Jericho Junction Page 2

  “We should go to my land, so you can see what we’re dealing with there.” Seino blinked at him, his red eyes like ruby pools of promise.

  Of promise? What the hell?

  “Shall we go?” Seino held out a hand.

  “What?”

  “Grab my hand and hold on. Our portal to the Seventh Kingdom is difficult to traverse. But you need to see what we’re up against, Dark Walker.”

  Jericho reluctantly put his hand in the large palm of the demon’s. It was cool to the touch…at first. But as he stared into Seino’s eyes, the demon gripped him tighter. Heat blossomed and travelled throughout his body, centring embarrassingly in his crotch. He didn’t have the nerve to see if Seino was similarly affected.

  “Hold on, Dark Walker, and prepare to travel.”

  The world changed in the blink of an eye.

  Seino released the bear the moment they entered his plane of existence. He wasn’t used to being near others. The Protector of a kingdom had many duties and no time for socialising. Seino fought, and he fought well. But other than fucking and fighting, he didn’t have much use for others, much to his grandfather’s dismay. The uncanny mage had some fool notion to partner him up with a mate. But this bear couldn’t have anything to do with Master Fel. Could he?

  To Seino’s unease, the bear’s touch struck a chord not only in him, but in his sword. He’d felt it vibrate in reaction to the gruff male. And that meant something significant. Not what he needed at the moment, while trying to rout an enemy capable of killing his kind without leaving a trace.

  The bear stared at his surroundings. “Holy shit.”

  He took a quick glance around him, seeing his world as Jericho might. It looked much like the wooded lands they’d just left, with a few exceptions. An overlay of energy muted the vibrant earthen plane, and the red glow of universal energy tinted the land.

  Seino studied Jericho, impressed that he alone hadn’t shown awe or fear when presented with Seino. Then again, the bear might not understand just who he dealt with. Champion of Banathmae, leader of the Kin in the Seventh Kingdom, Seino was the deadliest athmae in all of the seven realms.

  Yet he had a feeling Jericho would merely grunt or shrug if he knew the truth. A massive male with muscles aplenty and the attitude to back up his fierceness, Jericho was a fit representative from the Great Clan, Seino had to admit. A Dark Walker. Coincidence or fate?

  The Dark Walkers had once made fine Protectors in the kingdoms, where Kin and their pets frolicked amidst rivers of untamed magic.

  Seino had heard tales of the rare breed of Kin, but he’d never met one before. Yet that would explain why he felt so drawn to the bear. He would make an acceptable lover, at least. “You’ve never been to my world, have you?”

  “No. Until today, I didn’t know there were any kingdoms of demonkind at all. Just pockets of them around the world.”

  What most of Seino’s kind wanted others to know. That Liam had shared information with this Shifter, and with Jericho’s alpha in particular, bore investigating. But Seino would leave that for other Kin to handle. He had a job to do.

  “Technically, we’re not demons. That’s a human term.”

  The bear stewed, but Seino didn’t care. He hated the archaic reference. “We are called athmae, or down here, Kin. Demons are nothing but superstitious myth founded by the ignorant and fearful.”

  “Whatever.” Jericho frowned at him and crossed his arms over his chest. Muscle rippled, and his scent promised strength and power. Quite a find, this bear.

  But a distraction at present. Resigned to doing this job so he could get back to his regular routine, Seino flexed his own muscles and took a deep breath, then let out a loud hiss. At the sound, a flock of black birds rose from their sanctuary underground and puffed like a cloud in the red sky overhead.

  “So I guess it’s daytime here.” Jericho stared at the cloud of birds heading towards them.

  “Always. Our king dislikes the night.”

  “Funny for a demon. Sorry, athmae.” Jericho shook his fingers. “Feels tingly.”

  “Residual power. Here in the Seventh Kingdom, we harvest energy and reseed it into the known world. The dreams the incubi and succubi drain from the humans are recycled here, purified and filtered into potential energy. All the athmae pour into this plane. The Seventh Kingdom is vital to all life, everywhere.”

  “To the Great Forest too?”

