Deadly Attraction (18 page)

He smiled suddenly, as though a memory came unexpectedly to
him. “Marianne was a gracious hostess and she made the most incredible dishes.”

“Beef stroganoff,” they said at the same time.

“It was her specialty,” Jade added, her voice cracking.
Tears burned her eyes at thoughts of her mother humming softly as she cooked
while Jade set the table.

“Well.” Morgan’s gaze dropped to her necklace for a brief
moment, then he added, “Both the king and I were deeply affected by their
deaths. I hunted the shifters myself and…” He shook his head, a disturbed look
crossing his face.

“And what?” she asked as she studied the general. He truly
did seem upset by the tragedy. Even fifteen years later.

He pulled in a long breath, then let it out slowly. “They
were renegades, but I didn’t bring them to the castle to stand trial. I knew
first-hand what they’d done. I hadn’t been able to get to your parents before
it was too late, but I couldn’t allow the murders to go unpunished. I had to
avenge Liam and Marianne myself.”

She gasped. “You’re the one who pursued the shifters.” She’d
seen it all from her hiding spot in the woods. “You were cloaked—I never saw
your face. But you went after the wolves with such fury.”

“Yes.” He swallowed hard. “I was enraged. My vengeance
likely would have been worse if I’d had known you’d witnessed the whole thing.
The king told me later.”

Her legs trembled and he reached a hand out to steady her.

“I never knew what happened to the shifters,” she said. “I
know I should say they had the right to stand trial, but I can’t bring myself
to consider that option. Knowing you dealt with them and exacted retribution
for my family…” She fought back a wave of emotion and tried to control the
tears threatening her eyes. “That means a lot to me.”

“They were good people, Jade. They didn’t deserve their
fate.”

“I know.” She had to tamp down more of the stinging
sensations rising within her. “Tell me something. Why did you stop coming to
the cottage after I was born?”

He grimaced. “How would your parents explain to a young girl
that a demon was coming for dinner? The very demons that waged a war against
your kind?”

“But it would have explained so much. My mother always
seemed so torn between hating your species and yet finding some sort of
compassion for them. She was the one to first teach me that humans can be just
as destructive. Lisette’s books confirmed my mother’s notions.”

“Marianne saw things from a very objective viewpoint. I
always admired that about her. In the end, however, she was only partially
right. Not all demons are evil. But Jade… Many of them are.”

With that, he turned once more on his booted heels and
marched out of her house.

He’d left her with a clear warning—not to get too
comfortable because she’d had interactions with a few demons who didn’t want to
kill her. How many more were there that did?

She left the room with a foreboding weight in the pit of her
stomach. She tossed the last of the logs from the stack Darien had first
supplied onto the two fires blazing in her house. His timing was uncanny. She’d
been resigned to shoveling for ground debris again in the morning. Yet he’d
obviously known her supply had reached the dwindling point and had sent Morgan.

And that bed he’d had made for her… She laughed out loud,
despite her melancholy. The fact it was three times the size of her old one
aside, she loved it. Yes, the accommodations would likely feel lonely since
she’d be sleeping by herself. But when she wandered back into her room and
gazed at the bed, all she could really think about was how beautiful and inviting
it appeared. So rich and sensuous.

There was no denying she’d prefer to indulge in the thick
covers and satiny sheets with Darien, but she continued to be realistic about
their predicament.

In fact, her relationship with him wasn’t what sprang to mind
when she changed into her nightgown and slipped between the covers. Instead,
her thoughts were centered on Morgan and the things he’d said. She hadn’t known
his involvement with her family, nor had she known of his revenge on the
shifters who’d slaughtered her parents.

One thing that did resonate within her, however, was the
comprehension that her mother had been right. Though the human-demon good
versus evil equation was a complex and nearly impossible one to solve, she
could at least grasp her mother’s sentiment now, for her parents had had
exposure to a demon not hell-bent on destroying them.

