Demon's Dream (High Demon Series #6) (12 page)

* * *

"I always thought someone else was taking up the slack," Gavril muttered, a cup of coffee in his hands at the kitchen island. Mathilde had dumped coffee, tea or soft drinks in front of the others, a grim expression on her face. Joey, Franklin and Norton had gone out to the pool area where Reah was sitting, her pants rolled up to her knees and her feet soaking in the hot tub.

"How we get her back? How we make up with her?" Farzi was miserable; it was echoed in his voice. Nenzi was sitting very close to his brother and more miserable than that, if it were possible.

"She's hitting back at all of you for twenty-five years of pain and neglect," Kevis pointed out. "I realize it wasn't intentional for the most part, but that doesn't make any difference to Reah. To her, pain is pain."

"Mom gave me copies of all the messages she and Reah sent to me when the girls were born," Tory sighed. "And the last one said she almost bled out with Dara and Sara. Who was with her, then? Anybody know?"

"I was, as was Renegar," Nefrigar said. He'd altered his height to sit on a barstool at the island with the others. "Three sets of twins in six years were hard on her, and she'd been in the groves working until her labor began. Gardevik Rath has much to answer for."

"Kifirin, too, but good luck on that," Ry folded in to join the conference. Mathilde placed a cup of tea in front of him.

"Is there room for us?" Jayd, Garde and Glinda skipped in. Nefrigar enlarged the island with power, and three more barstools plunked down, manufactured out of air, most likely. The Larentii could command atoms when they wanted.

"Reah wasn't happy that Raedah sent mindspeech to me, upset over the fact that she couldn't remember important things about her mother," Aurelius blew out a frustrated sigh.

"At least they call you Daddy." Tory blew an angry cloud of smoke from his nostrils.

"I have it on good authority that love can't be forced," Jayd said, looking at those gathered about him. "But that doesn't mean it can't be coaxed back to life. Granted, it looks as if those embers may be dying, but we have to find a way to rebuild the fire of it. Kara says that she loved her mother and wanted to hug her while they were together, but the moment Reah was out of sight, it was as if she forgot. Most likely as the rest of you did."

"We should have kept her at the palace. We could have found someone to work with her and tend to emergencies at night. Reah could have skipped to the Southern Continent every morning, and taken a day off at least once a week. I understand that didn't happen," Glinda pointed out.

"Dad, aren't you going to say anything?" Tory looked at Garde, who'd remained silent.

"I fucked this up, son," Garde admitted.

"Yeah? Dad, she has my claiming marks on her neck and she won't let me touch her. You're not the only one."

* * *

"Do you ever wear your hair down?" Joey pulled the length of my braid through his hand. Braided, it hung below my waist.

"Once in a while," I said. Ry had asked for it down a time or two. I'd done it for him.

"It's beautiful, even braided," Franklin sat on my other side. I was sandwiched between them, their shoulders rubbing mine. Norton sat on the other side of the rectangular spa, listening to the rest of us. Somehow, they'd cooled the waters, allowing me to sit in it.

"I probably should have it trimmed, but there hasn't been any time," I said.

"We can take you," Franklin offered. "Conner has someone who does her hair and nails. We can set up an appointment."

"That sounds nice," I said. "I've gotten my hair done by those people Teeg hires, but they always look at me like I'm a project, with long hair that has to be piled up on my head in some ridiculous and exotic way."

"Maybe trim it to here?" Joey drew a finger across the small of my back.

"Yeah, that would be a good length, I guess."

"And cut the bangs. Just a little," he grinned, leaning down in front of me. "Oh, shit," he said.

"What?" He, Franklin and Norton were standing in a blink.

"The Saa Thalarr are getting attacked. We have to go."

"I'm coming too," I said, grabbing Joey's arm before he could fold away.

