“Stupid fool,” I mutter. Kieron comes to stand beside me, and Bones, still in hound form, lies at my feet. I reach down to pet him and he whimpers. I pull back, surprised by the dampness in my hands.
Blood…Bones is soaked with it. But how much is his? And how much came from the other creatures?
I wait for Bones to shift back, but he doesn’t. Instead, he stands on four wobbly legs and limps away.
“Kieron look, he’s hurt.” Kieron leans down to set the torch to Jax’s quiet form. His body will take longer to decompose, and it’s essential we clear our tracks and wipe away any evidence of what has transpired. The Hlbafa will soon realize they are missing five hellhounds, but without any clues as to what happened, we should be able to minimize our danger. We have enough to worry about as it is.
“I imagine he is,” Kieron replies, rising. “That was a serious battle, and he’s lucky to have survived it. You saved his life.”
“No, you did…I was paralyzed just watching…I didn’t even think to throw my dagger.” I shake my head and tighten my grip around its handle. No way am I putting it away until we’re safely back in Dryndara.
“Suppose that’s why he’s not shifting back?” he muses. “Perhaps his injuries are too severe—”
“No,” I quickly reply. “I’m sure he’s fine. He’s just staying on guard until he knows we’re safe.”
“Then why isn’t he running?”
I lower my eyes. It’s clear that Bones is badly wounded, dripping with blood. “We just need to get back to Dryndara,” I say, as I run up to walk alongside him.
******
“Lucky, look at him. Something is definitely wrong.”
I chew my lip nervously and stare down at Bones. He’s curled up on the ground, somewhere between asleep and awake. He still hasn’t shifted back, even though we’ve made it safely back to Dryndara. The three of us are camped out at a small meadow by the ice-river Valkis.
“Maybe he’s just tired,” I say, kneeling beside him. I gently stroke him, and in his sleepy state he flinches. My hand is covered with blood from several deep gouges in his side. “This is bad…very bad,” I whisper. “I’ve never seen him hurt like this before.”
“It’s because he was attacked by his own kind. Their powers are stronger against each other. Naturally he’s never fought with one of his own here…”
“I just wish he’d talk to me…tell me what to do!” I whisper frantically. I can’t help but notice how dangerously close Illyria’s moons are. My time is already running out. But even scarier, so is Bones’.
“Perhaps he’s too weak to shift…”
I pat his head gently. “Bones…Bones, can you hear me?”
He lazily opens an eye and lets out a small whimper.
“Bones, you have to tell me what to do…where are you hurt? Is there someone I should get?” I feel my eyes grow damp. He looks at me groggily and lifts his head a few inches before dropping it back down again.
“Bones?” This time it’s more of a plea. I feel his life force fading, and a panic rises deep inside me, threatening to consume me entirely. I rest his head in my lap and pet the side of his face. His breathing is shallow and labored.
“It might help him heal if he could replenish,” Kieron says. “If you want I can run to the Bar and get him something…”
“Yes! And hurry!” I don’t know who has less time left—me or Bones. I give Kieron a pleading look as he jumps on his bike and shoots off into the woods.
“You’re fine,” I whisper to Bones, though I’m not sure I believe the words myself. “You’re gonna be okay. Kieron went to get you something to drink. You’ll be tip-top in no time.”
Bones rests his head on my lap and I gently stroke his cheek. Please, Bones, please don’t die, I plead silently. He’s not supposed to die—ever. It’s not supposed to be like this. But we were able to finish off the other hellhounds, and neither Kieron nor I are pure demon. They must have had mixed blood, even the leader. Although she was clearly part succubus, she must have had some Sapie blood in there somewhere since Jax was able to kill her. But maybe the one Bones fought with and killed was pure…
Bones lets out another soft whimper and nuzzles his head into my lap. I softly stroke his massive body, not caring that my hand is covered in blood. I have to squelch the frustrated rage threatening to boil over inside me. First Kayla and Michael. Then Ivy and Cody. Now Bones.
