Beyond the Darkness

by Katie Reus

  “Oh.” A sliver of tension slid through her as she looked around the bare room. A wall of windows overlooked the ocean, the three-quarter moon and stars illuminating the water and beach perfectly. No one was on the beach, not that she’d expected to see anyone this late and this far from any main tourist attractions.

  As he scanned out one set of windows, she tried not to stare too hard. In profile to her, everything about him was hard and defined. He’d never be considered beautiful—he was too raw and primal looking—but that very hardness on him was a beautiful thing.

  “Why didn’t you attack Spiro after you’d knocked him on the ground?” Bran suddenly asked, the new topic taking her off guard as he turned to face her.

  “Ah…” She felt stupid giving the real answer, but decided not to lie. He’d know anyway. “I was so excited about taking him down I didn’t really think that far ahead.” She might be a dragon but she didn’t go around attacking people for fun.

  Bran just nodded, thankfully not making her feel stupid. “If it had been a real battle, once you’d gotten him on the ground you should have gone for his throat, which I know you know. So anytime in the future, if you can decapitate someone that’s always the best option. You could use your fire to weaken or distract someone by blinding them. Then slice their head off with your claws if you have them down. Or just incinerate them if they’re not protected from dragon fire. Or—”

  “I get it,” she murmured. When he raised an eyebrow she half-smiled. “I know what to do, that’s not the problem.” The only time she’d ever felt the need to commit true violence was when she’d learned that her brother Drake had been sacrificed to Hell as a young boy. That he’d been ripped from her family with no one to protect him. She’d have razed entire cities to the ground to get to him if that’s what it would have taken. That scared her a little, knowing that if she was pushed, she’d let her most primal instincts take over.

  “Then what is?”

  “I don’t know.” She liked learning different defense moves but she also understood that she’d never truly know how well she could do until tested in a real situation. The problem with that was that she tended to panic instead of letting her dragon side take over and protect her.

  He leaned against the island in the middle of the room, his pose casual, but she noticed that he turned his back to the refrigerator and wall, giving him a complete view of any window so that no one could sneak up on him. Always watchful. “Explain it to me.”

  She leaned against a countertop opposite of him, exposing her back to the windows. She knew if they were attacked Bran would protect her. “For the most part I stress out when faced with violence. I don’t know why.” Okay, maybe she knew a little.

  He raised a dark eyebrow. “You sure about that?”

  “At the risk of sounding like a whiny human who blames things on their parents… I think a lot of it boils down to how sheltered I was. Seeing the underground fights has been fascinating and a little jarring to all my human senses. Maybe it’s wrong, but I find I kind of liked watching. At least my dragon side does. At the same time when faced with violence myself I sometimes freeze.” It disturbed her a little how much the fighting fascinated her dragon side while her logical, human side fought it.

  He snorted. “You’re not desensitized to it like most supernaturals. Or humans even.”

  “Exactly.” Which was good and bad. “So, why are you in Biloxi? That picture you showed me said it was classified.” She could change the subject just as quickly as him.

  Bran didn’t move, but there was a subtle change in him as he watched her. “I thought the reason I was here was obvious.”

  “Do you mean because of me?” Asking that left her feeling exposed even if she’d made it clear that things between them were just about having fun.

  “I am here because of you.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “That’s not the only reason.” He didn’t respond, his silence annoying her. So she decided to push while they were waiting for the Moana dragons to show up. “Why do you have something with the word classified on it? Unless there’s a secret dragon organization I don’t know about, that’s from one of the world governments. I’m guessing US since we live here.”

  “By definition classified implies—”

  She rolled her eyes. “I know what it means. Tell me why you have that document.”

  “I can’t.” His expression was carefully neutral and there was no give to his statement.

  “Fine. Are you here for another reason other than me?” With supernaturals you had to be really specific sometimes. Otherwise they could answer vaguely, implying one thing without actually having to lie.

  “Yes.”

