“My power is largely generated by emotion. I’m capable of not only reading emotion, but I can influence it as well. Guinevere’s power is similar, except she is only able to interpret lust. She can sense it, manipulate it and gain strength from it.”
“Succubus,” Micah said.
“No. She does not drain or kill—she absorbs. There is a difference.”
“Semantics.”
“Such hostility!” Castro frowned at Micah. “She removed your bindings. Brought you to your mate. Most demons go their entire existence without having the honor of bonding.”
“So you know, then?” Micah crossed his arms over his chest and glared. Castro knew Micah was a demon and hadn’t said anything. Interesting.
One of Castro’s shoulders lifted in a shrug. “I’ve known you were part demon since the day we met.”
“You didn’t think to tell me?” Micah’s fists clenched.
“Some things are better left figured out for oneself. You weren’t ready then.”
I looked back and forth between them.
“What makes you think I’m ready now?” Micah asked.
The uncertainty in his eyes didn’t sit well with me. We hadn’t talked about the fact he had demon blood running through his veins. His father probably wasn’t his father and Eli might not even be his brother.
“It’s simple.” Castro pointed to me. “You’ve found the other half of your soul.”
Soul mates. Right. Gem had said something about that. Once I started to laugh, I couldn’t seem to stop. Tears rolled out of my eyes and I felt both Micah and Castro staring at me.
“I think she might still be drunk,” Micah muttered.
I sobered, but when I spoke it was between giggles. “Two weeks ago we were about to kill each other and now we’re soul mates.” More laughter. “I’m sitting in Micah’s crappy, cracker-box kitchen, barefoot, talking to a demon lord.” The laughter faded. “Listen, your sister did something to us. I don’t think Micah and I would have willingly bound ourselves together like this. Hell, I can barely leave the room without my guts tangling. I have no idea how I’m going to walk out that door and sleep in my own bed tonight. The thought is giving me hives.”
“She hit you with a dose of lust, reaped the benefits, but she didn’t force the bonding on you. Bonding is not a choice, it’s an instinct. There is not a spell in the world that can influence that.”
“A dose of lust?” Micah said incredulously. “I fucked myself into the hospital. If that wasn’t bad enough, the moment I saw Ella again, I screwed her in the bathroom while her uncle and sister stood on the other side of the door. That is more than a dose. I couldn’t control it, couldn’t stop it.” His voice dropped to just above a whisper. “I hurt her.”
“The demon’s need to stake his claim on his mate is powerful. A male in the midst of a mating is like a wild beast. Demons are possessive, demanding and never quite sated. You, acting on demon instinct, found a cave, dragged your mate to it and spent four days claiming and marking her. I can smell you on her quite strongly.” Castro looked between us, daring us to rebuke the facts. “When Ella’s uncle separated you, the newly awakened demon inside you must have been furious. Everything that has happened in the last week—fatigue, sleeplessness, lack of appetite—can be attributed to the mating bond. Over time, the impact will lessen and you’ll find it easier to be apart. For right now, I would advise Ella to move in with you. It is unnecessary and dangerous for you to be apart right now.”
“What if we don’t want the bonding?” I asked.
Castro didn’t even blink. “Impossible.”
“So we’re stuck with each other?” Micah asked.
“Is it such a hardship?” Castro looked at me. “She is beautiful and strong and complements you well. She is vampire, yes, but I’ll forgive her that one sin.”
“You haven’t spent more than an hour with her.”
Just when I was starting to feel flattered. “Thanks, Micah.”
If Castro knew about the queen and Julian and the mating, maybe… “Your sister called us the Vampire Queen and the Demon Son. What does it mean?”
The demon lord’s eyes began to glow in excitement. Apparently, I’d asked the right question.
“The information will cost you,” Castro said.
Micah eyed the demon. “A favor?”
Castro held Micah’s gaze. “Of my choice, no questions asked.”
“Micah, no,” I said.
With a quick shake of his head, Micah held out his hand. “Deal.”
Castro beamed. “A demon prophecy foretells of a Vampire Queen and a Demon Son who will harness the power that leads to total destruction.”
