Chapter Four
Dane
No sooner had I put the phone to my ear than Malachi passed out. Shit. I hoped like hell his friend answered. Taking this imposing man to the local hospital was out of the question.
The doctors might get a little curious about the whole black wings thing Malachi had going on.
“How many shovels do I need to bring?”
What a weird thing to say. “Hello? Is this Kyson?”
Silence, and then he asked with attitude, “Who in the fuck are you?”
My gaze shot to Malachi, wondering just what kind of friends he had. Clearly bad ones, or maybe good ones if the guy was willing to bring shovels. “Look, you don’t have to be hostile with me. I was only doing what Malachi asked me to do.”
Hell if I was going to let anyone intimidate me. I’d had enough of that from Osiris. Just thinking about him made me look around, praying he didn’t catch up to me. I was lingering in this town way too long and needed to get moving.
I should’ve been just as terrified of Malachi, but so far, he’d been nothing but nice to me.
He offered you some ribs and wrapped his wings around you. If that’s your standard for nice, you’re an idiot.
“He asked you to call me ?”
Kyson sounded stunned before adding, “On his phone?”
“Obviously.”
I kept looking around. Osiris was capable of possession, so he could be anyone walking on the streets, though I didn’t see a single person. This town was dead. “Malachi is passed out in my backseat. Can you come get him?”
I felt like I was calling a parent to come pick up their drunken kid.
“Send me your location.”
There was still confusion in his voice. “How badly is he hurt? Wait, why are you still alive?”
“Fairy dust.”
I moved closer to Malachi when a car turned the corner slowly then headed my way, like an unconscious…whatever he was could defend me. Even if he hadn't passed out, he was in no shape to fight. If that was Osiris behind the wheel, I was screwed.
The distant sound of a cat yowling caused me to jump, the silence of the empty street only making the noise more pronounced.
“I’m in some town called Ashwood. Do you know it?”
The car that had turned the corner earlier slowed to a stop at the curb. Its headlights stayed on, but the driver didn’t make a move to get out.
“Does a cat piss in a litter box?”
Kyson’s bizarre answer made me frown as I glanced away from the car. “Unless it’s an outside cat.”
“I guess I didn’t think that one through,”
he replied. “Where in town are you parked?”
I scanned my surroundings, searching for something that could help. After fleeing Flaming Wings, I hadn’t exactly taken note of landmarks. Street signs? Nowhere to be found. Just decorative hanging plants on every other lamppost. Real helpful.
“There’s a post office across the street,”
I said finally, hoping it was enough.
Kyson’s breathing grew heavier on the other end of the line, but he didn’t respond.
My gaze flicked back to the car parked ahead. Its headlights still burned brightly, illuminating the empty street. The driver remained motionless inside, hidden in the glare.
I caught myself moving even closer to Malachi, my leg brushing his. I wasn’t sure who was behind the wheel, but Malachi had defended me in the restaurant, so I would try to defend him until his friend arrived.
But if it was Osiris playing some kind of mind game…
“You never told me your name.”
“D-Dane,”
I said into the phone, squinting as I watched the car, once again handing out my real name. Then again, Malachi already knew it, so what was the point in lying?
“Move aside.”
“Why would I…”
A shriek blasted from me when I saw a skinny guy around my height standing not a foot from me. He ended the call and slipped his phone into his pocket, a wide smirk stretching across his face. Then he frowned.
“You need to be a little more aware of your surroundings, Dane. Never zone out. It’s a good way to die.”
“So is scaring the crap out of me!”
My hand was against my chest, my heart trying to beat its way out. He’d approached so silently I hadn’t heard a single step.
That was some next-level ninja skill.
Kyson ran his fingers through his blond hair and peered into the backseat. “What exactly happened to him?”
A sharp pull tightened my lips. “You’re not worried he’ll bleed out?”
I was worried. There was so much blood soaked into the seats I’d never get it out. If I got pulled over again, the cops would take one look and slap cuffs on me.
“He’ll fall into a coma, but he won’t die.”
Curiosity flickered in his greenish-gray eyes. “Seriously, why aren’t you dead?”
He gestured toward Malachi who was still unconscious, but I could see the faint rise and fall of his chest. “When a vampire is this wounded, they need a lot of blood, yet I don’t see a mark on you.”
My breath stalled, my body following suit. Vampire? Rationally, I shouldn’t be surprised. Demons existed. I was only certain about one. Osiris. But there could’ve been more.
Malachi became the center of my attention in an instant. Every detail of his face felt sharper, more pronounced, as if the truth had altered my perception.
