“I will…kill you, Fallon Anderson.” He crashed to his knees, his form a shivering mass. “I will…eat…your bones.”
Something pushed up against the top of the demon’s head, something from inside the beast. Several more scales slipped from the armor, smacking the wet carpet. The side of Haileon’s face distended as a persistent creature shoved at his skin. A wet tearing sound erupted from the demon’s crown, and bloody fingers shoved through the opening. Another hand wriggled free and ripped the fiend’s head.
Arms protruded through the opening, black ooze streaming down skin, over elbows, and shoulders, and then a form emerged from the sickening horror. It rolled to the side, slick with blood and bits of flesh.
“Fallon.”
Shock jolted through her. “Zane?”
He shoved to his hands and knees, his naked body glistening in the fire that ringed him. “Fallon. Help me.”
She moved forward a step. “How?”
Shaking his head, he reached for her only to draw his hand back from the flames. “I-I don’t know. I heard your voice. I clawed my way out.”
Hope clenched her heart. Had the demon trap weakened Haileon enough for Zane to break free?
“I need you, Fallon.” He choked back a moan. “Take my hand. Save me.”
She stumbled toward him, her arm outstretched. “You’re free.”
“Yes.”
“We can have our life together.” She edged closer.
“Yes.”
“The house, the kids.” Her hand lay inches from his.
“Yes.” He leaned toward her, his fingertips brushing the edge of the fire ring.
She swallowed, praying his next answer would be true. “And no internship? You’ll give that up?”
“Yes.” He smiled. “I’ll give everything up for you, my love.”
Fallon jerked back and twisted away, the guilt and remorse squeezing her heart almost as severe as when Haileon had first stolen Zane from her. God, she’d nearly touched him.
“What? Was it something I said?”
She strode toward the dining room table and crawled on top. Getting to her feet, she rounded on him.
Already standing, Zane grinned up at her, his naked body coated with the demon’s fetid secretions. He reached down to stroke himself and moaned. “Come on, Fallon. You know you want me, baby.”
She squeezed her eyes closed and focused.
“When I’m free, baby, you will be mine.” He barked a laugh. “Damn, it’ll be a night to remember!”
Fear grappled her chest, clawed her lungs, and stole her breath. The room tilted. She staggered to the side and nearly toppled from the table.
“What’s wrong, lover? Knees weak?”
She glared at the imposter, but the sight of him only reminded her of what was at stake. She closed her eyes again and focused internally, focused on her will to survive. On Zane’s soul.
The threads! the raspy voice commanded in her mind. Reach!
She lifted her hands up to the ceiling, her fingertips stretching toward something beyond. Her nails tingled with energy, and a moment later, hot light shot down her arms. Her veins plated with molten gold. Brilliant sparks danced behind her eyelids.
“Stop this, Fallon,” he demanded.
She stared down at him. That wasn’t Zane. It was Haileon. She wanted so badly to electrocute the demon and demolish him into a spray of ashes, but she’d done that twice before, and each time the bastard had survived—not to mention he now caged Zane’s soul. What might a vanquishing like that do to him? No, this time she’d planned a different tactic, praying it would work.
He stepped to the edge of the fire ring. “You can’t hurt me. You can’t. I love you.”
The lie slipping free from the pretender’s mouth ripped through her heart. With an enraged wail, Fallon shoved her hands downward. Jagged razors sliced through her bones and pierced every nerve as liquid fire leapt from her fingertips. Lightning arced to the floor and raced across the soggy carpet to Zane. Steam curled around him while vines of white electricity twisted about his form.
He screamed.
Fallon wielded the molten threads until her body shook of its own volition.
Release… the voice crooned.
In her mind, she slammed the wall down as she had with Erik. The threads severed, and gasping for breath, she fell to the table. She shifted her gaze to the fire ring, knowing she wasn’t finished yet.
Shoving from the table, she shuffled across the floor and looked inside the fiery ring. Zane’s form had vanished, and now only Haileon remained. The flame had spoken to her, told her to cease the attack before the demon burst into ashes as he had before. Grabbing the crowbar from where it leaned against the wall, she prodded the stilled beast. He didn’t move.
