Bonds of Fire: The Bellum Sisters 2 (paranormal erotic romance) (10 page)

Both Lyonis and Tyrian stood at the same time, growls forming from their throats. Telal shook his head at both of them.

“What is wrong with you? Surely you're not so addled from these women that you can’t see the truth. Listen, the facts are that we have no idea what Karr did. Some of my sources say they saw him below the rift recruiting demons, other say they saw him above the rift deep in the forests of Europe, nowhere near Chloe or her sisters at the time.”

“Okay we have no idea what he did, so what do we know?” said Tyrian.

Just then the door flew open and in poured the Bellum sisters. Chloe, the eldest, went to stand behind her new mate Tyrian. She laid a gentle hand on his shoulder, which the Commander reached up to touch for a moment. The youngest sister, Lily, flounced to the demon Telal and sat in his lap. The demon looked so shocked that Lyonis burst out laughing.

The sister managed to whisper something into the demon’s ear before his jaw dropped and he literally pushed her off his lap. She dropped to the floor and winked at him before sitting crossed legged in front of him. The demon stood and marched to the corner of the room.

Lyonis frowned when his mate—fine, his future mate—didn’t come near him but sat between her sisters.

“We know that something unusual happened in the forest in Germany,” Lyonis said. He watched his mate as her eyes lit up with...fear.

“Willow, do you know something about this?” She nodded and bit her lip.

“We need to know everything in order to move forward,” Telal said in his rich, strangely accented voice.

“I had just gotten off the train in Germany when I heard something strange, like a deep rumble. It came from the forest behind the train station.”

Lyonis’ gut tightened. She’d been there. She’d seen it and he hadn’t been there to protect her. Anger infused his blood, curled his hands into fists.

“I watched as the trees started swaying and shaking in this one spot. I remember the birds flew away from it and then...” Her eyes were wide, stark as she recalled her tale. Lyonis hated seeing this side of her. Gone was the strong woman capable of outwitting him and in place was a frightened woman in need of help.

“Then I saw this beast, this thing, stand up from the trees. It was huge; it towered over the trees and looked right at me. It-It said my name.”

The sisters gasped and went to her at once, hugging her close. She tried to push them away but eventually gave in and let them hold her even. She sat as stiffly as possible.

“What did it look like?” Telal asked, an odd note in his voice.

“It was dark, black. It looked like it had scales covering its whole body. It was dark outside so I didn’t get the best look at it, and well, after it said my name I hightailed it out of there.” His mate was smart. He still would have been there with her if it weren’t for her antics.

“This is bad,” the demon said simply.

Everyone turned to look at him. Shaking his head, he shrugged. “I have a hypothesis about what’s going on and it’s not good.”

“Tell us,” Willow said. Her strong voice belied the fact that she was gripping each of her sister’s hand tight enough to cut off circulation. Lyonis itched with the need to pull her close and comfort her. Dammit that was his job, not theirs.

“Before Karr was bound in the rift, he had a partner of sorts. It was a
jaheera
demon like Karr. The
jaheera
are big, strong, magically possessed demons; stronger than the
idummi
and more magically powerful than my kind. Her name was Dura, and her power was some of the darkest imaginable.

She drained the souls of other demons, even the
idummi
. The more souls she absorbed, the stronger she became. She thrived off their fear; it fueled her magic. You can imagine how easy a demon like her could gain power through fear...”

Lily clapped her hands together. “I remember reading about that. It was during the Great War that the Atal Warriors finally managed to subdue the great Dura. With the help of some demons, they were able to enclose Dura in a magical shell in a place so deep in the rift, she’d never be freed.”

“Until three foolish sisters—”

“Hey!” Lyonis snapped at the demon.

Willow’s eyes shot to him in surprise. That almost hurt him more than it shocked him. His own mate didn’t think he’d stand up for her? He’d lay his life down for her if it meant saving her. Keeping one rampant demon tongue in line was nothing.

Tyrian rubbed his chin in thought. “So maybe while Karr was summoned he went into the rift and freed Dura. She was captured after him, correct?”

“Right,” Telal agreed then cleared his throat. “We need to discuss something else.”

“What?” said Willow.

“Why the demons want to kill you.”

Cold silence filled the room.

The look of stark fear in Willow’s eyes was enough for Lyonis. He strode across the room, lifted her off the floor, and sat her in his lap. She fought him for a moment but then he whispered in her ear.

“Please, Willow, I need this.” Frowning, she stopped fighting to look at him. With a sigh of defeat, she sat and let him hold her. It was only a small accomplishment but his heart soared.

“Karr did try to kill me. There’s no doubt about that. I have the scar on my hip to prove it. But if it did make some pact with this demoness named Dura what would be the purpose of it?” said Chloe.

“My guess would be to kill the next sister as a sacrifice to bring him back in case he died,” Telal said. “Look at it this way, Karr was smart. If he did make a demonic pact with Dura, then in return for breaking her out of her magical binding, she’s magically bound to do whatever was promised in return.”

“To kill the next sister,” Willow whispered.

“Maybe, but not exactly. Probably to grab you and use you as a sacrifice to bring Karr back,” Telal said. He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Do you see what you foo—what you women have caused?”

“If Papa hadn’t given us away like sheep then this never would have happened,” Chloe protested. Tyrian arched a brow at her and she leaned over to kiss him soundly on the mouth. “Not that I regret it at all.”

“Perhaps, but if you wouldn’t have casted that spell none of this would have happened. When you casted the spell a connection was made between all of you and the demon. That’s how he can track you.”

“Can this demon, Dura, track as well?” Lyonis asked.

Telal threw up his hands. “Maybe, maybe not. She has no direct connection to them so maybe not.” Telal glanced at his watch and said, “I have to go. I have a meeting.”

