CHAPTER 23
The prince of elves had teleported into the room shortly after the angel had left it. Anais had met him before in Hell, and Sable had called on him using the band around her wrist, but his sudden appearance had still startled her and she had launched herself forwards to attack him and protect Sable, barely stopping herself from striking him.
That had drawn a very unimpressed look from the handsome man until Sable had explained everything that had happened.
Her explanation had made Thorne grow larger and growl something in the demon tongue, his eyes burning crimson and his leathery wings shifting restlessly against his back. Loren had spoken to the larger male in the same language. When Sable had pressed them to speak in English, neither male had looked inclined to agree and both had kept their conversation to themselves.
Anais suspected it had something to do with the angel who had appeared and tried to take Sable with him.
Because apparently she was part angel.
That had definitely shocked Anais and she knew it had shocked Emelia too. Sable’s status as half-angel wasn’t the only reason Emelia had to feel shocked though. The male angel had made it clear he was interested in her. Anais had been around long enough to know how men operated and it seemed angels were just like all the rest of them. He wanted to slay the dragon for Emelia, and there was only one reason he would want to do such a thing and it wasn’t because he was amazingly magnanimous.
He desired Emelia.
Anais could understand why that had made Emelia withdraw into herself. Since returning, she had discovered that Emelia had been held by Zephyr.
She was the huntress he had broken.
Sable had used the communication system in the room to call in what had happened and a very kind looking woman in a suit had come to take Emelia away. Anais could only hope that Archangel only had Emelia’s health in mind and that they weren’t about to use her to get their hands on an angel, not as Anais felt they had used her to get their hands on a dragon.
“I have to go.” Anais started for the door but Sable caught her wrist, holding her back.
“We have to go. You think I’m going to owe an elf prince for nothing, think again. I brought him here to help us and he’s going to help us. Aren’t you, Loren?” Sable looked from Anais to the black-haired elegant male.
He sighed and preened his hair back, revealing the pointed tips of his ears. “I came to help and I intend to fulfil that duty, but I cannot see how it will be easy to remove the dragon from his cell unnoticed. Archangel will know that you had some part in his escape. Both of you.”
Anais shrugged. “Archangel can go fuck themselves. I’m getting Loke out of here, before it’s too late.”
Loren nodded. “He is not doing well?”
“Understatement of your long life,” Anais said and tried not to think about what state she would find Loke in when they made it down to the cellblock. “I’m worried he isn’t going to make it.”
“He’s going to make it.” Sable clapped a hand down on her shoulder. “Let’s go.”
Loren stared up at the ceiling and Anais was about to ask what he was doing when the room went dark. A hand caught her wrist, cold against her skin, the grip too strong to be Sable, and then ice blasted across her and she shivered and tried to pull away.
“Do not.” Loren’s deep voice sounded in the pitch-darkness and she realised he was teleporting her.
She immediately grabbed his arm, locking onto it as fear swept through her, adding to the iciness in her veins. She didn’t want to end up in some random place in Hell and she had learned that would happen if she let go of an elf mid-teleport.
Her feet struck something solid and Loren held her steady as her knees gave out, keeping her upright.
It was still dark. Were they still teleporting?
“You had to kill all the lights?” Sable’s voice held a reprimanding note and Anais heard Thorne grunt in agreement. “We might have ended up in a wall or something!”
Loren made a small clicking noise of irritation. “Thorne knows the layout of the building well enough to avoid such a thing.”
Anais wanted to agree with Sable but she held her tongue. She wasn’t sure how Loren expected them to walk around when they couldn’t see where they were going. Unlike him and Thorne, she and Sable didn’t have incredible night vision.
Red lights chased the darkness back, flashing across her eyes, and the alarm sounded again.
“Another intruder?” Sable said as the lights darted over her face, allowing Anais to pinpoint her in the darkness. The touch of fear that had been in her voice and was in her eyes too told Anais that she was afraid that the angel had returned already.
If he had, he was going to have a fight on his hands. Anais wouldn’t let the bastard take Sable from Thorne.
