Legends of the Damned: A Collection of Edgy Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance Novels

by Lindsey R. Loucks

  The shifter squeezes his massive palms over my arms. Pain blooms up my side. A slam of red that shoots through my brain. I scream in pain. And the already hurt arm goes numb. I fall to the floor on my back.

  Gritting my teeth, I manage to roll away before the shifter can step on me. But already Jai reels to his feet. Bending his head, he charges at the shifter, ramming him in his stomach. And again. Then plows his fist to the shifter’s face. In a fluid motion, he turns around, moving so fast I can barely make out his actions.

  Jai kicks the other male in the face with such force that he topples to the ground, spraying blood and bits of teeth.

  And then I’m up and not even aware I’m moving. I spring feet first, putting all my power into my thighs, my legs, firming them like rocks. Aiming them at the other shifter—the almost human-looking one—who has come to save his companion.

  Mistake!

  He charges at me but I’m already there, in his way, my legs hitting his middle with such force that he simply keels over backward and lies there, winded.

  Jai’s sword goes flying from him and before he can recover, I have it. I grip his sword, holding onto it, fingers wrapped around the handle.

  And then Jai is running to me. When he grabs my free arm—my injured arm—I cry out in pain before biting down and stifling it.

  Not now.

  I need to keep going just now.

  Jai drags me to the side of the ship, across from where the leaner shifter had climbed down the ladder. When we reach the end, he looks at me and in his eyes I see his intent.

  He wants us to go over.

  He wants us to jump?

  I look at the churning dark green water below, the tops of the waves turning white in the wake of the ship.

  Jump into that.

  I hesitate and he turns to me, touching a palm against the side of my face.

  ‘Trust me," he says, his voice hoarse.

  When I don’t respond, an intense look comes into his eyes. He’s bleeding from his nose, from a cut to the forehead. His shirt is almost torn to pieces and the wound in his side is bleeding. Blood stains the upper half of his body so his torso shines dark red and black, reflecting back the light from the fire that still rages in the background.

  He looks…dangerous. As animalistic as the shifters. Or just a man pushed to the edge. The power I had sensed in him, churning under the surface, has been unleashed. It’s out in full force and there’s no going back.

  "Do you trust me?" he asks, his voice more urgent this time.

  He lets go of my arm, then cups my face between both his palms.

  His touch is soft, so tender, so opposite from everything I’ve been through in the last few minutes. The simplicity of his gesture, the gentleness, takes me by surprise. His amber eyes shine with a seriousness that reaches out to me, tugs at me. He won’t hurt me. He’ll never hurt me.

  I nod, then remember I still have his sword.

  When I hand it over, he leans down, brushing his lips over mine to say thanks, before sliding the sword into the scabbard, securing it over his back.

  Just then a growl cuts through the silence between us. It’s the beast. He’s limping over to us, his fists held up in front, the look on his face clear. He’s not going to stop till he kills us.

  Jai’s hand grips mine. Tight. It feels like our skin is melding with each other’s. So firm, I don’t feel the pain anymore.

  I look straight ahead. Not down at the harsh sea below. Not up at the setting sun which bleeds red, into the clouds.

  Just straight ahead to the horizon.

  Then we jump.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Our palms are still clasped together when we hit the water.

  It feels like I’ve slammed into concrete and gone right through. The waves close in on me, shutting out the light; it feels like I’ve plunged off the edge of the world. My heart slams into my ribs, my throat closes in on me, and it feels as if I’m suspended between heaven and earth. Between two worlds. And yet I’m sinking.

  Still sinking.

  A shudder runs through me, and I fight down the increasing wave of panic that threatens to overcome me. Then my reflexes take over. I kick out and begin to rise. And only then do I notice that he’s gone.

  The cold surrounds me, pressing in on me, and I shiver. Panic clogs my throat, and it’s only instinct that keeps me kicking out, that propels me upwards. Up. Up. Till I reach the surface and break through, gasping as the air hits my skin.

