Fire with Fire (Demonblood Series #2) (12 page)

~~~

Diablo races through the night, and as we approach the thick fog surrounding the Portal to Thiberoux, my heart thuds ominously. I take a deep breath and recite the secret command:

Hasish Auria, permissum mihi obduco.

Hasish Auria, permissum mihi obduco.

Hasish Auria, permissum mihi obduco.

The fog breaks and the scenery changes. Instead of the gloomy, moonless night of Sapie-land, I’m suddenly surrounded by a sparkling oasis of golds and greens, glowing and illuminated by the three full moons of Illyria. At my urging, the black stallion races around the curves and up a mountain, my body pressed to his powerful neck as he flies through the forests of my homeland.

“Whoa, boy,” I whisper as we near the River of Kings. Diablo eases his pace, and I glance around. Even though I don’t see anyone, a prickly unease creeps up the back of my neck…I feel vulnerable and exposed…like I’m being watched. I check in every direction, then reach into my boot and withdraw my dagger.

“Bones?” I call out meekly. No answer. I’m not sure if he’s supposed to be on patrol tonight, but
someone
should be here…

“Bones?” I call, a little louder this time.

A faint bark sounds in the distance, and I breathe a sigh of relief. A moment later the massive black beast emerges from the shadows, phasing into the shape of a beautiful man. He saunters over to a pile of rocks, grabs the jeans and shoes lying on top of them, and quickly dresses.

“Hi, Bones.”

He draws a long look over my body. Not his usual sexy, longing look, but one of guarded apprehension. “I meant to be here for you when you arrived. But you were late, and I needed to check on something.” He pauses and looks away. “I was getting worried,” he adds under his breath.

I dismount and take a few steps toward him. “Tatiana had to do something for me before I came in tonight. It took a while. But it’s okay; I’m fine.” I give him a small smile.

“Yeah, you’re awful
fine
for someone who’s on a suicide mission. Tell me, Lucky, why do you want to die so badly? Is this life really so
unbearable
for you?” Bones’ mocha-colored eyes are both sad and angry.

“Bones,” I sigh, “I have no desire to die, especially not tonight. I’m being smart about this. They have no idea I’m coming. I have the best weapons. I know their weaknesses. All I need to do is find where they’re keeping Kieron and get him free. That’s it.”

He lets out a guffaw. “Oh.
That’s it
, huh? It’s going to be that simple?”

“Look, I’m not stupid. I did some research on the Hlbafa. I know what I’m up against. The hellhounds we took out were probably their strongest fighters. The ones who crashed Demon Bar were probably their next strongest, and some of them already got killed. They’re a small tribe, and there are only so many places where they can be keeping Kieron prisoner. All I have to do is lay low, find out where he is, and break him out.”

He circles around me and lifts up my cloak. “A regular one demion army, you are,” he says with a chuckle.

I yank my cloak back down and take a step away. “Do I have a choice?” I ask, my eyes level with his.

Bones searches my face for a long time. “I was hoping you’d change your mind. Come to your senses. But I see there’s no stopping you. Don’t know why I thought I’d be able to. That boy is under your skin in a big way…more than I think even you realize.”

I stare at the grass around my feet. “Yes, Kieron is very special to me. I’ve never felt like this about anyone…I didn’t even know it was possible. And now that I
do
know—”

Bones gets up abruptly and moves away. “Yeah, yeah, I know. You love him. I get it.” For several minutes he just stands quietly, staring out into the distance. Finally he glances down at me and holds out his hand. “You coming?”

I look at him, questioning.

“…I’d say we better go stock up on our drinks. Looks like you and I are really gonna need all the Energy we can get. We’re in for quite a night—”

I jump up and throw my arms around him. “You’re coming with me?”

He presses me close before turning away. “Did you really think for one second I was going to let you go alone?” He gives a short whistle, and a moment later two more hounds appear. They shift into the forms of Alik and Khalil and move to stand proudly behind Bones.

“Let’s do this,” Bones says rubbing his hands together.

~~~~~

“Stop right there,” Aria commands the four of us at the entrance to Demon Bar. She shifts her emerald eyes from Khalil to Alik, and back to Bones and me. “You may enter,” she says, motioning to the others. “I need to speak with these two here.”

As Aria talks, I hear her husky voice loud and clear
inside
my head, as well as with my ears. Her icy gaze falls back on me. A nervous tingle races down my spine, and I automatically take a step back. Bones places his hand on my arm in a show of support.

“Girl, you are out of your mind,” Aria says, shaking her head,

“I wish
you
would stay out of my mind,” I mutter, giving her a dirty look.

She smiles at me and glances at Bones. “And you are crazy for agreeing to go with her.”

Bones raises his hands in protest. “I have no choice. I can’t talk her out of it and there’s no way I’m letting her go alone—”

“Oh, I understand your reasoning.” She flips her hand through the air dismissively and juts out her tiny chin. “Both of you…Doesn’t mean you’re not
totally insane
for thinking you can actually pull it off. Or that you have any hope for survival.”

“Well,
you
try telling her that. It’s like talking to a brick wall,” Bones says, casually leaning his tall frame against the door frame.

Aria looks him up and down appreciatively, then shifts her magnetic gaze to me, locking her eyes on mine like two lasers fixed on a target. Immediately my head starts swimming. I feel my brain shrinking and turning into liquid. It swishes and swirls before fading into a spongy mass of nothingness. Like a statue I stand frozen, unable even to blink. It’s okay, though. I have no desire to move. I just want to stay frozen here for as long as I’m supposed to. Forever is fine.

Aria pulls Bones close, pressing her curvaceous body seductively against his. It’s fine. I don’t care at all. I’m perfectly content to remain right here forever and let them do their thing.

