by Patti O'Shea
The blond-haired Bak-Faru made no effort to move. In fact, he opened his arms, arrogantly daring the power to come to him. It did. The energy slammed into his body and tossed him several feet through the air before he landed on his backside. Mika smiled with satisfaction at the sight.
“Honey, there’s two of them,” Conor reminded her.
She stiffened and glanced behind her. While she’d been admiring their handiwork, the other Dark One had started strolling toward them. Why wasn’t he attacking? The small distance wouldn’t affect his powers.
Keeping himself between her and the black-haired demon, McCabe urged Mika toward the alley. She understood his goal now. Conor didn’t want a confrontation; he wanted to get away and fight the Dark Ones some other time. Like, maybe when they’d worked out how to share powers?
Another peek showed the dark demon was unalarmed by their movement, and by his compatriot’s struggle to regain his feet. The Dark Ones were here together, but acted always as individuals. Mika tried to decide if that gave her and Conor an advantage, but doubted the lack of teamwork would change the outcome of this clash. Those two were from the strongest demon branch.
The blond demon stood at last, but he didn’t appear entirely steady. She and Conor ran faster, but the alley remained more than fifteen yards away. The Bak-Faru with the dark hair continued his unrushed pace. At ten yards from the alley, Mika knew why.
“It’s a trap, Conor.”
Cursing, she watched him size up the situation with this new piece of info. To escape, they’d need to make it past one of the dark demons. If they couldn’t, there was nothing to do but stand and fight. And die.
Conor used all his speed, pushing Mika back against one of the dilapidated structures with his body in front of hers. Mika could only peer over his shoulder, but she didn’t argue, not with the intensity radiating from him. Their position allowed a solid view of both dark demons. The blond one had recovered and strutted toward them the same as his compatriot; only, he looked pissed.
“This is pointless,” Conor called out. “I won’t allow you to harm her.”
There came no response; they simply continued walking.
“I destroyed the incantation—”
“Conor!” Mika protested. At the same time, the blond Bak-Faru threw back his head and roared in fury.
Conor ignored him and added; “And I don’t have a copy. It’s gone.”
The Dark Ones came to a stop and shared a glance. The rage on their faces was terrifying.
“He’s lying,” Mika said desperately. “While he did destroy the original spell, he does have a copy. He can still lower the veil.”
“What are you doing?” Conor demanded in a whisper.
Mika ignored him. The Dark Ones would be able to hear anything she said, and she couldn’t tip her hand—not when they were furious and the odds were already against her. “You know,” she said, addressing them, “that only a half-demon who is also an auric assassin can do this, and Conor may be the only one born of that description since our imprisonment in Orcus. Another like him may not come for millennia. Do you want to lose this chance?”
“Mika, be quiet.”
She shrugged him off. “They know what you are, as does the Council. It’s part of the legend, although most demons are unaware of all the details.” It was silly given the circumstances, but she wanted Conor to understand that she wasn’t betraying him. “I didn’t know myself until I was told today.”
The two dark demons met and started conferring; they were so enraged that their gestures were almost caricaturish. They would have been humorous if the situation weren’t so precarious. Please let them believe me, Mika thought.
“What were you thinking?” she asked Conor, her voice barely a breath of sound.
“No incantation means no need to consider you an obstacle.”
Mika gritted her teeth and took a deep breath. “You thought they would just walk away if you didn’t have the spell?”
McCabe nodded. Hadn’t he listened to her when she’d told him the Dark Ones were obsessive and irrational? They weren’t going to shrug this off and leave. Ever.
“You were wrong. If you don’t have the incantation, then your life becomes as worthless to them as mine. Luckily, you held on to a copy.” She tacked that on for the Bak-Farus’ benefit.
Although Conor never looked at her, Mika knew he finally understood what she was getting at. The dark demons were vindictive, and someone would pay if the spell was gone. Who better than the Council’s agent, and the half-demon idiotic enough to destroy the grimoire?
