by Misty Dietz
“Does it really matter if we’re together or not? We’re damned if we do, and damned if we don’t. Ours is not meant to be an easy path.”
“Vikings never shy from a challenge.” They stared at each other while the bass from high-end speakers struck the first chord in the club below, reordering the air molecules to accommodate sound waves and the influx of warm bodies through AQUA’s front door. “What did Leviathan tell you in your dream-state?”
Kat picked up a glass perfume bottle, spritzing something exotic and spicy that reminded him of the black orchid they once discovered on a forested mountainside in Ecuador. Is that why she’d bought it? She used to love exploring with him.
She set the bottle down like it was an explosive device. “Nothing new. She believes we’re two of a kind, and that we can help each other.”
“She’s weaving a web.”
“I know that, Ari. As crappy as I feel, my mental faculties are still in working order.”
He ran the back of his knuckles down her cheek, frowning. “You feel sick again?”
She held his gaze, her eyes glinting with challenge. “Would it wound your alpha pride if I was?”
“Don’t be spikey, Kat. It just concerns me. When we don’t feel good, sometimes our judgment gets clouded, and we don’t—”
Kat spun away and marched into her bathroom, slamming the door.
“—make the best decisions,” he finished with a growl and swiped his jeans off the floor, as frustrated with himself as he was with her. He’d made her feel incompetent—one of the worst offenses in her book. But the words had rolled off his tongue before he could stop them.
He needed to shield her. To make sure she understood the dangerous water she was treading with the archdemon. The treachery and deception such beings were capable of. If he didn’t care, he wouldn’t have bothered. But these blasted walls of hers were more stalwart than the ones he and his raiding party had encountered in 845 at the Sack of Paris.
He understood why she had them—living in close contact with Tibetan monks as he had for the past year had been good for developing self-reflection. Anyone who’d endured a childhood like hers needed protective measures. She used her smart mouth to mask insecurities, guilt, and abandonment issues. It was better than addiction or other self-destructive behaviors. Still, her pain was carved so profoundly in her soul—the footings of her walls so deep—that he wasn’t quite sure how to reach her. No amount of strong-arming or axe-wielding would get her to trust him. To open up.
Did she still even love him the way she once had? Her behavior the last few days hadn’t given him any indication that she did.
Don’t get soft, boy. Tending the home fires is a woman’s work. Ari’s father, grandfather, uncles, and older cousins had told him this over and over. A man needed to fight. Explore. Know what was out there. Take.
And take apart.
After Leviathan was dealt with, maybe he should move on.
He looked at Kat’s bathroom door, rubbing his neck, then turned to stare out the second story windows where the full moon glimmered on the ever-rolling Pacific. The ocean called to him. The feel of the wind in his hair, the sun on his face, the salt on his tongue, his ship rolling under his feet, the crack of the sails…
For him, there was peace on the water. A rightness and a belonging.
He’d once had that with Kat.
He hungered for both, yet feared never the twain would meet.
He walked to stand in front of the bathroom door, his hand poised over the handle. He could sense nothing beyond the door. No noise, no heartbeat, no current of her essence. She’d masked it all from him.
His hand lowered to his side, and he quietly left the room.
Chapter 9
Club festivities were in full swing when Ari made his way downstairs and headed for Konani’s station at the bar. Kat had created one hell of a nightclub. Its seductive turquoise lighting glowed off luxurious white leather seating, which ringed a gorgeous, trapezoidal dance floor made of native koa wood. Its grains were so fluid the entire floor seemed alive with movement. Inlaid in the wood was an exceptionally large Devil’s Trap in its usual configuration—a circle with five magical sigils inscribed between the legs of a star.
Parallel to the dance floor, just south of the bar was the large stage where a young woman in a barely-there glittering leotard defied gravity with her aerial dance on a silk rope suspended from the ceiling. Liquor was flowing, and humans were flirting, laughing, and dancing. Status quo. Ari’s shoulders relaxed as he turned back to the bar.
“Hello handsome, where have you been all my life?”
