Kiss of the Betrayer (A Bringer and the Bane Novel) (38 page)

Rhys pushed off the ground, lifting his immense body with deceptive ease. Luc’s own dragon cried out again for release. He gave over, letting the creature take control. White heat coursed through his veins, bringing with it the transition. Power filled every inch of his body and any fear he’d been harboring slipped away.

His vision shifted and the Bane transformed from winged creatures to colors and shadows. Some possessed small white orbs that pulsed at the center of their chests, while others harbored a more muted glow, but devoid of the white light. Either way, the demons were easy to track.

He launched himself into the sky, nearly colliding with a diving Bane. Without thought, he spewed a stream of fire at the demon, the action thundering through his head. The monster banked to the left, narrowly missing being incinerated. Screams and intermittent flashes of fire filled the sky. Where he and Rhys directed their attacks through jettison blasts, Ravyn rose high in the air and spiraled downward, laying a trail of fire across the sky. Demons propelling too quickly dove into her line of fire and exploded into a million sparks. The embers swirled, collecting into a spinning vortex and smashing into the ground to burrow and disappear. The acrid smell of singed flesh and sulfur mingled with the scent of charred wood and earth.

So focused on the demon circling to outmaneuver him, Luc didn’t see the attack until it was too late. Claws tore across the thick hide of his dragon. Stinging gashes burned along his flank. Red rage filled him, blotting out all human control. The dragon whipped his tail around and slammed the demon with its jagged spikes. The talons dragged across his back, shredding the flesh as they lost their hold. A solid blast of fire dispatched the Bane, sending it back to the Shadow World.

Pain ripped through Luc and the dragon roared. He struggled to maintain control of his creature. The beast balked, wanting nothing more than to destroy everything in the sky. This was the delicate balance. The power of the dragon melded with the compassion and reasoning of the man.

Stinging heat radiated across the animal’s back with each twisting move it made. Luc focused his awareness on the injury and sent his healing consciousness to the wound. Flesh mended and the thick hide knitted, delivering immediate relief.

The dragon spiraled toward the ground, the wind deafening in his ears. He swerved to avoid a fiery funnel cloud. Flames licked along his underbelly but could not penetrate the dense scales.

Luc’s attention snapped to Jade. She raced across the front lawn. A demon trailed her, skimming no more than three feet off the ground in pursuit. She dove and rolled, releasing a bolt from the crossbow. The arrow whistled through the air and lodged in the demon’s shoulder, the force nearly jerking its body to a complete stop in midair. Its talons bit into the earth and the creature toppled, rolling toward Jade.

The Bane growled, struggling to gain a kneeling position, and yanked the arrow out of its shoulder. Jade scrambled backward, her panicked breathing registering with Luc’s heightened hearing. The demon rose to its feet and advanced on her. The warded weapons weren’t working as expected.

Luc’s dragon body twisted and dove, extending its hind legs. Jade’s gaze cut upward and her eyes widened. Before the demon could turn and avoid the attack, the dragon speared the Bane from behind with razor sharp talons. A tortured cry ripped from the demon. The dragon flipped the creature forward, tossing it into the sky. Not giving the Bane a chance to spread its wings and right its tumbling course, the dragon spewed, engulfing the creature in flames. With a brilliant burst, the demon exploded.

Luc sent an order to the dragon to return to Jade, who had repositioned herself on the top step at the front of the manor. A line of crossbow bolts lay in a line beside her. White light glowed from her hands and her mouth moved rapidly. The ancient healing words she uttered caressed his ears.

Two demons dove toward her, obviously thinking she was an easy target. Again the dragon twisted, bashing its tail into the closest Bane. The hard spikes sunk into the much softer flesh, causing the demon to stick. With a quick spin, the dragon catapulted into the sky.

Undaunted, the second demon continued its attack on Jade. Panic raced through Luc and the dragon roared when it was unable to turn fast enough to stop the diving creature. Jade leveled the crossbow, but didn’t shoot. Luc’s mind screamed for her to release the bolt. Just as the dragon was about to fold its wings and dive, the demon smashed into what looked like a net of fire.

