《Life Cycle (Preternaturals #5)》


 Page 1

    Prologue


    123 A.D. A hidden cavern near the waters of the Blue Grotto in Italy.Advertisement


    Tamar shivered with her twelve companions. They were about to attempt their most daring incantation. An opening at the top of the cavern allowed the light from the full moon to shine down on them, illuminating their secret gathering and adding its own power to the unfolding ritual.


    Salt water splashed on her from a waterfall in the nearby pool. They¡¯d searched for the water of immortality, a legend that had spread since before her birth. Far and wide, people had spoken of water that could make a person eternal and young.


    But it wasn¡¯t the water that conferred immortality. It was the creatures that lived inside the water. They were transparent and hard to see, with spongy tops and long tendrils on the bottom that could sting if you got too close. They didn¡¯t die. Instead, they could age backward, reaching the end of their life, and then, without dying, start over again.


    ¡°We¡¯ll freeze to death if you don¡¯t hurry.¡± Tamar glared at the man in the middle of the circle. The irony of freezing to death while seeking immortality caused her to stifle a dark laugh.


    ¡°The potion must be altered with other ingredients unless you want to come back as a newborn each time. You¡¯ll find that frustrating,¡± Jacob said. He was their leader and the best with potions.


    Tamar made a face, but huddled closer to her sister, Naomi, for warmth. A circle of salt had been poured around them. Candles were already lit. A large stone had become a makeshift table upon which the coven leader worked. The sea creatures had been pulverized and added to an iron pot. He poured the herbal infusions into the potion.


    Jacob passed a sharp knife to the person on his left. ¡°Each of us must contribute blood to the potion or it will fail. The magic is in this creature, but they have no blood. Our blood must bond with this animal if we hope to succeed.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s necessary?¡± Naomi asked. Tamar nodded her agreement. Cutting themselves and mixing their blood seemed extreme. What would be the consequences of linking together eternally?


    ¡°I am sure,¡± Jacob said, losing patience with their squeamishness. Magic like this had a price, and they all knew it. But the consequences always showed themselves when it was too late.


    One by one they sliced the center of their palms with the ritual knife and added their blood. Jacob stirred the concoction with a wooden spoon; it smelled like death. When he was finished, he dipped a silver goblet into the brew.


    ¡°We each drink and then we chant,¡± he said, passing the goblet.


    Tamar couldn¡¯t help feeling pride at the chant she¡¯d written. When they¡¯d all drunk, they clasped hands and turned their faces up to the moonlight. The cavern echoed their words back to them. ¡°Da immortalitatem. Renatus sine oblitus. Numquam moriens. Da immortalitatem. Renatus sine oblitus. Numquam moriens...¡±


    And then they all died.


    Tamar jolted as oxygen flooded into her body. Something felt very strange. Had the spell worked? She glanced around at her companions, each of them coming back to life one by one.


    ¡°We¡¯re all children.¡±


    Chapter One


    Golatha Falls, Georgia. The Present.


    Tam perched on the bar stool in her kitchen, still as death. Her third cup of Earl Grey tea cooled on the counter, ignored. Normally the warm brew calmed her nerves, but nothing would comfort her today.


    She¡¯d read her tarot cards, tea leaves, and scried with a bowl of water and sea salt. Everything she tried gave her the same morbid story. The death card glared back at her, mocking, and though she¡¯d told many others¡ªsometimes truthfully, sometimes not so much¡ªthat the death card didn¡¯t always mean death, she knew this card said her number was up.


    Jack¡ªas Jacob was called now¡ªwas back, and he was after her. She fought to keep the tremor out of her hand as she raised the tea to her lips. He wouldn¡¯t offer her a quick death. It would involve a cold stone slab, bleeding to death, and having vital organs removed. Ritualistic, because ritual was how you got the most effect out of stealing a fellow magic user¡¯s power.


    Tam had considered herself a cycler since the night she was reborn in that cavern nearly two thousand years ago. True to Jack¡¯s word, each time they died, they came right back in their own younger body, looking for all the world to be about twelve years old¡ªan inconvenience to say the least. Tam had been shuffled from orphanage to orphanage each time she began a new life cycle.


    This last time she¡¯d gotten lucky and been adopted by a well-to-do family who had taken her in and put her through a good school. The thought was nice, though pointless, given how many times she¡¯d already suffered through school.


    Cyclers kept their memories, their sense of continuity. They were effectively immortal, just like the rare breed of jellyfish they¡¯d discovered so long ago.


    Jack had only been actively hunting the other cyclers for a few centuries. He¡¯d gone power hungry, convinced he could stop the cycle altogether and achieve true immortality by draining the power of his coven. Magic users aged differently¡ªthe more magic, the longer they could live. But it wasn¡¯t just that. She knew him. He had an angle¡ªsomething more than a personal quest for immortality.


    If murder was his new hobby, his purpose for gaining all that power couldn¡¯t be good. If he was going to get her anyway, suicide seemed the smarter option. It would free her to be reborn the normal way and keep her safe from a more brutal death at Jack¡¯s hands.


    But it wasn¡¯t so simple. There were two ways she could die for real¡ªand two ways only: at the hands of another cycler, or through magical means by a very old preternatural being, such as a demon or vampire at least a few thousand years old. Those were hard to come by, and their killing methods were usually too creative for Tam¡¯s taste. She wanted to break the cycle, not be tortured.


    Either way, she¡¯d managed, through this latest cycle, to stifle the suicidal urge. Until now.


    The image of the demon she¡¯d chosen formed in her mind. Cain. The very first incubus. If he couldn¡¯t kill her, nobody could. And he hated her. It should be simple enough to get him to agree, assuming she could find him. She¡¯d dropped him in front of his badass pals a couple of times already with energy balls. He was probably plotting her death at this very moment.


    Anna might know where to find him, since she was mated to a demon, but Tam hadn¡¯t seen her best friend in three months. It wasn¡¯t as if Tam had directions to the demon portals or a way to get through to their dimension even if she did. If Anna surfaced in the human dimension, Tam could do a spell to locate her, but who could say when that would happen? And would it be before Jack reached her?


    Deep in her gut, she knew she was going to die¡ªeither by Cain¡¯s hand or by Jack¡¯s. As arrogant as the bastard was, Cain¡¯s methods would at least be pleasurable. Bleeding out and organ removal versus orgasms. Gee, how do I decide? They both sound so glamorous and exciting.


    Cain snarled as he passed through the portal point into Cary Town, Washington. The filmy dimensional doorway shimmered and then fizzled out of existence as he moved through the forest away from it. He couldn¡¯t believe he¡¯d allowed himself to be summoned by the vampire king. Half-breeds.


    He¡¯d thought his business with Anthony was finished when Cain had delivered his don¡¯t mess with us again or there will be a war speech the last time they¡¯d met. But now there was a bigger evil brewing, something that risked the living standards of all the factions¡ªand possibly their lives.


    Even his newly turned succubus and her werewolf mate would be at the meeting, which was going to be awkward to say the least, given that they all hated Anthony. And the feeling was mutual. How this was going to go with everybody in one room, he couldn¡¯t say. Officially, the werewolf pack was banished from Cary Town. If someone saw them slinking through the night to Anthony¡¯s penthouse, things would get entertaining.


    The demon nodded at the guardian in the lobby of the Cary Town Luxury Apartments. This meeting was being kept on the down-low. The Preternatural Council had been shut out. Even most of the vampire king¡¯s coven didn¡¯t know he was fraternizing with the enemy and holding a secret meeting in his former penthouse residence. Cain stepped onto the elevator and pulled out the key he¡¯d been given to gain access to the sixth floor.


    The door at the end of the hall was answered by a vampire who looked more like a butler. ¡°They¡¯re on the roof by the pool, sir.¡±


    Cain took the stairs two at a time. His presence announced itself as the metal door clanged against the brick. All eyes went to him, and he smirked.


    ¡°Well, well, looks like the gang¡¯s all here.¡± And what a motley crew they were.


    Anthony stood at one end of the table beside an overhead projector and portable screen that had been plugged into an outlet embedded in the brick.


    At the table were several familiar faces. Beside Anthony was his human mate, Charlee. Coming around the table was Cain¡¯s brother, Luc, and his annoying mate, Anna. Then there was Jane, the new succubus who was mated to Cole, the Cary Town werewolf pack alpha. The rest, he didn¡¯t know.


    ¡°You¡¯re late,¡± Anthony said, bristling. ¡°We¡¯ve been waiting, and Charlotte needs her rest. The baby takes a lot out of her.¡±


    Cain¡¯s eyes cut to the vampire¡¯s mate. She was so pregnant she¡¯d pop any day now. If this meeting was about her and her spawn, heads were going to roll. If he didn¡¯t care about a half-breed, he sure as hell didn¡¯t care about a quarter-breed.


    ¡°I was detained. These things happen. Lovely little school teacher. I made some third graders very happy today. Or they¡¯ll be happy tomorrow, anyway.¡±


    Cole growled from his seat beside Jane. ¡°You killed a woman, you mean.¡±


    Cain chuckled. ¡°My god, man, what is it with you and this obsession with killing? Which one of us is the demon? Perhaps amongst your kind third graders are happy when their teacher dies. She¡¯s¡­ just a little spent. She¡¯ll have to take a sick day tomorrow.¡±


    He dropped into a chair at the end of the table where he could most easily glare at and annoy Anthony. Since Cain wasn¡¯t killing him right now, annoying him would be the second best thing. He didn¡¯t like that Anthony was in charge of this meeting. The vampire king was practically a child next to Cain¡¯s eight thousand years. It should be seniority rule.


    The vampire cleared his throat. ¡°Sitting next to you is Father Hadrian who is one of mine¡­ And over here is our resident sorcerer, Dayne, and his lovely werecat, Greta.¡± Anthony leered at the brunette beside the sorcerer and Greta gripped Dayne¡¯s hand tighter.


    ¡°Therian, not werecat! You know I hate that term,¡± Greta hissed.


    ¡°Whether you like it or not, it¡¯s accurate.¡±


    ¡°Really, Anthony?¡± Charlee said, an irritated expression on her face at her mate¡¯s goading.


    The vampire chuckled. ¡°What? Is it my fault your friend is so easy to mess with?¡±


    He took a clear plastic sheet with writing on it and placed it on the overhead projector. ¡°I apologize for being so vague as to the purpose of this meeting. Half of you are officially enemies, but if I go to the Preternatural Council with this, my vampires will all know, and I¡¯m not prepared for it to go public yet. We can go back to hating each other after we¡¯ve eliminated the threat.¡±


    Anthony flipped on the light of the projector, and an electric buzz filled the silence. ¡°I had this letter reproduced onto a transparency for our purposes. In case the context doesn¡¯t spell it out to you, we¡¯ve been contacted by Jack the Ripper. He¡¯s still alive, and he¡¯s one of us.¡±


    ¡°You couldn¡¯t just use a computer program?¡± the werewolf asked. Cole was the most tech-savvy of the group.


    ¡°Don¡¯t try, it won¡¯t get you anywhere,¡± Charlee said.


    Dear Boss,


    I¡¯m back. You didn¡¯t take the threat seriously last time. Shame on you. Did you not understand my joke? It wasn¡¯t for the common people. It was for the others. Was ¡°from Hell¡± not a big enough clue? It¡¯s where we all are, after all.


    When I¡¯ve killed the other cyclers, I¡¯ll change the world. There are 13 of us, a perfect coven. The first kill was an accident, the second an experiment. Whitechapel was only three. You were wrong. It wasn¡¯t five. Those and others were copycats all wanting Ripper¡¯s glory.


    Since then, there have been four more, but I¡¯ve been quiet as a mouse, giggling at my funny little games. With you in power, I thought I¡¯d make this interesting. Only three left to kill; catch me first or Hell is mine.


    Yours Truly,


    The Cycler


    Don¡¯t mind the new trade name. The old one was stale, and this one will give you something new to chew on. A new mystery to solve. Do better this time. The stakes are higher now.


    P.S. Have fun when the human media gets this letter. I¡¯ll give you a head start. Tick, tock.


    Cain read the letter on the projector once, twice, and then a third time. ¡°Why did he send this to you? And addressed the same as the original letters? And what the fuck is a cycler?¡±


    Anthony seemed annoyed by Cain¡¯s tone, but he answered anyway. ¡°I believe I¡¯ve met him before. At previous points in my history, I¡¯ve chosen to blend with the humans, exploring various ways of living to satisfy my boredom. During the Whitechapel murders, I worked for the London police department under an assumed name. But a few decades before that, I owned a small fish shop. All my other employees called me by the name I was using at that time, except one. He just called me ¡°Boss.¡±


    ¡°There was something off about him. I suspected he was a magic user, but it was more than that. The way he gutted a fish¡­ it was so clean. Surgical, almost. Even being a vampire, this guy gave me the creeps. But I never realized he knew I¡¯d joined the London police or that the letters might be for me. He must have discovered what I was. He was playing games then; now I think he¡¯s ready to end this. Which brings me to your other question. Does anybody besides Hadrian know what a cycler is?¡±

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    There was a consensus of head shaking.


    ¡°Father Hadrian, perhaps you could tell us about your experience.¡±Advertisement


    The priest poured a glass of wine from a bottle on the table and took a leisurely sip. ¡°When I was turned in 1955, my first meal was a blonde witch¡ªmaybe in her twenties. Her name was Tamara. I left her corpse and went to hunt for more. When I returned to the church, there was a young girl, maybe eleven or twelve or so with the same blonde hair and the same eyes, wearing the same dress as the woman I killed. She told me she was a cycler. She was powerfully magical, much more so than I thought even a woman in her twenties should be.¡±


    The hair on the back of Cain¡¯s neck stood up. There were millions of women with that name, and probably plenty of blonde witches with it as well, but his experience with Tam had always been one of confusion over how she could take him down so easily with a flick of her wrist.


    The demon glanced at Anna, wondering if she¡¯d made the connection, but the idea that Father Hadrian was speaking about the Tam they both knew hadn¡¯t penetrated for Luc¡¯s mate.


    ¡°Anna, do you understand yet why this involves you?¡± Anthony asked.


    Her eyes widened but she maintained her denial. ¡°No¡­ I¡­ Why would it involve me?¡±


    The vampire laughed and shook his head. ¡°I forget how recently you were introduced to our world. Your friend has been keeping a monumental secret from you. Tam is the woman Father Hadrian met in the fifties.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not possible. I mean¡­ we grew up together. Since we were kids¡­¡±


    ¡°Since you were about twelve?¡±


    Anna shut her mouth and looked down at her hands.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought. She must have died and started a new life cycle right around that time. We¡¯re still not sure exactly what that means.¡±


    The vampire king turned to the sorcerer and werecat. ¡°Dayne, Greta, did you do the research I requested?¡±


    Dayne nodded. ¡°I might have a theory. Since magic users are human, we¡¯ve always been a wild card. Up until now, we¡¯ve kept ourselves mostly secret from normal humans and considered ourselves part of the preternatural world, but if Jack gets enough power, he could sway magic users to his side. I think he wants to expose the preternaturals and fight. He¡¯s absorbing power from his kills to make it easier.¡±


    Greta interrupted. ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone considered there could be magical and ritual significance to the way Jack the Ripper was killing. The killings got more complex, but if he was experimenting with the most potent methods for power absorption, that would happen. He could become unstoppable if he kills the other cyclers.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯ll also be a true immortal,¡± Dayne said. ¡°The more power a magic user has, the more slowly they age. Considering the nature of what he is already, my suspicion is that he¡¯d become unkillable. He wouldn¡¯t have to start over in a younger human body like what Hadrian observed with Tamara.¡±


    Cain squeezed his eyes shut as images flashed in his mind of Tam being ritualistically and gruesomely murdered. He didn¡¯t know why it pissed him off so much.


    ¡°Cain?¡± Anthony said.


    The demon looked up, startled at being included in the discussion. He tried to maintain a bored mask, but he couldn¡¯t keep the hot glow from his eyes, nor stop his hands from balling into fists. ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°We need you to protect the witch in your dimension. It¡¯s the only place we¡¯re guaranteed she¡¯ll be safe. If he kills all the cyclers, and magic users come out of the closet, they¡¯ll band together, which risks your demons as well.¡±


    Magic users were a demon¡¯s one weakness. Demons were exempt from death and could heal any injury¡ªtrue immortals, but they could still be trapped by a curse. They could still feel the suffering of starvation. They could still be hurt.


    All eyes were on him, waiting for his response. He didn¡¯t know how he felt about the little blonde witch, but if anybody was killing her, it was going to be him, not some cheesy magical serial killer with a world domination plot, and not one of Anthony¡¯s thugs, either.


    ¡°I¡¯ll protect her,¡± Cain said, avoiding eye contact with the others. This was killing the shit out of his reputation. There were dramatic gasps and whispering, but he ignored it.


    ¡°Of course, killing her would be more expedient... if you could find a way to make her stay dead.¡± The vampire king¡¯s tone was bland.


    ¡°No!¡± Anna said.


    ¡°Anthony!¡± Charlee said.


    ¡°I said I¡¯d protect her,¡± the demon snarled, finally meeting the eyes of everyone at the table. He dared them to start something with him.


    ¡°We¡¯ll also need you to get her to tell you everything about being a cycler. We still don¡¯t understand how or why they exist or the extent of their powers,¡± Anthony said.


    Cain growled. ¡°Watch yourself, half-breed. I could take you out without blinking. I¡¯m sure you want to survive to be a daddy.¡±


    Charlee¡¯s hand went protectively over her pregnant belly, as if the child were in danger instead of the cocky vampire standing beside the projector screen.


    Anthony glared. ¡°Don¡¯t forget, I have magic users in my employ. I have a coven of vampires that stretches across North America and contacts with vampire leaders all over the world. Our numbers are far greater than yours. Let¡¯s not make this personal. We¡¯ve got a bigger enemy to fight.¡±


    Cain was bored now. ¡°Are we done here? I¡¯ve got a witch to collect.¡± He stood, already turning toward the door.


    ¡°Cain¡­¡± It was the first word Luc had spoken since the demon had arrived. ¡°Take Anna with you. She knows where the witch lives.¡±


    That would make things easier.


    Luc¡¯s mate recoiled, gripping tight to his arm. ¡°What? No! Come with me,¡± she said.


    ¡°I should stay for the rest of the meeting. My brother can¡¯t harm you, remember? You can¡¯t hold a solid form without me,¡± Luc said.


    When she¡¯d given her soul and became a demon¡¯s mate, she¡¯d had to die first. It made her existence somewhat ghostly. Only her mate could give her a full, solid form. Gradually, she would gain the same powers as Luc, but it was a lengthy process¡ªcenturies. Anna looked from Cain to Luc a couple of times. She finally sighed and let go of her mate.


    Cain headed for the door. He didn¡¯t bother waiting for her, assuming she¡¯d follow. And if she didn¡¯t, he¡¯d just have to find the infuriating witch on his own.


    Tam had everything she was taking packed in several bags: clothes, magical tools, books. All the things that meant something to her. She stood in front of a large bird cage, a tear tracking down her face.


    Henry had died three years ago. He¡¯d been her best friend and sometimes lover for almost two centuries. A raven therian, he¡¯d always had her back. She¡¯d come to think of him as her familiar, and his blood was powerfully magical, second only to cat blood. He¡¯d taught her more about her gift for reading the future than anybody else she¡¯d encountered. She¡¯d known he was going to die at some point. She lost everybody. Always.


    It¡¯s time to let the cage go. Though it was her own mental self-talk, she heard it in Henry¡¯s voice instead of her own. But whoever the message ultimately came from, it was right. Even with magic, it would be too much to travel with, and all it could be now was a painful reminder of her loss.


    She wiped her face and put the cover over the cage, taking one last look at the door they¡¯d made for him to easily open so he could come and go as he wished. He¡¯d preferred being in his bird form when he needed to think, and it was always handy to shift to it when people came over.


    Tam turned back to the piles of bags and boxes in the middle of her room and created a circle of salt. She lit candles at the four directional points and sat in the middle with her spell book open. Even with her power, she wasn¡¯t sure she had the energy to perform this spell alone, but she had to try. For all the flashy magic she could do by herself at her age, changing the molecular structure of several bags of her stuff was still a tall order.


    She closed her eyes and focused, then raised her arms and intoned the chant over and over until she crumpled to the floor and everything went dark.


    The raven flew a couple of times around her. His shrill call was like laughter. Henry? He landed on the ground at her feet, then shifted into his human form, the call turning into a human laugh.


    ¡°Tam, I swear, what is wrong with you? You should have called the coven to do that spell. At least this gives me a chance to talk to you.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t involve them. It¡¯s too dangerous. Is this really you? Or is it a dream?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± he said enigmatically, a twinkle in his eye.


    ¡°I miss you.¡±


    He reached out, the back of his hand brushing her cheek. ¡°I¡¯m always watching out for you. You know that.¡±


    ¡°Are you coming back?¡± She was asking if he planned to reincarnate.


    ¡°At some point.¡± He hesitated. ¡°I¡¯m with my soul mate right now. We have limits here, but we still don¡¯t want to be separated.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s understandable. And I¡¯m glad you¡¯re with her.¡± And she was. Though they¡¯d had their occasional fling, it had been friends with benefits with Henry. Besides Anna, he was her best friend. But they¡¯d both known their love wasn¡¯t that kind of love. ¡°I love you...¡± she said.


    He smirked and finished her sentence ¡°... but not that way. Right back at ya.¡±


    He pulled her into a hug and whispered in her ear. ¡°We¡¯ll meet again, but you may have to find me and remind me, I don¡¯t know how many memories I can pull through.¡± He turned serious. ¡°Tam, listen to me. Don¡¯t leave the house. Wait. He¡¯s coming.¡±


    She pulled away, panic gripping her. ¡°Jack? If Jack¡¯s coming, why would I wait?¡±


    ¡°No. Someone else. Follow your heart.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean? Stop speaking in riddles.¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°You know there is only so much I¡¯m allowed to interfere. Read your cards again, and really see them this time. The whole spread.¡±


    Tam opened her eyes and sat up inside the circle. The candles still burned, and she quickly blew them out. Then she laughed. The energy required for the magic may have knocked her out, but her spell had worked. She was two thousand after all. Her bags were tiny now, each hardly bigger than a thimble. She gathered them up and put them into a freezer bag, then put them, along with the magic book, candles, and salt into a shoulder bag. Nothing beat traveling like a witch.


    Her cards were packed already or she¡¯d do another reading. She turned away from the cage and took her single bag to the kitchen to make another cup of Earl Grey and wait for whoever he was.


    She didn¡¯t have to wait long. Half an hour later there was a knock on the door. She slung her bag over her shoulder and went to answer. Standing on the other side were an unlikely pair: Anna and Cain. Death and her best friend, delivered right to her door. Anna was looking mildly transparent and ghostly without her demon mate there to keep her solid. She was also looking mildly angry.


    ¡°Does our friendship mean nothing to you? How could you keep a secret like this from me?¡± She attempted to smack Tam on the arm, but her hand went right through. Sometimes that ghost thing was a good thing.


    Tam decided to play dumb, even though there was only one giant secret she¡¯d been keeping from her friend. ¡°What secret?¡±


    Anna rolled her eyes. ¡°Seriously? We¡¯re really doing this? I know what you are.¡±


    The witch couldn¡¯t help a quick glance at Cain. Why did the foul, evil demon have to be so hot? He had that dark, savage look going. Long, dark hair, dark eyes, dark skin. Her rational mind told her he was hot to catch prey and she was falling right into his web, but damn, she was human and he was... Wait, did he just arch an eyebrow at me? She was probably telegraphing her emotions right at him.


    ¡°Tam!¡±


    She turned back to Anna. ¡°Okay, great, you know what I am. You couldn¡¯t even handle basic witch stuff. You said you didn¡¯t want to know about it. How would this truth-telling experiment have gone down?¡± Tam put on an affected mock-voice, ¡°So, Anna, I know you hate hearing about magic stuff because you¡¯re a pansy, but I¡¯m really almost two thousand years old. Ask me anything about anything.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I just felt like I should have known. What about when you told me the other magic stuff? You couldn¡¯t have told me then? Or when we were together in Cary Town around Halloween? What about then? You couldn¡¯t have found an opening to tell me the truth?¡±


    Tam looked down. ¡°My coven doesn¡¯t even know. Anna, I have to hide and lie to live. Okay? Not everything is about you.¡± Though she was debating the point of living again, lately. Was Jack even after her? Maybe it was just a danger with Cain in her cards. He was evil. And a killer.


    ¡°Girls. Please. We have to move now. The Cycler could be hunting her as we speak.¡±


    ¡°The Cycler?¡± Tam asked.


    Another eye roll from Anna. ¡°Are you going to playact like you don¡¯t know you¡¯re being hunted?¡±


    ¡°No, but, how do you guys know about him?¡±


    Cain pulled her out of the house, ignoring her question. ¡°There¡¯s no time to pack. You¡¯ll have to make do. You¡¯re coming to the demon dimension, and don¡¯t try your little energy ball trick. I¡¯m not in the mood.¡±


    Wait, he wanted to protect her? Since when?


    When he touched her, she thought she¡¯d swoon right there like some damsel in distress. Nobody should have that kind of sexual magnetism. At least it would make dying in his arms less repulsive. But she couldn¡¯t bring that up now, not with Anna here. She wouldn¡¯t understand.


    For now, Tam had to just go along. They might think they could protect her, but staying in one place was unsafe, and if Jack succeeded... No. Tam wouldn¡¯t let him. It was best to end the cycle. What they¡¯d done was unnatural. It went against the order of things. One of them going mad and the others becoming his victims was nature¡¯s way of righting that wrong. Who was she to call foul?

 Page 3

    Tam pulled away, and to her surprise, he let her go, a wary look on his face. She gestured to her shoulder bag. ¡°Already packed. I¡¯m like twelve steps ahead of you.¡± She didn¡¯t mention that she could have already left and been out of Cain¡¯s reach. Her curiosity over Henry¡¯s words had won out over personal safety. The raven had never led her wrong before.


    Was Henry confirming her suspicion that now was the time to go, and she¡¯d chosen her executioner wisely? Any other interpretation was unthinkable.Advertisement


    She took one last look at her house and locked the door behind her, even though everything of value¡ªreal and imagined¡ªwas in her shoulder bag.


    They walked a few blocks until they reached the Golatha Falls forest. Once inside the woods, Anna spilled everything about the meeting. Cain remained uncharacteristically silent. Tam couldn¡¯t help looking over her shoulder as they went, as if Jack could somehow track them if he was being talked about. His power must be that dark and strong by now.


    When the portal shimmered in front of them, Cain took her hand and pulled her through. The portal only recognized demons and apparently demon mates, since Anna had no trouble herself, but then she was linked to Luc through strong blood magic, her soul tied irrevocably to him.


    Tam¡¯s eyes widened when she entered the demon dimension. She¡¯d heard about it, but she¡¯d never seen it. Her mouth dropped open. ¡°This place is so beautiful.¡± Certainly not what she expected, even if she¡¯d always known it wasn¡¯t full of fire and brimstone.


    Cain smiled with something like pride as Tam continued to take in the scene before her. The weather was perfect, the sky dark and clear with brilliant stars shining overhead, glowing with brightness equivalent to the moon. There was no moon, but then, this wasn¡¯t Earth. For all she knew¡ªand she highly suspected this was true¡ªthe stars were some kind of illusion made entirely from magic. Though maybe technically everything in existence was an illusion made from magic.


    Stretching endlessly before her was sand and cobblestone streets lit by torchlight. Colorful tents made of rich, expensive fabrics lined the streets as far as the eye could see. There was a marketplace and music and laughter. Seductive laughter.


    A scantily clad woman danced to the music while a couple of males encouraged her. The woman felt human; the males, demon.


    Tam turned sharp eyes on the demon leader, suspicion growing over what she was witnessing.


    ¡°Jackson likes to play with his food,¡± Cain said with a shrug. ¡°He likes to make them dance.¡±


    ¡°Gross.¡±


    His expression hardened. ¡°Don¡¯t come to my dimension and judge us. I should kill you rather than protect you. Do you know how much trouble your kind causes for mine? You represent our one true enemy, and I¡¯ve chosen to keep you safe from the temporary, bigger threat. I might not continue to feel so generous if you don¡¯t watch that mouth.¡±


    Anna was still with them, so she couldn¡¯t tell Cain what she really felt. She closed her eyes and dropped the shields she used to protect herself from demon thrall and sent a strong wave of feelings to him. He couldn¡¯t read her exact thoughts, but he¡¯d get the gist of her death wish.


    The demon¡¯s eyes widened, but he gave nothing of the exchange away. ¡°You will have your own tent,¡± he said, stopping in front of a exquisite purple tent that must be hers. His gaze shifted to Anna and then back to Tam. ¡°I¡¯ll have a couple of my demons guarding you around the clock. They¡¯ll go in shifts. Anna, you can go back to your mate now.¡±


    ¡°What? No. I can¡¯t leave her here with you.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a big girl. She doesn¡¯t need a babysitter.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s right,¡± Tam said. ¡°And I have to speak to him privately, anyway.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I need to learn more about The Cycler,¡± Cain said.


    ¡°But why can¡¯t I stay for that?¡±


    The demon leader took a threatening step toward the brunette. ¡°You are one of us now. That doesn¡¯t just mean the perks of this world, but the responsibilities as well. When I say jump, you ask how high?¡±


    ¡°Luc wouldn¡¯t let you hurt me. And... y-you can¡¯t touch me.¡±


    ¡°Do you really want to be on my shit list? I¡¯m eight thousand. Waiting for you to come into your powers is nothing to me. When that happens, your mate won¡¯t be able to stop me. Or I could just take it out on him. Now run along to my brother and cry about what a Big Bad Wolf I am.¡±


    Anna looked over at Tam, her eyes revealing her internal struggle.


    ¡°Go,¡± Tam said.


    When Anna was a safe distance away, the witch turned to Cain and looked him right in the eyes. ¡°I need you to kill me now.¡±


    ¡°I assumed as much. Care to tell me why¡ªnot that I¡¯d ever turn down such a powerful meal. You weren¡¯t suicidal the last time I met you. You were prepared to back us up in a war against Anthony.¡±


    Tam flopped down on one of the thick, cushioned pillows on the ground, preparing to be much more honest than she was comfortable with. If she wanted him to agree to this, she had to lay all her cards out on the table.


    ¡°It¡¯s different now. Jack will find me. It¡¯s not a question. What you said about the meeting only confirms it. You may think I¡¯m safe here, but anything could happen to end that safety. You¡¯re old enough and strong enough to kill me. I may be strong, but he¡¯s stronger. He¡¯s killed so many of us now that I can¡¯t fight him by myself. And I¡¯m so tired of running and cycling. I didn¡¯t know what I was asking for when I asked for eternal life.¡±


    Cain crossed to a side bar and poured himself a drink. He raised the decanter and arched a brow in question, but Tam shook her head. The demon shrugged and put it down. He extended a hand and she took it, allowing him to guide her to the couch where they could sit together.


    As his hand trailed along her collarbone, she tried not to pull away and equally not to want him so much. His gaze was assessing, evidence he¡¯d done this millions of times.


    ¡°Exactly how old are you?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Closing in on two thousand.¡±


    ¡°Shit.¡± He took a drink.


    She fought to keep the tears at bay. She wouldn¡¯t display such weakness in front of him. ¡°I don¡¯t know how you do this. This is hell. I can¡¯t imagine as long as you¡¯ve been¡ª¡±


    ¡°The difference in you and I is that I didn¡¯t choose this.¡±


    Tam looked away. ¡°Are you going to lecture me now on my foolishness? I was young and stupid. I¡¯d been taken into a secret magical order and was so proud of myself and what I¡¯d achieved. I had no concept of the powers I was playing with or what I was asking for.¡±


    Cain downed the rest of the brandy and put the snifter on the ground, then eased closer. His nearness made her heart flutter. He was the perfect predator, with prey that begged to be taken. She¡¯d put her shields back up¡ªforce of habit. But even without thrall, his effect on a mere human could still be intoxicating.


    ¡°I prefer longer hair,¡± he said conversationally, his hand moving to the back of her neck.


    She got chills as he stroked her skin, but she couldn¡¯t let that comment lie there. ¡°Well, let me grow it out real quick while we wait for a psycho to gruesomely murder me and take over the world. I¡¯m glad to see you have your priorities in line.¡±


    He laughed. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I hate you or admire you. I don¡¯t normally let anyone speak to me like that.¡±


    Tam flicked her wrist, turning her palm up, and focused her energy into a point of purple light that grew into an energetic ball that hissed like live electricity. ¡°You think you can take me?¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯ve been touching yourself since the day you met me, dreaming about it,¡± the demon said, switching to innuendo that would have made him sound like a self-important jackass except for the fact that he probably brought to the table everything he implied and more.


    She swallowed around the lump in her throat and found herself captured in his dark gaze. The energy ball whimpered and died in her hand. At least she hadn¡¯t whimpered.


    ¡°That¡¯s better,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m glad to see you¡¯ve managed some manners in light of this favor I¡¯m doing you.¡±


    In any other situation, it would have been about the most offensive thing he could say, but he was doing her a favor. It wasn¡¯t the favor of his precious presence or sex with him; it was the favor of a painless death to help her escape her pursuer and break the cycle she¡¯d been trapped in for so long she wanted to stop counting the years.


    ¡°Tell me, to satisfy my curiosity before we do this, how exactly did you pull it off? How did you become immortal?¡±


    She had no choice but to tell him. If she didn¡¯t tell him, he wouldn¡¯t give her what she wanted. ¡°Jack was our leader. He was the one who was obsessed with it. We call it the fountain of youth now, but even before that version of the legend, there were stories about waters that gave eternal life. We found it, deep inside a cavern: a saltwater pool. Down in the depths, in the dark, we found this jellyfish that didn¡¯t die.¡±


    Cain nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve heard of it.¡±


    ¡°Right. But back then, nobody knew about them. That was where the species started. They¡¯ve spread since then. The water at the bottom fed back into the ocean. Jack was convinced he felt the energy we were looking for there, but when we did a spell to reveal it, it was in the sea creatures, not the water. The whole coven worked together to create the ritual. I wrote the chant.¡±


    She may as well have said I bear more responsibility for what has happened than most. And she knew Cain could surely read her well enough to know that. Demons could read emotions, after all. But he¡¯d gone quiet, missing the opportunity to throw condemnation.


    When he didn¡¯t interrupt her with a smartass retort, she continued. ¡°Magic like this usually requires blood of the creature to seal it. We used the jellyfish itself, but they are bloodless, so we sealed the magic with our own blood. It may be another reason Jack is after us all.¡±


    ¡°Explain better,¡± he said, growing impatient with what he must have thought was a coy explanation.


    ¡°The power of immortality was diffused to all of us. If I were crazy like him, I¡¯d think I could stop the cycle altogether if I could kill everyone else in the coven. You don¡¯t know who the other two are, do you?¡±


    Cain shook his head. ¡°We don¡¯t.¡±


    Tam stood and paced in front of the couch, unable to concentrate with him so close. ¡°I could give you names of everyone, but we¡¯ve all lost touch. After Whitechapel it was safer not to congregate together. We were too easy to track that way. Everyone has probably changed their names dozens of times, perhaps even the way they look. I have no doubt Jack has. And I don¡¯t know which of us he¡¯s already killed and which remain. Even I changed my name, though not much.¡±


    ¡°What was your name before?¡±


    ¡°Tamar. It¡¯s a biblical name. In the first few centuries I was so enamored with myself and my new ability¡ªto cycle and not lose memories¡ªthat I renamed myself Tamara. In certain areas of India it means lotus flower, a symbol of rebirth. I was being ironic. But I¡¯m fresh out of irony now. Now I just want to end it.¡±


    ¡°I told Anthony and the rest that I¡¯d protect you.¡±


    She stopped pacing. ¡°And you are protecting me. Killing me protects me and everybody else. You and I both know this whole death thing is a sham. It¡¯s not real. We get it. I don¡¯t need to prolong a life that has run on far too long. Don¡¯t make me beg.¡±


    Cain smirked. ¡°So no sex games, then?¡±


    Tam¡¯s face scrunched at that. ¡°You¡¯re so gross.¡±


    ¡°You say it, but you don¡¯t mean it.¡±


    She would have argued with him, but he¡¯d already moved in to capture her mouth in a kiss, pulling her back onto the couch. Startled, she let out a sigh against his lips.


    ¡°Let down your shields,¡± he growled.


    Tam pulled back, suspicion in her eyes. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you curious about what it¡¯s really like to die in the arms of an incubus? Don¡¯t you want the whole show? What other danger could I possibly pose for you if you¡¯re embracing your own demise?¡±


    She was curious.


    She closed her eyes and tried to relax, breathing deeply. The shields stubbornly stayed in place, as if they were arguing with her¡ªher last bit of self-preservation instincts coming in to protect her. After her periodic searches for someone to end this, she¡¯d finally found the one who could do it. Cain was old enough and strong enough. As much as she disliked him, he could give her the best death. It wasn¡¯t possible to go out of this world in a more pleasant way.


    Still, a small part of her rebelled against the idea of so willingly going into Cain¡¯s arms, sleeping with a monster she didn¡¯t trust, and ending her life. The shields had to go, or she¡¯d end up fighting him with magic until she was tapped. Tam focused more intently, calming her mind until she felt the mental defense system go down around her.


    The moment the shields were down, pornographic images of the two of them together filled her mind, and she wanted him like he was oxygen itself. She gripped the sides of the couch as she felt the effects of his thrall. It was a potent cocktail of warmth and arousal. Like an orgasm and alcohol buzz rolled into one.


    ¡°Hold onto me, instead.¡± He gripped her wrists and moved her hands to his shoulders. His well-muscled, firm, solid shoulders.


    She held his gaze, trying not to be taken by smoldering black eyes, so dark¡ªlike pools she could drown and die in. And very soon she would. He looked at her so intensely, she thought she might expire from the power of that stare alone. At some point while she¡¯d been busy dropping her shields, he¡¯d divested himself of his clothing. She¡¯d had a dim sense of it when she¡¯d touched him and was disappointed she¡¯d been too overwhelmed to enjoy the show.

 Page 4

    A tiny voice way far away knew everything about this demon was an illusion to seduce her, but he was perfection. He looked perfect, he smelled perfect, and his voice was a perfect, haunting melody that would sing her to sleep.


    The only thing that existed in this moment was desire. It was a desire so strong it was beginning to cause physical pain. She needed him inside her now.Advertisement


    ¡°Please, Cain,¡± she whimpered, hating the lost, desperate tone her voice had taken.


