Marked (19 page)

He looked out over the burned homes and imagined what the half-breed families must have gone through during that vicious attack. Daemons were not known for mercy. And the king had been aware of their struggle for eons.

His chest tightened. Back at the colony, he’d been able to convince himself the problems of the Misos were not his to bear. But standing here, staring at the destruction, all he could think was
We could have done something.

“Acacia, I—”

“Shh.” She placed her hand against his chest, and the skin beneath his shirt tingled with awareness from just the slightest touch. “Did you hear that?”

He listened, hearing nothing but the wind whistling through the ominous Douglas firs. The air was warm, so he knew she couldn’t have heard a pack of daemons. “I don’t hear anything.”

“That.”

He turned his head to listen closely. And heard the slightest sound. “That’s—”

“A voice,” she said, excitement building in her words.

“Acacia, wait—”

But she didn’t listen. She took off at a slow jog toward the only intact building in the settlement. An old barn that sat at the far end of town with a rope from the second-floor loft blowing gently in the breeze.

“Marissa?” Acacia called. “Honey, answer me if that’s you. It’s Casey. Marissa? We’re all worried about you.”

Silence.

Theron caught up with her just as she stepped inside the dark barn. He grasped her upper arm and leaned close to her ear. “Stay close to me. On this we don’t negotiate.”

She nodded and let him take the lead, but she continued to call out to Marissa, and he didn’t stop her because he hoped the child would respond to her voice.

“Marissa?” she called again. “We’ve walked a long way to find you. There are a lot of people worried about you,
honey. Don’t be scared, sweetie. But you have to tell us where you are.”

A shuffling sound echoed from above. Acacia put her hand on Theron to stop him. She nodded toward the ceiling and they both glanced up.

A ladder to the left looked as though it led to the second floor. Theron placed a hand and foot on the cracked rails and prayed they’d hold his weight. Just as he was about to step on the first rung, they heard a small voice from above.

“Casey, is that you?”

Acacia let out a long, relieved breath. “Yes, honey. It’s me.”

“Are you alone?”

The two shared a glance, and Theron shook his head, afraid if the youngling knew he was there, it might scare her into retreating again, but Acacia ignored his warning. “No, Marissa. I’m not alone. Theron’s here with me.”

“He is?”

“Yes.”

Silence.

Theron looked up and listened closely for any movement that indicated Marissa was getting ready to bolt.

“In that case,” Marissa said in that same soft voice, “you can both come up and have tea with me and Minnie.”

Acacia’s smile touched Theron somewhere deep in his chest, and as he climbed the rickety ladder, he felt lighter. More at peace than he’d been in…forever.

And he had a sinking suspicion it was because of Acacia.

It was brighter upstairs. Sunshine flooded the second floor from an opening at the end of the loft. Theron waited while Acacia climbed the ladder. Across the floor, Marissa smiled and waved to him as if they were two old friends meeting at the park. She was sitting on a bale of hay. Her doll, Minnie, was next to her. An overturned crate served as the table, and on the other side was another
bale of hay. A tiny chipped tea set was set out in front of each place.

Acacia went to her knees in front of Marissa and pulled the girl into her arms. “That wasn’t a smart thing to do, Marissa. Your mother’s worried sick about you. So’s everyone back at the colony.”

“But I’m fine.”

Acacia pushed the girl to arm’s length. “Honey, you know it’s dangerous to be out like this.”

Marissa rolled her big brown eye. “Nothing will happen to the others.”

“How do you know? People are out looking for you right now.”

“I know because Minnie showed me.”

Acacia glanced up at Theron, standing off to the side, then over at Marissa’s doll. “Showed you what?”

“The little woman in the long robes with the pretty thread. She said you’d both come to find me if I came here.” At Acacia’s perplexed expression, Marissa leaned in close and whispered none too quietly, “Don’t you see? I had to do it so you two could have more time alone together.”

Acacia’s eyes grew wary. “What do you mean?”

Theron held his breath and sensed he knew the answer even before the words were spoken. Was this another sign? Or a child’s overactive imagination?

Marissa smiled a beaming, child’s grin. “You’ll see.”

