Dragon King of Treoir

  "True. I've heard some say they enjoy the peace in a cemetery." He couldn't recall when he'd had a simple conversation like this with anyone. His world was filled with preternatural politics, conflicts and just plain everyday headaches involving the Beladors.

  "What do you want with the body, Quinn?"

  "What?" He blinked at her, surprised by her question.

  Reese glanced up, holding her own with her stride. Rain drizzled from the ball cap he'd given her. She lifted the hem of the poncho and wiped her face with the sleeve of the Atlanta Braves hoodie he'd also bought for her. It was a bit too large, but the convenience store hadn't offered much and her thin T-shirt had been wrecked by the demons. She must be from a warmer part of California, because she had definitely not come to Atlanta dressed for any kind of winter.

  Storm had reacted to the demonic energy inside Reese, but Quinn didn't sense a threat from her.

  Why not?

  She lifted her eyebrows in question.

  What had she asked? Why he wanted the body. Like he would share that with her? He said, "It doesn't matter what I plan to do with the body."

  "It might."

  "I thought we had an agreement. You'll help me find the body, then I give you back the medallion. You do what I say, when I say, and it will go easier for everyone."

  She muttered something that included the word "dickhead" then ducked her head and shook it off. Looking up, she said, "I do want my medallion back. It's critical that you return it to me. I only asked about her body because I don't care for necromancy."

  She'd surprised him with her concern over someone abusing Kizira's body. He hesitated over what to say, but he couldn't tell Reese any more than he had about all this. He said, "I don't intend to perform necromancy on the body."

  "I see."

  No, she didn't, but that was fine by Quinn. "You said you were a photographer in California. What kind?"

  She looked everywhere as if watching for something or someone. "The kind that gets paid for her work. Where is this plot?"

  There was the sharp mouth again.

  Quinn looked up. They were almost there. "Turn left at the next opportunity."

  She did, and paused at a child's grave. The headstone showed the baby had the same day for both birth and death in 1927.

  "Is something wrong, Reese?"

  Realizing she'd been caught looking at the grave, she said, "No. Where to now?"

  "Straight ahead." But he'd put his finger on what he'd sensed about her. Reese had an inherent sadness that clung to her like a second skin. She came across as combative and argumentative, but those might be her emotional defense shields.

  When he reached the empty space where the tomb should have been, there was no one nearby, which meant the spell he'd put around it was still pushing humans away, even with the private mausoleum missing.

  The empty rectangular plot now stood out, with so many massive memorial sculptures and headstones crowded around. They had the scenic backdrop of the Atlanta skyline.

  Reese stopped in front of the plot, hands on her hips, staring. "Has anyone noticed it missing?"

  "Humans wouldn't."

  She nodded, clearly catching that this had been shielded with a spell or ward.

  Letting out a long sigh, she said, "I need to put my hands down there. I'll tell you when I feel something."

  "What happens then?"

  "If I catch a little luck, I'll travel remotely to wherever the tomb is and tell you what I see."

  "What if you aren't lucky?"

  "I might travel to the inside of the tomb where the body is and that would tell us nothing unless someone has gotten inside."

  "I seriously doubt that."

  "Why?"

  "This is taking longer than I'd expected," Quinn said. "I thought you were in a hurry to get your medallion back."

  "Fine. Whatever. I need a moment to see if I can feel anything. Once I have a good spot, then I'll need to touch my medallion." She dropped to her knees and looked around.

  "What are you looking for?" he asked, full of suspicion.

  "Suile marbh demons."

  "Why?"

  "That's what I killed this morning, so I'm just keeping an eye out for more. Or pretty much any demon."

  But she'd known the specific demon. "What do you know about suile marbh demons?"

  "Not much. They're like killing robots. They do whatever they're created to do."

  That could be said about most demons. He dismissed it and the possibility of a demon in the cemetery. That didn't mean they couldn't enter, but he had a feeling the thousands of spirits still residing here might make that difficult. He told her, "I'll watch for demons. You do your thing."

