Chapter Three

 

“So this is where you’re hiding out.”

Gabriel whipped around at the voice, lowering the weapon that emerged instinctively at the sound of a stranger in his home. Rhyn kept his distance, knowing just how jumpy an assassin could be. Gabriel was at his place in the underworld, a small cottage tucked into Death’s realm, in the Everdark forest of Immortal trees whose hissing, fanlike leaves and snake-like branches moved to catch the quiet wind. Gabriel’s small cottage was lit by a single candle that cast light on a collection of weapons along one wall and a few books on a bookshelf on another.

“I didn’t think you could come here,” the assassin said.

“The Code says I shouldn’t, not that I can’t. Important distinction,” Rhyn replied and pulled out a chair from the table on which the candle was placed. He straddled the chair and rested his forearms on its back. “You left without saying good-bye.”

Gabriel rubbed his face, and Rhyn saw the shadow of stubble the assassin never allowed to grow. Something was really wrong if Gabriel’s thousands-year-old habit changed suddenly.

“I didn’t have a choice,” Gabriel said with some difficulty. “Death owns me now.”

Rhyn understood without asking. Gabriel had always been a free man; now the human-turned Immortal was a slave.

“Welcome to my world,” he said with a chuckle. “You’ll find making friends is hard when everyone hates you.”

“I’m beginning to see that. Didn’t realize I liked having some sort of free will.”

“You still have choices. Just none of them are good.”

Gabriel snorted in response.

“Since I know I can drop in on you whenever I want, I promise to come back,” Rhyn continued. “I need a hand finding an Ancient healer named Lankha.”

“Your girl hurt again?”

“I suppose you’ll be the latest to tell me she’s better off without me,” Rhyn said. “But no, it’s not her this time. It’s Toby.”

Gabriel frowned and ran a hand through his hair. Rhyn watched him, concerned at finding his sole friend so affected by the recent change in his life. He sensed much more amiss than Gabriel would ever admit.

“The healers moved to the other side of the Immortal world, past Elisia and closer to Hell. I can’t take you, but here.” He held out his hand. Rhyn stretched to tap fists with him, and the portal information lit up his thoughts. He’d spent most his life in Hell and remembered little of the Immortal world.

“I’ll come back,” Rhyn promised, rising.

“Rhyn,” Gabriel said quietly. “I don’t think our friendship will survive what comes.”

“We are both bound to our destinies, Gabriel, something you taught me. Whatever that brings, you’ve been my only brother and friend,” Rhyn replied in the same tone.

When the assassin turned away, Rhyn stepped into the living forest. He opened the portal and stepped into the shadow world, envisioning the place Gabriel had passed to him. One of the portals glowed in response, and he strode through it, stepping into a world as sunny as Gabriel’s was dark. He smelled the ocean and stood on a beach of red sand edged with small shrubs. He walked up the beach and into the shrubs, finding a path that led to a small village of red cottages. Far across the sea, he saw the black walls of Hell stretching from water to sky.

The healers’ village consisted of several dozen cottages around a central square, in which many of the village’s people gathered and talked or cooked meals over red flames. They grew silent when he appeared, and those nearest him scattered. He’d thought Lankha skittish when he met the healer but soon found all the healers quaking and hiding.

“Lankha!” he belted, unable to distinguish one healer from the other. They all had Lankha’s flat face, no nose, bug eyes, and scrawny little bodies with feathery hands. The healers scattered like roaches in daylight. Rhyn snagged the clothing of one, and the healer yelped. “Come out, Lankha, or I eat everyone in your village, starting with this one!”

He heard whispers traded behind doors and cottages and waited.

“I’ll count to three. One!”

“I’m heeeeere,” one timid voice said. “What bringsss a demon to my hoooooome?”

He recognized the healer by the amount of bands winding around his arm. Each one represented a millennium, and this creature had been around longer than Rhyn’s deceased brother, Andre. He released the healer whose arm he held.

“Come with me,” Rhyn ordered, opening a portal. Lankha hesitated but moved forward with a look over his shoulder at the village. Rhyn waited until the healer passed him and then stepped into the shadow world behind him.

Lankha’s head hung, as if he walked to his death. He trailed as Rhyn led him toward the brightest portal, and Rhyn took the healer’s arm to hurry him along. They stepped into the snowy yard outside the castle. He all but dragged the healer to Kris’s room, found it empty, then went to Katie’s chamber. He flung the door open and shoved the healer into the room, ignoring the two surprised occupants of the chamber as he closed the door without entering.

