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Mal rose around eleven o’clock and kissed Raven until she stirred, her soft, sleepy sighs nearly tempting him to go back to bed and make love to her again. “Raven, I’m going to go check on the animals and make sure everything is secure. There’s a storm blowing up out there, can you hear it?”
“Stay with me,” she murmured and reached out for him, dark eyes gleaming from beneath a veil of darker lashes.
“I’m not leaving you lover, not now, not ever. But one of us needs to go take a quick look around and make sure no one is taking advantage of the storm.” He grinned, white teeth flashing in the dimly light bedroom. “I’m being chivalrous, stay here and keep the bed warm. I’ll be back soon.”
“Mkay.” Her fingers brushed over his cheek and then she was burrowing back under the quilts, her eyes already closing. “Love you,” she whispered the words as warmth and sleep overtook her again.
“And I you.” Malyk’s heart warmed as his body absorbed the gift of her love. Power zinged through his veins and he knew that Raven had gifted him with new strength and abilities that would take time to reveal. He was finally living the way the universe intended him to, complete and thriving.
He left her sleeping and made his way down the stairs in the dark, his night vision strong enough he had no real need for a lamp or flashlight. The wind howled around the house, lashing waves of rain against the walls and windows until it drowned out any other sound. It took Mal a few minutes to dress for the weather, layering a jacket over his sweater and finishing off with his oilskin jacket, hood up. The moment he stepped outside the wind slammed into him and coated his face in wash of rainwater.
“Well that’s one way to be sure I’m awake,” he grumbled as he wiped the water from his eyes and headed down toward the sanctuary, head bowed against the weather. He reached out to touch Ares’ thoughts and caught a ripple of discord, though whether it was just the storm or something more, Mal couldn’t be sure. He decided to check on Ares first though, just in case.
When he got to the enclosure the panther was growling and pacing on the other side of the gate, the rain streaming off him in rivulets. Mal undid the latch and stepped inside, giving the big cat a rough scratch down his neck in greeting. “Why are you out in this foul weather Ares? It’s not fit for man nor beast, and one of us has the option to stay dry.” Mal crouched down beside the cat and ran his hands the sopping wet fur. “Right now I’d give anything to be able to read you like Raven can. I know you’re unhappy, but I don’t know why.”
He stayed with the cat for a few minutes and then made a decision. “Since we’re both already wet and miserable, why don’t you come with me?”
Mal stood and opened the gate, snapping his fingers as stepped through. Ares fell in a few paces behind, a darker shadow that nearly vanished into the stormy night.
* * * *
Raven woke to the sound of footsteps and then a faint shuffling from Malyk’s side of the bed. “Mal? You weren’t gone very long. Did the storm chase you back inside?”
A harsh laugh rang out and Raven sat up in terror as she realized that Mal wasn’t in the room, but someone else definitely was. A short, rounded shadow reached out and grabbed her by the hair, yanking her across the bed hard enough that starbursts of red and yellow pain exploded across her vision.
She screamed and fought through the pain, but then a hand slammed down on her mouth and nose, and her next breath became the only thing she could think of. Lungs tightened and burned as cruel fingers clamped off her airway and she stopped struggling.
“Smart girl.” A smug voice hissed near her ear. “If you want to keep breathing, you do as I say. Nod if you understand me.”
Raven nodded, a tiny movement given that her head was cruelly held by both her hair and the hand covering her mouth. His fingers moved away from her face and she sucked in air by the ragged lungful, trying to ignore the burning pain of the hold he still had on her hair.
“You’re boyfriend’s still down with the kitty cats, so it’s just you and me for the moment.” The man’s voice was colder than the wind that blew against the windows. “Don’t worry though; we’ll get you two back together soon. I just need you to dress first.” The hand in her hair tightened and Raven shuddered in revulsion as his other hand stroked along the neckline of the sleeping shirt she wore, hovering just above her breasts. “That’s really pretty, but I need you in something a bit warmer for when we go outside.” He let go of her hair and stepped back from the bed, flicking on a lamp as he moved. “Up you get. Time to dress that cute little ass of yours.”
Raven narrowed her eyes against the sudden flare of light and looked up, right into a pair of pale blue eyes. The rest of her attacker’s face was hidden by a ski mask, but she could see he was short and paunchy and his dark clothing was all soaking wet. “Who the hell are you and why are you in my bedroom?” She snarled at him, not moving an inch.
