“Don’t move!” the German hunter shouted.
Great. He was still here.
I lifted my head. The pain remained, but had lessened considerably, and I wanted to see how close he was. To determine, despite his demand, how fast I had to move in order to save myself a second time.
He’d pulled the umbrella from his leg and was using it as a makeshift cane to help himself do some sort of hopping limp in my direction. He seemed frantic to get to me, but at least it slowed him down, which was good. Would give me time. And he had no guns drawn. Another positive sign.
He shouted again. “Harper, dammit, I said don’t move!”
I froze. Then looked at my hand. The blood no longer interested me. It was the skin. Pale, not red. Smooth. No blisters. No oozing slime. I lifted my other hand. The same. Pale and smooth. Perfect.
My head flopped back onto the grass. Ow. That hurt. But I ignored it. More important things to think about.
The German hunter made a final hop to my side and flopped down on one knee while his injured leg stuck out straight, bleeding in several places, soaking through his jeans. His blond hair hung wet and dripped over his forehead. His eyes muddied with concern as he tenderly cupped my face with his palm.
“Thank God,” he said, his voice hoarse with relief. “Remain still because, of course, I have to gauge your level of injury, although your color appears relatively healthy considering your recklessness which is beyond fathomable, but…” He breathed deep and smiled, a little crooked, but a whole lot of adorable which softened that grim harshness I’d seen before. “Thank God you are alive. I was so afraid I’d lost you Harper.” He dropped his head and laid his cheek softly to mine as he whispered, “So afraid.”
I remained silent, trying to understand.
Blue, by the way.
Now that the German hunter no longer accessed his power I saw that his eyes were blue. Dark. Midnight blue. Almost sparkling like the night sky glimmering with stars since a bit of the alabaster still sprinkled through his irises. And as far as those beautiful blue eyes were concerned, they saw his teammate and fellow Mandatum hunter.
Harper.
Not me. A demon. His sworn, mortal enemy.
How had this happened?
My brain still fuzzy, I concentrated hard.
In that last moment before it all went black, in groping for the gun, I had touched the woman’s hand. Our fingers intertwined. Latched together tight. In a sort of death grip.
Or, as seemed to be the case, life grip. Because before Culus murdered me, I think I somehow accomplished my first possession of a human.
“So afraid,” the German hunter said again.
He wasn’t the only one.
I’d been looking for freedom. And now I’d just imprisoned myself in Harper’s body.
7
As Elias and I turned a corner onto a narrow cobblestone street, I said, “Would you please shut up, and put me down.”
It was odd to hear me speak. Not that gravelly demon voice I so hated, which made me sound like my vocal chords were shredded. Which they could very well be. But Harper had a lyrical tone, a little husky, and also a British accent. Interesting.
“Maybe I would put you down if you’d admit your mistake,” Elias replied. “And stop squirming.”
In the park, after he’d assessed my injuries, I’d pushed him off and stood. I ached in a lot of places, but could feel my body healing. My demon power was doing its job. Although not fast enough because my whole body had suddenly started trembling and my legs wobbled, weak and made of jelly. Honestly, I wasn’t sure if it was from injuries or using human legs for the first time.
Elias had swooped me up in his arms and carried me out of the park. He had me hold the bloodstained umbrella over us as we walked for what seemed like forever along deserted streets while he lectured me on the stupidity of my—Harper’s—actions.
“We don’t have long before they kill the child unless they get what they want,” Elias said when I continued to ignore him. “Did you at least get the information we need to save him?”
“I’m…not sure.” Honestly, I had no clue.
I knew the child of some high level Mandatum hunter had been kidnapped and held for some kind of ransom. Culus had been meeting with Harper to give her information on where to find the boy. However, he hadn’t told me anything other than helping Harper would save the child and give us peace with the Mandatum hunters. Why he’d turned on Harper, and me, was a mystery. Obviously, I didn’t know “my friend” as well as I thought. Now, not only was a child still in danger, but so was I.
