A Mermaid's Ransom (15 page)

"
Pyel, no.
Please, let me try something else."

The few minutes in the water, and the return to her own world had barely rejuvenated her enough to make the transformation to human form. However, despite the agonizing pressure in her chest, which made her fight to breathe as she rose to wobbly legs, she made it to one foot, then the other. When she managed the awkward hop to the wider ledge, she stumbled against David, since he was the closest.

"You are
really
pushing it," he murmured as he steadied her. But they weren't attacking, and she wondered if Mina had counseled her father to stay his hand, because no way would Alexis's protest have stopped him. As David helped her move forward to stand shoulder to shoulder with Jonah, her father gave her a warning look. She gave him a nod, but turned her attention to Dante.

"We need to do this," she said softly. "It's the best way."

He stared at her. Something shifted in him, so strong her trembling knees nearly gave out on her. Jonah caught her waist. His fury surged over her, but she shook her head. "It's not him," she said.

It was partially true. She was reacting to what she was feeling from Dante, not something he'd aimed at her. Rage and fear, violence and hatred, rolled up in a fetid blackness, expulsed from his psyche like the monster in the child's closet come to life.

"I will be no one's slave again," he said. "I will
not
."

Still wearing the ragged trousers, he nevertheless managed to still be breathtakingly wild and handsome, the dark hair spilling across his broad shoulders, his fiery gaze intent, darting around the chamber, his upper body taut.

Swallowing, she took another step forward.
Trust me, Pyel. Please.

She was still within a range where he could reach her faster than Dante could move, another reason she suspected he complied. When she reached out to Mina, the witch laid the collar in her palm. The heavy weight of it pulled against her grip, and she hated it instantly, almost as much as Dante did.

As she made her way on the narrow broken ledge toward the outcropping where he stood, she balanced herself on the wall. Her father stayed just behind her. Myriad emotions ricocheted through the room. Her mother, pensive and worried, but curious as well, seeing things with a mother's eyes Lex suspected her father didn't. The angels, a dangerous fighting force ready to move into action at the least indication by their commander it was needed. David, part of that feeling, but different, too, as he kept his attention on Mina. Mina was a blank wall as usual. But when those disquieting eyes had met hers, as the witch handed over the collar, Lex thought she'd registered approval.

Of course she was too weak and stumbled. Her father caught her waist, but her hands landed on Dante's forearms, his fingers closing on her elbows.

"You are injured," Dante said in a voice that sounded anything but sympathetic, but something emanated from him. Anger at her weakness? Frustration with it? Yes, that was it. Frustration. Something he didn't want to bother him, but did. He couldn't risk a distraction, but he'd vaulted down from the ledge to stand before her now. "You need care."

"I need you to wear this." She tightened her fingers on him. "You know I can do nothing to you without your permission. You're stronger and faster. So will you at least listen to me, before this becomes really bloody and ugly?"

"No." His fingers tightened on her. The ominous hostility behind her made her pulse accelerate. They didn't realize he was rejecting her initial request, not her plea to listen.

"It will only be for a while. Until you prove you're not going to go out there and kill a bunch of innocent people. You've lived your life ready to kill, fight, struggle or escape. You won't have to do that here, but it will take time for you to learn different instincts. Without this, you could really hurt someone without meaning to do so. It's to protect others and help you, not trap you. You can read my mind. You know it's not a trick."

"I know you are not trying to trick me. But you did not produce this item." His gaze turned to Mina. The witch gave him a flat stare.

"Trust has to be given to be earned, Dante. You wanted to be here. Now you are, and how you managed it makes you lucky to still be alive. Don't test your luck. You might hurt him"--she tilted her head toward Jonah--"but I promise you, he
will
end you. And the pieces he doesn't incinerate, I'll finish off."

"Please," Alexis said softly, digging her fingers in to bring his attention back to her face. "I've known them all my life. They are not deceiving you. Please trust me."

