by Cassie Ryan
Several demons of all shapes and sizes rushed forward, most likely drawn by the scent of human and succubus, even overlaid as they were by Djinn.
The instinctive fear that was imprinted on each human’s DNA scratched up Noah’s spine as the demons advanced, and Noah prayed Jezebeth and Max knew what they were doing.
A loose circle of writhing bodies formed around them and still Max stayed frozen and quiet.
Finally after several tense minutes, a large specter demon that had no features and only looked like a large dark shadow stepped forward and reached out a hand toward them. “What have you got there, Djinn?” His voice was cajoling and reminded Noah of nails scratching over glass. “Are you willing to share?”
As soon as the specter touched Max, his dark hand sinking slowly inside the Djinn, other demons rushed forward. Never a species to trust that the first one there would share any of the prize, they pressed their hands inside Max’s form to try to reach both Jezebeth and Noah.
Noah’s heart began to race as a solid wall of demons pressed around them, all reaching for him, their claws inches away from his flesh, their eyes glowing in the darkness.
Just as claustrophobia and panic threatened to overwhelm him, the diffuse air around him solidified and growls and high-pitched squeals filled the air.
“Got you!” Max’s echoing laughter rebounded inside Noah’s head like a Ping-Pong ball as the vertigo threatened to rip him in two again.
A long minute later Noah found himself lying flat, his cheek pressed against the cold floor of the cave. Jezebeth crouched beside him with dark smudges under her eyes as she rubbed comforting circles over his back.
“Noah? Are you all right?”
He forced himself to nod and then sit up, even though his stomach roiled threateningly and he tasted the sharp tang of bile on the back of his tongue. “Did it work?”
Before she could answer, high keening squeals of anger sounded from the other side of the cave.
“You can’t trap us here, Djinn! You’ve no right.” Noah recognized the voice of the specter demon.
Max giggled, the sound echoing inside Noah’s already aching head. “I can and I have. I trapped you fairly and now you will all entertain me until I grow weary of you.”
“Semiazas is waiting for us to report back.” The grating voice of the demon sounded pleading. “When we’re missed he’ll send others to find us.”
“If you truly believe that you are anything other than disposable to Semiazas, then hold on to your hope, demon. But you and I both know you’re my new plaything.”
Noah opened his mouth to ask Jezebeth what they were going to do next when an even larger wrenching sensation buffeted him. When the world righted itself, Noah groaned and rolled over onto his back, sucking air into his lungs until he was sure he wouldn’t lose his long-ago breakfast all over the first person he saw.
It took him a long moment to realize that the movement of the ground beneath him meant they were inside a vehicle of some sort, and not due to all the Djinn transports he’d had in the last fourteen hours messing with his perception.
“Noah?”
The exhaustion in Jez’s voice was obvious and without thinking he pulled her down beside him and tucked her protectively against his side, her head on his shoulder. “I’m all right.” He rested his chin on the top of her head; the pomegranate and honey scent of her filled his senses and brought a smile to his lips.
A comfortable silence fell between them, and Noah remembered waking up this morning with Jezebeth spooned against him. The feel of her in his arms spilled contentment through him, and he sighed into the sensation. “Where are we?”
“Not sure.” Her words were heavy with exhaustion. “Max disappeared just after we all appeared here, so I think we edged outside of his territory.”
“What’s he going to do with all those demons?”
She made a sound of amusement deep in her throat as she laid her hand on his chest. “By Djinn law he has to be alone, but that doesn’t count other beings he traps and uses as pets. Which, by the way, he could’ve done to us if Semiazas hadn’t come gunning for him.”
Noah leaned his cheek against her hair, enjoying the sensation of the silky mass against his face. “Or do you think he let us go because of the comfort you offered him?”
“Or the fact that you gave him a nickname?” she countered with a quick laugh.
He shrugged. “Could be either or both I suppose. Any idea which way we’re headed?”
