Penelope’s shoulders slumped. Honestly, Khloé was surprised the woman wasn’t slurring. It was clear she’d been drinking a lot today—probably to calm her nerves, since one of her worst fears was that she’d lose another of her children.
Just then, Ciaran padded into the living room, his face soft and flushed with sleep. He frowned at Khloé. “You woke before me?”
“Blame Keenan,” she said. “He telepathically yelled at me, and I’m pretty sure it’s what yanked me out of sleep.”
The incubus curved a hand around her nape. “I needed to hear your voice and know you were okay. Slamming a mental door on me was mean.”
“Yet fun.”
“Will you always find joy in pissing me off?”
“It’s looking likely.”
He sighed. “I feel so cared for.”
“Do you? How strange.”
He just shook his head.
A little while later, imps began to trickle out of the house. Richie had to usher Penelope out, though, as she wouldn’t stop faffing over Ciaran and Khloé.
“We should all probably head out, too,” Harper told her lair members.
“I’ll be staying with Khloé,” Keenan stated.
“I figured as much,” said the sphinx.
“I’m glad you two finally got your acts together,” Jolene said, her eyes dancing from Khloé to Keenan. “You’ve been circling each other for far too long.”
“My thoughts exactly,” said Ciaran. Groaning, he leaned back in his chair. “God, I feel awful. My throat is raw, and my chest hurts.”
“I feel your pain. Literally.” Khloé grimaced. “It’s been two weeks since I inhaled whatever gas Enoch produces, and I still feel like a bag of shit.”
Keenan frowned. “Why didn’t you say something sooner?”
She shrugged. “I didn’t see any reason to. My body had to tussle hard to fight the gas, so I’m not surprised I’m feeling the after effects of that.”
“What sort of after effects?” asked Raini.
“Nothing major,” said Khloé. “Sore throat. Achy chest. Tiredness. The occasional headache. I have a weird chill in my bones that I can’t explain, too.”
“Describe the gas for me,” said Knox. “Was it transparent? Did it have a scent? Was it like a hazy breeze?”
“No, none of that,” said Khloé. “It was a black, smoky sphere. He threw it at me. It tasted like rot and decay, and it burned like a bitch.” Her stomach sank when Levi swore and exchanged a grim look with his Prime. She looked from one male to the other and asked, “What? What’s wrong?”
“Yes, what is wrong?” demanded Keenan, his muscles suddenly rigid.
“That wasn’t a gas,” said Knox. “Not even close.”
Ciaran leaned forward in his seat. “Then what was it?”
Knox stroked his mate’s back, who’d turned to him, the image of anxiety. “The essence of death,” he said softly.
A boom of silence hit the room.
“No. No.” Jolene shook her head. “Nobody has the ability to conjure that. The ability doesn’t truly exist. It’s a myth.”
“No, it’s not,” said Levi. “It’s just so exceedingly rare that most believe it isn’t real.”
Knox nodded. “I had a childhood friend who could conjure it. I saw him throw an orb just like that at a cat. The animal died within minutes.”
“But I didn’t,” Khloé pointed out. “I fought it off. So did Ciaran.” By combining their powers, but that was something she’d keep to herself.
“You’re alive, but it’s possible that the orb did some damage to you,” said Knox.
Keenan cursed a blue streak, still stiff as a board. “What kind of damage are we talking about?”
“I don’t believe I’ve met anyone who survived such an attack, so I can’t say for sure,” said Knox. “There’s no way of knowing.”
“Maybe there is.” Jolene grabbed her cell phone from the table. “I’m going to call Vivian and have her take a look at you both.”
Keenan took Khloé’s hand. “Who’s Vivian?”
“An incantor within our lair who works as a nurse in a local hospital,” replied Khloé. “What makes her an excellent nurse is that she can see inside a person’s body.” So perhaps she could give them the answers they sought.
Khloé looked at her brother, who was staring into space. Raini was talking to him, but he didn’t appear to be listening.
