Sweet Ruin (31 page)

“Exactly!”

Rune stepped closer to her, telling Desh, “We need to leave for our destination. You’re either taking us, or you’re wasting our time.”

“I accepted the gold, baneblood; I accepted the gig.”

Rune nodded at Jo and said, “Head somewhere sheltered.”

“Already thought of that. I know of a place.” The demon held out his big hand to her. “C’mere, me beauty.” Turning to Rune, he snapped, “Yer arm.” He clutched Rune’s forearm, then traced them. His teleporting was hard and fast like Rune’s.

When Jo blinked open her eyes, they stood in the shade of a rock overhang. Past the shadows was an expanse of blue sky. Puffy white clouds elbowed the sun. The day was crisp, a one-eighty from the humid night in the Quarter. The scent of pine tickled her nose.

I’m in freaking China!
“This is amazing!” She could see the bases of two mountains, but not the peaks. The stone was light in color, the surface dusted with tufts of green. She wanted to see more! She traced to a nearby field, peering up at the white-capped tops.

She reeled on her feet, mind boggled.
So beautiful. So big.
Her first real mountains.

Desh traced to her side. “Gods almighty.” His stunned gaze flickered over her face. “Ye’re a day-walkin’ vampire.”

“That a big deal?” She glanced past Desh. Rune was just as astounded.

“Huge,” Desh said in a choked-up voice. “Ye should’ve burned to ash.”

So sun did burn vampires. “The light’s never bothered me.” If she’d ever made friends, she would’ve liked to go to the beach with them. Lie out. Sip blood from a glass with a little umbrella. “Must be because I’m wicked strong and all.”

“I’ve seen a lot of things in me days, but never something like this. Never.” Desh stared at her—the same way she’d stared at the snow-capped mountains. “Ye truly drink blood?”

“One hundred percent of my diet.”

Suddenly Desh’s body hit the ground, plowing through solid rock. Rune had lunged for the demon, now had his knife against Desh’s throat.

“What is wrong with you?” she screamed. “Don’t you dare hurt him! I vow to the Lore I’ll make you regret it!”

“Another vow?” Rune snapped. “He knows too much! If I don’t do this, you’ll be hunted. It’ll never end.”

She’d be damned before Rune decapitated the nice demon in front of her!

“I’ll not say aught about the girl!” Desh’s eyes met hers. He looked like he worried more about her than himself. “Get away from this poxy bastard, l’il bit. One way or another.”

She teed up her telekinesis, but Rune had that blade pressed to Desh’s vulnerable throat. She didn’t have enough control to focus a precise beam, could end up blowing them both to bits.

But one talent of hers was honed to perfection.

“Make me regret it, then, Josephine.” Rune’s tone was like steel. “But I can’t risk it.” He tightened his grip on the blade handle.

Which meant it was time to reveal all her secrets.

THIRTY-SEVEN

J
osephine the vampire stood beneath a blue sky. In godsdamned sunlight. In front of this random demon.

Too many thoughts to process:

She’s a day-walking vampire, a hybrid. But of what?

Such an asset for the Møriør.

Not even Blace can go out in the sun.

Protect the asset.

Protect. What’s. Mine.

Rune snatched Deshazior’s hair, yanking the demon’s head back.

Suddenly a chill swept over him. He glanced up. Josephine was gone—

His blade hand flung away from the demon, outside his control. His other hand balled into a fist—and slammed into his own jaw! Then again! “What the fuck, demon?”

Freed, Deshazior traced across the clearing. “Not me, baneblood.”

Rune fought with all his strength, finally able to overcome the force.

Another chill ran through him. Then Josephine
stepped out of his body
.

She was a faint outline, the skin around her eyes so dark. Her hair billowed as she floated.

She’d been
inside
him. She’d possessed him! The shadowed eyes, the immunity to sun . . .

Josephine was half
phantom
.

He turned to Deshazior, saw the demon’s recognition of the same.
Can’t allow him to live.

“Didn’t get enough, Rune?” Her voice was as ghostly as her appearance. She sank into the ground.

He pivoted, jerking his head around. Where the hells was she?

A spectral hand breached the surface, clamping his ankle, dragging him down.

He fought, but his own body was dematerializing! Every kick passed through the ground. There was no defense against this. If she wanted, she could haul him to the core of this world, where he’d be crushed to death.

Or worse, what if he
didn’t
die?

He bellowed with frustration when he’d sunk to his waist and his arms uselessly passed through rock. “Josephine!” To his horror, she crawled up his body until they were face to face, her ghostly hands clinging to his chest.

She was faint, her visage almost colorless, except for her irises. In her phantom form, they glowed, brilliant blue and amber.

“We’ve talked about your hurting Desh. It’s not happening, understand?”

“Release me!”

“If I do, you’ll go solid. Sure you want me to?” They began to rise, like heated air. Once clear of the ground, she let him go.

As he materialized, she levitated, face frightfully beautiful. “You”—she pointed at Deshazior—“vow to the Lore you’ll never say anything about me. You”—she pointed at Rune—“vow you won’t hurt Desh.”

The demon readily said, “I vow to the Lore that I’ll say naught about ye to anyone.”

Rune’s gaze was locked on Deshazior. “You and I both know what she is. And we both know that vow’s not good enough.” He traced to his knife, telling Josephine, “Will you trust me for once? The demon has to go.” When he lunged for his foe, she gave a panicked cry.

Rune’s body went flying, crashing into the rock face. Stone cracked; ribs cracked. The entire mountain vibrated.

