Feverish (5 page)

The demon huffed and the air around her swirled forming goosebumps along her bare skin.

“Impossible. The bond between shifters and their anchor does not begin until intercourse occurs. I would know, sense it, and you my dear haven’t had sex” — the demon paused and then chuckled— “for a very long time.”

She felt a dark and sickly presence pressing against her skull and a sliver of cold brushed her arm and knew it was the demon. He rubbed against her skin. He may not have the flesh of body but he was still very real—and very much alive. His phantom fingers grazed her skin. The tips were sharp and scratched lightly down her cheek. She had never felt anything so vile in her life, and she knew the demon enjoyed her reaction to his touch. Instead of ignoring his touch as she should have, she used her built up anger and taunted him. “How do you plan to do anything without a body?”

That was the wrong thing to do.

Apparently she offended him because he shrieked and then the pain started in her head and worked its way down her body. She shook and sweat coated her skin as the fever took over. It was ten times worse than she normally felt, and as pain wracked every part of her body, Dara sobbed. She learned that keeping her mouth shut was probably a good idea and antagonizing the demon only made things worse for her.

“I can hurt you without a body you stupid imbecile.” The demon rubbed against her soaking up her sweat and fear and moaned in delight. “Ah, yes you are a scrumptious morsel and I do believe that I’m going to enjoy every moment of tearing you apart. And I’ll get to use your mate’s hands, how bittersweet that shall be for you both. Until then, I’ll just have to be satisfied with driving you to the brink of insanity before they come to your rescue. It will be too late by then to save you from yourself.”

Dara gasped and narrowed her eyes forgetting they were covered. “They are
mine
,” she said and then gasped when the voice wasn’t quite her own. Something inside of her snapped and she wanted to rip the demon to shreds. She wouldn’t let him have her mates. She’d die first.

“I can, I can,” he chanted. Then he chuckled and grasped her head with both hands and whispered all of the things she feared into her ear. His breath stank of sewage and she gaged. Each word was like a knife stabbing into her heart.

Everything she’d gone through from her past. The pain, the heartbreak, and the loss became more than a horrible memory. He was making her relive each and every thing that ever caused her any kind of hurt. She sobbed losing her strength to fight and her body shook as his planted memories dug deep into her subconscious. The pain was too much.

That’s when she realized it was a trap. The demon was using her to bring her mates to him. He’d never wanted her. He
needed
her because she was the only way he’d ever get a hold of her mates. They would come no matter the danger, and then the demon would have them all, right where he wanted them.

‘Don’t come for me!’
she screamed in her head as loud as she could hoping they would hear her plea. They had to let her go, and save themselves. She wouldn’t be any good to them any longer. The demon succeeded, and she would never be anything more than a shell of her former self. She stopped resisting. “You win.”

The demon’s chuckle followed her into the darkness.

* * * *

Eden recoiled from the sting of Dix’s slap. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

“Focus, she’s out there somewhere and we have to find her before it’s too late.”

Eden growled. “I know that, I can feel her pain. The demon has her.”

“Shit, you can feel her?”

“Yeah it’s like fingers are gripping my heart trying to tear it from my chest. It fuckin’ hurts and it’s because she’s out there and hurting.” Just as he closed his eyes to focus on her, a scream tore through his mind. Eden grabbed his head and cried out falling to his knees. His breaths came out in pants and he struggled to speak. “I can feel her, and she’s terrified.” He trembled and groaned in agony as Dara’s fear sliced through him. “Oh god, make it stop. Dix, help me please. It hurts.”

Dix dropped to the ground in front of Eden. He placed his hands over Eden’s on his head and closed his eyes. Eden’s body shook and he trembled beneath Dix’s magic. It was so strong and soothing, yet it did little to ease his pain. He needed something more. The magic wouldn’t save him from Dara’s suffering. Turning his palms up, he gripped Dix’s hands on either side of his head and pulled them off. “Help me up.”

