Come Hell or High Water

by Michele Bardsley

  Scrymgeour barked, then sped off to do Connor’s bidding.

  “You have a Chihuahua hellhound for a pet?”

  “Hellhounds choose their forms and their masters. I dinnae know why he settled for a Chihuahua or for me, but I’m glad to have him.” He reached out and touched the wall, then settled himself against it. “I imagine you’re starvin’.”

  “No donors,” I lamented. I sat next to Connor. I couldn’t keep my gaze from the ratty bandage covering his injured eyes.

  “Your sister said something about others waiting for us. You gonna tell me what’s going on?”

  “I’ll tell you about it,” he said, “after you eat.” He tapped his neck.

  “Uh, no.”

  His brows rose, which looked weird with the strip of cloth around his eyes. I reached out, though I wasn’t sure if I really wanted to take off the bandage or not.

  “No, lass. Dinnae.” Connor unerringly caught my wrist. “I’m the only meal around. If you insist on staying here while I heal, then it’s me or nothing.”

  “Uh, no.”

  “Then how about a kiss?”

  “Now? Because I need some Crest, dude. Bad.” I crinkled my nose. “And no offense, but so do you.”

  He laughed. “I’d kiss you anytime, anywhere, Phoebe.”

  I realized I was supposed to be mad at him, only I wasn’t. Just because my anger had taken a backseat to the obvious problem of Lilith did not mean I wanted to stay hitched to a hottie half-demon.

  “C’mon, lass.” He tilted his neck. “Dinnae be stubborn.”

  Hunger scrabbled in my belly. A vampire appetite wasn’t assuaged as easily as, say, a human skipping lunch and honking down a midafternoon cheeseburger to stop her belly growls. This kind of craving had an edge of need so sharp, it cut at your morals. Sliced away inhibitions. A pint was enough to keep a vampire going, but it offered minimal satisfaction.

  I straddled him and he sucked in a sharp breath. It was the easiest position for me to feed in (yeah, and it so wasn’t because I wanted to sit on his awesome lap). His eyes might be injured, but nothing else about the man was experiencing malfunction. Whew, baby.

  I pressed my fingers against the strong pulse of his carotid artery. Somehow, I knew he was thinking about my mouth, and I tingled with the need to lay one on him. Because of the bond. Because of the memory of when he kissed me BB (Before Betrayal). He had such wonderful lips, their contours fitting against mine so sweetly.

  Oh, dear Lord. I did not just think about…

  I swallowed hard. A phantom blush heated my cheeks and I was glad he couldn’t see me. I didn’t want him to guess what I’d been thinking.

  “Phoebe.” Connor’s voice was strained.

  His hands lightly gripped my waist. My fangs emerged. Survival meant blood, and I had no problem taking sustenance.

  I sank my fangs into his flesh. You’d think getting bitten would be traumatic: teeth piercing skin, tongue pressing wetly, mouth sucking out life… but it’s not.

  Connor’s blood flooded my mouth. Though it tasted slightly metallic, his essence was rich and succulent. None of my human donors tasted this delicious. Fire raced through my veins. Real? Imagined? I didn’t know. Didn’t care.

  I couldn’t stop the moan. It vibrated against his skin. And still I drank.

  “Phoebe,” he muttered hoarsely. I wiggled closer. His cock twitched against my woo-woo.

  Pleasure rocketed.

  Oh, this was such a bad idea.

  I realized vaguely that I’d reached the pint level, but I needed just… a… little… more. He was so delicious. And I wasn’t just talking about the blood, either.

  “Phoebe. God. Lass, please…”

  The rough tone of his voice, filled with such raw longing, filtered through my ecstasy and I knew I was hurting him. Not with my bite. With my lust.

  I had to stop. Before we both drowned.

  I wrenched my fangs free.

  He gasped, and as penance, I licked his twin wounds. Vampire saliva had healing properties. The skin was already stitching closed. Demons were good healers anyway. They weren’t just immortal; they couldn’t be killed. It appeared, however, that Lilith’s scratches were slower to heal. Maybe she’d poisoned him, too.

  I felt much stronger. I pulled back and looked at him. He was breathing hard, his fingers digging into my skin.

