Demon Retribution (32 page)

Through the years, Kyra had been careful to
guard her heart. Keeping it safe and protected, knowing she could
never let herself become attached by love. Yet it had crept up on
her like a shadow in the night. Somehow, she had given away her
heart.

And the first thing Cale did was crush it
under his boot.

She stifled a flinch.

Well, then, she would just have to take it
back from him and patch it up. She was used to heartbreak—the loss
of her home, her family, countless friends and lovers. It had all
worked to harden her. To prepare her for this, the devastation that
outdid four hundred years of sorrow.

Shoulders squared, she walked back into the
room a new woman. “Okay, let’s go.”

Zoey leaned over the book, her face
contemplative. “What is this?”

“You know what that is, Zo. I’ve shown it to
you.”

“Yeah, but what you showed me was gibberish.
This is written in English.” They shared a look as realization hit
and, in unison, slanted a glance at Portia.

The witch looked confused for a moment. “Did
my spell do that?”

They nodded.

“Huh. It must have been more complex than I
realized.”

Kyra managed to choke, “You put a spell on
her, and you don’t even know what it does?”

“Hey, I’m still in training. And at least it
worked how it was supposed to. For the most part.”

Kyra paused. Did that mean there was a
chance it wouldn’t have worked properly?

She didn’t have a chance to inquire. Just as
Portia popped out of the room, the witch grumbled,
“Ungrateful…”

Cale paced his room, mulling over
Sebastian’s suggestion. Going along with his instinct was a
tempting prospect. It’s not as if he could actually claim Kyra, and
it would give him an advantage when they faced the Kayadon.
However, it wouldn’t be fair to Kyra.

He reminded himself that it wasn’t fair for
her to beguile him, even if she hadn’t intended it. He paced some
more. What if she had intended it? What if they were all being
manipulated, knowingly? Sebastian would kill him if he said that
aloud, but he couldn’t help his suspicions.

Had Kyra purposely sought to bewitch him,
without realizing her efforts were being wasted on a mated
demon?

It would be the perfect strategy, maybe even
engineered by the foresight of the king himself. Was there
information in the book with instructions on enslaving his
kind?

What better race to bring to heel than the
demons with their vendetta against the Kayadon, and what better way
to do it.

An army of mated males.

He shook his head. Kyra wasn’t so heartless,
was she? Certainly Anya wasn’t. Besides, Anya had Sebastian wrapped
around her finger long before the book came into play. She had also
tried to sacrifice herself to save him…all of them, actually. He
had no doubt their love was real.

Pushing away a renewed sense of envy, he
recalled how quickly he had delved into a murderous rage when Anya
pretended to have betrayed them in an attempt to keep everyone else
from harm. How easily he’d believed it. Was that what he was doing
now? Jumping to conclusions? Seeing things that were untrue?

He froze. What if…could his feelings for
Kyra be real? But how could that be possible?

“It’s not,” he said aloud, growing more
confused by the second. “Dammit.” He needed to see Kyra, to hear
her confirm or deny the accusation. Once he knew for sure, he’d
finally be able to focus on the impending battle instead of this
nonsense.

He bound down the hall, determined to get
his answers, but when he pounded on her door, no one answered. He
tried the salon next, not finding her there either. The Sanctuary
wasn’t empty, but no Kyra. Or Nadua or Anya for that matter.

Reluctantly, he entered the pub. Sonya
jutted her chin, glaring as he approached. He ignored her ire.
“Have you seen Kyra?”

Her tail flicked angrily. “Yes.”

“Well, do you know where she is?”

“Yes.”

Taking in a calming breath, he returned her
indignation with a sour expression. “Will you tell me?” he said
through clenched teeth.

“Nope.”

He bared his and restrained a hiss. Then he
noticed Ethan wasn’t tending the bar. “Where’s Ethan?”

“Just like everything else, none of your
business.”

Aggression surged. “Is he with her?”

Sonya shrugged. “Does it matter?”

“No.”

Of course it matters!

Kyra would probably want to speak with him
about their arranged marriage, something Cale had forgotten until
Sonya’s declaration earlier, and had refused to think of till now.
His mind flooded with unwanted images of Kyra smiling up at Ethan
as they embraced for a kiss.

Red covered his vision, but through the
haze, he realized she could be happy with Ethan.

Happier than I could make
her
.

He tensed. Why was he even allowing himself
to react this way? She was not his. Never would be. A wiser demon
would step back and let her fall into the arms of another.

Fuck
wise
.

“Dammit, Sonya, tell me where they are!”

At his booming voice, something changed in
Sonya. Her tough demeanor eased into concern. “It’s true. You
really are acting like she’s yours.”

He realized then that his fangs had
descended as he teetered on the Edge. Running his hands through his
hair, he struggled for control. “It feels like it. Yes.”

“Is it just as you remember? Like with
Velicia?”

“Nearly,” he admitted, omitting that this
was more intense than he recalled. Because of the magic, he
rationalized. “What about you? Isn’t it driving you crazy that they
are together?”

“Maybe if they were alone, but they’re
not.”

Cale relaxed slightly, and his fangs
receded.

Sonya continued, “Then again, I’ve decided
never to take a mate. It’s too much trouble.”

“You wouldn’t be saying that if it were
real,” he reasoned.

“Then maybe your theory is correct,” she
allowed, but her expression turned strange as though she were
forcing the words to sink in. “That Zoey girl found something
interesting in the book, so they’re all speaking with Aidan and
Sebastian about it in the control room.”

“Why? What did she find?”

