Tainted Blood

Angelica smirked having caught up with Syn just in time to hear Jason’s tantrum. “Hey Jason, wanna see something cool?” she asked stepping up beside him and raising her hands in front of her. She opened her mouth and started whispering a spell that was supposed to make them implode. To her dismay, the Skitters suddenly backed away before turning and fleeing into the darkness.

“Neat,” Jason said thinking that had been the spell.

“Damn it, if you’d quit scaring the hell out of them, maybe I could have made a decent kill tonight.” Angelica snapped as she turned around finding Syn right behind her. “You’re like demon repellant.”

Jason smirked when he caught on to what she was ranting about. “Black Flag for demons,” he muttered but quickly shut his mouth when Angelica’s glare turned on him. “I mean… right. You are so right.” When in doubt, always agree with the women.

Syn laughed softly, “I did nothing but walk up behind you, my dear. I can’t help it if the Spinnan fear me. Maybe they were just cowards. Shall we go in search of braver monsters?” He was rewarded when Angelica rolled her eyes and smiled. She was warming up to him quite nicely.

Jason’s shoulders slumped realizing this was the man he’d been warned about when he’d started asking questions about the beautiful Angelica. Deciding that path was hopeless, he sighed and returned his attention to the ring.

“This stupid thing is worthless… the damn GPS is broke or something.” He growled and attempted to take the ring off. He pulled for a moment but decided to stop when he felt his finger pop at the joint. He stared at it again for a moment and tilted his head to the side. Maybe it was a good thing it couldn’t come off, because if it did… he’d probably throw it at the damn Skitters.

“How can I protect Tiara if I don’t know where the hell she is?” he ranted at the ring. “This isn’t the time to be taking a nap for crying out loud.”

“Can I see that?” Angelica requested, holding her hand out so Jason could lay his hand in hers. She recognized the ring from the memories that Zachary had shared with her and was curious as to its power.

Jason couldn’t help himself as he watched Angelica with wide moon eyes. She was gently cradling his hand and examining the ring with a critical eye. The softness of her skin was very soothing against his… though he did flinch when Syn decided that was a good moment to laugh.

He glanced up and saw Syn out of the corner of his eye. That laugh had been just a little too creepy. The run in with Kane last night had scared him but this guy… he was probably the one Satan searched for under his bed or in the closet before daring to call it a night.

Syn watched patiently as Angelica held her other palm about an inch above the ring. Seeing her bite her lower lip in concentration was his undoing. Reaching out, he laid his hand over hers and slowly interlocked their fingers. Bringing his head down next to hers, he brushed his cheek against her soft hair while reaching around with his other hand to gently hold her against him.

Angelica blinked suddenly feeling what she’d been searching for. “That’s cheating,” she whispered but quickly searched the aura of the ring while she was so tapped into it. She felt two paths coming from the right… one light and one dark. Out of morbid curiosity, she began following the dark one to see where it led.

“That’s enough,” Syn said softly and pulled her hand away from the ring’s power. “Not only is it linked to the girl but also to the demon’s mind. We must be careful not to summon him accidentally.”

Angelica swallowed and nodded knowing he was right. She’d felt it, the power of the demon inside the ring. She let her hair fall forward to hide her eyes as she gazed at their hands still linked together. It was intimate and sexual at the same time, such a simple gesture that left her mind reeling.

“He’s still alive?” Jason gritted his teeth and held his hand away from himself imagining a demon exploding from it. If what Nile had said about Deth was true, then that was one demon he really didn’t want to just pop out of the ring like a Genie. “Like I really needed another reason to want rid of this thing right now.”

“The girl is unconscious,” Syn informed him but narrowed his eyes not liking the aura of the ring. He’d felt the demon turn to look at him but cut the link before his image was stable. If that creature returned to earth there was no telling what darkness he would bring with him.

“Unconscious? That’s even more of a reason to find her,” Jason said, forgetting his fear of the ring. “There’s no telling how much trouble she could be in. With her missing and Zachary down for the count…”

“Down for the count? What are you talking about?” Angelica demanded as her temper spiked making her jerk her hand from Syn’s.