* * *

"Stay back," Franklin shouted at me. What met my eyes when I was tossed onto the dry grass of a winter field in the middle of nowhere was nothing less than total chaos. Sixteen Ra'Ak and at least a thousand spawn were there, fighting with the Saa Thalarr who were available to come. I saw Lok and Aurelius appear not far away. Their focus was on the spawn—they didn't even see that I'd come. Drake and Drew were already engaging one of the monster Ra'Ak while their father, Dragon, dealt with another. I saw a huge, white Unicorn, a Black Gryphon and a beautiful Snow Leopard.

Over our heads screamed a giant white Eagle with black wingtips. Then, if that wasn’t enough, another twenty Ra'Ak came. Aurelius had told me over the years that the Ra'Ak that remained were likely hiding, sending their spawn out to create more of their kind. Now, many had chosen to appear at once. Dragon was attempting to fend off four of the creatures and Drake and Drew had more to deal with as well. The Eagle overhead was popping heads off spawn, but the moment she came close to one of the Ra'Ak it leapt at her, snapping its poisonous teeth.

"No!" Joey screamed as a Ra'Ak scraped its teeth against the side of the Unicorn. Dragon, too, roared in pain and frustration as he was nicked by one of the four he fought. There wasn't much time. I was High Demon. I and my race had been created for this. King Lendevik had conveniently forgotten that, but I hadn't. Turning quickly to my larger Thifilatha and pulling energy from the stars over our heads as I ran, I raced to take on the Ra'Ak.

My gold scales were shining like a yellow sun by the time I arrived, and the Ra'Ak attempted to get away when they realized I was among them, but I wasn't having it. I was filled with energy from the stars, glowing with it, pulsing with it. They had no ability to escape me in my present state; I made sure of it. No power worked while I was such. Even the Saa Thalarr were backing away; their folding skills wouldn't work until they got quite far away, actually.

With the precision of a laser pistol, I pointed fingers and released what I'd gathered. Ra'Ak exploded before me, barely able to shriek before they died. Did the spawn think to attack me? They fizzled out of existence upon coming into contact with my scales. Like tiny, flying predators that burn against an insect lantern, they winked into sparks and blew away.

Only three Ra'Ak remained and I killed them leisurely, almost, screaming at them. "Did you think to escape me?" I cried out, scalding tears dripping down my scaled cheeks. Had I realized I was crying? Not until then. "You will never harm again, I promise it," I wept and killed the last two before dropping to the ground and curling in upon myself.

"Reah, we have to go! Dragon and Kiarra have poison in their systems!" Norton shouted up at me. I barely heard him over the sounds of my sobs.

"No," I moaned. Dragon was lying on his side, still in dragon form, but the Unicorn had become someone I recognized—Kiarra of the Saa Thalarr. Her head lay in Joey's lap and he was trying to help her, but the rake she'd received was a severe one. I knew the Ra'Ak poison was running through both of them. Using the short fangs I had while Thifilatha, I bit into my own hand, opening a wound on the palm. High Demons were immune to every poison, including that of the Ra'Ak.

Skipping to Dragon's side, I slapped my hand over his wound, allowing my blood to mingle with his. I knew when the poison was neutralized; it didn't take long. "He's all right now," I said, before going to the woman.

"Here," I became humanoid and knelt, completely naked in a winter field, shivering and placing a bleeding hand over Kiarra's wounds. I smeared my blood from one end of the wounds to the other, going by feel again until I knew the poison was neutralized. Joey stared at me when I finished. "You should be able to work your mojo now," I said. "I got rid of all the star power."

"Is that what it was?" Joey blinked at me in confusion.

"Yeah. It's cold here, did you know?"

"Here." Kevis wrapped a blanket around me and lifted me from the ground. My feet were completely frozen, I think, and it wouldn't take much to snap them off. "I'll meet you back at the house; Dad's about to have a fit." I stared at Kevis Halivar as he folded—yes folded—me somewhere.

Karzac was waiting as Kevis settled me on a stone floor inside a beautiful kitchen, and when I saw Kevis and Karzac next to one another, I knew exactly what was going on. "I ought to punch you," I poked a finger in Kevis' chest. He was Karzac's son. I saw the resemblance with them so close together. "No wonder I never saw you in the same room together." A sandy-blond man that looked very much like Adam Chessman snickered behind Kevis.

