Life Cycle (Preternaturals Book 4) Read online

  He didn’t answer, he just stood and helped her get up out of the pile of pillows and blankets. How he ever found the strength of will to get up out of that much comfort, she didn’t know. If she were a demon, she’d be tempted to just lie around and starve, or order carryout.

  Cain wasn’t wearing a stitch of clothing. As he turned toward the entrance of the tent, she got a great view of his ass. It wasn’t even the pretty form he used to catch prey. Having just gotten up, he hadn’t bothered with the glamour. Even without enhancements, he looked like he’d worked out endlessly, which probably wasn’t far off the mark. In his brief time as a human, he’d been a farmer—if the stories were true. It was hard to have that job and not look like you’d been chiseled out of marble, especially back then.

  “Aren’t you going to put some clothes on?” she asked, trying not to sound like a fangirl.

  He turned and arched a brow. “There isn’t a being in this dimension who hasn’t seen me naked at least once. It’s an occupational hazard. Why? Would it make you more comfortable if I put some clothes on?”

  “Yes.”

  “All the more reason not to,” he said with a wink.

  She wished she could say she was playing reverse psychology with him and just wanted to scope out his ass and muscular back on the trip to the caves. So much for being ancient and not behaving like a schoolgirl. Though he did have six thousand years on her.

  As they walked, he held her hand like she didn’t know where the caves were. Suddenly she was thirteen again—not one of the cycles, the real thirteen—holding a boy’s hand for the first time. The memory fluttered up from the abyss of her consciousness. It was hard to believe it was there under all the other layers from the past.

  She barely breathed. Why was holding hands with Cain such a big deal? They’d slept together like a couple of nymphomaniac rabbits—way past the hand-holding stage. Such a simple act shouldn’t create that flutter in her stomach. She should pull away. He should pull away, but his warm hand stayed solidly in hers as they made their way to the caves. Was it wrong that it felt natural? Strip away the demon and witch thing and weren’t they just two people having an affair? Kind of strange motives all around, but still. She was attracted to him, even when he wasn’t using the demon thrall or glamour and her shields were up. Did he find her attractive in the same way? She’d never thought about it, and felt silly for thinking about it now.

  It wasn’t until the shock and weirdness of the moment had worn off that Tam felt the metal around his finger. As they moved down the cobblestone streets between torches, she turned his hand to see the ring with the runic markings. She stopped, pulling him back with her.

  “What?” The demon seemed puzzled they’d stopped moving.

  “Nice jewelry,” Tam said.

  If a demon could blush, or show any signs of guilt, Cain was doing it right now, though it was hard to tell for sure with the low lighting of the demon dimension. He pulled his hand away, and she couldn’t decide if she was disappointed.

  “A friend gave it to me.”

  “Mmm-hmmm,” Tam said, not buying it. “I wasn’t born yesterday. Someone did a spell for you. I can feel the magic on it. Was it to protect you from me? I’m flattered you find me that threatening.”

  He growled. “So I should trust the witch I’m toying with not to turn the tables and hex me for it?”

  “So you admit it openly. You’re toying with me.”

  “I’ve admitted it openly from day one, and yet you’ve been spreading your legs. So much for age making you smarter.”

  She laughed. “I really don’t think you’re in a position to judge me.” She refused to let his words hurt her. It was all part of how he played. She knew what she’d signed on for when she’d made the bargain with him. Of course, she’d thought she’d be dead by now. At this point, did she really think he’d kill her? If not, why was she still sleeping with him?

  Tam hadn’t been awake long enough to contemplate these deep thoughts, so she put them on the shelf where she kept all other unpleasantness, like why she couldn’t be in love somebody like Henry.

  “So,” she said, willing herself not to be distracted, “what did you use to bind the spell?”

  He’d already turned and started walking away from her in all his naked glory toward the caves. He tossed an answer over his shoulder. “That lovely scrap of black lace you had covering your ass the last time you seduced me.”

