Chapter 8

Chapter

Eight

SAVANNAH

S avannah moved cautiously through the dark tunnels beneath The Thorny Rose, her senses heightened as she scanned for any signs of danger. The dim light from the occasional flickering bulb cast eerie shadows along the walls, adding to the unsettling atmosphere. The air was damp and heavy with the scent of mildew and old earth. Every now and then, the ground trembled slightly, as though something ancient and restless stirred beneath them.

Beside her, Gage moved with the kind of fluid grace that only a predator could possess, his eyes darting between the shadows, his muscles coiled and ready for a fight. Their alliance, though uneasy, was necessary. They couldn’t afford to fight each other, not with the dangers they both knew awaited them in the labyrinth of tunnels and sewers that lay ahead.

The weight of their encounter the previous night still hung between them, unspoken but undeniable. Savannah’s thoughts flickered to the mind-boggling sex they had shared, the heat of his kisses and his cock as he’d thrust in and out of her still lingering in her mind. It had been reckless and impulsive, but it had also been the kind of release she hadn’t known she needed. Now, they were back in the thick of it—back to the mission, where the lines between trust and betrayal blurred dangerously.

“Stay close,” Gage muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. He cast a glance over his shoulder, his eyes meeting hers for a moment longer than necessary. “These tunnels are old. Not just physically, but... energetically. There are things here that can sense us before we see them.”

“I can handle myself,” Savannah shot back, her voice firm. “I’ve been navigating these kinds of places longer than you think.”

Gage grinned, a dark glint of amusement in his eyes. “Yeah, I’m starting to get that.”

They moved in tense silence after that, both focused on the task at hand. The tunnels stretched on in a dizzying array of twists and turns, each passage seemingly more dangerous than the last. It wasn’t long before the air began to change—becoming thicker and more humid. The clean, metallic scent of stone and earth gave way to the putrid stench of rot and decay.

They had crossed into Grungle’s domain.

The sewers beneath New Orleans were nothing like the tunnels they had just left. Here, the walls were slick with moisture, and the ground underfoot was treacherous, a mixture of mud and waste that sucked at their boots with every step. The air was hot, thick with the smell of stagnant water and the faint, sulfuric undertone of something far darker.

“Charming,” Gage muttered, wrinkling his nose. “I can see why Grungle likes it down here.”

Savannah laughed—it was a light, frothy sound that reminded him of early spring in Louisiana. “Grungle’s domain might be disgusting, but it’s his. He’s got control down here. We’ll need to be careful.”

Gage nodded, keeping his hand on the hilt of his dagger as they moved deeper into the sewer system. They both knew that this wasn’t just about navigating the sewers—it was about finding the artifact before anyone else did. Falwell had told Gage it was an ancient key of some kind, said to open gateways between realms. If Falwell or Vesper got their hands on it, the consequences would be catastrophic.

They weren’t looking for trouble, but it wasn’t long before it found them.

A low growl echoed through the tunnel, the sound reverberating off the walls. Savannah froze, her grip tightening on her dagger as the shadows around them seemed to shift and come to life. The growl grew louder, closer, until finally, from the darkness, emerged a pack of twisted, hunched creatures—lesser demons, their eyes glowing with a sickly yellow light, their claws scraping against the stone.

“Here we go,” Gage muttered, already stepping into a defensive stance.

The demons attacked with little warning, lunging at them with unnatural speed. Savannah moved like water, her fae instincts kicking in as she ducked beneath the first strike and drove her dagger into the nearest demon’s side. Black, oily blood sprayed from the wound as the creature howled in pain, its body disintegrating into ash.

Beside her, Gage fought with a brutal efficiency that took her breath away. His strength was inhuman, his strikes powerful and precise. But as the fight dragged on, Savannah noticed something else—something darker. There was a wildness in his eyes, a ferocity that bordered on recklessness, and for the briefest moment, she wondered if he was struggling to control his demonic nature.

The skirmish was over quickly, but it left Savannah rattled. They had been victorious, but Gage’s demonic side was closer to the surface than she had realized, and it unnerved and aroused her at the same time. She had trusted him enough to come this far, but seeing him fight like that—seeing the darkness in him—made her wonder just how much control he really had.

They continued through the sewers, fighting off several more groups of lesser demons along the way. Each fight tested their growing trust in each other, but with every battle, they moved more in sync, their movements complementing each other as though they had been fighting side by side for years. Still, there was tension between them, an unspoken conflict that neither could ignore.

It was during a brief lull between skirmishes that they found it—the artifact.

The key was embedded in the wall of a small, hidden chamber deep in the sewers, glowing faintly with a pulsating light. It was made of some kind of ancient, blackened metal, its surface etched with runes that Savannah couldn’t decipher but instinctively knew were dangerous.

