by Milly Taiden
The demon’s eyes flashed red, locked onto hers, then narrowed. “And how do you have this information?” he asked.
She swallowed hard. Please god, let this work. “You don’t know who I really am, do you?” She cocked her hip and crossed her arms over her chest. “You happen to be talking to the only human on this planet who knows all there is about the shifter species.”
Goddard stepped back and looked her over. “So fortunate for me. How have you, a female human, come to such knowledge?”
She pulled her shirt collar to the side revealing her mating bite marks. “Remember that boyfriend of mine? He happens to be my mate. My shifter mate. I’ve studied their traditions and ways and understand their history.”
His eyes grew wide. “Your boyfriend is a shifter? Another one in my town?” He stepped up to the bars. “You will tell me where he is.”
She frowned. How long could she keep this going? Wake up, Bryon! “Like I’m going to tell you that and let you find him.” She crossed her arms over her chest and rolled her eyes.
“Then I have no further use for you.” He walked away. “Guards, have someone kill her.”
Chapter Thirty-one
Fuck! That’s not what she wanted. She clutched the bars in her dungeon cell and scrambled for something to say that would make Goddard want to keep her alive. She’d already told several lies. Why not a few more. If the poison didn’t wear off Bryon soon, they would both be dead shortly.
“There is a way to possess their body if you really want it.” The prince stopped and turned to her.
“You said there is no way because of the creature inside.”
She swallowed again. A glass of non-poisoned water would be great. “That’s right. You have to draw out the animal essence before you can take over.”
He hiked his fists onto his hips. “Why have I never heard of that before?”
“Duh, how many shifters have you dealt with before now? That would be the huge grand number of one.”
Goddard pinched the bridge of his nose and paced. “Female, you have been a thorn up my ass for too long.”
“Usually it’s a thorn in your ass. But up it sounds just as painful if not more so.” She sneered at him.
He spoke to his men and pointed to her. The guy with the key came forward and unlocked the door. He grabbed her arm and jerked her front and center.
“Now tell me how you draw out the essence of the animal.” He stared down at her, only inches away. Being scared shitless almost stopped her heart.
“It’s a ritual that requires proper setup and procedure to work.”
He remained quiet for a second. Would he buy this? She was selling some really deep shit here. Time to get her waders on.
“What do we need?” he asked.
She scoured her mind for something, anything, to help. Ritual scenes from movies she’d seen popped into her mind. “Candles. We need lots of candles.”
He looked at his men standing around. “You heard her. Bring me every candle in the castle.” The men disappeared quicker than she thought possible, leaving her alone with him. “You know, female. If this doesn’t work, you will die slowly and painfully.”
Words did not make their way to her mouth. That “being scared shitless” thing was back in full force. Not that it had ever left.
She cleared her dry throat. “It will work. I know what I’m doing.”
“It better. For your sake.” She’d heard that exact line in a movie more than once. She felt like looking around for hidden cameras, waiting for that guy from Candid Camera to walk in and tell her this was all a setup. Damn. She was becoming delirious. She needed to focus on a plan, not break down. FBI agents didn’t do hysterics. Quickly, men returned with candles. By the looks, the wicks and wax may have been original to the castle. She wondered if they’d even burn.
“Set the candles in a circle around the ceremony site and light them. We’re creating a circle of protection. It’s important to keep evil from entering.” She glanced at Goddard. “I mean, keep evil from leaving.”
“Next,” the prince said.
Yeah, next. What else did they use in rituals? “Chanting. We need chanting next.” The prince’s brows raised. “Have you heard of Lady Gaga?” she asked.
“Who?”
“Never mind.” She turned to the men. “Here’s the chant: Rah rah ah-ah-ah. Ro mah ro-mah-mah.” She repeated the lyrics several times and they picked up on it quickly. It was the perfect chant if done with a slow tempo and deep, male voices. She knelt next to Bryon’s head and pushed up his eyelids. She jerked back, startled at the very eerie look of only the whites showing.
