Authors: Calista Fox
He opened his mouth and a fireball shot out, but she’d been
expecting it this time and skillfully dodged the fiery orb. It exploded as it
connected with the tree next to her and the limbs burst into flames.
Jade kept her focus on the wraith. She received hit after
hit against her blade but managed to deliver a few herself. Yet her strength
waned. And the heat emitted from the wraith made her burn from the inside out.
Perspiration dotted her hairline. Her heart thundered. Her pulse hammered in
her head. The ache in her fingers from gripping the hilt so tightly flowed into
her wrists and radiated throughout her body. But she didn’t give up.
She caught Michael in her peripheral vision as he tried to
assess the situation and seemingly find the best move to make in order to
distract the wraith so she could better attack him.
“Michael, no!” she yelled, wanting to keep him out of harm’s
way.
He didn’t have the opportunity to help her. The roar of the
king’s army suddenly echoed all around them.
Jade spared a quick glance to the north and saw at least
five hundred of the king’s men charge toward the field. She knew he must have
dispatched similar numbers to encircle the perimeter.
In the distance, she also heard what she believed to be
Morgan’s patrol.
A sense of relief and renewed energy vibrated within her and
she found the drive to put more power behind her swings as she continued to
challenge the fire wraith. His attention was clearly divided, otherwise she
likely wouldn’t have lasted as long as she did with him. Knowing this, she took
advantage of the diversion when Morgan’s group descended upon the wraith’s army
from behind.
She swiped at the ghost’s midsection. He let out a near
ear-piercing screech that sent her reeling backward. Jade stumbled, tripping
over a tree stump buried in the snow. She fell on her ass again but kept hold
of her sword. The screeching wraith pitched forward, his blade slicing the air,
targeting her. With the agility she’d gained from her work with Tanner, she
rolled away, unscathed.
“Jade!” Darien called out.
She could see his and Morgan’s men quickly reduce the
wraith’s army. Only a few stood, and those rogue demons charged Tanner and
Michael.
Jade scrambled to her feet and raced toward her friend as a
shapeshifting wolf lunged at Michael.
“Stab him any place you can!” she implored.
Michael was keen enough to raise his blade and penetrate the
wolf’s chest. The animal landed on the ground and thrashed in pain in the snow,
howling loudly.
Jade tore her gaze from that scene to check on the wraith.
Darien took him on once more, so she raced toward Michael. The animal was just
getting to its feet when Morgan appeared and slammed his own body into the
wolf’s. They grappled in the crimson-stained snow for mere minutes before
Morgan had the shifter on its back. A heartbeat later, his fingers gripped the
beast’s throat and he tore the flesh.
Michael turned away in apparent disgust as blood spewed in
all directions. Jade sighed with relief.
“Thank you,” she said to Morgan, her breath coming in heavy
pulls. “I wasn’t looking forward to doing that.”
He nodded at her. “But you would have anyway.”
“Yes.”
Another shrill screech from the fire wraith made her whirl
around. Darien ran the ghost through with his sword and it vanished, its cloak
dropping to the ground.
Still heaving, she asked, “Can you kill something that’s
already dead?”
Darien glared at her, causing a foreboding sensation to
slither down her spine. “If you know where to strike.”
He stalked toward her, lifted a hand and brushed his fingers
over her cheek.
“I’m glad you’re okay,” he said, his voice tight. Then he
stormed off and addressed his victorious men. “Five of you pile the bodies and
burn them. The rest of you, follow me.”
There were other factions to conquer.
Morgan said, “He told you to stay in the village.”
Turning back to the general, she explained in her defense,
“The wraith had arrived before his men. What were we to do? Sit and wait? Let
them prey upon us without even fighting?”
Morgan’s jaw worked vigorously for a moment, then he said,
“Don’t go to the castle, Jade. He’s not going to be in any mood to receive
you.”
Her heart constricted at the dire expression on the
general’s stony features. “Ever?”
He did an abrupt about-face and marched off.
Jade’s breath was still labored from exertion, but also from
the emotional pain that suddenly lanced through her.
