Page 76 of Legacy of Chaos

“That you were right. I need you to re-establish the connection with Blade,” he said. “My stubbornness is irrational when the fate of our lives and the very world is at stake.”

Pleasantly surprised by his change of heart, she reached up to touch his temple. “There.”

He gasped, and she knew he felt his brother.

“I can’t tell where he is, but I can feel that he’s alive. Just a second.” Closing his eyes, he concentrated. She had another orgasm.

When he opened his eyes a few seconds later, he looked tired. “They’re almost here. We might just make it out of this alive after all.”

Chapter 17

“This is fucking epic,” Mace shouted as the military Rigid Hull Inflatable boat plowed through waves on its way to the coordinates Kynan had given them after talking with Stryke’s assistant. “We’ve never done a water mission before.”

“I’ve never even seen an aquatic demon,” Scotty yelled back over the roar of the engine. Her flaming red hair, pulled back into a tight braid, whipped in the wind as she kept a watchful eye on the vast expanse of water all around them. “This is gonna be cool!”

Mace looked over at Blade, whose calm expression didn’t match the turmoil writhing in his dark eyes. Blade had always been the most reserved of the three of them, the voice of reason, the one who liked a plan, when Mace and Scotty preferred to rush into a situation and rely on instinct instead. He was rock-steady, reliable, the guy who pulled you out of the trouble you got yourself into.

It took a lot to rile Blade, but he hadn’t been the same since the first contact with Stryke a few hours ago. The contact had left him as tense as Mace had ever seen him.

Kynan had managed to arrange transport to a U.S. Naval warship with a helipad just two miles from the target, but it had taken time to acquire the gear, the platform schematics, and have a briefing before sending the three of them on this mission, and Blade was probably a lot more jittery on the inside than he appeared.

Normally, Mace enjoyed a good family drama, but he didn’t dare ask what was going through Blade’s head. His relationship with Stryke was a sensitive subject, and BFFs with Blade or not, Stryke was one topic Mace avoided like a super-spreader spiny hellrat plague. Especially since Mace’s relationship with his biological brother, Talon, was shaky at best—and a subject best left alone.

“Holy shit,” Scotty breathed. “Look at that.”

Mace peered through the darkness, his natural night vision giving him a clear view of the sight up ahead. And yeah, holy shit.

He’d expected to see an oil platform and maybe some fog. What he hadn’t expected was what appeared to be a solid wall of writhing, boiling darkness. And were those…facesin it? Screaming, tortured faces. And tentacles. Claws.

“I’ve seen some scary shit in my life,” Scotty said, her pale face seeming even paler as she stared at the phenomenon, “but that…isterrifying.” A sword appeared in her hand, and Mace doubted she even realized she’d summoned it.

“Let’s just hope this contraption of Stryke’s works.” Blade held up a device that resembled a blowhorn with a trigger that, once pulled, would blast a wave of Heavenly energy to displace evil energy.

The technician who’d shown them how to use it had said it didn’t work on solid demons, but it should dispel or repel malevolent souls, invisible demons, and demonic weather events—whatever those were.

Mace hoped the fog they were closing in on counted.

“Get it ready,” Mace said as he slowed the boat. “That scientist dude said to activate it within fifty yards.”

“We’re about there.” Blade made his way to the front of the boat and held the device in front of him. “Damn, that shit is creepy.”

“Ready,” Scotty said, her gaze flicking between the fog and her comms as she measured the distance. “Ready…almost…now!”

Blade pulled the trigger. At first, nothing happened. But as they approached the writhing, twisting dark cloud, a hole formed, widening and deepening. By the time they reached the anomaly, a boat the size of a small yacht could have fit through the tunnel it formed.

“I can see the platform ahead,” Scotty shouted over the shrieks and bloodcurdling growls coming from all around them.

“Keep that trigger pulled, man,” Mace said. “We don’t want—”

Scotty screamed, and as Mace wheeled to her, she slammed backward over the edge of the boat, a spiny tentacle wrapped around her waist.

“Scotty!” Mace bolted to the edge where she’d gone over. “Scotty!”

“Help—” She disappeared, blood bubbling up all around her.

Terrified in a way he’d never been, Mace made a desperate lunge. His fingers slipped against hers, and she went under.

No!

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