  "And don't stare at me," she ordered.

  She was a bossy thing. "I'm not about to turn my back and allow you to disappear."

  "I'm not going anywhere without my medallion." She'd said that as though he were clueless that the pendant was her lifeline.

  "Very well. Get busy. I'll keep an eye out."

  His mobile phone buzzed. He stepped under a tree to block some of the rain so he could read the text message. Devon had sent an update.

  He finished replying to the text and heard a scuffling sound, then, "Quinn!"

  He swung around to find a man dragging her off. Her face had turned deep red from being strangled.

  Quinn shoved the phone in his pocket as he rushed over, yelling, "Drop her now!"

  The human face that lifted to him had black eyes. It blinked and the eyes were red. Demon. Bloody hell. And he'd blown off her concern.

  It sent a blast of power at Quinn, slapping his head to the side.

  Quinn sidestepped, caught his balance, and turned to the pair. He hated to enter the mind of a demon, but if he used kinetics, the demon might kill Reese before Quinn could stop it. Using mind lock was the quickest way to free Reese, who was fighting for all she was worth but turning blue.

  He powered up and shoved inside the demon's head. The screeching noise that hit him sounded like bad feedback at a rock concert turned up a hundred decibels.

  Walking forward at a steady pace, Quinn held onto the nasty mind. Swimming in a sewer would be more pleasant. He pushed harder into the frenetic noise and found a place to latch onto its mind. He sent a burst of power through the connection that rocked the demon back.

  Reese now hung limp in the creature's arms.

  Finally it lost its grip, snarling at the pain Quinn was causing.

  That's when Reese came alive.

  She shot upright and shoved her booted foot back to slam the demon's knee. It was enough to knock the demon off his feet and for her to break loose. She turned to fight him.

  Quinn wanted to strangle her himself.

  Didn't she realize that now was the time to run away from that thing? If she'd back off, Quinn could use his kinetics and get out of its head. Quinn hit the demon with a solid mental punch that buckled its knees.

  Taking advantage of the demon's weakened state, Reese showed off some serious kickboxing skills with her next hits.

  Quinn released the demon that had now turned into a quivering mass on the ground. That creature could regenerate, though, so Quinn smashed a double-fisted kinetic hit down on its head. The body stopped jerking. In the next minute, it became gray dust that swirled into a miniature tornado and vanished into the air.

  Reese turned to Quinn with a smile that showed the woman she kept hidden. An attractive one, when you got past the angry glare and churlish attitude. But Quinn recognized an adrenaline high when he saw one.

  How many times had she fought demons?

  Reese rubbed her neck where she had red welts appearing on her skin. "I wasn't sure you'd turn around in time."

  She stopped, frowning as she glanced around her with a question in her gaze, then shook it off and started toward him again.

  Another demonic being, dressed as a human, but with the same black eyes, dove out from behind a headstone taller than Quinn.
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  Reese spun, but too late, and got hit broadside, the impact knocking her to the ground.

  She and the demon rolled away in a flurry of punches and kicks.

  Quinn hit the demon with a kinetic blast, but the thing dragged Reese along when it slid thirty feet away. She never stopped punching the demon and slamming its head backwards, but the demon slashed at her with sickle-shaped claws as long as Quinn's fingers.

  Quinn yanked out two triquetras, specialized, razor-sharp throwing stars formed into the shape of the triangular Belador symbol.

  The demon's jaws opened to rip flesh from Reese's neck.

  Quinn sent the blades flying for the demon's throat. They bit flesh and cut straight across. The demon froze. His head fell to the side, barely attached, and his body flopped down.

  Just like the first demon, the body immediately turned into a gray dust and spiraled away.

  Quinn got to Reese and dropped to his knees. He slid his arm behind her and lifted her into a sitting position. "Reese, are you okay?"

  She had two gashes across her neck. She tried to speak. The only word that came out was, "Medallion."

