The Demon Within (42 page)

Although the beast in no way resembled the hollow husk they’d seen at the temple, Caly had no doubt the medallion belonged to him. “I have nothing for you.”

The smile came and went but this time with no amusement. A sharpness entered his eyes that warned her if she complied with him, she was dead. “All you have to do is tell me what I want to know.” The man, for want of a better description, resembled Azazel. But instead of a unique charm and a dangerous innocence, the essence of this man left a bitter aftertaste like an unripe Brazil nut.

Blood filled her mouth, and she realized she’d bitten the inside of her mouth to prevent herself from babbling. “I don’t…” The lie stuttered on her dry lips, and she couldn’t spit it out.

This time the laugh sent a chill snaking up her legs to coil in her stomach. When he moved toward her, her heart pranced against her ribs. She scurried around the desk on her hands and knees, unwilling to face him without some barrier between them.

“The man next door will be much more accommodating. He stole my charm, and my vengeance won’t be swift.” The beautiful smile that crossed his face was at odds with his words. “I can spare you that if you hand it over now. If you don’t tell me where it is, he will.” The good cheer belied the cold indifference, making the threat all the more chilling. “Later it’ll be too late for you.”

The medallion gouged into her ankle like a beacon. She just prayed he couldn’t sense it. “I—”

His fist slammed down on the desk. The wood trembling under the blow but held.

Caly leapt to her feet and out of the way, Carnwennan clutched in her fist. The blade shimmered as energy poured off it, feeding her with a need to take action.

The creature stopped short.

“A young slayer.” He rubbed his chin as if her value suddenly rose in his eyes. His interest pierced her composure.

The angle of his jaw was clean and clear. The light olive skin, the dark hair and eyes created an alluring picture, but the soullessness of him scared her cold. She’d underestimated him, thinking they had more time. If she didn’t stop him, others would be fooled by the charismatic charm he used so effortlessly and fall like sheep to the slaughter, failing to see the vile creature underneath.

His eyes darkened when he looked at her desk. He reached across the surface, picking up the wax rubbing. “Enough games. Where is it?”

“Caly?” Kelly knocked on the door. The door creaked open.

Heart in her throat, Caly leapt forward and struck first. She couldn’t allow him to touch her friend. In quick succession, Caly slipped the weapon into his back with two clean jabs to the kidneys.

His roar deafened her. He swung out, knocking her across the room. Glass shattered as her back smashed into the window. Dazed by the impact, she hit the floor in a jarring thud. Glass rained down on her, little nicks taking bites out of her skin. Kelly screamed, and Caly struggled to her feet, half dazed.

She lurched forward, her vision swimming in and out of focus. The creature’s paws were wrapped around Kelly’s throat.

“Drop it.” He nodded to her knife.

Her eyes flickered toward Kelly. Although Kelly shook her head no, Caly had no choice. She held out her arm and reluctantly loosened her hold.

As the blade dropped, Ruman appeared in the room.

In a dive, he tackled the creature. Both men careened to the floor. Caly reached forward, captured Kelly’s leg and pulled her out of the mêlée. The men struggled, the heavy blows staggering each of them. Taking a sneaky hit to his stomach, Ruman doubled over, wheezing for breath.

Though the Fallen favored his back, the wounds Ruman inflicted healed almost as fast they appeared. Even as she watched, a cut above his eye faded, blending into his skin like it never happened.

Ruman wasn’t so lucky. He kept fighting, but each blow injured him. Caly scooped up her dagger, but hesitated when she couldn’t get a clear shot in the struggle.

Time slowed.

Seconds dragged by.

When Ruman took a hard blow, she sent the blade winging through the air.

The pommel quivered as it sunk deep in the beast’s shoulder. The shocked expression on his face was priceless.

An unholy bellow of rage filled the room. A trail of smoke curled in the air from the wound. Instead of turning to dust, the creature vanished. The blade thudded loudly to the floor.

Caly stared at the spot where the demon had stood in blank shock. She was sure she had nailed his ass. How the hell could he have survived?

Then she knew.

The medallion.

Ruman had warned her, but she hadn’t really understood that the Fallen couldn’t be killed the same way as demons.

But she’d wounded him. If he could be wounded, he could be killed. Tread a little unsteadily, Caly staggered to Ruman’s side. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, you?”

Caly rubbed the back of her head. “Bruised but alive.”

Strong arms wrapped around her, and she allowed herself the luxury of leaning into him. The warmth of his body seeped into hers, barely penetrating the cold.

They were both alive. But for how long?

“Is he dead?” Kelly’s voice came out a rasp from her damaged throat, and she winced.

“No. He’s still alive.” With great reluctance, Caly untangled herself and walked away from Ruman and the comfort of his touch. Caly picked up her dagger and inspected it carefully. With the corner of her shirt, she wiped the blade clean then sheathed it.

“But how?” Kelly sounded baffled.

