Demonfire (9 page)

Something in him had changed.
Continued to change.

The Edenites wanted a demon—a
killer—for the very traits that made him a demon. His vicious temper, his
murderous skills, his willingness to kill without regret. Compassion hadn’t
been part of the package, until they’d stuck him in this human body. Was its
original soul causing this? He’d not been totally evil as a demon, which was
exactly why he’d been booted out of Abyss, but he hadn’t been a very nice guy,
either. No matter. He was what he was—and what he was becoming. He had to help
Eddy. Anything to encourage her. To encourage himself.

Bumper jumped up on the
mattress where he’d been sitting, stretched out full length on the narrow bed,
and groaned. Willow zipped across the room and snuggled under Bumper’s chin,
obviously prepared to get some rest.

“What?” Eddy stared at him.
Dax realized he must have been talking to himself. “Let me help you,” he said,
reaching for a thickly folded pad.

Eddy didn’t say a word. She
merely nodded and grabbed the other end. Together they spread it out on the
floor. Working quietly, they built a bed with two pillows at one end and soft
blankets covering the thick pad.

A bed that seemed to offer
options Dax wasn’t certain how to pursue, or even if he should. Part of him
ached to take her, to satisfy the churning need that built in this body with
every second they spent together. At the same time, he realized he was staring
at her again, thinking of giving her comfort, of wrapping his arms around her,
feeling the warmth of her body close against his.

Who was he? Demon or human?
Saint or sinner? The questions roiling in his head had his tattoo burning in
angry turmoil. As much as he wanted the satisfaction of plunging deep inside
Eddy, of taking his pleasure with her perfect body, he wanted the woman who’d
stood beside him in battle. Wanted her filled with spirit and strength and that
amazingly strong sense of purpose. It hurt him to see her like this.

She looked beaten, unfocused.

From the beginning, when she’d
found him in that damned potting shed, Eddy had seemed such a powerful force to
him. Sure of herself. Intelligent and forthright.

Her discouragement and
frustration made him ache. She was a woman of action. A woman of strength. Now,
even though her body needed rest, she fought it.

Even as she fought her
attraction to Dax. He knew that instinctively, just as he knew he had to
control his growing feelings for her.

Demons
have no feelings.

Except he wasn’t entirely a
demon anymore, and the man he was becoming more like by the hour seemed to be
telling him this was neither the time nor the place.

But will
it ever be?

He silenced the persuasive
voice in his head, sat down on their makeshift bed, and reached for Eddy. She
stared at his outstretched hand and frowned. He wasn’t sure what she was
thinking, so he lowered his hand and patted the mattress beside him. “Rest
beside me, Eddy. Bumper and Willow can have the lumpy bed. This will be more
comfortable. We both need to rest.”

She finally seemed to come to
a decision; she folded her long legs and sat on the mattress. A moment later
she sighed and lay down, facing away from him. “I’m not sure if this is a very
good idea,” she said.

“I promise to behave.” Now he
merely had to hope his demon side was capable of keeping that promise. Dax
stretched out behind her and wrapped his arm around her slim waist. She went
taut as a bowstring. After a moment she relaxed and let him pull her against
his chest.

Her perfect bottom snuggled
close against his belly, where it fit into the curve of his hips. At least she
fit at first. Then her warmth seemed to raise the temperature of his. He felt
his cock stir, swell, and come to life. Fighting his demon-driven needs, he
ignored it and silently begged Eddy to do the same.

The scent of her hair was
sweet. He nuzzled his nose into the short, silky strands, inhaling as much of
her as he could drag into his lungs. Memorizing her scent.

His fingers rested against the
waistband on her jeans. He spread them wide across her lower belly and felt her
suck in a tight breath, but she didn’t say a word.

He wasn’t certain what she
wanted. He didn’t really know what he wanted, either. He had his demon self
under control for now, but this human body of his obviously had ideas of its
own. His pants grew tight, and the ache in his groin left him wanting to do a
lot more, to rub against the full curve of her bottom, to wrap her as close to
him as possible.

His demonic side thrummed with
sexual desire, with the carnal lusts that had once ruled his body. The feelings
he had for Eddy were different. They confused him; they were so hard to
define—not based entirely on his instinctive interest in her woman’s curves and
valleys.

