He was in charge now, taking her along for the ride.

Zillah smiled in victory, and Nika felt that smile wiggle through her like some kind of parasite. He was going to kill Madoc, and not only was she going to watcha"he was going to make her help.

Chapter 28.

Maura landed under a leafless tree. Her parents were dead. She'd known for years that this day would come, but she hadn't known until now just how much it would hurt.

She shouldn't have cared. She hadn't needed them for years. They hated what she'd become.

That hate had always allowed Maura to hold herself at a distance. Why should she care what they thought? Why should she bother to be something she wasn't? It wasn't her fault she had no soul of her own. Gilda had done that to her. Angus had allowed it. They deserved what they got.

And yet, there was this odd hollow s.p.a.ce inside Maura she couldn't explain, as if an important part of her had been ripped out.

They'd said they loved her. Their words had seemed genuine, like she remembered from when she was young and foolish. How could they love her when there was no soul inside her to love? How could they have given up their lives for her if they didn't love her? They certainly hadn't feared her.

Maura had no answers. She didn't even know where she was or how far away Gilda had flung her. She needed to get moving. It was too cold to lie here and stare up at the sky, searching for answers that would never come.

She needed to see what she should do, where she should go, so she opened up that part of her that could see the future. It was, after all, her turn. Sibyl had used their power last.

But when Maura reached for her power, it was gonea"only an empty, gaping spot remained where it should have been. It was as if she'd never even had the power.

Panic set in hard and fast. Without her power, she was nothinga"just a child no one would listen to. No one would fear.

Maybe it was temporarya"some kind of trauma Gilda had caused tonight. Maybe her power would return. She didn't need to panic.

At least not yet.

But she couldn't go back to Zillah now. He'd kill her as soon as he knew the truth. She was of no use to him.

She was of no use to anyone.

The Sentinels would kill her if they found her. Her parents had shown mercy, but she knew better than to think anyone else would.

She was on her own. Alone.

Instincts had her reaching for Sibyl before she could stop herself, but all that greeted her was blackness. Silent, yawning blackness.

Was Sibyl dead, too?

Maura began to panic. She'd never been alone before. She didn't know where to go or what to do. She couldn't be around people. What if one of them touched her? She didn't want to see anyone else die tonight.

A light came on through the trees, and now that it did, Maura could see there was a farmhouse there. She heard a m.u.f.fled slam of a screen door shutting, and then saw movement.

Someone was coming toward hera"probably some hapless human who saw light spilling from the portal.

Whoever he was, she didn't deserve his help, and she couldn't risk his touching her. She had to run. Get away.

Maura turned in the opposite direction and ran.

Jackie held her breath as she watched the mouth of the cave for the dark-eyed man who'd gone after the children.

There were several people here, milling about, checking on those prisoners they'd helped free. A pretty woman with braids held one of the children in her arms, rocking him. Beside her, a watchful man stood, the blade of his sword gleaming at his side. There were other armed men, tooa"enough of them that Jackie felt like she could draw in a full breath for the first time in a long, long time.

The man with the scarred face walked up to her. He gave her a rea.s.suring smile that puckered his skin. His eyes were a brilliant, laser blue as he looked down at her. "I'm Nicholas," he said.

"Jackie Patton." Years of boardroom meetings had her thrusting her hand out to shake his. Her skin was dirty; her too-long, broken fingernails were caked with filth. She pulled her hand back, but not fast enough. Nicholas took it in a gentle grip.

Her skin began to warm and a slight buzzing sensation slid up her arm. Nicholas's eyes widened and a hopeful, reverent sort of look crossed his scarred face.

"You're that Jackie," he whispered. "The one we've been looking for."

Jackie pulled her hand away, scared as h.e.l.l by the way he was staring at her. She'd seen that same look of hunger on the faces of too many not-quite-human monsters right before they bit her to ever want to see it again.

She backed away and b.u.mped into the door of a car. "Please. Stay back."

A hand went to her neck, where she could feel the ridges of countless bite marks. Covering her throat was an unconscious gesture, and until she'd done it, she hadn't realized she'd given away her fear.

"I'm not going to bite you."

She couldn't pull any of her boardroom calm around her now. She was too shaken. First the man with the dark eyes had made her feel odd, and now this man.

Another man with light brown skin and matching eyes hurried across the cold ground. "What's going on here, Nicholas? Did you spook the girl?"

"More like the other way around. Watch." Nicholas reached for her. Jackie flinched away, b.u.mping into the newcomer.

Instantly, her skin began to buzz where her bare arm brushed his. He held out his hand. The odd, iridescent ring he wore swirled in a ma.s.s of colors so bright she could see them even in the dim light.

The new man grinned, smiling at her like she was the answer to a puzzle he'd been unable to solve. "Well, love. Looks like we should get to know each other. I'm Morgan."

"She's compatible with both of us," said Nicholas, clearly stunned.

"Guess we'll just have to let her pick. May the best man win," said Morgan.

"Stop," said Jackie before this . . . whatever it was could get out of hand. "Both of you stay back." She slid away from them.

There were a lot of big men here, and it was hard to avoid them. She could feel both Nicholas and Morgan watching her, so she veered away, keeping the group in sight. She'd rather deal with both of them than be dragged back into that cave by something lurking behind a tree.

Behind her, she heard a noise coming from the winter-dead brush. She froze in place as fear locked down her muscles. She tried to scream for help, but her throat was closed tight.

