Hearts in Darkness

Beside that candle waited Elizabeth.



* * * *



For several seconds, Nikki didn't move. Couldn't move. Her heart was lodged somewhere in her throat, and she couldn't even breathe. All she could do was watch in horror as the smoke creature found form. The flame imp whisked past her, flashing heat across her face. She blinked. It had paused near the door again, pulsing a deep, distressed red, then flew out.



She swallowed, took one final look at the billowing smoke and the sharp teeth just forming, and ran after the flame imp.



The spawn screamed—a high-pitched sound not unlike a woman in distress. Fear spurted fresh energy into her legs. She flew down the tunnel, following the flame imp and hoping it was leading her to safety and not into some trap.



Suddenly it stopped then dropped to the floor. Horror rolled through her, and the sharp taste of evil filled every corner of her mind. She fell to the ground. Claws scraped her back, burning like fire, then the spawn was past her, billowing like a sail as it struggled to stop. She scrambled to her feet and hit it with everything she had.



It screamed and was flung backwards, splattering against a wall. Moisture dribbled from it, searing into the rock as if it were acid.



She shivered. The flame imp pulsed its warning. She ran after it, her footsteps as frantic as the beat of her heart. Warmth dribbled down her back. She knew she was bleeding, but she felt no pain. Terror had numbed her.



Ahead, the sound of running water was becoming stronger. Was that where the flame imp was leading her? She hoped so. Michael had said water repelled it, but what good would it really do? She couldn't stay in the water forever, and the spawn would have her the minute she stepped out of it. The bitter taste of evil rushed through her again. Her stomach rose swiftly. Swallowing bile, she fell to the left. Her shoulder hit rock, bruising her. The spawn billowed past again, screaming in frustration. She hit it again, pushing it back against the wall. Glancing at the ceiling, she saw a fissure in the roof line and pulled. There was a sharp crack, and a huge chunk of ceiling fell, covering the smoky form with rocks and stones. Dust flew in the air, catching in her throat, making her cough. The spawn screamed its fury. It was contained, but not for long. Tendrils of smoke were beginning to hiss from the gaps and solidify.



She ran on. The flame imp pulsated ahead, splashing red streams of color across the walls. Like blood, she thought. Her blood, if the spawn got hold of her.



Dread clutched her heart, squeezing tight. Energy tingled across her fingers in response, but the familiar ache was also beginning in her head. If she pushed too much further she'd lock her mind in pain, and the spawn would surely grab her.



She wished Michael were here, wished she could reach for the comfort of the link. But she couldn't. There wasn't anything he could do to help her, and opening the link so he could taste her terror would only panic him. If she wanted to be a full partner in his life, then she was going to have to cope with situations like this without his help.



Behind her, the spawn roared its fury. A chill chased across her skin. It was free. Ahead, the flame imp had stopped again. Color splashed across the walls—across the surface of a stream that cut through the tunnel.



If it's deep I'll drown, she thought, and dove toward the water anyway. Better death by water than being consumed by the smoke demon behind her.



Talons of smoke wrapped around her calf and fire burned up her leg. She yelped, swallowing water as she dove under. Stones grazed the side of her face then her head smashed into something solid. Stars danced briefly and panic surged. She thrust upwards, breaking the surface, coughing the water from her throat. Warmth trickled down the side of her face. She ignored it, twisting around frantically, searching for the spawn.



It was diving for her head. She screamed and battered it away kinetically. It splattered against the wall; rock hissed and bubbled as clear liquid spurted from it. It peeled itself away, then dove toward her again. She ducked under the water. The spawn hovered above her, yellow smoke body pulsating, as if in frustration. Again, she lashed at it kinetically. Pain burned through her head. She rose, coughing and spluttering, gasping for breath and looking around frantically. The flame imp whisked heat past her face again, then dove under the water. It rose, spinning frantically, then shot upwards, out of sight again. She frowned, wondering what ... the burning sensation of evil filled her senses again. She twisted, saw the spawn coming in from behind. Grabbed it kinetically and thrust it under the water.



