The Dark-Hunters (505 page)

The warmth of his body and the feel of his skin on hers—it was more than she could stand. Staring into his eyes, she came in a blinding white moment of searing peace.

Xypher laughed deep in his throat as he felt her climax and watched the pleasure play out across her features. He loved the way she felt in his arms, the way her brows drew together an instant before she came. And the sound of her contented purrs as her body spasmed against his.

Burying his head against her shoulder, he gasped as he felt his own release finally come. Grinding himself against her, he held her close as he released himself inside her.

She collapsed against him. He held her there, tracing lines over her back while her breath fell against his nipple.

“That was a nice start to the day.”

He kissed the top of her head. “Yes, it was.”

Simone sighed contentedly, stretching like a newborn kitten against him. “Now I don’t want to get up. I just want to stay here in your arms for the rest of the day … You think Jesse could teach my classes?”

He chuckled at the thought. “I think watching him try could be highly entertaining.”

“Well, I’d ask you to go do it, but that would defeat the purpose of my staying here … I wonder if I could retire early and live on the streets? What do you think?”

“Living on the street wouldn’t work. Not enough privacy for what I want to do with you.”

She smiled. “Very good point.”

Her alarm clock started blaring.

Xypher growled at the piercing sound. “Rip that out of the wall.” He flung his hand out at it, but she quickly diverted his blast.

“Don’t you dare. I love that alarm clock.”

He snorted. “You get attached to the damnedest things.”

After rolling away from him, Simone switched the clock off and smiled at the truth behind that statement. She really did get attached to the oddest things and Xypher had to be the strangest of all her attachments.

He yawned as she returned to bed. “You sure you want to go back to teaching today? We didn’t make much progress yesterday on training you to conceal your powers.”

“Well, I’ll have to mix with normal people eventually. Do you think it’ll be worse today than yesterday?”

He brushed her hair back from her shoulders. “Have you learned your body’s signals for changing?”

“It’s a weird burning behind my eyes before they go weird.”

“Then you should be fine. When you feel that, then you know to get out of public view as quickly as possible. If it happens in class, tell them you have a stomach bug and you have to run to the bathroom.”

She wrinkled her nose at the thought. “That’s gross.”

“Well, then wear sunglasses and tell them you have an eye infection.”

She nibbled the stubble along his jawline. “You know, that’s not a bad idea.”

“Of course the glasses won’t be much use when the horns pop out of your head or the wings out of your back, but—”

She shrieked at the thought. “No they won’t!”

He smiled evilly. “No. But that look on your face was worth it.”

Laughing, she pushed him back on the bed. “That’s it, I’m going to beat you down and make you sorry.”

Xypher froze as he braced himself for her attack.

But instead of her giving him pain, she tickled him. It took him several seconds before he realized her intent. By then she was pouting.

“You’re not ticklish. Well, that stinks.” She sat back and crossed her arms over her chest, hiding the breasts he loved to tease.

“I’m sorry,” he said, trying to cheer her. “If it’ll make you happy, I’ll pretend to be.”

“No, it’s okay. Can’t have everything, I suppose.” She paused at the edge of the bed. “But you come darn close.”

“Close to what?”

“Being perfect. Only you’re more than that, Xypher. You’re wonderful.”

Xypher couldn’t move as she left him to go to the bathroom. He couldn’t breathe as those words sank into his consciousness.
She thinks I’m wonderful …

No one had ever thought such a thing about him before. Pain in the ass. Rude. Violent.

But wonderful …

That knowledge hit him like a punch in the gut.

As he started to get up, Jesse appeared in the doorway with a stern look on his face. “What are your intentions?”

“I was getting out of bed to shower and dress.”

Jesse’s eyes narrowed. “Not that. Toward my girl. You two have been locked in here like two horny bunnies all night long, and before you break Simone’s heart, I want to know if you intend to do right by her. Or do I need to go recruit some demons to kick your ass?”

He’d like to see Jesse try—in fact he’d pay for that entertainment. But while he was offended the ghost would think that of him, he would expect no less from Jesse who was only trying to protect Simone.

