“Y-you really think so?”
“Absolutely.” Hooking one hand behind her head, he pulled her close for a slow, comforting kiss. He breathed her in, the heaviness in his chest momentarily lifting. Pulling back, he met her gaze.
She bit her lip. “Okay. We’ll do it then.”
It was staggering, the level of faith she placed in him. It filled him with equal parts exhilaration and abject terror. He’d never worried about letting someone down before because it simply hadn’t been an issue for him. But almost from the moment he’d laid eyes on Marabella, it’d become a constant anchor weighing his conscience.
There was that damn conscience again. If his current state of mind didn’t prove that was the single worst condition cursed to human and demonkind, nothing would.
Shoving his disgruntled musings aside, he stood and nodded. “All right, ready when you are.” He squared his shoulders, preparing himself for transport. To his surprise, Marabella hopped to her feet and stood on tiptoes before pressing her mouth to his again. Unlike their prior kiss, this one held heat and determination.
Her arms falling to her sides, she took a small step away from him. “Hurry back to me, Sam.”
His breath ragged, he stared at her. “With more of that waiting for me, you better believe it.”
A tremulous smile played at her lips. Their combined energy snapped and rolled across his skin, charged for dispatch. The link stretched, becoming elastic and fluid as the environment surrounding him distorted. In the next second the room vanished, and he was hurtling through the endless void of teleport space. A fissure opened in front of him, and he rocketed through it. A blurred landscape formed, its mass of discordant shapes in a state of suspended motion. With a jolt, he locked in place. A massive metal wall stood before him, towering imposingly toward the obsidian skyline. Wicked-looking barbed wire topped its uppermost ledge, crackles of electricity shooting from its network of filaments.
He’d arrived at the outermost gate of the Death Wards.
A ridiculous sense of pride washed over him at the accomplishment. The emotion was directed at Marabella though, not him. Her powers were responsible for getting him there. Hell, he’d only been along for the ride. Tapping into his senses, he mentally scanned for the status of their link. The signal was fuzzy. More than likely, the farther he traveled into the Wards, the weaker the link would grow. He’d just have to hope it’d stay strong enough to get him back home, since he sure as shit didn’t relish the thought of being stuck in this devil-forsaken place.
His boots crunching on the jagged granite, he approached the gatehouse posted at the center section of the wall. The guard stationed inside tore his attention from the bank of monitors suspended from the ceiling and eyed him suspiciously. Sam reached into his rear pocket and grabbed the ID card that held his credentials, sending up a silent prayer that he was still listed in the registry—and that Pricilla hadn’t put an official warrant on his record. He flipped the card onto the small metal tray protruding from the bulletproof glass. The guard retracted the tray and swiped the card.
Tension stiffening his muscles, Sam waited for the results. The guard removed the ID from his scanner and squinted at Sam, visually sizing him up. Sam slid his hand beneath the hem of his shirt and released Lucy’s safety clip.
“Section you’re visiting?”
A fraction of the tension uncoiled from Sam, but he kept his hand hovering over Lucy. “Sector six.” Situations like this, a lie was easier than bringing added attention to himself by openly trekking into the restricted zone.
“Weapons?”
There was no point in lying. He’d never make it through the scanner. Leaving Lucy behind would be an obstacle, but not an insurmountable one. He’d have to manually sneak Aster’s soul back to the gate—in other words, convince the spirit to use its own two feet and walk. Providing he managed that much, Sam would then have to knock out the guard, grab Lucy and chamber Aster’s soul so he could transport him back to the earth realm. All without getting his own ass shot at by any of the hundreds of guards manning this fucking rock.
Piece of cake.
Grunting, he freed Lucy from her holster and tossed her onto the tray. The guard buzzed him through. Sam eyed the massive reinforced metal doors as they slowly yawned open. Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward. Here goes nothing.
Her stomach jittery with nerves, Marabella nibbled her thumbnail and rose from the couch. “I barely feel him.”
Cass gave her a soothing pat on the arm. “Try not to worry about it. Stress will only weaken the link.”
She really wished Cass had mentioned that sooner. “Is there something I should be doing?” She hated this waiting-around stuff that made her feel as useful as a one-legged sloth.
“It’s all pretty much up to Sam now. Once he has Aster, he’ll lock into the link and ride it home.” Cass attempted a smile of reassurance. “Everything will be fine. In the meantime, just focus on keeping your energy strong.”
She easily read between the lines. Cass didn’t want her to freak out and break the link. Yeah, no problem. She sucked in a calming breath. A distraction would go a long way in getting her nerves under control.
“Is it okay if I work downstairs for a while?” She sort of felt like an idiot for asking, but she was basically still in training with this familiar-link stuff. She didn’t want to do anything to screw things up.
“Sure. Give me a sec and I’ll be right down.” Cass headed in the direction of the guest bath.
After checking to make sure she hadn’t left the coffeepot on in the kitchen, Marabella ventured downstairs and unlocked the door leading into Bella’s Boutique. Flipping lights on along the way, she ventured toward the front entrance. A scuffing noise sounded behind her. Cass. “That was fast.”
Marabella started to pivot just as a hand slammed over her mouth. Those same hands dug into her with brutal force and yanked her against a thick belly. Terror clawed its way up her esophagus. The staccato tap of approaching footsteps filled her ears, competing with the dull rush of her pounding heartbeat. She struggled against her captor, fear and panic jockeying for the foremost sensation within her.
Self-preservation broke through her fog of terror, and she called upon every ounce of her magic. It manifested in a dazzling burst of light. A sharp, painful prick jabbed into her arm, and she yelped, the sound smothered by the palm clamped over her mouth. A strange wooziness swept over her, and the brilliant light surrounding her receded.
“You’re an extremely difficult woman to get alone, my dear.” A dark-haired woman with cold eyes and an even chillier smile stepped into view. She capped the syringe in her hands before slipping it into the pocket of her black suit jacket.
The hands gripping Marabella lifted her before upending her over her captor’s shoulder. She opened her mouth, attempting to produce enough noise to alert Cass, but nothing came out. Her head feeling impossibly heavy, she closed her eyes. She struggled to fix the image of Sam in her brain. Their already-weakened link sputtered and dimmed. A moment later, unconsciousness claimed her.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Sam bypassed the alley filled with raucous hellhounds engaged in a rowdy game of poker. A howl of triumph bayed from one of the cigar-chewing players, followed by the loud chorus of groans from his comrades. Sam took note of the street number so he’d remember not to pass this way on his return trip. If there was one thing he didn’t need, it was the wicked snap of a hellhound’s teeth chomping at his ass. Even out of their hound form, those badass motherfuckers weren’t something you wanted to tangle with.