Loren’s handsome face darkened. “Elves.”
“Elves? Is it Bleu?” Sable looked hopeful now, but wary, and after everything she had witnessed in the Third Realm, Anais could understand why being around the elf who had wanted her for his own unsettled her.
Loren shook his head. “I am not familiar with these elves.”
“Where are they?” Anais said and Loren shifted his violet gaze to her. It looked a strange colour in the murky red flashing light.
“Beneath us. I would estimate they are in the cellblock and would suggest we move swiftly, because I can smell blood.”
Anais began running at the same time as Sable, thundering along the corridor and then down the steps towards the cellblock. Sable had her blade at the ready and Anais drew hers, clutching it tightly as she tried to steel herself for what might lay ahead of her. Her heart beat hard against her chest, growing faster as they approached the cellblock.
The overhead lights were still on in the lowest level.
Anais almost slowed as the red lights stopped flashing and the alarm ceased.
She did slow when a huge explosion rocked the corridor, sending her stumbling backwards and drawing her focus to what lay ahead of her.
Sable stopped and stared at it, her lips parted and golden eyes wide. Anais covered her mouth and swallowed hard. Whoever had invaded Archangel this time, they had swept through the guards with ease. Most of the fallen hadn’t even had a chance to draw their weapons. They were still sheathed against their bloodied bodies. Crimson drenched the floor and splattered across the white walls, rolling down it in places.
Loren appeared in front of them and pushed them both backwards, and Thorne’s hands clamped down on them, grabbing Anais’s right shoulder and Sable’s left.
“Keep back,” Loren said and looked over his shoulder towards the dead hunters and the grim red corridor.
Anais looked beyond him and saw the reason he had stopped them.
Two males stood in the corridor ahead of them. The one closest to them had black eyes and blood all over his obsidian armour, his sword still stuck in the belly of a dead hunter. The one at the back stood in a pile of glass, swirls of smoke curling around him, his focus on whoever he was breaking out of Archangel’s cells.
The cell that was right next to Loke’s one.
Her heart started at a rapid pace again.
“Desist,” Loren shouted and both elves looked at him.
The darkest one backed towards his companion, his shock on seeing Loren quickly subsiding, replaced by a hunger to attack him. The one with violet eyes didn’t give him the chance. He grabbed him and a silver-haired male, and teleported in a blinding flash of light.
Loren growled and raced forwards, nimbly leaping over the fallen hunters. He stopped in front of Loke’s cell and her heart leaped as she heard Loke roar and the blows of his fists against the glass. She moved as swiftly as she could, not looking down as she picked her way through the dead. Right now, she had to focus on the living.
She reached Loke’s cell and he stopped striking the glass and stared at her. He was too pale, his skin milk-white in the stark light. The darkness around his eyes and the obvious difficulty he had standing warned her that he was losing his fight against whatever prevented him from being in the mortal world.
“It’s time to go,” she said and he pressed his hand to the glass.
She placed hers over it on the other side of the barrier and gasped as he passed out, collapsing in a heap on the ground.
Loren shoved her back with one hand as his black armour covered his other fist. He snarled and launched a punch at the cracked glass. It shattered under the force of his blow and he grunted as he staggered back and shook his hand, pain contorting his face and darkening his violet eyes.
“Thank you.” She raced forwards again and he shook his head.
“Thank me later, when he is actually safe. I do not think we have much time.” Loren stepped over the remains of the glass barrier and she followed him into the cell, her gaze on Loke where he lay out cold on the white floor.
She kneeled beside him and reached out to touch him.
He jerked awake and snarled at her, flashing twin rows of sharp white teeth. His eyes blazed bright aquamarine as he lashed out at her. She darted back to avoid the blow and tried to reach him again, not blaming him for defending himself. He didn’t seem aware of where he was or what he was doing.
“Instinct is a dangerous thing sometimes.” Loren dropped to his knees on the other side of Loke and tried to grab hold of him.
Loke growled and attacked him, landing futile blows on Loren’s black armour, his claws raking over the small scales but leaving no marks behind.
