Marked by Hades (16 page)

It was then she knew she’d die.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

“Halena, hurry.” Justin’s heart pulverized his ribs.

He’d recognized Pario from the night he’d taken Yvonne. Then this morning, he knew he’d seen the demon as he and Halena left the coffee shop.

If they could capture Pario, maybe it could lead to finding Yvonne. He knew he shouldn’t hope, but still, his chest flickered as if his heart knew Yvonne would come back to him.

The massive demon, who was even bigger than Theo, shifted his weight, moving the blade again as if to finish severing the neck he’d buried his blade in. Justin couldn’t see the person for how slumped over she was and all the hair covering her face, but that didn’t matter—he had to save her.

He hopped on the demon’s back and rammed his blade into his throat. Black blood spurted over his hand, coating it in slime. The bellow vibrated the air and ricocheted off the surrounding walls.

Pario squatted, and with one push they were both airborne. He elbowed Justin with the force of a battering ram, and he fell off the demon’s back, ten feet in the air. Landing with a thud on his side, the wind knocked out of his lungs with a paralyzing
whoosh
.

“Holy shit,” Halena said.

He rolled to his side to see if the Gatekeeper was okay. She held a half-shredded golden bag out in front of her. The victim lay slumped on her side but wasn’t moving. Had they lost her?

“Halena. Get the girl,” he forced out between gasps of air as his lungs settled down.

She tossed him the bag. “Don’t lose that. That’s the ring!”

The sack landed on his side, and he grabbed it before it clanked to the ground. He hopped to his feet, eyeing the girl. “Is she okay?” There was so much blood. So much…wait, it was black.

She was a demon? He didn’t sense it. And why the hell would he be worried about a demon? Let her bleed—

He stepped closer and familiarity hit him like a Mack truck. Black leather pants, gloves, and matted long black hair. It couldn’t be.

His heart stopped beating. Time was suspended. Everything blurred except the motionless woman lying on the dirty, cold ground.

Halena flopped the female onto her back, and her head tilted to the side for a full view. “
Merde
,” she yelled, jumping back, shaking her hand. “I touched her—”

“Yvonne!” Justin dropped the bag and skidded to her side.

The asphalt burned right through his jeans, but he didn’t care. Nothing mattered. She was here.
Oh, Great One, let her be alive.
There was so much blood. Her neck.

“Yvonne!”

Blood streamed from her severed neck.
Black
blood. Fangs protruded from her gray lips, and her skin was so pale. Cold. Long black eyelashes dusted her cheeks, but there was no movement.

A whipping wind slashed through his jacket as if he wore nothing. “Justin?” Theo stepped beside him. “What is it?”

More shuffling behind him, but he couldn’t take his focus off Yvonne. He pressed his hand to her neck. It wasn’t all the way severed. There was still a chance. “Help me.”

His brother knelt beside him. “Holy Great One.”

“Theo,” Justin’s voice cracked. “Help her.”

“Pick her up. Quickly. We’ll splice her to the hotel.” Theo stood.

“No, Theo. That’s not Yvonne. She bleeds demon blood, and I didn’t turn to ash when I touched her.” Halena pointed to Yvonne. “Splice to the stronghold in the U.S. You mustn’t leave her unguarded.”

Justin brushed the bloody, matted hair from Yvonne’s face. Demon. His Mate was a demon. Two months she’d been lost to him, and he finds her…a demon.
Shit.
He knew that if he ever found her this was what she’d be, but to see it before his eyes still hit him in the gut with the weight of a thousand barbells.

“Theophilus. You know I’m right.”

He let out a long breath. “I’m sorry, brother. Until she awakens, we must proceed cautiously.”

Whatever. Justin only cared that Yvonne was here. He’d found her.
Finally.

He glanced up at his brother, then to Halena. She stared at him with narrowed eyes, but he didn’t miss the hurt in them. As quickly as he saw it, it vanished. The cold, calculated Gatekeeper resurfaced.

A splice ripped open behind Theo. “Hurry, Justin.”

Justin scooped Yvonne into his arms with Theo securing her head, keeping contact with her pale skin. Once standing, Theo tucked her head to Justin’s neck and guided them into the splice. Sadie joined them. He hadn’t even noticed she’d arrived with Theo.

But what he did notice…Halena stayed back.

The cold wind whipped around them, but with the next step, they landed on familiar ground. The containment area at their Arizona compound.

