There was nothing lady-like about my eating. Not that Caius remarked on it. He was just as ravenous as me. I’m sure to anyone looking on we were like a couple of starved wolves as we tore into the food with a vengeance.
After the initial rush, I slowed down enough to consider the man sitting across the table from me. “Where did the clothes come from?”
“I acquired them while you slept this morning,” he said, though his attention remained on his food.
“Thank you.” It was the least I could say. It was nice of him to think of it and I was glad I didn’t have to wear blood-stiffened jeans.
He glanced at me, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. “You’re welcome.”
Thinking about how my clothes got bloody reminded me of the creatures Eisheth had sent after us and his comments about them. “Do you and your mother disagree often?”
“Most of the time.” He picked up his second cheeseburger. “I’m both her pride and joy, and her eternal disappointment, at the same time. She had plans in mind for me.”
“And you don’t share those?” I couldn’t imagine Eisheth finding joy in her children and realized it was just a figure of speech.
Caius took a long drink then said, “No.”
I could tell by the way he answered that he wouldn’t tell me what those plans were. Not that it bothered me. I wasn’t going to ask anyway, even if I did find the rift intriguing. I’d always just assumed all demons and their offspring wanted the same things.
“Did you often find yourself at odds with your mother?” he asked.
I shook my head, wondering if he really cared about the answer. But he had answered my question. “No, we got along great.”
“What about your sister?”
“I love Victoria, but we don’t see eye to eye on much. We’re too different.” I eyed him, wondering why he cared. Or maybe he just didn’t want to sit there in absolute silence. “What about you? Do you get along with your siblings?”
“Most of them. Some prefer Eisheth’s way of looking at things. Others are loyal to me.” He shrugged like it was no big deal. For him, it probably wasn’t.
“Loyal to you? That seems less brotherly and more leaderly.” I took a big bite of the nachos and started on my chicken sandwich.
Caius paused and regarded me. “I’m their older brother. I am also their leader. They follow where I go.”
Sounded cold to me, but what did I know of demon families.
By the time we finished, there wasn’t a single scrap of food left on the dishes and I was working on my third glass of soda. The waitress cleaned the plates off the table while looking like she was trying to figure out where all of the food had gone. I gulped down the last of my soda while Caius paid for the meal and checked us out of the hotel.
Though completely stuffed with food, I didn’t feel overfull. My body was already burning through it trying to catch up. It wasn’t like I was fueling up for the day. I was restoring what I had used up yesterday.
The sun was shining when we walked outside and it felt good on my arms, though the breeze was still chilly. I took my cloak from Caius and slipped my arms through the sleeves, but let it hang open down the front. Caius led the way down the street. I was content to follow. For one, I didn’t know which direction to go so it would make no sense to try and lead. And for another, I was enjoying taking in the cute little town.
I would have liked to explore it more but I didn’t get the chance. We soon left it behind and began trekking into the mountains. The temperature dropped as we climbed in elevation and more clouds moved in, smothering the sky and the mountain tops. Though hiking kept me fairly warm, it still wasn’t long before I closed the front of my cloak.
A cold wind picked up. It moaned through the tops of the trees and I pulled my cloak closer. After another hour or so of steady walking, a few flakes of snow began to drift around us. I glared at the sky. Yay, snow. That always makes for a perfect hike through the mountains. Icy tendrils of wind worked their way through my cloak. Though the t-shirt was amazingly, and strangely, warm as if it held its own heat somehow, I shivered. I’d never done well with the cold.
Without saying a word, Caius pulled off his crimson cloak and draped it over my shoulders. The spicy, earthy scent was stronger this time and it filled my nose as I put my arms through the sleeves. His cloak was so much warmer than mine as if, like my new shirt, it held its own heat.
Eventually, we left the foot trails behind and began to make our way over untamed terrain. The day crawled by in endless walking while tiny white flakes fluttered around us, obscuring the landscape. Though the food initially energized me, it became clear that I could have used stopping for another large meal and sleeping for several more hours.
