Something dark stirred the air when Jackie made her way to the restroom. Eddie looked through the restaurant, sniffing. He didn’t see anything out of place, but smelled the Shadowstalkers, and Stefano. His blood ran cold as he scooted to the edge of the booth.
“What is it?” Brent whispered.
“They’re here.”
He stood in time for a blur to streak from the bathrooms, out the door. Brent reached across the table and grabbed Jackie’s purse. Then he nodded at Eddie.
Eddie took off, running fast. He prayed to all the spirits he wouldn’t lose Brent, who caught up with a burst of magic. Following his senses, he weaved through alleys and streets.
“Can you follow if you fall behind?” Eddie asked urgently.
“I’ll keep up,” Brent promised.
He didn’t ask, didn’t want to know what spirit Brent would turn to for help.
Stefano appeared beside Eddie, matching his long strides with enhanced speed. “I can help you find them.”
Eddie snarled. “Don’t need you. I can sense her. Can track her myself.” He shot the vampire a glare. “We’ve always had a connection.” It seemed stronger now. Later, when they got rid of the douchebag vamp, he’d ask Brent why.
“How can you sense her?”
Eddie shook his head. “Doesn’t matter. I can. Can you?” He pushed himself harder, and magic burst around Brent who managed to keep up. Unfortunately, so did Stefano. They blurred through Seattle.
“No, but I can track them.”
“So can I.”
“You realize we’re going underground?” Stefano bit out.
“I can see in the dark. So far, all you’ve done is brought trouble to Jackie. We don’t fucking need you!”
“I’m not leaving. I must ensure her safety.”
Biting back a remark, he focused on finding Jackie. His mind kept spitting out images of Jackie bound and marked the same way Jared had been when they found him the night before. The Shadowstalkers would do worse if given the opportunity.
Eddie stopped at a manhole cover and bent to move it, but Brent’s hands hovered over the metal. As he lifted his arms, the cover moved with him. He turned and gently lowered it to the ground.
“We need to be quiet,” Brent reminded.
Eddie nodded and dropped down into the dark corridor. “You going to be able to see?” he asked Brent, not giving a fuck what Stefano could do.
“Yeah. I’ll be fine.”
The second Brent landed, Eddie ran, silently, weaving through tunnels, and half-collapsed buildings.
He came to a stop at a wall, his chest heaving. “They went through here. I don’t know how, but they fucking went through the wall.”
Brent whispered a spell, and the hidden entrance creaked open.
* * * *
Jackie’s head pounded to the throbbing bass line of her heart. Her hands were numb. Something clenched around her wrists to suspend her above the ground. Her shoulders were pulled at an uncomfortable angle.
When she got her eyes open, she found a filthy wooden floor, and at the edge of her vision, a man hunched over. The intricate Celtic knot work across Jared’s shoulders made her stomach bottom out.
Fear flooded her system. A draft flowed up her dress, but her clothing seemed to be in place.
A whine peeled from Jared as he hit his head with open palms. “Can’t do it. Won’t do it. Already scared her.”
Staying as still as possible, she managed to take a better look at him.
A thick chain wrapped around his throat, attached to one of the cage bars. Leather pants covered his legs, but someone had whipped him hard enough to leave bloody welts across his skin.
Where in the hell am I? Where’s Eddie and Brent?
A cold voice rolled over her, sending a chill down her spine. “You’ll do everything you’ve ever dreamt of doing to Jackie. You were interrupted before you fucked her. This time, you’ll have her every way you can imagine.”
“No. She doesn’t want me. Won’t touch her.” His head snapped up and turned side-to-side, searching for something. “Won’t take her against her will. Doesn’t matter what you do to me. I won’t hurt another person.”
“If you don’t pleasure her, I’ll let Clive have her, and she won’t survive the night. Your choice, Jared. What will it be?” the woman hissed.
Sidra was there, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away from Jared.
The thought of him touching her scared Jackie. But between him or Clive, she considered begging Jared to fuck her for half-a-second. Either way, she didn’t want to be touched by anyone.
She had to find a way out of the damned cage.
Someone huge pressed against her back, tangling his hand in her hair to yank her head up. Clive purred in her ear, “Look what we’ve done to him. Your blood would fix all the damage.”
Jared shot to his feet, pulling at the chain around his throat and ankles, reaching for her. “Don’t touch her. She doesn’t like what we like,” he growled, glaring behind her.
“She will,” Clive answered, before his hands went around her chest to rip her dress open.
The cold air shocked her into action. Jackie twisted, kicking and squirming to get away from Clive.
“Let her go!” Jared screamed, his fangs extending.
Her breath caught as she met Jared’s gaze. He was beaten, bloody, half-crazed, but not willing to touch her. Seeing him like this flooded her with guilt. Accepting his apology might have prevented Jared’s predicament. “What did they do to you?” she whispered, forgetting the very real danger behind her. Obviously, Jared was a vampire, but they’d hurt him, abused him, and it broke her heart.
