Читать книгу Rush of Pleasure - Rhyannon Byrd, Rhyannon Byrd - Страница 8

HIS OWN SKIN?

“What about it?” Noah hedged, wondering where this was headed.

“Your family is one of the strongest Casus bloodlines,” Jessie murmured. “During the thousand years that the Casus were trapped within Meridian, they turned to shades, requiring a human host when they managed to escape and return to this world.” Jessie was clearly demonstrating just how much she knew about the Casus and their history. “If the big guy is free with his right-hand men,” she added, arching her brows, “aren’t you worried?”

His laugh was harsh. “It would be stupid not to be.”

“Very true,” she agreed. “Why do you suppose none of your family has been taken as hosts before now?”

Noah rolled a shoulder. “Who knows? Rumor has it they were saving us for last. But I don’t know what will happen now. The few shades that got away with Calder, if they still need hosts, will probably come after us. But we haven’t seen any sign of them yet.”

Thanks to the Watchmen, he had sources all over the world keeping an eye out, but so far there’d been no sightings of Calder or the Casus shades that had escaped with him—and while he wasn’t eager for a confrontation, Noah hated not knowing what the holdup was. He’d thought the bastard and those who’d followed him through that portal would strike hard and fast after the battle in Meridian, but weeks had gone by and there’d been nothing. No sign of them. No attacks. But his gut told him not to lower his guard until the monsters had been found and killed.

As if Jessie had been reading his mind, she said, “Well, whatever this Calder and his men are up to, I don’t think you and your family are off the hook. As far as the Casus leader sees it, you’re living on borrowed time. I’ve heard Calder wants you, specifically.”

Noah’s eyes narrowed. “And where did you hear that?”

The corner of Jessie’s mouth curved with a wry smile. “I listen to voices, Noah.”

Christ, any minute he expected her to spout some line like I see dead people. And why the hell hadn’t these voices told her about Sienna? If he were Jessie, he’d be having a chat about what they considered pertinent information.

Willow walked over and nudged him in the shoulder. “What does she mean about Calder wanting you?”

He ground his jaw and ignored her, refusing to answer.

“What about your brothers?” Jessie asked. “Where are Jackson and Bryce?”

“I’ve had them placed in protective custody. One of the Watchmen units has taken care of it.”

The older woman laughed, making the rabbit on her head jiggle. “I bet that went down well. When this is over, they’ll likely be on my doorstep, eager to purchase a spell for some payback against you.”

He winced, thinking she just might have it right. His brothers were probably cursing him to hell and back at the moment, but he hadn’t had any choice. Now that Calder was free, he needed to make sure they were as safe as possible.

“Actually,” Jessie said, “I’m surprised you didn’t come here on behalf of your family.”

Noah frowned. “What do you mean?”

“For my help with the Casus.”

She’d caught him off guard with that one, and he was sure that it showed. “If I thought you could help us,” he said, his voice low, “I’d have come here a long time ago. But I don’t see how you could do anything.” Which wasn’t exactly true. Jessie’s talent with spells was legendary, as was her knowledge of the occult. He just hadn’t thought she’d be willing to raise a finger to help a Winston—or that she’d actually offer to help out with Calder.

The smile she was giving him said she knew exactly what he’d thought … and she was enjoying proving him wrong. With a soft spill of laughter on her lips, Jessie moved to her feet and headed across the room toward a tall, weathered chest of drawers, the bells at her ankles tinkling as she walked. If not for the rabbit skin on her head, she would have been a beautiful woman, and Noah found himself wondering if the strange getup with the rabbit was her way of scaring off interested males. There’d been rumors when he was younger that she’d lost the love of her life in a tragic accident when she was only twenty-one, and the surge of sympathy he felt took him by surprise. He couldn’t help but wonder what Jessie had been like before her heart had been broken.

When she turned back around, she was holding something small in her right hand, the papers he’d handed her still clutched in the left. As she headed toward him, she asked, “Why aren’t you wearing the Dark Marker that you’ve brought with you to Sacred? The one you left in the truck you parked back at the bar.”

His eyes went wide again, but he didn’t ask how she knew about the Marker. If you were around Jessie long enough, you came to accept that there were just some things you couldn’t hide from her. The powerful cross he’d left in the truck was obviously one of those things.