Not limited to the powerful
drive to want, to take, to conquer. They were something else. Something
impossible to define within the parameters of demon knowledge and what little
he’d figured out from his human body.

Eddy shuddered against him.
Dax’s wandering thoughts flashed out of existence. He raised up on one elbow
and gazed at her face. “Tears, Eddy?” He trailed his finger across her damp
cheek, beneath her eye. Then he lifted his finger to his lips and tasted salt.
“Why?”

“Why?” She rolled over on her
back, sniffed, and scrubbed her face with the heels of her palms. “How can you
ask me that? We’re stuck here. They’re never going to let us out, and the days
are going to pass, and if all you say is true, the demons will take over and…”
She sniffed and turned her face away.

“And what, Eddy?” He wasn’t
sure what drove him, but Dax leaned over and touched his lips to hers. Again he
tasted salt, but he pressed harder, mouth to mouth, tongue to lips. It reminded
him of the kiss they’d shared only hours earlier, before they passed through
the golden veil into the land of the Lemurians.

Then he’d wanted to give her
courage. To take courage from her, because she was truly the bravest woman he
could possibly imagine. Now, when her lips parted, it was the most natural
thing in the world to slip his tongue between and run the tip over her sharp
teeth and then across the slick inner surface of her warm mouth.

She moaned and kissed him
back. Her lips sealed over his thrusting tongue, and she sucked him into her
mouth. The tip of her tongue dueled with his, dragging an unexpected groan from
deep in Dax’s chest.

Eddy whimpered. She rolled
over into his embrace, grinding her hips against him, pressing her soft belly
close to the erection trapped behind his taut denim jeans. His body responded
even more, reacting to everything Eddy did—every touch, every sound—with
purpose. With intent. There were instincts ruling him that were more powerful
than anything he’d known as a demon. Instincts tempered by a need to protect,
to guard the woman.

When he was still a demon in a
demon’s body with a demon’s will to survive, it had been merely kill or be
killed. Fuck or be fucked. Eat to survive. Kill to survive. Killing and eating
were often each a part of the same act. If you ate your enemy, he was your
enemy no longer.

If you were lucky, you fucked
him first.

Dax wasn’t going to eat Eddy,
though the minute the thought filtered through his mind, he imagined her
intimate flavors on his tongue and knew he’d eventually taste her.

He wasn’t going to fuck her
either. Not now. Not tonight. Tonight they needed rest. They needed to recharge
bodies weary from lack of sleep, from fear, from the stress of so many lives,
so many worlds, resting on their very slim chance of success.

He forcefully subdued the
demon within, calmed his human needs as well, and rolled away, lay beside her,
and pulled her close against him once again. She sighed and silently
acquiesced. Rolled to her side, snuggled her bottom in the curve of his hips,
and rested her cheek on his biceps. Her short, dark hair felt like silk where
it brushed his chin. Once again, he breathed her in, took her scent deep into
his lungs.

Absorbed her. Remembered
everything about her and stored those memories for the time when he’d not have
her close.

He pressed his palm against
her belly, slipped lower over the worn denim fabric, trailing one finger along
her zipper. He knew that somehow he skirted an edge, a line neither of them was
ready to cross. With that knowledge came a surprising sense of control. The
pressure on his body eased; his cock lost some of its tumescence and no longer
ached. He curled his fingers over the softly rounded mound at the apex of
Eddy’s thighs and rested his hand against her.

She clasped his fingers
between her legs, and her breath shuddered out of her lungs. He held his hand
still, caught in the feminine warmth of her strong thighs, held tightly against
her woman’s mound. Held her there, pressing her close so that her bottom rested
against his groin. The soft globes of her buttocks cushioned the length of his
cock.

It was good, this closeness.
This comfort they took from one another, shared with each other. Her cheek
rested on his left arm, his right held her close, and his fingers felt the
warmth, the heat, and life of her. It was enough, for now. It would have to be
enough.

After what seemed like forever
but was probably no more than a couple of minutes, Dax felt Eddy’s body relax
in sleep.

He’d never known such
contentment in his life. Had never imagined anything so sweet as Eddy Marks
asleep in his arms. His plans were going to hell. They were trapped in a prison
cell somewhere deep inside the mountain in another dimension from the community
he’d been sent to help, and he had no idea if they’d already failed, if there
was any hope at all for success.

