21. Max

21

MAX

C laude tossed Darius's body over his shoulder and carried him to shore, with far less care and tenderness than Nash employed with the woman in his arms.

"Claude?" Nash's voice was harsh and deep.

The woman cradled in his arms was breathing, so not dead. And now that I was up close, I had a better look at her. Light skin, made more stark by the jet black of her hair, and a grayish tinge to her lips, though I had a feeling that had more to do with the chill than anything else.

Her nose, the curve of her mouth, the high cheekbones, the almost ethereal beauty…

"She's related to you," I said, looking up at Nash.

"How the fuck are you here?" Claude studied the man, his eyes darting between Nash and the woman he held. "Is that—" for maybe the first time since I met him, Claude looked lost for words, "I thought she was dead?"

Nash pulled the woman closer, his expression stiffening slightly. "Where are we?"

"I didn't know you two could teleport," I blurted out .

"We can't," they responded in unison.

Claude shrugged Darius off his shoulder until he dropped to the ground with a loud thud.

I bent down next to him, turning him face up so that I could get a good look at him.

"Seems you can," I muttered, as I pressed my fingers to his pulse. I knew he wasn't dead, but I needed to feel it for myself. I relaxed slightly as the steady thump tapped its slow, familiar rhythm.

"He'll be fine." Claude shook his head, considering. "He'll wake up, anyway." He shrugged, as if not sure. "I think."

"Can someone please tell me where I am?" Nash's jaw was tight, his nostrils flaring slightly as he studied us. "I've never been to this particular pocket of hell." He turned to Claude. "And what the fuck are you two doing here?"

"You're not in hell," I said. Though I had no fucking clue how that happened.

Satisfied that Darius was alive, and that whatever he'd been battling was at least quieted down for now, I turned back to Ro and Charlie.

She was the immediate concern. I'd deal with the brooding vampires once I was certain Charlie and the baby were okay.

I still couldn't wrap my mind around the fact that Darius had attacked her. That he'd attacked me. What the hell was going on?

"What do you mean we're not in hell? How? How is any of this possible?"

I felt Nash and Claude follow as I ran to her.

"What—" Ro eyed the newcomers with suspicion, "Who?—"

"How is she?" I asked, cutting him off.

For a moment, he looked like he might press the issue, but then his gaze dropped back down to Charlie and he let it slide.

Her eyes were open, and Ro had a piece of his shirt pressed to the wound at her neck .

"Stable, I think. But I can't know for sure how his bite will affect them."

Protectors rarely survived vampire venom unharmed, especially not when the bite was to the neck.

Normally, I'd panic, but Charlie had already survived Darius's bite once before, and she only had a little bit of protector blood running through her veins. I figured that meant she had better odds than most at making it through this with minimal long-term effects.

"I'll be okay." Charlie's voice was weak, and I could hear the waiver of fear lacing it. "But my baby. Make sure?—"

I placed one hand on her forehead, it was clammy with sweat, despite the chill in the air, and pulled Ro's makeshift bandage back to get a better look at the wound.

"Sorry," I muttered as she winced. It didn't look too bad, but the outer appearance was rarely indicative of the damage these bites could do.

"Can you heal her?" Ro asked, keeping his focus split between me and the men at my back.

"I can try."

"You know, last time this happened, I fell in love with my nursemaid," Charlie said through a grin that was punctured with a wince.

"Bishop?" I tried to picture the gruff man I'd come to know being tender towards anyone. "Well, since that's not an option, I'll settle for you naming your baby after me."

She chuckled, then groaned.

"Deep breaths," I said, regretting my shitty attempt at humor.

Nash and Claude's impatience chafed at my skin, but even they seemed to see that Charlie was the priority right now.

Closing my eyes, I focused all of my attention on shoving them out of my mind. Instead, I searched for Charlie. Healing my team had become like second nature, but it was always more difficult to heal others.

Still, I'd had a lot of practice in the medical wards and it helped that I'd gotten to know Charlie over the last few months. Not to mention I was hoping the fact that we shared blood would help the success rate too.

