by Rose Wulf
Belle resumed her struggling. “You son of a bitch,” she spat, doing her best to free her arms. “You won’t get away with this.”
Arching a dark brow down at her, Creed met her glare upside down and sneered. “Why? You relying on that angel warrior downstairs? I bet he’s in pieces by now.” In reality, he imagined it was about time he finished things up, but he wanted to see if this female had any attachment to that angel.
And she obviously did.
Her heartbeat stumbled, her eyes widened, and her breath stilled for the briefest of seconds before she gathered herself. But when she resumed her struggles, she more than doubled her efforts.
“I don’t believe you,” she said. Despite her words she did her best to roll into a backflip that would have her kicking him square in the face, so he jerked her partially off the floor to kill her momentum.
As he slammed her shoulders back to the ground, Creed lifted his free hand and held it up threateningly. He wrapped small, sharpened points of dark energy around his fingertips and spread his fingers. “Let’s see if you live long enough to find out, Nephy.”
Belle’s gaze flicked to his fingers as if she could see the makeshift claws. Interesting. But not enough for him to ask a question.
“Don’t worry,” he whispered, lowering his mouth to her ear. “I’ll be sure to lick up the blood.” He poked her deliberately, letting her know without cutting the skin just how sharp the energy was. When she sucked in a breath, and he scented a trace of salt on the air, he lifted his hand.
Their eyes met, hers wide with realization, and he let his hand fall on her stomach.
Chapter Three
Belle shut her eyes as the demon’s energy-claws descended. His intent was clear and his grip was too strong to break. Maybe she’d have stood a chance with a weapon or if she hadn’t been trying to protect someone, but that wasn’t the situation. And this demon was clearly not the run-of-the-mill grunt. He knew what the hell he was doing.
Something crashed, and the weight of the demon lifted from her. Or perhaps she was hallucinating in the moments before death. Guess I’ll have to look.
The first thing she saw when she pried her eyes open was Kai, standing over her with his sword drawn and a look of fury on his face. He was looking behind her. The way he was standing, in fact, would completely shield her. Unless some idiot thought falling on a blue-burning sword was a good idea.
Belle released a breath, fighting back the tears of relief that threatened to betray the fear she’d felt. It’d been a long time since she’d been truly scared for her life.
“Damn.” Kai’s grunt drew her attention again, and she realized he was already sheathing his sword. That could only have meant the demon had fled.
Not sure what to do, or how to thank him when she’d established such an “I don’t need you” attitude with him, Belle forced herself to look away. Gwen. Check on Gwen. “Gwen,” she called, pushing to her knees carefully.
“Yeah?” a mumbled voice replied from the bed.
“Are you hurt?”
“I don’t think so.” The response was slow, indicating pain, but that didn’t mean she was lying. There was a difference between pain and injury.
Kai’s warm touch landed on her shoulder and Belle jerked her attention around to find him kneeling beside her. Something like concern flickered beneath his piercing blue eyes. “Let me see your arms.”
Not a question. He’d probably already glimpsed the bruises she was sure she had.
Not having the strength to argue, Belle obligingly lifted her arms. Sure enough, thick bruises were forming below her wrists. The imagery of what could have conjured bruises like that was enough to make her sick, even without the sensation of the demon’s breath on her cheek. Belle fought not to shudder.
“It’s not that bad,” she said, her voice quieter than she’d intended. “I can heal it in minutes.” Thank God.
Kai landed a thumb without warning to her jaw, below her lips, and gently wiped away the traces of blood. “What else?”
Belle fought to control her breathing at his touch and let her arms return to her lap. “Nothing else. I just bit my tongue when I fell.” It was a lie, but she could heal herself easier than anyone else, anyway. Wait, was that blood? Her gaze immediately slid back down to Kai’s bicep and, sure enough, there was a line of blood still trickling over the perfectly tanned skin. “Kai,” she mumbled, reaching out on reflex. “You’re hurt.”