In the intensity of his expression, the rest of the cavern disappeared for her. His hands were tight, every finger pressed into the flesh of her arm.
You are mine?

It was the first time he'd posed it as a question. Though he said it with rough agitation, the uncertainty beneath it tightened her throat, so she answered in her mind.

I'm not sure what you want from me when you say that, or what it means. But some part of me wants to say yes.

His brows lifted as he considered her, as if he was plumbing her mind at the same time she was gauging his emotions. What a couple they made, she thought wryly. They'd be incapable of lying to one another, even white lies. That would be a pain in the ass, in any relationship.

Then she sobered. "Please, Dante."
I know how terribly hard this is for you. But it is the only way. I want you to live.

A long, tense moment ensued before he inclined his head, so slightly she might have been the only one to see it. He quivered as she opened the latch on the collar and raised her arms. Steadying her weak body, he moved his hands to her waist, or perhaps that was to keep himself from stopping her, because his fingers dug into her flesh with the power to bruise. When he tilted his head down for her, she leaned into his chest to fit it around his throat. Another hard tremor went through him as it latched, making her want to reassure him further. Her father's sharp voice cut in then, the strain in his tone telling her he was at the limit of what latitude he would give her.

"All right, stand back, Lex, so Mina can activate the binding on it."

Dante's hands flexed on her waist, but then he released her with another nod, bidding her to stand back.

As she did, Lex realized something she'd yet to feel from him. Fear. Anger, yes, frustration, concern, but not fear of the type that would make a person retreat before an unwinnable situation or the frightening unknown. She remembered now what she'd felt when he'd thrust her into his circle, allowing her to take his place. A terrible resignation, a deep fatalism like suicides experienced, those who cared nothing more for their soul and were willing to release it to whatever end it sought for itself.

Uneasiness swept her. She sent a prayer to a Goddess that Dante would trust them enough to let her help him. Along with the uneasiness, dizziness returned, another wave from the gray world that wanted to drag her down. No, she couldn't go. She couldn't leave him yet. Not until she had him settled at her place, though she wasn't sure she was even up to the swim to the surface.

Mina gestured. "This may hurt some, but once it's activated, you'll notice nothing other than the weight of the collar." Before Dante or Lex could react to that, she spoke the enchantment.

The steel flared red-hot. Alexis gasped as Dante's body jolted, electricity spearing through it, strong enough to drive him to one knee on the narrow ledge. Lex lunged forward, trying to help him, but her father pulled her back, holding her against his solid immovable force as the magic swirled around Dante, creating a glittering shower of blue sparks that arced off him like fireflies. He didn't cry out, which seemed to impress Mina, whose lips tightened as the spell finished. Her hands came together in a way that reminded Lex of a yoga Namaste.

The magic died away, leaving Dante on the one knee, fingers tented on the ground, his breathing labored. When he lifted his head, Mina nodded to the angels. "Try to attack one of them. I want to make sure it works."

Alexis scowled. "That's not fair. He's already in pain."

Jonah ignored her, putting her behind him and squaring off with the vampire. Dante's eyes lighted with malicious pleasure that Lex was sure her father's expression mirrored. Maybe Mina was right about testosterone needing a babysitter.

"Uh, no." Mina jerked her thumb across the cavern, toward David. "Him you don't have a grudge with, and I know he won't do more than defend himself. Last test. Pass this one, you can immerse yourself in the wonderful world of human vice."

"You are fond of sarcasm," Dante observed. Rolling his shoulders, he eyed David.

"It's actually her native language." David sheathed his knives but braced himself in a defensive battle posture. "Like an accent she doesn't realize is there."

Mina scowled at him, but Dante had already launched himself. He was swift, faster than Alexis could follow, though Jonah turned with the motion, shielding her. Before she could draw in an apprehensive breath, the vampire had hit David midbody. The angel took the blow, using his wings to slow their propulsion backward, but by then, nothing else was needed. Dante was on the ground, coiled around his own midriff, his teeth gritted while he cursed.

