Bound By Darkness Part 6

She peeled the note off the door and read it. Good, only the meeting place had changed. She keyed in her security code on the touchpad to summon the elevator up from below. It didn't take long.

After one last look up and down the hall, she stepped inside. The doors whooshed shut and the elevator dropped, making her feel as if the floor had fallen out beneath her feet. Her stomach churned as she held on to the handrail with a death grip. The pounding of her heart was the only sound as she plummeted toward the barrier.

Seconds later, the elevator hit the ground with a jarring thump. She swallowed hard as the doors slid open. Outside, the air smelled of damp rock as she poked her head out to look around. The elevator was tucked in behind a stone outcropping, severely limiting her view. Other than a distant buzz that sounded like the hum of high-power wires, the heavy silence made her wonder exactly where her escort was waiting for her.

"Lonzo?" No answer. She tried again, louder this time, but still with no success.

What the heck was going on? Darn it, she'd been really excited about the chance to see the barrier firsthand after all these years of hearing people struggle to describe it. She read Lonzo's note again. It clearly said he'd be waiting by the barrier for her, but she couldn't see it from where she stood. She moved tentatively forward, reluctant to wander very far from the elevator.

Surely it wouldn't hurt to take a quick peek around the corner to look for Lonzo before she returned upstairs. She crept forward, straining to hear even the slightest hint that anyone else was in the tunnels. The motion-activated lights flickered on as she moved forward, illuminating the tunnel for some distance in each direction. The place was empty as far as she could see.

Her intention to stage an immediate retreat was put on hold as soon as she saw the dazzling, solid sheet of energy. Words couldn't describe the swirling colors that changed and s.h.i.+fted and then changed again. It might be deadly to the touch, but why had no one ever told her the barrier was beyond beautiful?

She had to get back but hated to look away for fear she'd miss a wisp of color that might never be seen again. It wasn't lost on her that she stood mere inches away from another world, one unlike anything she could possibly imagine. All she knew for certain was that it bred cold-blooded killers who destroyed lives, leaving more than just their intended victims bleeding and hurt.

She closed her eyes to block out the mesmerizing murmur of power and beauty, wis.h.i.+ng she could slam the door on her memories as easily. But some things-and some people-deserved to be remembered despite the pain that never faded. David's dark chocolate eyes and broad smile were burned into her brain, their image as bright now as when she first met him. Eight years wasn't all that long, but it seemed like forever since she'd last touched his face or tasted his kiss.

He was her first love. He'd sworn her to secrecy before confessing he was a Paladin. Two days after he'd proposed to her, he'd died, first from a sword wielded by an Other, and then a second time from a syringe full of poison administered by his Handler.

She s.h.i.+vered, but not entirely because of the chill in the subterranean tunnels. Time to get back topside. She'd check in with Devlin later to reschedule the tour and demand an explanation from Lonzo about why he'd ditched her. She headed for the elevator, but the steady buzz from the barrier increased in volume.

Looking back, she frowned. What the heck? The barrier was no longer opaque. The colors were still bright, but she could see shadows moving through the translucent curtain. Okay, this was bad. Maybe really, really bad. One of the two most common signs that the barrier was about to go down was that it thinned out, revealing hints of the world that lay beyond.

The other sign was sudden streaks of sickly colors replacing the vibrant, healthy ones. Sure enough, gangrenous yellows and greens started to appear at the top near the ceiling of the tunnel and spread rapidly across the entire expanse.

She took off running for the elevator. She had to get it open-now. Her fingers shook as she keyed in the code. No response. Why hadn't she at least thought to hold the elevator on the lower level for the few minutes she'd been looking around?

Devlin had been right-this was no place for a civilian to be wandering alone. As she waited for the elevator to return, she hoped she lived long enough for him to say he'd told her so.

His spur-of-the-moment plan appeared to be working. He quickly keyed in the high-level security code that would recall the elevator and keep it topside. His clearance didn't warrant that kind of authority, but it helped to have friends in high places.

He grinned as he felt the small blast of air that signaled the approach of the elevator. Then he wiped his fingerprints off the keypad and headed down the hall, this time to leave the building. It wouldn't do to be seen lurking in the area once Sasha Willis managed to find her way back up topside.

"Come in and sit down." Devlin led the way into his office and dropped into his own chair. "I just got back from an all-nighter down at St. Helens, but I need to talk to you."

"What about?" Larem asked, although he could probably guess.

"Last Friday Laurel and I had drinks with Sasha Willis. Imagine my surprise when your name came up in conversation."

"You already knew we'd met. I couldn't very well ignore her."

"d.a.m.n it, Larem, I thought you had more sense. What the h.e.l.l were you thinking? The last thing I wanted to hear out of Sasha Willis's mouth was that the two of you have been hanging out."