“Fuck. You didn’t know, did you?”
I glanced at Kyson, the weight of the moment making it impossible to think.
“Have your meltdown later.”
He waved a dismissive hand at me. “I need to get the prince home.”
Prince? I had a prince bleeding in my backseat? Let it go for now. The more pressing problem is getting out of town before Osiris finds you.
“How are you getting him home?”
As far as I could see, Kyson hadn’t driven here. Wait… “How did you get here?”
“With some of that fairy dust you were talking about.”
He leaned into the car, his bony arms flexing as he hauled Malachi out effortlessly.
A gasp escaped, leaving my lips parted. He’d picked up the vampire as if Malachi weighed nothing, slinging him over his shoulder. Holy shit. Dude was only around five-six with a slim build, but Malachi had to be six-five, maybe six-six. How was that possible?
“How can you lift him?”
I backed up a few steps when he turned and closed the back door with his foot.
He glanced at me. “Do you really want the fairy dust answer again?”
My gaze darted past Kyson to the parked car when the headlights blinked off, plunging the street into shadows.
The driver’s door creaked open.
Osiris stepped out.
His hand rested on the doorframe, the other casually perched on the roof of the car. The corners of his mouth pulled back in a twisted grin. A wave of dread slammed into me, stealing my breath.
Damn the sheriff for pulling me over. Whitmore had delayed my escape, and then I’d stuck around because of Malachi. But I couldn’t just dump him out of my car before taking off. And I hadn’t wanted to take him with me for fear he would die in my car.
Now that I knew he wouldn’t have died, I should’ve just taken him with me and figured out what to do later.
“Friend of yours?”
Kyson asked as he stared at the man the demon was possessing.
“His name is Osiris.”
My gaze shot to Kyson when I heard a quick inhale of breath. “You know him?”
“We need to get moving, Dane.”
“ We ?”
I was so done with all of this and refused to get dragged in any deeper. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”
The demon started toward us, his steps slow and measured. He lowered his head slightly, looking at me from under his thick lashes. A low laugh curled out of his throat, his smirk deepening with every second.
“Perfect. This is exactly what I wanted. My pet, my enemy, and the last toy I broke years ago.”
His grin widened. “Hello, Kyson.”
His words seemed amplified on the empty streets.
“Hello, dickhead.”
Kyson gave Osiris a one-finger salute, but standing this close, I caught the flicker of stark fear in his greenish-gray eyes. “And before you ask, I’ve missed you about as much as a ball sac rash.”
I studied Kyson’s profile, stunned he’d felt Osiris’s cruelty too.
“We need to go,”
he said out of the side of his mouth.
“How?”
I whispered back, suddenly willing to follow him anywhere. Hell, I’d even go with Deputy Harrington if it meant escaping Osiris.
It was obvious Kyson wasn’t planning to use my car. He wouldn’t have pulled Malachi out if he were.
The demon tilted his head back, laughter rolling out as though he couldn’t hold it in any longer. “I suppose it is I who has missed you , sweet boy.”
My gaze swung to the rippling air that shimmered in front of us. It was like seeing a heatwave rising off asphalt, but this was vertical and it wasn’t that hot outside. The distortion grew until it stood as tall as Kyson and was as wide as the two of us.
I had an urge to reach out and poke it, but I was too busy watching Osiris advance. His fingers twitched visibly, his hands clenched tight at his sides.
“Come to me now, Dane.”
Each word dropped like a stone.
Without realizing it, I took a step forward. The smile that spread across Osiris’s lips promised pain dressed as pleasure.
“ Not gonna let him have you. For some reason Malachi spared your life, so now I’m about to save it too.”
Kyson’s words barely registered. My gaze stayed locked on Osiris’s. Without Malachi to intervene like he had in the restaurant, I was being drawn to the demon, piece by piece.
A sharp shove to my shoulder jolted me, propelling me through the shimmering ripple. The sensation of passing through it made every hair on my body stand, but it also kind of tickled.
I let out a sharp gasp as I spun around. We were no longer on the streets of Ashford. Everything around me gleamed in ruby red and obsidian marble. Our steps echoed as Kyson led us past a massive, thirty-foot archway into an impossibly long hallway.
But he was walking faster now, with more urgency. I was too out of shape to keep up.
“Slow down,”
I said breathlessly, feeling a hard burn in my side. The hallway felt a mile long. Malachi needed to invest in segways or moving sidewalks. I was going to pass out before we made it to… wherever we were going.
