Page 7 of A Seduction Of Death (Umbra Hunters #4)
SEVEN
Lennox
“ I swear to all the Gods in this cursed realm that I’ll gut you if you don’t chill the fuck out!” I snarl under my breath, my chest heaving with barely controlled anger as I toss Credence a look over my shoulder, which promises a painful death if he doesn't stop twitching.
Creed stops his pacing and shoots me a matching deadly glare that has me raising my brow at his fucking audacity before opening his mouth with what I know will be a smart-ass response.
“You were supposed to protect her, and now our mate is lost on a damn mountain full of fucking Beastia and Therion. Not to mention any Rogue Hunter who might be lingering around,” he growls, his bright green eyes darkening with the rage I feel in my chest, his words only an echo of my own thoughts. “And you want me to ‘chill the fuck out’?! Are you kidding me right now?” I grit my teeth and turn away from my brother, trying not to let his words anger me. If I were him, I would have murdered the person who was responsible for keeping my mate safe. He has every right to be freaking out.
Turning, I grip the handle on my ax, my fur-lined cloak billowing around my feet as I move further up the mountain, heading east. Creed and I checked the North Ridge first, but if Meyer had been there, the storm wiped all traces of her away, leaving us to chase our fucking tails in this ridiculously horrible hunt. I can hear Creed following behind, crouching down and inspecting any disturbance on the ground to check for signs of our girl.
My heart is thundering in my chest, and I feel sweaty and lightheaded as I tighten my grip on my ax. How the fuck did I lose her, and what the hell happened in the rift that managed to separate us all like that? There are too many unanswered questions about the situation, but I can only focus on the fact that my mate is missing and might be hurt or in danger.
I rub at my chest, the mate bond tugging painfully as my magic coils within me like a snake ready to strike. I’m both grateful and frustrated at the mate bond. It’s enough that I know Meyer is alive, yet it's in turmoil, like a dark storm in my very soul. Something is wrong; I know it is, and I’m not there to help. I’m supposed to be there! I’m supposed to help her and keep her safe!
“Fuck!”
I’m slowly losing control of myself, and I fear if I don’t find Meyer soon, my Demon form will take over, shoving rational thought into the background and relying solely on instinct and strength to retrieve my mate. No one would be safe. No Beastia or Therion… Hunter… or my brothers. Whether it was family or not, I would decimate anything in my path to get to Meyer. I’ve managed to hold my control over that side of myself because of the Legion bond I share with my brothers, but that bond is a dim light, a small flicker of fire compared to the raging inferno of the mate bond that now encompasses my soul.
“What is that?” Creed asks, standing up straight as my nostrils flare. The stench of acidic blood and death nearly takes my breath away, making me pause, my head whipping to the right.
“Blood. Beastia or Therion,” I grind out as I sprint in that direction, swinging my weapon over my shoulder to run faster. The closer we get to the trees, the stronger the scent of death becomes. “Go right,” I order Creed as I weave through the first pine tree, then pull up short, my boots skidding in the snow as I stare at the horror scene in front of me.
“What the actual fuck?” Creed rasps, sliding to a stop at my side, eyes blown wide in astonishment as we stand there, taking in the dozen or more Beastia that are strung up in the trees, their cold, lifeless eyes open as black acid drips from their fur, forming puddles of toxic blood on the ground beneath them. I look left and right, finding more Beastia and several Therion hanging from the trees. Most are tied by their hind legs, others torn to shreds; the only thing to help identify them is their skulls that lay next to the pile of blood and flesh.
I take a deep breath and chuckle when I recognize a familiar magic as I scan the disturbingly effective death scene before me. “Looks like Valen already cleared this area,” I murmur, my lips tugging up in a smile at my brother's blatant display of power. The Beastia hate the smell of their own dead. Valen must be butchering every single Beastia he encounters and stringing them up in order to keep the monsters away from our girl until we can find her.
“This was Valen?” Creed asks in shock, pulling his gaze from the gore in front of him. His expression is one of uncertainty as I laugh and nod, beyond pleased with my brother's work. “That's gross. Aw, fuck. Is he all shady and shit again?” Creed asks, running a hand through dark curls as he looks back at the Beastia and wrinkles his nose. For one of the Demonic realm's strongest and fastest warriors, he sure does get squeamish about certain things.
