Chapter Eight

O nce dawn approached, the hunters went upstairs to sleep. Nic was locked into his room and each of them took two-hour spells guarding his door.

Shay was grateful for the reprieve, since being around Nic was profoundly disturbing. But she’d still have to do her two hours. Fine with her. She could handle having him on the other side of the door, as long as she didn’t have to touch him.

She slept until Trace knocked on her door, signaling it was her shift. Dragging herself out of bed, she dressed, grabbed her weapon, and stumbled into the hallway where Trace was sitting on a not-too-comfortable-looking chair, rifle across his lap.

He yawned and stood. “Enjoy yourself,” he said as he headed to his room.

“Uh-huh.”

Two hours would go by fast. Then she was going back to sleep, since they wouldn’t have to be officially up for another several hours. Sleeping in the daylight sucked enough as it was, and screwed up her normal rest patterns. Having to switch her nights and days to hang out with Nic had only made things worse.

She leaned her head against the wall, trying to focus her thoughts on anything that would keep her awake. But then she heard a sound coming from Nic’s bedroom.

A groan, maybe?

She stood and moved to his door, pressing her ear there.

He was talking. Mumbling. She couldn’t make out what he was saying, though. Whatever it was, he was angry about it. What the hell was he doing?

He kept talking. And his voice was getting louder.

Dammit, why did this have to happen on her watch? With a disgusted sigh, she cradled her weapon and unlocked his door, inching it open.

It was pitch black inside. She opened the door a little further and slipped in.

“Nic?” she whispered.

No answer.

“No!”

Okay, that was an answer. Sort of. She blinked, forcing her eyes to focus in the darkness, and headed toward the sound of his voice. She made out his shape in the bed. He was rolling around, the sheet tangled around his middle. The rest of him was uncovered.

Now that her eyes were adjusted, she could see he must be asleep. Dreaming? Nightmares? Talking in his sleep, he mumbled incoherently, thrashing around the bed like a maniac.

“Stop. Get away from me!”

His voice was getting louder. She really should do something before he woke everyone up.

Edging toward the bed, she reached out and gently pressed on his shoulder. “Nic, wake up.”

His hand snaked out, his eyes shot open, and he grabbed her wrist with a crushing force. “Don’t touch me.”

Like a tornadic wind, her visions sucked her in. Nic was trying to back away from approaching demons and Shay was right there with him now, against the wall. He took her hand and started to run. They were in a cave—so dark, and hard to feel their way around. She couldn’t see, had to rely on Nic leading her.

She felt the demons behind them, and something more. Something evil.

They couldn’t outrun it. It was catching up.

The vision evaporated, and Shay looked down at Nic. Adrenaline pumping, she tried to jerk her wrist away from him. But he had a tight hold and wouldn’t let go. “Nic, it’s Shay. You’re dreaming.”

He stared at her, but it wasn’t malevolence in his eyes. It was downright fear. And he was shaking, a fine sheen of sweat coating his face and body.

She kept her voice calm, low and tranquil. “Nic, do you hear me? It’s Shay.” She stopped struggling to get away from him, and sat on the edge of the bed. “You must be having a nightmare.”

He blinked and stared at his hand, then let her loose, pushing back to sit up against the headboard. He dragged his hands through his hair and blew out a breath. “Sorry. I’m sorry. Shit.”

“It’s okay. Are you all right?” His hands were still shaky.

“I’m fine.” As if he had just realized it was her, and she was armed, he glanced down at the weapon and back up at her. “I’m hardly in a position to make a run for it.”

Shay turned and gaped at the sheet that barely covered the most intimate part of him. The rest of him was uncovered. With the daylight filtering in through the dark shades in the room, she could see plenty. As if she hadn’t been ogling his body during the day they’d spent together, having him nearly naked and right next to her in his bed set off pinging awareness that shouldn’t be happening.

She stood and looked down at him. “You’re sure you’re okay.”

“I’m fine. You can go now.”

