He grasped her wrist, pressing a kiss into the center of her palm. “Be careful.”

  “Same,” she commanded, her heart lodging in her throat as Micha rose and boldly strolled into the clearing.

  “I thought I smelled something rotten,” he drawled, crossing to stand directly in front of Yugan. “The swamp stench really lingers, doesn’t it?”

  The demon hissed, yanking a silver dagger from a sheath at his hip. “You should know, leech.”

  “Me? I smell as fresh as a daisy.” Micha leaned forward. “Want a sniff?”

  Yugan growled, swinging the blade toward Micha’s chest. “Sniff this, you cold-blooded reptile.”

  Micha easily dodged the strike, spreading his arms in a taunting gesture. “You’re a walking, talking cliché. Do you even try?”

  Yugan glanced over his shoulder at the demons who were gawking at Micha in horror.

  “Look for the mage. She has to be close by.”

  Micha took a step back, luring the demon away from the mouth of the cave. At the same time, Skye breathed a soft spell, wrapping herself in the scent of the surrounding plants.

  She couldn’t entirely disguise her presence, but she could make it more difficult for the demons to locate her. Then, bending low, she inched her way around the edge of the mangrove forest.

  “You honestly believe I would bring a vulnerable young woman into the middle of a demon revolt?” Micha asked in a loud voice, keeping Yugan distracted.

  “She’s not a woman. She’s a mage.”

  Skye’s brows arched at the bitter edge in the male’s voice. There were plenty of demons who didn’t like mages, but Yugan sounded as if his aversion was personal.

  “She’s still mortal. There’s no predicting what will happen if Lynx gets his hands on the Tempest.” Micha allowed a loaded silence to fill the clearing. “Assuming it even exists.”

  Skye continued to creep forward, dodging the demons trying to battle their way through the thick foliage in search of her.

  “It exists,” Yugan growled, taking another stab at Micha. “And what’s going to happen is you’re about to be destroyed.”

  “Along with you,” Micha taunted.

  Through the tufts of ferns, Skye could see Yugan jerk, as if Micha had managed to strike an open wound.

  “What?”

  Micha clicked his tongue. “You’re not stupid enough to think Lynx will leave any witnesses alive, are you? Not when they can reveal the source of his brand-new power.”

  Yugan lunged forward, swearing as Micha easily danced away. “He wants demons to know he has the Tempest,” the fairy snapped, regaining his balance. “It’s legendary. Everyone would unite behind him.”

  Skye picked up her speed, approaching the cave from the side. She wanted to be in position to dart inside as soon as Yugan was far enough away.

  “It’s also a warning to all vampires,” Micha insisted. “If they suspect the sword has been found, they’ll attack and destroy Lynx before he can organize his revolution. He needs time to prepare, and for that, he needs secrecy. And the only way to make sure you won’t spill the proverbial beans is to kill you.”

  “You’re full of shit.” Yugan’s voice was harsh, but he couldn’t entirely disguise his uncertainty. This wasn’t the first time he’d considered the possibility that he was demon fodder. “Lynx needs us.”

  The demon lunged again and Micha leaped backward, nearly at the edge of the clearing.

  “Every leader needs sacrifices to the cause. That’s you.” Micha continued to mock the demon, keeping his attention focused on him as Skye inched out of the cover of the undergrowth. “If he truly thought you were going to be a part of his revolution, he would want you with him to witness his moment of glory. That way you could spread the word. Instead you’re stuck out here.”

  “To keep out the trash.”

  “He could just kill me with his new sword, right? No need for you to risk fighting me. Not unless he wants me to take care of his dirty work. Which is fine with me. It’s been centuries since I had a decent fight.”

  Micha peeled back his lips to expose his fangs, and Skye darted forward. If Yugan wasn’t fully distracted by the vampire about to rip out his throat, then he was never going to be distracted.

