Demon Retribution (Shadow Quest Book 3)

by Kiersten Fay

  Kyra laughed. “I’ve got a few numbers I can give you.”

  They spent the rest of the drive in comfortable silence, allowing Kyra’s thoughts to drift back to the night before. There was no denying it, she had little explanation for her conduct. She’d had every intention of keeping things professional between Cale and herself, and she couldn’t say what went wrong. Only that a part of her hadn’t wanted to stop. And if he’d continued kissing her as hungrily as he’d been, she probably wouldn’t have.

  When the trees parted to reveal the long driveway to the cabin, she checked the clock—3:42pm. The errand had taken longer than expected. She opened her mouth to speak, “I hope Cale—”

  Something crash-landed on the hood, jarring the entire frame of the car. As they both screamed, Kyra slammed on the brakes. The item, which turned out to be a body, tumbled forward in almost stuntman perfection, landing on its haunches.

  Dust from the road plumed.

  Fixing the car into park, Kyra threw open her door and burst from the vehicle. “Cale? What the hell are you doing?” she shrieked.

  He rose to his full height in a slow, menacing way. She took a step back, noticing his eyes burned like lava.

  Zoey screamed again. “Kyra, stay away from him!” She began fumbling with her seat belt, but seemed to be too panicked to unbuckle.

  “Zo, stay in the car,” she ordered, closing the door. “Cale, what’s wrong?”

  A wild energy flowed off him as his eyes shifted between her and Zoey, who was curled up in the passenger seat. At first, Kyra wasn’t sure if he understood what she’d asked, but then his gaze shifted to settle on her. Yet his intimidating demeanor did not drain away.

  “What’s wrong?” he bellowed in disgust, flashing a set of threatening fangs. “What’s wrong is that you disappeared for the entire day without my knowledge! I had no idea where you were or if you were ever coming back!”

  “I left you a note!” she defended, chagrined by his tone and hiding a shiver of trepidation.

  “A note? Where? There is no note!”

  “It’s on the kitchen table.”

  “In what universe would I go searching for you on a table?”

  “The kitchen is your first destination every morning, Cale. I figured you’d see it right away.”

  His eyes narrowed. “You think I can remain calm enough to prepare myself a meal when you’ve gone missing?”

  “Apparently not! Forgive me for thinking you would act rationally. Obviously, with the car gone and a note of explanation so perfectly hidden from view, the only prudent course of action is to stalk around in the woods and attack my car upon sight!”

  Cale said nothing. His jaw clenched so tightly she thought his teeth might crack. “The Kayadon could have taken you, and I would never know it! I would have been unable to stop it! Where did you go? Why would you not wake me?”

  “It’s in the note!” she countered. Then, after assessing the damaged to her hood, she ground out, “Look what you did to my car!”

  Too angry to check her outrage, she turned and whipped the driver side door open. Cale looked as if he was about to protest her actions, but as soon as she plopped inside, her foot hit the gas. The car peeled out before gaining traction on the dirt, and the amount of dust kicked up in her wake was gratifying.

  A short moment later, they were at the cabin. She stuffed the keys into her pocket and headed inside, oblivious to how silent and pale Zoey had become until after she’d stomped the length of the room a couple of times. A glance told her Zoey was possibly in shock, sitting stiff and unseeing on the couch.

  Cale plowed through the door, in no way mollified. “I wasn’t finished!”

  “Oh, yes you are, ‘cause you’re freaking Zoey out!”

  “Well, she’s lucky she’s not dead!”

  A tiny whimper escaped Zoey.

  Cale went into the kitchen and yanked the fridge open to snatch a soda. When he popped the tab, a bit of foam oozed onto the floor.

  Kyra followed him, ignoring the mess. “You apologize to her, right now. It sounded like you were threatening her.”

  “You’re the one who put her in danger,” he snarled, and then gulped down what must have been half the contents of his beverage.

  “It is in no way easier for the Kayadon to find us in town than it is here,” she argued.

