The Darkening (32 page)

"You, too, baby," he said, wrapping an arm around her waist and holding her close, hoping that in doing so, he'd stop her from grinding against him. It was very distracting, and he still had his brother to unlock.

"They gave me something," she whispered in his ear. "I feel like I'm about to go up in flames."

"I know. Hang in there. I have to get you and Tain out of here first. Then we can see to
all
your needs."

"Hurry," she breathed against his neck. Her breasts pressed against his chest, and he was in danger of forgetting where they were and why he shouldn't take her right there on the floor. He'd denied himself-and her-for so long; it was time he made up for it.

He looked down into her face, grateful that she was still alive. Her dreamy expression was too sexy to ignore, so he kissed her, briefly, or so he thought.

"Darius!" Tain's bark intruded.

"Right," he said quickly. He started to reach for Tain, but Lexi was wrapped around him to the point he couldn't maneuver. He gently but firmly shifted her until she hugged him from behind. Then he reached up and held the key in front of the lock of Tain's cuff.

It seemed to take forever for the key to change shape, and Lexi's moving against him made the waiting that much longer.

As soon as he could, he reached for the nearest cuff and unlocked it. Before he could move to the other side, though, Tain impatiently grabbed the key from him. "Give me that. I'll unlock myself. You see to her."

Darius pulled Lexi back into his arms, knowing he needed to get her out of the chamber and someplace safe quickly, before she burned up in her own unrequited passion. Even now, the magic was rising off her in nearly opaque sheets. Holding her this close, he felt the tingle of her magic crawling over him.

She nuzzled the side of his neck and whispered in his ear, "Don't trust him."

"What?" Surprised, Darius angled his head, trying to see her face. She looked up at him and then rolled her eyes toward Tain.

Darius didn't understand. He glanced at his brother, who had just managed to get the other cuff unlocked. With a victorious look on his face, he turned to Darius and smiled.

"Ready?" Darius asked.

"Yeah, but what about her?" He nodded toward Lexi. "She looks pretty much out of it. Want some help carrying her?" He stepped forward, and Lexi shied away, cowering against Darius. His arm stole around her protectively.

"No, I've got her," Darius said. "Let's go."

He started pulling Lexi across the room, making sure that Tain was staying up with them. They'd reached the edge of the pool when Lexi pulled to a stop.

"What is it-" He stopped speaking when he saw what had captured Lexi's attention. A filament of light hung in the air beside the pool., It hadn't been there before, but now, with the full moon lighting the center circle of the domed ceiling, it was visible.

It was a magical portal, a rip in space that connected two or more parallel dimensions. Darius wondered where this portal led. If it were made of living magic, perhaps they could escape through it without Amadja following.

Darius held his hand before the opening and felt the pleasant warmth of living magic. He decided to try and open it, but his first effort only caused the filament to shimmer. Whoever had created this portal had been powerful, and it would take more magic than Darius alone had to open it.

Pulling on Lexi's hand, he started for the door to the chamber. "Let's go," he said. They had only taken a couple of steps when he realized Tain wasn't following. Instead, Tain was staring at something at the front of the room. Even before Darius turned to look, he knew

what it was.

"Amadja "

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

"Darius," the demon greeted him, stepping out of the shadows from behind his throne.

Tain rushed forward and grabbed Lexi from Darius's grip. "Keep her away from the pool," he shouted at Darius. "Don't let him get any more magic from her."

"Let go of me." Lexi tried to pull her arm free of Tain's grip. In that moment, Amadja raised his hand and shot a bolt of black magic across the room. It hit Tain in the chest, and he went flying back, hitting the floor with enough force to knock the air from him.

Enraged, Darius rushed forward and, dipping his hand in the pool, absorbed enough living magic that he could fire a burst of it from his hand and hit the demon in the chest.

It forced Amadja back a step. He recovered quickly and shot out another burst of magic. Darius pulled his shield just in time to keep the bolt from hitting him. Neither Tain nor Lexi were able to join the fight, so Darius was on his own.

He scooped up more magic from the pool, hoping it would restore his lost powers. For several minutes, he and Amadja exchanged blasts, but Darius was tiring quickly. Even if his powers had been at full strength, he didn't think he could defeat the demon lord. If it were possible, Adrian would have done it already. The best they could hope for now was getting out alive.

Then Darius saw the focus of Amadja's attention shift. Tain and Lexi huddled off to the side, defenseless. Darius raced toward them, getting the shield up to protect them just as Amadja blasted them with black magic.

"We can't win," Thin moaned.

"We don't have to," Darius answered quietly. "I'll keep him distracted long enough for the two of you to escape. Once you're gone, get to Adrian. Lexi knows how. Tell him everything you can remember. Go."

Tain and Lexi both started shaking their heads.

"No," Lexi said. "I'm not leaving you-"

"She's right," Tain interrupted. "I won't leave you to face him alone."

Darius felt himself getting mad. "Now's not the time to argue, Tain. Take Lexi and get the hell out of here."

He stood, pulled Re's lightning bolts, and threw them at Amadja. "Go!" he shouted at the other two, while the demon dodged each fiery star.

Still sitting on the floor, Tain refused to move. Darius grabbed his arm and jerked him to his feet. "Damn it, Tain. You're going to get her killed."

He hauled Lexi up, noticing how hot her skin felt, and shoved them both in the direction of the door. Neither moved more than a few steps.

"I won't leave you," Tain insisted.

Darius saw the incoming black bolt of death magic and raised his shield to block it, nearly losing his balance when it hit him. There seemed no limit to Amadja's power, while Darius's was seriously diminishing. Still, he pulled another weapon and hurled it, hoping to buy Tain and Lexi a few more seconds.

