Rhyn's Redemption (21 page)

Rhyn saw the resolution on Kris’s face.  

“I swear it,” Rhyn said.

“And, free Hannah from Hell.”

“I’ll march into Hell and confront Darkyn myself.”

“Don’t make me regret this,” Kris said and shook his head. “Just get her out.”

“I will, Kris.”

“Oddly enough, I believe you.” Kris said.  He strode past Rhyn to stand before Death.

Rhyn watched, torn between defending his brother as he’d done before and letting Kris go.  Even in Hell, Rhyn comforted himself with the knowledge that he’d protected his brothers.

“I’m happy to call you my brother, Rhyn,” Kris said. His gaze focused on Death. “I’m ready.”

His words made Rhyn’s throat tighten.  He’d never acted in order to gain his brothers’ favor, but Kris’s words affected him more than he thought they would.  There was a flash of light and Kris was gone.  Gabe jerked, as if surprised to find himself still standing.

Death held out her closed hand to Rhyn.  He crept forward warily and extended his.  She dropped a small green gem into it.

“You can keep it,” she said.

He looked at it hard, not sure what to think about holding Kris’s soul in his palm.

“Why am I still here?” Gabe asked tersely. “You got your two souls.”

“I’m sure you noticed that my domain in overrun with demons,” Death said casually.  “My … interference put the underworld – and all the little humans’ souls – at risk, weakened the barriers between here and Hell.  You were right, Gabe.  Even my actions have consequences.”

Rhyn lowered his hand, the strange note in her voice warning him the game wasn’t over.

“Darkyn won this round,” she said again.  “I can dispel the demons, but they’ll return.  As long as I am here, the barrier will remain weak.  There are Codes older than me, older even than my predecessors.  I have no choice.  I interfered, and now I must relinquish my title.  I’m leaving.”

“Leaving?” Gabe echoed, gaping. “What do you mean you’re leaving?”

“I’m going through the portal.  Wherever it takes me, is where I’ll go.”

“And the demons and souls?” Rhyn asked as Gabe stood, speechless. “What about them?”

“I always thought Gabe’s humanity made him weak.  It appears my inhumanity did me in,” she mused. “The underworld will still exist.  It just won’t be my problem anymore.”

“Whose problem will it be?” Rhyn asked, his gaze going to Gabe.

“It looks like I’ll be promoting my best assassin before I leave,” Death responded. “Don’t make the mistakes I did, Gabe. And get rid of the demons.”  And with that, she strode past them both, towards the door. “I’m leaving now.  Rhyn, you’ll want to be gone before I cross through the portal, or Gabe won’t be able to send you back.  Gabe can’t break that many Codes his first day on the job.”

Rhyn grunted as he pulled Kiki over his shoulders. He feared the palace would go down with Death, what with the nonsense she was spouting about leaving.  He took in his best friend’s features, uncertain whether becoming Death was a good thing or not.  Gabe looked the same, and hopefully, he wouldn’t turn into the riddle-talking sociopath that preceded him.

Gabe shifted finally and faced him. “What the fuck just happened?”

“Don’t change, Gabe,” Rhyn said. “I’m getting out of here.  If what she says is true, you can come visit whenever you want.”

The death-dealer looked around, lost.  Rhyn moved away and drew off his demon power to call forth a portal.

“Gabe,” he said, pausing before he stepped through.  “You’ll make a good Death.”

“I fucked up this time, if this is what I get,” Gabe said, regaining himself at last. “Eternity at the day job I was trying so hard to leave.”

“No, I think she fucked you up.”

“She’ll be the first soul I hunt down.”

“If the Council can help, let me know,” Rhyn half-joked.

They gazed at each other, and Gabe shook his head, a smile spreading across his features.

“At least we’re a good match for Darkyn,” he said.

“Maybe that’s why things ended up this way,” Rhyn said, his humor fading as he thought of Kris. He looked at the emerald in his palm.

“You can’t save him, but you can save Kiki.  Get going, Rhyn.”

“We’ll see you around, Gabe.”

“Yeah.”

