The Hunter (14 page)

Read The Hunter Online

Authors: Theresa Meyers

“And why is that? Do you wish to be tormented?” A feral gleam glittered in the ice blue of his eyes, which quickly shifted to ominous yellow, the vertical slit widening in anticipation. The chimera beside him let out a deep lion growl. Its snake tail undulated in the air toward her, flicking its forked tongue, tasting the air for her desperation.
“No,” she said, snapping her fingers and changing into a tightly cinched dark green bustled gown with a very low neckline. She smoothed her fingers down the copper and gold brocade on her underbust corset, letting her hands come to rest on the flare of her hips. “It’s just rather difficult to get your attention. You’re awfully busy.”
He arched one thin dark brow and steepled his fingers, their tips touching the reddish slash in his face that passed for a mouth. “I see. And what is it you require?”
“He is still searching for the piece of the Book of Legend. It wasn’t where he thought it would be.”
“And that is why you dispatched three of my hounds, my Scoria soldiers, a lake full of naiads, and Morticia?”
“Morticia?”
“My black widow spider.”
She twisted one of her curls around her finger, looking at him through the lowered fan of her lashes. “You did say to do whatever it took to recover the piece of the Book and obtain his soul, didn’t you?” she said, slipping the tip of her index finger into her mouth and caressing her bottom lip. Playing the coquette with Rathe was a gamble. He’d either find it amusing or annoying. Lilly’s stomach shriveled further.
Rathe tapped the tips of his fingers against the waxy pale skin of his face. His sharp aquiline nose and deeply carved cheeks made him seem aristocratic, but it was the cruel slash of a mouth and his icy eyes that showed his true nature. An archdemon lord, merciless and cold. The rancid odor of decaying flesh grew stronger as he shifted forward in his seat. The snake tail of the chimera hissed at her. “You have seven seconds to state your request. What is it you require, penny-girl?”
Lilly bowed, and stayed bent, refusing to let her rage at the hated moniker betray her. Her father had called her that, both because he hated the coppery color of her hair when she was a child and because he’d said she wasn’t worth more than a penny to him unless she plied the con trade with him. She’d thought she’d escaped that dreaded name when she’d sent her father to Hell, but Rathe remembered. He always remembered. And it was a festering wound that never healed, and that he’d prod when she was most vulnerable, reminding her more clearly than ever why she wanted to escape him. “I need more time, my lord. I need to fully gain his trust.”
“Impossible. The Gates of Nyx must open by the next dark moon.”
Lilly shifted uncomfortably. “Of course, my lord.” She glanced upward, fixating on the yellow gleam of his eyes. “But what if there was a chance not to get just one piece of the Book of Legend, my lord, but the entire thing? Every. Single. Page. Every secret, every spell, every trick that Hunters have amassed over the centuries to control and eliminate Darkin, all at your disposal.”
Rathe’s entire demeanor changed. He leaned forward with obvious interest. The yellow in his eyes intensified to gold, his deathly pale skin stretching taut over the sharp angles of his cheeks. The Scoria soldier fixated his glowing red eyes on Lilly and the chimera sat on his haunches, shaking its great mane. “Such a thing is possible?” Rathe asked, his voice grating and sibilant.
“Colt Jackson believes he and his brothers must unite the Book to keep the Gates closed.”
The slash in Rathe’s face widened into what could be called a grin, if it hadn’t been so terrifying and vile. It revealed pointed, vampire-like canines amid his other pointed teeth protruding from black gums. “The fools. This is indeed most interesting.” He touched the fobs again, rolling them between his fingers, and Lilly thought she heard them squeak in protest. Considering they were severed shrunken heads coated in molten gold, it wouldn’t surprise her if he’d somehow managed to keep them cognizant as some extra form of torture for his own sick amusement. “And you think you can convince them to give it to you?”