“No. Only that we’re safe for now and we both need to rest and regroup.”
He pulled back far enough to meet her gaze. “You’re low on energy from all the shifting.” The dark circles under her hazel eyes as well as the exhaustion inside them confirmed his suspicions before she spoke. He couldn’t resist reaching out and gently tracing the soft skin under her eyes with his fingertip.
“I just need to sleep for a while, and then I can find someone to feed from once we stop.” She yawned. “Some real food would be great too.”
The thought of someone else kissing and touching Jezebeth tightened Noah’s stomach, and before he could change his mind he leaned forward to brush his lips over hers. “I have all the energy you need.” Territorial instincts he didn’t know he had rose up inside him, and he knew the next time she needed energy, he’d gladly provide it.
Confusion darkened her hazel gaze, and she started to protest.
Noah smiled as he slowly captured her mouth. Pure male satisfaction surged through him as she slowly melted against him, her hand skimming up to his cheek as she returned his kiss.
A slow tingling flooded him and he had the impression that some of his energy was being slowly siphoned into Jezebeth. He waited for a sensation of vertigo or weakness, but when none came, he rolled them over, still supporting Jezebeth’s head on his arm as he took his time exploring her mouth.
When he finally reluctantly pulled back, her eyes fluttered open, and she smiled up at him. The dark circles were gone leaving her skin smooth and unblemished, but she still looked sleepy. “Mmm. Can we do that again after a nap?”
Noah chuckled as he lay down beside her again and pulled her close. “Absolutely.”
Semiazas materialized next to the gutted skeleton of the truck. The site was deserted, and not even small animals or insects made any sounds as he circled the site.
The stink of burning ozone sat heavy on the back of his tongue, and he scowled.
Djinn.
The damage to the truck was definitely from demons—various types from the differing damage left behind. But all those demons suddenly vanishing could definitely be explained by Djinn interference. They were quite secretive as to their territories, not to mention very suspicious of outsiders and extremely powerful.
They’d been around since before the creation of man and lived both on earth and in other realms, so humans had revered them throughout the ages. But if they thought they could meddle in Semiazas’s business without repercussions, they’d find out very differently.
“Djinn!” Semiazas roared into the gathering sunlight. He circled, alert for the creature’s appearance.
When a shimmer began to warp the air in front of him, Semiazas waited while the Djinn slowly materialized.
“I see another demon infesting my territory. Need to exterminate more often.” The large gray Djinn wavered in time with the booming laughter that echoed through Semiazas’s head. From the power signature, this was a baby Djinn completing his seclusion. Still extremely powerful, the Djinn had always reminded Semiazas of baby rattlesnakes—even more dangerous than the fully grown models.
“I’m not just any demon, you bag of gas. I’m Semiazas. I’ve come for information on the succubus and the human.”
The Djinn puffed up, his form expanding, most likely in response to both the insult and the commanding tone Semiazas had used while addressing him.
“I have no use for a succubus or a human, especially now that I have several demon playthi
ngs to entertain me.”
Semiazas couldn’t care less about the loss of demons—they were easily replaced and very expendable—but making sure the Djinn feared him and his powers was mandatory. He wasn’t sure if the Djinn had seen the succubus and human or not, and there was truly no way to force the information from him, so all that remained were two of Semiazas’s favorite tools—trickery and manipulation. “You’ll return my minions or I’ll petition the Djinn council to extend your seclusion.”
“You should know better than most, demon spawn, that the Djinn care not about the affairs of those who revolted against God.”
Semiazas laughed, getting into the role. “I know you’ve been out of touch, boy, but with Armageddon coming, the rules are changing rapidly.”
A quick flicker of interest flashed across the Djinn’s face before he leaned forward to leer in Semiazas’s face. “Petition all you like. Humans or no, the Djinn will thrive and survive as we always have. Take your bluff and begone.”