Why do the ones I care about keep dying?
I ignore the tears that stream down my face, but cannot ignore the ominous disks in the sky merging as one. It’s almost morning in the Sapie world. Soon I will fall asleep. Liora might not wake up right away, but she will be in control. I need Kieron to hurry. I need him to get back here so Bones can drink and grow strong again. I need to be far away from them when Liora wakes up.
But I know it’s already too late. Even running as fast as I could, if I left right this moment—and there’s no way I’m doing that—I’d only make it about halfway to the cabin.
I can only hope that when Liora awakens, she’ll have an ounce of compassion for our fallen friend. After all, she was friends with Bones too, before our split. She has the same memories of our times together that I have. She knows every detail of our shared life up until the point the Amazèa cracked us in half. Although she claims to despise us now, there was a time when she cared for Bones just as much as I do now.
I can only hope she does the right thing.
******
The roar of the approaching engine sounds just as the first cool waves of weakness flutter through my body. “Kieron, hurry!”
He leaps off his bike and rushes to my side, a large flask of green liquid in his hand. “How’s he doing?” he asks, uncorking the lid.
“The same, but look…” I motion with my chin to the sky, my voice faint.
He looks at me with horror as understanding registers on his face. “Oh, no…Liora…she’s coming…”
I nod. “You must stay here, Kieron. You have to help her. She’ll be afraid, and very upset. You must take care of her and get her home safely. And Bones…please…save him…don’t let him die…”
My words fade away as the blackness seeps in all around me.
Chapter 19. Liora
I don’t dream…at least I don’t think I do. If I ever have any weird patches of memories when I awake in the morning, I always brush them off as Lucky’s. Fortunately, the thoughts always fade quickly and I don’t have to relive her nocturnal adventures.
But maybe I’m still sleeping. It’s dark, mostly. There’s a bright glare on my face. Ugh, did Lucky leave the bedroom light on?
I try to roll over and bury my face in the pillow.
But there is no pillow, and I feel like I’m falling….
“Wha!?” I wake up with a start.
….at least I think I’m awake. Here’s Kieron, holding me in his arms, gazing upon me with such love and concern.
Hello, gorgeous…
I reach up to touch his face and bring it down to kiss mine. As long as I’m dreaming….
“Liora.”
With that one word, my eyes come into focus, and my head clears….only for a moment before it goes into a terrifying tailspin.
I try to jump up, and it’s only then I realize that something is in my lap, weighing me down. Something heavy, ugly. A dead animal? And it’s wet.
“Liora, don’t move. Do not be afraid. You’re safe. I have you.” Kieron tightens his grip around me.
Without thinking, I scream.
“Shhh…shhhh…don’t be frightened. I promise; everything will be okay. Just don’t panic.” Kieron places his hands gently over my mouth. Instantly, I bite down on his fingers and he grimaces, then reluctantly pulls back.
“Liora…”
“Get it off me! Get it off me!” I scream and try to squirm away, but I’m trapped by the heavy weight.
This is a nightmare and I need to wake up.
“It’s Bones,” Kiero
n says softly. “He’s been badly injured. We need to help him.”
I feel like I’ve just been slapped across the face with a million tiny daggers. Slowly, I look down at the bulk in my lap. As comprehension forces its way into my head, I turn to face Kieron.
The sound oozes out of my mouth. “You…” My one word accusation speaks volumes.
He dips his head and sighs. “Yes. But please, whatever you are feeling toward me right now, Bones is your friend, and he needs our help.”
I can’t catch my breath; I know air is entering my lungs, yet somehow it isn’t doing any good.
“Liora, calm down…you’re going to hyperventilate…” The soothing quality of his voice is totally lost on me.
“You…you…this whole time…”
He lowers his head. “Liora, we must get Bones to transform back so he can drink this,” he says holding up a green flask. “He was badly hurt, and without it he might die.” His eyes flash azure, and I realize for the first time how deep they are. Like they could hide the truth behind their beauty.
