Hellfire (7 page)

He sighed. “It’s a long, sad
story. Lemurians were once great fighters. Your legends say we almost destroyed
ourselves with thermonuclear war, but that’s not true. We were a people of
honor, armed with our sentient swords, and our fight wasn’t with Atlantis or
any other humanoid peoples. We fought demons and we kept balance between the
worlds. Then, shortly before my birth, when Lemurians had the demon threat
under control, my people began to fight among themselves. They came very close
to destroying Lemurian civilization. By the time I was born, level heads had prevailed
and our soldiers had become philosophers instead of fighting men.

“No one realized, though, that
when our swords stopped speaking to us, it meant we had gone too far in our
quest for peace through philosophical discourse. We had lost something important.
Something that we, as a people, still needed—our strength in battle and our
honor. When Dax and Eddy asked for Lemuria’s help to fight demons, they were
imprisoned. I think it’s because the senators of the Council of Nine were
embarrassed by their request. Embarrassed to admit they’ve lost not only the
will, but the ability to fight.”

Ginny finished combing out one
section of his hair and went to work on another. “So why are you different?
What made you decide to help total strangers?”

“I had been talking with my
friend Taron. You would like Taron. He’s like a brother to me, only Taron’s a
lot smarter.” He laughed. “I was telling him how dissatisfied I was with my
life. How I sensed there should be more, that our lives within the mountain
were meaningless because we accomplished nothing. Essentially, I complained
that we had nothing to fight for.” He chuckled and turned to smile at her.
“Don’t ever tempt the gods. They often take your wishes seriously.”

“So you met Eddy and Dax and
just like that, up and left the only home you’d ever known?” She concentrated
on a thick tangle and tried to imagine everything Alton had given up.

“It wasn’t that simple. I went
to the council and asked them to consider the captives’ plea. I tried to
convince them that the demon threat was real, that Taron, who discovered the
threat even before Dax and Eddy arrived, had lost count of the demons passing
through from Abyss into Earth’s dimension. The council said it was not
Lemuria’s problem. That Earth must save itself and we should not get involved.
What they don’t seem to realize is that if Earth falls to demon rule, a tipping
point could be reached. Lemuria and Atlantis could be next, and if they fall,
even Eden might be lost. The battle between good and evil has gone on since
time began, but we are faced with the fact that—this time—evil could very well
prevail. If evil wins, the battle is over for all time. It’s a terrible risk.
One I couldn’t ignore.”

“Have you heard from your
friend?
From Taron?”

Alton shook his head. “No. I’m
beginning to think that it might be worth the risk to return to Lemuria. We
need help. My people were warriors once; maybe they can be warriors again. We
need them. Our small band can’t defeat demonkind on our own.”

He reached across the bed for
his scabbard and withdrew HellFire. The glowing blade fascinated Ginny, the
sense of life she felt when he freed the sword from its sheath. She reached out
and touched the blade, ran her fingers over the crystal. “It’s warm,” she said.
“Almost like it’s alive.”

“I am alive. Haven’t you been
listening?”

She snatched her fingers back
and stared at Alton. He looked just as surprised as she felt. Ginny turned back
to the sword. “Well, Alton merely said you could speak. I guess I didn’t
realize the full ramification of that. I’m sorry.”

She stroked the blade once
again and ran her fingers over the jeweled hilt. “Alton, have you asked
HellFire for advice? I mean, if the swords have been around for as long as you
say…”

“Of course he hasn’t thought
to ask me. That would be too much to hope for.”

Alton’s snort disappeared
behind the hand he pressed over his mouth. Ginny had to bite her lip.
A snarky sword?

“HellFire, I apologize, but
after carrying you for thousands of years with nary a word, I’ve not yet grown
accustomed to conversing with you on a regular basis.” Alton glanced at Ginny
with raised eyebrows. Then he picked up the sword and held it across his lap.
“Do you have any idea what we can do?”

“You and this woman must go to
Lemuria. Speak with your father and the Council of Nine.”

