After Dark (Between the Veils Series, Book One) (8 page)

Its head swiveled independently of its body, nearly making her sick. God, she hadn’t seen anything like this before outside of Hollywood.

The visible side of its face snarled at her. “How foolish do you think I am? I know better than to give a witch my name.”

Witch? What the hell was it talking about?

The entity laughed, a dark, evil bellow that hurt her ears. “Don’t pretend not to understand, heathen. You possess the gift of the third eye. I can feel your power from here. Why do you think I came after you? Consuming your soul will feed me more than ten of the others.” Its pale lips turned into a smug grin. “And once I finish with you, I’ll mark your mate. He has even more power than you. With his soul, my journey will be complete, and I will once again walk this plane.”

Its words rolled through her, making her take a step back. Avery had been right, about everything.

She swallowed thickly, dipping her hand into her pocket. She had no idea if her plan would work, but she needed to buy enough time to get to Avery and drag his ass out of here. She glanced at the gates on the other side of the demon, the black iron gleaming in the sunlight. If she could just get them outside…

Temperance sank her hand into the bag, closing her fist around the tiny granules. “I hate to disappoint you, but I have other plans for my soul.”

The thing laughed, edging closer, when she pulled her hand free and flung the salt at the demon’s face. A roar of pain shattered the silence as sparks crackled in the air, each tiny crystal igniting on its body. She moved, yanking the bag of salt out of her pocket as she made a thin line between her and the demon, quickly making her way toward Avery. The demon screamed and launched at her, slamming to a halt as it hit the line. Red eyes glowed beneath the rim of the hood as the flames at its hands flickered.

“Purity won’t save you, witch.” It laughed again, looking at Avery. “Or him.”

The demon vanished, reappearing beside Avery. Temperance read its intentions and dove across the floor, tossing the rest of the salt across Avery’s body. The demon growled and shimmered brighter, the flames thickening around it as flecks of salt rained down on it. The smell of brimstone floated on the air as the hiss of fire crackled in the distance.

Temperance shuffled back, trying to keep some semblance of a line between her and the demon, as the figure grew larger, raging over her like a menacing storm. A tendril of bright light flashed across the space between them, but it bounced back, crashing into the demon’s chest.

The creature roared, flicking in and out of focus as a large ragged patch glowed where the light had impacted it. It snarled, its blood-red gaze boring into hers. “That talisman might protect your soul, but it’s not enough to keep you here. Not without a firm barrier.”

Another flash blinded her, racing forward before circling her leg. A hot, searing feeling prickled along her flesh and she knew it was trying to snare her.

“You will be mine, witch. One way, or another.”

“Fuck you.” She kicked at its hold, her breath hitching when the light darkened into a black chain, the links cinching tight around her ankle.

Avery’s words from the first night echoed in her head.

If you want to live, I suggest you follow me before our demonic friend gathers enough strength to take you back to Hell with him.

The chain wasn’t to drain her energy, it was a way to bind her to him and suck her into the veil as its power diminished.

Fear pounded through her, and she grabbed at the chain, trying to pull her foot free. The demon laughed, slowly floating back toward the open pit. The length tightened, dragging her an inch across the floor. She clawed at the smooth stone, looking for any kind of seam to grasp, when a foot landed on the chain beside her ankle.

Avery staggered to his feet. “I believe the lady told you to fuck off.”

He lifted his arm, pointing something at the demon. Temperance heard the button click as Avery depressed the lever, but nothing seemed to happen until the entity screamed, shielding its face from the invisible assault.

The chain slackened, a few of the coils drooping toward the floor. Avery bent over her, twisting against the metal to free her leg. A putrid aroma lit the air, but vanished when the chain slipped off, skittering along the floor as the demon screamed in fury, disappearing in a wash of black smoke.

Avery reached for her hand, lifting her up as he grimaced in pain. She stared at him, but he waved off the obvious concern in her eyes, tugging her toward the gate.

