Into Evernight: an Urban Fantasy Novel (Fearless Destiny Book 2)

by Debbie Cassidy

  “How the heck did you get cut?”

  A low-level hum filled the air, and we both broke off to stare up into the night sky as several huge winged shadows descended on us.

  “What the fuck?”

  “I don’t know.” Baal yanked me to him. “And we’re not sticking around to find out.”

  I waited for the whirl of air to surround us, to be lifted off the ground, but nothing happened.

  “Something’s wrong, I can’t … the cut must have been infected with something.”

  And then they were landing around us—huge winged scorpions with snapping pincers and deadly curling tails.

  Another species I’d never seen before.

  Frieda was in my hand and active in a blink. I pressed my back to Baal’s as we made a rotation, our eyes on the denizens surrounding us. Adrenaline flooded my veins, buzzing in my head.

  “Why aren’t they attacking?” Baal asked.

  “Wait for it …”

  They attacked as one, and with a battle cry I met them head on. Down one pincer, down two, duck to avoid the tail, slice, stab, and roll. That was a move I had Erebus to thank for. In the periphery of my vision I saw Baal grappling with one of the denizens. He had no weapon, no power except his hands. I watched as he punched it in the head, sending it staggering back. We worked together, back to back, keeping as close together as we could.

  And then a stinger was descending on me at incredible speed. If I leapt out of the way I’d be exposing Baal’s back.

  Strong arms wrapped around my waist and threw me clear.

  I hit the ground, skidded, and scrambled to my feet. Baal had thrown me clear at least ten metres and was now surrounded, unable to watch his back while they played with him, skittering close and then away.

  Gripping Frieda, I began to run toward him.

  “No! Kenna, stay back.”

  Like heck!

  I was almost there, almost in the circle of death, when the scorpion to Baal’s right struck, its stinger coming down so fast it was a blur.

  A scream ripped from my throat as the stinger buried itself in Baal’s shoulder.

  He bucked and grabbed at it, ripping it free and staggering back just as the scorpion to his left attacked. Its stinger came down, and I skidded the last foot, bringing Frieda up to slice the fucking thing right off.

  The scorpion didn’t even flinch. In fact, I noticed none of them had seemed bothered by my butchery. It was as if they felt no pain.

  We fell into place, back to back again, still outnumbered and injured.

  “Baal, you with me?”

  “Till the end,” Baal said.

  His voice sounded wobbly, the venom would be working on him now.

  It was five on two. I was an optimistic soul, but even I knew we were screwed, and if we were going to be going down now, like this, then I needed to be clear.

  “I love you, Baal.”

  His back tensed against mine, and then his beautiful chuckle filled the air. “Oh, Kenna, you do know how to pick your moments.”

  “Is that all you can say?”

  “No, I have much more to say, but not now, later, when I’m deep inside you.”

  Oh, crap, now was not the time to get horny. “Well then I better finish these fuckers off.”

  I didn’t wait for the scorpion spotting me to act. I lunged, swinging Frieda in an arch to take its last pincher and then brought her back to stab the thing through the head. It exploded in a cloud of ash, and I moved on to the next one.

  Two down, three to go, and Baal dropped to his knees.

  “No! Baal!”

  “Keep … fighting Habibi. Just keep …”

  A quick glance showed his skin to be pale and shiny.

  Shit, the venom.

  I moved to stand over him, swinging Frieda in an infinity arch above my head to keep the monsters at bay.

  My heart hammered my ribcage as fear for Baal’s life sapped away at my bravado.

  I couldn’t lose him. Not now. Not ever. Baal had said Agares and Irina weren’t far behind. If I kept up the swing, surely they’d see Frieda’s light from the sky.

  And then Frieda’s light went out.

  No, no, no!

  The lapse cost me as the denizen swiped, catching me across the arm.

  My skin erupted in burning pain, and I dropped to the ground, pulling Baal into my lap.

  The scorpions closed in, tails poised to attack as one.

  “I love you Baal, I’m sorry.”

  I closed my eyes.

