by S. K. Falls
I blinked, confused by the change in subject. “Nothing. I don’t think my mom’s going to be cooking a big feast.”
“I want you and Grace to come to my parents’ house. My mama’s doing a big Thanksgiving dinner like she does every year.”
“Really? Thanks.” I smiled. “That’s sweet.”
“Yeah. But you have to bring Dax.”
Oh, great. I’d walked right into that one. “What? I can’t do that!”
He grinned. “Why not? You just accepted my invitation. If you cancel now it’s just rude.”
“You totally tricked me into this. That’s not fair.”
James shrugged. “I just want to meet the guy, Cara. Come on.”
I blew out a breath. “Fine. You can meet him if it’s important enough to you to trick me into it. Okay?”
“Thanks.” I could see the whites of his teeth as he grinned wider.
I groaned and settled back against the boulder, the cold stone pressing into my back. “Now tell me more about that National Guard thing. You thought about it and decided not to do it, right?”
“Why on earth would I do that? I get to be part of an elite team, Cara. It’s why people join the military in the first place—to kill the bad guys?”
I sighed. “Some people join for the free tuition.”
“Well, I’m not one of those people. ‘Sides, this is gonna be fun.”
Fun. Right. I wondered if some people were simply born without the fear gene. “Don’t you think you tempt fate enough by being a firefighter? Do you have to go do this, too? I mean, if it’s about serving your country, you’re already doing that.”
He laughed. “It’s not just about serving my country. I feel like I was born for this. Born to protect what’s important. What’s precious.” I could feel him staring at my profile, but I refused to meet his eye. This was veering too close to romantic territory for my comfort. Finally, he looked away.
“I don’t understand it. But if you’re happy, I’m happy.” I sighed. “And worried, too. I don’t like the sound of a classified, elite team fighting terrorists. Don’t they have enough of those?”
He put an arm around me and pulled me close. “Ah, don’t worry. I’m indestructible.”
I laughed. I’d seen indestructible, and James with his soft, lukewarm skin wasn’t it. “If only.”
My phone beeped and I pulled it out of my pocket. It was a text from an unknown number.
Are you okay? Where are you?—Victorine
I typed in a response, anger churning in my gut.
I’m okay. I’ll be back when Dax returns tomorrow morning.
I’m okay no thanks to you is what I really wanted to type.
Please don’t tell Dax what happened. It was an accident. Didn’t know you’d be home before they left.
I chewed my lip and waited, wondering how I should respond. My phone beeped again.
I’m sorry.
I wanted to tell Dax just to see her get chewed out. But I wasn’t totally immature.
Sure, I typed. No problem.
Maybe I was just completely spineless.
“Who’s that?” James asked, trying to peek at the screen.
I put the phone away. “Just a girl I work with. Sorry.” I stood up and navigated my way off the boulder. “I should get home before it gets too late. I don’t want Mom to worry.” Like she would. But I didn’t know how to tell him that I didn’t want to stay out in the woods too late in case demons came prowling. “You should go home, too. It, um, looks like rain.”
“I don’t usually melt in water, but okay.” He stood up and we walked back to our vehicles. “We doing Kendo practice tomorrow?”
“Yeah.” Standing between my car and his hastily parked truck, I put my arms around him and hugged him tight. “Thank you for being such a good friend.”
He stroked my hair. “You’re welcome. But you know what you can do to repay me?”
I pulled back to look at him.
“Give Dax my invitation to Thanksgiving.”
I groaned and got into the car. “I will, I will.”
James’s chuckle floated to me on a breeze as he got into his truck.
It was hard to sleep that night. I jumped at every single sound I heard. I also checked on my mom about twenty times. But eventually I fell asleep and when I opened my eyes, the sun was shining in through the slats of my blinds. I sat up and stretched, the frightening realities of the night before receding fast. Henry, Rowland, and the rest of them weren’t as scary as I’d built them up to be, right? I mean, sure, they were demons, but they clearly said they weren’t going to take my soul. Besides, they were friends with Victorine, and she lived with Dax—she was pretty much his sister. So she wouldn’t knowingly have put me in danger. Like she said, she hadn’t realized I’d be home so soon. It was an accident.