The air chilled, and the hair on the back of Theron’s neck stood up before he could question the child in depth. Destiny forgotten, he edged toward the opening of the loft that looked down over the burned village. Then cursed long and low.

“Marissa,” Acacia said in a forceful voice. “Did Theron put you up to this?”

Theron moved as quickly and quietly as he could across the floor and grasped Acacia by the arm, pulling her up to his side. “We have a problem,” he said quietly into her ear.

She looked over with irritated eyes. “What now?”

“Three daemons. They look to be on patrol.” Acacia’s face went ashen. “My guess is they watch this area for stragglers in the hopes they may lead them to the colony.”

“Oh, shit,” she whispered.

“Acacia,” he said brusquely as she trembled against him. “Stay with me.” Wide violet eyes met his, but there was fear there—lots of it—as she obviously remembered their last run-in with Atalanta’s henchmen.

Dammit, this was what he’d been afraid of the moment she set out on this stupid quest. “I can handle the daemons. But you have to get Marissa to safety.”

She glanced right and left. “All three? You can’t…Back at the store—”

“I can,” he said quickly. “At the store I was worried about you. Trust me. I know what I’m doing. But only if we work together.”

“Oh, God.” When she sagged against him, he knew he was losing her.

He tightened his arm around her waist while listening intently to what was happening outside. The daemons were moving closer. He was running out of time. “You have to pull it together right now, because I want to hear all the other reasons you’re not really attracted to me.”

She looked up, swallowed hard. And as their eyes met, the connection they’d shared from the first flared deep in his soul. He knew she felt it too. Just as he knew if something happened to her here, he would never be the same.

She nodded once, twice, and pulled her courage up like a suit of armor. “I…I’m not attracted to you.” But she gripped his shirt at the chest and didn’t make any move to let go.

“Liar,” he whispered, just before dipping his head and taking her mouth.

The kiss was fast, and not nearly as deep as he wanted. But they didn’t have time for anything more.

He pulled the spiked dagger knife from his ankle, unsnapped the holster and attached it to her calf. Then he
opened the weapon that was shaped like a bowie knife with menacing spikes sticking out of the underside of the handle. “Take this. Hold it here.” He positioned her fingers. “If any get past me, this won’t do you any good unless they get close. Swing like this. Away from your body.” He moved her arm to show her what he meant. “The spikes tear up the flesh and the blade does the rest. It won’t kill a daemon, but a good solid hit will incapacitate one long enough for you to get away.”

“Theron, I—”

“We don’t have time.” He shoved a penlight into her pocket, then grabbed Marissa and pushed her toward Casey. “Wait until you see me out front, then take the back ladder and head for the mountain across the stream. Try to find a cave or shelter to hide in. I’ll find you after.”

Shaking, Acacia slid the knife into its holster, lifted a frightened Marissa into her arms and cradled the child against her chest. “But how will you know where we are?”

He crossed the floor and stopped at the edge of the shadows, just out of sight of the daemons below, and took one last look at her. “I’ll always find you, Acacia. That is a promise.”

“Theron—”

He didn’t wait for her response. Instead he stepped off the second floor and landed against the cold earth one story down. All three daemons turned his direction with surprised glowing green eyes.

“Hello, boys,” he said, reaching for the parazonium strapped to the small of his back. “You look a little lost. Let me direct you back to hell.”

“Run!” Casey set Marissa on her feet and pushed the girl toward the ladder at the back of the loft. She could feel Marissa’s fear, but thankfully, the child didn’t question her.

Casey went down the ladder first, reaching up to pull Marissa the rest of the way to the ground. Outside, the frenzied growls of the daemons mixed with Theron’s grunts and the clash of weapon against flesh as they battled.

An instinct somewhere deep within urged Casey to go out front, to help Theron even though she knew that was pretty well useless. What could she do that he couldn’t? But oh, God, what if he was killed because she’d insisted they come here?

Don’t think like that.
She flashed on the image of him battling the daemons in her store.

He knows what he’s doing.

Gripping Marissa’s hand tightly in hers, she tiptoed to the back of the barn. One peek confirmed the area surrounding them was empty. She eyed the trees, thirty yards away, that turned into woods sprawling up the side of the mountain, then contemplated the chances of running and not being seen.

