Wystan

by Allison Merritt

She lifted her head from his tear-stained shirt. “He did that? But why didn’t he come sooner?”

  “Beryl. Remember how she said she was sent to look after you? She’s from the Gray Side. They’re demons, but they’ve rejected Astaroth as their king. They don’t usually dabble in human affairs. Eban’s trying to figure out why they were interested this time. Tell thinks it’s fate.” Wystan didn’t look as though he disagreed. “It’s going to be all right, Rhia.”

  Her mind swam with what he’d told her. Beryl had protected them, kept Butterman, or Noem, or whoever he was today, from getting to them. She wanted to know why as much as Wystan did.

  “I never should have taken that job. It was too perfect, and now he’ll kill us if he finds out we came here.” She laid her head over his heart, listening to the steady thump. She dropped her hand to his side, to the knotty scar tissue. “Oh, no. You said that name before. Noem. He’s the one who left you for dead when Eban was gone.”

  “There’s nothing to worry about, Rhia. We’ll take care of him. I can’t believe you experienced that and you wanted to stay in Berner.”

  “This isn’t so bad compared to his house,” she murmured. “I’d rather kill another barghest than see him again.”

  He tipped her chin up and pressed his mouth to hers. Soft lips covered hers in a sweeter kiss than they’d shared before.

  The fear clutching Rhia’s heart eased. With Wystan protecting her, there wasn’t a force in the world that could harm her or Sylvie. His hand stroked her hair and she shivered with anticipation. Wystan nipped her lower lip, then slipped his hand down her chest to cup her breast. Rhia drew in a sharp breath, pulling her mouth away to kiss his collarbone.

  “We shouldn’t do this,” she said between kisses. “Sylvie could wake up.”

  “If you were worried, you wouldn’t have let me kiss you to begin with.” He tugged her nipple before moving his hand lower. The hem of her nightdress rose, baring her legs. Warm fingers explored her, and Rhia gripped his arms as her toes curled when he pushed a finger inside.

  His erection pressed into her stomach and the aching want multiplied. Her legs trembled.

  “Wys, in the schoolhouse?”

  “Who will know?” His voice was rough and he moved his finger faster before adding another one.

  She whimpered. Wystan grabbed her hips and lifted her onto her desk. An ink bottle crashed to the ground, splashing black liquid across the floorboards, but Rhia was too consumed by then to react. He rucked her gown up around her thighs and stood between them. For a split second, she thought he’d free himself from his trousers, but he gave her wicked grin instead. He knelt and licked the inside of one leg then kissed the other.

  Fire raced through her veins. He turned from her legs to the very center of her. Wystan’s tongue circled her bud and Rhia swallowed a cry. She braced herself on her hands, leaning back to invite him further. His hot tongue laved across her flesh, giving a tug here and a kiss there. The rough growth of hair on his cheeks scored her inner thighs, a dash of pain amid the pleasure he inflicted. Rhia pressed a hand to her mouth, half-forgetting why she needed to be quiet, only that it was important.

  When the soothing waves put out the fire inside her, she curled her fingers into Wystan’s hair. Moisture dampened her cheeks and she wept as she bent over him. They’d fought in the beginning, wasted time that might have been pleasurable. She’d discovered a life she loved, a place she wanted her sister to grow up in, and Noem was coming to take those things away. No matter how far she ran or where she hid, that disgusting monster would find her.

  “Shh, it’s all right, Rhia.” Wystan stood and pulled her into his arms. “I didn’t mean—”

  “It’s not you. It’s Noem. You planned to let us stay.”

  “I did?” He smiled, brushing hair away from her face. “You still have three weeks to prove you can create miracles, Miss Duke.”

  Wystan teasing. Would wonders never cease? She tried to smile, but it wobbled. “I already have. The children like me. Even the wild little Wrights. Thomas Jefferson can look forward to a life outside of Berner. Or he could, if Noem doesn’t murder all of us.”

  Wystan’s face hardened. “Noem’s not killing anyone. Not in my town. Go on back to bed. I’ll stay out front of the school tonight.”

