Midnight's Master

Chapter 14

Fury was a red haze that colored his vision. Niol tasted the ashes of rage on his tongue and knew that his control was razor thin.

Holly could have been killed.

If the assholes had attacked while he hadn’t been around-

I knew she’d be dangerous to me. Fuck me, I knew.

He couldn’t afford this kind of weakness.

Not now. Not ever.

A slim black casket, gleaming in the afternoon light. Nina had been inside. Her laughter gone, her spirit stolen.

Niol swallowed.

Gillian. His half sister. He hadn’t even known about her, not until just a few months before her death. Seemed his mother had started a whole new life after she’d ditched his ass.

But, Gillian had come looking for him. Wanted him.

Then he’d found her that cold dawn…

In her red dress. The dress I’d bought for her. Blood soaking the dress and pooling all around her slender body.

He hadn’t been able to keep her safe, either.

All his so-called power and two women he’d cared for were dead.

His gaze locked on Holly.

Not three. Not fucking three.

“You’ll destroy everything, every damn body! I don’t want you near me, got it? I don’t want you near me!” His mother’s last words to him. Screamed in her fury.

“Niol, pull it back.” The clipped man’s voice caught him off guard. He flinched. He knew that voice.

Detective Colin Gyth.

The shifter. He’d killed the murdering bastard who’d attacked his Gillian. For all their differences, and there were a hell of a lot of ’em, Niol owed the wolf a debt.

“Pull. It. Back.”

It took Niol a moment to understand. He tore his eyes away from Holly and glanced up at the sky. Toward the swirling clouds of red and black. The howl of the wind reached him and lightning crackled across the sky.

Too much power. His curse.

He inhaled slowly. She’s alive. Not like the others.

But she could have been dead, because she’d been with me.

So damn arrogant. He’d thought he could keep her safe from everything out there.

He should have known. He hadn’t saved the others, and now, he was causing the threat to her.

A cool hand against his. Soft. Feminine. “They didn’t get us.” Holly’s voice. Strong.

But she wasn’t strong.

A demon, but as weak as a human.

Gillian had been a low-level demon, too. Fragile.

So easy to destroy.

Not her blood. I won’t have Holly’s blood on my hands, too. The stains on his hands had already soaked through the skin.

Another deep breath.

She stroked the flesh on his arm.

His eyes stayed locked on those clouds. Control. He wouldn’t lose it now. Not in front of the cops who’d fire at him if his power went wild.

Fire and maybe hit Holly.

A long, thick arc of lightning, a blast of thunder, followed by a heavy stench in the air-fire and fury.

Can’t. Love. Her.

Deep breath.

Won’t.

Her fingers on him.

Niol squeezed his eyes shut. “Get the bastards away from me if you want them to keep livin’.”

“We need to get the Jaws of Life out here!” Brooks. The one Cara mistakenly had taken to mate.

Cara. So like her sister Nina.

A succubus who loved.

Dangerous, that.

Niol grunted and metal screeched.

“Not anymore we don’t,” Gyth muttered and there was a clatter as the broken side door hit the ground.

He could hear someone babbling, pleading. The asshole kid.

His eyes opened. Narrowed on his victim. “I see you again, you’re dead.”

“Ah, Niol, you can’t threaten someone in front of cops-”

Slowly, he turned his attention to the human. What did Cara see in him?

“These jerks just tried to kill us!” Holly’s fierce voice. She stepped in front of him.

In front of him.

Niol blinked.

“They made molotov cocktails and threw ’em into the bar. Their van crashed when they were hightailing it out of-”

“Lucky coincidence,” Gyth said, face straight.

“-here, but this guy-” Holly charged right on, pointing her finger at Mr. Sobbing, “Confessed and right before you came up with sirens blazing-”

Niol finally glanced around at the scene. Fury was settling, for now, and he could think past the immediate need to destroy.

For the moment .

Two patrol cars had braked nearby. Their lights still blazed, doors hung open, and uniformed cops stood on alert, guns drawn.

Then there was Gyth’s black Jeep. Right in front of them.

“-he was going to tell us about the woman who hired him to torch the bar.”

“Was he?” Gyth, who’d had his own gun drawn, holstered the weapon and jerked the kid to his feet. “Then he can tell us all.”

The kid stared at him, at the hint of fang Gyth had let slip loose. Then he looked back at Niol. His eyes widened and then rolled back into his head.

He sagged in the wolf shifter’s arms, out cold.

Lucky bastard.

Niol started walking away from the cops, fast.

Because he couldn’t be around the fools in that van a minute longer.

And he had new prey to hunt because he’d slipped into that punk’s mind in that one precious instant, gone in hard and fast and deep. His probe had been so brutal he’d made the jerk pass out.

Lucky . It would have been nice if the kid had suffered more from his psychic push, but he’d get that blood punishment later.

