Chapter 16

Sebastian

The fucking sun.

That bastard of a burning orange ball in the sky that was all but taunting me, forcing me into hiding in the shadows and waiting to go after my girl.

I'd been walking back and forth in the interior of this little rocky outcropping I'd had to take cover in for hours. I was impatient, pissed, and so fucking murderous I wanted blood covering me from that motherfucker's death.

I was also terrified. For the first time in my life I experienced what fear was. As I'd realized the Diablos was going to take Ada, I'd felt that fear consume every part of me.

And right now I couldn't get rid of the thoughts of what he was doing to my tiny mate.

"Fuck!" I roared, pebbles crumbling all around me as the vibrations from my yell knocked them loose.

I'd been fucking pacing for hours. But I couldn't stand still.

I stalked to the entrance of the cave, hissing as the sun washed over me, and flipped off that motherfucker high in the air.

"Fuck you," I snarled and turned back.

I needed all my strength, and having a tantrum wasn't going to help get Ada back. So I kept walking back and forth, cursing, tugging at my hair and envisioning myself getting Ada back and tearing that Diablos bastard limb from limb.

I'd instantly recognized him, not only from the first time we went after those Assembly fuckers, but also when I'd been caught.

Adryan had told us he'd seen a creature in the Vermont facility when he'd been rescuing his mate. It was whispered among the Otherworld he was "the devil"… and the only one known in existence.

I'd heard two renditions in my lifetime on who and what the Diablos was.

In one legend he was born of pain and heartache, a rip in humanity and emotions from all creatures of the Otherworld.

His father was the god of death. His mother was the goddess of pain.

In the second legend, which was far more of the romantic variety, his mother was the goddess of love and fell for the god of death. He was the result. But love couldn't live with death without being dragged into the darkness. Yin and yang.

So the Diablos's life was one of heartbreak and pain, a balance needed for what happens when there are no consequences from love and happiness and all the good that can come out of the world.

I thought that all sounded like a bunch of bullshit.

But I'd seen the big, monstrous asshole when I'd been a captive in the facility. Most of the time they kept him caged up, and rightfully so. The fucker was over seven feet, and I'd seen him take out a handful of guards before they'd even opened his cage.

Fuck him. I didn't care how dangerous he was. A mated male going after his female was far more dangerous than anything else. He was going to die when I found him.

I kept pacing. Back and forth. Back and forth. I was getting more irritated, more rage-filled by the second.

The setting and rising of the sun on this plane was so erratic. One day we'd get five hours of daylight, the next twenty-three.

I prayed like hell it was one of the shorter days, because the very thought of only having an hour of nightfall to search for Ada tore at my fucking heart.

And the truth was I didn't know if I'd be able to stop even if the fucking sun did rise. I could keep to the shadows, but they were far and few in between.

Aside from the sporadic outcroppings from the mountain, the only other darkness came from shaded parts within the forest where the heavy foliage above wasn't bare or swaying from the wind.

I knew she wasn't far away, because that small bit of blood we'd exchanged was like a beacon, a sort of tracking device.

I could feel it humming inside of me, a vibration that was low, telling me I was gaining on her… on that motherfucker I'd tear apart.

I ran my hands up and down my face, my beard thick from days of not shaving.

Exhaustion was heavy in me, but at the same time I was rejuvenated and ready to fight, to get my hands on that fucking Diablos.

And I would find him. There was no other outcome.

I felt my skin tighten and dropped my hands, facing the entrance of the tiny outcropping and watching as the sky turned from the bright blue to the dusky shades of pink and orange as dusk settled.

I slowly let my grin spread across my face. The fucking sun had set. It was time for me to get my girl back.

I didn't even wait until the sun had fully gone down before I was tearing out and into the forest. I hissed at the brightest of the fading light, cursed as the energy started to be sucked out, but soon I felt stronger as darkness settled over me.

I only stopped long enough to tip my head back and close my eyes, inhaling deeply. I could feel the hum of Ada's blood moving through me, showing me which direction I should go.

It was far away, too fucking far for my comfort, but I headed in that direction nonetheless, only one priority on my mind. Come life or death, I was going to get my mate back.

And so I ran. And ran. And fucking ran.

I'd been traveling for hours, sweat coating me, the muggy air around me oppressing. But I was gaining speed and distance, the hum of her blood filling my body and telling me I was getting closer to getting Ada back.

I'd had to kill two creatures that slithered out from the treetops. It had been more of those octopus-like things.

There were also a couple overgrown centipede-looking assholes, more like a snake with a thousand fucking legs and a jaw wide enough when it unhinged that the damn thing showed off rows of serrated teeth.

I was covered in their muck, blood, and dirt. But the closer I got and the more distance I gained, the more I felt my strength and power increase tenfold.

This entire time the only thing I could think about was getting to Ada and knowing she was safe.

Only then would I focus my rage on the Diablos and do so many deplorable, violent, and brutal fucking things to that prick.

If he hurt a hair on her head, I'd make his torture last for days. I'd gouge his eyes out and cut out his tongue before sautéing it over a fire in front of him. I'd rip his claws from his fingers, tear each fang from his gums, and string them up like a garland.

I had an array of creative things I planned on doing to him, things that wouldn't nearly be enough for him taking Ada but would have to suffice.

It was those things I'd been thinking about when I first felt the ripple of something coming. It was a change in the air, a thickness, a scorching heat that had the predator in me rising even more at the threat.

Something was coming and it was big.

I didn't slow but I made sure to keep my focus on my surroundings. And the faster I moved, the more I felt as if I were being dragged back, as if I were trapped in a riptide and being pulled under.

It was as if I were wading through thick pudding, my footsteps harder to make, my muscles straining as I kept moving forward.

Sweat was dripping down my temples and sliding along my face as I bared my teeth and roared, trying in vain to take another step, and another, but before I could do that, I was pushed forward by an unseen force and fell to my knees, something heavy and hard all around me.

I slammed my hands onto the ground, trying to push up, but whatever was keeping me down was the strongest thing I'd ever fucking experienced.

And I couldn't even fight back, which pissed me off even more.

I roared, my arms shaking, my muscles straining. I dug my claws into the earth and used all the strength I could muster to push myself up.

It was like trying to melt into cement, my body refusing to go through this invisible force. But my female had been taken from me, and nothing would stop me from getting to her.

I stood straight, sweat dripping into my eyes. My entire body shook with the force of trying to stay upright.

A sonic wave blasted and threw me back ten feet, causing me to collide with a tree, the force so powerful the air was knocked out of my lungs.

I shook my head to clear it and rose, ready to face off with whoever—or whatever—presented itself.

But then male after male stepped into the clearing and made a line to the left and right, leaving the center open.

Everything in my body stilled as I stared at the last male to step through the forest and take that center spot.

I was pretty sure I'd fucking cracked my head harder than I thought, because surely I wasn't seeing?—

"Hello, cousin."