by Sharon Kay
The pine trees gave way to leafy ones, and she studied the leaves as she passed. Oak, maple. Well, at least that was familiar. The air seemed more humid and the plant life had grown thicker.
When Gin’s legs began to tire, she guessed they’d run about three miles. At least when she ran on the treadmill, her legs started to turn to jelly at the three mile mark. She was in shape and ran a lot of 5K races, but she wasn’t a marathon runner. “Hey, guys, can we slow down?” she puffed.
Ria and Mathias stopped. Thank God. Gin panted, hands on her thighs. “Um, how close are we? Where are we going, anyway?”
“Yes, brother dear, where’s our safe house?” Ria piped up.
If Gin had a drink, she would’ve spit it across the forest floor. “Brother?” Her mouth was probably hanging wide open, but she was too shocked to care.
“Yep. Told you it was a long story. And we’re not close to a safe house.” Mathias put his hands on his hips. “We have to keep mov—”
A mournful wail reached Gins ears, coming from the direction they had just left.
“Oh shit,” Ria said. “No safe house, and the undead are coming after us? What’s your plan?”
“We have to go to Tarsa. If whatever made that sound decides to follow us, at least we’ll have backup.”
Ria’s eyes widened. “Backup? What makes you so sure the Tarsa demons won’t toss us right back to these undead warriors?”
“I know their leader,” Mathias answered. “And Gin, it’s a few more miles away. If you can’t keep up, I’ll carry you.”
“No!” No way was she stooping to being carried like a child. And especially not by him.
A screech carried on a blast of cold air, and the earth shook again. Chills skated down her arms.
“Run or be carried. Decide now.” Mathias’s voice was a low growl.
“Run.” She started up again. She’d drop before letting him carry her.
Mathias darted ahead of her. “Stay close. If you get tired, let me know.”
“Whatever,” she muttered.
A half mile farther, she got a stitch in her side. Damn it! She was tiring, but she didn’t want them to know, so she pushed through the pinching sensation.
Abruptly Mathias stopped. “You’re getting fatigued. I can hear it in your breathing and your heart rate.”
She opened her mouth to protest, but he swooped down in a blur to grab her legs.
Before she fully realized his intent, she was flipped upside down, ass in the air, and settled across his shoulder. And he was running again, seemingly as fast as before, as if she weighed nothing.
Damn, this was undignified. She could see Ria’s boots hitting the ground behind her, but it was all she could do to keep her head from bouncing against Mathias’s back. She clutched his waist and shut her eyes to halt the dizzying, inverted images of the forest.
With her eyes closed, her sense of smell intensified. Mathias. The faint spice of his aftershave mixed with the clean scent of his skin and she breathed deeply, soaking up the comfort he brought. She hung on to his strong body, buried her face in his T-shirt, and allowed herself to admit she was grateful he’d come for her. Despite her confusion and lingering anger, something inside her softened.
Screeches and wails echoed off the trees, chasing away her brief warm fuzzy moment. She couldn’t even imagine what it came from. If they were in the demon world, and her demonic friends didn’t know what it was? That was bad.
First priority: get away from whatever’s chasing us. Second priority: get home. And then she’d process all this. It would probably take years. Maybe she’d need therapy. Ria and Mathias were siblings? Well, that confirmed her suspicion that they knew each other.
They ran on. Gin’s stomach hurt from Mathias’s shoulder jamming into it. She shifted, trying to reposition herself, when he slowed. Gripping her waist, he gently lowered her to her feet. “Almost there. We need to walk now, or risk pissing off the guards.”
She grimaced and stepped back, crossing her arms over her chest. “I thought we were going to a safe place?”
“It will be, once I get to talk to their leader.”
Gin let out a small sigh. This sounded like such a fly-by-night plan. “Take me to your leader,” she muttered, tromping ahead of them. She brought her hand back to swat away a giant heart shaped leaf that was in her way, only to find her hand caught tightly by Mathias’s own.
“Don’t touch that. It’s a stinging bush. Its leaves are covered with tiny silica fibers, like glass.”
