10

CHAPTER 9

I stared up at the male sitting in the tree idly swinging his leg. By the time we made it to Michael's front yard he had changed forms again. This time his features and skin tone were Native American and he looked like he was just out of high school.

"Will you please make yourself look a little older?"

He snorted, "If anyone is too young it's you. Can't you make yourself older please?"

"You're such a pain!"

He grunted at me, "Fine." In moments he aged himself by two decades. Silky black hair fell forward as he leaned down to give me a stare from the tops of his eyes. "Happy?"

I responded with a look of irritation and emphasized, "Thank you."

To distract myself from my impatience with waiting for Michael to appear I asked, "Your clothes change with you, but you can't make clothes appear on you?"

"Correct," came the bored reply above me, followed up immediately with, "Why don't you call him again?"

I sighed, "He knows we're here."

"Yes, but he and Carlos can't stop fighting. Carlos always has muy aggression."

I processed that bit of information, wondering what they were fighting about. "Is that why you are in a tree? To avoid his knife."

Oldavai scolded, "No." He paused briefly, "Finally."

I gazed up at him and saw him nod towards the door. Within seconds Michael and Carlos stepped out. I took a deep inhale to ground myself as a mediator between the two of them as they stomped over to me. Carlos was fuming and Michael not far behind in mood. When they reached the tree I asked, "Is it Oldavai that has you both in such a temper?"

"No," Michael grunted out.

"Yes," Carlos said curtly, looking up at the grinning man in the tree.

I rolled my eyes, "Right."

As I spoke Michael drew his sword out of its baldric. I jumped back, but Oldavai only chuckled from his lofty perch.

"I want you to shove my sword into me." He twirled it twice and then held the hilt out to me.

I screeched loudly, "WHAT!?" Then, I looked towards Carlos in shock.

Carlos shrugged, his upper lip curled briefly in disgust, "The man is determined, Dove. I hoped you would pound some sense into him."

I looked between the two of them several times before I could speak again. "You know, Michael, it doesn't feel good."

Oldavai clapped once and directed our stares up to him. He laughed harshly again, "That's what Lacey did to you just before I stepped into her office. I always wondered why you were feverish and delirious."

"What does he mean?" Michael asked.

"Now you want to know?" My hands unconsciously found their way to my hips. "After you tell me to possibly kill you." I shook my head. "You know Lacey, the demon hunter turned vampire, and you probably deduced she helped me figure out how to contact Oldavai face to face. She's the one who shoved my sword into me."

Their stares never wavered as they looked at me, patiently waiting. I looked up at Oldavai to find him just as inquisitively staring down. "I wasn't a gift for you Oldavai."

I looked back to my compatriots, "She knew many of Oldavai's abilities and what I needed to have access to if I was going to kill him." I looked back at the demon, "Which is what she wanted. You. Dead." He acknowledged my words with a lazy shrug.

"That's what we all want," Carlos said dead pan.

I waved away his impertinence, "Anyway, it was horrible, and I had extra pressure because I was..." I stopped myself from saying 'handcuffed' in front of the two of them. Carlos narrowed his eyes at me as if he could read my thoughts. I smiled sickly, "Well, Oldavai and I were not on the best of terms at that time. Maybe he can lend some more to the story because I was truly out of it. I really don't know what brought me out of my head."

I heard a purr from above me and tilted my head to look at him. He had a satisfied smile on his face that caused me to glare back. He gracefully swung himself down from the branches until he was at the base of the tree with his foot braced on the trunk behind him.

I watched him trace the bones of his chin and jaw, as if familiarizing himself with his face, while he continued to stare dreamily at me. "I really did enjoy our first time, Dove."

"Yeah, how did you describe it?" I drummed my fingers on my crossed arms as I pretended to think about it, "Oh yeah, 'deranged'. Carlos, don't. If anyone kills him, it will be me."

I heard Carlos' scoff, "You won't kill him."

I pursed my lips in anger and pushed a finger on Oldavai's chest, "Oldavai, stop. Just tell us what happened."

The smile left his face and his lip twitched briefly in anger. He made sure to let me feel his annoyance with me ordering him around, "When I retrieved Dove she looked like she had been ensnared by a vampire's gaze. I knew she was in intense pain but thought maybe Lacey lashed out physically in a fit of jealousy. How little I knew." He turned to Michael and Carlos, "She passed out on the way to my," he looked briefly at me with a sly smile, "lair."

