“Fallon—”
“No.” She pointed her finger at him. “We’ve already discussed this. My brothers and sister are doing their part on the island. We leave tomorrow to join them. We’re not about to let Johnny’s death be in vain. Do you hear me?”
Zane slumped. How could he tell her what he feared most—that Haileon couldn’t be defeated? “Yes.”
“Good. Because I’d hate to have to fireball your ass.”
He grunted, half wishing she would. Maybe one of those molten orbs would lessen the guilty pain ripping through his chest.
She took another swig of beer, all but emptying the bottle. “So, let’s figure out a way to stop the bastard.”
He shook his head. “If your fireballs and those lightning bolt things you shoot don’t kill him, I’m not really sure what will.”
She frowned. “I know we’re hurting him. He’s missing several of those plates on his armor.”
Reaching over, he trailed his finger over the pink scar on her cheek. “Even so, he has more left than missing. And they’re razor sharp.”
She kissed his palm and then took his hand in hers. “At least the cuts on your fingers weren’t that deep.”
“Macky—” The image of his friend lying on the road through the broken ambulance windshield flashed into his mind. Zane forced it back and cleared his throat. “Macky used a surgical sealant. Stopped the bleeding faster than stitches.”
“What possessed you to throw yourself at him like that to begin with?”
“You were in danger.” He twined his fingers with hers. “I couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.”
She shook her head. “I have all these gifts, and there you go, taking a demon head-on without a second thought. I could never be so brave.”
Zane snorted. He’d never met anyone as brave as Fallon. “It’s a guy thing.”
“I guess.” Lifting her bottle to her lips, she paused. “Empty. I’ll be right back.”
She scooted from the bed, and a moment later, came back with two beers in each hand. Handing him a pair, she set one of her own on the table next to her and opened the other. She took a quick swallow and then gestured toward him with the bottle.
“You know, I’ve been thinking about that. The way you were up there on him like that.”
“Yeah. Insane, I know.”
“No.” She eased onto the edge of the bed and stared at him. “You hurt him.”
Zane frowned. “I don’t think I hurt him at all. He threw me across the parking lot.”
“Yeah, but that was because you’d done something.” Her brow furrowed, and her gaze shifted to the right. “He threw you after the smoke.”
The memory crashed through him. “That’s right. With everything that’s happened, I’d forgotten.”
She leaned closer, her attention riveted to him. “What happened?”
“I was sliding down, but then he caught me. Grabbed me tight like he was going to crush me to death. I was trying to reach his face to hit him, and then I heard you scream. Somehow, I found a hole in his armor and jammed my hand in, just to hurt him. I dug at him and….” He squeezed his eyes closed, trying to remember exactly what he’d done. “I think I must have broken through his skin or something. I got all this oily crap on my hand, and he got pissed. That’s when I saw the smoke. And….”
“And what?”
He shook his head, not sure if he could trust his memory. “I thought I saw three tiny lights, going up into the air with the smoke.”
Fallon’s eyes widened, and she bolted from the bed. “That’s it. I know it. That smoke, those lights. It’s got to be something.” She jolted and stared at him, her eyebrows lifting. “Oh my God. Souls.”
Zane sat up. “Souls?”
“He feeds on them. That’s what keeps him alive.”
“You don’t know for sure the lights were souls.” He couldn’t let her get her hopes up and go off on another half-cocked confrontation like they had before. They’d all end up dead.
“True. But it makes sense, doesn’t it? The book even said that he feeds on them. The answer was right there all along.”
“Okay.” He shrugged. “Let’s say that’s true. We have no idea how to get him to hold still long enough for us to get at it. And I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s already repaired it anyway.”
“The demon trap,” she said in a rush. “If we could summon him again and get him into the trap—”
“Whoa, whoa. Wait a minute. We already tried that and got our asses kicked.”
“I need to call Erik. There has to be a better way to get him into the trap.”
She twisted away, but he caught her wrist.
