Demonfire (8 page)

And no way to contact anyone,
anywhere. She thought about the cell phone in her pack and almost laughed. The
company said you could get a signal anywhere, but she figured that must mean as
long as you were in the same dimension.

Bumper yipped. Eddy’s head
shot up. She stared at what they’d figured had to be some kind of energy field
blocking the door. The bars clanged, though she couldn’t see them through the
brilliant glare. Then the wall of light between them and freedom suddenly
winked out of existence.

It took her eyes a minute to
adjust to the lack of glare. She blinked and looked way up into the eyes of two
of the tallest, most beautiful men she’d ever seen in her life.

Well, almost the most beautiful.
She tightened her grasp on Dax’s hand and realized there was no comparison. As
beautiful as these two strangers were, they weren’t even close to her fallen
demon. She shivered, more aware than ever how possessive she was beginning to
feel about a guy she hardly knew at all. A guy who’d already explained he was
here on borrowed time.

At least he was smiling, and
with that smile, Eddy felt as if things looked brighter. Willow poked her head
out of Dax’s pocket, and her glow was once again brilliant. Sapphire blue
sparkles exploded behind the little sprite as Willow leapt into the air. Dax
stood and held his hand out to the first of the two men. “I am Dax. I’m glad
you’ve come. I was wondering if anyone would help us.”

The guy had to be close to
seven feet tall. He had long, shiny blond hair that fell past his waist, and
the greenest eyes Eddy had ever seen on any man. He paused and glanced at Dax’s
outstretched hand. After a brief hesitation, he reached out and very briefly
shook hands.

Then he stepped back, in an
obvious move to put more space between them. “You carry the sense of demonkind,
though not their stench,” he said. His eyes narrowed, and he gave Dax a look of
absolute loathing. “Even without their stink you are not welcome here. We do not
deal with demons.”

“Excuse me.” Eddy popped to
her feet, but she clasped her fists at her sides to keep from taking a swing at
the pompous ass. “How dare you! Damn it all, he’s trying to save us all from
demons, and you’ve got us locked in here for Lord knows how long when we don’t
have any time to…”

Eyes wide, the Lemurian took a
quick step back, even though he was almost a foot taller than her five foot
ten. At least she’d gotten the jerk’s attention. Willow flitted through the air
and then hovered in front of the second Lemurian. He grinned at her, obviously
fascinated by both Eddy’s outburst and the little blue flash of Willow’s
feminine fury.

Dax wrapped his fingers around
Eddy’s arm and gave her a slight tug. Willow continued to hover, Bumper whined,
and Eddy clamped her lips together. Attacking the guy you were here to ask
favors of probably wasn’t a very smart move on her part.

She took a deep breath. “I’m
sorry,” she said, well aware she didn’t sound sorry at all. She held her hands
out, though, to show she meant no harm. “Look, it’s been a really, really
shitty day.” She glanced at Dax, and she was almost certain he was biting back
a grin. She wanted to hit him. How the hell could he find anything in this to
laugh about?

She turned back to their two
visitors. The men stood perfectly still, studying them as if they were monkeys
in a zoo, though Eddy had to admit that Willow was getting more than her share
of the attention. At least the guy with the red braid was actually grinning at
the sprite.

“I’m sorry,” she said again,
stiffly. “My name is Eddy Marks. This is Bumper, and that’s Willow. We came
here to request your help. We didn’t expect to be thrown into jail.”

“I see.” The one with long
blond hair turned to the other guy with the red braid that went to his butt. It
was more than obvious they were somehow talking without any sound, though the
one with the braid acted as if he’d rather just watch Willow.

After a moment of silent
communication, the blond one nodded at Eddy. “I am Alton. This is Taron. We
will speak with you of your reasons for invading our home. Why, human, have you
and this creature who is demon in human form, come to ask for our help? And why
do you think we would be willing to give it?”

Dax watched the emotions
playing across Eddy’s expressive face and figured this might be a good time to
step in, even though the Lemurian had addressed her, not him. He rested his
fingers on Eddy’s forearm and stepped forward. “Because if you aren’t willing
to help us, Lemurian, we all—your world included—risk losing everything.”