The world shifted as I tuned everything out, until all I could think about, all I could feel was the slippery thread of Charlie—her life force or energy supply, I didn't really understand the mechanics of it.

I exhaled in relief when I realized that I could feel her, that the blood connection, however small, did seem to strengthen my ability, at least a bit.

As I focused, I realized that I sensed Darius too—his venom slipping into her bloodstream.

I pushed as much power and strength into mending the wound, into drawing it out. The familiar tingling heat burrowed beneath my skin, coating my hands.

I didn't have much experience with healing pregnant people, or babies in general, but I felt a rush as the second lifeforce made itself known, strong but tenuous at the same time.

The baby was okay. I was fairly certain anyway, though I couldn't make any predictions about long-term effects. It wasn't often that pregnant human-protectors were bitten by a shadow-touched vampire and survived.

This was new territory.

Then again, it was probably equally likely that the world would end before the child was even born and we learned of the effects.

Vaguely, I was aware that there were more people joining us, that there were voices echoing in the breeze, though I couldn't make out any of the words. My vision blurred, and I waivered slightly, dizzy, drunk on the feel of letting my strength flow into them .

"Max." A hand grabbed my shoulder, gentle at first, but it grew more firm. "Max, stop."

Light filled my chest and I wanted so badly to sink into it. To pour more of myself into the heat, to just rest for a while. Letting go meant I'd have to deal with the clusterfuck waiting for me on the beach, with Darius.

"Max."

I resisted the temptation and fell back on my ass, my lungs pumping overtime as I caught my breath.

Ro's face was in front of me, his eyes searching, concerned.

I cleared my throat, blinking as my focus recalibrated to the scene surrounding us. "I'm okay."

Healing was a difficult art, and the element of my power I still struggled with most. It was so easy—going over the edge, giving too much.

He studied me for a moment longer, like he wasn't fully convinced, but then he nodded and sat back down. "You need to work on holding back a little."

"I'll add it to my list of things to get to eventually." I took a deep breath. "Is Charlie?—"

"Right as rain." She came into view as Ro shifted out of the way, her smile wide as she ran a hand over neck. There was still a mark, but it was small and looked months healed. And not at all like a supernatural wound should. "Doesn't even hurt anymore." She pressed a hand over her belly as her eyes found mine. "Thank you. Truly. I owe you."

"We're family," I smiled, "but if either of us owes the other anything, it's me."

Charlie had given me so much—a home, comfort, community. And, though I knew it would take time to foster the bond between us, she was the only link to my family that I had left. Not counting Ro, of course.

Mer was there now, and she crouched down to help Charlie up. When she was satisfied that her friend was indeed okay, she scanned the rest of us. "Well, glad to see you guys made it back safely, but it seems you've multiplied your numbers. I don't remember that being an option in any of the possible outcomes Bishop had planned for."

I jumped, reminded suddenly that Claude and Nash were here.

"We didn't bring them," I said, noticing a few more familiar faces scattered nearby, eyeing the newcomers warily. "They just—oof" The words were swallowed as Izzy dove into me, crushing me in a hug violent enough that it would have left bruises on a human.

"You're okay." She pulled back, grinning in acknowledgment to Ro, who was also suddenly swept up in a much more tender welcome back with Arnell.

She did a double take, her focus darting between Darius at my feet and his angrier-looking brother.

"Max, not to alarm you or anything," she took a step closer to Claude, studying him, "but did you know that there's currently two of your vampire?"

Claude eyed her with vacant amusement, which was a considerably kinder expression than he reserved for most interactions.

"This is Darius's twin," I said, the resemblance between them obvious, even though their personalities and the way they carried themselves shaded in some differences. "And their friend, Nash."

"Friend is not a word I would use," Nash said, still cradling the girl in his arms while his eyes scanned everyone, like he was waiting for someone to attack.

"And who's she?" Izzy asked, either unaware of Nash's general tension, or unconcerned by it.

