Jewel of Darkness (14 page)

“He won't continue to chase her,” Adira said confidently. “He doesn't want to make her more afraid. He might be stubborn but he isn't stupid.”

“He's a male Canis lupis. I'm pretty sure stupid is in his chemical makeup.”

Adira laughed. “Oh, I bet your mate just adores you.”

Peri chuckled. “He tolerates me.” Her face grew serious as she met the pixie woman’s eyes. “She is precious to many. If I leave her in your care, you will be held responsible for every hair on her head.”

“She will be safe with me. Probably she is safer with me than anywhere else. No one, not even Volcan, would think to look for her with one of my kind.”

Peri nodded, “True enough.” Peri couldn't disagree. Adira’s tribe of pixies was very powerful. Because of that, they were, in a way, outcasts from their own kind. Pixies never liked to be at a disadvantage. Perhaps, it was some sort of a supernatural Napoleon complex. They always tended to side with other supernatural beings that had the most power, but when it came to their own kind, they were leery of any with an abundance of power.

“I will leave her with you then. Please don't make me regret this decision.” Peri gave the pixie one last warning look and then flashed from her presence. Her next stop would be to check on the group who was seeking out Thadrick. She probably shouldn't have let them go on their own, but she had so many irons in the fire that it was impossible for her to be all the places she needed to be.

“Are you well?”
Lucian's voice purred in her mind.

She appeared just down the block from the house that Peri knew was to be the first stop on Elle's list.
“I've yet to turn anyone into something unpleasant, so I suppose I'm better than expected,”
she told him.
“How is Dalton?”
She almost didn't want to know the answer.

“He's sparring with the other wolves.”

“Who's getting a beating at the moment?”

“All of them.”

Peri coughed.
“He's fighting all of them at the same time?”

“He was slightly upset that you left without filling him in on your plan.”
Lucian sounded amused.

“Are you going to join in?”

“If I get bored.”

Peri tried not to worry, but despite the hard time she gave him, she loved Lucian and would be more than a little pissed if Dalton hurt him.
“Please don't let him hit you in the face. I'm sort of fond of your good looks.”

He chuckled,
“As you wish, love. Be safe and come back to me quickly.”

“I've just got one more stop.”
Peri focused her attention on her surroundings, and though they weren't talking through their bond anymore, she could still feel his presence in her mind. She had thought that it would feel invasive to have someone so close, but to her surprise it was a comfort.

Peri walked down the sidewalk until she came to the dilapidated house that hid the veil to the djinn realm. She turned to look at the pitiful looking group sitting on the failing stairs.

“Where, pray tell, is Sally?” she asked, noticing the healer’s absence immediately, not to mention the forlorn but somehow also angry expression on Costin's face.

“He took her,” Costin bit out as his hands clenched into fists.

Peri looked at the house behind them and noticed that it seemed to pulse with energy. Thadrick was working some powerful magic in order to keep Elle out.

“Let me get this straight,” she began as she folded her arms in front of her chest. “I send you on a mission to find someone who can hopefully give us information to help our lost healer and her mate and somehow you lose your own healer?”

“Peri, you aren't helping,” Elle warned.

She looked away from Costin's snarling face briefly to meet the eyes of her comrade. “It is not my job to make him feel better about his failure to protect the gift handed to him by the Great Luna. It is my job to protect all of you, and when one of you fails to protect what's yours, then I fail. So far, I have six healers in my care and two of them are now missing. Can you see how this might tick me off just a little?”

“She isn't your responsibility,” Costin practically yelled. “She's mine. My mate, my Sally, and I'm the one responsible for her.”

“Then do your job and protect her!” Peri yelled back. She shouldn't be poking the already upset wolf, but she was pissed. Sally wasn't just any healer. She was the woman who had been willing to die for her. Peri's mind drifted back to the day in the dark forest when they'd been fighting Reyaz, the deranged warlock hell bent on destroying his brother and anyone else who got in his way. He'd toyed with them and pitted the females against each other, ensuring that one of a pair would not survive whatever challenge they faced. Peri, along with the Romanian wolves, had been attempting to rescue the kidnapped females. But instead of accepting that rescue, Sally had been willing to sacrifice herself in place of Peri.

“Perhaps, we all just need to take some deep breaths,” Elle suggested.

Peri shot her a piercing glance. “Is that going to bring Sally back?”

“Perizada,” Sorin spoke up. “We know that you care for her. We all do. Attacking her mate and her friends is not helping the situation.”

Peri knew Sorin was right. She needed to pull herself together. In truth, she was a little shocked at her behavior. She was usually better at controlling her emotions. But then, there had been a lot happening in the past few days, and her nerves were more than a little frazzled.

“Fine,” she finally responded. “Costin, I apologize for losing my temper.” Costin gave her a curt nod but didn't say anything. “How long has Sally been gone?” she asked the group.

“About an hour and a half,” Elle answered. “I don’t think he will hurt her.”

Peri’s head tilted as she considered the house. It looked as though it would fall to the ground at any moment. More than likely, it was simply the will of Thadrick that was holding the place up. It had been a very long time since she’d seen the djinn. She didn’t know what he was like now. When she’d known him a millennia ago, he was quiet, contemplative, and though powerful, he didn’t typically attack people just for the hell of it. His role, after all, was not that of a warrior. He was a historian, a keeper of all supernatural history. If he was still the same man he’d been then, then she agreed with Elle, he wouldn’t hurt her.