    ¡°Oh, good. I knew you¡¯d see things my way and beg.¡±


    Maybe with her shields up, she could have thrown an appropriate retort or energy ball to wipe the smug look off his face. God, she hated him. But the only thing that would travel along her vocal cords and out her mouth was, ¡°Please, fuck me.¡±


    He chuckled. ¡°Maybe I should toy with you a bit first. You have been quite an annoying little shit. You¡¯ve thrown energy balls at me twice. Both times were inopportune. You made me look weak in front of my people. And now... here we are.¡±


    Tam pushed through the haze of images of groping and body parts sliding against each other¡ªhis hypnotic, seductive voice, the eyes that occasionally flickered with fire and so much heat she thought she might combust¡ªand said, ¡°Eight thousand years and you still have the ego of a human.¡±


    Cain¡¯s eyes glowed dangerously. He pushed her back on the couch, his hand wrapped around her throat. ¡°I could kill you the old-fashioned way.¡±


    She shrugged¡ªor did a bad impression of a shrug, since it was hard to do that with the way he had her positioned. He¡¯d pulled back on the demon mojo enough for her to stop squirming against him. ¡°I honestly don¡¯t care what you do, Cain. But I don¡¯t think killing me in a mundane way will work. You have to use your magic. So I guess you¡¯re stuck fucking me, unless you want an annoying child following you around and kicking your ass. That¡¯ll look great on your ego.¡±


    Several things happened at once. He growled, ripped her shirt off her, sent a burst of images and desire her way, and captured her mouth in a kiss so hot she nearly melted. The onslaught was too overwhelming to fight. She was thrown down a dark hole of lust from which she didn¡¯t think she could escape.


    Her mind emptied itself of all its contents except the demon in front of her. The way he smelled, the way he felt as his hands slid over her. She couldn¡¯t separate what was in her mind from what was actually happening. She felt drugged with him, and she never wanted to come down from the high.


    Somehow, in this state, the rest of her clothes had been taken from her. Nothing could have prepared her for the feel of him inside her. The warmth of him, the arousal that came partly from what was happening and partly from the images he kept sending.


    Even through the haze, knowing what he was, she felt him pulling the energy from her, the warm tingling as it moved over her body, so comforting and pleasurable and deadly. The orgasm hit her like a wave trying to pull her under, but she rode it until she was wrung out and certain she was about to die. If she¡¯d wanted to turn back now, it would¡¯ve been too late. She was irrevocably caught in his web, and all she could do was moan in his arms like the uncountable number of unfortunate souls before her.


    But then it stopped. Cain¡¯s weight lifted off her. It took her a moment to fight through the disorientation, the hazy mix of sexual feelings and idle thoughts about the end. As she came back to herself, she looked around, convinced someone must have interrupted them and pulled him off her. Probably Luc.


    But there was no one. Only them. The demon stood a few feet away: naked, dark, and beautiful, looking at her as if she were a poisonous snake.


    ¡°Why am I still here?¡±


    He just watched her.


    Tam felt her energy growing, her life force mending itself, and with it, her anger rose. She put her shields back up, stood, and stormed toward him, flicking her hand up to form a glowing purple ball of energy as she went.


    ¡°Why, Cain? You promised me! How hard can it possibly be to kill a woman you hate?¡±


    But he didn¡¯t say anything. He just stood there, continuing with that inscrutable stare.


    She threw the energy ball at him, but he seemed braced and ready for it. He went noncorporeal, the purple ball going through him to hit the fabric of the tent instead. A few seconds elapsed, and she created and threw another one. This time he was solid, and he did fall. He glared up at her from the ground, but he didn¡¯t seek to restrain her.


    The third energy ball she threw called in several of his demons. One gripped one of her arms, another grabbed the other. A third stood behind her and held a hand over her mouth so she couldn¡¯t chant to protect herself.


    Cain rose slowly to his feet, brushing sand off that perfect body. ¡°Take your hands off her.¡± His voice was deadly, and Tam regretted throwing the magic at him. She might end up with a horrific death at his hands after all.


    ¡°But boss, she¡ª¡±


    He pulled one of the demons off her like he was a rag doll and growled. ¡°I said, take your hands off her. No one touches her but me, do you understand? No feeding, no playing, no harming.¡±


    ¡°But she¡ª¡±


    ¡°Keep arguing with me, Jackson. Find out where it leads.¡±


    Jackson looked at the ground and took a step back from the demon. ¡°My apologies, sir.¡±


    The other two demons released her and backed away. Tam was too stunned to throw any more magic, and a little wiped after what had transpired between the two of them. She wished he¡¯d put some clothes on, because residual lust still hung in the air, and now was a stupid time for that.


    ¡°Get out. All of you,¡± he snarled. ¡°I don¡¯t want a single demon in this tent unless I specifically call for one.¡±


    Quick nods all around, and they backed out of the tent, keeping a wary eye on their leader in case he should retaliate anyway.


    Tam took a step back as the demon leader stalked toward her. She held her hands up. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Was she? She wasn¡¯t sure, but the look in his eyes was terrifying. She¡¯d signed up for a quick end from a strong being that wouldn¡¯t hurt¡ªnot torture. As fun as it was to kick his ass, she was outnumbered by his kind here.


    His eyes weren¡¯t on hers, they were on her arms, both of which were already forming angry bruises from the way the demons had manhandled her. He rubbed the dark marks. ¡°Does it hurt?¡±


    What the hell? ¡°No, I¡¯m fine.¡±


    He nodded and went to put his jeans back on. Tam¡¯s clothing had been destroyed in the fight. Noting her dilemma, he crossed to an elegant trunk and pulled out something gold and shimmery and tossed it to her.


    Tam held the dress away from her as if it might bite. It was long and flowy and made of lightweight material that was the slightest bit transparent. Very sexy. She¡¯d look like a goddess descending from Mount Olympus in it, but if he didn¡¯t want other demons touching her, this wasn¡¯t the outfit. ¡°Are you freaking kidding me?¡± she said, still holding it like it might be coated in a deadly toxin.


    ¡°No. I am not kidding you. You wear that, and the demons here know you¡¯re somebody else¡¯s meal. We don¡¯t steal from each other. It¡¯s one of my rules. Demons don¡¯t break my rules or they pay.¡±


    She wanted to argue. She didn¡¯t understand why he hadn¡¯t killed her. ¡°This isn¡¯t a game. I obviously don¡¯t trust you, but I thought you wouldn¡¯t turn down the opportunity to kill me. This doesn¡¯t have to be complicated.¡±


    ¡°Put the dress on, Tamara,¡± he said ignoring her lame attempt at stalling.


    She didn¡¯t know why she put it on.


    Cain nodded his approval and turned to leave.


    ¡°Wait! Don¡¯t turn your back on me. Are you really that stupid?¡± She had an energy ball ready to go when he turned back around.


    ¡°Are you sure this is how you want to engage with me, Tam? Do you know what my demons would have done to you if I hadn¡¯t stopped them? They are very loyal. You don¡¯t attack me here. Maybe in your silly human world, but not here.¡± He spoke without raising his voice at her. His tone was level. His eyes didn¡¯t even glow, but they didn¡¯t have to.


    The energy ball faded and died in her hand. ¡°You promised you¡¯d kill me. Before you got to my house, I was going to come find you because I thought you¡¯d do it.¡±


    A look of surprise crossed his face, but he covered it. ¡°And that promise still stands.¡± He moved toward her and stroked her cheek. ¡°I will kill you when I tire of you. And there is nothing you can do about it. Throwing energy balls at me will only make me disinclined to put you out of your misery. Just enjoy the ride, sweetheart. You¡¯ll die soon enough... when I get bored. Believe me, that¡¯s never taken longer than a week. Surely you can struggle through a week of passion with me.¡±


    Every fiber in her being screamed to kill him, not that she could. The second best option would be to seal him in a jar and bury it in the middle of his desert where no one would ever find it¡ªan option she was considering.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to be your concubine.¡±


    A smirk. ¡°Of course you are. What other option do you have?¡±


    Smug bastard.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get another demon to do it.¡± Though any demon she asked could just do what Cain had done. Before long she¡¯d be the demon slut with a death wish. Gross. And anyway, there were no guarantees any given demon would be strong enough. Some might be too young. Did she really want to risk starting a new cycle? Cain was a sure thing.


    ¡°They won¡¯t do it. They¡¯re afraid of me. You should be, too. I can do a lot more interesting things than kill you.¡±


    He left before she could form a retort. She hated that demon.


    Chapter Two


    When Cain stepped outside the tent, a group had gathered, murmuring and whispering. ¡°That witch is mine. Anybody who touches her will face imprisonment. And I¡¯m not in the mood to make it a light sentence.¡±


    A few throats cleared and a couple of Yes sirs filled the air.


    ¡°Good. Spread the word. Nobody touches her.¡± He selected two demons from the group for the first guard duty and left the city to go to the one place he always went to think: the caves that served as the dimension¡¯s prison.


    Each disobedient demon was in his own pod, the stone sealed tightly around him, starving and going mad. But anyone stumbling upon the caves wouldn¡¯t know that.


    It was silent and peaceful in the dark, twisting caves. It was a place Cain could wander to think without fear of being disturbed. No demon in his right mind came near this place. They all feared it. It was their one symbol of abject terror, much like the humans feared Hell. No one walked in willingly, except the man with the keys to the place.


    Cain sat on a large rock and put his head in his hands. He shed the glamour he always wore to attract prey and ran his fingers along the scar on his forehead. He was so good at betraying and killing people, so why hadn¡¯t he killed her?


    It wasn¡¯t a simple motivation to untangle. Part of it was jealousy¡ªthe fact that she could waltz in and demand freedom when he had no such recourse. He was stuck in this form for eternity, why shouldn¡¯t someone else who¡¯d made that bed lie in it? Why should she get off so easily? The witch had actively chosen this.


    Another, more subtle reason pushed from beneath the surface like grass fighting through the cracks in concrete. It was a reason he didn¡¯t want to analyze too deeply. She was two thousand years old. He might have six thousand years on her, but at some point the years blended together. It wasn¡¯t as if he wanted to make her his mate, but if he ever wanted something like that with someone, Tam represented the only woman who could be remotely suitable. Killing her before he was sure he never wanted that didn¡¯t seem prudent.


    Human women now were such silly things. But he could feel the age on the witch in big and small ways: her nonchalance at the prospect of death, the deep wisdom in her eyes, her unconcern with her own nudity in the presence of strangers. Most women¡ªwithout thrall¡ªwould have rushed to cover up if they weren¡¯t playing the role of seductress. They couldn¡¯t have just been there with him and the other demons and it not even occur to them that they should cover up. Tam had stood there in all her naked glory, too old to have sexual hang-ups.


    She¡¯d also been strong enough that she could fight his thrall¡ªto some degree. That had never happened. The fact that she could make a snide remark in the middle of everything... it was hard not to respect that. How could he just snuff that out? He sighed. Within a week, I¡¯ll be bored, then I¡¯ll be able to do it. And if he couldn¡¯t? He might as well seal himself in a magic bottle. Getting involved with a witch was too dangerous.


    He wandered the caves, not ready to go back to town. He didn¡¯t want to look at her or deal with demon whisperings about why he¡¯d kept a powerful witch alive in their camp. They surely knew by now why she was here. It had to have crossed all of their minds that it was simpler and safer to kill her than to protect her. As long as it wasn¡¯t by The Cycler¡¯s hand, it was a clear win.


    But despite the things that made him want to kill her, she¡¯d fought with him¡ªon his side. She¡¯d pledged allegiance to fight with his kind and bring her coven with her. He hadn¡¯t felt such conflicting emotions about a human in a long time, so long he thought he¡¯d lost the ability to think of them in any terms but feeding. Disposable microwavable dinners in flesh cartons. A bit cuter, but that was the basic way he classed the species as a whole. Now he had a two-thousand-year-old, magical gourmet feast and he¡¯d just left the table.


    He needed a drink.


    Tam posed in front of a freestanding, antique mirror. The reflection was cloudy, like old mirrors are, but she could see enough. She¡¯d be lying if she said she didn¡¯t like the dress, but no way was she flouncing about looking like some Underworld God¡¯s concubine. She wouldn¡¯t give Cain the satisfaction.


    And she didn¡¯t need protecting from the other demons. She had magic. The only reason she¡¯d been subdued by his thugs in the first place was that three had rushed her all at once right after she was depleted and disoriented from screwing Cain. Plus there was the earlier packing spell. It was a lot of energy to use all at once, ungrounded by other magic users¡ªeven with her age.

 Page 5

    She made a face at the mirror, angry with herself for sleeping with him. She should have known he¡¯d go back on his word. But why? What purpose could it serve? She had no illusions that she was some amazing sex bomb. He¡¯d had so many women that the odds there was something magical about her lady parts were so slim as to be idiotic. And at nearly two thousand, Tam didn¡¯t harbor those kinds of female delusions.


    Even so, sex with the demon was everything she¡¯d ever thought it would be. She hated that he¡¯d been right about the fantasy thing. Yes, Cain had starred in a few, but he was just so hot and evil. That was like moth and flame with her. After all, once upon a time, she and Jack... She squeezed her eyes shut. Not thinking about that.Advertisement


    Their past affair wouldn¡¯t stop him from hunting her, but she¡¯d also known he might save her for last. She made a valiant effort, but she couldn¡¯t help thinking about it.


    Tam rolled over, wrapping the sheets around herself. She smiled when she saw Jack standing in the doorway. He was fully dressed, like he¡¯d been out. She frowned. Was that blood on him? There was a dark gleam in his eyes.


    ¡°I killed Michael,¡± he said, his voice flat of emotion even as his eyes danced with glee.


    One of the coven.


    ¡°What? Why?¡±


    ¡°We had a fight. It was an accident.¡±


    ¡°Where is he?¡±


    ¡°Buried.¡±


    The word held so much finality.


    ¡°Buried? Why? He¡¯s coming back.¡±


    Jack shook his head. ¡°No. He isn¡¯t. It¡¯s the loophole, Tamar. The one I didn¡¯t think about when we all bound our blood together. We can kill each other. Really kill. No more cycling.¡±


    If that were so, shouldn¡¯t he be grieving? Shouldn¡¯t he display some sign of remorse or guilt?


    Tam got out of the bed slowly. With that crazed look in his eyes, bolting like a spooked deer would do her no favors. But surely he didn¡¯t want to kill her, too. There had always been a darkness in him, one she¡¯d ignored... or been drawn to. But things had changed.


    ¡°I feel different,¡± he said. ¡°Very different.¡± He crossed the room and pulled her into an embrace. ¡°Something is happening,¡± he whispered. ¡°I want you to scry and find out what.¡±


    She¡¯d done as he¡¯d asked and still wished she¡¯d refused and found a way out of there. Once he¡¯d known killing the others could make him stronger, he¡¯d promised they could still be together. He¡¯d let her have some of the kills, split his power with her, then they¡¯d do another spell to boost it. But she¡¯d been disgusted by the idea of going on a killing rampage for power, especially killing those who had stayed near and dear to her for centuries. They were the only people she didn¡¯t lose. Her only true family after everybody else had died off.


    She¡¯d fled and warned the others to disperse and hide. A few of the women had come together again in London in the early 1800s, missing each other and convinced they were stronger together¡ªespecially with the unlikely identities they¡¯d created. But he¡¯d sensed their combined power and hunted them like dogs.


    Tam stood frozen as Jack looked up. She retched when she saw the bloody tableau in front of her. He put the knife down and smiled, his creepy gaze panning her body as if they¡¯d been lovers only yesterday.


    ¡°You¡¯re a fast little rabbit, but not fast enough. We can still be together. I¡¯ll let you have the other kills.¡±


    She shook her head and bolted down the alley, fighting to erase the image of her friend from her mind, Jack¡¯s horrible laughter following her well past the point she should have been able to hear it.


    Tam couldn¡¯t look at herself in the mirror again. She didn¡¯t want to see the guilt or the tear streaks. All of it was her fault. She¡¯d used her gift to find the cavern. She¡¯d written the chant. She¡¯d scried for Jack after his first kill. Her evil former lover was hunting her, and the evil lover she¡¯d just been with wanted to keep her around until he got bored. No matter how many times she and Cain slept together, she wouldn¡¯t fall for a pretty monster again. She couldn¡¯t.


    Once she¡¯d recovered enough power, she put her things in the middle of a circle on the ground, opened her magic book, poured the salt, and lit the candles. It took less energy to undo a spell than to create one¡ªat least when you were the creator of the spell. Undoing another witch¡¯s magic was a near impossibility half the time.


    Just as she finished, a demon burst into the tent. She summoned an energy ball and threw it at him, scorching him in the shoulder before he could go noncorporeal.


    He growled. ¡°What are you doing, Witch?¡±


    ¡°Unpacking my things, Demon.¡±


    He regarded her and the pile of boxes and bags in the circle suspiciously.


    ¡°Go get me something to eat,¡± she said, suddenly famished. Well, yeah... running and sex with a demon and all that magic. Anybody would be ravenous. ¡°I¡¯m human. I still need food. Did you think I survived off sex with your evil leader?¡±


    He grumbled but left the tent, presumably to address her food demand.


    She stepped outside to yell after him, ¡°Oh, and I better see a cheeseburger and some fries when you get back¡ªnothing stupid an herbivore would eat like an apple or vegetable.¡± Who knew what demons thought most humans ate?


    When he¡¯d gone, she peeled the dress off and returned it to the trunk, then changed into something less slutty: jeans and a T-shirt.


    Tam sat back down in the circle and pulled her tarot deck out of a bag. She unwrapped the red silk, shuffled the deck, and laid the cards out, focusing on her intent as best she could at the moment.


    Not good. The death card was still in there, and the tower, and the lovers. The pretty epic major arcana cards. Ick. It looked like the kind of reading Romeo and Juliet would have gotten before that poisoning episode. The tower usually represented a rude awakening, war, or some type of dramatic shake-up in one¡¯s life. The lovers, of course, were self-explanatory. And the death card... in this spread? Well, it didn¡¯t seem like just a big change. But then, if death was her goal, why was she filled with so much foreboding over it?


    It could mean anything. The cards could mean Jack was going to kill her, or Cain was. It could mean any kind of struggle or fight or revelation was soon to go down. It could be about her former relationship with Jack or sleeping with Cain now.


    Tam made a frustrated sound and scattered the cards, not wanting to look at them anymore. In the scatter, they all turned face down¡ªexcept the death card. It was hard to read one¡¯s own cards anyway. You couldn¡¯t be as objective, always seeing what you wanted instead of what was there. Though there was no interpretation of those cards that sounded like a fun time.


    There was a disturbance outside the tent, raised voices. Tam gathered the cards and wrapped them back in the silk before moving toward the doorway. She heard Cain and a demon guard on the other side.


    ¡°Why is only one of you still here?¡± he snarled. ¡°What is with this sudden rash of disobedience?¡±


    ¡°That witch of yours was doing magic in there. Mace went in to check it out and came back with a scorch mark on his shoulder. She sent him on a cheeseburger run. I don¡¯t know why we¡¯re keeping her alive. She¡¯s a danger to us. We should kill her now. We don¡¯t owe the other preternaturals anything.¡±


    Cain growled. ¡°I¡¯ll be the one to kill her. There is no we in this equation. And I¡¯ll kill her when I¡¯m good and damn ready.¡±


    ¡°Y-yes, sir,¡± the demon said, losing his bravery.


    Tam stumbled back as Cain ran into her. He arched a brow in that sexy way she didn¡¯t want to overthink.


    ¡°You sent one of my demons on a cheeseburger run?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m hungry. Do you understand humans eat food?¡±


    He looked sheepish but quickly recovered his badass demeanor. ¡°What kind of magic were you doing in here?¡±


    ¡°Just unpacking my things.¡±


    ¡°For what purpose?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean for what purpose? To fucking have them. To wear normal freaking clothes! You think I want to flounce around here wearing something a micro-step above a negligee? Are you for real?¡±


    Cain pushed past her and emptied the bags, sorting through her things. ¡°I¡¯m taking the books and all magical tools and herbs and potions. You¡¯ll have no use for them here, and if you think I¡¯m sitting around while you concoct some incantation to seal me in a jar for all eternity, you¡¯re insane.¡±


    She wouldn¡¯t tell him that she hardly needed any of that to incant. She was far past that level. All she needed was her mind and voice. Even so, it took everything in her to keep her anger at bay. If Cain intended to kill her, taking her books and tools away was like he was taking her identity with him. Asking him to kill her had seemed like a smart option, but if she was going to just sit on death row waiting for him to lose control with her while everything that held any meaning in her life was taken away... It made her blood boil.


    She struggled with the last energy reserves she had to throw a ball of gleaming purple energy at him. He dropped the books and rounded on her, his eyes glowing red, fangs descending. He let the demon come out and shifted fully, letting his true face and form out. He was larger as a demon, with reddish-brown-scaled skin. Deadly claws forced their way out of larger fingertips, and horns popped out of his shoulders like antlers. His clothing ripped from the transformation like a cheesy Hulk movie. In his true form, he oozed menace and fear and hatred and anger and every bad feeling in the universe.


    His voice was distorted when he spoke. ¡°Do you have a death wish?¡±


    Maybe someone else would have huddled in a corner and cried, but Tam wasn¡¯t someone else. ¡°Do you have a thirty-second memory? We¡¯ve had this conversation. I want you to take me out of this world. Are you tired of me yet? Bored yet?¡±


    She threw another ball of energy. It had formed much more slowly than the others, but she didn¡¯t care. She threw it anyway. Cain leaped out of the way and charged her. He gripped her wrists so she couldn¡¯t throw any more. The joke was on him, because she was tapped out.


    ¡°Not even close,¡± he growled. He was still in the demon form, looking her over like she was prime rib. ¡°Let me tell you how it¡¯s going to go, little girl. You¡¯ve pissed me off for the last time. I will take you out when I¡¯m good and ready, but before I do, I vow I¡¯ll make you love me. You¡¯ll beg me to keep you. And then I¡¯ll laugh and kill you.¡±


    Tam was out of magic, but not out of stupidity. She spit in his face.


    He let go of her and glared. Tam rubbed her wrists where he¡¯d held them so tightly.


    ¡°Let me let you in on a secret,¡± she said. ¡°In order for me to love you, you¡¯d have to be charming and halfway decent. A task you¡¯re failing miserably at.¡± She doubted he could pull off charming and halfway decent even on his best day.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got more experience in the art of seduction than you¡¯re prepared to handle.¡± He went back to the circle, packed up her stuff and lugged it out of the tent behind him. It took him three trips.


    She rushed to the doorway and pulled the tent flap back to yell at him. ¡°Oh, and taking all my shit? Brilliant first move. I¡¯ll be swooning by dinnertime.¡±


    The demon guard showed up with a bag from a fast food joint and a soft drink. She glared at him and ripped it out of his hands, then went back to her tent. First food. Then nap. Then she wasn¡¯t sure what, but something.


    Cain returned to the caves to hide Tam¡¯s books and tools behind a natural rock formation. When he was sure they were secure, he headed back into town, still angry with the witch, but wanting nothing more than to take her again. With his age, he didn¡¯t need to feed every day, but he often did¡ªjust like humans ate chocolate not out of hunger, but because it tasted good. Unlike his brother¡¯s situation with Anna when she¡¯d still been a living human, Cain was confident he could sleep with Tam more frequently without killing her.


    To kill a two-thousand-year-old witch with the level of power she¡¯d acquired just from living and using it for so long, he¡¯d have to make an actual effort. He¡¯d have to gorge himself on her¡ªnot an unpleasant way to spend an evening.


    But before he killed her, he wanted to make good on his threat. Maybe it was the danger she posed to him, or maybe it was his own ego and the fact that he had to use a heavy dose of thrall to make her give in to him... and even then her smart mouth still fought to the surface. He would break her. By the time he was finished, she would be desperate for his approval. And then he¡¯d toss her aside like all the rest. It was what he had to do. There was no other acceptable option.


    When he got back, Jane, Cole, Anna, and Luc were standing outside his tent looking impatient and worried.


    ¡°Did the meeting run on this long?¡± It seemed that a lot of time had passed, though it was so easy to lose track of it in the demon dimension with no day and no time keeping machines like clocks or watches.


    ¡°We should speak privately,¡± Jane said.


    Cain nodded and led them into his empty tent. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°It would be convenient if you had a cell phone,¡± Cole said.


    ¡°Cell phones don¡¯t work between dimensions, and technology doesn¡¯t work here at all. This place is made of too much magic. The two interfere and the magic wins.¡±


    Jane and Cole both pulled out their cell phones only to discover them dead.


    ¡°Huh,¡± Jane said. ¡°So we can¡¯t have TV or Internet or...¡±


    Cain shook his head, amused. It was easy to forget Jane was still such a new demon. Of course she would have known by now that such things didn¡¯t exist in his dimension, but that they couldn¡¯t exist hadn¡¯t penetrated. But then, she¡¯d been preoccupied with raising her young pup back in the human realm.


    ¡°But cell phones are really convenient,¡± Jane said, as if it were some arbitrary rule Cain could change.

 Page 6

    Luc cleared his throat. ¡°Nobody cares, Jane. We¡¯ve got more important matters to attend to here than your instant communication withdrawals. Some day you¡¯ll be glad there¡¯s a place you can go without those annoying things ringing for your attention.¡±


    Cole growled. The werewolf alpha didn¡¯t do well when anyone talked down to his mate. He lost all his sense and reason. Another thing Cain didn¡¯t find very attractive as a lifestyle.Advertisement


    ¡°Will somebody please tell me what¡¯s going on?¡± Cain was growing irritated.


    ¡°Fine,¡± Cole said. ¡°The Cycler has struck.¡±


    ¡°Already?¡± Only two little Indians left.


    The pack leader continued, ¡°It¡¯s hit the human media. It¡¯s bad. Come with us, we need to show you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m staying with Tam,¡± Anna said. Luc nodded and kissed her, then she left the tent, going right through it in her ghostly form without Luc to hold onto.


    Cain looked away from the display of affection. There was no reason to be jealous of his brother. In the mating, Anna had fundamentally changed¡ªa slow transformation that, over time, would make her more demon than human, but changes had happened in Luc as well. He could only feed from her. Luc had given up the freedom of the hunt, the freedom to seduce and kill. He''d given up what he was as an incubus.


    The demon leader growled, and they all looked at him.


    ¡°What?¡± Luc said, his eyes narrowing.


    ¡°Nothing. I was just thinking.¡±


    But Luc knew him too well; the suspicion didn¡¯t leave his eyes. The man upstairs had royally fucked Cain and all the other demons he¡¯d created. They could either be free or happy. They couldn¡¯t have both. Maybe Cain would never be enslaved by his own guilt, but he¡¯d always known that if he took a mate, his freedom was over forever. Luc had known it, too. But he hadn¡¯t cared. That stupid witch had wormed her way into his heart. What was it with witches and their kind?


    Luc couldn¡¯t play around with others. Not based on some internal moral code, but literally, it wouldn¡¯t work. If he tried to harm his mate in any way, it would only hurt him twice as much¡ªthat was how tightly he and Anna were linked. Cain had discouraged his demons from mating, playing up the freedom they¡¯d lose. In truth, he didn¡¯t want the man upstairs to be right about anything. He didn¡¯t want to believe his punishment had been deserved or that it served any rehabilitative purpose. It made it easier to maintain the anger.


    It was mid-morning when they reached the hive in Cary Town. Cole took the lead¡ªafter all, they were his caves that his pack lived in. The pack showed deference to Jane and Cole, but pulled back when they saw Cain and Luc.


    ¡°They¡¯re all right,¡± Cole said. ¡°I told you, we have an alliance with the demons because of Jane.¡±


    Most of the pack relaxed a fraction at the reassurance, but the rest drew back and tried to make themselves invisible against the walls.


    ¡°Mara, get the television set up, please,¡± Jane said. The wolf disappeared down one of the cave¡¯s corridors. She returned several minutes later, rolling a large cart with a flat screen TV on it into the center of the main den which served as a rec room and meeting hall of sorts.


    ¡°Please remove all small children back to the living quarters. We don¡¯t want to frighten them,¡± Cole said.


    Mother wolves ushered children down a separate hallway. Whatever was about to be revealed, the pack hadn¡¯t seen it yet.


    ¡°All right, brace yourselves. There has been nothing but this on the news for the past hour.¡± Jane clicked a button and the television blinked on.


    A newscaster stared out at them with a blank look plastered on her face as she spoke. ¡°The president has issued a statement asking that everyone remain calm. We don¡¯t know what this means yet.¡±


    Jane changed to another channel. This one showed an image of the crime scene. This time a man on the scene spoke into a microphone.


    ¡°Full information of the state of the body is not being released, but if the killer is trying to emulate Jack the Ripper, it doesn¡¯t take much imagination to guess the grisly details. The alleged killer released a bizarre letter directly to the media only thirty minutes before the body was discovered. In this letter he seems to be implying that he is Jack the Ripper. Of course, this is quite impossible.¡±


    ¡°Not everybody is that skeptical,¡± Cole said. ¡°Unfortunately.¡±


    On cue, Jane flicked past several more channels until she stopped on a news special that claimed to be covering all details on this fascinating case, up-to-the-minute and live.


    ¡°This is what we wanted you to see,¡± Jane said. She turned the volume up, as if it were necessary. It seemed to be a weird quirk from her human days: if something is important, make it louder, even if everyone can already hear it.


    ¡°... So you¡¯re in the process of analyzing the handwriting of this letter?¡±


    An academic type, with Einstein-crazy blond hair and thin-wire-rimmed glasses perched on his nose, nodded vigorously. ¡°That¡¯s right. And what we¡¯ve learned so far is that the handwriting is remarkably close to the original Ripper letters. We¡¯ll need to do more intense study, of course, but if it¡¯s not him, it¡¯s a remarkable forgery.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, Doctor Horner? It must be a forgery. Jack the Ripper has no doubt been dead for over a century.¡±


    The doctor looked at his hands, an embarrassed flush creeping into his cheeks. ¡°We¡¯ll see what the final tests say.¡±


    Jane flipped through the channels again, worry creasing her brow. ¡°You know what they¡¯ll find when they run the final tests. Some will always think it¡¯s a forgery, of course, but you know how the media is. They¡¯ll amp the Ripper angle. And that¡¯s not even the worst of it.¡± She stopped on another station where angry protesters gathered, chanting around a government building.


    ¡°Stop hiding the truth. We know what¡¯s out there!¡± protestors chanted. They held signs that read things like: Demons among us, The Ripper is back, Tell the truth, We¡¯re not alone.


    Over the din, a pretty brunette in a raspberry-pink suit and matching lips spoke into a microphone with the ringleader of the protest group.


    The man she spoke with wore flannel and had wild eyes. ¡°We¡¯ve always known something like this would happen,¡± he ranted, flailing his arms. ¡°It¡¯s time the people knew about magic and witches and demons and vampires and shapeshifters and all the rest. They¡¯re out there. They¡¯re all out there, and they¡¯ve been preying on us for years. It¡¯s time the truth came out.¡±


    The reporter raised an eyebrow. ¡°Could you elaborate on that thought, sir?¡±


    ¡°You heard me. The world we live in isn¡¯t the world we think we live in. People need to wake up to what¡¯s out there and fight for their freedom!¡±


    ¡°A-and what do you think the killer is?¡± The woman looked like she was watching a train wreck, too morbidly fascinated to look away or stop the cameras rolling.


    ¡°He could be anything. But he¡¯s evil. They all are. We have to rally the people together, make sure the world knows, and stop this. Stop it now.¡±


    Jane clicked off the TV and Cain just stared, trying to absorb it all.


    ¡°They can¡¯t possibly take any of that seriously,¡± he said, still not believing what he¡¯d seen. How could the human world become so unsettled in such a short period?


    Cole ran a hand through his hair. ¡°It¡¯s partly to do with this media clusterfuck over the letter. I don¡¯t think you get what a pop culture icon the Ripper has become. But I think it might be more. If Jack is old enough and has been absorbing the powers of others like him, he could have some magical control over individuals or even groups to induce panic. The letter itself could have some sort of enchantment on it. We¡¯d have to ask Dayne if that¡¯s even possible.¡±


    ¡°Fuck,¡± Cain said.


    The werewolves in the den murmured amongst themselves.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Jane replied. ¡°We¡¯re having a pack meeting in a few minutes, and Cole will get the word out through the theriantype.com network. We¡¯ve got a ton of magic users we can pull to our side if this thing turns into a full-scale war. Our therian donors will be on board and can speak to others they know. Charlee¡¯s called a meeting at the penthouse for after sunset tonight. None of the vamps here know about any of this yet. When they do, the shit is going to hit the fan. If they think the humans know, they may become less restrained and forget about the rule to cover their tracks.¡±


    ¡°Do you think you and Luc can infiltrate the crime scene? Find out what they know, find out who the cycler he killed was, anything that might help lead back to him?¡± Cole said.


    Cain glanced over at his brother for the first time since the news. Luc looked pale.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Cain said. Ordinarily he¡¯d argue about human dimension issues being none of his concern, but he could see how this situation could escalate¡ªand escalate fast¡ªwithout demon help. The entire preternatural world might have to unite on this one.


    Chapter Three


    After she¡¯d eaten, Tam decided to wander. If Cain thought she¡¯d stay in the tent indefinitely until he deigned to kill her or they caught Jack, she had a newsflash for him. The guards were terrified to let her leave, but she threatened to curse them and produced an energy ball scary enough for them to let her pass. They had no other option. With her energy recharged, they could hardly take her. If they went noncorporeal to avoid her energy balls, they couldn¡¯t touch her, either. Stalemate.


    She¡¯d been here long enough that it seemed the sun should have come up by now. She was beginning to suspect there was no sun in this dimension. She hadn¡¯t seen anything growing¡ªa sure sign that the place was cloaked forever in darkness. But it was a peaceful kind of darkness, one she felt oddly safe in. And she hadn¡¯t felt safe in so long she¡¯d forgotten what it felt like.


    She meandered down the cobblestone streets, watched the street performers, and stole fruit from carts¡ªsince everything seemed to be free. The demons didn¡¯t have a concept or need for money. It wasn¡¯t a dimension of scarcity, but of plenty.


    A female demon stood at one of the fruit carts, giving Tam the once-over. ¡°You¡¯re Cain¡¯s new pet? The very old witch? I should warn you women don¡¯t last long with him.¡±


    Tam rolled her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m Cain¡¯s new prisoner because he won¡¯t kill me like I asked him to.¡±


    Violet eyes raised in surprise. ¡°That¡¯s a very odd human request. Most of you are terrified of death. I¡¯m Daria, by the way.¡± She extended a bejeweled hand and Tam shook it.


    ¡°Tamara, but most people call me Tam.¡±


    Daria tossed her a peach, and Tam peeled off the soft, fuzzy skin, thankful for something familiar in the midst of everything.


    ¡°I¡¯d kill you, but if you need a magical death, it¡¯ll have to be one of the boys. And they won¡¯t go against Cain¡¯s orders. The feeling around here is that if anyone kills you but him, that demon might never be released from the caves.¡±


    ¡°The caves?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°It¡¯s where the demons who defy Cain¡¯s laws are kept for years¡ªnothing but boredom and starvation. It makes us go mad. One just got out after a forty-year stint. I don¡¯t know if he¡¯ll ever recover.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s awful.¡± Not that Tam had developed any illusions that Cain was anything more than a pretty monster like Jack.


    Daria shrugged. ¡°Maybe. But we have fewer numbers than other preternatural species. Only a thousand or so. The man upstairs doesn¡¯t make demons frequently. It¡¯s got to be something personal with him. Sure, we can¡¯t die, but we can be tortured or cursed. We have a lot of skills that protect us, but the human dimension could become a dangerous place for us if we don¡¯t follow Cain¡¯s laws to the letter. Even with our powers, we can still be caught off guard or found out, which is why it shocks me he¡¯s keeping such a powerful witch alive. You could do real damage here.¡±


    ¡°I asked him to kill me. You see how well he listens. Not like I was begging and pleading for my life with the big doe eyes or anything.¡±


    ¡°There you are!¡±


    Tam turned to see Anna blazing a trail her way. When her friend reached them, she tried to grab Tam¡¯s arm, but her ghostly hand went right through.


    Anna let out a frustrated sound. ¡°I can¡¯t believe how frequently I still forget about the noncorporeal thing.¡±


    Daria laughed. ¡°Be glad for it. It¡¯s a strength, not a weakness. It¡¯s one of the most useful skills our species has¡ªit protects you while you¡¯re waiting on your other powers. It¡¯s just the first one you get. The others will come.¡±


    Anna frowned. ¡°I thought I was a ghost or something.¡±


    Daria shook her head. ¡°You aren¡¯t a ghost. Surely your mate explained it to you?¡±


    ¡°He did, but...¡± She appeared to be thinking back. ¡°I just assumed. Maybe when I said ghost he thought I was being sarcastic. I don¡¯t know.¡± She turned back to Tam. ¡°Can we go back to your tent and talk?¡±


    Tam exchanged a look with Daria, unsure she wanted to hear whatever Cain-related lecture her friend had concocted in their time away from each other. The demon gave her a sympathetic look and tossed another peach. The witch caught it in midair.


    ¡°Sure, Anna,¡± she said, feeling guilty the way she was thinking about her friend. She¡¯d practically tricked her into Luc¡¯s arms so she could have an immortal friend, and now she was planning on leaving her behind. The least she could do was have a conversation.


    When they got back to Tam¡¯s tent, she parked herself on the couch. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°What did you have to talk to Cain privately about?¡±


    Tam shrugged and worked on her evasiveness. ¡°Nothing.¡±


    Anna planted her hands on her ghostly hips. ¡°No, seriously, what was so secret that you could tell the grand high evil one, but not me?¡±

 Page 7

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t understand.¡±


    Anna looked hurt. ¡°Have you guys bonded now because you¡¯re both ancient? I know I¡¯ve been away a lot, but I¡¯ve seen you since becoming Luc¡¯s mate. I¡¯m a part of this world now, so you could have told me.¡± She hadn¡¯t sat down because an attempt would be pointless. She¡¯d sink right through the couch. She just sort of hovered.Advertisement


    Tam sighed. ¡°I know you think this is personal, but it isn¡¯t. I was trying to forget, myself. This new cycle has been the most normal I¡¯ve had in a long time. I usually hid and stayed in the shadows when a new cycle started. This time I got adopted. I kind of regressed. I wanted to forget everything and pretend I had a normal life, even with the witch stuff. You let me remember what childhood was like. And it was great. Sometimes I actually felt like I was your age and not just pretending.¡± She paused to catch a breath and gather her thoughts to make sure she was saying it right. ¡°As we grew up, I just wanted to keep the illusion alive. And since you seemed freaked out by basic witch stuff, it was another excuse. I know I could have told you, but until Jack started hunting me again, I wanted to keep my fantasy life. If I told you, then it was really real for me, and I wasn¡¯t just a regular witch that lived a long time.¡±


    Anna stayed quiet for several minutes, processing. Finally she said, ¡°Damnit, Tam. Why do you have to make it all sound so reasonable? I can¡¯t even be mad at you. At least I don¡¯t have to worry about you dying. It was something that bothered me a lot, that you¡¯d age and leave me behind.¡±


    It was like a knife stabbing her in the gut. She couldn¡¯t look at Anna, not while plotting her own demise. ¡°You know... something could happen. I could still die. I mean... Jack is hunting, and he seems intense about it if he¡¯s starting the letter charade again.¡±


    Her friend shook her head. ¡°No, you¡¯re safe here. Cain promised to protect you. No one can get into this dimension without permission from Cain or without being a demon himself. Even if The Cycler knew where to find you, he can¡¯t get in.¡±


    Tam very much doubted that was true. Anna hadn¡¯t been around in their world long enough. She didn¡¯t yet understand that there was no such thing as total safety in a world with so much magical chaos. The only way she would be safe was if Cain killed her like he¡¯d promised. She wondered what Anna would think if she knew he was playing both sides, giving out two contradictory promises. It was anybody¡¯s guess which, if either, promise he¡¯d choose to keep in the end.


