It sounded pretty when he said it like that. Too bad he wasn’t buying it. Gods, he wished he could just talk to Thane. They’d been trying since their return to Snake River to repeat the telepathic connection they’d shared inside the mines. So far, it wasn’t working, though. Apparently, it had been a one-time fluke, brought on by extreme distress.

  Well, fuck it all, he was sure as hell distressed now. Something cold, dark, and evil was slithering toward them, and though he couldn’t put a name to it, the very air around him seemed to be alive with the coming threat. He’d fight if he had to, but it would be nice if he had some kind of guarantee…

  He did have a guarantee, though. Nix had told him that he’d live a long and happy life with Thane. If Nix could see that in his future, just maybe, he could see something about their enemies’ plans.

  Changing directions, Zasha jogged along the corridor and took the stairs two at a time to the second floor, intent of finding Nix and begging the guy to spill everything he knew.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “Oh, we’re having a dinner meeting tonight.” Nix rose up on his toes and then swayed back on his heels. “That’ll be nice.”

  Sweet hell, Thane had missed his brother. He’d missed all of them, looked forward to being reunited with those still missing, but there was just something about Nix. Sure, he was a little odd at times. Thane imagined being constantly bombarded with events of the future would do that to anyone, though. Nix took it all in stride, always had, and his never-waning optimism was as infectious as it was welcomed.

  “What are we meeting about?”

  “Not sure.” Nix shrugged, but the smile never left his face. “Doesn’t work like that. I just see what I see.” His smile slid away, replaced by an unhappy pout. “Well, fish sticks. That’s no good. He’ll not be very happy with me.”

  “You’re going to have to give me more than that, man.”

  “Your dashing vampire will be arriving at my bedroom door momentarily. He won’t be happy to find me missing.”

  Thane didn’t know why Zasha would go looking for Nix, and it made him uneasy. “Is something wrong?” His mate was searching for his brother, and there was a dinner meeting. If he was guessing, he’d say the two were related.

  “Again, I only see what I see.”

  “You could make this a lot easier on yourself.” Torren growled as he paced the small holding cell like a caged animal.

  The witch was beginning to lose his cool, and frankly, Thane was surprised it had taken this long. Torren wasn’t exactly known for his patience, and the fact that they’d been trying to get answers out of the witches for nearly four hours was even beginning to take its toll on him. Hell, at that point, he was just glad Torren or Raith hadn’t snapped and broken someone’s neck.

  “This is getting us nowhere,” Lynk grumbled. “Let’s just question the leader and go home. I’m starving.”

  They’d started at the bottom of the ranks and worked their way up, hoping one of the underlings would prove to be a weak link. No one was talking, though. Not under threat of pain and death would they purge their secrets. It was frustrating and damn annoying. Of course, maybe if they really did start breaking some fingers, it might just loosen a few tongues.

  They were better than that, though, something Lynk continuously reminded them each time one of them lost his temper. While honor and chivalry weren’t bad codes to live by, they didn’t get Thane the answers he wanted, either. “I want to find Zasha and figure out what’s happening at the main house. I say we leave the leader until tomorrow. I doubt he’s going to talk anyway.”

  “I want to talk to him,” Torren argued. “He’s cocky and reckless. Guys like that can’t resist bragging.”

  Thane found himself bobbing his head in agreement. “Okay, that actually makes sense.” He still wanted to go home. “Let’s get this over with.”

  Exiting the cell, they waited for the guard on duty to lock it behind them, and then followed him to the very last stone building along the dimly lit walkway.

  “Torren, don’t go in there.” Nix grabbed their brother’s arm and pulled him to a stop before he could enter the outer chamber of the cell. “You need to stay here.”

  “Why? What do you see?”

  “That man in there, I don’t know how, but he’ll be important to you.” His eyelids closed and flickered, fluttering his dark lashes against his cheeks. “You’ll love him.”

  “You’re wrong,” Torren responded coldly. “I’ve found my Infinity. Aslan is everything to me.”

