Helena's Demon (5 page)

“
Mimi.” He called her name
sternly.

The woman’s gaze darted around
the room, and soon he was standing next to her bed. She feared him. He felt the
emotion rolling off her in waves, and he sought a way to ease her distress.

“
Mimi, I promise not to hurt
you. Relax.” His voice was calm and soothing. He hoped it would ease her mind.
“I have questions for you, Mimi.
Questions that need your
precise answers.”
His eyebrows furrowed. “Do you understand?”

She said nothing, but continued
staring into
Cyn’s
face.

He sighed and examined his
thoughts for a few moments. “Mimi, blink once for yes, twice for no. Okay?”

Mimi blinked once.

“
That’s a girl.” He stroked her
hair soothingly.
“Now.
I need to know about the
bargain that was struck long ago between a Pearsall ancestor and a demon named
Barius
.” He leaned down and whispered in her ear. “I know
it is forbidden to speak of such matters, but you can show me.” He watched as
the woman’s eyes grew wide as saucers. “You know a lot, don’t you, Mimi?”

The woman blinked once.

“
Barius
was your lover, no?” He patted
her on the arm reassuringly.

Mimi blinked one time.

“
Do you know the dangers your
niece will face?”

Mimi blinked again.

“
Yes, of course you do.” He
smiled. “I know Helena is in trouble and I’m the only one who can protect her.
You know that too, don’t you?”

Mimi blinked once and opened
her mouth in an effort to speak, but no sound came out.

“
Yeah, they really put the
whammy on you, didn’t they?”
Cyn
shook his head
regretfully. “If only…” He paused. “Mimi, wouldn’t you like to be able to speak
again?”

Again, she blinked.

“
Good, that’s real good.” His
lips curved. “You know you have nothing to fear from me. You and Helena are
protected as long as you remain with me.” Mimi blinked and he smiled. He placed
his hands on her head and chanted in an ancient language for several moments
until Mimi’s body shook.

Energy poured from his being
and into the woman, breathing new life into her fragile body. As he did this,
he tapped into her memories. He could see when she was a child and how she’d
blossomed into a young woman. Then, one night during her teenage years, she had
been ravaged by a demon. It had stayed with her all those years, off and on,
robbing Mimi of her essence.

But…there was something else
lurking in the depths of the woman’s mind.
A closely guarded
secret of Mimi’s.
Helena.
A myriad of visions encompassed him,
leaving him puzzled. To some extent, Helena was their salvation, the key to the
lock of the Pearsall curse.

When Mimi looked more alert,
Cyn
smiled. Mimi stirred and when she opened her mouth,
sound came out.

“
Where am I?” She glanced around
in horror as she struggled to sit up in bed.

“
Don’t worry, you’re safe with
me.”

“
Where’s Helena? What have you
done with her?”

“
She’s tucked away safely in my
chambers, I promise you.
Now, on to more pressing issues.
Who is the demon after her soul?” After seeing the strange picture in Mimi’s
mind,
Cyn
wanted to learn more.

“
I can’t speak of such things.
You know it’s forbidden. They—he’ll come after me again if I tell you
everything about Helena.” She narrowed her eyes. “He’ll be here soon, you
know.”

“
Not here. This is my domain,”
Cyn
said in a bass-filled tone. “You need to speak now or
your niece will suffer an unmentionable death. She doesn’t want to stay here
with me for the rest of her life.” He bent his head down. “I just want her to
be happy, so the sooner I learn the dark secret lurking beneath your family
tree, the more effective I’ll be in helping you. Then…maybe you and Helena can
return to your world.”

“
It’s too late,” she murmured.
“Our family will cease to exist. The curse won’t stop until we are all
destroyed.”

He clasped her hand tightly.
“If you’ve never trusted anyone in your life, now is the time to do so. Tell me
about Helena. Why do you hide her true identity from me?”

She nodded and blinked several
times before speaking in a raspy voice. “Water, please.”

In an instant, a cool glass of
water appeared in her hand. Mimi drank as if she hadn’t had water in a long
time. “Thank you.” She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and frowned.

“
In our line, an unnecessary
sacrifice was made centuries ago.”

Cyn
sat beside her and frowned.
“What type of sacrifice and why?”

“
One of our ancestors, Silas,
sacrificed an unborn child down the line, for selfish reasons.” She shook her
head. “To save his own ass and acquire wealth and respect in his time, he made
a pact, told
Barius
, my
demon,
he could have Helena’s soul. In return, Silas was granted wealth beyond belief.
There is a pendant that was buried with him.
Protects him
even in death, if the stories are correct.
If we could somehow get our
hands on it, Helena will be spared and Silas will burn in Hell for what he
did.”

“
I prefer the first option,”
Cyn
muttered as he folded his arms across his large chest.

“
You’re Helena’s personal
demon?” She reached out and clasped her hand around his.

“
I am.”

“
If I don’t survive, promise me
you’ll make sure she’ll overcome all of this.”

He curled his lips back, baring
razor sharp teeth. “What.
Aren’t.
You.
Telling me?” Suppressing his demonic nature to slay the woman where she lay,
Cyn
glared. There was something else, but he couldn’t put
his finger on it.

“
You’ll not plunder my mind for
your own selfish reasons.” She paused momentarily. “I know the nature of you
demons. You appear to care, but will only use us to your advantage and discard
us when we no longer prove of worth to you. You’d better not do that to my
Helena!” She gritted her teeth. “Now, promise me you’ll help her.”

