Chapter Eleven

Per her request, the slayers escorted Jade to Jinx’s burial site, despite the inclement weather. She’d been at the castle when the memorial service had been orchestrated. She felt horrible over having missed the event, because Jinx had been a good friend. Yet her absence had been unavoidable.

Slipping from her horse, she waded through calf-deep banks as Toran and Walker moved away, giving her privacy. She fought to keep her distress at bay as she stared at the cross protruding from a snowy mound.

Jade prayed for an even tone as she said, “I’m sorry I wasn’t here for the funeral, Jinx. I got held up.”

A wave of tormented feelings rose within her, despite her best efforts. Tears burned her eyes and her voice cracked as she said, “I always adored you. From the first time we met. You came to my fifth birthday party and told me you could read fortunes. Of course, you had to explain to me what that meant.”

She laughed quietly, painfully. “You spun a silver coin on the kitchen table and when it landed heads up, you gasped and said, ‘You’re the little girl who will always be smiling’.”

Indeed, she had been that child…until her parents had been viciously attacked. Shredded.

Fat drops slid down her cheeks. “After my parents were murdered, I begged you not to tell my fortune ever again, because that initial one didn’t come true. It didn’t last, Jinx.”

At eleven years of age, she’d wanted to scream at him for telling her a lie. Her parents had been mauled, and she’d believed she’d never smile again. How cruel had it been for Jinx to mislead her, when he’d claimed over and over that his predictions were accurate?

But, of course, she’d never truly blamed him. Yes, before that fated time of her life, she’d soaked up his optimism and it had been heart-wrenching when her personal tragedy had proven him wrong. Regardless of his otherwise successful track record, she’d turned wary, skeptical. Still, she’d cherished him and had eventually come around to bask in his warm light again.

Jinx was a man whose compassion and exuberance had won over even the most cynical and broken of hearts—hers.

Jade was not one to put her troubles on another, but she’d had a need to believe in Jinx. And, years following her parents’ deaths, he’d done his best to provide her a measure of comfort in an uncertain world.

She said, “You were very special to me, Jinx. And I will miss you every single day.”

Jade brushed away her tears. After a moment of silence, she turned and rejoined the slayers.

Later, she remained on the horse while Walker inspected her cottage to ensure it was safe inside. When he indicated all was well, she slid off the back of the stallion and followed the other slayer through the front door.

As Walker built a fire, Toran said, “The general told us his patrol discovered a small colony of demons not associated with the alliance along the Canadian border. But the fire wraith wasn’t among them.”

“Did Morgan say if they had a lead on where he might be?” she asked.

“No. But certainly not anywhere near this village. We’ve seen nothing out of the ordinary since you were attacked. I can’t imagine he’d come back after the king took him on.”

“Likely,” Walker said, “they had an assassination strategy plotted out. They’re too small a band of demons to storm the castle, but they found a way to lure King Davian from his protective walls.”

“He thought I’d been conspiring with Lisette and had developed some sort of magical powers,” Jade explained, so the slayers wouldn’t speculate over her association with the Demon King and how everything had unfolded of late. “That was the reason he and the general followed me. Turns out, it was the wraith with the powers he sensed, since the rogue demon simultaneously watched me. This turned into a ‘which came first—the chicken or the egg?’ kind of thing.”

She kept her tone aloof, detached, not wanting to give anything away, particularly that she now had a very personal relationship with Davian. Even if the one night they’d shared was an anomaly never to be repeated, she still believed they were inexplicably tied to each other.

Continuing, Jade said, “Obviously, the fire wraith found an advantage with the king taking an interest in what I might be up to.” She added, “By the way, I haven’t been practicing witchcraft with Lisette.”

“That’s good to know,” Walker told her. “This is a tenuous state of affairs. We don’t need to tip any scales with you and Lisette teaming up.”

“I understand and agree.”

Toran said, “Maybe you shouldn’t stay here, Jade. You’re too remote. And damn, this house is cold.”