“Elle thinks he is curious because she’s a gypsy healer,” Costin said, his voice rough with the presence of his wolf.

“She’s more than likely right. Although Thadrick is the historian and knows all, he doesn’t have much contact with other supernatural beings. He can see them all in his mind’s eye, but that is something quite different from having one standing before you. And the healers are intriguing to many.”

“What are you going to do?” Sorin asked her.

Peri wished she could tell him that she’d simply blow the door down and march in and get Sally. But the truth of it was, Thadrick was powerful, and that might not be the wisest move. He had to be powerful considering all of the things he knew. He had to be able to protect the information in his care. She might be able to best him, but not without collateral damage.

“I’m going to wait, just like you all have been doing. Sally is smart. She’ll be fine and at some point finally convince him to let us in.”

“How can you be so sure?” Costin snapped.

“I’m not, but we don’t really have a choice. Costin, you would know if she was in pain,” Peri argued.

Costin shook his head. “He’s doing something to block the bond. It’s not gone but we can’t communicate.”

“Even so, if she was in serious pain, you would know it.” She could tell he wanted to argue more, but the fight seemed to seep out of him like a tire being deflated.

Elle plopped back down on her spot on the stairs and let out a sigh. “Have I ever told you how much waiting sucks?”

Peri leaned up against the rail of the stairs. “I do believe it is something that we’ve discussed before.”

“Well, it hasn’t changed from those other times. It still sucks.”

“Like a cheap—”

“Perizada,” Sorin growled.

Peri glanced at him from the corner of her eye. “I was going to say cheap vacuum.”

Elle snorted. “I’ll believe that when you kneel before the males of the Canis lupus and apologize for all the times you’ve insulted them.”

“Bite your tongue,” Peri huffed.

“That’s what I thought.”

J
ewel had no idea how long she’d been wandering around the cold corridors of the castle since she’d ventured from her room. She’d been so sure she would be able to find her way to some sort of exit. At this point, she would even take a window, anything to allow her to see outside of the stone walls.
“He’s a powerful high fae, Jewel, did you really think you could escape from him?”
she berated herself.
“It’s better than sitting around like a helpless, damsel,”
she growled in answer.
“And now I’m arguing with myself.”

Jewel turned a corner and let out a loud groan as she leaned her back against the hard, cold wall and slid down until she was sitting on the floor. She was walking in circles. It took everything in her not to scream in frustration. She wasn’t one to lose control of her emotions, or at least she hadn’t been in the past. But, since being pulled into the world of fae, werewolves, and gypsy healers, she’d faced things that she was pretty sure would cause anyone to lose control.

She bit her bottom lip to stifle the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes. Jewel had a thing about crying; she didn’t like it. Crying felt like giving up. She couldn’t afford to give up. There was too much at stake and she couldn’t wait to be rescued.

Just as she started to stand up, she fell back into the wall as Volcan appeared before her. As she looked up at his pissed off, yet amused, face, she considered kicking him in the crotch. But when he recovered he would probably beat the living daylights out of her, and she couldn’t attempt to escape if she was too damaged to walk.

“It’s slightly adorable that you thought you could escape me,” Volcan purred in a voice that made it clear to Jewel that the beating she was hoping to avoid was still a possibility.

“Would you expect anything less from someone who doesn’t like to feel weak?” she asked him.

“No, I suppose not. But I also expect obedience. And since that doesn’t seem to be your strong suit, I will help you change that little flaw.” He grabbed her arm and flashed them from the corridor. They reappeared in a room she had not yet seen. As she turned around slowly, taking in the objects on the wall, she quickly realized it was a room she could have gone her entire life without every entering.

“I’m sure you can deduce what many of those tools are used for, but don’t worry, I have no plans to use them. I think you will require a hands-on approach when it comes to discipline.”

Jewel didn’t even have time to consider his words as his fist connected with her face. Pain exploded in her cheek and her skull vibrated with the force of his blow. She staggered backward but didn’t fall to the ground. Volcan had grabbed her arm before she could tumble all the way down. He pulled her forward at the same time as his fist once again flew forward slamming into her stomach. The air rushed from her lungs with a force that caused her chest to hurt. Jewel blinked rapidly, fighting the darkness that was threatening to take her as she struggled to pull oxygen back into her body.

“I will do whatever it takes to get you to understand that you belong to me. The life you once knew is gone. The sooner you accept that, the less pain you will feel.”

Jewel wanted to tell him that his words weren’t true because if she gave into him, she would feel a different kind of pain. It would be a pain that a physical beating couldn’t even rival because she would be choosing evil. Jewel would be going against everything she’d ever been taught, not to mention the hurt and pain it would cause those she cared about. Even if she had been brave enough to speak, she couldn’t. Her lungs were still struggling to inflate as she took in gulps of air that sounded strangled in her throat.

“Kneel before me and vow your fealty,” Volcan growled as he loomed over her.

She shook her head. One of her eyes was swelling shut, making it difficult to see him, but still she met his eyes. He slapped her. She shook her head again, though her face stung as though a thousand bees had stung her cheek all at once. Volcan slapped her again and again and again. With each shake of her head, he continued his punishment. Jewel finally fell to the ground, but she leaned to the side, deliberately making sure that she didn’t appear to be kneeling before him.