Nocturnal Part 13

Roland stared at the portal leading to Earth's dimension while his two crystal-bearing soldiers waited beside him. He went over that last conversation, when he'd given Darius orders to kill the demons.

Darius wouldn't have followed demonkind to Earth, would he? Roland groaned. Nine h.e.l.ls. Nine h.e.l.ls. Earth was forbidden territory. Could Darius have decided to take that risk, hunting demons on Earth when they were no longer a threat to Lemuria? Earth was forbidden territory. Could Darius have decided to take that risk, hunting demons on Earth when they were no longer a threat to Lemuria?

Knowing Darius, it was entirely possible. And, if what Alton of Artigos said was true, demons invading Earth were were a threat to Lemuria. They were a threat to all worlds in all dimensions. a threat to Lemuria. They were a threat to all worlds in all dimensions.

Darius would have understood that. He wouldn't have ignored the threat. Besides, like all young men, Darius craved adventure.

Roland tightened his grasp on his crystal sword and glanced at his men. Both were armed with crystal-the only weapons known to work against the demon threat. While the aristocrats of Lemuria possessed crystal blades, they'd long ago lost the will to fight, which meant that with Darius missing, only three armed soldiers stood between Lemuria and the scourge of demonkind.

He or one of his men must stay behind while the other two attempted to rescue Darius.

Roland gazed at the portal to Earth and sighed. "Let us return to Lemuria and make our report. We've pulled a long night's duty. We will rest first, and then we must launch a search in Earth's dimension for Darius of Kronus."

Both young men snapped to attention. Roland hid a tired grin. Lemurian curiosity about Earth appeared as powerful as ever and he was offering a rare opportunity.

"Leland of Arctus, you will remain on guard at this portal while Matthias of Strachus will accompany me to the other side. For now, though, we all need to rest and recharge."

He ignored the elbow jab Matthias gave to Leland. With thoughts of Darius heavy on his heart but a visit to Earth raising his sense of antic.i.p.ation, Roland led his men back through the portal to Lemuria.

With the sound of Darius's shower running in the background, Mari put away the dishes he'd washed and dried while she'd taken her shower earlier. Knowing he'd cleaned up the kitchen without being asked gave her even more warm fuzzies than preparing his meal had. She really needed to find something wrong with him.

Anything. He couldn't possibly be this perfect.

She hoped the pair of her father's old cut-off sweatpants she'd found would fit him. First thing tomorrow she'd make a run to the feed store and see what she could buy for him to wear. There were a lot of good-sized ranchers and cowboys in the area. With luck she'd find clothing large enough.

She tried to picture Darius in blue jeans and a s.h.i.+rt, but she couldn't get past the image of him without the robe. Period.

d.a.m.n it, girl. Focus! Boots. Boots were good. She'd shop for boots, too. He couldn't very well continue running around Evergreen in a monk's robe and sandals. Boots. Boots were good. She'd shop for boots, too. He couldn't very well continue running around Evergreen in a monk's robe and sandals.

She tried not to pay attention, but the sound of the shower running gave her an explicit visual of that huge man, naked in her shower with all that long dark hair streaming beneath the spray. When the shower shut off, she pictured him drying off, rubbing the soft white towel across his chest, over his long legs, drying his hair.

Then she giggled. d.a.m.n. Did she have a previously unknown hair fetish? What was it about all that long, black hair of his?

By the time the bathroom door opened, Mari was trembling like a leaf...and it wasn't from fear.

d.a.m.n it! Where was her focus! Forcing a calm she was far from feeling, Mari turned around and almost dropped the pan she was holding. Where was her focus! Forcing a calm she was far from feeling, Mari turned around and almost dropped the pan she was holding.

He stood in the doorway, his big body framed in a cloud of steam. Without that flowing robe, he was even more impressive than she'd imagined. s.e.xier, bigger, more commanding. He'd taken out the braids. Now all that wet hair was combed straight back from his face. Slicked back this way, it emphasized the slight widow's peak, his high cheekbones, the harsh cut of his square chin, and his long, straight nose. His hair fell like a curtain of black silk s.h.i.+mmering over his shoulders, caressing his powerful arms, hanging all the way to his b.u.t.t.