It was pathetic how much I was sweating and I’d only gone a short distance. I needed a folding chair, a cold iced tea, and about an hour’s rest before I could continue.
“We can’t slow down,”
Kyson said over his shoulder. “If anyone sees Malachi like this, shit just might hit the fan. Plus, I need to get you to safety.”
By the time we made it to two heavy-looking ornately carved doors, I felt like I needed a hit or two of oxygen.
Kyson braced a shoulder against the wood, shoving one door open. Then he did the same to close it after I passed through.
Holy. Shit.
My jaw went slack as I glanced around the bedroom.
The room was ginormous , with ceilings that soared high and curved gracefully into arches adorned with strange carvings. Warm light from a grand chandelier overhead cast soft, flickering shadows across the space. Every detail screamed luxury. The walls, a seamless blend of stone and marble, seemed eerie to me.
Kyson moved swiftly toward a huge four-poster bed draped in heavy black fabric that looked like it belonged in some ancient palace. The bedspread was deep green, accented by pillows embroidered with golden threads. Kyson eased Malachi onto the bed then arranged the unconscious vampire’s body.
I glanced away and saw velvet curtains framing massive windows, their dark burgundy folds spilling onto the polished floors. Beyond the window, the night stretched into an endless expanse of shadowed landscape with faint outlines of a distant highway.
Highway? Where exactly was this castle?
Ignoring the location for a moment, I stepped forward, the soles of my shoes scuffing faintly against a Persian rug sprawled across the stone floor. My fingers grazed the back of a tall chair near a fireplace, its hearth empty. A faint metallic scent lingered in the air, mixing with something earthy and warm, but I couldn’t tell what it was.
To one side of the room, a dark vanity caught my eye. Its surface was cluttered with random objects—a fancy goblet, a small vial with a deep crimson liquid, and a black feather. It had to be from his wings, but my mind went straight to the gutter as I imagined him using it to gently brush someone’s skin during sex.
Above the vanity was a huge mirror, its edges painted in strange patterns that seemed to move in the low light. I saw my own reflection, but it felt out of place in this room.
Those moving patterns were creeping me out. If I knew where any light switches were, I would turn them all on.
My gaze wandered back to the bed. Malachi’s massive frame looked almost too large for it as Kyson adjusted one of the pillows beneath his head.
I drifted closer, my curiosity getting the better of me. The room was amazing, but it was Malachi who now drew my attention. “What is this place?”
Kyson studied me then gave an eerie laugh. “The less you know, the better.”
Considering I hadn’t wanted to get involved in the first place, I was fine with that. “Just show me to the exit and I’ll be on my way.”
So far, I liked Kyson, but his almost-chilling laugh made me reconsider becoming BFFs with him. I also prayed I hadn’t stupidly walked into a setup. If I had, I was about to be drained. “What’s with the villainous laugh?”
“You really think so?”
He grinned. “I’ve been working on it. Do you really think it sounds villainous?”
I threw my hands on my hips, so over tonight already. “It was creepy, okay? Now tell me how to get the hell out of here. I have a backseat to reupholster and miles to put between me and… him .”
“The demon…”
All humor fled Kyson, his eyes haunted. “How do you know Osiris?”
“I’m guessing the same as you.”
Just like the sheriff, I wasn’t sharing my horror with some guy I’d just met. If Kyson had been one of Osiris’s victims, he knew damn well how I knew the demon. I gestured toward the bed. “What’s your story with Malachi?”
“I need to get him fed,”
he replied, but I thought I’d heard bitterness in his tone.
Now I was even more intrigued about this place, though I shouldn’t be. The only thing that should intrigue me was an exit.
“What do you have to do to feed him?”
As hard as I tried not to look at Malachi, my gaze kept drifting back to him. Who could blame me? It’s not like I saw winged vampires on a regular basis, and Malachi wasn’t just any winged vampire.
He’s a hot, winged vampire prince.
Don’t even go there. The last guy you were enamored with… I pushed all thoughts of Osiris away.
Kyson side-eyed me as he texted.
I flopped down in the closest chair, unsure what to do. If shimmering portals were the only way in and out of this place, I was pretty certain I wasn’t going anywhere.
“You hungry? Let’s go get something to eat.”
Kyson tucked away his phone. “I’ll have Dick whip up some juicy burgers.”
“Dick?”
“His name is Richard, but I think it’s funny to use the nickname.”
He glanced at me, his smile gone. “Stick close to me or you might end up as the meal around here.”
God, I really hoped Kyson was just kidding around. Please let him be joking.