No Mercy (17 page)

            It was why he'd tried so hard to please her and why he'd never left Sanctuary.

            Aimee had been his tie that kept him there, and for his sister, he would do anything.

            Sam wanted to weep for her bear. Dev was such a good man. Not that she'd doubted it, but now she knew his scars were every bit as harsh as hers. He blamed himself for their deaths and for tearing out his mother's heart. Every time he'd overheard her crying over her children had been like a knife through his soul. He believed that he'd caused it all.

            It was why he'd never tried to mate. He didn't want a woman to turn on him, or worse, have her family come for his. So he'd avoided sleeping with his own kind, knowing that it was rare for a Were-Hunter to be mated to a human. Yes, it happened, but it wasn't a common occurrence and even if it did, a human would never be able to hurt them. So he'd played those odds, even though the one thing he really wanted was a family of his own....

            Sam swallowed the lump in her throat as she wished Dev was here for her to hug. She wanted to take his pain away from him and to tell him the one thing no one in his family had ever said. Not even the sister he'd risked his life for. The sister he'd hand carried through the darkness to make sure she was safe.

           
I'm so glad you survived.

            She blinked back her tears, angered over the fact that she felt them. Tears were weakness.

            They accomplished nothing.

            "Why am I channeling his memories?" She couldn't sense them at all when she was around him. So why were they here now?

            And as she contemplated that, she swore she could feel Dev with her. Feel his panic that she'd been ripped out of his arms and that he hadn't been able to stop it. Right now, he was in turmoil. Every part of him was desperate to get her back.

            For that, he was willing to bust hell itself wide open if that was what it took.

            Tenderness spread through her in a way it never had before. And with that warmth came an awful realization....

            She was falling in love with him.

           
I can't be.

            But there was no denying the emotions inside her. It was a feeling she knew well and one that had filled her every day she'd been with Ioel.

            There was no doubt in her mind. Because right now, when her life was in danger, she wasn't thinking about herself. She didn't care what they did to her. What ever it was, she'd go down swinging. What was on her mind was the fear of what her death would do to Dev.

            She didn't want to die because she had a reason to live. She didn't want to die because it would destroy her bear....

            "And that's why you're here."

            She tensed as that disembodied male voice was back. "Excuse me?"

            "You have to let Dev go."

            "Why?"

            "Because if you don't, it
will
get him killed."

Chapter 13

            Dev paused in the doorway of Sanctuary's office. His stomach clenched as it always did whenever he walked in and saw his mother's empty desk. No one had moved anything on it. They hadn't had the heart. Even the last pen his mother had used was right where she'd laid it by the phone. It was so eerie and as long as it stayed that way, he kept expecting to see her there, looking at him over the rim of her glasses as she waited for him to say something.

            He had such mixed emotions where she was concerned. He'd loved her more than anything and yet...

            She hadn't been all that lovable. A true mother bear in every sense of the word, she'd been fierce and stern. While she could show affection--especially toward those she favored, such as Griffe, Bastien, Kyle, and Aimee--it hadn't been easy for her. She'd expected only the best out of them and she'd been real quick to let them know when they failed her. Most of all, she'd never refrained from severely punishing any of them, including her favorites, when she thought they'd screwed up or jeopardized the family.

            But that wasn't why he was here and he was in a hurry. The only thing that needed to be on his mind right now was Sam.

            He'd come here seeking Aimee. She sat at her desk along the wall just like she did every day when she did the paperwork. Like their mother, she could be pretty nasty when crossed or interrupted, but there was an innate kindness to her that took the edge off even her worst moods.

            "Hey, babe," she said with a smile as she looked up and saw him. Somehow she'd always been able to tell him apart from his identical brothers. "How are you guys doing over at Club Charonte?"

            "We were doing great until a demon broke in and snatched Sam out."

            She gasped.

            "Have you seen Fang? I tried to call, but it keeps going straight to voice mail." Which was what had brought him back to Sanctuary. They needed to get Fang on the demon's trail as quickly as possible.

            "He's with Remi helping to unload a shipment into the freezer. You need me to help look for her?"

            That explained the crappy phone reception. The steel of the freezer was so thick, not even a nuke would be able to penetrate it. "Thanks, but I'd rather you sit on the sidelines with this one. I don't want to be pulling you out of another demon realm anytime soon and I'm pretty sure Fang feels the same way."

            She made a sound of petty annoyance.