Ari caught Konani’s eye roll before he looked down at a curvy, brown-eyed brunette blocking his path. He smiled warmly. “Chasing demons and learning how to meditate in India, Nepal, and Bhutan.”
The brunette’s head cocked slightly, her smile more natural now. “Good looking, well-traveled, and intelligent.” She glanced down at his left-hand ring finger. “Maybe you can tell me more about your adventures over a drink?”
“Much obliged, but I have to decline.”
“You damn right, he does.” Jade inserted her body between him and the brunette, her hands doing all manner of communicating to the shorter woman. “Now…bye.”
The brunette raised her eyebrows, her gaze shooting to Ari over Jade’s head. Ari shrugged with a grin. When the young woman melted back into the crowd, Ari slung an arm across Jade’s shoulders and continued on to the bar.
“You start smilin’ at every pretty young thing who be-bops into your path, and this whole place is gonna go down in a waterpocalypse if Kat finds out,” Jade huffed.
“She’d actually have to like me to be jealous of another woman.”
“Stop actin’ stupid. She never would’ve let you keep her in bed for three days straight if she didn’t like you. And damn, by the sounds we heard coming from the penthouse, the shit you and her have been doing, neither of you oughta be walking upright.”
Ari eased to the crowded bar in front of Konani, who promptly slid Jade a glass of chardonnay and then uncapped his favorite stout. His mouth watered just looking at the dark label. “Ahh, you remembered.” He toasted Konani and took a long swallow, while Jade bartered with an arguing couple for their stools. He smacked his lips. “Liquor perfection.”
Konani nodded with a smile, pouring blue curacao into a martini glass for a server. “Dried cherry and fig aroma. Roasted malt, prune, and dry hop bitterness that lingers in the aftertaste. Kat always makes sure we’re stocked.”
Jade wiggled her eyebrows at Ari. “That should tell you something.”
It did, but he wasn’t quite sure what. That Katherine expected he’d come, and she wanted to make sure his favorite beer was on hand? Not likely. More probably, she had tested it on her customers and it had become a favorite. Christ, stop with all the speculation. He put his elbows on the bar. “So Nani, did you ever finish your teaching degree?”
“Kat would’ve skinned me alive if I didn’t.” She loaded up a server’s tray with four colorful daiquiris and a drink bearing a sword-full of olives. “So yeah, I finished. Now, I co-teach math to eighth graders. I absolutely love it. And when I’m not here or at school, I’m keeping the books for GAN, the charity Kai and I started for homeless and sexually exploited youth. We named it the Guardian Angel Network because Kat was our ānela kiaʻi—the guardian angel who saved us. She even gave us the seed money to open our doors. Don’t tell her I told you though. She’d be mad.”
Ari leaned back in his stool. He didn’t need to ask why. Most people loved announcing their good deeds, raising themselves in the esteem of others. Of course, Kat was different. She didn’t want people to know she had a heart of gold. She’d rather they assumed she was cold and indifferent so they kept their distance.
Less chance to be hurt that way.
Kat felt more comfortable in the shadows rescuing the forgotten, the sick, the broken.
Elskan. My love. Ari rea
ched out telepathically, finding her essence in the hallway that led to the bathrooms, club office, and sanctorum. He sensed her startle before she quickly blocked him again, but her walls had been down for a brief time. A small victory. He celebrated by downing the rest of his stout. As much as he wanted to go to her, it was better to let her come to him when she was ready.
She had exactly ten minutes.
He swiveled on his stool, surveying the scene. Stage platform with aerial dancer to the right, and the massive dance floor in front of him, flanked by two tiers of u-shaped leather benches and tables. On the opposite side of the dance floor was more seating, the sound and DJ booths, and the open doorway that spilled out onto AQUA’s pool terrace, swim-up bar, and reservation-only cabana area. To the left of the DJ booth was the kitchen and storage area as well the hallway to the bathrooms, club office, and Kat’s sanctorum. An upper deck above the DJ booth and terrace area provided a birds’ eye view of both the inside of the club as well as the pool area.
