by Vivi Anna
Three more RCMP cars, lights on, blocked the road ahead. Three officers stood behind the hoods, weapons raised.
“I’m going to take a giant leap here and say this is about more than a stolen truck,” Daeva said, even as her fingertips sparked with newly developed fire.
“You think?” Quinn slowed the truck, different scenarios racing through his head. None of them ended well.
“What do you want to do?”
He scanned the surroundings. Fortunately they were the only civilians on the long, straight stretch of road. Last thing he wanted was to get a bunch of innocent bystanders involved in this mess. Trees and farmland stretched out from the road like a green-and-yellow blanket.
“Hang on.” Cranking the wheel to the left, Quinn took the truck off the road, bouncing across the ditch and into a patch of mustard plants. He gunned it and ploughed through a barbed-wire fence. As he drove across the field, he glanced in the rearview mirror to see two of the three cars giving chase. Although they weren’t four-by-fours, they were catching up.
“We won’t outrun them.” Daeva pointed to a line of trees to the right. “Go there. We can get away from them on foot. Plus, it’s getting dark and I’m the only one who can see in the dark. We’ll have the advantage.”
Quinn did as she suggested and jerked the wheel to the right so they were barreling toward a copse of pine trees. He stepped on the gas, pushing the truck past its limits. He could hear the engine whine, struggling to keep them at this speed. Then the right tire hit a buried tree stump hard, sending the truck tilting to the left.
To keep them upright, he turned the wheel and stepped on the brake. The tail end of the truck swung to the left and smashed into a tree trunk just outside the forest.
Knocked astray, Quinn hit his head against the side window. It was hard enough to crack the glass and send a jolt through his head. Pain exploded behind his left eye.
But he didn’t have time to coddle himself before Daeva was yanking him out of the cab. “Come on!”
At first he was dizzy, a bit disoriented, but Daeva’s constant pushing and prodding snapped him out of it.
“We need to get the gear.”
She led him to the truck bed, then jumped in and tossed a full backpack at him. He caught it, and hooked it over his shoulder just as she jumped out with the other strapped to her shoulders. Together, they dashed into the trees as the two police cars stopped nearby.
Without looking back, Quinn ran, dodging broken tree stumps and jumping over fallen logs. Dusk had settled in, casting an eerie glow through the trees. Soon it would be difficult for him to see well. He glanced at Daeva who was in step with him, leaping and avoiding obstacles easily.
“You lead,” he called to her.
With a quick nod, she moved in front of him, setting a pace that was quick and sprightly. He hoped he could keep up. It would do them no good if he lagged behind or, God forbid, fell on his face.
As Daeva led them deeper into the forest, he risked a glance over his shoulder to see if they were being followed by the RCMP officers. He sighed with relief when he couldn’t see any movement behind them. But that didn’t necessarily mean they had gotten away or were safe. They had to push it hard and long before they could take a breather. He had no doubt that it wasn’t just the police chasing them. The pursuit was Cabal or demon motivated, just as it had been back at the border. They were being tracked by unnatural means.
He didn’t know how long they’d been running before the light completely disappeared, but it wasn’t too long. His head still throbbed, which didn’t help his eyesight any. It was more instinct than anything else that saved him from plowing into a rotting tree leaning sideways. He dodged it, his shoulder brushing the bark, and kept going.
Daeva was a good five feet in front of him. But he was having trouble focusing on her. Fortunately she slowed a little when she came out into a clearing. Maybe they could stop a moment so he could have a quick drink of water. His lungs burned with exertion.
Just as he rushed into the clearing, Daeva was turning toward him, her hand thrust out. He knew she meant for him to stop, but it was too late. Momentum took him forward and he tripped and rolled down the incline to the stream below them.
“Quinn!”
Her voice followed him down into the icy water. It was as if a lightning bolt zapped his system when he landed face-first. Instinctually he pushed up with his hands and knees to get his face out. The stream wasn’t very deep so he was able to get to his feet easily. But he was soaked right through and already starting to shiver from the chill in the air.
