chapter 2
She was covered in blood. But had it come from her, or the twelve demons she'd apparently slain?
Her eyes were...silver, glowing in the shadows. Which meant Valkyrie. Somehow she was no longer a mere human.
A Valkyrie at Gibson Hall. Holly was indeed the Vessel.
She had her knees drawn up to her chest and was trying to cover her breasts while baring her little claws at him to ward him off. She was trembling with fear and shock, and tears coursed down her blood-splattered face.
It was killing him.
"Easy," he murmured. "I don't want to hurt you."
Her eyes darted from his horns to those on one of the heads lolling on the stone floor.
"Yeah, I'm a demon, too," he said. "But not at all like them. My name's Cadeon Woede."
How far had they gotten with her before she'd turned and attacked? Though the carnage looked to have been done some time ago, Holly still had gashes on her arm from the claws of one of these demons.
She might have been turned to a Valkyrie, but she hadn't yet been granted the accelerated healing and immortality of one. Which meant that she was still incredibly vulnerable to harm. Like a human.
Humans die so easily.
"Did they injure more than your arm?"
She finally shook her head.
"Hurt you anywhere? Do I need to get you to a hospital?" he asked, even as he knew that wouldn't work.
Other factions were searching for her. He would be surprised if they hadn't already scried the lightning he'd seen from a distance. Power still sizzled from her and throughout the chamber. New power was easily traceable.
She whispered, "They d-didn't hurt me."
"Good. I want to help you, Holly."
She frowned at his use of her name, studying his face.
"We've met before," Cade said, but she was in no way calmed - lightning continued to strike in constant streams. Lightning gave Valkyrie strength, but it also mirrored their emotions.
When he began unbuttoning his shirt to cover her, she gave a cry, and bloody claws swiped out at him. Then she stared in horror at her fingertips.
Just hours ago, she'd been living as a normal human - or near normal with some eccentricities. Now she had become something he never could have predicted. A Valkyrie. Or half one. He hadn't known she'd possessed this latent potential. The shock of the ritual must have triggered the transformation.
If not for this power, she would have been brutalized, her womb offered to the dark god this order of demons worshipped.
When he removed his shirt, she bared her small fangs and hissed, then looked aghast at her reaction.
"There, now, a good hiss never hurt anyone." He crouched beside her, fighting the urge to clasp her to his chest. "I'm going to put this on you. Easy..."
She gazed up at him with eyes wavering between silver and the intense violet he recognized. "Wh-what's happening to me?"
"You know all those creatures you thought were myths?" When she shakily nodded, he said, "Well, they're not. And you're changing from a human to an immortal."
Which meant it had become possible for Cade to claim her for his own.
And you've just become my target - the Vessel. The means to pay for a sword to kill our enemy.
She equaled the crown he'd worked for nine hundred years to reclaim - the unyielding pursuit that had given him a reason to go on living.
Never had it been so close....
All he had to do was use and betray the woman he'd waited just as long to possess.
3
Holly turned and hunched to button the shirt, peering over her shoulder to keep this Cadeon in sight.
She remembered meeting him before. As if she could ever forget those stunning green eyes. She recalled his accent as well - it sounded like some type of British colonial, and he spoke with an unusual intonation.
Months ago, he'd approached her on campus. Initially he'd been cocky, then grew tongue-tied, stammering, even as he'd boldly studied her figure.
She'd found him weird. And that was before she'd known what had been hidden beneath the hat he'd worn.
Now she could see what had been covered by his shirt as well. His bared chest was rippling with muscles, and he wore a wide gold band just above his bulging bicep.
He was as massive as the others, admittedly one of them. She shuddered, trying to block out the sight of the corpses all around her.
But he looked different as well, his facial features appearing more human. His horns ran back along his head through his tawny hair, instead of jutting forward.
How can I see this well without my glasses? "Why should I t-trust you?"
"Because it's my job to protect you. More will be coming - I'll explain everything later."
When she still hesitated, he said, "These twelve were just the first round intended for you."
