Page 36

Kol

Monday Evening

Dark Haven Grounds

T he night was still. Which was not a good thing. It meant it was the calm before the next wave of demons.

Instead of staying content and feeding on the humans inside of Dark Haven, they were venturing out into the world.

Attempting to.

We’d banished hundreds, yet they kept coming back within days. Whatever was happening in Helheim wasn’t good. They were regenerating at impossible speeds, multiplying like rats, trying to swarm the human realm.

The fact our leader was doing nothing about it was disconcerting.

“Sir,” Veroh called out. As one of my strongest officers he’d been right beside me as we tore through the demons.

So far, no more demons had escaped after the initial wave, but I also didn’t know how much longer we could do this for. The insane energy was spilling out, altering this realm. If we didn’t do something then the realm would descend into darkness and chaos.

Lives would be lost. I might not have cared before, but now my mate was in the center of it all.

My mate.

That still felt strange.Yet, I couldn’t enjoy her. I claimed her, she was mine, I felt her in my core, but her presence was missed nearly every moment of the day and night.

Being here around humans showed me how out of touch we were from the start. I wasn’t gentle and soft like her human men.

Hell, even Ivar had a charm she couldn’t resist.

I lacked the emotion they did, the connection. I feared I was losing before we even had a chance.

“Sir?” Veroh’s second attempt at getting my attention worked, and I internally smacked myself.

Showing weakness to my men was not what they needed right now.

“Yes?” I asked.

“Movement on the western side of the perimeter but we cut it out. No failures.” He was proud, as he should be.

“I’m starting to feel like this is a distraction,” I admitted to him. “Send a group inside as well, it’s almost nightfall.”

“Will do,” he said with a bow of respect.

He flew off to manage the troops, and I turned, ready to follow when something caught my eye.

Instinctively I always glanced at the third floor, keeping an eye on my mate even if I couldn’t be there as much as I’d like.

This time there was movement that shouldn’t be there.

The previously boarded windows along the side of the building were generally dark and covered. I’d always assumed they were renovated over, nonexistent now.

A sliver of light filtered through a small crack in the covering. It was so low that anyone else might not have seen it. The human likely assumed we woudln’t either, underestimating our senses.

Movement again, like someone peeking through and backing away again, had me narrowing my eyes.

With anticipation buzzing in my veins, I flew to the roof and headed inside, taking the stairs a flight at a time to reach the third floor.

My memory was eidetic, photographic, and I pictured the exterior, comparing it to what I knew of the floor, realizing it didn’t add up.

How had I never noticed those windows were farther back than the interior I’d seen?

Even more startling. It ran well past Harlow’s, Drake’s, and the empty room on that wing.

What was hidden beyond that wall? Where was the entrance?

No matter how I replayed the layout in my mind, I couldn’t find a point of entry. There were no doors from the main hall, nor in the common room. That left the nurses’ station.

The moment I landed on that conclusion, I knew I had to be right. Where else would they hide it so the patients were unaware of its existence?

Fury flared in my mind. I’d heard the stories by now, knew what Vane did in the secret hallway they’d found Harlow locked away in.

Was he doing something similar right under our noses?

Thinking of him that close to my mate had my fury bubbling to new heights, my vision darkening around the edges as I stalked forward.

The nurse who watched this floor was in the room when I wrenched the door open, startling at the sight of me. She flinched as the door splintered against the cinderblock wall.

“Move!” I thundered, pointing toward the door. Her fear clouded the air and she didn’t hesitate to run from the room.

“No, you can’t go in there!” she protested in a hysterical screech that rivaled a wounded pterodactyl.

Apparently, she wasn’t terrified enough to run far.

What was she protecting?

“You don’t know what you’re doing!” she continued when I didn’t stop.

“Shut up, human,” I spit out as I glared around at the tiny workspace. The room was small enough my wings, though tucked close to my body, caused havoc as I spun, searching for the entrance.

I expected it to be hard, to have to tear the place apart, but Vane was arrogant and careless as usual. He was only human after all.

Right there on the floor in front of the bookshelf was a half circle carved into the floor. The cheap tile was marred, a dirty track proving that it was frequently used.

I cared little about the human’s belongings and ripped the first shelf straight from its brackets, revealing a sliver of a hallway in the process. I continued shoving shelves aside until the bookcase was in tatters and the room was destroyed.

The air blowing out of the hallway stunk of human and demon, meaning I was likely on the right track.

My mouth tipped into a smug smile, knowing I was the one who’d get to kill my mate’s attacker.

As I tried to cross the threshold, I was met by an invisible wall. Anger had me slamming my fist into the space, causing pain to radiate through my body as if I’d hit a stone wall.

There was never a sigil created to keep a gargoyle out. The only one who could even do something of this sort would be...