"Reah, you're naked," Kevis pointed out. My blanket had dropped to the floor.

"Yeah? I thought you were a doctor. Surely you've seen this before," I snapped, poking him in the chest again.

"Reah, it's a little undignified, arguing naked in my mother's kitchen," Kevis sounded embarrassed.

"You were the one who brought me here," I reminded him, lifting the blanket and wrapping it around me. "I'll go home now." I started to skip away.

"No!" Karzac and Kevis shouted in unison.

"Young one, you most certainly will not skip away until we have examined you and determined that what you just did harmed the child in no way. And your hand is bleeding," Karzac grumped.

"I had to bite it to neutralize the poison in the others," I huffed.

"And Dragon is very grateful. Kiarra is still in shock, I think."

"Is she all right? They didn't hurt her too badly, did they?" Now I was worried.

"She is fine, she just had no idea who you were at the moment; she was in too much pain. She also had no idea where you came from or why you were naked and smearing blood all over her stomach. I had to send someone to explain." Karzac was almost tapping his foot with impatience.

"Why don't you go help her?" I turned back to Kevis. "It sounds as if she's scarred for life, now." The sandy-haired man laughed out loud when I said that.

"Come along, you," Kevis lifted me off the floor and hauled me down a lengthy hallway. Karzac, trailing behind us, slapped the door shut when at least three other people attempted to get inside. I didn't recognize any of them, although the sandy-haired man was one of the three.

"Now, Reah, you will sit there while I examine you and the child. Honestly, what kind of stunt was that anyway?" Karzac was muttering his displeasure as he placed his fingers on my hand first, healing up the wound. Kevis found a cloth and wet it in a small sink in the corner of the room to wash off the blood. Looking around me, I decided the room was a doctor's office. Supplies and equipment were stored inside—not that any of it was needed—except for the cloth Kevis used to clean blood from my hand. Karzac placed a hand over my bare chest. "Does anything hurt?" he asked quietly, acting as if he were listening to my heartbeat.

"My feet are freezing," I said. "And I'd really like to make sure my toes won't snap off when I kick Kevis' ass."

"Reah, I get that you're the toughest woman on the block and all that," Kevis said. "Hush now, Dad and I are checking on the baby." I rolled my eyes as two sets of hands went to my belly.

"Must not be anything like the Saa Thalarr. The baby's fine," Karzac sighed, straightening up.

"What does that mean?" I asked. "I changed the whole time I was pregnant before. I had to in order to get the insects out of the groves."

"Reah, you should probably stop talking now before Dad has a stroke." Kevis gave me a level look with the gold-green eyes he'd inherited from his father.

"Karzac, don't have a stroke," I mumbled, ducking my head and suddenly feeling ashamed.

"Little one," Karzac lifted my face, "I will not have a stroke. But it was a very close thing this time," he gave me a small smile. "I know not how you did what you did, but I had visions of a miscarriage. I am most happy to see that will not be the case."

"Where is she?" The door banged open and Dragon, with Norton and Franklin almost hanging off him, strode into the room.

"Don't tell me you're having a stroke, too?"

"I may have worse. Is she all right? Is the child well?" Dragon demanded.

"Everything is fine; it seems she's done this sort of thing throughout all her pregnancies," Karzac released a long-suffering sigh.

"To clear insects out of the groves," Kevis added, almost in an identical tone to his father's.

"It keeps everything organic," I huffed, crossing arms angrily over my chest. What were they so upset about? I shook my head in confusion.

"Reah, you reached your fourth month of pregnancy two days ago. Saa Thalarr women cannot change or use their power after four months or they will miscarry," Karzac said.

"Obviously I'm not one of them," I pointed out while nobody in particular paid any mind at all.

"How is she otherwise?" Dragon asked.

"Fine, except for the," Kevis tapped his head with a finger.

"You know, I think my feet are warmed up enough now," I threatened. "Is this how you handle all your crazy patients?"