by Lynn Rush
Lethal demonic nails, long, black wings and the mark of the Guardian. Connected to both worlds. But how did I function as part Light and part darkness? Let alone as a king?
The moon rose, filtering its rays through the trees. Like a beacon, its illumination revealed a patch of the treasure I sought. In aplenty. I banked right and swooped a circle, scanning the area. All clear.
I landed on steady feet, each time becoming more graceful and easier to navigate. Despite how natural flying had come, I still stumbled.
Two long strides brought me to the treasure. I squatted and plucked two handfuls of the healing leaves. Perched on the heel of my foot, I tilted my head back, took in the fresh air, and closed my eyes as the breeze cooled my face and ruffled my feathers.
Quiet, save the stream flowing behind me. Peaceful. No demon rioting with my human side deep within my chest. Nothing scratching at my heart. My entire existence I’d wanted to be rid of the demon within me, and it had finally happened.
Rustling beside me disturbed the calm that had settled over me and sent me to a crouch, ready to fight. Hairs prickled along my forearms and neck. My nails surfaced as I scanned the area. Tips of bushes and shrubbery swayed in the wind before me.
I squeezed the treasured aloe vera and inched toward the water. Probably an animal rustling for a midnight snack.
A cough resonated from the bushes to my left.
I froze. “Hello?”
“Here,” a weak voice I recognized as Russell’s trickled out of the darkness.
A hand reached through the weeds and flopped to the ground.
I hauled him to the stream. The moonlight exposed deep lacerations on his shoulder, arms, and face. None to the neck, he must have protected that fiercely. I waded into the water, holding him to my chest.
“Russell.”
He moaned. I splashed water onto his face. He cringed. I scooped some to his mouth, and he lapped it up.
“Russell, say something.”
His eyes went wide, then the lids hung heavy. “My King.”
“What happened?”
Russell’s hand navigated to his throat. “I saved my head, but lost my footing.” He coughed. “That is a long fall.”
I scooped a handful of liquid over his wounds. “You fell from the ledge?”
“I saw Jessica dive off. Two demons followed, one grabbed her. There was one more about to leap and take her from your grasp.” Another cough rocked his body. “I got him, but we tumbled, fighting for a bit.” He sat up, and I stood in knee-high water. “Those Elite Warriors you call them, they are very strong.”
“This I know.”
Russell, on his own volition, wiped his wounds clean and drank more water. “Another came. I dodged a sword to the neck, but fell over.” He winced. “I’ve never fallen so far and hope to never again. Are Jessica and the Queen safe?”
“Yes. I’m out gathering what I can to help Jessica’s wounds heal.”
“She was struck by the Venefir blade. I saw it happen.”
“Venefir blade? I do not know of this.”
Russell stood, water dripping from his tattered shirt and jeans. “It will kill her.”
My heart thundered within my chest. “But Beka said she can heal, just a little slower than us.”
“Us.” Russell smiled. “I still can’t believe you’re one of us. But no. I mean, yes, usually she would heal, this weapon is different.”
I waved him to me, then reached down and snatched my pile of aloe vera. “Come, we must get back. Explain to me on the way.”
“You can’t carry me, I’m too heavy. You go ahead. I must heal.”
“I am stronger than you think, friend.” I gripped his shoulder. “Unless you are ashamed to have me carry you to your Queen.”
“Give it your best shot, King.”
“Oh, and I do wish you to stop calling me King.”
“But that’s what you are.”
“Regardless, I wish you to call me David, and if I am your King, you should listen to what I ask, right?”
Russell nodded. I hopped into the air and hovered above him, hitched my arms beneath his armpits and lifted. He was heavy, but I gained enough altitude to move forward.
“Now, tell me of this blade.”
“Jessica is human, for the most part. She ages slower than humans, but she is still fragile, in need of great protection, hence the strong link you and Beka have with her.”
“Yes. I felt her pain.”
“She is vulnerable to magiked weapons.”
“Magiked?”
“Yes, you know magic? Spells?” Russell rolled his eyes. “It’s all just a mess. People get involved in it, some are brought to a dark place and Lucifer uses them as his personal magicians. They can throw hexes on things. Much like that hell they kept you in during confinement or solitary, whatever you called it.”
“Yes. I remember it all too well.” I didn’t mention the illusion Locien had played on me with the girl in his office to make her look like Beka. “Dark magic is very powerful. And seductive.”
“You can tell when the weapon is hexed because it gives off a soot-like aura. Only agents of Light, like us, can see it.” Russell coughed, and I lost some altitude with his movement. “Abraham called it out when he saw it. But I got the wonderful pleasure of witnessing it plunge into Jessica’s stomach.”
“She did not say anything.”
“I’m not surprised.”
The wind whistled through me, despite its warmth, it made me shiver. So young, yet so strong, Jessica had made me into what I was. Now it was up to me to save her. And no matter what, I would.
“How can we heal her?” I asked, scared to hear the answer.
“Find the demon who cursed the blade, kill him or her, and the magic dies with the demon.”
The glow of a campfire came into view. Beka sat next to Jessica, combing her hair with her fingers. Her radiant, white wing draped over Jessica like a blanket.
