She averted her eyes from Dalir’s steady gray gaze. Didn’t people throw coins in fountains for luck? Where was a quarter when she needed one? If she had a coin, she’d wish for Reid’s safe return and a chance to beg for his forgiveness.
The ancient stared at her, and then he looked to the fountain. The same scowl she’d witnessed since they’d arrived deepened.
“Being angry at the guys or us isn’t helping.”
“They inspire frustration, not anger. They don’t listen.”
“You trust them to use their power for good. Why don’t you trust their judgment in telling us?”
“Trusting anyone outside of their brotherhood leaves room for errors. It exposes weaknesses.” His gaze bore into hers. “It gets people hurt.”
Lauren curled her fingers around the cool edge of the seat. Celine had said what would make her feel better. Dalir wasn’t afraid to tell her the truth. “I know I’m to blame. Don’t hold it against Reid. Please, just find him.”
Dalir brusquely waved her off. “Confessions and assigning blame won’t find Reid. Information will. Tell me about the man who took you. What did he look like?”
“Almost as tall as you but thinner. Short blond hair and his eyes…”
The ancient stood in front of her. “What about his eyes?”
Lauren recalled the image of her captor telling her what he’d do to Reid. She shivered. “Harsh, cold, like he didn’t have a heart.”
“Describe them. What color were his eyes?”
“Two colors. One brown. One violet blue.”
His broad shoulders dropped as if burdened by a weight. “It really is him.” He looked at the sky. “How?”
The bad feeling she’d struggled with earlier crystallized. “You know him?”
“Yes.” His skin glowed silver swirling in gold. His clothes morphed into high black boots with dark pants tucked into them. Leather strips crisscrossed his bare muscular chest.
Awe and twinges of inferiority almost made her bow her head as a curved sword formed in his hands.
Dalir’s gaze hardened. A hint of sadness intertwined with the anger in his eyes. “He’s my brother.”
The stun gun shocked Reid’s thigh. Spasms clenched his muscles from his hips to his toes.
Kell removed it. “It doesn’t have to be this way. Just tell me.”
Lauren’s laugh. It was as if he could hear her light, flirty chuckle. She made him want to follow her into the happiness that inspired it.
“Fine.” Kell snarled. “Have it your way.”
Continuous shocks formed an endless wave of pain. Kell searched for weaknesses, hammering relentlessly on the mental blockade. When the stun gun quit working, he threw it against the wall. Kell grabbed a chain from the floor. “As much as I’d like to, I can’t smash your pretty face. You still have to be able to talk.” He wound part of the chain around his hand and slashed it through the air like a sword.
Reid envisioned every gouging strike and merciless punch as Lauren’s kisses. He buried himself in recollections of caressing her, holding her, loving her.
Breathing heavily, Kell stopped. Sweat trickled from his brow. Dalir never broke a sweat. He always remained cool.
Reid spit a metallic taste from his mouth. Blood flowed freely with the agony of ripped skin torn to the muscle and broken bones. When he made love to Lauren, he never wanted it to end. But everything would, here and now. He couldn’t absorb much more of Kell’s rage.
Kell’s eyes darkened. “You find this amusing?”
“It must have sucked growing up with a brother who’s better than you.”
“Better than me? Dalir is a disgrace to his kind. A coward. He took what he didn’t deserve. Destroyed what was mine.” Kell grabbed Reid’s throat. “And you’re stupid enough to protect him.”
“You’re the one who’s stupid.” Reid swallowed against tightness of Kell’s grip. “You’re weak. If you were half of Dalir, you’d find him yourself.”
Fury lit up in Kell’s eyes. His face flushed as more of his power seeped in.
Reid’s heart sped up. He’d found Kell’s weakness. Now it was time to break him and bring it all to an end. “But you can’t find your brother because, compared to him, you’re nothing.”
Kell yelled in fury.
A fierce energy struck into Reid like a coiled snake held back too long. Kell stopped toying with him and delivered deadly strikes.
Reid’s wounds tore wider, joints stretched out of place, bones cracked. It felt as if his heart was exploding, catapulting him beyond agony. He could let go and die. His last breath fueled a final thought. Lauren smiling up at him. She faded and he welcomed the darkness.
“You must live.”
The whispered words expanded inside of him like the air refilling his lungs. But he couldn’t live. He didn’t have enough strength to shield his thoughts from Kell.