The Darkest Night

screams any longer.

The door to the bedroom creaked open slowly, and all but Ashlyn and Danika shrank as far away as possible. They grabbed each other's hands. All evening, Ashlyn had been seething with the need to confront Maddox. Danika had wanted to confront Reyes. Instead they had ended up sharing their life stories.

Rather than freaking Danika out, Ashlyn's past seemed to ease the girl's suspicions. In turn, Ashlyn had been outraged at Danika's kidnapping. How strange to think that in this place of death and fear, Ashlyn had found not only her first would-be lover but also her first real friend.

An angel stepped inside the room.

Silver hair produced a halo around his head; his green eyes sparkled like emeralds. A demon should not be so beautiful. But he was covered in black, as Ashlyn would have expected, with a black shirt, black pants and black gloves. Worse, he held a gun in one of his outstretched hands.

She'd seen him before, in Maddox's room. Last night—was it only last night?—when Maddox had been stabbed. This man hadn't participated, but he had watched. And he hadn't tried to help.

'Ashlyn,' he said, eyes searching for her.

Fear tightened her throat. He knew her name? Why hadn't Maddox come? Had he washed his hands of her already? Did he now want her dead?

Trying not to whimper, she pushed Danika behind her. 'I'm here,' she managed to squeeze out. Part of her expected to be shot that very second.

She wasn't.

The man remained in place, though his gaze moved across the room, past the bed and dresser until it collided with hers. 'Come with me.'

She felt rooted to the floor, frozen. 'Why?'

He cast a harried glance over his shoulder. 'I'll explain on the way. Now hurry. If they see you, I won't be able to save you.'

Danika was suddenly in front of her, a bundle of fury. 'She's not going with you. None of us are, no matter how many guns you point at us. You and your buddies can go fuck yourselves.'

'Maybe later,' he replied dryly, keeping his sights on Ashlyn. 'Please. We don't have much time. Do you want to see Maddox again or not?'

Maddox. Just hearing his name caused her heart rate to spike. I must be the stupidest girl in the world. She gave Danika a hug and whispered, 'I'll be okay.' She hoped.

'But—'

'Trust me.' She pulled from the girl's hold and trudged forward. The white-haired angel backed away from her as if she were a stick of dynamite.

'No one else move,' he said, practically cartwheeling in his haste to keep distance between them. 'I'll shoot first and ask questions later.' Still watching her, he stopped in the hall.

When Ashlyn stood in front of him, he added, 'Don't touch me. Bad things happen when people touch me. Don't even get close enough to fall into me if you trip.' His tone was deadly serious, his eyes now flat.

'Okay,' she said, confused. Still, she tucked her hands behind her back, just in case she forgot, and waited for him to lead the way.

He moved a wide circle around her, keeping the gun trained straight ahead, and shut and locked the door. Ashlyn didn't try to rush him. Fear once again held her bolted in place.

'What bad things?' she couldn't help but ask when he turned back to her.

He leapt into motion, throwing over his shoulder, 'Disease. Agony. Death.' He sheathed the gun at his waist. 'My skin cannot touch another living thing without causing a plague.'

Dear Lord. Whether it was true or not, the idea alone was enough to keep her away from him. She suspected he spoke true, however. Each time she'd seen him, he'd done his best to remain out of the way, removed from everyone around him. Not the actions of an evil man, but a man who cared more about others than he did himself. Her heart softened toward him. Stupid idiot.

'What's your name?'

'Torin,' he said, seeming surprised that she cared.

'You don't plan to kill me, do you, Torin?'

He snorted. 'Hardly. If I did, Maddox would cut out my heart and fry it for breakfast.'

'Okay, that was a little more information than I needed,' she said, yet she couldn't help but experience a silly, schoolgirl rush of happiness. Did Maddox care about her, then? Even a little? If so, where was he? Why hadn't he come for her?

Torin led her through the hallways, quiet, even his footfalls muffled. A few times he stopped and listened, then motioned for her to hide in the shadows. 'Keep it down,' he told her when she opened her mouth to ask a question.

'Anytime you're ready to talk, I'm ready to hear about what's going on,' she whispered.

He ignored her. 'We're almost there.'

'Where?' The more she walked, the more she thought she heard… what was that?

A second later, she knew.

Her stomach cramped, the noise becoming all too clear. Screaming. Agonized, pain-filled screaming. She'd heard that torturous suffering only once before and it had been once too often.

'Maddox,' she gasped out. Not again!

She was so close now, she could make out the deep timbre of his voice, his and the second voice that sometimes peeked through it, both broken and cracked. She wanted to vomit. Urgency pulsed through her. She almost raced in front of her guide, but held her ground, afraid he'd reach out to stop her. 'Hurry, Torin. Please hurry. I have to help him. We have to stop them.'

'In here,' he said, opening a door and stepping out of the way. She raced into the room, already searching for Maddox. She saw an antique chest, a bearskin rug, a canopied bed, but no Maddox. Confused, concern intensifying, she spun around.

'Where is he?' She had to get to him. Didn't matter what he'd done to her or how he felt about her.

He shouldn't have to suffer like that.

'Don't worry about Maddox. You know he'll be fine. Worry about yourself. They were going to take you into the city, and I couldn't let them. Maddox would have murdered us all in our beds. So, for the sake of my life if not yours, be quiet. They don't have a lot of time to search for you. Behave and you might survive.' He shut the door in her face with a soft snick.

A click echoed as the lock engaged.

Dread, fear and uncertainty fought for dominance inside of her. She didn't know if Torin had been telling the truth and she didn't care. She had to get to Maddox. Another of his shouts pierced the air and seemed to cut through plaster and rock, wrapping around her.

Tears stung her eyes. She rushed to the door, trying to turn the knob with a shaky hand. It didn't budge. Damn it! She'd be quiet, but she was not staying in this room.

Ashlyn wheeled around and again surveyed the area, trying to see it through a thief's eyes. Dust covered everything, as if the room had been forgotten for years. No knick-knacks, either. Nothing she could use to smash the lock.

She moved to the window and swept the drapes aside, instantly gaining a view of the mountain, white and majestic. A balcony led—she looked, gasped. Down, down, down. Only if you fall. Thankfully the double glass windows opened easily. Ignoring the sudden blast of frigid air, she peeked right, then left. A few feet over was another balcony.

Maddox bellowed, loud and long.

Palms sweating, she raced to the bed, an idea forming in her mind. A dangerous idea. A stupid idea. 'The only idea,' she muttered, sweeping up the covers and sheets with a flick of her wrist.

Dust filled her nose and mouth and she coughed but didn't slow. She tied one end of the sheet to one end of the comforter. 'It's been done in movies. You'll be okay.' Maybe. Actors had nets—and stunt doubles. She had