Kiss of the Betrayer (A Bringer and the Bane Novel) (17 page)

He turned his head and looked at Jade. Her body swayed with the rhythm of the chant, her eyes closed. Lit from the healing light, her face glowed, making her look like an ethereal being. She was beautiful—and strong.

Something beyond respect and obligation rose in him. The little girl he remembered as a child was barely familiar. In her place was a woman, somebody like him.

She opened her eyes and their gazes locked. Her words slowed, the song dying. The warmth in her hands faded and once again the chapel was dark. She didn’t remove her hands, only continued to look at him.

Silence stretched between them, his body growing cool again. Finally he stirred, expecting pain but feeling none. She pulled her hands away and he sat up. Her eyes were wide with questioning.

“I think you did it.” Luc pulled what was left of his leather vest and linen shirt over his head and turned his back toward her. “How does it look?”

“Flawless.” Her fingers glided across his back where he’d been injured. “I can’t believe it.” With a gentle caress, she stroked the side of his neck. “It was as if my body knew what to do even when I didn’t.”

“It seems we both need to learn how to control our power so it doesn’t control us.”

“Very well said.” She brushed her fingertips up his spine and across his right shoulder. Perhaps it was the way her fingers slowed or maybe it was her warm breath on his back, but the mood between them shifted, turning the examination from that of a healer to one of somebody more inquisitive. “You’re so smooth.”

The statement carried a hint of maidenly curiosity. The awareness her touch provoked surprised him. She ran both palms across his shoulder blades and down the sides of his body. He lowered his chin to his chest and closed his eyes.

It felt nice to be touched. Each stroke brushed him with compassion and caring. Not empty like the past decade of encounters with other women.

Until now, he hadn’t realized how much of his life the death of Jade’s family had stolen from him. He prayed there were some happy endings in sight. Jade would reunite with her mother and meet the family she never knew existed. She would be free of her burden of protecting and hiding Esmeralda. Still, there were clouds on the horizon. They would have to deal with Rell, and that would be a heartbreaking prospect for Jade to accept.

As her palms caressed his biceps, he covered one of her hands with his, stopping its progress. She didn’t move or speak, only waited. Luc turned slightly and looked over his shoulder. Large green eyes met his gaze.

“Thank you for healing me.”

She gave him a little smile but said nothing, as if she knew he wasn’t finished speaking.

“You’re not alone anymore.” He tightened his grip on her hand. “Whatever happens in the future, I won’t abandon or betray you again.”

There were more things he wanted to say, but fear made him hold his tongue. He wasn’t used to putting his emotions on the line, at least not true emotions. Silver words to women he’d never see again flowed easily from his lips because they meant nothing in the light of day.

What little he’d just given Jade was far less than she deserved. After a life of serving a demon, she’d earned a peaceful existence. Unfortunately, he doubted that would come any time soon.

For a few seconds, she focused on his hand covering hers. Then she spoke just two words. “Thank you.”

They were enough to let him know he’d said what she needed to hear and to sever one of the many cords of guilt that had kept him bound to an empty existence. Tonight she’d healed him in more ways than she’d meant to.

Their eyes met and her smile grew. Perhaps tonight he’d mended something inside her as well.

C
HAPTER
T
HIRTEEN

Rell perched on the large, flat boulder, her arms wrapped tightly around her legs. She rocked, keeping her gaze focused on a tiny green leaf rolling back and forth between two intermittent jets of air. Such a bright green gem and so full of life—for the moment. Soon it would wither, as all things did in the Shadow World. She wondered how the leaf had gotten there. Emptiness filled her. Like other things in the demon realm, the leaf didn’t belong here.

One ragged wing lay against her body while the other slowly reformed from the stub protruding from her back. She grimaced against the ache radiating through her. This was the first time she’d ever been exploded by a Bringer, or
fractured,
as the Bane called it. Hopefully, it would be the last time. The sensation of reforming again was unpleasant and she had no desire to experience it again.

The constant hiss of warm air through the vents and the occasional burp of bubbles in the pools filled the strained silence between her and Icarus. He paced at the edge of her periphery, but she didn’t dare look at him. Their ambush had gone horribly awry and she was certain he blamed her for the failure.

