by Zoe Forward
“Astrid found it.”
“She’s good at that.” Kane grinned.
“The side gate’s open,” Markus said pointing at the deserted guard post. “Let’s go in there.”
“A little too easy, don’t you think?” Kane pointed out.
Astrid met his gaze and screwed up her lips in agreement.
“Why not enter there?” Javen asked. “It’s not like they want us to stay out. They just think they can control us once we’re inside.” Javen chuckled evilly. “Besides, now I’m pretty sure all the humans are on the opposite side of the building. Lower floor. Why don’t you guys do the daemons? Markus and I will round up the humans. Or kill ’em.”
“What?” Markus whooshed out. “Hell no. Those Hashishin assholes are insane. One or two, maybe I could handle, but fifteen to twenty or more…no fucking way.”
Javen grinned and punched Markus in the arm. “Don’t get your knickers in a wad. You’re the bait. The goal is for them to go after you. It’s in the rules that I can only attack if you’re threatened or they attack me. You’ll be fine. Trust me.”
“That’s not reassuring coming from someone who’s stoned.” Markus adjusted the tactical vest he had slung loosely over one shoulder.
“Wouldn’t it make more sense for you to help us deal with the daemon since you are the most experienced?” Astrid asked Javen.
Javen cocked his head. His gaze skimmed to Nate. “She doesn’t know, does she?”
“Guess not,” Nate said.
“Know what?” Astrid asked. Kane recognized her pissed-off look. She hated surprises when it came to intel on team members
Javen said, “I’m only supposed to actually engage daemons under…emergency situations. I’m too close to the Turn and all that shit. Ashor thinks I’ll lose it, if he allows me on continuous fight duty. It’s probably better if I don’t lose it with you guys today.”
“He only got back into the action a month or so ago,” Nate said. “It’s better this way for right now. If he loses it tonight, none of us can deal with him insane. Okay, maybe you could handle him, Astrid, but you don’t want to.”
Javen twirled his knife and stared at the door.
“Okay. Fine. Javen and Markus handle humans. The rest of us will find the daemons.” Astrid wiggled her shoulders against her sword’s shoulder straps, realigning it down the center of her back. “Any hints on their location, Javen?”
Javen shook his head. “Somewhere on the upper two floors. Sorry. They mustn’t be in solid form right now.”
“Wear the goddamned vest. It’s bullet-proof and stocked,” Kane grumbled to his brother. He tossed him night-vision goggles from his backpack. “Try not to lose them.”
Markus put on the vest but left it unzipped. He dangled the night-visions from his index finger. “I guess on the bright side of things if I get hacked to shreds by one of those Persian weirdoes or one of their snakes bites me, then my number is up to be recruited to magi-dom. Or, I could die, and duck out of all of this.”
“I seriously doubt you’d get out of this that easily,” Kane said. “Besides, I hear Javen’s pretty good at what he does.” He met Javen’s gaze with the promise of retaliation if he allowed his brother to get fucked up.
Javen saluted to him.
Astrid signaled for them to cut the chatter. “Everyone keep your asses alive.”
“Same to you.” Markus trotted behind Javen ahead of them through the gate.
Nate moved in next to Kane and whispered, “You got a feel for where the fuckers are? ’Cause I can’t detect them.”
Kane shook his head. He reached for that mysterious energy, seichim, in the manner Erik had instructed. He detected nothing other than a stinging crunch from the bite of the dragons on his biceps. He thought to them, Chill out.
They entered the ground floor. Six sets of boots splashed through puddles. If they were going for stealth, then they failed. The outer wall of the warehouse was comprised of a series of giant metal doors, each barricaded with barbed wire, probably to prevent scrapping. A few cockroaches scurried around the remnant insulation, old cardboard, and shattered glass that littered the floor.
Astrid pointed to the left of the four gigantic service elevators. “Stairs.” She saluted to Javen before he and Markus rounded a curve on the lower floor, and moved out of sight.
“What’s the plan?” Cy asked. He gimped upward on the prosthesis, but to his credit he didn’t complain.