  “Yes. As much as you shifters and humans think of yourselves as isolated, you’re as tightly connected to us as we are to you.” An unfortunate reality. “We serve Banathmae, who in turn serves to protect the greater good.”

  “Banathmae.” Jericho blinked at the birds settling all around Seino. “He’s your great spirit?”

  “I don’t know that I’d call him great,” Seino murmured, preoccupied by information one of his spies gave him.

  “Are you talking to that bird?” Jericho’s eyes widened, the rich dark brown of his irises full of life, and the same colour as the ground beneath their feet. The Seventh Kingdom looked like a mirror image of the place from which they’d departed, Liam’s castle in Germany. Yet only Kin and life in the Kingdom existed here. The athmae and humans they’d left behind in the earthen plane couldn’t touch this existence without a portal.

  The bird finished speaking, and Seino frowned. “He tells me there’s fresh kill to investigate.”

  “Terrific.” Jericho looked past him at the castle in the distance. “So that’s the athmae stronghold, right? Like Liam’s castle?”

  “Yes. Their castle is a reflection of ours. But this place belongs to the Kin. My kind. We and the incubi, as you call them, are quite different.”

  “So you’re not another lust demon?”

  The suspicion in the bear’s tone pleased him, and Seino glanced down the male’s front, pleasantly surprised to see him hard…and huge. “All demons feed on lust. On pleasure.” Seino made a decision to feed on Jericho’s just as soon as he could. Perhaps a quick fuck would work the bear out of his system, because—Banathmae knew—the shifter affected him like no other creature ever had.

  As if encouraging the sentiment, Seino’s sword vibrated, sending a message of acceptance he didn’t want the bear to hear.

  When Jericho frowned at it, Seino swore under his breath and stepped back.

  “Come bear. Stop flirting. We have work to do.” As he’d meant it to, his comment aggravated the shifter, who stomped after him, more than annoyed.

  They followed the cluster of birds to the outer edge of the castle. Uncomfortably close to the king’s own residence. Not good.

  “Damn. Looks like you’ve got four dead bodies.”

  Seino scowled and crouched by the recent kills. “I’ve been finding them in strange places, but so close to my king bodes ill. No creature may venture this far without alerting the royal guards. This makes no sense.” He whistled to the birds and watched them leave.

  Moments later, a dozen warriors appeared around him and Jericho.

  “Fuck.” Jericho growled, obviously threatened by the sudden presence of armed Kin.

  The energy around him shimmered, and Seino watched with interest as his new partner shucked out of his clothes and turned into a large grizzly bear, one with the bright eyes of a shaman, a priest dedicated to Banathmae, or as he called himself in the earthen world, the Bear in the Cave.

  “By the Night. Weir, put down your weapon.” Seino placed himself between the bear and his brethren, not sure they wouldn’t kill him first and ask questions later. “What is going on around here?”

  Weir gave the order and the weapons around him dropped to face the ground. “It’s good to see you, Protector.” He bowed his head to show respect. “We feared you might leave before we could request your help.” He glanced at the fallen Kin and scowled. “As you can see, we have a serious problem.”

  Behind them, Jericho snarled. The others watched warily as the large bear sniffed the carnage on the ground, then followed a tr
ail into the woods.

  “Trust his senses,” Seino ordered, though he couldn’t have said why. He’d just met his unofficial partner. He didn’t know Jericho at all, but he sensed an answering force, a large source of power that called to him on another level. And the bear’s name—Dark Walker. Legendary mages gifted with Banathmae’s blessings. He couldn’t ignore that, as much as he wanted to. “He’s a Dark Walker.”

  The others stared at Jericho in wonder and awe. But the bear was oblivious. He stopped several metres away in the woodline and shimmered, changing back into his human form. Seino couldn’t help noticing the large cock swinging between his thighs. Or the raw power emanating from his inner spirit.

  Nor could he fail to notice the interest on many of the warriors’ faces with him. Kin, unlike humans, didn’t care about gender when it came to sexuality. It was all about power and scent. And Jericho smelt like the deepest, darkest reaches of ecstasy in waiting.

  Seino cleared his throat.

  Jericho looked around and blushed when he saw the attention focused on him.

