Demon Hunting with a Dixie Deb (32 page)

Provider?
Grim sent the thought outward.

There was no answer.

“
Dell
,” Grim hissed aloud.

He glanced back again. Sassy had wandered over to the little pool. She gazed up at the waterfall. If she'd heard him, she gave no sign.

You called?
Dell responded at last.

Dell
. Grim was in no mood for a lecture
. There is something I would discuss with you.

They comport themselves with reckless abandon
, Dell rattled on, ignoring Grim.
I find them a conundrum of conflicting desires and emotions, seemingly undiluted by logic. It amazes me that they—

Sassy and I are about to . . . That is, we are . . .
Grim faltered. Heat crawled up his neck.
We are about to consummate our physical attraction for one another.

There was a startled pause.

The heated flush spread to Grim's face.
It is different with Sassy.

Of course not. She is perfect.
Grim hesitated.
I want our first time together to be . . . special.

Hot images flashed through Grim's mind. Images of him and Sassy engaged in coitus, their sweat-glistened bodies moving together in a sexual dance.

Inside, out of doors; it mattered not. Grim burned for Sassy. He forced his mind from his lustful thoughts.

That, and he wanted her to himself without interruption, selfish beast that he was.

At the risk of sounding obtuse, why not consult Sassy on the matter?
Dell asked.
It seems to me the vast majority of misunderstandings between corporeal beings arise from a lack of rational communication.

I wanted to—
Grim kicked at the leaves, feeling awkward and stupid. Gods, he was anxious and shy as a virgin. In truth, he was a virgin, for nothing before Sassy mattered.
I wanted to surprise her.

Aye.
That and so much more. Grim longed to demonstrate, in some small measure, the shattering depths of his feelings for her.

Bah. This was a waste of time. The Provider was not flesh and blood. He could not understand.

Never mind.
Grim turned to go.
My pardon for disrupting your ruminations.

Hold
, Dell said.
I have an idea. Here is what I think you should do . . .

G
rim set to work putting up the shield, and the air shimmered with magic. Always the warrior, Sassy thought. Always protective and in control.

She, on the other hand, was a nervous wreck. Mother-of-pearl, what a time to develop the jitters. This beautiful, stubborn, impossibly wonderful man wanted her—and God knows she wanted him—so why was she acting like a wallflower at a middle school dance?

Terrified no one would ask her to dance. Petrified someone would.

She hadn't been nervous the first time she and Wes had sex. Why now?

True story.

Was she on a roll, or what?

She preferred to think of it as spontaneous.

Well. Give her a big ole prize for self-awareness.

Grim glanced over his shoulder at her, and Sassy's pulse rate kicked into high gear. Heat spread from her breasts to the place between her legs. Her skin felt tight and tingly. He was so big and unrelentingly
male.
What would sex be like with him? Did he like it hard and fast or exquisitely slow?

Either one would be Jim Dandy fine with her. No, both, one after the other. Again and again.

Meredith was right. She
was
a sluthole when it came to Grim. Her fairymones were out of control.

Sassy removed her sandals and retreated to the edge of the quiet pool to cool off. She took a seat on a mossy rock. The water was deep and clear. At one end, a rocky bluff rose some ten feet. At the summit of the crag, two trees clung together across a split boulder, trunks and limbs entwined in a lover's embrace. The little stream flowed between them and danced down the face of the cliff. Fish darted along the bottom of the pool.

Vroom, vroom, vroom
, a large green bullfrog called from the opposite bank.

The bullfrog plopped into the water; its strong back legs propelled it to the bottom of the pool. The frog resurfaced not far from Sassy. Crawling out of the water, the big croaker hopped up with something flat and rectangular in its wide mouth.

Buhdurp.
The bullfrog deposited its find at Sassy's feet, slid back in the water, and swam away.

Sassy picked up the frog's gift and examined it. It was her driver's license, the one she'd lost in the creek. The girl in the laminated photograph smiled back at her, a stranger with flawless hair and makeup and a magazine smile. The life mapped out for that girl would be smooth and seamless. No big surprises, no terror or major troubles. No lost love or heartbreak.

No magic or giddying joy, either.

Sassy pressed the driver's license to her cheek in farewell. That girl and her life were gone. Sassy wouldn't go back if she could. She was done playing it safe. She was in love, gloriously in love with Grim Dalvahni. She would open her heart to her demon hunter. She would love him so hard, so completely, so openly and without fear that the universe would shudder at her recklessness.

She tossed the card in the water. It floated on the surface for a moment and sank from view.