Her dad's old sweats clung to his body, riding low on his narrow hips, fitting closely around the most perfectly muscled thighs she'd ever seen on any man. The cut-offs had probably hung below her dad's knees. On Darius they barely covered his thighs.

He had it all, from the dusting of black hair running across his broad chest and trailing down his middle to disappear beneath the waistband of the sweats, to the rippling six-pack of muscle defining his taut belly. There was more of the same dark hair on his thighs-not a lot, but enough to scream out his masculinity and beg her fingers to travel through it. There was even more on his muscular calves and a bit on the tops of his long, narrow feet. She'd never seen such s.e.xy feet on a man before, but it was more than obvious there wasn't anything about Darius that wasn't s.e.xy.

His hands, his face, his body...his broad smile. d.a.m.n. d.a.m.n.

"Are you laughing at me?" Suddenly defensive, she folded her arms across her chest, well aware of the fact she wasn't wearing a bra beneath her camisole top. She tried her best to glare at him, but it was hard to keep her lips from twitching.

He'd studied her the same way when she'd stepped out of the bathroom after bathing.

It seemed only fair.

"I am," he said, laughing. He leaned against the door frame and folded his arms across his chest, mimicking her stance. "You're looking at me the same way I looked at you when you walked out of this little room, all warm and damp from your shower. With interest."

Well. Okay. She hadn't expected him to actually say it out loud, but..."I see. Well, I guess fair's fair."

He nodded, but he still had that big, s.e.xy grin on his face. "I left my robe hanging on the hook behind the door, if that's okay."

"That's fine." She rubbed suddenly sweaty palms along her thighs. "I need to get you something else to wear so you won't stand out so much if you go into town."

"Will there be clothing large enough to fit me? Humans are not quite as big as Lemurians."

He walked across the room, all long legs and strong arms and bare, s.e.xy feet...and long, long black hair.

Brazenly she looked him slowly up and then down. "I hope so," she said, reluctantly parking her gaze on his smile. "A few are. You can't run around town dressed like a monk."

He laughed. "Or naked. I don't think that would work, either."

Oh, Lordy... The images that conjured up made her mouth go dry. "So..." Frantically she searched for subject matter. The images that conjured up made her mouth go dry. "So..." Frantically she searched for subject matter.

"So?" He raised one perfect black eyebrow.

"Tell me about Lemuria."

He chuckled. "I can do that," he said, grinning broadly. "It's probably a safer discussion than talk of running around your town naked."

She wondered if he heard her squeak. He certainly didn't mince words, but she wasn't sure if he was flirting or if this was just the way he was. She didn't know him. Not at all, and yet she'd allowed him into her home, into her life.

How the h.e.l.l had this happened so quickly?

Demons. Oh. Yeah.

Somehow she had to get the image of his gloriously naked body out of her head. Maybe then her brain would work the way she expected it to-as if she were still an intelligent, thinking human being.

Darius solved her problem when he walked away from her, sat on the couch, rested his elbows on his knees, and in that deep, rolling voice of his with the slightest accent-one she couldn't describe if she'd tried-proceeded to spin a tale of a world Mari knew only as legend.

He described Lemuria's history, how an entire continent had sunk beneath the sea over twelve thousand years ago. He told her about a civilization with technology advanced enough to move everyone to safety within another dimension. His people now lived deep within the confines of the dormant volcano of Mount Shasta-yet in a dimension parallel to Earth's.

His were people who never saw the sun, who had forgotten what a real blue sky looked like, who ate manufactured foods, and, when the need for trade existed, bought goods with diamonds mined from deep within the earth.

They'd once been warriors but now were philosophers. An entire race that had forgotten how to fight, who had lost the voices within their sentient crystal swords. A people who had lost their courage at a time when they faced their biggest threat in millennia-an invasion by demonkind that could end everything as all worlds knew it.

