The Lost Soul Trilogy (Primani Book 5) (107 page)

“Dimitri, thank God.” Sean greeted his friend with a huge sigh of relief.

Dimitri’s eyes went round in surprise. “What are you doing in here?”

“Listen to me quick. That woman is Dani Taylor. She’s a friend. Dec has a soft spot for her. She was carrying a demon spawn. It’s dead.” He frowned and added, “I think it’s still, uh, connected to her womb.”

Dimitri whistled in alarm. “Okaaaay. That’s just gross on a whole new level. I’ll take her to another safe house and call Raphael.”

Sean nodded his approval. “Good plan. Don’t bring her anywhere near Mica or Dec. She’s probably marked.” At Dimitri’s look of surprise, he added, “Long story. Raphael will know what to do.”

They stared soberly at each other, both aware of the likely outcome.

Sean suggested, “I’d take the whole chair if I were you.”

With a grim nod, his brother Primani saluted and vanished with Dani, chair and all.

Sean took just enough time to destroy his mark on the door and cleanse any lingering Primani vibes before ghosting out of there.

“Well it’s about fucking time. Nice of you to show up.” Dagin’s mouth twisted into a snarl of contempt as he watched Sean enter the room.

The demon had taken to wearing the mask of a tall heavily-muscled human. This one had the look and mannerisms of a cage fighter from say, Trenton, New Jersey. The mask was part Italian, part Cuban, part Rottweiler: Dark skinned, dark eyed, with an explosive temperament. Not that Sean had anything against Rotts; he’d seen plenty that were great dogs. Blending the Rottie aggression with demon morals...Well, that was just asking for shit to go down. Dagin thought he was clever though and strutted around like he was the world champ.

More like
world chump
.

Ha.

Sean ignored the rude comment. He’d kill him eventually. Today wasn’t the right day. Instead of rising to the bait, he clapped him on the back on the way by and grinned like he was happy to be there.

“Sorry, asshole, I don’t answer to you.”

Dagin shrugged and leaned against the wall with crossed arms. He watched Sean with lowered lids for five minutes before saying slyly, “You know, your woman sure was sweet. The taste of her...mm, mm.” He licked his lips and showed his fangs.

Sean kept moving away from the doorway. He counted to ten while picking at nonexistent dirt under his fingernails.

He counted to ten again.

Raphael? I really want to kill Dagin.

Faint laughter rang inside his mind.

Dagin’s purring voice came again. “Oh, I don’t know, but I think she liked me better than you. She made the most exciting little whimpers when I ripped off her clothes. It was hard to resist.”

“Do you want to keep your tongue?” Sean turned slowly and raised his palm. A fine thread of energy coiled into a whip that dangled from his fingers. Another word and he would snatch the fucker’s tongue right out of his head.

The door to the office opened and Jordan’s assistant Kyrrin stepped into the room. Kyrrin was a minor demon who generally acted like a suckass. He was slightly built with wispy blond hair that was forever in his eyes. His eyes were reptilian, but strangely green instead of the typical demon red or yellow. His demon form was so close to humanoid that he didn’t bother to mask himself here. There were a few giveaways though. The extra fingers on each hand weren’t too obvious, but the twin grey horns on his head sure were. He also sported a set of retractable fangs.

The alpha male in Sean wanted to kick the shit out of him--just because. That, too, would have to wait. Instead of jamming the little wuss into the wall, Sean nodded at him and crossed his arms over his chest. This oughta be good.

Kyrrin swallowed nervously and said, “The Commander is unavailable. He left instructions for you both. Uh, Dagin, you’re to get an update from Dr. Braughn and brief the Commander tonight at 9:00 sharp. He wants to know when the first batch will be ready for large-scale testing.”

Dagin smirked at the choice assignment. Sean groaned inside. Damn it. He needed to follow the smallpox trail, but Jordan wouldn’t let him anywhere near it. He still didn’t trust him that far. Instead, he was training the demon soldiers on battle tactics.

Stalking forward, Dagin snapped in the wussy demon’s face, “Anything else, dickhead?”

Blanching and edging closer to Sean, Kyrrin whispered, “That’s it,” and buried his nose in his notebook again.

