"The demons are taking us."
Faith did her best impression of a nod but she suspected it looked more like a waver.
I won't be in there with you. Every time the demons come, I disappear from you.
I noticed. Truly, for a person who hadn't known she had a wolf until she was nearly forty she missed it a ton when it wasn't around.
Remember, even if I'm not with you, you're always a wolf.
What did that even mean? Faith had no time to contemplate the subject as she found herself falling through an endless pit of color. Hell, if this is what happened to Theo every time one of the demons called she wouldn't blame him for hiding out in his wolf form. She might even suggest they go do that together.
She landed with a thump and a second later Theo landed next to her. He groaned and sat up faster than she did.
"Are you hurt?"
She shook her head. Not hurt, just nauseous as hell but she wouldn't tell him that. There was no use making him feel guiltier.
Faith looked around the room and gasped. She grabbed Theo's hand and squeezed it tightly. No way would anyone call her a coward but she needed all the support she could get as she stared at the grotesque, distorted faces of over a thousand fire demons sitting in what could best be described as stadium seating staring down at them as if they were the evening's entertainment in a gladiator show.
Whispering, although it was stupid because she knew they could probably hear her, she inched closer to Theo. "Are there always this many?"
"Never seen more than the one inside of me." Theo's eyes were stone as she watched him methodically move from one demon to the next assessing its danger level.
"Do you have your wolf with you?"
"Nope."
She sighed. "So neither of us will be shifting to get out of here then."
"Afraid not."
Faith decided it wasn't a good sign of how Theo felt their chances of survival were that he had resorted to one and two word sentences. They had just mated. Was this the end for them?
"Theo Kane." A voice from the center of the seats caught their attention and Faith adjusted her gaze to try to figure out who it was.
One of the creatures flew over the seats hovering in mid air just two feet above the others. With its arms crossed over its body, it looked bored and put out. Faith could have laughed at the image if she hadn't been so completely terrified. It's not like they'd asked to come and perform. Were they supposed to be juggling?
Theo narrowed his eyes. "You have me at a disadvantage since you obviously know my name but I don't know yours."
"If I told you my name it would do you no good, you couldn't pronounce it even if you could understand it."
"Alright, if we're so primitive let us go and we won't bother you again."
The sigh that escaped the creature's mouth was universal and Faith knew it was losing patience. Her mate was filled with Alpha aggressive instincts but in this circumstance where they were so clearly outnumbered her own skills might be more useful to them. There hadn't been a situation yet where Faith hadn't escaped alive. Perhaps she could maneuver that today--if she was lucky.
"Why don't you tell us why you brought us here?" She hoped her voice didn't waver.
"We have been waiting for the two of you to get together for some time so we could proceed. Most of us thought it would be nine months ago. None of us like being kept waiting."
Theo opened his mouth but Faith squeezed his hand to stop him from speaking.
I don't like you being out there in front of these things.
We're both here whether we like it or not. Let me try to handle this and then if it doesn't work you can step up and growl even without your wolf and try to fight our way out of here.
Theo nodded and Faith let out the breath she'd held. The last thing they needed was for her newly found mate to lose his composure.
"I can assure you, we wish we had met earlier too. But, things worked out as they worked out. I can't tell you how confused we are. Why don't you tell us first why you brought us here and second how it could possibly matter to you how or when we found each other?"
"One year ago, a member of our society chose you," The creature raised its claw to point at Theo. "Thinking you would be worthy to save our people from the enslavement your father has inflicted on two hundred of our number."
"My father inflicts lots of things on lots of people. I'm still not following exactly what you want."
Faith grabbed his arm. She needed to keep Theo cool and collected.
"When you say the demon chose Theo, do you mean that when he did this to him?" Faith reached out and rubbed the scarred half of her mate's face. "He somehow chose him for something?"
Next to her, Theo jerked as if he'd been struck. Faith couldn't blame him. It was as if someone kicked you hard in the gut and then told you how honored you should be to have been injured. It went against every normal instinct that she possessed and she wanted to throw something.
But she was a woman so therefore she was used to smiling when she wanted to vomit and this time would be no different.
"That's right. Our comrade felt that Theo held the strength of character to undergo the task and since we are able to see certain futures before they occur, he felt your arrival would assist him in this."
Faith shook her head. She wouldn't be lied to. "He may have decided that but it wasn't because of some future he saw. He saw us. We were standing right in front of him and he looked at us even though nobody else could see us at all. Not to mention we were there because you sent us there to begin with. So it seems to me you've manipulated this whole thing--whatever it may be--since the beginning."
The demon shrugged his wings. "It's neither here nor there. These things are not lateral. You couldn't possibly comprehend it."
"So explain it so we can understand it."
The crowd murmured. It sounded like a tape player sped up so that everyone sounded like chipmunks except they spoke a language she couldn't even begin to differentiate.
Still floating over the group, the leader nodded and looked at Theo. "Your father has bound two hundred of our kin to him against their will. They are once again being forced to remain on your plane of existence and do things they would prefer not to do."
Theo raised an eyebrow. "Like attempting to kidnap my nephew and then take Cullen and Summer instead?"
The creature nodded. "Exactly."
"We are powerless to help them and are forced to do nothing while they are under Kane's power. One of our kind sacrificed his life--placing his essence inside of you--so that you might free them all."
Before she could speak, Theo broke in. "Look this is all very interesting but the Westervelt Wolves have our own problems. Please believe me about that. I don't know how your friend thought I could help or why he didn't just ask me instead of burning away half of my face and causing me endless pain but I don't think I can help you."
Inside of Faith, something started to rumble. At first, she thought it was her stomach, but soon the whole of her insides felt like they had been lit on fire. She toppled over.
"What are you doing to her?" Theo pulled her off her knees and cradled her in his lap. He looked out at the audience of agitated demons with nothing less than venom in his eyes.
A hissing noise came from the crowd. "We will stop it as soon as you consent."
"You think to blackmail me? I will do nothing for you if you behave like this."
She could tell by his tone that he meant it too. A man like Theo who believed in love and honor would have none of this. He simply wouldn't be able to tolerate this. Grabbing his arm, she forced herself to speak.