“We have to go. All I did was buy us a bit of time. Once it regenerates, it’ll be back.”

She stumbled after him, her left foot still tingling from the demon’s link. Avery half carried her along, glancing over his shoulder when the hiss of fire sounded behind them. She didn’t look, already aware that the entity was back, angrier than ever.

She kept moving, practically falling through the gates and down the steps. Avery turned them, stopping at the bottom of the stairs. The demon hovered at the entrance, eyes glowing red, flames dancing along the marble. It tipped its head back, but before it could choose to cross over, the gates swung closed, trapping it inside.

Temperance gasped, unsure of what had just happened when a ripple of energy teased her senses. She glanced at Avery. His eyes were closed, his jaw tensed.

Realization dawned on her, and she drew a sharp breath, furrowing her brow. “Oh my god. You can move things with your mind?”

He sighed, slumping slightly in her arms. “Only sometimes, when the situation is just right. But it’s extremely taxing.”

She nodded, too dumbstruck to say anything else. She looked at the entrance again, but the demon had vanished, nothing but a thin sprinkling of ash as proof it’d ever been there. Questions tumbled in her head, but she was too tired to ask them.

“Iron.”

She shifted her gaze to him. “What?”

He pointed at the gates. “They’re made of iron. It’s pure, like the salt. That’s what acts as a barrier. Probably why silver’s a good bet, also.”

“How did you…” She shook her head. “Never mind. Because if I believe for one moment you can read my mind, I’ll never be able to look at you again.”

He smiled, though his exhaustion tempered its brilliance. “Now, darling. What’s a fantasy or two between lovers.”

“We aren’t lovers—”

“Yet. We aren’t lovers, yet.” He motioned toward the car. “I think it’s best if we leave…and quickly. No telling if that thing might find another way around the barrier. And I’m not sure we’d fare well if challenged a second time.”

Temperance nodded and tightened her arm around his waist, this time helping him stumble across the lawn. Her skin burned around her ankle but it paled in comparison to the sense of fear still rioting through her. That had definitely not gone the way they’d hoped.

Avery handed her the keys when they finally reached the car, using one arm to brace his weight as she clicked open the locks, tossing what was left of their supplies on the backseat. Dark lines set off his eyes, accentuating his fatigue as he slipped into the car, tilting his head against the seat.

Temperance revved the engine, peeling out of the lot and taking the expressway much faster than she should. But just seeing Avery this way—hurt, vulnerable—unnerved her, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to rest until they were safely back at the hotel.

Avery remained silent, his eyes closed as she picked her way along the streets, finally pulling into the hotel lot. He startled when she shook his shoulder, rousing him.

She gave him a warm smile. “We’re here. Do you think you can make it inside?”

Some of the mischief was back in his eyes when he winked at her, drawing a deep breath. “I’m not an invalid, darling. I’m just tired. Nothing some good food and some sleep won’t cure.”

He trailed his fingers along her jaw before dropping his hand and reaching for the handle. A flash of red caught her attention and she snagged his shirt, pulling his hand back. What she saw stole her breath. Deep, raw gouges crisscrossed his palm, the edges the same bloody red as her skin had been.

Guilt and anger battled inside her, pooling tears behind her eyes. “Fuck. Avery.”

He sighed. “Easy, Temperance. It’s just a flesh wound. I’ll wrap it up once we get inside.”

She cursed as a few of the tears blazed down her cheek, but she didn’t bother wiping them away, her gaze focused on him. “This isn’t a fucking flesh wound. God, it’s…” She searched for the right word, nearly slapping him when he chuckled. “It’s horrendous, and not a laughing matter!”

“I’m not laughing at you, it’s just…” He cupped her jaw with his good hand. “If someone had told me a week ago that Temperance Dunnigan would be concerned about a cut on my hand, I would have told them they were idiots.”

