Demon Retribution (Shadow Quest Book 3) (39 page)

Brief glimpses of the palace through the
dense forest indicated they were quite a ways away. A valley
separated them from it. But, according to Ethan, that was not where
they were headed.

“What is that place?” Cale asked when he
caught her staring.

“That’s where I grew up,” she said, trying
not to sound forlorn. She assumed she failed because he placed a
hand on her shoulder for comfort. She gave him a grateful smile,
and they continued walking.

Her mood lifted later, when they came across
a cluster of jumping lasmin. The demons went tense as the tiny
creatures bounced wildly around them. Cale positioned himself at
her front, ready to defend.

“They’re harmless,” she quickly assured.

Round and soft, like a ball of cotton, their
extremities would jut out just as they were about to come in
contact with a hard surface, then spring off and tuck themselves
into a ball as they flew through the air. They made little to no
noise.

As the lasmin moved on, so did they.

After a few more minutes of hiking, she
noticed Cale was not being his usual self. He was quiet and
reserved, yet paid attention to every move she made, as well as
their surroundings. She didn’t know what to make of it.

“You don’t have to be so protective,” she
finally told him. “There are very few native creatures who pose a
threat. Some of the plant life can be more deadly than anything
that moves.”

At that, he started to take note of every
leaf and twig.

The path then turned rockier and slick with
moss. No one spoke as they all concentrated on keeping their
footing. Kyra was an expert hiker, so she had no difficulty now.
Nadua seemed to be doing fine as well. It was Anya who gave her
cause for worry. Her younger sister slipped often. She remembered
that Anya spent the majority of her life on ships with flat
surfaces and elevators. Eventually, Sebastian pulled her onto his
back.

When they stopped to rest, Kyra felt giddy,
immersing herself in every aspect of Evlon. The oringa trees were
exactly as she recalled: obscenely oversized and equally lovely.
Stones that littered the ground sparkled with an almost reflective
quality, every one unique in color. The air was like nothing she
could describe. Each breath was an experience.

She stole a moment to herself, sneaking her
way to a small clearing that overlooked the valley. She should have
known Cale would follow, but it didn’t bother her.

“Do you see that hill there?” she said
without looking at him. It was one of the tallest hills in the
vicinity, packed with rocks and painted the colors of life.

Cale grunted in affirmation.

“On the other side of it, there used to be a
set of stairs. Never-ending stairs,” she said, “to a child at
least. My mother took me up them once. At the top, there is a
shrine dedicated to the seven sisters of wisdom…or there was.
Perhaps it’s still there.” She squinted at where she thought this
shrine might be, but foliage blocked her view. “It sat at the
center of a beautifully groomed garden. Quite a sight to see.”

She realized she was babbling, but Cale
seemed content to listen, so she continued. “We sat there for some
time, saying nothing. Eventually, I asked my mother what we were
doing, and she said she was praying for pure understanding, reason,
and knowledge. She said wisdom was a gift that could never be
mastered but must always be practiced.” Kyra paused as a wave of
emotion smashed down on her. “Her words moved me, and I prayed as
well. That night the seven sisters sent me a message that I’ve
never forgotten.”

“And what is that?” Cale asked.

She plucked a leaf from a small nearby plant
and placed it in his palm. “This is no longer attached to that
plant, but it would be wrong to say it is not still connected.”

Cale examined the leaf dubiously.

“And everything seen or unseen holds the
same truth.”

“Alright.”

“I guess it’s not easy to explain.”

“No, I get it. We’re one with the universe,”
he said drolly.

She pursed her lips, but the corners curled
in a half grin.

“Where is this coming from?”

She shrugged. “Well, it’s like you and
me…all of us. We’re all connected in so many ways. So many things
have had to fall into place for us to get here.” She paused, not
sure where she was going with this. “I guess I’m just hoping it
wasn’t all for nothing.”

“That’s impossible.”

She cocked her head. “How so?”

“The fact that so much has fallen into place
tells me we’re on the right path.”

She forced a thin smile. “There were a few
close calls, though, weren’t there?”

“Aye, a few.”

“And it seems like there is still so much to
do.”

“Nah. Getting here was the worst of it.”

“I fear you’re wrong about that. And I still
don’t know the extent of my gift. Not like my sisters.”

“I will help you. We were doing well on
Earth, were we not? As soon as we get back, we can resume your
practice.”

“What did I accomplish back on Earth,
really? The stump still lives.”

When Cale didn’t respond, she looked at him.
His strong jaw was set in a tight line, but his expression was full
of emotion. He closed the distance till only an inch separated
them. She swallowed, suddenly nervous, but held his gaze.

In a grave voice, he said, “I will not let
you fail.”

Her throat went tight, and she had to look
away. “Promise?”

“I swear it. Even if I cannot win back your
affections, I will never forsake you.”

Her breath left her. Did he
really not know that he’d never
lost
her affections? They were merely
restrained by a thread of stubborn willfulness and the fear that he
didn’t truly want her. But as she met gaze again and saw passion
build behind his cobalt irises, the thread snapped.

The scent of her arousal called to him,
muddling his mind. Danger lingered near, he told himself. He could
not allow himself to be distracted by the burning lust firing in
his veins. But when her eyes flashed gold, like liquid honey, it
shattered the last of his control.

Their lips came together with bruising
force. His arm clasped around her waist, caging her against him. As
her hands came around his neck, she darted her tongue out to taste
him. It was enough to drive him mad and siphon the last of his
restraint, ready to take her here, now, among the dirt and rocks.
He gripped the thin fabric of her shirt, ready to tear it off her,
but a touch of reason pricked his brain. She would have nothing to
replace it. Others might see her.

