“Is everything okay with you?” he asks.
I step backwards and nearly trip on a chair. His hand shoots out to steady me, and my pulse quickens at his touch.
“I’m fine,” I say casually, pulling away from him. But his energy is so strong, it feels like a magnetic force field trying to suck me back in. “I was just on my way back to the table.”
“I thought perhaps we’d scared you off, and you—”
“I don’t scare that easy.”
He cocks an eyebrow and grins. “That’s good.”
I glance over at the table to see if Kieron is watching, but he seems to be having an intense conversation with Jade. I stare at them until Vincent puts his hand on my arm again, drawing my attention back to him.
“What do you want from me?” I ask, almost in a whisper. His closeness is unnerving and feels inappropriate. If Kieron were to look up, this could get very uncomfortable.
“I need to know what you know. What happened to you.”
I pull myself free and take a few steps away from him.
“What kind of demon are you?” I ask him suspiciously.
“Why do you ask?”
I shake my head. It’s stupid… insane. I’m just drunk on Energy and probably hormonal because of this mystical pregnancy. And it doesn’t help that I can smell, taste, and feel Bones like all the time. But something about this guy reminds me of him. A lot.
“I—I just need to know.”
Vincent leans against the bar and runs his gaze quickly up and down my body, almost as if he can’t stop himself from blatantly checking me out, and he doesn’t care that I see him do it. “Right now I’m technically a demion, sort of like you. But when I’m in Thiberoux, I serve as a Guardian.”
“You’re a Hellhound.”
He nods. “Yes. When not on duty there I occasionally work as liaison between the Guards in Thiberoux and our counterparts in the human realm.”
That’s it. If this guy is a Hellhound like Bones was, I must be picking up some sort of Hound pheromones or something.
I frown. “But you’re not a demon now?”
He shakes his head and looks down at me through lowered lashes. “Just a mere mortal, like you. Albeit one with exceptionally devastating good-looks and a strangely long life span.”
I roll my eyes at him. “What are your powers?”
He tilts his head, almost as if amused by my questions. “Actually, we don’t have active demonic powers in this realm. Only passive, magical ones granted by a demon witch. Keeps us off the radar so we can move about unnoticed by any other Light or Dark Angels.”
I nod. “I know how that works. It’s like Liora. As herself and in her world, she doesn’t register as anything but a normal human girl.”
“Because it’s your dark powers that leave the trace.”
“I guess.” I shrug. “So what can you do? What is this magically-gifted power you have?”
“I’m a teleporter. Demetri is a concealer.”
“And when you’re in Thiberoux you’re a Hellhound?”
He nods.
“Why don’t I know you then? Or do I? I mean, you seem sort of familiar to me.”
His face lights up for a flash before becoming dark again. “I do? Well, perhaps our paths have crossed before. Thiberoux is a large realm and as far as I know, you mostly stayed within Dryndara, correct?”
I nod. “Yeah, usually… stupid land treaties and all. Well, there was that thing with the Hlbafa when the Legionare came—” I break off and look away. I still can’t allow myself to think about what actually went down there. It hurts too much.
Vincent steps closer again, but this time I don’t move away. His energy is comforting. “I know what happened... I understand your pain.”
I look at him, my eyes filled with tears. No one can understand my pain, certainly not this guy. “Did you know Bones?”
Vincent nods. “Yes. I knew him for a very, very long time. I was quite shocked and saddened by his death. He will be greatly missed.” He hands me a cocktail napkin, and I dab my eye as he discretely turns away. I see Kieron staring curiously in our direction, so I give him a small wave and turn back to Vincent.
“The Legionare killed my very best friend in the whole world. No—he was more than that. He was my everything. As close to a true mate as my broken soul will ever know. And they killed him, for no reason. Just to hurt me. And I didn’t even do anything wrong, not on purpose anyway. I wasn’t even really there. They just killed him. And now, there are some creatures that want to kill the Legionare. Please explain to me why I shouldn’t let them. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, right?”