  Seino thought the action amazingly cute. Cute—a word he never would have ascribed to a bad-tempered warrior like Jericho. “What did you find?”

  “Sorceress. I can smell her clear as day. But at home, I couldn’t scent a thing. You can’t tell?”

  Seino forced his gaze from Jericho’s broad chest and concentrated on the empty bed of grass, over which Jericho stood. He frowned. “Nothing. I sense nothing here. Even my birds cannot see this magic. The test will be to walk your lands and look there for the enemy.”

  Weir swore. “The Dark Walker sees what we cannot. I must warn the king. Prophecy is at hand once more.”

  “Fucking prophecy. It’s all bullshit.” Jericho stood tall and crossed his arms over his chest, pretending not to care about his nudity. Yet he refused to meet Seino’s gaze. Instead, he focused on Weir. “You. You’re leader of this group, right?”

  Weir nodded and bowed in deference. “Dark Walker. It’s an honour.” Jericho frowned, but before he could say anything, Weir continued, “Our king has been warned of the danger we will not be able to see. That you’ve come to help us gives us great hope, and great concern.”

  “I hate to break it to you, but I’m here to help out my own kind. Shifters are dying topside.” He glanced up, as if to see his home. “Shit. Anyway, something’s gutting them. Wolves, cats, and even a bear or two have fallen. Now whatever’s killed them is killing demons. I smell a sorceress. But at home, the enemy leaves no scent. It’s not natural. Has to be a spell of some kind.” He puzzled.

  “I agree.” Seino straightened, resigned to his next step. “We need to see Master Fel.” His wily grandfather, a man who bowed to no one, not even the king, would be a help. Or so Seino hoped.

  Weir blanched. But he didn’t argue. If the Protector and a Dark Walker needed guidance, then guidance they’d have. Even if it came from the Kin no one in his right mind wanted to face, on a good day.

  Chapter Three

  “Yes, Lord Seino. Right away.” Weir and his warriors vanished.

  “Must be nice appearing and disappearing at will,” Jericho muttered and walked back the way they’d come.

  Seino watched the man’s ass and thighs flex as he moved. Pure grace in motion. “It is. Much more efficient than walking everywhere.” Seino’s kind used teleportation effortlessly, the way Liam’s incubi drew sexual power. Natural talents ingrained for a purpose greater than ease of movement. The Kin transported huge amounts of energy from point to point in the Seventh Kingdom, as opposed to the incubi, who siphoned energy from the humans. “We need to be able to come and go, to ride the power that feeds the world.”

  They stopped once Jericho reached his clothes. He hurriedly stepped into them, as if rushing would cause Seino to miss that erection.

  “You’re quite large, aren’t you?” Seino stepped closer and cupped Jericho’s cock, curious to feel the fleshy stalk. But he got no more than a brisk feel of silken steel before Jericho leapt back like a scalded cat and trousers covered the man’s flesh.

  “Son of a bitch!”

  “You want me.”

  Jericho’s expression darkened, his gaze fierce.

  A rush of desire flooded Seino’s body, making him just as hard as the bear.

  “Look, Lord Arrogant. I’m here to find answers, not play with a demon needing to scratch an itch.” The bear deliberately glanced at Seino’s crotch, seeing answering need in his arousal.

  Seino had no idea why, but Jericho’s denial made him that much more intriguing. “You do not desire me because I am Kin?”

  “Because you’re male,” Jericho grumbled. “It’s not common in the clan.”

  “Ah. You seek to procreate your species. Not for pleasure?”

  “Breeding only happens with females.”

  “True, but pleasure can be found in many places. Bonding between mates is as natural as dominance and submission, male to female, or male to male,” Seino murmured and drew closer. He knew his grandfather would soon arrive, that they had a sly enemy to capture and no time to dawdle. But he couldn’t let the opportunity to outmanoeuvre the bear go. The sex between them would be fantastic. Raw chemistry flared, so bright he could almost taste it.

  Seino whispered, “I would love to see you beg for my cock, on your knees, your mouth wide open to receive me.”

  Jericho sputtered, the indignation Seino might have expected buried under waves of what looked like discomfort—and need. The bear’s cock appeared large beneath his trousers. To Seino’s delight, Jericho blushed again.

