Demonstorm: Heart of a Vampire #6 (8 page)

Sean’s mind spun at such power.

“I was following the Princeling when the storms came in. Lightning struck the palace, destroying it and killing the King. Then someone, a guard maybe, grabbed the Prince to take him to safety.”

“Didn’t succeed, I guess, since everyone in Atlantis died.” An entire civilization, wiped out in the blink of an eye.

“You truly think none survived?” she laughed lightly, the bell-like sound soothing some part deep inside him. “There are those with Atlantean blood living still. We call them Fey.”

Shock coursed through him. His king’s tiny wife was part Fey, it was where her Omega magic came from. His mother… himself.

“So what does something like that have to do with the current state of things?” he asked, hoping her answer would be “nothing”.

She flattened her hands on her knees, staring at them. “Demon lore, kept hidden in our realm from prying eyes, speaks of a group of… beings… I guess. Sort of like gods, but not really. They’re just really old—Before Time old.”

“Like the Titans of Greek mythology?”

“Something like that, but older. They’re represented by two factions. Light, and dark. And every so often, they grow bored and once more begin their game of war.”

“How often?” he asked.

“According to legend, about every eight to ten thousand years. During the last war, Atlantis was decimated, all their knowledge and technology essentially lost. Some believe we’re repeating history, but that this time, the brewing war may wipe out all Arcaine, all of humanity. All realms.”

“Why would they do such a thing?” he asked, incredulous. “Are both sides pure evil?”

She blinked, shooting a startled gaze at him. “Evil? No. Like I said, they are old. So very old. We are beneath their consideration. Just as you would view a toy, they see us as such.”

His mind couldn’t wrap around that. Gods, entities, that thought all of humanity and Arcaine to be played with?

“So these… things are behind the breaking of truces lately?”

“Essentially. They pick their players from both Arcaine and humans. Those who are already evil,” she shivered, “like Brüs, align to the dark. Others align to light.”

“And then what? They gather us up and make us fight to the death?” As if they were toy soldiers rather than living beings, forced to maneuver on the fake battlefield of some child.

“It’s not quite so simple. This is not a war where the two sides will meet any time soon. Rather, it’s more like chess. A match in which each side must successfully complete many, many tasks. Quests if you will. Gather people and items, both sides hoarding great power. Only after all that is done, do the factions as a whole come face to face.”

Which left him where? Based on what Mayah said, they were in a shitload of trouble.

How did one try to reason with entities older than time itself? They’d be looked at as annoying flies, not worth the bother.

A war was brewing, and his clan was trying to stop it.

But, with this new information, Sean was beginning to think it might be futile.

* * *

As the sun rose to a new day, Mayah woke, surprised she’d fallen asleep so easily with Sean nearby. She’d only known him for a handful of days, though they’d been stuck in his truck together. Alone.

The only thing filling the endless drive was talking to each other. Mostly, of superficial things, but sometimes, she found herself relaxing. Sharing things that should be kept hidden.

He too had opened up on occasion, giving her a glimpse of the man he was inside. A man who was beginning to draw out her admiration and respect. Dangerous feelings.

She blinked at the scenery outside, a wide expanse of barren rolling hills, with towering snow-covered mountains so far in the distance they looked tiny.

Since deciding to use his help and their earlier talk, it was as if something inside her had eased a little. Maybe it was the invisible note from Jezamine, telling her to trust Sean. Or maybe it was the way he’d treated her during the entire period she’d known him.

He’d never once acted like he thought her beneath him. And the only time he’d tied her up had been when she’d fought him. Most men she’d known would have beaten her for daring to lay a hand on them. Would have shackled her the moment they found her trying to escape, if they’d waited that long.

Not Sean.

He truly acted like he was only there to help. Not command, not use for her abilities.

Not yet, anyway.

She couldn’t stop the whisper inside her saying that, just perhaps, he truly was more like her father and brothers than like Brüs. But she worried at giving into such belief and having it snatched away like a leaf blown away in the wind.

Sean reached up, rubbing his eyes.

“Do you need a break?” she asked.

“You wanna drive?”

She fidgeted in her seat. “I’ve never had the chance to learn how.”

He glanced at her with a soft smile. “If you want, I can teach you later.”

“Maybe.”

“I’ll be okay. Got a few more hours in me yet. I could use some food though. We’ll stop at the next town.”

The cab filled with a strangely comfortable silence, the quiet sounds of music from the radio filling in for talk.

After another hour, a small town appeared in the distance. Sean slowed and pulled off the highway. After filling the gas tank, he headed for a Mexican restaurant which promised the hottest salsa available for miles.

“Go ahead and grab a table,” Sean said, waving her to the front door as he pulled out his cell phone.

She headed for the building. Behind her, she heard him ask someone to email a list of blood banks and serving areas along the way to Alaska. She’d never before known a vampire to drink so genteelly from a plastic bag. The few she’d seen in the past had viciously savaged their human meals, killing them only after hours of torture. Then again, the type of people who hung around an Abatu demon like Brüs weren’t exactly the civilized type.

She shivered as memories of some of his
parties
came back, before she forced them away as quickly as she could.

Sean strode inside just as a waitress led her to a booth. He slipped into the bench on the other side.

After they ordered, Mayah glanced around the sparsely decorated place. It was small, with only a few tables, and a handful of booths along the back wall. But anything would be miniscule compared to the loud, disgusting dining hall in Brüs’s domains.

