Devil's Paw (Imp Book 4) (4 page)

“Take her to the kitchen,” I told Dar. I’d run over, get Wyatt and bring him over for his gift right now.

To Dar’s credit, he was very gentle as he steered the woman around the bar area and to the back section of the kitchen, where a wall would hide them from view. Still, the girl jerked away from his touch, a small whimper escaping her. I wasn’t sure what was causing her fear, but hopefully the presence of another human would help. She’d see that we hadn’t killed or mutilated Wyatt and perhaps relax a bit.

I ran to the wine fridge and pulled out the champagne I’d been chilling for tomorrow’s party. We’d just have it early. Wyatt would get his gift, then we could continue with our dinner plans and the movie I’d picked up. The girl might put a slight cramp in our romantic evening, but that was all right. We had our whole life ahead for romance. Well, Wyatt’s whole life, which would be a great deal shorter than mine. Either way, romance would have to take a back seat to other things. That was okay. Wyatt’s happiness filled me with a joy of my own. It was weird how contagious feelings were when two people loved each other.

Wyatt’s house was just down the road, visible from my front door. It was a bit of an eyesore — a Cape Cod crumbling to ruin from neglect. He still had plywood over the windows that were broken during demon attacks this past winter. At least he’d replaced his destroyed mattress, otherwise we would have been forced to sleep on the couch or only in my house.

I walked through the door, grateful that we’d finally had his protective barrier removed and I
could
walk through the door. Wyatt was sprawled on his sofa, happily shooting the dastardly zombies rushing him from the TV. He glanced up, relaxing his instinctive grip on the pistol beside him when he realized it was me.

“Sam, can you give me a shout or something and not sneak up on me like that? I was two seconds from putting a bullet through you.”

I’d been shot by Wyatt before. It wasn’t something I wanted to repeat.

“I’m not sneaking,” I protested. “A frost giant could stomp his way through here and you wouldn’t hear him with your damned video game up so loud.”

Wyatt glared and paused the game. This isn’t how I wanted our evening to go.

“I’m sorry.” I plopped down next to him on the couch, folding my body against him as his arm came around my shoulders. “I had a lousy day. You have a right to be jumpy after what happened this winter, and I shouldn’t have been snippy.”

“It’s okay.” His lips brushed the top of my head and his arm tightened in a quick hug. “Did rents not go well? Did you have to get rough with someone?”

There was tightness in his voice as he said the last bit. Wyatt had been increasingly stern about my collection methods. He’d been increasingly stern about a lot of things lately.

“No. Rents went fine. I stayed a bit late and played with Angelo.”

The hand resting on my shoulder caressed my arm. Wyatt approved of playing with Angelo. He also approved of me dragging poor Boomer to the local nursing home for “pet day”, and slapping soup in a bowl for dirty, ungrateful humans to eat.

“A pack of humans accosted me in an alley, I assumed to rob me, but then one of them turned out to be a mage, and an angel showed up. They chased me through an office building and onto the roof. I jumped off and tried to fly away, but the fucking angel chased me all over downtown. He was damned close to killing me, so I called Gregory.”

I deliberately left out the part about me killing one of the humans. That was not on Wyatt’s “approved activity” list.

I felt him pull away. He lifted my chin with his thumb to meet my eyes with his.

“What are you talking about? A mob attacked you? Headed by an angel with a mage for back–up?”

It did sound pretty farfetched. “It’s okay. I think they were some kind of rogue vigilante group. As soon as Gregory showed up, they vanished, leaving no trace. I’m sure they think he killed me.”

Wyatt shook his head, confused. “Okay …what does Gregory think about all this?”

“He doesn’t believe me.” Not that I blamed him. I’d been summoning him all spring, and demons weren’t particularly truthful. I should have just put the whole thing out of my mind, but something bothered me about the incident. An angel and a mage? It was too bizarre. It reminded me of the beginning of a bad joke — an angel, a mage, and a rabbi walk into a bar…

“Never mind,” I told Wyatt, giving him a quick kiss. “I want you to come over to my house so I can show you something.”

He grinned, and I knew right away where his mind had detoured. “Are we still grabbing dinner out later, or eating in?”

I had a vision of us naked in bed feeding sushi to each other. That fun would probably need to be on hold for another day, though. I led him to my house, pouring the champagne as soon as we walked through the door.

