by Patti O'Shea
He let loose with a volley of fireballs, and Kimi took a deep breath. Maybe that meant he was okay. Some of the salvos were deflected by the Dark One, and more brick fell into the street. Others hit Augustin, but they seemed to do little harm.
The Dark One sent a wave of fire at Nic. It was like nothing Kimi had ever seen before, and her lover had no way to avoid it. As it crashed over him, magic shimmered around her. It was the cloak he'd put over her, faltering. For an instant, it sparked back to life, and then she felt it disappear for good.
Augustin turned his head and stared directly at where she stood. A shudder went through her. He smiled. "Kijo," he said, his voice barely audible. "You picked a poor champion."
She tore her gaze away and looked at Nic. He was on his feet, but swaying precariously. He appeared dazed.
Something Nic had said came back to her then—a male demon would die to protect his vishtau mate. And she was Nic's mate. For the first time, Kimi understood that he hadn't been exaggerating. He really would die for her.
As the dark demon started to close the distance to where Nic was, Kimi knew she couldn't stand there like a mannequin. She had to do something, anything. Heart in her throat, she raised her hand and tried to picture the lightning shooting out of her palm. Nothing happened.
Come on, Nic! Come on!
Nic managed to summon another blast of energy, but it was noticeably weaker—even to her—and it went astray. Far astray. With a smile that made him look deranged, the Dark One blasted Nic. Nic fell to his knees as the other demon strolled closer.
"Kimi, flee," Nic called, and her heart leapt into her throat. He believed he was going to die.
She shook her head. Nic couldn't see her. Maybe she couldn't shoot fire and maybe she didn't know how she'd let that lightning loose, but she wasn't abandoning him. She had the power to do magic, and she'd had some rudimentary explanations from Nic. She tried to draw energy from the planet the way he'd told her he did, and she raised her hand again. Still nothing. Damn it!
Augustin released another shot and Nic collapsed.
Chapter Eight
Up until now, Kimi had stood in the shadows, obeying orders and hoping Nic would take care of it all for her. That had been easier than dealing with her fear, easier than risking herself, and easier than trying to come up with something to counteract Augustin's firepower, but there was no longer any choice.
Nic wasn't dead yet. Kimi felt it, though she didn't understand how, but if she didn't step in and do something, he would die and her cowardice would be to blame. She couldn't let anything happen to him—she couldn't—and Kimi knew Augustin wouldn't hesitate to finish off his downed adversary.
Taking that first step away from the building was the hardest thing she'd ever done, but she couldn't run and desert Nic, not if she wanted to look at herself in the mirror ever again. "Leave him alone," she said, voice wobbly. The dark demon stopped in his tracks.
"You think to defend him?" Augustin asked.
"I put you on your ass once—I can do it again." Kimi thought her bluff sounded convincing, but the Dark One shook his head and laughed.
"It was a fluke, you know that as well as I. With no real training, you're little more than human."
And no match for him. He didn't say that, but he didn't have to. It was the truth. She'd just kind of hoped that he hadn't realized that her coup had been accidental.
"You said you had my mom," Kimi said, changing the subject.
Augustin smiled. "I lied."
That's what Nic had told her. She was surprised the dark demon was admitting it now, but then Kimi guessed it didn't matter. She was here, wouldn't be able to outrun him, and if he needed more, Nic was on the ground and vulnerable.
"Come here, kijo," he said, and held out his hand.
Kimi shook her head. She sought a solution. If she thought it would help, she'd give the Dark One her damn powers, but she knew that wouldn't change anything. He'd kill them both once he had them. And the method of extraction...
She had to do something, had to come up with a brilliant plan soon, because Augustin wasn't going to stand there forever waiting for her to walk over to him. The only advantage she had was that the demon didn't want her dead yet. How could she use that?
Before any ideas occurred to her, he started toward her. Kimi shifted, moving closer to Nic.
