Demon Retribution by Kiersten Fay Page B

think of
it.”
    She squared her shoulders. “I’m not soft.
I’d rather know, than not. It’s best to know,” she added as if
trying to convince herself. “Please, don’t think you need keep
anything from me to spare my feelings.”
    He gave a tight nod, and they walked up the
broken stone path to the front door where Zoey waited, peeking in
through the windows.
    The inside matched the outside in its
decadence. This was one of Kyra’s favorite escapes, so she spared
no expense. Tall windows let in the evening light. At the touch of
a button, heavy shades would drop, if desired. Sparse but
intricately placed lighting bathed the large main room in a warm
glow. The furniture was designed to be as comfortable as any bed,
and more than once she’d fallen asleep on the soft couch while
reading.
    A bar counter top separated a kitchen area
that was full of all the amenities needed for proper cooking and
storage. On the drive up, they’d picked up a few food items to fill
it.
    A wooden staircase led to the second level,
where a U-shaped balcony lined a hallway leading to the bedrooms.
Kyra was glad she’d decided to keep them fully furnished as well.
It was done with the intent of putting the house on the market.
Luckily, the recession put a hold on that plan.
    “ This place is amazing!”
Zoey declared. Then she planted herself on a chair, gripping a
decorative pillow like it could anchor her in place. “I am never
leaving.”
    Kyra laughed. “How about I give it to
you?”
    Eyes wide, she gasped. “What?”
    “ Yeah. You’re going to need
a new identity anyway. And I have a few hundred years worth of
wealth that I can’t take with me. I will just need to do a little
forging—”
    Zoey jumped up and wrapped her in a tight
hug. At first Kyra took it as a thank you, but a bit of sadness
seeped into the gesture. “I’m going to miss you,” Zoey said.
    “ Me too. But I’m not gone
yet.”
    A sarcastic groan made them both glance at
Cale. “I’m just waiting for you two to kiss and get it over
with.”
    Kyra pulled away to punched his
shoulder.
    He put his hands up. “Fine, fine, but in my
head, that’s what’s happening.”
    The girls rolled their eyes and grumbled in
unison, “Men.”
     
    * * *
     
    “ What do you mean she’s
staying on the ship?” Nadua’s outraged holler reached Sonya all the
way across the salon.
    Not many had gathered for the morning meal,
but the few crew members that lingered glanced toward Nadua and
Marik. Though no one could be confused as to whom Nadua eluded.
    A Serakian witchling had arrived, to
everyone’s disappointment, only a week ago.
    Her initial purpose had been to attempt a
mate bond separation between Nadua and Marik, who had thoroughly
botched the claiming—worse than thoroughly, nearly irrevocably
fucked it up forever.
    Reversing the mate bond had never been
attempted, at least in known record, and there was no guarantee
that the Serakian’s magic would have even worked, which was
probably why their council had agreed to try.
    The Serakians were an extraordinarily
curious faction, made up of gifted individuals recruited from
throughout the universe.
    However, the transmission that the witch’s
services were no longer needed, had apparently gone un-received and
the witchling, with no transport home, had demanded she be allowed
to stay on the ship until other arrangements could be made. She
insisted she needed to contact her Serakian council regarding the
change of events.
    As of yet, the council had sent no
reply.
    Sonya wondered what effect it might have had
on Marik, had the witch been allowed to sever the bond—assuming it
would have worked. Demons only get one chance at claiming a mate, a
fact that had been scientifically explored a few years before the
destruction of their planet.
    In those years, scientists had argued with
philosophers over the “theory” of the mate bond—the whys, the hows,
and the inevitabilities—only succeeding in displaying