Lilly deliberately modulated her voice, making it as seductive and smooth as possible as she tossed her hair over her shoulder. “Not I, my lord, but
you
could. Especially if you had an item to bargain with.”
“And what would that be?”
“Colt Jackson.”
“I see.”
“Once he’s discovered his father’s portion of the Book, you could use him to get the other two brothers to give you their portions.” Rathe didn’t believe in the prophecy of the Chosen, had openly mocked it in his court. But deep down Lilly suspected that if they were to defeat the archdemon lord, all three brothers would need to be together, facing him as one united front.
“If they discover them in time.”
“Yes.”
“I grow tired of this game between us, Lillith Marie Arliss. You need more than time; what do you require for this?”
She hesitated. It was one hell of a gamble she was taking. “My freedom, my lord.” Lilly waited as he sat as still and silent as stone. Her pulse pounded in a heavy swoosh and whoosh in her ears, interrupted only by the grinding sound of the Scoria soldier’s rock body as he twisted his massive head to observe Rathe’s reaction and the growl and hiss of the chimera as he paced about Rathe’s chair.
Chapter 13
“Dammit. She’s gone.”
Colt’s chest squeezed uncomfortably. He’d become so accustomed to Lilly’s presence that the lack of it left a noticeable void. When had that happened, he wondered. Colt prayed she was close by, somewhere. If Balmora’s decoding was right, he still needed her. Clearly that had to be the reason for his discomfort, he told himself.
“Excellent,” Marley said with some satisfaction.
“No. Not excellent,” Colt said with a little venom tainting his tone. “She’s the one I summoned to help me find Pa’s piece of the Book. Now I’m gonna have to find out how to fetch her back.” Colt darted into the room where Balmora was, grabbed up the dust cloth, and used it to start smothering the small fire the sting shooter had started in the bookcase in the parlor.
Marley slapped his hand to his forehead, nearly knocking loose his brass spectro-whatzee-whosits goggles perched on the top of his head. “You didn’t actually summon one from those books I gave you, did you?”
“Why else would I have asked for them, for some light reading?” Colt said, turning from the still-smoking bookcase and chucking the singed dust cloth to Marley.
Marley caught the cloth and shrugged. “I thought it was perhaps a research endeavor, given your line of work.” He shook his head, muttering to himself about Hunters and ludicrous ideas. “So you say she’s working for you?”
“For the moment. Yeah. No telling what’ll happen when I turn her loose after we find the piece of the Book.” Again that unfamiliar twinge started up in his chest at the thought of her leaving.
“You aren’t seriously contemplating letting her go, are you? Working with the enemy is preposterous,” Marley continued to bluster. “She could turn on you, lead you astray. My God, man, how do you know she isn’t just a spy?” He threw a concerned glance back at Balmora, who was very still, her jewel heart void of light.
“Simmer down, Marley. She’s already saved my skin more than once. And she wants help escaping Rathe in exchange for finding the Book. She wants to be human again.” If Lilly were human, would she still be interested in being around a Hunter like himself? No, she’d want to find her sister. He was certain of that. But what about after she found her sister? Would she seek him out again? The thought made the ache dissipate.
Marley huffed, throwing an angry glare at the space where he’d last seen Lilly. “Demons belong in Hell.”
“I agree, but that ain’t going to help us find the piece of the Book, now is it?” Colt gathered up the papers that had scattered and handed them to Marley.
“I suppose not,” Marley grudgingly replied. He stuffed the dust cloth under one arm and took the proffered pages with the other hand.
“But she can. You understand, Marley? If Balmora’s interpretation is correct, I’m going to need her help.”
Marley’s nod was reluctant. “I don’t envy you, old chap. The clue doesn’t even say where to start.”
“Remy’s the one who’s crafty with words. If anyone can figure out Pa’s riddle, it’s him.”