Vincent sighs and tightens his jaw. “Because, Lucky, if that happens… if the Light-angels succeed in breaking into Thiberoux, there will be a great battle, one that will change everything forever. And if they win, if the Light-angels manage to wipe out the Legionare and destroy the core powers of Dark-angels, it won’t only be demons who die. It will wipe out their bloodline entirely.”
“You mean—”
“If the Legionare and Core Powers are defeated, then you and almost everyone you know will die, too.”
Chapter 11. Lucky
We make our way back to the table where the others are waiting.
“Okay, explain everything,” I tell Vincent.
He glances at Demetri and Jade, then back to me and Kieron. “One of the reasons our job is so important is because there is a precious balance that must be maintained. Light and Dark Angels both have very important places with the humans. Each depends on the others to some degree, and if one goes, the other two suffer. Demons play just as fundamental a role in the success of humanity as the so called ‘angels’ do.”
“Are we here for a theology lesson?” I ask.
He raises an eyebrow. “However, not everyone sees it that way, and word is the Light-angels will stop at nothing to get into Thiberoux and wipe out the Legionare. The Legionare exists not only to keep peace amongst the demon clans, but to protect a greater power, the one that is at the core of our entire existence. Our Source.”
“Wiping out the Legionare… that just isn’t possible,” Kieron says. “That would take armies upon armies—”
“Which apparently they have,” Demetri answers. “The only thing stopping them is that they’ve never been able to get into the protected realm. Until now.” He glances at me, and then looks away.
“A war of that magnitude… with that many forces battling… There’s no way humans wouldn’t be caught in the crossfire,” Jade says.
Vincent gives a huff. “Most likely they’ll be wiped off the map, at least a great many of them. If it comes down to a matter of ultimate survival, it’s not like either side would fight fair. I have to say our side would not hesitate to use humans as leverage and consider them disposable.”
“But why?” I ask. “What is the point of any of this? Why now?”
“From what we’ve gathered, there’s been a power struggle brewing on their side for a few centuries, and a certain faction thinks the way to assume command is to get rid of us— take over, so to speak. And now that they know there’s a way to do it…” Demetri lets the rest of the sentence hang.
“And what did you mean when you said that everyone I loved would die?” I ask Vincent. “Maybe we’ll win.”
He runs his hand though his hair and leans back. “In a war of that magnitude, there will be no winners. But you were asking me why we shouldn’t just let them take out the Legionare as punishment for killing your friend Bones.”
I feel Kieron stiffen beside me.
“..And it’s because that will end the chain of existence. All sires can be traced back to the Core Powers, the ones who started the genetic trail that eventually created you, you, you—” He nods to all four of us in turn. “And every other demon and demion in existence. Your sires die, so do you. Demions become purely human, and demons vanish entirely.”
“Wait, what? You mean if my great- great-
great grandfather to the power of infinity somehow gets killed, I die too? What kind of messed up deal is that?”
Vincent shrugs. “That’s how it’s always been. Your connection to the Source… our connections… go far beyond just our own body, far beyond our own selves. It’s a connection to something ancient, mystical, and necessary. If that Source disappears, so do we. The balance will be thrown off, and the world as you know it will cease to exist.”
I rub the side of my head. “And you’re saying that if it happens, it will be my fault.”
Vincent shakes his head, as Kieron reaches over to give my hand a gentle squeeze. “That is an unfortunate way to word it. Let’s just say that we don’t want the Light-angels to take advantage of any opportunities they may think they have. And to do that, we must keep you safe until we figure a way out of this mess. But we also need to know anything you might know about them.”
I take a minute and let his words sink in. I knew Light-angels getting into Thiberoux would be bad, but this was even worse than I’d thought. “The only real contact I had with them was when we were fighting for our lives after getting ambushed in my own home. It’s a freak miracle we even survived. We killed two of them,” I glance at Kieron, “but just barely. The other two got away. Since they know all about me, we had to leave and come hide out here on the other side of the country.”
