The Devil You Know (23 page)

Fera turned blazing eyes on Melcus. “So it seems the only true question is: Do we do things quick?” She grinned, showing sharp teeth. “
Or slow?
”

Face set, Melcus ignored Ramus’s screams and said flatly, “Do as you will. I have nothing to speak of.”

“I’d hoped you’d say that.” She gestured again, and his rope dropped, causing his toes to graze the water.

Melcus tried to lift his legs. Bound too tightly, he managed to lift them only inches. An iridescent red fish jumped up, its razor-sharp teeth barely missing his skin before it fell back into the water with a splash. Again, he searched the vampires’ faces for a friendly one, noticing for the first time that two were women. But all wore the same dispassionate mask. If his ally was there, he would not risk himself.

They lowered the demons, inch by inch. Under his breath, he prayed to his god.

The water was still below Melcus’s calves when Ramus awakened to see everything below his waist was gone. Not long after, Ramus’s rope broke under a hungry fish’s teeth and he sank, gurgling as water filled his screaming mouth.

Melcus was stronger and more determined than any had thought. It took until he was submerged to his knees, all below the stubs of his thighs missing, before he finally cried, “Mercy, mercy. What must I tell you?” Broken, he sobbed like a baby as they pulled what was left of him from the water.

Soon after, his tears were all gone as Fera kept her word and gave him a quick death. Just before she swung the blade that took his head, she leaned down, whispering her final message into his ear. “I pray that on its way back to Hell your soul will take this to your master. Tell him…we value greatly what he thinks so little of destroying. We will not be so kind to those who come after.”

Then the blade fell, and his eyes went dark, his death one even a demon could not recover from. No one noticed the silver-haired woman who watched quietly, listening from the shadows. She turned away and left before the very end, not waiting to see the demon’s remains thrown back in the water, having already heard everything she needed. Kathryn’s guard, Marco, followed silently after, his mind on the traitor the captured demon had said resided within their midst. Kathryn’s mind was on a different traitor, one she had thought long gone. She doubted the dead demon’s soul would deliver the Fae’s message. But it mattered little.

She would make sure The Betrayer heard every word loud and clear from her own lips.

Chapter Thirteen

“Hi kids, today we’ll be counting ducks with Jimmy the werewolf. Let’s count. One…Two…Three…Fo—” “Cut! Cut! Bleep, we’ve lost another one. Someone get that kid a steak! He keeps eating all our mother-bleeping ducks.”

—Behind the scenes at
Super-Me St.
, brought to you by The SKids Channel, the channel for all of your extra special little darlings

Day Twelve

I swung the front door open, looking with bleary eyes at the not-so-bright woman who had been seconds before trying to tear down the
unlocked
entrance
.
I blinked at her with one eye while rubbing the other. I was still a little groggy from the sleep spell Nana had used on me the night before.

“Seriously, lady,” I groused, “you wanna try that intro again, minus the knuckles?”

The only reply I got was a rumbling growl, the flash of sharp white teeth, and a flying fist. Eyes widening, I sidestepped. Too slow, the fist connected. Something popped, shooting sharp pain through my head.

I was suddenly very much awake.

“Bloody hell!” I grabbed for my broken nose, blood pouring down my face. Before I could slam the door, the stranger rushed forward, slamming my upper chest with a powerful open palm. I hit the foyer table. Its edges dug painfully into my spine. The heavy wood groaned, scraping as it slid backward. I reached behind me for the vase that was always there, planning to return the favor and smack the stranger’s schnauzer. But it was gone.

Snarling, the stranger cocked her fist back. I had just enough time to note her spiky, orange and black hair and similarly colored eyes. Then I grabbed the sides of the table and flipped backward, lying across the cool flat wood until my head hung over its far side, sweeping my loose black hair between the table legs. My feet swung up, knees rising to my abs, and I kicked, catching the woman in the chest, propelling her back. I rolled off the table and backed toward the kitchen, my nose dripping blood onto the floor. I inhaled painfully, caught an all-to-familiar musky scent, and warily watched my attacker’s quick recovery.

“Who the hell are you?” I asked, voice nasal as my nose swelled. I already had a good idea of the
what
, if not the
why
.