“Oh.” Well, damn, she felt silly. She stepped back and smacked into the solid wall of his chest. Her feet tangled with his, her ass brushing against his jeans for a second before she righted herself. He was warm unyielding muscle, and the brief full-body contact made her ache to melt against him. No. I’m still mad at him, remember? She moved away, putting distance between them.
“Thanks,” she said softly, glad he couldn’t see her face. She had to be flushed. Dammit. Looking for a distraction, she found the two moons, hanging much lower in the sky than when she’d arrived with Xavier.
“When were you at Tarsa last?” Ria asked Mathias.
“It’s been a while. Guess a hundred years.”
“What?” Gin whirled. “You didn’t just say a hundred years.”
”I did.”
Ria took Gin’s arm. “When we get to Tarsa we’ll have a nice long talk. We’ll answer all your questions.”
“I want to know—”
A shrill whistle pierced the warm air.
Gin stopped, eyes wide, as an arrow arched high over their heads and lodged in the bark of a nearby oak tree.
“That would be the Tarsa guards, and that was a warning shot. They only miss if they want to.” Mathias raised both hands and spoke loudly. “Tarsa demons! We seek refuge.”
CHAPTER 26
XAVIER TUMBLED OUT OF THE portal and onto the rough foothills near Elegia’s compound. He jogged toward the entrance, pushing through wards which were formidable to most, but easy for him to ignore. He’d overseen their installation. The mage who built them was so good, Xavier’d hired him to ward his own house.
His house…where a cinnamon-scented, intriguing fae lay tied to his bed. He rather hoped Elegia wouldn’t be interested. The fae had seemed plain enough at first, but as time had passed—brief as it was—he wanted her more.
He stalked toward a cluster of pines at the base of one slope. Elegia’s place had been built into the hills. It was impenetrable, on top of being hard to find. His feet kicked up pine needles as he ran toward the door, where two guards recognized him. They inclined their heads and pulled open the heavy slabs of wood that shielded the entry.
Xavier moved deeper into the facility where packed earth gave way to smooth sterile concrete. Fire bulbs formed a straight line down the center of the ceiling, lighting the way down an endless hallway. Dozens of closed metal doors hid a variety of creatures. Some of them were prisoners, and some were newly-turned subjects.
One door flew open and Elegia burst out. He stopped and bowed low. “My queen.”
He saw only her high-heeled shoes as she whirled toward him. “Xavier. I didn’t expect you today. Is there a problem?”
“No. My work is going smoothly.” He straightened to his full height and looked at her shoulder. He never looked her in the eye. She might interpret that as a challenge, and he had no wish to challenge her. Though tiny, she was the most dangerous creature he’d ever met.
She tapped an impatient foot. “Do you have anything to report?”
“I encountered an unusual fae on Earth. I thought you might want her.”
“A fae?” Her voice dripped with disdain. “You waste my time for a fae? I’ve already tested the extract on all of them.”
“My gem phone didn’t recognize her and neither do I. She’s unique. You wanted me to watch for anything out of the ordinary.” He made a habit of using Elegia’s own words as the explanation for his actions. She was more likely
to be receptive that way.
Of course, she’d been known to change her mind on a whim. One never knew for sure how Elegia would react.
“True.” Elegia folded her arms. “Bring her in.” She turned and walked away, her heels click-clacking on the concrete floor.
“Yes, my queen.” Xavier bowed out of habit, though he knew she’d mentally dismissed him with her last words.
Her footsteps faded and he made his way back to the entrance. Elegia didn’t want portals opened inside her facility, claiming the sudden bursts of magical energy disrupted her equipment.
Once outside, he pulled a transportation amulet from his pocket and used it to open a portal. He’d traveled through them so often, the dizzying sensations barely registered. He hurtled through darkness punctuated by brief bursts of light, then he landed near his home.
Dread crawled up his spine the second he hit the dirt. The ground trembled. What the fuck?
He shot to his feet, ready to sprint for the house, when a crooning wail tore through the air. Ducking into a thick group of pines, he crouched, all senses on alert.