“I thought you knew,” Jason frowned, “I thought everyone on the team knew by now.”

“Knew what?” Angelica asked in frustration.

“Zachary went ballistic when that demon ran off with Tiara and he blew up the main nest all of these things were coming from. The demon breeding them all went up in flames along with it. Zachary passed out in the fire right after the explosion.”

Seeing the shock on her face Jason quickly continued, “Its okay, Ren got him out of there and vanished… we haven’t seen him since. Storm would probably know where they went because he was there when it happened.”

“And Tiara was kidnapped by a demon?” Angelica felt her heartbeat racing. No wonder Zachary had gone ballistic.

“Not exactly,” Jason hedged. “It’s hard to explain. The point is she passed out as she was leaving with the other demon and until this thing starts working again, I don’t even know if she’s okay, much less where to start looking.” He smacked the ring with his other hand in frustration trying again to kick start it into working.

Without another word, Angelica took off toward the entrance of the graveyard while mentally kicking herself for her selfishness. She’d been so busy with Syn and the monsters that she hadn't been there to watch Zachary’s back… the one time that he needed her.

Her vision blurred with tears and she angrily swiped at them only to run right into a brick wall named Syn. His arms went around her to steady her but before she could stop herself, she started to struggle against him. She hit his chest with her small fists, knowing it wouldn’t do any good but her first instinct was to remove whatever had gotten in the way of finding her best friend.

“Let go of me,” Angelica hissed, madder at herself than she was at him. This was why she didn’t want to get close to anyone. She’d chosen Zachary’s friendship because he was strong and wouldn’t give her a reason to cry. If he’d passed out in his own fire… then something was terribly wrong with him.

Syn locked his hands around her wrist and pulled her flush against his body with a growl, “I will show you another thing that we can do together.” He slashed his lips against hers in an attempt to ease the jealous hunger he’d felt rising within him.

Angelica stilled and her eyes went wide the moment his lips descended on hers. She felt her knees weaken when Syn slowly sucked her bottom lip between his. The movement was so slow and sexual that her thighs nearly went up in flames. The urge to kiss him back hit her hard.

Before she could follow through with the growing need, he ended the kiss and she found herself once again staring up into his dark amethyst eyes. In her semi-dazed state, it took her a moment to realize there was now a wall behind him and the breeze she’d been feeling no longer caressed her skin.

Syn waited on his mate to come back down from the touch of ecstasy he’d just given her before he let go of her wrist. He hadn't needed to kiss her to perform the teleportation, but if she thought he did… he wouldn’t correct the misunderstanding.

Angelica swung around in surprise finding herself in Storm’s office. Her eyes quickly scanned the room before locking on Zachary. He was inside a translucent barrier… lying on a bed of his own flames just like Jason had described. A soft sob left her seeing him in such a state.

Her steps were slow as she approached the seal around him. She’d never seen such dark flames coming from him and knew it couldn’t be a good sign.

“What’s wrong?” she whispered, wondering if Zachary could hear her.

Placing her hands on the barrier, she watched a river of what looked like sparkling water rush between her fingers and disappear before hitting the floor. The shield turned an electric blue around her hands and she pushed on it… testing its strength.

“Zachary, open your eyes. Please… just to let me know you’re okay.” Angelica felt her hope plummet with every passing second that he didn’t respond.

His blond hair fluttered around his face and his body was just barely swaying gently in the flames letting her know that it was what kept him levitated above the floor. What frightened her the most was his complete stillness… she couldn’t even tell if he was breathing.

“Is it a spell Zachary? Did someone do this to you? I’m coming… just hold on.” She closed her eyes and started mentally picking at the locks around the barrier. She could do this… she would do this… for Zachary.

Syn had remained quiet, giving her privacy with her friend but he could not take her heartache a moment longer. Stepping up behind her, he laid his palms against the shield above hers… strengthening it rather than helping her bring it down.

“Why? Why are you stopping me?” Angelica asked not understanding.

