Kai stumbled backward, holding the edge of the counter to keep from falling over, and gaped at Aaron in horror.
The glow he’d had when holding her was gone but that was the least of her problems. It was his eyes. They glowed bright red and shone at her beneath jet-black brows. When he saw the way she was looking at him, Aaron dropped his arms to his sides and squared his shoulders. For a moment, she thought he actually looked apologetic but standing in front of the open window, with the stormy sky behind him, he looked more dangerous than ever before.
Kai’s hands covered her mouth and she watched in horrified fascination as a massive tattoo appeared out of nowhere, covering both of his arms. It was fuzzy at first, like static on a television but within seconds a bold, intricate tattoo, black as coal, was emblazoned up those muscular arms, disappearing beneath the t-shirt. Kai shuddered because only moments ago those arms had been wrapped around her.
“What are you?” she said in a trembling voice. Kai backed up slowly, moving around the table, needing to put something more than distance between them. “My mother was right. Stay away from me.”
“Kai, wait.” Aaron’s voice was even deeper than before and his eyes glowed brightly. “I do not want to hurt you. Please, you have to listen to me. The ring you’re wearing is not simply some family heirloom. It’s the Ring of Solomon and carries more power than you can possibly imagine.”
“You’re a Dark One,” she whispered through quivering lips. Tears stung the back of her eyes as fear threatened to consume her. “You have no light. No aura. B-but your eyes—”
“I know you’re frightened but you have to listen to me. As long as you wear the Ring of Solomon you are in grave jeopardy. There are parties who are willing to stop at nothing to retrieve it.” His expression was grave but tenderness laced his voice. “I don’t want to see you get hurt, Kai. Please, give me the ring.”
Nausea swamped Kai and everything started to spin as lust was swiftly replaced by primal fear. She had to get out of here. Now. Without thinking, she spun on her heels and ran out of the house as fast as she could. Her heart pounding in her chest, she pushed open the front door and ran down the porch steps into the driving rain.
With rain stinging her face, she slipped in the muddy driveway and fell to her knees, barely feeling the tiny rocks as they cut into her flesh. She scrambled to her feet and stumbled toward the car when she realized she didn’t have the keys. They were in the house in her bag. Kai let out a strangled sob, glancing over her shoulder toward the house, but Aaron was nowhere in sight.
She swiped strands of hair from her eyes and squinted against the sheets of rain. Lightning streaked across the sky, lighting up the property and bringing the barn into focus. Weak with fear and shaking with adrenaline, Kai ran into the barn, yanked the door closed and with all her might, pulled the lock down tightly.
Kai spun around and leaned against the barn door. She squeezed her eyes shut and as sobs wracked her fatigued body, a familiar voice floated through the barn.
“He’s a demon, you know.”
Kai’s eyes flew open at the unexpected sound of Ben’s voice. She looked frantically around the now spotless barn in search of him. Movement to the left caught her eye and as another crack of thunder and lightning erupted outside...she saw him. Dressed in his impeccable suit, with not a hair out of place, he stepped out of the shadows and moved toward her slowly.
“Ben?” Kai barely recognized the sound of her own voice. It was small, scared and shook with all the fear she was feeling. She looked him up and down and noticed he was dry as a bone. It was pouring outside and he didn’t have a drop of rain on him. Her face twisted with confusion as the ring began to burn against her skin. “Wh—what are you doing here?”
“Did you hear what I said?” Ben’s voice, calm and even, filled the barn. He continued to move toward her. “His name is not Aaron Miles. It’s Asmodeus and he is a demon. I knew there was something different about him when I met him last night because, as I’m sure you noticed, he has no aura. But I wasn’t entirely certain of who he was until you touched him with the ring.”
“The ring?” Kai said absently. She blinked as the room started to spin and for a moment she worried she’d faint. Digging her fingernails into her palm, Kai struggled to keep herself together.
“Yes.” Ben spoke softly as he inched closer. “The ring removed whatever spell he was using to hide his true nature. He was sent here to kill you and take the ring back to the Underworld but you mustn’t let him have it, Kai.”
“Kai!” Aaron’s voice boomed loudly from the other side of the door as he pounded on it. “Let me in,” he shouted. “Please, let me explain.”
“What are you talking about?” she whispered. “This is crazy.”
“You need to come with me.” Ben extended his manicured hand as an insincere smile bloomed. Quicker than a snake, he grabbed her by the wrists and yanked her to him. “Or you could just give me the ring and be done with this whole mess.”
