Haven (11 page)

Stepping through the portal she hotfooted
it, heading towards the single structure on their realm, a small cabin used as
a meeting place. Between the creepy forest with eyes and the claustrophobic
cabin where she met with her partners, Verity had a crushing need to escape.
The meeting place had been nonnegotiable. Meeting on Minona would keep the
precognitive race from seeing their plans. This godforsaken cabin was their
only blind spot on the planet. Fucking Mina and their all-knowing, all-seeing
eyes.

"Dziva."

Her partners greeted her with suspicion,
her lateness noted and filed away, surely to come back and bite her in the ass.
She cursed Liliana anew.

She blinked, refocusing on the faces
standing around the room regarding her curiously. "Yes?"

"How did the meeting with the Ajo
go?"

She lowered her hood, and pushed the heavy
fall of hair over her shoulder. Would it be too much to ask for a freaking
breeze in this place?

"Dziva." Impatience tinged the
sharp bark of her name.

Her eyes narrowed on the speaker. Dark
eyes met hers, the yellow strip down the middle widening, encompassing the dark
orbs of the creature. The Apophi's slender waif-like body was protected by
scales much like hers, but very much impenetrable. She palmed her dagger
anyway.

 She debated taking him to task, but knew
he’d simply feed on any anger she directed his way. Not worth the effort.
Besides, the Apophi would amplify the anger until the eight of them were all
going at each other's throat, and nothing would get done.

Yeah, best to let it slide.

"They’re on board, though somewhat
reluctantly." Though she dreaded every meeting with the guild, the one
with the Ajo was worse. They were completely psychotic, and no amount wheedling
had worked. In the end, she’d had to promise them something she wasn’t
altogether sure she could grant.

"What? They’re benefiting from this
arrangement as much as we are. If we have the amulet, the Aje will be unable to
reform their tribe, thus expanding their miserable life." The Benu flapped
his large phoenix wings in aggravation.

Someone scoffed.

"What do you expect? They’re insane.
Logical thinking is a luxury for those creatures." This from the Cagyn in
the group.

Verity eyed the female. She'd certainly earned
her place in their merry band. The group consisted of eight beings, each
powerful in their own right. The only goal of this group was to find Ofeeree
and free him. They each had their different reasons for doing so. It was an
unspoken rule that no one asked. She certainly wouldn’t tell another her
reasons.

No names were exchanged to keep them from
telling on each other. At least that was the theory. Verity didn't do business
with people she didn't have dirt on. She looked around at those assembled.
"Despite their insanity, for the time being we need them. Getting the
amulet is the key to getting into Oya's temple. That should be our goal for
now."

"I disagree." An Abiku
challenged. The demon met the eye of every being at the table, catching their
attention. "The Kokoro souls have been released. Finding them should be
our priority."

Heated argument broke out as the others
added their two cents. Verity rubbed her temples, grimacing at the headache
already forming.

She held up her hand for silence.
"Once we have the souls, then what? We hold them until someone tells us
where Ofeeree's hiding place is?"

"Our plan to find his location
failed. I agree with the Dziva, we can’t move without it." The Apophi
licked his lips, his eyes raking her body.

Verity suppressed a shudder. Nasty
creature. Out of the eight members of their group, the Aphophi was the only one
she feared. That was saying much in light of the fact that a soul-eating demon
was in their ranks. Something about the creature made her skin crawl.

"Do we have another plan for getting
the location?" The Benu asked.

"I have one in place," the Cagyn
said. They all listened as she outlined the plan.

It was clever, and could definitely work.
Verity grudgingly gave the woman respect. But there was a slight problem with
their plan, in that she’d almost killed the woman they planned to use to get
Ofeeree’s location. She eyed the Eshu in the corner and shook her head slightly
at him. She failed in the job he’d hired her for, but perhaps it was for the
best. With Leo stepping up security on his soon to be mate, getting to her
would’ve been impossible.

