Key of Solomon: Relic Defender, Book 1 (27 page)

Her mouth curved into an unconscious smile that didn’t reach her eyes. Which were a deep, purple, like amethysts. She wore contacts when she was out among the mortals. Her fangs were retractable—her red eyes could not be changed.

“Mari.”

“I have found the female the protector searches for.”

“Devyn? You found Devyn? Where?”

This from Lexi who rushed into the room as if she’d been running. Despite taking the time to slip into regular clothing, her hair still outlined her head in a disheveled mess, tumbling about her shoulders in waves of ebony.

Mikos clenched his fists, fighting the urge to bury his fingers into the unruly mass. To smooth back the loose tendrils at her cheeks. He took a deep breath. While a part of him blessed Rocky’s timely interruption, another part, the dark part, damned the shapeshifter’s arrival.

Mari looked over at him, a question in her eyes. He nodded, and she turned back to face Lexi.

“The girl is being held on a farm outside…”

“How is she? Is she hurt? Who has her?” The words tumbled from Lexi’s mouth before she’d even fully entered.

“Lexi, please let Mari finish.”

Despite the tension, Mikos hid a smile as she clamped her lips tight. She fidgeted from side to side. He could tell it took all the willpower she had to remain quiet. Pride swelled when she did.

Mari inclined her head then continued. “The human is damaged but in a relatively whole condition.”

“Damaged? What the hell does that mean?” Lexi’s patience had lasted all of two seconds. “And her name is Devyn, not the girl or the human.”

Yeah, she knew she sounded petulant at that moment, but she was getting mighty tired of these supposed immortals and angels labeling Lexi and her fellow mortals as humans. It wasn’t the terminology. No big deal there. It was the way their lips seemed to curl in disgust, as if being human was something much less worthy than being an immortal.

The strength of her reaction stopped Lexi a bit. Since when was she worried about her fellow humans being thought of in such a disreputable light? Since when did she care? Had she changed her mind? In that instant, she mentally shook her head. Nope, she hadn’t.

Right?

“My apologies, Lexi. I meant no offense, nor disrespect.” Light stains of scarlet appeared on Mari’s cheeks. “It’s just that, well, I’ve spent a lot of time recently with other immortals who don’t share—oh, hell’s bells.” Her apology cut off.

Even though she suspected that Mari felt the same thing, she took pity on the uncomfortable woman, “Yeah, I get it.”

“Mari, please continue.”

Lexi swung her head around and eyed Mikos. Was that a trace of laughter in his voice? And what about that suspicious twitch of his lips? Despite her worry for Devyn, Lexi had to admit, in the deepest, darkest part of her, how much she enjoyed seeing the humor sparkling in his icy gaze.

“As I was saying, Devyn,” Mari went on, a jerk of her head at Lexi who sent Mari a half smile acknowledging the demoness’s use of Devyn’s name, “shows some signs of a struggle, and is somewhat banged up but she appears unharmed otherwise. None of the wounds is life threatening.”

Oh, God. Devyn. Icy fear twisted around Lexi’s heart. How could she have let this happen?

Chapter Sixteen

“The shaft of the arrow had been feathered with one of the eagle’s own plumes.

We often give our enemies the means of our destruction.”

Aesop

Well on the way into fall, the night air had a fragrant blend of fallen leaves, crisp coolness and wood smoke from someone’s fireplace. A lovely night for hayrides, bonfires and snuggling under the blanket.

Instead, she was snuggled into a thin jacket with her
sanjiuen
strapped to her hip and heavy steel-toed boots covering her freezing feet. She felt like stamping to warm them but figured Mikos wouldn’t appreciate the noise. Instead, she blew quietly on the other pair of cold appendages and looked around.

The dilapidated barn leaned to the right, much like the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy. What held it even in the semblance of standing was beyond comprehension. The barn, despite its battered appearance, seemed like it should be in a fairytale. Silver moonlight bathed the old wood in a soft, silvery light. Here and there, flickers of movement danced upon the surface from the trees near the barn. A fairytale not a prison which it was if Devyn was in there.

Lexi looked askance at Mikos, and on his other side, the lovely Marisol. Human, angel and demon. What a combination. Perfect for breaking and entering to save an innocent. By now, it sounded almost commonplace enough to make her sick.