Dagin snickered and punched Kyrrin in the face. The little demon’s nose spurted oily black fluid and he pulled out a tissue with shaking hands.

Sean stepped forward and bumped chests with the MMA wannabe. “Piss off, Jersey Shore. It’s my turn.”

Dagin shoved him but Sean held his ground and sneered into his face. Come on, hit me. Do it! He wanted to rip Dagin’s head off but needed him to go first. If he was punished again, he wanted company.

Shouldering Sean to the side, Dagin stormed out of the room and slammed the door.

Getting his temper under wraps again, Sean considered the wimpy admin assistant with disgust. It made no sense. He was a demon, for crying out loud. Hello? Evil by nature. Come on, buddy, get your shit together.

Tick tock.

After several minutes of gushing, Kyrrin finally sniffed loudly and shoved the wad of disgusting tissues into the trash can. Straightening his starched white collar with some dignity, he turned to Sean. His expression clearly showed he expected more ridicule, but he lifted his chin and met Sean’s eyes anyway.

Hmm. Maybe he’s got some balls after all. Interesting.

Changing tactics, Sean said, “You’ve got a hard job, Kyrrin. I don’t envy you, man.”

Surprise, quickly masked with wariness, jumped into his eyes. The little demon sighed and said more firmly, “I have your orders, if you’re ready for them.”

“I’m listening.”

“You need to build a bomb.”

London, England:

“RIVIN! ARE YOU NUTS? What are you doing here?” Killian roared the second he rematerialized and spotted Rivin’s huge frame sprawled asleep on the couch.

Rivin jumped two feet in the air and threw both arms out in defense. His head swiveled back and forth as he tried to figure out where the threat was.

Killian ground his molars together and dragged the dumbass Primani outside by the back of his leather jacket.

Dec, who’d been lounging over one of the armchairs, hopped nimbly to his feet and followed with Domino at his heels. “Dude, what’s the problem? You’re freakin’ me out!”

Killian rounded on Rivin and snarled, “You dumbass! You can’t be here! You can’t be around Mica now.”

Speechless for once in his life, Rivin gaped at Killian like he’d lost his marbles. Mica peered through the curtains in the bedroom window above them. Her face lit with the force of her emotions and Killian felt it all the way to his bones.

Stay inside, baby, please.
He sent his thoughts to her.

Her frown came immediately. He locked his eyes to hers and willed her not to argue. There was too much at stake.

She nodded and smiled with a slow wave of her hand.

Find me when you’re done?

Guaranteed.

She stayed in the window and watched as he tried not to kill Rivin. What was the idiot thinking? Didn’t he know better?

Now that the shock wore off, Rivin was thoroughly pissed. He wrenched Killian’s grip off of his jacket and shouted, “Back off, arsewipe! What’s your problem?”

Striving for patience and a sense of calm he wasn’t feeling, Killian dropped his hands and ground out, “You can’t expose her to the virus. She’s pregnant.”

Rivin’s mouth twitched and his eyes shot to the window above them. “No bloody way!”

Dec slapped him on the back, “Breathe, big guy. It’s just a baby.”

“Yeah, but...this is different. This is
our
baby!” He flashed a tentative smile of wonder and fingered the cross at his throat. “It’s a miracle.”

Killian felt his face morph to sheepish.

Well, hell. Didn’t he feel like the dumbass now?

He’d just about lost his mind when he saw Rivin. He’d been working in the lab around the virus cultures for weeks. He would be immune to infection, but theoretically could carry it. If Mica or the baby got infected...but Rivin couldn’t have known she was pregnant.

Holding out a hand, he manned up and said, “Sorry, man. I forgot you didn’t know. It’s just...well, I’m worried about them.”

Rivin’s eyes narrowed and he broke into a grin. “Well, I’ll be damned. The great Killian Leahy actually gives a shit about someone? Who the fuck knew this was possible?” He shook his hand and said sincerely, “Congratulations, mate. It’s about damn time.”

“You have no idea,” he muttered in response. Only thousands of years...give or take one or two. “Let’s get out of here so you can fill me in.”

They teleported to John’s pub so they could talk in private. John’s booming baritone greeted them as soon as they pushed open the front door.

“Lads! Come in, come in! Grab a table by the fire. It’s cold as a witch’s tit out there!”