The Dark Markers were ancient crosses that acted as talismans against the Casus. They were also the only known weapons that could destroy a Casus’s soul and send it to hell. Noah and his friends had spent the past year collecting the twelve Markers needed to break into Meridian and destroy the Casus shades. After the battle, they’d taken the crosses back to England with them, to the ancient manor house where they were currently living.

Answering Jessie’s question, he said, “I brought the weapon to kill Calder, in case I run into him. But its powers aren’t going to protect me from him, if he tries to make me his host. So I didn’t see the point in wearing it.”

“Well, it’s foolish to take chances. You should make full use of its protection. Now lean down here so that I can reach you.” He shot a worried glance toward Will, who seemed to be enjoying his discomfort, then did as Jessie said and leaned forward a little. She lifted a small leather pouch dangling from a black cord and slipped it over his head. “If you’re smart,” she told him, “you’ll keep that on. It’s a special charm of mine that should prevent Calder from getting inside you.”

Holy shit. Noah wondered if he looked as floored as he felt. “Can you give me some to send to my brothers?”

“Of course.”

He swallowed, and somehow managed to force out an awkward “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” she murmured, patting his shoulder in a gesture that was almost … comforting. “Now, if you’ll excuse me for a moment, I’m going to step back into my office. I need to have some time alone with these papers you’ve brought me.”

Noah watched her glide from the room and shook his head, wondering if he’d slipped into some kind of alternate dimension. Rubbing his thumb over the strange pouch now hanging around his neck, he lifted it to his nose and sniffed. He could pick up traces of sandalwood and something … richer. Something strangely exotic. God only knew what it was, but at least it smelled good.

“I must be out of my mind,” he whispered under his breath, cutting his gaze toward Will. “Am I crazy for thinking this thing might work?”

“You should listen to her, Noah. Jessie’s an amazing woman.”

His laugh was soft and rough. “It just seems kinda strange, putting faith in a woman who’s wearing a rabbit on her head.”

Willow clucked her tongue. “Are you really that judgmental? Because you know what they say about people who live in glass houses …”

He brushed that off with a grunt and turned toward her, locking her in his hooded stare. For one dangerous moment, he had to fight the driving impulse to reach out and pull her close, locking her against his body, as well. But somehow he fought it down. “What’s going on with Sienna?” he asked quietly. “You can talk to me, Will. I want to help.”

“I … can’t. It’s too much.” Something tragic and aching flashed in her eyes, twisting his insides, as if the pain were his own. It was strange, how badly he wanted her to trust in him enough to share her secrets. There was no basis for the feeling. No logic, either.

“Have you had any contact with her?”

She shook her head. “I’ve been searching for her ever since she disappeared. That was late last year. But there’s been nothing. I’m starting to think she just doesn’t want to be found.” Her lower lip trembled with emotion, but she took a deep breath and hardened her expression. “After what you’ve told us, I guess I was right.”

He wanted to ask more, but knew she wouldn’t give him the answers he wanted. Not yet. The creak of floorboards announced Jessie’s return, and she came back into the room with a somewhat stunned look on her face, her odd gaze settling on Willow for a charged moment, before moving to Noah. She still held the papers in her hand, but they now looked singed around the edges.

“Have you ever asked yourself why that particular passage is written in a language that’s different from the rest of the journal?” The question was obviously rhetorical, since she didn’t wait for a response. “It’s because it’s a spell.”

“A spell?” That wasn’t what he’d expected. “A spell for what?”

“For a weapon.”

Okay. That was more like it. “And it will kill the Death-Walkers?”

She raised her brows. “From what I can tell, this spell will kill anything.”

Whoa. He definitely hadn’t expected that. “What do you mean by anything?” he rasped, his eyes narrowed on her smiling face.

“Mortal. Immortal. From heaven and hell and everything in between.”

Noah’s pulse roared in his ears, his heart hammering so hard he was sure the two women would hear it. Yeah, he had the Marker he could use against Calder, but that meant getting close to the bastard. And getting close meant giving the Casus the chance to get inside him. If there was another way to kill him, he wanted it. Badly.

“Can you write the spell down for me?” he asked, his voice sharp with excitement. “Is it one that can be used by anyone? Or do you need to be a witch?”

Jessie held up one slender hand in a sign for him to slow down. “There’s something I need to tell you, and it’s going to be a bit … well, surprising.”

