Nocturnal Part 10

In Spirit's world, it was all about staying in tune with the spirits, cultivating good karma, and existing within a sphere of positive energy.

Mari glanced at her book-an old one of her mother's filled with personal notes and comments about casting magic spells, of all things-and then at the door leading to the stairs that would take her up to the little apartment she'd cleared out on the second floor. That's where she planned to find some positive energy-once she got upstairs, crawled into her jammies, and opened a bottle of wine.

She'd found enough old furniture stored in the attic from the years her parents had lived over the shop to turn the small apartment into a fairly comfortable place to stay. Thank goodness, because there was no way on G.o.d's green earth she'd ever want to stay with Spirit and Freedom. No, then she wouldn't be worried about going nuts, she'd be worried about ending up charged with the murder of one and maybe both of her parents.

At least this whole situation was only temporary. Her father was on the slow road to recovery, the economy had to turn around, she'd find another job, and another boyfriend-hopefully not one like Brad-and she'd get her life back. For now, though, she had a clean and quiet place to sleep, enough leftovers to fix for dinner, her mother's book to put her to sleep, and the antic.i.p.ation of a quiet night all by herself.

Mari walked around the shop, turning off the fake candles and covering the locked counters displaying semiprecious stones. It really was a cute little shop. For all her flakiness, her mom had still managed to create a successful business.

Spirit had held on to her spot here on La.s.sen Boulevard for close to forty years, ever since she'd fallen for the tall, skinny hippy who was her beloved life mate. And she'd maintained a lot higher profit margin than the bank where Mari'd worked.

Mari would never figure out how Spirit had managed to tap into the collective weirdness of an entire generation and actually make a profit. How her unconventional mother could succeed while so many Fortune 500 businesses had rolled over and died made absolutely no sense at all. When she'd asked her mom the secret, Spirit had smiled that Earth Mother smile of hers and blamed it all on good karma, the positive energy of the Mount Shasta vortex and the blessings of the G.o.ddess-along with a magic spell or two.

Go figure. Chuckling softly, Mari opened the front door. It was always quiet here this time of year, now that the summer crowds were long gone. Halloween was still a couple weeks away. It wasn't yet time for Thanksgiving and the holiday season to get rolling. Most of the neighboring shops had closed early and the street was empty, so it wasn't like she was missing any customers by shutting down a few minutes ahead of schedule. She dumped some kibble in the little dish where the stray cats ate, and pulled the display cart inside. Chuckling softly, Mari opened the front door. It was always quiet here this time of year, now that the summer crowds were long gone. Halloween was still a couple weeks away. It wasn't yet time for Thanksgiving and the holiday season to get rolling. Most of the neighboring shops had closed early and the street was empty, so it wasn't like she was missing any customers by shutting down a few minutes ahead of schedule. She dumped some kibble in the little dish where the stray cats ate, and pulled the display cart inside.

It was loaded now with candles and books and a few little carved wood items, though she vaguely recalled some cute little ceramic figurines that had sat on the bottom shelf for years. Her mom had said something about vandals coming through town just a few days before Mari'd arrived. No one had caught them, but they'd destroyed the rock and ceramic statues in front of all the stores and businesses along La.s.sen Boulevard, and even in some of the other parts of town.

Weird. Why would anyone do such a stupid thing? Mari flipped over the OPEN sign and reached for the door to pull it closed. A low growl caught her attention. She stared into the gloom, didn't see anything, and again reached for the door.

She heard it once more, closer this time. Tiny little hairs on the back of her neck rose to attention. A yellow cat slunk across the road in front of the shop, one of her mom's strays that Mari'd been feeding all week. The big tom's ears lay flat against his head, his tail stuck straight out behind his long, lean body, and all his hair was standing on end.

"Hey, kitty. What's the matter? You look like something really has you spooked."

The cat paused with one front leg lifted in midstep. Blinking, Mari stared at the cat. He growled again and stared right back at her out of eyes glowing incandescent red. Then he snarled and his lips peeled back. Mari gasped.

She was staring at row after row of s.h.i.+ning, triangular teeth. Set into blood-red gums, they looked razor sharp, like something out of a cheap horror film or Jaws. Jaws.