Right?
A soft tap at my window made me shriek. I pulled the blinds aside and saw Dax’s gorgeous face, smiling slightly at my wide-eyed, rat’s-nest-haired self. I blew out a breath and slid open my window. A wall of cold air hit me in the face, but he didn’t seem bothered at all in his black form-fitting t-shirt and dark jeans.
I smiled and stepped back. “Hi.”
He sprinted over the windowsill without even having to use his hands to leverage himself. When he was in my room, he turned to close the window with surprising speed and then his hands were on my face, cupping my cheeks so gently. His soft, firm mouth closed over mine, his breath like sweet fire, his tongue prying my lips open.
Several seconds later, when my brain was able to form a thought, I pulled back. “I have morning breath,” I said, clapping a hand over my mouth, my cheeks flaming red.
“You’re perfect,” Dax murmured, tugging my arm down and pulling me close again. This time when he kissed me, I didn’t resist. His hands moved through my hair, slid down my back, and came to rest at my waist. I pushed myself harder against him, molding my body’s soft curves to his hard, perfect planes. His heat pulsed through me, and sweat began to gather at the base of my neck and between my breasts.
He pulled back, smiling, and sat on my bed. Grabbing my wrist gently, he pulled me to sit on his lap. He smoothed my hair back from my face. “I missed you.” His eyes roved over my face, devouring my features greedily as if we’d been apart for years instead of hours. “But what are you doing back home? I went up to the house, but Victorine said you’d decided to leave early.”
I knew I had to distract him. If he continued asking for an explanation, I wouldn’t be able to keep up the lies for very long. It was one of the hardest things, to look into his eyes and tell an untruth.
It wasn’t too hard to think of a way to take his mind off of me leaving. My hands couldn’t resist going over his face, tracing each of his perfect, blazing features. His golden skin, overshadowed with the slightest bit of stubble. His gorgeous eyelids, with long eyelashes that curved so gracefully. The high planes of his cheeks that gave him a decidedly royal look. His aquiline nose. His full, Cupid’s bow mouth. That strong jaw, the perfect chin.
I kissed him softly on the corner of his mouth, thinking that he hadn’t mentioned Shuck. That was good—it meant he was okay. “I missed you, too. Don’t you dare ever leave me again. And I just needed to sleep in my own bed.”
I heard his breath catch as my mouth moved from his lips to his chin to his neck, where his pulse beat strong and steady, several dozens of times faster than a human’s pulse could. Before I could stop myself, the tip of my tongue darted out and licked the hot, sweet skin there. His hands tightened around me briefly, painfully, and then, in a blur, he was placing me a safe distance from him and moving even farther down the bed.
“Behave,” he said, his voice not more than a growl. But the heat in his copper eyes told me that he wanted me just as much as I wanted him. He just wasn’t willing to even entertain the thought of sleeping with me.
I frowned and clasped my arms around my chest, feeling suddenly exposed. “How d
o you stand it? Aren’t you even the slightest bit curious about—”
“No.” He cut me off smoothly, his infuriatingly beautiful, accented voice leaving no room for argument. “There’s no room for negotiation here, my love.”
I sighed, trying not to let it show that his rejection, however gentle and well-intentioned, still hurt my feelings. “All right. Well, then, let me get dressed and you can tell me about your visit.”
He chuckled at my crestfallen expression. “I love you.”
I couldn’t help but smile at that. “I know.”
When I was much more presentable, we sat at my mom’s dining table. I drank my coffee while Dax watched me, a small smile on his face.
“You’re beautiful. You do that bracelet justice.”
I rolled my eyes, but I felt my cheeks heat up at the compliment. I touched a fingertip to the gorgeous bracelet he’d given me. “I think it’d look good on anyone wearing it. Now can you stop procrastinating and give me my present?”