    ¡°Tam?¡±


    ¡°Hmmm?¡±


    ¡°What was it like when you died? I mean, that period of time before you came back again? Did you go to heaven?¡±


    The question made Tam¡¯s skin crawl. ¡°No. Nothing happens. It¡¯s just a void. I die, and then I wake up¡ªlike a dreamless sleep, except when I wake, for a second I can¡¯t catch my breath and feel like I¡¯m dying again. It¡¯s creepy. Sometimes I¡¯m afraid something will go wrong and I won¡¯t wake up. I¡¯ll just stop existing.¡± She didn¡¯t want to become nothingness, she just wanted to break the spell and get out of the endless loop she was on.


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    Yeah. Oh.


    ¡°There¡¯s something I should tell you,¡± Tam said.


    The brunette looked expectant. After a long pause, she said, ¡°Well?¡±


    ¡°Okay, don¡¯t hate me but... I pushed you into the mating with Luc.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not true! You offered to help me get Luc¡¯s mark removed before I completed the final ritual.¡±


    Tam peeled the second peach Daria had given her. It was something to focus on so she didn¡¯t have to look at her friend. ¡°That was only after I saw how distressed it was making you. For a while I was intent on you becoming his mate for my own selfish reasons.¡±


    Anna looked like she wanted to hug her. It was the exact opposite reaction Tam had expected. She¡¯d been prepared for screaming and was thankful things couldn¡¯t be thrown at her.


    ¡°I understand. I mean, you wanted us both to be immortal so we wouldn¡¯t lose each other, right? Why should I be mad about that? Besides, I love Luc. We were meant to be together in my last life, but I was too stupid and stubborn. Anyway, it was Cain that made me set the house on fire and trapped me inside. At that point I had to make a decision about where I wanted to spend eternity. I wanted to spend it with Luc. I don¡¯t regret that decision. I still could have chosen otherwise. Okay?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still sorry. I wasn¡¯t thinking about you when I acted like I did.¡±


    Anna nodded. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±


    ¡°Do you remember Henry?¡±


    ¡°That bird you had?¡±


    Tam got up to stretch her legs. ¡°Yeah, only he wasn¡¯t exactly a bird. He was a therian.¡±


    ¡°Oh my god! Seriously? I changed clothes in that room when we were teenagers.¡±


    Tam chuckled. ¡°Yeah, he thought you were hot.¡±


    ¡°You better be glad I can¡¯t be solid right now. I¡¯d throw stuff at your head.¡±


    Tam grinned. Of all the things for her to get angry about. It wasn¡¯t being lured into mating with an immortal demon, it was that a raven therian had seen her in her underwear. Anna was always obsessed with the wrong things.


    ¡°Wait... how long do they live? How long was he with you?¡±


    ¡°Centuries. From the late 1700s on. I¡¯d dispersed from the rest of the coven and was lonely. The bird came to me. We were really close.¡±


    A lightbulb seemed to come on over Anna¡¯s head. ¡°That¡¯s why you wouldn¡¯t come out of your house for three weeks after he died. I thought it was a bit much mourning over a bird, but I didn¡¯t say anything.¡±


    ¡°Well, now you know. I still see him occasionally in dreams, but it¡¯s not the same. He was my best friend besides you.¡±


    Now she was about to do the same thing to Anna that Henry had done when he¡¯d died: rip up one of her anchors. But she had to. Anna would understand in time, and she wasn¡¯t alone. She was surrounded by others like her, and she had Luc. It was different.


    Keep telling yourself that.


    Cain and Luc moved through the human dimension just outside the crime scene, invisible and noncorporeal. As demons, they could sense each other even if they couldn¡¯t see each other.


    ¡°It¡¯s better to kill Tam,¡± Cain said. He couldn¡¯t see his brother for a reaction, but he could guess at the disappointed and disgusted look he¡¯d find if he could. Luc was so predictably good that way¡ªhardly a demon anymore. He hadn¡¯t been the same since Anna. It was too much humanity for Cain¡¯s taste.


    ¡°You promised you¡¯d protect her... Though, I don¡¯t know why I¡¯m shocked at this revelation.¡±


    Cain bristled at that. He¡¯d been loyal to Luc when he¡¯d been trapped in a house by a curse, bringing him his meals. And he protected his own. It was a low blow for Luc to act as if he couldn¡¯t be anything more than a Judas. He was still miffed about that. Hadn¡¯t Cain been the first true betrayer in their history? And Judas got all the glory.


    ¡°She asked me to kill her. She wants out. She thinks it¡¯s safer, and I agree.¡± Cain felt Luc stop moving, so he did, too. He knew he could get his brother on his side if Luc knew it was the witch¡¯s request.


    ¡°So why isn¡¯t she dead yet? You¡¯ve had plenty of time alone with her. You didn¡¯t take the opportunity to take her?¡±


    ¡°I did.¡± Yet again he was glad for the invisibility that cloaked them. He couldn¡¯t tell anybody this if they could see his face.


    ¡°And she¡¯s not dead because....¡± Luc seemed to be taking Cain¡¯s decision to kill her well, especially since she was Anna¡¯s best friend. In the end, Luc could be a pragmatist if need be, and he was always interested in the greater good. And they were brothers. Despite their differences, there were some issues they were one on.


    Cain fought with himself over whether to share the next bit, but the need to tell somebody won over the inner voice that urged him to keep quiet. ¡°Lucien, she¡¯s two thousand.¡±


    ¡°What difference does that make?¡±


    ¡°Nevermind.¡±


    They both materialized, hidden behind a copse of trees a few blocks from the small town Montana crime scene.


    ¡°No, tell me what this is about,¡± his brother said.


    Cain looked off into the distance. ¡°She¡¯s just unique, all right? And she¡¯s strong. Did you know she can resist my thrall even with her shields down? Not a lot, but enough to make snarky commentary.¡±


    Luc laughed, the pieces coming together. ¡°You want to keep her.¡±


    ¡°No! I do not want to keep her. She¡¯s the enemy. I¡¯m not you. I don¡¯t fall for my food. I don¡¯t get involved with witches. I¡¯m just... not bored with her yet. She can¡¯t come in and demand I release her from what she is. I don¡¯t get that option. Why should she? Why should she get to do some magic of her own free will that makes her immortal and not have to deal with those consequences? I should torture the hell out of her for even asking.¡±


    Luc snorted. ¡°Please. She¡¯d drop your ass with that energy ball magic she does. You can¡¯t take her if she doesn¡¯t want to be taken, and you like that. I know you. You like a challenge.¡±


    ¡°Can we please stop psychoanalyzing me now? I shouldn¡¯t have said anything.¡± He couldn¡¯t imagine spilling his guts to one of the other demons, not even Daria or Jackson. Daria would just blab. That succubus could be such a gossip.


    Luc clapped a hand on Cain¡¯s back. ¡°No, I¡¯m glad you confided in me. It makes it feel more like old times between us¡ªbefore I was trapped in the house, I mean. Not old times when we were human.¡±


    The demon leader laughed, the memory of their human days fuzzy by now. ¡°I don¡¯t know why I cared so much what the man upstairs thought about me. You know if it was down to him and you again, I¡¯d pick you.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell Anna about any of this. That¡¯s an official order.¡±


    Luc¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°You don¡¯t have to give me an official order. I won¡¯t say anything.¡±


    With that off his chest, Cain went invisible again. Luc followed suit, and they made their way through the trees to the house with the police tape around it. A group of reporters had gathered and were furiously taking notes, their cameras recording.


    Cain moved around the perimeter far from the mechanical eyes. Sometimes human cameras caught things¡ªnot a full demon, but moving streaks or balls of light, or what humans who were into ghost hunting liked to called orbs. Who knew why a demon should show up as light on a human camera? One would think it would be puffs of dark smoke or something else sinister, but if this thing was going where the TV reports he¡¯d seen so far suggested, they didn¡¯t need more clues to fuel the fire.


    The two of them passed through the wall into the house from the back, and made their way to the room where the body had been. The investigators were in the hallway.


    ¡°Great, the body¡¯s already at the morgue,¡± Luc said, not at all happy about it.


    ¡°Probably not much of interest on the body, anyway. Let¡¯s just search here. We might find something to give Anthony at the meeting tonight.¡± He hated working with a half-breed. Hated it. But the winds were changing. It felt as if something dramatically bad was about to happen. As much as he loathed the idea, he couldn¡¯t afford to be too good to work with a vampire.


    The investigators in the hallway talked for a few more minutes, then went outside to face the reporters, locking the doors behind them. When they were gone, the demons materialized.


    ¡°I¡¯ll check this room,¡± Cain said. ¡°You check the rest of the house.¡±


    Luc gave a curt nod and went into the hallway. Cain was glad for the peace. Maybe telling his brother had been a mistake. Of course, Luc was going to see it differently from how he meant it. He didn¡¯t even know how he meant it. If he¡¯d waited, in a week Tam would be dead. Nobody would have had to know about any of it. But it was lonely keeping everything to himself. Luc was the one demon he could confide in without feeling weak.


    Cain went through doors and closets, shuffled through some papers on the dresser, and took in the room in general. A Victorian-style lamp had been knocked over. Blood coated the bed. He moved closer. Something was off.


    ¡°Luc!¡±


    The other demon yelled from down the hallway, ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°She wasn¡¯t killed here. It was somewhere else, then she was transported.¡± In this neighborhood, how would he have accomplished it? It wasn¡¯t as if the house were isolated. Some type of cloaking spell or glamour maybe? ¡°I¡¯m going to talk to the neighbor next door. You keep looking here.¡±


    Cain dematerialized and went back through the wall where he¡¯d come in. The investigators didn¡¯t seem to realize the body had been moved. The difference in how the scene would appear was subtle, but he¡¯d seen thousands of years of human barbarism. Given the ritualistic nature of the killing, the blood patterns would have been different. It was a good misdirect, though. It would fool a human.


    The killer had brought her in, arranged her, then messed up the room to make it look like the struggle had happened here. Given how convincing the scene was, who would assume a second location? The more locations, the more chances of getting caught.


    Depending on time of death, anything that had happened more recently at the house might not have been considered important¡ªassuming the police had worked their way through canvassing the neighborhood. Since they¡¯d just finished with the house, interviews may not have started yet.


    He slipped over to the house next door, noting the investigators dealing with the media out front. Cain rang the doorbell.


    An older woman, maybe mid-seventies, answered and looked past him, confused by her empty front porch. ¡°H-hello?¡±

 Page 8

    The demon pushed into the house, his hand clamping down over her mouth. ¡°Shhhh, I¡¯m not going to hurt you.¡±


    But his words did no good. Who wouldn¡¯t be terrified of an invisible being grabbing them? When the door was shut, he materialized and put the whammy on her. It was better than a polygraph test.Advertisement


    ¡°Are you alone in the house?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I live by myself since Joe died,¡± she said, relaxed, her eyes glassy and unfocused.


    ¡°Has anyone been by to question you yet?¡±


    ¡°Only you.¡±


    Good. ¡°Did you see anyone next door at any point today?¡±


    ¡°A delivery man. I was going to check my mail, but something made me stay inside. I looked out the window and there he was. He scared me for some reason, so I didn¡¯t go out.¡±


    Perfect. Cain couldn¡¯t read minds exactly, but the vampires could. Anthony could go directly into her mind and practically get a photograph of The Cycler. If that was the delivery man¡¯s true identity. They could ask Tam for a description, of course, but Jack had no doubt changed his look over the years. What the woman had seen would be most accurate.


    His eyes fixed on the old woman¡¯s. ¡°You will sleep until I come for you. You will not wake up otherwise, no matter what happens.¡±


    The woman went unconscious, and the demon caught her before she hit the floor. He took her back to her room, laid her on her bed, and locked the front door before going back to the crime scene.


    ¡°Cain? Is that you?¡± Luc called from downstairs.


    ¡°Yeah. You won¡¯t believe my luck. I found a possible witness...¡± As he spoke he moved toward his brother¡¯s voice.


    A door popped open with stairs leading down to the basement. Luc¡¯s eyes were wide when they met his. ¡°I hit the mother lode.¡±


    Cain followed his brother downstairs. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration. The basement was filled with magical accoutrements of all sorts and an impressive array of books, some of them clearly from other dimensions. A few looked like some Cain had in the libraries of his own dimension.


    ¡°When I first got down here, it was just a musty old basement, but then this all appeared. Who do you think put up the glamour?¡±


    ¡°It had to be The Cycler,¡± Cain said. ¡°Any glamour done by the deceased would have dropped as soon as she¡¯d died.¡± Glamours took a lot of energy to maintain. It seemed a waste of good magical energy for the occupant of the home. ¡°Why would Jack bother if he wants to reveal the truth to the world?¡±


    Luc¡¯s eyes lit with excitement. ¡°Because he¡¯s having two different conversations. He left this clue for us. Maybe not us specifically, but someone from Anthony¡¯s group. I¡¯d put money on it.¡±


    In the center of the room, on a weathered wooden table, was a rolled out scroll of parchment. A magic book at the top and bottom of the scroll held it open and flat. It was a list of the members of Jack¡¯s coven with a line drawn through each name and a date beside it. The names were listed in the order they¡¯d been killed, with the newest addition at the bottom: a woman named Naomi.


    Underneath Naomi¡¯s name were the names of the two remaining cyclers besides Jack. The last name on the list was Tamar. Little hearts had been drawn beside Tam¡¯s name in blood¡ªno doubt blood from the latest victim. Cain growled. Why were hearts beside Tam¡¯s name?


    ¡°Go look for a plastic storage bag in the kitchen¡ªthe kind that zips,¡± he ordered.


    While Luc was gone, Cain took in the rest of the basement. Would more investigators be by to find this? He couldn¡¯t imagine how someone wouldn¡¯t stumble upon it eventually. The basement had to be cleared out, especially the more esoteric books.


    Most of the other things looked like your average occult-shop fare. Though, with the possible outing of the preternatural world, a complete absence of occult objects would be safer. When Luc returned, Cain carefully rolled up the scroll and sealed it in the bag. Then the two demons dematerialized, slipped out the back of the house, and woke the old lady.


    ¡°You¡¯re a very nice looking young gentleman,¡± the old lady said, her fingertips trailing over Cain¡¯s cheek when he woke her. ¡°I bet you have a lot of lady friends.¡±


    The demon chuckled. ¡°Ma¡¯am, you don¡¯t know the half of it.¡±


    Chapter Four


    When they got back to the demon dimension Cain said, ¡°Take her straight to Anthony so he can get a picture of who she saw. I¡¯ll be there soon.¡± He¡¯d been in too many time zones today, but he was sure sunset would arrive soon in Cary Town. Either way, Luc could hold her at the penthouse until the vampire king rose.


    Luc led the old woman away, and Cain stopped off in his tent and wrote down the crime scene address. When he returned, about fifty demons waited with expectant looks. It was nearing feeding time, and some of them lived in the human dimension, so getting this many together had been a near miracle, courtesy of Daria.


    He handed the paper to the succubus. ¡°Go to this address and make sure you go in invisible. We don¡¯t need any witnesses. The victim¡¯s basement is filled with occult tools and books, some of them highly sensitive. Clear out the basement and bring it all to my tent. I¡¯ll deal with it. It¡¯s too dangerous for the humans to find. I don¡¯t want so much as a sage stick or jar of salt left behind. If any humans discover it, wipe their memories and relocate them, but don¡¯t kill. We don¡¯t need more attention.¡±


    ¡°Whatever you say, boss.¡± She turned to the assembled demons. ¡°Let¡¯s move out.¡± The others followed her to the dimensional portal.


    Cain moved with purpose to Tam¡¯s tent, the ziplock bag clutched in his hand, careful not to damage the parchment inside. The tent was empty, but Jackson and Mace stood guard anyway.


    ¡°Where are they?¡± he snarled at Jackson as he fought with the tent flap to get out.


    ¡°Anna went to Cary Town for the meeting. I don¡¯t know where Tam is.¡±


    Cain felt the glow come to his eyes as the fire rose up in them. ¡°Do you understand the concept of what a guard does? Nobody goes in or out without my say-so.¡± He had half a mind to put them in the caves, but he couldn¡¯t bring himself to do it. Jackson was loyal. It wasn¡¯t like him to defy orders. Cain took a deep breath and closed his eyes, willing the glow to go out of them so he could think straight.


    ¡°Believe me, the last thing I want to do is cross you, but she¡¯s too strong. We can¡¯t control her. She threatened us with energy balls and curses. I could have rounded up more demons, but then we would have ended up hurting her, and you said not to. We figured it was better to let her wander and burn off some steam. She can¡¯t get out of the dimension.¡±


    Cain looked to the other demon, who only nodded to confirm the story. ¡°If she comes back before I find her, tell her to stay put. I need her for something.¡±


    He wandered the desert for over an hour, moving at full demon speed but coming up empty. She couldn¡¯t have moved faster or covered more ground in the time he¡¯d been away. Had Tam somehow gotten a demon to help her? Because she wasn¡¯t in his dimension. If she was out, The Cycler would find her and they were all fucked.


    There was only one place he hadn¡¯t checked, but surely the caves were too foreboding for her to enter. It was Cain¡¯s own private sanctuary, and the idea that the witch may have breached it made the fire glow in his eyes. Not only that, her magic stuff was there¡ªshe¡¯d be armed. Or more armed than usual.


    He put on another burst of speed to get to the caves, stopping dead in his tracks when he got inside. The witch sat on the ground in a meditative posture. Though the caves were dark, a light glowed out of her. Her eyes were closed, her face peaceful and turned upward. She looked like an angel. There was no sign that she¡¯d found her things, at least.


    Cain¡¯s voice was a low growl when he spoke. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing in here?¡±


    The light that glowed around her faded and she jumped, her eyes opening wide as she scrambled back.


    He smiled. ¡°Scared of me now?¡±


    She got to her feet and produced an energy ball too fast for him to react and tossed it, narrowly grazing his ear. ¡°What do you think? I was deep in meditation. You startled me. This is the only place I can focus without interruption.¡±


    Cain concentrated and produced a ball of fire in his hand.


    Tam had another energy ball ready. ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it.¡±


    ¡°I thought you wanted to die. I¡¯m sure this counts as a magical death. We could find out if you like? Though I can¡¯t blame you for not wanting to die by fire. I¡¯ve seen my share of witch burnings. It¡¯s a brutal death.¡±


    ¡°I know. Been there, done that.¡±


    The retort caught him off guard, and for some reason the images it produced bothered him.


    Tam braced herself, ready to disarm him, but the fireball hadn¡¯t been meant for her; he just couldn¡¯t resist the opportunity to screw with her head over the assumption. He stepped to the side and lit a torch on the cave wall. ¡°Relax, this isn¡¯t for you. Remember, I planned on seducing you first for the fun of watching you beg me to keep you. I continue to find that plan amusing.¡±


    She held the purple glowing ball steady in her hand, clearly not trusting his word. He didn¡¯t blame her. He wasn¡¯t all that trustworthy when it came to things he told humans. He moved through the main part of the cave, lighting torches on the wall, then he let the fire fizzle out of his hand. For a moment he assessed the space, worried about the ventilation with a human, but the cave was large. It should be fine.


    He laid the bag with the scroll on the ground and peeled his shirt off.


    Tam took a step back, the idea of being his toy on demand not yet having settled in her mind¡ªif her reaction to him was any indication.


    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think. I know. You and me. Now.¡±


    ¡°Here?¡± she squeaked.


    He chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re the one who wandered out here. Nobody dragged you. And as you said, we won¡¯t be interrupted.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not in the mood.¡±


    The chuckle turned into a full-bodied laugh. ¡°I¡¯m an incubus, sweetheart. I know that¡¯s not true. You¡¯re always in the mood when I¡¯m around.¡±


    Her cheeks turned an endearing shade of pink, visible even in the weak torchlight, but she quickly recovered. ¡°What¡¯s the point? You aren¡¯t going to kill me anyway. You¡¯re just amusing yourself with me.¡±


    ¡°Drop the shields, Tam.¡±


    ¡°No. Work for it.¡± A smirk lit her face as she let the ball of energy burn out in her hand. ¡°Seduce me. No tricks.¡±


    He pushed her against the wall, using his larger size in an intimidation attempt, but she remained unconcerned. He tried not to think about how much he loved that about her. He almost pulled back in surprise when Tam kissed a trail from the side of his neck up to his ear.


    ¡°I will never beg you to keep me,¡± she whispered. ¡°I¡¯m not one of these bubble-headed bimbos you take home every night. I have much more experience, enough to know the difference between sex and love. I don¡¯t have sparkly romance fantasies.¡±


    She did want him; he could smell it; he could feel it. Her energy pulsed with it. She may as well have been under his thrall, but her words still shook him because inside them, he felt the kernel of truth. It was the kind of truth that could be spoken because there was no danger in anyone believing it. But he believed it. God, she was just as jaded as he was.


    He wanted to dampen her desire and end her game. ¡°Okay. No tricks, then.¡± He couldn¡¯t feed if she didn¡¯t want him, but who said he had to feed? He had her alone out here in the caves in his dimension. He could do whatever he wanted with her, assuming he could stop her from hitting him with an energy ball or chanting him into a jar. Those were big assumptions, but right now all he wanted was to wipe out her upper hand.


    He dropped his glamour, smoothing away all the perfection to leave someone who looked like a real man. A little less muscled, a few more lines, a scar across his forehead that marked him forever as a betrayer.


    ¡°You must be a mind reader. Rugged is just my type,¡± she said, the coy taunt still in her voice.


    Fucking witch. She was right. He really wasn¡¯t playing with his usual dimwitted bubble-heads.


    She didn¡¯t resist when he pulled off her top. She fumbled with the buttons on his pants while he dealt with hers. They ended up in a tangle of limbs and clothes on the cave floor. Cain laughed. Laughed.


    He didn¡¯t laugh when he was with a woman. They were food for fuck¡¯s sake, not friends or companions.


    The two of them struggled out of their pants.


    His eyes narrowed as he looked her over in the dim light. ¡°What¡¯s your angle?¡±


    She shrugged innocently. ¡°Whatever do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Cut the crap. Why so eager? No matter what your body wants, you¡¯ve made it clear you find me repulsive. I¡¯m not na?ve enough to think my plan to seduce you is already working. I¡¯m good, but I¡¯m not that good.¡±


    ¡°About that plan... if you keep bringing it up, it¡¯s hard to trick me,¡± Tam said.


    ¡°I¡¯m serious.¡±


    She rolled her eyes. ¡°It won¡¯t hurt to tell you, I guess. I think I can get you to lose control and kill me far before you make me beg for anything¡ªleast of all you keeping me.¡±


    Cain scowled and scooted away from her. His eyes caught the scroll in the bag. If he slept with her so soon after the last time, it would deplete her energy, and she might actually get what she wanted. He put his pants on. ¡°Get dressed.¡±


    ¡°You are such a baby. And a bad loser.¡±


    He tried not to ogle her as she stretched out her long limbs like a lazy cat¡ªno doubt for his benefit, trying to bring him back to her plan.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t hunting for you to sleep with you. I need you to do a spell.¡± I just got momentarily distracted.

 Page 9

    He went down a small corridor to the large rock he¡¯d hidden her things behind. He hadn¡¯t anticipated her coming out to the caves. No one came here as a volunteer, and surely she could sense the anger and pain of the place. After this, he would put her stuff in a pod, something only he could open. He should have taken the extra precaution to begin with. She could probably curse him without tools as long as she had that mouth on her. But he had other uses for that mouth, so cutting out her tongue seemed extreme.


    He returned a few minutes later with her bags of magical supplies, not sure what she¡¯d need to do what he asked. When he tossed them to her, she just stared.Advertisement


    ¡°You¡¯re serious. You really want me to do magic? After you¡¯ve spazzed out about it like you have?¡±


    The demon glared and tossed her the bag with the scroll in it.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± She unzipped it and pulled out the parchment. When she saw what was on it, she dropped it like it was a bag of live snakes, hissing and waiting to strike.


    She looked up, real fear in her eyes this time. It was a reaction he couldn¡¯t seem to inspire. Yeah, it wounded his evil pride a bit. What was so bad about this other guy that Cain couldn¡¯t match?


    ¡°Please, you have to kill me. If he¡¯s back to these games, he knows where the other one is. He may even know where I am. I know him.¡±


    Cain shook his head. ¡°He can¡¯t know where you are. And even if he did, he can¡¯t get here. He has no access.¡±


    She still hadn¡¯t put on her clothes. Now that he knew, he could never forget how old she was. It hadn¡¯t occurred to her to be embarrassed, even after being rebuffed. She stood and moved toward him, determination in her eyes. Her arms went around his neck, her lips crashing against his mouth.


    This was new and intriguing. It was rare for a woman to be this aggressive with him without demon thrall involved. And he wasn¡¯t even in his super-pretty form. The fact that she knew what he was and was still throwing herself at him, even with a death wish, was almost too novel to cope with.


    As offended as he was that she didn¡¯t seem scared of him, another part didn¡¯t want to kill her. It was hard to kill an equal you were growing to respect. If he succeeded and she begged him to keep her, would he? Of course not. She was a new flavor of candy. She¡¯d be stale within a week, just like the others.


    Tam slid her hand down his pants while her mouth tangled with his. She pulled away, her eyes glittering with dark promise. ¡°Come on, I¡¯m so tired from all the magic I¡¯ve done. I¡¯m not fully recharged yet. It wouldn¡¯t take that much work to kill me.¡±


    At least one part of him was listening to her, standing at attention, ready to make good on the promise of death. But he pushed her away, his hands gripping her shoulders to keep her at arm¡¯s length. ¡°Put some clothes on.¡±


    She pouted. ¡°But why? Is this much naked flesh upsetting you? Why should you deny yourself? I mean nothing to you. Forget your stupid plan. I won¡¯t ever beg you to keep me. Let¡¯s get this over with.¡±


    He wanted to shake the life out of her, but then he¡¯d be left with a much younger Tam in her place, a prospect that was less than appealing. ¡°Look at the parchment again.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡±


    ¡°Look at it!¡± he growled. Even as he gripped her, he was shifting into his demon form. With every form but his true form shed, he gave off every negative emotion in existence. Tam shrank back from the force of it, and he smiled.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never successfully fed in this form, so it¡¯s pointless for you to taunt me¡ªnot that you would. I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t want to sleep with this.¡±


    She met his gaze, getting her bravery back as she got used to the new energy around him. ¡°Eh. I¡¯ve seen worse.¡±


    He released her shoulders and took a step back. If she kept surprising him, he might make it his mission in life to keep her alive forever.


    She glanced down and giggled. It wasn¡¯t the response a man was ever looking for, but when she spoke, he realized why.


    ¡°You must have seven hundred pairs of pants.¡±


    In the shift, he¡¯d ripped them. Again. Like some fledgling demon who didn¡¯t yet understand the size disparity between man and monster. She unnerved him too much to be concerned with wardrobe malfunctions.


    ¡°I need you to look at the bigger picture,¡± he said. ¡°Things are going to get ugly with Anthony after this. He¡¯ll use this to push his control further¡ªin the name of safety. I¡¯ve seen humans do it a thousand times, and vampires are no different when it comes to this. I might need you in a war. You promised you¡¯d fight with me. If you do this spell, it might help us find The Cycler. If we destroy him, there¡¯s no reason for you to die.¡±


    Tears welled in her eyes. The moment of vulnerability took him aback, and he had to fight the urge to comfort her. Where in the hell had that urge come from?


    ¡°It¡¯s not just that. I¡¯m TIRED, Cain. I¡¯m so tired, I can¡¯t think straight. I can¡¯t stand this eternal cycle. It¡¯s so lonely. Every time I cycle, I have to hide and go somewhere different, uproot my whole life, meet new people. Everyone I meet, I know I¡¯m going to lose. I can¡¯t live like this anymore. I just want to be normal again. I just want to be happily oblivious to the truth. The only way out is Jack or you. Forgive me if I prefer your methods. I don¡¯t want him to win, you¡¯re right. But I don¡¯t want me to win, either. I need out of this. I thought if I could get away from him, that I could do it. I thought if Anna became immortal I could do it, but it¡¯s not enough. I just want out.¡±


    Given her suicidal kick, if Cain managed to get her to beg him to keep her, to even want her life back, it would be a miracle. And then what was he going to do? Kill her anyway? He should. Even if she¡¯d be beneficial in a war, the temptation to get her out of her death wish and only then deliver it was the kind of temptation he was rarely successful at fighting. There was a reason he was who and what he was, after all.


    He punched the cave wall, causing a mini-avalanche of little rocks in the space where he¡¯d cracked it. ¡°I¡¯ve had the same form for eight thousand years. You think I don¡¯t get how hard it is? But I don¡¯t get an exit ramp. Why should I give you one?¡±


    ¡°Forget it. If you¡¯re not going to do something useful, just leave me alone.¡±


    Cain picked up the scroll and held it out to her. ¡°No. I need you to do this spell.¡±


    ¡°What spell?¡± she said, her voice rising in irritation.


    ¡°Look at the scroll again.¡±


    Reluctantly, she took the parchment from his hands and unrolled it, looking down the list of names she¡¯d tried not to look at before. Blood. In the little hearts beside her name. A lump formed in her throat at the most recent name that had been crossed out. Naomi. Her sister. She still remembered standing beside her in the cavern, agreeing about not adding their own blood to the potion. It had been a smart gut instinct. Why hadn¡¯t she listened?


    She¡¯d gripped Naomi¡¯s hand in the moonlight that had shone down, not realizing what they were about to do or the events they would set in motion, all over the na?ve belief that immortality in this place¡ªin this human form¡ªwas a good thing.


    Tears streamed down Tam¡¯s face. She couldn¡¯t hold them back anymore. She¡¯d pushed her sister away so many times, trying to protect her from a brutal death at Jack¡¯s hands, but it had still happened anyway. All that time lost.


    ¡°Tam?¡±


    Her eyes met Cain¡¯s. The fear and dread and hate and anger and all the scary emotions that swirled around his demon form had felt oppressive at first, but now she could get lost in them. She could pretend none of those feelings were her own. They were all the demon¡¯s fault. There was a look in his eyes that she wasn¡¯t sure how to classify. She didn¡¯t trust that it was true concern, but he was making an admirable fake.


    ¡°That last name he just killed? It was my sister. I know what you need me to do, but I just can¡¯t do it.¡± Jack had used her sister¡¯s blood to make the little hearts around her name. Cain must have suspected the same thing.


    Was Jack punishing her for leaving him? Would he have spared Naomi if she¡¯d stayed? But at what cost? Her soul? Blood was the most powerful magic activator there was, especially the blood of a magical being, and Tam and all the other cyclers definitely qualified.


    She could use the blood, even dried, to scry into the past and see everything her sister had seen in her last moments. She could see the moments even right after her sister¡¯s death, because blood had its own life. What blood saw was sometimes more than what we saw.


    ¡°I need you to do the spell,¡± he said.


    ¡°No! I¡¯m not going to look at that. I can¡¯t look at it. It won¡¯t help. I can tell you what he did. He overpowered her and killed her and cut her open and took out organs and probably fucking ate one because isn¡¯t ingesting a part of your enemy the way to becoming a god? That¡¯s what he wants. He thinks he can be a god if he kills us all like this. If you think I¡¯m going to trance out and look into Jack¡¯s eyes while he kills my sister, you¡¯re insane. I won¡¯t do it, and you can¡¯t make me do it.¡±


    She shook with rage over the idea. Maybe she could see something helpful, something that could let her know if he had any accomplices, something that could give them a location, but if the price was living her sister¡¯s death vicariously and feeling all that pain and fear, she was just too selfish to go there.


    ¡°Okay. Okay. Calm down,¡± Cain said.


    Before she knew what she was doing, she¡¯d moved into the demon¡¯s arms and laid her head against his chest. She didn¡¯t care that he was in the demon form. At least he didn¡¯t pretend he wasn¡¯t what he was. At least he wasn¡¯t ripping people up with knives. At least it was food, not sport or simply for power.


    A moment later, his large hands stroked through her hair, his claws barely skimming her head. It was more comforting than it should have been. The scary feelings around him started to fade¡ªeither that or she was becoming more acclimated. What was it with her and monsters? At least this time she didn¡¯t love one, and she knew going in what he was. But did that make any difference? She¡¯d still slept with him and was prepared to do it again and again, no matter how many times was necessary to get from him what she needed: her freedom.


    ¡°Why did he put hearts beside your name?¡± Cain¡¯s voice rumbled over her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid. You know why.¡±


    He sighed. ¡°You were lovers. No wonder he¡¯s saving you for last. It¡¯s how I would do it.¡±


    Tam cringed at that, but if the demon noticed, he didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°I need to go to the meeting,¡± he said after a few minutes of standing like that. ¡°I don¡¯t know if Dayne can do the same magic, but I¡¯ll take the scroll and we¡¯ll find out. We might still be able to get what we need without your involvement.¡±


    He gathered the magical bags and placed his hand over a spot on the cave wall that jutted out in the shape of an egg. It opened and he tossed her things in. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but if you¡¯re going to be in my caves, I have to up the security on your supplies.¡±


    ¡°You really think I¡¯d go against you like that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t trust you. You don¡¯t trust me. It¡¯s what we have in common.¡± Even as he said it, Tam knew it wasn¡¯t all they had in common. Besides Jack and the other cycler that was about to be history, Cain was one of the very few beings in existence who could really understand.


    Chapter Five


    Father Hadrian sat at the table, his expression blank of emotion. Anthony had started the meeting, and the demon leader was late again. Bringing Anthony down was the right thing to do. The vampire king¡¯s increasing control was worse than the sacrifice of the humans finding out. The humans had known hundreds of years ago, and the world had survived. It would survive again, and the vampires with it. Anthony had to be stopped, or Hadrian¡¯s race would end up slaves to their king.


    ¡°Father Hadrian?¡±


    He looked up, not betraying his thoughts. ¡°Yes?¡±


    An impatient expression painted the king¡¯s face. ¡°What did you get from the old woman Luc brought in? Anything?¡±


    Hadrian shook his head. ¡°She remembered seeing a delivery man. It may have been The Cycler, but the details were too fuzzy. You know how fickle the memories of the elderly are. I erased her memory and sent her home.¡±


    It was a lie. She¡¯d seen Jack clearly. The rest, about erasing her memory and sending her home was true.


    He would have had the old woman for dinner except she hadn¡¯t done anything wrong. As a rule, he only fed from the guilty and then only killed the unrepentant. Everyone was repentant when their life was at stake, but Hadrian could see inside to their true feelings. He knew which ones to save and which to damn.


    The vampire king nodded and went back to his presentation.


    Hadrian had chatted with Cole while waiting for the meeting to start. The werewolf pack alpha was the key, the only person with a way into the demon dimension who wasn¡¯t an actual demon.


    The rooftop door banged against the brick wall as Cain made his fashionably late entrance again. He carried a plastic storage bag with something that looked like old paper in it.


    ¡°So glad you could join us,¡± Anthony said, ¡°I was just about to ask for Luc¡¯s report from your investigation.¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s the witness?¡± Cain asked.


    ¡°Father Hadrian couldn¡¯t get a clear image of The Cycler¡¯s face, so he erased her memory and sent her home.¡±


    Hadrian held Cain¡¯s gaze steadily even though he felt the demon¡¯s suspicion. The guy was far too old to be tricked for long.


    Cain broke eye contact first and put the scroll on the table, piercing the sorcerer with an intense look. ¡°Dayne, can you do a spell on the memory of the blood?¡±

 Page 10

    ¡°Couldn¡¯t Tam do it? She¡¯s much stronger than me.¡±


    ¡°No doubt that¡¯s true, but¡­¡± He faltered.Advertisement


    There was something in the demon¡¯s body language that sent Hadrian¡¯s flags up. Did Cain have some particular attachment to the witch? If so, it would make the plan more complicated.


    ¡°But¡­¡± Dayne prodded.


    ¡°She refused for personal reasons. Can you do the spell?¡±


    ¡°Scrying isn¡¯t my strength. Seeing the past is far more difficult. The blood has dried and several hours have passed by now. It¡¯s a long shot, but I can try.¡±


    ¡°Please do.¡± The demon passed the scroll across the table, right past Hadrian.


    Dayne and Greta got up. Jack was slipping, taking too many risks. They were too close for that. If they were going to unseat Anthony from power, The Cycler had to be more careful.


    ¡°Maybe I should go with them,¡± Hadrian said, wanting to monitor the situation.


    ¡°For what purpose?¡± Anthony asked.


    Cain¡¯s eyes narrowed, and Hadrian could practically see the wheels in his head turning.


    ¡°For muscle. They¡¯re carrying a sensitive document.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± Anthony said. ¡°I need you here.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Hadrian said, inclining his head.


    He would happily die for the cause if necessary, but not until the time was right. If Dayne¡¯s spell succeeded, it would implicate Hadrian before he¡¯d reached his goal. He¡¯d been at Jack¡¯s hideout for the slaying. He¡¯d kept to the shadows, out of The Cycler¡¯s way, but if blood could have memories, he would be seen.


    The whirring of the overhead projector snapped Hadrian out of his thoughts. Anthony had a transparency up and was laying out a detailed plan¡ªfor everyone¡¯s protection, supposedly. He¡¯d seen Anthony¡¯s interpretation of protection, and he didn¡¯t like it.


    ¡°As I¡¯m sure many of you know, this has spread beyond just local media. A Jack the Ripper copycat is of interest to those not only in the UK, but around the world. He¡¯s become a cult icon of the unsolved mystery. He captures peoples¡¯ imaginations, so the whole world is watching. We don¡¯t know what kind of letter he¡¯ll send next, or when the next body will turn up, but this one has already caused an outright panic. Before the meeting, Dayne suggested Jack may have charmed the letter. If that¡¯s true, the lab techs analyzing it will know it¡¯s the Ripper and probably so will anyone else who touches it.¡±


    The pretty succubus sitting next to Cole spoke up. ¡°Do we have any idea when he might strike next?¡±


    ¡°My theory is that he¡¯ll wait until the media is in a storm debating the meaning of the handwriting analysis. Any revelation he gives will serve him best at that time.¡± Anthony cleared his throat and went back to the transparency.


