Demon Retribution (15 page)

A girl who openly hated him.

Yet…if that were true, why then, had she
displayed the telltale urge to claim him as her mate? Surely she
didn’t want that, evident by her hasty retreat.

Still, he was sure of what he’d seen. Those
fangs were not the result of a demon on the Edge.

The memory resurfaced and, for the
thousandth time, he tried to analyze her reaction. She’d turned
horrified, with a sickly green washing over her as she’d tried in
vain to cover the small show of fang.

Why did that bother him? He
should be just as appalled.
Was
appalled.

He would never entertain the idea of mating
with a demon. The very notion was abhorrent. Insulting. But she
should be so lucky. What was her problem with pirates, anyway? It’s
not like he’d done anything to deserve her detestation.

He ground his teeth.

Holding her and her family captive on his
asteroid base didn’t count. That had been for caution’s sake.

I took advantage of her
when she was vulnerable
.

He stifled a wince, telling himself that she
had lured him into that situation. But had she really? Hadn’t he
manipulated her in every way he knew how, capitalizing on his
knowledge of her kind? There were only so many excuses he could
make, but he couldn’t lie to himself. He’d known she’d been in
great need that day. Had recognized the signs and used her own
nature against her.

Again he wondered why she hadn’t warned him
she’d never known a man. Had she been that lost to the moment?

Guilt stabbed the pit of his stomach.

Once again, he reassured himself that he’d
made amends on that score. At least in the way demons often agree
with—through blood.

Why was he even thinking about this? He
didn’t need her forgiveness, or her approval of his previous
lifestyle. For the most part, living as a pirate had been a
facade—a three hundred and fifty year facade that had changed him
completely, sure, but still, a means to an end. It had been the
only way to ensure the book got into the right hands.

To survive in his guise, he had been
ruthless. He carried memories of things he’d just as soon forget,
but he would not be made to feel ashamed for actions he’d been
forced to take during that time.

He loathed admitting a part of him wished to
go back. Back to his base, his cutthroat existence. Back where he
had the respect he deserved—if only to escape the hate-filled
glares of his dark haired temptresses.

A temptress who was increasingly invading
his every thought.

* * *

Kyra pulled up to the curb and jerked the
shifter into park. “Stop insinuating, Zo,” she complained. “Nothing
happened…mostly.”

In the passenger seat, Zoey just continued
to snicker and roll her eyes.

“
I stopped it before it
went too far.”

“
If that’s true, then
you’re insane,” Zoey replied, stepping onto the
sidewalk.

The small town offered a few touristy shops
along the main street. They glanced in windows as they passed by,
heading for the bank where Kyra would create a new account and
deposit money for Zo; just enough to get her by until the offshore
accounts were finalized.

Since, supposedly, her time on Earth was
short, Kyra recycled one of her old identities for Zoey’s use.
There was just a little tweaking to be done, easily accomplished
through the power of the Internet, if one had the know-how.

She and Zoey had left the cabin early this
morning. The drive had taken a few hours, and by the time the
business was completed at the bank, it was a little past lunch
time. Upon walking back to the car, they decided to stop at a
little sandwich shop and claimed a table in the farthest
corner.

Just as they received their food order, Kyra
observed that Zoey’s good humor had fizzled out. “What’s the
matter?” she asked.

“
It’s just going to be so
weird once you and Cale are gone. You know, now I have irrefutable
evidence of alien existence, yet no one but the crazies would
believe me. I kind of hope this so-called ship never comes. I’ll be
all alone if it does.”

“
Alone, maybe. But rich as
hell,” Kyra encouraged. “You’ll be able to pay people to believe
you dined with the gods on Mount Olympus if you want them to.
You’ll be able to travel anywhere. Take your mom’s ashes anyplace
on Earth.”

Zoey nodded, but didn’t return the smile.
“Thanks for remembering to bring her urn, by the way.”

“
You’re welcome.” After a
few bites of her sub, Kyra asked, “Where will you go?”

