The Darkest Passion (Lords of the Underworld #5)(97)
Author: Gena Showalter

Pray for his soul. Later. You can’t help anyone if you die, as well. Olivia stood, her tears pouring down her cheeks like rain. She could barely see in front of her, but she stumbled forward, taking the same path as Galen.

The hallway led to an empty area, but that empty area led to a closed doorway. The exit? Most likely. The seam between the double doors revealed a stream of sunlight.

Gulping, she held out her uninjured hand and pushed the panels open. Warm air instantly enveloped her. And sure enough, the sun was shining brightly over a parking lot. Too brightly for her now-sensitive vision. Still, she blinked against those rays as she trudged onward.

Until a smiling Galen stepped into her path.

His wings were spread wide, and she was moving too quickly to stop. She knocked into him and careened backward, falling into the metal wall of the warehouse. With a shocked, pained gasp, she slid to the rock-laden ground.

“I thought you’d stay behind to check on the boy,” he said, grin widening. “Your friends caused his death, yet still you thought to return to them. So disappointing. So predictable.”

Bastard!

He lunged for the wall, and Olivia rolled out of the way, clutching as many rocks as she could hold. She scrambled to her feet, careful not to make another sound, and Galen ended up slamming into the building.

He straightened. “Doesn’t matter. I can see your footprints. It’s just a matter of following you now.”

Thanks for the warning. She zigzagged left, right, gaze continually moving, searching for a path to safety. Only dirt and gravel greeted her. Which meant anywhere she stepped, he would continue to see her prints. And he did. He followed her.

“Escape me, and I’ll go after Aeron next. I’ll cut off his head while you watch, helpless.”

He was taunting her, trying to trick her into retreating.

Slowly, inch by agonizing inch, Olivia moved backward. Still Galen followed. She threw a glance over her shoulder. A hundred yards away was a busy area, with a high-traffic road and many other buildings. Hunters had probably chosen the location as a way of hiding in plain sight, but what they hadn’t counted on was that it would be easier for their prisoners to hide, as well. All she had to do was make it there, and then she would be safe. He would never be able to pick her out.

Problem: he was fast, faster than her, and uninjured. If she ran, he could catch her. Worth the risk.

Drawing on a reservoir of strength she hadn’t known she possessed, she spun around and sprinted forward. There was a crunch of gravel, and she knew that Galen was still hot on her trail. Her entire body screamed in protest each time she threw one leg in front of the other, but she only increased her speed.

Almost there… Galen gripped the Cloak and jerked. Yelping, fisting the material with her free hand to keep it around her, she rounded a corner and slammed into a group of pedestrians. Two fell backward as her shoulder and arm were revealed. Panting, Olivia refit the material around her, then plastered herself against the nearest wall.

She tossed her handful of rocks into a pole. Pop, pop, pop. She watched, hopeful, as Galen soared past her toward the pole, giving chase to where he thought she’d gone.

So close. So close to disaster. But she’d done it. She’d really done it.

Hot breath slammed in and out of her nose, burning her throat and lungs. Sweat was pouring obscenely now, and she probably smelled. Her limbs were once more shaking. Unfortunately, she couldn’t go to the fortress. Galen’s men would be surrounding the place by the time she reached it. She couldn’t call Aeron for a pickup because she didn’t know his number.

She had to do something, go somewhere; she couldn’t stay here. Using the wall to prop herself up, she careened forward, winding around several corners, letting herself become lost in the different crowds and locations. Finally, she spied a shadowed, empty alley and sat. Mistake. The moment her body stilled, she knew she wouldn’t be able to force it into action again. Her muscles clamped down on her bones, and every spark of energy drained.

“Lysander,” she whispered. Waited.

Once again, she received no reply.

Alone. A terrible thought. This wasn’t the best location to hide. Someone could stumble over her invisible legs. More than that, Hunters would probably be searching all the alleys when she failed to reach the fortress. But…

She’d rest her eyes, she thought. Just for a bit. Catch her breath, too. Then she’d pick herself up and start moving again. Except, she must have fallen asleep, because when she finally opened her eyes, still unable to move, she saw that the sun had set and the moon was glowing prettily.

Her pain was magnified, her resolve finally shaken. She couldn’t do this. She couldn’t go on. Death would be welcome. She wouldn’t fight. She would—

“Olivia,” a male voice said, startling her. “Come on, sweetheart. I know you’re here. Your spirit trail ends here, but I can’t see you.” A second later, a body materialized.

Lucien. She recognized him, though they’d never been properly introduced, and knew he carried the demon of Death. How appropriate. He could escort her—

“I’m not going to hurt you. I want to help you. Aeron’s looking for you.”

Aeron. Death could suck it. With a shaky hand that felt as if boulders anchored it in place, she reached up and tugged the Cloak from her shoulders. “H-here. I’m here.”

Lucien’s eyes widened when she suddenly appeared. “Oh, sweetheart. I’m so sorry. Everything will be—” He shook his head. “No time to explain what’s going on. There’s a soul at the warehouse where you were tortured, and I need to escort him into the hereafter.”

“His name’s Dominic,” she said in that savaged voice of hers. “He saved me. Be gentle with him, please.”

“I will.” Lucien disappeared.

She folded the Cloak as best she could, expecting—Lucien reappeared with Aeron.

All other thoughts faded. Aeron. Unexpected. Welcome. “I thought you were…the soul…”

“That’s what I’m doing next. See you back at the fortress,” Lucien said, and once again disappeared.

“Oh, baby,” Aeron said gently as he crouched beside her. Despite the gentleness, she could hear his worry and his fury. But he was here, he was safe after the earlier battle. “What did they do to you?”

Like Lucien, she didn’t have time for explanations. “They’re out here, looking for me. Waiting by the fortress.”