    If anything, Jack¡¯s plan seemed to be backfiring. Anthony had a full strategy to extend his control in Cary Town to the whole country and beyond. The only hope would be a war between the preternaturals and the humans. That carried risk. Anthony could end up completely destabilized or only stronger.


    The vampire king continued. ¡°I¡¯ve been on the phone with vampire leaders all over the world, and in some cases their guardians due to time zone issues. Word has been sent out to therian leaders in this country¡ªthose that are organized enough. I¡¯ll be meeting separately with the Preternatural Council since there is no way to keep them out of the loop any longer. For the safety of all and our way of life, we must raise security measures.¡±


    Hadrian took a measured breath. This reaction had been expected. It¡¯s only temporary. How long could Anthony¡¯s power stand in the face of worldwide chaos? If the priest knew vampires, he knew they¡¯d stop lockstepping when the first major panic set in. Once the word was out anyway, they¡¯d feed openly. They¡¯d resist the vampire king¡¯s control as well as if Hadrian had created an uprising from scratch. Only the results would be more predictable, the reaction stronger in the face of complete unrest.


    Cain chuckled, interrupting the vampire king¡¯s monologue. ¡°You¡¯re so predictable. Just like a human. Yes, let the sheep fall in line behind your bright, shiny police state. You must have such a hard-on over this. An opportunity falls right in your lap to justify what you¡¯ve wanted since you¡¯ve taken power.¡±


    Hadrian arched a brow. If not for the demon¡¯s interest in Tam, he¡¯d have an ally.


    Anthony stopped and glared at the demon. ¡°And what business or interest is it of yours? What do you care what I do here?¡±


    The demon shrugged. ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t care what you do. I just find it all perversely interesting. Tell me, are they goose-stepping to your orders yet? Why don¡¯t we take a vote around the table? Who wants Anthony to rule the world? Raise your hands.¡±


    The assembled looked down at the table or their hands, whatever they could to avoid either Cain or Anthony¡¯s eyes. Hadrian was the only one who watched everyone. When Cain¡¯s gaze shifted to him, he looked at the table as well. Blend, Hadrian. For God¡¯s sake, blend. Now wasn¡¯t the time for discovery. But it was too late.


    ¡°Your priest lapdog isn¡¯t on board,¡± Cain said. ¡°I knew something felt off about him.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a lie,¡± Anthony said. ¡°Hadrian has been nothing but helpful since I took control of the coven. We don¡¯t have time for you to sow discord for your own amusement.¡±


    The demon shrugged. ¡°I just call them like I see them.¡±


    ¡°Regardless of what you may think, this is for everyone¡¯s safety. The factions must band together. Our numbers aren¡¯t as great as the humans. If The Cycler succeeds, he could build a worldwide army. Let¡¯s not forget magic users are human. They may stick with their own if they¡¯re outed to the world. In a war, that kind of unified front against preternaturals poses a risk to you, too.¡±


    Anthony went back to the transparency. ¡°I¡¯ve called a summit for tomorrow evening with some of the top faction leaders and the local preternatural council to discuss how we can proceed and replicate what¡¯s been done in Cary Town. Cole, even though you¡¯ve been officially banished, we¡¯d like you there. This concerns the pack, too. You¡¯ll formally apologize, and I¡¯ll graciously pardon you.¡±


    The werewolf growled. ¡°Absolutely not. I¡¯m here because of the danger The Cycler poses to our way of life. I¡¯m not on board with using it as a springboard to solidify your power base.¡±


    Anthony¡¯s eyes flashed red. ¡°That isn¡¯t what this is about!¡±


    ¡°Like hell it¡¯s not!¡± Cole slammed a fist on the table and stood. ¡°Count me out of the rest of this charade. You all can deal with this mess on your own. Jane. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Jane stood to follow her mate out, while the others at the table argued amongst themselves. Anthony was still yelling at Cole to try to bring him back to his side.


    ¡°Guys¡­¡± It was Anthony¡¯s human mate. Charlee had tried to stay out of most of it.


    No one heard her.


    ¡°Guys!¡± she screamed.


    Everyone stopped. Anthony¡¯s blind ambition turned immediately to concern. In Hadrian¡¯s opinion, if they wanted to take Anthony down, all they needed to do was kidnap Charlee. But he¡¯d met Jack long before he¡¯d known about Charlee.


    ¡°My water just broke.¡±


    Jane rushed to her side and helped her get up from the table.


    ¡°Jane¡­¡± Cole said, his tone warning.


    The demon¡¯s eyes glowed dangerously red. ¡°No. I¡¯m staying with my friend until she has her baby. I don¡¯t care what our issues with Anthony are.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want you alone with a bunch of vampires,¡± he said.


    ¡°I can handle myself.¡±


    Suddenly the meeting had turned from an initiation of Anthony¡¯s police state to a single-minded focus on bringing an abomination into the world. The vampire king kept his most trusted guards around his mate constantly. And no matter how much he tried, Hadrian was kept at arm¡¯s length where Charlee was concerned. He suspected Anthony was power-mad anyway, but his child was what drove him to diabolical greatness. Jack¡¯s plans drove the vampire king even harder.


    Cain spoke up. ¡°While you all play nursemaid to the human mate, I¡¯m going to do something useful. Anthony, can we assume a war soon if we fail to find Jack in time?¡±


    Anthony had been leading Charlee toward the penthouse door to get her inside and comfortable. ¡°Yes. And there is no guarantee we¡¯ll win. Especially as unorganized as we continue to be.¡±


    Their disorganization was a matter of opinion.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll go talk to the angels and see if we can get more muscle behind us. The warrior class loves a good brawl. This could upset the balance enough to garner their involvement.¡±


    As the meeting dispersed into chaos, Hadrian slipped out to check on Dayne¡¯s progress with the blood.


    Cain was irritated when he reached the lobby of Heaven. Of course Anthony would use this to benefit his personal agenda. The demon had seen it coming a mile away. Half-breeds were so unoriginal. How Cain had allowed himself to get dragged into all this, he¡¯d never know. With the demon abilities to be noncorporeal, use thrall, move things through telekinesis, shapeshift into nearly anything, and go invisible, they could operate as usual even if the world fell into total chaos and the magic users and humans overcame the preternaturals. They¡¯d just have to be more careful.


    It wasn¡¯t as if the humans could follow him into his dimension. But he didn¡¯t trust witches and their ilk. If he¡¯d learned anything in his thousands of years of existence, it was that there was no end to the creativity that could be employed by a magic user to reach their ends. If the dimensional portals could sense a demon and let them pass through, was there any reason similar things couldn¡¯t be created in the human world that would identify demons for what they were and keep them out? They¡¯d suffer and starve in that case.


    But if this thing went badly, the entire demon race could end up sealed in glass jars and lined up on shelves in some superwitch¡¯s basement. Their numbers weren¡¯t impressive, certainly not compared with human armies, magic users, or the other preternatural factions. Cain had no intention of ending up that way for all eternity.


    The demon marched up to the reception desk. ¡°Are you aware of the war that may be brewing on earth?¡±


    ¡°Um... I¡¯m just the receptionist. I¡¯m not privy to...¡±


    He leaned over the counter, moving into her personal bubble. His voice came out low and deadly. ¡°Then go find somebody useful.¡±


    She shot out of her chair and scurried behind the gold gates. Several minutes later, an unfathomably beautiful male angel came out. It was one of the warrior angels. Created, not elevated. Cain wasn¡¯t particularly into men, maybe it was because food and sex were so intertwined for him, and he could only feed from human females. But he could appreciate the art of a perfect physical form, whatever gender it happened to be in. Thousands of years of existence made the idea of homophobia quaint.


    The angel was tan, quite natural for a place with no darkness ever. He had long blond hair that seemed to radiate the light of Heaven itself, a strong jaw, and light blue eyes¡ªso light they seemed almost transparent.


    He gave Cain a perfunctory once-over as if the demon were a shipment of something dreadfully boring. ¡°Who let the riffraff up here?¡±


    ¡°As you know, nobody has to let me into the lobby.¡±


    ¡°Someone should change that rule.¡±


    Cain rolled his eyes. ¡°Are you aware of the war that may break out on earth?¡±


    ¡°Which one? There are always wars. Humans live to torture and kill each other. Surely you know that by now.¡±


    ¡°I think you know which war. The one that would include humans and magic users against preternaturals.¡±


    The angel shrugged. ¡°There have been rumblings.¡±


    ¡°Would you be willing to get involved if it became necessary?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t think so. The man upstairs wouldn¡¯t like it.¡±


    Cain wondered if the Hebrew god actually resided in a tower at the top of some stairs. Nobody who knew the score referred to him as ¡°God¡± or ¡°His imperial Majesty¡± or anything else that seemed like a true sign of respect. It was always ¡°the man upstairs.¡± It had been so for as long as he could remember. As far as he knew, the Hebrew god wasn¡¯t crying himself to sleep over it¡ªassuming gods slept.


    ¡°This could upset the balance that¡¯s been created. It would be utter chaos.¡±


    The angel laughed. ¡°We don¡¯t care. They destroy their world, and we¡¯ll find somewhere else to place them.¡±


    ¡°You think the other gods will allow that? The man upstairs only has control of the one dimension and Heaven. I¡¯m not even allowed to feed in the other dimensions, even though I can get there. The man upstairs has burned his bridges quite well. Is he prepared to apologize for driving the other gods off? Will he make a peace offering so we have other places to go?¡± Cain knew the angel had an opinion about it, but he¡¯d never get it out of him. ¡°What will you have to do if the world goes up in flames?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so dramatic. It won¡¯t be that bad.¡±


    ¡°We have no idea how it would be. Humans are fueled almost entirely by fear. They have enough technology now to destroy the world a hundred times over. Add magic users and preternaturals to that mix, and there¡¯s no way to know what the state of the world will be, or if it will be in any state at all by the time it¡¯s over. Does the man upstairs want to create a whole other planet and erase everyone¡¯s memories? That seems like a lot of work to me. Since he doesn¡¯t ever want to lift a finger for anything else...¡±


    The angel¡¯s eyes glowed bright blue¡ªsending a gust of cold air at Cain. ¡°Watch your tongue, demon. He¡¯s still your sovereign.¡±

 Page 11

    Cain laughed. ¡°He gave up that right a long time ago. What can he do to me that he hasn¡¯t already done? Hasn¡¯t he made me a god as well? I may as well be the god of the earth, too, since I¡¯m the only one who ever goes there, and I¡¯m the only one who seems to give a shit about what happens to it. He¡¯s like a child who has built a city of blocks and gotten bored and walked away.¡±


    ¡°Leave. Now. I can have your access to this area revoked.¡±Advertisement


    ¡°Sure you can. If you change your mind and are in the mood for a fight, I¡¯ll welcome you and yours into my dimension.¡±


    ¡°If we act, there will be consequences.¡±


    ¡°There always are. But sometimes it¡¯s worth it.¡± Cain left the angel in the lobby. If they needed the warrior class, he¡¯d come around. The demon was sure of it. He winked at the reception angel on his way out, and a blush crept up her neck.


    Hadrian found an unlocked window and crawled into Dayne¡¯s cottage. The wards he had weren¡¯t up to snuff to keep a vampire away. Instead, it had drawn him like a beacon. It was only the fact that vamps preferred the city to the forest that kept the sorcerer and his little kitty therian safe.


    An orange cat sat on the kitchen counter, green eyes intense, hissing at him, but there was no magic coming off it. Just an average house cat. Hadrian put a finger to his lips. ¡°Shhhh,¡± he said. The cat glared but let him pass.


    He crept down spiral stone stairs that got danker and darker as he went down. When he reached the bottom, he crouched by the door, looking through slats in the weathered wood. There was no need to get involved if Dayne couldn¡¯t do the spell, but from the looks of things, he was doing it.


    The sorcerer¡¯s circle was set up, books and tools were out. The cute brunette with the short, choppy haircut stood to the side out of his way. It was anybody¡¯s guess how long Dayne had been chanting, but his energy looked depleted. Good for Hadrian.


    As the sorcerer continued to chant, a light emanated from the scroll, lighting up the room like a giant projector onto which images and dialogue appeared¡ªlike a movie composed of magic. Greta gasped. Dayne opened his eyes to see the spell had worked and what had instigated the gasp.


    Hadrian. Fully implicated, right there on the magic screen with Jack. It was now or never. The vampire ripped the door open and blurred in, grabbing Greta and holding her in front of him as if he were a bank robber. He didn¡¯t have a gun at her throat, but his fangs were out and ready should he need to call them into action.


    Dayne appeared disoriented as the spell collapsed around him, but he didn¡¯t harbor any doubts about what he¡¯d seen. ¡°Why have you betrayed us?¡±


    The vampire remained stoic. ¡°Anthony is the betrayer. He¡¯s clamping down on all of us. It won¡¯t be just Cary Town. It¡¯ll be this whole planet by the time he¡¯s finished. I don¡¯t want to live in that world.¡±


    ¡°Jack¡¯s world will be worse.¡±


    Hadrian shrugged. ¡°And we will deal with Jack. I don¡¯t want The Cycler in power either, but he has no organization. The vampires have been increasing in organization for centuries now. Our numbers are strong. Our leader is about to take away all of our freedoms for his own personal reasons.¡±


    ¡°Anthony has to protect his daughter,¡± the sorcerer said. ¡°And now with the threat from Jack...¡±


    ¡°The two issues are simply convenient. You might not see it, but what I¡¯m doing is better for us all.¡±


    Dayne¡¯s face betrayed his fear for Greta, though he was trying to downplay it. For her part she¡¯d been extremely brave. Not a lot of tears or screaming or thrashing about, just still and quiet as if he might forget she was there and loosen his grip. Unlikely. But nice try. He was surprised she wasn¡¯t fighting him. Therians were stronger than humans.


    ¡°Just let Greta go.¡±


    Hadrian gripped her tighter. ¡°I¡¯d erase both of your memories, but I don¡¯t have that ability with a therian. I want you to make a potion that will do that job for me. I¡¯ll check the spell and ingredients to make sure we understand each other. I hate misunderstandings.¡± He flashed fangs at Dayne, as if he even needed to put a point on the threat.


    The sorcerer was so depleted from doing such heavy magic alone that he couldn¡¯t even conjure an energy ball or a fireball, whichever his speed was. Even if he had that ability right now, he wouldn¡¯t use it. The werecat made a great shield.


    ¡°Just do it, Dayne. If we¡¯re both dead, we can¡¯t warn Anthony, anyway,¡± she said.


    ¡°The cat makes an excellent point.¡±


    The sorcerer turned to collect the supplies he needed, and Greta shifted. In the change from human size to house-cat size, Hadrian lost his grip on her. She climbed over her pile of clothes and scurried toward the door. He went after her, but a fireball whizzed past his head. It hit the stone wall, fizzling with a hiss and puff of smoke. It had come from Dayne, but it was small and weak and probably the only one he had left.


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to waste your magic right now,¡± Hadrian said, scooping up the cat before she could get out the door. She dug her claws into his arms, hissing and biting. He growled and tossed her across the room. She let out a horrible feline shriek and hit the wall, then stopped moving.


    He felt a flicker of guilt for harming her. She was an innocent, not someone meant for his special brand of punishment, but she was also caught in the crossfire of a greater good.


    ¡°Greta!¡±


    ¡°She¡¯ll be fine. Make the potion.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I have enough energy left. I need to take a rest.¡±


    Hadrian shook his head. ¡°You only need to make enough potion for one. I have to wipe your memory while you¡¯re weak, not after you¡¯ve had a refreshing nap to replenish your shields.¡±


    He picked up the unconscious black cat and sat on the floor with her in his lap. ¡°I could kill her quickly in this form. Don¡¯t test me. Two people failing to show up at Anthony¡¯s next meeting would be a minor curiosity in the face of everything going on. Maybe your magic drew Jack, and he killed you. Who¡¯s to say?¡±


    ¡°I used strong protections. It¡¯s why I¡¯m so depleted.¡±


    ¡°You thought of everything.¡±


    Dayne glared while Hadrian stroked Greta¡¯s back as if she were a normal house cat. Hadrian did it to unnerve him, but the act also allowed him to be assured she was okay. Her breathing seemed normal.


    Twenty minutes later the potion was ready, a rolling, bubbling concoction of something dark purple the vampire wouldn¡¯t want to drink on his worst day.


    ¡°Let me see the book.¡±


    Dayne brought it over, and Hadrian looked at the spell. It was a spell to take the memory of an hour. The listed ingredients looked about right as far as he could tell sitting across the room. Everything had been in cloudy jars after all¡ªit was like some mad scientist¡¯s basement. The vampire nodded and passed the book to the sorcerer who put it back on the table and chanted the spell over the potion. It was in Latin. Magic users and their dead languages. Hadrian was convinced it was for show to appear more mysterious. Wasn¡¯t that why the priests had used it for so long?


    When Dayne brought the potion over, Hadrian took the goblet and held the cat¡¯s mouth open to pour it down her throat.


    ¡°She¡¯ll be asleep for awhile. When she wakes, she won¡¯t remember,¡± Dayne said.


    ¡°She¡¯d better not. I¡¯ll stay to be sure. I¡¯ll be putting you to sleep as well. I¡¯ll make sure she wakes before you. If she remembers anything...¡± It was unnecessary to expand on the threat. He laid the cat on the stone floor and moved toward Dayne. At least with all the magic the sorcerer had done, taking control of his mind would be easy. It was one memory he¡¯d know for sure had been properly erased.


    ¡°Look into my eyes.¡± He placed a hand on Dayne¡¯s shoulder to boost the effects of the thrall.


    The sorcerer obeyed, his eyes becoming unfocused as he tried to maintain eye contact with the vampire.


    ¡°Good. You came home and attempted to do the spell, but it failed. Some of the magic knocked Greta out, but she¡¯s fine now. You burned the scroll so the magical residue couldn¡¯t attract The Cycler.¡±


    ¡°Right. That¡¯s exactly what I did.¡±


    ¡°Now, sleep for a little while. When you and Greta wake, everything will seem normal.¡± Hadrian caught the man as he fell and laid him next to the cat. Then he searched until he found matches and burned the scroll, so what had been seen couldn¡¯t be seen again.


    He sat on the table and waited. As the potion took effect, the werecat shifted back to human. The vampire admired her sleeping form. He¡¯d love to taste her. A great time to accomplish that feat was while she was unconscious, but he couldn¡¯t justify the act. While he couldn¡¯t get inside her head, it only took one look at her to know she was kind and decent¡ªnot someone who needed to be absolved, and not someone who needed to be punished.


    After a while, Greta stretched and sat up, wary eyes darting around the room. She looked to Hadrian, then to Dayne, and her own nudity, which she intriguingly sought to cover.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? What have you done?¡± Her eyes held suspicion and more than a little fear. She scrambled to her clothing and rushed to get dressed.


    ¡°You have nothing to fear from me. What do you remember?¡± Hadrian asked. He was more than a little curious over her modesty. It wasn¡¯t a common trait in therians.


    ¡°You could have at least had the decency to turn around,¡± she said, as she pulled the top over her head.


    The vampire had taken in every curve as she¡¯d moved, not missing a second of her in her unclothed form. ¡°I apologize. It was rude. I was caught off guard.¡±


    ¡°What happened? What¡¯s wrong with Dayne?¡± She moved behind him as if a sleeping sorcerer would have any effect on her safety.


    ¡°Again,¡± Hadrian said, his eyes glowing, ¡°what do you remember?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean.¡± She appeared genuinely confused.


    ¡°Dayne attempted to do a spell to help find The Cycler. The magic failed. I came by to check on things while he was still chanting. You saw me and got spooked and shifted, then sparks from the magic hit you and knocked you out. You must have mild amnesia. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    She still looked suspicious but she was just disoriented and confused enough to buy it. ¡°W-what about Dayne?¡±


    ¡°Magic knocked him out, too. He¡¯ll come around soon. I need to get back. You¡¯ll be okay here?¡±


    Greta nodded. ¡°Yes. I mean, I think so. He¡¯ll wake up soon?¡±


    He smiled. ¡°He¡¯ll be fine. Have a good night, Greta.¡± He didn¡¯t wait for a reply.


    The orange tabby glared at him at the top of the stairs as he brushed past her. He growled, and the cat shot off into the dark to check on her people, not trusting the vampire for a moment. Smart kitty.


    Chapter Six


    Tam had been in the demon dimension for over a week without contact with the outside world. Her coven must be losing their shit wondering where she was. They didn¡¯t know what she was. No one had except her fellow cyclers and a few vampires over the centuries. And Henry.


    She stood outside Cain¡¯s tent draped in one of the dresses from the trunk in her own tent. Two guards stood outside. One arched a brow.


    ¡°Shut up before I hex you.¡± She and the demon leader had been carrying on what amounted to a full-on affair for the past week, but she hadn¡¯t been coming to his tent, and she certainly hadn¡¯t been dressing like his concubine. But she was ready to raise the stakes. The demon would crack soon, she could feel it.


    The guard growled, but Tam was unfazed. Demons liked to talk and play at being scary, but even with her books and tools sealed up in the cave, she could still incant, and she still had energy balls to throw. She hadn¡¯t been left helpless. Far from it. It was hard to be too helpless with so much age on her.


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to go in there,¡± the other guard said. ¡°The boss is having it out with one of the demons.¡±


    ¡°Good. Then he¡¯ll be in a killing mood.¡±


    Cain had been tense ever since the human body had been discovered. Every time he went through the human dimension he found out more news on the situation, mainly the constant recounting of the gory way the body had been found. So nothing useful. Just the kind of stuff that inspired morbid fascination and curiosity among her fellow humans.


    Tam strode into the tent. Cain stopped yelling at the demon in front of him. It was one Tam didn¡¯t know. For a preternatural faction, the demon numbers weren¡¯t huge, but there were enough of them that the witch stumbled upon a new one on occasion.


    Cain glared at her, but when he saw what she was wearing, something in his expression changed. Heat. Desire. That plus all the bottled rage from whatever the demon was in a snit about equaled a possible ticket out of all this.


    He turned back to the other demon. ¡°Leave. We will discuss this later.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s not fair. That¡¯s not my fault. This past week you¡¯ve been impossible to please. We¡¯ve all been walking on eggshells¡ª¡±


    He couldn¡¯t get another word out because Tam was tired of his whining. She hit the minion with an energy ball. He rounded on her, snarling.


    ¡°I believe he told you to leave,¡± she said.


    ¡°See, Cain? This is the problem. This fucking witch who¡¯s got you all turned around.¡± He rushed Tam at full speed before she could produce another energy ball, but before he could touch her, Cain had grabbed him and flung him away from her. He towered over the demon on the ground.


    ¡°The witch is my business. You try to harm her, and I¡¯ll let her seal you in a glass jar. It¡¯s far more cramped than the caves, I assure you. Scram!¡± The demon pulled himself through the flap of the tent and hobbled away.


    Cain advanced on her, fire in his eyes. ¡°What the fuck was that?¡±

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    She batted her eyelashes. ¡°What the fuck was what?¡± Okay, so the innocent damsel routine didn¡¯t come off quite as credible when she was dropping F-bombs. Still. She should get points for effort.


    ¡°Interfering with my business with the other demons makes it look like I have a woman fighting my battles.¡±Advertisement


    ¡°Oh my God. You¡¯re an even bigger Neanderthal than Anna¡¯s mate.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m eight thousand. Things are done how they are done.¡±


    She rolled her eyes. ¡°Well, I¡¯m two thousand, and I managed to evolve. What¡¯s your excuse?¡± She changed tactics and pressed herself against him. If all she did was piss him off, he might just snap her neck, and that would do her no good. She needed to remind him why he liked her in an adult form. ¡°Do you like my dress?¡±


    He gripped her wrist and placed her hand over his erection. ¡°What do you think?¡±


    She smirked. ¡°I think you¡¯ll kill me this time. I don¡¯t get why you haven¡¯t. Maybe you have sparkly romance dreams? If you do, you can tell me, it¡¯ll be our little secret.¡± She never got tired of taunting him. Soon he would snap. She¡¯d alternated between pissing him off and seducing him every opportunity she got. She¡¯d be out of here before the next full moon, before the next body hit the ground, and Jack¡¯s game would be over.


    The Cycler would still have enough power to start gathering an army to move forward with his plan, but this time she wouldn¡¯t help him. Her conscience would be clear, and she¡¯d escape his grip forever. She had no intention of leaving Heaven until things were put right. Her gods were in another dimension. She¡¯d been faithful to them. She¡¯d petition them to let her into the proper world for her next incarnation. Then she¡¯d be off Jack¡¯s radar forever. Truly free.


    When Cain released her, she didn¡¯t waste the opportunity to unbutton his jeans and slide her hand inside.


    He growled. ¡°I won¡¯t lose control. I¡¯m not letting you out of my world. I told you, you¡¯ll be my toy until I get bored with you, or until you beg me to keep you¡ªand mean it.¡±


    ¡°I think that¡¯s bullshit. I think you like me. You don¡¯t want to kill me. Just admit it. Don¡¯t you normally get bored by now?¡±


    ¡°Go to the caves.¡±


    It was as good as an admission from him.


    ¡°We never do it in your tent. Are you ashamed of me? Afraid we¡¯ll get interrupted?¡±


    He¡¯d allowed her to continue stroking him, but he hadn¡¯t fallen completely under her spell yet. ¡°I¡¯d be greatly amused if we got interrupted. What about you? Does your little friend know you¡¯re screwing the demon who tried to kill her and would have succeeded if she hadn¡¯t given her soul to my brother?¡±


    Tam pulled away. ¡°Anna wouldn¡¯t understand this. I know I shouldn¡¯t act like she¡¯s a child. She¡¯s got all her memories from her other lives, but it¡¯s not the same. They¡¯re isolated episodes of experience. It¡¯s different being in one body for as long as you and I have.¡±


    He laughed. ¡°Are you saying I complete you?¡±


    She rolled her eyes upward. ¡°Hardly. I¡¯m saying she doesn¡¯t understand what it¡¯s like for me. She thinks she does, but she doesn¡¯t.¡±


    The demon pointed at the door. ¡°Caves. Now. I¡¯ll be along shortly.¡±


    She sighed and turned to leave.


    ¡°And to answer your other question¡±¡ªhis words stopped her¡ª¡°the reason for the caves is that tents are completely useless if I want to fuck you against a wall.¡±


    Her back was to him so he didn¡¯t see her facial expression. Given that edge, she wasn¡¯t about to turn around or pause, but she knew he had to sense the wave of desire his words had caused. Or maybe he¡¯d done it with demon thrall. Her shields had weakened in the time she¡¯d been with him. It was too exhausting being on guard twenty-four-seven, and if she wanted him to break the cycle, shields were pointless. Shields were to protect her, and she didn¡¯t want to be protected from him.


    Cain watched her go. He¡¯d let her stew in the caves waiting for him like a schoolgirl. She was right, he should be bored with her by now. He didn¡¯t want to dig too deeply into his motivations. But he most certainly didn¡¯t like her. She was confusing him with someone who still could dig up those sorts of feelings. Killing her was the prudent choice. It was what she wanted, and it would make it easier to kill The Cycler if he didn¡¯t have her power absorbed into him, too.


    But a woman had never beaten him at his own game, and it wasn¡¯t going to happen now. If she didn¡¯t want to die, she¡¯d be easier to kill, but he still resented giving her the opportunity to escape the immortal bed she¡¯d made.


    When he reached the cave, she was sitting on the ground. She probably couldn¡¯t see him, but with his acute night vision, he could see her.


    ¡°Why are you in the dark? We have torches.¡±


    ¡°I have energy balls, not fire, and all my tools are locked in a pod. You do the math.¡±


    ¡°Surely there is some chant you could use. How hard can it be for a witch of your caliber to produce fire?¡± he taunted.


    ¡°I don¡¯t waste energy on things like that.¡±


    Cain lit the torches and sat beside her on the big rock. He began to stroke her back and pushed aside one of her straps to kiss her shoulder. She did look lovely in that dress, as if she could rule beside him. He cringed at that thought.


    A suspicion eased into his mind, and he gripped her throat, his voice low and deadly. ¡°If you¡¯ve done any magic against me, you will live to wish you hadn¡¯t.¡±


    She struggled for air, and he loosened his grip a fraction to allow her to speak.


    ¡°If you kill me, and I revert to a younger body, I will seal you in a jar so fucking fast your head will spin. Don¡¯t threaten me. If you plan to take me out, take me out the right way so I can leave this forsaken place.¡±


    He couldn¡¯t say what kind of magic he thought she¡¯d done. Accusing her was as good as admitting she was having unforeseen effects on him. She¡¯d take it as him admitting he liked her, then he¡¯d have to kill her just to shut her up. If he was wrong about her using magic against him to soften him up, then he wasn¡¯t giving her that weapon¡ªnot when he¡¯d already said how things would go between them.


    ¡°I could lock you in one of these pods. You¡¯re immortal, sort of, you¡¯d survive it.¡± He wasn¡¯t sure why he added that. What did he care what she could survive? ¡°I could leave you in there until the Jack problem is solved.¡± He let go of her and stood, her nearness starting to unhinge him.


    He shouldn¡¯t have put that much space between them, because she hauled back and tossed an energy ball at him, clipping him in the shoulder before he could go noncorporeal. She was so fast with those things. Two could play this game. He tossed a fireball, and she ducked behind the rock they¡¯d been sitting on.


    Then she started chanting.


    ¡°Tam, stop chanting. You start using magic against me, and all bets are off. You have no idea the hell I can make your life.¡±


    She ignored him, continuing her incantation. The air charged around them, and she stepped out from behind the rock that had been shielding her and threw a ball of energy at him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ever threaten me like that again. I¡¯m not one of your goons. If you even look like you¡¯re contemplating putting me in one of those pods for any reason, you will be sorry. I promise you. Like you said, the accommodations in little glass jars are less roomy than pods.¡±


    She threw another energy ball. This one he saw coming and dodged. He tossed another ball of fire, but it sizzled and bounced off an invisible bubble she¡¯d put around herself. He was so caught off guard by the new protection that he didn¡¯t get away in time when it came hurtling back toward him, burning him in the stomach.


    ¡°Oww... Goddamnit, Tam!¡±


    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re throwing fire. What I¡¯m throwing won¡¯t kill you. You want to burn me alive and send me back to a lesser form. I don¡¯t appreciate it.¡±


    He growled. ¡°That¡¯s not my intention.¡±


    ¡°Or am I too much of a temptation for you? Do I have too much power in this form?¡±


    She dropped the straps of the dress and the material fluttered to the ground. God yes, she had too much power in this form, but he¡¯d never say it. He stalked her and reached out to stroke her skin, glowing in the torchlight. His hand bounced off the barrier.


    Cain¡¯s voice dropped an octave. ¡°How can I help you if you won¡¯t help me? I thought you wanted me to fuck you.¡±


    She shrugged. ¡°It seems pointless, doesn¡¯t it? I mean, what are the odds you¡¯re going to kill me this time?¡±


    ¡°You gotta play to win, sweetheart.¡±


    As soon as she dropped the shields, he backed her against the wall and ripped his pants off. ¡°Be a good girl and wrap your legs around my waist.¡±


    ¡°Good girl? You must have me confused with somebody else.¡±


    But she did as he requested, and he lifted her like she was nothing. As he impaled her, she let out a gasp that drew a satisfied laugh from him.


    ¡°You really want to die and leave all this? That¡¯s a solid death wish you¡¯ve got there,¡± he said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t flatter yourself,¡± she tossed back.


    But she¡¯d dropped her shields, all of them, and he knew the effect he was having on her. She wanted him almost as much as she wanted death. If he just held out a little longer, she¡¯d beg him to keep her, he was sure of it.


    Chapter Seven


    Tam tried to catch her breath. He¡¯d weakened her when he¡¯d fed, but he hadn¡¯t killed her. That would be too much to hope for. He seemed committed to this battle of wills. But she would win. If he thought she¡¯d ever willingly ask another monster to keep her, he didn¡¯t know her. And that was the point. He didn¡¯t know her. Though he knew Jack had been her lover, the realization that she wouldn¡¯t fall for that charming evil shit again hadn¡¯t penetrated his massive Neanderthal ego.


    Cain wasn¡¯t a big cuddler. After he¡¯d finished with her, he¡¯d left her in the cave. Another woman might have been emotionally devastated or felt horribly used, but Tam was just annoyed he was holding out. She could attempt to use magic to get what she wanted, but there was a part of her that did genuinely fear him. The only kind of magic she¡¯d feel safe using against the demon was the kind that sealed him somewhere far away from her. And with her life span, even that wasn¡¯t a safe bet. Curses could be broken.


    She pulled the dress on and made her way back into town. A few demons held her gaze then looked away quickly to whisper amongst themselves. She didn¡¯t have to hear them to have some idea of what they were saying. It was such cruel irony. Every single one of them wanted her dead because they felt she was compromising Cain and their kind. If only that were the case.


    Many of them were probably old enough and strong enough to kill her, but even if she could get an accurate list of all their ages and strength levels, not one of them would double-cross Cain and get sent to the caves. He¡¯d been pretty intense about his threat.


    His disdain for vampires ran deep. He wanted to use her in a future war with Anthony if it came to that. She had enough contacts that with her, her current coven, and the other magic users she knew, Anthony¡¯s victory wasn¡¯t a sure thing. In fact, between all of them, Cain¡¯s demons, and the Cary Town wolf pack, it would be a slaughter, no matter how many vampires the king recruited to fight his battles.


    She was kidding herself if she thought Cain would put a petty vendetta against her above his personal ambitions. He had more self-control than she¡¯d anticipated. He was a complicated demon, and getting him to kill her involved more issues than she¡¯d wanted to admit. Plus he couldn¡¯t stand to lose ever, for any reason. But really, were they any different? They were both ruthless in their own ways. She should have known she wouldn¡¯t get him to snap and kill her. Damnit.


    She was lost in her own world and didn¡¯t notice when Anna crossed her path.


    ¡°Tam?¡±


    She¡¯d been avoiding Anna because she was afraid if they spent too much time together, her friend would learn about her suicide mission. Plus, things felt distant now. Anna was so wrapped up in her new mate that things weren¡¯t the same anymore, no matter how much they¡¯d tried to force it or fake the easy way that had once been between them.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Tam said, trying not to look guilty.


    ¡°Where have you been? I hardly ever see you.¡±


    The witch shrugged. ¡°I wander a lot. I¡¯m pretty bored being stuck here.¡± That much was true. Though she suspected a big part of the boredom was depression. Why else would she have such a death wish? Even if Jack could be caught and destroyed, and the threat from her life erased, she¡¯d hit her breaking point this time. The idea of sticking around sounded awful. She couldn¡¯t stand admitting that the brightest spots of the past week had been in Cain¡¯s arms. What did that say about her?


    She couldn¡¯t allow herself to fall down that well again. He was just like Jack. He¡¯d turn on her and everyone she loved. There were no true consequences for him outside the inconvenience of a curse here and there. No one to answer to. No laws that bound him or his power. In a way, he was worse than Jack.


    Anna stared at the dress. ¡°Why are you wearing that?¡± She asked the question as if she already knew but wanted to torture out a confession.


    ¡°Not out here in the middle of the street,¡± Tam hissed.


    They were still surrounded by too many demons, and she didn¡¯t exactly want to have this conversation with an audience. She tried to grab Anna by the elbow to steer her toward her tent but her hand went through.


    ¡°Damnit. I keep forgetting about this ghost-form thing. I¡¯m glad you¡¯re not really a ghost, though.¡±


    ¡°Me, too. I guess I thought since I gave Luc my soul and died, that I wasn¡¯t real or something. Now what about the dress?¡±

 Page 13

    You couldn¡¯t sidetrack Anna.


    Tam glanced around. She wasn¡¯t sure if the demons edged nearer in fascination over the conversation in general or due to the upcoming big reveal over why she looked like she¡¯d joined a harem. Now that she thought about it, Cain probably had a harem. She had no delusions he was only sleeping with her, nor did she care. All she wanted was to wear him down to make him give her what she wanted¡ªa free ticket out without unnecessary horror or trauma. She¡¯d do anything he wanted to get that, though she wouldn¡¯t come right out and say it. It was smart to keep a few cards close to the chest. She was sure Cain could get extremely creative if he knew she¡¯d do anything.Advertisement


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk in my tent where the peanut gallery can¡¯t eavesdrop.¡± She had half a mind to take Anna to the caves, but it could get her friend in trouble with Cain. He might see it as undermining his authority with the demons¡ªinviting them back to the punishment caves like it was an open house with tea and crumpets.


    ¡°Sure, no problem. I didn¡¯t mean to put you on the spot out here.¡±


    The guards each arched a brow when they got to Tam¡¯s tent. She hadn¡¯t given them a backward glance when she¡¯d left. They¡¯d probably been waiting hours for her return so they could sneer and smirk at her.


    ¡°What are you? Twelve?¡± she asked. ¡°Grow up.¡± In point of fact, she probably was much older than her demon guards.


    She motioned her friend into the tent. Once inside, Anna crossed her arms over her chest, her suspicion growing, waiting to explode like fireworks. They weren¡¯t going to be able to escape the elephant. ¡°In the entire time I¡¯ve known you, I¡¯ve never seen you in a dress. Especially not one like this.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve only known me a couple of decades. I used to wear dresses all the time. It used to be the only fashion option for women before they got all liberated. I just went for a change of pace this cycle. It¡¯s no big deal. Besides, I don¡¯t exactly have a washing machine here, do I? I¡¯m not allowed to leave the dimension. Do you think I¡¯m going to go scrub my clothes on a rock in the stream?¡±


    Tam wouldn¡¯t be out of clean clothes for another week or so, but it might come to that. She shuddered at the idea. Nothing sounded less appealing than her boobs falling out of one of these dresses as she bent over a rock in the stream while angry demons loitered, making snide remarks. If that happened, Cain couldn¡¯t hold her responsible for what she might do to them.


    Anna didn¡¯t seem convinced. ¡°You¡¯re sleeping with him, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°What? He tried to kill you. What kind of friend do you think I am?¡± It was a fantastic question, actually.


    ¡°That was going to be my next point. Just don¡¯t lie to me again.¡±


    Tam became fascinated with the embroidery on a pillow. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I could have told you about the cycling thing, but I was so used to keeping my secret. The last person I told was Henry, and that was a few centuries ago. And it was less telling him than explaining to him what he¡¯d just seen when a woman he¡¯d befriended died and came back to life younger.¡±


    Technically that priest vampire a few decades ago and his insane sire fell into that category as well, but it wasn¡¯t like they¡¯d had a sit-down about it or anything. Certainly not the kind of heart-to-heart she¡¯d had with Henry, or the kind Anna was hurt she hadn¡¯t gotten.


