Chapter 8

Micha managed to catch Skye as she abruptly collapsed, her eyes rolling back in her head as she pres umably fainted.

It wasn't often that he found himself blindsided by events, but he felt as if he was in a nightmare. What the hell was happening? One minute he'd been resting in bed and the next he'd heard the click of his lock. Instinct had him flowing to disappear in the shadows by the armoire, prepared to attack the intruder. He'd known there were others with the tall fairy who halted in the middle of the room, but he sensed this male was the leader.

He'd surged forward, more annoyed than worried as the second fairy blocked his initial blow. The tall fairy was strong, but he was no match for a vampire. Still, he needed to finish the threat as quickly as possible. Who knew if his fellow vampires were being attacked at the same time?

Foolishly focused on what he considered his most dangerous opponent, he barely noticed the human dashing toward him, not until he belatedly caught the scent of laurel leaves and Skye was clu tching his arm.

Too shocked to knock her away, he glared down at her, waiting for her to explain what she was doing there. Instead, her lips parted in a silent scream and her eyes glowed as if they were being lit with an inner fire.

Was she being hurt? Had the fairies done something to her? Or w as it a vision?

He was still trying to figure out what was happening when she collapsed and he instinctively scooped her limp body into his arms.

At the same time, the fairy leaped forward to snap a thin silver hoop around his neck. Before Micha could react, the demon was scurrying backward, holding up a small metal device with a button in the center.

"You know what this is?" the male demanded.

Micha did. The silver collars had been created centuries ago in an effort to control vampires. They hadn't been particularly successful. Vampires were allergic to silver, and having the metal against his bare skin was creating painful blisters, but it didn't lessen his power or threaten his life. Recently, however, the demons had added a new layer to the collars by installing small explosives that could be activated by the device the fairy was holding. Some were small enough to do damage without killing, but others were specifically designed to blow the head off a vampire.

Micha simply stared at the intruder. He'd had fifteen hundred years in his current resurrection. He'd discovered that silence was far more powerful than any response he could make.

The fairy stiffened, clearly expecting a violent reaction. Then, slowly stepping back, he motioned toward the male standing next to the bed, wiping away the blood that dribbled from h is busted nose.

"Yugan, get the seer."

With a caution that revealed he wasn't eager for another blow from Micha, the servant inched forward, only to halt as a low growl rumbled in Micha's throat. It wasn't a conscious warning. Just as his arms tightening around Skye's soft body wasn't a deliberate choice. It'd simply happened. As if some instinct inside him had taken command.

The taller male clicked his tongue, no doubt sensing Micha would happily destroy them if they tried to wrench the woman from his arms.

"Never mind." He glanced at a watch strapped around his wrist. "Gemma should be in place. We need to go."

Waving the device that controlled the collar around Micha's neck in a warning motion, the male turned to head out of the room, obviously expecting Micha to follow him. Micha ground his fangs. He was fairly confident he could move fast enough to disarm the fairy before he could push the button, but he wasn't willing to take the risk.

Not yet.

Instead, he calmly carried Skye out of the room, leaving the shorter fairy to follow behind him. If he didn't allow himself to be taken, how would he discover why he was being kidnapped? And just as importantly, who was behind the outrageous attack. He didn't believe a couple of fairies had the audacity to enter Valen's lair and steal a member of the Cabal. Not without some seri ous assistance.

Besides, what was the point of escaping if there was going to be another attempt to kidnap him? Whoever arranged the abduction was clearly determined. And the next time, they might be prepared with a weapon that could do serious damage.

All perfectly legit reasons to play along with the demons, and a convenient way to ignore his fierce need to determine how deeply Skye Claremont was connected to the fairies and her precise role in the scheme.

Moving down the hallway, Micha tilted back his head, deliberately glancing at the security camera hidden in the light fixture. Would it be enough to alert Valen to the fact that he was going as a willing prisoner? He hoped so. The last thing he wanted was the male overreacting. Especially when he was beginning to suspect that this was connected to the plot to undermine Valen's authority and wrench this Gyre fr om his control.

Surprisingly, they turned away from the elevators to move down a narrow corridor before halting in front of a steel door at the end. There was a sign at the top that declared it an EMERGENCY EXIT, and pulling out a keycard from his pocket, the leader swiped it over the electronic reader. There was a loud click before the d oor swung open.

Micha frowned. It was midday. Not a great time for vampires to be out and about. In fact, he was going to have to insist on staying in Valen's lair if the fairy was leading him out of the building. Even if it mean t killing them.

No doubt sensing the sudden chill in the air, the tall fairy glanced over his shoulder. "Don't worry. I went to the trouble of providing you with your own vehicle. I assumed you would feel more comf ortable in it."