Eddy sighed and snuggled
closer. Her body relaxed, and in spite of all that had gone wrong this day, Dax
realized he was slipping into sleep with a smile on his face.

Tuesday morning—day three

Dax came awake with the
all-too-familiar pain from the demon’s curse pulsing within his tattoo. Bumper
growled softly. Then her tail began to thump the bed, and she whimpered. Dax
blinked in a vain effort to dispel the dark shadows in the small cell. It had
been brightly lit when he and Eddy lay down to sleep. Willow zipped by
overhead, and her blue sparkles left a small trail of incandescence.

The energy barrier was gone.
The bars were open, and Alton stood in the doorway. He carried a pack over one
shoulder and the jeweled hilt of a long, shimmering sword poked out of a tooled
leather scabbard strapped to his back.

Taron stood beside him. Eddy
struggled awake in Dax’s arms. He turned her loose, sat up, stood up, and
tugged Eddy to her feet. “What’s going on?”

“Shhh.” Alton held a finger to
his lips. “I spoke with the Nine. I’m sorry. They have no intention of setting
you free.” He shook his head in disgust. “Fools. All of them, nothing but
fools. They want no part of any battle between demon and human. It might upset
our
oh, so glorious
way of life.”

His soft bark of laughter
wasn’t the least bit humorous. “The council has decreed that you be held as
trespassers and tried on charges of threatening the sanctity of Lemurian
society. The crime, my friends, of trying to save our worthless lives, of
attempting to warn my people of the threat to all of us, is punishable by
death.”

There was no ignoring the
contemptuous sound in his voice. “The Ruling Council of Nine is not known for
speed. I imagine they will be debating your fate for many years to come, if
they even have those years left to them. We must hurry. They sleep now, but
soon will rise. I believe you, and I believe the threat of demon invasion is
real. Gather your things. We have only a few minutes before the guards return
from a fool’s errand on which I sent them. We must go now.”

Taron grabbed Alton’s arm with
an expression that said this was the continuation of an argument already in
motion. “My friend, you risk everything. Your future, your heritage. I can’t
let you take these risks alone. I beg you, take me with you.”

Alton shook his head. “Taron,
you’re my oldest, my only true friend. Stay. Please, for me? Do your best to
convince them that I’ve made the right move, one that will ultimately save
their stubborn necks. You have the records showing the demons’ steady increase
on Earthen soil. Stay here. Convince them, or I can never return.”

“What if they don’t listen?
What if…?”

“Make them listen. You’re my
only hope if I ever want to see my home again. You and I both know these
travelers bring us a true warning. The demon invasion is not going away.” He
rested a hand on Taron’s shoulder. “Besides, my friend. I’m not traveling
alone. I have this man’s assurance that his is a courageous band of warriors.” He
glanced at the four of them. “I’m not making jest of your promises, my new
friend. I am trusting in your ability to fight bravely, or I wouldn’t be giving
up everything I’ve ever known to come with you. Hurry. I’ll get you out of
here, but I’m going with you. Once I help you escape, I’ll have sealed my fate
with my people.”

Eddy looked up from tying her
boots. “Alton, I’d tell you not to take the risk, but I can’t do that. From
what Dax has told us, this is too important. If we don’t stop them…” She huffed
out a big breath and looked away. Then she grabbed the leash and attached it to
Bumper’s collar. Dax checked his laces, nodded to Alton, and straightened up.
Willow flitted in front of Taron and left blue sparkles shimmering in a line
across his chest as she buzzed the Lemurian. She landed on Dax’s shoulder.

Dax turned to Eddy. The tattoo
beat a steady cadence of fire across his chest. He ignored it. “Are you ready?”

She nodded. Taron hugged Alton
tightly and then stood back.

Dax held out his hand to Taron.
The Lemurian took it in a firm shake. Dax looked down at their clasped hands
and once more realized he was making a pact. He raised his head and looked
steadily into Taron’s green eyes. “We will protect your friend. This I swear.”

Taron nodded. “I’ll hold you
to that one, DemonSlayer.”

