Two for Tamara (13 page)

Yeah, just what they needed. Another couple getting hooked up, when all their focus needed to be on Tamara.

Jaklyn shrugged, but she didn’t move away from the two men crowding her space. “As I said, I know you guys can transport, or blink, or whatever the hell you want to call it. So how does it work?”

Rafe opened his mouth to refute the claim then realized she already knew the truth. They could always wipe her memories. He wondered why Colt or Gray hadn’t already.

“Why haven’t you taken care of her memories?”
He linked with both men.

“She’s completely resistant to it. We tried, believe me, we tried.”
Colt didn’t sound angry, more amused and proud.

“So what do you think?”
Vin piped in. There were no secrets between him and Rafe.

“I think you all should stop speaking about me. It’s rude.”
Jaklyn crossed her arms over her chest.

Rafe flinched and dropped the need for secrecy. “How the fuck did you do that?”

“I can’t read your minds, or hear what you’re saying. But I could tell you were talking, so I projected my words into all your heads. Easy.” Jaklyn shrugged.

“What do you propose us to do? I’m up for anything at this moment.” Rafe sat down.

“I can see where Tamara is being held. Through my eyes could we all, you know blink…there?”

“No,” Coltrain yelled.

“What the fuck, Colt. It’s the only way for us to get Tamara back.” Vin jumped up from his chair.

At Grayson and Colt’s disbelieving look, Rafe stood too. “Look. You can flash her back to safety after she gets us to Tamara, Colt. We would never ask this of anyone, let alone a human. But she’s our only hope.”

Jaklyn slapped at the restraining hands. “Listen, you two. This is not your decision. I am not asking for your permission. This is my destiny. I feel it here.” She placed her small hand above her heart. Rafe’s admiration for her grew in leaps and bounds.

Max and Malcolm had been content to listen, but Rafe knew that time had come to an end. “I agree with all of you. If Jaklyn were my woman, I’d send her off to the farthest reaches where no harm could touch her. Which is what we did with Selena, but I also understand where you two are coming from. If it was Selena who was being held in the depths of Hell, I’d do anything to save her. Which we’ve done. That’s our jobs. What we’ve always done as Ravens. Gray, Colt, is Jaklyn your Fated?”

Colt grunted.

Gray shook his head.

“Then you are being protective because she is human and that is how we are made. I commend you. However, Tamara is bonded to Rafe and Vin.”

All eyes turned to Rafe and Vin. Rafe wanted to make the announcement with Tamara by their side, not in the middle of a war zone.

“That should give us an advantage. Hopefully Cronus is unaware. Rafe, what are her new strengths?”

Rafe sucked in air. “Fuck. We never had a chance to find out.”

Max, always the leader, held up a hand. “Calm down. We didn’t have a chance to show Selena either. Let’s just gather as many Ravens as we can. I’m pretty sure Cronus is going to have Hades backing him this time since he’s on his home turf. You know what that means right?”

“Fucking demons!” Malcolm spat.

“Which is why we don’t want Jaklyn there.” Colt put his hand on the pale arm of the small woman.

She turned green eyes up to the two men. Rafe was eternally grateful he wasn’t in their shoes. “I will be fine. Once one of you blink me there, then you can blink me back to Link and Abe.”

“Who’s Link and Abe? And do you know if you put their names together you get Abelink, almost like Abe Lincoln? Ouch. Fuck! Quit hitting me or I’m telling Selena.” Malcolm shot Max a dirty look.

“Don’t say stupid shit.”

Jaklyn burst out in a small giggle. “I think you are really quite cute. And I happen to know for a fact Selena doesn’t like it when you are constantly hitting him with an imaginary hand in the back of the head.”

Rafe was impressed when Jaklyn’s little speech made the head of the Raven’s face pale at the mention of his wife not liking something.

“You’re not going to tell her, are you?” Max pointed his question to Jaklyn, not Malcolm.

Jaklyn raised a red eyebrow. “Be nice to your brother. You don’t want your twins acting like that, do you?”

