Wicked Bite

by Jeaniene Frost

  Ian’s instant, sensual grin said, Yes, you are.

  Then he tossed two velvet bags at Ashael. The demon tested their weight before putting them in his pocket with an appreciative grunt. “Whatever else you are, you’re not cheap. This is enough to buy you an uninterrupted hour of my time.”

  “Not here,” Ian said, with a languid glance around. “Hospitality seems to have waned.”

  I came toward Ian. A single glance from Ashael had the demons parting to clear a path for me. He must be formidable indeed to garner such instant obedience without even speaking.

  “I’m coming with you,” I said, my tone daring Ian to argue.

  He only curled an arm around me while reaching out to Ashael with his other hand. “Shall we?”

  “We shall,” Ashael said, taking Ian’s hand and lightly placing his other one on my back.

  As soon as he did, everything blurred. If I didn’t throw up from all this teleporting, I’d be amazed. Moments later, I blinked as bright sunshine met my eyes.

  We were now on a balcony overlooking a densely packed city. I had no idea which city until I saw the snow-coated peak of a tall, very distinctive mountain in the distance. Wait . . . that couldn’t be. But the curved roofs culminating in unique points on many of the buildings in the city confirmed it.

  “Mount Fuji,” I murmured in astonishment. Ashael had teleported us all the way from Pennsylvania to Japan in seconds.

  The balcony had a shoji that was ajar. I pushed the paper-and-wood door aside to reveal a traditional Japanese tea room with a low ceiling, no furniture, and only an alcove with a calligraphy scroll for decoration. Ashael sat on the floor where the sun’s rays couldn’t reach him.

  “Come,” he said. “Join me.”

  I could think of a thousand reasons why a tea party with a demon wasn’t a good idea, but I removed my shoes, nudging Ian to do the same. Another shoji opened and a lovely Asian woman with long black hair came forward with slippers. “Thank you,” Ian said in Japanese. After we put the slippers on, we sat on the floor near Ashael.

  “Safe to speak freely?” Ian asked, switching to English.

  Ashael smiled at the woman, who set a platter with steaming teacups in front of him. That also broke from the formal tea ritual, but maybe Ashael wasn’t a formal guy. “Yes. Mao and her family have been loyal to me for seven generations.”

  “Good enough,” Ian said. “I need passage to Yonah’s house.”

  Ashael’s teacup had been halfway to his mouth. At that, he set it down and stared at Ian until my other nature lunged against her bars hard enough to darken my vision. She knew a death threat when she saw one.

  Ian laced his fingers in mine. The simple gesture grounded me. Stay down, I ordered my other half. I’ve got this.

  When my vision cleared, I saw Ashael smile thinly at our clasped hands. “You were wise to bring her with you. Otherwise, you’d already be dead for saying that name to me.”

  “I know you have to disown Yonah,” Ian replied coolly. “Can’t have it getting out that you’re still friendly with the most wanted bloke in the demon world, can you?”

  “Careful,” Ashael replied in that dangerously smooth voice. “You’ve already used up almost all the goodwill you purchased.”

  Ian leaned forward. “You might not trust me, but you see what she is, so you know you can trust her. If she betrayed you over Yonah, you’d betray her to other vampires.” A humorless smile edged Ian’s mouth. “Just like the nuclear deterrent, no one fancies mutually assured destruction.”

  Ashael let out a short laugh. “I see you are no less bold for someone who has supposedly settled down.”

  “I’m married, not settled down,” Ian countered, raising my hand to kiss it. “Never had someone take me higher, in fact.”

  My eyes began to sting. Ian might not remember what we’d had together, but when he said things like that . . . it felt the same. And despite knowing better, I’d missed that feeling so much, I wanted to dive into it until I drowned.

  That’s why I continued to study the teacup Mao placed before me. Ashael didn’t need to see what I felt for Ian in my eyes. With luck, the demon would take my lowered gaze as shyness.

  “Even if I did know how to contact Yonah,” Ashael said after a long pause, “why would I risk doing so for you?”

