Goddess in the Middle (27 page)

Remy snorted, shaking his head as he tried to clear it. To hell with that plan. There was no way Remy or Rom were leaving her alone so they could run and save themselves.

But the guy was strong. And he had help on the way.

The only choices were to take the guy down… or get Amity and Perrin into the dream plane. The question was, how did they do that when Cal was out cold and X was injured?

Remy made a split-second decision and recalled his pelt. It left him vulnerable for several seconds but the
Mal
merely watched, making no attempt to attack.

“Who are you and what do you want?” Remy began to close the distance between them. The cool air covered his skin in goose bumps but it wouldn’t slow him down. In fact, it made him more focused.

The
Mal
shook his head. “You don’t need to know who I am. You and your cousin simply need to come with me. If you don’t, I’ll hurt the women and then you’ll come with me. Either way, it works out the same.”

Amity drew in a sharp breath. “Remy, don’t—”

“I won’t hesitate to hurt them,” the guy said. “And they’ll be bleeding when we leave.”

Remy smelled the truth behind his words. He didn’t care if he hurt Amity or Perrin. He had one goal and that was to get Remy and Rom.

“First tell me who you are and why you want me.”

The guy smiled, something vaguely reptilian about it that made Remy’s skin crawl. “Oh, not just you. Good try, though. No, you and your cousin, who I know is lurking behind me, will come with me. I’m sure you’ve figured out why already.”

Yeah, he knew why the
Mal
wanted them. To make them slaves.

Fuck
that.

But did they have a choice? Right now, the guy seemed to be invincible. Remy had flown through the air like he weighed all of twenty pounds.

They needed X to help Amity and Perrin into the dream plane, then he and Rom would take care of this guy before his backup arrived.

“So you work for the
Mal
. But you’re not
Mal
, are you?”

“Again, not something you need to know. You’re stalling, waiting for the other men to wake. If you and Rom come with me without a fight, I’ll allow the women to live.”

Then Remy got an idea. A fucking brilliant idea, if he did think so himself.

He was pretty sure Rom would think it was crazy, but then they didn’t have much choice. And not much time to think of anything else. Remy sent the thought to Rom a split second before he lunged for the guy. At the exact moment, Rom called his pelt and shifted into his wolf directly behind the guy.

And just as Remy had hoped, the guy split his focus and his power.

The stream of power he sent at Rom deflected off the controlled magic of his shift but managed to knock him to the side. Remy wasn’t as lucky. He caught the blow directly in his chest and staggered back several feet into a tree trunk, where he hit his head. Flashing lights appeared in his eyes but he blinked them away as fast as he could.

Not fast enough. The
Mal
, probably sensing he was most vulnerable, ran at him. The guy’s mouth moved, weaving a spell.

Remy knew he didn’t want to be on the receiving end of any spell this guy could come up with. He had a split second to consider strategies before Rom leaped for the guy’s throat.

And X and Amity began to finish what they’d started.

Remy slammed into the guy just as Amity began to chant in ancient Etruscan, the alien-sounding language spilling from her lips as easily as English. Remy only understood every couple of words, but he didn’t have time to concentrate on that. Rom needed his help.

Remy briefly thought about taking one of the swords Perrin was holding—and found himself holding it a second later.

“Holy shit.”

He spared a quick glance at Perrin, who looked as dumbfounded as he felt. Then he forced himself to clear his head and concentrate only on Rom and their ability to protect Amity.

As she continued to chant, Remy lifted the sword and went after the
Mal
.

Rom had his jaws clenched around the guy’s arm but was taking an awful lot of abuse from him. The
Mal
looked like he was about to level another spell.

Remy aimed the point of the sword for the guy’s throat, figuring that was the most vulnerable spot, and it would cut off his ability to chant. Remy really didn’t want to be around when the guy unleashed another spell. And he sure as hell didn’t want Amity near here if the
Mal
pulled it off.

A second before he would’ve skewered the guy, the
Mal
rolled, ripping away from Rom’s sharp teeth. Blood splattered and Remy regrouped to take another stab.

Only, the ground rolled beneath him and he pitched to the side just as Rom leaped for the
Mal
again. And missed because the
Mal
stumbled, as well. Rom tackled Remy instead and Remy had to drop the sword to make sure he didn’t cut Rom as he caught the brunt of the hundred-pounds-plus wolf.