"Think you that he will defend you yet?" Augustin laughed again, sounding genuinely amused. "Even where he at full strength, he'd be no match for me. He fell easily beneath my onslaught." He shook his head. "His Grolird sire never should have allowed a Mahsei female to weaken the bloodline."
There was such contempt in his voice that Kimi stiffened. The slur wasn't only on Nic, but on his parents as well. Kimi liked Nic's mother—she was fun and sweet. She thought of Augustin's reaction if he knew that Nic had a half-human sister—it would be beyond contemptuous. Kimi felt her fear began to seep away and become anger.
She fed that, built herself into a fury. This demon had hurt Nic badly, had terrified her by claiming he had her mother, he had every intention of raping her if he could get his hands on her, and he had raped a child. Her remaining fear burned away beneath her outrage.
When she'd faced Augustin last time, the lightning had appeared when she'd gotten mad. Third time's the charm, she thought; and drawing energy from the earth, she raised her hand to strike.
Nothing.
Except, her action angered Augustin. He raised his own hand and a ball of fire exploded toward her. Kimi tried to evade, but she wasn't fast enough. Pain crashed through her, but she was aware that the energy was considerably weaker than what Nic had endured. The only thing that kept her upright was knowing Augustin would be on her before she could regain her feet.
Majo are children of the stars.
Nic had told her that demons took their power from the planet. In her recent lessons, she'd been taught that the majo were connected to the earth yet were children of the stars. She looked up and saw few bright pinpoints of light through the city haze.
Could it mean—? But that was too easy. Wasn't it?
As Augustin closed in on her, Kimi reached for the universe and drew energy from that. Something felt different than the earth energy—this resonated with her. But if it didn't work, she was going to have to fight hand-to-hand. She shifted to balance her weight evenly, yet didn't stop seeking power.
When she was almost within the Dark One's reach, Kimi raised her hand again.
"You're a slow learner," Augustin commented.
She released all the power she could.
The demon flew back a good ten feet. This time, Kimi was the one who advanced. She attacked again.
His body slammed into the side of the building. She blasted him again and again. At last, when Augustin fell, she stood over him and added a couple more bolts of electricity, not stopping until she knew he was dead.
"Berkeley doesn't admit slow learners," she said, and then she realized she was talking to a corpse.
Kimi began to shiver. Yeah, Augustin deserved to die, but she'd killed him. She was a killer. God. Oh God. Oh God. She closed her eyes, but she could still see his face. Bile rose and she swallowed hard to keep from puking.
Nic groaned, and she grasped the distraction gratefully. She didn't have time to think about what she'd done to Augustin; she had to check on her mate.
Her body shook so hard that Kimi could barely walk, but her legs didn't give out until she was beside him. She scooted closer and then reached out to touch his face. The warmth of his skin calmed something inside her, but she still didn't know how badly he'd been hurt.
"Nic—" She had to clear her voice and try a second time. "Nic, are you all right?"
He groaned again. They were in the middle of the street, but Kimi eased closer and rolled him carefully onto his back, arranging him so that his head was in her lap. Leaning over him as if to shield him from any further danger, she lightly stroked his face, needing to touch him more than a
nything.
Kimi didn't realize she was crying until the first tear splashed onto Nic's cheek. She wiped it away, and the one that followed it, and the one after that.
"I killed someone," she whispered. "How do I live with that?"
"The same way as any warrior, tes," Nic said, his voice weak and raspy. "You accept that there was no other choice."
"Are you okay?" she demanded, her tears drying.
"I'll live, but I won't be able to move for a while." He laughed wryly, then groaned.
Kimi nodded, hoping he felt the movement. His eyes remained closed. "I don't have to be back at work till Monday." She kept stroking him—his hair, his cheeks. She couldn't touch him enough. After a long silence, she asked, "What do we do with Augustin's body?"
"Leave it where it's at."
"If someone doesn't find it, rats will get him."
