"Etani? What are you doing down here? You said you were resting," Kai asked, and Hunter released her hand before the vampire could see.
"I needed a walk," she said, her eyes on the floor between his feet as he stopped before her.
"You're interrupting, boy," Hunter growled.
Kai shifted, realising who was in the cell. "Etani, what are you doing?" he asked, and she turned her face away as he crouched down in front of her, his long fingers taking hers.
She pulled her fingers free of his and she felt his tension, but she didn't want him to touch her again.
"What have you been saying?" Kai demanded, as he rolled forward onto his knees before her.
"Nothing, boy. Just talking."
"Don't talk to her, mongrel. Come on Etani, we can go back upstairs."
"What did you tell the demon?" Hunter asked, and she lifted her eyes slightly, seeing his jaw clenched.
"Shut up, mongrel," Kai growled.
"What did you tell him?" she asked.
Kai looked down at her while she started at his chest. "Nothing. You know what Daemon would do."
"Daemon the demon? Really?" Hunter snorted, but she couldn't find it funny right then.
"Okay," she said simply, and when he reached for her, she jerked back from him.
"No... don't pull away from me," he whispered, reaching forward as she drew back until his fingers found her shoulders.
"Daemon is the leader of your merry band of monsters?" Hunter asked.
"In a sense…" she replied, her entire body bowstring tight as Kai tried to pull her closer to him.
"I'm not going to hurt you," Kai said, pain in his voice.
"No, but you're not going to protect her either, are you..." Hunter growled.
"Shut up and mind your own business," Kai snapped, and she looked up at him. It was so rare for him to be angry that she found herself looking up.
"What do you want me to say?" she asked, and Hunter growled.
"Tell your demon what he did and enjoy the show while he rips the vampire scum apart," he suggested but they ignored him, Kai looking down at her with an anxious, stern face as he tried to pull her closer and she refused to move.
"Nothing, we tell him nothing," Kai said, and she dropped her eyes once more.
"You're going to let him get away with it?" Hunter raged, turning and pushing himself up even as Kai pulled her to her feet.
"Etani, come on, let's go back upstairs," he coaxed.
"You can't let him do that and go unpunished. He needs to be neutered!" Hunter hissed, and she looked up into the gold eyes.
He sucked in a breath as her eyes dropped again, and Kai wrapped his arms tight around her shoulders.
"Come on, sweetheart."
She went silently, unable to look up at Kai or back at Hunter and she could feel his rage at whatever he saw on her face.
***
Heading back up to her rooms, she kept her eyes on the floor and Daemon was in her face before she could gauge who was in there.
"What were you thinking, stupid woman? Where did you go?" he demanded as she shook her head.
"I wanted to go for a walk," she told his chest.
"Where was she?" the demon demanded.
"Talking to Hunter," Kai said gently.
"What are you doing, Etani? Do you really need to add that man to your collection?" Daemon snarled.
She looked up at him, confused. "What? Collection?"
"Don't you have enough of us chasing after you? Do you need to add a hybrid to the mix? I mean really, do you enjoy it so much that you have to keep collecting men?"
The room had gone so quiet they would have heard a pin hitting the carpet and she felt a white rage boiling up in her.
"Why did you go down into that cell yesterday? Did you and Jaia fight?" The name sent a thrill of panic through her and she felt Kai moving. "What, did you two have another lover's spat, and you decided to get revenge by letting the beast free?"
Kai grabbed her shoulder, but she had already moved, her hand flying, and Daemon's head snapped to the side with a deafening clap.
She didn't give him time to rebound on her, shaking Kai off her and leaving the room while Daemon swore. She had broken his jaw, and he was furious.
"What is going on with you three?" he demanded.
Footsteps came after her and fear washed through her, but when she turned, it was the giant form of Dirdos that was following her.
He didn't speak. Instead, he caught her by the arm and turned her to him, his crimson eyes scanning over her face and then down to her throat and he leaned slightly closer, inhaling. His pupils contracted slightly, his face darkening before he wiped it clean.
She didn't know what it was he saw, but he smiled faintly. "It'll be okay, sweetheart. You'll punch him in the face a few times and then you'll go back to happily hating him like the rest of us." She could only assume he thought they had fought, and she wasn't about to tell him otherwise, instead he took her hand and led her down the hall without her putting up a fight.
If he knew what had happened, he didn't say, instead he asked nothing of her, he simply walked with her and when she didn't know where to go, he led her out of the castle and out into the gardens where he pulled her down onto a bench.
"Want to see a trick?" he asked, glancing at her and her blank face.
Nodding, she looked down as he lifted his free hand, and she was surprised to see a tiny flame balanced on his index finger. Dropping the finger, his middle went up and the little flame jumped, then to his ring finger and his pinkie finger before heading back in the other direction.
It was fascinating to watch, the little flame moving like a living thing, and she smiled as it danced across his fingertips.
"How are you doing that?" she asked, and a spark of panic went through her at the flat sound of her own voice. That wouldn't do. She needed to do better to cover her grief.
Clearing her throat, she glanced up at him and he was watching her face, a small crease between his brows, but he wiped it away so fast she wasn't sure she had seen it at all.
"Magic," he teased, and she laughed, the sound off, but it was close enough.
Lifting her hand, she pressed her finger gently against his index finger where the flame was resting and she blinked as the flame stayed where it was. His finger pushed away and leaving the flame hovering.
"Clever dragon," she said gently, his flash of a grin easing her mood slightly.
Taking her hand in his, he turned her palm upwards and with his free hand, he pushed the little flame down until it rested on her palm. Fascinated and hypnotised, he swirled his finger in a circle over it and she gasped as it began to spin around on her hand like a spinning top, a tiny spark of warmth that tickled her skin.
Lifting her hand, she watched the little thing spinning and then it vanished, leaving her blinking in shock.
He laughed gently, closing her fingers, and lifting her hand to kiss her knuckles gently.
"Let's go somewhere," he said suddenly, and she looked up at him, unsure where they could go.
"Where?" she asked warily, but he only grinned and he stood, turning to her with his hand outstretched in offer.
Did she want to take it and escape, or did she want to stay there? The question was a non-question, and she took his hand, allowing him to pull her to her feet and as she moved closer, the world exploded into flame around them.