He didn’t reply and she thought the conversation was over. She’d overstepped.
But he surprised her. “I didn’t know there was another way,” he confessed.
She felt the intensity of his gaze on her but didn’t dare another look. The more he spoke the more she felt like she was missing something. Some important piece of the puzzle that she didn’t understand.
“There’s always an alternative,” she said, trying to ignore the butterflies fluttering in her stomach.
Clothes rustled as he settled back into his seat. “So I am beginning to understand.”
Darcy shifted uncomfortably. This conversation felt far too intimate. It was one thing to share reminiscences last night when she was half-asleep and thoroughly sated, but here, in the light of day, there was no way to ignore the connection growing between them with every word.
A connection she shouldn’t want but one that seemed to be all she could think about. When had he become someone she couldn’t put from her mind? Someone she’d fight to defend?
When had he become someone she wanted to keep in her life?
Chapter Ten
The sky was dark and Jaral’s shoulder had all but healed when they finally reached their destination.
Darcy parked down the road from Sarah’s house, trying to come up with a decent plan.
“Just announce your purpose and take what you need,” Jaral suggested.
After hours of listening to his tales of court life during the drive, she could understand the sentiment. He was used to taking what he wished because he could. But this was her world and there was no way she was letting him near Sarah.
“You will stay in the car,” she ordered. “I’ll go in and speak with the kid’s mother. All we need is a vial of her blood. A little needle prick and we’re all set. But we are going to do this legally and without traumatizing a little girl.”
“We don’t have time to waste. I am coming with you.”
She shook her head. “If her mom knows about demons, you will send her running from the house with her child. I will do this and then we will plan our next move.”
His dark eyes studied her. “You are asking me to trust you. I wait here and put my faith in you to see this job through.”
“I suppose.” She hedged. “But really, this is the only sane plan. You can’t just show up on their doorstep in the middle of the night. Will you let me do this?”
He leaned over so their mouths nearly brushed. “Yes, but I want it noted,” he breathed, “that I trusted you first.”
“Noted,” she agreed, swallowing hard.
“If I think you are in danger, I will break that house apart to find you.”
She could point out she was pretty good at taking care of herself, but for a second she liked the girly flutter in her stomach.
“I’ll be fine,” she promised.
“You’d better be.” He pressed a light kiss to her lips before pulling away.
With a last smile to her partner, Darcy grabbed her bag and slipped from the car.
The street was quiet as she walked toward the house. She hoped Sarah’s mother could be persuaded to listen to reason. If not, her demonic backup would make this trip very unpleasant for them all.
She was almost at the house when the shadows around the gate moved. One moment she would have sworn she was alone in the street and the next a woman stepped into her path.
A woman she knew very well.
“Kerilyn,” she breathed. For a moment she wanted to run toward the woman she’d thought lost to the hunters forever. But then she noticed the differences in Kerilyn that had not been present when last they met. The other hunter watched her with strange reflecting eyes. Eyes Darcy had only seen on spirits.
Her clothes were different too. Gone was the usual black gear of a hunter. In its place were looser robes made of a dark material Darcy couldn’t name. But though her appearance may have changed, the weapons strapped around her hips made it clear she was still not a woman one wanted to mess with.
“Why are you here?” Kerilyn demanded.
Darcy arched a brow. “I’m here to fix the mess you left.” She had hoped Kerilyn wasn’t behind all this but there was no welcome in the other woman’s eyes. The hope that she’d been wrong about Kerilyn’s actions dwindled. Looked like the hunter had flipped sides after all.
“You are not going anywhere near my family.”
“Your bloodline is the only thing that can fix all our worlds. Screw the spirits if you want, Kerilyn, but don’t pull the rest of us down with you.”
Kerilyn’s fingers traced the hilt of the dagger at her waist. “All grown up and fighting the good fight, hmm, Darcy Snow?”