Rhyn stepped into the portal.  He crossed fast and leapt through the portal leading to the Caribbean Sanctuary.  No sooner had he hit the sandy beach than the restraints of the underworld fled, knocking him off his feet.  His body bucked under the influence of power.  Sudden pain shot through him, followed by the sensation of his magic snapping back into a bond too strong for him to access.

Rhyn gasped and struggled to sit.  Kiki’s still body lay a few feet from him, the ocean lapping at his brother’s feet.  The Caribbean night was humid and warm, and the moon large over head.

“I told you that you needed me,” Toby grumbled. “You’ve got a couple hours until midnight.”

Disoriented, Rhyn glanced down and pulled the syringe out of his thigh, where the angel had stabbed him.

“Where are you getting these fucking things?” Rhyn gasped.

“Well … maybe you should get Hannah and Ully out before Jared eats them.  I can tell you that stuff later.”

“Where’s Katie?”

“I brought her back!” Toby said, beaming. “She’s at the Sanctuary.”

“I want to see her.”

“No. Go get Hannah.  If Death let you go, then Darkyn’s pissed.  If Darkyn’s pissed then –“

“Hannah and Ully are in trouble,” Rhyn finished and rose.  He looked at the wound in his chest.  It might be tough taking on the demons of Hell, but he had a promise to fulfill. “Take Kiki back to the Sanctuary’s healer.”

“Me?”

“You see anyone else here?”

Toby looked at the unconscious Immortal twice his size and back up at Rhyn. Rhyn pointed.  The angel sighed and crossed to Kiki.  Rhyn opened a new portal, took a deep breath and crossed through to Hell.

He emerged outside the jailer’s door and readied himself for a confrontation.  The sounds of activity were thick in the hallways behind him, and he listened, trying to determine if he could hear any sounds that the demons were victorious in the underworld. His instincts warned him to hurry, that he had a reason to grab Hannah and go instead of sticking around to see what was causing the activity.

Rhyn opened the door, surprised to find the jailer’s room empty.  He’d expected Jared at least.  He closed the door quietly behind him.  He snatched the talisman hanging near the door, the one that freed inmates from their cells.  He ignored the quickening of his pulse as he entered the familiar cell block.

He heard Hannah crying and smelled the unmistakable scent of human blood before he took a step onto the block.  He strode down the block and paused in front of Hannah’s cell.  She was curled up on the bed, sobbing.  When he looked at the cell across from her, he saw why.  Jared stood in the cell, covered in blood.  The cell looked as if a human had exploded, and Rhyn saw a pile of bones Jared had gnawed clean then stacked neatly.

“Ully didn’t make it,” Jared said.

“I see that.”

“I didn’t touch the cupcake.”

“Good for you,” Rhyn said. He placed the talisman on the door frame of Hannah’s cell.  The door opened.

“Are we still good?  You taking me with you?” Jared asked.

“I’ll do you a favor,” Rhyn said.  He grimaced at the pain in his chest as he hefted Hannah into his arms. “I’ll leave you right there instead of tearing you limb-from-limb.”

“Fuck you, Rhyn.”

Rhyn ignored the demon and left the cell block, returning to the hallway before opening a portal.  He crossed through the shadow world to the beach of the Caribbean Sanctuary.  Toby was dragging Kiki up the beach by one leg.

“What the fuck, Toby?  Go get help if you can’t lift him!” he shouted at the young angel.

Toby dropped Kiki’s leg and took off for the Sanctuary.  Rhyn strode through the loose sand of the beach and paused beside Kiki.  He set Hannah down.

“Hannah, walk,” he ordered. “I can’t carry you both.” He hefted Kiki once again.  Hannah sniffled and crawled to her feet.  Rhyn hurried towards the Sanctuary, concerned for Kiki but even more anxious about making sure Katie was alive and well.

The convent members who managed the Sanctuary had replaced the wall Rhyn knocked down with a row of brown tents that matched their dresses.  Rhyn eased between two of them, aware of Kiki’s fading pulse.  He set his brother down on the ground and looked around wildly, hoping they hadn’t sent Katie’s Ancient Healer, Lankha, home to the underworld.

“You!” he yelled at a member of the Sanctuary entering the courtyard. “Where’s Lankha?”

“Sleeping. You’re not – “

“Go get him.”

