Beast of Fire -- a Demon Hunting Sexy Romance (27 page)

“No,” she said, her lips thinned, lines of worry etched in her delicate features. “I . . . I don’t want to miss the shot and hurt anyone.”

He couldn’t imagine what it felt like to fear such a thing, to be afraid of setting the building you were standing in on fire. If they got through this, he would find a way to permanently fix the genetic code that caused this in her . Not if. When. Damn it, he had to think that way. If he didn’t, how would she?
 

“Two exits to medicina,” he told her softly, using the Spanish word for medicine in hope of a smile.
 

She rewarded him and gave him that smile, but barely. “Medicina?”

“Practicing my Texas vocabulary for the return to the ranch. Medicina. Ya’ll. Fixen.” He kissed her hand. “What slang word am I forgetting?”
 

She blinked. Blinked again. “We’re a long ways from Texas,” she whispered, and cut her gaze with a sharpness that spoke a million words. She wasn’t sure she was returning to the ranch, wasn’t sure she’d be free from the Guardians.
 

He slid a finger under her chin, drew her gaze to his. “We’ll be there in no time,” he vowed. “You and me. Under a Texas sky. Hot as Hades and loving every minute of it.”
 

She didn’t look convinced. Didn’t try to smile. “Okay,” she said, nothing more. Her fingers still rested on that mark on her arm, fear still lanced the irises of her eyes. She wasn’t going to relax until she had that injection, nor was she going to want to hear one word about hope.
 

Reluctantly, he accepted this and released her chin. They might be two stops from her "medicina," but she was much further from healing the wounds that her fire had created. Lucan had to find a way to take her home, to make her believe she had a real home, a place where she belonged, a place she was accepted. Because it was clear she’d never felt that – never once in her life. What must that be like? He didn’t know and he didn’t want her to know.
 

He couldn’t erase the past, but damn it, he was going to find Kresley the bright future she deserved. Which meant they had to find a way to free themselves from the Guardians. The Knights would help. He would simply have to find a way to convince them that he was worthy of their trust, starting with getting that ring, and protecting his brothers-in-arms.
 

First things first, though – the injection to calm Kresley’s immediate fears. And getting past whatever might be waiting for them at that apartment.

Chapter Nineteen

Making love to Lucan was the most amazing experience of her life. Probably not the most opportune thought to be having as Lucan and she walked the last block to her apartment but there it was. But when she’d tried to find something to focus on aside from the fears of not getting her shot in time, that’s what had come to her. Fear, she told herself, was illogical. After all, they were almost to the apartment, and she had hours left. It would work out. It would be fine. The syringes would be where she had left them. Please let the syringes be where she left them.
 

 
She glanced at Lucan from the corner of her eye. His focus was on scanning the area, alert with that predatory edge she was coming to know – both in and out of bed.
 

Lucan’s hand went to her arm, and he drew her to attention. “We’re going in through the front door.”

Was he nuts? “The wolves will see us.”

His expression didn’t change. It remained a mask of sexy, hard-edged determination. He reached for the phone hanging on his belt.
 

“Your neighbor found his wife with another man, and he has a gun.”

Her eyes went wide. “What?”
 

“That’s the story for 911,” he told her.
 

She quickly objected. “No. Lucan. That’s insane.” He punched 911. “Oh my God!”

He shoved the phone to her mouth right as the operator answered. The operator heard her exclamation and immediately started drilling Kresley with questions. Kresley grimaced and spouted off a rambling mess of nearly incoherent words about her neighbor. The operator promised help immediately, and Lucan appeared pleased with her performance.
 

She handed him the phone. “I really hated doing that.”

He replaced the phone on his belt, grabbed her, and started walking. “Let’s go,” he said.
 

“But the emergency people aren’t here yet,” she pointed out, as they crossed the street, and she was forced to double-step to keep up.
 

“Right. We want to be in the building before they seal it off.”

“Oh." Very smart. She hoped. Since they were already in front of the door. She punched in the code, and the door buzzed open. Lucan went before her up the narrow stairwell.
 