“I’m protecting humans, or did you forget that’s supposed to be our purpose in life? Tell me, Kerilyn, how’s it feel to flip sides?”
The other woman bared her teeth. “I’m still a hunter.”
“Yeah? Tell it to the bodies piling up because of your mistake. Half our people would merrily gut you for what you’ve done.”
“Try it.”
Darcy stiffened at the new voice. Undeniably male and dangerous. A man stepped from the shadows behind Kerilyn. The newcomer stood tall, completely at ease with his reflecting eyes and foreign robes that matched Kerilyn’s. An aura of danger clung to him, making Darcy want to go for her weapons despite the man’s disarmingly handsome looks. When he put his hand on Kerilyn’s shoulder the pieces started to fall into place. The former hunter looked at ease with such a lethal man at her back. Which meant there was only one person he could be.
“Lord of the Spirits,” Darcy greeted. Her heart hammered as she stared at the couple watching her with distrust. Kerilyn she could handle, even in her new spirit form. But taking on the spirit lord as well? Adrenaline surged through her veins. This was far more than she’d bargained for. She didn’t even want to think of what would happen if she didn’t return to Jaral in time. Throwing Abaddon’s trusted son into this mix was all she needed. They’d decimate the neighborhood for sure.
“Make a move against my mate and you will regret it, hunter.”
Kerilyn slashed her hand through the air. “Back off, Arawn. This is between her and me.”
“Not if she threatens what I’ve fought so hard to protect,” he replied.
Disbelief filled Darcy as the dreaded spirit lord pressed a soft kiss to Kerilyn’s cheek, one hand sliding around her waist.
“So the stories are true,” she said. Kerilyn really was shacked up with the boogeyman.
“Walk away, Darcy. I have no desire to see you hurt. Arawn received a report that demons were after Sarah, though they made no mention of hunters aiding the creatures. I don’t know why you are working with the enemy but if you leave my family alone I’ll have no quarrel with you.”
She shifted back into a fighting stance. “I can’t.”
Arawn stepped forward and Darcy prepared to fight a being far stronger than she.
“Not another move, Uncle.”
Darcy fought the urge to whirl around. She knew the voice well and couldn’t say she was surprised to find Jaral ignoring her wishes.
Jaral’s shoulder brushed hers as he stopped beside her. “You were not supposed to interfere,” she said, glancing at him.
“Looks like I follow your orders about as well as you do mine.”
“Nephew,” Arawn greeted. “It has been a long time.”
“Do not threaten Darcy.”
The spirit lord’s eyes flicked between the two of them. “Is she yours?”
Darcy stepped away from Jaral and the dubious safety he offered. “My personal life is none of your business.”
Those eerie reflecting eyes settled on her again. “A human, nephew. What will your father say?”
“Leave my father to me.”
Arawn cocked his head to the side, the small braids decorating his hair falling over his shoulders. “What an intriguing turn of events.”
“Enough,” Kerilyn said.
“Tell me what the hell is going on.”
Darcy blinked. “You don’t know?”
“I know I shouldn’t be standing here on any night but Halloween.”
“When Arawn broke the rules to save your life, he created a tear between the human and spirit realms,” Jaral said.
“Spirits are escaping,” Darcy added. “Hopefully you’re still hunter enough to understand what that means.”
“Did you know about this?” Kerilyn demanded, whirling on the spirit lord. “Is that why you dragged us up here in the middle of the night?”
“I had my suspicions.”
“You didn’t tell me.”
An enigmatic smile passed over the handsome face. “I was waiting to see if this would play out to our advantage.”
The brunette’s hands clenched. “You mean the spirits’ advantage.”
“You are a spirit now.” Arawn’s expression was inscrutable.
“Part,” she snapped.
Darcy arched an eyebrow, glancing at Jaral. He shrugged.
“Darcy,” Kerilyn said, turning back to her. “How do you intend to close the tear?”
“We think we can use your blood to reverse the damage, since your bleeding all over the place started this to begin with.”