As they scrambled back to their feet, the
Mal
made a run for Amity, who had her gaze trained on the pool of water, which didn’t seem to be affected at all by the shaking earth. In fact, its surface looked as smooth as glass.

Remy felt a surge of red-hot power blast through his body, a power that wasn’t totally his. He sensed a portion of it coming from Rom. And fueling it…

Remy put his hand on Rom’s scruff, felt the same power coursing through his cousin.

And, in a flash of insight, knew exactly what they could do with that power.

***

Amity spoke the last few words of the spell she had wrought with X and watched as the surface of the pool took on the sheen of a mirror.

One great big magic mirror to step through into the dream plane. How was that for straight out of a fairy tale?

Avoiding looking at the fight taking place on the other side of the small pool, she reached behind her.

“Perrin, take my hand and don’t let go.”

“What’s going on?” Perrin asked, but she did as Amity had told her.

The woman sounded frightened but not paralyzed with fear. Good. She’d need that strength in the next few minutes.

“We’re going to use the pond as a conduit into the dream plane. Kind of like
Alice
Through
the
Looking
Glass
.”

“I stopped believing in fairy tales a long time ago.”

“Well, you’re about to cross over into Wonderland.”

Now Amity dared to look across the pond. And what she saw made her gasp.

Remy had one hand on Rom’s scruff. In the other…

Blessed Goddess, in the other he held a glowing red ball of fire.

In the next split second, Remy flung it at the
Mal
.

The fire consumed the younger man and he cried out in pain.

“Amity, go now!” Remy shouted.

“We have to go together. You have to jump.”

“I don’t know if the fire will contain him while we’re gone. Cal isn’t—”

“We’ll be fine,” X said. He’d already gotten to his feet and was hauling a sluggish Cal with a shoulder under his arm. “Go now.”

Amity looked at Perrin then again at Remy and Rom. Then she took a deep breath and waded into the water.

Since she’d never done this before, she hadn’t been sure what to expect.

She only had time to realize the water was no longer water. And the ground had disappeared below their feet.

***

Rom watched Amity step into the pool—

And disappear as if she was wearing cement shoes.

Blind panic hit him like a bomb blast, and he nearly tripped over his paws and Remy to get into the water.

Disorientation hit him hard, nausea and dizziness combined as he fell.

He sailed through darkness, the light cutting off as if a switch had been thrown. And had just enough time to think
Holy
fuck, how the hell far is it to the bottom
, when he hit.

Hard. So hard, he went lights out for several seconds. Which didn’t mean a damn thing because, wherever he was, it was completely dark.

Get
up.

He had to get up. He had to find Amity. Had to make sure she was okay. Had to trust that when Remy followed, he’d find them, as well.

Pushing himself to his paws, he did a complete body shake, making sure nothing had broken.

A few aches and pains. Maybe a few more pains than aches, but he could stand. And if he could stand, he could walk.

Taking a deep breath, he let his eyes get accustomed to the gloom.

Damn, was it always like this? Had they really made it to the dream plane? Amity would know. He had to find her.

He turned in a slow circle.

For as far as he could see, there was nothing but open space. The ground beneath his feet looked like dirt, but he had the sense that it only looked that way because that’s what he expected to see. Which was weird but not as weird as the landscape that started to spring up around him.

Trees, shrubs, brush. A forest, but unlike any he’d ever seen. The trees were misshapen, the trunks bulging in odd places, and the limbs bent in unnatural ways. The bushes were brightly colored and their leaves strangely geometric. And none of them were taller than him.

Very weird.

Don’t panic.

Good advice for unintentional interstellar travelers and
lucani
who found themselves in the dream plane. Now if only he had a towel. And Remy complained that he didn’t have a sense of humor. Of course, it could be the beginning stages of hysteria.

Where the hell were Amity and Perrin?

A flash of light caught his eye and he spotted what looked like a falling star. Shining bright as it made its way from up there, which was utter darkness, to down here. Which was gloomy.

Then he caught a faint hint of a scent he recognized.

Remy.

He took off as fast as he dared, the tree limbs pointed and sharp—

Shit
. Remy would be impaled.

The forest disappeared in the blink of an eye and Remy hit the ground with an oddly muffled thud.

