She glanced at herself in the reflection, relieved to see her eyes had returned to their normal brown hue, and that her hair was no longer snaking around her head.
“What’s the news from your spies?” she asked.
“The news is that tomorrow is our day to attack. We sent out a small troop of hellhounds and valkyrie to Hadley in Western Massachusetts. They’ve been wreaking havoc, terrifying the humans. So the Hunters have sent half their human army in to control the demonic outburst. My spies tell me that right now, the emperor’s palace is as vulnerable as it ever gets.”
“Tomorrow.” Apprehension prickled over her skin. She crossed to him, standing so close she could feel the heat from his body. Slowly, she ran her fingertips over his heart, feeling his powerful pulse. “Does anyone else know how to kill you?”
“Malphas, of course. Bileth does, I’m sure.” A breeze filtered in from the window, toying with his hair. “He has been an immortal for far longer than I have.”
“I’m going to kill him.”
Caine quirked a smile. “Will you be my savior?”
“If I need to.”
His expression darkened. “Maybe you should stay in Lilinor tomorrow.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me. Why?”
“You’re the primary target of both Bileth and Drew. As soon as we get to Cambridge, they’ll be coming for you. You’re our most powerful weapon, and Drew’s intended bride. He has powers like yours, but he’s been using them longer. He’s stronger than you. It’s too much of a risk, and I don’t want to let him capture you again. I should have never let you go the first time.”
Rosalind shook her head. “No way. Drew and Bileth will be trying to kill you too. And anyway, didn’t you just say half the Hunters were gone? This is our chance.”
“Half the Hunters, yes. But not the demons. My spies have told me what awaits us tomorrow: an army of phantom edimmu who can inhabit bodies, and feast on souls. There are the pazuzu: the demons of famine, and storm demons who haven’t flown the skies in millennia. Gruesome hounds. They’ve created armies like the world has never known.”
Rosalind sucked in a deep breath. “So, our chances aren’t good. But I’m not letting you go without me. We’re going to fight them together.”
A desolate look crossed his eyes. “I don’t want anything to happen to you. I can’t risk losing you.”
Rosalind wrapped her arms around his neck. “Then if we have to die, we’ll die together. I’m not letting you go without me.”
He pressed his forehead to hers. “Rosalind.”
He ran his hand down her silk gown, and she stood on her tiptoes to press her mouth against his. As soon as his lips touched hers, heat ignited her body. Her pulse raced, breath shallowing.
Caine grabbed her silk dress and pulled up the hem of her gown. “You’re wearing too many clothes,” he whispered. As he exposed her skin to the cool night air, goosebumps rose over her skin.
Rosalind’s heart pounded hard. She slipped her hands under his shirt, her fingers brushing against his perfect abs, and she pulled his shirt off. Her gaze slowly roamed over the dark, brutal tattoos covering his muscled body.
Slowly, she slid her arms around his neck, letting her silky bra graze against his bare skin. He leaned down, kissing her, his tongue brushing against hers, sending fire through her veins. He cupped his hands under her thighs and, in one fluid movement, lifted her as she wrapped her legs around his waist.
Gripping her tight, he carried her to the wall, pressing her back to the stone. The cold wall chilled her back, while every brush of his fingers singed her with heat. His eyes blazed with starry light, and he unhooked her bra, pulling it off. The feel of the cool air over her bare breasts sent a thrill through her.
Lightly, teasingly, he began brushing kisses over her neck, his tongue gently flicking against her skin. She arched into him, thrusting her fingers into his hair. Slowly, his lips moved lower, his warm mouth covering her breasts in kisses. Gently, he grazed a hint of teeth over her skin, and she groaned slightly, grinding her hips into him, throwing back her head.
Rosalind’s world narrowed to the thrill of his mouth on her skin. Right now, nothing else existed apart from Caine and the heat roaring through her body, the rest of the world forgotten.
Caine pulled away from her breasts, and raked his gaze over her bare skin, his expression purely carnal. “In the future, I want you permanently naked in my room.”
“You too.” She unwrapped her legs from him, and slid down his body. Hungrily, she grabbed for his belt, unbuckling it, then pulled off his pants.
