ValiasVillain (8 page)

“Why the interest in love?” Araya asked.

Valia shrugged and hopped off the bed. “Just curious.”

Araya crossed her arms over her chest as her eyes narrowed
suspiciously. “Why are you really willing to risk another trip to the demon
realm?”

“Told ya. Rydin has suffered enough because of me. I’m a
fair chick. I can’t get back the extra years he lost, but I can keep him from
losing any more. Plus, hello. There’s a
Sempire
being held captive by an
Incubus.”

“Mmm hmm,” Araya said.

* * * * *

Valia had just enough time to tell Fin to hang back until
she ditched the guards. He looked concerned at the “ditch the guards” part but
agreed anyway.

Valia met the guards right outside the mansion’s front door.
She ported them to right outside Rydin’s house instead of to Debol’s. She
figured that was as good a place as any. Before any of them had time to realize
what her intentions were, she flashed back to the mansion where Fin was waiting
for her outside. Then they ported about a half mile from Debol’s.

“Okay. Here’s the plan,” Valia began. She was stopped short
by the appearance of Araya, Kean and Kiberry. “What the fuck?”

Araya looked around at their dismal surroundings, a wary
look on her face. Kean appeared uncomfortable but gripped Araya’s arm
protectively. Kiberry sniffed the ground, found a spot he liked and rolled over
on his back and wiggled around.

A look of determination crossed Araya’s face as she gazed at
Valia. “You’re my sister. I knew you had something planned. Kiberry helped us
follow your trail.” She gazed at him lovingly and smiled. “He’s such a smart
boy. He wants to help.”

Kiberry rolled over and shook the dirt off his fur and
growled, showing rows of sharp teeth. Valia assumed it was his way of saying he
was ready to kick some ass.

“Okey-dokey. If you’re all sure,” at their nods she
continued, “new plan.”

“Fin, cuffs.” Fin pulled the handcuffs from his back pocket
and handed them to Valia. She slapped one cuff on her wrist and the other on
Fin’s. “We are now your prisoners, Kean. A
Sempire
and, well, an
abomination of a
Sempire
.” She grinned at Fin. He grinned back. “Kean,
you want to be employed by Debol and we are your offerings to him to show your
worth. I’m not sure what to do with Araya or Kiberry.” She bent down to scratch
behind his ears.

Araya piped up. “I could be Kean’s
Sempire
. I mean, I
am his. Um. What I’m saying is Kean is an Incubus too and maybe he likes to
keep
Sempires
like this Debol creep does. If I’m addicted, I won’t be
running from him, right?”

Valia twirled it around her head.
It could work
.

“That leaves Kiberry,” Valia said. His ears perked up and he
turned his head to the side when she said his name.

Kean walked a few feet away and grabbed a piece of rope from
the ground. “He can be my pet.”

Kiberry wagged his tail and took a step back as his body
trembled and he let out a low howl. In seconds, he’d shifted into an
odd-looking dog. Kind of a cross between a beagle and rat terrier.

Valia laughed and Araya clapped her hands. Kean bent down
and held the palm of his hand above Kiberry’s head and said, “High five.”
Kiberry lifted a paw and touched it to Kean’s palm. Kean’s lips curved into a
cocky smile. “We’ve been practicing his shifting. He liked the pictures of the
huskies best but didn’t have much luck with it. I suggested something smaller
and less fancy.”

At one and one half years old, Kiberry was still considered
a baby. He’d been practicing his shifting abilities for months, but this was by
far his best shift. Usually, the dogs he shifted into looked deformed, mutated.

“Why would you bring your pet to a job interview?” Araya
asked.

He shrugged. “Because of my
deficit
as a demon, as
your mother likes to put it, he helps me track.”

“Whatevs,” Valia said, “we’ll give it a whirl.”

Kean bent down to tie one end of the rope loosely around
Kiberry’s neck.

Valia turned to Araya and said, “Hit me.”

“What? No!”

Valia turned and gave Fin a look. He nodded and she punched
him in the face five times in succession.

“Shit, Valia, are you crazy?” Araya exclaimed.

Kean said, “They need to look roughed up. The guards and the
Incubus will be able to sense how much human I have in me and they’ll never
believe I was able to capture two
Sempires
on my own especially without
a scratch on them.”

