Demon Retribution (Shadow Quest Book 3) (7 page)

As Kyra entered from the back room, his eyes
moved from an increasingly hysterical Zoey to her, and then back to
Zoey, as if unsure which one of them deserved his attention more.
He decided on Kyra.

Zoey noticed her then and her features
became even more frightened. Kyra mentally shuffled through her
many cuts and scrapes, realizing what she must look like.

She placed herself in front of Zoey.

The alien tilted his head. Without taking
her eyes off him, Kyra scanned her memory for something that could
be used as a weapon. The counter was clean, nearly everything put
away. In the opposite corner of the room, a mop leaned out from a
bucket of grey water.

At her back, Zoey was screeching
incoherently.

“
Your companion will be
spared, Princess,” the humanoid offered. There was an
if
that had been left out
of the statement.

He lifted his hand and a sparkle of light
glinted off another one of those strange weapons. Her memory
flashed to the one she’d left outside, thinking she should have
grabbed it, but something about the foreign object had repelled
her.

The door chimed again. Kyra knew exactly who
it would be without looking. When the alien turned, she pushed Zoey
into the back room and then darted toward the mop. Gripping the
handle in both hands, she used her knee to break it in half. It
splintered unevenly, giving her a sharp wooden dagger.

Her actions brought the alien’s attention
back on her, leaving him open to attack from behind. She was
counting on her new, temporary ally not to hesitate.

He didn’t disappoint.

He charged, bashing his shoulder into the
alien full force. On impact, the weapon fell from his grasp and
they both went to the ground, grappling for dominance.

She catapulted over the counter and plunged
the makeshift weapon into the alien’s back. His scream was
terrible, but it didn’t last long. The man reached for the alien’s
head and, with a quick twist, snapped its neck.

When the body went limp, he kicked it away.
Kyra backed up, gripping her weapon, unsure if a new battle was
about to start. Their eyes met for only a second before the
screaming started—Zoey had been watching from the back room.

Kyra’s heart lurched when Zo disappeared
once more into the back. “Zo! Don’t go out there!” She’d forced
authority into her tone, but wasn’t sure if Zo had even heard her.
She didn’t feel comfortable turning her back on the man who had
just demonstrated such power. However, it was very possible that
there were more of those things closing in, ready to rip apart the
first sign of life.

When she heard a panic-stricken pull at the
backdoor, her choice was made.

It was a weird feeling to be thankful that
Zoey was so deeply in shock that she couldn’t comprehend that the
door was locked.

Kyra yanked her back and then made herself a
barricade in front of the exit. “You can’t go out there!”

That did nothing to lessen Zoey’s hysteria.
She dropped to the floor, screaming uncontrollably. A part of Kyra
was tempted to join her. She was having a hard time making sense of
everything that just happened.

The door chimed.

Worry raked through her. “Zo.” She made her
voice as comforting as possible and bent to place her hands on
Zoey’s shoulders.

Zoey’s panic turned into harsh pants, and
she grabbed Kyra’s wrists like a lifeline.

“
Breathe,” Kyra ordered.
“Pull it together.”

“
What the fuck is
happening?”

“
I don’t know, hun. Stay
here, don’t move, and do not go out that door.”

“
Where are you going?”
Zoey’s fingernails nearly took root in her skin.

“
I’m not going to go far.
I’m just going to peek through the door.”

Zoey nodded and let her go. Kyra stood
slowly, making sure Zo wasn’t about to freak out again, and then
moved to peer into the front room. It was quiet and appeared to be
empty. She moved in a little farther for a better look.

A chilled palm on her arm forced her
attention back. Zoey had followed, and was now attached—possibly
permanently—to her upper arm.

Relenting, she pulled Zoey along till they
reached the middle of the room. The man was gone, and so was the
alien body.

“
Zo,” Kyra
whispered.

“
Yeah?”

“
I think we should make a
run for it.”

“
Shouldn’t we call the cops
or something?”

