Bedeviled (11 page)

Chapter Fifteen

C
assadaga was as bereft of working vehicles as it was living citizens. Kyana, Silas, Ryker, and Kevin walked the circumference of the entire town twice before finally giving up and settling in to rest in one of the few buildings still intact. A local occult bookstore. They'd agreed that by the time they found a car and drove back to the portals in St. Augustine, Ryker's powers would have returned anyway.

The bookstore contained only three tall shelves of books that looked older than Kyana. Each volume was coated in a fine layer of dust behind glass, locked cabinets, and just at a glance, she could tell they were valuable. She wished the store she'd found Haven in hadn't been demolished in the explosion. At least then maybe they'd be able to look for some clue as to what Haven had been doing there. But here, in this untouched bookshop, there was nothing to do but sit and wait. Wait and sit. It was enough to drive a Lychen, Vampyre, goddess to suicide.

Perched on the edge of a reading table, she stretched her neck, peering over her shoulder at Silas, who'd curled into the corner to sleep on the other side of the room. Haven's dad was finally asleep, his snores a rude reminder that he was here and his daughter wasn't. Ryker had disappeared into the office section of the shop to try and refocus after the chaotic day they'd had. She couldn't blame him. Refocusing sounded like heaven.

Technically alone now, she felt the silence was beautiful and refreshing . . . until Kevin snored again, breaking her moment of calm and rattling the windows.

The hairs on the back of her neck prickled, and she turned to find Ryker standing just outside the office watching her.

“What?” she grumbled.

He gave a one-shouldered shrug. “You're beautiful.”

“Oh.” That certainly hadn't been what she'd expected him to say. “Thanks?”

Chuckling, he eased onto the table beside her, his hand falling casually on her thigh as though it belonged there.

“So surprised at such a small compliment,” he said.

It was her turn to shrug. “Beauty really isn't my priority these days.”

As her gaze fell to her torn, baggy jeans and sooty, ripped flannel, she chuckled. “Besides,
beautiful
isn't exactly the word I'd use. Not right now.”

He took her chin in his fingers, his touch so soft she would have thought she'd imagined it if not for the momentary feel of the callus on his thumb. “I'm not talking about your clothes. I'm talking about you.”

He pressed a light kiss to her nose, making her feel like both a six-year-old child and a sexual woman, and all thoughts of pushing him away were forgotten. She was supposed to be ending this thing between them, and yet, all she wanted to do was curl up against his chest and let him hold her. Let him keep telling her things like this.

“What about me?” she heard herself ask. Her cheeks burned hot as she realized she was fishing for more—a moment of humanity that she so desperately needed after everything inhuman she'd encountered these last few days.

His finger trailed down her neck and rested over her breast. “This.”

“My breasts?”

His smile was crooked, his dimples deadly. “Your heart. You're chasing down your best friend in order to save a race you have no use for.”

“I don't hate humans,” she defended.

“You should. They've never done a damned thing for you.”

Kyana forced herself to meet his gaze, afraid that if she didn't, it would tell him too much. “They're no different than Dark Breeds. There are some worth my time. Others don't even deserve my efforts to kill them.”

It was true enough. A few weeks ago, she'd pretty much believed all humans were more monstrous than the Dark Breeds they hadn't known existed. But since then, she'd met a few that had gotten under her skin and warmed her toward the race. Like Hank, the retired cop who'd helped them track down the Order members responsible for killing the Chosen. And his adoring wife and their sweet son.
They
deserved saving, and Kyana had to believe there were other humans out there who did as well.

Uncomfortable with the personal direction this conversation had headed, she stood and walked around the table to the bookcases behind them. She could feel Ryker watching her as she studied the titles.
Taming a Demon. The Spirit Inside You. Herbs and How to Use Them.

“Taming a demon?” She laughed. “That's rich. Do they think you can stick one on a leash and have it do your bidding?”

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, the musty scent of paper and words swirling up her nose, intoxicating her. “Gods, I love that smell.”

“Dust?”

She smiled. “Books. There's nothing like it.”

Ryker watched Kyana trace the glass case with her finger, leaving a clear path in the dust. Typical, he thought. Just when the conversation turned personal, she changed it. She wasn't a coward by any means, but when it came to dealing with real issues, she wasn't just yellow, she was freaking neon.

“I wouldn't have taken you for a book lover.”

“I told you before I liked to read.”

“Yes, but liking to read books and savoring the scent of them are two different rungs on the ladder of book geeks.”

“I'm not a geek. But when you can't watch television or mess with a computer or even listen to a radio, you need some sort of entertainment to fill the downtime. Besides, book worlds are the only places I'm guaranteed to find decent human beings, aren't they?”

“Tell me why you hate them.” He eased off the table to face her directly, knowing she wasn't going to like his pushiness.