The whiff of Katie’s blood nearly undid him. He hadn’t eaten in too long, and to have his mate so close … Rhyn took the stairs two at a time until he reached the roof. He launched himself off the rooftop, hungry and determined to find a demon to bleed dry. He flew to the forest and shape shifted into a jaguar as he dropped to the ground, taking off through the forest. The exercise felt good, and he ran and leapt and clambered up trees until he was panting. It was after his adrenaline tapered off that he smelled blood, and he trotted down a path in the direction of the scent.

What he found didn’t surprise him. Jared, wounded and vulnerable, had been cornered by another demon in its monster shape with drool dripping off its teeth. Jared was pale and propped against a rock. Happy the demon could draw his lunch out of the forest, Rhyn pounced on the demon, cracking its neck before it could fight. He tossed the creature to the side for later and shifted into his human form.

“Nature’s not so kind to the weak,” Jared said with a grimace as he pushed himself up.

“You’re not of any use to me like this.”

“Here’s where you’re wrong, half-breed. The reason I’m lying here in pain has to do with my accidental ambush of Darkyn’s demons,” the demon replied. “Are you going to eat all of him?” He motioned to the demon’s carcass a short distance from them.

“Depends on if what you have to say is worthwhile.”

“Fair enough. In any case, Darkyn’s demons are planning to invade the castle, where your sweet little morsel is, so they can slaughter every last annoying Immortal.”

“Demons can’t cross the sacred grounds.”

“They have an insider. And apparently, he alone knows how to render the grounds no longer sacred.”

Rhyn’s thoughts went to Katie. “Did they say when?”

“They noticed me then, so no. Help a brother out, Rhyn. I’m no good to you here in this shape. I need to go to Hell for a demon healer. I’ll promise to return.”

“Fine.” He no longer felt hungry despite the scent of blood. While he didn’t care what happened to Kris, he did care about Katie and when the demons would choose to attack. He’d suspected Sasha was there for more than one reason and didn’t doubt his brother had a plan.

Kris would never listen to him. The only other brother ever to extend a hand to help him was Kiki, the pragmatic half-brother who protected Asia. Rumor had it the Council hadn’t agreed on anything in a few hundred years, and Rhyn began to think the brothers he hated might be the solution to the demons.

Or he could take Katie, disappear, and leave Kris and the Immortals to their fate. He preferred this idea, except that it would mean he’d be defending her from Dark One’s minions and demons every minute of the rest of their lives together. Reluctantly, he accepted the fact that he needed the protection of the Immortals to keep Katie safe. If Kris didn’t call the Council together, Rhyn would drag his bastard brothers kicking and screaming to the castle, dangle them over the forest of demons, and offer them a choice: him or the demons. Cynically, he suspected all but Kiki would choose the demons.

 

* * *

“Lankha?” Katie asked, startled to see the cowering healer in her room. She’d last seen him in Hell, where they shared a cell together. “Are you okay?”

The healer was huddled against the door, looking around with visible horror. His gaze settled on her, and he ventured forward.

“What is it?” Ully whispered.

“He’s the oldest of the healers,” she replied. She stood and crossed to the scared creature and took one of his soft hands. He went without resistance. She led him to the bed. “Rhyn brought you here to help our friend, Lankha.”

The healer sank next to her on the bed, large eyes darting around the room as if he expected the furniture to grow fangs and chase him. His gaze finally fell to Toby, and he inched forward. Ully watched with alarm as the healer unwrapped the angel’s bandage. She felt like petting the healer to calm him as she might Toby’s cat but suspected it wouldn’t be welcome. She grimaced when he peeled back the final layer of bandages to reveal the gouge and broken bones beneath.

The healer clucked to himself, growing more comfortable as he concentrated on his trade. Katie moved out of his way. A tap at the door made Lankha pause, and she hurried to answer it to keep the healer from being distracted.

“Madame, your sister’s car has just entered the property,” Kris’s personal secretary said. “I thought you might wish to greet her.”

Katie could think of nothing she wanted less, but she nodded. She changed quickly into dry clothing before hurrying down the back stairwell. With her arm bleeding, she couldn’t risk drawing the attention of the Immortals by taking the front stairwell even to meet her sister. She went the back way-- the servant’s route, as Kris had so kindly informed her-- to the front door.

The white Hummer limo made it up the snowy slope and slowed as it crossed the cleared cobblestone drive in front of the castle. It stopped, and two footmen went to the doors while two others opened the trunk.

Appearing refreshed and thrilled, beautiful, blond Hannah stepped from the Hummer and looked up, awe crossing her features. She was dressed in a long, white fur coat that Katie had no doubt cost more than a small house. Hannah’s boots were white, her cream slacks and camel turtleneck completing her flawless look.