“You don’t need to take that angry tone with me. I was just trying to help.”

“I think you’ve already helped me plenty.” He whipped the sheet off and swung his legs over before she had a chance to make a beeline for the door. He stood and started moving. She raised her weapon and he grinned, halting in mid-stride. “I’m going to the bathroom, unless that’s an offense you’re going to gun me down for.”

He was beautiful, standing there naked and unashamed, taunting her on purpose.

But she’d be damned if she was going to run off like a frightened virgin who’d never seen a naked man before. She looked her fill, enjoying every square inch of him, a part of her wishing things could be different. Because, God, did she ever wish she could lay down her weapon and go to him right now, throw herself into his arms and finish what they’d started in the pool. Her body throbbed with instant awareness and need.

But things weren’t different. And the anger in his gaze was a bitter reminder of that.

“Go right ahead,” she said, waiting until he turned from her and entered the bathroom before she went out, locking him back in and taking her seat.

So what was that all about? Nightmares? And the instant he awoke, he grasped her like she was going to hurt or attack him or something. He was angry, and he was scared.

Nic didn’t strike her as a guy who frightened easily. He seemed tough and capable. So what scared the hell out of him in his dreams?

She wished he didn’t hate her, because she wanted to explore whatever it was that bothered him. And she wanted to talk about her visions and how they tied into him. Had she entered his nightmare, or was it something else? Because goddamn, it was making her crazy.

It had just been a nightmare, right? Her vision had nothing to do with what he’d been dreaming about. Totally unrelated, and his bad dream was probably just a one-time thing brought about by the trauma they’d all inflicted on him. Hell, if they’d done it to her, she’d be having nightmares, too.

Though she’d always had visions, lately they were all about Nic.

Nic woke with a headache. Great. He sat up and stared at the closed door, wondering who was on the other side guarding him. Most likely not Shay.

Of all people to wake him up having a nightmare. Bad enough she’d been dragged right into the middle of his dream. She’d been standing in the center of a room where the monsters surrounded him—cornered him. She beseeched him to leave with her, told him there was redemption if he would only take her hand. And his father was compelling him to stay. His first thought was that he had to get Shay out of there and get her to safety. Before the monsters got her.

These fucking dreams were killing him. His head pounded, confusion twisting his gut. They seemed so real. And now Shay was in them, her presence reassuring, a soft balm to the madness. For some reason her appearing in his dreams was giving him the impetus to run, the courage to get away from the demons.

But dammit, he didn’t want her in his dreams. Or in his life. Fisting his temples, he pressed inward, willing the headache away.

That did no good. With a muttered curse he bounded out of bed and into the bathroom, opening up the medicine cabinet but already knowing what he’d find in there.

Nothing. As if goddamn Tylenol could be used as a weapon.

With a disgusted sigh, he went to the door and knocked on it. Ryder was there, a frown on his face.

“’Bout time you got up. I’m hungry. Get dressed.”

Nic closed the door. Friendly sort, wasn’t he? He pulled on clothes and brushed his teeth, eager to get the hell out of his bedroom prison.

Derek looked up as Nic entered the kitchen. He was the only one in there, leaning against the counter with a steaming mug in his hand. Nic inhaled, and the smell of coffee made his mouth water.

“Coffee?” Derek asked.

Nic nodded. “Black.”

Derek filled a cup and handed it to Nic. “Have a seat. We’ll talk.”

Ryder filled a mug. “Where’s everybody else?”

“Other room. Strategizing,” Derek said.

Ryder nodded and headed in that direction, leaving Derek and Nic alone. Nic was surprised they hadn’t dragged him into the other room and tied him up. Then again, it wasn’t like he was going to get anywhere with all these people around. Or at least not far. He didn’t know what kind of weaponry they had on them or what ammo they loaded in those things, but he didn’t think he wanted any of that blue liquid shit fired in his direction.

“Sleep well?” Derek asked, grabbing a seat across from him.

“Not really.”

