Demon Retribution (Shadow Quest Book 3)

by Kiersten Fay

  Zoey’s reply was muffled. “Kevin! Stop it. I’m trying to—” The message cut off with a loud clang.

  “Shit.” Kyra stood, a bit wobbly. “Cale, change of plans.”

  Chapter 8

  The row of brownstone apartments was situated in a pristine line, accentuated by purposely placed maple trees. Kyra checked the dash clock after double parking in front of Kevin’s door. Ten after three in the morning. The energy drink was kicking in, but only enough to keep her eyes from closing and her body from collapsing.

  The rain battered the ground, creating a hazy wall between them and Kevin’s front door. She hadn’t bothered to change into dry clothing, since she would just get drenched again. The cold, clinging fabric actually helped keep her alert.

  “I’m going to go get her,” she said to Cale. “She may freak if she sees you, so stay here.” She popped open her door, and so did Cale. Over the hood of her car, she added, “It might be best if you stay in the car, Cale.”

  “I will wait here,” he replied, closing the door. His tone indicated there was to be no argument. Under his breath, he muttered, “I don’t understand. If he hurts her, why does she go back?”

  “Fear of being alone can be a powerful motivator.”

  “You mean fear makes you stupid.”

  “Vulnerable,” she compromised. “Don’t you have any fear of dying alone?”

  “We all die alone. Why bother worrying about a fate shared by every living thing?”

  “Then of living alone?” She walked around to the curb. With its help, she matched his eye level.

  “We all live alone too. Some of us just do it in the same place.”

  She probed his expression for a sign of his emotions, but his face remained blank. “Well, that’s a dark attitude.”

  He shrugged, saying no more.

  Kyra hiked the short climb to the door and knocked hard. She looked back at Cale, who leaned against her car with his arms crossed and his dark hat in place. Somehow, he managed to look threatening as well as at ease.

  The door whooshed open.

  Kevin stood rigid, glaring at her. His attention moved to Cale for an instant and then back to her. “Is that him?” he snipped. “Is that who she’s been fucking?”

  Cale smiled and gave a pinky wave. As Kevin sneered back at him, Kyra noticed a couple scratches down the side of his face.

  “Kevin, where’s Zoey?”

  “Don’t you know? Supposedly, she’d been with you all night.”

  “Let me by.”

  He proceeded to cuss her out in a couple different languages.

  “It’s always delightful to witness the superiority of an Ivy League education.”

  “Vaffanculo, puttana. Get off my property.” The door slammed in her face.

  She pushed her weight against it. “Let me in, you son of a bitch!” she cried, fist banging.

  “Allow me.” Warm hands came over her shoulders. Cale had managed to creep up behind her. He nudged her out of the way and then smashed his foot into the door. It splintered and burst open just as easily as Kyra’s door had.

  She barged past the threshold, yelling for Zoey.

  The room exhibited a crisp, upper crust space with the fingerprint of a decorator’s touch.

  Huh, she’d never taken Kevin for a chandelier guy.

  To her left, a set of stairs led to a second floor.

  Kevin appeared from a side room, spouting more curses. “You’re going to pay for that, puttana!”

  Cale moved to block him, his back to her. Whatever Kevin saw made his eyes widen and his color drain.

  “You’re going to want to stop saying words,” Cale sneered. The level of menace in his tone sent a shiver through her.

  “Where is she?” Kyra demanded.

  Kevin pointed up, not taking his eyes from Cale.

  “Zoey!” she called again, leaving the two men and rushing up the stairs.

  Through a closed door, she heard a muffled, “Ky?”

  Following the soft click of a lock, Zoey stepped into the hall. She cried out with a relieved sob and drew her in for a hug, but Kyra didn’t miss the dark marks around her neck.

  “I’m going to kill him,” she spat.

  “No, Ky. He has family on the force, in the government. If you do anything they’d crucify you.”

  Or you, Kyra added to herself, which was the more likely scenario.

  “Let’s just get out of here. I’m so sorry I came here. I was just so—”

  “I know, scared. It’s been a weird night.”