McCabe put his hand behind him, pressed it against her hip, and gave her a nudge to the left. If he thought they were going to get out of here because the Dark Ones were talking, he was mistaken. A burst of flame hit the wall close enough to singe the hair on her arm.
Before Mika could stop him, Conor pulled a gun. She knew he didn’t want to stand and wait for the Dark Ones to kill them, but taking the offensive wouldn’t help their situation. He returned fire and some kind of orange beam shot out of the weapon, but the blond demon was a split second faster than the blast headed his way; while he was winged, the Bak-Faru avoided serious injury.
Before Conor could shoot again, the dark-haired demon directed heat at his gun; Mika could see the glow. McCabe fought to hang on, but when the weapon became unbearably hot, he had to drop it. The demon didn’t let up until the weapon became an unidentifiable lump of molten metal. Satisfied that the threat was taken care of, the Dark One held out a hand and emitted an invisible energy wave. Mika barely had time to sense its movement before it crashed into her.
Since Conor shielded her, he took the brunt of the attack, which drove him into her, hard. The wall stopped her, and she stopped McCabe. As soon as he recovered, he straightened, and she gasped for air.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
Mika nodded, since she couldn’t yet speak. She’d had the wind knocked out of her, but was otherwise fine—for now. If a dark demon could hurl them so forcefully with no problem, how the hell were she and Conor going to get out of this mess? McCabe went back to protecting her, and she felt a shift in energy. He was adding power to his shield, she realized.
Pushing her hair out of her face, Mika decided they needed a plan. Her magic wasn’t much, but if Conor could continue to mix his power with hers the way he had earlier, maybe they could do some damage. And then there was his auric talent.
Of course, that would be a last-ditch, desperation move. If Conor fired, he would lose his shielding and be vulnerable. Assassins using the auric blast tended to attack and then get the hell out of Dodge. Only, McCabe wouldn’t run—not unless they were both able to get away.
Mika froze. The dark demons appeared to still be talking, but something told her they’d reached a decision. Mika jumped onto Conor, pushing him to the ground.
The shot burst overhead and left a three-foot hole in the brick building directly behind them. McCabe rolled, shoving her beneath him. She twisted, trying to see the Dark Ones. “Damn it, let me help you!” she cried.
“Stay still.”
Since he had a much better view of the situation than she, Mika obeyed instantly. Conor curved his body around hers, tucked his head in, and she braced herself. The dark demons released a barrage of energy; she could see the glow in her peripheral vision and sense it surround them. Some of the assault went astray, but the rest was absorbed by her vishtau mate.
McCabe didn’t flinch.
“Conor?” Mika whispered.
“I’m okay, just don’t move. I told you, I can absorb their energy.” He gave her a small smile. “And they’re going to be mighty unhappy when I fire this back at them.”
Mika grinned with sheer relief. He was all right. She repeated that over and over as the assault continued.
Their faces were only inches apart, and the more Conor was hit, the brighter his eyes glowed. This wasn’t caused by anger or arousal, but some third source—one she knew n
othing about. Was it something unique to auric assassins?
The bombardment stopped suddenly, and McCabe lifted his head. “Oh, shit,” he said.
“What? What’s happening?”
“We’ve got more company.”
At his grim tone she twisted, trying to see what was going on, but he pressed her down, keeping her covered. She complained, “If you’re not going to let me look, at least fill me in.”
“The Council’s assassins have shown up.”
“Oh, no. There won’t have been enough time for word to reach them that their assignment’s been scrubbed,” she answered his unasked question. “I’d guess the Council is making arrangements to contact them even now.”
Conor nodded. “I think our four friends are arguing over who gets to kill us.” He sounded torn between amusement and horror.
Mika sighed. “That won’t last long.”
“I know. Okay, we’re going to stand up—that will give us more options. I need you to move with me, keeping yourself behind my body. Got it?”