Eddy held on to Bumper’s
leash, and Dax grabbed her free hand. He looked about the small cell, once more
at the tall Lemurian standing in the shadows, and then followed Alton down the
dark tunnel with Eddy’s hand tucked tightly in his.

When Dax glanced at her, she
flashed him a big smile. There was no fear in her now. None. They were on their
way. He held tightly to the promise he’d made to Taron, to watch out for the
tall Lemurian. Held it close to his heart, both the promise and the name with
which Taron had gifted him.

DemonSlayer.

It was a title he would carry
with pride. He was no longer a demon. In spite of the curse, he would become
their greatest nemesis. With Eddy, Bumper, Willow, and now Alton beside him,
Dax finally had the confidence they might actually prevail.

Alton led them through a
series of lava tubes and tunnels within the mountain. He walked with the
confidence of one who had, as he’d quietly explained, explored every inch of
the dark passages with Taron when they’d come here as children, shortly after the
original continent of Lemuria was rocked by volcanic explosions and destroyed.

When she asked him how long
ago that had been, Alton merely shook his head and whispered, “Millennia.”

That was a little hard to
swallow, but so was picturing Alton as a child. It was difficult for Eddy to
imagine him as anything but a fearsome warrior as he led them, walking
confidently with his crystal sword held aloft. Shining like a brilliant torch,
it cast a silvery glow bright enough to light their way.

The passageway seemed to go on
forever, and Eddy felt as if she’d been walking for hours. Her stomach rumbled
from hunger, and the bottle of water she’d been carrying was almost empty when
Alton turned and held a finger to his lips.

“We’re passing close by the
main plaza. It’s just on the other side of this wall. Sounds carry through the
stone, so be very quiet. We’ll reach the veil shortly. Once we pass through, we
should be out of danger, at least from Lemurian guards.”

Eddy cast a quick glance at
Dax. He’d hardly said a word on the long walk, and his face appeared lined with
strain and fatigue. Leaning close to him, she whispered in his ear, “Are you
okay?”

He nodded, but she felt a
shudder pass through his body. The demon’s curse! How could she have forgotten?
“Hold Bumper.” Eddy shoved the leash into Dax’s hand and squeezed his fingers
around the strap. She practically ripped the top two buttons off his flannel
shirt in her haste to get it open. Then she slipped her hand inside and pressed
her palms to his chest.

Alton watched them, frowning
but not interfering, thank goodness. Eddy glanced up into Dax’s eyes. She felt
his angry frustration. He hated the fact he had no control, that the damned
curse should have the power to slow them down.

Even though Eddy couldn’t
actually see the tattoo beneath his shirt, she knew exactly where it was the
moment she touched it. His skin burned her hands. She felt the snake writhe and
ripple beneath her palms as she softly stroked the small portion she could
reach.

The Lemurian watched them
through narrowed eyes. It was obvious he was as intrigued as he’d been when
she’d done this earlier, when Dax was explaining their quest. Now, as then,
Eddy paid him little heed. Dax needed her. She felt it. Welcomed it.

Willow sat quietly on her
shoulder. Bumper had planted her butt on the stony floor and leaned against
Eddy’s leg. She could have sworn she felt their energy, their strength pouring
into her as she tried to ease Dax’s pain. If only she had a clue what it was
that she was doing!

Whatever it was, her touch
seemed to work. After a few minutes, she realized they were actually breathing
in sync. As her heart rate slowed and her breathing calmed down, the same thing
seemed to happen to Dax. She felt the tension flow from his body. The tattoo
was still, his skin cooler beneath her palms.

“Thank you.”

She barely heard his soft
whisper as he stroked the back of her wrists with his fingers. “I don’t know
how or why, but when you touch me, the pain melts away.”

Eddy grinned and pressed her
fingertips against his cheek. “I guess it doesn’t matter, as long as it works.”
She slipped her other hand free of his shirt and fastened the buttons she’d
undone. Her palms actually felt burned, as if she’d touched a hot stove.

Alton stood by, impatient now
that Dax seemed better. Eddy nodded to him. Without a word, he turned away, and
they quietly hiked down the long tunnel. Voices, faint echoes, could be heard
through the rock. Then the only sound was the steady roar of falling water.

Only it wasn’t water. It was
the same wall of what appeared to be molten gold. Alton paused near the base,
where the shimmering liquid disappeared into the ground without a puddle or
splash to mark its passing.