Jade herself had met a demon who lived in constant conflict
because he had executed deadly orders against the humans—a movement he hadn’t
been in full agreement with. All this time, the humans had felt as though they
were the only ones to suffer. That clearly was not the case.

Yet Morgan’s warning did not go ignored. As she reveled in
the lavishness of her new bedding, she wondered if perhaps she really had become
too comfortable with the other world she’d gotten a good glimpse at. Her father
had apparently maintained a balance between being a liaison to the kingdom,
with Morgan, and being the leader of the village. Peace had prevailed and
deadly incidences had been kept to a minimum, with the exception of the obvious
ones.

Jade couldn’t help but draw a parallelism. She’d
inadvertently built a bridge between herself and the kingdom. She had the king’s
ear and his general’s sympathy. She also had the trust and respect of the
villagers. The slayers, even.

Now it was time to look beyond her complacent lot in life. Once
again she pondered the questions she simply could not escape. Was she meant to
carry on in her father’s stead? Was she meant to be the true leader of Ryleigh?

She had no idea what Tanner and Walker would say if she
opted to step into this role. Except that they too seemed to look to her at
times to be the one to placate the villagers or to demand explanations needed
in order to reconcile an issue. The slayers hadn’t batted an eye when it came
to escorting her to and from the village. As though they felt it was a dutiful
thing to do. A respectful thing to do.

And Tanner had given her a sword to protect herself against
the fire wraith.

As sleep encroached, Jade had one last thought. While she
diligently participated in politics, she had let one important talent slide. It
was time she brushed up on her fighting skills.

* * * * *

“You want me to do
what
?” Tanner stared at her,
disbelief stamped across his face.

Jade sighed with exasperation. “Teach me to fight, Tanner.”

“You already know how to fight. I wouldn’t have given you a
sword if you didn’t.”

“A weapon I’ve unsheathed just once since you gave it to me
in October. And for the record, I haven’t had any lessons or practice since my
father died. That was fifteen years ago.”

He rubbed his forehead as though she gave him an instant
headache. They stood in a snowy patch in a good-sized clearing along the south
woods, not far from where Jinx was buried.

“What’s this sudden interest all about, Jade? The fire
wraith is long gone. Even the general doubts he’s a threat to the village. The
assassination attempt failed. It’s been peaceful around here for over a month.”

“I know. But I still think I should have a refresher course.
I have a sword—I need to be able to use it appropriately.”

“Well,” he said, instantly conceding, “I can’t disagree with
that. You live in the north woods by the demon border, all by yourself. In
fact, this is probably a very good idea. Except…I don’t want you to get hurt.”

She snorted. “I fought with my father, Tanner. I think I can
handle it.” Sure, she’d suffered some cuts and bruises. But she felt she was
strong enough physically to take on the slayer, who was lean-muscled and about
her height.

Without warning, he unsheathed his sword and took a swipe at
her, at a distance so as to not make contact with her. But her delayed response
was enough to prove he could have significantly injured her if he’d wanted to.

He engaged again, with the same result.

She sighed.

He shook his head.

“You’re too slow, Jade. You think too much. You don’t let
your instinct guide you.”

“Where do we start?”

“With your footwork. But keep your sword in your hand so you
get used to the weight. Then we’ll do some exercises to build more muscle tone
and help with your agility.”

They agreed to meet three days a week, at varying intervals,
when Tanner wasn’t on patrol. In addition to the workouts, they discussed
human-demon politics. Tanner admitted to not enjoying that part of his charge,
which intrigued Jade and gave her even more to think about when it came to her
station within the village.

At her cottage, she practiced what he taught her. Between
the physical exertion, the political debates and her nights at the tavern, she
slept more soundly than she had since her parents had passed.

Visions of Darien offered her company but also taunted her
with a union that could never be. Still, his mission to maintain peace became
her own, as did the desire to help her friends and neighbors feel secure when
they lived in such close proximity to potential danger.

