He came at me full on, and his attack was torrential, like a thousand powerful fists battering my jaw, my gut, my ribs, my kidneys, everything at once. My ears rang, my mouth full of blood, the blows coming so fast my bones hadn’t even had time to crack yet.
They would, though. That much was certain.
A human would’ve died five times over, but I was still on my feet, my body desperately trying to heal itself. I was still swinging, still clawing and scratching, still hoping for that miracle, even as the adrenaline started to fade.
“Done yet, hellspawn?” he taunted, landing another solid punch to the gut.
I gritted my teeth against a wave of excruciating pain, my entire body throbbing, bruising, bleeding, everything at once. My vision swam.
Blackness crept in around the edges, whispering promises of sweet relief as Darius continued to unleash his fury. But I couldn’t give in, couldn’t slide into the bliss of unconsciousness. Not like this.
As fucked up as this was, I hurt for him almost as much as I hurt for myself. There was a chance, however minute, that he would remember me. Maybe not today or tomorrow, maybe not in a year, but one day might come when his memories rushed back like a river breaking down the dam. He’d remember our friendship. And then he’d remember this moment.
And it would eat through his bones like acid. All the gut-punches in the world wouldn’t come close to the pain he’d feel on that day.
I wanted to spare him. To save him, even if I couldn’t save myself. Even if I couldn’t save Gray.
“Darius Beaumont,” I panted, holding up my hands for a momentary cease-fire. “That’s your name. Listen to me. You’re the most powerful vampire on the west coast. You were born in London, many years ago. You own a club in the Bay called Black Ruby. Gray is… You’re bonded to her, Darius.”
He stopped the violence long enough to hear my words, but none of them seemed to be sinking in.
“You’ve suffered memory loss,” I continued, spitting out blood. It was a struggle to stay on my feet, but I had to keep talking. Had to keep trying to get through his thick skull. “The three of us just returned from the Shadowrealm. We were trying to get Gray back to her own magical realm, but we were attacked by memory eaters and had to jump into the hell portal. Now her soul’s trapped in hell, and we’re here trying to kill each other.”
“Hmm. Charming story,” he said, his tone now light and teasing. “But how will it end, I wonder? The suspense is nearly killing me. Perhaps it will kill you, too.”
“The ending hasn’t been written yet.” I took a deep breath to regroup, hoping we still had a shot at a good one. Hell, I’d settle for one where we all walked out of here alive. Broken bones and bloody knuckles would heal. Gray’s soul was trapped in hell, but it still existed, which meant we might be able to get it back. And Darius’s memories? I wasn’t ready to give up on them yet, either. Somewhere, maybe they existed. In this realm or another.
Shitty as things had gotten, we hadn’t yet crossed the point of no return—not with any of it. There was still a glimmer of light. Of hope.
“Darius, listen to me. We can still—”
“Sorry, demon. I’m afraid your part in this tale has come to its inevitable end.” He grinned again, his eyes sparking with fresh desire as they roamed over Gray’s body. “It’s time for my midnight snack.”
“Not a chance, brother.” I wound up for another hit—anything to stall him from his end game of feeding on her—but stopped short at the strange look on his face.
Brother, the word that’d barely registered with him earlier, seemed to snag on a memory. His gaze went far away for a beat, then came back, and he cocked his head at me and narrowed his eyes. The whole thing happened in the span of two heartbeats, but I swear I saw the flicker of recognition pushing out from the depths of rage.
“Beaumont?” I called, unable to keep the hope from my voice. “Darius? Do you—”
His hand shot out and grabbed my throat, instantly choking off the words right along with my air supply. He hauled me up, my feet dangling a foot off the ground as his mouth twisted into another sick grin.
Then it went slack.
I thought he had another memory, a flash of something. But Darius gasped in pain, his eyes wide with shock. He dropped to his knees with a grunt.
Finally freed from his impossibly strong grip, I squared off with a new assailant.
I took in the sight of her, my mouth dropping open. With her short stature, wrinkled skin, and head of close-cropped white hair, she looked like she should be sitting in a rocking chair knitting blankets, not taking out vampires outside the hell portal.
Yet there she was, still gripping the hawthorn stake she’d jammed between his shoulder blades. She shoved it in a little harder now, her mouth pressed into a grim line as Darius’s head slumped forward.
Certain the vampire had been immobilized, she stepped back from him and brushed her hands together, finally meeting my eyes.
Recognition twisted my gut. My heart fucking stopped.
It washer.
Two