  Plunging into the darkness of the cave, Skye gasped as she skidded on the slick stones. Windmilling her arms, she managed to remain upright but wisely slowed her pace. She was there to save the world, not fall on her ass.

  Struggling to see through the gloom, she at last spotted the narrow crack on the back wall. She hurried forward, not giving herself time to consider the wisdom of what she was doing as she squeezed into the narrow tunnel. She could smell the lingering trace of copper in the air. This was where Lynx had gone.

  She placed her hand on the stone wall, using it to guide her through the darkness. It felt as if she was angling down, but she couldn’t see more than a few feet in front of her. Two things were certain, the air was getting thicker and the temperature was rising. As if she were headed into a sauna.

  Even the stone beneath her hand was heating enough that she wondered if there was a fire on the other side. Or maybe a hot spring nearby? Or a volcano? The warmth felt natural, not magical. Which she assumed was a good thing.

  Clinging to that hope, Skye stepped out of the end of the tunnel and into another cave. This one was smaller, with a low roof and sharp stones protruding from the floor. Oh, and an angry fairy glaring at her with murder in his eyes.

  “Hello, Lynx,” she murmured, acting as if she’d expected to find him there instead of accidentally stumbling across him.

  With a visible effort, Lynx smoothed away his annoyance and forced a stiff smile.

  “Seer. You just can’t take a hint, can you?”

  Too late to wait for Micha. Skye stepped forward even as she kept the tunnel blocked. Unless there was a hidden doorway, that was the only exit.

  “Are you implying you’re not happy to see me?” she demanded.

  “I’m always delighted to have a beautiful woman following me around, but you’re bordering on stalking.” He flicked a knowing glance down her body. “Isn’t the leech satisfying your itches, my dear?”

  “Itches?” Skye sent him a chiding frown. “Really?”

  Lynx shook his head, as if regretting his lame response. Then, seemingly convinced she posed no immediate threat, he turned his back to her to investigate the wall.

  “I’m preoccupied,” he muttered. “My banter might not be at its sparkly best.”

  She watched as he ran his hands over the rocks. Did he think the sword was stuck in the stone? Or was there a hidden key?

  She didn’t bother to ask. He wasn’t going to willingly give her information, even if he didn’t think she was a threat.

  Instead, she concentrated on keeping him distracted. Micha would soon get rid of the demons. The longer she could keep Lynx from locating the sword, the better.

  “Did you enjoy your nap?”

  Lynx hissed in anger, but he never turned around as he continued his search. “That wasn’t a very nice thing to do.”

  “You threatened to slit the throat of my friend and then kidnapped a member of the Cabal. I don’t think you get to be the nice police.”

  “Fine. But in my defense I didn’t realize you had a crush on the vampire when I kidnapped him.”

  “Neither did I,” Skye admitted in wry tones. “No one’s more shocked than I am.”

  Lynx made a gagging noise and Skye inched closer, her brows lifting as she caught the glint of ruby red between the male’s clenched fingers. He was using the crystal to locate the sword. She didn’t know if it would work or not, but it was probably best to try to convince Lynx to give up his hunt before they found out.

  “Do you know what that crystal is?” she demanded.

  “I told you.” He skimmed his hand from side to side, the tension in his body visible as his futile search continued. “A compass.”

  “No.”

  “You need the proof?” Lynx abruptly whirled around and held out his arm. Then, with a grim smile, he jerked up his sleeve to reveal the bright red lines that marked his skin. “As soon as I touched the crystal, this map appeared.”

  From a distance it was impossible to see the intricate details, but it certainly explained how Lynx had managed to find the cave.

  “Nice trick.” She shrugged, hoping she looked unimpressed. “So where’s the sword?”

  It was a genuine question. If the crystal was the same as the one they’d seen in the memory spell, then it was the combination of vampire and dragon blood that sealed the treaty, not a mystical map to a demon sword.

  “It will be in my hand soon enough,” Lynx assured her, returning to his search without fear she might be a threat. Jerk.