“And a week ago, I would have agreed.” She held his gaze. “But not anymore. Now let’s get you inside. I have a medical kit in my room. That needs to be cleaned and bandaged properly, not just have you slap a band-aid on it and call it a day.”

“Temperance. Darling—”

“Don’t.” She pressed a finger over his lips, feeling the heat of his skin sear hers. “Don’t try to make light of what you did back there. This…” She lowered her hand and drew it softly across his damaged palm, careful not to touch any of the marred skin. “This is the bravest thing anyone has ever done for me. The pain…” She swallowed the sob threatening to break free. She wouldn’t cry, not until she knew he was okay.

Avery’s warm breath coasted over her cheek as he leaned his head close, his lips brushing her neck. “The pain was nothing compared to watching that thing try to take you. I would have followed it straight to Hell, if necessary. So I consider
this
of little consequence.”

“And you thought Blake out-charmed you.” She shook her head. “Come on. I’d like to be inside before it gets dark out here.” She snorted. “Strange things happen after dark.”

They gathered their stuff and made their way inside, heading straight for Temperance’s room. She didn’t give Avery a chance to do anything other than mutter about needing to shower before shuttling him inside her room and closing the door. Though she knew he’d sent the other investigators away for the night, she didn’t want to chance anyone interrupting them.

Avery sat on the edge of her bed, his hand resting on his thigh as she gathered the supplies, placing a bowl of cool water beside him as she knelt in front, gently bathing the tattered flesh. He didn’t utter a word, just watched her work. She dabbed a cloth along the wounds, ensuring they were clean before bandaging them up.

She dropped a kiss on his wrapped palm, smiling lightly against the cloth. “Thank you.”

He used his fingers to raise her gaze to his. “I’m the one who should be thanking you. I was just regaining consciousness when you threw that damn bag of salt over me to stop that demon from marking me, instead.” He gave her a stunning smile. “You could have just used it to save yourself.”

“I couldn’t leave you behind.” She kissed his hand again, smiling wickedly at him. “Besides, you had the keys to the car.”

He laughed—the sound rich and seductive, making her stomach flutter to life as a tingling sensation built in her core. A hot sensation burned through her veins, easing moisture along her slit until she shifted her knees, desperate to feel his tongue glide along her silky lips.

Avery’s smile widened as his focus dropped to her groin. “Careful, darling. I still need to take a look at your ankle. It wouldn’t do you any good to distract me now.”

She glowered at him. “If you really can read minds, get out of mine. I’ll tell you what you need to know.”

“Like you’re terribly aroused and want nothing more than to have me bring you to climax with my mouth?”

She swatted at his leg, gaining her feet. “Impossible.”

He chuckled, pulling her down and switching places. He raised an eyebrow as he bent forward and his face came level with her groin. “Good god, darling. I can smell your need.” He sighed, reaching for her foot. “But first things first.”

He raised her leg, pulling her jeans up only to swear. “Bloody hell.”

Temperance looked down at her ankle, her jaw flexing when she saw the ring of stars around her flesh. They were deeper than the one on her hand had been, but not quite as red. Apparently the chain had left its mark behind, too.

“Maybe I can just tell folks it’s a weird tattoo?”

He scowled, dipping a cloth in the water. “Perhaps they’ll disappear once we dispose of him.” He held up his hand when she moved to speak. “Let’s not talk about how we’ll do that just yet. I think we’ve had enough demons for one day.” He lowered her leg, shaking his head. “There’s not much I can do for that other than kiss it better.” The devious smile returned. “Unfortunately, I’ll need to rid you of these bothersome clothes, first.” He shuffled closer, wedging her thighs around him. “But only if it’s what you want. After all that’s happened today…”

Temperance held her breath, searching her heart for any hint of reservation, only to feel it burn with need. He’d more than proved her initial assumptions had be misplaced, and she knew he deserved far more credit than she’d given him.

She leaned forward, brushing her lips over his, tasting the spicy essence that was pure Avery. “I still think you’re an ass.”