Drake felt his own temper rising. “Just promise me,” he snapped, in a tone he used when he told others they had no other choice but to obey him.
Charlie folded her arms, shaking her head. “I don’t get you. I thought you wanted us to have something real. That’s what you said. A relationship built on trust. How can we ever have that when you keep things from me?”
“I’m telling you now.” But he knew she was right.
“Only because you don’t have another choice,” Charlie snapped back. “Would you have told me if we weren’t going to Kyral?”
Drake looked away, unable to answer. He wanted to keep her away from all of this. That was why he’d ended their relationship. But she’d come right long after him. “Yes,” he said finally. “I would’ve told you everything in time. Use the ring or don’t. I just thought you should know. In truth, I have no idea what kind of danger we’ll face in Kyral – I wanted you to go home but you chose to come. So we do things my way.”
Her eyes flashed, turning the same shade of amethyst as his ring. “I’m your mate, not one of your lackeys who you can boss around.”
Drake let out a breath in frustration. “You’re the most bloody stubborn woman I’ve ever known.”
Charlie snorted. “You’re just not used to people saying no to you.”
“I’d do anything to keep you safe,” he growled. “Even if it meant giving up my own life because you’re the only thing in this world that matters to me.”
Charlie sighed. “How do you do that?”
“Do what?”
“Make me mad, then say something to make me melt inside.”
Drake smiled, rubbing his knuckles over her jaw. “I’m your mate.”
Charlie sat down beside him. “Yes, you are. I’ll use the damn ring if I have to, but I want you to know I want a relationship with you – not anyone else,” she told him. “I want something real. If you can’t give me that you need to tell me now before we get any deeper.”
Drake caressed her cheek. “I want that too – but know that I can’t give you any more than this right now.”
“This is enough.” She snuggled against him as they let sleep claim them.
Chapter 8
Charlie awoke to the feel of claws wrapped around her throat, piercing through her skin in sharp pinpricks of pain. Her eyes flew open to see a skeletal face looming over her, its hollow mouth open like a black hole of emptiness; its black wispy form floating above her like a giant hooded cloak.
A Mija, great! Charlie tried to draw in breath to faze out but she couldn’t. Her lungs burned from lack of oxygen. She gritted her teeth, wrapped her fingers around the creature’s bony arm and let her magic loose as she unleashed her touch.
The Mija let out a bloodcurdling screech as her power burned through it. Drake shot up beside her as Charlie fazed out and fell onto the floor, landing in a heap. He hurled a fireball at it. Mijas were skeletal beings that hovered between life and death. They needed to feed on magic to survive, but most had been wiped out after the revolution. Only the touch of the Denai could kill them.
The screams grew louder as flames engulfed its body but it soon shook off the flames.
“Does Goodridge ever give up?” Charlie muttered.
Drake threw another fireball.
Charlie scrambled out. “Come on, Mija, come and get me. We both know it’s me you want. My demon doesn’t have much magic.”
The Mija flew at her, its claws slashing her arm. She ignored the pain, grabbed its throat and let her power out. Her eyes burned red as she let out her touch. The creature exploded in a burst of light.
Blood seeped from Charlie’s arm and throat. “Gods.” Drake hurried over to her, igniting the lamps as he went. “You’re bleeding.” He grabbed her med-kit, pulling out bandages.
“Bloody Goodridge,” she cursed as Drake held a cloth to her neck. “Why do I get the feeling he’s not trying to kidnap me?” She winced as he pressed harder. “I think he’s testing me.”
Drake’s jaw clenched, his ice blue eyes bleeding to black as they did when he felt strong emotion.
“I’m alright.” She touched his cheek.
“Sometimes I forget how fragile you are,” he muttered.
Fragile? Me? She snorted. “There’s nothing fragile about me, Vlad.”
