Phoenix Broken (39 page)

"Mostly…because of your son."

His laughter was chilly, even over the bitter wind. "True enough, I am afraid. A mistake he has assured me he is more than willing to rectify. Snap her neck and be done with it, son. I want to see her die. Prove yourself blood worthy at last."

A trickle of hot fear burned through the numb horror that had taken over her since Guido's father had appeared. Valencio couldn't possibly believe what he was saying. Could he?

"Guido?"

Des turned slowly when only silence came from behind her. Guido dropped his arm, the cold biting more viciously without his heat surrounding her. Dark hair ruffled in the wind off the lake, his expression unreadable. He'd had her back, every day, in every way for as long as she could remember. Guido was the one constant in her life. Had she repaid that with something he saw as betrayal?

His black eyes bored into hers. Demon's eyes. Fathomless, dark…pitiless.

"No,"
she breathed the word, even as she took an instinctive step back.

The shrill, innocuous ring of a phone cut over Valencio's laughter. Des barely noticed as the best friend she'd ever had put one huge hand on her head and forced her to her knees in the snow.

They came up on the boat all at once. The dark shape hulking over them, creaking and scrapping as grey water dotted with ice lapped against its sides. Gordy waved a finger and their rowboat slid alongside without a sound. He motioned to Alcide. The werewolf leapt straight up, landing on the railing eight feet above their heads. He disappeared for a second, then a rope slithered over the white hull, curling at Scott's feet.

He went up, hand over hand. They'd already agreed that as the one with greatest power in this environment, Gordy would work interference, taking out all the perimeter guards and leaving Scott and Alcide free to get to Daimen and Mags. They needed to work as quickly as possible. As long as he could shift, Alcide was immune to Daimen. Scott, stripped of his powers, was not. If they worked fast enough, that shouldn't matter, he could keep Cross out for a few minutes at least. In any case, it was a risk they'd agreed to take. Mags had already been in the vamp's clutches far too long.

Gordy was stepping on board as Alcide hauled Scott over the side, a huge wave receding behind the water elemental. It deposited him neatly on the deck without leaving so much as a drop on the well-scrubbed wood.

Scott raised an eyebrow.

Gordy shrugged as he turned away, pulling his hat low as he went to scout the decks. It seemed no one knew they were aboard yet. Scott gestured at Alcide, who flanked him, nodding as they headed toward the stairs.

A few steps later the wolf put a hand on Scott's arm, leaning close to tap his nose and whisper. "Two."

Two guards on the cabin then. Alcide could smell them. He jerked his head in acknowledgement just as there was a muffled yell off in the mist. Then a splash.

"What the fuck was that?" The voice came from below.

"Go find out. I'll stay here."

"Of course, you will." The tone was one of resigned disgust. Footsteps sounded.

A second later, a vamp appeared, looking wary.

He only had time to blink before the werewolf was on him, yanking him off his feet and into the fog. Scott didn't wait to view the outcome, but headed down the stairs. Right into the face of a tall skinny vamp with a lot of piercings and wildly messy black hair. Scott grabbed the ring in his nose and yanked him forward. There was a squeal and a spurt of blood.

His other hand seized the back of the vamp's pants and threw him bodily up the hatchway and onto the deck. There was a snarl that told him Alcide was greeting the newcomer. Scott turned to the cabin door and slipped through, closing it behind him as he pulled out the Sig.

It was warm and dim, the sole window painted black to keep out the sun. He had to wait for his eyes to adjust. Scott's stomach rolled at the sight that greeted him. The cabin was small, mostly taken up by a big bed. Daimen Cross lay stretched in the middle of it, wearing only a pair of pants, sleeping soundly. One arm thrown carelessly over the waist of the woman who shared that bed with him.

Mags.

Jesus fucking Christ.

Scott stumbled. He'd known to expect this, but nothing could soften the blow. He put a hand against the sloping wall to steady himself, forgetting the gun.

A sheet was pulled loosely over her slender torso. She was obviously naked beneath it. There were bruises on every inch of skin that showed.

Only her face was unmarked. It was like marble; white, set and cold. She was awake, but her eyes were blank; empty blue glass, even when he moved into her line of sight.

Oh Foley, what the fuck did he do to you?

