Page 8 of Hunted By Darkness

I’d get her back. I wouldn’t leave her with him. I’d save her.

But as if knowing exactly what I meant to do, Rilas disappeared and the world snapped back in motion. The radiating agony in my chest remained, the loss of my grandmother a brutal burn inside my body.

Silas was already holding me as my knees buckled. Lev blinked and looked around in confusion, but I didn’t have to tell them what happened. They both knew.

“What did he do to you, love?” Silas demanded on a growl.

I swallowed and rubbed a fist over my chest. Tears slipped down my face. The arms around me tightened, and I felt Lev’s hand take mine.

“Take your time, Niks.”

A void existed where she had been, but to my horror, it wasn’t the only void inside me. All the souls were gone. I couldn’t sense Ryker, Tometi, or Salvator anymore. The loss of them hit like another blow to the chest, and if not for Silas, I would’ve collapsed again.

“They’re all gone. He took them.”

4

Silas

It had taken several hours of coaxing, but finally my little rebel was asleep. The pain of another loss faded from her face as she slipped deeper into a much-deserved slumber. Her gorgeous purple hair glided through my fingers as her soft breaths hit my naked chest.

Given a choice, I’d keep her here forever.

Again, she was forced to face my brother alone. Again, I’d been nothing more than a frozen dolt in need of protection. It was bloody maddening. Rilas had exploited our efforts to find him, and I should’ve known he would. He was cleverer than I oftengave him credit for, even before he was a demon summoned from the After.

My darling was exhausted from the fight where she lost more people she cared about.

I’d planned to celebrate the day those three head-squatting wankers moved along and left my bird alone, but not like this. Not when it made tears wash down her face in worry, destroyed by the mere thought of what Rilas might do to them.

I might think Bear Claw was an irredeemable fuckwit, but she didn’t. And whatever my sweet Nika wanted, I’d give her. If she wanted to rescue that undeserving bastard, his weird animal tagalongs, and her saucy grandmother, I’d be right there to help her do it.

It wasn’t all bad news. After detailing the clash between them, it appeared the swanky old Soul Collector did something to bind Rilas’s power. What Nika described was clearly some kind of seal on his abilities, though I couldn’t be sure how much or what she’d targeted. But I’d seen it done a few times. It wasn’t easy. It required a level of skill most Fae didn’t have. If my suspicions were correct, it might mean recovering her grandmother wasn’t as straightforward as it seemed.

Bind or no, we’d need to find Rilas first or lay down a trap when he came to find us.

Lev had left to do a little digging into the symbols Nika said appeared on Rilas’s forehead. He’d drawn them, his forest-green eyes gleaming with purpose as she helped him get the lines right. Like me, he wanted to do whatever he could for her. He was convinced we could find what they meant, so I called in a few favors to make sure we had the best in the business assisting us.

I stared at the number a contact passed along after I followed the bread crumbs Bane left behind. Nika mentioned a man the powerful Fae was involved with before his death, and until a fewhours ago, I’d been convinced the bloke had either been involved or dead.

She’d want to talk to him first. She’d want to know where her father’s lover had been since his death, but I needed to be sure the bloke wasn’t a threat. My bird wanted to believe the best in everyone. It was what I loved about her. I didn’t mind being the sorry sod who saw the worst in everyone who came near her. I’d be a feckless villain if it kept her safe.

I cast my eyes down on the sleeping woman. After tracing her cheek with my knuckles for the millionth time, I carefully disentangled myself from her sweet embrace. I gingerly moved her soft body until she was settled on the bed and wrapped in comfort. Then I left the room. My magic swept out. It’d alert me should she wake or move at all.

Leaving the safe house I kept in yet another undisclosed location, I walked the perimeter and checked the security magic I had in place. Rilas had gotten through earlier when he shouldn’t have. The barrier magic was said to be the strongest in existence outside of blood magic. It’d never failed me before. Even the Brotherhood couldn’t find my safe houses.

This time I couldn’t take any chances. I used one of the rarest items I’d ever purchased from a now-dead Enchanter. I hoped never to use it. It was a last resort because Nika wouldn’t approve of how it was created. Not that I agreed with how it was made, either. Blood magic rarely did anything good. But my soul was already black, and sometimes the only way to fight the Dark was with darkness.

Unfortunately, even that might not be enough.

Dialing, I put the burner mobile to my ear. It only rang once before a voice came through the receiver. It was a voice I knew well. A voice that went by another name, in fact. My guard was instantly up.

“Silas,” the man greeted.

“Dugan.” I paused, growling the next sentence. “Or should I call you Trevion? How curious you’re the one answering this line. Who would’ve thought the man I’ve known for nearly a decade would be living this sort of double life even I hadn’t caught onto. One might think it were a set-up from the start.”

There was an audible sigh before Trevion spoke, “I know you have questions, and you’re owed them, Silas. You and Nika both. But just tell me one thing first, is she okay? Is she safe?”

I detected the concern in his tone, but I’d have to be daft to believe it.

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