“I suppose you plan on taking
her
to see Remington, then,” Marley said with distaste as he took the papers Colt had handed him and crammed them into an already crowded drawer. He shook out the dust cloth, noting the dark brown singed ring and a few new holes in the cloth, and laid it over a desk sporting an assortment of twisted bits of glassware connected to copper pots and long silver cylinders.
Colt didn’t have time to worry about Marley or his misconceptions about Lilly. He needed to find her again and make tracks for Arizona Territory. “Thanks for deciphering the note, Marley.”
“Wait. Before you go, you ought to stock up on some more ammunition and take this with you.” Marley held out a metallic-looking gauntlet with a keyhole in the back of the hand and leather straps and buckles along the forearm to attach it.
“What’s that?”
“Vertical Mechanical Lift.”
Colt turned it over in his hand, looking at the intricate gears that ran along the slim channel set into the palm of the device. “This the thing you were using when you suspended yourself off the roof to fix the telescope?”
Marley nodded, a touch of pride lifting his lips. “The very same.”
Colt shrugged, then tucked the device in his pack. “Well, you’re still in one piece, so I suppose it’s safe enough.”
Marley handed the sting shooter to Colt. “I modified it again.”
Colt took the sting shooter and tipped his head toward the automaton. “Hope it didn’t hurt Balmora.”
Marley’s eyes watered a bit. “You know where the bullets are stored, don’t you? Get what you need. If you’ll excuse me, I must see to her.” He turned away from Colt and toward his beloved invention.
Colt tugged his brown Stetson down tight. He headed for the kitchen and pulled several handfuls of the special silver bullets Marley had manufactured for his pa’s specialized Darkin-killing Colt revolver from one of the kitchen drawers. One by one he refilled the spaces on his ammunition belt, then headed for the door.
He’d barely made it two steps past the entrance before she materialized from the shadows. Relief washed over him in a cooling rush. She’d changed into a fresh forest green satin gown with a black and copper brocade corset that dipped beneath each breast to emphasize the swell of her bosom, the flare of her hips, and the inward curve of her dainty waist.
Colt shook a finger at her. “Don’t you ever do that again.”
“What? A girl can’t freshen up when she’s been tramped through a mine, attacked by hellhounds, and threatened by some mad scientist?” she said without heat. She smelled of a flower garden in the midst of summer, heady roses and sweet honeysuckle and fresh cool green things.
“Don’t disappear like that. I gave you an order to stay outside until I was done with Marley.” Sure his tone was a bit harsh, but damn it all, she’d given him a scare by just vanishing like that. He’d become far more attached to her than was good for him.
Lilly crossed her arms, making her breasts swell to the point where they almost spilled out of the confines of her gown. “Yes. But see, that’s a problem. I don’t take orders very well.”
The creamy expanse of her plumped-up breasts tempted him to lean forward for a better peek. Colt forced himself to focus on her face. “You always hightail it off to wherever you’ve been when things get bad?”
She glared at him. “You know that’s not true. I didn’t vanish out of the mine, did I?”
“That’s not the point.”
“Then what is?”
Colt ground his teeth and tugged his hat down tighter. He didn’t need anybody’s help. Didn’t want it. He’d do fine on his own. But it was more than that. He didn’t want to lose her, but he had no right to keep her, and the combination made him feel at a distinct disadvantage. “I need to know if you’re still gonna help me find what I’m searching for.”
The disappointed moue of her soft pink lips made him feel instantly like a worm, but this was the time to use his head, not his other senses, which were far too attuned to her.
“We made a pact,” Lilly said simply. She folded her hands in front of her, but Colt noticed her grip was tight, causing her flesh to form white crescents around each fingertip. Either he’d upset her or she was toying with him. Neither made him feel any better.
Colt pulled his shoulders back, attempting to preserve what little barrier there remained between them. His growing attachment to her wasn’t right. Didn’t matter how strong it seemed. She was a demon, he reminded himself sternly, and with a demon there were unbreakable rules. And you sure as hell didn’t trust one with your heart. “Yes, I gave you a kiss, you opened the door, which means that pact is over.”
