Summoning Darkness (4 page)

But the man bouncing on the balls of his feet as he watched Heidi through narrowed eyes looked more like a stranger than the closest thing Luke had to a friend in the Underworld. This man showed feelings. His emotions were plain to see, from the way he quirked one eyebrow in expectation to the smirk that curved one side of his mouth. And the deep, genuinely amused laughter! That was the strangest of all.

Luke had never seen a shred of emotion in Varin’s eyes. It was as though when he’d been ripped from Earth, Varin had left his humanity behind. His face might as well have been carved from stone, the way it revealed nothing about the man beneath. While Luke had screamed in pain after his marathon terror sessions, Varin had done nothing more than curl up in a corner of the cell, his eyes focused on a far away place only he could see. And if anyone had reason to scream, it was Varin. While the Demon Guardians were rough with Luke, they were downright brutal with Varin. Luke had lost count of how many times Varin had been tossed back into the cell unconscious. They’d break every bone in his body only to mend it again and begin the torture anew. It was as though they had some personal vendetta against him and they meant to remind him of it for the rest of eternity.

Through it all, Varin had never once complained. He’d simply sat there, stone-faced and aloof, waiting for the next session, never looking for a way to escape his fate. Perhaps because, like Luke, he knew there was no way out. Whatever Varin had done to land himself in the belly of the Underworld, he obviously felt he deserved what he got. Just as Luke did.

“Oh, Goddess.” Heidi leapt off the altar. Her deep blue eyes widened with fear as her gaze swept over Luke’s body. She cringed as she kneeled before him and gingerly brushed a lock of hair from his eyes. The comforting gesture took Luke’s breath away even as the sight of her body sent a piercing lance of arousal straight into his belly. The sensation was so unexpected, it made his head reel. He spread his palms out on the floor and used them to prop up his body weight.

His gaze remained riveted to the swell of her breasts. Though he’d taken her virginity, he’d never seen her naked. It had been dark when he’d made love to her, and although the feel of her body remained forever imprinted in his mind, he’d had to imagine what she looked like underneath her clothes.

Now he knew, and he didn’t think he’d ever be able to close his eyes again without picturing the swell of her breast, the long lines of her legs or the deep red thatch of curls that covered her mound. Her skin was pale ivory and looked flawless and smooth, begging to be touched. A shiver of excitement passed through Luke. For the first time in what seemed like forever, he remembered what it meant to respond to a woman. To respond to anything other than pain.

“Where am I?” Luke repeated.

Although Varin was here, this sure didn’t feel like Hell. He let his gaze wander over the gray walls, taking in the whips, paddles and handcuffs. His heart sank. He recognized a torture room when he saw one.

“Shh… You’re safe now,” Heidi soothed. “I’ve taken you out of that horrid place. No matter what they’ve done to you in the past, it’s all over now. They can’t hurt you here.”

Luke swallowed hard. “How --how did you find me?”

Heidi shook her head. “I’ll tell you everything as soon as we get you out of here.”

Behind her, Varin’s mouth flattened into a grim line. He took a step forward, but stopped short of reaching Heidi. His muscles rippled as he flexed his fists, and the criss-crossed scars that marred his chest and shoulders glistened in the light spilling from the dozen white tapered candles flickering around the room.

With a slight hesitation, Heidi reached out and placed both palms on Luke’s chest. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears as she made contact with his skin.

Excitement stirred in him at her touch, but he jerked back and struggled to move her hand away. He knew what he looked like. If she kept touching him, she’d be covered in his blood in two seconds flat. “Don’t…” he whispered. His mouth suddenly felt dry, his lips numb. “You don’t have to do that.”

Her blue eyes darkened, turning stormy as she watched him. “You saved me once. Now it’s my turn. Let me take care of you.”

He didn’t know how to reply so rather than muttering something inanely stupid, he shifted forward and brushed his lips lightly over hers. She didn’t pull back as he’d feared, but she didn’t deepen the kiss, either. Instead, she murmured something he couldn’t understand against his mouth. Her warm breath caressed his skin, sending a curl of heat to spiral through his body. It culminated in his groin and his cock stirred, hardening beneath the silky feel of her soft, sweet lips against his. He barely noticed when his wounds began to heal. The euphoria streaming through his bloodstream and quickening his breathing came from Heidi alone, from her proximity, from her adamant conviction that she’d released him from his demons, both real and imagined. But there was no denying the fact that the pain wracking his body lessened with every low murmur of her sexy voice.

