From Jennifer Ashley, With Love: Three Paranormal Romances from Bestselling Series

by Jennifer Ashley

  It had felt good to be a demon slayer, felt good to let Ferrin as a sword taste demon blood. Hunter had shared Adrian’s fanatical need to slow the number of demons and vampires, never letting a demon get away, even if he had to follow it to the ends of the earth.

  Hunter was a stalker and a killer who took no prisoners and gave no parley. He had an affinity with animals, able to read their thoughts and send his thoughts to them. In many ways, Hunter got along with wild animals far better than he did with humans, or even his brothers. Predators had a kill-or-be-killed instinct, and Hunter shared it.

  Valerian glanced at Amber as she leaned into the wind to walk to them. “She’s one stubborn lady, Adrian. And cute. How’d you get so lucky?”

  “If I needed you to knock her out and take her back home would you do it?” Adrian asked him.

  Valerian rubbed his upper lip. “I don’t know. I have the feeling she’d be pissed off when she woke up.”

  “Are you afraid of a human witch?”

  “Not afraid, exactly. But what if she cursed me to always wear my underwear on the outside or something? That would play hell with my reputation.”

  Adrian didn’t smile. “I might need you to take her anyway, so risk it. If she’s killed because of me, I’ll have eternity to regret it.”

  Valerian lost his grin. “That hard?”

  Adrian said nothing, because Amber was within earshot, but he gave Valerian a look, and the dragon-man nodded.

  Adrian had purchased and rented cold-weather gear for their trek northward. He’d obtained goggles, lined parkas, pants and boots, a compass and GPS device, an Arctic tent they could anchor to ice, a saw-edged shovel that folded, Arctic-rated sleeping bags, walkie-talkies, MRE rations, thermal bottles of water, lighters, fuel bottles, batteries, lanterns, cross-country skis, and a few other things to make life out on the ice floes a little easier. He’d also added flares.

  Adrian had rented motorbikes, which they could ride through packed snow until they came to the perennial ice, but also through mud if they had to cross melted areas. Spring came late this far north, but thaws happened.

  Even a motorbike helmet and goggles couldn’t make Amber look any less delicious. Her fingers shook a little as she fastened the chin strap and mounted the bike, her long legs dangling from the saddle.

  They both said good-bye to Valerian and rode out of the motel parking lot. The maid and the desk clerk watched them go, and Valerian raised a big hand in farewell before ducking inside from the cold.

  * * *

  Amber wished she had a better direction than that way. It was all the spell had given her. Adrian made her ride behind him, far enough back so he wouldn’t throw snow and exhaust in her face, but not so far to lose touch.

  They drove about ninety miles before the road ended. From there, it was cross-country driving, which the motorbikes had been made for—wide, deep-tread tires and motors designed to resist freezing. Fortunately, the sun stayed in the sky a longer time these days; darkness would last only a few hours.

  They rode for miles, Amber hunched over her handlebars in an attempt to keep the wind from slowing her. She and Susan had dirt biked all over the northwest during college summers, days of freedom. They’d camped at night and talked magic, trying out new spells they’d written.

  Amber had learned how to be a biker, resting her body in different positions so her shoulders, back and legs would be less stiff. A bike gave her much more freedom than a car—nothing compared to speeding down the road like a biker chick while the world rushed by.

  This trip was a little different because she was bundled tight against the cold, and she strained to keep Adrian in sight. His bike kicked up snow and mud, obscuring him. If she dropped too far behind, she might lose him in the glare of all the white. Also the direction she needed to follow changed from due north to east. She radioed the information to him and they went on, heading into Canada.

  They rode all day. When Amber drooped with exhaustion, Adrian broke the ride and made camp. He erected the tent, and they ate and drank before he built a shelter for the bikes and their supplies.

  Amber had a sleeping bag to herself in the tiny tent, but Adrian snuggled up behind her and draped his sleeping-bagged form over her for extra warmth. She tucked her head under his chin and slid her backside against his thighs, wishing they had more room. When she felt his lips in her hair, she turned sleepily and gave him a full kiss.