Micha glanced past him to peer through the open door at the underground garage. As promised, the black van that had been driven to New York by one of his staff was parked near the door. He'd used his private jet to travel from New Orleans, but like all vampires, he always had more than one means of a quick esca pe ready to go.

Or at least, it was supposed to be ready to go in case o f an emergency.

"My servant?" he demanded in cold tones.

"He's unharmed." The fairy shrugged. "Although he's still sleeping off a night spent with a lovely demon he met at a fight cl ub last night."

Micha didn't have to ask if the lovely demon had been provided by this male to distract his servant. Obviously this kidnapping was not only well planned but well funded. How many demons had been involved? And did it in clude vampires?

Wh at about mages?

Only one w ay to find out.

Cradling Skye tight in his arms, he allowed himself to be led to the van and climbed through the rear doors. He had several safeguards built in, including reinforced panels that blocked the back compartment from the driver's seat, bulletproof shields, and a magical spell that he could activate to keep anyone from opening the doors once they were closed. There were also a dozen weapons and a couple of sunproof blankets hidden in a hatch in the floor. For the moment, the risk of having his head blown off by the silver collar was greater than being sizzled to ash by the sun.

The fact that those dangers were possible, even if unlikely, did nothing to brighten his mood. Lowering himself onto the padded bench that ran the length of the cargo area, Micha waited for the doors to be slammed shut before he placed the unconscious seer on the carpeted floor. He wanted his hands free in case he needed to get ahold of a weapon . Or a blanket.

With an effort, he pretended he didn't notice the sense of aching emptiness as the heat from her body faded. He was already paying the price of letting the woman distract him. Only a fool didn't learn fro m his mistakes.

Instead, he opened one of the built-in compartments and pulled out a pair of sweatpants and a black T-shirt. There was also a designer suit and Italian leather shoes stashed inside, but that felt a little formal fo r a kidnapping.

Once he was dressed, he settled on the bench and stretched out his legs. Then, closing his eyes, he concentrated on the magic that pulsed through the ground. The van was currently rattling over a highway heading north. Soon they would be leaving the Gyre. He needed to replenish his powe rs before then.

Not that his magic was his only protection, he silently acknowledged. He was stronger and faster than any demon and his fangs were lethal weapons. Still, he had things he wanted to take care of before they reached their destination. Starting with the collar a round his neck.

Reaching up, he casually stroked the tips of his fingers over the collar locked around his neck. He assumed his captors were monitoring him with the cameras he had installed for his servants to keep a watch on the back compartment if he was asleep or injured. He didn't want them to think he was doing anything but inspecting the thin metal.

Sensing the explosive cord that ran through the center of the wire, Micha skimmed his fingers along the collar until he discovered the blasting cap pressed against his nape. Drawing in the static electricity that hummed in the air, he used his powers to direct it through his fingers. There was a barely audible snap as he short-circuited the detonator.

One problem solved.

Leaving him with a dozen more. Lowering his hand, he folded his arms over his chest and studied the woman sprawled on the carpeting, her long dress pooling around her delicate body and her mass of curls escaping the scrunchie to frame her fa ce like a halo.

She looked heartrendingly fragile. As if she'd been crushed by the brutality of the real world. But Micha wasn't deceived. Some of the most ruthless killers he'd encountered appeared as inn ocent as babes.

With an effort, he resisted the urge to use his powers on her. He couldn't manipulate a mage's mind, but he could nudge her awake. But why bother? The van had picked up speed, indicating they weren't going to stop anytime soon. He could wait.

And wait. And wait.

In fact, the sun was setting by the time she at last released a low groan and opened her eyes with a visible effort. He remained silent as he watched her stiffen, as she belatedly realized she wasn't tucked in her bed at th e Witch's Brew.

"Who's there?" she demanded, her eyes unable to penetrate the darkness of the enclose d compartment.

Micha didn't answer.

Her hands clenched and her lips moved as she cast a spell to create a soft glow that spread through the back of th e van. "Micha?"

He arched a brow, holding her confused gaze as she struggled to sit up as the van swayed fro m side to side.

"Surpris ed?" he mocked.

"Where are we? And why was I... Oh. I remember." She lifted a hand to shove her curls out of her face, her expression shifting from confused to wary. "How l ong was I out?"

"Fou r hours or so."

She grimaced. "I'm assuming Lynx and his friend are driving the vehicle?" He didn't answer and she heaved a noisy sigh. "Can you at least tell me where we're headed?"

She appeared genuinely anxious, but Micha wasn't letting down his guard. "The only thing I know is that you and your demons betrayed the Cabal," he said in a voice edged with icy disdain. "That's a death sentence." He paused, flicking his gaze over her rumpled form. "Although your lover has obviously decided you have outlived your usefulness. Otherwise he would never have thrown you in with the lions. Metaphoric ally speaking."