Hel. My queen had deceived me.

Hot, acidic betrayal slithered through my veins. I let out a deafening roar of pain, regret, and frustration. She’d denied me time with my mate, used me and my men. I’d nearly lost my future because of her and I wouldn't take that lightly.

Only she could create a ward to keep our kind out. We weren’t like the demons; I didn’t even know it was possible.

Now I had proof he was not only a pawn but the entire fucking board.

She was using him to orchestrate everything.

This entire war was worse than we initially thought. Now our role here was in jeopardy, and I no longer thought she had any good intentions for my mate, or any of her subjects for that matter.

Harlow was just another piece in this game Hel was playing. If we didn’t figure out what the game was soon, we’d all lose.

Another angry roar tore out of me, echoing menacingly through the space, the barrier doing nothing to keep it at bay. I hoped the cowardly human heard it and took it as a warning of what was to come.

We’d be coming for him now, one way or another.

The nurse was pacing when I exited, and I let out a growl, arms out, neck straining enough I knew my veins were showing, and wings outstretched. It was a show of strength and intimidation and she paled at the sight, backing away before eventually running for her life instead of hovering just out of reach.

Good.

She wouldn’t be coming back.

I had half a mind to break the fucking elevator where it stood but an angry mate would not be easy to keep safe.

“What the hell is going on?”

Speaking of mates.

“I have news. Call your demon, mate,” I told her. My tone was still coarse and cold as my anger refused to fade any.

“Okay...” She drew out the word but still went down the hall, opening a door and calling out to Hiro before getting Drake from his room. When she returned, she called out to Monty.

“What the fuck happened here?” Hiro asked as he took in the damage that had spilled into the hall. I hadn’t even noticed I’d busted out half the door frame and books spilled out onto the floor.

“Me... Call him again, mate. Clearly he didn’t hear you.”

He had nowhere to be at the moment that was more important than with us.

“Monty!” she yelled out loud enough I expected the other two humans to wake as well.

“What happened?” Ivar asked as he popped in, but I was already walking away the moment he materialized between us.

“This way.”

He muttered out some curses at my insistence but followed. I didn’t act without reason and he knew it.

“I found the coward. But I’m blocked.”

“Blocked?” he asked as he tried to pass me, hitting the same barrier. “He had a ward for you?”

Ivar’s voice was more of a sneer now.

“Yes,” I confirmed, showing him with my hand that it was blocked.

“Maybe I can get through?” Drake mused as he walked in, but he hit the same block we did. “What the fuck. I’m half-human, this is impossible.”

“She’s getting sneakier, bolder,” Ivar said. “I warned her she was losing allies down here.”

“I’d say she’s doing a damn good job of burning bridges,” Harlow deadpanned.

There was an undercurrent of worry there, and I hated this vile human was still plaguing her.

“What is she planning? This is a grievous betrayal,” I growled. “She’s turned on her own people. Her own guard.”

“She’s planning something, a seer gave her a vision, but she wouldn’t impart any of the knowledge to me,” Ivar told me. “She’s leading the rebellion. Or at least is helping them every step of the way.”

“What the fuck,” Drake bit out. “How do we get to him, then?”

“He can’t ward against humans, can he?” I asked.

Ivar let out a low snarl in warning and Drake cursed, both knowing what this meant.

“Hiro, come here!” Drake called out. The smaller human came in, eyes wide as he took in the damage I’d wreaked on the space. “Try to walk in for me.”

“Try?” Hiro asked, confused. But he walked anyway, passing the barrier without issue, confirming my suspicion. Humans held no connection to the supernatural and had no way to be warded.

“We’re blocked out,” Drake said, trying to walk through to show he couldn’t.

We were left with little choice. Something I protested with every fucking cell in my body. Putting her and the human in danger was not something I took lightly.

“That’s wild,” Hiro whispered, waving his hand in the air but coming up with nothing stopping him again. “What’s back here? I didn’t think there was any more to this floor.”

“I don’t know,” I said. “We can’t find out. But we think Vane is in there.”

The human paled and rushed out, almost knocking Drake over in the process. Drake grabbed him and squeezed him to his side, calming the freakout with a touch.

“Breathe, Hiro, I’ve got you,” he whispered in his ear, the human shivering and shoulders relaxing.

“What now?” Ivar asked, his voice defiant, as if challenging me to say the words out loud.

“We need those blueprints,” Drake said instead. “Let’s go.”

Ten minutes later, we had a workspace set up in the common room. Drake tapped away at his laptop before hitting a button. Something whirred to life behind the nurses’ station, and he went back, coming in with a stack of papers.

“I don’t know how we didn’t see this before, compare the fourth floor, the second floor, and this one.” He set them side by side and it was obvious what was wrong the moment I compared them.

