Jackie nodded, pretending to agree, and handed him the keys. They jangled in her trembling grip. “You drive. I’m too shaky right now.”
“Where are we going?”
“Somewhere safe. Somewhere they can’t find you.”
“Joseph and the others will find us. You know that,” said Iain.
“No, they won’t. I found the tracking device and melted it. Neither of us has a cell phone. Unless they plant trackers in our clothes or weapons, we’re on our own.”
His tone was grave. “You won’t be able to call for help.”
“I know.” It was a risk she had to take. Even though there was a chance that something would go wrong and she wouldn’t know what to do, she wasn’t going to let Iain get thrown back into that dungeon again to await his death.
“This is reckless and dangerous. You’re risking your life for nothing.”
“For you. I’m risking my life for you, and that’s not nothing. Now shut up and drive.”
He let out a heavy breath and nodded. “This is a gift, and I won’t let you regret it.”
They got in and hit the road. Jackie tried to relax and regain some of the strength she’d used, but her mind kept wandering back to the one thing she didn’t want to think about.
Iain was going to kill himself. She knew that was his intention when she busted him out of the dungeon. As much as she’d hated the idea of being tied to him, the thought of not having him close to her seemed impossible, unnatural, and wrong. They hadn’t been together long, but in that time, she’d come to care for him. Everything he’d done had been with the thought of her in mind. He’d nearly died trying to help her find a normal life. He’d gone against orders and taken her to see baby Samson because he’d thought it would make her happy. He’d made love to her like no one else ever had, giving her the kind of pleasure that most women only dream about.
She didn’t care that they said he was soulless. She saw the man he’d once been—the man who put the safety of others above his own, and gave up his own desires so that others could have theirs. It was a good life. A noble life. And she was glad she’d been a part of it for at least a little while.
If she could keep him from killing himself, she was sure that she’d find a way to prove to him that he deserved to live. She just didn’t know how.
Weariness bore down on her. She’d used too much power, and her body wasn’t used to the strain. She needed to sleep, but feared that if she did, she’d wake up to find him dead.
“Rest,” he told her, as if sensing her thoughts. “I won’t leave you without saying good-bye.”
For once, she didn’t mind having him in her head so much. It wasn’t nearly the invasion of privacy she’d once thought. It was comforting.
When he was gone, she was going to miss that feeling almost as much as she missed Iain.
“Promise me,” she insisted. “Say the words.”
“I promise I won’t seek out my death until after you wake.”
The weight of his promise settled over her, reassuring her, making her body grow heavy. Despite her bleak thoughts, her eyes drifted shut and she eased into a light sleep.
Guilt weighed heavily on Autumn. Her whole family had been uprooted because of her. Her older brother wouldn’t even speak to her because he had to give up his leading role in the high school play. Her mother cried all the time, and her father never slept anymore.
She was ruining their lives.
Part of her wished the Sentinels had never rescued her. As much as she hated being a prisoner of demons, at least then her family had been safe. Now not only was she still afraid all the time, but she’d dragged everyone down with her.
They were moving to Dabyr. That’s what her father had called it. She’d heard whispers of the place, but no one she knew had ever seen it—not even her Gerai parents.
She stared out of the car window, curled up into the smallest space possible. The sun was going down soon, and as soon as it did, the fear would set in, crawling into the deepest part of her thoughts. Her brother said she was paranoid, but she knew better. She had the demons’ blood inside of her. It had changed her. She could feel them now, lurking nearby, eagerly awaiting sunset.
Especially him. The demon who’d broken into her bedroom was different. Stronger. She’d felt him before at the school play. She hadn’t seen him, but she knew how he felt—the chaotic way he made her veins vibrate. She’d thought it was all in her head, right up to the time he’d lunged for her.
Autumn’s mouth went dry and her palms sweated enough to leave damp spots on her jeans. She hugged her legs closer, trying to remember that the sun was still up. He couldn’t hurt her right now. They’d be safely inside Dabyr before dark. She didn’t need to worry.
Dad pulled into a gas station and started filling up the tank. They still had hours to go until they could stop, and after it was dark, she wasn’t getting out of this car until they were safely behind Dabyr’s walls.
“Mom, I’m going to go to the bathroom.”
“I’ll come with you.”
Mom took Autumn’s arm and pulled her close. Before her capture, Autumn would have been too cool to let Mom do that, but not anymore. She’d spent months crying for Mom, and now that she had her back, she wasn’t going to do anything to push her away.
Autumn took care of business and came out of the stall. A young man in a hoodie had Mom in his grasp, his hand clamped over her mouth. He pressed a funny-looking, long handgun against Mom’s ribs.
Shock rooted Autumn in place as she sorted through what was right in front of her, trying to make sense of it.