Ahead of her, he reached the top of the stairs and mumbled a curse. That pretty much told her she wasn’t going to like what she found when she joined him. Kresley’s heart raced as she stepped around Lucan on the landing and brought the door into view. It was cracked open.
 

“Stay here,” Lucan ordered, already cautiously inching toward the door.
 

Not happening. She was on his heels. He had no weapon. If ever there was a time that she was aware of her fire, she was living that time.
 

Lucan entered the apartment, and she quickly followed.
 

“Oh no,” she croaked, bringing the mess into view. Someone had tossed the place and in a big way. The couch was gutted, and what carpet she'd had was sliced from wall to wall. “What the heck were they looking for?”

Lucan snagged the sword laying on top the sofa, obviously used for the destruction, arming himself for a potential struggle. “My injections,” she said, rushing toward her bedroom.
 

“Not until I check it,” Lucan countered, quickly shackling her arm and halting her progress. And in the nick of time. Kresley’s mouth dropped open as Cullen appeared in the doorway.
 

“Cullen?” she gaped, but she had barely spoken the word when Lucan grabbed him, shoved him against the wall and swiped the blade through the air, holding it at his throat. His hat fell to the floor, his hair barely clasped at the neck – wild like his actions.
 

Fear and adrenaline shot through Kresley’s body, her racing heart, ready to explode through her chest. Was Lucan insane? They didn't know the exact powers that Cullen possessed with that ring. Oh God. Were the Guardians controlling him? Was he going to kill Cullen – or try?

She screamed. Not the best strategy, but the most readily available,, “Lucan! No! The ring! Be careful!”
 

Cullen’s eyes riveted to Kresley. “So you do know about the ring,” he said. It wasn’t a question

Lucan countered, “And we know your ring is no match for Kresley’s fire.”

Right. Good point. However, his fingers flexing on the hand wearing the ring seemed to be a sign he wasn’t buying it. More a sign he planned to attack. Another jolt of adrenaline darted through her body. She had to convince him she was the more powerful of the two of them, though she wasn’t one hundred percent sure it was true.
 

Calling on lightly practiced skill, praying it worked, she held out her hand and willed fire to appear. A ball materialized, floating above her palm. Oh thank you, yes, she did it!
 

She glared at Cullen, confidence growing, her warning proudly displayed in her hand. “Stop doing whatever you are doing with that ring.”

“No!” came a sudden exclamation as a dark-haired female appeared in the doorway of the bedroom and did a gaping double take of Kresley’s fire-filled hand. “Please! Everyone, please. We didn’t come here to hurt anyone. We found the apartment like this. We came to talk.” She looked at Lucan. “I am Tara, from the third Moon Coven, a member of a Peace Council of nonhumans who have recruited Cullen to aid our efforts against Adrian. We know you’re a Knight of White. And we know Adrian holds you captive. What you don’t know is that he’s using you to destroy both the wolves and the Knights of White.” The woman’s voice lowered. “Please. Adrian has my brother. He is going to kill him because I am here warning you. Do not make it for nothing. Do not give him what he wants.”

Kresley sucked in a breath, the woman’s emotions rushing over her like a hard blast of wind. “She’s telling the truth,” Kresley said to Lucan. “I believe Adrian has her brother.” And then to Tara, “Why? What does he want from you?”

Cullen reached up to touch the blade, speaking to Lucan. “For us to kill each other, the Wolf and the Knight of White, two of his most deadly enemies. Which you seem pretty damn determined to make happen.” His eyes met Lucan’s, and Kresley could barely breathe with the crackle of energy that shot off the two of them and bounced off every corner of the room.
 

“Killing demons is what I do,” Lucan said surely. “You’re a demon.”

“All Demons are not the same, Knight,” Cullen finally said. “Adrian has rallied a group of rebel wolves against me, those who are against humanity and who promise to follow him when he takes over humanity as its new leader.”

“What?” Kresley gasped. “As its new leader?”