Before Mari could slam the door, the cat let out a banshee wail and launched itself through the opening. It took a swipe at Mari as it flew past, but she twisted out of the way of the extended claws-claws that looked more like talons and much too long and sharp to belong to any normal cat. The screaming creature hit the wooden floor and skidded all the way to the back counter, turned, and scrabbled for purchase on the floorboards. He left claw marks in the oak as he rushed Mari.

"Holy s.h.i.+t!" She dodged to the left and raced for the back door. The cat blocked the way, yowling and snarling like a creature possessed. Mari ducked behind a counter that displayed books on everything from local legends to witchcraft. The cat howled louder. Stiff-legged, it stalked her.

"Get back, you stupid cat." Except Mari was the one backing quickly across the small store until she came up against a wall lined with shelves of carved stone figurines and sparkling, gem-filled geodes.

Trapped, her back to the wall, Mari grabbed a handful of polished stones and threw them at the cat. It skipped out of the way and howled even louder. Frantic, she reached for something else to throw. Instead, as if she'd been drawn to the thing, her fingers wrapped around a geode. Over a foot long, it was shaped like a club with gray stone along the back and faceted rubies filling the inside and glistening through the cutaway front.

It was heavy but balanced and fit her hand perfectly. It felt like she thought a weapon should feel. She curled her fingers around the thing and hoped like h.e.l.l she wouldn't have to use it-that would mean the cat had gotten way too close.

It yowled again and crouched low, ready to spring. Terrified and trembling from head to foot, Mari clutched her makes.h.i.+ft club. The cat s.h.i.+fted and flexed his rear legs-and Mari did something she'd never done in her life.

She opened her mouth and screamed b.l.o.o.d.y murder.

It took Darius longer than expected to reach the town that sprawled haphazardly on the western slope of the mountain. It was almost completely dark by the time he walked brazenly along the main thoroughfare. No one was out and about. The occasional vehicle pa.s.sed by, but for some reason, no one seemed to notice a man almost seven feet tall, dressed in a dark blue robe with his waist-length hair hanging in many braids down his back.

The few humans he'd seen had either nodded politely or looked away, but no one appeared all that surprised by his presence. Of course, he'd seen one man dressed in a similar robe with his long white hair unbound and his beard flowing, but he'd been standing on a corner, carrying a large placard.

The sign said something about repenting, that the end was coming, though Darius wasn't sure what it was the end of. At least he'd been able to read the crude printing, which meant his Lemurian ability to understand most languages and writing worked even in Earth's dimension.

There was no sign of demonkind about, though Darius was almost certain he'd followed their sulfuric stench to the right place. Now, though, the smells were not of sulfur but of foods. Wonderful smells that had his stomach growling with hunger and his nose twitching to follow the scents to their source.

He had no currency for use in this place, though he did carry a few gems in his pocket. He wondered if a diamond would be enough to purchase whatever it was that seemed to draw him like filings to a magnet. Pausing in front of a small cafe, he stared at the lighted window and inhaled the savory aromas.

A scream sliced through the night. Loud, terrifying, and not far away. Putting aside all thought of food, Darius spun away from the building and raced down the dark street toward the bloodcurdling scream for help.

Mari screamed again. The cat stalked closer, snarling and yowling. Saliva dripped from its jaws and she was sure it was rabid. It had to be rabid. What else could cause something so horrible, so totally unbelievable?

She clutched the geode and wondered if she could knock the cat out if she threw it just right, or at least distract the animal's attention so she could make a mad dash for the door and get the h.e.l.l out before...

The front door to the shop burst open and slammed against the wall with a deafening crash. The gla.s.s in the upper half cracked from top to bottom. A man rushed in-a huge man wearing what looked like a dark blue monk's robe and sandals, with his coal-black hair in dozens of braids flying behind him like so many snakes. He raised a huge sword in both hands, screamed something in a language Mari'd never heard, and raced directly toward her.