  Okay. That was it. A ball of energy glowed in her hand. He should have expected it by now, but he hadn’t gone noncorporeal. The ball hit squarely in the center of his back. Tam heard the sizzle as it scorched his skin.

  He rounded on her and roared as he shifted into the demon form, horns popping out, fangs descending, eyes glowing. “I’m not your punching bag. I should suck the life out of you for that.”

  Tam didn’t flinch. “Out here in the middle of the desert? In that form? Kinky.” How many ways could an incubus suck the life out of you? Those had been his words. Not snap your neck or rip out your heart... suck the life out.

  “You’d probably like it, you little freak.”

  She shrugged. “Hey, I’m old. Same as you. We get creative and experimental the more time passes.” The truth was, she wasn’t put off by his demon form. Cain was Cain to her. For better or worse.

  The demon smirked, erasing much of the sinister look and irritation, even though the swirl of dark, black emotions pressed in on her. She wouldn’t back down or show fear. Not to him.

  She didn’t know why she was pushing so hard. Did she still really want to die? If they could get to Jack and stop him first? The death wish was beginning to fade, but it wasn’t that she’d suddenly found a new reason to live, it was that the demon was right. She wasn’t going to say she was falling for him—that would be an admission worthy of psychiatric care, but she did enjoy their time together, even the fighting because fighting made her feel like maybe there was still something in life worth fighting for. It reminded her she wasn’t dead yet. If she could still work up an energy ball or angry words, there was something there that wasn’t completely lost.

  She shook herself out of the pattern of thoughts she still didn’t want to address. “You can’t just take my stuff for magic, especially not my underwear. It’s tacky.”

  “You left them in my cave. It’s not as if I rooted through your bags.”

  Tam trudged along behind him, keeping a safe distance so she couldn’t feel the emotions the demon form brought with it. He couldn’t help that those things existed in that form. Did he feel them as much as she did? Did he draw strength from it or did it weigh him down? How could anybody, good or evil, carry that around with them all the time, just under the surface? Where did it all go when he was in the handsome form and she couldn’t feel it? Did he keep it all bottled inside?

  In spite of herself, and everything else, the tiniest seed of sympathy for the devil sprouted within her. And she knew it would be her downfall.

  Chapter Ten

  By the time they reached the caves, Cain had shifted back into the pretty form. Even with his back to her, she knew which form it was. He was a little bigger and a little more intimidating in this form than his original human look. And just like the demon form gave off a form of dark energy few could withstand, this form gave off a sexual energy, more subtle, but still intoxicating.

  “Does it take a lot of work to maintain that form?”

  He created a fireball to light the torches, then turned to her, his face smooth of all lines and scars. “Not at my age.”

  “Then why do you shed it sometimes, like when you sleep?” She stood just inches from him, trying to avoid the temptation to discard her own clothing; she needed to stay focused on her goal.

  He reached out and stroked her cheek. She didn’t breathe, afraid if she did, she’d break this uncommon moment that felt like tenderness and honesty between them. She’d berate herself for her sanity slippage later.

  Although they were isola
ted in the caves, his voice was low, as if he were sharing a secret he didn’t want the walls to hear. “Sometimes it’s good to let everything go.”

  “Then why did you put the glamour back up just now?” She’d seen his original human form. They were in the middle of nowhere. There was no one to impress and no food for him to hunt out here. And if he wanted her, they both knew at this point that the form wasn’t a barrier for her. She probably would have slept with him in the demon form out in the desert, a point she didn’t want to dwell on. It would mean she was starting to feel for the person underneath it all, not just the pretty fantasy.

  He shrugged. “Force of habit.”

  “So let go,” she said.

  His face tensed, and for a moment she thought she’d pushed too far, but then he sighed and dropped the glamour. Tam reached out and traced the mark on his forehead. A moment of stillness passed between them. With other people in another situation, it would have been the part where the epic orchestral music played, where the couple looked deeply into each other’s eyes with the devotion of true love and shared a passionate, angst-filled kiss. But they weren’t those people, and the only music Tam could hear was the flickering of the torchlight. Cain pulled away abruptly and went down one of the dark corridors.