As usual, Katie felt a twinge of jealousy at the sight of her sister that only grew when Giovanni-- Hannah’s handsome fiancé-- circled the car to take her arm and lead her to the stairs to the castle. Rhyn was about as uncivilized as Gio was civilized. Katie despised Gio most days, but sometimes, she wondered what a normal relationship was like. She didn’t hear Kris draw abreast until the man stood at her side, staring at the gorgeous woman approaching.

“That’s your sister?” he asked in clear astonishment. “What’s this guy’s name?”

“Giovanni de Medici, descendent of the Italian de Medici,” his secretary answered from behind them.

“Oh. I think I’ve heard his name before. How did he get an invite here?” Both of them looked at Katie, and Kris pursed his lips.

“I was going to ask you the same about Hannah,” she said with a glare. “Another of your tricks, Kris?”

“It’s customary,” Henri said. “Social propriety states that the immediate family of an Ancient’s mate or high level Immortal-- ”

“You can’t tell me this was an accident!”

The smallest of smiles crossed Kris’s face, but he refused to answer.

“You are the biggest jackass in the world,” she hissed. “You drag my sister here? Why, to keep me here?”

“You forced me to bring Rhyn here,” he reminded her. “I say we’re even.”

“Aren’t you sworn not to interfere with mortals?”

“I’m not interfering,” he said with a sharp look. “Even if I don’t need your blood, I’d be a fool to let you go.”

“You swore an oath!”

“I take my oaths seriously, but I can’t let you go for the demons to get you. They developed immunity blood the last time they had you. Consider your sister-- ”

“A hostage!”

“-- a guest for an indefinite period of time. Besides, she’s an Immortal’s mate. She belongs to me anyway.”

Before she could respond, Kris strode from the doorway down the path, stopping in front of the two approaching. Gio bowed deeply, but Hannah gazed up at Kris with a look of such admiration that Katie suddenly realized Hannah wasn’t likely to object to staying in such a place. Kris greeted Gio, stepping aside to walk them up the path. Hannah’s gaze strayed beyond Kris to catch sight of Katie. She gave an excited wave and quickened her step. For her sake, Katie tried not to look as pissed as she felt and trotted down the stairs to meet her sister. Hannah enveloped her in a warm hug that smelled of expensive perfume.

“Is this your home now?” Hannah asked, her glowing gaze going to the castle again. Well aware of Hannah’s social ladder climbing aspirations, Katie couldn’t help her retort.

“Don’t act so surprised your little sis did something right for once.”

“Who is that handsome man with Gio?” Hannah asked, gaze on Kris once again.

“The world’s biggest dick,” Katie replied.

“Katherine!” Hannah exclaimed. “You don’t want him to hear you. Come, show me around.”

Katie hesitated, then strode through the main hallways, suspecting Hannah would be too star struck to notice the looks they’d certainly receive from others.

“Where’s that wonderful man of yours?” Hannah asked.

“Wonderful?” she repeated. “You mean Rhyn?”

Hannah chuckled, soon distracted as her gaze took in the entertaining parlor Katie led her to. She vaguely remembered it from her tour of the castle and was relieved to see several small groups congregated around all but one of the five fireplaces in the room. She went to the unoccupied fireplace and sat with her back to the wall, afraid of any Immortal who felt her draw enough to approach. Hannah removed her fur coat with a graceful flourish to reveal her snug clothing and perfect body. One of the servants darted forward to take her coat, and she gave a large smile before seating herself.

“So, tell me about this place,” Hannah said, eyes bright.

“Where should I start?” Katie asked, uncertain what her sister knew.

“Gio told me about the Immortals. I’m still puzzling through that part. Who was the man who greeted us?”

“His name is Kris. He’s sort of the leader of the Immortals. He’s a manipulative, lying jackass.”

“He seemed nice to me,” Hannah said. Her familiar way of dismissing her opinion made Katie bite her tongue to keep from saying what she wanted.

“You staying here long?” she asked instead.

“Through the winter. I planned on going to Seychelles to escape the east coast cold, but Gio said being invited here was an honor. Then he told me about the Immortals. You landed yourself a good one, Katherine.”

“I didn’t land anything,” Katie said impatiently. “We’re destined to be Immortals’ mates, and it’s been as far from a pleasant experience as I could imagine. You just wait to see what Kris has in store for you. He’ll make your life a living hell.”

“You’ve always been a little melodramatic, Katherine. How can you still seem so negative when you’re surrounded by all this!”

Katie clenched her jaw, realizing just how sugar-coated the Immortals’ world around her would look to her sister. Gio appeared in the doorway. He caught sight of them and crossed to Hannah. He appeared more unsettled than Katie had ever seen him. His gaze was roving, and his air distracted even as he bent to give Hannah a kiss on the cheek.