“Because, I do not think your friend Zachary will be very happy when he wakes up only to find he has harmed you with his phoenix fire. He is not dying… he is reviving himself. And from the looks of it, he is going to bring all of his power with him when he awakens.”

Angelica turned her back on the barrier not wanting to watch the eerie image of Zachary burning. Wanting to feel safe, she wrapped her arms around Syn’s waist and hid her face against his warm chest.

Syn folded his arms around her giving her the comfort she was quietly seeking. He gazed at Zachary and silently wondered what would have happened to her in this life if he hadn't found her. Would her friendship with Zachary have grown into something more intimate?

He tightened his arms around her, burying his face in her dark hair and decided not to dwell on it. She loved the phoenix dearly and for that he was at least thankful… but it was time for his mate to remember what true love really was.

Chapter 3

Damon crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the tool shed used by the caretakers of the cemetery. This area was lacking in hunters because it was in the very corner of the massive graveyard and fairly secluded. It also seemed to be a refuge for a lot of the Spinnan that had survived this long, almost as though they were trying to regroup and hide.

He had promised to let Alicia practice fighting and, all in all… this was an excellent place for her to do it… as long as he was there acting as the referee. These Spinnan were weak compared to most of the things running around the city right now, but still he only allowed Alicia to fight one at a time.

Every time a brave Spinnan would try to tag team her, he would shatter them before they got close enough to distract her from the one she was fighting. Destroying the monsters coming at Alicia was giving him a sense of satisfaction and Damon was quite enjoying himself. She wasn’t half bad… for a beginner.

He’d also noticed a drastic drop in the creatures since the explosion a few hours ago and concluded that someone had found and destroyed the nest. Personally, he wouldn’t have minded getting a look at the demon that had spawned these creepy critters but he shrugged it off. It was probably just as ugly as these things were anyway.

Hearing footsteps and the sound of voices coming from the boundary of trees down the short hill he was standing on, Damon stepped around the corner of the shed and went to investigate. This edge of the cemetery was lined with tall, stately pines that separated it from a suburban neighborhood.

Being this close to houses, Damon was curious as to why no one had heard anything during the night and come to investigate. There were a few times he thought he’d seen the shimmer of a barrier around the property but dismissed it as part of his imagination. If a barrier had been put in place, then maybe the demon hunters weren’t as useless as he’d assumed.

He was almost to the tree line when two men emerged from it, but they stopped when they saw him. Seeing the white outline of a structure through the trees, he summarized that the main maintenance building was probably on the other side of them and these men had just shown up for work.

These guys couldn’t have used any of the major roads to get there… they’d been blocked off. Add to that the fact Damon hadn’t heard any car engines approaching told him the men lived within walking distance of this cemetery.

“Good morning,” Damon said closing the distance between them so he could put them under his thrall.

The two men frowned at him. There had been a lot of strange things going on in the graveyard the last couple days and it made them suspicious of anyone who looked like trouble… and the guy walking toward them fit that description to a T.

The one with a white tank top under his unbuttoned uniform shirt spoke in an authoritative manner. “Can we help you? Visitors are not supposed to be hanging out near the equipment.”

Damon nodded, focusing his vibrant amethyst eyes on them, almost smirking when their expressions mellowed out into a dazed state. “Actually, I’m here to help you by letting you know that you have already finished your work for the day. Your employer said to go back to the maintenance shed and relax until your shift is over. You do not remember seeing me and if anyone asks… you worked hard all day.”

The second worker with his uniform shirt buttoned up and looking more professional glanced over at his co-worker. “It’s time to try out that TV you hooked up in the shed.”

“Yeah, let’s go catch Jerry Springer,” worker number two said in a stupor.

Damon smirked and waited until they were completely out of sight. Once the humans were gone, he turned to start walking back up the hill when he saw an impressive mound of dirt go flying into the air. When he made it back to the top of the hill to check on Alicia’s progress, his expression darkened.

She was now fighting not one… but three Skitters at the same time and it looked like she was having a hard time of it. A deep growl rumbled in his chest when one of them knocked Alicia to the ground with a bone-jarring thud.

