Page 60 of The Demon's Fire
“Boyo, you’ve lost your zip. Okay. One stream upriver had you losing your commander along with his arm charm. The chick from the party. I told her to rethink her choices. Nobody ever listens to me. I’m just some gorgeous witch bitch with no noggin for serious biz.” Indigo paused. “What? Not bothering to correct me? Oh, well. In one future you locate them. In another, he dies. Afterward she gets it on with a new handsome demon.”
She tapped her chin with a finger. “Few of those beasts, however, are better looking than the hunky, muscle-bound, fire-eyed commander. Yum-yum. Sizzle.” She twirled a strand of hair in her fingers. “Or not. Those futures flowed into each other. Then the view got whirlpooled. No wait, I saw another. Kole and the sexy platinum-blonde bobble were doin’ the demon nasty. Say, is it time for a drink yet?”
“No, dear. Listen to your music.” Alarik fixed his gaze on his son. “Too many coincidences. What are the Scion Firebrands doing?”
“We’ve divided our unit. Some are searching for Chay. Some are… Hold on.”
Rein tapped his wrist as he moved to the side. When he returned, he stretched his neck from side to side again. “There’s a mess at the human’s place in Cleveland—broken door, dead Aeternal, recent scent of a sloth demon, mage, and incubus. Residents have seen too much. I gave the order to clean the area. The crew will dispose of the body, fix the damage, and wipe the neighbors’ memories. I’ll reach out to the Alliance, enlist them in the search for Chay and Margo Hunter Earthside while we do our shit here. Anyway, the rest of my unit is scouring Darque for Kole and Chief Maxwell. Something’s wrong. It’s knotting my muscles.”
“I’ll put my scryers on both cases, but they are already busy searching for Blood Coven descendants, sex slaves, and Cerberus.”
“Meanwhile, we’re prepping the stronghold for guests. We’ll be housing any descendants found. The shit is hitting the fan, and we could use Kole. I could use him.”
Indigo gave a small bow, popping out her buds. “I could use better music.”
ChapterFifteen
Kolepunched his D-chip along with Skyler’s jumper again. The fact neither of them worked concerned him. He didn’t buy coincidence. He touched his sparking fingers together, containing his surging temper.
“You know the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Albert Einstein.” Skyler sat on a rock, bent forward, tracing a circle in the dirt with a twig.
“Hmph.” He tapped his chip again. “Though I may fail a hundred times, may I be judged by the time I succeed. The Cambion of Wales.”
From the small rise where they were stranded, Skyler’s gaze swept across Narobi Flats. “Can we wait somewhere less exposed until we jump? Someplace warmer?” She pulled her coat tighter around her body. “Besides, can’t we just punch a location code into any portal?”
Kole scanned the area, considering their options. Since night would soon be upon them, he didn’t relish being here either. She was right. They were too exposed. “Darque isn’t like Scath. Travelers can’t just punch in location codes. A device is needed. We’ll head for Spriggan Enclave a little north. The villagers don’t possess jumpers, but it’s somewhere to rest, to get more supplies while I figure out what went wrong. If nothing changes, I know a place we can go.” He held out a hand for Skyler.
She dropped the stick, placing her palm in his. “Why would both transportation devices be defective? Is it sunspots or some other interference?”
“Doubtful. Never had this happen before. Since a belief in coincidence is for idiots, I think somebody hopes one of us meets with an accident. I have plenty of enemies, but I don’t see them coming at me this way. Have you left any bleeding hearts in your past who might want to whack you? How about a pissed off client?”
“None. I’m surprisingly enemy free.”
Skyler blinked, as if reconsidering her statement, but she didn’t say anything. He didn’t press.
“How much food or water do we have?”
Kole checked his knapsack. They had ample water if they were careful until they reached the enclave. They had a week’s worth of tablets to purify creek or river water if necessary. As for the rest, they had two protein bars and four dried food packets. “By midday tomorrow, we’ll make it to Spriggan Enclave. We’ll survive easily with what’s here. We sleep outdoors tonight.”
She smiled, but her eyes were a worried blue.
Kole slung his pack over a shoulder. “You’ll be safe with me. I haven’t lost a human CLO yet.”
Skyler’s laugh was soft, a bubbling fountain. He liked it. “How many regular humans have you lost? If you don’t mind my asking.”
“I don’t mind. None. I have an excellent record.” Kole wrapped an arm around her, sharing his body heat.
“I’m sorry.”
Her up-turned face and slightly parted lips made Kole want to kiss her. He restrained himself. “Nothing to be sorry about, Frisca. Like I said before, ‘Shit happens.’”
He pointed across the prairie. A grassy expanse, it was sprinkled with patches of shoulder-high thorny bushes. In the distance were low trees, thick shrubs, mounds of giant boulders. Behind those, mountains. “I’d like to reach the small outcropping of rocks while we still have light. The Sardasian Stones. We’ll pitch camp there, build a fire, eat. In the morning, we’ll stick to the base of the foothills for cover.”
“Sounds good. I’m starved. You know how hungry I get when I’m nervous. Not that I’m worried.” Skyler tripped on a large bone.
Kole examined it. “Questing beast. Femur. We’re at the edge of the plains where they roam. Probably taken down by a harpy.”
“It’s big.”
