Grave Destinations

by Lori Sjoberg

  On the bright side, the demon was losing steam as well, its struggles becoming weaker and more erratic. Thank God for small favors.

  She felt a second presence then, sweeping along the outer rim of her consciousness. Colder than steel, but more familiar than family.

  “What took you so long?” Breathing heavily, she glanced in Dmitri’s direction.

  “Sorry, I was a little busy,” he snapped, the blood still flowing from the wound on his neck. He turned his head to the side and spit. “You still got it?”

  She nodded.

  Dmitri’s mental presence grew stronger, seeking out the demon’s soul. The second he made contact the creature fought against his hold, scrambling to evade his grasp.

  “Damn, he’s a tough little fucker,” he said, his face taut with tension.

  The demon’s soul twisted, contorted, its desperation growing as its physical shell expired. Still, Ruby held on, just as determined and twice as stubborn.

  “Now what?” The throbbing in her head intensified, deepening to a painful pressure.

  She knew the exact moment Dmitri locked on the creature’s essence. As soon as he did, the demon went on the offensive, rushing her like a berserker charging into battle.

  Ruby screamed as the demon’s soul forced its way inside her body. Bolts of pain seared her nerves as her body temperature plummeted. In the distance, she heard Jack’s muffled voice shouting out her name. A wave of nausea ripped through her, and then everything went black.

  She was barely aware of the first slap across her face. The second one was harder, the sting registering in her mind. Cracking her eyes open, she saw a blurry triple image of Dmitri scowling above her. The three gradually merged into one, tightening into focus as her vision cleared. It took a few seconds before she realized her body was stretched out on the floor of Jack’s cabin.

  The demon’s corpse lay less than a foot away, its body riddled with bullets.

  “Focus, dammit!” Dmitri was yelling, his voice razor sharp.

  Dazed and dizzy, she stared at a fixed point on the ceiling. It didn’t stop the feeling that the room was spinning faster than a Tilt-A-Whirl, but it managed to settle some of her nausea. Little details began to fall into place. The scent of blood, thick in the air. Heavy panting. Who cranked the air-conditioning down so low?

  “I’m so cold,” she told Dmitri, teeth clattering.

  “That’s because demons maintain a lower core body temperature. Now concentrate.”

  He ejected the clip from his Glock, slapped in a fresh one, and racked the first round into the chamber. If the demon succeeded in taking over her body, Dmitri wouldn’t think twice about pumping her full of lead. She wouldn’t die, but the injuries would probably be severe enough to shock the demon’s essence loose. It served as quite the motivator.

  Ruby pushed back against the demon’s attempts to seize control of her body. Cold black waves of relentless power crashed against her defenses, gradually wearing them down. Already, she’d lost feeling in her outer extremities. At this rate, it wouldn’t be long before it attempted to take over her mind.

  “Listen to me, Ruby.” Dmitri’s voice commanded her attention. “Keep it out of your head. Do you hear me? Do not let it enter your thoughts.”

  “I can’t feel my legs.” Fear welled up like bile, and for a moment she thought she was going to throw up.

  Dmitri reached down and pinched her hip. “Feel that?”

  “No.”

  “How about this?” He grabbed her left breast and gave it a good squeeze.

  “Hey!” Jack batted Dmitri’s hand away.

  Ruby’s eyes narrowed. “No, but if you do that again, I’ll kick your tail when this is over.”

  That earned a smirk from Dmitri. “Keep a grip on that anger. It’ll help you keep focus.”

  Jack knelt down beside her, cupped her face in his hands. There was fear in his eyes and steel in his voice. “Look at me, Ruby. I want you to build a mental barrier around your mind. Visualize a series of overlapping pieces, woven together to form an impenetrable wall. It’s what I use to stop Gilrov from taking over.”

  “I’ll do my best.” She gasped at the feel of icy tendrils slithering along her mind’s outer defenses. Testing. Prodding. Searching for weakness. “Oh, God. It’s … it’s trying to get inside my head.” The thought of being a prisoner in her own body had her close to hyperventilating.

