Demon Retribution (Shadow Quest Book 3) (10 page)

It wasn’t until his hand
came around the small of her back that she realized he no longer
held her down. But instead of putting an end to this, her palms ran
down his naked back, feeling every coiled muscle, while her mind
repeatedly murmured,
bad
idea
. Or maybe she’d been saying it out
loud because he replied in a broken, guttural voice, “Very, very
good idea. Genius idea.”

His hand left her back and made its way
along her waist, down her jean clad thigh, which was soaked through
from the rain. Her knee came over her hip, to give him better
access. He took advantage and gripped her backside. A husky groan
left him, the sound of it made her shiver.

The heat flowing off him spread through her
body, consuming any hint of cold from the damp ground and rain.

She shook her head, trying to clear it.

Thwarting her, his lips came over hers with
a barrage of small, tender kisses, then a long demanding one. She
was helpless to resist. Another deep groan rumbled out of him,
fueling the desire that raged inside her.

Bringing her other leg around his waist, she
threaded her fingers through his wet, spiky hair. Of their own
accord, her hips undulated against him, and he rewarded her with a
rough groan.

In the distance, buried behind the pounding
rain and breaking through the clouds of her mind, was a distinct
repetitive clicking.

They froze.

His gaze mirrored her terror.

A second set of clicks joined the first.

Kyra’s heart sank as three Kayadon stepped
into the clearing. Cale pulled her to stand. A low rumbling
reverberated through him and his eyes flashed, turning to liquid
lava. A pair of fangs visibly lengthened. His horns darkened, and
then shifted to a fiery red.

Demon
, her mind supplied.

Behind the fiends, like some twisted pack of
hyenas, a group of those spider creatures trotted into sight. There
were four of them this time, and looked to be the bigger brothers
of the one Cale had ripped to shreds.

“
Run,” he growled, placing
himself at her front.

“
I can’t,” she whispered,
glancing back.

“
Damn it, do as I
say!”

“
Cale, I can’t. There are
two more behind us.”

He followed her line of sight and cursed.
“I’m sorry, Kyra. I shouldn’t have let this happen. But you can
still make a run for it. I won’t let them get you. My shuttle is in
the mountains, north of Alder Lake. If you can get to it, I know my
brother will find you.” He pushed her toward the opening between
the two groups. “Now go.”

She hesitated for a second before sprinting
away, her emotions mixed. She hated to leave Cale, but this is what
she did to survive. She ran.

Two spider-things broke from the pack, going
for her. Cale raced to block them. Veering left, she distanced
herself from the sounds of growling and sharp whimpers.

To her horror, a spider creature loped next
to her, black eyes fixed. Anticipating its attack, she dodged,
slowing just enough so that it leapt in front of her. Her hands
shot out and grabbed the sides of its head, twisting as hard as she
could till a snap rang out. She resumed her sprint as it flopped to
the ground.

Another came up on her left side, and she
turned to the right as it nipped at her heels. Knowing she couldn’t
outrun it for long, she twisted into a wide kick. Her aim hit home,
and her heel bashed the side of the creature’s head. She stumbled
and then resumed her course. The creature fell, lifeless.

She reveled in her victories, feeling that
she would make it to safety, but then bony arms closed around her,
taking her by surprise. She lashed out as two Kayadon fought to
restrain her. Though she thrashed and kicked, they managed to pin
her wrists behind her back and wrap something that felt like thick
rubber around them. They did the same with her ankles, despite how
she kicked, and carried her back to the clearing like a log.

As they got closer, she craned her neck,
seeing Cale fighting off three Kayadon and a horde of creatures. He
seemed to be holding his own, though he was outnumbered.

One of the Kayadon stepped back and pulled a
gun-like weapon from within his robes.

He bellowed a harsh order that she didn’t
understand. The attackers pulled away from Cale. His eyes found
hers just before the weapon discharged.

He crumpled to the ground in obvious pain as
white hot sparks, like miniature tendrils of lightning, assaulted
him.

“
Stop it!” she
screamed.

They did, but not because of her. Cale lay
motionless. Two Kayadon positioned her to stand, gripping her upper
arms tight, but she hardly noticed. Her eyes locked on Cale.

“
A demon?” A Kayadon said,
almost amused. “I thought we eradicated your kind.”

When his shoulder stirred, she let out a
relieved breath. Her relief was short lived. Cale struggled to pull
himself off the ground, slipping in the mud.

The Kayadon growled. “You’re forcing me to
waste precious ammunition cells.”

Cale managed to make it to his knee when the
weapon took him to the ground again. The sound that came out of him
burned in her ears.

“
Cale! I’m sorry!” she
cried. “I’m so sorry.”

She couldn’t help him, just as she couldn’t
help Zoey, just as she couldn’t help her family. The guilt tore
through her in a terrible, familiar way, and for the first time in
her life she didn’t fight it. She embraced the chaos as it sliced
through each cell, cutting like barbed wire in her veins. She let
it take over, let free the consuming fire.

Nothing in existence compared to the agony
that raked though Cale’s body, paralyzing him. He needed to get up
and help Kyra, but his muscles were contorting from the continuous
electrical charge.

He heard her scream and managed to turn his
head in her direction.

Her back bowed fiercely. He feared the
Kayadon had done something to her. A strange light spread over her
skin, growing brighter by the second.