Mika nodded. Conor shifted slowly to his feet, and she maneuvered with him as he’d ordered. At last she was able to see their enemies again—just in time for a Dark One to attack one of the assassins. She would have watched further—anyone fighting a Bak-Faru was a spectacle not to be missed—but McCabe growled, “We can’t go left or right. How about up? How high can you jump?”
Unsure what he wanted of her, Mika looked at the adjacent building. With her talent for levitation and a boost from the wind and air…yeah, she could get to the top. “I think I can make it to the roof—although it’ll be close,” she warned.
“That’s five stories,” he said. He sounded shocked.
“Um, that wasn’t what you were asking?”
“The fire escape—Never mind,” he decided. He glanced over his shoulder at the squabbling demons. They were standing in the street, exchanging fire. “You’ll be vulnerable in the air, but I think it’s worth the risk. Get up to the roof and go down the other side of the building. Then run like hell.”
“What about you?” she demanded.
“Listen to me.” He glanced again at the skirmish, then bent down to glare into her face. “If you’re gone, I won’t have to worry about protecting you or getting both of us out of here. If you leave, you’re not deserting me, you’re helping me.”
As much as her heart rebelled at the thought, she knew what he said was true. He was at a disadvantage with her present. “If you get hurt, I’ll make you pay for this—understand me?” she swore.
Conor smiled, his lips quirking up in that sexy way he had. “I won’t get hurt. Now get out of here before they get tired of fighting each other and decide to take care of us.”
She nodded and gave McCabe a quick kiss, then trailed her fingers along the side of his neck as she pulled back. “Be careful!” she ordered.
Crouching, Mika used a combination of her leg muscles and her ability to levitate to launch herself skyward. She thinned the air around her to reduce drag, and added a boost of wind. As she passed the fourth floor she began to lose momentum, and she willed herself to make it that last story.
Mika started to reach forward to grab the roof, but stopped at the last second. As she fell back to earth, Conor glared at her. “Why the hell are you here?”
Despite the danger in their situation, she smiled at his grumbling. “About a third of that roof is gone, and the surrounding walls look like they could collapse at any minute. I didn’t think it would take my weight, and I couldn’t reach the part of the roof that appeared solid.”
“Shit.” Conor looked over at the demons, and Mika followed his gaze. It resembled a shootout from some old Hollywood Western, only instead of guns, the combatants were using fireblasts and energy waves. It was amazing. She’d never seen anyone stand against the Dark Ones before, but the auric assassins not only were fighting, they were holding their own.
“Let’s try the power-sharing thing again,” Conor said. He must have read her skepticism, because he added, “Work with me here, honey.”
“You can’t force yourself to trust me,” she warned. He gave no response. Time was running out, so she gave up the debate—it was better to simply go along. “Okay, ready when you are.”
She felt Conor reaching for her and Mika tried to visualize herself opening to him with every breath she took, with every beat of her heart. There was that sense of almost, but the barrier remained between them. It was thin—their own personal veil—but it held McCabe back as surely as if it were a fortress. She wiped away the perspiration that was dripping down his forehead toward his left eye.
“It’s okay,” she told him. “I still love you.”
Something in his gaze shifted, became more intense—if that were possible. Conor cursed, and Mika rested her hand on his chest, rubbing gentle circles over his heart. She wasn’t giving up; she’d fight until she took her last breath. Yet Mika knew the outcome didn’t look good. Mc-Cabe might be a powerful Kiverian, but because he insisted on protecting her, he was in as much trouble as she, and there was no changing his mind.
Stepping closer, Mika wrapped her arms around his waist and looked up at him. “I love you, Conor, and I don’t regret a thing. It was all worth it to have this time with you. I wish it could have been longer, but even a lifetime wouldn’t have been enough.” Going up on her toes, she nipped his chin and kissed him. Then she prepared to do what she must.
Mika was saying good-bye. She believed she was going to die, and she was saying good-bye. Conor tightened his hold on her. Didn’t she realize he’d never let that happen?
