September Moon

by Trina M. Lee

  The weight of Arys’s gaze was heavy upon me. He’d watched me manipulate others, like Jenner, and he had enjoyed it. He wasn’t enjoying it now. I was willing to bet it had something to do with Falon’s reaction to me when I’d taken his blood in Vegas. Arys had watched Falon kiss me in a moment of power-influenced passion. It wasn’t real, but that hardly mattered. The action spoke for itself.

  Falon did a good job containing himself. It wasn’t good enough. Shya eyed us with anger burning in his red eyes. He intervened with a shot of power that threw Falon and I apart. I landed on my knees just a few feet from where Gabriel licked the blood from his victim’s wrist.

  “You may have power over vampires, but you do not have power over my demons,” Shya hissed, giving me a shake as I tried to get my feet under me.

  “Falon isn’t a demon,” I challenged, unable to just shut up. Shya brought out the worst in me. “If he can’t resist me on his own, then he deserves to be manipulated.”

  Shya was furious. So much so that he grabbed the arm of Gabriel’s victim and thrust her bleeding wrist in my face.

  “Let’s test your resistance, shall we?”

  The woman practically oozed lust. Blood dripped from the wound, taunting me. I never stood a chance. With her bleeding arm inches away, the last of the fight went out of me. I simply wasn’t strong enough to resist after what I’d recently been through. I needed it.

  Ravenous and crazed, I snatched her arm from Shya and ran my tongue over the bleeding punctures before biting deep into her flesh. Regret would come later. In that moment I was lost to the bloodlust. It consumed me completely.

  Blood coated my tongue, tangy and warm. I drew hard on her sex-charged energy. Right away I felt the rejuvenation begin. It flowed through me, strengthening where I was weak while sating the hunger. It wasn’t enough. The vampire within me needed to take everything she had to give. I took her down beneath me, unmindful of those who watched. There was nothing but me and her.

  I went for her throat while she clung to me in a mesmerized state of arousal and oblivion. The euphoria held me in its grasp, taking me to heights I never wanted to come down from.

  Shya put a quick end to that. He grabbed my hair and violently flung me off the woman. To keep me from going at her again, he surrounded her with an energy circle.

  Wiping blood from my chin, I glared daggers at him. I was still riding the high, and it was difficult to concentrate on reality after having been so brutally brought back to it.

  At Shya’s command, two demons from the pool orgy came forward to fetch the injured woman. They carried her off, into the house. I watched her go, feeling strangely detached.

  “At least I got something out of you,” Shya sneered. “As long as I’ve got you here, I’m going to take you for everything I can.” He extended a hand, pointing at Arys across the yard. “Arys, please join your wolf and I at the fire.”

  Shya’s wings flared with a loud snap that hurt my ears. The demons holding Arys released him. Many of them had ceased to pay attention to us. They were all engrossed in their sin of choice.

  Arys swept me into his arms and buried his face in my hair. “I’m not leaving you again. I don’t care how dangerous it is to be together. It’s more dangerous to be apart.”

  Senses heightened from the feed, my emotions were on overdrive. I held onto Arys as if he were my lifeline, which in many ways he was. I concentrated on the way he felt pressed against me and the sound of his devotion as he murmured in my ear. Just in case we were parted, I needed to memorize these details.

  “There will be time for the dramatic lovers’ reunion later. If you don’t somehow find a way to fuck up what happens next.” Radiating condescension, Shya turned his back on us and stalked over to the fire, forcing us to follow or risk his wrath.

  He stood outside the pentagram of fire. He motioned for us to stand beside him, which we did, albeit with great suspicion. A few demons gathered around the exterior of the large circle.

  A glance back toward the pool revealed Falon preventing a hotheaded Gabriel from joining us. Good call. Whatever Shya had planned, there was no way a newbie vampire with power like Gabriel’s could handle it.

  “Don’t enter the circle. And don’t speak to the demon I’m about to summon, even if he speaks to you.” Shya held out a hand and a dagger appeared, laid across his palm. It was the same blade he’d used to hack off a lock of my hair and bleed me while I lay paralyzed in my bed. I’d recognize the dragon etched into the blade anywhere.

