by Kresley Cole
She was faint, her visage almost colorless, except for her irises. In her phantom form, they glowed, brilliant blue and amber.
"We've talked about your hurting Desh. It's not happening, understand?"
"Release me!"
"If I do, you'll go solid. Sure you want me to?" They began to rise, like heated air. Once clear of the ground, she let him go.
As he materialized, she levitated, face frightfully beautiful. "You"--she pointed at Deshazior--"vow to the Lore you'll never say anything about me. You"--she pointed at Rune--"vow you won't hurt Desh."
The demon readily said, "I vow to the Lore that I'll say naught about ye to anyone."
Rune's gaze was locked on Deshazior. "You and I both know what she is. And we both know that vow's not good enough." He traced to his knife, telling Josephine, "Will you trust me for once? The demon has to go." When he lunged for his foe, she gave a panicked cry.
Rune's body went flying, crashing into the rock face. Stone cracked; ribs cracked. The entire mountain vibrated.
He fell to the ground. Telekinesis too? Struggling for air, he grimaced from the pain in his side. "Enough, woman!"
Her otherworldly face was filled with menace. "Get it through your skull: you're not going to murder him, okay? I'll keep doing this until you make the vow!"
When she raised her hand at him, Rune bit out the words: "I vow to the Lore not to harm this demon. Today." As soon as night fell . . .
She rolled her vivid eyes at that. "Another qualifier."
"Accept that vow; it wasn't easily given." He forced himself to his feet, his ribs screaming. "We three will live. Today." Though his bow was nigh indestructible, he checked it for damage. Unharmed. He exhaled in relief, then cringed with pain.
Deshazior cautiously approached her. "I'm good with the vow, Jo." His awed gaze flicked over her pale face. "Ye never know what will pop up during an Accession, eh?"
She embodied, sinking to her feet. "You really know what I am? Because I don't."
"Ye're part"--the demon's voice dropped to a murmur--"phantom. Ye're a shapeshifter betwixt life and death."
"Phantom." Her irises wavered again. "Phantom." She said the word like she was trying it on. "Yeah. I like that."
Nix had said, Death and death all rolled into one.
"Ye saved me, l'il bit, and I'll not forget it."
She grinned. "Told you I was wicked strong."
Rune regarded her with disbelief. She has no idea. He'd already had no intention of letting her go; now there was even more motive to keep her close.
Which had nothing to do with the fact that--in the heat of the moment--he'd thought of her as his.
THIRTY-EIGHT
Ye think she'll be hunted?" Desh said to Rune. "I'd like to see who could catch her."
Damn straight, Jo thought.
With malice in his gaze, Rune ran his fingers down the bowstring over his chest. If she had to guess, he was planning an assassination at his earliest opportunity.
She'd have to extract more vows or something. "Maybe you better go, Desh." She was even more respectful of Rune's strength. He'd somehow fought her possession! No one had ever come close before.
The demon glanced past her at Rune. "This is where an old salt makes his exit." He took one of Jo's hands into both of his own. "Ye ever need anything, ye know where to find me. Fair winds, me beauty." He kissed her hand.
Awww. He was like a big, hot, horned teddy bear.
"Till we meet again." Desh disappeared.
Meet again? Try this weekend at Lafitte's.
"What the hells, Josephine?" Rune snapped when they were alone. "You attack me? I'm on your side, remember?"
"Currently, you might be. But as soon as this mission ends, we'll go our separate ways. You made that clear." And it'd really hurt. She'd suspected he would nail and bail her, but to know . . .
"Don't speak for me." He lumbered over to a boulder to sit. "I was protecting you, and this is how you repay me? You couldn't reveal things about yourself to Deshazior fast enough, but you left me in the dark! How could you not tell me about these powers?"
She was stoked she hadn't telekinetically Hulk-smashed him! An A+ for Jo! "I kept my abilities close to the vest because I figured I might need to use them against you. Obviously, I did."
"Where is your family? Which parent was the phantom? Where did you come from?"