From past experience, Larem knew the best course of action was to let Devlin rant until he ran out of temper or breath, whichever came first. Trying to reason with the man before that happened would be a wasted effort. It didn't take long.

"Well? Care to explain?"

Larem s.h.i.+fted in his chair, trying to come up with an answer that was close to the truth but wouldn't set Devlin off again. He sure couldn't admit that he'd first sought her out because the Kalith and their closest allies didn't exactly trust Devlin's ability to ensure their safety. Worse yet, he'd also spent time with her because he wanted to.

If Devlin was upset about him and Sasha sharing a cup of coffee, the man would go ballistic if he found out they'd actually gone out more than once, especially if he knew about their last date.

But it was over. To avoid running into her again, Larem had made a trip up north to visit Hunter and his mate for a few days. Upon his return, Lonzo had warned him that Devlin was hot on his trail.

"Last Tuesday, Ms. Willis was nosing around in the building after leaving your office and ended up by the geology lab. I was the one who answered the door because she'd already met me but hadn't yet figured out that I am Kalith. I a.s.sumed that could change quickly if she saw Barak and me at the same time. Rather than risk inviting her in to meet him and Lacey, I chose to escort her out of the building. We parted a few blocks later after having a cup of coffee."

Devlin ran his fingers through his hair in obvious frustration. "Fine. I get why you intercepted her at the door, but the exit to the alley is right down the hall from where you were. The smart thing to do would've been to tell her to go straight and then turn left. Why didn't you?"

Telling Devlin that it was because he wanted more time in her company would not be an acceptable answer. "I pretended to be on my way out so that she wouldn't feel as if she were interrupting anything in the lab. However, Duke was on duty and saw me. Since he hates me, and I figured he'd waste no time in telling her who and what I was, I stayed with her so he'd keep his mouth shut. Once we were safely past him, I left Ms. Willis as soon as I could without being rude."

Larem leaned back in his chair and watched as Devlin processed the information. Finally, the big man slowly nodded. "So you lingered over coffee just to be polite, knowing each minute she spends with you makes it more difficult for you to blend into the crowd around here?"

Okay, so much for fooling Devlin. "The last thing I want-or either of us needs-is for her to get too curious about me, which is why I left town for a while. She hasn't seen me in days, so hopefully her attention is focused elsewhere by now."

"Yeah, well, it is. Unfortunately, it's on me. She's got me jumping through so many f.u.c.king hoops, I can't-"

A knock at the door kept Devlin from finis.h.i.+ng that thought. "Come in!"

Lonzo poked his head in. "Hey, boss, sorry to interrupt, but I think we've got a problem."

Devlin's eyes narrowed. "Aren't you supposed to be giving Sasha Willis the grand tour?"

"Yeah, well, I was, but I had a flat tire and just now got here. I tried her number and then yours. When neither of you answered, I called D.J. to stall her, but he's over in the admin building working on Kincade's stuff."

He stopped to take a breath. "The rest of the crew just got back with you, so I ran the last few blocks to get here. There's no sign of the woman anywhere. Even worse, the elevator is on lockdown. It won't accept my access code. Honest, boss, I wasn't more than ten minutes late."

Larem had a bad, bad feeling about where all this was headed. He rose to his feet, ready to . . . what? Charge to her rescue? Yeah, like that was going to happen. Besides, there was no actual proof Sasha was in trouble.

Still, he knew for a fact that she'd been exploring different areas in the building lately, because the guys had been talking about all the odd places she'd been seen. Would she even hesitate to go exploring if her a.s.signed guide didn't show up?

Devlin looked even more worried. "I'm the only one around here who has the authority to shut the elevators down completely, and I sure as h.e.l.l didn't do it."

Then he checked his cell and cursed; the battery was dead. He dug out his charger and plugged it in to listen to his messages. "Son of a b.i.t.c.h! I don't know where that woman is now, but she was definitely here a few minutes ago."

The words were no sooner out of his mouth than the Klaxons started blasting. Devlin immediately grabbed the sword he'd yet to put away after his long night of fighting.

He glared at Larem again. "Keep your fingers crossed that she's either back in her office or already on her way up from the tunnels, because if she's not . . ." Devlin shook his head, not wanting to follow that thought to its obvious conclusion. "I've got to go."

Larem stayed where he was, frozen by the spectre of what would happen to Sasha if the Others got their hands on her. The light-sickness made them little better than animals, out of their heads and raging out of control. If Devlin and his men didn't get to Sasha first, Larem could only hope that she died quickly.

He stared at the weapons displayed on Devlin's wall and at one sword in particular. Then he was on his feet and reaching for the Kalith blade. The Paladin leader had no doubt captured it from an Other who'd had the great misfortune to cross Devlin's path.

