Tangled Sin (A Dark Realm Novel) (29 page)

A crash of thunder broke over the house, and Saia shot up from her armchair, too jittery to sit still. She switched off the television, unable to concentrate on anything, the gnawing hole in her tummy growing into a giant-size crater.

Her bedroom door opened, she whirled around. “Riley?”

“No. It’s just me.” Ikaria slipped into the room and shut the door behind her. More rumblings sounded in the distance. A burst of lightning brightened the room.

“Is he back?”

Ikaria shook her head, looking as worried as Saia felt.

“It’s been three days. Where can he be?” She scrubbed her hands over her burning eyes. She hadn't slept a wink since Riley had disappeared from her room.

Her head heavy, she hurried to the window to peer out at the pouring rain. Puddles formed on the ground, drowning the plants in a deluge. Much like how she felt. Noon and so much rain. She couldn’t see anything in the silvery haze hovering over the garden. Almost like she existed in some fantasy world. Locked in a tower, never to leave…

Christ, she couldn’t take this, not knowing what was happening to him.

She spun around and rushed to her dressing room. Yanked on tights, boots, and a hip-length mossy green sweater. Grabbing her coat, she headed back to her room and halted at the sudden eerie silence. One could almost hear an ant sneeze. The rustling rain had ceased.

“I'm leaving. I’ll see you later.”

Ikaria spun around from the window. “No. Wait, you cannot go out alone.”

Saia pulled on her leather coat. “I know it’s dangerous, but I have to find him.” The hollowness in her chest grew into a gaping hole. “He’s not answering his cell, and it’s killing me being stuck here, helpless—not knowing what’s happening.”

“I'm troubled, too,” Ikaria finally admitted. “Réomer would never leave you alone this long. Whatever it is that keeps him from coming to you makes me uneasy. Let me change. I’ll help find him.”

***

A half hour later, Saia impatiently maneuvered her Corvette through the heavy traffic, heading toward The Quarter.

“If you can sense him, would I be able to?” she asked. She wasn’t immortal, so the thought was implausible, but she was desperate.

Ikaria turned from watching the passing scenery and nodded. “I need to scan for his vibration. Our kind can sense each other when another is close. As his bonded mate, you’ll always feel him in here.” She touched her chest. “Immerse yourself with the emotions you feel for him and let it be your guide.”

That simple? She’d always felt him in her heart but thought it was just her being so stupidly in love with him. Inhaling a deep breath, she let her feelings expand.
There.
In the deepest part of her soul, she felt him…a shadowy light. But the essence was all him. It appeared dull, quiet.

As she drew closer to his bar, she slowed down. It didn't feel right. She slammed on the brakes, sent the Corvette screeching on the wet pavement. Ikaria grabbed the dash, staring at her wide-eyed.

“Sorry,” Saia muttered. Ignoring the furious honking, she spun around, floored the gas, and bulleted out of The Quarter toward the I-10 west and the bayou.

Two hours later, she pulled up under a canopy of trees and switched off the engine.

Heavy moss hung limply over the treetops like thickly grown hay. She coiled her hair into a bun to avoid it snagging on branches, clipped it, and pulled on a beanie. Grabbing her tote, she got out of her car and inhaled a lungful of sulfuric air.

Aww, crap! The stench made her belly roil. She shut the door and glanced around. An uneasy stillness hung over the place. A narrow trail led to the river’s edge. Several fallen trees were half submerged in the water, while others sprouted from the murky depths, their trunks bleached gray; all heavy on the moss.

No, not that way.

Trusting her instincts, Saia turned around and continued to search the tall cypresses fringing the river for another path.

“Too many spirits linger here,” Ikaria murmured, staring into the thick, dark grove of trees.

Really
? Okay, not touching that one, well aware of the superstitions of the folks living in the bayou. She needed to find her man, not worry about unseen entities lurking about.

Swiping at the buzzing flies, Saia took the trail leading away from the river. Her booted feet squished in the marshy ground as she trekked deeper into the forest.

After a while, she stopped and dug through her pockets for a mint.

“You okay?” Ikaria asked.

“Yes.” She made a wry face. “Smell’s awful. Here.” She offered Ikaria a peppermint.

“No, thanks.” Then she smiled. “I like those Tootsie Pops better. Let’s not linger. It will grow dark soon.”

Ikaria started off again. She shoved the low-hanging branches, laden with moss and moisture from the rain, aside. Saia followed.

The deeper they went, the quieter it grew. Occasionally, trees groaned and creaked, filling the silent forest with creepy sounds.

