Entity Mine (23 page)

Chapter 33

Watching Devon flinch as a row of heavy books crashed to the floor, Ethan bit back a snarl. His other selves were roaring inside him and the sight of her distress revved up the baying to eleven. He checked his brothers.

Ky’s gaze was glued to the hardwood floor, but Ethan knew they glowed—green or gold, it hardly mattered. If Ky shifted under these anger heightened circumstances, he would kill the men and his oldest brother might be lost for good.

The thought landed in Ethan’s gut like a punch. Only a few days ago, his brothers had been strangers, and he’d thought a caring family was bullshit, just some idealistic crap you saw on TV. He couldn’t say when he’d started to love them, but damn it, he did. He would kill or die for either one of them.

He checked on Jake. Spots of blood dripped from his youngest brother’s palms onto the floor—his claws were out. He sent an urgent gold-tinged glance at Ethan.

We’ve got to do something.
Jake’s
voice sounded rough.
Maybe we should just give it to them, then jump them when they get down on the street.

A warning flick of the eye had to suffice as a head shake
. Not if we don’t want the whole thing on candid camera.

Now, then? Excluding a headshot, we can take a few bullets, so can Anjali and Devon.

Maybe
they
can, but what about the babies?

Jake closed his eyes.
We’re stuck then. Beth and her boyfriend are as good as gone.

Another crash seemed to ripple through Ky. One more act of violent searching might send him over the edge.

Ethan felt his fangs sprout in sympathy
. Ky can’t take much more. We’re going to have to hand over the disk.
He
focused
on his human teeth. “Wait!”

Laird and his men froze and looked his way. Before he could say his piece. Devon leapt forward, knocking the gun in her guard’s hands up toward the ceiling, then ripping it from his grasp. Beside her, Anjali shoved the gun in front of her to the side and nailed the merc holding it in the temple with her elbow.

As soon as Ethan saw the man drop, he jumped the closest of the searchers. Jake handled the other.

In a nanosecond, all the mercs were disarmed. Devon ran to Ethan. He hugged her, squeezing her tight. “I should spank you! You took years off of my life with that stunt!”

“Blame Anjali. It was her idea. Apparently, inside that mild-mannered doctor is a female hulk.”

“Hey!” Anjali’s voice was muffled by her mate’s enveloping arms. “They shouldn’t have made me angry.”

Under gunpoint, Laird swelled and purpled like a spoiled child holding his breath. “This isn’t over! I’m calling the cops.”

Ethan closed the distance between them in a blink, seizing the stupid asshole by his lapels. “Go ahead. If you’d had any evidence it was us, you would have brought them in the first place. And I’d love to report this home invasion.”

Laird bloated in his grasp, choking on his own impotent frustration. An echo of that day on the
Cebereus
flashed into Ethan’s mind, but he sloughed it off.

Damn their history
. The bastard had pointed a gun at Devon. He lifted Laird off his expensively shod feet, leaned into the financier’s ruddy face, and released his hold on his lion side. Ethan’s jaw and palate expanded, allowing his mouth to fill with massive fangs. He bared them, focusing a stare he knew must be glowing on Laird’s bulging eyes.

“Get out!” The words were half full-on roar. They reverberated through the room, and he could smell the sudden terror of the mercs.

Laird quivered, the corners of his mouth pulled down and back. He gave the impression he might wet his pants.

Ethan shoved him away and he stumbled back.

Jake stalked forward, his smile flat. He gripped Laird’s arm. “Allow me to escort you out.”

“My seal . . .” Laird blustered.

Jake swung him toward the door. “You threatened my fiancée, not to mention my brother’s woman, and you trashed Kyle’s home. If you don’t leave quietly, you might not leave at all.”

After Laird and his men had been dealt with and Jake had returned, the vagrant-wearing demon yawned. “I thought they’d never leave. Some people just never know when the party is over.”

Ethan let his claws burst free, but just stood there at the ready.

Ky lurched toward the demon, but Jake held him back. “Let’s just get this exchange over with.” He glared at the possessed man. “You’ll have to wait until we get Beth and Matthew here.”

The demon nestled back against the wall beside the door and pretended to check a nonexistent watch. “Fine. You’ve got five minutes. After that—” He shrugged, spreading arms that seemed too long for his body. “Our deal is off and goodbye Bethy and what’s-his-name.”

Ethan turned his head against his surge of fury at the casual dismissal of two innocent lives.

Ky fished out his phone and made the call. Beth appeared with John a few minutes later. A second after that, John brought her unconscious boyfriend, hospital bed, monitors and all.

Ethan raised his eyebrow at the bed. Any other time he would have been impressed. His brothers and their friend didn’t do anything by halves.

John quirked his dark head. “Seemed faster.”

The demon stood, brushing his hands down his scarecrow-like form. “Now that the gang’s all here—” He extended a grubby hand. “My seal.”

Ethan opened the microwave and removed the disk.