Caine moved in closer, one hand on her naked waist, the other pressed against the wall, boxing her in. Gently, he trailed his hand up and down her waist, tracing the curve of her hipbone, lazily stroking just above her silky panties, making her back arch. She slipped her arms around his neck, trying to pull him in closer, but he held back. He wanted to draw this out. He leaned in again, kissing her, his tongue flicking against hers.
He moved lower, trailing kisses down her neck again, his breath hot on her skin.
“I want to hear you say you love me,” he said, his fingers teasing the hollow of her hips.
“I love you. But I also want you, and you’re moving too slowly.”
He gripped her hips tighter and brushed kisses down her breasts, her abdomen, and at every brush of his lips, a hot thrill blazed through her core.
He moved onto his knees, fingers teasing the rim of her panties. Gods, she needed him now. He hooked an arm under her leg, lifting it, his mouth moving up the inside of her thigh. She threaded her fingers through his hair, desperate for more of him. She could see herself in the mirror, chest flushed, her breaths deep. Caine brushed his fingertips between her legs, and she groaned as he slowly teased her. Waves of pleasure washed through her.
“Caine,” she breathed. She wanted him now. She pulled her leg out of his grip, then thrust her fingers into her panties, pulling them all the way down to her ankles. When she rose again, Caine’s eyes were slowly taking in every inch of her bare skin, moving over her bare breasts, her stomach, between her legs, his breath hot on her skin.
Caine’s measured restraint seemed to slip, and his fingers tightened on her hips, no longer gentle. Shadows darkened his eyes, and his silver aura viciously cut the air around him. He rose, staring into her eyes.
Rosalind reached for him, pulling off his underwear. “I need you.”
Caine reached down, grabbing her thighs, and she hooked her legs around him, her back against the wall. She was moaning his name as he thrust into her, and her fingers raked viciously down his back. Neither of them was being gentle now, driven by pure hunger and need. She moved in rhythm with him, kissing him until pleasure claimed her mind. And with that moment of release, her fractured soul began to heal just a little.
Chapter 26
Rosalind woke in Caine’s arms, reveling in the feel of his smooth, bare skin against hers. She didn’t want to leave this bed. She wanted to stay in here, exploring his perfect body for the next week.
Sadly, it wasn’t going to happen. The longer they waited to attack the Brotherhood, the greater the chance they’d lose the upper hand.
Moonlight streamed into the bedroom, and she glanced at the clock—four a.m. Her body tensed. Nearly time.
In just a half hour, they were going to gather in the Gelal Fields. Together with Malphas and Caine, Rosalind would create a portal large enough for the entire army of Lilinor to plunge through.
The Brotherhood would never see them coming.
Reluctantly, she pulled herself from Caine’s embrace, sniffing the air, her mouth watering at the smell of bacon and coffee wafting into the room. She rose from her bed and pulled on a bathrobe. Then she crossed to the door and pulled it open to find a tray of food on the floor.
Good. She and Caine would need to fill their bellies for what lay ahead today. As she carried the tray back to the table, Caine sat up, his body suddenly alert.
He didn’t really seem to have a waking-up period—just deep sleep or total alertness, like he was ready to kill.
He glanced at the clock. “Almost time.” He rose from the bed.
Rosalind let her eyes roam over his naked body. “If we win this battle, will your former vampires be able to restrain themselves from rampaging through the city and slaughtering everyone in their paths?”
“I’ll give them strict instructions not to rape and pillage the city of Cambridge.” He sat in a chair across from her, pulling the dome off the tray.
“Tell me the plan again,” she said. They’d been over this already with Ambrose, Malphas, and Aurora, but she needed to hear the details again.
He poured himself a cup of coffee. “The plan is that we divide the army into cohorts to maximize their offense capability. Aurora and the valkyrie can attack from above and fight the pazuzu and edimmu demons. The hellhounds will be on the front lines, to ignite the Hunters and demons with hellfire. Winged cohorts can also attack the land-bound demons from above.”
“Becca will enjoy that,” she said. “Anything else?”
“I’ll hold the shadow demons back. Some of the keres, and the oneiroi, so we can draw the Brotherhood’s forces into a trap and surround them.”