He caught her stretching fingers in his gently, his touch sending jolts of nearly dizzying electricity up her arm. He hadn’t been this gentle with her, or this lingeringly close to her, in … almost a century. Remember what happened, Belle. Her heart was running on adrenaline right now, and adrenaline made people think stupid thoughts.
“It’s nothing,” he assured her. His voice was as gentle as his touch, and her traitorous, stupid heart flickered with hope.
Belle looked down as he released her hand and glimpsed something else. Burn marks. Black burn marks on the tips of his fingers. Sucking in a breath, she snatched his hand in both of hers and turned it palm-up. “My God, Kai, you’ve been burned. How did they get you?”
“They didn’t,” he returned, attempting to pull his hand free. “I used their weapon against them.”
“No wonder,” she mumbled, holding his wrist tight and laying her palm over his fingers. “Hold still, you stubborn idiot.” There wasn’t nearly enough venom in that statement. What was wrong with her?
Why did it bother her so much to see him wounded?
She wasn’t nearly ready to face that answer. She’d fought so hard, for so long, to hate him. She had every right. After what he’d said when he up and left, any woman with half an ounce of self-respect would hate him. But she didn’t, not really.
****
Kai released a breath when Belle released his hand. His fingers were healed, and his shoulder wound had closed up, but he wasn’t surprised. As soon as he’d recognized the look in her eyes, he’d known he would let her heal him. It hadn’t occurred to him that she would be bothered by the sight of his blood after all this time. But there was no denying that expression, no matter how fleeting. He’d seen it several times before. In what felt like another life.
Distinct throat clearing jarred his focus before he could remember to reprimand her for not admitting to her internal injuries.
“If you two are done gazing longingly into each other’s eyes,” Gwen said pointedly, “I think I’m feeling light-headed again. Also, I have a sudden raging headache.”
Fantastic. The woman did have a weakening heart. This was probably more excitement than she was supposed to see right now.
Belle stood, and Kai glimpsed a pre-lecture look on her face. “I thought you were fine?”
Gwen shrugged and sat up properly. “I was looking more for bones protruding through the skin.” She paused, grinned, and added, “Of which I have none.”
“Lay back,” Belle instructed with a hand on Gwen’s shoulder. “Let me examine you.”
“Belle,” Kai interrupted, also standing. He waited until she was looking at him again before adding, “Are you up for this?”
Narrowing her eyes at him, Belle replied, “Of course I am. It’s what I do. Meanwhile, maybe you can do something about the demon blood splattered all over? It’s making me nauseous.”
I’ll have to watch her, then. He wouldn’t call her out more directly in front of a third party. Not over what he suspected was only a minor head wound. So he turned his back as Belle set to work scanning for Gwen’s injuries, pretending to focus on purifying away the demon blood. But such a simple task didn’t require more than a moment’s attention and his mind easily wandered back to the moments before Creed had vanished.
As soon as he’d realized his error, Kai had flashed upstairs and kicked in the door. He hadn’t expected to find the same demon he’d been hunting before this task had been assigned him. He’d have called the coincidence luck if not for how he’d found t
he bastard. With his fucking hands on Belle and Belle pinned, defeated, to the floor beneath sharpened claws of dark energy. Like he was some kind of animal on the outside, too. Kai had seen the fear on Belle’s face, and the next thing he remembered was standing over her, shielding her with his sword instead of swinging it into the bastard’s leering face.
Rather damaged, leering face. Belle had at least gotten some good shots in. And that was probably exactly what had enraged Creed enough to nearly get caught. If Kai had been a little more impartial, like he pretended to be, he might actually have managed to kill the bastard finally. But he’d opted to focus on getting Creed off her instead. If the demon had managed to kill her, or even slice her… Kai wasn’t willing to venture down that road. Though it was safe to say he no longer doubted that his secret would go flying.
If the afternoon had taught him anything, it was that he absolutely, without a doubt, and beyond all reason, still loved Belle. After ninety-three years and lying words he could never take back if he tried.