  An eerie caw filled the air, and the world lit up as flame streaked across the sky.

  The scorpions faltered and my heart lifted.

  Agni.

  She landed before us, a ball of dangerous flame, her eyes blazing, her wings outstretched to shield us.

  The scorpions backed up a step.

  My arm throbbed and my vision blurred.

  No, I had to stay conscious.

  Something else was falling from the sky, a man wielding a sword.

  Agares?

  The beat of hooves, the scream of Ceffyl Dwr, and a crazy war cry filled my head as the world faded to black.

  41

  “Baal!” I sat up with a cry, my pulse pounding in my throat.

  “It’s alright. He’s alright.”

  I blinked at Irina. “You came for us.”

  “Yes, we did, and we got there just in time.”

  “Agni was there.”

  “Yes, she was.” Irina’s golden eyes seemed to glow in her face. “We thought we’d lost you. Your human body metabolised the venom a lot quicker than Baal.”

  “I feel … I feel fine now.”

  Irina smirked. “A little magickal intervention on my part.”

  “Thank you.” I took her hands in mine. “I owe you my life.”

  Her gaze grew intense, “And we owe you our gratitude. You kept Baal alive, shielded him until we arrived. You stayed by him.”

  “I love him, Irina. There was no other option.”

  Irina sighed and squeezed my hand. “Then its time you knew the truth.”

  The pulse that had calmed in my throat began to beat a little faster again. “What truth?”

  Irina dropped her gaze to the bedspread. “The reason I was so concerned about Baal getting too close to you, the reason I needed to know for sure how you felt, was because I couldn’t bear for him to be hurt again.”

  “That makes sense, you care about him, and you were protecting him.”

  “But the reason is a little more complex. Baal was due to be betrothed once, his soul bound to another in a ceremony most djinn only undertake once in their life time. Ibris had many lovers, many wives, but even he did not consider binding with any female. But Baal … When he gave his heart, he gave it completely.”

  Something ugly twisted in my chest. “Who was she?”

  “Her name was Dante, and she was your sister.”

  For a moment I wasn’t sure I’d heard right, and then it was on the tip of my tongue to say I didn’t have a sister, but then of course I’d had siblings who’d perished in the slaughter.

  “Tell me.”

  “Dante was Ibris’s first born. A formidable woman and a terrifying warrior, and for a time it seemed all she wished to do was train and fight. There are tales of her bravery in battle in the alliance wars—how she slew djinn that stood against freedom of will, and how she and her group of elite warriors, aided by the dark djinn, brought down the mighty denizens that rose from beneath the earth—ancient creatures raised by the darkest of magick. When the dust settled, Dante found a new love. She found Baal.

  “I don’t know all the details, just that Baal was a frequent guest of Ibris, a long-time friend and confidant. Dante and Baal’s love, although not instantaneous, grew and flourished over time to become a force in itself. When Dante was killed a month before their binding, Baal lost his mind. He was gone from us for the longest time, and when he returned he was a shadow of himself, spending all
his time here, in the safe house which he and Dante had built together. It was to be their home, and it became his self-imposed prison. I think he blames himself for Ibris’s death, wondering if things would have been different, if he would have noticed something if he’d continued to visit the palace.”

  So this was the reason for the weird silences. Baal had lost his epic love. He’d lost my sister. The dark ugly thing in my chest morphed into a hollow pit. How could I ever compare to that?

  “No. Please don’t look like that,” Irina said. “I’m not telling you this to hurt you. I’m telling you so you know how important you are to Baal. I’ve never seen him this way. He awoke an hour ago in frenzy, needing to see you. It took all my skill to convince him to let you rest, that you needed a healing sleep for the venom to leave your system completely.”

  I lifted my arm to see the wound, a simple pink scar now. A bowl of gunky bandages lay on the bedside table.

  “After what you did, after what I’ve seen, there’s no doubt in my mind that you love him, and that you won’t hurt him, and I wish you both the best.”

  “I need to see him.”

  She smiled. “I’d expect nothing less.”

