Blood In The Stars (16 page)

Had Daria bought herself a few precious seconds by using the potion? Jason wasn’t sure. But she couldn’t fight them alone; she had to understand that much now.

He turned, surprised to see the hatred on Damien’s face. He probably remembered every fight Alastor had instigated, every wound Alastor had inflicted, and every misfortune in Damien’s life that now laid its blame with Jason’s brother.

What could he say? Alastor was a terror. Jason stifled a sigh. No matter their dislike, they couldn’t imagine what it was like to have to live with Alastor, to always be compared to the golden, perfect child who could do no wrong.

But for all that Alastor was a bully, he had saved Daria this time. “Thank you.” Heartfelt relief echoed behind each syllable Jason uttered.

“Don’t mention it,” Alastor replied. “But you really should be more careful. A few more minutes and who knows how powerful that demon would have become?”

Jason glared at the rapidly disappearing ash of what remained of the attacker. The auspicious one’s blood granted untold power. No one knew just how much. Alastor was right to think they could have been in a dangerous situation.

“It almost looks like you planned it,” Damien spat. “Timed it a little too well, don’t you think?”

Alastor laid his arm around Jason’s shoulders and smirked at the others. “We can’t all be heroes.”

“I’ll hail two cabs,” Miller broke in before the two could argue.

Wise choice. Alastor and Damien never got along. Then again, did anyone get along with his brother?

When the first car arrived, Miller opened the door for Jason to slide Daria inside. After Jason climbed in next to her, he called, “Alastor, ride with me. Let’s all meet back at her house.”

His arm tightened around Daria. He knew he shouldn’t worry so much. It wasn’t as though Alastor would take her away right now. Still, Jason didn’t want to assume anything and be caught off guard.

As if to prove him correct, Alastor turned around from the front seat and gave Jason a wicked smile. “I hear you went home for a little visit today.”

Chapter 14

A murky black haze twisted around the concrete sidewalk, engulfing the lamplight in one swallow until Daria saw nothing, heard nothing, and felt only her feet pounding the pavement in a panicked run that went nowhere. Among the suffocating blindness, a clawed hand stretched out with red droplets of blood dripping from pointed nails and gnarled knuckles.

Daria screamed. Her eyes shot open and before her stood a blond-haired, blue-eyed man bathed in light.

“Are you an angel?” she croaked, sure she had died on the street. The sharp pain in her shoulder as those teeth sank into her flesh, warm blood gushing out, had spelled death.

The man laughed. “An angel?” He laughed harder.

She squeezed her lids together and then squinted against the brightness. Her heartbeats calmed, her vision cleared, and she recognized the face and the voice. Alastor.

He stared down at her the way a hawk flew over prey, circling above, with its mere presence striking fear. She stifled the defeated sigh in her chest. Why did she always have to be the prey? She struggled to sit up and felt a death grip on her hand. She turned to see Jason leaning against the bedpost.

He lifted his lids slowly, blinking, then his eyes flared as he shot up. “You’re awake! How are you feeling?”

“Fine. You’re breaking my hand,” she protested weakly.

Jason loosened his grip but not his hold. He sat next to her and pushed back her hair to examine her neck. “Not a scratch,” he declared, smiling.

With jerky movements, her hand reached to her neck, expecting to find bandages, even stitches. Yet she touched nothing but smooth skin. Not even a scab marred her body.

“What happened?”

“A shapeshifter. A demon.” He let out a ragged breath. “We should have stayed with you.”

“My potion . . .”

“The demon was too strong and the potion couldn’t destroy it. I’m sorry.” Miller stared down at his feet, unable to meet her eyes.

She sagged back against the bed. She’d had the foresight to bring her little vial but apparently it hadn’t worked. There had to be another way. If Miller’s potions couldn’t protect her, she needed to find something that would.

“It’s not your fault,” she assured Miller. Then she turned to Jason. “Thanks for saving me.”

Jason pursed his lips and backed away. “No. He saved you,” he whispered, gesturing at Alastor.

Utter shock left her mute. Why would Alastor save her? Everything about his attitude and his words showed he hated her. He would be glad to see her dead. Why bother saving her?

After a pause, she whispered uncertainly, “Thank you.”

She remembered the hand reaching through the abyss, holding the dagger. Alastor had killed the demon right before her eyes. Daria swallowed hard. Was that her future? Killing demons? Suddenly, she was glad Miller’s potion hadn’t worked. Even if the demon had come for her, she didn’t know if she could live with herself if she had killed it.