Both Max and Malcolm shuddered and paled.

Tamara tried to breathe through her mouth. Seriously, when was the last time they’d cleaned, or thought about taking out the trash?

Behind her, she heard the sound of retching. Just what she needed, more wonderful scents to add to the already wonderful smells around her!

“Tsk, tsk. I had hoped the lure of her best friend would’ve drawn my granddaughter. I obviously overestimated your value.”

She wasn’t going to show fear.

“Do you know who I am? I am Cronus.” He strolled into the cell.

Cronus chuckled, the sound grating on her nerves.

Everything around them went silent. Finally, when she couldn’t stand it anymore, she peered at him through her lashes, or what she could see through her swollen lids. The sight that met her eyes made her wish she hadn’t. Selena’s gramps definitely looked nothing like her father Zeus. His skin was a deep red, instead of the golden brown like all the other gods and goddesses, but the scariest had to be the rows of razor-sharp teeth. She wondered if his were like shark’s teeth, and then thought she’d rather not find out. However, the red soulless red eyes that promised pain and torture were a close second.

“Hmph.” Cronus was silent for a moment. “I don’t think you properly understand what this means. It means you are utterly useless to me. Of course, I could fuck you. But you stink of those Ravens still. I’ll give you another day or so in the cell. Maybe by then you won’t smell so revolting.” He backhanded her as he walked away.

Tamara held the whimper inside her swollen lips. She wouldn’t give him the pleasure of knowing he’d hurt her. Tamara’s shoulders sagged, and the chains holding her in the middle of the large room clanged. She remembered how Selena had told her about healing from the inside out, glad when she tried she was able to do the same.

When two large things had erupted from the middle of her living room she’d screamed like a little girl. Her first instinct was to scream, so sue her. Her second instinct had been to run like a bat out of Hell, which it seemed she was actually running from. No matter how fast she was, the two beasts were faster. She didn’t even make three steps before one was in front of her, while the other was holding her from behind. They obviously hadn’t been told not to hurt her, either.

God, she hurt and she was exhausted. Where were Rafe and Vin? How long had it been? She couldn’t be sure, but from the way her stomach hurt from hunger, it had to have been at least twenty-four hours or longer. There was a time she would’ve said it was a good thing for her fat ass, but knowing the reasons behind her starvation, she definitely didn’t think it was good.

What I wouldn’t give for a cheeseburger right now.

“Tamara?”

“Selena?” Tamara looked around at the others being held in the large cell. Many of the creatures, she wasn’t even sure what they were.

“Ssh. Don’t let on I’m talking to you.”

Tamara felt the soothing touch of her best friend wash over her. Her vision was much better than it had been, her muscles no longer jumped and quivered from the immense beating from the two demons.

“
Oh, honey. I’m so sorry,”
Selena cried.

Tamara pulled a shield between them, not wanting Selena to see the brutal way she’d been hit and kicked.

“
Don’t. I’m stronger than that. I’m sorry you are there because of me,”
Selena said.

She wanted to reassure Selena it was fine, that everything would be okay. But that was a fairy tale. She wished this was all just a dream, that she’d wake up and find herself surrounded by her men, not chained in the middle of Hell, surrounded by blood, guts, and everything in between.

“
I’ll be okay.”
It was a lie. They both knew it. “
You need to pull back. Cronus is immensely strong. I don’t want him to be able to track you through me, Lena.”

“He can’t track me here, Tam.”

Tamara leaned her head against the chains that connected her to the ceiling on her right arm.

“
Tamara? Did you hear me?”

“I’m tired, Lena.”

“Well, un-tire your damn lazy ass. The cavalry is on its way.”

“Hey, I’m the momma in this relationship.”

“Then quit being the whiner.”

“I love you, beotch.”

“Right back at’cha. Now focus. You aren’t human anymore. Well, not completely. You’ve bonded with Rafe and Vin right? When they get there, and don’t bother to protest because they will be there, you need to be ready. So, what do you feel different?”

