“Nice job.” Jax patted Casper on the back as they both came over to me.

  “Yes, Casper, that was a very effective move.”

  “Thanks. Jax is a great teacher.” Casper brushed his long hair out of his eyes.

  “Yes, he is, and we’re lucky to have him.” Jax nodded to me. “Casper, I heard your squad saw Jace and Tyler. Can you tell me more about it?”

  “Yeah, we crossed into Blaylock Grove, and I had the team run a larger perimeter check, so none of us were in the clearing. But I saw them appear at the gate and signaled for everyone to hold back. It looked to me like Jace was teaching Tyler how to cross and use the gates. He wasn’t very good at it, but then again, none of us were when we first learned to cross.”

  “It was wise of you not to engage them. With Jace’s telekinetic powers, he’s a dangerous force to battle against. We don’t need any unnecessary casualties.” Casper needed to hear my approval of his decision so he would have the confidence to make a choice like that again in the future. Being young and leading a squad was daunting, and it was easy to doubt your decisions.

  “How’s Cassidy?” His face grew serious as he asked.

  “She’s improving. Eating and sleeping well, but she’s struggling with some other issues still.”

  “Like?” Casper asked as Jax put their sparring equipment away.

  “Like not wanting to leave the upstairs of her house.”

  “What? Why?”

  “I don’t know yet, but my guess is it has to do with something that happened at Rya’s. Anyway, I’m headed back for a few days. I just wanted to see how things were here.”

  Casper spoke quietly. “Have you made your decision on Tyler yet?”

  “We’ll go after him when I return. I promised Cass.” Saying it to one of my warriors made it feel official.

  “Yes! He’s a good guy. You won’t regret it,” Casper said with a pleased look on his face.

  I left Jax and Casper and headed to Anchor’s room. Jackson and Anchor were having hard Vinka ciders and laughing about something. Unlike in the Human Realm, our mood-altering drinks were not addictive. Thus, we permitted the drinks but restricted their use to off hours and only Hunters aged twenty years or older. “Killian! You’re back. Join us for a drink.” Anchor grabbed another cup from his serving tray and poured an amber liquid into the glass.

  “Thank you Anchor, but I can’t stay. I stopped by to ask you to build a holding cell. You can use one of the spare rooms and just modify the door. Can you manage that?”

  “Sure, what for?” Anchor took a gulp of his drink.

  “Tyler.”

  Anchor’s jaw dropped. “We’re goin’ after the demon?”

  “When I get back, I’ll have a team head out. Since he’ll be in demon form, we’ll need to keep a close watch on him while we figure out how to subdue the demon side.”

  “How are we gonna do that?” Jackson asked, putting down his cup.

  “I don’t know yet.” Could he be saved? “Anchor, I don’t care what you use, just make sure it’s strong enough to hold him.”

  “Got it. Headin’ out again?” Anchor glanced between me and the tray of cider.

  “Just for a few days. Cass is improving, but she’s still struggling.”

  “But she’s improving. That’s good.” Jackson didn’t say anything more, but he sounded pleased with the news. Cass had become a part of our Clan, and we cared for our own. “Bring her back to us Killian.”

  “I’m workin’ on it.”

  ***

  The second floor of the old farmhouse had a single light on in the upstairs. The lower level was dark, as expected, though I’d hoped Cass would feel brave enough to venture downstairs in my absence. I had stopped at the local Chinese restaurant to pick up some food for our kitchen dinner. It smelled heavenly compared to the frozen and canned meals I had been preparing. Unlocking the back door, I flicked on the kitchen light and set the bags on the table.

  “Cass, I’m home. Be up in a minute.” She probably didn’t hear me. I set the table and got drinks for us before heading upstairs.

  The door to her room was open. Cassidy was brushing her wet hair into a ponytail with her back towards me.

  “You have your door open?”

  She startled at the sound of my voice. “Oh, you’re back. Um, I thought I’d try having the door open to get ready for today’s challenge.”