Rosalind heaved a sigh of relief. “Good. So Tammi will be out of the main action.”
“Some of the keres will be in a flying cohort, Tammi among them. The other shadow demons will need to use their powers of stealth. They can move through the shadows the easiest, can go unnoticed. When we’ve lured Drew’s forces into that courtyard, the shadow demons will flank them. They’ll surround them and cut them down from the outside in.”
Rosalind’s stomach was already clenching with dread, and she couldn’t quite imagine Tammi swinging her sword in the middle of a melee. “Okay. While that’s going on, I’ve got to break off from them and hunt for Drew.”
Caine poured her a cup of coffee, shaking his head. “You can’t go in there alone.”
She took a sip of the strong brew. “You and Malphas will need to stay with the rest of the army. It’s not like we have a ton of demigods on our side, and the soldiers will need your leadership. You’re their general. Besides, I can handle Drew on my own.”
“He’s been using these powers longer than you have.”
“True. But he’s insane.”
“I suppose you have a slight advantage in that regard.” He frowned at her. “If you need me, call to me.”
“And what if I’m nowhere near you?”
“Remember when you borrowed my magic?” he said. “I felt it. I knew you needed it. Use my magic again, and I’ll come find you.”
She crossed her legs. “And what if you need me?”
“I’ll do the same. I’ll ask to borrow from your power. We’re linked, you and I.” A smile ghosted across his lips. “I quite like the idea of having Azazeyl’s power at my fingertips.”
She knew she should eat, but with her nerves buzzing, she didn’t have much of an appetite. In fact, she kind of felt like she wanted to throw up. Regardless, she bit into the crisp bacon. “Anything else I need to know?”
“Kill anyone you meet, as long as they’re not on our side.”
“Okay. Good strategy. Sophisticated.”
Her body buzzed with nervous energy, and after a few bites of bacon, she rose, unable to wait any longer. She crossed to the wardrobe and pulled on her best fighting clothes—steel-reinforced leather pants and corset, her weapons belt, and a crap-load of blades.
She’d mostly be using her magic, but it never hurt to load up with weapons.
As she dressed, Caine pulled on his own clothes, though he didn’t bother with reinforced leather or any sort of armor. She supposed that when you’ve spent five centuries as an immortal, it was hard to feel vulnerable.
Nervousness tightened her stomach as they walked through the shadow corridor, the general and the assassin.
* * *
Rosalind and Caine stood on the shores of the Astarte Sea, listening to the waves break and crash over the rocks. Already, the army of demons had begun to gather, their silver armor and weapons gleaming in the moonlight.
Caine had organized them into cohorts, roughly sorted by demon-types. The shadow demons, the hellhounds, the fae, the creatures who could fly. Tammi stood in the middle of the shadow demon cohort, her pale hair draped over her armor. Ready for battle, her silver wings were on display behind her shoulder blades. Rosalind sucked in a breath. She’d never seen Tammi’s wings before, but like Caine, they emerged when she was ready to fight.
At the front of each cohort, soldiers carried enormous shields. Ambrose stood on the other side of Caine, facing his army, resplendent in his silver armor. As an incubus, his skin no longer had that unearthly pale hue, now a little more golden, nearly matching his hair. Charcoal-gray wings arched majestically behind his back.
Rosalind had her own weapons—a sword, some daggers. But most importantly, she was bringing with her the iron nail that she planned to ram into Drew’s heart, right after she stole his immortality from him. She stroked her fingertips over the long nail in her pocket, trying not to think of what would happen if she failed today, but the fears invaded her mind anyway. If Drew and the Brotherhood were ready for this attack, Rosalind would end up imprisoned again.
This time, she was certain she wouldn’t break free. Drew would find a way to use her for breeding, then he’d cut off her head, burn her body. Make sure she couldn’t rise from the ground.
Caine and Malphas would be slowly tortured for the rest of their long lives—just like the Throcknell family had once wanted. Lilinor would be destroyed. That little boy, Owen, and all the prisoners she’d freed would probably die. Total destruction of the city, of the civilization here. Dread tightened its grip on her heart. They couldn’t lose today.
Despite her fears, Rosalind felt a strange thrill as she stared out over the cohorts, the soldiers all looking at Caine and Ambrose. Her heart thundered like a war drum.