More grunts resonated from the front of the building. A sharp cracking sound echoed around them. Marissa screamed as a body was thrown through the front of the barn door and crashed to the ground in a pile of hay and dirt.

Casey grabbed the girl and pulled her tight to her
stomach, drowning the child’s cries as she jerked her into the shadows. One glimpse told her the body was Theron, but he bounded back up as if the blow hadn’t even fazed him and tore from the barn, throwing himself back into the battle.

Her heart was in her throat, but Casey lifted Marissa into her arms. “Wrap yourself around me and hold on tight.”

Marissa’s small head nodded against Casey’s neck. Casey took one deep breath, glanced back out the door to make sure the coast was clear and ran.

They tore across the back clearing at breakneck speed and made it almost as far as the trees before a daemon dropped out of nowhere in front of them.

Casey gasped and slammed on her brakes. The daemon’s eyes flashed green as he moved forward. He drew in a long, deep breath and said only one word.

“You.”

Casey pushed Marissa to the ground and stepped in front of the child, using her body as a shield. Wide-eyed, she reached for the knife at her lower leg with shaking hands.

The daemon chuckled, as if he found the entire scenario amusing. “You cannot stop me, half-breed. Atalanta is waiting for you.”

At that moment, Marissa let out the mother of all screams. The pitch was so high and loud, both Casey and the monster flinched and were momentarily frozen. The sound went on and on until finally Casey gave her head a shake and drew the knife as Theron had shown her.

The beast tensed as if to lunge.

Casey’s hand shook around the knife as the daemon charged. But before she felt impact, Theron leaped over her and slammed into the beast.

The two rolled, fists and fangs flying. The daemon got the upper hand and pinned Theron to the ground, pressing his massive leg into Theron’s chest with a mighty
growl. Casey quickly realized Theron had lost his dagger when he’d crashed into the beast as it had lunged for her.

“Theron!”

He looked over just as she threw the spiked knife. It stuck into the ground a foot from his shoulder. His hand snaked out like lightning, even pinned beneath the daemon as he was. Then all Casey saw was the blade flashing in the sunlight. Blood spurted out of the daemon. Theron quickly flipped the monster to the ground and used the knife to decapitate it.

Casey pulled Marissa against her body so the child couldn’t see what was happening.

When it was over, Theron’s body was covered in a mixture of blood and sweat, and he was breathing heavy, but didn’t look injured. He took one step toward her just as a roar resounded from the front of the barn. Theron thrust the knife back into Casey’s hand and pushed her hard toward the trees. “Run!”

Casey didn’t hang around to ask questions. She grabbed Marissa and took off, heart rate thundering and adrenaline pumping.

Her legs burned and her lungs hurt like a bitch, but she didn’t slow. When Marissa cried “Minnie!” against Casey’s throat and threw out a hand, she only clutched the child tighter. She wasn’t going back for anything, especially a silly doll the girl had left behind. She ran hard and fast, around boulders and between trees, and didn’t slow until she couldn’t hear the battle below anymore and the only smell was that of pine and moss and the damp forest around her.

Marissa’s face was streaked with tears when Casey finally set her on the ground. The child crumpled into a ball against a rock. Comfort would come later. Right now all that mattered was finding a place to hide.

Still trying to draw air into her lungs, Casey surveyed the surroundings. The trees were thick, but ahead and to
the left there appeared to be a rock formation that just might have enough space for them to hide.

She lifted Marissa into her arms again. “Come on, Marissa. We’re almost there.”

A grouping of boulders as tall as a man were lined up in a neat row. Between the first two, a small opening, big enough for someone to crawl through, looked like it led into the mountain.

Casey hated small spaces, but given the choice, she’d take a dank, dark cave over what was possibly hiding out here in the trees. She set Marissa at her feet and dropped to her knees. “In here, honey.”

Marissa hesitated. “It’s dark.”

“I know. But I’m right here.” Marissa glanced over her shoulder, clearly contemplating their options. Casey reached for her hand. “I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise.”

The answer seemed to satisfy Marissa. After one more quick look, she fell to her knees and crawled through the space after Casey.

