Talen glared at them both, his jaw clenched in a stubborn line. He wouldn’t believe Jase was dead until he saw an actual body, a fact Kane admired in his brother. He saw life one way, and that had to be the only way. That made him an amazing leader and an excellent soldier. But the fall from that belief was going to make for a hard landing.
Kane wished just for a second to believe in fate and not reality.
The demon compound came into view.
A small hut sat on the shore of Scotland, facing the North Sea. Beaten, weathered, and appearing deserted, the hut masked the headquarters of the demons. How they’d managed to create a sprawling labyrinth of tunnels on the massive island was impressive, yet devastating. His brother’s body was somewhere down there.
The helicopters had flown low, so low that radar couldn’t pick them up. Their arrival would be a surprise, though no doubt the demons were prepared. With a rush of air, the birds slammed down.
The force hit the beach, soldiers running, the first line setting charges on the hut. “Fire in the hole,” was yelled, and the world exploded.
Splinters of wood shot into the air to land on the rocky beach, smacking into the soldiers.
Certainty that he was making a colossal mistake stopped Kane in his tracks. His mate didn’t belong in a war zone. Sure, Moira was a mate, but she was a witch and a soldier who’d trained for a hundred years. Amber was a human who wouldn’t even eat an animal.
She shoved him. Hard. “Stop waffling. Let’s go.”
Pride, unwilling and unwanted, filled him at her courage. Her willingness to run into an inferno to find her grandmother was impressive. Deep down, he also knew his mate came on the raid to aid him. He knew her well enough to understand she thought to protect him with her brain. His heart swelled.
Grabbing her hand, he began to jog with his mate toward a blistering hell.
God help them all.
Amber breathed through her nose, trying to keep the wisps of burning flakes from burning her skin as they wafted down. Soldiers ran all around them, shouting orders, guns up.
They’d opened up the ground. A myriad of stairs led down into darkness, concrete lining the walls.
The demons must’ve taken years to build the fortress, using concrete that went how far beyond the landmass? How far into the ocean? Intriguing and kind of scary.
A haze covered the air, giving the night a surreal appearance. Everything seemed to move very quickly but in slow motion. How was that possible?
Kane’s hold tightened, jerking her into the present.
Faster than lightning, a horde of demons shot from the underground tunnels.
Raw, brutal images of pain instantly slammed into Amber’s brain.
From the agonized cries around her, the images hit all the soldiers. Yet, they kept marching forward, guns blazing and knives flashing.
She drew deep and covered the images and shards of agony with a gentle, soft, comforting blanket adorned with teddy bears. Then she shot the image through her skin into Kane’s.
He sighed, his shoulders going back. “Nice job.”
“Thanks.” Saying one of her grandmother’s chants, she sent imaginary shields through the air to the vampire and witch soldiers. They instantly sprang forward in strength and action.
Keeping the shields firmly in place, she followed Kane past bodies, past fights, to the crumbled steps leading down into darkness. Her grandmother was down in the earth.
A contingent of soldiers headed down, clearing the way.
Kane released her to stand in front of her, and Talen flanked her back.
“Let’s go,” Kane ordered.
Talen gave her a nudge. She nodded, one hand on Kane’s back while reaching for Talen’s hand.
He stilled and then gripped her.
Concentrating, she shoved the imaginary blanket through her skin to his.
Talen exhaled slowly. “Wow. Impressive.”
She nodded. Both Kayrs brothers were pain free from the mind attack. Now she just needed to concentrate as she stepped on the crumbling stairs and started descending.
Hitting the bottom, they followed the force of soldiers, led by Dage, through a myriad of tunnels. Demons seemed to come out from the rock in challenge. Grunts, cries of pain, and the scent of blood followed their path.
Amber closed her eyes, concentrating. An empty tunnel to the right held odd vibrations. “This way?”
Kane nodded, gesturing for a couple of soldiers to lead the way.
Amber had no doubt he’d be leading the way if he wasn’t flanking her.
Talen gave a frustrated growl from behind her.
Him, too.
They followed the soldiers.
A heaviness blanketed the air.
Suddenly, four demon soldiers leapt out of a side alcove.
Dage instantly engaged one. Two other vampire soldiers grabbed their heads, dropping to the ground.
Kane stepped forward and fired rapid shots into the demons’ chests. Midnight black eyes wide in shock, they dropped to the ground. Dage killed the one in his grasp. Shouting sounded from far ahead, and after receiving a quick nod from Kane, the king darted down the tunnels.
The injured vampires reared up.
“Decapitate them,” Kane ordered grimly and pointed at the three still breathing demons on the ground. He glanced at Amber over his shoulder. “Your shield is working. Nice job.”
A side door opened, and a tall demon slid outside, his hand wrapped around Hilde Freebird’s neck.
Amber gasped, her mind spinning.
Her grandmother had a myriad of bruises down her pale cheek, and blood slid from her nose. She gasped for air. “I guess I wasn’t as strong as I’d hoped.”
Tears filled Amber’s eyes.
“No,” Kane whispered. “Let me handle him.”
There wasn’t any way for Kane to handle him. If he shot the demon, the bastard would probably tear off Hilde’s head before they could stop him. Amber took a deep breath, shooting waves of pain toward the demon.
He smiled sharp fangs, his pale face warming with a light blush. “Nice try.”
The pain and images of dying puppies slammed into her brain. She cried out.
Then, the world went quiet. Dying puppies? Of course.
Tightening her hold on Kane’s hand, she followed her own path, something she should’ve thought of from the beginning. Blanketing the pain, she sent waves of peace and love toward the demon, all wrapped up in a pink baby blanket.
He stepped back, eyes widening.
Oh yeah, take that happy thought, asshole. Fighting pain with pain had been a mistake. “I’m a pacifist,” she muttered, reminding herself. Then she sent more happy thoughts of puppies and daisies to counter the demon’s attack.
He visibly blanched, his hand dropping off Hilde’s neck.
Strength filled Amber. Her own strength of goodness. Shooting yet another warm wave toward the demon, she gasped when he growled again.
Kane took advantage of the moment and plunged his knife into the demon’s neck, twisting until the head rolled free. Then Kane focused on her. “I don’t believe it. You softened him into confusion.”
“All I did was counter his attack. If he would’ve stopped, I wouldn’t have been able to continue affecting him.” She opened her arms for her grandmother to rush inside. “Are you all right?”
Hilde hugged her tight, sniffing. “Yes.”
Amber sighed in relief. “Let’s get out of here.”
Oscar appeared at her side, a wide smile on his face. “I knew you’d be okay. Let’s go.”
The rocks crumbled around them, shards shooting toward their skin. Kane ducked around Amber to shield her.
She opened her eyes, dread slamming into her gut.
Five demon soldiers surrounded them. All with a myriad of silver metals lining their shoulders, black eyes narrowing.