Awakening the Demon's Queen (12 page)

Kindara nodded. She might hate to
fly--especially in the flimsy helicopters--but it was the lesser of
the two evils. She and Jierra went toward the helicopter seconds
after Mallory and Emily, all surrounded by the male Dardaptoans. A
hand grabbed Kindara’s and pulled her a step quicker. It was the
demon. He lifted her the distance into the helicopter, passing her
to Barlaam, who waited inside. Jierra was lifted next. Then the
rest of the remaining men, Dardaptoan and Lupoiux.

They’d arrive in Dardano in just over an
hour, then she could put this strange ordeal behind her and get
back to the goals that consumed her.

And have Barlaam do a thorough examination to
determine if what the demon had said was real. Her hand dropped to
cover her stomach as she worried that it was. Weren’t demons
potently fertile? What was she to do with a half-demon babe? If it
were male, he would be mostly demon just like it’s father. His
father. And if it was a girl, she would be Dardaptoan like her.
Like Jierra. A rush of warmth hit her as she looked at the daughter
she’d raised from only four weeks old. She’d been a beautiful babe
and a beautiful child. So sweet and kind, a joy to all around her.
If there was a demon spawn, it would be ok if it was a girl. And
even if it was a boy, she would find a way to manage somehow.

But she doubted she’d ever be able to forgive
the demon for the way he continued to take choices away from
her.

****

Rathan would have preferred to flash to the
Dardaptoan stronghold of Dardano. But that would mean leaving his
female and her daughter in the belly of that dangerous vehicle. He
would not do that. He settled into the seat to the left of Kindara,
eyes on the males riding with them.

He would have none threaten his plans, and
that included her brother and king. The king held tiny Emily close
and Rathan remembered she too had an intense fear of flying.
Probably due to the loss of her mother in a small engine crash when
the girl was in her early teens. Mallory’s mate held the traitor
Jambu with one foot on the boy’s neck. Jambu lay quietly in the
center aisle of the helicopter, seemingly resigned to his fate.
Mallory sat next to her giant and beside young Jade--who kept
darting furtive glances to the Dardaptoan called Barlaam. What was
all that about?

Jade’s father sat with Rand near the back of
the helicopter, heads close in deep discussion. Rand’s little mate
sat beside her mother, quiet and subdued. Poor little creature--her
life had changed so dramatically in the last three days only to be
capped off with an apparent friend paying people to kill her--or
her mother. Rathan leaned toward her mother. “Pet, how is your
daughter managing? Is she well?”

Kindara sighed, turned her head to look at
her daughter. Her hand dropped away from her stomach and she placed
it on her daughter’s knee for reassurance. “She’s had her spirit
shaken. Jambu was her friend, a close one. Plus everything that’s
happened...I’ve sheltered her, demon. Wanted to keep as much of the
world’s ugliness away from her. And now this...”

“
Once again, I am sorry for
my part in your—and her—suffering. I hope you can forgive
me.”

“
Somehow I doubt I ever
will.”

Chapter
Thirteen

The helicopters were met by a host of
Dardaptoans, including young Josey and Mickey. Even Josey’s dog—a
little Border collie named Freedom—sat waiting for the helicopters
to empty their contents.

Rathan lifted his female down from the bowels
of the vehicle, then watched as she approached Josey, giving her a
quick inspection. Josey smiled her sweet, shy smile and said
something with her hands that Mickey quickly translated. Kindara
stepped back after giving a nod. Then Kindara motioned to the group
debarking behind her. “And Josey, there are some people who’ve been
anxious to see you for themselves.”

Jason looked up at that moment and saw his
oldest daughter. His youngest let out a squeal and bounded the
fifty feet separating her from her sister. Even the dog barked a
happy greeting. Jason rushed to his daughter and scooped her close
then pulled Jade into a three way hug; the obvious love he felt for
his children clear for all to see. Rathan could only hope he felt
the same for his own spawn. Rand hugged his own younger sister
before setting her aside.

Rathan took a moment to study the place his
female called home. It was a large, grand structure and he knew it
masqueraded as a luxury hotel. In truth, it housed all the
Dardaptoan governmental offices and most of the members of the
royal houses.