"Why should I tell you anything about myself? We've traded some orgasms. We both want to off the same Valkyrie. As you were so quick to point out--there's no bond between us. We're only together currently, which means temporarily."
"Bond? Let me explain something. You're going to need allies. And quickly."
"Why are you making such a big deal about this? Wiccae or Sorceri must have similar powers. Can't your witch ally move things with her mind?"
"Yes, but she can't harvest power through another's blood. She can't trace. She can't possess an enemy and sink him into the ground."
"Oh."
"Oh?" He was getting angrier by the moment. "No wonder Nix called you special! No wonder she's so interested in you and your brother. I should've killed Deshazior."
"He won't talk. He made that vow."
"And what if a cosas drinks him? If this gets out . . ." Rune caught her gaze. "Vampires will want to study you--at best. Others would breed you for day-walking progeny. If the Horde ever crowns a new king, you can be assured he'll try to capture you."
Then she would ghost that king beneath a mountain. "Do you know other phantoms?"
"They're rare. I might have met a handful in all my years. But a vampire/phantom hybrid? I didn't believe they existed. Are there any other powers I need to know about?"
I can dream your memories. "Nope. That about sums it up."
"As if those aren't enough. We need to be on the move as soon as possible, but know this: you will tell me your history today." He tugged up his shirt to assess his side. His torso was mottled dark purple.
Oops.
"Internal bleeding. Great work. I'll have to heal this before we face Nix." Lips thinned, he removed his bow. "The demon's right about one thing. You must be a product of the Accession."
"Keep hearing that term." Nix had said they'd all have parts to play.
"Let me guess--you might call it something different?" He pulled off his shirt, his muscles flexing.
Despite everything that had happened, she was primed for him, ogling his broad chest.
"An Accession is a mystical force occurring roughly every five hundred years. It brings immortals into contact for good or for ill. Loreans can find mates and make alliances, but mostly death comes to reduce the immortal population. The Lore is already a violent place; it's about to get much more so."
"Accessions sound disturbing."
"They're also times of historical wonders and discoveries. For instance, a vampire/phantom hybrid might surface." His brows drew together, the wheels definitely turning. "Not just one. Your brother is in play as well."
Jo raised her hand again. "Leave him out of this, Rune! You don't even get to think about Thad."
"You should've thought about him. If Loreans know what you are and you reunite with him, he also becomes a target."
Shit, he was right. "You left me no choice but to show my powers. Besides, Nix already knows about us. We're as safe--or as screwed--as she decides."
"That's a precarious position to be in, Josephine. Rumor holds she's steering the entire Accession, bringing about a great war, instead of a drawn-out one. I've told you she flirts with an apocalypse."
"Now you see why I want to fight her. I can drag her down to the center of the earth and make her go solid."
"You've given me a hint of how horrific that fate would be." He pricked his wrist with a claw. Dipping a finger to the welling blood, he used it to draw on the injured side of his torso. The heady scent swept her up as a fascinating symbol took shape.
He'd drawn that on her! She wanted to know what each rune meant. To
re-create them. "Will that speed up your healing process?"
He nodded. "Necessary because my partner has delayed us." In a surly tone, he said, "I reacquainted myself with curative combinations--when I treated your broken body. Without a single word of thanks from you."
He was making her feel like a bitch. To be fair, he'd only wanted to kill Desh to protect her. And he had saved her from Nix. Because of Rune, they were on the Valkyrie's trail.
Yet Jo had kind of broken all his stuff. Guilt weighed on her. "Thank you for helping me."
He wasn't listening, his attention on her face. "You don't wear a glamour."
"Not quite sure what that is."
"Some creatures use spells to enhance their appearance. I thought the shadows around your eyes and the pale skin were part of your look."
"They are."
"Good," he said. "Good." Seeming to drag his gaze away, he checked his side. Beneath that symbol, his bruises were fading. "No wonder your tracing felt so peculiar. You made us intangible first."
"Yep. I can make things I touch turn to air, if I want them to."
"The ramifications . . ." He was clearly working out all the angles. "Is it easy to possess others?"
