by Rhea, Lani
The fae flew out of the wall toward her.
She clasped her hands around his neck to hold him off. His claws dug into her face, leaving burning scratch marks over her cheeks. Reversing, she stepped on the discarded cards, lost her grip and her feet slid from beneath her. No. This wasn’t happening.
She looped her arms around the fae’s and twisted, sent him in a barrel roll away from the gun, and then she scrambled for it. As she reached for the weapon, a solid strike hit the middle of her back and pain soared down her spine like rippling cracks. She cringed, her breath rushing from her lungs. Deep inside, the wolf emitted a surge of energy to assist her.
As the fae held a handful of her hair and yanked, he opened his mouth. Sharp teeth glistened with saliva ready to bite into her neck. Oh shit. What is he? Some freaking vampire fae?
Just before his teeth clamped on her, he jerked and screeched, flung his head backward. Kris twisted to see what had gotten him to leave.
Darin held a board over his head, and the fae pressed his hand over his neck. A stream of pink blood oozed from between his fingers. Darin raced toward the man, ready to strike again.
The fae’s eyes glowed an eerie green and he attacked, scratching Darin, sending matching marks over his face and arms. He managed a punch, making the fae double. With his face twisted in pain, he stood and bear hugged Darin. The snapping of his ribs cracked like a gunshot. Darin screamed.
They both collapsed to the floor.
Kris scrambled for her gun once more and aimed at the fae’s head. “Fucking stop, you bastard! Stop, or I’ll shoot your ass.”
The fae turned his head, snarling and showing razor sharp teeth. He wore a smirk as he opened his mouth wide and chomped on Darin’s arm. In return Darin clamped his teeth and pounded his fist on the fae’s head.
Kris shot the damn fae in a kneecap several times, sending the thing plummeting to the other side of Darin. The fae lifted onto his elbows, then fell as his arms gave out and when he went down, didn’t get back up again. The rise and fall of his chest told her he was still alive. She could now take him into custody and deposit him for money. Not enough money for the shit he’d put her through.
As she got to her feet, she held the .40 aimed at him. Panting, she withdrew the cuffs from her back pocket. After she stepped over a few timbers, she reached the fae and bent low slapping the cuffs on his skinny wrists. She tugged on the metal for extra reassurance. He groaned. The urge to kick him in the ribs for the hassle he’d caused overcame her.
To pound him in the head nearly overruled her need for money when she looked over at Darin. He lay on his side in the fetal position. The muscles in his face were scrunched as he cradled his midsection. The claw marks on his face and arms bled with no signs of stopping anytime soon.
Once she was sure the fae was secure, she crossed to Darin and knelt by his side. “You okay?” She smoothed a blond lock from his eye.
“Yeah, I’ll be fine.” His voice sounded rough, like it hurt to talk.
Kris shook her head. “Come on, we need to take him to the sheriff’s department then I’ll get you to the hospital.”
She looped an arm through his, pulled him off the floor. He winced and grabbed his ribs. For a man of many muscles, she lifted him easily. On quivering legs, he bent over, holding his stomach and arm. She wiped sawdust off his back and side.
She yanked the fae off the floor and checked his wounds. Some had closed, pushing the bullets out. Good. The fae healed as fast as she did, if not faster.
With Darin staggering along behind her, Kris left the backroom with the fae in tow. She stopped and studied the bartender. Positive he’d give her answers now, she asked, “Do you know a Stanley Adams or a Vanessa Adams?”
He laced his tongue over his mouth. The bar lights glistened over his trembling, sweaty upper lip. Would he tell the truth? “Yes, ma’am.”
Ma’am. Damn, she hadn’t been called ma’am in years.
“Well, which one, Stanley or Vanessa?”
“Stanley.”
A lead. “When was the last time you saw him?”
“A week ago, at night. He sat in the far corner with another man I’ve never noticed before.”
“How often does he come in here?”
The fae wiggled. Kris tightened her grip and pulled up on the cuffs to add extra pressure to keep him immobilized.