“I’ll catch up with you later, love,” he said. “I’ve got some business to attend to with the other Immortals.”

“Of course, my Gio,” Hannah said sweetly. “I’ll be with Katherine, if you need to find me.”

Gio’s tight smile was fleeting. Katie wondered what had called him away-- news of the demons in the forest or some other awful plan by Kris? She watched him go, frowning when he turned left down the hall toward the front door rather than right to the stairwell or interior of the castle.

“Excuse me, sis,” she said, rising. “Just tell one of the waiters what you want to drink.”

Hannah was happy to marvel over her surroundings. Katie moved quickly through the room, refusing to meet the gaze of any of the Immortals. She emerged into the hallway in time to see a butler open the main door for Gio.

She trotted after him and stepped into the evening chill. The hidden sun was setting, and the white snow clouds glowed eerily, lit by the last rays of light. Hannah’s fiancé hurried to the waiting Hummer. Hannah’s Louis Vuitton luggage was lined up neatly along the path, and Katie skirted it.

“Gio!” she called. “Where are you going?”

“Katherine,” he replied, turning. “You will have to forgive me. Assure Hannah this was not my idea.”

“What wasn’t your idea?”

“Kris asked me to bring her here. He thought she might be an Ancient’s mate like you.”

“Okay, so why are you leaving her?”

Gio hesitated before sighing. “He asked me to. He granted me a position directly supporting the Council, if I walked away from her forever.”

“So you traded her for your ego,” Katie said and crossed her arms.

“The Immortal society is not like a human’s, Katherine,” he scolded. “You cannot marry into a higher rung on the ladder. You can only be granted special status by someone in a caste far above you.”

“Don’t you care about hurting her feelings?”

“Hannah used me to climb the social ladder, and I did not mind, because she is a beautiful, sweet girl,” he said. “I, in turn, used her to climb the Immortal ladder.”

Speechless, Katie couldn’t help thinking Gio was as shallow as her sister. That didn’t stop her from being angry at the man who would dump her sister off to deal with the hell she’d gone through.

“Leave this be, Katie.” Kris’s voice came from the doorway behind her. “Gio, go. Your service is eternally appreciated.”

Gio bowed and got into the Hummer. The door closed, and the long vehicle pulled away. Katie faced Kris with a glare.

“What the hell are you doing, Kris?” she demanded. “Isn’t it enough that I’m here?”

“I expected your sister to be as rough around the edges as you are,” he said. “I’m glad she’s not, and she seems to understand trading personal happiness for a social status. She’s an Ancient’s mate, Katie, like you. How there were two of you born into one family, I don’t know.”

“You can’t make her stay.”

“From what Gio says, she’ll want to stay, and I doubt she’d consider mating with someone like me abhorrent.”

“If you’ll remember, I didn’t choose which Ancient to become my mate. What if she chooses one of your brothers?” she challenged.

“We’ll know soon who she chooses,” he said. His gaze went to her throat. “Two Ancients’ mates in the same family. Maybe you are more like Rhyn than I gave you credit for. Both of you are blemishes on your family.”

He walked back into the castle, leaving her with burning cheeks. She looked up at the glowing clouds, from which snow had begun to fall again. Tears stung her cheeks. As she thought of Toby, she wondered how much of what Kris said was true. He wouldn’t have been hurt if not for her, and Hannah may not have been dragged into the Immortal world if she hadn’t hit the radar of Kris.

She wiped her face, determined not to abandon her sister as Gio had. She walked the short distance into the house and down the hallway, stopping when she reached the doorway. Kris wore a rare, charming smile as he sat across from Hannah, talking. Hannah’s face glowed as she gazed at Kris’s handsome features. Kris caught Katie’s gaze and shook his head ever so slightly, warning her against coming in.

She watched for a long moment and then left, defeated and frustrated. She returned to her chamber, where Lankha still worked his magic on an unconscious Toby under Ully’s watchful gaze.

The sight of Toby’s blood made her feel sick, and her own blood loss made her dizzy. It was her fault he was hurt. She was an awful foster mom. Maybe Gabriel taking her to Death would make the lives of those around her easier.

Rather than join them, she paced the hall before following it to its end and ascending to the roof. The night was cold and the wind nonexistent. Snow soon covered her arms as she crossed the roof to gaze into the well-lit courtyard. Too tired to fight her tears anymore, she let them fall and stood shaking on the rooftop.

“What’re you doing up here?”

