Fear the Darkness

Odd.



Equally confused by their surroundings, Caine released his bruising hold on Cassie to rise to his feet with a low growl.



Swift to take advantage of his momentary distraction, Cassie scooted away, warily straightening as she considered her extremely limited options.



She could run, but Caine would swiftly catch her. And rousing his predator instincts seemed like a bad thing right now.



She could try to overpower him, but it would be a wasted effort. His strength had been increasing at an accelerated pace since he’d been turned into a Were. She would be no match for him now.



And in his current state he was beyond trying to reason with. Which left what?



She didn’t have an answer, but even as Caine started to turn back toward her, the unmistakable scent of vampire filled the air.



Cassie froze, scanning the thick mist. Could it be Gaius? No. Not Gaius. But the scent was familiar.



Caine growled, preparing to attack as the mists stirred to reveal a large vampire with a black mohawk and honey brown eyes. Tane. The vampire Charon that she’d met a few weeks before. And behind him was his mate, Laylah, the tiny half-Jinn with short, spiky red hair and black eyes.



“Stop,” she warned, knowing that Caine was on a razor edge. The least provocation and he would strike. “Don’t come any closer.”



“Harley?” Laylah asked in shock, then her eyes widened with comprehension. “No. Cassandra. And . . .” The female grimaced as she caught sight of the hulking beast nearly hidden by the fog. “Caine?”



Cassie nodded, not entirely certain whether to be relieved or concerned. The Dark Lord had already implied that there was more than one vampire willing to betray their people.



“How did you get here?”



“I’m half-Jinn. I can shadow-walk,” Laylah explained. “How did you . . .”



Her words broke off in a scream as Caine suddenly charged toward Cassie, perhaps fearing that the two intruders were about to steal away his prize.



Cassie braced herself as Caine grabbed her in a punishing grip, yanking her against his chest as he howled in warning. At the same time, Cassie heard Laylah commanding her mate.



“Tane, do something.”



Cassie hissed as she felt her ribs crack beneath Caine’s tight grasp, but she held up a hand as Tane moved to rescue her. “Don’t hurt him.”



The vampire faltered in confusion. “Are you kidding me?”



She struggled to breathe. “Don’t. Hurt. Him.”



“Dammit.” Tane stalked forward, and then with shocking speed he lifted his arm and slammed his fist into Caine’s elongated jaw. The crazed Were gave a grunt of pain, and then tumbled backward as he was knocked senseless.



Cassie was thrown from Caine’s arms, but swallowing her groan of pain, she crawled back to his side, her hand reaching to wipe the blood from his mutated face. “What have you done?” she breathed.



Tane folded his arms over his bare chest. He was wearing nothing more than a loose pair of khaki shorts. Well, unless you counted the humongous sword strapped to his back.



“It was that or kill him.”



Logically, Cassie knew he was right. Caine might very well have squeezed her to death if the vampire hadn’t interfered. But that didn’t make it any easier to see Caine lying injured on the ground.



She felt a hand lightly touch her shoulder and she glanced up to discover Laylah standing next to her, an aching loss in the black eyes.



“Cassandra.”



“What?”



The half-Jinn hesitated, as if afraid to ask the question hovering on her lips. “My baby,” she at last breathed.



“Maluhia.”



Laylah pressed a hand to her heart as her mate moved to wrap a protective arm around her shoulders. “Have you seen him?” she asked.



Cassie gave a reluctant nod. “Yes.”



“Where?” Laylah’s eyes filled with tears as she read the regret that was etched on Cassie’s face. “The Dark Lord has him?”



“I’m afraid so.”



Laylah leaned heavily against her mate, but her face hardened with a grim determination that only a mother could claim. It warned she would move heaven and earth to get her child. And kill anything that stood in her way. “I have to get to him.”



Cassie bit her lip as she debated the wisdom of concealing the brutal truth from the poor woman. Then accepting it would be worse to give false hope, she slowly straightened. “The mists are impossible to penetrate without Gaius’s magic necklace.”