The thought of putting Yvonne in one of those cells crushed his heart, but he knew Halena was right. This wasn’t Yvonne. This was Dyre. A demon. Evil.

Theo opened the cell door while Sadie held Dyre secure.

In unison, they worked their way toward the cot at the far end of the cell, keeping Yvonne from moving too much. The slice across her neck was deep, so they couldn’t take any chances. If only Theo could heal her, but Gatekeepers couldn’t absorb wounds on demons.

Justin sat on the excuse for a bed and held Yvonne close. He hated that he couldn’t take her to his soft king-size bed in his room. That she’d have to awake in these horrible conditions.

“Here, let me help you put her down,” Sadie said, her voice calm, soft.

“No.”

She stopped, eyes wide.

“I’ll hold her.”

“Justin, it’s not safe for you to stay in there. That’s not Yvonne. She could wake up and attack you!”

He nodded to the door. “Lock it behind you as you leave.”

Theo growled but didn’t say a word as he guided his Mate through the doorway. “As soon as she begins to heal enough to be moved, you settle her on the cot and come out here. Do you understand?”

“Fine.”
Whatever
.

He was never going to let Yvonne go. Ever.

…

Dyre faced the sun and closed her eyes as a subtle breeze kissed her forehead. Such a soothing sensation, as if the wind were soft lips brushing across her skin, pressing tender kisses on her closed eyes, then her temple.

“Wake up,
szép
,” a gentle voice whispered in her ear. More slight touches followed.

Were those kisses? She’d never experienced such tenderness. Such comfort. She smiled toward the sky, yearning for more. Her surroundings were muddled, but she thought she made out a field of grain, wheat maybe. It was waist-high, like when she lived on her farm.

“Yvonne, dinner.” Her mom’s voice was like a song she’d forgotten. One she missed so much her chest ached. This memory, so long ago buried she’d nearly forgotten its existence. Oh how she wanted to be Yvonne again. Human and able to fall into her mom’s amazing hugs.

Warmth spilled over her cheek, then along her neck and to her chest. She glanced down but didn’t see anything. Yet she felt something soft caressing her skin.

More warmth, water. Yes, this was water. What was happening?

Darkness plowed into the serenity of the bright, calming scene. Like a toxin, marring the beauty.

“No,” Dyre yelled. “No!”

Black leather covered her fingers, creeping up her wrist and to her elbows. Cold. Thick. Stiff.

Yet warm hands massaged her throat, her cheek, and the nape of her neck. She opened her eyes and met the intense ocean-blue gaze of a man. Black hair framed his pale face. Black blood splattered his smooth flesh.

As if the few seconds of energy spent to open her eyes wore her out, she fell into oblivion once again. Back to her retreat of peace, memories of her mom and a time where nothing was dark.

A time before she’d been tricked into this life of a demon.

Too soon, a chill pierced her neck like an ice bath. She jerked to a sitting position and scanned her surroundings. Bars in front with three concrete walls around her boxed her in a tiny cell. A window no bigger than a shoebox about nine feet up allowed the only bit of light in, and it was dim light to say the least.

Where was she?

She kicked free of the tangled sheets and planted her feet on the cold ground.

More concrete. Where were her boots?

Rubbing her eyes, she worked to clear away the confusion. She felt drugged, sluggish. Wait, her gloves were gone, leaving her in only her black leather bustier and leather pants.

Through the bars, she spied a man on a chair in what looked like a hallway outside her cell. There were a few more chambers and at the end was a door, probably leading out of this dungeon. No other doors. No other way out.

She returned her focus to the man. He was slumped over, facing her direction. His head dangled to the side, eyes shut. That had to hurt his neck, yet he didn’t move an inch. She couldn’t tell if he was even breathing.

Locks of shaggy black hair dangled over his forehead. Splotches of darkness marred his pale, smooth skin.

Wait. She’d seen that face while she dreamed.

That mouth called to her. Those full red lips needed tasting. She eased off the cot, careful not to make a sound, and crept toward the bars. Who was he? A sense of familiarity tingled through her abdomen and jacked her heart rate up, but the knowledge of who he was eluded her. Teased her like a memory just beyond her reach.

Fatigue weighed her down, as if crawling across the hard floor wore her out. Impossible. She was a demon. Strong. Healed easily. She—

She stopped and grabbed her neck. Pario. He’d— She groped her flesh but found everything intact. Smooth. He’d nearly beheaded her. The man sitting so uncomfortably in this chair outside her cell had saved her. But why?