If other demons like the fire wraith continued to rise up
and one of them actually did accomplish an assassination, everything would
change. The humans would be at the demons’ mercy again. She worried about that
constantly and wondered how best to prepare for such a scenario. If it was even
possible to prepare for something so insidious…

Jade’s birthday fell on the first Sunday in December. Though
she didn’t celebrate, she wasn’t surprised by the knock on her door that night.

Opening it, she let out a soft laugh. “I simply cannot
convince you to ignore this date.”

Michael smiled. “I didn’t bring a gift. Just a bottle of
wine.” She stepped aside, but something caught his attention and his friendly
grin faded. “What is that?” he asked as he brushed aside the material of her
sweater at her throat, where the top button was undone.

Jade flinched. Michael’s eyes popped. “Jesus Christ,” he
said. “Those are
diamonds
!” Not a common stone for a villager to
possess.

Closing the door behind them, Jade said, “Please don’t make
a big deal out of this.”

“Really?” He huffed as he set the bottle of merlot on an end
table. Her sword occupied the coffee table. She left it out of its protective
casing, ready for use if needed. His gaze landed on it, and Michael raked a
hand through his hair. “What is going on with you?”

With a dramatic sigh, she said, “Nothing. Tanner gave me the
sword.”

He spied an object under the chair in the corner and knelt
to retrieve it. Holding up half of a tapered candle, he sneered at her. “And
you’ve been practicing with it.”

“That’s where that went.” She’d accidentally lopped off the
top of the candle in its holder when she’d lost her balance the other day.

Standing, he handed her the remnant and then crossed his
arms over his chest. “And what about the necklace? I’m pretty sure Tanner
didn’t give
that
to you.”

“No, of course not.” She dropped the candle in the box from
the wax maker’s shop.

Turning back to Michael, she found him awaiting her
response, crooked brow and all.

“It’s just a necklace,” she said, in hopes of making light
of the situation. She’d been wearing the piece of jewelry most of the day and
hadn’t thought to remove it when she’d opened the door to find Michael standing
on her patio.

“That is not
just
a necklace. And no human we know
could afford one that ostentatious. Not even a Delfino.”

Frustration tinged her voice as she told him, “You know
where it came from. Now let it go.”

“Jade.” He stared at her with an incredulous look on his
handsome face. “Seriously? You and the Demon King?” He said it exactly as she
had at the meeting hall when she’d challenged the explanation of Jinx’s
death—and had found it inconceivable he’d struck up an amiable association with
a vampire.

“It’s not what you think.”

His sharp laugh filled the small cottage. Unfolding his arms
and raising them in the air, he asked, “What else could it be? You disappear
into the castle for several nights and then I see something strange in your
eyes, as though you have this huge secret you’re enjoying keeping to yourself,
and now you’re wearing a necklace that probably costs more than our entire
village and everything in it.”

“Get over it, Michael. The necklace is only a temporary
gift.”

This took him aback. “How so?”

“Because my life is only temporary. He’ll come back for this
someday.”

Michael’s dark-brown gaze turned shrouded with emotions she
couldn’t read. “What kind of sick and twisted game is this?”

“It’s no game. It’s a human reality.”

He stared at her for endless seconds, clearly stunned and
befuddled. Then he finally asked, “Is he in love with you?”

“I don’t know.” She turned away. If he were, that would
delight her. If he weren’t, that would be a relief. Her life of contradictions
continued.

“Are
you
in love with
him
?” Michael demanded
in a low voice.

Her teeth caught her bottom lip before she carelessly
blurted anything out. Rather, she wanted to think about her answer. His
questions weren’t ones she’d posed to herself out of respect for her own
sanity. And because it was futile to ponder the possibilities. Why waste so
much mental energy on debating a moot point?

Facing Michael, she said, “I can’t define the relationship.
I haven’t even seen him in weeks. He refuses to come back to the village because
he thinks he’ll put me in danger.”

“So why give you the necklace? To remind you that you belong
to him now, despite the fact you can’t be together? Isn’t that…cruel, Jade?”