A couple vials of replenisher would have helped immensely. I silently cursed myself for not thinking to ask for some before I left Alaric’s office. And I cursed Alaric for not thinking to already have some to take with me.
We stopped for a rest well after the sun had set and darkness claimed the world. When I tried to offer Caius his cloak back he refused to take it. So I curled up at the base of a tree in the double layer and allowed myself to doze.
I wanted, no needed, a deeper sleep, but was afraid to attempt it. My mind kept trying to bring up the images of the snake thing biting into my leg and yanking me off my feet and I wasn’t about to let it go there. The night before, I was so depleted it was more of a collapse than sleep. This time, my mind was much more active.
I don’t know how much time passed before Caius urged me to my feet and I resumed plodding along after him. The light snow finally came to a stop. Little by little, the clouds cleared and the night sky revealed itself in all its star-filled wonder.
Ahead of me, Caius stopped and scanned the area around us. My heart jerked as I searched for what he sensed. I didn’t normally scare easy, but I didn’t normally fight hell beetles, or snake things that were big enough to swallow me whole either. All day I had carefully avoided thinking about the double row of teeth that had latched onto my leg. Now it was all I could think about.
“What is it?” I hated the tremor in my voice but couldn’t help it. I had been raised in a normal world where this kind of stuff was nothing more than imagination. And my year in Midtween hadn’t prepared me for any of this.
“More seran demons.” He held out his hand. “Give me my cloak.”
I yanked off the crimson cloak and handed it to him. It was noticeably colder without it. “Seran demons?”
“The snake-like demons that attacked us last time.” His tattoos flared faintly as Caius pulled the cloak on. Golden eyes glowing, he turned to me. “Shift. We need to get there faster so I don’t have to spend the rest of this night trying to keep Eisheth’s minions at bay. You are in no shape to fight them.”
“I’m not sure I’m in good enough shape to hold the shift. That takes a lot of energy.”
“Flying will take less than fighting all night. Hold it for as long as you can, Reaper. Otherwise, serans await.”
I closed my eyes, seeking the raven. My cloak became my feathers and when I opened my eyes, I saw the world through different, far sharper eyes. My form trembled a moment but held. It was going to take every shred of energy left to stay in the raven.
Swiveling my head, I turned to see a massive bird of prey next to me. With a squawk, I flapped my wings, jumping back a little. Caius turned his sleek head in my direction, golden eyes regarding me. Massive in size, his black feathers were tinged with crimson.
Leave it to a demonborn to shift into a bird that didn’t exist naturally. I rolled my beady eyes. Figures. If nothing else, he would give any bird watchers lurking in the north end of nowhere a shock.
Turning away from me, Caius opened his wings and ran forward. After a few yards, his twelve-foot wingspan caught the wind and he soared gracefully into the sky. At least I had that on him; it didn’t take near as much to get my raven body off the ground.
Once in the sky, my sh
arper vision had no trouble picking out the seran demons that halted their movement through the grass to watch our flight as we left them behind. My small bird heart fluttered as if caught in a cage and I was grateful I could shift in the mortal world. I could have done without seeing those things ever again.
Just like when walking, Caius moved faster than me, his wings easily catching the updrafts and wind closer to the peaks. My wings could do the same, but no matter how much I soared, it wasn’t with the lazy ease he did.
As we moved north, the sky to the east began to lighten. I gave an inward sigh of relief. Though glad I could escape the seran demons, I hated flying at night. Ravens didn’t naturally spend much time in the air after dark and in this form that tended to affect me.
Maybe that was why the demonborn choose to make up birds rather than using what could be found in nature. If the bird didn’t exist, then there were no natural characteristics to deal with.
Holding my bird form was easier than I’d hoped it would be, but staying in the air was becoming more of a problem. Exhaustion seeped in around the edges of my mind. More than once I had to correct my flight path thanks to dozing off mid-soar.