  “I’m not wrong. This man is important. You have to protect him.”

  “Fine, I’ll protect him. I’ll never love him, though. I think you’ve gotten some wires crossed, little brother.”

  Torren appeared angry by the suggestion that his affections for Aslan would in some way be tested. Thane couldn’t blame him, but he’d also learned long ago to not take Nix’s prophecies too literally. Some were specific, such as the dinner they’d yet to be invited to, but most of the time, it was only vague impressions that didn’t even make sense to him.

  Entering the dank prison, the brothers spread out to form a half-circle around the prisoner. The man knelt on the stone floor with his head bent, flexing his arms as he strained against the shackles that bolted him to the ground. “Who are you?” Torren demanded as he clipped the guy in the ribs with the toe of his boot.

  “Torren,” Nix scolded. “Stop that.”

  “Who are you?” Raith repeated Torren’s question, adding a low growl to his voice.

  The guard poked his head in through the doorway and passed a donor bag of blood to Thane. “Make sure he gets that before you leave.” Then he touched the brim of his baseball cap and disappeared.

  “He’s a vampire?” Hybrids were exceedingly common, but this particular hybrid was wickedly powerful—far more so than he should have been. “How old are you?”

  “I’m not exactly sure,” the vampire answered. Finally, he lifted his head, peering up at Thane with a wide, toothy grin. “They don’t hand out birth certificates to babies abandoned in the gutter.”

  “What’s your name?”

  “Hmm, ya know, I just forgot.”

  “Okay, can I hit him now?” Torren asked as he curled his fingers into a fist and pulled his elbow back.

  “Knock it off. You’re being childish.” Rolling his eyes at Torren, Nix stepped forward, closer to the prisoner than strictly necessary in Thane’s opinion. “Answer the question. What is your name?”

  “You have no power over me. Soon, you’ll have no power at all. Gods, you were so easy to manipulate. I’m fucking ashamed to call myself a Braddock.”

  “What did you say?” Thane was shocked by the confession, but Torren just sounded highly pissed. “You’re a worthless piece of shit. You’re definitely not a Braddock.”

  The young man’s eyes danced with an icy gleam as his calculating smile stretched wider. “Are you sure about that, Daddy? Not missing a kid, are you? Maybe a baby boy you abandoned over a hundred and fifty years ago?”

  “I…” The blood drained from Torren’s face, leaving him sickly pale and trembling. “It can’t…”

  The prisoner began to laugh, and it was the most chilling sound Thane had ever heard. “Aren’t you glad to see me? C’mon, Daddy, where’s the love?”

  “No.” Torren shook his head, but he looked like he might vomit or pass out at any second. “They took you. I watched them take you away.” He stepped closer to the kneeling man but stopped when the guy snapped his fangs at him.

  “Torren?” Thane had stayed quiet for as long as he could, but the entire scene was becoming very strange, and he wanted to know what the hell was happening. “Torren, who is this? How do you know him?”

  His gaze never left the young man, and Thane swore he saw a suspicious shine to his brother’s eyes. “This is Addison,” Torren whispered, “and he’s my son.”

  * * * *

  Discovering Nix was absent from his room had been annoying. After his ordeal with the witches, Zasha had assumed the man would need time to rest and recover before traipsing down to Hell’s Alley to interrogate prisoners. Clearly, that hadn’t been the case.

  After some internal argument and much debate, he’d finally decided it was probably for the best. Yes, he’d like some reassurance that everything would turn out in their favor. On the other hand, he didn’t think knowing his fate would really make a difference. Besides, after he’d calmed down some, he’d realized it was something he really should discuss with Thane—not Nix.

  Rising from his seat in the formal sitting room when the Braddock brothers entered, Zasha held back, though every part of him wanted to rush to his mate. Something was wrong. He could see it in their faces, the dead look in their eyes. Whatever they’d learned in those dark, lonely cells had impacted them hard.