“Like you don’t know, hussy,” she growled, a deep rumbling sound that resonated through the entire hall. Her teeth snapped, spittle flying from her lips. Bones moved under her face, broadening the forehead and elongating the jaw.
A Were.
One awfully close to blowing her top in my hallway. A few seconds more and she would be too far gone to stop. Great, sometimes I really hated being right.

“Where is he, that rat bastard? Where is my fiancé?” She stormed toward me. “This house
reeks
of him!” she screeched.

“Fiancé?” Doing a double take, I moved backward down the hall, bare feet sliding on the cool hardwood. Nearly tripping on my pants, I hitched them up with one hand. Having awakened beside Jacq as bare-assed as the day I was born, I’d jumped out of bed and quickly yanked on the clothes lying on the chair beside the bed, hurrying downstairs before whoever was at the door could wake our sleeping guests. Unfortunately the clothes were my much taller lover’s and were of a mind to come sliding down my legs at any moment.

“Yes,
fiancé
,” she seethed, stalking me, murderous intent in her eyes. “Now where is he?”

Two feet from the kitchen entryway, I said, “Look, Cujo, you’ll have to be more specific. I have quite a few men underfoot these days. I suggest you tell me who you are…pronto.” Despite my fire’s nearness, I called the earth to me, letting the green magic pool in my palms. It was deliciously easy thanks to last night’s family-fun healing session. Awkward was not the word. But if it meant I was strong enough to keep others from beating the snot out of me, I’d let my grannies catch me in the shower with a naked woman on a regular basis.

The woman charged and I ducked into the kitchen. She missed the turn and skidded past. I stopped just inside the doorway and we both spun to face the other. “And why is that?” she asked, her voice unusually deep and slow. “Why shouldn’t I beat the shit out of you…” Sharp claws extended from each of her fingertips. “…then tell you my name?” The hair on her limbs began to darken and thicken. I could feel her hot breath on my face.

“Simple.” I tilted my head back. The woman was growing taller with each second. “You tell me why you’re here and my girlfriend there might not fry your ass.” I pointed past her shoulder.

The woman’s orange and black head whipped around, and I let go of my pants, swinging my fist with all the speed and force I could, covering it at the last moment with the green earth magic—more to keep my fingers from breaking against her steel-like jaw than for extra force (though that was an exceedingly pleasant added benefit).

My left hook connected, snapping the woman’s head up and to the right. She crumpled like yesterday’s news at the bottom of a cockatoo’s cage. I shook my sore hand, pulled up my pants, and glared at her.

She wasn’t dead. She didn’t even have the decency to be unconscious. But the shocking blow had stopped her shift and temporarily dissolved her anger. She looked up at me with confused eyes then turned to the stairs, surprised to see my bluff was anything but.

I didn’t need to look to confirm it but did. Sure enough, Jacq was there, watching with amusement, a ball of silver magic in hand, ready to intervene if need be. Her expression smug, Jacq released the magic and crossed her arms. I could almost hear her taunting,
You called me your girlfriend
, and grimaced. She was never going to let me live that down. I could only be thankful that Mynx and Fera were not about.

Turning my attention back to our guest, I stood over her prone body. “So, like I was saying, you want to try that again?” Annoyed and smarting from my swelling nose and the bruises forming across my lower back, I let the fires of Hell burn in my eyes while green magic crawled like vines up my arms.

There was no question of what her answer would be.

Before the woman could say a word, Cassie rushed down the stairs. Hair mussed, wearing only a large pale-blue T and white shorts, she looked barely awake—until I saw her frightened eyes. She rushed past Jacq, nearly knocking her down, and grabbed my arm frantically.

“Cate, where are the children?”

I opened my mouth to reply, but the woman on the floor butted in, snarling, “Is this a fucking hotel? Never mind, forget her. Where’s my bastard of a two-timing fiancé?”

Red hazed my sight and a scorching flood of anger surged up from within me. I looked down but saw only a swath of crimson. Something dark and powerful swirled within me. Was it my demon-half or something else brought on by the past few days of stress?

At the moment, I didn’t care.