  He fished out the medallion and she gripped it like a lifeline. Slowly the bleeding stopped and the skin closed up, healing over, but leaving puffy red marks.

  She lowered her hand. The rain washed red streaks of blood down her fingers. She caught her breath. "That's better."

  "Why did it heal you to a point and stop? You still have two wounds on your neck that are barely closed."

  Her gaze dropped down and away. "Majikal healing is not exactly a perfect science."

  He agreed, but she was not telling him the whole truth. When he pulled the medallion away, she snarled, "That's mine, dammit."

  "Why do you need the medallion to activate your powers?"

  She stonewalled with a flat expression.

  He suggested, "You could help yourself by telling the truth on occasion."

  "You could help yourself by pulling your head out of your ass and knocking off the power Gestapo act," she grumbled. Running her hands through her golden-brown hair, she tossed curls everywhere and huffed out a breath. "Listen, this hasn't been the best of days for me. I'm trying to work with you, but you're screwing up my schedule."

  "I only want to understand why you don't have your powers."

  "Someone turned them dormant. Before you ask, no, I'm not telling you who. That's my business."

  He couldn't argue with that and in spite of a constant swirl of suspicion around this woman, he sympathized with the crazy way their world functioned. Someone more powerful than she was clearly held something over her head.

  Quinn said, "I have an unusual ability called mind lock. Our powers are controlled by the mind. Would you like me to slip inside and see if I can figure out how to unbind your powers?"

  "Oh, hell no!"

  Why hadn't she healed from the demon attack that happened before they'd met her in Midtown? Why did her healing powers only work to a point now?

  He couldn't help her and watch for demons, which he now realized were a significant threat, even here. Spying a mausoleum fifteen by twenty feet that he could stand up in, he said, "We need to move."

  "Where?" She leaned forward, making the move to stand up, but Quinn hooked his hands under her arms and lifted her to her feet with ease. She wasn't tiny, but she was shorter than Quinn, and she didn't weigh a lot. She could stand to put on a few pounds, in his opinion.

  Jumping away as if his touch had burned her, she turned a scowl on him that deterred the giving of any such opinion.

  Using his kinetics, he opened the mausoleum. "Over there. I'll give you the medallion then you can heal yourself before the demon poison harms you."

  While dusting her pants, she eyed him with a look that questioned why he would help her. The effort to tidy up was wasted since the poncho had been shredded, and she now had blood splatter on her sweatshirt.

  Talking to herself as she followed him into the mausoleum, she complained, "I wanted to never see this city again. If I ever get out of here, I plan to stay gone for more than ten years next time." She sniffed and wrinkled her nose. "This day just gets better and better."

  The interior did smell of mildew and death. But at least they were out of the rain.

  He pushed the door almost shut, close enough to slam it if need be, but leaving a slit of ambient light filtering in. He asked, "Why are you--"

  Reese arched her back and stretched up onto her toes, head thrown back and a guttural sound coming out of her.

  Quinn cursed and yanked the medallion out of his pocket, shoving it into her hand. "You've got your powers. Fix yourself."

  For the second time in as many minutes, he'd witnessed crippling attacks on her body. How did she survive this constant battle with demons? Who had put her powers out of reach, dependent on a piece of jewelry that could be so easily taken?

  She had a white-knuckled grip on the medallion.

  Her bowed body trembled, straining as the majik tried to work.

  She lifted the fist that gripped the medallion, mumbling, "Damn ... you ... all."

  Her powers clearly weren't working.

  Quinn hesitated to put his hands on her, unsure if he'd do more damage than good. "You have to let me help you, Reese."

  "No. You're a ... head doctor. My head's ... fine."

  "That's debatable if you're turning down help. And I'm not a bloody doctor."

  "Then you can't--"

  He put his hands on her head.

  Reese gritted out, "Don't!"

  Quinn kept his hands there. He could feel the power rushing inside her. "Why don't you want my help?"

  "My energy ... might attack you."

