"We can hunt together."
She shook her head.
"You're very determined to get away from me. Why?"
"We had a bargain."
"Things have changed."
She couldn't deny that. In the beginning, she was convinced Aodhan would eat her. Now, she viewed him as the one she'd been looking for her whole life. She trusted Aodhan to do what she couldn't- rid the world of Luc, the Master Demon who'd reigned for centuries. Aodhan would send Luc back to hell and his minions would scatter.
"I've never met a human like you."
She crossed her arms across her chest. "I know I'm a freak. You don't have to shove it in my face."
"You're unique," he said and she was slightly mollified. "I don't know of any other who can sense demons except the Ancients."
She swallowed hard and tried to step back, but he kept her in place.
"These visions you had about me, did they frighten you? Is that why you want to leave?" he asked.
Her body began to tingle and she hissed, "Let me go, Aodhan."
His grip tightened. "Tell me what the demon showed you."
"You're a horny bastard," she said flatly.
He grasped her face between hot palms and drew her up against him. "They were faceless women hungry for sex and money. I don't remember any of them."
One of his hands cupped the back of her neck and she felt herself being enveloped by him. His scent was musky and tempting. The voice in the back of her mind shrieked at her in warning, but she was lost in turquoise.
"I remember you," he growled. "You exorcised my demon and broke my curse. I want to give you what no one else has."
"What's that?" she whispered.
"Everything."
His answer made her eyes prick with tears and she shoved against him and got nowhere. Sensing weakness, he brushed his thumb over her lips and leaned even closer.
"I know you, Cara."
She tried to shake her head, but his hand tightened in her hair.
"You trusted a beast when I didn't trust myself. You refused to leave the cave when I was dying. Why?"
"It was all my fault," she said hoarsely and tears filled her eyes.
He shook his head. "It's more than that."
A tear slipped down her cheek. "What are you talking about?"
His hand moved from her hair to clasp her throat. His finger stroked her fluttering pulse.
"You're brave and loyal and you dare to love even in the face of evil. I want that loyalty."
"You have it."
The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them. A brilliant smile split his mouth and she tried to knee him in the crotch, but he was ready for that and she missed.
"So, you finally admit there's more between us than a deal."
She narrowed her eyes. "You owe me."
"That's true," he agreed. "Many times over."
"You can pay me in full by buying me a ticket to Montana."
His good mood vanished. "I won't help you leave me, Cara."
"This is the twenty-first century!"
"And we're in my dungeon."
She noted the warning in his voice. "Don't threaten me, Aodhan."
He bared his teeth at her. "War's coming."
He wasn't worried, afraid or excited. He was stone cold and in spite of herself, she felt a lick of pride. He would scare the crap out of the creatures of the dark when they found out he was back. Maybe she could send out a mass email or something.
"I'm selfish," he said without a glimmer of remorse.
"I know that," she muttered.
"You're not telling me everything. You make me want to chain you in here," he growled.
Her eyes flared, but she didn't move, sensing that would only incite him. His eyes gleamed with possessiveness and she caught a glimpse of the dragon gliding beneath the surface of his human skin.
"I'm trying to turn over a new leaf."
Despite his threat, her lips twitched because his voice was tinged with frustration. She could see the struggle between his need to possess versus his gratitude.
"I want to renegotiate our terms," he declared.
"If I say no?" she asked.
His thumb brushed persuasively across her lips. "Negotiate with me."
"I don't understand what you want from me. You're free. You have stuff to do. You've been locked up for centuries. You can do whatever you want."
"I want you with me."
"To hunt demons?"
He dipped his head and when he spoke, his lips brushed hers.
"I'm hungry."
"You just ate," she said.
"I'm not hungry for food. I want you."
She head butted him. Her eyes watered from the pain exploding from her forehead.
"Son of a bitch!" she shouted.
"Why did you do that?"
"No wonder you don't understand the word no! Your head is filled with metal, blockhead!"