“It was Liora who was with them the most,” Kieron adds. “She was involved with the one named Tristan. He was sort of their leader I gathered. He preyed on her and drained her of her strength in order to manipulate and use her. He almost had her at his mercy when things took an unexpected twist, and we ended up having a confrontation. Fortunately, they didn’t get what they wanted.”
Vincent suddenly leans close to me, and I jump again. He reaches out and grasps the Boumeaux dangling between my breasts.
“This… this is what they’re after,” he murmurs.
I take a deep breath and wrap my hand over his and gently release his fingers from the stone.
“Yes. Not specifically this exact stone, per se. But someone who can handle one without turning to dust and who also can be forced into opening the portal to Thiberoux.” I lean back against Kieron. “So a few of them cooked up the not-so-brilliant scheme to use Liora. Naturally I had no idea what was going on—”
“And I was indisposed at the time,” Kieron interjects. “I didn’t know what’d happened with Liora and the Light-angels until later.”
I glance from him to Vincent, who remains silent, studying me with a mysterious intensity that is irritating, yet at the same time turning me on. Suddenly… inexplicably… I wish the entire room would clear out and leave me alone with him.
Kieron picks this second to wrap his arm over my shoulder and pull me close, and I’m flooded with guilt.
What the hell is wrong with me? Why am I acting like some pathetic bitch in heat? It’s not like this is the first time I’ve been near a sexy guy. This damn pregnancy must be messing with my hormones… and my head!
“So Liora is the vulnerable one. She’s the one they’ll be looking for when they need to get in. Their ‘key master’, for lack of a better term.” Demetri looks at me, and I nod.
“That’s why we’ve taken sanctuary with a powerful witch. Her enchantments will keep Liora safe.”
“It would be best if we could just move you into Thiberoux permanently,” Vincent says. “That would fix this whole problem.”
“Except for the whole ‘death upon reentry’ banishment,” I remind him. “And the fact that Liora would probably kill herself first if she had to live there full time.”
He looks at me carefully. “Yes, that is unfortunate. And there is no way I can reach Abbaton to have him rescind his command,” he murmurs.
I can’t help but laugh. “Now that’s some sweet irony for ya—banish the one person who could actually save your ass. Those idiots deserve to die just for being so stupid.”
“Except they’d take the rest of us with them,” Kieron reminds me.
“We don’t know for sure that they’ll come after Liora again,” I say after several tense moments. “Maybe they’ll just get some other demon to do it. I’m sure some turncoat would let them in to Thiberoux for the right price.”
Vincent looks me square in the eye. “Demons are many things, but they can never turn against their own Source of Power. Even the weakest demons would rather die than suffer the consequences of letting Light-angels into Thiberoux. It’s encoded in their DNA, their essence. Creators knew what they were doing there.”
I consider Vincent’s words, and I have to admit they ring true. As thoroughly pissed off as I am at the Legionare, and as much as I would love nothing more than to see those sons of bitches get what’s coming to them, I know I could never let Light-angels in the door. It just couldn’t happen.
But Liora…
Suddenly it really hits me.
“They really are going to come for her, for us, aren’t they… Liora is in a lot of danger…”
Demetri and Vincent exchange glances.
“Yes, Lucky,” Vincent says quietly. “They are probably coming for you… for Liora. And we need to figure out how to stop them. And we need to figure it out soon.”
********
I wrap my arms tightly around Kieron’s waist as we speed through the portal and back toward the mansion. The sun will be coming up soon, and for the first time since I can remember I’m actually fearful—fearful of what might happen to me as I sleep.
“Will you stay with me?” I ask Kieron as we enter the guest house. Corrine has long since gone to sleep, and everything is quiet. “Please, stay with me,” I repeat, staring into his dark blue eyes.
