by Michele Hauf
"Mates stick together," she said and left it at that.
He grumbled, a sound barely short of a growl. "We should have left earlier."
Nicole ignored that. Leaving LA had been her idea, but it hadn't occurred to her until they'd brainstormed through quite a few other possibilities. "We could make better time on the freeway," she offered.
Dak shook his head. "I don't want to be going that speed if the vampire launches an aerial attack."
His leg muscles flexed under her palm as he braked for a traffic light. They were going through an industrial area and there were few people around. That wasn't bad because Mary Beth wouldn't worry about human bystanders, but Nicole would feel safer in a crowd.
"Do you think she'll do that?"
The light went green and Dak waited until they were through the intersection before answering. "It's one option, but that doesn't mean it's the action she'll take."
"Yeah." Nicole dropped her head back and let the motion of the car lull her. She wished the vampire was already dead and she and Dak were driving somewhere without any worries. In the past, she'd never been sure what she'd do once her vengeance was complete, but now dozens of tantalizing possibilities existed and a lot of them involved the male sitting beside her. She smiled.
Turning her head on the rest, she studied Dak's profile. He was gorgeous and sweet and he was hers. All hers. From the start he'd looked after her, he'd even wrapped her inside his energy cloak to keep her hidden—
Nicole sat up straight. It might work. Maybe.
"What? Did you pick up the vampire?" Dak asked.
"No. Sorry. I just had a thought." Nicole shifted, turning as much as she could toward Dak. "Mary Beth can't use the amulet against me or to track me because I'm only half demon."
"Yeah, so?"
"So what if I wrapped my energy around you the way you cloaked me last night? Would that protect you?"
Dak opened his mouth, closed it again, and his expression went thoughtful. She liked this about him, the way he didn't automatically dismiss her ideas. And if what she suggested wouldn't work, he explained why.
Damn, she had it bad for him if she was getting mushy over this.
"It might do the trick," he said quietly. "Can you hold the shield in place for an indefinite period over both of us?"
Nicole gave the question some thought. Dak needed her to be certain, not cocky. "I wasn't able to conceal myself from the vampire for the past two nights, so maybe not on the tracking, but I know I can keep you safe from the amulet."
Silence. She wasn't actively monitoring his thoughts, but she had no doubt he was calculating the risk to her. It was important to her that he be safe, too, and that never seemed to be part of his equation. Nicole hesitated, but maybe it was something he needed to hear. "You matter, Dak, and if you get yourself hurt, I'm going to be hugely pissed off at you. You better remember that."
His smile was slow, but it was real. He glanced over at her, winked, and then she got a grudging, "Okay, do it."
Without giving him a chance to change his mind, she put her wall around him. She'd expected it to be hard, but it wasn't. Dak fit as if he'd always been there.
He kept driving. Nicole had assumed he'd turn the car around now that he could fight the demon without worrying about the amulet, but he didn't. Unless he didn't trust her. Maybe he thought she'd let him down in the clutch.
"Why are we still heading out of town?"
Dak cut her another glance. "Because I want us to sit down and hammer out tactics and strategy without you needing to expend excess energy holding the shield up."
"Oh." And there he went, worrying about her again. The way he took care of her left her with this weird warm feeling. "We are going to work together then? You're not going to try to keep me safe, right?"
"I'd love to lock you away and take down the vampire on my own, but I won't. No demon with half a brain would do that to another who has a vendetta."
Good. Content with his answer, Nicole let her gaze wander. There was nothing around except derelict warehouses with chain-link fences around them. Dak thought this was safer than the freeway? Then she shrugged. For a demon with his power, maybe human crime wasn't a worry.
She could ask, but Nicole had something else on her mind. "I have another question."
"You always do." But Dak sounded amused, not irritated, and this time he was the one who reached over and squeezed her thigh.
When his hand returned to the wheel and she could think again, Nicole said, "The other night, you said your king assigned you to this job. Why does he want Mary Beth dead?"