The woman pursed her lips and crossed her arms, eyeing him. 

“I’ll get him,” Toby shouted from across the courtyard.

Rhyn paced under the watchful gaze of the convent member, itching to leave Kiki to find Katie.  Instead, he forced himself to wait.  He’d lost one brother this night.  He wanted to make sure Kiki was okay before leaving him.

Toby reappeared after a few minutes, tugging a reluctant Lakhna with him.  The otherworldly creature ducked and covered his head from the moon and crowded Toby as they crossed the courtyard.  Rhyn pointed to Kiki, and Lakhna cringed.  Rhyn was about to demand to know where Katie was when he heard her agitated voice.

“You had to leave Hannah on the beach?”

Rhyn stopped in place.  He’d never thought he’d hear her voice again, and he couldn’t remember the last time he’d heard anything that stopped his world in place.  He turned to see Katie supporting Hannah as they entered the Sanctuary courtyard.  Katie wore simple jeans and a t-shirt.  Her dark curls cascaded down her shoulders, and her face glowed.  Her bright eyes locked on his.  She stopped too far away for his comfort, struggling to support her sister.

“Toby.  Get Hannah,” Rhyn barked.

“Rhyn, I’m too little!” Toby whined.

“You’ve got to the count of five to have you both out of my sight.”

Toby hesitated.

“One.”

The angel darted forward and clumsily took Hannah’s arms.  Katie helped him stabilize Hannah then watched them walk away.  Rhyn stared at his mate, heart beating fast.  Of all the words in his head, none of them made it to his tongue.

“I see you made it back,” Katie said awkwardly.

“You look better than I expected.”

“Gee, thanks, Rhyn.”

“I mean, you look beautiful for a dead woman.”

She crossed her arms.

“I told you I’d get you back,” he said and took a step towards her.

“Toby brought me back,” she pointed out. “He said if you listened to him, you could’ve found me faster.”

“That little shit.”

Katie fought back a smile at the irritated look on Rhyn’s face.  He was in raw form: bloodied, drenched with underworld rain, disheveled, in need of a good shave.  His thick frame was still on edge, as if he expected one of the Sanctuary’s nuns to turn into a demon and fly at them.  He looked every bit the muscular, powerful, glowering half-demon the nuns wanted to throw out of the Sanctuary.

She stepped closer to him as she had in their dream, gazing up into his molten silver eyes.  He’d gone to Hell for Hannah and confronted Death for her.  He’d killed demons to protect her and defied his family to find – and keep – her. Katie fought to keep the emotions tumbling within her from leaking out, instead reveling in the sight of her mate.  While in the underworld, she’d lost all hope of ever standing next to him again. Part of her was convinced this was another dream, and Rhyn would disappear all too soon.

“It’s not a dream,” he said. “Not this time.”

“Doesn’t quite seem real yet, though.”

He hesitated and then held out a hand.  She took it.  His warm hands were rough and large.  He squeezed hers.  He led her away from the courtyard and lights into the dark night.  They walked hand in hand for a few moments, alone under the full moon.  She’d walked with him before, but this night, it was different.  She felt the shift between them.

“The hatchling really is a girl?” he asked.

“She’s not a hatchling, Rhyn.”

“I hope she comes out better behaved than Toby.”

Katie laughed loudly, unable to help herself.  Rhyn pulled her into his arms, swallowing her in his warmth and scent.  Katie wrapped her arms around him.

“It’s really over, isn’t it?” she whispered.

“It’s just us tonight.  I’ve gotta go kill some demons in the morning.”

“But you’ll come right back.”

“Every day.  I swear it.  We won’t be apart anymore.  We’ll stay here until I can get the castle cleaned out and beat the shit out of my brothers.  They’ll be moving in, even if they don’t know it yet.  And that’s where Hazel will hatch and live.”

Katie’s eyes watered, and she squeezed him harder.  The nightmares of the past few weeks seemed to fade away while she was in his arms.  She’d been too afraid to think about what kind of life they might possibly have, but she found herself wondering how it would feel to wake up and go to sleep with Rhyn beside her.

“Our life together starts right now.  Unless you want to send me away,” he added.