She turned in time to see Rhyn drop with an audible crunch from the air to the snowy roof. Her misery increased at the physical reminder that she hadn’t figured out what to do about him yet.

“Thinking,” she replied.

“Dangerous.”

“For you, maybe.”

He drew near but stopped just out of arms’ reach, alerted by her sharp tone. Embarrassed by her tears, she turned away. Mercifully, he said nothing, only stood close to her and stared into the same sky. Even at the safe distance, his body heat made her uncomfortably warm.

“You think we’ll all survive this?” she asked at last.

“Probably not. As long as I take Kris down with me, I don’t give a shit.”

She stifled a laugh, and he gave her a sidelong glance.

“I got time if you do,” he added. “You can’t fuck a man once when he’s outta prison and never again.”

“You’re on probation,” she reminded him. “And your time is running short.”

“Got it covered.”

“Do you?”

“More or less.”

“I’m not convinced.”

“Seems stupid for us to stand here when we both want each other so bad,” he said. “I thought we were making progress. I was good last night.”

“I feel like your life and Toby’s and Hannah’s would be better without me in it,” she said and faced him.

“I think you’re afraid. Your life is shitty and you have one good thing going for you. You’re the only good part of my life. I assume it’s the same for you.”

She said nothing at his words, surprised as always by his backhanded compliments and tormented by the knowledge that she had to do something that would hurt them both. He stepped closer until they were toe-to-toe. She craned her head back to hold his silver gaze, a tremor of desire working its way through her.

Maybe tomorrow she’d break it off. She didn’t want to lose him just yet.

“I thought I made your life more difficult,” she said to keep from falling into a dangerous silence.

“That, too. You’re as tough as an egg dropped from a ten-story building. Really hard to rescue. Gets annoying.”

“I didn’t ask for this!” Her face burned at his bluntness. She was frustrated to feel more tears rise. “I’m tired of all this shit. I have no say in anything, and in the end, we’re all screwed! Go back to killing things, Rhyn.” She turned her back to him, hoping he’d fly off in his pterodactyl form or disappear into the depths of the forest as a jaguar.

She felt his warmth at her back instead. He draped his arms around her and pulled her against him, resting his chin on her head. She wiped her face, afraid to let herself feel pleasure in the warm body pressed against hers on such a cold night. Every time he touched her, her resolve melted. He smelled of his own musk and darkness, an alluring mix that made her blood burn.

She missed him. The sense of yearning was deep. She barely knew the man at her back, but she’d felt his absence even during the few hours in the day they weren’t together. Gabriel’s words and her nightmare haunted her, reminded her she couldn’t let herself fall in love with him now.

“Rhyn …” She trailed off, not at all sure what she wanted to say. “Do you ever think we’re better off not being together?”

“No,” he said, though he shifted behind her. “Do you?”

“Yeah, sometimes.”

“I think we make a good pair.”

“Why?” she asked.

“No one else could put up with either of us.”

She wanted to be offended by his comment but suspected he spoke the truth.

“We will make things work,” he said.

“I really don’t know, Rhyn.”

“It doesn’t matter what you think. You’re already mine.”

She forced herself to pull away from him. “I want to like you, Rhyn, I really do, but sometimes I don’t think you know how bad things are.”

“You more than like me, but you’re too scared to admit it. Say whatever you want, Katie, but this is happening.”

“Now you’ll tell me you know how I feel because you read my mind.” She leveled a glare on him.

“If I feel like it, I see every thought that crosses your mind. Like Kris saying he’d break the mating bond between us. Kris can’t do it, by the way. You’re stuck with me.”

She stared at him, surprised. He was unfazed by the idea that traumatized her. Another thought occurred to her about her trip to the boutique earlier that day.

“What else have you read?” she asked cautiously.

“I haven’t since yesterday morning. Trying to be good.”

“Thank you,” she said, relieved.

“Kiss? Breakfast tea? It ain’t easy being a good demon.”

Her emotions felt too raw to deal with him: anger, desire, regret. She didn’t have the strength this night to tell him to go.

“I can’t, Rhyn. I have to check on Toby,” she said and moved past him before she changed her mind. “I’ve failed miserably in my role as a foster mom, and he nearly died because of it.”

“What happened to Toby wasn’t your fault.” She paused at his words and turned to look at him again. “None of you knew about the demons in the forest, and you were right about what you said to Kris.”

“I think I like it better when you’re hard to get along with,” she said with some frustration. “You’re not making things easier.”

“Life is anything but easy.” For the first time that night, she realized he was disturbed about something. Rhyn gazed at her, considering. “I don’t want to lose you, Katie.”