When he was within feet of the demon, Anjali raised a hand. “Wait, Ethan. Are you sure we should do this? I doubt it wants the seal for the gold. For all we know it may hold very, very bad magic.”

The demon laughed. “Very clever, Anjali. The seal does have magic. But the terms remain. Devon’s friends or the seal.”

Devon held her breath. How could they do this? For all they knew, the demon’s agenda might kill them all. Still demons loved deals. Maybe she could bait him.

She walked forward and touched Ethan’s powerful forearm above the gleaming seal.

He slid her a glowing gold glance. His rigid posture screamed that he balanced on the edge of shoving her into a closet somewhere to keep her safe, but she patted his arm.

Trust me,
she said.

A muscle in his jaw flexed, but he rocked back a fraction.

She gave him a tiny smile before turning back to the demon. “You can have the seal on one condition. Promise you won’t hurt anyone with it.”

The demon eyed her with his shark-like gaze. “We already have a deal. I really don’t have to make any promises.”

Devon slid her hand up Ethan’s arm and took the seal. He stiffened, but didn’t interfere, his golden eyes watchful.

Whoa, surprisingly heavy
. “I could break the deal. You could carry out your threat, but you still wouldn’t have the seal.” She jiggled the disk. “You obviously want it pretty bad. You gonna give it up over one tiny little promise?”

The demon gritted the vagrant’s yellow teeth. “Very well. I promise.” He held out his hand.

“Ah, ah, ah.” Devon dangled the disk out of reach, making sure she had a good grip in case he lunged for it. “This isn’t my first tango with the other side. The whole promise.”

“I promise not to hurt anyone with the seal,” he singsonged like a bully on the playground. “Done. Now hand it over.”

Devon sent him a skeptical glance and didn’t move. “Release our friends first.”

“Fine.” He closed his eyes.

After a few tense heartbeats, Matthew opened his eyes and sat up, massaging his temple. He swept the room with his gaze, his sandy brows folded, taking in the mahogany leather sofas, the twelve-foot ceiling and then the mess on the floor, his hospital bed, and gown, and the leads stuck to his body. “What the—? Where am I? How did I get here?”

Jake held up a large hand, palm out, fingers spread. “We’ll tell you everything in a moment.”

Kyle turned to John. “Check them.”

John’s face took on a faraway look. When his features sharpened again, he nodded and yanked two necklaces from his pocket, draping them over Beth and Matthew’s heads. “They’re clear.”

“What’s this?” Beth’s boyfriend fingered the small medallion hanging from the gold chain.

“Amulets against possession.”

Devon waved a hand in the air.
Typical.
“And you didn’t give us any?”

John leveled a dry glance at the demon, and crossed his arms. “If chimeras were susceptible, he would already have possessed one of you. Better leverage.”

The demon shook his grizzled head. “Very perceptive. When we’re done here, you should give MENSA a call. Now”—he shifted his weight and wiggled his fingers—“breaking deals with demons is bad for your health. So hand it over.”

Damn, I hope I’m doing the right thing.
Devon surveyed the tense faces in the room, then reached out and placed the seal in the demon’s hand.

On high alert, Ethan pulled Devon back, wrapping an arm around her slender body.
Please God, let this all be over.
“You’ve got what you want. Now go and leave us alone.”

The demon held up the hand with the seal. “On my way.” He backed toward the door. At the threshold, he stopped and took out a second disk, fitting them together with a metallic click before anyone could move. A blast wave blew through the loft. A shower of sparks erupted from the microwave and other electrical appliances. Papers and small objects flew or slid along the floor.

Ethan moved to shield Devon with his body, but she was gone, vanished. He scanned the room and found her standing where she had been moments earlier, in front of the demon to the right of the door.

Jake growled, crouching as if to spring onto the demon. “What have you done?”

The demon’s mouth quirked. “Just regained a few seconds of time . . . to do this.” He thrust his hand forward and buried a syringe in Devon’s chest, depressing the plunger. She crumpled.

Shoving the fiend out of the way, Ethan dropped to his knees and slid his mate’s frighteningly limp body into his lap. “Devon!” He glared up at the demon. Shards of terror and panic shredded through his veins while his blood roared in his ears and furious words hung on his lips.

But the vagrant blinked, then glanced around, rheumy eyes bewildered.

Shit. The demon had bailed. “
Anjali!”

The junkie sidled to the door and slipped out. They let him go.

“Here.” Anjali dropped down beside Ethan. She removed the syringe and sniffed the tip. Her eyes went wide. “
Ay Bagwan
! It’s Kincaid’s formula.”

She took Devon’s wrist, searching for a pulse. “Her heart’s not beating.” She scooted closer and folded her hands together, prepared to do CPR.

As her hands touched Devon’s chest, his mate’s eyes flew open. She caught Anjali’s delicate wrist. “That’s not necessary.”

Ethan sucked in a tremendous gasp of air, his heart aching with relief. “Devon! My God, baby, you scared the shit out of me!”

She propped herself up on her elbows. “Oh, I’m fine—” A sly expression flashed across her face. “But I’m not Devon.”

