Redeemed in Darkness Page 23

  Cullen waved off the apology. “At least you thought to snag some food. It never even crossed my mind.”

  Barak’s eyes flicked to Lusahn and then back to Cullen. “You had other, more important matters to consider.”

  If this moment was the last peaceful one Cullen could share with Lusahn, he wanted some privacy. “The rest of you go on ahead. Lusahn and I will be along in a minute.”

  Trahern’s mouth quirked up in a knowing smile while Lonzo rolled his eyes and shook his head. Barak frowned but prodded Larem, who was shooting daggers in Lusahn’s direction, into moving out. Cullen stepped in front of her, placing himself between her and the bitter male.

  Though they couldn’t linger for long, if he didn’t kiss her in the next fifteen seconds, he would explode. He reached out for his woman.

  Chapter 16

  L usahn looked at him and then backed up a step. Smart woman: she recognized a male who was thinking with the wrong part of his body. Now wasn’t the time, and this dismal hillside certainly wasn’t the place, but his body burned to have her. A few scrapes on his bare ass from sand and gravel would be a small price to pay.

  “Oh, no, Cullen. Don’t think I’d…that we’d…” She kept backing away until he had her cornered against a boulder.

  “Just kiss me, Lusahn. I’ll settle for that.”

  She held out her arms, pulling him in for a kiss that started off sweet but didn’t stay that way. His woman knew what she wanted from him and exactly how to get it as her tongue danced and dueled with his. Her hands stroked up and down his arms and then his back. Finally, temptress that she was, she teased his mouth with the tip of her tongue as her wicked, wicked fingers stroked the front of his pants, tracing the length and shape of him until she had him groaning for mercy.

  He lifted her onto the rock and stepped between her knees, pressing her back until their bodies fit together. The sweet crush of her breasts against his chest and the damp heat of her body’s craving for his was heady stuff. He tried to hold on to the shreds of his self-control, because one of them had to cling to sanity. But, damn it, why did it have to be him?

  It took every bit of his resolve to wrench his mouth away from hers. Staring down into her silvery eyes, he brushed a lock of hair back from her face.

  “You know I love you.” It wasn’t a question, but a statement. “You’re mine; the kids are mine. That’s the way it’s going to be.”

  She nodded with a sweet smile. Her hand caressed the side of his face. “Your whiskers are back. I like them.”

  “I’ll grow a beard, if that’s what you want.”

  Her fingers brushed back and forth across his stubble. “I want.”

  He stepped back. “But we’ve got to get moving before your brother comes looking for me with his sword.” He offered her a hand up. “Did I really see that thing glowing in the dark?”

  Lusahn nodded. “Another of his gifts.”

  “What other tricks does Barak have up his sleeve?” Cullen asked, then grinned at the confused look on Lusahn’s face. “Never mind. There’ll be plenty of time later for you to learn our expressions.”

  Her smile was a little sad. “I hope so, Cullen Finley. I would like that.”

  Life in his world would be complicated, their union causing far-reaching ripple effects throughout the Regent’s organization. But he didn’t give a flying fuck about that, as long as he woke up with Lusahn’s face on the pillow next to his every morning.

  “Let’s go home.” He took her hand as they started the last leg of their journey.

  The early morning was quiet. Too quiet. Lusahn caught Cullen’s arm, stopping him. The two of them had caught up with the others a short time before, then moved up to take the lead. She trusted her brother’s ability to fight, but it had been too long since he’d last patrolled their world.

  She motioned the others closer and said quietly, “They’re waiting up ahead in those rocks.”

  The cold-eyed one studied the terrain ahead. “What do you see that I don’t?” He sounded more curious than doubtful.

  “Because that’s where I’d be.” She drew her borrowed sword. “Once we pass that next turn, the cave will be in sight. Rather than scatter the patrols, trying to figure out which cave we sought or which path we chose, they concentrated on protecting the targets themselves.”

  “Makes sense.”

  She walked over to Larem and removed his gag. “Will you fight for us or against us?”

  Cullen moved up behind her, but made no comment.

