[The Veil 01.0] Beyond the Veil

by Pippa Dacosta

  I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. I’d had enough of this place.

  “You don’t have to go back to being a half-blood,” he said.

  Opening my eyes, I saw what almost looked like hope on his face and smiled. “I want to.”

  “Don’t take the antidote. Walk out of here and make a life for yourself somewhere else, in another city. Get out of this, Muse. You can.”

  “Even if I could, he’d find me.” It was an impossible dream. Without my demon, Akil might struggle to locate me, but it would happen eventually. He had resources beyond mine, means by which he could find me anywhere. I could change my name, flee halfway around the world, and he’d still find me. Then there was Val. If my brother discovered I was essentially human, he’d gut me the second he found me.

  “Isn’t it worth trying?” He looked almost pained. I wondered if this was his dream.

  My smile twitched. “What you don’t seem to understand is that I want the demon, Stefan.” I licked my lips and leaned a hip against the counter. “In the five years I hid, there was one thing I missed more than anything else.”

  From the way he tore his gaze away, I could tell that he knew what I was about to say.

  “You can’t tell me you don’t enjoy the chaos.” Suddenly, I was grateful for the hiss of the shower smothering our conversation. This was not a discussion we’d want the Institute to hear. “Five years, I kept it hidden inside. I played at being normal, but it was never going to last because I want the destruction. It’s a part of me…” His lips turned up with a fragment of a smile, but he was fighting it. “When you walked into my workshop, you were the first demon I’d been close to in years. I knew you weren’t human. I felt the power coiled in you and I… I wanted it.”

  His fingers danced across the granite countertop.

  “And you can’t tell me it was the demon because it wasn’t. It’s me. The lust for chaos is a part of me. I can’t shut half of me out and live like that. My demon is half of what makes me whole.”

  “Even if it gets you killed?” His sudden gaze pierced right through me, sending what felt like a trickle of ice water down my spine.

  “That’s not going to happen.” I faced him, sensing the weight of unspoken words. I’d thought him to be as clear as the winter sky: the confident demon-slayer, all bravado and no substance. But I’d been wrong. Beneath the swagger, the smug smile, and the complacent attitude pooled a dark reservoir of emotion; its ice-covered surface had begun to crack. I’d been naïve to think I knew him at all.

  He abruptly pushed away from the counter, intent on leaving. Without thinking, I caught his hand, pulling him up short. He looked back at me with such a weighty sadness that I sensed that he knew something I didn’t. He stepped against me, hands tilting my face up, his lips on mine. Repressed hunger broke through my defenses, and I fell completely into that kiss. I hooked my arms around his neck and locked him in an embrace neither of us could escape. My own hunger might have surprised me if I’d cared to think about it, but the overwhelming need to have him close left no room for doubts.

  As he pulled back, I felt him tremble. His short, ragged breaths fluttered against my cheek. His hands rode over my hips, then sought the zipper at the front of my jump suit, sliding it open so he could slip his hands inside and ease it off my shoulders. Where his light touch brushed against my shoulders, the heat of desire flushed my skin. I had expected his touch to be cold, but it wasn’t.

  He drew back with liquid ice in his eyes as he watched me tug my arms free of the suit. I peered through my half-closed lashes at him, a wicked grin on my face. He responded with a throaty growl that pooled wanton heat inside me. He hitched me up onto the counter and trailed the most frustratingly light kisses across the rise of my breasts. Leaning back, I let him tease those snowflake kisses farther down. I gasped as his lips tickled the curve of my waist.

  When his mouth found mine again, I hooked my legs around him, refusing to let him go. Fumbling with his shirt buttons, I popped them open one by one, feeling him smile against my mouth. I sunk my hands inside his shirt and heard him snatch a gasp as I grazed the wound on his shoulder.

  “Oh, sorry!” I pulled my hands back, but he grabbed them.

  “Don’t stop,” he breathed, shrugging the shirt from his shoulders and dropping it to the floor.