Damn it. She’d defied him yet again…
Chapter Fifteen
Jade delivered Michael safely to his house.
She said, “That’ll be the one and only time you accompany
me—or Tanner—on such a dangerous excursion.”
“Hey, I did everything you told me to do,” he insisted, his
expression a strong and determined one, sparking more admiration for him on
Jade’s part.
She couldn’t dispute his ability to follow orders—or react
quickly enough to save his own life. Because of her concern for his well-being,
however, she reiterated, “Only once, Michael.”
Riding off with a heavy heart over the entire convoluted
evening, she thought of how her friend had abided her direction and how
she
hadn’t done the same when it came to Darien’s instructions—and the promise
she’d made to him. Yet she still felt justified with her intention to keep
demons away from the village.
Unfortunately, a tremendous amount of guilt plagued her
because—as Michael had pointed out—he’d done what she’d asked and had managed
to stay out of harm’s way, for the most part. Jade could not say the same when
it came to her and Darien.
She could further concede that she’d been terrified
something would happen to Michael—and Darien had to feel the same way about
her.
Therefore, she could understand how incensed the king was at
this point.
Jade had no doubt the alliance had swiftly put an end to the
rebellion, yet her stomach plummeted further when she noticed a lone figure
sitting on the bench outside her cottage.
She slipped from the horse’s back. After patting his neck
and collecting her thoughts, she walked over to the patio.
Settling next to Sheena, she asked the vampire, “Been here
long?”
“Yes.” Sheena swept back strands of long, dark-auburn hair
and then stared at Jade with piercing green eyes. “You were supposed to stay
within the village. I came to keep you company, but you clearly had other
plans.”
Jade shook her head in astonishment. “What exactly is the
range of your hearing?”
Ignoring the query, Sheena said, “I’ve been waiting for you
since the sun set. And when you didn’t return to your home, I knew precisely
where you were.”
She sighed. “I can’t seem to help myself. No matter how hard
I try to do what I’m told, I constantly find myself in a bad position.”
“Yes, well, I suspect you don’t help matters,” the vampire
snapped. “I get the feeling you thrive on sticking your nose where it doesn’t
belong.”
Jade’s teeth bit into her bottom lip but for a moment. She
couldn’t hold back what she had to say on the matter. “Has it occurred to you I
don’t wander into these messes, but that I’m somehow thrust into them? I don’t
seek out trouble, Sheena. And as a matter of public record, I’m now one of the
few who are supposed to counteract these hazards.”
Sheena crossed her arms over her chest, looking indignant.
“You act impulsively, Jade. And look where it’s gotten you.”
Jade stood. Facing her friend, she said, “I’m not injured. I
didn’t do anything impulsively. I put a great deal of thought into my actions
this evening in order to stall the fire wraith. In order to keep Tanner,
Michael and I safe. In order to keep demons at bay until Darien and Morgan
arrived. I didn’t do anything careless or premeditated,” she insisted.
Continuing, Jade told her, “Tanner came for me when the
wraith’s army began to materialize. I couldn’t let them penetrate the
woods—that was well established between the slayers and the king. So instead of
becoming a sitting duck, I took a stand. I won’t defend that anymore, Sheena.
I
did what I had to do
. Plain and simple.”
The vampire stewed. Jade permitted her to do so.
Then Sheena got to her feet and demanded, “What about the
king?”
Jade had no idea what to say on that subject, other than,
“I’ll deal with him when he cools down.”
Spearing her with a sharp look, Sheena said, “There might
not be anything with which to deal. And I wouldn’t expect him to cool down
anytime soon. You constantly negate his good intentions when it comes to you. I
understand you’ve basically raised yourself and find it difficult to answer to
someone else. But Jade, there’s one thing you continually forget—you’re not in
this alone.
Not anymore
.”
She pushed past Jade and, in a blink of an eye, disappeared
into the dark night.
* * * * *
Morgan delivered news to Jade a few hours later.
“We’ve annihilated the entire rogue army,” he told her. “I
can’t guarantee there aren’t other renegades out there. My guess is there are.