“Let me guess. The demon is with Locien.”
“Probably. No way to tell, really.”
“So you’re saying she is doomed to die?”
“Well…we could go back to Locien’s location, kill them all and hope we get the one who hexed the blade.”
“Not real fond of the shotgun approach.”
“I’m sure they’d love to get their hands back on you.” Russell peered at me. “Want to trade?”
CHAPTER 39
“Russell.” Beka darted from Jessica’s side. “What happened?”
“Fell off a cliff. Luckily I can’t die, right?” He coughed as I sat him down on a rock near Jessica. “But it sure hurts like hell.”
I knew what hell felt like, literally, and he got off easily, but I said nothing. “Russell, are you well enough to get these leaves packed onto Jessica’s wound?”
Beka tilted her head to the side, eyeing me.
“Yes, my K—David, I can do that.” A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth but quickly cupped his cheek. “Okay. No smiling yet.”
“Beka, come with me.” I offered her my hand.
She glanced from Jessica, to Russell, to me, jaw muscles twitching.
“I will take care of Jessica,” Russell said. “Go with your mate.”
She hurried toward me with wide eyes. “Is everything okay?”
I twined my fingers with hers and mustered a smile, knowing she’d never accept the idea of me going to Locien. But maybe she had a better plan. Something involving less pain on my part.
“Yes. Everything is fine. First, can you tell me how to pull my wings in as you do, so they do not show?”
We strolled along the riverbank. “Just bring them close and will them inside. It’s a bit uncomfortable at first, but you will get used to it.”
I stopped, sucked in a breath and with only a thought, my wings obeyed. Like they were extensions of my hand. They tucked close to my body, the tickling feathers flicking against my bare back. The dreaded zipper unhitching on each si
de of my spine followed. Then, the feathers were gone.
“Amazing. I’ve never seen that.” She ran her finger down my back. “The skin opens, slightly, and they dissolve into the slits. Unreal.”
I tensed at her touch. “Still very sensitive, though.”
“Always.” Hot breath skimmed my skin. “Only for us to enjoy.”
Her lips tickled along my spine, and it set me on fire more than her fingertips did. Her hands snaked around my waist from behind. One palmed my stomach the other massaged my pectorals. I was going to tell her something . . . .
“Beka,” I whispered.
She ducked beneath my arm and appeared before me, her body pressed against mine. She stared up into my eyes. “Yes.”
“Did you notice anything different about Jessica’s wound?”
“Very deep, bleeds dark.” She brought her fingers to her lips. “Magic.”
I touched her cheek. “Venifer Blade.”
Her hands rested on my hips, and she propped her forehead against my chest. “No. No. Not Jessica. I’ve seen Magiked blades before. I…I just thought her blood ran darker because of what she was.”
“I don’t know much about this, but Russell says if we kill the demon who cursed it, Jessica would survive.”
“How to find the one in such a vast sea of demons, though?” She lifted her head and met my eyes.
I pressed my thumb on her cheekbone, and grazed it to her temple. She closed her eyelids, and a tear escaped.
“Your heart pounds. What are you thinking?” she asked.
“Russell says they might be interested in me for a trade. The demon that cursed the blade for me,” I whispered.
“Russell has no right to say that of his King. How dare he?” She pushed off my chest. Rocks crackled beneath her. “Where is his loyalty?”
“To Jessica.” I stepped in front of her. “She can convert people close to damnation. I cannot do such a thing. She is more valuable than I.”
“No.” Beka shook her head. “No. I won’t let you. I only just found you. ”
“Beka—”
“We need our King. You can’t be taken from me just after becoming the prophecy. It can’t happen. I—” She showed me her palms. “There has to be another way.”
“I am completely open to finding alternative means of getting the demon. Believe me. I do not want to be near Locien again.” I palmed her neck and cradled her to me. “Not after I just found you. My mate.”
I covered her mouth with mine, and she eased her hands around me. Ripples of pleasure pulsed through me as her fingers grazed my spine. The spot only her touch could elicit such emotion.
“Either we figure out another way, or I’m going with you.”
“No.”
“I live with you, or I die with you, it’s that simple. I won’t go through time without you again. Thirty-five years was enough. It nearly drove me into madness, and you were still demon at the time. Now that we’re united, I won’t stand to be apart from you.” She nipped at the mark on my chest.
Its light pulsed, as did hers.
I toyed with strands of her silky hair. Slowly, I trailed her soft curves. “I should like to see your mark again,” I whispered.
She offered a sexy smile and tugged at her zipper. My heart stampeded harder within my chest each notch she lowered. When the last hitch of the zipper clicked, I ducked my fingers beneath the fabric and pushed it from her shoulders. Her skin sizzled beneath my touch.
Her mark glowed a ferocious white, cutting through the darkness surrounding us. A silver cloud slid over the moon as if to give us privacy.
I feathered my hands over her flesh. “You are majestic, my Queen.”
“As are you, husband. I’ve thought of little else than being close to you again.” Her mouth latched onto my throat.
“Me as well.”
“I guess that happens when you do not lie with someone for a thousand years,” she said, her breath steaming against my neck. “As it was meant to be. Completely yours, shared with no one.”