The tall one with the red
braid down his back finally shifted his gaze away from Willow and raised one
very expressive eyebrow. “Everything? That’s fairly inclusive, isn’t it?”

Dax nodded. “Everything,” he
said. “Demonkind have launched an invasion of the small town of Evergreen, the
first step of what is feared might be an assault on all of Earth. I’ve been
charged with the task of halting them before they gain a foothold. The balance
of power is tipping, and if it tips too much…” He let the sentence hang there
in the still air between them.

The Lemurians shared another
telling glance. The one with the long red braid folded his arms across his
chest and stared at Dax. The blond took a more aggressive stance. “We are aware
of the demons’ incursion onto Earthen soil.” He made a dismissive sound and
slashed his hand through the air. “You’re saying you are all that stands
between our linked civilizations and the chaos of demon rule?” He shook his
head. A condescending smile curved his full lips. “I find that hard to believe.
One man, a demon in human guise, at that, cannot expect to fight all of
demonkind.”

Dax glared at the arrogant
fool staring down at them and fought a powerful desire to punch him in his
long, aristocratic nose. If he’d still been in demon form, he could’ve dealt
with him in a couple of quick bites. “One man who retains his demon powers,” he
said, squaring his shoulders and tapping himself on the chest. “Accompanied by
one loyal beast, a will-o’-the-wisp with her own set of unique powers, and one
very brave woman.”

He turned and looked at Eddy
with pride. “I do not fight alone.”

Eddy snapped her head around
and stared at him, wide-eyed. Dax squeezed her arm and winked at her. Didn’t
she realize how much he needed her? He slipped his arm around her waist. “We
may be a small band, but we know our enemy. For now, demonkind are contained in
one little town where we have a chance at victory. At least we have the courage
to fight. Do you?”

The blond one, Alton, blinked.
He looked like he wasn’t used to anyone disagreeing with him about anything.

Or challenging him, either.

The one with the red braid
covered his mouth and coughed, but he looked more like he was hiding a smile.

Alton took a deep breath, as
if he seriously pondered Dax’s comment. “Why Lemuria? There must be others more
capable of fighting. We’re philosophers, teachers—no longer warriors. And why
is it that, while you appear human, I sense demonkind in you? Explain, please….
How is it you possess demon powers?”

Dax took a deep breath. He
looked at Eddy. She squeezed his hand, sharing her amazing self-confidence.

“They asked,” she said.

Dax nodded…and then he
explained. Both Lemurians listened with surprising patience while he told them
of being cast out of Abyss, of his first strange meeting with the Edenites in
the void, and of the trip through the vortex into Earth’s dimension while still
unaccustomed to his new human body. He described the demon’s attack and the
curse he constantly battled.

“The curse lives within your
own demon powers?” Taron frowned, as if confused by Dax’s description. Dax
opened his shirt to the snake tattoo, writhing in a slow yet hideous dance
across his body. Alton and Taron exchanged horrified glances.

“Dax, wait.” Eddy pressed her
hands to the snake. The pain lessened. Dax sighed in relief as the writhing
tattoo stilled. The Lemurians gazed at Eddy with new respect.

Dax felt stronger when he
buttoned his shirt and continued with his tale. The one with the red braid
actually smiled when Dax told of his first meeting with Eddy. Both Lemurians
laughed aloud as he described the battle held in Eddy’s small living room. It
hadn’t been funny at the time, but…

“And when Eddy told me of the
mythical Lemurians with their special powers, with their illustrious history of
battling demonkind, I knew we had to at least try to find you.” He looked
directly into Alton’s green eyes. “You are right. I know we can’t defeat an
enemy as powerful as this demon horde by ourselves. That’s why we’ve come here.
We’re not too proud to admit we need your help. Your people have to recognize
the risk to all our worlds. We need your assistance to halt the invasion before
it extends to other cities, other countries on Earth. There’s very little time
before a tipping point is reached. Before it’s too late.”

“Dax has less than a week,”
Eddy said. “Then his powers and this body he’s been loaned will be gone. We
need you.”

She gazed at Dax, and her deep
brown eyes glistened. Tears? For him? No, he thought, of course not. For her
world. She wept for her world. As well she should.