"He deserves no better." Then one side of Nic's mouth quirked up. "See? It's as I told you—human females are weak."
He still believed she was a weak? After everything she'd done tonight? Pain lanced through her, but Kimi pushed it aside. "Why don't you just stay quiet?" she suggested, hiding her emotions with a laugh. "If you keep talking, I might be tempted to hurt you myself."
Epilogue
Kimi smoothed her hands down the sides of her black dress—the skirt was short, the halter plunged in front, and the back was nonexistent. With it, she wore the black high-heeled shoes she'd bought on sale two months ago. The ones that had started the whole mess.
Nic hadn't seen her in this yet—she picked up the dress yesterday on her lunch hour—and she was nervous about sauntering around in an outfit that blatantly screamed Take me to bed. It wasn't that she didn't initiate sex between them—she did almost as often as he—but this was different; it required all her courage to walk out of the bedroom. The living room was empty, Nic nowhere to be found.
She slumped against the wall and stared morosely at the boxes and bags piled in the middle of her floor. The summer had flown by, and tomorrow she'd drive back up to Berkeley. Kimi wasn't ready to leave Crimson City, though. Not yet.
It had nothing to do with her magic. Eleanor, the majo wise woman, had made arrangements for her training to continue while she was in college. Kimi didn't want to go because she was afraid it meant the end of her time with Nic.
The words he'd spoken the night they dealt with Augustin wouldn't leave her head. Human females are weak. He'd never repeated them after that, but it had eaten at her, made her wonder if he would prefer a demon woman. They'd never talked about the future; he'd simply stayed.
Kimi liked waking up beside him and sharing the household chores. And it wasn't just the sex or the things he did around the apartment—it was Nic.
She loved him. Even if he could be a pain in the ass sometimes.
Her mom and dad hadn't been thrilled about her living with him, but she was ecstatic that they were both alive to complain. Although Augustin had been untrustworthy, Kimi hadn't breathed easily until she'd talked to them. Of all the nights for them to decide to drive to the country and watch a meteor shower, they'd picked that one. She'd never know if Augustin had been aware that they were out, or if he'd simply gotten lucky.
Of course, her parents had been in a panic about her when they'd returned home and seen her dozen middle-of-the-night calls listed. Her comm had been chirping when she and Nic had made it to her car at dawn.
Kimi wrapped her arms around her waist. That situation with the Dark One still gave her nightmares. Who would soothe her and distract her if Nic stayed in LA? Who would she curl up with on the couch and talk to into the wee hours? Who would she laugh and play with?
"Why the long face, tes?" Nic asked. She hadn't heard him come in, and sometimes the quiet way he moved made her uneasy.
"Because I came out in this and there was no one to seduce," she replied. She wanted to show Nic what he'd be giving up if he didn't come north with her. Maybe human females were weaker than demons, but she could offer some compensation.
Straightening, she stepped away from the wall and slowly pivoted so that he could admire every inch of bare skin. "Like?" She tossed him a glance over her shoulder.
The way his eyes were glowing, the question was unnecessary. He only stood and stared, though, and she gave him one last goad. "I'm not wearing anything underneath, either."
His eyes flared brighter, and Kimi barely had time to blink before Nic had her pressed against the wall. His hand slid under her skirt, checking out her claim, and she smiled at his stunned expression when he discovered she told the truth.
Reaching between them, she opened the button at his waist and slowly lowered the zipper of his jeans. He never moved his gaze from hers, not even when she stroked him. "Keep that up," he warned with a growl, "and I'll take you standing here."
"So?" She squeezed him exactly the way he liked.
Nic took that as a challenge. She'd known he would.
Kimi clutched at his shoulders as he lifted her into position and thrust inside her. This wasn't going to be one of those times where he brought her to the brink over and over. He had a goal. With a moan, she grasped him harder as she rode out her orgasm, then his.
It took a while to recover, and even after Nic set her on her feet again, he held on to her.