"The plan will take some time. But
between that and the Ajo, we’re well on the way to freeing Ofeeree." The
Cagyn smiled, her dark marbled skin glowing in anticipation.

"Gaining entry into Oya's temple,
will allow us to free enough powerful souls for an army that can't be
beat." The Apophi rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

LEO PACED HER PARENT’S living room,
angrily barking orders into his communicator. Despite his obvious anger he
wasn’t shouting. Somehow, she found that scarier. She sat perched on the edge
of her mother’s chintz armchair, tightly clutching the owl shaped candy jar
she’d picked up at the candy store. Her fingers were cold and clammy where they
met in the middle of the jar. Her ears had stopped ringing, but she was
freezing, lightheaded, all signs she recognized as shock. All of the near
misses she’d had over the years on the run had made her an expert on the
symptoms.

She breathed deeply, closed her eyes and
went through the techniques she’d learned to calm her body down. When she
opened them a few minutes later her heartbeat was a little slower, and there
was feeling in her fingers again. Leo's hair was longer, darker, his body
thicker as he paced. Growls rattled his chest as he continued barking orders.
She watched him, her heart rate speeding once more when he turned those
beautiful eyes to her. The silver had completely enveloped his pupils. He
murmured something she was unable to hear and closed the communicator. He
stalked to her, his large body dominating her parent’s common area, his chest
heaving.

She set the jar next to her on the chaise
and lifted her chin. She could and would be strong in the face of his anger.
The non-submissive gesture could set him off, but damn it she almost died. She
wouldn’t cower from her mate.

She swallowed hard.

Even if he was close to changing into his
Cagyn form. He growled and stalked to her, lifting her by her arms. He took her
mouth in an aggressive kiss, blotting out panic, near misses, hell all thoughts
had disappeared. She wrapped her legs around his waist and held on for dear
life.

He turned and walked down the hallway, his
lips never leaving hers. He pushed her back into a wall, the picture frames
rattling. She came up for air, her lower back throbbing, reminding her of the
injuries from the blast. 

“Leo, we can't, not here.”

He trailed his teeth along her neck and
the thought of him biting her, bonding the two of them bounced through her
mind. She stopped herself from once again pleading for him to bind them. He
sighed, kissing her one final time on the base of her throat. His touch gentled
and he pulled back, running his hands over her body, checking for injuries. The
claws on his hand gave away how close he was to losing control of his beast.
She let out a hiss of pain as he raked his hands across her back. Now that the
fog of passion and panic had lifted, the pain of her body was becoming
apparent.

He hissed, the rage coming back
momentarily. “You are not to go anywhere alone until I can figure out who did
this.”

She started to protest. Words from a few
of the human women she’d met ran across her mind.
Start as you mean to go
on.
They couldn’t start their relationship with him dictating her every
move. But at the same time, she did almost get killed, could she really argue?
She opened her mouth but closed it when she saw the look in his face. Anger,
more like rage was apparent but she saw the worry there, the tenderness bleeding
his eyes back to their normal color. She somehow felt the way she handled this
could set the tone for their mating. Pain shot up her back and she closed her
eyes. She’d distract him from his orders for now.

Her moan of pain snapped him back from the
edge. Leo shook his head to shake away the anger as worry for her once again
jumped to the forefront. He eased her down from the wall, his claws receding as
he calmed down.

“What hurts, baby?” He gentled his touch
and watched her eyes for reaction.

They widened when he got to her back. He
turned her, and saw the bruises blooming from the middle of her shoulder blades
to her lower back disappearing into her dress. His heart stuttered and his
beast slammed to the forefront. His body burned and stretched, the Eshu form
seamlessly replaced by his Cagyn one. His already dark skin darkened, the
bronze whirls coming to life as power flooded his body. His fangs crowded his
mouth, the incisors cutting into his lip. Lily turned around, her eyes meeting
his. No trace of fear lurked in her eyes and that satisfied him on a level he
never thought possible. No one faced him in this form. The Demi he was sent for
knew his Cagyn form meant death. Despite the fact that his hand spanned nearly
her entire waist, the black tipped claws finishing the distance, Lily stood
before him unfazed. Fear for her took hold of his heart.

