Demon Seed (8 page)

Demon, bare-chested, stood at the stern, gun drawn, his pose one of full alert. His glance swept the cove. Without pausing in his methodical checking of the thick mangrove, he waved her back inside.

She immediately recognized the kind of silence that spoke of an unfamiliar predator’s entrance into new territory. The immediate abatement of chirps, squawks, and whistles, and the hushed scurrying as small prey like rats and mongooses sought concealment. She crouched for balance, rested one knee on the deck, palmed the knife, and studied the mangrove, eyes narrowed. She sniffed and caught the faint feral stink of a big cat. To the left, a branch dipped; Jacinta trained her gaze on the tree and readied the knife.

A feline yowl preceded the jaguar’s leap from an overhead tree. The cat landed on the bank, teats hanging down, heavy with milk, and sprang for the deck. Maybe three feet separated the spotted cat from the houseboat.

Jacinta didn’t hesitate.

She threw the knife, aiming for the animal’s hind end. The steel blade sang across the deck, skimming the bow’s apex, and sank into the jaguar’s right leg. A scarlet spray stained the matted fur. Screeching its fury, the cat reared back, landed half in, half out of the river, and bounded into the dense mangrove.

Before she could draw a deep breath, Demon had her by the shoulders. He shook her. “Are you insane? Didn’t I tell you to stay inside?”

He was shouting again. Jacinta cringed but stuck her chin in the air. “I have tracked big cats. I know what to do. And I did not know if you are au courage with the jungle.”

“What?” He shook her again so hard she thought a tooth would come loose. “When I tell you stay put—you stay put. Hear me?”

“I believe everyone within three miles can hear you.” Jacinta folded her arms. “I do not understand why you are angry again.”

“You could have been hurt.” He hugged her tight, and she grew even more confused. “Damn it. Next time you disobey me, I’ll tan your backside.”

“You would hit me?” She didn’t understand him, not at all.

“You turn me inside out, woman. No, I would not hit you. Not in anger, anyway.” He nudged her jaw, and their eyes met.

“So you
would
hit me? Only
not
in anger? Truly,
não entendo
. This I do not understand.” Yet she felt not a hint of fear, just confusion.

“Aw hell. Forget I ever said that. I do not hit females.”

She blew out a long sigh and pointed to her heart. “I know that here. But your words skitter my thoughts.”

“Scatter. Who taught you to throw a knife?” Demon shook his head. “Don’t tell me, the vaunted Sister Helen?”

“Yes. She is so much better than I with the knife. But I am far superior with guns and a bow and arrow. Not as good with the blowpipe.” Jacinta smiled. “I told you I am
not
helpless.”

He studied her for long seconds. “After we eat, I’ll assess your competence with guns and knives. The blowpipe and bow and arrows can wait.” Demon flicked the tip of her nose. “Why do I get the feeling that your talents don’t extend to the kitchen?”

She wrinkled her nose. “I can churn butter. But alas the sisters complained of stomach cramps the few times I cooked a meal.”

He chuckled. “You can churn butter? That’s it in the culinary arena?”

“I can clean and gut and smoke a fish.” Jacinta tried not to sound defensive. “I can dress a chicken. I have not the talent for watching pots. Things burn very quickly.”

“Breakfast is on me, then.” He curled an arm around her waist. “Scrambled eggs and toast?”

“There is no bacon?” She had discovered bacon on the second morning at the school. Her mouth watered remembering the heavenly scent of the strips cooking.

“Don’t know. Didn’t check. I’m starving. Let’s eat, and then, woman, you are going to do a ton of talking.”

“I enjoy conversation. There was not much of it in the cloister. Sometimes, I would climb to the top of our mountain and shout until I was hoarse.” He had halted, and Jacinta risked a quick peek. “It was foolish, no?”

“No.” He framed her face. “You are amazing, Jacinta Nunez.”

“Nunez?” She frowned. “My name is Jacinta Maria da Silva. Why would you call me Nunez?”

“My bad.” He tugged her through the engine room and into the kitchen. “You’re on toast duty. I’ll get everything else. Why don’t you check the pantry and let me know what we have?”

Nunez. She knew no one called Nunez. And he was not the type of man to mis-say his words.

“The pantry?”

“I am sorry. My mind wandered. The pantry is the larder, no?” She opened a cabinet that ran ceiling to floor, and scanned the top shelf. “Beans, many cans of beans. Peanut butter, I like that very much. Welch’s grape jelly. I have never had that.”