“You and Shay talk?”

“She filled me in a bit, yeah.”

“You probably have a million questions.”

“I have a few.”

Derek tilted the chair, rocking it on its back legs. “Shoot. I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.”

“Tell me what you know about my father. Describe him.”

“You do realize I can only tell you what I remember of the man from my own childhood, and that was only until I was about ten or so. Long time ago. It’s spotty.”

Nic crossed his arms. “How convenient.”

Derek shrugged. “He hated sports and never went outside during the daylight hours. Claimed allergies to sunlight, which is why he worked nights. Never ate much. Always seemed distracted. Disappeared for long periods of time. Travel was a big thing for him. He really wasn’t much of a father figure, leaving our upbringing mainly to Mom.”

Nic blinked. Derek had fairly accurately described his childhood with his father, except for the mother part. How would he know about those things? His father had never once watched Nic surf, claiming he couldn’t go out during the daylight hours because the sunlight would fry his skin.

“Do you remember anything before the time Ben took you?”

“He didn’t ‘take me’ anywhere. I hit my head in a fall when I was eight, and as a result suffered amnesia. They thought I might eventually remember, but I never have. I don’t remember a thing from my life before that head injury.”

Derek arched a brow. “Uh-huh. How convenient.”

“What? Do you think my father wiped this alleged memory of you and your mother?”

“Our mother. And yes, I think that’s exactly what he did. Or maybe you blocked it. Hell, I don’t know.”

Nic picked up Shay’s scent before he heard her enter the kitchen. He turned to see her and that dark-haired beauty who seemed to belong to Derek.

“Are we interrupting?” Shay asked from the doorway.

“No. Come on in,” Derek said. “I’m just filling in some of the gaps for Nic.”

“Okay.”

The dark-haired woman leaned down to press a lingering kiss on Derek’s mouth. When she lifted her head, she smiled at Nic. “I’m Gina Bernardi,” she said, holding out her hand to him.

He shook it. “You look really familiar. I think you look like an actress or something.”

She snorted. “I get that a lot.”

“We’re going to make breakfast while you two talk,” Shay said, casting her gaze at Nic. “You hungry?”

He nodded, and Shay turned away to the stove. She wore the same kind of clothes as before. Dark camouflage and a tank top. Very sexy warrior-like clothing, accentuating her curves. He still couldn’t reconcile this woman in front of him with the one he’d met on the beach.

“Look,” Derek said, pulling Nic’s attention away from Shay, “I know this isn’t easy to assimilate, but I’m here to answer your questions. And it’s going to take time to figure it all out. But I am telling you the truth. Ben was a full-fledged demon. There’s evil out there. The kind most people don’t know exist. And that evil lives in our blood.”

Nic went silent and so did Derek. He watched the women cook.

“I know this is all hard to take. But trust me, eventually you’re going to see a demon and you’re going to believe.”

Nic shot a disbelieving look at Derek. “Sure. If you say so. But I don’t feel a damn thing other than human.”

“Neither did I,” Derek said. “Or at least I didn’t think so. But there are subtle differences.” He dragged his hand through his hair. “I don’t know. We haven’t figured this all out yet. You might even be different from me in how the demon blood manifests itself. Your reactions might be the opposite of mine. Lou says our gifts could be completely unique, whatever the hell that means.”

Gina laid a plate in front of Derek and placed her hand on his shoulder. “Lou always seems to know what he’s talking about, babe. Trust his instincts on this.”

“I know,” Derek said, caressing Gina’s hand. “I just want all the answers now.”

Gina sat next to Derek and grinned. “You’re always too impatient.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know.”

Shay placed a plate in front of Nic and sat next to him. She was watching Derek and Gina, too, then slanted a look at Nic.

“Thank you for cooking for me,” he said, his mouth watering at the plate filled with eggs, bacon, potatoes, and toast.

“You’re welcome.” She cast a wary half smile in his direction.