“Ethan said something about transmission
codes before they left.” Almost unconsciously, Sonya began mixing
him a drink. Her disposition had changed completely, and Cale knew
he was already forgiven for his behavior in the training room. His
baby sister could never stay mad at him for long. She set the drink
down and then twisted her fingers together, nervously.

“What is it?”

“I wanted to ask you something.”

He raised a brow at her reluctance. Sonya
was never shy about anything. She’d once told a rather ignorant
Hakin prince, who had offered to purchase her from Sebastian, that
she could lay eggs in his groin that, when hatched, would burst out
of him in a very painful manner.

“And if you survive that,” she’d added, “I
can show you some very unique places to store your scepter.”

Throughout the rest of that evening, she’d
feigned infatuation until the prince had been compelled to retreat
with his guards.

Now Sonya looked downright timid.

“What is it like?” she asked. “To claim
someone?”

The question, innocent enough, nearly
knocked the wind out of him. He hadn’t thought of that night in so
long. It was always painful to do so. He struggled to remember,
while keeping his face blank.

Velicia had come over for dinner. It had
been only a week that he’d suspected she was his, though she’d
moved to their village a month prior. Bastian and Sonya had gone to
trade in the next town, and only Cale and their mother were at home
to greet her.

His mother had set out drinks for the two of
them and then prepared a meal in the other room. Velicia had been
coy and shy, sipping her cup and giving him bashful looks. He found
it hard to believe now that he had found that look irresistible,
when all he found sexy these days was a pair of fierce strange
eyes, meeting his gaze head-on.

As the night drew on, Cale had grown more
and more desperate for her. He recalled the lengthy dinner being
torturous.

Finally his mother had retired for the
evening, telling Velicia that it had been nice to meet her and
giving Cale her approval with a silent nod.

Left alone, the two had talked a little
longer, learning each other. Then he stole a kiss and hadn’t been
willing to let go. Velicia had felt it too, and swept aside her
hair, presenting her neck. As his teeth pierced her, she moaned,
and he drew greedily. When it was over, he had felt completely
connected to her.

To Sonya, he said, “It is pleasant. Like you
and your mate are joined for an instant.”

His mask slipped, and Sonya’s eyes began to
water for him. “I’m sorry, Cale. You deserved better.” She took his
glass, chugging the last of its contents. “What do you think I
should do?”

“You know I can’t answer that.”

Sonya’s voice lowered to a tone he’d never
heard her use before, barely audible. “I’ve never been scared of
anything like I am of this.”

“I can tell. It’s not a good look for you.”
He grinned as she glowered.

Her fist connected with his shoulder, but
there was no power behind it. “Ass.”

“Just being consistent,” he corrected.

She handed him another full glass and asked,
“What are you going to do about your…situation?”

“I have no idea.” He downed the mixture in
one smooth gulp while something spurred the back of his mind.

Had that been the first time Velicia had met
his mother? Surely they’d been introduced before then.

“That’s the last one, Captain,” Aidan
shouted across the control room.

“Good,” Sebastian replied from his station.
“If anyone responds, I want to be informed immediately.”

“Yes, sir.”

The book had contained a long list of
possible allies, with individual messages to each, as well as
encrypted transmission codes. Ethan had been ecstatic when he’d
learned Zoey was able to translate what he could not.

Sebastian too was impressed. To Zoey, he
said, “That was a good find. We’re lucky to have you aboard.”

Zoey beamed. “Thanks! But it was just kind
of a lucky accident.”

Sebastian chuckled. “I think you’ll find
that coincidence had nothing to do with it. At least that’s my
belief.”

Kyra cocked her head. “What do you
mean?”

Ethan answered, “Your father seems to have
put more thought into this book than I’d anticipated. He gave me
the key to decode it, but I’d been unable to decipher the last few
pages that Zoey here can now read with no problem. Like Sebastian,
I think the king anticipated that, and didn’t want these
transmission codes discovered until just now—right when we have
collected the three Faieara princesses, and are on our way
home.”

“But why?”

“Perhaps if we had informed anyone of our
plans ahead of time, we risked failure in some way. There is the
chance one of the recipients would seek to align themselves with
the Kayadon in hopes of saving themselves their wrath.”

“That’s still a chance though, isn’t it?”
Kyra asked.

“Yes, but before now someone could have
interfered with our search for you. Now they can only warn the
Kayadon of our coming, which has probably already been done due to
the run-in you had on Earth.”

Kyra pressed her lips together, wishing
they’d had a cleaner escape. “So what do we do now?”

Sebastian replied, “Our next step is to stop
at space cities on the way to Evlon, to recruit and get the word
out. Mercenaries can be bought, or promised some kind of
compensation at a later date. That is, if we win.”

Kyra considered that for a moment,
struggling to imagine what a hardened mercenary might demand as
payment.

As if suddenly remembering some detail, Zoey
flipped through the book. “There’s a note about that. It says…” She
fingered through a few pages till she found what she was looking
for. “Ah, it says rare jewels found in the Detirian Mountains can
be promised as payment for aid. It also suggests that land be
bartered, specifically at Princess Kyralyn’s discretion.” Zoey
looked up. “Is that your full name?”

Kyra nodded.

“Pretty.” Zoey smiled at her before
continuing. “Any magical compensation would need to be previously
agreed upon by all parties involved.” She looked up at Kyra. “Jeez,
it’s starting to sound like lawyer talk.”

“Father’s trying to see every angle. Giving
us the most advantages possible.” Kyra recalled her father saying
once that his visions were like following a string in a web, with
millions of possible paths.