Dawn of a Dark Knight (35 page)

Markus asked, “Kira, is your head okay?”

Eric gave Kira a knowing smile and raised an eyebrow.

Kira mumbled to Eric, “I couldn’t leave Ashor in the dark, you know. What if I had actually died here?” To Markus she said, “Just a little stress headache. I’ll be okay.”

Blue eyes sparkling in laughter, Eric said for her ears only, “Bet you aged him at least fifty years after whatever you said. He’s going to be lucky if he survives the week with as much stress as you’ve inflicted on him.” He held up his hand. “Don’t be defensive. I think it’s good you’ve shaken him up. He’s had too much control and discipline in his life for far too long.” He chuckled and led them out of the alley.

At the exit of the alley, Kira stared down the street.

Terek laughed as he dodged Javen’s sword. His raspy voice echoed down the block, “Come on. Challenge me.”

In a torrent of motion, Terek transformed his hand into that of a daemon and slashed Javen across his face. Then he emitted a blast of power that impacted the center of Javen’s chest, tossing him fifteen feet in the air to land hard against a car on the opposite side of the street.

What was that?
Weren’t magi immune to dark magik? This entered the territory of seriously deep shit.

Ashor dragged Javen to the sidewalk side of the car against which he had been thrown. They needed help or that thing was going to kill both of them.

Moving trancelike in their direction, Kira said to Eric, “I need to help distract that daemon or they’re not going to make it out of there. I’ve never tried this. Watch my back.” In her mind to Ashor she said,
I’m going to distract Terek. Safely. Trust me. Got your guys with me. This should give you a few seconds. You’ve got to get out of there.

Kira closed her hand around the amulet and let the power within her rev up. She focused every bit of power possible on Terek’s mind, thinking only of inflicting debilitating pain.

Terek grabbed his head. The daemon hands dwarfed the human cranium. He roared and fell to his knees. His gaze wildly sought for the source of the attack.

****

Ashor restrained Javen against the side of the car with a hand midchest. “Time to go.”

Javen struggled against Ashor’s hold. “No. I’m going to finish this fight. Get off me.”

Ashor threw Javen to the sidewalk and pinned him by placing his knee on his chest and grabbed his chin to make eye contact in an attempt to snap him out of his battle craze. “I would also like nothing better than to kick Djoser’s smug ass back to hell, but it’s time to go.”

“Get your bloody arse off me.” Javen struggled viciously and managed to strike Ashor in the nose with his elbow.

Ashor wiped away a trickle of blood on his upper lip. He put his hand more firmly around Javen’s neck. “Listen, Kira has—”

Javen bucked, throwing Ashor off and pivoted.

Ashor tackled him to the ground. “Damn it. Kira got the amulet and feels your
senariai.
If you die now, your woman has no possibility for peace.”

Javen stopped struggling. “You fucking around with me?”

“No. Had she not said so, I’d let you continue to get your ass kicked right into your next life. But it’s time to go. We’ll find this bastard another day when you’re stronger.”

“Okay.”

Ashor released his hold.

Djoser stumbled in their direction, although he still held his head while growling.

Javen said quietly, “How exactly are we supposed to distract him long enough to leave without him pursuing?”

Ashor smiled wickedly. “I learned a little something from Kane before he left. Useful guy to have around.” He pulled a small key-fob remote from his pocket.

“What’s that?” Javen asked.

“Our ticket out of here.”

Within his mind, Ashor ordered Kira,
Run. Now!

“Hey, stupid ass,” Ashor yelled to Djoser. “Yeah, you, the one with the fucked-up daemon hands. Are we doing this or what?”

Djoser growled and rounded the car.

“Run,” Ashor ordered Javen.

They sprinted down the block as Ashor hit the remote detonator. The car they had sheltered behind, where Djoser now stood, exploded.

They paused at the end of the block, watching debris settle.

“You think it’ll kill the bastard?” Javen asked.

“No. But I guarantee he’s pissed off and hurting like hell.

****

The blast knocked him through the plate glass storefront. Djoser pushed several scarves away from his face and furiously plucked three large shards of glass out of his side. Serious buzz kill. He’d been riding high on kicking magi ass.

He stomped to the broken window and looked for his quarry. Long gone.