It was not an uplifting tale, at least not as Darius told it, and his story left her feeling chilled and frightened. Unsure of a world she'd thought of as safe and whole.

"But you carry a crystal sword, right? You're a warrior, aren't you?"

He smiled and nodded his head. "I do and I am, but I am one of very few and my sword is not yet sentient. Until I prove myself in battle, it will remain silent. Now it is merely a weapon. A powerful weapon, but still just a sword. Once it achieves sentience, it will become my partner."

He slipped the sword from the tooled-leather sheath. The blade glowed but remained silent. "I know it's alive, but until I'm considered worthy, I'll not hear its voice. I'll not know its story." His hands swept lovingly along the blade.

Mari imagined those same strong hands sweeping over her body and her nipples puckered in response. She couldn't very well cover her b.r.e.a.s.t.s without drawing attention, but there was no way he could miss the visible sign of her arousal.

In fact, he seemed aware even before Mari'd figured it out. Darius raised his head and his gaze focused on her chest, and that made her nipples pucker and ache even more. For the first time, an uncomfortable silence fell between them. Then Darius cleared his throat. He leaned over and picked up the book she'd brought with her from the shop.

He looked at the cover. Then he opened it, glanced over the pages and raised his head. "Is this a diary? Much of it is handwritten. I expected to see only printed pages."

Thankful for a new topic-even this topic-Mari shook her head. "Part of it's a published book, but the notes are my mother's. It's her book of spells. She's a witch."

Darius's head shot up and he blinked. "A witch? Really?"

Mari laughed. At least here she was on safe ground. Sort of. "If you ask my mother she'll say yes, she's a real witch. My father will agree. Me? I'm not so sure I believe in witchcraft. Or witches."

Grinning, Darius tapped the pages of the book. "You don't believe in Lemurians, either. Or demons."

Mari leaned back against the kitchen counter and folded her arms across her chest. Finally, a chance to cover up her d.a.m.ned nipples without looking obvious. "True," she said. "But now that I've got you sitting in my apartment, I'm willing to be a bit more open-minded about the whole Lemurian thing. Witches? The jury's still out on witches."

He flipped the pages, stopped, and flipped back. Raised his head and frowned. "There are spells in here to counteract demonkind. Have you looked at them?"

Mari pushed herself away from the counter and joined him on the couch. She looked over his shoulder at the page he'd found. Her mother's precise handwriting covered both pages. "Where? No. I didn't see those." She tapped the word "demon" about halfway down. "Wow. Looks like a bunch of spells. I had no idea demons were something in my mother's repertoire. I was looking for a spell that would help me get my job back."

"I thought you didn't believe in witchcraft?"

Laughing, she shrugged. "Hey, I'm unemployed and desperate. I can't stay in Evergreen forever. I'd go nuts! If witchcraft will help, I'm there."

"Did you find a spell? One to help you find a job?"

"No." She shook her head. "Plenty of spells for finding your heart's desire or making your enemy break out in boils, but nothing that'll help me find a job with a good, healthy Fortune 500 company."

He tapped the page again with his forefinger. Right over the word "demon," spelled out in block letters. "Well, until you find that job spell, why don't we take a look at some of these?"

She glanced at the page, at her mother's familiar writing, and then shot Darius a flirtatious look. "What? You're not interested in finding your heart's desire? Making your enemy break out in boils?"

He tilted his head and studied her, but she didn't notice a bit of laughter in his eyes. None at all.

"I doubt demons, who already suffer the life of the d.a.m.ned, would notice a boil or two." He shrugged, but his gaze never left her face. "As far as the other? I may be a fool d.a.m.ned forever, but I think I've already found my heart's desire."

Mari had no idea where the conversation might have gone from there if her phone hadn't suddenly blasted the first bars of "Jailhouse Rock." She jumped, scurried across the room, and dug the cell phone out of her purse.