Mikos wore a jet-black jumpsuit that appeared to absorb any light that touched it, giving him the appearance of blending in with his surroundings. At least the dark surroundings. Long, inky hair, bound in a dark band completed the picture of someone deadly serious.

And deadly attractive.

She didn’t want to feel the attraction. Earlier in her room, had proven she wasn’t the only one whose hormones were running rampant.

Did angels have hormones? Whatever they were called, Mikos had plenty to spare. If it hadn’t been for that urgent summons delivered by the oh-so-subtle shapeshifter, would she and Mikos have finished what they’d started? She suspected they would have.

When she closed her eyes, Lexi could almost believe his warm, strong hands caressed her bare skin while his sexy lips kissed her into submission. For the first time since she could remember, she wanted a man with soul-encompassing passion. She hadn’t believed she could ever want so strong. Especially not with the ugly specter of her childhood never far from her consciousness.

Shaking off her travels down a road she didn’t care to go, Lexi asked Marisol, “You sure this is the right place?”

The vampy-demon nodded. Her eyes, like the moon above, reflected silver. Unlike Mikos, she didn’t dress in basic black. Nope, not for her. Marisol, for all her dark-demonic appearance, looked striking in a form-fitting deep emerald green tunic and split pants. Well, actually, the pants were a heavy leotard with some sort of gauzy material making a skirt.

Her outfit wouldn’t have been complete without the emerald belt about her waist. A small, silver crossbow hung from a thong on one side. Some kind of dagger sporting an ornate hilt had a prominent place strapped to her right thigh.

By comparison, Lexi’s subdued gray-blended jeans and tank top covered by a shorty jacket compared with Marisol like vanilla compares with mint chocolate chip. Lexi had to fight back a snort of laughter.

Mikos met her gaze. A dark eyebrow lifted. She lifted her shoulders into a shrug. When one corner of his full lips pulled into a slight smile, her brow lifted. Had he read her thoughts? Damn, she hoped not.

He leaned in, his breath brushing against the nape of her neck. She sucked in a startled gasp at his closeness.

“She does like to be a show off, doesn’t she?”

Um, right. Lexi didn’t trust her voice so she nodded. Relief, both that he couldn’t read her mind and that he’d stepped back, swept through her. For Pete’s sake, what the hell was wrong with her?

Pressing her lips together, she ignored Mikos’s knowing glance and checked her own gear. Her
sanjiegun
rested in its usual place, a sheath belted to her waist. She held the
kubotan
clenched in one fist. Held tightly but relaxed so her fingers didn’t knot.

None of them had a gun of any sort. None of them needed one. Between the various weapons of choice, a gun would have been overkill. And since she wouldn’t touch one, didn’t want one near her, the lack of any suited her just fine.

Like Mikos and Mari, Lexi turned her attention to the barn. How odd was it there seemed to be no guards of either the human or non-human kind?

In fact, to the naked eye, the barn seemed deserted. A trap? As that thought filled her mind, Lexi glanced at Mikos. He gave her a slight nod as if he knew what she’d been thinking. So the angel thought it was a trap too.

When a frown creased his forehead, Lexi took a half step forward. Could that frown mean he gave consideration to backing out? She wouldn’t allow that. Devyn was in there, and Lexi was going to get her out. She glared at Mikos and jerked her head at the barn.

Annoyance flickered in his silver gaze, but still, he turned back to the double doors. A thick chain with a huge lock barred the front of the barn. Another sign something wasn’t right. If someone was in the barn with Devyn this padlock would have kept them locked in. And unless there was a key, no one was getting in. Or out.

Mikos placed a hand over the lock. Lexi widened her eyes as a soft, white glow covered the metal. A quiet click and the lock separated. He pulled the pieces apart and carefully drew out the chain.

Oops, my mistake. Looks like the angel came with his own lock-picking device.

Without being asked or a nod from Mikos, Marisol pushed open one side of the old doors. She slipped inside the darkness. A brief moment later, a pale hand came out and beckoned them in. Eager to get to Devyn, Lexi took a step forward, but was gently pushed aside by Mikos. Another frown and he shook his head. Lexi scowled.

Damn, she really hated this macho, protect the woman crap. How annoying to see the behavior wasn’t only a human male thing. Apparently angels had the same hang up. Surely, though, she’d proven her abilities by now. Mikos was definitely a better fighter than her, yet, she’d given as good as she got in most cases.