He stopped near a vent and spread his wings. Unable to help herself, Rell cut a glance toward him. The torn membrane of his wings had mended and he now looked no worse for his fight with Luc. He hadn’t spoken since they’d returned to the cavern, only paced as he healed. With a slow pivot, he faced her.

Rell ceased her rocking and shifted her eyes to stare at the floor near his feet. The last of her frayed nerves threatened to snap. She jumped when his deep voice echoed over the din of the vents.

“I think that went rather well.”

Her eyes traveled up his body and settled on his face. He didn’t appear angry.

Icarus cocked his head. “Don’t you?”

“I—I’m not sure.” The points of her talons dug into her skin. She concentrated on the pain and pushed her apprehension far enough down to where it wasn’t apparent in her voice. “It seems neither of us got what we wanted.”

“On the contrary.” He folded his wings and clasped his hands behind his back. With smooth strides he glided toward her. “I got exactly what I wanted.”

“But Luc got away.”

“Because I let him.” Icarus examined his talons, flicking bits of debris from them. “Now they will come to us.”

Rell released her legs and let them slide forward to dangle over the rock’s edge. “Come to us?”

“Your Bringer is young and impetuous. He doesn’t possess the patience to outmaneuver me.” The demon lowered his arms and looked at her. “What he wants most in the world is to be a hero and make things right.” Icarus tilted his head toward her. “You are the force that will draw him to us.”

“Me?” She leaned forward, resting her hands against the rock. “He cares nothing for me.”

“You’re wrong. He does care about you, but…” He leaned a hip against the boulder, his body brushing her arm. “He cares about your sister more.”

His words hit her like a punch in the stomach. She stared at her knees and tapped her heels against the stone in a steady rhythm. The movement was meant to keep her from reacting, an emotionless reflex that let the denial and angry truths tumble in her mind. She’d lost her sister tonight and her world seemed to be unraveling. There was nothing she could do about it.

“I still don’t understand.” She gestured to the surrounding cave. “Why he would come here?”

Icarus said nothing, but the answer was reflected in his eyes.

“He wants to kill me.” There was no question in her statement. She knew the words were true the second they left her mouth. “They have an immortal weapon.”

“Yes.” Icarus’s voice was soft but steady. “In his mind, the only way to give you and him any peace is to release your soul.”

Rell stood and paced a short path to the closest wall. “And Jade?”

“She is the wild card. I’m unsure where her loyalties lie.”

“My guess is with the Bringers.” She stared at the glistening streams of water trickling down the wall, wondering how best to broach the subject they’d yet to discuss—the fact that she too was a Bringer. “Jade has been brought to power and…she knows I lied about our mother. Why would she remain loyal to me now?”

“Your sister is still mostly human and humans are weak. At the critical moment it is the rare few who can do what needs to be done. We must play to her sympathies.”

Rell turned and wrapped her arms around her torso to ward off the stark reality of what Icarus proposed. Things would never be the same between her and Jade, but to manipulate her so ruthlessly would certainly destroy any chance she might have of winning back her sister’s trust.

The memory of Jade’s touch gripped her. The white light had burned through her, clearing some of the black web that kept her trapped inside the demon body. It was as if the white cleansing had finally given her the ability to put words to the constant battle that raged inside her. Despite the moist heat from the burbling pools and vents, a shiver ran through Rell’s body.

With measured steps, Icarus circled the largest pool and stopped before her. “You appear distraught.”

She flinched, his words drawing her from her memories. How much could she ask him and how much would he confide to her? It wasn’t as if they were friends, merely two demons with a common cause. The saying
No harm in asking
didn’t hold true in this situation.

Rell lowered her arms and focused on the vapors dancing above the burbling pool in the center of the cave. “How do you manage the darkness?”

He pressed the smooth curve of his talon under her chin, making her look up at him. “I don’t understand what you are asking.”

She swallowed hard and ran her hand up her arm. With curled talons, she scraped downward against her skin. “At times I want to peel the very flesh from my body. It’s as if I’m trapped inside a black web that I can’t get free from.”