Ten years of living in the city and regular cla.s.ses in self-protection and martial arts kicked Mari's survival instincts into overdrive. Ignoring the cat, she flew at the new threat and kicked high, connecting with his very flat stomach with the sole of her boot. When he doubled over, gasping for air, she chopped down hard on the back of his neck with the side of her hand, exactly the way her karate instructor had taught her. Then she followed through with an upraised knee between his legs, connecting solidly with his unprotected crotch.

She noticed, when his eyes crossed, that he had the most beautiful emerald-green eyes she'd ever seen on a man. Then he dropped like a rock and hit the floor hard, groaning, gasping for air, and drawing his long legs up to his chest. Still, he managed to twist to one side and strike out with his sword.

Only then did Mari realize it wasn't a metal blade-his sword appeared to be made of gla.s.s. And it glowed!

Ignoring Mari entirely, the man touched the glowing blade to the screeching cat. Mari jumped back as a thick, oily mist seemed to ooze up and out of the cat's back. It hovered for a brief moment above the animal, long enough for the man to twist his blade and slash weakly through the mist.

Mari screamed when the mist burst into sparks, flamed brightly, and disappeared in a sulfurous stink. Then the man's eyes rolled back in his head, his sword fell to the floor, and he collapsed on his side. His knees were still drawn up to his middle, but now he clutched between his legs with both hands.

The cat shook himself, hissed once, and then walked around the fallen stranger. He batted at a couple of the long braids, lost interest, and wandered out the open door, where he stopped to eat some of the kibble Mari had tossed in the dish.

She stood as if she'd been turned to stone, and stared at the comatose man on the floor. Dear Lord, he hadn't been attacking her. He'd rushed to her rescue, and she'd...she'd...

Oh, c.r.a.p. She'd kneed him in the b.a.l.l.s. She'd kneed him in the b.a.l.l.s.

He was no longer groaning. He'd pa.s.sed out. Still clutching the geode like a ruby-faceted club, Mari knelt beside him and stared at his throat. The big artery running down his neck pulsed in a slow, steady beat-proof she hadn't killed him.

"I am so sorry," she whispered. "I didn't know you were trying to help me. Oh, c.r.a.p." She sat back on her heels, glanced at the front door, and realized the street had grown totally quiet. All the other shops on either side had shut down for the night and she was here all alone with a man she'd just flattened. Trembling like a leaf, Mari stood up, and looked out the door and down at the cat.

It stared up at her. "Meow?"

The d.a.m.ned thing was purring. What in the h.e.l.l had just happened? Mari slowly shut the door and locked it. The quarter-inch-wide crack ran from the bottom of the window to the top, but at least the gla.s.s hadn't fallen out of the frame. She'd have to call for repair in the morning.

But what to do about her rescuer? She couldn't very well call the sheriff's department. The poor guy hadn't done anything but try to help and she'd a.s.saulted him. She thought about calling for an ambulance, but he didn't look too badly hurt.

Just unconscious.

"Just unconscious! Sheesh." And gorgeous. Now that she actually had time to look at him, she could tell he was absolutely the best-looking man she'd ever seen, once you got past the sheer size of him. Of course, it wasn't as if she were pet.i.te. Far from it. At almost six feet, she was unusually tall for a woman, but this guy made her feel like a shrimp.

She'd never seen hair so black. And long. As tall as he was, his braids looked as if they went all the way to his waist, which meant his hair would reach his b.u.t.t, unbound. d.a.m.n but she'd love to see that. His eyebrows arched like dark wings over his eyes, and his lashes were black crescent moons curving against his fair skin.

She wasn't even going to look at his mouth. His broad mouth and full lips were absolutely sinful, and she'd been without for too long. Way too long. Way too long.

Oh, c.r.a.p. Mari couldn't believe she was standing over the poor guy with a ruby geode in her hand like a d.a.m.ned club, fantasizing! How could she possibly be thinking about seduction when she'd just knocked him out? Blus.h.i.+ng, she curled her legs under herself and sat on the floor beside him. She thought of putting the geode aside, but it was heavy and solid and fit her hand perfectly. She wasn't ready to give up her only weapon. Mari couldn't believe she was standing over the poor guy with a ruby geode in her hand like a d.a.m.ned club, fantasizing! How could she possibly be thinking about seduction when she'd just knocked him out? Blus.h.i.+ng, she curled her legs under herself and sat on the floor beside him. She thought of putting the geode aside, but it was heavy and solid and fit her hand perfectly. She wasn't ready to give up her only weapon.