"He doesn't. One of the vampire clan lords requested that we eliminate her for him. My understanding is that her violence is bringing too much heat to his people, but I didn't ask for details."
"Why doesn't he have his enforcers take her out?"
"Vampire politics." Dak sounded disgusted. "And politics are why our king agreed. It further cements the alliance between the vampire clans and the demons."
Our king? She wasn't sure how she felt about acquiring a monarch, but she did like the way Dak included her. That felt good. She had more questions, but she'd save them for later. Right now, she could simply be—at least for a while.
Nicole settled back in her seat, but she didn't have a chance to relax. Something strummed at her senses. She went rigid. "Dak." It would take too long to explain her disquiet with words, so she sent the whole thing to him. Immediately, he became more alert and he was plenty on edge before this.
She tried to pinpoint the sensation, tried to figure out what was causing it, but a heartbeat later, the engine went silent.
Dak maneuvered the car to the curb. Before he got there, his headlights picked up a figure standing in the street.
The vampire had found them.
Chapter Twelve
Nicole struggled to unhook her seatbelt. Dak was already out of the car and she— There! She scrambled after him.
He and the vampire stood like two old-west gunslingers facing off. Mary Beth wore dark brown jeans, boots, and a brown-leather bomber jacket. With her blond hair pulled back in a ponytail, she looked so freaking normal it was criminal.
Nicole stopped beside Dak. The jacket he wore tonight was brown leather as well, but it was softer than the one he'd had on last night. She didn't know if it would hold up to the talons.
The vampire pulled out a disk suspended on a chain from beneath her shirt. There were rune characters engraved into the silver, and in the center, a small reddish-brown cabochon stone. Shaking her head with mock sadness, she said, "You are pathetically stupid."
And then Mary Beth let loose with the amulet's power.
A ripple went through Dak, Nicole could sense it, but that was the sum total of the medallion's impact on him. Satisfaction filled her. She'd done it, she'd protected her mate.
"Perhaps not so stupid after all," Dak drawled, and with a casual flick of his wrist, sent a lightning bolt at the vampire.
For an instant, Nicole simply gawked. Did he really expect her to be able to wield lightning? The shield around Mary Beth lit up, but it didn't fall and that seemed every bit as incredible as the weapon itself.
The vampire dropped the chain, letting the amulet fall to her chest, and her claws descended. "I loathe wizards," she said without heat.
As she started toward them, Dak released a torrent of lightning, one blast after another. Talk about feeling inadequate. Nicole was in over her head even after an afternoon of training. She pulled her wooden dagger and waited.
Mary Beth regrouped and started forward again. Nicole tried to draw power like she'd been taught, but the amount she was able to hang on to was minuscule compared to what Dak tossed out.
His barrage drove the vampire a few steps away, but instead of looking like someone who'd suffered a setback, she appeared angry. "This is tiresome."
"No shit," Nicole muttered. If the monster would cooperate and die, they could call it a night.
Dak sho
t her a look. Just because Mary Beth couldn't use the amulet against me doesn't mean we're going to win. No. He cut her off before she could argue. Vampires killed demons in the wars—stop underestimating her.
Nicole didn't think she was selling their enemy short, but how could anyone defeat Dak? He was throwing lightning for crying out loud.
Mary Beth, though, didn't look worried. Or impressed. Not even a little bit.
Nicole was the one gaping in awe.
And being completely useless. If she handled her job this way, she'd have died on her first assignment. She tried again to call up enough power to fire it.
It slipped away.
Grimly, Nicole pulled her other dagger. Maybe she couldn't fight like a demon, but she could fight like a vampire hunter.
Her charge forward was stopped with a sharp thought from Dak. Okay, so maybe she'd wait until he tired out the vampire, then drive the wooden dagger into the bitch's heart.
Mary Beth held both arms out at her sides.
