Hed hope for the best.
He strode to the place where the werewolf had died. He and Vika had agreed to meet here. He kept an open mind and heart for the feeling if any wayward soul may inadvertently brush against him. If the soul were anywhere in his vicinity, he should sense the brightness again.
A corpse light. Shouldnt he be able to see it? They usually glowed phosphorescently. Not that hed ever seen one before.
The white hearse was parked near the brick wall, the opposite side from where the incident had occurred. Vika had wanted to broaden the search today. He spied her brilliant red hair, curling over her narrow shoulders and down the center of her back. She must always wear long dresses, which he liked, because they fit tightly and emphasized her slender curves. She had a bit of the Morticia style going, while he had noted her sister was Retro Rocker Chick.
The white hearse was parked near the brick wall, the opposite side from where the incident had occurred. Vika had wanted to broaden the search today. He spied her brilliant red hair, curling over her narrow shoulders and down the center of her back. She must always wear long dresses, which he liked, because they fit tightly and emphasized her slender curves. She had a bit of the Morticia style going, while he had noted her sister was Retro Rocker Chick.
Either way, Vika looked amazing. Like a porcelain doll standing on a natty Paris street, she looked as if someone had plucked her out from their collection and set her against an urban backdrop for a high-fashion photography study.
She waved as he approached. A goofy grin spread on CJs face, and he surprised himself because he couldnt remember the last time hed felt so unfettered with worry. He felt great, and if being around Vika did that for him, he planned to spend a lot more time with the witch.
He walked up to her, threaded his fingers through hers and spun her into an embrace so he could kiss her. Just going with his feelings. And she responded in kind, affixing her body along his and melting into the kiss like a sweet Sunday treat.
Well, hello, he said. Feels like youre happy to see me.
A girl could never have enough of those kisses. She tucked his hair behind his ear. I dont know what it is between us, she said on a breathy tone, but whatever it is, I like whats happening so far. You ready to do a little soul hunting?
I am.
Will the cloudy sky interfere?
Probably. You prepared for that?
Im not sure. Are you?
He shrugged.
She stepped from his embrace and smoothed her palms down her unwrinkled skirt, worry shifting her eyes from his to all about them. Dont you have some kind of safety measure? A flashlight? It worked in the car.
Yes, well, Menace was winding down already when it worked for you. When Ive attempted the same, the demons usually break the flashlight in half and toss it at the nearest passing human. Ive found if a demon does break free and takes over, its steam runs out quickly. Usually no more than ten, fifteen minutes tops.
She absently clutched the nail at the base of her throat. A war demon could do a lot of damage in that time.
I know. And I happen to have one inside me. Maybe I should do this alone while you wait in the hearse for a speedy getaway?
Were both needed. You might feel the soul, and I need to draw it into me. And...I thought if we could find it, and if the timing was right, I might try...
Another sneeze?
I dont think I could make myself sneeze, but I do have air magic. A forced gust would produce the same result a frenzied sneeze would.
But then youd lose the soul again.
No, this time Id keep an eye out for it. If it moves through you, I just need to track it. Right before it enters or exits a body it glows brightly.
I sensed that brightness, but I didnt see it.
You didnt know what to look for. If that happens, I should be able to snag it. Well, Im not sure about anything, really.
That you are willing to try is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me, oh, Nightingale Nurse to My Dark Infestation.
He kissed her again and felt the stirrings of lust grind roughly against his bones. Or was that warning vibrations from her grandmothers nail? No, the lust demon inside him purred and lifted its incorporeal head. It was that harsh reaction that warned CJ he had best keep his distance from Vika.
He tapped the nail wound about the leather cord at her neck. This should be strong enough to keep the demons away from you.
Or attract them, she said.
True. They are unable to access my magics from within me, so they would seek to obtain power elsewhere. Hell, Vika, you should ward yourself. Just in case.
Ive a white light ward on always.
Yesterday?
Yes, but the demon didnt attack me. It took control of the car, which was not warded. Probably explains why Im still in one piece.
He ran his fingers over the mala beads at her wrist. Jade for immortality and the search for truth?
Dont worry, Im a big girl. I know to run when running is necessary.
He hated to think anything he did could make her run from him, but in his next thought, CJ was glad for her street smarts.
All right then, you start over there. Ill go this way, he said. Ill keep you in sight, should I feel anything.
