Shadows of Fate (Shadow Born) (22 page)

If the demons were smart, they would bomb the house. Their greatest threat at the moment would be gone in one fell swoop. Thankfully, demons weren’t all that bright. They trusted in brute strength and power hungry individuals to make any headway outside their own realm.

Brenna pushed through the mass of bodies stationed in the living room into the dining room, which was less crowded. The trapdoor to the tunnels was hidden under a ragged red and blue circular rug beneath an arm chair in the far corner. The tunnels were dark, quiet and hopefully empty.

Using her foot to shove away the frayed rug, she opened the entrance, kicking up a cloud of dust. She sneezed as she placed a foot on the first rung of the ladder and pulled the door closed.

It was pitch black as she descended into the caverns. They were similar to the ones that led to headquarters, but these had no rounded edges. Sconces filled with mismatched candles and torches decorated the earthen walls. The tunnels went on for about ten miles. Short enough they could be traveled while carrying the injured.

Although the passages had been cleared regularly, she wouldn’t be surprised to find some rodents still living inside them. She lit one of the sconces then lifted it from the wall. The torch cast grim shadows across the earthen floors, making her miss the Christmas lights strewn across the tunnels beneath headquarters.

“Trying to escape?” She froze at the sound of Gray’s voice. “Seraph showed me the entrance.”

“I needed a moment to myself.” She stepped aside, allowing him to pass her in the narrow corridor. It was cold down here, though not as bad as outside on the surface.

“We could be attacked at any moment. We should stay within sight of one another.” With a flick of his fingers, he lit another sconce. “Besides, this will go faster if we do it together.”

Grunting, she pushed past him. “There isn’t much to do. These tunnels,” she waved her hands at three openings, “all lead to an open chamber. I want to make sure we can all fit if we need to stay there a few days, if necessary.” She then looked down the opposite direction. “That way leads to the highway. We can check that next.”

“Are there supplies in the chamber?”

“Enough for five people for a month.” She sighed. “We’d go through them in a day.”

“We can restock.” The tunnel now widened into a large room. There was a fire pit in its center. Wool mats and sleeping bags littered the floor. “This will work.” He walked over to the fire pit. “There’s enough lumber in here to last at least three days, maybe more.”

She watched as he took inventory. His presence unnerved her. Having him here made her jumpy, on edge. He circled the room, stopping at the far side and pushing at the dirt with his boot.

“Look.” He moved the dirt with his foot uncovering a metal object. It glowed in the torchlight. “It’s a ceremonial blade.” Kneeling down, he brushed the soil away.

She knelt beside him. “It’s not mine, but it might be Marissa’s. Sometimes she’d use this place for spell casting or to meet with her coven. It was the only way she could get privacy. ”

“It’s been used.” Gray lifted the dagger and held it to the light. “There is blood on the blade.” He sniffed. “Demon.” He brushed a hand across the dirt to reveal deep grooves in the packed earth beneath. It had been hastily covered up.

Brenna helped uncover the rest of the circle. A familiar symbol was carved in the center. “That’s Marissa’s symbol. It looks weird, I know, but it was her thing.” She sighed. The pieces began to fall together. “She wouldn’t have left anything here intentionally.”

“This may have been where she was taken.” Gray walked the curve of the circle, looking at it from every angle. “Explains the blood on the dagger.”

“We need to show Seraph. If the demons attack, we can hole up here until we clear the tunnels that lead out. But if Marissa was taken from here, even this place might not be safe.”

He started for the ladder, Brenna following. “How many people know about these tunnels?”

Brenna made a mental list. “Anyone who has ever lived in the house. These tunnels were used to train hunters when I first started. But that was years ago. Most of those hunters are long gone, though.”

Seraph was waiting for them by the fireplace when they returned. They showed him what they had found. As he examined the object, she caught him up to speed.

