A Dangerous Hunger: (The Sentinel Demons) (10 page)

Last command?
“You are coming back, right? After the sentence is over?” Drew didn’t like the sound of Kristoff’s voice, the resignation he could hear in his king’s tone.

“Until I return, I expect you and Zach to lead the Sentinels.” Kristoff drew a ring from his finger, never completely answering Drew’s question. “This is the ring that was bestowed on me when I became king. Wear it. The Sentinels will follow you.”

“Why? You’re coming back.” Drew took the ring reluctantly.

“Until I do, I need you and Zach to assume leadership. This will allow you to rule in my absence,” Kristoff said calmly. “Take care of my daughter,” he added.

Talia broke her pensive silence with a small, plaintive cry, throwing herself into her father’s arms. Kristoff’s eyes closed as he held his daughter close for a moment, stroking her hair with one of his large hands.

“Come with us,” Talia begged desperately. “The Evils have already broken the rules. Don’t stay here. Please.”

“I can’t,” Kristoff said gruffly. “The Evils may break the rules, but I’m Sentinel, and we are still bound by our honor and our vow. I can’t leave here now.” Kristoff opened his eyes and slowly moved Talia back to Drew’s side.

As Talia’s body disconnected from Kristoff’s, something dropped out of the pocket of his leather jacket, landing silently on the dirt floor. She bent and picked it up, examining the scroll. “What’s this?”

“Prophecies,” Kristoff answered. “The demon prophecies. A bunch of gibberish that nobody really understands—even me.”

“May I keep it?” Talia asked hesitantly. “I’d like to examine them.”

“It’s yours,” Kristoff agreed, smiling fondly at Talia. “I already know them all by heart, even if I don’t always understand them until after the fact. Make of them what you will.” He slapped a hand to Drew’s shoulder. “Stay safe and protect Talia.”

Drew opened his mouth to reply, but in an instant, he and Talia were swept back to the human realm, leaving Kristoff behind.

Kristoff watched as Drew and Talia disappeared, his sense of relief greater than the dread of any punishment that awaited him. When he had made the agreement with Goran to let his daughter and Drew leave in return for his own imprisonment, he’d already known what his fate would be. Even if Talia hadn’t been his daughter, he would have made the same deal. Drew and Talia were key to unlocking the mystery of how the Sentinels could once more reclaim balance with the Evils. Goran might think that he had gotten the better deal by taking the Sentinel king, but Kristoff knew he hadn’t. His only regret was that he might never get to know his daughter. Chances were, he’d never see her again.

He blinked as he heard Goran’s summons, the beckoning making him tear his eyes away from the spot where Talia and Drew had disappeared.

He’d made an unbreakable vow and he’d honor it.

Turning solemnly, Kristoff walked away, knowing it was time.

T
alia arrived at Kristoff’s home a mess, her limbs tangled with Drew’s. But at least she was coherent. Her head was only spinning slightly, and she disentangled her legs from Drew’s to lie next to him on the enormous bed that she had seen before she disappeared. She wondered if their landing site was a not-so-subtle hint from her father. “He’s my father,” she whispered reverently, propping herself up on one hand to look at Drew. “What will they do to him?” She was afraid she didn’t really want the answer to that particular question, but she needed to know.

Drew looked up at her from his position flat on his back. “I don’t know. I’m not certain what kind of bargain he made with them. We’ll get him out of there somehow, Talia. I swear.”

“Maybe the answer is in the prophecies,” she wondered aloud, gripping the scroll her father had let her keep. “We can’t leave him there.”

“He isn’t helpless, Talia. He’s a damn demigod, a fact that he conveniently forgot to share with his friends,” Drew told her, his voice sarcastic. “Why didn’t he tell us?”

Talia could read the hurt underneath Drew’s rancor. The fact that their king had been holding back information hurt him. “I’m certain he had his reasons,” she assured him, running a soothing hand down his chest because she couldn’t stop herself from touching him.

He caught her hand and entwined their fingers on top of his chest. “I can’t believe he’s your father. Are you feeling okay about that? It was a shock for me. I can only imagine how you feel.”

“Well, other than the fact that he looks the same age as I do, and the other fact is that my father is a demigod and a demon, I guess I’m okay with it.” She smiled at Drew tremulously. “Honestly, I don’t know what to think. I’m worried about him.”

“He’ll be fine. We’ll find a way to get him out of there.” He raised their joined hands to his mouth and gave hers a gentle kiss before letting them fall back to his chest.