“It goes with the peanut butter. Kind of an all-American snack. And today’s your lucky day; we’ve got bacon.”

So he was American as she had suspected. And in the military. Or a mercenary? He knew guns and was fit enough to stay underwater for a long period. The navy? Maybe one of those SEALs that had killed Bin Laden?

“That’s it? Nothing else?” Demon sorted pots and pans from under the sink cabinet. “See any salt or pepper?”

“Yes.” Jacinta handed him salt and pepper shakers.

“Is that rice in the salt?”

“To keep the grains from becoming too moist. It’s the humidity. There are many cans of soup and fruit. Lard. Packets of milk.” Jacinta peered at a box she didn’t recognize and read the label out loud. “Lucky Charms breakfast cereal. I have heard of this. On Saturday mornings when we watched cartoons, they would advertise this.”

“Au courant.” Demon shook his head. “You said au courage earlier, but the term is au courant.”

“Au courant. A French phrase that has become English. So you have some knowledge of the jungle, then?” Jacinta picked up a bag and showed it to him. “Are these chocolates?”

“Peanut M&M’s—chocolate-covered peanuts.”

She clutched the bag to her chest. “I think I have died and gone to St. Peter’s gate. Peanuts covered by chocolate. I do not want any eggs. I will eat this bag.”

“No, you don’t.” Demon snatched the bag. “You’re a definite chocoholic. I’ll hold onto this. For now.”

“I will give you all my bacon for one handful of peanut M&M’s.”

“Not buying.” He cracked an egg into the frying pan. “Bacon, eggs, and toast. You’ll have to earn the M&M’s.”

He set the bag of chocolates on the top ledge. Jacinta decided not to say any more. He hadn’t slept and she had. While he was sleeping, she’d get the peanut M&M’s.

“Earn?” She leaned a hip against the counter.

“Yeah. Let’s see…ten kisses will get you one M&M.” He winked at her and cracked another egg. “Make yourself useful. Put the bacon in the other pan.”

“Okay.” She liked this. Liked that he caressed her cheek, picked up her hand and kissed the palm, liked that he seemed to feel the need to touch her. “I should like to tell you something.”

“Like I said before. You can tell me anything.” He tore open the plastic covering the sliced bread, and she knew he stared at her, because her cheeks warmed.

“I do not regret that we had sex twice.” Jacinta kept her focus on the sizzling bacon strips. When his hands rested on her shoulders, she didn’t look up. “I know I should, but I cannot find it in my heart to regret something so wonderful.”

He switched off the gas. “I’m glad you don’t regret us making love. And I’m glad you thought it was wonderful. I made a big mistake though, Jacinta. I didn’t use protection.”

“Protection?” Before the question left her mouth, she understood what he meant, and though heat coursed over her face, happiness sang through her veins. “I could have your baby. What a boon that would be.”

She turned around, and her smile died at the thunderous expression on his face. “You are angry again. It is selfish of me to want to have part of you to keep after you leave.”

“I’m not angry. I promise.” He kissed the back of her hand. “You’re barely twenty. You haven’t even begun to live. The last thing you need is the burden of a baby. I have no excuse, but it won’t happen again. And know this, Jacinta: if it turns out that you are pregnant, I’ll be there for you.”

“You are a good man. And I will not call you Demon. Tell me your name.” Love threatened to burst through her skin and the words from her mouth. Her eyes prickled, but she willed the tears away.

“It’s better that you don’t know, kitten.” His thumb brushed her lip. “Once we’re safe, then I’ll tell you.”

Why wouldn’t he trust her with his given name? She tried to hide her hurt by making a joke. “I am dreadfully close to being weepy again. A handful of M&M’s should cure my tears.”

His belly laugh proved contagious, and she chortled with him. “Honey, you’re going to have to do a lot better than that to get around me.”

Jacinta pouted.

Demon reignited the burners. “Do your job. Watch the bacon.”

“I shall call you babe. That’s what lovers call each other, no?” Jacinta used a fork to flip a bacon strip.

“Oh, I don’t know. I’m partial to Oh Exalted One.” Demon pinched her cheek. “Or Your Majesty.”

“You are pulling my thighs.” She couldn’t stop grinning. Never had she felt so at ease with another human being.

“Legs, kitten. Pulling your legs.” He shook his head.