With composure, he restored the parts of his body that were in daemon form back to human. He rotated his head back and forth, examining his reflection in a mirror.

Flesh dangled as if shredded by a food grater.

When his eardrums stopped ringing, he glared at the two women hysterically wailing. Neither looked to be promising body candidates.

So be it.

He’d use their deaths to repair this one.

Chapter Thirty-One

When the car exploded, Eric threw Kira over his shoulder and ran. Christian shouldered Nate and followed. Markus loped behind them.

“I can run on my own,” Kira said.

“I know,” Eric huffed.

“Then put me down.”

“Not yet.” He stopped next to a parked SUV two blocks away and then put her down.

“What the hell was going on with that guy fighting Ashor?” Markus asked. “He had weird, oversized monster hands.”

Eric asked, “Are you keeping this guy in the dark for some reason?”

“He’s in denial. Refuses to believe you’re magi. So me trying to explain a daemon…well, it won’t work.”

Christian arrived and dumped Nate beside the car. He rested his hands on his knees to catch his breath. “You weigh a ton, man.”

As one, they all looked to Eric expectantly.

“Damn it. Javen’s got the keys. They’re probably to the other side of the city by now.”

Nate offered, “We could hail a cab. Christian can waggle his ass at the driver and probably get his nighttime fix out of the deal.”

“How’d you know my dream is to spend the night with a pissy, chain-smoking Asian dude?” Christian rolled his eyes and moved away to engage two Hashishins that had followed.

Markus scooted under the SUV beside them and messed about. He shouted from beneath the car, “I think I can get it unlocked.”

The locks popped open. Markus scooted out and smiled. He pulled open the driver’s door. The car’s alarm emitted a hair-raising electronic howl.

“Shit. Shit. Shit. Now it’s going to go into lock-down mode,” groaned Markus.

Kira turned to Nate, who leaned weakly against the car. She demanded, “Nate, jump-start the car.”

“What? I don’t know how to hot-wire this thing.”

Christian now fought five men. More closed in. Eric joined the fight.

Kira pulled Markus away from the car and said, “Stay.” Her tone suggested noncompliance wasn’t an option.

She grabbed Nate’s shirt and pulled him close to her with amazing strength considering he dwarfed her by over a half a foot. “Start. The. Car. Now!”

Nate’s eyes widened. His Adam’s apple bobbed with a convulsive swallow. He placed his hand flat against the car. The alarm stopped and the engine roared to life.

Kira caught Markus’s wide-eyed what-the-hell. Not the time for the twenty-questions session she knew came next. She ordered, “Everyone in the car.” She turned around and yelled, “Christian, get in the car. You’re driving. Eric, you’re
not
allowed to touch the steering wheel.”

Several minutes later, she sat crammed between Markus and Nate in the backseat. “I knew you could do it, Nate.”

“I’m just glad the car didn’t blow up,” Eric said.

“Let’s see what that thing did to you,” she said as she gently palpated Nate’s broken arm.
Kira repaired Nate’s damaged arm and the wound on his leg. No fatigue hit after the energy expenditure. Instead the amulet nudged her to move on to the next injured warrior.

Markus stared at her as she worked. “What are you doing?”

“Nate got a bit of a sprain from the fight. But he’s going to be fine.” Kira squeezed Nate’s arm, hoping he would get the signal to remain silent.

****

Christian stood stoically in the doorway of the plane awaiting Javen and Ashor who had yet to return.

“Christian, would you like an assist?” Kira asked.

He shrugged.

She sensed stubbornness and determination from him. Suddenly, Christian let go of the focused suppression he had on his pain. Misery flooded him. Smiling, she understood pride prevented him from requesting a heal job with the barrage of buckshot and .22 bullets that covered his backside, primarily in his butt and lower back.

Kira whispered, “Must’ve been a painful drive. I’m sorry. I don’t understand who would bring a .22 to a gunfight, but at least we should be thankful because anything larger would have ripped you to shreds. We’ve got to get them out of you. I’ve never done this before. So, I might need some pointers.”

“The previous
akhrian
drew them to the skin and out before healing anything major. About as much fun coming out as going in.”

“It hurts? I won’t let it hurt you, but if it does, you’ve got to let me know. I can drug you or something.”

“No drugs.”

