It was good to see the hunter again. Even though the lazy fucker was lying on the floor, half asleep, Elah was still the best shot either Daederich or Lydia had to get out of here. He was weak, with barely enough blood to remain conscious, but the second he drank his fill he’d recover quickly.

Daederich settled on the floor by the bed, eyeing the glove trapping Elah’s hand, and considered anything he might have on him that would break the lock. Unless he freed the hunter, he couldn’t risk opening a vein for him. Not with his son in danger and Lydia who the fuck knew where.

Elah opened his eyes to slits, struggling to sit up when he saw Daederich. “Why are you here? Where’s Lydia?”

“I was about to ask you the same.” Daederich clenched his jaw. “When did you see her last?”

“It must have been a week by now. Rosali has her.” Elah’s dirt-smudged brow furrowed. “She’s alive. You’d know if she wasn’t.”

“Yeah… I can feel her. But faintly. That’s happened more and more lately. As though part of her is cut off from me.” Daederich stood and began pacing. “Cyrus told me she hates me. Could she shut me out completely?”

Shaking his head, Elah struggled to pull himself onto the bed. He didn’t resist when Daederich helped him. Simply sat on the edge of the mattress and braced his hands on his knees. “No. You’re her sire. She might learn to hide some of her thoughts, but breaking the bond between you is almost impossible.”

“Almost?”

The hunter inclined his head. “There are some out there with the power to do it, but they’re not fans of bloodsuckers.”

“That’s something at least.” Daederich sighed, taking a knee by the bed to inspect the metal glove. “We can’t help her unless we get this fucking thing off you.”

Elah’s lips quirked. “Never thought of that. Damn, problem solved. Looking forward to a hot shower. After I eat about three pedophiles. Maybe a drug dealer for dessert. Treat myself a little.”

“You’re fucking hilarious.”

“I like to think so.”

Rolling his eyes, Daederich removed his belt, then snapped the flat, brushed-steel buckle free. He folded it in half until the edges of the metal formed a sharp point. He dropped it on the cement floor and flattened it under his boot, focusing on the ends. He was strong enough to warp the metal into a rough blade, but he hadn’t before because even if he killed a few of the guards, there was no guarantee he’d make it to Lydia and Elah in time.

Now that he was with Elah, they could take out all the guards without breaking a sweat—of course, that expression didn’t really apply, but the point was they had no time to waste.

Holding still, Elah watched him work the steel into the closure of the metal glove. “You never answered my question.”

Daederich forced the edge of the metal against the base of the lock. If he could put enough pressure on the welded piece, he might be able to open it. “Which question?”

“Why are you here?”

Grinding his teeth, Daederich glanced up at Elah, sensing some suspicion in his tone. “I don’t know. I had a fucking nice room too. Rosali’s guards usually leave me alone—she insists I be given time to heal. One of them told me I was being moved. I didn’t argue.”

Elah inclined his head. “Fair enough.” He adjusted on the bed, careful not to block Daederich’s light. “I don’t doubt you, by the way. I haven’t been touched since that first night. Haven’t seen anyone. I thought you might have some insight.”

“No. All I know is Rosali is just as twisted as Cyrus, but lacks his restraint. She likes playing with knives, and bled me out one night just to see what would happen.” Daederich cursed as the metal slipped, slicing into the side of his palm. He dried his hand on his jeans and continued. “When I couldn’t move, she let the guards play with me. Then came back and yelled at them for not treating me better. She’s not stable.”

“Jesus.” Elah pressed his eyes shut. “We have to get Lydia away from her.”

“I’m trying.”

“That’s not going to work.”

Slamming his fist into the floor, Daederich glared at the hunter. “Then tell me what will! I don’t have your strength or your skill. I’d love to save her myself, but I won’t risk her life for my fucking ego. I need you.”

“I know.”

“Then come up with a better plan or shut the fuck up.”

He continued working on the clasp.

Elah wrapped a hand around Daederich’s wrist. “My hand may be too damaged. The spikes don’t hurt anymore. The wounds have healed around them. I think parts of my fingers were completely severed.”

No.

No fucking way.

He couldn’t ask Daederich to—

“Give me the metal. I’ll do it myself.” Elah’s jaw hardened. “I’d considered the mirror in the bathroom, but I can’t reach it and I couldn’t ask Lydia. She would have refused and she was already so close to the breaking point. Making her watch me hack off my own hand would have destroyed her.”

“But you think I can watch you do it and feel nothing?” Daederich stared at the clasp on the glove, which hadn’t moved. The metal was stronger than the steel he was using. He could waste all night doing this and get nowhere.

Elah reached out and took a firm hold of Daederich’s jaw. “I know you love your son. You loved him enough to send him away with someone who could keep him safer than you could. And you love Lydia. I’m a threat to Rosali. To Cyrus. That’s why they keep me from feeding, even though they’ve crippled me. They know they can’t handle me at full strength.”

“Your hand might heal.”

“It won’t.”

“You don’t know that!” Daederich pried the metal out of the glove, palming it as he strode across the room, fisting his hands and rubbing them against his face. He considered Elah a friend…maybe more. The man irritated him, challenged him, showed him his weaknesses and forced him to face his flaws.

He’d taught Daederich so much. And he’d stood by his side when Lydia had been taken by Cyrus, just as determined to get her back. They loved the same woman, but at some point, that had become natural. They understood one another in a way no one else could.

Lydia loved Elah back and, while the knowledge had grated at Daederich’s male pride at first, he’d shoved that aside and looked at the man through her eyes. How could she not love him? She’d had nothing and Elah had helped Daederich fill the holes in her life. They hadn’t spent much time with other hunters, but when they did, they were both accepted as…as family. A family Lydia couldn’t remember having and had lost the moment she’d found them again.