Rom reached his cousin’s side in seconds, sticking his muzzle into Remy’s cheek. He chuffed with relief when Remy groaned but sat up rubbing his head with one hand and his naked back with the other.

He must have taken the time to put on pants before he’d jumped into the pool. And grab a sword, which lay next to him on the ground.

“Damn. That’s really gonna hurt in a little while. Right now, it’s slightly less than agonizing. Where’s Amity?”

Rom shook his head as Remy stood, one hand reaching up to rub his nape as he looked around then looked back at Rom.

“We need to find her. Can you pick up her scent?”

Good question. Rom closed his eyes, stuck his muzzle in the air and inhaled.

At first, there was nothing. Hell, he barely smelled Remy. It was as if smells didn’t exist here.

Panic wanted to build but he forced it down. And concentrated. Damn it, where—
There
. Just the faintest hint but it was her. Then he caught another scent and his heart tripped over itself as he began to run, Remy right on his heels.

Blood.

This was her fault. All her fault. Amity never should have agreed to bring Perrin.

When she’d landed, Perrin’s head had taken the brunt of the impact against the marble ruins and now her blood stained the cracked stone she’d fall on.

Amity had no idea why the ruins looked so familiar or even why they were here on the dream plane. She only knew Perrin was injured.

“Heal her.”

The deep male voice startled her and Amity looked up to find Charun standing over them.

She hadn’t seen him in more than a millennium but he hadn’t changed. His sharp features and dark, piercing eyes gave him a deadly air that wasn’t imagined. The God of the Underworld wasn’t known for his mercy.

But the way he was staring at Perrin…

Amity felt something other than simple professional curiosity from him. It rocked her back on her heels for several seconds as she stared up at him. He cared for Perrin, she could sense it.

“Heal her,” Charun repeated. “She’s going to die. You need to fix her now.”

He was absolutely right.

She had to save Perrin, even though her injuries were so severe, Amity might not have any power left for Charun to harvest when she was finished.

She closed her eyes.

“What are you doing?” Charun demanded, his voice a distraction amidst the chaos of her emotions.

“What you told me to do. I’m healing Perrin. Now shut up and let me work. It’s difficult to concentrate with all the pain and agony.”

“Welcome to my world.” Charun’s softly muttered words fractured her concentration. This time, she knew she’d heard something in his tone, felt some emotion she wanted to pause and consider.

Yet she knew she couldn’t. She needed every ounce of her focus to heal Perrin. Two millennia ago, she would have been able to heal a score of people at the same time. Those days were long gone.

Time to read the writing on the wall.

She’d been avoiding it for so long. These last stolen days with Remy and Rom had been wonderful, but now she knew her time was up. She wouldn’t be returning to her men. But neither would she allow Charun to consume her power, what little she had left.

Because truly, she’d only been siphoning it from Remy and Rom. Channeling it from them and using it for her own purposes. Which didn’t really make it hers.

Sinking deeper into herself, she split her focus, using her hands to direct the remaining energy in her body into Perrin’s.

The head wound had caused bleeding in the brain and there were additional internal injuries. She’d already lost so much blood.

Amity just kept funneling power.

When she was finished… well, maybe Charun would still welcome her into Aitás even though she’d have nothing left for him. Or herself, for that matter.

***

Remy and Rom ran toward the scent Rom had picked up. Remy prayed they wouldn’t be too late.

He barely noticed when the ground suddenly became littered with ruined marble columns and broken cobblestone roads. He only knew he could sense Amity. She needed them.

It didn’t take long to find her. And when they did, neither of them hesitated to rush toward her, even though Charun stood over her.

Rom leaped at Charun, uncaring that the God of the Underworld could crush him with one hand.

“Stay back.” Charun flung out his hand, and Rom went flying through the air without being touched and landed with a sickening thud.

With a roar that would have made a demon flinch in fear, Remy ran at Charun. He’d kill the bastard god or he’d die trying.

He got close enough to actually land a punch but Charun grabbed him by the throat and shook him, Remy’s feet dangling inches off the ground. “You fool. You’re going to kill them both by diverting her attention.”

He struggled against Charun’s grip, tearing at the strong fingers around his throat. If Charun exerted just a little more pressure, Remy was pretty sure he wouldn’t need to breathe because he’d be dead.

He had to try. Had to get to Amity to shore up her strength. He wanted to tell Charun that he needed to go to her, put his hands on her so she could draw power from him.