“Let’s give it a bit to gel before we send your brothers off on another chase.” He pulled her against him. “You’re risking your lives for me again, so I want to think it through. I want to run it through my mind and make sure I didn’t miss something.”
She smirked, and hope danced in her eyes. “All right. We can wait a little while. We’ll discuss it with them tomorrow at the island. I texted Erik that we’d be there after lunch.” She pushed away from him and the bed. “Right now, I’m hungry. I’m going to make us some sandwiches.”
He watched her go, a lightness to her step. Damn, he wished he were as certain as she was. He’d done something to the demon, but who knew what exactly? For all they knew, the smoke was his breath. Maybe he’d punctured the beast’s lung. He was from some type of hell, wasn’t he?
Zane rotated his arm so he could see the tattoo that branded him as Haileon’s bitch. Damn, he wanted that thing gone so bad he could taste it. But before they summoned that evil bastard again and put Fallon and her siblings at risk, he wanted to make sure he hadn’t missed anything. And if they did follow through on this plan, maybe he could talk her into sitting this one out, letting just Erik, Wyatt, and him handle the confrontation.
When he saw her waltz through the bedroom doorway, a plate in each hand and a grin as big as a Cheshire cat, he knew the answer. Yeah, probably not.
“Ham and Swiss on wheat,” she said, joining him on the bed. “Thought it would go well with the beers. Hope that’s okay.”
He took a bite of the sandwich she’d brought. “Perfect.”
While they ate, she glanced at him several times but said nothing. He could tell her mind was turning, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to know about what. Right now, holding her sat at the top of his list. With only a few days left and their impending trip to the island, this might be the last chance he got.
Finished eating, he set his plate aside. Fallon downed the last of her beer and returned the bottle to the bedside table. As though having heard his innermost desire, she snuggled against him. He embraced her warm, soft body while she laid her head on his shoulder.
“I know you want to let the whole Haileon thing rest for the moment, and that’s fine. Because there’s something else I’d like to talk about right now.”
Angling his chin, he kissed the crown of her head and inhaled the sweet scent of her hair. “What’s that?”
“After.” She burrowed closer and stilled. “When this is all over, are you planning to stay here in Rainsville with me or go back to New York?”
His heart sang and broke in the same breath. She truly believed she could save him and, assuming so, had pretty much asked him his intentions. He wished he could be sure. He didn’t want to make promises he couldn’t keep, but at this point, the whole situation was hypothetical. “I’d planned to stay here if you’d have me.”
“Even though my brothers, sister, and I have these weird powers? Even though my aunt alluded to some strange destiny for us that we know nothing about?”
“Fallon, if I had my way, I’d be by your side every step of the way. No matter what.”
A quiet sigh escaped her lips. “Good.”
He gave her a quick hug and kissed the top of her head again. A heavy wistfulness curled around his heart. If only he could stand beside her always, but
his mind whispered otherwise.
“And what about your residency?” She trailed her finger over the hairs on his chest. “Would you go back and finish?”
He nodded. “I’d like to.”
“And then what?”
“What do you mean?”
“After you’d finished, and you were here in Rainsville, what would you do?”
Ah, so here was where her mind had traveled. To the future. He smiled. It wasn’t like he hadn’t thought about how things might be if they were at last free of the evil chains that held their lives captive.
“Well, let me see.” He nodded. “I think I’d like to find some nice girl who could cook amazing meals but was a total slut in the bedroom.”
She slapped his chest. “You better be talking about me.”
He chuckled. “Maybe.”
“And then what?”
“Well, then I’d have to marry her, make an honest woman of her.”
“Oh my God.” She shook her head. “I had no idea you were so old school.”
He peered down at her. “Don’t you want to get married?”
She grinned. “Maybe.”
“Well, either way, if I stayed in Rainsville, I’d want to buy a house.”
“What if I didn’t like it?”