  He didn’t make an arrogant remark or taunt her like he normally did. He was so eerily quiet, she almost wished he’d say something awful just to break up the discomfort of his silence.

  “I can’t see back here,” she said, as she followed him. She assumed they were going to get her stuff, but a part of her thought maybe he just wanted to get away from her.

  “You could use one of your energy balls.”

  She’d thought about it, but was afraid he’d take it as a threat. And she wasn’t in the mood for another fight right now. “I don’t think it would be bright enough.” Which was also true.

  Cain created a fireball to illuminate the corridor and they kept walking. He reached the pod with her stuff in it and placed a hand over the egg-shaped door. It glowed for a moment, then opened with a groan of rock against rock. He slung a few of the bags over his shoulder and gave the rest to Tam.

  They were in the main part of the cave when he spoke again. “You said you had to do big magic. What kind of magic?”

  He was pretty confident about that ring, if he was just asking now.

  “I need to contact Henry.”

  “Henry?”

  Was that jealousy in his voice? Ridiculous. Cain wasn’t the type. But it seemed like something similar—some emotion too nuanced to put her finger on.

  “Henry was a dear friend of mine for a couple of centuries.”

  “And why are we contacting him?” There was that weird pseudo-jealousy thing again. She had to be reading things that weren’t there.

  “He was a raven therian and my familiar. I lost him a few years ago. He’s on the other side. Since Jack formed a connection with me in the dream, I can’t find him, but maybe Henry can. So to answer your question, I need to do a séance.”

  “Don’t you need more than one person for that?”

  And now he was being somewhat considerate and helpful. It was almost unnerving. It was as if he’d been possessed by somebody civilized.

  “I need someone to ground me.” She was afraid to outright ask him, but he was the only person there. Obviously he was the one she’d have to use.

  They exchanged a look, and she dug through her bags for the book she needed, a sage stick, matches, a clay dish, and a large container of salt. She flipped through the book to the spirit summoning spell and re-read it to refresh her memory. She’d done it many times over the years, but it was always wisest to recheck for things like this. A small mispronunciation could have unpredictable results. Right now she needed predictability.

  “Could you have done this with your sister? Call her, I mean?” The care of the phrasing and gentleness in his tone startled her and dampened any ire she might have felt at being asked. He thought her sister could have given them information they needed about Jack’s location.

  Tam tried to keep the tears at bay. She’d mourned in short bursts, not letting the grief wash over her yet. She couldn’t. And she’d convinced herself it wasn’t necessary. If Cain was going to kill her for real, she’d see Naomi soon enough. But the belief that he would was fading, and along with it, her ability to keep her emotions in check.

  “I doubt Jack would be that sloppy. He changed locations after each kill for that reason. It wouldn’t give me anything real to use, and it would be too painful.”

  “He could change his location now,” Cain said.

  “True, but if Henry can make use of the brief connection he made while it’s still fresh and get a track on him, it won’t matter. He’ll be able to follow him.”

  She poured the salt in a circle around Cain and lit the sage stick. When he looked anxious—an odd look on Cain to be sure—she reassured him.

  “I need to cleanse the space, first.”

  “But I’m a demon.”

  “Yes, and that’s why you’re inside the circle.” She waved the stick around the cave, glad it was large enough for so much smoke.

  She entered the circle and sat cross-legged on the ground, placing the clay dish in front of her. She laid the sage stick on the dish, allowing it to continue to burn, the thin ribbon of smoke curling upward. Cain sat across from her and took her hands without prompting when she held them out.

  Despite what he was, he felt warm and solid. She couldn’t ask for better grounding. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, inhaling the scent of the sage, letting go, while her anchor held her steady.

