Breaking the Nexus (Mythrian Realm) (16 page)

“Sounds…unpleasant.”
 

“That’s one way to put it.”

A tingling sensation spread from the back of his neck down his arms as he passed the couch. Curious, he knelt down, careful to avoid the pool of blood and body fluids. At first glance, nothing was out of the ordinary. He started to rise, placing his hand on one of the cushions for leverage. It was like a jolt of electricity shot up his arm.

“What the hell?” Connor shook his hand, trying to dispel the uncomfortable feeling of pins and needles.

Sha crossed the room, her concern apparent. “What happened?”

“See what’s under that cushion, would you? I think we may have found our knife.”

Brows knitted in confusion, she gingerly lifted the cushion, eyes wide as she took in the glint of light on the silver blade. “Impressive, Detective.”

“Will it be enough to kill the wendigo?”

“I hope so, but there’s one way to find out.”

As she pulled the lethal athame from the couch, Connor checked his phone for messages; Ian should’ve been here by now. Before he had time to do more than turn the display on, a commotion filtered in through the window he’d opened to air out the room. He must be getting jaded since his first thought wasn’t to run down and assess the situation, it was bemusement that something
else
had gone wrong. They couldn’t catch a damn break, could they?

“I’m not sure I even want to know what’s going on outside,” Sha said, voice laden with weariness.

“Glad I’m not the only one with that opinion.”

“Why can’t I follow through with my desire to bury my head in the sand?”

“Because it’s not who we are. Ready to discover the fun, new ways the world’s crumbling now?”

She gave him a begrudging smile. “On the bright side, you haven’t had a dull moment since you met me.”

It was that easy. In a room filled with death and horrors beyond imagining, she could make him see past it and make him want to laugh. He held out his hand to her. “Come on, temptress. Time to go kill things.”

*******

“Is it just me, or are there eyes boring into us from somewhere nearby?” Sha asked as they picked their way down the rickety staircase. Always fun to be a good thirty feet above ground level and have every step sway as if you were on a boat. This building hadn’t seen a repairman in decades if the rotting wood and peeling paint were any indication. It still amazed her the dingy apartment had hidden a solid silver blade, the valuable object ridiculously out of place in comparison to the rest of the surroundings.

“No, I feel it too. Has me on edge.”

You’re too late, Sorceri bitch. You played right into my plan, do you realize that? Thank you for wasting your time in the home of that putrid piece of refuse.

The unexpected whisper rasped across her mind like sandpaper, she stumbled and would have fallen had it not been for Connor’s steadying hand around her upper arm.

“Don’t let him push your buttons,” Connor warned, continuing to lead her down to the first floor.

“I don’t
let
him do anything.”

“Right, you just antagonize a psychopath for shits and giggles?”

Come out and play.
A shrill, tormented shriek rang out as their feet touched the landing.
Can’t you hear how much
fun
we’re having here? Look at them, disgusting little rats scurrying about, begging their God for mercy. They should be begging
me
for mercy.

The twisted bastard was slaughtering innocents on the other side of the door, waves of debilitating pain, terror, and desperation beat at her incessantly. “You can’t expect me to do nothing, Connor. If you want to be with me, accept me for who I am,” she said, unable to meet his gaze for fear of what she’d see. It wasn’t in her nature to sit back and do nothing, not when so many suffered with no way to defend themselves. She’d push him from her mind if she had to, block him from her thoughts so he couldn’t stop her. Gods she hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

“Look at me.” Compelled by the command in his voice, she lifted her eyes, steeling herself to argue her case. Instead, all she saw was a determination matching her own. “Do what you need to do, but stay alive and don’t lock me out. I’ll only try to interfere if it’s to save you or help.”

No sweeter words had ever been spoken. He understood in a way no one else ever had, and it awed her. Moving so fast it made her head spin, he pressed his lips hard against hers for a long moment, before releasing her. “For luck. Let’s end this son of a bitch.”

