Dark Hunt

by Kim Richardson

  Silence. The kind I hated. The kind where only bad news was brewing on the surface.

  “Can you help her?” Jax’s voice was strained and I tried to look up at him, but my head lolled to the side and rested on his arm. Fighting back the nausea, my body trembled from the fever. The adrenaline had spent itself out, and I was going to pay for it soon. The fear pulled my heat away, turning my sweat cold.

  “Can you?” Tyrius was practically yelling. I’d never seen him like this, so agitated. “Please tell us there’s something you can do.”

  “There’s no cure,” said Mani, and I felt nothing but an endless, hopeless darkness full of fear, pain, and defeat. “Once the curse has been laid, it can never be undone.” The cat took a breath. “The only way to remove the Seal of Adam is to kill the archangel that gave it to her.”

  My mouth dropped open in horror. That was never going to happen. No mortal could kill an archangel. They were way too powerful. It was all over for me. I wasn’t going to make it.

  I sat as it dawned on me that I would forever be sick, until finally this curse took my life.

  I felt Jax’s hand squeeze my shoulder, and there was nothing I could do to stop the warm tears that leaked out of my eyes like a sprinkler. No one said anything as I sat there, sobbing like a fool. I’d done this to myself. Stupid. Stupid. Rowyn.

  “But we can offer some temporarily relief,” I heard Bemus say.

  I looked up and through my blurred vision, the baals seemed to be smiling at me.

  “Mani,” said Bemus, “do you want to do the honors?”

  Mani bounded towards me and settled next to my exposed wrist. I watched, silently, as the cat lifted its paw to its mouth and bit down. Black blood pooled around the corners of its mouth, and then the cat pressed its paw with its blood on my wrist, on the Seal of Adam.

  I barely felt the pressure of Mani’s front paw pads, warm and soothing as he pressed down on my wound. Soft vibrations echoed near me, and I realized he was purring. I took a slow breath. Then another. I flinched as I felt tingling and throbbing around my wrist, like the feeling of fingers and toes re-warming after being in the freezing cold for too long. A small electrical current ran through my body, through my veins, numbing the celestial curse. I stiffened, almost falling off my chair as I felt my strength shifting, and then slowly returning.

  I sat up straight. It hit me like an adrenaline rush, and my heart pounded as my fever broke.

  I didn’t care that it was demon blood and that it had mixed with my own. It was probably forbidden to use demon’s blood in such a way, but screw it. I felt better. Hell, more than better, I felt good. If I concentrated hard enough, I could still feel the effects of the curse, like a lingering weakness, but Mani’s blood had given me temporary relief. And I gladly accepted it.

  Finally, Mani withdrew his paw, watching me carefully and waiting for me to say something. I could feel everyone’s attention on me.

  “I feel better,” I said, the relief in my voice as obvious as the loud sigh from Tyrius. I gave him a quick smile before I pulled my hand back and looked at my wrist.

  Two things struck me. One, Mani’s blood was completely gone as if it had evaporated, and two, the Seal of Adam was back to its bruised-like appearance. It was still ugly, with angry purplish-red fingerprints, but it wasn’t oozing anymore, and it didn’t smell. Well, at least I couldn’t smell it.

  “Mani. Bemus,” I said, and I took a deep breath. “I don’t know how to thank you.”

  “Don’t thank us too soon,” mewed Bemus, and I heard him start purring. “It’s only temporary. You should be okay for another day or so. But if you tire yourself out or if you exert yourself doing whatever it is that you’re doing, the effects will fade sooner. The harder you push your body, the faster it will go.”

  “Does this mean Tyrius’s blood would have the same effect?” inquired Jax, his grip on the chair loose and relaxed. I could see spots of color returning to his face.

  Tyrius looked at the baals expectantly. “Will it?”

  “Yes,” answered Bemus. “But you can’t keep doing it because the effects will eventually stop working. It seems the curse begins to build a resistance to our blood after a while. You have maybe another three—four times tops before it stops working entirely.”

  “How did you even know your blood would work on the curse?” Tyrius’s voice was mixed with relief and astonishment.