  The adrenalin that had been coursing through Kyra’s veins a few moments ago seemed all but gone, taking with it her reserve of strength. For a post energy-blast she was doing quite well, but tight ropes of exhaustion were snaking through her muscles, constricting with every breath. By the time they made it back to the stairs, Kyra couldn’t tell who was helping whom down.

  Zoey froze when she caught sight of Cale.

  “He’s okay, Zo.” Kyra looked around. “Where’s Kevin?”

  Cale jerked his thumb toward a side room and replied, a bit amused, “Something must have frightened the poor boy.” Cale’s hat dangled at his side between two fingers.

  Kyra rolled her eyes. “Put that back on.”

  From beside her, Zoey gasped. “What is on his head?”

  Cale replaced the cap and winked. “Perhaps we should go now.”

  Kyra’s eyelids dropped against her will. Opening them again was like lifting a ten-pound weight with her lashes. Worse, an equal heaviness flooded her brain. “I’m not going to last much longer,” she admitted. “Someone else needs to drive.” Her vision dimmed, and she reached out—for what, she wasn’t sure—but Cale came forward to help her stand.

  “Are you okay?” Zoey asked, feeling her forehead in a motherly fashion.

  With the both of them focused on her, she was the only one who saw the door swing open and the outstretched arm taking aim. Seconds before Kevin’s finger squeezed the trigger, she twirled her body to cover Zoey. One bullet sliced through the air by their heads. The second pierced Kyra’s right shoulder.

  A few more shots echoed before a terrible crack rang out, similar to the one created when she twisted the neck of that creature. Then, for the span of a breath, all was silent. She could see Zoey’s face locked in horror, looking past her. Kyra’s mind caught up, and she knew what had happened. Cale was no longer by her side. Kevin was quiet. Zoey had watched.

  “Don’t freak out,” she whispered, before everything went black.

  Hovering weightless in a stream of water, Kyra tried to swim to the edge, never quite reaching it. In the distance, tall trees reached skyward. At the bank, colorful flowers dotted a line of shrubbery, surrounded by stone that shimmered in the light. She dove under and pushed forward with her legs, knowing she would never make it, yet unwilling to give up trying.

  Vaguely, Kyra realized the dream was coming to an end. Fuzzy voices echoed below the water’s surface.

  “Ha! Read them and mourn.”

  “It’s read ‘em and weep. And that’s what you were going for last hand. This hand you were supposed to get two runs and a set.”

  “Ah, bollocks. Let’s play that other one.”

  Kyra rolled over and squinted her eyes open. By the look of the thick window shade, she gathered they were in a motel room. A silhouette of light bled through the edges of the ragged material.

  Her movement caught the attention of her companions.

  “Kyra? You awake?” Zoey asked softly.

  “Well, I’m conscious, I think.” She rubbed her eyes.

  The bed shifted, indicating someone sat down next to her. Zoey, by the feel of it.

  Kyra cleared her throat. “Where are we?”

  “We’re in a motel, near Stony Point.”

  She pushed up on her elbows. Next to a table filled with open junk food wrappers and cards, Cale leaned in a chair wearing nothing but a pair of dark jeans that fit him low on the hips.
There were a couple circular bruises on his chest.

  She rolled her shoulder, feeling where she’d been shot. It didn’t hurt as bad as she thought it should.

  “You’ve been asleep for two days,” he answered her unspoken question.

  Her wound was almost healed then, same as his. “You can’t keep a shirt on for long, can you?” she cracked a smile.

  He grinned. “A work of art shouldn’t be covered up.”

  She snorted, thinking his ego had escaped intact.

  “However, it’s less distracting for me if you are.”

  She blinked twice. Looking down, she pulled at the loose fitting shirt that covered her. Under the covers, her legs were bare.

  Zoey said, “Your clothes are hanging up in the bathroom. You were soaked and shivering the whole way here, so I sent Cale to get snacks while I took them off and put you under the covers. But then you kept throwing them off, so Cale lent you his shirt.” Dramatically, Zoey fanned herself and added in a lower tone. “Lucky me, right? That is one fine horned-thing from outer space.”

