Darkness Eternal (Guardians of Eternity)

A deal breaker for anyone with a claim to sanity, since the Jinn were the only known demons who could enter the mists, and no one wanted to negotiate with a Jinn. The powerful demons were cunning, heartless creatures who were as untrustworthy as they were beautiful. But, Marika’s profound lust for power outweighed something so tediously human as commonsense and with Sergei’s assistance they’d lured a Jinn into their trap using Kata as bait.

Kata’s mind instantly veered from the memory of being locked in the tiny cell with the Jinn. There were some things best left buried. But nine months later she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Laylah.

Well aware that Marika intended to use her half-Jinn daughter to enter the mists and retrieve the child, Kata had managed to smuggle the baby to a witch who had used her magic to keep Laylah hidden.

Infuriated, Marika had demanded that Sergei put Kata into her current prison. In retaliation, Kata had sought to curse the vindictive bitch. Unfortunately that had inspired the mage to wrap her in thick layers of spells that were even more imprisoning than the lead-lined cell that held her.

She couldn’t move, couldn’t speak, couldn’t even open her eyes.

If not for the fact that she maintained her connection to Marika to watch the world from a distance, she would have gone completely mad.

Not that being mentally linked with a psychotic vampire was a joy ride. Marika had a nasty temper under the best of circumstances. Once Kata had snatched away her means for ruling the world, she’d become downright surly, indulging her love for pain at every opportunity. Still, Kata had managed to stay aware of the changing world, and best of all she’d known that Laylah remained safely hidden.

Then fifty years ago, the damned mage had found Laylah and forced her to enter the mists to retrieve the child of the Dark Lord.

Laylah had swiftly managed to escape with the baby, but Kata had known it was only a matter of time before she was once again hunted down.

Which was precisely what had happened just a few days before. She’d sensed Laylah in England, and tried to warn her. She shared the same mind connection with her daughter as she did with her sister, but she’d been too late.

Marika and Sergei had discovered her presence and while Laylah had swiftly fled, they’d been hot on her trail.

Even worse, her psychic link to her sister and daughter had become oddly erratic, as if there was something blocking her powers.

While she was currently struggling with all she was worth against the spells that held her captive.

Laylah was in trouble, and she had to reach her.

Lost in her dark thoughts, she was distantly aware of the Sylvermyst who guarded the tomb where she was held prisoner. They never bothered her, but she didn’t doubt that even if she did manage to free herself from Sergei’s bonds, they would prove a difficult barrier to her escape.

A worry for later.

Then she stiffened as her senses picked up an intruder closer at hand.

Yannah.

She didn’t know who, or even what, Yannah was.

She had to be a demon, of course. No human, or even witch, could possibly pop in and out of the buried cell. But since Kata had been near comatose from Sergei’s spell she had no more than a vague image of a small creature with a low, musical voice who had fluttered about her unconscious form and soothed her when she was troubled.

Over the years she’d become accustomed to the female’s unpredictable visits, assuming that if she wanted to hurt her she’d have already done the deed. Not even the most patient demon spent two centuries fussing over a person before striking a death blow.

In fact, she’d begun to think of her as her guardian angel.

Caught in her frantic battle to free herself, Kata was unprepared when the spells that were holding her prisoner abruptly shattered.

With a strangled gasp she fell off the narrow cot. Still entangled with the shroud that had been thrown over her, Kata was incapable of stopping herself from smacking face first onto the hard floor.

Typical.

“Oof.”

“Are you hurt?” A small, heart-shaped face with the almond shaped eyes that were entirely filled with black suddenly appeared in front of her.

“Yannah?” she breathed.

“That’s me.”

Kata managed to roll onto her back, her gaze sliding over the female’s tiny body that was covered by a plain white robe and the fair hair that was pulled into a braid that fell past her waist.

She might have been mistaken for a child if not for the piercing wisdom that shimmered in the dark eyes.

And, oh yeah, the mouth full of razor sharp teeth.

Blessed mother.

Fighting her way out of the shroud, Kata rose to her feet, her hands absently smoothing down the thin white nightgown that fell past her knees.

“What happened?” she demanded.

The tiny demon wrinkled her nose. “The spell is broken. The mage is traveling through distant lands.” Her head tilted to the side, as if she were mentally searching for the missing Sergei. “Very distant.”

Kata shivered. There was nowhere distant enough.

Bastard.

But for the moment she was more interested in the stark void in the back of her mind.

“Marika?” she whispered.