Seducing the Hunter (Mills & Boon Nocturne)

by Vivi Anna

  “Now we need blood. Know how to make a snare?”

  After several failed attempts, they managed to snare a young rabbit. It looked pretty scrawny but it didn’t matter—it wasn’t the meat they needed.

  Daeva was quick and deft with the blade. Most women would be squeamish about gutting an animal but he supposed Daeva wasn’t like most women. Or any woman for that matter.

  She used what she needed, painting the blood onto the tree with her fingers. Once that was done, she reached into her pocket, took out the purple fabric and stuck it to the tree with the knife. When she was finished, she took a step back and reached with her hand for Quinn.

  “Take my hand and hold on tight. Do not let go of me for any reason. Understand?”

  He nodded, swallowing the lump of fear lodged in his throat. “What about our gear?”

  “I can’t bring it through. Just you and me.” She squeezed his hand. “Are you ready for this?”

  “No.”

  “Shut your eyes and don’t open them.” She gave him a smile. “Trust me. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

  With that she spread out the fingers of her other hand and pressed them to the tree trunk, each fingertip touching a symbol.

  “Eo ire itum.”

  The air around him vibrated, then everything went dark.

  It was as if he was being sucked through a straw by some huge, cosmic mouth. Quinn felt pulled on and yanked and pushed and manipulated through a series of narrow twisty passages. He tried not to think about it and just concentrated on the feel of Daeva’s hand in his own.

  The air they whizzed through was ice cold, then sweltering, then ice cold again, with each corner they twisted around. It took all Quinn had not to open his eyes. He suspected he didn’t want to know exactly what they were moving through. His skin itched and burned from whatever tainted air touched him. Once they were through, he would find a way to have a shower.

  As they continued being towed through the ether by some unseen force, Quinn couldn’t keep his eyes closed any longer. His curiosity won out over his fear and he risked a look.

  What he saw filled him with awe, not fear.

  It was almost as if they were standing still with time and space whizzing by them on either side at lightning speed. He only got fleeting glimpses of things but he sensed he and Daeva weren’t just moving through this reality but several of them at once. Realities he couldn’t even begin to comprehend. It was amazing. He wondered if demons appreciated having this kind of knowledge and access to other worlds. What power that was to possess. His stomach churned watching it all go by.

  Curious as to Daeva’s comment on keeping his eyes closed, he turned her way and was dumbstruck by her appearance. He realized now why she’d told him to close his eyes. It wasn’t the worlds they were spinning through that she thought would frighten him, but her.

  She turned and met his gaze, her eyes as black and liquid as ink. “I told you not to look.” Her voice was deep and guttural, but not entirely unpleasant.

  Her hair swept around as if it were licks of fire, alive and aware. Her already pale skin glowed like blue flame. It was both alien and beautiful, and it made him want to reach out and run his fingertips along her arms and shoulders to feel the heat he was sure she was generating.

  “Close your eyes, Quinn, don’t look at me like this.”

  When she spoke he spied the tiny points of fangs in her mouth. For some that might have instilled fear but not for Quinn.

  He thought she was exquisite in all her foreignness.

  “You’re beautiful, Daeva.”

  Her eyes widened in disbelief at that. It made him sad to see it. That she thought her true form so ugly she’d hidden it from him all along. Although he’d given her every reason to do so. He’d only shown her his prejudice against demons.

  Then everything went black again, as if a shutter had snapped shut on his eyes.

  And they appeared suddenly on a gravel road in the middle of a thick grouping of evergreen trees.

  Quinn stumbled a little from the jarring vertigo caused by their sudden arrival but he succeeded in keeping on his feet. He looked over at Daeva just as she let go of his hand. She buckled like a rag doll. He caught her before she could hit the ground and laid her gently down on the grass beside the road. Her hair stuck to her sweat-slicked face. He brushed it off her forehead. She was burning up with a fever.

  He now understood when she said there’d be a price to pay. This was it. Her. She was the price.