    Anna reached out to put a hand on Tam¡¯s shoulder. When it passed through, she cursed. ¡°Just tell me the truth. I won¡¯t judge.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I¡¯m sleeping with him.¡±


    ¡°What?! How could you sleep with him? He¡¯s a demon, a monster¡ª¡±


    ¡°Good job not judging,¡± Tam said, though it was hard to get mad at Anna¡¯s theatrics. She was used to them by now, and they could be somewhat entertaining. Even with her memories of her previous lives, she¡¯d remained Anna, clinging to her most recent incarnation as who she was.


    ¡°I was waiting for you to reassure me I was wrong. I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d sleep with Cain. Holy God. Of all the monsters to go to bed with.¡±


    Now Tam was mad. Anna had slept with Luc. Wasn¡¯t he a monster? Hadn¡¯t he killed humans on a routine basis for centuries before he¡¯d hooked up with her? Was he not a demon as well? The hypocrisy was so grating, it pushed Tam to drop another bomb.


    ¡°I also slept with Jack.¡±


    Pin-drop silence. Maybe someone had sat on a remote control and hit the mute button, but finally Anna spoke, destroying that theory.


    ¡°As in... the Ripper? As in, the guy we¡¯re trying to find to kill right now? Mr. All-powerful Crazy Magic Man who is killing everybody in the original coven, with you on the hit list? The guy who wants to expose us all and bring destruction upon the whole planet? That Jack?¡±


    Tam shrugged. ¡°He was our leader, and he wasn¡¯t always like this. We had a really long relationship before he turned so dark I couldn¡¯t ignore it anymore. And if I hadn¡¯t slept with Jack, you and I never would have met. Do you think he would have saved me for last if he and I hadn¡¯t been lovers for so long?¡±


    She was dropping a lot of revelations on Anna, things her friend couldn¡¯t be expected to jump on board with. Especially the Cain thing. Sleeping with him was a betrayal of their friendship after what he¡¯d done to Anna, but it wasn¡¯t like Tam was doing it because she was into him. But explaining that would only make the situation worse.


    ¡°You can¡¯t sleep with Cain. He¡¯s dangerous. He¡¯s not like Luc. Do you have him under a spell or something?¡±


    ¡°No, of course not.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you should. For your own safety.¡±


    Tam didn¡¯t have the heart to tell her how badly such a spell would backfire and move her further from her goal.


    ¡°Considering how using magic ended for you, I can¡¯t believe you¡¯d say that. You want me to end up mated to him?¡±


    Anna made a face. ¡°Of course not. He hasn¡¯t even put a mark of protection on you. If he¡¯s supposed to be protecting you, why hasn¡¯t he done that?¡±


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t work against Jack, and the demons are afraid to defy him. Nobody thinks killing me is worth an indeterminate amount of time locked in the caves. Trust me. It¡¯s hard to hate somebody that much.¡±


    Anna didn¡¯t seem to know about the caves, if the look of confusion on her face was any indication. Luc probably hadn¡¯t thought to mention them yet.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re sleeping with him, and I don¡¯t even want to think about it. It¡¯s icky. But you have to stop. He¡¯ll kill you.¡±


    Tam snorted. ¡°Not at the rate he¡¯s going, he won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. Just forget it.¡±


    Anna¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You want him to kill you. Why? We¡¯ll find Jack. You¡¯re safe here. You don¡¯t have to sacrifice yourself. God, Tam. Nobody likes a martyr.¡±


    Tam dropped onto the couch, feeling suddenly drained. ¡°Try to imagine dying¡ªbut not really dying¡ªand being a kid again. Try to imagine having your mental and emotional sexual development all set, but having to be celibate for several years until you can find someone to scratch your itches again¡ªuntil you look like an adult again. Try to imagine having to move every time it happens, or if your friends start aging but you aren¡¯t aging fast enough. Sure, I¡¯ve had witch friends, but I¡¯ve had to keep them all at arm¡¯s length to keep my secret, and eventually I have to leave them as well because even they would figure out something about me was different. You were the first regular person I¡¯d let into my life for a long time. And it was only because I knew Henry was getting older and I¡¯d be alone again.¡±


    ¡°But, it¡¯s not like that now,¡± Anna said. ¡°You¡¯ve got immortal friends. You don¡¯t have to keep losing everybody... and I mean, sure the celibacy thing is a little annoying, but...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not listening to me. I¡¯m tired of this. I don¡¯t want to live this way any longer. It¡¯s unnatural. It makes me feel out of sync with everyone and everything. With the other cyclers mostly gone, I¡¯m a freak. I don¡¯t want to be a freak anymore, Anna. I want to have a tribe of others like me, however I might be. Can¡¯t you understand that? I¡¯ll reincarnate. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll keep some memories. We¡¯ll find each other.¡± She wasn¡¯t about to mention the other dimension thing.


    ¡°I need some air. I¡¯ll get Luc to come by and grab your clothes. We¡¯ll take them to your house and wash them for you.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Tam said, but the word came out forced. A couple of years ago, Anna wouldn¡¯t have given up on her so easily. Things were so different between them it made her heart hurt. Anna was with Luc and a part of this new demon world now, not Tam¡¯s anymore. She was really alone now.


    Cain tromped through the streets of Cary Town. It had taken a lot of threatening to get one of Anthony¡¯s guardians to tell him where Dayne Wickham¡¯s cottage was. He¡¯d never gone to a magic user for anything, he didn¡¯t trust them, but it was beginning to feel more dangerous to sleep with Tam without giving into her death wish.


    Even with her books locked away, she could still create a chant to curse him. Hell, she may already have. He thought about her far too much. He¡¯d been sure she¡¯d be out of his system in a week¡ªlike the flu. By that time, he¡¯d come to his senses and not try to hold on. Just because she was two thousand and understood what it was to be in the same form for so long didn¡¯t mean he¡¯d make her his mate. He¡¯d never take a mate.


    Was he keeping her on reserve for if he became bored enough to settle down in another thousand years? Wasn¡¯t he the one who¡¯d ensured all books referencing demon mating in his dimension had been destroyed? Hadn¡¯t he discouraged his demons from enslaving themselves like that? Caring about anybody but yourself was a curse. It made you weak, vulnerable. It made you do stupid things to destroy your life.


    He¡¯d tried to kill Anna to save Luc from such a fate, but she¡¯d gone through with the mating ritual at the last minute because she couldn¡¯t bear to be separated from him. Now Cain had to watch them make googly eyes at each other all the time, both of them looking so happy and at peace with the world. Surely that would wear off at some point, and then they¡¯d be miserable but tied to each other for eternity.


    The demon growled. He wasn¡¯t about to let some wisp of a girl come along and seduce him away from his freedom like that. Certainly not a witch. They were too dangerous, which was why he had to be smarter. He should have sought magical protection after the first time he¡¯d spared her. If her death wish was this strong, she¡¯d use magic to control him if she got angry enough. He knew how that went.


    There was no way for an incubus to protect himself wholesale against all magic or magic users. The man upstairs had made sure of that, wanting to limit and restrict demon powers. But with a personal object from a specific witch, he could gain temporary protection with the help of a strong magic user. It would be enough to buy him some time.


    Dayne fit that bill, and Cain had a pair of Tam¡¯s panties in his pocket to seal the spell. She¡¯d left them in the caves. What else was he going to unobtrusively take without her notice? They were ripped, anyway. It wasn¡¯t as if she¡¯d miss them.


    On his way to the forest, he caught a pretty blonde¡¯s eye. She smiled at him, then blushed and turned away. Yes, he¡¯d just fed from Tam, but not fully. He was pulling his punches now that he couldn¡¯t decide if he wanted to kill her. He didn¡¯t want to kill the witch by accident until he was sure.


    He strode across the street to the woman, demon swagger fully engaged. ¡°Hello.¡±


    The sunlight glistened off her hair. She looked a bit like Tam, except her hair was longer. Goddamnit. Stop that! Stop comparing her. If he couldn¡¯t stop thinking about the bane of his existence when he was about to catch another meal, he was truly lost. Tam wasn¡¯t his. She wasn¡¯t going to be his. He didn¡¯t know what the hell she was, but the only way out was to sleep with as many women as possible until he could do it without distraction, until he could enjoy being a demon again. This interest he¡¯d taken in the witch was unnatural.


    The woman gave him another of those shy smiles, unaware of the conflicted emotions going through his head. ¡°Hi.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to your place,¡± Cain said without preamble. Why mince words? He took her hand and looked deeply into her eyes, projecting thoughts and feelings that would make a whore blush.


    Her face flushed a deep red, and she appeared as if she might faint. Cain hadn¡¯t encountered many fainters since corsets went out of fashion. He used to believe it was the intense power of his charms, until he realized they couldn¡¯t breathe properly in those whalebone cages. It didn¡¯t take much to quite literally take their breath away. He missed those days. He¡¯d found the corseted look sexy.


    He reached out for her. ¡°Steady, there. My name is Cain,¡± he said, knowing the effect the rumble of his voice had on her.


    ¡°Gloria. It m-must be low blood sugar,¡± she said, clearly not wanting him to suspect the thoughts running through her mind. She¡¯d never guess he¡¯d put them there.


    ¡°That must be it,¡± he replied. ¡°Why don¡¯t we go to your house, and I¡¯ll make you something to eat?¡± He gave her a sly look that let her know there might be something on the menu more than food.


    This was always the fun part, finding out how much a woman was controlled by her baser desires. Popular myth insisted it was the men who wanted sex all the time and the women could take it or leave it. Cain¡¯s experience showed this idea to be unfounded by a wide margin. On rare occasion, a woman could have the full force of his thrall working against her and still manage to push through that fog to say no, no matter what she wanted or how desperately he¡¯d made her want it. And that was her free-will right. As a demon, he couldn¡¯t feed without some form of capitulation.

 Page 14

    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s such a good idea.¡± She looked around for someone to save her, but this particular street was clear of other Cary Town residents.


    He arched a brow. ¡°Such willpower you have. I bet you never indulge in chocolate, either.¡± He sent her an image of herself licking chocolate off him. He gripped her elbow to keep her steady on her feet when she swayed again.Advertisement


    ¡°I h-have somewhere I need to be,¡± she said.


    Where she needed to be was in her bed underneath him. This was getting tiresome. The demon pulled her to him and kissed her. She moaned against his lips, her body melting into him, giving in. He chuckled and pulled away.


    ¡°Now, where do you need to go?¡±


    ¡°M-my house,¡± she said.


    He nodded his approval. ¡°With whom?¡±


    ¡°You.¡±


    ¡°She can be taught.¡±


    Chapter Eight


    Cain held back a growl. The blonde was curled against his chest, sleeping, her breathing shallow. He¡¯d nearly killed her, and he should have. And yet, he¡¯d stopped. He wanted to hurl the woman across the room. He was an incubus. His kind killed women. It was just what they did.


    Sure, they didn¡¯t have to, and he didn¡¯t always, but eventually he did¡ªwhen he got bored. But this wasn¡¯t about that. She¡¯d been a quick bite, a distraction, something meant to prove he still had it, that he was still demon enough. He had no plans to come back to her again. There was no reason to keep her alive.


    He couldn¡¯t deny the truth of the situation. He¡¯d shown mercy to someone outside his own species. The word made his lip curl in disgust. That witch had worked magic against him. She had to have. This wasn¡¯t normal. And the whole time he¡¯d been in bed with Gloria, who had he been thinking of? Tam.


    He slid out of the bed, careful not to wake her. After coming so close to killing her, she really would be weak. Without letting himself think about why, he went to the kitchen and made her a sandwich and poured a glass of juice, then left it for her on her nightstand.


    Angry with himself at the display of kindness for a mere meal, he allowed a fireball to form in his hand. It glowed and hissed. He tossed the ball in the air and caught it over and over as he contemplated throwing it at her and ending her.


    It was one thing for him to spare Tam. There were multiple reasons that might be a good idea. He could use a witch that powerful as an ally. Anthony clamping down with his police state would affect Jane, and Jane was one of his. It made Tam useful.


    At the last confrontation with the vampire king, Tam had fought by his side like one of his demons. There were reasons to keep her breathing. But this woman? This stranger? She was just some woman he¡¯d fed from. Her only redeeming quality was that she resembled Tam. But if he was sparing meals who reminded him of the witch, it would be admitting he kept Tam alive for reasons he didn¡¯t want to acknowledge.


    Gloria woke then, a satisfied smile on her face¡ªuntil she saw him across the room with fire in his hand. It wiped the smile away as the pieces began to come together that something about their encounter was off.


    ¡°W-what are you?¡±


    ¡°You know, that nervous stutter was endearing for about the first twenty minutes, but it¡¯s played out now.¡±


    Her eyes welled with tears, her lower lip trembled, and she pulled the sheets up around her to shield herself from his gaze. Too late for that.


    ¡°I¡¯m a demon. Incubus. Eat your sandwich.¡± He¡¯d made it, she was going to eat it, then he was going to kill her. He¡¯d made up his mind.


    ¡°So all those stories on the news are true? A-about demons? I thought the protesters were just crackpots.¡±


    ¡°More or less,¡± he said. The stories were partly true and the protesters probably were crackpots. Or plants Jack had put in place to further his agenda of a big reveal. What did he care if Gloria knew the truth? She¡¯d never see the outside of this room again. He could lay out every detail of each preternatural faction and it wouldn¡¯t make any difference.


    She eyed the fireball in his hand, and he allowed it to shrink and puff out. It wouldn¡¯t do to throw fire at her. There was no need to raise suspicion with police, and no identifiable source for the fire would raise suspicion. Things were too delicate for another unsolved mystery that suggested the preternatural. Ordinarily he wouldn¡¯t care, but this was bigger than isolated weirdness. Anything could be tied to a larger magical world by the human media.


    ¡°What are you going to do with me? I-I won¡¯t say anything if you¡¯ll just go.¡±


    ¡°Eat. The. Sandwich.¡±


    Her hand shook as she reached for the food on the plate. ¡°Did you put something in it?¡±


    ¡°Guess you¡¯ll find out,¡± Cain said. He wouldn¡¯t let her tears or pleading affect him. He was a demon for fuck¡¯s sake. Human misery thrilled his little black heart. Only it wasn¡¯t thrilling him right now.


    She ate the sandwich as he tapped his foot against the hardwood floor, his arms crossed over his chest, looming over her like some nightmare. He could say it served her right for taking him to her bed, but she¡¯d made a valiant effort to resist him. Maybe that was worth sparing her. No. That was compromise. He wasn¡¯t about to let Tam reshape him into something tame and housebroken. He had to kill this woman to convince himself he wasn¡¯t under a spell.


    ¡°The juice, too,¡± he said when she¡¯d finished the sandwich.


    He¡¯d gone to the trouble of making the sandwich. He couldn¡¯t stand to see it sitting there mocking him as a sorry excuse for a demon. Humans are food. They are not pets, or friends, or any kind of equal lover. Did humans keep pet chickens or cows?


    The empty glass thudded on the nightstand, clinking against the plate.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to do this,¡± she said.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t have to, but I want to.¡±


    He knew it was a lie even as the words came out of his mouth. He didn¡¯t want to kill her, but it felt like a line had been drawn in the sand. If he didn¡¯t do this, he was lost. Who was he? What was he? It had always been so simple. Betray. Feed. Kill. When he¡¯d been human, feeding hadn¡¯t been part of the process, but he¡¯d still operated the same. He¡¯d always been alone on a deep level. Human, demon, it didn¡¯t matter. The one thing that made the world rotate right was the knowledge that he didn¡¯t need any of them. He could find pleasure without connection, without risk.


    As much as he protected his own kind, if they so much as thought about crossing him, his vengeance would reign down. He¡¯d never been soft. He would never be soft.


    ¡°Come here,¡± he said. He¡¯d put the thrall in his words and watched her fight with herself not to leave the bed and move closer to him, but he¡¯d put too much force in it for her to win, this time. And having already given him her will once, she couldn¡¯t so easily take it back again. The sheet fell off her nude form as she approached.


    She was lovely, with a light golden tan and tan lines from a string bikini. He liked the lines. The contrast between darker flesh and lighter. He traced a finger over where the straps had been, and she shivered.


    ¡°I can do this one of two ways. I can hypnotize you again and sleep with you and take you out that way, or I can snap your neck. Lady¡¯s choice.¡±


    ¡°Please¡ª¡±


    Cain put a finger to her lips to silence the begging. ¡°Those are the options. Pick one.¡±


    She stood frozen in terror.


    ¡°If you pick the first one, you¡¯ll forget all of this fireball demon stuff. You¡¯ll have another good experience, and then you¡¯ll go to sleep and wake up in Heaven.¡± Why was he trying to comfort her?


    ¡°Okay,¡± she said after a long beat, the resignation dripping from her voice.


    But he couldn¡¯t bring himself to do it. If he slept with her again, he¡¯d only end up sparing her. He¡¯d think about how much she looked like Tam, and he¡¯d walk away, losing a piece of who he was in the process.


    ¡°Okay, then,¡± he said. Before she could realize he¡¯d changed his mind about choices, he¡¯d gripped her head and twisted. Then something horrible happened. A tear slid down his cheek.


    Cain pounded on the door of Dayne¡¯s cottage, still angry at himself for taking the side trip and for all the confusing feelings his tryst with Gloria had produced.


    Greta answered the door, a look of apprehension on her face.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, sweetheart. I just ate. Is Dayne around? I need to speak with him.¡± Cain saw therians as moderately more worthy of life than humans, and he tried not to get on the bad side of magic users, so Greta would have been off the menu no matter what.


    You had to have a grudging respect for the one type of being who could take you down and make all your powers null with a single spell. And from what he¡¯d heard, Dayne had a reputation. Cole had banned him from buying blood from his website, after all. Not that that mattered if he had a live-in cat-shifter.


    He followed the skittish werecat into the house. Her hair was dark brown, but short, like Tam¡¯s. He growled at himself for having that thought. The therian jumped and turned around.


    ¡°Sorry, I was thinking. Honestly, you¡¯re not in any danger.¡± He held his hands up like he was surrendering, trying to look nonthreatening, but he knew he wasn¡¯t pulling it off. He didn¡¯t have much occasion to practice the skill without demon thrall involved.


    When they reached the living room, the sorcerer looked up from an old, dusty book in his lap. ¡°Greta,¡± he said.


    It wasn¡¯t the word, it was the tone, as if he feared for her and didn¡¯t think he could cast a curse fast enough to save her. Dayne needn¡¯t have worried, because the next moment she shifted, and a black house cat fought her way out of her clothing. She darted under the couch and watched him with glowing, yellow eyes.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s one way to escape my charms,¡± Cain said, chuckling.


    The sorcerer didn¡¯t seem to find the joke funny and raised an arm in a way only a sorcerer could make menacing.


    Cain held his hands up again. ¡°I¡¯m kidding. You think I¡¯d mess with a magic user¡¯s girl? You¡¯re crazy. And I don¡¯t kill women just for the hell of it.¡± Except for that time about an hour ago.


    ¡°What business do you have here, demon?¡±


    ¡°I need a favor.¡±


    The sorcerer arched a brow. ¡°I¡¯m not in the habit of fraternizing with the enemy.¡±


    Cain made a pffft sound. ¡°You fraternize with Anthony. If you don¡¯t think he¡¯s the enemy, you¡¯ve been smoking too many of your magic herbs.¡±


    Greta gave a mew from under the couch, and Dayne laughed like it was an inside joke. Could he speak Cat-onese or had they just been together that long?


    ¡°The only thing that gets smoked around here is catnip,¡± he said, ¡°and not by me.¡±


    Despite the angst of the past few hours, Cain chuckled. Greta hadn¡¯t seemed the type to smoke a bowl of anything. So she was a little stoner. He could still be surprised.


    He composed himself to get back to the business at hand. ¡°I¡¯m the one thing that stands between The Cycler finding and taking Tam. We are about a blink away from a worldwide war, but keeping her in my dimension carries risk. I can¡¯t have her hexing me. I need protection.¡±


    ¡°Did you lock her books and tools away?¡±


    ¡°Of course I did, but she¡¯s two thousand. There is plenty of magic she can do with just her mouth.¡± Wrong wording. An image of her talented mouth and all the naughty things it could do to him surged through his mind as if it were the witch who had the demon thrall, putting sexual thoughts and feelings into his head from a distance.


    From the look on his face, Dayne seemed to have caught the innuendo. ¡°I see. Let me guess. You think she¡¯s cast a love spell on you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t love her. Don¡¯t be ridiculous. If she cast that, it failed.¡± Unless it was just starting to take effect, making him think about her, taking the demon right out of him...


    ¡°Defensive,¡± Dayne said. ¡°Why don¡¯t we go downstairs and see what the damage is and what we can do about it? Do you have a personal item of hers?¡±


    Cain pulled the pair of black panties from his pocket and smirked.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to imagine why she¡¯d feel compelled to use magic against you,¡± the sorcerer said, dryly.


    Cain just shrugged and followed him downstairs. The black cat darted past his legs to follow Dayne.


    Once downstairs, Greta paced back and forth over a spot at the far corner of the room, looking distressed and deep in concentration.


    ¡°What¡¯s up with that?¡±


    The sorcerer shook his head. ¡°I have no idea. I¡¯ve never seen her do anything like that in cat form.¡±


    She sniffed at a spot on the ground, making unearthly shrieking sounds.


    ¡°Greta,¡± Dayne said. No response. The cat continued her bizarre ritual. Pacing, growling, sniffing. ¡°Greta, look at me!¡±


    The cat looked up, seeming to snap out of it. ¡°Mrrawwr?¡±


    ¡°Go upstairs and shift and put some clothes on so we can talk about this.¡±


    She hesitated, but finally went upstairs. Once she was gone, Dayne was all business. He uncorked several bottles, opened some books, sprinkled a few herbs, and chanted some words in a strange language that didn¡¯t seem like Latin. Cain knew Latin. And ancient Sumerian. Some of the other dead languages he¡¯d grown rusty on from lack of use. As he chanted, Dayne glowed much like Tam had in the caves.


    The whole ordeal made the demon jumpy. The sorcerer could be doing anything to him. This was why demons didn¡¯t do this. It made them too vulnerable. Going to one magic user to protect yourself from a second magic user raised the odds the first one would hex you. They tended to have a code of honor to protect each other and respected the spells of others most of the time. Cain could be stepping into quicksand, here.


    Finally, the glow faded from the sorcerer and the glassy look in his eyes cleared. ¡°There are no spells in effect right now.¡±

 Page 15

    ¡°She hasn¡¯t done magic against me? You¡¯re sure?¡±


    ¡°Positive,¡± Dayne said. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be able to undo her spell, but I would know if it was there. You¡¯re clean.¡±Advertisement


    The demon let out a sigh of relief, muscles he hadn¡¯t known he¡¯d been clenching, loosening. ¡°Can you give me something to keep her from casting one?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re asking me to make her helpless,¡± the sorcerer said, his expression closed.


    ¡°No. I¡¯m not asking that. She still has her energy balls. She can resist a lot of my thrall...¡± Perhaps he shouldn¡¯t share so much information. ¡°I just don¡¯t want what happened to Luc to happen to me. Witches are dangerous to us. If I¡¯m being asked to protect her, then I should be protected from her. It¡¯s only fair. Remember, I could toss her on her ass out of my dimension. Then you all are on your own.¡±


    If things went to shit, he could be affected with the magic users coming out of the closet and uniting. It would be a demon nightmare. But the sorcerer didn¡¯t have to know how seriously Cain took the threat, not when he had more immediate protection needs.


    Dayne sighed. ¡°I know. All right. I¡¯m going to loan you something of mine. If you lose this, I¡¯ll hex you myself. It belonged to my Uncle Arthur.¡± He took a gilded box off the shelf and retrieved a ring from underneath several small scrolls of parchment. ¡°I need to bespell something you¡¯ll wear that won¡¯t draw attention to you. If you take this off, you¡¯ll be unprotected. The spell will last three moon cycles at the most, so if this isn¡¯t resolved by then, you¡¯ll want to return to have it recharged. When all of this is over, you will return this ring to me.¡±


    Cain nodded. He didn¡¯t like the way he was being spoken to, but at this moment all he cared about was being nice to the magic user with the promise of safety. He was grateful the ring wasn¡¯t gaudy. It was a simple band made of pewter, with runic markings carved into it. Probably no one would notice it.


    He stood out of the way while Dayne prepared for the spell. Greta came downstairs as he was finishing the preparation.


    ¡°Hey,¡± she said, keeping a wary eye on Cain.


    The sorcerer put the ring on the table. ¡°Hey. So what was that weird behavior about a few minutes ago?¡±


    The therian looked confused. ¡°What weird behavior?¡±


    Dayne pointed to the area where she¡¯d acted so oddly. ¡°You were pacing and growling and looking really intense and sniffing, like something upsetting happened there.¡±


    ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about. I was down here for a few minutes with you guys, then I decided to go upstairs and change. Then I came back down. I wasn¡¯t even over there.¡±


    ¡°Is this kind of memory loss normal?¡± Cain asked.


    Dayne stroked his chin. ¡°Sometimes. It depends on a lot of factors. I think she was a little anxious when she shifted, but she was human enough in there to engage with me and understand what I was saying, so her memories should be intact. There¡¯s no logical reason for this.¡±


    ¡°Could she be under a spell of some sort? Something that would affect her as a human but not as a cat?¡± Cain had paid close attention to the various ways magic could be used to fuck with someone.


    ¡°It¡¯s possible, but if someone else cast a spell on her, I wouldn¡¯t be able to undo it.¡±


    ¡°True, but at least you would know. Besides, what if you did it?¡±


    Dayne looked offended. ¡°Why would I do it?¡±


    Cain shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. To protect her from something? Isn¡¯t that what men in love do?¡±


    The sorcerer seemed doubtful. ¡°Something I don¡¯t remember either?¡±


    ¡°Good point. Nevermind, then.¡±


    ¡°Even if I¡¯d done it, I can¡¯t even undo my own spell if I don¡¯t know which spell I used. As you can see, I have hundreds of books down here. Memory-related spells are a dime a dozen.¡± He made a sweeping motion to the shelves behind him with all the books.


    ¡°Well... you can work on this Nancy Drew mystery after you¡¯ve fixed my ring.¡± Cain needed Dayne to stay focused and not get off track on something that didn¡¯t involve or affect him.


    The sorcerer shot him an annoyed look. ¡°In a minute. Greta?¡±


    The therian bit her lip, her anxiety rising. ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°Will you shift back? Maybe you can help me in cat form.¡±


    She seemed upset at the idea of doing something she wouldn¡¯t remember doing later, but she closed her eyes and shifted anyway, her height dropping several feet in seconds. The black cat wrestled her way out of her clothes.


    ¡°Greta?¡±


    ¡°Mrawrr?¡±


    ¡°Do you remember what happened over there?¡± Dayne pointed. ¡°Blink once for yes, twice for no.¡±


    Two blinks.


    ¡°But something happened?¡±


    She tilted her head to the side, looking from the area of the room he¡¯d indicated and back to Dayne. One blink.


    ¡°Do you remember any spells being done?¡±


    A pause and a look of concentration, then one blink.


    ¡°Did someone else take your memory?¡±


    Two.


    ¡°Did I do it?¡±


    One.


    Cain stood back and watched the kitty charades, less than amused. Why this drama had to interfere with him getting his ring, he didn¡¯t know.


    ¡°Can you remember which book I used?¡±


    Greta went to the shelves with the books and jumped up onto one, threading her way around the dusty volumes of magic until she got to an old, red leather volume on the middle of the second shelf. Dayne took it and thumbed through.


    ¡°This is nothing but forgetting spells. It¡¯ll take me forever to figure out which one it is. Thanks, baby. You can go change back now.¡± The cat rubbed against his hand, then hopped off the shelf.


    ¡°As enlightening as that was, I need that protection spell.¡±


    Greta hissed at the demon and dragged her clothes into the hallway. By the time she returned, Dayne had set up a circle of salt and put together a potion in a small iron cauldron, adding the personal object of Tam¡¯s with a glare aimed in the demon¡¯s direction. What other personal object but panties was an incubus going to have from a woman he¡¯d been sleeping with?


    ¡°Remember anything that happened?¡± the sorcerer asked when Greta reached his side.


    She shook her head. ¡°Just shifting, after that it¡¯s a blank until I took my clothes to go shift again. And I think I hissed at Cain.¡±


    ¡°I expected as much.¡± Dayne took her hand. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll figure this out.¡±


    Cain cleared his throat.


    The sorcerer kissed Greta, ignoring the throat clearing. ¡°Let me do this spell so we can get the demon out of our hair, then we¡¯ll work on it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m standing right here,¡± Cain said.


    Greta rolled her eyes in the demon¡¯s direction and went upstairs. Dayne finished dropping herbs into the cauldron. He took a book, the cauldron, and the ring into the center of the circle, dropped the ring in, raised his arms, and began to chant. Whether or not it was the spell Cain had asked for, something was happening. A green, shimmering wall came up around the cauldron, then the ring rose out of the potion, spinning as Dayne incanted.


    When he finished, the green wall dropped first, then Dayne slid his hand underneath the ring and the piece of pewter dropped into it.


    ¡°Done,¡± he said, handing it to the demon.


    ¡°You¡¯re sure this thing will work?¡±


    ¡°Have a little faith.¡±


    Faith was something Cain had discarded long ago, but he put the ring on.


    Chapter Nine


    ¡°Tamar,¡± It was a whisper, like a hiss that floated through the still air of the demon dimension. The place was deserted except for her sleeping guards. Something about that scenario tickled at the back of her mind, but she was too panicked to think it through.


    ¡°Cain!¡± she shouted. But he wasn¡¯t there either¡ªprobably out feeding on some random guileless woman who didn¡¯t know it was going to be her last orgasm.


    The whisper got closer. ¡°Tamar.¡±


    As she ran down the cobblestone streets, the tents and marketplace collapsed in a flutter of fabric and knocked over support poles. In their place, old stone and brick buildings rose so high they seemed to go forever into the sky, sealing her into a labyrinth she¡¯d never find her way out of. The cobblestones beneath her feet chipped and crumbled, aging before her eyes, and suddenly she was in an alleyway she recognized.


    She froze at the sound. It was like fingernails on a chalkboard¡ªor like a sharp knife scraping over stone, dragging closer and closer. She cringed.


    ¡°Tamar.¡± His voice was snakelike. It seemed to wrap around her, constricting the life out. And then that horrible knife scraping, raspy as his voice when he kept saying her name.


    ¡°Cain!¡± She tried to scream it again, unsure why he was the one she called out for. Why not Luc or Anna? Why not the wolf pack she¡¯d met when they¡¯d fought Anthony? Why not anybody but the other monster in her life?


    There was a deep chuckle behind her. She spun toward it, but the alley was dark and empty. Still, she heard Jack when he finally whispered something besides her name.


    ¡°Sweet, Tamar. Don¡¯t you know he¡¯s busy with his own whores? Let¡¯s not bother him right now. You¡¯re not that special.¡±


    If that were so, why was Jack so obsessed? It had been centuries, and he couldn¡¯t seem to let go. Had he taunted the others this way before coming for them? Her guess was no. It was a special torment he¡¯d saved for the one who¡¯d left his bed.


    The endless alley opened onto a street with carriages and horses and properly dressed Victorian ladies all going about with parasols to protect them from the harsh sun¡ªeven though it was dark and cool. Maybe it was to protect them from something else. When they¡¯d passed, Tam saw the carnage. Everyone he¡¯d killed, laid out like dolls.


    He¡¯d dressed them all in white like a macabre angel massacre. Some had fewer organs and less blood than others. Some were more rushed and hurried. Some of them more methodical. She averted her eyes from her sister, the one image she¡¯d tried not to see or know too much about. The others were hard to look at, but not like Naomi. They¡¯d all been friends, companions as they traveled through the changing world together, until Jack had gone mad and put an end to all that.


    Not everyone could handle immortality.


    Tam cringed when the flat of a blade dragged across the back of her neck. She closed her eyes at the sensation of his hot breath in her ear.


    ¡°Soon, my sweet Tamar. Soon, I¡¯m coming for you.¡±


    She turned, surprised when he wasn¡¯t hiding again in the shadows. He stood dressed in white like the others, like a cult leader who¡¯d chickened out of drinking the Kool-Aid at the last minute. Tam looked down to find she, too, was dressed in white.


    ¡°Is there a ball I don¡¯t know about?¡± She couldn¡¯t help it. She knew it was a dream, and there was only so much he could do to her here. There was no sense in letting him know how much he scared her, even in a place where the danger was minimal.


    He smiled. She wished the things he¡¯d done could have made him just as ugly on the outside as the bloody death he¡¯d wrought, but his outward appearance refused to reflect the evil within. Like Cain, he was an enticing, pretty spider, waiting for a woman to fall into his web. Tam had been there, done that.


    ¡°You still want me,¡± he remarked.


    ¡°Like hell I do.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes, that¡¯s right. You¡¯ve got a new monster to scratch that dark itch for you now. You¡¯re just as bad as I am, Tam. You think a good girl would do the things you¡¯ve done with a demon, knowing what he is? No, you¡¯re my lovely dark girl. I¡¯ll see you soon. I¡¯ve missed you.¡±


    She couldn¡¯t run or scream when he moved toward her, his warm lips brushing against hers. He wrapped his arms around her, and for the smallest second she remembered them before all the carnage, before he¡¯d lost his mind¡ªback when she¡¯d loved him, and she wished they could go back there.


    His voice fell over her like a blanket while she pretended he was pre-crazy Jack. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you take my offer? I would have spared you.¡±


    His embrace turned into a vice, and then he transformed into a giant snake, wrapped around her, constricting until she couldn¡¯t get air.


    Tam sat up from the bed of fluffy pillows on the ground in her tent, her heart palpitating wildly. It would be nice to believe it was just a dream¡ªher confused fears and past feelings all mixing together in a tapestry of nocturnal images that meant nothing. But she knew better.


    As much as she didn¡¯t want to admit it, that had been Jack. Not an apparition of him or an imagining or fear of him. Him. She knew the difference. He¡¯d visited her in dreams before when they¡¯d been close enough for him to form a connection. The blood that bound them all together in the spell, that had made them what they were, made such connections difficult, but not impossible, especially for someone of his power.


    He¡¯d grown too strong for her to initiate connection with him by herself, his magical wards high and always in place. Otherwise she might have been able to lead Cain and the others to him. But there was a slim chance she could, now that he¡¯d opened a connection.


    She threw some clothes on, and after a brief argument with her guards, made her way to Cain¡¯s tent. He was sleeping. Officially, demons didn¡¯t need sleep, feeding alone replenished them, but it wasn¡¯t hard to see how someone as old as Cain would choose to sleep anyway. It was the one place he could escape and forget himself. Tam understood that need more than most. Even though she required sleep, still tied to normal human needs, she¡¯d used the night and the dream world for the same reason. To forget. Not that she ever wanted to sleep again right now.


    For a moment, she watched him. In sleep, there was none of the arrogant asshole bravado to taint things. His face was peaceful and not as perfect, since he¡¯d shed the glamour. She wanted to trace her finger over the scar a god had marked him with, but was afraid he¡¯d wake up. She thought about waking him anyway, but if she did, it would be back to the disturbing dynamic they had. All she wanted right now was to feel safe, not banter.

 Page 16

    She slid underneath the blankets next to him and was surprised when his arms came around her in his sleep, pulling her close. She waited for the constricting evil feeling from her dream, but it didn¡¯t happen.


    A few minutes passed like this, and she finally relaxed.Advertisement


    ¡°Tam, nobody walks into my tent without me waking up,¡± he rumbled.


    So he hadn¡¯t been asleep. But he¡¯d still held her like he cared. No. She wasn¡¯t going there. All she was doing was trying to transfer some residual feeling for Jack onto the lesser evil because it felt less traumatic. But was Cain the lesser evil? Of course not. He was the worse evil. He didn¡¯t kill my sister. But he tried to kill Anna. And hadn¡¯t Anna been the next closest thing to a sister?


    As far as she knew, Jack had killed ten people. Gruesomely, yes, but it didn¡¯t compare to the vast number of women Cain had killed. It hardly mattered how they died. By numbers alone, Cain was the bigger monster. Transferring anything onto him was foolish. Feeling anything for either one of them at any point in time was shameful. Jack was right, she wasn¡¯t an innocent. Why couldn¡¯t she have loved Henry? He was good. Kind. Decent. Nice. He¡¯d always had her back through everything for two centuries.


    Maybe the more important question was, why couldn¡¯t Henry love her like that? Had he been too kind to tell her what he¡¯d thought of her? He¡¯d had a soul mate waiting for him on the other side, but had he known that? Was it from his most recent life or a previous one?


    Even though Cain had revealed he was awake, he hadn¡¯t let go of her.


    ¡°Your heart was beating too fast when you got here. Was it wild lust for me or something else?¡±


    It was easy to forget how evil he was. Sometimes he seemed so damned normal. An asshole, yeah, but normal.


    ¡°Jack came to me in my dream.¡±


    He gripped her tighter, but even so, it didn¡¯t feel stifling like it was supposed to. ¡°It was just a dream,¡± he said. He stroked her back, and she tried not to read too much into the gesture.


    ¡°No. It was real. Jack was there.¡± She couldn¡¯t help the tears. The last thing she wanted was for Cain to see her cry. Showing that much weakness to a demon was stupid, but she was so tired. Of everything. ¡°Why do you all have to be so evil?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re old enough to know it isn¡¯t like that, Tam.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it? How many people have you killed?¡±


    He pushed her away and sat up, his eyes glowing red and angry in the dark. ¡°Is that how it is now? I knew you¡¯d start falling for me, but you don¡¯t get to make demands. I said you¡¯d beg me to keep you. Looks like I¡¯m right. And if you think that¡¯s a way to get your life spared, trotting out all my crimes and trying to domesticate me like a puppy, boy do you have the wrong demon.¡±


    ¡°Then fucking kill me! I never asked to be spared. Put me out of my misery like I¡¯ve asked you to a hundred times. I told you I¡¯d never beg you to keep me, and I never will, Cain. Let go of the dream. This is getting serious. You don¡¯t want to keep me. I¡¯ll never ask you to. I can¡¯t cope with what you are, what Jack is. I want to be free. Just end it. You don¡¯t need me to fight a war with Anthony! You don¡¯t need me at all.¡± She was tempted to throw an energy ball right at his pretty monster face.