“It’s energy,” Alton explained
in a low voice. “Much like the energy barrier in your cell, except this is a
three-dimensional representation of melted gold. There’s no substance, only an
image disguising the portal between the Lemurian dimension and Earth’s. Follow
me.”

He stepped through the golden
veil. Eddy held tightly to Dax’s hand as they followed Alton. She recognized
the tunnel they’d followed on their way in, even the spot where they’d paused,
where Dax had kissed her.

His fingers tightened around
hers, and she glanced up at him. When he smiled, she knew exactly what he was
thinking.

If only she could be so
certain of her own thoughts. Heat spread over her chest and face, and she
looked away. Alton was already moving on. Walking through the glowing, swirling
light of the portal with a purposeful step, he passed through without pausing.

Walking away from his home,
away from everything familiar to him. It struck her then, what a huge thing
this was for the Lemurian. By choosing Eddy and Dax over his own people, Alton
had exiled himself from the only life he’d ever known. She let go of Dax’s hand
and rushed to catch up to the tall Lemurian.

Without hesitation, Eddy raced
through the portal, into the main cavern that was peppered with passageways to
other worlds. Alton stood in the middle, staring at the many shimmering
gateways.

“Alton? Wait, please.”

He stopped and turned around.
The expression on his face gave nothing away. “We must hurry, Eddy. We need to
put more distance between ourselves and Lemuria. What do you want?”

She grabbed his hands in both
of hers. “To thank you. Taron was right. You’re risking everything for us.
Thank you.”

He flashed a quirky smile, and
she realized again how handsome he was. When he sighed, he looked entirely
human. “Only yesterday I was complaining that my life was boring, that there
was nothing exciting in my world. Nothing to look forward to. It appears my
complaints were too much temptation for my gods.”

Dax caught up and placed a
hand on Eddy’s shoulder. “It does appear that way, doesn’t it?” His eyes
narrowed. He jerked his hand away from Eddy and whipped around. “Look!”

Eddy spun about as Bumper let
out a low, threatening growl. The wall across the cavern from them shimmered an
angry red and the surface began to waver. A thick, black smudge of oily mist
reeking of sulfur seeped through the glowing rock. Dax shoved Bumper’s leash
into Eddy’s hands, stepped around Alton, and ran ahead of the small group.

He stopped directly in front
of the portal, raised his hands, and spread his fingers wide. An icy blast shot
from his fingertips and encompassed the mist. It froze in midair and shattered
into hundreds of small shards of black ice. Dax quickly hit them with bolts of
blazing fire from his fingertips.

Hissing, the steam dissipated
and disappeared.

All of them stood silent,
waiting to see if any more demons would appear. After a moment, Dax’s shoulders
relaxed, and he took a deep breath. Eddy ran shaking fingers over Bumper’s
curly head, and Willow popped out from behind Alton’s shoulder, where she’d
taken refuge beneath his thick fall of blond hair.

“Effective.” Alton shook his
head, but he was staring at Dax’s hands. “Very, very effective. Ugly things,
aren’t they?” He nodded toward the spot where the demon had died. “I had no
idea you were so well armed.” He cast a curious glance at Dax’s perfectly
normal-looking fingers, and frowned. “Why didn’t you merely overwhelm our
guards when they captured you?”

Dax merely shrugged. “That
would have been foolish.”

Alton tilted his head,
obviously considering Dax’s answer. “Well, you might not have ended up in a
cell.”

This time Dax shook his head.
“It would have been counterproductive. We came to ask for your help, not to
fight you. Attacking men who were merely doing their duty wouldn’t have helped
our cause, nor would it have been honorable.”

Alton stared mutely at Dax for
a long moment. Then he turned away, held his crystal sword high for the light
it cast, and strode forward, toward the dark red portal where the demon had
emerged.

Eddy heard him muttering
quietly as he passed her.

“Demonkind with more honor
than the council. Amazing.”

Alton paused in front of the
section of wall that pulsed like a thing alive. The colors shimmered in a
loathsome, nauseous swirl of reds that perfectly fit his mood. It took a few
deep breaths to calm his anger, the disgust he felt for his people. How could
they ignore such a horrendous threat?