A Dangerous Hunger: (The Sentinel Demons) (6 page)

“I’ll take his place,” Zach answered, starting to step forward and toward the area where Hunter was about to take a beating.

“No!” There was no way Drew was letting Zach step in. Kat would kill him. He grasped Zach’s upper arm to stop him. “You have a mate to think about.”

“So do you,” Zach said solemnly. “Let me go, Drew. You don’t always have to be the one to step up to the plate all the time.”

“You’re not going,” Drew replied adamantly, looking at Kristoff. “Permission to take Hunter’s punishment?” he asked his king.

Kristoff’s nod was nearly imperceptible. “Granted,” he replied formally, his voice strong, but resonating with regret.

Zach yanked his arm away from Drew. “Goddammit, Drew. You’ll be locked up all night.”

“Take care of Talia. Swear it!” he demanded of both his king and his brother, looking from one to the other.

“Done,” Kristoff and Zach answered in unison.

“Stubborn bastard,” Zach rasped, watching as Drew strode forward to relieve Hunter of his punishment. It was the right of a Sentinel to take the disciplinary action for another with permission from their king.

Drew didn’t hesitate. He came to a halt in front of the penalty Sentinel, blocking him from getting to Hunter. “I’ve been granted permission to take Hunter’s place. Let him go.”

The Sentinel who was to carry out Hunter’s sentence lifted his head and spotted his king standing across the open courtyard. Kristoff nodded and Hunter was released. It took him only a moment to get Hunter completely free.

“No. Get on with it,” Hunter told the penalty Sentinel. “I refuse to let him step in.” Hunter’s voice was hoarse and defiant.

The penalty Sentinel shrugged. “You can’t refuse. It’s an order from our king.”

It took several guards to take Hunter away, dragging him to Kristoff’s side. Drew breathed a sigh of relief as he saw all of them flash away—Hunter definitely not leaving by choice as Kristoff wrapped a powerful arm around his neck and transported out of sight.

They’ll take care of Talia.

Truth was, he didn’t want anyone watching over Talia except him. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Zach and Kristoff, but he needed and wanted to see her, to protect her. His mating instincts were screaming painfully at him to go to her, but he was bound by his word, and he
would
serve Hunter’s sentence. His brother was just a short step away from losing his mind, and he was afraid that any further punishment would send Hunter tumbling over the edge.

“You ready?” the Sentinel standing next to Drew asked stoically.

Drew didn’t bother doing things the human way. He wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible. He made his clothing disappear magically, leaving himself completely nude.

A prolonged beating was first, followed by incarceration in the isolation cell. Sentinel demons couldn’t bear to be confined, and it was the worst sort of torment for them to have to live through being in the tiny prison with no escape. The cubicle was mystical, and Drew knew he’d be powerless the entire night. Not that he’d try to leave. Hunter’s fuck-up had to be punished, and the slate wouldn’t be clean until his time was served.

Drew gritted his teeth as he was bound to a brick wall, the captivity enough to irritate him.

The first crack of the whip hurt. The second was a bit more excruciating. He tried to think about Talia, how his whole life had changed since she’d entered it. Her beauty took his breath away, and everything about her delighted him. Occasionally, he’d delved into her memories, and most of them infuriated him, made him want to kill anyone who had ever hurt her. He’d be doing a lot of murder, because she’d been hurt time and time again. Talia had spent most of her life feeling unwanted and unattractive. The only happy memories he’d viewed were the ones of her with her mother, and even many of those were sad near the end of her mom’s life. Talia had spent most of her young life taking care of her mother during her prolonged fight with cancer, and the rest of it completely alone.

A freak.

Just the thought of that slur against his woman made him nearly insane. Talia was special, and in no way freaky. She was…perfect.

When Drew had finally taken the number of lashes that Hunter’s punishment required, he was released from the bounds, his body sagging from the pain.

How the hell did Hunter manage to do this so often? No wonder he was batshit crazy.