“Kai?”
Belle’s voice called him out of his depressing thoughts, and he glanced over his shoulder, hoping to seem only mildly curious.
“You look like you wanna explode,” Gwen offered, her voice subdued.
Belle more calmly added, “It’s making her uncomfortable. Could you go back to pacing the hotel or something?”
Making her uncomfortable? He nearly scoffed aloud. “Sorry,” he said instead, moving to lean against the corner again. “Last time I did that, Creed and a group of cronies attacked.”
“Who’s Creed?” Gwen asked.
Almost simultaneously, Belle’s eyes widened, and she asked, “That was Creed?”
Kai inclined his head. “Yes. He’s a powerful demon. Rumored to be a blood descendant of Satan himself.”
Gwen shuddered despite Belle’s softly glowing palm on her forehead. “Ugh, I have the bastard grandson of Satan on my ass? How did I get so lucky?” The last was said with an understandable layer of sarcasm.
“I doubt he’s so directly related,” Kai offered. “Our theory is that he’s more of a distant nephew.”
“Does it matter?” Belle asked. “He’s way stronger than he looks.” Her shoulders tensed as though in an attempt to suppress a shudder and again Kai’s mind replayed the image of her laying vulnerable and trapped beneath his enemy.
Maybe he should just say fuck it all and dive into Hell to kill the bastard already. Surely he could survive long enough to do that if he held onto his anger.
“Kai, would you please fix our door?” Belle asked after a stretch of silence. She retrieved her hands and turned a lone raised brow at him, but this time the scalding glare she liked to throw at him was missing. “We can’t sleep with a broken front door, and I intend to take a shower while Gwen rests.”
Well, if ever there was an image he could use to fight off the one with Creed… Kai straightened and moved forward, grabbing the destroyed door and hauling it up to its frame easily. He smoothed his hand down the back of it, and the damage popped itself out as if it had never happened. Splintered fragments pulled back into place in the space of a second, and he latched it closed once more. Then he turned and rested his back on it. “Better?”
Belle rewarded him with a small smile. “Thank you.” Then she stood and looked down at Gwen. “If you need anything, ask Kai. You should rest until we figure out dinner, okay?”
****
“You do not love him,” Belle whispered to herself as she stood beneath the hot water of the hotel shower. Hearing the words said out loud didn’t seem to convince all of her, however. Don’t forget how it ended before. She couldn’t. No matter how long she lived, no matter if she ever fell in love again. She would never forget that final day.
She’d been so happy with him. Blindly, blissfully happy. Living in France—her favorite country—with her sister. Spending nearly every night wrapped in Kai’s strong embrace. He was the best lover she’d ever had. She could still admit that. But to her, it had been so much more than great sex. His every touch had sent her heart flying. She’d gotten him to smile and laugh; to let his wings down, as she’d sometimes said. The warrior would take a back seat, bringing out a side to him he’d once told her he hadn’t thought he’d had.
Not that she’d never seen the warrior side of him.
For as gentle and thoughtful as Kai was with her, he was equally as protective. In the beginning, he’d practically threatened to kill a man for something stupid that she couldn’t remember now.
“That wasn’t very angelic of you,” Belle had said after the man walked off.
With his arm possessively around her waist and his lips beside her ear, Kai’s reply had melted her heart. “I’m not just an angel with you. I’m a man. And I don’t share.”
Belle had only laughed, but she suspected that was when she’d fallen in love with him. When he’d distinguished the difference and discarded it at the same time. When she’d realized he truly didn’t care—not about the stupid discrimination against her race, or the laws of his that forbade their love. She’d handed over her heart with a smile and, later, admitted to wanting to spend her eternity with him.
Tears stung the backs of her eyes at the bittersweet memories.
