“Indescribable?” Parnell offered. He smiled at her and his eyes briefly flashed black.
Demon energy. The immortal had demon power charging through his system. He—and maybe all of the Forgotten—had made a deal with the demons. Who knew what kind of power that merging would create?
Rune’s instincts roared. He had to get Teresa away from both Parnell and the Artifact before the black silver could do damage to her will and spirit.
“Put it down, Teresa. Drop it.”
“Don’t,” Parnell said, taking a half step, only to stop again as Rune shifted position to cover him. “Hold it, Teresa. Feel the pull. Feel the power.” His voice was seduction. Dark, hypnotic. “Open yourself to it.”
“Rune …”
“Can’t you feel it?” Parnell continued. “All you ever wanted is within your grasp. The past doesn’t matter. Only the future and what it can bring.”
Rune felt her hesitation. He feared for her in the face of the strong pull of the dark magic. For what might happen if she forgot who she was in the rush of what she was feeling now. He couldn’t risk looking at her, but he could give her something. He could tell her what he should have said in the street outside. Before they ever came into this place to find the piece of their missing past.
“Teresa … I trust you.” The words were soft but implacable. And long overdue. He had finally learned to let go of old betrayals and ancient pains. He had come to discover that Teresa was a woman of honor. Loyalty. She deserved his very best and he would not doubt her again. Ever.
He heard her soft intake of breath and knew she was surprised at his words.
“We are mates,” he continued, his voice only for her as his gaze remained fixed on his enemy. “We are one. Together we are unstoppable. I trust you, Teresa.”
“Teresa, come to me now,” Parnell said again, his tone commanding, brooking no argument.
“You said you were protecting me before, Parnell,” she whispered. “What did you mean?”
“That doesn’t matter,” he snapped, inching closer to Rune, Teresa and the black silver.
“Did you kill Elena?” she asked.
Rune gritted his teeth, knowing the answer but wishing she hadn’t asked the question. He would spare her pain if he could.
“She was nothing,” Parnell argued. “As the old woman was. As the one you saved tonight is. Humans to get in the way of your future. Our future.”
“They were my family,” Teresa said, every word stained with the power of her raw agony.
“You don’t need them. You only need me,” Parnell said, keeping one eye on Rune as he inched ever closer.
“You bastard!”
A wave of power sucked all the air out of the room and then rushed back in—like the buildup to a tsunami—as a lightning bolt slammed into the stone floor in front of Parnell.
The flash of lightning was just the distraction Rune had been hoping for. He launched himself at Parnell, taking the big man down in a thundering crash that shook the glass in the windows high above them. Rune called on the flames, covering his body with fire, heat roiling off him in waves. His powers were intensified, the pulsing rage overtaking him. His strength was immense, thanks to the Mating ritual. He was more powerful than ever before and he used every ounce of it in the blistering fight with his enemy.
Parnell’s flames erupted as well, blinding heat surrounding the two combatants as they rolled across the stone floor. Each of them was armed and knife blades flashed and gleamed in the fiery light.
Parnell’s strength was formidable, fed as it was by the demon trace energies inside him. His eyes went from black to gray and back again countless times as the immortal and the demon within seemed to battle for dominance.
Rune brought his blade down in a wide arc and made contact—he heard the other immortal’s hiss of pain. But it wasn’t enough. There was only one way to kill an immortal, he knew. He had to take Parnell’s head.
He couldn’t see Teresa, but he heard her voice, calling to the moon, chanting, working a spell, and he hoped whatever she was trying would work. He did trust her. Always would. His only job now was to rid them of Parnell. Forever.
Parnell flashed out of the fight and reappeared a few feet away. Roaring his frustration and outrage, he charged and Rune met the challenge. Two massive bodies collided in a flurry of flames and darkness. Deep shadows flickered in