Jared covered his face with his hands as he cringed away. “Showed me what I did to you. Now they want me to do worse to you. I—I can’t.”
Her heart wrenched. “We’ll fix this. Okay?”
Sidra hissed, “Since Jared doesn’t want to play, take your turn, Clive.”
Rough hands slid over her body, sharp nails lightly scoring her skin.
“No!” She twisted, straining to pull away but without the use of her hands, she didn’t get very far.
Clive pushed her hair aside before licking up her throat. She dropped her head forward then slammed it back.
He grunted in pain, then growled as he stalked around her. Clive towered over her, his bald head grazing the cage’s top bars. Blood dripped down his face as he reached for his fly straining over a monstrous bulge.
His eyes travelled down her body with a leer. He licked his lips. “Be a good girl, and I’ll let you come before I’m through with you.”
She kneed him in the balls but he had no reaction, other than to tear her bra in half. He caught a nipple between his teeth and bit hard enough to pull a cry of pain from her lips.
She sensed Eddie’s approach. Her heart slammed into her chest. Fear and hope warred through her. The thought of Eddie seeing this sent a shard of pain through her.
Clive’s eyes snapped to hers, an evil grin on his lips. “You want rough? I’ll give you rough.” He spun her away from him and locked his hand on her hip before the other slammed down on her ass with bruising force. Tears sprang to her eyes, but she bit back the scream. When he hit her again, breath exploded from her lips.
“No! I won’t let you destroy her,” Jared screamed.
The asshole slipped his fingers between her thighs. “Not wet?” he growled as he spun her back and dropped to his knees. “That won’t last. When you’re dizzy from blood loss, you’ll crave me. They always do,” he promised.
She went frantic, trying to kick at him, but he held her legs open as his fangs slid into her skin. He lapped at her blood with feral snarls.
His teeth were ripped out of her flesh, tearing a scream from her. Jared pinned Clive to the opposite bars. Blood drenched his chest and he fell forward. Crystal blue, tear-filled eyes met hers. Blood covered Jared’s face. He stammered, “Please, be okay, Jackie.”
She shook her head, words failing her.
Sidra appeared. “You’ll pay for that.”
Points of pain pressed into her sides, then raked down her body before she was slammed into the bars. Blood flowed as shadow filled the cage. Darkness rolled in, blocking out everything else.
* * * *
Magic flared across the candles, keeping Eddie, Brent, and Stefano away from Jackie. She hung by her wrists in a cage. Jared huddled at her feet. A shadow perched on top of the cage, another behind her.
Ready to let loose, Eddie slammed his hand against the barrier. Electricity flared, flinging his arm back. “Hurry, Brent!”
Shadows melted and Clive formed behind Jackie. He gripped her hair and yanked her head up, whispering something in her ear. She slammed her head back into his face and everything moved in slow motion.
Brent worked as fast as he could to dismantle the wards.
Stefano’s breath came in pants. “They’re going to break her the same way they broke Eloise.”
“She’ll fight,” Eddie snarled. A slap echoed in the room. He looked up to find a vicious red handprint across Jackie’s ass. Eddie pushed forward, shielding himself, but he couldn’t get past the ward. “Damn it, Brent. Get that spell down, now!”
“Working on it.”
Another slap and Jackie’s whole body shuddered.
Stefano whispered, “He’s going to take her. He’ll fuck her until she’s begging for it, then he’ll rip her apart.”
“She won’t beg,” Eddie snarled. “Whatever happened to your wife, Jackie’s not her. Don’t even fucking compare them.”
“You don’t understand,” Stefano insisted. “He can get in her head. Make her want it. She’ll beg like every other woman he’s taken. Even Eloise, as she bled out.”
Eddie turned toward Stefano and caught him around the throat, throwing him to the ground in one movement. He couldn’t stop his fist from slamming into the vampire’s face. Through gritted teeth, he warned, “You don’t know Jackie. Keep your opinions to yourself before I rip out your fangs and shove them up your cock!”
Jackie’s scream yanked Eddie’s head up. Blood spilled down her leg, her dress and bra torn. Clive was pinned against the cage by Jared. Then Sidra shredded her nails down Jackie’s sides before shadows exploded from the cage.
Eddie shot to his feet, his hands flying over his head as the ground before him rose up with the movement. He shoved his hands down, and the shield fell with the floor. Whipping his arm back, he covered Stefano with debris, then he solidified the earth with a thought before he charged to the open cage.
With a vampire’s strength, dirt wouldn’t hold him long, especially with the way the asshole was beating against his temporary prison.
“Why in the abyss didn’t you start with that?” Brent asked.