“An entire wing is gone.”

“They blocked it off from the start,” he confirmed.

“I’d noticed the dark windows but thought the renovations simply overtook it,” I muttered, feeling stupid.

“I thought the same,” Drake said. “There’s no entrance. Or wasn’t.”

“What was here before our floor?” Harlow asked. “Was it open at one time?”

“It was patient rooms like it is now, and there were staff quarters on this side. I assumed they just closed it off with that wall,” Drake admitted as he pointed to the end of the hallway where it ended in a solid, cinderblock wall.

“They did, just in a shady way,” she countered with a sigh. “If only Hiro and I can go in, that means we have to be the ones to confront Vane.”

“No, absolutely fucking not,” Drake growled. “You are not going in there.”

“We have weapons and no choice,” she argued. Her fire was glorious. My mate was stronger than any human.

“I won’t allow it,” Monty said. His shadows were floating out around him as he fought, too.

“It’s far too dangerous. We can’t protect you in there. You could die and if Hel wants you this bad? That’s not a good thing for the world.”

I tried to reason with her but from the firm set of her jaw, she had it all planned out already.

“It has to be this way. Do we really want him lurking back there, not knowing what he’s doing?” she argued.

“Hiro?” Drake yelled, rushing forward as the boy almost fell face-first into the table. He steadied him in a seat but he was no longer truly there.

The small human’s eyes were vacant and hollow for a moment before they refocused. His features seemed to harden as the other version of the human came out.

They were fascinating but now was not the time to appreciate it.

“Roman,” he corrected. “What the hell did I miss?”

Harlow caught him up and the spark of determination in his eyes meant he was on her side already.

“I can protect her. I’ve proven myself already,” Roman said to Drake. Drake nodded at that but paced, hands tearing at his hair.

“I don’t fucking like this. Two humans, even if they’re badasses, aren’t a match for a whole fucking floor of demons. Especially demons who have proven they want you captured. If they take you, we won’t be able to reach you,” Drake said desperately, holding Harlow on either side of her arms and forcing her to hear him. “We could lose you forever.”

“If we don’t go, you will anyway. I have no answers from Hel or this fucking adviser, no way to move forward, and no clue what the fuck to do. I need to do this, Drake. No one else can do it for me,” she wasn’t arguing now. Her voice was gentle, pleading.

Shadows filled the space as they argued. Monty was ready to whisk her away but she stepped away before he could.

“Don’t you fucking dare, Monty. You guys can’t lock me away anymore. We have to do something. Kol. Tell them. I see you guys fighting every fucking time I look outside.” She turned those vibrant blue eyes on me this time.

“They haven’t gotten through again,” I said. “But the attempts are increasing. We have no rest.”

“How are you okay with this?” Ivar demanded. His eyes were locked on mine in a challenge.

“Gargoyles aren’t led by emotions. She’s right, it’s the logical choice,” I said. “She’s not going alone. They’re capable.”

“I’m going with her. We’re going to fucking find something to give us the upper hand. If not, I’ll at least have this fucking monster’s blood on my hands. That should be enough of a win for you guys,” Roman said.

For a human, he was similar to the gargoyles. He was commanding when he spoke, to the point, and never held back his opinion. There was a calm to him I’d only seen in my own kind.

“See, there’s no other choice,” Harlow said, quieter this time. “I need you to trust me.”

“Trust has no place in this conversation,” Ivar said vehemently. “This is not going to fucking happen. I will take you away if I have to.”

“You can’t leave Roman to face this alone,” she argued. “I wouldn’t forgive you if he died alone.”

It was harsh, but she was desperate. Her eyes found mine and for the first time in our forming bond, I had clarity, knew what she needed. Walking up, I placed a hand on her cheek. When her pretty blue eyes met mine, I rested my forehead on hers.

“I trust you. Swing with purpose and fight with your entire soul, mate,” I ordered her. She swallowed hard and touched my cheek. Our bond thrummed with mutual respect as her scent drifted over me like a balm to my soul.

We still had a long way to go. I had a lot to learn about her and humans in general, but I still trusted my mate to succeed. I had to.

“Thank you, Kol. I will,” she promised. “I’m going to change. You guys can fight it out but when I get back. We are going in, turning back now could be our downfall.”

“No!” Ivar yelled, his voice so loud it echoed against the walls around us.

She was right regardless of his anger. This was the only direction forward.

We needed to find answers. Something that would explain how our own queen could betray us.

For the first time in my long existence, I felt as if I were lost. No leader ordering me to follow orders and fall in line. She said I was destined for Harlow before she forced us to slumber.

Now that I was free of my stone, there was no turning back.

My mate called the shots now.

She was my queen.

I’d lay my life down for hers.

But, in this case, she needed me to lay down my ego, and I was doing it willingly.