Wicked Waves: Solsti Prophecy #2

by Kay, Sharon

  “Hates it?” Mathias asked. “Which element does she control?”

  “Fire,” Brooke replied. “And she doesn’t want anything to do with it. She thinks Nicole and I are nuts for working on our own abilities. We haven’t even been able to get her to come to the house in Chicago to meet Rilan.”

  “You must try harder, child. She is needed.”

  Brooke pushed the chocolate crumbs around on her plate. “When Nicole and I tried to tell her about Torth and all of the different species, she asked us what we’d been smoking.”

  A laugh burst from Mathias’ throat, but he stifled it when he saw the bleak look on Brooke’s face. “Maybe she just needs more time.”

  “She needs something,” Brooke muttered. “I’ll do my best, Rosa. I want her on board with all of this.” She waved a hand in the air. “And you can have my hair.”

  Kai’s eyes whipped to her face.

  “It’s okay,” she told him, somehow reading his question again. “After today, we’re in her debt.”

  Metal flashed as Rosa took a small pair of scissors from her skirt pocket. She lifted a narrow lock and snipped it close to the bottom, then put it in a little silver box. Before she closed the lid, Kai spotted a length of blond hair nestled inside. Nicole’s. Gunnar had said that the witch requested a lock of his mate’s hair as payment for information. What the hell did Rosa want with the sisters’ hair? He could only guess that it would somehow make Rosa more powerful. Another reason to stay on her good side.

  Rosa cleared the dishes with another snap of her fingers. She retrieved an amulet for Kai and then walked them to the door, where she folded each of them into a warm embrace. She hugged Brooke last, holding her hands as she stepped back to study Brooke’s face. “Take care, Solsti. You’ve only tapped the surface of your skills.”

  CHAPTER 18

  ELEGIA SHOOK HER HEAD IN disgust. “Kill it,” she growled to her soldiers. Whirling on her heel, she stalked away from the metal cage holding the lethargic Skell demon. The gray-skinned creatures weren’t reacting well to her elixir. Instead of being eager to fight, they slumped and stumbled. Useless. She couldn’t even use them for nourishment, as demon blood was toxic to her.

  Her heeled boots click-clacked on the smooth rock floor, the staccato sound bouncing around the sterile hallway. As she neared the lab—her sanctuary—she spied one of her lieutenants. “Xavier!”

  “My queen.” The Deserati demon bowed low enough for her to see the small horns nearly hidden under his thick dark hair.

  “Report.” She scrutinized his coal-black eyes as he straightened to his full height. A few inches over six feet, he was powerfully built. Cold-hearted and efficient. He’d been loyal to her for years, well before she successfully cultivated a plant thought to be extinct. A rare black lily. And in her hands, a biological weapon.

  “Eight casualties, my lady. Only one escaped to the safe location.”

  “Eight?” She glared at Xavier, a low growl rumbling in her throat. Last week one of her Neshi demons had been killed, followed by a dozen more over the last two nights. Vexing, but no matter. She had more that were willing. And even more that weren’t…yet. “What happened?”

  “The Lash Watchers continue to have a strong presence in the city, my lady.” Xavier stood motionless as he delivered the bad news, his eyes focused somewhere behind her.

  She cursed loudly. “You’ll take ten more Neshis tonight. Join up with the remaining two. Finish this.” She mentally congratulated herself that popping through portals was no longer a rare event to be carefully planned. Since one of her recent subjects, a witch, had succumbed satisfactorily to the black lily extract, Elegia had dozens of transportation amulets at the ready. Xavier and her minions could go back and forth as much as she needed.

  “Yes, my lady.” He gave a swift nod.

  She strode away without looking back. She didn’t trust anyone, not even Xavier. He’d seen what happened to those who weren’t loyal to her. She’d had years to develop all kinds of concoctions, producing a range of results and side effects. Some intended, some unfortunate.

  She frowned. One formula eluded her, even after a decade of theories and experiments. As a vampire, she was forced to remain on Torth, unable to breathe the foreign mixture of gases in Earth’s atmosphere.

