Shadow Rising

by Cassi Carver

  “Why does he want it?”

  “Abbey was branded, and apparently, if she drinks the blood, it will heal her.”

  “Why would any beings as powerful as the Aniliáre give their blood to help a witch?”

  “I imagine black-wings have plenty to spare, if they wanted to. I just need enough to fill a small vial.”

  He tilted her chin up. “Are you asking me, Kara?”

  “I…uh… Yes. I’m asking.” She’d rather have hot pokers shoved under her nails than ask for a favor from someone unwilling to give it, but this was for Abbey. She’d gladly brave hot pokers for Abbey.

  “If it were for you, for your lips, I might part with it…but for a witch? The idea of it twists something inside me.”

  “Just think about it. You don’t need to answer now.”

  Julian had already given his life for her once. How much more could she ask him to give? And yet, one way or another, she was going to come through for Abbey. Heaven help her if she had to go to Aiden with the request, hoping he had the right connections. It would be hard to follow through on her agreement with Claudius if she was a prisoner on Mercury Island.

  But she wasn’t on Mercury Island now. Somehow, she was standing in the shower with a man who was the spitting image of her lover…a man who once again had saved her life. “Thank you for helping me tonight.”

  His dark hair stuck to his head, dripping from the spray. “You don’t need to thank me.”

  “Yes, I do. For my face.” She touched the corners of her lips. “For coming for me. Thank you, Julian.”

  He smiled slowly, his expression intent. “Ah, there it is.”

  “What?”

  “The way you first said my name.”

  She swallowed and glanced down at their feet. “You don’t know how much I missed you after you went away.”

  “Tell me the story, Kara. Tell me about your Julian.” He squeezed shampoo into his hand and began to lather her long hair. “Remember to close your eyes,” he warned.

  She smiled and squeezed her eyes shut as his strong fingers massaged her scalp. “My father was like you—Aniliáre—but he was born that way. Uh, well, I don’t think he was actually born, but you get what I mean, right?”

  “Go on.”

  It was hard to talk when his hands were on her, touching her, healing her. “My father, Teras, sent you, Gavin and Aiden to watch over me. I guess there was a war or something because my mother cheated on her husband, Ailexon, with my dad. Anyhow, Ailexon is apparently a bad guy, and you three sided with Teras.”

  She slowly filled her lungs and continued. “Teras was killed in the battle—or sent to the Abyss, which I guess is the same thing. But you, Gavin and Aiden started your own clan on Mercury Island, and when you thought I was old enough, you came looking for me to keep your word to my father. You wanted me to be part of your clan.”

  He guided her head under the water to rinse it, then used his fingertips to clear the water from her eyes, as she’d done for him in the bath. When she opened her eyes, he was grinning. “And when you saw me, you fell instantly in love.”

  She laughed softly. “Not exactly. You were handsome—are handsome—but Gavin was the first Demiáre I met. Maybe it was just his scent or that he was my species, but at the time, I thought my feelings for him were a sign that we were meant to be. Maybe that’s why it took me longer to fall for you.”

  His cocky smile turned into a scowl. “Are you saying you loved Gavin over Julian?”

  It was too weird to hear Julian speaking of himself in the third person. It reminded Kara that even if the man in front of her looked like her bondmate, he was something else now. “Julian gave me a part of himself that Gavin never could. I loved Julian.”

  “But you loved this…Gavin first?”

  Her chest hurt, as if the sorrow were a cement block pressing on her heart. “It doesn’t matter now, does it? Gavin is gone. So is Julian. That’s as true now as it was the day Gable thrust a sword through his neck…the same day that bastard carved up my best friend. Julian gave his life for me. I miss him every day, but I can’t bring him back.”

  His dark brows drew together. “I may not have his memories, but I can see in you what he saw.”

  Kara turned away and soaped up her bath pouf. She couldn’t look in his eyes. It hurt too much. “I gotta get this off my skin. I’m a mess.”

