There you are, sweetheart. I knew you"d come back to me.
Amun held her tightly to his side, and to her relief, he didn"t freeze. In fact, his heat wrapped around her, melting the rest of the ice.
"I"m sorry," she said, voice shaking. "I didn"t mean to-"
Don"t be sorry. You saved our a.s.ses. Now come on. We need to get out of here before reinforcements show up.
"Ye seek the Hors.e.m.e.n, do ye? Don"t deny. I heard," a smal voice suddenly said behind them. "Come, come. I show ye."
Amun turned them both, and when she focused she saw a tiny female with the lower half of a bul and the top half of a human. Smal hands waved them forward.
"This be fun," the female said with a shady giggle. "Come, come, I show ye." She darted away before they could reply.
We"re going to go with her. We don"t have any other choice.
"Yes, we do. We can choose not to go with her." With Haidee"s luck, the creature would lead them into a nest of vipers, piranha and rape-minded giants. Oh, wait. Been there, done that. What came next would probably be worse.
My demon went silent the moment you- He stopped himself. The moment she"d...what? Become consumed by the cold? My demon is stil silent, which means I can"t figure out where the Hors.e.m.e.n are located. That little female is our only shot. Just don"t let anything happen to me, okay?
Amun said with what seemed to be...humor?
No, surely not. She didn"t think she"d ever heard him joke with her before. And real y, not many men could tease their woman about being stronger than they were. "I, uh, won"t."
Thank you. The semblance of a smile curled the corners of his lips as he ushered her forward, quickly closing the distance to reach Bul Girl. The almost-grin stunned her more than his teasing. He was just so beautiful, and as amused as he clearly was, he was also distracting.
Love, she thought again.
She couldn"t love him. She was careful, always careful, to guard her heart. Yes, she l.u.s.ted for Amun, cared for him, wanted him safe and happy. That didn"t mean she loved him, though. Love weakened, made you vulnerable.
Especial y love that wasn"t returned.
"Here, here," the now-bouncing creature said. She stopped in front of the biggest tent in the area, laughter and smoke drifting from the seams in the front flap. "They be here. This be fun."
Only then did Haidee recal the old woman"s earlier warning. Death. Pain. Screaming.
Soon.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO.
THEY WERE SMOKING CIGARS and playing poker.
Amun had never seen the four hors.e.m.e.n of the Apocalypse before, but despite the crowd of demons hovering around them, he recognized them instantly. They sat around a table comprised of barbed wire, enveloped in a tobacco-scented haze. Three males, one female, and al four were physical y perfect beings. Even more so than Zacharel. Or Wil iam.
He studied them. Friend or foe? The female had flaxen hair that waved to her waist, iridescent sparkles woven through the strands, and eyes of the deepest purple. The males were a colorful mix, one raven-haired, one sandy-locked, and one completely bald, his scalp tanned to a golden glow.
They wore clothes very similar to Amun"s. Black shirts, black pants. They were relaxed, laughing seductively as they revealed their cards, then ribbing the losers unmerciful y. What gave them away was the color of their auras. Amun had never noticed anyone"s aura before, but these were undeniable. The shades enveloped them like a second skin, the female"s white, one of the males" red, one black and one a pale green.
The Rainbow Brigade, he thought.
Haidee stepped to his side and was given her first ful look at them. She gasped.
Amun"s jaw clenched-me, only want me-but the sound prodded Secrets from his hiding place as effectively as her coldness had driven him there earlier. While Amun had battled the six men who"d wanted to "borrow" her, she"d turned into ice walking. Her hair had morphed into icicles, her skin had looked like crystal and her eyes...her eyes had lost al hint of color.
He"d been riveted by the beauty of her, queen of the winter storm, and awed by the strength of her. His demon had been terrified, retreating as deep into his mind as possible.
The others had felt the pul of her again, even though she hadn"t touched Amun. They"d fought, screamed. Yeah, they"d done that before, but never that quickly or that determinedly.
He just didn"t know what to do about it.