  Jack’s mouth crushed against hers. The warmth of his lips snapped her panic attack, shutting down her fear as her body flushed with welcome heat. When he broke the kiss and pulled back into view, his expression was absolutely savage. “Come on, Beulah. I know you can do this. Now stop screwing around and kick its ass.”

  Ruby squeezed her eyes shut, her teeth clenched so hard her molars creaked. Mentally, she pushed back against the invasive presence creeping around the edges of her mind. Nothing. She tried again, doubling her efforts, the pressure inside her head building with each exertion. She was about to give up when she felt the slightest budge, and then another and another.

  “Whatever you’re doing, don’t stop. I can feel it weakening.” Dmitri grabbed her hands and squeezed tight. The connection strengthened his hold on the demon, the combined strength of his pull and her push tipping the scales in their favor.

  Another push, and pain seared her temples. She let out an involuntary whimper as wetness stained her cheeks.

  “Jesus, she’s crying blood.” Jack’s voice strained with worry. With his thumb, he wiped the tears from her cheeks. “There’s got to be another way.”

  “This is it, demon.” Dmitri shot Jack a look that would have sent lesser men heading for the door. “You do anything to fuck this up, and I’ll heave your ass over the rail.”

  “Stop it! Both of you.” Out of breath, the words came out raspy and rough. Another push, and the demon’s grip withered, spurring her to increase the pressure. One more, and it abandoned its grasp on her mind.

  “Hold her legs,” Dmitri ordered Jack.

  Jack scooted lower, sitting on her legs to pin them to the floor.

  Looming over her, Dmitri braced her hands against the sides of her body. A twinge of sympathy marked his face as he stared deep into her eyes. “I’ll try to do this as quickly as possible. I apologize, but this is going to hurt.”

  Ruby’s eyes widened. “Do what? How bad?”

  “Better if you don’t know ahead of time.”

  And with that, Dmitri ripped the demon’s soul from her body.

  She screamed. Couldn’t help it. From head to toe, it felt like her body was being clawed from the inside out. Bile rose up in her throat as every muscle shuddered. She swallowed hard, forcing back the sickness, focusing her efforts on purging all traces of the demon’s presence.

  “Got it.” Dmitri’s breath sawed in and out, his hair soaked with sweat. Eyes closed, he stayed frozen in place for the longest time, until his breathing gradually returned to normal and his muscles stopped quivering.

  “Talk to me, Dmitri. Are you okay?”

  His eyes blinked open, and even the whites were blacker than charcoal.

  “I am … fine. All things considered.” His Adam’s apple moved up and down when he swallowed. Deep breath in. Deep breath out. In through the nose, out through the mouth. He repeated the exercise about a half dozen times until the blackness began to clear from his eyes and they returned to their normal deep blue. “Do not worry. It’s all part of the process.”

  She sensed the demon’s essence within Dmitri’s body, locked inside that special place typically reserved for souls awaiting guidance to the afterlife. This time the space served as a prison, holding the demon captive. Samuel—or perhaps even Fate herself—was probably anxious to interrogate the creature to determine its true intentions. Was the demon merely acting on animal instinct, or was it sent by darker forces with a much more sinister agenda?

  Dmitri released his grip on Ruby and sank back onto his haunches. Lifting his arm, he touched a han
d to the wound along the side of his neck and flinched.

  Jack’s face filled her vision. His hands brushed her face, through her hair. Gentle as a feather, as if he feared she might shatter. “How do you feel?”

  “Like I just went through a wood chipper.”

  She accepted the hand he offered, felt a rush of disorientation when he pulled her to standing. Knees weak, she leaned her back against the wall. Only then did she notice the tremor in her hands, the foul taste coating the back of her throat. A queasy feeling churned her insides, worse than any hangover she’d ever experienced.

  She turned her gaze in Jack’s direction, and the concern on his face nearly did her in. “Would you mind if I used your shower?”

  He shook his head. “No, go right ahead.”