            As he started to leave, she stopped him. "Dev?"

            "Yeah?"

            "You okay?" He saw the concern on her face as she studied him. "You look...strange."

            Strange? He felt awful. He didn't know why but he kept reliving the night his brothers had died. He was eaten up with that same helpless feeling and he hated it. He couldn't stand the thought of someone he cared about being in harm's way.

           
Sam's nothing to you. Not really.
They were barely more than strangers.

            It didn't feel that way. There was a part of her that lived inside of him even though he knew they could never be anything more than friends.

            Maybe the occasional booty call.

           
Don't go there.
Especially not with his sister looking at him. That was just creepy as hell.

            "I'm fine." He'd never let Aimee know the truth. Then again, he never let anyone know his emotions. He hid them behind wisecracks and sarcasm.

            It was safer that way.

            Closing the door, he flashed himself to the freezer where Remi and Fang were stocking meat.

            Hefting a box onto a shelf, Remi curled his lip at Dev's unexpected appearance. "It figures you'd show up after all the hard work's done. You always had an uncanny knack for that."

            Dev ignored him as he walked over to where Fang was standing on a stepladder. "Fang. I need your demon expertise."

            Fang pulled back from the steak boxes he was rearranging to look down at him. "For what?"

            Dev gave him a "duh" stare. "Demons, obviously."

            Fang flipped him off as he came down the ladder. "Why do I live here with you people again?"

            Remi snorted. "'Cause you love our sister and she won't leave. Believe me, I know. I've been trying to run her off for years."

            Fang shook his head at him as he turned back to Dev. "What's going on?"

            "One of the empusae took Sam and we can't find her. I need you to tell me where to look."

            Fang let out a low whistle. "An empusa isn't an easy thing to track. Are you sure that's what got her?"

            "That's what Chi said."

            "She would know." Fang scratched his chin. "Damn. This isn't good. Give me a minute to consult with my people and I'll get back to you."

            "Could you kind of rush it? I have a bad feeling that the empusa who took her is the same one who came here disguised as Nick. If I'm right, then he's working with Stryker, and if he is, you can bet Sam's not being treated well at Hotel Daimon Central."

            Lazaros roared through Kalosis in his dragon form. Fury burned deep inside him as he used his powers to find Stryker, who was alone in his study in the main hall. He flew at the building's wall without slowing. Right as he would have slammed into it, he used his powers to go through it.

            The Daimon lord arched a brow as Lazaros manifested in his true demon form in front of his ornately carved desk. But other than that, he had no real reaction.

            Because Lazaros, like all of the empusae who were descended from the goddess Empusa, Lazaros only had one leg in his demon form. But one leg was all he needed to kick the ass of his enemies.

            And right now he wanted to drive his foot straight up Stryker's sphincter. "Why didn't you tell me Nick Gautier was the Malachai?"

            Stryker let out a long-suffering sigh as he cupped his head in his hands and leaned back in his padded black leather chair. "What is it with all of you pansies that
that
one word sends you to me with your tail tucked between your legs whining about how you pissed your pants because you saw him? Yes, he's the Malachai, so la di fucking da what?"

            Lazaros moved to blast him.

            Stryker caught the blast and sent it back to him tenfold with a counterblast so powerful it pinned the demon to the wall above his marble fireplace. He squeezed the power down, letting the demon squirm in agony. "Gautier isn't the only one with talents. You'd do well to remember that I, too, have the powers of a god. And I'm really not afraid to use them."

            Lazaros bellowed in rage.

            "Oh shut up." Stryker used his powers to muzzle him.

            At least as much as he could. The demon still grunted and growled like a caged animal.

            Stryker let out a frustrated breath as he lowered the demon to the floor. "I sent you to Gautier because I knew he'd be easy to manipulate right now. His powers are growing, but still nothing compared to ours. If you weren't such an idiot, you'd have been able to possess him like I wanted and turn the others against him."

            He needed Nick on the run.

            But that was the backup plan in case his primary one failed. Which it better not do.

            And right now, he wanted Samia.

            He glared at Lazaros. "If I release you, can you be an adult demon for five seconds?"

            Lazaros returned the glare with an angry scowl.

            "Didn't think so, but I'm going to remove your gag anyway, 'cause that's just the kind of guy I am. Don't make me regret it. If you do, I won't gag you next time. I'll decapitate you."

