I sensed Caius move a second before he grabbed both of us by the backs of our armor. Startled by his sudden move and still in full fight mode, my fan turned back into the shield as I twisted without thinking and thrust it at his face with full force.
It might not have done as much if I’d been the only one to turn the attack. But Lilly moved with me, her fist connecting with one side of Caius’s jaw at the same time my shield slammed into the other side his face.
Unprepared for our sudden attack, Caius hit the ground on his back, fury mixing with the stunned expression on his face. My shield disappeared in the absolute silence that followed. I stared at him. Markings glowed bright on his skin and I could see the demon side trying to rise to the surface. Malik made an odd sound between a snort and choke as he desperately tried to swallow the mirth evident on his face.
I turned to Lilly and met her equally surprised gaze. After a long moment, a sparkle filled her eyes and she smiled. Probably one of the first genuine smiles I’d seen on her.
My shock quickly gave way and I doubled over laughing. I knew I shouldn’t, but he wasn’t actually hurt or I would have felt it reflected back at me. And in all the time he’d worked with me, I had never once made him so much as stumble, much less actually go down. For some reason, it was one of the funniest things I’d ever seen.
Lilly was right there with me, laughing so hard she could barely breathe and totally ignoring the slash in her side that still bled.
Caius rose gracefully to his feet while Malik lost his battle to rein in his chuckle. Everyone else slowly began to thaw. Though judging by the expressions that ranged from guarded to fearful, I guess they were trying to decide if Caius was going to go ballistic and whether or not they should run. Except for Bethany, James, and strangely, Elijah. Those three looked enraged. Rowen, on the other hand, seemed almost as amused as Caius’s brother.
Malik took a step closer to Caius. “Well, that was…interesting.”
A low growl deep in Caius’s chest was the only response.
“You really are a bitch. You know that, right?” I said to Lilly when I finally got my laughter under control.
“One of the best.” Lilly flashed a wide grin. “Besides, it worked didn’t it? You have it, just like I said.” She linked arms with me and pulled me toward the stream, pausing long enough to pat Caius on the chest. “And that, my brother, is how it’s done.”
Nobody else moved as if still waiting for an explosion. I guess watching someone, who was a leader that was both respected and feared by most, go down wasn’t as funny to them. Or maybe it would be once they realized Caius may be pissed, but he wasn’t going to take it out on them.
The weight of Caius’s glare followed us as we walked to the stream to drink and then followed it back into the woods for privacy. Pulling off our armor, we dropped it on the bank and waded into the water so we could bathe away the blood. Neither of us sported anything more than superficial injuries, even the blood we’d drawn hadn’t been deep. Funny enough, I felt closer to Lilly than I ever thought I would. Somehow, during the fight, we had gone from mutual respect to actual friends. Weird.
When I pulled off my shirt to deconstruct it and make a new one, the little curls of black had grown. They now spread across the top of my shoulder with new curls branching off and seven new leaves adorning them.
“When did you get that?” Lilly asked, her gaze on my shoulder.
I shrugged. “It started a while after I came to the Between and keeps growing. I notice it most when I’m using my powers. I thought maybe it was because of Caius’s blood.”
“It could be I guess, although other than the color, it doesn’t look like a demonborn tattoo. The scrollwork of it looks like an angel tattoo, but theirs don’t have leaves.” Lilly considered it a moment. “Then again, they could be due to your Morrigan blood mixed in there. I’ve never seen anyone with enough of her blood to have a tattoo, so I don’t know what that would look like.”
“I didn’t realize angels had tattoos.” I pulled on the new shirt, covering up the vine and leaves.
Lilly worked her fingers through her messed up hair. “Anyone with fifty-percent or more of the three immortal bloods has them. The angel’s tattoos have the same meaning as the demonborn.”
I couldn’t help wondering if the ink on the demonborn was really ink. “Have you ever seen them just appear like this?”