  I could almost feel the whisper of his lips on mine. I think we were waiting to see who’d give in first. I might’ve… Okay, I would have, but Connor acted a second before me.

  He cupped the back of my head and captured my mouth. Being blind didn’t affect his aim at all. He didn’t care about that whole hygiene thing, and at this moment, I didn’t, either.

  He split the seam of my lips with his tongue, and I welcomed that tender invasion. Had I ever thought he couldn’t break my heart? Bittersweet emotion tainted my desire.

  Connor brought me closer, almost as if he could feel my sorrow, and he deepened his possession of my mouth, of me, until doubts were swept away, and all I knew was him. He filled the emptiness I hadn’t known I still carried.

  He was warm, so warm. That heat burned through me, and with it the aching need I’d known the first time he’d kissed me. Then, too, I had the knowledge of what his mouth could do. And his hands… oh, how his hands could touch me. I knew where they’d stroke, what they’d dare.

  “Connor.” I pulled free and pressed my forehead to his. He was breathing hard, hard enough for both of us, since I no longer had the option. He licked his lips as if trying to keep the taste of me in his mouth.

  “If we’re stoppin’,” he said carefully, “then perhaps you should sit elsewhere.”

  I scooted off his lap. My girly bits throbbed, and my body demanded satisfaction. I wasn’t gonna do the mattress mambo with Connor. I wouldn’t strengthen our binding, even though I suspected my feelings had already taken root.

  I curled up a few inches away from him, not wanting to be too far from the only safe thing in this place. I glanced at him again. Who was I kidding? He was the most dangerous. At least to me.

  Lord above, we’d burn each other up.

  And I might just die from the wanting.

  Chapter 9

  “Why did she take your eyes?” I asked, my voice unsteady.

  He didn’t answer right away. I wondered about the bargain he’d made, more than one, to this Nera. Demons were bound by the conditions of their bargains. However, bartering with a demon was the worst idea ever. Most people were so worried about getting what they desperately wanted that they didn’t worry about little things – like what the friggin’ demons demanded in return. Souls. Blood. Appendages. Firstborns.

  “ ‘ Twas the price she asked for the antitoxin.”

  “I know,” I said. I touched the cloth, and once again, Connor drew my hand away. “I meant, why does she need them?”

  “Demon eyes are required ingredients for divination spells. She’ll use ‘em to bargain with another demon, or maybe a witch who practices black magic.”

  “Oh, my God.” I pressed my face into my hands. He’d given up his beautiful amber gaze so that I would live. I thought he’d donated a little blood to the soup, but now I realized he’d done that only so the demon saliva would go down easier.

  Here was a man who’d plotted for a month to get me into bed. To mate with me. It had something to do with the talisman – an object that inspired people to act all kinds of crazy. I wanted to think he was a selfish jerk who’d taken advantage of me, but when he did shit like give up freaking body parts, it was hard to cast him in the role of a pure villain. Immortal or not, getting your eyeballs removed had to hurt like hell. I couldn’t begin to fathom how terrible it had been for him to let Nera carve them out of his head.

  My stomach squeezed. Oh, God.

  I really wished I could take a cleansing breath, but I’d have to settle for pretending. Not nearly as satisfying, though. Dear Anger: I am not a victim. And I’m not gonna act
like one anymore, either. So shut up. Thanks.

  Recriminations were over.

  Like it or not, I was in this thing with Connor all the way to the finish line. I could only hope that it would end well. I wanted to be with my son again and to be able to raise him. I couldn’t imagine a world without Danny in it, and I’d do whatever it took to make sure we’d be together.

  Now all I needed was a plan. I’d take one step at a time. I’d deal with the marital-bonding thing later.

  “Phoebe?” Connor put his hand on my arm. “My eyes will grow back. I’m a demon, remember? Immortal with magical healin’.”

  “Jennifer told me.” And I might’ve remembered that little fact once the horror of it all had worn off. When a guy tells you that he gave up his eyes for you, it sorta makes it hard to think beyond that statement.

  “Grievous wounds take longer to heal, especially when it’s complete regeneration,” he said, his tone reassuring. “I’ll be all right in a day or so.”

