Rory drew closer. He felt her pull energy from him so fast, it nearly burned. He couldn’t tell what she was doing with it—whether she would use it to help him or kill him. With the demon free in her mind, there was no way to know whose side she was on.
Cain lifted his sword for another countless attack, but by the time his swing landed, the targets in front of him were gone. They’d been ripped away, screaming in fury as something shoved them back against the cave wall.
Dozens of demons squirmed behind a faintly glowing blue wall. Some of them burst under the pressure, causing others to go into a feeding frenzy for the blood.
Rory stood nearby, staring blindly into space. She wasn’t even facing the right way to see what she was doing.
Her breathing was hard, and her skin was too pale. Her body shook under the strain of crushing the demons.
More power flowed out of him, feeding her magic. She let out a hoarse cry of effort, and the demons behind the glowing wall were crushed into oily black slurry. The few that had escaped, rushed over to feed from the blood leaking out along the ground.
Cain didn’t wait to see what she’d do next. While the demon in her head was still alive, she was a threat. Perhaps she wouldn’t kill him and cut off the source of her power, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t use his power to kill others. There were innocents down here, and it was Cain’s duty to make sure Rory didn’t hurt them.
So, as he promised, he reached into her mind with the intent to render her unconscious. Only nothing happened. She stayed on her feet.
That same blue light that had crushed the demons against the wall formed around him in a cylinder, pinning his arms to his sides. He felt his feet leave the ground, and as she walked deeper into the caves, Cain bobbed beside her like a balloon on a string.
A slow, wicked smile curved her pretty mouth, and when she spoke, the voice that came out was not hers. It was a low, hissing threat. “She’s mine now. And so are you.”
* * *
Chain the human to my bed. Lock the child in a kennel in my room to ensure her cooperation.
Those had been Raygh’s orders to Canaranth, given in such an arrogant, assuming tone it was obvious he didn’t even question whether or not Canaranth would obey.
Is that what he’d become? A lackey who did what he was told without thought or opinion?
Yes, Raygh could kill him with little more than a twitch of his finger. And yes, he was one of the Synestryn lords who ruled with ruthless control. But that didn’t mean Canaranth was a coward.
He loved Ella as much as a monster like him was capable of loving anyone. And his child . . . he’d never thought to feel such profound hope as he had when he’d held his son in his arms.
He’d helped Ella escape once. And while he’d broken his promise to come find her, he’d done it for her own good. She was supposed to be safe behind the Sentinels’ hidden walls.
If it weren’t for Connal, she still would be.
Canaranth was partially responsible for the events that had led up to Ella being back inside the caves. If he’d defied Zillah, refusing to feed Connal, none of this would have happened.
But it had, and now it was Canaranth’s job to protect his family.
He carried Ella into a small stone chamber. Their son sat atop his mother, staring at Canaranth with huge, dark eyes. As he watched, plumes of inky black swirled within his irises, barely visible against the rich brown color.
“I’m your father,” he told the boy. “I’m going to get you out of here. You and your mother will be safe.”
He wasn’t sure how he was going to make that happen—Raygh would be furious that he’d been disobeyed. Still, it was worth whatever punishment he suffered to see his family back in the hands of the Sentinels.
There were two of them here, now. He could smell them nearby. All he had to do was make sure they got out of here alive to take Ella and the boy away.
It struck him that he didn’t even know his son’s name. What kind of father didn’t know such a fundamental fact about his own flesh and blood?
With a twist of regret for things he knew he could never have, Canaranth shoved the compulsion of sleep away from Ella’s mind, waking her.
She blinked several times. “Hello? Who’s there?”
Her human eyes were no longer used to the dark the way they had been. And even then, she’d always needed some light to see. The lighter he carried had reminded him of her, and he once again put it to good use.
The flame flared to life, shining over her face. The golden glow wrapped around her, as if it wanted to be a part of her. So pretty, so clean and soft.
He’d missed everything about her, and only now had he realized how inadequate his memory had been compared to the real thing.
“Canaranth?” she asked in disbelief.
“Yes. You’re safe now, but you must leave here. It’s not safe for you or our son.”
The child had remained utterly silent—no fussy cries or babbling squawks.
Ella pulled the boy to her chest in a hug. “You knew he was yours?”
“Instantly. His scent.”
She swallowed and nodded. “I won’t leave without you. Come away with us.”
“I can’t. You know I can’t. They would hunt me down.”
“We’ll run. We’ll hide.”
“There is nowhere you and I can live in safety. How you managed to keep our son alive for so long is a wonder. He’s so big.”
“Ethan. I named him Ethan. He’s strong, like you. All he needs is us to love him. And the sun.”