  Despite the angry red wound on his left side, the light played across his chest in such a way that I wanted to touch—to taste—every inch of that divine masculine body so much so that I briefly froze, biting my lip, breaths coming fast and untamed. I held the tide of desire in my hands and could still pull it back. Doubts nibbled around the edges of my runaway thoughts. My needs, hungers, desires all conspired to push me toward the precipice of surrender; if I fell for Stefan, I’d fall hard.

  He gathered my face in his hands, drawing me up so all I could see were those dazzling eyes. His lips brushed mine, but he pulled back when I tried to turn those teasing kisses into something hungry and all-consuming. He teased, luring me close with promises upon his lips and then easing back when I answered. I groaned low in my throat. He’d be the death of me if he kept this up. When I couldn’t stand the game any longer, when he’d tugged on the strings of desire until my thoughts blurred and my body burned, he sunk his hands down my back and pulled me against him. I hooked my legs around his waist, molding myself against every inch of him, breath and body ebbing and flowing. He hitched me up, lifting me off the countertop, and carried me into the shower, still partially dressed. Hot jets of water pummeled us. I laughed and watched the warmest, most genuine smile lighten his lips.

  He swept a hand through his hair, pulling it back from his face, lending his features an intensity I’d not appreciated before. The streaming water quickly drenched him. Rivulets ran down his face, across the shadow of stubble darkening his chin. He leaned me back against the cool tiles and slipped his hands inside the jumpsuit to ease it over my hips. The garment dropped. I kicked it away; consumed by the need to let my hands wander. A curious stir of power tickled my touch as I slid my hands up his chest. I could feel his element rippling around him; an aura of energy he kept restrained. The heat from the water likely helped with his control. I considered whether I should take the antidote and let my demon out of the bag but wasn’t entirely sure I could control her. I could barely control myself.

  I tugged at the waist of his jeans and popped the buttons, laughing into a kiss. He swept an arm around my waist and nuzzled my neck. I turned my head away, sinking my free hand into his wet hair as he planted frostbitten kisses on my neck and shoulder, deliberately summoning a little of his element into each touch. The pierce of ice through the heat shivered a primal need through me. “You’re lucky I’m only half of me,” I growled.

  He dragged his gaze back to mine, and the unadulterated look of need he gave sent a quivering wave of desire pulsing through me. Panting, drowning in the urge to have him, all of him, I knew there was more to this than just a distraction. There always had been. I slid an arm around his neck and pulled him down into a kiss that came straight from my heart, my soul. It was the sort of kiss that defines moments, seals destinies. The kiss you remember forever. Whether he knew it or not, I’d fallen for him.

  I shoved him back up against the tiles. He responded with a husky growl, the sound deep enough to be part demon. It was my turn to tease. I stepped back, even though every inch of my body ached to be near him. As the scolding water streamed over me, rushing through my hair, over my face and shoulders and down the plane of my stomach, his eyes drank me, devouring every inch of me. His smile said enough without words. He reached for me but I batted his hand away and quirked an eyebrow. Stefan lifted his chin, smile turning wicked. I scattered fleeting kisses across his chest. He muttered my name under rapid breaths. When I nipped at the tight flanks of muscle, he twitched and gasped. Wandering lower, I traced the tip of my tongue over the scorpion tattoo. His sharp intake of breath heightened my own maddening desire. Looking up the length
of his body, he looked down at me, his smile interrupted as I tugged the jeans over his hips. He dropped his head back against the tiles, eyes closed, giving himself to me completely.

  Stefan had hooked a leg over mine. The naked length of his body lay against me, his head propped up on a hand. He watched me while I stared at the ceiling. It occurred to me that the Institute had probably heard everything. Someone somewhere had been listening to one hell of a show, but I didn’t care. Let them listen. His fingers skipped a haphazard path across my chest, deliberately tickling. I batted his hand away with a chuckle. He responded by summoning a small ball of ice into the palm of his hand. Pinching the ball between his fingers, he traced lazy circles across my midriff. I giggled and closed my eyes, enjoying the sensation. Our time together, it felt wonderful in ways I didn’t know were even possible and there was so much more we could do. If I had my demon, if we both embraced our elements and came together like we had then… The thought alone snatched my breath away and fluttered my heart in my chest. The resulting pleasure ride would be a primal thing; beyond words and likely dangerous, but imagine the thrill, the ecstasy, our elements entwined like the two scorpions in Stefan’s tattoo. But our time was coming to an end, and we both knew it. In a few hours, I’d be with Akil and there was no guarantee I’d ever see Stefan again.