"You could have me like this anytime you wanted," she said softly next to his ear, "if you came to Berkeley with me."
He pulled back to look at her. "That's what this is about?"
Kimi nodded tentatively, uncertain what his tone meant.
Nic began to laugh. He laughed so hard, he lost his balance, and because his jeans were down at his knees, he had to grab her to keep from falling. Then he laughed harder yet.
She pushed him strongly enough that he fell to the floor. Kimi didn't wait around to see the look on his face, she whirled and escaped into the bedroom. She couldn't let him see her cry. Here she'd been trying to sell him on staying with her and he thought her attempt was funny. Jerk.
But she should have known a locked door wouldn't keep Nic at bay. "Ah, tes," he said at her back, his hands gently clasping her shoulders. "I wasn't laughing at you." She went rigid. "Okay, I was laughing at you, but not for the reason you believe. If there was any need to convince me to leave with you tomorrow, this seduction would have done it, I'm certain of that."
"Then what's funny?" Kimi asked grudgingly.
"That you thought you needed to convince me." Nic turned her to face him and his expression went solemn as he wiped the tears off her cheeks with his thumbs. "I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't realize how deeply I'd wounded you. I told you that you're my vishtau mate—why would you believe I wouldn't go where you go?"
"You only told me that once, the night I summoned you. I thought maybe you were only saying it because you'd changed your mind about getting me in bed."
Nic choked, and Kimi thought he was fighting back the need to laugh again. She glared at him, but if he was amused, he managed to rein it in before she knew for sure.
"Besides," she added, "you said human females are weak." He looked at her blankly, so she prompted, "Remember? After you killed that demon working for Augustin, and then later, after the Dark One was dead and you regained consciousness."
He shook his head slowly. "The first time I said it was to prevent you from falling apart. We had no time for that, and I knew if I made you angry you'd regain control. The second was my attempt at a joke—apparently a poor one." He shrugged. "Since you'd taken out Augustin while I was prone on the street, I thought you'd understand."
Afraid to believe he meant it, she asked, "So, you don't want a demon female instead of me?"
"I want only you. Kimi, I love you. No," he said when she tried to interrupt. "Listen to me. Do you think I'd share the things I've told you with just anyone? I've only spoken of my father's death in detail once—with you. That should tell you something."
"You really love me?" she asked.
"I really do. You're more
than I dared dream of. I know what your next argument will be—the vishtau bond does not promise any deep emotion will develop. But how could I not fall in love with you? You're special, so much more than I deserve. The most important thing, though, is how I feel when I'm with you. It's as if I'm complete, as if the part of me that I never realized was missing has been given back."
She relaxed enough to lean into him.
"If I didn't mention the vishtau again, it's because I worried over your reaction," Nic admitted. "I didn't want you to feel pressured by me, or to feel that you had no choice. You do."
"No, I don't. I love you, too, Nic. I want no one else."
"Are you certain?" He looked impossibly hopeful.
She nodded and he leaned down to kiss her, his touch adoring, but much too brief.
"There's a bonding ritual," Nic said, sounding cautious. "It's permanent. Normally, it doesn't affect humans, but because of your power, you'll be as tied to me as I am to you."
"And that's a problem because...?"
"It isn't a problem, not as long as you're fully aware of what you'll be signed up for. There'll be no other mate for either of us for as long as we live."
As far as Kimi was concerned, she'd already made that commitment. She told him that.
His lips curved. "You're not getting the best end of the bargain, I know that, but you do get one benefit. Remember when I told you the kijo develops demon physiology after the rite?" He waited for her nod. "I've been doing some reading and your life span will lengthen to that of a demon's as well."
"Good," she said, leaning into his chest, "because sixty years with you won't be enough. I need at least three hundred." And going up on her toes, Kimi felt true happiness awakening inside her. She kissed him. Now she had what she truly wanted—the power to be forever with Nic.
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