  She didn’t believe he could protect her, because it was only luck she’d stayed out of Noem’s sight this long. He knew her mind better than she did. Rhia nodded and stretched up on her toes to kiss Wystan. Like the world was ending and she’d never get the opportunity again. The air sizzled between them.

  When she drew back for a breath, she managed, “Be careful.”

  He nodded, turned and left the building.

  Chapter Nineteen

  A bloodstained sack landed at Wystan’s feet. He nudged it with the toe of his boot and looked up at Tell, who was mounted on his horse, the crossbow across his lap.

  “Three gracken. I pushed the bodies into the Pit. They’d just come through when I got there. It wasn’t a fair fight.” The youngest Heckmaster had a smear of brownish blood across one cheek and scrapes on his knuckles, suggesting at least one of them had gotten the drop on him. “They were a distraction. Astaroth let something else out. I found the tracks, but they tapered off about three miles to the north. My best guess is that it has wings.”

  “Let something out? Hell, it’s probably Astaroth in the flesh waiting to sneak up on us.” Wystan gave the sack a hard kick. The string holding it closed loosened and one of the reptilian heads rolled out, mouth agape, dead eyes wide. A thin, forked purple tongue fell between its jaws and needle-like teeth. “Get rid of those. Burn them. I don’t want Rhia or Sylvie stumbling over them.”

  Tell looked disappointed. “I was thinking about boiling the flesh off and hanging the skulls around the jail.”

  “No.”

  His brother dismounted, gathered the free head, and tied the sack to his horse’s saddle. “Did Eban learn anything else from Beryl?”

  “I haven’t talked to him. I figured if he knew anything, he’d find me.” Knowing Eban, he hadn’t gotten up the courage to confront Beryl yet. He was a good doctor, but he did things in his own time, seeming to drag out the most important tasks until Wystan’s patience was at its thinnest.

  “Let’s have a powwow before I head”—Tell thumped the sack to accentuate the heads and grinned—“out again.”

  Wystan rolled his eyes and set off for the clinic.

  “I’m working here. Unlike you two, who drag demon blood through my clinic.”

  Eban used a pair of forceps to pull a splinter of wood from the palm of his patient. The peri winced and its beautiful face contorted into something mean before smoothing again.

  “I don’t have time to talk about Astaroth when I’m doing normal, everyday—”

  The wound on the peri’s hand sealed itself. “Thank you, Dr. Heckmaster. I’ll leave you to your important business.”

  The fairy creature slid off the examination table and left the room. Eban sighed and laid the forceps aside.

  “Seems you have time now.” Wystan folded his arms. “What does Beryl have to say?”

  “She’s…it’s complicated.” Eban stood, his eyes dark with worry. “She doesn’t know anything about Astaroth’s plans.”

  Wystan leaned forward. “Then how is it complicated?”

  “She needs rest and she has nothing to do with any of this.” Eban’s voice rose and he pushed his hands through his hair. “I’m done with this nonsense, Wystan. I’m tired of worrying about the next demon to come along. I’m tired of wondering when you’re going to kill yourself over Astaroth. I’m tired of knowing there’s no life here.”

  Tell looked between them. “This is about Rhia.”

  Wystan gritted his teeth. “Is this about Rhia?”

  “Yes, it’s about Rhia! I was trying to ge
t her attention, Wystan. She’s the first good thing to come into this town in years. And she fell in love with you. You!”

  “What’s wrong with me?” Wystan strode toward his brother. “It’s not hard to believe a woman could love me.”

  Eban snorted. “Really? You’re selfish, you’re arrogant, you steal women from your own brothers. You’re the perfect example of a demon. All you care about is your next breath. You could never provide for a woman. She’d get tired of your attitude before a week was out.”

  “I didn’t steal anyone! She came to me the day you tried to court her.” Temper on the rise, he balled his fists so he wouldn’t grab his brother’s shirt and lift him off his feet. “Rhia wanted me.”

  Eban’s face paled. “You’re only going to hurt her.”

  “Just like our father? Get myself killed over some stupid noble horseshit another demon challenges me with? What were you going to do? Sweep her off her feet like some hero out of a damned story and give her a normal life?” Wystan laughed bitterly. “You’re forgetting, you’re a demon too, asshole.”