She looked down. If she didn’t find a way to push him away, she risked messing up both of their lives. She loved him, but she couldn’t let him love her.

“Don’t you have a checklist or something I can follow so I know what I’m supposed to be doing?” he asked.

“If there were a checklist for relationships, everyone would have a happy ending,” she responded. “Do I feel whatever it is between us? Do I miss you even when I know I can call you and you’d come without question? Yes, but I don’t trust you, Rhyn. It takes more than killing things, and I’m done being chewed on, mauled, and treated like crap by you Immortal idiots.”

He said nothing.

“What we have is not enough for me. Do you get that?” she asked.

“What happened between last night and tonight?” His gaze had turned predatory again.

“Nothing. I just realized I can’t be with someone I can’t rely on, Rhyn.” Her words sounded cheap, even to her ears. She turned and all but fled the rooftop, cursing herself for her weakness and the tears in her eyes.

She pushed the door open to her room and gazed at Toby. Color had returned to his face, and Lankha was curled up in a ball at the end of the bed with Ully snoring in a chair. She sat at the edge of the bed and touched Toby’s soft face, not sure what to do or think about anything anymore, especially now that Hannah had been dragged into this world.

 

* * *

Kris watched the door to the guest bedchamber close, unusually hopeful about his discovery. He padded down the hall to his room, where Sasha awaited him.

“So I was right,” Sasha said as he entered. “One more feather in my cap.”

“And a trail of dead bodies you’ll never make up for,” Kris replied. Sasha shrugged, unconcerned. “How did you know?”

“When I tasted the sister, I saw her mind. I saw what they both were.”

Kris poured himself chilled whiskey from the small refrigerator tucked in a corner. He took a sip, gaze going to the snow falling outside the window. Sasha’s words reminded him that he, too, had tasted Katie. She’d tasted so sweet, and he prayed her sister tasted the same. She had a reason to hate him after what he’d done, and he’d been unable to apologize. He’d hoped to use Sasha’s knowledge to break her bond to Rhyn and mate with her himself, despite their hostile relationship. Now, he may not have to. There was more than one Ancient’s mate. For the first time since Andre’s death, things were looking better for him.

He felt the weight of his brother’s death on his shoulders again. Andre had been his confidante and mentor whose guidance had helped him navigate his role as the Immortals’ leader. Without him, Kris felt as if he were alone trying to solve the world’s problems.

“Tell me why the forest is crawling with demons,” he said and turned to Sasha. “And why their leader is demanding an audience with me to discuss you.”

The smiled faded from his half-brother’s face, and Sasha’s gaze went to the fire. “My people figured out the right mix of Rhyn’s girl’s blood to give immunity to whoever has it. I was under some … pressure from the demons after some stupid misunderstanding regarding Darkyn’s daughter and a few others, so I took it and came here,” he said.

“Knowing your older brother would have to protect you from the most powerful demon Hell ever spat out,” Kris said, anger flaring within him.

“You’re sworn never to harm one who comes in good faith.”

“I need to ask you something, and if you lie to me, we’re done.”

“Whatever you like, brother,” Sasha said with too much ease.

“Were you responsible for killing Andre?”

“You forget, Kris, he was my brother, too, and I considered him a friend. He was the only neutral party among our father’s sons. What he considered me, I won’t even try to guess, but no, I didn’t. It was rumored in Hell that Darkyn was trying to get your precious Katie. Andre was collateral damage.”

Sometimes Kris hated being his father’s son and resented Andre’s insistence that he choose duty over all else. He’d lost his lover, Jade, that way, a sacrifice that still stung. He seemed to be the only one on the Council who truly cared about upholding the balance between good and evil, no matter what the cost. That Rhyn of all his brothers would be granted such an honor as an Ancient’s mate made a mockery of everything. He saw firsthand how Rhyn’s destructive nature took its toll on those closest to him, and the half-breed had no sense of loyalty or duty to the Council.

Even so, Rhyn’s flaws stemmed from his nature of being a half-demon. Sasha had chosen to serve the Dark One and betray the Council and their father. Sasha may not have pulled the trigger on Andre, but someone he knew where to find their oldest brother, who had been protecting Katie when he was rendered dead-dead.

Sasha also knew the Code Kris was bound by: those who came in good faith would be given the chance to prove it. Then there were the rules their father had created about none of the brothers being permitted to kill the others, with the exception of Andre, whose sole purpose in life was to keep the Council on track and protect them. Unless Sasha posed a direct threat to the Council, Kris was forbidden from buying an assassination, despite suspecting his brother wasn’t as innocent as he proclaimed.

Sasha disgusted him, but he couldn’t just kill him like he wanted to.