Charlie’s skin began to tingle. She looked down to see the blood flow ebbing. Had she started healing on her own? That meant only one thing: transition. She backed away, seeing the slashes close over. Drake looked too, frowning. “My ascension must be getting close,” Charlie mused. She didn’t know whether to be excited or terrified. She’d become immortal soon, and that came with its own risks.
“We’ll need to be extra careful then.” Drake wrapped an arm around her, hugging her against his chest. Charlie melted against him, knew he worried.
“You’re right, Goodridge does seem to be testing you,” he said, running a hand through her hair.
“For what?” She pulled back, running her fingers over her throat to feel the slashes fading and wiping the dried blood away. “The Srimtar is somewhere he can’t reach it – unless he’s trying to figure out a way to weaken me.” She slumped onto the bed, feeling too wired to go back to sleep.
Drake sat up beside her. “We are already weakened. Your powers will be unpredictable now you’re in transition and I’m still injured.”
“Why do I get the feeling you’re hiding something from me?” She looked him right in the eye.
He flinched and had the same guilty look on his face. She’d started to read her demon well now. “Drake, we agreed no more secrets.”
He sighed. “There is one way to speed up my healing.”
Charlie brightened. “Good, are we finally going to be bonded?”
“No, I can take power from other demons.”
She nodded. “Yeah, I’ve already seen that.”
Drake hesitated. “It’s more effective if I take it from blood.”
Okay, that part she hadn’t expected. “Like a vampire?” Charlie grinned. “Guess my nickname is more fitting than you let on, huh, Vlad?”
Drake scowled. “I need blood to survive, it strengthens me. Blood drinking was outlawed by my clan centuries ago. I’ve never drunk blood from anyone before,” he said. “I have no need for it, but…”
“But you’re weak.” Realisation dawned on her. “Oh.” Her cheeks flushed. “You need to drink from me, don’t you?”
“No, I won’t.” He moved away from her. “I’ll be healed a few days.”
“Drake, you’re the Akaran. You can’t be weak like this.” She grabbed his arm, forcing him to face her. “You don’t know what your brother will do either. So just do it.”
His eyes shifted from blue to black again as his jaw set. “No,” he growled.
Stubborn demon! “Why not? You wouldn’t have told me if you need my help.” Charlie held out her wrist. “Go ahead.”
His eyes narrowed. “You trust me that much?”
“Of course I trust you – more than anyone.”
Drake’s fangs shot out and sank deep into her wrist. She felt a stab of pain, then pleasure shot through her entire body. “Wow, I may have to get you to do that more often,” she said when he pulled back.
Drake pulled off one of his bandages, saw the wound had vanished.
“Feel better?” Charlie raised an eyebrow.
He answered her by pulling her in for a deep kiss.
The team set out again the next morning on the road for the city. Charlie felt relieved to see Drake looking more like his old self but she sensed how uneasy he felt.
Strange, she seemed to pick up on his emotions now – the sign of a bond. She could tell he held back but she’d get him to seal that bond soon. She was in this for the long haul now and nothing would change that – not even him.
Cate had said to her once, “The trouble with us McCrays is when we fall in love, it’s forever.”
Charlie pondered that thought. S
he’d thought herself in love with Scott, her ex-boyfriend too, but he’d never been able to stir the kinds of emotions in her that Drake did.
“We should reach the city in the next couple of hours.” Charlie glanced at the SatNav as she drove. She felt Drake tense in the seat beside her. You don’t have to do this, she said.
His jaw tightened. You know I must.
“So we’re bounty hunters, your brother is the fake Akaran and we’ve got to pretend you’re our prisoner,” Kaz stated.
“Why?” asked Nigel.
“Daron blamed me for our family’s murder, I don’t know how he’ll react to my presence,” said Drake.
Kaz raised an eyebrow. “Then why the hell are you going back?”
“Because he sent for me and I’ve already wiped out the demons who were responsible.”
“If you’re the Akaran, why don’t you rule demons?” Nigel wanted to know.