  “I’m still better for her than you ever could be.” Eban’s voice was soft now, his eyes snapping with anger. “But I mean it, Wystan. After we make sure Noem is banished, I’m leaving. I’m not going to live here, wasting my life on a dead town any longer.”

  “Eb—” Tell began.

  “Be quiet, Tell. This isn’t any of your concern.”

  Wystan’s short fingernails dug into Eban’s flesh. “It’s his choice, Tell. If he wants to pull out, who are we to stop him?”

  Tell’s jaw dropped. “You want this. You’ve always tried to get us to leave. Did you seduce Rhia on purpose?”

  For once in his life, Tell was wrong. But he was right about Wystan wanting them to leave.

  “You’re damn right I did. I let her fall in love with me so I can run the two of you off. Do whatever you want. In fact, I’ll get rid of Noem myself. The hell with both of you.”

  He stomped out of the clinic. Eban wasn’t known for being stupid or base. That either of his brothers thought he was so callous he’d trick Rhia into a relationship. He might be all of the things Eban called him, but was it impossible for them to believe he’d find love?

  And why couldn’t they be happy for him?

  He stopped mid-stride. Happy. That was how he felt when he held Rhia. It had been so long since he remembered the feeling, he hadn’t recognized it right away. The day Rhia had dug holes for the sunflowers, that was when it had first hit him. She’d believed those little seeds would grow and he’d laughed at her. Maybe they would, but more likely they wouldn’t. When she realized the flowers wouldn’t survive here, would she leave as Eban planned to?

  He ran his hand down his face. Wystan Heckmaster, dreaming about love instead of beheading the next demon. Who would ever believe that? He looked up and saw the angel statue at the edge of town. As a wedding present, his father had set the marble creation up for his mother. It had weathered well over the last twenty years, despite the attacks and the curse. Though he didn’t know much about how it worked, he knew that it wouldn’t take much to fix it. Staring at it, remembering the night that people his parents had considered friends burned his mother at the stake, his rage nearly boiled over.

  After the curse, he’d thought there might still be some good in the world. Until Astaroth had gotten a parasite imp into Sandra’s head. Until the night he’d destroyed his beautiful sister because he couldn’t allow her to compromise the rest of them to a demon camp.

  Pain seared through Wystan’s chest. Sandra had been born between him and Eban. She’d held him while he cried, while he tried to pull himself together for Eban and Tell after their parents died. She’d always seemed wiser, smarter than him. As a young boy, he’d hated the attention she got, but after they became orphans, without her, they wouldn’t have survived as long as they had.

  She was the one who’d called Seere, who got them weapons and enforced the idea that it was important to keep an eye on the Pit. The one who kept a steady head when the world was going to hell.

  There was no one else on earth like Sandra.

  Except Rhia. The two of them were so alike, he wondered how he hadn’t seen it before. His sister would have approved wholly of Rhia. Might even have approved of their relationship, Eban’s feelings be damned.

  He hadn’t let anyone in close since Sandra’s death. Couldn’t, because one never knew when another parasite imp might attack. When he’d have to butcher another family member to save the rest of them.

  Wystan’s legs trembled. He’d let her down, let her fall into enemy hands. He couldn’t lose Rhia that way, or let Noem get her sister. Eban would have to understand that some things were more important than love. Protection, duty, service.

  And whether Eban liked it or not, even if he was angry about Rhia’s rejection, they all needed to protect her. One Heckmaster was more than a match for a demon, but the three of them together were a force to be reckoned with. They’d send Noem back to Astaroth, but he’d be even worse for wear by the time his body and severed head reached the deepest regions of Hell.

  “You lied to him, Eb.” Tell pushed his finger into Eban’s shoulder. “You said Beryl didn’t know anything, but that’s not the truth, is it?”

  Eban pushed his brother’s hand away. “She can’t help us.”

  “What the hell is the demon inside her doing?” Tell’s piercing blue gaze didn’t waver. “You know.”

