Fire with Fire (Demonblood Series #2)

by Penelope King

  “Yeah…Guess Lucky has quite the night in store for us. Did you know about Kieron?” My voice is free of accusation.

  Tatiana nods. She stands up, and together we make our way into the kitchen. “I’ve only known for a few days. I didn’t want to tell you when you couldn’t do anything about it. I didn’t want to cause you any further upset.” Her kind eyes crinkle.

  I scoop some of the simmering stew into a shallow bowl and carry it to the table. For so long, every evening as I fell asleep, I’d been terrified it would be my last night on Earth. Especially when Lucky was hunting the Amazèa. She was basically on a suicide mission every night. And as Tatiana had said, there was nothing I could do about it.

  But every morning I awoke as usual. True, some mornings I felt worse than others. But I was always alive and in one piece. Mostly.

  So I try not to panic too much at the thought of Lucky waging some sort of war against a whole demon tribe in order to save Kieron. She has Bones, and he thinks they have a pretty good chance. So I’m just not going to think about it. Instead, I’m going to think about the fact that when I wake up, maybe Kieron will be in my arms again…

  “Everything will be okay,” Tatiana says softly as she watches me eat.

  I glance up at my beloved guardian just as the first waves of fire shoot across my skin. Our eyes meet, and I have an overwhelming urge to give her a hug. But she’s across the room and there is no time. “Tattie, thank you for everything. I love you more than you’ll ever…”

  Chapter 15. Lucky

  I open my eyes to see Tatiana looking at me with a sappy smile. “What?” I mutter, pushing my chair away from the table. My blood is humming and hopping tonight, and for once I don’t feel the need to hit up Tatiana’s secret stash the moment I awaken. I feel good.

  She shrugs. “Liora was just telling me something very sweet when she fell asleep. It made me happy.”

  I roll my eyes and head into my bedroom. Liora’s probably just trying to make nice for upsetting her the other day.

  My body is shaking with unbridled energy, and I violently rifle through my closet. “Tonight’s the night,” I call out to her. “We’re definitely going this time.”

  “I know,” she replies from the doorway. “I want you to be very careful. Take good care of yourself.”

  I pop my head out of the closet. “Of course. But you know there’ll probably be some fighting involved,” I tease, holding my thumb and forefinger together. “Just a little.”

  “Yes, I understand. And I know there’s nothing I can do about that. Just don’t be reckless or take unnecessary risks. You’re too important to me.”

  Her voice catches on the last words, and I let out a deep sigh. Not this again. I can’t deal with one of her guilt trips right now.

  “I know, I know,” I mumble as she leaves the room. Mostly just to stop myself from hurling clothes everywhere, I stop mid-throw and put on a purple velvet bustier with panther-bone inlay. I grab some snug, low-waisted black leather pants off the bed, and finally slide on my favorite steel-tipped, ass-kicking boots.

  My blood churns hotter and faster, and I feel like I’m about to explode. Sweat seeps from my forehead, and my hands shake uncontrollably. Suddenly, unable to hold it in any longer, I open my palms wide and release a thundering storm of fire and lightning. It blasts out the wall of my bedroom, exposing the forest beyond. Several rows of trees are left charred and smoldering, and bright orange and red embers sizzle in the still night.

  Oops.

  I stand there, frozen by the shock of what I’ve just done. I’m even more surprised to see Bones’ bemused face peering around the corner. What in the world is he doing here?

  “Haudexuro.” Tatiana’s command is as cold as ice. It has the same effect, too. Instantly, the small fires that have erupted around the area where the bedroom wall once stood are extinguished, and the trees stop burning.

  I close my eyes and take a deep breath, then slowly turn to face the woman behind me. I’ve seen Tatiana truly mad only one time before, and it was a sight I never wanted to see again. “I’m so sorry, Tat…it just exploded out of me…I couldn’t help it.”

  She holds up her hand, cutting me off. “This house is the least of my concerns right now.”

  Bones wanders through the charred remains of what used to be the wall, trying not to laugh. He gives Tatiana a polite nod and she favors him with a wilted smile.