“She looks like Lilith,” Sasha said.

“I hadn’t noticed,” Kris said and took another sip, aware his brother was always on the prowl for some weakness to exploit. In truth, he had noticed that Hannah looked like the first Ancient’s mate ever found, Lilith. Lilith had been intended for Kris and was pregnant with his son when Rhyn killed her and the baby both.

He took another sip. After all his sacrifices, after losing Lilith and Katie to Rhyn, he wasn’t sure what he’d do if Hannah chose someone other than him as her mate.

“We aren’t too different,” Sasha voiced quietly. “Sometimes it only takes a small nudge to push you over the edge.”

“What pushed you to the Dark One, brother?”

“A loss too great for me to bear.”

Kris looked at him sharply, suspecting his brother was trying to play on his emotions. Sasha still stared into the fire.

“What did you lose?” he demanded.

“My soul mate. You stole him from me, just as Rhyn stole Lilith from you.”

Surprised at the raw, bitter note in Sasha’s voice, Kris studied him. “Jade?” he asked. “You were in love with Jade?”

“I was, until he became enamored with you. You don’t give a shit who you fuck, but I did then. There was only one for me.”

“You can have him.”

“Too late. I think I burned that bridge. The demons brought Jade and Iliana to Hell.”

Jade had disappeared after Kris sent him away in hopes that Katie would become his mate. He’d last seen his other trusted lieutenant, Iliana, two days ago, when he’d sent her to represent him in North America while he was away.

“Are they alive?” he asked.

“They are. The demons treat their guests well. Iliana has been a favorite among them.”

Anger made Kris’s face warm. Iliana was a relatively young Immortal who had been at his side for only a few decades, having caught his attention with her fighting skill and fierce loyalty. He’d promoted her to one of his lieutenants. She was tough, loyal, and beautiful.

“Our family is prone to ongoing disappointment and treason. I think we are worse to each other than the Dark One is to his enemies,” Kris said, white rage buried deep within him to keep Sasha from seeing it.

“Without a doubt, brother, which is why I hope your meeting with Darkyn goes well. He’s not the kind of demon you want to piss off.”

Kris glanced at the clock, aware it was time for him to meet with the demon leader. He set his glass down and looked again at Sasha, who had yet to glance away from the fire. He wasn’t fooled by any of his brothers, especially Sasha and Rhyn, whose treachery had been too personal for him to forget or forgive.

He threw on a jacket and left, aware Sasha couldn’t leave the castle grounds without forfeiting his life and wouldn’t dare disrupt the Immortals for fear of Kris’s wrath. Kris could kill or have him killed in retribution for any life he took while inside the walls. Sasha wasn’t that stupid, though Kris wondered what game his brother played.

The night was cold and dark as he strode across the park to the edge of the castle’s grounds. A single figure already awaited him at the edge of the invisible wall that kept the demons out of the sacred grounds. More dark shadows lingered deep within the forest, watching over their leader. Darkyn was a head shorter than Kris and wider, his steady gaze and roughly hewn features reminding him of Rhyn.

Kris stopped a safe distance away on the sacred grounds, taking in the underwhelming demon leader with some surprise. He’d expected some towering monstrosity from the legendary demon who challenged the Dark One.

“You have something I want,” Darkyn said with Rhyn’s bluntness.

“Good evening to you, Darkyn,” Kris replied. “I’m afraid my brother stays with me. I am bound to protect him.”

“By Immortal Code, you must turn him over to me. He has slain a family member.”

“I find it funny you demons spend your days looking for ways to break the Code then dare quote it to me. No, Darkyn, you will not have Sasha. Now, Rhyn, you can have.”

“The half-breed?” Darkyn sneered. “I would rather fry myself on sacred ground. Sasha took something from the Dark One. If you will not return your brother as you are obligated, then you must return this.”

Kris was quiet, pretending to consider. His opinion of Darkyn tanked. The demon was an idiot, too unaccustomed to politics or negotiating to understand how to get what it wanted without revealing what that was. There was no way in Hell Kris would give this creature the key to defeating his warriors! But then, he needed some way to keep his Immortals safe until he could determine how many demons were in the forest so he could wipe them out.

“This I will think about,” he said at last. “I will speak to Sasha to determine what it is he stole, and if it is rightfully owned by the Dark One, which it must be in order for you to reclaim it.”

The demon eyed him.

“If it is so, then I’ll return it to you. I’ll convene the Council That Was Seven for an impartial vote. This might take me a few days. I ask that, in the meantime, you refrain from attacking any Immortal traveling the road to the castle.”

It was the demon’s turn to consider. Kris waited.

