On Wicked Ground (Solsti Prophecy Book 4) (6 page)

Toward
them? What the fuck?

Alina was in that mob somewhere.

Caine growled a curse. He didn’t know what the elf had done to the exits, but he guessed the elf had blocked them. Stalking forward, he shoved elves out of his way. A blade nicked his bicep, but he kept going, closing in on the male.

Boom!

A crash and thud shook the ground again. More screaming followed. Fuck. The elves could all die, but involving civilians wasn’t cool. He reached the chanting elf and wrapped a hand around the male’s skinny neck. “Stop the fucking spell or your whole group dies!”

The male went silent. Kind of hard to keep talking when he couldn’t breathe. Caine squeezed, feeling the male’s pulse quicken under his hand. “Where did you get this magic?” He shook the elf.

The male said nothing, just stared wide eyed.

“Where?” Caine bellowed.

A sharp pain sliced his side, the blade burning hot with magical enhancement. He gritted his teeth and his hand reflexively loosened on the elf’s neck. Turning, he grabbed the elf who’d stabbed him and snapped his neck with one twist.

Five elves lay dead by Caine’s hand. The others regarded him with wariness, holding weapons that had lost their blue tint now that the spell caster had gone quiet. “Who taught you this?” he yelled again.

The spell caster started up again. “Enough!” Caine roared. He whirled back to the male and grabbed his throat again, but not before the elf’s spindly, clawed fingers pointed at the ceiling. Caine followed with his eyes.

No!
Fury ignited in his blood. This was about to get worse.

The ceiling beams ripped apart, one by one, and fell like deadly missiles to the crowds below. Wiring, lighting, and ventilation parts all came down with it. People ran in terrified circles, looking up and trying to dodge debris at the same time.

In less time than it took to breathe, Caine summoned a ball of demonfire in his hand and flung the elf to the floor. He hurled the fire at the creature, stopping the malicious magic. Goddam motherfucking son of a bitch. Maybe he wouldn’t get the answers Arawn needed tonight, but hell if hundreds were going to die because of a clan-to-clan skirmish.

With their leader dead, the group of elves scattered, running around like the rest of the patrons. The rival group made a beeline for one of the exits and clustered around it, probably trying to get out.

Alina.

She had to be here in this mess. And if he hadn’t detained her, she might be somewhere safe instead. He scanned the crowd. Oh hell. She was probably cloaked. No, he needed to find her by scent.

He inhaled, teasing apart the scents of fear, blood, sex, and a dozen different types of supernatural creatures. Times like this, he wished he had the superior nose of his fellow Watcher, Mathias.

Nothing. Caine growled in frustration and jogged across the room to the spot where he’d last seen her. He breathed again, willing the scent of moonflower to find him.

There! She stood, uncloaked, pressed to the black-painted wall. She scooted sideways, always keeping her eye on what may be about to fall on her. Her breasts heaved in that tight bodice, the bare upper curves coated with a fine layer of dust.

“Alina!” Caine started toward her, only to pull up short as a massive metal beam fell between them.

She caught his eye, and he was sure he saw a flicker of relief cross her face.

Apparently, others had the same idea as she, to stick to the perimeter of the room. A fat male dwarf shoved her into open space, away from the wall, in his effort to take her spot.

She stumbled forward, startled and scowling. A screeching groan sounded from the roof. The dwarf looked up and so did Alina, ducking reflexively, arms up by her head.

A huge section of metal sheeting curled away from its place high above the crowd.

Caine took off running toward her. The wide section of roof was too close. Given its trajectory, it would barely miss her, but with magic involved, you never could tell exactly.

The huge chunk of metal slammed to the floor, missing Alina by a foot. More screams erupted as the club shuddered. Alina jumped back, coughing, as a gray cloud of dust rose from the new debris.

Caine leaped over a pile of broken chairs, his feet surging with the need to get to her. Almost there…

High above, a support beam groaned as it came free of its upper support. But Alina stared down at the debris that had just missed her. Breathing hard, hand over her heart, she was unaware of the new danger.

“Alina!” Caine shouted. Fury fired his blood as the metal beam plummeted. Ten feet away…

She whirled toward him just as the beam slammed down behind her. The fat dwarf jumped to avoid it, knocking her down. Her head hit the roofing section in front of her with a sickening thud.