She tried to stomp his foot and missed when he picked her up as if she were a doll. He walked away from his horde of treasure. Over his shoulder, she saw the wall reappear. Aodhan set her down and examined her head.
"It's going to bruise," he said.
He raised his thumb to his mouth again, but she shook her head.
"I don't need any more of your blood. I need an ice pack."
"Were you trying to hurt me?" he asked with an indulgent smile that made her head pound with rage.
"I was trying to knock some sense into you! If you want a woman, go find someone else. I'm not like the others!"
She stomped away from him, pulled open the iron door that led out of the dungeon and flew up the steps. She was relieved to be back in a more civilized part of the castle. Although she wasn't familiar with the layout, she didn't need Aodhan's help to find the kitchen. She followed her nose.
Linnea looked up from a large pot of stew and gaped. "What happened to you? You look like you have a third eye forming."
Cara slumped on a stool. "Can I have a pack of ice and aspirin?"
Linnea wrapped an ice pack in a dishtowel and gave her two pills she kicked back immediately.
"What happened?" Linnea asked, resuming her station by the stove.
"I head-butted Lord of the Manor," Cara muttered.
Linnea stared at her. "You're kidding."
Cara lowered the pack to show her nice sized lump. "Too bad his head is full of bricks."
Linnea came over to the island and eyed Cara for a long minute.
Cara raised her brows. "What?"
"I've heard things," Linnea whispered.
"Like?"
Linnea looked around conspiratorially before she hissed, "The locals say the owner of this castle is part god."
Cara made a noncommittal noise. Asshole, dictatorial ruler and arrogant, lusty bastard, yes. God? Meh.
"I had to do jump through some weird hoops to get this job," Linnea continued, drawing Cara out of her reverie.
"Like what?" Cara asked.
"My interview was actually with the innkeeper in town, Gael. During the interview, she asked about my dreams and my family before she asked me to meet her in a meadow near here during the full moon. She told me to find her a silver flower." Linnea rolled her eyes. "All the flowers are silver during the full moon!"
"Did you find it?"
Linnea nodded. "I picked a hell of a lot of flowers, but right before the sun rose, I found one."
"And you got this job because you found a silver flower?" Cara concluded dubiously.
"Yup."
"That is weird," Cara said and laid her head on the ice pack in her hand.
Linnea prodded her. "So?"
"So what?"
"What the hell is going on here?"
"Hell if I know," Cara groused.
"But you arrived with him in a slashed wetsuit."
Cara grunted.
"My Granddad acted like I won the lottery when I got the job here."
"What do you do, exactly
?"
"I'm the cook/housekeeper."
Cara raised her pounding head. "You mean, you clean this place by yourself?"
Linnea beamed. "Isn't it pretty?"
"How do you find time for everything?"
"I'm a busybody," Linnea said with a shrug.
"No kidding."
"Why'd you head-butt him?"
Cara grimaced. "I want to leave and he's being difficult."
Linnea's mouth twitched. "He scares the crap out of me, but damn, he has that animalistic thing going on. It's hot."
"You can have him," Cara growled.
Linnea surveyed her uncertainly. She was about to say something else when someone rapped on the back door. Linnea opened the door and five women filtered in. Cara's senses stirred and she eyed the women carefully. They were dressed casually in jeans, but there was magic in them. The oldest woman in the group noticed Cara immediately. She stilled and piercing green eyes swept over Cara and lingered on the growing lump on her forehead.
"Introduce us, Linnea," she said.
Linnea looked uneasily at the woman and then at Cara. "This is Gael. Gael, this is Cara."
Behind Gael's back, Linnea mouthed, 'It's her.' From Linnea's strange tale, Cara already suspected that the innkeeper that interviewed Linnea was a witch. Now, as Cara surveyed Gael, there was no doubt in her mind. The only question was, what kind of witches were they? It was clear from Linnea's startled face that these women never visited. Wasn't it convenient that they showed up today?
"Who are you?" Gael asked sharply.
