Baal grunted. He despised the fact his friend was being punished, but knew better than to ask questions about it. Aidyn had contacted him and begged him to take this assignment and keep it quiet. How he’d known Katie and Seth were destined, Baal had no idea and wasn’t going to ask. He wondered if Aidyn knew about Seth’s little habit, but again he’d keep the vampire’s secret. If Baal looked at it logically, Seth was bound to die anyway and at least the drugged-up blood he drank might buy him some time. One thing was certain. Baal couldn’t blame Seth for not wanting to mate with the firecracker. This late in the game no one knew if she could actually save him and if he did mate her and everything went south she would end up on the losing end.
The fact that Seth still had enough common sense not to drag the woman down with him was the only reason Baal would keep his word and not tell the others. He would also kill the vampire if things got too bad. It was another reason Aidyn had asked him to intervene. The guardian king knew that any of the vampires would honor the code and take Seth out, Aidyn just didn’t want them to have to do it. It would be hard enough to lose one of their own and Baal had already proved he had no issues killing.
I vow I’ll do everything possible to get them together, but it’s not gonna be easy. He will fight me every step of the way.
I know, but try. His life depends on it. I have to go. Aidyn broke the connection.
Baal looked again at the house. “Something isn’t right in there.” He decided to flash inside and take a peek. Once in the house he knew immediately Katie had managed to sneak out. “Fuck me.” Now he’d have to find Seth and tell Seth he’d lost her. The vampire would be the only one who could track her, but first he opened his senses and searched for any kind of magic. If the dagger was in here he would find it.
Nothing.
Well he didn’t figure he’d get so lucky, but he’d hoped. “Shit, now to go piss off an unstable vampire. Just my fucking luck.”
Chapter Five
Professor Bradford had agreed to meet Katie at the local bagel shop over on First Street. With a quick glance at the clock, she realized she’d better hurry and reached for her keys then thought better of it. To take her own car might not be the best idea. Last thing she wanted was to be spotted, so she reached for her papers instead then ran outside and hailed a cab. Glanced around to see if anyone watched her. Like she’d know anyway. She opened the door and slipped into the back seat and gave the driver instructions.
The restaurant was a good twenty-minute ride and she couldn’t help the nagging suspicion she was being followed. Even so, she refused to look behind her. It would only cause the cabbie to become suspicious and that was the last thing she wanted. She rubbed the back of her neck to try and relieve some of the tension, hoping another migraine didn’t come on.
When they pulled up out front, a mix of relief and anxiety came over her and she handed the man his fare. “Keep the change.” She jumped from the back seat and walked to the door. Again, eyes bore into her back and she gave a sideways glance, but with the bustle on the sidewalk there was no way to tell who watched her. She slipped inside and spotted the professor already seated at a booth sipping coffee, a bagel in front of him. With a confident step she walked to him and slid into the seat across from him.
His brown eyes lit up. “Ms. O’Hara, you look lovely this morning.”
She offered a warm smile. “Thank you, Professor Bradford, and thank you for agreeing to meet me.”
“Please, call me Hank. What can I do for you, Ms. O’Hara?”
“I’ll call you Hank if you’ll call me Katie.”
His smile reached his eyes. “Of course.”
“Good.” She set her map on the table. “My father passed recently...”
“Oh, I’m so sorry.”
“Thank you. Anyway, as I was going through his belongings, I came across this piece of paper and wondered if you could make any sense of it?”
He reached for his glasses and perched them on the end of his nose. Pushed his coffee and bagel aside then unfolded the paper, spreading it across the table. He was silent for several minutes before he peered over the tops of his glasses.
“Very interesting. It looks like a map, but this is inaccurate.”
She narrowed her gaze on the paper. “How so?”
“Well, this indicates there is a hidden tunnel in Seti the second’s tomb, but that area has been gone over with a fine-tooth comb. It also says something about a book called Mitne and again that’s impossible. There have never been any books of any kind found anywhere in the Valley of the Kings.”
“Hmm, I see.” She leaned back and tried to feign boredom. “I wonder why my father had this.”
The professor shrugged. “Perhaps he purchased it thinking it was a legit map. I’m sorry.”
“No, don’t be. At least now I know it’s basically garbage. I’m sorry to have wasted your time.” She reached out and grabbed the paper and folded it. “I’ll tell you what. Let me give you a free night on the house. Whatever you want. You just stop in anytime and I’ll make sure my assistant knows.”
The flush started at his neck and raced up to his forehead. “Why thank you, Katie.”
“You’re welcome. I hate to run, but I still have a lot of things to take care of.”
“Of course.”
She slid from the booth and walked out the door. Hailing a cab, she headed back to her office. Little did the professor know he’d given her a place to start and an object to search for. It was best he thought the paper a fake anyway. Last thing she wanted was anyone else involved. Now, she just had to figure out how to find the hidden chamber, not to mention how the hell she was going to get into the Valley of the Kings and snoop. The place must have top-notch security. She rubbed her temples and tried to think if there was anyone she could hire to help her get inside.
Seth occupied a corner of the darkened room. The blade embedded deep into the muscle of his thigh. He winced, but continued to push the point further until it hit bone and a sigh of pleasure escaped his lips.