Kyra hesitated. “I can’t…get involved with
the authorities.”

Zoey didn’t say anything, and Kyra didn’t
want to look to see the total bewilderment on her friend’s
face.

“
We’re going to run out of
here as fast as we can and then catch a cab for you. Go straight
home, and if anyone asks you about tonight, tell them I sent you
home early and you know nothing. Okay? You. Saw.
Nothing.”

“
W-What?”

“
Don’t call the cops. Don’t
talk to anyone about tonight. Ever.”

“
Ky?” Zo’s voice sounded
confused, shaky.

When the door chimed yet again, Zoey
screeched.

Kyra maneuvered into a protective
position.

Same as the night before, the man put his
palms in the air, a reassuring gesture, as the door eased to a
close behind him. She found it strange that the gangster hat was
back in place.

Zoey’s grip began to cut into her
circulation, but Kyra ignored it. The room went still as she
watched the man with bated anticipation.

A few breaths passed in silence, and the
man’s stance remained nonthreatening. Kyra wanted to blurt out a
million questions: Who was he? Where did he come from? Who were
those aliens?

And to have him verify if he was truly, as
he’d said the night before, here to protect her. But the shaking
human beside her needed to be safely away before she delved into
any of that.

“
Let me send her home,”
Kyra pleaded. “She doesn’t need to be involved.”

“
Involved in what?” Zoey
shrieked.

“
Nothing,” she insisted,
still waiting for the man to say something.

The man replied in a reasonable tone, “They
may not leave her be.”

“
Who?” Zoey’s voice went up
an octave.

Kyra wanted to know
who
as well, but more,
she wanted Zo out of the line of fire, if it were even possible.
“Let her go home and then you and I can...talk.”

“
Last time I tried talking
to you, you shot me.” He held up three fingers in a silent
accusation.

“
Correction. Last time I
saw you, you had broken into my apartment and snuck into my room
while I was sleeping.” She left out the naked part. “My reaction
was justifiable.”

She expected an objection, but he just
shrugged and said, “It was.”

Zoey’s kung-fu grip let up a bit.
“You’re…you’re that guy, from the other night.”

They both ignored her. Kyra asked, “Are
there any more of them nearby? Is it safe for her to leave?”

He nodded. “They were alone.”

“
I’m not going anywhere.
Tell me what’s going on!”

“
Zo, please. I’ll call you
later and explain everything,” she lied. “But now you have to
go.”

Kyra didn’t wait for her to agree or object.
Passing by the man, she pulled Zoey outside into the cool night and
headed for the closest main street. Almost as soon as she raised
her hand in the air, a cab pulled to a stop.

“
Go home, Zo. I’ll call you
later tonight. Okay?”

Zoey gave a tired nod. The expression on her
face clearly said she was still in shock. Kyra held her guilt at
bay as the cab pulled into traffic.

Turning back to Little Jitters, she spotted
a couple of people heading for the door. Her pace increased, and
she arrived in time to curtain her body against the entrance.
“We’re closed!” Her voice sounded strained.

The two women gave her a snide look, and
then glanced around as if expecting to see more Little Jitters’
employees race out of the darkness. “Your sign says you close at
ten. It’s only nine-fifty,” one of the women announced.

“
Sorry, but everything is
shut down, and we
are
closed.”

“
But
he’s
in there,” the other accused.
The man behind the glass was now perched at the solitary table,
perfectly at ease.

“
He works here.”

“
We just want a simple
coffee.”

“
Oh, shoot! We just ran
out.”

The first lady gawked. “Do I need to contact
your manager?”

Patience gone, Kyra leveled the woman with a
hard stare. “Let me give you a really great reason to do just that.
Get the fuck out of here!”

Both women’s jaws fell. Kyra backed inside,
ass first, and then twisted the lock into place.

She smiled and waved to the women through
the glass. “Thanks for coming!”