Great. “We are going to end the world? I thought we were just going to kill each other.”
“The thing about prophecies is that they are a matter of interpretation. It tells of total destruction, but of what race? The human race, the demon race or the vampires? Since you’re both half human and half the other, it could go either way. It is possible the total destruction the prophecy speaks of has nothing to do with any race—it could be a person. Or a place.”
Castro rose and his movements were so fluid it almost looked like he floated out of the chair. Creepy. He paused at the door and I watched the smoke billow around him to create a moving shroud. The smoke reminded me of the fog that had surrounded Guinevere in the cemetery. Maybe it was a family trait.
“One more bit of advice before I go. Lizbeth is cruel and ruthless. She will stop at nothing to eliminate any threat to her kingdom. Keep those you love close at your side.”
Maybe it was the way Castro said it or maybe the demon lord had decided to put a little extra emotion into his warning, but I had a horrible premonition. Keep those you love close at your side.
The damp air had swelled the door, so Castro’s smooth, quiet exit was ruined when he had to slam the door shut behind him. I looked at Micah and found him staring at me with the same wary sense of unease I felt myself.
“Wanna go kick some ass?” I asked.
Micah’s eyes softened. His smile was just as tender. “Does a bear shit in the woods?”
“Jackass.” I grinned.
“You know you love me.”
And I did.
Chapter Fourteen
Howling winds ripped through the night. Across the blackened sky, gloomy thunderheads towered. A cloud passed in front of the full moon and the forest dipped in and out of shadows. I looked over at Micah, at the way his body moved, at the way the air around him bent and shifted. Magnificent. And he was all mine.
I was still processing everything Castro had told us and how Roy had reacted when I’d relayed the information via cell phone. I’d been assured that Eli wouldn’t let Hannah out of his sight and that the best thing Micah and I could do was keep up with nightly patrols, to help keep the casualties to a minimum. Even though Castro said the bonding was irreversible, Roy was still hopeful of finding a way to give Micah and me some freedom. Until further notice, I was officially Micah’s roommate.
A flash of lightning forked across the sky. The rain had taken a recess, but the break wasn’t going to last long. Seconds later, a rolling wave of thunder shook the ground. I drew air into my lungs, tasted the fear and excitement riding the wind. My skin tightened and my heart began beating just a little bit faster. I didn’t know how I knew, but some instinct inside me said Julian was near.
“I think Julian is close, watch your back.”
“It isn’t my back I’m worried about.”
I turned to Micah and pushed the stray strands of hair from my ponytail out of my face. From shadow to shadow, Micah surveyed the trees.
“You’re worried about me. I’m touched.”
“I don’t like this. Something is off, I can smell it.” Micah cast a wary eye to the sky. “And what the fuck is up with this storm? If I wanted to live in the rain, I would have moved to Seattle.”
As he spoke, the wind danced through his hair.
The smell of rain hit me before the first heavy drop landed on my shoulder. In a matter of seconds, the ground was drenched.
The black thermal Micah wore clung to his muscles. Mud splattered the front of his boots and speckled his jeans. He stalked over twigs and branches, a silent shadow at my side. This was the first time since the attack that we’d gone on a hunt together.
Well, strictly speaking, this wasn’t a hunt. We weren’t hunters anymore. This was, what had Micah called it? Freelance.
“I’ve been thinking,” Micah said.
“That can’t be good.”
“Who is faster? Me or you?”
“Me.” Obviously.
Micah grinned and tugged my ponytail. “Care to place a wager on that?”
I laughed. “Bring it on, pretty boy.”
“Oh, you’re going to pay for that.”
“You have to catch me first.” Then I was gone.
Micah sprinted after me. He danced through a thicket of trees to my right. Another cloud passed in front of the moon and, just like that, Micah vanished into the night. I ran faster, my laughter trailing behind me. Twigs snapped in the distance and a tantalizing wisp of Micah’s blood reached my nose. He must have scratched himself. The sound of his breathing carried on the wind, a whisper tickling my skin. Our feet pounded the earth, echoed the fervent beat of our hearts.