  _____

  I rapped on Baal’s chamber doors, entered, and closed them firmly behind me. He turned away from the balcony, his eyes widening.

  “You’re awake.”

  “Yeah, I am.” And I was. I was done holding back, done being cautious. I was all kinds of carpe diem. “I meant what I said earlier you know, when we were surrounded by crazy flying scorpions.”

  He swallowed. “Good, because I was beginning to wonder whether that was a desperate declaration brought on by the threat of death.”

  “Well it kinda was. I mean, I didn’t want to die without having told you how I feel.”

  He took a step toward me and stopped, his fists bunching at his sides.

  He was still holding back, but I was willing to take the leap. “You said you had things to say to me.”

  His eyes lit up with an inner glow. “And I also said I’d tell you when I was deep inside you.”

  The juncture at my thighs throbbed. “Well, what are you waiting for?”

  A primal growl rumbled up from his chest as he bridged the gap between us. Swinging me up into his arms, he carried me to bed. Laying me down, he stripped off his shirt exposing his taut muscular frame fully for the first time. My eyes devoured his bronze skin, the corded muscles in his arms, and the play of sinew as he climbed onto the bed beside me. I hooked a hand around his neck and pulled him down to me.

  Our lips met, softly at first, tentative and testing, and then with greater urgency, mouths open, tongues sliding against each other. His body covered mine, our heat mingling. I writhed beneath him, needing to feel his skin against mine.

  Pushing him back I tried to pull my top off.

  “Allow me.” Baal’s voice was a rasp as he tore the shirt in two, exposing my lacy bra. He pressed me back into the pillows, his emerald eyes glittering dangerously, and rose above me to run his calloused fingertips over the tops of my breasts before cupping them and running his thumbs over my rock-hard nipples. My breasts grew heavy and tightened with need.

  I bucked. “Please.”

  His lips curled in a roguish smile.

  Oh, god, please. I arched up into his hands, needing more, and then like a prayer he lowered his mouth to my chest, drawing my nipple into his mouth through the fabric.

  My core tightened. I was aching and pulsing in all the right places. He unhooked my bra, tossed it aside, and recaptured the tight nub into his warm, wet, mouth and … Oh, man I couldn’t think. I couldn’t … Shockwaves of pleasure ran down my abdomen to collect at the apex of my thighs. I grabbed the hair at the back of his neck, forcing him up my body so I could claim his mouth. He was sweet nectar in a desert of nothingness. We broke for breath, and I wriggled out of my slacks and reached for my prosthetic, then stopped. He’d taken my leg off for me once before, but I’d been asleep. I hadn’t had to see the look on his face. I couldn’t bear it now.

  He locked gazes with me, a question in his eyes, and then he sighed and pressed his forehead to mine.

  “There is nothing, Habibi, nothing …” Keeping his gaze locked on mine, he reached down to take off my leg.

  Oh god, don’t look, please don’t look. But he did more than look—he touched me, trailing his fingers gently across the puckered scarred flesh below my knee. I was still trembling with desire, but my body tensed instinctively. No one had ever touched me there with desire burning in their eyes.

  He glanced up and shook his head. “There is nothing …”

  Gaze still fixed on mine, he replaced his fingers with his lips, soft and loving. There was nothing in his regard except yearning. He wanted me, just the way I was. My eyes grew hot and I squeezed them shut, allowing the tears to escape. He brushed them away with his lips, and then pushed my prosthetic to the bottom of the bed before covering me with his body. His hands trailed over my bare thighs, hovering at the waistband of my lace panties, while his mouth claimed mine again. He was honey and liquorice in my mouth and breathing became overrated. All that mattered was the taste of him, the feel of him, and the length of him rubbing against my most intimate place through the layers of fabric between us. But I needed more. He was already between my thighs, with just the soaking wet fabric of my underwear and his pajama pants separating us. I reached between us to cup him through the fabric of his pants. A low moan exploded from his lips. My breath caught and my core melted and throbbed as he flexed against me.

  “Fuck, Kenna.” His breath was hot against my parted lips.

