Blade Song

chapter Eighteen

Every step made the urgency grow stronger.

Every single step.

And after another ten minutes, something about Damon’s demeanor changed. It was subtle at first. I barely noticed because I was so busy dealing with the mad itching that had settled in my palm. This wasn’t the place for my blade, I suspected, but she was calling me…singing to me and she wanted me.

But he’d gone from a lazy predator on the prowl to a focused hunter. As he turned to gaze off to one side, I noticed the light reflecting off his eyes—not normal. His nostrils flared and I could all but see him pausing as he rolled those tastes around in his mouth.

A few minutes later, he picked up the pace and I had to jog to keep up. He was still walking, but those legs of his covered a lot of ground and fast. And each pace was a tug inside me.

Closer. Closer. Closer.

Glancing up, I checked the sun.

And that was when I saw it—

Shit—

I drew an arrow, fired.

As Damon spun around, the arrow buried itself in the camera.

“We’re being watched,” I said flatly.

A short, terse nod and he was moving again.

I was in an all-out run now, fear crowding the back of my throat as memories of that pit danced in the back of my mind.

A huge, fallen tree blocked the path. Up ahead, Damon turned to glance back at me as I leaped on top. He’d taken it and landed with room to spare. While I didn’t have to clamber up and over, I couldn’t do it with the grace he managed. As I went to hop down, he shouted.

I slipped—

Clambering for a hold, I shifted my weight backward over the fallen giant. I didn’t know what it was—

Distantly, I hear something crash.

But that wasn’t what worried me just then. I was sprawled on my back, in an awkward-ass position. And about six feet way was one giant snake. Swallowing, I tensed. It watched me, eyes glittering as its tongue tasted my air.

“Kit.”

I didn’t say anything.

Flexing my hand, I let the sword come. She was happy now, and I was pretty damned pleased, too.

“Kit, be still. Just—”

The python moved.

I rolled away, coiling my body in one of those brutal moves my aunts had hammered into me for years. As I landed on my feet, I brought the blade down. I missed the first time and the snake came at me again.

A thunderous roar cracked through the air.

I struck again and this time—the blade tasted blood. She carved through thick skin, bone and muscle and I was all but sobbing as I went to my knees.

Giant clawed hands hauled me into the air.

I shrieked and swung out. The blade cut into furred skin. A growl echoed all around and I cut again before one of those big hands caught my sword arm. “Shhh. It’s me, baby girl. It’s me.”

The voice was alien.

But I recognized the words.

Damon.

“Shit. Oh, shit.” Shoving against the furred wall of his chest, I struggled. “Put me down.”

He didn’t. I kicked him. He let me.

Then I started to shake. “Damn it, this job f*cking sucks. I think I hate you sometimes.”

“I know.” When he pulled me close this time, I let him.

One of those giant hands stroked the back of my head as he rumbled against my ear, “I kind of hate me right now, too, kitten.”


After the snake, I needed a drink of whiskey—preferably the whole bottle—before I could keep going, but it was a luxury we didn’t have. So I gathered up my bow and cleaned my blade. This time, instead of sending her back, I just drew the spare sheath I carried out of my pack and settled her into place at my hip.

I was happier with her there.

She was, too.

When I went to climb over the log, trying hard not to look at the snake’s beheaded body, Damon lifted me, cradling me like a doll. “There’s a trap—one of the old fashioned kinds, made to take a leg right off,” he said softly. “I saw it when I looked back at you.”

I closed my eyes. “Lovely.”

“Yeah. Humans…the people who did this have their stink all over the place. I think they had their dogs drag their clothes everywhere or something because it’s everywhere. Only way to explain why it covers so much. I even smell it up in the trees.”

He sat me down a few feet away and took a minute to do a long, thorough study. “Something’s not right about this. They’re too prepared. Somebody gave them an idea what to expect, in case people like us came looking for them.”

“So they have help.”

“Yes.”

I glanced at him, massive-bodied, covered in golden fur with dark gray spots. Absently, I lifted a hand and placed it on his torso. He stiffened and looked at me. “Walking around like this is going to attract a lot of attention,” I said, ignoring the painful crawl of blood up my face.

He was nearly two feet taller than me in that form…and utterly naked, save for the fur. Fur didn’t count. The odd meld of leopard and man stared down at me. “We’re not walking through a city street, kitten,” he said, his voice a deep, bass rumble. Then he tipped back his head and breathed in the air. “And you’re the closest thing to human around for miles.”