Alton studied Dax for a long,
silent moment after he finished speaking. He glanced at his companion, and his
full lips quirked up in a smile when he spotted Willow perched on Taron’s
shoulder. She seemed perfectly at ease with him. Dax found that reassuring—if
Willow wasn’t concerned, these two must be okay.

Even Bumper had given her
approval. She’d sprawled on the floor between the Lemurians with her butt on
Taron’s sandaled foot and her nose resting on Alton’s bare toes. Neither man
seemed to mind, though Dax noticed Alton was surreptitiously rubbing Bumper’s
ear with his big toe.

As tall as Dax was, these two
towered over him, though their bodies were leaner, their muscles long and
spare. They looked as if they would be strong warriors, though neither man
carried arms.

Alton slipped his foot out
from under Bumper’s head. “I will speak to the Nine immediately,” he said. “I
would free you if I could, but I am loath to countermand my father’s orders.
Taron? Will you see that our guests are fed and that they have sufficient
bedding for the night?”

“The night?” Eddy almost
jerked free of Dax’s arm that was lightly draped around her waist. He tightened
his hold when she clenched her fists.

“We don’t have time to stay
here for the night! Don’t you understand? We’re running out of time. Dax told
you—he has less than a week before this body he’s in disappears. We’ve used up
an entire day and accomplished nothing.”

“Eddy.” Dax looped his fingers
into the waistband of her jeans and held on tight. “We must eat and rest and
replenish our strength. Alton will return.” He turned and looked steadily at
the tall Lemurian. Alton met his gaze. He nodded.

Dax realized he trusted him,
pompous ass or not, to do the right thing. That was all anyone could ask at this
point. And he did need rest, if only to gain enough strength to fight the curse
feeding off his demon powers. The pain was worse, growing more difficult to
control. If not for Eddy’s soothing touch…

Alton turned toward the barred
door and paused. “I’ll return at dawn with news of the Ruling Body of Nine’s
decision. Taron will see to your needs. Rest now.”

He raised one hand. The bars
slid aside, and he left. Taron stared toward the open door for a long moment.
When he held his palm next to his shoulder, Willow stepped to the flat of his
hand. He held her out in front of his face and stared at her with an expression
of intense joy. Then he handed her to Dax with a regretful smile, as if he
truly hated to part with the sprite.

“Amazing. I’ve heard of the little
people before, but never…” He seemed to catch himself and nodded to both Dax
and Eddy. “I’ll return shortly with food and more bedding.” He leaned over and
patted Bumper’s head, glanced at the narrow cot bolted to the wall, and shook
his head. “I apologize for the lack of amenities. I’ll be back shortly.”

He was as good as his word.
Within a few minutes he returned with two guards carrying folded blankets and
big pillows. He’d also brought bread and cheese and fresh water, and food for
Bumper that looked like dry cereal but kept her long, curly tail wagging. He
gave them brief instructions on using the facilities that were hidden behind
what had looked like a wall but was really a door into a small bathroom.

Eddy was obviously pleased
with that bit of information.

Before Taron left, he paused
in the doorway to their cell, sighed, and then gave them a helpless look. “I
promise to let you know as soon as Alton has word. The Nine can be…”

He shook his head without
finishing the sentence, and left.

Dax sat on the edge of the
narrow cot and chewed slowly on a hunk of bread while Eddy paced the small
cell. He forced his frustration under control, though he had a feeling the one
who had first lived in this body had not been a patient man. He was anxious to
meet the enemy. He wanted to fight, not sit on his ass eating bread and cheese.
There wasn’t a damned thing he could do, stuck here in this little cell.

Nothing. He glanced at Eddy.
She’d stopped pacing and stood in the middle of the small space with her shoulders
bowed and her head down. She nibbled on a piece of cheese and stared at the
bedding, looking so dejected he was afraid she might cry.

Dax stood up. “Eddy? I…” He
sighed. How the hell could he bring her spirit back? He had to do something,
but what? Caring about another was a completely unfamiliar responsibility. As a
demon he’d cared only for himself, had worried about nothing beyond his own
survival. Now he had so many others—Willow, Bumper, and Eddy. Even Eddy’s
father. He was concerned about every one of them.