They passed through the narrow lobby and moved down a short flight of stairs that led to the bank vault below.
Laylah briefly faltered, perhaps fearing they were all expected to squeeze into the small space for the next twelve hours.
He didn’t blame her.
Two vampires, a Sylvermyst, a gargoyle, and a half-breed Jinn shoved in a tiny, steel-lined vault … yeah, bad idea all the way around.
With a gentle pressure he urged her inside. No vampire had a lair without a few hidden doors.
To prove his point, Jaelyn brushed past them, shoving aside the shelves of safety deposit boxes to reveal a door cut into the steel. She paused, whispering soft words that released the hexes that guarded the entrance and the door sprung open, revealing a wooden staircase that led to the underground tunnels.
In silence they moved into the darkness below. Tane could feel the heavy weight of the approaching dawn, but it was his concern for Laylah that made him urge Jaelyn to a faster pace. The stubborn Jinn would rather collapse than ask for help, but he could sense she was barely able to put one foot in front of the other.
The short tunnel ended at another door that opened into a large room. Tane studied the leather seats scattered across the crimson carpet and the tools of S & M hung on the walls. Not that he gave a crap about the décor. His only interest was in potential dangers and, of course, the nearest exits.
Laylah, however, grimaced, seemingly relieved when Jaelyn led her into a private bedroom with a simple bed and armoire with an attached room she could use to lay the child.
Grudgingly handing the Sylvermyst over to his hostess, Tane shooed Levet away and, waiting for Laylah to make the babe comfortable in the attached room, he at last settled her on the wide bed and tugged the covers over her.
Then, leaning against the headboard, he made himself comfortable and closed his eyes.
He was old enough that he could rest and regain his strength while still remaining on full-alert.
Several hours passed before the sound of approaching footsteps had him off the bed and wrenching open the door.
He might be forced to accept Jaelyn’s hospitality, but he didn’t trust her near Laylah.
Actually, he wasn’t sure he trusted anyone near Laylah.
Wisely halting several feet from the door, Jaelyn lifted a hand in a gesture of peace.
“Easy, Charon,” she said, still dressed in the spandex although she’d replaced the shotgun with a Glock 18. “I’m no threat to your female.”
His lips twisted at his fierce rush to protect Laylah. Especially considering she could destroy this entire lair with a single thought.
“My female can take care of herself,” he said wryly.
Jaelyn rolled her eyes. “Yeah, she can, but I doubt you’re willing to give her the opportunity.”
“What do you want?”
“My prisoner is awake.”
“Your prisoner?” He arched a brow. “Having trouble with your pronouns, Hunter?”
“My only trouble at the moment is you.” The female pointed a finger toward the ceiling protecting them from the late afternoon sun. “I held up my end of the bargain.”
Not sure what Jaelyn intended for the Sylvermyst, Tane turned to retrieve the sword he’d leaned against the wall near the door.
“Fine,” he said, “but I need to question him before you do any damage.”
She gave a lift of her shoulder, turning to walk down the narrow hallway.
“Come with me.”
Tane readily followed. “Are you going to tell me why you’ve been hunting the Sylvermyst?”
The vampire paused to tug open the trapdoor set in the center of the hallway. Tane smiled. The lead door had to weigh a ton, but Jaelyn had lifted it with ease.
A testament that the rumors of her innate powers weren’t inflated.
A pity she was still so young. He would have sponsored her in the battles of Durotriges, the gladiator-type games that were for the most elite of demon warriors. The few vampires who survived walked out with the mark of CuChulainn, a dragon-shaped tattoo that earned them the right to challenge for clan chief.
She lifted her head to stab him with an impatient glare. “I was hired by the Oracles, that’s all you get.”
Tane grimaced. It was more than he wanted.
He had enough trouble with Oracles without adding more.
Jaelyn could keep her damned reason for wanting the Sylvermyst to herself.
She disappeared through the hole and Tane was swiftly dropping into the darkness behind her. His feet had barely touched the hard floor when Jaelyn flicked a switch and he studied his surroundings.
He wasn’t entirely surprised to discover they were standing in the center of a dungeon. Where else did you keep a prisoner?
But he was a little startled by just how elaborate the dungeon was.
Ten cells lined the walls, each of them custom constructed to hold different species of demons. Some made of silver, some of iron, some of wood, and even one of solid gold. But it was the large room at the far side of the dungeon that captured his attention.
Had Jaelyn gone to a close-out sale for TortureR-Us?
There were racks, branding irons, enormous pinchers, spiked clubs, and the always popular electric chair that did nasty things to a vampire. There were even a few devices that Tane didn’t recognize.
And in the air the scent of disinfectant hung like a cloud. As if someone spent a lot of time cleaning up gory messes.
“Nice,” he murmured, shooting his companion a mocking glance. “Yours?”
She flipped him off, headed toward one of the lead cells. “I’m subletting the place.”
“From Marquis de Sade?”
“I have a strict policy of not putting my nose where it doesn’t belong.” “I can imagine.”
A haunted expression briefly darkened her eyes. “No, you really can’t.”
She opened the cell door, before Tane could press her for an answer. Not that he was sure he wanted to. She didn’t seem like the kind of vampire who wanted to share.
Exactly like he used to be.
He paused, then hastily squashed just what his stray thought had revealed.
Instead he turned his attention to the Sylvermyst seated in a wooden chair.
Ariyal looked decidedly worse for the wear.
His hair had come loose from his braid to fall about his face streaked with dirt, and his clothes were stained and ripped. At some point, Jaelyn had tied his arms together behind his back and shackled them to the wall with iron cuffs.
He had to be in considerable pain, but his expression was mocking as they entered.
“Ah, the fanged Bobbsey Twins. How cute,” he drawled, stretching out his long legs and crossing them at the ankle. “Are we going to play games?”