The cell was small, hardly big enough to enclose his body. He was barely able to move, and he had to stay in a seated position.

Panic closed in as the door began to shut, his natural demon instinct balking at being closed in, four walls confining him in a tiny little space.

The door clanked shut, plunging Drew into darkness. He strained against the walls and the door unconsciously, his sole objective being relief from the pain of being confined.

A scream in his head was the only thing that made him stop fighting—Talia’s shriek of pain. “Fuck! I need out. She’s in trouble,” he rasped in a low, frustrated voice. He pounded both fists furiously against the walls, now desperate to get to his mate.

He heard another scream, really listening this time, before coming to another conclusion. “She’s not in trouble with the Evils…she’s hurting.” Drew knew her in ways that were frightening, and he could tell the difference between her fear and pain.

Drew!
He heard her scream for the third time, now clear enough for him to make out his own name.

Drew scrambled to block his thoughts, but he wasn’t able to do it. He had no magic as long as he was locked up, no way to hide his emotions from Talia.

And he realized with horror, much too late, that Talia could feel every bit of his pain.

He tried to blank his mind, to not let the pain of his imprisonment permeate his being, but his reaction was elementary, instinctively demon; he was screwed. In the end, he failed miserably, his angry, anguished demon crying out in fury and torment.

D
rew’s hurting; he’s in trouble. I need to help him!

Talia bit her lip to muffle another scream, her body curled into a fetal position on the kitchen floor.

“What’s happening to her?” Kat asked Hunter, Kristoff, and Zach, the men having just arrived at Drew’s house. Kat knelt by Talia’s side, her hand stroking Talia’s hair anxiously.

“I don’t know,” Kristoff answered, his voice gruff and concerned.

Talia’s mind reached for Drew, but all she could find was misery and sorrow, and it was tearing her apart. “Drew. He’s hurting,” she murmured aloud, her body thrashing with every wave of pain he was experiencing.

“She knows,” Zach said angrily. “How the hell can that happen? They haven’t mated. And even then, she shouldn’t be able to feel his pain.”

“She’s an empath receptive to paranormal entities,” Kristoff replied abruptly, kneeling on the floor on the other side of Talia, his hand to her forehead and scalp. “Drew is her mate. She’s connecting with him because he can’t block her right now. Fuck! I didn’t know because I didn’t want to delve into her memories without permission. It shouldn’t be happening. Drew has no power right now.”

“You’re looking at her memories now,” Hunter pointed out huskily.

“I don’t have a choice,” Kristoff barked, shooting a furious glance at Hunter. “I can’t watch her suffer like this.”

Talia could hear the droning of voices, but she was centered on Drew, and she couldn’t make sense of what anybody was saying. “Help him. Please,” she begged, her only thought to save Drew from his agonizing mental torture.
Why couldn’t any of them help him?

“What can we do?” Zach queried in a disturbed voice.

“What about Drew? Is there anything Irish can do?” Hunter questioned roughly.

“Drew doesn’t have any power. He’s imprisoned. You should know better than anyone what it’s like. But I have no doubt he knows what’s happening to Talia. She’s psychic and they have a connection that’s working even without his magic because they’re mates and she’s an empath. She blocks it herself most of the time, but Drew’s pain reached her, even from a distance, and she opened the pathways because she knew he was in trouble,” Kristoff answered abruptly.

Talia? Don’t fret, mo mhuirnín. I’m fine.

Talia could hear Drew’s voice in her mind, and he was far from being okay. Talia felt his desperation and despair, even though he was trying to mask it and make light of it—unsuccessfully. “You’re suffering,” Talia whimpered, her body shuddering.

“Are they actually communicating? And where is Drew?” Kat asked frantically, her voice panicked as she looked at Kristoff questioningly.

“He’s serving Hunter’s sentence,” Zach answered angrily. “I knew I should have insisted. Dammit! You wouldn’t have been able to feel what I was feeling because I wouldn’t have had my magic. And when I do, I can block it.”

