I never considered myself to be especially lucky, but I've had some close calls. My current situation, for instance. I was traveling up the eastern seaboard with a pair of real-life demons, the ones with functional wings and claws as opposed to those fake demons who pose in front of green screens. Our cruising altitude had to be a good two hundred feet above anything firm without the protection of aluminum walls or shatterproof glass. So, there wasn't much a girl could do but hold on for dear life.

Given that over the past few weeks I had established relationships with folks who operated outside the boundaries of reality, I had become accustomed to, and yes, maybe desensitized to this type of situation. It wasn't my first rodeo, as they say. Unfortunately, I didn't have control of the ropes.

My abductors I knew by name. Christoph and I became acquainted on a previous kidnapping mission, so I didn't have to worry about his flight skills. He also didn't torture his prisoners with the silent treatment, which I fully intended to take advantage of. Christoph's second in command, Josh, flanked Christoph's right. Josh did the silent-but-deadly thing real well, and his graveside attitude kept Christoph quiet, but I wasn't interested in escaping my captors. If I did, they would only come after me again, or worse, torment my family. I needed to see this trip through. Then I would escape.

About the time my arms went numb, Christoph gestured to a stream cutting a path through the trees, and we started our descent. With very little effort, Christoph landed next to the water source, which looked more like a raging river on closer inspection. Josh quickly excused himself into the trees, and I followed Christoph to the shore. I needed to take advantage of Josh's absence and remind Christoph we had a history.

I dug my shoes into the dirt and tried to keep my clothes dry as I hung over the water's edge. "How often do you stop for breaks?" I asked casually.

"Every fifty miles or so."

"Oh. It's the same for gollums. At least, that's what I've learned."

Christoph grunted but he didn't look at me as he brought handfuls of water to his mouth.

"I'm sure it takes a lot of energy to fly with a passenger. How do you stay so fit?"

"Training."

"Well, it shows. I've also noticed your grip is not as suffocating as the demon who abducted me in DC. My shoulders aren't as sore. Thanks."

Christoph lifted his head and sat back on his taloned heels, appraising me with chocolate-colored eyes. "You're welcome. Are you hungry?"

Hungry? Had he heard my stomach complain? That was just a response to air travel.

"No. If I eat, you might get barf in your face."

He raised his hand in surrender. "Enough said. We're one hundred miles from the hive, so two more stops and your shoulders will get a break."

"Is the hive your home?"

"The hive is where I was raised, but I have lived in Manhattan for five years."

"Why do you call it a hive? Are there mazes and tunnels and walls made of beeswax?"

Christoph smiled, which came easily, but he glanced warily at the trees when Josh reappeared. "You got the mazes and tunnels right, but they aren't made of beeswax. They're made of limestone. We live off the coast."

"So, underground tunnels near the ocean?"

"Yes."

Suddenly, I had the urge to bolt into the woods. I had never been a fan of underground anything, especially something that could fill up with water, but I needed to bond with my captor. This didn't take much effort, actually. Christoph was easy on the eyes; in a buzz cut, Navy SEAL sort of way.

"What's going to happen to me when I get to the hive? Are you allowed to tell me, or is this just a pick-up and drop-off mission?"

Christoph sighed heavily and stared at the water rushing downstream. Josh had taken up a position a few feet away, drinking his fill. "I'm taking you to meet Cecile. The queen of the hive."

I waited for Christoph to go on, since he already told me that. "Yes...? We went over the story of Cecile the demon queen who has spent twenty-one years hunting me down so we can have a chat. Can you add anything that might put my mind at ease over the next one hundred miles?"

Christoph caught me in a taciturn gaze, which reminded me of my former self-defense instructor. "Hunting was an unfortunate misuse of a word, and I would like to strike it from the record." He waited for me to nod my agreement before continuing. "Despite what you may have heard about Cecile, she is a fair queen, and she has a real interest in your hybrid nature. Your rareness makes you valuable to her, so you have nothing to fear. Now, don't ask me any more questions. We need to make time if we're going to arrive before sunrise."

Christoph motioned to Josh, and a few minutes later we had set a course well above civilization. Christoph's body temperature kept me warm during our trip, but jet lag and chafing set in shortly after our second rest stop. The worst part about the whole thing, of course, had to be the lack of a rescue party, winged or otherwise.

Surely, someone from the Valentino household had noticed me missing. Maybe Vincent found the letter I left him, the one telling him it was better for both of us if he let me go. I wrote it more for me than him, something to excuse my idiotic choices, but I knew a bunch of sappy words on a page wouldn't keep my gollum lover away, and I felt a surge of relief knowing Vincent would not rest until I was back in his arms.