I rolled my eyes and raised my hands in exasperation at his continual use of the word lair.

Oldavai continued, "There are some details I'm not going to get into, but, as I said, she was delirious and feverish. So, I dosed her up with lots of things, in particular my tincture. I wanted her conscious for everything I had planned."

I watched Michael pale as Oldavai retold the past. That colleague looked sharply at me and I started to feel heartburn creep up my throat. Yup, big, forgiving, push-over me. Carlos didn't even look; he already knew how sick in the head I was.

I licked my lips and took a deep breath, "I had some weird dreams and when I woke up I was in a very apprehensive situation. Obviously, I didn't figure it out in time to kill him." I parodied displaying his very alive self, "Hence the whole successful trap and subdue."

"You were going to kill me?" Oldavai said in mock affront.

"Maybe I was going to kill you, definitely cage you. No one thought a trap and subdue warrant could ever happen."

"It's good to know you have some sense left." Carlos then turned to Michael and shouted in his face, "Unlike some people!"

Oldavai gave me simpering eyes, "It would only work for you, Dove."

I harrumphed and looked to Michael's pale face, "Rethinking?"

He shook his head vehemently, "No. I will never be a pawn for a demon again."

"Speaking of which, why the hell did you even end up with Ratha? What happened that he grabbed you and made you give up your magic?"

Michael's face turned beet red and I felt waves of embarrassment shoot off him before Carlos jumped in.

"Ratha gave Michael a promise if he willingly bound himself."

I shook my head, "That doesn't make sense. No offense, but why wouldn't he just kill you? Binding himself to you wouldn't work unless it was an option on the warrant. His was a straight kill on a de-activated warrant until he kidnapped you!"

Oldavai started tsking, "Michael. Michael. Part of the underground movement, are you? Poor choice of partners."

I looked over at Oldavai and then back to my colleagues, "What am I missing?"

They all started talking at once.

Carlos, "You don't need to know."

Michael, "I honestly thought you already knew because of Ezra."

Oldavai just kept laughing through his words, "Demon hunters must have been made by Dolos."

"Who's Dolos? What is going on?!" I demanded, my head turning towards each of them.

Oldavai waved his hands in front of the men and looked at me, "Dolos is trickery, partner to lies." He looked back at the men. "I will tell her." Then back to me, "I will tell you when we are alone. This way you can yell at me and not them."

I eyed them all suspiciously, "Why?"

Oldavai answered me deadpan, "Because I enjoy fighting with you."

Michael cleared his throat quickly to get my attention away from Oldavai, "Back to the subject at hand."

"I'm not going to kill you. Period." My anxiety spiked at the horrid thought, fueling a burning in my chest that suspiciously felt like Ezra's flames. There had to be a different option than what he proposed. There was no way I was going to be a part of this.

"I will," came Oldavai's indifferent voice beside me.

He instantly appeared an inch from Michael. Quicker than any of us could follow he shoved Michael's sword into his body. Then he turned before I could even sputter and transported us to his damn lair. My stomach churned from magnetic line travel and I couldn't get a word out. Suddenly, he pushed me back up to his chest and we were gone again, only to land right where we left.

As soon as we appeared, Carlos jumped to his feet from his crouched position next to Michael and aimed his gun at Oldavai's head. His friend was currently curled up in a screaming ball and I had seconds of Michael's agony bombarding me until Oldavai ran a petting touch down my hair. I couldn't even be grateful for the interference as I gagged from my own emotions filling me. Panic jumped through me at the thought of being involved in another demon hunter death.

Carlos remained motionless and focused as he spoke, "I may not be allowed to use haelithic bullets on a sanctioned warrant, but I will use them on you."

"Don't," Oldavai ordered as he held one hand up that held a vial of greenish liquid, his other tight around my waist.

"As fun as that was, no one sanctioned Ratha's days of unending torture on Michael. Times changed in this world and Ratha didn't change with them. You, of all hunters, should have known that specific demon would never agree to an arrangement. I think you're to blame and that's all on you, Carlos. If Michael wants this advantage, then he's earned it."

"If. He. Lives," Carlos enunciated.

"If he lives," Oldavai nodded his head agreement.

I tried to move closer to Michael, only to have Oldavai squeeze me uncomfortably, "Don't throw up on him, Dove."