She couldn't go back into that cave. She couldn't let those things feed from her any longer. She wasn't sure how she'd survived it for as long as she had. If it weren't for the children looking to her for strength, she didn't think she would have made it.

And now it was all going to happen again and she couldn't even call for help from any of the sword-wielding men nearby.

A rough hand grabbed her arm and she was shoved behind a broad back. Heat poured off of him, and it was all she could do not to snuggle against that warmth.

"Do you see anything, Iain?" asked Nicholas from behind her.

The man in front of her said, "No. But she clearly did."

"I heard something," she told him in a voice so weak with fear it was embarra.s.sing.

"I'll take care of it," said Iain. "You go tend the kids I brought out."

Iain was the dark-eyed mana"the one who'd pulled her from her cage. If he wanted her to check on the kids and leave whatever was out there lurking about to the big man with the shiny sword, she could do that. No problem.

Jackie left and went to see what she could do to help. Three more children sat huddled under blankets or spare coats, shivering. She'd already given her blanket to the woman in the cage next to hersa"a woman who was much worse off than Jackie. In the weeks or months or however long it had been since the night she'd been taken, that woman had not uttered a single word.

Jackie wrapped her arms around a skinny, blank-eyed girl and held her tight. She whispered words of comfort to the child, doubting it would do any good. Still, she had to try.

A few minutes later, Iain crossed the s.p.a.ce with a very pregnant woman clinging to his arm for support over the rough ground. His dark eyes were on Jackie as they walked, and the look on his face was not a friendly one.

A chill ran down her spine that had nothing to do with the cold. Someone draped a heavy coat over Jackie's shoulders, still warm with body heat.

She looked up, saw Nicholas had sacrificed his warmth for hers, and said, "Thank you."

He nodded, staring at her with that same needful look the other men she'd met wore.

She had no idea what she'd done to draw their attention, but as soon as she figured it out, she'd stop doing it. Once she was safely out of this h.e.l.l, she was going into hiding, where none of the bizarre things she'd seena"man or beasta"could ever find her again.

"Stop!" bellowed Zillah.

Every Synestryn in front of Madoc came to a rocking halt.

He didn't waste time questioning his good fortune, simply mowed them down as fast as he could. Hot blood splattered his face. The screams of dying Synestryn rang in his ears.

"Stop or I'll kill Nika," warned Zillah.

Madoc stopped his killing spree long enough to glance up. On the far side of the bowl-shaped room, Zillah held Nika's limp body in his arms. Blood stained his hands and his black eyes promised violence.

Madoc froze.

Zillah grinned. "She's in my head and I'm not letting her go. She's nice to have around, as I'm sure you know."

Madoc reached out for Nika through their link and felt nothing but emptiness. Whatever Zillah was doing to her, it was keeping them apart.

Fury screamed through him. His blood pumped hot and hard through his limbs, and his grip tightened on the hilt of his sword.

Madoc was going to kill him, but first he had to reach him. He shoved his way through the group, making a beeline for Nika.

Behind Zillah, he saw Tynan creeping toward where Tori lay.

"Give her to me," demanded Madoc.

"Why would I do that?"

"Because it's the only way you get out of this alive."

"Hardly. You've lost. You're completely outnumbered. I have your woman. And her sister. One of them will give me a living child."

f.u.c.k, no. There was no way in h.e.l.l Madoc was going to let this f.u.c.ker touch Nika like that.

"You can have me," he offered. "Let her and Tori go, and you can have me."

"I already do have you. And them. That's the part you fail to realize."

"You really should let her go. I've seen what she can do inside the mind of your kind. She'll kill you, too."

Zillah appeared unconcerned. "You've seen her kill my minions. She's never met anyone as powerful as me, I a.s.sure you. Now lay down your sword."

"Why? You just told me I have nothing to lose. You're going to trap her mind and rape her body. What reason could I possibly have not to slice you down where you stand?"

"I'll let you live. You'll be my prisoner, but I'll let you see her. Use her. Once I'm done with her, of course. Attack me and I'll have my troops kill you where you stand."

Nika! yelled Madoc in his head, forcing his voice through their link. Get the f.u.c.k out of him. Now.

He heard no reply, felt no spark of awareness.

Madoc was closer now, only a few feet away. Fury turned his vision red around the edges, but he did his best to hide it from this a.s.shole. Better to let him think he was interested in his offer.

"Are you offering me a job?" Madoc forced himself to ask.

"I'm not stupid enough to trust you that much. But you might come in handy. Your blood will feed my pets. I've found that keeping you Sentinels alive and caged for your blood is much more advantageous than killing you. Though that does have its perks, too."

For one brief second, Madoc wondered if some of his brothers were held captive by this f.u.c.ker, or if it was just a liea"one meant to distract him.

He wasn't going to let it. He shoved the thought away and tried again to reach Nika.

You can't leave me like this, he told her. I need you. I love you.

It was true. He did love her. He wasn't sure how he'd come from being a man with a dead soul to a man so full of love for a woman he'd do anything for her, but he had. Nika had healed hima"brought him back to life. He owed her everything and he was d.a.m.n well going to save her so she lived long enough for him to prove how much she meant to him.

Please, Nika. Come back to me.

The smallest ripple of awareness fluttered inside him. He'd know that intelligence and gentleness anywhere. It was his Nika. She was fighting to come back.

Madoc was d.a.m.n well going to help her.

He stepped up to Zillah and smiled. "Guess what, a.s.shole? You lose."

He shoved his sword into Zillah's thigh. Instantly, a dozen Synestryn blades slashed at Madoc at once and pain consumed him.