Ben’s mouth hovered dangerously close to hers and though Kai struggled to get away it was no use, his grip was iron clad. He breathed deeply along her neck and made a low growling sound.
“Let me go,” she ground out. ”Give me the ring,” he seethed as his fingers encircled her wrists to the point of pain.
“No!” Kai shouted as she struggled against him. “Ben, please stop. I can’t give it to you or anyone. It won’t come off.”
As bolts of pain whipped up her arms, somewhere in the back of her mind she remembered a self-defense class and the acronym S.I.N.G. which stood for solar plexus, instep, nose and groin. These were the sensitive places on the body to attack when being attacked.
Ben grabbed her hand and tried to pull the ring off. Pain shot up her arm and she screamed in agony, as it felt like her skin was being be torn from the bone. Then, with every survival instinct she had and her last bit of strength, Kai stomped on his instep. He grunted in surprise and leaned forward, just in time to have his balls come in contact with her knee.
As he released her, Kai stumbled backward and a thundering fireball exploded as the door of the barn shattered into splinters of burning wood and smoke. Struggling to catch her breath and with her hand feeling like it had been put through a shredder, Kai looked over to see Aaron or Asmodeus or whoever he was, standing in the doorway, and he was quite literally wrath incarnate.
“You will not lay one hand on her, you fucking fairy.” Eyes glowing, muscles straining and with the storm raging behind him, Asmodeus stepped into the barn with his burning gaze fixed on Ben. Kai probably should have been terrified, but to her great surprise she felt nothing but relief. Without taking his eyes off Ben, Asmodeus extended his hand. “Come with me.”
“I don’t think so, demon,” Ben seethed. He raised both hands, uttered a language Kai had never heard and she watched in horror as his aura flashed and a shock wave of yellow light rippled across the room and slammed into Asmodeus.
Kai screamed and watched as Asmodeus was thrown back outside like a ragdoll. Ben ran toward Kai and grabbed her arms. Kai screamed and kicked at him as rage, confusion and outright fury filled her.
Struggling against him, she placed both hands on his chest and let out a primal scream as a gargantuan surge of power shot through her body and into Ben. The force sent him flying across the barn and slammed Ben into the wall, dropping him to the ground in a limp heap.
Shaking and crying, the ring cooling against her skin, Kai leaned against the wall for support as her body tingled with new-found power. She let out a startled cry as Asmodeus appeared suddenly next to her. Before she could say a word, he pulled her into his arms and held her against his chest as she sobbed with terror and confusion.
“I killed him.” She kept repeating the muffled words over and over against his chest. “What’s happening? Oh my God. I killed Ben.”
“He’s unconscious, Kai, he’s not dead. But we will be if we don’t get out of here now.” Asmodeus took her head in
both hands and kissed her forehead, his lips hot against her skin. He pulled back to look her in the eye. “Come with me and I promise I’ll explain everything.”
“What happened?” she sputtered. “He—he had fucking laser beams shoot out of his hands. And me—I—”
“Ben is Fae...and so are you.” He lifted one shoulder. “Well, half.”
“Fae? I’m a fucking fairy?” she said with no humor in her voice. Her brow furrowed as she recalled the words written on the crate. She flicked her eyes to his, her voice was edged with urgency. “The box—the box that I found the ring in. It said Custodians of the Light.”
“I’ve never heard that expression before,” he said as a deep line formed between his eyebrows and his voice dropped low. “But I promise we’ll find out what it means.”
Kai stilled and her eyes wandered over the strange tattoos that covered now covered his arms. “Is it true?” she whispered in a quivering voice as raised her eyes back to meet his. “Are- are you what he said you are?”
“Yes.” His mouth set in a tight line and the muscle in his jaw flinched with tension. “But I am not here to harm you and I won’t allow anyone else to hurt you either.”
Shivering and wet, with his strong, warm arms encircling her, Kai searched his eyes, which were once again the cool, pools of blue and all she saw was concern. She glanced at Ben, still passed out in the corner, and then back to Asmodeus. He may be a demon, or a Dark One, but in the short time she’d known him, he’d done nothing but be kind.
Ben moaned and stirred.
“We have to go.” Asmodeus’ grip on her tightened and his eyes once again glowed red as he leveled his burning gaze in Ben’s direction. “When he wakes up, he’s going to summon others.”
Kai said nothing but nodded and swiped at her teary eyes. What could she say? Her life had just gone from a little bit odd to completely insane in less than an hour.
