by Brenda Huber
Gideon let out another roar of laughter.
He was, apparently, also a demon with a serious sitcom addiction.
Carly recognized a kindred spirit in Gideon. Well read. Insatiably curious. But always on the outside looking in. Besides, it was difficult not to like Gideon, at least if you were a woman. She supposed, however, it might be easy for other men to be jealous of him. Regardless of whether or not he claimed the title, Gideon simply was temptation incarnate. Every woman’s sexual fantasy come to life. Every man’s worst ego killer. It didn’t seem to be a conscious effort on his part.
Gideon existed, and, therefore, temptation he was.
She was just glad Niklas now understood where her heart lay—or rather, where her desires lay, she corrected herself. Frustrated, she nibbled on a thumbnail. Why was it so hard for her to remember that what she had with Niklas was only temporary? Why couldn’t she stop herself from wanting more with him?
Because of afternoons like the one they’d just shared. She harrumphed. How could any woman not want more of a man like that?
Desire and Niklas went hand in hand.
Where is he?
She glanced at her watch, rubbed her hands up and down her arms and continued to pace.
“Are you chilly, darlin’?” Gideon glanced over, an inquisitive frown wrinkling his handsome brow. “Do you want a sweater?” He lifted a hand and pointed at the fireplace. “Would you prefer I start a fire?”
“No, thank you. I’m fine,” she replied absently. “Isn’t there some way for us to call him? How would we know if he needs help, or if—”
“If Niklas ran into trouble, the last place he’d want you was there with him. I happen to like my skin just where it is.” He fluffed a pillow and patted the cushion beside him. “You’re going to worry yourself sick. Come sit down now. He’ll be back before you know it.”
Heaving a reluctant sigh, Carly finally conceded, dropping down beside him. “Take my mind off my worries? Tell me about this loophole.”
He regarded her for a long moment, licking his lips as hope gleamed in his bright amber eyes. “I think I found a way around the curse. There’s a legend about an ancient Aztec amulet. No guarantees, but it’s worth a shot.”
“Why aren’t you out there looking for it right now?”
He offered a meaningful grin. “My being able to overcome this curse would be rather pointless if there isn’t anyone left to touch, now wouldn’t it? Relics first, then the amulet.”
How selfless. She didn’t know if she’d have that kind of fortitude. Instinctively, she reached for his shoulder, remembered at the last minute, and let her hand drop to the couch behind him. She was his friend. She wanted this so badly for him. But she was also a realist. She didn’t want to see him hurt.
“What happens if there is no amulet? Or if it doesn’t work?” She’d no more than tucked her feet beneath her and settled onto the sofa than the air near the fireplace began to distort, cutting short Gideon’s reply. For a moment, hope soared. But then she sagged back against the cushion in disappointment.
Xander glanced at the two of them, flicked his gaze to the TV and then arched a brow at Gideon.
Gideon shrugged, lifting his hands up in an it’s-a-dirty-job-but-somebody’s-gotta-do-it motion.
Xander glanced around the room. Lifted both eyebrows.
“Sebastian and Niklas left to meet up with Asher,” Gideon replied. “He got some intel on Stolas, and a possible location for Gusion.”
“You got babysitting duty?” His tone and choice of words were laced with insult for both her and Gideon.
Carly stiffened, though she knew Xander’s allegation of babysitting was essentially true. Niklas may have appointed himself her protector, but he couldn’t be with her 24/7. He had leads to follow, as did the others. And, much as she hated to think about it, he had to feed. He would weaken if he didn’t.
And yet, he refused to leave her alone, not while Ronové and his minions were gunning for her. And now this Gusion guy. Though she knew better than to let Xander’s snarky attitude get under her skin, the way he’d phrased his question struck a nerve. She might feel sorry for him because of his voice, but sympathy only stretched so far.
Taking Xander’s bad attitude in stride, Gideon showed no outward sign of reaction. “Aren’t you supposed to be out killing something?”
Then again, maybe not.
“Movement at the nest,” Xander reported. “A gathering.”