This time, though, she halted and let him go first. Not the time or place to get into a feminine versus masculine pissing contest. Grudgingly, she had to admit he had more experience dealing with the dark side. Granted, a side she hadn’t known existed. In this case, she’d defer to his knowledge.

But that male smirk gleaming in his silver eyes really pissed her off.

Mikos slipped into the dark. Lexi fidgeted, again passing her hands over the various weapons buckled and belted to her body. The
kubotan
felt comforting in a solid, cool sense. When it was obvious she wasn’t going for the gun idea, Mikos had then tried to get her to switch to a sword instead of using a
sanjiegun
.

She hadn’t liked that either. A sword wasn’t her idea of a weapon. Sure, it was sharp and would do the maximum damage when necessary but then so would the
kubotan
or
sanjiegun
. She liked the options the stick and staff gave her in being able to hurt, maim or kill. With a sword, most blows would be debilitating or fatal.

Mikos stuck his head out the door and nodded. Lexi took a deep breath and slipped into the crack. Into the darkness of the interior of the barn. Once inside, it took a few seconds for her vision to adjust to the darkness after the brightness of the early morning light. Neither Mikos nor Mari seemed to have had that problem.

Great. They could see in the dark. Bully for them.

When her vision adjusted, she scanned the interior. Looked like a typical barn.

Despite having never been in one, she’d seen enough pictures she wasn’t surprised to see the bales of hay stuffed under the eaves, the various farm equipment bits and pieces scattered throughout the interior.

Stale smells, as if the barn hadn’t been used in some time despite the appearance of the hay tickled her nostrils. Dust, mostly, mixed with what she could only suppose was rodent droppings. She figured it was a good guess since she had no idea what mouse crap smelled like but she knew they’d be found in barns.

Faint light from various small holes in the ceiling dusted the objects with mote-filled light. Just enough to hint at the belief of things hidden behind the shadows without identifying what lurked past the light.

With a blur of movement, Mari entered the deeper shadows. Lexi watched her go but not before she saw the pinched expression at the corner of the vampy demon’s eyes. What was that all about? Suddenly, a primitive warning sounded in her brain. Something was so not right here.

He glanced over his shoulder and gestured for her to follow him. Good idea. After that look in Mari’s eyes, Lexi’s warning increased until it reverberated throughout her body as if her body was the gong and the odd sense the bashing stick.

As she and Mikos passed around a particular large piece of farm equipment, she caught a faint glimpse of orange light tinged with a sickly shade of yellow. A very wrong color.

At the same moment, Mari popped in. Not so much as walked. One minute the space was empty, the next the demoness stood before them.

“No immortals are present,” she said, her voice not much above a whisper.

It surprised Lexi she’d spoken at all. Didn’t they need to be silent? That pinched look in Mari’s eyes had disappeared. What took its place was, well, nothing. As if her face was a chalkboard, all expression had been wiped clean, leaving behind a porcelain surface devoid of life. Of emotion.

Lexi’s stomach twisted.

“The structure is empty of dark forces,” Mari continued, her red eyes locked onto Mikos’s silver as if she tried to communicate telepathically. Like she told him something she didn’t want Lexi to know.

Like hell.

“What about Devyn?” Lexi asked. She was not about to stand here like a child while the adults communicated above and around her. Devyn was her responsibility. Her…friend.

Mikos met her gaze. The silver had begun to clear. A sure sign that danger was not imminent. Lines furrowed his brow. “It is best we go.”

Damn it, she knew it. “You’re keeping something from me.” She planted both hands on her hips as she confronted him. “What the hell is going on? Where is Devyn?”

Mikos ran his fingers through his hair. He seemed torn. As if he wanted to tell her but was afraid of—. What? Her reaction? That had to be it.

“Phoenix, you must let her see.” This from Mari.

Mikos whipped his head around and fixed a glare on the demoness. She stood resolute, her chin lifted. “You know she must.”

“Okay, you two are really beginning to piss me off.” Lexi spoke through gritted teeth. “I must see what?”

At the moment the words slipped through her lips, Lexi froze. A quick and disturbing thought flashed through her mind as a flicker of apprehension coursed through her. Her gaze focused on the sickly light.