  “Thanks.” Shutting the door behind her, she stripped off her bloodstained clothes and stepped into the shower. Her ribs still throbbed from the demon’s kick, and one side of her face felt a little puffy. She cranked the water to near boiling and stood under the spray with her eyes closed. Heat cascaded over her aching body, warming the chill that had settled into her bones. When the shaking finally stopped, she grabbed for the soap and scrubbed her skin, her hair, even under her nails, from head to toes and back again, not stopping until she’d washed away all physical reminders of the demon’s invasion.

  But on the inside, she still felt unclean.

  Jack stared at the closed bathroom door. “How long do you think she’ll be in there?”

  “She takes long showers under normal conditions. After this?” Dmitri lifted a shoulder and grimaced. “It’s probably going to be a while.”

  The fact Dmitri knew how long Ruby showered raised Jack’s hackles. Pushing the thought from his mind, he surveyed the damage to his suite. All things considered, it wasn’t too bad. He picked the picture off the floor and hung it back in its usual spot. With luck, nobody would notice the crack along the corner. The body, on the other hand, was going to pose a problem.

  “What are we going to do with him?” He nodded toward the demon’s remains.

  “Over the rail.” Dmitri crouched by the demon’s head and hooked his hands under its armpits. “Grab the feet.”

  “Wait. What about the security cameras?”

  A ghost of a smile crossed Dmitri’s face. “Disabled.”

  Figures.

  Jack gripped the demon’s feet, its skin cool to the touch. Considering its size, the creature was surprisingly heavy. Together, they hauled the remains through the sliding glass door and onto the balcony. The fireworks had ended a few minutes before, leaving the starless sky darker than pitch. With a grunt of exertion, they hoisted the body up and over the rail. Jack watched as it dropped into the ocean. A splash, and the body disappeared beneath the choppy waves.

  “Relax.” Dmitri leaned an elbow against the rail, looking oddly amused. “No one saw it go over. Even if they did, there’s no way to trace it back to your room.”

  Cocky bastard. “Sorry, I’m not experienced in the fine art of corpse disposal.”

  If Dmitri noticed the sarcasm in Jack’s voice, he didn’t let it show. The smile vanished from his face when he touched a hand to his neck and winced. “You did well tonight. Thank you for your help.”

  Well, that was something he hadn’t been expecting. Actually, he half expected the big Russian to try to toss him in after the demon. “You’re welcome.”

  “If you want, we could remove your demon as well.”

  A few days ago, he would have jumped at the offer. Good thing Jolie had warned him about the consequences. “Thanks, but no thanks. At this point, the bond between me and Gilrov can’t be broken without killing us both.”

  The prospect didn’t seem to bother Dmitri. “If you change your mind, let me know.” He fell silent for nearly a minute, his dark eyes staring out at the water. “We need to talk. About Ruby.”

  Jack’s muscles tensed. “What about her?”

  Dmitri’s fingers probed the wound on his neck as if assessing the damage. “I’ve worked with Ruby for many years. She’s a force of nature. A pain in the ass.” The corners of his mouth twitched. “I’ve come to care for her deeply.”

  Oh boy. Here we go. Just in case Dmitri got any bright ideas, Jack stepped away from the rail and into the suite. As predicted, the water in the shower was still running. “And how does this have anything to do with me?”

  “Strong women like her do not fall easily. It’s simply not in her nature. To be honest, I’ve never seen it happen in all the years I have known her.” He followed Jack inside, leaving the balcony door open. “But something about you seems to have gotten under her skin and made her vulnerable. I hope you’re taking this as seriously as she is.”

  It took Jack a few beats to figure out which way the conversation was heading. “Is this your fucked-up way of asking about my intentions with Ruby?” The idea struck him as so ludicrous he almost laughed out loud. She was a grown woman, one who’d been around the block enough times to take care of herself. The last thing she needed was this asshole playing gatekeeper.

  Apparently, Dmitri felt he had every right to watch over her like an overprotective father on prom night. “That is exactly what I’m asking.”

  “I don’t think that’s any of your damn business.”

  “Wrong.” Dmitri squared his shoulders, his muscles straining against the confines of his blood-soaked shirt. His accent thickened, reminding Jack of his Slavic roots. “As her boss, it’s my business to protect my subordinate. As her friend, it’s my business to ensure she does not get hurt.”

