Demon Slave (15 page)

“
You steal from the outer
cities, don’t you?” she continued.

“
Sometimes. It’s easier
there. Less people.”

Marik grew hopeful. “So you believe me now
that I’ve never met him before?”

With a coldness that equaled the entire span
of Undewla, Nadua said, “Yes.” Her answer wasn’t reassuring.

Eyes blazing, she turned back to Rex. Her
tone was hard. “Have you ever kidnapped anyone?”

* * *

Ethan poured drink after drink, chatting
with the patrons and accepting a few shots from those who wanted to
share their exuberance. Sonya would knock him in his fun-zone if
she knew, but he figured it was rude to refuse. At least that’s
what he told himself. Besides, it was only a couple of drinks, and
he was adding them to the client’s bill.

The three hundred and fifty years he’d spent
drinking as a pirate he had built quite a tolerance for the stuff.
Usually his kind could only handle small amounts. But most of the
individuals he’d dealt with in his guise as a pirate had insisted
on discussing business over drinks that would tear the skin from
his throat if he wasn’t used to them. Ethan had nearly gotten
himself killed the first time he choked after taking a sip. The
pirates had not been impressed.

“
Hey, Ethan!” Aidan sat
down at the bar.

He was one of the ship pilots, and a dragon
shifter. Ethan had nothing against dragons, but they could be
tricky, and were known to have an extremely determined and
motivated culture, which is probably why Aidan is one of the best
pilots Ethan had ever seen.

“
Hey Aidan, what can I get
you?”

“
Whatever. Surprise
me.”

Ethan began filling a large
glass with one of his own favorite mixtures. “Did
she
send you to check on
me?”

Sebastian and Anya had departed for Undewla
this morning, and now Sonya was captain.

Aidan’s silence spoke for him.

“
Go back and tell her I’ve
burned the place down, will you?”

“
She definitely doesn’t
think much of you, does she?”

Ethan’s teeth clenched at the statement.
“What does it matter? She’s only a demon.”

Aidan’s eyes widened. “Don’t let her hear
you say that. You’ll be eating your own entrails for a week.”

Aidan finished his drink and asked for
another one. He wasn’t much of a talker, which allowed Ethan to
simmer in his irritation. If that female thought so little of him,
then he thought even less of her.

Ethan was destined to be a prince, soon to
wed one of the king’s daughters. At first he thought it would be
princess Analia. She was sweet and kind. But she had chosen a
demon, which was only a little insulting since he happened to
admire Sebastian as a leader.

There were two others, however, and the king
had promised one of them would be his. So whatever Sonya thought of
him was not important, though her attitude toward him was more than
aggravating.

Ethan supposed it didn’t help that he
derived enjoyment from egging her on. The twistedness of it wasn’t
lost on him. To arouse her anger for fun and then despise her
contempt for him was something only a seasoned psychologist could
puzzle out.

Nadua ignored the way Marik’s eyebrows rose
at her question to Rex. She had never been so angry at someone in
her life. Marik’s careless threat about her never seeing Ava
again—even though he’d promised—had nearly brought her to
tears.

But if Rex knew where Lidian was, then this
horrible trip could be...well, a little less horrible.

“
Well? Have you ever taken
anyone? A Cyrellian female, named Lidian?” Nadua prompted, ignoring
the hurt that still tore at her.

It wasn’t from being kept from Ava. No
matter what that demon thought, Nadua was going to see her again.
What caused the painful ache inside was that she had actually begun
to trust Marik, and enjoy his company. She was even starting to get
used to her attraction to him.

Then he’d turned into a lying warden,
threatening to take away what she wanted most. The bastard had even
flashed his fangs at her!

Sure, she had run. But for all the gods,
where was she going to go?

“
Why would I kidnap one of
them?” Rex brought her back to the conversation. He was looking at
her as though she were a crossed eyed edisdon with no legs. “Their
retched skin burns. What use would I have for a female I can’t
touch?” Then he raked his vision down her body. Luckily she was
covered up, or she would be displaying a full body blush. “You’re
different though, aren’t you?”

A low, menacing sound rumbled from deep
within Marik. He clenched his fists and peeled back his lips to
reveal his fangs. His black horns warmed to a glow as he glowered
at Rex.

Nadua took a tentative step back,
registering the difference between this Marik and the one who had
tackled her in the snow. This Marik frightened her.

Rex raised his palms and uttered something
to Marik in a language she didn’t understand. Whatever he said made
Marik go tense. His sharp gaze suddenly focused on her and a
mixture of emotions raced across his features, so fast she could
hardly read them. Astonishment. Confusion. Maybe even a little
fear. And, finally, anger as he seemed to shake himself out of a
trance.

Demeanor returning to normal, Marik gave Rex
a short reply in the same language. Rex looked confused as he
responded back.

Irritated at being left out of the
conversation, Nadua asked, “What are you saying?”

“
Never mind,” Marik
snarled. “We should get moving.”

Nadua shook her head. “Sorry, but that’s not
going to happen.”

Marik countered, “I remember saying
something about kicking and screaming.”

She jutted her chin. “I may
have mistaken your intent, but I thought the goal was to deliver me
to my sister
alive
.” She shrugged. “But if all you need is a body, sans soul,
then let’s go.”

“
What are you talking
about?”

She pointed to the churning sky. “This storm
is just beginning. My furs only go so far to keep me from freezing
to death, and if you take me out there, with no guarantee of
shelter, you’ll be carrying my empty shell back to your ship.”

