Wicked Wind (Solsti Prophecy #1) (11 page)

“Gotta go, babe.” He peeled the confused redhead off his lap. “Hey, your friend over there wants to tell you something,” he murmured, turning his would-be bed partner toward the women in her group. That goddamn Skell was really going to be sorry now.

Not bothering to make his way to the front door, he vaulted over the high fence that enclosed the beer garden. His movements were so swift that none of the patrons would notice, and their alcohol-fueled minds would only register a slight draft. The creature hadn’t seen him.
Perfect
. He planned to track the bastard to his hiding place. The dumbshit Skells were up to something, and there was most likely a mastermind behind their activity.

Kai followed it silently along the rooftops of the leafy neighborhood. It hurried along in a southerly direction, and soon they were in an industrial area that flowed into a railyard. Kai opted to move along the tops of the boxcars instead of crunching on the gravel covered ground, although the Skell was so noisy and clumsy that it probably didn’t matter.

They moved to a more desolate area on the south side, and Kai guessed the Skell had to be near its home base. But it kept going. Soon the urban streets gave way to suburban ones. If the thing had any intelligence, Kai would have thought it was taking him on a wild goose chase. When the smaller demon reached a highway overpass, it stopped and looked around.

The demon crept down a grassy embankment toward the underside of the bridge, where it stopped. Kai stopped as well, hidden behind some overgrown shrubs.

“Son of a bitch,” he hissed as a beat-up Pontiac sedan pulled over to the shoulder, allowing the Skell to jump inside before the vehicle roared into the southbound lanes. Kai took off running along the shoulder.

Faster than a human, anyone who happened to see him would only imagine a shadow crossing their vision. But the car cruised farther south without exiting, and Kai knew he couldn’t keep up the high-speed chase for much longer. He stopped as the tidy suburbs gave way to open fields, cursing foully. Not only was he not going to get laid tonight, but that goddamn Skell had gotten away again. He broke into an easy jog, hoping to make it home before dawn.

Nicole stood transfixed by the shimmering circle that vibrated in the air before them. It was beautiful, like a giant iridescent ring, its center shining with ever-changing hues. She studied it, her skin tingling with anticipation and with the remnants of her dream. She was aware of Gunnar watching her reaction to the portal. Hell, this morning she was aware of everything about him, from his piercing blue gaze to his thick-soled black boots.

Nicole swallowed as she looked through the sheen of wavering light, peering at the trees on the far side of the lawn. Since Rilan wasn’t going with them, he provided Gunnar with an amulet that would enable him to open a portal one time, allowing them to return.
Better not lose it
.

Brooke stood a few steps back with Rhys, Brenin, and Rilan. The sisters had hugged fiercely, each one nervous but resolved to see each other again soon.

“Ready?” Gunnar asked her.

“Yes.” She forced more bravery into her voice than she truly felt.

They only planned to be gone for a day, but Nicole had stuffed extra clothes into her backpack just in case, as well as some throwing stars and additional knives. She also wore the small silver dagger with the sapphire hilt strapped to her thigh. Gunnar, however, was draped in weapons, mostly blades of different lengths. They hadn’t brought any firearms, because he had explained that bullet wounds healed rapidly among the residents of Torth. He hadn’t been kidding about dismemberment and burning being the best ways to harm someone over there.

“Going through this will feel a little disorienting. It’s kind of like falling, but not actually harmful,” Gunnar said. She nodded wordlessly and moved closer to him, letting his powerful hands grip her smaller ones.

Gunnar gave Rilan one last glance and was rewarded with an impatient, “Go, son.” He took a breath and pulled Nicole into the pulsing entrance.

C
HAPTER
7

G
UNNAR
HELD
ON
to Nicole as they spun through the portal. It was a feeling he could never quite get used to, having his stomach and heart hovering about a foot above his head. Of course, clasping her close had the added benefit of rekindling the sparks from the previous night. Part of him wished the ride could go on longer. His head swam with heated memories of her velvety skin, firm breasts, and nipples tightly puckered under his fingertips.

He never intended for things to go that far last night. When he learned of the altercation with the gang members and the Skell demons, he was infuriated, so much that he wasn’t sure if a rational conversation with her was possible. But when she apologized, her emerald eyes full of contrition, his anger dissolved in a heartbeat. In its place came a burst of relief that she was unharmed. The need to kiss her and touch her had overwhelmed his senses.