Kat shot Zach a warning look that said they would discuss his comment later. “How long?” she asked curtly.

“Drew’s imprisoned until dawn,” Kristoff replied grimly.

“Can you put her somewhere more comfortable? I’ll stay with her.” Kat’s voice was resigned.

“I’ll stay with her,” Hunter interjected. “Better yet, I’m going back and taking his place.”

“You…” Kristoff said sharply. “You will leave. Once I give the order for a Sentinel to take a punishment for another, it can’t be undone. Go and think about whether or not your selfish actions were worth causing your brother and an innocent pain, a human who we’re duty-bound to protect. I’ll deal with you later, when I’m able to be a little more rational. For now, your powers are bound.” Kristoff’s blue eyes glowed as he glared in Hunter’s direction…and Hunter disappeared almost instantaneously.

“We’ll stay with her, Kristoff,” Zach told his king solemnly.

Talia felt Drew’s mind drifting away from her, and the separation was more excruciating than his pain. She didn’t want him to leave her. If he was going to hurt, she’d rather bear the suffering with him than be separated from him. “No,” she cried out. “Don’t go!”

Leave me, Talia. I’ll be home soon.

Talia didn’t want to leave Drew. She needed to be with him.

“What are you doing?” Kat asked in a hushed voice.

Kristoff extended his palm, centering it on the top of Talia’s scalp. “Mind suspension,” he answered absently, his concentration on Talia. “I need to separate her from Drew. She’ll stay suspended until he returns.”

Talia tried to claw at her face, the distance growing between her and Drew making her frantic. She tried to project her mind out to reach him, but suddenly, there was nothing. And then, she had no more thoughts, no more pain, as she was sucked into a void of darkness.

Her body went limp and lifeless.

“Is she still in pain? Can she still feel Drew?” Kat asked as she straightened Talia’s body into a more comfortable position.

“No. She’ll feel nothing until Drew returns. She’ll sleep,” Kristoff said sharply. “I’ll transport her up to her room.”

“You have some scary powers sometimes, Kristoff,” Zach commented, his tone fascinated but relieved. “Kat and I will stay with her.”

“I’ll stay with her,” Kristoff said, his voice letting Zach know he wasn’t relenting.

“I made a vow,” Zach argued.

“As did I.” Kristoff turned his stubborn gaze to Zach.

“We’ll all stay,” Kat interrupted calmly. “We want to, Kristoff. Please.”

Kristoff looked from Zach to Kat before nodding his approval and transporting Talia away to a more comfortable place to rest.

Zach clasped Kat’s hand possessively, pulling her to her feet, and they followed moments later.

Bloody Hell!

Drew stumbled to his feet just as the sun peaked over the horizon, his brain scrambled, his whole body roaring to life as his magic returned to him slowly.

He’d been released from his cell. He was free. And the only thing he needed right now was Talia. He needed to reassure himself that she was okay, feel her softness against him to know that she was well and healthy.

She felt my pain, dammit!

The two of them had been connected last night, and he knew he hadn’t imagined it. What shouldn’t have been possible had really happened. He’d spoken to her, felt her presence, heard her scream, before she’d drifted away from him.

Drew dressed himself as soon as his returning magic allowed him to, questions rolling through his mind.

How had their connection been possible? They hadn’t yet mated, and even then, she shouldn’t have been able to feel his distress unless he allowed it, and
that
would never happen. Drew had no doubt that the light that Talia had already cast into his soul had helped him last night. The beginning had been painful, but he’d focused on the light in his soul that was Talia, and had been able to bear the pain more easily. Yeah. It had still hurt like a bitch, but it had lessened, had gotten easier when he focused on her, on her brilliance that had started to warm his soul.

I’m going to fucking kill Hunter.

