Clutch of the Demon (9 page)

She will have no other sickness for the rest of her life.
 

Her throat locked up. "Thank you."

She bent over because the agony in her chest was as strong as it had been in the hospital when she walked away from her family. She could barely breathe through the overwhelming loss. When she sank to her knees, the dragon shifted and his front leg pressed against her back. She didn't question the small gesture and was sunk in such despair that she leaned against him, boneless and suddenly exhausted. He easily took her weight.
 

I can take away the pain.

She blew out a breath like a woman in labor. "That's okay. It reminds me that I'm human."

What else would you be?

"I only feel like this about my family. Most of the time, I don't feel anything."
 

You are a strange human.
 

She smiled and felt the pain ease. "I know."

Your mother is a dream walker as well?

She nodded.
 

You can sense demons, dream walk, and go on reckless quests. What else can you do?

"I battle dragons."

Fire spewed from his nostrils, but this time, she didn't cower. He was amused and for some reason, that made all of this bearable.

Did you tell your mother where you are?

"No," she said and wiped her eyes. "She just wanted to know if I was alive."

I won't release you from our bargain.

"I know."

The silence in the cavern was impenetrable. It felt suffocating and safe at the same time. The outside world didn't exist. She felt as if time stood still here. There was no sun or sky to measure the passing of time. She wasn't in heaven or hell. She was in limbo, buried beneath rock and ocean.

"How did you know I was dream walking?" Her head felt as if it was full of cotton.

I sensed her magic when I approached.
A pause and then,
If you want to communicate with her, I will permit it as long as you don't try to lure her here.
 

"I won't," she said and then, "Thanks."

Your arrival here means something.
 

She knew he was trying to distract her and she went with it. "Or not. I don't know how to break any curses. Do you know how to reverse the curse?"

He didn't answer and the bubble of hope in her chest popped. She sighed loudly. Well, she had the rest of her life to think of a way to get him out of here. There were no demons to battle down here so he would be her project.

"What do you do down here?" she asked without realizing how insulting that sounded.
 

I'll show you.
 

The leg behind her shifted and she keeled forward on her hands and knees. Before she could glare at him, his talons closed over her shoulders. Before she could scramble away, the dragon flapped his wings. She was jerked up like a newspaper in a whirlwind. Her bare feet kicked and her scream echoed through the cavern. Was he going to drop her from a thousand feet? Was that his idea of fun? She clutched at his talons, terrified they would loosen at any moment.
 

 
The dragon soared to the highest point of the cave and hovered. Her body was numb with terror. She couldn't even pinpoint where her hobbit hole was because everything looked so different from up here. The lakes looked like colorful paint pots, just waiting for an artist to dip his brush into. She dimly wondered if he released her, if she would land on stone or in a pool and which was worse. The dragon's head angled down and they began to dive.
 

Cara's legs blew behind her as they plunged towards the ground so fast she couldn't even scream. Her hands flew up to cover her face. The dragon pulled out of the dive so smoothly it took her a few seconds to register. She flapped her arms and kicked in panic. When her toes skimmed the surface of one of the warm pools, she shrieked and yanked her legs up.
 

This is supposed to be entertainment.
 

"How?" she screamed.
 

Most humans have dreams of flying.
 

Cara paused in mid-scream. The dragon was trying to take her mind off of her mom and this is what he came up with? She didn't know whether to be amused or horrified. Now that she knew he wasn't planning on watching her splat on the ground, she relaxed and lowered her legs as the dragon bobbed from pool to pool. She felt like she was on a roller coaster ride where the top half of your body was secured while the rest of your body dangled. The dragon continued to glide through the air smoothly and she took in her surroundings. There was no color down here, just dark, earthy tones. The landscape was stark and foreign to her, but beautiful in its own way. When the dragon lowered her once more over the pools, she decided to loosen up and live. She made designs on the surface of the water with her toes and pretended she was a water ballerina, spreading her arms wide and pointing her toes down. She blushed when she saw the dragons head angled down, watching her. She ignored him and decided to take his suggestion and act as if she was flying.
 

When the dragon approached the waterfall Cara shouted, "Don't you dare!"

He flew to the top of the waterfall and her stomach dropped as she looked down at the powerful falls, engulfed in cold mist. Her bottom half curled up, away from the cold water as she clutched his talons. She tried to yell at him that this wasn't her idea of fun, but he couldn't hear her. His body began to shift and when he dove alongside the waterfall, her heart stopped beating. She shrieked and put her hands out as they approached the bottom, but he pulled up at the last minute. Drenched, she shot the dragon a baleful look that he ignored. He headed back towards the opposite end of the cavern, letting Cara air dry along the way.
 

The dragon set her down near the familiar flat-topped rock where she took her meals. Cara staggered and fell to her knees. The dragon watched her and tipped his head from side to side like a bird.
 

"I don't know whether to thank you or kill you," she snapped.
 

You can thank me.
 

"I was having fun until the waterfall," she said and shuddered. "Not to be too demanding, but can I get a burger, fries and a chocolate shake?"
 

The burger, fries and shake appeared and she dug in with more appetite than she had for any of the other meals. She felt as if she'd just come out of a carnival and could barely sit still long enough to eat. When she offered the dragon a fry, he shook his head. When she finished her food, she walked around with her shake, slurping noisily.
 

"I never dreamed of flying, but
parts
of that were fun." It was the most thrilling, fun and pointless thing she'd done in her life. Skydiving had nothing on a ride from a dragon.
 

I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Being this close to him made her feel like an ant. Her reflection on his scales showed her rosy cheeks and bright eyes. Her hair was fluffed and tangled around her, but she didn't care.
 