Tamara explained her ability to heal her own wounds, but how she left the outward appearance, just like Selena did.

“
Good. Cronus likes helpless women, the bastard. What else?”

“
I don’t really know. I mean I’m scared to try anything. He’s probably watching.”

She could actually hear Selena tapping her finger against her teeth, or maybe that was wishful thinking.

“
Okay. Try projecting yourself out of the chains holding you. Remember how I’m able to leave my outer body to travel in spirit? Let’s see if you can do that.”

At first, Tamara wasn’t sure if she wanted to try, but the mental push gave her the strength to try. She closed her eyes, focused on Selena’s voice. The spirit path was more of a sense of being rather than a physical one. She let it guide her.

“
Good girl. Now let’s do some recon. Can you see where Cronus is and how hard it’s going to be to get you out of there? I’m assuming he’s got the place warded. You know. You can check in, but you can’t leave.”

“Seriously? This is not ‘Hotel California.’”

Selena sniffed. “
It’s one of the best songs. Ever.”

“Don’t you remember them stabbing with their steely knives and still they couldn’t kill the beast? I so don’t want to think we can’t kill this beast.”

“You may be right. But it’s still one of the best songs. Concentrate and see if you can find out where he is.”

Tamara focused on Cronus’s energy, which was easy since he didn’t think she was strong enough to follow him. What she found was more than she’d bargained for, and it took all her willpower not to give away her presence to the group on the massive bed. Without leaving a trace of her essence, she went back the way she came.

“Ummm. Lena. I think I’ve found Gramps. And, I think I just threw up in my mouth.”

“I’m so glad I can’t look through your eyes.”

Some things can’t be unseen, and this was just one of those things.
Blech
.

“
Your gramps is a total fucking perv. I mean. I can’t even…I think he’ll be busy for a while.”

“I’m going to hate myself for asking but, tell me. What was he doing?”

“What is the correct word…I think it might have been a female, but it definitely wasn’t pretty, or human. And he was being done at the same time. Holy fuck me running, Lena. Gramps is twisted, because the thing doing him wasn’t a man. I mean, I’m all for a little man-on-man action. I find it sexy as fuck. But dayum.”
Tamara shuddered. “
The size of that cock going up Gramps’s ass was huge and spiked. And he was loving it.”

“Stop. I can’t. Oh…I think I’m going to be sick.”

Tamara followed the spiral path back to where her body lay limply in the chains, surprised to see several demon girls sitting around her.

“
Selena, I’ve got company.”

“Who? Are the Ravens already there?”

“No.”

“I’ll stay with you. You can use my powers if needed.”

“I won’t endanger you, Lena.”

“You can’t, not when I have my parents here to strengthen me. Now hush and let us focus.”

Tamara let her consciousness float back into her body. The smallest of the demons poked her, and from the look of her expression it wasn’t the first time.

“Why do you keep poking me?”

The group of demon girls gasped as one.

Interesting
.

“Why does our master hate you?” the one who had just poked Tamara asked.

She tried to shrug her shoulders, and the action made her muscles ache. Blood trickled out of her nose. One of the demons jumped from her sitting position and much to Tamara’s dismay licked the blood.

“Eww.”

“You do not taste right.”

“Then don’t taste me again.”

One of the demon girls got up and went to the one who just licked Tamara’s blood. “What did she taste like?”

“She tasted like yuck.” She shuddered for effect.

Tamara was hoping that would keep the demons from wanting to eat her.

“If you don’t taste good then why does he want to fuck you?” the one Tamara assumed was the leader of the girls asked.

“I think he just said it to scare me.”

“And, are you scared?” The last question came from a scary-looking demon girl from the back of the group. Now this chick creeped Tamara out. The other ones looked like they might be a little friendly, but the hardened beast making her way to the front of the group didn’t look to have any compassion. They all looked human and were really quite pretty, except their red eyes.

“Yeah.”

“I can smell your lie.” Her words sounded more like a snake’s hiss. “Ah, now I smell real fear.”