“Wait.” Saia stopped and glanced around, slapping at the buzzing mosquitoes determined to get up close and personal with her plasma. Now that she’d opened her mind to Riley, her soul-link to him grew stronger. “I feel him. Where can he be? The trees here are so congested.”

“One moment.” Ikaria closed her eyes and concentrated. “He’s close, but he remains silent. I can't pick up on any conversations…just the rumbles of the trees.”

Saia’s mouth dropped open. “You can hear trees speak? Of course, you can, you just said so. And I sound like a parrot.”

Ikaria laughed. “It’s more a sense of feeling, not actual words.”

She shook her head in wonder. How could anyone call them evil when they had such amazing gifts? But she knew, too, not every demon was like Riley and Ikaria.

Saia trailed Ikaria as they made their way through the undergrowth, her leather coat the only barrier keeping her from becoming sopping wet.

Nervous now, she examined the shadows in the trees. An eerie shiver skated over her skin, and the malevolent sensation slid through her again. Her ring heated. Several dark shadows detached and slithered onto the next tree trunk, staying in the gloom. Her iron stiletto wouldn’t kill them in this form. Her skin started to itch. Grimacing, she pulled the ring off and scratched her finger then realized she could still sense them—sense the sheer evil close by.

“Ikaria…” Saia lowered her voice, dropping the ring into her pocket. “Are those Caligos?”

Her friend continued walking. “Aye,” she said quietly. “I think this is their nesting ground. They like dark, wet places. The swampland’s ideal for them.”

Crap. Her heartbeat sped up, but it didn't slow her down.

“Stay in the light and you’ll be safe. Even a smidgen of it will destroy them. It’s why they steal human bodies.”

Saia didn't need the warning. She had no plans to be a receptacle for those creatures. Riley was all that mattered, and she had to get to him.

She swatted at the pesky insects humming around her. “Can you pick up on anything else out here?”

Ikaria didn't respond. She glanced around again, and her eyes narrowed. Clutching Saia’s hand, she set off at a fast trot.

“What? What is it?” she panted, hurrying to keep up.

“A human Caligo.”

Trevor? No, he’d come charging for her if it was.

“How long has it been trailing us?”

“The moment we took the trail away from the river.” Ikaria pushed at the overhanging branches, and they found themselves at the edge of a small clearing. Even though the forest had claimed back its land, fresh destruction surrounded the ruins. Torn trees and shrubs littered the ground like a tornado had swept in and destroyed the place.

Farther into the thicket stood an old, moss-covered, crumbling ruins. Vines grew heavily, their long arms spread over what had once been a colonial house. It appeared to have burned down ages ago. Trees protruded from where the ceiling had caved, but thickly grown moss added its own protection. And she felt Riley in there.

Before she could move, Ikaria yanked her back into the safety of the thicket, her attention on the violent damages. “Wait, Saia. Réomer won't be happy you’re here. I know. I know I can't change your mind, but please be careful. Something happened in this place, I'm worried because I can't pick up what it was.”

Saia felt it, too. Darkness and rage cloaked the area. Her chest constricted. “Probably from a storm.” She brushed it off so Ikaria wouldn’t worry. “I’ll be fine. Go back to the house, don’t wait for me.”

“No, that is not a good idea. I should remain.”

“Riley won't let harm come to me.” If Ikaria weren’t with her, he’d have no choice but to let her stay.

“I know. It’s just that anything can happen here.” At her obvious concern, Saia hugged her.

Sighing, Ikaria returned her embrace then reached into her boot and drew out a dagger. “Here, if you insist on staying, please keep this.”

“I'm good.” Saia pulled out the curved blade from her tote. Why she kept this with her instead of her own iron stiletto, she had no idea.

“Where did you get this weapon?” Ikaria snatched the blade, her pale eyes wide with shock. She traced the engraving on the hilt. “This seal—this is my Lord Wrath’s scimitar.”

It was?
Stunned, Saia glanced at the wicked-looking weapon. For the first time, she noticed the black stone embedded in the pewter guard. She’d never thought to use the dagger again, but being mated to Riley, it was a good thing she had it.

“Wrath must have given it to me at the wyverns’ fight.”

Ikaria frowned, handing it back. “You are not sure?”

“No. I just sort of wished I had a dagger when those blood-demons nearly assaulted me, and it appeared in my hand.”

Her friend smiled. “You are accepted by Réomer’s sire. Humans rarely are. It is said his power is engrained in the blade. A strike and you will kill your enemies. A summon, and he will appear.”

Ugh, she so wasn’t summoning Wrath for anything.

And he
had
been protecting her when he’d snatched her from the wyverns’ attack and taken her back to the fortress.

