Authors: Kate Douglas
Crystalfire (16 page)
Except she hadn’t returned. She was out there, somewhere. They’d searched the portals, tried pausing in the midst and had no luck. You were either on one side or the other—there really wasn’t a middle to those things—almost as if the portals themselves were two dimensional, not three.
Eddy? Where the hell are you, Eddy?
It could only be the void. Had to be. Where else could she have gone without a trace? He didn’t remember sliding down the pole. Didn’t recall sitting on the front porch with his head in his hands, sobbing like a child.
Couldn’t recall ever feeling so lost, so entirely alone as he did at this moment. She completed him. She was his soul, his reason for everything. For fighting demonkind, for getting up every morning and facing a new day in this strange new world, each day filled with more battles and more risks.
He’d not counted on risking Eddy. His own life wasn’t important. Not like hers.
He sensed movement and hoped whoever it was would just go away. He should have known better. Alton sat down beside him and threw an arm over his shoulders.
Dax didn’t try and move away. He knew Alton needed this connection every bit as much as he did, and he could deny it all he wanted, but Dax truly appreciated Alton’s offer of comfort.
He knew the man loved Eddy as if she were part of his family, and in many ways, she was. They were all family, connected by the common desire to fight demonkind, but it was even more than that.
This body that was now his had belonged to a soldier—a brave man who had stormed the beaches at Normandy during one of Earth’s great wars. Dax had been with the man as he relived that fight, and he’d learned much about the strength of comrades in arms, the bond that connected those who risked death together.
It was blood shared in battle, a tensile strength more powerful than any genetic connection. No, the family he had now was unlike anything he could ever have imagined ... before.
They loved one another, and they’d come together to form an unbreakable bond. It was stronger than any ties based on blood relationships—this was a brotherhood built on love and trust, on the knowledge that someone in the group would always have your back.
Only this brotherhood was strengthened by the women who were so much a part of the whole. Ginny and Selyn ... and Eddy Marks. Dear gods, he needed her.
Needed each and every one of them, but Eddy most of all.
He and Alton had fought side by side—with each other, with Eddy, and with every other person inside the house. They were more than friends, more than family, though that’s how they thought of themselves—as a family.
And family didn’t let other members suffer alone. Knowing someone shared his pain made it easier to bear. Easier to think through the options, maybe figure out a way to find Eddy.
“They’re still searching,” Alton said, interrupting Dax’s convoluted thoughts. “We’ll find her. Nine hells, man ... I’m so sorry.”
Dax turned and gazed into his best friend’s green eyes. “I know we will. Thank you. You’ve reminded me why I should never give up hope.”
Alton gave him a very tired smile. “And how did I manage that?”
“By coming out here and reminding me I’m not the only one worried about Eddy. As individuals we’re each pretty tough, but as a group we can’t be beaten. I believe that with all my heart.”
“Good. Then that means you’ll come inside, eat some of the dinner that Dawson’s putting on the table, and then get some sleep. Our swords will keep searching, but we need to rest if we’re going to be any good to anyone.”
Dax nodded. “Ginny already fed me, you know. Made me eat a sandwich.”
“So you’ll eat another one. C’mon.”
Dax grabbed the tail of his shirt and wiped his eyes. Then he stood, grabbed Alton’s hand, and tugged him to his feet. They stood for a moment, each looking at the other.
Chuckling softly, Dax said, “I’m thinking that if I don’t listen to you, and Eddy finds out, she’ll kick my butt.”
Alton laughed softly as Dax opened the door. “There is that,” he said. Then he led the way inside with Dax following close behind.
The swords still glowed on the low table. Their Lemurian and human partners had moved to the dining room to eat. No one mentioned Dax’s red eyes or the husky sound to his voice, and that was a good thing.
It meant they understood, that they felt the same way. They understood his grief and his fear, and they shared his resolve.
It meant they were all going to do whatever they could, no matter the risk, to find the woman he loved.
