Mark of the Sylph (Demons of Infernum, #2)

by Rosalie Lario

  Taeg stared at him for a long moment before letting out a sigh. “Get the fuck out of here. Go.”

  The man flinched as he raced past them, as if he expected Taeg to change his mind at any moment.

  Maya watched him go before turning back to Taeg. “The guy’s a drug dealer. Why didn’t you kill him?”

  He gave a nonchalant shrug. “He’s just a middleman. Kill him and three more will crop up in his place.”

  Well, that sucked. Because if Horster was any indication, that drug was seriously messed up. He lay on the ground, twitching and convulsing.

  Taeg strolled over to Horster and knelt in front of him, pulling his head back so he could glare into his eyes. Not that Horster could look back, since his eyes rolled in the back of his head. “Horster. Fuck, man. Come out of it for a sec, will ya?”

  He shook Horster until the man sobered up enough to realize someone was there. When he finally noticed Taeg, his eyes widened. “Ta-Taeg. Good to see you—”

  “Cut the shit,” Taeg bit out. “Where’s the rest of it?”

  “I... ” Horster shivered uncontrollably, sweat covering his skin now. “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “Save it, man. I know you only gave me part of what I paid for. Where’s the rest?”

  Horster reached his trembling hand into his jacket, fumbling around before he removed another folded-up piece of paper. He handed it to Taeg. “I-I must have forgotten it.”

  “Yeah, I’m sure,” Taeg replied wryly as he unfolded the paper. “No doubt you would have conveniently remembered in exchange for more money, right?”

  Ah, that’s what this was about. Horster had been trying to screw Taeg over.

  “How did you know?” Maya asked him. “I mean, you can’t read Welsh.”

  Taeg glanced up at her with a grin. “I have my ways.”

  When she frowned at him, he elaborated. “The bottom of the page had a big arrow pointing right. Seemed pretty clear the information continued on another page.”

  Taeg rose and folded the paper, sticking it in his back pocket while he glared down at Horster. “Don’t ever try to fuck me over again, or it’ll be the last thing you do, got it?”

  “I... yes,” Horster rasped out, wincing as if he was in pain. His eyes traveled down to Taeg’s feet, and he inched his hand forward along the ground.

  Next to him was another syringe, full of a milky white substance, not more than six inches from Taeg’s heel. Taeg must have noticed it, too, because seconds before Horster closed his fingers around it, Taeg reached out and ground it beneath his heel.

  “No!” Horster tried to lunge forward but messed up as he was, he only succeeded in falling onto his side.

  Taeg shook his head and gave Horster a look of disgust. “Clean yourself up, man. This is pathetic.”

  He turned to Maya, and despite where they were, despite everything they’d just gone through, her heart still made a funny leap in her chest. “Let’s get out of here.”

  As it turned out, the walk back to Taeg’s apartment didn’t go by nearly as quickly as the walk to Eros had. Something to do with them being covered in blood. On top of that, Maya had road rash on one cheek to go along with the bruise on her forehead. Passersby did double takes and gave them a wide berth, but in true New York fashion, no one seemed to consider calling the police on them.

  “You seem to be holding up rather well for someone who just killed a demon,” Taeg observed quietly.

  Maya stopped and turned to face Taeg. Confession time. She just couldn’t hold it back anymore. “I’ve killed demons before. At least, I thought they were demons at the time. Now I’m not so sure.”

  He stiffened and searched her face for a long moment before nodding. “I suspected as much.”

  All the air left her body in one big rush. “You’re not pissed? I mean, for all I know they were complete innocents.”

  His face softened and he lifted a hand to cup her cheek. “You were only doing what you felt you had to do at the time, Maya. I can’t fault you for that.”

  She hadn’t expected that response.

  He lowered his hand and wound it around hers, holding her tight as they continued down the street.

  When they reached the steps to the building, Taeg fished his keys out of his pocket. Maya watched him unlock the door, drinking in the strength of his profile, the almost angelic glow that pulsed off him.