Up ahead, a mountain stood guard over a small lake shimmering an impossible shade of brilliant blue in the morning light. Caius glided in wide circles as he descended toward it. I took a more direct route. It didn’t help. A few feet off the ground I lost the raven and fell the rest of the way, landing in a tangle of black cloak.
I laid there for a moment, trying to decide if I should be embarrassed then or if I should just roll over and go to sleep and be embarrassed later. My eyes slid shut. Later would work. A large wing brushed over me. A moment later Caius’s hand closed over my arm as he hauled me to my feet. “Get up.”
I blinked and looked around through blurry eyes then swayed, my eyes falling shut once more. “I’m up.”
With a curse, he put one arm around my waist and practically dragged me forward. Coherent thoughts evaded me as I stumbled along next to him. The last couple of days had certainly not been my best. I couldn’t even figure out where we were going. This must be the place where the Watcher lived, but all I saw were the lake and the mountain.
It wasn’t until we stood right in front of it that I finally noticed the finely crafted door in the side of the mountain, right at the base of it and only a few feet from the shore of the lake. It looked so much like a rock I wasn’t entirely certain it was a door until Caius knocked on it.
It opened without a sound and in the doorway stood an old woman. She scowled at Caius. “What are you doing here?”
“Looking for the Watcher. I must say, I’m surprised to find it’s you, Nadia.”
Caius didn’t sound surprised, he sounded irritated. If I wasn’t so tired my eyelids had fallen shut again, I would have checked his expression to be sure.
“You are not welcome here, Demonborn,” Nadia said.
“Maybe not.” Caius pushed me forward. “But she is.”
“Is that a Daughter of—” Nadia gasped.
“She is.”
I had no idea what they were talking about. Maybe my irresponsible father? My knees buckled and I sagged, barely catching myself.
“You have half killed her. Did you truly think bringing her to me in this condition would endear you to me?” Nadia’s voice was sharp.
If they would just let me sleep for a bit I would be okay. Well, and if they let me eat when I woke up.
“Don’t put this on me, old woman. I didn’t do this to her.”
“Not his fault,” I mumbled, unsure if it came out clearly.
“Bring her in and…”
The rest of Nadia’s words were lost as my head swam. I was vaguely aware of Caius catching me and then I was lying on something soft and narrow. Sleep wanted to drag me under; my memories of the seran wanted me to stay awake. I could admit it, I was afraid to fall asleep.
I sensed Caius moving away and reached out to grab his hand. Where was he going? I didn’t want to be alone. “Don’t go.”
“What?” He sounded irritated and I wished I could pry my eyes open long enough to see his face.
“Please.” It came out as a slurred murmur.
I heard a long sigh, then the sound of something dragging across the floor. His hand didn’t leave mine. “Sleep, Reaper. I’m not going anywhere.”
The old woman spoke, anger in her voice, “Caius, what is this?”
Caius didn’t answer her. Certain I was safe as long as he was nearby, I finally gave in to sleep.
***
“She was barely coherent when she asked me to stay. I didn’t refuse.” ~Caius
Chapter 22
I woke slowly, pushing through layers of fog and the lingering dream of my mother’s voice, the feel of her hand on my brow. I almost reached for her before reality set in and snatched her away from me. It jarred me from my sleep just enough realize my hand was engulfed in Caius’s larger, warmer one. He had stayed.
Hushed voices drifted to me.
“How could you do this, Caius? You have done some foolish things in the past, but this? You know this is not permitted,” a woman whispered.
“I didn’t do it, Nadia. Josephine chose to complete the bond.”
“Even so, I am not sure you will be given forgiveness if this is discovered.”
“Lucky for me, I’m not in the habit of seeking forgiveness.”
What on earth were they talking about?
“It’s not just the bond that will anger them,” the woman whispered. “You have sat there unmoving all this time. I’ve seen that look in your eyes before.”