Chapter 13
Dawn was near. At least that appeared to be the source of light on the eastern horizon—it must herald the coming of the sun. He’d missed sunrise his first morning here. Taron leaned against the twisted oak at the edge of the cemetery and gazed at the multi-hued sky. His very first dawning in this dimension in many thousands of years. Awakening beside a full-sized Willow yesterday morning had taken priority. Even now, with the colors spreading overhead, Willow drew his gaze, away from the multi-hued atmosphere. He watched as she made a final pass along the edge of the older graves, checking each small statue, pausing and then moving on to the next. As tired as he was, Taron knew she had to be ready to fold, and yet she still moved with such grace and beauty, as if to music. They’d spent hours killing demons—more than they’d expected to find hiding amid the small statues and ceramic figurines decorating the hundreds of graves, yet Willow never faltered.What kept them going, what motivated them, was the realization that the demon king could have easily absorbed enough power from the many demons hiding here to repel any foe.
Taron had a feeling that the damned creature might not have needed an avatar if he’d been allowed to feed without interference. Then what would have happened to Ed?
Willow paused in front of him and sighed. “Bumper doesn’t sense any more demons and neither do I. Let’s go home.” She stood on her toes and kissed him.
He closed his eyes and kissed her back, and it was all he could do not to take her in his arms and hold her tightly enough to hang on to her forever. What an amazing woman! She’d fought bravely last night and then, for hours after, she’d worked beside him to find every last demonic soul hiding here among the graves.
He forced himself to end the kiss, and it was almost painful, pulling away. “We can’t do this, you know. We need to stop, no matter how good it feels.”
She didn’t say a word, but she didn’t push for more, either. He wished he knew what she was thinking. At least he’d stayed entirely in control. It wasn’t easy. Not with Willow smiling up at him with those beautiful blue eyes and now, with her slightly pouty, just kissed mouth mere inches from his.
“Let’s go,” he said. He kissed her nose and tried to give her a casual grin. That wasn’t easy, either. Not when he wanted so much more. “I need food and a shower.” He took her hand, smiled at her, and tugged lightly so that she’d follow.
“I need you.”
Well, nine hells and then some.
She dropped that little bombshell as if it were nothing at all. He stood there, blindsided, with his mouth hanging open like a damned fool, but Willow merely winked and turned away as if she’d said nothing mind blowing at all.
Bemused, Taron followed. How in the hell had he lost control of the situation so quickly?
And how was it that a woman who had only been a real woman for a matter of hours could so quickly figure out how to use all those womanly secrets he’d heard of?
Gods be damned, but it did put the male portion of a population at a distinct disadvantage. Musing over the many things he had yet to learn, Taron followed Willow through the quiet streets of pre-dawn Evergreen, alert to the threat of demonkind, but even more powerfully aware of the subtle threat of the woman ahead.
Aware as well, that this was one threat he’d have to fight. The risk was too great, the consequences too dear. Yet no matter what he told himself, his desire and his need grew stronger every moment he spent with her. She was absolutely fascinating and definitely forbidden, and gods-be-damned, but he wanted her as well.
Actually, as much as she loved rattling his cage, and as much as she wanted to get up close and personal with the sexy Lemurian following behind, Willow knew the fight against demons came first, and she really had to take a detour by the old library building.
If the demon king had gone there to hide out, they might have a good chance of taking him down in the light of day, now that he’d gone without the energy he’d hoped to gain last night.
They’d discovered that demon powers were noticeably weaker when the sun was shining, and sunrise wasn’t all that far off. The eastern sky was well beyond the gun-metal gray of predawn, brightening now in glowing shades of red and orange, purple and gold.
Lights glowed brightly through windows of the houses they passed, and the sound of traffic rushing by on the interstate had grown steadily louder. Time was passing, a new day dawning.
Ed had been possessed by the demon king for almost thirty-six hours. How long could he last and still retain his humanity? Willow had been almost certain she’d seen hints of Ed last night, a brief glance of the man she’d known since she’d first entered Earth’s dimension with Dax just one short month ago. Then, just as quickly as he’d surfaced, he’d disappeared again beneath the evil that was the demon king.