    He gripped her shoulders. ¡°You aren¡¯t going to control me. When have I ever claimed to be a good guy? You don¡¯t get to shout out orders and get whatever you want. I do need you for a war with Anthony. You¡¯re strong. But if you really want me to kill you, beg me to keep you and mean it. Tell me you love me, Tam, and maybe I¡¯ll take your request into consideration.¡±


    If he was that gung ho about keeping her to use her in a war, he wouldn¡¯t kill her even if she begged him. He was just sadistic and bored. He could play that game with someone else. ¡°I know you¡¯re used to stupid women who were born yesterday. I¡¯m not one of them.¡±


    He pulled her to him, his lips pressing against hers. It was like Jack in the dream, but different. He slid a dark image of something she¡¯d never trust him enough to do for real¡ªbondage. Whips. Of course, Cain would go for the freaky stuff. He was eight thousand. Nobody that old just did it missionary. Not that they¡¯d just done missionary. In the time she¡¯d been in his care, they¡¯d made it through the entire Kama Sutra. In spite of herself, she melted against him and wrapped her arms around his neck.


    The demon pulled away while she was still dazed with the images, half of her wanting to act them out. She was a bad witch. She couldn¡¯t even remember to keep her shields up. Was that how Jack had gotten into her dream? Had he been trying before and failed?


    Cain¡¯s face was serious now. ¡°Jack kills his kind, for power, and ultimately to control everything in the human dimension if we can¡¯t destroy him. I kill my dinner. Being at the top of the food chain doesn¡¯t make me evil. And you know that. You¡¯re two thousand, Tam. So get over this self-loathing. It doesn¡¯t suit you.¡±


    ¡°What about Anna? She wasn¡¯t dinner,¡± Tam said, not willing to concede the point just yet, even though she knew he was right. Two thousand or not, she was still moderately human, and right now Cain and Jack looked like two flavors of the same guy.


    ¡°My brother had been imprisoned for half a century, and your friend stubbornly refused to do the only thing to free him. So yes, I took matters into my own hands. She put herself between me and Luc. I¡¯m also not claiming to be good. I¡¯m saying, I¡¯m not Jack.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re still playing with me. You don¡¯t want a relationship. You want to toy with me until you¡¯re bored. So you¡¯re still an asshole.¡± Where had that come from? She didn¡¯t want a relationship with a demon so what difference did it make if he did? Weren¡¯t they both using each other?


    He smirked. ¡°Now that I¡¯ll admit to.¡± He started to pull the shirt over her head, but she stopped him.


    ¡°I can¡¯t.¡± She didn¡¯t want to think about the fact that she still wanted to. Obnoxious or not, there was something about him beneath the surface. Maybe it wasn¡¯t real and it was the same bullshit lies women had told themselves about the wrong kind of guy for ages, but she desperately wanted to believe there was something more to him than what he was showing her.


    ¡°Because you might beg me or because you¡¯ll hate yourself tomorrow?¡±


    She rolled her eyes at his ego. ¡°Neither. I need to do some big magic, and if you drain my energy it won¡¯t be possible. Jack is closing in. We don¡¯t have time for whatever this thing is we¡¯re doing. I need my books and tools.¡±


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go get them.¡±


    ¡°What? That¡¯s it? You¡¯re not going to fight me on the books and tools thing?¡±


    He didn¡¯t answer, he just stood and helped her get up out of the pile of pillows and blankets. How he ever found the strength of will to get up out of that much comfort, she didn¡¯t know. If she were a demon, she¡¯d be tempted to just lie around and starve, or order carryout.


    Cain wasn¡¯t wearing a stitch of clothing. As he turned toward the entrance of the tent, she got a great view of his ass. It wasn¡¯t even the pretty form he used to catch prey. Having just gotten up, he hadn¡¯t bothered with the glamour. Even without enhancements, he looked like he¡¯d worked out endlessly, which probably wasn¡¯t far off the mark. In his brief time as a human, he¡¯d been a farmer¡ªif the stories were true. It was hard to have that job and not look like you¡¯d been chiseled out of marble, especially back then.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to put some clothes on?¡± she asked, trying not to sound like a fangirl.


    He turned and arched a brow. ¡°There isn¡¯t a being in this dimension who hasn¡¯t seen me naked at least once. It¡¯s an occupational hazard. Why? Would it make you more comfortable if I put some clothes on?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°All the more reason not to,¡± he said with a wink.


    She wished she could say she was playing reverse psychology with him and just wanted to scope out his ass and muscular back on the trip to the caves. So much for being ancient and not behaving like a schoolgirl. Though he did have six thousand years on her.


    As they walked, he held her hand like she didn¡¯t know where the caves were. Suddenly she was thirteen again¡ªnot one of the cycles, the real thirteen¡ªholding a boy¡¯s hand for the first time. The memory fluttered up from the abyss of her consciousness. It was hard to believe it was there under all the other layers from the past.


    She barely breathed. Why was holding hands with Cain such a big deal? They¡¯d slept together like a couple of nymphomaniac rabbits¡ªway past the hand-holding stage. Such a simple act shouldn¡¯t create that flutter in her stomach. She should pull away. He should pull away, but his warm hand stayed solidly in hers as they made their way to the caves. Was it wrong that it felt natural? Strip away the demon and witch thing and weren¡¯t they just two people having an affair? Kind of strange motives all around, but still. She was attracted to him, even when he wasn¡¯t using the demon thrall or glamour and her shields were up. Did he find her attractive in the same way? She¡¯d never thought about it, and felt silly for thinking about it now.


    It wasn¡¯t until the shock and weirdness of the moment had worn off that Tam felt the metal around his finger. As they moved down the cobblestone streets between torches, she turned his hand to see the ring with the runic markings. She stopped, pulling him back with her.


    ¡°What?¡± The demon seemed puzzled they¡¯d stopped moving.


    ¡°Nice jewelry,¡± Tam said.


    If a demon could blush, or show any signs of guilt, Cain was doing it right now, though it was hard to tell for sure with the low lighting of the demon dimension. He pulled his hand away, and she couldn¡¯t decide if she was disappointed.


    ¡°A friend gave it to me.¡±


    ¡°Mmm-hmmm,¡± Tam said, not buying it. ¡°I wasn¡¯t born yesterday. Someone did a spell for you. I can feel the magic on it. Was it to protect you from me? I¡¯m flattered you find me that threatening.¡±


    He growled. ¡°So I should trust the witch I¡¯m toying with not to turn the tables and hex me for it?¡±


    ¡°So you admit it openly. You¡¯re toying with me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve admitted it openly from day one, and yet you¡¯ve been spreading your legs. So much for age making you smarter.¡±


    She laughed. ¡°I really don¡¯t think you¡¯re in a position to judge me.¡± She refused to let his words hurt her. It was all part of how he played. She knew what she¡¯d signed on for when she¡¯d made the bargain with him. Of course, she¡¯d thought she¡¯d be dead by now. At this point, did she really think he¡¯d kill her? If not, why was she still sleeping with him?


    Tam hadn¡¯t been awake long enough to contemplate these deep thoughts, so she put them on the shelf where she kept all other unpleasantness, like why she couldn¡¯t be in love somebody like Henry.


    ¡°So,¡± she said, willing herself not to be distracted, ¡°what did you use to bind the spell?¡±


    He¡¯d already turned and started walking away from her in all his naked glory toward the caves. He tossed an answer over his shoulder. ¡°That lovely scrap of black lace you had covering your ass the last time you seduced me.¡±


    Okay. That was it. A ball of energy glowed in her hand. He should have expected it by now, but he hadn¡¯t gone noncorporeal. The ball hit squarely in the center of his back. Tam heard the sizzle as it scorched his skin.


    He rounded on her and roared as he shifted into the demon form, horns popping out, fangs descending, eyes glowing. ¡°I¡¯m not your punching bag. I should suck the life out of you for that.¡±


    Tam didn¡¯t flinch. ¡°Out here in the middle of the desert? In that form? Kinky.¡± How many ways could an incubus suck the life out of you? Those had been his words. Not snap your neck or rip out your heart... suck the life out.


    ¡°You¡¯d probably like it, you little freak.¡±


    She shrugged. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m old. Same as you. We get creative and experimental the more time passes.¡± The truth was, she wasn¡¯t put off by his demon form. Cain was Cain to her. For better or worse.


    The demon smirked, erasing much of the sinister look and irritation, even though the swirl of dark, black emotions pressed in on her. She wouldn¡¯t back down or show fear. Not to him.


    She didn¡¯t know why she was pushing so hard. Did she still really want to die? If they could get to Jack and stop him first? The death wish was beginning to fade, but it wasn¡¯t that she¡¯d suddenly found a new reason to live, it was that the demon was right. She wasn¡¯t going to say she was falling for him¡ªthat would be an admission worthy of psychiatric care, but she did enjoy their time together, even the fighting because fighting made her feel like maybe there was still something in life worth fighting for. It reminded her she wasn¡¯t dead yet. If she could still work up an energy ball or angry words, there was something there that wasn¡¯t completely lost.


    She shook herself out of the pattern of thoughts she still didn¡¯t want to address. ¡°You can¡¯t just take my stuff for magic, especially not my underwear. It¡¯s tacky.¡±


    ¡°You left them in my cave. It¡¯s not as if I rooted through your bags.¡±


    Tam trudged along behind him, keeping a safe distance so she couldn¡¯t feel the emotions the demon form brought with it. He couldn¡¯t help that those things existed in that form. Did he feel them as much as she did? Did he draw strength from it or did it weigh him down? How could anybody, good or evil, carry that around with them all the time, just under the surface? Where did it all go when he was in the handsome form and she couldn¡¯t feel it? Did he keep it all bottled inside?


    In spite of herself, and everything else, the tiniest seed of sympathy for the devil sprouted within her. And she knew it would be her downfall.

 Page 17

    Chapter Ten


    By the time they reached the caves, Cain had shifted back into the pretty form. Even with his back to her, she knew which form it was. He was a little bigger and a little more intimidating in this form than his original human look. And just like the demon form gave off a form of dark energy few could withstand, this form gave off a sexual energy, more subtle, but still intoxicating.Advertisement


    ¡°Does it take a lot of work to maintain that form?¡±


    He created a fireball to light the torches, then turned to her, his face smooth of all lines and scars. ¡°Not at my age.¡±


    ¡°Then why do you shed it sometimes, like when you sleep?¡± She stood just inches from him, trying to avoid the temptation to discard her own clothing; she needed to stay focused on her goal.


    He reached out and stroked her cheek. She didn¡¯t breathe, afraid if she did, she¡¯d break this uncommon moment that felt like tenderness and honesty between them. She¡¯d berate herself for her sanity slippage later.


    Although they were isolated in the caves, his voice was low, as if he were sharing a secret he didn¡¯t want the walls to hear. ¡°Sometimes it¡¯s good to let everything go.¡±


    ¡°Then why did you put the glamour back up just now?¡± She¡¯d seen his original human form. They were in the middle of nowhere. There was no one to impress and no food for him to hunt out here. And if he wanted her, they both knew at this point that the form wasn¡¯t a barrier for her. She probably would have slept with him in the demon form out in the desert, a point she didn¡¯t want to dwell on. It would mean she was starting to feel for the person underneath it all, not just the pretty fantasy.


    He shrugged. ¡°Force of habit.¡±


    ¡°So let go,¡± she said.


    His face tensed, and for a moment she thought she¡¯d pushed too far, but then he sighed and dropped the glamour. Tam reached out and traced the mark on his forehead. A moment of stillness passed between them. With other people in another situation, it would have been the part where the epic orchestral music played, where the couple looked deeply into each other¡¯s eyes with the devotion of true love and shared a passionate, angst-filled kiss. But they weren¡¯t those people, and the only music Tam could hear was the flickering of the torchlight. Cain pulled away abruptly and went down one of the dark corridors.


    He didn¡¯t make an arrogant remark or taunt her like he normally did. He was so eerily quiet, she almost wished he¡¯d say something awful just to break up the discomfort of his silence.


    ¡°I can¡¯t see back here,¡± she said, as she followed him. She assumed they were going to get her stuff, but a part of her thought maybe he just wanted to get away from her.


    ¡°You could use one of your energy balls.¡±


    She¡¯d thought about it, but was afraid he¡¯d take it as a threat. And she wasn¡¯t in the mood for another fight right now. ¡°I don¡¯t think it would be bright enough.¡± Which was also true.


    Cain created a fireball to illuminate the corridor and they kept walking. He reached the pod with her stuff in it and placed a hand over the egg-shaped door. It glowed for a moment, then opened with a groan of rock against rock. He slung a few of the bags over his shoulder and gave the rest to Tam.


    They were in the main part of the cave when he spoke again. ¡°You said you had to do big magic. What kind of magic?¡±


    He was pretty confident about that ring, if he was just asking now.


    ¡°I need to contact Henry.¡±


    ¡°Henry?¡±


    Was that jealousy in his voice? Ridiculous. Cain wasn¡¯t the type. But it seemed like something similar¡ªsome emotion too nuanced to put her finger on.


    ¡°Henry was a dear friend of mine for a couple of centuries.¡±


    ¡°And why are we contacting him?¡± There was that weird pseudo-jealousy thing again. She had to be reading things that weren¡¯t there.


    ¡°He was a raven therian and my familiar. I lost him a few years ago. He¡¯s on the other side. Since Jack formed a connection with me in the dream, I can¡¯t find him, but maybe Henry can. So to answer your question, I need to do a s¨¦ance.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you need more than one person for that?¡±


    And now he was being somewhat considerate and helpful. It was almost unnerving. It was as if he¡¯d been possessed by somebody civilized.


    ¡°I need someone to ground me.¡± She was afraid to outright ask him, but he was the only person there. Obviously he was the one she¡¯d have to use.


    They exchanged a look, and she dug through her bags for the book she needed, a sage stick, matches, a clay dish, and a large container of salt. She flipped through the book to the spirit summoning spell and re-read it to refresh her memory. She¡¯d done it many times over the years, but it was always wisest to recheck for things like this. A small mispronunciation could have unpredictable results. Right now she needed predictability.


    ¡°Could you have done this with your sister? Call her, I mean?¡± The care of the phrasing and gentleness in his tone startled her and dampened any ire she might have felt at being asked. He thought her sister could have given them information they needed about Jack¡¯s location.


    Tam tried to keep the tears at bay. She¡¯d mourned in short bursts, not letting the grief wash over her yet. She couldn¡¯t. And she¡¯d convinced herself it wasn¡¯t necessary. If Cain was going to kill her for real, she¡¯d see Naomi soon enough. But the belief that he would was fading, and along with it, her ability to keep her emotions in check.


    ¡°I doubt Jack would be that sloppy. He changed locations after each kill for that reason. It wouldn¡¯t give me anything real to use, and it would be too painful.¡±


    ¡°He could change his location now,¡± Cain said.


    ¡°True, but if Henry can make use of the brief connection he made while it¡¯s still fresh and get a track on him, it won¡¯t matter. He¡¯ll be able to follow him.¡±


    She poured the salt in a circle around Cain and lit the sage stick. When he looked anxious¡ªan odd look on Cain to be sure¡ªshe reassured him.


    ¡°I need to cleanse the space, first.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m a demon.¡±


    ¡°Yes, and that¡¯s why you¡¯re inside the circle.¡± She waved the stick around the cave, glad it was large enough for so much smoke.


    She entered the circle and sat cross-legged on the ground, placing the clay dish in front of her. She laid the sage stick on the dish, allowing it to continue to burn, the thin ribbon of smoke curling upward. Cain sat across from her and took her hands without prompting when she held them out.


    Despite what he was, he felt warm and solid. She couldn¡¯t ask for better grounding. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, inhaling the scent of the sage, letting go, while her anchor held her steady.


    Cain¡¯s grip on her hands tightened when she began to intone a chant. It was unlikely she was working magic against him, especially knowing about the ring and the danger such an attempt could bring. But old reflexes died hard. It wasn¡¯t easy letting one¡¯s guard down with a witch.


    He didn¡¯t want to think about why he¡¯d held her hand on the way to the caves, or why he¡¯d allowed her to snuggle in the pillows and blankets with him before letting her know he was awake, or why holding her hand right now felt more possessive than perfunctory.


    Now that he¡¯d let his guard down, feelings rose to the surface that he¡¯d pushed down. She was right. He didn¡¯t need her in a war. It would be nice. It would be helpful. But Cole and the others could cobble together a coven to stay protected if necessary.


    Deep down he¡¯d known what all of this was all about. She had enough life experience to relate to him. She was pretty, sure, but pretty women weren¡¯t rare in his world. He could have anybody he wanted, even her¡ªwithout promises or commitment. He¡¯d proven that already. But he didn¡¯t just want a meal or toy. If he suspected he was covering a confusing collection of feelings, he had no doubt the witch was doing the same. Why would she keep sleeping with him if she really had a death wish, given how many times they¡¯d done it in the preceding weeks, with no sign of her death on the horizon?


    Of course, now he¡¯d played up the whole you¡¯ll-beg-me-to-keep-you thing so hard that she¡¯d never trust he wasn¡¯t toying with her. What had that been about? Because he couldn¡¯t risk his own ego? Was it that he needed to know she wanted him before making a fool of himself? Hadn¡¯t he lived long enough by now to survive a little ego bruise? And if she bruised his ego, couldn¡¯t he put the whammy on her and kill her?


    It wasn¡¯t that he wanted forever, he just wanted time to figure it out. The idea of Tam in his life felt strangely comforting. Whether they were fighting or fucking didn¡¯t even matter to him, just so long as she was there and he didn¡¯t have to pretend he was the happy-go-lucky hedonist, wearing a mask for the other demons. It wouldn¡¯t do for them to know the man upstairs had finally succeeded in breaking him. He was the symbol of what a demon could be: free. There was no need to be tortured about it or succumb to one¡¯s prey. If he broke down and gave in to the twisted plan to remake him¡ªset in motion long before Tam came on the scene¡ªthen it was only a matter of time for the other demons.


    He looked back at Tam. She was glowing again. Her voice had taken on an ethereal quality. If he hadn¡¯t been holding her hands, he wouldn¡¯t be sure she was solid at all. She seemed more like a vision or hallucination than anyone who could possibly be real.


    The smoke curling off the sage stick grew thicker as it rose between them, and then, out of the smoke, came the shape of a raven. The image of the raven swirled and became distorted, and out of the distortion rose a more human shape, transforming from a smoke-created image into a spirit, someone so real, you could almost touch him.


    ¡°Hey, Tam, did you ever look at your cards again?¡± the apparition asked, by way of introduction, as if they¡¯d recently had a conversation.


    How often did she call this guy up? The spirit eyed Cain with a smirk that the demon didn¡¯t particularly care for.


    Tam opened her eyes and smiled up at him. ¡°Hey, Henry. I hope I¡¯m not disturbing you.¡±


    ¡°You mean up here in Stepford Heaven?¡±


    Tam giggled and Cain had the odd urge to kill someone that was already dead. She seemed so relaxed around this Henry guy, and Cain knew that even if it wasn¡¯t like that now, at one point in time, they¡¯d been lovers. He could just tell these things. He growled.


    The witch arched a brow.


    ¡°Looks like your boyfriend is getting a bit territorial over here,¡± Henry said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not her boyfriend.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not my boyfriend.¡±


    The indignant rebuttals came out of the two of them simultaneously, but the therian just chuckled. ¡°Young love,¡± he said with a sigh. Then he laughed. ¡°Or is that an inappropriate description for two people of your advanced ages?¡±


    Cain was ready to let go of Tam¡¯s hands to make the guy disappear. Worse than someone he might have to compete with was someone who could see things a bit too clearly. Not love, just that something was brewing. It was easy for people to confuse sex with love. He saw it all the time. Powerful attraction and love weren¡¯t the same thing. He knew it, and he assumed Tam knew it. Where that left them, he wasn¡¯t sure, but he was ready to break the connection and end the s¨¦ance before it had really begun if it meant he wouldn¡¯t have to keep thinking about it.


    The witch held on tighter and shot him a glare. ¡°No, I haven¡¯t looked at my cards again,¡± she said, turning her attention back to Henry. ¡°My stuff has been locked up. But we¡¯ve got something more important to talk about. I¡¯m sure you know Jack is on the hunt again. He came to me in a dream a little while ago. I was wondering if you could sense the connection, and if so, if you could help us find him.¡±


    The apparition closed his eyes, seeming to be in deep concentration. When he opened them, he said, ¡°The connection is thinning, but it¡¯s there. I can try to trace it and see what I can find out from there. Do you want to call me back here tomorrow night for the report?¡±


    ¡°Yes, thank you,¡± Tam said.


    Henry looked at Cain in an assessing way that made the demon¡¯s skin crawl, then he looked back at Tam and smiled. ¡°You¡¯ve got your tools back now, right?¡±


    The uncertain way she looked at Cain made him feel guilty for some reason.


    ¡°Do I?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Cain said, not looking at the spirit.


    ¡°Look at your cards again, and really listen to them this time.¡±


    Tam let go of Cain¡¯s hands and Henry disappeared. She put the sage stick out in the clay dish and Cain began to get up.


    ¡°Wait,¡± she said, putting a hand on his arm. ¡°I need to take down the protective barrier first.¡± She closed her eyes again and whispered something, then opened them.


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± It was less of a show than Cain expected, which made him leery of the whole situation.


    ¡°That¡¯s it,¡± she said.


    He ran a finger through the salt on the ground, smearing the circle. He didn¡¯t feel any push-back.


    ¡°What? You don¡¯t trust me?¡±


    ¡°You better hope for your own sake that I can,¡± he retorted, flashing the ring that protected him. He didn¡¯t want to think about the fact that he was using a small piece of jewelry to protect himself from a girl. It wouldn¡¯t do anything good for his reputation.


    She gathered her things, making a convincing show of ignoring him.


    ¡°I hope you don¡¯t think you¡¯re leaving now,¡± he said, moving toward her, glad he hadn¡¯t bothered with clothing. It made it easier to tempt her when her access was so easy. Now to get her out of those jeans. Annoyingly Anna and Luc had done her laundry, and she was back to wearing jeans instead of the clothing from the trunk. He much preferred her in the demon-concubine look. If she were his mate, he¡¯d use her first power against her and make sure she wore what he wanted at all times. She wouldn¡¯t be able to sneak off without his knowledge and change, seeing as it wouldn¡¯t be possible for her to be solid or interact with physical things unless he was there touching her. He¡¯d always liked that perk of the demon mating.

 Page 18

    He grimaced, trying to dislodge the thought from his brain. Not about wardrobe, about mating. He wasn¡¯t taking a mate. Why would he do such a ridiculous thing and give up his freedoms? Lonely or not, the mating ritual was irreversible. And if it had seemed like eternity alone, it really would be eternity together. At least now he had an option to end his loneliness. If he took a mate, he wouldn¡¯t have the option to go back. On the surface, he realized such reasoning made him look crazy, but forever was a long time. He¡¯d gotten the tiniest taste of it in his eight thousand years as a demon, and he knew that was only the beginning.


    Tam dropped her bags. ¡°Did you have something else in mind?¡± The tone in her voice made it clear she knew exactly what was on his mind. What was always on his mind.Advertisement


    He backed her against the wall of the cave. ¡°You woke me from a nice dream. Then you had the audacity to stop me because you needed your energy for magic. I was very accommodating for you, I expect you¡¯ll be accommodating for me.¡±


    He smirked when his double entendre, complete with filthy mental pictures, hit their mark. She was lovely when she gasped and flushed like that. Her gaze drifted south and then back up again to his face quickly, as if caught with her hands in the cookie jar.


    ¡°Touch me,¡± Cain said. He gasped when her small hand closed around him, touching him like only a woman with over a thousand years experience could. He¡¯d never understand the male fixation with a virgin. It didn¡¯t matter who else had been there first. Every bit of experience was something you didn¡¯t have to teach her.


    Despite how good her hand felt on him, his mind was too distracted. He wondered if the thing about conserving her magical energy to do the s¨¦ance was true. Maybe the amount of bells and whistles didn¡¯t indicate how much energy one was using. Maybe it took a lot of energy and magical concentration to hold a spirit to this plane long enough for a chat. What did he know about the finer details of magic? He¡¯d spent the better part of his existence avoiding it as much as possible, just as someone highly flammable would avoid fire.


    She sagged against him as his mouth found hers. She was so warm and sweet and pliable this way. He needed less and less of the demon thrall to get her to this place. He suspected if he held out, she¡¯d beg him to keep her, no matter what she said to the contrary. Her body told truths that her mind could only begin to imagine. And what would he do then? Laugh and kill her like he¡¯d said?


    He growled angrily against her mouth. If this game went on much longer, he¡¯d lose because he¡¯d keep her. And if he went down that road, how much farther before he lost his mind entirely and became so attached that what Luc had done with Anna started to look good?


    He¡¯d already had the urge to mix their blood to protect her, but from what? It only worked against demons, and no one in his dimension would dare defy him on this. No, it was simply a need to possess, and now that his immediate fears over her hexing him were gone, that need made itself known more loudly.


    ¡°Oww!¡± Tam said.


    A second later he was on the ground across the cave, smarting from an energy ball burn. He rubbed his shoulder. They didn¡¯t usually do the fighting thing after the foreplay thing had started. No matter what she said, she liked screwing him too much to interrupt their momentum.


    ¡°What the fuck did you bite me for?¡± She wiped the blood off her lip with the back of her hand, looking equal parts hurt and angry, like for a moment she had trusted him. At least within certain perimeters.


    His eyes widened. No. His fangs had come out while he¡¯d been focused elsewhere, but biting her wasn¡¯t the thing that had him panicked. Somehow, he¡¯d drawn his own blood as well. He felt the tiny sting of throbbing pain in his tongue. Had their blood mixed? It wasn¡¯t the traditional ritual. Not like Luc had done.


    Luc had taken a knife to Anna¡¯s hand, then cut his and mixed them together good and proper. He hadn¡¯t hesitated to protect her. Whether his brother had known it would initiate the first stages of the mating ritual, who could say? Surely what Cain had just done wasn¡¯t enough for that level of psychic connection. Yes, he still had free will in all of this, and more or less, so did Tam even if it had worked, but it wasn¡¯t something to cheer about. It was dangerous.


    After all the trouble he¡¯d gone through to protect himself from her, his instincts wanted the opposite. He stood and wiped the sand off him.


    ¡°If you think you can start hurting me, just because I can¡¯t hex you...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that, Tam. It was an accident.¡±


    She must have seen the honesty in his eyes, because her anger deflated.


    ¡°I think I just marked you, though. As mine.¡±


    Though he knew she wanted him, he expected a momentary flutter of revulsion to cross her face, but all he saw was peace. Then all at once it was gone, replaced by suspicion and a fear that seemed strange and incongruous on her face with regards to him.


    ¡°Is this your idea of a joke?¡±


    ¡°Am I laughing?¡± He came closer and licked the last bit of blood off her lip. Her blood was already inside him, and his in her, so there was no sense in leaving a mess behind. What was done was done, assuming it counted as a true mark.


    ¡°I¡¯m not even sure I marked you. I just think it¡¯s possible,¡± he clarified.


    ¡°How can you not be sure?¡±


    ¡°The ritual is specific. We don¡¯t do it enough to have experimented with it. You were there with Anna; you know how it goes. But blood was mixed. It might mean something. It might mean nothing.¡± Why he was being so forthright, he couldn¡¯t say. Maybe he needed someone to reassure him that nothing had happened and things were still the same.


    But something had already shifted, maybe before he¡¯d bitten her, maybe after, but the thing he wanted to do right now wasn¡¯t bend her over a rock and fuck her¡ªoh, they¡¯d do that again, and many other things if he had his way¡ªbut right now what he wanted was to make love to her. Even those words make love had him inwardly cringing.


    He shook his hand as if his ring had shorted out, but he knew the truth. It had nothing to do with the ring beyond being able to think a moment without fear of her magic bringing him harm. Now that he held the upper hand and all she had were energy balls, he was looking at her differently.


    But hadn¡¯t that been true from the beginning? He remembered the first time he¡¯d met her. She¡¯d showed up with the cavalry at Anna¡¯s house like a rampaging pixie. He¡¯d wanted to hurt her to get to the woman standing between him and his brother, but she hadn¡¯t come to him when he¡¯d ordered her. No amount of demon thrall could penetrate the walls she had up. Even Anna¡¯s resistance hadn¡¯t impressed him so much. Then Tam had done one better, sending him across the floor with one of her fancy energy balls. From that moment he¡¯d wanted to screw her brains out, possess her, make her cry out his name. She was the first real challenge he¡¯d met in more centuries than he could remember.


    And now here she was, and what had started out as a grudge fuck had become something more.


    ¡°Excuse me, space cadet. Are you with me?¡± Tam said, waving a hand in front of his face.


    He felt the fire light his eyes, and he growled. ¡°Shut your mouth and kiss me like you mean it.¡± Oh yes, he was the king of killing romantic moments. Yet when their lips met, it was more gentle than he¡¯d intended.


    ¡°Cain?¡±


    It was a questioning, almost hopeful whimper against his mouth, and at any other moment he¡¯d taunt her for it. Right now he didn¡¯t want to fuck this up. It had been so long since he¡¯d done it, since he¡¯d even experimented for the sake of curiosity. He wanted to know what it felt like to have sex with a woman like in the movies and storybooks, where feelings were involved and it wasn¡¯t just about instinctual urges. He knew this was a dangerous road, but tomorrow he could go back to being a badass. Tomorrow he could leave little handprints and welts all across her ass for making him feel something tonight. For now, he wanted something new: boring, normal sex.


    He gripped the back of her neck, pulling her closer as he explored her mouth, not willing to let her get far enough away from him again to offer commentary. He didn¡¯t bother with demon thrall. No tricks this time. No mental images or manufactured arousal. He wanted to know if she felt something for him without all that. Oh, he was playing with fire.


    The sand beneath their feet was soft enough to lie on, so he picked her up and took her down to the ground with him. He allowed his hands to hover over her, inches above her body to feed¡ªto taste her. She arched off the ground toward him as he moved his hand away. She was his sexual marionette, pulled along by his movements as if she had strings.


    Her nipples hardened underneath her top. She hadn¡¯t bothered with a bra when she¡¯d gotten dressed to come to his tent. He liked the easy access. She began to undo the button on her jeans, but he stilled her hand.


    ¡°No. I want to unwrap you myself.¡±


    A shiver.


    It seemed like she might protest, trying to reclaim some control of the situation. The way they fucked was the same as the way they fought¡ªa constant power struggle with neither of them willing to cede the upper hand to the other, and neither of them trusting the other. He wouldn¡¯t ask her to trust him because he respected her intelligence more than that. All he wanted was the illusion for a little while.


    Each time he slept with a woman, he wrapped the whole thing up in a pretty illusion for her, a fantasy where it was hard to separate what was actually happening from what was going on in her mind. Just this once, he wanted an illusion for himself¡ªthe illusion that someone could love him.


    He struggled with himself over the thought. It was a fight not to flip her over and take her from behind, so she could be just another warm body and not a person he might grow to feel for. Now that they¡¯d gotten this close, staring into each other¡¯s eyes with no words between them and no magic, he wanted to flee.


    Tam reached up and stroked the side of his face. He leaned into the touch. He definitely had to kill her now. If she kissed and told, his rep was over. But not tonight. Cain interlaced his fingers with hers and kissed the back of her hand, his eyes never leaving hers.


    He returned to the task of clothing removal, and she seemed content to watch him. Moments later he was inside her, but not just his body. Their eyes were locked, silencing all their snark for a moment of connection he¡¯d never had and could understand why. It was terrifying.


    To her credit, Tam seemed equally scared. As he moved within her, her mouth sought his again, and then they lost themselves in the sensation as he began to feed.


    Chapter Eleven


    Tam¡¯s eyes fluttered open. She expected to be up in Stepford Heaven, hanging out with Henry by now, but the hand stroking the short bits of hair from her eyes was Cain¡¯s.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you do it?¡± she asked. When he¡¯d fed, he¡¯d taken too much¡ªmore than usual. After the moment they¡¯d shared where he¡¯d looked like a deer caught in headlights, she¡¯d been sure she was a goner. Whether he wanted her dead or not, she didn¡¯t know, but that look of his had been so stark, she was sure self-preservation instincts alone would allow him to end her.


    In the last moment before she¡¯d lost consciousness, the thought Please, had popped into her head, because somehow with the demon she¡¯d found her will to live again. But she¡¯d said she would never beg him to keep her, and she wouldn¡¯t. Whatever they¡¯d shared, he was still what he was. She was still what she was. She wasn¡¯t young and stupid enough to think this could be something real.


    He may not have used the demon thrall, but he¡¯d given her no less of an illusion. She wouldn¡¯t believe he wasn¡¯t toying with her, taking his game to a new level. He didn¡¯t love her, but some little destroyed piece of her loved him. She looked away, not willing to let him see his small victory shining out from her eyes.


    He hadn¡¯t answered her and didn¡¯t look like he was going to. Well, what had she expected? A love confession?


    ¡°Cain!¡±


    They both turned to the mouth of the cave to see Cole standing there. His gaze flicked over her, trying not to look like he was checking her out, but he was totally checking her out. Jane popped in behind him, caught the once-over, and smacked him in the arm.


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m male,¡± Cole said.


    ¡°You don¡¯t see me drooling all over Cain,¡± Jane replied.


    ¡°Hey, now. Let¡¯s not get personal,¡± Cain said.


    He¡¯d subtly moved in front of Tam, tossing her clothing back to her. It was the thing that made her think for the briefest moment that maybe he wasn¡¯t toying with her. Protecting her modesty out of some sense of possession was fairly weird given who he was. And it wasn¡¯t like she¡¯d shrieked and rushed to cover up. What did she care? It was just a body. She didn¡¯t have hang-ups about it anymore. In fact, over the centuries, she¡¯d figured out how to make it look almost exactly how she wanted, even without magic. It wasn¡¯t as if she had tons of opportunities to show the accomplishment off to random people.


    She sighed and pulled the top over her head, then stood and shimmied into her jeans.


    ¡°This had better be good,¡± Cain said. ¡°This is my private space. Jane, maybe you¡¯re too young to understand this, but these caves equal terror for demons. Please start acting scared about it and steer clear if you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    Jane rolled her eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll try to act properly terrified in the future.¡±


    ¡°Jane, don¡¯t push him. We need him.¡± Cole turned his attention back to the head incubus. ¡°Sun just came up a few minutes ago. You know how we thought he was going to wait until the next full moon to kill the next one? Well, we were wrong. New body, new letter, human media is crawling all over this and Anthony is dead for the day. We thought you¡¯d want to be in on things.¡±


    ¡°You thought right.¡±

 Page 19

    Tam worked to keep her face blank. The full moon was less than a week away. If Jack had jumped the gun, it could only mean one thing. He didn¡¯t want to wait anymore. He was coming for her this month, not next month. She should have known. He wouldn¡¯t form a connection with her in a dream like that if he wasn¡¯t coming soon. He wouldn¡¯t give her the opportunity to get the upper hand. He must have come to her right after he¡¯d killed. The thought sickened her.


    That mouth that had most likely just eaten a human organ, kissing her. She turned away from the group and threw up, unable to fight back the wave of nausea over his lips¡ªeven his dream lips¡ªon hers.Advertisement


    A second later, a hand was on her back. Cain¡¯s. ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    Now he was showing concern for her in front of others? ¡°Fine,¡± she said, not meeting his eyes. She wasn¡¯t willing to let him see how angry she was with him right now. He¡¯d had his moment to kill her and beat Jack at his own game, but instead of waking up in Heaven, she¡¯d woken right back here, where she was a target for a sadistic serial killer. Gee, thanks, Cain. No, he didn¡¯t love her. He didn¡¯t know what love was. If he had the faintest spark of a genuine human emotion, he would have done the noble thing and spared her from Jack. He had the power to, after all.


    Their last time together would have been a perfect note to go out on. Peaceful and painless. What stood in front of her now would be anything but. It didn¡¯t matter that they all thought she was safe in the demon dimension. There was no place in existence safe from Jack¡¯s reach. He would find a way.


    No matter what, she wasn¡¯t going to lose her shit right now with Cain and Cole and Jane all standing around, looking at her with concern.


    She just wished she knew why Jack was breaking his pattern. There had to be a reason it was this moon that he had to have her for. It couldn¡¯t be a case of missing her. Gross.


    ¡°Cain?¡± Cole said. ¡°Are you coming with us?¡±


    ¡°Go,¡± Tam said. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Probably food poisoning from the last crappy food run your minions went on. They have to start feeding me better. I¡¯m not a fucking cat you can just give fake food in a bag.¡±


    His eyes narrowed, but whether or not he was buying the lie, he nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll have a talk with them.¡±


    She needed to figure this out, and she didn¡¯t need anybody hovering over her. She was barely keeping it together now. The last thing she wanted was to get the shakes and Cain be there to see it. The last thing she wanted to see from the demon she was angry with was pity. And she wasn¡¯t about to ask him to fuck her again to kill her. She so was not in the mood right now. Plus, a part of her just wanted to kick his ass at least one more time. It seemed only fair, considering how much he pissed her off.


    When he¡¯d left, she sorted through her bags for the moon chart. She did one each year for the year ahead. It contained not only the moon phases, but planetary alignments and all astronomical anomalies that might affect magical workings. It let her know the best times to do certain workings. She could do magic at any time, but some magic worked better with an extra boost.


    She rolled the parchment scroll out flat. The drawings and notations had been done in a blue pencil. She skimmed to the current month and her mouth dropped open. This full moon would also be the biggest planetary alignment in five centuries. The fact that it was happening on a full moon was even bigger. Maybe she would have noticed if she hadn¡¯t been having a meltdown, but she tended to do each phase of the chart separately. Moon phases, then anomalies, then planetary alignments. By the time she¡¯d gotten to planetary alignments, she hadn¡¯t been thinking about where they were falling, or making the connection with Jack.


    He¡¯d be willing to kill the girl before her on a random day and get less power out of her if he could get his last kill on this particular date. Thinking back, wasn¡¯t the last planetary alignment like this close to when he¡¯d killed his first? Jack was all about magical symmetry.


    It was too late to chase Cain down. He¡¯d be out of the dimension by now. And the last thing she was about to do was stop another demon to say something like ¡°Hey, could you be a dear and go grab my demon lover? I really need him to screw me right now for the good of preternatural beings and puppies.¡±


    She shoved the scroll and the rest of her books and tools back into the bags and hid them behind the big rock. Then she took the tarot cards with her back to her tent. Something about being out here alone in these caves spooked her now. It was too dark and sinister, and knowing there were demons in the walls wasn¡¯t comforting. She¡¯d much rather be back in her own brightly colored tent with her demon guards.


    When she got back, she sat on one of the large, round pillows on the ground and took the cards from their red, silk wrapping. She closed her eyes and tried to focus, breathing slowly in and out. She wasn¡¯t sure reading her own cards would do her any good, despite Henry¡¯s insistence.


    She needed somebody else who was good at this, but contacting her coven was out of the question. She¡¯d kept them out of it this long, no sense endangering them so close to the end. And the end was coming, she could feel it. Most likely the end for her.


