Wicked Wind (Solsti Prophecy #1) (26 page)

“One day I came across a group of demons fighting near the waterfront. Some were Lash, and some were Domu. They were the two most powerful species that I knew of, and they were fighting to the death. It was like watching a macabre ballet–the way they leapt, dodged blows, and sliced with their swords. The ground was soaked and slippery with spilled blood, but they never lost their footing. Heads flew into the water as they were separated from their bodies. I hid behind some barrels and watched as the Lash eventually defeated all the others, finishing them off with demonfire from their palms.

“Watching members of my own species fight like that gave me an idea. Maybe I could fight with them; channel my anger into something productive. I felt like I already had something in common with them, and joining them would be my way out of the hellish way I’d been living. If they would let me in.

“I came out of my spot behind the barrels. I didn’t know if they would kill me, and at that point I didn’t care. My pathetic existence wasn’t helping anyone. I knew I would either fight with them or I would die, and either option was fine with me.”

He turned to her and gave her a wry smile. “Obviously they didn’t kill me. They brought me to Arawn, the leader of the Lash demons. He remembered my parents, but no one had ever known the whole story of what happened to them. He accepted me into the Watcher ranks and I began to train with them. That was nearly two centuries ago.”

Blue eyes locked with hers in the parti-colored clearing. “To this day, Ghazsuls make me angrier than any other foe. I don’t always shift into the thing you saw yesterday. But I can’t control it. When it happens, it needs to run its course.”

Nicole reached up to caress his stubbly cheek. Her heart broke for the child he had been. The horrors he witnessed had hardened him and taken his innocence, but he retained a resolute sense of fairness. Like her, loss had shaped his life but didn’t define it. She stroked his face and whispered, “I’m so sorry.”

He gazed down at her. “I was a criminal. Then a warrior. At one point,” he paused. “I didn’t imagine I’d live to see two centuries pass.”

“You did what you had to. No child should have to endure the things you saw. But you never stopped fighting.”

He shook his head. “And now, by some twist of fate, I find myself in the arms of a Solsti. I thought the gods hated me. But I must have found favor with at least one of them.”

She smiled up at him, her heart swelling as she realized that a piece of it would forever belong to him. The massive demon at her side had lost one family and gained another, and bore the scars on his very soul. She wanted to kiss the hurt away, but knew from her own life that it would always be there. The sadness would remain, but it would exist next to new, buoyant memories. He had come through his own fiery trial as she had hers, not unscathed, but forged into something altogether different and stronger. “Come here.” She tugged his face down to hers and kissed his mouth tenderly, then dotted his jaw with tiny kisses. “I’m so glad you found me.”

“That makes two of us.” He rolled them so that she lay atop him, their bodies aligned.

Her hair had to be a tangled mess of grass and glowing petals, but she let it fall around their faces like a curtain. She studied him, never wanting to forget how he looked beneath her in the moonlight, his body, mind, and soul open to her. Resting her head on his shoulder, she nuzzled his neck and inhaled his dark, masculine scent. She was flooded with the realization that one lifetime with him would never be enough.

With the steady beat of his heart at her ear, she lay pressed against him, his hand at the small of her back. An unfamiliar sense of blissful, contented joy mixed with fierce possession washed over her. She adored her scarred and lethal demon, and she luxuriated in the knowledge of him that warmed every fiber of her being. She didn’t know how much time had passed before he slid his hand down to pat her bottom, a gentle reminder that they needed to return to the colony.

She pushed herself up to a sitting position and, out of habit, looked around for her clothes. Huffing out a small sound of frustration, she realized that her leafy dress lay in hopeless shreds on the grass.

He quirked an eyebrow.

“We have to walk back into the colony, and I’ll be naked.”

“Trust me, none of the nymphs will be offended.”

She glared at him. “Other males will see me.”

“They’ll look the other way if they want to avoid bodily harm.” He got up and ducked behind a tree, only to come out holding something. “I left this here earlier today.”

She beamed as she recognized one of his T-shirts. It would be huge on her, but she would be covered. “You think of everything,” she sighed softly. “Do you do dishes and cuddle, too?”