  ***

  Cain’s grip on her hands tightened when she began to intone a chant. It was unlikely she was working magic against him, especially knowing about the ring and the danger such an attempt could bring. But old reflexes died hard. It wasn’t easy letting one’s guard down with a witch.

  He didn’t want to think about why he’d held her hand on the way to the caves, or why he’d allowed her to snuggle in the pillows and blankets with him before letting her know he was awake, or why holding her hand right now felt more possessive than perfunctory.

  Now that he’d let his guard down, feelings rose to the surface that he’d pushed down. She was right. He didn’t need her in a war. It would be nice. It would be helpful. But Cole and the others could cobble together a coven to stay protected if necessary.

  Deep down he’d known what all of this was all about. She had enough life experience to relate to him. She was pretty, sure, but pretty women weren’t rare in his world. He could have anybody he wanted, even her—without promises or commitment. He’d proven that already. But he didn’t just want a meal or toy. If he suspected he was covering a confusing collection of feelings, he had no doubt the witch was doing the same. Why would she keep sleeping with him if she really had a death wish, given how many times they’d done it in the preceding weeks, with no sign of her death on the horizon?

  Of course, now he’d played up the whole you’ll-beg-me-to-keep-you thing so hard that she’d never trust he wasn’t toying with her. What had that been about? Because he couldn’t risk his own ego? Was it that he needed to know she wanted him before making a fool of himself? Hadn’t he lived long enough by now to survive a little ego bruise? And if she bruised his ego, couldn’t he put the whammy on her and kill her?

  It wasn’t that he wanted forever, he just wanted time to figure it out. The idea of Tam in his life felt strangely comforting. Whether they were fighting or fucking didn’t even matter to him, just so long as she was there and he didn’t have to pretend he was the happy-go-lucky hedonist, wearing a mask for the other demons. It wouldn’t do for them to know the man upstairs had finally succeeded in breaking him. He was the symbol of what a demon could be: free. There was no need to be tortured about it or succumb to one’s prey. If he broke down and gave in to the twisted plan to remake him—set in motion long before Tam came on the scene—then it was
only a matter of time for the other demons.

  He looked back at Tam. She was glowing again. Her voice had taken on an ethereal quality. If he hadn’t been holding her hands, he wouldn’t be sure she was solid at all. She seemed more like a vision or hallucination than anyone who could possibly be real.

  The smoke curling off the sage stick grew thicker as it rose between them, and then, out of the smoke, came the shape of a raven. The image of the raven swirled and became distorted, and out of the distortion rose a more human shape, transforming from a smoke-created image into a spirit, someone so real, you could almost touch him.

  “Hey, Tam, did you ever look at your cards again?” the apparition asked, by way of introduction, as if they’d recently had a conversation.

  How often did she call this guy up? The spirit eyed Cain with a smirk that the demon didn’t particularly care for.

  Tam opened her eyes and smiled up at him. “Hey, Henry. I hope I’m not disturbing you.”

  “You mean up here in Stepford Heaven?”

  Tam giggled and Cain had the odd urge to kill someone that was already dead. She seemed so relaxed around this Henry guy, and Cain knew that even if it wasn’t like that now, at one point in time, they’d been lovers. He could just tell these things. He growled.

  The witch arched a brow.

  “Looks like your boyfriend is getting a bit territorial over here,” Henry said.

  “I’m not her boyfriend.”

  “He’s not my boyfriend.”

  The indignant rebuttals came out of the two of them simultaneously, but the therian just chuckled. “Young love,” he said with a sigh. Then he laughed. “Or is that an inappropriate description for two people of your advanced ages?”

  Cain was ready to let go of Tam’s hands to make the guy disappear. Worse than someone he might have to compete with was someone who could see things a bit too clearly. Not love, just that something was brewing. It was easy for people to confuse sex with love. He saw it all the time. Powerful attraction and love weren’t the same thing. He knew it, and he assumed Tam knew it. Where that left them, he wasn’t sure, but he was ready to break the connection and end the séance before it had really begun if it meant he wouldn’t have to keep thinking about it.