She grimaced. Here was the leap of faith at her door. But there was no help for it.
Fallon steeled herself and stepped through the blaze into the trap. Kneeling next to the immobilized fiend, she was startled by his sheer size. She could barely crouch next to him and remain in the ring with him.
Dousing an onset of nerves, she set the crowbar on the floor next to her and reached toward the edge of the plated armor where she remembered seeing him touch before. Droplets of bright crimson spotted the hexagonal scales as she delved for the catches that would release the breastplate. Ignoring the sharp pain, she continued her search until she discovered a simple clip and popped it free.
She shoved the heavy plates to the side, exposing his translucent torso. In the center of the massive bulk, a symbol glowed crimson—a triangle inscribed in a circle with an H and the number three intertwined in the center. Inside the demon’s body, a tangle of smoke writhed, and tiny lights flashed a frenetic code that she couldn’t comprehend.
Souls. So many it was impossible to count.
One of them is Zane’s.
But how to set him free? When he’d attacked Haileon at the Engine House, he said he’d dug his fingers into the body and broke through a membrane. Fallon spotted the injured area and jabbed her fingers into the jagged crevice. She tore at the sheer skin, clawing chunks free. Her fingertips brushed over what must be the membrane Zane had told her about, and she rammed her fingers downward, attempting to break—
A massive hand slammed against her shoulder, knocking her to the floor.
Pain exploded in her shoulder. Oh, shit. Time’s up!
Her throat constricted, and she fought to loosen a hand that wasn’t there.
“Ah, Fallon. Now we can go home,” Haileon crooned.
Panic threatened to steal her oxygen as her heart raced. But she managed a small fireball above her palm and flicked it at the demon, catching him on the chin. Molten flames enveloped his face, searing his skin while his labyrinth of tattoos glowed.
Dragging in a ragged breath, Fallon grappled for the crowbar. She rose onto her knees and jammed the steel rod through the center of the triangle on Haileon’s chest.
His entire form jolted on the floor, and a thunderous bellow erupted from the beast. The translucent skin glowed, as though all the tiny lights had rushed to the point where she’d impaled his torso. Wishing to end this once and forever, Fallon jerked the crowbar free.
A dazzling light arrowed through the breach. Haileon’s form shuddered as though in seizure. She moved to scramble away, but a high-pitched swell of cries accosted her ears, and then the world seemed to explode in blinding brilliance.
A crushing wave of energy lifted her from the floor, and she flew upward. Something unyielding slammed into her back, and an intense pressure squeezed her until her ribs popped.
Air vanished.
Thoughts dimmed.
Lights flashed through darkness until nothing remained except….
Zane.
Chapter Thirty
Fallon moaned. Searing heat assaulted her body, dragging her into consciousness, the worst of the pain crushing her chest and back. Drawing in a breath felt like sucking cement through a straw. Da
mn, this was not good. Air helped create the fireballs that protected her. She reached for the crowbar, her fingers crawling through the water-soaked carpet in quest of protection. No doubt she had little time before Haileon regrouped and blasted her again.
Not finding the steel rod in her initial search, Fallon slowly opened her eyes. She tried to roll to her side but couldn’t—the intense ache in her back vibrated to the top of her head and shot to the bottom of her feet. So, how the hell was she supposed to fight him?
Gritting her teeth, she rolled her eyes, scanning the living room for the demon. Except, she saw nothing, and the house was eerily silent. The demon trap fire ring had vanished, only smoke and ashes remained. Could he really be destroyed, or was this another trick? Oh, God, please let him be gone for good. She needed to get to Zane, to see if he was still alive, but she could barely move. The way her body ached right now, it would take a while before she could crawl across the floor to him—if she could even heal from this at all.