  "If that's the only reason, I'll take my chances." He firmed his grip and drew energy through his arms to his fingers. "I'm going into the pain and healing center of your brain only. I'm not invading your personal ... "

  Her body was stretched so tightly, he expected muscles to start snapping. She screamed, "Then do it!"

  Chapter 20

  Reese's body lifted four feet off the ground, turning horizontal until her stomach faced the cobwebs inside the mausoleum.

  Why wouldn't the medallion let her tap her powers?

  What the hell, Yaahl?

  She felt the minute Quinn pushed inside her mind and panicked at the intrusion.

  Then the poison twisted her spine.

  His energy moved to the center of healing in her mind. She could feel the spot, but not tap it. Pain shot in every direction.

  Quinn was talking to her. "Stay with me. The poison should be localized, but it seems to be spreading through your system."

  She couldn't even complain about getting crappy updates.

  His energy rushed from path to path, pausing at one moment, then moving on.

  What had he seen?

  He'd given his word that he wouldn't snoop, but he was a man. What man had ever made good on his word to her?

  None.

  But as his energy moved around searching for the poison, she realized he wasn't being invasive.

  A healer would do this differently, but he'd told her he wasn't a doctor ... apparently he wasn't a healer either.

  He muttered, "Have to get the poison in one spot then I can ... "

  "Wh ... what?"

  "I told you I'm not a healer. I can't stop the poison from doing damage."

  She was screwed.

  "But I can pull it into me and kill it in my system."

  "Are you ... " She groaned. "Crazy? No!"

  "Too late."

  She felt the change. She could actually feel the poison moving through her to her chest where he placed his hand over her heart.

  What if it killed him?

  Quinn grunted and cursed, then his hold relaxed. "How are you?"

  She'd been so worried about him, she hadn't realized the poison was no longer trying to kill her.

  Her body sagged.

  He caught her befo
re she hit the ground.

  She looked up at him. The grimace said he was uncomfortable. "Are you okay?"

  "Yes, it's like bad heartburn, but that will go away."

  "Where did you learn to do that?"

  He finally lowered his gaze to her. "Draw demon poison out of a body?"

  "Yes."

  "I didn't. That was an experiment."

  "You idiot!" she yelled at him. "You could have died from that."

  "I didn't."

  Holding her against him, he turned around, looking. When he found what he wanted, he stepped over to sit on a narrow ledge with her still in his arms.

  She should push him away. Get out of his lap. Definitely. She'd do that in just a minute.

  But it felt so good to be held. It felt even better being held by a man with such a nicely built body. Powerful, yes, but Quinn had a certain refined air about him. Might be the British accent, but she didn't think so.

  His face was calm. That was the other reason she couldn't move yet. He'd seemed angry and tense since she met him, but right this minute his face held a peaceful expression.

  What was going on in that powerful mind of his?

  She tried to hold her eyes open, but they closed, and for the first time in a long time she slept.

  **~

  Quinn couldn't look down at the woman cradled in his arms.

  What's wrong with me?

  Reese was just a woman who had been injured. But the last woman he'd held had died in his arms.

  He waited for the pain to swamp him.

  It didn't. There was only a dull ache at the reminder.

  Odd.

  Always, the pain hung like a thick fog around him, threatening to sweep in and choke him at any opportunity. It sucked for that to have become his normal.

  He'd had to fight constantly to stay in the present, to keep from giving in to the devastated war zone his soul had become.

  As always, the pain was there, but ...

  Something felt different.

  For this moment, he experienced a peacefulness he hadn't felt in so long. Why? Had the demon poison he'd taken from Reese dulled his senses?

  Doubtful. It had taken far more than demon poison to affect his mind and emotions in the past.

  He fingered his power at the door and it opened another inch, offering a breath of air and a clear view of anyone coming.

  He stared out at the downpour and the soggy cemetery, fully alert and present in this moment. Rain tapped on the mausoleum and the headstones surrounding it. No demons or wars existed in this moment, only him and ... the warm woman cradled against him.