  “Daeva, what can I do? What do you need?”

  She blinked up at him, her pupils dilated. He wasn’t even sure she was focusing on him. Smiling, she reached up with her hand and stroked it down his cheek.

  “Blackbird,” she murmured. Then her hand fell limp to her side and she passed out.

  Quinn tried to revive her but it was no use. She was out. He stroked her face, unsure what to do for her. He knew he couldn’t leave her out here; he had to get her somewhere safe and warm. A place he could nurse her back to health.

  Tucking his hand under her legs, he lifted her into his arms and started down the road. Hopefully he’d come across a house, or a vehicle would come across him.

  He’d walked for about an hour before his legs and arms started to feel the strain of carrying her. It wouldn’t be long before he had to set her down for a rest. To make matters even worse, the gray clouds that had been swirling overhead opened up and hard, cold rain pounded down on them.

  Nearing his breaking point, Quinn jostled Daeva in his arms to get a better grip on her and that’s when he spotted a small sign in the tall grass near the branching of a dirt driveway. It read Blackbird Lodge. Quinn nearly wept with joy.

  The lodge was a small log cabin that had seen better days. But there was a light in the window, so someone had to be home. Quinn carried Daeva up the steps to the front deck and knocked on the door.

  Slowly the door opened and a woman, maybe a little older than he, with long, silky, black hair peered out. “Yes?”

  “I think you can help me.”

  She glanced at Daeva, wet and limp in his arms. She pressed her fingers to Daeva’s cheek and studied her face. “She is one of the fire people.”

  She dropped her hand and took a step to the side, clearing the doorway. “Bring her in.”

  Chapter 18

  The dream was about one of her favorite days, and one of her last with Quinn.

  Sunbeams pierced the fluttering curtains and played over Quinn’s bare back as he lay on his stomach, face planted sideways into the mattress.

  Daeva had always loved to trace the light’s pattern on his skin with her fingertips as they lounged in bed on Sunday mornings. It had been her favorite day of the week. Neither of them had work to do or any other commitments. They would spend most of the day in and out of bed, being lazy, just enjoying the heck out of each other.

  On one particular day, Daeva had decided to sneak out of the bed, go down to the market and pick up something special for lunch. They’d feasted earlier on a hearty meal of French toast and bacon, then made love until they both “fell asleep” again. Except Daeva rarely slept. So she would often just lie beside Quinn and watch him sleep.

  She slowly swung her legs out of the bed and stood. Padding across the bedroom floor, she grabbed a tank top and shorts and left the room. After quickly dressing in the bathroom, she grabbed her wallet from the table and slid on a pair of sandals.

  The market near their condo wasn’t too busy, but she took her time browsing and bartering regardless. She loved the process and wondered how anyone could shop any other way. This was much more rewarding, for the buyer and the seller.

  Carrying her paper bag of peppers, cilantro and freshly fried beignets, Daeva made her way back to the condo. She was going to make a taco salad with her Hot Pepper Salsa from Hell recipe. It was her special recipe, something she’d literally picked up in hell. Klix had made it for her whenever she’d asked.

  As she ro
unded the corner to their street, she paused. Someone was following her. Not just anyone but someone from the old homestead down below.

  She turned in a circle, searching the street, especially the dark and secluded places, for her interested party. She spied the telltale flash of pointy green ears in an alleyway across the street. Squaring her shoulders she marched across the road and into the secluded alley.

  She saw him crouched beside a green garbage can. He was camouflaged against it. If a person hadn’t been specially looking for a four-foot goblin, they would certainly miss him.

  “What are you doing here, Klix?” she asked him.

  “I am worried about you, Mistress.” His big opaque eyes regarded her openly.

  “There is nothing to worry about. You can see I am perfectly well.”

  He tilted his shiny, bald, oblong head. “Your human puppet clothing suits you.”

  “Thank you.” She glanced down the alley to make sure they were still alone. “Now, what is the real reason for this unexpected visit?”