It didn’t take long for Vivian to arrive. Jolene invited her to settle in the armchair and then told her about the whole death essence extravaganza.
Vivian studied Khloé closely. “Your cheeks are a little flushed. Do you feel hot, even with the chill in your bones?”
“Sometimes,” replied Khloé.
“Let’s take a closer look at you. After that, I’ll examine Ciaran.” Vivian knelt in front of her and weaved a pattern in the air with her hands. A light breeze built around them, and then Vivian stared hard at Khloé’s body.
A tense hush fell around the room as everyone watched and waited.
Vivian’s brow creased, and she jerked back a little. “What is that?”
Khloé tensed, her gut rolling. “What’s what?” But the incantor didn’t answer. “Tell me what you see.”
“Just a minute, honey,” said Vivian, her eyes roaming over every inch of Khloé.
A horrible tension built inside Khloé, and her inner demon went on high alert.
Tapping her foot, Jolene glared at the incantor. “Vivian, what do you see?”
Finally, the nurse sat back on her heels, her face a mask of concern. “I hate to say this, Khloé, but … it looks as if you didn’t drive all of the death essence out of your system, because tiny particles of it are floating around your bloodstream.”
Gasps and curses filled the room.
Khloé felt herself pale. “You’re sure?”
Vivian nodded, clearly distressed. “I can’t honestly say what the particles are doing to you, only that it isn’t good. I suppose it’s much like an infection. Or a virus. You’re feeling the symptoms of it. And given that you’ve been infected with death itself …”
Bile burned the back of Keenan’s throat, and he pressed his lips tight together. He heard what the nurse didn’t say. Khloé will probably die if she doesn’t get help.
His nostrils flared. This could not be fucking happening. It couldn’t.
For all his power, he could do nothing to protect the person who mattered most to him. He couldn’t kill Enoch permanently, and he couldn’t destroy the infection that would no doubt soon ravage her body if they didn’t find a way to stop it. Which they would. Keenan wouldn’t accept anything less.
“How quickly will the infection progress?” Keenan asked Vivian, who was now examining Ciaran.
“I don’t know,” she replied, her gaze on the male imp. “I’ve never come across a case like this before.” Once she’d finished her examination, Vivian swallowed. “You have a small dose of it in you, Ciaran, just as your sister does.”
Ciaran cursed. “This is just fucking great.”
“Shit, fuck, shit,” Harper hissed. “Is there anything you can do for them, Vivian?”
The nurse lifted her shoulders. “I could form protective shields around their vital organs, but that’s pretty much it. And those shields won’t last more than a month—the particles will eventually rot them.”
“The only thing that will combat death essence is pure life,” Knox added.
“Meaning only an angel can heal them,” Devon guessed.
Hope spiked through Keenan. “There are angels who’ll heal for a fee.”
“True, so the twins’ situation isn’t hopeless,” said Tanner. “But angels are always on the move, so they can be hard to find and pin down. Also, they won’t always intervene—sometimes they claim a person’s death is ‘meant to be.’”
Her eyes glittering, Jolene pulled in a breath through her nose. “Well, neither Khloé nor Ciaran are ‘meant’ to die y
et—it’s nowhere near close to their time.”
Too right it isn’t, thought Khloé. “Where do we look for an angel? They spend most of their time at hospitals, clinics, and homeless shelters, right?”
“Places like that, yes,” said Vivian. “One visits my hospital twice a month, posing as a doctor so he can help heal some of the human patients. I’ve never met any others.”
Jolene’s eyes sharpened. “When did the angel last visit your hospital?”
“A week ago. If he sticks to his usual pattern, he’ll be back in seven days.”
“With any luck, we’ll have found another angel before then,” said Jolene. “If we don’t, we’ll speak with him. We will get you healed,” she told Khloé and Ciaran.
“I know you will.” Khloé had every faith in her grandmother. “I’ll do what I can to locate one,” said Knox.
Nobody argued it was lair business. Not when two lives were on the line.
Jolene’s gaze slid back to Vivian. “Get building those shields around their vital organs—that’s step one to fighting this thing.”