As far as Rathan could remember, each
Dardaptoan tribe had close to ten royal families, headed by one
family, one king. All Dardaptoan families were denoted by the color
of the sashes the individual members wore. A Dardaptoan wearing
white was royalty, within the House they represented.

Josey wore the green that Rathan remembered
Kindara and her daughter wearing. Mickey wore a sash the color of
the richest red wine, her sister Mallory the color of turquoise. It
was easy to pick out Mickey’s Rajni; he wore the same wine sash,
and stood close to her. She reached for him as her brother spoke to
her, weaving her fingers through the Dardaptoan male’s. It told
Rathan volumes, to see the normally reserved Mickey touching a
male.

The king spoke, gave some instructions before
leading the group into the building. The interior was as luxurious
as Rathan expected and decorated in whites and oranges of King
Rydere’s House; it was equally as opulent as his own palace beneath
the earth’s surface. He was hit by an unexpected wave of
homesickness that he ruthlessly pushed aside. He would be in his
palace soon enough, but with his female by his side. Securing her
and his spawn was more important than any momentary emotional
lapses on Rathan’s part.

Just inside what Rathan suspected was
considered the hotel’s lobby the Dardaptoan king stopped and faced
the rest of the party. He bowed slightly. “For those of you who are
related to my Rajni, we will have rooms arranged for you on the
family floor—for the rest of your men, Taniss, I suggest rooms on
the second. They are your rooms for as long as you visit—and it is
an open-ended invitation.”

His Rajni stepped to his side, drawing
attention her way. Now she seemed comfortable with the attention,
whereas before Rathan knew--from brushing her mind in
dreams—attention had made her extremely nervous. But she’d always
managed to do what her family required of her as heir. He strongly
suspected the Dardaptoan king would make her happy and that pleased
him greatly. Emily nodded to two female servants dressed in pale
yellow tunics that had hovered unobtrusively at the group’s edge
since they’d entered. “We’re arranging a celebratory dinner to be
served at seven, Uncle Jason. Rand. We’ll send someone to bring you
to the family dining room a few minutes before. Until then, while
we wait for your rooms to be readied, maybe you’d like a tour?
Kindara, Josey, Barlaam, and I have some things to discuss so we
can’t join you—but Mickey and Mal can. They can answer any of your
questions, I think. If not, Aodhan’s sister may be able to.” She
motioned to the tall woman who’d met them just inside the lobby.
She was a pretty woman with the same chestnut hair as her brother.
She looked so much sturdier than Rathan’s female. He frowned again.
Would he ever shake this all-consuming worry? “Aureliana?”

“
Of course.”

Rathan didn’t want to be parted from his
mate, but what option did he have? He would cooperate with these
Dardaptoans until he had the time to confront her privately.

****

Barlaam stared at her, and Kindara could see
the answer in his eyes. She dropped her chin to rest on her chest
before she spoke. “It’s true, isn’t it?”

“
Yes.” Barlaam wrapped
strong hands around her upper arms and pulled her closer. Kindara
dropped her head to his broad chest, hugging him tightly. This was
her best friend, her partner in the quest to find cures for their
people. Nobody understood her like her fellow healer. “Kinney, did
he...force you? Use some demon chemical or hormone against
you?”

“
Was it willing, you
mean?”

“
Was it? He’s a damned
incubus, after all.”

“
At the time, it was
willing. I can’t even say that it wasn’t; he got what he wanted and
I got what I demanded. Goddesses, Barlaam, what am I supposed to
do? How the hell am I supposed to tell Cormac or Jierra about
this?” She worried the problem for a moment before another occurred
to her. “Is...is the babe ok? I mean, I’ve never heard of a
Dardaptoan and demon babe before.”

“
The babe will be strong and
healthy because it’s father is demon. It’s your wellbeing that will
be the most precarious, Kinney. You know that.” Barlaam frowned.
“You might need more than just bagged blood from here on out. And
you’ll need to rest more than what you do. You’ll need some
supplements, as well.”

“
He gave me his blood.”
Kindara resisted the urge to lick her lips as she remembered how
the damned demon had tasted. “Will demon blood effect anything?
Negative or positive?”