  “Eight hundred years ago, my witch Belinda was cursed with the Seal of Adam,” said Mani, his big eyes watering. “We tried everything to get rid of it, with cuts and burns and spells. Nothing worked. In the end, we found temporary relief with my blood until—” the cat shivered and looked away, his eyes pinched in some hurtful memory.

  “Four times was the most it worked for Belinda,” Bemus answered. “With luck, you might find something else to help build your own resistance to the curse, something that we failed to find in time for Belinda.”

  “And if we don’t?” Jax’s voice was almost a whisper. I looked at him, feeling both embarrassed at how weak he’d seen me and what I’d said.

  “Who cares.” Teeth gritted, I used the chair and pushed myself to my feet, surprised that I didn’t feel dizzy or nauseated. “We’ll think about that when the time comes.”

  “Right,” said Jax. He exhaled long and slow. I could sense some of the earlier tension leave him. He rubbed his fingers together. “So, what do we do now?”

  “We hunt Degamon.” I was surprised at the growl that came from deep inside my own throat. “We track it,” I said as a tiny smile tugged at the corners of my lips. “Then we kill it.”

  “Where do you suppose we look?” asked Jax. The barest smile appeared on him. “The Greater demon could be anywhere here in this dimension or the Netherworld.”

  I pinched my lips, an idea forming in my head. We needed to be more creative since summoning was out of the question.

  “Well, we know it’s hunting me, right? Maybe we could set a trap and wait for it to show up—”

  The door burst open, and there standing in the threshold with a look of panic on his face was Danto.

  23

  “It took her! She’s gone!”

  The leader of the Vampire Court in New York stumbled into the small space. I could see his milky-white skin through rips in his neatly tailored black clothes, and blood, lots of blood. His eyes were wet, and tears and blood streaked his face. Clumps of his black hair were stuck to his face. He looked like he’d been in a fight and lost. Big time.

  I’d never heard of Danto losing a fight, not with his super-vamp swiftness and strength. Plus, the head vampire was old and experienced, and in the half-breed world that meant power. I’d never seen him look so disheveled. The stoic vampire was a bundle of nerves. The only thing that didn’t look out of place were his bare feet.

  Danto’s black eyes were wild in a helpless panic as he took in the space around him. He looked lost and a little bit mad. His eyes finally settled on me, and his features shifted from desperation to relief, as though he’d been looking for me. That couldn’t be good. I shifted on my feet and waited.

  Mani and Bemus eyed the vampire with semi-bored expressions, as though they were used to vampires busting into their shop looking like they’d just been to war with a couple of tigers. Tyrius had slipped to the edge of the table and crouched low like he was ready to pounce on Danto should the vampire do something stupid, like try to bite me.

  But I was more worried about Jax. Had another vampire just charged in the shop looking mad and maybe just a little thirsty for blood, I might not have bitten my tongue to stop the moan from escaping my throat.

  As it was, it was Danto. His vampires had attacked us and poisoned Jax with their claws. He’d nearly died and would have if Pam’s miracle juice hadn’t cured him. The kill-all-blood-suckers-look that crossed Jax’s face was enough to tell me he wasn’t about to let that go. Crap.

  A blade was already in Jax’s hand. Slowly, he lifted his head, a
murderous look in his green eyes. Ah, hell. A small shift in his posture sent a stab of adrenaline through me. I could understand Jax’s motive for wanting to hurt or even kill the vampire, but hurting Danto would start a full-on war with the New York Vampire Court. They’d think the council had ordered the attack on the vampires.

  My muscles tightened as I reached out with my left hand and gave his arm a squeeze, hoping he would understand my warning. He looked at me and gave me a slow nod of understanding. I released a nervous breath through my nose.

  “It took her! It took her!” Danto launched himself at me. The look of a madman marred his features, the whites of his eyes showing. He would have grabbed me if not for the tip of my soul blade stopping him short.

  “Who took who, Danto?” I said slowly, my blade dangling close to his neck. He stood with his arms in the air, looking at the soul blade as though he’d never seen one before. I didn’t trust vampires, even sad-looking ones. Not long ago, we’d barely escaped his club with our lives. His face had been triumphant and cocky then, the complete opposite of this frantic and anxious vampire.

