As if passing into space, the air was thin, the cave endlessly black. Pausing as the light from the entrance waned, he inhaled slow and steady. The scent of rust tickled his nares. A dim light glowed in the distance.
Crawling faster, the ground beneath him growing colder the deeper he drew, threatening to turn him into a popsicle, he followed the tunnel, hoping for a break while his fingers still had adequate circulation.
The ground beneath his hand disappeared. Jolting back, he crawled a few paces back into the tunnel, but the ice was so damn cold, his skin blistered.
He moved on, no fucking clue if this was some leap of faith or a fool’s trap.
Either way, he didn’t have a choice, needing to move before he froze solid. Launching into the unknown, he hoped to hell he landed on his feet.
Chapter18
Hiding in the cabin of a motorboat wasn’t Adair’s idea of a good time. Nor was pulling on a lava-red wig and disguising herself as Quinn. But Calloway had to believe she was still Blayk’s captive, at least until Bennett took the upper hand.
The team seemed to be enjoying themselves. Astrid drove the boat around the edges of the caldera, scanning the hillsides. The sun was still high in the sky, so there was no way they would see a sign of Calloway yet. They’d stopped to check out a few boats anchored around the edges, but nothing appeared out of the ordinary.
They drove to dock after dock, inquiring about Calloway’s whereabouts. Nothing. It was like he wasn’t even in town yet.
Which she absolutely knew wasn’t true. Blayk would make the call soon, and she needed to be there when he did, or Calloway would know something was up.
Ryan had called to check in a few times. No sign of Calloway anywhere near the entrance. Nor anything from Bennett. He’d gone inside hours ago.
After five hundred years, Adair assumed she’d have some measure of patience. Apparently, she didn’t.
Knuckles wrapped gently on her door. Giving her a second to get out of the way, Vann popped in and closed the door behind him. “You hanging in there okay?”
Doing a double take, Adair realized she had to strain to read him, as his pulse, his posture, showed that he was remarkably calm considering the stakes. “Calloway?”
“Rumor has it, there’s a big party of night owls holed up in a beach house around the bend. Quinn found the lead following local police reports. No one’s gone missing, but a few calls have gone out over some tourists having too good of a time,” his deep voice rumbled, the lilt of amusement mirroring Bennett’s enjoyment of walking into the middle of the fight.
“How can you be sure it’s Calloway?”
“Just a hunch.”
“You demon hunters and your hunches. Any word about Bennett yet?”
Expression grim, he shook his head.
Grabbing a sword that probably weighed as much as she did, Vann slipped back out to keep watch. Lana strapped a war axe to her back, Astrid strapped on a pair of streamlined swords that moved with her.
Adair grinned at Bodie from her shadowed corner as he steered them through the moored boats while the others geared up. He shrugged and glanced down at her. “Ever seen a werewolf change?”
She shook her head.
“Hope you’re not shy.” He flashed a wink, then stripped off his shirt.
Lana strapped a few throwing knives in her boots. “What he means is, the clothes don’t shift with him. Honestly, my favorite is when he changes back from the wolf to the man and has to find his clothes.” She flashed a wink at him.
With a shrug, Bodie said, “Not much privacy on the ranch, but with these guys? Even less.”
Vann pulled out a pair of daggers from his box of pointy things. “I didn’t see that you brought any weapons?”
She accepted the simple leather and steel knives and strapped them to her belt. “Thanks. These are perfect.”
In the distance, the sun cast an orange glow over the horizon, a dark haze blocking its final glow from the sky. About damn time.
An expansive home came into view as they docked. White adobe surrounded by greener than green shrubs and a stone patio overlooking the ocean. Not a soul out yet, and the windows were all darkened. Astrid pulled the boat into a cove out of sight.
“I’ll hang out here,” Adair said as she leaned against the doorway, willing the sun to set faster, or for the fight to come to her. Although, as soon as she could be on the move, so would Calloway. “Wait,” she hissed before they moved out. Something wasn’t right. The wind was intense, but she caught a whiff of dozens of vampires on a waft from the direction of the house.