"Ew." Her nose wrinkled, as if she'd smelled something rotten. "Lynx i sn't my lover."

Relief blasted through him, and Micha ground his fangs. What did it matter if she had a dozen lov ers? A hundred?

Then his lips twisted into a wry smile. He was well beyond pretending that he didn't care if this woman was committed to another male. And, just as important, if she'd plotted with that male to thre aten the Cabal.

It mattered.

A lot.

He shrugged again. "Then your partner."

"He's not my partner either," she insisted, meeting his steady gaze. Her jaw tightened when he didn't respond. "You don 't believe me?"

"I believe that I was sleeping in the supposed protection of Valen's lair when I was attacked by unknown demons and a seer who claimed to be a friend to Peri Sanguis."

She flinched, as if his words had cut her. "Peri isn't my friend. She's the siste r of my heart."

"That only makes your b etrayal worse."

She leaned forward, her eyes smoldering with a dark fire. "I didn't betray her. I could n't. Not ever."

Magic tingled in the air. Not a spell. Just the side effect of a p issed off mage.

"She knew about your plan to kidnap m e?" he pressed.

"Of course not." She made a sound of frustration. " I didn't know about the plan to kidnap you."

Micha spread his arms. "So this is all just a mis understanding?"

Her jaw clenched, as if she was struggling not to send a spell hurtling in his direction. Then, with an effort, she smoothed her hands down the linen of her dress and regained command of her temper.

"Will you listen if I tell you what happened?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"That's the same question I asked myself," she retorted, clasping her hands together as the scent of laurel leaves filled the air. "Sometimes you have to do what y ou have to do."

Micha leaned back, annoyed by the sudden urge to wrap his arm around Skye and assure her that everything was go ing to be okay.

It would be a very bad idea, he sternl y told himself.

Not only was he trying hard not to trust her, but he also had no idea if things were going to be okay or not.

"Tell your story, but don't expect sympat hy," he warned.

Her lips tightened, but she did as he commanded. "It started last night when I got a text from my father. He wanted to meet at the pub Und er the Bridge."

"Your father?" He didn't disguise his disbelief. Demon bars were notorious for their violence, and a rabid prejudice against humans. "A brave choice."

"My father was invited there," she informed him. "He's known about demons since he traded me to a horde of mercenaries to pay off his debt fift een years ago."

"Fifteen years ago?" Micha was genuinely shocked. "You were just a child."

"A seer isn't like most mages. It didn't take a burst of wild magic to ignite my powers. My visions started when I was very young, although they were mere flashes at first. Just glimpses that were there and gone so fast I didn't know wh at they meant."

Micha considered her explanation. He hadn't realized that a seer could see the future at such a young age. Most witches came into their powers after they matured enough to control their magic. And if he didn't know, he doubted that it was co mmon knowledge.

"How would the demons know about your visions ?" he demanded.

"My mother was a fortune teller in a traveling carnival. She died when I was a baby, but my father realized that I'd inherited her talent, although at the time he didn't realize mine would evolve into something different." Her expression was emotionless, but Micha could feel the sense of betrayal that still festered inside her. "I took my mother's place in the carnival when I was five. Eventually word got around that I was able to read the future despite my young age." She hunched her shoulders. "That's when the demons appeared and Howard traded me off li ke a used car."

Micha narrowed his gaze. As far as sob stories went, this one was a heart-tugger. Only a monster wouldn't be touched by her terrible fate.

Thankfully, vampires qualified as gr ade-A monsters.

"So you do work for demon s," he accused.

"In the past," she insisted. "I spent ten years paying off my father's debt; then I walked away. Eventually I moved in with Maya and Peri at the Witch's Brew."

"They just let you go?" he asked in disbelief, well aware that the demons would have made a fortune off a genuine seer.

She tilted her chin to a defiant angle. "They could keep me captive, but they couldn't force me to sha re my visions."

Micha studied the stubborn expression, slowly allowing himself to believe she was speaking the truth. It would be next to impossible for a demon to force a seer to reveal the images in her mind. Especially when she was also a mage who could punish anyone stupid enough to tr y to force her.

He was guessing that she possessed a rigid sense of integrity that had forced her to complete the deal her father had made with the demons, but when the contract was fulfilled, she'd felt free to leave.

"But the demons returned last night?" he demanded, turning the conversation to the reason Skye had invaded his private rooms with the su icidal fairies.

"Sort of. I went to the pub to tell Howard I didn't want anything to do with him, but of course it was a trap." Her features scrunched as if she'd bitten a lemon. Or maybe it was the memory of her father. "The demons were there, but they weren't the same ones who'd held me hostage. The leader, Lynx, said he'd taken over the horde a couple years ago. Somehow he'd heard about my previous connection and was under the mistaken belief I would care when he threatened to hurt my father." She snorted in disgust. "I informed them I couldn't care less what happened to Howard Claremont and tried to leave. That's when you showed up."