“Which is why I am aiding the efforts to put together a council of nonhumans to fight him,” Tara said. “But we need the wolves and Knights involved.”

“Wolves,” Cullen said, “my wolves, do not kill humans. We live among humans, and have for centuries. We have stayed off the Knights’ radar because we are no threat. Adrian has you killing the very wolves he rallied together, because he wants me to believe the Knights are killing my pack.”

Tara gravely added, “ Adrian was adamant that I was to create distrust between the wolves and the Knights. And I was to do so by tonight.”
 

“Why tonight?” Kresley asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.

“Because I am meeting with your leader, Jag,” Cullen said solemnly.
 

“You are meeting with Jag?” Lucan asked, his voice as tight as a whip.

“Call him and confirm,” Cullen challenged. “Adrian is the enemy here, not I.”

Lucan slowly lowered his sword. “Go to the bedroom and get what we came for Kresley,” he said speaking to her but never taking his eyes off Cullen. Commotion sounded outside in the hall before she could move.
 

“It must be the police,” Kresley whispered.
 

“Police?” Tara asked urgently. “Why are the police here?”

“Not for us,” Kresley explained, not sure if she should. “Our neighbor. ...not for us.”
 

She cut Lucan a sideways look, and he responded to her unasked question. “We’ll take care of the police," He said. He’d barely issued the words when the door burst open, and it wasn’t a police officer who entered. It was a wolf, followed by another.
 

Kresley ran for the bedroom, her injections all she could think about. If she didn’t take a shot and soon, they would all be in trouble. But as she entered the bedroom, she found it as looted as the rest of the apartment, with the suitcases thrown everywhere. She had no hope of finding that injection without some time and effort, and a wolf was climbing in through the window.
 

She itched to use her fire but didn’t want the tenants in the building to be in danger. The space was too small, flames too easily spread. Surely, Cullen would have the same issue. The hilt of one of the swords stuck out beneath the bed and she started to reach for it.
 

The wolf was over the top of the bed before she got a good grip. Forced to act, Kresley threw a small, hard fireball at him, aiming at the chest and praying for a direct hit. He yelped, a gun clamoring to the ground. Tara appeared out of nowhere – as in one minute she’d been in the living room, the next picking up the gun. She shot the wolf and some sort of dart hit him. He stumbled. Another wolf came at the window. Tara fired off the remaining darts and the would-be-attacker fell backward, outside the window and onto the fire escape.

Kresley stood there, stunned, mind racing. Tara grabbed her arm. “Come on. We have to get out of here.“

“No,” Kresley said. “I’m staying. You go. Call Jag. Tell him what’s happening.” She squeezed the other woman’s arm. “And Tara. Tell him I have not had my injection. That’s very important. Please. Lives depend on you telling him that. You must reach him.”
 

Tara hesitated but agreed, heading toward the window. She paused, “Be careful.” And then she was gone.

Kresley turned toward the living room, her fire her only weapon. She didn’t allow herself to look a the clock. She didn’t want to know how much longer it would be before her weapon became a death sentence for anyone and everyone near her.
 

A problem that quickly became second to the one coming through the window. More wolves.
 
And one of them was Nick.
 

***

Three large wolves in human form faced off with Lucan and Cullen in a living room so small they might as well have been slow dancing. All three held guns, and since Lucan had seen his share of weapons in three centuries, he placed them as tranqs. They wanted to put them to sleep not kill them, at least not yet, not until they had the ring. He didn’t die easy or he’d be dead already and he damn sure didn’t like going to sleep. He wasn’t comforted. And he wasn’t liking the idea of one of those thing landing somewhere on Kresley’s delicate frame. If they were dosed for wolves, it might kill her. He prayed she was out the window and throwing caution to the wind by calling Jag for help. Because he was trapped
 
like a subway rat with the train already overhead, with nothing he could do to aid her. There was no room to swing a blade and no place to go. He wasn’t putting his sword down without a fight and he Cullen had that ring everyone thought to be so deadly. He’d sure like to see some of that deadly right about now.