You need to find the girl. Must have her!
“You need to shut the fuck up,” he replied through gritted teeth and gave the knife a twist. The visions had grown worse and the only thing that helped was pain. The sharp, mind-numbing kind he received when he sliced into his own flesh. It also delighted the dark voice and since he refused to give it the girl, it seemed to settle for the pain. Seth wondered who he had drunk from in his life that had been more fucked up in the head than him.
He pulled out the dagger and watched the blood trickle down his leg. If only he could bleed to death, but his wound knitted together within seconds. How the hell had his life brought him to the point of being alone in a seedy hotel room with a knife stuck in his thigh? He’d once been a guardian, a warrior who fought evil in the world so humanity could sleep in peace. Now, he was the evil. More messed up than the addicts on the street corner. He eyed the syringe next to him on the floor. He’d already prepped it for injection. Would a direct hit be the same or better than drinking from an addict?
He looked back to the healed wound on his leg, then back to the needle and he thought of Vivian. He could almost see the disappointment on her face at what he’d become. He ran his fingers through his hair and ripped chunks from his scalp. Gods just fucking let me die!
“What the hell?”
Seth used his legs to push his way up the wall and winced. He was not in the mood for company.
“You stupid motherfucker,” Baal growled.
“Demon.” Seth laughed and noticed how his voice reverberated around the room. He watched the demon’s gaze fall to the blood on his thigh.
“What happened to your leg?”
He flashed the blade that still dripped his blood. “The voice enjoys my pain.”
Baal scraped his fingers through his hair. “Dear gods. I should really call Marcus, you have fucking lost it.” Then his gaze darted to the syringe on the floor.
Seth lunged,
but found himself blocked in a cocoon of magic that held him in place. “I’ll kill you. You vowed to tell no one.” He twisted and snarled, but remained contained. Baal stepped closer until he was within inches of Seth. Seth swore if he could free himself he would roll the demon’s head across the floor.
“Listen up, dick wad. I’ll take you out like yesterday’s trash and not blink a fucking eye.” He narrowed his gaze. “However, I need you to find that damn mate of yours. So, straighten your vampire ass up so we can get the dagger back.” He stepped back. “After that I couldn’t give a rat’s ass what happens to you.” He reached for Seth’s blade and in the process of taking it slapped a band of silver on Seth’s wrist.
“Sorry, but this seems the only way to control you.”
The barrier broke away and Seth crumpled to the floor. The band riddled in Kothar magic meant he was now as weak as a human.
“Once you come back to your senses, we will find your mate.”
Seth snorted. “I have no sense, demon, but how the hell did you lose her?”
“Too busy worrying about your ass.”
The voices crept back into his head. A din in the recess of his mind. “I didn’t know you cared.”
“I don’t, but we need that blade back.” Baal eyed the syringe again. “Please tell me that’s not what I think it is?”
Seth gave his head a shake. “I’m a mess.” If he was capable of having a panic attack there was no doubt he’d be having one now. It was getting more difficult to discern reality from the fiction in his mind. He was about to do the one thing he’d never done in his entire life. “Help me.”
Baal growled and pointed a finger at the syringe zapping it to dust. “You’re done with the drugs.” His features softened. “If you need to hurt yourself physically, I get it. I’ll even look the other way, but this other shit? I’ll make what Aidyn would do to you look like a fucking stroll in the park.”
Seth breathed a sigh of relief and hated to admit that was exactly what he needed. He would never tell his brethren he had a problem. Couldn’t stand to see the look of disappointment on their faces, especially Garin. He was closer to the guardian than any other and the thought of what it would do to his friend ate at him. With Baal things were different. The demon wouldn’t take his shit.
“I owe you.”
Baal snorted. “I’ll collect later. In the meantime, can you pull your shit together long enough to track your mate?”
“Release me.” He held out his wrist so the demon could remove the silver band.
Baal complied, but kept a wary eye on him. “How do you feel?”
Seth assessed himself. His powers returned now that the silver was removed. “The voices are back but I’ll manage.”
“Good. Now, find your mate.”
Katie dug her passport from the desk drawer then opened up her laptop. She needed to find a flight to Egypt and the sooner the better before that crazy man came back looking for her. She dabbed at the bead of sweat on her upper lip. Another hot flash engulfed her and she reached for the hem of her top and whipped it off. Had she been older, she could attribute them to menopause, but she was too young for that. Doctors had run tests and found her hormones to be in perfect working order. They concluded it was all in her head.
She grabbed an ice cube from her glass and ran it across her chest and between her breasts.
“What a stunning sight.”
“Shit!” She jumped and looked across the room. Seth, and this time he had company. A rather delicious man with raven hair and golden eyes. “Don’t you ever knock?” She held up her hand. “Actually, don’t answer that and no I’m still not giving you the dagger.”
The other man stepped forward. “What are you?”
She arched a brow. “What do you mean, dumb-ass, haven’t you seen a woman before?” She thought about grabbing her shirt, but couldn’t stand the thought of the fleece next to her skin. She’d rather sit there in her bra and let them stare than burn herself alive.