“When we were down at the temple, we found a medallion secured around his neck. As long as the disk remains intact, he can heal. Until I can finish translating the code on the medallion and find out how to destroy them both, we’re screwed.”

Anger clouded Kelly’s features, and she covered her injured throat with her hand. “Then you better get started. I want that bastard dead.” Kelly straightened, her voice husky with pain. “What can I do to help?”

“All we accomplished in the fight was pissing him off. Get everyone out.”

She only blinked. “They won’t leave.”

Caly didn’t waver. “Then make them. If they stay, they die.”

Kelly hesitated, waiting for her to rescind her order. When the silence stretched, she nodded. “I’ll gather everyone together.”

When Caly would’ve followed, Ruman grabbed her arm. “What else did you find on the medallion?”

She picked up the waxed sheet. “This.”

At first she didn’t think he’d take it. When he did, his brows lowered. “Why didn’t you show me this sooner?”

The anger in his voice unleashed her own. “I tried. Only I found the room empty and my knife gone.”

That shut him up, but she didn’t take any pleasure in it. They might have their differences, but when the Fallen had appeared, Ruman hadn’t hesitated to throw himself into danger to protect her. They needed to work together to fix this before more died. “The answer’s here, I can sense it, only I can’t see it.”

Despite what she’d said to Kelly, she wasn’t any closer to finding answers to killing the Fallen or keeping Ruman alive.

Chapter Thirty-one

“W
here did you say you found this?” Ruman moved behind the desk and sat, unable to tear his focus from the sheet. She hated the way her body tightened, remembering what that focused attention felt like when directed at her. When she caught her breath enough to get air to her brain, she shoved those tantalizing thoughts away for later where they belonged.

She angled her head to see what she’d missed. “On the back of the medallion. Something Henry said earlier sparked a memory. Oscar liked hiding places that were in plain sight. So I checked.”

His intensity gave flight to her failing hope. The answers that had lain oh so tantalizingly out of reach didn’t seem so impossible with him at her side. A couple of the team members silently filed into the room.

Ruman’s posture subtly relaxed, and he nodded to himself. “We have two things in our favor. We have the blade, and we have the medallion. He won’t gain full power without the key. So, although we have an advantage, he won’t be easily destroyed.”

“We figured that much out ourselves.” Kelly mumbled, massaging her throat. Seated on David’s lap, she tucked her head under his chin and snuggled closer. “So how do we rid ourselves of this thing?”

Ruman stared at the disk, but Caly could tell his focus had shifted. Part of her wished that this whole thing was over, that they could be alone, but the end of the battle meant Ruman would be taken from her whether they survived or not. The pain of that separation robbed her of breath.

When the silence lingered, Caly answered Kelly’s question, fighting to keep her tone even. “We’re still trying to figure that out.”

“But you’re working on a plan.” David rubbed Kelly’s back, but the worry written across his face for Kelly solidified Caly’s determination to finish this before anyone else got hurt. Even if it meant letting go of Ruman.

“We’re still working on that, too.” Caly lifted the creased wax paper from the desk, tugging it from Ruman’s hand when he didn’t loosen his hold. “The answers are here. Somewhere.”

“Who is he?” Kelly shifted her attention to Ruman. “I mean, does it matter which Fallen we fought? Do we care?”

Ruman scratched the back of his head and lowered his arm, favoring his ribs though he tried to hide it. “We don’t need to waste our time finding out his identity. The only answer we need is how to destroy him.”

The throbbing in Caly’s head picked up speed, aggravating the wound at the base of her skull. Ancient books were scattered across the room, and not a damn one of them proved helpful.

Ruman narrowed his eyes and stretched, plucking the page from her hand. “Place your dagger on the desk.”

“The symbols are similar but not identical.” She unsheathed the blade, noticing Ruman’s slight flinch.

David inched forward, craning his neck for a better view. “Can you read them?”

Ruman traced the designs of the disk but made no move to touch Carnwennan and feel its sharp bite. “There is no direct translation. When the medallions were awarded to the select few, they were shown how to use them, but sworn to secrecy to protect everyone involved. The language is ancient.”

“He’s not indestructible. I wounded him. That means he can die.” When Ruman faced her, his eyes betrayed him. He didn’t expect to survive. The beautiful future he built for them was all a lie. She wanted to deck him, yell out her rage for giving up on them without a fight after he convinced her to give them a chance.

“We just need to figure out how before he comes back.”

Ruman dropped his gaze, avoiding Caly’s too perceptive eyes and the emotions that begged him to shove her in some cave and away from danger.

The longer he lived with these mortals, the more complicated his life became. Caly tried his patience at every turn. He didn’t know how much longer he’d last without snapping and kissing her senseless until she admitted her feelings.

“You have an idea.”

“Maybe.” And many of them had to do with her body. But in order for him to have a lifetime to satisfy that craving, he needed to pull off a miracle. “Have you tested the medallion with your blade?”