  I glanced up in time to see Ian’s smile. “Because you hate Dagon, yet you can’t kill him. Demons get right nasty when one of you murders your own, and Dagon’s too powerful for you to send a regular vampire or ghoul after him. But she and I can kill him. More angry demons aren’t going to frighten us; we’ve already got a bounty on our heads. Best of all, our only price is a meeting with Yonah.”

  Now, I met Ashael’s gaze so he could see the cold purpose in mine. “We’ll put Dagon in the ground, I promise you.”

  A thin smile stretched Ashael’s mouth. “I believe you . . . Ariel.”

  Shock exploded in me. Only two people had known that Ariel was my real name: Tenoch, my long-dead sire, and pre-memory-loss Ian. Now, that number had just jumped to three.

  Chapter 17

  It took all my control to keep my features frozen in their bland mask. “What a good guess. You’d be a hit at a carnival. Care to try for my height and weight next?”

  Ashael laughed, reminding me that few things unsettled me as much as a demon finding me amusing. Unbidden, memories strafed my mind. Blood coating my skin. My voice gone from screaming. Something wet and heavy spilling from my gutted midsection before coiling like scarlet snakes beside me . . .

  I blinked, banishing the memory of that torture and murder before hundreds more came to replace it. Dagon had used my ability to resurrect as the foundation for his own worship, claiming he’d been the one to raise me from the dead. For the first two decades of my life, I’d believed him. He’d murdered me over and over to gain power for himself, and I’d worshipped him for it.

  Out of all the cruelties Dagon had inflicted on me, that was the most unforgivable.

  “I don’t know your height or weight because this image of a slip of a girl with blue eyes and yellow hair isn’t the real you.” Ashael all but purred at me.

  I dropped my glamour. That was the least of my secrets now. My long silver-blue-and-gold hair streamed down my back as my body filled out until it strained the jeans I wore. My sweater had been bulky to help ward off the cold temperatures, so that still fit comfortably, at least.

  Ashael’s gaze raked me with a thoroughness that made Ian’s scent sharpen with anger. Good, I thought crossly. I still wasn’t over the stunt he’d pulled with the waitress yet.

  “Stunning,” the demon drew out.

  “Impatient,” I countered. “Do we have a deal or not?”

  Ashael waved away Mao, then waited until she closed the screened door behind her before he spoke. Guess his trust of her had its limits. “Meet my terms, and we might,” Ashael replied.

  “Greed is natural for demons, but do try to restrain yourself,” Ian said mildly. “Dagon’s death is all you’ll get.”

  Ashael shrugged. “You’re going to kill Dagon anyway, so that’s no incentive for me. But there is an ancient relic I’m interested in. Fetch it for me, and we have a deal.”

  Ian eyed him with all the wariness I felt. “Prove to me you can deliver us to Yonah first.”

  Ashael dumped the contents of his teacup onto the platter. Then he used his fingernail to slice open his wrist. When the cup was full of his blood, Ashael closed his eyes. He didn’t speak, nor did his hands move, but magic flowed out until it made my skin crawl. When it crested, Ashael opened his eyes.

  His blood rose from the cup, stretching to form the head of a middle-aged bald man with a Roman nose and deep-set eyes. When that head turned to see all three of us and his expression showed surprise, I realized the creation wasn’t merely a magic-infused molding. This was a blood-coated conference call.

  “Yonah,” Ashael said to the head in Aramaic when he turned back to him. “I mig
ht be sending two sojourners to you.”

  Yonah looked back at Ian and me. “Are these the sojourners?”

  Ashael flashed a cold grin our way. “If they meet my test.”

  Ian moved until he was facing the head. “If this is the true Yonah,” he said, also in Aramaic, “tell me the name of the red-haired demon-branded bloke who met you a few years ago inquiring about refuge.”

  “Nathanial,” Yonah replied at once.

  Ian nodded as if satisfied. “Tell me about this relic,” he said to Ashael.

  The blood-formed head turned back into liquid that splashed down onto the platter. It reminded me that I was hungry, not that I’d feed from demon blood. Aside from my repugnance for their species, demon blood was also a vampire inebriant.