The man had a way with words. Killian was glad to see his old friend and wished he had time to just hang out and relax. Not tonight though; too much to do.

After a quick catching up with them, John headed for the tap and set about getting two tall foamy beverages.

“So what’s the news?” Killian was all business now. Things were coming to a head and he’d been getting that crawling feeling across the back of his neck that usually came just before all hell broke loose. They really needed a break here. So far the intel hadn’t been strong and he was feeling more and more like they were on the losing side of this game. If something didn’t give, a lot of people were gonna die.

Rivin leaned forward on his elbows and lowered his voice. “The analysts are done running scenarios. They think Jordan will try a test run first. He’ll want to see how the dispersal works before launching a full attack. Likely starting points? Who the fuck knows? We have no idea. Could be anywhere.”

That’s not what he wanted to hear. “Are you telling me our analysts can’t narrow down possible locations? I can’t believe that.”

The big Primani twisted the hoop in his ear and frowned into his glass. “Apparently there are too many to narrow down. Killian, this is worse than we thought. There is no chatter about this. None. Zero. Bloody fucking zip.” He paused to take a long pull of his beer before adding, “It’s like the only plans are in Jordan’s head. I gotta give him props. Who knew he was this cagey?”

Good question.

The
butler
wasn’t.

It wasn’t
Jordan
calling the shots anymore. Killian had met the real demon in charge...the gravelly voice still sent a chill down his back when he remembered the confrontation in the cathedral. How the hell were they supposed to defeat Satan? The Primani couldn’t do that alone. They weren’t anywhere near strong enough. He’d chew them up and spit them out--dead. The archangels would have to help. It would come down to Michael, really. But even then...it would be an impossible task. After all, the
final
confrontation was already planned--surely this little attempt at world domination wasn’t going to replace the plans of God.

This wasn’t about the real Armageddon though. This was really about that idiot Jordan’s ego. Stupid shit was going to kill a whole lot of innocent humans for absolutely no reason. There was no way he was going to replace God. It was complete bullshit. Even if he killed off a million people and lit the world on fire, God wasn’t going to step down and turn things over to a crazy ass fallen angel. Satan would know that--he was just helping Jordan along for the joy of screwing with God. He didn’t give a rat’s ass about a few million people dying off. That just made this whole thing even more frustrating. Jordan was a pawn in the oldest game on earth and he didn’t seem to know it. It made Killian shake his head and want to just bitch slap that fallen angel. And then maybe kick him in the teeth.

Rivin knocked his knuckles against the polished table top to get his attention. “Hey! Have you heard a word I’ve said? I’ve got things to do if you’re not interested.”

“Shut up, Rivin. I heard you. All right. Here’s the plan.”

He felt her before he saw her.

She called to him even while he traveled in darkness. His mind, his body, his soul...all three knew exactly where she was at any given second of the day. Like an invisible bungee cord, he swung back to her whenever they were apart. Her essence reached out to him and held him to her plane; he simply closed his eyes now and she pulled him home with the warmth of her
saol
. Trying to be considerate, he rematerialized in the hallway so he wouldn’t startle her. But he needn’t have bothered. She was sitting up in the bed waiting for him when he slipped inside the room. The small bedside lamp was turned down low sending a soft glow over her face. Her eyes gleamed with humor as her lips curled into a smile.

“Well, it’s about time. I could give birth waiting for you.” The sarcasm was softened by her tone and the gleam in her eyes. Just looking at her sent a curl of heat into his belly. She pulled back the blankets and patted the bed.

In no hurry now, he watched her and appreciated all over again how lucky he was. She’d pulled her heavy hair up into a loose knot that left waves of it flowing down her shoulders. The light caught bits of red and gold glimmering in the rich chocolate strands. He knew exactly how soft it would feel wrapped around his fingers. He couldn’t wait to grab a fistful and tug her head back for a kiss.

“My God, you get more beautiful every time I see you,” he groaned as he crawled in naked beside her. She laughed and kissed his jaw before hugging him closer and covering them up.

“How did it go with Rivin?” She shivered and he felt just a little bad for bringing in the cold air.

“Fine, fine.” He didn’t want to talk about Rivin. He had to leave again and right now he just wanted to curl up with his sexy woman.