    She couldn¡¯t ask Anna to do it, either. In the first place, divination wasn¡¯t her gift. Incantations were her thing. It wasn¡¯t that a witch couldn¡¯t have more than one strong gift, Tam had two, but Anna hadn¡¯t been a witch for as long as Tam had. Either way, she couldn¡¯t touch the cards, and you needed physical contact with the deck.


    Tam had just laid out the spread when Anna passed through the curtain in her wispy, ghost-like way.


    ¡°Who¡¯s future are we looking at?¡± she asked, hovering.


    Tam knew her friend was trying to be casual, but it fell flat. ¡°Mine,¡± Tam said, grimacing. The cards were much the same as they¡¯d been before she¡¯d fled her house, which meant that running to Cain, or intending to¡ªhe¡¯d kind of just showed up on her doorstep¡ªhadn¡¯t changed her future to any great degree.


    There was still the death card, the tower, the lovers, and now judgment, a card that symbolized rebirth and hard and final decisions. The rebirth part was hopeful, at least, but if she had to fall off a tower and die to get there, she wasn¡¯t sure how she felt about it. Henry had told her to follow her heart, and he¡¯d made the quip about young love in the caves, but he couldn¡¯t possibly mean she was meant to be with Cain. Could he? Would that be so bad?


    ¡°Well?¡± Anna said.


    ¡°I know what I want the cards to say and what I think Henry means, but I can¡¯t get myself to believe in it.¡±


    ¡°And what is it you can¡¯t believe in?¡±


    Tam let out a deep sigh, knowing before she said it, how this would go. ¡°That Cain and I are meant to be together.¡±


    Anna let out a bloodcurdling shriek that had the guard demons darting into the tent to see what the fuss was about.


    ¡°We¡¯re fine. Anna is just being dramatic,¡± Tam said.


    The guards didn¡¯t seem to be buying it, but since they¡¯d been asked to guard Tam and not Anna, they went back to their post without a word of comment.


    ¡°You are insane,¡± Anna hissed. ¡°You know you can¡¯t be with Cain. Whatever he¡¯s making you think or feel, it¡¯s an illusion. It¡¯s what he does.¡± She made a disgusted face. ¡°He¡¯s done it to me, even. He¡¯s toying with you. He¡¯s not Luc. He¡¯s not going to take you as his mate and love you. That¡¯s not who he is.¡±


    ¡°I know that! Jesus, give me a little credit for not being a stupid twit. I didn¡¯t say it was what the cards meant. I said it was what I wanted them to mean. Well, maybe not the mating part. You¡¯re right about that one. Cain won¡¯t mate with anybody. I¡¯m not as good at reading my own future. I¡¯m not unbiased enough. But it seems like Henry thinks it, too, so maybe...¡±


    ¡°You saw Henry again?¡±


    ¡°S¨¦ance,¡± Tam clarified. ¡°In the caves a little while ago. He noticed the thing with me and Cain and commented. He seemed supportive, at least.¡±


    Anna shuddered, far from comfortable with Tam sleeping with the enemy. Tam couldn¡¯t explain to her that the enemy was the only person she felt safe with and the only time she wanted to be here anymore. If they could have something together, he was someone she could never lose to death. He was solid and forever, and he understood¡ªmaybe not the cycling part¡ªbut all the rest¡ªthe endless continuity of it all. He was old enough that next to him, she didn¡¯t feel like a freak.


    Regular people thought they wanted to remember their previous lifetimes, but if they did, they would be pressed down by the crushing weight of it. Forgetting was a mercy she hadn¡¯t had the opportunity to partake in for far too long. She wanted to drink the cup of forgetting and start over. She wanted a clean slate, but a part of her also wanted Cain, to see where it went, to see if she could be genuinely happy again.


    Maybe when all this was over, if she survived it, they could see where things might lead. It didn¡¯t have to be a forever thing. Maybe they could just have something for a while.


    ¡°He¡¯s not being faithful to you,¡± Anna said, as if she could see the wheels in Tam¡¯s head turning. And most likely she could. ¡°He can¡¯t be faithful to you. He¡¯ll never change.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about that,¡± Tam said. And she really didn¡¯t. She was too old for that silliness.


    ¡°How can you not care?¡±


    Tam shrugged. Over the past several years, there hadn¡¯t been many moments where she¡¯d felt completely disconnected from her friend, but this was one of them. How could she explain her general lack of jealousy? She¡¯d been like this for a few centuries now. Jealousy seemed so stupid once enough living time had passed and you¡¯d settled into life in a way a seventy-year lifespan didn¡¯t allow. Average humans saw things in terms of forever when they couldn¡¯t even properly conceptualize that term and ¡°til death do us part¡±. But when death never really came for you, as it did for all your lovers, you saw each encounter as more temporary, and the possessiveness and clinging stopped making sense.


    If she had something with Cain, they¡¯d have it until they didn¡¯t, whether or not he was feeding from other women. She looked up to see that Anna was still waiting for a real answer.


    ¡°Look, Anna, you just can¡¯t tie somebody down like that. If they want to be with you, they do. If they don¡¯t, they don¡¯t. If they want to be with you and other people, you can choose to accept it or walk away. I just want somebody who is there, someone who can¡¯t die on me. I don¡¯t care what else they¡¯re doing.¡±


    If Cain mated with her, it would be only her: it was the price the demon paid. But it was a price Cain never would pay. And she was okay with that. It was nice to know she¡¯d have the option to break the cycle and get out of all this¡ªthat she and the demon could have something that didn¡¯t have to be everything. Then they could part and go along their separate courses.


    Though their blood had mingled, she didn¡¯t think he¡¯d ever go through with it. That had been a weird crazy moment. It was an accident. From what Anna had described of the incubus-human mating ritual, there was no way to do the real thing accidentally. There was no way she¡¯d ever be doing that with Cain. Could she be his part-time concubine? Yes, without question. But Anna wouldn¡¯t understand. She was too different in this way.


    Anna shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t get you. This is just lust. If you¡¯re not jealous... If you could share him and not have a problem with it, it can¡¯t be love.¡±


    ¡°Possession and restriction aren¡¯t love.¡±


    If her pride wasn¡¯t in the way, she¡¯d ask Cain to keep her. He might do it if he knew she wouldn¡¯t tie him down or restrict him. He could still be the badass glutton hunting and feeding like always. She didn¡¯t want him to give up who he was. She just wanted a constant in her life. Maybe he could feel the same way. Maybe they¡¯d have a chance to talk about it when this was over.


    Anna sighed. ¡°Can I at least take this to mean you don¡¯t have a death wish anymore?¡±


    A small smile. ¡°I think I could stick around a little longer.¡±


    When Cain finally did get tired of her, and her of him, he could take her out for real and let her start over. She wanted it to be him when the time came.


    Cain hadn¡¯t spoken a word to Jane or Cole as he¡¯d followed them out of the demon dimension and back into the human world to the hive where the Cary Town wolf pack lived. He was too lost in thought. Despite his feigned anger, he was glad he and Tam had been interrupted.


    He was out of good answers for why he kept missing opportunities to kill her. When he¡¯d lost control and taken too much, he¡¯d backed off just soon enough to save her. The fear he¡¯d felt in that moment dwarfed any emotion he¡¯d ever felt. He didn¡¯t want to examine that. The longer he could stay in denial, the happier he¡¯d be.


    By the time she¡¯d come around, he¡¯d gotten himself under control enough to give nothing of his emotional state away. He just didn¡¯t want her gone. Was that a crime? It was okay not to be bored with someone in a week. He wasn¡¯t bored with his brother. He wasn¡¯t bored with his friendships with Daria and Jackson. Why should it be so strange that a woman who shared his bed could interest him in a long lasting way? And if she did, wasn¡¯t that a good thing? He¡¯d been feeling less excited about his demon existence before Tam, everything blending and merging together, no joy in the hunt anymore. He¡¯d been doing it to do it, to prove he still had it. Whatever it was.


    It would be simpler once Jack was destroyed and he could get Tam out of his dimension and back into her own house. But would he be able to get her out of his mind? What excuse would he make to keep coming back? And would he even need to make one?

 Page 20

    He snapped back to the present as a computerized code was punched into a panel inside the pack¡¯s network of caves. ¡°Welcome, Cole,¡± the pre-recorded voice said as the metal door whooshed open.


    The wolves in the main den were unusually silent, watching the news on the big television.Advertisement


    ¡°This one is bad,¡± Cole said, clearly having seen the reports already. It must all be on repeat. Humans liked to do that. ¡°It¡¯s a child.¡±


    ¡°Not really,¡± Cain said. The witch must have made an attempt to take herself out like Tam had¡ªbefore Jack could get to her. She must have failed and restarted a new cycle. Whatever she might look like on the outside, she wasn¡¯t some defenseless street urchin.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. It¡¯s what the humans will think. They see a kid there. They don¡¯t know that¡¯s a two-thousand-year-old magic user. They don¡¯t even believe in magic.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so sure about that.¡± A male wolf approached their circle and pushed a button on the remote. ¡°They¡¯ve been talking about the last letter and the new letter all day. Mara transcribed it.¡± The wolf handed a piece of notebook paper with careful block lettering on it to Cole. He read it and then passed the paper to Cain.


    Dear Boss,


    By now deep down people know it¡¯s me. Maybe not everyone, but that will come soon enough when I reveal myself to the world in person. Eleven down, one more to go.


    I¡¯ll take the last one soon, then this bloody and unpleasant mess will be over and the humans will find out what goes bump in the night. I will lead them to freedom. They¡¯ll know I have never been a threat to them, only to that which is unnatural. I will be their savior.


    Be afraid. Your hunting of humans will end, and I will run this world while you starve in caves and crypts, hiding from the sun. The apocalypse the holy books foretold is drawing near.


    I¡¯m excited for the finale. I hope you are, too.


    Yours truly,


    The Cycler


    Cain read the letter a couple more times. Even if they succeeded in killing Jack, even if the crazed lunatic wasn¡¯t able to raise an army to carry out his plans, he¡¯d planted the seed. If the humans accepted what they were seeing, the genie was out of the bottle and there was no memory wipe by vampire or demon that could put it back in again. In a way, it was amazing the secret had been kept so well this long with all the security breaches and the magic users, themselves humans. It was bound to come out eventually.


    He looked up as the sound on the television got louder. The protesters were in greater numbers than before, carrying much of the same signs and a few new ones. They demanded that the vampire and demon and werewolf problem be taken care of, calling for the government to admit they¡¯ve been lying and keeping secrets.


    As far as Cain knew, the human governments had been kept just as much in the dark as every other human, but it was natural to blame those in authority. Several of the protesters wore costumes: vampire fangs, werewolf masks, demon horns. It looked like a cross between a PETA protest, Mardi Gras, and a Halloween party.


    A pretty female newscaster appeared on the screen behind a desk back in the newsroom, her hands clasped in front of her. ¡°Well, Jim, it¡¯s certainly getting heated. This is the most interesting case we¡¯ve had in a long time, though even if he¡¯s not just insane, it¡¯s hard to understand how The Cycler can justify the brutal killing of a child. Certainly that innocent little girl can¡¯t be part of an evil element.¡±


    The correspondent said something unintelligible that got swallowed up by the crowd around him, while the newscaster maintained her practiced look of sad concern. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Jim, you¡¯re breaking up.¡± She looked straight out into the living rooms of the viewers. ¡°And now a look at the polls. We¡¯ve been monitoring nationwide public opinion on this breaking story for the past couple of weeks, and the results of the last poll may startle you. A shocking 56% of Americans believe something supernatural is involved in this case and that The Cycler is telling the truth. 28% believe he¡¯s lying and simply seeking publicity or suffers from mental illness, while the remaining 16% are undecided.¡±


    ¡°What about other countries?¡± Cain asked. ¡°How do they rank in this sort of thing?¡±


    Cole shook his head. ¡°About the same, according to the Internet. We¡¯ll know more tonight at the meeting when Anthony rises and speaks to the other vampire leaders.¡±


    The channel changed again, and this time it was a talk show with three women dressed in colorful robes, sitting on a stage. A fourth woman, dressed more normally in a chic, black pantsuit, held a microphone out to her guests.


    ¡°My coven has been practicing real magic for ninety-three years now. That¡¯s how long we¡¯ve been together as a group.¡±


    The host looked confused. ¡°You mean your family has a line of witches over several generations?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes, that¡¯s true also, but I mean me, my coven¡ªthe three of us and a few other girls and a couple of guys back home. We¡¯ve been together for close to a century now.¡±


    ¡°But, that¡¯s not possible.¡± The microphone shook the barest amount.


    ¡°Anything is possible.¡± The witch held out her hand palm up, and a ball of fire appeared, much like what Cain created.


    The host leaped back, looking terrified, while the cameras panned the audience for a reaction shot.


    ¡°Why would they do this? It could backfire on them,¡± Cain said.


    Cole shrugged. ¡°That episode aired two hours ago, they¡¯re re-showing it. The women say they need to come out of the broom closet and that that they don¡¯t know what The Cycler killed, but it may not even be human. It¡¯s been outed as a hoax, though. The network is claiming it was special effects. No one can find the witches again for comments. My guess is someone at the network was threatened by something big and scary and that the witches who talked were killed. I don¡¯t have any evidence of that, of course, but it looked pretty real to me, what do you think?¡±


    Cain nodded slowly. ¡°Oh yes, there is no way that was special effects. The way the fire rises out of the palm is exactly how I do it. And why would anybody make a hoax like that over something so serious?¡±


    The demon paced. He was glad technology didn¡¯t work in his dimension. The last thing he wanted was to be glued to a TV twenty-four-seven, watching latest developments, or watching the old ones replay on a loop.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s it. It doesn¡¯t matter how much damage control is done. People have got minds of their own. We can¡¯t box this back up,¡± Cole said.


    ¡°Maybe we can,¡± Jane said. She¡¯d been quiet since they got back. ¡°If demons and vamps are sent to all major influencers to backpedal on all this... If those influencers believe what they¡¯re saying...¡±


    ¡°All it can do is slow things down. Not everybody will believe whatever story we feed them,¡± the demon said. While it was true that thrall would work on those it was used against, there was no way to create mass thrall. If there were, he¡¯d know about it. The best they could hope for was to control the gatekeepers of the message and hope enough of the population fell in line behind it.


    ¡°A slowdown is better than nothing,¡± Jane reasoned. ¡°This shit is going to get ugly, and we all know it.¡±


    With or without Jack getting to Tam, he was strong enough to lead an army. And he¡¯d gotten the world¡¯s attention. Tam¡¯s power would be the cherry on his sundae.


    Cain sighed. ¡°Go to the penthouse and wake Charlee, if she¡¯s not already up with the baby. See if she can get the vamps in the dark part of the world to get going on this. I¡¯ll get some of my demons working in places where it¡¯s light out. Our numbers aren¡¯t as many, but we may be able to put a cap on it, at least until the meeting tonight.¡±


    Cole nodded. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± But Cain wasn¡¯t thinking about information damage control. He was thinking about Tam and how everything was escalating too fast. Either Jack had abandoned full moons altogether, or he¡¯d pushed up his date. It meant less than a week before he¡¯d make his move.


    Cain left without another word. In the demon dimension, some were in, but most were out feeding. It was a lull, if there was such a thing in his world. He gathered as many of his kind together as he could and issued orders, telling them to bring any other demons they stumbled upon, or whose whereabouts they knew, into the plan. Then he headed straight for Tam¡¯s tent.


    He was startled to find Anna there, giving him a look like she knew more than he wanted her to know.


    ¡°I thought you¡¯d be gone most of the day,¡± Tam said. ¡°It sounded like some big mission.¡±


    ¡°It is. It¡¯s underway,¡± he said. He turned to Luc¡¯s mate, who hovered protectively near Tam as if she could do anything to help or harm anybody in her noncorporeal form. ¡°Get out,¡± he barked. ¡°I need to speak with Tam alone. Go find your mate, we need him.¡±


    Anna looked like she was going to argue, but in the end she just gave him a dirty look and left, too scared to defy him, especially without her mate lurking protectively nearby. Smart girl.


    ¡°Come with me,¡± Cain said when Anna was gone.


    ¡°What for?¡± Tam looked wary, which was good, since she wasn¡¯t going to like what he was about to do.


    ¡°We need to keep you safe. I¡¯m putting you in the caves.¡±


    She took a step back. ¡°What do you mean putting me in the caves?¡±


    ¡°You know what I mean.¡±


    ¡°Over my dead body,¡± she said, flicking her wrist so an energy ball appeared.


    She could be so exasperating.


    ¡°You¡¯re too drained to fight me. It¡¯s for your own safety just until we destroy him.¡±


    ¡°That could be weeks or months or never. You can¡¯t lock me in there without any food or water. I¡¯ll die.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t die.¡±


    He knew exactly what she meant. She wouldn¡¯t be gone, but she¡¯d start a new cycle. He didn¡¯t find that particularly appealing, but maybe it was a good thing. If she started a new cycle, he could bring himself to kick her out of his dimension more easily when this was all over.


    ¡°I¡¯ll bring you food and water,¡± he said. ¡°I won¡¯t leave you in there long.¡±


    She threw an energy ball, but he was ready for it. He¡¯d already gone noncorporeal, knowing she¡¯d fight him on this. She was still drained from earlier when he¡¯d taken too much, her magical recovery time slower. He rushed her, going solid and grabbing her arms again before she could form another ball of magic.


    ¡°You will not win this,¡± he growled. He scooped her up and carried her out of the tent.


    She kicked and screamed, flailing about, trying to squirm out of his arms. Halfway to the caves she started chanting. He wasn¡¯t picking up all of it but whatever it was, it was nasty. Or it would have been if not for the ring. The magic bounced off him and dispersed into the night, going off like fireworks in the black sky.


    He flipped her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and smacked her on the ass.


    ¡°Oww! You cretin.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t do that again,¡± he said. ¡°Did you forget about the ring?¡± He was happier than ever he¡¯d thought to have that made. Otherwise, there was no telling what she would have done to him, assuming she had enough energy reserves to do anything right now. It was hard to know. Desperation and adrenaline were funny things in humans.


    ¡°If you do this, I¡¯ll never forgive you. I¡¯ll fucking hate you forever,¡± she screamed, still kicking and now pummeling him in the back with her ineffective little fists.


    ¡°What do I care?¡± But he did care. That was the problem. He cared too much about everything. How she felt. Whether she lived or died. He wanted to blame the blood they¡¯d exchanged, and maybe it was partly that, but he¡¯d initiated it. It had come from his possessive nature. She was just his. It wasn¡¯t an idea she was likely to ever warm up to, so initiating another conversation about it seemed pointless.


    She stopped hitting him, but it was only the calm before the storm. She jerked her head up and bit his ear, drawing blood. He couldn¡¯t go noncorporeal again without dropping her and giving her a chance to run, and he was not in the mood for a chase.


    ¡°Damnit, Tam.¡± He flung her down on the ground. ¡°Our blood is already mixed, why don¡¯t you make it worse?¡±


    She glared up at him. ¡°You¡¯re not locking me in the caves,¡± she hissed. ¡°I swear, if you do, you will live to regret it. That ring won¡¯t protect you forever. You think I don¡¯t hold a grudge? You think I won¡¯t make it my life¡¯s mission to destroy you?¡±


    Hmmm, she had a point there. ¡°I¡¯m trying to keep you safe, like I promised everybody I would.¡±


    The witch stood, brushing the sand off her pants, then she broke off into a run toward town. Cain put on full speed and ran her down, knocking her in the sand. She struggled to roll over to fight him, and her fingernails caught him in the side of the face. She was one of the dirtiest little fighters he¡¯d ever encountered, not that many women had the good sense to fight him.


    ¡°What about your promise to me? Your promises are worth shit, Cain. Just take me out. Do it now, so we don¡¯t have to go through this. You¡¯re scared he¡¯ll get to me. You know he will. Just take me out of the equation. It¡¯s that simple.¡±


    ¡°You think I want to sleep with you right now? After all this with you biting and clawing?¡± He eased off her, ready to throw her back down if she tried to move again, but all she did was peel her shirt off and unhook her bra.


    Her voice turned soft and seductive. ¡°I don¡¯t know, Cain. Do you?¡±


    She was unbelievable and infuriating. He¡¯d just snap her neck but it wouldn¡¯t actually kill her. She was tempting, lying there half naked and flushed in the sand.


    ¡°If I didn¡¯t know better I¡¯d say you liked fucking me.¡±

 Page 21

    She laughed. ¡°Of course I like it. Did you not hear all those times I screamed your name?¡±


    He covered her body with his, his mouth finding her throat, and then he bit down. Hard. She shrieked, not expecting that. He wasn¡¯t going to think about what he was doing or why he just had to mix their blood and make sure it stuck. An internal monologue had started, insisting he mark her in a real way. He didn¡¯t have a knife handy, but he was pretty sure this would work.Advertisement


    He bit into his own wrist and pressed it against her neck, both to blend more of their blood together and to heal the damage he¡¯d caused.


    She scrambled away when he released her, her hand going protectively to her throat. ¡°What the hell was that?¡±


    ¡°You. Are. Mine. Now you¡¯re going to the caves where you¡¯ll be safe, and I don¡¯t want to hear another word about it.¡±


    She was nearly wiped, but she managed to create another energy ball. Without hesitation, a fireball flared to life in Cain¡¯s hand. He threw it to disarm her. It burnt her arm and knocked her back in the sand.


    When she was down, he picked her up to carry her the rest of the way to the caves.


    There were tears in her voice when she spoke. ¡°I hate you. I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re doing this, but I hate you.¡±


    It didn¡¯t matter what she felt now, some part of him had decided he wasn¡¯t letting her go. She¡¯d get over it. There would be plenty of time to sort out their issues if he could keep her away from The Cycler.


    When they got to the caves and he¡¯d opened a pod in the wall, she made one last attempt to sway him.


    ¡°Please, Cain. You don¡¯t have to do this.¡±


    He ignored the pain that had started in the center of his chest, right around the region where his heart was supposed to be but probably wasn¡¯t. He shoved her in and tossed her shirt at her, then he sealed the pod.


    The demon started to walk away, but the sound of creaking rock stopped him. He turned back, shocked to find her standing there with her hands on her hips, so much anger simmering in her eyes, he thought they might glow red with fire of their own.


    ¡°It appears the cave¡¯s magic is incompatible with mine. I¡¯m not a demon or part demon, so I guess it can¡¯t hold me. I never want to see you again.¡±


    He should have turned back around and walked out. He had work to do before the meeting. There were too many humans in power out there who knew too much. Damage control had to be done. He didn¡¯t have time for this. But instead, he strode toward the witch and pulled her toward him, his mouth finding hers.


    She resisted at first, but soon enough, she was kissing back, moaning against his lips, her hand sliding down his pants. Sexual heat rose off her without thrall, without him doing anything preternatural to elicit it. He broke away from her mouth and whispered in her ear.


    ¡°You want to see me every day for the rest of your life, and you know it. You want me to fuck you like a bitch in heat, and if you say anything different, we¡¯ll both know it¡¯s a lie. Now go back to your tent and stay there. No wandering until we get this situation under control.¡±


    He turned and left the cave, one of her energy balls hitting him in the back on the way out.


    Chapter Twelve


    Hadrian stood by the pool on the roof of Anthony¡¯s penthouse. Jack was waiting for him in the forest near the portal point into the demon dimension. They¡¯d discovered it while tracking the werewolf pack alpha. The sun had set less than an hour ago, but it wasn¡¯t quite time for the meeting. Would it look suspicious being up here this early? He adjusted the Roman collar on his clerics.


    The metal door slammed against the brick. Anthony¡¯s dress shoes clicked over the concrete as he reached the conference table. Why he preferred open air meetings, Hadrian had never bothered asking. It seemed strange for a man who otherwise seemed so intense about security.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Charlee?¡± he found himself asking. He didn¡¯t care where Anthony¡¯s mate was, but making small talk would make him look less nefarious.


    ¡°She¡¯s in her room, taking care of the baby.¡±


    The vampire king seemed tense. For a moment Hadrian wondered if just taking out the infant would end the police state¡ªeven though the idea made him recoil. That child had done nothing wrong, no matter who her father was.


    There was no way to anticipate what was going on with vampires in other countries¡ªhow tight the control was¡ªbut in the U.S., more magical barriers had started cropping up to keep therians in pens like cattle. Vampires could pass freely¡ªfor now¡ªbut they were under Anthony¡¯s thumb in other ways, and Hadrian feared that by the end, the vampires would be cattle to the vampire king as well. He¡¯d seen the plans for the vampire barriers in Anthony¡¯s vault.


    Killing the baby wouldn¡¯t change things¡ªnot now with Jack involved. There was no turning back, and Hadrian was determined to see this through.


    ¡°How is she?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Charlotte or the baby?¡±


    ¡°The baby.¡±


    The vampire king shrugged. ¡°She¡¯s as to be expected. Weak. Needs a lot of blood. Sleeps all the time. She¡¯ll have to be protected. Always. Kept out of the sun. Kept away from anything stronger than a human female that might wish to hurt her. She¡¯s got her mother¡¯s physical strength and all of a vampire¡¯s weaknesses. That¡¯s how these things work. I don¡¯t know how long she¡¯ll live. I don¡¯t recall an abomination being allowed to live long enough to find out. She could be effectively immortal, or she could have a human life span. Is it wrong that I¡¯m hoping for the latter? I can¡¯t imagine the stress of worrying about her for centuries.¡±


    Hadrian shrugged. ¡°I really wouldn¡¯t know, sir.¡±


    It was clear the vampire king didn¡¯t see his daughter as an abomination, even though he¡¯d used the word. He was prepared to protect his offspring, even if it was against every vampire instinct to let something weak and frail live. But then, Anthony had always had that weakness. He¡¯d been a king mated with a human female.


    Taking humans was still frowned upon. They weren¡¯t considered equals. And yet, Charlee had held her own most of the time. Though many of the vampires who followed her orders probably would have slaughtered her in a heartbeat if not for fear of Anthony¡¯s wrath.


    The two of them stood awkwardly, having exhausted all conversational topics that wouldn¡¯t reveal Hadrian¡¯s contempt for Anthony¡¯s policies. At least the vampire hadn¡¯t pulled out a wallet full of baby photos with cute little fangs popping out of its gums. Vampires couldn¡¯t reproduce like this with other vampires. And there was a reason. It was freakish and disturbing.


    Thankfully they were interrupted by the metal door clanging against the brick. Cole. Hadrian tried not to look anxious. The portal charm was on the werewolf.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Jane?¡± Anthony asked, looking up from the projector. He¡¯d most likely been briefed by guardians on what had been happening while he¡¯d slept. It would be a big meeting tonight with a new death and a greater pressure to come up with ideas on ways to find The Cycler.


    The kill site was different each time. Jack would tease and taunt them, but he¡¯d never give them a chance to find him until he was ready to bring the fight to them.


    The werewolf grunted. ¡°She¡¯s out doing Cain¡¯s bidding.¡±


    Anthony arched a brow. ¡°Oh?¡±


    Cole flung his jacket over a chair, causing the leather cord from the portal charm to spill out of the pocket. Hadrian¡¯s eyes flicked to it for a moment, but he quickly made his face go bland, pretending to be interested in what Cole and Anthony were discussing, trying to look like it was all news to him.


    ¡°Cain is trying to do as much damage control as possible. They¡¯ve been at it all day. Politicians, people with power, news media. The demons have been covering all locations where the sun was out. Vampires hit the parts of the world where it was night. The people have seen what they¡¯ve seen. We can¡¯t stop that, but we can at least set up strong denial and retractions among those in authority to slow it down,¡± Cole said.


    Even if they wanted to, vampires couldn¡¯t go about during the day. The sun being up nearly killed them, slowing their respiration to almost nothing. It was the moon that resurrected them again. It was a law they couldn¡¯t breech. The best they could do was go underground, or black out their windows and lock their doors and hope no one suspected what they were. More than most preternaturals, vampires were always vulnerable to the truth coming out.


    ¡°Have you seen any of the news since you rose?¡± Cole asked.


    ¡°No, I was being briefed for the meeting,¡± Anthony said.


    ¡°You probably should.¡±


    The vampire king followed the werewolf back inside the penthouse. He turned at the door. ¡°Hadrian, are you coming?¡±


    ¡°In a moment. I want to read the new letter if you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    The transparency was already up and ready. Anthony shrugged and went inside.


    Hadrian couldn¡¯t have planned this better. He couldn¡¯t have planned it at all. Cole showing up early, being left with his coat. He thought he¡¯d have to pull off a bump and grab like the pickpockets he¡¯d so often fed from in the alleyways of big cities.


    He took the portal charm and slipped it into his pocket, then stood on the ledge and looked down onto the small alley between the apartments and the next building over. The next building was only four stories, instead of six. As a vampire he could make a four story jump without much trouble. He leaped to the neighboring building, then jumped down into the alley from there.


    When Hadrian reached the portal point in the Cary Town forest, Jack was waiting. He¡¯d created a circle with salt, and lit candles. Incense burned in a censor, and he had a dish with an unidentified herb crushed in it.


    ¡°Did you bring it?¡±


    Hadrian passed the portal charm to the sorcerer. Jack¡¯s eyes lit as he looked at the circular golden object with runic markings and a dial.


    ¡°Let¡¯s find out your secrets, shall we?¡± He placed the charm on the ground inside the circle and sprinkled it with the herbs in the dish while chanting: ¡°Revelare tuum secreta. Revelare tuum secreta. Revelare tuum secreta...¡±


    A pure white smoke rose out of the herbs, swirling into runic markings, forming the combination for the charm. The sorcerer stared at it for a few moments, memorizing the symbols and the order they came in, then he brought down the circle and blew out the candles.


    Hadrian stayed out of the way as Jack turned the dial on the disc to the correct combination and a shimmery film appeared¡ªthe doorway into the demon dimension.


    Jack tossed the charm to Hadrian, not having any pockets for it himself. ¡°Are you coming? I need you to persuade her out. It¡¯s less fuss that way, if she¡¯ll fall for it. Who knows with her?¡±


    Hadrian hadn¡¯t looked forward to seeing Tamara again¡ªnot under these circumstances. It wasn¡¯t as if the vampire had started with the intent to betray her. He¡¯d been curious and searched for another cycler until he¡¯d stumbled upon Jack in the seventies. The Cycler had been on a break from hunting, but his interest had renewed upon hearing of Hadrian¡¯s encounter with Tam.


    The vamp had known from the beginning the man was crazy, but now, well... they wanted the same things. At least temporarily. They both wanted Anthony out of power. Their similarities in goal ended there, but for now it was enough.


    He stepped through the portal after Jack, into a dimension that felt like a past he wasn¡¯t old enough to remember. Jack stayed a distance away, keeping an eye out for Tam while Hadrian poked his head in tents and wandered. A few demons milled about, but most of them seemed involved in their own activities, wrapped up in the humans they¡¯d brought back with them. One of them stopped.


    ¡°What is your business here?¡± the demon asked, suspicion in his eyes.


    Hadrian looked around him, but Jack had slipped between a couple of tents out of view. The vampire pulled out the portal charm. ¡°Cain sent me. I need to speak with Tam. It¡¯s of an urgent matter regarding the investigation.¡±


    The demon made a face at the mention of the blonde witch. ¡°She¡¯s one street over, about halfway down, in a purple tent with two demon guards outside. You can¡¯t miss it.¡± He turned and went off in the other direction.


    The vampire wasn¡¯t sure if Jack had heard all of that, but he followed the directions to the tent. He had to go through the same explanation with the guards to let him pass.


    Tam looked up, startled, when he entered.


    ¡°Do you remember me?¡±


    ¡°Of course I do. You still wear the same clothes,¡± she said. ¡°I may be old, but my memory isn¡¯t shot.¡±


    Hadrian chuckled. It was regrettable that this woman had to be in the middle of all this. He¡¯d promised to keep her secret, and now he was working directly with the man she¡¯d been running from, the one she¡¯d thrown herself at Hadrian¡¯s fangs once to avoid. He just hadn¡¯t been old enough or strong enough to kill her for good.


    ¡°Why are you working for him? I don¡¯t understand why you¡¯d betray me this way. What have I done to you?¡± The calmly spoken words caught him off guard.


    So much for convincing her and luring her away. Still, he made an attempt at a lie. ¡°Cain needs you.¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°No. He would have come for me himself. He never would have sent someone, and he wouldn¡¯t want me to leave the dimension. He was insistent about that point. Your face lies. Even without using magic I can see your guilt. Do you think I¡¯ve existed this long while being repeatedly duped by those with bad intentions? Tell me why. I deserve that much.¡±


    But he couldn¡¯t tell her. All he could do was yell for backup. ¡°Jack!¡±


    She tossed an energy ball at him. Hadrian dodged it. He heard Jack outside the tent, chanting, no doubt incapacitating her demon guards. Tam raised her arms and started her own chant. ¡°Jack!¡± Hadrian shouted, not sure what the witch was about to do to him, but not wanting to find out.

 Page 22

    ¡°Bite her!¡± Jack yelled from outside.


    Hadrian rushed her, going for her throat, but a field of some kind forced him back.Advertisement


    The witch looked shocked like she hadn¡¯t expected that. Her hand went to her throat, but not the side he¡¯d tried to bite. The other side. Before he could figure out what was going on, Jack entered the tent.


    Tam began to hyperventilate, but managed to push past her fear to conjure an energy ball.


    ¡°Come now, Tam. You know that¡¯s not going to hurt me. It¡¯ll only piss me off. You know how strong I¡¯ve gotten over the years¡ªwe¡¯ve had our little meetings. I could have killed you at any one of them. I could kill you right now.¡±


    ¡°So do it, then. I¡¯m not afraid of death.¡±


    He chuckled and looked around him at her surroundings. ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t appear that you are. But you know my purposes can¡¯t be served that way. Go open the portal, Hadrian, the one we talked about. I¡¯ll be right behind you with the girl.¡±


    Hadrian, not wanting to be more involved than he had to be, left to carry out the order. The vampire walked at a normal pace, trying not to draw attention to himself, until he reached the portal point Jack had found during his dream connection with the witch.


    As soon as Jack was through the portal, Hadrian would go back to his resting place. It might be daylight where The Cycler was going, and even if it wasn¡¯t, he didn¡¯t trust the guy. When the sun rose and he was helpless, his usefulness was over.


    Jack finally showed up, the girl slung over his shoulder.


    ¡°What did you do?¡± Although Tamara had been scared and was no match for Jack, who¡¯d been collecting powers and additional strength with each kill for centuries, he¡¯d still managed to incapacitate her much faster than the vampire would have bet on.


    ¡°I punched her. You didn¡¯t think I¡¯d waste magic did you? First rule of magic users, Hadrian: at the end of the day, we¡¯re still humans with human frailties. Why waste magic when you can just knock one out? Why do you think I told you to bite her?¡±


    ¡°About that¡­¡± the vampire didn¡¯t know what to make of bouncing off her like that. Whatever she¡¯d done, it hadn¡¯t affected Jack.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t tell me a boring story right now,¡± The Cycler said. ¡°I¡¯m tired, and we¡¯ve got what we came for. Let¡¯s go before our luck runs out.¡±


    Hadrian turned the disc on the charm to the runic combination that had appeared in the smoke earlier. The doorway opened, and Jack passed through with Tam. The vampire backed away and the shimmery film closed, leaving Hadrian safe with the portal charm that would take him back home.


    Chapter Thirteen


    Cain was running late for the meeting. He¡¯d stopped to feed¡ªanything to take his mind off the absolute possession he felt toward the blonde witch in his dimension. Was this what Luc had felt with Anna? If so, he finally understood why all his warnings against it had meant nothing. This time, when he fed, he hadn¡¯t been able to kill the woman.


    He couldn¡¯t stop seeing Tam¡¯s face and couldn¡¯t stop thinking about how disappointed she¡¯d be in him and how much she¡¯d equate him with Jack if he took another innocent life.


    When he reached the penthouse, Anthony and several of the others were already on the roof, but they were still waiting for Dayne and Greta and the vampire-priest guy. What was his name?


    As Cain reached the table, Cole said, ¡°I still don¡¯t like it.¡±


    Anthony rolled his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sure Hadrian went hunting. He knows what time the meeting is. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be back soon.¡±


    Hadrian. That was his name.


    Charlee came up to the roof then with a small bundle all swaddled up. Anthony kissed his mate¡¯s forehead when she reached him.


    ¡°You look tired,¡± he said.


    The human shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s hard for me to sleep during the days. She just goes... dead. Do you know how terrifying that is for me?¡±


    ¡°Hush, now. It¡¯s normal. It¡¯s what happens to all vampires. She can¡¯t stay up during the day. It¡¯s just the sun. When the sun sets she always wakes up.¡±


    ¡°But what if she doesn¡¯t? Watching your baby in her crib barely breathing is unsettling. Haven¡¯t you heard of SIDS?¡±


    He wrapped her in his arms and held her for a moment. ¡°You¡¯re going to have to try to sleep today. You can¡¯t keep going on like this. Sit.¡± He pulled out a chair for her.


    As she settled into it, the metal door clanged against the brick wall and everybody¡¯s head turned to it. The baby started crying. Charlee glared, trying to settle her back down.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Greta said when they reached the table. She was so out of breath and flustered, her words came out in broken stutters and pants. ¡°D-Dayne¡¯s been working on spells to figure out something that was taken from our memories. I-it¡¯s Hadrian. He¡¯s working with Jack. W-we did a spell on one of the victim¡¯s blood and we saw him, but Hadrian took our memories, mine with a spell he forced Dayne to make, and Dayne¡¯s with thrall.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not possible,¡± Anthony said.


    ¡°Wake up,¡± Dayne said, reaching Greta¡¯s side. ¡°He¡¯s a traitor.¡±


    ¡°Why would he want our secrets revealed?¡±


    Cole growled. ¡°Maybe he doesn¡¯t like what a control freak you are.¡±


    Anthony¡¯s eyes glowed red. ¡°Like The Cycler is any better?! Does nobody care that I want to keep us all safe?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± They all yelled in unison.


    ¡°Please stop yelling, you¡¯re upsetting the baby,¡± Charlee said.


    Their voices drifted past Cain as a dead calm came over him. ¡°Everybody shut the hell up. When was the last time anybody saw him?¡±


    ¡°Before the meeting,¡± Cole said. ¡°We were up here talking. Anthony and I went inside to watch the newscasts he slept through. Hadrian said he¡¯d be right behind us, but never came.¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s your portal charm?¡±


    ¡°In my coat over there.¡± Cole¡¯s face turned white. ¡°How could I know...?¡±


    ¡°Just check for it,¡± Cain said, not in the mood for apologies or denials.


    ¡°It¡¯s gone.¡±


    It was an unnecessary statement. They¡¯d all known it would be gone even before Cole had moved to check his jacket pockets.


    ¡°How long ago did all this happen?¡±


    ¡°An hour or so,¡± the wolf said.


    Jane arrived then along with Luc and Anna, the metal door against brick announcing their arrival. Nobody but Charlee seemed capable of opening that door without banging it against the wall.