“I… can help. Let… me… go.”

His throat burned with every word as he clawed at Charun’s fingers.

When he finally fell to the ground, he knew it was only because the god had allowed him to fall.

“Then do it.”

Remy was already scrambling toward Amity. Sitting behind her, he bracketed her between his knees and gently wrapped his arms around her waist. He didn’t want to break her intense concentration, but she needed to know he was there. Bending his head, he pressed his lips to her neck and forced his energy into her.

He’d never tried to do this with anyone other than Rom and only when they were working spells. This was totally different, but it was the only way he could think of to get her to accept his help.

He immediately felt his energy flow out of him and into her. His head began to pound, the throbbing in his temples and between his eyes made him light-headed, and his stomach churned.

The sound of a scuffle caught his attention but he disconnected from everything but Amity. She needed him. And he wouldn’t fail her.

***

Rom knew he had several broken bones, probably a concussion and other internal injuries.

If he shifted, the broken bones would heal themselves, as would most of the internal injuries. If they weren’t too severe. If they were… he could do serious damage if he shifted. But he had to risk it.

Someone had followed them through.

He knew Remy was helping Amity, giving her his energy, practically forcing her to take it.

That left him to deal with the
Mal
.

Returning to his skin was always easier than calling his pelt. His body knew its natural state. This time, though, it hurt like hell.

He made no sound as he shifted. Nothing felt out of place, but he looked down at himself just to make sure. Still looked okay.

But now he needed a pair of pants. He’d fight naked but he’d feel a hell of a lot better if he didn’t have to. Leather would be—

Leather pants molded to his skin. His favorite pair. He blinked down at them for several seconds then decided he really didn’t need to think about it. Not when he had a
Mal
to kill.

He gave Charun a wide berth as he walked over to pick up the sword Remy had dropped. He felt the pull on his strength as Remy supported Amity while Amity healed Perrin.

And hoped his remaining strength would be enough to protect them. It would have to be. He spared a final glance at Charun, who paid no attention to him. Then he planted himself at Remy’s back and prepared to fight. He didn’t have to wait long.

The
Mal
stepped out of the gloom, his eyes wide, a crazed look in them.

“You can’t escape now, Romulus. There’s nowhere for you to go.”

“Then I guess I’ll just have to kill you. Because we’re not going anywhere with you.”

“You will. See, Charun made a deal with my boss. He gets Munthukh. We get you and your cousin. When Charun takes the goddess, he’ll hand me both of you on a silver platter.”

“Not if you’re dead.”

Rom attacked without warning, hoping to catch the
Mal
off guard as he swung the sword straight at the other man’s ribs.

In a flash, the
Mal
held his own sword, deflecting Rom’s blow but stumbling back. Rom pressed his advantage, fear for Amity and Remy and furious anger at the entire situation fueled his strength.

But the
Mal
had wiry strength and a fanatic’s zeal. He twisted and turned, deflecting every one of Rom’s attempts to incapacitate him. Rom tried to draw him away from Amity and the others, tried to trip him up.

But the guy just wouldn’t go down. Rom was beginning to feel the strain on his abused body, still not completely healed from the blow he’d taken from Charun.

He took a step back and nearly went down, his ankle twisting painfully.

The
Mal
saw an advantage and took it. He swung the sword at Rom’s head, which he blocked, but wasn’t fast enough to deflect the next jab. The sword skewered his thigh and he groaned in pain.

And saw his opening a second later as the
Mal
thought he had him beat. As the guy drew back to strike again, Rom surprised him by swinging his sword low. Rom cut him across the left knee, hearing the
thunk
as it hit bone, grinning when the guy dropped his own sword to clutch his leg.

Forcing himself to his feet, Rom pressed the point of the sword against the guy’s throat.

“I should kill you now but I want you to deliver a message. Tell your boss he’ll never get Remy or me. Tell him if he comes after us again, we won’t stop to think about killing. We’ll consume him in red flame and leave him to rot for eternity.”

“That will never happen. You have no idea who you’re dealing with. You don’t—”

The words cut off with a gurgle as Charun appeared beside Rom to grab the man’s throat. “They don’t. But I do. And I’ll tell the man myself. Your soul is now mine.”

Charun broke the man’s neck with one powerful flick of his wrist and dropped him to the ground without a second glance.