Steam rose, hissing through the darkness. The spawn became frenzied, twisting and surging against her hold. Pain shot through her brain, sharper than before. She wouldn't be able to hold it much longer. The flame imp shot past her and hovered above a pile of rubble, its color washing between red and green. She reached kinetically, picking up the pile of rubble and dumping it on the twisting, screaming spawn. It didn't cover the creature completely. She bit her lip and reached again. Hot lances of fire burned through her brain. She blinked back tears and thrust a second load of rubble over the creature. This time it was covered. But just to be sure, she grabbed the remaining stones and dumped those over the creature as well.



She released her hold and scrambled backwards down the stream. The spawn's scream was a sound of combined fury and pain. But unlike the last time she'd buried the thing, there was no telltale leakage of smoke, nothing to indicate the creature was escaping. If water repelled it, maybe it could also contain it. Maybe that was what the flame imp had been trying to tell her.



She glanced up. The flame imp hovered several feet above her head, its color a muted green. It had saved her life. “Thank you."



As if in response, gold flicked through the green. She smiled and dragged herself from the water. Heat burned across her right calf, and her stomach churned. Biting her lip, she looked down. When the spawn had grabbed her leg, it had burned a hole through her jeans and seared her skin. In the muted green light provided by the flame imp, her calf looked scarlet with heat and was already beginning to blister. But there was nothing she could do about it right now, except put up with the pain. She'd promised Michael she'd get Rodeman out of here, and that had to be her first priority. After that, she fully intended to go find Michael and provide whatever help she could. Maybe somewhere in between the two she could grab some pain killers and something to numb the burn.



How in hell was she going to get Rodeman out? She thrust a hand through her wet hair. She still wasn't sure, but there had to be some way. Maybe she'd just have to keep trying to wake him. He wouldn't stay under forever. Consciousness would eventually surface. Hopefully sooner rather than later. She glanced up at the flame imp. “You want to lend me some light and maybe lead the way back to that cell?” Somewhere along the line, she'd dropped her flashlight.



The flame imp zipped past her, flashing gold across the walls. The color changed abruptly to red. Fear surged through her, but before she could react, hands grabbed her, covering her mouth and dragging her back into the water.



Chapter Twenty-One



Michael walked down the slight incline, his gaze not wavering from Elizabeth. She waited in the middle of the cavern, a smile touching her ruby lips. Stalagmites ringed the rock floor, forming a natural arena. An arena from which only one of them would walk free.



He stopped on the outer edges, watching the shadows cast across her face by the flickering flame. It made her look old—gaunt. “You don't have to do this, Elizabeth." A bitter smile twisted her lips. “You're wrong. I do."



"Cordell?"



She nodded. “While he does not control me, he controls the flame imp who shares my body. I have no choice in this matter now."



"Cordell is near?” He couldn't sense him, but that didn't mean anything. The man might be using magic to cover his tracks.



"No.” Her smile was brittle. “The fool thinks you raid his office files. He has gone up to check." There had to be a third entrance to the caverns, because they certainly hadn't seen him on the way down. “But he left you here as guard."



"A guard he did not think would be necessary.” She shrugged. “You should have left the resort while you still had the chance."



"You knew I wouldn't."



Her smile was almost sad. “Yes. And the pity of it is, you will not even provide a good fight. The fledglings have weakened you considerably."



As Cordell had no doubt planned. “Don't write me off just yet, dear Elizabeth."



"Determined to the end, as ever.” She smiled, revealing gleaming canines. “I shall ensure the safety of your thrall in honor of your death."



"And I will kill Cordell in revenge for yours."



She inclined her head, an almost regal movement. The terms had been set and agreed. He flexed his shoulders, rolled his neck. Waited for her first move.



It came too quickly. One second she was twenty feet in front of him, the next beside him. Her first blow hit his chin but did little more than snap his head back. He blocked her second jab with his left forearm. She laughed and quickly backpedaled. He didn't bother following her. She was only teasing, and he wanted to save his strength for the main battle.