  Treading water, I look around for him. My eyes swivel, stinging from the salty water. The sun beats down on my head while the rest of me is buried under water, still cold. A shiver runs down my back. Fear gnaws at my gut. I bite down on it, refusing to give in.

  He was just here.

  He is injured.

  I was just holding his hand.

  And now he’s gone.

  Where are you, Jai? I swear aloud, taking in a mouthful of sea water, and choke when its harsh acidic taste stings my tongue. I go under once more and by the time I surface every part of my face is stinging. Shaking my hair out of my eyes, a flash of white has me swiveling towards it. It’s a head bobbing not five feet away.

  Even before my mind can confirm that the figure is Jai, fear gives way to relief and I’m already ploughing through the water towards him.

  I reach him, touch his shoulder and he turns around, grasping my upper arm. I don’t even wince at the jolt of pain which runs through me, just fling myself at him. As much as the waves jostling us will allow.

  He crushes me to him and for a second we just float there. Warmth from him cleaves through the water, stretching towards me. Something inside me reaches out and pulls it to me, plugging it into a space deep inside. One which I hadn’t known existed. Not till now.

  Then he kisses me hard on my lips. Once. Before saying fiercely, his voice hoarse, "Stay close and do as I tell you, OK?"

  Before his words can sink in, he’s moving away, beckoning me to follow. I swim next to him, trying to keep up, but within a few minutes it’s already clear that I’m flagging.

  And he’s more wounded than me.

  Jai, in full health, would have torn through the water and pulled me along, I realize.

  For the first time, the strength of the man next to me sinks in. Even though I know he’s changed, a part of me had still seen him as the young man on the verge of adulthood, the one I had met a few years ago.

  But he’s changed. And more than I know. More than I can have imagined.

  As he powers through the water, his shoulders moving up-down-up, rhythmically, I realize just how little I know about him. I'd pushed him away, pretending I didn’t feel anything for him. When really, it’s the only reason I’ve come along on this trip.

  Sensing that I’m flagging, he turns and waits for me to catch up. My chest heaving, I pull up next to him. My breath comes out in short pants and I grasp his shoulder, hanging on to him for support. Still treading water, he grips my waist, steadies me and says, "Not much further now."

  He jerks his head and I follow his gaze to where a small boat is bobbing not far off. One I had completely missed.

  "What is that?" I ask.

  He grimaces, "A watchdog of the shifters, probably left here as a lookout. We need to get to him, take him by surprise if we can—’

  "And take the boat," I complete the statement. "It’s our only chance, isn’t it?" I ask, my voice resigned, and he nods.

  Losing a breath, I let go of him and begin swimming towards the little craft. Within a few seconds, he pulls ahead, swimming with a single-minded focus, the determination evident in the steady pace he’s setting. This time I’m happy to fall in behind him.

  The sound of his muscular body cutting through the water ahead of me is reassuring. And this is what attracted me to him. This sense of security that has me convinced that even stuck in the middle of the ocean he’s going to find a way to get me to safety.

  Has my instinct known this all along
? Right from the first time I had set eyes on him, driving up to the Jungle in his beat-up jeep?

  As these thoughts whirl around my head, Jai pulls up so sharply I crash into him from behind.

  "What is it?" I ask, shaking the water out of my eyes.

  He doesn’t reply. He simply presses my shoulder, indicating I should stay where I am. He’s about to leave when I grip his arm. He turns and from the look on his face I know he’s already thinking forward about how he’ll overpower the man in the boat ahead.

  Without giving myself time to think, I lean forward and brush my lips over his. Then releasing him, I move back. But not before his eyes widen, the amber in them glinting to show that it’s affected him as much as me. That my worry has communicated itself to him.

  He hesitates. His jaw firms and he turns and swims strongly towards the boat.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  I wait, treading water. Just a few minutes battling the waves and already it feels as if I’ve been kicked and thrown about in a particularly violent game. The strength is ebbing from me and I know I won’t last much longer.