Daeva was beside him in a minute, boots in the water, helping him out. “Are you hurt?” Her gaze searched his face, then his body, looking for injuries.
“I’m okay. Just wet and cold.”
“We have to keep going. I don’t think we are far enough yet.”
He nodded, knowing she was right. “Go. I’ll follow.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. What else can we do? It’s not like you can carry me.” He meant it as a joke, but the way she was eyeing him made him nervous. “Hell, no.”
“Don’t be a baby. I won’t tell anyone. It’ll be our little secret.” Her voice was even, but he caught the little smirk on her lips.
“Daeva, I swear I’ll...”
She put her hand up. “Okay. Okay.” She smiled. “You can’t say I didn’t care enough to suggest it.” She wiped a hand over his face, brushing the wet hair from his eyes. “Just a little farther and we’ll be able to rest.”
She turned on her boot heel and crossed the stream to the other side. After adjusting his pack, Quinn followed her back into the trees, cold, wet but a little lighter inside. Her touch still tingled on his skin.
Chapter 16
They ran for another two hours but Daeva could see that Quinn couldn’t keep up much longer. Even as he ran, she could see his body shaking with the cold that had probably crept to his bones. They needed to stop, make camp, and get him warm or he’d become hypothermic.
Over the next rise, she stopped in a small clearing. Bending over, she took in some deep breaths, curious that her body seemed to need them all of a sudden. Quinn stopped beside her, trying to do the same, but his chattering teeth impeded him.
“Why are we stopping?” he stammered.
She dumped her pack and dug through it for the small tent. “Because you’re going to catch pneumonia or worse if we don’t.”
He didn’t argue with her as she quickly put the tent together, which was a testament to how serious the situation was. And the fact that he knew not to disagree.
Once the tent was up, she pulled out a down-filled sleeping bag. “Strip.”
“What?”
“Take off your clothes. They’re wet and you need to get dry.”
She unzipped the tent and shoved the sleeping bag inside. When she stood back up, he was pulling off his shirt, his hands shaking violently.
“Get in the tent and take the rest off. I’ll start a fire and dry your clothes out.”
Without a word, he crawled into the tent. Two minutes later, his wet jeans, socks and shorts came flying out. She found a branch to hang them on and proceeded to build a small fire beneath.
As she broke twigs apart and gathered moss and dry leaves together in a pile, she tried not to think about Quinn naked in the tent. Picturing his body, especially with no clothes on, never failed to ignite a fire deep inside her belly. Quinn was exquisitely crafted, with long, lean limbs, washboard abs, a strong, smooth chest and powerful shoulders. She loved big shoulders on a man. They were something substantial to sink her teeth into.
She shook the thought from her mind and concentrated on lighting the fire. She struck a match and held it to the dry moss and leaves. It smoldered and smoked but didn’t ignite. She tried again, still no flames. Putting the matches aside she rubbed her right thumb and finger together. Soon, an orange glow emitted from her skin. She built a tiny sphere of red fire and roll
ed it into the kindling she’d gathered. In an instant, the leaves caught fire. A few seconds later, the twigs glowed, then flames licked upward. She sat bigger pieces of wood on the flames until she had a good fire going that wasn’t going to go out anytime soon.
With that task completed, she turned toward the tent and wondered how Quinn was faring. Crouching, she unzipped the tent and stuck her head in.
“How are you doing?”
He didn’t need to answer; she could see he couldn’t talk because he was shaking so badly.
“Jesus, Quinn.”
She crawled all the way in, took off her boots, then zipped up the tent flap. Quinn stared at her wide-eyed as she opened his sleeping bag.
“What the hell are you doing?”
“Getting you warm. Now shove over.”
