DH 05 Kiss Of The Night (25 page)

“Don’t judge me, little sister. I had my reasons. Now we have to get
you
to safety.”

“Like I’m going to trust you,” Cassandra said, stiffening. “I remember Uncle Demos.”

“I’m not Uncle Demos and I have no intention of turning you into me.” Phoebe took a step toward her, but Wulf prevented her from getting any closer to Cassandra until he knew the truth of her intentions.

Phoebe gave him an irritated glare, then looked back at her sister. “Please, Cassie, you have to believe me. I would never, ever harm you. I swear it on Mother’s soul.” Another Daimon came through the door. A male. He was tal and blond and Wulf remembered him wel from the club. The Daimon had kicked the crap out of him.

This had been the Daimon who referred to Stryker as his father.

Kat gasped.

“Hurry, Phe,” the Daimon said to Cassandra’s sister. “I can’t keep this covered much longer.” He paused long enough to meet Wulf’s gaze without flinching. The anger and hatred of the two men was tangible enough to make Cassandra shiver. She half-expected one of them to attack the other at any second.

“Why are
you
helping us?” Wulf demanded.

The Daimon curled his lip in repugnance. “Like I give a rat’s ass about you, Dark-Hunter. I’m only here to help my wife protect her baby sister. Which I stil think is a stupid idea.” He looked at Phoebe who looked back at him irritably.

“You’l feel better tomorrow about this,” Phoebe said.

The Daimon snorted. “It’s a good thing I love you.”

Kat gaped. “Urian has a heart? Who knew?”

Urian glared at her. “Shut up, Abadonna.”

Cassandra saw the love on Phoebe’s face as Urian neared her. “Urian is the one who saved me when Mom died,” Phoebe explained. “He pul ed me from the car after the bomb exploded and hid me. He tried to save Mom and Nia too, but couldn’t get to them in time.”

Cassandra didn’t know what to think about that. It didn’t make sense that a Daimon, let alone one related to Stryker, would help them when al their lives they had been pursued by Urian’s kind. “Why?”

“There’s no time for this,” Urian hissed. “My father isn’t a stupid man. He’l catch on quickly when he doesn’t hear from the two dead men.”

Phoebe nodded, then turned back to Cassandra. “I’m asking you to trust me, Cassie. I swear you won’t regret it.”

Cassandra exchanged frowns with Wulf and Kat. “I think we can trust her.” Wulf glanced to Urian, then to Kat. “You said they were sadistic. Any chance they’re playing with our heads?”

Urian gave a low, bitter laugh at that. “You have no idea.” Phoebe smacked her husband in the stomach. “Behave, Uri. You’re not making this any easier.” Scowling at his wife, Urian rubbed his stomach where she’d hit him, but didn’t say anything else.

“Go for it,” Kat said. “If he’s lying, I now know how to hurt him.” Her gaze went meaningful y to Phoebe.

Urian went ramrod stiff. “Destroyer or no, you
ever
touch her and I wil kil you, Katra.”

“Then we understand each other,” Wulf said. “Because if anything happens to Cassandra, Kat is the least of your problems.”

Urian stepped forward, but Phoebe forced him back. “You said we have to hurry.” Urian’s rigid features softened as he looked at Phoebe and nodded. Without another word, he led them toward a black airboat that was already on the ice, waiting for them.

Chris climbed on board first, fol owed by Kat.

Cassandra fol owed suit. “Is this the same boat the Canadian Mounties use for search and rescue?” she asked Wulf.

Wulf cleared his throat as if offended. “Same company makes both, but I’d like to think mine is a bit nicer.” And it was too. Plush to the extreme, right down to the padded chairs.

“Yeah,” Chris said as he took a seat and strapped himself in. “Dudley Do-Right is us.” Cassandra smiled at him as Wulf took the helm. Her sister jumped in, then paused when she realized her husband had stayed on the dock and wasn’t making any moves to join them.

Phoebe’s face was even paler. “Come with us, Uri,” she begged, reaching up to take his hand into hers.

Her voice was fil ed with strain and worry.

Cassandra stared at their joined hands that showed how much each one wanted to hold on and never let go.

“They’l slaughter you if they find out about this.”

The pain on Urian’s face as he stared longingly at Phoebe made Cassandra ache for both of them. “I can’t, baby, you know I can’t. I have to stay and cover your tracks, but I promise I’l be in touch as soon as I’m able.” He kissed Phoebe passionately, then kissed her hand and let her go. “Be safe.”