She pressed her hand to the stinging on her forehead, and it came away sticky, her fingers covered with blood. No wonder the room hadn’t stopped spinning yet. And her chest…. Good God, was that a rib sticking through her side? The desire to fade back into oblivion to escape the excruciating pain threatened to consume her. But she needed to find a way to Zane.
Unable to move her legs, she was fairly certain her back was broken. The throbbing pain circulating through them has to be a good sign, though, right? At least she could feel the hellish knives stabbing her thighs and calves.
She turned her head to the right and noted her shoulder lay cocked at an odd angle, her tattered sleeve stained crimson. She gasped for breath only to choke at the lack of airflow in her throat. Trying to breathe through the agony racking her body was almost unbearable. Her ribs felt pulverized into a thousand tiny pieces. Slanting her gaze to the side, she strained to see her bedroom door. There had to be some way to get to Zane.
She closed her eyes and willed her body to start its healing process, but nothing except fatigue washed over her. She fought the fog threatening to overtake her. No! I can’t waste precious time sleeping now.
A thump sounded in her bedroom followed by a loud male groan.
Hope swirled in her broken chest. “Zane?”
God, can it really be him? She tried to move, to roll to her side, to get her legs under her, anything, but the lower half of her body refused to budge. And then he appeared, stumbling through the bedroom doorway and into the living room. Stopping inches from her, he fell to his knees.
“Christ, what happened to you?”
“I…it was Haileon. I summoned him.” She reached toward him, but agony lanced her injured shoulder, and she cried out.
Zane squeezed his eyes shut and opened them again. “Don’t try to move. I’m a doctor. Let me assess your injuries. We’ll need to call 911.”
Fallon’s stomach flipped, and a wave of dizziness rushed to her head. Something was off…. He was acting weird. She knew he was a doctor, he knew her body would heal eventually, and they really couldn’t call 911. What would they say?
She swallowed, understanding all too well her vulnerable state. Staring at him, she fought the terror winding through her. “Zane, is it really you this time?”
He sat back on his heels and grabbed his head in both hands. His face twisted in pain. “How do you know my name?” His gaze raked over her body, and, brows furrowed, he toppled to the side, his butt smacking against the wet carpet. He glanced around, his eyes wide and glassy. “What the hell went on here? Shit, it must have been one hell of a drunk. I don’t usually spend the night with women I don’t know.”
Fear clenched Fallon’s heart. This wasn’t right.
He steadied himself on his knees again. “Never mind that for now. How did this happen to you?” His face paled. “Oh, hell, I didn’t do this to you, did I?”
She blinked to clear the tears blurring her eyes. She had no way of knowing if this was Zane or another trick from Haileon. From the remnants of ashes, she’d dared to believe the demon gone for good. But the man in front of her? He wasn’t her Zane, either.
“No, y-you didn’t do…this to me.” She raised her good arm and swiped the hot tears from her face while she spoke between sobs. “Do you…remember anything…about last night?”
“Don’t move.” He scooted forward, crossing the remaining few inches to her side. “You need to tell me how this happened because I can’t lie to you, ma’am. You’re in rough shape. Where’s your phone? I need to call for assistance.”
Ma’am? Oh, crap. “No. No…hospital, no police. You have to…trust me on this. I’ll be fine in a…few hours.”
His gaze swept over her chest, and he snorted. “I highly doubt it. You can barely breathe. Christ, you’ve got a rib sticking about a half centimeter out of your side, shoulder looks dislocated.” He glanced around the room again, obviously taking in the destruction—the wall she’d broken when Haileon had thrown her against it, the plaster that continued to fall from the ceiling. “I can’t believe you’re still alive. Where’s that phone?”
When he moved to stand, she reached out and grasped his wrist with all the strength she possessed. “Zane, please.”
His attention shot to where her fingers contacted his skin. Eyes wide, he met her gaze again.
Surprise jolted through Fallon. His eyes. No longer the beautiful deep brown they’d been, now his irises were steel gray. How was that possible?
The moment her fingers grazed his skin, she’d realized the truth. The spark was still there—just like the first time he’d touched her.
He scrutinized her for a moment longer until she released his arm. “What’s your name?”