For now, Niol had gotten exactly what he wanted.

He’d seen the woman. A perfect image.

Tall and slender. Hair bundled under a long black scarf. Golden skin. Dark sunglasses perched on high cheekbones. Rounded jaw. Thin lips. A small black mole on the side of her neck.

New prey.

I’m coming.

He’d find out just why the bitch had targeted him.

The cops got out of Niol’s way. No one moved to stop him. Hell, no one seemed to move at all until Niol was gone.

Holly crossed her arms over her chest, feeling chilled, and, well, abandoned.

Niol hadn’t even glanced back at her when he’d marched across the street.

“Storm, you just keep turning up in bad places.” Gyth stepped closer to her as he shook his head. Behind him, Brooks and the uniforms checked out the wounded pyros.

One of the cops had his radio out as he called for an ambulance.

Oh, yeah, they’d need that ambulance.

“I was in the bar, minding my own business.” Just finishing up some great sex. “Then these jerkoffs decided to get fire crazy.”

He crept even closer. So close that when he spoke again, she knew the others couldn’t hear his faint words. “Real stupid to go after Niol with fire.”

It was. “They’re humans, aren’t they?”

His nostrils flared. “Smell that way.” His gaze trapped hers. “But then, so do you.”

There was a definite question there, one she was going to ignore. “I don’t think they know exactly who …” What. “They’re dealing with.”

“I’d say that’s shit straight.” One brow rose. Those blue eyes were brilliant with intensity. “And I’d say it’s a good thing we arrived when we did. Otherwise, I think our torchers would be dust.”

It was hard not to flinch at that. No denying that Niol had been enraged, but he’d held on to his control.

She’d seen him fight to hold it.

She’d also seen him walk away from her without a backward glance and that had hurt.

“Why-” Holly stopped and cleared her throat. Because she’d sounded hoarse, from the wind, of course. It had been blowing like a mini-tornado moments before. Had to be from the wind. “Why were you in the area, detective?”

He scratched the bridge of his nose. There was a groan from the man still in the front seat of the van. Holly glanced over at him. Brooks had his index finger in front of the guy’s eyes and the cop was getting him to track the movement.

That one seemed to be coming around, finally.

“I was coming to see Niol.”

Her attention turned back to Gyth.

“Had a few questions for your lover,” he continued in that same near-whisper voice.

“What kind of questions?” Surely he wasn’t back to suspecting Niol-

“Questions about Kim Went and about the fact that I’m pretty sure she’s a demon.”

Her breath came out, fast. “What?”

“Didn’t you know?”

She would have been blind and deaf to have missed the suspicion from the good detective. “How do you know?” Holly asked instead. Niol had said he didn’t know, how had-

His lip curled. “Sources, Storm. Sources.”

Well, well.

“And I have it from one of the best sources in the city that Kim Went is a demon.”

“So you came to ask Niol-”

“If he knew she was one of his brethren…and if the attack at News Flash Five was really aimed at you-”

No way to stop the flinch that time.

“Or at her. Because we all know we’ve got a demon-hunter on the streets.”

And a missing demon now. One already weakened, who could so easily stumble into the hunter’s grasp.

His heart thudded in his ears. A hard, blasting beat. Niol yanked open the door of Paradise and stormed inside. The stench of burnt wood and plastic had his nose twitching and a snarl rising to his lips.

Should have ripped the fools apart.

But she’d stopped him. She’d-

The floor creaked behind him.

Tired of this shit.

Niol moved in a blur and grabbed the idiot behind him, locking his fingers around a thick neck. He shoved the guy-yeah, it was a man-up against the closest wall and held him pinned with his steely grip.

“I’m not in the fucking mood for visitors,” he snarled. The rage was still too close to the surface. His control too thin. And this dumbass had just picked the wrong moment to stumble into Paradise-

“G-girl…y-you…w-want…” The man, some guy with a receding hairline and bulging eyes, struggled to speak as his face began to redden. Hazel eyes shot to black.

Demon. He’d known that from the first glance.

But the fellow’s words had him pausing and his grip eased, just a bit. “What girl?”

The demon sucked in a sharp pull of air. His feet dangled off the floor by a good ten inches. Niol wasn’t even straining.

Sometimes, it was so good to be a level-ten ass-kicker.

Gillian’s stark face flashed before his eyes.

His teeth clenched. “What. Girl?”

“H-heard P-Patience talking d-down at th-the Gin-”

Gin Easy. A seedy bar where those Other cast out of Paradise usually wound up.

“S-she was ta-talking about a-a demon m-missing…”

His own patience was just about gone. “What about her?” Were the cops still outside? Was Holly?

“S-saw her…hour ago.”

Niol dropped him. The fellow’s legs slipped out from under him and he fell to the floor.

