by Kristie Cook
She smiled coyly again. “My father was a sorcerer—a demon who possessed a human, allowing him to roam the Earth while keeping his magick. My mother was human. Her blood diluted his powers, but I still have the magick of our strongest warlocks. However, warlocks prefer the physical fight and I prefer to fight with my mind.” She waved her hand over her enticing body. “Why would I risk harming this?”
“Why indeed?” Jordan asked, momentarily distracted. He took another swallow of wine, trying to focus on her meaning. “You have powerful magick? Did you start that fire under my feet today?”
She leaned forward on her forearms, her golden breasts pushing out over the top of her peplos. Her voice came out even lower than usual. “I am not a prostitute. I couldn’t let you get away with calling me one.”
Jordan licked his lips and forced himself to pull his eyes away from her luscious curves. He looked up at her face unabashedly. Anyone else would have feared her and what she’d just told him about magick and demons, but, of course, he was not like most people. Knowing she had demon blood, just like him, made her even more desirable to him. He could tell she wanted him, too. He reached toward her face. She grabbed his wrist and pushed his hand back at him.
“I said, not now. Whether you believe it or not, I am not that kind of woman.”
Jordan doubted that. He also doubted she could so easily deny her desire for him. Something else had kept her from undressing them both the minute they entered the house. Because she was that kind of woman. He took another swig of wine, emptying his cup. She flicked her finger and it was suddenly full again. He looked up at her.
“You’re not a sorcerer or a warlock, so what are you?” he asked.
“Despite my power, they call me a mere witch.” She shrugged. “What they call me matters not. All that matters is my power. Something for you to keep in mind.”
“Are you part of this army of Satan then?”
“I am Daemoni, yes.”
“How do I become Daemoni?”
She studied his face for a long moment. “You want to fight for Satan?”
“Demon blood runs through my veins. And so does that of a warrior. Why wouldn’t I?”
She made a sniffing sound, similar to the one the vampyre had made earlier, as though dismissing him. “We shall see if you have the heart for it. The Ancients will know and they want to meet you.”
“They want to meet me? They know of me?” He paused. “But of course they do. My father was one of them, after all. And so am I. Partially, at least.”
“They’ve been waiting for you for centuries, before you were even born. Ever since the prophecy about your mother.”
“What prophecy?”
“It’s not my place to say. The Ancients will tell you, if they so desire. If you want to still meet them.”
“Of course I do.”
Eris looked at him thoughtfully. “You seem so eager for this. But what about your sister? What about human life? Do you treasure anything besides yourself?”
“I care for my sister, but she is ignorant. One reason I seek the demons is to prove to her that we belong with them. We are not human. We are better.”
Eris smiled again and nodded. “Perfect.”
***
When Jordan awoke the next morning, he at first believed he had dreamt the night before, until he realized he lay on one of Eris’s pillows. Then he thought he must have drunk too much wine, because the conversation felt so unreal in the morning’s light. He had no doubts, however, about the demons. He probably shouldn’t have trusted Eris so wholeheartedly, but he felt she was the only way to find these Ancients … to find the answers he sought.
“You do not hide in the darkness of night,” he said pointedly as she prepared her house for their departure. “Not like those … others.”
He still wasn’t sure about the reality of that part of the conversation—men who drank blood.
“The vampyres?” she asked, confirming that they had, indeed, talked about them. “They prefer the night, when people are more frightened. They feed off their fear nearly as much as they feed off their blood. The sun also tends to weaken them. But not me. Not any mage.”
“Mage?”
“Those of us with magick powers. The vampyres have a different kind of magick, given to them by the Ancients when they created the first one. They can boost their power by feeding off a mage, but that would be very stupid of them.”
“It sounds quite wise of them to me, if it increases their power.”
Eris growled. “Vampyres kill their food more often than not and the Ancients don’t want the mages’ numbers to dwindle. We are precious, too. Come. We must leave. We have a long trip ahead of us.”
Jordan’s brows furrowed. “Where are we going?”
“North. As far North as we can possibly go.”
Chapter 5
Cassandra sat on the grass in front of the hut, her knees drawn to her chest and her arms wrapped around them. And she watched. Just as she’d been doing all day. Waiting for Jordan’s return. She thought he would have come in last night after walking off his anger. She couldn’t believe he would just leave her alone, especially so soon after losing Father.
Her stomach clenched, nearly making her retch, every time she thought of her fist hitting his jaw. She couldn’t believe now that she’d actually punched him—she’d never lost control like that in her life. Jordan was the short-tempered one. Not her. And maybe if she hadn’t gone so far, he would have come home by now. As the sun dipped below the treetops in the distance, casting long shadows into the clearing, she sighed and finally rose to her feet.
The few times she’d checked on Niko, he’d been sleeping soundly. His fever had broken and his wounds no longer leaked pus or that strange black ooze. He’d probably be in bed at least another day. When she slipped inside now, though, his eyes were wide open. His lips turned upward into a tired smile.
“My angel,” he said.
Cassandra stopped and her hand flew to her throat. “What did you say?”
