Page 6 of Devil’s Night (Vinduthi Captured Mates #7)
SARGON
I had not expected to be so impressed by a little human.
She’d caught the shimmering that indicated a break in the maze, her curiosity giving us a new clue.
Despite the baffling circumstances we found ourselves in, despite her lack of understanding of the advanced technology at play, she refused to be deterred. An admirable tenacity for a primitive species.
This time the portal dumped us in a dimly lit corridor, the wooden panels creaking underfoot. It led us into a spacious kitchen, cluttered and coated in thick dust. Faded wallpaper peeled from the walls, patterns of roses and vines distorted by age. The air hung heavy with the musty scent of decay and disuse.
Sunlight filtered through grimy windows, casting slanted beams that made the dust motes swirl like miniature galaxies. Nicole ran her fingers along the battered countertop, dislodging a small cloud of grit.
“Looks like no one’s been here in a long time,” she murmured.
“This kitchen is another floor lower than where we were before.” I turned around slowly. “I’ve searched it before during my time trapped here, but I wasn’t looking for something like a card.”
“Then we can start looking now.” Nicole began opening cupboard doors, peering into the shadowy recesses. I admired her willingness to help despite her disadvantages. Did humans even have night vision?
As I checked under the ancient stove, something skittered in the corner of my vision. A rodent, no larger than my palm, scurried along the baseboard before disappearing into a gap in the wainscoting. My body tensed, predatory instincts flaring.
“Ugh, did you see that?” Nicole wrinkled her nose in disgust. “I hate rats.”
“Why waste such contempt on such a resourceful creature?” I cocked my head, tracking the sounds of its movement within the walls. “They survive against all odds, thriving where others perish.”
She shot me an incredulous look. “You’re not actually praising them, are you?”
I couldn’t resist teasing her, just a little. “I am. They make excellent sustenance when other food is scarce.”
Nicole froze, comprehension dawning across her delicate features. “You’ve been eating them?”
“Among other things.” I rose in a fluid motion, lips curling to reveal a hint of fang. “I could catch one for you, if you’re feeling peckish.”
She paled, swallowing hard as her gaze darted toward the nearest exit. “I, uh I’m good, thanks.”
A low chuckle rumbled from my chest at her discomfiture. So easy to unsettle, these humans. Yet her reactions amused me. An unexpected delight amid the endless stretches of solitude and despair.
As we continued our fruitless search, a peculiar ache settled within me. I found myself wishing I could offer her more - a proper meal, a taste of the wonders that awaited beyond this dilapidated prison. To show her the sublime beauty of my home galaxy, the celestial splendor that dwarfed even her most vivid dreams.
On the ringed planet of Elaar, fields of luminescent flora stretched to the horizon, their soft blue radiance bathing the landscape in an ethereal glow. The air carried the sweet, heady fragrance of night-blooming valkath blossoms, their delicate petals unfurling beneath the light of three moons.
The Tenyrth colonies on Kri’vak boasted cities carved into the sides of towering crystal peaks, their spires and arches refracting the crimson light of the system’s dying star. At dusk, the mountains appeared to bleed fire, casting the world in shades of garnet and cinnabar.
And on the jungle moon of Taranis, entire forests thrummed with life - from the kaleidoscopic plumage of native avians to the trilling songs of insects woven into a symphony of alien beauty. Glowing spores drifted on warm breezes, dusting the air with glittering motes like stardust.
My chest constricted with a profound sense of loss. Once, I could have taken her to experience such transcendent vistas. Could have opened her eyes to the vastness of creation, the marvels that spanned the cosmos.
Now, we were trapped in this crumbling, insignificant backwater, our fates bound to the whims of forces beyond our comprehension. The injustice of it burned like acid in my gut.
Nicole sighed, straightening from her crouch with empty hands. “I don’t think it’s here. Maybe we should-”
Her words cut off as the room around us wavered, the edges bleeding into indistinct smears of color. A tremor ran through the floorboards, nearly toppling her. I caught her elbow to steady her, the heat of her skin searing my palm.
“What’s happening?” she whimpered, alarm flickering across her features.
“Maybe Doar’s experiment isn’t as stable as he thinks,” I growled.
Another violent quake rocked the space, picture frames and knickknacks clattering from shelves. Plaster rained down in chalky clouds as cracks snaked across the ceiling. Nicole cried out, clutching my arm in a grip as unyielding as a durasteel vise.
Then, as abruptly as it began, the tremors ceased. The dust settled in eerie stillness.
My hearts pounded in my ears as I drank in her scent - warm and vital, tinged with the acrid bite of fear. She stared up at me, lips parted in silent shock.
Suddenly, the urge to reassure her, to soothe the rabbit-quick flutter of her pulse overwhelmed me. I wanted to pull her into my embrace, let her feel the solidity of my form, the strength that could shield her from any threat.