Drake didn’t answer, instead continuing to stare out of the window. Charlie glanced over at him then noticed the stone walls of buildings up ahead. Had they reached the city already? No, it looked too small for that.
The map on the SatNav led straight through it. When Drake didn’t protest, she guided the car forward. Wooden shutters hung from windows, doors were missing and bodies lined the streets. Some were hanging from trees.
Charlie slammed on the brakes. The team exited the car to investigate. Drake knelt to examine the bodies.
“Are they demons?” Charlie asked. She assumed demons’ bodies vanished in death, but maybe not.
“Yes,” Drake growled. “Not all demons vanish.”
“What killed them?” Charlie knelt beside him, touching his shoulder. She spotted a black symbol burned onto the forehead of the bodies. It looked like a Griffin – half lion, half eagle.
Drake muttered something in Demonish, stalked off without saying a word.
“What’s up with him?” Kaz asked.
Charlie shrugged, glancing after him. “I don’t know, he’s trying to pull away from me again. I can feel it.”
“Well, don’t let him.”
“I don’t have a good feeling about going to the city either.”
“Let’s not go, and drag Drake’s fine arse back to Setara instead.” Kaz smirked.
Charlie’s lips quivered. “No, he’ll go back there one way or another. Let’s look around while we’re here.” She kept a hand on the butt of her gun as she moved. Drake disappeared but she sensed him close. Best leave him alone for a while.
Charlie sent her senses out, scanning for any signs of spirits. She’d never encountered demon’s spirits before. Given they had souls too she didn’t see a reason why they wouldn’t have them or some kind of remnant of their former selves.
Inside the houses contained old furniture. Bread and meat were laid out on the table and all of it had turned rotten with flies buzzing around. She guessed everyone had been killed at least a month ago. She didn’t much like working among the dead despite her medium powers.
Nothing triggered her senses, no trace of spiritual energy. Strange. Victims of violent deaths often hung around waiting for justice. Yet she found nothing.
Charlie moved to the next house, furniture had been toppled over, with scorch marks covering the walls. She reached to touch the mark, wondering if her transitioning powers might include visions.
Nothing happened.
She decided she could do without that gift but wondered why she didn’t sense something. Her Denai powers often let her sense how someone had died.
Light shimmered out the corner of her eye.
Charlie turned and saw a girl there. Her dark curls fell past her shoulders, her pale blue eyes looked sad as she stared at Charlie.
Charlie cast her senses out but they gave her no reading. Weird, this had to be a spirit. The girl’s robe glimmered white in the pale light.
“Hi, did you live here?” Charlie asked, grimacing. She never developed a tact for talking to the dead, despite years of practice. “I’m Charlie, what’s your name?”
The girl blinked, those cool blue eyes seeming to stare straight through her. “You must save him.”
“What? Save who?” She frowned, releasing her gun that hung over her chest.
The girl motioned for her to follow.
Charlie hesitated. She hated when she couldn’t sense anything from spirits, which meant they weren’t ghosts or they were big trouble. Get a grip, you’re a medium. You can control spirits and stop demons. She found herself moving forward as the girl vanished through the wall.
Drawing in breath, Charlie fazed after her, passing through the wall.
No, you must go back! A voice echoed in her mind.
Mist whirled around her, a haze of swirling purple.
What the hell?
The girl stood there. “Save him. You must save him from the darkness.”
Charlie let out a breath again in a whoosh, lungs burning. “Save who?” she gasped. “Where are we?”
This didn’t feel like the spirit realm, it was something else yet she didn’t feel afraid of it all the girl.
She took a step closer but the girl seemed further away. “Who do you want me to save?”
“Beware those who hide in the light. They will try to distract you from your path,” the girl said. “Only you can save him.”
Blurs of light moved around her, ghostly, a blur of hands and faces. It reminded her of the strange beings who’d attacked them the day before. Had they followed her or had she entered their space?