He frowned. “Hmm. I can’t make any promises about dishes, but we did just cuddle, so that’s a definite yes.” He closed the distance between them and said against her lips, “Besides, cuddling leads to fucking.”

“I thought cuddling happened after fucking.”

“It’s both.” he growled. “And hearing your pretty mouth say ‘fucking’ is really hot.”

She grinned as she pulled on his enormous T shirt and raised her arms. “Then let’s start cuddling again right now. You can carry me back to the colony.”

C
HAPTER
18

M
AERON
PACED
IN
his underground lab, mindful of the bare light bulbs, his head nearly reaching the ceiling. He towered over the Skells, who scurried to complete their tasks and stay out of his way at the same time. Only a few of them had returned with blood this evening, no doubt due to the interference of the blasted Lash demons. They considered themselves to be some kind of white knights for the entire immortal realm, and now they had spilled over to Earth. Picking up an empty glass jar, Maeron hurled it across the room, satisfied as it shattered against the concrete wall.

With shuffling feet and downcast eyes, the last of the night’s successful Skells descended to the deepest part of the lair and crept toward the work table. It carried a plastic container, which it held up for him to see. Just a few precious drops, but it would do. He only needed one drop from each pathetic human.

“Pour it in!” he snarled. “Carefully!”

Shaking, the Skell walked to the end of the table where a vat lay beneath a large beveled opening in the stone surface. Flush with the opening, the top edge aligned so none of the blood could be spilled by the clumsy Skells. This one actually managed to be careful as it overturned its container into the vat, which was more than half full.

Its contents more valuable than gold, the vat would soon be filled with the blood of five hundred human souls. The more destitute and down-trodden, the greater the despair of the souls, the more powerful the blood. Hence, he sent the Skells into the worst areas of the city. Not only did the residents provide the perfect ingredient, but no one would give credence to their claims of being cut up by gray-skinned creatures. Maeron watched the crimson blood drip into the vat before barking at the Skell to leave.

The pathetic Skells had some ridiculous claims of their own. A few nights ago, several had received telepathic messages from three of their kin. They bungled their job and, in the middle of a human gang fight, met a quick demise at the hands of the Lash demons. His Skells claimed to see two female fae in the middle of the ruckus. They fancied the females manipulated both air and water, causing harm and distraction to the humans. Maeron snorted his disgust. The Skells would believe in anything, even creatures that didn’t exist.

His icy heart swelled a little as he regarded his crimson treasure. Kept at a warm simmer by magic, the vat maintained the blood’s viability until he attained the necessary amount. He had all the other ingredients ready. Maeron would collect the blood himself if not for his decidedly demonic appearance. The Skells at least bore a slight resemblance to the human form. Being a Domu had great advantages, but looking human was not one of them. He stood nearly seven feet tall, with dark charcoal gray skin, yellow eyes, and claws that tipped long spindly fingers. His figure was too distinct to move freely on Earth, but soon that would change.

One of the benefits of this spell was the ability to create changes in his own appearance, as well as illusions of an individual’s environment. And that was only the beginning. A grin cracked his dry, charcoal face. The spell, hidden for so long, was one of the most powerful in existence. He would be able to teleport, erase memories, and conjure demonfire, among other things. Once complete, he would finally receive his due respect.

He’d searched for centuries to find something just like this. He was tired of the supposed balance of power in the world; instead, he saw a void that needed to be filled by one being. And he decided that being would be him. He combed every realm for every spell he could find. He amassed an impressive library of grimoires plucked from every remote corner of the world. And thanks to one of his ancestors, he had his plan in place.

But unlike his ancestor, the Domu Xarrek, he moved his base of operations to Earth to avoid the inevitable scrutiny of his kin. They would recognize a power play immediately. But they couldn’t recognize one if they weren’t around, and not many of the Domu travelled to Earth. Their appearance alone would cause too much of a sensation among the humans, and then the Lash demons would get involved.

All of his frustrations circled back to the Lash demons. They would be sorry they’d interfered. He looked forward to crushing them with a flick of his littlest finger.