“Hmm. Well, that could be a problem.” He closed his eyes, imagining the life they could share. “Because we’d need a place to put all the kids.”
“Kids?”
He eased down in the bed, resituating her against his shoulder. The light outside faded, and shadows laid long on the bedroom walls. He sighed, his heart clenching with desire for the future. Their future.
“Absolutely.” He gathered her closer to him and trailed his fingers along her arm. “How many do you want?”
“Two. A boy and a girl. And they should get your hair.”
“And your gorgeous golden eyes.”
He relaxed next to her, longing for the picture-perfect life they’d described. Fallon quieted, and her breathing slowed. After a while, he wondered if she’d drifted off to sleep.
“And we’ll grow old together,” she murmured.
“Yes.”
“And we’ll always love each other.” Her words whispered across his skin.
“Forever.” That part wasn’t a lie. His heart already belonged to her, and it always would.
“I want our life together,” she mumbled in a husky, sleepy voice.
His soul ached for the woman in his arms. “Me, too, sweetie.”
He waited in the dimness for her to say something else, but she remained silent. Her arm twitched, and her fingers fluttered on his chest as her body relaxed into slumber. Zane fought to stave off sleep a moment longer so he could make the moment last. He wanted to hold her like this forever, planning their future together.
A future he feared they would never share.
Zane floated amid the heated fantasies in his mind, where Fallon loved him, and everything was perfect. She held her arms out to him, beckoning him to take her, and he strode toward her, his body thrumming with lust. But just as he reached for her, the room shimmered, and a deep rumble shook the air.
Horror filled her eyes. “What about the children?”
He glanced around the room while an insistent vibration popped against his skin. When he looked back, Fallon had vanished. And then he knew….
Zane bolted upright in bed. Lunging for the bedside lamp, he overreached and knocked it to the floor.
The other light flicked on. By the time he turned his head in her direction, she was out of the bed, her eyes wide with fear—just like in his dream. Following her gaze, he jolted at the terrifying sight.
“Hey, Zane,” the angelic boy with too many teeth said in a singsong voice. “Wanna play?”
In his peripheral, he could see Fallon driving her hands out to the sides, fireballs bursting to life above her palms. The boy arched a blond brow and waved his hand. With a strangled yelp of pain and surprise, she rose into the air, the fireballs flying wildly from her control, one crashing into the dresser and the other exploding against the headboard.
Zane rolled from the bed to avoid being burned. Shoving to his feet, he faced the demon boy head-on. “What the hell do you want?”
The kid grinned, and chills hammered down Zane’s spine.
“You, Zane. I want you to come play with me.”
He glanced toward Fallon, and his heart stuttered. Her feet kicked in free air while she clawed at her throat. Fury tore through him, and he clenched his fists. “I still have three days, you son of a bitch.”
To his right, black ooze pushed through the sheetrock, creating the number on the wall. A horrible stench filled the room, and he staggered away from the sign.
The evil child stamped his foot. “But I wanna play, Zane. Now.”
“Three days, you bastard. That was the deal, so you can just get the hell out.”
“No.” The kid pouted and shook his head. “Either play with me now, or I’ll play with her.”
A gurgled plea came from Fallon’s purple lips. Her body jerked and twisted.
Zane rounded on the child version of Haileon. Every fiber in his body urged him to grab the kid and break him in half. He was small, it would be easy. But his mind countered that he’d seen what that boy could morph into, and pissing it off might make the situation worse for Fallon.
“It’s up to you, Zane,” he sang. “Eni meenie miney mo.”
“So, if I go with you early, volunteer to break the assigned deadline, you’ll leave her alone?”
The kid shrugged. “Maybe.”
Damn it, he wanted to rip the demon’s head off, but that wouldn’t help Fallon. The bastard would snap her neck before he took two steps.
“Let her go.”
The child grinned and flicked his wrist. Fallon flew through the air and slammed into the wall, impacting so hard her body broke the sheetrock. She tumbled to the floor, unmoving.