"It works," Mina glanced at Alexis. "You can take your new puppy home now."

Alexis nodded, but as she began to make her way back from the narrow ledge, the room tilted again. Her knees gave out, making her stagger. She thought the ledges had shifted again from the earlier damage, but then she noticed she was the only one falling, while her head was spinning like a helicopter's sharp blades.
Oh, no.

Though she grabbed for consciousness with both hands, it had already eluded her. The ground and water rushed up to meet her, even as she cried out in protest.

Great Lady, don't let anything bad happen to him before I wake.

Thirteen

DANTE hissed his fury. His rage fought unabated within him, slashing between betrayal and frustration. Where was Alexis? He couldn't get her to answer. He sensed her mind, but either she was unconscious or they were blocking him. They'd said they were going to have her tended by a healer in the Heavens, Raphael. He remembered Raphael from the Mountain Battle. He'd been no healer on that day, wielding a spear that could puncture and thread together three Dark Ones on the shaft before it yanked itself free and returned to its owner.

In the meantime, they'd brought him to Hell. He'd been escorted by all four of the angels. Even Mina joined them for reinforcement. Jonah had said little, but the witch's mate, David, told him that Hell would be the best place for him until Alexis had regained strength and consciousness.

He hadn't been unkind, but Dante didn't like it. He didn't trust any of them. He remembered David only from when he'd come to the Dark One world, years ago. He'd threatened to rip Dante limb from limb then, and now he was expected to trust his words.

But he had escaped his world. Whatever treachery they planned, they were not yet executing it, and he could afford to watch, and wait. He'd done that for many years, and such patience was familiar to him.

What wasn't familiar were his feelings about Alexis's absence, his inability to be near her. His need for her was more unsettling than anything else. He'd told them his reasons for marking her the third time were his own, but the truth was, despite not knowing exactly how to activate it, he'd been thinking of his mother's words.
Use it to bind a soul . . .

Lex was beyond his reach, and that was simply unacceptable. His cunning deserted him, leaving only the desire to tear, rend, destroy. They'd put this collar on him and then took away the one thing he would fight and kill to keep.

After they brought him to Hell, they left him alone on a spear of rock deep in the bowels of their Earth. It was warm and dim. A deep chasm surrounded his platform on all sides, so he could peer over the edge into endless fire and darkness. Beyond that were endless cliffs of high rock with no visible top point and crevices hard to discern in the shadows, even with his enhanced vision.

Despair rose like smoke from that chasm, but it had a different quality than in his world. It tugged at his memory, made him think about his mother. Perhaps what Alexis had called
regret
? Occasional screams of fear or pain were carried on the air currents.

He sensed no enemy to fight or defend against, to distract him from the madness closing in. Cursing, he shouted out a demand for Alexis,
now
. The echo of it rebounded, mocking him and driving him over the edge, literally.

He leaped, damning the consequences, and found himself slammed flat on his back into the center of the platform. He also found he was not alone at all. The dark-winged angel holding him with only a hand at his throat and knee to his chest gave him a flat, assessing look.

"The chasm is spelled for you. If you leap outward, it would give you an unpleasant jolt, worse than this, and you'd end up back here."

Lucifer.
He knew this angel, from the Mountain Battle and the stories of Dark Ones who'd seen others fight him, and lose. No one came back from a fight with him. He was the one dispatched to kill Jonah, all those years ago in the Canyon Battle, the one strong enough to do so if it was needed. His eyes were the only angel's eyes that held red, a crimson glow that glittered through the black void. His long, dark hair draped over broad shoulders and powerful arms tattooed with script that glowed like embers as he moved.

"I do not fear you," Dante snarled. "Get off of me. Where is Alexis?"

"Exactly where you were told. She is safe, and being treated for her wounds. Her life energy was very weak. Your world, and your demand for her blood, weakened her." Though his voice remained impassive, Dante knew what moved under the surface of that unreadable face was not so unperturbed. The merangel had many powerful friends.