  I follow Jai as he swims up to the boat, approaching it from the shifter’s blind side. He must be in a lot of pain and yet it’s as if the core of the man is made of something quite invincible. He has the kind of stamina that comes from long years of practice, of fighting tough in difficult conditions.

  And more.

  That tough resilience in him, that feel of mettle I had brushed against, had touched again and again during the time I had known him. It’s as if a part inside of me had recognized him. And perhaps it was that which had pushed me away too, knowing that to give in, to embrace him, would mean never letting go. And when I was on the verge of losing him, I knew then that I was already lost. In him.

  My mind stutters, the thought nearly gone as it sinks in. And I know I’ll never see him the same way. See myself the same way.

  And it’s that which pushes me to start swimming towards him. Every time I come up for air I follow his progress as he clambers onto the boat, which tilts with his weight. The seamless way he throws himself at the shifter behind the helm.

  By the time I reach the boat, they are grappling in earnest. The extent to which Jai is hurt sinks in when the shifter punches him in the side, his hurt side. Jai staggers, almost falling before righting himself.

  I swear to myself.

  Without waiting to see more I swing myself over the side of the boat, a streak of pain shooting up my arm. I fall back in the water, heave myself up. And this time I throw myself over the side in a far more inelegant manner than Jai.

  Rolling over to my feet, I’m up in time to see Jai go down. A third time. And this time he stays down.

  Bending low, I rush the shifter, the element of surprise on my side, and slam my head right in his solar plexus.

  The shock jars my neck, bursting sparks of red behind my eyes, and it feels as if my head is about to fall off.

  Still, I have the satisfaction of feeling his body shudder a little. The breath whooshes out of him, blowing over my hair. He’s still standing, though.

  Before I can react, push away the pain that sparks at my nerve endings, he flips me away with one hand.

  The power of the muscle behind that action has me swallowing.

  He grabs my neck, pressing his fingers around it, tight, so tight, that my air is instantly cut off.

  The pain flickers, dies. Only to be replaced by blackness, which bleeds in at the edges of my sight. Blinding me. The blood rushes to my ears and I grab his hand, both my palms holding on, nails digging in as I try to pull his grip away. But nothing. He doesn’t move. Doesn’t budge. His grip intensifies, and the world around me tilts, begins to slip away.

  And then I’m falling, hitting the bottom of the boat with a thump.

  The world goes dark for a second.

  Then the air rushes in. Gasping, I draw it in. It’s like drawing a cloth over broken glass. The shattered nerves of my throat tear at the oxygen, piercing it, and I gasp again, this time in pain. Not aware that my hands are around my throat, trying to soothe me. I sit up in time to see Jai slam his fist into the man. To the face.

  To his side.

  To his temple.

  The force of that last blow takes the shifter off the ground, lifts him in the air and he slides cleanly into the water. Cutting the surface, going through. His weight drags him down.

  It takes a lot out of Jai too.

  Sensing his knees buckle, I fling my arm around his waist, gripping him. His hand comes around my shoulder.

  Holding each other, we stand there for a second. The sound of the waves lapping at the sides of the boat, broken by my panting. My breath coming out in short gasps.

  Jai grips my arm, his hand slipping over my sweaty skin. I wince as even that sends a sharp twinge of red shooting up my side. But I manage to nod to his unspoken question, indicating that I’m OK.

  He limps to the helm, starts up the engine and then we’re drawing away from the sea of strewn debris.

  Going to him I slip my arms around his waist, over the sword still strapped to his back. He grasps me to his side.

  Neither of us says a word.

  Neither of us looks back to the remains of the smoldering ship. At the bodies of the friends we leave behind.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Checking the direction we are traveling in on the compass at the helm, Jai sets course for Goa.

  Brushing off all my efforts to check his wound, he insists on taking the helm. Too tired to argue further, I make him take off the scabbard.