Eddie shook his head. “Didn’t know I could.” He ran, sliding through the opening to grab Jackie’s waist. Deep gouges ran the length of her torso. Blood oozed down her body in rivulets. Jared huddled in the corner, staring in horror. Something had to be done, or Jackie wouldn’t last long.
“Shit,” he whispered, closing his hand over the tear in her thigh. Squeezing his eyes shut, he whispered the spell to mend wounds. He’d never tried fixing anything this extensive, but he couldn’t leave her like this.
There were a series of crashes and thumps, then a sharp intake of breath. “I can give her blood. The damage will heal in seconds,” Stefano growled.
“Oh no you won’t!” Brent shouted. “You had enough of her blood. You could turn her, or worse, bind her to you. Neither of those things will happen.”
“She’ll die!” Stefano yelled back.
Something hit the ground followed by a dragging sound.
Eddie glanced over to see Stefano pinned against the rack of candles by an invisible force. “Eddie can heal her, and she won’t be tied to your medieval ass.” Brent turned back to Eddie. “You got this? I could call Mathis and Paavo.”
Eddie winced. “I got this.”
“They wouldn’t have to touch her. With a look, she would relive what they did before.”
Pulling his hand from her thigh, he looked down at her creamy skin, now mended. Confidence infused him. “I can handle this.”
A smile lifted the corners of Brent’s face. “Excellent. I think she’d prefer your help.”
Eddie dipped his head and curled his hands around her hips where the gashes ended. He murmured the words as he slowly caressed up her body. Her skin healed under his touch. Warmth pushed through his hands, flowing into her chilled skin.
Her eyes fluttered open, then went wide as she sniffled. “Eddie?”
“I’ve got you, Angelfish. I’ll fix this.”
She looked down as his hands came to a rest under her breasts, pulling her against his body, to cover her, and because he needed to feel her heartbeat.
Jackie gulped. “How?”
He gave her a lopsided smile. “Learned a few tricks.”
“Thought I was dead.”
He caressed her face, locking his eyes on hers. “What can I do?”
Her lips trembled as she whispered, “Get me down. Please, get me down.”
He reached up and wrapped his hand around the leather cuff, but detected no buckle or latch. “What the fuck?” He leaned back and looked, but saw no way to release her.
“Brent? How do I get her down?”
“Can’t. They’re enchanted,” Jared answered through chattering teeth. “No way to remove them without the key.”
“Fucking hell,” Brent muttered. “I’m calling the Council.”
“Don’t,” Stefano blurted out. “If Jackie insists on saving Jared, that’s not the wisest choice.”
“They’ll be fine with him. He’s not the first vampire they’ve sorted out.”
“He’s a Shadowstalker.”
“I realize that, and trust me, I understand the differences. Don’t worry. I have a friend who has taken on another Shadowstalker and kept him from feeding on Others.”
“The Council will take us all in.”
Brent made a gesture at Stefano who went quiet, though he clawed at his mouth. He returned to finding a number in his phone.
Jackie heaved a breath before twisting her wrists with a whimper. She caught the chains in her hands. A blast of cold nearly knocked Eddie back as ice flowed over the chain.
“Lift me up, Eddie, so I can yank and break the links.”
He pushed her back against the cage bars, wrapped one arm around her waist, and wedged his foot between the bars to push them both up. He caught one chain and lifted as high as he could, before yanking it down. It snapped free. Her arm wound around his neck. Repeating the move with the other, she fell against him.
Jackie’s body trembled in his arms as he brought her to the floor.
“Here, put my shirt on.” He leaned her back against the bars and yanked his shirt off before gently helping her into it. “Better?”
She nodded, taking his hands as she stared into his eyes. “Thank you for coming.”
“Anytime, no matter what.”
She nodded, before moving across the cage to kneel before Jared. “Hey, let me help.”
His eyes squeezed tight, his hand coming up to cover his nose and mouth.
Jackie glanced over her shoulder at Eddie before gripping the chain that attached Jared’s hands to the bars. Eddie moved in to snap the frozen links as she reached for the chains anchoring Jared’s legs. Again, she froze them, and Eddie broke Jared free.
“I’m sorry I let them hurt you,” Jared whispered.
“Not your fault. Looks like they worked you over pretty bad.”
Jackie stood and started for the opening.
Brent stepped in front her. “Don’t try to step through. The cage is warded. You won’t get out that way.”
“Then how did Eddie get in?”
“It’s a spell to keep prey from escaping. There’s a counter, I just have to find it.”
Her face crumpled. “We’re stuck in here?”
“I won’t hurt you,” Jared vowed.
Jackie turned toward him and shook her head. “I’m not worried about you. But what if they come back?” Her body trembled.
Eddie pulled her into his arms and drove his fingers into her hair. Tipping her head back, he delved into her eyes. “I’m here. We’ll deal with them together.”