The Kayadon holding her leaned away,
exchanging looks of alarm. The weapon cut off as his attacker
turned to see what was happening, but Cale still couldn’t move. His
lungs worked hard to capture air. Kyra’s harrowing shriek forced
him to take charge of his muscles, and he pushed to his feet.

The light from Kyra turned blinding. An
explosion lifted him off his feet and hurled him back, forcing air
from his lungs.

He gasped, willing his vision to focus and
his head to stop spinning. It wasn’t until he’d sucked in five
harsh breaths that his mind registered what had happened.

A bubble of…something—energy, maybe—had
exploded outward, with Kyra at its center. Just before it had
nearly knocked him out, he’d witnessed the Kayadon disintegrating
in its wake.

He lumbered to his hands and knees. Every
muscle screamed in protest as he crawled to where Kyra lay
motionless at the center of a shallow crater. The grass around her
looked as though it had been burned. Her breathing sounded as bad
as his.

“
Kyra?”

She didn’t move.

Past the ringing in his ears, there were
voices—human —growing louder. Coming to investigate the noise, no
doubt. Or the strange light that had flared.

As gently as he could, he lifted her limp
body in his arms. He spotted a dense thicket and headed for it,
finding cover just as a small group reached the crater at his back.
Their confused mumbles were drowned out by the pounding rain that
came down as if siphoned straight from the ocean.

Certain no one was near, he set her down on
the flooded turf and patted her cheek. “Wake up.” He brushed
tendrils of her red-blonde hair away from her face.

An individual with a light entered the
clearing. Cale heard a voice announce, “I saw someone run off in
that direction.”

Picking her up again, he meandered through
the uneven terrain, staying clear of the walkways. Each muscle
burned with the aftermath of his assault, but he steeled his body
and pushed the pain to the back of his mind.

When they were close to her apartment, he
felt her jerk. He sighed in relief as her lids cracked open, her
expression pained. Her eyes were red, making him wonder if the
heavy rain was masking tears.

“
How are you? Are you
alright?”

“
I will be.” She winced.
“Did it work?”

“
If your intention was to
blow everything up within thirty feet, then yeah, mission
accomplished.”

She gave a tiny smile. “I think I can stand
on my own.”

Reluctantly, he set her feet on the ground,
but she leaned on him for support.

“
I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
she asked. “I wasn’t sure if I could control it like that. I’d
never tried before.”

“
Well, this test subject is
grateful that you could.” He looked across the too crowded street.
“We should leave this city immediately. Your little trick has
attracted some attention. Do you need anything from your
apartment?”

“
I have an emergency car
parked down the street, but the keys are up there. You’ll also need
your shirt. Sorry, it didn’t make it to the dryer.”

In response, he gave her a dubious look and
lifted his hand to let the rain drip over it.

“
Right. Doesn’t matter.”
She glanced toward the entrance guard. “You can leave me
here.”

“
Absolutely
not.”

“
Then we’ll have to go
through the front door.”

“
Unless you can fly.” He
meant it as a joke, but then looked at her, considering the
possibility.

“
If I could fly you never
would have caught me.”

“
Oh yes I would have. It
would have just taken more time.”

She let out a small laugh and then winced
again. “Are there more Kayadon near?”

“
Not at the moment, but
that doesn’t mean they aren’t on the way. Can you walk?”

“
I can, if you help
me.”

He lifted her over the wall, and she used it
to keep herself up as he vaulted over it. She fluffed her hair,
making sure her ears were covered. Cale did the same with his,
trying to make the spikes cover his horns. The rain worked against
him. He’d just have to take his chances.

With her arm around his neck, they crossed
the street. The guard recognized her and waved politely, then
turned a skeptical gaze on him, noting Cale’s lack of clothing and
the rivers of mud being washed away by the rain.

“
You okay, Miss
Okora?”

“
Oh, yes. Just too much to
drink.”

“
Would you like me to call
for assistance?” The man asked, distracted by a long gash on Cale’s
arm.

“
No, thank you,
Phil.”

Cale stifled a growl at the other male as
they passed, heading for the elevators. The doors swooshed open
with a touch of the button. They entered, and Kyra gave one last
reassuring wave to Phil, who still looked uneasy.

As soon as the elevator doors closed, Kyra
slumped against him, as if she’d been using all her strength.
Without asking, he scooped her up. She rested her head on his
shoulder and closed her eyes.

“
Does it take that much out
of you?” he asked.

“
It’s like being torn apart
from the inside out.”

At the third floor, the elevator stopped for
a waiting passenger. Cale gritted his teeth when an ancient-looking
woman gasped at the sight of them.

He realized how thrashed they both looked.
Aside from his half-dressed state, they were dripping wet and
shoeless. Kyra looked near death.

“
Heavens, what is going on
here? Are you alright, dearie?” The woman’s eyes couldn’t decide if
they wanted to look at Kyra or at his torso.

“
I’m fine, Miss Montana.
Just had a really bad night,” Kyra replied, her voice
weary.

“
Did someone attack you?”
Ms. Montana glanced at Cale’s face.

“
No, nothing like that. I
slipped in a puddle and hurt my ankle. Cale here is just helping me
get back to my apartment. Do you mind taking the next
elevator?”

“
Not at all, dearie. I hope
you feel better. I’ll have Randall bring you some soup tomorrow.”
She offered an expression filled with implication as a Cheshire
grin crawled at the edges of her lips.

“
Thanks, Miss
Montana.”

The doors slid closed.