The door to Paradise opened with a groan. “Thanks a lot for deserting me out there-” Holly began.

His gaze shot to her.

He saw her take in the fallen man and she stumbled to a halt. “Ah, Niol? What’s going on?” Her nose was wrinkled in a little scrunch that shouldn’t have been cute.

But it was.

Don’t care. He couldn’t be weak, not with her.

“This guy,” Niol stepped back a foot, two. “Says he knows where Kim is.”

“What?” Her jaw dropped.

“He’s just about to tell us everything he knows.” A threat.

The demon pushed up onto his knees. “Not-not unless you meet my terms.” Seemed braver now.

Shit. Why the hell did everyone want to bargain? Did he look like he wanted to make a deal?

Another stupid demon myth and this jerkoff should know that. Demons hated deals. Mostly because no one in demon-kind ever stuck by their word.

But because some jackass long ago had gone around scamming the humans…that myth about making a deal with the devil still circulated.

“I don’t make deals.”

Holly grunted at that.

His lips twisted. Okay, so she was the exception. And look where that particular exception had gotten him. Tied up in knots and so hard and horny he could barely think half the time.

A slow rise to his feet. The demon lifted his chin. “Then you don’t find the g-girl-”

Oh, definitely seemed to be getting his balls back. Really poor timing that. Niol motioned with his hand and one of the charred tables flew across the room and slammed into the demon’s chest.

And right back down to the floor he went.

“Dammit, Niol, the cops are right outside!” Holly hurried forward, then stopped, frowning down at the groaning demon. “Ah, sir? What’s your name?”

Because acting all sugar-and-sweet nice was going to work with the guy. “Stay away from him, Holly.” Not a gentle order. More of a fierce growl.

She shot him a pissed look. So what? He wasn’t about to risk her safety again. When the woman didn’t move, Niol grabbed her wrist and jerked her to his side.

After a moment, the demon shoved the table off and rose, much slower this time, to his feet. “N-name’s S-Sylas K-King.”

“Where. Is. The. Girl?” He’d never met Sylas King before, never so much as even caught a glimpse of him in the city.

Sylas balled his hands into big, hamlike fists. “Need your help.”

Right. He’d agreed to help one woman, one determined reporter, and now everyone wanted a handout. “It’ll work this way, Sylas. Tell me where the girl is and I’ll let you walk out of Paradise in one piece or you can-”

“Why do you need his help?” Holly. Sounding curious and all reporter-girl again.

“Got me a son.” The fearful pause was gone from the man’s voice, but the fear lingered in his gaze. Good. He might not be as dumb as Niol had originally thought. “He’s thirteen-starting to show his power.”

Niol felt a punch in his gut. He knew where this was going. He knew.

“I don’t got me much power.” He shook his head. “Can barely control fire, but he-he’s different.”

Niol’s eyes closed for a moment, then opened just as Sylas said-

“My boy’s going dark on me. Gettin’ the Touch.”

He saw the tremble that shook Holly’s body.

“I don’t want to lose him.” The words came faster, rushing out. “Don’t want him to slip to the drugs or kill himself. Shit, he’s already tried razoring his wrists once. You’ve got to help me, you’ve got to-”

“He will.” Holly sounded absolutely certain. Niol glanced fully at her. Saw the pain on her face. Remembering her brother.

“I will.” Niol repeated, his voice hard. Who are you kidding? You know you’d do just about anything to take that look off her face.

Weak.

He’d have to stop this before it was too late.

Pity had stirred in him at the man’s confession. Not another one. Not another lost demon forced into the darkness.

Maybe he could help this one.

Or maybe the Monster Doctor could.

Could be time to start executing his plans. He nodded. “Tell me about the girl and I’ll see what I can do for your boy.”

Sylas opened his mouth, then hesitated. “You give me your word?”

For what it was worth. “Yes.”

“Tell us,” Holly urged. “We don’t have much time.”

“Saw two women in front of Reed Infirmary. Your girl-she got sick or something and her friend had to help her.”

Every cell in Niol’s body seemed to freeze. “Her friend?”

“Yeah, a blonde. She had her hair pulled back, a scarf around it, but it blew loose. She had on sunglasses-”

Like the bitch who’d sent the pyros after him.

“She said she’d take care of-of the other one. Said they had a ride waitin’-”

“And you just drove off and left them?” Holly’s voice was hushed but Niol heard the vibration of anger.

“I did.” Admitted with his chin up. “At first, I did. Then I got worried. Didn’t…seem right. And that other girl-” His eyes were on Niol. “She was one of ours. I saw her eyes flash black and I saw fear in ’em. I don’t like seeing fear in a demon woman’s eyes.”

Join the club.