But these days, moments of quiet to talk were scarce, and he was praying for one small morsel of her now. One small truth that would prove she trusted him. He'd felt her pushing away today, and knew she was going to break the connection they were making. So be it. If she felt she needed to run from him, fine. He'd figure out how to deal with that. But first, he wanted to see how far beneath her skin he'd gotten, and if she could admit even one secret of her past, it would tell him a lot.

“I already told you, I don't hate them,” she said, her back still turned to the bookcases, where he could see her reflection in the glass. She wasn't really looking at the books anymore, but her pride wouldn't allow her to turn around.

Her gaze met his in the glass and quickly returned to scanning the books.

So that was it. She wasn't going to offer him anything. He was going to have to pry it out of her, confess that he already knew about her marriage and the abuse she'd taken as a young girl. And when he did, she'd hate him as much as she hated her abusers.

“Kyana—”

“Drop it.”

He reached for her, pulled on her shoulder until she faced him, and regretted it. The anger staring up at him made him rethink confessing he'd seen her secrets when she'd fed off him. There was already a wall between them. Why turn it into a damned fortress?

“Fine,” he said, dropping his hand as well as the subject.

“That was quite the thinking session you had in that office. Next time, focus your thoughts on you, not me.”

“I said,
fine.
I'll drop it. You'll talk to me when you trust me. I get it.”

Her eyes narrowed and the muscle in her temple ticked. “Trust you? I do, as much as I can. What about you? You have your own secrets. Why do you hate Ares so much? What happened to your mother?”

Ryker stiffened and stepped back.

“Not so easy is it? Tit for tat, Ryker. I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours.”

How much did he want her trust? How much was he willing to tell her that he'd never told another soul?

The words were on the tip of his tongue, but rather than speak them, he leaned forward and kissed her. For now, this would be enough. She was right. He couldn't expect her to share her secrets when his own were so deeply buried. Sadly, he
would
have told her what she wanted to know. If only she'd given him one thing, one small piece of herself just now.

Since she hadn't, he'd take the only thing she seemed comfortable giving.

Her body.

She moaned into his mouth, her tongue slick and warm as he suckled it, all thoughts of their conversation forgotten. His hands slipped to cup her ass and lifted her body up and against him so they were pressed chest to chest. She smelled like fire and Kyana, and it was delicious.

“Silas,” she breathed.

Ryker growled. “I'm not Silas.”

She smiled, the remnants of anger flickering out of her eyes. “Trust me. I know that.” She nodded toward the corner. “But they're here and could wake up at any—”

He kissed her again, effectively shutting her up, then walked their linked bodies into the office and shut the door. Inside, he pressed her to the wall, pinning her with his hips and lips as he dove into her mouth again and again. She wrapped her legs around him and clung to his neck like a tie.

“You can't do this every time I get mad at you,” she said when he moved his mouth to her throat.

He grunted, slipping his hands between them to unbuckle her belt.

“We're not even supposed to be doing this anymore. It's not smart.”

He grunted again and tugged the belt free and eased her legs from around his waist. The enormous pants puddled around her feet, leaving her stark naked from the waist down. He found her heat and smiled when she gasped and rocked against him.

“This still doesn't mean . . . anything . . .”

Ryker groaned and eased his hand free. “I don't remember you talking this much.”

“Your turn,” she whispered.

And when he stripped off his pants and buried himself inside her, she panted his name against his neck, over and over.

This time, he didn't tell her to shut up.

K
yana lay curled against Ryker's naked body, her own slick with sweat and completely sated. She hadn't realized she needed that kind of release, but damned was she glad he'd offered it.

But now that her body was a pile of goo, her mind was the only functioning piece of her. In the quiet, her brain was sprinting a marathon, and she wished it would just relax like the rest of her. She'd never outright asked Ryker about his past before, and his adamant refusal to share it with her today hadn't sat well.

It made her understand that it wasn't really her secrets Ryker was interested in. Rather, it was the trust that came with telling them. She knew that because the moment she'd asked about his parents, she'd realized that she'd been truly hoping he'd trust her enough to spill his own secrets. She was beginning to want to know more about him than where the scars on his body were hidden. She wanted to know where they were hidden in his heart.

When had she become so damned sappy?

This thing between them might not be forever, but it was for now. She was finally coming to terms with that. One day, one of them would grow bored enough to walk away. But that day wasn't this one.

“Ryker?”

“Hmm?” His voice was drowsy and low in his throat. She curled in closer, wanting some of the peace he seemed to have found.

“I'm not ready to talk about my past.”

“I know.” He began a slow, rhythmic circle at the base of her neck with his thumb, and she felt her eyes grow heavy.

“But,” she continued, stifling a yawn, “soon. Maybe.”

His hand stopped moving for a long moment before starting up again. “All right.”

“Tit for tat?” she asked.

And as she drifted off to sleep, she heard him faintly clear his throat and say, “Yes, Ky. Tit for tat.”