  He sat up on the edge of the bed and rolled his left shoulder, wincing a little. I knelt behind him and kissed around the stitches. He watched me over his shoulder. I took that as an invitation to continue and teased fluttery kisses across his shoulder. “You held back…” I said.

  He closed his eyes, leaning his head back. “Of course. You’re vulnerable without your demon. I didn’t want to hur—” He flinched as I nipped at his shoulder, and then he twisted with a grin and pinned me down on the bed.

  I’d known he was holding back. His control was faultless. He was right. Without my demon, I was essentially human and vulnerable. Had he lost control of his element, he could easily have hurt me, but I’d sensed more hesitation than that. Looking up at him now, nothing of that hesitance remained. There was a chance I’d imagined it…

  He kissed me slowly, drawing out the moment. I rose up into that kiss. I didn’t want to let him go and pulled him close, slipping my hands down the curve of his back. The things we could do together with more time–but he pulled away.

  “They’ll be asking for us soon,” Stefan said. I pulled him back down into one last, lingering kiss and then let him go. His roaming gaze slid over my body. A magnetic pull attempted to drag us back together, but he resisted with a sigh and stood to retrieve the injector from the desk.

  Returning to the bedside, he asked, “Ready?”

  I sat up, nodded, and let him take my hand. A trickle of shivers surprised me, as though fear was trying to warn me. Stefan’s words came back to me: If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to be entirely human, you’re feeling it now.

  He noticed the goose bumps prickling my skin. “Sure?”

  He might pine after normality, but I did not.

  He jabbed the injector against my hand. A slight hiss and it was done. I closed my eyes. Within a few seconds, I felt my demon rush toward me, building inside me. Her weight, the elemental force, rolled over me, washing through me, wave after wave, pouring its strength—its energy—back into my flesh, my muscles and bones. I cried out, back arching, the power blazing white-hot beneath my skin. Only when the force of her return passed could Stefan close his arms around me. My fire inched outward, inspecting him, invisible tendrils threading around him, through him, curiously seeking his demon. I felt the cool touch of his ice element respond like the meeting of old friends.

  He brushed my hair back and kissed the top of my head. “It’s going to be okay.”

  I don’t know who he was trying to convince, me or himself. Either way, I didn’t reply.

  Chapter 23

  My high heels tapped out a beat as I walked beside Ryder down the hall toward Adam’s office. He continued to grin at me, making no attempt to hide his smirk. I wore a short black dress. Knee-high boots clashed somewhat with the dainty little dress. I’d asked for a “sexy” dress and boots since I didn’t have a single item of clothing to my name. It was all for Akil’s benefit, of course, but the boots were my indulgence.

  We stopped at Adam’s office. Ryder knocked, his tongue poking into his cheek as he arched an eyebrow at me. His wandering gaze had gone beyond irritating and into humorous. As much as Ryder grated on me, I was beginning to appreciate his honesty in a world filled with lies. “Will I see Stefan before I leave?”

  Ryder shrugged. “Not bored of him yet then?”

  I smiled. “Careful. Too hot to handle.”

  He lifted his hand. “I remember.”

  We shared a chuckle just as Adam called from beyond the closed door. Ryder opened the door, gave me a loose farewell salute, and closed it behind me. Adam plucked his glasses from his face and stood behind his desk. He wasn’t sneering, too proud for that, but he wasn’t going to tolerate my presence any longer than necessary.

  “Are you ready?” He stayed on his feet.

  He had a commanding presence. Perhaps that’s where Stefan got his innate confidence. Clearly, Adam was not a man to be trifled with.

  “Why did you want to see me?” I avoided his question because I could.

