Dark Awakening (8 page)

"Kimi," he groaned.

When Nic regained his senses, he realized he'd let his mate take his full weight. Regretfully he eased out of her body, shifted to her side, and tugged her against him. "Are you all right, tes?" he asked, concerned that he'd done her injury.

Her smile was slow and satisfied. "Better than fine. Next time, though, I get to touch you more. Deal?"

"Deal." And as relief poured through him, Nic grinned. Not only had he maintained enough self-control to leave her unharmed, she wanted to couple with him again. He kissed her slowly and with the reverence she deserved.

Nic delayed the inevitable as long as he could. "I have to get rid of the condom," he said unhappily.

"Hurry back."

He did.

Nic knew he was lucky to have met Kimi, and he told her that once he climbed into bed again. Cuddling her close, he ran his hands lightly over her body and asked her questions. What was her favorite birthday? Had she had a pet as a child? Who was her best friend? Nothing earthshaking, but each small bit she told him about her life was a precious nugget, a glimpse into the heart of his vishtau mate.

The beep of her comm made Nic groan. "Ignore it," he said.

"I can't. What if it's important?" Kimi scrambled out of bed, and still naked, grabbed the phone from her purse. "Hello?"

Dropping his head back to the pillow, Nic tried to remember that he couldn't keep Kimi to himself forever. He wished, though, that they'd had this one night.

"You son of a bitch, I want to talk to her!" There was a brief pause. "Mom! Mom are you okay?"

Nic sat up fast. Their idyllic encounter had just come to an end.

Kimi gripped the steering wheel tightly as she drove to the rendezvous point Augustin had named. Nic sat beside her, finally out of advice about her magic. He hadn't heard much about humans who had talent, so he'd gone through that information quickly. Next, he'd told her what he'd recalled about the kijo from Orcus legend, and then he explained the basics of how demons used their powers.

With every mile, though, he seemed to become more and more tense. She could feel it radiating off him, and it made her own anxiety increase. She'd never seen him like this, not even when he'd fought that demon in her apartment.

"Nic, are you okay?" she asked when she stopped at a light.

"Yes." He put his hand on her thigh and gave her a squeeze. "I only wish I could have left you at the hotel."

She nearly snarled, but swallowed her words. How could he consider fighting alone? But there was no point in arguing about something that hadn't happened. Back in the room, Nic had claimed it might be a setup to leave her unguarded. Either way—as if she wanted to remain behind!

The light turned green and Kimi stepped on the accelerator. "Do you really think he's bluffing about having my mom?" she asked.

"Yes, I do," Nic said, and even though this was the fourth or fifth time she'd asked, he sounded as patient now as he had before.

"But if he doesn't have her," she countered, as she had earlier, "how did he get my comm code? And I talked to my mom—that was definitely her voice."

"There are demons with the ability to mimic," Nic said, already knowing what her next argument would be. "The comm code? Maybe he picked that up from the coworker who betrayed you."

Kimi wanted to believe Nic. There was nothing she wished for more than this to be a simple ruse, one to ensure she showed up to face the Dark One. As far as she was concerned, even if there was only a one percent chance that Augustin was holding her mother hostage, she had to meet him. She couldn't lose her mother, not now and not like this. Memories swamped her. Kimi had been in grade school when her mom was diagnosed with cancer. That had been the worst year of her life, the most frightening, and she'd vowed never to take her mom's presence for granted. Yet she'd done just that. It had happened gradually, when she wasn't thinking. How easy that was.

As if sensing her unease, Nic gave her thigh another squeeze. "Do you want me to try reaching her again?"

Kimi nodded, and fished the comm out of her purse. That's what had her most scared—she'd called and called her parents and no one had answered. It was nearly three o'clock in the morning. Where the hell could they be if they weren't at home?

"Voice mail again," Nic reported and returned her comm to her bag. Kimi felt her gut twist tighter.

It wasn't only her mother she worried about; her father wasn't picking up the comm either. Augustin hadn't mentioned anyone except her mom, though. Was her dad hurt?