Dix terrified expression did little to ease his worry. He knew then he looked like death. He was shaky and sweat poured from him. Eden used all of his strength and with Dix’s help was able to stand—barely. He stumbled but Dix was there to stabilize him.

“What can I do?” he asked in a panicked tone.

Eden stared into his eyes and pulled him into his body. “I need you close. You are what I need—you’re strength, not your magic.”

Dix gulped and nodded. Eden tried to smile, but even that hurt. They’d been close their whole lives, but they had never really been intimate with one another, at least not without a woman between them. Eden liked it. The feel of Dix’s muscled chest flat against his own. He wrapped his arms around Dix’s neck and laid his head on his shoulder.

Dix’s body tensed for a brief second, but then he wrapped his arms around Eden. Eden sighed in relief when his large hands rubbed soothing circles on his back. It got even better when Dix slid his hand up Eden’s shirt. As soon as his fingers grazed his bare skin, Eden moaned. “Don’t stop. It’s helping.” And it was. Eden wasn’t used to needing help, but he found he liked Dix taking care of him.

“I won’t,” Dix whispered pulling him closer.

Eden gasped when he felt his mate’s erection against his own, but he didn’t say a goddamn word. This was a moment he wouldn’t have ruined.

“Is the pain still there?”

Eden moaned and shifted closer to Dix. His body heat was soothing and he wanted to curl around him to soak it in. He was cold and aches filled his body. “Yes,” he replied but he pulled back and gazed into Dix dark eyes. There was more than lust beyond the depths and without a thought he leaned in and brushed his lips across Dix’s. Something he’d wanted to do for so long.

Dix gasped in surprise but he didn’t pull away so Eden kissed him again, this time adding more pressure before leaning away, not giving him a chance to kiss him back. As much as he had longed for the bond with his best friend it wasn’t the right time. Not with Dara in the hands of the Shadox Demon.

“Thank you,” he said and stepped back from him dropping his hands to his sides to keep from reaching out for Dix and pulling him back to him. For once in his life it looked like Dix was speechless. He stared at Eden as if he hadn’t expected the chemistry between them to spark such unbridled desire.

Dara was out there somewhere. Somewhere close actually. His heart raced when he heard her voice in his head, screaming at him. “She’s close. The demon is trying to lure us there. It’s a trap.”

“How do you know?”

“She’s calling to me,” he said. “She says not to come for her—”

“Like hell we aren’t,” Dix yelled.

“I know Dix, but she says it’s a trap. The demon doesn’t want her at all. He wants one of us.”

“So how do we save her and us?”

“We have to complete the bond for sure, but maybe since it’s already begun all we have to do is touch. He can’t be stronger than the three of us when we work together.” Eden paced ignoring the lingering pain in his head. “I have an idea. We have to go to her regardless of the fact that we will be walking into a trap, and we need Dara, anchoring us. We have to work as one to beat him. It’s
the power of the Triad.
”

Dix nodded in agreement and Eden took a breath. These were the times being the oldest and strongest had its downfall. If he rushed them into finding her too soon, it could backfire. If it didn’t work he or Dix would be possessed by a demon that would the kill the other two of their triad. Then all hell would break loose, and no one would be safe.

7

Dix trudged in the shadows with Eden by his stalking silently in the dark. His long tail swished in agitation. It was decided that Eden needed to be in tiger form. He was the stronger of the two physically and the eldest, plus they had no idea what his gift was yet, and Dix figured that would be what the demon was looking for. They needed to keep a physical connection at all times, and as soon as they found Dara they needed to use her as their anchor as she was meant to be.

“Are we getting closer?” Dix asked. Eden shook his head and nodded to the left towards the woods.

“Of course,” he grumbled because where else would a better trap lie?