“She thinks she can actually pull it off, marching across the border and rescuing her friend. You are her companion, her sworn protector. Why would you agree to let her try this madness?” Aria asks quietly. Her voice is a sing-song ditty in my head.

“There’s no stopping Lucky when she has her mind set on something,” Bones replies, running his fingers through her thick, chestnut mane. “I thought it’d be better if I were by her side to help. Who knows? Maybe it’ll work. She has good weapons—”

Aria breaks free from Bones’ flirtatious caresses and steps toward me. I don’t flinch as she lifts my cloak sleeve and takes the prized bag of magical crystals from my hand. She opens it up and lets out a horrified gasp, her eyes wide. “This is not possible! Where did she get these? I was unaware any were still in existence!”

“From her guardian, the witch. Guess they had some stashed illegally.”

Aria presses her lips together and frowns. “I don’t like that I did not detect these earlier. What was she possibly thinking, bringing them here? Dropping even
one
would kill every demon inside!”

“You’re the telepath. You tell me,” Bones smirks. “Obviously that’s not what they’re meant for, Aria. She brought them to use against the Hlbafa.

“She’s not stepping foot inside the Bar with these, for obvious reasons. I will hold on to them for safekeeping.” She ties up the bag and tucks it away behind a thick slab of stone beside her.

“Aw, c’mon, Aria. Don’t take those, she needs them,” Bones protests. “But if you think it best…” he amends with a peaceful smile as they lock eyes.

Aria reaches over and removes the Boumeaux, causing my cloak to fall to the floor. She retrieves an arrow from the bundle strapped to my back and stares at it appraisingly, then returns it to its quiver. “The most deadly toxin I’ve ever seen. Very impressive. Her guardian is quite powerful, indeed.”

“Yes, she is.” Bones nods.

Aria glances back and forth between us. “Go,” she finally says to Bones. “Leave us. I want to talk to this young one here.”

Bones seems confused for a moment, but acquiesces. I don’t turn to watch him walk inside, or even to acknowledge the new demions who’ve just arrived. I just want to stand here and do nothing until it isn’t time to stand here anymore.

Once we’re alone, Aria returns her attention to me. A smile tugs at the corner of her ruby-red lips, and her green eyes flash. The empty sensation in my head is replaced with a warm, tingly, buzzing. I want to scratch the inside of my skull, but I remain still.

“Now, you. What
am
I going to do with you?” she purrs, circling me like a shark circles its prey. “I can’t very well have you blazing across the border and getting yourself killed. You are too important to this clan. You are too important to Bones, and I
like
Bones. He’s one of our finest. And I can’t have you creating even more conflict between our two tribes; you’ve done enough already.”

She raises a slender finger to her mouth and studies me for a long moment. Now the itchy tingle is spreading down my neck and inside my body. Part of me wants to squirm, scratch, and shake it off. But a bigger part of me is totally content to stay exactly as I am. Even as Aria moves her hands over my chest and closes her eyes, I remain still.

She gasps. “This is…this is…what
is
this?” she whispers, staring at me with wide, emerald eyes.

Suddenly, I have a strong desire to speak. “I love him,” I say simply.

“There is more…much more than just love. Tell me…” she urges.

“I’ve never done anything right. And I have to make things right now. I
cannot
live with myself if I don’t. I let Michael and Kayla die. It was all my fault. They were my very best friends, and I let them die. And then after Ivy and Cody were killed, I could’ve had my revenge on the Amazèa. Only because of Kieron…he gave me the chance to do it. But I was selfish…I wanted
him
more. I loved how he made me feel—so much so, I let him take them so we could be together. But if I had killed them like I was supposed to, then he wouldn’t have gotten captured. He’d be safe with the Legionare right now. He wouldn’t have been coming back for me.”

“I feel what you are feeling,” Aria murmurs, transfixed. “Such suffering, mixed with such indescribable joy…”

My voice is raw and plain. “Don’t you see? I
have
to do this. He was willing to trade his freedom for me. For my happiness. I don’t deserve him, yet he was going to do this amazing, unselfish, self-sacrificing thing for me. Because
he
loves
me
. I’ve never had anyone love me that way before…where I could actually physically feel it. On my skin, in my heart, and with every breath I took. I
felt
his love.”

“So now you plan on making yourself a martyr…to prove this love to him?” she asks thoughtfully, her eyes focusing on mine again.

I shake my head. “No. Martyrs die. I have no intention of letting that happen to me, or to him.
Or
to Bones,” I add emphatically. I pause, take a deep breath and continue, quieter now. “I don’t
want
to die. But if I can’t save Kieron and bring him back to me, well, I don’t want to live, either. If I die trying, so be it. I really have no choice.”

“You will fail and most certainly be killed, unless—”

“Stop saying that!” I interrupt. The intrusion comes from somewhere deep inside myself, immediately cutting me off. I close my mouth again, having lost all desire to speak.

“Unless—” Aria clears her throat and flashes a wicked smile.

“—unless I help you.”

I open my eyes, and my head feels like a punching bag. “Tattie,” I groan. Damn Lucky and her late night drinking. I thought Tatiana said she was putting an end to that.

“Tattie,” I moan again when she doesn’t arrive. I glance over to my nightstand but don’t see any of her pink hangover remedy waiting for me.
That’s strange
. Tatiana is always one step ahead of me when it comes to my morning rescue.

I force myself out of the comfortable bed, surprised to find I’m actually wearing
pajamas for
a change
.
Well, not
real
pajamas, but a tank top and some boxer shorts. Lucky actually had the decency to dress me before she fell asleep? What kind of miracle is that? But apparently she wasn’t kind enough to not drink like a fish so close to sun-up and leave me feeling like death. Again.