She'd never been so happy for her mother's interruption in her entire life, though as she briefly updated Spirit on the day's business, Mari realized she was keeping the most important part of the day to herself.

She didn't mention demons or the broken window or the fact she'd been injured by a creature that shouldn't exist. Nor did she mention the man sitting just across the room from her-the one who'd be spending the night with her in this tiny apartment.

No. There were some things a girl didn't share with her mother, no matter how grown-up the girl was. At thirty-three, Mari was plenty old enough to make her own choices and follow her own path, but even Spirit, for all her open-minded, free-spirit, and free-love philosophy might have a bit of trouble with the idea of her only child spending the night with a Lemurian warrior.

One who'd just looked her in the eye and as much as admitted he wanted her.

Which wouldn't be so dangerous if Mari didn't want him every bit as much.

Chapter 6.

"Everything's fine. I'll open at ten as usual, but don't expect me for breakfast. I've got some errands to run first. Give Dad my love, and I'll try and get over to see you tomorrow after I close. I love you, too."

"That was your mother?" Darius leaned back on the couch and watched as Mari turned off her communication device.

She nodded. "Yeah. Mom always calls at night to check on me. She used to call every night after I moved to San Francisco, at least until she got comfortable with me living so far away."

"You didn't tell her about me...or the demons."

Mari slowly shook her head, and her silky blond hair whispered across her shoulders. "No. I don't want to worry her. She's got enough on her plate with Dad's recovery going so slowly. He had surgery on his back and he's..." Her voice trailed off when Darius stood up and walked across the room to stand in front of her.

"You don't need to be afraid of me, Mari. I will not deny the very powerful attraction I feel for you, but I don't intend to act on it." He lifted her chin with his finger. Her smile was uncertain, confused. "At least, not tonight. You are safe with me. I mean it when I tell you I am here to protect you. I don't want you to fear me."

Her eyes were wide, s.h.i.+mmering pools of blue sky and dark onyx. Her lips trembled and he sensed her desire like a living, breathing ent.i.ty between them.

It was almost as powerful as his need for her.

Mari shook her head. "I don't fear you, Darius. I've never felt as safe with any man in my life as I do with you."

She laughed, a short, sharp bark that echoed the frustration he was feeling. "Maybe you should fear me," she said, and he knew she meant to tease, to make a joke of what they both understood but couldn't pursue. There was an edge to her voice that skittered along his nerves. A sultry, sensual edge that purred through his groin and wound its way across the base of his spine.

She turned her head and rested her cheek against his palm. "I know you're a big boy, Darius, but I've already proved I can bring you to your knees. How do you know your virtue is safe with me?" Then she grinned, a wide, heartfelt gamine's smile.

The tension flowed out of him like water from a jug. He met her grin with one of his own. "Because I am a mighty warrior and I will be strong enough for both of us." Then he chuckled and shook his head. It hurt to admit the truth. "Besides, it's not my virtue I'm worried about. My b.a.l.l.s still ache as if the G.o.ds used them for bowling. I think you've ruined me."

"Oh, G.o.d." Her smile disappeared and she hung her head. "I am so sorry. I really, really am sorry. I forgot about that."

He rolled his eyes. "I haven't. Believe me."

"Will you ever forgive me?" She wasn't teasing at all. In fact, she looked horribly upset.

"Ah, Mari. Of course you're forgiven. Truth? You were magnificent. Your attack was perfectly executed. A little too perfectly from my point of view, but you're definitely forgiven. Besides, you've taught me an important lesson. Never again will I underestimate a woman warrior."

"I promise never to do it again."

"I should hope not." He glowered at her.

She covered her lips to stifle a giggle and he grabbed her hand. "Come," he said. She wrapped her fingers in his and it felt right. Natural. "Let's look again at your book of spells. I may be a mighty warrior, but even I might need help fighting the demons should they come during the night."

"Do you expect them tonight?" Still clutching his hand, she stopped and her eyes went wide once again.