That caught Gideon’s attention. Dropping his feet to the floor, he sat up. “You think they’re gearing up for something?”
Xander crossed his arms and shot Gideon a bland look.
Why did she have such trouble remembering that the others in the group were demons, and yet she had no trouble pinpointing Xander as a citizen of Hell? Maybe the old adage was true—it was all in the attitude. Carly might not have had much experience with the cryptic demon, but she was fast becoming used to his abbreviated, blunt, sarcastic comments and nonverbal communications.
“Something immediate,” Gideon clarified.
Xander gave a curt nod.
Gideon swore, pushing to his feet. Suddenly he wasn’t just a friendly shoulder anymore, no longer simply a companion to pass the time with. He was dangerous. He was focused. He was lethal.
So this was her first glimpse at the darker side of Gideon.
It gave her chills.
“Do you think we could slip inside? Get in a position to hear their plans?” Cold intent dripped from his words. Gideon the strategist.
Xander seemed to be giving his questions a great deal of thought. Finally, he offered a small nod. His grin was slow…and frightening. Energy pulsed in the room.
Gideon approached Xander. “I’ve not been to the nest. I’ll follow your shimmer trail.”
But just as he reached out, he paused, slowly lowering his arm. “Damn it, I almost forgot—”
“Go,” she urged. “This is important, isn’t it? Just go.”
Gideon shot a telling look at Xander. Shaking his head, Gideon stepped back. “I can’t leave you here alone. Dealing with one of Lucy’s temper tantrums would be safer than what Niklas would do to me.”
“Lucy? Oh, Lucifer.” She answered her own question. “But—”
“Trust me on this,” Gideon assured her. “Niklas would start by cutting off body parts…parts I hope to someday use, God willing. He’d take his time filleting me, and then he’d drag my innards out through a tiny hole he cut in my gut. Which would be especially cruel.” At Carly’s confused frown, he clarified, “Sugar, I am, for all intents and purposes, immortal. I wouldn’t die.”
Carly clutched her throat as she considered Gideon’s dire predictions.
“Darlin’, believe me, if I left you unprotected, Niklas would have no problem extracting several pounds of flesh. And I have no interest in enrolling in the Seer’s specialized weight loss program.”
“He’s right,” Xander grated, clearly annoyed.
“Like you’d leave Kyanna if she were in imminent danger,” Gideon snapped.
A muscle in Xander’s check clenched, and he nodded, conceding Gideon his point.
Carly glanced between the two demons, very conscious of the fact that the only thing standing between them and what could be a vital mission was her and their deference to Niklas’s wishes where she was concerned. “Then take me with you.”
Xander and Gideon stared at her as if she’d suggested inviting Lucifer himself over for supper.
“I’m serious. Take me with you.” She pushed to her feet, facing off against Gideon and Xander, one—now two—of the most formidable males she’d ever met. “I’ll do exactly as you say. You’ll get the information you need. And Niklas can’t object. I won’t be left alone.”
“You don’t think he’d object to us taking you into the midd
le of a nest?” Gideon peered at her in disbelief. Xander appraised her with a hint of grudging approval.
“Think about it,” she said, rushing on. “The last place Ronové would think to look for me would be in the middle of a nest. I’ll be with you the whole time. I’ll be perfectly safe. That is, unless you doubt your ability to protect me?”
“Oh, don’t think I’m falling for that, darlin’.”
She could see it all over his face. Gideon wasn’t going to budge. Not without help. Much as Xander intimidated her, she ignored Gideon completely and tried her best to reason with the forbidding male with the cold, calculating eyes. “Take me along. You know it makes sense.”
“Niklas would kill us!” Gideon squawked, incredulous. “You know that, right? Don’t even think about it.”
Her nerves were a jangled mess. She didn’t believe they’d even consider her request, let alone approve it. But she was just as determined that they go.
Xander grimaced. “He’s right. Besides, they’d feel the guard stones you wear.”
