Marika left him to his pouting, returning her attention to the Anasso’s lair. If Laylah had any sense she would remain in the protection of the King of Vampires, but she’d already proven she was willing to take ridiculous risks when it came to protecting the child.

Eventually she would find some need to leave.

And when she did, Marika would be prepared.

She wouldn’t escape again.

It was nearing midnight when Sergei abruptly fell to his knees, shaking his head as if trying to clear it. “Bloody hell,” he gritted.

Marika whirled to study him with displeasure. “What is it now?”

“Someone just entered the cave in Siberia.” “What cave?”

Slowly he lifted his head. “The one where I found the child.”

Marika watched the mage climb to his feet, unease stirring in her heart.

“How do you know?”

“I set alarms in case there was any unwanted interest.”

“It could be an animal or an overly curious human.”

He shook his head. “No, the spell was cast to ignore the mundane intruders, even if they could penetrate the natural barriers.”

“So it’s a demon?”

She paced across the uneven ground, the sense of foreboding knotting her stomach.

There was no reason for a demon to be roaming in such a frozen, desolate cave. Even those who preferred the cold avoided the area that was riddled with active volcanoes and a barren lack of prey.

“Or a magic user,” Sergei added.

She halted, a dark suspicion spreading through her like poison.

“Laylah,” she breathed.

Sergei frowned. “I have no way of knowing for sure.” Marika had no doubts.

The worthless bit of baggage was just like her mother.

Stubborn, rebellious, and refusing to concede gracefully to her inevitable fate.

Thankfully, Marika would soon have the mongrel in her hands. Then she would teach the child how to obey her betters. No matter how much pain it took.

A smile of anticipation curled her lips.

She liked teaching people to obey her.

“It’s her,” she said with absolute confidence.

“It makes no sense.” Sergei waved his hands in confusion. “Why would she travel to an empty cave in the frozen mountains of Siberia?”

“She must have discovered some information of the child,” Marika reasoned, glaring toward the mansion. It was infuriating that Laylah could use her powers to sneak away. “What if the bitch seeks to call the Dark Lord herself?” Turning her back on Sergei, she headed toward the nearest Sylvermyst. “We must go.”

The mage stumbled to catch up to her long strides. “Marika, wait.”

“We have no time to lose.”

“Have you considered the possibility this is a trap.”

Marika came to an abrupt halt, stabbing Sergei with a suspicious glare.

“Trap?”

“How better to get you off the trail than to send you half a world away?” he said, clearly desperate to avoid an uncomfortable journey to northern Siberia.

She tapped her tongue on the point of one fang, considering his logic. She hadn’t lived so long by being impulsive.

Or stupid.

At last she continued her path to the copper-haired Sylvermyst she’d taken as her most recent lover. He was second to Ariyal, but far more … malleable.

Her steps faltered at the stinging memory of Ariyal’s rejection of her advances. He hadn’t even pretended that he found her anything but a means to an end.

Angrily she squashed the image.

The bastard was no doubt in his grave.

A pity considering he was by far the most powerful of the Sylvermyst and their undoubted leader, but hardly a disaster.

Marika was a master at turning any situation to her advantage.

“No, they couldn’t possibly have known that you had cast a spell to alert you to trespassers,” she said, her firm tone revealing she wasn’t going to argue the point.

Sergei swore, hurrying to catch up. “Then what if it’s a random demon who strayed into the cave?” he demanded. “By the time we realize our mistake the Jinn could leave this lair and be long gone.”

“Not with our newfound friends.” She halted directly before Tearloch, her fingers stroking down the smooth skin the color of rich cream. “We can search the cavern and return before Laylah could possibly escape.”

“We’re going to regret this,” Sergei muttered.

“Remain here if you wish, coward.” With a firm grip Marika led the impassive Tearloch deeper into the woods, away from any prying eyes. She didn’t intend to give Laylah the opportunity to realize that she was about to have surprise visitors. “I won’t allow anyone to steal the glory that should be mine.”

Leading her companion toward the small clearing, Marika ignored Sergei as he trailed behind them, tripping over the underbrush as he struggled through the dark.