Zane twisted toward her, intent on rushing to her side, but a loud clap brought him back around.
The kid rubbed his hands together, his face warping into a malevolent smirk. “Oh, Zane,” he sang and held his arms out to him. “Let’s play!”
Zane’s heart slammed in fear against his breastbone. Just how bad would it hurt to have his soul ripped out? The first vestiges of hot chills and bee stings clamored over his skin, and his body tensed. The demon child stalked toward him, his meaty little hands stretched out, reaching for him. Zane stumbled back a step.
Aw, shit, this is gonna hurt like hell.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Pain seared Fallon’s body, spiked through her back and along her ribs, and pounded an unmerciful cadence in her skull, hurting so badly she wanted to remain in blissful oblivion, free from the aches that accosted her. But denial fled, and she sucked in a raspy, agonizing breath.
Sunlight poured through the mini-blinds above her. Splashing over the rumpled sheets next to her, it spilled across the carpet on which her cheek rested. A surprising quantity of dust motes danced and swirled in the air. She coughed, her lungs protesting with sharp knifelike stabs while more dust spun into the sunlight.
On a moan, Fallon pushed herself from the floor, only to fall back to the carpet. Her left arm throbbed. Using her right arm, she shoved herself up to a sitting position and leaned against the wall. What happened?
Squinting, she gazed around her bedroom, trying to remember. She spied her dress draped over the chair in the far corner. She’d worn that to visit Johnny’s mother. Her gaze shifted to her nightstand where several beer bottles laid askew. She’d drunk beers and eaten a sandwich with Zane….
Oh, God. Where is he?
“Zane!” The call erupted in a croak, and her heart pounded painfully against her sternum at the silence that met her ears. Why didn’t he answer?
She moved her legs to get her feet under her but paused when she noticed the odd angle of her left foot and the swollen ankle, which resembled a purple
balloon. Her attention shifted to the white dust littering the carpet, and then she craned her neck toward the wall behind her. Cracked and broken sheetrock brought back terrifying memories of the night before. Haileon had arrived to torture them and demanded Zane relinquish his soul early.
“Oh, no.” Fallon scrabbled across the floor, her fingers clawing at the carpet as she dragged herself toward the bedroom door in search of the man she loved.
As she rounded the foot of the bed, she jolted to a stop.
Zane lay crumpled on the floor.
Her breath hitched. Her heart stuttered. “Oh, God….”
She reached for him and fell to the floor. She leveraged her good foot against the bed and shoved herself across the carpet. Ignoring the pain writhing through her body, she twisted herself around until she sat next to him. Staring down at him, she bit her lip, afraid to touch him. Oh, he looked so peaceful, so serene. His brow lay even where worry once brought creases, and the corners of his mouth were smooth where they once held his sweet smile. Terror danced at the edges of her soul. Was he dead?
At last, she brushed her fingers along his jaw, and though warmth flowed through him, she knew the truth. She reached for him, gathering him against her. As his body shifted, she caught sight of his biceps and gasped, her fears confirmed. His skin was clear. The tattoo was gone.
Haileon had claimed his soul.
Cradling him to her breast with her good arm, she rocked. What had she done? Hot tears sprung to her eyes and tumbled over her cheeks. Oh, dear Lord, what did I do?
“No, no, no,” she sobbed. “Two days. You still had two days. Why did you do this? We were supposed to fight him together.” She kissed his forehead. “Open your eyes, Zane. Look at me, sweetie. Please.”
She squeezed her eyes closed, the truth clawing her from the inside out. And, oh, how she wished it would finish the job. End this awful moment in time. She should’ve expected the bastard, Haileon, not to play fair. He was a demon, and what devil ever told the truth or held to a contract? If only she could go back to last night and get a fireball off at him before he’d grabbed her by the throat. If only she’d been faster. If only she’d protected him. If only….
Waltz into Fire Page 24