Alicia lay there staring up from where she’d been thrown. Everything had been going good until Spinnan number two and three decided to show up and have a tag team. Damon had been helping her out and when nothing happened to the other two right away she’d looked around for him.

Not finding him anywhere, she’d felt a little bit of happiness and frustration at the same time. Happiness because she thought he was allowing her to fight it out… and frustration that he wasn’t there to witness her kicking all three of their asses. Lifting her head up off the ground, she was about to push herself back to her feet when the Spinnan suddenly froze. They stood there for a second before abruptly shattering like glass.

Alicia covered her face with her arms to avoid getting hit with the debris. Thankfully, all of the bits and pieces had blown outward and away from her. When she lowered her arms, she found Damon standing there, straddling her lower legs and looking just as angry as ever. She flinched when he suddenly held his hand out offering to help her up.

“Damn it Damon, I could have taken them if you’d just given me a chance,” she said while grasping his hand.

Damon gently pulled her to her feet and flush against his chest. Alicia was about to protest when she saw the tightness of his jaw and the hardness in his amethyst eyes. Her temper vanished realizing she had unintentionally scared him.

“The rule is one monster at a time,” Damon growled, gearing up for an argument he intended to win. He was taken by surprise when Alicia wrapped her hand behind his head, making sure to thread her fingers through his hair before pulling him down for a mind-blowing kiss.

When they finally pulled away from each other, Damon growled again and pushed Alicia back against the side of the shed he’d been leaning on earlier. The growl would have sounded threatening to most, but to Alicia it was sexy as hell.

“You’re not allowed to do that,” Damon instructed softly.

Alicia looked up at him with feigned innocence shining in her eyes. “Not allowed to do what?”

Damon brushed his cheek against hers, his lips barely touching her skin before hovering near the shell of her ear. “You’re not allowed to distract me.”

“Oh,” Alicia whispered seductively. “You mean like this?”

She rose up on her tiptoes and kissed him again, this time their tongues twining intimately with each other. When Damon pushed his thigh between hers, she spread her legs and pressed down. Liking the sensation, she started rocking back and forth on him. Her eyes slammed shut when Damon lifted his leg and her feet left the ground.

“This is a first,” Alicia panted when their mouths separated.

Damon smirked, “You started it.” His smile vanished and his eyes darkened to a deep amethyst, “Now I’m going to end it.”

Alicia couldn’t help but whimper and wrapped her legs around his waist, rubbing against the erection she could feel growing behind Damon’s zipper.

Damon roughly pressed her against the shed wall and unabashedly ripped her shirt open. His hands found her breasts, tantalizing the hardened peaks beneath the lace before unfastening her jeans.

Alicia lowered her legs and let Damon slowly push her jeans down. She stepped out of the denim around her ankles and lifted her legs around his waist again. Damon smirked while he worked his zipper open and freed himself from the confines.

Shifting their positions, he exhaled harshly as he thrust his hips upward at the same time he brought Alicia down on his erection. Alicia cried out and her head connected with the concrete wall behind her. Damon rolled his hips at a punishing pace, making sure she fully understood what it meant to distract him.

Alicia opened her eyes and grabbed on to Damon’s shoulders, pulling him closer to her. His head dipped and he sucked a nipple deep into his mouth. Alicia gasped at the sensations and arched against him. As hard as he was driving into her, it felt like her body was convulsing with each thrust.

A sound behind Damon made her glance up and her eyes went to half-mast when she saw a Skitter running up behind them. Apparently, the demon thought they were vulnerable and sought to take advantage of the situation.

“Skitter at twelve o’clock,” Alicia whispered breathlessly.

She watched the creature shatter with Damon’s power and moaned loudly when he started thrusting harder. He was like a man possessed… hard, fast, bordering on pain and she loved it.

“On the right,” Alicia warned.

Another Skitter met its maker and Damon lifted his head from her breasts. Taking her wrists in his hands, he pinned them to the wall behind her and bared his sharp fangs.

