The adrenaline. That had to be what was making her stronger, helping her compartmentalize.
She didn’t stop to think, simply dropped the man on the first floor and went back downstairs where Logan was. She had to go down farther, which allowed her to view more of the demon. She’d been gone only a few seconds, but in that time, the demon had knocked out the bulb over its head and was covering its eyes with one paw while blindly swinging for the next light—the one over Logan.
Hope grabbed Logan’s leather coat and began hauling him up the stairs, too. He was heavier than the last man—much heavier than he should have been, given his lean build. He thudded along, his body jerking with every stair, but she was able to keep only his head from hitting. Nothing else. He’d have to deal with the bruises left behind if they made it out of this alive.
“Leave me,” he whispered. “I’m nearly recovered.”
“Yeah,” she snorted out. “You look like it. Shut up and think light thoughts.”
“It’s coming,” he warned her. “Drop me and run. Save the human.”
Hope spared a quick glance over her shoulder and saw the demon had managed to knock out another light. It oozed forward up the stairs, moving methodically, catching up with them more by the second.
Hope pulled harder, dropping the bat for more leverage. It clattered as it fell, bouncing off the steps until it hit the demon.
The monster swiped at the bat, slicing it in half with its claws. Two large pieces as well as three smaller ones flew out, slamming into the walls so hard they splintered.
Hope did not want to be on the receiving end of that kind of power.
They had only a few steps to go. Then she’d find a way to bar the door and keep that thing below.
Logan’s hands began to move and he started pushing himself up, helping her. They moved faster, but it wasn’t fast enough.
The demon slinked up the steps, catlike in its grace. It opened its jaws wide, showing off tiny, serrated teeth. Primal fear exploded inside her chest, shoving the breath from her lungs.
She reached behind her, one hand feeling for the door handle. She found it and pulled, wrenching her shoulder in the process. Logan reached for the door, shoving it open, trying to help her as much as he could.
Hope had just stepped across the threshold when the monster sprang up at them. It leapt forward, closing the distance. It dug its long claws deep into Logan’s legs. He bellowed in pain.
The demon pulled. Logan’s coat ripped out of her hands and he slid down the stairs, snatched away by the demon.
Hope lunged for him, but the thing was too fast. He was gone—dragged into the blackness the monster had created below.
Jackie knocked on Joseph Rayd’s office door. He was the leader of these people, and if she wanted something, it was best to go straight to him and forgo all the middlemen.
He looked up from whatever he was working on, his hazel eyes meeting hers. His spine straightened, but his shoulders were still bowed as if he carried some great burden.
“Please come in,” he said as he rose from his desk. He was a big man and with every step he took closer to her, she wanted to shrink away.
Jackie held up her hand to stop his advance. “No need to get up. I was hoping I could speak to you for a moment.”
He stepped back, motioning to a chair across from his desk. “Sure. Have a seat.”
It had been a long time since Jackie had been in such a civilized setting, though she was used to being on the other side of the desk. This side seemed odd and alien, putting her in a position of servitude somehow.
She didn’t like it. She wanted her old life back—the one full of boardroom meetings and schedules and making things happen.
Sadly, that life was over. She knew better than to believe otherwise.
Jackie sat perched on the edge of the chair. If he made a sudden move to touch her as so many of the men here had, she could bolt and avoid him. “I want to leave.”
Joseph frowned. “Leave?”
“This place. These people.”
“Leave Dabyr? But you just got here.”
“It’s become apparent that my presence here is causing problems. These men of yours are looking to me as some kind of savior. I can’t handle the pressure. Not so soon after . . .” She couldn’t bring herself to verbalize even one of the things she’d endured.
He leaned forward, bracing his elbows on the desk. Silvery strands of hair gleamed at his temples. “I’ll tell them to back off.”
“It’s not that simple and you know it.” She squeezed her eyes shut. “Even you look at me with hope in your eyes.”
“I would think that would be a good thing. Not everyone has the power to give people hope.”
“What I offer is false. I’ve seen the unions between your people—what you think I’ll be a part of one day. I’m telling you now that it can never happen.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I do. I’m a grown woman. I know my own limits, and after . . . everything, I know that I’ll never again be able to tolerate the touch of a man. Especially one who isn’t human.”
“What you’ve suffered is horrible. But you’re strong. You may not be able to see how you can come through it, but I know you can.” He stood and moved around the desk. Jackie gritted her teeth and held her ground. “I also know that if you trust us enough to stay and find a compatible Theronai, he could help you through this. Help you heal.”