  “There have been questions, Mistress.”

  “About what?”

  “You. Your business topside.”

  “I’m on holiday. That’s all they need to know.”

  “The exorcist, Mistress.”

  “What about him?”

  His gaze shifted side to side nervously. “They ask about him. His importance to you.”

  “And what do you say?”

  “Nothing. I say I don’t know this exorcist. Don’t know what they are talking about.”

  She nodded. “That’s good, Klix. You are a trustworthy friend.”

  He brightened at that, his gnarled lips twitching into a kind of grin. Other demons treated Klix and his ilk like slaves, like servants, but Daeva had always considered him so much more. They were not dumb insignificant creatures. Most of the goblins Daeva knew were clever, fierce and loyal. And Klix was smarter than all of them put together. That’s why she’d befriended him over a millennium ago. It was always wise to have a loyal friend in hell.

  “But I fear they will not listen to me for long,” he said. “I am not equal to them.”

  She nodded. “Yes, I fear that, as well.”

  She needed to be prepared for that inevitable day. The lords of hell would come for her eventually, but worst of all, they would come for Quinn. Because she loved him, they would take him from her to punish her for abandoning hell and the demon way. For trying to bury her demon roots and become something else. Something she’d always wanted to be—human. They would consider her a traitor and punish her as much as they could. Destroying the only man she’d ever love would be the perfect way.

  She had to protect Quinn. But how? Maybe it was time for her to go back. Maybe only that way could she keep Quinn safe.

  Daeva nodded to her little goblin friend. “You’ve done well, Klix. Thank you for your warning.”

  He bowed to her. “I will continue to keep the horde at bay but don’t know for how much longer.”

  She gave him a small smile. “I know, and it is not your responsibility, Klix, to do so. It is mine. I will do what I must here.”

  “Be well, Mistress.”

  “Be well, Klix.”

  Then he took a step backward and vanished into the brick wall.

  Daeva left the alley to return to the condo. She and Quinn needed to have a talk. Maybe today was the day to tell him the truth. She had to risk it, risk everything she’d worked for, to save his life.

  When she arrived home, Quinn met her in the kitchen. He took the bags from her, putting them on the counter. “I was wondering where you went off to.” He peeked in the bag. “What are you making?”

  “Salsa for taco salad.”

  “Sounds scrumptious.” He grabbed her around the waist, pulled her close and kissed her quickly on the mouth.

  “Ah, Quinn, we need to talk about something.”

  He kissed her again, this time nibbling on her bottom lip. “Can it wait? Because we have a...”

  Surprised, Daeva looked up just as another woman stepped into the kitchen.

  “Ivy came for a visit,” Quinn finished quickly.

  Daeva smiled at Quinn’s younger sister. “Hi, Ivy. Good to see you.”

  “Hey. I hope I’m not intruding.”

  Daeva could see the sadness in the girl’s face. They had lost their father not that long ago, before she met Quinn, and she knew Ivy had been close to him.

  “No problem. I can make more than enough for everyone.”

  Ivy smiled as Quinn kissed Daeva again. “And this is just one of the many reasons I love you.”

  He let her go, then opened the fridge to take out a couple of beers. He twisted the cap off one and handed it to Ivy. Daeva didn’t drink beer.

  “Come on, let’s leave the culinary genius to go to work.”

  He guided Ivy out of the kitchen, winking at Daeva on the way out.

  She leaned on the counter trying to steady herself. Tears threatened to well in her eyes. She would miss these kinds of days. These normal human days. But she knew without a doubt that she had to do something. Quinn was in danger. And, by default, so was Ivy. Just having her in their lives meant their days were numbered. Daeva didn’t want that on her conscience. She’d leave as soon as she could.

  *

  “Daeva?”

  Slowly, she blinked open her eyes. The room was gloomy. There were no sunbeams playing across the bed. She licked her lips. They were dry and cracked. Blinking again, she turned her head to see Quinn sitting beside the bed on a wooden chair. He was holding her hand, stroking his thumb over her knuckles.