            Lazaros took a step forward, then wisely checked his stupidity. "You're such an asshole!"

            "Goes with the whole King of the Badasses. Kind of hard to lead an army of the damned if I'm the King of Nice."

            Lazaros glowered at him.

            "Oh, stop wasting my time with those pathetic looks. And speaking of, what cheesy excuse do I get for why Samia isn't with you this time?"

            "I was attacked on the street by something I've never seen before."

            Stryker scoffed. "They're called mosquitoes. I know they're rather large in New Orleans but--"

            "Stop with the sarcasm. It was a demon mixed with the powers of a Dark-Hunter and a Daimon. What kind of Frankenmonster have you created?"

            Stryker froze as that rang a very unfond bell. A bell that had managed to fall off the grid for quite a few years. Nice to know it'd finally resurfaced. "Cael?"

            "Yeah. That's what the other woman called him."

            "Sonofa..." Stryker paced his office as his mind whirled with the new information. Cael's wife, Amaranda, had been an Apollite in Seattle. He still wasn't sure how a clan of Apollites had come to not only house, but protect a Dark-Hunter, yet they had. A few years ago an attack on them had left Cael and his bride being converted to Daimons.

            No one had heard anything from them since.

            Why were they here? Why now? Had they discovered his trick with the demon blood? Or was something else keeping them alive? He couldn't imagine a Dark-Hunter taking a human life even for pure survival reasons....

            Perhaps the demon essence Lazaros had sensed inside them was the same trick he and his army were now using to empower their Daimon existence. What would that blood do to a Dark-Hunter?

            It was a most intriguing possibility.

            "Did he say anything to you?" Stryker asked him.

            "Basically he told me to die quietly. Kind of like
you
."

            Stryker grimaced at the fear he heard in Lazaros's tone. This couldn't be good. Not for them. He refused to believe it was a coincidence. He didn't believe in those.

            Everything happened for a reason. Everything. Which made him wonder if Cael had known Stryker would send Lazaros for Samia. Or was Cael one of her protectors too?

            He narrowed his speculative gaze on the demon. "Did you tell them anything?"

            By the look on Lazaros's face it was obvious the demon wanted to leave his guts on the floor. Too bad he lacked the skills or the courage to try. Stryker was always up for a good fight. "Of course not."

            "Good." He didn't have to kill the bastard after all. "Now be an obedient little demon. Go away and let me think."

            Lazaros stepped toward the door, then stopped. "I'm not done with her, Stryker. She killed my family and now that you've freed me, I won't rest until I hold her heart in my fist."

            That was why Stryker had descended into his granduncle Hades's domain. Once he'd investigated Samia's past, he'd uncovered the origins of her sister's pact and the demon she'd made it with. Stupid Samia had assumed it was Daimons who'd killed her husband and child.

            It wasn't.

            Daimons couldn't make deals of that nature. Only the gods and demigods could, and Samia was lucky Artemis had covered for her after Sam had slaughtered Lazaros's brother. But for that one rare act of altruism on Artemis's part, Samia would have been killed immediately. Instead, Artemis had locked Lazaros in Tartarus to keep him away from her pet Amazon warrior.

            Now Stryker held the key to the demon demigod's existence.

            "Fine. Just make sure you pull her to me before you kill her. My needs take precedence over yours and if you fail me in this, I swear what I do to you will make Prometheus's punishment look like a joyride at the beach."

            Samia was his key to killing his father and owning the world. Nothing was going to stop him this time.

            Fang flashed them into a wickedly dark corridor. But for Dev's honed vision, he'd be blind. He put his hand on Dev's shoulder to keep him from walking on. "Remember, Bear, let me do the talking. You don't speak unless Thorn asks you something."

            Dev shrugged his touch away. He didn't know who Thorn was--Fang had refused to elaborate. Honestly, he didn't care. All that mattered was the fact that this...person had pulled Sam into custody and that alone warranted his death. "I don't play this cryptic shit, Wolf."

            "And I don't want to clean up your entrails. Nor do I want to tell Aimee her beloved older brother was splintered on the floor. Comprende?"

            "Got it."

            "I don't think you do. Thorn is evil incarnate. Think Savitar on steroids."

            That managed to give Dev pause. Savitar oversaw the Omegrion council that all Were-Hunters answered to. No one knew who or what he was. Only that he was about as close to omnipotent as a being could get and anyone who crossed him didn't live long enough to regret it.