Lily jumped to her feet but the demon quickly disappeared, his body fading from the room.

“We need to go, too,” Tyrian said. Chloe stood on tiptoe and whispered in his ear. He nodded and turned to Lyonis. “My mate and I would like to leave an extra guard to watch over Willow.”

Lyonis stiffened as Willow did. “Are you saying that my guards aren’t competent enough to protect her? That I’m not?”

“Not at all, Alpha Lyonis. I mean no disrespect. My mate Chloe trusts one of my guardsmen a great deal. He also has many great uses since he’s half-demon.”

Lyonis frowned at the thought; a no already on the tip of his tongue. But Willow’s sister Chloe came towards him and whispered in his ear. He watched Willow stiffen out the corner of his eye and he almost grinned. Whether a bit of jealousy or not, his future mate did care about him some.

“Draven will make sure she doesn’t leave. Lily saw you both in a dream, mated. I believe her. Just go slow with her; she’s more sensitive than she appears.”

Chloe strode back to Tyrian and twined her arm with his.

“So do you agree, Lyonis?” said Tyrian.

Lyonis glanced at Willow, whose scowl was etched deep into her face, then Lily winked at him, nodding eagerly. Lyonis sighed.

“Fine, I agree.”

The Bellum sisters left with a tearful goodbye and promises to visit soon. Tyrian said his man Draven would be by that night to begin his duties. Lyonis would have Thane and Jackie keep a close eye on him. If the Bellum Sister’s were trying to help Willow to escape then they just made a fatal mistake.

Willow was his and she wasn’t leaving him again.

Chapter 11

“You’ll be staying here.”

Draven glared at the small one-bedroom room. The bed was so small it would scarcely hold him let alone the woman he came with. God this was a mess.

“Janet, was it?”

“It’s Jackie,” she said with a fierce look.

He continued over her. “This won’t do. We need an extra room for my
frimar
.”

“Oh, really? I didn’t know that vampires slept separately from their concubines.” Draven stiffened and leveled the shapeshifter with a hard look.

“You will not speak disrespectfully of her again.” She merely cocked a brow at his cold tone, and the one named Thane took a hard step forward. She touched his arm to stop him.

“No, it’s okay, Thane. Concubine,
frimar
, whatever. This is what we have. Either take it or sleep on the streets. I don’t care, but you’re staying together.”

Draven ground his jaw left then right. At the soft touch at his elbow, he hesitantly turned around. Lucinda smiled a close-lipped smile. When she spoke, he nearly jerked back from her.

“Maagari letu.”

It took Draven a minute to process what she’d said and in what language she’d just spoken. She spoke the demonic tongue. She was a vampire. How, when did she learn such an old language? It wasn’t like there were many demons running around on earth anymore.

It is alright, she’d said.

Draven turned back to the awaiting shapeshifters feeling as though he was in another dimension. He nodded to them that the place was acceptable and didn’t wait to let Lucinda enter first as he should have.

Hell, he could barely stand. He went to a checkered loveseat and sat in it. He heard her soft, husky voice then the sound of the door closing. A spot deep within his eyes throbbed in time to the tempo at his temples. He covered his face in his hands. How was he supposed to get through this?

He could barely sleep most nights, and ever since he took her blood, there had been no sleeping at all. A half an hour here and there and then his mind wandered back to that night. He remembered the feel of her skin against his lips, the taste of her, could still hear the soft moan she made. She’d bewitched him. She was dangerous.

A startling touch on his shoulder sent him to his feet. His head whacked hard against her chin.

“Dammit, I’m sorry.” In a second, he had her sitting on the toilet in the bathroom.

“It’s fine, warrior. It was my fault.” She sounded muffled like she had something shoved in her mouth. Draven flicked on the light and squatted down in front of her to see better. His scowl deepened at what he saw. He hadn’t just knocked her in the face with his hard head, but one of her fangs had bitten into her bottom lip and bled.

His lips parted at the red line that dribbled down to her chin.

“Pardon me,” she said and reached for some toilet paper. She tucked that plump lip into her mouth and Draven nearly groaned as it came back out wet and clean.

“Here let me.”

He didn’t know what compelled him to say it. Some devil squatting on his shoulder he was sure. Her eyes widened in surprise but she handed the paper over and gently he wiped the blood from her chin.

When he finished he quickly tossed the reddened paper away and stood. It was becoming difficult to breathe around her so he turned and spun out of the room. He heard a shuffling behind him.

“Warrior, may I ask you something?”

Slowly he turned to her. He even managed a slight smile. “Yes, of course.”

She wrung her hands together. “Do you regret making me your
frimar
?” Shock hit him first, then several other emotions he wasn’t able to mask.

Her smile was sad. “I see. Perhaps it would be best if you broke your obligation to me.”

Draven’s chest tightened painfully. Release her as his
frimar
? The thought should have filled him with joy, but instead a bitter taste coated his tongue.

“No, Lucinda. I am happy that you’re my
frimar
.” It was only a partial truth because he did want her. Not in the way she may think. And not in any way he could ever act upon. She was beauty and refinement and reminded him of things he longed to forget. He fingered the scar at his side, so near to his heart. He could never forget the past with that kind of reminder.

She smiled gently. “If there is anything I can do to please you, you have but to ask, warrior Draven.”

He stifled a groan. She would, too. If he asked her right now to pull down that dress and feed him her breasts, she would. She might even like it.

“Thank you, Lucinda,” he said hoarsely. “Please call me Draven.” She bowed her head in acknowledgement.

“Take the bed. I’ll make a pallet on the floor.” Again, a frown tugged at her sweet lips.

“We may share the bed, warrior, I mean, Draven.” A hint of a blush colored her cheeks, brightening her green eyes.