“Someone watching you closely could have found out about the tunnels.” Gray rubbed his hands together by the warmth of the fire. “Of course that wouldn’t give them access through the wards.”

“No, it wouldn’t,” Seraph said. He set the knife down. “It’s time we made our move. We need to rescue Claudius’s people and learn what we can from them.”

“When do we leave?” Brenna asked. The fire was too hot for her. She brushed away a bead of sweat. “If we delay the demons will just come to our doorstep.”

“It’s too late to worry about that.” Seraph fixed his gaze on the window beside him. “I believe an attack may be imminent.”

He tackled Brenna and Gray to the floor as the window exploded into shards.

“A day to recuperate would have been nice,” Gray muttered. He threw open the parlor door with a wave of his hand and dove through.

Smoke billowed through the hallway. Sam appeared, a naked blade clenched in his hand. “We have to get out of the house and attack. There’s at least four surrounding us, all they have to do is set fire to the house and we’re toast.”

Gray grabbed Sam’s shoulder, stalling him. “Where are the others?”

“Mira went to get the human host. I told her to round up the wounded and get them to the tunnels.” Sam glanced at Brenna. “Were they cleaned out?”

“It’s good enough for now. There’s a central room we can stay in. The tunnels can be cleaned as we go.” With a flip of her hand, her blade flew past him through the window. A shrill scream rent the room as a shadowy form retreated. With a yank, she summoned the blade back to her hand. She looked for Seraph only to find he had disappeared and turned back to Gray. “Let’s go. If we take them out, the others will have a chance.”

She ducked as a fireball flew through the hall and out the back window, praying Seraph had rallied his men’s defense. Pushing through the walls of bodies, she made her way out onto the front porch. Someone had gone outside and taken the attack to the demons.

Seraph.

Gold and scarlet sparks danced in the air as Seraph and three of his men fought four creatures spinning around them in the darkness.

These demons were free of their human hosts, towering over seven feet and twice as wide as a human. Talons sprang from the tips of their fingers.

Each creature was so powerful one strike from their weapon would kill a lesser hunter, but the men were holding their own.

She cursed herself for hesitating and joined the battle. Gray rushed to Seraph’s side, katana in hand. He weakened the demon closest to them with a power-stripping spell as Seraph struck with his sword, leaving its head nearly severed. Brenna banished what was left beyond the Veil before it could heal.

Three left.

Mira and two hunters dispatched another of the demons. Sam and some of Claudius’s vampires took down a third. Brenna quickly banished their remains. As she finished, she found the last demon racing toward her, an evil blade clutched in its gnarled hand.

“He will find you,” it growled, raising the weapon as it barreled toward her. Pulling power from her core, focusing the rage she’d kept suppressed for so long, she gathered a massive fireball and hurled it at the creature, knocking it onto its back. Seraph lunged forward, his sword peeling through the layers of fire to finish it off.

Brenna bent over, taking several deep breaths. The urge to kill still raged in her veins. She turned to Seraph. “How are the demons out of the hosts?”

“I don’t know. We saw the same thing at headquarters. We could barely handle four; imagine if a larger group attacked. We can find answers once we are in a secure location. Right now we have to move.” Seraph motioned them to the shed behind the house. “Before I came outside, I told Lucy to take command of those in the tunnels; Mira, Hilda and Sam will go with us.”

“And Claudius?” Brenna asked.

“Claudius will go with the others.”

“Seems a bit uneven.” Gray moved behind Brenna. He placed his hands on her shoulders, rubbing at the knots.

“It’s necessary. He needs to be there to control his people. We’ll meet up soon enough. I want us to be closer to an entrance point in the Veil.” He had them follow him to the vehicle that was precariously parked atop several broken concrete slabs, somehow undamaged in the fight. “I’m driving.”

Mira was already waiting in the passenger seat, so Brenna slid into the back. Gray pressed hard against her side. They were both exhausted. His need for blood and rest resonated in her psyche and amplified her own. It didn’t help that breathing room was scarce once Sam smashed in beside them. Right now she wouldn’t mind being ethereal like Hilda.