“English can be so illogical. I make very few mistakes in Latin and Gaelic. Even German is not so hard, but English…and the slang. I felt silly saying chill and my bad. But the day girls use all the ‘cool’ terms, and I wanted to as well.” She placed the cooked strips on a paper-towel-lined plate. “I didn’t want to be different.”

“Do you worry about fitting in?” When she went to sit in the other chair, Demon tugged her into his lap.

Warmth crept up her throat, and she ducked her chin. “Always. I didn’t belong in the cloister. I didn’t belong at the day school. I didn’t belong with Emilio. I should like to ask you something—babe.”

“I like you calling me babe. Ask away.”

“Do you think Consuelo spoke the truth? That Emilio is my half brother?” She couldn’t swallow, her throat too scratchy, the answer too important.

His gaze never faltered. “Yes.”

She covered her face. “I have always dreamed that one day my mother or father would come to claim me. That I had many, many brothers and sisters. A grandmother. Aunts and uncles. But I would rather be alone in this world than have to share the same blood as Emilio’s.”

“Don’t.” He pried her hands loose. “I learned the hard way that you can’t choose your family. An accident of birth related Emilio to you. Look at me, Jacinta. Ah, kitten, don’t cry.”

Even biting her cheeks till they ached wouldn’t stop the tears. “What he wanted to do to me—even thinking of it makes my heart hurt. Why? Why would a brother hurt a sister?”

“Some people are born evil. Emilio’s one of those. You aren’t tainted in any way by being related to him. Are you listening to me?” His palms warmed her cheeks.

She nodded.

He swiped away the moistness from her face. “Let’s make a pact. We’ll be each other’s family.”

“No.” She straightened. “I want to be your lover.”

“Friends and lovers, then. Deal?”

“Deal.” She offered her hand.

“Lovers seal a deal with a kiss.”

Jacinta smiled, for the twinkle had returned to his eyes and they reflected the deep green leaves of the sea grape trees on the beach. “I like kissing you.”

“Go for it. Kiss me.”

She let her gaze rove over his face, traced the line of one eyebrow, and set her lips to the scar that tugged at his mouth. Closing her eyes, she outlined his lips, sipped at a corner, and sucked on the softness of him. She tangled her fingers in his hair, pulled him closer, and explored, learning the shape of his teeth, testing the sweet spots that he had found on her, the ones that had made her belly flutter and her toes curl.

He grunted, and kneaded her breasts.

She bit the tip of his tongue, and his grip on her mounds tightened to the point of pain when she tickled the roof of his mouth.

He pulled away from her, nostrils flaring, chest heaving, his eyes glazed, and then he bumped their foreheads together. “Damn. You’re a fast learner.”

“Sister Helen always said so.” She preened a little, feeling very much the siren and enjoying his dazed reaction. A surge of confidence had her blurting, “I should very much like to suck your genitals, babe.”

He choked. Then grimaced. “Okay. Never say that word again. Genitals.”

Jacinta couldn’t stifle a small giggle.

“Cock, dick, prick, jones, woody, boner. Anything but genitals.”

She laughed aloud at his exaggerated shudder. “Okay. I should very much like to suck your cock, dick, prick, jones, woody, boner. Jones? Woody? Boner? The others I have heard or read, but not those three.”

“You know where we’re heading after eating, don’t you?” He slipped his hands down her pants, and her legs went slack when he played with her folds. “Hot damn. You’re commando. And sopping wet.”

Jacinta blinked. “Commando?”

“No underwear.” He removed his hand and licked all four fingers. “Man. I love the way you taste.”

An inferno lit her throat and face. “You mean it.”

“Oh, yeah.”

Squaring her shoulders, she crossed her arms. “I want to taste you too.”

“Do I look like I’m arguing the point? Eat. All of a sudden, I’m motivated to gobble every morsel in record time.”

But he didn’t.

Instead he fed her with his fingers and his mouth. Teased her without mercy about her old-fashioned vocabulary, and argued with her about Joseph Conrad’s
Heart of Darkness
. How they got onto that topic she never did quite figure out. He had a way of worming secrets out of her and soon knew her favorite books, movies, and cartoons.

But she had learned nothing about him. He deflected every question or answered in such a way that he gave no information about himself.

He didn’t trust her. Why? His attitude had changed twice. On the beach after she told him of the cloister’s location, and in the jeep when he had seen her face in daylight. The contact lenses? It hit her all at once. The picture Emilio had of her mother—she and her mother shared the same eye color: turquoise with yellow glints.