“The fire exploded unexpectedly the other night and I had to put it out. I swear that wraith breathed flames down my chimney.” A couple days had passed, so the cottage was almost on par with the temperature outside. Good thing she didn’t have running water, after all. Her pipes surely would have frozen.

“Why don’t you stay with Michael?” Toran suggested.

“No, I can’t risk it.”

Not just in the event the renegade demon returned and sought her out at Michael’s house, putting him in danger, but also because of her past romance with him—and that he’d nearly kissed her. If he truly wanted a reunion, she had to head that off at the pass, not give Michael any sort of encouragement now that she knew who commanded her passion and owned the most intimate part of her.

She and Michael could never be more than friends. Of course, what had transpired between Jade and the Demon King could also go no further. Even though she’d instantly felt a void straight to her core when she’d left his castle. And lonesomeness had immediately returned to her when she’d entered the cottage. But there was no denying she did not belong on the other side of the village border. She belonged in Ryleigh. And the two worlds that lay on opposite sides of the river should never collide again.

“I’ll stick close by,” Toran offered, breaking into her dismal thoughts.

She said, “Not in this weather. It’s treacherous. I’ll be fine. I’ll stay inside. Try not to worry about me, I won’t go anywhere,” she vowed. There was no need to return to the tavern at present. She doubted even the diehards would venture out in this wicked snowfall. “But do me a favor, please. Let Michael and Lisette know I’m okay and that you saw me safely home.”

“They’re not the only ones worried about you,” Walker told her. “The entire community has been on edge since the general reported you’d been taken to the castle.”

“For the record, the king’s staff took excellent care of me.”

“Still,” Toran said as he unfastened the low-slung belt holding his sword to his hips before handing it over. “Keep this. I know you’re trained to use it.”

She eyed the weapon. She hadn’t had one of this caliber in the house for fifteen years. Her father had taken both his and her sword with him when he and her mother had traveled to another village for a funeral on the day they’d died. Jade had been ordered to stay with Michael’s family, but she’d snuck away and had followed her parents. And had witnessed their gruesome murders.

She shuddered and pushed the memory to the shadowy corners of her mind, with all the other unpleasant recollections.

“Thank you,” she said to Toran. “Both of you. It’s true, this is a precarious time. I’m hoping it has come to an end as far as the fire wraith is concerned.”

“We’ll remain vigilant,” Walker assured her. “And the general and a small squad will patrol their perimeter.”

She knew the slayers had had to come for her when she’d been at the castle, to confirm for themselves she was all right and to appease the villagers. But she suspected they wouldn’t have demanded to bring her back if they thought the situation was still a dicey one.

“It wouldn’t make sense for the fire wraith to come after me again,” she said, “if the king is no longer watching me. He and his bandits will have to devise some other plan to bait Dav—” Her gaze dropped. “The Demon King. Or find a way to breach the castle walls.”

“Not at all a viable scenario while the king’s still alive,” Toran said.

That reversal of fate being one she couldn’t even begin to ponder now that she’d been the recipient of the king’s generosity—and sinful lovemaking.

With the blaze Walker built warming the small house, she repeated, “I’m all right here. But you both need to be cautious in this blizzard.”

Toran chuckled. “A little snow never hurt us.”

Her gaze lifted. “I know you’re modern-day superheroes. But it’s freezing out there, Toran. And the visibility is horrendous.”

“We’re not amateurs,” Walker said. He headed toward the door. “Just stay safe, Jade.”

Yes, her reputation preceded her. Her stubborn and independent streaks, to be exact. But on the heels of the horrifying encounter with the menacing fire wraith, she knew better than to do anything that might put her in jeopardy. Plus…she’d sworn an oath to Davian.

After the slayers left, she started another blaze in the bedroom hearth to ease the biting chill from that portion of the cottage. She wasn’t sure what she was going to do with herself until the storm broke, but sleep wasn’t possible—her mind raced with too many thoughts. As night fell, her gaze remained on the windows lining the back wall.