Eager to find Grim, Sassy leaped to her feet and whirled around. She gasped in wonder. The glade had been transformed. Slender pillars sprouted at the four edges of the dell, soaring stone fronds of rose and silver marble crowned by a glass dome. Pink and cream roses hung in fat droplets from the willowy columns, their intoxicating scent thick in the air. The afternoon light sparkled on the crystal roof and danced in prisms across the alabaster floor.

The room was open on four sides to nature. Flowing drapes of gold, silver, and pale green hugged the fluted columns and pooled onto the floor, waiting to be drawn against the night. A staircase with quartz steps and a silver rail curved to a cozy alcove with a bookcase and a sprawling white chaise lounge. Perched atop the gleaming bannister, a snowy bird with a sleek head, jeweled eyes, and extravagant tail feathers trilled softly.

A white piano with a conch shell lid sat on the right side of the downstairs space. To the far left was a large sunken marble tub and a basket overflowing with plush towels. Dominating the space between the piano and the bath was an immense bed of bleached wood with tree trunk posts and a headboard of windblown branches. The bed linens were purest white, the mattress high and luxurious. Rose petals were strewn across the coverlet and fluffy pillows in invitation.

A memory tugged at Sassy. She had seen this room or something like it in a dream.

No, not in a dream; in a book, her favorite childhood story. Clever, wonderful Grim to have known.

Sassy flew down the short path. The stone pavers were cool beneath her feet. She crossed the threshold of the folly and felt the brush of magic, and looked down. Her jeans and top were gone, and she wore a sleeveless gossamer gown in muted shades of blues, greens, and apricot. The diaphanous garment, woven from fabric as thin and delicate as dragonfly wings, clung to her breasts, and was fastened at the shoulders by wisps of silk ribbon. Her feet were bare, and so was she beneath the flowing dress. She'd had more ball gowns in her life than she could count, but none of them had made her feel this beautiful, this wild and sensuous.

Where was Grim? He was nowhere in sight.

She wandered farther into the room, the skirts of the gown swishing around her ankles.

“Grim?”

She received an answering growl from the trees beyond the folly.

“Where are you?” Sassy called. “Thank you for this place and the gown. They're lovely.”

“Do not thank me. You deserve beauty and fine things. You deserve better than this warrior.”

“That's sweet, Grim, but I don't need gifts.” Sassy peered into the woods. Something large moved among the trees. “I need
you
.”

“It pleases me to please you. Should you deign to stay with me, I will shower you with gifts, and you will not say me nay.”

“Deign to stay with you?
Hel-lo
. I practically threw myself at you at the motel.”

“That is because you do not know me.” The growl moved closer. “You do not know the things I have done.”

A beast stepped out of the trees. It was Grim. Or more precisely, a cruel, fantastic version of him with cloven hooves and a horned head. His topaz eyes burned in his twisted, scarred face. He was clad in black armor. Sharp metal thorns rose from the plates at his massive shoulders and sprang in barbs from his fitted cuisses, bracers, and greaves. A snug black helm sat low on his bulging brow, topped by a bristling metal spine between his horns.

He was such a fearsome sight that Sassy nearly turned and fled. But this was no monster. This was Grim. She fisted the skirts of her delicate gown and held her ground.

“Stop it,” she said. “I don't like this anymore.”

Grim snarled. “I would have you see me as I am. When Dell showed me your favorite tale a moment ago, I knew the truth at once. You are Beauty and I am the Beast.”

“Dell's behind this?” Sassy put her hands on her hips. “Dell should mind his own beeswax. He may know his Yarthac, but he doesn't know beans about love.”

“Look at me, Sassy. I would have you know the truth.” Something like desperation crept over Grim's disfigured face. “The Beast was cursed by a wicked fairy. Grief and hate have been my curse. I have spent untold years consumed by my need for revenge, living by the sword—for the sword.”

“It's a story, Grim. You are not the Beast.”

“I am not worthy of you.”

“Maybe I'm not worthy of you. Have you thought of that?”

Grim's nostrils flared. “Do not say that. Ever. You are wonderful.”

“So are you.”

Grim looked ready to explode. “No, I am not. I am a sorry bargain, my love. You could do better.”

“I see. So you think I should have stayed with Wesley.”

Grim bared his teeth with a snarl. “No, a thousand times no.”

“Evan, then?”

“I do not trust him.”

“Who, then? Duncan, perhaps?”

“
No.
”

“Why not? He seems like a nice guy and he's Dalvahni.”

Grim roared.