"First round?" she cried.
A creaking door sounded from somewhere on a floor above them. He shot to his feet. "Come with me if you want to get out of here alive."
"Wh-where are we going?"
"We're going to run for it. I'll keep you safe, but you'll have to trust me." He held out his big hand to her.
Seeing no other choice, she took it, and he pulled her up. She was surprisingly steady on her feet, all things considered. Never relinquishing her hand, he led her out of the chamber, then down a murky stone corridor.
When the passageway intersected with an alcove, they spied a group of three males, robed like the ones before, speaking that same odd language. Cadeon pulled her back against the wall, then whispered directly at her ear, "Don't make the smallest sound. You stay here until I return for you. Clear?"
She nodded, and he turned back. As he prepared to attack, the broad muscles in his back grew before her eyes. His horns straightened and blackened.
Her lips parted when he lunged for the others. His speed was mind-boggling, and his roar shook the room, paining her sensitive ears. He snatched the horns of one demon and twisted its head until an audible pop sounded.
As he faced off against the other two, his upper and lower fangs shot longer. He used them like an animal as he bit and clawed.
Had she looked that overcome with rage when she'd killed? Her earlier fearlessness disappeared. When his eyes flooded with black like the other one's had, she shuddered, backing away.
Had she thought him different? I just want to go home. Forget this ever happened. Why should she trust him? I can find my own way out.
Clear of the fray, she hastened in the direction they'd been traveling, eventually stumbling into an open gallery.
More bizarre symbols were stamped into the wooden chairs and stone floor. Ancient-looking tapestries hung on the walls. On a display shelf were skulls that looked human, but they had horns and upper and lower fangs.
Then she saw what appeared to be double doors to the outside. If she could get outside, she could find a car or hide -
Rapid gunshots exploded the plaster just feet to the right of her. She sucked in a breath and dared a glance as she ran to her left. Men aimed machine guns at her with deadly intent.
A second man began shooting from the other direction. Bullets riddled the wall on either side of her, closing in. She darted right, then left once more, blocked each way. The sweep grew closer...closer.
A foot away on each side. She froze with terror.
A bellow sounded over the gunfire. Cadeon hurdled the line of bullets to get to her. Scooping her up in his arms, he tucked her against his chest. Just as the shots reached them, he pressed her against the wall until his body covered every inch of hers.
He gritted his teeth when the first bullet hit him, unable to turn to run without risking her. She burst into tears. Two bullets, three, four...
He stared down at her, those jet eyes seeming to consume her, and grated, "No more...running from me. Yeah?"
"Y-yeah," she whispered brokenly, crying harder every time his big body jerked from the impact.
Over his shoulder, he roared at them, a furious warning growl, and she whimpered. His voice a harsh rasp, he said to her, "No, no, female. Shh." He petted at her tears with huge fingers tipped with short black claws.
The shots abruptly stopped. Holly peered over Cadeon's shoulder. The robed demons were attacking the gunmen.
As the others clashed, Cadeon sprinted toward those double doors with her in his arms. He turned in midstride, hitting the doors with his bullet-riddled back, bursting them from their hinges.
Charging out into the night, he made for an older truck parked off to the side of the manor. After opening the groaning cab door, he tossed her inside on the cracked vinyl seat and followed her in. He pinched the key and turned. Nothing.
"Is the battery dead?" she asked, shaking off some of the shock and fog. "Does this thing still run?" Wrappers and crushed cans littered the floorboards.
"Hey, hey, no disrespecting The Truck. She's gotten me out of a lot of scrapes." He finessed the gearshift up and back. "I just need to make sure...she knows we're in neutral." Holly thought she heard a click. "There."
The engine roared to life. He cast her a patronizing glance as soon as they were tearing up the shell drive.
She peered back at the manor. From the outside, the residence was stately, the grounds immaculate. She would never have guessed what beings lurked in the bowels of that place.
And now she was with another of their kind. She turned to him, studying this being - this...demon.