But the logical side of his brain kicked in. There might be nothing he could do to prevent it. If they couldn’t escape, it would be only a matter of time before they were killed.
He let Mika break the kiss, but kept his arms around her. Where were the recriminations? Why wasn’t she berating him for his lack of faith? She’d done everything possible to atone for the lies she’d told. Not only had she gone into Orcus and bargained with the Council on his behalf, she’d nearly died protecting him. She would have died, if Sebastian hadn’t shown up.
It’s okay. I still love you. She’d said that after it was obvious he was the one preventing the merge.
She still didn’t blame him for not believing in her.
The irony wasn’t lost on him. All he wanted to do was keep her safe, and yet he was the reason she was going to die.
Conor gazed into her eyes. There was nothing there but unshakable love and trust. An ocean of trust. How could she look at him like that when her death would be his fault? How could she continue to love him?
“Come on,” Conor said. He took her hand. While their four foes were busy fighting each other, he and Mika would try to slip away. She didn’t hesitate, didn’t argue, simply moved with him.
It had been a bad idea. They made it half a block before a blast of energy hit Conor. One glance back showed the demons had banded together. And, shit, Mika was unprotected. Conor looked for a defensible position, somewhere that gave her maximum protection, but…
A second blast nearly caught her.
That settled it. As much as he hated fighting in a corner, that was the only place she’d be safe: behind him and protected on her sides. He hauled Mika to the nearest tenement, put her where a tall staircase met the building, and stood in front of her to face the threat.
Conor had collected quite a store of power from the earlier attacks, and he called on that now. Compressing it into a tight ball, he hurled it at the nearest Bak-Faru. The blast packed a hell of a wallop, but the results weren’t what he’d hoped for—the bastard staggered but didn’t go down. There’d been a bigger effect when he’d infused Mika’s cyclone with his own energy.
“Can you send out that tornado again?” he asked.
“Yeah, just say when.”
He waited until a volley of energy passed, then gave her the signal. The attack didn’t have the same outcome. His foes must have le
arned to compensate.
Conor absorbed more blasts of magic, and stored them—for all the good it would do. He felt Mika at his back. Why couldn’t he wholly trust her? What else did she need to do to prove herself? No sooner did he ask than he knew the answer. It wasn’t her; it was him. He couldn’t trust anyone completely.
As he struggled to beat back the demon fire hurtling at him, Conor thought about that. It didn’t take a college degree to figure out why. He’d always known how flawed he was, and to keep others from finding out, he kept them away. It was self-protection.
But he’d never been able to hold Mika back; she’d ignored his Keep Out signs and barreled ahead. Maybe that was why he’d gotten so angry when she’d lied to him. He’d latched onto it as an excuse to push her away before she discovered that he wasn’t worth loving and abandoned him.
A fireblast roared over his head and hit the building. He heard Mika hiss with pain as debris—chunks of brick and mortar—rained down on her. “Mika?” he called out.
“I’m okay,” she replied. “It stung a little, that’s all.”
Pissed that she’d had even a moment of pain, Conor hurled several bolts of energy at his enemies. They leapt to the side and walls exploded behind them.
He was an ass. Mika wasn’t going to leave him. Shit, she’d stood fast when anyone with sense would have walked away long ago. She’d refused to take his attacks personally, had laughed at them—and had made him laugh. Conor felt her breath near his ear, and knew she was peering over his shoulder. He reached behind his back, touched her. The demons were again moving forward.
His hand tightened on her flank. “Get down!” he ordered, a split second before a tidal wave of energy rolled toward them. The demons hadn’t combined their powers, but they were attacking side by side. As the power crest hit the stairs and building, the wave narrowed, became more concentrated. Became more powerful.
His shield wavered under the onslaught…but held.
Yet, in that split second, he knew absolute terror for Mika. The thought of her dying was unbearable. And that’s when the pieces fell into place. He suddenly understood.