Belly of the Beast

Chapter 26

Vincent flew over the dense, forest canopy holding me tightly to his chest. Apart from my usual nausea, the flight, so far, had been uneventful. That is, neither of us had spotted a single zombie demon. But Vincent did not look happy, and I couldn't blame him. His mate was infected with freaky magic while carrying his child. He was probably wondering what kind of baby I was cooking in there.

As for me, I was replaying my takedown of Deidra and trying not to enjoy it. It had sparked a question that I couldn't stop asking myself, and I figured it was time to get Vincent's opinion on it. "Vincent, what if I could use my gift against Dmitry? If I had the Seal of Solomon for protection, I could burn his ass to a crisp."

Vincent's shoulders stiffened, and I felt his chest heave as he took a deep breath. "You are my mate. I will protect you with my life. That means doing everything in my power to keep you away from Dmitry. Even if I have to take him down myself."

He trained his eyes on the dark, empty sky ahead, but I knew he wasn't finished. "Haven't you considered the affect this is having on our relationship? I don't relish the idea of soaking my dick in an ice bath every time we make love. We're going to get this curse, or magic, or whatever the fuck it is off you. And that will be the end of it."

Damn. Was I wrong to want to protect myself and demon kind from a super villain? Did it make me a bad mother to even consider keeping the magic? In the midst of my guilt trip, a large, winged animal appeared, and my stomach lurched as Vincent banked hard to avoid a collision.

"What the hell was that?" I croaked.

"I think I know, but I'm not taking any chances." Vincent made another turn but not before sharp talons stretched toward me, and I got a blurry look at a bearded face as we passed in midair.

"Identify yourself!" the flying man shouted.

I immediately recognized Titan's gruff voice, and I tried to speak as the pizza I had for lunch made its way back up. "It's Titan!"

"Reese? Is that you?" Titan slowed his pursuit as Vincent sped between a pair of trees.

"Yes, it's Reese. For God's sake, Vincent! Slow down before I puke."

Vincent slowed his speed and brought us back to cruising altitude, letting Titan fly up beside us.

"Oy," Titan said in greeting. "What brings you two out my way? Couldn't get enough of the clean air, eh?"

"We need to talk to you," Vincent said. Whether he did it on purpose or not, I was grateful I didn't have to speak.

"I was just out huntin', but we can head back and talk first. You two hungry?"

"We both ate, although Reese might lose her lunch before too long."

"Awe, still getting your bearings, girl? You're nearly there. Follow me, and I'll take it slow." Titan winked at me, and I nodded, hoping I didn't look too pitiful.

Despite my best efforts, as soon as we landed, I vomited most of my lunch while Vincent held my hair. Then Titan insisted I drink from his water supply, which he assured me came from a fresh mountain stream far away from the sulfur pools.

"I'm guessing it wasn't just the rough flight that had you emptying your stomach," Titan said as he led us through the narrow passage into his underground home. "Not many folks can tolerate the stink. Course, I'm used to it. Now, tell me what's gotcha traveling this far away from home?"

I glanced around Titan's bunker. It looked the same as I remembered, with animal skins hanging on the dirt walls and the eternal flame flickering inside a roughly-hewn fireplace. "Um, did Willem end up leaving, then?"