"What should I call you?"
 

The dragon did that head-cocking thing again as if he couldn't figure her out.
 

I was once known as Aodhan.

She was pleased he'd given her a name. She didn't feel like a captive. She was beginning to feel like his companion and she no longer suspected that he was going to eat her. She yawned and then blinked in surprise.
 

"How can I be tired?"

We flew for a couple hours.

"In that case, I'm off to bed. Thanks for the ride, Aodhan."
 

Cara walked into her cave and fell into exhausted sleep.

Chapter Eight

Cara walked down a narrow alley with old buildings on either side of her. It was a warm night in Greece and she rolled tense shoulders. She walked up the stairs to the room she was renting for the month. She unlocked the door and with her back to the room, pulled a gun from the inside of her jacket and turned with a finger on the trigger.
 

A woman sat on the couch and Cara saw a flash of white as the intruder smiled. Cara flipped the lights on and wasn't surprised to see Ursula. Most would probably peg Ursula at mid-forties, but Cara knew Ursula was ancient and just as dangerous as Luc. She was tall and voluptuous with dark brown hair and eyes that gleamed hungrily in the dim light.
 

"You shouldn't have interfered," Ursula said as she trailed blood red nails down the arm of the chair.
 

"Neither should you. You're destroying lives," Cara said.

Ursula pursed her lips. "You think you did Paulos a favor by exorcising that demon from him? He'll never wake from the coma."

"If that demon hadn't been implanted in him for so many years, he would have survived," Cara said quietly. "Nadia understands."

Ursula's lip curled in disgust. "Nadia. I'll take care of that bitch later."

Cara didn't offer her opinion. Nadia was more than capable of taking care of herself. Nadia suspected what was wrong with her father and called Cara to Greece. Nadia didn't like the results, but she hadn't ripped into Cara about his vegetative state. She knew having her father alive and doing deeds for Luc was much worse.
 

"You have no idea what you're messing with," Ursula said and flicked her hand dismissively, "but I'll leave it to Luc to discipline you and remind you of your place."

"I won't stand by and let the world be run by beings like you," Cara said.
 

Ursula laughed and the sound was beautiful and haunting. Cara resisted the urge to smile and walk towards her.
 

"I've heard rumors of you. It seems Luc underestimated your intelligence and worth. That isn't going to make him happy," Ursula said.

"And I've heard of you," Cara said coldly.

"You have? I'm flattered."

Cara didn't even blink. She had four knives on her body and an extra gun, which would slow Ursula, but no bullet or knife could kill her. Injuring the older woman gravely enough to slow her down would have to do.
 

"Cara," Ursula drawled in a silky voice. "That's a beautiful name for such an abomination."

"What do you want?"
 

Ursula twirled a strand of hair around her finger and little flames danced through the strands. Cara wasn't intimidated by the show of fire. She raised a brow and Ursula smiled cattily.
 

"I'm wondering how good you'll taste. I've never had a mixed breed like you before. I think you'll taste luscious."

Cara's stomach turned to ice, but she showed no reaction to the taunt. "Why don't you come over here and take a bite?"

Ursula continued to curl her hair around her finger, but made no move to attack. She sat and crossed her legs, exposing a shapely leg from a slit cut high on her dress. Cara knew Ursula wasn't a warrior, but that didn't make her less dangerous. Ursula was the epitome of a femme fatale and Cara wasn't fooled by her laid-back attitude.
 

"You've inconvenienced me, Cara," Ursula said with a pout. "You exorcised the demon I planted in Paulos for a decade and I need it back."

Cara didn't answer. Her unnatural stillness finally registered on Ursula who tensed.
 

"Where's the demon?" Ursula asked as she got to her feet.
 

Cara let the demon rise to the surface and whispered, "I
am
the demon."

Cara dropped the gun and released the chokehold on the demon she extracted from Ursula's victim. The demon howled in her skin and spread his poison through Cara's veins, filling her with malice. Ursula's hair blazed with flames and fangs elongated in her mouth as they rushed one another. Cara brandished a knife in each hand and ducked when Ursula attacked. While Ursula tumbled across the floor, Cara rushed after her. The demon cackled in delight as Cara drew first blood.

Cara's hand clenched around an invisible knife, stabbing someone who wasn't there. Her eyes flew open and she tried to calm her ragged breaths. If she could get her hands on Rage again, she would strangle him. Every time she brushed against his spirit, she received a nasty shock of memory. It couldn't be helped. The more of his poison she purged through memories, the less potent his spirit would become. The sooner she got rid of him, the better.
 

Her body was soaked with sweat and she tried to banish the memory of Ursula. Cara couldn't remember much of what had happened that night because she let the demon reign supreme to survive. When she returned to consciousness, the demon and Ursula were gone and she'd been covered in blood.
 

What is it?

Hearing that deep voice in her head calmed her jitters more than any other sound in the world. She turned her head and saw the dragon in front of the cave. She was so relieved that she waved stupidly at him. Looking at him banished her fear. Ursula's fangs looked plastic in comparison to Aodhan's man-sized teeth.
 

"Just a dream," Cara said.

She dropped back and drew the sheets over her head so he wouldn't see her face. She knew Ursula was still out there. The next time she saw that bitch, she would die, Cara told herself and drifted off again.
 

Cara sat beside the Nile and watched the sun set. Ships traveled lazily on the water and she closed her eyes, enjoying the peace and quiet. She'd had a busy month and it was finally coming to a close. She had one more day in Egypt before she went back to the States. She missed her mom and sister. Maybe she would be able to stay for a week in Montana. Mom would ask her to stay longer, but how could she tend her mom's garden when she knew Luc was creating an army of the most influential people in the world?