Still reeling from the kiss, it took a moment to process what he’d said. “Any ideas on how we do that?” Planning wasn’t her strong suit, she preferred diving headfirst and dealing with the consequences later. How hard it must be for her detective to stifle his instinctive drive to stash her somewhere safe. Considering she’d caught his fleeting thought to do just that, she wanted to return the gesture by at least
attempting
to quell her impulsivity.

“We need to figure out a way to get Nightmare close enough to stab in the heart with this, right?” Connor held the knife, testing its weight. “Odd, isn’t it? That he had this when the rest of his place was a dump. This couldn’t have been cheap, and my intuition says it’s pure silver.”

That niggling little detail had been plaguing her since they’d left the macabre scene. “Let me see it again,” she said, wanting to examine it more closely.

The hilt was intricately carved with grotesque, misshapen bodies, faces contorted in silent screams. Etchings gave the impression of fire pits in the background, twisted hands reaching up from the flames. A depiction of hell. Oh, gods.

“Mother Night, this wasn’t Corvelli’s.”

Maniacal laughter filled the entryway.
Stupid mixed blood whore, did you really think it would be that easy? That you’d just
happen
to find the one weapon you needed to destroy me? Did you also think I’d let you walk up and stab me in the heart? Where’s the challenge in that?

Furious with herself for not realizing it sooner, Sha growled low in her throat, tempted to punch the wall a few times.

“Don’t, temptress. It’ll only hurt your hand and give him the satisfaction of riling you.”

Under normal circumstances, the endearment would have soothed her. Normal circumstances had gone out the window the instant the Nexus ruptured, spewing her into the Human Realm with no warning whatsoever. “He played us. How in the Seven Hells can you be so damn calm about it? Evil Bastard’s two steps ahead of us and we’re being led around like dogs on a leash,” she said, words as bitter as the bile that had risen.

“Look at me.” She didn’t want to obey the demand, wasn’t ready to meet his eyes yet. This was supposed to be her forte and she kept messing everything up. “Stubborn temptress,
look at me
.” Reaching around the back of her head, he grasped her hair, gently pulling so she had no choice but to comply.

His eyes were anything but calm. Whereas they’d always had a subtle shifting movement, now the irises swirled and gathered like storm clouds, the color close to charcoal and filled with danger. Realization dawned. Metallum Sorceri were renowned for their control, their ability to portray an air of utter placidity when inside, they seethed with rage. “Push your emotion aside for a minute and
think
. He has the advantage, yes. But all that means is we’ll seize it from him, turn his own arrogance against him.”

A deep, shuddering breath helped her push aside the anger. Aquarums tended to be tranquil, but her personality more often than not resembled the Infernum temper. “I hate that you’re right.”

“The curse of being a man…ooomph.”
 

Sha smiled innocently despite the glare he shot her. Not her fault his foot had been in the way of her heel.

“Brat,” he accused, lips quirking.

“You deserved it. And thanks.”

“Anytime. I’m—”

Stalling, are you? Or maybe you’re too afraid of what awaits you outside. Sniveling cowards.

“Ignore him, focus. Why would he hand us the means to his destruction?”

Why, indeed? “Doubtful there’s poison because I’d assume one of us would’ve started displaying symptoms. Perhaps he enchanted the blade with something.” Closing her eyes, she reached out with her magic, probing the athame. Or tried to.

“That son of a bitch godsforsaken bastard. He’s put a binding spell over this that renders any magic attempted by the wielder useless. You’ve never dealt with a wendigo before, so sending you in would be tantamount to a suicide mission, and I’m severely limited in what I can do.”

“You’re missing one glaring fact, temptress.”

How he could sound so calm, she couldn’t figure out. There was no time to hunt another silver blade; as soon as they set one foot outside that door, Evil Bastard was going to strike. “Enlighten me,” she bit out.

“You’ve said yourself, I seem to augment your abilities, able to lend you strength. What if it works in the reverse?”

Gods she loved his mind. “It could work. I could provide enough distraction that you might be able to flank him. When you get close, I should be able to shield you from magical attacks long enough for you to deliver the death blow. It’s dangerous and it’d mean you’d have to allow me to enter your mind with no reservations.”

Connor shrugged. “We’re dead if we do nothing, so danger’s a moot point. As for letting you into my head, you’ve made it into my heart, what’s one more organ?”