Whatever kept Haidee from dying eternal y, whatever brought her back to life again and again, had to be responsible for her change. No mere human could do that.
What that made her, what that was, though, he stil didn"t know, and he wasn"t sure Secrets had the bal s to try and find out. Stil . They were going to have to merge with her mind again.
Amun had to know the truth. And maybe, with the answer, he could find a way to save her from the torture of being reanimated. Of course, that meant she would die permanently one day, and he couldn"t even contemplate that without sickening.
She was his.
And he was going to have her. Al of her. Yes, the cold he felt while they pleasured each other could hurt him. He realized that now. But he wasn"t going to let something as minor as freezing to death stop him from being with her.
He"d already lost the war with his resolve to stay away from her. While they were down here, at least.
Up there, they would part, and that knowledge only increased his urgency to have her. Tonight. Tonight, he wiped her former boyfriend from her mind and claimed every inch of her.
At least Secrets wasn"t whimpering, or the others screaming, because she stood at his side. That was a start. Secrets was too focused on the Hors.e.m.e.n and their thoughts-or rather, what consisted of their thoughts- enjoying the puzzle of them. There was a strange buzzing noise inside White"s head, shrieks inside Red"s, moans inside Black"s and utter silence inside Green"s.
"She the one who iced the congo?" Red asked no one in particular. A cigar hung from the side of his mouth.
The crowd final y noticed Amun and Haidee. Some snarled and flashed their teeth, some licked their lips in glee, but al left the tent as if their feet were on fire. Only the Hors.e.m.e.n remained.
The congo. The men who"d thought to beat him to pulp, al owing them to rape and dismember Haidee without interference? Most likely. Guys had been as big as apes, with a mind-set to match, so the name fit.
"I believe I asked you a question, warrior." Red tossed the cards atop the tabletop and turned, eyes of the cruelest blue leveling on Amun. The shrieks inside the being"s head increased in volume. Secrets burrowed through them, stil seeking thoughts and intentions. "I"l hear your answer now."
"Yes," Haidee said, answering for him. She sounded confident, unafraid. But for once, Amun could feel the emotions pouring off her. His brave girl was terrified but determined. "I did. I iced them."
If the Hors.e.m.e.n thought to punish her... Amun curled his fingers around a blade the congo hadn"t managed to steal from him, ready, almost eager.
"Very cool," Black said, waving them over with a smile that did little to soothe Amun"s dark mood. "Sit, sit. We"ve been expecting you."
They had, had they?
Amun needed a better read on them, and suspected Secrets would have an easier time sorting through the noise if Haidee wasn"t there. Yet he couldn"t be without her.
Not just to guard her-not that she needed guarding, because d.a.m.n, he was stil in shock over her ability-but because the other demons inside him might use her absence to overtake him. He would lose focus, returning to that mindless state of horror and pain.
Stand behind me and press your back into the tent flap, he told her as he moved forward. He gave her a gentle push in that direction. You"ve got a weapon?
"Yes," she whispered.
She didn"t question him, but he knew she wanted to. Once again, he wished the connection went both ways, that she could push her voice into his head. Why the hel couldn"t she? Just then he wouldn"t have minded if she heard every thought he had, knew every urge he experienced. Her safety came before everything else.
He eased into the only empty seat at the table, the hors.e.m.e.n encasing him from every angle. He studied their faces more intently, noting the flawlessness of their skin, the purity of their eyes, the utter amus.e.m.e.nt in their expressions.
Amus.e.m.e.nt? Why?
Amus.e.m.e.nt? Why?
Amun knew the moment Haidee did as he"d ordered and increased the distance between them, because Secrets sighed in relief and homed in on the three males and the female, at last digging past the buzzing, shrieking, moaning and silence.
-so d.a.m.n bored...
-most fun I"ve had in a while...
-too bad we have to kil him...
-girl might be useful, though...