A shudder inched along her spine. She didn’t want to think about that right now, didn’t want her stomach to revolt at the many disgusting memories she could conjure up.

Glancing at Sean, she said, “So, you don’t want to talk about your demon magic. What about your mom?”

His eyes brightened with emotion at the topic.

The waitress delivered a large bowl of chips and a smaller container of salsa. “Enjoy.”

Mayah took a chip and broke it in half, dipped it and munched, not disappointed by the bite of heat.

Sean splayed his hands on the table, looking at them as he answered. “She’s great. Mostly.”

“Why only mostly?”

“We were captives for a long time.” His eyes darkened, the vampire red overtaking the thinner band of demon black. “But eventually we escaped. Mom and I were on the run for quite a while.”

“Is that how you know the back ways around the border?” she asked, nibbling another chip.

“Aye.”

“But you’re not on the run now, right?”

He shook his head. “We found my mom’s family and they took us in.”

“Your clan?” she asked, curious.

“Aye.”

So this clan which wanted to use her was his family. Maybe they weren’t as bad as she feared. Could she take that chance?

“But what is it like to have a mother?” she asked, pushing the thoughts away.

He blinked, settling back in his seat. “Didn’t you have one?”

She blanked all thought and emotion from her face. “My mother died in childbirth.” The lump in her throat prevented her from taking another bite.

As if he could see through her mask, his gaze grew sympathetic. Then he grinned, though she could tell it was forced. “She’s a pain in the ass. Always nagging, always trying to protect me like I’m still a child.”

“Sounds wonderful,” Mayah replied honestly.

He shrugged. “It is. Like I said, mostly. She loves me. But it’s long past time that she saw me as a capable adult.”

The waitress delivered their huge order, then left.

Sean picked up his fork, but didn’t eat. “When we were on the run, we had each other’s backs. She knew I was capable of keeping us both safe. But being a…”

“Half-breed?” she supplied, but without the rancor from before.

“Aye. A half-breed. Well, your people obviously react the same way everyone else does.” He picked up one of the tacos and took a vicious bite.

Deep inside her, something stirred.

Not pity.

Compassion. And understanding.

While she’d never been reviled for what she was, many had feared her. Feared what she might
see
.

But unlike Sean, she’d been protected. As the daughter of a prince of their realm, none would dare lay a hand on her. Her father would have flayed them alive, then thrown them into one of the endless pits of hell fire, to burn for eternity.

Sean, it seemed, had never felt that. Abused by his own captor, as Brüs had done, only so much worse. Because even then, she’d been protected by the demon in his own twisted manner. Not as a person, but as his toy. His plaything who could see the future for him on demand.

Something uneasy shivered through her at the growing realization of how similar she and Sean were.

Taking a quick bite to get away from such dangerous thoughts, she nearly choked. Coughing and sputtering, she grabbed her glass of water and took a deep drink.

“You all right?” his words were so honestly concerned, the shiver turned into a blossom of warmth.

“I’m fine,” she whispered, though she felt the farthest thing from fine as could be possible.

What was it about this man that kept getting to her?

“So, anyway,” Sean continued between bites, “We finally got rid of the demon chasing us last year. Not only did my mom find her family, but my long-lost father as well.” He looked up at her, studying her with such intensity, she squirmed. “I do truly understand your need to rescue your brother. If it was someone of mine, I wouldn’t be stopped either.”

The warmth inside her heated, spreading, nearly filling her. She hadn’t felt compassion, such understanding and consideration of herself as a person, in so long.

And the complete and utter honesty in his voice told her that Jezamine’s words were probably true. This man could be trusted.

Yet…

Something still prevented her from giving in to such a crazy feeling completely.

As the waitress moved to take their empty plates, her hand brushed Mayah’s arm. Electricity shot up Mayah’s spine at the veiled demon magic cleverly hidden. Slowly, as if time had stopped, she raised her head and met the waitress’s gaze.

The woman smiled with predatory intent, finished grabbing the plates, then turned away as if nothing had happened.

Light flashed.

Darkness descended.

Sucked into the vision, she found herself staring into the gray-red gaze of her rescuer.

They lay on something soft, surrounded by a dim light filtering through a forest of trees. Sean’s body pressed along hers as he lifted one of her braids and rubbed it between his fingers. His breath whispered over her lips as he said, “So soft. Mesmerizing. I could watch you for eternity.”

A look at one of the possible futures that could come to pass.

She stiffened, wanting to pull away, but she was a passenger of what she was being shown. Never before had she had a vision while trapped in her own body, unable to move or direct what she wanted to see. Or to never see.

Sean drew closer, pressing his lips to the corner of her mouth with the softest of touches.

Her body responded. She grasped his shoulders, lifting her head to kiss him with a raging passion. He tasted like a fine old whiskey, smoky and smooth with a hint of fiery bite.

She drank it in, starving for his taste, needing to feel his touch.

Light flashed.

Mayah lay on a rocky cliff, head pounding, agonizing pain wrenching through every inch of her body. Blood from a cut on her forehead colored her vision with a pink hue. Across a wide snowy clearing, Cyrus and Sean stood drenched in crimson, fighting an endless horde of demons, black-souled vampires and crazed shifters.

Their movements were heavy from exhaustion. In her brother’s eyes, she saw a fearful hopelessness that broke her heart.

A shadow fell over her. Brüs slammed his booted foot into her stomach, rupturing her internal organs. Her ribs snapped and her heartbeat became a struggling flutter.