  It seemed that now she’d started making confessions, she couldn’t stop. “You know, for years I’ve studied every version of the Bible I could get my hands on, hoping I would someday find a way to banish demons for good.”

  He let out a low laugh. “Good thing for me that wouldn’t work.” Throwing her an understanding smile, he tugged on her hand. “Come on.”

  The events of the previous couple of hours had played themselves over and over in Maya’s head, until she was left with two startling facts. One, Taeg had a lot of contacts and seemed to be pretty good at getting information. Two, he was a damned good fighter.

  Holy crap, why hadn’t she thought of this before? She knew exactly what to do. She also knew that in order to get him to agree, she’d have to tell Taeg the truth. Madre de Dios. She was finally going to talk about that horrible night.

  They made it all the way up the stairs, to the outside of Taeg’s apartment, before Maya got up the nerve to speak again. “I’ll help you find the sword. For Brynn.”

  He paused, the key to the front door poised at the lock. When he turned toward her, Maya saw the glint of hope in his eyes, hiding behind a careful, expressionless mask. He spoke so quietly his words were nothing more than a whisper. “You will?”

  “Yes, but on one condition.” She took a deep, fortifying breath, and looked him square in the eye. “I want you to help me find and destroy the demons who killed my family.”

  Chapter Ten

  Maya held her breath while Taeg stared at her. She did her best to stand still, though inside she was falling apart. She’d never spoken of this before. Not even to her therapists, and there had been many over the years, hired by her adoptive mother to try to lure her into confiding in them.

  Finally, without saying a word, he turned to unlock the door and opened it to let her inside. Maya slunk through, concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other. She felt so... fragile. And she hated it.

  Behind her, Taeg locked the door. As if he sensed her inner turmoil, he placed his hands on her shoulders and guided her toward the couch. Taking a seat beside her, he hooked a finger under her chin and forced her to meet his eyes. “Okay. I want to know everything. Spill.”

  That simple command seemed to flood the dam she’d built inside her heart. Her lips opened, words she’d never spoken before tumbling out. “I was ten years old the first time I saw a demon. At least, I think he was. He had red horns. Two mouths instead of one.”

  “Maliki demon,” Taeg confirmed.

  “We lived on the outskirts of Puebla, in Mexico. Me, my father and mother, and my sister. She was eight. I was at the plaza with my father that day. He was talking to some friends while I jumped rope. That’s when I saw him.”

  She remembered like it was yesterday. The monster walking down the street. How paralyzed with terror she’d been. He’d been more horrifying than the worst bogeyman she could have imagined. She couldn’t stop staring.

  “What happened?” Taeg prompted her.

  “He saw me looking at him and grinned at me. Those two mouths... ” She shuddered.

  “Stay with me, Maya.” Taeg closed his hand around hers, lending her strength.

  “I ran to my father and told him I’d seen a monster. I pointed at him, and he noticed it. I didn’t know my father wouldn’t be able to see the same thing I saw. He was embarrassed. My father apologized to him and led me away. But I knew. I knew. When I looked back, the demon’s eyes were on me.”

  Even now, when she thought back to that day, she still felt his power over her. The evil promises it spoke of. Maya tightened h
er fingers around Taeg’s hand. “He came that night. Looking for me. And he brought a friend.”

  Taeg’s eyes swam with unspoken emotion. “Oh, Maya.”

  Taking a breath, she continued. “I heard the scrape of something down the hall. It woke me up. My sister was still asleep in bed next to me, so I hopped off and tiptoed out of the room. I made it to the living room when I saw the shadows. I crawled behind a big plant and hid there while they passed by me. Even though it was dark, I could still see what they were. Two demons. I... I didn’t know what to do. I was so scared.”

  “Of course you were.” Taeg squeezed her hand. “You were only a little girl.”

  “That’s when I heard the screams. My mother. My father. After that, the sound of footsteps. In that moment, I knew. It was my sister, running down the hall toward their room. I... I wanted to scream at her to stop. To run the other way. But I couldn’t. I was paralyzed. Eventually, her screams died, too.”