“Great. What if they throw us
in prison, or worse, decide to kill me on the spot?”

The sword
glowed
a brilliant shade of blue. “They would not dare, not when you are accompanied
by a sentient sword and a lost daughter of Lemuria.”

Ginny felt a shiver run along
her spine. She slowly pulled the comb free of Alton’s snarls and stared into
his green eyes when he turned to look at her.

“Lost daughter of Lemuria?
Ginny?”

“Me?” Ginny cleared her throat
and tried again. “You’re saying that I…”

The blade glowed.
“Descended from one who ventured forth from the continent before it
disappeared beneath the sea.
Her veins carry the blood of ancient
Lemurian royalty, from a time before Lemuria was ruled by the Council of Nine.
Her presence and mine shall ensure safety.”

The crystal went dark. Ginny
ran trembling fingers along the blade. Now it was merely cool and empty, like a
beautiful piece of glass. “I don’t believe that.” She swallowed. “I’m not
Lemurian. Look at me. I’m black!”

Alton still had a bemused
expression on his face. “There are some among us who are darker skinned, though
none as dark as you. Some of our men have crossed into Earth’s dimension to
consort with human women, but our fertility rate is so low, I never dreamed
there might be children of such matings. Who’s to say what woman that ancient
Lemurian fell
for.
” He laughed as he carefully slipped
HellFire back inside the scabbard and set it on the little table by the window.
“HellFire said you’re descended from royalty. I knew you were special the
moment I saw you. I just didn’t know how special.”

He turned around and pulled
Ginny into his arms, but he didn’t kiss her. No, he merely pressed his forehead
to hers and stared deep into her eyes. “It explains why I couldn’t use my
compulsion on you. It doesn’t work at all against Lemurians.”

“I don’t believe it.” But she
did. Deep inside, she knew the sword was telling the truth. Maybe that’s why
she’d never wanted to leave the little town of Evergreen, so close beside Mount
Shasta. She’d felt drawn to the volcano. Always knew she wanted to live close
by, even though she’d never believed any of that mystical stuff that people
always talked about.

Maybe she should have been
listening a little closer.

“What were your parents like?”

She blinked and stared at
Alton.
Shook her head.
“I don’t know. I was adopted.
All I know about my mother is that she was an unwed teenager from Sacramento. I
was adopted by a couple in
Evergreen
when I was a
newborn, but they were a lot older. They’ve both been gone for a few years
now.”

“Then Markus isn’t really your
cousin? Your Aunt Betty…?”

“Nope.
Adopted family.
Aunt Betty was my adoptive mom’s baby
sister. No blood line to me at all.”

Alton scooted back against the
headboard, dragging Ginny with him. He held her in his arms as if she weighed
nothing at all, and she had to admit, she liked the way it felt to be cuddled
by a man as big and powerful as he was.

“So,” she asked, “now what?”

“I wonder if you were
targeted?
Tom the cat, the coyote.
Do demons recognize you as Lemurian? See you as an ancient enemy?”

She shivered, thankful for
Alton’s embrace but not at all happy about his suggestion. “I hope not. I’d
rather think it was coincidental if you don’t mind.”

He chuckled softly.
“If you like.
Now we sleep, if we can. Then we pack up our
stuff and get any supplies we might need, go to the clinic early, and check on
the animals. Then we go to Bell Rock, hike to the top, and step through the
portal into the mountain. Once we’re inside, we’ll take the gateway into
Lemuria and hope HellFire knows exactly what he’s talking about.”

Ginny tilted her head and, for
some unexplainable reason, kissed his cheek. “You’re saying you’ll believe a
snarky sword?”

Alton laughed. “He is snarky,
isn’t he? I don’t understand why. Dax’s sword is very polite, and Eddy’s is
definitely a very brave and calm female, which is really weird, if the
sentience in our swords comes from the souls of fallen warriors. Lemurian women
don’t fight. As far as I know, only one woman may have ever seen battle, and
her story is more likely legend rather than fact.” He shrugged. “For whatever
reason, Eddy and Dax have polite, even friendly swords.”