  “I swore an oath to protect you, Lusahn. I will honor that oath.” He held out his bound hands.

  She cut his ropes and handed him two knives that she pulled from Cullen’s belt. Larem accepted the weapons with a nod of his head.

  Cullen pushed past Lusahn to confront Larem. “You betray her, and you die.”

  Larem’s answering smile was nasty and bitter. “I’ll see to my own honor, Paladin. You see to yours.” Then he assumed his usual position guarding Lusahn’s back.

  It felt good to have her old friend where he belonged. The wounds between them were too deep to be healed quickly, but it was a start.

  Everyone now had their swords in hand. Since the need for silence was over, the three Paladins also held guns, the promise of death in their eyes. These men had risked everything for her and her children. She could do no less for them.

  “Now we fight!” She charged forward, hoping the surprise attack would slow their opponents’ reactions.

  Then the Guildmaster stepped out of the shadows. He spent so much time behind his desk, it was easy to forget he’d been a formidable warrior. Three Sworn Guardians and their Blades formed up around him. The odds could have been worse. If he’d held back additional Blades in reserve, they would deal with that when the time came.

  “Lusahn, I see your human did come back. How unfortunate for him. He escaped our Blades one time. It won’t happen twice.” The Guildmaster scanned the rest of her group, his eyes widening in surprise when he saw Barak. “By the gods, I’m surprised you found the courage to return, Barak q’Arc. We all thought you’d sought the coward’s way out of his responsibilities by seeking the light. Yet instead of serving your people, you aid their enemies.”

  “My actions are not for you to judge, Guildmaster. Look to your own conscience about the disappearance of light from this world. Do these males of honor who serve you realize that you condone the theft of the blue stones, either by your involvement or your inaction?” The writing along Barak’s sword flared brightly in the gray light.

  The Guildmaster staggered back a step at the display of power. When the Paladins snickered, his face flushed hot and angry. The Sworn Guardians held their positions, but two of them looked toward the Guildmaster with disapproval.

  Lusahn knew the Blades would follow their Guardians’ lead without question, and she added to Barak’s pressure on the Guildmaster.

  “Did you also tell them that you condemned not just me, but also my Blademate without a trial, gloating as you did so? Larem was guilty of nothing but holding true to his oath. Do they know that you were prepared to see us dead, rather than carry out your true duties to the people of Kalithia?”

  “Silence, woman! You speak of things you have no knowledge of.” He brought up his sword, taking a half step forward.

  She continued undaunted. “These warriors from the world of light have seen our people clutching the blue stones in their hands, hoping to buy their way into the light. My former Sworn Guardian Joq admitted that he was involved, having given up on the Guild in disgust. These are the truths I know.”

  She met the gaze of each Guardian in turn before saying, “I am a Sworn Guardian of my people, Guildmaster. Do you wish to challenge that?”

  Bellowing in rage, he charged forward. She met his attack head-on, and the battle began. The two-to-one odds made it hard to maneuver, but the confined area hampered their opponents as well. The Guardians had chosen their position well, making it difficult
for Cullen and his men to fight their way through to make a run for the cave.

  The Guildmaster caught her sword with a blow hard enough to rattle her teeth, but she stood her ground. When Cullen tried to sweep in from the side to engage her opponent, she shouted for him to back away. This fight was hers, and hers alone.

  All her anger over the rape of her world and all of her fear over facing life in a new one poured through her and into her sword. Her mouth curved in a smile that showed lots of teeth and had nothing to do with joy as she led the Guildmaster in the intricate dance of death.

  One of the Guardians and one of his Blademates teamed up to fight Cullen. Caught between the blur of their swords, he couldn’t fight his way clear to help Lusahn. His head told him that she was capable of defending herself, but his heart wasn’t listening.

  This time he would not stay his hand from striking a killing blow—not with the woman he loved fighting for her life. He took out his two opponents in quick order. Neither was dead when they hit the ground, but they would be if they lifted their weapons again.

  He tried to nudge Lusahn to the side, ready to take on the Guildmaster himself, but she would have none of it. Battle fever had claimed her, and he would only hamper her if he insisted on staying in her way.