  She hadn’t thought they’d be able to do anything sexual in the confined space, but Adrian had them out of their bags and undressed quickly He made love to her on the nest of sleeping bags, their combined warmth filling the tent and making her sweat.

  They had no need to be quiet, and he quickly had her screaming with more intensity than she’d allowed before. Adrian, mostly silent, used his mouth to lick and suck her flesh, his hands molding her body. She gazed into his eyes and experienced the floating sensation again, the two of them suspended in blackness as stars whirled by.

  When he came, he groaned hard, setting his teeth in her neck as he liked to do.

  They spiraled down from climax together, but before Amber drifted into sleep, he made love to her again. This time he pinned her hands above her head and rode her with quick, rough thrusts. She lifted her body, wanting as much contact with his as possible.

  When they relaxed again, she drew languid fingers across his cheek. “The polar bears must be laughing at the bouncing tent.”

  He kissed her throat. “I am keeping all the wild creatures away. You’ll be safe here.”

  “Maybe, but they’ll still chuckle.”

  He raised his head, his eyes quiet. “You like to laugh, even though you hold so much sorrow. It’s one of the lovable things about you.”

  In the happiness of afterglow, she let the word lovable flow over her. Amber couldn’t believe she’d just had wild sex in an Arctic-rated tent in the middle of nowhere on the Alaska-Canada border.

  A twinge of uneasiness cut through her comfort.

  “If the demon used me and Susan to bring you to him, is what I’m feeling for you part of his power?” she asked. “Making sure I stick with you?”

  Adrian traced the bow of her lips, his dark eyes unreadable. “What are you feeling for me?”

  “I think you know.”

  Adrian’s gaze took on the deep sadness she’d sensed in him when they’d first met. “Amber, you can’t fall in love with an Immortal.”

  “Can if I want to.”

  He didn’t smile. “When we’re finished, I’ll make you forget me, as I’ve promised. You will go back to your life, and our adventures will never have happened.”

  Amber glared at him, the cozy afterglow dissolving. “Why do you get to make all the decisions? First you decide I belong to you, and then snap, you’re finished? You must be king of one-night stands if you can make your lovers forget about you in the morning.”

  His brows lowered. “That’s not what I mean.”

  She knew it wasn’t, and she knew this was his way of keeping her from being hurt, but it angered her all the same. “First the demon manipulates me, now you want to keep me from remembering I was manipulated in the first place. I’m tired of being screwed around by ancient beings.”

  She half pushed him away while she stuffed herself into her sleeping bag and zipped it up. He remained on his side, looking like the gorgeous demigod he was, black hair flowing to tightly muscled shoulders, his eyes gleaming in the light of the battery-powered lantern.

  Amber could gaze at him forever, taking in the perfection of his body, marred only by the scars of battles long past, his tight abdomen leading her eye to the brush of hair below his pelvis, his thick erection still hard for her.

  What woman would not want him, even if her price was forgetting him in the morning?

  Annoyed at her own inconsistency, Amber rolled over so she wouldn’t have to look at him. “We have a long day tomorrow, and this mortal woman needs her sleep. Good night.”

  Ad
rian said nothing. For the longest time, she felt his gaze on her, his big body still, his breathing quiet. A half hour passed as she lay rigidly, expecting him to snarl at her, or laugh at her, or even throw her down and make love to her again.

  At last, a little disappointingly, he clicked off the light, zipped himself into his own sleeping bag and quietly dropped off to sleep.

  * * *

  Morning came excruciatingly early, and the sun was full and high by the time Adrian woke Amber, and they moved on. Adrian was grateful for the goggles because even with his powers, he would have been snow-blind in ten seconds flat. Spring was nowhere near this far north, where perpetual glaciers and sea ice were the norm.

  They went east and then north again until they reached packed ice. They soon had to leave the bikes behind. Ice alone lay beyond this, and they proceeded via cross-country skis.

  Toward the end of their second day on the skis, Adrian turned his head to see Amber silently begin skiing perpendicular to their path, even though it led to thinner, greener ice. He swung around to follow her, hoping to Isis she didn’t charge out to a freak thaw and fall through. She’d be dead within seconds of hitting water that cold.