His home was visible, and—fuck! The door hung off the hinges. The wards had been breached. Had the female escaped, or had something dragged her out?
Anger burned through his veins. His wards were—
A breeze kicked up, bringing the telltale oaken scent of Lash demon to his nose. The questions piled up, hammering at the inside of his head. What Lash would know about this place and who would be looking for her?
He gritted his teeth and hunkered down. No sense in getting himself killed by whatever may be out here. He waited, hidden, ears straining for any slight whisper or crack of a twig.
The twin moons sat low in the sky, casting a weak glow upon the land. Nothing moved.
Thirty minutes passed with only the squawk of a night bird and the slither of a garter snake at his feet. No wails. No tremors.
Time to investigate.
He strode to his house, the scent of Lash growing stronger. Circling the structure, he spotted a break in the black salt he’d laid down. Oh, hell no. He ran for the front door.
No trace of dragon slime remained. Whoever had been here was a powerful mage—or had one on speed dial. Xavier darted inside and beelined for the bedroom.
Empty. But he already knew that.
“Motherfucking son of a bitch!” He followed that up with every other curse he knew. “Elegia wanted that fae! I wanted her! Who the fuck got in here?” He flipped the bed over with so much force it landed upside down, its metal head board snapping off as it crashed into the floor. “Fuck!”
Breath sawed in and out of his lungs. No way was he calling Elegia and telling her the female had escaped. They hadn’t set a time frame…Xavier had wiggle room.
He stalked to the desk in the main room to retrieve another transportation amulet, noting his equipment on top sat in disarray. Probably due to the earthquake.
One benefit to Elegia’s single minded ruthlessness was the plethora of amulets available to him and a few other lieutenants. Plucking three from a drawer, he activated the spell to open a portal.
He’d go back to Earth, back to his work. Once he’d gotten the enzyme-enhanced water to the citizens, he’d contact Elegia. Then maybe, flush with good news, his luck would hold and Elegia wouldn’t even remember the troublesome fae.
CHAPTER 27
FOR A MOMENT, THE FOREST around Ria, Mathias, and Gin stood still. Even the night insects stopped their flitting and buzzing. Then the shrubs ahead of them parted, leaves rustling and branches snapping back into place.
At first Gin couldn’t see anything. The weak moonlight barely penetrated the thick foliage. But as the plant life swished sideways and back with in a methodical, forward-moving progression, she made out the figure of a man. Approaching like a shadow, he had skin of deep mahogany.
“Tarsa does not offer refuge,” the man spoke in a lilt as he drew closer. His head was shaved. Barefoot and shirtless, he wore black pants and carried a bow. Two straps crossed his chest, one of which held a dagger against his side.
“Will you give a message to your leader? Tell D’Mari that the Lash Hunter is here.”
“Hunter?” The demon swept his dark eyes up and down Mathias, then did the same for Ria and Gin. “Drop your weapons. All of you.”
Mathias and Ria complied.
The guard nodded to a comrade behind him. “Javon. Relay this information. We will wait.” He turned back to their group. “If D’Mari is not interested in company, we will find another use for you.” He smiled then, revealing a mouthful of gleaming white pointed teeth.
Gin sucked in a breath as the second guard, Javon, melted into the trees. This was the safe place? Hell. All her convictions to never come here just got reinforced, one thousand percent.
“We’re being pursued, not sure by what. We have reason to suspect it is the army from Ravenbane.” Mathias said.
“Ravenbane?” The first guard snorted. “Tis old legend, nothing more. You talk like a crazy man. And I hear nothing. The earth does not indicate a chase.”
Gin listened. And realized the man was right. The forest was quiet. No more tremors. No more wails or screeches.
“Did you feel the ground shake earlier tonight?” Mathias asked.
The guard shook his head. “No, Lash. Only your noisy footfalls have disturbed us.”
Noisy? Whoops. Gin looked at her feet. I was the noisy one.