“What?” Sassy widened her eyes. “Is there a supernatural dating website you think I should try? ‘Single fae female seeks male companionship. Werewolves need not apply.'” She gave him an innocent look. “I'm sure werewolves can be perfectly nice, but once a month you've got to lock them up or they eat the neighbors. And then there's the hair. I imagine they shed something awful.”

Grim scowled. “Do not toy with me, Sassy. This is no laughing matter.”

“Oh, I agree. I think I know what this is really about. This is about Gryff.”

Grim's hulking form stiffened. “Who told you?”

“Dell.” She inched closer to him. “He seems to think you blame yourself for Gryff's death.”

“I
am
responsible.” Grim looked away. “Had I returned to camp as I should have, Gryff would be alive.”

“Tell me what happened. Please.”

Grim's marred face twisted and for a moment, Sassy feared he would not speak. When, at last, the words tumbled out, his voice was a rusty grate.

“We . . . were in the mountains of Telthar Dune,” he said. “The djegrali had ravaged a nearby village. We caught and slew a dozen of the demons. The rest fled into the hinterland. We gave pursuit. They led us a weary chase, but we caught them and dispatched them like the others.” Grim raised a gnarled, gloved hand to his brow. He was shaking. “We were weary and decided to make camp by a river. I left Gryff to tend to the fire while I went in search of something to eat. My . . . special gift made me the better hunter, you see.”

He stopped.

“Special gift?” Sassy asked softly.

“I can merge with animals and our senses become one. I mind-melded with an eagle—the eagles of Telthar Dune are big as dragons. Together, the eagle and I brought down a large buck.”

He fell silent again.

“Go on,” Sassy urged. “What happened?”

“I gutted and dressed the deer and hung it in a tree,” Grim said. “Then I went wind-riding again.”

“You rode the eagle?”

Sassy's imagination soared, picturing Grim sailing through the air on the giant eagle.

“Nay, better. I
was
the eagle. We were joined, mind to mind. Flying is . . . like nothing else. I lost track of time. When I returned to camp I found blood and a large number of ogre tracks. Gryff's sword lay in pieces on the ground.”

Sassy held her breath, picturing the gruesome scene and Grim's despair. “And Gryff?”

“The Dalvahni are hard to kill, but we die if beheaded.” His shoulders slumped. “I . . . found Gryff's head at the water's edge. His dragon scale necklace was lying in the muck. His body I never recovered.”

Grim's eyes grew distant. “I burned what was left of him and went in search of the ogres. It took me days to find them in the mountains, but I hunted them down and killed them. Their leader was one of the morkyn, the most powerful caste of demon. I saved the djegrali for last and slew him. Slowly. I have not ridden the wind since.”

“As punishment? It wasn't your fault.”

“Yes, it was.” He threw back his head with an anguished roar. “My selfishness killed Gryff. Together, we were formidable. If I had not tarried, he would be alive.”

“Or you both could have been killed.”

“But Gryff—”

“Would want you to be happy. If things were different and you had died . . .” Sassy faltered at the unthinkable words. “If you had d-died, would you want Gryff to be unhappy for squillions of years?”

“Three thousand,” Grim said. “Gryff died over three thousand years ago.”

Sassy blinked. “O-k-a-y. Three thousand years. Would you want Gryff to be miserable that long?”

“Of course not.”

“According to Mose, now that I've been fairyfied, I'm pretty much immortal. Do you want me to be miserable for an eternity?”

“I would die to keep you from being hurt.”

Sassy smiled. “Well, there you go.”

She reached up and untied the ribbons at her left shoulder, then the ribbons on her right. The gauzy fabric clung to the curves of her breasts. The slightest wiggle and the whole thing would slide off.

Grim's yellow eyes flared, and his mask of ugliness dimmed. “What are you doing?”

“My goodness, Grim, isn't it obvious? I'm trying to seduce you.”

“Sassy, I warn you, do not—”

Sassy shrugged. The gown slithered to the floor and pooled at her feet, leaving her in nothing but the dragon scale necklace Grim had given her.

The beast's form wavered and blew away like smoke, and Grim stood there, chest heaving and dressed in street clothes once more. His hard body was tensed as though ready for battle.

“Sweet blessed Kehv, woman, I am trying to do the right thing, but a warrior can take but so much.” Grim stared at her. The look in his eyes made Sassy shiver. “Cover yourself.”

Sassy kicked the dress aside. “No. Now you listen to me, Grim Dalvahni. You are
not
the Beast and I'm not Beauty. I'm Sassy Peterson. Part demon, part human, part fae, and a real stem winder of a bitch when I don't get dessert. I'm going to have bad hair days—”