Warmth exploded through her. It was too soon, illogical to think she could be in love with him, but when had anyone accused her of being logical? “This could still be suicide for us both,” she felt compelled to caution him.

Again, he shrugged. “At least we’d die trying.”

“Then I guess there’s only one thing left to do.” Closing the distance between them she locked her hands behind his neck, claimed his mouth with hers, tongue sweeping over his in strong strokes. It didn’t matter that a few yards away, a mad man waited to slaughter them in cold blood. In this moment, nothing else existed.

Drowning in his scent, in the feel of his arms around her, she pushed against his natural mental shields. They gave way instantly, as if they were no more than a gossamer web. Deep within her, a bond locked into place, emotion pouring across the link and running in both directions. Few people ever experienced the wonder of this kind of joining, because few trusted another so completely.
Fools have no clue what they’re missing.

An eternity later, they came up for air, breathing ragged. “Wow,” he murmured, forehead pressed against hers. “Is this permanent?”

Sha nodded, wondering if he’d regret the decision. “You’re stuck with me now.”

“Good. And no, I don’t regret it for a second.” A gentle kiss on each of her cheeks emphasized his words. “Ready to kick some ass?”

Adrenaline and anticipation coursed through her veins, the thrill of the coming battle giving her a boost of energy. Or maybe it was their bond. Time enough to discover that later.

After they destroyed Nightmare.

“Anything I should know about the wendigo before we meet him?” Connor’s heart was pounding, his palms damp at the unknown that awaited them on the other side of the door. Every primitive instinct screamed that they should run, should do anything but open the door. Screw the primitive instincts. If he’d wanted safe and secure, he’d never have joined the police force. Denver may not be as hazardous as New York or Los Angeles, but it wasn’t always a walk in the park.

He struggled to tune out the cacophony of blaring car alarms, panicked cries, explosions, and a number of noises he thought it best not to dwell on. Rushing headlong into the mayhem wasn’t going to help the innocents under siege.

“Wendigos are notorious for being near impossible to kill. They’re cannibalistic spirits who can take the flesh of their victims. Some call them Skin Walkers. Evil Bastard would have some power, otherwise how else has he been communicating with me, but most of it would be derived from blood rituals. They thrive on agony, fear, and tormenting their victims. A single kill never satisfies them; they’re gluttonous, always demanding fresh victims and never content.”

“That sounds…unpleasant. Will it look like Corvelli?” Though it wouldn’t do them much good, Connor checked his weapon and extra clips. Maybe it’d be useful for a distraction.

“No. Evil Bastard skinned him so he could walk this earth in a physical form, but he’ll look barely humanoid.”

Her words conjured visions of depictions of demons he’d seen as a child. Perhaps he’d live up to the name Nightmare in appearance, but the apocalyptic future he’d prophesied would
not
come to pass.
 

“Anything else? From the sounds of it, we’d better get out there soon. I don’t think he’s very pleased with us loitering in here.”

“Evil Bastard can go to the bowels of the Seven Hells for all I care. And yes, there is one other thing. Don’t let him strike out at you. Given the opportunity to rip into you with his claws, he’ll tear you to pieces, flay your flesh from your bones in seconds, and cannibalize you. It’ll make the banshee seem like a midday stroll in comparison,” she said, mouth set in a grim line.

Every few seconds her skin would flare, faint blue and green runes appearing only to fade away moments later. “What’re you doing?”

“Protection wards. Almost finished with mine then I’ll do yours. I guarantee you, he brought company. Assuming he’s bent on unleashing Ferren unto the world, he’d need an army to help weaken the Nexus. It could stand against intense, focused attacks on the Mythrian side. I have my doubts the same would be true from this side. Hold still and don’t be alarmed when you start glowing.”

Fascinated, he watched the runes materialize on his arms, bathing him in a faint, tingling sensation. Flowing like water down his body, the tingling continued until it dissipated at his feet. “What will those do?”

“If you’re attacked with magic, it should buy you enough time to run like hell. The wards won’t provide much resistance against the Wendigo’s talons, so watch yourself.”