“Fine. But you two have to go. What if this mastermind has something big in the works? What if he already found another relic?” This was too important to them. And to Niklas too. She’d use whatever incentive she could to get them to go, but she hoped to high heaven Xander understood what she was planning. “Just go. I’ll be fine.”
Xander moved his head to the side, as if something unpleasant had just crawled down his spine, and he narrowed his eyes at her. Behind her back, out of Gideon’s angry stare, she fiddled with the bracelet and ring Niklas had given her, slipping them off. She couldn’t go into the nest with them on, just as Xander had stated. The other demons would know she was there the moment she arrived. When Gideon turned to face Xander, the better to argue his point, Carly reached up and quickly removed the necklace. With her first healthy dose of apprehension, she reluctantly dropped the jewelry on the sofa.
Smiling nervously, she addressed them once more, her meaningful gaze locked on Xander now. “You really should go. Now.”
A tiny groove formed in Xander’s cheek and that brief glint of admiration flickered in his otherwise stony stare.
“Stay inside,” Gideon ordered. “Don’t leave the house. We’ll be right back.”
For a moment, she thought Xander hadn’t understood—or that he’d understood and chose to ignore her unspoken request and leave her behind. But at the last possible moment, just as he and Gideon began to fade, Xander smiled that frightening smile of his and thrust his hand out to her.
Grateful, worried about what she was getting herself into, she leaped forward and grabbed on.
Chapter Sixteen
The minute the room around her began to distort, Carly squeezed her eyes closed and sucked in a deep breath. Xander’s large, strong hand closed like a steel manacle over hers, anchoring her. The bottom of her stomach dropped away for a moment and her head went a little light, like the first drop on a mile-high roller coaster. Her muscles turned to jelly, and then surged with renewed strength as the ground returned to support her. An earthy, musty scent assailed her a split second before she opened her eyes.
Dark, nearly impossible to see. Xander tightened his grip for a moment. She supposed she could view the contact as an unspoken form of comfort—then again, considering this was Xander, it was likely nothing more than a muscle spasm. He released her so quickly she couldn’t help but feel a little insulted.
Then that big, calloused hand clamped roughly over her mouth.
“Shhh,” Xander breathed into her ear.
Nodding, she stood still, waiting for the rest of her senses to come back online. Slowly, gray silhouettes began to take shape. Tools. Small machinery parts. A lawn mower. Gardening tools. Bare stud walls. Dust. Cobwebs. Dirt floor.
They were in a shed of some kind. Xander released her and moved silently toward the door. Where was Gideon? With a great deal of caution, Xander lifted the old iron handle and eased the door open just the tiniest bit. No light seeped through the crack. Night had descended completely outside.
“Are we on another farm?” Carly eased closer, trying to peer over Xander’s shoulder.
“Shhh.”
“What in the name of ever loving hell do you think you’re doing?” Gideon exploded from the shadows behind her.
“Shhh,” Xander hissed.
“For the record,” Gideon whispered, “when Niklas finds out we brought her to a nest, and he’s using our entrails as Fourth of July decorations—you know, the painful bit before he skins us alive and takes our heads—don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Glancing over her shoulder, she offered Gideon an apologetic smile.
“It’s a little late for that,” he snapped. He made a visible effort to glower direfully at her. But then he softened, adding, “Oh, hell. I’ll forgive you anyway. Eventually. Maybe. If Niklas decides not to use my balls for a necklace.”
“Shhh.” Xander snarled something beneath his breath, something insulting and liberally laced with enough swear words to make a biker blush.
She edged around Xander, leaned closer to the opening and squinted out into the night. A light cast a dim golden glow on the yard some distance away. An old farmhouse sat on a gentle rise. White, two-story. Weathered slate siding. No decorative landscaping, no ornamentation of any kind. A straggling bush sprouted up along the house’s foundation near a waterspout. A spindly TV antenna clung to the side of the house, reaching up into the night sky like a skeleton’s rib cage. All the windows on the bottom floor glowed.
Carly pushed a stray strand of hair from her face as she peered hard at the ground floor windows. Try as she might, she couldn’t see inside. Couldn’t see any movement. Disappointing. “Why didn’t you just shimmer us inside the house?”