“But you got snark?” She
cuddled close.

“I got snark.”

Ginny didn’t realize they’d
fallen asleep until she awoke hours later. She went from sound asleep to wide
awake in a heartbeat, immediately aware she was cuddled next to Alton with her
cheek pressed against his chest. The room was dark, and they were lying down
instead of sitting up against the headboard.

Alton was warm and their skin
damp with perspiration where they touched. She was struck with the intimacy,
the fact she’d actually fallen asleep beside him on the bed. She was still
dressed, but all he had on were his knit boxers, which left a whole lot of
Alton exposed.

He slept soundly with one hand
resting on her hip and she lay there for a moment, silently critiquing the
sensation of waking up with such a tall and powerful man curled around her.
She’d never once slept through the night with a man.

Not that the opportunity
hadn’t been there, but she’d never known any man before whom she cared enough
about or trusted enough to let her guard down around him. For some reason, she
trusted Alton, which made no sense. She hardly knew him. Even more bizarre,
he’d already admitted he wasn’t human.

Neither am
I.

Oh, God. She’d avoided
thinking about what HellFire said. That was going to take some getting used to.
Was she just going to accept the word of a talking sword? For that matter, was
she going to accept the fact a sword could talk?

Hard to
ignore a talking sword.
Especially a
snarky
talking sword.
This was all just way, way
too over the top.

Never in her
wildest dreams…

Biting back an impending case
of nervous giggles, Ginny carefully slipped out from under Alton’s arm, grabbed
her overnight bag, and quietly went into the bathroom. She hadn’t had a shower
since leaving Phoenix so many hours ago, and even though it was almost three in
the morning, washing off the grime of travel was her number-one priority.

She showered quickly,
towel-dried her hair, and resigned herself to the fact she’d have frizzy
instead of smooth curls in the morning. Then she slipped into her cotton knit
sleep pants and the soft cami top and padded quietly across the room to her own
bed.

A blue glow on the little
round table by the window caught her eye. Could HellFire be awake? She glanced
at Alton. He snored softly, but he’d rolled over on his side and his back was
to her. Before she could talk herself out of it, Ginny carefully grabbed the
hilt and slipped the sword out of the scabbard.

Alton’s warning slammed into
her thoughts just as she pulled HellFire free. He’d told her she couldn’t use
his sword in battle without risking death. She stared at her fingers wrapped
solidly around the jeweled hilt, at the way it fit her hand, and hoped the
threat didn’t extend to quiet conversation.

Nothing happened. She let out
a soft, shaky breath. Then she quietly
lay
the glowing
sword on the floor beside the bed and sat down next to it, out of Alton’s line
of sight.

The blade shimmered with a
soft, blue-toned light. She ran her fingers along the crystal, careful not to
cut herself on the razor-sharp edge. Whispering softly, she asked, “HellFire?
Are you awake?”

I am.

The voice was in her mind!
Clear as a bell and not nearly as snarky as it had sounded earlier. She
answered with her thoughts and hoped she was doing it right.
May I ask you a question?

You may.

Oh, this was just too weird,
but she’d been afraid of waking Alton and she had so many questions!
You said I was a daughter of Lemuria. How can that be?

There are
very few who walk upon the earth with the blood of Lemuria in their veins. Only
when like meets like does the blood run true.

She thought about that a
moment. When like meets like…
Are you saying that both my
birth mother and the man who fathered me carried the blood of Lemuria?

The sword glowed brightly and
then went dark. Ginny stared at it for a moment before whispering, “Guess
that’s an affirmative.” Maybe she should have asked HellFire if she could ask
questions,
as in plural.

A snarky, literal sword.

Smiling at the thought, she
carefully slipped the sword back into its scabbard and set it on the table. She
started to crawl into her bed when Alton rolled over and blinked sleepy eyes in
her direction. “Ginny? Is something wrong?”

“No. I felt grimy. I just took
a shower.”

“Come back to bed. We have a
busy day ahead.” He was lying on top of the covers, but he raised the sheet,
inviting her to join him.