“Hello?” She thought she’d said it out loud, but she didn’t hear it with her ears. Instead it felt as if fire and razors came from her throat it hurt so badly.

The man hadn’t moved, either, so she was sure she hadn’t actually spoken the word. Her eyelids hung heavy over her eyes. No. She wanted to stay awake. To find out who this man was. Where she was.

Oh, Hades. The ring. Where was it?

She eased onto her side, ignoring the cold floor on her bare shoulder. She didn’t have the energy to fight off the chill seeping into her. Propping her hands beneath her cheek, she was able to keep the man in her sights. Yes. That’s what she wanted…to watch him. Be close to him.

But he had been with that female Gatekeeper, right? Was she his Companion? Girlfriend? A growl bubbled in her chest. Silly as it was, it vibrated through her. Demon and a Shomrei…it could never be. But since she was floating away into dreamland, she could have him there. No rules. No reality. No cold.

So yes, there she would have her mystery man.

Chapter Thirty

The door creaking open tore Justin out of a deep sleep. A pain radiating through his neck stopped him cold.

“Ahhh, I see you have the sleeping-in-the-chair neck,” Theo said, his smile big.

“What’s with the grin?” Justin stood, stretching toward the dark ceiling. He hated this dungeon.

Theo pointed to the cage.

There lay Yvonne, on the floor, her hand through the bars as if reaching for something. Yet she lay still, eyes closed.

No fangs this time.

“Yvonne?” He squatted before his former Mate.

“Amazing,” Sadie whispered as she stepped from behind Theo. “She’s all healed.”

The past three days had been the longest in Justin’s immortal life. Even though she wasn’t his Mate anymore, her bare shoulder punctuating that depressing fact, holding Yvonne for the first twenty-four of those thirty-six unbelievably long hours was heaven.

But it didn’t negate the fact that his Mark no longer graced her smooth skin. Their connection was severed, and The Great One would never allow a bonding between a Shomrei and a demon. Would He? Justin wasn’t sure
he
could accept being mated to a demon.

“She wanted to be closer to you. Look how she’s reaching for you,” Sadie went on as she knelt beside him. “There’s hope, Justin.”

He didn’t dare speak to Sadie’s comment. He wasn’t sure he could handle any more disappointments. At least his heart couldn’t. This Dyre…she just wanted to be with someone. Anyone. There wasn’t the Ahavah connection as with Yvonne. Innate. Intense.

Well, he couldn’t say his feelings for this demon weren’t intense, but that was only because she looked like Yvonne. Minus the fangs and black blood.

“She had the Ring of Episteme,” Theo said, his arms crossed over his chest. “Security cameras indicate she’d gone into the bank and retrieved it.”

“She fed incorrect information about the whereabouts of the ring,” Sadie whispered. “Why?”

Justin picked up Yvonne’s hand and reveled in the feel of her skin. Tiny fingers lay limp in his big palm. Pale against his darker skin, even though he was considered pale by many.

“Where is it?” Justin asked.

“Upstairs in our safe.”

“Have you tried it?”

“Hell, no. Until I know more about that thing, no one is going to be trying anything.” Theo’s voice rumbled. “But there’s more.”

He looked up, refusing to let go of Yvonne’s hand.

“You should eat. We’ll talk over breakfast,” Theo said as he moved to the door.

“Tell me now.”

Sadie stood and inched toward the door. “She’s safe, Justin. She’s still healing, rejuvenating. Come on. You need to eat.”

He hated seeing Yvonne lying on the concrete floor, looking so alone and cold. What if she woke up while he was gone?

“Just for a short time while she sleeps.” Theo waved him on. “She’s fine.”

Well, besides being a demon, she was fine.

Justin set her dainty hand on the harsh floor and stood. He peeled off his leather jacket and wove it through the bars until it lay over her upper body. Much the way he’d given it to her when they’d first met in that convenience store. “I’ll be back,
szép
.”

He stomped up the stairs and into the bright kitchen. A spread of breakfast foods filled the table, and he reached for a plate. “Start talking.”

“She had the ring, that you know.” Theo filled his plate with fruit and pastries. “But we’re hearing whispers that the demons lost the other Artifacts.”

“Hearing whispers? What do you mean?”

“While you were down there, we raided another compound here in the States.” Theo descended onto a chair, Sadie directly next to him.

“We?”

“Halena, me, and Sadie.”

“Halena?” Justin’s gut twitched. He’d remembered the anger in her eyes when he’d found Yvonne.