That had been the best year of her life. Just one year, but it trumped the two-hundred and some others she’d lived easily. Even now, after what he’d said to end it. Even after what had happened a few short weeks later, when she’d fallen so low that she’d prayed for him and wanted to dive into a dry riverbed when he hadn’t responded.
But you pulled through all that. And she’d done it by herself. With only the strength she found in her soul.
Her heart may have been forever shattered, but she was not defeated. She was not dead. She was no longer lost. This was her final test, and it was a test she would pass.
****
He was too alert to sleep that night. His mind swam with too many different thoughts to let him rest. Instead, he leaned his back against the wall beside the window, directly across from the locked front door, and waited patiently for sunrise. Belle and Gwen had tucked themselves into their respective beds; Belle hadn’t even glared at him since her shower. Gwen seemed to be feeling better, and they’d set up a battle plan to leave the area in the morning. Belle said Gwen was well enough for travel. Gwen wanted to go see her brother “one last time.”
“I told you, no more of that,” Belle had said firmly as soon as the words were past Gwen’s lips. From this, Kai deduced that Belle intended to heal away a demonic curse.
He scoffed silently. Well, if anyone could. He’d always recognized the strength in her healing power. And despite the pain it delivered to his heart to see her, and her resentment of him, on a regular basis, he was proud of her for finally accepting herself. When they’d met, she’d been playing human alongside her younger sister, thinking she had to hide to survive. If nothing else, then, he could at least be glad that he may have helped her learn another way to live. One he hoped was better.
In an effort to pull his focus back to the mission at hand, Kai dragged his thoughts around to Creed. That was the only name he knew the demon by, though certainly not the name the demon had been born with. More importantly, though, it hadn’t been too long since he’d last encountered the vile male. Had it been only a month, perhaps two, since he’d attempted to catch Creed during a battle with that human-loving demon, Darr?
How the hell does he keep escaping in time?
Sure, at night it made sense. Demons could travel through shadows, and the entire world—or, at least, the time zone—was enshrouded in shadow at night. But every time he’d found Creed on Earth, he seemed to get there a heartbeat too late to catch him. Or, in the case of the latest incident, he’d simply had different priorities. Priorities that would get him seriously questioned and possibly demoted if his commander ever learned of them.
Focus.
It didn’t make sense. Were Creed’s senses that good? A
lways that heightened? He knew he was damned good at shrouding his aura when necessary. But still the demon always escaped. How? If he didn’t know better, he’d think Creed had help. But no matter the demon who could be helping Creed, Kai should still have been able to catch them unawares once or twice. He just didn’t know what else it could be.
****
“You didn’t sleep.”
Belle didn’t phrase it like a question because it wasn’t one, but this once she did try to tone down the accusation. He could have had any number of reasons. Though she doubted they included him having left entirely, so he better not have tried that response.
Kai’s gaze flicked over to her from the chair he was sitting in while they waited for Gwen to finish up in the bathroom. They stared at each other unflinchingly for a long moment before he relented. “No I didn’t. Don’t worry about it.”
Releasing a breath and looking away, Belle focused on tucking her clothes back into her suitcase as she said, “Of course I worry about it. You’re the big protector, remember? And you were hurt yesterday. You should’ve rested.”
“Flesh wounds,” he replied easily. “I’m fine. I’ll rest tonight.”
Well, it’s good to know some things never change. She hoped. “You’re always so stubborn.” Crap. She hadn’t meant to say that. She never wanted to let slip that she even remembered their history, let alone gave it any thought. It was just so hard to remember why he wasn’t worth it when he was right there, as tempting as ever. Especially after he’d saved her so recently.
Kai made a soft noise somewhere between thoughtful hum and scoff but didn’t move. Fortunately. “Very true. How’s your head?”
So he was calling her out, huh? That was an old tactic. Forget the old tactics, Belle. “Good as new,” she replied as she zipped up the duffel. She straightened, letting the bag remain on the mattress for the moment, and added, “But surely you figured that already.”
His lips twitched in acknowledgment, but he said nothing.