Oh yes, her manager was going to get a call
in the morning. Didn’t matter. She wouldn’t be coming back.

As a string of dampened curses faded down
the street, she whirled to face the room. The expression on the
man’s handsome face was misleading, or so she believed. No way he
could be so utterly composed and blasé after the violence that just
occurred.

Leaning back, he claimed an adjacent chair
as a footstool with his legs propped and crossed. One arm rested on
the tabletop. His hat tilted slightly forward, shading his eyes
from the overhead light.

Her mind went to work, trying to figure him
out. At the moment, he wasn’t a threat. But that didn’t mean she
could trust him, or that he wouldn’t turn on her at the first
opportunity. She was positive he was alien to this world, same as
her, but what race he hailed from escaped her. He could be a
dragonshifter. That would explain his speed and strength, and even
his presence here—if he was, in fact, to be her protector. The
dragons had been trusted allies to her people. Though, she had to
wonder if that was still the case.

“
Who are you?” She finally
demanded.

“
Cale.”

When he said no more, she raised a brow.
“That’s it? Just Cale?”

“
The full name’s Calic
Uthair, but Cale is fine.”

“
And you know who I
am?”

“
I hope so, or I’ve been
following around the wrong girl all this time.”

“
Following me? Since when?
Your idiotic B-and-E stunt?”

“
No, I’d say for about
three weeks.”

Her breath caught painfully. She wheezed,
“Three weeks?”

“
That’s when I found you.
Too easy, too. Honestly, I’m surprised the Kayadon hadn’t
discovered you before tonight.” He paused. “They hadn’t, had
they?”

She reigned in her chagrin. “Kayadon? Is
that what those things are?”

“
Mm, were.”

“
Okay. Yeah, I’ve
definitely never seen one before. Where is the body, by the
way?”

“
Out back with the others,
burning.”

She smelled it then, a sour, hot stench.
“Are you nuts? You can’t light bodies on fire in the city!”

“
Outside the city’s
better?”

“
Someone will call the
police, the fire department. They’re probably already on the
way.”

“
So, we should go then.” He
showed no signs of moving.

A sudden thrill of nerves
fluttered through her. “Where is it you think
we
should go?”

“
I’ll take suggestions, but
we should probably think about getting out of the city.”

Kyra ran her hands through
her hair. “Look, if I’m going to run off with you, you’re going to
have to do a lot better than, ‘Hi, I’m Cale. Come with me if you
want to live.’ Who
are
you? Why are you here? Those aliens knew me…how? Do you know
of my family? Are they alive? Have you spoken to them?”

He dropped his feet to the floor and leaned
forward. “What was the first question again?”

“
Are you screwing with
me?”

His mouth turned up on one side, “A little.”
He eased back into the chair and winced, grabbing his shoulder.

“
Are you hurt?” Right away,
she felt stupid for asking. Of course he was hurt. And, now that
she was thinking a little more clearly, so was she. Her back felt
like she’d been dragged across cement. Probably because she had
been.

“
It’s nothing,” he said
dismissively.

Sirens in the distance moved her into
action. “Shit, they’re coming.” She hurried to grab her things from
behind the register. “Oh, double shit! Zoey forgot to take her
mother! Dammit!” The story she’d fed Zoey wouldn’t hold up if she’d
forgotten to take her mother’s ashes. Maybe no one would question
it, but there was that small chance. “We’ll have to take her with
us.” She tucked the urn under her arm. It was lighter than she
expected.

Incredulous, Cale eyed the silver container.
“She’s imprisoned her mother in there?”

Kyra raised a brow. “Are you serious?”

“
Uh. No?”

“
Man, you
are
new to this planet.
Where are you from, the dragon clans?” She recalled that the
witches who resided on the outskirts of the dragon clans could cast
such a binding spell.

“
Mm.” His gaze darted
toward the front window. “Is there some place we could go where I
can grab a bite to eat and catch up on some sleep? We have plenty
of time to get into the details later.”