  “It’s an ancient horn,” Ashael replied. “Guarded, of course, though the guards are vampires, so it should be easy for you to get past them. That’s why you’re going alone, Ian.”

  “Like hell he is,” I said at once.

  Ashael sighed. “Ariel—”

  “Veritas.” My voice was sharp. “I don’t know how you heard that other name, but I don’t answer to it.”

  Ashael inclined his head. “Veritas, then. You might not like this condition, but it’s nonnegotiable. Besides, with the added benefit of Dagon’s power, Ian should have little trouble overcoming half a dozen or so vampire guards.”

  Ian’s expression didn’t change, but he was still holding my hand, so I felt his temperature rise a notch. “See that, do you?” he asked in a careless tone. “Didn’t know your powers included spotting evidence of a demon brand.”

  Ashael smiled. “You’re not branded by Dagon anymore. Somehow, you have his power another way.”

  Ian’s temperature spiked again; something that wouldn’t be possible for a normal vampire, but Ashael had just confirmed he knew Ian wasn’t normal. More significant, Ashael confirmed that a demon’s power signature was as unique as we’d hoped. Now we really needed Yonah to do that tracking spell.

  “Why do you want Veritas to stay here?” Ian asked, as if nothing of importance had occurred.

  Ashael’s smiled vanished. “I don’t trust you. Yes, what I know about Veritas means she has every reason not to betray me, but I can see you keeping the horn and selling Yonah’s location to the highest bidder while leaving her to pay the price.”

  I let out a contemptuous laugh even as Ian bit out, “That won’t happen.”

  “Prove it,” Ashael stated. “Steal a priceless artifact and give it to me instead of keeping it for yourself. Then I’ll know you value her more than your infamous tendency to add yet another treasure to your vast collection of rarities.”

  “Done,” Ian replied, letting go of my hand.

  I muttered a curse in Sumerian, then picked up Ashael’s cup and drained the demon’s remaining blood from it.

  Ian gave me an amazed look. “What are you doing?”

  “Getting drunk,” I replied tartly. “I can’t take more of your eagerness to get killed while sober.”

  He snorted. “A few vampire guards will hardly kill me—”

  “If this was this easy, Ashael would’ve done it himself,” I interrupted. Damn demon’s blood should have hit me with the potency of a bottle of tequila. Instead, it only felt like a few shots. “He’s lying about the danger and you know it.”

  “Of course he is,” Ian said in an exasperated tone. “But I can still handle it.”

  He probably could. I was the one who couldn’t take this, and I didn’t know how to make my constant, irrational fear stop. I hated being this out of control when it came to Ian! If I could rip my feelings out and murder them, I would.

  “Is this the part where you’re telling me to stay back only because you want me to follow you?” I asked in a harsh tone. Better to be angry at him than feel the borderline-panic coursing through me.

  “If I’d told you Ashael needed to know what you were before he’d grant us passage to Yonah, you would have shown him whether you wished to or not,” Ian replied, not flinching from my anger. “By telling you that Ashael would spot your nature on sight while also telling you not to come, I made it your choice to reveal yourself to him. Not mine.”

  My emotions ripped right down the middle, making me want to slap Ian, then kiss him until neither of us could think. He’d shamelessly manipulated me, but he’d done it to protect me. How could I, of all people, fail to understand that?

  “She’s a real bitch,” I muttered.

  Ian gave me a wary look. “Who?”

  “Karma. Has to be a woman. Nothing else is that vicious, patient, or effective.”

  A smile tugged Ian’s mouth. “How drunk are you, luv?”

  “Not nearly drunk enough,” I said grimly. “But if you’re doing this alone, I need to give you something. In private.”

  Ashael rose. “I’ll give you both a moment—”

  “Not that kind of privacy,” I interrupted, not looking away from Ian. “Take me where no one can see or overhear us.”

  Ian pulled me into his arms, saying, “Be back shortly. Don’t go anywhere,” to Ashael.

  Then he teleported us out of there.