“I only abstained four centuries, you have had much more time to be tormented. How ever did you restrain yourself?”
“I didn’t do so well in the alley, do you not remember?”
Her hands found my spine again. Her touch robbed my strength, and my knees nearly buckled. “I remember. I had never been so tempted before then.” I took her mouth with mine. I couldn’t get enough of her sweet flavor, despite how deep my tongue plundered.
She moaned softly against my mouth. She pulled herself close and moved her core against me. “I knew my faithfulness would be rewarded, as the prophecy foretold.” She reached for the button on my jeans, peering at me through the shadows of her long eyelashes.
“Why did you have to abstain?”
“Our offspring.” She nipped my neck. “Will be.” She suckled my earlobe. “Strongest Guardians ever.”
I sucked in a breath. “You are more than I ever could have hoped for, Beka.” I skimmed my hands over her hips, urging her closer.
Her legs entrapped my waist, wrapping me in warmth. She pulsed against me, and my heart vaulted against my chest.
“I found a place while hunting for aloe,” I said with a ragged breath. “I would like to take you there.”
She gazed at me with heavy-lidded eyes. “I hope it’s not far.” Her hand slid down between her and massaged the front of my jeans.
Even through the denim, her touch blazed. “I will fly fast.”
She grasped my neck and tightened her legs, bringing her core to me.
I called my wings to the surface, and Beka was right, not so uncomfortable this time. She buried her face in my neck, gently grazing. I bent my knees and launched us into the air. I held my precious wife close to me as I flew to the cave I’d discovered. I would love her like never before, because soon we may face my former master to save Jessica, and I was not optimistic about my chance of survival.
CHAPTER 40
“I am so glad there is another way. I wasn’t keen on us storming Locien’s lair,” Beka said as her wings flapped near mine.
“Me as well. I’m glad Jessica will be able to see who cursed the blade if we can recover it.”
She bolted forward. “Let’s just hope it’s near where she was stabbed. Abraham was able to kill the demon that stabbed her before he met his end.”
“I’m sorry for Abraham,” I said.
“The leather around his neck didn’t work like your bonds once did. He will be greatly missed.”
The morning sun peeked above the trees. Streaks of orange split the blue sky. My wing brushed Beka’s. Jessica’s worsening condition propelled us into quick action. Her already pale face resembled a sickly green when we had returned earlier that morning.
“We’ll start at the cabin, sift through the remains, and work her path to the ledge,” I said.
“Agreed,” Beka said. “Let’s do a fly over quick to make sure none of your former brothers linger.” She winked.
“They would be your brothers-in-law then, is that not true?”
She laughed. “Thank the Light they are not. I would hate to know that I’m killing my relatives when I slide my blade across their necks.”
What was left of the cabin came into view. Soot covered the remaining wood, and it still smoldered. We did a lap and detected no activity, so we landed in the center of the clearing in front of the cabin.
“On the porch,” Beka said as she slid a dagger from her ankle holster.
I hurried to the front door. A mild heat from the glowing embers wafted over me. Not much left of the front porch. It had caved in on itself. I stuck my hand in the smoking coals searching for the cool metallic blade. Nothing.
Beka scoured the grass with her angelic eyes, scanning each inch for the precious weapon. Worry churned my gut. If we were unable to find the dagger the original plan of raiding the lair would be our only option, other than letting Jessica die.
“Let’s follow her trail. She said s
he went left once out the door, right?”
“Right.” Jessica had only been conscious long enough to take in a bite of food and tell us of the new plan. She must have sensed my suicidal plan of attacking Locien.
We made our way to the trees, keeping five feet between us to scan a wider area. Just patches of dried grass amongst the green. We entered the thicket through an opening in the trees. Our weight crunched dead pine needles covering the ground, igniting a crisp scent of wood and pine.
“What happens if she dies?” I asked.
“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that,” Beka said with a sigh.
“But if it happens? We are connected to her, do we die as well?”
“No. We’d feel her void, of course, but we would survive.”
“Survive, but?”
Beka rolled her shoulders. “It would hurt for some time, I would imagine. There isn’t a manual that describes our connection with the Merus. But we would survive. We can’t die unless beheaded.”
“Then why do they want to kill her so badly?”
“She could live more than a couple of centuries at the rate she’s aging. Think of all the lost souls she would reach over that span of time.” Beka glanced in my direction. “I’m sure that angers your former master. Evil thrives on chaos and destruction. Those souls would be lost to the Light without Jessica. He would like to prevent their salvation.”
“Indeed. And cause me misery. He would get much pleasure from that.”
My toe met something cold and smooth. “Wait.” I knelt and sifted through the brittle foliage. A small dagger, golden handle with a silver blade, maybe eight inches long, etched with vines.
“What have you found?” Beka’s voice was close.
I seized the weapon. “Is this it?”
“No black aura.”
“Damn it.” I whipped the knife at a tree trunk. “I am familiar with the phrase, ‘needle in a haystack’ and I think I understand its meaning more than I wish to.”
Beka chuckled. “Who knew a demon could have a sense of humor.”
“Ex-demon, thank you, wife.”