by Kresley Cole
"It's just called Erol's. Now if anything goes south inside, just stay behind me. Promise me."
He was overprotective to a fault. "I can't promise you that, or there's going to be clay all over your kitchen floor."
"Our kitchen floor."
"Demon, if anything goes south in there, I won't need you to take care of me. I'll need you to help me take care of us."
That seemed to throw him. She turned and sauntered onto the pier, leaving him with a bemused expression on his face. The big demon male was having to learn some new tricks with her.
When she began tip-toeing so her stiletto boot heels wouldn't get stuck between the planks, he asked, "Why don't you wear flats and just make them look like boots?"
"Because wearing these makes me feel sexy."
"Would being carried by your man make you feel sexy now?"
"I can manage, King Charming," she said. "So, if it's really packed inside, will you see anyone you know? Perhaps one of the thousands of demonesses you've bedded, like Durinda," she said, teasing him.
When he fell silent, she faced him. "I was just joking- I know you weren't with her. Wait, why do you look so guilty?" Why would Rydstrom appear guilty at the mention of the female- Suddenly she felt like she couldn't get enough air. "You didn't... in the camp ... you weren't with her ..."
"Gods, no! But I told you I hadn't slept with her. And, apparently, a millennium ago or so, I did."
Relief sailed through her, but then she said, "You told me you hadn't."
He ran his hand over the back of his neck. "I'd . . . forgotten."
"Did she have to remind you?" When he reluctantly nodded, she burst out laughing.
"It's not funny," he said gruffly. "It was embarrassing as hell," he added, looking like he'd begun fighting a grin.
Still laughing, she said, "I would have given gold to hear that conversation!"
"I'd thought you'd be angry."
After another chuckle, she said, "Not at funny things. Hey, I have an idea! Maybe we should start a database and enter all the names of females you tagged, so you can keep up with them-"
"You think so, smart ass?" He swooped her up in his arms. "All I care about is the last entry." He charged down the pier, with her laughing the whole way.
At the entrance, he let her slide down his body. As they walked in, Rydstrom had his hand on her hip and his shoulders back, looking arrogant and every inch the king. She loved it.
The interior was dimly lit and crowded. In the corner, an old-fashioned juke box played twangy songs. On the back wall, skulls framed a mirror, their eye sockets laced with Christmas tree lights.
The place had its charm.
They passed the bar where a pair of startlingly good-looking twins sat. She suspected the two males were Lykae, and was proven right when they spoke with a thick Scottish accent.
"Damnation, Rydstrom, where'd you get her?" one said as he shot to his feet off a stool. "And she's dressed up like a sorceress of yore." He whistled low.
The brother added, "Does the lass have a sister?"
Rydstrom acknowledged them with a cool nod, then said, "Sabine, this is Uilleam and Munro, Lykae soldiers."
"I do have a sister," Sabine eagerly said. "You'd love her, and she would certainly adore you-"
But Rydstrom steered her away before she could finish, heading toward the back to the only empty table. Raucous females sat nearby, playing dice. All looked intoxicated on drink or intoxispells.
When Rydstrom muttered, "More witches," Sabine put out a light probe for powers. Again, finding nothing she'd get out of bed for. But one of the females with them had pointed ears and glowing skin.
"And Regin the Radiant," he said, shaking his head. "She's often Nix's partner in crime."
Once they reached the table, and he'd pulled out her chair for her, he was clearly reluctant to leave her to go get drinks. "Go, Rydstrom, I'll be fine."
He leaned down to say at her ear, "Just don't tell anyone your full name or your sorceress title, and we ought to be fine."
When Rydstrom hesitantly left her, Sabine glared at all the females sighing over him as he passed, though he seemed oblivious to their notice.
At the bar, he turned back to her, checking on her, those green eyes watchful.
Taking one on the chin for Team Evil? Try scoring one for Team Sabine.
He was so incredibly masculine. A dynamo in bed, on the couch, and in the shallow end of the pool. And he was good to her.