“Don’t forget all the techniques I showed you during training,” Ikaria reminded her, pushing her dagger back into her boot. She pinned Saia with a resolute stare. “And stay alive. I don’t want to face your family should anything happen to you.”

“I’ll be fine.” Saia turned to the building and slipped the blade into her coat pocket. Inhaling deeply, she stepped out of the trees.

Saia crossed the clearing to the crumbly, moss-covered ruin and pushed back the vines hanging over what had once been a doorway. Blinking, she peered into the darkness. As her sight adjusted, she saw more. Trees had taken root inside and had grown taller than the building. Late afternoon sun peeked from behind the clouds and dappled the place in an array of dancing light.

She glanced up. Yep, most of the roof was gone. What remained sagged precariously in parts, topped with blackened moss that looked in danger of falling at any second.

“You shouldn’t be here.”

At the sound of Riley’s voice, Saia whipped around, her heart thudding painfully against her ribs.

Wearing only jeans, his body gleamed with a fine layer of sweat. He sat on the sill of what had once been a window, concealed from the outside by swaying vines. He leaned against the moldy frame. One booted foot planted on the ground and the other on the ledge, his arm resting on his bent knee, he continued to stare outside.

No wonder she hadn't seen him. Though he had a bird’s eyes view of everything around him—he had to have seen her. “Riley?”

“Go back, Saia.” Cold. Emotionless.

Her spine stiffened. “No. If you really didn't want me here, you could have left when you sensed me coming. Or shut your soul’s link to me. Yes, I know. Ikaria told me. It’s how I found you.”

“I don’t want you here.”

“Yeah?” She forced back her scowl at his stony attitude. “Well, I'm not leaving. You're just going to have to put up with me. You left three days ago with no word. I was worried sick about you.”

He didn't say anything or look at her.

Too bad, he should know by now that she never gave up. She glanced around. On the far end of the decaying room, near a water-stained wall with some roof coverage, he’d spread his leather coat on the ground. Apparently, it doubled as his bed. Good, he could share it with her.

She marched over, dropped her bag down on his coat, and turned to face her quarry.

Gods. Her scent, the sound of her smoky voice, soothed his abraded emotions left raw from all the shit his body had gone through. He barely resisted pouncing on her, but he didn't dare touch her.

He was a ticking time bomb. Not because of his Sin that seemed to come from deep within his psyche, stretching and reforming his cells once he’d stopped fighting it, but from the immense power roiling beneath his skin.

Clammy and tense, the changes in his body hammered at his mind, dripping acid that ate through his bones. He’d kept away from humans, away from Saia to avoid hurting her. And here she was.

Part of him was ecstatic she’d come, another piece iced over in dread.

The destruction around him showed the horror of his last influx of power. The ancient trees, brutally splintered, lay like fallen soldiers on the forest bed. Several more cracked and fragmented trunks edged the clearing. If he couldn’t control the next influx, she’d pay. He was too dangerous. Even the Caligos gave him a wide berth.

But Saia drew closer.

Unable to help himself, he turned. There she stood, a heartbeat away, wearing a deep red leather coat, black tights, and muddy, black boots. She’d hidden all her hair beneath a beanie again.

He wanted to haul her to him; instead, he fisted his trembling fingers and leaned back against the window frame, his gaze fixed on the swinging vine. Far safer than succumbing to a dangerous temptation.

A warm palm stroked his arm. As usual, his mate didn't seem to care about the precarious landmine she was determined to get close to. “I wish you’d tell me what’s wrong. If I did something.”

If she did something?

He was the one who’d used her with no care to her comfort. He’d probably hurt her, too. Guilt squeezed his belly.

Saia shifted, and the tempting curves of her breast pressed against his biceps. She remained silent, leaned against him and watched the swaying vines.

Gods, he swallowed a groan as need shot sky-high. The soft, compelling scent of her seeped through him and settled in his brain. And like a compulsion, it pulled at him. Unable to hold out, he swung his leg down and drew her between his parted knees. Her warm hands slid over his back, stroking his bare skin.

Her breathy sigh of relief undid him.

He buried his face in her…beanie-covered hair. Then he snatched it off and tossed it aside, freeing the knot she had her hair in, as well. Her black tresses fell in a silky cascade down her back. He rubbed his chin against the shiny strands. It caught on his three-day-old stubble.

She eased back, searching his face. His mouth found hers in a hungry kiss, drowning in her sweet taste…

A long while later, she broke away, inhaled a choppy breath, and pressed her lush lips to his jaw in a soft kiss. “You have a beard,” she murmured, rubbing her cheek against his in a slow caress. “It feels nice.”