Joseph was too close. She slid in her chair, pressing up against the far edge so hard she knew it would leave a bruise. “I need to leave. I need to go somewhere where the expectations are not so high. And I need to work. Be useful. Find some reason to get up in the morning.”
Joseph let out a sigh and nodded. “The Synestryn will want you back. I can’t let them have you.”
“They won’t know where I am.”
“They’ll be drawn to you.”
That thought made her blood thicken in her veins. She could feel their taint inside her, dirtying her soul. “So you’re saying I’m a prisoner here as I was in those caves?”
“No. I’m saying that if you leave, you can’t do it alone. You’ll have an armed escort.”
“To a job? I don’t see that working out.”
“It would with the right job.” He said it like he already had something in mind.
“And what job would that be?”
“We know why you were taken. The Synestryn are trying to breed more human-looking demons so they can more easily mingle among people. I’m certain there are other women like you out there—women who were taken and need to be saved.”
“It’s not the women you have to worry about,” said Jackie before she thought better. “It’s the children.”
“What do you mean?”
“I was used for my blood. I was food. Fuel. The children were not so lucky. They were altered. Fed the blood of the monsters so they changed.”
Joseph nodded. “Like Tori. They took her as a child so that she could grow up and give them children.”
Jackie swallowed hard, struggling not to throw up on his carpet. She’d seen what happened to those kids. She’d heard their screams.
“You were a prisoner a long time,” said Joseph. “You might have heard or seen things that can lead us to others. I was going to ask you to lead a team, but I didn’t want to push you before you’d had time to recover.”
“I’m recovered.” At least as much as she was going to.
“Tynan will have to clear you for field work, but if he does, you can get out of here and have a job all at the same time.”
Just the idea of it made her feel like she could breathe again. She knew she couldn’t go into those caves again, but they’d moved her a couple of times. She might see something that would help find the location of the other caves. “Who would you send with me?”
“That would be your choice. At least in part. If you’re more comfortable with bonded Theronai, I understand, but you have to have some strong sword arms with you.”
“Not Helen. Not Lexi.”
“They’re your sisters. I would have thought they’d be your first choice.”
Jackie shook her head. “It’s too much pressure. We may be related by blood, but I don’t know those women. I don’t want to pretend that I do. Or that I want to.”
Joseph stared at her for a long time. Even though she guessed he was trying not to, he looked at her with hopeful expectation lighting his eyes. “How about Paul and Andra?”
“Fine.”
“Go pack what you need,” said Joseph. “You’ll leave tonight.”
Jackie stood up to leave but Joseph’s voice stopped her. “I’d like to know if it’s true,” he said.
“If what’s true?” she asked.
“I’ve heard rumors that every Theronai you’ve met has felt something. That their lucerias have reacted. They’re saying you’re compatible with anyone.”
“I wouldn’t know.”
“If it’s true, I need to be prepared for the fallout.”
“What fallout?”
“Things could get ugly. My men could turn on one another, fighting over you.”
“None of them can have me, so why should they bother?”
“Logic won’t play much of a role if it’s true,” said Joseph. “I was hoping you’d indulge me so I’m at least armed with the truth.” He held out his hand. It was wide and square with shiny callused patches.
Jackie looked at his hand, then back to his face. He wore no expression. No hope, no excitement. He didn’t move toward her or show any signs of impatience.
It was his stoicism that gave her the courage to step forward. She closed her eyes and pretended she was in a boardroom, meeting customers. She grabbed his hand and gave it a quick shake.
Jackie felt nothing but heat, strength, and the fine trembling of her own hand. But when she opened her eyes and looked at him, he’d gone white with shock. His hazel eyes were wide and he stared at the ring on his left hand, watching colors swirl within the band.
She didn’t wait for him to speak. She didn’t want to hear what he had to say. She turned and ran down the hall, getting away as fast as she could.
The rumors were right. She was some kind of freak.
Logan was consumed by pain. His legs burned with it as the demon’s claws sank deep into his bones. The antidote his blood had created to combat the paralytic was working, but not nearly fast enough to save his life.
At least Hope had gotten out safely. Logan took solace in that.
As the Synestryn dragged him down the hall to its den, Logan forced the antidote to his arms, giving him the strength to pull his dagger. It wasn’t going to do much good, but he refused to let this creature kill him without a fight.
He sat up enough to reach down and slam the blade into one of the demon’s paws. The tip went through the soft tissue and into Logan’s leg.
He gritted his teeth against a scream of pain and lifted the blade to strike again.