  “I wanted to thank you, for doing this.”

  A frown touched my face. “I’m not doing it for you or this place.”

  “Nevertheless, we have the same goals.” He lifted his chin, raising his gaze to look down his nose at me. “My offer stands. We could use something—someone like you.”

  His choice of words dragged a smile across my lips. “Use being the operative word.” I stepped closer. “I’ve known demons more human than you. I never want to see you or your people again.”

  “Good. Then I suggest you never mention any of this to Akil. We wouldn’t want anything to happen to you… if you manage to survive him.”

  I snorted a laugh. This man was a waste of my time. I had bigger fish to fry. “Stefan was right when he said you don’t want to make an enemy of me. If I can kill my demon owner, I can certainly kill you.”

  A smile cracked his otherwise impassive face. “Then we’re on the same page.” He sat down and picked up the file in front of him, replacing his glasses. “Good luck, Muse.” I got the distinct impression he didn’t mean it.

  Chapter 24

  It was snowing when I reached Akil’s waterfront hotel. The sun, little more than a dull orb, hung low in the sky behind the skyscrapers of the financial district, its radiance smothered by a heavy blanket of gray clouds. I pulled my leather jacket tighter around me, flicked the collar up, and jogged up the steps into the Atlantic Hotel.

  Walking into the opulent foyer, I felt a little like Julia Roberts, and not in a good way. My dress was too short and my boots too close to the knee. The bottle of red wine in my left hand finished off the rock-chick, don’t-give-a-damn attitude. I’d buried my right hand in a jacket pocket. The injector was nestled safely in my closed fist.

  Catching the empty elevator before the doors pinged shut, I turned and saw Nica running toward me. I jammed my foot in the door, and she slipped inside, barely meeting my querying glance until the doors closed.

  She faced me, suddenly animated, hands skittish. “Don’t talk. Just listen. Stefan is lying to you—”

  “I know.”

  “No, you really don’t.” She gripped my arms, her face pale and eyes wide. “I don’t have enough time to explain everything. He knows you’re here. Listen. Stefan is working for Akil.”

  “I know,” I said again. She needed to calm down and listen to me. None of this was headline news.

  She bit her lip hard enough to draw blood, then stepped back and chewed on a nail. “You don’t.”

  We were running out of time. The elevator chimed its floors, fast approaching the penthouse suite.

  “Nica.” I tried to give he
r a reassuring smile. “It’s okay. He told me everything.”

  The sheer depth of her pained expression trickled a rivulet of fear down my spine.

  “You’re in danger, Muse.” Her hand went to her throat. “We all are.”

  The elevator chimed, and the doors opened, revealing the vast penthouse entrance hall with its opulent fitments and gleaming white walls. We stood looking at each other, no words, just confusion and fear bouncing between us. Then I stepped off the elevator and turned to watch the doors close between us. The expression of terror on her face had unsettled me, to say the least. Already nervous and afraid, I really hadn’t needed her panicked, last-minute pep talk. I shook myself, trying to chase away the renewed fear. Sucking in a deep breath, rolling my shoulders back, and keeping my head up, I strode forward into the lounge.

  Akil stood by the windows, his back to me, but he saw my reflection in the glass like a ghost, hovering just out of reach. Fat snowflakes twirled in the air outside, bumping against the window. Occasionally, the wind would sweep them up and hurry them along, only for more to return. He wore a blood-red shirt complemented by charcoal trousers, and even after everything he’d done, my shallow heart did a little traitorous flip at the sight of him. The mahogany color of his hair, the bronze glow to his skin, it all seemed surreal after how I’d left him, face down on the ground, body riddled with bullet holes.

  He looked over his shoulder at me. “You owe me an apology.”

  A spark of anger ignited inside me, quickly combining with fear to create a heady concoction of emotion that conspired to undermine my resolve. I couldn’t mess this up. If I reacted in a way he found suspicious, it would all be over, but how exactly was I meant to react? The things he’d done. The things he had yet to do… Threatening to tear my demon out of me, literally peel my skin from my bones. How was I supposed to process all that?