The Darkest Pleasure (Lords of the Underworld #3)(69)
Author: Gena Showalter

"Fire in the hole," he shouted.

Boom.

So much for preventing explosions. The foundation of the fortress shook. Fire and smoke, screams and the pound of footsteps erupted. A wave of heat billowed into the hallway, blistering his skin. Debris whipped inside, too, and a detached tree limb slapped his face before hitting the floor.

Sabin made to spring over the bodies, only then realizing that one of the Hunters hadn’t yet died. The man managed to raise his gun, smiling as he muttered, "No mercy. Isn’t that your creed?" He squeezed off a shot.

The bullet slammed into Sabin’s thigh, stinging. "Motherfucker!" Close-range shots were a bitch, and he knew immediately the muscle was blown to pieces. Grimacing, he unloaded a round into the Hunter’s already broken body, the sound so loud Sabin’s ears rang. "Yes," he spat. "That’s my creed."

The man gasped his last breath a second later as blood trickled from his mouth.

You’re too weak, Sabin heard Doubt whisper to one of the Hunters outside. The Lords will kill you. Most likely you won’t survive to see another sunrise.

As clearly as if the Hunter were standing next to him, Sabin heard the man’s reply. No. No. I’m strong. I’ll kill them.

You’re practically pissing your pants in fear. Fear they can sense. They’ll attack you like an animal. What if they cut you up and mail your bones to your family?

Used to the stream of doubts, Sabin tuned out the whispers. His head turned left and right, left and right as he backed into the corner beside the broken window. A quick peek out the window – no Hunters about to swing inside. A glance down the hallway – no sign of Hunters there, either.

Sucking in a breath, he gazed down at his wound, his pants already glued to his skin, a bloody hole staring up at him. Fucking great. He reached down, probed the entrance and nearly screamed. It was worse than he’d thought. Twisting his wrist, reaching behind, he felt the back of his leg. There was another hole. Thankfully, the bullet had left him. Okay. Maybe not so bad, after all.

He ripped a strip of cloth from the hem of his shirt and tied it around his thigh, stanching the blood flow.

How are your men doing? Lucien’s? You should hope no one dies. The Hunters outnumber you so it’s possible –

"Shut up," he commanded the demon who was trying to turn the doubts on him.

Most of them have trained to keep their minds blank, Doubt whined. Only a few were open to me and they’re now dead.

The demon needed to hear the thoughts of its victims before it could attack. "Poor baby," Sabin muttered. "But if you get me killed, you’ll lose everything. Become crazed. Eventually be sucked back into the box."

The back of his skull rattled as the demon jolted in horror. No box. No box!

"Quiet down, then." Blessedly, the creature obeyed.

Outside, Sabin could hear the pop and whiz of gunfire, the pained gasps of humans. The slide of steel through skin and bone. He glanced into the night, remaining in the shadows as much as possible. He saw the glint of silver – blades, throwing stars – in the moonlight, arcing through the air before connecting with a target.

His gaze caught on one of his friends. Maddox was rushing forward, leapt in the air and fell upon a cluster of Hunters. For several seconds, there was a tangle of arms and legs. A blade moved quickly, fluidly, a dance of feral motion. Then there was utter stillness. Had Maddox –

The warrior pushed to his feet, dislodging lifeless bodies. Maddox turned and motioned to someone with a wave of his fingers. Reyes, who had his arm wrapped around a human female’s waist, stepped into the light, but they were gone a moment later.

The All-Seeing Eye. Thank the gods I didn’t kill her when I had the chance.

His cell phone vibrated in his pocket. Shit. The patter of footsteps suddenly sounded again, catching Sabin’s attention. Too late. He whipped around. Four Hunters had entered the hallway. "Found one!" he heard as they trained their weapons on him and raced forward.

"He’s mine. When he recovers from my blows, he’s yours."

"I will hurt him. Now, later. This is for my son, demon!"

A barrage of bullets slammed into him: shoulder, stomach, next to the fresh wound in his thigh. He’d known better than to allow himself to be distracted. Pushing past the pain, he launched forward with a roar. He fired his semiautomatics until the magazines were emptied, dropped them and spread his arms, bullets continuing to hit him.

He and the Hunters met in the middle of the hall.

They crashed together and tumbled to the floor. One of the Hunters cracked his skull into the marble so hard he didn’t move again. The other three withdrew blades and tried to slice at various places on Sabin’s body. But he’d expected the attack and had palmed his own during the fall.

Humans, no matter how smart, were no match for an immortal’s strength and speed.

He had their necks gushing before they managed more than a few incisions. Panting, Sabin lumbered to his feet. Dizziness battered against his brain like a drum, and he swayed. This rate, and he might not live to fight Stefano. Much less Galen, if the coward ever showed his face.

He closed his eyes for a moment, fatigued, weak.

He must have blacked out, because when he refocused, a human was standing just in front of him – though out of striking distance, he noted. Not just any human, either. Stefano.

Hate rose like a tidal wave in his chest, but he didn’t have the strength to rise.

"Knew it was you," Sabin said. His throat felt raw, as if blood and acid had played Search-and-Destroy with his voice box.

Stefano tsked under his tongue. "Look at you, Doubt. You must be in pain. How sad."

Sabin slowly moved his good arm behind his back, where a dagger dangled from a chain. He could feel the cold metal against his skin.

"Oh, I wouldn’t do that if I were you," Stefano said, lifting his own arm and aiming a gun at Sabin’s face.

Sabin stilled. "We both know you’re not going to kill me."

"Perhaps we do. But I have no problem hurting you, taking you to the brink of death. My team includes doctors who know how to save a man who’s only a heartbeat away from extinction."

"Aren’t you a sweetie?" Damn, but his head was filled with a sickening fog. A fog that had nothing to do with weakness but everything to do with…drugs? Had Stefano injected him with something while he was unconscious? Sabin wouldn’t put it past the f**ker.

"Yes. Yes, I am. I didn’t slice off your limbs as I wanted. I didn’t carve Darla’s name in your chest."

Hearing his lover’s name from this man’s lips was foul. "She hated you, you know? You think I lured her away from you, but the truth is, she ran willingly into my arms."