For the first time since he’d met his brothers, he was actually feeling murderous toward one of them, furious that Hunter’s actions, as well as his own, had caused his mate pain. He didn’t give a flying fuck about his own suffering, but he wanted to tear his brother apart for making Talia hurt in
any
way.

Drew swayed for a moment, his equilibrium still off, his eyes burning like liquid flame.

I can’t feel Talia. I can’t feel anything from her, even with my magic coming back.

Drew paced impatiently in the courtyard, fists clenched, ignoring the penalty Sentinels who were starting to stir around the area. His power needed to settle so he could transport, and he was agitated that it was taking too damn long. It was surging, returning quickly, but it seemed like an eternity to Drew when all he wanted, all he needed, was to get to Talia.

Finally!

He felt the electric current flow through his body, and he transported straight to his house.

“Talia!” he bellowed loudly, his booming voice echoing through his enormous home as he stood at his own bedroom.

Kristoff appeared in front of him almost immediately. “She’s fine, Drew.”

“Not good enough. I need to see her for myself. Where is she?” Drew growled, his need for his mate almost feral.

Kristoff slapped a hand on Drew’s shoulder. “Sleeping. She’s well. Zach, Kat, and I watched over her all night. We promised you we would.”

“I heard her scream. I felt her with me,” Drew said, confused. It wasn’t an illusion. He knew it wasn’t.

“She
was
with you for a short time.”

“How is that possible?” Drew shook off Kristoff’s grip and paced the bedroom like an angry lion, wanting nothing more than to see Talia. But he needed to understand what was happening—for her sake. How could he protect her if he didn’t understand what was going on?

“Talia’s an empath. She doesn’t just see otherworldly entities. She experiences their emotions.” Kristoff’s face was grim. “But she blocks it most of the time. Somehow you two connected through her own abilities and not yours.”

“How do you know that?” Drew swung around and shot Kristoff an angry glance.

“I invaded her memories. I didn’t have much choice. I had to know why she could feel you so I could stop her pain.”

Drew shuddered, the thought of anyone other than him having access to his woman’s mind making his possessive instincts roar to life. Rationally, he tried to suppress them. Having Kristoff search Talia’s mind was better than her experiencing his pain. Still, it rankled. Drew had seen some of Talia’s memories, but he’d never focused on that. Shit! “What did you do to her?”

“She’ll be waking shortly. I put her in mind suspension. It’s not much different than magically induced sleep. It blanked her mind so she couldn’t feel your pain. Once she wakes and you’re there and out of pain, the door to her pathway should close automatically.”

“You can do that?” Drew asked, surprised.

“Yes,” Kristoff answered evasively. “Obviously I can.”

Drew dropped the topic, more interested in his woman. “Bring her here to me,” Drew demanded, wanting Talia in his bed. He needed to see her, and he wanted her in his bed when she woke.

Kristoff’s eyes glowed briefly and Talia appeared in the middle of Drew’s bed, clearly still clothed in last night’s jeans and a lightweight sweater. Zach and Kat came running into the room with alarmed expressions, seconds after Talia appeared.

“Leave us,” Drew growled, his patience at an end. He didn’t want anyone else near Talia right now. After an endless night of worrying about whether or not she was okay, he felt nearly feral at the sight of her sleeping in his bed.

Mine!

He fought to control his animalistic reactions, his need to soothe her almost as strong as his need to fuck her. Actually, the two needs were so entwined it was hard to tell which one he wanted more. His demon instincts had been leashed for too long, and they wouldn’t be denied much longer. He wanted his mate, and there was very little that was going to stop him from having her. The connection he’d had with her the night before, the pain she’d suffered because of him, had made him come undone.

He never saw Kristoff, Zach, and Kat leave. The only thing consuming him at that moment was Talia.

She moaned as he stalked toward the bed, her body awakening from her induced sleep. Just that needy little sound stirred up images of her moaning beneath him, calling his name, begging him to fuck her.

Bloody hell!
His self-control was exhausted as he climbed onto the bed.