After what seemed like centuries, the answering smile tugging his mouth felt strange.

Only Saia could do that; make him smile. No matter what shit rained down on him.

She drew back and unbuttoned her coat.

He frowned. “You’re hot?”

“You always make me hot.” Laughter brightened the gold flecks in her eyes and brought the single dimple back to life. She crossed to his makeshift bed, dropped her coat beside his, and straightened her long, knit top. The soft fabric hugged her body and outlined her stiff nipples.

And, of course, his mind instantly rushed to other things like getting her naked—on her back, on her knees, riding him.

She walked back to him, asked quietly, “Are you upset with me?”

Upset
? Thoughts of the last time he’d been with her in her bedroom crowded his mind. Guilt flowed, but his erection pushed hard against his zipper at remembered images of her tied down. “Why would I be? I like you restrained when I take you”—his gaze trapped hers—“you did, too.”

Color flared across her face. “That’s not what I meant.” She moved to the other opening in the wall and stared out into the forest, her arms wrapped around her waist. “I wouldn’t have agreed to that if I didn't want to.”

Gods, he didn't deserve her. Unable to bear the small distance, he pushed to his feet and crossed to her.

“I meant why are you holed up here?” she asked.

“Because my enemies are close. And I wanted you safe from danger. But both bastards are a no-show.”

***

He’d left because his enemies would come after her?

Frowning, Saia pivoted and studied him in the waning light. His brow rose at her perusal.

“I get that. I know you want me safe. But that’s not what I feel. It’s…something else.” Something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. And the same feeling she’d gotten the last time he was with her washed over her.

Darker. Deadlier. It made her uneasy.

“You’re different…”

He brushed her hair away from her face, then his movements slowed. He looked past her to the window. His eyes narrowed, slowly changing. No longer a stunning emerald, they took on a more devious shade of a tree python.

At shiver slid along Saia’s spine at the familiar expression, making the fine hairs on her arms rise. Very carefully, he stepped away from her. And an ominous sensation slithered through her again. Evil was close.

“Stay. Here.” The guttural rumble from his throat matched the unfamiliar voice in her bedroom, when
it
had told her Riley was gone. “Whatever happens, do not come near me ’til I come back for you, you get me?”

Anxiety riding her hard, she nodded. A squelching sound echoed in the quiet, like someone stepping onto marshy grounds. Saia spun around toward the window. Night had fallen, and the moon cast a cold silvery light over the area.

A dark figure slid out from the trees and into the clearing. Only by his black, short-sleeve shirt and cream slacks did she recognize Trevor.

Malevolent yellow eyes glowed in the dark, surveying the ruins. The changes in him shocked her. He was no longer human. No longer the young man he’d been several weeks ago. His withered flesh clung to his skeleton. He reminded her of a decaying corpse. Holes had formed in his skin, revealing the black mass inhabiting the body.

No wonder it hadn't confronted her when she’d been with Ikaria. Its body too holey, daylight would have destroyed it.

“Come out, come out, wherever you are, little mortal,” he rasped in a singsong voice. “You can't hide from me. I know the little demoness is gone.”

Her fearful gaze darted back to Riley.

“
Shhh
,” he whispered like it was some game. His python-green eyes glowed with an unholy gleam. He left her and stepped outside.

Trevor, scrutinizing the building, turned with a smirk then snarled, “You're the asshole from the bar.”

“I've been called many things.” Riley prowled closer, examining his fingertips. “But most recently, Death. Destroyer, Persecutor—”

Trevor stilled, his throat worked as if he’d swallowed a rock. “I'm not afraid of you.”

He leaped, throwing a punch. Riley merely sidestepped, and Trevor went stumbling past. He skated across the ground. Snarling, he peeled a layer of skin hanging from his arm and flicked it aside.

A shudder of revulsion tore through Saia. She’d touched that thing.

Trevor pulled something from the new holey patch in his arm. A blob of iridescent black mist shimmered in his hand. He pivoted and hurled the thing, like a snaking missile, it targeted Riley, who smoothly dodged it.

“She’s mine,” Trevor screeched. “I saw her first.”

“Not in any of your lifetimes, you piece of shit.”

“Then I’ll kill her!” The thing aimed another blob, this time right toward the crumbling window where she stood. Riley moved with preternatural speed as Saia jumped back. His body slammed into the wall opening, shielding her. Rubble rained down on him.

Bits of moss and debris coated his face, his hair, but those eerie green eyes, barely recognizable, met hers through the swinging vine. So cold, ominous, it turned her blood to ice. But her heart made her reach out. “Riley...” she whispered.