He did and she slid in next to him, zipping the bag so they were pressed right up against each other. Daeva wrapped her arms around his cold, shivering body and pressed herself into his back. She knew he wanted to protest, but she sensed her warmth was already seeping into him and he couldn’t deny what his body needed.
“Relax,” she said into his ear. “I’m not going to take advantage of you or anything.” She nearly chuckled when she felt him relax.
Daeva spread her hands over his bare chest and pulled him tighter to her. His body should’ve been warming more quickly, but she feared her normal body heat wasn’t enough. He was still shivering, his teeth chattering together loud enough to be heard outside the tent. She needed to do something extreme, something that Quinn wasn’t going to like at all.
Lowering one of her hands to his stomach, she clamped her eyes shut and concentrated. She focused on the demon fire inside, and instead of making fire on her fingertips she focused on the heat she could create. Within seconds her skin flushed, heat rising to the surface in fiery waves.
Quinn squirmed against her. “Daeva,” he whined. “What are you doing?”
“What needs to be done. Don’t think about it and just accept it for once.”
The heat increased in the sleeping bag and in the tent. It swelled quickly, causing Daeva to sweat. She wondered how upset he’d be if she stripped off her own clothes. Another five minutes of concentrating her fire, and Quinn’s body stopped shaking.
“Better?” she asked.
He nodded.
She started to move her hands but he captured them with his own.
“Thank you, Daeva.”
She smiled at the sincerity in his voice. Maybe they could finally overcome their past and become friends. To hope for more than that was beyond foolish. Quinn held on to his black-and-white morality too tightly.
“You’re welcome,” she murmured, then pressed a quick kiss to the back of his shoulder. She pulled her hands out from under his.
To do anything else would be wrong. Although she wanted to keep touching him, to feel all of him, she knew it was the wrong time, wrong place. Quinn would never forgive her if she pressed him further. Even though she was sure he would gladly welcome her advances, she knew he would berate himself afterward. If they ever gave in to their desires, desire she knew Quinn felt as well, she didn’t want any regrets on either side.
She knew he wanted her, but wasn’t sure if he even liked her.
Before she could change her mind, she quickly unzipped the bag, slid out and did it up again. Besides, Quinn needed sleep if he was to fully heal. They still had a long journey ahead of them.
She brushed a hand over his hair. “Go to sleep, Quinn. I’ll set up wards and keep watch.” Before she could see the answering longing in his eyes, she crawled out of the tent.
Chapter 17
Quinn rolled over to watch her zip up the flap on the tent. Earlier he’d nearly turned and asked her to stay with him. Her touch had done more than just warm his body—it had ignited something deep inside him. Something hot and primal.
There was no doubt that physically she turned him on in all kinds of ways. Her eyes, her body, her voice even sent ripples of desire through him constantly. It was his mind and possibly his heart that stopped him from acting on those impulses. His reservations definitely stemmed from their past history, but no longer did he deny that Daeva had been the woman he’d fallen in love with. He understood now that she’d just been in a different shell. A different package. But he could see that she was definitely the same person, although three years would definitely change a person, even a demon.
And that was what gave him pause. Knowingly falling for a demon was not something he wanted to deal with. He had enough on his plate as it was.
Yawning, Quinn pulled the sleeping bag tighter around his body and shut his eyes. He was going to need all his strength to deal with what was to come. Nothing was going to be safe. Certainly not with Daeva involved.
*
Quinn didn’t know what time it was when he climbed out of the tent, but by the pinkening of the sky he could see through the tree canopy, it was early in the morning. He’d brought the sleeping bag out with him since he was still naked.
He didn’t see Daeva when he looked around. He peered into the surrounding trees but didn’t spy her red hair anywhere. The fire was still going, so she was likely somewhere close.
His clothes hung on a branch above the smoking coals. He hopped over to them. Fortunately, they were dry. Grabbing the shorts he quickly shucked the sleeping bag and stepped into them. He pulled on his pants, socks and shirt.