He had blond stubble on his tanned face, and his hair was thick and straight, reaching past his masculine jaw. Uneven strands looked lightened by a life in the sun.
The gold band he wore on his right arm appeared to be permanent, as if he'd have to cut it to get it past that bulging bicep. And those horns...
When they'd straightened earlier, they'd become much larger and darker. Now they were smooth, the color of a shell, lying close to his head. With his hair tousled over them, they probably wouldn't be easy to discern.
"How am I measuring up?" he asked, his voice deep and rumbling.
She flushed. "I've just never seen...horns before tonight."
"Figured you'd be in for a shock."
"Where are we going now?"
"I've got to get you out of town," he said. "This place is too hot for us to stay."
She noticed blood on the back of his seat. "How are you still moving with all those bullets?"
"With a lot of fucking pain, Holly."
She gasped, his foul language grating on her like nails on a chalkboard.
"Oh, come on, halfling! My language's only going to deteriorate from here."
"I...it's just habit. Are you going to be okay?"
"I should be able to shed them." When she frowned, he explained, "My skin should push them out when I heal."
Holly couldn't scarcely wrap her mind around that. "What did those men want with me? Who were the ones shooting?"
"The gunmen were leeches. Vampires."
"Vampires," she said softly, but her mind was screaming, This is insanity!
"They must know you haven't turned fully immortal yet. Our kinds never use guns, as evidenced by their shite aim."
She winced at the vulgarity, but managed not to gasp this time. "Again, why?"
"Because you just became the most popular girl in town."
"What does that mean?" In the stern tone she usually reserved for her students, she added, "This isn't the time for cryptic answers, Cadeon."
"This isn't the time for questions whatsoever, Holly."
Headlights met them on the drive. An SUV blocked the gated exit.
"Fuckall," he snapped, wheeling around, spraying up shells. "More vampires."
She clamped hold of the dashboard to brace herself. "Where are we going now?"
"Only one other way off this property. Into the swamp."
"How would you know?"
"Been here before." At her look, he said, "I've met with the demons here on occasion. As a representative of my breed."
"You...you fraternized with those animals? Does your 'breed' kidnap women as well?"
"Kidnap women? I can hardly keep the chits off the jock as it is, pet."
Eyes wide, she said, "Chits? Pet? Are you from the nineteenth century or just trying to be misogynistic?"
"I'm from medieval times, and I never have to try to be misogynistic." He slammed on the brakes, and cranked the four-wheel-drive gear, peering at her hard. "It just comes to me natural, like a gift." Stomping on the gas once more, he sent her flying back into the seat as they lurched forward, racing over pristine greens.
"Why did they want to hurt me? I've never done anything to deserve this!"
"It's not what you've done - it's what you are."
"A math instructor?" she said in a strangled tone.
"You're a Valkyrie now. And a special one at that. Your mum must've been one."
"Valkyrie! My mom was a pie contest winner! And she was human. She died two years ago."
"Then your biological mother must have been one."
She was shocked into silence for a moment. How had this demon known she was adopted? "I didn't even know her." Holly had always imagined her as a scared teenager who'd had the incredible good sense to leave her baby on the most wonderful doorstep imaginable. Now this demon was saying that her mother was a Valkyrie? "What exactly is a Valkyrie? And how did you know I was adopted?"
"Questions later. Right now we've got to get through the swamp."
The dark line of brush loomed. "I don't see a road!"
"There's a service trail," he said, then added in a casual tone, "It might be a shade grown over."
"A shade! Are you certain there's no other way to get out?"
He nodded. "The property's surrounded by bayou and swamp."
"What are the odds that we'll make it through?"
"I give us one in fifteen."
Her eyes went wide. "I wouldn't take those odds!"
"You would if there's zero chance otherwise."
"Oh, God," she muttered, feeling around the seat. "Where's the seat belt?"
"Broke a few years back."
"And you didn't get it fixed?" she snapped.
"Don't usually ferry around mortals, then!" he thundered back.
Struggling for calm, she said, "Cadeon, I do not see even a hint of a trail."
