Life Cycle (7 page)

Cole ran a hand through his hair. “It’s partly to do
with this media clusterfuck over the letter. I don’t think you get
what a pop culture icon the Ripper has become. But I think it might
be more. If Jack is old enough and has been absorbing the powers of
others like him, he could have some magical control over
individuals or even groups to induce panic. The letter itself could
have some sort of enchantment on it. We’d have to ask Dayne if
that’s even possible.”

“Fuck,” Cain said.

The werewolves in the den murmured amongst
themselves.

“Exactly,” Jane replied. “We’re having a pack
meeting in a few minutes, and Cole will get the word out through
the theriantype.com network. We’ve got a ton of magic users we can
pull to our side if this thing turns into a full-scale war. Our
therian donors will be on board and can speak to others they know.
Charlee’s called a meeting at the penthouse for after sunset
tonight. None of the vamps here know about any of this yet. When
they do, the shit is going to hit the fan. If they think the humans
know, they may become less restrained and forget about the rule to
cover their tracks.”

“Do you think you and Luc can infiltrate the crime
scene? Find out what they know, find out who the cycler he killed
was, anything that might help lead back to him?” Cole said.

Cain glanced over at his brother for the first time
since the news. Luc looked pale.

“Yes,” Cain said. Ordinarily he’d argue about human
dimension issues being none of his concern, but he could see how
this situation could escalate—and escalate fast—without demon help.
The entire preternatural world might have to unite on this one.

Chapter Three

After she’d eaten, Tam decided to wander. If
Cain thought she’d stay in the tent indefinitely until he deigned
to kill her or they caught Jack, she had a newsflash for him. The
guards were terrified to let her leave, but she threatened to curse
them and produced an energy ball scary enough for them to let her
pass. They had no other option. With her energy recharged, they
could hardly take her. If they went noncorporeal to avoid her
energy balls, they couldn’t touch her, either.
Stalemate.

She’d been here long enough that it seemed the sun
should have come up by now. She was beginning to suspect there was
no sun in this dimension. She hadn’t seen anything growing—a sure
sign that the place was cloaked forever in darkness. But it was a
peaceful kind of darkness, one she felt oddly safe in. And she
hadn’t felt safe in so long she’d forgotten what it felt like.

She meandered down the cobblestone streets, watched
the street performers, and stole fruit from carts—since everything
seemed to be free. The demons didn’t have a concept or need for
money. It wasn’t a dimension of scarcity, but of plenty.

A female demon stood at one of the fruit carts,
giving Tam the once-over. “You’re Cain’s new pet? The very old
witch? I should warn you women don’t last long with him.”

Tam rolled her eyes. “I’m Cain’s new prisoner because
he won’t kill me like I asked him to.”

Violet eyes raised in surprise. “That’s a very odd
human request. Most of you are terrified of death. I’m Daria, by
the way.” She extended a bejeweled hand and Tam shook it.

“Tamara, but most people call me Tam.”

Daria tossed her a peach, and Tam peeled off the
soft, fuzzy skin, thankful for something familiar in the midst of
everything.

“I’d kill you, but if you need a magical death,
it’ll have to be one of the boys. And they won’t go against Cain’s
orders. The feeling around here is that if anyone kills you but
him, that demon might never be released from the caves.”

“The caves?”

She nodded. “It’s where the demons who defy Cain’s
laws are kept for years—nothing but boredom and starvation. It
makes us go mad. One just got out after a forty-year stint. I don’t
know if he’ll ever recover.”

“That’s awful.” Not that Tam had developed any
illusions that Cain was anything more than a pretty monster like
Jack.

Daria shrugged. “Maybe. But we have fewer numbers
than other preternatural species. Only a thousand or so. The man
upstairs doesn’t make demons frequently. It’s got to be something
personal with him. Sure, we can’t die, but we can be tortured or
cursed. We have a lot of skills that protect us, but the human
dimension could become a dangerous place for us if we don’t follow
Cain’s laws to the letter. Even with our powers, we can still be
caught off guard or found out, which is why it shocks me he’s
keeping such a powerful witch alive. You could do real damage
here.”