The image of the fire wraith was burned into her brain, and the fear it would return was not as easily dismissed as she’d implied with the slayers—or as she’d tried to convince herself. Losing her house was still a tormenting notion. And being alone at the cottage during a whiteout only added to her sense of isolation…and her loneliness.

Although she knew the slayers would keep an eye on her, and Morgan and his troops would be in the vicinity, she suffered a much deeper feeling of seclusion and separation following the degree of companionship she’d experienced within the castle walls. Morgan’s concern for her wellbeing. Sheena’s acceptance of her human state…and the vampire’s friendly gestures. Even Jocelyn had cleaned up after Jade with nary a blink of an eye.

And then there was Davian.

She tried her best not to think of their time together. What would be the point? It had been a bizarre twist of fate, but one without any potential for transcendence beyond those few days.

So Jade passed the time scrubbing the charred marks from the stone fireplace, mending clothes and tidying up the cottage. The snowfall slowed and the dense clouds eventually dissipated. Three days later, she was ready to get out and about when Toran made his scheduled visit.

“Any news?” she asked as she used a tree stump to help her climb onto the back of his horse.

“Nothing we’ve heard. Though the general said he’d give us an update in the morning. You sure you want to work tonight?”

“I can only spend so much time alone at the cottage. Turns out I’m not that great a conversationalist.”

He snorted. “Oh, you have plenty to say, Jade. We all know it.” When they arrived at the tavern, he added, “I’ll be back at midnight to see you home.”

The diligent shovel brigade had taken to the walkways, not completely clearing them, given the massive amount of snow that covered the cracked concrete, but they’d made it possible to navigate the village. She entered the building, the noise level a bit more amplified than normal, likely because no one had come in during the storm and they were making up for lost time from weather-related captivity.

Yet the din faded as she ritually crossed to the coatrack, hanging up the cape Sheena had given her. She wore it over her own jacket because the combination provided substantial warmth.

Suddenly swarmed by patrons, Jade had to assure everyone she was in perfect health and also offer what little information she had about the entire incident. When she finally made it to the bar, Michael stared at her in exasperation.

“You’re trying a lot of nerves.” Regardless, he gave her a hug. “You really need to move into the town proper.”

“Please, don’t start with me. Everything’s okay. Let’s forget about it.”

Lisette, who surprisingly sat at the bar—she wasn’t a regular—said, “You were taken to the castle after being assaulted by a fire wraith and we’re not supposed to worry about you?”

Jade sighed. “I’m sorry, I’m not trying to be nonchalant about this, and I do appreciate your alarm over what happened to me. I just don’t have much to say about the whole event. The king and his general rescued me and I recovered under their protection—though I was unconscious most of the time. Regardless…I was very lucky.”

Her friends eyed her skeptically as she busied herself by refilling beer mugs. Lisette had been drinking red wine, so Jade poured a bit more into her glass.

Michael looked as though he wanted to quiz her. Incessantly, no doubt. Skirting his inquiries, she grabbed a tray and trolled the room for empty pints and more orders. The activity helped to divert her mind from her time in Davian’s care and kept her from lying to anyone. She’d held much back from these people during her lifetime, out of necessity, and didn’t like deceiving them further.

However, despite her conviction to bury thoughts of the Demon King, they lingered. Comforting her in a way, yet also taunting her, because her entire being reacted to the remembrance of their night together. It was hardly a fair hand to be dealt. One she couldn’t play.

The evening progressed smoothly, as it typically did. A relief to Jade. Unfortunately, Michael watched her a bit too closely, as though he were looking for some sort of suspicious behavior on her part. She didn’t think she’d given him reason to doubt anything she’d said about her hellish experience with the fire wraith. But he cornered her in the storage room nonetheless.

“Something’s different about you,” he said as he closed the door behind him.