"But she will recover."

Lucifer inclined his head, and something loosened in Dante's chest. The Lord of the Underworld straightened and within a blink was on the opposite end of the platform, staring down into the abyss of fire. His wings stretched out slowly, meditatively, his attitude suggesting now that he'd arrived, he did not care for conversation.

Dante rose to his feet warily. Was this the witch and Jonah's plan? Kill him down here and make Alexis believe he'd attacked first? Well, nothing was going to stand between him and Alexis. He wanted to see this world, but he needed her eyes to see it. He needed her energy to interpret the meanings of so many things he didn't understand.

"Many fear Hell," Lucifer said at last. "You do not, because you came from a world of chaos, pain with no end, cruelty with no mercy. There is pain and cruelty here, but it all has structure, a purpose. A purpose that serves the Light."

"I fear nothing."

When the dark-winged angel lifted his gaze, Dante thought if he stared into those eyes too long, he might lose himself in a spinning vortex that was desolate and reassuring at once. "Coming here is a soul's worst nightmare, but an answer to their deepest longings as well. They have stained the fabric of their lives so heavily with their misdeeds, they do not know how to become clean. Until they do, the world above is a painful mockery to them." His wings stretched out further, then eased to a fold against his back. His gaze returned to the abyss. "Forget violence and escape while you are here, Dante. Give yourself time to rest. It may be the last sanctuary you find for quite some time."

THE first time Lex surfaced, she learned that Dante and Jonah nearly knocked heads catching her when she collapsed. Jonah had transported her to the third level of Heaven, where Raphael examined her wings, and healed the break. The golden-haired angel treated her other injuries as well, then recommended nourishment and bed rest to regain her strength.

While she lay in a small pool in a sun-drenched room in the Citadel, the body of water large enough that her wings could stretch unencumbered, she passed in and out of consciousness, her languorous body allowing her brief minutes of awareness. The breeze coming from the blue skies outside. The distant choral voices and instruments as the music angels practiced their craft. Snippets of conversation.

Her fingers passed over her bare skin, bathed in the sun's healing rays. The symbols branded into her skin were gone, likely healed by Raphael's skill. Why did that feel like such a loss? She also heard the seawitch talking, perhaps to Jonah or Anna.

"He has changed from two decades ago. He is no longer the scavenger we knew."

Dante.
They were talking about Dante. Where was he? Why wasn't he with her? Underneath the beauty and peace surrounding her, it was a disturbing undercurrent, one that made her sleep fitful.

"The decimation of their numbers from the Mountain Battle tipped the natural balance. Nature does not intend the scavenger to be the alpha."

No.
Mina was wrong. There was no natural balance in the Dark One world. What if he'd been an alpha all along? What happened to a leader forced to be a slave before he even knew he was a leader, before he knew he had any power at all?

"Dante . . ."

Her mother's hand. "It's all right, love. He's fine. He's been taken somewhere while you get better."

But he needed to be here. With the third mark, could she stretch her empathic gift beyond those in close proximity, sense his moods wherever he was? If he could reach her in her dreams, why couldn't her reach be at least as far? She hit a wall each time she tried, but maybe she should seek a door, or a window. Even a crack . . .

Her effort drove her into unconsciousness again.

Time passed, but she couldn't follow the events that occurred during it. She was floating, no more than a cloud, lost in a haze in her own mind. So it was startling to wake to full consciousness at last in Anna's cottage by the sea.

She thought of it as Anna's cottage, but of course it was the legacy of the daughters of Arianne, a gift from Neptune. Anna had told her more than once it now belonged to her, as the most recent descendant. Lex knew her mother loved the cottage, though, and she preferred her town house. It was fully hers, separate from any legacies with their preconceived notions. As long as she thought of it as An na's cottage, it could be a home away from home, because every space of it was permeated by her mother's loving presence.