He fell to the ground. Telekinesis too? Struggling for air, he grimaced from the pain in his side. “Enough, woman!”

Her otherworldly face was filled with menace. “Get it through your skull: you’re not going to murder him, okay? I’ll keep doing this until you make the vow!”

When she raised her hand at him, Rune bit out the words: “I vow to the Lore not to harm this demon. Today.” As soon as night fell . . .

She rolled her vivid eyes at that. “Another qualifier.”

“Accept that vow; it wasn’t easily given.” He forced himself to his feet, his ribs screaming. “We three will live. Today.” Though his bow was nigh indestructible, he checked it for damage. Unharmed. He exhaled in relief, then cringed with pain.

Deshazior cautiously approached her. “I’m good with the vow, Jo.” His awed gaze flicked over her pale face. “Ye never know what will pop up during an Accession, eh?”

She embodied, sinking to her feet. “You really know what I am? Because I don’t.”

“Ye’re part”—the demon’s voice dropped to a murmur—“phantom. Ye’re a shapeshifter betwixt life and death.”

“Phantom.” Her irises wavered again.
“Phantom.”
She said the word like she was trying it on. “Yeah. I like that.”

Nïx had said,
Death and death all rolled into one.

“Ye saved me, l’il bit, and I’ll not forget it.”

She grinned. “Told you I was wicked strong.”

Rune regarded her with disbelief.
She has no idea.
He’d already had no intention of letting her go; now there was even more motive to keep her close.

Which had nothing to do with the fact that—in the heat of the moment—he’d thought of her as his.

THIRTY-EIGHT

Y
e think she’ll be hunted?” Desh said to Rune. “I’d like to see who could catch her.”

Damn straight
, Jo thought.

With malice in his gaze, Rune ran his fingers down the bowstring over his chest. If she had to guess, he was planning an assassination at his earliest opportunity.

She’d have to extract more vows or something. “Maybe you better go, Desh.” She was even more respectful of Rune’s strength. He’d somehow fought her possession! No one had ever come close before.

The demon glanced past her at Rune. “This is where an old salt makes his exit.” He took one of Jo’s hands into both of his own. “Ye ever need anything, ye know where to find me. Fair winds, me beauty.” He kissed her hand.

Awww.
He was like a big, hot, horned teddy bear.

“Till we meet again.” Desh disappeared.

Meet again? Try this weekend at Lafitte’s.

“What the hells, Josephine?” Rune snapped when they were alone. “You attack me? I’m on your side, remember?”

“
Currently
, you might be. But as soon as this mission ends, we’ll go our separate ways. You made that clear.” And it’d really hurt. She’d suspected he would nail and bail her, but to know . . .

“Don’t speak for me.” He lumbered over to a boulder to sit. “I was protecting you, and this is how you repay me? You couldn’t reveal things about yourself to Deshazior fast enough, but you left me in the dark! How could you not tell me about these powers?”

She was stoked she hadn’t telekinetically Hulk-smashed him!
An A+ for Jo!
“I kept my abilities close to the vest because I figured I might need to use them against you. Obviously, I did.”

“Where is your family? Which parent was the phantom? Where did you come from?”

“Why should I tell you anything about myself? We’ve traded some orgasms. We both want to off the same Valkyrie. As you were so quick to point out—there’s no bond between us. We’re only together currently, which means
temporarily
.”

“Bond? Let me explain something. You’re going to need allies. And quickly.”

“Why are you making such a big deal about this? Wiccae or Sorceri must have similar powers. Can’t your witch ally move things with her mind?”

“Yes, but she can’t harvest power through another’s blood. She can’t trace. She can’t possess an enemy and sink him into the ground.”

“Oh.”

“Oh?” He was getting angrier by the moment. “No wonder Nïx called you special! No wonder she’s so interested in you and your brother. I should’ve killed Deshazior.”

“He won’t talk. He made that vow.”

“And what if a
cosaş
drinks him? If this gets out . . .” Rune caught her gaze. “Vampires will want to study you—at best. Others would breed you for day-walking progeny. If the Horde ever crowns a new king, you can be assured he’ll try to capture you.”

Then she would ghost that king beneath a mountain. “Do you know other phantoms?”

“They’re rare. I might have met a handful in all my years. But a vampire/phantom hybrid? I didn’t believe they existed. Are there any other powers I need to know about?”

I can dream your memories.
“Nope. That about sums it up.”

“As if those aren’t enough. We need to be on the move as soon as possible, but know this: you
will
tell me your history today.” He tugged up his shirt to assess his side. His torso was mottled dark purple.

Oops.

“Internal bleeding. Great work. I’ll have to heal this before we face Nïx.” Lips thinned, he removed his bow. “The demon’s right about one thing. You must be a product of the Accession.”

“Keep hearing that term.” Nïx had said they’d all have parts to play.

“Let me guess—you might call it something different?” He pulled off his shirt, his muscles flexing.

Despite everything that had happened, she was primed for him, ogling his broad chest.

“An Accession is a mystical force occurring roughly every five hundred years. It brings immortals into contact for good or for ill. Loreans can find mates and make alliances, but mostly death comes to reduce the immortal population. The Lore is already a violent place; it’s about to get much more so.”

“Accessions sound disturbing.”

“They’re also times of historical wonders and discoveries. For instance, a vampire/phantom hybrid might surface.” His brows drew together, the wheels definitely turning. “Not just one. Your brother is in play as well.”