The blinking lights of Providence didn't exactly reassure me, especially when I realized we were not shooting for the city. Christoph and Josh made a beeline for a rocky outcropping jutting into the ocean well out of town. Our landing strip came in the form of a splinter of rock, one of hundreds along the coast, and I squeezed my eyes shut as Christoph made another perfect landing.

Josh changed forms and started climbing down a cliff face into the chasm of churning waters. An identical cliff stood just twenty feet beyond, where waves smashed against the rocks, spitting white froth into the air. I took a large step backward, bumping into Christoph's chest.

"We aren't going down there, are we?" I squeaked.

I felt Christoph's hand at my elbow, which I interpreted as a comforting gesture, but it only brought on the chills. "The waves don't reach the cave until dawn."

"We're going into a watery cave?" My body stiffened further as I attempted to put more distance between myself and the edge of the cliff. Christoph's unyielding body made this impossible, and he took hold of my shoulders, turning me in his arms.

"Reese, listen to me. Josh will be down there to catch you if you fall. I know we've brought you here against your will, and I'm sorry it worked out that way, but you can trust me. I won't let anyone hurt you while you're here."

Although I'd spent the last few hours in Christoph's close embrace, it felt more intimate with our mouths inches away, and I was able to find some sincerity in his eyes, which I realized were hazel, not brown. Was it the moonlight that did that?

"Okay," I said.

Knee-deep in sea water, Josh stood below me with his arms outstretched, making me feel completely not comforted, while Christoph stood at the edge of the cliff watching me descend. Also not helpful. I was on my own, employing my non-existent rock climbing skills. The ones I'd learned during summer camp when I finally gave in and scaled the rock wall to appease my friends and an unrelenting camp counselor. The only difference this time was the lack of a safety harness and a full bag of Doritos waiting for me at the bottom.

Inch by painful inch, I made the journey without losing my grip, which ended up being shorter than I thought, and Josh made an effort to keep my legs out of the icy foam as he hauled me inside the cave.

"Good job not falling," he said, which turned out to be the most words he'd spoken to me so far.

A minute later, Christoph walked into the cave sans wings and shirt, and I tried not to stare at his sculpted pectorals. He'd tucked his shirt into his back pocket, which had me trying not to stare at his sculpted backside. After a quick glance in my direction, he walked to the far end of the cave and rapped his knuckles on the limestone.

"Why couldn't you just fly down here?" I asked, as I watched Christoph tap out a rhythm on the wall. Was he using Morse code?

"The cliffs don't allow for a safe descent."

"I assume this cave leads into the hive, then?"

"Yes."

Christoph's curt manner shut me up. Back to the taciturn man. So, I familiarized myself with my predicament. The cave rose about twelve feet, with weathered walls made of limestone. Nothing special about it. Not even a handle or a lever that might open into a hidden room.

I heard, or rather felt, a deep rumble under my feet, which may have come from the ocean beating a path to our door, but my gaze soon landed on a section of wall near the ceiling that had begun to move inward, retreating into the earth by a force on the other side. The block eventually disappeared from view, leaving a space just large enough to fit a body.

Christoph and Josh stood below the opening as a rope dropped over the side to dangle into the cave, and I got the sinking feeling I was not done rock climbing. Josh went first, gripping the rope with his ham-sized hands and scaling the wall like a monkey. He shimmied through the gap and disappeared in under a minute. Of course, he made it look easy. The guy had the physique of a boot camp sergeant.

Despite all I'd been through; dangling from the arms of a winged man, the take offs and landings, getting busted drinking from a stream on private property, my stomach chose that moment to seize up, and I pressed my hands to my belly. Here I was, about to climb through a solid rock wall into a demon hive from which there may be no escape. Where was a gollum rescue when you needed one?

I jumped when Christoph's hand came to rest on my shoulder. "Your turn, Reese. There's nothing to it."

Knowing my eyes were watering, I still let him see my weakness. "Easy for you to say. You have friends on the other side."

Christoph's chest rose on a deep inhale, and his thick, blonde brows knit over his eyes. He'd dropped his armor again. "You can consider me your friend, okay? Just don't tell anyone. If you ever find yourself in a bad spot, whistle and I'll be there."

Friendship? After the whole kidnapping thing? According to Christoph, the queen thought I was rare and valuable, but to the rest of the demons, my name was mud. What about Vincent? Had he told his domus about my rare hybrid nature? Had they convinced him to let me go? Did I still have a home to go to? My stomach really started protesting, and a pair of tears rolled down my cheeks.

"Reese, we need to go. Dawn approaches and the tide is coming in."

"But, what if you're not around when I need you?" I choked out. "You live in Manhattan. You'll never hear my whistle from there."

"I'll be here a few days. It's battle training."

I offered Christoph a feeble nod of surrender, but I knew he didn't need my permission. I was at the mercy of his friendship.