For a moment, I didn't think he'd answer.

In fact, I was beginning to wonder if he might attack.

Clearly Claude thought so too, because he shifted his weight slightly, putting himself between Nash and the rest of us.

"My sister," he said, "Nika."

Nika.

The name sparked recognition in my chest. "Darius's friend? I thought she was dead?"

Nash arched a brow. "Darius has an odd definition of friendship, considering he ruined her life."

"The girl has a point," Claude studied the pair of them, "I was under the impression that Nika had died as well."

"Your brother drew his own conclusions," Nash clutched her closer to his chest, as if he was afraid Claude might try ripping her from him, "I simply let him."

"How are the three of you here?" I asked, sensing that things between the two vampires were veering towards issues and technicalities I had no interest in entertaining. They had shit to work through, but now wasn't the time. I turned to Mer. "And have any of the others arrived?"

She shook her head and I swallowed the anxiety threatening to boil in my chest.

One thing at a time.

If I let myself focus on all the potential lines of fear threading through my bones right now, I'd never stand a chance at surviving the rest of the day.

They'd be okay. And they'd use the bond to reach out if they weren't.

Claude furrowed his brows. "I have no idea." Something told me he rarely didn't know what was going on, and judging by the stiffness in his posture, he wasn't a particularly big fan of the feeling. "One moment I was at the bar, then I," he gestured around, lip curling in disgust, "then I was in the middle of a lake, where my brother was thrashing about like an enraged toddler. "

I took a step closer to Darius, a wave of protectiveness washing over me.

"Do you know what was wrong with him?" My voice was quiet, small. "Why he?—"

Claude reached his hand to my chin, his touch more gentle than I'd have anticipated as he tilted my head to the side. "He attacked you."

"And then himself." Defensiveness wrapped around me like a snake and I brushed his hand away. "I'm fine. He was fighting himself, I just don't understand why. One moment he was himself, the next he was—" I gestured to the water, not quite sure how to put into words what had come over Darius, "you know. It—it was like a switch had flipped."

Claude crouched next to his brother, his designer pants somehow still looking suave and tailored perfectly to him, despite the fact that they were soaked. "Do you have any idea what could have triggered such a sudden switch? What happened immediately before?"

Ro grunted.

"I," I glanced at him, guilt curling under my ribs at the hardness in his eyes, the set of his jaw. Now that we knew Charlie was okay and Darius wasn't an immediate threat, it was clear that Ro's anger was beginning to simmer again. I'd have to talk to him soon—to all of them—about what Darius and Ro learned today. "I have an idea."

Claude looked up at me, brow arching, but he didn't press the matter further. "And what about before this," he cleared his throat, "trigger. Was he normal—" he stood up, "normal for Darius, I mean?"

My mouth went dry, because the truth was that Darius hadn't quite been himself for a while now.

I'd given him space, knowing he didn't want to talk about it. I'd figured it had something to do with his history with Charlie and the others here, with all the shit we were dealing with .

But maybe I was wrong. Maybe I should have pushed.

"He's been a little distant," I said, "sort of tucked inside of himself, lost in his thoughts. If that makes sense? I've seen him like that a few times before. Once—" I licked my lips, "once at your house. After the two of you fought. The way he sank into himself after?"

Claude and Nash shared a dark look, and the sight of it sent my heart raging inside of its cage.

"He'll be okay though, right?" I hated how weak I sounded, but I needed to know. I couldn't do this without him. Couldn't— "When he wakes up, he'll come back to himself?"

Any of the frostiness that Claude usually reserved when speaking about Darius dissolved, until I saw my own fear written in the lines of his face.

"I don't—" he shook his head. "I don't know, Max. My brother has been fighting his demons for many years. When he abandoned his post, he upset the balance. Portal guardians are always consumed by the shadow magic they intersect with, eventually. And he's—" he took a deep breath, his familiar eyes more tender than I'd ever seen them as they met mine, "I did try to warn you."