"Get her out of here," he ordered Tain, watching Lexi practically wilt before his eyes. "She needs help."

She was in full-blown heat, and her temperature was skyrocketing. She was literally burning up.

"But you can't fight him alone. He'll kill you," Tain argued.

"Don't you see?" Darius shouted back, keeping an eye on Amadja. "She's more important than anything." Without her, his life would mean nothing.

"I want to help," Lexi said weakly, coming to him. "Tell me what to do."

"No," he said.

She glanced at him, hunger burning in her eyes. "Darius, I can't take this much longer." She paused, and he could see her drawing on her inner strength. "If I'm going to die, at least let me die trying to beat this asshole."

It was exactly how he felt, so he couldn't very well deny her. "All right. You can-"

"Look out!"

At Tain's warning, Darius launched himself at Lexi, tackling her to the floor just as a black bolt of magic shot over her head. Hearing her groan, he shifted his weight, trying to see her face. "Are you hurt?"

"No," she said in a raspy voice. "Oh, Goddess, you feel so good." She ran her hands across his back and hips, emitting a small groan. When she looked up into his face, there was raw lust in the gaze that devoured his.

"Hang on, baby," he muttered, rolling off her. He got to his feet and pulled her up. When the next volley of death magic came, he held up his shield, and the magic bounced off. The shield was powered by Darius's magic, and wouldn't last long. "We have to end this-now," he said, turning to Thin.

"What about the portal?" Tain asked.

Darius shook his head. "I'm not sure I can get it open. Even if I could, we don't know where it leads. Who knows where we'd end up?"

Tain shook his head. "No. Not for us. For him." He nodded at Amadja, who was slowly walking toward them, a smug expression on his face.

"Put Amadja in the portal?" Darius gave the idea serious consideration. Once trapped inside a portal of living magic, Amadja wouldn't be able to escape on his own. They could keep him trapped there until reinforcements arrived. Yes-maybe it would work.

"But are we strong enough to force him inside?" Darius whispered. "Neither of our powers are what they used to be.

A bolt of black magic hit the shield again-a not-sogentle reminder that Amadja wasn't giving up.

Tain was quiet, and Darius watched his gaze shift to Lexi. Yes, he thought. Right now, she was a veritable fount of living magic. Perhaps it would be enough.

"I'll draw him over," Tain offered, but Darius put a hand on his arm.

"No. I'll do it. You help Lexi open the portal." He turned to Lexi and saw her nod.

Then he lowered the shield and rushed Amadja. The demon hadn't expected such a direct attack and it caught him by surprise, giving Darius time to get in the first punch. Amadja fell back several steps from the blow and was slow to recover. It occurred to Darius

that Amadja relied too much on his magic in fights and hadn't really learned the art of hand-to-hand combat.

Pressing his advantage, he circled around to the other side and hit Amadja again, repeatedly. The demon stumbled back toward Thin and Lexi, who had their hands on the portal and were using their combined magic to open it.

"That's for torturing my brother," Darius said, punching Amadja in the face. He pressed forward as the demon fell back. "That's for what you did to Lexi," he said, hitting him again as hard as he could.

Looking past Amadja's shoulder, Darius saw the portal opening wider and wider, blinding light spilling forth. He hit the demon several times in rapid succession, driving him back with each blow. Suddenly they were there, in front of the portal.

Too late, Amadja realized what they were up to and started to fight back. Darius didn't give him a chance. He hit the demon hard enough that he stumbled through the opening, where the living magic started to zap his strength.

"You won't win," he shouted at Darius.

"I think I already have," Darius said. "You can stay in here until we figure out what to do with you."

"No!" the demon screamed, struggling as Tain, Lexi and Darius used their combined power to slowly push the portal closed.

Suddenly, before their eyes, Amadja disappeared and a stunningly beautiful woman with long black hair stood in his place. "Tain," she pleaded in a pitiful voice.

"Don't do this to me, Tain. I love you. I'm the only one who loves you."

Tain stopped pushing on the portal. "Aja?"

Darius grabbed Tain's shoulder. "It's a trick. Don't believe her." He turned to Lexi. "Keep pushing."

As they continued to work, Tain stared pitifully at the beautiful woman calling to him from the other side.

"It's an illusion, Tain," Darius shouted over the demon's cries. "Look away. Don't let him fool you."

But Tain wasn't listening. "I love her," he said. Then he shot angry eyes at Darius. "Do you even know what love is?"

Stunned at the vehemence in Tain's voice, Darius gave a final push on the portal and watched with satisfaction as it started to seal. They had won; the demon was trapped.

Then, to his horror, just before the portal completely closed, a hand reached out, grabbed Tain by the front of his shirt and jerked him through the small opening.

The portal sealed with a resounding hiss, leaving Darius and Lexi to stare at it in stunned silence.

Darius felt a sense of utter defeat. He had caught the demon, but once again had lost his brother.

For a long moment, Lexi couldn't move. Her heart was racing from whatever it was that Amadja had given her, the slightest breeze made her want to crawl out of her skin, she felt like she was burning up, and, despite the fact that the man she loved had just lost his brother, she wanted nothing more than to make mad love to him right there in front of the portal.

She silently chastised herself for her insensitivity and stared at the portal, expecting at any second it would open and both Amadja and Tain would come bursting forth.

Another minute went by and nothing happened. "I'm sorry," she said to Darius, who had to have been upset. "I'm ..." A wave of pain hit her that was so intense her vision temporarily went black. She doubled over and prayed for it to subside.