Whisper to a Scream (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #6.5)(11)

I’d known this union was coming, and I was to be prepared for it. Alexa shared her purpose with another, and I was to ensure they saw that purpose through to the end, no matter what it cost me. The force of their union rocked through me, a sensation that many powerful beings would feel. Alexa was now in greater danger, and here I was, once again, shirking my responsibility to her in order to dally with a human.

“Where the hell did that come from?” Christina buried her face against my chest.

The thunder echoed and gradually faded away. Then, it was calm and peaceful once again. I inhaled the strawberry scent of Christina’s hair, hating myself for loving it so.

“Just a little thunder,” I said, daring to run a hand over her pinned tresses. “Come on, we should hurry. There may be a storm coming.”

A storm was coming, alright, but a storm of blood and mayhem rather than wind and rain. Feeling chagrined, I put an arm gently around Christina and guided her along.

We didn’t make it twenty feet before a figure stepped out onto the path before us. Though he was cast in shadow, his face hidden, I knew him immediately.

Christina gasped and jerked to a halt. The demon didn’t startle me. His power paled greatly in comparison to mine. What worried me was his timing.

“Am I interrupting?” Shya sauntered toward us with a smooth, sly gait. “Isn’t there somewhere else that you should be, Willow?”

“Do you know this guy?” Christina questioned, looking back and forth between Shya and me.

“Yes.” I didn’t take my gaze off the offending demon. His appearance never brought glad tidings. To Shya, I said, “You have no purpose here. Go now and save us both the routine. We have nothing to say to one another.”

Shya smirked, his red eyes shining bright with wicked amusement. Those eyes betrayed his Asian human male appearance as the farce it was.

“At this very moment, your charge is gaining a lot of power and, with it, many enemies. Doesn’t it concern you? Or, do you have more pressing matters than the life you must protect?” He nodded toward Christina, and his smile grew. “Are you breaking the rules? And, with a whore of all things?”

His insolent laughter echoed all around us. I was furious, more so with myself than with the dark creature openly mocking me. He was being true to his nature; I could hardly fault him for that. However, if there hadn’t been a human witness present, I would have made him sorry for his comments.

“Do you have a purpose here?” I asked, maintaining a calm, cool outward appearance. Letting Shya know he was getting to me would only encourage him. “Are you just here to mock my purpose? Because I’m too busy right now to cater to your insecurity and selfish whims.”

He roared with laughter, causing Christina to press herself closer to me. I stayed quiet, hoping hard that he wouldn’t do anything to expose himself in front of her. If he revealed himself, showed his black wings or worse, it would force me to make a terrible choice. And, Shya was certainly aware of that.

“You know me, Willow,” he said with an amused grin. “I’m always up to something.”

I nodded knowingly, unconsciously tightening my hold on Christina. “Right, you’ve got an agenda. What are you doing here tonight?”

I locked eyes with the demon; my words became a command that he could not refuse. Though he ranked high among demons, I was the greater power here. He was compelled to answer me honestly, even against his will.

Shya gritted his teeth, as vehement hatred flashed through his scarlet eyes. His voice was strangled, as if he struggled against every word. “Watching… you and the others. Gathering information so I can stay two steps ahead of you.”

“And, what exactly have you learned?”

His amusement grew into a full-fledged sneer. His heated gaze slid over Christina. “That it won’t be long until you join my side.”

Shame and embarrassment washed over me. And anger. So much anger. As much as I wanted to launch myself at him in a rage, it was better simply to get rid of him. A fight between the two of us was unwinnable. I had the greater power, but we were both immortals. That fight would never end; it would merely grow tiresome.

“Leave. Now.”

Shya bowed low in mock respect. Then, with a pretentious wave, he vanished. The conniving waste had managed to leave his mark with that one wrong move.

“What the hell?” Shaken, Christina gasped, a hand over her mouth. “Did you see that? Did you see his eyes? Was that for real?”

With a hand beneath her chin, I drew her gaze to mine. Her deep, penetrating eyes were wide with fear. Sadly, I shook my head. I had foolishly tempted fate, and it had responded in full.

“Christina, there’s something I must tell you.”

Chapter Four

Lying to Christina was never an option. My actions had made the truth known. They had also put her in danger. Shya knew who she was and what she did. Her safety had been compromised.

As we walked back to the restaurant where she’d left her car, I told her the truth. She was reluctant to believe me though she had no other explanation for how a man with crimson reptilian eyes might suddenly disappear from sight.

At various points, she stopped in her tracks, questioning my sanity and then questioning her own. She laughed, swore and cried. Then, like all who refuse to give in to the comfortable escape of madness, she accepted it.