The incantor knelt in front of Khloé again and bit her lip. “The sensation isn’t going to be pleasant.”
Khloé sighed. “I had a feeling you’d say that.”
Vivian hadn’t been kidding. The magick crackled through Khloé’s body like mini jolts of electricity. She flinched a few times but was mostly able to hold still.
Done, the incantor tilted her head. “How do you feel?”
“Edgy and jittery.”
“It’ll pass soon, once the magick fully settles into your cells.”
“Good.” Khloé looked at her grandmother. “My mom can’t find out what’s happening, Grams. She’s terrified of losing another one of her kids. It keeps her a prisoner in her own mind. Don’t put her through the worry and panic that this would cause her. She’s been through enough.”
Jolene sighed. “I know, but—”
“Khloé’s right,” said Ciaran. “Our mom doesn’t need to know. We’ll find an angel soon and then all will be fine.”
“It will,” agreed Keenan. “Because there’s no way either you or Khloé are dying. No fucking way.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
As she stood under the hot spray of her shower, an exceedingly rare thought crossed Khloé’s mind. I should have listened to my mother. The feel of the water pattering on her wounds was bad enough. But the heat of said water made her burns and blisters sting like a bitch.
Keenan’s hands were gentle and almost … reverent as they soaped her down, careful not to touch any of her injuries. He seemed much calmer, but she could feel his anger—it was almost like a hum in her bones. That anger wasn’t directed at her. It was directed at the bastard he held responsible for her wounds and the infection that had taken hold of her body.
Her demon was just as infuriated, especially since Khloé wasn’t the only one infected. Khloé still couldn’t quite believe that Enoch had also poisoned her brother. Her other half. The person she was closest to in the world. She wanted to kill that cock-smoking, monkey-loving, necrokinetic motherfucker for that alone.
She was pissed with herself, too. Maybe if she’d mentioned her “after effects” to someone sooner, she’d have realized that they weren’t normal. Everyone would have been aware of Enoch’s nifty ability, and they would have been ready for it. And then maybe her brother wouldn’t be infected.
“You and Ciaran are both going to be fine,” said Keenan, no doubt sensing her tension. “All we have to do is find an angel—it’s not like they’re rare.”
She had the feeling he was reassuring himself of that just as much as he was her. “I know. And I know we’ll both be fine.” She had to believe that. “It’s just …”
“You’re mad at yourself for not speaking up about the after effects before now.”
“Good guess.”
“You had no way of knowing that Enoch had infected you with something. None of us knew for sure until Vivian confirmed it. I highly doubt Ciaran or anyone else blames you.”
“They’d have been better prepared to deal with Enoch if I’d said—”
“No, they wouldn’t have. Not unless the people you mentioned it to were Knox or Levi, because no one else knew what those black orbs really were. Even if they had known, your lair still would have gone after Enoch.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I could happily spend the rest of my days torturing that fucker.”
“We all could.”
“I wish you’d called out to me earlier. I know why you didn’t, but I wish you had.”
“It’s not like you could have teleported to my side or anything,” she pointed out.
“A member of my Force is a teleporter. He could have taken me to you.”
And then he’d have been smack-bam in the middle of a battle during which he could have been badly hurt—that wasn’t an appealing thought. “Ever think that your sudden appearance would have been a distraction we didn’t need?” she asked as they rinsed off the soap.
He tilted his head, his eyes sharpening. “You didn’t want to drag me into a dangerous situation, did you?”
Busted. “Why does that make you smile?”
He brushed his mouth over hers. “Because it’s nice to know you care.”
“Hmm, well, let me just remind you that I didn’t call on anyone. I didn’t need to. I already had several powerful demons with me.”
“Today you did.” He turned off the shower and stepped out of the stall. “But Enoch could try to get you alone next time, and it worries the shit out of me that you’d face him and his armies alone before you’d risk the safety of people you care for. It has my gut all tied up in knots.”
“God, you worry like an old woman. I already promised Jolene that I’d call for help if anything happens. I won’t break it.”