The bartender shifted his weight. “Not a lot here lately, but he used to come in about three times a week.”
“I’m going to give you a contact number. Call me the next time he shows.”
The man nodded. “I’ll call you.”
Good. She’d tamed another wild one. She slipped a business card from her back pocket and slapped it onto the bar. “Don’t forget and don’t make me come back here to remind you.” She cocked an eyebrow, giving him a warning.
“I won’t.”
Her cell rang. She pulled the phone from her pocket. Ryant’s name showed on the caller ID. Shit. “Come on,” she told Darin as she pushed the fae toward the door.
18
After depositing the fae at the sheriff’s, she and Darin pulled into her office parking lot. Kris exited and walked to his side to open the passenger door. He was hunched over, hugging his midsection. He’d refused to let her take him to the hospital, claiming he was fine. He didn’t look fine.
“Are you sure you’ll be okay? I should take you to the hospital and come back later.”
“No. You’ve got a business to run, and I’d rather be with you. I’m supposed to be with you, remember. My safety and all.” He looked at her with pain in his eyes. Men. So macho. Still, he had a point. She wouldn’t, couldn’t, stay at the hospital with him.
As she helped him out of the car, her cell rang again. Without looking, she knew it was Ryant again. She had nothing to say to him right now, not after what he’d done to her and Darin. Once inside her office, she sat him on the chair in front of her desk and went straight to the restroom.
She glanced in the mirror, examining her face. The marks left gashes. Some had turned to small cat-like claw marks. She inspected the wounds and frowned. The lines had faded and were healing, much faster than her normal healing time. It must have been the power Ryant had cast over her. While she hated the mind reading stuff, she could get used to the rapid healing. She used the restroom and washed her hands.
After she exited the bathroom, she strolled to the desk and clicked open the Knight Lost Loves’ website. More money had been deposited, not from Ryant, but from other unknown sources. Taken aback, she blinked as she stared at the screen. How could so much money sit in the account at once?
She glanced at Darin. He leaned into the chair with his head tilted back and his eyes closed. Would he be up to wandering around for several more hours? “Are you hurting that bad?”
“Yeah, some.”
Surprised to hear him admit he hurt worse than he’d noted before, she stood and went to his side. “Okay tough guy. If you won’t go to the hospital, we need to go back to the house and tend to your wounds. I have herbs that will ease the pain and heal you faster. Let’s go.”
Less than fifteen minutes later, they arrived at her house. In no time, she had Darin on the couch with his shirt peeled off. She knelt on the floor, checking the damage. A few wood splinters stuck out from his ribs. She used tweezers to pry them from his skin, and his body tensed. When he sucked in a deep breath, his abdominal muscles flexed.
For some reason, Ryant came to mind—his hands on her body, his tongue working its magic. What a ridiculous thought coming from nowhere, for no reason. She swallowed and concentrated on plucking out more splinters.
She lifted her gaze to Darin. “This may sting.”
Inside an old wooden box passed down in her family, small bottles with herbs and liquids appeared when she opened the lid. With gentle fingers, and careful not to break the lid, she laid the case open. Kris extracted a bottle filled with green liquid and unplugged the top. Next, she doused a rag
with the concoction. A strong sage aroma filled the air.
She leaned forward and placed the rag on his skin. No sound came from him as his hand clamped her shoulder, squeezing hard.
“It should only take a moment for the medicine to numb the pain.”
After a few seconds his hand relaxed, but stayed. His touch, warm and inviting, was welcoming so she didn’t bother asking him to remove it.
She dabbed the rag around the wound. When done, she tossed it aside and pulled out a needle and thread. “I need you to lie back so I can stitch you up.”
When he stretched out, his long body consumed the entire couch. He propped his tennis shoes on the armrest, tucked his forearms behind his head and stared at her. She pinched his skin together. “Do you feel pain or pressure?”
“Pressure.” He licked his lips.
“Good. Means the medicine worked.” She flipped her hair to the side to get a better view.