Astrid skewered him with her patented that’s-a-dumb-question.
“Yeah, okay. Find the daemons. Don’t get killed,” Cy said.
When they reached the third floor, the stench of rotten eggs permeated the air, and the ambient temperature dropped several degrees.
“This would be the right place,” Cy announced.
Astrid scanned the area. “Cy, stay back here behind this support column. Listen on coms in case I need help. If they come at you, use one of the guns in that vest. You said you could handle a gun. You didn’t lie?”
“I can use a gun. I’ll pray if they take you guys down that Javen is on his way.” Cy pushed at his ear bud.
“You’ll be fine. Cast a spell or something, if all goes to shit,” Astrid said smoothly. “Nate, I need you to sniper its eyes.”
“But—” Cy tried to interrupt. The daemon materialized ahead of them.
Kane said, “Nate, sniper. And protect Cy. Astrid behind me. I’m going in.” He pointed at Nate. “I’m trusting you, man. You fuck this up and—”
“I got your six,” Nate said. “But…”
Astrid was already moving, and Kane couldn’t linger to hear the rest of Nate’s statement. Astrid scowled when Kane moved into tandem position beside her. In the past he’d never been able to convince her to stay secure and behind him while he fought. He had hoped she’d believe in caution, given her expectant status. The defiant tilt of her lips indicated a no go on her taking her security seriously. She would always be at his back or out in front whether she was supposed to be or not. That frightening reality drove him when on an op.
Protecting her was who he was, ingrained deeply from his mother, who lost her war with lung cancer at fifty. Women were to be protected, cherished, and not placed on the front lines. He was a chauvinist. No doubt. But he hadn’t fought Astrid over her safety for at least a year. The woman could handle herself. That he didn’t doubt. But now that he’d been initiated to magi-dom and learned she was pregnant, this drive to ensure her security was a screaming force that pushed aside every other concern in his brain.
Be careful, he told her telepathically.
Worry about your own hide, Langford.
If things go to shit, I want you safe. He wanted to push her behind him and challenge the now solidifying mist of daemon evil alone, but her outrage would distract both of them.
Over six feet of gray revolting evil leered at them with a come hither expression. The only hair on the being was styled into a sparse Mohawk.
“Now Nate,” Astrid ordered over their com-link.
The pfft pfft of suppressed fire echoed around them. The Mohawk daemon clawed at its blinded eye sockets. It disappeared into mist. When it reappeared to their left its eyes were completely normal.
“I tried to warn you,” Cy said over the com-link. “If hurt, they go to mist. When they reappear all damage is healed.”
“Yeah, tried to tell you,” Nate said over coms.
“Then why the hell did it work in the megachurch with Dakar or with Javen in Scotland?” Astrid asked.
Cy said, “Dakar and Khyan know the spell to make them unable to disappear. They must’ve cast it before engaging. It’s a basic first step in any fight. Once you know it, you’ll do it without thinking. That way any time you get in a hit, it can’t poof out and repair itself. I thought everyone knew this.”
The enraged gray-skinned beast ran at Kane who dodged a talon swipe and spun.
“Then, how do we keep it from going to mist?” Astrid asked.
“I’ve never heard of this spell,” Nate said over the coms.
The daemon eyed both of them. It sneered at Astrid. Kane jumped in front, drawing its attention. It lunged and punched his chest. He airmailed his way to a shoulder crash against a concrete support column. His body screamed holy fuck that hurt. Dimly, he realized he hadn’t even drawn the sword. The daemon prowled toward him. A tremor passed through its shoulders. Its muscles bulged. The thing was getting off on his pain. Damn it, he hated these freaks.
Between one blink and the next Astrid blocked his view of the daemon. Then he was fifty yards away. She swayed for a moment.
What the hell? You threw me? He asked her. His fury at her disregard for personal safety skyrocketed.
Yeah. You were about to get fucked up. She pivoted and landed a bone crunch to the Mohawk daemon’s jaw that threw it backwards. Then she backed away from the daemon.
You okay? he asked when he saw her throw a hand against a concrete support column.
Just a bit of an energy drain. I’m fine.