I couldn't even argue. That much travel, guilt, and reliving the sound of the sword being shoved into intestines in milliseconds was twisting my own insides. I knew he used magnetic lines on purpose to keep me doubly disoriented.

Oldavai went back into emergency mode, "Carlos, you can move him. I moved Dove without even knowing what happened. His sword has merged with him. Get him inside and tie down his limbs or he may thrash too much."

Carlos stared at the demon for long moments, showing none of the conflicts I knew to be warring inside him. His decision to accept Oldavai at his word snapped into place as he holstered his gun and reached down to fireman carry his friend into his house without a word.

Oldavai ushered me behind him and placed me down on a plush chair in the living room with a brief peck on the forehead before going into the other room. I watched Carlos go back and forth carting supplies.

By the time I could move without nausea Michael was talking deliriously in the room. I walked over to Michael, skirting Carlos closing in on Oldavai. "He will live, or I will hunt you down and kill you."

I could hear Oldavai's smile in his words when he replied, "Don't promise me a good time if you can't deliver."

"I'm the best delivery man there is, Oldavai."

"If you think you can fulfill my needs I'll give you a six star rating."

I interjected myself forcefully into their verbal sparring, "Will you please stop encouraging him?!"

They both looked at me, "I'm talking to Oldavai, but you could calm down too Carlos!"

"As my sweet wishes," came the fake dulcet tones of Oldavai as he bowed away from Carlos.

Carlos backed up, "Are you fucking serious?! Just like that!" He turned to me, "What in the ever-living hells do you have on these demons?!" He started muttering in Spanish and walked over to Michael. Carlos wiped the sweat from his friend's brow and bent down next to him.

It had to be rhetorical. He knew I didn't have anything on anyone, much less a demon. I heard him mutter something about loco to Michael. I turned to Oldavai, "Did you give him the herbs?"

"Not yet. I wanted to use magic, but Carlos got a tad suspicious."

I decided to let Oldavai into my sarcastic inner dialogue, 'Carlos, suspicious? No!'

He smiled with amusement and continued, "I couldn't use demon magic on you at that time. You know, because of..." his fingers waved into the air as he trailed off looking back at Carlos who was now studying us again.

"Right," I said out loud and finished to him only, 'the rune cast hand cuffs that scrambled magic. Wait! How come your incubus magic still worked?!'

'Again, scrambles demon magic, my sweet, not incubus power. Anyway, I can take his pain away.'

'Like you did for me on the bench?'

'Not even close, you are bound to me. That was easy.'

"It's rude not to let the third person in the room know what you are talking about." Carlos said haughtily, his accent thickened with tension.

"Sorry. Will you let Oldavai help with magic?"

"Will you guarantee his safety," Carlos tilted his head in Michael's direction.

I didn't dare look away from Carlos as I spoke to Oldavai through our mind link, 'Are you sincere?'

'I am. I won't guarantee success, but I will try.'

"You do realize with or without Oldavai no one knows what will happen?"

"Si," he said curtly and looked back at Michael, "Pendejo."

I knew that meant a little more than 'idiot', but I said nothing and motioned with my fingers to Oldavai, who walked over to the opposite side of the bed from Carlos. Michael moaned and violently tossed back and forth, pulling tight on his bonds. I figured we'd do what we could and wait for Carlos to attempt to kill Oldavai if he did something he objected to. Nothing quite like ignoring the lack of an answer. I was an expert at that coping skill.

"Give me a chair."

I pulled the chair from a desk behind us and scooted it to Oldavai. He sat down without looking behind him and immediately started whispering in Michael's ear, mixing Spanish and English. I could feel the threads of magic swirling like unseen streamers around him. I tried to open myself up more to his side of magic but found his wall very sturdy and unforgiving. Oldavai's head shot up and he turned to me.

"You don't want to do that right now."

"Why not?" I asked.

"Stop distracting me and afford me a little trust."

Carlos and I both snorted at that, considering he just shoved a sword into Michael's chest. He ignored us and bent down again. When the thrashing finally calmed somewhat Oldavai looked up at Carlos. "We give him the tincture now."

I watched as the two of them worked in tandem to get the liquid into his system. He started fighting as soon as they crowded him. The green liquid trickled out his mouth and splashed on his shirt. I tried not to think about what I was like during my own sickness.

'You were complacent,' Oldavai interjected into my thoughts.

I was appalled, 'No way!'