Chapter Sixteen

W
hen Ryker's powers to port returned, they wasted no time getting back to St. Augustine. He'd zapped them just outside the Castillo de San Marcos, and together, all four of them studied the structure in silence. Sex with Ryker hadn't done more than temporarily balm Kyana's worry, and now, it was back full force. Judging by the tense silence hanging between her companions, they were definitely worrying too.

Kevin likely worrying about his fate now that he was so far from home and had a monstrous daughter who wanted his blood.

Silas was likely worrying whether Kyana would request his assistance again, or if he could balm his own stress with a little romp with Sixx. He wasn't limping anymore. At least her guilt over the day's events could be assuaged a bit by that.

Ryker . . . who the hell knew what was worrying him? He was as locked up these days as Kyana.

It was up to her to voice her own worries. Gods knew, she wasn't getting anywhere thinking about them alone.

“Do you think she's going to stay like that?” she asked as they started up the grassy bank toward the fort. “Teflon girl, I mean?”

“I don't see how Cronos could maintain the strength to do it again, much less make it permanent.” Ryker's answer was so swift, she knew it had been the same worry plaguing him this morning. Good to know she wasn't completely alone.

And hopefully, he was right. Kyana didn't relish the thought of pounding her fist into pure steel. They headed toward the drawbridge, the grass slick with dew from the chilly morning air, chilling her bare toes. She couldn't wait to get a fresh pair of boots and burn the horrible clothes that were chafing her skin. Soon.

“I still don't know why she threatened to find another psychic. Who? Why warn us? And she can't port, so how, exactly, did she plan on beating us back here?”

Not to mention, how the hell had Haven been getting around so swiftly in the meantime? The disappearance of her scent had been explained by spell crafting, but there were no spells Kyana knew of that would allow Haven to keep zapping herself from place to place.

“Even with Ryker's porting, she always seemed to be beating us to our destinations,” she said. “How was that possible?”

All the questions spilled from her mouth the same way they'd entered her brain. She and Ryker had already discussed most of them, but neither had come to any definitive answers that satisfied her. As much as she didn't like admitting it, talking her problems out with Ryker seemed to help her figure things out. If it got on his nerves that she was repeating herself, he'd just have to deal.

“Has to be Cronos,” Silas offered. “There's nothing in her breeds that would let her do that.”

“Definitely Cronos,” Ryker agreed. “It's almost as if he's sucking her into his realm and popping her out in this one. Whatever he's doing, I'm glad we decided not to drive and wait out my port. We're here at least two hours before we would have been otherwise.”

He gestured to the calm sentinels patrolling the bastion overhead. “Maybe we beat her. Doesn't look like anything's gone down, and she
did
say St. Augustine.”

Kyana nodded and told herself to breathe. He was right. If Haven had planned to return to St. Augustine, it didn't appear she had arrived yet. “Maybe we'll get lucky and she'll need time to recover before doing something big again. Gods know, I could use the time to think this through and take in some ambrosia.”

As soon as they reached the fort's entrance, sentinels from the San Pedro Bastion greeted them and the drawbridge lowered. Their first attempt to catch Haven had failed. It was time to return to Olympus and face the music. Hopefully, they'd get the yelling over with quickly so they could figure out what Haven might be getting ready to pull out of her hat for them next.

Kyana also wanted to find someone who could make her a charm or potion that would allow her to see through Haven's tricks in the first place. Artemis had promised that when she fully became the Goddess of the Hunt, she'd see through spells and magic better than any other god.

She wouldn't be immune to harmful magic, but the Illusion Charms and potions that kept Dark Breeds from being hunted accurately by tracers shouldn't affect her anymore. Of course, that would not happen for a few more days.

They made their way through the plaza courtyard toward the small alcove that held the portal to Below. Ryker and Kyana could've ventured straight from here to Olympus, but that would have left Silas alone with Kevin. Given what they'd put Silas through already, he didn't deserve to be abandoned with their baggage like that.

The minute she stepped through the portal and caught her breath, her instincts came alive. The air Below was charged with electricity. The bellowed orders and the cries of pain drew her to the entrance of the portal alcove where she could look out into the market square streets.

Not a hint of this chaos had been evident in the fort, where the guards had been oblivious to what their brethren faced Below.

“Fuck me,” Silas whispered beside her, a moment later followed by Ryker and Kevin.

She drank in the sight before them, her stomach twisting into a painful knot as she followed the trail of bodies.

“She wouldn't dare . . .” she said, her quiet, trembling voice unfamiliar to her own ears.

Haven had threatened to find a new psychic but Kyana hadn't even considered that she'd be brave or stupid enough to try this.

“Why would anyone attack Below?” Silas gently nudged a body by his feet with the toe of his boot. It didn't budge.

She grabbed Kevin roughly by the arm and turned him to face the beach. “Go. Now. You'll find a camp of refugees on the shores. Run.”

“Kyana, wha—”

She cut Silas off and didn't bother to make sure Haven's father obeyed. She was already off and running.

“She's trying to break into Olympus!” she called out over her shoulder. “Haven wants an Oracle.”