  Chapter 18

  I’d seen Mount Fuji many times, but I’d never been to its summit. The snow was up to my knees, clouds turned the horizon into an endless expanse of white, and the cold slammed into me like a train smashing into someone tied to its tracks. Still, this more than met my requirements. No one was near us.

  Ian turned his back to the freezing wind while tightening his arms around me so his body took the brunt of it. I leaned into him, feeling his chin rest on top of my head. I expected him to ask why I’d had him bring us out here, but he didn’t. He only held me until tears stung my eyes, which I couldn’t blame on the icy wind because he blocked most of it.

  There were many reasons why I shouldn’t feel the way I did about him. It was too soon, I was too old for him, the timing couldn’t be worse, he’d lost over half his memory, I’d lost my immortality, Dagon was determined to kill both of us . . . and it all washed away when he bent and his lips covered mine.

  I no longer felt the cold or the wind or the snow. All I felt was how tightly he held me, how his power sparked against my skin, and how he kissed me with delicate savageness, as if he sensed my turmoil and sought to turn it into raw need instead.

  He would have succeeded. Our icy surroundings wouldn’t have stopped me. My prior resolution to keep him at emotional arm’s length wouldn’t, either—I’d already failed at that. But there was one thing stronger than even my desire for him.

  “Stop,” I murmured, ducking my face away. “I told you, I have something important to show you.”

  The wind snatched away his groan. “What, my sad death from a terminal case of blue balls?”

  I stifled my snort. “Being celibate won’t kill you, but I don’t trust Ashael not to send you into a trap. Yes, you can handle yourself, but I’m incurably paranoid, so humor me. Plus, a new memory could drop you at the wrong moment.”

  He shrugged. “Have your ghost friend tail me, then, if it’ll make you fret less. For all I know, she’s here now.”

  “Leah?” I called out, sighing when there was no response. “She probably couldn’t keep up with Ashael teleporting us. Something about demons throws off ghosts, but that’s off topic. If this relic retrieval is a trap, I, ah, wanted to show you how you can summon me.”

  He stared at me until more than the cold and bracing wind made me squirm. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

  I shrugged as if I wasn’t revealing my most dangerous secret. “Whatever my other nature is, it can be summoned the same way demons can. Good thing the ritual isn’t as complex and dangerous as summoning my father. That’s deadly, but to summon me, you just need my blood, my true name, and these symbols.”

  So saying, I pierced the tip of my finger with a fang, then drew the symbols across Ian’s palm with my blood. The cold froze them into place
and Ian’s gaze drank in every curve of the symbols. When I was done, I shifted self-consciously.

  “You can take a picture with your mobile, if you want.”

  “No need.” His voice was thick. “I’ve memorized them.”

  Now, we both knew I couldn’t run from him again. If he summoned me, I’d be pulled to his side no matter where in the world I was. But I hadn’t been able to run before anyway. Not for long. What drew me to him was stronger than any ritual.

  I wasn’t ready to say that out loud, so I dragged my palm across a fang, then surrounded the falling blood with ice and shaped it into a small cylinder that I covered with magic. Now, the blood-filled ice cylinder would take weeks to melt instead of minutes. I handed it to Ian, still not meeting his eyes.

  “Keep this with you.”

  He bent me backward with the force of his kiss. When I was burning on the inside despite the brutal cold, he released me.

  “After I get back with that relic,” he said in a tight voice. “You will be in my bed.”

  I hadn’t been able to look at him before. Now, I couldn’t look away. “Why? We never used a bed before.”

  The sound he made was too rough to be a groan. “Then it’s high time that we broke one.”

  Chapter 19

  Ian borrowed weapons from Ashael when we returned. As he picked his deadly choices, Ashael told Ian that the horn was located inside an underwater structure off Japan’s westernmost island of Yonaguni. Since that was beyond Ian’s teleporting skills from our current location, Ashael teleported us to a condo in Taipei, putting Ian in range of the ruins.

  As soon as we were there, Ian gave me a quick, hard kiss, then teleported away without another word. I was usually the one who led the charges, so I’d always assumed staying behind was the easy part. Wrong. I felt each tick of the clock as if it were an enemy’s blade slicing into my most vulnerable parts.