Talia’s head started to pound, and her stomach began rolling. Putting the back of her hand to her forehead, she could tell she was burning up. “I’m not feeling so great.” Her body felt like it was on fire, and the sudden onset of flu-like symptoms was unsettling. What the hell was happening to her?

“Toxins,” Drew answered gravely. He cuddled her close to him and rested her head gently on his chest. “Sleep. Hopefully it won’t last long.”

“Are you sick?” she questioned, lifting her head to look at his face. She could tell he was feeling the symptoms, too.

His skin was damp and he was pale, but he answered, “No. I’m fine. Rest now.”

Talia was consumed by exhaustion, her muscles screaming with pain. But the steady beat of Drew’s heart underneath her ear calmed her, and finally lulled her into a deep, dreamless sleep.

The two of them lay like that until the next afternoon, entwined together in a healing slumber until they could function again.

Talia awoke disoriented and groggy, feeling as if she had a whopper of a hangover despite not having had a drop of alcohol that night before.

“It’s daytime,” she whispered under her breath, seeing the light seeping through the blinds of the window.

Everything that had happened rushed back into her mind in a heartbeat, and she sat up, searching for the scroll her father had given her, finding it next to her pillow. There was only an impression and tussled covers where Drew had slept. One glance at the clock beside the bed had her groaning and realizing that Drew was probably already awake. It was almost three o’clock in the afternoon.

A ball of fur launched itself onto the bed, brushing against Talia’s arm. “Pumpkin,” she cried happily, stroking her feline as the cat purred contentedly. “How did you get here?”

Continuing to purr loudly, Pumpkin looked at her like she’d asked a stupid question…which she had. How else would she have gotten here except Drew? “He brought you here, didn’t he?” she asked Pumpkin thoughtfully. “And I’ll bet he didn’t use a cage.” Drew “I-don’t-like-cats” Winston was a fraud. He’d obviously thought about Pumpkin’s welfare before she’d even had a chance to do it herself.

Moving gingerly to the side of the bed after she’d reunited with her cat, she got up and padded into the bathroom attached to the monstrous bedroom. As she moved inside and closed the door, Talia turned around to find her own clothes and toiletries littering the countertop.

“Drew,” she sighed softly, a little smile forming on her lips. The small gesture touched her heart as nothing ever had before. In addition to bringing her cat from his own home, he’d obviously fetched her things from her house and brought them here so she’d have them when she woke. What guy did that kind of thing? No man she’d ever known. Maybe she was just pathetic because those little things meant the world to her, but she knew Drew did it without thinking about it, as though it was his privilege and pleasure to take care of her. It was just one of the many things she loved about him.

I love him.

Talia wasn’t just drawn to Drew by a mating instinct. She really did love him. Maybe she had tumbled into the state soon after she met him, or after admiring his strength of character that had helped him make it through the suffering he’d gone through during the Great Famine in Ireland. She could pick one of a million reasons to love Drew, but the truth was, she
did
love him. Maybe he was over-the-top protective, but she loved that, too. After being alone for so long, after feeling unloved for so long, the way that Drew cared about her was like an addictive drug. And being the subject of Drew’s obsession was a habit she never wanted to kick.

He’s under the mating influence. It doesn’t mean he loves me.

Talia shook her head in denial as she quickly shed her clothing and stepped into the shower. He might not love her, but he cared. It was more than she had ever had from any other person in her life before, except her mom.

Feeling much improved after her shower, Talia stood in the hallway outside the bedroom, wondering exactly what it would take to win a piece of Drew’s heart. She already had his soul. Was it really necessary to win his heart as well?

The pang in her chest told her that it probably was, and whether it was necessary or not, she wanted Drew’s heart. She loved him enough to want the emotion returned to her. In fact, she craved it.

She looked up and down the hall with a small sigh, wondering which direction she needed to go. Dear old Dad had a gigantic house—a mansion—and she didn’t have a clue where Drew was at the moment. She headed down the stairs, following the distant sound of male voices.

Zach and Drew were sitting at the table in the kitchen, both of them devouring plates of food. She walked over to the coffee pot, finding it still half full. Opening cupboard after cupboard searching for a mug, she felt a little guilty for invading Kristoff’s things, but she was desperate for coffee.

“Good morning, beautiful.” Drew’s deep, sexy tones sounded behind her.

“It’s afternoon,” she reminded him, finding a mug and filling it with coffee. She wanted to tell him she wasn’t beautiful, but she’d given up. Her entire body flushed with pleasure from the greeting, and she knew he didn’t agree with her about her level of attractiveness, so she just enjoyed the feeling of an actual compliment.

“He’s your father, you know. You have every right to drink his coffee,” Drew remarked casually, his voice infused with humor. “How do you feel?”