  Arys stood between Shya and me, keeping as safe a distance between us all as possible. I held tight to his hand, refusing to let him go. His presence was empowering, filling me with a sense of completeness I never knew I was missing until we were together.

  My heart pounded when Shya began to chant. The language he used was unrecognizable. It sounded ancient, certainly not a language still in use. He tossed in a powdery substance, and the man tied in the center began to tremble. It soon became an uncontrollable shake.

  Shya extended the dagger to me, hilt first. “If you don’t mind, Alexa. Just a few drops to invoke the summons.”

  With eyebrows raised, I smiled nervously. “You’ve got to be kidding me. What’s the catch?”

  “No catch. Not this time. You’re safe on this side of the circle. He’s the sacrifice.” Shya pointed at the bound man and continued to thrust the dagger at me. “I need mortal blood. Yours is guaranteed to get some attention. You have my word that you will be safe.”

  This didn’t feel right. Everything in me resisted. I would not assist in sacrificing this man. “No,” I said with stubborn refusal. “I’m not helping you hurt anyone.”

  “Don’t say I didn’t try to be nice about it,” Shya snapped. He shoved by Arys and grabbed my hand. Holding it out over the flames, he slid the blade over my palm. “Whatever you’re thinking, Arys, don’t even try it.”

  Shya shook a few drops of my blood into the fire and released me. I jerked back, retreating from the pentagram, afraid to be too close. The scent of sulfur was immediate. I coughed as the thick odor irritated my lungs. Yellow smoke clouded the circle. It seemed to be contained, unable to seep beyond the border, but I still had to hold my breath against the sickening stench. When the smoke cleared, I almost dropped into a dead faint.

  The demon standing inside the circle was easily one of the most horrific things I’d ever seen. It had a man’s body, well built with thick muscles that bulged and rippled. Black wings like Shya’s spread out from its back. However, it had the head of a goat atop that perfectly sculpted body. Blinking near black goat eyes at us, it looked us each over in turn. And then it spoke.

  “Shya. I should have known. Only you would be fool enough to summon me.” The demon’s voice was low and gravelly. It sniffed in my direction and smiled. It was a strange looking thing.

  “I need a favor, Saber,” Shya said, fearless. After all, he was the master of this situation. The goat demon was trapped, unable to do more than scrutinize us. “I need help finding the key to Lilah’s kingdom.”

  The goat burst into laughter. It sounded very human, but coming out of that animal face, it was both ridiculous and scary.

  “Still chasing that dream, are you? She rejected you. Is that why you still want what was hers? For spite?”

  “Because it is mine by right. I served her endlessly. She was my queen, my everything. And she abandoned me. I deserve what she would never give me. Even if I have to take it myself, it will be mine. Help me, and I will allow you to reign with me.” There was genuine emotion in Shya’s tone, something I rarely heard. Lilah had broken his evil little heart.

  Saber stared at Shya, wearing a mocking grin. I blinked several times, still unable to believe I was seeing a grinning goat. I’d be seeing that face in my nightmares.

  “I have no desire to reign in Lilah’s kingdom whether she sits on the throne or not. Nor should you. Consider what will happen when she breaks free of the angels’ cage. She will return and
make you suffer.”

  Despite the scary face and creepy demon vibes, Saber was making sense. Shya was an idiot if he thought Lilah wouldn’t return to her throne the first chance she got. Although I hoped for my own sake that the angels wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.

  “Then I suppose that is the risk I’m willing to take. Now, will you help me or not? You know of the scroll’s whereabouts, don’t you?” The calm Shya exuded seemed forced. He was desperate and trying hard to hide it.

  “It’s just eating away at you, isn’t it? The need to have those who oppressed you grovel at your feet.” Saber crossed his arms over his beefy chest. Eyeing Shya up like he was a worm, the goat headed demon snickered. “No, I do not know where the scroll is, though I do know something about it that may be of use to you.”

  “What is it? Tell me.” Shya’s snappy demand brought my gaze to him. So far this short interaction had been very enlightening. I was beginning to understand Shya’s motivations. It went much deeper than the need for power. He was also seeking vengeance.