She raised onto her toes and grabbed his
face. “Calm down, Leo, I'm fine. Just a little pain.”

He growled low in his throat. “I will find
and kill whoever is responsible for this.”

Her eyes widened. A gasp from the hallway
had them both turning. Leo pushed his mate behind him, facing the interloper.
It was the maid, she clutched a canvass bag to her chest as she observed them.
He eased down minutely.

“What has happened?” She dropped the bag
and rushed towards them.

Leo growled again, the menacing sound
stopping the maid in her tracks. Liliana's hands moved on his back, the upward
motion soothing.

“I'm fine, Leo.” Her voice went through
him like a cool breeze.

He exhaled with a hard shudder. The whorls
on his arm brightened, the light pulsing with his increasing heartbeat. If he
thought handling the mating in his Eshu and human skin were hard, his Cagyn
form was worst. The beast was simple, his mate was near, and in danger. No one
and nothing would be allowed near her. The urge to mark her, and bond them sent
blood straight to the perpetual erection he had around her. First he needed to
get rid of the Cagyn woman standing in the hallway rightfully looking at him like
a dangerous animal. The maid’s fear appeased him, if only a little. Liliana
made a small sound of distress and he whipped around to her. Her eyebrows were
lowered, her body shaking, her pain obvious. He lifted her, pushed pass the
maid and took her to her room. He laid her gently on the bed and whipped out
his communicator. As soon as the dispatcher at Haven answered he ordered him to
find the nearest healer and send them to Liliana’s father's house.

“We have a family healer, Leo.” She
adjusted in her bed to sit against the headboard.

He shook his head, waiting for the
dispatcher to confirm his order. Once he received confirmation he hung up.

“Leo, you’re over reacting, I’m fine.”

He towered over her in his form, making
her look smaller and more helpless than ever. “You will rest until the healer
looks over you.”

“Are you going to watch over me in beast
mode for the rest of the day?” Her small smile melted him.

Wiping a hand across his face, he bade his
beast to calm. Deep breaths brought his magic back under control and he
transformed into his Eshu form. “Better?”

Leaning forward, she grabbed his cheeks
and pulled him in for a kiss. “You’re sexy regardless of your form.”

He deepened the kiss, magic dancing
between them, lighting her hair and the whorls covering his arms. Someone
cleared their throat from the doorway. Leo sensed the soldier the moment he
entered the house, but nevertheless he turned and shielded Liliana with his
body.

“Who is that?” Liliana pushed his shoulder
down to see the Amanda soldier standing at the door of her room.

“I want someone watching you while I go
investigate this.”

She frowned. “You’re leaving me behind to
do it?”

He angled his head to side. “You have
investigatory skills I don’t know about?”

“Leo.” She slapped his arm. “You don’t
know my skill set.”

He couldn’t stop the smile from forming.
“You’re right.”

She reared back in surprise.

“What? You want me to be an ass about it?”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “I
didn’t expect you to be okay with me going.”

“I’m not okay with you going, and for now,
I will have my way on this.” He held up a hand to stem her argument. “Perhaps
later you will get your way. But, today, with you injured, I insist you stay in
bed.”

Expressions flitted lightning quick across
her face as she thought through his words. At some point defeat settled and her
body loosened the tension she was carrying. He knew the time she’d spent on
Adro would keep her from being the perfect submissive mate. If he were being
honest with himself, he didn’t want one. He liked the fire of Liliana. Though
he was happy to have won this mini fight, he didn’t like the slump of her
shoulders. He nodded the guard out of the room and stared at her.

“What? You won, I’ll stay.”

He leaned over and kissed her lips softly.
“There is no win or lose in this,
mi ina
. Today scared the shit out of
me. I want you safe, is that a bad thing?”

She sighed. “Now you’re trying to make me
sound petty.”