Eating was an understatement. He inhaled everything on the plate, and when Shay didn’t finish hers, he ate the rest of what was on her plate, too. By the time he finished, he felt a lot better. Now maybe his brain cells would work better.

As far as Derek, he didn’t remember the guy. He wished he could recall his life before the head injury, but he couldn’t. So who did he believe? This stranger claiming to be his brother, or his father?

He was starting to doubt everything his dad had told him. Maybe his dad never had time for him throughout his life; maybe he never showed Nic any affection, but the Diavolos were the only family he knew. He had to believe in his father. Otherwise his entire life was a lie.

These people were strangers, and he had to fight this mind fuck. Sure, they seemed sincere, but that was all part of their game. He could play that game, too. His only hope was to gain their trust, then, when their guard was down, try to make an escape.

“You’re quiet,” Shay said.

“Trying to take all this in.”

“Look,” Derek said. “If I were in your place I wouldn’t believe any of it, either. I wish I could make this easy and show you, but I can’t. If I could drag a demon to the front door, I would.”

Nic laughed. “Not sure I really want to see that.”

Derek cracked a smile. “Trust me. You don’t.”

Now it was his turn. “You’re just going to have to give me some time. This is all incredible and hard to believe. I need to adjust to it. I want to believe you, but you’re asking me to cast aside everything I’ve known, everyone I’ve trusted my entire life. I can’t do that overnight.”

“No one expects you to,” Shay said, laying her hand over his. “We’ll give you the time you need. But this is a good first step.”

He almost jerked his hand away when she touched him, his irritation at her betrayal front and center on his mind. But the goddamn heat exchange between them was lethal. Instead, he offered up a half smile, almost feeling guilty for deceiving her. Almost.

He owed her most of all for what she’d done to him. This was all about self-preservation, and guilt wasn’t part of the game.

After breakfast, Derek invited Nic into the living room. He took a seat while the hunters talked about their plans for that night. Derek didn’t have him tied up. A good sign.

“I think we need to go back to the area we were last night,” Dalton said. “Ryder spotted a woman and we need to follow up on that, see if she comes back and find out what she was doing out there.”

Derek nodded. “Good idea. Plus I want to get into some of those caves and see what we can discover. It’s time to do a little gem hunting.”

Nic took it all in, storing the information away for future use.

Lou nodded. “Between looking for the black diamond and hunting the demons I’m sure are in this area, there should be plenty to occupy us. Dalton, take your team in that direction tonight. Maybe a few extra hunters, too, just in case. The rest of the teams can take positions south, east, and west of your quadrant.”

“Can I go along?” Nic asked.

Derek studied him. “Man, you have no idea how much I’d like that. But you’re nowhere near ready for this.”

Dammit. He knew Derek was going to say that. “I can just observe. You want me to believe, then show me a demon.”

Derek slanted a gaze at him as if he was considering it, but then shook his head. “No. Not yet. First, I don’t have time to watch over you and battle demons at the same time. Second, you can’t be trusted yet. Sorry.”

Nic affected a shrug, but he had to check the anger wanting to burst through. “I understand.”

Derek smiled. “No, you don’t. You’re pissed and I know it. But that’s okay. I would be, too, if I were in your position. Give it a few days. You want to start conditioning, we can work with you each day before nightfall. When I feel like we can trust you, and when I’m confident you can hold your own with the physical aspects of this job as well as the weaponry, we’ll take you along on a hunt.”

Oh, that was priceless. Derek didn’t think he was in shape? He really didn’t know shit about him. “You don’t think I can handle myself?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Why don’t you give me a try right now?”

Derek frowned, shook his head. “Not a good idea.”

“Afraid I’ll prove you wrong?” He needed this chance. The sooner he got out there, the faster he’d be able to escape.

“You have no idea what you’re asking for, little brother.”

The endearment bristled. He let it slide. “I know what I’m doing. You want to train me, then train me.”

With a shrug of his shoulders, Derek said, “Okay, but don’t forget you asked for this.”