Theo dipped his head. “She’s determined to end this now more than ever.”

“Great. She’s pissed, isn’t she?” Sadie slouched. “That’ll make her even
more
fun to work with.”

“Yes, love, that’s how she works, but back to the matter at hand. We grabbed some minor demons and got some information before we sent them packing for Hades.” He bit into a cinnamon roll. “They had two other Artifacts.”

“Had?”

“Exactly. Dyre had been the one who told Pario the location of the ring.”

“But she’d lied. The ring wasn’t there.” Justin grinned, hope flickering.

“Exactly. And upon Pario’s return to the main compound, which that bugger minor demon would not divulge the location to, the other two were gone.”

“She’d taken them?”

“That’s my guess.” Theo nodded. “And now we have her.”

“Which means we might have the location to the other two.” Justin sagged into his chair as he let the information sift through his muddled brain. “That means we’ll have three if we can get the ones Dyre has. The demons have no chance in Hades of overtaking Lucifer even if they find the rest of them before we do.”

“Exactly. We could sit on our butts and not even bother with the remaining ones and be fine.” Theo grinned. “Of course, we won’t do that. I want all of them safe in my possession, or another Gatekeeper’s possession, so we can keep order.”

“But first we have to get her to tell us where the other two are.” Sadie reached for an apple. “And she probably knows where the other ones are as well since she’s in with Aggie.”

“Was.” Justin finished off his third doughnut and reached for his coffee. “She’s not Yvonne, though, so we can’t trust her.”

“No.” Theo cleared his throat. “She’s Dyre. I’m sorry, Justin. Until we talk to her, feel her out, we have to assume she doesn’t even know of her human self, Yvonne. That she remembers nothing about your relationship.”

“How is that possible? She was human…well, mostly…before she traded herself in for your return. And if she’s fully demon now, why isn’t she tripping our triggers?”

“We’re working on that. Beckett mentioned something about the punishment being lifted and the damage or side effects it might have caused.”

Justin pushed away from the table and stood. He moved to the windowed wall beside the kitchen and stared out into the bright morning. Trees hemming their property swayed in a subtle breeze. It was nearing the end of March, so it was chilly out still, but the beauty betrayed the cool air.

“Did you know they picked the name Dyre for a reason?” Theo asked. “She was soft. They considered her a horrible demon because of the humanity that followed her into demonhood.”

“Do we know her story? From when she was human?” he asked.

“Not yet. She’s about two hundred years old, which I learned from her when I was captive,” Sadie said. “But as a human, there’s not much out there that I can find yet.”

Justin turned around. “Then I guess I’ll just have to ask her. She didn’t remember anything about her demon life when she was human. Now that she’s demon again, she can talk. Maybe she’ll remember her transition.”

“I wonder if she will remember anything of her time with us.” Theo finished off his second plate of food.

Justin shoved a hand through his knotted hair. It was then he felt the grime. He hadn’t taken a shower since they got back and still wore remnants of his short-lived battle with Pario. Time to clean up and get back down to Yvonne. “Theo. Can you do me a favor?”

“Anything, brother.”

“Dig up everything you know about this Pario.”

“You read my mind.” Theo grinned.

“Because once we get some answers from Yvonne—
er
—Dyre, we’re going to find him and kick the shit out of him!”

…

The spider scurried along Dyre’s bare fingers. It didn’t seem scared of anything, as if unaware she was evil. A demon from Hades.

The feel of its tiny legs on her skin was refreshing, though. Those long leather gloves were so confining, but she did revel in the warmth of the leather jacket she woke up with.

And the scent attached to it. A spice she couldn’t identify, but there was a hint of bergamot to it. She settled into the cot she lay on and watched the tiny bug shuffling over her skin.

“So, the spider lives, despite you touching it.” The male voice shook through Dyre so much she flicked the tiny creature from her hand and shot up on the cot.

The man who’d been sitting outside her cell before strode in. Shiny wet hair danced along his shoulders. He wore a clean white T-shirt that hung over loose, but snug in the right places, jeans. Combat boots added a flare of danger to his casual outfit.

And that crooked smile screamed,
Try me…just try me.

Oh, she wanted to. In more ways than one.

She coughed through the thickness in her throat, hoping she could talk without sounding a fool. “What do you mean?”

“Before, you couldn’t touch anything without turning it to dust. Even plants and tiny animals.”

“You knew me during my punishment?”

A pained expression crossed his stunning features, but he quickly shook it away. “Yes.” He sat on the chair in front of the cell and clasped his hands.