Its body writhed and flames lapped along its body, bubbling the mottled green flesh. Jade loosed the arrow, delivering the blow directly into the creature’s heart. Instead of immediately exploding, threads of brilliant white light tore through its body. With the dragon’s vision, Luc could see the dark shadows surrounding the white orb burn away. When the stream of light connected with the pulsing circle, the demon shattered into a million white sparkles. Unlike the times they blasted the Bane with fire, this demon didn’t spiral into a vortex. As each spark blinked out of existence, the almost inaudible tinkle of a bell chimed.

Without hesitation, she notched another bolt, ready for the next attack. The dragon veered and shot upward. If she didn’t move beyond the ward, Jade would be safe. More Bane had arrived. The sky swelled with demons. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, the three of them were outnumbered.

Five Bane raced after Ravyn. Even by banking quickly in a tight circle, she couldn’t incinerate all of the demons. Rhys battled three on his own, defending with his tail, talons, and fire. Though maintaining the advantage, if the attacks increased, he would be overtaken.

Out of the dark, Sha-hera and two of her succubi dove at him. He laid a trail of fire, but they darted around it to continue their assault. The two demons flanked Sha-hera and then broke off in an effort to cut him off. They were faster and more skilled than most, probably Sha-hera’s seconds in command.

The demons dove, crisscrossing paths and sinking their talons into whatever part of the dragon’s flesh they could. Their high-pitched screeches pierced his head, setting him off balance. Though the dragon landed a few solid hits with his tail, it could never deliver a direct hit of flames. Their cackles echoed around him with each missed attack he attempted.

Luc turned control over to the beast. This was what his Shield powers were meant for and why the dragon existed. Its calculations for attack flickered along Luc’s awareness, too fast to comprehend all the details, delivering just enough to let him know what the dragon intended.

It folded its golden wings against its sides and dove. Two of the demons followed him, but Sha-hera held back, her skills as a warrior obviously sensing the trap. He flared his wings twenty feet off the ground and swooped toward Jade. Unsure how high the ward extended, he skirted as low as he could, aiming for the front of the manor.

Never slowing in their pursuit, the demons spiraled and dove to keep up. To the dragon Jade shined like a brilliant white light, but within Luc’s consciousness, he saw her human features. She looked up from where she knelt, her eyes widening, and then understanding dawned. She snatched an arrow from the ground, shoving it in the pocket of her tunic, and leveled the crossbow in his direction.

The ground four feet beneath him raced past and the distance between him and Jade quickly narrowed. Still she remained motionless and ready. Ten feet from where she stood, the dragon extended its legs and pushed off the earth, at the same time thrusting its wings downward. Their tips dug into the soft ground, providing the needed push to quickly rise. The creature soared over the top of the manor, its talons raking the timber shakes of the roof. The demons followed directly in its path, but where the dragon was free to pass through the ward, the Bane slammed into it like a brick wall. The fiery net extended beyond them and Jade dispatched each demon with a direct shot to the heart.

Twice more they were able to run the same plan, but it didn’t take long for the Bane to catch on. As if tired of all the cat and mouse antics, the Bane converged on Rhys, Ravyn, and Luc, swarming them like angry bees. They weighed down his dragon’s wings, forcing him toward the ground. Jettisons of fire lit the sky and the thunderous roar of two full dragons reverberated through the night. No matter how the dragon thrashed, it could not get free of the teeming demons. Movement became impossible and all hope of escape seemed lost when the sky erupted in a blaze.

Fireballs pelted the demons holding Luc and instantly they exploded. Screeches filled the night, the Bane releasing him to escape the onslaught. Luc crashed to the ground, his gigantic body tumbling tail over head, gouging a deep furrow as he slid. Unhurt, he climbed to his feet and searched the sky. Dragons battled the Bane; not just Rhys, but Shields he’d never seen before. There must have been fifteen, but the exact number was hard to gauge.

A black dragon circled down to land heavily at the corner of the grounds. Another red Shield alighted to the left of him at the corner and a large blue dragon settled at another corner, creating a lopsided triangle. The compulsion to join them pushed into Luc’s mind. Unsure what to do, he once again gave full control to the dragon.