Through a gap in the trees, I watched Micah dart over fallen trees and bushes. I smelled something primal. The scent was man, beast and indescribable. We weren’t alone.
“On your left,” I shouted.
I veered in his direction and closed in on the chase. We ran faster, pursued something I couldn’t see, deeper into the woods. The clearing closed, narrowed into a grove of trees I knew would end the hunt. I had been patrolling these woods that bordered the cemetery almost my entire life. When I got there, Micah was crouched, knee pressed into the mud and his gun at the ready. I skidded to a stop beside him, the blade I’d had holstered in my boot now in my hand.
I stopped, drew in a deep breath and stared at the naked man before us.
“Are you hurt?” I asked. Okay, that was a stupid question.
Rivulets of watered-down blood ran from the deep gashes on the man’s arms and back. His tangled hair fell across his eyes. The anticipation shining in his face told me this man was not here by accident. The rich, coppery tang of blood was thick, like something I could touch. His blood carried the pungent musk I’d learned meant demon. There was something else there too, something feral. Animal. “My mistress wishes your death, vampire,” he snarled at me.
I watched as he tipped his jaw back until his sight aligned with the moon. I should have made my move, but the glimmering sparkle gathering in the air transfixed me. A deep breath flared the stranger’s nostrils and swelled his muscular chest. Without warning, his jaw snapped apart in a sickening pop of bone. A deep yowl tore from his throat and he dropped to the muddy ground.
Saliva dripped. The mangled remains of a human mouth elongated. His skin peeled, falling in long strips to the ground. The creature clawed at the earth. I looked over at Micah to gauge his reaction. He was as transfixed as I was. A fucking werewolf. The she-bitch had hired a werewolf.
The shadows of wavering branches mostly concealed the werewolf’s ghastly transformation. I was glad for the visual reprieve. The moon slid out from behind hazy, dark clouds and bathed the forest in a pale light. A beast with yellow eyes and a long, tawny muzzle now stood, shaking his head from side to side. Snarling, the werewolf pawed at the wet earth, anxious for his kill.
Three feral vampires emerged from the trees surrounding us, each with glowing red eyes. Micah looked at me and grinned. The gun in his hand jerked and the bullet exploded with a pop and a flash. I didn’t wait for the wolf’s body to hit the ground before I took off in a run. I felt Micah right behind me. The vampires hissed, followed and the chase was on. It took only a minute before the large, ancient tombstones came into view. The moment I crossed into the open space of the graveyard, I stopped and assumed a fighting stance.
One by one, the vampires slunk from the woods. Along the way, they’d picked up two more. The air sizzled around me and my heart began to pound. I sensed another two vampires advancing from the back. Altogether, there were seven vampires. No problem. I glanced at Micah and knew what to do. We didn’t need any discussion.
He stepped to the right, drawing some of our prey off to the side. When Micah fished a dark, mahogany stake from his pocket instead of the gun he preferred, I gave him a raised eyebrow.
Micah shrugged from across the graveyard. “I need to work off some aggression.”
“You’re going to get messy.” I couldn’t wait to see it.
“Tell you what,” Micah shouted. “I’ll wash your back if you wash mine!”
His long strides quickened into a run. He rounded back on the first vamp and struck out with a closed fist. The vampire staggered. Micah had the opening he needed to finish the kill. I caught a glimpse of his stake and then, with a practiced ease, Micah shoved the weapon through the thick muscle and bone of the vampire’s chest. Turning through the ash, Micah met my gaze. The predator, the demon inside him, stared back at me.
The fight was on.
Five vampires circled around me, while the remaining one drew Micah away from the fight. As a group, they snarled and every heavy pant told me exactly where they were. I pulled out a stake. Adrenaline surged through me. My heart raced. I felt alive, exhilarated. My fist tightened then relaxed around the wood. The weight of my weapon was familiar, comforting. The night pressed into me and everything just vanished. By the time the first vampire attacked, the blueprint of his assault was already in my mind.