"He brought us here," Nash said, his voice distant, like it was filtering through a tunnel as I processed Claude's words. "We are two sets of the same. I don't know how he did it, but his power brought us here—an attempt to recalibrate, perhaps."

"It shouldn't be possible," Claude said, though I could see from the set of his face that he didn't disagree with Nash's assessment.

"Your sister," Izzy started after a few moments of silence, her gaze darting between me and the two men, "Nika. Is she okay?"

Claude jolted, like he'd forgotten about her entirely.

"She's unwell, but she'll be fine." Nash's grip tightened around his sister and he took a few steps back, towards the water. "She's been unwell for years. Since Darius abandoned his post."

"Unwell in the way that he's unwell?" I asked.

Nash nodded. His jaw strained, and I could tell that he was priming himself to tear off at a run the second one of us so much as twitched in a way that threatened her. "She could not keep the dark hold of shadow magic at bay for as long as Darius could. Once he upset the balance, and with things as difficult as they were in hell—it took her over."

"Do you mean to tell me that Nika has been living like—" Claude stumbled over the words as he motioned to his brother, but we all knew what he meant. Had she been as lost to herself as Darius had been just now—for years?

Nash was silent.

"You just kept her like that?" Claude asked. "You should have?—"

"Should have what?" Nash's nostrils flared as he tried to contain whatever storm of emotions was struggling to fight its way to the surface. "Should have reached out? How? I couldn't get in contact with either of you. You just left us there." He snorted, the sound devoid of humor." Or do you mean that I should have killed her?" He shook his head, took a few steps back, until the water lapped at his shoes. "Things are off balance already. I don't know what will happen if one of us dies. It's not ideal, but I kept her safe, alive, did what I had to do. I've been trying to find a way to cure her, to sever her from her post, to get a replacement, to restore her—anything." He swallowed as his eyes found his old friend. "It's Nika, Claude. What the fuck was I supposed to do? She's my family. She's all I have."

"Years?" Claude cursed, then ran a hand through his hair, ruffling up the characteristically perfect style. "Is she ever awake? Ever herself?"

I held my breath waiting for Nash's answer .

Years? Could Darius really lose himself to that kind of darkness for years?

"I broke her neck when I landed here, after I realized she'd been pulled with me too. It's better if she's unconscious, she's easier to monitor." Nash took a deep breath. "I keep her locked up. There's a warehouse that's been abandoned for years. She has space. But here—I can't handle her when she's conscious and loose, can't know what she'll do. Sometimes, pieces of the old her push through and I get little glimpses. Those moments are rare, and they've only been growing more so. I thought with things shifting, maybe—" he exhaled, "she's not like the flesh-eaters, the other shadow-tainted. The magic hasn't warped her in quite the same way that it has them, I think because she's a vessel for it. That's what we are as guardians. Though her hunger for blood, for violence, has become insatiable. She's become a more amplified version of herself, but one that's controlled by a power she's constantly at war with, one she can't fight back against on her own."

Izzy's arm snaked around me, pulling me tight against her, but I barely felt her. I couldn't peel my eyes from Darius's sleeping form.

A damp curl of silvery-blond hair curved over his brow. I bent down and swept it away, my skin tingling where it touched his.

"He brought you here," I whispered, my fingers tracing the familiar line of his jaw, his bottom lip. "Why did he bring all three of you here? How?" Neither of them answered, though I sensed their prickly stares on me. "What happens when the two halves of a set are in one place, one realm?"

"I don't know," Claude said, his frustration with the phrase leaking into his voice. "Once our roles were assumed, it wasn't supposed to be possible. Darius came the closest—when he traveled to hell with you, but that was after he'd already rescinded his role. I've never really been able to pass through our portal."

"Lucifer." I stood up, walked towards Nash. "Have you heard from him? Seen him? He might have some idea—maybe,"

Nash shook his head. "No one's seen him in months."

"Sam?" I asked, desperation choking me.