Thick, strong fingers wove together, and her heart spiked a few notches. What would they feel like holding her? Touching her?

She crossed her legs on the cot and rested her forearms on her bent knees. What she wouldn’t give for a shower. It felt as if she had an inch of grime on her. Especially when she found herself on the floor, near the bars. How disgusting. But even more disconcerting, she couldn’t remember getting there, let alone what she’d been reaching for through the bars. “Did you kill Pario?”

The guy shook his head. “And I hear he’s pissed at you.”

“Good.” She should feel some allegiance to him since she’d been sleeping with the demon for decades, not to mention he was older and stronger than her, but she didn’t trust him. She didn’t trust anyone. Not after what Agares had pulled with her. Despite how much she enjoyed being touched and touching, Pario was never tender. His touch was laced with possession and dominance.

She hated that.

“Are you hungry? I could get you some food.”

“I’d rather have a shower.” Letting a seductive grin claim her lips, she leaned forward, exposing a little more of her best assets for him to peruse. “I could use some help getting cleaned up.”

He shifted in his seat, and a wave of heady arousal swarmed her. It triggered a deep ache in her belly. Her fangs lowered, and she closed her eyes as a flash of his wet, naked body sent shivers along her spine.

“I’ll get you some things to clean up with.” He shifted in his seat again. “But first, tell me what you know about the Ring of Episteme.”

“You’ll have to earn that information.” She licked her lips. “About that shower…”

“You sent Pario on a wild goose chase to get it. Why?”

She sucked in her bottom lip, toying with the ring as she weighed her options. If she told this Shomrei her plans, he might be able to help. Then again, the last time she trusted someone he’d stabbed her in the back.

This guy, though, seemed responsive to her seduction. Maybe if she tried a little harder he’d cooperate, let her clean up, then she could find a way out of here. Damn it, other than sitting here, staring at his fine face, she didn’t have many options.

“Where are the other Artifacts?”

She picked at the stray thread protruding from the edge of the jacket she wore. “Is this yours?”

He dipped his head.

Why would he give her his jacket? This Shomrei was strange. Not so tough like Theophilus, yet just as dangerous-looking.

“Tell me about the other Artifacts you hid.”

“Don’t know what you’re talking about.” She gulped.

“I think you do, Yvo—Dyre.”

She pushed out of the cot and darted to the bars. “What did you call me?”

He stood, eyes wide. Fear mixed with an intense longing roared over his features. It triggered a tingle deep in her stomach. He cupped his neck and a faraway look stormed in his eyes.

“Tell me!” Heat exploded through her chest. Had he been with her during her punishment? How? He was Shomrei.

“Yvonne. I know you as Yvonne.” His shoulders sagged. “We met when you were…human.”

She froze, her lungs refusing to work. Memories danced around the edge of her consciousness. If only she could grab one. Were they memories of him? She gripped the cold bars and tugged.

“Let me out of here, Shomrei.” Despite her strength, the bars didn’t budge.

“Tell us where you hid the Artifacts you stole from Pario, and maybe we will.” He stepped forward. “And the others. You know where they are, too.”

She didn’t, actually. Agares had used the Thata to splice to the ends of the earth searching for them, and he didn’t tell her everything. “Let me out, and maybe I’ll talk.” She threw his very words right back at him.

A flicker ignited in his blue eyes, and the corner of his mouth curved upward.

“What are you smirking at?” She wanted to reach through the bars and smack that sneer off his face. Or just kiss him until she couldn’t breathe.

He shook his head and inched closer. Nearly within reach.

“Pario will come for me,” she said. “He’ll kill you all.”

“I’d like to see him try.”

“He knows much magic. Dark magic.”

“From Aggie, no doubt.”

She stood ramrod straight.
Shit.

“We know about him, Dyre.” That damn sexy grin teased her body into a hot mess. “And again, I say I’d like to see him try.”

She reached through the bars to grab the front of his T-shirt, but he snatched her wrist. A growl ripped through her, and her fangs dropped. He pinned her with a stare and drew in a deep breath.

Her lungs expanded as his did as if they had to breathe at the same time.
Connected.
His nostrils flared, and a wave of calm swept through her.

“Tell me where you hid the Artifacts,” he whispered. “And I’ll let you touch me some more.”

Her heart pinged her rib cage.

“I know it’s what you crave. What you need.” His voice went deep. “Especially when you were human, Yvonne.”