She took a sip of her coffee. “Better. Are you okay?”

“As well as I can be, after spending the night together in bed with you just sleeping,” he teased, his lilting accent making the words sound sexier and naughtier than they should have sounded.

Drew dropped his fork on his plate and fetched a plate from the oven. “I kept yours warm for you.” He set it on the table with silverware and a napkin.

“You two cooked?” she asked, raising a brow at Drew.

Drew opened his mouth, but Zach answered, “I cooked.”

“Which means he went and got food at a restaurant and we put your plate in the oven to keep it warm,” Drew answered wickedly.

“Don’t tell Kat,” Zach said desperately. “I told her I was learning. I’m trying to be a supportive husband while she’s going to school. But I have no talent for cooking. I get impatient and burn everything.”

Talia sat, eyeing the extravagant breakfast in front of her. She looked at Zach, realizing he was completely serious. Okay…maybe there were a few other Sentinels who went out of their way to make their mates happy. Obviously poor Zach was trying desperately, but failing. “I think Kat probably already knows,” Talia told him mischievously. She had no doubt Kat knew her husband didn’t cook, but nevertheless loved Zach for trying. Talia doubted Kat gave a damn whether Zach could cook or not, but she had to love the fact that her husband tried because he wanted to please her. “If this is what you’re giving her when she comes home from class, I have no doubt she knows you didn’t go from kitchen disaster to master chef that quickly.” Talia picked up her fork and dove into her food. She was hungry and hadn’t eaten since her breakfast with Drew the day before.

Zach frowned. “You think she knows?”

Chewing her food, Talia nodded. She knew the one thing that irked the Sentinels is that they couldn’t seem to produce decent food via magic.

“I’ll try harder,” Zach vowed. “What is that?” He was eyeing the scroll she’d set beside her plate.

Talia wanted to tell Zach that his wife valued his other qualities and wouldn’t give a damn if he didn’t cook. The man was a billionaire, and could afford to buy his food wherever he wanted. But she didn’t bother. Talia was fairly certain Kat would set him straight soon enough. “They’re demon prophecies. I want to study them.”

Zach snorted. “Gibberish.”

Drew nodded his agreement. “I caught Zach up on what happened. More and more humans are dying, and it’s getting difficult to keep up with all the casualties so humans don’t learn of our existence. And we need to get Kristoff out of the demon realm. If you want to study them, Talia, we’d be grateful. We’re going to be busy trying to do what we can to lessen the damage going on right now.”

Itching to look at the scrolls, Talia grabbed the prophecies and started to jump out of her chair. She never made it. Drew reached out and grasped her upper arm gently. “Finish your meal, Talia. A few more minutes won’t matter. You haven’t eaten since yesterday.”

She glanced at Drew, sitting back down when she saw the stubborn look on his face. She wanted to tease him, tell him she could use to lose a few pounds, but she knew where that look was coming from, the look of a man who had seen so many people die during a famine. For Drew, eating wasn’t a joking matter. “If I can figure out how the prophecies are worded or were revealed from those that have already happened, I might be able to decode what the others yet to come actually mean.” She resumed eating, watching as the worried look on Drew’s face started to soften.

Zach rose from his seat and his empty plate and utensils disappeared. Talia looked up at him, a bit startled.

Zach winked at her. “I may not be able to cook, but I do clean up after myself. I have to go. I need to go meet Kat.” Zach looked at Drew. “We’ll figure all this out. I’ll be back later with Kat.”

Drew nodded and Zach disappeared.

“Do you really think we can rescue Kristoff?” Talia asked anxiously.

“We have to figure out how we can get in and use our magic in the demon realm to help him. We also need to know what kind of deal he cut with the Evils to get us out. We can’t take him out if it will kill him. He won’t die easily because he’s a demigod, but I don’t like the thought of him suffering very long at the hands of those slimy little bastards.” Drew looked at her, tormented. “But we’ll figure things out. Zach and I are going to be busy trying to keep the Evils from revealing our presence on Earth. They aren’t exactly being subtle anymore.”

“Then Kat and I will work on a plan,” Talia replied, dropping her fork to her empty plate and taking a sip of her coffee.

“You’re my
radiant
, my mate,” Drew protested.

Talia shrugged. “All the more reason for us to get involved. The Sentinels are in crisis, and my father that I’ve never even gotten to know is in the demon realm being held prisoner. Do you expect me to just sit back helplessly while you and Zach kill yourselves trying to save humankind? We may be female, but we’re far from useless.” She folded her arms in front of her and glared at him.