From a high shelf, she grabbed an oversized bag of pretzels the bakery delivered twice a week. “I had a very dangerous altercation with a demon, Michael. Naturally, my nerves are still shot to hell.”

“That’s not it. Although, yes, I can see you’re unsettled. But you also seem to be deep in thought.”

Actually, she was deep in concentration as she blocked her thoughts. “I’m just focusing on my job. Don’t read anything into it.”

He skipped right over her dismissive explanation. “What happened while you were within the kingdom?”

“I told you, I was unconscious for the most part. Then the slayers came for me.”

“Walker and Toran claimed they saw blood in the snow outside your cottage. You were hurt?”

“Yes, but I’m fine now.” How many times did she have to reassure everyone?

“I heard there was a lot of blood. But you don’t have any scrapes or scars.”

“Not that are visible.” Her statement was a true one. As was the case with Davian, her battle wounds had healed—the scars were strictly internal. But she’d meant to imply that she had been injured somewhere her clothing would conceal. She stared at Michael a moment, wondering if he’d buy into her fabrication.

Eventually, he lifted his hands and said, “I know you keep some things from me, Jade. But not everything. I wish you’d tell me what’s going on.”

“And I wish you’d stop interrogating me.” There. She’d made her first wish. Though she knew by the determined look in Michael’s eyes, it wouldn’t be granted. Why had she even bothered?

He took a few steps forward and said, “I saw how he looked at you in the meeting hall.”

“He, who?” She feigned ignorance. The subject matter inched a bit too close to the bullseye.

“The Demon King.”

Michael said this as though he needed to remind her the king was not of their species. And perhaps she did need the reminder. Admittedly, it was difficult to think of Davian as some evil entity who’d waged a war against her kind. Her ancestors. He had a quick temper, yes, but it seemed to be a direct result of his territorial nature. And it wasn’t just his alliance he was possessive and protective of, but also her.

He’d demonstrated much empathy and kindheartedness toward her, a human. He’d been extremely gentle with her while she’d healed.

When he’d made love to her, however… He’d been fiercely passionate. Davian had shown her what desire and intimacy were all about. Jade knew innately and with certainty that she would never experience such powerful emotions with another man, not even Michael.

The very reason she shifted away from him when he reached out to touch her cheek.

“Please don’t,” she said in a low voice. Although she suspected Davian would stay out of her head, it wouldn’t bode well for Michael if the king slipped and inadvertently learned of this exchange through her own thoughts. It would torment Davian as well.

“Jade,” Michael said. “The night you were followed—when we were outside the tavern… I intended to kiss you.”

She nodded. “I assumed.”

“Yet you didn’t move away.”

“No. But things have…changed…since then.”

His eyes narrowed on her. “What things? How? We haven’t seen each other in a week.”

“Michael, I was in grave danger. I couldn’t very well let that transfer to you. I still can’t.” She heaved a sigh. How else was she to explain this other than with a direct approach? “Look,” she told him in a compassionate tone, “I think it’s best if we remain friends. No more than that. For all our sakes.”

She walked past him and reached for the doorknob. Michael halted her in her tracks as he said, “You’re infatuated with him, aren’t you?”

“Don’t be absurd,” she scoffed. But her hand shook on the brass knob.

“You challenged him at the meeting and it seemed to intrigue him. Clearly, though, he was interested in you before that. He was the one watching us on the sidewalk, wasn’t he?”

“Yes.”

“And he kept us from kissing.”

“Yes.”

“Because he wants you for himself?”

“No,” she lied, though it pained her to do so. Yet he wouldn’t understand her relationship with Davian. Nor did she want to throw it in his face. “There is a degree of fascination on both our parts, I’ll confess, but that’s it. Nothing more, Michael.”

His jaw clenched as he mulled this over and likely tried to choose his next words judiciously. Finally, he said, “Be careful, Jade.” He stalked toward her. Her hand fell from the knob. His replaced it and twisted. “Your eyes give you away when you speak of the Demon King.”

He yanked on the door and marched past her.