He put her off so he could focus on more important things. Like getting her nightshirt off and seeing her naked in his bed. To this end, he leaned her into the pillow and nibbled his way down her neck to the edge of the shirt. It was loose and he pulled it away so he could peak inside. Either she was still cold, or she was happy to see him. He slid the material over her head and dipped his head to warm her skin with his mouth.

Mica sighed and arched her back to give him better access. With a little groan, she slid her hands over his chest like he was some kind of Greek god, worshiping him with her hands, her body. Her thoughts drifted through his mind as he focused his attention on her pleasure. It humbled him to know she loved him so much, found him beautiful and sexy. She was so into him that he felt like a god every time he got naked with her. She made him feel like he could move planets. Her passion for him was like a drug...he wanted her constantly. Since they were reunited, he couldn’t get enough of her. It must be karma making up for lost time.

She dragged her nails slowly over the muscles bunching up on his shoulder and grinned wickedly when he drew in his breath with a hiss.

“I missed you, baby,” she purred against his throat sending little jolts of fire racing down his body.

“I see that. Come closer and let me feel you.” He captured her hands and held them over her head as ran his palm across her breasts and across the sculpted muscles of her belly. The silky texture of her skin was a sharp contrast to the rough calluses of his hands. Goose bumps followed the path of his touch making his own skin prickle with a rush of need.

Lifting his head, he cupped the swell of her belly. “You’ve been eating!”

“Hey!” She smacked him playfully and brought his palm down against her again. She guided his hand around the obvious baby bump. “I think it’s beautiful!”

“Yeah, yeah. Hold still.”

He kissed the taut skin and pressed his ear against her. There it was! A faint little sound, just barely there, it rang like church bells inside his head.

A heartbeat.

“Hey little guy...” he breathed in awe. It was a miracle. He closed his eyes and lost himself in the sound. There was a life in there, just under his cheek. Her child.

Mica twitched underneath him and he lifted his face to find her grinning down at him. “If you’re done communing with the grain of rice, I would like another kiss. On my lips. Up here.”

“Has anyone ever told you that you’re a demanding wench?”

He carefully spread himself across her keeping his weight on his elbows. Leaning down, he tugged her lower lip with his teeth and gently bit down before capturing her mouth with his. She squirmed against him, deepening the kiss with her tongue and he closed his eyes at the pleasure of lying against her. God, he missed this feeling. All those weeks on the road, sleeping rough in the woods or a cave. He’d been ready to come home to her forever, and still they weren’t together. Jordan had a lot to answer for. Bastard.

Sleepy blue eyes locked onto his and he caught his breath at the intensity of her gaze.

Stop daydreaming and make love to me!

Startled, he blinked at her thoughts. Oh, so it’s like that, is it? Well, hmmm.

His mouth curled into a slow smile and he let his eyes travel over her shimmering body. The lamp light lent her skin the most seductive glow...he traced the shadows across her jaw and down her throat with one gentle finger. She reached for him with an impatient sound and he captured her hand in his and kissed the glowing rune. It flashed brilliantly in the dim light until his tingled and burst to life.

“Say that out loud and maybe I will,” he whispered against her neck. “But you have to ask nicely.”

The abrupt intake of breath made him crack a smile, but he smothered it by burying his face against her skin. She wouldn’t do it. She was charmingly shy about what she wanted from him. She was a passionate woman but she couldn’t say the words without blushing to the roots of her hair.

He wrapped her hair around his fingers and captured her mouth with his. It was as much torture for him but anticipation made it all the sweeter.

She wrapped her legs around his waist and he threw the game out the window and plunged into her just as she whispered, “The baby loves you already.”

Screeeeeechh...

Instant cold shower.

He froze and stared down at her face in horror. Then he looked straight down at the point where their bodies were joined and the tiny mound of baby just showing.

Well, now, didn’t he feel just like a pervert? He couldn’t look at that beautiful sight and then...Jesus! Now who’s blushing?

The sound of giggling brought his attention back to the devious wench who was the mother of that baby bump.

Feeling like a jerk, he growled, “Oh, you think you’re funny, do you?” He shifted his hips to the side and flopped down on his back. He snagged the blanket to smash down what was left of his erection and glared balefully at her.