Wyatt gave me a quizzical look as I handed him a full glass of bubbly and wished him a happy early birthday.

“Party isn’t until tomorrow I thought,” he commented, taking an obligatory sip.

“I’ve got a special gift for you, but it arrived early. It’s in the kitchen.”

He grinned, and I followed him into the kitchen, nearly plowing into him as he came to an abrupt stop.

“Ta da!” I announced, pushing past so I could better see his reaction.

I wish I hadn’t. He stared at the girl, his eyes darting back and forth between Dar and her terrified face. I’d hoped she would calm down a bit when she saw Wyatt, but if anything, she appeared even more confused and afraid.

“Ta da!” I repeated, gesturing in my best Vanna White impression.

“It’s a girl,” Wyatt said slowly. “A girl and your brother, standing in your kitchen.”

“Yes, exactly. Although Dar isn’t part of the present. Or my kitchen, either.”

“You’re giving me a girl for my birthday?” Wyatt’s voice rose in anger.

“Well, yes. I know she’s really scared now. It’s got to be a bit of a shock for her, seeing you for the first time like this, but she’ll come around. Dar promised me that no one harmed her. She’s just a little nervous.”

“A girl. You’re giving me a human being as a slave?”

Wyatt was furious, his voice thunderous. The girl’s eyes flickered between him and the floor, her trembling increasing. How could this have gone so wrong?

“No, no. Don’t you recognize her? It’s your sister, Wyatt. The human changeling. The one Amber replaced. I got her back from the elves and brought her home.”

I’d thought this would make Wyatt ecstatic. I’d rescued his sister from a life of slavery and reunited them. Could it be he didn’t recognize his own sibling? I thought humans would instinctively know their family, that their eyes would meet across my kitchen and they’d race to embrace each other in happy reunion.

He had no idea how difficult this had been. It had taken me months and considerable amounts of money and favors. In spite of his desire to get rid of Nyalla, it had been nearly impossible to broker a purchase from Aelswith. Demons tended to buy humans for only one purpose, and the elves were usually reluctant to turn over all but the worst of them to that kind of fate.

It wasn’t just the rape, torture, and eventual Own that Nyalla’s owner had objected to. It was me. No one in Cyelle was allowed to deal with me, speak to me, or any of my household, unless it was to drag me in and throw me in a dungeon. I’d needed to go through five households to broker the deal. And I’d needed to bribe heavy so the demons handling the transaction along the way didn’t molest or terrorize the girl. I didn’t think Wyatt would be as appreciative of my gift if she’d shown up broken and hysterical. Not that my precautions seemed to have helped. She was one step away from broken and hysterical as it was.

“Seriously? She’s my sister? The one the elves stole and kept in slavery?”

“She’s your sister, Wyatt. Her name is Nyalla. I brought her back to you.”

Finally I saw what I’d hoped for in his face. With a sharp intake of breath, he turned to me, eyes shining with joy and grabbed me in a hug.

“I love you, Sam. Thank you.”

“I love you too, Wyatt,” I murmured. We’d had our challenges the past few months, all over his half–breed sister and my tendency to kill people first and ask questions later. I’d hoped this gesture on my part would finally make things right between us.

Wyatt pulled away and walked toward Nyalla, taking her hand.

“I’m your brother, Wyatt. I’m so happy to meet you, and I’ll do everything I can to make this difficult transition work. I hope you enjoy life here as a free human.”

Nyalla’s blue eyes were huge, her face pale. She glanced at Dar and me, tugging her hand from Wyatt’s grasp.

“Does she speak?” Wyatt asked in concern. “Did the elves make her a mute or something?”

I frowned at the girl. She’d spoken the last time I’d met her, or had she? I remember that Aelswith had answered all the questions on her behalf. Crap, maybe she couldn’t speak, although I thought I remembered her replying to me earlier. Maybe she’d just shaken her head?

Wyatt crouched slightly to look into her downturned face. “It’s okay. You don’t need to be afraid. You’re safe now. No one is going to hurt you.”

She lifted her head, searching Wyatt’s face with anxious eyes.

“What did he say?”

She spoke in Elvish, and suddenly her muteness made sense.

“He said that you’re safe, and he’s going to help you make a new life here with the other humans.”

Her face turned to mine, a faint light of hope in the back of her eyes. “Am I not going back? Am I not going to be raped, tortured and killed by a group of demons?”

Hadn’t Dar told her? I glared at him, and he shrugged.

