“Stop, Mira,” Danaus commanded, his voice closer now. “I’ll help you.” A whisper of cloth and the scrape of his shoes revealed his approach. I put my hands out, feeling for him, not sure if I wanted him close since I couldn’t see him. Danaus took my left hand in his and squeezed it. My other hand brushed against warm skin, his bare chest. I froze, my mind stumbling. To my right I felt Tristan approach. He knelt beside me, his cool presence brushing against me while one of his hands came to rest on my knee.
Danaus released my left hand and placed his hand under my chin, gently tilting my head up. “Hold still. I’m going to wipe your face off.” A soft cloth slowly swept over my face, wiping away Rowe’s blood and the bits of glass. Danaus’s scent filled me. I could smell smoke from the fire at the club, his sweat, the soap he used, and deep down I could smell him now on my skin. He had taken off his shirt and was cleaning my face with the same gentle care one would show a baby.
When he was done, he swept his shirt over my hair, smoothing it back from my face, shaking out any remaining bits of glass. Blinking a few times against the last of the blood that had seeped in, I lifted my eyes to his face. His emotions were clear—fear and anger. Beneath my hand, his heart still pounded like a jackhammer.
“Better?” he asked, his voice deceptively calm.
I tried to speak but the sound cracked before I could form a single word. Jerking from him, I attempted to crawl away from him and Tristan. I couldn’t let them see me cry. They couldn’t know that terror still hummed in every muscle and screamed like a madwoman in my brain.
“No!” Danaus grabbed my wrist and pulled me back. Seated on the ground in the middle of the alley, he held me in his lap, his strong arms forming a protective cocoon around me. Burying my face in his neck, I sobbed. It felt as if my very soul had shattered. All my strength and power had been stolen away the moment Rowe touched me.
“I can’t go with them again. I can’t do it again. Not again,” I pleaded mindlessly, as if Danaus could save me in some way. Images of Nerian and Machu Picchu danced through my head. The memory of my screams and Nerian’s laugh rang in my ears. And now there was Rowe. His scent, the feel of his skin, the heat of his breath, were all imprinted in my brain. I couldn’t escape them.
“Never,” Danaus whispered, his voice breaking through the barrage of memories in my brain. “Never again. I won’t let it happen. The naturi will never touch you again.”
I believed him. From Danaus, it was a vow. If it was within his power, he would not allow the naturi to capture me again. Regardless of what happened between us as vampire and hunter, he would not allow me to fall into the hands of the naturi.
The silence of the alley crept into us as we sat on the ground. With one hand over Danaus’s heart, I pressed my head to his chest with my eyes closed. Tristan sat beside us, his long fingers now entwined in the fingers of my right hand. His presence was a cool, calming balm, while Danaus’s warmth acted as a safety blanket. Listening to his heartbeat, I let its steady rhythm wash through me, cleansing me of the fear and the pain. Danaus rubbed his jaw against the top of my head as his hand ran down my hair and back in a soothing caress. Surrounded in their combined power, for a brief moment I felt protected. But it couldn’t last. The night was dying and we still had to reach Sadira before Rowe found her.
“Thank you,” I whispered, rubbing my cheek against his warm chest before slowly pulling out of his embrace. I gave Tristan’s hand a quick squeeze before pulling my fingers free. My knees shook as I stood, but I managed to keep from falling on my ass.
I walked over to where Rowe had held me. Behind me, I heard Danaus rise and pull his shirt back on. Tristan stood beside me, a soundless shadow. I kept my eyes on the ground. Shards of glass sparkled as they caught some distant shaft of lamplight.
“How was he able to sneak up on us and walk through the wall?” Danaus asked.
“Spells,” I murmured. “I think it’s why he risked a harvest in Jabari’s domain. Certain human organs are needed for some extremely powerful spells. Rowe knew he’d need these spells if he was going to succeed in grabbing me.” Lifting my eyes, I reached out, my fingers hovering mere inches from the brick wall he had come through, but I couldn’t bring myself to touch it. The wall appeared solid, but I half expected to see Rowe’s hand reach out and pull me in.
Danaus walked up beside me and picked up his dagger, which lay on the ground next to the wall. He’d apparently thrown it at the naturi at the same time I blindly threw my fireball. “When you broke the vial, you expected to die,” he said, drawing my gaze. His hair hung down around his face, cloaking his features. “I saw it in your eyes.”
“Yes.” I couldn’t lie. I hadn’t wanted to die, but death was preferable to being held by the naturi.
“Don’t ever do that again.” Anger vibrated in his tone. A long, heavy silence settled between us, holding us still before he finally spoke again. “I will not let you escape me so easily.”
Biting back a smile, I bowed my head slightly. “As you wish.”
I glanced back at the brick wall one last time, my would-be smile fading to a frown. I was tired of being the prey in this little game of cat and mouse. It was time to turn the tables on the naturi.
“Was it just Rowe you couldn’t sense or can’t you sense the naturi at all now?” I asked, cocking my head to the side as I looked at my semihuman companion.
Danaus’s warm powers swept out of the alley and pushed out through the city for almost a full minute before they finally dissipated. “I can sense the naturi, but I cannot tell if one of them is Rowe.”
“How close?”
“Outside the city,” he said with a shake of his head. “To the north.”
“You have any more weapons?” The naturi were killing my kind, killing people in my domain, and Rowe was trying to kidnap me. It was time to strike back.
“We don’t have long until sunrise, Mira,” Tristan interjected.
I nodded, glancing over my shoulder at the young nightwalker. I wanted revenge, but I wasn’t about to get caught out in the open without a safe place to go to ground during the daylight hours. “How far away is this Compound?”
A half smile tugged at one corner of Danaus’s mouth. “Less than two hours away. To the north.”
“So, you’re saying it’s on the way…”
“Possibly. I won’t know until we get started.”
We had time. Not a lot, but there was a window. We could strike quickly, cut down some of their numbers, then make a run for the Compound. It wasn’t much, but I just needed to reduce their numbers. Hopefully, I would get another shot at Rowe.
Danaus nodded and led the way out of the alley. If I had any shred of luck left in this pathetic existence, Sadira was still alive and staying out of trouble. But I wasn’t betting on it at this point.
“Mira.” A catch in Tristan’s voice stopped me from following behind Danaus. The nightwalker didn’t need to say anything. I could feel his fear. “I can’t fight them. I mean, I’ve never—”
“I need you,” I said, laying my right hand on his shoulder. I needed every spare hand I could find when it came to taking on the naturi. Right now all I had was Tristan and Danaus. “We have to stop them or they’re going to make living with Sadira look like a Sunday garden party.”
His large blue eyes darted away from my direct gaze and he stared down at the ground. I was losing him. “Stand with me now, Tristan.” I paused for a moment, searching for some words of encouragement. I knew what I needed to say, but it took a moment to finally force them out. “Stand with me now, and I swear, I will help you find a way free of Sadira.”