  “Oh, and you know that for sure?”

  Kyra hesitated. Without an adequate comeback, she pointed to the note on the table with a stubborn hand.

  “Ah, your magnificent explanation.” Cale crumbled the paper and tossed it against the wall.

  It bounced twice on the floor before coming to a stop on the opposite side of the table. Then he stared at her for a response, as if this were an everyday, normal conversation.

  Moving in a little closer, Kyra checked her tone. “Look. Be mad at me. That’s fine. But stop frightening Zoey.”

  He hollered into the living room. “Zoey’s fine! Aren’t you, Zoey?”

  A moment later, Zoey’s soft reply reached them. “I-I’m fine.”

  The terror in that simple statement was clear. Cale’s head tilted down. He let out a sound of frustration as he closed his eyes and shook his head.

  Cale stepped into the living room to see that Zoey looked as daunted as the day he’d beheaded her daft boyfriend. It hadn’t crossed his mind that his anger might affect the human. But, then, nothing much in the way of cognitive thought crosses the mind of a demon on the Edge.

  He felt himself in control now—or at least, more so—and was sure his eyes had returned to normal.

  Kyra’s arms crossed over her chest in silent accusation, as if he was the one in the wrong. But seriously? How could she have imagined that leaving him behind was a good idea? If she’d been captured, it still would have been his fault for not protecting her.

  He glared back at her as he crossed to take a seat beside Zoey. She stiffened and kept her eyes straight ahead.

  “Don’t be frightened,” he said, and then repeated what he’d told her that night. “If I had wanted you dead, you wouldn’t have seen it coming.”

  Kyra gasped. “Is that supposed to make her feel better?”

  “It’s okay,” Zoey replied in a squeaky voice.

  “No, it’s not,” Kyra insisted. “Come on, Zo, let’s take your necklace upstairs.”

  Zoey was quick to obey, practically leaping off the couch.

  Cale threw his arms out. “What did I say?” He moved to follow them, but Kyra put her hand in his face, halting him.

  “Uh-uh. You stay here.” Then she tossed a small crumpled bag at his chest. He fumbled for it, catching it before it fell. “By the way, we got you a present,” she sneered, then ascended with angry steps behind Zoey.

  Fuming, Cale decided to let them go and tossed the offending item to the other end of the couch, resolved to ignore it for the rest of the night. “What the hell just happened?” he muttered to himself. How had he become the bad guy?

  He replayed the last few minutes in his head, unable to piece it together. It wasn’t he who had acted dangerously irresponsible.

  Admittedly, he may have been a little abrasive in his approach, but that was only because he’d been so unhinged at finding them both missing. Panic had brought on a side of the Edge he hadn’t felt since…He brushed the thought away.

  While searching the area for signs of life, he’d been swallowed by a cloud of dread and hollowed out by the utter powerlessness to do anything about it. There had been no scent for him to follow, though he’d covered more ground than all his many perimeter checks combined.

  He’d spent the entire day drowning in helplessness. Sporadic thoughts of betrayal had plunged him deeper into the bottomless pool of madness that is the Edge. Only by sheer strength of will had he kept from getting lost there. From finding that place that had been his home so many years before, and had nearly consumed his mind.

  It wasn’t until he’d seen the car driving up the way that his
fear transformed into something tangible. They’d looked so at ease behind the windshield. Rage had replaced fear, and he’d felt he deserved an explanation for their impudence. He still deserved an explanation! But he was in charge of himself enough now to understand that he wasn’t going to get one at the moment.

  His eyes drifted to the crumpled note. With a grumbled surrender, he crossed to pick it up.

  Good morning, Cale

  He sneered.

  Zoey and I have gone into town to set up an account and funds for her. I care about her just as much as I do my own family and want to make sure she is fully taken care of.

  Please don’t worry, it shouldn’t take long and I promise to be careful. I feel that, after my previous encounters, I will be able to sense if any danger is near. Plus, the town is small, and I don’t expect the Kayadon will even think to consider it.