When I’d come out of the bathroom, I’d seen the long rectangular white box with a crimson velvet bow on it. It sat by Dax’s feet, safely out of my reach.
He quirked one corner of his mouth, trying to hold in a smile. “Well, see, I’m not sure you deserve this after all. It was supposed to be a present for staying at the mansion while I was gone…”
“Oh, come on. I technically did stay there. I just didn’t sleep there.” It was making me uncomfortable, talking about leaving again without having told Dax the truth about why I left. But I’d given Victorine my word.
He laughed and lifted the box easily from the floor and set it on the dining table. “Okay. Since you ask so nicely.”
I grasped the bow to undo it, but Dax’s hand was on mine, restraining me. I looked up at him, confused. His eyes were serious. “I love you. That’s what this represents—that I only want you to be happy.”
I smiled. “I know.”
“Okay.” His face relaxed and he returned my smile. “Open it carefully.”
I frowned, wondering what it could be. I was expecting long-stemmed roses or something else equally romantic. But why would he tell me to be careful? When I finally got the top off, I had my answer.
Inside was the most beautiful sword I’d ever seen. It was a dull gray color and looked massively heavy, like it could slice a tree like it was a broccoli stem. The hilt was simple and yet exquisite, made of a metal that looked like silver with a faint golden tint. Small twisting vines were etched into it, and in the middle, a cursive letter “C” had been engraved. I lifted it carefully out of the box, feeling its sheer weight, its heft.
I looked at Dax, tears blurring my vision. “Is this what I think it is?”
He nodded, his face serious, his eyes never leaving mine. “Cold-forged iron. I ordered it a week ago and the artisan in Vermont had it ready for me. I know how important it is to you to have something with which you can defend yourself. It pains me that you feel the need to take up something so…” He gestured to the massive sword, its blade gleaming in my mom’s kitchen lights. “Dangerous. And that you have James Spellman teaching you. I don’t trust that he’ll be careful enough with you—”
I didn’t let him finish. I set the sword down in its box and threw myself into his lap, my lips crushing against his, my tongue hungrily exploring his mouth, my hands pulling him against me as tightly as I could. I wished, in that moment, that we could meld together, become one more fervently than I’d wished anything, ever. Dax pulled back, putting a hand on my mouth.
“Stop,” he said, his voice husky, his eyes all heat and fire. “Please. My self-restraint can only go so far.”
I shook my head, pushed his hand off my mouth. “Then stop restraining yourself.” I put my hand against that delicious pulse in his throat. “Give in to me.”
But his hands were around my arms, steel traps that wouldn’t let go. “No.”
I put my forehead on his chest, knowing I’d lost the battle. Again. Finally, I pulled back and took a deep breath. “Fine.”
He put a hand on my cheek. “Cara…”
I got off him, went to my place, and put the lid of the box back on. “No, it’s okay. Let’s talk about the meeting with the Astaroth.”
His face took on a sort of closed off look that I didn’t understand, but before I could ask, he cleared his throat. “It’s not good news.”
My heart began to race as I slid into my chair. “What’d they say? Will they stop Marion’s clan?”
“They didn’t give us an answer.” Dax’s jaw was hard, the muscle there clenched tight. His finger traced the patterns on the tabletop, and I saw that he was beginning to absentmindedly pull up long shavings of wood.
I put my hand on his, and then jerked back. It was scorching hot. “Why not?”
Dax met my eyes, his burning. “They want to meet you first.”
My stomach dropped like a chunk of ice cold lead. “What? Why?” I couldn’t imagine many things worse than having to meet the judges of the demon world. And I couldn’t think of a single good reason they’d want to meet me. But I could think of many bad ones.
“When I explained to them why I killed Marion’s hound, they immediately latched on to the fact that it was to protect you. Being the Astaroth, they knew what kind of demon I was on sight—it’s one of their many gifts.