Silent, they sped through the night. The shell of old Denver flew past as they traveled along what was once interstate seventy. Soon it was nothing but a curvy dirt and gravel road that ran up the side of what was left of the Rocky Mountains. Much of what was left of the majestic range had crumpled into craters of ice and snow.

They drove past the resort towns of the old world until they reached what had once been the city of Breckinridge. Pulling off the main road, Seraph drove them through the abandoned ski village until they came to a clearing filled with aspen. A narrow path lay between two sets of trees. Trees scraped against the sides of the SUV as they continued forward until they stopped in front of an old rickety cabin.

They climbed out of the vehicle into knee-high snow. The door to the cabin had been sealed shut by a massive snow drift. Too tired to clear it with magic, Seraph opened a side window and climbed inside. They followed suit. Once they were inside, Brenna turned to Seraph.

“I need to rest.” She was already struggling to stay awake.

Seraph nodded. “I don’t want anyone alone.” He motioned to the back hallway. “There are three bedrooms. We’ll sleep two to a room. Two will keep guard while the others sleep.”

Gray stepped forward. “I’ll take first watch.”

Seraph shook his head. “You’re too weak. I need you both at full strength.”

Brenna ignored them and went straight for one of the bedrooms. She closed the door and pulled off her clothes.

It amazed her how close to the surface her emotions were. After a hundred years of living moment to moment, she had never felt this wound up until now. It was as if Gray’s appearance and the demonic rebellion had been the final straws that broke the proverbial camel’s back.

Her body shook as she walked to the attached shower. Thankful the boiler was working and the pipes hadn’t frozen, she turned on the water full blast, letting steam fill the small room. The bedroom door opened then shut. She sensed a distinctive power come closer. Gray.

Even in the adjoining room, his essence called to her, awakening a yearning that was harder and harder to ignore. Her life was splintering around her, yet there was a part of her that believed Gray was the key to rebuilding what she had lost. One look in his eyes filled her with hope. She stepped under the strong flow of hot water, closing her eyes as it cascaded down her face to trickle down her breasts and stomach.

It was madness to trust him. The rational part of her knew lust was fueling her reaction. A sigh escaped her lips as she scrubbed away at her hair and body. Whatever happened with Gray, her heart would belong to Dunham. No one, not even Gray, could change that. Dead or alive, Dunham was her mate. Not Gray. There was no other way, why couldn’t he realize that? Why did he have to punish her the way he did?

Wrapping a towel around her, she ran her fingers through her hair trying to pull out the tangles. It was useless. She could barely keep her eyes open. She gave up and stepped into the bedroom.

Gray already lay on the bed, his arms cushioning his head. Of course.

“So you’re with me?” She grabbed the fresh clothes that had been laid at the foot of the bed.

“Our powers complement each other. Seraph wants us together in case of an attack.”

It hadn’t been her imagination. They had been working well together, albeit subconsciously. Brenna awkwardly slipped on her sweat shorts under the towel. Turning her back to Gray, she let the damp towel drop and pulled a white tank top over her head. Dressed, she sat down on the edge of the bed.

“What now?” she asked. Exhaustion teased her eyes closed, so she laid her head on her hands. “Both our allies and our enemies are waiting for our next move.”

“The demons will track us eventually. We can’t hide here for long.” Gray shifted on the bed to face her. “We killed a few, but who knows how many are still looking?”

“You’re not helping.” She motioned for him to scoot over and slipped into the bed beside him. “I need strategy, not nay saying.” Staring at the ceiling, she waited for inspiration. “Seraph has men staking out the hospital compound. If they see anything, we’ll know. Maybe we should just regroup and heal so we can put up a half-way decent fight.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Gray slipped off the bed, pulling his blood stained shirt off. “I need a shower. Is there hot water left?”