Dread punched into his stomach with the force of a kick, knocking the air from his lungs. “What is it?”

“I was able to translate the main catalyst for the spell.”

“And?”

She slid a quick look toward her niece, then said, “You’re going to need a virgin’s blood.”

“Come again?” he rasped, while Willow started to choke and cough.

“A virgin’s blood,” Jessie repeated, resuming her place in the rocker. “And not just any virgin’s. It must be from an adult warrior. Not human, but of the clans.”

“Jesus Christ.” He took a deep breath and scrubbed his hand over his eyes. “This has to be some kind of sick joke.”

“Come on, Noah.” Willow’s voice sounded odd, like a strange cross between horror and amusement. “You didn’t actually think it would be something easy, did you?”

He scowled as he looked at her. “Easy, no. But a little sanity wouldn’t hurt. I mean, call me a pessimist, but I don’t think a nonhuman, adult, warrior virgin is going to be all that easy to find these days. Whoever came up with it must have had some screwed-up mind!”

She shrugged, still looking as if she was struggling with her own reaction to the bizarre news. “The spell is obviously old magic, and virgins were considered sacred.”

Sacred. Right. Not to mention extremely rare in the twenty-first century.

God, he was tired of this war.

Blowing out a rough breath, he said, “What exactly is the spell, Jessie?” He had a bad moment where he imagined himself lurking over a boiling cauldron, reenacting the scene with the witches from Macbeth, but Jessie just frowned.

“I’m sorry, Noah, but I’m afraid that’s where my expertise ends.”

“What do you mean?”

“The passage is incredibly difficult, and I could only grasp bits and pieces. You’re going to need a demon to fully translate it.”

“A demon?” Willow gave a low whistle. “Must be one helluva spell.”

“This just keeps getting better and better,” he growled. “Where the hell am I going to find a demon?”

“Hell would be a good place to start,” Jessie offered helpfully, as if she’d just suggested he run down to the corner store and grab a gallon of milk.

Noah pinched the bridge of his nose and struggled for patience. “I know this might come as a shock to you, Jessie, but I don’t travel into hell all that often.”

“Hmm.” She pursed her lips, lost in thought, then clapped her hands together. “You could try finding an earthbound demon.”

An earthbound demon? Christ. Noah had heard of them. They were demons who had either escaped from hell and were now on the run, or who had been forced out for one reason or another. The hell dynamic was so complicated, he’d never gotten a good understanding of it when his mother had tried to explain the hierarchy to him. He’d never thought he’d need to … until now.

With a tired sigh, he said, “I don’t suppose you happen to know an earthbound demon who could help me out? Or even where I could find one?”

“No,” Jessie replied, her dark eyes almost glowing in the sunlit shadows of the room. “But … I think Willow can help with that.”

OH. MY. GOD.

Lifting her hand, Willow pressed it to the center of her chest and glared at the woman who’d raised her. She felt as if she’d been dealt a physical blow, the bitter burn of betrayal ripping painfully through her insides. She couldn’t believe it. Had Jessie lost her friggin’ mind?

“Will?” Noah’s voice was soft. Cautious.

Keeping her hard gaze on her aunt, she said, “Forget it.”

Noah looked between her and Jessie, who was just sitting there with a serene smile on her face, pretending she hadn’t just thrown Willow into the fire. “Would someone please tell me what’s going on?” he demanded.

“Willow has a friend,” Jessie explained. “His name is Damon.”

Noah grunted, the supremely masculine sound almost making her smile. “And this Damon is a demon?”

“Maybe,” Willow muttered, ready to strangle her aunt. Bracing herself for the coming argument, she shifted her gaze to Noah. “But I need to be searching for Sienna. I don’t have time to get involved in your problems, no matter how serious they are.”

“The Death-Walkers aren’t my problem, Will. They’re everyone’s problem.” He paused for a second, his dark brows pulling together … and there was a strange light in his eyes that told her she wasn’t going to like what he said next. “If you want to find your sister, then sticking with me is probably the best chance you’ll get.”

“How do you figure?” she asked, thinking he looked as surprised by what he’d just said as she was. If she hadn’t been so angry, the situation might have actually been funny.

He recovered quickly, vibrating that hot male energy at her while he pulled back his shoulders, as if getting what he wanted was a foregone conclusion. “Think about it, Will. What Jessie said is true. Calder wants my body.”