  Amber halted so suddenly her skis moved a little bit forward before she dug the poles in and pulled herself upright. Adrian stopped beside her.

  “Is this it?” Adrian’s voice was muffled behind his goggles and ski mask.

  Amber nodded. She wore the same kind of goggles and ski mask, which completely hid her face deep inside her parka hood. A mute woman, stuffed into layers of nylon and padding.

  Amber pointed with a mitten to what looked like snow-brushed ice, not much different from the rest of the ice around them. He could just make out her wide eyes behind the tinted goggles. “What do we do now?”

  Adrian threw down the pack he’d been carrying, unfolded the saw-edged shovel and the small pickaxe he’d brought with him. “We dig.”

  He saw her mouth form a grimace behind the ski mask. She took up the pickax and made a few attempts to throw the sharp edge into the ice. She made a small dent or two then tossed down the axe in disgust and pulled off her insulated mitten before Adrian could stop her.

  He understood what she was doing when he saw the glitter of a crystal. She shot a burst of fire at the ice’s surface then quickly popped her mitten back on and tucked her hand under her arm. Adrian took advantage of the melt she’d started and banged the shovel through the ice a few inches before the ice began to harden again.

  As soon as her hand warmed, Amber threw the spell again, this time with Adrian hovering and ready with the pickaxe. They worked this way for a while, exposing Amber’s fingers to the harsh cold only long enough for her to pop her small fireball over the ice.

  When Adrian had a hole large enough to satisfy him, he dug out two stones from Amber’s hoard, a topaz and tiger’s eye, both of which would carry warm, radiating magic. Though they still held the power he’d infused on them in her car, he wanted her magic in them too, so he asked her to charge them.

  Amber cupped the stones in her mittened hands and faced the sun, her head thrown back to catch its rays. The sun shone brilliant and strong, despite the bitter, powerful cold. The Sun God in all his glory still ruled, even where the earth was dormant.

  Amber handed him back the stones, which vibrated strongly with the combination of her earth power, the power of the sun, and the fire element of the stones themselves. Excellent.

  Adrian dropped the stones into the hole they’d made, then pulled Amber out of the way. He built up power deep inside him, as Isis had taught him to do so long ago, and spoke one word.

  Power flowed like a concentrated arrow, seeking the stones in the ice. The two stones absorbed and magnified the power, then gave it back in one mighty burst.

  The ice moved, groaned, and heaved. Amber lost her balance and slipped, falling to her hands and knees.

  Adrian flung himself over her as ice and freezing water exploded from the hole, sought height, and then fell in giant chunks around them. Razor-sharp ice shards rained down, beating on Adrian’s padded coat, hissing and splintering when they hit the ground.

  Eventually, the ice shower lessened, and everything grew quiet. Adrian raised his head, and Amber crawled out from under him, shaking.

  In place of the flat ice and the small area they’d dug out was a hole about three feet in diameter. Below this was a tunnel, its walls smooth, thick green ice, which curved downward and away from them at a slight angle.

  Adrian made a down there? motion with his padded glove, and Amber nodded. He placed his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes.

  “Stay here. If I don’t come back in half an hour, radio Valerian for help. He’ll send someone if he can’t come himself. He can’t fly, but helicopters can.”

  “In this wind?” The stubborn set of Amber’s shoulders grew only more stubborn. “You need me with you.”

  “No, I need you safe.”

  “You want me to abandon you to the demon? To go back to a motel and be warm and dry while he breaks every one of your bones and leaves you in a bank of ice?”

  Goddess, Amber worried for him. No woman had ever worried for Adrian before.

  Not that it mattered; she could do nothing from this point on but keep herself out of it.

  Adrian didn’t bother with an argument but simply turned, lay down on the ice, and dove arms-first into the hole. At the last minute, he felt Amber grab his ankles, and then they were both sliding down, down, and down through a tube that snaked for several hundred feet before dropping them into a wide cavern carved deep into the ice.