  “Not a no, then?” Seino looked forward to dealing with the male. The games they would play…

  “No, dammit.”

  Before Jericho could put some heat behind what would no doubt be a weak argument, Master Fel appeared. A wizened athmae and the king’s personal mage, Seino’s grandfather knew futures and pasts but never let his knowledge interfere with the present that Banathmae guided him to further. Other Kin avoided him like the plague, something he and Seino had in common. Great power often made those with less uncomfortable.

  Seino nodded in deference. “Master Fel.”

  “Seino. A pleasure.” The papery thin skin of Fel’s flesh pushed past the withered robe he wore. He reached out and grasped Seino’s hand.

  Power shot through Seino and leeched away his will to do more than breathe. Fuck. More games. His grandfather’s eyes twinkled with joy, the red orbs glowing. Then Fel let him go.

  Jericho frowned, glancing between them, obviously unsure of the exchange.

  “Ah, and the young shaman. Returned to us at last.” His grandfather seemed too pleased, and Seino had a bad feeling he’d been railroaded into this assignment when the old mage cast a satisfied glance between them. Weir and his team had initially been assigned the mission to recruit help from the outside world while Seino battled with an overeager band of harpies killing Kin to the south. Then the king—the spokesman for Master Fel—had intervened. Instead of protecting the kingdom, Seino had been sent to the weak earthen plane. To find a bear, apparently.

  Before Seino could introduce them, Fel took Jericho’s hand in a firm handshake.

  “Good. Strong. Potent. You’ll be a good breeder.”

  “What?” Jericho scowled. “Just who are you, old man?” He sniffed. “Smells like power.”

  Fel ignored Jericho and released his hand. “The sorceress you want is no longer here. She took what she needed out of the Kin—their hearts, their power. And now she no longer needs us to go after the real prize.”

  “Which would be?” Seino prodded when Fel said nothing, just stared at Jericho.

  By Banathmae’s sword, he’d rather be killing things than dealing with the mysteries of his grandfather’s odd mind.

  “You have two days here. Two days to build the trust you’ll need to defeat your foe.” Fel closed his hand and chanted. Then he opened his fingers and dropped three amulets into Seino’s palm. “Use these
.”

  Before Seino could ask in what capacity, Fel raked a long nail across Seino’s wrist, the pain like a parasite, stealing his ability to think. Blood spurted, rich and thick. The liquid soaked into the amulets, and they glowed a bright gold that faded into deepest black.

  “Damn it. That hurt.” He took a deep breath then let it out slowly. “Protection?”

  Seino gripped his wrist and willed away the pain. Jericho, he noted, looked none too happy with his grandfather. A sign that the bear felt protective? Or did Jericho simply dislike the powerful mage for some other reason?

  “Aye.” Fel motioned for Jericho to step near.

  “Oh, hell no.” Jericho didn’t move.

  His grandfather sighed. “Stubborn as the rest of your kind.”

  “Bears are immovable. It’s who we are.”

  “No, not your animal. You. Dark Walker. It’s your family of whom I speak.”

  “What’s the big deal everyone keeps making about Dark Walkers? What do you know about my family?”

  “Put this around Seino’s neck and I’ll tell you.” The amulets disappeared from Seino’s hand and reappeared in his grandfather’s. But now, each amulet was fashioned into a necklace held by thin, iron rope chains.

  A harder scrutiny of the amulets made Seino step back. He suddenly understood what the hell his grandfather was up to. “No, I don’t think that wise. Jericho, step away. Don’t touch it.” The mission to find the killer suddenly paled next to avoiding a mating dance crafted by a wily old man wanting to see his grandson settled. But why he thought Jericho might give him progeny made no sense. Even Kin needed females to spawn young.

  “Why? What’s with the necklace?” Jericho made no move to step forward.

  “Don’t be afraid.” Fel dangled the amulets.

  “I’m not. But I’m curious that he is.” Jericho narrowed his gaze on Seino.

  Fel explained, in that veiled way he had that often preceded trickery. “Lord Seino fears the power you will have over him if you chain it around his neck. Perhaps it would be better if I gave it to him instead, that way he might control you.”