“You’d better see to Remy and Amity,” Charun said.

Rom turned, his stomach twisting. “
No
.”

Remy and Amity’s still bodies sprawled on the ground beside Perrin’s.

Rom’s heart pounded so hard it hurt, and his stomach threatened to heave its contents.

Not
both
of
them. Blessed Mother Goddess, please. Not both.

He closed the distance between them and dropped to his knees beside them. Charun bent to gather Perrin in his arms then stood, disappearing from Rom’s sight.

Remy was closer and Rom reached for him, but he couldn’t make his hand close the inches between them. He didn’t want to feel Remy’s lifeless body.

Amity’s hair covered her face. He was afraid to brush it away to see the pallor of her skin.

It wasn’t until he felt something drip from his chin that he realized he was crying.

“What the… fuck… Rom.”

Rom’s gaze snapped back to Remy. His eyes were slits of muddy blue but they were open.

“Remy.
Ceffo
, I thought…” He quickly wiped away the tears before he reached for Remy’s shoulders to hold him still. “Don’t move.”

“What happened? Where’s Amity? Perrin?”

“How do you feel?” Rom ignored his cousin’s questions, not ready to deal with anything else right now.

“Like I’m in hell.”

Rom felt tears well again but ruthlessly forced them back. Time enough for that later.

“No, but close enough. We need to get out. Now.”

Rom’s gaze narrowed even more. “Not without Amity.”

“We won’t leave her behind. Do you think you can stand?”

Remy’s eyes widened a little more and his lips parted as if he were going to say something.

Then he turned his head. Rom’s hands curled into fists but he didn’t try to stop him.

With a groan, Remy sat up and reached for her. Unable to stop himself, Rom moved around to her other side and helped Remy lift her.

Her skin was still warm and Rom drew in a sharp breath as he realized she was still breathing.

“We have to get her out of here,” Remy said. “We need to get her home.”

“Then take her.”

Both of them whipped their heads around to Charun, standing behind them with Perrin in his arms. The other woman appeared to be sleeping, but Rom couldn’t tell for sure if she was breathing.

“You and Amity may go,” Charun continued. “Perrin stays.”

Rom knew Amity would fight them tooth and nail not to leave Perrin behind but they didn’t have much of a choice. If she was dead, there was nothing they could do to help her. If she wasn’t… they’d deal with that situation later.

Rom knew Remy was about to fight with the god but Rom stood, grateful his head played nice and he didn’t go lights out again. “We’ll go.”

“Tell Amity… we’ll talk later.”

Not if Rom had anything to do about it. But he didn’t say that aloud.

“Can you get up?” he asked Remy.

He wanted out of here right away. Then he realized he had no idea how to get out. The intensity of his need to escape escalated until his skin crawled.

Remy got to his feet, looking pretty steady as he cradled Amity in his arms. “So how do we get the hell out of here?”

“The same way you came in.”

Charun’s voice sounded all around them and suddenly they were drowning.

***

“I don’t know what else to tell you, guys. Let her rest. If she doesn’t wake by tomorrow morning…”

Sal shook his head and stepped out of the bedroom, closing the door behind him. He never finished his sentence. He didn’t need to.

There was a lot of that going around.

They’d made it out of the dream plane and back to the pond, almost drowning in the process.

Cal and X had been waiting for them, the unconscious bodies of the
Mal
’s guard trussed like pigs on the ground by the side of the pond. When Remy and Rom had surfaced, dragging Amity between them, the brothers had jumped into the pond to drag them out.

They’d had a brief discussion about where to go that consisted of two choices. They chose the safest and headed for the den, where Cole himself met them at the little house, along with Sal and a
lucani
doctor named Dane Dimitriou. He’d done a complete exam and when he sighed and replaced the stethoscope around his neck, Remy had walked away to look out the window.

He didn’t want to hear anyone else tell them they had no idea if she’d ever wake again.

That had been last night.

Ten hours later, Rom looked ready to crack under the strain. That in itself was enough to make Remy want to scream.

His cousin hadn’t said more than two words at a time, probably because his jaw was clenched so tight, he could barely speak.

Rom sat beside the bed they’d shared only two nights ago and stared out the window. He only left the room to use the bathroom. The only food he’d eaten had been because Catene had brought it and stood by him to make sure he finished it.