With a thud onto soft earth, they landed on their feet in the middle of a dense forest. Nicole wobbled and dug her fingers into his T-shirt. His arms instinctively tightened around her slender frame until she took a deep, steadying breath. Stepping back, he looked her over. “You okay?”

“Yes. That was…exactly the way you described it. My insides were up here.” She waved a hand above her head and grinned. “So this is an enchanted forest, huh?”

“Yeah, but there’s not a lot to smile about. There are a lot of things out here besides us.”

The canopy didn’t allow much light to filter down to the carpet of pine needles, creating a lush dimness that pulsed with life. Chirping and buzzing sounds filled the air, punctuated by the rustle of leaves and the occasional squawk of a disgruntled bird.

Gunnar guided Nicole to a trail framed by tall trees and thick brush. They were surrounded by a mix of towering redwoods and conifers identical to their counterparts on Earth, along with the occasional mystical tree. Most of them contained wood nymphs, which were relatively harmless unless their tree came under attack.

Small wildflowers, in shades of palest pink to lush red, peppered the bushes on the forest floor. As far as Torthian forests went, this one didn’t contain a majority of dangerous flora, but it was always wise to be cautious. As for the fauna, he hoped they wouldn’t run into many of them, even if they were friendly. Forest creatures tended to be as gossipy as old women, and he didn’t want any of them speculating about Nicole’s heritage.

She walked ahead of him as they climbed a small hill, her peachy scent lingering in the air behind her. He had a hard time dragging his eyes away from her sweet, perky ass, clad in yet another pair of tight jeans. He gazed at the way her waist flared into slim hips, long legs tapering to tiny ankles hidden by her sturdy hiking boots. Her close-fitting green T-shirt matched her eyes, and she’d pulled her shiny blond hair up into a ponytail. Turning, she caught his stare. A smile twitched across her soft lips as she stopped and waited for him.

She took a swig of water from her bottle and pointed to a worn track that branched off to their left. “Do we keep climbing, or take that path?”

“Keep climbing.” He watched her throat move as she swallowed, remembering the feel of her silky skin under his mouth.

“This place is beautiful. Did you grow up near here?”

Her question doused his heated thoughts with reality. Even though he was well aware of the dangers hidden beneath the verdant beauty, he would have jumped at the chance to spend his early years here, instead of the gritty urban area where he had lived during most of his youth.

“No.”

She shot him a glance, but didn’t push for more. They continued for a minute more when she sucked in a breath and put her hand on his forearm. Pausing, he didn’t sense any danger. He looked at her, eyebrows raised.

She pointed to a tree branch in front of them. “What is that?” she whispered in a horrified breath.

He followed her direction to a blue jay perched on the branch. “Surely you’ve seen blue jays before?”

“But it has…two heads.”

“Welcome to Torth,” he chuckled

She shook her head as if to clear it. “Oookay. Two-headed bird, check. Never thought I’d see that.”

They walked for another hour, with Nicole pointing out everything new to her. He answered her questions, but he didn’t want to get too chatty. The woods could hide many enemies and he couldn’t afford to let his guard down. Walking behind her when the path narrowed again, he made a mental note to teach her to step more stealthily. He knew she wasn’t trying to be noisy, and he had seen her move quietly in the city neighborhoods, but Torth was literally a whole new world. Most of its residents had enhanced senses like him. He frowned as she clambered over a tree that had fallen across the path.

A prickle at the back of his neck flooded him with foreboding, and in the same instant he heard the faintest rustle of leaves behind him. Nicole sensed the change in air pressure and whirled, wide-eyed, to face him.

“Get down!” he hissed as he vaulted toward her, easily clearing the fallen tree and pulling her to the soft dirt beside him. No sooner had they hit the ground when, with a soft thud, an arrow lodged in the bark in front of their heads. A sickly sweet smell emanated from the tree as the bark foamed and sizzled softly.

“Shit. Vipers.” Gunnar cursed. Vipers were almost the worst things they could encounter out here. Their reptilian heads sat atop bodies that resembled the human form, but were covered in green scaly skin. Nicole was about to get a crash course in just how dangerous the forests could be.

