Broken Heart 06 Come Hell or High Water (4 page)

The second my fist connected with that mouthy bastard's face, I realized he wasn't a demon.

He was a vampire.

"Bloody hell," he roared as his head snapped back. If he'd been human, that blow would've felled him. He pointed his left forefinger, and a long beam of red light unfurled from his sharp, black talon. The light-whip snapped as he raised his arm, and I knew he was gonna try to slice me in half.

Connor grabbed my shoulder and hauled me backward. Even though I was certain the English dude was a vampire, the stink of sulfur permeated the room. Surely that meant the other two were demons? Why the hell had a vampire taken up with Pit dwellers?

"Berith! Hold!" yelled the blond.

Berith's whip instantly disappeared. His expression was seven kinds of pissed off; I could've cooked eggs with the fury boiling in his gaze.

Blondie pointed to me. "Can you not see her aura,
mon frere
?"

So, the Legolas wannabe was French. I couldn't get a bead on him, but he didn't seem like a demon, either. That left the really big dude. Awesome.

I wasn't sure what was happening now. None of them seemed to want to fight, though they were prepared for it. They were examining me as though they'd never seen a girl before. Maybe I should've put on a bra. Oops.

Connor moved so that he was by my side. I glanced at him, but his gaze was locked onto Blondie. Frustration emanated from Connor, and, if I wasn't too far off the mark, panic, too. Realization hit me hard: He knew them.

"My name is Nicor. And you? You are with the Family Durga,
oui
?" he asked pleasantly. He nodded toward Connor. "You have slept with him."

"You know what, Dr. Phil? I'm not in the mood to answer questions about my personal life. So I'm giving you two seconds for you and your demon buddy over there to take a freaking hike."

Nicor 's eyebrows flew upward, his gaze slanting toward Big Dude. "You are mistak - "

I gathered my magic, slathered it with some brimstone, and tossed the fireball at Nicor. The orb hit him full in the chest and flung him backward. He slammed into the small table wedged into the tiny nook. Breakfast items went flying, including the syrup, which burst open (fireballs are hot, you know) and splattered him.

Bonus.

"Phoebe!" I heard the shock in Connor 's voice, but he didn't hesitate. He punched Berith in the face, and the redhead yelled as he hit back. At least he didn't unleash the crazy whip again.

I created another fireball and launched it at Big Dude. He went through the kitchen wall, debris flying, and slid across the foyer. He managed to hold on to the guns, though, and he raised them toward me.

"No, Pith!" yelled Nicor as he picked himself up. Syrup dripped from his flaxen locks.
Ha.

Pith grimaced as he sheathed his guns, shaking drywall out of his spiky hair as he climbed to his feet.

Nicor stomped toward me, his fists clenched and his face a mask of fury. Smoke rose from his fancy vest, which hung in tatters. His pale stomach was red and blistered. Black blood dripped down his left cheek. Terrific. My suspicions were confirmed; he was Family Durga, too. No other vampire Family fared as well with demonfire. Part of being able to wrangle demons was the ability to draw upon the same magic as demons. I know. Powers derived from hell seem kinda... creepy. I didn't get to choose my Family, but hey, I had to take the cards fate dealt.

"You should not have done that!" he yelled.

"You started it." I gathered my magic again. I formed another fireball and shot it at Nicor.

He caught it as if it were a freaking beach ball lobbed across the pool, and poof, it disappeared.

"Stop!" he demanded.

Berith and Connor ignored him. The meaty slap of fists connecting and low grunts permeated the kitchen. Nicor turned toward me. "You do not understand what you are doing."

Emotions rioted through me, with fury in the forefront waving its torch. "I know that I'm gonna kick your ass, elf boy."

Nicor glanced at Pith and shook his head. The giant stopped creeping toward me and stayed in the foyer, staring at me through the massive hole, which, FYI, was right next to the swinging doors. If I'd aimed better, I could've knocked 'im through there instead.

Nicor looked as though he were contemplating crossing the distance between us. If he did, I'd shoot two fireballs at him.

"Berith!
Enough
."

Connor had broken Berith's nose, and I took a perverse satisfaction in seeing the blood dribbling down his face. Connor backed away, his gaze on Berith as he joined me. I grabbed his wrist and we continued going backward until we hit the counter.

I jumped up to sit on the countertop and reached for the canister I kept near the sink. It wasn't easy to do with my hands flailing behind my back, but I knew its location, and better yet, what was in it.

Connor glanced at me, frowning. Then he looked at Nicor. "You're too late," he said.

"You still need the other half of the talisman," said Nicor. He laughed harshly. "You are a fool if you think Lilith will let her live."

"Why do you care?" asked Connor softly. "I warned you all, and you did nothing. The blood of those who've died is on your hands."

"You speak to me of blood!" Nicor's eyes flashed with fury, and Connor tensed.

I was feeling a little bit rattled by this turn of events. Because, hel-lo, Connor knew these guys, and in a bad way. And I was somehow part of it now.

I sidled a glance at Pith. The demon hadn't moved from his position in the foyer, though his gaze was trying to drill holes through me.

Connor brushed against me, offering strength as well as trying to better cover my movements.

Two against the world, that was us.

"Sorry,
cherie
," said Nicor. "This is necessary."

He extended a hand toward me.

Connor shouted, "No!"

A red beam shot out from Nicor 's palm. I threw my arms up, an automatic gesture of protection. The whole world went red. I squeezed my eyes shut, heard a sizzle-pop, then nothing.

"Did you see that?" asked Nicor, his voice filled with awe.

I cracked one eye open. Whatever Nicor had aimed my way was an epic fail.