Semiazas sneered as he tried to find a way to twist this situation to work for him. “When I find her, she’s in for an eternity of torture as my personal pet. She and her sisters will service my every whim until the end of time.”
Rich Djinn chuckling echoed inside Semiazas’s head, making him wince. “That will serve you right, demon. I can see Jezebeth spending every second of that eternity tormenting you and making you wish you’d been a wiser being.”
White-hot anger surged through Semiazas, and he reached for the Djinn only to have his fingers close on empty air, the taunting laughter still echoing inside his head.
Jezebeth woke when the truck they rode inside trundled over a cattle grate, the vibration and high-pitched grinding noise slicing through her until she gritted her teeth against the insistent noise.
She still lay on Noah’s arm, curled close to his body.
Fast asleep, Noah’s breathing was heavy and slow, and he reluctantly let go of her as she sat up to look around. Boxes and large crates were stacked and lashed to the walls around them, all the way up to the metal ceiling. She and Noah lay directly on the floor of the truck bed, which seemed to be made entirely of two-by-fours laid side by side and bolted to the metal frame of the truck. She must’ve been tired not to notice that last night.
When she stood and stretched, several vertebrae in her back popped in protest to the night spent on the hard wooden floor.
“Any idea where we are?”
At the sound of Noah’s sleepy voice she glanced down at him and smiled. His sandy blond hair was tousled, and his sexy stubble had turned into the spiky beginnings of a beard. “Absolutely none. I just woke up.”
The cheese grater sound that signaled the truck passing over another cattle grate vibrated through the car making Jez grit her teeth. “But I wish that would stop. I have to go to the bathroom, and I’m starving.” She bit her tongue before she said “in more ways than one.”
Jez still wasn’t sure what had happened between her and Noah last night, but now wasn’t the best time to explore it.
“We’re slowing down.” Noah’s words ended just before the truck took a sharp turn and Jez was tossed to the side. He caught her before she landed on her ass, and she wound up on his lap as the truck stopped and the ignition was turned off.
Noah pushed Jez off his lap and scrambled up beside her. “Come on. Hide. We don’t know who’s gonna open that door.” He gestured with his chin toward the back sliding door of the truck.
Jez wanted to argue. After all, she could become whatever the person facing her most wanted. But before she could say anything Noah pulled her behind a stack of crates, tucking her body close to the side of the truck. She assumed so he would be found first by whoever entered the truck.
While Jez appreciated the chivalry, she hated not being able to see around him. It made her feel vulnerable and out of control—two things she hated.
The sound of the cab door opening and footsteps through gravel told her there was no changing around at this point. No need to make a lot of noise and alert anyone to their presence before they had to. She held her breath to better hear any sounds coming from outside the truck.
Rattling at the back door of the truck made her squeeze Noah’s arm in a death grip as tension and her fight or flight response pumped adrenaline through her system.
More footsteps on gravel sounded, but they moved away from the truck, plunging them in an eerie, tense silence.
When no other sounds came for several minutes, Noah slowly peeled Jez’s death grip off his arm. “Think you can have shorter fingernails next time you take this form?”
With her gaze glued to the door and her ears attuned to any sound from outside, it took her a long moment to register what Noah had meant. “Sorry.” She smiled self-consciously as she examined the deep crescents she’d left in the skin of his arm. “So what do we do now?”
Jez walked toward the inside back door of the truck and felt around the edges to see if she could find some type of release lever.
“There isn’t one.”
She glanced over her shoulder, but she didn’t stop searching. “Why wouldn’t there be? There’s always some type of safety release, like when you get stuck in walk-in freezers.”
Noah shook his head. “Actually, no. Not on these types of cargo trucks. They aren’t built to hold people, just cargo.”
“How do you know that?”
He shrugged, an irritatingly smug and all-too-adorable smile on his handsome face. “I’m a writer; I do research.”
“So there’s no way out until someone lets us out?” She smacked the door with her palm and turned to face him.