  When Thane turned his head and met his gaze, Zasha felt every ounce of hurt and confusion spilling from his lover. Silently crossing the room, he walked right into Thane’s arms, holding on tightly and wishing he could absorb all of the man’s pain. “I love you.” It was all he knew to say, the only comfort he could offer.

  “I love you, too,” Thane murmured, rubbing his cheek against the top of Zasha’s head. “It’s not good, baby.”

  “Tell me.”

  “Later.”

  “I have to find Aslan.” Torren’s voice sounded hollow, devoid of any emotion. “I don’t think I’ll be down for dinner.”

  “I’ll get Wren in the bathtub,” Raith offered.

  “Right. Yeah. Thank you.” Moving like a robot on autopilot, Torren turned away from the group and walked stiffly toward the staircase.

  “Is he okay?”

  “No.” That was all Thane said. He offered no explanation, nor did he qualify his statement with how Torren would be fine at some point. “So, what’s this meeting about?”

  “Maybe we should cancel.” No one looked to be in the mood for a lengthy discussion about impending doom. “We can talk about it tomorrow.”

  “We have to eat,” Nix replied, and even he appeared more subdued that Zasha had yet to see him. “We might as well talk while we do it.”

  They all trudged into the dining room, sans Torren and Raith. October joined them shortly afterward, and it was clear from his expression that he’d already been informed of what had happened down on the prison block. “I’m sorry,” he announced as everyone took their seats. “I realize this isn’t the best time, but it’s something that needs to be discussed.”

  The servers appeared with shiny trays laden with food, but no one seemed interested in eating. “Just tell us,” Lynk mumbled. Kieran came striding into the dining room, walking straight to his mate and lifting him into his arms. Then he settled down in Lynk’s vacated seat, cuddling the man and stroking his hair.

  Zasha was beginning to feel like there was some secret club he hadn’t been invited to join. Everyone seemed to have heard the news except for him. Trusting that Thane would give him the details when they were alone, he cleared his throat to gain everyone’s attention.

  “The full moon is in two weeks. It also happens to fall on Imbolc this year.”

  “Would you just fucking spit it out, already?” Lynk snapped.

  It was so out of character for the normally polite witch that Zasha could only blink. Thane, however, seemed more inclined to be offended on his behalf. “Watch it, Lynk.”

  “Mind your own advice,” Kieran warned with a snarl.

  “Children,” October interrupted in icy tones. Once the three men had nodded and offered their grudging apologies, October looked to Zasha, indicating he should continue.

  Not sure what he could say that wouldn’t get his head bit off again, he decided to be blunt. “I think we were tricked into bringing the witches here, and I’m pretty sure it has something to do with Mikko, Thane, and someone trapped in Purgatory.”

  “Not someone.” Torren entered the room with his arm wrapped securely around his mate’s shoulders. Aslan’s eyes were bloodshot and glistening, his lids swollen from obvious crying. “Several someones,” Torren elaborated. “I think they’re trying to release the souls of the witches we fought in the original war of the Magicks.”

  The elder spoke as though he had personal knowledge, and while Zasha would have liked some elaboration, he instinctually understood it was not the time to question the man. “Then what do we do?”

  “Witches can harness power from events for several months. My guess is that they’ve already performed the spell.” Torren settled into one of the empty seats and pulled Aslan into his lap. “Imbolc is not the catalyst. It’s the completion.”

  “I don’t understand.” Thankfully, he didn’t appear to be the only one not able to grasp what Torren was trying to tell them.

  “The spell will reach its completion during the full moon. If Thane enters Purgatory any time after that—”

  “The veil between worlds will remain open,” Thane interrupted. “If I go in to find Mikko, I’ll split the veil and release whatever souls are trapped in Purgatory.”

  “How do we prevent that?” Leaning back in his chair, October crossed his arms over his chest, as calm and collected as always.

  “I’ll have to go in after Mikko before the full moon.”

  The entire reason Thane hadn’t already rescued his brother’s soul was because Mikko’s body was too weak, and there was concern that the reunion of body and spirit would cause a fatal reaction. “Can you do that? Is it a good idea?”