“Marika, wait,” he urged as she linked her hand with the Sylvermyst and prepared to travel through his portal. “I thought I saw that idiotic gargoyle …”

At the end of her patience, Marika turned to grab him by the hair, yanking him close as a shimmering hole formed in front of them.

“Another word and I’ll rip out your tongue.”

Chapter 20

Tane didn’t have memories of his life before waking up as a vampire.

His body, however, had retained an instinctive love for the warm beaches and tropical scents of the South Pacific. Who wouldn’t prefer to swim in a moon-drenched ocean than huddle by a fire in a damp lair?

Which made the arrival at the frozen cavern in the Kamchatka Peninsula all the more unpleasant.

Gods. He thought nothing could be worse than traveling through the strange mists between worlds. Until Laylah had tugged his hand, and they’d landed on the narrow ledge of a mountain that overlooked …

A frozen wasteland.

That smelled of sulfur.

His nose wrinkled at the pungent aroma of distant geysers that warned of volcanic activity. It would be just his luck one of the damned things would blow while they were there.

At least he was impervious to the cold.

Unlike Laylah who had wrapped herself in a dark cloak that provided cover for the baby she held in her arms. She’d also pulled on fur-lined boots that protected her feet from the ice-covered ground.

Tane’s only concession was a T-shirt that was tight enough not to impede his movements and khaki pants that covered the daggers he had holstered at both ankles, one at his side, and another at his lower back. He’d also strapped the Sylvermyst sword to his back and had a handgun tucked in his pocket.

He hated to be underdressed when he came to a fight.

Of course, there was always the tiny hope that he could convince Laylah to return to Styx’s lair before they were attacked yet again.

His lips twisted.

Naw.

His luck wasn’t that good.

A blast of frigid air slammed into them, whipping at Laylah’s cloak and nearly tumbling her over the edge of the sharp cliff.

Cursing the godforsaken mountain, the cold, and the stubbornness of Jinn mongrels, he grabbed her shoulders and hauled her backward, careful not to disturb the bundle in her arms.

“Are you sure you didn’t take us into a hell dimension,” he accused directly into her ear.

Pulling free of his grasp, she turned with a wry smile. “It’s bleak, but there’s a harsh beauty if you look for it.”

Much like him. She didn’t have to say the words out loud.

“And you’re an expert at finding beauty in the most unlikely places, are you not, my sweet?”

She flashed a smug smile. “I know a good thing when I see it.”

“Only after I held you captive and forced you to accept that I was destined to be yours.”

Her magnificent eyes sparkled with a teasing glow. “How do you know I wasn’t playing hard to get?”

A poignant warmth tugged at his heart. When he’d first encountered Laylah she’d been filled with a bitter resentment and a fear that was grinding her into a mere shell of herself.

A portion of the fear remained, of course. It wouldn’t go away until the child was safe.

But the bitterness had faded, replaced with a contentment that made Tane preen with a smug pleasure.

He was willing to take full credit for her budding happiness.

“Because what I admire most about you is your refusal to be anything or anyone but who you are. Your honesty is…” He shuddered at the endless years of lies and deceptions that had marked his relationship with Sung Li. “A blessing.”

“Really?” Her expression was wicked. “I have other blessings to offer.”

He growled low in his throat. “Haven’t you learned that it’s dangerous to tease a vampire?”

“But it’s so much fun.”

He captured her lips in a fierce, painfully brief kiss before pulling back and glancing toward the narrow opening of the cave.

Beyond the entrance, he could sense several tunnels that zigzagged down into the depths of the mountain.

“We have to do this?”

“Yes.”

“There’s nothing for miles not even a frost fairy.” With a grimace she headed toward the cave, slipping through the entrance. “This is where I’m supposed to be.”

Staying close to her side, Tane pulled his sword free, prepared for the inevitable attack. “I don’t like it.”

“I can’t say I’m crazy to be back here either, but I have to find the truth of Maluhia.” “And then what?”

She headed straight for the nearest tunnel, leading him down the roughly carved steps.

“If it’s safe I intend to find someone to release him from the stasis spell.”