“Okay. I need for you to strip down to your birthday suit for this one, though, so I can see what I’m doing. How about if we step into the bathroom for a few minutes.”

Christian shook his head. “I don’t think so. We go into that bathroom alone and Ashor returns…he’ll go apeshit. Jump to all the wrong conclusions. I’d really prefer to avoid that side of him.”

“You look like you could take him. He’s really not that scary.”

“You obviously haven’t seen him when he actually loses it. These little hiccups you’ve caused are entertaining. But, darling, I have seen him when he loses it.”

“You need help. Come on, let’s go.”

“You don’t believe me? About forty years ago, we were in Scotland because some idiot summoned a Scottish daemon, which are among the wiliest of the bunch. Bitter, evil bastards. It wreaked havoc on a town before we got there. Lots of dead. The thing kicked my ass right off, and Ethan’s as well. Ashor was pissed because it dislocated his shoulder and broke his wrist. I’m fairly certain it was his fighting arm. At that point, I was sure we were goners. But Ashor got that scary smile on his face, the one that means he’s about to dish out some major kick ass. Then, he single-handedly kicked the shit out of that daemon. With one functional arm. Now that was scary. I prefer to stay on the good side of him.”

Kira giggled. “I don’t think he would possibly get that angry. I could tell him. Then when he arrives, he won’t be surprised.” She tapped her head in meaning.

Christian nodded tightly. “Fine. But tell him this is strictly professional and your idea. Me naked…shit, this is a bad plan.”

Ashor, I’m going into the bathroom privately with Christian to remove some bullets. I’d prefer not to do it in public. He’s afraid you’re going to be upset about this.

Ashor’s voice filled her head
. Tell the little perv to keep his hands to himself and keep the charm turned off. Where exactly are these bullets?

She replied,
Patient confidentiality. But I am going to have to see parts of him unclothed. Trust me, he’s adequately terrified of you to prefer staying in pain, which I won’t allow. Said something about a daemon in Scotland forty years ago?

Laughter filled her head and then he said,
Always pays to scare the newbie into respect.

She turned to Christian and smiled. “He’s cool. Instructed you to keep the charm turned off.”

By the time they emerged from the bathroom, the plane was well in the air and on its way back to Jacksonville. Christian strolled to the front beneath the curious gazes of the others.

As Christian poured himself a scotch from the minibar, Eric couldn’t resist asking, “So, where did they get you? Was it somewhere that might impact your extracurricular activities?”

Christian took a sip of scotch and said, “Nope, I’ve got myself a great doctor. All patched up and ready for action.”

Kira slipped into the empty seat beside Ashor and laid her head against his shoulder. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

“I’m not sure I’m ready to hear what Markus did to save your life. Where is he?”

“He wanted to stay in New York because he’s meeting Kane later today. The two of them should be able to fend for themselves.”

“What happened with Nate? He’s floating on cloud nine.”

She patted the amulet. “It let me know he needed to learn to use what he’s got.”

“Apparently, you impressed Nate and Eric.”

“The amulet is pushing me to go up front to Javen. He needs some help. He’s in a pretty bad mood, though. I’m not sure if his foul mood is because he broke his ass or he’s ticked off at me for encouraging you to pry him away from his nemesis.”

Ashor smiled. The action lit his whole face. Her heart went mushy.

“Broke his ass? As in he broke his tailbone?” A deep laugh escaped him, a sound Kira had never heard before. The infectious sound made her laugh.

“Yep.”

“Then I’m sure Javen is pissed since Djoser didn’t just kick his ass, he broke it.” Ashor roared even harder in laughter.

Loving this carefree aspect of Ashor, Kira leaned toward him and tangled her hands in his bound hair, drawing his head toward her and whispered, “Just a taste.”

Her lips latched onto his. She sucked and licked at his tongue, sparring with his, striving for control. He didn’t give it to her. Yet, she fought dirty. She ran a light touch down his chest and abdomen, and over his arousal. His muscles trembled beneath her fingers.

“You play with fire, sweetheart,” he whispered as he kissed the side of her neck.

“Perhaps a bit.” The energy zinging between them screamed at her to finish what she’d started. “I’ve got to go up front.”

****

Kira closed the door to the cockpit behind her and sat in the copilot seat beside a dour-faced Javen. He focused straight ahead and didn’t acknowledge her presence.