“The Astaroth are vehemently opposed to Beleth demons trying to integrate humans into their lives. In the past, when Beleth demons have tried to marry their human betrothed and make a life with them, it’s almost always ended badly. I’ve told you before that Beleth demons’s betrotheds are almost irresistible to some demons.”
Thinking of the dark-haired demon last night saying my soul shone, I suppressed a shudder and nodded.
Dax continued. “When another demon kills a Beleth’s betrothed, it always ends up in a war between clans. The demon world is thrown into chaos for a time as clans pick alliances and territories are re-negotiated.
“The Astaroth want to meet you so they know who you are. And, I imagine, so that they can intimidate you into seeing how serious they are about humans and demons not meshing in any meaningful way.” He clenched his fist, and smoke began to ooze out of his skin. “I wish we didn’t have to bring you into it, but I don’t see another way.”
I composed my features before he looked back up at me so he wouldn’t see how much the idea of meeting with the Astaroth—especially so they could scare me—disturbed me. “No, it’s…it’s all right. But…didn’t they give you any indication on how they’d move forward with Marion’s clan? Especially since they want to overthrow the Astaroth?”
Dax pushed a hand through his hair. “They don’t seem to think it’s an immediate, or very viable, threat. Since the clan is so small, the Astaroth believe they can’t possibly do them much damage. So they believe they have time to think about it and, in the meantime, to meet you.”
I gripped my coffee cup tightly. “Right. And when do they want to meet me?”
Dax held my gaze. “We should leave in two days’ time.”
Two days. Two days to prepare for meeting a clan of incredibly powerful demons with superpowers even Dax, who had them, considered “gifts.”
Dax got up and squatted next to me, his arms enveloping my torso, overpowering me with his heat and fragrance. I began to calm down. I hadn’t realized until then that I was shaking, every nerve on edge.
“It’s okay,” he breathed in my ear. “I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise. You are safe.”
I wished I could believe that, but sometimes things happened in spite of the best of intentions. Sometimes plans and promises were made only to be broken. Now all I could do was wait and see how this would play out.
I can taste the tin of the sky—the real tin thing.
Winter dawn is the color of metal,
The trees stiffen into place like burnt nerves.
All night I have dreamed of destruction, annihilations
An assembl
y-line of cut throats[.]
- Waking in Winter, Sylvia Plath
Ellesmere Island. A place even more remote—by far—than Eden. That’s where we were headed.
Part of the Canadian province of Nunavut, Ellesmere Island boasted a population of five during the ten dreaded winter months. It wasn’t called the Canadian Arctic for nothing.
Dax, Oscar, and I sat in the small office of the bush pilot in Resolute, a city that was considered the gateway to Ellesmere Island. I couldn’t really tell what kind of a city it was. Currently, all I could see out of the three windows in the office was a blanket of white. The sky hung low, so covered with soft, gray clouds that it was impossible to tell where it stopped and land began. It looked like an endless ocean of cold.
I shivered inside my parka and Dax wrapped an arm around me. He and Oscar (Victorine had decided to stay behind, and Dax had to leave Shuck in Eden because the Astaroth demanded that he come “unarmed”) were also wearing parkas to maintain the illusion of being human.
I snuggled into Dax’s blazing hug, instantly feeling my muscles soften and relax from the heat. It was better than a bubble bath.
“Aren’t you hot?” I darted a look across the desk at the pilot seated there. He was trim and tall, with graying hair and silver glasses, and looked to be in his fifties. Currently he was on the phone, explaining to a client that he didn’t encourage inexperienced people to conduct their own private tours of Ellesmere Island.
“I’m a little uncomfortable,” Dax replied, his soft French accent caressing my ears. “But mostly it’s my movement that feels restricted. Our temperature doesn’t fluctuate like yours.”
“What is your basal temperature, anyway?” I laid my head on his arm, feeling my eyelids begin to droop. Even though we’d driven to Canada from North Carolina in under four hours, it felt like it had been a long day. We’d flown in to Resolute, and I hated flying. I tried not to think about the bush plane we needed to take to get to Ellesmere. At least the skies were relatively clear.