  She smelled the fruity scent of conditioner, then felt strong hands smoothing over her wet tangle of hair. When he was finished, he took the pouf from her hands and scrubbed it gently across her shoulders.

  “Why are you afraid of me?” he asked.

  “You mean, other than the fact that after we kissed, you said you were going to kill me the next time our paths crossed?” She sucked in a breath when he ran the sponge over her breasts. The warm water felt like his touch spreading from her scalp to her toes.

  He braced a hand against the shower wall, seeming unsteady on his feet. “I was confused. But I think I understand now. I’m here to make peace with you before…”

  She turned toward him again, her breasts rubbing against his chest. Even through his gentle smile, he looked so tired. “Before what?”

  “I’m dying, Kara.”

  She breathed the fine spray of water into her lungs and coughed. “That’s not possible, Julian. You’re Aniliáre. Maybe you just need some meat.”

  He looked sad, but resigned. “No more meat. It’s not helping any longer.”

  “Helping with what?”

  “I would like to stay with you until it’s over, but when I close my eyes, I wake up under the shade of a large tree, in a land where too many spirits walk.”

  She reached for his cheeks. “Listen to me. I can’t lose you again. Do you understand?”

  “I’ll just rest awhile.”

  Kara turned off the shower and grabbed two slightly damp towels from the rack. “Come lie down. I’ll get you something to eat.”

  She patted him down, threw a towel over her torso, then dragged him back to her bedroom. “Lie down.”

  He stretched out on the mattress, his eyelids heavy. “Thank you.”

  She sat on the edge of the bed. “How are you sure more meat won’t help?”

  “At first, the animal blood seemed to ease me, but not as much as…yours.”

  “My blood?”

  He nodded, seeming embarrassed by the admission. She thrust her wrist to his mouth. “Then take it. I promised you we would figure this out, and we will. We just have to get you strong first.”

  “I won’t take what I can’t offer in exchange.” He rolled to his side, and the ward around her apartment quavered.

  “I’m not bartering here, Julian. I’m trying to help you.”

  “I can’t stay much longer, but if I wake again, I will come back to you.”

  She reached for the dagger under her bed, cut a small stripe in her wrist, then pressed the bloody wound to his lips. “Take this, damn you. And I’ll be waiting tomorrow at sundown. Standing a lady up is rude, you hear me?” She felt a small tug on her wrist before he groaned again and began to shimmer.

  She could barely see him disappearing through the tears in her eyes. “Julian? I’ll be waiting, okay? Just come back to me.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Kara woke up alone again, and it was harder this time. She knew now, knew in her innermost being, that the man she’d loved had been reborn as a black-wing. She pressed her nose against the sheets and still smelled him there. His essence wasn’t exactly the same as her Julian, it was more primal now, but underneath it all there was still something beautiful and familiar. Maybe in time, he could grow to love her, and his memories of their passionate courtship would return.

  She rose from bed and slipped on some panties, a pair of jeans and a Hoolecha Inn T-shirt, then went to the bathroom and threw Jaxon’s damp jeans into the tub until she could get down to the laundromat. She used an old towel to clean up the leftover water on the floor, then got to work bru
shing the tangles from her hair. When she was done, she braided it down her back and brushed her teeth.

  She knew she needed to call the Hoolecha Inn and give her hours for the week to another bartender, but the thought made her growl. No one was going to pay for those ruined clothes in the trash but her. Then again, if an ultimatum from the leader of an entire hemisphere of witches, two attacks on her life and her boyfriend coming back from the dead didn’t merit a little time off, what did?

  She needed to get in touch with Aiden before tonight to ask him what was happening with Julian. It couldn’t be true that he was dying, could it? But what could possibly make a spirit clothed in flesh weak enough that he thought he was dying to begin with?

  A knock sounded on Kara’s front door. She walked to the entryway and reached out for the source but didn’t feel anything insidious coming from the other side. She peeped through the hole. Shit. Only bravado moved her hand to the knob and helped her twist.

  She widened her stance and glared at her unwanted visitor. He’d ditched the scarlet hood in favor of black slacks and a long-sleeved charcoal shirt. “Claudius.”