Rex sat up. “Ship?”

Ignoring Rex, Marik narrowed his gaze at
Nadua, as though weighing the validity of her claim.

“
She’s right,” Rex said.
“The storms here rival those of our planet, and that one looks bad.
You intend to continue south?”

Marik offered a tight nod.

“
The next cave system is
more than half a day from here, and that’s in good weather. But
once you get there, you can travel within the caves, rather than
out in the open as you have been.”

“
Within?”

“
Aye. It’s safer than
following the mountain’s edge.”

“
How so?”

“
We’re on the cusp of two
tribal territories. The one you want to avoid is more hostile and
lives”—he pointed into the distance, past the caves entrance—“just
that way.” The direction was congruent with where Nadua suspected
the rebels compound to be, but the news of a possible second
faction of rebels was alarming.

“
And the other?” she
asked.

“
The other lives within the
caves, far south as well. But they are easily avoided. For many
years these caves have been my home. I know them well. I could show
you the way, if you like.”

Marik leaned against the rocky side of the
cave, arms crossed. “I’ll consider it.”

Rex nodded.

A gust of wind blew into their little
crevice. Nadua moved to see a wall of darkness inching toward them
from the north. She wrapped her arms around her torso.
Unfortunately, the fire that had raged for them last night was no
more than a mess of ash. But what was worse, the cave opening was
large, and the chamber was not all that deep.

It was going to get cold.

Marik came to the realization too. “Rex,
what supplies can you provide?”

Eyes darting side to side, he said, “I-I can
provide pelts, such as she wears. I will need to travel back north
to get them.”

“
Go, then.”

“
Wait,” Nadua interjected.
“Rex, can you make it back here in time?”

The wind whipped again. The coming storm
could quickly grow dangerous, even for a demon. Rex must know
that.

With a slight hesitation, he nodded, which
only worked to worry her.

She felt guilty for jumping to the wrong
conclusion so swiftly, and then for snapping at Rex. Everything
about him screamed frightened and lonely, from the simple nuance of
his movements, to the sadness in his eyes. It spoke to something
inside her. Raising Ava must have brought out some sort of
protective instinct in her, because she was actually concerned for
a demon’s safety.

* * *

Nadua stared after Rex long after he’d gone.
For whatever reason, that bothered Marik more than the way she
continued to scowl at him.

Turning to him, she snapped, “You do realize
he just wants to please you so you’ll take him with you.”

“
I know.” Marik was
counting on it. Another demon meant more defense for Nadua. And a
possible ally on this strange world.

“
He’s one of your kind and
you don’t care what happens to him?”

Marik moved toward her. “Do you? You’re very
interested in his well-being, though you’ve just met him. I don’t
recall you being so concerned for me. In fact, you were ready to
have me tortured at the first opportunity.”

“
That was when I thought
you were here to hurt my people, and before I knew you.”

She thought of those barbarians as her
people? Marik glared down at her, but she refused to back away from
him. “And now that you know me?”

She took a stubborn moment to answer. Marik
realized he was holding his breath. Why should her answer matter to
him? He briefly recalled what Rex had said to him, but instantly
put it from his mind. It was impossible.

“
Now I know you’re as
heartless as the stories suggest.”

He gnashed his teeth and barked,
“Heartless!” His loud tone bounced off the cavern walls. Nadua
jumped, but continued to challenge his gaze. “If I were heartless,
would I have risked my life to save you? Would I have come looking
for you at all? Would I have kept you warm each night—”

“
Oh, you enjoyed that.
Believe me, I could tell. Just like you enjoyed nearly forcing me
to—”

“
Oh, aye, I enjoyed
it.”

Immensely
.

“
And I’ll enjoy it when you
come to me tonight as well. As for forcing? Perhaps next time you
should respond as someone who is being forced, rather than kissing
me as needy as you had.”

When no sound came out of her gaping jaw,
Marik turned and headed for the opening.

“
Where are you
going?”

“
If I’m not mistaken, we
will need fresh wood for the fire. And when I get back, maybe I’ll
have the heart to let you near it.”

* * *

Anya trudged through the snow in the
ridiculous outfit Bastian had forced her to wear. He refused to let
her out of the shuttle until she put it on, though she had a decent
cloak with her. She felt like some kind of snow monster in the
thick rubbery ensemble, with a tiny built in heating mechanism.

After taking a few exhausting steps, she
complained, “Bastian, this is completely unnecessary.”

“
I disagree. You’re warm
and safe.” Blasé, he added, “And, if anyone touches you I can
engage an electric charge that would run along the outer
lining.”

“
But I can hardly move.”
Through the bluish window of her helmet, she tried to convey her
irritation. She hadn’t gone four steps before she was completely
winded. Cale should adopt this absurd thing into his training
regimen, but she wasn’t going to be the one to suggest
it.

“
It won’t be for much
longer. Marik isn’t here. And we will get nowhere in this
storm.”

While keeping Anya in his constant line of
sight, Sebastian had been all over the plateau looking for clues.
Unfortunately, the surface had been pounded with snow, so there was
little evidence left for them to go on.

A few feet away, the shuttle awaited them.
Anya had hoped her gift for reading energies would help them to
quickly find Marik, but she wasn’t sensing him or Nadua at the
moment. She had thought she caught a glimpse of his energy to the
north, but it vanished, as though from existence.