Eden chuffed and led the way across the open field to the woods. Dix stayed close and kept one hand fisted into his fur. They slowed their pace paying close attention to the slightest sign for the trap. The woods were silent. There were no bugs chirping, no owls hooting, absolute silence filled their surroundings. Except every step they took echoed through the trees. Leaves crunched beneath their feet and twigs snapped beneath Dix’s boots. It was impossible to be silent. Even Eden in his tiger form struggled.

Dix felt his mate’s hackles rise followed by a growl. He stopped walking a few feet back from a narrow opening to a cave. The dank smell filled his nose. Eden growled again and looked up at him with his gray and golden eyes. He tossed his head to the side and sniffed the air. Dix followed suit. He finally caught the lingering scent of Dara over the remaining sent of death and decay. She was in there and she was suffering.

Dix’s eyes narrowed and his chest rumbled. He was still pissed that she was taken under his care. Not only was he heartbroken she was taken from them, it was a burst to his ego, and his tiger wasn’t happy that the demon had gotten the slip on him somehow. He still hadn’t figured out how it happened.

“I smell it. You ready for this Eden?”

Something akin to a laugh came from Eden and Dix grinned. They were going to take back what was theirs. “I take that as a yes. Let’s go save our mate’s ass, and then make her ours.”

Eden went in first and Dix grabbed a hold of his tail to make sure they kept in contact with one another. It was dark, but he could see the small path they were on. It led down, deeper underground. They should have known a demon would lead them below ground. The chill and dampness coated his skin, yet he wasn't cold. His body began to sweat. The fever was kicking in. Eden growled and his back arched up, with his fur standing on edge. He picked up his pace making it difficult for Dix to keep a hold of him.

Under a dim light straight ahead, Dara was tied to a chair. She wasn’t moving and her eyes were covered with some sort of fabric and a big black translucent figure floated around her. When he turned towards them bright red eyes shot to theirs. Everything in him stopped, even his breath. Real fear filled his body.

Growing up he had read about Shadox Demons and heard horror stories about how they were able to use their mind manipulation powers to control their victims as they fed off their fear. These demons, even without a body, could destroy even the strongest person. Dix’s heart raced and Eden growled crouching to the ground preparing to attack. Dix rubbed his fur trying to calm him the best he could. Physically attacking the demon would do them no good.

“I knew you would come,” it said and floated back and forth in front of Dara. “She said you wouldn’t, but I knew better.”

“Go to her Eden,” Dix whispered standing tall. The demon couldn’t even be physically touched. It was almost like a ghost, but worse, much worse. Most people wouldn’t think it was anything to be afraid of, but they were evil and deceptive. It was only in their true form they looked harmless. Eden turned toward him with a growl reminding him they needed to stay close to each other.

“I’m following Eden, now move.”

“Don’t bother coming for her. She can’t help you any longer. I think she’s gone insane.” The demon’s laughter echoed throughout the small, damp cave shaking the rocks.

“No!”

“Oh yes, tiger,” he said and then moaned. “Yes, I smell what you are. You’ll be the perfect host for my essence. I’ll take your body, and then together we will kill them both. You’ll never feel more powerful in your life before your soul dies and I take over your body for all eternity.”

“That isn’t going to fucking happen,” Dix growled before turning into his beast. He and Eden’s phrase, ‘two are better than one’ sparked Eden’s idea. If they were both in their most natural wild form then the demon shouldn’t be able to possess them. In theory, Shadox Demons had to possess a human body in order to steal a soul. The last thing they needed was their queen between them.

“What are you doing beast?” The demon shrieked his eyes turning a brighter shade of red with his rage. “You cannot change before me. I will own you!”

Eden padded over to Dara with his head bent low fearful that he had lost her. He butted her knee with the side of his face trying to rouse her. When that didn’t work he licked her knee, but she didn’t move so he looked back at Dix urging him to come closer. Dix followed suit and bounded up to her and laid his paws across her lap. He licked the side of her face. She shifted in her seat, but still didn’t wake up. Dix used his claw to cut the blindfold off. It fell from her eyes but they remained closed.