  “Please.” My voice was a rasp skimming against his skin.

  His captured my mouth, his tongue hot and demanding against mine. Closer, I needed to be closer. I pushed at the waistband of his pants, eager for skin on skin.

  His chest rumbled—a primal sound slamming against my heart and turning my pulse into a canter. And then the heat of his body retreated as he leaned back. Fuck he was gorgeous—powerful and vibrating with need, and he was mine. He hooked his thumbs into his waistband and slowly peeled his pants down to reveal my prize. Blood roared in my ears, because damn he was huge. I needed to feel him in my hand—silk over steel. I began to stroke him and he sucked in a breath between his teeth, tipping forward to brace himself above me with his hands.

  My name was a plea on his lips. “Kenna.”

  Desire rolled through me, desire and power. Me. He wanted me. His hand closed over mine, halting my progress.

  “My turn,” His voice was a hungry growl.

  He tore off my underwear and replaced them with his clever fingers—sweeping and circling and playing me until my head was filled with the buzz of the climb—that tightening and building of sensation, that tipping point, please, oh god, yes.

  “Now … now …” I gripped his shoulders, digging into his taut flash with my fingernails.

  “Look at me,” he demanded.

  His gaze was a stormy tumult of desire. And then he entered me, hard and swift, filling me and tearing a cry of satisfaction from my throat. We rocked together for a moment, my body adjusting to the size of him, and then he began to move. Slow at first, stoking the fire he’d already set. And then deeper, harder, until the world was shattering and his words echoed in my ears, his voice an aching rasp.

  “I love you, Kenna. Fuck, I love you so much.”

  _____

  Hours later, we’d christened most parts of the bedroom, made love on the dresser, the rug, the balcony—well that one had been pure fucking—raw and primal under the churning storm above, with lightening to punctuate his thrusts.

  Lying tangled in his arms I felt myself growing wet again, felt him hardening against my thigh.

  I was insatiable, wanton, and god I loved every minute. He was tender one moment and brutal the next. I loved that he didn’t make an issue about the prosthetic, or hover around the issue, when he took me, he took all of me
, and when he fucked me it had been rough and hot and man, I wanted him again right now.

  I trailed kisses down the side of his abdomen, over his hip toward his delicious hardness. His hand tangled in my hair, a soft moan escaping his lips.

  A sharp rap cut through the haze of sex and desire.

  I sat up to look at him.

  “They wouldn’t interrupt unless it was important.” He sighed. “Dammit.”

  I pulled up to cover my naked breasts as Baal slipped from the bed and padded across the room to the door.

  He opened it, and the murmur of voices drifted toward me. Baal’s broad shoulders tensed, he nodded, shut the door, and padded back over to the bed. He perched on the mattress by me and ran a hand over my hip through the fabric.

  “Kenna, that was news about Brett.”

  His facial expression, his tone, the shadows in his eyes all had my heart taking a dive.

  “What happened?”

  42

  We portaled to Lindrealm using a mirror, similar to the one Lauren had at Clovers. Except this was a one-way gate to allow Baal access to his Lindrealm residence. We landed by a tree in a neat garden enclosed by tall walls topped with shrubbery. The air felt moist and smelled sweet, and the grass underfoot was dressed in dew. The red sky and the dew told me we’d arrived at dawn. The sweet chirrup of birds confirmed my assessment.

  I followed Baal up the winding path toward the three-story red-brick.

  Guilt churned in my belly, and my eyes burned with suppressed tears. Brett was hurt, changed. He’d been tortured while I’d been fucking the night away!

  I felt like crap.

  I’d been so focused on my goal, so caught up in my growing feelings for Baal, that for a little while I’d completely forgotten about my best friend.

  I was a horrible person.

  We entered through a set of double doors at the back of the house, which opened into a dining space. Baal led me through another set of doors, across a hallway and into a living room. Lauren stood as we entered, his hazel eyes warming to see me. I offered him a quick smile, my eyes drawn to the huge figure standing by the fireplace with his back to me.