“I would never hurt her, Jesse. Or you. But I can’t stay here and you know it, so don’t make me feel any worse about leaving than I already do.”

Jesse frowned at him. “You really are decent up under all that bluster, aren’t you?”

“No. I’m still the same angry bastard who’d sell his own mother’s heart to make Satara pay. Nothing has changed.”

“Except you love her.”

He had to bury the surprise deep inside before he betrayed himself. He wasn’t about to give that knowledge up to Jesse or anyone else. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Jesse snorted. “Yes you do. I can sense it and you know I can.”

And he hated that. But there was nothing to be done for it. So he narrowed his gaze on Jesse. “Don’t you dare tell Simone.”

“Don’t worry. It’s not my place. But if I were you, I’d let her know before it’s too late.”

That was so much easier said than done. “What do you know about it?”

“I’m a ghost, Xypher. I thought I had all the time in the world to tell the people around me how I felt about them and to build my future. But in one heartbeat, a cement truck driver looked down to change his radio station, weaved into my car, and in the blink of an eye, I lost everything.”

He glanced away, but even so Xypher saw the pain in his eyes. “The last memory I have is my girlfriend holding me while the rain poured down on us, mixing with my blood as it ran over her. She was telling me that she loved me and begging me not to die. I didn’t want to go.”

His voice broke from the emotions he was trying not to show, but Xypher felt and saw them anyway. “There was so much I wanted to say to her, but the wreck had crushed my windpipe and I couldn’t make a single word come out. I tried so hard to stay with her, but it wasn’t meant to be … I couldn’t even lift my arm to touch her one last time.”

He locked gazes with Xypher. “So, yeah, I have a better understanding of your situation than you do. Been there, done it, and it still aches deep inside me that I never once told Julie how much I loved her. Three seconds was all it would have taken. Three seconds I wish to God I had back. Think about it.” He vanished from the room.

Xypher sat in silence as he realized that for a kid, Jesse had a lot more sense than he’d given him credit for. But the problem was, it wasn’t that simple. What good would it do to tell Simone he loved her when he couldn’t stay? It would only hurt her more and that was the last thing he wanted to do.

No. It was best to keep his love to himself. Locked inside him, it would hurt only one person—him. He preferred it that way.

Pushing himself up from the bed, he went to join her in the shower.

*   *   *

“You didn’t dream again last night, did you?”

Xypher paused in his shaving to look at Simone in the mirror. “How did you know?”

“I was thinking of it while I was in the shower. I’m not sure why, but I had a thought. Did you dream while you were in Tartarus?”

“No. Hades took that from me so that I couldn’t use it as a way to escape my torture.”

“Do you think that’s why you haven’t dreamt here?”

He rinsed his razor in the sink. “Jaden returned all my powers to me. I should be able to dream without a problem.”

She paused by his side. “Did you try to dream?”

How could he explain to her that he was living the best dream of all just by being here with her? “Not really.”

“Maybe that’s it then. Maybe you just need to try.”

How he wished it were that simple. There was something more to the fact he wasn’t dreaming, but he didn’t want to think about it right now.

All he wanted to focus on was her. Kissing her hand, he returned to shaving.

Even though they were no longer joined by the cuffs, Xypher spent the rest of the day with Simone. He told himself that he’d go after Satara tomorrow. He just wanted one more day with the woman who made him laugh.

A woman who thought he was wonderful …

Even Jesse and Gloria came out after the classes to hang with them while they walked around the French Quarter and had dinner at the Alpine Restaurant.

“Have you lived here your entire life?” he asked as they walked along the shops on Royal Street, back toward her condo.

She smiled. “I have. Except for the time I spent in the children’s home after my father died.”

“You don’t speak much about your foster parents.”

She hooked her arm in his as they walked. “Carole and Dave. They were wonderful people. They’d wanted their own kids, but Carole had been unable to have any. Originally, they wanted to adopt a baby, but finally they gave up and decided to take in older children. I was the youngest of four they adopted.”

“So you have siblings?”