By taking its place at the final corner, the position of the four dragons created a square that encompassed the manor. The black dragon lifted his snout toward the sky and blew. The red and blue dragons did the same, shooting a stream of fire into the air. More compulsion to comply rippled through Luc and the dragon. As he blew, streams of flames branched out and converged, creating a dome of fire over the manor.

Several Bane attempted to crash through the protection, only to be incinerated in the fiery web. Those demons caught inside were easily dispatched by the remaining Shields. Shrieks from the demons echoed across the open expanse of the grounds. Ash and sparks filled the sky. Though a few lingered, most of the creatures shot into the night with what looked like no intention of returning. The four dragons ceased the fire and the remaining Bringers pursued the last of the Bane, sending them back to the Shadow World either by fire or fear.

Luc struggled for dominance, demanding that the dragon relinquish control. Praise of the creature’s keen fighting skills did much to soothe its pride and garner its cooperation. His body shifted in one smooth move, transitioning dragon back into man. The lightness of his limbs was somewhat disconcerting at first, but after a minute he felt like himself again.

Rhys landed and shifted, followed by Ravyn. One by one the unfamiliar dragons landed, morphing back into men. Some he recognized. Some were unfamiliar to him. Siban and Jade raced toward them to join the crowd. Jade skidded to a stop next to Luc and he wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her to him. Without pause, she wound her arms around him and stared into his face.

“Are you all right?” Her eyes were wide with worry.

“Fine. And you?”

“Fine.” She gave him a squeeze. “Now.”

He smiled, their connection filling and finally setting the last missing stone of his life in place. This is where he was supposed to be—with Jade, as a Bringer, fighting the Bane. Though the series of events had started over a decade ago, tonight his journey had coalesced and created a future.

The last dragon landed and transformed.

“Sir Gregory,” Ravyn said. “What a pleasant surprise.”

A wry smile pulled at his lips. “I did say I was going to visit the manor soon, Lady Ravyn.”

“You picked a most fortunate time,” Rhys said, grasping the man’s forearm. “Though I now have many questions I hope you will answer for us.”

The front door of the manor slammed open and Jacob, Willa, and Delphina raced across the lawn to join the group, while the children hovered in the entry.

“Sir Gregory,” Jacob panted. “If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I never would have believed it.”

“Perhaps it would be best if we went inside,” Gregory said. “There is much to discuss.” His gaze tracked around the group. “And someone who wishes to join our cause waits inside.”

C
HAPTER
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WENTY-
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“I’d like to check on Rell first.” Jade twined her fingers with Luc’s, hoping he’d offer to come without her asking. “Make sure she’s all right.”

“Rell?” Sir Gregory asked.

Jacob slapped him on the back. “We’ve got more to discuss than you think.”

“I’ll go with her and we’ll meet you inside,” Luc said.

“May I join you?”

The group pivoted to face the feminine voice. Shock rippled through Jade as the white veiled figure approached. She glanced at Luc. His brow was furrowed, obviously as surprised as she was by the appearance of the Order’s Superior.

“Ascendant Meran?” Ravyn’s gaze darted to Gregory and back.

“You were supposed to wait inside,” he said.

The Ascendant glided past him to stand next to Jade. “I’m needed here.”

Jade shifted to the left, to make room for her. Luc laid his hand on her hip and tugged her toward him. The firm foundation of his body pressed against her back, grounding Jade with the reality that he would not leave her.

Sir Gregory glared at the Ascendant but finally conceded to her wishes.

“We will meet you inside after we check on Jade’s sister.”

With confused glances but no argument, the rest of the group made its way to the manor. The Ascendant faced her and Luc, holding her arm out in the direction of the outbuilding.

“Shall we?”

A dozen questions flittered though Jade’s mind. Why was a Superior of the Order at the manor and how did she know about Rell? She bit her tongue, hoping they would get the answers after they rejoined the group.

About fifteen yards from the outbuilding, the grating irritation of the Banes’ presence bit. Jade slowed. The Ascendant stopped, giving her arms a shake.

“Something is off,” Luc said.

“There’s another Bane here.” The woman scrubbed her arms and looked at Jade. “That’s not just your sister’s presence I feel, correct?”