Finally, after tying off the last stitch, she grinned. “Okay, I’m going to sprinkle some healing powder over this. Unfortunately, when this heals, there will be a scar. Not much I can do about that.” She placed the needle in the box and withdrew a shaker with white powder.
He lay there like a noodle as he watched her, his eyelids lowered over dark eyes. She sprinkled the powder and the wound sizzled closed. “This heals the outside, not the inside, which is why I stitched you up.”
“Okay.”
With some of the powder sprinkled on his arm, she dusted more in her hands. “Close your eyes. I’m going to place this on your face.”
For a second he stared at her face then closed his eyes.
“Hold your breath.” She blew the powder from her palms his way.
The muscles of his face cringed. “That felt weird,” he said, then laughed
“Well, you’re almost done, and we need to get ready to drive back to New Orleans.” She placed the bottles inside the box and pulled out a wide Ace bandage.
When he sat up, he swung his legs around on either side of her body. Heat from him wrapped her like a warm blanket. She looked at him as she encircled his ribs, winding the bandage into place, her fingers skimming over his flesh. He cupped both hands on her cheeks and leaned forward. Her eyes widened, but she didn’t stop him as his supple mouth pressed with a gentle touch against hers. Not coaxing her to open, he only caressed her lips. After a short time, he lifted his head and smiled.
Kris cleared her throat then finished wrapping the bandage around his ribs without saying a word. What could she say? She didn’t want to lead him on but she didn’t want to upset him. Not after what he’d gone through today for her.
“Didn’t mean to startle you, but after what I saw today, and you taking out that fae, I had to kiss you. If it weren’t for you, I might be dead twice now. Thank you.”
To her surprise, heat rose to her cheeks. She was sure they were flaming red or at least pink. “Hey, what do you say we go have dinner to celebrate a successful, even if it was a bit bumpy, hunt?”
Darin smiled. “Sure, if that’s what you want to do. I’m with you, remember.”
She laughed as they strolled to the car. “True.”
As they neared her car, she glanced across the street. Two vampires watched them, and she stopped short from grabbing the door handle. A menacing feeling had her spine stiffening as the sensation radiated down her arms and tingled at her fingertips. She’d forgotten her babysitters.
“What’s wrong?”
She glared at the vampires. “Nothing, let’s go.”
After they drove a couple of blocks to a deli shop, she parked the car and looked into the rearview mirror. The vamps had followed. Of course they had. Her cell rang. “Hello.”
“Kris, why have you been ignoring my phone calls?” Ryant’s voice sounded strange, hard and on edge.
Shit. She should have looked at the screen. She sat there and didn’t answer.
“Kris?” He growled her name.
“What?” Her nostrils flared, and she bit her lower lip.
“Have you found any leads on Stanley?”
As much as she didn’t want to respond, she had to. “Yes.” Kris knew if she told a lie he’d be able to detect the falsehood in her tone.
She watched the vampires move behind two large bushes. They must be new if they didn’t think her keen sight would notice them. Seemed like Ryant should have sent someone better and older to protect her from the demons. Did that mean he didn’t really believe the threat was real? Was this a ploy to get her to rely on him?
“And?” Impatience rattled the plastic next to her ear.
“And I’ll tell you about it later. I’m busy right now.”
“With the human, I hear. He’s still with you.” Before she could respond, he continued, “Tomorrow then.” The phone went silent.
Resisting the urge to stick her tongue out at the phone, she tucked it into her pocket and opened the door. She exited and heard the slam as Darin followed. She glared at the vampires again, sensing Darin move to stand beside her.
“Kris, you okay? You’re...growling.” He touched her lightly on the arm.
She exhaled with a long sigh and looked at him. “I’m fine.”
“What do you keep staring at?”
“Vampires.”
He squinted in the direction she looked. “I don’t see any.”
“They’re Ryant’s followers. He promised they’d protect me at night.”