Ethan froze, his joy at her awakening seeping away as he realized all wasn’t right. “What the hell?”

“Actually, I was lying about the hell thing. I’m not a demon at all.” The being inside Devon grinned. “Anjali knows, don’t you,
beta
?”

Mouth open in surprise and horror, Anjali clasped her hands to her mouth then swept the group with a frightened gaze. “It’s Meena Masi. It has to be. That’s how it got Kincaid’s formula. Oh my God, how is this possible?”

The creature in Devon’s body gave a low chuckle. “You didn’t think a little thing like the Ethereal Council could stop me?”

Anjali turned to Ky. “I wondered who you’d called.”

Ethan grabbed the thing—whatever it was—by the shoulders and shook it. Fear made every breath a struggle. His lion and dragon clamored to be released, to be allowed to fight for their mate and if he thought they’d stood a chance of winning, he’d shift in an instant, destruction be damned. “I don’t care what you are. Let Devon go!”

“Careful!” The thing covered Devon’s flat abdomen with a protective hand. “You wouldn’t want to hurt your baby.”

John had been watching, body rigid, his face a granite mask. Now he placed a hand on Ethan’s back. “She’s a step-in, Ethan. If she’s strong enough to take a chimera’s body, it can only mean one thing.” His Adam’s apple bobbed, his dark eyes liquid with sorrow over the rugged cliffs of his craggy cheeks. “I’m sorry, Ethan. Devon—Devon is dead.”

Chapter 34

Stunned, Devon watched from beside her body as the strongest man she’d ever met shoved her shell away and folded into himself like a building imploding.

“No! No! This can’t be happening!” Ethan glanced up at John. “You’re wrong! You have to be. I would know.” He turned to Jake. “Wouldn’t I?”

“Yes! Yes!” Devon ran to Ethan and tried to touch his wrist. Her hand passed through him and she collapsed to the floor, trembling, rocking back and forth, her hands around her knees. “I’m still here.”

No one reacted to her. She clutched her stomach, as if pressure could stem the crushing panic, then looked to Jake, desperate for an answer that could explain a way out of this. They were beings of magic. She could be a lion, a dragon many times her human mass. There had to be a way to reverse what’d happened.

The last thing she’d seen was the vagrant’s grimy hand plunging toward her heart. A lightning-sharp pain had paralyzed her, then the drug had flooded her system. In the blink of an eye everything had gone dark.

Jake shook his head, his expression pained. “I don’t know, bro. Her body is here . . .” His chest heaved as if he were in the grip of heavy emotion. It was clear he identified with his brother’s loss.

Ethan.
Their life together, imperfect though it might have been without his love. Her baby. God! Her baby!

When she’d awakened hovering outside her lifeless body, she’d thought maybe she was just incorporeal, but her scrambled brain had absorbed the sight of her body in Ethan’s lap and then it had opened its eyes and moved. She’d tried to return to her shell, but no matter how she tried, she went right through, nothing, not reaching out with her other senses, not pleading, not praying, had made any difference. She was locked out. Her body no longer hers.

Behind Kyle, a light far brighter and warmer than the fall sun appeared. The shimmering cascade of light sang to her, bone deep of peace, of love, of home. Her father was there. Her mother, too. She could feel them. She took a step toward the beam, then another.

The light warmed her face.

Then a hoarse male cry broke the call of the light.

She gazed over her shoulder.

Ethan. Still on his knees, his body leaning like a dead tree just hanging on after a bitter winter. Dry sobs wracked his large frame. The sound strafed through her body, ripping the veil of tranquility and acceptance that had blanketed her.

The step-in in her body laughed. Jake and John had moved forward to restrain it, manacling her—its—wrists with their powerful hands. It writhed, attempting to break free.

No. She turned her back to the light and dove back at her shell. That body was hers. She wasn’t giving it up, giving up her life with Ethan, with her baby, not without a fight.

She passed through her body as her hand had passed through Ethan’s wrist moments before. She caught herself on the other side. The malicious spirit continued to struggle in the men’s grasp, giving no sign it was even aware of her attempt to get back in.

Devon steeled herself to try again, closing her eyes and reaching once more for the part of her that was attuned to the spirit realm. This time, when she opened them, she could see the other spirit like a dark mass on an x-ray, sunk deep into the fabric of her body. She launched another attack, clawing at the shadow inside her, but she couldn’t get inside.

She tried until the room started to gray. Afraid of what would happen if she blacked out, she rolled into a ball and surrendered to her grief.

She was nothing, less substantial than vapor. The step-in’s hold was rock solid.

As she watched, Kyle dropped a hand on his younger brother’s shoulder.

The touch seemed to stabilize Ethan and he stood. He lithified as he straightened, his body stiff as a pillar made of stone. The grief and hatred on his face as he looked at her defiant shell made her swallow.

“Bring it. We’ll keep it safe until the baby is born.” He turned toward the stairs and looked back. “Then, Devon’s body or not. I’m going to kill it.”