A quiet clinking and rustling all around caught Gin’s attention. More men—er, demons—emerged from the vegetation to surround them. Their skin ranged from deep tan to darkest brown, and they all appeared armed. Some had shaved heads, like the first guard, and some wore their hair in dreadlocks. There had to be twenty at least, and they stared, unwavering, at Gin’s little group. At least they aren’t attacking. She’d seen Ria and Mathias take down those demons in her parking lot earlier today—wait, was that today? It seemed like a month ago. But these demons seemed more fierce. She had the creeping feeling that angering them would be one of the worst ideas ever.
Bushes rustled again behind the first guard, loudly this time. “Hunter!” a deep voice bellowed, preceding the man Gin guessed was the leader.
The first guard turned and inclined his head. Then the tallest man Gin had ever seen stepped into view.
She stared unabashedly at his dark-skinned, chiseled torso. He wore no shirt and carried no weapons. Probably doesn’t need them. Long dreadlocks hung down to his elbows, brushing back and forth across his biceps with his long strides. She was beyond caring about how her reactions were perceived—this was all too new and overwhelming.
The massive demon walked right up to them, arms wide, and embraced Mathias. “Too much time has passed since your last visit.” He stepped back and grinned. Pointed white teeth gleamed in the early dawn light.
“D’Mari. It’s good to see you. Yes, it has been too long. The last time I was here—”
“You were working. Always working, Mathias. Tell Arawn to give you a break and come stay with us for a while, hmm?” D’Mari gestured for his men to lower their weapons.
“A tempting offer.” Mathias laid a hand on Ria’s shoulder. “This is my sister, Ria.”
D’Mari took Ria’s hand and kissed her knuckles. “It’s an honor to meet you. I see you got the good looks in the family.”
Mathias shook his head and grinned.
“And you are a Watcher, too, as I recall?”
Watcher? What does that mean?
“Yes. Proud to represent the females.” Ria smiled and squared her shoulders.
“You’re welcome to stay with us, even if your brother chooses to spend all his time working.” D’Mari released her hand and flicked expectant eyes to Gin.
“And this is Gin.” Mathias said.
“Gin.” D’Mari took her hand in his much larger one. He held it for a moment, assessing her with the calm strength of a man used to giving orders. Yet humor danced around the edge of hi
s features, and she wasn’t afraid of him. “You travel in good company. Welcome to Tarsa.”
“Thank you,” she said in a small voice, glad that Mathias had kept the introduction simple. No need to announce what she was. That would raise questions that she didn’t want to address right now.
“Come.” D’Mari released Gin’s hand. “You all look weary. Let’s get you something to eat, then rest. Then,” he aimed a pointed look at Mathias, “I want to know what brings you here.”
Mathias rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s a long story, my friend. You sure you have enough rum?”
D’Mari laughed, and the melodic sound boomed around the trees. “Do we? You have been working too hard, if you have to ask.”
Mathias and Ria picked up their daggers, and the Tarsa demons escorted them through the thick vegetation. In a short walk, they reached a stone bridge over a narrow strip of land. Giant rocks with sharp edges were interspersed with smaller ones, the whole shape arching up in a graceful curve. Emerging from the tree line, Gin could see an island on the other side, full of lush greenery like the landscape they had just navigated.
A shimmering, calm body of water extended on each side, with the strip of land dividing it into two halves. She peered closer, and it seemed like the waters almost met across the land.
“Tis dawn. The tide is coming in. You don’t want to swim in our waters. We’ll take the bridge,” D’Mari said.
Gin sidled up next to Ria, curiosity outweighing her other, muddled, emotions. “Why don’t we want to swim here?”
“The water’s full of nasty creatures. They eat anything. Boats, metal, wood, you name it. And of course, anything with flesh. It’s called the Sangre Sea.”
“Eew.” Thank goodness for the bridge. She followed Ria onto the roughhewn stone. Towers loomed at the right and left side of the bridge. Tall narrow windows made dark slashes high on the walls, and two matching towers stood at the far side.
“Tarsa’s a peninsula but, obviously, it becomes an island part of the day.” Ria said.