Icarus released her. She resisted the urge to rub where his talon had pressed. Without answering her, he turned and walked to the edge of the pool. Silence stretched between them but she didn’t move, didn’t try to fill the void. He was the only one who could give her the answer she sought.

He knelt and dipped his hand into the water. The small splash seemed exceptionally loud. Green light from the pool shimmered against his black skin, creating a glow around his body. Though beautiful on the outside, there was no doubt that it would be a mistake to believe his beauty penetrated deeper than his skin.

He lifted his hand and let the water slide from his palm through his fingers. Droplets pattered across the surface. “It is different for every Bane.” He continued the mesmerizing action. “I’ve known others like you.”

Rell furrowed her brow. “Like me?”

“Others who found it difficult to embrace the…” His talons hovered inches above the pool. Fat drops collected at their tips, growing round until they could no longer cling to the points. With a quiver, the watery gems fell to once again meld with the pool.

After several seconds, he lifted his head and looked at her. “Darkness, as you called it.”

“What happened to them?”

“Some eventually succumbed to the Bane way and embraced their life as a demon.” He stroked the water again. “Others sought out the Bringers and their immortal weapons, believing it better to be free of their demon form than trapped within it.”

He had left something unsaid. She encouraged him to continue. “And the others?”

Icarus stood. “Disappeared.”

Rell shook her head. “What do you mean, disappeared?”

His shoulders lifted in a slight shrug. “Disappeared, vanished, never seen again.”

“Where did they go?” She took a step toward him, pushing the sparks of possibility and hope away. “Did you find them?”

“No.” He dragged out the word as if recognizing her too-anxious tone. “It’s a mystery I’ve yet to solve.”

“Do you think…” She swallowed and inched forward to stand across the pool from him. “They were Bringers?”

She held his golden gaze. Her desire for an answer far outweighed the intimidation his piercing stare caused. A jettison of air erupted from the nearest vent, causing Rell to flinch.

After several seconds, Icarus gave her a single nod.

Possibilities careened through her mind and the question tumbled from her. “Do you believe that’s what made them different than the other Bane?”

He stood and wiped his hand across his torso. The water glistened on the cut planes of his abdomen. “You’re very astute.”

As he approached her, she commanded her body not to retreat. She wanted more answers and he seemed willing to oblige. How far could she push him? “Were you a Bringer once?”

His bark of laughter split the air. He stopped inches from her. “Me, a Bringer?”

“You’re unlike the other Bane, even from your own father. Your mind is your own, not like the puppets that swarm around Vile. You think beyond your next meal or victim. You’re intelligent and clever. And you’re…”

She bit her lip, having already said too much. Icarus moved in, crowding her body and forcing her to look up and meet his gaze.

“I’m what?”

Rell swallowed hard, trying to moisten her suddenly dry mouth. Her words came out raspy. “Beautiful and warm.”

The smooth black curve of his talon lightly grazed her cheek and circled under her chin to keep her head tilted and her eyes on him. “You think I’m beautiful?”

“Yes.”

His expression and voice softened. “Never has anybody dared to say that to me before.”

Though unsure, he didn’t appear to be angry.

“They probably feared you’d rip their head off.”

The corner of his top lip curved into a smile. “Perhaps I would have, depending on who had said it.”

Awareness of his body made her want to lean into him. She raised her hands and placed them on the sculpted planes of his chest. “What about me? Will you rip my head off?”

He snaked an arm around her waist to pull her closer. His smile widened. “That would be a horrible waste.”

As she stared into his eyes, the telltale yellow of the Banes faded to a pale gray, making him look almost human. Breath caught in her throat. “Then what will you do?”

With more emotion than the first time he’d kissed her, his lips captured hers. She opened to him, thirsting for somebody else’s strength. So often she was alone, even when she had been with Jade. Her sister couldn’t understand the darkness she battled every hour of her miserable demon life. Though he hadn’t said as much, she knew Icarus understood. Maybe she was a first for him as well. The first demon not to cower. The first to recognize he was different. The first willing to give the same connection and warmth he surely must crave.