  Kyra shot an incredulous look at Cale. “She knows?”

  “We’ve had some time to talk. The chit asks a lot of questions. Thought you wouldn’t mind.”

  Zo smiled. “I always knew aliens existed, I just never would have thought I’d be best friends with one.”

  She studied Zoey’s exuberant expression and observed, “You’re not freaking.”

  “You slept through that part.”

  “And Kevin? Is he…?”

  Zoey’s face fell, and she glanced toward Cale.

  Cale replied, sounding exasperated, as though being accused of some trivial thing for the thousandth time. “It was a reflex.”

  Kyra wasn’t sad about Kevin’s fate, but she was worried for Zoey. Forensics would place Zoey at the scene, without a doubt.

  Curious, she asked Zoey, “What did he tell you, exactly?”

  “Well, you’re a Faieara, which sounds a lot like fairy to me. That would explain the ears, though I’m disappointed I didn’t find wings on you. You’re from another world, and so is he, but his was destroyed.”

  That caught Kyra off guard and her eyes snapped back to Cale. His expression went blank.

  Zoey didn’t seem to notice and continued. “Your people are magic.”

  “I didn’t say magic,” he protested.

  Zoey waved his comment away and then started to recite something that sounded far too much like a fairy tale. “He’s come to rescue you, take you aboard his ship, and reunite you with your long lost sister.”

  “Ach, you’re getting it all wrong,” Cale groaned.

  “Alright, alright,” Kyra interrupted. “We don’t need to go into all the little details now. First, we need to cover our tracks. Zo? Do you have your phone?”

  “It’s in my purse.”

  “Toss it. It’s too easy to trace. No credit cards either. Cash only. How did you pay for the room?”

  “Cash,” Zoey confirmed.

  “Good. I have enough in my purse to get us to my cabin. It’s secluded and not under my current name, so it should be the perfect place for us to hide, for now. I have money stashed there too. On the way, we’ll stop and get some clothes for everyone.” She ran her hands through her hair and met with resistance. “Scratch that. First, a shower. Second, everything else I just said.”

  Cale felt like some child’s dress up toy, standing in the store while Kyra and Zoey held up outfits against him. They’d already replaced his old hat with something larger that had a belt wrapped around it. Zoey said it made him look rugged. Kyra smiled and nodded, so he allowed it.

  Then came the shirts, pants, and footwear. He was glad when they finally let him sit while they searched the store for themselves, only asking on occasion what he thought. He’d had more than enough experience with females to know that you always say they look perfect, even if they didn’t. But with Kyra, he found it was nearly always true. There was, however, an oversized sweater that he’d “vetoed” as Zoey called it.

  Other than helping Kyra choose clothing, he tried to keep his eyes off her—a pursuit that was proving impossible. Everything she did distracted him. Every expression, every sound she made.

  In the clearing, when he’d kissed her, it had been like hovering on the Edge, only better. A light breeze could have pushed him over. All thought had been drained away, and only she had existed.

  It had been reckless!

  But then, his reaction had been entirely unexpected. He still couldn’t understand how he could possibly have let his guard drop. Not only that, but the aftermath of the kiss had been unforeseeable.

  Velicia’s betrayal had been the most devastating experience of his life. His father’s death, his mother’s wretchedness were nothing in comparison. For years, the Edge had been his home, madness his friend. After Sebastian and Sonya had painstakingly helped him find his way back to a saner state of mind, he’d tried to forget his love for Velicia by losing himself in the arms of as many women as possible.

  Mated demons, like himself, only crave a mate’s touch. He could attest that touching another felt detestable and vile, even in the height of ecstasy. The guilt that followed each liaison—each deceptive kiss—was like his own personal self-mutilation. The pain was almost physical, though not quite.

  But with Kyra, it had been.