  “I gotta go now,” I whisper, pulling her close. “Sorry about the mess. I’ll fix it when I get home.” I emphasize the last words to show I’m not afraid. I will be coming home.

  I pack up my weapons, throw on a coat of my favorite cherry-red lip gloss, and streak out of the vandalized cabin and into the forest, leaving Tatiana staring at the gaping crevice and shaking her head.

  “Goodbye, my sweet child.”

  ~~~~~

  After several minutes I stop running and turn to Bones. “I’m perfectly capable of finding my own way to Demon Bar, you know. I don’t need a bodyguard.”

  He smirks and arches an eyebrow. “Well, maybe I do.”

  I glance into the forest and send out a sharp whistle. Almost instantly Diablo appears from the darkness. “Hey, boy,” I greet him, stroking his neck. He nuzzles me with his nose and I pause a moment before turning back to Bones.

  “Nothing has changed. You know that, right?”

  He meets my steely gaze with one of his own. “I know.”

  When we reach the Bridge of Kings, we’re joined by Alik and Khalil. Their eyes connect with Bones’ in an unspoken unity.

  “Thank you for coming, my brothers,” Bones says, resting his palms on the shoulders of each one.

  “Yeah, thanks…” I start, but let my words die away when I see their unfriendly glares.

  “We’re not doing this for you,” Khalil says, as if I needed to be told.

  Aria meets us at the doorway, a coy smile on her face. “Ah, my favorite Unholy Alliance has arrived. Greetings. Drink up. All of you. We need to be at full strength.”

  She pulls my arm gently, holding me back as the others enter and scans up and down my body, her emerald eyes widening. “You are…” She pivots her head and looks at me curiously.

  I furrow my brow. “I’m what?” I frown, hoping she doesn’t start messing inside my brain.

  She presses her lips in a firm line and shakes her head. “You are very strong tonight. Much stronger than I’ve seen you in some time. It gives me hope.”

  “What are you not telling me?” I ask, my eyes narrowing.

  She shakes her head again, and her auburn waves dance down her back. “Nothing you won’t learn soon enough. Go, drink. We leave in an hour.”

  One hour.

  Suddenly, sixty minutes seems both way too long and way too short. Part of me doesn’t expect to survive the night. And if that’s the case, I have little more than one hour left to live.

  But, a bigger part thinks I’ll be successful. My plan will work, Kieron will be saved, and we’ll be together again. And if that’s the case, sixty minutes feels like an eternity.

  Bones is already sitting alone at a table in the back. I sidle up to the bar and signal to Gyan. Before I can even tell him what I want, he sets down two tall glasses of Jack Daniels on the rocks. “Threw in an extra shot of energy for ya,” he says with a wink as he shakes his strawberry-blond hair away from his eyes. “Not like you need it though. You’re looking mighty beautiful tonight, if I may say so.”

  “You may.” I smile and give him a mock curtsey before gulping down the first glass. I hand it back to him. “Mind topping ‘er off before I sit down?”

  He nods and fixes me another while I glance over at Bones. From my vantage I can only see his back, but even from here I can tell he’s not happy. His head is lowered, his broad shoulders slumped. More than once I catch him nervously running his hands through his hair, a gesture he uses only when he’s really stressed about something.

  “Say, what’s going on around h
ere anyway…you two up to something?” Gyan asks, suddenly reappearing and setting my fresh drink beside me. He shifts his eyes from me to Bones, obviously leery.

  I spin around, my face two inches from his. “Why do you wanna know? What have you heard?” I hiss, grabbing his collar and pulling him close. The next second I’m clenching nothing but air, and Gyan is standing three feet away.

  “Gee, that wasn’t a suspicious reaction at all,” he says with a ruddy smirk. I sigh and motion to him to come closer, but he shakes his head. “Only if you promise to keep your hands off the merchandise. I don’t care how hot you are. You scare me.”

  Exasperated, I roll my eyes. “I promise. Now come here. Why did you ask me that?” I whisper when he leans over to me again.

  He shrugs. “I hear things.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like maybe some demons in here who shall remain nameless are planning some sort of raid on the blokes who attacked us.”

  I stare at him, my mouth open. “Blokes? Who talks like that? Where’re you from, anyways?”

  Gyan smiles. “So flattered you asked. I’m from Ireland originally, but spent about fifty years in London before heading over to the New World. After a brief stint in New York—”

  “Aw, sweet hell, I don’t care. Just don’t be running your mouth to anyone about our plans or I’ll send you back over the rainbow. Got it, Lucky Charms?”

  I’m starting toward Bones when I hear Gyan say, “I want to go with you.”

  I turn and give him a look. “No.”

  “Why not?”

  “Why?”

  “These are the blokes that attacked my bar, yes?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, that’s why. Where I come from, that’s akin to attacking family. Besides, I need to get out of here for a spell. I haven’t been outdoors in almost two weeks.”

  “You can’t help us,” I tell him.

  “It can’t hurt to let me go. I’ll stay out of the way. And who knows, maybe I’ll come in handy. We Vaporans have our uses.”

  Before I can blink, he disappears from behind the bar, only to appear right beside me. He snatches the drinks from my hands and disappears again. Before I even know what happened, he’s back in his usual spot behind the bar, cleaning a mug with a towel and a smirk. “Your drinks are waiting for you on Bones’ table. Why don’t you tell him of our plan?” He winks again and I shrug. Maybe he’ll come in handy after all.