“
I have absolutely no idea.
I guess I should get far away from here.”

“
That would be best.” Kyra
nodded, suddenly very worried for her friend. She struggled to keep
it off her face though. Zo needed confidence and reassurance right
now. Anything else would only add to what must be an incredibly
stressful situation. And it turned out, Zoey was nearly as good as
Kyra at disguising her true feelings. Or so Kyra assumed. “After
about seven years, if not less, they’ll most likely close the
missing persons case, especially with no family to
argue.”

Unless, she secretly added to herself, the
missing persons case turns into a murder case, with Zoey as a
possible suspect.

Zoey recited her new name, “Kyra Marshall.
How will I get used to being called that?”

“
Well, just imagine that
you are the most awesome person in existence, and that should
help.”

Zoey rolled her eyes and laughed. “I guess
Kyra Marshall has one heck of an ego on her.”

Kyra shrugged. “Not as big as Kyra
Okora.”

They laughed and then proceeded to finish
their meal. After a short silence, Zo said, “What about you? Where
will you be going?”

Kyra frowned. Wormy fingers of dread
slithered up her spine. So much had happened since meeting Cale and
learning that her family still lived, but she hadn’t truly allowed
herself to think of it. She certainly hadn’t come to terms with it.
The idea of leaving Earth had been a dream for so long, that it no
longer felt real. In the back of her mind, it was impossible to
compartmentalize.

She looked up at Zo and answered, “I suppose
I’ll be returning home to Evlon, but what I will find I no longer
know.” She shrugged as if it didn’t really matter, though every
time she thought of home, anxiety assaulted her. “I can tell you
what it used to be. It used to be so full of life. Vast forests
where massive trees covered much of the land, with trunks thicker
than the redwoods of California. Most our cities and towns were
built around them. It looked closer to what the sixteen hundreds
here on Earth had to offer.”

“
Ah, that clears it up for
me. The good ol’ sixteen hundreds.”

Kyra ignored the sarcasm, feeling a pang of
homesickness. It had become habit not to think of things like home
and family. It only ever hurt to do so. And in some cases it caused
an overwhelming sorrow that often manifested through her gift. Yet
talking about it with Zoey felt almost therapeutic. “My world was
ruled by magic. All different kinds of magic. It was in the air and
soil, in the people themselves.”

“
Is that what the Kayadon
are after?”

Kyra paused and tilted her head in
consideration.

Zoey took a sip of her soda before
clarifying. “Cale said his planet was completely destroyed by them,
but it sounds like they’ve been squatting on yours. Why else?”

It was an intriguing theory, and at the
moment made a lot of sense, but all she knew of the Kayadon, thus
far, was that they were hideous to look at. She’d be sure to ask
Cale about it later. Was it possible he knew more than he was
saying? Just one more thing he was keeping from her?

“
It’s something to
consider, I guess,” she finally replied.

On the way back to the car, they stopped in
a little souvenir shop. Kyra had spotted a small metallic necklace
shaped like a heart in the window. It doubled as a vial meant for
liquid or sand. She suggested Zoey get it for some of her mother’s
ashes, adding hesitantly, “Is that too Angelina-creepy?”

“
No, it’s a great idea,”
Zoey asked, “That way I can keep a part of her with me. We should
get something for Cale, don’t you think?”

After scouring a few more shops, they found
something they both agreed on and then started the trek back to the
cabin. Kyra continued to offer advice on the best places to visit,
and her personal favorite parts of the world to live. The wonders
of the world should be seen, of course, and Zoey now had the means
to visit them all ten times over, but there were so many
breathtaking patches of land that continued to elude tourists.

“
First things first,” Zoey
pronounced. “I’ll need a full body massage by a big handed, beefy
guy with a sexy accent. Jean Mc-something-or-other. He doesn’t even
have to speak English.”

Kyra laughed. “I’ve got a few numbers I can
give you.”