  “Maya,” Taeg whispered, “you don’t have to—”

  She couldn’t hold back now. The words had to be said. “That’s when he came looking for me.”

  Donde estas, niñita? Te encontraré. Vine por ti.

  “‘I came for you,’ he said. I scrunched myself into a ball and prayed. Prayed he wouldn’t find me. The whole time I could hear his friend, hear the sound of him... ” She closed her eyes, wishing she could forever forget the sounds of tearing flesh, of slurping, as the demons had feasted on her family.

  “Don’t say it, Maya. Don’t even think about it.”

  But how could she not?

  “When the demon came into the kitchen, I finally dared to move. I raced toward the door. It was still cracked open from when they broke in. So I ran outside. Ran and ran some more. Maybe for half the night. I was still running when she found me.”

  Taeg’s hand trailed up her arm. He gripped her shoulder tight. “Who?”

  “Dr. Rossum. Helen. She was an archaeologist working on a nearby dig site. She knew my father, and recognized me. I... couldn’t speak when she asked what happened. She suspected the worst, and had the local police called to my house. They found... the remains.”

  She took a deep swallow as she remembered those next few days. Coming to terms with the horror of what she’d seen. Knowing no one would believe her. “They never found the demons, of course. In the end they chalked it up to the work of a deranged madman. Helen, she took me in. Adopted me and brought me here, to her home in New York City. She saved my life.”

  “Oh, Maya.” Taeg slipped his arms around her and pulled her into his chest.

  She wanted to relax against him. To lean on him. She wanted that so desperately. But she couldn’t. She didn’t deserve it.

  “Did you ever tell her the truth?” he asked.

  “No, but she knew something was up. She took me to a friend of hers here in the city. He taught me everything he knew about fighting. Real fighting, the kind where only one person is going to come out of it.”

  “He did good, sweetheart. You’re one hell of a fighter.” Taeg stroked her hair in a gesture of comfort. Her mother used to do that, too.

  No.

  Maya yanked herself out of his arms. “Don’t you get it? I killed them all. The demons came because of me. And I didn’t do a goddamned thing to stop them. I didn’t even warn my family.”

  She stared him straight in the eye, daring him to refute her.

  “No, Maya,” he said, reaching for her. “It’s not your fault. You were just a child.”

  She slapped his hands away and jumped to her feet. The agony of the truth boiled up inside her stomach, eating her alive. “I’m a murderer, Taeg. I murdered innocent people. Demons. Others. Even my own fucking family.”

  “No, that’s not true!”

  She couldn’t take it anymore. It was too much. All this time she’d kidded herself into thinking she was fighting evil, when the truth had stared her in the face the whole time. She was the evil one. She always had been. “My sister was only eight years old. I could have saved her.”

  Going on pure instinct, Maya turned and headed toward the door. She had to get out of here.

  Taeg grabbed her just as her hand closed around the lock. He whirled her around, and her fist shot out automatically, catching him in the face. “Let me go.”

  “No.”

  “Let me. Please. Please.” She didn’t know what she was begging for, but Taeg responded by grabbing her in a bear hug and picking her off her feet. In three long strides, he was at the couch. He sat down with her in his lap, pinning her when she fought to get up. She struggled to get free, but he wouldn’t let her go.

  “It wasn’t your fault, Maya. It wasn’t your fault.”

  She shook her head. He was wrong.

  His eyes blazed with intensity. “Sweetheart, just forgive yourself. Please.”

  Just like that, all the fight went out of her, leaving her with nothing but a bundle of raw nerves and a body filled to bursting with emotions. Burying her head in his neck, Maya finally, finally, let them out. Cries of raw agony burst from her throat. She allowed the tears to come, allowed herself to feel for once, until she was at last blissfully empty.

  §

  Long after Maya had cried herself hoarse in his arms, she lifted her eyes and gave Taeg a shaky smile. “I guess that was a long time coming.”