She'd been good to him for the most part, striving to be so for him. But old habits died hard. Whenever Rydstrom had unlocked his armory to view that sword, Sabine had made herself invisible.
And now she had the combination.. ..
This could get dicey. He'd brought Sabine here because she was going to have to get used to being in this society sooner or later. And the Lorekind were going to have to get used to seeing her.
But he also had another reason for coming here. Erol's was an excellent place to get information. And Rydstrom wanted Lothaire's whereabouts.
When Rydstrom had admitted to Sabine the terms of the deal struck with the vampire, she'd been understandably worried. Lothaire could ask him for any one thing. At any time. "What if he wants your firstborn? We've got to kill him!"
"Our firstborn. And I'll take care of it"
At the bar, Rydstrom asked a nearby storm demon and then the barkeep for information, but the mere mention of the Enemy of Old had them shaking their heads.
As he waited for drinks, Rydstrom gazed back at Sabine. She was sitting with an innate grace, casually surveying the room with those amber eyes.
So bloody beautiful. And of course he wasn't the only one who thought so. Males were craning their heads to get a glimpse of her. Just as he'd predicted, Rydstrom's horns were flaring. He cast killing looks at some of the bastards, letting them know that the female was his.
But was she? According to Sabine, he had only two more days with her-then they would reconvene. He hadn't pressed her about it, because he'd simply assumed keeping her here was a function of making her want to stay with him. He was doing everything he could think of, and still he felt her slipping away. .. .
Just as he accepted her wine and his brew from the barkeep, Regin yelled across the tavern, "Yo, demon, who's the tartling?"
Rydstrom exhaled, turning to stride back to the table. He saw that some of the witches in the back were from the pool party. They must have recognized Sabine, because they were urgently trying to shut Regin up.
Though they whispered to her, Regin responded loudly, "Sabine? Who the hell is she? Still looks like a tartling to me."
When Sabine slowly turned toward Regin, Rydstrom hastened back to her, dropping the drinks at a random table-
"I am not a tartling. I am the Queen of Illusions," Sabine answered with silky menace, her palms at the ready.
Ah, fuck.
"Sister to Omort?" Regin shot to her feet, knocking over her chair. As lightning streaked the sky outside, the Valkyrie snatched two short swords from holsters across her back. "How'd you like those no-handed fire demons that Nixie and I sent back to you? Did you get her note?"
At the mention of Omort, beings in the crowd began comprehending exactly who Rydstrom had brought to
this bar. He heard mutters and whispers about the sorceress, and people began filing toward the door.
As the Lykae twins reached the exit, one of them called to Rydstrom, "Damn, demon, that filly's no' yet been broken."
The other added, "Talk about goin' out and gettin' some strange."
Rydstrom stepped between Sabine and Regin. "Valky-rie, she's with me. Nïx wouldn't want you to fight with Sabine." Because Sabine would destroy Regin.
Regin frowned in confusion. "She must be the sorceress Nïx specifically told me not to off tonight." The Valkyrie shrugged, expertly holstering her swords behind her back. Her ire had left her as readily as it had arrived, and her attention drifted from Sabine and Rydstrom.
"Hey! Where's everybody going? Rocky Horror Picture Show's playing downtown!" Regin brushed past them toward the exit, her friends following.
In minutes every being in the entire tavern-including the barkeep-had cleared out.
Sabine regarded the empty area with an unreadable expression.
He wrapped his arms around her, curling his fingers under her chin. "Baby, I'm sorry. It'll take time."
"Are you kidding? I was very flattered." When he gave her a doubting expression, she said, "Rydstrom, don't forget that I was raised to equate fear with respect. All those people just showed me an enormous amount of respect."
He still must have looked unconvinced because she added, "Demon, I didn't come here expecting to make friends. Now, is this still a date?"
"Of course."
"And we're still in a Lore bar?"
"That we are."