“I hope so. It will help us find Meyer faster.” Creed frowns but nods in agreement.
“Yeah, but he took forever to come out of it the last time. What if he stays that way? Shit, he lost his fucking mind last time, Nox.” I frown, realizing Creed's uncertainty isn't from Valen’s sudden blood-soaked hunt, but because he’s worried about our brother's mental state.
“Meyer will pull him back,” I say confidently.
“Yeah. But…” The distant sound of bells cuts off Creed's words, their echoing call chiming through the air, making my heart damn near lodge itself in my throat. My eyes move to Creed’s as he registers the sound, and as one, we turn, sprinting down the mountain.
“Why are they ringing?” Creed shouts, only a few feet behind me, as we race around the trees and jump over the boulders in our way.
“There is either an attack, or Elaine and Meyer are back. Monroe wouldn't ring it for anything less,” I say as I try to convince myself that the girls are returning and not that the Rogue Hunters are back.
The Umbra Seniorem has been oddly quiet since the last attack, and there was no movement on the castle while we were back home. Thankfully, the Russians were okay with staying at the North American Castle until we knew what would happen next. So if there is an attack, the castle should be fine, staffed with extra Hunters to keep the enemy at bay until I can get there to help protect everyone.
In a matter of minutes, we make it to the overlook of the castle, neither of us wasting time with the long trail down the steep incline. I hold my breath as we jump from the ledge, keeping myself close to the cliffside as I fall, letting gravity quicken my descent. About fifty feet from the ground, I swing my ax, lodging it into the side of the mountain and letting it skip over several boulders until it finally catches on one. I grit my teeth against the painful tug in my arms as my body comes to a screeching halt and look up, seeing Creed about thirty feet above where I stopped. He has two Kalis blades in hand and is already quickly descending the remainder of the cliff.
Yanking my ax free, I fall the short distance into the white powder snow below and take off, not waiting for Creed to catch up. The need to see Meyer and hold her in my arms is now excruciating. I want to bundle her up and take her back home so I can lock her in my room for a week or two in order to ensure her safety.
Time passes slowly as I race toward the gray stone castle. It feels like hours, but must have only been minutes when I finally reach the small trail and sprint past the Hunters who stop and stare as I rush past.
“Lennox?”
I snarl when I hear a voice, casting a glance to my side and only stopping when I see Monroe's bright red hair rushing down the stairs from the wall. “Wait!” he shouts, and I shake my head.
“Where?” I barely get out between panting breaths. I’m not tired; I’m fucking losing control. If I don't get to my mate in the next sixty seconds, I’m going to shift, which will not go over well.
“Damn, man. Are you taller? Shit,” he grumbles, eyeing me as he slows his pace, stopping several feet away from where I’m now shaking in front of him. “Uh, you have horns,” he says so fucking casually that I growl at him. Monroe's eyes widen, and he takes a step back, putting his hands in the air and nodding. “Right. Demoning out right now. Cool. They’re in Ranger Jennings’ room, the one you guys gave him while he was recovering. She’s with Ranger Drakos,” he says, opening his mouth to say more, but I’m already running up the steps, taking them three at a time. “No! Wait Nox! There's more you need to know. Shit!”
I slam my palm against the heavy wooden door of the castle, letting it swing open as I barrel through a group of Hunters, sending a few of them to the ground in my rush.
“Dammit. Umbra Regalis is so sorry about that,” Monroe calls over his shoulder as he runs after me. “Nox! I’m not kidding. You need to give me like… thirty seconds of your time before you storm in there!”
I ignore him, running up the stairs, my eyes scanning the halls for any movement, searching for her despite knowing she’s in the Ranger Barracks. In a matter of seconds, I’m through the small door that leads to the barracks and breaking the door to the cabin structure off its hinges, scaring the shit out of the Hunters lounging on the couches in the warm common room.
“The fuck, Lennox? I’m not replacing that! You need to chill out,” Monroe snaps, running into the barracks after me. “Besides a few bruises and a limp, she looked okay, you overgrown ape!”
“Bruises?” I snarl, whipping in his direction, an odd sort of buzzing sounding in my ears. Monroe grimaces, his big hand tugging at the back of his neck as he eyes me.