  In time, Elegia. You’ll do it. Look at what you’ve accomplished here. Pushing open the heavy wooden door, she inhaled the heady scent of her lilies. She walked over to the rows of plants that flourished under orange fiere, the starburst-like lighting she’d created. They resembled exploding fireworks, but hovered in place where she directed them, their tendrils pulsing with light. Powered by a continuous loop chemical reaction between two amino acids, the fiere weren’t strong enough to be a weapon, but were ideal for indoor lighting.

  And they help my little weapons grow. She rubbed her thumb across one velvety dark petal and smiled wide, lips curling back over sharp fangs. Narrow leaves swayed as she released the petal and blew a dusting of fine onyx powder from her palm. Countless others had tried to grow this plant for centuries. Each one had failed.

  But not her.

  All her life she’d been drawn to science. Unable to attend Torthian schools because of the poverty and isolation of her species, she dissected small animals just to see what made them tick. After she’d drained them. Their blood filled her belly and provided her with the one food source readily available to her kind.

  When her mother taught her to read, Elegia had taken an armful of discarded textbooks from a school near her childhood home. She hadn’t been able to put down the biology and chemistry volumes, paging through them until she memorized every word and diagram.

  She snorted. Animal blood. She wouldn’t have to drink it for much longer. Human blood was what she deserved. The red blood cells rushing through the veins of homo sapiens were infinitely richer to vampires. And when Xavier did his job, she’d be able to drink her fill. Human blood. Human subjects. Seven billion of them bumbling around on Earth, busy with their brief, meaningless little lives. Her fangs pulsed in anticipation.

  Her gem phone chimed with a text and she glanced at the screen. Cale. He had more captives for her, elves this time. Interesting. She hadn’t tried her elixir on elves yet. There was no telling how each species would react to it. Some responded favorably, like the Neshi demons. She couldn’t suppress a smile at how the orange-skinned beasts’ physiology had adapted. They turned out stronger than ever, fiercely loyal to her, and hopelessly addicted, thanks to a narcotic she’d added.

  For other species, the effect was less than pleasing, like with the Skell demons. Either way, she needed as many subjects as possible. They’d either take to the elixir and join her, or they’d suffer unfortunate side effects. Then she’d end their sorry lives.

  Pushing her long blond hair over her shoulder, she walked up and down the two long, orderly rows of lilies. The plants sat in unassuming Torth dirt, watered with a nutrient mix she’d perfected, until they bloomed healthy and strong.

  Plain old soil, innocuous plants. But in her hands, they granted her a means to a better life.

  Not just better, but a life of power and control. The black lily provided the perfect device to create soldiers. And they would form the perfect army to storm every realm. For her.

  Kai was impressed with Brooke’s stamina. After they returned to the abandoned Serus camp, allowing Mathias to familiarize himself with the tracking scents, the Hunter had set a brisk pace into the hills. In single file, they’d climbed steadily for the last thirty minutes.

  Mathias led the way, with Brooke behind him and Kai bringing up the rear. Most of his senses were on high alert as they moved through the mix of green and gray foliage.

  His sense of sight, however, had been hijacked. Striding behind Brooke, he couldn’t tear his eyes away from her curvy ass. The way she moved, muscles flexing as she climbed, right, left, right… He had been on his best behavior last night because of the handcuffs. But now as he w
atched her arms swing freely at her sides, he couldn’t stop thinking about what he’d do to her when they were alone.

  To Kai’s satisfaction, Mathias had dropped the flirting as soon as he picked up the scent of the Serus demons. Tension between them wouldn’t help their common goal. The Hunter worked with laser-like focus, and Kai admired how he navigated the forest. It was like Mathias carried a compass set to “Serus” instead of “North.”

  Mathias stopped and held up a hand without turning around. He stood still as stone, and Kai knew he was picking the air currents apart, sifting through every nuance of scent. Kai reached out with his own senses and detected nothing.

  Mathias turned. “Two Serus. Half a mile ahead.”

  “Impressive,” Kai said. He meant it. Turning to Brooke, he touched her arm. “Remember what I told you about their breath. Stay low to the ground if you see them breathe white clouds.”

  “Toxic. Got it,” Brooke said. “Can I help at all?”