  “Nice. I brought dinner from a Chinese restaurant, and it’s all set up downstairs. Are you ready to head down?”

  “I’m ready to try.” The words were quiet but I heard them.

  “Good enough.” Taking her hand in mine, I led her to the top of the stairs where I felt her resist.

  “Killian, wait.” Cass looked panicked.

  I waited. “You are going to be okay.”

  “It doesn’t feel okay.” Tears welled up in her eyes.

  “Cass, you need to breathe and calm down. Look at me.” Her eyes looked everywhere but at me. “Look at me!” I used my Clan leader voice—her eyes snapped up to mine. “You are going to follow me down the stairs, holding my hand, and looking only at the back of my head. Do you understand?” She nodded. “Good. Now take some deep breaths, and we’ll try this again.”

  She obeyed, breathing deeply and slowly.

  I didn’t like being so gruff with her, but she needed to get past this hurdle. “Okay, eyes on the back of my head and don’t let go.” I took the steps at a slow pace, and I felt her hand tighten around mine, though I chose not to stop to calm her. When we both were on the main level of the house I turned to her. “You did it. Well done.”

  She was breathing fast and shallow and didn’t answer.

  “Take some deep breaths with me.” We stood and matched our breathing together until I saw her relax a bit. This was a big step for her, but it was not the goal for today. “Eyes on me again. I’m going to lead you to the kitchen. Keep holding on; you’re doing great.” She did as I asked and we made it to the kitchen. I pulled out her chair and helped her get seated. Her eyes were trained on the table before her.

  “Cass, look up.” Her breath grew quicker with my command.

  “I’m scared.”

  “I know you are. But listen, I need you to trust me. I’m not going to let anything bad happen to you.” I sat in the chair next to hers and held her trembling hands. “Look at me.” My voice was gentle and pleading this time. She raised her face to mine. The tears that had welled up in her eyes finally fell in two small streaks down her face. “You amaze me Cass. You are so brave and strong. Do you trust me?” She nodded. “Good. Now look around the room. If you feel nervous, come back to me.”

  She let out a deep breath and turned toward the wall of windows and then she quickly returned to face me. “You closed the drapes!”

  “Yes I did. I thought it would help.”

  She continued looking around the room. “It makes it a lot easier.”

  I released her hands and began dishing out the food onto our plates.

  “All the drapes are closed so you can move around the house freely if you wish.”

  She stood as I placed a plate down before her.

  “Where are you going?”

  “I’m gonna try to walk to the stairs.” Cassidy exited the kitchen and came back a minute later. “I did it!” She sat at the table and opened her can of soda. “To baby steps.” I clinked my can with hers and we enjoyed the food. After supper, I awarded her with a movie on the couch.

  “You pick. I’ll watch whatever you want,” I yelled from the kitchen.

  “Even if it’s a chick flick?” she yelled back.

  “It’s your reward. You choose.” After I finished cleaning up and putting the leftovers away, I grabbed our pop cans and joined her in the living room, setting the cans on the coffee table. “What are we watching?”

  “Sixteen Candles.” She handed me the movie case.

  “Am I gonna turn into a girl from watching this?”

  She smacked me with a small pillow. “Just be open minded and give it a try. John Hughes made some amazing movies.” She looked at my face and laughed. “Baby steps Killian.”

  I put my feet up on the coffee table and stretched out my arms across the back of the couch. “Okay, start it up.” To my surprise, the movie was funny and entertaining. Somewhere around the middle of the movie Cassidy settled in close to me with her legs curled next to her on the couch. Before the movie ended, I’d wrapped my arm around her shoulders and she allowed it.

  When the movie finished, she turned off the TV and just sat curled in next to me.

  “Do I still look like a guy?” I asked.

  She looked at me and laughed. “Yes, you still look like a guy.”

  “Oh good. Baby steps huh?” She nodded and smiled at me; it was nice to see this side of her again. “I guess that movie wasn’t so bad.”

  “Would you go so far as to say you liked it?”