  “Why didn’t you ever confide in your adoptive mother?” he asked her. “Don’t you think she would have believed you?”

  She pursed her lips as she considered his words. “You know, I think she probably would have. I guess I wanted to pretend like it never happened.”

  He looked at her evenly, a surge of emotion fueling his words. “It truly wasn’t your fault. Most adults in your position would have frozen at the sight of two demons, much less a ten-year-old child.”

  She shrugged like she believed him, but in the end she said, “Maybe.”

  That was a start, at least.

  Taeg clasped her arms and gently tugged her upward. He wiped the remains of her tears from her face. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes.” She appeared to realize she was still sitting on his lap. Her cheeks turned a light shade of pink. She scooted off him and sat beside him on the couch.

  His body belatedly reacted to her former closeness, and he stifled a curse. At least it hadn’t done that while she’d been crying on his lap. That would have been highly inappropriate. He leaned forward to disguise the sudden shift in his jeans. “Are you sure you’re all right?”

  With a nod she said, “Yes. I guess I held it in for too long.”

  The look on her face was heartbreaking and arousing at the same time. She was a strong one, his little fighter. “I swear, Maya, I’ll help you find the bastards who did this. And together we’ll kill ’em good.”

  He didn’t know what had possessed him to say that, to make a promise he probably couldn’t keep, but he couldn’t have held the words back to save his own life.

  “Thank you, Taeg.” She gave him a brilliant smile before glancing down at her bloody clothes. “I... mind if I use the shower first?”

  “Be my guest.”

  “I’ll be quick.” She stood and rushed toward the bathroom.

  Taeg watched the door shut, then examined his own bloodstained outfit. Since he was reasonably sure he didn’t have to worry about her running away anymore, he decided to flash over to Keegan’s to borrow his shower.

  He returned in less than ten minutes, and she was still in the bathroom. With a sigh, he slumped onto the couch. Much as he tried not to think about Maya showering in his bathroom, it was impossible. Like trying not to breathe.

  The door unlocked and Maya walked out, clad in a short, silky robe he’d brought from her apartment. Her long, wet hair clung to her, creating enticing wet spots all over her robe. How the hell was he going to handle being close to her? Just the sight of her drove him to distraction.

  She saw him and stopped, narrowing her eyes. “How did you manage to showe
r?”

  “Flashed over to my brother’s.”

  “Oh.” She arched a brow. “It must be nice to be able to do that.”

  He grinned. “Yup.”

  Maya hesitantly leaned against the doorjamb. “I’m sorry about my little breakdown. The pity party’s over and done with. Promise.”

  Taeg stifled his sigh. “You know, Maya, it’s not a crime to feel.”

  A ghost of a smile crossed her face but she didn’t respond.

  “Are you positive you’re okay?” he asked her.

  She nodded. “I will be once the demons are dead.”

  He didn’t respond. What could he say? That the likelihood of her locating two maliki demons who she didn’t know by name were slim at best? And that was assuming they were still here on Earth.

  “Can I ask you something?” she asked, her voice clouded with uncertainty.

  He stilled. Something gave him the feeling he wasn’t going to like her question. “What is it?”

  “Back at your brother’s apartment, when you were talking about Leviathos, you said he used to be your friend. What happened?”

  Aw, crap. He didn’t want to tell this story. But now that she’d confided in him, how could he not do the same? “Leviathos and I practically grew up together back in Infernum. He was my best friend as far back as I can remember.”

  “Go on,” she urged, pushing off the doorjamb and coming to sit next to him on the couch.

  “I... betrayed him.”

  “How?”

  He rested his elbows on his knees. “We were teenagers, and he fell in love. Her name was Ana, and she was an ishtari demon. Beautiful. She loved him, too. They bound themselves to each other—that’s the equivalent of engagement in our world.”

  “And?” she pressed.

  And he’d been an idiot.

  “One night after hanging with him, I came home to find her in my room. Naked.” He turned away, the old, familiar sense of guilt tightening his throat. “I was young and dumb. A total shit. I should have sent her away, but... ”