The snap of a branch made him turn just in time to see Daeva standing nearby, a container of something in her hand. She gave him a wide, cheesy grin. Obviously, she’d been there to witness him put his clothes on.
He shook his head. “Did you just watch me get dressed?”
“Yup. I thought about disturbing you, but you looked really cold, so I thought it better to wait until you were completely dressed.”
That made him laugh as he plopped down on the sleeping bag and pulled on his boots. “Where did you go?” he asked as he tied his laces.
She showed him what was in the container. Plump, red raspberries. “Went to go pick some. Thought it would be a nice complement to the freeze-dried crap we have.”
He took a handful and popped them into his mouth. They were sweet and juicy. “Did you stay out here the whole time I slept?”
She nodded, eating some berries herself.
“Did you get any sleep?”
“Nah. I walked around, did some pull-ups on that branch there.” She pointed to a thick tree branch about seven feet up. “I sang campfire songs to myself, then made some stick people.”
He glanced down at the fire and spied a bunch of odd looking stick figures made from acorns and twigs and leaves. Surprised, he looked back at Daeva.
She shrugged. “What? I had to keep my hands and mind busy.”
Not commenting, he crouched and rolled up the sleeping bag tightly. “We need to move on. Do you think the road is safe to travel?”
She offered him the last of the fruit, then said, “To be honest, no. I think every cop will be on the lookout for us.”
“We can’t hike the rest of the way. It’ll take us more days than I’d like to think about.”
“Hitchhike?”
He shook his head. “No one’s going to pick us up. Maybe you on your own, but definitely not me. And we still have to watch out for cops.”
“Then what?”
“I don’t know.” He kicked at the bedroll, frustrated. They seemed to be at a dead end. He could really see only one option and that was to keep to the trees as much as possible and hike it up north. Maybe they’d find a ride in the next town and maybe they wouldn’t. Right now it didn’t look too promising, not with the RCMP looking for them.
“I might have a solution,” Daeva offered.
Quinn looked at her. “What?”
“You’re not going to like it.”
“I don’t like the thought of hiking for days so you might as well hit me with it.”
“Teleportation.”
> “Come again? I don’t think I heard you right.”
“I know a spell that could teleport us from here to Fort Nelson.”
“Demon magic?”
She nodded. “I imagine you hate demon magic, but it’s an option.”
He sighed, rubbing a hand over his face, scrubbing away the fatigue. “How far would it take us?”
“I could get us close to where we need to be.”
“Why didn’t you mention this before now?”
She dropped her gaze to the ground and kicked at the debris on the forest floor. “Because it’s not a spell I like doing. And it has its price.” She glanced up and he saw a fierceness in her eyes.
He watched her for a long moment, taking her in, considering her. Trusting her. Then he said, “What do you need to get it done?”
“Your chalk, something purple, and blood.”
“How much blood?”
She hesitated then said, “Enough to make a mess.”
*
A half hour later, Daeva had finished chalking a series of symbols on a nearby tree trunk in a pentagram pattern. He recognized a couple, one for travel, the other for door, but the others he didn’t know. And probably didn’t want to know.
He studied them a minute longer, then studied her. She was nervous. He could see it in the way her hand trembled while she drew the symbols. She also tugged at her hair. It was a gesture he recognized from when they’d been together.
“Are you okay?” he asked, worried about her, worried about the spell she was going to cast.
He was concerned about what teleportation would do to him, traveling through a portal not made for human physiology. How would he come out on the other end? With his arm attached to his head?
She glanced at him, pulled at the strand of her hair again. Those few strands came out with her frequent tugging. Surprised, she looked at them then let them drift down to the forest floor.
“I’m good.”
But he could plainly see she wasn’t. She really looked afraid.
“Do you have the something purple?”
He handed her a small, square piece of cloth. He’d used it to clean his knives over the years. It had been his father’s. She took it, nodding to him, likely knowing its significance and folded it to slip into her pocket.