Then, grabbing the bloody knife, she stumbled toward Janie to cut the zip ties. “We have to get out of here.”
Janie nodded and slipped an arm around Brenna’s shoulders. “Lean on me.”
The door flew open, and Malco stood on the other side. He took one look at the scene. “Willa!”
Brenna shoved Janie behind her and tried to gather plasma.
The demon backhanded her across the face, and she flew into the wall. Darkness wavered over her vision. She shot out, aiming for his gut. He punched her in the cheek, and stars exploded behind her eyes.
She dropped to the bloody ground, unconscious.
Chapter 29
Jase narrowed all fear, all focus, to the battle at hand. The second the helicopter touched down, he leapt out and ran for hell.
Talen set the charges and told everybody to get low.
Jase ducked behind a large rock, his rifle out and ready to shoot.
Dage grabbed his shoulder. “You cover the entrance.”
“You’ll need me—I can shield more than most of you.” The idea of heading into the earth made his head spin and his legs weaken. “Brenna’s down there, Dage. I have to go.”
Dage eyed him, indecision crossing his still bruised face. “All right. But the second panic sets in, you move topside.”
“I will.” His gut churned like he’d just fallen out of a plane. Brenna was down there. He didn’t have a choice. God, please let her still be alive. Janie, too. The thought of the demons hurting either woman filled him with a rage he thought he’d banished. For now, he’d dig deep and use it. They’d turned him into one cold bastard, and now they’d regret it.
The front entrance exploded out. Debris, rock, and a demon’s head flew by. Jase swallowed and released the safety on his gun.
Dage turned and ran toward the burning hole. Jase steeled his shoulders and followed.
Charred rock surrounded him, and the scent of burned flesh slid down his throat to land in his gut. Tendrils spread out, and he gagged.
Then he froze.
He flashed back into survivor mode and stopped feeling. His thoughts narrowed in focus, his muscles relaxed. No emotion, no doubt, no humanity remained.
As a vampire, as a warrior, he often had to dig deep to find humanity. Now, easily and with a hint of relief, he let it slide away.
He ran downstairs with rocks falling all around him, on him, cutting into his flesh. The pain he welcomed. Lifting his chin, he waited.
The first mental wave from the demons below sliced into his brain, and he sucked it deeper. Deeper into his mind, deeper into his soul. They’d taught him not only to deal with agony but to enjoy it. Sad but true.
So, he took the pain deeper, and turned agony into strength. One he’d shove down their gullets until they choked.
Dage growled low and stumbled.
Jase grabbed his shoulder and leaned in. “Take in the pain and twist it. You’re the damn king. Do it.”
Dage sucked in air and nodded. “Got it.”
Maybe he did, maybe he didn’t. Either way, his brother would survive.
They reached the bottom of the stairs to face two pathways. Instinct and vibrations told Jase where to go, and he kicked an opening in the rock in front of him to reveal a third corridor. “I’ve got this one. Check in every five minutes.”
His brothers nodded, and headed down the other ways.
Good. The most power came from this direction, and it was time. Time to take back what was his. His mind flashed to Brenna, and he tripped. Damn it. Shoving any thought of her into the back of his brain, he ran full-bore into the darkened passageway.
The walls morphed around him, reaching for him.
So he welcomed their presence and increased his pace.
Two demons rushed out of an alcove, and he attacked them like a man possessed, firing into their chests. One knocked the gun from his hand, and he reached for twin knives in his belt.
He plunged the blades into the demons’ necks, shoving until steel met rock. One demon hung in place, eyes wide. “Been preparing for this, assholes.”
Following the first demon to the ground, Jase twisted right and left until the head rolled free.
The other guy sent out a wave of devastating images and pain. Jase smiled and tilted his head to the side. “That all you got?”
The demon’s eyes widened. Then he jerked away from the wall and lunged at Jase, the knife still embedded in his throat.
Jase pivoted and reached for the handle while grabbing the demon’s hair and yanking down. The demon’s spine split apart, and he cried out, falling. Jase straddled him and quickly decapitated him before sliding the blade free.
Wiping the blood on his shirtsleeve, he ran down the corridor toward the vibrations of power. The sound of gunfire and dying men filtered behind him, but he couldn’t worry about the fight. He needed to find Brenna.
The brand on his hand pulsed with angry demand, an odd reassurance that she was still alive. He’d know if she’d been killed.
He followed the twisting and turning corridor, somehow knowing it led to the leaders. For five years he’d studied them when his brain still worked. The passageway narrowed, the rocks reaching for him. “Later,” he muttered to the suddenly morphing faces. The ground rumbled above him. So many layers and tons of earth ready to fall on his head.
Damn it. He had to hold it together.
The scent of oranges chilled him through. Willa. He paused and then turned a corner to see a door in the rock. The scent came from the other side. The idea of walking into any room of Willa’s splashed bile up his throat. Had Willa gotten hold of Brenna and Janie?
Tightening his grip on the knife, he kicked open the door.
The smell of blood and death slammed into him. Panic shoved him inside. Blood covered a white rug, and Willa’s head faced him, eyes wide. Her body lay several feet away. Willa was dead.
He exhaled, glancing around the room. Emotions slid in—he was glad he hadn’t had to kill a woman, and he would’ve ended her.
Small vibrations of energy centered him. Brenna’s energy. She’d been in the room.
Had she killed Willa? Regret filled him. Brenna shouldn’t have to kill.
Damn it. No emotions.
He shook his head and once again tried to focus. Turning, he followed the corridor farther down until reaching another door. Dark energy, ruthlessly held in check, slid under the doorway. Malco.
Jase forced emotion into nothingness and planted his boot near the doorknob. The door opened to reveal a large cell with rock walls and floor. One miserable lightbulb hung from the ceiling, swinging back and forth.
Malco held Janie against his chest, a jagged-edged knife to her vulnerable throat. Brenna lay facedown over in the corner.
Jase’s heart clutched hard.
Janie’s eyes widened until the black iris banished all the blue. “She’s knocked out—not dead.”
“Yet,” Malco said, his lip curling. He stood well over six feet, pale face, black eyes, and white hair. A purebred monster. “Took you long enough to find me.”
Jase lowered his knife to his side. “Let them go. I’m the one you want.”
“In due time.” Malco eyed the long scar along Jase’s jaw. “Remember when I gave you that pretty memento?”
“Somewhat.” Jase forced a shrug. His nightmares were filled with the days of getting tortured until he wanted to die. But some memories brought dark pleasure. “You wanted so badly for me to beg.” He tilted his head to the side, studying the man who couldn’t quite break him. “Yet I never did, did I?”
“Oh, you would’ve begged.” Malco drew Janie up to her tiptoes, and she leaned her head back against his chest as he pressed the knife closer. “But Suri thought you were too close to breaking, and it was time to let you go.”