“No! I brought you over here as a present for Wyatt.”

“Am I his? Will he expect me to have sex with him, or just clean and do other tasks?” she asked, eyeing Wyatt with some apprehension.

I was pretty sure humans in general didn’t have sex with their siblings, and I really didn’t want Wyatt to be intimate with anyone but me. I began to tell her this, when Wyatt elbowed me, clearly wanting in on our conversation.

“You don’t speak English? Do you know any human languages?” I asked her, although I was pretty sure of the answer.

Nyalla shook her head. “I was taken as an infant, and we are not allowed to associate with other humans until the age of puberty, when we are rendered infertile.”

The elves neutered their humans? I glanced at Wyatt, thankful that he couldn’t follow our conversation. “But after? Surely you had human friends? A boyfriend?”

“My low status prohibited me from social or sexual contact with other humans. Only those high in their households, or in the mage program, are allowed that privilege.”

“She doesn’t speak English,” I told Wyatt. “She doesn’t speak any human languages, only Elvish and possibly some Demon.”

I didn’t tell him the rest. That his sister, stolen from her crib and placed into slavery, had been rendered infertile and denied the company of her own race. That she’d been verbally abused, given solitary meaningless jobs. Was she a virgin, or had some elf had his way with her? It was unlikely, since they weren’t attracted to humans, but after seeing an elf/demon hybrid, I didn’t rule it out. I doubted she had been told to entertain a demon. She wouldn’t have survived that.

I didn’t have a chance to ask her, though, as Wyatt once again grabbed her hand.

“It will work out. You’re smart; you’ll learn quickly. Immersion is the best way to learn a language, I’ve been told. I’ll pick up some software for you, too.”

She looked at Wyatt in confusion, and, with some hesitation, took his hand and placed it on her breast. “I will do my best to please you, Master. I hope that you will allow me to prove my worth in your service.”

Wyatt snatched his hand away in horror and looked at me. “What was that about? What did she say?”

Crap.

“He’s not your master,” I hastily told Nyalla. “He’s your brother. Didn’t Dar tell you? You’re home. I’ve brought you home.”

“My brother?” Nyalla reached out a tentative hand to touch Wyatt’s. “Do I have other family? Parents?”

“Your mother still lives. And you have a step–sister, Amber. She is the changeling that took your place.”

Nyalla looked confused. “But the elf changelings are dead. How did this happen that one lived? The elves would never have made such a mistake.”

“Your sister is not all elf. Amber is an elf/demon hybrid.”

Nyalla looked horrified. “Elves do not do that!”

“One did. And she smuggled her baby over here so it wouldn’t be killed.”

“An elf woman bore a hybrid child, and not only allowed it to live, but disguised it as a dead changeling baby so it would be safely raised in place of the human child. In trade, the human child got to be a slave to the elves.” Her words were slow, a storm of emotion lurking on the horizon. I glanced back and forth between her and Wyatt, unsure how to approach this topic. I decided on honesty.

“Yes. But it’s not the child’s fault. It’s not either child’s fault. Elves do changeling swaps all the time. They kidnap older humans too.”

A look of pain and anger crossed Nyalla’s face. “She got to have my life, my childhood, while I was kicked, and scorned, and unloved. I have never known a loving touch because of her. She stole my life. I will never call her sister.”

This really wasn’t turning out like I’d expected.

Wyatt elbowed me. “What is she saying? What are you telling her?”

“I’m explaining who you are and about your family. She’s confused about what’s going on. Just let me talk with her a moment then I’ll translate for you.”

I turned back to Nyalla. “The elves stole your life, not Amber. She’s as much a victim in this as you are.”

Nyalla’s eyes flashed, her jaw set with stubbornness that reminded me of Wyatt when he was digging his heels in about some less–than–savory project of mine. “Some victim. She got a life of love and I got … this.”

“Yes, Amber,” Wyatt interjected, speaking slowly and rather loud as humans do when talking to those who don’t speak their language. “She’s wonderful. You both will be best friends.”

Uhhh, probably not.

“Yes, she has had an easy life, so far, compared to you. But you are now free to do and be whoever you want, while she is hunted. Elves will kill her. Demons will turn her over for the bounty. Vampires would attack her as an enemy. Werewolves and angels might also do her harm. She lives in constant fear that she’ll encounter someone not human while pumping gas or doing yoga and it will be all over.”