“Well, you could with my help. I’m not beating the shit out
of my sister. And don’t you hit Fin again,” she said to Valia.

His left eye was swollen and bleeding from the force of her
blows but he would heal soon enough.

“Either you can hit me, Araya, or Fin’s gonna have to do it.
I can take it either way but I know you’ll like it less if he does it.” Araya
put on her stubborn face and Valia knew what to do. She grabbed Kean by the
shirt, pulling him to her and licked his face.

Araya shoved Kean away and punched Valia in the mouth. Hard.
Damn. She hadn’t relished the idea of Fin marring her awesomeness but she
wondered if the force of Araya’s punch was any less than Fin’s would have been.
She spit some blood and said, “Not bad, sis. How do I look?”

Valia burst out laughing at the horrified expression on
Araya’s face.

“It’s not funny! Dammit!” Araya stomped her foot.

“It’s a little funny.” Valia grabbed a handful of dirt off
the ground, rolled it around her fingers and smeared some on Fin’s face. Then
she hesitantly wiped some on her face too and she messed up her hair. She
sighed, “This part is so not awesome but whatevs let’s go.”

“Wait,” Fin said. “Kean looks a little too spiffy. Don’t I
get to punch him? And Araya…” he looked disturbed and didn’t finish his
sentence.

Kean bent down and grabbed a handful of dirt. He gently
smeared a streak across Araya’s forehead and some on her shirt. He then ripped
her shirt. He took a knife out of his pocket and slashed himself across the
front of his shoulder. Araya paled. It wasn’t deep but it bled enough to be
convincing. Kean looked from Valia to Fin and said, “Araya doesn’t get hurt.”
Then he motioned for them to move on.

Valia’s stomach clenched as they approached Debol’s lair and
she wondered if Rydin was inside being tortured or beaten. She felt his pain
but tried to convince herself she was imaging things. She’d only been away for
two hours and she hoped Debol hadn’t yet had Rydin dragged from his home. No,
he wouldn’t be dragged, he’d simply turn himself in to accept the punishment he
knew was coming to him. Prideful ass.

She tried to push thoughts of him being hurt from her mind.
That kind of distraction would do her no good. There were already too many ways
this plan could go wrong. None of them said it, but from the little she could
see of their auras, they were all aware this could be disastrous.

Two guards appeared in their faces before they reached the
entrance, daggers drawn, ready to kill.

“Who are you and what business do you have here?” A
gray-skinned demon demanded from Kean.

“I’m here to do some business with your master or whatever
you call him,” Kean replied. His composure impressed Valia.

The demon snorted in disgust. “I have no master. What is
your business? You aren’t one of Debol’s.”

“Not yet, but I’d like to be.”

The demon snorted again. “The human is thick in you. He’ll
want nothing to do with you.”

“Ah, but you see, I brought him a present. Two presents
actually.” The guard eyeballed Araya and Kean pulled her close. “This one
belongs to me.” He motioned with a toss of his head in Valia and Fin’s
direction. “Those are the presents.”

The seemingly mute guard kept his dagger threateningly close
to Kean’s neck while the talker got up close and personal with Valia. “
Sempire
.
He’ll like that.” Then he moved on to Fin and after looking him up and down and
sniffing the air he said, “What is this one? The
Sempire
’s vibe is all I
can detect.”

Kean turned slowly so as to not startle the dagger wielder
and shot Valia a quick glance. She gave a barely perceptible nod.

“He’s a
Sempire
too. They’re brother and sister. I
didn’t know Debol’s sexual preference so brought both.”

The guard’s head snapped around and a look of disbelief
coated his gray face. “A
male
Sempire
?”

“Yes, so you see why I think he’ll want to see me even with
my thick humanness,” he mocked.

The guard snarled at Fin and nodded to the dagger wielder
and led them to the front entrance where two more guards stood. He said, “Wait
here,” before disappearing inside.

Kean made a couple of failed attempts at small talk with the
guards as they all stood waiting. Valia’s skin prickled, the tension thick in
the air. Five minutes later, gray demon dude returned with two more hulking
guards who each carried chains and shackles.

They had Kean uncuff Fin and Valia and then they cuffed them
separately. So much for going in with easily breakable prop cuffs. Shit. The
guard turned to Kean with another pair of cuffs and Kean stepped back. “That’s
no way to treat a man bearing such fine gifts,” Kean said.