  “Can we afford a day or so?” My question seemed callous, so I kept my voice soft. “I mean, Lilith is on the rampage. What if she gets the other half of the talisman before we do?”

  “She won’t.” He sounded confident.

  “You already have it?”

  “Yes,” he said. “But it’s complicated. Everything will be explained. But better to tell you all of it when we meet with the others.”

  “Who are these others?”

  “Astria Vedere and her guardians, Anise and Ren. There’s also Larsa. She’s a vampire.”

  He leaned his head against the wall and blew out a shuddering breath. He was pale, and I knew he was in pain. I let him rest while I thought about what he’d told me.

  Everyone knew the Vedere females were powerful human psychics. Their prophecies always came true. I wondered who Larsa was, and why she’d help a half-demon steal a valuable magical object. It appeared I was part of the insane quest whether I wanted to be or not.

  How much would Connor share with me if I just offered him some trust? Maybe he wouldn’t take me at face value. And why should he? He knew my agenda was to get free of this entire mess. However, my freedom was dependent upon helping Connor accomplish his goals.

  I felt good as new after feeding. If we could get clean and find some decent clothes, we could move on to phase one of Find the Talisman. Well, and get Connor healed up.

  I missed Danny. I wondered what he and Jackson were doing today. Riding the teacups? Watching a show? Eating ice cream? I imagined my son holding his father’s hand, the sunshine gleaming on his brown hair, his smile as he saw Mickey Mouse.

  What had the Consortium told Jackson? I had no doubt that Jackson would call the backup numbers. He knew I would never miss a nightly phone call. Not on purpose.

  I needed to check in with Broken Heart. No doubt someone had figured out I’d disappeared. Would the demon hunters be blamed? I doubted it. No way they could’ve popped into town without anyone knowing. The Invisi-shield kept everyone out. There was a process for getting into Broken Heart – a flawed one, because Connor had managed to get approval for citizenship and live there for a whole month.

  It was likely the hunters had gotten into town with Queen Patsy’s permission, though I found it hard to believe she would tell them to go to my house and pick up Connor. If she’d known Connor was a demon in disguise, she would’ve added a team of Broken Heart security. Patsy was not fond of demons, not since she’d nearly been killed by one several years before.

  I glanced at Connor, flinching at that terrible covering over his eyes. Had Nera never heard of gauze? Maybe some antibiotic?

  “Connor, is there a way to make your eyes heal faster?”

  Hey, if Nera could heal me with some spit, then she could probably do something about Connor’s eyes – especially seeing as how she took ‘em. If not her, then some other demon. I wasn’t sure what I would bargain with. Giving up my body parts squicked me out, but Connor had done it. So could I. Vampires regenerated, too.

  Connor nodded. “I dinnae think you’re gonna like it.”

  I loved it when his accent got all thick and sexy. A little shiver went through me. Focus, Pheebs.

  “No good deed goes unpunished,” muttered Connor, crossing his arms. His jaw clenched. “Like all creatures created by the gods, demonkind have a purpose. It’s not a nice one, mind you.” He sighed. “Unlike most demons, I have a soul and a conscience. I dinnae often assuage my demon side.”

  “Oh, Connor.” I put my hand on his thigh, feeling sorry for him. He hadn’t chosen what he was; he could only decide what kind of man, or demon, he wanted to be. I was still figuring it all out, but one conclusion I had was that everything was not black and white. I was dancing in the shadows of gray.

  He lightly squeezed my hand. “The more a full demon fulfills his purpose, the stronger he gets. Violence, fighting, rage… these are doorways to evil. Despite what you believe about me, I try not to open them.”

  “Is there an EpiPen for evil?” I asked.

  Connor looked down at me, which was sorta useless because he couldn’t see me. His lips quirked. How I wished I could see the humor sparkling in that amber gaze, could know he was whole and that he wasn’t suffering anymore because of me.

  “It seems like being nice is an allergy.” I chewed my lower lip. “If you’re mean, will your eyes regenerate faster?”

  “Aye. My demon side likes a bit o’ the naughty. But I am not ruled by my genetics, Phoebe. I determine my own actions.”

  I felt small and vulnerable. Did I really think I could help Connor? God. This whole thing was so wrong. Right up there with diet soda, fat-free Ding Dongs, and redoing the original Star Wars films.