The sun. If he hadn’t already been aware of the giant rift between them, that made it clear. “Sunlight keeps him alive?”
“Yes. Like the other boy. I heard rumors. I hid his Synestryn side. No one knows.”
Canaranth stroked Ethan’s silky cheek. “Your mother loves you. I love you. Don’t ever forget that.”
“Don’t talk like you’ll never see him again,” said Ella. “We’re going to be together now.”
She would fight him if he told the truth. There was no time for that now. Later, she would be angry over his lie, but it was for the best.
He forced himself to give her a reassuring smile. “If that’s what you really want.”
“I do.”
“Okay, then you need to listen carefully. We don’t have much time. I need you to stay here, hidden, until I come for you.”
“No, don’t leave. The monsters—”
“Will leave you alone. I’ll see to it. Just stay here and stay quiet. I won’t be long.”
She nodded.
Canaranth had little power, thanks to the human blood running through his veins. But he was powerful enough to protect his family.
He used his teeth to cut open his wrist, and laid a line of blood across the entrance to the chamber. Within the blood, he wove a warning to his kind to stay away. The scent of possession filled the space, marking this area as his.
His measures wouldn’t keep Raygh or any of the other Synestryn lords out, but none of the lesser beasts would bother Ella and their son.
All he had to do now was find the Theronai he smelled and make sure they stayed alive long enough to save his family.
Chapter 30
Rory realized what she was doing too late. She’d been tricked. The demon in her head—Raygh was what he called himself—had been lurking there, waiting silently for an opportunity to strike, and had used her fear for Cain against her. Like a dog following a trail of bacon, she’d gone where Raygh had led, not even realizing that she was no longer in control.
And now she was trapped inside her own body, unable to do anything more than scream in silent frustration and anger.
Visions of hundreds of demons filled her eyes. She saw herself in front of a horrible, monstrous beast.
Raygh.
Its face was sunken, its body hairless, tinted the same color as new bruises. Its flat, open nostrils leaked snot onto its lips and chin, which it licked away with a scaly, black tongue.
She knelt before him, still and pliant, fighting for control. Cain floated at her side, wrapped tightly inside the cage Raygh had crafted using her body. She tried to cut off the flow of power to release him, but it was like the connection between her mind and body was severed.
“You’re wasting your energy,” Raygh hissed at her. Mucus flew from where it leaked over his lips, making her stomach give a queasy heave.
She reached for the luceria, hoping to find some way to touch Cain’s mind. Surely he had a plan. All those thousands of battles he’d shown her were filled with winning strategies. She hadn’t had time to sort through them all and make sense of them, but Cain had been around forever. He had to have a plan.
“Such a dilemma,” said the snot monster. “I really want to kill your beau, but if I do, then all that pretty power of yours will be lost. Just think of what I can do with a trained, bonded pair of Theronai at my command.”
She was definitely thinking about it. At least she was new to all of this, and relatively harmless, unlike some of the other women from Cain’s memories.
Another man walked into the room. Dozens of eyes slid in his direction, giving Rory a clear view. He was tall, pale, and compared to Raygh, beautiful. He could easily have passed as a human—at least from a distance. His voice was soft and mesmerizing, almost gentle. “I think we should cage them. Separately, of course. That will give you time to decide what to do with them.” He moved closer, and small demons parted to allow him to pass. “I will take them now if it pleases you.”
“It does not. I want his blood first. Then there will be no question of their obedience. He will do as I will, just as she does.”
“Of course. You’ll need to lower the barrier holding him.” He had a dagger in his hand, which he held at Cain’s throat with an air of menace. “If you fight, I will kill you.”
Rory felt the flow of power going through her ease as the glowing cylinder of light dissipated down to Cain’s elbows. He struggled, but the tight shield held firm.
She was unable to do anything except witness the event through too many eyes to count. The different angles gave her a disturbingly 3D view, forcing her to witness Cain’s fury from all angles.
“If you hurt her, I will kill you,” growled Cain.
Raygh laughed, sending streamers of mucus flying onto his lap. “I’m going to hurt her. You can be sure of that. In a minute, you’re going to help me hurt her.”
“Never going to happen. I’m bound by my vow.”
“I’m not. You two are simply meat puppets for my amusement. It’s my will that matters. Not yours.”
A ripple of comfort that felt like Cain brushed her mind, gone so soon, she wasn’t sure she’d felt it at all.
“How sweet,” said Raygh. Then to the man with the dagger, “Bring him to me.”
Cain’s body bobbed along the floor as the pale man pulled him by one ear toward Raygh. All she had to do was regain a second of control and Cain would cut those fuckers down before they could blink. His sword was in his hand, pressed tight against his leg. If she could just find the strength to shove the demon back into its box, they’d make it out of this alive.