She blinked once, startling him. Her body stiffened and just like that Cross's eyes snapped open. Scott swung the Sig up, aiming right between the vamp's eyes. It wouldn't kill, but it could incapacitate

"I knew you'd be the perfect alarm clock." The vampire yawned, leaning over to kiss Mag's temple. "Thank you, sweetling." He stroked her hair, completely at his ease, studying Scott almost lazily.

"You've arrived. What took so long?"

Icy air hit the back of his neck as the door behind him opened. Scott dodged as someone rushed him, the black haired vamp with the face full of metal.
What the fuck? Where was Alcide?
He slammed the vamp into the cabin walls.

A syringe flew high, then fell, rolling under the bed.

"Leave it," Daimen snapped when the vamp went to dive after it. "We're ten miles out, on a lake, in the middle of winter. His power is nothing here. The Psych Out was back up, but I don't need it. Just keep the son of a bitch occupied for one second."

The vamp goon approached, grinning, blood covering his lower face like a scarlet mask from where Scott had ripped out his nose ring earlier. Scott ignored him, far more concerned at the power he felt tapping at his mind. Cross.
Wanting in.

Scott stared down the barrel of his gun, but couldn't make himself depress the trigger. His skull felt like it was going to crack, thick bands of power cutting off his will like a snake strangling its prey. Scott had thought he'd have more time, that he'd be able to keep Cross out until Alcide and Gordy joined him. He should've shot him immediately. That had been the plan, but…

His hand dropped. The goon pried the Sig from his fingers, laughing all the while.

Cross began to whistle softly, the eerily happy tune accompanied by the writhing in Scott's head.

"This may take just a minute. Hand me my shirt, would you, my dear?"

Her movements jerky, Mags did as the vamp bade. Daimen smiled at her, pulling the sheet down to expose her small, high breasts, tweaking one as his eyes moved to Scott, who snarled back at him, unable to move.

The vampire shook his head, shrugging into the linen shirt she held out to him, buttoning it calmly as his power continued to drill away at Scott. "I wish I could've had your new friend join Magdalena and I for this, but it turns out she belongs to another."

Scott's control slipped. Daimen's hold tightened in response, squeezing until he cried out. Somehow, he kept the vampire from sliding deeper, but as Scott stared into those green eyes; so like his own, but pale and washed out, devoid of all humanity, he knew he didn't have long.

Where were Gordy and Alcide? And what had the bastard meant about Des?

Cross nodded thoughtfully as if reading the questions in Scott's eyes. "I hate giving up pleasures of my own in favor of business relations, but sometimes it's necessary. I know you've heard of our recent negotiations."

"Yes, Docie May told me about it." It was a struggle to speak, but he managed to get the words out, venom lacing each one.

Something shifted in the vampire's face at the name of his former lover. He shoved at his curtain of blond hair before giving a small, careless shrug. "As she was meant to."

"Was she meant to save my life, too? She did, you know. She did everything she could to help me get away."

Rage distorted the vampire's face accompanying the agony that instantly sliced through Scott's skull. Silent seconds went by, sweat slicked Scott's face, but he still held control of his mind when their gazes broke.

Daimen tried for disdain as he stood. "She didn't save you, only delayed the inevitable. You'll die on your knees in front of me,
para.
We both know it. I only wish your pretty demon half breed was here to see it. But I'm afraid she's dying tonight, as well."

Scott bowed his head, struggling to maintain his grip on his mind, but it was slipping in his fear. Des wasn't going to die, Cross was lying, he was—

"I'm not lying,
para.
Didn't you know the Convenīre wants her? Or at least their leader does. It's all very hush-hush, you know how demons are about names, but I do believe you've met his son."

Mags flinched, almost imperceptively. Scott's eyes met hers as terror wormed its way into his heart. Guido hadn't volunteered that information. The demon had never mentioned his father was in charge of the negotiations he professed to have such concerns about.

"I had Preshea call our new friend earlier, just to make sure we weren't stepping too hard on any toes. And you know what? Turns out that he's been trying to kill that little half-breed for years. Even tried having his pet assassin take her out. An assassin who apparently went rogue a few hours ago. Not answering his phone. Did you have something to do with that,
para?"
The vampire's smile was sharp when Scott said nothing.