She glanced at Taron. “Come with me. I want to check on the library. Just in case ...”
“Do you think he’s gone back there?”
She shook her head. “We’ll never know if we don’t stop and look.” She didn’t wait for his answer. One thing Willow had learned watching Eddie and Ginnie was to think something through and then act. If you waited for others to make up their minds, opportunity could be lost.
With a man like Taron who loved to question everything, it could easily be lost forever. She shot him a quick look and picked up her pace. He followed without question, though she knew the questions were all lined up in nice, neat rows, somewhere in that brilliant scholar’s mind of his, just waiting.
The image that popped into her head had her fighting a smile. He wouldn’t understand at all what she found so funny.
She took a side street that brought them directly to the back of the library building. It appeared even more desolate in the early morning, lacking the soft shadows that came with the muted light of evening. It felt as abandoned as it appeared, but she went to the back anyway, to the double doors that led into the cellar.
“Do you think he might be in here?” Taron grabbed the handle on one of the doors.
Willow shook her head. “I don’t know. I don’t really sense anything, do you?”
He didn’t answer, but he tugged. The door didn’t budge. “I think it’s locked. Any other ways to get in?”
“I’ll check.” Willow walked slowly around the perimeter of the big building. She spotted a couple of broken windows, but they were too small to allow Ed inside. By the time she’d gone all the way and circled back to Taron, he was talking to a sheriff’s deputy who didn’t appear very happy to see strangers snooping around his town’s abandoned library so early in the morning.
She thought the man looked familiar.
Bumper? Do you recognize the guy in the uniform?
Bumper? Do you recognize the guy in the uniform?
Deputy Milton Bradford. He’s a friend of Eddy’s.
I thought so. Good girl! Thanks.
Pasting a smile on her face, Willow walked up with her hand out. “Deputy Bradford! Good morning. How are you?”
He spun around and stared at her. “Do I know ... ?”
“I’m Eddy Marks’s friend, Willow. This is another friend of hers from college. Meet Taron. I was just showing him the old library.” Still smiling, she grinned at Taron as he shook hands with the deputy. “Taron’s an architect. I wanted him to see this gorgeous old building. Don’t you think it would be just perfect to fix up for the community?”
Milton scratched his head and stared at Taron. “Why didn’t you just say something? You coulda told me what you were doing.”
Taron merely shrugged and smiled at Willow. “Well, you know how it is,” he said.
Willow? Just how is it?
Willow? Just how is it?
She bit back a laugh as the deputy nodded and said, “True. You even mention anything to the wrong people and the story’s all over town. I can get the keys if you’d like to see inside.”
“Thank you.” Willow put a hand on Taron’s shoulder.
Not now. If Ed’s in there we’d have way too many questions to answer.
Not now. If Ed’s in there we’d have way too many questions to answer.
“I’ll remember that,” Taron said. “Willow just wanted me to get a quick look at the building’s exterior before the sun was fully up. Shadows, you know. The lighting.”
Again, the deputy nodded. “I understand. If you need to get in, just stop by the sheriff’s substation. It’s at the south end of Lassen Boulevard.”
He glanced at the sky. The colors had gone from pale pink to blood red over the past couple of minutes. “Looks like we might be in for a storm.” He turned and grinned at Willow. “You know the old saying, ‘red sky at dawning, sailor take warning.’”
Willow grinned and nodded like she knew what he was talking about. And she did, kind of. There was a similar saying in Eden.
Red sky at dawn. Good weather’s gone.
Or the other old one that she really hoped wasn’t valid.
Red sun on the rise. Beware, take care, or someone dies.
Or the other old one that she really hoped wasn’t valid.
Red sun on the rise. Beware, take care, or someone dies.
Bumper’s perky voice popped into her somber thoughts.
Maybe it’ll be the demon king.
