Fading Light: Shadow Born, Book 2 (17 page)

Chapter Seventeen

When Brenna arrived home, Gray was burying the body. He was standing on the edge of the property, propped against a shovel and staring into the hole he had made in the frozen ground.

“It didn’t go well?” she asked as she moved beside him.

Gray shrugged. “Not for this guy.” He pulled the shovel free. “But the demon had stripped his soul before I tortured his body.” He dumped dirt on the prone form.

Silent, Brenna watched as he filled in the grave. “What did you find out?” she asked as he smoothed the dirt.

Gray straightened then pushed the shovel into the ground. “Might as well keep it here. We’ll be digging more soon.”

“Aren’t you all smiles and sunshine?” Brenna winced as she turned too quickly. Limping, she followed him back to the house. “Are you going to answer my question?”

“Adare’s moving fast. He’s already done something big, maybe irreversible.” Gray didn’t turn around.

“We lost a lot of our hunters in the collapse.” She slowed down. It was useless to try and keep up. “Our resources are pretty much gone.”

“Lucy better come up with something fast or we’re screwed.”

“She will.” Brenna grimaced. Her body ached, and she was still bleeding. “Did she settle in okay?”

He gave her a puzzled look. “She’s not here. I figured she changed her mind and stayed at headquarters.”

Brenna quickened her pace, pulling her phone from her pocket to call Seraph. “She has to be here. If she tried to get back underground, she’s dead.” Brenna still hadn’t recovered from losing Marissa. She’d be damned if she’d lose Lucy.

Sam was sprawled on the sofa when Brenna slammed through the door. “What the hell are you doing lying around?” She wanted to smack the nonchalant look off his face. “We’re in the middle of a freaking war.”

He shrugged. “Your husband pulled me off active duty. I’m confined to the house.”

“What did you do?”

Sam sprung from the couch and grabbed her arm. “I can’t believe you’re taking his side over mine. You know he’s a liar.” Sam’s fingers tightened around her forearm, and she looked at them, bemused.

“Take your hands off me.” She jerked her arm from his grasp. She turned to Gray. “Tell me.”

“He’s known about Ga’loh from the beginning.” Gray moved beside her. “I’ve magically confined him to the house. Seraph can deal with him. We have to find Lucy.”

Brenna stared at Sam. Betrayal was a bitter pill to swallow. But if Ga’loh was using Sam, Sam may not have had a choice. “He might know where she is. We deal with him now.”

Sam shook his head. “You can’t think I’m involved with Lucy’s kidnapping. She’s my friend.” He stepped back until his calves hit the sofa and he was forced to sit.

Brenna’s heart fell. Although Sam played innocent, his words rang false. “We never said she was kidnapped.” Gray moved forward, but Brenna placed a hand on his chest, stopping him.

The incubus’s eyes widened. “You said she was missing. I assumed—”

“Don’t lie to me,” Brenna growled. “Where is she?”

Sam paled. “You know me, Brenna. I would never.”

“Shut it.” She leaned against the wall, disgusted. “How deep in this are you?”

“He could have been helping them the entire time.” Gray turned to Sam. “I convinced Seraph to give you a chance.”

Sam leaned forward. “You don’t understand.”

“Then make me understand.” She joined Sam on the couch. Every muscle in her body hurt and blood streamed down her torn leg. If Lucy had been kidnapped, they were running out of time. They needed answers. “Why would you do this?”

“I didn’t
do
anything.” He crossed his arms. “I just didn’t tell you what I knew.”

“It’s called lying by omission.” Gray scowled.

Brenna glared back at him. This wasn’t the time for good cop, bad cop. She tried harder. “Come clean, Sam. If you know anything, now is the time to tell us. I can’t lose Lucy. She’s one of my best friends.”

Sam jerked forward. “If I tell you anything, I’m demon meat. Ga’loh will have me for lunch. He’s my prince. It’s not about wanting to help you or not. I can’t.”

“We’ll protect you,” she promised.

Sam snorted. “He’d wipe the floor with you.”

“He’s not going to tell us anything. Let Seraph deal with him.” Gray slammed through the swinging wooden door into the kitchen. Brenna wanted to knock him upside the head. Sam was their only connection to Lucy.