  “What...what happened?”

  “You passed out after we teleported. You’ve been out for fourteen hours.”

  She looked around, taking in the small wooden room. They were definitely in a log cabin; she could see the round logs of the wall.

  “Where are we?”

  “I didn’t know what to do. You said ‘Blackbird’ before you passed out. So I brought you here.”

  “Where’s here?”

  “Blackbird Lodge.”

  She licked her lips again. Quinn brought a cup of water to her mouth and helped her drink.

  “I was dreaming of before.”

  He gave her a little smile. “I know. You were talking in your sleep again.”

  “Oh.” She was a little embarrassed, wondering exactly what she said out loud.

  The bedroom door opened and a lean woman with long, black, braided hair came in. “Good. You’re awake.”

  Daeva stared at her. “You are a Blackbird.”

  The woman nodded. “I am Leanne Blackbird.”

  “I knew your great-grandfather, William. I believe he left a map for me.”

  Chapter 19

  An hour later, they were sitting in Leanne Blackbird’s kitchen. Quinn had helped Daeva out of the bed and to the table. She’d managed to eat some soup and fresh bread, and he thought her coloring was coming back. She’d been as pale as death when she’d been unconscious, gray almost, her lips a tinge of blue. The thought of her not waking had tied his guts in knots. They were a little less knotted now, but he was still worried about her. More than he’d first realized.

  He’d always thought demons were indestructible, unbreakable, but just looking at Daeva told him that was far from the truth.

  Leanne had insisted that Daeva eat before she would bring her the map. Quinn had been surprised there had even been a map, but realized he shouldn’t have been surprised by anything, especially when it came to Daeva. She had told him that she’d had help hiding the chest over one hundred years ago. He guessed he knew who that help had been—William Blackbird, Leanne’s great-grandfather.

  What surprised him the most was Leanne’s lack of surprise. She’d known Daeva was a demon or fire person, and that Daeva had been well-enough acquainted with Leanne’s great-grandfather to entrust him with something very important.

  It had been obvious Leanne knew something about
demons, because she’d known exactly what to do to make Daeva well.

  For those fourteen hours, she’d helped Quinn break Daeva’s fever with a combination of liquids and some concoction she brewed that she’d spread over Daeva’s forehead, chest and back. It had smelled strongly of pine and eucalyptus. She’d also done some kind of ceremony around Daeva’s bed. It was in the Cree language, so Quinn couldn’t understand it. All he knew was that it had worked.

  Daeva’s fever had broken and her skin had started taking on color again. Relief had surged through him at the sight of her cheeks flushing when he’d touched them.

  Thoughts of her death had filled his mind. And when they had, the agony he felt was surprising. For a few days now, Quinn had been coming to terms with his feelings for Daeva. They weren’t residual emotions for a woman long gone, but new feelings for this demon before him.

  After clearing away the dishes, Leanne disappeared into what he assumed was her bedroom, then returned with a rolled-up paper, yellow with age.

  She handed it to Daeva. “He must’ve known you would return one day.”

  “Have you looked at it?” Daeva asked.

  Leanne shook her head. “My grandfather told me many stories when he passed it on to me, but I never wanted to know.”

  Daeva untied the leather binding around the map and unrolled it, spreading it across the table. Quinn held the edges down for her.

  It was obviously a map of the area, but it was old. The date scrawled on the frayed bottom edge was 1913. Over a hundred years ago. He looked at Daeva. She had been here then.

  She met his gaze and gave him one of her trademark sassy smiles, knowing exactly what he was thinking. “I look good for being so old, hey?”

  “You look barely twenty-five,” he said, returning her smile.

  “Oh, Quinn, you’re such a charmer.”

  Leanne looked from him to her, then back, probably trying to figure them out. Hell, he couldn’t even do that.

  Daeva pointed to a small circle on the map and asked Leanne, “Do you know this place?”