“On the main road only,” the demon agreed. “And if Sasha steps outside of sacred grounds, we will take him. No appeal of yours will work in his favor.”

I hope not, Kris thought but said aloud, “I’ll warn him.”

Darkyn’s features were too shuttered to read, and Kris didn’t wait for him to second-guess anything. He returned to the castle, stopping at the sound of commotion from the direction of the forest before he reached the entrance. Rhyn’s pterodactyl shape hovered over the demons at the edge of the forest, one of the creatures dangling in his talons. Kris heard the sickening sound of the demon’s body breaking from the distance and watched the other demons shapeshift to charge the half-demon. Hoping they’d fix his Rhyn problem for him, he entered the castle and headed straight to the office of his personal secretary.

“Henri, summon Kiki and the others here immediately. If Tamer gives you any resistance, let me know, and I’ll drag him here myself,” he instructed. “And find out if Iliana made it to her destination.”

Henri nodded, his fingers flying over the keyboard in front of him. Of all the thoughts on Kris’s mind, Hannah and Jade were foremost. He didn’t know whose mate Hannah was intended to be but hoped fate revealed it soon, or he’d help it along and claim her as his as he should’ve done to Katie when they met.

He’d been too good of a person a mere month before. Andre’s death and Rhyn’s reappearance changed everything, and Kris found himself considering alternatives he’d never have thought twice about before, like ordering Rhyn and Sasha killed despite his oath to protect his brothers and making an oath to Katie he had no intentions of keeping.

Another idea emerged from his dark thoughts, and he trotted out of the secretary’s office and to Katie’s chamber. Ully was sleeping soundly in his seat beside Toby’s bed. Katie was huddled in a blanket before the fire, and what looked like a healer curled on the bed. Kris nudged Ully awake, motioning for the scientist to follow him out of the chamber. Ully did so sleepily.

“I have a project for you,” Kris said as he walked toward the stairs. He looked back to see Ully leaning against the wall to fix his shoes. “Ully, walk!” The scientist obeyed. “Have you had a chance to test the immunity blood Sasha brought?”

“No. I was distracted by Toby. The poor little-- ”

“The vial is your concern now. I need confirmation before the Council meets, and I need to know if you can alter whatever it is Sasha’s people did,” Kris said.

“Alter it how?”

“The demons are demanding I return it to them. I want to oblige, only I want the mix to kill them. Slowly, if at all possible.”

“Slowly?” Ully asked, puzzled. “Is quickly an option, if it’s all I can do?”

“You’re both the brightest and dumbest man I’ve ever met.”

Ully fell silent. Kris opened the door to his lab, pushed him in, and closed it. He wiped his face with one hand and ascended, surprised to see Hannah in the hall. He forced his anger and frustration away to keep his eyes from flaring amber, then approached. She looked up at him, her sweet face glowing.

“I hope it’s okay if I wander around for awhile. I’m too excited to sleep,” she admitted. “And the snow makes this place look so magical!”

“It would be my pleasure to show you around,” he said and held out his arm. She accepted it, and they walked down the hall. Her bouncy blond curls brushed his arm as she turned her head to take in the tapestries and look up at the murals on the ceilings.

Her draw was not as consuming as Katie’s, which meant she’d have a much better chance of surviving if not every demon and Immortal was drawn to her.

“May I ask you a few questions about your family?” he asked, puzzled again as to how two Ancient’s mates were born into one family.

“Of course.”

“Do you have any other siblings?”

“Not at all. Katie was born about seven years after me. Our parents thought two was enough.”

“Your parents, are they still alive?”

“A car accident killed them both. I basically raised Katie from the time she was ten,” she said, a sad look crossing her features. “Not sure I did a good job.”

“You did a wonderful job. She’s a … charming woman,” he forced himself to say.

Hannah laughed. “You can say it-- she turned out a little rough around the edges!”

“I have to agree with you there. You two couldn’t be more different.”

She beamed.

“I wonder how there came to be two women destined to be Immortal mates in one family. It’s unheard of. Did you ever come to know of your parents being different in any way?”

“Not at all.”

Disappointed, he wasn’t sure what else to ask. Ully would run blood tests on Hannah, but he doubted they’d reveal much more than Katie’s had. He took in her delicate features and felt a familiar warmth stir his blood. She met his gaze and held it, her pupils dilating and a faint flush spreading across her features. He stopped walking and stood close enough for their chests to brush when she breathed in. Waiting for some sign of rejection, he lowered his head until his lips brushed hers.

“What about Gio?” she breathed.

“Do you prefer a prince or his servant?” he asked.

She hesitated only a second more and leaned into him, parting her warm lips to receive his kiss.