  “We leave in one hour.”

  Bones barely looks up as I sit down across from him. “You okay?”

  He shrugs one shoulder while raising his glass to his lips. The same lips that kissed every inch of my body last night. But I can’t think about that now, no matter how delicious the memory.

  The Bar isn’t as crowded as I’d expect it to be this time of night. Alik and Khalil are chugging beers with other demons by the pool table, and as Alik bends over to take a shot, I catch Micah staring at me. He flashes a cocky smirk and blows me a kiss. Venom fills my eyes, and I turn my attention back to Bones. How badly I want to wrap my hand around his right now. But I can’t. I cannot torture myself any more than I already have.

  “Wanna go over the plan?” I ask quietly.

  Bones stifles his guffaw. “You trying to say we actually have one?”

  I give him a dirty look. “Of course I have a plan. And it’s a pretty good one, too. Nice and simple.”

  He stretches out his arms and laces his fingers behind his head, amusement lighting up his eyes. “Let’s hear it.”

  I ignore the patronizing tone to his voice, as if he’s humoring a five year old child who claims she knows how Einstein’s theory of relativity works. Bones may think I’m completely insane, but I don’t really care. As long as he’s got my back, he’s free to feel however he wants.

  “Well, there’s some slight modification needed now that Gyan’s coming—”

  Bones’ eyebrows shoot up. “What? What’s he wanna go do something stupid like that for?”

  “Guess he’s got some crazy Bar loyalty or something. I dunno. Maybe ‘cause he’s Irish…or English, I think…?”

  “I don’t care if he’s from Mars, he’s not going.”

  “Why not? What do you care?”

  “It’s another demon to look after, and frankly, I have enough on my plate trying to make sure you and Aria stay safe.”

  I don’t like the way he lumped Aria and me together like that, but I suppose in a way he’s right. Aria’s weapons are all mental, and as powerful as they are, she’s still physically vulnerable. And as much as I hate to admit it, she’s probably our most important asset.

  “Maybe he can help. He’s a Vaporans…I’m thinking he can do some recon for us. It puts him in the line of fire, but he insisted on going. Besides, I already told him he could.” I take a long drink, mostly to avoid Bones’ disapproving glare.

  “All right, General Custer, tell me your plan.”

  I roll my eyes. “Very funny. It’s not that hard, really. We ride over to the Hlbafa side, staying out of sight. If we encounter any attacks, I have the stones and arrows. From what I read in the demon grimoire, most of the tribe resides in a small village in the western-most part of their territory by a lava river named the Putloges. The other side of this river is most likely where Kieron is being kept…there are several communal buildings, and it’s pretty well protected. It’s by their Energy source, and they probably want several guards on him at all times. Just makes sense they’d keep him close.”

  Bones looks unimpressed. “Yeah, then what? Just gonna march on in?”

  I shake my head. “No. Aria will be scanning and reading the area. When she feels we’re close, we send in Gyan to do a quick recon to get Kieron’s exact location and condition. He’ll flash in and out before anyone even realizes he’s there.”

  Bones meets my gaze and for the first time shows a spark of interest. “Then what?”

  “We can use Khalil and Alik to create a distraction if needed. After Aria has commanded any remaining guards away, then we march on in and rescue him.”

  I set my glass down and smile triumphantly. It really does seem so simple. And even if we do encounter some resistance, which I’m fully expecting, it’s tough to outmatch three hellhounds, a powerful telepath, an uncatchable Vaporans, and a Justice demon with an arsenal that’s second-to-none. But my stomach has been churning and flipping ever since I sat down. Maybe it’s because of the unspoken words in Bones’ eyes.

  He reaches his hand across the table and gently covers mine. “Don’t,” I whisper, pulling away. Bones stares at me as if I’ve slapped him.

  “So, the big party is tonight, huh?” A mocking laugh interrupts the tense moment. Micah stands beside our table, looking like he’s ready to pose for the cover of a trashy romance novel. His bronzed, bare chest is puffed and proud, and his long blond locks seem to flow in some invisible breeze. “I’m almost tempted to join in the fun, if only to watch this crazy bitch get what’s coming to her.” His amber eyes lock with Bones’, challenging him.

  But Bones doesn’t take the bait. He slowly gets to his feet and heads back up to the bar. I follow him, deliberately turning my back on Micah. Gyan slides over, an impish grin lighting his freckled face. “Hey, guys, did I ever tell you that I’m also part Veritas demon? So if you need to get the truth outta some feller, as long as he’s got at least a few drops of Sapie blood in him somewhere, I’m your guy.”

  “You’re just full of hidden talents, aren’t you?” I mutter, still simmering over Micah’s rudeness. He has a gift for crawling under my skin in a way no other creature can. Like a perpetual itch I can’t scratch. Maybe when this is all over, I can show him just what a ‘crazy bitch’ I really am. But not tonight. Tonight my rage is already spoken for. All my energy, all my desire, all my strength…all my everything is focused on one thing and one thing only.

  Getting Kieron back.