  Well, at least he didn’t harbor any romantic inclinations toward his woman. That came as a relief. “And?”

  “For reasons that defy all logic, Ruby has developed an attachment to you. A first, to my knowledge. Do you share this affection?”

  Jack nodded. “I do.” There was no point in denying his feelings. Every time he got within fifty feet of the woman his body lit up while his brain shut down.

  “Good. Treat her well, and we’ll have no quarrel. But if you should harm her in any way, shape, or form …” Dmitri’s expression hardened, his eyes so dark and cold it was like staring down a bottomless pit. His voice held no trace of emotion, just the matter-of-fact tone of a man who never made idle threats. “I know many ways to inflict pain. Treat her badly, and I will show you in great detail. I’ll tear you apart, and then I’ll take her away.”

  “I’ll keep it in mind.”

  “You do that.” Dmitri glanced down at the carpet where a pool of blood marked the demon’s place of death. “Good thing the carpet’s dark. Soak the stain with soapy water, and then blot it with a clean, dry towel. That should get enough of the blood out so it won’t be noticeable to the untrained eye.”

  He said it so casually, as if cleaning crime scenes were an everyday occurrence. For him, it probably was. It served as a powerful reminder that he was fully capable of carrying out his threats.

  Dmitri crossed the room, retrieved his jacket from the closet. He paused at the door, his gaze turning back in Jack’s direction. “Tell Ruby I’m going to meet Samuel,” he said as he shrugged the jacket on. He flipped the collar to conceal the wound on his neck. “If she needs anything she can give me a call.”

  Chapter 20

  Finished, Ruby got out of the shower and toweled her body dry. She could already feel the prickly sensation that signaled the start of the healing process. Bones. Organs. Muscles and skin. Her body would repair the worst of her injuries first before moving on to the rest. By tomorrow morning, she’d look and feel as good as new.

  Bending over, she picked the ruined dress off the floor and gave it a cursory inspection. No way was she getting those stains out without ruining the delicate fabric. And even if she could, the material along the right side near the shoulder was torn beyond repair. With a huff of disgust at the waste of eighty dollars, she dumped the dress in the trash.

  She was about to wrap her body in a towel when she notice
d a navy blue robe hanging from a hook on the door. Oh yes, much better. She grabbed the robe and slipped it on, sighing at the feel of soft cotton against her skin. The fabric hung clear to her ankles, covering most of the bruises that marred her body.

  Since she didn’t have another to choose from, she scrubbed the black studded choker in the sink before fastening it back around her neck. She didn’t need to wipe the fog from the mirror to know she looked utterly ridiculous, but at the moment she didn’t give a damn about appearances. In her book, looking silly beat leaving her neck exposed. After brushing her hair and gargling some of Jack’s mouthwash, she stepped out of the bathroom.

  Wow, the boys had been busy while she showered. The demon’s body was out of sight and everything was set back in its proper place. Even the picture had been returned to its spot on the wall, the crack in the glass not noticeable unless you looked closely. If they could figure out a way to clean the bloodstains from the carpet, the place would appear as if nothing ever happened.

  Jack stood by the open balcony door, rubbing the side of his neck. The ocean breeze ruffled his short brown hair as he stared out at the darkness. He hadn’t bothered to change his clothes, hadn’t treated the cuts on his face and arms. The beginnings of a bruise darkened the skin along his lower jaw, close to where he’d been punched by the purse thief a few short days before.

  “Hey.”

  He blinked as he turned toward the sound of her voice, his face a mask of worry and fatigue. “Feeling any better?”

  “A little.” On the outside. On the inside, she felt like she’d been dragged through broken glass. “The curse. Does it … does it make you feel uncomfortable in your own skin?”

  Jack nodded, compassion softening his features. “Sometimes.”

  “Well, in that case, I think I understand how you feel.” Although she couldn’t quite comprehend how he endured it on a regular basis. She glanced down at her body. “My dress was trashed, so I borrowed your robe. I hope you don’t mind.”

  “Not at all. It looks good on you.” A faint smile warmed the corners of his mouth, and she couldn’t help but smile in return.