  “No.” Both males spoke in unison.

  She rolled her eyes. “Okay, testosterone alert, loud and clear.”

  “We have to keep you safe, Sprite. That means you stay out of the action,” Kai said. Too many demons had laid their ugly hands on her in the last week. He’d be damned if it happened again.

  “Let’s go,” Mathias said.

  “Why are there only two, and not the whole group?” Brooke asked.

  “We’ll find out in a few minutes,” Kai muttered.

  They moved farther ahead and stopped to wait behind a large boulder surrounded by thick shrubs. If the Serus were trying to be stealthy, they were doing a piss-poor job. Cale hadn’t exactly surrounded himself with the best men available. Kai could hear their large flat feet clomping along the rough path, drawing closer. He grasped the hilt of his dagger.

  As planned, Kai and Mathias strode out onto the path when the Serus demons got close.

  “Well, if it isn’t Ugly and Uglier,” Mathias drawled.

  Both Serus stopped and stared at Kai. “It’s him!” one of them said, pointing a spindly gray finger. The other reached for his gem phone and started dialing.

  “Not so fast,” Mathias said, as silver arched through the air. His throwing star sliced through the gem phone and kept spinning, opening a gash in the Serus’ hand.

  It roared in rage. Pulling out an axe, the demon charged and flung the weapon at Mathias. A telltale white cloud puffed from its mouth. To avoid the toxic fog as well as the axe, Mathias dropped to the ground and rolled. He leapt to his feet, coming up behind the demon.

  The other Serus eyed Kai warily. Kai smelled its fear and hesitation. Eyes trained on its short sword, Kai was prepared for the waft of pale breath coming at him. He ducked, only for the other demon to release a second cloud that blew swiftly over his head. Stinging pain lanced across the back of his thighs. He snarled and whirled. The white cloud of mist expanded inches from his face.

  What the fuck? Serus weren’t supposed to be able to manipulate their toxins this way. He dropped and rolled as Mathias had, only to freeze as a new wave of power surged through the air.

  Brooke stood next to the boulder, focused on the white fog. “Keep rolling, Kai,” she said, her gaze not wavering from her target.

  “Dammit, Brooke! I said to stay back!” Kai yelled, but he rolled off the path as she asked. Her energy built, making the air crackle. He heard a hiss and looked in wonder at the toxic cloud. A smattering of liquid fell from it like rain, hitting the gravelled ground with tiny splashes. The remaining gasses hovered like traces of mist, then dissipated into the air.

  “What the…” the first Serus’ jaw dropped as he stared at Brooke. Then he narrowed his eyes in confusion.

  Brooke tilted her head at the black-eyed beast. “What, you never took a science class? Guess you don’t know what happens when the water molecules are removed from a cloud.” She smirked at the gaping Serus.

  Kai swore and jumped to his feet, ignoring the burn in both legs. He grabbed the startled demon’s arm and twisted it behind its back.

  Mathias still faced off with his opponent on the other side of the path. Stabbing his sword into the Serus’ side, he brought the demon to the ground. He sprang to his feet and kicked the back of its head with his heavy boot. A groan escaped its mouth as it slumped, unconscious.

  The other Serus struggled against Kai’s hold, to no avail. The more it moved, the closer Kai came to breaking its arm.

  “Who is Cale working for?” Kai growled.

  The demon responded with a string of curses.

  Mathias got in the demon’s face. “Wrong answer,” he barked, lifting his palm to summon a dancing ball of demonfire. He brought it close to the Serus demon’s bare chest. “Let’s try that again.”

  Kai grimaced. He didn’t want Brooke to see them extract information from the Serus. She had grown a little more pale as she watched them. “You should look away, Sprite,” Kai called. He half-expected her to object, but she sat down next to the boulder and stared at the scrubby gray grass in front of her.

  With an iron grip on the Serus, Kai held him still while Mathias brought his orange fireball closer to the creature’s gray skin.

  The scent of charred flesh filled the air. A scream wrenched from the Serus and echoed off the surrounding trees. The demon gasped in short, desperate breaths. “He talks to a female.”

