He closed his eyes and repressed the monster within. Waving his hand over his
body, he cleaned himself and changed his suit. He scanned the gruesome scene
he"d made, nodded in satisfaction, and then summoned fire to set the dead bodies
ablaze.
As the scent of burning flesh tapped his senses, he moved over to the bed
and looked down at the girl"s naked body. She still had her eyes shut tight. Her
small frame had been beaten badly. One of her ribs had been broken, the side of her
face was bruised purple and blue, and her blonde hair was soaked with blood.
Overwhelmed with sadness, he touched where her rib was shattered. She
flinched and sobbed as he released a stream of healing energy to repair her broken,
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curved bone and battered form. He eased the pain in her fragile body. A trembling
sigh of relief seeped from her lips.
He untied her wrists and as soon as her hands were free, she scurried to the
far end of the bed, shuddering in fear.
“I"m not here to harm you, child.” He offered his hand. “Come, I"ll take you
to safety.”
Hesitantly, she eased toward him. With prayers to the almighty flooding her
mind, she took his hand. He sent a calming spell through her small limb. Crying
tears of gratitude, she wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face in
his chest. He rubbed the back of her head, comforting her as her tears soaked into
the fabric of his jacket.
Demetri held out his hand, willed a thick blanket with his mind and
wrapped it around her shivering body. He then scooped her up in his arms, shot
out of the building and took flight. He flew through a drift stream, being cautious
of his speed. If he were to shift to his normal pace, the current alone would rip the
skin right from her fragile body.
He landed on the hospital"s rooftop with her cradled against him. Carefully,
he kneeled and sat her down. “Open your eyes.” The one eye that wasn"t swollen
shut slid open. “I am going to take the memory of this night away from you.” He
grazed his fingers across her swollen eye, instantly healing it.
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She whimpered, “You mean, I won"t remember?”
“No. You will not remember.”
“I…” She looked up at him, tears leaking down her bruised cheek. “I don"t
want to forget you.”
Smiling wryly, he flashed a glimpse of fang. “Oh yes you do.” With her gasp
echoing in the breeze, he tapped her on the forehead and transported her into the
hospital.
The nurses bombarded her with questions, asking who she was and what
had happened to her. Other than her name, the only answer they received was, “I
don"t remember.”
Satisfied with the good deed, he stood and gazed into the night. “Father
Shannon, are you lively?” The hour was late, but knowing the noble priest, he was
probably wide awake.
“Yes, yes Demetri? Were you able to attain any additional information from Lady
Indigo?” Father Shannon asked, anxiousness behind his voice.
Just as he thought; wide eyed and busy tailed. “28 portals.”
There was a long pause. A gust of wind flew over the roof, brushing his hair
back from his shoulders.
“Hell is upon us.”
“Not yet, Father. Unfortunately this is only the beginning.”
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“Do you have any locations of the portals?”
“I have all of the locations, well except for the ones that are being opened as we speak.”
Anger emitted through their transmission. “Who is doing this?”
“A very powerful and sinister warlock.” Demetri responded, absorbing every ounce
of his ire through the link. “I will find him in due time.”
“Do you know of the Dragon Queen?”
Demetri paused and thought on how much of the truth he wanted to reveal.
Just as quickly as the thought entered his mind, he"d decided not to disclose
anything. If the good priest knew who she was, or of his intentions with her, he"d
probably have an aneurism.
“Yes, I know of her.”
“I just received the quick run-down of her existence from Father Hamiway a few hours ago.
He was trying to tell me something of great importance about her when our connection was
severed. Maybe you can help.”
“Of course.”
When Father Shannon opened his mind, Demetri closed his eyes and
entered. Careful not to leave any influence of his darkness in the priest"s psyche, he
treaded cautiously. With great concentration, he drew forth Father Shannon"s link
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with the priest afar and leaped into his mind. It didn"t take long for the cause of
the connection break to become clear.
The scent of sulfur infiltrated his senses. He opened his eyes and
immediately exited the two priest"s domain.
“He was attacked by demons.”
“God, no! Is he still alive?”
“Yes, but he won"t be for long. He"s in Osaka, in a temple that happens to be sitting right on
top of a demon portal.”
Demetri was tempted to take flight to go and retrieve Father Shannon"s
close friend, but it was daylight in Japan. He"d burst into flames before he could
get close to the fading priest.
“Good Lord in Heaven! How did a demon portal end up beneath a temple?”
“Evil has the habit of nesting in the most unlikely places, does it not, Father?”
Father Shannon groaned. “What do you know about the Queen?” he asked,
ignoring his sarcasm.