“What’s the spell?” Astrid asked on their coms while the daemon shook off his head ringer and stood.
Kane heard a bunch of gibberish over the communicator. He tapped his ear, thinking he heard wrong. For a second he met Astrid’s gaze.
“What the hell was that?” Astrid asked. She dodged the daemon’s swipe and spun, slicing toward its chest. She managed a pitiful air swipe when the daemon jumped backwards. It lunged forward and caught her arm, twirling her against the side of the building. It slowly stalked her. She pushed away from the wall, and ran at the daemon, parrying at its hand, which she disconnected from its body. It went to mist, reappearing a hundred yards away with restored hand.
“I really need that spell,” Astrid said over the communicator.
“I just told you the spell,” Cy shot back.
“Can’t the spell be in English?” Kane asked while running toward Astrid.
“No,” Cy replied. “I don’t think my skills are strong enough right now to pull it off, at least I don’t trust myself to give it a go.”
Astrid came over the com, “Speak slowly and I’ll try. Shit. The other daemon is behind you, Cy. Nate, get on protecting Cy. I’m on my way toward you, Nate. Kane, can you—”
“I got this fucker,” Kane said, zipping past Astrid. The dragons chomped on his arm. He massaged and watched Astrid run toward Cy. Damn it. He couldn’t protect her and deal with this shitbag. He thought to the dragons, All right, boys. Behave. I need your help. Get off my arm. One of you protect Astrid. One of you with me. No eating the support columns.
He glanced at the dragon that sprinted toward Astrid. It tackled her a moment before she lunged at the daemon, and rolled into a protective ball over her. It effectively knocked the daemon down like a perfect bowling strike. Focus on Mr. Mohawk, he told himself. He ordered the dragon, “Get his left, and I’ll get its right side.”
The dragon gripped the daemon’s arm in its jaws like a schutzhund-trained German shepherd, knocking it to the ground. Kane mumbled the reverence prayer and unsheathed his sword. The daemon dangled in the dragon’s mouth. Easy prey. He decapitated it and chest stabbed it while wondering why it hadn’t gone to mist again. Maybe it had something to do with the dragon.
The dragon moaned complaint when it disappeared. Kane shrugged. “Sorry. That thing wasn’t meant to be a permanent chew toy.”
He turned to see Nate dispatch the daemon who was pinned by the dragon’s tail. The dragon released Astrid and lumbered back toward him. It growled several complaints. Kane chuckled, understanding that it wished a few minutes to eat some concrete.
“Not today. Come home.” The dragons shrunk back to a tattoo on his arm. When he glanced up three pairs of shocked eyes stared.
Cy announced, “That, Astrid, is why I don’t think Djoser bested Zannis.”
“What language was that you spoke to the dragons?” Nate asked.
“What are you talking about?” Kane asked. In his mind he’d spoken English to them.
“All that hissing and odd tones. You speak dragon now?” Nate glanced behind Kane as if assuring himself the daemon was gone.
Kane shrugged. “They understand me.” His gaze slid to Astrid.
Don’t you dare order your pets to do that again. I can take care of myself, Astrid yelled in his mind.
I will do whatever necessary to keep you safe. You planned to do crazy again.
Before she could reply Markus strolled through the stairway door. His tactical vest was gone and the Hawaiian shirt was torn in several spots. He announced, “Tonight is a whiskey night. Full bottle, I think.”
Javen appeared on the top step behind Markus. He punched Markus’s arm and smiled. “You are my kind of guy. I’ve got this super-proof stuff from Kentucky.”
“You’re on.” Markus grinned.
“Where are my night-visions?” Kane demanded.
Markus glanced around as if they’d magically appear on this floor.
“You lost them?” Damn it, he should’ve known better than to expect Markus to value them for the fine piece of equipment they were.
“Can you get us out of here now?” Markus asked Astrid.
Astrid glared at Kane for a second, promising him retaliation. “Of course.”
Chapter Twenty
As soon as his foot planted on Mexican ground, Kane ordered, “Astrid, you and me. In private. Now. Take us to my place in Vermont.” Arousal and the need to claim her clawed at his balls like a trapped animal. Hungry. Angry.