What is she doing? Nicole asked Dak.
I don't know.
But he was paying rapt attention, trying to come up with an answer.
The vampire threw back her head and opened her mouth. A tone came out. It was high pitched and it nearly caused Nicole to drop her weapons. She tightened her grip on the hilts at the last instant, but what she wanted to do was cover her ears with both hands.
Dak's silent cursing jerked Nicole's attention to him. His lightning bolts were coming out like flashes from a strobe light at a nightclub.
What the—? She quickly sent her mind to the place she considered the pool of power. Instead of placidly waiting for them to draw from it, the water moved in angry waves. She couldn't gather anything and Dak only managed a fraction of what he'd been using.
The vampire lowered her arms and smiled. "There. That makes things more even."
This time as she started toward them, Dak extended his talons. It's going to be hand-to-hand, Nic. I need you to cooperate with me.
You got it. How long until the power settles?
I'm not sure. A while from the feel of it. I want you to stay behind me and—
Not a chance in hell, demon mine. We're stronger as a team, you know it as well as I do when your testosterone isn't overruling your brain.
Dak cut off mid-growl as the vampire charged. Nicole could actually feel how hard it was for him to put even a few feet between them to meet the enemy. She took a step forward and stopped.
The flurry of motion was nothing but a blur and she couldn't see anything.
Blinking hard, she tried to bring it into focus, but the two broke apart before she managed. Dak's brown leather jacket had a long scratch along the sleeve and blood ran from his scalp.
Mary Beth's ponytail wasn't as neat as it had been, but that was about it for damage.
Damn, they were in trouble. Nicole couldn't see the fight to join in and Dak wasn't accustomed to wielding his talons as weapons.
That was a glaring hole in the demon arsenal. How easy was it to become so dependent on lightning that other methods of fighting weren't honed?
As Dak and Mary Beth clashed again, Nicole struggled to slow it down. Then she tried speeding up her brain. She was used to attacking with knives. If she could only see what the hell was happening, she'd be able to help.
She cursed as a figure was thrown and Nicole identified Dak. He was on his feet the instant after he landed.
Nicole had to think. Why was she only getting a blur? Why?
Demon energy. She needed demon energy!
The pool kept roiling and she had a hard time siphoning off enough to fill her body, but a small amount was all she needed. She could see the fight now.
Dak had more gashes and some of the strikes had cut through the leather. Nicole growled, pissed as hell at what Mary Beth had done to her mate.
She launched herself into the fray, planning to attack the vampire from behind. Mary Beth sent her soaring backward with one blow. Nicole hit the ground hard enough to daze her.
A red haze coated her mind with fury. Dak's emotions. Damn, her getting knocked to the ground had pushed him out of control.
Leaping to her feet, Nicole sent him reassurances that she was fine. He had enough problems without his demon male instincts kicking into high gear.
Too late. He was furious, his self-command gone. Another blurred burst. Talons slicing, striking. The vampire sent him to the pavement and he didn't get up.
Dak wasn't dead. Nicole knew he wasn't because she could feel his essence inside her yet. But he was out cold and a sitting duck for the vampire. Nicole's own emotions threatened to swamp her.
As the vampire made a move toward Dak, Nicole clutched her knives harder. She'd be damned if anyone was going to hurt her mate while she had breath in her body. Nicole ran at Mary Beth.
She kicked the vampire's legs out from under her, sending her sprawling. Nicole launched herself at the other woman.
Still clutching the hilts of her daggers, she punched Mary Beth.
Blood spurted from her enemy's nose.
Before she could land a second blow, the vampire pushed her off with so much power, Nicole went flying. She landed on her feet, but staggered to catch her balance.
A set of talons came at her face and she ducked, kicking out as she spun out of the way.
Damn, she'd missed Mary Beth's knee, but she did catch her in the thigh. Not good enough. Coming around, Nicole stabbed out with the metal dagger.