I made a face. “I’m not human.”

“I said closest.” One of those clawed hands covered mine. “If it scares you, I’ll shift back.”

“I just sliced and diced a Burmese python while you were busy growling at the universe, you overgrown housecat.” I absolutely wouldn’t say I was afraid of him. It was unsettling as hell, but I was almost ready to believe he wasn’t big on the idea of hurting me. “I think I can handle you.”

The look on his face might have been amusement. But it was hard to read him in this form.

“I can’t wait until you’re brave enough to try.”

I skimmed a look over him and then started down the trail. “Not like that, pal.”

Needling him settled my nerves. A lot.

Now…if we could just get through this without any snakes. Gators. Anything like that. Give me crazy humans, bloodthirsty rats, even arrogant vampires—

“You only had to ask—”

“Shit.”

Jude’s voice was a bare echo in the back of my mind, one that was weak, spread thin by the miles.

I’d had a few days reprieve, one I’d enjoyed too much. Why in the hell did I have to go and think about him?

“Perhaps you missed me…even if you will not admit it, dearest Kit.”

Unable to focus on everything around me and still talk to him, I stopped once more.

“Kit?”

I looked at Damon and shook my head, holding up a hand. “I’m not your dearest anything, Jude and I’m…having problems. Go away.”

“Are you ready for my offer of assistance? You’re so far away it will take some time to get to you.”

“No—”

Damon’s eyes narrowed.

Error—error—

Swearing mentally, I covered my face and turned the conversation inward. “No. I don’t need assistance. I’m handling this fine on my own.”

“Ah…but you’re not. Where is the cat, Kit?”

Something lurked under his voice and I felt a presence on my mind. A weight. Pushing. Prodding. “That doesn’t concern you. Leave me alone, Jude. I’ll let you know if I need you.”

“Oh, you’ll need me, dearest Kit…and the cat will not be able to help you. I will. Don’t wait too long.”

His presence didn’t fade.

It was just gone and I groaned, dropping my hands.

Damon was staring at me.

I waited. He had something to say, I knew it.

But he didn’t say a damn thing, just turned and started to walk, pausing only long enough to grab his pack. The shreds of his clothes, he ignored. I didn’t. There were too many witches around who do weird things with magic and all it would take was a shred of clothing, a single hair. I shoved the ruined clothes into my pack, aware of the fact that he was watching, waiting in silence.

Once I was standing, he started to walk. A slower pace this time, more careful.

The sun was getting closer and closer to the horizon. But I didn’t bother to mention it.

He already knew.


Moving slower meant we could see the few remaining traps easier.

There was another pit.

One more that would take a leg off. The one after that was the worst, though. And we caught it because there was just next to no scent there. Nothing. The scent that was there was faint, so faint we barely even caught it.

“Nobody walks around this spot,” he said. “Right here. Easiest path over and everybody goes around. Why is that?”

I stared at the mostly cleared path that separated us from the area ahead. That was where we needed to be, I knew it. It was practically shining like a beacon. It called to me and even I could smell something up there…something not human. And voices…was it me, or did I hear voices?

“They want us walking there so they can blow us up?” I offered.

He shot me a narrow look. Then he looked around. “Stay there. Don’t move. Got it?”

I lifted my hands and gave him an agreeable smile.

He didn’t look overly convinced, but he disappeared into the growth and I stood there, sword in one hand, bow in the other.

They wouldn’t have …well, seriously. Would they have planted a landmine sort of thing there? Really?

I pondered that idea for the next ten minutes, scratching absently at a mosquito bite. The medicine Kori had given me had really worked. Needed to put it back on. But before I could, I felt the warm brush against my senses that meant Damon was coming back and then he was there.

“Move.”

I glanced over my shoulder and then gaped.

He was hauling the dead body of the python. “What are you doing?” I asked.

“It’s heavy,” he said, shrugging. “If it’s rigged, it’s going to need something more than a rock and I’d rather not toss something that will turn into shrapnel on us.”

He looked around and then nodded. “Behind the tree. Check it.”

I groaned and then looked at the tree in question, checking it very well. A couple of small things skittered away. The biggest was another grass snake. Not a problem. It didn’t even crawl over the toe of my boot.

“…careful…”

I tensed.

“Did you hear that?” I whispered.

“Yes.” He looked at me again. “Get behind the f*cking tree, Kit. If they are watching, we need to move.”

I moved.

I heard a thud—

Saw the blur of his body as he came at me.

And smoke.