  “I have to be careful,” said Connor, as though I were still questioning his moral fortitude. “Evil’s attractive, you know. Dresses up a like a whore in expensive jewelry.”

  “Nice imagery.”

  He snorted. “Evil whispers things like, ‘There is no right or wrong; there’s only power,’ and you believe it. You use every justification to wipe out conscience and humanity. You forget about love and sacrifice.”

  “You didn’t,” I said softly.

  “I did,” he argued. “Look at what I did to you.”

  “A lesser evil to prevent a bigger one,” I said. Or so I assumed. And I was doing a lot of assuming. Oh, Phoebe. You a sucka.

  His eyebrows went up, a half expression of surprise.

  “You told Lilith you wouldn’t release her from her hell-bond. She’s stuck in the Pit and she wants to get out.”

  “She must never get out.” He sighed. “But she is not just trying to free herself. She’s trying to prevent Astria’s prophecy from coming true.”

  “Maybe she should have a chat with Koschei, Durga, and Lia,” I said, naming the Ancients who’d tried to circumvent another Vedere prophecy – the one that said the Ancients would cease to rule their own kind and that a Turn-blood named Patricia would become queen of vampires and lycanthropes.

  Guess who was wearing the crown? And guess who was either banned or dead?

  “So this prophecy… ?”

  “It’d be better if Astria told the tale. ‘Tis her prophecy.”

  “All right.” I paused. “I’m from the Family Durga, so I have demon mojo. Does being evil make me stronger, too?”

  “No!” He sucked in a breath. “No, Phoebe. Your aura is pure.”

  “You can see my aura?” I knew some of the Wiccans could see auras, and so could my friend Libby, but as I’ve said before, she was half dragon and one of their abilities was seeing auras.

  “Most demons can, even a half-breed. You are innocent, Phoebe.”

  He thought I was innocent? When did the sins start to show up? I chewed on my bottom lip. “How bad do you have to be to get an icky aura?”

  “Very, very bad,” assured Connor.

  I felt a little better about myself. Just a little, though. I was feeling impatient, restless. My options were to wai
t for Connor to get well, which would take forever and cause him agony every minute of the day or two it would take to heal. Or… or I could do something to speed up the process.

  Connor sat with his head bowed. He was breathing erratically, and his skin was slick with sweat. I knew he couldn’t die, but he could suffer. I wondered how bad it would get before his eyes started to grow back. And when they did, would he be able to see right away?

  “Take me to Nera,” I said. “I’ll bargain with her. Maybe we can get your eyes back or get some new ones.”

  “I willna let ye bargain with that demon bitch!” He ripped his hand away from mine and slammed his fist against the rock-strewn floor. “Ye’ve been harmed enough in my schemes. Just leave me be, lass!”

  Wow. Overreact much?

  “Oh, sure. I’ll just sit here and be quiet.” I punched him in the shoulder and he grunted. “Jerk.”

  “I willna harm you, Phoebe.”

  “I didn’t tell you to – “ Wait. He said acts of evil made him stronger, would help him heal faster. Acts against innocents would probably be like an über-dose or something.

  An idea formed. Before I lost my nerve, I sat on his lap, my legs on either side of his. The move surprised him. For all of two seconds. His hands cupped my hips and he pulled me forward, settling me against his crotch. Blind as a drunk mole, still he unerringly touched me as if he’d done it a thousand times. Instead of just a night’s worth. I hated the way I wanted him. How I would make love to him… if I were desperate and stupid and gullible.

  “I dinnae believe havin’ sex will heal me.” He sighed dramatically. “But o’ course, I’m willin’ to try.”

  His brogue had gotten heavier with each word. That accent was oh-baby sexy. I steeled my resolve and glared at him. (Not effective on a blind man, but it made me feel better.)

  “Connor, would having sex with me be an act of evil?”

  “Aye,” he whispered. “Especially if I lied so that I could mate with you, and if I chained you to a man you dinnae want.” His hand drifted up and his calloused fingers drifted across my jaw. “I’d do it again, too.” His hand dove into my hair and he gripped it until my scalp tingled with pain. His lips curved into a cruel smile. “It gives me pleasure to break your heart, Phoebe.”