“There wasn’t any car coming to meet them. When I circled back, I saw the blonde shoving the demon into the back of her car. I followed ’em.” He wet his lips.

“The address.”

Kim could be dead by now. Cut up like the others and left to bleed out…with parts of her body gone missing.

Holly’s fingers dug into his arm. He knew she was thinking the same thing.

No time to lose.

Sylas rattled off a shaky address.

Niol and Holly rushed for the door.

“Don’t forget my boy! You gave your word! Don’t you forget my-”

This was the side of the city most folks stayed away from, if they were smart.

Holly’s nails bit into the leather that covered Niol’s passenger seat. They’d all but flown out of the parking lot of Paradise, and the two detectives, Gyth and Brooks, were right on their tail. A good thing, Holly figured, because she sure didn’t know what they’d find waiting for them. Niol took the curve hard and Holly slammed into the passenger-side door.

He stopped a distance away from the house, away from the small, run-down house that almost seemed to be tipping over onto the railroad tracks.

“Stay here,” Niol ordered, his jaw clenched as he killed the engine. His gaze was on the house and the air in the vehicle had thickened with tension.

And fear. Hers, not his. The guy just looked pissed off while she was so nervous her stomach twisted.

Be alive. A plea. She didn’t want Kim to be dead. Not Kim with her quick smile and her slow laugh.

Not Kim.

Niol opened his door.

“I’m coming with you.” The words sounded tougher than she’d thought they would.

He looked at her, one of those you-can’t-be-serious expressions on his face.

But she was serious. “I know her, Niol. If she’s in there-” Dead or alive, “I have to go in.” She couldn’t stand back on the sidelines, not for this.

The Jeep pulled in behind them, wheels almost soundless on the pavement. The cavalry had arrived.

Niol turned away from her and Holly hurriedly jumped out of the SUV.

“What the fuck is goin’ on, demon?” Brooks demanded, but kept his voice low.

Niol didn’t answer, so Holly cleared her throat and jerked her thumb toward the house. “We got a tip. Kim could be inside-”

Brooks pulled out his weapon.

“Stay here.”

Did all men love to give that order or what?

Brooks turned to his partner. “No warrant, but I’m sure not gonna stand around here with my thumb up my ass if that girl’s inside-”

“I don’t need a warrant.” From Niol. Then he was gone. Turning, running, and heading straight for the house.

“ Sonofa-”

The detectives ran after him.

So did Holly. Crap, she’d put her heels back on. They were gonna slow her down and-

Be alive.

The door of the house flew off as Niol bounded up the rickety steps.

“Blood.” The growl came from Gyth. “Too much-”

She didn’t smell it, not yet, but she’d trust that shifter’s nose anytime, anywhere.

Kim.

Niol disappeared into the house and the shifter bounded right after him.

Brooks turned around and caught Holly, stopping her just when she was about to enter the house-

His face was stark white. And she could smell the blood now. Clogging her nostrils. Choking her.

A muscle jerked along his jaw as he said, “I don’t think you want to see-”

“Holly! Holly, get in here-she’s alive!” Niol’s voice seemed to shake the house.

The cop’s eyes widened and he dropped his hold. “Is it clear?” He barked to his partner.

“Bastard’s gone, for now.”

Brooks went in before her.

Holly stumbled inside, her breath rattling in her chest.

“Looks like playtime was interrupted,” Gyth muttered.

Holly peered around the detective’s broad shoulders. Understanding sank in at once.

A table-some kind of folding exam table-was set up in the middle of the room, and Kim was stretched out on that table, strapped down.

Bleeding. Too pale.

Niol bent over her, his fingers around her throat.

Kim was nude, except for the blood covering her. So much blood.

“Oh, my God-”

“We need an ambulance, fucking now -” Gyth yelled into his cell phone.

“He left her to bleed out,” Brooks said and he put his hand over the gaping wound high on the left of Kim’s abdomen. “Asshole just left her-”

Holly’s skin was icy cold. Bruises lined Kim’s face and she looked so young.

And then, those still lashes tried to lift.

Still alive. Niol had said it, but when she’d seen the body, she hadn’t believed-

Holly was beside her in an instant. “Kim? Kim, you’re safe, now, okay? You’re safe-”

Her eyes didn’t open.

Holly took her hand, a hand even colder than her own. “No one’s going to hurt you anymore. We’re going to get you help, okay?” Brooks and Gyth were working on her now, applying pressure to her wounds and-

“Bastard sliced her open-” Gyth’s snarl.

“That’s not all he did…” Niol, a rage banking his voice and sending a tremor down her spine.

She glanced up at him. “What are you-”

Kim’s body jerked. Once. Twice. Again and again and blood poured from her lips. “ No! Kim, Kim, stay with me!”

Her body fell back against the plastic.

Her black eyes were wide open now, staring sightlessly ahead.

No.