  “Are you investigating something specific?” He had to be. With that picture he’d shown her and the fact that Finn was letting him stay in his territory, there had to be a really good reason.

  He paused a moment then gave a sharp nod. “Yes.”

  “For someone?”

  Sighing, Bran rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. In that moment he looked so exhausted she couldn’t help the pang of sympathy that twisted inside her. “It’s complicated.”

  Tightening her jaw, she turned away from him, looking out the window. That classified document he’d shown her had to be somewhat of a big deal. So she knew she shouldn’t expect him to tell her where he’d gotten it or who he was working for—if he even was at all—but some part of her she didn’t want to acknowledge felt irrationally hurt that he was keeping her in the dark. She didn’t care if it was an emotional reaction and stupid considering they weren’t even in a relationship.

  She sensed him before she ever heard him move. His big hands settled on her hips, his chin coming to rest on the top of her head. That masculine scent of his wrapped around her, making her thoughts once again go haywire.

  “Keelin,” he murmured, sliding his hand around her waist in a possessive embrace. He tugged her close so that her back was against his chest.

  She’d changed before they left earlier so she was wearing a thin coat over a top and jeans but it didn’t matter how many clothes were between them. She could feel his heat sear straight through to her. When she looked up at the window in front of her she could see the reflection of his glowing eyes and realized her body was starting to put off that soft gold light again.

  Though she wanted to be annoyed with herself for the physical reaction she simply couldn’t help it. Her stupid dragon had decided that this was her mate even though Keelin disagreed. Aaaand, she shut down all those thoughts when he leaned down and nipped her earlobe between his teeth. He felt so good wrapped around her like this. When this meeting was over, she planned to get very naked with the male.

  “I want to ditch this fucking meeting,” he growled, tugging on her ear.

  She arched against him, wanting exactly the same thing.

  His grip around her tightened but as he did she scented…sulfur? She started to turn in Bran’s arms when he turned instead and shoved her back, a growl leaving his throat.

  She swiveled, sensing that danger was close. Stepping out from behind him she froze at the sight of an Akkadian demon who’d seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Because neither she nor Bran had heard it. Her senses might not be on par with his but she wasn’t weak and Bran definitely should have scented it before it got into the house. Or heard it.

  And this thing was definitely Akkadian. She might not have ever seen one before but she knew from Drake what they looked like. Besides, she’d have known anyway after reading about them in various supernatural history books.

  The being staring at them was at least seven feet tall with short, thick horns sprouting from its head. She could tell it was male because of its jutting appendage—which it was casually stroking. Disgusting. Bile rose in her throat as she took in the rest of its reptilian skin and clawed hands and feet. Glowing crimson eyes landed on her and the creature made a growling/howling sound that caused all the hair on her arms stand up.r />
  For once her inner dragon was ready to shift, no questions asked. But Bran hadn’t made a move. He seemed to be watching the creature, waiting for something. The urge to shift, even in this room which would be too small to contain her larger form, was strong.

  “Bran,” she said quietly, needing to hear him say something. Anything.

  “Go out the back door and shift.” A soft order.

  She wasn’t leaving him. The very idea scraped against all her senses, repulsing her. She simply couldn’t go without him. “No.”

  Before he could respond five more Akkadians appeared as if from thin air, one popping into existence after the other. What. The. Hell.

  Fire burned the back of her throat, her body readying for the change.

  As the demons let out what she knew was a battle cry, Keelin opened her mouth and sprayed fire, the need to protect Bran and herself overwhelming as the flames released from her. The two demons she hit full-on in their faces screamed, the stench of sulfur permeating the air. Next to her Bran did the same, his fire all-consuming as he jumped over the island, diving at them.

  She started to move too when five more appeared, closer to her. Her heart jumped into her throat as they advanced like a military unit.

  Before she could attack, Bran jumped at her, lightning quick, his arm snagging around her waist. She didn’t think to fight him as he tugged her close. It took all of a second for her brain to compute what he was doing. Curling into him, she kept her head down as he gripped her tight and dove through the nearest window.