She crossed to the bar and hopped over. "So what will you have?" she asked with a grin. "Drinks are on the house."
They sat in companionable silence on the way home, both lost in their own thoughts.
Rydstrom had told her that demons loved nice cars, were fascinated by them, and now she could see the appeal. The scent of new leather surrounded her, the seats were toasty warm, and the lights on the dash illuminated his handsome face.
And there was a marked confidence about the way he drove. He was good at this, and he knew it. Gods, there was something about a male who drove well that was so sexually attractive, though she'd only really seen it with horses and carriages before.
At every red light, he took his hand off the stick shift and rested his palm on her knee, as though he couldn't stand not touching her for even a few moments.
The anticipation of knowing that they were going back to their house to make love all night took her mind from any worries she might have harbored. And she felt his strength, palpable and reassuring. He'd vowed to protect her, had wanted to.
After they made love, she was going to tell him about the poison....
"You looked beautiful tonight," he said, his voice rumbling.
"You didn't look too bad yourself."
"I made the podium?"
"Demon, you'd get my gold. I was proud to be on your arm. For as long as it lasted." With the place all to themselves, Rydstrom had taught her to play pool. "And I had fun."
He grinned over at her. "Even though we didn't leave
any bodies behind?"
"Maybe you're wearing off on me," she said absently, gazing at his curling lips and intense green eyes. That feeling came over her again, so sharply that realization struck her like a stray punch.
I think I'm in love with the demon.
43
Later that night, Rydstrom sat in his den, staring into a glass of demon brew. He'd left Sabine sleeping soundly, after taking her more times than he could count.
She'd said she had something she wanted to talk to him about later, but she'd drifted off. He'd noticed her face had been pale, and he feared he'd exhausted her.
Sometimes when she was digging her nails into the backs of his thighs as he took her from behind, he forgot that she didn't have the strength of a demoness.
It was as if he were trying to bond her to him through bouts of sex-because his other efforts appeared to be failing. Though she'd seemed genuinely happy to be with him, like tonight at the bar, he'd sensed an underlying urgency in her. And he had only two days left before her sister would return for her.
Rydstrom needed Nix's advice, but she'd been impossible to locate over the last few days. He had the sword, and it was time to strategize and to act. Yet he felt like
he could do nothing until he'd solidified things with Sabine-until he'd wed her and truly made her his queen. Which meant he had to come clean with her first....
Filled with doubts, he sat pounding demon brew as his brother often had-to Rydstrom's past censure.
As if any of that mattered now. He'd been so damn hard on Cadeon. And for what?
The side door opened then. Speak of the demon.
Shortly after, Cadeon strolled into the room. "You still look like shite warmed over. But better than that last time at least."
Though it had always been uncomfortable between the two brothers, now everything could be different. The past wasn't what they'd believed, and Cadeon had redeemed himself.
When Cadeon dropped onto the couch across from him, Rydstrom held up the bottle in offer.
"A dram, but not more."
Once Rydstrom splashed the dark brew into a glass, he accepted the drink, inhaled, then took a sip. "You alarmed the piss out of me the other day."
/ alarmed myself. "I've tried to contact you since then."
"I've been MIA," Cadeon said simply. "But I've been left to my own recognizance tonight, so I thought I'd stop by." He studied Rydstrom's face. "I think this is where I'm s'posed to ask if you want to talk about it."
Rydstrom gave a bitter laugh. "Maybe after another bottle."
"When did you start pounding demon brew?" Cadeon asked.
"When did you stop?"
"No more getting blotto. I'm responsible now, didn't you hear? I got hitched."
Rydstrom raised a glass. "Congratulations, brother," he said, relieved that things had worked out between Cadeon and his female.
"That's why I haven't answered. Been keeping time with the missus at the new estate I just bought her. Nïx informed me that I couldn't keep living in my 'pool house man-cave' I shared with Rok, not if I was going to have Holly."
