“A fine job, but it’s not fair for you to do all the work. I should at least take out the trash.” He deliberately glanced toward the mage. “First, however, you might explain how you started with one child and now have two.”
“When Sergei removed the spell it revealed there were twins,” she said, clearly as baffled as he was.
“You never sensed the other child?”
“No.”
He shook his head, a chill settling in the pit of his stomach.
“Why am I thinking that’s not a good thing?”
“The alpha and the omega,” a dark, musical voice said from the dark. “The Gemini.”
With a rumble of warning deep in his throat, Tane turned to watch Ariyal stumble into view.
Shit. The Sylvermyst looked like he’d been put through a meat grinder. Compliments of Marika, no doubt. But Tane wasn’t deceived. The fey had already made a fool out of Tane once.
He wasn’t going to get a second chance.
“Wait, Tane,” Laylah pleaded.
“Yeah, wait,” Jaelyn snarled, shoving past them to stand directly in front of her personal nemesis. “I told you he’s mine.”
Ariyal flashed a smile that managed to be goading despite his mangled throat and the deep slashes that marred one side of his face.
“You haven’t earned the right to claim me, vampire,” he taunted. “Although I’ll be happy to give you a taste when we’re alone.”
“You …”
Laylah was moving before the hunter could launch her attack, risking life and limb by grabbing the female vampire’s upper arm.
“Jaelyn, I need answers first.”
Jaelyn whipped her head to stab Laylah with a furious glare, her eyes glowing and her fangs fully extended.
“From him? You can’t trust anything he says.”
Ariyal blew a kiss in her direction. “You know me so well, pet.”
“Don’t call me that,” she snapped.
Tane grit his teeth. The danger was so thick in the air he was chocking on it.
And not just between Ariyal and Jaelyn. Sergei’s panicked fear bled through the tunnel, warning he was on the edge of doing something truly stupid.
With a gentle care, Tane tugged his mate away from Jaelyn, not wanting her in the firing line. In the same motion he managed to tuck her out of sight of the mage.
His little Jinn might be capable of kicking ass, but it would always be his duty to protect her.
“Laylah, what is it?”
She chewed her bottom lip, her brows furrowed. “Cassie called Maluhia the alpha and the omega.” She turned her head back to Ariyal. “What does that mean?”
Tane pointed his stolen sword toward the fey in unspoken warning.
“The truth Sylvermyst.”
Ariyal deliberately paused, as if to ensure Tane understood he was answering because he wanted to and not because he was intimidated.
“It’s a prophecy,” he at last admitted.
“Of course it is,” Tane muttered.
Laylah pressed a hand to her throat. “What does it say?”
The Sylvermyst closed his eyes as he quoted the prophecy he’d obviously memorized:
“Flesh of flesh, blood of blood, bound in darkness. The alpha and omega shall be torn asunder and through the mist reunited. Pathways that have been hidden will be found and the veil parted to the faithful. The Gemini will rise and chaos shall rule for all eternity.”
Tane snorted. Shit. He hated the mumbo-jumbo prophets spouted.
“The usual babble,” he said in disgust. “Why can’t they just say what the hell’s going to happen?”
Ariyal narrowed his gaze. “Chaos ruling for all eternity seems pretty straightforward.”
“Flesh of flesh?” Tane pointed out. “It’s gibberish.”
The fey nodded toward the mage who remained pressed against the far side of the tunnel.
“The Dark Lord created the brats out of his flesh.”
Laylah cursed. “Stop saying that.”
The bronzed gaze swung back to regard Laylah with a bleak gaze.
“Not saying it doesn’t make it any less true.” “The children are innocent,” Laylah insisted. “They’re vessels. With them the Dark Lord will be able to return.”
“No.” Laylah shook her head. “You don’t know that.” “I’m not willing to risk it.” The unnerving bronze gaze shifted to Tane. “Are you, vampire?”
Chapter 23
Laylah glared at the fey, wishing she had enough strength left to break his perfect nose.
What would it solve? Nothing. But it damned well would feel fantastic.
Instead she reached down to grab the sword she was too weary to lift and pretended that she wasn’t about to fall flat on her face.
“Don’t be looking to me for support, fey,” Tane growled at her side. “You try to hurt my children and I’ll cut your f**king head off.”
Ariyal hissed in frustration. “You will sacrifice the world for them?”
“The world is already damned if it demands the blood of innocents,” Laylah said. “You can’t fight evil with evil.”
“Are you bloody kidding me?” The Sylvermyst studied her as if she’d grown a second head. “No one is that naïve.”
There was a low cry from one of the babies as Sergei stepped forward, sweat coating his forehead despite the brutal chill in the air.
“If you want the brats I’ll give them to you.” He looked directly at the fey. “Once I’m out of here.”
Tane swung his sword in Sergei’s direction, his low growl stopping the mage in his tracks.
“Take one more step and you’re dead, mage.”
Licking his lips, Sergei briefly glanced toward the lethal vampire before grimly turning his attention back to Ariyal.
“I’m not without power. If you’ll join with me we can escape.” He shook the babies dangling in his hands and it was only Tane’s hand landing on her shoulder that kept Laylah from launching herself at the bastard. “Once we’re away from here you can do whatever the hell you want with the babes.”
“You wouldn’t,” Jaelyn muttered, studying Ariyal with an odd mixture of fury and … confusion. As if unable to accept the Sylvermyst could truly harm an innocent child.
The fey’s beautiful features tightened, his gaze refusing to stray toward the female vampire.
“Someone has to stop the looming apocalypse. And if this Scooby-Doo gang doesn’t have the stomach to make the tough choices then I’ll do it for them.”