  “Cullen!”

  Lonzo had taken a nasty cut to his shoulder; a stream of blood ran down his arm. The Guardian lifted his sword high, ready to swing it in an arc that would separate Lonzo’s head from his body. There would be no coming back from that. Cullen lunged forward to block the downward stroke of the blade, but couldn’t get there quickly enough.

  Bile rose in his throat as he braced himself to see his friend die for good, when a startled look crossed the Guardian’s face and he collapsed to his knees, then fell facedown in the dust. Cullen and Lonzo stared down at the body, trying to make sense of what had happened. Larem stood behind the dying Guardian, holding the knife he’d just shoved hilt-deep in the male’s back.

  Larem’s eyes looked every bit as dead as those of the warrior’s crumpled on the ground before him. Then life flooded back into his face as he grabbed Lonzo’s sword from his hand and charged back into the fight.

  Cullen tried not to resent the way Lusahn accepted Larem’s presence at her side. He wrapped Lonzo’s good arm around his own shoulder, then inched past the fighting, trying to get to the cave beyond.

  “Follow as you can!” he hollered, hoping he’d be heard over the clash of metal and voices raised in challenge or pain.

  One by one, the others moved past their opponents, who were greatly reduced in number, retreating toward the cave. Inside, Cullen eased Lonzo down onto one of the abandoned sleeping bags, then sliced off a piece of the bag to press on the open wound. Right now his friend was in more danger of bleeding out than from any possible infection.

  “I’ll be back.”

  Lonzo mustered up a smile. “I think I’ll wait here.”

  “You do that.” Cullen headed back out to help the others; if Lonzo was up to making bad jokes, he’d survive.

  Trahern and Barak were playing rearguard, holding the Guardians and the few Blades still standing at bay while Lusahn and Larem went after the Guildmaster with deadly intent. The fool didn’t realize he was backing straight into Cullen’s sword until the point of it hit his back.

  “Freeze and drop your sword, or these are the last words you’ll ever hear.” Cullen gave his blade a nudge to show the bastard he meant business. “It won’t take much to convince me that both of our worlds would be better off without you.”

  The Guildmaster immediately dropped his weapon. “Don’t kill me! I’ll call off my men.”

  “Tell them to leave the area. We’ll be keeping you with us to make sure they stay gone.”

  The Guildmaster nodded, his head bobbing up and down like a yo-yo. “Retreat! Retreat!”

  The Kaliths clustered together and backed down the path, helping their wounded and leaving their dead behind. Trahern held his position until he was sure they were gone, at least for now.

  Cullen didn’t care what they did once everyone had reached the safety of the cave. The entrance was narrow enough for two to defend indefinitely while Barak brought down the narrow strip of the barrier.

  “Anyone hurt besides Lonzo?” he asked.

  “Nothing that won’t heal on its own.” Trahern leaned heavily against the entrance, his gaze moving constantly over the terrain.

  Barak had taken charge of the Guildmaster, forcing the older man to kneel against the wall. “Move and you die,” he growled. Then he looked toward Cullen. “Give me a minute to catch my breath, and I’ll start working on the barrier.”

  Cullen hoped that it wouldn’t take hours this time. The sooner he shook the dust of this world off his feet, the happier he’d be. He looked around for Larem and saw him sitting down next to Lonzo, with Lusahn wrapping a strip of cloth around his ribs. Evidently the Guildmaster had managed to get in one good stroke before they’d brought him to bay.

  Cullen didn’t like seeing Lusahn fuss over the male, but he’d cut the bastard some slack for saving Lonzo’s life. It gratified him greatly that as soon as she tied off the bandage, she was up and heading straight for his arms.

  He buried his face in her hair, breathing in her scent and sharing his strength with her. “We’ll be home soon.”

  “Good.”

  An hour later, they were still in the cave, the barrier glowing brightly. Barak was doing his best, but with no success. It didn’t help that he hadn’t fully recovered from his run-in with Mount Rainier only a few days before. Even if he’d been at full strength, the barrier was unpredictable.