“That she has the power to close the portals and her blood is to blame for the chaotic
behavior of the demons. Her blood happens to be a mixture of heaven and hell and is said to hold
unimaginable power.”
“Then we must find her at all costs.”
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Demetri fought the urge to think of her beautiful face. “Yes, we must.”
“Do you have any idea on where she might be?”
“Not a clue.”
He never thought he"d be put in a position where he"d have to lie to the
priest. Nevertheless, given the circumstances, the lie was necessary.
“The blood of heaven and hell flowing through her veins, a half-breed… What madness
provoked a creature of God to take part in the making of such a dangerous demon?”
His sentiments exactly, but their creation would be his gain. His Queen.
“Well, I know if anyone can find her, you can, Demetri.”
“Perhaps,” he uttered, holding back a chuckle. “Close your eyes and relax your
mind, Father. Tomorrow is another day. Leave the Queen to me. I will contact you if anything new
arises.” With that said, he severed the connection.
Prepared to take flight, he turned his sights to the sky and was jolted.
Sharayna"s exotic scent wafted by his nose.
Smiling, he shook his head. There was no escaping this beauty. He drew her
lingering aroma deeply into his lungs. She was within miles of the hospital, too
close for him to turn away. Whether or not he was prepared to face again her
without baring his fangs, he had to go to her.
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Chapter Eight
Drift Cloud
Lazily raking the wide tooth comb through her hair, Rayne sat Indian style
on the bed and stared through the w
indow at the red tinted moon, which looked
to be darker than the last time she saw it.
A red moon. How extraordinary; about as extraordinary as the gorgeous
man who had moved into her every thought.
Demetri.
A smiled tugged at her lips. She could hardly wait to see him again.
Then just like that, despair crashed into her, melting the smile from her lips.
What if he didn"t show tonight? She"d be lost without him. He said he"d find her,
but what if he changed his mind? What if he took some time to think about it and
decided he was way out of her league, not worth his time?
What if…
The man had apparently been bred from class and wealth. And even though
she was a successful entertainer, she didn"t think it made any difference for what
type of woman she was, or what type of woman he was accustomed to. She was
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almost sure he didn"t go for the type of chick who strutted around in Tims, baggy
jeans and hoodies on her off days, let alone a black chick, who wasn"t afraid to
show her hood side.
She licked her lips, swiping a taste of her strawberry flavored gloss. His
beauty, his swagger, his moves, his touch, his poise—everything about him was
dynamite, and he wasn"t even her type. She usually liked her men, hard core,
thugged-out, and most importantly black, but here she sat utterly sprung on a
beautiful white vampire.
She giggled under her breath then threw a glance over her shoulder and
rolled her eyes. “We"re not going to do this again tonight, big papi,” she sighed.
“Go"on to your room.”
Sprawled in the chair across the suite, Sota had his hands clasped behind his
head, his ankles crossed and his eyes closed. “Paul and Narri told me to keep both
eyes on you, even when you"re asleep.”
“That"s stupid.” Rayne twisted around. “Don"t look like you got either eye on
me. Go away!”
He grinned. “My eyes don"t need to be open to be aware of your
whereabouts.”
Groaning, she fell back onto the softness of the bed. “I believe you secretly
like to torture me.”
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“I didn"t realize having me around was torture.”
“Liar,” she mumbled. “Let me ask you something, Sota.” She propped up on
her elbows and cut an inquisitive eye his way. “Are vampires and demons real?
Like, do you believe in them?”
His lids popped open and lips twitched. The question seemed to make him
stir. “Well, there are people out in the world who drink human blood. A heinous
act, if you ask me. And as you"ve seen on the news people kill people for no
apparent reason all the time. That"s definitely demonic in my opinion.”
She arched a brow. “Funny how you said all of that without actually
answering my question. Let"s try this again and maybe you can give me a straight
answer this go"round. Do vampires and demons exist?”
Clearing his throat, he stood and looked away from her. “If you"re referring
to the mythical creatures that you read about in books, and see on TV…then no.”
“Sure „bout that,” she asked, squinting at him.
“C"mon Rayne, yes, I"m sure,” he grumbled, heading for the door to the
adjoined room. “Be ready by seven am so we can get on the road. Narri called Amy
to rearrange your schedule, so the photo shoot is first thing tomorrow morning.”
Business talk. This was Sota"s manner to avoid a subject he didn"t want to
talk about, which made her all the more suspicious. The big guy was straight up
lying to her.
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“What? You"re bailin" out on your job already? You"re supposed to keep both
eyes on me, remember?”
“Don"t stay up too late. I"ll be right next door if you need me.”
Before he could flee through the door, Rayne stopped him. “Hold up, Sota. If
you knew something was happening to me, like something unnatural, you"d tell me
right?”