She glanced at her empty bed
and shivered. She didn’t want to sleep alone. Not with Alton so close, but at
the same time, she had a feeling she could be making a terrible mistake…or not.
With a last glance at the dark sword, she walked around the extra bed and
crawled in beside Alton. He covered her with the sheet and tugged her close
against his side.

Within seconds she knew he
slept, but Ginny lay awake for a long time, wondering about the blood in her
veins and the legacy she’d not known of until now. Wondering what it meant, and
how this knowledge might change her life.

Alton awoke once more during
the night. Ginny slept close beside him, tucked up under his arm with her nose
pressed against his ribs. When he’d reached for her earlier and realized she’d
gone, he never dreamed she’d come back to his bed.

The fact she’d fallen asleep
in his arms in the first place had thrilled him more than it should have. He’d
been afraid to move for fear she’d wake up and leave his side, but she’d come
back. Awake and aware, she’d still slipped into bed beside him.

There might be a sheet between
them, but she was closer than he’d expected, more relaxed beside him than he’d
dreamed.

Her hair had dried into tight
little curls. He inhaled and smelled the same shampoo he’d used on his hair.
With the warmth of her body beside him and the clean scent of soap and shampoo
tickling his nose, he drifted back to sleep.

It was light when Alton awoke
again. Ginny stood beside the bed, dressing. He barely caught a glimpse of
smooth, dark thigh and curved buttock when she slipped out of the soft pants
she’d been wearing. Within seconds she’d pulled on a pair of pale blue
underpants and a matching bra, followed by snug, faded blue jeans and a
stretchy T-shirt. Her hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail this morning.
She pulled the end out of her shirt and fluffed the frizzy black curls with a
look of pure disgust on her face. While she was fiddling with her ponytail, he
sat up in bed and waited for her to notice he was awake.

She turned around and bit back
a short shriek. Then she glared at him. “How long have you been awake?”

He faked a big yawn and
stretched.
“Just now.
Give me a minute and I’ll be
ready to go.” He noticed the fresh bandage wrapped around her fingers and palm.
“How’s your hand?”

She shook her head.
“Healing pretty fast, actually.
There’s no sign of
infection.” She held her hand up and showed him how she could flex her fingers
in spite of the bandage. “See?”

“Good. I’m glad it’s better.
What time is it?”

“It’s early.
Barely six.
I don’t think the clinic opens until at least
nine.”

“Someone may come early to
feed the animals,” he said. “We can park nearby and wait.”

Ginny drove through a fast
food place and they bought a couple of breakfast burritos and cups of coffee.
It was only quarter to eight when she parked the Focus down the street from the
clinic.

Alton reached in his pocket
for his cell phone. He’d remembered to charge it at the hotel, but there were
no messages on it. He tried calling Eddy, but it went straight to her voice
mail, so he left a message that they were at the clinic to check on the
possessed pets, ended the call, and stuck the phone back in his pocket.

He’d thought about telling her
of his plans to take Ginny to Lemuria. Thought about it, and discarded the
idea. If Eddy said it was too dangerous, what would he do? He still wasn’t sure
it was the right move, but he had to do something. Had to find out if his
people were going to help fight this battle that seemed to be growing more
involved, more confusing, by the day.

They had a good view of the
parking lot and employee entrance as well as the front of the clinic. Alton
sipped his coffee and studied the building. Ginny nibbled on her egg burrito
and studied Alton.

He filled the passenger side
of the little car. Even though the seat was shoved as far back as it would go,
his long legs were bent and his head nearly touched the top. Still, he seemed
relaxed as he stared at the little adobe building that housed the clinic.

As big as he was, he moved
like a man confident in his body. He’d slept the same way, on his back most of
the night on top of the covers, his long hair like a tangled blond halo around
his head. This morning he’d pulled it into two long, thick braids hanging
forward against the sides of his face. The ends were tied with colorful twine
he’d woven into the braid.