Chancing a quick look over the log, he spotted the nearest Viper and hurled a fireball at it. The demonfire hit it square in its chest, incinerating it.

“One down,” he said to Nicole. “I saw at least two more back there. You stay here.”

She started to protest, but he ignored her as he rolled toward the cover of the dense shrubs that lined the path. Another arrow zinged past his ear. The poison in their arrows was the same toxin that dripped from their fangs; it wouldn’t kill the stronger supernaturals, but it would incapacitate them for a while. Weaker ones wouldn’t survive a direct hit. He didn’t know how badly Nicole would be affected and didn’t plan to find out.

From his vantage point, he saw the other two Vipers. They stood on his side of the path. One stalked toward him, and the other stared at the log which kept Nicole concealed. Tossing a fireball at the far one, Gunnar unsheathed his sword and charged toward the nearer one. He was the faster opponent, and his blade opened a long gash in the creature’s thigh before he darted to the side.

The scaly green Viper swiveled to pin him with slitted snake eyes as it hissed in fury. Its head reared back, and Gunnar knew it was about to spit its venomous saliva at him. He dodged to one side, then ran at the beast to spear it under its rib cage. It howled, staggered, and turned toward him, but Gunnar was already raising his sword.

Before he could land the killing blow, an arrow flew past his raised arms, grazing his bicep. He cursed loudly. The wound was superficial but the poison was going to make his skin hurt like hell for a while, and for the first few minutes it could slow his reflexes. He broke off as he saw two more arrows fly past him, then dive straight into the ground. At the same time, a familiar burst of energy filled the air.

Nicole
.

“I said stay down!” he roared at her, not taking his eyes off the injured Viper in front of him. It was determined but struggling, its reflexes sluggish as it charged. Gunnar lifted his sword and this time quickly severed its scaly head from its equally scaly body.

He turned to Nicole, still behind the log but standing in plain view of the third Viper.
Shit.
He spotted two more snake-heads moving through the trees, undoubtedly attracted by the commotion.
Double shit
.

He could fight the Vipers hand to hand, but their archery added a wrinkle that he didn’t need. He also worried about Nicole trying to be a hero. Then the nearest one lunged for him.

Gunnar raised his sword arm to block the blow, but the poison made him move just a fraction slower, and the Viper’s blade nicked his chest. It was another light wound, and it only stoked his fury higher. He let his rage build, drawing strength from it. He pushed forward savagely, landing blow after blow. More arrows flew, and he realized Nicole, who hadn’t listened to him at all, guided the arrows toward the Viper.
Could they be harmed by their own poison?

The beast howled as the arrows pierced its neck. Not a death blow, but enough to slow it down. Gunnar drew his sword up, slicing the Viper’s belly open. It bellowed as it fell to the ground, and Gunnar severed its head with a fierce slash.

Nicole shrieked as he turned to locate the two remaining Vipers, one of which barreled toward her. The last one, its eyes locked on Gunnar, nocked an arrow.
Son of a bitch
. He jumped and rolled in her direction, grabbing the ankle of the Viper near her. It crashed down on top of him, but he kept rolling until he was on top of the thing. Mindful of its dripping fangs, he reached for one of the daggers strapped along his body and plunged it into the Viper’s neck.

He was about to order Nicole to stay back when a ball of demonfire erupted from behind the last Viper and blasted it to pieces. “Nice of you to keep them occupied for me, brother!” called a familiar voice.

“Showing up at the end of the party as usual, Raniero!” Gunnar shouted to his long-time friend. The other Lash demon’s duties were similar to Gunnar’s, but they kept him busy on Torth. The two had patrolled and fought together for decades before Gunnar had taken on the responsibilities of monitoring Earth cities. He climbed off the motionless but still very much living Viper. “You can finish this one off for me, since you’re here.”

“With pleasure.” Raniero tossed a fireball at it and ended its sorry life. The demon pulled back his long dark hair, which had come loose from its tie. Because of their dark hair and their similar body size, many thought he and Gunnar were blood brothers. On closer examination though, Raniero had more of the look of a conquistador, with his dark eyes and olive skin. He never lacked for female companionship, despite the thin scar that ran down the side of his face. He had earned it in a fight with Vipers, their toxin preventing it from healing properly.