“Yeah.” Lilly’s voice was muffled as she pulled her own shirt on. “Ours come in the same way.” Once the shirt was all the way on she said, “I wonder what color yours glow. Maybe we can find out tomorrow night.”
I laughed. “Maybe we can refrain from drawing blood tomorrow.”
A plaintive bug-like call from the branches above us made me realize I hadn’t eaten anything in hours and Amisi was reminding me that she wouldn’t mind dinner either. I was suddenly ravenous. I put my armor back on as a loud rumble came from my mid-section. “We better get back before my stomach decides to eat my backbone.”
Lilly snorted in amusement and led the way back to camp. I admit to being a tad nervous. I doubted Caius would take being knocked down by his girlfriend, and his little sister, lightly. I wasn’t worried he would hurt me in any way or retaliate, but I didn’t particularly want him pissed at me either.
***
“Her power was increasing in leaps and bounds. That she could already hold her own against Lilly showed just how much.” ~Caius
Chapter 24
The raised voices reached me before I even made it back to the campsite.
Elijah stood almost toe to toe with Caius while shouting about how easily I could have been killed. Oh hell no. Elijah didn’t get to act the protective father all of the sudden. Dropping into my life a few hours ago, after missing all nineteen years before, didn’t grant him any rights.
Caius didn’t raise his voice when he said, “Sit down and shut up, Elijah, before she ends up killing you.”
Elijah turned to look at where I’d stopped at the edge of the clearing with small flames licking around the edges of my hands. Maybe I needed to turn myself around and go right back to the river.
“Please forgive me for being concerned for your safety,” Elijah said as he put distance between himself and Caius.
I glared at him as I walked toward where my friends stood in stony silence, their glares following Lilly who headed in the direction of her siblings. “Forgiveness denied, Elijah. Your concern is neither wanted nor warranted. If you want to join my band of merry men, fine. But that doesn’t grant you the right to interfere with my training or anything else.”
“I apologize for overstepping my bounds, Josephine.”
Elijah did look genuinely sorry. I didn’t care. I didn’t have a father, I had a sperm donor. If I thought I was going to finally get to sit down and eat in peace, I was wrong. Bethany lit into me the minute I reached her.
“Are you trying to get yourself killed?” Her abundance of red curls were still in disarray from her own sparring match with Malik, short though it may have been. “What were you thinking, getting into it with Lilly like that?”
James glared daggers at Caius. “And why in the nine hells didn’t he stop it before blood was drawn?”
Taken aback, I blinked. “Since I just held my own for the first time against Lilly, I’m pretty happy. I needed a lesson like that.” I shifted my attention to James. “And Caius didn’t stop it sooner because he knew I didn’t want him to.”
Neither was happy and both opened their mouths to protest. Rowen cut them off, “Caius isn’t going to let anyone kill her if he can help it. And Jo is getting a handle on her powers.”
“So you approve of that?” Bethany motioned in the direction of the area where Lilly and I had fought. She snatched the offered piece of traveling food from Malik and shot him a dark look as he handed them out as if it was his fault as well.
Rowen took his square and sighed. “Whether or not I approve is irrelevant. The tactic does seem to be working
, Jo doesn’t have a problem with it, and Caius is right, she needs to be able to defend herself.”
“Doesn’t mean we have to like watching it happen,” James grumbled as he took his own portion.
Malik smiled at me as I took mine. “You are growing into your own, you should be proud.”
“I am.” I took a bite of the small square while holding out my other hand for a second one. When Malik gave me a questioning look, I said, “For Amisi, I’m sure she will be along soon.”
As if on cue, the feline walked into the clearing. Her ears back, she glared at the newcomers. The new demonborn and Fallen alike froze as they watched the large, juvenile cat walk toward me. I sat down, grateful to let my legs rest, and held Amisi’s square out to her.
Elijah took a step away from his group. “What is a Bastet cat doing here?”
Amisi flattened her ears to her skull and hissed at him. I knew I liked the cat for a reason.