From Culus, if he thought I was still alive, but at least now I knew he’d kill me if he had the chance. The more immediate danger was from this hunter and his pals if they knew I was a demon.
“Why not?” Elias asked.
“What?” I hadn’t been listening.
“Why aren’t you sure if you have the information?”
“Things are fuzzy.” To put it mildly. “But you’re right. I made a mistake.” I quit squirming as he had asked. “So you can let me down. Maybe walking will clear my head.” And maybe I was strong enough to run away. Not that I had anywhere to go.
He appeared to give letting me down some thought, then shook his head. “No. You could have a concussion. And besides, this is too much fun.”
“Fun?” I said. Not the word I would use.
“Yes. Who knew you had such nice breasts?” He glanced down.
So did I.
The buttons ripped and broken on my bloodied white blouse exposed more than a fair amount of cleavage of, what I had to agree were, very nice breasts.
I looked back up.
He saw my expression and laughed. “Don’t be so surprised,” he said, that adorable smile on his face. “I am a man after all.”
He mistook my amazement. My demon form hadn’t had much in the way of any womanly shape. This was a pleasant development. I had to resist the urge to touch them.
Elias stumbled. His smile faltered into a grimace, but he recovered his footing, shifted me tighter, and soldiered on.
I sighed. “I can walk.”
“Nope,” he said, trying to keep the smile through gritted teeth. “Like I said. Fun.”
I didn’t think so, other than looking at my awesome breasts perhaps, because as we’d walked, his limp had gotten progressively worse. Though he never complained nor slowed his pace, he had to be hurting. With any luck, he’d faint before we made it to the car, and I’d have my chance to run away.
“Here we are,” he said, as we turned a corner and approached the only vehicle on the street.
Well, luck hadn’t been my friend for a while, so why start now?
“It’s not surprising you suffer some memory loss,” he said. “That hit you took was brutal. I still don’t know why your head isn’t gushing blood. We’ll get ice on it.”
I turned to find his face close and his dark blue eyes studying me with intense concern. I almost felt bad for him, so worried for his friend, then remembered I was dealing with a deadly enemy.
“I’m fine,” I said, turning away. “You’re the one gushing blood, you fool. Now put me down.”
He set me down next to a white van. We both looked at his leg, the jeans glittering with dark stains of wet blood running from his thigh all the way to the hem where it dripped in a puddle of water.
“I’m good,” Elias said, then helped me into the passenger seat.
He limped around the van, a hand on the hood for support, and climbed into the driver’s side. After pushing buttons, the engine rumbled and the dashboard lit up, along with the headlights. He started to put his hand on a stick coming out of the wheel, but then stopped, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.
“Right,” he said. “Since you’re so fine, drive us back to the safe house while I clean up.”
As he climbed in the back, lights blinked on revealing a large area. Metal bench seats ran down the length of each side with metal cab
inets and shelving above. From one of those, he grabbed a duffle bag, pulled out some clothes, and dumped them on the seat.
Then he shrugged out of his jacket and said, “Let’s go.”
“Sure,” I said and scrambled into the driver’s seat. But only to buy time, because there was just one problem.
I didn’t know how to drive.
Demons didn’t need to. At least this demon didn’t. I remembered nothing of my former human self. Obviously, Harper should know how to drive. Which would mean I could access her memories, acquire the skill. Or so I had been told. But that wasn’t happening.
“Turn the heat on, would you?” Elias said, sounding a little breathless.
Yeah. Didn’t know how to do that either. “I, um…”
I jumped when he put a hand on my shoulder, leaned over me, his cheek close to mine, and pushed a button. Air blasted from vents, cold but quickly getting warmer.
He returned to the back.
Figuring he’d notice if I read the car manual, which I understood was often kept in some sort of compartment on the passenger side, I decided I’d just tell him that I wasn’t feeling up to driving. I turned around.
And stared.
Elias peeled off his wet T-shirt up over his head, making an abundance of muscles move slowly under tan skin.