Except she'd flattened this big bruiser with her bare hands. She glanced again at the geode. Thank goodness she hadn't hit him with that heavy thing, but still...Mari covered her mouth so she wouldn't giggle out loud. Sensei Tanaka would be proud of her!

But her sensei had never once mentioned what to do with an a.s.sailant once you had him knocked out flat on the floor. In cla.s.s, your opponent always stood up and bowed politely. This guy wasn't going to be feeling very polite toward Mari at all.

She glanced nervously at the dark front window. When it got dark in Evergreen, it was like they just rolled up the streets and put the town away until morning, and here she was, alone in her mother's crystal shop with a total stranger-a guy armed with a gla.s.s sword, no less-out cold on the floor.

Mari scooted closer to the sword. It wasn't glowing now, and it wasn't gla.s.s, either. Up close, she could see it was made of some kind of crystal. The blade was long-at least five feet in length. It had a silver pommel with what looked like a jewel set in the handle. In fact, it looked like the sort of thing her mother would sell at Crystal Dreams-if her mother sold swords.

Which she didn't, thank goodness. Mari ran her finger along the blade. The crystal pulsed with a blue light. She yanked her hand away and bit back a scream. After a minute, she touched it again, and again the glow pulsed. Mari slowly pulled her hand away, swallowed, and turned her attention to the unconscious man.

Only he wasn't unconscious anymore. His eyes were open, and they were every bit as green as she'd thought. He groaned, and Mari blushed.

What else was a blonde with really fair skin going to do? Especially after kneeing her rescuer in the b.a.l.l.s? She flashed a guilty smile at him. "Are you okay? I am so sorry!"

He blinked, frowned, and tried to sit up, but that brought his thighs together. He groaned and grabbed for his crotch, glanced at Mari, and pulled his hand away. He looked confused as he pushed himself up to one elbow and shook his head.

"Why did you attack me?" His voice was deep, his accent unfamiliar, and his frown grew deeper. "Did you not scream? Were you not threatened? I came to your aid only because you cried for help."

Oh Lordy...he was so right. She felt her blush go darker, hotter. "I know, and I am so sorry, but you came through the door with that sword in your hand and scared the c.r.a.p out of me, and the cat was snarling and I looked up when I heard the door slam open and the gla.s.s cracked and I thought you were attacking me, and I freaked. I'm so horribly sorry, but really, I totally freaked out and all I could think was foot, hand, knee. Please forgive me. I just..." Her rapid-fire explanation trailed off and Mari took a deep breath.

He c.o.c.ked his head. "Foot, hand, knee?" Groaning, he slowly rolled to a sitting position. Even sitting cross-legged on the floor he was huge.

Embarra.s.sed, Mari shrugged. "Attack with the foot, follow up with the hand, and finish with the knee." She spread her hands wide. "That's what Sensei Tanaka taught us."

He slowly rubbed the back of his neck. "He taught you well. Your approach obviously works. I believe we could use your Sensei Tanaka as part of our training program." He ran his hand over his flat belly, touching carefully.

Mari was almost positive he was tracing the shape of her boot on his stomach. She glanced down at her size eleven black leather ropers. She'd put her entire weight behind her kick and she knew it had to hurt. The guy probably had a huge bruise, right in the middle of his stomach. When she raised her head, he was shaking his and smiling at her.

"Where I come from, women do not fight, but you are proof that women make truly capable warriors." Slowly, carefully, he reached for his crystal sword. Then he stood up, standing so tall he towered over her.

Mari scrambled to her feet, yet she still had to tilt her head back to look into those unbelievable green eyes of his.

He dipped his head, as if he bowed to her. "I am Darius of Kronus." His deep, formal-sounding words sent s.h.i.+vers racing across her arms. "It is my honor to meet you." Then he slowly pressed the flat of the blade across his heart and bowed from the waist before Mari as if he were acknowledging royalty.