Cara juggled the ice pack in her hand. "Nobody."
Gael sniffed the air like a hound and Cara knew it wasn't the stew she smelled. The other women copied her and their eyes went flat.
"You should leave, Linnea," Gael said, eyes never leaving Cara.
Linnea looked between Cara and the group of women.
"This is my kitchen," Linnea said firmly. "And Cara came with the Master."
Gael's hand moved to her pocket. "Did she?"
Cara reacted first. She threw the ice pack with all her might. It caught Gael in the face with such force that she stumbled back into two other witches and took them down with her. The two remaining witches rushed her and Cara grabbed the closet thing at hand, a ceramic teapot. When she felt a hand on her shoulder, she whirled and crashed it against the witch's head. Another witch cast a ball of lightning at Cara. It hit her square in the chest. She went rigid for a moment before she countered the spell and absorbed the electricity with a not-so-dainty burp.
Gael and the other witches stared. Linnea stood in the background, looking from the witches to Cara with bulging eyes. She had a wooden spoon in one hand and a pan lid in the other, ready to do battle.
"What are you?" Gael demanded.
"She's mine."
They all jumped when Aodhan swept into the kitchen. His power filled the small space and the witches all bowed. Aodhan's eyes flashed as he looked Cara over. He stood in front of her and blocked everyone's view as he bit his thumb and forced it into her mouth.
We'll talk later, he said telepathically.
Not if I can help it, she thought and swallowed. The pounding in her head disappeared and Aodhan turned back to their audience. Cara stood beside him and faced the witches, ready for anything. Gael's eyes flicked between her and Aodhan.
"Sire, she's your companion?" Gael asked quietly.
"She's under my protection. Anyone who tries to harm her will die."
The witches gulped and shuffled backwards.
"But, isn't she...?" Gael tried again.
Aodhan slashed a hand through the air. "What Cara is doesn't concern you. Are you still loyal to me?"
Gael nodded fervently. "Yes, my lord."
"Let's go to my office."
Aodhan swept out with the witches following in his wake. When it was just Cara and Linnea left in the kitchen, the cook stared at her.
"What's going on?" Linnea breathed.
Cara made a circular motion around her ear. "They're all crazy. I think I need a breather. We'll talk later."
Cara escaped out the back door before Linnea could grill her for more information. She wasn't sure how much she should tell Linnea. Was it better to be ignorant of the world she lived in, which was filled with demons, witches and overwhelming odds? In her experience, those that didn't grow up around magic couldn't handle hearing that it really existed. Normally, she slunk beneath the radar, but thanks to Aodhan, she was being discovered by covens and getting into all sorts of trouble. Would Gael find an opportunity to tell Aodhan what she was?
She took a deep, bracing breath and looked out at the Irish countryside. She could walk to the nearest town and then what? She didn't have the money to leave Ireland and she would probably bump into more witches or demons. She wasn't sure which was the lesser evil. She crossed her arms and leaned back against the castle. She was stranded in the middle of God knows where with a dragon, a cook and a coven of witches that at any moment would rat her out for what she really was. She wasn't sure what the next step was. She definitely had to get out of here. Why hadn't she taken a couple of coins from Aodhan's horde to pawn in the village? Did they even have a pawnshop? Someone could accuse her of stealing and that would be the end of that. The only way out of here was with Aodhan's help and he wasn't feeling very gracious right now, the bastard. He thought if he let her go that she would be captured and killed by Luc. He wasn't wrong, but he didn't realize her life was doomed anyway. She couldn't afford to befriend an Ancient. Gael was a great witch. She sensed immediately that something wasn't quite right with Cara and would have spilled the beans if Aodhan didn't interrupt. It was only a matter of time before Aodhan figured it out and then her life would be forfeit.
She sensed the demon's presence before she saw it. She moved away from the wall and turned her head to the left a moment before a small figure peeked around the corner. She stared.
"Vanity?" It was the same demon that gave her the compass to find Aodhan. "What are you doing here?"