They spent the rest of the drive in
comfortable silence, allowing Kyra’s thoughts to drift back to the
night before. There was no denying it, she had little explanation
for her conduct. She’d had every intention of keeping things
professional between Cale and herself, and she couldn’t say what
went wrong. Only that a part of her hadn’t wanted to stop. And if
he’d continued kissing her as hungrily as he’d been, she probably
wouldn’t have.

When the trees parted to reveal the long
driveway to the cabin, she checked the clock—3:42pm. The errand had
taken longer than expected. She opened her mouth to speak, “I hope
Cale—”

Something crash-landed on the hood, jarring
the entire frame of the car. As they both screamed, Kyra slammed on
the brakes. The item, which turned out to be a body, tumbled
forward in almost stuntman perfection, landing on its haunches.

Dust from the road plumed.

Fixing the car into park, Kyra threw open
her door and burst from the vehicle. “Cale? What the hell are you
doing?” she shrieked.

He rose to his full height in a slow,
menacing way. She took a step back, noticing his eyes burned like
lava.

Zoey screamed again. “Kyra, stay away from
him!” She began fumbling with her seat belt, but seemed to be too
panicked to unbuckle.

“
Zo, stay in the car,” she
ordered, closing the door. “Cale, what’s wrong?”

A wild energy flowed off him as his eyes
shifted between her and Zoey, who was curled up in the passenger
seat. At first, Kyra wasn’t sure if he understood what she’d asked,
but then his gaze shifted to settle on her. Yet his intimidating
demeanor did not drain away.

“
What’s
wrong
?” he bellowed in disgust,
flashing a set of threatening fangs. “What’s wrong is that you
disappeared for the entire day without my knowledge! I had no idea
where you were or if you were ever coming back!”

“
I left you a note!” she
defended, chagrined by his tone and hiding a shiver of
trepidation.

“
A note? Where? There is no
note!”

“
It’s on the kitchen
table.”

“
In what universe would I
go searching for you on a table?”

“
The kitchen is your first
destination every morning, Cale. I figured you’d see it right
away.”

His eyes narrowed. “You think I can remain
calm enough to prepare myself a meal when you’ve gone missing?”

“
Apparently not! Forgive me
for thinking you would act rationally. Obviously, with the car gone
and a note of explanation so perfectly hidden from view, the only
prudent course of action is to stalk around in the woods and attack
my car upon sight!”

Cale said nothing. His jaw clenched so
tightly she thought his teeth might crack. “The Kayadon could have
taken you, and I would never know it! I would have been unable to
stop it! Where did you go? Why would you not wake me?”

“
It’s in the note!” she
countered. Then, after assessing the damaged to her hood, she
ground out, “Look what you did to my car!”

Too angry to check her outrage, she turned
and whipped the driver side door open. Cale looked as if he was
about to protest her actions, but as soon as she plopped inside,
her foot hit the gas. The car peeled out before gaining traction on
the dirt, and the amount of dust kicked up in her wake was
gratifying.

A short moment later, they were at the
cabin. She stuffed the keys into her pocket and headed inside,
oblivious to how silent and pale Zoey had become until after she’d
stomped the length of the room a couple of times. A glance told her
Zoey was possibly in shock, sitting stiff and unseeing on the
couch.

Cale plowed through the door, in no way
mollified. “I wasn’t finished!”

“
Oh, yes you are, ‘cause
you’re freaking Zoey out!”

“
Well, she’s lucky she’s
not dead!”

A tiny whimper escaped Zoey.

Cale went into the kitchen and yanked the
fridge open to snatch a soda. When he popped the tab, a bit of foam
oozed onto the floor.

Kyra followed him, ignoring the mess. “You
apologize to her, right now. It sounded like you were threatening
her.”

“
You’re the one who put her
in danger,” he snarled, and then gulped down what must have been
half the contents of his beverage.

“
It is in no way easier for
the Kayadon to find us in town than it is here,” she
argued.

“
Oh, and you know that for
sure?”

Kyra hesitated. Without an adequate
comeback, she pointed to the note on the table with a stubborn
hand.