“Ask what you want,” Ariyal gritted. “How did you avoid being banished with the other Sylvermyst?”

His jaw clenched, but he grudgingly answered. “Our Prince bartered with Morgana le Fay to remain hidden in her sanctuary.”

Hell. Talk about a deal with the devil.

Tane jerked back in shock. “Avalon?”

Ariyal shrugged. “What better place? Nothing could penetrate the shroud of magic.”

Tane could think of a shitload of better places.

Beginning with the fiery pits of hell.

Morgana le Fay was a cruel megalomaniac who had terrorized the fey, and every other demon too weak to withstand her magic, until her seer had predicted that she would be condemned to hell by a descendent of her brother, Arthur.

She’d predictably retreated to her private island and shrouded it in a thick layer of magic that was impossible to penetrate, although she occasionally returned to the world in the hopes of killing off Arthur’s descendents.

A poor choice in the end.

“What did you barter?” he asked.

Ariyal smirked, but Tane sensed the surge in his pulse and the sudden sweating of his palms. Whatever happened on Avalon hadn’t been good.

“We were slaves in her harem.” He ground his teeth so hard it was a wonder they didn’t shatter. “Sex slaves.”

Tane grimaced. He wouldn’t wish that on his worst enemy.

“From what I’ve heard of Morgana I’m surprised you survived.” “Many didn’t.”

“Then you were fortunate that the vampires managed to destroy her.”

The Sylvermyst snorted, but the horror faded from his eyes as he reacted to Tane’s deliberate taunt.

“She was defeated by the descendent of King Arthur.”

“Anna is the mate of a vampire, and it was only with the assistance of my brothers that she survived to battle Morgana le Fey,” Tane said with cool logic. “It would seem you are in our debt.”

“What makes you think I wanted her dead?”

“A lie,” Jaelyn said from the door, her tone stripped of emotions.

Tane smiled. He’d forgotten a hunter’s skill often included being able to sense a lie. “You didn’t ask me a direct question,” Ariyal said, refusing to glance in her direction. “I have broken no rules of the game.”

Yep. Definitely something going on there.

But none of his concern.

Hallelujah.

“What is your interest in the child?” he instead demanded.

“We were hired by the vampire and her wizard to find the child.”

Tane glanced toward Jaelyn. She nodded. “He speaks the truth, but not the full truth.” “You’re a mercenary?”

Ariyal paused, choosing his words with care. “I’m willing to sell our services with the proper incentive.”

“And what incentive did Marika offer you?”

“The opportunity to locate the supposed child of the Dark Lord.”

“Supposed?” Tane latched onto the word, certain that it had been a slip. “Is there some question to the child’s identity?”

The Sylvermyst quickly recovered. “Only a fool accepts rumors and obscured folktale as truth.”

Tane shifted with impatience. Ariyal was too cunning. He answered the question with just enough truth to avoid a painful mutilation, but without telling Tane a damned thing.

“You hope to return the Dark Lord to the world?” he pressed.

“The Sylvermyst have worshipped him before vampires ever crawled from their caves.” Another evasion.

But if he didn’t want to return the Dark Lord, then why was he searching for the baby? It made no sense.

“How does Marika intend to use the child to return the bastard?”

Ariyal shrugged. “She claims the mage has a spell that will resurrect his essence within the child.”

With a growl, Tane shoved the sword back against the fey’s neck, frustration boiling through him.

How the hell could he keep Laylah safe if he was stumbling around blind?

“What are you really up to, Ariyal?”

The Sylvermyst met his blazing gaze without fear. “I’ve answered your questions.”

Deciding that he was going to have to beat the answers out of the bastard, Tane felt a sharp pang of fear slice through him.

He stepped backward, momentarily confused.

Then, his heart slammed against his chest as he realized he was feeling Laylah’s fear, not his own.

“Damn. Laylah needs me.” He was across the cell and pulling open the door just as Jaelyn scrambled out of his path. “Don’t kill him yet, I’m not finished with him.”

