Crystalfire (7 page)
Authors: Kate Douglas
“I really am a scholar, Willow. I’ll admit I’ve been curious about sex, but I wasn’t ever interested enough in any particular woman to want to work at an actual relationship. Plus, I had that fortune hanging over my head. I still do.”
“Enough to keep you from stealing a kiss or two?”
He chuckled, but this time she sensed he meant it. “Things really are different in Lemuria than on Earth. Our women know their worth and generally withhold themselves until marriage. The opportunities for casual sex don’t exist as much in our world. At least they haven’t in the past, though there are many changes coming. So far, though, it’s not been as open or free. Certainly not conducive to much experimenting.”
Willow gnawed on her lower lip for a moment. Then she slipped out of his embrace once again. “We’re not in Lemuria anymore, Taron. And I’m not asking you to fall in love.”
He took a deep breath that expanded his chest and let her know he’d been thinking along the same lines. “I know that, Willow.” He rubbed the back of his neck and glanced at the bed.
She felt her heart rate begin to speed up. Her gaze followed Taron’s. Her body suddenly felt soft and pliable.
Taron’s sword, strapped in the scabbard across his shoulders, flashed. Willow blushed. Did his sword know what they were thinking?
Taron glanced ruefully at Willow. She slapped a hand over her mouth to stop the giggles. “It appears your sword knows, too,” she said. “But I think it has other ideas.”
Taron’s soft chuckle totally ended the moment. “I think you’re right. Come.”
He held out his hand. She wrapped her fingers in his. His grasp was firm and felt just right. Willow raised her chin and smiled at him.
He smiled back, but he shot one last, longing look at the bed. Then he tugged her toward the door. “We can speak of this later. Right now, we need to eat something, and then we should plot our course of action against the demon king.”
Kibble? Is it time for kibble?
No, Bumper. It’s time for people food.
Chapter 5
West of the town of Sedona, the stench of sulfur lay heavily in the air. Eddy Marks wiped the sweat out of her eyes, leaned back against the side of Dawson Buck’s big SUV, and flashed a tired grin at her lover. Dax was so ruggedly handsome he took her breath away. It was hard to imagine him as he’d once been—a creature of shimmering scales and sharp claws, curved horns and razor-sharp fangs.
Once a demon, but a demon no more. He was the man she loved, the one she would love for all eternity. He was also her partner in battle, as sweaty and disheveled from fighting demonkind as she was. She leaned her head against his hard shoulder. “I keep thinking this will get easier, but it’s damned hard work.”
“You’re not kidding.” Dax sheathed his sword and gave Eddy what was probably meant to be a quick kiss. A kiss that ended up taking on a life of its own. When they finally separated, he leaned his forehead against hers and sighed. “How is it you always manage to distract me?”
“Just lucky I guess. I’d rather kiss you than kill demons any day. Today has been absolutely exhausting.”
“It’s always more difficult when the demons take on a live avatar.”
Eddy nodded her head against his. That was the truth. They didn’t want to injure an innocent host—not only was it wrong, but a dying creature’s life force would empower the demons.
Sighing, Eddy leaned back against the SUV and gazed out across the field filled with comatose sheep. Almost the entire flock had been taken over by demonkind. Thank goodness for Dawson’s tranquilizer gun—once the animals had fallen asleep, the demons had fled—right into the sharp crystal blades of the demonslayers’ swords.
Now the lanky vet moved among the fallen animals, checking to make sure they were breathing okay. Selyn worked quietly beside him—the perfect partner for Dawson, as far as Eddy could tell. Then she turned and gazed at Dax. Just as he was her perfect match. The perfect lover, perfect partner, perfect friend. In fact, life in general would be absolutely perfect if it weren’t for the blasted demons.
But then, if not for demons, she wouldn’t have Dax, Dawson would never have met Selyn, the Forgotten Ones would still be forgotten, and Alton and Ginny would never have met.
Never have fallen in love. Not be out there, on their own, following up more reports of invading demonkind. Eddy grabbed her cell phone. “I need to check in with Ginny. She and Alton were planning to go by that horse ranch on the other side of Sedona. I thought we’d have heard from them by now.”
Dax nodded. “Do that. I’ll go help Daws and Selyn.” He pushed away from the vehicle and headed across the field.
Nodding, Eddy dialed the number on her cell. She really needed to call her dad, too, but they’d been so darned busy since the first moment they’d arrived in Sedona that she hadn’t had time. Ed understood how these things went, though. He’d let her know if he needed her for anything, and right now they had a bigger problem here in Sedona than any of them had imagined.
Ginny’s cousin Markus hadn’t been kidding when he said they had trouble.