“You too.”

He nodded, then removed the last bit of harness rigging. “Take care of my wife, Dark-Hunter.” Wulf glanced at Phoebe and nodded. “Thanks, Daimon.”

Urian scoffed. “Bet you never thought you’d utter those words.” Urian raised the doors to the dock at the same time a group of Daimons broke into the boathouse.

Phoebe gasped and started for her husband. Chris pul ed her back as Wulf gunned the engine and flew north over the ice. Luckily, the wind was with them and they accelerated quickly.

“No!” Phoebe shrieked as they sped across the lake. “We can’t leave him.”

“We have no choice,” Chris said. “I’m sorry.”

Cassandra saw the despair on her sister’s face, but Phoebe didn’t cry. She merely stared behind them where the boathouse was quickly drifting out of sight, her eyes fil ed with horror.

Cassandra held on tightly to her seat belt, her heart pounding. “How fast are we going?” she asked Chris.

“Over a hundred at least,” he answered. “These things can move as fast as one hundred forty with the wind, but only about forty against it.”

Wow. She looked over at her sister, who stil hadn’t stopped looking behind her even though the boathouse had already faded from sight.

“He’l be okay, Phoebe,” Kat said. “His father wouldn’t real y hurt him. Stryker may be psychotic, but he loves Urian.”

Phoebe’s face showed every bit of her doubt.

“Keep going north,” Phoebe said to Wulf. “We have a safe place where we can hide al of you.” No sooner were the words spoken than Cassandra heard the fierce shriek of something that sounded like it came from Hol ywood. It was fol owed by the distinct sound of wings flapping.

Looking up, she saw the dragon headed for them.

“Oh, my…” She couldn’t finish the words as horror choked her.

Kat reacted instantly. She threw herself over Cassandra.

The dragon shrieked louder as if frustrated by her actions. Fire blew across the prow of the boat.

Wulf didn’t slow down at al . He pul ed his gun out and fired up at the dragon.

The dragon dove straight for them, screaming as it came. Cassandra could see when the bul ets struck it.

The dragon recoiled, but didn’t real y slow or veer off.

It continued toward them with a single-minded determination.

Closer.

Closer…

It swooped in so close she could feel the dragon’s hot breath.

Wulf reloaded his clip and fired more rounds.

Just as Cassandra was sure it would devour them, the dragon vanished instantly.

For a ful ten seconds, no one moved.

“What happened?” Chris asked.

“He must have been recal ed,” Kat answered. “It’s the only thing that could have stopped him like that.” Wulf final y slowed a degree. “Recal ed by whom?”

“The Destroyer,” Phoebe said. “She won’t let him hurt Kat.”

“And just why is that, Kat?” Wulf asked.

Kat appeared uncomfortable with that question. “Like Stryker, I’m one of her servants.”

“I thought you served Artemis,” Cassandra said.

“I serve them both.”

Cassandra tilted her head as she looked at her friend. Someone she had thought she’d known for years, and now she realized she real y knew nothing at al about Kat.

“Question,” Cassandra said, her heart pounding in fear. “What happens when you have a conflict of interest? Which one of them wil you fol ow then, Kat?”

Kat glared at her indignantly. “I think the answer to that is quite obvious. I’m here, aren’t I?”

“Are you?” Cassandra asked, her anger erupting. “Every time I turn around there seems to be a Daimon on my tail. Now every other day I’m learning a vital fact about you that you have conveniently neglected to tel me in the past… oh…
five
years. How do I know I can trust anyone at this point?” Kat looked hurt as she pul ed away from Cassandra. “I can’t believe you would doubt me.”

“Cassie—”

“Don’t Cassie me, Phoebe,” she said, snapping at her sister. “Why didn’t you ever bother to tel me you were alive? You know a postcard wouldn’t have kil ed you. No pun intended.” Phoebe raked an angry glare over her. “Don’t you dare take that tone with me! Not after Urian and I have risked everything for you. For al I know, right now, they’re back there kil ing him.” The tremor in her sister’s voice brought Cassandra back to her senses and calmed her down. “I’m sorry, Phoebe. Kat. I’m just scared.”

Kat helped her to her feet, but instead of going back to her seat, Cassandra headed to Wulf’s chair. He slowed the boat only enough so that she could sit safely in his lap.

At least there she felt sheltered. Secure. She trusted him implicitly.