“I shouldn’t have said that, huh?” he asks. I don't answer him, leaving him to deal with the mess I caused as I move more urgently than ever. The sounds of screams and something crashing have claws erupting from my fingertips as I slide down the hallway. My eyes lock on Razar, who is pacing outside the door to the room I assigned Jennings after he was injured. He’s shirtless, covered in scrapes and blood, and looks like fucking shit.
Hard, dark eyes snap up to meet mine as I reach him, so lost in thought that he didn't notice my arrival before now, which should have been my first warning of the shit show I was about to jump into.
“Nox, don’t!” Razar hisses under his breath as I shove him out of my way, another scream of pain tearing through the air as I kick the door open and rush into the small room. In seconds, I have the small, blonde girl in my arms, lifting her off her feet and curling myself around her as I snarl at the other occupants in the room.
I feel her tiny body tense, and I twist her in my arms, taking deep, satisfying breaths of her scent, letting it soothe the beast inside me as I lift her up and slam my lips to hers in a brutal kiss. She gasps, her lips parting in shock, and I growl in approval, needing to taste her, to make her mine as my magic twists and twines around us, binding us close and making sure everything else stays far away. The two boys in the room only aggravate my need to claim my mate, to show them she’s mine despite the fact I know they are no actual threat.
Mine. Meyer Smith is fucking mine!
I nip at my mate's lips, needing her to kiss me back with as much need as I am her, thrilling at the slight whimper that slips past her sweet lips.
“Lennox, don't hurt her,” my brother’s words help clear my overwhelming feelings, helping me reign in my attention and ease the pressure on my Little Demon's lips, not wanting to bruise or hurt them. I feel her soften in my hold, kissing me back, turning my heated kiss into something so fucking sweet that all I want to do is lose myself in her arms. I could stay here forever and be happy. After another long moment, Meyer’s hands press against my chest, signaling me to release her lips, which I begrudgingly do, gasping for breath as I pull back just enough to look into those stunning green eyes.
“I… wait, Nox?” Meyer stammers, her voice a balm on my soul, calming my heart at the sweet sound as she gasps, trying to catch her breath. I press my nose to her hair as I eye the two men in the room with her, keeping my magic corded around her tight, practically binding her body to mine.
“Who the fuck else is kissing you like this?” I respond, my voice is husky and deep with my beast form so close to the surface. “Where the fuck have you been, Little Demon?” My lips move to her ear as I keep her pressed to me. My eyes bounce around the destroyed room, moving from the shattered lamps to the broken window and… fuck, is the bed on fire?
Ranger Jennings seems to snap out of whatever shock my sudden appearance brought and rushes to the candle burning a hole in the bedding, grabs a pillow, and smothers the small flame before it can grow any larger. However, my attention stays on the Drakos boy and the raw and truly crippling devastation that courses from him in waves. His pain is so palpable that I wince, my magic recoiling from the boy in self-preservation.
Tears trace down his red and swollen face, his lips trembling with emotion, but his eyes are alight with a fury I’ve only seen in one of my own kind. With another glance around the room, I tense and slowly tug my Little Demon away from the boy, knowing he would never mean her harm but also understanding this rage as one I felt myself a year ago. An anger so deep and dark that you lose yourself to it.
“What happened?” I rasp as I desperately cling to my magic, hating it at this moment. My soul feels heavy and burdened simply by being in Theodore Drakos’ presence, sharing in his pain. The urge to leave the room is strong, but I can't leave knowing the pain he’s in. I hear Razar slip into the room, his steps almost inaudible as he moves to the corner darkened with shadows. Whatever happened, it’s enough that he feels he needs to stand guard over everyone here.
Fuck, this isn’t good.
Shouting from the lower levels of the barracks makes Elaine’s son finally move, bringing a big arm up to wipe at the tears covering his face as he exhales loudly.
“We really could have used a moment,” Ranger Jennings hisses, rounding on me when he gets the small flame on the bed under control. He stalks over to Ranger Drakos and stands protectively in front of him, his hard stare almost a challenge despite the tears lingering in his eyes. Heavy footsteps fall just outside the door, and I grumble as I feel my girl shift in my arms, trying to peer over my shoulder, which is ridiculous, given she’s far too short to accomplish such a feat.