Wow. I’d been right. More lean than broad, but built strong. Hard. Impressive.
He started to unbutton his jeans.
I held my breath.
He paused and touched the cuts my claws had slashed on his stomach.
“Damn demons,” he muttered.
Never in my life had I wanted to undo a moment so badly. To have left him unmarked so I could better admire the impressive display of his chiseled physique.
In Hell there was no pleasure, only perpetual agony. Once I’d gotten on earth, where I’d thought I would find a better existence, I’d spent so much time in pain, running scared, not to mention looking so hideous, a sex drive didn’t even come into play.
But currently, in this human body, seeing the half-naked German in such fine shape, a lot of carnal emotions jumped to the surface. My breath accelerated.
“Harper?” Elias snapped his fingers.
“Hm?”
I met his gaze to find him smirking. At me. He leaned forward to put a finger under my chin and close my mouth.
“Oh, I, um…” I cleared my throat and checked out the roof of the van.
Elias chuckled. “It is only fair. I got to see you.” His eyes dipped down to my chest and he winked before he flopped down on one of the bench seats. His head dropped back. “Heat?”
Yeah. I was feeling it. In a most pleasant way.
Elias turned to me, his lids heavy. “I’m cold.”
“I beg to differ,” I said, licking my lips.
“What?” he mumbled, just before his eyes closed, and his upper body slid sideways until his head rested on the bench.
I blinked. “Uh, Elias?”
He didn’t move.
He had fainted. Well, unfortunate as far as my desires were concerned, but on a practical note, yay! Luck was on my side. I could just take off. Disappear. But better make sure he was really out.
I jumped in the back and nearly slipped. I looked down at the wet floor.
“Damn,” I muttered.
Blood. A lot of it.
“Elias?” I shook his shoulder.
He didn’t stir. Not surprising. If he had been bleeding like this the whole way carrying me back here, he had lost way too much blood.
“You idiot,” I said. Not that he heard me.
I yanked his body off the bench seat, laid him with his back on the bloody floor, and lifted the foot of his injured leg onto the bench. Then I rummaged around the shelves and cabinets. I found plenty of weapons. A variety of guns, knives, swords, even grenades, and some things I didn’t know the names of. But I didn’t need those. The hunters had to have…
A first aid kit. It was almost the size of a small suitcase. Inside, I found scissors and cut open from the hem of his jeans tall the way to well above the thigh, exposing his wounds. And a finely muscled leg.
Okay, time to focus on something other than his physique.
One bullet hole bled a little. The other, a lot. And the umbrella stab wound, a whole lot more. I grabbed gauze and applied pressure. When that gauze soaked through, I put on more. Added more pressure. The bleeding slowed, but not enough.
“Elias, wake up.” I slapped his face. No response. His skin turned paler by the second. “No, no, no.”
I’d spent enough time in hospitals to understand the term “bleeding out” and Elias looked to be well on that path if something didn’t change. I was about to tear a strip off his shirt, when I noticed the raincoat I wore. I ripped it off, pulled the belt from the loops, and used it to apply a tourniquet. Tighter and tighter until the bleeding stopped.
“Finally,” I breathed with relief. Knowing my claw marks could easily get infected, I found some antiseptic, wiped down the cuts, then applied some ointment. I sat back on my heels. “Now what?”
He needed medical attention. Especially one of those magical Healers the lucky Mandatum bastards had access to. Otherwise, he could die. Or lose the leg.
Why did I care? No idea. Must be the Harper in me, although I still couldn’t feel her. I thought I was supposed to. Or maybe some part of me thought that if I had any chance of saving this peace I so desperately wanted, leaving the hunter to die wasn’t the best way to achieve that goal.
But I couldn’t drive. Didn’t know where to go anyway. I’d have to find help. Go out into the street. Yell. Knock on doors. Whatever it took. Once I knew he had assistance, I could disappear.
I stood up.
The back doors of the van flew open.
From the darkness someone yelled, “Fighting!”
