"Sorry," another female voice said. "I told you it was harder to summon beings of a dark nature. I don't think I could have done it if you hadn't been here to provide a connection to him."
"Are you all right? Alec?"
He opened his eyes to find Cora's exotic, mysterious eyes filled with concern as they peered at him. "You didn't leave me?"
"No," she said, a smile curling those delicious lips.
He couldn't stop himself. He slid his fingers into her hair and pulled her down to him, his heart singing with the pleasure of tasting her again, of plunging into her sweetness, of feeling her respond to him with a little shiver of excitement.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here? A Dark One. How very interesting."
A man's voice interrupted his pleasant contemplation of just how quickly he could get Cora into bed so he could make her hum like she'd never hummed before.
"You did not tell me you were a Beloved, woman," the man continued.
There was something about his voice that had Alec leaping to his feet, a startled - and breathless, he was smugly pleased to note - Cora shoved behind him.
Two men stood watching him - one he recognized as being the lich who had ties to his friends Kristoff and Pia, but the other . . . "Who are you?"
"I am de Marco. You are known to me," the man answered, his eyes narrowed as he raked Alec over with a look that had him instantly annoyed. "I make it my business to know Dark Ones who cross my path, and you are friends with that irritating reaper, are you not?"
Do you know him? Cora asked.
No. But he seems to know me.
I don't think that's a good thing, Alec.
I suspect you're right.
"Yes, this is going to work out well," de Marco said with a fat smile. "Ulfur, take the Dark One to our guest rooms. You, Beloved, you will now give me the Occio."
Alec? Cora asked, pressing against his back.
Yes, we run. Right now.
She didn't want to debate the subject; she just turned on her heels and ran for the door. Alec anticipated the shouted order that the man de Marco gave, and, with a look of apology, slammed his fist into Ulfur's face as the latter attempted to stop them. He grabbed the hand of the other woman who stood there, hauling her after him with the assumption that she was not a part of what was going on.
"Who are you?" he asked as he shoved her through the door, slamming it shut on de Marco's face.
"Noelle. I'm a Guardian. Is Cora really your Beloved ? I'm a Beloved, too, although the Dark One who I was supposed to save found someone else, and - "
Cora stood down the end of a hallway in an open door, sunlight spilling in around her as she yelled at him to come that way. He didn't hesitate, just shoved the chatty Guardian toward her, spinning around when de Marco burst into the hallway behind them, a gun in his hand.
"Run!" he shouted to the women, hefting a small half-moon table to hurl at de Marco.
"He's got a gun, Alec!" Cora yelled back, and he knew even without looking that she was coming back to save him.
Dammit, woman, I am the man! I will do the saving! You will run when I tell you to run!
You can stuff that macho crap where the sun don't shine. Besides, he's got a gun! He'll shoot you!
He can't hurt me. You, however, are still mortal.
Cora flung herself on him just as de Marco opened fire, sending them both to the floor. He twisted as they fell, rolling over on top of her to protect her, pulling her head down so it was tucked against the wall of his chest.
You fool! he growled into her mind. You'll get yourself killed that way.
Use me!