“No guarantees,” he heard her mutter before he was charging back to Laylah’s side.

Chapter 18

It was the sensation of strong arms tugging her into a comforting embrace that woke Laylah from her nightmare.

Even then she continued to tremble as she struggled to banish the horrific visions of demons feasting on raw flesh as cities burned.

“Hush Laylah,” Tane murmured, stroking a soft hand down her back. “You’re safe.”

“The child,” she choked out.

Tane reluctantly released his hold on her to peek into the adjoining room, returning so swiftly that Laylah barely had time to untangle herself from the sweat-drenched covers before she was tugged firmly back into his arms.

“He appears well.”

She breathed a sigh of relief, laying her head against his bare chest. “Gods, it was horrible.”

“It was only a dream, my sweet,” he soothed, his exotic male scent teasing at her nose and easing the knot of fear in the pit of her stomach.

“There was blood,” she husked, snuggling against his hard body. “The world was drowning in blood.” “Let it go,” he whispered. “It felt so real.”

“I have you.” He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “You’re safe.”

Laylah calmed as she realized that for the first time in her life she actually did feel safe.

It was … lunacy.

She was being hunted by a power-hungry vampire, an immoral mage, a horde of evil fairies, and enemies who still lurked in the shadows, if the prophet was to be believed.

But when she was in Tane’s arms, she felt as if there was nothing that could harm her.

She savored the amazing sensation for a moment.

A pity they couldn’t lock out the world and remain together for eternity.

With a grudging sigh she pulled back to meet Tane’s concerned gaze.

“Did you question the Sylvermyst?”

He made a noise of disgust. “For what it was worth.”

“He wouldn’t answer?”

“On the contrary, he gave me any number of answers,” he said dryly. “None of which told me a damned thing.”

She hid her smile at the edge in his voice. Tane was accustomed to striking fear into the hearts of everyone he encountered. It obviously pissed him off that he hadn’t managed to bully the information he wanted from the Sylvermyst.

“Do they work for my aunt?”

“So Ariyal claims.”

Ariyal. Laylah had only had a brief glance at the supposedly evil fey, but she’d been startled by his astonishing beauty.

Not that beauty meant a crap. Jinn were notorious for possessing the faces of angels and the malevolent hearts of the devil. Still she’d expected something … else. “You don’t believe him?”

Tane shrugged. “I believe he has his own reasons for wanting the child and he’s willing to use Marika to locate the babe.”

“Maluhia,” Laylah said softly.

“What?”

“I’ve named the baby,” she explained. “It means peace.”

Tane froze, doing a perfect imitation of a mannequin. “I know what it means. It’s a name of my ancestors,” he at last rasped. “Why?”

Laylah chewed her lip.

He looked like he’d just been hit with a baseball bat. So, was that a good or bad thing? “I told you I was going to give the child a name,” she hedged.

“Why that name?”

“I liked it.”

Without warning Laylah found herself lying flat on her back with a very large, very delicious vampire pinning her to the mattress.

Her bones melted at the feel of his hard body pressed on top of her, glad she’d taken the time to remove everything but her panties and bra before crawling into the bed.

Now if she could just get rid of his khaki shorts …

“Laylah, tell me why.”

She met the honey gaze, sensing her answer was somehow important.

“It reminded me of you.”

His fingers threaded through her hair. “No one could call me peaceful.”

“That is my wish for his future,” she said gently, “but my hope for him as a man is that he will possess a sense of honor, with the strength to protect those he loves, and loyalty to those he claims as his family.”

With a groan, Tane lowered his head to press a kiss to her forehead.

“You’re killing me.”

She frowned in confusion. “I thought …”

“What, my sweet?”

“I thought you would be pleased.”

He pulled back, revealing an aching vulnerability that made Laylah’s heart forget to beat.

“I’m humbled,” he whispered.

Reaching up, she framed his beautiful face in her hands. “Never.”

His fingers brushed through her hair and down the side of her throat, his thumb lingering at the pulse beating at the base.

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