“Gaius.” Tane muttered the name as if it were a curse. “Where is he?”



“The Dark Lord has him.” Cassie frowned, thinking back to the vampire who had opened the portal. “He sacrificed himself so we could escape.”



Tane scowled at the confession. “Why would he do that?”



“I don’t know. I doubt we’ll ever know.” Cassie shrugged, not prepared to care what had prompted the vampire to help them. Gaius may have opened the portal, but he was responsible for Caine’s hideous transformation. Not to mention, forcing them to the Dark Lord’s prison. No. She didn’t give a damn why he’d helped or what he might be suffering for his betrayal. “We have to get Caine to Salvatore.”



Tane gave a sharp nod, turning to glance at his mate. “Laylah?”



The half-Jinn closed her eyes in concentration. “He’s at Styx’s lair in Chicago.”



Cassie didn’t take time to wonder why the King of Weres would be in the lair of the Anasso. “Can you take me there?”



Laylah gave a slow nod. “As near as possible, but I must continue my search for Maluhia.”



Cassie squeezed Laylah’s hand, her expression filled with sympathy. “Of course.” She glanced toward Tane. “Will you help me with Caine?”



Tane moved to bend over the still unconscious Were, pausing to send Cassie a troubled glance. “Cassandra.”



“No.” She knew what he was going to say. He was going to tell her that Caine was beyond the point of help. That he’d been lost between the worlds of animal and human without hope of returning to either. “Don’t say it.”



With a grimace, the vampire grabbed Caine and tossed him over his shoulder. Then, balancing the considerable weight, he rose to his feet and nodded for Laylah to lead them through the mists.



They walked in silence for several long minutes before Tane spoke the question that had no doubt been on his mind since crossing paths with Cassie. “I don’t suppose you have any clue at how we’re supposed to halt the Dark Lord.”



Cassie gave a helpless lift of her hand. “We must be united.”



“United?”



“A wall must have no cracks.”



“That’s . . .” Tane struggled for the proper word. “Vague.”



Laylah glanced over her shoulder with a frown. “Tane.”



“I’m sorry,” the powerful demon muttered. “I just hate being constantly one step behind the evil bitch.”



A bitter smile touched Cassie’s lips as her gaze lingered on Caine. “Knowing the future doesn’t help prevent it.”



Her soft assurance brought an end to the conversation and they continued through the mists without talking. None of them were in the mood for chitchat. Not when they were each desperate to save the ones they loved.



At long last Laylah came to a halt. “Here.”



Cassie gave a lift of her brows. All she could see was mist and mist and more mist. Certainly, there was nothing to indicate they’d arrived at a specific location. “How can you be certain?”



“It’s a feeling.” Laylah wrinkled her nose. “I really can’t explain how it works.”



“Oh.” Cassie offered an understanding smile. “I get that.”



Lifting her hand, Laylah formed a doorway in the swirling fog. Cassie took a step forward, only to halt when Tane shouldered his way past her.



“Wait,” he commanded. “Let me go through first.”



As if she had a choice?



Cassie shared a glance of feminine exasperation with Laylah before she leaned forward to place a gentle kiss on the female’s cheek. “Don’t lose hope,” she urged. “Sometimes it’s all we have.”



She stepped through the shimmering opening, giving the manicured parkland and nearby mansion a cursory glance before turning her attention to Tane as he lowered Caine to the ground.



The vampire studied the unconscious Were with a frown. “You need to get him locked up ASAP.” He turned to meet her mutinous expression. “It’s the only way to protect him.”



“Don’t worry,” she promised. “I will do whatever necessary to keep him safe.”



“That’s my worry.” He grabbed her chin to force her to meet his honey gaze. “You’re the prophet. You can’t put yourself at risk.”



She made a sound of disgust. Right now she didn’t care if she was the prophet, or that she was expected to save the world. All that mattered was that Caine was in trouble and she would sacrifice everything to help him.