Sean laughed lightly as he nuzzled between her breasts. Glancing up, his eyes shining with something so powerful, it nearly broke her heart, he whispered, “I love you, darling.”
Something inside her cracked open at the welcoming heat from his embrace.
Light flashed.
Darkness descended.
She opened her eyes to see Sean hovering over her, concern filling his strange black and red ringed eyes. Emotions boiled up, unable to be contained as her heart felt like it was shattering. How could she have seen something she could never actually have? Such a thing would never be possible.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
She slapped him, her palm cracking loudly on his cheek.
He reared back, eyes flashing with angry confusion. “What the hell was that for?”
Sitting up, she struggled to contain her ragged emotions. She bit her tongue on an apology. She couldn’t speak. Fear coursed through her as her eyes burned, a hot ball of pain gathered in her throat.
“Fine. I’ll assume you were having a vision and you didn’t mean to hit me.” He closed her door, then stomped around to the driver’s side of the truck, muttering something she couldn’t quite make out.
When he got in, he slammed his door and started the truck, then tore across the field, heading back to the highway.
Mayah let her head fall back on the seat and closed her eyes, trying to block the memories of the vision of her and Sean—get back to the earlier one of her brother—but it remained forefront in her mind.
Such a thing between them wasn’t possible. He might have shown her that perhaps… just perhaps… he wasn’t like Brüs, but that didn’t mean she trusted him fully.
She was only working with him. Using him to help free her brother.
Except, a small part inside her didn’t quite believe that any more. That small part of her thought him an honorable man. Like her father and brothers, instead of the demons she’d known since the war in her homeland. They watched over each other, had kept one another safe multiple times.
Even so, even if she might be able to trust him, such a thing like her vision wasn’t possible.
Her father’s image came to mind, sparking her curiosity. He’d been doting, always making sure to take time from his duties to play with her and her brothers when they were little. She sighed softly, as her thoughts turned to her mother. Her parents love had been so great, her mother had chosen to risk her life to bear her husband children.
She’d died doing so, though Mayah’s father had always told them that their mother had swore on her last breath it had been worth it.
Yet, demon lore said that to have such a relationship with any man wouldn’t just be risking her life. Love would steal her powers. That which made her who she was. She’d be risking part of her very soul. She’d never give up who she was for any man.
* * *
Sean sped down the highway, casting glances at Mayah every so often. Once more she wore her unemotional mask, though he could practically hear her thinking.
His cheek burned from where she’d hit him.
What the hell had provoked such a reaction?
After a couple tense and silent hours, dawn neared. He pulled up to the gas station where his package should be waiting and turned off the truck, the engine ticks breaking the silence between them. “Did you see anything about your brother?” he asked softly.
Slowly, Mayah opened her eyes, but she didn’t look at him. “Brüs spoke to me in the vision, which should be impossible. He has some sort of magical ring that allowed him to see and talk to me. If I do not arrive before the first night of the full moon he will…” her voice cracked, “kill my brother.”
“You believe he spoke truthfully?” he asked.
“I do. The man is maddened. Hungry for power, yet, his temper gets the better of him.”
“Fine.” Sean opened his door. “If you truly believe we must hurry, we’ll plan for that. But keep in mind, it will only make an ambush easier for him and his men.”
He shut his door quietly and headed into the building. Sure enough, a couple boxes waited for him.
During his earlier phone call with his father, there hadn’t been any questions of why he was doing this. Surprisingly. He’d been told to take care of the prophetess, help her as needed, then return home safely.
After loading the boxes in the back of the truck, he found the maps his father had sent. One showed the steep cliffs of the mountaintop fortress. And a fortress it was. The outer walls spanned a few miles in diameter.
Other maps showed the surrounding mountain peaks and valleys.
Mayah tried to look at them, though she stayed nearly pressed against her door, as if trying to keep as far from him as possible.
With an exasperated sigh, he remarked, “I don’t bite. You should know that by now.”
Her cheeks pinkened and she reached up, nervously twisting one of her braids around her fingers. “I can wait until you’re done.”
He grabbed the map and scooted to the middle of the seat, then held the paper against the dashboard. “I told you I’m here to help. We’ll figure this out together. All right?”
She blinked, her lips twitching as if she wanted to say something sarcastic. Maybe she was finally beginning to believe he wasn’t as big of an ass as Brüs. Her fingers continued to work her braid nervously, but she finally unplastered herself from the door.
Taking a blue marker, Sean crossed out the easiest paths. Those were sure to be full of traps. Mayah pointed out a few more she figured Brüs would likely be watching closely.
After narrowing their choices down to three areas they could actually traverse with their limited gear, but hopefully difficult enough to hike that there wouldn’t be many spots for ambush, Sean pulled out more maps and handed them to her. “Use these to cross-check for other obstacles. Can you chart them for us?”
Their fingers brushed together and a shock of energy coursed up his arm.
She gasped, jerking back and shot him an assessing gaze, before nodding. “Of course.”