Maybe it’ll be the demon king.
Let’s hope so.
The deputy tipped his cap and headed back to his car. Willow let out a deep sigh of relief. Taron cocked one eyebrow and stared at her. “Architect?”
She shrugged. “It was all I could think of. What did he say?”
“Before or after he threatened to arrest me? I’m glad you knew who he was. I wasn’t sure if Alton had used compulsions on him before, so I didn’t know if they’d still work.”
“He has, actually. A number of times. You need to thank Bumper. I don’t really know him. I mean, I recognized him, but I couldn’t remember his name. Bumper did, though. She’s better at names than I am. Thanks, girl!”
I did good, didn’t I Willow? I smell demon here. Do you? I smell Ed, too, but not really strong. I think it’s from him hiding here yesterday. I don’t think they’re in the cellar. I wonder where they went? I hope Ed’s okay. He’s nice to me. He always gives me kibble. I love kibble, Willow. Could you taste some kibble for me?
She loved Bumper. Really she did, but the dog was going to drive her absolutely nuts. “How about bacon and eggs instead, Bumper? We’ve got plenty at the house. Ed must have just made a trip to the store, because the refrigerator is full of goodies.”
I like bacon, Willow. Let’s go cook bacon.
“Bumper says bacon’s okay.” Willow grabbed Taron’s hand. “I need to eat, shower, and sleep, in that order.”
Taron slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. She suddenly found herself staring directly into those gorgeous emerald green eyes of his.
“Are you sure that’s all you need?”
He was going to kiss her. She was absolutely positive, and just thinking of the way his mouth would feel on hers had her going all weak in the knees, all soft and warm and welcoming in another part of her anatomy. She blinked, lost in a sensual haze that was growing thicker by the second.
He hovered there, his lips mere inches from hers, but reality intruded. She shook her head, a short, sharp jerk that broke the spell. “Yes,” she said, speaking with as much firm conviction as she could force into that one word. Of course, it was conviction she didn’t feel at all with Taron so close, his lips almost touching hers, his arm a firm anchor holding her still. “That’s all I need. And you, Taron, need to make up your mind. You know how I feel.”
She managed to grab hold of his hand, lift his arm away from her waist, and walk away. He followed, but she heard his soft chuckle and knew he was well aware how much she’d wanted his kiss. She glanced over her shoulder. “You can’t have it both ways, Taron. To kiss or not to kiss ... that really is the question.”
She quickly turned forward, but she didn’t miss the frown that crossed his features. Damn him, though. What did he want from her? For a guy who’d never had anything to do with women, he’d certainly figured out how to keep her off balance while keeping her attention. Unfortunately, he didn’t have a clue how to hold onto her. No idea at all.
Mainly because he obviously didn’t have a clue what he wanted. First he thought they could have sex without entanglements, but even with her lack of experience Willow was certain that never worked. Then he didn’t want to touch her at all, but he couldn’t seem to keep his hands to himself, which left it to Willow.
He chose that moment to grab her hand and hold it tightly as they walked. So much for keeping him at arm’s length, though it did appear it was going to be up to her. Not easy when she’d already told him what she wanted.
It didn’t really matter though, did it? They had to get their priorities straight. Ed was out there, probably terrified and even in pain. He didn’t seem to be here, so there wasn’t much they could do until nightfall, but at least they’d kept the demon from gaining more strength. With any luck, tonight would be the night they stopped him.
Luck.
Was all of this really based on luck? She looked down at the way Taron’s fingers linked so perfectly with hers. Then she raised her head and found herself staring into brilliant green eyes that seemed to ask more questions than Willow knew how to answer.
Was all of this really based on luck? She looked down at the way Taron’s fingers linked so perfectly with hers. Then she raised her head and found herself staring into brilliant green eyes that seemed to ask more questions than Willow knew how to answer.
Taron just sighed and smiled at her, but he walked steadily beside her without complaint. Like he knew that, no matter what Willow said, he was still going to get his way.
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