    ¡°Well?¡± Cain said, still maintaining the calm. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t care. He had plans to torture the life slowly out of anyone who stood between him and Tam. His calm was due to his certainty that bodies would drop and enemies would suffer.


    ¡°We did damage control as best we could,¡± Jane said with a shrug. ¡°We¡¯ll just have to see how it takes.¡±


    ¡°Go back home and find out if Tam has been taken. If she hasn¡¯t, take her to the caves and guard her there. I¡¯ll be right behind you.¡±


    ¡°I knew you were using her. You don¡¯t give a shit about anything that happens to her,¡± Anna said, mistaking his calm mask for indifference.


    ¡°GO!¡± he said.


    Luc grabbed her arm and steered her toward the exit before Cain lost his temper.


    ¡°Lucien?¡±


    Luc turned. ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°I need heavy duty chains installed in the caves, and the setup we do for a vampire. Can you take care of that for me?¡±


    The other demon nodded. Jane followed them out.


    Cain turned to the sorcerer. ¡°Can you locate the vampire?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I can try.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that will be necessary,¡± Charlee said.


    Cain turned to Anthony¡¯s mate, an eyebrow raised, waiting for an explanation.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t trust anybody. I don¡¯t see why he¡¯d trust The Cycler any more. He¡¯d go to his normal resting place if he could get there. He doesn¡¯t stay with us at the compound. He stays at the Catholic church near the woods. In the basement.¡± She passed the baby to Anthony, who couldn¡¯t quite figure out how he should be holding it, while she wrote down directions for Cain.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be too risky to go there now? After his betrayal?¡± the demon asked.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t know I know,¡± Charlee said.


    Cain took the slip of paper and turned back to the sorcerer. ¡°Try to do that spell, anyway. If he¡¯s not here, I need a backup. Cole, go back to the hive and get another portal charm, I want everyone here to meet up in my dimension in one hour. No later. If Tam has been taken, we have to move on this.¡±


    Anthony cleared his throat. ¡°Excuse me, but I believe I¡¯m in charge.¡±


    Cain rolled his eyes. ¡°You gave up that right when you let a traitor into the ranks. I¡¯ve played along with your king-of-the-hill routine for expediency, and mainly because I really didn¡¯t care that much when we started, but I¡¯m running this show now. Do you have a problem with that? In a couple of days, The Cycler is going to kill her and put his plan in motion to enslave us all. Would you like to run an election to see which one of us should lead, or will you let someone with a little more life experience take over?¡±


    The vampire king growled but backed down. ¡°Fine,¡± he said between clenched teeth.


    Cain didn¡¯t wait for Cole¡¯s agreement. He knew the wolf was on board. After all, Jane was already headed back to the demon dimension. He¡¯d want to get back to his mate as quickly as possible.


    ¡°Oh, and Anthony, I need you to come with me to collect your traitor.¡±


    ¡°Why me?¡±


    The demon shrugged. ¡°You seem to think you¡¯re the biggest badass here, and I can¡¯t get into a church. Besides, I thought you¡¯d want some personal time with the rogue priest, considering he¡¯s made a bigger fool out of you than anyone else.¡±


    The vampire king glared, but finally conceded. ¡°Good point.¡±


    ¡°Just don¡¯t kill him. I have a lot of aggression to get out,¡± Cain said.


    The two of them shared a smile for the first time. Despite their rocky beginnings, Cain could see promise in him, even if he was a half-breed.


    Cain hated that he had to rely on a vampire to get Hadrian out of the church. It was complete bullshit that a vampire was allowed inside, but a demon wasn¡¯t. The tiny sliver of shiny human inside the vampire made him still okay? Still acceptable in the eyes of the man upstairs? Cain snorted in disgust. Anthony was every bit as evil as he was. Probably more.


    ¡°Have something you¡¯d like to share with the class?¡± Anthony asked.


    ¡°Just go get him.¡±


    The vampire shrugged and went inside. Cain stood by the door, hating that he couldn¡¯t go in there and kick an ass yet. There was a chance Anthony could end up on the wrong end of the stake, then what? Or Hadrian could. Then they were out the one informant that could possibly help them find Tam before it was too late.


    He felt the stirrings of an emotion he hadn¡¯t felt in awhile. Guilt. What if she hadn¡¯t been taken yet? What if she was fighting for her life, and here he was staking out the vampire priest¡¯s church like an imbecile?


    Twenty minutes later, Anthony had an unconscious Hadrian in his arms. ¡°He won¡¯t stay out for long.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t need long.¡± The portal point was only a few blocks away.


    Cain stood over Hadrian, his anger and fear for Tam simmering underneath a mask of calm indifference. But he wouldn¡¯t show any of that to his captive. On the surface he would be cold, empty. He had to maintain control for Tam¡¯s sake.


    The vampire priest slumped in a set of chains, still unconscious. The demon looked over at the table filled with instruments of torture. Something inside him jumped with glee over the idea of having not only a half-breed, but a former holy man in shackles. It¡¯s not about that. Remember why you¡¯re here.


    Hadrian opened his eyes slowly, swaying a little as his feet sunk into sand. His gaze darted around the cave, the smallest hint of fear in his expression when he saw the demon. He tugged at the chains, but they held strong. Luc had done a good job installing them.


    ¡°It¡¯s about time you rejoined us. I¡¯ve got some good news and bad news. Unfortunately, it¡¯s the same news,¡± Cain said. ¡°Here in the demon dimension, you can¡¯t go dead for the day. So if you thought you just had to hold out a few hours before you got a break from me, sorry to disappoint.¡±


    He felt the demonic fire burn in his eyes and he rolled right into the only question that mattered. ¡°Where is Tam?¡±


    Hadrian looked at the ground, his jaw set in determination.


    ¡°Hey, I love torturing people. I don¡¯t get to do it enough. You see, most of my time is spent in a pretty woman¡¯s bed seducing the life right out of her. It¡¯s a bit more low key than what I¡¯ve got planned here. You can imagine my excitement over the change of pace. I like to be gentle with the ladies, you see. So I¡¯ll ask again nicely. Where¡¯s Tam?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s with Jack,¡± Hadrian said. It earned him a hard punch in the jaw.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be clever. I¡¯m sure the difficult task of thinking is a strain. You¡¯re obviously not very bright to do what you¡¯ve done.¡± Cain wanted to shred the vampire like paper, peeling strips of skin off one at a time. The vampire would probably survive it. It would be interesting to find out.


    Hadrian looked up. ¡°Oh really? Because what I¡¯ve done is going to end Anthony¡¯s control. Do you know he had plans in place to put up barriers vampires couldn¡¯t cross without permission? Not just therians. And after that, do you think he would have left you and the rest of the demons alone? Anthony likes control. He likes to keep tabs on everybody and have tags and numbers on them so he knows exactly where they are at all times. Excuse me for not wanting to be a lab rat. I thought this vampire gig was supposed to mean freedom.¡±

 Page 23

    ¡°You don¡¯t think Jack would do the same?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think Jack could do the same. I¡¯ve spent a lot of time with him. He¡¯s too crazy to be that organized. That¡¯s the point. I knew he was a nutter the second I met him. Why do you think it¡¯s taken him so long to take out his coven? Do you really think he¡¯s got the mastermind genius to be a threat over the long haul? Anthony is the real threat. The most important thing is to destabilize his control. Even if the cost is the humans finding out.¡±Advertisement


    Cain nodded. If Tam wasn¡¯t involved, he might be on Hadrian¡¯s side. But she was involved. ¡°I don¡¯t disagree about Anthony. Unfortunately, you helped take something that belongs to me and I¡¯m very possessive. Demon occupational hazard.¡±


    The vampire rolled his eyes upward. ¡°Oh my God. You think you¡¯re in love with her. That¡¯s what this big torture sequence is all about. It has nothing to do with being on Anthony¡¯s side or stopping a mad man. You just want the girl.¡±


    It was the wrong thing to say. It was too much truth. The demon ripped the fabric covering Hadrian¡¯s torso, tearing away the Roman collar with it. He smiled at the expanse of bare flesh he was about to destroy. He wondered if the vampire would scar. Time for more cutting and less talking.


    He turned to his table of blades and clamps and spikes and crosses, trying to decide what to use first. It allowed him a moment turned away from the vampire to reign in his emotions and push the firey glow from his eyes. He had to stay cold for this. If he lost control he¡¯d kill the vampire and never get to Tam in time. Finally, when his breathing was back to normal, he chose a thin, sharp blade. Jagged would hurt more, but he had plenty of time to get to that.


    He pressed and dragged the point across Hadrian¡¯s skin, slicing it like a ripened tomato. The skin flayed open, red spilling out. The vampire hissed, but that was far from the worst Cain had.


    ¡°Something I¡¯m interested in,¡± the demon said conversationally, ¡°is what holy water does to a priest turned vampire. I know what it does to a vampire, but perhaps you¡¯re immune. You do still wear your clerics, after all. Surely, living and sleeping in that church, you¡¯ve gotten curious. Maybe dipped a finger in just to see? I know I¡¯m curious, so let¡¯s answer the big question on everybody¡¯s minds.¡±


    Hadrian let out a howl as Cain poured the water into the cut he¡¯d just made. Smoke rose off the vampire, sizzling like an egg frying on pavement.


    ¡°One less mystery of life to unravel,¡± the demon said. ¡°Ready to chat yet?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Hadrian said between gritted teeth. ¡°You may as well just kill me.¡±


    The demon laughed. ¡°As if that¡¯s going to happen. I¡¯ll never kill you. I¡¯ll keep you alive and torture you slowly and painfully until you talk. If you never talk and Tam dies, it¡¯ll turn into vengeance, and you don¡¯t want to see that side of me. Trust me.¡±


    If it came to that, he might even lose interest in feeding, only doing it often enough to survive. Hurting the vampire who¡¯d taken Tam away from him would become his new obsession.


    ¡°For what it¡¯s worth, I didn¡¯t want to hurt Tam. I just wanted to stop Anthony.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s worth nothing,¡± Cain shouted.


    Hadrian shuddered and jerked in the chains as the demon pressed a silver cross against his chest. Part of Cain was disturbed his reaction was so strong to the witch being in trouble, but he shoved it down. The witch was his. That alone was enough to torture the filth who¡¯d taken her.


    Chapter Fourteen


    Tam groaned as she struggled to sit up, her eyes still shut against the light. She felt like she had a hangover. A cup of water was pressed into her hands as another hand stroked through her hair. For the briefest moment, she felt safety as she gulped the water gratefully down¡ªuntil she heard his voice.


    ¡°I thought you might sleep right through the full moon.¡±


    Jack.


    She recoiled from his hand, fighting to keep the water down.


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be that way,¡± he said. ¡°You loved me once.¡±


    ¡°Before you became a psycho,¡± Tam said. The power he¡¯d absorbed from murdering the members of his coven was beginning to take a toll on him. You couldn¡¯t make up crazy like this. His eyes were wild and a little unfocused. Unpredictable. While intellectually she knew she had a couple of days before he killed her, maybe time enough to find a way to escape... with Jack, you just couldn¡¯t know.


    Despite the moon coming and its ritual significance and the kind of power boost it would give him to drain the blood from the last remaining cycler on that night, he could lose his shit and kill her at any time.


    ¡°So this is where it ends?¡± Her voice was hoarse when she spoke. That was the fear coming out. Yes, she¡¯d wanted out, but not like this, not the way Jack was going to do it. Beyond the coming pain of the experience, it twisted her stomach to think he¡¯d done this to her sister.


    She should have known this would be where he¡¯d take her. It was the cavern where the original ritual had been performed. If she¡¯d been hidden anywhere but the demon dimension, Jack would have had to work harder to get her here. Irony was a bitch.


    ¡°It seemed poetic,¡± he said. ¡°What could be more powerful than completing the cycle here? You¡¯ll die in the same place you were reborn. I saved you for last because I thought you¡¯d appreciate that.¡±


    Tam grimaced. ¡°You saved me for last because you¡¯re obsessed with me.¡±


    He chuckled. ¡°Maybe just a little. I¡¯d still give it all up for you. I¡¯m strong enough. When I die, I come back an adult now. With you, I might not be killable at all. Or I might die for only a few minutes at a time. I¡¯m not sure. I¡¯d like to find out, but I¡¯ll keep you around. You just have to say the word. We could rule this place together.¡±


    She sat on a stone altar¡ªa moat had been dug around it in the ground. They were beside the water where they¡¯d found that stupid immortal jellyfish. It had been foolish trying to become gods. They¡¯d thought keeping the same form, remembering everything, would be a blessing, would give them power. But in the end, all it had been was a curse that had slowly eaten away at her sense of what it meant to be human.


    She stood and jumped over the moat. Jack didn¡¯t try to stop her. He just backed out of her way, giving her space to wander.


    ¡°Are you hungry?¡± he asked. ¡°I¡¯ve brought some food for us.¡±


    Tam¡¯s head whipped around, trying to figure out if he was kidding, but he seemed sincere. For the moment, his fantasies of world domination and ultimate power must have taken a backseat to his fantasies of riding off into the sunset. Lucky her.


    ¡°I¡¯ll just go get it,¡± he said.


    Jack disappeared down a dark path that she knew led to the entrance of the cavern. No sense in trying to escape, yet. He¡¯d gone toward the only exit.


    As she paced, she tried to think of how to play it. Could she stomach seducing him after what he¡¯d done to her sister?


    Probably not. But if she could... wouldn¡¯t it buy her an opportunity to get away? He might drop his guard if he was thinking about their future together, instead of eating her internal organs. Such a fine line with him.


    Then what? She was back to running, stuck in this form. But she could get back to Cain. It was odd that should be her thought. Shouldn¡¯t she want free of him? She put her hand against the mark he¡¯d left on her throat with his fangs. It tingled when she touched it.


    She wanted to believe it was just their blood connection that made her feel this way, but she¡¯d felt it before their blood had exchanged, and she still felt like she had a choice¡ªeven now. Being with Cain wasn¡¯t some magical foregone conclusion, and she was sure it was the same from his end. They weren¡¯t drone-like slaves. The mark hadn¡¯t been in effect long enough. And anyway, he¡¯d initiated it.


    She wondered if she¡¯d start getting the dreams Anna had gotten with Luc. Seeing into Cain¡¯s past was a prospect that both intrigued and terrified her, but the bond was still so new, and it hadn¡¯t been done like Anna¡¯s had. Perhaps she wouldn¡¯t dream at all.


    With regards to the demon, she was torn. At times, Cain seemed oddly normal, but then, she knew how that worked, how one hid their age and tried to pick up on the current trends of the times to blend in. If they both dropped the affectations they¡¯d picked up over the centuries, they¡¯d be like a couple of old fossils. Nobody else would understand them. And wasn¡¯t that what she liked about him? That they were like the last two members of a secret club that had found each other long enough to do the secret handshake?


    She was still angry with him for trying to lock her up in the caves. For her protection or not, it was a shitty thing to do. She thought about the tarot spread again. Maybe she was meant for Cain and he for her. It didn¡¯t matter now. It was too late. And no matter what she wanted to be true, she couldn¡¯t decide if he was toying with her or not. As long as he¡¯d been around and resisted settling down, he must have figured out all possible permutations of mind games.


    What he said and what he meant could be opposite things. Even what he did and the intention behind it could be that way. Her experience with Jack had killed her optimism for men. She just didn¡¯t want to be some stupid girl waiting for Cain to ride up full of self-righteous vengeance to sweep her away like a fairy tale. It wasn¡¯t like they had the big epic love. Ninety percent of their time together had been a grudge fuck¡ªor a power struggle, using sex as the weapon they had both learned to wield.


    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡±


    Tam jumped, too lost inside her head to hear Jack¡¯s return. His voice came out soft and needy, like he was still planning a white picket fence and evil babies. Even the idea of seducing him¡ªeven if it would take her back to Cain, and even if Cain wanted her back¡ªmade her skin crawl like little ants.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± she replied. My demon lover seemed like the kind of answer that would get her spleen ripped out in short order. Because no matter how sane and puppy-like he seemed this second, things could shift at any time.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s something.¡± He moved toward her and put a hand on her arm, closing his eyes.


    She tried to pull away, not sure what he was doing, but then she remembered one of the coven¡¯s witches had seen visions when they touched things or people. But it was too late for Tam to stop her thought train or get away from him.


    His expression was closed and cold when he opened his eyes. ¡°I see.¡± The jealousy over no doubt seeing her in the demon¡¯s arms was only barely concealed beneath the surface. ¡°Well, I guess you¡¯ve made your choice. You¡¯ve ripped out my heart, Tam. Do you know that? So I think I¡¯ll eat yours when the moon is right.¡±


    ¡°It meant nothing,¡± Tam said, taking an instinctive step back. The moment she said it, she knew how deep the lie ran. And so did Jack.


    ¡°Save it, you little whore. I knew you¡¯d been with others, but this... a demon? And you think to judge me? At least I¡¯m still human.¡±


    Jack hadn¡¯t been human for a long time.


    She wanted to throw an energy ball at him so badly she could barely contain it, but escalating to that kind of violence with a sorcerer much stronger was too foolish even for her short temper. Instead, she used words.


    ¡°Please tell me you¡¯re kidding. You¡¯ve violently murdered all our friends, the only people who understood who and what we are because they were the same, and you think I¡¯m the bad one for having a little sex, no matter who the partner was?¡±


    Even if she¡¯d thought to play the role of seductress to get out of this mess, and even if Jack wouldn¡¯t be onto her game, she¡¯d lost her stomach for it.


    She didn¡¯t know why she defended her actions. He was treating her like she¡¯d betrayed him, like she¡¯d cheated on him. Apparently her leaving him hadn¡¯t been a strong enough indicator that they¡¯d broken up.


    ¡°You know we¡¯re not a couple,¡± she said.


    ¡°Not now, we aren¡¯t. Until about three minutes ago, I still thought it could work.¡±


    ¡°Then you¡¯re delusional. You killed my sister! You killed nearly all my friends. You thought I was going to roll over and cuddle with you after that?¡±


    Jack rolled his eyes. ¡°Your lover is a killer, too. He¡¯s killed more women than you could count.¡± There was still the note of jealousy in his voice, like he wanted to play some martyr role. Like he was the victim in all this and somehow the good guy.


    ¡°You chose power over me, Jack. You think I don¡¯t know Cain has killed? You think I¡¯m stupid enough to whitewash it? I know what he is, but I also know he¡¯s not human. It¡¯s what he has to do to avoid suffering.¡± The demon couldn¡¯t really die, after all, just starve and suffer indefinitely if he went on a hunger strike. ¡°You had a choice. Besides, Cain hasn¡¯t killed anybody I love.¡±


    She didn¡¯t feel like getting into the grayness of the Anna situation. Since Anna had come back as Luc¡¯s mate, and Tam hadn¡¯t really lost her, and Cain hadn¡¯t had completely evil motivations, she tried to just skirt right around that issue. Either way, it wasn¡¯t like what Jack had done to her sister, or the rest of their coven for that matter.


    Part of her wished Jack would just go ahead and kill her to spare her and get it over with so they wouldn¡¯t have this stupid argument like an old married couple for the next two days. That might be even more painful and annoying than the ritual.


    Cain stepped out of the caves, wiping Hadrian¡¯s blood off his hands. The vampire had lasted longer than he¡¯d expected, nearly a human day. He hadn¡¯t killed him, even though Hadrian had finally given up the information he needed. He wanted to leave him to suffer more. And if Tam didn¡¯t survive, he wanted to start on him again. He tried to shut out that possibility.

 Page 24

    The others were waiting impatiently when he got back into town. Greta had fallen asleep curled up next to Dayne, and a few of the others seemed like they were about to drop as well. About a hundred of his demons were gathered, waiting for word. Among them were Daria and Jackson, several of the demons who had guarded Tam, and some who apparently didn¡¯t think she was all that bad. Either that, or they understood the value of stopping Jack before the world slipped into complete chaos.


    Cain cleared his throat, and a few of those who had been snoozing sat up. ¡°I¡¯m going to need everybody to rest or feed. Whatever you need to do to replenish. The vampire finally gave up Jack¡¯s location as well as other information. I was very persuasive. We¡¯re going in tomorrow night.¡±Advertisement


    ¡°Tomorrow night? Why not now?¡± Anna demanded. ¡°Luc, are you going to let him...¡±


    Luc shook his head at her in warning, and Cain continued, used to the woman¡¯s histrionics by now. ¡°We can¡¯t fight him before tomorrow night. He has to start the ritual. It¡¯ll be his one weak moment when he¡¯s absorbing her power. He¡¯ll be unable to defend himself, and that¡¯s when we¡¯ll all strike.¡±


    He worked to keep his face indifferent. It had become exhausting wearing this mask. Jack might not kill her before the full moon, but he could be doing anything to her in the meantime. It wasn¡¯t hard to imagine what The Cycler might like to do with his former lover. And Cain couldn¡¯t stop him from hurting her. He¡¯d lose the battle and the war if he did. Still, the demon wanted nothing more than to blaze in and rip the bastard¡¯s head off.


    ¡°If he¡¯ll be so weak, why does it take us all?¡± Anthony snarked, not happy with having to play the minion role.


    ¡°Do you want to take any chances? We¡¯re going to go in and annihilate him. I don¡¯t do losing. We have plenty of firepower to bring him down, but it¡¯ll take a lot to kill him. There are only two ways they die for real, by the hand of one of their own, or by a very strong and old preternatural being, using their power. I can throw a bunch of fire at him, but I can¡¯t actually do him in. Do any of you girl demons want to fuck him?¡±


    They all made faces. It was just as well. As strong as The Cycler had become, odds were bad any of his succubi could successfully do it, anyway.


    ¡°So that means I¡¯m going to need demons to throw distractions at him, vampires to drain him, and magic users to block him. He¡¯ll be weaker during the ritual, but he won¡¯t be dead. I don¡¯t want to make the mistake of underestimating him. This whole time he¡¯s led us around on a leash, not worrying we¡¯d catch or stop him. I¡¯m tired of games.¡±


    Anthony looked like he was going to protest again, but instead he sighed and said, ¡°I¡¯ll gather some vamps and my magic users.¡±


    ¡°So you don¡¯t need us?¡± Cole asked.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome to join us,¡± Cain said, ¡°but I don¡¯t need any shifters in this fight. Therians can stay out of this if they like.¡±


    ¡°What about Jane?¡±


    The demon knew Cole wouldn¡¯t stay behind if his girl was fighting, and werewolves might get in the way this time. Jane was young anyway. ¡°She can sit this one out, too.¡±


    ¡°I want you to stay at the penthouse until we get back,¡± Dayne said to his werecat.


    ¡°Fine by me,¡± Greta said. ¡°But be careful. Don¡¯t be on the front lines.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t make promises,¡± the sorcerer said.


    In reality, Cain¡¯s plan was probably overkill, but he was taking no chances when it came to Tam. He¡¯d given up pretending he didn¡¯t have feelings for her. He¡¯d deal with that¡ªor go back to denial¡ªwhen she was safe. He was sure they¡¯d have a screaming match later to make everything feel normal again.


    Chapter Fifteen


    The light from the full moon shined down on Tam through the opening at the top of the cavern. Jack had tied her down and was getting all his carving tools and magical accoutrements ready.


    He looked up at the light pouring in from the opening. ¡°Just like old times.¡± He whistled a jaunty tune as he lined up his knives. ¡°I would say ¡®this won¡¯t hurt a bit,¡¯ but there should be honesty between us in these last moments. Don¡¯t you think, my dear?¡±


    Tam gathered saliva in her mouth and spit on him as he walked past. He just laughed.


    ¡°Nice try. But we¡¯ve made it this long without killing each other, I intend to get the most out of this ritual by doing it right. The moon only needs to move another fraction and we¡¯ll be ready to begin.¡± He was more chipper than she¡¯d seen him since he¡¯d taken her. For the most part up until this point, he¡¯d kept her well fed, keeping her in a cage while she slept, but mostly he¡¯d just watched her with disgust and glared¡ªstill not over the demon lover thing.


    She¡¯d hoped she¡¯d dream about Cain, but no dreams had come. Did that mean they weren¡¯t meant to be? Maybe it hadn¡¯t been long enough since he¡¯d done it. Maybe her shields were blocking it. Maybe he¡¯d done it wrong and they really had no true bond. She didn¡¯t know why it mattered so much to her, but she hadn¡¯t dreamed at all. There had been no respite while with Jack. Maybe he was keeping Cain¡¯s dreams away from her out of his own jealousy.


    Would dreams have been better or worse? Was there a softer side of Cain she could have seen? Hadn¡¯t she started to see it already?


    She cringed as Jack put a hand on her arm. ¡°Stay with me, Tam. No thinking about your boyfriend. He¡¯s a demon. He doesn¡¯t care what happens to you. Here¡¯s how it will go. I¡¯ll make a few small incisions so we can get a good blood drain going, then I¡¯ll start the chant. Once I¡¯ve absorbed all the magic I can, I get to start carving and eat something. You¡¯ll probably be alive for at least part of that. Sorry. It¡¯s just how these things must go, I¡¯m afraid.¡±


    He didn¡¯t look the least bit sorry.


    She winced as he took a small knife and started to make little cuts down her arms, legs, and torso. This was really happening. A part of her hadn¡¯t believed it would. Somehow, something or someone would stop it. Another burst of anger surged through her at Cain for letting this happen¡ªfor not killing her when he had the chance.


    Once the blood started flowing, Jack raised his arms. His voice echoed off the cavern walls, drowning out the falling water nearby as he chanted. The chant was complicated and long, and at the rate she was losing blood, she wasn¡¯t grasping it all, already starting to feel a bit woozy from blood loss.


    She lurched off the stone as she felt the magical pieces that made her who she was start to detach from her and go to Jack. It was what made her angriest of all.


    ¡°Fuck you!¡± she shouted at him, knowing she couldn¡¯t stop him from killing her, but hoping she could at least distract him enough to make his ritual less successful. If he¡¯d had a brain in his head he would have put tape over her mouth for this. But maybe he¡¯d wanted her to whimper and beg. Maybe he¡¯d wanted to give her one last chance to try to convince him to spare her and run off together. She wouldn¡¯t give him the satisfaction of either outcome.


    Loud footsteps came through the cavern, and hope blossomed inside her. She turned her head toward the opening to see Cain. He looked angry when he saw her, so angry even she would have feared him.


    ¡°Jack!¡± the demon growled.


    The growl threw Jack off the tiniest bit in his chanting, but then he went back to it. When he finished, he sneered. ¡°It¡¯s too late to save her. I win.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll see.¡±


    Tam¡¯s eyes widened as demons fanned out around the perimeter, throwing fireballs in Jack¡¯s direction. He deflected them easily with his magic, and then put up a barrier to protect himself from the fire. Her heart sank. If this was all they had... But the demons kept throwing the fire, lighting up the inside of the cavern like fireworks until the barrier began to weaken. Next, a group of vampires came in and swarmed on the distracted Jack, fangs piercing all exposed expanses of flesh and ripping clothing away to expose more.


    The demons stood back and let them feed, weakening him, though Tam wasn¡¯t sure if any of them were old enough to kill him. She might be able to, since she was a cycler, but given her weakened state, that seemed unlikely.


    Magic users filed in next. A dark-haired man came near her to start his group chant while other magic users were distributing appropriate herbs. ¡°You¡¯re going to love what I¡¯ve come up with for you,¡± he said to Tam with a wink. ¡°Just watch Jack, and listen to me. You¡¯ll know what to do... if you aren¡¯t too rusty on your Latin.¡±


    She knew he was trying to draw a smile out of her, but she was too weak to smile. If they planned for her to help, that wasn¡¯t a great plan. Cain reached her side then, working to cut through the ropes that held her down. He took the knife Jack had been using to cut the center of his palm, using his blood to heal the wounds The Cycler had left on her.


    ¡°It¡¯s too late,¡± she said, ¡°It won¡¯t do any good. I¡¯m going to die¡ªthis time for real. I can feel it. This time it¡¯s different.¡± It seemed so unfair.


    ¡°We¡¯ll talk about it in a minute, after you kill Jack,¡± Cain said.


    He was talking crazy, but she listened to the magic user¡¯s chant and watched Jack anyway. His shirt had been ripped away in the vampire feeding frenzy, and his chest was exposed to the moonlight. As she listened to the words, and watched what happened to Jack¡¯s chest, the way it seemed to ripple and be made of something that could easily be penetrated, she knew exactly what they wanted her to do.


    Whether they needed her to kill him for good or not, she couldn¡¯t be sure, but she knew Cain got her well enough to know she didn¡¯t want to be rescued like some fair maiden. She wanted to be the one to kill the bastard that had terrorized her for centuries and taken her sister¡¯s life.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± she said, as he helped her up off the stone altar.


    ¡°You can thank me later. Do your job now.¡±


    When they reached Jack, he was screaming profanity. Tam¡¯s hand sank right through him¡ªthe flesh and bone having softened like Jell-o. The muscle throbbed in her head as she took his still-beating heart from his chest. When she¡¯d done it, the vamps stopped feeding, and a single moment that spanned eternity passed as Jack realized what she¡¯d just done, how she¡¯d finally ended him. Her former love for him, her current hatred¡ªit all blended together in the weakening pulse, everything good and bad inside him dying at once.


    ¡°Now I¡¯ve ripped your heart out. Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t eat it.¡±


    He dropped to the ground, then his heart turned black and desiccated, turning to dust in her hand. His body soon followed suit, proving once and for all that he¡¯d become something other than human.


    ¡°That¡¯s good enough for me. He¡¯s gone,¡± Cain said.


    Tam felt her legs go as she dropped to the ground. At first she feared killing Jack had somehow killed her, too, but it was just the natural course of the death he¡¯d already started in her. Jack got the last laugh after all. She fought to keep her eyes open, hearing Cain¡¯s command for everyone to leave him bouncing off the cave. Then they were alone together.


    His fingers threaded in hers. She jumped and opened her eyes when she felt a hard slap on her face. He looked... distraught. Cain? Maybe he did feel something for her after all.


    ¡°I can¡¯t help it. It¡¯s too late. I¡¯m sorry. Another life maybe.¡± It felt like everything inside her was slowing down.


    ¡°Stay with me.¡± He squeezed her hand.


    ¡°I would if I could.¡± And she meant it. She never thought she¡¯d be so upset to leave the demon behind.


    ¡°No. Stay. Be my mate. Please don¡¯t leave me here alone. I don¡¯t want to have to find you, I have you here, now.¡±


    Her brain could barely catch up to what he was saying. Had he said mate? Forever? So much for breaking a cycle. But looking into his eyes, she didn¡¯t ever want to not be looking into them. He carried her back to the stone altar, and took the knife, cutting a slice down the center of each of her palms and each of his. ¡°Just say yes that you¡¯ll give me your soul when I finish. Please, Tam.¡±


    If she hadn¡¯t already been through this with Anna and Luc she would have balked about the whole soul thing, but she knew what it meant and what she¡¯d be giving him. Mixing blood and immortality had consequences. She knew that better than most. And here it was happening again in the same dark cavern, though at least they couldn¡¯t kill each other. This magic was different.


    He shifted into the demon form. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I have to be in this form. Just for the blood ritual. I¡¯ll change back, after.¡± He said it as if he feared she¡¯d reject him if reminded too much of what he was.


    This time the negative emotions pouring out of him didn¡¯t feel oppressive; they felt like his pain. Pain she could fix just by being there and breaking his own cycle. The constant cycle of meaningless feeding and fucking without a real connection. The cycle of endless loneliness without a partner to go through life with.


    He chanted the words over her in his demon language and she felt the magic flare up. If she¡¯d had any doubts about this, they dissipated as the thoughts hurry hurry hurry before it¡¯s too late tore through her mind.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll give you my soul,¡± she said when his chant ended. It was done. She was his. She could feel it. The moment she died, she¡¯d be tied to him forever. For the first time, it felt like relief.


    She used the last bit of strength that she had to say, ¡°So are you finally going to kill me now?¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t be much of a challenge,¡± he said, shifting back to his pretty form. ¡°I should let you just drop on your own for spite.¡±


    She couldn¡¯t even muster a glare or a snarky comeback. It was how she knew she only had a few minutes left.

 Page 25

    ¡°Oh, fine. I promised I¡¯d take you out. I don¡¯t want Jack stealing my thunder.¡±


    ¡°Cain?¡±Advertisement


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°Shift back,¡± she said.


    His eyes widened, not believing what he was hearing. ¡°I can¡¯t feed in the demon form, and you don¡¯t want that. You never have to...¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t feed that way because nobody wants you that way. I do. I love you. Shift back.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure? You don¡¯t have to prove anything to me.¡±


    She rolled her eyes. ¡°Honor a girl¡¯s dying request here.¡±


    He smirked and shifted. She was right, she still wanted him¡ªeven in the scary form. In two seconds flat, he¡¯d managed to get out of his ripped pants. It was the quickest sex they¡¯d ever had. Not angry, not lust-filled, but short and somehow sweet despite the negative emotions that bubbled out of the form. Underneath all that, she could feel him, the man hidden deep within the monster, and she knew her comparisons to Jack had been wrong.


    When he started feeding, it took almost nothing to bring her over. Her spirit ripped from her body and she found herself hovering. Great, she was going to be like the Doublemint Ghosts with Anna now. Her past lives surged into her, the ones she¡¯d lived before she¡¯d been Tamar. It wasn¡¯t a long list but several brief glimpses stopped her.


    ¡°Cain! You¡¯ve killed me before, in like five different lives!¡±


    He shifted back to the pretty form. ¡°Well, shit, Tam. I didn¡¯t know. It was bound to happen. I¡¯ve been around forever. Don¡¯t be angry.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m mad that all those times it was easy, and this one time I actually asked you to do it and we had to go through all this drama to get here.¡±


    He took her hand and pulled her into his arms, making her solid again. ¡°You¡¯re never happy.¡± He kissed her before she could smack him.


    Anna floated in, not on Luc¡¯s arm. ¡°Oh thank God,¡± she said when she reached Tam. ¡°I thought you weren¡¯t going to make it.¡±


    ¡°No, thank Cain,¡± Cain said.


    Anna looked conflicted. ¡°Thank you,¡± she finally said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I said you didn¡¯t care about her. I didn¡¯t know what I was talking about.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re young. You can¡¯t help these things,¡± Cain said.


    ¡°Luc!¡± Anna shouted. Her mate ran in.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Hold my hand so I can hug the friend I almost lost.¡±


    Luc¡¯s eyes widened at the sight of them together. ¡°You took a mate?¡±


    ¡°Why does everybody think I don¡¯t have layers,¡± Cain said, beginning to sound irked.


    Anna grabbed Luc¡¯s hand and hugged Tam. ¡°Welcome to my ghostly world,¡± she said. ¡°Parts of it suck. Parts of it are awesome.¡±


    Tam laughed.


    When they got back to the demon dimension, Cain pulled her away from the others, taking her off to the caves.


    ¡°You know, we can probably just do it wherever we want now,¡± she said.


    ¡°That¡¯s not why I¡¯m bringing you out here.¡±


    Once again, he was holding her hand, taking her out to the caves, only this time she knew it meant something.


    ¡°Are you going to regret doing this?¡± she asked, the slightest bit of insecurity creeping in. The whole thing had sort of happened very suddenly and under duress. For both of them.


    ¡°No,¡± he said, firmly. ¡°I realized before you were dying that I wasn¡¯t just keeping you around for amusement. I like that you aren¡¯t some twenty-year-old, bubble-headed twit. I relate to you. I like that you¡¯re not scared of me.¡± He paused for a second, and she knew he was still moved that she¡¯d asked for the demon form. No other woman in existence would have done that for him. He quickly regained his composure. ¡°And I like that you can kick my ass¡ªor make a valiant attempt, at least. Though that won¡¯t be true for a while because of your change. But I¡¯ll live until you get unruly again.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m queen of the verbal sparring match, you won¡¯t be bored,¡± she promised. ¡°Speaking of queens, does this make me queen of the demons? Oh oh oh! Or queen of the underworld, like Persephone?¡±


    He winced. ¡°Please, those are such human labels. Aren¡¯t we above all that?¡±


    But she was just screwing with him. Though she did sort of love the Persephone and Hades myth. Maybe there had been a clue in there all along.


    Things turned serious when he took her into the caves. Hadrian was chained to a wall, badly beaten and tortured.


    ¡°You did this,¡± she said quietly. For a moment she wondered if she would be the one to regret the mating. The evidence of her mate¡¯s brutality was stark as Hadrian groaned in the shackles. He was healing, but if he was still this messed up as a vampire, it had to have been really bad.


    ¡°I did. And I would do it again. I told you before we got split up that you were mine. Did you really think I wouldn¡¯t move Heaven and Earth to get you back?¡±


    She¡¯d known demons were possessive and that words like mine didn¡¯t spill out of their mouths casually, but she¡¯d been in denial at that point.


    He turned her face toward him, his hand cupping her chin. ¡°Do you regret the mating?¡±


    Tam looked at Hadrian, then back to Cain. ¡°No. I knew what you were when I agreed. I¡¯m not a twenty-year-old, bubble-headed twit,¡± she said, tossing his words back at him.


    He smirked. ¡°Something we can all be grateful for. I bet you were a terror when you were twenty.¡±


    ¡°Every single time.¡±


    He got serious again. ¡°What do you want to do with him?¡±


    Tam sighed. ¡°Just let him go. I¡¯m too old to be that petty.¡±


    He unchained the vampire and offered him a hand to help him stand. ¡°You¡¯ve no doubt made enemies of everyone, especially Anthony. I¡¯d steer clear if I were you. You might also want to change where you sleep for the day. It¡¯s only a matter of time before things escalate in the human world, even with Jack gone.¡±


    The vampire nodded. ¡°I¡¯m sorry it went like this, Tam. Truly. But bad things will happen from Anthony¡¯s control. Jack was evil, but he was a means to an end for me.¡±


    Tam didn¡¯t reply. She didn¡¯t feel like he wanted her to, just that he had to get that said. He¡¯d probably been holding onto it for a while. Father Hadrian left them alone in the caves, and Tam looked over at her mate.


    ¡°Can I still eat food?¡±


    Cain chuckled. ¡°If you like. When you¡¯re not in the ghostly form.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s not really what keeps me going?¡± These, of course, were the questions you typically asked before you gave your soul to a demon, but meh.


    ¡°No. We¡¯re tied together now. I can only feed successfully from you, but you gain strength through it, as well.¡±


    ¡°Neat.¡± She looked down at the sand she couldn¡¯t really stand in. ¡°You know, I¡¯d just love for one century to go by where my life was normal.¡±


    ¡°Good luck with that.¡±


    She turned her palm up and was surprised when she could still form an energy ball, though it was ghostly and wouldn¡¯t do any damage. Someday, though. Cain grabbed her and pulled her to him for a kiss as the glowing purple ball fell from her hand and sizzled in the sand.