Demonstorm: Heart of a Vampire #6 (12 page)

“Damnable creatures. Told me this ring would let me get you.” With a shrug, he headed to Cyrus’s side.

Then he glanced up at her with glee in his eyes. “I need you, m’dear. Those who want me to take their side need you.”

She didn’t respond.

Brüs raised a brow, then trailed one of his claws along Cyrus’s ribs.

Her brother moaned again, his eyes fluttering open, but they were unfocused. “Sister, stay away,” he muttered.

She stifled a cry of horror.

Brüs tsked. “No, sister. Keep coming. You have until the first night of the full moon to arrive. Otherwise…” he drew one of his wicked looking daggers and raised it high.

She tried to rush forward, but again, the vision refused her. Brüs slammed the dagger down and she screamed.

The tip sank deep into the wooden table by at least six inches, directly beside Cyrus’s head.

“The night of the full moon. Now be gone.” Brüs clapped his hands. The ring shot a bright light that hit Mayah in the chest. Heat slammed into her as the force knocked her back a few steps. The pain spread, as if flames flickered over her skin. Then all went numb.

Darkness sank, surrounding her.

But this time, she couldn’t find her way. The power Brüs now wielded had done something to her.

She was lost.

Lost and unable to see. Unable to control.

A scent came to her, almost imperceptible. Woodsy, spicy.

Sean.

She blinked, and found her soul rushing through time and place. When she landed once more in light, she stumbled, nearly falling.

Round log walls surrounded her. A cabin. She was in a bedroom, an immense bed stretching along one oversized window. Beside the bed, a huge marble fireplace stood, a fire roaring happily inside.

A door opened and laughter filtered through.

She saw herself running into the room, again strangely unable to control the vision, or herself.

Behind her, Sean chased. Wearing only low slung jeans, his bare chest was riveting. His short dark hair was messy as if he’d been running his fingers through it. And his eyes glowed, the vampire red overtaking the demon black.

He grinned as he grabbed her and pushed her down on the bed.

She shrieked with glee, opening her arms wide, beckoning Sean closer.

He slid onto the bed, placing soft kisses along her bare calf, her thigh. Tugging her shirt up, Sean rubbed his cheek over her belly.

She rose, pulling her shirt over her head, unconcerned she was bare chested.

Sean laughed lightly as he nuzzled between her breasts. Glancing up, his eyes shining with something so powerful, it nearly broke her heart, he whispered, “I love you, darling.”

Something inside her cracked open at the welcoming heat from his embrace.

Light flashed.

Darkness descended.

She opened her eyes to see Sean hovering over her, concern filling his strange black and red ringed eyes. Emotions boiled up, unable to be contained as her heart felt like it was shattering. How could she have seen something she could never actually have? Such a thing would never be possible.

“Are you all right?” he asked.

She slapped him, her palm cracking loudly on his cheek.

He reared back, eyes flashing with angry confusion. “What the hell was that for?”

Sitting up, she struggled to contain her ragged emotions. She bit her tongue on an apology. She couldn’t speak. Fear coursed through her as her eyes burned, a hot ball of pain gathered in her throat.

“Fine. I’ll assume you were having a vision and you didn’t mean to hit me.” He closed her door, then stomped around to the driver’s side of the truck, muttering something she couldn’t quite make out.

When he got in, he slammed his door and started the truck, then tore across the field, heading back to the highway.

Mayah let her head fall back on the seat and closed her eyes, trying to block the memories of the vision of her and Sean—get back to the earlier one of her brother—but it remained forefront in her mind.

Such a thing between them wasn’t possible. He might have shown her that perhaps… just perhaps… he wasn’t like Brüs, but that didn’t mean she trusted him fully.

She was only working with him. Using him to help free her brother.

Except, a small part inside her didn’t quite believe that any more. That small part of her thought him an honorable man. Like her father and brothers, instead of the demons she’d known since the war in her homeland. They watched over each other, had kept one another safe multiple times.

Even so, even if she might be able to trust him, such a thing like her vision wasn’t possible.

Her father’s image came to mind, sparking her curiosity. He’d been doting, always making sure to take time from his duties to play with her and her brothers when they were little. She sighed softly, as her thoughts turned to her mother. Her parents love had been so great, her mother had chosen to risk her life to bear her husband children.

She’d died doing so, though Mayah’s father had always told them that their mother had swore on her last breath it had been worth it.

Yet, demon lore said that to have such a relationship with any man wouldn’t just be risking her life. Love would steal her powers. That which made her who she was. She’d be risking part of her very soul. She’d never give up who she was for any man.

* * *

Sean sped down the highway, casting glances at Mayah every so often. Once more she wore her unemotional mask, though he could practically hear her thinking.

His cheek burned from where she’d hit him.

What the hell had provoked such a reaction?

After a couple tense and silent hours, dawn neared. He pulled up to the gas station where his package should be waiting and turned off the truck, the engine ticks breaking the silence between them. “Did you
see
anything about your brother?” he asked softly.

Slowly, Mayah opened her eyes, but she didn’t look at him. “Brüs spoke to me in the vision, which should be impossible. He has some sort of magical ring that allowed him to see and talk to me. If I do not arrive before the first night of the full moon he will…” her voice cracked, “kill my brother.”

“You believe he spoke truthfully?” he asked.

“I do. The man is maddened. Hungry for power, yet, his temper gets the better of him.”