“So, I don’t care. Let him die,” I whimper, leaning my body away from the beast’s head.
“Liora, you don’t mean that. Bones is your friend—”
“No, he’s not. He’s her friend.” I look away. I can’t stand to meet his eyes. The eyes that lied to me.
He dips his head trying to look at my face. “He’s very special to her. She cares for him deeply. Tonight he was injured, mainly to protect her, I suspect,” he adds under his breath.
“So, I don’t care. Get him off of me.” I push at the dead weight on my lap but can’t budge it.
But my voice doesn’t carry the same conviction as before. I gaze down on the wounded animal, and my chest aches.
Of course I know Bones, and yes, at one point he was my friend. A dear friend. But he’s one of them…and they’re all the same. Just look at what they get themselves into.
“Where are we?”
“The far side of Dryndara, near Valkis River. Have…have you ever been here before?”
I survey the unfamiliar landscape and shake my head.
“But, obviously, you’ve been to Dryndara…”
Slowly I nod. “It-it’s been awhile. Years.” I look up at the sky. I know the shining yellow disc I’m seeing isn’t the sun, but the trinity-moons overlapping as one. It’s daylight at home, yet nighttime here. Forever, eternally night.
Thiberoux—a place crawling with monsters and evil. A place that rips my soul out time and time again. A place I’d hoped and prayed I’d never again see with my human eyes. Yet here I am.
But it’s also my home. My true home. The first home I ever had, and the first one I remember. And in my lap is Bones, the first friend I ever made. I met him long before I met Michael and Kayla, but he always kept his distance…like a protective older brother.
He’d told me when I was older we’d be better friends, but since I was still young, I needed to play with children my own age. I remember him giving me rides on his back through the woods as I grasped tightly around his neck. I remember him speaking to me with his soft, silky voice, explaining the ways of Dryndara and the specialness of Thiberoux. I remember him giving me a shiny black diamond when I was five—the first time I wandered into the forest by my cabin, looking, searching...seeking something that I knew was out there somewhere, just waiting for me to discover it. I remember how he’d appeared from behind a tree and presented me with the special diamond…the one that even now rests at the base of my neck, binding my cloak shut. I remember how magnificent I thought he was. How powerful, proud, and beautiful.
Now, as I gaze down on his broken and bloodied body, my heart suddenly breaks.
“What can I do?” I whisper.
Kieron hands me the flask and helps me prop up Bones’ head. “Here, try to get some of this down his mouth…at least enough so he can transform and drink the rest.”
He opens Bones’ wide mouth, carefully avoiding the razor-sharp teeth, as I angle the vial and slowly dribble some of the liquid inside.
Bones’ eyes flutter open, and he inhales deeply.
“Bones, it’s me, Liora. Remember me? You need to change shape now so you can drink the rest of this and get better,” I say softly, stroking his wet body.
A low growl rattles in his throat, followed by another. Then a small bark, as he raises his head and stares at me. His colorless eyes slowly brighten, as if a light switch has been flipped on inside. He growls again.
“Come on, you can do it…” I urge.
I feel the shaking in my lap and watch as the enormous black mass seems to disappear before my eyes. Almost instantly, where before it felt like a boulder was crushing me, there is lightness.
He’s a man.
He shivers and shakes, his tawny skin welted and covered with blood. I unhook the clasp holding my cloak and throw it over his nude and trembling body.
Kieron kneels beside us as I pour the rest of the liquid down Bones’ throat. Some of it spills on his chin, but most of it he eagerly gulps down until it’s gone.
“There, that’s better…” I coo as if I’m speaking to a baby, instead of a demon monster.
He angles his face to mine. I’d forgotten just how beautiful he was. And he hasn’t aged a day. “Liora?” he whispers.
“Hi, Bones. Long time no see.” I give him a small smile, but my heart is pounding, still a little fearful.