Charlie clutched her gun then let go. It wouldn’t do any good. This wasn’t the physical world. She didn’t know what it was. One of the figures move towards her. She raised her hand. Blue orbs flared to life between her fingers. That’s new!
“You’re not getting the Srimtar,” she snapped. “It’s not yours to have.”
“We do not want the orb,” the voice sounded female but Charlie couldn’t be sure.
Where the hell had the girl gone? How could she get back to the village?
“Charlie, listen,” the voice continued. “You must get away from the Akaran. He deceives you.”
It sounded so ridiculous she burst out laughing. “Yeah, like I’m gonna leave my demon.”
“Lies,” the voices echoed. “He deceives you. You are not his.”
“I’ve heard enough.” Charlie tried to faze but nothing happened. Her heart started pounding. Why couldn’t she go back? “Let me go!”
The figures closed in, swirling like a circle of enveloping mist around her, blocking any possible way out.
“Drake is not your mate. If you stay with him you will die.”
Her fists clenched. “He’d never hurt me.” She’d heard enough of this crap, but couldn’t get through them.
“You barely know him,” another voice said.
Her hands clenched into fists. “I know he’s my mate. What we have is real.”
“He left you,” the voice reminded her. She felt a stab of pain at the mention of that, but ignored it. If they thought they could play on her fears and doubts, they’d be damned wrong. The mist swirled around her. “All Akarans die, he’ll take you with him unless you leave now.”
Charlie gritted her teeth, shivering as the mist tingled against her skin. I need to get the hell out of here. “I am leaving now. Let me out of this place.”
Blue lightning shot from her hand, hurtling one of the figures away from her. She let out a breath she hadn’t known she’d been holding.
She did have power here.
“Charlie…” A glowing hand reached for her.
“No!” she screamed.
The purple haze around her blurred as she felt herself being dragged backwards. Charlie hit the ground as she landed on the floor of the house. What the hell had that been? First a strange girl, now creepy mist people telling her she had to break up with Drake. As if!
“Charlotte.” Drake appeared behind her, yanking her up. “Where were you?” He shook her shoulde
rs and she saw fear in his eyes. “I couldn’t sense you anywhere in the world.” He crushed her against his chest.
“I don’t think I was in this world,” she admitted.
“You went into the spirit realm?”
Charlie opened her mouth to tell him what happened but then hesitated. Should she tell him the truth?
“I saw a girl – I went somewhere else.” She shook her head. “I guess I passed over without meaning to.”
“What girl? What does she want?” Drake asked.
Charlie hugged him, resting her head against his chest. “It was just a lost soul trying to get some closure. I’m sorry I couldn’t help her – her message was too mixed up for me to understand.” Holding him eased some of the uneasiness away. “Did you find anything?” she added.
His expression darkened. “The mark and the bodies are the symbol of the Akaran.”
Charlie frowned. “You didn’t kill them.”
“No, it must have been my brother.”
“Maybe we shouldn’t go there.” She clutched his jacket. “I don’t have a good feeling.”
Drake touched her cheek. “I can’t ignore my past any longer.”
Charlie sighed. “I know, and I’ll be with you no matter what.”
Drake gave her a quick kiss.
She glanced back at the wall, remembering the girl stare. “You think you know what you are, what’s to come. You’ve not even begun,” a voice whispered.
Drake didn’t seem to hear or sense anything as he wrapped an arm around her. Charlie shivered, checking again, half expecting the strange figures or the girl to reappear. But nothing happened.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Nothing, this place just creeps me out.” Somehow she didn’t think they were connected to Goodridge. Weird, they’d felt almost familiar to her. Though she had no idea how that could be possible, and she didn’t want to stick around to find out more.
Chapter 9
The great stone walls of the citadel loomed into view as they approached Kyral city. Charlie stared in awe. Seeing it again gave Drake mixed feelings. But he couldn’t afford to let any emotion get in the way being back here. He had to think and act like an Akaran.
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