“Fine.” Sean opened his door. “If you truly believe we must hurry, we’ll plan for that. But keep in mind, it will only make an ambush easier for him and his men.”

He shut his door quietly and headed into the building. Sure enough, a couple boxes waited for him.

During his earlier phone call with his father, there hadn’t been any questions of why he was doing this. Surprisingly. He’d been told to take care of the prophetess, help her as needed, then return home safely.

After loading the boxes in the back of the truck, he found the maps his father had sent. One showed the steep cliffs of the mountaintop fortress. And a fortress it was. The outer walls spanned a few miles in diameter.

Other maps showed the surrounding mountain peaks and valleys.

Mayah tried to look at them, though she stayed nearly pressed against her door, as if trying to keep as far from him as possible.

With an exasperated sigh, he remarked, “I don’t bite. You should know that by now.”

Her cheeks pinkened and she reached up, nervously twisting one of her braids around her fingers. “I can wait until you’re done.”

He grabbed the map and scooted to the middle of the seat, then held the paper against the dashboard. “I told you I’m here to help. We’ll figure this out together. All right?”

She blinked, her lips twitching as if she wanted to say something sarcastic. Maybe she was finally beginning to believe he wasn’t as big of an ass as Brüs. Her fingers continued to work her braid nervously, but she finally unplastered herself from the door.

Taking a blue marker, Sean crossed out the easiest paths. Those were sure to be full of traps. Mayah pointed out a few more she figured Brüs would likely be watching closely.

After narrowing their choices down to three areas they could actually traverse with their limited gear, but hopefully difficult enough to hike that there wouldn’t be many spots for ambush, Sean pulled out more maps and handed them to her. “Use these to cross-check for other obstacles. Can you chart them for us?”

Their fingers brushed together and a shock of energy coursed up his arm.

She gasped, jerking back and shot him an assessing gaze, before nodding. “Of course.”

As he put the truck in drive for the last leg of the trip—or at least the last part they could make without footing it—he couldn’t stop thinking about Mayah.

She was an enigma wrapped mystery most of the time. Damn if it wasn’t intriguing.

Chapter Twelve

T
hat evening, they reached some sort of state park. Snow lightly dusted the shadows beneath the trees.

Sean pulled into a long-term parking spot, then flipped out his cell phone.

Mayah packed up the maps she’d been studying, frustrated at the idea of taking a back route and wasting time. Yet, she knew Sean’s logic was sound. She’d narrowed it down to two hard-to-ambush paths while still keeping to the timeframe Brüs had sent in the vision.

“We’re here,” Sean stated shortly over his phone.

A tinny voice came from the other end. “Stay safe. Check in when you can.”

Mayah stepped from the warm cab into the icy air, not wanting to eavesdrop. The emotion coming from the woman on the other end of the call was palatable. It was love for another, full of worry that something bad might happen.

After exiting the truck, Sean looked over her notes on the map, agreed with her assessment, then looked her directly in the eyes. “Which one?”

“You want me to choose?”

“This is your brother, and your worry.”

She selected the direction she figured would get them there a couple days shy of their deadline, just in case something happened.

He nodded sharply. “Good then.”

Mayah helped him unload the boxes, which contained backpacks stuffed full with food—and blood for him—along with lightweight camping items and other extreme outdoors gear. There was also a bag from which he pulled out winter clothes that looked like a perfect fit for her.

Surprised, not just at his consideration, but that he’d sized her up with just a glance, she tried on the heavy pants and jacket and was immediately surrounded by warmth that shielded her from the below-freezing air.

Packed up, they started into the forest. By her estimation, it would take five of the eight days they had to reach the fortress.

As the sun began to set, the air turned colder. Sean picked out a likely area to camp for a few hours. He started a fire and put some food on to cook, as she set up the small tent.

With nothing else to do, they sat near the fire, an uncomfortable silence stretching taut between them.

Finally, he said, “That offer to help me learn to control my demon side still open?”

“Yes.” Without thought, she jumped at the chance to do anything other than sitting in awkward silence.

He grinned, striking her deep with his engaging smile. Sometimes, when she looked at him, he took her breath away. It wasn’t just that he was handsome, though that was a given. The emotion in his strange eyes always held a hint of kindness. Of honor. Sometimes, it was even hard to remember he was a dreaded half-breed.

Glancing away uncomfortably, she said, “First lesson demon children learn. Embrace your power. Demons belong to different, well we call them houses. Kind of like separate vampire clans. A demon’s bloodline carries their magic, determines their abilities. It also shows them from where to draw strength.”

“Like your prophecies?”

“Yes. Not only is seeing the future my power, but it almost… nourishes me. It uses energy, but returns it as well.”

“What about Brüs?” he asked quietly.

She twisted one of her braids. “His house, the Abatu, thrives on destruction and death.”

“Where did your magic come from, your mom or dad?”

She stared at the fire intently. “My father.”

“What house was your mom from?”

“It doesn’t matter.” She wasn’t about to admit her mother had been Succubi, a direct contrast to Mayah’s second side. With the power of prophecy came the denial of sex. Glancing at Sean, she suddenly realized her bloodlines were as contradictory as his own in some ways. Strangely ironic. “Do you have any idea what kind of demon the sorcerer who did this to you was?”

“Not a clue. He loved torture, preferring to keep his captives alive as long as possible rather than put them to death immediately.”

“Well, that doesn’t narrow it down. You’ll just have to try and we’ll go from there.”