She shot him a cheeky grin. “He got the hots for you, Noah?”

“You know what I mean,” he growled, an endearing flush of color burning along his cheekbones.

Yeah, she knew. But it was easy to see why Noah would be considered prime host material. What male, no matter how much of a monster he was, wouldn’t want to wear that sexy skin? Women probably threw themselves at him on a daily basis, begging for the chance to touch and taste all that rugged, mouthwatering perfection.

She was truly playing her role as the awful bitch to a T, but it couldn’t be helped. After all, it was easier to be angry than hurt, and God, did it hurt. Just looking at him was a kind of physical torment. Just being near him. Breathing him in.

Noah had been the first boy who had ever made her feel like a sexy, desirable female. Who had blown her mind with pleasure that was so intense, it’d felt like she was dying … but in a good way. And no one had ever quite managed it since. It was like the bastard had marked her, every other man she’d known paling in comparison.

Still, considering the cards she’d been dealt, it was, in a way, good that things had turned out the way they did. Thanks to a certain pain-in-the-ass prophecy, nothing could have come of her crush on Noah Winston. But that didn’t mean that the way he’d ended things hadn’t stung. Having a guy tell you it was a mistake to touch you was never a good thing. As far as set downs went, it sucked the big one.

And yet, despite all of that, she knew she couldn’t refuse to help him. At least, not completely. Her goddamn guilty conscience wouldn’t let her, no matter how badly she wanted to.

“Fine. I’ll track down Damon for you,” she grumbled, pulling her phone out of her back pocket, so that she could enter Noah’s number. She knew Jessie was going to have a lot to say to her, but that didn’t mean she wanted Noah Winston around to hear it. Better to clear out to her own cabin, and come back to see Jessie later, before she left. “You got a cell number where I can reach you?”

His dark brows drew together in a straight line over those sharp blue eyes. “Reach me?”

She tried not to sound huffy. “Finding Damon isn’t going to be easy. He’s trying to avoid his ex, who has it out for him big-time, which means he’s gone silent. No phones. No pagers. I’ve got to hit the road to look for him. It might take a few days, but once I’ve found him, I’ll call you.”

He worked his jaw, something grim and angry darkening his expression. “That’s not how this is going to work.”

Willow lifted one brow in a slow arch and cocked her hip. “Did I miss something? I thought you wanted my help.”

“I do. But you’re not going after the demon on your own.”

“You want that spell translated?” she snapped, pointing her finger at the papers in Jessie’s hand. “Or not?”

“Yeah, I want it. But we get it together.” He crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes narrowed to hot, glittering slits. “The Death-Walkers aren’t idiots. If they catch wind of what you’re doing, they’ll come after you like a force from hell. Literally. I intend to be there to make sure you don’t get hurt. And I want to hear the translation straight from the demon’s lips.”

“No,” she breathed out, shaking her head. Hell, no.

“If you want your answers about Sienna, this is the only way.”

“I’ll get my own answers,” she snarled. “You’ve got to be out of your friggin’ skull if you think I’m just going to tag along with you for the ride!”

“The bastard who has her wants me, Will. That means you need me.”

“Maybe, but you need me, too,” she shot back, her temper getting the better of her. She never had been able to suffer arrogant men. And Noah Winston was as cocky and arrogant as they came. “You need me a lot. Remember? Damon might be the only shot you have at getting those pages translated!”

“That’s right. So we work together.”

Her stomach damn near bottomed out. What the hell had just happened? Closing her eyes, she stumbled back a few steps, until she came up against a wall. “Jesus, Noah. That’s a bad, bad idea,” she whispered, deciding she was going to have to add tricky to his list of character faults.

“I’m no happier about it than you are,” he said in a low voice, “but I don’t see that we have a lot of choice here. Unless you’re willing to tell me where I can find this demon of yours on my own?”

Huh. At least he knew better than to gloat. But she was still pissed as she opened her eyes to glare at him. “I can’t tell you something I don’t know. And he’d kill you before agreeing to help you.”

He gave a sarcastic snort. “Sounds like a great guy.”

Her smile was meaner for the fact she knew she was going to have to give in. The bastard was going to win, she was going to be stuck working with him, and God only knew what other horrors awaited.