“But the thing you were looking for wasn’t there,” she countered.
He turned on his heel and glanced over his shoulder at her. “Not your problem.”
Her proud features fell and Colt caught a glimpse of the concern shimmering in her eyes. “But you promised to help me.”
“You offering another pact that don’t involve my soul?”
She paused for a moment, then took in a deep, reluctant breath. “Yes. I shall help you find the piece of the Book you are searching for in exchange for another kiss.”
The tension in his shoulders and chest relaxed. “Sounds good. But you don’t follow orders well.”
“A pact is an agreement between equals. Not a superior giving orders to an underling,” she said with asperity.
Colt made a noncommittal grunt. “You seem to be able to take orders from Rathe fine enough.”
“I do have a mind of my own,” she countered.
“That’s what worries me.” He paused, tugging on his hat, making sure it was firmly in place, then checked where he had holstered the sting shooter to make sure it wouldn’t go off inadvertently. He cast a cautious glance at her. “I wouldn’t have let Marley hurt you. You know that, right?”
Her mouth tipped up in an almost shy smile. “Perhaps. But it seems I must admit that you were right about Marley’s dislike of supernatural beings.”
“Where’d you go?”
She shifted uncomfortably and cast a scathing look over her shoulder at Marley’s house. “Rathe wanted to check up on my progress. Believe it or not, he wants me to help you find your father’s portion of the Book of Legend.”
Colt shoved his hands into the front pockets of his pants to keep himself from throttling her. He’d been stupid to feel so comfortable around her. Hell, he’d almost begun to trust her without reservation and let himself fantasize what it might be like to be with her for longer than just this mission.
“Oh, I believe it. Makes it a lot easier for him if I do the work and take the risks in getting to it so he can have you steal it.”
Lilly made a sour face. She was getting tired of his contrary attitude, especially when she’d been the one almost fried by his inventor friend. “I came back, didn’t I? I didn’t let you die any number of times we were down in the Dark Rim, did I? I battled through and went with you to your brother’s jail.”
He moved so quickly Lilly could have sworn he was a demon himself. He certainly looked the very devil at the moment, his blue eyes dark and stormy. “None of which means anything if you thought you could use me to help you.” He trapped her against the wall, his hands bracketing her, making her distinctly uncomfortable. She was strong, but not as strong as he was. “How about you stop beating around the bush and tell me the truth?”
“Rathe wants you
and
the Book. That truth enough for you?”
He pulled back just a fraction. “You mean it, don’t you?”
“He thinks he can use the Book to permanently open the Gates of Nyx.”
Colt gave a harsh bark of laughter. His strong jaw was dark with stubble and flexed as he gritted his teeth. “Good luck with that. He’d need all three to do much of anything, same as us.” He had the keen-eyed gaze and muscular build of a predator. Rathe might think Colt could be easily controlled, but just looking at him, Lilly knew the truth. He was stronger, more wily, and better able to deal with the demon lord than anyone she’d ever met.
“He knows that.”
The intensity in Colt’s gaze changed, turning more sensual, and somehow that was far more unsettling than his hostility. The determined edge to his mouth was still there, but it had softened, begging to be kissed, and the predatory light in his eyes gleamed just as brightly.
She sucked in a breath, but it didn’t do any good. She still couldn’t get enough air. He leaned in closer, invading her space, the mix of leather and male determination saturating the air around her. “So are you going to get him all three portions of the Book?” The smooth quality of his voice rubbed against her skin like dark silk.
Lilly swallowed hard, her heart beating hard, but not from fear. “Tell me something. If you can send a demon back to Hell permanently, can you also rescue one?”
He leveled his killer blue gaze on her. “Haven’t ever tried.”
“But you could, in theory.”
His brows dipped down, his mouth twisting into a seductive smile. “Yeah, I suppose.”
“And would you?”

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