“You’l be okay, Cassandra,” he said against her hair, over the roar of the boat.

She snuggled closer to him and inhaled his warm, masculine scent. Cassandra held tight as he sped them into a future that terrified her.

Dawn was coming. Cassandra could, feel it as she rode silently in the custom-built, heavily modified Land Rover next to Wulf. She was immune to the rays, but she knew Wulf and her sister weren’t. Chris was asleep in the back seat, sitting between Kat and Phoebe with his head on Kat’s shoulder, while Kat looked out the window nervously.

They had left the boat behind wel over an hour ago and were now in a multiterrain Land Rover racing for a destination Phoebe wouldn’t name. She just gave them directions.

“How much longer?” Cassandra asked.

“Not much farther.” The uncertain apprehension in Phoebe’s voice belied her words.

Cassandra took Wulf’s hand into hers. He squeezed her fingers reassuringly, but didn’t speak.

“Wil we make it before sunrise?” she asked her sister.

“It’s going to be close.” Then under her breath, Phoebe mumbled the words, “Real close.” Cassandra watched Wulf as he drove. He had his sunglasses on to help with the glare from the snow, but the night was so dark, she wasn’t sure how he saw at al . His whiskered jaw was set and rigid. Even though he didn’t say anything, she noted the way he kept glancing at the clock on the dashboard.

She offered a prayer that they made it to their destination before the sun kil ed him.

Forcing her fear away before it overwhelmed her, she looked down at their joined hands. Her hand was covered by her black knit gloves. His bare fingers were long and manly. The hands of a protective warrior.

Who would ever have thought that she would find a friend and lover born to a race that was the sworn enemy of her own?

And yet here she sat, knowing he was the only thing that could save and protect her baby. Knowing he would wil ingly die to protect her child. Her heart ached with that knowledge and with the nervousness she felt as the sky lightened.

He couldn’t die. Surely the Fates wouldn’t be so cruel.

Cassandra let go of his hand long enough to pul her glove off, then took his hand again into hers. She needed that physical connection to him.

He glanced at her and offered her an encouraging smile.

“Turn right there,” Phoebe said, leaning forward between them to point at a smal trail where there was no road.

Wulf didn’t question it. There wasn’t time. Instead, he turned as she indicated.

He was an idiot for trusting her, he knew that. But there wasn’t any choice. Besides, Phoebe hadn’t betrayed them yet.

Even if she did, he would make sure she paid for it. Along with anyone else who dared to come after Cassandra.

They crashed through the woods, the armor plating of the SUV making it relatively easy to plow through smal er trees and travel over the snow, ice, and debris. Wulf cut the lights off so that he could see better as the Land Rover bounced over the uneven terrain.

Chris came awake with a curse. “Is Stryker back?”

“No,” Kat told him. “We had to leave the road.”

Wulf slowed a bit so as not to throw one of the tank tracks that had replaced the SUV’s tires. They were a lot sturdier in this climate, but were stil a far cry from being infal ible, and the last thing he needed was to be stranded out in the open with daylight so close.

Just as the sun was appearing over the mountain, he broke through the trees and came to a cave.

There were three Apol ites standing outside of it. Waiting.

Cassandra hissed and released his hand.

“It’s okay,” Phoebe said as she opened her door and sprang from the truck.

Wulf hesitated as he watched Phoebe run to the men and point back at them.

“Wel ,” he breathed, watching the sun starting to creep over the peaks. “It’s a moment of truth. We can’t run from them now.”

“I’m with you to the end,” Kat breathed from the back seat.

Chris nodded. “Me too.”

“Stay here,” Wulf said to Cassandra and Chris before he slid out, his hand on the hilt of his sword.

Kat got out with him.

Chris leaned forward so that his head was almost even with hers. “Are those what I think they are?”

“Yes,” Cassandra said, holding her breath. “Those are Apol ites and they don’t look happy to see us.” The Apol ites eyed Kat and Wulf suspiciously. The hatred between them was even more fierce than when Urian had faced Wulf in Wulf’s boathouse.

It made Cassandra’s blood run cold.

Phoebe motioned to the cresting sun and said something to the men. Stil they didn’t move.

Until Wulf looked over his shoulder at Cassandra. His gaze met hers and he gave her a subtle nod.

His face unreadable, he handed over al his weapons.

Cassandra’s heart pounded. Would they kil him?

She knew he would never have handed his weapons over to his enemies. He would have fought to the bitter end. But for her he had surrendered himself.