  ~~~

  Khalil and Bones take the lead. I race behind
them on Diablo, followed by Aria and Gyan riding double on Aria’s mount, a pure white Arabian mare named Kyrie. Alik brings up the rear. I’m reminded of another hunting party not too long ago…the one where Bones, Kieron and I went looking for Ivy and Cody. That had ended with disaster. But this time will be different.

  I glance over my shoulder and bite back a smile at Gyan’s terrified face as he clutches on to Aria as if his life depends on it. Which, at the speeds we’re travelling, it probably does.

  We reach the border and slow down. For some reason my heart is strangely calm. I’m supposed to be here. I am supposed to do this. Whatever happens tonight is exactly what is supposed to happen.

  We gather in a circle, and Bones phases into human form. “Okay, the border is right past that clump of trees over there. Once we cross it, we’re fair game.”

  “What do you mean, ‘once we cross it’? Obviously we’ve already been fair game; we were attacked under our own roof!”

  “I meant from the Legionare, Lucky. We have no defense for what we’re about to do, and it’s a capital offense. If we survive the Hlbafa, the Legionare could still come after us if we’re ever found out. I just want to take this chance to tell anyone who wants to go back, do it now. No judgments. No hard feelings.”

  After several seconds of silence Bones nods. “Okay, then. We stay close together. Aria, you listen for hostile demon presence in the area. If you hear any, send them away and let us know. Lucky, you get your bow in hand and be ready to use it. Only use the stones in extreme emergency, and give us fair warning first. Gyan—” Bones stops and looks blank. “Gyan, you just try not to get killed, I guess.”

  “Bones—” Aria starts, and then stops. He looks up at her, and she nervously licks her lips. “I…I just hope we don’t run into too many at once. I’ve never used mind control on more than maybe a dozen or so demons at one time before. If there’s more than that, I fear—”