Bound By Darkness (Guardians of Eternity #8)(83)
Author: Alexandra Ivy

“I don’t care who it is,” he retorted. “Anything or anyone that can get you out of here is good news.”

Muttering at the stubborn stupidity of Sylvermysts, Jaelyn circled to stand directly in front of him.

“There’s no ‘you.’ It’s ‘us,’” she informed him, stabbing her finger into the center of his chest. “We’ll go through any opening together or neither of us will go.”

“Poppet.”

“Don’t poppet me,” she interrupted, her voice revealing she wasn’t going to tolerate any excuses. “We’ll go through and prepare for the Dark Lord. If we can unite the vampires and Sylvermysts, not to mention the Weres, there’s no way he can defeat us. We’ll at least have a better shot than trying to do it on our own.”

His lips parted to argue, only to snap shut as he realized the sense of her words.

“You do have a point,” he reluctantly conceded.

“Thank you,” she said dryly.

She didn’t have any time to congratulate herself on her small victory. Or even to feel relief that they might actually escape the nerve-racking fog.

Not when a vicious pain sliced through the air, along with a female voice that made Jaelyn’s skin crawl.

“Jaelyn.”

She sent Ariyal a resigned glance. Whoever might be trying to enter the mists was too late.

“Shit,” she muttered.

He brushed his fingers over her cheek, his gaze skimming over her upturned face with an aching regret.

“It looks like the decision has been made for us.”

“Looks like.” She palmed her shotgun, pulling it free of the holster. “Do you have any suggestions?”

Holding out his arm, Ariyal called for his bow and arrow, his gaze searching the mists. A good warrior wasn’t so distracted by the lion that he failed to notice the cobra hiding in the grass.

“She’s not yet at her full strength, which means there’s the potential that her body can be injured.”

She swiftly followed his logic. “So if we can destroy it …”

“Then the Dark Lord will be back to where he started,” he completed. “Unable to enter our world.” He grimaced. “Or at least that’s the hope.”

Hope.

She might have laughed if the Dark Lord hadn’t chosen that moment to part the mists and appear in front of them.

Jaelyn shuddered, struck by the horrifying irony of such evil being hidden inside a young female who might have been the poster child of innocence.

It was just … wrong.

“Sweet Jaelyn, why do you run from me?” the creature taunted, a whimsical smile making her dimples dance. Then, as if caught by surprise, the Dark Lord widened her china-blue eyes. “Oh look, a Sylvermyst.” She released a giggle that battered against Jaelyn like shards of glass. “Yummy.”

The fear that threatened to crush her was abruptly pierced by a savage fury as the female drifted toward Ariyal.

“And mine,” she gritted, pulling the trigger of the shotgun.

The Dark Lord brushed aside the pellets with a wave of her hand, but it at least had distracted her from Ariyal.

“Surely you don’t mind sharing?”

“As a matter of fact I do.”

With a blur of motion Jaelyn had her shotgun reloaded and was firing.

Again the Dark Lord brushed aside the projectiles, stepping toward Jaelyn with a smile of anticipation.

She was enjoying Jaelyn’s fury. Perhaps even feeding off of it.

“But he’s been such a bad, bad boy. He should never have tried to hide from me.” The creature shook her head. “And to leave me for Morgana le Fey? He hurt my feelings.”

“Somehow I doubt you have any feelings to hurt,” Jaelyn muttered.

“Perhaps not. But I do get hungry. And Sylvermysts are so tasty good,” she taunted, licking her lips.

Jaelyn lifted her gun, as if preparing to shoot; then hoping to catch her opponent by surprise, she leapt forward to slash her claws through the female’s throat.

“Drop dead,” she hissed, darting backward.

Briefly baffled, the girl lifted a hand to her neck, pulling it back to study the blood on her fingers.

“Now look what you’ve done.”

“I intend to do far worse,” Jaelyn warned, flashing her fangs.

She didn’t actually think she could defeat the creature, but she had to admit she was shocked that she managed to draw blood.

Maybe Ariyal was right.

Until she’d gained her full strength her body was vulnerable to injury.

Clearly pissed off, the Dark Lord allowed the air to thicken with an excruciating heat, as if they were surrounded by the fiery pits of hell.

Jaelyn groaned in agony, afraid her bones might actually melt.

“How dare you strike me?” The sweet voice sent a thousand pinpricks of pain into Jaelyn’s brain. “I am your master. You will bow before me.”

Jaelyn was willing to bow if it would stop the unseen flames that were searing through her.

Hell, she’d crawl on her knees and kiss the creature’s feet. Before she was reduced to begging, however, Ariyal lifted his bow and with a blinding flurry he filled the girl’s back with a dozen arrows.

The blue eyes widened as the creature stumbled forward, and Jaelyn groaned in relief as the heat was gone as swiftly as it arrived. Obviously the Dark Lord hadn’t truly considered the idea that she might not be as immortal as she thought.

At least not yet.

With a frustrated curse she turned to concentrate her powers on Ariyal, her hand lifting to send the Sylvermyst flying through the air.

Jaelyn grimly ignored the audible crunch of broken bones and Ariyal’s muffled shout of pain. She had to concentrate on the Dark Lord if she was to help her mate.

Not giving herself time to consider the wisdom of a direct attack, Jaelyn launched herself forward, wrapping her arms around the girl’s shoulder and sinking her teeth into the side of her throat.

The blood hit her tongue like a punch, burning a path down her throat and making her stomach cramp in misery. Still she held on tight, fiercely draining the blood as the female clawed at her arm and face.

“You … bitch,” the Dark Lord muttered. “I will make you suffer untold torment.”

Jaelyn believed her.

Despite her numerous injuries the female remained as strong as ever. It wouldn’t take long for Jaelyn and Ariyal to run out of tricks.

Then they would be at her mercy.

A fate worse than death.

Still she continued her desperate attempt to drain the bitch, swallowing the poisonous blood until the Dark Lord reached up to grasp her by the ponytail, yanking her away despite the fangs that ripped through her flesh. Then, with a contemptuous motion, the Dark Lord was tossing Jaelyn through the air.