He sits up and gives me a devastating smile, then draws me in his arms hugging me tight. Despite myself, I hug him back, unable to resist the soft strength of his embrace. He kisses my cheek and I feel tingles where his lips press down. “It is so good to see you. I’ve missed you.”
“I-I missed you too,” I say, even though until this moment I’d hardly given him a thought. But being here with him now is bringing back a rush of memories long since buried. Memories of my previous life, before I despised what I was.
“Are you okay? I know it’s scary for you to be here…”
I have to laugh. Although his wounds are not yet healed, he’s more concerned with me than with himself.
“I’m okay. How are you feeling?”
He pulls himself to his feet and wraps the cloak around his waist, fashioning a loincloth. He glances from me to Kieron. “I need to thank you…both of you. I know what you did for me…”
Kieron shuffles his feet. “It was nothing.”
I’m aware of Kieron standing beside me, but I can’t bring myself to face him. He lied to me. He tricked me. He deceived me. This whole time he acted like he was someone else, when all along he knew the truth about what I really am.
Bones appraises me. I’m shivering from the cold, now that I’m without the cloak Lucky was wearing. I glance down at what I have on and feel the heat rush to my cheeks. I may as well be naked in this skintight cat suit. Why couldn’t she have worn one of her dresses tonight?
“We need to get you home,” Bones says. “Do you want to take Diablo?”
“I-I don’t know how to ride,” I say through chattering teeth.
“I can give you a lift on my motorcycle,” Kieron says, “I did it with Lucky once before.”
And just like that my heart officially shatters. I feel sick.
“I’d rather jump into that frozen river than go anywhere with you,” I snap, my voice hard and cold.
“Well, we need to get you home,” Bones says. “Um…I don’t know if you’re up for it, but I can take you if you like…I’ll change back and you can hold on like you did when you were younger…” He looks me up and down, and where his gaze falls, my body warms instantly, as if heat lasers were coming from his eyes.
I hesitate, but know I have no choice. I nod. “Okay then, here you go,” he says, handing me the cloak. I avert my eyes. “I’ll go slow, and grab onto as much fur as you need to stay on. Don’t worry about hurting me; you can’t.”
He transforms, then lowers his massive body. I mount eagerly. I lean forward and wrap my arms around his
neck, burying my face in his silky fur.
“I’ll be following right behind you,” Kieron says.
I lift my face and turn to him. “Don’t bother. In fact, don’t ever come anywhere near me again. I want nothing to do with you. Understand? Stay away!”
Bones takes off at a slow trot, leaving a crestfallen Kieron behind.
******
We’ve travelled for a few hours at a mild pace when Bones suddenly stops and crouches down. Confused, I dismount and step away as his body twists and shakes. When I see he’s becoming a man again, I lower my gaze…tempted, though, to sneak a peek.
With my eyes closed, I hold out my cloak and feel him take it from me.
He chuckles. “It’s okay, you can look now.”
I open my eyes again.
“Through those trees is the Portal…I can’t go further as a beast, only as a man.”
“How much further to the cabin?” I ask, glancing around. I search my memory for this place, but although it’s vaguely familiar, I know that once I exit Thiberoux the scenery will change dramatically.
“I’m guessing about ten miles? It’s quite a walk…I can run and carry you in my arms…”
I have to smile. “Seriously? You can do that?” I don’t know if the idea frightens or excites me. Then, I look into his eyes, and know I desperately want to be in his arms.
“I’ll be careful, promise. We’ll be there in no time.” With that, he scoops me up as if I’m no heavier than a feather and carries me over the threshold into a different world. My world. Once again, I clasp my arms tightly around his neck and squeeze my eyes shut. The blast of wind rushing past my face tells me we’re travelling very fast, but I’m too afraid to look. I bury my face in his chest, feeling his soft, warm skin on mine.
Unfortunately, my ride is over in only a few minutes. The rushing wind stops and Bones gently sets me down. I open my eyes and see the cabin a few hundred yards away.
A Demon Made Me Do It Page 21
