Akhenti had slept for a long time, and Miriam had eyed her warily now and then, but made no attempt to wake her, moving softly and quietly when she had to go near. She was undeniably curious about the strange girl, but still found her rather intimidating. Akhenti was loud, bold, combative and a little bit wild – way beyond the normal bounds of Miriam’s relatively conventional world.
Eventually, however, even Akhenti had had enough sleep, and sat up yawning and blinking, cringing from the sun. “Owww ow ow ow,” she complained, hopping up and pulling the blanket over her head like a shelter as she dashed for the bedroom.
(more…)
On the day of Nefertem’s storm and subsequent sojourn back to hell, Seth was enjoying himself at a party. A very important party, the King’s fete at Versailles, which he’d managed to attain an invitation to attend in the palace itself with the King and his most trusted advisors. It was a project he had spent months on, determined to get in the King’s ear, and eventually anywhere else he needed to ensure that at some point France would be his, convinced that if he could take this little corner of the world, he could take Spain, and then Britain, and then the world. He just needed that annoying runt home where he belonged, where the others wouldn’t be able to interfere with him.
(more…)
Sahriel stared at his hand in Connor’s the whole way to the cave. No one had ever held his hand before, or at least not just to hold it while they went somewhere. Never for this long, definitely. It was warm and every now and then Connor’s thumb would brush over the back and send shivers up his arm. It amazed Sahriel, that something so simple could be so enjoyable and his smile was soft and delighted as he walked close to Connor’s side, fingertips deliberately brushing Connor’s thigh every now and then, teasing.
(more…)
It was almost too warm. Sahriel frowned, because that seemed wrong somehow, but he was deeply wrapped in blankets and curled up against hot skin. That seemed okay…he really liked that. Not sure why it was bad, he forced himself to open his eyes just a crack and moaned, head exploding in fire as the sunlight sank through him. It was pouring happily through the windows and all over them, hot and searing and sapping the energy out of him, and he didn’t have any to give it.
(more…)
It seemed like forever until the storm finally started to fade, and by that time the room was thoroughly chilled. Jack was huddling under the few blankets they had left, curling up in his lap like a child or the hamster Teague had called him, burrowing into him for warmth.
“Is it over?” he asked finally, softly, when the lightning had stopped and all they could hear was the quiet steady dripping of the rain.
(more…)
Sahriel hadn’t been so nervous in centuries; not since he realised someone had unearthed his seal and he was a possession to a man he’d never met. Then he’d been nervous, but he’d at least known he was the demon and a human couldn’t get as creative as a demon when it came to ordering him about. But this was different. This was Nefertem and deep down Sahriel didn’t want to harm him, but refused to go to Seth, if that was even what Nefertem wanted.
(more…)
Teague ran back to town but saw no sign of Sahriel. He hurried toward the Inn and was just about to open the doors when they were flung open in his face and a body stormed out, grabbing hold of him and tossing him aside, striding off without any further notice of him. Teague stared after Nefertem and wondered if Sahriel was really going to be alright, because for all that Sahriel said the guy was okay he seemed downright violent to Teague. But he wasn’t about to go calling any more attention to himself and instead got up and scurried upstairs, hurrying to his rooms and rushing in, locking the door and hurrying over to lock the window before searching for a blanket to put over the glass.
(more…)
Teague waited until Jack was out cold again before going to see the Innkeeper, explaining that Sahriel had gone out of town for a few days on family business, and that Jack was injured and upstairs. Mr Knowles just sighed and shrugged and said a lot of weird stuff had been happening around the Inn the last few days and he was closing the bar for a few nights until people calmed down a little.
(more…)
Someone knocked at the door. Teague frowned, almost certain that Sahriel wouldn’t knock even if Jack was there. He got up slowly and went to answer, opening it curiously and then just staring, feeling like the air was being sucked out of his lungs and he had only just enough time to think he looked eerily like Sahriel before a hand slammed around his throat and he was being lifted off the floor like he weighed nothing, the door slamming shut as the stranger walked in. No wonder Jack hadn’t known how to explain anything…there was no way that creature was human, which made Teague have some very strange thoughts about Sahriel.
(more…)
Connor actually had moved Sahriel’s earlier pile of blankets to the cave already, and now he only stopped to find a lantern and some matches to take with them before they headed back into the woods. It wasn’t easy, but Connor knew his way even in the dark and he was able to find the place where the caves came out, the entrance they’d used before, and led the way back in with his lantern.
(more…)