The prince frowned. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. It’s just when eyes are like that with only the whites showing, it looks like the person is”—the irony didn’t escape her—“possessed.”
The prince laughed. “Not yet, dear child. Not yet. Now make haste. I grow weary and skeptical of this. If this is a charade, your pain will be immense and long-lasting.”
She was very sure it would be. The thought kept her brain processing, thinking of ways to stall to give the poison time to get through the wolf’s system. “We have to call to the powers that be and beseech their guidance and prayers for success.”
Goddard wrapped a hand around her throat. “There are no deities on this planet with power. You lie.”
“No,” she squeaked. “This isn’t godlike power. It’s . . . it’s . . .” Oh god, this was it. She was going to die at the hands of a demon older than dirt unless she thought of something good. Her mind reeled through every book she’d read and movie she’d known, searching for something that would remotely make sense as an answer. The solution came to her. “It’s the force.”
His grip loosened enough for her to breathe. “What is the force?”
She prayed he’d never seen Star Wars. Best movie of all time. No arguments. “It’s an energy field created of all living things. It surrounds us, penetrates us, binds the galaxy together.” She cringed a bit with the last part. “Galaxy” sounded a little over the top.
Goddard stared at her, probably wondering if this was all bullshit. She had to push him. Get him off balance and take control of the situation. “Do you want to possess the body or not? It’s not going to work unless you do it the right way. You failed once already. I won’t.” Oscar-worthy performance. Did she smell shit in someone’s pants? Oh, wait. That could be her.
He released her. She stepped back and sucked in air. Skepticism shined on his face, bringing back his zombie eyes and scowl. He said, “This will kill your friend. I’m having a hard time believing you’d simply comply with my wishes. Why are you helping me?”
That was a damn good question. One she couldn’t answer truthfully and expect to live. Hopefully, God would forgive her for the lies she was about to tell. If they didn’t work, she would probably be meeting the Almighty and could explain then. Kari gave him her saddest, most vulnerable expression.
“Look,” she started, “I just want to get back to my boyfriend so we can go home. I’m tired and hungry and dirty. My feet hurt. I didn’t want any of this to happen. I’m scared and willing to do whatever I have to in order to stay alive.” So far everything was true. She looked at the wolf lying on the rug and continued.
“If that means telling you how to possess this shifter, fine. It’s no skin off my back. Once you have his body, then you can let me go. I’m no threat to you. If I tell any police that a demon-possessed werewolf is the royal ruler, they’d throw me in the looney bin and forget I ever existed.” And that was the damn truth, too. Except she had a few business acquaintances in high places who would believe her story. She was thankful for that.
The king laughed at her. She hadn’t meant anything to be funny, but apparently something was. “Continue on, girl. We’ll see the outcome before we decide anything,” he said. She hoped they didn’t get that far. This “making up stuff as you went along” was difficult. She now understood h
ow hard it would be to write a book. She gained more respects for storytellers.
“Okay,” she said, “it’s time for your part.” She turned to the prince to see the ancient skeletal-looking man and jumped. That horrid face was enough to make anyone ill. The skin on his face continued to sag with gravity, pulling away from the bone. The little substance in her stomach churned. She needed to keep it together. How much longer could the damn toxin last?
Kari took a deep breath and slowly let it out. Maybe it was time to trust herself in that she could do other things not related to numbers and puzzles. She’d always felt like a failure when it came to things outside the realm of her job. Perhaps if she put faith in her heart and didn’t overthink it, she could find she could be a success. Now more than ever, she needed creativity.
She opened herself to everything around her—the force, she thought as she laughed to herself. But she felt something she’d never experienced.
Her fingertips buzzed like energy from the air vibrated around them. Through her shoes, her feet tingled as if soaking in the life of stone she stood on. She closed her eyes and her ears heard the sounds of bugs and insects milling in the rotten wood, scurrying around. She heard heartbeats, all those around her. She focused, listening to blood rushing through the bodies nearby.