“Come for me,” he growled when he felt Alicia’s soft walls start flexing around him in the same rhythm he was pounding into her.

Alicia ignored his demand and turned her head to the side to avoid looking him in the eyes. She was trying to hold on as long as she could because despite what other people might think… making love in the middle of a cemetery was hotter than hell. The fact they could be caught by anyone at any time made it all the better.

“Do it,” Damon rumbled viciously against her ear.

He was barely holding on by a thread but, like her, he wanted it to last and come to completion at the same time. They were both so turned on by the idea of being caught and killing demons while doing it that neither one of them were in any shape to last much longer.

Alicia cried out and finally gave in… turning her gaze back to Damon’s heated one. The coil in her belly was wound so tight that she was sure it would break. More movement from behind Damon made her look over his shoulder and she gasped.

“Behind you,” she managed in a ragged whisper.

Damon smirked and extended his power toward the attacking Skitter. At the same moment it shattered, Alicia’s body tightened around him like a vise and she screamed her release to the sky above them. Damon followed a few heavy thrusts later, filling her with his seed… once again claiming her body and soul.

They remained pressed against one another, breathing heavily as their heartbeats began the process of slowing down. Damon was so proud of his little hellcat, she was just as demented when it came to sex as he was… and that was what made it so damn hot.

Finally, Damon pulled back a little and gave her a soft smile. They both moaned when he removed himself from her and let her legs drop from around his waist. Looking her up and down, he had to admit she made one sexy-as-hell vision.

Her shirt was ripped down the front with the lacy cups of her bra pushed down to reveal her bare breasts to the morning sunlight. It was the first time he realized that she wasn’t wearing any panties… nor were they tangled in her jeans still bunched on the ground.

“How do we explain the shirt?” Alicia asked when she looked down at herself.

“We don’t,” Damon answered with a smirk.

*****

Warren and Devon circled around the Skitter that had crossed their path. It was hissing viciously at them and swiping its long claws. With a shared look, both jaguars attacked. Devon managed to grab one of the arms between his fangs while Warren was able to get a back leg. The Skitter began screaming when they started pulling in opposite directions.

Putting more strength behind it, Devon abruptly jerked his head to the left. The arm gave and Devon backed away with the dismembered arm in his mouth. Warren dropped the leg and took a few steps back when Devon pounced and sank his fangs into the demon’s neck.

Warren sat down and started cleaning himself when he heard the unmistakable sound of another Skitter just beyond a cluster of trees. Looking back at the skitter that Devon was finishing off, he decided that everything was in good hands and went to investigate.

Devon saw Warren leave out of the corner of his eye and quickly killed the Skitter before jumping off its back. Dropping the head, Devon shook himself and turned in the direction Warren had gone. They’d tag-teamed since joining up with one another and Devon was having a blast.

He’d gone a few feet when another Skitter dropped from a tree directly in front of him. A deep growl erupted from his throat and he hunkered close to the ground preparing to pounce. His feline eyes narrowed when he noticed that this one looked extremely agitated.

They stared into each other’s angry eyes before the Skitter hunkered down in mimicry of what the jaguar was doing. Devon growled and leapt toward the demon, intent on killing it quickly. The Skitter leapt at the same time and the two collided in midair.

Devon’s claws swiped at the Skitter but missed, however the Skitter’s strike directly at his head was dead on. The Skitter landed unharmed on all fours while Devon’s unconscious body landed with a thump… knocking him out cold.

The Skitter hissed victoriously, ambling over to the jaguar and grabbing one of its hind legs with a long clawed hand. Dragging the huge cat across the cemetery behind it in the opposite direction its partner had gone, the Skitter approached a small crypt. Opening the door, the Skitter placed the jaguar inside before backing up and staring down at the animal for a moment.

Its head tilted at an odd angle as if it was deciding the best way to kill its prey… instead, it simply backed out of the crypt. The creature returned moments later dragging two of its dead brethren through the damp grass. Dropping them beside the unconscious jaguar, it moved back out of the crypt and shut the door, locking it with the loosely hanging bolt lock.