“You will enter wearing these or you will not enter at all,”
said gray demon. “And the dog stays outside.”

“He’s a loyal pet. He goes where I go,” Kean explained.
“It’s not safe for him out here. He goes or we leave. I’m sure I can find
someone else who’s interested in my offer.”

Gray demon dude looked at Kiberry. Kiberry flopped down on
his back and showed his belly, his eyes wide, looking as though he was nothing
but an innocent pup.
Good job, Kiberry
. The gray demon looked at the
other guards and they shrugged. He finally said, “He can go but you will wear
these.”

Kean reluctantly held out his arms and the guard snapped the
cuffs closed around his wrists.

* * * * *

The scent of Incubus slammed into Valia’s nose as soon as
the guard opened the door to Debol’s chamber. It appealed to her but oddly it
didn’t threaten to overwhelm her as she’d assumed it would. Judging by her
sister’s aura, Araya wasn’t struggling with his scent either.

“Ah yes, come, come,” she heard the Incubus’s voice call out
as they were led into the room by the guards, single file. “So one of you seeks
employment with me?”

Valia had to bite her tongue when her gaze landed on the
Sempire
on her knees, head bent down facing the floor, beside Debol’s desk.

Kean spoke up, “Yep, I do.”

Debol rounded the desk to face Kean. He looked him up and
down. “Now what makes you think you are worthy of my employ? Yes, yes, I sense
the Incubus in you but it’s miniscule. You may as well be entirely human.”

“I brought you gifts to prove my worth.”

“So I see.” He turned his attention to Araya and Kean
practically growled.

“That one is mine.”

“Ah. Yes, I believe all Incubi should have their very own
Sempire
pets.”

He moved in front of Valia and his eyes widened. Well, what
do we have here?” He practically squealed in delight as he clapped his hands
together. “It is you, isn’t it?” He leaned in close to Valia and breathed deep.
“Oh yes, it is you. His stink lingers on your flesh.”

He clapped his hands again and turned in a circle. That was
one weird Incubus. Rydin had said he was deranged. “Oh this is going to be fun,
fun, fun.” He turned his attention back to Kean. “Wherever did you find her?”

Oh shit, they hadn’t gotten into details so she hoped Kean
pulled something believable out of his ass and quick.

Kean answered, “My dog found them for me just hours ago.”

“Ah yes. I recently acquired a
Tengur
for just that
purpose but it refuses to cooperate so far. Perhaps, I’ll kill it and get a dog
instead. You’ll have to teach me how to train it to do such wonderful things!”

Debol moved on to appraise Fin, his delighted smile turning
to a scowl. “How is it that you live?”

Fin shrugged.

His frown deepened. “Do not shrug at me, abomination! Unless
you’ve no tongue, speak.”

Valia saw the
Sempire
on the floor raise her bowed
head just enough to take a sideways peek at their group. Valia noticed how her
eyes lingered on Fin for a second longer than the rest of them and shock
crossed her face before she looked back to the floor. Something akin to disgust
passed through her aura. She’d always been able to read
Sempires
better
than anyone else but in this moment, she wished she couldn’t. Valia wanted to
save her, sympathized with her plight, but she’d kick the bitch’s ass if she
kept up the disgust thing where her brother was concerned.

Fin answered simply, “My mother spared me.”

Debol strode to the
Sempire
on the floor and grabbed
a handful of her hair, pulling her to standing and walked her to stand before
Fin. The hatred for the Incubus washed through her aura so clearly it
practically blinded Valia.

“What do you think of this, Navine?” he asked her. “Look at
him standing here making a mockery of your species. Do you want to kill him?”

The
Sempire
looked from Fin to Debol but didn’t
answer. He grabbed her by the hair again and pulled her head backward. “You
never learn, do you?” He looked at Kean. “Is yours this hard to train?” He
shook his head and didn’t wait for an answer as he addressed the
Sempire
again. “Your punishments will only get more severe.” His eyes sparked with an
eerie light. “I’ll keep this one just for you,” he told her. “Every time you
disobey me, you’ll fuck him.”

He let go of the
Sempire
’s hair and she dropped to
her knees, head bent. “Please, no. I-I-didn’t mean—”