The other demons cackled, a thousand wind chimes in a storm. They weren"t so loud that they overpowered Amun"s other thoughts, and they weren"t so stalwart they overwhelmed him with dark urges. Oh, he could feel the things they wanted him to do. Taste the Hors.e.m.e.n"s blood, cause their screams. They"d been locked away so long, they were desperate. They also sensed Haidee was nearby, the frost of her skin like an invisible tether, and so they behaved. He could deal.
"You want safe pa.s.sage from this realm," Red said, a statement of fact, not a question.
"As with everything here, you must buy that pa.s.sage," White added, her voice as lilting and delicate as a snowfal .
Black smiled at him, al teeth and menace. "I hope you"re ready for this."
Green, he noticed, never spoke a word. Just watched them al through enigmatic eyes. Amun felt a momentary sense of kinship.
He nodded at each of them.
"We"l play two hands," Red said. "No more, no less. If you lose, you wil give me a hand. And I don"t mean a round of applause. Feel me?"
Behind him, Haidee choked on a breath.
I"l be fine, sweetheart, he told her, even as he arched a brow at his opponents. Ask them what happens if they lose to me.
She obeyed, her voice strained. He was proud of her. She was scared but unbending, used to being in control, but al owing him to lead.
Red shrugged one of his ma.s.sive shoulders, his attention never veering from Amun. "If I lose, I"l escort you out of this realm myself."
Secrets released an uneasy sigh. Over the centuries, Amun had learned the subtle nuances of his demon and knew Secrets sensed something amiss but hadn"t yet figured out what.
So now came the real negotiation. Ask them what happens to you during-and after-al of this, he told Haidee. What happens to you if I win, and what happens to you if I lose.
Once again she obeyed, and al four of the Hors.e.m.e.n grinned.
"Why does the woman speak for you?" White asked in that snowflake voice, ignoring the question. She was frowning, clearly unable to think up a logical reason on her own.
"Tel us what we want to know," Haidee insisted, ignoring the question.
Good girl.
Black lost his battle to hide his amus.e.m.e.nt and gave them another toothy grin. "We keep you no matter the outcome, of course."
Amun leapt to his feet and slammed his dagger into the middle of the deck, causing the table to rattle.
"Do you need me to interpret that?" Haidee asked with false sweetness.
Rather than angering them, Amun"s outburst and Haidee"s insult increased their enjoyment. Chuckling, Red waved him back in his seat. "Fine, fine. The girl wil share your fate. If you lose a hand, she loses a hand. If you win, she wins and leaves with you. Happy now?" Hardly. Tel them if I lose the first game, they may take both my hands but neither of yours.
Of course, Haidee did not obey.
Mine wil grow back, woman. Eventual y. Tel them.
Stil she remained silent.
He couldn"t turn back and glare at her; they would suspect he communicated with her telepathical y. Not knowing what else to do, he signed the words, hoping one of the Hors.e.m.e.n knew the language. To his astonishment, al of them did, for they al nodded with satisfaction.
"Very wel ," Red said, "we wil take both of yours and neither of hers. But then there won"t be a reason to play a second game. We"l have what we wanted. Both of your hands."
Why did they want them? Just pick a different prize for the second. Like...my feet.
Haidee growled low in her throat, a predator ready to pounce. He knew she could hear his thoughts as he signed, but there was nothing he could do to comfort her. "I don"t agree to those terms."
Everyone ignored her.
"Yes." Red nodded. "Your feet wil be a nice addition to our col ection. We accept. Two rounds wil be played, after al ."
"Amun-" Haidee began.
Amun held up his hand for silence, and he could feel the malevolence pulsing off her. Later, she would make him pay. But she would have the necessary appendages to do so, so he wasn"t too concerned. To the Hors.e.m.e.n, he signed, What are the rules?
They looked at each other, genuinely perplexed by his question.
"Rules?" White asked, blinking.
O-kay. Clearly the Rainbow Brigade lived by a code of its own making.
Secrets confirmed the suspicion. Suddenly Amun knew that there was no black and white with them, only shades of gray, and they wouldn"t hesitate to lie, cheat or trick to get what they wanted.
Trusting them in any way would guarantee his loss. Use the backpack to produce a new deck of cards, he told Haidee.