“This is Amisi, my friend.” Since she was close enough now, I reached out and ran my hand down her back. “And just so all of you know, I don’t care if she claws or bites the crap out of you, I will skin anyone who attempts to harm her.” She rubbed against me with a purr, nearly knocking me over before gently taking the offered food from my hand. Settling next to me, she ate her square, emitting a snarl every time one of the newcomers looked in her direction.
The new demonborn eyed me warily as if they weren’t sure what to make of someone who could befriend a Bastet cat. Their unease was reflected in Elijah’s group. I didn’t care, as long as they left Amisi alone.
“What you did today was, quite frankly, amazing,” Rowen said.
Startled, I pulled my attention away from the cat. “Why is that?”
Rowen gazed at me, his dark expression somewhere between resigned and troubled. “I’ve never seen Morrigan power wielded that way. What you did is beyond even what I can do.”
“Is that a bad thing?” The small amount of traveling food turned sour in my stomach.
He shook his head. “Not bad, just…different.”
I wanted to ask if it wasn’t bad then why did he look worried, but didn’t. Too afraid to know the answer, I tossed the last bite of my food to Amisi. The ancient feel of the Morrigan power remained with me. It hadn’t faded to the background and I had a terrible feeling it meant something more than me just getting better with wielding it.
I remained quiet while the others talked. There was an edge to James’s tone that made it clear he still wasn’t happy with the way my training had escalated into an all-out fight. I didn’t know how to reassure my friend that it was good a thing.
When I finally worked up the courage to approach Caius, Lilly was busy laughing again. Between fits, she gasped out, “You should have seen the look on your face.”
While Lilly did her best to imitate the look of surprise on Caius’s face when we hit him, I debated whether or not I should go back to my friends and wait for Caius to cool down more. If the deep scowl knitting his brows together was any indication, Lilly’s antics weren’t helping.
Malik chuckled out loud, punching Caius in the shoulder. “Taken down by our little sister and a noob. Never thought I would see the day.”
A low growl rumbled in Caius’s chest which only sent both of his siblings into more wheezing laughter. I started to turn back, but Caius’s golden eyes caught mine. Taking a deep breath, I stepped closer. “Forgive me?”
“You, I forgive. It’s these two menaces I’m harboring ill will toward.” Caius motioned at his siblings who only howled more.
“Maybe I should go for a bit,” I said, unsure if I wanted in the middle of the storm that brewed in his eyes.
Caius snagged my hand and pulled me closer. “Don’t leave me alone with them. They are merciless.”
Lilly fell down, clutching her sides. Malik wasn’t far behind. I frowned; I’d never seen either act this way. “What’s wrong with them?”
“One of the demonborn with Dominic brought hellfire whiskey with him.” Caius stared down at his siblings with amusement he quickly buried under a fierce look. “I’m afraid my brother and sister may have imbibed a bit too much.”
“They’re drunk?” I couldn’t keep the disbelief out of my voice. They’d never been anything less than completely sober since they showed up outside that old, leaning house.
“Yes.” He glowered at them and raised his voice. “Which will be real helpful if we’re attacked.”
Malik’s laughter and Lilly’s helpless giggles answered him.
I’d never been around anyone who was drunk. Mortal world alcohol never affected me, Victoria, or Mom and tasted nasty anyway. “What do we do?”
Caius shook his head. “Keep an eye on them until they crash so they don’t stumble off somewhere, and then let them sleep it off. I already made the demonborn who brought it pour the rest out.”
“So we babysit?” I snorted.
“Us? Not a chance.” He jerked his thumb at Dominic. “He babysits since it was one of his who brought it in.”
“Okay, so then, what do we do?”
A wicked gleam entered his eyes. “We find somewhere more private.”
I blushed a little. One would think I would be passed that by now. I was tired from all the hiking and the heavy sparring with Lilly, but right at that moment, nothing sounded better than his suggestion. “And where would this more private place be?”