She was in human form, in the loft bed. At some point, she must have responded to a murmured request from Anna to shapeshift. Her mother was by her side, and the ocean was a soothing rush of noise outside. She wasn't in that awful place. She was home, the most beautiful, priceless word in the whole world.

"Lex, what is it?" Anna was leaning over her, her hand touching the tears on her daughter's face.

"Where is Dante?"

"Your father thought he should wait for you in Lucifer's realm. It's protected--"

"He put him in
Hell
?" When Alexis tried to shove back her covers, the world did a violent, erratic somersault. Fortunately, her mother caught her, else she would have ended up on the floor. "He can't be there, Myel. Why did he take him there? He's suffered enough. He--"

"You said it yourself." Anna tried to ease her to a prone position again. "You need to be with him when he transitions to our world. You're the only one who can read and anticipate him. They thought it would be best to put him in an environment where he could do little harm to himself or others, not that he can do that with Mina's spell, but you understand my meaning.
Alexis
. I may not be as strong as your father, but you are not getting out of this bed until you've sat up for a few minutes. You've been on your back for almost two weeks. Now be still."

Two weeks. Oh, Goddess.
He would be going insane. "But Hell? He came from a place like Hell."

"He wasn't put into a redemption chamber, love. He's fine. He's been offered a bath and clothing, blood to nourish him. I sent him the clothes."

Alexis made herself sit up slowly, bracing on the pillows her mother arranged behind her, though her heart continued to thump rapidly. "You've checked on him."

"Often, through your father and David. He's important to you. We all understand that. Your father has more respect for you than you are giving him."

The reproach struck home. But she couldn't relax, not without him near. Watching her, Anna's brow creased. "I've never learned about vampires, but your father and Mina have knowledge of their kind. While vampire-servant relationships are very strong, the bond does allow the servant to travel wherever the Master or Mistress requires them to go, no matter how far it takes them away from the vampire. However, if the Master"--distaste crossed Anna's expression--"does not wish the servant to be away from him, it's possible that displeasure could create the restlessness you feel. We tested it by moving you here. You became far too agitated in the Heavens. When you were brought here, where you are moderately closer to him, you became more calm."

"How is he doing?"

"He's prowling like a trapped animal, but he's fine." Anna squeezed her hand. "Mina said you were very lucky. His blood does not bear the poisoned taint of a Dark One. If it had, you would have died almost instantly when you ingested it. Instead, it was the atmosphere of the world itself that has kept you so weak for so long."

Lex forced her mind away from Dante and onto Anna. Hearing the strain in her voice, and feeling the cauldron of emotions behind it, she laced her hand with her mother's. "You convinced Pyel to listen to me. Thank you."

Anna stroked Lex's hair, which Lex realized was brushed into smooth waves that fell over her breasts and down her back. Anna's fingers lingered on her face. "Being a daughter of Arianne often means difficult choices, obstacles to overcome. You're the first one who didn't have to face them right from birth, so I fooled myself into thinking your life would be normal. Much as I don't want to see it, that strange creature has the mark of your destiny on him, whatever part he will play in it."

Her expression darkened, her lips tightening. "The mother in me hates him for causing you fear and pain. But I see what may lie between you. I saw it in the caverns. I suspect your father did, too, which explains the anger he is carrying now, unable to do a thing with it. His Legion has been overworked on the practice fields these past couple of weeks."

Lex stared at her. "Goddess, I love you, Myel."

"And you think you may love him."

It was a simple statement, but it rocked Lex back on her heels. Anna knew as well as Lex that angels only fell in love once. Up until now, there'd been no indication if she would inherit that trait from Jonah, but the fact that Lex couldn't immediately confirm that she wasn't in love with a being she'd known only from dreams and his brutal kidnapping was worrisome.

"I don't know." She swallowed. "I can't . . . I shouldn't even be dwelling on it. He has so much to learn and understand about this world. I have to help him. I can't get bogged down in my personal feelings. I
know
that."