“This is it,” she whispered, her eyes fixed on the key. “The key that could open the gateway between realms.”

Gage moved closer, his expression hard. “Now what?”

Savannah hesitated, her mind racing. What were they supposed to do with it? Destroy it? Hide it? Take it to someone they trusted? But who? There was no easy answer, and she knew that whatever choice they made would have consequences.

Before she could respond, a familiar voice cut through the silence like a blade.

“Well, well, well, isn’t this a surprise?”

Savannah’s blood ran cold as she turned to see Lyrion Thornheart and a group of fae enforcers standing at the entrance to the chamber, their weapons drawn and their eyes gleaming with malice.

“Thornheart,” Savannah spat, her hand instinctively going to her dagger. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same thing, Duvall,” Thornheart sneered, stepping forward. “But I already know the answer. You’re meddling in affairs far beyond your comprehension.”

“We don’t have time for this,” Gage growled, his stance shifting as he prepared for a fight. “Get out of our way.”

Thornheart smirked, his gaze flicking between Savannah and Gage. “You think you can just walk out of here with the key? I don’t think so.”

And with that, the fae enforcers attacked.

The chamber exploded into chaos as steel clashed with steel, magic crackling in the air as fae spells met demonic strength. Savannah’s heart raced as she fought, her movements sharp and precise, but the sheer number of enforcers made it difficult to gain the upper hand.

She fought off two enforcers at once, her wings unfurling in a burst of power as she spun through the air, slashing at them with her dagger. But even as she fought, her mind was elsewhere—torn between her fae heritage and her loyalty to her family, to the city she had vowed to protect. And then there was Gage—the man who had wormed his way into her heart, despite every warning she had given herself.

Her breath hitched as she watched Gage, his eyes dark with fury, his movements becoming more savage with every strike. He was losing control, the demonic power inside him rising to the surface, threatening to consume him. And yet, there was something beautiful about the way he fought—something raw and powerful that called to her in a way she couldn’t deny.

But as the battle raged on, Savannah realized that she couldn’t afford to let her emotions cloud her judgment.

“Enough!”

The sudden, booming voice echoed through the chamber, freezing everyone in place. From the shadows emerged Grungle, the Sewer King, his beady eyes glinting with fury as he strode forward, his misshapen form casting a long shadow across the chamber.

“This is my domain,” Grungle growled, his voice low and menacing. “And you have no right to be here, Thornheart.”

The fae enforcer sneered but didn’t move, his eyes flicking to the key in the wall. “This is bigger than you, Sewer King. That key?—”

“—belongs to me,” Grungle interrupted, his voice like gravel. He snatched the key away and tucked it into the garment he was wearing. “And so do these tunnels, more or less. Leave now, or I’ll make sure you regret it.”

For a long, tense moment, it seemed as though Thornheart might fight back, but then, with a sharp gesture, he motioned for his men to stand down.

“This isn’t over,” Thornheart hissed, his eyes locking onto Savannah’s. “You can’t run from your heritage forever, Duvall.”

With that, he and his enforcers disappeared into the shadows, leaving Savannah and Gage alone with Grungle.

The tension in the chamber eased slightly, but Savannah’s heart still pounded in her chest as she turned to face Grungle. “Thank you.”

Grungle waved a hand dismissively. “You’re lucky I like you, water fae. Otherwise, I’d have let him kill you.” Savannah gave him a wry smile, but it quickly faded as Grungle’s expression grew serious. “There’s more at play here than just that key,” he said quietly. “Falwell plans to poison the city’s water supply with demonic energy.”

“Again?” asked Savannah incredulously. Gage looked at her. “Didn’t we just go through this a couple of months ago?”

Grungle nodded. “Falwell plans to use the key to open a gateway—one that will flood the city with darkness.”

Savannah’s blood ran cold. “We need to stop him.”

Grungle nodded. “You need to warn your police friends. You don’t have much time.”

Savannah exchanged a glance with Gage, the weight of Grungle’s words settling heavily between them. They couldn’t do this alone.

They raced out of the sewer and up to the street. Savannah texted a warning to both Griff and Zane, but she couldn’t shake the gnawing feeling in her chest. She and Gage had fought side by side, and their connection had only deepened in the face of danger. But there was still so much unspoken between them—so many questions that needed answering.

“Savannah,” Gage said, his voice low. “We need to talk.”

Savannah’s heart pounded, but she forced herself to nod. “I know.”

The city seemed to be closing in around them, but the weight of what lay ahead—both the battle and the feelings simmering between them—threatened to pull them apart before they could even begin.