  “So what if I do? I already told you, she has no part in this war.” Eban slammed an outdated medical text down on his desk. He wanted Tell and Wystan to leave him alone. For good. In a couple of weeks, when Beryl’s body was recovered and Noem was no longer a threat, he was leaving. He wanted to start packing now.

  “I’ll question her again if I have to. And again, until I get the answers I want.” Tell folded his arms, a younger version of Wystan. “Starting with how she hid in that poor woman’s head when she could’ve come clean.”

  Eban shrugged. The lusty demon would only hide until Tell left her alone. “Go ahead. She won’t tell you anything. She doesn’t remember enough to be any use.”

  “Or you could tell me. Cooperate. I don’t understand you. All this time we’ve watched out for Wystan. Something in him snapped when he had to…when Sandra died. We tried to live the way he wanted, but he’ll kill himself over Astaroth if we don’t back him up. You cleaned him up after Noem got him, but you didn’t see how hard he fought to save this town,” Tell said. “If it wasn’t for Heng and demon blood, he wouldn’t even be here. I don’t want to face that again. He’s our brother.”

  “I’ll help if Noem attacks, but I’ve had it. I could—we could—have lives if we weren’t guarding a goddamned pit in the desert.” Eban pushed the text off his desk. It hit the hardwood floor with a bang that made him wince.

  “Eban, are you all right?” Tell’s eyes widened.

  “I’m fine, but I’m tired of Wystan making all the decisions. If he wants Rhia, he can have her. If he wants to die defending this—this empty town, let him.”

  Tell approached, moving slowly, his eyes never leaving Eban’s.

  “Jesus, Tell, I know what you’re doing. I’m not possessed. I think of all people, I’d know if I had a parasite.” He was frustrated, beyond rational, maybe. Ready to knock some sense into Wystan’s thick skull, yes. But he knew all the symptoms of possession and he didn’t have a single one.

  “Can I look for myself, Eb?” Tell’s low voice was disconcerting. It sounded like he was talking to a spooked horse or a frightened child. “I’m not gonna hurt you. I just want to see if…”

  They locked gazes and Eban’s vision swam. It didn’t hurt, exactly, but it made him feel disconnected from his body. Tell’s eyes were large, his pupils almost swallowing the blue of his irises. There was nothing human about the gaze. A nagging ache developed
between Eban’s eyes. He started to lift his hand to rub it, but he couldn’t look away from his younger brother. The pressure snapped like a taut rope and he staggered back a step.

  “Next time try that trick on your other idiot brother,” he growled.

  “I had to check,” Tell protested. “You’re not acting like you.”

  “We’re not children anymore. It’s time we grew up and moved on.”

  Tell narrowed his eyes. “You really believe this problem is going to take care of itself?”

  “It doesn’t have to be our problem,” Eban shot back.

  “It’s the worst damn legacy in the world, but it is ours. I’m not gonna stand by while Astaroth takes over the world a little at a time. Don’t take your anger at how unfair life is out on Wys. It’s not his fault Rhia fell for him, or that he’s capable of human emotion after decades of being a monster.” Tell shook his head. “Things are changing around here. Maybe even for the better. Open your eyes.”

  Eban started to snap at his younger brother, but it hit him that Tell sounded wise beyond his years. That he made sense. Whereas Wystan was the diligent demon-slayer, and Eban the serious one, Tell was carefree. For him to take on another role, things were dire indeed.

  “It’s my choice,” Eban grumbled. He wasn’t ready to concede just yet. At least not until he figured out how to get the parasite out of Beryl’s head before it destroyed her mind.

  “Fair enough.” Tell didn’t sound reassured. “I’m going out on watch again. If Beryl feels like talking, or by some miracle you do, I’ll be circling town.”

  Eban should tell them what Beryl’s demon had said, but for now he wanted to keep it quiet. They had enough trouble on their hands—and him nursing a broken heart—that one Gray Side creature couldn’t possibly matter.

  Chapter Twenty

  “Rhia, I’m bored. Can’t we go outside for a while? An hour?” Sylvie’s cheek was pressed against the desktop and her eyes pleaded for relief from the schoolhouse interior as much as her words.