Unlike many of the Unholy Inc nightclubs, AQUA’s clientele spanned a much wider age-range, due to Waikiki Beach tourism. The young and the not-so-young filled the dance floor, where laughter and leers and too many beers usually spelled at least a little demon trouble before the night was through. Club security generally spotted possessions and full-on demons right away. If not, and the demons realized it was a Guardian nightclub, one of Kat’s complex wards would prevent them from leaving until they were dealt with. Most nights, the security team was able to publicly subdue the evil because the majority of humans assumed the offenders—who were being carted off to the sanctorum for exorcisms or extermination—were juiced up on drugs.
Security also looked for humans who saw beyond the veil and recognized what was actually happening. People who suddenly realized demons walked among them. Katherine dealt with those panicked individuals, usually by mind wiping.
Guardian night club owners dealt with a lot of shit. Guardian night club owners who also happened to be healers dealt with even more.
Katherine shouldn’t have to do it alone. Not anymore.
Ari turned back to the bar where Jade was talking to Maddox and Stark about their strategy for the night. As the men dispersed into the crowds to consult with the bouncers and other members of the security team, Ari relaxed for the first time since showing up on Kat’s beach. She’d built a solid, loyal team. Humans who respected her and who, like him, knew that her cold, rough edges concealed a compassionate, caring woman.
But how many of them understood her façade also masked layers of hurt, guilt, and loss?
Kat appeared on the second story overlooking the dance floor, her long fingers curling over the ornate balustrade, her eyes finding his through the colored haze cast by the myriad, flashing lights. Everything is going to be okay, he pushed through the ether to her.
There was silence in the space between them, then, You cannot know what Leviathan is capable of. All I ask is that you guard my staff to the best of your ability. They are…my family.
His gaze traced the tense line of her shoulders, the whiteness of her knuckles. How could she ever think she wouldn’t be a good mother? All she did was protect and elevate those she loved. He nodded, watching her shoulders ease slightly. He would do whatever she asked of him, but no one’s safety would come before hers.
Three hours passed unremarkably, the steady music, the dancing, drinking, and laughing of the patrons a stimulating change from the silent reflection he’d grown accustomed to in the presence of monks these last several months.
Well, silent, but definitely not dull.
Those pious men were courted by demons as vigorously as the wicked. The difference was the monks had self-discipline by the truckload…and entrenched habits when their restraint lagged. Still, he’d intervened on a regular basis and performed dozens of exorcisms in cities and villages across the mountains of Nepal and Tibet.
No humans—not even the Pope or the Dalai Lama—were exempt from temptation.
There was a time and a place for everything, he supposed.
Even a time for war. Ready when you are, archbitch.
Feeling restless, Ari made another round of the club and upper level, spotting Kat amusing a bachelorette party table. As he walked by, his fingertips skimmed her upper buttocks. The women at the table didn’t notice, but tried to snag him for one of their raunchy games. He smiled and kept walking, then heard Kat tell the ladies he’d be going up for bachelor auction if he was still in the area next weekend. He glanced over his shoulder and winked at the women who promptly broke into hoots and applause.
Downstairs near the entrance to the kitchen, Maddox was in a heated conversation with Jade. Ari moved closer, catching snatches of troubling dialogue on the high-pressure currents he pulsed around the room. “Everything okay?” he asked. Maddox swung around, his eyes angry, entire body stance ready for battle. Ari spread his hands wide near his hips. “Hey, take it easy, brother. I’m not the enemy here.”
“You are not my family,” Maddox gritted out, “and it remains to be seen if we’ll be in opposition.”
Ari frowned, but before he could respond, Jade interjected. “Maddox is a little edgy tonight.”
“Jade—” Maddox began.
She put a hand on his arm, “We can trust him. I promise.” Maddox held Jade’s gaze a long time before he finally exhaled. He cast his gaze around the room quickly before spearing Ari once more.