Anais sat with her heart in her mouth as Loke fought the elf, agreeing with Loren that instincts were dangerous things, because her every instinct said to intervene and stop Loren from hurting Loke and driving him mad with a need to defend and protect himself.
Instinct told her to protect him and soothe him.
She reached out to do just that.
Loke launched his left hand at her and she gasped as fiery lines cut across her right upper arm in the wake of his claws.
He immediately stilled.
Growled low in his throat.
Turned murderous blue eyes on Loren.
He blamed the elf prince for her bleeding. He was going to attack him again and this time he looked as if he was serious about it.
Anais lunged at Loke, grabbed both of his wrists and pinned them to his bare chest, using all of her weight to press them down. It wasn’t enough. He shoved and she almost flew across the cell, but Loren caught her with one hand and pressed his other one over hers where she still gripped Loke’s wrists.
He effortlessly pressed down and pinned Loke’s hands to his chest.
Anais wished she was as strong as a five thousand year old elf prince.
“We will move him away from here.” Loren took Loke’s arms from her and held them pinned in place.
“To Hell?” Anais looked from Loke to Loren when the elf didn’t answer. The grave look on his face unsettled her. “What’s wrong?”
“We cannot teleport him straight to Hell. He is not strong enough to survive travelling such a vast distance.”
Her blood chilled. “We have to take him home.”
Loren reached out to touch her and she leaned back, evading him. She paused and realised with dismay that he could take his hands away from Loke because he had passed out again. Her heart seized in her chest and she couldn’t stop herself from lowering her hand and brushing the tangled strands of blue hair from Loke’s damp forehead. He had to be alright. He couldn’t die. She didn’t think she could live with herself if she lost him.
It was all her fault.
But what she had done wasn’t the only reason her heart felt close to breaking.
She couldn’t lose the man she loved with all of that heart.
Understanding dawned in the elf prince’s purple eyes, a look that cut her and made her want to glance away. “It is too dangerous. He must regain some strength or we shall put his life in danger—”
“His life is in danger here,” Anais interjected. “Being in this realm is the thing that is killing him.”
“If you would allow me to finish.” Loren’s calm tone didn’t hide the fierce glimmer of irritation that shone in his eyes and she nodded, holding her tongue and giving him a chance to speak. “We will take him somewhere safe in this world, very close to here, and there I will use what knowledge I have of his kind to assist you in helping him.”
“Helping him how?” Anais stared at the elf, finding it hard to believe that it was possible to help Loke without taking him back to Hell where he belonged.
Loren settled his hand on her shoulder. “Dragons draw energy from nature and they can draw it from everything created by nature, especially if that thing is born of this realm… I propose to help you give some of your energy… your life… to him.”
Anais lowered her gaze to Loke, her eyebrows pinned high on her forehead as she absorbed what Loren had said. Was it possible? Could she sacrifice part of herself for his sake and give him the strength to survive the teleport to Hell?
“You will agree to it?”
She nodded without even needing to think about it. “If I can help him, I will, no matter how much of my life I have to give to him.”
“Anais,” Sable started and she silenced her by shaking her head.
“I’m set on this. He needs me and I have to make things right. It’s my fault he’s in this situation… but more than that… I’m doing it because I love him.” She lifted her gaze to meet Sable’s.
Sable’s golden eyes softened and she nodded.
Loren rose to his feet in one fluid movement and had Loke slung over his shoulder with the effortless grace she was coming to associate with elves. He was powerful and shared a deep connection with nature, and if anyone could help her save Loke, it was him. She was going to owe him big time if he pulled this off and the way he smiled at her said that he knew it.
That smile eased her heart too, because it spoke of his confidence. He was certain that what he had proposed was possible and that it would save Loke.
“Where can we take him that will be safe?” Anais looked between Sable and Thorne, and finally at Loren.
He had suggested moving Loke to a safe location nearby, so she presumed he had one in mind.
“Where else would you take a shifter?” Loren’s smile widened.
It was Sable who answered that question.
“Underworld.”