"See, I called the demon back after I got in some private time with Mags here. I told him you had gotten her away, but that I thought I could still help with his little problem. Because I was pretty sure of exactly where she'd be very shortly. You brought her with you, didn't you, Davidson? Probably left her right on that dock."

Scott's chest went hot and cold between one heartbeat and the next. Cross's smile widened.

"I knew it. You couldn't have had time to leave her anywhere—you'd want to get back to dear Mags here as soon as possible. Let's see if they've picked your sweet demon up yet." He reached for the cell on the bedside table.

"No," Scott shook his head. "No. You're lying. Valencio is one thing, but Guido would never hurt her." It didn't make sense. Okay, so the demon hadn't been entirely truthful. So what? He'd still had dozens of opportunities to kill Desdemona, if that was his plan—she trusted him completely. They'd never even given a thought to Guido being a threat.

He'd never given it a thought. In fact, he'd had Bri call the demon. To tell him where she was.

Des' face, pale and resigned, disappearing into the mist.

It couldn't be true.

"Oh my, have we gone and trusted a demon?" Daimen pressed a button and a series of beeps sounded. "Well, let's see who's right, just for fun."

He hit speaker and a voice rang through the cabin, cultured, yet clipped. Not Guido. Valencio then.

"Cross. We are just about to wrap up your present."

"Good." The vampire's eyes stayed steady on Scott's face. "You have her then?"

"I do." There was no mistaking the smugness in the oily tone. "I assure you, this favor will be remembered."

Daimen waved a hand, smiling as Scott struggled against his rage, needing to focus all his energy on keeping the vampire out of his mind, but it was so hard. Desperation threatened to choke him. "Of course. You will always find me willing to help where I can. May I ask, how is she taking it?"

Valencio laughed softly. He must have held out the phone. Des' voice, strained and cracking could be heard faintly on the line over a rising wind.

"Guido, what are you doing?"

Mags' eyes peered over the vampire's shoulder, huge and bright as they met Scott's.

Scott couldn't breathe for the ice in his own chest. He wanted to scream at her, tell her to fight any way she could, but Cross's power had locked his tongue. The vamp was seconds away from ruling him completely.

"Guido?"
The question in that soft voice ripped at Scott. Why didn't the demon answer her?

There could be only one reason. Scott felt the last tendrils anchoring him to his own mind snap one by one. Cross's grin was blindingly bright, the tips of his growing fangs sharpening as Scott swayed.

'I'll leave you to it then. I have my own business to attend to." Daimen ended the call. He set the phone down with a smile. "Don't worry, I believe they plan to break her neck. No sense of theater at all in that one. She won't suffer. Pity. But I have far more interesting plans for you."

Daimen slammed a fist into Scott's face, putting him on his knees. Pain and blood exploded hotly. Cross hit him again.

And again. The vampire behind Scott laughed, holding him up when Scott slumped sideways. His vision blurred into a reddish-grey haze. His nose was broken, the taste of copper filled his mouth, but all he could think about was Des.

Daimen licked his knuckles clean of Scott's blood, his eyes bright as glowing marbles. "I do wish we had a video feed so I could watch your face when they end her. Perhaps I can get the demon to send us a picture when it's done. How does it feel to lose two women to me,
para?
"

He smiled as Scott struggled, trying to fight it even as he felt the last of his control ebb away.

Daimen leaned down, his breath oily and cool against Scott's sweaty blood-streaked skin. "I'm going to beat you senseless, then I'm going to force you to watch me take the telepath again. Hell, maybe I'll have you fuck her this time….or have you beat her to death with your bare hands? What do you think,
para?
So many possibilities. Let's play."

As he straightened, laughing, Mags loomed behind him, crawling forward on the bed, something glinting in her fist. The vamp behind Scott shouted a warning, but it was too late.

Mags slammed the syringe into Daimen's neck, pushing the plunger deep. Cross's hold on Scott's mind slipped, like a knot coming undone. He surged to his feet, slamming his fist back into the face of the vampire holding him. The man flew back as Scott leapt forward.

"What does that shit do to vamps?" Scott yelled at her as Cross's goon screamed for help.

"Nothing," Daimen hissed, reaching a hand up to flick the needle away.