"Demon senses. I can find it." But he pressed his straightened arm over her chest as they closed in.
"Y-you're not really going in there?"
"Trust me."
This being had saved her life, had even taken bullets for her, and yet there was something so markedly untrustworthy about him....
He flashed her a rakish grin with barely noticeable fangs. "Though if you're the praying type, now might be a choice time."
4
Holly catapulted forward against his arm as the truck burst into the brush.
Leaves and branches slapped the windshield as the cab bounced. They smacked something that left feathers and squawked an angry retreat.
She turned, clutching the seat-back to scan behind them. "They're just going to follow us, trap us back here!"
"Their nice, fancy SUVs are lower to the ground than older trucks like mine. With a little luck, they'll bottom out. At least before we do."
Over the sound of their wholesale destruction of native flora and fauna, she asked, "Why are you helping me?"
"I'm a mercenary - my current gig is to keep you alive."
"A mercenary? Who's paying you? Who would know to hire a demon to protect me from a demon threat?"
"There were also the leeches."
"How could I forget?" She pinched her forehead. "Who paid you?"
"We'll talk about it later."
"At least tell me why those demons chose me. I am the most boring person you have ever met!"
He met her gaze. "Not anymore, halfling."
She glanced behind them again and saw headlights. "They're coming."
Biting out words in a language she'd never heard, he sped up even more.
"Cadeon, is it safe to go this fa - "
Shots rang out, plugging the back of the truck and her side-view mirror. His big hand palmed the top of her head and shoved her down, making her slump in the seat.
When shards from the mirror speared at her window, she shrieked.
All around them, the glass shattered; he gave a roar of pain. Cracks forked out over the windshield before it exploded as well, raining glass chips against them.
"Mind the shrieks, pet!"
"How did I do that?" she cried, frenziedly brushing glass off herself.
"Nature of the beast," he grated. "Valkyrie shrieks crack glass. Lesson learned, yeah?"
When she spied blood trickling from his ear, she bit her lip and brushed glass off him as well.
He seemed shocked by her care. "Now, there's a sweet halfling. But a little lower and to the right would be sweeter - "
"Watch out!"
The trail was gone. Murky black water covered at least a three-meter-long span of it.
"Hold on!" He yanked her upright, his arm crossing over her again.
"Why are we going faster toward it?"
"So we don't bog down!" he said just before they hit.
She flew against his arm once more. With the windshield gone, water sprayed over the hood, shooting against their faces.
The front of the truck dove down. Water poured into the cab. Mud, lily pads, and several crayfish were scooped up as though with a net. The engine roared with effort as they chugged through to the other side.
Back on semisolid ground, Cadeon shook his hair out like a beast. "I can't fuckin' believe we just made that!"
Holly dragged her soaked hair from her eyes, then swiped the end of the shirtsleeve over her wet face, clearing the spattering of blood from earlier.
He grinned at her. She gaped at him.
Headlights on their trail again. Those vampires were dogged. They must think that the demons had already had their way with her. They couldn't risk that all good or all evil would be in the form of a demon. "Bugger me."
She shrieked again.
"The language? Is that it? 'Cause - "
Like a shot, Holly launched herself into his lap, whimpering.
He swallowed, intensely aware that she had her knees spread over his groin and wore nothing under the shirt. At any other time, he'd be loving their position, might have manufactured a scenario to get her just like this. But he could barely see around her bobbing head.
"It's only crayfish!"
"N-no, not only - "
The truck dived sharply into a gulch before rearing up. Then down into another and another. Cade grabbed for her waist; she listed to the side. "Watch your knee with the goolies, pet - "
He'd cupped her between her thighs.
As he felt her soft flesh, giving and hot again his palm, he growled low. The engine was clamoring, the truck bouncing, and they still met eyes. Hers grew wide as she shoved his hand away. But she still didn't get off him. "Not only crayfish!" she cried.
"Then what is it?" he snapped.
"Th-that!" She pointed down to the sloshing pool of water covering the floorboard.