“I’ve heard stories from the Jews about angels,” he said, his voice low but steady. “I never believed them before, but now … perhaps this is what they meant. Perhaps they saw someone like you and thought she was from the heavens … so beautiful and radiant … and kind.”
Cassandra blushed and dropped her hand to her side, her heart settling once she realized he didn’t know something he shouldn’t. Father had told her about the Jews—the people who had run him and Mother out of town once, threatening to kill them. They’d seen Mother’s unusual strength, which apparently she gained when he shared his blood with her. Father had never taken them so far east again and never allowed Mother—or Cassandra, once she was born—in a village again.
She went over to her line of clay pots that held her herbs and began mixing Niko’s medicine.
“So you believe in angels?” she asked.
He chuckled. “About as much as I believe in one god who has created and is master of everything.”
Cassandra turned to look at him. “And you don’t believe that?”
“Of course not. There are many gods. Zeus, Mars, Apollo, Adonis. And we can’t forget the goddesses.”
She remembered Jordan’s stories now, of people who didn’t share Father’s beliefs. Her beliefs. “I believe in only God, the one Almighty God. That is what Mother and Father taught me.”
Niko chuckled again. “How can there be only one god? How can one single person be master of the entire world and the stars and the heavens and Hades?”
“Because He is not a person. He is God.” Her firm tone kept Niko from arguing. She poured water into the bowl of herbs and set it near the fire to steep.
“Well, if his angels are as beautiful as you, I could be convinced to believe,” he finally said.
Her face heated again. If he only knew. But she could never tell him, never tell anyone. Because everyone else would believe as Jordan did—that they had demon blood, not angel.
<
br /> Caring for Niko’s wounds provided the distraction she needed from worrying about Jordan. In fact, he made her completely forget everything for a while. Now that he was awake and lucid, talking to her and taking everything in, she once again became more aware of him as a man—a very attractive man—rather than a patient. Her hands trembled by the time she finished with him and she had to sit on the other side of the fire, as far away from him as possible, to settle her nerves.
“You were quite upset last night,” Niko said. “At least, I think it was last night.”
He’d heard her crying? What else had he heard? She thought he’d been sleeping the whole time.
“I hope I haven’t caused problems with you and … ” He looked at her questioningly.
“My brother, Jordan. He brought you here.” Cassandra blinked back tears and stared at the fire. Apparently Niko hadn’t heard everything and she would never tell him the horrible things Jordan had said. She wouldn’t make him sound like a monster. After all, he’d saved Niko’s life. She shook her head. “He’s just upset. Our father—” Her breath hitched. “He died the other day.”
There. She said it. Aloud. Although she had seen him as an Angel, understood he hadn’t died like other people did, like Mother had, it really was the proper explanation. He was no longer here, on Earth with them. He was in Heaven with Mother now. For all intents and purposes, he was dead. The tears spilled. She missed him so much.
Niko moved to get up, but she held her hand out and shook her head.
“I’m okay,” she said. “You need to stay in bed.”
She wiped the tears from her face and they sat in silence for a long time, both staring at the fire.
“My father died many years ago, when I was a child,” Niko finally said.
Cassandra looked at him, her heart squeezing for him, although it had been so long ago and her own pain was so fresh.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
“He never saw me become a soldier. He’d always told me I’d be a strong warrior … ” His voice trailed off as he seemed to lose himself in the past.
“You still have other family?” Cassandra asked, hoping the thought would cheer him. She was rewarded with a heart-stopping smile and he told her all about his mother and sisters, his nieces and nephews. His special fondness for the children came clear in his voice.
“And you?”
Cassandra shook her head. “Only Jordan. He’s my twin brother.”
“Your mother?”
“She died many years ago. It’s only been Father, Jordan and me. And now … ”
“Just you and Jordan,” Niko finished for her. But she didn’t know if she could even believe that. She felt as though it might just be herself now. She shook her head.
“I don’t know,” she whispered. “I don’t know if he’ll come back.”
“Of course he’ll come back. He wouldn’t leave you here alone. Would he? What kind of brother would do that?”
Cassandra wanted to defend Jordan, to say he was a good brother and would return to take care of her, but it would be too close to a lie. She lifted her chin.
“He has his own life to live, as do I. I don’t need him to take care of me.”
Niko eyed her for a moment, then lay down. He didn’t say all women needed a man to take care of them, as she’d expected, as Jordan had always told her. Was he different than Jordan, having grown up with a mother who’d raised her children on her own? Or was he just too ill to argue with her?
Cassandra knew she could take care of herself. She didn’t worry about that part of being alone. Her heart hurt from Jordan’s absence because he was all she had. They shared a long life of memories and now he was the only person in the whole world with whom she had any ties. Where was he?
***
The days and nights passed. Niko grew stronger. Jordan never came back.