  “Hello, Kara.”

  “I still have plenty of time left on the clock.”

  “A little,” he agreed.

  “So what brings you by, Claude?”

  His nostrils flared. “I heard there was trouble yesterday, and I wanted to make sure you weren’t hurt.”

  “You had me beaten on my first visit to your coven. What the hell do you care?”

  “I never sanctioned the beating.”

  She looked him up and down, not believing a word he said. “Really? Did you sanction those two witches who tried to kill me yesterday?”

  “They were witches? I suspected they might be.”

  “Yeah, the spells and charms gave it away.”

  “My people found the first one, but what happened to the second?”

  “We had a disagreement, and he scattered.”

  “Did he say what he wanted?”

  “Yeah, he wanted to remove my head.”

  He smiled, and it reminded Kara of a snake mesmerizing its prey. “I thought your Fallen friends would work harder to protect you. Maybe you should rethink my offer and come under my protection instead.”

  Kara smiled. “I vote to get the blood and help Abbey.”

  His gaze sharpened. “You haven’t given up, then? Have you found a source?”

  “I wouldn’t worry about it if I were you. You’ll know soon enough if it doesn’t happen, and if it does, I’ll call you.”

  He laughed and shook his head. “Does anything scare you? You understand that if you can’t get the blood, you’ll be mine by default—to use as I see fit.”

  “You keep saying that, but I’m not sure Abbey would go along with it.”

  “Abigail would never know.”

  Kara’s fingertips itched, and a small growl reverberated in her throat. “This is my suggestion—don’t threaten me if you want me to play along, Claude. You may have magic, but I have an unquenchable desire to kick your ever-lovin’ ass. If I didn’t want to see Abbey healed as much as you do, we could get this straight between us right now.”

  Claudius’s smile turned into a sneer. He raised his hand, traced a shape in the air and stepped forward. When he hit the ward, it crackled like dry leaves in a fire. He looked down, as if surprised. “Who’s been working on your wards?”

  The truth clocked Kara across the chops. Sage must have fashioned the ward to allow her people access to the apartment. If not for Julian’s tinkering with it, Claudius could have crossed over the threshold in one step and thrown his worst spell Kara’s way. “It would be a mistake to underestimate me or my friends.”

  His eyes narrowed. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  Kara took a deep breath. “We don’t have to be enemies, you know. We both want the same thing.”

  “Keep your sentimental offers. If you don’t get me that blood, your friendship won’t cover the debt.”

  “You know, for the uncle of my best friend, you’re really quite an asshole.”

  He smiled again, and Kara could feel his anger reaching through the ward. “I’m done here. If you see any more witches, call me. Otherwise, I’ll see you soon, Kara.” When he turned, she shut the door behind him and clicked the deadbolt into place.

  She walked to the phone and dialed Abbey, but her number went straight to voicemail again. She clutched Jaxon’s pendant around her neck and called out to him. “Jaxon? Where are you?” But she felt nothing coming from their bond. Was it possible that releasing him from his vow had nullified their connection? She didn’t think so, because Aiden hadn’t given her a vow with his charm…had he?

  Kara picked up the phone and dialed again. A deep voice answered. “Hello?”

  “Tray?”

  “What’s up, Kare-bear?”

  She bit her lip. “You’re probably working, right?”

  “No, I have the late shift tonight.”

  She nodded, not that he could see it. “Oh.”

  “What’s going on?”

  “Nothing. I was just wondering if you…wanted to get some breakfast down by Seaport Village? My treat.”

  “Breakfast? Your treat?” She could hear from his voice that he wasn’t expecting the invitation.

  Her cheeks heated. “Well…uh…Abbey and Jaxon are gone, and I was just thinking it would be nice to get out and…talk.” Damn, she sounded like such a girl. Since when had she been the kind to need to talk things through?

  “Pick you up in fifteen,” he said, and then he hung up.