  “Just slow down and tell me what happened,” I said, wondering why the vampire was even here. Vampires didn’t usually seek out help from non-vamps. They tended to stick to their own, just like the other half-breeds. There had been cases where Vampire Courts, Faerie Courts and other half-breed courts sought the help from the council, but it was rare.

  I wasn’t part of the council. Seeing Danto here, looking as distraught as a father who had lost a child, was freaking me out a little.

  I met Tyrius’s belligerent glare and I knew he was thinking the exact same thing. This was bad.

  “There were too many! Too many!” Danto cried in a panic. “I couldn’t stop them!”

  Jax was suddenly next to me, his own blade pointing at the vampire. But Danto made no indication that he’d even seen him. His eyes had never left my soul blade. From the corner of my eye, Mani and Bemus were sprawled on the table watching the exchange with great interest.

  “Danto?” I repeated, twisting my blade, and the vampire’s eyes moved to mine. “What are you talking about? And what the hell happened to you?”

  Danto lowered his hands and curled them into fists. “It took her,” he whispered, his voice cracking. “Too many. Just too many.” Even upset he was still hauntingly beautiful, in a goth-rock-star kind of way, with his pale skin and raven hair. Damn those vamps, even disheveled they were hot.

  “Cindy?” I asked. By the fear that flashed across his face, I knew I was right. “Who took Cindy? Was it another vampire?” I’d heard that some vampires liked to steal each other’s mates. It was a feeling of pure domination, and to vampires it manifested as a twisted, addictive high. Great, Cindy had been stolen as a prize. I’d hate to be in her shoes, but the foolish woman had refused our help. That wasn’t my fault. But it still didn’t explain why he was here.

  Danto shook his head, the motion making him look years younger. The vamp’s eyes filled with tears and I was shocked at the emotions I saw cascade over his face. He just shook his head, trembling and sobbing.

  Crap. Now I was feeling bad for a blood-sucking vampire.

  “I tried to stop it,” Danto blurted. He was so close I could see the tears trickling over his lips and into his mouth. “I tried, but… but I couldn’t stop it.” Shame flashed across his face. “It was too strong. Too many.” He wiped a tear away with his hand. “They died trying to save her. They died because of me. I should have saved her. She was my mate!”

  I took in Danto’s blood-covered clothes and guessed most of it wasn’t his. “Saved her from what? I can’t help you if you don’t tell me the whole story, Danto. If it wasn’t a vampire, who was it?” I was confused as to why he was staring at me like I was his savior and the answer to his problem. But it didn’t dampen the unease I felt in my gut. I had a feeling I knew what he meant.

  “Why did you come here?”

  “It said it wouldn’t hurt her,” continued Danto, as though he hadn’t heard me, his voice trembling, “if I brought you to it.”

  I sucked in a breath through my teeth.

  “Now we’re getting somewhere,” mewed Tyrius. “I knew twinkle toes didn’t come here for the midnight special.”

  I turned my attention back to the vampire. The light from across the computer screens showed the lines of pain on his face.

  “What did,” I asked, my chest tightening, because somehow I already knew the answer. “What took Cindy?”

  The vampire met my eyes and I saw true hatred there as he growled, “It called itself, Degamon.”

  Swell. My jaw clenched, and I lowered my blade. I had to give it to the Greater demon. It knew how to play me. It knew Cindy was important enough to me that I would risk seeking her out and trying and save her. I was a fool like that.

  “That’s the one you had warned me about?” said the vampire. His lips were a stark red against his pale face, and his sculpted features were tight in determination. “Isn’t it? The thing that’s been hunting you… hunting Cindy?”

  “Yes.” I sighed, recalling the look of amusement on the red demon’s face. “It’s the same one.” I felt a flush of regret pulling at me. If I had killed it, Cindy would be with Danto right now, probably enjoying herself with her pretty vampire.

  “Isn’t Degamon a Greater demon?” inquired Mani, his brows furrowed in thought. “The one that controls the legion of igura demons? The Greater demon that fought the demon Kutar at the Battle of Black Mountain and stole his favorite wife?”

  “The very same red bastard,” said Tyrius.

  “And it’s after you?” came Bemus’s voice. I turned my head to better see his round yellow eyes on me. “Why is there a Greater demon after you and this Cindy character?”