Caius grabbed me and swung me into his arms. I clutched at him with a squeal as he marched toward the dark forest. As we passed the other demonborn, Caius gave Dominic a hard look and said with a jerk of his head in the direction of the now hooting and hollering Malik and Lilly. “Watch them.”
It looked to me like more than one in Dominic’s group was as sloshed as Caius’s siblings. “He’s going to have his hands full.”
“Good, it will teach him a lesson,” Caius said and walked further into the darkness until the light from the fires and the voices of the others faded away. He stopped when he found a tiny open space among the trees and set me on my feet. With a flourish, he produced a huge, thick blanket and let it settle over the mossy ground.
“Show off.”
Caius didn’t acknowledge my teasing. Instead, he pulled me to him and kissed me breathless. When he let our lips part for a moment he said, “I’ve never truly worried for you during your lessons with my siblings.”
I stared half dazed into his molten gold eyes. “She wouldn’t have killed me.”
“I’m not so sure of that. Lilly has excellent control for such a young demonborn, but she was pretty close to losing that tonight.” His hands began to roam, finding their way under my armor which seemed happy enough to accommodate him. Maybe it’s because of the way I felt. It seemed to respond to my moods and right now, I think it knew I wanted it gone.
“I wasn’t exactly in control either,” I murmured. His armor seemed just as happy to make way for my hands, loosening up and becoming shapeless. I pushed it up and shoved it over his head with his help, taking the t-shirt underneath with it.
Caius was quick to do the same to mine. “I know.” He trailed kisses down my neck. “At the last, I wasn’t sure if I worried more for your safety or Lilly’s.”
I laughed softly as my head fell back to give him better access. Pulling me closer, he lifted me. I wrapped my legs around his waist. He moved to the blanket and lowered us down. Our conversation was forgotten as we lost ourselves in each other’s touches. The play of his muscles against me and the slick sweat of our skin swept me away and left me gasping for more.
When we finally collapsed against each other, I curled up in Caius’s arms, content to stay right there. Caius gave me a light kiss on my temple and then on my shoulder. His fingertips trailed over the tattoo on the top of my shoulder. “It’s grown.”
“I know, it started not long after we got to Between.” I yawned then gave him the same explanation I’d given Lilly and told him what she thought.
“She’s pro
bably right.” He traced the lines again. “I didn’t realize when I saw it the first time we were together that it was something new to you.”
“Does it bother you?”
“Not at all.” He put his arm around me again and pulled me close.
I fell asleep immediately.
***
“I couldn’t believe she honestly thought I would be angry with her for knocking me down. I was impressed.” ~Caius
Chapter 25
Over the next few days, we climbed ever higher into the hills. Several nights there was no clearing to camp in and we all slept as best we could amongst the underbrush. The trail got steeper as we went. Elijah made several attempts to breach the distance between us. I wasn’t interested and his persistence would have pissed me off if I’d had the energy for it, but by the end of each day I used up all of my reserves in my lessons, during which I continued to improve. I also learned my new markings glowed pale green.
Dominic, who appeared to lead the new group of demonborn, his brother Lucas, and two sisters, seemed pretty decent. They reminded me of Caius and his siblings. I spoke with them several times and decided I might like them. The other demonborn in the group remained aloof.
I even spoke with the other Fallen a bit, which seemed to irritate Elijah, but he’d made his bed. The extremely tiny part of me that still kind of wanted to get to know him tried to make me feel guilty for treating him the way I was. I did my best to squash that part of me under the weight of all the feelings of not being good enough for him to stick around that I’d harbored all my life.
Late one evening, we finally reached the top of what I was now convinced were mountains. Not the Andes or anything like that, but still mountains. As I walked the final steps to the top, the ridiculous place that was the inside of my head wondered what exactly the difference was between a small mountain and a large hill. Was it a difference of measurable feet? Or was it more perception? I would have to look that up if I ever made it back to the mortal world and a computer.
Betrayed (Raven Daughter Book 2) Page 18
