Demonstorm: Heart of a Vampire #6 (19 page)

S
omething inside him broke, flooding him with an overpowering flash of despair.

No. He could not lose her. She was his.

His to keep safe, not to watch die.

With a scream of rage, his anger expanded. The last of the locks inside him burst open.

As if the two separate parts of himself he’d kept hidden behind walls that now shattered completely, he felt his halves merge.

Power exploded from him in a rush.

Gusts of wind blew, pushing the demons and creatures from his path.

Sean raced toward Mayah, unable to take his eyes off her as Brüs swung his sword at her exposed throat.

He ran faster. Had to stop the demon.

Knew he wouldn’t reach her in time.

The magic inside him refused to be contained in the face of the threat. It swept out in a shock wave.

Brüs stumbled, his sword stopping an inch from Mayah’s neck.

He glanced up, startled as Sean bore down on him.

Sean leapt, throwing himself at the giant demon, pushing his magic to drive into and through Brüs. He slammed into the man, forcing him from Mayah.

From all sides, the creatures and demons surged toward them, as if to help their leader. Brüs raised his sword and lunged.

Sean blocked the strike, then spun and slashed across the demon’s belly.

Behind him, Mayah whispered something he couldn’t hear. Sean drove the demon further from her, swinging his katana faster than Brüs could block. Wounds opened over his arms and chest. But he managed to stop all of Sean’s attempts to hit his throat or heart.

Magic raged inside him, but Sean didn’t know how to use it. Untouchable, uncontrollable, just as he’d feared. Rage built and he thirsted for blood.

He growled, pressing harder. The Abatu demon didn’t falter. With a mighty swing, he forced Sean a step back, recovering lost ground.

A wolf shifter bayed as it led two others toward him. Before he could respond, Cyrus blocked their path, covering Sean’s back.

He concentrated once more on Brüs, picturing the demon’s sword descending toward Mayah’s throat. Trying to take her head.

His magic responded, shooting from him in a wave. It hit Brüs, who gritted his teeth, trying to press forward.

Seeing an opening, Sean struck hard. His blade sank deep into the demon’s heart. Brüs shook himself like a wet dog and fell to one knee. He looked up, grinning a smile of blackened blood. “Not that easy.”

Surging to his feet, the demon raised his palm. Something bright white and agonizing struck Sean in the chest. He was flung onto his ass, skidding across the ground.

Shaking his head, trying to get his bearings, he felt a soft cold hand on his arm. Mayah lay next to him, color slowly coming back into her cheeks.

“Take his ring. There’s old, dark magic behind it,” she whispered.

Sean caught a glint of light from Brüs’s left hand as the demon flung another shot of magic their way. He twisted, blocking Mayah.

Fire blazed across his back and he couldn’t hold back the scream as the magic seemed to be eating his flesh, working its way inside to devour him whole.

Mayah clenched his hand, raising her head and kissed him softly. Strength rushed into him, blocking out the worst of the pain.

“We can fight this,” she whispered.

From a distance, Cyrus cried out as some creature managed to get past his defenses.

“We must hurry.” Mayah kissed him again and the push of power from her filled him.

Latched onto his soul, and onto his magic—now combined and free from all restraint.

Sean turned, facing Brüs. The demon bore down on them, his eyes wild with glee at the sight of victory.

Gripping Mayah’s hand tighter, Sean struggled to his feet, helping her up as well. They faced Brüs together, their magic somehow joining and becoming even more powerful.

She flung her hand at Brüs. A blue light enveloped him. He roared, realizing he was trapped.

Together they stepped forward. Sean swung a blade at the demon’s left wrist, taking his hand and the ring.

Brüs’s eyes widened, darkening to the deepest black.

“Now, it is over,” Mayah said.

The blue light around him seemed to shimmer as it compressed around the demon’s body. He thrashed against it, but like quicksilver, he couldn’t get it off.

Sean felt Mayah draw more of his power and funnel it at Brüs.

Screaming in fury, the demon’s body split apart, turning to ash as it drifted over the ground.

Howls and roars filled the air.

Sean and Mayah turned to face the creatures around them. Cyrus stumbled to their side, bloody and exhausted.

Somehow, he and Mayah had defeated the undefeatable. But they weren’t done. A sea of monsters bent on death surrounded them.

Mayah raised her hand, and magic spread out from the two of them. All creatures it touched turned to ash.

The remaining demons and beasts suddenly fell silent.

“What are they doing?” Sean asked.

“I don’t know,” she replied.

In the sky above them, the clouds parted. The night lit with the brilliant colors of the aurora, brightening the ground.

Brüs’s demons began to slink away, out of the light.

As the aurora faded, darkness creeping back over the land, silence reigned.

Sean glanced at Mayah. She smiled, letting out a laugh of surprise.

“They’re leaving,” Cyrus said in wonder.

“I guess they have no more reason to fight,” Sean replied.

Chapter Twenty

A
fter defeating Brüs, his minions fled. They stormed the fortress, Sean leading the way, but there was little resistance from the few creatures left. The Abatu’s demons had been mostly cowards.

After releasing the remaining prisoners, they stole a car from the castle and drove to Sean’s truck, then he’d turned in the direction of home.

Three days later, with stops only for food, and supplies for their wounds, they were nearing Arizona.

Mayah had spent the entire time in the back of the cab with her brother.

On the one hand, Sean understood her need to help Cyrus heal. To be with him, assure herself he was truly all right.

That all of them had survived.

But he missed the closeness they’d developed on the trip to rescue her brother. It was as if she’d forgotten all about him now that the man was free.