Among the valkyrie, a clean, gray aura whirled from Aurora’s body—the magic of the storm gods. And embedded within the shadow demons, Tammi wore chainmail, and gripped a spear.
On the shore of the Astarte, silence reigned, and tension thickened the air. A marine wind rushed off the waves, raising goosebumps on her skin. Soon enough, Rosalind would warm the skies.
As the last of the demons took their positions in the cohorts, Rosalind stared at the magic wafting off them, the stunning tendrils of gleaming gold, silver, bronze, grey and black—and blue, too. The color of her sister’s magic. Their auras pulsed over her skin, smooth and briny, clean mountain winds, icy electricity. Azazeyl’s magic coiled together under the night sky. Here, it almost seemed as if the seven gods were reuniting once more.
She glanced at Ambrose, waiting for his command. He gripped a battle-ax, and his eyes shone with the same stunning, starlit color of Caine’s gaze. His knuckles went white as he gripped his axe. “I have missed the thrill of battle.” For just a moment, apprehension flickered across his beautiful features, but then he tightened his jaw. “Raise the sun. I want to feel it on my face again.”
Rosalind glanced back at the glistening ocean, the waves undulating under the night sky.
Caine leaned in, his breath warming the side of her face. “Dazzle them.”
She turned, walking to the ocean’s edge, her toes dipping into the frothy spume. Dagon lurked in these waters, but the god of the depths no longer scared her. He lived within her now, with the other gods, all vying for wholeness.
She closed her eyes, envisioning Emerazel, the goddess of fire. Heat ignited, erupting through her veins, until her body burned like the fires of Etna.
She opened her eyes again, her breath catching at the sight of the sky. Crimson sun rays bled into the sky, and behind her, her soldiers gasped, a few shrieking. A crown of deep honey light rose above the waves, gilding the Astarte Sea.
The army of the Night God stood ben
eath a sky of hot amber and pumpkin, streaked with buttery light. The sun warmed Rosalind’s body, and she turned back to the soldiers. Some squinted into the sunlight, while others gaped at their hands, marveling at the sunlight on their skin.
Rosalind glanced at Aurora, resplendent, a golden goddess in her armor. The sunlight washed over the banners of Nyxobas, the midnight cloth flecked with silver stars and crescent moons.
This might be a motley crew of demons standing in the morning sun, but they were still loyal to the god of night.
An eerie silence had fallen over the crowd, and Rosalind glanced at Tammi, who stood rigid, a proper soldier. In the wind, her silver hair whipped over her face. And at the front of the shadow demons’ cohort stood Malphas, the sunlight gleaming off his silver armor, and he waited for her to speak.
Ambrose’s gaze slid to Caine. “General. Your speech.”
Caine climbed a jagged rock, surveying the army. “The Brotherhood will have everyone believe that humans must fear the world of magic. They teach that we’re all monsters who should be burned, that the safety of the human species relies on our destruction.”
Caine held out his hand to Rosalind, beckoning her onto the rock. “Perhaps you’d like to explain.”
As she climbed the rock, the waves crashed against the shore, spraying her with spume. “Your general is right. The Brotherhood is very convincing. I believed them once, though now I no longer fear you at all. I’ve learned to live among you, even love some of you.” She glanced at Caine, heat blooming in her chest. “Now, I put my faith in you, the demons—the abominations, like me. I want to live among you all, and some day die among you all. It’s my sincerest hope that that day is a long way off.” Tears stung her eyes, and she nodded at Caine again.
He turned back to the legion, and his voice boomed as he spoke. “This is our home. And anyone who dares to invade it should fear us—not because we are monsters. But because we want what anyone wants—to keep our home safe.” This time, his gaze slid to Rosalind. “To protect those we love.” He raised his hands to the sky, and the sun rays ignited him from behind. He looked to her like he’d fallen straight from the heavens. “Let the tyrants fear, not us. It’s their cruelty that is monstrous, not us. When the tyrants of the Brotherhood threaten us, we will defend our home. And it begins today, in the light of day.”
Divine Hunter (The Vampire's Mage Series Book 4) Page 17
