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"Si Together, cara"

Using a running start, Salvatore ra it shift another inch There was a shrill scream of fury that filled the cavern, and the pain in Harley’s brain beca

The demon lord was clearly displeased with their efforts

Which ed to gasp, sensing they had only th to crush theainst the altar and pushed with all he orth Which happened to be a great deal His ed and the veins of his neck popped out as he added his strength to hers

The unnerving screeching continued, and the pain filtered fro to drain the last of her strength But with Salvatore at her side, they ed to keep the pressure on the altar, and with a deafening crack the botto heavily, Harley watched as theinto a dozen pieces For a moment, Salvatore stood at her side, then with a low curse he turned and kicked the brazier

The flalowing geasp, Harley sank to her knees

"Is it gone?"

"I don’t intend to stick around to find out" Reaching down, Salvatore scooped her off the ground and headed for the entrance to the cavern "Ti that he put her down, Harley stiffened as a deep booh the air and dust trickled down fro?" she ainst his chest, Salvatore sprinted through the tunnels "I’ onthe tremors that preceded a full-scale collapse "Next time you piss off a demon lord, could you hter echoed off the cru walls of the tunnel "I’ll see what I can do"

Chapter Nineteen

Caine didn’t kno much ti

It had to be long enough for the worst of his injuries to have healed, although he wasn’t ready to do any backflips He was still weak, and his roaned in protest when he forced hi of the pit far above his head One thing was for certain There was no way to get out the way he caht about one thing I a words as he’d pluh the air "Stupid and oh-so-dead Why did I ever believe that bastard?" He turned his attention to his stark surroundings "Because I wanted to believe I was convinced I was so freaking special What a joke"

With a shake of his head, Caine headed toward the nearest tunnel He couldin self-pity and walk at the sa to take to find a way out of the hellhole

He traveled through the low tunnels, occasionally slogging through water that tumbled from God only knehere, and more than once he was forced to bend over nearly in half to keep fro his head

All and all, a perfectly miserable journey

Over an hour passed before Caine at last caught the scent of soh the crack in the tunnel wall that revealed a small cave on the other side

"Hello? Who’s there?" He sucked in a deep breath, testing the air There it was again The faint scent of…Were? "Harley?" There was a rustle of sound and he caught the glimpse of a shadow dart past the narrow crack "Shit"

Unable to bust his way through the thick wall, Caine splashed down the tunnel, hoping to find an opening into the cave The sh that the Were had to be her relation

Why the pureblood would be down here defied his iht lead hinore the danger of decapitation froh the dark

The scent deepened, the hint of lavender tugging at his senses, leading hi, but suddenly finding the Were had become the most important task in his life

His pace instinctively slowed as the tunnel ended at the opening to a large cavern

Unlike the rest of the lower chaularly spent ti in the shallow strearoove in the smooth floor, and the stones that had been chiseled to rese

Caine stepped into the cave, already sensing the Were hidden behind one of the larger stalaght as well come out," he commanded

There was a tense pause, then with a slow movement, the diminutive pureblood stepped into view

The hint of familiarity in her scent had already prepared Caine for the fe resemblance to Harley

Her hair was a paler shade, closer to silver than blond, and pulled into a braid that fell to her waist Her skin was a perfect alabaster, sreen the color of spring grass and flecked with gold

Her face, however, was shaped exactly like Harley’s, and beneath the frayed jeans and sweatshirt her body was slender, but hard ell-honed muscles

She had to be one of the four pureblooded fes had taken after they were nearly discovered in Chicago