“Please, Sam. You’re my friend, too.”

“I’m sorry. I never meant for any of this to happen. He’s my prince.” His voice was pleading, and Brenna’s heart broke. What else had he done?

“Your gargoyle is in the mountains. He hid her in plain sight. He’s been there the whole time.” He knelt at Brenna’s feet. “You’re smart. You’ll figure it out.”

His form slowly diminished into a whisper of smoke. Brenna sank into the sofa. Her heart was breaking, but his parting words had given her hope. “You can come out,” she called to Gray. “He’s gone.”

He stepped into the room, the door swinging shut behind him. “How long did it take you to figure out I had lifted the restraint?”

“Not long,” she replied. “I assume you have a plan.”

“Hilda says she can track him.”

“I’m not sure letting him go was the smartest idea even if he can lead us back to Adare. And at the end, he gave me a clue. I just have to figure out what he meant. ” She sighed. “He was my friend.”

“I’m sorry.”

She stepped out of his path as he started toward her. “It doesn’t matter. We need to find Lucy. We’re running out of time to find a cure.”

Gray shook his head. “We need to take care of you. You’re losing a lot of blood.”

She glanced at her leg, surprised. The cut should have healed. “That’s odd. I wonder if the rock had something on it.”

“And you think I’m paranoid.” He laughed. “I doubt they poisoned the stones on the hillside. Your body isn’t healing properly because you’re weak.” He picked her up from the couch. When her leg brushed his chest, she sucked in a breath. Where before she had been numb with adrenaline, now the wound throbbed like the devil.

The door to their bedroom stood open. Gray froze in the threshold. “We locked it, didn’t we?”

She nodded, fighting another wave of nausea. “Put me down,” she mumbled against his chest. “I need to see if anything is missing.” Gray placed her on her feet. She leaned against him for support as they walked into the room.

It had been ransacked.

Brenna closed her eyes, hoping, when she opened them, it would be a bad dream. The patchwork quilt Marissa had made her lay in tatters on the floor, covered in feathers from a pillow that had been ripped to shreds. Someone had taken a knife to the bed. The mattress was cut from head to foot, the insides pulled apart. The white washed armoire looked as though someone had beaten it with a baseball bat. Clothes had been pulled out of the drawers and tossed across the expanse of the room. The only thing that hadn’t been touched was her altar room, and not for lack of trying.

The spells around the door leading to her sanctuary had held fast against the intruders. Scorch marks covered the walls near the entrance from failed attempts to penetrate the wards. The intruder had been forced to give up, but not before giving it a good college try.

“Sam?”

Brenna didn’t want to believe it, but it seemed likely. “He knew Ga’loh would want something to show for him having been uncovered as the traitor.”

If it wasn’t Sam, and there was another player in the game, she didn’t have a clue who it could be. Having her magic weak left her blind to the magical currents. She wasn’t strong enough to read them and get a sense of the intruder. She needed blood, and she needed it bad.

“Get your stash,” she said, turning to Gray. “And don’t pretend you don’t have one. I know where it is.”

“How did you—”

She waved a hand to cut him off. “Doesn’t matter.”

“Yeah it does,” he replied. “But we’ll talk about it later.” He disappeared down the hall toward his old room.

Once she was sure he was gone, she let the tears spill. This room had been her haven for more years than she could count. She sat on the tattered bed, her head falling into her hands. Her sanctuary was gone.

“I’ll clean it up. You won’t be able to tell.” Gray knelt at her feet.

Startled she brushed away the tears with the back of her hand. She wasn’t comfortable with emotion. When she was a little kid, her father had beaten her even when her eyes had glistened with tears. He thought it was a sign of weakness. As she had grown up, she realized his opinion was ridiculous, but the damage had been done. Even so, when Gray’s arms slid around her body and he pulled her close, she came undone. The stress of the past hundred years erupted, and she wept.

It took several moments for her to regain control, but even then, tears rolled down her cheeks. Gray kissed them away. Their lips met, and Brenna sank into his embrace. His arms tightened around her, pulling her closer. It was strange, this connection they had. The past fighting and deceit fell away as they explored one another.

After a few moments, Gray pulled back. “You’re still bleeding.”