Instead, I gently extricated myself from her grasp, my fingertips lingering against her skin for a beat too long.
“We should go,” I rasped, forcing my tone to remain level. “There’s no need to stay here.”
Nicole nodded mutely, expression unreadable. With a final glance around the ravaged kitchen, we turned and continued our search through the ever-shifting labyrinth.
I struggled to contain my irritation as Nicole’s scent wafted around me, light and floral yet carrying an underlying richness that stirred unfamiliar yearnings. Attachments were a liability I could ill afford, especially in our precarious situation.
I was Khor of the Vinduthi, a relentless hunter beholden to no one. Yet this slight human provoked reactions in me that bordered on distraction. Unacceptable.
Forcing my gaze away from the sweet soft spot where her neck met her shoulder, I asked gruffly, “What were you doing in this place to begin with? Seems an odd locale for one of your kind.”
Nicole blinked, her hazel eyes refocusing as she processed my question. A rueful smile twisted her lips. “I’m a journalist, I guess you could say. Though these days, that’s just a fancy term for blogger.”
She let out a self-deprecating chuckle that sparked an unexpected warmth in my chest. “I’m interested in paranormal research, all the weird and unexplained stuff. I’d been looking into some of the most haunted places around Detroit, and this old mansion always made the lists. Supposedly it only became active on Devil’s Night, though.”
I furrowed my brow ridge. “Devil’s Night?” The human turn of phrase eluded me.
“Oh, right, you wouldn’t know about that.” Nicole pushed back her hair. “It’s the night before Halloween - a human holiday. There’s this dumb tradition among the youth in Detroit of pulling pranks and starting fires. Sort of a warm-up for the real night of spooky stuff.”
She shrugged. “I’d heard rumors this place would light up with ghost sightings and EVP recordings on that one night every year. Thought it would make for an interesting blog piece.”
“Ghosts “ I muttered at the human superstition with a derisive snort. “I suspect it wouldn’t be the first time your species attributed unexplained phenomena to the supernatural rather than advanced technology beyond their comprehension.”
Nicole’s cheeks flushed, but she lifted her chin defiantly. “Well, excuse me for not having intimate knowledge of alien science from across the galaxy. Next time I’ll just--”
The words died on her lips as my rumbling laughter filled the space. She gaped at me, caught off guard by the unexpected reaction. In truth, I surprised myself - it had been decades since I last allowed my amusement to show so openly. Her indignant sputtering proved endearing.
“Forgive me,” I managed once my chuckles subsided. “I meant no insult. Your vibrance and insatiable curiosity can be refreshing at times.”
Nicole’s blush deepened, but the ghost of a smile played about her lips. “If you say so, .”
“This paranormal research,” I said, arching a brow ridge. “It seems a dangerous pastime for one as soft and ill-equipped as yourself. Does your family not worry for your safety?”
Her expression clouded, that spark of humor extinguished as quickly as it had flared. She averted her gaze, suddenly finding great interest in studying the tattered remnants of wallpaper.
“It’s usually not dangerous at all. Nothing like this, at any rate.” Her tone turned pensive. “As for family…I don’t have any. Not anymore.”
A muscle twitched in her jaw as she swallowed hard. “My parents died when I was just a kid. A car accident “ She trailed off, leaving the rest unspoken.
My throat constricted at the naked sorrow swimming in those hazel depths. A strange ache blossomed within me, one I couldn’t readily identify. All at once, I felt an overwhelming urge to reach out, to offer some small comfort against the loneliness that so clearly haunted her.
Before I could act on the impulse, Nicole’s chin lifted. “I’ve wondered sometimes if maybe that’s why I got into this whole paranormal thing. Like maybe I was looking for a way to contact them somehow. To find out if there was more out there, you know? Some greater meaning or plane of existence beyond our own.”
Her lips curved in a wan, self-mocking smile. “Stupid, I know.”
“No.” The word slipped out, unbidden. I held her gaze, allowing the sincerity of my tone to resonate. “Not stupid at all.”
Nicole’s pupils dilated as she searched my face with an unguarded longing that mirrored my own burgeoning desire. For a crystalline instant, everything else fell away - the maze, the card, even the ponderous weight of duty and honor. There was only her, and the strange pull coiling tighter within me.
Then a skittering noise like metal scraping stone shattered the fragile connection.
My senses sharpened, every muscle coiling as I whipped my head toward the source of the disturbance. From the darkened recesses of a doorway across the room, something emerged - a skeletal, multi-limbed construct of bone and metal. Spindly legs carried it forward in a stuttering, jerking gait.
With a harsh bellow, I flung myself at the abomination, drawing my plasma blade in a single fluid arc. Energy crackled along the humming length as I brought it down in a vicious overhand strike.
The shriek of rending metal split the air as my weapon carved through the construct’s outermost limbs in a shower of sparks, then it knocked my knife from my hand.
Well. There was more than one way to take this thing apart.