It was Stryker.
She wasn't about to let him know how he affected her. Putting up her guard, she sneered at him. "So you came yourself."
"I'm not here to talk." He jerked his chin to her right. "You go through my bolt hole or I'll feed your mate to a mob of hungry Daimons who would kill to dismember a Were-Hunter. Literally."
She lacked all appreciation for a joke he was proud of. And she had to force herself not to attack him. "Do I have your word that you'll release him if I obey you?"
"Would you accept my word?"
That was a tough call. How could someone trust evil incarnate? And yet Stryker was an ancient warrior--like her.
Sam flinched as that thought triggered her powers. She saw Stryker in a home she'd never seen before. He was with another Dark-Hunter....
Ravyn Kontis.
Stryker had him and his woman trapped and outnumbered.
"Do we kill him, my lord?" one of the Daimons asked.
Stryker cocked his head as if considering it. "Not today, Davyn. Today, we show a bit of mercy to our worthy opponent. After all, he taught me that you don't trust the human cattle. Only other immortals understand the rules of war."
And in another flash, she saw Stryker battling with Nick and Acheron....
For them against a common enemy to save everyone.
Even though Stryker was her enemy and didn't shirk to commit heinous kills on innocent people, he was strangely a man of honor and he followed a very screwed up code.
Once he gave his oath, he would abide by it.
Even so, it was hard to utter the words she knew he wanted to hear. "I'll trust you, Daimon."
Stryker inclined his head to her. "Then yes. I will release both of you once this is over...if you obey."
Sam knew from her powers that she could trust him. But that was easier said than done. Not to mention one small fact, he was the one holding Dev.
So while her common sense screamed at her to run, she did what he said and stepped into the bolt hole. The force of the vortex ripped at her skin and clothes. It was painful and terrifying as she spun and fell without anything to give her any sort of orientation.
I'm going to be sick.
No wonder the Daimons were always in such a foul mood when she ran across them. If she had to travel like this, she'd be grouchy too.
She finally fell out of the vortex and slammed into the ground where she landed unceremoniously as a lump on a cold, black marble floor. She hit it so hard, it knocked all the wind out of her. Groaning out loud, she looked around to find herself in the hall she'd seen through the slug demon's eyes. Dozens of Daimons were there, along with Zephyra. All of them eye balled her like the top sirloin on a hamburger buffet.
Stryker landed beside her in a powerful crouch. Without so much as a grunt, he rose to his feet to stare down at her with one arched brow.
Effing showoff.
Sam pushed herself up and stumbled. Yeah, she still didn't have her vortex legs.
Stryker stepped past her to his throne where a small orb that reminded her of the sun was set on the right arm. It hovered just above his hand--no bigger than the size of her fist. It was so bright, that she could barely look at it without flinching.
His dark eyes gleaming, Stryker danced his fingers under it. "This belongs to my father. I want you to touch it and tell me his weakness. Tell me how to break our curse so that my people don't die. And most of all, I want to know how to kill that bastard."
His hatred radiated to her.
But the sad thing was, she couldn't help him. "It doesn't work that way."
Fury poured from his glare. "For your sake, Huntress. For Devereaux's sake, it better."
A shiver went down her spine. This had the making of a royal disaster. She had no idea if she could hone her powers that way....
C'mon, don't fail me now. It wasn't just her life on the line. It was Dev's.
Sam looked around at all the Daimons who were gathered and as she did so, she picked up bits and pieces from them about their lives. Most of all, she picked up their hope that she could free them of their curse.
I have to get Dev and get out of here.
She was a powerful fighter, but she wasn't good enough to win against this number. If Stryker was lying, there really wasn't much she'd be able to do except die painfully at their hands.
But she'd go down fighting. To the bitter end.
Taking a deep breath, she closed the distance between her and his throne. Her gaze locked on his, she reached out and touched the orb. The light that emanated from inside it arced and filled her palm with warmth. She saw so many images all at once that she couldn't understand any of them.
Until one became more prominent than the others.