The Darkling turned to me, malevolence seeping from him. Before it registered what he was doing, he dissolved into a dark mist, reappeared in front of the Unseelie lady who was slumped on the ground, lifted her with one arm and swiped his hand across the air. A dark and shimmering portal appeared. What I saw on the other side made no sense. It was a land devoid of life, of light. In the distance, animals, the like of which I’d never seen before, writhed in huge pens, while the baying of houndswas loud in air that stank of rot and desperation. In the distance loomed a large dark palace with spiked towers and a moat of water so dark it could be oil.
“No!” I yelled as he raised a hand, and the glowing comms device rose in the air. A relay? Was this the evidence Ava had found? She’d mentioned a device that could scramble, block, and infiltrate our satellites and communications.
The relay floated in the air, but the Unseelie female lifted her head and saw what the Darkling was after. As diminutive and delicate as she was, she surprised him by jamming her elbow in his stomach and her fingers into his eye sockets. The relay crashed to the floor, bits flying off it. He released his hold and within seconds, dark magic tethered her arms to her sides and she floated in the air, her mouth gagged with darkness. Her terrified gaze found mine.
I didn’t owe her anything, but there was no way I’d let her be taken. “Let her go!”
Holt merely looked at me before dismissing my presence and stepping towards the portal. Shannon growled from across the room, where she’d used the shadows to hide. Without turning his head, he sent magic shooting her way.
No fucking way! My wolf roared, the sound escaping my mouth and rattling the air. I hit him in the chest with as much magic as I could muster. He turned and raised a brow. “Enough, pup! You cannot hurt me.”
I reared back and tried again, but each hit just dissipated in a shimmering field across his body. He had a shield. Shit! Thanks to Ventry and his father, the Shadow Sentinels had them incorporated into our mission armour. Shields were a standard part of Seelie Fae armour, but I’d never seen it on an Unseelie. Yet, this male wasn’t Unseelie, he was something that shouldn’t exist in this world. An impossibility. A legend. A being that was lost to time. He was Holt, the leader of the Wild Hunt. It was whyI’d not sensed his presence; technically, he didn’t exist because he had no soul. Legend had it that Darklings had been banished to the land between the living and the dead, the Void, and that they couldn't return to the land of the living because they had been cursed to exist without souls. They could only visit this plane of existence after the winter solstice when the moons were at their weakest and the darkest days in Faery came.
Soul or not, he wasn’t getting near Shannon. I kept firing, even as Ronan came barrelling in, followed by the others.
“Ishika! No!” he yelled, his eyes wide, panic in every line of his face. “Don’t let him take her into that portal!”
Shannon staggered up, shaking her body from the effects of the magical hit she’d taken. Her gaze homed in on the Fae female. She growled and leapt before I could yell at her to stop, just as I sent magic exploding forward. Ventry joined me, slamming out a surge of ice-green magic that mixed with the violet of mine. The Darkling lord staggered back, his nostrils flared, a snarl on his lips.
“That’s right, you fucker. Not so smug now, are you?” I ground out, sweat beading on my brow.
Shannon crashed into the terrified female Fae; even the Darkling’s magic couldn’t hold her. Together, they flew across the room and crashed into the wall.
Holt lost his composure, his eyes flashing, and he roared as he sent a powerful blast of dark energy my way. It crackled through the air, hitting the magical shield I threw up. That wave of dark energy was far more formidable and ancient than anything I’d ever felt. It sucked at my soul, sending my wolf into a frenzy. Another wave of green magic rushed forward, augmenting mine.
“Shit, I’m glad you’re here,” I panted, my gaze sliding sideways to Ventry, sweat running down my brow. Even as wepushed back that ancient force, my eyes sought Shannon. She was fine, getting up from the floor and shaking herself.
“Can’t let you have all the fun, my friend,” Ventry ground out, his top lip baring his teeth and his chest heaving. It did my ego some good to see he was struggling, too, even if I wished he wasn’t. If the most powerful Fae in Faery had to work at holding back this dark force, I didn’t feel so bad about needing help.
Connor stalked in, and the Darkling’s eyes widened almost imperceptibly at his monstrous bulk.
Ventry growled. “That’s right, you bastard, you’re out-matched. We have the girl and the relay, so give yourself up.”
Holt smiled coldly. “You have nothing, false king. Beware the solstice. Your arrogance will be your downfall. The time of your bloodline is soon to end.” Keeping his shield in place, a snarl bared his white teeth, distorting his beautiful face into an ugly, violent mask. His icy regard narrowed on Shannon, and my heart stopped as he gave me a conniving grin. A second later, spears of darkness sailed through the air, slamming into Shannon’s flesh with a wet thud. More and more soared towards her. I reacted, throwing magic into their path. Even Ventry tried to stop them, but we were too late. My heart shattered as Shannon fell to the floor, blood spurting from her fur as the spears turned to nothing but air. My heart shredded into tiny ribbons, such pain caving my chest that I couldn’t breathe. Holt’s self-satisfaction was palpable. He smirked, gave a bow and stepped through the shadow portal. In a blink, it was gone.
Ronan ran to his sister, pulling her away from my mate, and the pool of blood that was swiftly gathering beneath the softness of her fur. Fighting a wave of nausea and fear like nothing I’d ever felt, I sprinted across the dank cell and dropped to my knees at Shannon’s side, blood roaring in my ears.
Chapter 28
Stone
“Hey.”
I started at the sound of Owen’s deep voice. He’d gentled it, which for some reason pissed me off almost as much as his presence in my mate’s room. I snarled at my brother, warning him not to come any closer. That snarl turned into a full-on growl when I saw Lionel behind him. The six-foot-four lion shifter lifted his hands, palms out, and even though I knew it would cost him in ego, he lowered his gaze. No matter that my rational brain told me he was being respectful and was no threat, he’d entered the room when my mate was injured and vulnerable, and he was an unmated male. I wanted to rip his head off—it didn’t matter that deep down, I trusted him to never hurt her or me.
“Sorry, man, don’t kill the messengers. Connor and Ventry need to talk to you about that Darkling dude.” Owen’s gaze never left me, and the only reason I hadn’t thrown them both out was Owen was mated and had a family of his own. And he kept hisbody between Lionel and me, whose shoulders were tight, his amber eyes warily watching my every move.
“Connor thinks you should take a break, brother,” Owen said, searching my face, his own softer than usual.
I gritted my teeth. I hadn’t left Shannon’s side for a second. I was still covered in dried blood, yet I couldn’t bring myself to leave her for something as inconsequential as a shower. An errant strand of hair fell across her face as she shifted in her sleep. My fingers twitched. I wanted to brush it off before it irritated her enough to disturb her, yet touching her with my blood-stained hands made me cringe.
I closed my eyes. Her injuries were because of me. I couldn't get past the fact that I brought her to this godsdamned world. I should never have taken her to the cottage. My arrogance at believing my father would never find me, or that even if he did, I’d be stronger than him, had been my downfall. In Airling’s words, I was a fucking idiot.
“No, I’m not leaving. Not even for Con.”
Lionel blew out a breath, his cheeks puffing out while he cracked his neck. “Shit.”
His mumbled curse reached me just as someone else sauntered in, pushing Owen sideways.