As the sun sank, he pulled over at a roadside motel. “I need some sleep, and your brother will do better in a real bed.”

She nodded, her eyes bright with gratitude.

Sean rented two connecting rooms, then helped carry Cyrus in from the truck. Before laying him on the bed, Sean looked at the man. “You up for a shower?”

Weak from his long captivity and many beatings, plus the devastating wounds he’d taken during the fight with Brüs, the man still tried to push himself. “I can do it on my own.”

Mayah strode to the bathroom. “Not going to happen. I’ll help.”

Cyrus’s eyes widened and his cheeks reddened. “Not on your life, sister.”

She sighed. “It’s not like I haven’t seen a naked man before.”

Cyrus mumbled something Sean didn’t catch. He intervened between the two, saying, “I’ll help. Mayah, why don’t you talk to the owner and find someplace we can get a hot meal?”

She glowered at them both, but silently turned and left.

“Thanks,” Cyrus said. His voice was weaker than Sean would have liked after the few days drive away from the dark fortress.

“No problem. Shower or bath?”

“Shower. And I can handle it by myself.”

Sean helped the man limp into the bathroom, then got the water going. “I’ll leave you to it. Shout if you need anything.” As he headed out the door, he called back, “And if you do need help, I won’t let your sister know.”

“Sure.”

Sean closed the door, then sat at the table in front of the window, listening to the sounds of Cyrus moving around, hoping the man wouldn’t let stubborn pride get in the way if something happened.

Thirty minutes later, Mayah returned carrying an armful of bags. Sean took some and set them on the table.

She raised a brow, then looked pointedly at the bathroom door.

“He’s not a child,” Sean said defensively.

“I know. He’s just been through so much, and we’ve…” She stopped to clear her throat. “We’ve been apart for so long.”

“He’ll recover. Already he’s healing well.”

She glanced away. “Not as good as we have. Not as fast as he should be.”

Sean began to unpack mountains of containers full of steaming, fragrant food. “He will. Now, you need to eat.”

“We can wait—”

“Eat. There will be plenty for Cyrus. Let him enjoy his privacy.”

After another long glance at the bathroom door, she finally nodded and sat across from him.

Opening the take-out boxes, Sean uncovered a feast from some Chinese restaurant. He slid a heaping plate in front of Mayah.

She looked back to the bathroom door, sighed heavily, then played with the food rather than eating it.

“What really has you worried?” Sean finally asked, his stomach twisted in knots. He could read her expression well enough. She was about to tell him it was time for them to head their own ways.

“I can’t go to your vampire clan. Not with Cyrus so injured,” she whispered, staring at the food.

His heart clenched tightly, agony radiating in powerful waves. When he tried to speak, the only sound that emerged was a groan from the pain.

“I trust you,” she continued slowly. “But I don’t know your people. I can’t put my faith in them.”

Sean stood so fast, his chair tipped back, clattering to the floor. He rounded the table to kneel before her. “Trust me to keep you both safe.”

Her hands trembles so much she laid the fork down. Her eyes shone with unshed tears. “I… I can’t.”

His heart broke, shattering into a million pieces he’d never be able to repair. Bowing his head, he tried to take a deep breath. His chest was so tight that he barely got any air. “I can’t lose you. You are my fate, my love.”

Mayah shakily stood, turning away from him. Striding to the window, she kept her back to him as she stared out at the desert vista.

Sean couldn’t believe this was happening. He refused to allow it. He crossed the room and took her in his arms. Her eyes widened before she glanced down, avoiding meeting his gaze. Tipping her head back, he kissed her, devouring her mouth as he tried to show her all the emotion raging inside him. Tried to convince her to change her mind.

For a moment, she didn’t move. Then she kissed him back, holding him just as tight. Pressing herself as close as she could get.

But then she tensed and he felt everything change. She drew back. Reluctantly, he let her go.

When she whispered, “I’m sorry,” he knew it was hopeless. For now.

She wasn’t the kind to change her mind easily. And he would never force her to do anything she wasn’t comfortable with. He’d gambled his heart, and failed.

He looked around the room, barely seeing a thing.

Mayah finally turned, but didn’t look at him as she said, “When Cyrus is better, I’ll come to you.” Her tone made it obvious she didn’t believe her own words. Neither did he.

Brushing a soft kiss over her lips, he stated, “I’ll wait for you to come. Always.”

The bathroom door opened and they sprung apart. Mayah hurried to Cyrus’s side, looking him up and down.

The shower seemed to have done the man a world of good. He’d cleaned up and shaved. The resemblance between brother and sister was striking.

Cyrus glanced between them, suspicion coloring his blue-green eyes. He didn’t speak as he limped to the table and sat down, then began devouring the food with gusto.

Sean and Mayah joined him at the table, but neither ate. Sean didn’t think he’d be able to keep anything down, with the way his chest throbbed and his gut churned. How could he convince her to take the chance?

* * *

Mayah pushed some food around on the plate, her mind spinning. She couldn’t look at Sean. His eyes had darkened with the pain she was causing, the same wrenching feeling clenching at her heart.

But breaking this off was for the best.

She’d thought to die during the fight with Brüs. Had never considered what would happen if they won and all survived. Now she had to.

And her first duty was to her brother. Had to be to her family. Not her heart.

No matter how agonizing the decision.

Never in her life had she expected to find love. Yet, she had. And love wasn’t the crippling, soul stealing emotion she’d always thought. Instead, it was freeing in so many wonderful ways.

Sean hadn’t eaten, but he said abruptly, “I need a walk.”