Startled, he broke away and glanced down to see the crimson blood that had stained his skin dissipate on a light breeze. It lifted from his chest and broke into a million droplets that tumbled through the air and quickly disappeared.

“What have you done?” Luke rose to his feet, no longer weak or unsteady. His body felt whole again, and it responded to his commands without pause.

Heidi’s chest rose and fell with the force of her breath. Her chin had fallen forward, and her curls tumbled around her cheeks. She looked thoroughly exhausted.

Nausea rolled around in Luke’s stomach. Fear sang in his blood. All the anger and frustration he’d trapped inside his soul broke through to the surface. Before he could stop himself, Luke grabbed Heidi’s arm and yanked her to her feet, forcing her to look at him.

“You’re in league with them!” Heidi shook her head at his accusation, but he pressed on before she had a chance to answer. “A demon once promised me the ability to cast real magic, and like a fool, I accepted his offer. But magical gifts don’t come free, and the price you’ll be paying for your abilities will be too steep.”

“I didn’t --”

Luke growled low in his throat. He pushed her and she slammed against the wall, her eyes wide, her cheeks flushed.

“Listen to me!” He trapped her with his body, wanting to scare her, to make her realize what she’d done. He’d spent his time in Hell grateful that whatever other sins he might have committed, he hadn’t brought Heidi into his terror-filled world. She was safe, free to live her life in the mortal realm without the threat of torture and never ending pain. Yet now here she was, practicing the same magic that had forever claimed his soul.

“You should have left me there. I never asked you to do this. Now you’ve given them everything they couldn’t have when I took the innocence they wanted most.”

Heidi shook her head. He felt her pebbled nipples scrape against his skin, and a shiver of lust snaked up his spine. Oh, this would be so much easier if he didn’t respond to her every move as though it was meant to arouse and distract him. Her scent, fruity and slightly musky, made him lose his train of thought.

“We need to get you out of here,” she said softly as though his outburst never happened. “I healed you as best I could, but you have to see a doctor. If there are any broken bones or internal damage, I won’t be able to fix them.”

She curled her fingers around his hand. When she looked up at him, he didn’t see any of the fear or understanding he’d hoped for in her gaze. Instead, he saw only heavy-lidded desire and deep-seated resolve. She slid away and moved around him but stopped when her gaze fell on Varin. She stood perfectly still, as though she’d forgotten he was there. Varin grinned, showing perfect white teeth and a dimple in his left cheek. He leaned against the door, arms crossed over his chest. “No one’s going anywhere.”

“The
hell
you say!” Heidi released Luke’s hand and marched toward the door, fury and single-minded determination evident in her confident walk. If Luke didn’t know better, he’d have thought she intended to push Varin away with her bare hands.

Varin side-stepped her easily before she reached him. In the blink of an eye, he lifted his hands and uttered a lyrical stream of words Luke couldn’t understand.

The door glowed blue. Runes and symbols flickered to life around the heavy bar that barricaded it closed.

Heidi screamed. Her cry tore through his heart and soon he was moving, running to where she stood. Though she wasn’t hurt and he didn’t understand what had just happened, he recognized the terror in her voice. He’d heard it a million times from other tormented souls like himself. When he reached her side, Heidi pushed him away and extended her hand toward the wooden door. Instead of pulling it open, she chanted an elegant melody and began to pull out a stream of blue energy from the deep glow that surrounded the exit.

“Don’t bother, witch,” Varin said. “There’s only one way out of this room, and it’s not through there.”

Heidi’s eyes narrowed to slits. A muscle jumped in her jaw. Luke watched helplessly as she fought to control the energy she gathered to her. Raw streams of color danced erratically in the air. Sweat trickled down her temples.

“I hate demons,” she muttered between clenched teeth.

Varin’s ability to practice magic might have been stripped from him along with every other demonic power he possessed the day he was tossed into captivity, but it came back to him quickly now, the ebb and flow of magical energy heating his blood.

He yanked a strand of animated power from the mass Heidi had amounted and twirled it around his thumb, binding it to him. He tugged slightly, knocking her off balance and pulling her closer to him. “Did you really think you could steal one of the Forgotten from the Prince of Darkness, witch?”