  I shrug off my already drying shirt, tying it around his waist above the wound, tight enough to make him wince. That should stem the flow of blood somewhat. I hope.

  He leans down and slips the sword over his back, wincing as it brushes his wound. But he’s stubborn like that, I know. He’s not keeping that sword anywhere but next to his skin. Not after what’s just happened.

  Slipping my arms around him again, I stand behind him. Leaning my head against his shoulder. I feel the vibration of the motor travel up through him. I don’t realize I’ve dozed off, the rolling of the boat having lulled me to half to sleep, until Jai stumbles, hitting the helm with a jarring thud that slices though the haze in my head.

  The boat swerves, throwing me against the side, setting off the various aches and pains in me. Swearing aloud, I rush to the wheel, and gripping it, I straighten the little craft. By which time he’s already back on his feet.

  "You’re hurt," I say.

  "I’m fine!" He grimaces, only to sway again.

  This time he grips my shoulder to steady himself. Just that gesture of weakness gives away how badly hurt he is. I’ve never seen Jai lean on anyone, not emotionally and certainly not physically.

  And now he’s holding on to me, his eyes staring ahead; a muscle in his jaw twitching, as if clamping down on pain.

  He’s hurting all right, he’s just too macho to admit it.

  I dart a glance to his side. The shirt is stained a dull brown and even as I watch it gleams wet. Drops of red drip from the edge of the shirt.

  I swear aloud, not bothering to conceal my anger.

  He doesn’t even hear me. Just holds on, his eyes closed. The color has faded from his skin, leaving him pale. He shivers a little.

  He’s in bad shape. And still not a word escapes him.

  Should I be impressed at his ability to bear pain? Or just be angry at his stubbornness?

  "It’s OK to show you’re hurting." My voice comes out hoarse, the words grating through the pain in my throat.

  He turns his face and lets me have the full blast of those amber eyes. Even pain-filled, they are like shining flames. I let myself be pulled into their depths for a second, and am surprised when a slow burn flames to life in my lower belly. He’s hurt, bleeding, half-dead.

  We’ve left a ship-load of wounded and dead friends behind.

  Right now we don’t know where the hell we are.
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  And yet at some level I don’t care. For I’m here. With him. With the open sea in front of us.

  I meet his burning glance with my own, and for a few seconds neither gives. Then one side of his lips quirks in a slight smile as if he’s heard my thoughts. As if he feels the same way.

  Another tug on my lower belly has me moving in, closing the gap between us. I brush my lips over his.

  "Hang in there, tough guy," I say.

  Am about to step away, when his hand snakes out and hauls me to him. His other hand grips the wheel to keep the boat on course. And then he’s slanting his lips across mine, thrusting in his tongue, and taking, taking like he’s thirsty. Like he can’t get enough of me. He pours the pent-up longing of our years apart into the kiss.

  Or perhaps when death is this close, you crave life.

  By the time we break apart, we're both panting.

  Heat bleeds out from my skin, swirling over us. Covering us. And even though we are out in the open, under the wide skies, in the middle of a choppy sea, it feels like we are enclosed in our own cocoon of intimacy. I know he can feel it too for he’s stopped shivering, and some of the color has come back into his face.

  It’s as if he’s absorbed some of the energy off me. Drained me. My head spins and I clutch at the wheel.

  "Feel better?" I ask, in a gruff voice.

  At his nod, I turn back to the wheel.

  He slides down to the seat behind us and stretches out. One hand still grasping my thigh, he closes his eyes.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Maya’s hair ruffles in the sea breeze. Long hair that curls and falls thick, halfway to her waist.

  Vishal knows the strands won’t be soft to touch. Hers hadn’t been either. Why is it that everything always came down to Ruby?

  When she’d been alive Vishal had been too busy being jealous of what Vik had with her. How she’d looked at Vik with adoration. More than anything Vishal had wanted to step in between them. To tell her that, he, Vishal was still there. To ask her to notice him just once. The possessiveness he still feels make him curl his fingers into fists.