8
The touch roused me. Soft. Warm. It smoothed down my throat in slow, gentle strokes.
“Not much longer, I promise,” the voice was soft, British, but different from Harper’s. “Mandatum will be here soon.”
My chest tightened. My vision was blurred, weaker than it had been in a long time. The room was dark. Curtains closed. Half opened duffle bags were piled in the corner of a room with sparse black, sleek furniture. I lay on a bed as stiff and uncomfortable as everything else looked.
The gentle stroking stopped.
“Hey,” said a man sitting beside me.
A face loomed close to mine. Boyish. Cute. A few freckles on pale skin. His eyes a chilling crystal blue that contrasted with his warm, perfectly gelled strawberry blond curls. He wore neatly pressed black trousers and a white button-down shirt, the sleeves rolled up above his elbows, showing off well-muscled forearms. He was thin. Smaller than the hunter Elias. I could take him.
I tried to sit up. Pain crashed across my skull. Hot steel whipped across my chest. The healing I’d enjoyed before seemed to have lessened to some degree, which meant I wasn’t going to be able to take anyone.
The man quickly slipped one hand under my neck, his other gently gripping my chin. His forearm pressed firmly on my chest as he lowered me down.
“Oye. Stay down, luv,” he said, his British accent stronger. He cleared his throat. “I mean, uh, it’s only me. Thomas.” He removed the hand on the back of my head to cup my cheek, fingertips brushing lightly against my skin. “Please lie still until the Healer clears you, alright?”
I gripped his arms and glared at him, unsure how I was getting played. Then it hit me. His touch didn’t burn or unleash unholy agony. My hands holding him remained smooth and unscarred. His forearm pinning me down pressed firmly between those lovely breasts still showing through the tattered remains of my bloodstained shirt.
So…still possessing Harper. And this man no doubt was her teammate.
I breathed a little easier, but not much. “Where am I?”
“Um.” He looked around. “The safe house. You don’t remember? Well, Elias said your
memory was faulty. Not surprising with the damage you suffered. But the Healer will fix that. Don’t you worry.” Then he said loudly, “Sung!”
I jumped.
“Sorry,” Thomas said with a nervous smile.
His eyes dropped to his arm still resting on my chest. Thomas’s cheeks reddened, and he abruptly removed his hands, then tried to delicately pull the ripped pieced of my shirt to cover my chest. It really didn’t help, and only seemed to cause him more embarrassment.
“Sorry, Harper,” he said, taking his hands away. “I know you don’t like to be touched but I wanted to clean up the blood a bit. Forgive me.”
Not like to be touched? Why the hell not?
Thomas turned away to set down the bloody rag in a bowl of water. I grabbed his wrist.
“No, it’s fine.” Might as well enjoy the perks while I could. Plus it kept him busy while I figured a way out. “Please continue.”
With a look of mild surprise, Thomas paused, then rinsed the rag and returned to gently running the warm damp cloth down my face, neck and over my collarbone near a patch of gauze on my shoulder.
I took a quick stock of my host’s body. The healing had definitely slowed, but if the spine had been broken, I’d fixed it earlier. Instead of crushed, her ribs only felt cracked. My head still throbbed. But the multitude of pain was nothing compared to what I’d experienced in my demon form.
Over his shoulder, Thomas said, “Sung, she’s awake!”
“Awake?” came a muffled voice.
A door opened. Warm steam billowed out along with another man. Another hunter. This one was Asian with high cheekbones on an angular face. And he was shirtless. Lean, incredibly smooth skin, darker than Thomas, with the broad shoulders of a swimmer and plenty of muscle.
The man’s straight, side-swept hair was damp, shining a silky black and on the verge of covering his dark eyes. He studied me with a deep intensity. Almost ominous until…
“Harper!” He grinned wide, his face filling with absolute joy. Then he fisted his hands and punched them high in the air, the gesture tightening his muscles further. “You made it!”
Realms and Rebels: A Paranormal and Fantasy Reverse Harem Collection Page 179