“I’m the guy with the gun. That’s all you really need to know right now.” He tugged back his jacket to reveal a handgun and then dropped the jacket back into place. “Now get dressed before I forget that doing you isn’t on tonight’s agenda.”
Revulsion slithered into the pit of Raven’s stomach as she realized what he was threatening. She climbed out of bed, one hand holding down the hem of her shirt over her bare thighs as she made her way back to her side of the bed and snagged a pair of jeans and a sweater off the top of her hamper. Deliberately turning her back on the leering man across the room, she dressed quickly, leaving her sleeping shirt on for modesty and forgoing a bra or panties. Stupid as it may be, she would be damned if he was going to get a peek at her underwear drawer.
“Very nice,” he drawled, letting his gaze linger as she turned around at last. “Now walk your pretty little ass over here and we’ll discuss what happens next.”
Raven crossed her arms in front of her chest like a shield and crossed the room, stopping a few feet away from him. “So, what happens next?”
“I said over here!” the man snarled and pointed to the floor directly in front of him. “Don’t piss me off sweet cheeks, I’m not known for my patience.”
“Or your manners, clearly.” She moved to where he’d pointed, and then screamed as he grabbed her and hauled her back against his gut and chest. Something dank and noxious clamped down over her mouth, and she screamed again, choking and gagging as her world slowly went dark. As she faded out, she heard him laughing, and there was no warmth in the sound.
“Night, night sweet cheeks.”
* * * *
Malyk was down by the most distant enclosures when Raven’s terror hit him like a sledgehammer. One minute he was checking the latches on the gate, the next he had spun around and was sprinting back toward the house, back to Raven. At his side ran a sleek shadow, darker than the storm filled night and growling softly every step of the way. Mal spotted his escort and sent a mental command to Ares, sending the panther off to prowl the darkness for unseen threats while Mal continued his race to the house.
He made it half way to the house before he heard a pop and something struck him in the chest. Pain flared, followed by numbness that seemed to fill his legs with sand. His legs failed him and he hit the ground with a groan, the air leaving his lungs as he collapsed. Barely able to command his body enough to blink, he stared at the pair of muddy boots that appeared in his line of vision. He struggled to move, but not a single muscle responded as a steel toe prodded at his chest and he fell over onto his back, the rain sluicing down over his face as he stared up into a cruel grin.
“Real nice of your lady to have tranquilizer guns on the property. I bet that hurts like a son of a bitch.”
Mal tried to speak, but his mouth wouldn’t work and it was all he could do to fight off the looming blackness that threatened to suck him under. He tried to hold onto the last threads of consciousness, his thoughts locked firmly on Raven. He had to get to Raven.
* * * *
Raven woke slowly, her stomach roiling and her head feeling like a thousand tiny dwarves were using it for an anvil. She groaned and tried to put a hand on her head, only to discover her arms wouldn’t move from where they were bound over her head. She was on her knees, something large and metallic just behind her.
“Welcome back.” A familiar voice ground against her ears and she opened her eyes to the sickening sight of her captor grinning at her by the pale blue light of one of her emergency lanterns. “Sorry about the discomfort, but it can’t be helped. You need to be right where you are for the next little while.”
A low groan caught Raven’s attention and she twisted until she could see Malyk’s body stretched out on a tarp that was thick with mud and spattered with grass and gravel. He was still, his face streaked with dirt and his eyes closed.
“Your boyfriend weighs a freaking tonne.” A new voice came from behind her. “Buddy, next time we do this I get to carry the girl, and you can put your back out hauling the incredible hulk around on a tarp.”
“Won’t be a next time. For what I’m getting paid for this gig, I’m retiring.” The one she could see shrugged and jerked his head toward Malyk. “Let’s get him up. I don’t care how much shit you pumped into him with that tranquilizer gun, he’s not going to stay down much longer.”
A second man joined the first and Raven gasped. The tall shadow and the shorter round one that Topaz had shared with her the night the cougar and Ares had been freed. These were the same men. Together they grunted and wrestled with Malyk, dragging his dead weight until he was slumped beside her.
As they cursed, she looked around and realized where they were. They were in the power shed, and her hands were tied to the emergency generator. The place stank of gasoline and the fumes made her already queasy stomach tie itself into knots. She swallowed hard, fighting back her nausea and then turned her attention back to Malyk.