“Not sure. I just know there isn’t a safety release on those types of doors, so maybe we can concentrate on something else.” He blew out a long breath and scrubbed a hand over his stubbled cheeks. “Too bad they don’t have Triple A service for succubi. We could just call someone for help.”
Jezebeth frowned as something tickled at the edge of her memory. Something she’d read, recently. “Your phone!” She rushed forward. “Do you still have it?”
He nodded and fished it out of his pocket. “I was really just joking. Who are you going to try to call?”
Jezebeth took it from him and flipped through his pictures until she found the one from the Har m∂giddô journal. She scanned down the page past the mention of Lilith and Uriel, filing away her curiosity about their relationship for later. Finally she found mention of Raphael. She’d seen the incantation before, but hadn’t bothered reading it since she hadn’t thought it relevant at the time.
She scanned the words, a flicker of hope spearing through her. She would owe the Archangel for summoning him, but if he could help them toward their goal in any way, the price would be worth whatever she had to do.
Her lips curved in a slow smile as she glanced up at Noah. “I think I’ve found us a way out.”
“Which is?”
“Did you translate the part about summoning Raphael, the healer?”
Noah frowned and then understanding lit his stormy gray eyes. “Yeah. But after my experience with summoning Lilith I didn’t want to press my luck.”
Jezebeth grinned. “Well, then I’ll press mine.”
“Wait. What are the risks with this?” He laid a hand on her shoulder. “Doesn’t it say you’ll owe Raphael for his assistance? You have no idea what price you’ll have to pay.”
She nodded. “Nothing in the supernatural world is free, Noah. Nothing. I’m used to it.”
He sighed. “I’m not. Maybe we should just wait until whoever is driving the truck comes back.”
Her temper flashed and she paced away from him before turning back. “And how long should we wait? Until Uriel’s house has moved to Greece? Until we starve to death back here?” A rising sense of panic slowly built inside her chest and moved up to constrict her throat. “Until Semiazas tracks me down and tortures me for eternity?” The last sentence was a thick whisper that brought tears to her eyes.<
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Noah stepped forward, and she stiffened against the fight and the arguments to come.
Instead, he surprised her by wrapping his arms around her and just holding her tight.
Jez stood in his embrace stiffly for a long moment before giving in to the seductive warmth of the comfort he offered and letting her hot tears flow silently down her cheeks as she wrapped her arms around him.
She hadn’t realized how much she’d buried her fear of being found by Semiazas for all this time until just now.
Not only had she been separated from her sisters but she’d been mostly cut off from her kind for the last seven hundred years since Semiazas had been imprisoned. She hadn’t even been able to return to Lilith’s lair in all that time.
Semiazas was a powerful demon with many friends and connections before he was imprisoned by Lucifer, and just like powerful human criminals, his imprisonment didn’t necessarily stop his reach.
She’d lived in fear for the better part of a millennium, and she was tired and ready for it to be over. After everything they’d gone through to make it this far, she wanted to make it to Yuma, step through to Lilith’s lair, and deal with familiar problems like succubi/incubi in-fighting and squabbles. All the things she used to hate but found she missed once she could no longer go home.
When she’d cried herself out, she realized Noah was rubbing small circles on her back and murmuring soft nonsense words to her. Both inane and ridiculous in their own right—and the absolute most wonderful thing anyone had ever done for her.
She took a deep shuddering breath against Noah’s chest and sniffed back the last of her tears.
Time to put the big girl panties on and deal with the situation, Jez.
“Are you all right?” Noah lifted her chin so her gaze met his and then gently wiped away her tears.
She nodded and stepped back, suddenly uncomfortable with the foreign sensation of having someone else to lean on. “I’m good. Sorry. Must still be tired.”
The back door of the truck trundled open surprising them both and Noah shoved her behind him as bright light spilled into the truck to blind them for a long moment.