“Autumn Mason?” asked the man.
“Y-yes.”
A smile split his gaunt face and made his sunken eyes light up.
“Good.”
The gun went off. Mom let out a sharp cry of pain and crumpled. Her head hit the sink, and she landed on the ground, unmoving on the filthy bathroom floor.
Terror and pain exploded in Autumn’s chest. She lurched toward her mom, but didn’t even make it to her knees. The man wrapped a skinny, incredibly strong arm around her waist and dragged her through the door.
She screamed and called for her dad. She clutched at whatever she could reach, knocking over food and displays of chips and snacks. The man behind the counter lay bleeding on the floor, his throat cut and his blood spilling onto the cracked tile.
“Dad!” Autumn screamed louder. She could see her father outside, pumping gas, but he couldn’t hear her. The wind was howling, and the highway traffic was racing by.
She fought against her captor, kicking and clawing at him. Nothing helped. He kept moving toward the exit on the opposite side of the store—one out of sight of her father.
Autumn grabbed a twelve-pack of soda from a shelf as they passed, and slammed the heavy box into the man’s face. He grunted in pain, but kept moving. “Behave, bitch, or I’ll tell Murak to feed you to his pets.”
Murak.
Oh God. She knew that name. She’d heard it before. He was the one who’d come after her.
Whoever this man was, he was working for the demons, taking her back into her nightmare.
A rush of strength filled her skinny limbs, and she twisted around enough to dig her thumb into his eye. He screamed in pain, and a second later, Autumn’s world came to a shocking halt. The strike of his gun against her head barely had time to register before her vision winked out and she descended into darkness.
Chapter 26
Iain stared straight ahead, watching the road pass beneath them, so he wouldn’t be tempted to watch Jackie sleep. He was free, thanks to her. Free to find a death of his choosing.
He hated the idea of leaving her. There was also a momentary twinge of guilt over leaving his brothers, but that paled in comparison to the way he felt for Jackie.
He’d let himself get too close to her. He’d become attached.
His monster paced inside its cage, testing the bars for weakness. Iain refused to let him out. He just had to hold on a bit longer.
Iain had no idea where he was going. He simply drove, following where his instincts led him. Eventually, he ended up at a Gerai house nearest the caves where he’d found Jackie. Andra had used her magic to collapse the cave entrance, preventing other Synestryn from using it as a nesting site. Gilda and Angus had died not far from here, crushed under tons of stone. Their bodies had been recovered and buried at Dabyr, but there was still a sense of loss hanging over everything nearby.
Those caves seemed like as good a place as any to die. At least there, he wouldn’t taint another place with sadness, should anyone care enough to mourn him.
Jackie would. She already did grieve for him in some ways. Her heart was too tender not to feel bad.
The pain he caused her was his fault for letting her get too close. He never should have left Dabyr with her. He should have seen what a risk to her it had been. At the time, all he’d known was that he could keep her safe until she decided to choose one of his brothers. He never could have predicted that she would end up tying herself to him. Until you’re as good as new.
Which he’d never be, but his death would free her soon.
As soon as the sun went down, he’d leave Jackie here. He’d walk to the caves, cut himself to draw the demons. Then he’d go down fighting.
The sun sank lower, inching toward the horizon. It was a pretty day, with a clear sky and a light breeze. He’d never really cared enough to notice such things before, but he noticed everything now, knowing it was his last chance to do so.
Jackie’s sweet scent filled his lungs. Her skin was soft and warm under his fingers. Until now, he hadn’t realized he was holding her hand. He could hear her steady breathing as she slept.
Her dark hair hid her face from him, so he brushed it back, soaking up the sight of her. So pretty. Her lips were parted, making his mouth water for a kiss, but he held back. She needed her sleep after all the power she’d handled in order to free him. There was no sense in waking her until the last minute, as he’d promised he’d do.
Iain simply watched her sleep, enjoying the sight, while the sun’s color deepened to a rich, golden yellow that matched her luceria perfectly.
The Golden Lady. That suited her. It filled him with a sense of pride, while the monster in him let out a possessive growl of longing.
The beast wasn’t going to go down without a fight. It didn’t want to die. Iain was going to have to keep it in check until the very end, no matter what. If he didn’t, the monster would fight its way free and go back to her.
She wouldn’t be safe until both he and his monster were dead.
Jackie opened her eyes and blinked the sleep away. They were bloodshot—a sure sign she’d been wielding too much power.
She smiled at him, and then as reality set in, that smile faltered. Her gaze stayed fixed on his, unflinching. “You waited.”
“I promised I would.”
Sadness pinched her mouth and fell through their link, heavy and painful.
He didn’t know how to make it better. It was his job to make her life a full, happy place, and he’d failed hideously.