“Shut up!” My kick to her ribs was swift. The woman grunted and I nearly yelped as pain shot through my bare toes. Cassie gasped in surprise. Jacq, as confused as I by my uncharacteristic violence, remained silent. I sensed that she held herself back with difficulty, but I couldn’t hear her thoughts. The voices inside my head were too loud.
Insufferable Beast-Kin. Invade my house. Attack me in my territory. Lay claim to what is mine.
The unexpected thoughts threw me but I continued on, my anger too strong to make sense of it at the moment.

“Profanity isn’t allowed in this house and neither is shifting, especially with kids running around.” I spat the words, fire buzzing under my skin, begging for its release. “What if Cassie’s boys had gotten in your way of getting to me? Would your beast have simply stepped around them?” At my question, Cassie trembled and the woman on the floor blanched. “That’s your first and only warning. Next time, I’ll kill you and save myself further trouble.”

There was a moment of loud silence as my threat echoed about then faded.

“Do you understand?” I whispered. The power infusing the question made the soft words sound loud in our ears. I met the downed woman’s eyes. She saw the resolve in mine. Her gaze grew wary. Magic crackled in the small space. We four held our breaths, waiting for her answer.

Finally, she took a shallow breath and gave me a small nod. “I’ll be more respectful, but I’m not leaving without what I came for.”

My anger receded. I nodded in return, accepting the unspoken apology, never looking from the woman’s eyes. “I wouldn’t expect you to.” I reined in my magic, pushing my fire and the dark power away, and felt my hair, which had been floating, settle against my back.

Eyeing me warily, Cassie cleared her throat and repeated her question almost gently. “Cate, have you seen Alex and Car?”

I didn’t blame her for her wariness. I had scared even myself. “No.” I shook my head. “But they couldn’t have gone far with the wards u—” I slapped my forehead. “I forgot. Nana said something last night about taking the wards down at sunrise for some quick repairs. Obviously, she has or this one,” I pointed at the stranger, “would have never gotten past the barrier. The kids could be anywhere.”

Cassie turned away, panic in her eyes.

“Wait.” I grabbed her arm. “Let me sense them.”

She shook her head. “I tried. They must have their binding bracelets on.”

I nodded, understanding. The bracelets would block our ability to do any sort of simple search. We could scry for them, but that would only give us their general location, which we already knew. “We need to split up and take sections,” I said.

“Or…” Jacq approached until she loomed over the woman who still lay at our feet, listening with a too blank expression. “We could go straight to them.”

Surprised, Cassie and I looked to Jacq, who said to the woman lying on the floor, “We could use some assistance, and you could stand to make a better impression.”

The woman looked momentarily confused. Then she smiled. “The name’s Betz. And I’m a tiger, not a bloodhound.” Her expression became thoughtful. “Still, I could be persuaded to help you…but it’s going to cost you more than your goodwill.” She sniffed, looking from woman to woman. “Are they about this high,” she held her hand a few feet above the ground, “and dark-haired?”

Growing suspicious, I nodded.

Betz’s smile widened. “I saw them on my way in. I’ll trade you one reluctant suitor and the location of the nearest Justice of the Peace for your two missing brats.” She held her hand up for assistance. When no one took it, her body bowed upward, and she came to her feet with a smooth leap. Cassie and I took a cautious step back. Jacq didn’t move.

Betz’s smile slipped. “But I make no guarantees that they’ll be in one piece when we find them. When I saw the two, they were obviously looking for adventure. And with ones so young, that usually means trouble.”

I started to correct her but didn’t bother. She would find out soon enough that there was no age limit when it came to looking for trouble. In fact, in my experience, the older one was, the deeper they could dig that grave.

* * *

Van had all night (or at least the hours when not in a healing sleep) to consider what he must do. In a room fittingly dedicated to children, he had spent those long lonely hours staring at the man he could have become, the one that was even now sleeping his life away. He did not know the Were Tiger’s name but had been told enough to know that the chances of the Were ever awaking were minimal.

Van had stared and thought…and thought some more. And as the sun had risen, bringing the first light into his makeshift infirmary, he had come to a decision…and a very painful realization. He was to blame, if only partially, for the situation he and his aunt found themselves in. And that knowledge hurt his heart more than the arrow he had so recently burned from his back.