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Azaiel stepped in front of her, his large body blocking the light, and she was struck at the massive expanse of his shoulders. At the larger-than-life air about him. At the fierceness that clung to his frame and the power that resided there.
And she was grateful he was there.
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“Azaiel.” Her whisper sounded on the air, a slight murmur, and at first she thought he hadn’t heard her. She was fine with that. What the hell was she going to say to him? Rowan’s chest tightened, her heart was pumping blood like she’d run a freaking marathon, and when he turned slowly, when his golden eyes glittered down at her, she felt as if time were suspended.
The space between them widened and lengthened, stretching out until her every cell thrummed with energy—his energy. Her dry lips parted, her tongue moistened, and his eyes darkened, the gold gone as the blackness swept over.
She wanted to run into his arms, bury her head against his chest. Feed from his strength and pain. She wanted to crawl inside him, experience his soul, taste his darkness, and touch his flesh.
She wanted him to say everything was going to be all right. That her mother would forget the past and welcome her with open arms. That she’d be able to forgive herself. That Kellen would see she’d had no choice. That Mallick would be defeated. That no one else she loved would die. That she’d grow old and have babies and grandbabies.
Rowan wanted everything from him in that moment, and the intensity of those emotions left her breathless. She couldn’t speak. Could barely breathe. How could she?
“I know.” His voice was like a rough whiskey-soaked kiss.
She exhaled a long, shuddering breath. “Thank you.”
He nodded as if they were having an everyday conversation, and she followed him toward the light.
They paused at the entrance to what seemed to be a large chamber, and Rowan held her dagger in her left hand, while in her right she grasped her Glock. She nodded to Azaiel, and they both entered quietly.
The chamber wasn’t overly large, and the light source was nowhere to be found. It glowed as if the very rock that it had been carved out of was charmed with the sun. The effect was eerie, a translucent wash of illumination that bred shadow and light.
Two glass-encased cells were built into the rock—one on each side—but they were empty. The one to Rowan’s left had a small cot, a table and chair and a row of books stacked neatly on a shelf above the bed. The blankets were rumpled as if there’d been someone there recently, but other than that, there was no sign of life. No color. No pictures or anything personal.
The cell to her right was as empty as the other, but the glass had been shattered. Something had escaped. The question being . . . was it her mother or something else entirely?
Ahead were two passageways, and both were in darkness. Above them runes were carved into the stone, but the scripture was ancient, and Rowan wasn’t familiar with it.
“Nico and Hannah have taken the right,” Azaiel said. “We’ll take the left.”
He stood aside, and Rowan passed through the entrance, her skin shuddering as she did so. There was a ward in place—some sort of spell—but it had already been breached and was weak.
Again she held her hand aloft, the light from the ends of her fingers throwing beams of light ahead. From what she could see it was very similar to the passage they’d just traveled except the elevation was dropping as if they were going deeper into the earth.
What if this was a trap?
Unease rolled in her gut, cold fingers of it that made her stomach roil. She broke into a sweat and found that she was holding her breath, ears straining as she listened for any clue as to what lay ahead. She was wound so tight her jaw ached with tension, and the beginnings of a headache pinched behind her eyes.
“Not much farther. I sense a presence ahead,” Azaiel said quietly.
Rowan paused and nodded. “I feel it, too. We need to hurry.” She broke into a run, Azaiel close behind. She was glad he was there with her and not just because he was a big, strapping warrior, but because . . . she just didn’t feel so damn alone.
They would do this. They would get the job done.
The tunnel veered to the left before straightening once more. The glow of a light shot weird shadow caricatures along the walls, and Rowan extinguished her own charm, plunging the immediate area into darkness.
She knew Azaiel was at her side, but for a moment it felt as if nothing were there. She was disoriented—it was so black she couldn’t see her own hand in front of her face. Her stomach rolled, and she felt as if she were spinning in place. The sensation passed just as quick, and they moved toward the light—which grew brighter the closer they got. She and Azaiel were at least twenty feet away when she heard voices—one a female’s. Her mother?
Rowan’s heart quickened, and she ran, not caring about the darkness or the uneven terrain, or the unknown—and nearly landed on her ass. Would have landed on her ass if not for the strong arm that grabbed her.
Azaiel righted her, his whisper harsh against her ear. “Are you crazy? Caution is a must.”
She yanked her arm from his grasp and whispered harshly, “I’m fine.” Then she stood back and barely caught her breath when a blinding light erupted from the blackness, a piercing strobe that had her wincing and shielding her face.
When the intensity subsided, Rowan blinked rapidly and widened her stance. She still couldn’t see shit—nothing but stars and haze—but she knew someone was there.
