His wolf was on full alert, his hand steady, as he pointed the fully loaded gun at the center of her chest. “Who are you?” he snarled.
She held up tiny hands as if that would convince him to trust her. “Yannah.”
His finger found the trigger. “Give me a reason not to put a bullet through your heart.”
She tilted her head to the side. “You cannot harm me with human weapons.”
He shrugged, not surprised. “Then I’ll rip out your throat.”
“There’s no need for threats. I’m not here to harm your mate.”
“She’s not—” He bit off his ridiculous denial. “Then why are you here?”
“To offer a warning.” The black eyes narrowed at the unmistakable sound of Caine cocking the hammer. “Hell’s bells, what’s wrong with you? I said I offer a warning, not a threat.”
“And I should trust the word of a creature who pops out of thin air to offer mysterious warnings because . . . ?” he mocked, shifting to make sure his body was still blocking Cassie as she frantically continued to dig in the dirt.
The tiny demon wisely kept her gaze trained on Caine. One glance toward the vulnerable Cassie and Caine would rip off her head.
Or at least he would try, he silently corrected, shivering as Yannah allowed a hint of her terrible power to glow in the black eyes.
“The warning is not mysterious,” Yannah assured him. “In fact, it couldn’t be more clear.”
“Fine, I’ll play.” Like he had a choice? “What’s the warning?”
“In the very near future Cassie is going to demand that you leave her.”
Leave her? Caine was instantly furious. “She wouldn’t.”
Yannah heaved a resigned sigh. “Why do males always make everything so difficult?”
“Are you a prophet?” he managed between clenched teeth.
“No.” The demon shook her head, sending her long braid sliding across her back. “Cassie stands alone with her gift.”
“Gift?” Caine snarled. “It’s a freaking curse.”
“Perhaps.”
He lowered the gun, afraid in his current mood he might do something stupid. It was his usual modus operandi. Besides, it wasn’t going to do him a damned bit of good.
“If you’re not a seer, then how do you know what Cassie will or won’t do in the future?”
“My mother, Siljar, is an Oracle.”
“Shit.” The last thing he needed was interference from the Commission, or as he called them, the Pain-in-the-Asses-Who-Ruled-the-Demon-World. “How does she know?”
“She possesses a talent for sensing a principium.”
He grimaced, recognizing the term. It meant that Cassie was important enough to the future of the world that her life was written in the stars.
“A thread of destiny,” he muttered.
“So you aren’t just a pretty face.” Yannah flashed her razor teeth. Yikes. “Unusual.”
“I try,” he said dryly. “I’m still not entirely clear on why you’re here.”
“The fate of all of us rests upon young Cassie’s shoulders.”
“Well, as far as I’m concerned, fate can go screw itself,” he retorted, knowing he was being childish. But, dammit, he was standing helplessly in the middle of a desert while the female he was obsessed with protecting was crawling through the dirt until she bled. He had a right to think destiny or fate, or whatever a person wanted to call it, totally sucked.
Something that might have been sympathy touched the heart-shaped face. “It’s her destiny,” she said softly, “but she doesn’t have to walk her path alone.”
“She’s not alone.” Caine frowned. “Unless you mean her sisters? Cassie has refused to contact them.”
“No, I speak of you. You must never waver.”
Waver? Was she freaking kidding? His anger returned. With interest. “Are you questioning my loyalty?”
“No, but like most alpha males you have more pride than sense.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“I told you.” She looked at him as if wondering if he’d always been so stupid. “Cassie will come to a crossroads. In that moment she will try to push you away. You must not allow her to leave you behind.”
“She’s not going anywhere without me,” he snapped. “Not ever.”
His fierce words were still ringing through the air when there was a faint groan from behind him. He turned, his heart halting as he watched Cassie collapse onto the desert floor.
“Shit.” With one leap he was bending down beside her, knocking the rock out of her hand before tugging her slender body against his chest. No use taking a chance of getting beaned. A distinct possibility if she was still caught in her vision.
He brushed his lips over her forehead, pulling back as her lashes fluttered upward to reveal her eyes. Back to emerald. Thank the gods.
“Caine?” she husked.
“I got you.”
She blinked, her dazed eyes taking in the star-spattered sky over his shoulder before shifting to glance over the barren desert. “Where are we?”
He grimaced. “In the middle of freaking nowhere.”
Her brow furrowed in bewilderment. “I thought . . .”
“What?”
“I thought I heard voices.”
Oh hell. Caine jerked his head up. He’d completely forgotten the strange intruder.
Gone. Thank the gods. He didn’t care why Yannah had come. Or how she’d managed to appear and disappear without leaving a trace. All that mattered was that the powerful demon wasn’t anywhere near Cassie.
He returned his attention to the woman in his arms. “We’re alone,” he assured her softly. “Are you okay?”
“I think so.” She gently pried herself from his ruthless hold, taking a puzzled inventory of her fading scrapes and bruises. Then, as if seeking the reason for the wounds, her attention shifted to the glyphs she’d carved into the desert floor. “Did I do this?”
“Quite the Picasso,” he said, forcing a teasing smile to his lips as he helped her to her feet. He had no intention of burdening her with his fierce fear that one day she would disappear into her visions and never return. She had enough to deal with, thank you very much. “Do you happen to know why you did it?”
“No, but I think this is why we were here.”
Good news. At least he hoped it was. He was tired of trying to protect Cassie in such a populated area. Of course, there was no guarantee they weren’t about to be led someplace even worse.