Then there was Nic. Kimi glanced over at him and the ache in her chest increased so much, it felt as if someone had reached inside her and was trying to crush her heart. His jaw was set, his expression resolute, and she saw an intangible emotion there that added to her fear. She wished this whole thing were already over, her family safe, Nic unharmed, and Augustin out of the way. Why did she have to be a kijo?

When they reached an area of Crimson City that looked as if it had been firebombed—the lower, a place she never went—she decided they had to be getting close. A few minutes later, Nic said, "Park here. We'll walk the remaining distance." She prayed they'd be safe from things other than just Augustin.

He stopped her as he stood on the sidewalk next to her car. "You need to stay hidden from Augustin for as long as possible. Once he knows you're there, he'll be focused on reaching you. What I want you to do is to stand behind me, always keeping my body between you and the Dark One. And if it looks as if he's going to win, leave."

"No!"

"Yes. If your mother is there, take her and go. I'll do what I have to in order for you to rescue her and get away."

She didn't say anything, just stared at him. He could issue all the orders he wanted, but she didn't have to listen. Of course, if her mom really was there, Kimi would take her to safety, but then she was heading right back to help Nic. There was no way in hell she'd just leave him to die.

"Ah, tes, that stubborn look says much." He framed her face between his hands and leaned down to brush his lips over hers. "Don't you understand? I want you safe. Nothing matters more."

"How much longer do you want to stand here and argue?" Kimi asked. She wasn't giving in, and she wasn't going to lie to him.

With a groan, he stepped back. "Didn't you summon me to fight for you?"

Kimi had, but things had changed. Nic wasn't just some demon she was attracted to; he'd become important to her—every bit as critical in her mind as the safety of her family. How was that possible? It just was. "We're a team, Nic."

"I assume that means you're not going to see reason no matter what I say." Kimi smiled weakly and he sighed. "We might as well go, then." He pointed to his right. "This way."

As they started off, Nic ran his hand down the length of her braid. The caress seemed almost adoring, but his face revealed nothing of his thoughts.

Running her palms over her thighs, Kimi tried to wipe away some of the clamminess. She was dressed in her yoga clothes because they were the only things packed in her bag that were appropriate for this showdown. The Lycra pants, cropped red T-shirt, and tennis shoes gave her freedom of movement, and that was more important than style right now.

One thing kept echoing in her thoughts: Nic nearly died the last time he fought Augustin. From what he'd said, she assumed he'd been much younger, but did that make a difference in demonic power?

Something odd drew her attention away from the dread building inside her, a sense of surrounding magic. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"Trying to cloak us both from Augustin. No point announcing our imminent arrival if we can avoid it." He turned down a narrow alley, and the odor of rotting garbage made her gag. She covered her nose and mouth with her hand. Fortunately, the smell didn't last and they reached the next block quickly.

Nic's hand brushed hers and Kimi reached for him, linking their fingers. She didn't know what, exactly, Nic meant by cloaking, but she didn't ask. Instead, she took a few deep breaths now that the air was more pleasant, and tried to center herself. Her stomach, however, was doing barrel rolls.

He drew her to a halt in the middle of a block. Augustin stood on the cross street, kitty corner from where they were, and he leaned indolently against the front of a blackened brick structure. Even at this distance, he appeared bored.

Bending down, Nic put his mouth against her ear and whispered, "This is the best we could hope. I sense no presence except Augustin's."

Kimi nodded. It was dark and the streetlights cast a dim glow, but she knew demons could read energy. On the other hand, what if Augustin had cloaked an ally or her mom's presence the way Nic had concealed theirs? She couldn't assume anything.

"Stay here," Nic ordered, tucking her into a recessed doorway, and without giving her time to respond, he left. She could barely see him as he covertly made his way to the corner.

It was an attack of mind-numbing speed: Nic drew his hand back and hurled something. As it raced toward Augustin, the fireball grew in size and became more intense. Kimi held her breath, hoping that this one shot would take care of their enemy, but at the last instant, the Dark One jumped clear. The missile struck the building behind him, blasting a hole that had to be fifteen feet across. Kimi's eyes bugged out. As pieces of brick and mortar rained down around him, Augustin roared with fury. His return blast struck were Nic had been standing, and the entire side of an apartment collapsed. Fortunately, Nic had already moved.