Eyes slitted, he stared at her for a second then spun around. “You think to hurt my mate and live?”

Saia’s gaze drifted down his back. Oh, dear God! She pressed a hand to her stomach. A fist-sized burn marred his tanned skin. Blood dripped down his back.

She charged to the door and slammed into an invisible wall, stumbling back. She tried to shoulder through again, but couldn’t move past the barrier blocking the entrance.
Dammit
. He knew her far too well. Whatever shield he’d sprung around her kept her away.

Annoyed, she gritted her teeth and rushed back to the window.

With a crook of his finger, Riley summoned Trevor to him. Like a puppet on strings, Trevor stumbled forward, his gait stiff. “Did you really think you would escape my vengeance? And, by the way, your pal, Baric? Yeah, he’s long dead.”

Riley flashed, his hand striking out. He stopped on the other side. A garbling sound escaped Trevor. He stumbled back. Tripped. His head fell off and rolled away from his body.

Wide-eyed, Saia stood there, a hand on her throat. She didn't know which was worse, watching Riley rip a man’s head off or slice one off. Seconds later, the decaying host body exploded, turning to ash, and a black, amorphous mass rose. The Caligo hovered, then moved toward the ruins.

“No, you don’t!” Riley flung a fiery arrow right at the swirling mass, engulfing it in flames. Its eerie screech echoed against the trees. The thing erupted in a poof and disappeared, leaving behind an unnerving silence.

The force field holding her back vanished. Saia barged out of the ruins and straight to Riley’s side. She came to a grinding halt and gaped. Vicious-looking talons protruded from his fingertips and dripped with blood.
What the—

She looked up. Gasped. His features were no longer the sculptured handsome lines she knew, but coarser, elongated—demonic. His tan skin bore a gray tone. Reddish-hued eyes met hers. He heaved a harsh breath and turned away as his features reformed and settled back into the one she knew.

“Go wait inside. I’ll be a minute.”

Why wouldn’t he look at her? Before she could speak, he flashed out of the clearing. Slowly, Saia walked back to the ruins, a hand pressed to her churning belly. Questions barreled through her mind.

Did Riley shape-shift fully into a monster, too? She’d never thought about that, assumed monsters like the wyverns were different kinds of demonic creature. She glanced back through the window.

Trampling noises echoed in the still night. Her heart in her mouth, Saia peered into the dark. Then Riley walked into the clearing, water dripping down his torso. It appeared as if he dunked himself in a river or something. The moonlight highlighted his massive shoulders. Abs rippled with each breath he took. He looked across to where she stood by the window and hesitated.

Did he think she’d be afraid of him?

So what if his features and skin changed, he was still the man she loved.

She hurried outside and went straight for his back. He turned with her in a circle, eyeing her warily. “What are you doing?”

“Stop.” She hooked her fingers in the back loops of his jeans to hold him still and examined the wound on his lower back. All that remained was an angry-looking, red patch. The smell of cold, fresh water and lemongrass drifted to her. She inhaled his clean scent, reached out and gently stroked the reddened flesh. His muscles quivered at her touch. “Are you okay?”

He didn't respond, but freed her grip on his jeans and pulled her to the front of him, studying her face in the moonlight.

“What? Did you think I’d go running into the swamp?” she asked. “I got over scary Riley a long time ago.” He didn't say anything. She picked up his hand and turned them. All she saw were short nails. “But those…those talons?”

“It is what I am, Saia. You know this.” He sounded guarded.

She smoothed her thumb over the ends of his nails. “Does it hurt when they come out?”

“A little.”

She nodded, digesting that news. “Do you turn into a creature like those in Stygia, the wyverns?”

“No.” He shifted, looking uneasy. “I won't become one of those monsters. The shift is just something I can do now.”

Now? What did he mean
now
? Her gaze darted to his then widened as the truth crashed into her. That’s why he was camped out here. “It’s started, hasn't it? The transference is taking place.”

He nodded.

Betrayal like a tidal wave swamped her. She dropped his hand. He grabbed hers. “Saia—”

She evaded him. “How could you? Something this important and you didn't tell me, even though I asked you to? Instead, you left. Didn’t care that I was worried sick about this happening.” She wheeled away and stomped back for the ruins.

“I didn't know at first,” he said quietly, following her. “After I left you, only then did I realize the transference was happening. I didn't dare come back. I didn't want to hurt you. Caligos were the perfect way to release the shit consuming me. It worked for a while, but I couldn’t linger in the city—too many humans. So I came here.”