Why did people have to die so she could live? How many had died already? The gravity of the sacrifice punched her like a fist in the stomach. She scanned the men in her room. They had all promised to stay with her past the deadline, when they knew full well the danger involved. Were they ready to die, too? Her heart twisted.

She scooted off the bed, thinking a cool glass of water might clear her thoughts. Jason helped her stand, but no sooner had she entered the living room did she see Candy sink a sword into a little blue creature. Daria’s jaw dropped, the scream never able to leave her throat because shock had choked it. She merely stood there, watching the blue . . . thing . . . fall with a spurt of matching blood that stained her white carpet.

Candy ripped out her sword and the body hit the floor with a dull thump. Then before her eyes, the blue thing vanished along with the blood, leaving no trace they had been there at all.

A barely audible whimper left her lips.

Candy whirled around, as if realizing she had an audience. Her eyes traveled beyond Daria and contrition suffused her face. She nodded and stepped back.

Suddenly, Candy stiffened.

She swung her sword behind her, slicing through the air in a large arc. A gurgling scream spread through the room.

Daria didn’t see anything at first, only a thin red line in the path of Candy’s sword. A dark silhouette took form, revealing long, sharp horns that curled around like a ram.

The animal never fully materialized, but she watched a fading head lop off and disappear right before it hit the floor.

Daria collapsed, unfeeling of the dull pain on her knees from the impact. The uproar of voices faded into the background, turning hushed and quiet, their questions and exclamations becoming white noise. Only what Candy said, in her soft, smoky voice, penetrated Daria’s shock.

“I sense them on the roof. I’ll sweep the building.”

Desperate to suck in air, Daria wheezed. They were on the roof. In the building. God. Everywhere. On the street. In her home. She’d never escape, never get away. And if she wanted to live, they all had to die.

With glazed eyes, Daria stared up at the men dominating the living room. They began arguing but her mind jumbled the words, making them incoherent. Through the haze, Jason approached. When his strong arms helped her to stand, she wanted nothing more than to hide in his protective embrace and cry.

He led her to the couch and a moment later, clasped her hand around a glass of water. “Drink,” he commanded. His voice left no room for refusal and she brought the glass to her lips in a mechanical fashion. The cold water quenched her parched throat and the fog lifted from her mind. She gave him a grateful smile, which quickly faded.

She shook her head, slowly at first, then violently. “I can’t do it. I want to protect myself and live. But I can’t kill those things. I can’t!”

Her body shook, the trembles growing until Jason’s strong arms enveloped her. “Shh, it’s okay.”

His scent surrounded her and she closed her eyes, trying to focus only on the pleasant images he brought to mind. Yet tonight, no grassy fields of wildflowers appeared. She saw only death and a river of blood.

“It’s decided?” His voice resonated to her ear. She didn’t look up from his arms, wishing to shut out everything the way she shut her eyes.

“Fine,” Damien grumbled. “See you guys there.”

The door opened and closed and feet shuffled around the room. Silence descended until she heard Jason’s steady heartbeats and nothing else. He didn’t speak, only stroking her hair and scattering kisses on her head. His tender ministrations calmed her and the tension eased.

“Do you know why my family hates me?” Jason whispered.

She shook her head. She had wanted to ask many times, wanted to know what caused his estrangement with Alastor. But the reason why paled in importance to dealing with the ramifications of the present.

“My father’s side of the family has a special gift. They can heal the wounded, cure the sick.  However, the ability disappears if one takes a life.”

Daria lifted her head, seeing Jason with new eyes. She had no idea Jason was a healer. No wonder the scars vanished from her neck. What a special gift. Why would this create a rift in his family?

“You’re not the only one who cannot kill,” he added.

“But the banshees . . . and . . .”

“I never killed any of them. I maimed and wounded, but I never killed.” He gave her a sheepish smile. “I’m not as noble as I make myself out to be. I want to kill them for hurting you. I can feel my family’s powers wanting release. But I’m scared. I don’t know what I’d become if I took a life.”

Jason lifted his hand, staring at it in contemplation. Daria took it and held it to her heart. His hands brought her protection and comfort, embraced her in their steady grip, and sent her heart racing. She loved them.

“You scare me sometimes, too,” Daria admitted. “I can feel you’re holding something back. But it’s part of who you are and I understand that. It doesn’t matter if it’s the one who gives me the chills or the one who makes me feel safe—I know you’ll protect me with your life.”