As he put the truck in drive for the last leg of the trip—or at least the last part they could make without footing it—he couldn’t stop thinking about Mayah.
She was an enigma wrapped mystery most of the time. Damn if it wasn’t intriguing.
Chapter Twelve
That evening, they reached some sort of state park. Snow lightly dusted the shadows beneath the trees.
Sean pulled into a long-term parking spot, then flipped out his cell phone.
Mayah packed up the maps she’d been studying, frustrated at the idea of taking a back route and wasting time. Yet, she knew Sean’s logic was sound. She’d narrowed it down to two hard-to-ambush paths while still keeping to the timeframe Brüs had sent in the vision.
“We’re here,” Sean stated shortly over his phone.
A tinny voice came from the other end. “Stay safe. Check in when you can.”
Mayah stepped from the warm cab into the icy air, not wanting to eavesdrop. The emotion coming from the woman on the other end of the call was palatable. It was love for another, full of worry that something bad might happen.
After exiting the truck, Sean looked over her notes on the map, agreed with her assessment, then looked her directly in the eyes. “Which one?”
“You want me to choose?”
“This is your brother, and your worry.”
She selected the direction she figured would get them there a couple days shy of their deadline, just in case something happened.
He nodded sharply. “Good then.”
Mayah helped him unload the boxes, which contained backpacks stuffed full with food—and blood for him—along with lightweight camping items and other extreme outdoors gear. There was also a bag from which he pulled out winter clothes that looked like a perfect fit for her.
Surprised, not just at his consideration, but that he’d sized her up with just a glance, she tried on the heavy pants an
d jacket and was immediately surrounded by warmth that shielded her from the below-freezing air.
Packed up, they started into the forest. By her estimation, it would take five of the eight days they had to reach the fortress.
As the sun began to set, the air turned colder. Sean picked out a likely area to camp for a few hours. He started a fire and put some food on to cook, as she set up the small tent.
With nothing else to do, they sat near the fire, an uncomfortable silence stretching taut between them.
Finally, he said, “That offer to help me learn to control my demon side still open?”
“Yes.” Without thought, she jumped at the chance to do anything other than sitting in awkward silence.
He grinned, striking her deep with his engaging smile. Sometimes, when she looked at him, he took her breath away. It wasn’t just that he was handsome, though that was a given. The emotion in his strange eyes always held a hint of kindness. Of honor. Sometimes, it was even hard to remember he was a dreaded half-breed.
Glancing away uncomfortably, she said, “First lesson demon children learn. Embrace your power. Demons belong to different, well we call them houses. Kind of like separate vampire clans. A demon’s bloodline carries their magic, determines their abilities. It also shows them from where to draw strength.”
“Like your prophecies?”
“Yes. Not only is seeing the future my power, but it almost… nourishes me. It uses energy, but returns it as well.”
“What about Brüs?” he asked quietly.
She twisted one of her braids. “His house, the Abatu, thrives on destruction and death.”
“Where did your magic come from, your mom or dad?”
She stared at the fire intently. “My father.”
“What house was your mom from?”
“It doesn’t matter.” She wasn’t about to admit her mother had been Succubi, a direct contrast to Mayah’s second side. With the power of prophecy came the denial of sex. Glancing at Sean, she suddenly realized her bloodlines were as contradictory as his own in some ways. Strangely ironic. “Do you have any idea what kind of demon the sorcerer who did this to you was?”
“Not a clue. He loved torture, preferring to keep his captives alive as long as possible rather than put them to death immediately.”
“Well, that doesn’t narrow it down. You’ll just have to try and we’ll go from there.”
“How?”
“Open yourself up. Enough to feel that part of you surge a little. You have to get used to it first. Like learning the way it feels. If you’re not comfortable with that, uncertainty will always remain.”
“Do I hum or something, like meditation?” he asked, completely serious.
She couldn’t stop the rising laugh. “If you want, but it’s not necessary. Think about how you call and use your Fey magic, or your vampire strength. It’s the same thing, just a different part of you.” She raised her hands, saying, “Watch me.”
Calling to the well of power inside her, she drew a bit of magic out into a glowing ball that shed light over their camp. “It’s easy, once you get the hang of it.”
He studied her light orb. “Why doesn’t your other bloodline matter?”
She clasped her hands, letting the light wink out. “Because it’s something I must deny.”
His gaze pierced her. “Will we have truth between us or not?”
Maybe if she told him he’d understand.
“Fine.” She shrugged, grasping one of her braids between her fingers. “My mother came from the house of Cambions. She was part Succubi and fed on carnal pleasures.”
His eyes widened as he looked her up and down. “Guess I can see that.”
Heat burned up her cheeks. “It’s magic I’ve never experienced and never will.”
He fell still. “Why not?”
She turned to the fire, watching the flames flicker this way and that. “Prophets, like me, are extremely rare. Usually, the magic comes more in the form of a reliable intuition. Those who can actually see visions of the future are not only considered extremely powerful—and, according to some, dangerous—but they are coveted by those wishing to use them for their own gain.