  * * *

  Amber peeled her fingers from Adrian’s ankles and sat back in awe. The cavern was enormous, a stone cave with stalagmites and stalactites. Everything was made entirely of ice. It was a magical place—Amber could feel magic permeating every crevice and frozen droplet of water. Instead of the darkness she’d expected, the entire cave glowed with a crystalline light that was glass green, its beauty intense.

  The cave was also relatively warm. Sheltered from the howling wind, insulated by a ton of ice, the stillness let Amber peel off her goggles and face mask. She pushed her hood back and gazed around her, relieved at the absence of cold.

  Adrian also removed goggles, mask, and gloves, stuffing them all into his parka. Amber expected him to glower at her for following him, and maybe send her back to the surface on a wave of his power. She imagined herself popping high out of the hole like a cartoon character and landing on her behind on the ice.

  Adrian seemed to not notice Amber’s presence as he turned in a circle, his dark eyes roving the place. He scanned every facet, every icicle hanging from the roof, every fold in the walls, ceiling, and floor.

  But the cave was empty. No waiting Immortal, no demon, nothing.

  Adrian continued to study the cave, head tilted back as he studied droplets of ice that hung like diamonds. Amber realized he was looking not so much with his eyes as with all his senses, testing the air with his magic.

  “He was here,” Adrian whispered.

  Amber scanned the cave but was unable to see anything beyond the green glowing ice. The magic from the decryption spell had shut off, taking the pointer to Tain with it.

  “He isn’t here now,” Amber said, her voice echoing hollowly. “We should go.”

  Adrian pressed his palms directly to the ice, closed his eyes and bowed his head. He remained in that position for so long, Amber went to him, alarmed.

  Adrian opened his eyes but he didn’t look at her. He moved away from Amber and around the cave, touching the walls, turning in place, tilting his head back and studying the high ice ceiling. “Tain was here. For many years, he was here. Can’t you feel him?”

  Amber regarded him with concern. “The demon could arrive any minute, Adrian. He wants you here for some reason, so I say we meet him up top, in the sun.”

  Adrian rested his fists gently against one of the curved walls. “All this tim
e, he was here. Trapped. I felt his anguish, how he called out, and no one heard. No one came. I could hear him in my dreams, but I didn’t know it was real.”

  “The demon trapped Tain,” Amber tried to console him. “It wasn’t your fault.”

  Adrian nodded slowly, eyes closed, face to the wall. “Yes, it was. It’s what you can never understand. I was angry at him, and I left him alone. I was angry because he wanted to remain with a woman, and I told him he was a fool. I went to fight the things in the valley, and while I was gone, the demon woman killed the humans and spirited Tain away. Tain might have gone willingly at first—he’d fallen in love. I blamed him, and myself. I didn’t understand what falling in love was like.”

  “It happens to everyone,” Amber said, not really paying attention to the words she chose. She wanted him out of here. “But we can talk about this later, up with our skis, preferably while skiing back to the bikes. We’ll make camp again, and you can tell me all about it in our nice, warm tent.”

  Adrian looked at her, brow furrowing as though he’d forgotten she was with him. “You must be cold. I will tell Valerian to send someone for you.” He touched the wall, almost lovingly, his voice taking on an archaic lilt. “I will tarry a while.”

  “No, you won’t.” Amber planted herself in front of him. “We’ll both go and hang out in the motel and watch bad television until Valerian is rested enough to take us back to Los Angeles. Or Seattle. I’d like to go home. I don’t want to leave the house empty too long. Predators other than demons are lurking out there.”

  Adrian seemed puzzled by her vehemence. “I prefer to stay. If I stay long enough perhaps I will hear the whispers he left, sense the direction he was taken.”

  “And how long will that be?” Amber demanded. “Years?”

  “Perhaps.”

  “Adrian.” She grabbed his shoulders and gave him a shake. “You can’t stay here for years. You told me the demon lives millennia like I live weeks. Which means millennia are like weeks to you too right? Guess what? I don’t want to leave you down here for thousands of years and never see you again. Understand? You’re going on about what you feel for me, but how about what I feel for you? Doesn’t that count?”