“
I’ve never studied demon
blood, Kinney. I just don’t know. If I had some to test, compare
with ours, I’d maybe be able to answer that.”

“
Oh, you’ll get plenty of
demon blood, because I’m going to go drain him dry. Right
now.”

Chapter
Fourteen

He would much rather be with his woman than
touring the hotel. But she had needed the time from him, he had had
no difficulty understanding or seeing that. He’d give her that
time, for when she realized that he was in the right of it, she
would have little time away from him. A proper demon woman would
know that her place was beside her demon’s side, especially while
carrying his spawn.

He must keep her safe.

“
Where does Kindara sleep?”
His question was bold and it earned him surprised looks from all
but Rand and Jason. They knew him well enough to know that if he
didn’t receive a satisfactory answer he would simply find her rooms
himself. Nothing would keep him from her side.

“
I doubt that she would want
me sharing that information with you.” Aureliana, their redheaded
host, eyed Rathan with a considering glint in yellow eyes. One
feminine hand rested lightly on the hilt of a sword as she looked
at him. This was a woman warrior, but it mattered little to Rathan.
Kindara was his; they could not keep him from her. “She’s extremely
private, and I’ve made it one of my jobs to preserve that
privacy.”

“
I will find her myself,
then. Thank you for your time.” He nodded politely to her, and
smiled at Mal and the rest of the Taniss women who had accompanied
their group. He flashed, his woman in him mind as his ultimate
destination.

****

She took the back way, past the indoor pool
where Jierra and Jambu used to spend so much of their time while in
high school. Jambu’s treachery would still have to be dealt with,
but Kindara felt the medical needs and research of her people must
ultimately come first.

How was she to reconcile a babe’s needs with
her peoples? Could she do it? When Ji was young, Kindara was
focused on her exclusively. Had needed to be to heal from her loss.
But now the stakes for the Dardaptoan race was so much larger.
Would it be fair—could she be fair to a babe in the midst of trying
to save her people?

Damn him. And damn herself for not even
considering...

Had she ever heard of a half demon half
Dardaptoan babe before? They weren’t even of the same worlds,
demons and Dardaptoans. Demons lived in what she understood to be a
completely other realm created by gods far different than the ones
who’d created her peoples, the Kinds of her worlds. Yes, humans
inhabited her world, but they came after. Were transplanted after
the waters of Eiophon came down. Humans attributed the flood to
their Noah, but Kindara knew it was the god who’d created the
Lupoiux wreaking havoc with their world. Demons followed the humans
to this world occasionally—so Cormac had said—usually for nefarious
reasons. No Dardaptoan and demon had cross mated, that Kindara had
ever heard.

Lucky her to be the first.

A pop behind her had her spinning to face the
bastard who’d ruined her careful plans. “You!”

He grinned, sending his eyes flashing flame.
Kindara could actually smell the heat of him. “Me. I’ve come for
you, pet.”

“
To do what? Ruin another
plan I’ve made?”

“
To determine what it is we
are to do. For you, for our spawn. Rathan the Second will be a
great leader someday.”

It took every ounce of her
willpower to refrain from
thunking
him on his thick head. “Iustis will be a great
healer. If it’s a boy. If it’s a girl, I don’t know what I will
call her.”

“
Of course it will not
be
female
. First
born Malickus spawn are always male. We will have daughters later.
At least one daughter would be nice. If you can safely carry more
spawn.” He stepped closer, sending her retreating. She stopped only
when she felt the cold of the wall behind her. He loomed in front
of her, his silk-clad chest brushing her bare arms where she’d
crossed them in front of herself. “We have all the time in the
world to discuss it. Come, I think you’ve been on your feet long
enough for today, don’t you?”

“
I am not going anywhere
with you.”

“
What if I simply took you
again? I vowed to get you home safely. I’ve done that. Nothing says
I cannot take you again.” His words slipped against the skin of her
neck and Kindara fought not to react. She had admitted to herself
earlier that she did find him attractive. Almost as much as she had
Iavius. “And again, and again. As many times each night and day as
you want me to.”