Immortals After Dark 06 - Dark Desires After Dusk

having a demon baby was: Meh. She couldn’t get worked up about it one way or the other, and waited each day for it to sink in, hoping to feel some kind of excitment.
    She’d forgiven her aunt for the most part. Without Nïx’s interference, Holly would still be stubbornly clinging to her old life, when this one suited her far better.
    Holly had realized that being with Cadeon wasn’t the sole reason she’d been happy. And though it didn’t feel possible now—even after everything, she still missed him terribly—Holly believed she could be happy once more.
    All she’d ever wanted was to feel normal. In the Lore, she did. Even with her lingering quirks and compulsions, Holly fit in.
    Nïx had told her that she would finally get a sense of herself on her journey, and in fact, Holly had discovered who she was: Holly the Bright.
    It was her new Valkyrie name. She kind of liked it. Especially when compared to her coven’s first few ideas: Holly the Spawner, Holly the Plucky Single Mother, and Holly Crocker.
    Nïx said they’d chosen her name because of her intelligence, but also due to the fact that she’d followed the northern lights to get away from danger.
    “Any thoughts on Cadeon?” Nïx asked. “You can’t put him off forever.”
    He actually hadn’t lied about Holly being his by fate. And Nïx had told her that the demon would be wanting his female back.
    For the first week, he’d continued coming to Val Hall every night. Initially he’d acted as if he owned the place, striding right up to the front door—or at least intending to. The wraiths had caught him and tossed his towering frame into an oak so hard the trunk had split from the impact.
    The Valkyrie playing Wii on the porch had cackled with glee.
    If he yelled for her, her aunts slapped headphones on her ears, then sicced the wraiths on him even harder.
    But then, five nights ago, he’d stopped coming….
    Now that Holly had time to think things over, she’d recalled all of Cadeon’s tireless training. She’d begun to suspect that he really did have feelings for her and had been counting on Holly to free herself when he turned her over.
    His “pressing needs” had consumed him. He’d had to make a choice, and she’d lost out.
    Holly could almost understand that. But what she couldn’t understand was how he’d given her the kiss-off at Groot’s. Holly had been terrified, numb with shock, and he’d been cruel, callously indifferent.
    He’d sure fooled her. She’d never forget the look on his face when he said, “Never trust a demon….” The ease with which he deceived still stunned her. She couldn’t even count how many times he’d lied to her over the course of their journey.
    Holly couldn’t look back over their relationship and know if anything was real. How could he have left me behind—
    When Nïx cleared her throat, Holly realized that she’d spaced as badly as her aunt usually did.
    “Something on your mind, dearling?”
    “Um…no, everything’s great. Thanks for checking on me.”
    “I’m really glad you like it here.” Nix smiled blankly. “But now you have to move.”

49
    H e was nervous as he pulled into Rydstrom’s estate. Why hadn’t his brother called anyone to let them know he’d escaped? Cade’s mind ran riot with theories.
    Had Rydstrom been tortured? Had they done something to him so horrific that he was unable to face others?
    Cade parked his old truck—which still chugged along despite water damage and bullet holes. With a glower, he collected the sword. He despised it, and was happy for the chance to get it away from him.
    As he approached the main house, he noticed that all the shades were drawn. But as soon as Cade went to unlock the side door, Rydstrom cracked it open. He wore no shirt or shoes and was buttoning up his jeans as if he’d just slung them on.
    Cade’s brows rose at the sight of him. “Rydstrom?”
    His brother was…changed.
    There was a mean set to his clenched jaw that had never been there before. The rigid muscles in his neck and shoulders were bunched with tension. His eyes were narrowed, and they looked crazed .
    Four thin lines of blood ran down his chest and across his scarred cheek—as if someone had raked nails over his skin.
    What the hell was going on? And what was done to him to make him like this?
    “Are you going to make me stand out here all afternoon? Open the door.”
    His brother made no move to, only glanced back over his shoulder into the