"As easy as breathing. I sometimes call it ghosting. I ghost into a shell."
"How many shells have you ghosted into?" He drew his shirt back on, then slung his bow over his chest.
"Tons. I hang out in them."
"So I was just another shell today."
She shrugged. She needed to steal a memento from him. Unfortunately the talisman was out. "Shouldn't we get a start?"
"This conversation is in no way over. We'll revisit it later."
"Just like we'll discuss how you're not going to hurt Desh once the day ends."
Rune pointed his finger at her, opening his mouth as if he was about to lay into her, but then he just scowled.
In the distance, she heard excited voices. A tour group? Their enthusiasm was contagious. "Come on, Rune." Jo waved at one of the mountains. "Time to climb!"
His irises flickered as he gazed up and up and up. "Can't wait. . . ."
THIRTY-NINE
Rune's harried thoughts weren't enough to keep his mind off the yawning drop beneath his feet.
He and Josephine had navigated carved steps to reach the Plankway in the Sky--a wooden path thousands of feet in the air, affixed to the side of the sheer mountain, one of the steepest on this world.
Strangely, the lift that would've saved them hours of ascent was out of order.
Senseless thrill-seeking humans were about, so he and Josephine couldn't trace to the top. Besides, he couldn't see where to land, and he'd never been there before.
He sidled along the narrow path, cobbled-together from scrap boards. The plankway had no railing, just a length of chain stretched across the rock face for a handhold. He gripped it with clammy palms. The sun beat down on them, and sweat dripped from his forehead, burning his eyes.
Rune had few true fears; acrophobia, the fear of heights, was one of them.
Ahead, Josephine bounded along, utterly fearless.
Utterly surprising.
Rune's determination to bed her had only deepened. Her show of strength fueled his desire, but sex would also bind her to him--and therefore to the Morior.
His mission had expanded: kill Nix and recruit Josephine. And once Rune did, would the brother follow his sister to their side?
The Morior could have two hybrids of unimaginable power.
He lost sight of her around a sharp bend. Not far behind him, adrenaline-pumped mortals laughed and yelled to each other.
He transferred his sweating grip from one chain to another. He was seven feet tall; these boards weren't intended to hold someone of his size.
When Josephine skipped back to him, the planks vibrated just from her scant weight. The rusted bolts attaching wood to stone squeaked.
Perspiration dotted her forehead and misted her thin T-shirt. Tendrils of her shining hair were damp. Sun struck her face, and he marveled anew that she was a day-walker. In the light, she seemed as delicate as gossamer, her pale skin slightly pinkened. She was exhilarated, her eyes appearing even brighter against those seductive shadows.
He was glad she wore no glamour. Her looks were forever unique to her. He could stare at her spectral face for hours.
"Up ahead, the view is sick! You can see miles down." She'd discovered his discomfort and delighted in giving him grief. "There're no more planks. It's just little foot holes carved into the rock. Hmm. Your feet are really big. I wonder if they'll even fit."
Josephine could float or ghost or whatever she called it. She could all but fly.
When she casually leaned a shoulder against the rock and crossed her arms over her chest, he wanted to snag her close.
"Why are you afraid? If you fall, you can trace right back here."
"I'm not afraid. I'm . . . cautious. I've told you I didn't grow up with the ability to teleport. My cautiousness developed during my childhood."
"But you can trace now."
He knew that. Yet phobias weren't rational. "This is not my natural element." He'd been born and raised to labor in the fens, assassinate Magh's enemies, and fuck her political targets. He was never supposed to climb mountains.
"Your natural element seems to be on top of nymphs. Starting to realize how limiting that is?" She gave him an exaggerated frown.
Despite his unease, he yearned to kiss her quiet. "I want to be on top of you."
She shimmied around him, holding on to the chain with the crook of a finger. "All you have to do is whisper promises in my ear."
She made no secret she wanted more from Rune--talking about love and commitments--but he suspected this was merely the infatuation of a very young female. "I'll have you eventually. I know you crave sex with me."