  Kara snorted, holding back a smile. If Claudius thought she didn’t have friends who would come to her aid, Tray had just proved him wrong.

  Twenty minutes later, Tray parked his car in the Seaport Village lot. Instead of his usual dark suit, he wore jeans and a snug navy T-shirt. They got out and started walking toward the Mexican café that served killer breakfast burritos.

  “You look like hell,” he told her, shoving his keys in his pocket.

  She exhaled an indignant puff of air and gave him a look. “Thanks.”

  “I almost miss my night-stalking friend with her boots and dark eye makeup. What’s with the braid and the little-Kara-on-the-prairie thing?”

  “Screw you.”

  Tray laughed. “You wish. I keep telling you—Abbey’s coming back to me one day.”

  Kara smiled, and for a moment, it felt like a normal day in sunny San Diego.

  They ordered and took the wrapped burritos to the water’s edge. Kara bit into the egg, salsa and cheese delicacy and started walking along the path. “Thanks for picking me up.”

  He took a bite and spoke through a mouthful of food. “Sure. You sounded upset. Is everything okay with the summons?”

  “Yeah, but it’s gotten a little complicated. Two witches tried to kill me yesterday.”

  He rocked to a stop and swallowed his bite. “What the hell? You’re kidding me, right? Why didn’t you call the police?”

  She raised her brows. “You have a unit that covers assassination attempts by witchcraft?”

  “Where did it happen?”

  “The first time, a couple of blocks from Dora’s store. You didn’t…find anything near there, did you?” Like a body?

  “No.” He shook his head. “No reports of anything strange in that area.”

  “They ran me down and smashed my scooter, damn it. Maybe I should go back and see if it’s still there.”

  “No way. If they’re after you, you can’t go anywhere near there.”

  “Well, those two aren’t after me…anymore.”

  He glanced over at her but then kept walking and lowered his voice. “What happened to them? You didn’t…”

  “Me? No.” Not exactly. “This is one of those times when it would be better if you didn’t ask. Ditch the cop persona for a while, please. I just need to talk to someone who knows me and Abbey.”

  “Do you think she’s in dan
ger, Kara?”

  Kara’s shoulders sank. “I don’t know. I can’t get a hold of her or Jaxon.”

  “Let’s go. Dora can damn well tell me where Witch Mountain is, and we can be there by nightfall.”

  “Don’t overreact. Jaxon told me they weren’t getting very good cell reception up there. Besides, if there was any problem, he could just flash them back.”

  “Didn’t they drive?”

  “Yeah, but that’s because he can’t flash to a place he hasn’t been before. In an emergency, getting home would take all of five seconds.”

  He ran a hand through his short blond hair. “Well, we can’t be sure, can we? Have you tried that charm thing?”

  Visions filled her mind of Jaxon’s charm lying forgotten on the nightstand as he and Abbey sparred in the sack. She looked guiltily at Tray, glad he couldn’t read her mind. “I released him from his vow. I’m not sure I can use the charm to summon him anymore.”

  “Why the hell did you do that?”

  “Because he’s my friend, Tray, not my slave.”

  “Shit, Kara. With everything that’s happening, could you have waited until things quieted down before you disconnected the service?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Really, don’t worry so much. Have you ever thought of supplementing your Abbey obsession with another hobby? Or, I know—you could get a dog!”

  “Nah. I work too much.”

  “Well then, a hobby would be a good way to meet people who are interested in the same things you are.”

  His face puckered. “What are you talking about? What do I care if other people are interested in the same things?”

  “All I’m saying is that you met Abbey right after you moved here for the SDPD job, and you haven’t exactly made any friends. You might be happier if you made an effort.”

  “I have plenty of friends.” He rattled off a list of familiar names Kara knew from the precinct.

  “Those are coworkers. That’s like me going out with Dave and Celeste from the bar. I could do it if I was desperate, but they don’t really know me, and I can’t see them wanting to go kick thug ass at night. You have to make an effort, Tray, and stop waiting around for your ex-girlfriend to come back to you. Pining for Abbey is not a hobby.”