The witch methodically tracked along the sidewalk, arms out and head lifted, while CJ wandered around behind the brick wall for a tour of the crime scene. From here, he could see the top of the Eiffel Tower, and he remembered the years during its construction. The city had been in such an uproar over the iron monstrosity. A mar on the landscape! It must be torn down immediately following the Worlds Fair! He always got a chuckle to look back through history. That had been about the time hed met Lucian Bellisario, a new vampire, transformed against his will, with whom hed become fast friends.
But enough mental wandering. He needed to stay sharp. Tapping his left index finger against his neck where a vita tattoo would enhance his senses opened him to the minutia skimming the edges of reality.
An insect fluttered near his ear, and he brushed it away. CJ twisted his head about but didnt spy anything with wings or hear a buzz. Had it been the soul? He didnt use this spell often, so he was out of practice. Drawing in a breath, he calmed his anxiety to enhance focus.
Where was Vika? The shift of her black taffeta skirt didnt sound.
Thunder rumbled overhead and the sky darkened.
You want the red witch. Shes tasty.
CJs heart dropped. The stirrings within him increased in intensity. This was not going to end well.
It will be what you make it. Are you strong enough to protect the girl? Prove it.
It was hard to determine if the inner voice was his or if it belonged to something darker and incorporeal. But he was strong. He could protect the girl. And he would.
CJ set back his shoulders, opening his chest, and inhaled the clean, tangible air charged with the foreboding of rain. The electrical sensation of the altered air shivered over his skin and made him feel alive. Hungry. And open for anything.
You find anything?
He swung his head around. Vika stood there in a pose that silhouetted her slender figure against the darkening sky. Her breasts were small but high, and his fingers tingled to touch them, to mold against her heat and squeeze until she moaned and pulled him closer.
Want. Can have.
Bowing his head and running his hands down his chest, CJ eyed the pretty piece of flesh. Shed tasted good. Her mouth fitted to his in a blissful connection. Wonder how sweetly shed cry out should he find her core and bring her to orgasm? The fingers on his left hand twitched. The protection ward on his palm, used to prevent things from entering him, burned. It hadnt been effective in Daemonia.
He crooked a finger at the witch, and she stepped toward him, tilting her head in question. That perfect bow mouth set beneath bold emerald eyes was like a cats face, only sexy and as curious.
Just a few more steps, witch. Come to me.
What did you find? she asked. The soul?
What did you find? she asked. The soul?
The earthy scent of her coiled about his head and into his senses. His skin prickled with want. Inside he growled, a long, moaning noise vibrating within his rib cage. So easy to take her.
You need to take her. We need her. Touch the nail at her neck. Feel the power.
She studied him, and he swept out a hand and grabbed her by the wrist, slamming her against the brick wall and pinning her there with ease. He dragged his tongue from her jaw, up along her soft, smooth cheek and to her temple, where her pulse thumped and her salty sweetness tempted his taste buds.
CJ, what are you? Ineffectual fists beat at his chest. Youre not CJ. Let me go!
No, no, sweetie, youre mine. I get to taste you now, because he spends far too much time thinking about how youll taste rather than indulging in you. Yes, you will be delicious.
He dove to her neck and licked her vein. It pulsed hot and thick beneath his tongue. He could bite it, but unlike the vampire, he hadnt fangs to pierce the skin. Stupid dark witch. So ineffectual. This body provided little advantage to the game.
Vika kicked, but her long, tight skirt wouldnt allow her effective defense. Though her heel smashed the top of his boot, it hurt, yet only Pain quivered withinin joy.
I like it when little girls struggle, Lust growled. Stirs your pheromones to a delicious soup of fear and anger. You, you little thing, have some aggression bottled up inside this gorgeous trapping. Lets lick it out, yes?
Xum!
A blast of something hit him in the chest, and he lost his grip on her and stumbled backward a few steps. What had that Ah. Air magic. When he had control of the body, the dark witchs defenses were not so strong, and any wards hed put up or wore on his skin were ineffective. Lust slapped a palm to his chest and grinned at the red witch with the fiercely defiant expression. She did not wish to be trifled with; he didnt care.
She pointed through the air, slightly above his head. Its here. The soul.
What was she talking about?
Hang on, CJ, Im going to get rid of Lust for you.
You are foolish
The witch recited a Russian incantation, and with a gesture of her hand, directing some invisible energy toward him, a blast of brightness entered the dark hosts chest.