Nash and Sam knew each other. Nash had been the one to open the portal in the hell realm last time we were there. He knew Sam well enough to know that he was a hellhound.

Nash shook his head again, and I had to fight back the urge to strangle him at the uselessness of that gesture, at what it signified.

"I think that Sam went looking for Lucifer, but that was weeks ago. Neither of them has been seen or heard from in ages." His eyes narrowed at my expression. "Long distance communication isn't exactly easy in hell. Current predicament aside, most of us can't simply teleport when we'd like to get somewhere. And neither Lucifer nor Samael are exactly forthcoming with their whereabouts. Or information. I'm merely an acquaintance, they don't keep me apprised of their comings and goings."

"Max?" The familiar sound of Declan's voice cut through me, puncturing the tension and reshaping the scene into something new.

Relief flooded me. They were back.

I spun around, and saw her figure appear through the trees, not far from our cabin. They must have landed there.

I broke out into a run, ignoring our new guests as I took off towards her, not slowing until she met me halfway, the two of us colliding at a speed that would no doubt bruise us both temporarily.

Her lips found mine, brief and firm, before she pulled back to look at me, her hands pressed to either side of my face. "You're okay? "

I nodded, scanning her for injuries. There was blood on her shirt, but I didn't see any wounds. Thank fucking gods.

"And you? Where's Eli?" My hands traced over her as I looked behind her, searching for him.

Levi emerged, with Eli draped over his shoulders.

He wasn't moving.

Bile rose up my chest as I groped angrily for the bond, but the panic only eased briefly when I found it.

"He's alive." Declan twined my fingers through hers as she searched towards the beach. "Just unconscious. Took us longer than expected to get back without his help. I'm fucking knackered. Not sure what happened to him, but I think it's the fanghole. Where is he?" Her grip tightened around my hand. "Is that Claude? What the hell's going on?"

I didn't give Levi more than a quick nod before I enlisted his help in setting Eli down at my feet.

His skin was deathly pale and tinged with gray. And the front of his shirt was caked in blood.

As gently as possible, I lifted it up, searching for his injuries. His torso was marred in what looked like scratches, but not the kind that came from claws—and there was a deep wound in the center of his diaphragm that mirrored the exact spot Darius had stabbed himself.

"The blood bond," I whispered, "he'll be okay."

We didn't know the limits of their bond, but in the past, it seemed to be focused on mirroring wounds specifically. If one of them was asleep or knocked out, it didn't seem to affect the other.

Healing Eli took far less time and energy than healing Charlie had. He came to slowly at first, then all at once. He shot up, eyes wild and searching until they landed on me. "Max?"

I nodded, unable to keep the grin off my face. They were alive. They were okay.

"Atlas and Wade?" Dec asked, her voice flooded with concern and impatience as she studied the others down the way.

"Not yet," I responded, though it came out more as a grunt.

Eli pulled me to him, burying his face in my neck.

It took me a moment before I realized they were missing someone.

"Where's Evelyn?" I asked, the question drying up when I noticed Levi's expression over Eli's shoulder. I knew that look with an intimacy that shook me to my core. Pain, rage, and fear, all boiled together into grief.

I squeezed Eli tighter as he stifled a broken sob.

It didn't take long for them to fill me in, and when they got to the end, we were interrupted by another arrival.

Atlas, Wade, and Tex materialized a few paces from us, dressed in blood and the remaining tatters of their clothing.

I ran to them, both relieved to see them finally back, but terrified by the empty expression stretched on all three of their faces.

Without a word, Atas set a wolf down at his feet—one I'd never seen before, though I didn't have time to ask before my heart sank.

Charlie shifted next to me, her arm on my shoulder, excitement and worry vibrating through her grip.

Tex took a few steps forward, his shoulders sagging under the weight of Bishop cradled in his arms.

He wasn't moving. He wasn't breathing.

Charlie's scream tore through my chest, echoing through the trees, as I kept her from falling.

The rest of the world was silent, cloaked in her pain.