Rok was a smoke demon, Cadeon's second in command, and a fine soldier-except for the fact that he continually disappeared. "Where is Rok? I haven't seen him by."
"Told me cryptically that I might not be the only one settling down, then he blazed. Haven't seen him since." Rydstrom would relish seeing the bed-hopping demon domesticated.
'" I want you to officially meet Holly," Cadeon said. "So I figured I'd come by to see if you were up for company. It looked like you had some things to work through."
No kidding. "Why don't you tell me what happened when I was . .. gone."
"All right then." With his usual excitement, his brother told him of the journey to Groot's, details about checkpoints and near-death escapes, battles with rev--enants and fire demons.
But when Cadeon talked about his new wife, his entire demeanor changed. His glass of liquor went for-
gotten on the table. "We knew how smart she is. But who knew how sexy a mathematician could be?"
"How did you get the sword?"
"I had to give her to Groot for it. Thought you'd be proud of me for making a sacrifice for once in my life. I thought of you, of the kingdom, and the people. Still, I was planning on taking her right back, but the bastard tricked me...."
After Cadeon relayed everything that had happened. Rydstrom could hardly imagine how painful it would've been to see the betrayed look on the face of the woman he'd fallen for so completely.
Even though Cadeon had a plan to save her, Rydstrom didn't know that he himself could have done the same.
Cadeon said Holly had . .. cried.
My brother's a stronger man than I am. It was difficult to swallow that truth, but Rydstrom was craven with his need for Sabine-the thought of even parting from her for a day made his fangs grow. "Holly's forgiven you?"
"Almost mostly. But she still gives me slack about it when she's sick. I take it as a husbandly badge," he said, puffing out his chest.
"Sick? You told me she was fully immortal."
"Yeah, but she throws up some, because, well, the thing of it is . . . Ah, fuck, Rydstrom, I knocked her
up."
"You're going to be a father?" Gods help the world.
I'm going to be an uncle?
"I got Holly, like, on the first shot. Nïx is calling me Bull's-eye and the Womb Raider."
"Nïx is nothing if not subtle." A month ago, Rydstrom would've been uneasy with the idea that his brother had gotten a babe on the Vessel. No
w he felt confident the female would bear a warrior of ultimate good.
"That's why I'm on my own tonight-cause Nïx and Holly are out shopping for baby swords or something." He scratched his head. "I'm kind of hoping they were joking about that, but with Valkyries, how can you know?"
"How do you feel about having a babe?"
"At first, I was happy, because I thought it'd mean Holly'd have to forgive me, like I'd smuggled an ally on the inside who'd help me," Cadeon said, still every bit the mercenary. "Then I got excited. If Holls thinks I drive her crazy, imagine little Cadeons running around all over the place."
"I have firsthand experience with one. And that was plenty."
An awkward silence fell over the room. Rydstrom took a drink, muttering over the rim, "Make sure you have wainscoting."
"What?"
Rydstrom shook his head. "Nothing."
"No, tell me."
"When you were little and your horns were molting, they itched so bad that you'd run them against the walls. Nylson and I used to burst out laughing to see every new three-foot-high gouge running the length of a hall. We wouldn't let anyone repair them." His lips curled until he noticed Cadeon's expression. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"You're talking about me. And it sounds . . . fond." What the hell did Rydstrom have to lose? "It nearly broke me to send you away."
Cadeon scowled. "So much that you visited all the
time?"
This much resentment?. "I did every chance I could. At least once a week in the beginning." At Cadeon's disbelieving look, he said, "I was there watching over you, making sure you had everything you needed. I stayed out of the way because Zoe and Mia said I would interrupt your bonding with your new family."
"How about not sending me away at all?"
"After Nylson and our father had just been slain? Because they broke the custom? When you were little, I was still adjusting to being king. I'd just lost my older brother, who was my best friend. And my father, as well. Then you were to be in jeopardy, too? I couldn't stand the thought of it. I was tempted to take you and our sisters and start anew, turn our backs on wars and killing."