Nicor and Berith both looked stunned. Connor's gaze was on me; his eyes glittered with a mixture of pride and astonishment.

"What?" I asked.

"Have I told you how amazin' you are, lass?" He grinned, and I grinned back. Then I grabbed the canister of rock salt, flung off the lid, and scooped out a handful.

I threw some at Berith, at Nicor, and at Pith. With my vampire speed it was quick - a second, maybe - and then I said, "You sons of a bitches, don't come back here."

One by one, they popped out of my house. I jumped off the counter and flung more salt around the room, then some by the front door and at the back door.

"What just happened?" Connor asked.

"Hoodoo," I said. "My mother was kinda into it. I learned a few things from her journals."

I put the canister down. Connor pulled me into his embrace and kissed me so tenderly my heart ached.

"I wish I deserved you," he said.

I laughed, even though foreboding squiggled across my stomach. "What does that mean?"

"I dinnae want to tell you."

His voice held secrets and regret, and I felt unnerved by what lay unspoken between us.

"They came here for you. Why?"

He let me go and then knelt to the floor to start picking up the broken dishes. Unsettled by his words and the sudden coolness of his manner, I got out the broom and swept up the congealing food.

"What would've happened if Nicor had zapped me?" I asked.

"Think of bein' trapped inside glass."

"Yeesh. Doesn't sound fun."

"It isn't." The tone of his voice suggested he'd had experience with Nicor 's prisons.

"C'mon, Connor. What's going on? I mean, have you been hiding out here or what?" I emptied the dustpan. Then I dropped it on the floor and rubbed the base of my spine. It was still tingling like a mo-fo. Why hadn't the smell of sulfur dissipated yet? I sniffed, gazing around the kitchen to see if there was an alternate source. When was the last time I cleaned out the fridge?

"I'm surprised I was able to hide it for as long as I did," Connor murmured, defeat in his tone. "Nera asks a high price, but at least she guarantees her work."

"Nera?"

"A month," he said. "That's all I had." He was explaining things to me, things I didn't understand, but I had a very bad feeling I would. "I sent the hunters on a wild-goose chase. I was out of time even then, but I couldn't just... take you. And then... Well, it doesn't matter anymore. It's done."

"You're scaring me, Connor. What the hell is going on?" I turned and saw his gaze. Pure black. No iris, no whites, just... demon.
Oh, fuck.
The broom slid out of my limp fingers and clattered to the floor, crunching against the rock salt scattered on the linoleum.

My undead heart offered phantom beats of panic as I stared at Connor. "You're not Ghillie Dhu, are you?"

"Oh, but I am," said Connor. He blinked, and the inky black faded until he had human eyes once again. His smile held no warmth. "My mother was Ghillie Dhu
.
And my father was a demon."

I swallowed the knot crimping my throat.

"You're half demon?" I asked in disbelief.

Most demons were born in the Pit, which was another plane of existence, one that had many layers. "Born" was a kinder term than the reality of their creation. It wasn't a pleasant place or a nice life. Demons didn't have souls, but, as the goddess Brigid explained to me once, they had purpose.

It just wasn't a very nice one.

I'd been told demons weren't all that fertile, and if they did manage to breed, it was with a magical being. Still, finding a willing lover wasn't easy, much less one thrilled to carry around demon spawn. Demons seduced humans all the time, but couldn't procreate with them.

"I'm an anomaly," he said, as though I'd spoken my thoughts aloud. "My mother was a nymph. And my father was a demon lord who liked to come and play on the earthly plane. 'Twas her nature to be sensual. 'Twas his to be deceitful."

"Looks like the apple doesn't fall far from the tree," I said bitterly. I gathered my magic and snapped out a binding coil. I dropped it over him, tightening it quickly.

He quirked one eyebrow, and then he wrapped his hands around the glowing rope of magic and yanked on it. I flew across the kitchen and into his arms.

My magic snapped and dissipated.

"Trained properly, you would've been able to hold me," he said. "Might've even trapped me."

Just how much did I not know about my powers? And why the hell hadn't anyone told me or taught me?

His palms cupped my hips, his grip just loose enough to give me hope that I could escape. Except that I couldn't and we both knew it.

I hadn't had my pint, and I could smell Connor's blood pulsing like sugared poison in his veins.

"You want to sink your fangs into me, lass?" He grinned flirtatiously, as if he hadn't betrayed me. As if we were still lovers. I felt shattered, and I wanted to cut him with the pieces of me that were left.

"You're a bastard."

"I know." For a moment, he dropped the cynical-asshole act and let me see his pain. Despite all he'd done, I knew that pain, whatever its source, was real.

I wanted to believe that the man I'd known for the last month, the man who'd loved me so well last night, was the true Connor.

But demons were liars. They were also charming beyond belief - until they got what they wanted. I'd fallen for his act, as easily duped as an innocent human instead of a demon-hunting vampire. I was so ashamed.

"We're bound!" I couldn't even wrap my brain around the concept. I'd mated. With. A. Demon.

The true horror of my situation hit me. Bile rose in my throat.
Danny.
How could I raise my kid married to a demon? Even a half demon was bad. Connor 's lie - and, let's be honest, my stupid, impulsive nature and rusty goddamned libido - had stripped me of motherhood privileges.

"I'm going to kill you."

"You can't. And if you could, would you really rob Danny of his mother?"

"You already did!"

His cool expression slid away as regret filled up his gaze. "For that, I'm sorry."

"Right. I'm sure it's tearing you up inside." Rage burned through me. Whatever happened to Connor happened to me now, too. The vampire marriage curse was absolute. We were mates, bound for the next century, and there was nothing I could do.

Despair wound through me.

"Why, Connor?" I whispered. "Why did you do it?"