We could run. Jasper, the crazy Scar mercenary might be able to hide us for a fee, but could I do that to Danni? Take her away from everything for a life of hiding and running?
She pushed past me, grabbed her shoe from the door wedge and walked away.
I kicked the door. “Fuck!”
Balen remained silent the rest of the flight and I tried to sleep, but couldn’t, because he was across from me and I could feel the tension radiating off him. He was pissed and I didn’t blame him, it was just that I had reality kick me in the ass.
The plane landed in the middle of the night and a car waited for us on the tarmac. Balen still didn’t say anything as he held open the passenger door for me and I got in the car. He slammed it shut. Shit. I deserved that. After an hour of silence, I couldn’t take it anymore. “Balen, I know you’re pissed but—”
“Pissed? Pissed? I’m more than pissed, Danni. I’m livid.”
“Okay, you’re livid. But what do you want me to do? Fall head over heels in love with you and then have you die?”
His grip tightened on the steering wheel, knuckles white. “I want you to fight for us, damn it.”
“I have. I did.”
“Bullshit. When, Danni? When did you fight? Tell me.”
“Balen, it’s not that simple.” Tears welled up in my eyes. “You’re leaving me.”
“No, Danni, you already left me back in that fuckin’ plane.”
“Because you’re going to die,” I shouted.
“Yeah, well, maybe I will or maybe I’ll fight for what I want. That just won’t include you now, will it?”
I looked away and closed my eyes, trying to keep the tears back. Damn it, I was trying to save us both from more pain. Death. Rest. It didn’t matter. I’d fallen too hard, and now I was drowning in the fear of what happened next.
Fight? What was there left to fight for? How was I supposed to fight Wraiths and Scars?
“What do you want, Danni? Days ago you asked me to never leave you. Why bother coming with me?” He huffed. “Oh, that’s right, so you won’t fuckin’ die. Because of the fuckin’ spell.” He sped around the corner, the tires squealing. “Don’t worry, all this is ending. I’ll die and you can go back to your gallery and paint. I’ll make sure Waleron knows you want nothing to do with the Scars.” His brows raised and he turned to look at me with a cruel sneer. “But babe, don’t even think of ever painting me again.”
A tear trailed down my cheek and I brushed it away with my arm. “Balen, please.”
“I’d fight for you, Danni. Right to the fuckin’ end. I’d never stop. No matter what shit was put up against us, I’d keep fighting. You know why? Because that’s what you do when you love someone.”
I choked on my sob, a waterfall of tears releasing and slipping down my cheeks. I turned my head away and stared out the window. There was nothing I could say. He was so angry with me . . . and hurt. Yes, I’d hurt him. Did I love him? Was that why this hurt so much? Why it made me sick to my stomach to think about him being taken away?
Damn it, how was I supposed to fight for him? I had nothing.
The car careened toward the town of Zugarramurdi. There were no stops and no slowing as he took corners way too fast, and not once did he look over at me.
I leaned my head against the side window and tried to stop the constant threat of tears. The car yanked to the side of the road and Balen slammed it into park. “We walk from here.”
I got out and followed him. He kept a quick pace through the brush, not waiting for me as I struggled over the rough terrain. The air was dry and cold, and by the time we reached the stream, I was shivering. We walked alongside it until it disappeared into an ominous stygian cave.
Balen disappeared inside, not once looking behind to see if I followed. I stood at the mouth of the cave, my heart pounding, limbs tingling as panic crept into me like a dark shadow. I stood frozen in place.
I heard his curse echo inside the darkness, and then he emerged again.
He strode up to me, grabbed my hand and pulled me forward.
I could do this. I needed to. For him I had to do this.
I stumbled behind him as he dragged me into the massive rock cavern that housed three caves. If I hadn’t felt as though I were being swallowed up, I’d have found this place mystical and beautiful. Natural rock formations rose far above us to open up into a mouth that encased the stream.
The flash of memories hit like a blast of ice pellets. I gasped as panic ate away common sense. All I could think about were the cages, his fangs biting my neck, the never-ending cold. Dampness clung to my skin like leaches sucking every ounce of warmth from my body.
Fight. Fight. Fight.
Balen pulled me back up against his chest and whispered into my ear, “Breathe, Danni. Breathe.”
I shook uncontrollably, my stomach churned, and my legs and arms were numb as memories flooded my mind with visions of Ryszard, the cage, Balen and the horror we suffered.
“I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“I know.” His voice was like a calm melody, easing the panic. “I can do this.”
A figure emerged out of the darkness and my first thought was Ryszard and I stiffened. But as he drew near, I recognized the snake tattoo on his neck.
The man raised his hand and said something I couldn’t make out. Then nothing.
“THIS MUST HAPPEN NOW,” Waleron said. He nodded to Danni. “And she must be calm.”