“Lemon Drop?!”
“Creed?”
“Ugh.” The air whooshes from my lungs as Creed barrels into me, his arms snaking between mine and Meyer's bodies as he practically leaps into her arms, crushing her between us while using me as a support to keep all three of us on our feet.
“Shit, babe! I’ve been out of my mind,” Creed croaks out, the fear coming from him mingling with the sorrow and pain in the room, setting my teeth on edge as I stare past Ranger Jennings to Ranger Drakos, who looks only seconds away from collapsing. Meyer must see it too because her relief at seeing us is short-lived as she shoves my and Creed's chests, her eyes zeroing in on her friend.
Growling, I push Creed off, and even though it feels like I’m tearing my fucking heart out, I remove my arms around Meyer and gently push her toward her friend. I can feel Creed tense, and a snarl builds in his throat as he watches me encourage our mate into another male's arms.
“Stop,” I whisper, letting a substantial amount of dominance into my tone to control my brother's territorial urges and need to have our mate in our arms. I know it pains him, but I don't think he’s noticed just how bad off those two boys are. The implication of how truly awful this situation is settles on my shoulders, and my heart plummets. There are only a handful of reasons these boys would feel this way, and with the pain I now feel coming from Meyer, it being masked and overpowered by Theodore’s, I’m fairly confident in my guess of what’s happened. A ball of emotion lodges itself in my throat, and to my dismay, my voice cracks as I meet the vacant eyes of Ranger Drakos.
“Tell me, boy.” He only manages to get out one word, but it’s enough to almost send me to my knees.
“Mom,” he mouths as his two friends wrap him in their arms, attempting to soothe a pain that will never truly go away.
“What?” Creed says, his eyes scanning the room as he finally reigns in his possessive Demon side. “Mom? As in Elaine. What about her… Theo, why are you…” Creed stalls, brows furrowing a bit before his eyes widen, probably piecing everything together since everyone in the room seems too numb to explain. “ No. No, no, no! Where the hell is Elaine?!” Creed roars, his fear and terror filling the room as I simply stand there, unable to process this information.
“She’s dead.”
I whip around at Valen’s sudden appearance, my eyes tracking his every move as he slowly stalks into the room, his gray skin a stark contrast to the color of the room surrounding us. Black hair covers his head, the usual ashy blond color long gone, his Shade form entirely in control. Black eyes gleam with magic as his head tilts predatorily to the side, thick, raised veins spidering from that powerful gaze, his attention on one thing and one thing alone.
Meyer.
“W-what?” Creed stammers, tears immediately forming in his eyes as he shakes his head, looking from Valen back to Elaine's son. “No, she’s not. There’s no way… we just… w-we just talked to her yesterday!” he says, though the words come out as more of a plea than a statement. Meyer gives Creed a heartbroken look before her attention moves to the dangerous Royal Demon standing before us. When Theo releases a soul-wrenching sob, Creed stumbles and drops to his knees, his head falling into his hands. The sight helps burn away the pain and fuels the fire burning in my chest as anger climbs forward.
“How?” I grind out, looking at Meyer, who looks like she’s about to be sick. Razar steps out from his shadows, his hand falling on her shoulder as he stares at me, and I know whatever happened, it's more than just Elaine's death at play here.
“Nox, let's go to your office,” Razar says so calmly, so… softly, I almost do a double take. What the actual fuck is going on here?
“Jesthren,” Valen responds, voice as cold as his magic now curling around us all.
The name sends the room into complete silence, ice forming in my veins as I turn my head to meet my brother's dark stare, and there I see what I missed when he first stepped into the room. Pain, but a different kind than the one I feel coming from the others, caused by Elaine’s death. No, this pain holds a bitter, acidic scent, one that is driven by betrayal, not death. Valen’s eyes creep to the side and clash with mine as the ice crawls through my blood, moving through every vital organ until it finally pierces my heart with its cruel and unforgiving grip.
“I tracked Meyer. I found the cave where she and Elaine were kept; there were Wraiths. I killed them,” Valen says simply, his voice emotionless. “I scented Elaine, and her magic now mingled with another. It was Jesthren’s magic but more. It's corrupt in a way I haven’t sensed before now. We finally found the traitor in Father's house.”