, she knew her shoes would be covered in blood. She ran,
eyes blurry and stomach turning.

Stop.

His command was weak, yet the air around her
stiffened until she hit an invisible wall.

She dropped, surprised and disgusted when one
hand landed in what was a human or creature at one point. She wiped
her hand on her shirt and leapt up.

"Rhyn?"

Katie.

She turned, not sure if she heard his voice
or if he was in her head. She hopped over another mess and searched
the darkness. His was the only form in one piece; he was propped up
against the base of a tree. She dropped beside him, crying,
shaking, terrified, and found he was unconscious.

"C’mon, Rhyn, they’re getting closer!" she
said, and shook him.

He sagged against her. She smelled his blood,
felt the weakness of his body when their skin met. The sensations
surprised her.

The creatures were coming. They’d kill her.
They’d kill him. He wasn’t waking up.

She choked back a sob and saw the glint of
starlight off a knife on the ground. She crawled over him and
snatched it, wiping its blade on her clothes before she
hesitated.

She’d never cut herself before. She looked at
her wrist, where Lankha had bitten her, closed her eyes, and
hacked. Pain made her gasp as blood welled and spilled. She placed
her wrist to Rhyn’s mouth, willing him to awaken, to drink her.
She’d never thought she’d find a reason to want some creature to
suck her blood; if ever, now was the time.

At first, nothing happened, and she readied
herself to run. He groaned softly, licked his lips. His body tensed
so fast she didn't have time to blink.

His silver eyes opened, glowing almost crazed
in the night. Uneasy, she started to move away, but he grabbed her
arm to keep her wrist in place and tore into it. She screamed, the
creatures came closer, and sheer will made her close her eyes to
envision the hotel room.

The shadow world…she staggered and floated
through it, hauling him with her toward a pulsing portal that grew
blurry fast. She toppled through it into their hotel room. It was
silent aside from her choked gasps. Rhyn was unconscious again, his
face marred by her blood.

There was nothing left of her forearm but a
mangled mess. Horrified, she stumbled into the bathroom for a
towel, wrapped her arm in it, and collapsed, sobbing.

* * *

Rhyn stared at her still body, uncertain what
to do. Her breathing was shallow, the scent of her blood making him
shudder. He was weak but alive, his body covered with his blood and
hers.

His little mortal had come after him.

No one had ever come after him before.

The thought shocked him. He watched blood
ooze from her arm. He wasn't a healer, and the only healer he knew
was trapped in Hell. Humans had their own kinds of healers.

Gazing at her, he doubted a human healer
could help her. He scooped her up, not knowing what else to do. He
opened his senses to locate the immortal he wanted, and then willed
himself there. It was the only place he knew where someone
might
help him.

He stood in the gently lit bedroom of his
brother, Kiki.

"What the fu --
Rhyn?
"

Kiki whirled from his position before the
hearth, his oriental features set off by electric turquoise eyes.
The only brother not to declare outright war on him, Kiki was a
distant second to Andre in his tepid support of their black sheep
of a young brother.

"Gods, what'd you do to her?" Kiki
demanded.

Rhyn ignored the accusation and pulled her
away when Kiki tried to snatch her.

"Tell me where to take her before she bleeds
out," he ordered.

Despite the animosity boiling at the back of
his brother's gaze, Kiki's pragmatism snapped to the forefront. He
whipped off his T-shirt and wrapped Katie's arm.

"No one told me you were out of prison," Kiki
muttered as he worked. "You hear about Andre?"

"Why else do you think I'm
here
?"

Kiki glanced at him and whipped out a mobile
phone. His conversation was short and curt before he tossed it.

"I'll take her somewhere safe," he said,
holding out his hand.

Rhyn pulled the scarf he hated from her
neck.

Kiki stared, even more stunned.

"Fool," he said, eyes narrowing. "What
--"

"Kiki!"

His brother snapped his mouth closed and
extended his hand, pulling Rhyn and Katie with him into the shadow
world. They crossed through the fog to a destination Rhyn had never
been before. They emerged from the shadow world and stood on a
narrow, winding road. The fragrant ocean was too dark to see. The
sound of waves rushing the shore and the firm sand beneath his feet
indicated its location a few yards from them. A sprawling castle
with thick walls, an old portcullis, and torches glowing along the
walls rose up before them. The road leading to the castle was
modern blacktop.

"What is this?" Rhyn asked suspiciously as
Kiki started toward the arched door beside the portcullis.

"There are four immortal Sanctuaries on
earth. This is one. Hurry."

Rhyn followed, painfully aware of the limp
mortal body in his arms. Kiki didn't knock the door down as he
could, instead beating loudly enough for the sound to drift down
the road.

A small, older woman in severe grey opened
the door. Kiki clasped his hands and offered a small bow.

"We seek your assistance, good guardian of
the Sanctuary."

The woman curtseyed deeply in response and
stepped aside. Rhyn shoved past Kiki into a small courtyard. The
woman motioned them to follow, her quick steps echoing across the
cobblestones. Another woman in grey emerged from a hallway. She
bobbed her head and darted off at the murmured instructions of the
first woman.

They stopped at a wooden door, which the
woman flung open. The room was tiny, but Rhyn didn't care. He
carefully lowered Katie to the small bed. Immediately, the second
woman reappeared with a small basket full of medicinal wares.