Ginny’s terse hello and her immediate segue into their situation yanked Eddy out of her daydreams. “Eddy? You guys okay with the sheep ranch? Got things under control, yet? ’Cause if you do, Alton and I need you here. We’re just south of Boynton Canyon on Dry Creek Road, not far from the lodge where we stayed. The horses are fine, but there’s a huge flock of birds out here—ravens, I think. I’m positive they’re all possessed.”
“Crap.” Eddy glanced up. Daws, Selyn, and Dax were walking slowly back toward the SUV. Sheep were beginning to stand, shaking their heads, a bit dopey from the tranquilizer, but obviously no longer ruled by demonkind. The stench of sulfur had faded. There weren’t any demons left—at least not here. “Ginny, you two hang in there. It looks like we’re done here, but it will take us at least twenty minutes to get to you guys.”
“Alton and I will meet you at the Boynton Canyon vortex. Eddy, I have a terrible feeling we’re dealing with more than just the demons Isra saw headed this way. I’m afraid more of the portals to Abyss are open again. There are just too damned many demons to be coming in through one gateway. We’re headed up the trail now to check on this one.”
Crap.
“Be careful.” Eddy ended the call and waved at the others. “C’mon,” she yelled. “Alton and Ginny need us.”
“Be careful.” Eddy ended the call and waved at the others. “C’mon,” she yelled. “Alton and Ginny need us.”
She piled into the back of the SUV with Dax. Daws had the vehicle in motion before the rest of them had their seat belts fastened.
Eddy turned and caught Dax’s eye. He was grinning ear to ear, obviously having the time of his life. She thought of socking him. Then she caught Dawson glancing at the two of them in his rearview mirror, blue eyes twinkling, saw the big smile on Selyn’s face, and tossed her worries out the window.
This was, after all, what they did, wasn’t it? This eclectic little band fought demons: an ex-demon, a veterinarian, an ex-newspaper reporter, a Lemurian Paladin, a Lemurian aristocrat, and an ex-911 operator. As crazy as it sounded, right now they were the soldiers on the front lines—just about all that stood between the people of all worlds in all dimensions, and total subjugation under the rules of hell.
No problem there, right? Why should she worry?
Grinning like an absolute idiot, Eddy settled back in the seat and wondered what kind of mess Ginny and Alton had discovered.
Mouth watering aromas filled the kitchen in Evergreen. Taron stared at the amazing looking and smelling plate of food Willow had set in front of him and realized his mouth was actually watering. “How did you learn to cook?”
Watching her prepare the meal had certainly taken his mind off the uncomfortable discussion they’d been having in the bedroom, though both issues seemed to test his self-control.
He felt as if he was being bombarded with too many sensory pleasures, and Willow wasn’t the only one. Right now, it took everything he could muster to wait until she sat across from him with her own plate before digging in to his meal.
“In a way, Ed taught me. I loved to watch him prepare meals. Everyone says he’s a wonderful cook, though I never ate anything he made.” She picked up her fork and smiled at him. “Go ahead. It’s probably not anything like Lemurian food, but I know you can eat it. At least Alton loves all of these things.”
“I recognize eggs, but what else is here?” He picked up a strip of some kind of meat that sort of reminded him of a food they served at home and took a bite, then closed his eyes with the absolutely mouthwatering burst of salty flavor.
Never had he tasted anything remotely as good.
Willow grinned. “That’s hickory smoked bacon. The pile next to the omelet is fried potatoes with onions and bell peppers. The omelet is made with mushrooms and spinach and fresh garlic. The white stuff inside is called feta cheese, and it’s made from sheep’s milk. I hope you like it. It’s the first meal I’ve ever cooked.”
She took a bite and chewed slowly. Then she flashed him a bright smile. “Oh. And maybe I should mention, other than sharing the taste of kibble and the occasional handout from one of the guys with Bumper, this is also the first food I’ve ever eaten.”
He almost choked on his bite of omelet. Swallowing carefully, he stared at her. “What do you mean, the first food you’ve ever eaten? Didn’t they feed you?”
Her smile had him grinning like a fool, and when she shook her head, all those beautiful blond curls bounced over her shoulders, inviting him to tangle his fingers in the strands. It wasn’t easy, but he kept his hands to himself.
“I survived on energy as a sprite. Since I was created to help Dax adjust to life here on Earth, to feed him the energy he needed for his demonic powers, that same energy fed me as well.” She shrugged as if it were no big deal. “Then I was inside Bumper and she took care of eating.”
She glanced both ways, as if checking to make sure they were all alone. “Don’t tell Bumper, but I am not at all fond of kibble.”
The dog’s voice popped into Taron’s head.