  “Name.” Mathias growled, moving his hand away from the Serus.

  Shrieking, the Serus garbled its words. “He-he calls her ‘m-my lady’ or…or ‘my queen.’ Never says her name. He delivers—”

  “Delivers what?” Mathias produced a second ball of demonfire in his free hand.

  “The captives,” the gray demon moaned, its feet kicking up pebbles as it struggled to get free.

  “What does she want with them?”

  “We don’t know! Only that she wants them alive. One time Cale called them her ‘guinea pigs’.”

  Kai and Mathias exchanged a what the fuck look. “Where do you deliver them?” Mathias punctuated his question with a dose of demonfire to the demon’s gut.

  The Serus howled. “Don’t know! He uses his porter to move them.”

  “He has his own porter?” Kai asked.

  Mathias snorted and extinguished his demonfire. “What doesn’t that bastard have?” He raked a hand through his dark hair. “Why is Cale searching this area?”

  “He searches everywhere. We’ve been all over the realm. This is one place we haven’t been yet.”

  No doubt because hardly anyone lives here. Kai looked at Mathias, who nodded in silent agreement and dropped the weakened demon. It hit the ground with a moan and rolled into a fetal position, eyes closed. Mathias walked over to find out if its friend had any more secrets.

  Kai strode to the side of the path where Brooke sat and lowered himself to the ground next to her. “I’m sorry you had to see that.” He wanted to pull her into his arms, but after the way he and Mathias had worked over the Serus, she might not want anything to do with him.

  She swallowed and raised her head, her gray eyes searching his face. “I guess you had to, right? I mean, those two were part of the group that captured us and handed us over to Draven. If you guys didn’t do something…”

  Needing contact, he reached for her hand. “My line of work gets violent sometimes.”

  She nodded, looking resigned, and picked at a thread on her jeans. “I understand. Seeing it up close was intense, but I guess I have to get used to it.”

  His chest tightened at the thought of her getting accustomed to death, and the ways in which the Watchers extracted the information they needed. He wanted to protect her from the darkness of his world. It’s a little late for that, unfortunately. He opened his mouth to speak, but her words stopped him.

  “That’s why I’m here, right? My sisters, too. Something awful is coming, and we need to fight it.” Her tone grew flat as she recited the legend they’d all heard a hundred times.

  “That’s wh
at Rilan says.” He trailed his hand up her arm and brought it to her cheek. She turned her face into his palm and sighed. “Whatever is coming, we’ll take it down,” he murmured.

  She didn’t respond, her eyes focused somewhere in the distance.

  “Brooke, what you did to his breath was amazing. You pulled the water out, right? Like what you did to the grass?”

  “Yeah.” She gave him a small smile.

  He dropped his hand to her shoulder. “You neutralized one of the most predatory species on Torth. You negated their best weapon. Your power is…” He shook his head, unable to find an adequate word. “Your power rocks.”

  A flash and a popping sound came from the path, followed by quiet crackling. The familiar sounds told Kai that Mathias had gotten all he could from the two Serus, and had used his demonfire to end their existence. Brooke turned toward the noise, but Kai blocked her view with his body. “Mathias is taking care of them.”

  “Oh,” she said in a quiet voice. “Do you need to help him?”

  “No.”

  “Good.” She scooted closer, wedging herself between his thighs until she could press her face against his chest. His arms went around her shoulders and he kissed the top of her head. Her scent engulfed him. This was where she belonged. Curled in his arms, after fighting at his side. My woman.

  Kai blinked. Where had that come from? He had never felt a flicker of possession for a female before, and that was just fine with him. But as he gazed down at Brooke nestled against him, her sweet strength warmed his heart. Something primal stirred in him.

  He didn’t know what it felt like to be in love, but he didn’t want to spend a single day away from her. He needed to keep her safe. He would die to protect her. She was vulnerable, but she was brave. And, gods above, she was beautiful. He never wanted another male to touch her. Ever.

  Mathias walked over to them, hands on his hips. “She okay?”

  Brooke jerked at the sound of his voice. “I’m fine.” She moved to stand. One of her legs buckled and Kai sprang up to steady her.