“I asked him to kill me. You see how well he
listens. Not like I was begging and pleading for my life with the
big doe eyes or anything.”

“There you are!”

Tam turned to see Anna blazing a trail her way. When
her friend reached them, she tried to grab Tam’s arm, but her
ghostly hand went right through.

Anna let out a frustrated sound. “I
can’t believe how frequently I still forget about
th
e noncorporeal thing.”

Daria laughed. “Be glad for it. It’s a strength, not
a weakness. It’s one of the most useful skills our species has—it
protects you while you’re waiting on your other powers. It’s just
the first one you get. The others will come.”

Anna frowned. “I thought I was a ghost or
something.”

Daria shook her head. “You aren’t a ghost. Surely
your mate explained it to you?”

“He did, but...” She appeared to be thinking back.
“I just assumed. Maybe when I said ghost he thought I was being
sarcastic. I don’t know.” She turned back to Tam. “Can we go back
to your tent and talk?”

Tam exchanged a look with Daria, unsure she wanted to
hear whatever Cain-related lecture her friend had concocted in
their time away from each other. The demon gave her a sympathetic
look and tossed another peach. The witch caught it in midair.

“Sure, Anna,” she said, feeling guilty the way she
was thinking about her friend. She’d practically tricked her into
Luc’s arms so she could have an immortal friend, and now she was
planning on leaving her behind. The least she could do was have a
conversation.

When they got back to Tam’s tent, she parked herself
on the couch. “What is it?”

“What did you have to talk to Cain privately
about?”

Tam shrugged and worked on her evasiveness.
“Nothing.”

Anna planted her hands on her ghostly hips. “No,
seriously, what was so secret that you could tell the grand high
evil one, but not me?”

“You wouldn’t understand.”

Anna looked hurt. “Have you guys bonded now because
you’re both ancient? I know I’ve been away a lot, but I’ve seen you
since becoming Luc’s mate. I’m a part of this world now, so you
could have told me.” She hadn’t sat down because an attempt would
be pointless. She’d sink right through the couch. She just sort of
hovered.

Tam sighed. “I know you think this is personal, but
it isn’t. I was trying to forget, myself. This new cycle has been
the most normal I’ve had in a long time. I usually hid and stayed
in the shadows when a new cycle started. This time I got adopted. I
kind of regressed. I wanted to forget everything and pretend I had
a normal life, even with the witch stuff. You let me remember what
childhood was like. And it was great. Sometimes I actually felt
like I was your age and not just pretending.” She paused to catch a
breath and gather her thoughts to make sure she was saying it
right. “As we grew up, I just wanted to keep the illusion alive.
And since you seemed freaked out by basic witch stuff, it was
another excuse. I know I could have told you, but until Jack
started hunting me again, I wanted to keep my fantasy life. If I
told you, then it was really real for me, and I wasn’t just a
regular witch that lived a long time.”

Anna stayed quiet for several minutes, processing.
Finally she said, “Damnit, Tam. Why do you have to make it all
sound so reasonable? I can’t even be mad at you. At least I don’t
have to worry about you dying. It was something that bothered me a
lot, that you’d age and leave me behind.”

It was like a knife stabbing her in the gut. She
couldn’t look at Anna, not while plotting her own demise. “You
know... something could happen. I could still die. I mean... Jack
is hunting, and he seems intense about it if he’s starting the
letter charade again.”

Her friend shook her head. “No, you’re safe here.
Cain promised to protect you. No one can get into this dimension
without permission from Cain or without being a demon himself. Even
if The Cycler knew where to find you, he can’t get in.”

Tam very much doubted that was true. Anna hadn’t been
around in their world long enough. She didn’t yet understand that
there was no such thing as total safety in a world with so much
magical chaos. The only way she would be safe was if Cain killed
her like he’d promised. She wondered what Anna would think if she
knew he was playing both sides, giving out two contradictory
promises. It was anybody’s guess which, if either, promise he’d
choose to keep in the end.

“Tam?”

“Hmmm?”

“What was it like when you died? I
mean, that period of time before you came back again? Did you go to
heaven?”