His eyes down, he wavered at the entrance of his room. “I think…” He
paused and took a huge heaving breath. “Some things are kept from people
because the mind and heart can only handle so much. If that person is not ready to
absorb the truth, then its better they don"t know.”
“What the hell is that about? Who are you to decide what I can handle or
not?” she asked, restraining the tears pooled beneath her eyelids. “I"m not an
airhead, and I"m not some fragile lil" girl. If there"s something you need to tell me—
”
“Sharayna.” The deep rumble of his voice was quickly dismissed when a sad
smile curled his lips. “Be patient,” he faltered, tapping the edge of the door. “Get
some sleep, baby girl. Tomorrow will be a better day.”
“Right,” she murmured. “Before you leave, brah…what color is the moon?”
He not once took his eyes off hers. “White. Good night.”
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Once again he left her with a mess of questions jumbling around in her
mind, but now at least she knew everything Demetri had told her was true. It was
Sota"s uneasiness that gave it away.
A demon. And Sota and Narri knew all about it. All these years…
Shaking her head, she pushed up off the bed. She trudged across the suite
filled the room. No Ordinary Love.
Every time she"d gotten a cut and didn"t have a scar to show for it, they said
it was because she took vitamins. It"d been the same excuse they used when she
questioned why she never got sick. Hell, she was young. She believed everything
they told her.
“Vitamins keep you healthy and strong, Sharayna,” Narri would say in her
cheery ever reassuring tone as if life was honky dory.
Bullshit. The revelation almost made her angry. Their intentions were good,
but damn, this was something they should"ve told before her life got turned upside
down. At least she would"ve been prepared for this mess.
“A damn demon,” she snorted, peeking out the balcony door. “As if it could
get any worse.”
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Last time she stepped out on a balcony, the flashes of cameras ruined her
attempt to enjoy the night air. Paparazzi were sneaky ass bastards. They would
break all kinds of laws just to get a money-making shot.
Please Jesus, don"t let these nut jobs be out here; not tonight.
Rayne shut off the lights for cover and eased out onto the platform. The
concrete was cold beneath her bare feet. She gazed out at the scenery.
The ocean washed ashore and the clouds floated past the full pink moon. It
was beautiful, like the scene out of a fantasy.
She traced the moon with her index finger and found herself wondering
what it"d be like to make love to Demetri.
Surrounded by a mass of flickering candles, their union would be
illuminated. She pictured his body sprawled out naked on top of red satin sheets
creating an ambience of hot and steamy sensuality. She clutched the railing and
nibbled her tongue ring, resisting the urge to bury her fingers beneath the crotch
of her boy shorts and between her soft pussy lips.
The contrast of her honey kissed, chocolate tone and his flawless porc
elain
glow mingled together against the crimson bedding, painted a seductive portrait
in her mind.
As the sexy vision faded, she chuckled and opened her eyes.
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Every star in the sky seemed to wink at her as if they knew her dirty little
secret. Among the stars a thick purple cloud inched across the horizon. At first, it
looked like an unnaturally dense rain cloud, but then, it did something bizarre. It
expanded, shifted into a spiral funnel and floated her way.
Bewildered, she started to back away. The swirling cloud reared back then
darted toward her like a snake, engulfing her. Squealing like a frightened mouse,
she squeezed her eyes shut and went into a fetal position. An icy gale swirled
around her and lifted her into the air.
Hesitantly, she opened her eyes. A mass of fog aggressively encased her like
a protective shield and carried her through the sky. Scared shitless, she watched
the world fly by below her.
“Oh Jesus,” she gasped. “What is this?”
Through the purple mist, she could see six figures below her, surrounded by
a brilliant white light. She felt a connection with them as her transport drifted
over the area. Miles ahead was a temple. Within it, she saw another white glowing
figure, but this one shimmered unlike the others. The cloud melted through the
structure and took her closer to the phenomenon. Huge black forms circled the
being and its light began to dim.
Compelled to touch the fading light, Rayne reached out. As she got closer, it
became clear to her that the figure was a man. He looked up at her. Pain in his
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bright grey eyes squeezed her heart. Unable to resist, she rested a hand on his
shoulder.
Tears filled his eyes. “No child, you are not supposed to be here! Get out!”
The purple cloud suddenly retreated and released her. She stumbled
backwards until her back hit a wall. The realization boggled her mind.
She hadn"t even left the balcony.
Frightened and totally disoriented, she dropped to her hands and knee then
scrambled over to the stone post of the railing. She wrapped her shaky limbs
around the sturdy support and warily watched the dark sky through widen eyes