Devlin had never ordered Larem to stay out of the tunnels, but then he hadn't really needed to. The last thing Larem wanted was to face his own people in battle. This was different, though. Who knew what kind of h.e.l.l Devlin and his men were walking into? They could be wading through puddles of blood with no time to spare to hunt for Sasha. Maybe they'd be able to shove her back into the elevator and send her up to safety, but maybe not.

Larem headed for the elevator at a dead run, doing his best to steer clear of the Paladins and guards still pouring in. With battle fever running high, not all of them would immediately recognize Larem as an ally. There were also those among the guards who hated anyone with Kalith blood even more than the Paladins did and might use the situation to rid their world of one more enemy.

The elevator was still in use, warriors milling around and waiting for their chance to wade into the fray far below. No sign of Sasha.

D.J. came running up, stuttering to a full stop when he spotted Larem. "Are you f.u.c.king nuts or suicidal? What the h.e.l.l are you doing here?"

"Devlin thinks Sasha Willis might be trapped down below. Someone has to hunt for her while you guys fight."

The Paladin looked sick. "Son of a b.i.t.c.h! Just what we need."

D.J. studied the ma.s.sing warriors. "Come with me."

The two of them ran back the way they'd come, not stopping until they reached another elevator at the far end of the building. "This one will bring you out on the right level, but not immediately by the barrier."

D.J. keyed in his code and then repeated it to Larem. "Use it to haul your a.s.s back topside as soon as you find her. Be careful if you get near the fight. If things are as bad down there as they were last night at the mountain, it'll be hard to tell friend from crazy. Wouldn't want you to get skewered because some paper-pus.h.i.+ng twit can't stay where she belongs. Your buddy Hunter would kick my a.s.s off a cliff if I let that happen."

Then the Paladin was gone, leaving Larem to his own mission. As the elevator carried him down into the darkness, he prayed he got to Sasha in time.

"Oh, G.o.d," Sasha whispered, peeking around the corner at the barrier.

As the seconds ticked by, its energy continued to weaken, leaving no doubt that the Others were poised to pour across en ma.s.se as soon as the barrier crashed. She retreated to the dubious safety near the elevator, which still hadn't returned. After keying in her code, she pressed her ear to the cool metal, hoping to hear it coming.

Nothing.

Then the scream of the alarms echoed through the tunnels, calling the Paladins to defend their world. That the cavalry was on its way was the good news. The bad news was that no civilian's security code worked on the elevators when there was fighting going on, not even hers. She'd have to wait for the first load of Paladins to disembark before she could ride the elevator back up to safety.

But only if it got to her before those . . . those animals did. Had the barrier failed completely? She inched her way to the edge of the outcropping. Mustering her courage, Sasha peeked around the corner only long enough to confirm her worst nightmares stood but a few feet away. The center of the barrier was ripping apart, leaving enough room for the Others to pour through.

Except for their clothing, they looked human, at least at first. But on closer inspection, that pasty gray skin and those freaky pale eyes set them apart. Some hollered at the top of their lungs as they charged across, the guttural sounds pure gibberish to her ear. But there was no mistaking the hatred in their voices. They gradually spread out, curved blades clenched in their fists, looking for a fight.

So far, none had turned in her direction, but it was only a matter of time before some of them came looking for the fastest way to the surface. She slipped off her high heels and gripped one in each hand, knowing they would provide little protection against anyone armed with a sword. But if she pegged someone in the head, it might distract a pursuer long enough to give her time to get away.

She had no idea where she'd end up, but standing there by the elevator was sure suicide. As soon as one of the Others came any closer, she'd be trapped. Hoping the blare of the alarms would hide the sound of her footsteps, she started moving away from the barrier, first slowly and then faster and faster.

Where were the Paladins and the guards? Surely they should've been there by now, but then maybe it was her fear that made it feel as if she'd been trapped down there for hours already.

She slowed as she reached an intersecting tunnel. Which way to go? Right or left? Did it really matter when she didn't know where she was to begin with? Okay, right it was. The motion lights immediately flickered on to guide her. Clever technology, but they also served as a beacon to anyone who wanted to follow her trail.

Stopping to catch her breath, she waited for the lights to go back off, leaving her shrouded in darkness. As her pulse slowed, she could gradually hear more than the sound of her own heart pounding. Footsteps. Lots of them. Screams echoed down the pa.s.sage and the clash of metal against metal. Obviously the troops had arrived. She prayed for the safety of the men she'd gotten to know. Larem's face flashed in her mind.

The shuffle of footsteps was louder this time, but with all the noise it was hard to know how close they were or whether any Others had gotten past the Paladins. All she knew for sure was that the footsteps were headed her way. The darkness wouldn't protect her for long. As soon as any of them drew close enough to trigger the lights, she'd be exposed.

No sooner did that thought cross her mind than the lights behind her flared. A band of four male Others s.h.i.+elded their eyes from the glare, but that didn't keep them from seeing her. The one in front bellowed something as they all charged forward. She didn't need to speak their language to understand what they had planned for her.