  “Don’t push your luck, Cass,” I said with a smile. Sitting close to her without the Demon Realm problems blaring in our faces was therapeutic. I felt closer to her.

  “Cass? What was it like for you when Rya captured you?”

  She pulled away to sit cross legged next to me, eyes cast down toward the ground. Quiet and tense, she let out a breath and then looked up at me with sad eyes. “They put me in a cell and left me there. Alone.” She grabbed a pillow and hugged it tight against her, almost like a shield. “It was small and dark, sometimes too small.” Her voice trailed off; then she met my eyes. “And sometimes too big.”

  “They fed you, right?”

  She nodded.

  “Were there other prisoners there?”

  She shook her head. “I was alone.”

  “We looked for you. Every day. Our patrols explored parts of the Demon Realm we had never ventured through before. It was so frustrating to come up empty every single day. Still, we never stopped looking.”

  “I believe you.” She paused then asked, “How did Tyler find me?”

  “That’s a good question. He and Casper went to cross back to the Human Realm, only Tyler ended up near Rya’s and Casper ended up at the Blaylock Grove gate.”

  “But why?”

  “I think it had to do with Rya’s ring. Tyler was wearing it at the time. And since the crossovers take you where you intend to go…” It was just a guess. “Or maybe Tyler really just wanted to get to you and he lied to Casper. Either way, he’s the reason we found you. We tracked him through his body tissue, the way we searched for you when his dad had kidnapped you, and we followed him all the way to you.” She looked like she was about to say something but changed her mind. “What were you going to say?”

  She shook her head. “I just hate that he’s over there, in her hands. I’m afraid we’ll lose the chance to save him. Just like we did with Jace.”

  “Cass, I promised I’d go after him. But I’m also not okay with leaving you here afraid to be imprisoned by your fears. Besides, it’s motivation for you to push through and meet my daily challenges.”

  “What’s tomorrow’s challenge?” she inquired.

  “Windows and doors open.” Her eyebrows shot up. “Don’t stress about it; I know you’ll handle it with ease.”

  “Killian, thank you. I know it must be hard to be away from your Clan.”

  “Yeah. I got a bit restless today, but going back for a check-in helped. Casper asked about you.”

  She smiled at the sound of his name. Several weeks ago, I would have been jealous of her reaction. But Casper and Cass were good friends, and I knew I would have to accept their affection for each other if I wanted to be in her life.

  “Jax has been teaching Casper how to improve his offense.”

  “Who’s Jax?” She looked puzzled. I had forgotten that she didn’t know about the temporary additions to our Clan.

  “Jax was part of the Clan years ago. He fell in love and decided to become a Juncture so he could marry who he wanted and have kids. Tehya recruited him and Serena to help us have a better shot in battle.”

  “Serena’s there too?”

  I nodded my response.

  “Who’s Tehya?”

  “An angel sent to help us restore the balance. We also have a Shaman’s assistant. All are temporary though. I’m hoping when they leave we won’t feel like we lost half our team.”

  “That’s a lot of new people. So they’ve been helpful?”

  “Unbelievably helpful.” I hated losing any of them but they were clear when they’d said their help was temporary.

  “How’d you get an angel to come help? Did you put up the Bat-Signal or something?” I still had no idea what a Bat-Signal was; my face must have given that fact away. “Oh sorry, you probably don’t know about Batman. He’s a fictional superhero. When people need his help, they shine a light in the sky with the symbol of a bat, a Bat-Signal.”

  “Ah. No, we did not put up a Bat-Signal. Tehya just crossed over to our Clan one day.”

  We continued talking until Cassidy eventually fell asleep, cuddled in close to me. I carried her to her room. Laying her on her bed, I pulled the covers around her and placed a kiss on her forehead. “Cassidy Kavanaugh, what have you done to me?” I whispered as I looked down at the girl who had found a way into my heart, and each day, managed to impress me with all that she was.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Tyler

  Crap! I’m gonna die. As I plummeted toward the rocky ground, I began losing hope that I’d ever see another day. Was I supposed to do something to make them come out? If Jace had pushed me…

  And then I felt a part of me that had been bound tight break free. From my peripheral vision, I could see the tips of the large black wings that propelled me toward Jace. I had my wings!