Cyn
normally didn’t worry about
other demons, but the fear in Mimi’s eyes made him think twice about that. Just
in case, he added an extra barrier of protection around his domain, ensuring
Barius
would not enter. Furthermore, Mimi was wrong. He
couldn’t probe the darkest depths of the woman’s mind, and that almost led him
to the point of madness.

“
I’ll not promise you anything,”
he rasped as his breathing increased. “
Barius
will
meet his maker if he intrudes upon these grounds.” He waved a hand across
Mimi’s face. “Now…sleep.” Armed with at least some of the information, he
retreated to his chambers. He’d discover Helena’s nature. He swore it.

Chapter Five

Helena smiled as she released
the fireball from her hand. There. She’d fixed the bastard. As soon as he
entered, he’d have to walk through the flaming door. Of course that wouldn’t
destroy an ancient demon, but it would definitely inflict pain upon him.
Perhaps she could utilize her powers so that she and Aunt Mimi could escape
this real
m.

She couldn’t help but revel in
the fact that this place enhanced her powers. She’d all but given up on casting
a spell to try and free
herself
, but became bored
while
Cyn
was absent. Through instinct, she’d
explored other opportunities.

There was no shame in plotting
against the demon. She’d been too hasty in contacting him, looking for a way
out of her monetary problems. She had to remain stubborn, make him see she
wouldn’t settle for her fate. She felt she had to continue this harshness, and
take a stand against him. Her decision made, Helena smiled as the demon rushed
through the entrance to the room.
Cyn
bellowed as he
burst through the doors. “What the hell have you
done!
”

With a giggle, Helena blew on
him, and the flames ceased, leaving one pissed, smoking demon glaring at her
with golden eyes. “I’m sorry.” She smiled. Seeing
Cyn’s
emotionless face, she turned her head and tightened her right fist, immediately
extinguishing the flames around the door.

“
This amuses you?”
Cyn
quirked a brow as he approached her slowly. “How did
you set that fire?”

Helena stepped back, careful
not to fall onto the bed. In an effort to defend herself, she held up her hand.
“Stop!
Don’t come any closer, or you’ll force me to
inflict more pain upon you.”

Cyn
stopped and grinned.
“Ah, ’tis a challenge, no?
I’m always up for a good
challenge,” he growled. “Now tell me, what is the prize, witch.”

“
There is no prize,” Helena
belted out stubbornly. “And I am no witch. Believe it or not, I’ve just
discovered these powers.”

“
You seem surprised. Could this
be the secret your aunt so heavily guards?”

She shook her head. “I don’t
know,
Cyn
.” She glared at him, no longer concerned
for her safety. If
Cyn
were going to harm her, he
would have done it long ago. Something deep inside her assured her he would
never cause her pain, that his bark was worse than his bite. Before she could
say or do anything else, he’d closed in on her.

She twisted in his firm grip
and struggled slightly as the demon brushed his lips against hers. “Don’t.” The
word escaped in a weak, yet subtle whisper as her body melded against
Cyn’s
.

“
There’s something about you,”
he rasped while entwining his fingers through her dark tresses. “Only you don’t
know it. Unfortunately, I don’t even know exactly…what it is.”

“
Guess I’m just strange,” she
mused before surrendering to
Cyn’s
dark, passionate
kisses. “I’m not like everyone else in my family.”

“
No,
not you.
Where they are weak, you’re strong.” He ceased his kisses and cupped her face
between his large palms. “I know this. Your aunt is aware of this. You are in
danger,” he said ruefully. “Danger you’ve been placed into at the hands of a
distant ancestor.”

“
I know,” she breathed. “The
stupid family curse. We’re all doomed.”

Cyn
stroked her cheek with the pad
of his thumb. “No, you’re not. You’ll outlive the curse…or put an end to it.”

“
What makes you so sure,
Cyn
?” Her stomach fluttered at his words and her pulse quickened.

“
You’re not like the other women
in your family. I know that much.” He released her for a few moments and paced
the floor coolly with his hands behind his back. “Mimi has secrets.
Ones that she refuses to share.”
He spun around toward her.
“You were a mere sacrifice. An ancestor of yours—Silas—promised you to a demon,
long before his death.”

“
I’m a simple sacrifice…to you?”
An emptiness
filled her at that thought.

“
No.”
Cyn
shook his head and frowned. “
Barius
is a cruel demon.
He’s Mimi’s demon. Your aunt never told you? He’s the reason she deteriorates.
I was able to change that, but it’s only temporary.”

Disappointment claimed Helena.
If that were the case, Aunt Mimi would perish like all the others. “Aren’t all
demons cruel?”

Cyn
growled. “I don’t consider
myself to be cruel. I’m just me,” he huffed. “Now answer my question, did she
ever tell you about Silas?”

“
No.” Disappointed, Helena
walked over to the large windows and pulled back the curtains. “I guess she
didn’t want to hurt my feelings?” Her chest tightened as she glared at
Cyn
.

“
I probed her mind, but there’s
some information she’s holding back…about you.” He rested his palm between her
shoulder blades. “Apparently you’re no mortal.”

Helena looked down at her
hands.
“Apparently not, with the shooting of the fireballs
and all.”
She finally needed to admit the truth to him. She would no
longer fight her demon. Maybe, in some ways, they
were
both one in the
same, she thought as she turned to face him. “Now I know why I’m so attracted
to you,
Cyn
.”