Nyx had been here pretty much since I arrived, hovering like an ominous black raven circling prey. When we stepped into the living room, she sat on the couch, reading. She looked up, raised an eyebrow, and grinned. “Heard the screams, Glory. Good screams, I hope? Did you discover how skilled Jesse is in giving pleasure? I enjoyed my time in his bed.”
I groaned. “Overshare.”
She laughed, and returned her attention to the magazine.
Nyx was ancient, but she looked to be around my age. Exotically beautiful, she usually wore a long, flowing red gown—unless she had a field trip planned into the world to make infernal conquests. Then she dressed just like any teenage girl. Today she was in her gown, and my hopes fell. That meant she was planning to stick around. Jesse and Nyx usually took turns leaving to undertake whatever grim missions demons performed, but often they were both just there. Never left alone, I was going mad from the lack of privacy.
To pass the endless stretches of time I read Jesse’s books, listened to music, watched movies on the giant screen TV, daydreamed of Zane and Dominic, and silently talked to Gen. Submerged in hopelessness, I didn’t pray anymore. There was so much evil in the world, and clinging to this tiny scrap of driftwood in the middle of that ocean, I felt I would drown. It seemed certain that Gen would too, and I found myself helpless to give her a life preserver.
I sat in an easy chair as far away from Nyx as I could while Jesse snapped his fingers and manifested a breakfast pastry and glass of orange juice for me. Not in the least bit hungry I accepted it anyway, knowing I had to nourish myself for the baby’s sake. Well, I hoped I did. I still wasn’t sure if Nyx’s intentions were to kill Gen right away or to raise her in the demonic life.
“Where am I supposed to give birth?” I asked. The question had long been on my mind, and I needed to know as much as I could in order to prepare for what seemed inevitable.
Nyx looked at me. “Here. I’ve delivered many babies over the centuries.”
“What are you going to do with her?”
Nyx smiled. “Her? So you’ve known the sex all this time?”
Angry at myself for letting down my guard, I didn’t answer.
“Girls are sweet,” she said, licking her lips.
I looked at Jesse pleadingly, but his hard eyes had returned. He put on his boots, then picked his coat up off the piano bench and shrugged it on. “I’ve got to go work. People to see. Souls to turn.”
Nyx looked at him with amusement. “Meet your quota yet this month?”
“And then some. Been working on a big deal with Dad.”
That seemed to surprise Nyx. “Really?”
“A lot more power will be at my disposal. Going to throw the lightning and ride the thunder.”
She put the magazine down and her face grew serious. “Making deals directly with Lucifer is playing with fire. Sure you can handle it?”
“Bring it on.”
I recognized that brand of cockiness in Jesse. It was how he used to act in response to his human father—courting danger to prove courage. Always the daredevil.
“Even I haven’t gone that far,” Nyx said. “In exchange for favors he’ll want to possess you for his own purposes at times. I understand it’s like swallowing a nuclear reactor.”
“But the payoff is wicked,” Jesse said.
Nyx cocked her head. “What could you want so badly that you’d consent to that?”
He looked at me, a slight smile playing at his lips. “She won’t be able to resist me anymore.”
Nyx’s eyes flicked back and forth between Jesse and me. “All that risk and agony for a girl?”
“She’s not just any girl,” Jesse said.
Terror filled me for both of us. “What have you done, Jesse?”
“I want you, babe. More than I’ve ever wanted anything. I’ll do whatever it takes.”
“But you already have me.”
“No, I don’t. Apparently, I’m not enough for you as I am, so I’ll become more.”
“Jesse—”
He snapped his fingers and disappeared.
Nyx gave me a look of frank appraisal. “You sure do have a strange effect on males of the various species.”
“It’s a blessing and a curse.”
She gave me a slow smile. “I find you kind of appealing myself.”
“In your dreams.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Feeling bold, are you?”
I tried to stare her down.
“Wow, you and Jesse sure are cut from the same cloth,” she said.
“We’re nothing alike.”
“Much more than you realize, Glory. It’s why you were drawn together in the first place. And the way things are going, I predict it’s why you two will be the death of each other.”
* * *
The night we meet, you whirl me around the dance floor, and I float under your mastery. The connection is as powerful as it is instant. I know that nothing, or no one, will ever be able to sever that bond.
You tell me I remind you of your favorite horse, the one who was wild and you broke.
I’m shocked. “What a thing to say to a lady.”
You smile slow and sexy, and say, “A wild horse is free, and there’s much to be said for running with the herd. But she has no one to touch her, or pamper her, or love her. She has to surrender to someone in order to enjoy the true riches life has to offer.”
“Do you think you could tame me?” I ask.
You lean forward and whisper in my ear. “I know I could. And I know you’d like it.”
Later I give you a photograph of myself. “So you can find me again, in case I get lost in the herd.”
“Oh, I’ve already got my brand on you. You just don’t know it yet.”
Your brand is forever on my soul.
* * *
I awoke sitting in the easy chair with tears streaming down my face.
From the couch, Nyx stared at me. “You were dreaming of your vampire.”