“Of course he will.” A slightly hysterical laugh bubbled up and she shrugged. Tears stung at her eyes and she wished now, more than ever, that she could speak to her mother. The old familiar ache in her chest, the hole that was there since her parents died, opened and threatened to swallow her up.
She stepped back as Asmodeus got on the Harley. He started the bike and revved the engine, waving for her to join him. She walked over, almost in a trance, wondering if perhaps this was merely a dream and she’d wake up any minute, laughing at her subconscious but as the heat of the engine blew over her wet, bare legs she knew it was all too real. Feeling exhausted, frightened and with few options, Kai swung her leg over and settled in behind him.
“Hold on tight,” he said as he pulled out of the barn. “But do me a favor and try not to singe me with the ring. It hurts like hell.”
“Aren’t you from there?” Kai said with more than a little sarcasm.
Asmodeus smirked at her over his shoulder but said nothing as Kai wrapped her arms around his waist, careful to avoid touching his flesh with the ring. Squeezing her eyes shut, she pressed her cheek against the broad, muscular expanse of his back and held on for dear life as they rode down the dark, Idaho highway and into an uncertain future.
To Be Continued.....Look for Part 2 in July!
More Books by Sara Humphreys
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Read on for a sneak peek of
Tall, Dark, and Vampire
By Sara Humphreys
The music pounded loudly through the club as it reverberated through Olivia’s body. She walked the dance floor, taking note of the various humans writhing with one another amid the pulsating lights. She stuck out like a sore thumb, since she was the only one wearing a black Armani suit, not the leather or spikes of her faithful patrons.
Olivia waved at the regular customers peppered throughout the club and allowed herself a moment of pride. The Coven had become one of the most popular dance clubs for the Goth set in NYC, and she had worked her ass off to make it happen.
She liked it here and had no desire to leave, but the drawback of immortality was that moving on eventually was an annoying necessity—can’t stay somewhere for thirty years if you don’t age. Although, the prevalent use of Botox among humans certainly helped explain her lack of facial wrinkles.
Olivia scoped out the club and marveled at how far society had come—and yet not.
Humans who loved to dress like vampires, or what they thought vampires looked like, flocked to this place every night as the sun went down. Except Sunday—she closed the joint on Sunday, since the place used to be a church. She figured it was the least she could do. Olivia grinned and shook her head as she watched the humans wooing one another in their vampire garb.
Ironically, most vampires did not dress like horror movie rejects; many adopted the fashion of the era they lived in, but not all did. Vincent, for example, liked the Victorian era so much that he still adorned himself in a top hat and ascot, although she thought it looked ridiculous. Vampires retained their individuality at least.
Imagine if they knew this club was owned and operated by an actual vampire who preferred silk and cashmere to leather and spikes. Olivia had to wear the leather sentry uniform every day for a century and loathed the idea of wrapping herself in it again.
Olivia climbed onto the DJ’s platform and gave Sad
ie a pat on the back. Sadie was one of the best spinners out there, living or undead, and Olivia’s oldest, most trusted friend. She was dressed much like the patrons of the club, except Sadie actually was a vamp, and the girl had a serious passion for leather and lace.
I’d be a sad disappointment to them.
“Hey, boss. Feels like a lively crowd tonight.” Sadie winked and smiled. “No pun intended.”
Sadie was the first vamp she had ever turned. Olivia and Vincent were traveling through a largely unsettled part of Arizona and picked up the distinctly potent scent of blood. The Apache Indians had been attacking settlers at that time, not that Olivia could blame them, and Sadie’s family had been among their victims.
Sadie was barely alive when she found her. The faint beat of her heart called to Olivia, and before she even knew what she was doing, she turned her. It was an instinctive need to save her, to help this poor girl who had lost everything, left seemingly alone in the world.
Vincent, of course, was less than pleased, and that was the beginning of the end for them.
Sadie winked and adjusted the headphones around her neck. “You’re just a sucker for hard-luck cases. Face it. You would rescue the world if you could.”
“Not the whole world,” Olivia said dramatically. “Just the ones who really need it.” “I sure needed it,” Sadie said with a warm smile.
Olivia swallowed the surprising lump in her throat before looking back at the crowd. Sadie had tried to thank her on several occasions, but Olivia never let her get the words out. Deep inside she felt as though she hadn’t saved Sadie or the others. Perhaps the vampire hunters of the world were right. What if vamps really were damned to burn in hell for eternity? Would anyone thank her then?
Asmodeus: Demon of Lust---Part One (Princes of Hell) Page 7