I hear you, Willow. I love kibble. It’s perfect. It makes me happy. I like eggs. I like bacon. I really like bacon. Eat more bacon, please?
I hear you, Willow. I love kibble. It’s perfect. It makes me happy. I like eggs. I like bacon. I really like bacon. Eat more bacon, please?
Laughing, Willow took a strip of bacon and ate it slowly, obviously savoring every bite. Taron heard Bumper’s telepathic groans of pleasure. Watching the way Willow enjoyed her meal had him fighting his own need to groan.
He wasn’t quite sure how to handle his body’s reaction to every single move Willow made. Whether it was chewing or swallowing or glancing his way with a smile. He didn’t just see her—he felt her. As if everything she did was directed his way.
Conversation lagged as they focused on eating, though Taron’s concentration continued slipping away from the meal and focusing on the woman across the table. As wonderful as the eggs and potatoes and bacon tasted, Willow was the one who had his senses screaming for more. She was the flavor, the texture, the scent he wanted. At the same time, he’d never enjoyed a meal more, and it wasn’t just the fact Willow had prepared something so tasty.
He’d never once in his life gone hungry for food, but he wondered now if he’d hungered all his life for what Willow represented. Was it a woman’s touch he’d missed? A woman’s smile ... or was it just Willow?
It came to him in a flash of insight that he could easily spend the rest of his life watching Willow. Her smile, and her brilliant blue eyes that were so amazingly expressive. The tilt of her head when she thought about something. The way her lips moved when she spoke, when she chewed ... but definitely when she smiled.
He loved her smile. Especially when it was directed at him, and thank the gods, but she smiled at him more often than not. He knew he should be planning their next moves and preparing for whatever final battle he’d been warned of. His thoughts slipped away from Willow and he worried about Ed. Just as quickly, though he certainly hoped Ed was okay, he reminded himself there was nothing to be done for Eddy’s father until nightfall.
Which left almost an entire day with nothing to do.
Should his conscience be this easily appeased? He thought of that for a moment as he used a piece of toast to scrape the last bits of his omelet off the plate. He popped the last bite into his mouth and sighed. Then he pushed worries about Ed aside, glanced up and caught Willow grinning at him.
“I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed a meal more than that,” he said. “Thank you.”
She actually blushed. He’d not expected that from someone as gutsy as Willow. “You’re an amazing cook,” he added, wondering how far he could push her.
“I think you were just very hungry.” She flashed a quick smile his way. Then she concentrated on the empty plate in front of her for a moment, as if she wondered where the food had all gone. With a sharp shake of her head, she stood up, gathered her plate and utensils and carried everything to the sink.
Taron did the same, and again that sense of pure enjoyment he felt just being with Willow flooded his senses—along with the ever-present shadow of guilt. He sent a sharp glance at his weapon lying quietly in the scabbard. If the damned sword was to be believed, there was nothing they could do about Ed until tonight. They had no idea where to look for him in the daytime and hours to go before nightfall.
Again he shoved the guilt aside, and concentrated instead on the way Willow was rinsing her plate. It appeared washing dishes on Earth was the same as in Lemuria, and for some reason the comparison stopped him cold.
Were there really that many differences between Lemurians and humans? And what of Willow? Once a sprite, now a woman. An absolutely beautiful woman, but what was she, really?
And did it matter? Alton had thought Ginny was human and he’d loved her anyway, long before he’d actually discovered she was also part Lemurian, but Taron felt as if so many of the foundations he’d long built his personal beliefs upon were crumbling. Was nothing as he’d believed it? Even the trusted Lemurian council had been proved to be run by demonkind. And a sword that had never deigned to speak a word had ordered him to come to Earth’s dimension to fight a battle against demons. Without question, he’d left the only home he’d ever known and come here without any real idea what to expect.
He certainly hadn’t expected Willow, which brought him full circle, every bit as confused now as he’d been when he sat down to eat, though as he set his plate on top of Willow’s, he knew he’d never enjoyed a meal more in his life. Never had such a wonderful time cleaning up the mess afterward, either, but he’d never had Willow to entertain him.
“I’ll wash. You dry.” She filled the sink with water and detergent and Taron grabbed a towel out of a drawer Willow pointed to. He paid close attention to everything she did, telling himself it was so he could learn to function here in Earth’s dimension.
He’d never realized his capacity for lying to himself. For just a moment, he forced himself to be brutally honest, and he had to admit he would watch Willow doing anything, for whatever reason, just to have the pleasure of studying her, of being close to her. She moved with an innate grace that belied the fact she’d only been in this body for a few hours. She’d been a perfect sprite and now she was proving to be the perfect woman.
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