“How did you know?”
“Demons don’t read minds, but we do read hearts. I’ve never seen love like the love you have for him.”
The yearning I felt for Zane hurt so much I moaned.
“What of your fallen angel?” Nyx asked.
How could I explain how differently I loved them? I let my heart fill with the warmth and joy that thoughts of Dominic brought.
Nyx studied me for a few moments. “I see. Well, the bright side about your present and future situation is that at least now you don’t have to make a choice.”
“What if I never submit to Jesse?”
“He’ll kill you. Either way, there’s Hellfire at the end of your tunnel.”
I sighed. “You certainly don’t pull your punches, do you?”
“Never.”
Achy and miserable, I stretched, stood, and paced. “I need exercise.” I thought of pulling punches. “Spar with me?”
“What?” Nyx asked.
“You know, fight.” I raised clenched fists. “Box. I was just learning to do it when you two took me.”
“You’re about to have a baby. Like, any second.”
“Well, don’t punch me in the belly, Einstein. I was going to ask Jesse a while back, but every single thing we do together ends up with him trying to get in my pants. It’s exhausting.”
Nyx cocked her head. “You think his sex-talking you is actually about sex?”
“Well, yeah. It’s like he’s starving for it.”
“You are young, aren’t you?” She laughed. “He gets all the sex he wants, and a lot he doesn’t want, but it serves his purposes. Males, no matter the species, generally suck at communicating about their feelings. Listen to his heart, not his words.” She looked at my stomach. “I don’t want to spar. The baby might get hurt.”
Relief washed over me. If she was concerned about that, it likely meant she wasn’t going to kill Genesis after all. If it was just about a Happy Meal, she’d eat and run now. Where there was li
fe, there was hope. I could breathe again for the first time in forever. I took big, greedy gulps of air and felt the tension lessen a bit.
Nyx leaned forward and narrowed her eyes. “But I will give you some self-defense tips in dealing with demons.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Why would you do that?”
“Because of what Jesse’s going to become when he makes that deal with our father.”
As suddenly as I had found my breath, I lost it again. “Why would you care what happens to me?”
She shrugged. “I’d like to see you have an advantage. You’ll still fail, but it’ll be more entertaining to watch than the alternative.”
I thought about that. “If I have to go, I would like to go down fighting.”
“That’s the Glory I’ve come to know and covet.” She patted the couch next to her.
I sat down.
She snapped her fingers and disappeared. A moment later, she returned. “What do you sense?”
I closed my eyes. “I smell a hint of smoke and feel a shift in temperature. It’s colder.”
She smiled. “Very good. If you pay close attention, you’ll also sense those things right before manifestation.”
I recalled Lailah’s lessons in situational awareness. “So, I need to be alert for fire and ice.”
Nyx nodded. “The more powerful the demon, the stronger those sensations will be. The other tip I have for you is this: magic happens in the mind first, and then the results manifest. You don’t have to spar with someone.” She tapped her temple. “Use your imagination to run through your paces. Athletes do it, and their skills improve just as if they were physically practicing an equal amount of time.”
“It’s that simple?”
“Nothing simple about it.”
I allowed myself a hopeful smile. “So, now that we’ve had this super special bonding moment, I don’t suppose you’d let me keep my baby?”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
Well, it had been worth a try.
Jesse manifested. I closed my eyes and reached out with my senses. Fire and ice.
He saw us and did a double take. “You two are sitting on the same couch now? Usually, you won’t even sit on the same side of the room.”
Nyx stood and walked over to him, leaned in, and sniffed. “Wine, women, and song. Work go well today, dear?”
“It’s a dirty job, but someone has to do it.”
Nyx gently ran her finger down his cheek. “You make a mentor proud.” Her hand gestured toward me. “I’ve decided I like your choice in this one. She’s interesting.”
Instantly, he stepped in my direction and shielded me from her view. “You can have her baby, but that’s all. Glory’s not negotiable.”
“The path you’re headed down, she’ll likely come up for grabs. Be sure to revise your will and leave her to me.”
I leaned over to look past him, and she winked at me.
* * *
Later that night, Jesse and I were in bed together and I lay next to him while he sat and watched TV. Not many stations were back on the air, most of the shows were reruns, and he channel-hopped until I grew dizzy.
I closed my eyes and thought about everything I learned that day. I dissected, ate, and digested every morsel Nyx gave me. It wasn’t lost on me that her motivations for helping me were selfish. Expecting Jesse to die, she was setting me up—turning and mentoring demonic recruits was Nyx’s specialty. However, she had empowered me, and I decided to use that to my own advantage.
I pondered the looming threat of Jesse’s proposed deal with Lucifer. Nyx had been right to be concerned. Jesse was in way too deep.
I thought about how important Genesis was to the salvation of the human race. If Jesse or Lucifer took me out, how could I help her to fulfill her special destiny?
I had given Zane to Jinx in the nineteenth century and asked her to take care of him. She had done the job well. I realized he would be would be okay without me, and my heart shattered.