She turned to face Darin directly. Tilting her head, she eyed him. He smiled. The longer she looked at him, the more his smile slipped into confusion. Before she could consider the repercussions of what she was about to do, she leaned toward him and wrapped a palm around the back of his neck. Pulling him to her, she kissed him. Like before, their friendly kiss, his mouth was plush and soft. She felt his uncertainty as he held his body from hers. Did he sense the kiss was for show?
She stayed locked to his lips for a few passing seconds, and then broke free and focused her attention on the vampires. Dared them to run off and report what they witnessed to Ryant.
“Wow,” Darin breathed.
She didn’t look at him as she took his hand in hers and tugged him to the deli.
* * * *
After eating, she drove home in a silent car. She and Darin had a casual conversation filled with basic chitchat. Nothing serious. Nothing earth shattering. Just friendly conversation. Even so, tension simmered between them. She probably shouldn’t have done what she did. The kiss they shared was only to prove a point that the vampires following her were there to tattletale on her to Ryant about every move she made. She didn’t feel guilty about his reaction but it did bother her that she’d used Darin that way. And after he’d covered her ass so effectively against the fae. A pretty sorry thing to do, Kris.
“So... That kiss. It was for the vampires?”
Ugh. She’d been hoping he’d not bring it up. She pulled her lips between her teeth. “Yes.”
“Oh. Okay. A show for them.”
“Well. Not for them as much for who they report to.” She took in a deep breath. Time to mend the broken fence. She turned and smiled. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have.”
He nodded. Did that mean he forgave her? She looked at the road ahead and waited for him to say something. He didn’t.
“I was proving to Ryant he didn’t own me. I’m sorry to drag you into this mess.”
Why was she explaining? Darin had her back with the fae but she didn’t owe him anything. She tightened her hands on the steering wheel, straightening her arms, pulling the muscles taut in her neck and back. As she cracked her neck to each side, she stared over at Darin. Then all too soon, they drove through the gates of her house, and he still looked ahead.
She didn’t know what else to say. She shouldn’t have kissed him. Period.
19
The turn of the bedroom doorknob clicked open by an unforeseen force and jiggled with the motion. Slowly at first, but rapidly picking up with an angry s
peed as if a subway train roared past and rattling the door. Gold light streamed from the beyond and flickered brightly through the crack—gold, black, gold, black, announcing all too well what Kris knew would stand on the other side of the door, waiting for her in her living room.
Somehow, she found herself inches from the bronze knob, reaching for it, grasping it and pulling open the door wide. There it stood. Death. Sudden fear struck her, paralyzing in its intensity. Her breath wedged deep in her lungs, inflating with a burning stretch. Her fingertips and toes tingled as if she’d lain on them for a long time and pinched the nerves. Sweat trickled down her back, pooling at the base of her spine. She needed to but couldn’t move.
Death, his figure hooded by a voluminous cape, stood center stage in her living room. His hulking form blocked the golden light. Not blocking as much as creating a barrier. Streams bent around him, seeming to bounce away from him as if they couldn’t bear to touch him. The black robe flapped around his ankles as if the gust from behind picked up speed. Whispers of fog thickened and sped her way with the rush of wind.
Her stomach knotted. Acidic bile rose into her throat as her heart pounded out a harsh thump to an eerie serenade blaring through her mind. Helpless, all she could do was stare at the thing. She wanted to look away, but was unable to draw her gaze from the being that came to collect her soul.
Death was so close to her, yet far enough away she could see it all. She waited for the thing to turn and scream as it often did, yet it stood sentient, a grotesque statue. Her heart raced faster. The adrenaline scorching her muscles forced hot tears from her terror-filled eyes until moisture soaked her cheeks and ran down her neck.
The fog migrating from behind Death crawled over the ground like a living thing, like endless tentacles intent on finding her. Nothing stood between her and Death except the swirling, writhing vapor. With an involuntary jerk, she shifted back, her terror-filled body instinctively reacting to the fog’s approach. Billowing, white fingers reached for her. If it got to her, the tendrils would suction to her skin and pull her screaming into the depths of the netherworld.