She thought about how her
opinion of him was changing. He’d been so arrogant and overbearing when they’d
first met.
Cocky to the extreme.
She still thought he
was arrogant and cocky, but why didn’t it bother her as much?

She’d need to think about that
one. She had no patience for arrogant men, never liked their attitude or the
way they treated her. She’d definitely had her fill of macho types while
working as a 911 dispatcher. There were the ones who looked down on her, either
because of her race or her gender or both, or the ones who thought she was the
kind of girl to lie back and spread her legs merely because she was female and
they were such hot stuff.

She’d certainly straightened
them out in a hurry. In fact, she was damned proud of her reputation at work as
a ball-buster, but at least it kept the jerks away. She had no patience for
them.
None at all.

She wasn’t sure if Alton had
backed off on the attitude that bugged her so much at first, or if she was just
getting used to him. For whatever reason, Ginny was actually looking forward to
spending the day with him.

She wasn’t all that certain
about going to Lemuria, but in the back of her mind she fully expected Alton
would stop at some point and tell her it was all a joke.

What if he didn’t? She wished
she could get ahold of Eddy. There was an awful lot she really wanted to ask
her best friend. So many questions Eddy might be able to answer.

An SUV pulled into the parking
lot beside the clinic. Ginny recognized the veterinarian when he got out of the
vehicle—the same fairly young man, with dark, shaggy hair, and a neatly trimmed
beard,
whom
she’d seen yesterday. Though Ginny hadn’t
met him, she’d admired the way he calmly checked out the animals when she and
Markus had brought Tom to him. He’d been equally patient with the stressed-out
owners hovering over their pets. He seemed like a nice enough
guy—
tall and lean with such kind eyes. He’d acted competent,
if a little confused by the strangely acting animals filling his clinic.

Yesterday?
Ginny let out a deep breath. Not even
twenty-four hours ago. How could so much have happened in less than a day? She
couldn’t wait to see what was coming next. Alton set his coffee on the dash and
climbed out of the car. Ginny followed him across the street to the clinic.

“Good morning, Doctor.” Alton
nodded to the vet.

The man jerked away from the
door he’d just unlocked. “Goodness,” he said, tilting his head back to look up
at Alton. “You startled me.” Recovering quickly, he smiled and paused with his
hand on the door. “We’re not open yet. And even if we were, all my cages and
pens are full. I can’t take any more patients, at least until we figure out
what’s wrong with the ones we got in yesterday.”

Ginny smiled. “My cousin
brought his cat in yesterday. You have Tom here already.”

Before the vet could comment,
Alton added, “Ginny’s cousin said you believe the creatures are possessed. I
happen to agree with you. I would like the chance to observe the animals, if
you don’t mind.”

The man blinked. He took a
step back and Alton passed his hand in front of the vet’s eyes. The man blinked
again, smiled, and held the door. “Come in. Please. Take a look. I just need to
get everyone fed.”

Ginny glanced at Alton. He
winked at her and waved her through the door. She entered the clinic with Alton
and the vet right behind her.

The place was quiet. She’d
expected banshee screams and the reek of sulfur, but it smelled like a regular
veterinarian’s clinic, sort of doggy and antiseptic with an overlay of cat pee.
Alton glanced at her and frowned, but he spoke to the veterinarian. “Where are
the affected animals?”

The vet didn’t speak, but he
led them through a set of double doors. Cages and wire kennels lined the room
along both sides. As soon as they entered the room, dogs started barking, but
they sounded perfectly normal. The veterinarian had to raise his voice to be
heard. “Dogs are here, cats in the next room. I need to get everyone fed. Feel
free to take a look.”

He walked away without a
backward glance.

“Wow.
Just
your everyday mind control, eh?”
Ginny stared at him for a long moment
with her hands planted firmly on her hips. “Definitely effective, isn’t it?
That’s what you did to me?”

Alton smiled as he stepped
close to a kennel holding a large German shepherd. “That’s what I tried to do
to you. Didn’t work, remember?” He sighed dramatically. “And that is why I was
forced to kiss you.”