  I didn’t wake you because I wanted to spend some time alone with her, since I know I will never see her again, and I was sure you would insist on coming along.

  Please don’t be mad.

  Kyra

  That’s it? Cale thought. That was supposed to satisfy him?

  He crumpled the paper again, ready to toss it, but after holding it in his fist for a moment, decided to pocket it. It made him wonder what ridiculous offering they thought to appease him with.

  He went back to the couch and snatched the bag, turning it upside down so that a small, meager box fell into his palm. Discarding the bag, he opened the item. Inside was a red, oblong trinket, imbedded within a black foamy substance, obviously meant to keep the item in place. He lifted the trinket between two fingers and turned it this way and that, noting a strange insignia that meant nothing to him. It was heavier than expected and oddly layered with metal sections sandwiched between two flat red ends.

  Preposterous. A worthless hunk of—

  He spied a half-moon indention on a sliver of metal. Pulling at it with his nail, a segment swiveled out. One edge of it was sharp, the other blunt.

  A small blade, he realized.

  He tested its sharpness with his thumb. Not bad.

  There were other half-moon carvings, and before long, he had them all pulled out. He lowered to the couch, gazing at his prize in pure masculine awe. It had everything! Albeit small, but ingeniously crafted. Multiple blades, tools, there was even a small light at one end.

  Utterly enamored, he forgot his anger and spent the rest of the evening exploring his new favorite possession.

  Chapter 11

  Sunlight snailed a path through the room until the high mountains clipped its rays short. The cracked window allowed a soft, chilled breeze to mingle with the curtains while Kyra’s iPod played a mixture of tunes through a set of small speakers.

  She lay on her bed alone, still trying to calm her nerves after three hours of settling down Zoey. Well, actually it had been one hour of settling down Zoey, and two hours of Zoey returning the favor.

  She’d never been so angry at someone in her life. Cale had been horrendous. And she hated to admit it, but his anger had been more frightening than she’d let on. Zoey saw through her, though, and somehow ended up siding with Cale.

  How was it the human was more understanding than she?

  Maybe she shouldn’t have taken off like that, with no real warning, but Cale had completely over reacted.

  Then again, maybe not.

  She had become so used to being independent, doing everything for herself, that it had never occurred to her someone might worry for her. She’d become complacent here on Earth. Comfortable among the humans, almost to the point of considering herself, to a certain extent, one of them.

  How could she not, after so long?

  Magic had nearly been out of her life for the last sixty years or so. The incident in the park was the first time it resurfaced since she’d been silly enough to trust that Spanish playboy—he’d been a little too keen, and Kyra a little too lonely.

  She quickly closed the door on that memory, appreciating anew that Zoey was taking everything so well.

  So eventually, but with much resistance, Kyra had been able to see Cale’s side and admitted that perhaps there was more danger than she wanted to believe. Who was she kidding? Of course there was. What if she had gotten herself captured, or worse, Zoey?

  The idea sparked a blaze of guilt that spread like wildfire. Aside from her own safety, there was her real home to think of. Her family needed her. And if it were true she’d be going back to Evlon, then maybe it was time she brushed up on her royal etiquette and diplomacy.

  Which meant making peace.

  The muted sound of a door closing broke into her thoughts. A pattern of light footsteps heading in the direction of the bathroom gave Zoey away. A few seconds later, she heard the shower.

  She figured now was a good time to find Cale and attempt an apology. If it turned into another fight, at least Zoey would be out of the line of fire.

  She knocked loudly on his bedroom door. With no answer, she peeked in only to find it empty. The great room was empty as well. Thinking he must have stepped out for another perimeter check, she headed outside to the dim light of late evening. Her eyes scanned the surrounding forest as she walked the rocky driveway. If he was out there, there was no evidence.

  She let out a sigh, resigned to go back inside and wait till he returned.