“There are few tales of those like me who lived in the past. Very little is known in demon lore. One thing is clear, though. When a prophetess is bedded, her virginity lost, her powers usually disappear.”
She glanced at Sean, trying to read the emotion on his face, but failed miserably.
“You’re a virgin? Brüs never…”
“No. He wasn’t willing to lose his pet’s abilities, so kept me relatively safe.”
He shifted uncomfortably on the log. “When we were fighting those guys on the road, I felt… something. It wasn’t the same darkness that usually tries to rise.” Glancing away, he rubbed his knuckles together. “Well, it was the same, but not completely. It was power. And I could control it. But I think only because it wanted to save you.”
She gasped, feeling heat spread up her cheeks. No. That wasn’t possible.
Sean turned to stare at her, a question in his red-grey eyes. A question she couldn’t answer out loud.
One thing she’d learned early was that the Fates never created a destined mate for those with the power to see. Because if such a case ever happened, Fate could grow into love. And that love would be powerful enough for a demoness to turn her back on prophecy. Yet, if his demon magic responded like it saw her as mate…
She tried to say something, anything, that would avoid the truth yet put him at ease. And found herself unable to say anything at all. Finally, she brokenly forced out, “Just try to feel the magic and call it with control. I’m going to get some rest.”
She stood and stumbled to the tent, crawling inside and wrapping up in her sleeping bag. It didn’t matter she was warm enough for sweat to break out on her forehead. She shivered as a chill pierced her deep inside.
This couldn’t happen.
She refused to allow it.
She had to put distance between herself and Sean. She was drawn to him. If it grew any stronger, if she began to care about him more than she already did, her heart wouldn’t survive.
Could she ever face making the choice between love, and the magic which made her who she was?
* * *
Sean watched as she practically raced away from him, wondering what he’d said to send her running scared. Again.
Because once the disbelief had faded from her blue-green eyes, it had been pure fear he’d seen.
Which made no sense.
He continued to repeat his words in his mind, but didn’t find understanding. So he turned to trying out what she’d told him.
Hours later, after the fire began to burn low, he was finally able to find the control to slowly draw out the darkness deep inside him, then push it back behind the locks he clung to so tightly.
Surprisingly, the more he tried, the less he feared it. Not that such feelings completely went away. He knew he didn’t have nearly enough control, but for the first time in his life, he could see a glimmer of hope that perhaps, one day, he might.
He could rule his demon side, rather than fear it would escape and rule him. Turn him into a dark, mindless creature who thrived on destruction and pain. Who craved killing.
And the more he called it, touched it, the more he realized that his demon magic twisted around and through his earthy Fey magic. Something he’d never realized before.
He’d thought his two sides were completely separate, but now he realized just how entwined they were. In the past, when he’d used his Fey magic, he’d been unknowingly tapping into his demon side as well.
It was an entirely strange thought that perhaps his soul wasn’t two different sides as he’d always believed.
As his magic waned from overuse, he yawned. He drank a couple bags of blood and snacked on a can of beef stew.
No sounds had come from the tent in hours. Though he still worried about Mayah’s strange reaction, h
e needed to sleep. Recoup his energy.
Be strong. Strong enough to keep her safe.
He slid into the tent, easing into his sleeping bag pushed against the opposite side from her. Just before he fell asleep, he studied Mayah’s angelic features, realizing how much he was getting used to them being together.
And how much he wanted to continue being by her side.
The urge to keep her protected rushed through him once more. He’d never felt it so strong for anyone not part of his family, and he found the growing connection with this woman disturbing.
There was no future in it. The feelings growing inside him were in no way platonic. And now, to find out that they could never be together? It shattered something fragile deep in his chest.
He had to ignore such things. Besides, she would never have a use for a half-breed once they’d rescued her brother and Sean got them home. To safety.
His clan would take over.
Jordan would protect her. She still didn’t seem to realize it would come with no price tag attached. If she didn’t want to help his clan, no one would force it.
In fact, Sean realized, once the two of them were safe, Mayah and her brother would have the option of going wherever they chose.
If she decided not to help his clan, he might never see her again.
Air rushed from his lungs, as if some invisible crushing blow landed against his chest. The very thought of losing her like that hurt… far beyond anything he’d considered.
And there was not a damn thing he could do about it. All would be her choice.
What hope did a half-breed have against the power of future sight, and more, the longing for complete freedom?
Chapter Thirteen
Two days later, the hike up nearly vertical mountain paths, sometimes climbing sheer cliff faces to get higher, with little sleep, was taking its toll. Mayah hadn’t been this strenuously active in centuries and even though her demon essence healed the aches and pains, she was still finding sore muscles she’d forgotten even existed.
She rubbed her neck, straining to see the top of the next rock face they needed to scale. If only she had the power to make an elevator magically appear.
Demonstorm: Heart of a Vampire #6 Page 9