“Am not.” He chuckled as she narrowed her
eyes at him. “Can we compromise?”

“I’m listening.”

“You stay in bed until I get back, and I
will tell you what I find out.”

“I want to know everything, Leo. I deserve
to know who’s trying to hurt me. No leaving out what you think I can’t handle.”

“Promise.”

She sighed in relief. Anxiety was still
there in her eyes, but the spark he’d come to love about her was there as well.
The compromise cost him nothing, but made a world of difference to Liliana. He
wanted her safe, but he didn’t want her to feel stifled by him. He kissed her a
final time and left the bed.

“Be careful, Leo.” She called to him as he
left the room.

He smiled and gave her a small salute.
Leaving instructions for her guard, he hurried to the waiting air lift.

 ***

The scene was just as bad the second time
seeing it as when he’d experienced it. A hard lump gathered in his throat as he
took in the scorched ground. A crater the size of…Liliana, was at the
epicenter. Candy and various treats scattered the ground, some burning still an
hour after the explosion. Every soldier he passed straightened, their face
serious. He located the duty commander by the gold bars on the sleeve of his
uniform. Walking up to him, Leo waited as the officer finished examining the
site.

“What do you know so far?”

“A spell for sure.” The soldier stood,
brushing his hands on his pants to clean them off.

No bomb could kill the demi and he was
pretty sure whoever threw it knew that. He refrained from snapping at the
commander’s slow movements. “Kill or stun?”

The male grimaced. “This is some dark
magic, sir. We’re waiting on a Kira to be sure. The shopkeeper isn’t dead, but
that means nothing. From what we can tell, there is no debris to indicate a
device was left here, so someone casted it live, when your mate arrived. The
brunt of it was centered here.” He motioned his hand in the area blackened from
the explosion.

Leo nodded, swallowing hard. Liliana had
been inches from the spot the commander indicated, right as it hit. It was the
reason she was alive. His phone beeped and he answered it with a growl.

“What has happened?” Xavier gruff voice
held a wealth of worry.

“I don’t know for sure, X. Someone threw a
bomb, a spell, something at Liliana. It exploded, badly injuring the shopkeeper
and…” He broke off and took a shuddering breath.

“Liliana?”

“She’s fine. Stunned, she was bent over
when the blast hit, so whatever it was missed her.” And he thanked all the gods
he knew for it.

“I’ll get with the commander there for
detail, you take care of your mate.”

Leo nodded, though he knew Xavier couldn’t
see the motion.

“I’m calling the king and moving up the
di
êjê
. I don’t want you on that realm any longer than you have to be.” Xavier
was angry if his tone of voice was to be believed. “Gods know I didn’t want you
there in the first place. I don’t like anywhere near that bitch.”

Leo knew the bitch to whom his brother
referred. They both were silent a moment.

“Do you think she could’ve done this?”
Xavier asked.

Leo cursed and looked around. “The queen
hasn’t tried to kill me in years. What could she possibly gain from it?” He saw
the funny looks from the other soldiers at his words. He walked further from
the group for privacy.

Xavier grunted in answer.

“It was aimed at Liliana, X. The royal
family won’t get a dime if she’s killed.”

“Especially not before the
di êjê
.”
Xavier sighed. “I’m sending Fallon there to help you. I want whoever did this
sooner rather than later.”

Leo agreed. “Thank you.”

He spied the Kira circling the crime
scene. The seven feet tall male was nut brown like the trees that inhabited
Edin, their realm. Braids resembling tree branches, with leaves at the end of
them, trailed his back. The Kira was shirtless, as most of the males of their
race were. Rings, like those on a tree covered his chest and shoulder showing
his age. He got to the blast site and stooped over the burnt ground. He ran his
hand through the sand there, letting it fall through his fingers. He reached
into his pouch at his side and extracted a gold chain, a stone on the end. He
set the stone in motion, quietly watching as it swung in circles. He frowned
heavily then stood. Leo opened his mouth to ask…