Heidi grimaced. “Actually, yeah. But I didn’t count on the Prince himself coming along for the ride.”

Another laugh escaped Varin before he could stop it. It scratched his throat, rasping along his insides. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d laughed before he’d arrived here, yet absurdly, he’d done it repeatedly since he’d met Heidi.

But how could he resist? The woman was either an absolute nutcase or one of the most devious witches he’d ever come across. She couldn’t possibly think he was Baal himself, supreme ruler of the Underworld. Could she?

He tried to suppress the thrill that zinged down his spine. It had been a long time since any female had regarded him as something more than a whipping toy. Respect mingled with fear in Heidi’s eyes, but there was more to it than that. He’d recognized the genuine arousal in the way she’d responded to him before she knew who --or
what
--he was.

“No, you’ve got it all wrong.” Luke tried to step between them, but the blue rays of power snapped and sparked against his skin. He stumbled backward, out of the magic’s reach. “Varin’s not a demon. If he was, I’d have known it.”

Heidi breathed a soft sigh of relief. “Not the Prince, then. Good. I can handle this.”

Varin felt the sudden onslaught of accumulated energy begin to spiral outward toward him. A moment later, Heidi’s uttered chant confirmed his suspicions.

“
Eshara ’em alyyna!
”

When the vortex of color hit, Varin was ready for it. He reacted instinctively, lunging forward, both hands outstretched. He captured the magic in his open palms. Heat flooded his skin, crawling upward. The power threatened to consume him. He had only a split-second to react before the spell Heidi directed at him took over.

“
Eshara ’em alyyna!
” Using a trick he’d learned from Lillian long ago, Varin echoed Heidi’s words and tossed the ball of magic back at her. Heidi’s eyes widened, the blue orbs reflecting the glow of energy as it hit. Fibers of light spun rapidly around her, binding her wrists and ankles. A thick strand pulled together and wound itself around her eyes, creating a blindfold made of pure magic.

Luke scrambled forward and gathered Heidi in his arms. Having already fulfilled its purpose, the magic lay dormant as it touched Luke’s skin, but the powerful strands bound Heidi with the strength of unbendable steel.

“Let her go!” Luke demanded. “If you’re upset about the escape, then take me back. This has nothing to do with her.”

Heidi struggled, her lithe body glistening with sweat. “The bastard isn’t going to let either one of us go without a fight. That’s not what his Prince would want.”

Varin shrugged, fighting to keep his features stony and uninterested. After spending hundreds of years suppressing his emotions, he’d become an expert at denying his feelings. If there’d ever been a part of him that called out for human experience, it had died when Lillian betrayed him. In that moment, he’d vowed he wouldn’t allow himself to feel anything ever again. And while he’d been in Hell, it had been all too easy to keep that promise.

But there was something about Heidi that made the strength of his control waver. He’d given in to pure instinctual response since he’d first collapsed on top of her when she’d yanked him through to the mortal realm. If that wasn’t bad enough, the more time he spent in her proximity the harder it became to remember to pull on the mask of indifference.

“Put her down. No, not on the floor,” Varin instructed when Luke began to kneel. “On the altar. I want to see her.”

Luke gritted his teeth so hard the cords in his neck flexed. “What are you going to do?”

Varin ignored him. He moved around the foot of the altar and watched while Luke did as he commanded. Heidi lay on her back, her wrists still bound behind her, the magic around her ankles holding her legs closed. She lifted her feet so her knees were bent, and Varin could make out the delicate curve of her ass leading to those smooth, silky long legs. Heidi’s chest rose and fell with the force of her ragged breaths. Her nipples peaked and tightened. A rivulet of sweat ran down between her breasts.

The breath hitched in Varin’s throat. His heartbeat quickened and his cock stiffened painfully. He didn’t think he’d ever seen anyone look more beautiful than Heidi did at that exact moment. The light from the myriad candles flickered, casting a pale, eerie sheen over her naked body. And although she had to know she was entirely at his mercy, she didn’t beg or plead, didn’t cry out or try to bargain with him. She simply waited for his next move and prepared to gain the advantage at the first opportunity. He swallowed hard. Damn, but she reminded him so much of Lillian. Except unlike Lillian, she showed him exactly what she was made of. He knew her abilities, and her intentions. She wouldn’t hesitate to take him out at the first opportunity. But to do that, she had to open a portal into Hell.