He held open a towel in invitation, so she exited the stall and let him wrap it around her. “I’d like you to adjust the conditions of that promise.”
“Adjust the conditions?”
“Yes. I’d like you to call out to me if something happens. It would be a lot easier if I could shadow you at all times, but you’ll never go for that.”
“I don’t need a bodyguard. An attractive male to perform household chores while naked? Now that I need. Interested?”
He framed her face with his hands. “Give me this, Khloé.” She frowned as she sensed something. “It hurts you that I don’t rely on you.”
“Yeah. It’s a kick to my pride too—I won’t lie about that. I might not have a gift that can wipe Enoch off the face of the Earth, but I make pretty powerful back up. I have gifts that you don’t know of.”
Her demon hummed, intrigued. “Really? Do tell.”
“I’d rather show you.”
“But you’re not going to unless we’re fighting side by side, right?”
“If that’ll help persuade you to call on me, yes.” He sobered. “You know Enoch wouldn’t simply kill you.”
“He’d resurrect me and use me as one of his minions, I know.”
“And sic you on someone you care for. All of that plays on my mind far too fucking much.”
Her demon sniffed, confident that it didn’t need such over-protection, but it was prepared to make the concession. As he’d pointed out, he’d be powerful backup—that was never a bad thing. Khloé exhaled heavily. “If you’ll cease with the moaning, I’ll agree to call out to you if I need help.”
Relief blew through Keenan. He rested his forehead on hers. “Thank you.” He wouldn’t have functioned well without knowing she’d call on him. The only person he truly trusted to protect and defend her was him. “Will your grandmother give you any shit over it?”
“Now that we’re together, no.”
“Good.” He pressed a kiss to her temple.
“And you’ll call out to me if danger comes knocking on your door, right?”
He hesitated. That hadn’t been part of his plan at all. “Well—”
“Right?” she repeated, her tone empty of negotiation.
Shit. His demon was fine with the idea, since it considered the imp to be its equal and liked that she’d want to fight at its side. Keenan … no, he wasn’t so at ease with the idea of placing her in danger. But he’d be a damn hypocrite if he tried using that excuse. He’d also be a piece of shit to not make the same concession she had.
He sighed, conceding, “Right.” But he didn’t like it.
She gave him a pointed look. “Don’t think I won’t hold you to that.”
“I’d expect nothing less.”
“Now can we move on from the subject of Enoch, please? I’ve had enough of him for one day.”
Yeah, so had he. “I’m all for that.” But it wouldn’t be so easy to put it out of his mind. Not when his insides were all knotted up. And not when he worried that she’d suddenly declare, feeling rightfully vengeful, that she wanted to go hunting for Enoch. If the bastard hit her with another orb, he might just kill her on the spot, given she was already infected. The thought was enough to steal the breath from his lungs.
“We should have a lazy day tomorrow,” he said.
“A lazy day?”
“It’s Sunday tomorrow, so you won’t be working. We should just hang out here—eat, binge watch TV, fuck, eat some more, maybe shower, then fuck again.” Which would keep her indoors, where she’d be safer. “After all the shit that’s gone on lately, you could use a day to wind down.”
She narrowed her eyes, and he wondered if she sensed he had an ulterior motive. But then she shrugged. “I can go with that.”
“Good.” Watching a droplet of water trickle over her collarbone and settle on the swell of her breast, he felt his gut clench. Keenan scooped up the droplet with his tongue, and a flush swept up her neck and face. His demon wanted him to lick a few other choice places.
Keenan put his mouth to her ear and nipped the lobe. “Go into the bedroom, drop the towel on the floor, lay on the bed, and spread your legs for me. Wide. I want to eat your pussy before I fuck you.”
Her eyes lit up. “Hmm, I approve of this plan.”
*
The female attendant pulled a pair of bowling shoes out of a cubby and placed them on the counter. “Here you go,” she said to Harper, who smiled and thanked her.
Omens (The Dark in You Book 6) Page 16
