Instead, Vargas tracked the black bloodfalling from the injured creatures as they ran through the woods.Blood I never would have noticed or even seen with the smallflashlight he held clasped between his teeth as he moved. The sunbroke over the horizon as we stumbled across a road with largesplatters of blood leading to the right.
The weight of the katana bouncing against myback was reassuring as we followed the trail. My hands brushed overthe guns at my side, but they would be my back-up weapons. As weran, I kept myself attuned to the pulse of life around me. Somehow,I’d managed to pull power from the earth while inside the truck. Idon’t know if it was because I was panicked or furious, but therewas no denying my power was growing, and I’d crisp fry every demonwho stood in the way of getting our friends back.
My legs and lungs burned but even though itwas different here, the earth beneath my feet revitalized me. Aftera mile, Vargas gestured for the two of us to go back into thewoods. Slipping behind some boulders, he pulled off his pack andhanded me a bottle of water. I almost wrenched the cap off to gulpdown the warm water. When I was done, I poured some into my handsand scrubbed at the dust from the road sticking to my face andeyelashes.
It was so tempting to lean against theboulders and sit for a minute, but there was no time for rest, notnow. I could almost feel Kobal breathing down my neck. He wouldhave noticed I was gone by now. He was faster than us, and he wouldbeinfuriated.
I took another swig of water and capped it.“I don’t think it will be much farther,” Vargas said.
“Why not?” I inquired.
“They probably hunt close to where theylive.”
I glanced at the road again. “Let’s go.”
We broke away from the boulders and ran upthe small hill to the dirt road. My feet thudded against the dirtas we ran. Dust kicked up around us, coating my clothes and hairand sticking to the sweat trickling down my face, but I didn’t dareslow down.
Not until we reached the edge of thedarkness.
Vargas and I stopped abruptly at the edge ofthe black circle created by the branches and vines growing up tocreate a canopy around the massive structure before us. The vinespressed against the sides of the building, making it impossible tomove around to the back of it. There was only one way to get insidethis place.
Looking more closely at the tangled branchesand vines, I realized it wasn’t akalia vine mixed in witheverything. These vines were thick and black with thorns the lengthof my fingers growing from them. I never would have been able toclose my hand all the way around one, if I dared to touch it.
My head tilted back to take in the structurein the center of the vines. Holes and cracks marred the grayingboards; they were all crooked in one way or another and some werenailed haphazardly to the building. Maroon streaks smeared at leasthalf of them.
Is that blood?
Tearing my attention away from the boards andthe disconcerting possibility, I strained to see past the gauzy redmaterial covering all of the windows. The candlelight dancingbehind the material was the only source of illumination within thethick shadows surrounding the building.
Bordello.Ididn’t know where I’d ever heard the word before, but it fit thisplace perfectly.Bordello of thedamned.
I rested my hand on the guns strapped to mywaist. Beneath my feet, I felt the sluggish pulse of life. I had tokeep focused on that life; it was our best option for making it outof this place alive.
This is a badidea!I didn’t know if death waited for us in there orsomething far worse, but it was too late to turn back now; we werehere. I had an irate demon closing in on me and Hawk and Erin wereinside this place.
“They’re going to know we’re coming,” Vargassaid.
“Maybe this doesn’t have to be a fight.” Myvoice sounded nowhere near as casual as I’d intended.
“I’ll go alone,” Vargas volunteered.
“No one is going in there alone.”
His chocolate eyes surveyed me as he seemedto be debating what to say next. “Keeping you safe is themission.”
I was unable to stop myself from wincing.This whole being referred to as the mission thing was reallystarting to grate on my nerves. “Don’t. I’m not a mission. I’m me,and I’m going in there.”
I sounded far braver than I felt as sweattrickled down my back and my hands trembled. I hadn’t come this farto back down now.
“I doubt you would listen anyway,” Vargassaid.
“I wouldn’t,” I confirmed.
A smile tugged at the corners of his fullmouth before he focused on the building before us again. Taking adeep breath, I turned my attention back to the monstrosity oncemore and stepped forward. I could feel the cool hand of deathcreeping over my flesh to encircle my neck when we left the warmthof the sun behind for the shade of the vines. I held my breath as Iwaited for the vines to come alive and attack us, but they remainedwhere they were as I took another step.
I decided as we approached the sagging porchthat Kobal had every right to kill me when he caught up to us. Ihad no doubt he would find me; I only hoped we were free of thisplace with our friends in tow when it happened.
We were almost to the porch when theshimmering image of Angela materialized at the top of the stairs. Ididn’t need her incessantly pointing behind us and bouncing on theballs of her feet to tell me the best idea would be to turn aroundand go back, but I climbed onto the first step and continuedonward. Her arms started to wave as she pointed behind us again;her mouth opened and closed in words I couldn’t hear.