The tunnel was no higher than about four feet, but luckily, it wasn’t long. Ten yards in, Casey had the impression of soaring ceilings and a vast space. She pulled the small penlight Theron had given her earlier from her pocket and flicked it on. Then gasped at what she saw.

Stalactites hung from the ceiling in a rainbow of colors. The fifteen-foot round room was tall enough to stand in and avoid being stabbed at by those giant fanglike cave formations. Another smaller room opened off this one, but it didn’t seem to have any outside access. And luckily, aside from a few bugs Casey didn’t want to think about, both areas looked to be deserted.

Casey gripped Marissa’s hand and led her as far back into the mountain as she could, into the smaller room and around the corner, so if something did come into the first room searching for them, they wouldn’t be seen. After wrapping her jacket snuggly around Marissa, she
settled back against the rocks with the child cradled in her arms.

Marissa sniffled and snuggled closer. “I miss Minnie,” she whispered.

“I know, honey.” Casey ran her hand down Marissa’s hair.

“Can’t we go back for her?”

“No, Marissa. It’s not safe.”

“Casey,” Marissa whispered in the silence. “Are you scared?”

Casey hesitated, then nodded as tears burned behind her closed eyes. “Yes, honey. I am.”

“Don’t be. Theron will come back for you.”

Casey drew a shaky breath. And thought about how quickly things could change. Hours ago she’d wanted only to get away from him. Now she prayed the child was right.

The scent of death hit Nick’s senses the second he killed the bike’s engine and pulled off his helmet.

Casey’s house was dark, but he knew even before he stepped inside what he’d find.

With a sinking stomach, he walked around the house and found the back doorframe shattered, the door itself hanging from its hinges. The kitchen was neat and orderly, but even here he could smell what lay farther inside.

He made himself cross the hardwood floor, his boots clunking with each step. When he reached the arched doorway that led into the living room, he stopped and swallowed the bile sliding up his throat.

The couch was slashed and overturned, the coffee table nothing more than a pile of kindling. Books and broken trinkets littered the floor, and in the middle of the mess lay Dana’s lifeless body.

“Ah, shit, Dana.”

He knelt beside her, scanning what was left. Dana’s
wide, unfocused eyes stared up at the ceiling, and her face was bloody and bruised. One leg was cocked at an odd angle, the bone jutting through skin and denim alike, and bloodstained scratches marred most of her body. But the most disgusting thing—and that which Nick had suspected when he’d first come upon the house—was the gaping hole in the center of her chest where her heart used to be.

He ran a hand over his mouth, shut his eyes and cursed himself for walking out on her the other night. He’d sensed her death was coming, but he hadn’t done enough to protect her. If he’d driven her back to the colony himself, if he’d been more insistent…Dammit, if he’d opened his eyes and tuned in to her, she’d be alive now.

If
is for shit. She’s dead, no thanks to you.

He opened his eyes and stared down at her. Their relationship had been warped on more than one front, but in his own way, he’d cared for her. More than maybe anyone else in his life. She’d understood him and his needs, and she’d never once said no, even when those needs had been pretty fucking twisted. And how had he repaid her? With this.

She’d accused him of having a god complex. He knew she was right. But even a god wouldn’t fuck up this bad.

The cell in his pocket vibrated. “What?” he answered.

“Nick, it’s Helene. We have a situation.”

He rose slowly to his feet as those fucking scars on his back began to tingle. “What’s happened now?”

“Marissa wandered off this morning. Search parties are out looking for her. But the woman you brought here yesterday? Casey? She and the Argonaut are out there now too. And they’re the only pair that hasn’t checked in yet.”

Nick’s hand tightened around the phone. “Fuck me.”

“I know. I’m sorry. I couldn’t stop her from going.”

“I’m on my way back.”

“Did you find Dana?”

Nick glanced down at Dana once more and buried the pain deep inside as he did every time one from his colony was killed. The anguish from her death would last longer than the rest, but he was half Argonaut. His son-of-a-bitch side would get over it soon enough. “I found her.”

“Is she—”

“Ready the fires, Helene.”

He closed the phone just as Helene began weeping.