Even in the dark, Xander’s scowl packed serious wallop.
“Haven’t been inside.”
She recalled Niklas telling her a demon could only shimmer to where they’d already been. That must have been really irritating, having such an annoying restriction placed on someone who otherwise would have nearly unlimited power.
She leaned forward, pushing the door open a little farther. “How are we going to hear anything out here?”
“Shhh!” Xander took her by the shoulders and shoved her deeper into the shed.
He turned back to the door, and scanned the yard. Gideon shot her a warning look and joined him.
Undeterred, Carly slipped around Gideon, excitement flowing through her veins. “Are we going to sneak into the house?” She reached past Xander, pushing the door open just a tad farther. “I bet the back door’s not locked,” she whispered. “Why would it be? After all, all the bad guys are already inside.” She surveyed the house, scanned the trees. A small well house stood halfway between the shed and the house, slightly to the right of their line of sight. On the far left, a huge machinery shed loomed at the bottom of the hill. The large, sliding doors were open. Inky darkness filled the interior.
She pointed at the well house. “We could shimmer over to the—”
Two rough hands clamped just above her elbows and lifted her clear off the ground. Xander deposited her on her feet, hard, at the back of the shed. He bent close, until his nose all but brushed hers.
“Shut. Up.” Each syllable was a slow, furious hiss. “You will not speak another word, not even to tell us the shed is on fire. You will stay inside this shed. You will not follow us into the house, or I will tie you up and gag you right now. Do. You. Understand?”
Carly blinked at him, wide-eyed, lips compressed. She nodded, unwilling to push her luck. She’d never heard Xander talk so much all at once. Judging by the way Gideon was staring at him, Xander’s abrupt loquaciousness was a new development for him as well. She wondered if he spoke to his wife this way.
He released her and moved back to the door. Gideon stepped closer, reached out
as if to touch her, as if to offer comfort, but then dropped his hand to his side with a sympathetic smile. Shrugging, he turned to follow Xander from the shed. Carly crept to the door and peered through the slim opening. She watched as the two of them crouched behind the well house. They seemed to be arguing about something, and then they darted for the back door. With the stealth of the world’s best cat burglars, they slipped inside the house undetected.
Carly waited impatiently for their return. Minutes passed. And more minutes still. She toyed with the idea of slipping over near a window and peeking inside. It just wasn’t fair that she’d gotten this close to an actual demon nest and couldn’t get and peek inside. After her experience with the Master—Ronové, she corrected—and his minions, you’d think she would have had enough excitement of the demon variety. Apparently not. Her curiosity was killing her.
Xander’s warning gave her pause, though. Much as she trusted him not to hurt her, thanks to Niklas’s protection, he still scared her…a lot. But when another ten minutes passed, and she’d not seen a hint of them, her curiosity began to grow again. She edged toward the door, ready to push it a little wider, when voices broke the stillness.
Carly peered through the gap in the doorway. Her jaw dropped. They were hideous.
“Gusion said she’s not to be killed. He didn’t say we couldn’t have a little fun with her before we turn her over though, now did he?” A squat demon with green scales and black horns chortled.
“I heard she’s easy on the eyes. Wonder what else she’s easy on?”
“Aw, now, why would you worry about something like that?” The first demon swung an elbow at the second. “You prefer ’em screamin’ and fightin’.”
Their companion, a tall human-looking guy with black hair, chuckled darkly. He turned his head. His eyes flashed in the dark, red as Hell’s flames. Carly drew back into the shadows of the shed. A chill ran through her. They were talking about her.
The repulsive trio crossed the yard, their lewd remarks cut off as they entered the house.
Carly was reaching for the door again when a sudden explosion shattered the silence. Wide-eyed, she scrambled to peer out the crack in the doorway. A second explosion followed close on the heels of the first. Light flashed, and soon she heard the hiss and crackle she had come to associate with those wicked plasma balls. Xander and Gideon were in trouble.
