The Black God

To save her, he'd have to do what he didn't want to - go to Damian and ask for help.

"I know someone who can help her," he said and scooped her up. "Get everyone back to Miami."

"Ikir, do you need -"

"No. Just go!" Jonny Traveled before he confirmed Charles would obey.

He went to the one place he never hoped to go to talk to the one person he hated to negotiate with. His heart pounded hard and fast in his chest as he materialized in front of the gates to Damian's headquarters in Texas. Immediately, every ward was tripped and every alarm blaring. Guardians lined up along the walls with weapons he knew weren't going to make much of a difference if he truly wanted in.

He waited instead, tense and all too aware of Ashley dying in his arms. "Stay with me, Ash," he whispered, his pulse flying.

"What the fuck, Jonny?" Darian was the first to appear outside the walls to confront him.

"Send out my sister," Jonny told him.

Darian's gaze went to Ashley.

The strongest Healer ever known, his sister Bianca lived on the compound with her mate, the adopted brother of Damian. She had once turned Charles from a vamp into a human. If she could do that, she could save Ashley.

"You better have a good fucking reason to be here," Damian said, materializing a moment later.

"I do," Jonny said. "Bianca. Now."

Damian studied him briefly before tossing his head towards the compound in a silent order to his brother. The Grey God disappeared.

"I don't do favors for you," Damian said.

"It's not for me. You want leverage against Xander? This is it!" Jonny snapped. "If she dies, it's on you, Damian."

"I'm not the one who got her into this mess."

"She made a decision."

"I don't give a shit. You want our help? You turn her over after she's healed. You clearly can't protect her like we can when you've got all this shit going on."

Jonny clenched his jaw hard enough that it popped. If Ashley weren't about to die in his arms, he'd consider refusing. He didn't think Damian would let her die if Jonny left her at the feet of the Guardians and Traveled home.

But he couldn't just … leave her. No part of Jonny wanted to let her go right now, not until he knew for sure she was going to live through this. Damian was right, though. Until this mess was over, Ashley was safer with the White God than she'd ever be with him.

And for the first time in several years, he felt raw and vulnerable. He hated not being able to harness his power or control his vamps enough to protect someone he cared about. He hated not being enough for what he had to do. Emotions he fought to block began to trickle free, fueled by his vamp hunger and the weight of Ashley's warm body in his arms.