Page 16 of Blood and Hexes

Glimpse of Hellfire

Alexius’s sister? Dammit. The last thing Mikar needed was to piss off a Helsing.

How could he have known, though? The sensual brunette had been talking about blowing up their defenses. With Belial, of all people. No one could blame him for going for the throat.

Besides, she looked nothing like Alexius. He was blond, to her long, soft dark locks, falling in waves around her sweetheart face. His eyes were blue, hers dark as night, when they didn't turn blood-red. Mikar couldn't immediately pinpoint a single common feature between them. And though it had been a while, Mikar did remember Alexius’s sister. She’d been a rail-thin, sickly thing, who could probably have keeled over if a burst of wind a little too strong blew her way.

She most definitely wasn’t any of that now.

He knew he should immediately release the long, delicate neck he was crushing in his hand, now that he knew she wasn't a threat to his home, but that was easier said than done. The beast inside him refused to comply. It wanted her right where she was: at his mercy. Slowly, he made his dark inner self retreat, relaxing his fingers. No sooner had he let her go than she brought a sharp knee to his groin. The woman watched with evident glee as he bent over, groaning at the unexpected attack on his poor, shriveling balls.

"Fuck!"

"That'll teach you." The woman grinned, and turned her back on him to face Alexius.

She made no move to approach her brother. Alexius didn't advance, either.

After a long moment, Alexius tilted his chin to her in greeting. "What's up, shorty?"

"Vampires are supposed to get hotter after changing. Why are you still so ugly?" she asked him, shaking her head in disbelief.

They were siblings, all right. Mikar used to have the same sort of dynamic with his own brothers and sisters, before everything. The plague. The screams. The death. Most of all, death. As he always did when memories of the past crept in, he chased them away.

Finally able to stand up without wanting to cry, he reluctantly redirected his attention to the man he hadn't wanted to acknowledge. "What are you doing here, Lial?" His voice had an edge, because there was no acceptable answer. Belial was the last person whose presence he wanted to suffer.

Unsurprisingly, the demon was entirely unaffected by his tone. Mikar supposed that Belial, mystical pain in the butt, rarely received a red-carpet welcome. He must have been used to animosity.

"I actually have no idea. I was in a bar when…never mind. This delightful ray of sunshine brought me here," he replied, gesturing to Alexius's sister.

The woman snorted, exchanging a knowing look with Lial. They were sharing a secret, and Mikar didn't like it one bit.

"He was passed out," she told Mikar with unabashed delight. The girl then strutted away to wrap her arms around her brother's neck. Alexius hugged her so tight the hold must have been painful. "You're really out of the borders," she choked. "Without…you know, your face being peeled off, or anything."

Alexius laughed. "Charming as ever, Diana."

Mikar was glad to be reminded of her name. "Alexius's sister" didn't cut it in his mind. Diana. It was a strong, regal name that suited her to a T.

"I'm glad you're here. I wondered when you'd come." After a beat, Alexius amended his statement. "I wondered if you were coming at all."

The two of them shared a look full of untold history that made Mikar feel like he was intruding on a moment.

He chose to concentrate on the demon he hadn't wanted to see ever again. "I meant, what are you doing in this world? Didn't you do enough damage the last time you were here?"

Lial was indifferent to Mikar's ire. "The last time I was on Earth, I got pissed-out drunk and hung out with college chicks for a weekend. Just because we haven't crossed paths in a few thousands years doesn't mean that I haven't popped by for a holiday."

Now, Mikar was pissed. He hated the thought of Belial being here, but his having been to Earth without coming to see him seemed like a worse betrayal. "You have no right to be here." His fangs extended without volition, sharp edges biting into his lower lip. "None."

"Oh? I didn't realize you owned the keys to this world." Without warning, all humor suddenly left Belial's eyes. If Mikar didn't know better, he would have thought that the look in his eyes was something like regret. "Look, I'm sorry for what happened to you, but it's been a while now. When are you going to admit none of it was my fault?"

"I don't know, probably about when you'll admit you ruin everything you touch."

Belial's chuckle didn't hold an ounce of warmth. "Dramatic, much?"

Mikar shook his head.

The last time they'd seen each other, Mikar had been shattered in a thousand pieces, lost, without an anchor. He'd needed Belial. He'd needed his friend. His sire. But Belial had dropped him at someone else’s doorstep and bailed.

"Get out of here, Lial. It's what you do best."

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