Katie's Hope

Darkyn strode out, and Jade watched him, torn. Sasha and Kris were his enemies, not the rest of the Immortals! He had come to Darkyn in desperation, after Sasha had invited him to his bed and then dumped him off with the demons. He'd been spared for what he knew of the Immortals, and Darkyn had taken a personal liking to him.

A violent liking to him. Jade shuddered. Demons knew no other way.

It's better to reign in Hell … As Kris's confidante of several hundred years, he knew most of the Immortal's secrets. He'd been unable to shake the empty hole in his heart resulting from Kris flinging him to the side to pursue a human female. Even as he thought of his last moments with Kris, he felt his anger turn to resolve.

The Immortals deserved neither mercy nor peace, especially their leader. He was doing Kris's next lover a favor. He'd use the tricks of manipulation he'd learned from Kris and Sasha both to get Sasha to do what he wanted. And then, the both of them would be gone. Forever. His revenge was all that would make him whole again.

Determined, he went to the one spot in Hell where he could cross into the shadow world. A demon guarded the tiny spot, no larger than a meter square. He opened a portal and crossed through. Long ago, before Sasha broke from the Council, he had stayed in a corner chamber overlooking the forest. Jade emerged from the shadow world into the chamber's spacious closet and stood silently, listening.

He heard movement outside the closet and eased the door open far enough to peek into the well-lit room. Sasha sat before the hearth as if deep in thought. Jade couldn't help the flash of anger he felt at the sight of such a creature comfortable and content.

"Sasha," he said, flinging open the closet door. Sasha turned to face him, covering his surprise with a smile that made Jade's skin crawl.

"Jade, my friend. How are you?" he purred.

"Seems I'm not as well off as you are. How quickly you found a safe place," Jade replied. "My brother Kris is too good, as you know."

"He can't protect you forever, Sasha."

"I think he can and will. The fool doesn't have the backbone to kill me as he probably should."

More anger stirred as Jade bit his lip to keep from defending Kris. No matter how badly Kris had hurt him, it hadn't been for a selfish cause like Sasha's.

"That's your plan?" Jade asked. "Stay here in this room forever?" "Simple and effective."