  A pair of steel arms came around her torso. She screamed in surprise and struggled against the vice-like grip. Within her chest her heart rate spiked wildly. She tasted the swirling release of magic that seems to have discovered a passage through all her usual blockades.

  A migraine split her head as the magic burrowed its way to the surface, like thousands of tiny claws.

  Just before the destructive force ripped free, she heard a familiar, mocking voice, “I thought you could sense danger?”

  “Cale?” Frantic, she pulled the magic inward, horrified and desperate to save Cale’s life, but it was too late.

  He must have heard the distress in her voice because he released her and came around her front. Concern etched his features.

  He gripped her shoulders. “Kyra, what is it? What’s wrong?”

  She tried to reply but she couldn’t form words. The magic didn’t like being caged, and its claws resisted violently, like a deranged wild creature trying to escape.

  A hand cupped her face, and she concentrated on the feel of it against her cheek. She wanted to tell him to run—she may have even gasped the word—but his other arm came around her waist, and she realized he was holding her up. Her legs had gone limp.

  The magic pounded her from the inside, seething. She tightened her mental grip on it, determined, for once, to contain it.

  She failed.

  A painful blast of white flooded her vision before it was sucked away by a vacuum of black.

  A bustling of troubled voices re-introduced her to the land of the living. Her body ached as if she’d spent the last week fighting off the worst case the flu known to man. The weight of a cool rag rested on her forehead. She reached up to pull it off, but a hand gently took hold of her fingers. A thumb stroked over her knuckles.

  “Kyra?” Cale sounded strained.

  “What happened?” she managed through a scratchy windpipe.

  “She awake?” Zoey called from another room. Rapid footsteps sounded her approach.

  Cale ignored her. “I fucked up, Kyra. I’m sorry.”

  Kyra squinted her lids open. The light of the great room offended her eyes, but she stubbornly kept them from closing again. From her spot on the couch, she could see one tall window. The glass was pitch black. “How long have I been out?”

  Instead of answering, Cale whispered, “You stopped breathing. I thought you were dead.”

  She looked at him then, finally taking him in. His skin was blotchy and looked tender. His clothes were singed in spots. She scrutinized his face, which was tight with stress.

  “Are you okay?” she choked out.

 
; He gave a cruel laugh. “Am I okay?” He wrapped his hand gently over the side of her face and brought his cheek against hers. “For the love of the gods, woman, how could you ask that?”

  She placed her hand over his and he pulled back to look at her, his features a chasm of sorrow.

  Zoey poked her head over his shoulder, concerned.

  “I’m okay,” she assured them both.

  “What happened?” Zo demanded.

  Cale lowered his head, shaking it.

  Before he could speak, Kyra explained, “Cale startled me, and I lost control. It’s never happened so fast before, and I’ve never tried so hard to stop it.”

  Zoey looked confused. Cale shielded his eyes behind his palm.

  “It’s not your fault, Cale.”

  “Of course it is.”

  She shook her head, but then stilled as her brain swished painfully. The room twirled, and she let her skull drop back to the cushion with a soft groan.

  Cale went into panic mode. “Kyra? Keep your eyes open. Maybe you should sit up. Do we have any energy drinks? Zo, get her an energy drink?”

  Kyra actually cracked a smile. “Cale, relax. I just got dizzy for a second.”

  “Still, you should drink something. Or eat something. Are you hungry?”

  “No. Really, Cale. I just need some sleep.”

  “But what happened?” Zo asked, exasperated.

  “I’ll explain in the morning,” Kyra offered, then attempted to stand.

  “I don’t think so.” Cale slid his arms under her, lifting her as if she were practically weightless. In just a few strides, they were up the stairs. Cale set her on the edge of the mattress and knelt to help to slip off her shoes. Too tired to put in an effort to stay upright, her back met the soft sheets.

  Somehow, during the time she’d closed her eyes, her body made it under the covers. Cale perched at the end of the bed. “Kyra—” he began, tone repentant.