“And your demon lover wants the rift closed? I find that had to believe, hunter,” Arawn said, his voice bland. “I know my brother better than to think he’d allow that.”
Darcy stiffened. “What?”
“The king wants the worlds closed off so your spirits do not have unfair advantage over my people, Uncle,” Jaral replied.
“Does he, now?” There was no mistaking the mockery in Arawn’s voice.
Darcy looked back to Jaral but found his expression unreadable. “We’re closing the portal, right? That’s what Abaddon ordered you to do.”
He smiled at her. “Of course.”
Despite the easy smile she was coming to know, a chill ran through her. For the first time she felt truly out of her depth standing with three supernatural beings. More than anything she wanted to trust Jaral but only a fool wouldn’t examine every angle of a problem. If the rift was ripped open, what would the demons stand to gain?
“What did my brother promise you, Jaral, in return for your help on the surface?” Arawn asked.
Finally Jaral broke eye contact with her and glanced at the spirit lord. “Power.”
Arawn nodded but his expression gave nothing away. “Power you want?”
“Does anyone ever say no?”
“Abaddon has many sons and you, Jaral, are too strong for your own good. My brother would never give you something you could use against him. He guards his throne too jealously for that.”
“You know nothing about my father.”
“I know I’m a better ally.”
Darcy glanced from one man to the other. What was Arawn offering? Given Kerilyn’s quizzical expression, she doubted the other woman knew any better than she did.
“Close the rift and the spirits will back you should there ever be need.”
“I have no need to side with inferior beings.”
Arawn’s grin was cold. “Don’t be so quick to judge, nephew. I’d be happy to demonstrate our prowess.”
Shaking her head, Darcy grabbed Kerilyn’s arm and pulled her away from the men. “Look,” she said. “Are you a hunter or not? Because I don’t give a damn about anything else right now. Either you help me or I find another way.”
Kerilyn tilted her head. Darcy met her strange gaze without flinching. She knew when she was being sized up. Kerilyn might still think of her as the younger, weaker hunter she’d once been, but those days were long gone.
“What choice would you make if it came down to your lover or closing the rift?” Kerilyn asked.
“I will do whatever I need to in order to protect human life,” Darcy said. She felt Jaral’s gaze on her like a physical touch but refused to turn.
After a moment, Kerilyn inclined her head. “No matter what Arawn did to save me, I’m a hunter first. I would not have traded my life for the safety of this world. Not ever. What do you need from me?”
Darcy drew a syringe from her bag. “I have to draw some blood. I doubt we’ll need much.”
“Take it,” she replied without hesitation.
They worked together in silence to sanitize the area in the bend of Kerilyn’s elbow and find a vein.
“This might hurt a little.” She threaded the needle into the vein under her fingertips and pulled on the plunger.
Dark black blood flowed into the syringe, rising to fill the whole container.
Kerilyn made no sound as Darcy withdrew the needle and capped it.
“Thank you,” she said.
“Let’s hope this works,” Kerilyn replied, applying pressure to the wound. “Either way, you leave my family the hell alone.”
Darcy inclined her head. “I have no interest in pulling an innocent into this conflict. If the rift closes up, I will forget I even know of Sarah’s existence.”
“You’d better. If you run with demons, Darcy, one might be justified in wondering about your loyalties.”
“Says the spirit queen.”
“What can I say?” Kerilyn said. “He was worth it.”
Darcy watched the former hunter turn to gaze at her mate and was awed by the unconditional love she saw on Kerilyn’s face. For better or worse, the hunter had made her choice.
She glanced at her Jaral and the spirit lord talking in hushed tones. Part of her wished she could trust Jaral the way Kerilyn so obviously trusted Arawn. But while the impossible might have worked for Kerilyn, there was no guarantee the same miracle would happen for herself.
“Kerilyn,” she whispered, her voice quiet so as not to be overheard by the men. “Do you know any way to stop a demon from tracking you with his magic?”