  Glass shattered around them as he shouted, “Shift!”

  For the first time in pretty much ever she let her dragon take over without thought. Cool night air rushed over her as Bran released her. The magic of the shift surged through her as she would have tumbled over the edge of the balcony. Instead of plummeting, she soared into the air, ordering her natural shield into place so no one could see her. She snapped her wings out and flew toward the ocean before banking left. She turned back to the house, gaining rapid speed.

  She couldn’t see Bran and would have panicked, but then saw a burst of flames erupt from the air, blanketing the balcony and over a dozen Akkadian demons below.

  Taking his lead, she swooped down from the opposite direction and released her own stream of fire at the swarming demons. There were so many of them she couldn’t understand where they were coming from.

  She’d seen a Hell Gate before so that wasn’t it. Those things had simply appeared. That had to be strong, dark magic. She’d worry about that later.

  Annihilating these things was all that mattered now.

  Diving in a freefall, she let out another stream of flames at the bottom of the home, catching the gaunt, humanoid creatures trying to run toward the road.

  Adrenaline rushed through her as she let her animal out to play, taking out demons left and right until finally the house was in flames and there was no sign of them anywhere. As they’d been killing the demons she’d been able to guesstimate Bran’s location but now that the beings were dead she couldn’t see him anymore.

  Taking a chance, she landed on the beach and shifted back to her human form. When she did, she let her natural shield drop. Though her heart was pounding wildly in her ears, she glanced around, looking for any signs of life.

  When she didn’t see anyone; not Bran, demons or even a stray human, she headed back up the sandy incline. Thankfully the houses on this stretch were far apart but someone would eventually see the flames and call the fire department.

  A whoosh of air above her blew her hair back before she heard Bran land in the sand next to her. A moment later there was a slight flash of sparkling color as if he was dropping his shield and shifting at the same time. Then he stood in front of her, naked, beautiful and furious. Not at her though.

  “Are you okay?” he demanded, hurrying the ten feet toward her, moving faster than she could blink.

  She nodded and looked him over. She hadn’t felt any glass slice into her when they’d dived through that window but her shift to dragon had been so instantaneous they’d have both healed during the shift. Still, she drank him in hungrily with her gaze, needing to make sure he was all right. “I’m fine, what about you?”

  He grunted and tugged her close, his body coiled tight as he glanced at the burning remains of the house.

  “How did those demons appear like that?”

  “I don’t know.” His voice was grim. “I need to check out the house to make sure they’re all dead. Did you bring your cell phone in with you?”

  “No.” It was still in the car and she hadn’t burned the vehicle so unless Bran had it should still be fine. And they’d at least have a change of clothes.

  “Wait here and—”

  She stiffened next to him and pulled out of his embrace. When his gaze automatically fell to her breasts she gritted her teeth. “I’m going with you.”

  He started to argue so she turned and headed up the incline. She didn’t have the energy for an argument now. When she breached the top of the sandy hill, her eyes widened. Yep, the house was toast. If the Moana dragons had owned it they might be pissed. “Hey.” She turned suddenly to Bran to find him scowling down at her. She ignored it. “Do you think the Moana clan set us up?” From what she knew of their kind it didn’t make sense considering their clan was the most peaceful of all dragons, but it didn’t mean they weren’t treacherous.

  “Anything’s possible,” he muttered, clearly not happy she was going with him.

  Keelin placed a hand on his forearm. “If I’m with you, you can watch out for me but if you leave me on the beach I’m unprotected.” She figured appealing to his protective nature would win her points.

  His lips pulled into a thin line. “We both know you’re coming with me no matter what I say.”

  “I’m glad we’re both on the same page. Come on. Let’s check for those beasts and put some clothes on. It’s chilly.” His gaze dipped once again down her entire body, making her nipples tighten. Ignoring his effect on her, she linked her arm through his and tugged. “Come on.”