She screamed, threw her shoes as hard as she could, and took off running. As she ran for the corner ahead, the lights from that direction came on, too. Trapped! She had no idea who was coming toward her, but she knew full well that to stop where she was would be certain death.

She charged forward, hoping against hope that Devlin had gotten her message and sent someone to look for her. Please, G.o.d, please. Please let it be someone I know.

Her steps faltered as a curved blade appeared from around the corner. It was an unwritten rule that no Paladin carried a blade of that shape. She was running straight into a trap. With nowhere to go and no hope of survival, she stopped where she was and began to pray.

Chapter 6.

The battle at the barrier was in full swing. Larem chanted the prayers for the dead and dying under his breath as he made his way through the tunnels. How many of the Kalith were men he'd known when they were sane, when he still served their people as one of Lusahn q'Arc's Blademates? Not that it mattered. Neither he nor they were the same people they used to be.

Larem flexed his fingers on the pommel of his borrowed weapon, his mind flas.h.i.+ng back to a time when he would've joined the battle to protect his own kind. Now he had friends among the Paladins, and his people considered him a traitor. As always, he was a man caught between two worlds, neither of which much wanted him.

At least for the moment, he had a definite purpose. He backed away from the battle, needing to find another way around. Before he'd gone two steps, he saw D.J. in the middle of the fight, wielding his double-headed ax with deadly purpose.

What D.J. didn't see was the Other coming up behind him with his sword swinging right at the Paladin's neck. Before Larem could shout out a warning, Trahern burst free of the melee long enough to remove the threat with one blow from his broadsword. Larem prayed for the soul of the dead warrior and walked away.

A narrow branch of tunnel cut back in the direction he needed to go. The profound relief he'd felt that D.J. had been spared disturbed him on a gut level. The dead Other had been someone's son, brother, friend. Now he was nothing but a pile of b.l.o.o.d.y meat to be disposed of and forgotten. Larem understood the Paladins' reluctance to view their enemy as anything but rabid animals, but as a healer, he ached for all those who suffered a sickness for which there was no cure.

The never-ending cycle of death made him furious, and seeing it firsthand left him freezing cold inside. He trudged on, concentrating on the task at hand and doing his best to block out the screams of agony that bounced through the tunnels and echoed in his soul.

Larem quickly learned to keep his focus on the floor and away from the sudden bursts of light that nearly blinded his sensitive Kalith eyes. When he reached a long stretch of clear pa.s.sage, he broke into a run, slowing only when he reached the other end. c.o.c.king his head to the side, he listened hard.

Heartbeats just ahead. Four had the staccato beat of Kaliths lost in the frenzy, but one was purely human. Either it was Sasha being hunted by his kind or else the four Others had managed to corner a Paladin alone. Either way, Larem had to intervene.

Bracing himself for battle, he rounded the last corner and came face-to-face with his worst nightmare come true. Four Kalith males were fanning out, closely stalking Sasha. They were enjoying the hunt, laughing maniacally as she retreated.

The one in the lead spoke to her, his English rough but his meaning all too clear. "Female, stop running. We don't want you to be too tired to be of use to us." He looked toward his companions. "If you please myself and my friends, perhaps we'll let you live."

Sasha stopped moving and threw her shoulders back. "I'd rather die."

The Kalith pushed his long hair back from his face, his smile turning nasty. "That won't be as fun for us, but if you insist . . ."

Larem didn't want to kill his own kind, but he wouldn't let them hurt Sasha, not when she was his to protect. So far they hadn't noticed him; he wasn't sure about Sasha.

He paused long enough to jerk the tie out of his hair, letting it hang free down around his shoulders. Raising his sword, he started forward, calling out a traditional greeting among Kalith warriors in their own language. "My brothers, how fare thee?"

The leader jerked his attention away from Sasha long enough to answer, "My brother, we are about to fare very well."

Then his eyes flared wide as he took in the human attire Larem wore, and his smile turned feral. "You speak our language, but you carry the stench of Paladins."

Sasha finally recognized him. "Larem? Thank G.o.d you're here."

He ignored her as the three Others sniffed the air, growling low in their chests. One of them reached out toward Sasha, laughing when she shrank against the wall to avoid his touch.

This was going to end badly. Larem knew that and so did they. Still, for the sake of the oath he'd sworn to serve his people, he had to try. "My brothers-"

"We are not your brothers, not if you live in the light, traitor!" The leader sidled closer to Sasha, his sword sliding back and forth in a promise of the fight to come. He switched to heavily accented English. "Tell us how to escape these tunnels and maybe we'll let the woman live."

Larem lowered his blade slightly, hoping to reduce the growing tension. "I am no traitor, but I will not let you harm the woman. She has done nothing to you."