  She took another step forward. If Micha didn’t show up soon she was going to have to take matters into her own hands. A prospect that didn’t bother her at all. She knew Peri well enough to suspect at least one of the curses on her charm bracelet was pus-filled abscesses that would cover a demon’s body for weeks. That would tarnish Lynx’s smug arrogance.

  “And what if you do get the sword?” she asked, running her fingers over the powerful charms.

  “What else? World domination.”

  “Of course it’s world domination. So predictable.” Skye rolled her eyes. “What if I tell you I had a vision?”

  “About me?”

  “You’re included.”

  “Unless it’s a revelation of me uniting the demons and conquering the world, then I’m not interested.”

  “If you do conquer it, there will be nothing to rule.” Skye rarely shared her visions. They could be interpreted a thousand different ways, and since there was no way to know what might or might not change them, or if the effort of altering them would make things worse, it was better to let it play out. But not this time. It wasn’t just Lynx’s fate in the balance. It was the world. “We’re all about to be consumed in flames.”

  “Consumed in flames? Seriously?” Lynx glanced over his shoulder, but he wasn’t troubled by her declaration. The bastard was amused. “You must be fun on a date.”

  “Actually I’m delightful. Everyone says so,” Skye ground out. “That doesn’t change what I’ve seen.”

  “Make up whatever crazy story you want, you’re not going to stop me.”

  Abruptly Lynx stiffened, his hand surrounded by a glowing light as if it’d connected with a hidden power. A second later there was a low scrape and the thick stones began to part.

  Skye rushed forward. Any other time, she would be enchanted by the idea of a secret doorway. When she was very young she would dream of stepping out of the shabby camper she shared with Howard to discover she’d been whisked into an enchanted land where her mother would be waiting to greet her with open arms. Now, however, she was quite certain the doorway led to death and destruction.

  “Lynx, I’m telling the truth,” she called out, her voice shrill. “That crystal brought you here, but it isn’t a map to your fabled sword.”

  Lynx ignored her urgent warning. Of course he did. Stubborn ass. Without glancing back he darted forward and disappeared. Immediately the stones started to swing closed and Skye hissed in frustration. Tapping into her magic, she plaited the air into a thick cushion to keep it propped open. There was a real possibility if it closed, they wouldn’t be able to open it again. Not without the crystal.

  It wasn’t until she was actually tying off the spell that Skye realized the door hadn’t stopped. Instead, it continued to inch shut, as if the magic was actively fighting to squeeze through the wedge of air that she’d created.

  Who was going to win? Well, Skye wasn’t a betting woman despite her ability to peek into the future, but if she was, she wouldn’t be placing a wad of money on herself. Not when her magic was fading like dew beneath a scorching sun.

  Dropping to her knees, Skye fiercely concentrated to keep the narrow gap open. Still, it wasn’t until sweat was coating her face and every muscle was trembling that she felt the cool rush of Micha’s presence.

  A second later, a large form knelt beside her, and strong arms circled her in a protective hug.

  “Skye, are you injured?”

  “No, but my magic is wearing out,” she rasped between clenched teeth. “Lynx went through the crack in the wall.”

  Thankfully, Micha could easily sense she was barely hanging onto her spell and, resisting the urge to bombard her with questions, he flowed forward and jammed his fingers into the barely visible fissure. The rocks cracked and popped again, but this time it wasn’t magic that was pulling them apart, it was Micha’s raw strength.

  Sucking in a shaky breath, Skye stared in amazement as Micha gripped the edges of the rock and ruthlessly pried apart the fissure. Or maybe she was staring at the muscles that bulged and rippled at the intense effort. Either way it was a vision that was going to be seared in her mind for a very long time.

  “That’s as wide as it’s going to get,” he warned, his voice strained from the effort. “Hurry.”

  With a shake of her head, Skye scurried forward, turning sideways to squeeze through the crack. She could admire Micha later. Hopefully when he was stretched naked on a soft bed with no worry the world was about to go up in flames.