  When they made it to the wood walkway, they both paused at the top of the stairs, looking around at the dunes for any lurking attackers. Keelin couldn’t scent anyone and she hadn’t seen anyone flee when she’d been in the air. But after the insanity of those things just appearing…yeah, she was going to be sleeping with one eye open.

  As they reached the end of the walkway she heard the flapping of multiple wings overhead, but couldn’t see anything. Her inner dragon rose to the surface again, ready to protect her.

  Bran tensed too, shoving her behind him in that dominant way that should probably annoy her, but she found she more than liked. She wasn’t a warrior and she wasn’t going to pretend like she was. Reaching back, he pulled her close so that her chest was flush against his back as they scanned the sky.

  “Can you cloak yourself?”

  She did it without thinking. “Done.”

  He did the same, though she could see the faint outline of him, as if she was looking at a transparent, watery outline. Without a word, he started moving forward. She stayed right on him.

  “I mean you no harm,” a female voice called out just before a woman revealed herself near the rubble of the burning house. She walked in their direction over the soft grass, unabashed in her nakedness.

  Bran dropped his cloak so Keelin did too. She couldn’t be sure but she guessed the female was the Moana Alpha. Tall, lithe, with bright cobalt eyes that were even more vivid against her bronzed skin and espresso colored hair, she looked and walked like a queen. Keelin instantly fought her stupid feelings of insecurity as the female’s gaze roved over Bran with appreciation as if she had every right in the world to look her fill at him.

  “Tell your people to reveal themselves.” Bran’s voice was hard.

  Keelin didn’t hear flapping anymore and she could scent others. After the woman flicked her hand in the air, three males revealed themselves. All
perfect specimens of the dragon race just like their Alpha. Tall and muscular with bronzed skin that gleamed under the moonlight. And they all had the same cobalt eyes as their Alpha. When two of them looked at Keelin, their gazes clearly interested, Bran stiffened but didn’t say anything.

  No one was saying anything which was a little strange. Everyone was just staring at each other. Naked. Keelin wrapped her arms around herself. Was this how Alpha meetings normally went? They all just stood around and said nothing? If so, it was weird. “Can we get this little meeting started?” she blurted, nerves taking over. Because she wanted to put some freaking clothes on. Nudity didn’t bother her around Bran or her own clan, but the three males were all looking at her now with far too much interest.

  The female’s gaze snapped to her, as if seeing her for the first time. Which obviously wasn’t the case. Her blue eyes narrowed before they flicked back to Bran. “Why did you destroy one of my houses?”

  “We were attacked by Akkadian demons,” Bran said.

  True surprise rolled off all four of them. “I’d heard there was a problem with them months ago but that it had been taken care of.”

  “Obviously not.” Bran’s voice was wry. “Did you have anything to do with the attack?”

  Keelin guessed he was just testing her since the female’s surprise had seemed real.

  Now the female looked pissed. “You come onto my territory and accuse me of such a thing?” Oh yeah, she had the haughty Alpha thing down pat.

  “I didn’t accuse you of anything.”

  The female didn’t respond, just looked at Bran again, her gaze sweeping over him as if he was a piece of meat from head to…crotch. Then back up again.

  Keelin nearly yelped when she felt her claws starting to extend into her palm. Surprised, she forced her body under control. She really wished they could just get on with whatever this meeting was about. Bran had been annoyingly vague, just informing her that she was going with him. And she really wanted to contact Finn and let him know Akkadian demons had been near his territory. She felt a lot of loyalty to the male. Plus she and Bran needed to talk to Bo and see if he knew what the deal was with those things appearing so quickly. If he didn’t know, she planned to call her new sister-in-law, Victoria. Keelin didn’t want to involve her if she didn’t have to, but the woman was brilliant and read all sorts of obscure texts so she might know something. The adrenaline surging through her now was out of control and she wanted to shout at these two to get on with it because she had stuff to do.