"You must leave. You cannot be here," the
first woman said, pushing Rhyn toward the door.

He ignored her order with a glare.

"Rhyn, come on. Ancients aren't welcome in
Sanctuaries," Kiki said.

He resisted for a moment longer, watching the
woman expertly slice Katie's shirt open. Kiki gave him a shove, and
the older woman closed the door behind them.

"This is the best you can do," Kiki said.
"Don't piss these people off by breaking their rules."

For once, Rhyn agreed. He trailed Kiki out of
the castle to the boulders a short distance from the walls.

"What the fuck are you doing, Rhyn?" Kiki
turned on him at last. "
You
are the last person in the
entire fucking universe that should take a mate!"

"Back off, Kiki," he growled, knowing the
words were true.

"No, Rhyn, I won't. I've never been as strong
of an advocate for you as Andre, but I always thought you decent
somewhere on the inside."

"Thanks for your faith, brother!"

"But you, Rhyn, have somehow managed to kill
every mortal you run across! How the fuck did you --"

"Enough!" Rhyn roared.

Kiki fell silent, but his gaze was
accusing.

"I don't know, Kiki!" he snapped. "Leave me
the fuck alone."

"You don't know what?"

"I don't know why I did it. I wanted to piss
off Sasha at first. Now…" He stopped, not sure how to explain the
fact he now wanted something he shouldn't.

"This isn't…is it Katie?" Kiki asked, gaze
sharpening.

"Yeah. And?"

"We lost her the same night Andre died. She
was with you?"

"Sasha dragged her down to Hell. He wanted to
make her his mate."

"So you did before he could," Kiki finished.
"Real smart, Rhyn."

Rhyn ignored his brother as the lean man
paced and pulled at his hair in frustrated silence. Rhyn looked
toward the walls, unable to quell the flutter of worry within
him.

She'd almost died to save him. He'd almost
died many times, and in many cases, for the sake of his brothers.
He never thought twice about walking into danger and rarely cared
if he survived or not.

But no immortal --let alone human --had ever
risked his life for him. For the first time in his life, he didn't
know what to do.

"What do we do?" Kiki demanded at last. "You
can't keep her."

"What do you mean I can't keep her?" he
returned, facing his brother.

"I mean, you don't have what it takes to keep
a mate alive, let alone safe. You're your own worst enemy, as Andre
always tried to warn you."

Rhyn clenched his jaw, hearing the truth in
Kiki's words.

"Do you have any idea how fucking pissed Kris
will be?" Kiki muttered.

"Like I give a fuck what he thinks."

"He intended to take her as his mate, Rhyn.
This is going to reopen that wound…"

Rhyn said nothing, giving his brother a
bitter smile. Part of him felt triumphant to know he'd piss off
Kris as well as Sasha. Kiki ceased pacing and stared at the
walls.

"You can't keep her," Kiki said again.

"Yes, I can. And I will, Kiki," he breathed
through clenched teeth. "She's mine. I've claimed her under
Immortal Code. Why the fuck does everyone want her anyway? She's
just a little human."

"Yes, but she's…" Kiki's retort drifted
off.

Rhyn met his gaze, leery as Kiki turned,
considering.

"You haven't blown anything up yet," Kiki
said. "Hell tame you?"

"Nope."

"Something did."

Rhyn shrugged. He hadn't noticed until Kiki's
words. Nothing had blown up or gone wrong since he'd returned from
Hell. His power felt the same, but maybe his time in Hell had
mellowed it out, made it more responsive to his command.

"I'm bound to tell Kris you're here," Kiki
reminded him. "And the others."

"I don't give a shit."

"As for your mating…maybe you can find a way
to undo what you did."

"Fuck you, Kiki."

"You're welcome, Rhyn."

And Kiki was gone. Rhyn took a deep breath
before perching on a boulder outside the walls. He'd never been to
a Sanctuary. He was glad Kiki brought him and just as troubled by
his brother's doubt.

Katie had proved herself to him by doing what
even his blood-brothers never would. No, Katie was his. He wasn't
going to
undo
anything, especially not if it was something
his brothers wanted!

CHAPTER SEVEN

She awoke in a mental institution. At least,
that was her first impression of the eight-by-eight room with its
steel-framed bed, simple mattress, and no furniture. The wooden
door and whitewashed walls --along with the open window above the
bed allowing in balmy air --soon brought to mind a more tropical
place. She rose and flinched, expecting agony as she moved her arm.
It was bandaged and stiff, but no pain.

She tugged the heavy door open by its old
iron handle and gazed into a large square of grass, a courtyard,
around which many similar rooms with heavy doors were arranged.
Airy hallways led through the hacienda style structure on either
side of her. There were more buildings past the hallway to her
right. The hallway led into an open area with one car in the large
parking lot and a medieval stone wall and turrets surrounding the
entire hacienda. The heavy wooden gates marking the entrance to the
compound were closed.

Stairs traced the inside of the thick wall,
and she walked up them. The effort made her dizzy. She leaned
against a wall, overlooking a stretch of rocky terrain punctuated
with patches of yellow-green grass. In the distance, she saw the
blue of an ocean meet the horizon.

And one dark form seated on the rocks,
staring at the walls like an angry puppy thrown out of its master’s
house. She touched the tattoo at her throat.

Serves you right,
she thought
darkly.