But nothing like what we’ve just encountered. And I can’t imagine them rising
up anytime soon. They won’t have the numbers to band with and they certainly
won’t be inclined to take on the alliance following such a swift victory over
those who moved close to Ryleigh, considering it a weak link.”
“We’re not a weak link,” she said adamantly. “Tanner and I
are determined to keep the peace, whether or not the king still accepts me as
his ambassador.”
Morgan, who stood outside her front door, stepped away and
asked, “Will you come out on the patio for a moment?”
She had no idea what he was up to, but she trusted him. As
her father had. She followed him outdoors and found the two horned demons who’d
stood by her, Tanner and Michael during the invasion.
The one who’d taken the lead on the battlefield moved
forward. He extended his hand and said, “I’m Rafe.”
“And I’m Landford,” the other demon said.
She shook both hands.
Rafe said, “You were impressive earlier. You knew the fire
wraith’s army intended to attack us, not wait for the king’s men. That’s good
instinct. And you fight valiantly.”
“I’ve had excellent instructors.”
Landford said, “You’re not just trained, Jade. You have a
gift. We’ll stand by you and fight with you anytime.”
“As will I,” Morgan told her.
She felt oddly choked up but managed to say, “I appreciate
that, from all of you.”
“Well.” The general gave her a smile meant to comfort her,
she suspected. And that did not bode well for her hopes of a reconciliation
with Darien. In Morgan’s eyes, she saw doubt the Demon King would come around
and forgive her this final time. “We’ll be on our way now. Rafe and Landford
will continue to patrol on our side of the border, as a precautionary measure.”
“Tanner and I will agree upon shifts too,” she said, her
voice reflecting her dismay. She couldn’t hide her pain over betraying Darien
and losing his confidence in her—perhaps even his love.
“Be careful,” Morgan told her.
“We will.”
Jade walked back inside the cottage, securing the door
behind her, since she didn’t anticipate any other visitors. Least of all
Darien.
She stood in the doorway of her bedroom, her shoulder
propped against the frame and her arms crossed over her chest. She stared at
the enormous bed that took up a good portion of the room. It was her favorite
piece of furniture in the cottage, for many reasons. Darien had given it to her
and they’d shared several beautiful nights underneath those sensuous covers.
Pushing away from the doorframe, she strolled over to the
bed and ran her hand over the satin sheets and the soft, suede duvet. In her
mind’s eye, it was easy to conjure images of her and Darien making love. Their
limbs entwined, their bodies joined, their lips and tongues twisting and
teasing.
As her palm continued to sweep over the fabric, her gaze
fell to her hand. She stopped stroking the duvet and removed Darien’s ring. A
wave of emotion washed over her as she placed it on the mantle of the
fireplace. Then she left the room.
Curling up on the sofa in the living room with a throw that
matched the ice-blue drapes in color and was made of warm chenille, she rested
her head on a pillow and closed her eyes. The consternation she felt over
angering Darien and the tension and fear she’d experienced most of the night
mixed with the physical fatigue from battling the fire wraith. Exhaustion
consumed her, which she decided was a welcomed sensation. She was too tired to
think, too tired to analyze, too tired to separate all her feelings.
So she concentrated on tamping them down and, shortly
thereafter, fell asleep.
The next morning, however, she snapped awake with myriad
things on her mind. She rushed about the cottage, cleaning herself up and
changing clothes before riding into the village. Her first stop was the meeting
hall, where she found Tanner.
Despite her emotional strife, she still had work to do.
“The demons Rafe and Landford will continue their patrols on
their side of the boundary,” she told the other slayer. “But we should resume
our watch as well.”
“I’m fine with sticking to nights, if you want days,” he
said.
“Maybe we should change that up every other month. Hardly
seems fair for you to always have night patrol.”
“I don’t mind,” he said in his usual calm, even tone.
“Besides, I don’t have a spouse to spend evenings with, so it doesn’t really
matter to me.”
She frowned. “I don’t have a spouse to spend evenings with
either.”
“But you will when you marry the king.”
There.
A
slight edge to his voice told her he was still wary of her decision. She could
put his mind at ease, though.
