Shades of Darkness (Guardians of Eternity #16) - Alexandra Ivy Page 0,17

she was supposed to be.

“Crap,” she muttered. “The connection has been broken.”

“The connection to who?” Levet studied her with more interest than fear. “Zella?”

“Shut up.”

Levet stuck out his tongue. “Dogs are the worst.”

Brigette yanked on the leash, dragging the gargoyle over the cobblestones. “One more word and I’ll eat you.”

“No need to be testy.” Levet sniffed the air, glancing around. “I think we must be in another dimension. Or perhaps between dimensions.”

Ah. That made sense. If they were between dimensions, that would explain why she lost contact with the voice.

“I have to find her,” she muttered, heading down the road and dragging the gargoyle behind her.

“Wait. Stop,” Levet protested. “Where are we going?”

“I don’t have a damned clue.”

Chapter 5

Basq was prepared as the portal shuddered and they were abruptly tossed out. He didn’t have the ability to sense magic, but he did know that the explosion that’d rocked past them was bound to cause a disruption.

“Stay still,” he commanded, holding tight to the struggling Chaaya, as he released his powers.

The female stiffened as a smothering darkness cloaked the area around them. Not just shadows, but a blinding night that not even demon sight could penetrate. It would keep them from being seen by potential enemies, as well as protect him in case they happened to be dumped on a sunny beach.

“What did you do?” Chaaya asked.

“Wrapped us in my powers.”

“Nice trick.” There was no mistaking the hint of surprise in her voice. As if she never dreamed that he might be useful.

He smiled wryly. He’d devoted centuries to hiding his innate skills, not only because he didn’t want to be used as a weapon, but to maintain his independence. It wasn’t until Chaaya came to Vegas that his image of a solid, boringly predictable male started to chafe at him.

Why?

A question he didn’t intend to answer.

“I have my moments,” he said dryly.

“If you say so.” She shifted impatiently in his arms. “Do you have any idea where we are?”

Pretending he didn’t feel a pang of hurt at her eagerness to get away from him, Basq allowed his senses to spread outward.

He caught the familiar scent of Were and granite. Brigette and Levet. The smell had already faded to mere wisps that would soon disappear entirely, which meant they were no longer in the area. Beyond that there was nothing but pine trees and the distant stench of smoke.

Cautiously he released his powers, allowing the darkness to drain away. They were standing in the middle of an empty field shrouded in the thankful darkness of night. Behind them was a forest of pine trees and ahead was a city that sprawled through a narrow valley.

It was a lovely bucolic sight, but even Basq knew that it wasn’t real.

“We’re in a bulla,” he said.

Chaaya regarded him with a puzzled frown. “A what?”

He wasn’t surprised that she didn’t know about bullas. They weren’t like the space where she’d been trapped for all those centuries. That had been a permanent foyer between two worlds. This wasn’t natural. It was created by a powerful magic.

“They’re small pockets between dimensions,” he told her, his gaze continuing to probe for any hidden dangers.

Stepping away from him, Chaaya shoved her spear into the holster at her side. The moonlight danced over her delicate features and silhouetted her slender body encased in the leather jacket and matching pants. She appeared terrifyingly fragile. At least until one caught sight of the ancient power that smoldered in her dark eyes.

“Have you been here before?”

Basq shook his head. “Not this particular one, but I’ve visited several others over the centuries.”

“Well, well. You’re just a never-ending bundle of surprises.”

He ignored her sarcasm. It was only when she wasn’t being a smart-ass that he had to worry.

“What happened to the portal?”

She grimaced, reaching up to touch a small scorch mark on her cheek. “There was some sort of glitch.”

“Glitch?”

She shrugged, turning in a slow circle as she tried to adjust to their new surroundings.

“I’m guessing Levet released some sort of magic that made it collapse. It dumped us here.”

Basq hissed. Levet was like a plague. He would appear at Chiron’s without warning, cause utter devastation, and then disappear.

“That creature is a menace.”

“I assume he was trying to help.” She sent him a narrow-eyed glare. “Like some other interfering pain in the ass I know.”

He shrugged. Did she honestly think he was going to let her chase after the Were without him? Not a chance in hell.

“Brigette was here.” He pointed toward the far side