Dust exploded in a cloud and, like Micah, I made quick work of the first vampire. My hand was slick from the onslaught of rain. I had to readjust my hold on my stake when I did a back somersault. Just as I landed, a clawed hand grabbed a fist full of my hair.
“So, you’re Julian’s whore,” the vampire hissed.
His hand yanked. The wet, rain-drenched grass squished under me when I landed. I rolled to the side and dodged the fist aimed at my face.
“Your first mistake was thinking I was anyone’s whore. Your second was only bringing seven vampires and a werewolf.”
Flipping up, I kicked my leg out hard enough to send the advancing vampire back. While he was still flailing his arms for balance, I advanced and plunged my stake through his chest. Through the ash, I caught sight of a heavy black boot aimed at my head. My reflexes kicked in. I caught the vampire’s ankle just before he could make contact. I twisted. The wet, cracking sound of things tearing gave me a little twinge of satisfaction. The leg in my hand went limp.
I flipped back and forth, dodging one blow after the other. There were little whizzing sounds of movement that came at me from all sides. In the distance, I heard the reassuring rap, rap of fist against flesh and I knew Micah was still holding his own. He sure was taking his sweet-ass time about it, though. I leapt into the air just as the vampires in front and back charged me. They crashed head first into each other.
I flipped out a Silverstone knife from my wrist sheath. With a weapon in each hand, I attacked first one vampire and then the other until they were nothing but dust. Victory surged through me, made each whip of hair against my skin feel like tiny sparks of electricity. I circled the remaining vampire.
I twisted to the side and threw all my weight to the left. I glided into a side flip that positioned my enemy behind me. I brought my knee up, grabbed the vampire’s shoulders and forced its lower spine into my leg. Crack. The bloodsucker roared. I plunged my stake into flesh.
Micah’s deep chuckle made me smile. “Show-off.”
The body beneath me evaporated and I sank down until I was kneeling on the hard, countersank headstone of one beloved Martha Dupree.
Something snarled. I spun to the noise and took a defensive crouch while I regained my breath. Something foul carried in on the rain a
nd the scent invaded my mouth. The thick awfulness on the back of my tongue was what rotted flesh must taste like.
“What in the fuck is that?” Micah asked.
He used his stake as a pointing device.
Two demons emerged from behind a crypt and I had to crane my head back to take in their full nine-foot height. Slowly I got to my feet. Even from this distance, their violet-tinged skin was wrinkled and sagging. That wasn’t my concern. Snarling in front of them was a razor-backed beast, barely restrained by a thick chain around its neck. It scratched long, clawed paws into the earth. The thing was as large as what I imagined Dante would be like in cat form.
“Stay back, Micah,” I said and stepped in front of him. I pulled out a Brimstone blade.
“We were doing so good, let’s not ruin it now.” He took up a stance on my right.
The demons started to chant and an ancient power washed over me. Micah and I exchanged a wary glance. Their words whispered through the night and raised goose bumps on my skin. The energy in the air shifted. Crackled. Lightning struck the ground just to my left. In the next moment, the demons released the great beast.
“How much money did Castro say the bounty was worth?” I asked.
“Extravagant.”
“Maybe we should have just stayed in and ordered a movie.”
With only a second to brace myself, I shoved Micah out of the way an instant before the gigantic animal jumped and flew through the air as if it weighed nothing. Bared teeth dripped something awful into my hair as the demonic animal sailed overhead and landed where we’d just been.
I slashed my weapon at its head. The beast opened its mouth and caught the Brimstone blade mid-swing. The creature shook its head, ripping the knife from my hand. Powerful jaws worked. Metal crunched. The beast dropped what remained of my great-grandfather’s blade to the ground and blinked blood-red eyes at me.
“Shit,” Micah said.
I sized the thing up and tried to work out a plan. Jumping on its back was out. Razor spikes fanned out from the thick hide and god only knew what poison lay in them. The thing raised its head, roared. When it huffed at us, smoke curled out from wide nostrils.
Dark Cravings Page 18