His chuckle came out of his mouth and Carlos looked at him sharply. He returned his look, "Not about you."

'I lie. You wouldn't stay still for anything, you were attempting to kill me even in your feverishness. I held the liquid in my mouth and kissed you.'

'You did not!?' My face registered shock as I turned away from Oldavai shaking my head, my eyes found Carlos's.

Carlos growled out. "Whatever you two are saying to each other, I am not amused."

"Just reliving some delightful memories, nothing to get your panties in a twist." Oldavai rushed the reply out as he hovered over Michael again to whisper to him. If Carlos could spit fire, he would be doing it, Michael be damned. Instead, he stomped away from the bed and paced the room.

The minutes dragged on as Oldavai talked the sickness down in Michael repeatedly. One day and another rose and fell by the time Oldavai told me it was time to stop procrastinating or he was leaving to let Michael fight it alone. I sat on the floor next to Oldavai's legs with my back aching and semi supported by the bed frame. He chose his ultimatum words during one of the brief times Carlos left us alone.

Oldavai's hand reached down for me at the same time I felt a ribbon of power unwrap itself inside me and pause. It felt like a snake waiting to strike.

"You help me or fuck me and whoever I say when I'm done," he said tiredly.

No way was I feeding him sex with those words that just left his mouth. I snatched his hand to signify power sharing. The snake inside frayed into a thousand strings weaving in and out of my own magic. It snatched at power and wove it into whatever he intended. Once he pulled out of my grip I stood to watch him. He suspended one hand above the skin where he thrust the sword in and amazingly showed only smooth undamaged skin. Then, he glowed, and I fell to the floor feeling his magic strangle everything it could inside me. I choked and slammed my palms into my chest trying to cough out whatever was lodged in my throat even as I knew there wasn't anything.

Michael's scream brought Carlos running in, "What are you doing?!"

Oldavai's voice came loud and angry, "I'm taking away the pain and delirium in one rush with hopes it will give him the impetuous to awaken."

I listened over the pounding of my blood to hear Michael's voice go from screaming, to harsh gasping, to finally peaceful breathing. From where I lay on the floor I saw Oldavai lean back in the chair, his hands limp at his sides. The magic unlatched itself from me and I felt it give a slight flick and suck at my clitoris. I gasped in some air and glared up at him. He didn't even look my way.

"Is it done?" Carlos asked breathlessly.

"It's all on Michael now," Oldavai said. "We'll be back tomorrow." He kneeled next to me and from our position close to the floor he whisked us back to his bed. I barely felt the kiss on the top of my head as I curled into his chest. "Sleep now," he ordered.

I did.

When I woke, I could sense Oldavai already awake behind me. I turned in his arms to look at him and he stared boldly into my eyes. His own so dark they looked black.

"That was horrible. Why is it always horrible?"

He gazed at me, his face unreadable of any emotion, "Is it always horrible?"

I thought for a bit and remembered the power sharing I had done both during fighting and sex, "No."

His eyes were hooded, "I didn't think so."

I looked at him suspiciously, "What?"

His face was still an unreadable expression when he spoke, "What I didn't tell you is that I was there when you relived all your frenzied sex with Ezra. Both sessions."

"Oh. Yeah. You were being eaten by the collar's magic. I don't remember reliving the second time." My hand moved up to feel the soft black hair falling over his shoulders.

"It was hidden. You were distracted."

We looked at each other in silence. It made me feel kind of weirded out that Oldavai could feel that moment. I didn't appreciate voyeurism.

He pulled his head back a bit from whatever he was feeling from me and continued talking, "The other awful time, was it during a fight?"

"Yeah."

"Then there's your answer. Also, regardless of what is going on at the time, if you fight the demon who already has a pathway into you, you're turning on yourself too."

"Why do I get drained?"

"Because in a fight the power goes towards the enemy, in our case, Michael's pain and delusions. There's nothing to give back to you. You're our rechargeable battery. With time and practice, you could stand next to me and weather the draining."

My anger got riled up, "That's so horrible to say! Does that mean..."

Oldavai closed his eyes momentarily, "Don't. Demon hunters can be drained again and again, but the same goes for demons. It's a two-way street, Dove."

My mind flashed to So'ann's situation before we freed him, I wavered, "I suppose you're right. Whoever has the upper hand is the one..." I stopped before I dug myself into a deeper hole, but Oldavai picked up the shovel to help me.