* * * *
Malyk let the two men think he was still unable to move, keeping his body limp as they struggled to haul him up beside Raven. He couldn’t risk more than a brief glance or two, but from what he could tell she was fine, just a little pale. Whatever they had done to get her here, she was alright. He caught a glint of yellow on her hand and smiled to himself. She was still wearing the ring. He’d been worried they’d have stolen it. The ring would keep her safe.
They tied his hands over his head, leaving him with his back to the generator, his legs stretched out beside Raven’s.
“The big bastard is awake!” the taller one swore as he caught Malyk move as he tried to catch sight of Raven again.
“Told you that tranq wasn’t working right,” the shorter one grumbled. “Good thing we got him tied up when we did.”
Raven lifted her head and turned it to smile at Mal. “Hi lover.” Her voice was rough and raw from whatever they’d used to knock her out.
“I thought I told you to keep the bed warm.” He didn’t bother to hide the warmth in his voice as he moved one leg to brush hers, the best he could do to comfort her.
“I tried.” Tears shimmered in Raven’s eyes, and she blinked them away. “I’m sorry Mal.”
“Nothing to be sorry for, I’m the one who was supposed to be protecting you, remember?” He tugged on the ropes binding his wrists. “That doesn’t seem to be working out quite how I planned.”
“Nothing has gone quite the way I expected lately, and so far it’s all worked out.” He felt a wave of trust and affection radiate from her, all focused on him, a message that she hadn’t given up. “I love you Mal.”
“And I you, my little bird,” Mal answered softly and closed one eye in a slow wink.
“Seriously? You’re tied up at gunpoint and you two are still flirting? What the hell is wrong with you people?” The short one snorted in disgust.
“Well, they’ll get to die together, that’s sorta romantic now, isn’t it?” The taller one sneered down at them and picked up the lantern, throwing strange shadows around the crowded space. “Power’s off, they’re ready, I think it's time we say bye-bye to the love birds.”
“Die?” Raven asked, not having to fake the quaver in her voice.
“There’s going to be a tragic accident,” the tall one explained. “The storm knocked out the power again, and you came down to start the generator, same as you always do. Only something went wrong and when you started this old clunker there was an explosion.” He patted an open gasoline canister. “It’ll look like the fumes ignited and fwoosh, boom! This whole shed will be in pieces, and so will the two of you.
“You’ll have about two minutes to say your lovey-dovey goodbyes once we leave.” The other man lifted a contraption out of his pocket. “We’ll be out of range when I flip the switch.” He leaned down so that he was in Raven’s face, his breath heating her cheeks. “You really should have sold out to Carter. He always gets what he wants, sweet cheeks.”
Raven stared at them, her fury a tangible thing to Malyk, a raw red glow shot through with gold as it shimmered around her. “You should never have threatened me or my home. You’re going to regret it, I swear.” Something oddly like a cat’s rumbling snarl rose up from her chest, and Raven lunged at the man gloating over her, her teeth bared.
He stumbled back, eyes wide with fear. “You’re a psycho!” he muttered and grabbed his partner. “Let’s go.”
The door slammed shut, and the shed was plunged into darkness. Mal could hear Raven panting in the darkness, and he lifted his leg to cross over hers, offering comfort. “You okay?”
“What the hell was that?”
“I have no idea, but boy did you send him running. You mean you didn’t do that on purpose?”
“Nuh uh. And much as I’d like to know what that was, I think we better get out of here first and discuss this new weirdness later.”
“Agreed.” Malyk paused for a moment. “I’m going to have to shift to get out of these ropes though. I won’t really be gone, but it’ll seem like I am. I won’t leave you, I swear.”
“Just hurry,” she hissed. “Getting blown up isn’t on my ‘to do’ list.”
“Mine either,” he told her, and then shifted his form so he could pass through the ropes and get them out of danger. In this form Raven was a beacon of light and energy, her love and other emotions a radiant maelstrom that flowed around them both. Another time he’d have stopped to admire the beauty of it, but not this time. He moved a few feet over and began to re-manifest just as Raven’s voice filled the darkness of the shed.
“Now that is freaky.”
“You really shouldn’t go insulting the man about to free you,” he laughed at her as he rematerialized, enjoying Raven’s squawk of surprise. “Sorry, but I did tell you I wasn’t really gone.” He picked out her shadowy shape in the darkness and leaned down. “Just hold still a minute and I’ll have you cut free.” He drew the tri-bladed dagger from his belt and started slicing the ropes, hoping he wasn’t slicing her as well.