“I highly doubt I’ll be marrying the king.” True, he hadn’t
called off the engagement. But that was only because he currently wasn’t
speaking to her.
A dark brow lifted and Tanner asked, “You backed out now
that the fire wraith and his army are defeated?”
“No, I didn’t back out. But he’s extremely angry with me and
I have a feeling that’s not going to change anytime soon.” Hadn’t both Morgan
and Sheena said as much?
Her heart ached over the thought of losing Darien for good.
However, Jade was terrified she’d cry a river if she didn’t contain her
feelings. If the tears started flowing, she was afraid they’d never stop.
“I’m not sure what to say about that,” Tanner told her. “I
don’t want you to be unhappy, Jade. But marrying the Demon King… That’s a
little tough for the rest of us to process.”
“I understand. It’s been rather surprising for me too.”
He regarded her a moment, as though curious about her
emotions. But then he asked, “What about that thing you said to the vampire
before you killed him on the battlefield? I knew you were lying about Michael
being a slayer in order to make it sound as though he was as skilled as the
rest of us. But you said one of the slayers was part demon.”
“A demi-demon, to be exact.” She brushed the hair from her
neck to show him the mark. “Apparently, some comingling of races occurred in my
family a long time ago. My father was half-demon as well. We share similar
traits.”
“Aside from dark hair and blue eyes?”
Jade focused on the pen Tanner had set aside when she’d
entered the hall. She used her psychokinetic powers to lift it from the desk
and bring it to her hand.
“Holy shit,” he muttered.
“Yeah.” She let him adjust to this revelation before adding,
“There’s more. Darien didn’t want anyone visiting me when I was laid up at the
cottage because I was badly injured but healing quickly. Much faster than a
normal human. It would have alarmed Michael and Lisette. You too, perhaps.”
He nodded. “I always sensed there was something different
about you. Walker did too. That’s why we often deferred to you—as if you knew
things the rest of us didn’t.”
“Unfortunately, I’ve acted mostly on instinct. And with a
hot head. I need to think more strategically going forward.”
“You did precisely that when we confronted the rogue
demons.”
She considered her tactical moves and felt at peace with the
decisions she’d made. “Thank you, Tanner. I appreciate your support.” She
added, “I also want to continue the goodwill effort recently set into motion.
We’ll work with the general, as my father once did. He’ll have to be the
conduit to Darien, not me.”
The other slayer eyed her speculatively. “You’re taking this
change in direction well.” He was kind enough not to call it a breakup or
otherwise jibe about her being dumped by the Demon King.
“On the outside, Tanner. On the outside.” She stood. “We
also need to work on more training. We never got to wraiths. I had no idea what
to do with that menacing, fiery one.”
He snickered. “You never made it past the chicken, Jade.
You’re still on shifters. I told you, a raccoon is next.”
She blanched. “You weren’t serious about that?”
With a chuckle, he said, “We’ll figure it out.”
Her stomach churned. “Make sure it’s already dead, please. I
can’t practice on an animal that’s still breathing.” Not that she could
practice on one if rigor mortis had set in, either…
Damn it.
He shook his head at her, as though to call her the slacker
slayer. Apparently, his congeniality only went so far.
Jade marched out of the meeting hall and headed to the
tavern, where she found Michael prepping for the evening ahead.
“Came to see if I’m still alive?” he mocked as he raised his
arms for her to inspect him from head to toe.
“Ha, ha.” She slid onto a barstool. “Seriously, though,
thank you for listening to me and not getting yourself into trouble.”
“Well, except for that shifter,” he said in a contrite tone.
Jade didn’t want him to feel even an ounce of guilt—he’d
done an excellent job when the enemy had attacked. “It engaged you. And by the
way, nice swing and aim.” She considered how quickly Michael had reacted to her
instruction and how solidly he’d delivered a blow to the wolf, stabbing it in
the chest and momentarily incapacitating it so Morgan could move in for the
kill. “You did a great job, actually.”
He said, “I didn’t particularly like seeing the wolf’s
throat ripped out.”