Calmness filled her as she felt the unconditional love from the man before her. In the tunnels, she’d been so caught up with everything going on that she blocked out all emotions and feelings to let her brain work in a sterile environment. But now it was different. Her mate, her forever love, was sending her what he could to help her. With him, she could do this. Could do anything.
She let everything flow, just hanging on for the ride as her soul and mind went to work. She said, “The whole point of this is to entice the wolf spirit to come out of the body. If it’s more pleasant out here than in there, then it will willingly depart the body. Get it?” God, she hoped he did. He didn’t say anything. She asked him, “Do you know the Latin language?”
“No. It was obsolete long before I was here,” he replied.
“Good.” Kari knelt by Bryon’s head again. “I need to start the process. Get the spirit’s attention, if you know what I mean.” Shit. The man’s scowl scared the piss out of her. It went along with the shit already there. She breathed in deeply again to get back in touch with that life, the energy she felt around her.
She put a hand on Bryon’s forehead and the other over his heart. She rattled off Latin phrases words she knew from books and movies. “Carpe diem, anno domini, deus ex machina, e pluribus unum, S’ agapo.” That last one was Greek for I love you, but he didn’t know that. Hopefully.
Dropping her chin to her chest, she tried to talk without moving her lips. She knew the wolf inside the body would hear her no matter how softly she spoke. “Okay, wolf. Snap him out of it. If not, it won’t be pretty. Listen for my cue—”
A hand squeezed her shoulder and pushed her back. “What are you saying?” Goddard demanded to know.
Chapter Thirty-two
Kari looked up at the man towering over her as she sprawled on the floor. The pain in her shoulder inflicted by a bony hand digging into her joint flared with each heart thump.
She needed to answer his question quickly. “You wouldn’t let me invoke the force, so I had to say an extra prayer.” With a huff, she picked herself up and dusted off her hands. Fortunately, that gave her brain a few moments to think. The old wives’ tale of how cats killed babies came to mind. How or why, she had no clue. She was just rolling with it. “He’s ready now. Kneel down and lean over his face. You’re going to steal his breath and his wolf along with it.”
“Steal his breath?” Goddard said. “What nonsense is—”
Kari put her hands up. “I’m telling you what I know. It’s your choice—”
“Yes. I recall that from earlier.” He leaned over Bryon’s face. “How do I steal breath?”
“Whenever he exhales, you do inhale, sucking his air to you. This will draw the wolf spirit to the surface to protect its human form.” By God’s grace, the demon bought it. If something sounds logical . . .
“Keep going.” Kari knelt on the other side of Bryon. “His body should begin to shift into his wolf as it comes forward to save his other half. It’s the last stage of the wolf’s ability to hang on.” Please let Bryon or his wolf be conscious. Please. When nothing happened, she cleared her throat. “I said the wolf will shift as—”
When the sound of a bone cracking ripped through the air, she nearly passed out from relief. The poison had worn off. About fucking time. “Keep breathing, Goddard. Open the animal’s mouth and stay with it. The wolf is fighting you. You have to take it. Now!” She shoved the wolf’s back. Nothing happened. “That’s the cue. Now!”
As the prince looked up at her, the wolf lifted its head from the floor and sank teeth into the old man’s scrawny neck. Snapping it instantly.
A black mist escaped the prince’s mouth and dissipated in the air.
It happened so quickly that the guards were still chanting the Lady Gaga song lyrics she had taught them minutes ago. When realization hit, black robes went flying into the air, whipped off by the guards in record time. Guards who still had guns.
Kari lunged in front of the wolf, hoping to keep it from getting shot. “Wait! Stop!” Among the confusion of men running toward their deceased prince, men running away, and robes catching fire on the candles, the armed guards stood over her as she blocked most of the wolf with her body. One big guy shouted to others and pointed to the fires breaking out around the room.