Jade leaned closer to Ari. “Maddox is psychic. Most of his life it’s been a traumatic experience, but Kat and a specialist have been working with him for the past year to control the gift. A few minutes ago, his senses jumped into high alert.”
Interesting. Ari wondered if Kat planned to mentor Maddox in casting out demons. Human psychics could be as powerful as Purifier Guardians once they’d mastered the exorcism rite. “What are you sensing?”
Maddox rubbed the scruff on his cheeks, watching the dancing, drinking, and partying around him as though it was causing physical distress. Ari drew closer, focusing on the intense young man to latch onto a thread of his thoughts, but he only encountered a disconcerting silence.
Maddox turned to Ari with vehement silver eyes. “Something’s coming…and it’s bad.”
Chapter 10
From his vantage point near the club kitchen, Ari scanned the bar, stage, dance floor, surrounding tables, upper balcony, and hallway. Nothing seemed amiss at the moment, but he knew how quickly things could go to hell. The DJ announced a new song, and the dance floor erupted in cheers and spilled beer.
“Tell Ari what you explained to me,” Jade urged Maddox, yelling over the heavy bass of the music.
Maddox’s gray eyes took on a faraway look. “I hear wailing from behind these walls. People suffering, pounding on the outside, trying to get in. In here, I see outlines of flames on people’s bodies as they dance. And when they turn my way, blood runs from their eyes like a trail of red tears. Then I blink, and all the impressions are gone.”
Ari rolled tense shoulders. “Have you told Katherine?”
Maddox nodded. “The whole security team knows, too.”
“We have a cache of demon weaponry stashed at multiple checkpoints around the club. We’re ready for anything,” Jade said.
Ari wasn’t so sure about that, but he wasn’t going to undermine her confidence. “Did the chrism oil finally get here?” When Jade nodded, he relaxed a little. Wards, Latin incantations used with ash, and salt across doorways and windows kept demons either in or out, but if Leviathan was the one triggering Maddox’s psychic sensitivities, they’d need all the firepower they could muster.
Chrism oil, made from olive oil, scented with balsam, and consecrated by a bishop on Holy Thursday, was much more powerful than straight up holy water, which was fine for use on run-of-the-mill demons. A Molotov cocktail of holy water and communion wine was almost as powerful as chrism oil. When lobbed with an incantation, it incapacitated all demons within a block radius so they coul
d be dealt with.
Ari, Kat, and the rest of the team would need all of that and more. Even then, it might not be enough firepower against Leviathan. “Stay open to your impressions, it could be our only advance warning. Nice work.” He lifted his hand to Maddox, who hesitated a moment before shaking it. “I know your exposure to all that darkness is a sacrifice.”
Ari was turning away to find Kat when a harsh, pungent scent overlaid the piped-in essential oil blend that stimulated appetites of all kinds. This new odor was pungent and…acrid. Ari frowned, expanding his senses beyond the dance floor and surrounding tables—where he encountered a growing suspension of carbon particles. Smoke.
People began to yell and scream. Fire at the DJ booth, he pushed at Kat as he streamed there. Kat’s molecules were right behind him. Members of security herded people toward multiple exits while Stark used a wooden cross to try to back a broad-shouldered, black-haired man into the Devil’s Trap. A woman shrieked from her position on top of the bar, pointing at the pair. Ari gathered a blast of hot air from the fire to form a ring around the resisting, possessed man.
“Ari, no! That’s Kai!” Kat yelled.
He released the fiery wind stream immediately. Kat circled around behind Kaikoa in case he decided to bolt that direction. “What happened?”
Stark switched the cross to his left hand and reached for the vessel of holy water that another security team member brought him. “He didn’t look well about twenty minutes ago. I told him to go outside to get some air. He came back in like this.”
“Turn on the taps and get out of my way.” Kat raised a shaky hand toward the spigot behind the bar to direct water at the DJ booth. Ari built the pressure in the air to send her water faster and to keep Kai from leaving the room. Every time the brawny, young Hawaiian attempted to run away, he bumped into Ari’s invisible air force. The demon inside him howled, looking for a way out or a body to hurt.