  Merely kissing her had been far worse than any female he’d brought to his bed. It made him wonder how terrible it would be to take her fully. Perhaps it would finally destroy him.

  He was intrigued.

  But he wouldn’t risk it again. Not with the Kayadon threat at hand.

  The fact that Kyra had to bail him out with a gift that cost her so much was embarrassing. Sebastian would have kicked his ass for it. Then Sonya would have waited for him to heal and kicked it again.

  He was foolish not to have brought Sonya along to watch his back, like Sebastian had wanted. Arrogant and foolish. The idea of having the Kayadon to himself, to destroy them all for what they’d done to him, had been too tempting. He knew their weapons were advanced, but he hadn’t expected them to put him on the ground so fast.

  He vowed it wouldn’t happen again.

  Chapter 9

  The trees outside the car window followed the road in a tightly packed order, exploding with bright color. It was a two-hour drive to Hunter Mountain, where her cabin waited, and Kyra was eager to finally get there.

  Zoey rested in the back seat with her eyes closed. Still, Kyra wasn’t sure if she believed the calm exterior her friend projected.

  Cale relaxed in the passenger seat, being suspiciously quiet as he gazed at the scenery. He’d hardly said a word to her since they’d left the department store.

  “So, your planet was destroyed?” she said, breaking the long silence.

  He took his eyes from the scenery and settled them on her. She peeked at him from the corner of her eye.

  “Aye,” he replied.

  She waited for him to continue, but he went back to watching the trees fly by.

  “How did it happen? Global warming?”

  “Hardly.”

  “Nuclear disaster?”

  “No.”

  “Why did you tell Zoey and not me?”

  “Like I said, she asks a lot of questions. Couldn’t shut the girl up otherwise. And,” he paused, “I was hoping to delay telling you. I figured it would alarm you to know.”

  “Why would it…” She trailed off, feeling her throat go dry. There could only be one reason to keep such a thing from her. Only one thing would cause her to stress over the destruction of a planet to which she had no connection.

  He inhaled deeply and let it out slowly. “The Kayadon came to my planet long ago.”

  Kyra began flicking her nails around the wheel.

  “They sold many of my people as slaves, killed those they could not control, and then destroyed our home. My family and I now live as nomads.”

  Her heart sank. She
chewed her lip, gripping the wheel tighter. “Are my people…are they…?”

  “We don’t know anything. That’s why I didn’t want to tell you. It does no good to jump to conclusions.”

  “It’s maddening, all this time not knowing.” Her voice held all the frustration she kept locked inside.

  “Yeah, it is.”

  Kyra felt there was more to his words than he let on, but her cabin finally came into view.

  “Zoey! Wake up. We’re here.” She forced the conversation to the back of her mind. Surely there was hope. Otherwise her father would never have sent Cale to her.

  She held onto the idea like a lifeline.

  Zoey sat up, mid yawn, but her mouth didn’t close as she took in what Kyra knew was an extravagant sight laying just beyond the flat surface of a small lake.

  “Holy mother of…how rich are you?”

  A deep deck surrounded both levels of a stone and wood cabin, complete with a high angular roof and a set of chimneys. Another deck protruded from the second story. The landscaping was colorful and pristine against the dense, rough wooded area. Kyra paid a hefty sum for its upkeep.

  “Why on Earth are you living in the city, and working at a crappy coffee shop, when you have this?” Zoey complained.

  “Solitude gets dull,” she replied with a shrug.

  Over the gravel driveway, she wound the car around the lake and parked near the front entrance. Zoey jumped out first and stretched. Kyra and Cale followed.

  “What do you think?” she asked Cale over the hood of the car. “Do you think we’ll be safe here?”

  He took a moment to look around before answering. “Seems so. No scent of Kayadon in the air. Not sure how they found you in the first place, so we’ll have to keep our guard up.”

  Kyra recalled Cale used her father’s book to figure her location. “Do you think they have a book as well?”

  “They have your father, why would they need a book? Who knows what they’re doing to him to get…” He paused at her grimace. “Sorry. I’m no good at—”