  I had witnessed Lilah talk to him as if he were dirt. She had basically told him he was worthless. Apparently demons had feelings too. I wondered if just maybe Shya had even been in love with Lilah. In my experience it was love that spawned the greatest revenge stories.

  “You must promise me something first,” Saber said, and his creepy goat eyes landed on me. “I’ll tell you what I know, and you let me take the Hound.”

  Those words echoed in my head, and for a moment I thought I might pee my pants in sheer terror.

  Shya gaped at him with his mouth open in shock and anger. “I need her, and you damn well know it. She’s not an option. There’s your payment.”

  Saber glanced at the bound man and shrugged. “What makes him so special?”

  “It’s a life. A pitiful human life. You have no right to ask for more.” The heat of Shya’s growing ire caused the atmosphere to pulse and burn. It felt like the sun on the hottest day of summer. I considered jumping into the pool if only to rid myself of the wretched feeling. Arys held my hand, and his soothing energy helped.

  “You’re asking me for help. I have every right.” Saber wasn’t backing down. “Give me the Hound or let me leave.”

  “Alexa isn’t property for you to bargain over,” Arys spat, losing his temper. “There’s a reason Lilah never wanted you, Shya. You’re unworthy of acquiring anything on your own. Using other people as pawns, playing them against each other, you’re nothing but a fucking puppet master with no real authority. We are going to end you.”

  Uh oh. I expected Shya to kill us both right then and there. Especially when Saber burst into laughter.

  Instead, Shya merely smiled, the fakest, most plastic-looking of smiles. “Is that so? By all means, please do. Oh wait a minute, you can’t. Not while Alexa is still mortal anyway.”

  “The vampire is right, Shya,” Saber said when he managed to stop laughing. “There is a valid reason why Lilah didn’t want you for anything more than a servant. You should just be glad that she’s gone, for now.”

  “Tell me what you know about the scroll!” The screech Shya let out was astounding. It hurt my ears, and I cringed when the rising heat of his rage continued to grow.

  The two demons glared at one another. I took a few steps back, pulling Arys with me. Unfortunately, no amount of distance would ever make me safe from Shya.

  Finally Saber gave a short nod and said, “I will tell you. And you will never call on my name again. I want no affiliation with you, Shya.” Pausing, Saber met my gaze, and I trembled. When he spoke again, it felt like his words were for me more than Shya. “The scroll is no longer a physical object. The ritual written upon it has been transformed, made incorporeal. There is one keeper of the key to Lilah’s kingdom now. And all who know it are forbidden to speak that name. That is why you will never find it.”

  “Liar!” Shya hissed.

  With a sweep of his hands, the flames rose until they stood high above us. Saber was enveloped in a cloud of sulfuric smoke. When it cleared he was gone, along with the man in the center of the pentagram.

  I didn’t know what to make of Saber’s declaration. It could be a lie. But if it wasn’t, then what?

  I exchanged a look with Arys. I couldn’t decide if this was good news, or very, very bad. I held so tight to Arys’s hand I could feel bones grinding beneath my fingers. He was oblivious, watching Shya with veiled suspicion. The demon swore at the fire, and it promptly went out.

  Turning on us, he clenched his hands into fists and flapped his massive wings a few times. “Don’t enjoy this too much. The longer it takes me to find the keeper of that key, the longer I make your lives miserable.” To a few demons lurking nearby, he shouted, “What are you looking at? I will be your king, and you will all bow down to me.”

  That sounded like crazy talk to me. Watching Shya meltdown was not on my to-do list. He was terrifying when calm. I imagined he would be a total mess during a tirade.

  A vibration in my pocket indicated someone was trying to reach me. It didn’t seem like the best time to check a text message, but I had to know. I slid the phone from my pocket to find a message from Jez that said: Can’t reach Kale. At TSR waiting for Arrow. I slipped. So sorry.

  Panic seized me as I thought of Jez waiting at The Spirit Room for a fix. Arrow would be all too happy to provide it. There was no way in hell I was staying at Shya’s a moment longer.

  “Shya, I need to leave, and you’re going to let me,” I said, daring to anger him further. “I have a friend in need. Since you’re back to square one, you’re going to let me walk out of here, and you’ll have Falon return my things.”