Niko would soon be ready to return home and the thought of his leaving bothered Cassandra more each time she considered it. She enjoyed his company and although her belly still quivered whenever he looked at her with those olive-green eyes, she became accustomed to it. In fact, she liked these new feelings he gave her. Though they’d known each other for only a few days, she knew him better than she’d ever known anyone outside of her own family. She would miss him terribly. In fact, her chest already tightened with longing when he went off simply to collect firewood or water, and her heart skipped with pleasure when he returned.
Then the days turned into weeks and the weather began to change, bringing a chill to the air and making the nights longer. Niko should have been physically able to leave a long time ago, but every few days, he would seem to lose some of his strength and Cassandra wondered what that wolf had done to him. But by the next morning, he’d be better. Soon, they would both have to leave. Supplies were dwindling.
Normally, Jordan would have returned by now. Even if he’d taken off out of anger, he would have known to bring back supplies. He was gone for good. Cassandra knew this in her heart. Niko would leave her and she would need to face the agora, the marketplace, for the first time ever.
“You should come home with me,” Niko said one evening as they ate fish he had caught and a chunk of bread made with the last of the grain and olive oil.
“I can’t do that,” Cassandra said, shaking her head.
“You know he’s not coming back.”
She didn’t answer him. Admitting it to herself was one thing. Admitting it to Niko made it more real. Anger suddenly overwhelmed her. How could my own brother do this to me? How could he put me in this position? She was tired of defending him. She hurled her piece of bread at the ground and sprang to her feet.
“Of course I know that,” she shouted, throwing her hands about. “He’s arrogant and selfish and cares about no one except himself! He’s waited for this time for … forever. For the time when he could be free of any obligations. He’s out there on his adventures, exploring land and sea. He’s probably already forgotten he even has a sister. Yes. I know he’s not coming back.”
Cassandra stomped outside into the chilly night. She sucked in a deep breath of humid air tainted with the smoky smell from their fire inside. She also smelled the change in seasons as colder weather approached. She threw her head back and blew out the air in a huff of exasperation. The stars above seemed brighter and more numerous than usual and the sky itself felt so close, she thought she could reach up and touch it. She couldn’t help but wonder if Jordan stared at the same stars and moon and the thought gave her the sudden urge to lift her hand up and brush away the sparkles as though they were granules of dirt on her tunic. But then that would wipe away possibly the only connection she had with anyone on this Earth.
She hadn’t heard Niko follow her out, so she startled at his touch when he placed his hands on her shoulders.
“So why do you care if he returns?” he asked quietly.
Cassandra sighed, ignoring the sting behind her eyes. “Because he’s all I have.”
Niko stepped around her, facing her. She fell against him and cried into his chest for several minutes. He wrapped his arms around her and held her. When she finally stopped, he lifted his hand and stroked a brush of heat across her cheek, wiping away the tears. Then he placed his finger under her chin and lifted her face toward his.
“You have me,” he murmured. His lovely green eyes stared into hers, questioning if she understood. Her heart hammered. Her knees went weak. Too flustered to do anything, she just stood there as he bent over and brushed his lips against hers. A jolt of pleasure charged through her lips and spread through her chest and to her heart. “If you’ll have me, that is.”
Oh, did she want him. In many more ways than she could comprehend. But it was impossible. She couldn’t have a lasting relationship with anyone, no matter how badly she wanted it. Niko may care for her now, but when he found out about her—which he would eventually—he’d probably be part of the crowd that stoned her to death to get rid of the demon. With thi
s thought, she understood Jordan’s need to find others like them. She didn’t change her mind about what kind of blood coursed through her veins, but she did see how the only people they could ever be around were others like them. And not like Niko.
She swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. She looked Niko in the eye and, pushing her true feelings into a corner of her heart, she said, “I’m sorry … .”
“Please reconsider. The world is very harsh for women. I can protect you.”
“I don’t need protection.”
“But you do. As soon as you set foot in an agora—”
Cassandra’s nostrils flared. So Niko was, after all, very much like Jordan in this regard. “Jordan has told me it’s no place for a woman. But I’ll do what I have to do.”
“You don’t understand. You go anywhere in any village, they’ll see you as a slave. When they realize you have no husband or master, they’ll capture you and make you their property. But if you come with me—”
“I can be your property?”
Perhaps her accusation wasn’t fair, but what Niko told her scared her. When Mother met Father, she’d been fleeing men who’d wanted to take her as a slave after her parents died. Father had saved her from that life. But Cassandra didn’t want to go with Niko out of fear … or pity. The way he looked at her now reminded her of the way Father used to look at Mother, but, regardless of how parallel their situations seemed to be, she and Niko could never have what they had.
“No, thank you.” She turned her back to him, biting her lip to hold back the tears.
“Cassandra, I—”
She spun on him and made her voice come out as hard as possible. “I said no. I can’t. I’m sorry.”
Niko’s eyes turned a stormy gray for a moment as pain filled them. Then he blinked, raised his chin and nodded. “Okay, then. I will not bother you anymore.”
He turned back for the hut and went inside without another word. Cassandra hugged herself, not just against the damp, chilly air, but against the coldness she felt inside. She could feel his hurt feelings as if they were her own and she had caused it. She had broken his heart and hers. But she had no choice.