One elegant brow arched over oversized sunglasses. The demon was still using the same actress for her puppet.
"Angelina is filming a movie here," the demon said loftily.
"Then, why are you in the middle of nowhere, talking to me?" Cara asked.
"Because you reversed the curse on the Ancient. Everyone's talking about it. I had to see for myself."
Cara eyed the demon. "If the Ancient senses you, he'll kill you. We both need to get away from here."
The demon was silent for a long minute. Cara began to hope that she'd be able to bargain with Vanity for another deal, but the demon shook her head.
"Luc's going to kill you. You're safer with the Ancient," Vanity decreed.
Cara's mouth sagged. "You know the Ancient will kill me once he learns what I am."
"But he owes you," Vanity said with a careless shrug.
Cara grit her teeth and suppressed the urge to choke Vanity. "Gratitude only goes so far. I need to get away."
"Luc will capture you the moment you leave the Ancient's side."
Cara considered her. "Why are you helping me?"
The demon fidgeted with the scarf covering her hair. "Just in case."
"Just in case what?" Cara snapped and took a step forward.
Vanity held up a hand to shield her face. "I just want to cover my bases. Now that you've managed to free one of the Ancients, Luc has competition."
Cara blinked. This was the strangest demon she'd ever met. Most demons were twisted spirits with no humanity left inside of them. They were savage, sadistic beasts that fed off human suffering. This demon wasn't overly aggressive. Greedy, crafty? Yes. Overwhelming need to cause pain? No.
"It almost seems like you want Luc to lose," Cara said without comprehension.
"Luc has his agenda to take over the world," Vanity said with a sneer. "Not all of us want our puppets miserable. Angelina and I understand each other. After all, how can we look fabulous if
she's forced to murder at Luc's bequest before a photo shoot? I'm too inconsequential for Luc to pay attention to, thank Christ, but eventually, there will be no humans."
"But if the Ancients take over, you'll still be sent back to hell," she pointed out.
Vanity pursed glossed lips. "Not necessarily."
Cara tapped her foot and waited.
Vanity looked around and whispered, "Master Demons are ten times more powerful than the average demon and we can't disobey them."
"Okay," she said slowly, wondering where Vanity was going with this.
"If there's no Master Demon I still have a chance at existing on earth. I'm not causing any harm. My puppet and I understand one another and the Ancients have way bigger fish to fry than me. I'm peaceful unless some bitch tries to take our spot for a perfume ad."
Cara grunted. "It always comes back to you, doesn't it?"
"Of course," Vanity sniffed.
"So, you came here to convince me to stay with the Ancient so he can kill Luc and you can continue possessing your puppet who is just as vain as you?" When Vanity clapped her hands excitedly, Cara rolled her eyes. "I'm guessing Luc doesn't know you helped me find the Ancient in the first place."
Vanity paled and looked around. "Of course not! You won't tell him, will you?"
"Not planning on it," Cara said dryly.
"If the Ancient kills Luc, can you put in a good word for me?" Vanity asked tentatively.
"You're still possessing someone," Cara said impatiently.
"You should know, Cara, not all demons are the same."
The back door opened and Linnea came out. She jabbed a finger at Cara with a determined look on her face and then caught sight of Vanity. Her mouth dropped open.
"Oh my God! It's Angelina Brockman," Linnea whispered reverently.
Vanity gave Linnea a fake smile and nodded to Cara.
"Remember me," Vanity said before she turned and walked around the castle.
"What the hell is going on here?" Linnea asked in a screechy voice that grated on Cara's ears.
"Hell if I know," Cara said and walked back into the kitchen. So, there was absolutely no one who would help her get away from Aodhan. Fantastic. She wouldn't put it past Vanity to give her trouble if she tried to leave.
"Cara!" Linnea shot in front of her and blocked her exit out of the kitchen. "What the hell is going on?"
Clutch of the Demon (Cursed Ancients Series Book 1) Page 13