He kept part of his senses attuned to the machine she was fastened to, listening for some tick or pop that would be their only warning of the explosion to come. As her bonds fell away he hauled her to her feet, hearing her moan in pain as the feeling came back to her legs. She swayed slightly and he scooped her into his arms, every instinct screaming at him to get them as far away as possible.
“I got you.” He straightened and turned for the door just as an ominous click filled the air.
The men had set off the detonator.
Time slowed to a crawl. The very air sizzled as the newly sparked flame came together with the vapour filled air. Light and heat bloomed in the darkness and Mal’s heart twisted as he dropped his gaze to Raven’s, seeing the look of love in her eyes as she stared back at him with a grim smile.
“I love you, now go!” He heard her words over the roar of the fire expanding around them, and at that moment he willed himself to cross the veil and travel home, his arms still holding her tight. The heat of the fire fell away, and his seared skin tingled as the chill emptiness of the void washed over them both. Raven’s body arched in his arms and her eyes closed tight and still he hung on, whispering her name over and over.
When he stepped back through the veil, he was at his own door. He dropped to his knees, his own pain forgotten as he called Raven’s name and stroked her hair back from her cheek. She lay limp and still in his arms, her golden skin paler than he’d ever seen it.
“No!” Grief tore at him, shredding his heart and soul as he stared down as his beloved. The ring had protected her from the fire, but not the journey. She was untouched by the flame, if he’d only left her as she’d told him to, she might have survived. He howled his grief and rage to the sky, and then he felt a cool hand touch his shoulder.
“Malyk,” Molla crooned his name softly.
“Go away, Mother,” He growled, already feeling her touch grow warm as she healed his burns. “I’ve lost her. I don’t want to see you or anyone else.”
“Malyk, I can sense her love for you from here, she’s fine. The shock of the transition simply knocked her out.” Molla sighed. “My sons. Lovely boys but not a smart one in the lot.” Her voice was tinged with laughter, and he saw the shimmer of light around her grow brighter in her amusement.
“He’s smoking hot, though.” A soft whisper rose from Raven’s lips, and she opened her eyes. “Hi, lover.”
“Raven?” Malyk’s voice nearly broke as he murmured her name. “I thought I’d lost you.”
“To be honest, so did I. I thought I told you to go and save yourself?” She arched a brow at him and shifted, trying to sit up. “And why is the sky purple?”
“Well, I did save myself. I just took you with me.” Mal brushed a kiss to her lips, then another and another, his lips slanting over hers and his arms holding her tight, hardly able to accept that she was alive and unhurt.
Molla stayed quiet for a minute and then cleared her throat, reminding Malyk of her presence. “The sky is purple because that’s its proper colour. At least here on Daemos.” She stepped into Raven’s line of sight and smiled. “Hello, Daughter.”
Malyk sighed and broke off his kiss with reluctance. “I told you she was pushy. Raven, this is Molla, my mother. Molla, this is Raven.”
“Hello, Molla, nice to meet you.” Raven managed an embarrassed smile and sat up the rest of the way. “So if this is your home, why aren’t I...” She trailed off, her eyes wide and filled with confusion.
“I hoped the ring would protect you.” Malyk lifted her left hand, the ring gleaming in the sunlight. “It would seem it did. I took a terrible chance, but I didn’t know if it could protect you from the explosion either and I couldn’t leave you behind Raven. I would never do that.” He got to his feet and lifted into his arms again. “Let’s go inside, you need to rest.”
Her hand touched his chest, and Raven shook her head. “No, we need to go back. My home, the explosion, the animals. We have to save them and then find the slimy bastards who did this.”
Malyk opened his mouth to argue, and Raven shook her head again. “And don’t you tell me to stay here while you go deal with it. That’s my home, it’s my life, and I’m coming with you.”
Molla laughed. “Oh, I like her already. Take her back Malyk. You’re healed, and she’s going to be fine. Go on, shoo! Back you go! Call if you need us, we’ll visit soon.”
“Did she just tell us to shoo?” Raven asked and grinned up at Malyk, her arms twining around his neck.
“Aye, she does that.” He grumbled and lifted her high as his lips stroked over hers. “You’re mine, Raven, I will never fail to protect you again. I swear it. If you are coming with me, then you will not leave my side, and you will do as I say. I will keep you safe.”
“You’re very cute when you’re bossy.” She kissed him back, laughing now. “You have my word, I’ll not leave your side.” Raven’s voice lowered to a velvet whisper. “Now, or ever.”
Then the world fell away, and there was only darkness and silence, and then they found themselves back in the storm.