“Fallon.”
He raked a hand through his hair. “I know you, don’t I?”
She nodded, fresh tears stinging her eyes.
“What’s going on here, Fallon?”
“I can explain it all. After. Just please…don’t leave me.”
His shoulders slumped, and he shook his head. “This goes against every damn oath I took as a doctor. I can’t just sit here and watch you die. And make no mistake, Fallon, you are dying. You’ll be done if I don’t get you to a hospital.”
“It’s okay.”
Grimacing, he placed his hand over her protruding rib. “No gloves, but this bleeding has to be controlled.”
The moment he laid his hand on her side, a sharp, torturous jolt rocked her bones, and she screamed.
Zane gasped, shock surfacing on his features while her ribcage emitted unnatural cracks and pops. Crushed bits rearranged themselves, knitting whole under his hand. He yanked away, revealing the wound—which had stopped bleeding and closed itself up, leaving a slight bruise where the broken bone had once protruded.
Air rushed into her lungs. I can breathe!
“What the fuck was that?” He stumbled backward, landing on his butt again. “Jesus, what the hell just happened?” His gaze shot to her face, accusation hot in his steel gray eyes. “What are you?”
Fallon struggled not to let his question hurt her, but working past the condemnation in his shocked stare was damn near impossible. She frowned, shoving aside the ache suffusing her heart. He’d never looked at her that way.
It was clear he remembered nothing of their time together. It was also clear his touch had healed her ribs and chest a heck of a lot quicker than she could ever have done herself. A leftover from Haileon? Or maybe a special power as consolation? Has to be.
“That wasn’t me. It was you. I can breathe so much easier now.”
“You know this is crazy, right? This shit just doesn’t happen in normal life.”
She forced a smile. “Tell me about it.” Gesturing toward her lower body, she said, “Thing is I still can’t move my legs. I think my back is broken. My shoulder, too. Could you do that again, try to fix it?”
He peered down at his blood-drenched hands and then pinned her with an incredulous stare.
“Please just try.” She looked at him, willed him to believe her. “I’ll explain everything to you. Just trust me for now.”
“Lady, I don’t even know you.”
She cringed. Damn, that one sliced deep. “Please, Zane, try.”
Shaking his head, he laid his hand over her injured shoulder, the warmth of his fingers seeming to delve deep beneath the skin. Heat swirled, thin lines snaking along her nerves, skating over her clavicle. Without warning, pain bit, and her joint cracked, snapping back into place. Beads of sweat broke out over her forehead. Holy Lord, she’d never been in this much pain ever.
The bone shifted again, and her arm shook. Tingles danced along her muscles, and relief washed through her. Her shoulder had healed.
Zane ran his fingertips over the gash on her forehead. Within seconds, the same prickly sensations dashed along the wound.
“Un-fucking-believable. How is this even possible?” He glanced at his hands again and shook his head. “Never mind. Let me roll you on your side. We’ll try to do this in one movement. Keep yourself as still as possible, legs and upper body moving at the same time. On the count of three.” He placed one hand on her side and one on her thigh. “Okay. One…two…three.”
He lifted her, and she logrolled to her side. Strong and capable hands skimmed their way up and down her back, finally settling low on her spine. Heat spiraled, spikes arrowed along her bones, a needle laced everything into place. Unbearable pain shattered her attempt at control, and she screamed, breaking down into sobs even after the agony faded and cool relief suffused her vertebrae.
Taking several long, deep breaths, she pressed her palms against the floor and realized she could sit up on her own. Her tears faded, tapering off with jagged breaths of solace. Zane sat on the wet carpet, staring, open-mouthed, at her. She gave him a tremulous smile, realizing that now she had to somehow explain the impossible to him and help him remember all they’d been through.
Surely, he hadn’t forgotten everything. Life couldn’t be so cruel as to have them go through all they had, only to lose each other now. She couldn’t, wouldn’t let that happen. There had to be a way to get his memory back.
Waltz into Fire Page 26