He gives a slight nod and follows me to my room. I quickly change out of my clothes and into a t-shirt and some boxer shorts. He takes off his shoes and his shirt and undoes the top button of his jeans. We fall into the bed and press our bodies together, arms and legs entwined, just holding tight.
I hate myself for what I’m doing, using him like this. I really do love him. I do. But when I close my eyes and press my face into his warm flesh, it isn’t Kieron I’m feeling. It isn’t his arms I’m imagining holding me tight. It isn’t his lips that are delicately gracing the side of my face, and it isn’t his soothing voice whispering in my ear that I hear. He will never be him.
But he is gone.
So I’ll take what I can get.
Chapter 12. Liora
His hands gently stroke my arm, and I feel his warm breath on my face. I open my eyes to meet his, and smile. Without a word I give him a small kiss and snuggle closer. He feels so good right now. I feel so safe, protected, and loved.
“Good morning, sleepyhead,” he murmurs.
“Mmmmm. Why aren’t I waking up like this every morning?”
He chuckles softly. “Do you really want me to answer that?”
I sigh, the sweet moment gone. “No, I suppose I don’t.” While my jealousy of whatever Kieron and Lucky do together has considerably diminished, it still bugs me to think that he was like this with her, not me. I’m just getting the leftovers.
I sit up and rub my eyes, while Kieron rolls onto his side and props himself up on his elbow. Damn he looks so sexy in the morning, hair all mussed up, wearing only his jeans. I can’t help but wonder why Lucky hasn’t slept with him yet. Clearly she has no problem giving it up. What is she waiting for?
But deep down I know why.
“How’re you feeling?” he asks in a husky voice.
I take a moment to consider his question and am surprised when my truthful answer is, “Great! I feel really good. Better than in a long while. I take it last night went well?”
He rolls his eyes and gives a small grimace before flopping over on his back. “Last night was… well, let’s just say it was interesting. There are some people coming over soon to meet with you—”
“People?” I raise my eyebrow.
“Demions. But their powers aren’t a
ctive in this world, only in Thiberoux. They are Guardians there.”
Like Bones was…
“And there’s some stuff we need to talk about. Things you need to know.”
My heart thuds dully, and I lick my suddenly dry lips. “Things like what?”
He gives a half smile and rubs my leg. “You need to know that we will keep you safe. That we will protect you. And that I love you.”
“Is there a but?”
“But…” He lets out a deep sigh. “There are some things we need to discuss. One of them being that I’m due for my sleep very, very soon, and that’ll put me out of commission for a brief spell. The timing sucks, obviously, but I’ve pushed it back as far as I can. I can’t hold off much longer.”
I nod my understanding, even though this definitely is not something I want to hear right now. I know that Kieron has weird sleep habits. He stays awake for days, sometimes even weeks at a time. But then he goes into an almost coma-like state for several days. The thought of being alone now, with only Anastasia’s enchantments to keep me safe, is more unsettling than I want to admit.
“But you won’t be alone and unprotected,” Kieron continues as if reading my mind. “It’s one of the reasons the demions are coming over.”
I raise my eyebrows. “Ha! I’m sure Anastasia will be overjoyed by that.”
“Yeah, I know she won’t be thrilled, but we don’t have a choice. I’ll need you to talk to her about it. They’re special; as far as I know, they only have active demonic powers in Thiberoux as Hellhounds. But here they are more human. At least, that’s how Vincent explained it to me.”
I frown. “If they have no powers then what good are they?”
“Well, here they have passive powers, which aren’t the same thing. Strictly defensive, and off any supernatural radar.” He shrugs. “I’ll let them explain it to you. It’s merely a precaution, really… a couple extra sets of eyes on you while I take a quick nap. And I guess they really need to talk with you about your experiences with Tristan and the other Light-angels.” He avoids my eyes when he mentions Tristan.
Great. I was really hoping to never have to re-live that nightmare ever again.