“And how did that work out?” Caius hissed. “The bond is bad enough. I have no intention of making that particular mistake again.”
“Caius, I—”
“Enough.” It was spoken in a low growl that raised the hairs on my arms.
“You should tell—”
“You are finally awake.” Caius cut in, his hand giving mine a slight squeeze before he let it go. I heard him stand and walk away.
Damn. So much for listening long enough to make sense of the strange conversation. Stretching, I yawned and struggled my way to a sitting position on the narrow padded bench I’d been laid on. I felt weak as a newborn kitten. Caius pulled out a chair and sat at a tiny table with the old woman, his expression wary.
I glanced between the two of them. “Who should tell who what?”
The old woman pursed her lips and regarded Caius a moment before turning to me. “Nothing for you to worry yourself over, my dear. I am Nadia, the Watcher.”
I vaguely remembered Caius saying that name before I passed out. “I’m Jo.”
“Yes, the demonborn told me your name, young one.”
Caius shot Nadia a glare. Maybe he didn’t like being called demonborn.
“How long did I sleep?” I rubbed my eyes and looked around. There were no windows to tell me the time of day. I only knew it had barely been dawn when we landed.
“You slept nearly twenty-two hours, Child. You were quite exhausted when you arrived.” The old woman studied me like I was something under a microscope.
“Now that she’s awake,” Caius said, “perhaps you could tell us where the key is.”
“There is time enough for that after Josephine has eaten. If she does not replenish her energy soon, you will have no need for the key.” Nadia stood and moved with surprising grace to the tiny kitchen marked only by a couple of cupboards, a sink, and cast iron wood stove. Where she got the wood for a fire I couldn’t imagine since there hadn’t been many trees on our flight here.
Yawning again, I pushed to my feet and stumbled to the table, my legs almost too shaky to hold me up. “You don’t have to fix me anything, I’ll be fine.”
“You fancy dying much, Reaper?” Caius asked, a frown on his face.
“Obviously not, but Nadia shouldn’t have to do anything for me.”
“And she wouldn’t have to if you had thought to pr
epare even minimally.” He regarded me with irritation.
“Nor would she have to if a bunch of demon beetles and snakes hadn’t crawled out of the Hells and tried to kill us. Maybe you should be thinking about who decided to blab about our journey before jumping all over me.” Yeah, I should have brought replenisher. I should have thought to ask Alaric for that before I left his office. I should have done a lot of things I didn’t, but did he have to point that out over and over? I wasn’t sure why he was so grumpy.
While Caius and I bickered back and forth about replenisher and whose side was responsible for the demons coming after us, Nadia moved around the kitchen cooking. It wasn’t long before she interrupted our discussion by placing a large bowl of something that looked like lumpy, off-colored oatmeal in front of me, along with a thick piece of dark bread and a wedge of white cheese.
She set more down in front of Caius. We looked across the table at each other, our expressions both doubtful. Well, food was food and I desperately needed it. Dipping my spoon in the…oatmeal, I placed a tiny bite in my mouth. Definitely not oatmeal. Some other grain. It was tasty even if it didn’t look appealing. The bread and cheese were likewise flavorful. I finished it all in huge bites, torn between getting it in my stomach as fast as possible and slowing down to enjoy it.
Following my lead, Caius began to eat as well. Like me, he must have found the taste good because it wasn’t long before he finished it all. Feeling immeasurably better, though a good dose of replenisher would have been nice to go with the food, I pushed my empty dishes away.
Caius turned to Nadia who perched in the third chair. “The reaper has been fed, you even fed the demonborn. Now, where can we find the key?”
“Why do you want it?” Nadia countered.
“Damn it, Watcher, do not play games with me.” Caius stood, towering over her, tattoos glowing faintly.
Nadia snorted. “Do you think I fear you, Caius?”
Unveiled (Raven Daughter Book 1) Page 14