Chapter 3.

Darius's head felt as if someone had used it to pound rocks, his gut ached from the force of her kick, and he wouldn't be surprised if he were no longer capable of fathering children, but it mattered little right now. This woman was absolutely magnificent! He'd never seen another like her.

Tall and lean with long blond hair tied in a simple tail at the back of her neck, she had eyes the color of sapphires and lips that would put rubies to shame. And she was proof-living proof-of the strength and power of a woman.

How could his people deny the legends of the women warriors of Lemuria? How could they teach that women, as the weaker s.e.x, should remain in the background, subservient to the men of their society? This woman of Earth was a warrior. She'd brought him to his knees and then some. In fact, there was a period of time where he recalled nothing at all, but Darius wasn't certain he wanted to pa.s.s that information on to his brother guardsmen.

He straightened up and smiled at her. She looked a bit overwhelmed, but he could understand that. According to Alton of Artigos, the people of Earth had no idea there were demons invading their world. In fact, he'd said that very few of them believed his world of Lemuria actually existed.

Of course, humans also thought Atlantis was nothing more than myth, which left Darius in a rather uncomfortable position. Did he tell her who he was and where he was from, or did he wipe clean the memory of this attack by demonkind and slip away before his existence was too firmly lodged in her mind to erase?

She offered him a shy, almost embarra.s.sed smile, and Darius knew he couldn't leave. He'd watched as dozens of demon wraiths entered Earth's dimension. For some reason, this woman was their target, or at least the target of one of them. He couldn't leave her unprotected. What if more found their way to her tiny shop?

What if they threatened her life?

Unacceptable. He could not leave her unprotected. His honor as a Lemurian guardsman was at stake. Besides, he had his orders, straight from his sergeant, Roland of Kronus. He could not leave her unprotected. His honor as a Lemurian guardsman was at stake. Besides, he had his orders, straight from his sergeant, Roland of Kronus.

And with that thought, he made his decision to stay.

Mari glanced once more at the thick darkness outside the store and then back at her unusual savior. The events of the past few minutes flashed through her mind until none of what she'd witnessed made any sense at all. He watched her carefully, but she didn't feel a threat from him. "Are you okay?" she asked. When he nodded, she added, "Come, sit down."

She pointed to the comfortable old couch set against the far wall for customers looking through her mom's library of books on everything from witchcraft to gemstones to the history of Mount Shasta. The eclectic library was all that kept Mari from losing her mind through the long, slow afternoons watching the shop.

She glanced at the huge man standing politely beside her. Check that. Maybe she'd already lost it.

Darius stepped aside and waited for her to proceed. Mari led him to the couch and sat at one end. He went to the opposite end and carefully sheathed his sword in a beautifully tooled leather scabbard she just now noticed across his very broad back.

The sword disappeared as he slipped it into the sheath.

So did the scabbard.

Mari gasped. "Where did your sword just go?"

"Ah...I'm sorry." Smiling, he swept his hand over his shoulder and the sword and scabbard reappeared.

Mari felt a little light-headed. There was a strange buzzing in her ears.

"I forgot to remove the glamour," he said as he sat down. "It's the way I hide my blade from curious eyes."

"That's impossible." But then, so was a cat with demon teeth and red eyes, and a glowing sword made of crystal, and...

But he was shaking his head, still smiling. "How can it be impossible if you've just seen it happen? Don't you believe your own eyes?"

"Generally, yes." In fact, Mari thought of herself as pragmatic beyond belief, probably as a defensive measure to having been raised by parents as offbeat as hers. "But you have to admit, the events of the past few minutes haven't been entirely normal or believable."

"True." He sent a most devastating smile in her direction. "You have no reason to understand what's happening in your community. From what I've been told, the demon invasion has been kept out of your media, though it hasn't been easy. Demonkind have become much bolder over the past couple of weeks."

He wasn't smiling anymore. "We've never seen an incursion outside of Abyss quite like this one."

Blinking, Mari sat back against the thick arm of the sofa. "Say again? Demonkind? What's Abyss? What do you mean by...?"