Kerilyn arched a brow. “Not so sure about the man in your bed, Darcy?”
“Did you welcome Arawn with open arms the night you met?”
“Point taken. How is he tracking you?”
“He healed me and passed on a piece of his magic to me temporarily.”
“Interesting.” The spirit queen’s eyes swept over her before landing on her wrist. “Give me your bracelet. Quickly.”
Darcy undid the simple silver chain and handed it over.
Cupping it in her hands, Kerilyn whispered a few words Darcy couldn’t understand. A black flash shimmered along the length of the chain before vanishing. Kerilyn held the offering out to Darcy.
“What did you do?”
“Tied a touch of spirit magic to the bracelet. I’m pretty new to the spirit game but as far as I know, spirit and demon magic are not compatible. If you put it on, I’m pretty sure the two magics will cancel out. That should hide you from your lover, but it will also subdue any positive effects the power transfer might be having. Clear?”
“Clear.” She tucked the bracelet into her pocket. “Thank you.”
Kerilyn’s eyes looked older than they had months ago when Darcy had last seen her. “Be careful,” the former hunter said. “And my apologies for my role in this. I would never have put my life above others.”
Darcy inclined her head and watched the other woman walk back into the arms of her lover.
“Let’s go,” she whispered to the spirit lord.
“One last thing, nephew, before you make your choice.” The spirit lord’s smile was chilling. “I’m in possession of a valar blade.”
Jaral stiffened.
“Think on my words.” With a last look, the spirit lord and his mate stepped back into the shadows and vanished from sight.
For a moment neither she nor Jaral moved.
“What did he mean?” Darcy asked. “I’ve never heard of a valar blade.”
“It’s a weapon my father was fond of using eons ago. A special blade that, when bathed in blood, has the ability to traps it victims within. Stab your enemy and watch as they are drawn into a dagger for ete
rnity. Several of my brothers still hang in my father’s throne room, trapped in steel.”
She shuddered. “Would it work on Abaddon?”
Jaral was silent for a long moment before saying, “It wouldn’t hold him permanently, but yes, for a few dozen centuries it would contain him.”
“That’s a good thing, right? It gives us another advantage.”
Jaral’s expression was unreadable. “My uncle does nothing out of the goodness of his heart. We should not rely on anything he has to offer.”
A sliver of unease ran through her. Here was a way for him to best his father and take what was rightfully his. Moreover, it was a way to keep his father from messing with their plan to close the rift. Surely he should be more excited, shouldn’t he?
“Ready to go?” he asked, as if they hadn’t just been discussing the huge break they needed.
“Uh, yeah.” She nodded, the charmed bracelet feeling like a brand in her pocket. “I have everything I need.”
Looked like they both had secrets to keep.
* * *
They drove until Darcy had a hard time concentrating on the road. Despite her desire to race home, she knew she wouldn’t do anyone any good if she wrapped her car around a tree. Since Jaral didn’t have a clue how to drive that left only one option. Reluctantly she pulled into a motel for the night.
They went through the check-in process in silence, the same silence that had haunted them since leaving Kerilyn. It was not the companionable quiet that had sustained their long drive before reaching Sarah. Instead it was tense and uncomfortable. Around every corner there was something new to worry about and Jaral made none of it easier.
“Tell me again that you are on my side,” she said softly as her demon unlocked their door.
He stiffened before turning.
“If I said the words,” he asked quietly, “would you believe them?”
She wanted to cry yes but the affirmation was like ash on her tongue. Even if he gave her his word, she’d still wonder if it was a promise she could trust.
“Let’s go inside,” she said instead.
A sardonic smile twisted Jaral’s lips as he held the door open for her.
Darcy stalked into the dark room, flipping the light switch. Behind her she heard the door close and lock. The room was not much better than the last one they’d stayed at but it would serve for a few hours. She pushed back the curtain over the one window and stared out at an empty parking lot.
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