  Fueled by my anger and desire to beat the demon out of him, I grabbed his head and head-butted him in mid-air, following with an uppercut to his jaw. He fell back onto the ledge beneath the outthrust rock Rya stood on.

  I landed and shoved my boot in his face. “You don’t follow directions very well.”

  He raised his hands and my body froze. Damn telekinesis! I had forgotten about his power to control other things. My boot lifted from his face and he stood before me, looking more pissed off than ever.

  “You need to think twice about where you put that boot of yours or I’ll shove it up your…”

  “Enough Jace, release him.” Rya walked over to us, frowning, with her arms across her chest. “Your prideful display of power is juvenile.” She pushed Jace aside and circled me, admiring my wings. “How does it feel dear? Exhilarating, isn’t it?”

  “What? To not die? Yeah, thrilling.”

  “Oh, don’t be sore. The ability to fly gives us a nice advantage over the Demon Hunters. You should practice as much as you can to get control of those wings.” She looked back at Jace who wore a pouty face as he pulled up the rear. “Big celebration tonight, as tomorrow will be a hard day.”

  “Hard?”

  “Let’s just say it’ll be your introduction to learning to love pain,” Jace said with a smile.

  ***

  Early the next morning, I was abruptly woken by two demon guards.

  “Time for your next challenge.” One of the beastly demon guards said. They pushed me along, without a word, to a room that I thereafter named The Pleasure Pit. Every instrument of torture lined the stone walls including whips, clamps, needles—even bizarre tools that I had never seen before. I noticed two more demons standing guard along the far wall.

  “Nice setup you got here, but I think we have the wrong room. I think the dining hall is further down.”

  The bootlickers that woke me chuckled. The one on my right said, “This is best done on an empty stomach. Less cleanup.” They grabbed my arms, and I pulled a Krav move to get out of their hold and drop them to the ground. I soon found two longswords pushing into my flesh.

  “Release them.” One of the longsword guards bellowed. I let the two on the floor go and slowly stood so the blades wouldn’t cut me. The two guards I'd dropped grabbed me with force and fastened metal shackles around my limbs, stretching me out like a large letter X in the middle of the room.

  “What the hell! Where’s Rya?” I yelled. She had a soft spot for me; I was her mate after all. I was counting on her to keep these baboons from inflicting pain on me.

  “She’s on her way.” One of the guards snorted at me. They took their positions around the room and waited.

  “I’ll let you have a turn, Jace, but I need to get him in the right mindset first.” Rya entered the room with Jace beside her. He looked at me with a wicked grin, letting me know he was looking forward to inflicting some sort of pain on me.

  “Rya, what’s the point of this?”

  She came over to me and looked at me, stretched out before her. “I have to admit, I enjoy seeing you like this, presented before me…helpless.” Her hands ran along my bare chest. Then she scratched her claws along the muscles in my shoulders and biceps, just barely tearing the skin. She whispered, “But I will push you until you radiate with rage and power. Pain is what a demon thrives off of, it fills us up and fortifies our inner strength. I am going to make you into the gorgeous beast you were meant to be.” She stepped back and smiled at me.

  SLAP! She slapped me hard, and while it only slightly stung, it one-hundred percent pissed me off.

  SLAP! SLAP! I growled a loud demonic growl of disapproval at her.

  “Did I make you mad, my love?” Her forked tongue licked both my cheeks, and then she gently kissed both of them. Her hands again were on my arms, gently caressing them as she followed behind me. And then her touch was gone. “This will hurt, but you will take it because it will make you into a powerful demon. You want to be powerful, don’t you?”

  “Yes.” Only my words didn’t sound convincing.

  “Do you want to be worthy of being my mate?”

  Yes, I did. “Yes,” I said more confidently.

  CRACK! My skin stung as the whip hit my back. My teeth clenched with the pain.

 

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