  It took effort to keep my knees from knocking together. Those red snake eyes fell upon me, and I stared steadily into him.

  “I’ll do no such thing.”

  “You can’t keep me here until I become old and grey just in case you find the fucking scroll,” I shouted, losing my own temper now. “I am walking out of here, away from this filthy demon party and away from you. The only way you’ll stop me is if you kill me. And I don’t think you want to do that yet, do you?”

  Shya’s gaze never wavered. So intently was he transfixed on me that for a moment I thought he might actually kill me.

  Arys added, “Just let us go, Shya. Have Falon follow us if you like, or anyone else for that matter. But we’re leaving.” There was no room for argument in Arys’s tone. Like me, he’d had enough.

  Shya stared at us in stony silence. I braced, expecting the worst. It took a lot to muster my best “don’t fuck with me” expression. Shya was one of few people I truly feared.

  “You know what? Go ahead. Leave.” Each word brought Shya a step closer until he was standing directly in front of me. He didn’t waste time with Arys. It was me he glowered at. “You just became a waste of resources anyway. But know this, if you willfully bring about your own death, I will make you suffer.”

  “If what Saber said is true, then I will die of natural causes long before you find what’s left of the scroll.” A smile pulled at my lips. I couldn’t help but enjoy his failure.

  Shya got unbearably close. Our noses were almost touching. One of his wings grazed my arm, and it was all I could do not to jerk away from the murky sensation that followed.

  “Have you not been paying attention?” Shya murmured, low and sly. “Demons only tell their version of the truth. Don’t be too quick to count me out, Alexa. You can’t get rid of me that easily.” He grabbed my arm with spindly fingers that bit into my flesh. The dragon there pulsed at his touch. “You owe me. I’m calling in the debt.”

  “You can’t do that,” I protested, keeping a straight face even though I wanted to shudder and grimace. His power slithered up my arm. I shielded hard against him, but still I felt it.

  “I just did. You’ve had plenty of time to bring me a dreamwalker. I happen to know that the FPA has one in lockup. And I’m willing to bet that you know it too.” The satisfacti
on in his glare was intimidating.

  My mouth went dry, and I was at a loss for words. This had been inevitable, but it still felt sudden. I wasn’t prepared to deal with my debt to Shya. I’d hoped I would find a way to get out of it. It was delusional.

  It was a huge letdown to learn that he knew about the dreamwalker in FPA custody. He’d probably known before I did.

  “Look, Shya, I know you’re pissed, but come on. We don’t have to do this now.” I was eager to leave and even more eager to get his hand off me.

  “We do though.” His shifty gaze slid to Arys. “What do you say, Arys? Do you want to take her debt? I know you’ll actually pay up.”

  “No,” I snapped, yanking my arm from Shya’s hand. “I’ll pay my own debt. Leave Arys out of this. It doesn’t concern him.”

  Shya’s wicked chuckle made my skin crawl. “Suit yourself. You have one month to bring me the dreamwalker.”

  “Or what?” I shouldn’t have asked. I didn’t really want to know.

  “I’m not going to tell you. Whatever you imagine won’t even come close to what I’ll do to you.” Shya’s sinister calm was more worrisome than his openly psychotic amusement.

  Arys pulled me away, retreating fast as if he feared Shya would change his mind. The demon watched us go with thinly veiled contempt. I kept waiting for him to stop us, to shout, “Psych!” and laugh maniacally while he dragged me back upstairs.

  I was careful to avoid eye contact with anyone. The demons were all too engrossed in their vile gratification to pay us any attention. Only Falon and Gabriel watched us disappear from the yard.

  I didn’t believe it until we were in Arys’s Firebird speeding down the gravel road away from Shya’s house. Even then I expected him to appear.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  In less than an hour, I had retrieved a very agitated Jez from The Spirit Room. Lucky for Arrow, he hadn’t arrived yet. In between questions and shows of concern, Jez apologized several times on the way to The Wicked Kiss.

  “You don’t need to apologize to me, Jez. You’re a grown woman who doesn’t owe anyone an explanation. But if you know this isn’t what you want, then it’s time to deal with Zoey’s death instead of numbing out on intoxicants.”