Shifting from foot to foot, Kimi remained in the shadows of the derelict building and tried to figure out what she should do. While she didn't want Nic to fight alone, neither did she want to get in his way or distract him.

She was in over her head, she knew it and she was scared—not only for herself, but for everyone. If she had a clue how she'd created that one lightning bolt, maybe she could assist him, but as it stood, she couldn't count on producing it again. Why had she been so proud of this power? It was useless without training. And why had the majo insisted she have the background and ethics before learning to do actual magic? She needed more than philosophy, damn it!

Nic let loose with two more fireballs in quick succession. The first crashed into the same structure, making the hole bigger, but the second caught Augustin.

It had no noticeable effect.

Running toward the Dark One, Nic dodged a string of blasts. Rubble fell onto the sidewalk, but both demons seemed oblivious.

It developed into a scene like some kind of Old West shoot-out with two gunslingers standing in the middle of the street, firing at each other. Kimi could only guess they had some kind of invisible shield that protected them, because neither Nic nor Augustin seemed injured despite the number of blasts that connected.

Twisting her fingers, Kimi tried to come up with some idea how to help him. She couldn't just stand here. She couldn't! But what the hell could she do that wasn't stupid? Both Nic and Augustin had impossible abilities.

One of the dark demon's blasts winged Nic, but it was different: it spun him halfway around. Kimi put her hand over her mouth to block her gasp. Nic! She could sense rather than see that he was hurt and she crept closer, wanting to tend to him.

"You are weak," Augustin said with a sneer. "But then, so was your sire. I'll kill you as I killed him."

It was a ploy to rile Nic, but despite the fact that demons were emotional by nature, Nic didn't visibly react. Instead, he summoned magic again and leapt out of the way of the Dark One's continued assault.

From the effort Nic was putting in now to avoid Augustin's blasts, Kimi guessed that he no longer had any magical shield. She twisted her fingers harder, wanting so badly to help him, but knowing that delivering a solid thigh kick wasn't going to do much to slow down Augustin. And what else could she do? This method of fighting left her daunted. Paralyzed. She was useless, no help at all. The realization made her sick.

Nic took another blast, this one dead-on, and he staggered. Kimi choked back a cry.
Not Nic,
she pleaded.
Please don't let anything happen to Nic.
The thought consumed her.

He let loose with a volley of fireballs, and Kimi took a deep breath. Maybe that meant he was okay. Some of the salvos were deflected by the Dark One, and more brick fell into the street. Others hit Augustin, but they seemed to do little harm.

The Dark One sent a wave of fire at Nic. It was like nothing Kimi had ever seen before, and her lover had no way to avoid it. As it crashed over him, magic shimmered around her. It was the cloak he'd put over her, faltering. For an instant, it sparked back to life, and then she felt it disappear for good.

Augustin turned his head and stared directly at where she stood. A shudder went through her. He smiled. "Kijo," he said, his voice barely audible. "You picked a poor champion."

She tore her gaze away and looked at Nic. He was on his feet, but swaying precariously. He appeared dazed.

Something Nic had said came back to her then—a male demon would die to protect his vishtau mate. And
she
was Nic's mate. For the first time, Kimi understood that he hadn't been exaggerating. He really would die for her.

As the dark demon started to close the distance to where Nic was, Kimi knew she couldn't stand there like a mannequin. She had to do something, anything. Heart in her throat, she raised her hand and tried to picture the lightning shooting out of her palm. Nothing happened.

Come on, Nic! Come on!

Nic managed to summon another blast of energy, but it was noticeably weaker—even to her—and it went astray. Far astray. With a smile that made him look deranged, the Dark One blasted Nic. Nic fell to his knees as the other demon strolled closer.

"Kimi, flee," Nic called, and her heart leapt into her throat. He believed he was going to die.

She shook her head. Nic couldn't see her. Maybe she couldn't shoot fire and maybe she didn't know how she'd let that lightning loose, but she wasn't abandoning him. She had the power to do magic, and she'd had some rudimentary explanations from Nic. She tried to draw energy from the planet the way he'd told her he did, and she raised her hand again. Still nothing. Damn it!