The strike caught air, throwing her off balance and causing her to stagger.
That was all the vampire needed. Nicole cringed as she heard the talons rake over her already-battered leather jacket. They didn't reach her skin and she jumped away. Nicole fell over Dak, landing on her butt beside him. She didn't have time to make sure he was okay.
The vampire was coming.
Using the momentum of the fall, Nicole rolled to her feet. She wasn't letting Mary Beth near Dak and Nicole raced forward. Talons came at her. She ducked, slashing out with her blade.
It sank into the other woman's side, but before Nicole could swing the wooden dagger into her heart, she was flung off.
The language the vampire let loose with was archaic, but Nicole recognized swearing when she heard it. "Once a guttersnipe, always a guttersnipe, huh, Mabilia?"
Mary Beth made a hissing noise.
This time, the vampire's approach was more cautious. They circled each other, both looking for an opening. A weakness.
Fear rose up. Nicole scowled and shored up her protective shield. Damn vampires. "Mind control doesn't work on demons," she said.
"It almost did," Mary Beth countered. "You're more human than demon anyway. You know nothing of your father's people, nothing of their talents."
Two balls of fire streaked past her, slamming into the vampire hard enough to send her through the air. Dak reached her side and he looked okay. Not great, but better than she'd expected.
He paused just long enough to check her out and then he was past her, headed for Mary Beth. As he ran, he slung more fireballs at the enemy.
Before he reached her, the vampire let loose with that sound again, the one that had wrecked the pool of energy, and then she launched herself skyward.
Nicole waited for Dak to take to the air, too, but he didn't. Get under the power lines, he ordered.
She ran for the side of the street and stood near a power pole. Dak moved her direction, raking his talons upward as he went.
The vampire darted in and out, avoiding his strikes. She sliced Dak a few times.
"Can't you at least hover?" Nicole asked when he reached her side. She fought the urge to dab away the blood on his face. Now wasn't the time to tend injuries.
"My branch doesn't possess flight. She won't be able to stay up there—it requires too much energy."
He never looked away from Mary Beth. The power lines took away her ability to come at them from directly overhead, and the position of the fence behin
d them eliminated any strikes from the rear, but she could still attack from the front.
And she did. Flying in, slicing away at them, retreating over and over. To Nicole's surprise, her mate retracted his talons. Dak reached over, took the metal blade from her right hand, and hurled it. Forcefully.
Mary Beth came down with a thud, the knife buried in her left shoulder. "I told you she wouldn't be in the air for long."
As he headed for the vampire, he asked, I'm taking the right flank, do you want the left?
"Hell, yes!" Nicole couldn't manage to thank him, but she didn't need to. Dak knew how much she appreciated being included without her needing to say more.
The vampire pulled the dagger from her body. Blood gushed, but it wouldn't last. Her kind healed as fast as demons did.
With a snarl, Mary Beth threw the blade at Dak. He sidestepped it easily.
"You aren't going to shield your mate?" Mary Beth asked. She breathed heavily. "I thought demon males protected them with all their resources. Or maybe you don't care about yours? Perhaps you'd be happier without her?"
Nicole sensed his hesitation. No! I know that's not the truth. I know you don't want anything to happen to me. I know it, Dak!
He leaped back to evade those claws and then she felt him skim along her mind. Nicole opened for him, let him feel the truth of her words. Dak had tamped down his instincts for her, she wasn't going to let that vampire use it against him.
She'd never realized that someone could feel a smile, but while Dak's face remained expressionless, Nicole sensed his grin. Let's take her down, he sent.
The wooden dagger wasn't good for much, not unless she could stab it into the heart, but that was all she had. There wasn't even a rusted pop can around that she could use as a makeshift weapon, damn it.
Mary Beth swung toward her and Nicole kicked out, but before she could do more, Dak engaged the vampire.
Nicole held out her right hand, closed her eyes halfway, and imagined talons extending.