Pain flashed across his eyes. “Alice died that night because I couldn’t kill the demons that came for her. I don’t want the same thing to happen to you.”

Now she understood his guilt didn’t stem from losing Alice. It came from his deep-rooted desire not to kill. After watching Candy slay the two creatures in her house, Daria knew she couldn’t, either.

“It won’t,” she replied, with brimming confidence. “I don’t die that easily, remember? Maybe once I develop powers, I’ll be the one who protects you.”

Jason held Daria closer, breathing in the fragrance of her hair, reminded again of how fragile she felt in his arms. But here she sat, prepared to defend his life. It brought an amused smile to his lips.

Daria had taken the news of her fate as she always did—in stride and head on. She had an inner strength he had seen in few humans, plus she always thought she could do everything on her own. He knew it wasn’t her pride preventing her from depending on others; it was her natural instinct. He hoped when things settled down—
if
they ever did—she’d learn he was here for her.

He should have done more tonight at Club Triple Six. When he had rushed out from the club, terrible possibilities of death deluged his mind. As he ran down the city streets, he realized he still needed to tell her so many things. He never got to tell her what House he was from. He still needed to show her his true form. He wanted Daria to meet his mother.

And he never got to tell her he loved her.

He knew that now. He loved Daria as he had never loved anyone. At last, he understood his feelings for Alice came from fealty, admiration for her kindness and beauty. Nothing more.

With Daria, it was a burst of passion that blanketed his soul, an exploding reminder that without her by his side, he merely existed. The thought of losing her sent him into a frenzy, completely inconsolable, and without reason. Daria had become a part of him.

Never once with Alice had he considered dirtying his hands. Only with Daria had he debated taking a life. What was the use in keeping his hands clean if he had to be without her? She was everything to him. Had been everything since the moment he began watching over her.

He knew then that Alastor was right. His despair over Daria’s death would not come close to Alice’s. It would far surpass since he would rather end his life than live for all eternity without her. Daria personified the best of his soul.

Now he explained, “We’re all going to Miller’s. The protective barrier around his house will keep the coalition and any other creatures away.”

“You said we wouldn’t be able to get out.”

That used to be his primary concern. But that was when he had still hoped his father would relent and allow him to marry Daria. With that hope dashed, he had one final option at his disposal.

“Your maturation date nears. The most important thing is keeping you safe.” He held her closer. “My father won’t sanction our marriage, but there is another way. We’ll need Miller’s help.”

“You still haven’t asked me and I still haven’t said yes,” she teased.

Jason smiled. “I need to talk to Miller. Alone. Then I will propose properly. And you’d better say yes.”

Daria sat back, searching his eyes, no doubt for answers. After a long silence, she asked, “Don’t you still love Alice?”

“I thought I loved her when she was alive,” he replied quietly. “But now I realize it’s different.”

“How?” she pressed. “Love is love.”

Jason shook his head slowly. “I served Alice as a knight serves his lady. She was untouchable, one to be worshipped. When I was with her, I was happy. When I was without, I could go on.” He paused and sighed. “When she died, I realized I had failed her.”

How Alice’s loss had affected him paled in comparison to what he’d suffer now, should he also lose Daria. How could he describe the invading void, the anguish that tortured his mind, when Daria wasn’t with him?

He tried to find the right words. “I cannot imagine being without you. When I leave your side, you consume my every thought. If you perished, I would follow you.”

Tears trickled down her cheeks and for a second, he thought he had upset her further. “I love you and I will continue loving you until eternity ends,” he vowed. “Promise you will stay with me.”

He felt her nod against his shoulder.

“Jason.”

They both turned toward the faltering voice and he heard Daria gasp before he registered what stood before them. Red stained Candy’s blond hair and her torso was covered with the same substance. Jason couldn’t tell where she bled as she stumbled toward them. He scrambled to catch her before she hit the ground.

“I couldn’t . . . he’s coming.”

His blood ran as cold as her skin felt. Few rivaled Candy’s powers. What powerful enemy came for them? “Don’t speak. Let me heal you.”

“Leave. We must . . .”

She fainted and it took only a second for Jason to make a decision. He swung Candy into his arms and turned to Daria. “Hold onto me tightly.”

As soon as she grabbed his arm, he stepped into the small sliver of blackness cast from the armchair.