“Not really. My adopted siblings were out of the house by the time I came along. We exchange Christmas cards, but honestly we’re barely more than strangers. The only thing we had in common was the O’Learys. And I do miss them a lot. Any time I was ever sad, Carole used to take me down to Fifi Mahoney’s to try on wigs and to play with their makeup. She had a smile that could light up an entire room.”

“Like yours.”

She paused to look up at him. “You think so?”

“Absolutely.”

Simone was warmed all the way through by his compliment. They walked on, arm in arm, joking and teasing until they reached her condo.

“So what happened to your foster parents?”

She took a deep breath at the sadness that question conjured. “They died in a car wreck my first year of college.”

“I’m really sorry.”

“It’s okay. It was a long time ago, but it left me scarred for years. I kept thinking that I was cursed to lose everyone I ever cared about.” She shook her head. “There for a time, I’d even get up in the middle of the night just to make sure Jesse was still with me.”

Xypher drew a sharp intake of breath. And now he was going to have to leave her, too …

No, he could never tell her he loved her. It would be cruel.

Simone opened the gate to her condo, then paused as she saw someone slumped over at the end of the small walkway. Rushing toward the person, she was stunned to find Kyle Peltier there. He had a vicious wound in his stomach. Blood was steadily pouring out of him.

Trembling, he reached up and grabbed Xypher’s shirt. “The gallu are attacking Kerryna in her condo. Help her. Please!”

Xypher shot to his feet. “Get him to Sanctuary.”

Simone swallowed. “What about you?”

“I have a fight to join. Jesse, go with Simone and make sure nothing happens to her. If she needs me, get me immediately.”

SIXTEEN

Xypher went running toward Kerryna’s condo. From the outside, it was identical to Simone’s, except it had a small mirror that dangled from the knocker—a mirror that was designed to keep the gallu out.

If only it’d worked.

He ran to the door and tried the knob.

It turned.

Opening the door, ready for battle, he was surprised to find the place completely empty. He entered the house slowly, expecting an ambush. With nothing but silence humming in his ears, he went room to room looking for the Dimme.

Or her body.

There were no heartbeats in the place. But everywhere he looked were the remnants of battle. Furniture was busted, shelves were on the floor. It was obvious Kerryna and Kyle had put up a tremendous fight.

But the question was, why had she been here without Xedrix?

“Damn it,” he breathed. They must have taken her with them when they left.

Xypher went rushing back to find Simone struggling to get an unconscious Kyle into her car. He took the whelp from her and swung him up in his arms before he flashed them to Sanctuary.

Carson came to his feet with a stern scowl as he saw Kyle’s bleeding body. “What happened?”

“He was attacked.” Xypher took Kyle into the room where Carson had tended him when he’d been wounded.

“Thanks for getting him here.”

“Anytime. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some bad news to deliver.”

Xypher turned to Simone.

“What bad news?” she asked.

“I think they took Kerryna.”

Her face pale, Simone staggered back from the shock. “The gallu? Why?”

“To use her, I’m sure.”

“Does Xedrix know?”

Xypher glanced back to Kyle’s bleeding body. “I’m going to take a wild guess that he doesn’t. I think Kyle must have been on watch duty. We need to get to their bar again and tell Xedrix what’s happened.”

She couldn’t agree more. “All right. Flashy thing coming up … no nausea this time. We hope.”

“Hang on.” He looked at Jesse. “You, too. Gloria, hold on to him so we don’t get separated.”

The next thing Simone knew, they were at the club, which was hopping with college students and locals. They were all standing behind the stage where Xedrix had brought them in originally.

A band was playing loud, dark wave music.

Xypher took her hand and led her toward the dance floor. In the crowd, it was impossible to distinguish the Charonte from the humans. The only way she could tell the difference was her demon sense that picked up on them whenever they drew near one.

“Where’s Xedrix?” Xypher asked a tall, dark-haired demon who was serving drinks.

“He’s at the bar.”

Xypher made his way over to the area that was marked with neon tubing and a hand-painted sign on the mirror with the club’s logo of vampire teeth with three drops of blood falling from the lips.