  Cullen joined Trahern on guard duty at the entrance. “Think they’ll be back?”

  Cullen scanned the hillside, looking for any sign of the vanquished Guardians. “Yeah, they’ll be back and bring all their buddies with them. They might not give a rat’s ass about their precious Guildmaster, but they won’t take being bested on their own turf lightly.”

  Trahern glanced back into the cave. “We can hold out here for a while, but without food or water, Lonzo’s going to be in pretty bad shape.”

  A movement in the cave caught Cullen’s attention. Lusahn stood glaring at her brother, who was shaking his head.

  He joined them. “What’s the problem?”

  “Him. He’s about to fall over on his face, but he won’t take a break and he won’t let me help.”

  “Why not, Barak?”

  “It’s never been done. To bring it down, you have to mold your energy signature to match the barrier’s own. It can’t resonate with two.”

  “How do you know, if it’s never been tried? You’re both tired, but maybe together you’ll be able to bring it down.”

  The slide of steel made them all look toward the entrance. Trahern was back in battle stance. “They’re coming.”

  The Guildmaster broke his sullen silence. “Your blood will run like a river, human—but I gave orders that my three be captured alive. Her death will be a public spectacle, along with her brother’s and her Blademate’s.”

  That did it. Cullen walked over and shut the bastard up with a solid right hook. The Guildmaster’s head hit the cave wall with a satisfying thud.

  Lusahn smiled her approval as she held out her hand to Barak. He stared down at it before slowly enfolding it with his own. “Everything else has changed in my life, sister. Why not how we work the light?”

  Together they turned to face the energy field and held out their free hands. Cullen stared at the beauty of his lover’s face reflecting all of the colors that shimmered and shifted in the barrier. Almost immediately he could see a change in the colors, as they began to fade and stretch.

  “It’s going down!” he shouted as he heard the clash of Trahern’s sword against the swarm of Others trying to force their way inside the cave.

  He couldn’t afford to add his sword to their defenses, not with the wounded needing his help. Larem managed to push hims
elf up, but Lonzo had trouble getting his legs to support him.

  “I will get him across,” Larem said. “Go help your friend.”

  The offer surprised Cullen, but he didn’t argue.

  Knowing better than to surprise Trahern when he was in fight mode, Cullen shouted, “Trahern! I’m coming up beside you.”

  Trahern automatically shifted to the left, making room for Cullen to fight at his side. “How much longer?” he asked.

  “It shouldn’t be long now.” He hoped.

  “Good, because my dance card’s full, and there’s more of the bastards coming up the hillside.”

  “It’s down!”

  At Lusahn’s shout of triumph, Cullen risked a quick look behind him to see her shove Lonzo and Larem across while Barak remained frozen in concentration. Then she drew her sword and joined them at the entrance.

  “Get ready to run on a count of three!” Cullen ordered. Though his arm felt about to fall off, he did his best to push the determined Others back.

  “One—two—three!”

  First Lusahn retreated, followed by Trahern. Cullen backed up until he was almost to Barak. “Now you, Barak! I can’t hold them off much longer.”

  Barak nodded, still chanting under his breath and stepped across. When Cullen broke for the other side, the Others were but a step behind him. He dove headfirst across the line, where ready hands grabbed him, pulling him to safety.

  The Guardians skittered to a halt, unwilling to pursue their quarry across the divide. Barak and Lusahn raised their voices in unison, and the barrier snapped back into place.

  They were home at last.

  God, Cullen couldn’t wait to get home with Lusahn. Yeah, sure, Devlin had good reasons for being seriously pissed. Cullen’s disappearance had been especially hard on his close friends; then, too, it hadn’t been easy for Devlin to sit home while his friends faced unknown dangers in the Other’s world. He also regretted adding to Devlin’s hassles with the Regents.

  They’d been given a short reprieve, since the Regents had announced a major reorganization right about the time Cullen had led the rescue party into Kalithia. But it wouldn’t last long. A new Regent would soon take over the Pacific Northwest region, and once the new top dog took office, they could all expect changes.