  Until then, she needed to concentrate on staying alive.

  At last through the narrow opening, Skye glanced around the cave that was larger than the last one, with a coved ceiling that was lost in shadows. Behind her she could hear Micha swearing as he wiggled his way through the too-small space, no doubt scratching off his top layer of skin. In front of her was...emptiness.

  Nothing but barren rock with a hole carved into the far wall.

  Lynx was long gone, but she could still smell his coppery scent, so he couldn’t have gone far. But oddly, she could also smell lush tropical plants. As if she was standing in the middle of a jungle, not deep underground and surrounded by stone.

  Confused by the scent, Skye was vaguely aware of Micha moving to stand next to her, but it wasn’t until there was a low, booming thud that sounded eerily like the closing of a tomb that she realized the opening had slammed shut behind him.

  Skye shuddered. “I don’t like the sound of that.”

  Micha grasped her hand, his expression grim. “I guess we go forward.”

  She tilted back her head to study his exquisite features. Suddenly she didn’t care if they were locked in the cave or not. She was exactly where she wanted to be.

  Next to Micha.

  “Together,” she murmured.

  Lifting her hand, he pressed it against his mouth. “Forever.”

  Chapter 17

  Micha cautiously headed toward the opening across the cave. He could feel the faint breeze coming from the hole in the far wall that revealed it opened into another cave. More importantly, it carried the faint scent of fairy. Lynx had gone through the hole.

  Which meant they had to go through the hole.

  Even if it felt like an obvious trap.

  “What happened to the demons?” Skye asked, as if hoping to ease the tension that hummed around them.

  Micha shrugged. The demons hadn’t been overly powerful, but they’d rushed back to attack him with a furious determination.

  It’d taken him longer than expected to convince them to play somewhere else.

  “A few refused to accept defeat. The others scattered,” he informed her. He didn’t feel guilt for ripping the throats out of the ones who continued to fight. He would destroy anyone or anything that was a threat to the woman walking next to him. “They won’t be back anytime soon.”

  “Then it’s just Lynx we have to worry about,” she said, only to come to a sharp halt when the pungent scent of rotting vegetation swirled through the air. A second later the ground beneath their feet began to tremble as if something very large was about to break through the stone. “Crap. I just jinxed us, didn’t I?” she rasped in horror.

  Pulling her close, Micha spread his legs as the quakes intensified and the rock started to crumble.

  “Is it magic?” he demanded.

  She grasped his arm to keep her balance. “I think we tripped a ward.”

  Micha hissed as the floor crumbled to dust, and large green vines poked through the rubble. At first they were the size of a tree trunk, looking like the arms of an octopus as they waved in the air, seeking something to grab. But as they continued to grow, sharp thorns ruptured through the green flesh.

  It looked like a monster out of a nightmare.

  And it wasn’t alone.

  From high above, Micha could hear the sound of the stones popping and fracturing as a massive force pressed against them.

  Moving to stand in front of Skye, Micha used his arm as a shield as the vine struck toward them with lightning speed. The thorn sliced through his flesh and he winced in pain. The wound was deep, but on the plus side, he didn’t feel any poison pumping through his body. Within seconds his skin was knitting back together.

  “Why didn’t the creature attack Lynx?” he growled, glancing up as more vines punctured through the ceiling. “The fairy would never have survived.”

  Skye considered her answer, the scent of laurel leaves filling the air as if she was struggling to determine what was happening.

  “It’s possible the crystal allowed him to pass,” she at last admitted.

  “Because this is the place where it was created?”

  “I don’t know. The power is strange.”

  Micha felt a blast of energy zoom past his shoulder before the nearest vine shuddered, as if hit by a spell. The vines jerked back with a shrill cry, as if they’d been injured. It was unnerving as hell. Almost as unnerving as watching a crimson glow form around the plant, melting Skye’s spell and healing the vines.

  “Really strange,” Skye muttered. “I don’t know how to stop it.”