Dominic had given up his divine heritage for me. He was a wonderful man now, and there were already girls lining up for a piece of him. He’d be okay too. The loss I felt at that realization opened a black hole that sucked in the fragments of my shattered heart.
Now I needed to recreate that heart.
I glanced at Jesse and patted the rosary hidden under my gown. Carmela’s church taught that even souls in Hell could be redeemed. Maybe there was still hope for Jesse.
Startled, I heard a familiar voice and glanced at the television to see Evan doing a report on CNN about a new wave of global religious terrorism. Next to me, Jesse tensed. Evan had been at the bridge the night he threw Belle Starr over the side. He had reported Jesse’s role in the murder and declared him a fugitive.
I thought of my close circle of special friends and realized they would be okay without me, too. After all, they still had each other.
It took me a moment to find my voice. It had scampered off, afraid to say what I knew I must. “Could you turn that off?”
He snorted. “Why? Do you miss your friends?”
“Yes,” I said. “But right now I don’t want to be reminded of my old life.”
He turned it off and looked at me with surprise. “Well, that’s good to hear.” Reaching out, his fingers caressed my arm. “How shall we fill the time? I have some creative ideas.”
I turned on my side and faced him. “What if I said yes to that?”
His cocky expression disappeared in an instant. “What?”
I took a deep breath. “You’re after me all the time to jump my bones, so what if I say okay? That’s what you want, right?”
“Is that you want?”
“Do you really care about what I want?”
A flash of sadness crossed his face. “Glory.”
Nyx had said he could read my heart. I sat up and took his head between my hands. “Look at me, Jesse. Pull down the walls and really look at me.”
I felt his resistance, but after a few moments he relented.
Looking deeply into him, I no longer saw the fear that had been there on that awful Halloween night three years ago, but I did see the same desperate need for connection. I had come to understand that although horribly misguided, his intentions weren’t entirely selfish. He had been trying to protect those he loved in the only way his brokenness understood.
I centered myself and tried to speak truthfully. “We once made a promise to always take care of each other. Let me take care of you.”
“What is this, some kind of misguided pity-fest move?”
“You’ve never had my pity, only my love.”
He pulled away from me. “You don’t love me the way you do Zane or Dominic.”
“No, I don’t. I feel a different kind of love for each of you. Truth is, I never thought of you in a romantic way—that just wasn’t our thing. But I’m willing to surrender to this now and see what happens.”
“Why?”
“I don’t want you to make that deal with the Devil.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t want you to go radioactive and melt down. I promised you I would always have your back, and this is the only way I know to keep that promise.”
“I suppose that, in return, you want me to renege on my deal with Nyx?”
“No.”
“You want me to believe you’re on board with that now?”
“No, because I’m not. When push shoves, I’ll move Hell and Earth to find a way to get my baby back. You can count on that. You made a deal with Nyx. I didn’t.”
“So, you’re down with me demonizing you so you can take her on?”
“Ask me later.”
He shook his head. “You couldn’t hold your own in my world. I have to demonize you.”
I swallowed my fear. “Ask. Me. Later. One step at a time. Please?”
I could feel some of his cockiness return. The demonizing was a point I knew he’d never get past, but I’d deal with it down the
road.
“I don’t just want your body,” he said.
“Nyx helped me understand that. I get it now, Jesse. I really do.” I took his hand and placed it over my heart.
He stared at me for a long time, and I finally saw a softening. Tentatively, he slipped his hand inside my nightgown and touched my breast, but I grabbed his wrist. “I want to wait for that until after she’s born. I’m feeling so far from sexy right now. I have a watermelon in my uterus, a dagger in my back, my breasts are like these huge water balloons ready to pop, I’ve got to pee all the time, my—”
Laughing, he raised his hand to silence me. “Overshare.”
“So, you’ll wait?”
“I’ve been waiting for you my whole life.”
I leaned into him and pressed my lips to his. His were uncertain, but mine weren’t. I parted mine to invite him in.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
)o( )o( )o(
Rory and Kaia arrived at the Moonstone covenstead a few hours before dawn and quietly let themselves into Kaia’s small cottage. Although she had left last fall to live with Evan in Atlanta, the coven promised to keep her cottage available.
The covenstead was a rugged hundred and eighty acre spread located eight thousand feet high in Colorado’s Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Despite the deep snowfall, a clear path led to Rory’s front door. When they entered, a figure stirred in the shadows.
“Kaia, we felt you were on your way.” A match flared to life, a crystal lantern glowed, and shadows lightened.
“Aunt Brennan,” Kaia said with a weary voice.
A tall, dark-haired woman rose from a chair and moved to embrace her. “We’ve been worried. Our seers sensed you were in trouble, but we couldn’t connect with you. Not psychically or through technology.”
Kaia shook away Brennan’s arms and moved to stoke the fireplace. “Can we talk tomorrow after I’ve had a chance to come to terms with all that’s happened?”
Brennan, the leader of the coven, was a harsh mistress. “No.”
Genesis (The Legend of Glory Book 3) Page 16