“No!” Caine vaulted over the dwarf to her motionless body. She lay crumpled on her side. Tiny, covered in grime, and completely vulnerable. He clenched his jaw. No fucking way was he going to let her out of his sight until he knew she was okay.

Gently, he turned her over and swore. A gash in her forehead bled profusely. Goddamit. He gathered her in his arms and assessed the room for the best way out. The scent of moonflower and blood mixed and taunted his nose, just as it had the night he’d met her.

The elves had gotten one door open, and most of the crowd shoved toward it in a panicked bottleneck. Caine strode to a different door and twisted the knob. It didn’t budge. Bad day to be a lock. He took a step back and kicked, jarring the handle. Next, he tried it again and was able to wrench the metal from its socket.

Pushing out into the night, he took a deep breath of fresh air. Torth’s twin moons shone brightly tonight, casting pale light on the woman in his arms. So delicate and beautiful, even bloody and coated with dust.

He didn’t want to put her down, so he shifted her slight weight to one arm and dug into his jeans pocket. Retrieving a pre-programmed transportation amulet, he uttered the words to open a portal that would take him to Watcher headquarters. They had healers on staff. One of them would be able to help. Holding Alina closely, he stepped into the giant shimmering ring.

Ashina finished her inventory of the Watchers’ pharmacy. Tucked deep in the safety of the compound, the medical segment didn’t see much activity. All Lash demons possessed enhanced healing abilities, and all but the worst injuries healed on their own.

Then again, that wasn’t always a good thing. If the Watchers were far afield, sometimes a bad break healed improperly, and she needed to re-break it to fix it.

That was not her favorite part of the job.

Tonight she was working a shift in a rotation of healers that Arawn had on speed dial. Usually she was at her own medical practice on the realm of Evena, but since the emergence of the Solsti and the increase of odd events around Torth, she and her Watcher mate had been staying here more often.

She exited the pharmacy stock room and entered the pristine white hallway that ran the length of the infirmary. Ten exam/recovery rooms, five on each side, sat empty, waiting for patients that were few and far between. About to double-check the surgical supplies in the operating room, the double doors leading to the main part of the compound swung wide.

“Caine?” Ashina stared at the towering demon. He looked like he’d walked through a war zone. Dust and soot covered his body, and his dark eyes flashed in frustration and worry. She scanned his body, looking in surprise at the injured female in his arms. “What happened?”

“She hurt her head. Roof came apart.” His expression stormed with anger and concern.

The roof did what? Never mind
. The Watchers did dangerous work. Ashina didn’t need to know the specifics in order to treat the female, who was definitely not a Watcher, and not a predatory demon either. Interesting, but again, another detail for later. “Bring her in here.” Ashina’s heels click-clacked on the tile floor as she led Caine to the operating room. “Lay her on the table.”

Caine complied, setting the female down as if she were made of glass.

Ashina adjusted a light above the table and grabbed her stethoscope. “She’s fae?”

“Not sure. She said she didn’t know.”

“Didn’t know?” Ashina stared at her. She was so small, what else could she be? Every inch of her was coated in gray dust, from her provocative clothing to her pale blond hair.

The swinging doors opened and her assistant, Sonja, who was really in the tech group but doubled as her helper, rushed in. “I heard we have a patient. What can I do?”

“Check her vitals,” Ashina instructed. She peered at the cut on the woman’s head, which showed fresh blood. She pulled on a pair of latex gloves and grabbed some gauze, then dabbed at the wound. “How long since this happened?”

“Maybe ten minutes. I came as fast as I could,” Caine said.

“You brought her through a portal?”

“Yes. That was the fastest way.”

“Was she unconscious before you entered it?”

“Yes.”

Sonja rattled off blood pressure and body temperature numbers, all indicating the female was stable.

Ashina arched a brow at Caine. “How exactly did you say she got hurt?”

The tall demon rubbed a hand over his eyes. “We were at Hell’s Gate in Halice. There was a fight, some dark magic was used, and it resulted in the roof caving in. Shit was falling, people were panicking, and she got shoved and fell into a chunk of roofing material.”