Daederich lifted his head, meeting Elah’s steady gaze. Elah had taught him a kind of strength he’d never known. And he was waiting for Daederich to show that strength now.

“You don’t have the power to make it quick.” Daederich returned to the side of the bed and took a knee. “You’ll never get through the bone.”

Letting out a light laugh, Elah eyed his wrist. “It might take me some time, but I’d eventually get it done.”

“I can’t watch you suffer.” Daederich bowed his head. “Not again.”

“Then you know what you have to do.”

This almost felt like another lesson. How far was he willing to go to break them all free? To return to his son and make sure no one ever put him through what they’d suffered. He’d raped the other man. He’d done it after swearing he’d kill him first.

Compared to what he’d done already, this was nothing.

“If you feed from me, you’ll heal fast. This won’t even slow you down.” Daederich positioned the metal in his hand. Stopped and began grating it against the floor. If the edge was sharp he could finish the job fast. The job. This was part of the job. A necessity. “We won’t have much time.”

“I know.”

Elah sounded calm. Much too calm. He held his wrist still, his eyes on Daederich.

“There’s this place I go to…I want to bring you. I brought Lydia once. She wasn’t impressed, but I didn’t do much to make it special. Maybe together we can—“

“Daederich.”

“—she’ll see why it’s so beautiful. She’ll appreciate a break from the world. I don’t think she wanted one then. She still hadn’t been part of the world at all. She needed more.” Daederich clamped his mouth shut when Elah’s lips curved. He didn’t usually talk this much. He’d taken on jobs he couldn’t stomach and shut down his mind, doing what must be done and tucking any regrets into the back of his mind to die.

“Daederich.” Elah gave him a tight smile. Leaned in close. “We’ll bring her back there. Show her how wonderful it is to be away from the noise. She’ll appreciate it more now that she’s seen so much.”

“Yes…” Daederich inhaled roughly. Looked down at the crude blade. “I’d say you’re like a brother to me, but you’re more. Losing my son, losing Lydia…it would have destroyed me if you weren’t there.”

“No. It wouldn’t have because they needed you.” Elah placed a hand on his shoulder. “You were ready to fight without me. You just didn’t know it yet.”

Pressing his eyes shut, Daederich nodded. “Maybe. But I still believe I needed you then. And I need you now.”

“I’m right here.” Elah curved his hand around the back of Daederich’s neck. “And I love you too.”

A laugh escaped before Daederich could stop it. He met Elah’s eyes. “I don’t say those words lightly. But I am saying them now. I do love you. I’m not sure what that will mean once we’re free, but it won’t change.”

“Mmhmm, well, we shall see.” Elah’s eyes lightened, the blue and grey and golden brown of his irises sparkling. “I’ll be a lot more gentle with you than you were with me.”

“Elah—”

“Don’t. I know.” Elah pressed a finger to his lips. “You promised to kill me if it ever came to that, but I’m glad you didn’t. I couldn’t leave you alone in this. She’ll need us both when this is over.”

“If it ever is.”

“It will be. But I need you right now. I need you to be the fucking badass I know you are. Make it quick and don’t see me as less when you’re done.”

“Never.” Daederich lifted the sharpened piece of metal. Took hold of Elah’s wrist. “You’ll always be the strongest man I know.”

He didn’t warn Elah. The hunter didn’t need it. They both needed this to be over.

The first hack broke through skin and bone, splitting Elah’s wrist halfway. There wasn’t much blood. It flowed slowly. Thick. Soaking into Daederich’s jeans.

Once more and the glove hit the floor.

Elah swayed, bracing his hand on the edge of the bed. A single tear trailed down his white cheek.

Daederich pulled the hunter into his arms, holding his bloody wrist against his chest. He pressed his lips to the other man’s cheek. “I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry.”

“Don’t be. It’s done.” Elah shuddered. “I wouldn’t admit this to anyone else, but…I think I need a minute.”

Laying the other man on the bed, Daederich quickly stripped his shirt, using it to cover the wound. To give Elah some time to absorb his loss.

He would heal as soon as he was given blood. The pain would be gone. But there was no way to replace what Elah had sacrificed.

And he’d have to recover quickly, or all this would be pointless.

Daederich used the edge of the bloody piece of metal to slit his own wrist. Held Elah close and pressed it to his lips.

A sound.

The door opened.

A gun.

One shot.

Only one.

Elah went limp in his arms.

Rosali’s guard, the one with long blond hair, stepped into the room. “You’ll want to move away from him now. I don’t think I saw what was happening clearly. You wouldn’t try to help him escape?”

The answer. He had to give the man the right answer. They were back at the beginning, without a chance to break free, simply fighting to survive until they found one.

He settled Elah on the bed. Pressed his slit wrist to his side as he stood. “No. He did this to himself.”

“Of course he did.” The guard’s lips thinned. “Rosali has such hopes for you.” The guard strode across the room. Motioned with the gun from Daederich to the door. “We wouldn’t want to disappoint her.”

Daederich kept silent, watching as the guard placed a metal collar around Elah’s neck, attaching a chain before holding a small flask to Elah’s lips. Elah woke, blinking fast, disoriented. The guard jerked him to his feet.

“Where are we going?” Daederich glanced back as the second guard grabbed him, forcing him down the hallway. “What does she want from me?”

“She’ll let you know.” The guard with the fancy hair jutted his chin forward. “Keep moving and you’ll be just fine.”