That explained why she'd jumped out of the window. "You should have warned me then that I was in danger."

"I didn't know what they were planning," she protested. "I had no intention of helping them, so there wasn't any need to ask questions."

He glanced around the back of the van. "Obviously they managed to cha nge your mind."

"Only because they kidnapped Clarissa and threatened to sl it her throat."

"Clarissa." Micha tested the name. It didn't stir a memory. " Mage or demon?"

"Neither." Skye's features hardened with anger. "She's an innocent human who owns a magic shop and tells fortunes to make a few extra dollars. Her only mistake was being fr iends with me."

Her voice broke, revealing how much she cared about Clarissa. And the guilt she felt for placing her fr iend in danger.

"That's why you agreed to kidnap me?"

She vehemently shook her head, the golden curls bouncing. "No. I agreed to help them get past the security guards in the lobby of Valen's building. I never dreamed they would be foolish enough to threaten a member of the Cabal."

Micha found himself struggling to keep track of her story. So far he knew that Skye had been bartered off by her father, held hostage by demons, blackmailed by a new horde, and forced to sneak them into Valen's lair. She surely realized the fairies hadn't been there to welcome the vampir es to New York?

"What did you think they wer e going to do?"

"Honestly, I assumed they'd been hired by a vampire t o attack Peri."

"Why?" The story continued to take unexpected turns. "If a vampire wanted Peri dead, they wouldn't have to hire demons to tak e care of her."

"If they killed her, then they'd have to deal with Valen, and I assume face some uncomfortable questions from the Cabal. You were the one who said that forcing her to use her wild magic would compromise Valen's position," she reminded him, her tone indicating she thought he was being excessively dense. "Even if it didn't flare completely out of control, they could claim that she posed a danger to the vampires sleeping in the basement. There would be no retribution from Valen, and the Cabal could get rid of a threat to their dominance with the pretense they were only protecti ng themselves."

Okay. She had a point. He had suspected the attack at the demon bar last night might be connected to Peri and her volatile magic. Still, her explanation only created more questions.

"You were willing to put your fri end in danger?"

She clicked her tongue, as if offended by his words. "I'm not completely helpless. I'd prepared my spells before I went to meet Lynx. Once we reached the penthouse, I intended to disable them before they could hurt Peri." Her defiance abruptly faltered, replaced with uncertainty. "But then we went downstairs instead of up and my spells were sudde nly worthless."

Micha didn't answer. Instead he focused his attention on their surroundings as the van veered off the highway and rattled over a dirt path that challenged the expensive suspension system that he'd spent a fortune to have installed. There was a sense of emptiness that stretched for miles, revealing the remoteness of their location. And a fresh scent of fir trees. They were in the mountains, he abruptly concluded. And isolated from the neares t civilization.

The van briefly stopped, as if waiting for a gate to open, then it rolled forward at a cautious pace. They drove in what felt like a wide circle before it was put in reverse and they backed up until the bumper banged into something metal that made a clanging noise. Micha frowned. There was a heavy sense of weight hanging over them, indicating they'd entered a cave that was dug deep underground. A prison? That's wha t it felt like.

"Exit the van." The voice floated through the intercom system and Micha tilted back his head to stare directly into the camera overhead. The bastard had the nerve to laugh. "Do I have to say pretty please?"

Accepting he had no choice if he was going to get his answers, Micha shoved open the back doors, unsurprised to discover that the van was parked in front of a large cell made out of silver bars.

With a motion too fast to track, Micha had his fingers wrapped around Skye's upper arm and was pulling her out of the van.

"You're coming with m e," he growled.

They'd barely hit the roughly carved stone floor when the van peeled away and a heavy doo r slammed shut.

"Welcome to the Resistance Stronghold," a voice called out as the van disappeared into the thick darkness that surro unded the cell.

"Idiot," he muttered, walking along the edge of the bars to detect any hidden guards.

The cell was large enough to fit a dozen prisoners and placed in the center of the barren cave that stretched deep into the mountain. There were piles of rubble on the floor that revealed the holes for the silver bars were a recent addition. As if the cell had been hastily constructed within the past few weeks.

Interesting.

He returned his attention to his companion, who was standing in the middle of the prison, attempting to look as if she wa sn't terrified.

"I have one more ques tion," he said.

"What?"

"How did the demons get past the security in the elevators?"

"They had a keycard."

"Yours?"

"No." She looked confused by his question. "Peri told me that the lower floors were off-limits . Even to her."

It was the answer Micha was expecting, but he still felt a chill creep down his spine.

"Then who gav e them access?"