Ashina nodded and cleaned the cut with more gauze and peroxide. Sounded like a typical Watcher night, except they usually didn’t bring unconscious civilians back here. She angled the light to get a better look. Damn, a splinter was embedded amidst dirt. “Sonja. Tweezers and a saline wash, please.”

“What’s wrong?” Caine leaned over the female’s body.

“There’s a splinter and some dirt I need to get out.” Ashina took the tweezers Sonja handed to her. “How do you know her?”

He cleared his throat. “I just met her.”  He looked like he had more to say, but didn’t.

Ashina peered down and deftly removed the inch-long sliver of wood. Next, she cleaned the cut using the wash and gauze Sonja had prepared. She reached for a bandage. The wound should heal in a matter of minutes…then again, it should have healed in the time it took Caine to get her here. “So, unknown species…what’s her name?”

“Alina.”

“What?”
Ashina’s eyes snapped to Caine. Her breath left her lungs on a
whoosh.

“Alina,” he answered, but the words sounded as if they were coming across a chasm.

Alina.

A bomb may as well have exploded in Ashina’s heart. Her jaw dropped in blatant shock, and the paper wrapper of the bandage fluttered to the floor. Alina. Could it be? “A-Alina?”

“Yeah.” Caine narrowed his eyes at her. “Are you okay?”

Can it really be her?

Ashina tore off her gloves, sending the tweezers clattering to the tile. With shaking hands, she grasped the supine female’s fingers between her own.

And was rocked by a connection born in love, forged in family and destiny, and given wings by heart-wrenching sacrifice. All before she even knew the full impact of what those four things would come to mean.

Family.

Destiny.

Love.

Sacrifice.

It has to be her.

“Ashina!” Sonja stood next to her, hand on her arm. “Are you okay? You look pale.”

Caine wheeled a rolling chair over. “Sit. Is it lingering magic, making you feel…” He waved a hand up and down in front of her. “What exactly are you feeling? Should I call Raniero?”

Ashina sank into the chair, still clutching the woman’s hand. Through the mate bond she shared with Raniero, she willed him to get down there immediately. “He’s on his way,” she murmured.

Sonja laid a cool hand on Ashina’s forehead. “Your temperature feels normal.” She placed two fingers on Ashina’s wrist. “But your heart’s doing a samba. I think you should lie down.”

“I’m not letting go of her.” Ashina shook her head.

“Who is she?” Sonja asked.

“You know her?” Caine asked at the same time.

“My kin. My
khali
.” Ashina’s voice broke on the last word, and a tear trickled down her cheek.

Both Sonja and Cain stared at her like she had spoken Latin rather than the Demonish word for
granddaughter
. She ignored them, studying the girl’s hand. Short fingernails. Some scrapes that could’ve happened at the club. Ashina turned it over to look at her palm. Whatever she did for a living, it wasn’t manual labor—

The doors burst wide and her mate charged in, wide-eyed.
Sheena?

Love and concern flowed from him. And in that moment, Ashina felt her life come full circle. Seeing her mate as she held the hand of this woman, her own blood. “Come here.”

Raniero stalked across the room, and both Caine and Sonja took three steps back. Raniero took her face between his hands and kissed both her cheeks. “What is it, love?”

Folded in her mate’s love, Ashina drew on his strength even as her tears increased. “Caine found her,” she whispered.

“Found…” Raniero turned to the female, confusion in his dark eyes.

“Her name is Alina,” Ashina whispered.

“Holy gods above.” Raniero’s voice was a reverent hush as he looked at their hands joined. He folded his big hand around both of theirs. “You feel the connection you felt with the others?”

Ashina nodded. When she’d met Alina’s three sisters, the same surge of love had swelled her heart.
It’s her, I know it.

Raniero gently smoothed Alina’s hair, then knelt at his mate’s feet.
I’m humbled and honored and Gods, I love you so much.
He kissed her free hand.
You were so brave, love, all those years ago.

Tears splashed onto their joined hands, as memories of their tiny baby filtered through her mind. Decades ago, they’d sent her to Earth for safety. And though their child no longer lived, she’d birthed four beautiful and vastly powerful daughters. Ashina and Raniero had ached to find the youngest one, and now…
she’s here. Our khali.