"I crave a lot of things I don't get. Them's the breaks."
"It's not possible for me to be exclusive."
"Possible?" She snorted. "Because you're such a lady-killer? Because your big swinging dick says, 'Baby, I gotta be free'?"
"Maybe it's not that I would desire other women. As a secrets master, I use sex to get information. That's my job--but you'd expect me to quit it right at the Accession?" What in the gods' names would it take for someone to accept him as is?
She nodded with understanding. "One day you'll find a nice female who'll put up with your 'job'. Listen to my words, Rune: I am not that woman. If you stepped out on me, I'd kick your ass to the curb."
"You think I couldn't seduce you to see things my way?"
"Never. Your best bet is to forget all this"--she gestured at her body--"and find that dark fey you had a lead on."
He frowned at the reminder. During the two days he'd held vigil over Josephine, he could've returned to Loa's, enjoying the shopkeeper and getting that lead. In the past, he would've hounded Loa.
Now, he had difficulty picturing himself with any female other than Josephine. "Perhaps I could be persuaded to try an open relationship with you--a long-term commitment that allows us to stray, but always to return to the bed we share."
"That's your idea of a commitment? Maybe we call it something different where I come from." The little wench winked at him. "In any case, why would I settle for less than I need when I'm only twenty-five?"
"Because you aren't fixed in your ways."
"Says who? I want promises that my guy'll be in one bed: mine."
"No doubt a vow to the Lore? You're power-mad for those vows. What if we committed, and you realized your feelings for me were just an infatuation? A schoolgirl crush? We've known each other for such a short time."
Instead of reassuring him she felt more, Josephine said, "I bet I could get Desh to make me a pledge."
Rune's eyes narrowed. "By the way, a male demon's horns are considered sexual organs. Your asking to touch them was as good as offering a hand job. You probably didn't know that, since you're mentally the equivalent of a human. I'll give yo
u the benefit of the doubt."
"You're right. I didn't know that." She tapped a black claw to her chin. "But I will the next time I ask him."
Rune clenched his jaw. She could proposition Deshazior--doing anything she pleased with the demon--and Rune couldn't say a word about it.
Whatever she read in his expression made hers light up. "My old man's jealous of Desh! I'll bring you around."
"Or maybe I'm furious that a fledgling storm demon disrespected me. He was only a twinkle in his sire's eyes when I was six thousand years old!"
In a singsong tone, she said, "Jea-hel-lous." She floated higher to nip the tip of his sensitive ear!
He didn't know if that made him want to fuck her, spank her, or hug her. "Perhaps I'll run into some Orea up here, nymphs who live on high mountaintops. Then we'll see who's jealous."
She alighted on the plank again. "And what would you do with them? Bone them? When you're so scared?"
"I'm not scared. I'm just not overjoyed."
"My man is old and jealous and scared too." The sun hit her dazzling smile.
Gods, she was stunning. "I'd simply rather be somewhere else. Now, shut up, child."
"So it wouldn't bother you if I did this?" She jumped up and down, bouncing the plank. "Will the Orea come and save their favorite stud?"
"You'll pay for this when we get to solid ground."
"What if I did this?" She inched closer to him. Closer. She didn't stop when she reached him, just proceeded--into his body.
"Josephine, no." Chills skittered up his spine. Yet at the same time, having her inside him was curiously . . . erotic.
They began to dematerialize. "What are you doing?" Dread overwhelmed him when his fingers passed through the chain.
She stepped off the fucking ledge; they hovered in the air.
He peered straight down at the drop. His lungs seized, his heart about to explode. Trace away! Would she move with him? Or would he throw her off? What if she lost control and fell? Mind in chaos, he yelled, "Enough!"
She floated him back to the plank, then disentangled herself. Once she'd solidified beside him, his phobia kicked in with a vengeance, applying to her as well. "Stay on this godsdamned plank." He shoved her between him and the mountain--leaving room only for his toes to remain on the board.
"What'd you do that for? You're hanging off the edge now."