The question made Tam’s skin crawl.
“No. Nothing happens. It’s just a void. I die, and then I wake
up—like a dreamless sleep, except when I wake, for a second I can’t
catch my breath and feel like I’m dying again. It’s creepy.
Sometimes I’m afraid something will go wrong and I won’t wake up.
I’ll just
stop existing
.” She didn’t want to become nothingness, she just wanted to
break the spell and get out of the endless loop she was
on.

“Oh.”

Yeah. Oh.

“There’s something I should tell you,” Tam said.

The brunette looked expectant. After a long pause,
she said, “Well?”

“Okay, don’t hate me but... I pushed you into the
mating with Luc.”

“That’s not true! You offered to help me get Luc’s
mark removed before I completed the final ritual.”

Tam peeled the second peach Daria had given her. It
was something to focus on so she didn’t have to look at her friend.
“That was only after I saw how distressed it was making you. For a
while I was intent on you becoming his mate for my own selfish
reasons.”

Anna looked like she wanted to hug her. It was the
exact opposite reaction Tam had expected. She’d been prepared for
screaming and was thankful things couldn’t be thrown at her.

“I understand. I mean, you wanted us both to be
immortal so we wouldn’t lose each other, right? Why should I be mad
about that? Besides, I love Luc. We were meant to be together in my
last life, but I was too stupid and stubborn. Anyway, it was Cain
that made me set the house on fire and trapped me inside. At that
point I had to make a decision about where I wanted to spend
eternity. I wanted to spend it with Luc. I don’t regret that
decision. I still could have chosen otherwise. Okay?”

“I’m still sorry. I wasn’t thinking about you when I
acted like I did.”

Anna nodded. “It’s okay.”

“Do you remember Henry?”

“That bird you had?”

Tam got up to stretch her legs. “Yeah, only he wasn’t
exactly a bird. He was a therian.”

“Oh my god! Seriously? I changed clothes in that
room when we were teenagers.”

Tam chuckled. “Yeah, he thought you were hot.”

“You better be glad I can’t be solid right now. I’d
throw stuff at your head.”

Tam grinned. Of all the things for her to get angry
about. It wasn’t being lured into mating with an immortal demon, it
was that a raven therian had seen her in her underwear. Anna was
always obsessed with the wrong things.

“Wait... how long do they live? How long was he with
you?”

“Centuries. From the late 1700s on. I’d dispersed
from the rest of the coven and was lonely. The bird came to me. We
were really close.”

A lightbulb seemed to come on over Anna’s head.
“That’s why you wouldn’t come out of your house for three weeks
after he died. I thought it was a bit much mourning over a bird,
but I didn’t say anything.”

“Well, now you know. I still see him occasionally in
dreams, but it’s not the same. He was my best friend besides
you.”

Now she was about to do the same thing to Anna that
Henry had done when he’d died: rip up one of her anchors. But she
had to. Anna would understand in time, and she wasn’t alone. She
was surrounded by others like her, and she had Luc. It was
different.

Keep telling yourself that.

***

Cain and Luc moved through the
human dimension just outside the crime scene, invisible and
noncorporeal. A
s demons,
they could sense each other even if they couldn’t see each
other.

“It’s better to kill Tam,” Cain said. He couldn’t
see his brother for a reaction, but he could guess at the
disappointed and disgusted look he’d find if he could. Luc was so
predictably good that way—hardly a demon anymore. He hadn’t been
the same since Anna. It was too much humanity for Cain’s taste.

“You promised you’d protect her... Though, I don’t
know why I’m shocked at this revelation.”

Cain bristled at that. He’d been loyal to Luc when
he’d been trapped in a house by a curse, bringing him his meals.
And he protected his own. It was a low blow for Luc to act as if he
couldn’t be anything more than a Judas. He was still miffed about
that. Hadn’t Cain been the first true betrayer in their history?
And Judas got all the glory.

“She asked me to kill her. She wants out. She thinks
it’s safer, and I agree.” Cain felt Luc stop moving, so he did,
too. He knew he could get his brother on his side if Luc knew it
was the witch’s request.