  “Long story,” said Tyrius, his tail flicking behind him. “I’ll tell you guys later.”

  “It brought its friends with it,” said the vampire. “We couldn’t hold them off. I should have listened to you,” said Danto, his voice filled with horror. “She’d still be here if I had. But now she’s gone, maybe forever, and it’s all my fault. My own damn fault.” He was silent for a moment. “I thought I was enough to protect her. I was a fool. I’m an ignorant fool.”

  “I’m not so sure about that,” I said, feeling a slight throb on my wrist, a reminder that I wasn’t as strong as I had first thought. I too had been ignorant, thinking I was somehow invincible, special. Danto wasn’t the only fool in this. I was the capital fool. The fool of the century.

  “Degamon’s a very powerful Greater demon,” I said, my gaze moving back to the vampire. “It came at me—at us—and we almost didn’t make it. But we managed to get rid of it… for now.” My eyes found Tyrius, and I swelled with gratitude at the special cat. He caught my expression and grinned, his tiny, sharp teeth gleaming in the light of the screens.

  “What exactly did the demon say to you?” Jax’s face was drawn tightly, and I still had the impression that he wanted to give a beating to the already beaten-down-looking vampire.

  “It said—” Danto hesitated, seemingly gathering himself a little, “it said that it wouldn’t harm Cindy, but only if I brought it the angel-born female that kept a baal demon as a friend.” His eyes met mine. “It said to bring you to it before sunrise. It would keep Cindy unharmed and alive until I brought you. If I refused, if I brought an army of vampires with me to try and save her myself— Cindy would die. It wants you, Rowyn.”

  “Of course, it does.” My gaze went to the door. Somehow, I had the feeling the vampire wouldn’t have come alone. It was no secret other vamps saw us come in. They most probably told their lord the moment we stepped into Mystic Quarter. Danto looked desperate, and desperate vamps—just like people—did stupid things.

  He might have wanted to take me by force—hell, that’s what I would have done to save the one I loved—but I couldn’t see or sense any demon energies other than the three baals and the one vampire. Maybe Danto did com
e alone.

  “Well,” Tyrius spat. “Sunrise doesn’t give us much time to prepare. You do realize it’s a trap. Don’t you?”

  Danto rounded on Tyrius. “Of course I know it’s a trap, you idiot! But what choice do I have? I can’t let her die. She’s my mate. She’s my… everything,” he added with a whisper. “She’s my love, my match in every sense.” His eyes welled up in tears, and he raked his long fingers through his hair. “She’s immune to the vampire virus,” he said, and my breath caught in my throat. I shared a look with Jax as Danto continued. “Do you know how long I’ve waited to find someone like her? That I didn’t have to make into a vampire because she didn’t want? We could be together, and I never had to worry about biting her and her hating me for the rest of her long life.” His breath quivered. “I want her back. I need her back.”

  Vampires weren’t my favorite people, but his pain was real. It was raw. The demon took his true love away from him, and he was desperate to get her back.

  But the exchange also told me what I had suspected. Cindy was exactly like me. She was immune to the vampire virus. Whatever we were, it was enough to warrant our deaths. We were different, and it made us targets.

  I couldn’t help but feel for the vampire. Watching Danto, I had come to the conclusion that he loved her unconditionally, with every fiber of his being. I’d never loved like that, and part of me envied him.

  Damn. Danto was alone. He was in pain. He was being open and honest about his feelings. I couldn’t just walk away. Yes, he was a vampire and had done questionable things, but I couldn’t label him an evil half-breed. When I looked at his face, all I saw was honest and true pain.

  I looked at Tyrius, reading the strain rolling over his back. “Yes, it’s a trap,” I said, answering the cat’s critical stare. “And I’m sure it knows that we know it’s a trap.” My gaze darted over to Jax. “Degamon wants me dead, just as much as it wants Cindy dead. Someone summoned it to kill us. It won’t give up until we’re both dead. It can’t. That’s how summoning works. The demon will never stop hunting us.” I shook my head. “But I’m not ready to die, and I’m positive neither is Cindy.” I gave Jax a smile. “Besides, I just got a crap load of money that needs spending, and I’m in desperate need of a new wardrobe.”