“Woman . . .” The man in charge looked at her with steely anger. Then his eyes slid down her body. Her clothes were torn, revealing more of her than she would ever allow. Chills ran through her and the wolf growled against her back. “Step away from the beast and we will let you live.” The grin on his face told any idiot that he was lying through his teeth.
In the confined space, the room quickly filled with smoke. Throat already dry, Kari coughed with the first wisps of contaminated air. She seriously doubted this lower hold was equipped with a fire extinguisher. She pulled the front of her shirt over her nose. It helped some. Not enough. The riflemen steadied their aim at her and her mate again. She shook her head and coughed.
The guard who spoke to her lowered his brows and snarled. “So be it.” He lifted his gun and she squeezed her eyes shut. Behind her, the wolf had dropped the king’s body and leapt toward the men lined in front of her.
Two shots fired. She waited for the burning sting she was sure a bullet wound made. The room instantly became silent except for the popping and snapping of the fires and two thuds that sounded like bodies hitting the floor. She peeked through a slatted-open eyelid and saw two dark forms in the smoky air lying face down on the ground. The others were turned, gazing at the stairs.
On the steps, men in camouflage with guns poured in. They yelled in the native tongue and guards put hands up and fell to their knees. This had to be the rescue party, right? When Sheldon appeared on the steps, tears sprang to her eyes. Part relief, part acrid smoke.
They were saved.
He caught sight of her and wolfy Bryon and headed their way. She wrapped her arms around him in gratitude then coughed against his chest. She mumbled a sorry. A growl began behind her. She laughed through tears and bent down to hug her mate. “We’re alive. You saved us, my love.” She placed a kiss on his ear. He started his shift and she sat back realizing then he was naked and turned her eyes to Sheldon. This was so embarrassing.
In human form, Bryon man-hugged Sheldon. Bryon hollered over the ruckus, “Let’s get out of here.” But it was too late for her. With each hack, she sucked in more smoke. Her throat swelled from the burning irritation, cutting off her air. Her heart sped wildly. Her hands scratched at her throat. Forcing her lungs to expand, she sucked in hot air, making it worse.
In the next instant, she was lifted and carried upstairs and out the back door where severa
l military vehicles were parked and more men milled around the area. She fought for a breath of fresh air now that she was in the sunlight at last. She’d never take the sun for granted again.
Her coughs went so deeply, her gagging reflexes kicked in. She squirmed out of Bryon’s arms, fell to her knees, and puked the little food in her stomach. Her throat loosened and air slid into her lungs, but her chest still felt like it burned on the inside. A tin cup of water was handed to her and she swished it around her mouth and spit out, drinking the remainder until she suddenly coughed it up.
Bryon picked her up and carried her to a car. He sat with her in the backseat as Sheldon drove. After a few more gagging fits, her lungs and throat started to feel better. She collapsed against her mate, exhausted for the sudden exertion and drain of adrenaline.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“Sheldon is taking us to the airport. By plane, we can be at the U.S. military base in Liechtenstein in thirty minutes. They have equipment and medicine to take care of our dehydration and make sure your lungs are clear. I don’t like the sound coming from your chest.”
“I’m feeling much better. We don’t need to go to the base. That’s way too much hassle.”
Bryon’s face scowled. He was angry. “Don’t think for one minute I don’t know how to take care of my mate, missy. You’re going to a military hospital I can trust not to try to kill you while you sleep.”
She laid her head back on the seat and sighed, which started another short bout of hacking. “Fine.” But she really was feeling better. All she wanted was toxin-free water to drink or a glass of refreshing lemonade would be awesome.
She noted he wasn’t naked. “Where did you get the clothes?”
“Sheldon has your suitcases in the trunk. These are his.”
She nodded and coughed. “Did you tell him about the warehouse?”
“Some,” Bryon said. “Enough to get his men on the move.”