Astrid’s eyes narrowed. She cocked her hip. He would pull an authentic caveman on her if she tried one iota of defiance. His take-shit tank was at maximum capacity.
After a pause that established her desire to remain in control, she asked, “You sure it’s safe at your place?”
Lust surged through his system. The challenge that poured from her did something to him. He didn’t want to make her submit. He wanted to burn inside her fire. He needed to feel her come apart in his arms and know he caused it. “The house might be watched, but we’re not going to be walking through the front door to activate any alarms, unless your aim at opening a doorway is way off. Frankly, I don’t give a shit about whoever finds us. They approach us at their own risk. Just take us there.” He needed her alone. Now.
Astrid gripped his forearm. He detected the slight tremor in her hand.
She said, “Envision where we’re going.”
When the portal opened, Kane dragged her through into the foyer of his house. The light of dawn poured in through the windows. He unhooked his tactical vest. It hit the floor with a thud, followed by the sword and his holstered pistol. He pulled her back against his body and pressed his open mouth to the skin of her neck. She moaned and arched into him. Her butt rubbed against his painful arousal. He growled and lightly bit her neck.
“Kane…” Her voice came out more hell-yeah than please-stop, which he read as a green light.
A few clicks, the zipper, and her tactical vest hit the floor next to his. He needed his hands on her. He needed to confirm she lived and was safe. And to bind her tight to him.
With a pull her back was against his chest again. His large palm slid under the edge of her shirt to the center of her stomach. His other hand pushed beneath the waistband of her jeans. “Astrid,” he murmured against her neck. “You’re insane. Everything about you drives me crazy.” He flicked his tongue across her nape and then closed his lips onto the side of her neck. “The way you can handle any weapon,” he whispered. “The way you ran at that daemon. The way you always bite your lip…” He sucked her earlobe and released. “When you’re unsure.”
She moaned.
“It all drives me crazy.” He explored her ribs and the satin-encased curves of her breasts. Then his fingertips traveled south, caressing the edge of her panties. His free hand unfastened her belt. The thought of finally touching her where he needed to be most had
him so raw he could barely breathe. When he reached those drenched folds, she gasped. Her hand clamped onto his and tightened, pushing harder.
Hoarsely he said, “We’re not rushing this, Bella.”
“Kane…I can’t go slow. Please…” Her breaths came in quick pants.
He moved his free hand to turn her face to his. “We will get there. I want to see you scream my name. You will know it’s me who is making you scream.”
He kissed her. Long, hot, and dominant. She tasted sweet and uniquely Astrid.
She twisted her head out of his kiss. “Maybe we shouldn’t do this. I don’t know if I’m in the right mental place to handle this.”
“That makes two of us. But I can’t wait any longer.” He pulled her mouth back to his.
She wrapped an arm around his head, pulling him tighter to her, suddenly urgent.
Without breaking the seal of their kiss, he pushed his hand back under her shirt and slid the bra up and over her breasts. The moan that rippled out of her nearly had him coming. He had to freeze for a moment to regain control.
“Kane…” she moaned against his mouth, begging for something.
He rocked his hips against her perfect ass. The thrust pushed her hips forward and his hand slid farther between her legs.
“Oh, God, yes. Kane...” She threw her head back.
He nudged her feet wider apart and ripped open the zipper on her tactical pants. He swept a finger over her swollen, slick folds. A sound strangled in Astrid’s throat. She rocked her hips to the movement of his hand, rubbing against his desperate arousal.
I want you inside me, she begged in his mind.
Not yet. He bit down on the side of her neck again. She moaned. He whispered, “I love the way you respond to me. I’m going to make you come, but this won’t be the only time.”
Astrid whimpered. He pressed two fingers inside her and rubbed over her clit.
“Oh…my…God,” she said.
He stopped the rubbing, holding her at the edge, and massaged inside of her.
Let me come, damn it! she screamed in his head.
As his hands continued to tantalize, he lightly bit her ear. She arched her back on a short scream and shattered.