He crossed his arms over an expansive chest and stared. “I’ve seen plenty of women, though usually they’re writhing beneath me naked.”
This exchange wasn’t helping her body temperature in the least and neither was staring at him. “Mr. Ruiz, you can take your pet and leave now.”
The delicious eye-candy tossed his head back and laughed. “I do really like her, Seth. She has spunk and would be a great match for you.”
Seth stepped forward. “Zip it, demon.”
Katie jumped from her chair. “Demon? You bring a demon into my club? I knew you were crazy, but...” She tilted her head. She couldn’t sense this one. There was no smell of death.
“Relax. He’s a Kothar, on our side.”
“Kothar?” She recalled the name from her mother’s letter. So, this was who she was supposed to seek out? Interesting.
He stepped closer. “My name is Baal and I don’t believe in beating around the bush. We need that dagger back and I would be grateful if you’d hand it over.”
“Why? Give me one good reason to give it to you.”
“I can think of several, but mostly it is far too dangerous in the hands of a human,” Seth replied.
“Umm, fang face. Your mate here isn’t exactly one-hundred percent grade A human.”
“What?” Seth and Katie yelled in unison.
Katie narrowed her gaze on Seth. “What do you mean mate?” There is that word mother referred to.
Seth waved his hand and dismissed her. “What do you mean not human?” Then he turned back to Katie. “Why do you not seem surprised by the fact you’re not human?”
“Didn’t you notice her body temperature is much too high?” Baal circled her like a tiger ready to pounce. “There is something else, but I can’t place it.”
“You’re right. Now that you mention it, she is off.”
“Okay, I hope you both know that you’re not scoring any brownie points here. In case you were never taught, compliments, flowers, candy and jewelry are how you win a woman.”
The two men looked at each other then back to her.
“Fine, how much do you want for the dagger? Cash or jewels? You name your price,” Seth said.
“I...” She gripped the edge of her desk for balance. Oh god, not now! Another attack was imminent and she was helpless to stop it. The vision flashed in her head of her lying on a cold, stone slab like some kind of sacrifice, except she was certain she was dead. It wasn’t the first time this particular vision had hit her. It always happened right before she blacked out.
She swayed, the voices of the two men in the room with her became an echo as everything dimmed. She had a moment to wonder if they were the ones who would be taking her life.
Chapter Six
Seth sensed Katie falling before she ever hit the floor and wrapped his arms around her, carrying her limp body to the sofa where he laid her down.
“Something is very wrong with her,” Baal stated.
“Obviously.” Seth allowed his annoyance to seep through. He touched her temple and searched her mind. “She’s worried about an impending trip to Egypt, a map of some sorts and a letter from her mother.”
“Why don’t you just drink from her then obtain all her memories? We’d know where the dagger was.”
He glanced at Baal. “I’m not tasting her blood. To do so would start the bonding.” He already held guilt for invading her mind even though it was necessary. “You’re right though, she isn’t fully human and something is going on inside her.”
Katie stirred with a moan. Her thick lashes fluttered before blue eyes filled with fear stared back at him. Was she afraid of him? It would be best if she were, yet he wanted her to look at him with desire instead. It was a foolish thought.
“You blacked out. Does this happen often?” he asked.
Baal handed him a glass of water and Seth helped her sit up before pressing it to her lips. Katie knocked it away and pinned him with a death glare.
“Stay the hell out
of my head.”
With those words her mind slammed shut and Seth was tossed out. He turned to Baal. “She just blocked me.”
The demon’s brows shot up. “No shit?”
Katie swung her legs and sat up. “Stop talking about me as if I weren’t here.”
“Very well.” Seth moved out of the way and took a seat in the chair across from her. “I think it’s time we were all truthful since it seems we need each other.” He couldn’t stop looking at her breasts as they rose and fell with each heavy breath she took.
“Hey, asshat. My eyes are up here.” She pointed.
Seth scowled. “Then put some fucking clothes on.” He leaned forward as if that would push home his point. “After all, you sell sex so you should know better than to put the girls on display if you don’t want to be ogled.”
A whistle came from across the room. “Way to earn brownie points, vampire.”
Seth glared at the demon from the corner of his eye. “I’ll endeavor to do better.” He put on his best smile. “My apologies. Now, as I said, it seems we need each other.”
“Ha! Why would you think I need you? It seems I have something you want, not the other way around,” Katie replied.
Baal took a seat in the other chair. “Oh, I’d kill for some popcorn right now. This oughta be most entertaining.”
Seth ignored him. “I beg to differ. I had enough time to see the map and know you need us to decipher it. Besides, there are changes occurring inside you that maybe we can help you with.”
She stared at both of them for a long while and after several minutes her shoulders dropped in defeat. “Fine, I’ll tell you all I know.”
Relief came over Seth, at least it was a start. “How about we start at the beginning. How did you end up with the dagger?”
“My father gave it to me. Said it was a gift from my mother.”
The two men looked at each other before Seth replied, “Who was your mother?”
Katie rose and walked to the desk where she grabbed an envelope then handed it to Seth. “Until last night I didn’t really know. She died when I was a child.”
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