  “I can do it.” Thane’s hand slipped into Zasha’s lap and squeezed his inner thigh. “No, I don’t think it’s a good idea, not until Mikko is stronger, but it doesn’t look like we have a choice. I can’t rip open the veil and allow the other souls to escape.”

  “Is it dangerous for you?” Zasha wasn’t unsympathetic to the possibility that Thane could lose his brother. However, he hadn’t actually met the guy yet, and his main concern would always be for his mate.

  “It can be. If Mikko’s body rejects his soul, it could trap us both.”

  “What can I do?” He wasn’t selfish enough to tell Thane not to attempt the rescue. He wasn’t going to sit back and let the man he loved suffer a fate worse than death, either.

  “I’ll need you to be there. You’ll ground me.”

  “I balance you,” Zasha whispered, understanding dawning.

  “You are my light.”

  Gods, he didn’t know why he hadn’t understood it before now, didn’t know how the deeper meaning of those words had escaped his notice. “Your light.”

  “Right,” Thane answered with a gentle smile. “You are my light to—”

  “Lead you home.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  “I just sit here and hold your hand?” Zasha arched one eyebrow while his opposite eye tightened at the corner. “You’re kidding, right?”

  Thane didn’t know why the vampire was so skeptical. “Nope, I’m not kidding. It’s the same thing I’ve been telling you for two weeks.”

  “Well…I know.” A breath of air puffed from his lips, and his shoulders sagged. “I thought you just didn’t want to worry me or something. I assumed you were waiting to tell me more.”

  Maybe it didn’t sound like much to Zasha, but the simple act of linking their hands together would tether Thane to him so that he could find his way back once he crossed the veil. “I promise there is nothing more to tell.” Settling into the recliner beside Mikko’s hospital bed, Thane patted the arm of the chair beside him, inviting Zasha to sit as well. “The moon will be cresting soon. We need to get started.”

  They’d waited for as long as they could, hoping Mikko would regain some measure of strength in that time, but with the full moon just one night away, they were out of time. “I wish we could wait until tomorrow night.” That was out of the question, though. He couldn’t risk ripping apart the barrier that separated the physical plane from the spirit world.

  “Why tomorrow? Can you draw more power from the full moon?”

  “Well, yes, but that doesn’t really affect what I’m about to do.” If he was performing a spell or ritual, the full moon would be the ideal time. There were times when the veil was thinner, allowing him to move between realms more fluidly, but the moon had very little to do with his special gift. “It would be easier for Mikko,” he explained. “Shifters are drawn to the full moon. It wouldn’t make his body stronger, but it would give us a bigger push from the other side.”

  “That makes sense.” Zasha bobbed his head twice and stopped, glancing toward Mikko’s unconscious form with a frown. “Okay, I think I’m missing something. How is Mikko a shifter?”

  “Well, when a mommy and daddy love each other…”

  “Asshole,” Zasha muttered. “When we talked about your brothers, you said your mom died after Mikko and Nix were born. Then your father married a female shifter.”

  “Ah, I see.” Yes, when said that way, it could be a little confusing, especially since Zasha didn’t have all the information. “Well, see, we don’t talk about those kinds of indiscretions.”

  “Oh.” Zasha pressed his lips together and ducked his head as a pink hue filled his cheeks. “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be.” It had happened long ago. Thane didn’t know the whole story, and he didn’t want to, either. The memories he had of his father were good ones, and he didn’t want to sully them by digging into secrets that were best left buried. “All of my brothers know something doesn’t add up—even Nix and Mikko. We never talked about it, though. They’re our family, and that’s all that matters.”

  “Agreed.” Zasha squeezed his hand and smiled. “Let’s go get your brother.”

  “I might talk. My body may jerk or convulse. This doesn’t mean anything is wrong, though.” He didn’t want to scare his mate, but he needed to prepare him. “No matter what you see, don’t be scared and don’t let go of my hand. Okay?”

 

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