"Mishka and Jaxon are taking care of Nolan. Let's get you to medical."
CHAPTER 21
Bride expected treachery. An attack against Devyn. Something. But it never came. In silence, they drove to a canyon three hours away. It was a dry, barren wasteland with no resources humans needed to survive. There, they scaled down ... down ... into a shadowed valley of sandstone and dirt, the air almost like acid in her nose. Boulders abounded, each identical to the last.
Devyn kept an arm around her waist, holding her up. He probably thought she would have tumbled into the waiting void below if he'd released her. Wasn't like she was clumsy, but she had stumbled a few times. Not her fault, though. She was distracted, having to guard her thoughts to keep herself from wishing she was already underground.
Why was Devyn making this trip? He'd said he wanted her. He'd even been jealous of McKell. But that wasn't reason enough to put himself in danger like this. And he was in danger. McKell clearly hated him.
Devyn had proven he could handle the vampires, yes, but that didn't stop her worrying for him. He was only one man. What was worse, however, was that the worry didn't stop her from being glad that he was here. She wasn't ready to say good-bye to him. They'd just started having sex again.
Sure that's the only reason you're happy to be with him?
Shut up. There were more important things to consider.
What if the vampire king tried to pawn her off on McKell? She did not want another forced marriage—she wouldn't stand for it. The vamp was friend material that was all. There was no raw, animal need, as there was with Devyn.
Finally, McKell stopped at a boulder, no different from any of the others, and nodded. His men marched forward and rolled it aside, their muscles bunching and straining.
Four guards waited on the other side, each armed with pyre-guns and spears. Bride tried to step in front of Devyn, but he restrained her with his mind, the bastard. Oh, yes. She was finding one of those energy scramblers.
The guards gave their profiles when they saw McKell, deferring to his superior rank. The warrior motioned for her and Devyn to follow him.
They entered without hesitation, sharing only the briefest of looks. Hers, tension-filled. His, darkly resolved.
What are you planning? she wondered.
Bride's eyes widened as she focused on her surroundings. This could have been her home, she thought. It was murky, but no match for her eyesight; she saw everything perfectly. The walls were painted black and jagged, multiple smears of crimson throughout. Like finger marks, where nails had dragged in protest.
And the smell ... utterly divine. Pine, water, blood, with no taint of spices or food. She smiled as she savored. That's when McKell turned back to check on them. When he saw her, his gaze softened.
Her smile faltered. She liked him, but didn't want to encourage him.
Had jealous Devyn noticed the exchange? She flicked him a glance. His eyes were closed, and he was feeling his way forward with his free hand. A frown tugged at the corners of his lips, and lines of tension marred the perfection of his face. He couldn't see in the dark, she realized.
He'd known it would be this way, yet he'd come anyway.
Sweetest. Man. Ever. How had she ever thought him detached? He hated the dark, but still he'd come. Only one reason a man would do something like that. Did he ... was it possible he ... no, couldn't be. Not Devyn. Devyn did not fall in love with his women. She'd known that from the beginning.
Well, if he were going to pick someone to fall in love with, he couldn't do better than Bride. There you go, thinking like him again. Well, it was true. She was loyal, pretty, smart, strong, and overall fantastic.
Wait, wait, wait. Do you want him to love you? No. Yes. Maybe. Argh!
McKell stopped, forcing everyone else to stop as well. Devyn bumped into her and grunted. A moment later, a light flared to life. He held some sort of glowing stick that chased away the worst of the darkness. Where he'd gotten it, she didn't know. Did he carry one with him everywhere he went?
"We will journey to the palace," McKell said.
"I really want a tour," Bride said. This should have been her home, and she wanted to see every nook and cranny before she was forced to tell the king to f**k himself if he tried to force her to do something she didn't want to do.
"Bride," Devyn said on a sigh. "What?"
"You know." She did?
"A tour, yes," McKell said, his voice raspy, his gaze glued to her. "The king does not allow an audience until morning. We will tour the city, then wait in my home and finally talk."
Oh. Oops. Had she just made a wish come true?
"No." Devyn shook his head. "We'll see the city, then wait in the king's palace."
"Or give us the tour whenever," she said helpfully, hoping to circumvent any disaster her kind-of wish might have caused.
McKell narrowed his eyes at the Targon. He moved, so swiftly no one, not even Bride, could register, and stopped in front of them. Time ground to a halt, everything around them ceasing to exist. The guards stopped breathing, and water no longer trickled.
"I can manipulate time in shorts burst, so listen carefully. What I have to say cannot be uttered near
the king or even near another vampire clan. There is a reason Maur—Bride was sent from here. If it's learned she has returned, she will be hunted. Killed." And then he was back in place, time once more ticking by.
A low growl echoed from Devyn's throat. "You told me she was safe. We will be discussing why she's not. Now.
Once again, time ceased, and McKell was in their faces. "I will not do this again, Targon. If I did not think I could protect her, I would not have brought her here." His offense doubled with every word. "No one will recognize her as the girl she once was."
"Your men—"
"Are loyal to me. We have fought together, bled together. We will die together. But, no, they do not know. I will not tell them. You are not to tell them, either."
Devyn nodded stiffly, satisfied with that.
"I hope you boys are having fun, talking about me as if I'm not here, 'cause I'm loving it," she said. McKell returned to his stance before them, time kicking back into motion.
"One thing, vampire," Devyn said for all to hear, "She's my wife, as I've told you again and again, and you would do well to remember that. Don't forget what I'm capable of. Oh, and perhaps you should know, I texted the coordinates of your entrance to my friends at AIR. If they don't hear from me in twenty-four hours, they will descend."
It was a lie—their phones didn't work, they were too far out—but McKell clearly didn't know that. Red bled into his pupils, into the violet irises, the whites. Once more, time stopped. This time, however, even Devyn seemed to be frozen. Only Bride and McKell were aware.