But it was already obvious he didn't have a hope of matching her speed or her strength. Not in his current condition. Which meant he'd have to lean heavily on psi abilities—abilities that were, in some respects, nowhere near as strong as Nikki's.



Elizabeth blurred, rushing in from the left. He faded to the right then twisted, sweeping with his injured leg. He caught her in the back and sent her flying.



Again her laughter rolled through the night. She reappeared on the far side of the arena. Amusement touched her eyes, making them gleam with golden fire. Just for an instant, he again saw the woman he'd given up life for.



I don't want to kill her, he thought. But he knew he had no other choice. He flexed his fingers and waited for her next move.



The shadows wrapped around her. He tracked her movements through the heat of her body, dodging to one side when she dove toward him. He saw the flash of silver in the gleam of the candlelight and reached kinetically, tearing the knife from her grasp. Then he smashed his fist into her mouth, felt her flesh give and her canines and jawbone shatter. When he saw the surprise in her eyes, he realized she hadn't thought he would really hurt her. She'd expected an easy kill, and he had to wonder why. She twisted and stopped several feet away. Blood oozed from her broken mouth, smothering her chin. She wiped it with a finger then lightly sucked it. Hunger and need flared in her eyes. “You have improved since we last fought."



"And you have learned to cheat.” He held up the silver knife. The hilt was wrapped in leather, but heat pulsed against the fingers nearest the blade. It had to be made of the purest silver to give such a reaction. If Elizabeth had managed to nick him, the wound would never have healed. “I can remember you scorning fledglings who dared fight with anything more than their fists or their wits." She shrugged. “The knife was not my idea. I prefer an even fight. You know that." He nodded. She'd been raised in the times of the Roman gladiators, and he had no doubt she still turned fledglings simply to watch them combat in her death arenas. “You could fight him, Elizabeth. You were never one to follow the desires of others."



Her bloody smile was resigned, almost sad. “No, I wasn't, and perhaps that is why I must now pay my dues. What goes around comes around. You once told me that." He'd once told her many things. None of it had seemed to ever matter to her. “Fight him, Elizabeth. Don't let him do this to you. Never in my life have I ever met anyone as strong as you.” Except, perhaps, Nikki.



She shrugged. “It matters not any more. Kill me if you can, my fledgling, for I have grown tired of this life."



He raised his eyebrows. He'd never thought he'd hear such an admission from her, but in a way, it explained her recent actions. Maybe draining Matthew and turning the children were a last, desperate measure to keep some excitement in her life. She'd never been one to enjoy the serenity of doing nothing. He flexed his fingers, waiting for her to move. “Why didn't you attack Nikki in the warehouse?" She smiled. “She had your taste, Michael. I thought she might bring you back to me." In some respects, she had, but not in the way Elizabeth had hoped. “Then why take five fledglings with you? You've never needed help like that before."



She snorted softly. “I still don't. Cordell insisted. Perhaps he didn't trust me.” Her sudden smile was full of maliciousness. “Perhaps in that he was right."



She wiped an arm across her bloody mouth, then let the shadows take her form and ran straight at him. He sidestepped at the last moment and slashed with the knife—not high, but low, cutting her tendons, wounding her as he had been wounded.



She screamed in fury and launched at him. He plunged the knife hilt-deep into her gut. Silver fire crackled across her abdomen, burning her flesh, burning him. There was no reaction from her. She tackled him, her weight knocking him down. The knife was still buried deep in her flesh, but she paid it no heed. Her fingers were like talons, tearing at his face, his neck. The smell of her blood perfumed the night, and part of him wanted to taste her, feed from her, as she had fed from him so often in the past. He ignored the need, ignored the hands tearing at him, and reached up to her neck. Anticipation gleamed in her eyes. She really did want this death. It hadn't been just talk. That was why she had toyed with him. That was why she had attacked as she had. Cordell might have forced her to fight, but he couldn't force her to win.



He wrapped his hands around her neck, then leaned forward and kissed her. “Good-bye Elizabeth,” he whispered against her lips. “May you find in this death what you could never find in life." Her smile was a mix of relief and sorrow. “Thank you, Michael. May the gods finally grant your heart's desire."