Gunnar and Nicole stood with Taszim on the bridge. The morning sun warmed their backs as they scanned the horizon, watching for Raniero. A small group emerged along the ridge far across the field. Gunnar froze, scrutinizing them, then nodded. “That’s Raniero.”

A few moments later they all stood together, introductions complete. Raniero took Nicole’s hand, winked at her, and kissed it, partly to annoy Gunnar, she guessed. Certainly he could see the mark on her neck. Everyone could.

“It’s a pleasure to see you again, Nicole,” he said. “I hear you were a great help to Rivkin.”

“I’m sure you’ll be even more helpful than I was. I’m sorry that we can’t stay longer. Taszim is an excellent host.”

“The nymphs are known for their hospitality.” Raniero’s eyes twinkled. Here was one demon who she doubted would turn down any offers of comfort from Rivkin’s females.

They headed inside the colony for a meeting to discuss strategy. The new group of Lash demons attracted covetous stares from most of the females they passed.
Yep, these demons will enjoy themselves while they guard Rivkin.
It seemed like a win-win situation.

All too soon it was time to leave. Larissa and Taszim stood with the other demons, as well as a large contingent of nymphs, to see them off. Larissa hugged Nicole, kissed her on both cheeks, and ordered her to return one day soon. Like Rosa, she also instructed Nicole to bring her sisters. If she got that request again, she’d be giving Brooke and Gin a guided tour of Torth soon.
Just add “enchanted realm tour guide” to my resume.

Gunnar held her hand in one of his, and with the other he produced the amulet that would take them home. He muttered a few words in demonish, and a shimmering giant ring appeared in the air next to them.

“Ready?” he asked.

She nodded and waved one last time to her new friends. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close, and then stepped into the portal.

Once again she experienced the sensation of tumbling through the air.
Will I ever get used to this?
It was like swinging high on a swing set and then jumping off, except that it took much longer to land. She was glad to have Gunnar’s strong arms around her.

They fell on the grass with a soft thud. She raised her head from Gunnar’s chest to see that they were lying in the back yard of the Evanston house. Gunnar had maneuvered so that he was under her, taking the brunt of the fall.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“Are you kidding? You’re on top of me. There’s no way that I wouldn’t be okay.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Rogue.”

“Vixen.” He leaned up to steal a kiss.

A voice carried across the yard as a short figure hurried over. “Gunnar! Nicole! I was beginning to wonder if you planned to stay on Torth for good,” Rilan chided as he reached them.

Standing up, Gunnar towered over the Elder. So did the three other Lash demons that had emerged from the large house. Nicole remembered meeting them all, but it felt like it was months ago.

“We made a side trip to Rivkin,” Gunnar said. “I’ll tell you all about it inside.”

At the mention of the nymph colony, the other three warriors whistled and mumbled appreciatively. Rhys nodded and grinned. “Aw, man. Nymphs.”

Gunnar shook his head. “Raniero and his friends are keeping them safe at the moment.”

“Safe?” Kai asked. “From what?”

“It’s a long story.” Gunnar rubbed the back of his neck.

“Wait, where’s Brooke?” Nicole glanced around the yard. Was it her imagination, or did Kai scowl at the mention of her sister?

“Not here at the moment. She said something about a business trip that she couldn’t get out of,” he muttered.

“That’s right. Her big account in Florida.” A few times a year, Brooke had to go to South Beach for some face time with her most lucrative client. “She’ll be back Friday night.” She furrowed her brow. “It’s Wednesday, right?”

Gunnar smiled and took her hand. “Yes. Time passes the same in both realms.”

“Well I, for one, can’t wait to hear all about your trip.” Brenin stood with his hands on his hips. “I hope your last few days were more successful than ours.”

Nicole opened her mouth to ask what he meant, but stopped when Gunnar cupped her cheek. “Inside.” Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, he tugged her to the back door of the house. The rest of the group fell in step behind them. “We’ll sit down and go over every detail of what we found over the last few days.”

They settled into the great room for Gunnar and Nicole’s account of their adventures on Torth. The others listened and nodded. Brenin grimaced when Gunnar described the meeting with Rosa.