See what is
mine
.

He moved his palm to claim her breast,
feeling her through the material. A needy moan from deep in her
throat nearly undid him.

She licked across his lips in an almost
desperate way, and then their tongues danced, fighting for
dominance. Her nails scraped through his hair, the way she did when
she was nearing the edge of her own mindlessness, and his shaft
took note, hardening in anticipation.

He pulled back, panting, “We cannot do this
now.”

She too breathed heavily. “You’re right. I’m
sorry.”

“Don’t be. If we had the time I would have
you bent over the nearest rock,”—he put his lips to her ear—“for
hours.”

The shudder that ran through her was more
than gratifying. At the first opportunity, that was just what he
would do.

She pulled away, and he had to force himself
to let her go. Once more composed, they returned to the group.
Sebastian gave him a look that said he was aware of what had
transpired. His brother only wanted him to use Kyra as a source of
strength. He imagined Sebastian disapproved of his persistence in
pursuing Kyra for more.

Cale wasn’t sure if he should reveal his new
belief that Kyra was his true mate…should have been, he mentally
corrected. Sebastian already pitied him—they all did. If they knew
how truly hopeless the situation was, he’d never get another look
that wasn’t tainted by sympathy.

As expected, acid crawled through his veins,
the consequence of a simple kiss. But he loved the pain now. Now
that he knew what it meant. It was a reminder that she could have
been his—as well as a punishment that he had been so thoroughly
duped as to have lost the power to make it so…forever.

Kyra’s heart still raced as they resumed
their trek. How was it that Cale’s presence could so easily
overwhelm her? Her body still screamed for his touch, thrumming
with excruciating desire.

She was grateful that he’d put on the
brakes, even though it proved she’d been much more affected by the
moment—lost even—than he. But she could hardly muster up the proper
amount of outrage over that, too preoccupied with how rigid his
shaft had been. Still was. As they walked, he continually adjusted
himself, giving her a perturbed expression. The feminine part of
her mind grinned with sexual triumph. And yet another, friskier,
part was unable to stop from teasing him. A touch here, a look
there. She knew her outfit was enticing and used it to her
advantage at every opportunity. With the uneven terrain,
opportunity was plentiful.

In a tone as rough as the stones around
them, he grated, “You are asking for it,” just as she was bent in a
suggestive angle, climbing a rocky slope.

Through a Cheshire smile, she replied
innocently, “What am I asking for?”

When they reached the top, he spun her. His
strong palm clamped on her backside, fingers biting into flesh and
forcing her onto tiptoes. She had to grip his shoulders for
balance. He didn’t say anything, but his expression became fierce,
eyes bright with amusement. He liked her teasing.

Duly noted.

“You intentionally test my self-control.”
His deep timbre rolled over her like a caress.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m
merely hiking.”

“Your way of hiking is wicked,” he breathed,
leaning down to take her lips.

From far ahead in the trail, Sebastian
warned, “Calic!”

Cale hissed out a growl and proclaimed, “You
will stop distracting me, vixen.”

Fat
chance
.

Three more times Sebastian had to scold
them. However, she got the impression that the others were slightly
tickled by their antics.

It wasn’t long before they came to a large
flat-bottomed, oval crater, half the size of a football field. The
site looked old and overgrown, shaded from the sky by long reaching
branches of the oringa trees. From the cliff-side, tangled roots
reached out and down toward the base. Exposed rock peeked from
under vines that blanketed almost everything.

Ethan stopped at the edge, craning his neck
in all directions. “This is the landmark indicated on the map. Some
of our people should be nearby.”

Almost instantly, an odd chill came over
them. Kyra got the eerie feeling they were being watched. Anya
glanced around curiously, and the others closed in, as if sensing
it as well.

A light breeze fluttered through the high
leaves, creating a soft rustling noise. Along with it came a low
harmonious musical tone, almost like a flute. Around them, the
woods went quiet, as if all noise was sucked away, but for the
flute’s song.

“I don’t like this,” Sonya whispered.

“I know that instrument,” Ethan muttered
ominously.

Kyra had a vague inkling of familiarity as
well.

That
sound
—

“Everyone!” Ethan bellowed. “Anything you
see or hear in the next few moments will not be real. Someone is
weaving an illusion—

Kyra sucked in a harsh breath just before
her world burst into a burning maelstrom of flame and smoke.

All around her, trees burned, smelling of
ash and brimstone. Everything bled as though filled with the blood
of her people. The sky turned black as coal. Soot covered every
rock and coated her lungs, making it hard to breath. The trunk of a
nearby tree buckled, crashing down with a terrible crunch. It was
her worst nightmare.

Her world was being destroyed before her
eyes.

In the background, under the deafening sound
of carnage, the flute played on.

“Illusion,” she told herself. “It’s not
real.” Then she called out for the others, realizing no one joined
her in this personal hell. “Cale!” she screamed as another tree
crashed to the ground.

She saw him then, staring
at her from a short distance away. His lips curled in a hateful
grin, his features dark with menace. “Looks like it
was
all for nothing,” he
hissed.

“No. Not real, not real,”
she chanted. This had to be another part of the nightmare spell.
Cale laughed cruelly. “You really are pathetic. You thought you
could win against a legion of warriors, when they took your home in
the matter of seconds and made it theirs. You thought you could
help your people? You can’t even help yourself. Your magic is
useless,” he scoffed. “Worst of all, you thought I could
love
you.” He spat the
word as if disgusted by having them on his tongue.