Brenna glanced down, bemused. Her blood coated the shredded lining of the bed. She stood and pulled the jeans from her body. The pain was horrible. She fell onto the bed, her pants pooling around her feet. The gash in her thigh was enormous. The stone had slashed through the muscle. It was a miracle she could still walk, she had reinjured it with each step. Gray pulled three vials from his back pocket and handed them to her. Once she downed the potions, the wound began to knit together and, eventually, disappeared altogether.

“What was that?” She had never felt anything quite like it. A warm fuzzy feeling spread from the tips of her toes to the top of her head. Cocooned in warmth, she lay back on the bed, a smile on her lips. “It doesn’t hurt anymore.”

Gray laughed. “It shouldn’t. That was one of the most potent healing potions I had.”

Giggling, she rolled onto her stomach. “Really?” she cocked an eyebrow. “I’m all better?”

He nodded, watching her with ill-disguised concern. “You’re acting strange.”

“Nope.” She shook her head. “I have reached my threshold. You’re watching a meltdown. If I don’t burn off some stress, I’m going to explode.” She glanced around at the destroyed room. “All the bits and pieces will blend in with the rest of this mess.”

“I have a better idea.” Gray rolled her onto her back and straddled her prone body. He leaned back and pulled his black sweater over his head. The bed creaked in protest.

The candlelight played across the hard planes of his chest, highlighting the tightly defined muscles. Desire sank into her like a fever, burning her from the inside. She itched to touch him, but he had pinned her arms to her sides. She licked her lips and tried to sit, but his grip was too strong.

He was smiling when he met her gaze. Rubbing up her body, he captured her mouth in his. He tasted right, like a shot of whiskey after a long day’s work, and her need for him was both overwhelming and unsettling.

Their bodies strained against each other as all pretense of control slipped away. The kiss turned desperate, an uncontrollable rampage of yearning. It was hard to breath as the air thickened with desire. Brenna shifted beneath him, hating the rough scratch of his jeans against her skin. Gathering her strength, she flipped him onto his back and straddled him.

Her fingers made quick work of his top button and fly. “Take them off,” she ordered, shifting to sit beside him so he could comply.

He did as she asked. The denim hit the wall and fell to the floor with a thud.

“Your turn,” he said as he grabbed the bottom of her sweater then proceeded to yank the thick material over her head, somehow managing to get her bra off in the process.

The man had mad skills.

Being with him like this was incredible. Her soul called out to him, as did her magic, and she opened the psychic link they shared. His arousal streamed through her body, adding to her own. She wanted him inside her. Now. She was tired of being alone.

Gray laughed as he felt her eagerness. “I figured you’d want to take it slow.”

“Later,” she growled, pulling him closer. As he sank inside her body, the magical bonds surrounding them tightened until she couldn’t breathe, forcing her to release her inhibitions and merge with him completely. Their bond responded to her acquiescence, strengthening, demanding the completion of the third ritual that would bind them for eternity. As they met their climax together, the joining of their bodies filled her with a new sense of completion. She reveled in it, letting down her guard and allowing herself to feel the depth of their connection.

“What are you thinking?” Gray kissed her lips before rolling to his side. He pulled her against him.

“Too many things,” she said, snuggling against his warm skin. She wanted to stay here forever and forget the nightmare of the world outside. All she had to do was say the word and Gray would pull her through the closest portal. They would go before the Council and seal their bond. In her heart of hearts, she knew it was inevitable. But right now she had too many doubts. The fear of being hurt kept her paralyzed and unable to move forward. Shifting, she turned to face him. “When the war ends, you won’t have a reason to stay here.”

The surprise on his face mirrored her own. She hadn’t intended to speak aloud. His arms tightened around her, pulling her closer. “I stayed here for you, not to fight the war. Nothing changes once it ends. But I have to return home and take my place as king; it’s my duty.”

And he’d been nothing but honest about it. If she refused the bond and insisted on staying here, he would have to choose, her over his birthright. It wasn’t a choice she wanted him to have to make. He was meant to ascend the throne and rule his people. But it was the one place she couldn’t be at his side. Although she was a queen in her own right, she wasn’t going to return. Not even for him.

But that was an issue for another day. There were plenty for today. She pressed her cheek against his chest. The beat of his heart soothed her anxiety. At least until the bedroom door flew open.