Some say the world will end in fire, Some say in ice. From what I’ve tasted of desire I hold with those who favor fire. But if it had to perish twice, I think I know enough of hate To say that for destruction ice Is also great And would suffice. — Robert Frost Prologue They were surrounded by the Daemons; their entire group penned in by the monsters that were supposed to be too dull-witted to accomplish such a feat. But these Daemons…they were different from their predecessors. So very terrifyingly different. They seemed coordinated—a working unit with powers of strategic reasoning and logic—which was surely impossible. The beasts were mindless. They were vicious, evil and cruel to be sure, but mindless all the same, with no powers of higher reasoning. But this group, these seven creatures, had worked together against the three Shikar warriors, hemming them in back-to-back, facing outward against their foes. The Shikars were tired, beyond exhaustion. For them it had already been a long night of hunting and killing these beasts among the jeopardized Territories of Earth. They’d saved the lives of countless humans this night, but they would not be able to save themselves. Not against these formidable foes. The warriors were breathless, gritting their teeth against the biting pain of their battle-worn muscles and bones, preparing themselves for a last stand against evil. It was all they could do. Their pride as warriors demanded that they stand their ground and face their deaths with courage and valor. They would not go down without putting up one hell of a fight. The monsters stalked around them, as if judging the Shikars’ strengths and how best to attack against them. Their burning yellow eyes were windows into hell’s fire, gateways to the fiery pit itself, seeking—ever seeking—an opening to attack. An unspoken command seemed to pass between the vicious predators. In the next breath, as one, they rushed the Shikars, attacking en masse. Shrieks of battle and death rang out into the night…then all fell silent. Chapter One Hamburg,Germany “Would you quit that? You’re embarrassing me! Just be cool, be real, and you’ll blend right in.” “Cady, we’ve been blending in with humans since long before you were born,” Obsidian growled. “We know what we’re doing.” “Yeah. Right. Then if you’re so damn comfortable out here why are you darting in between cars, ducking into corners, looking over your shoulder every few minutes, and basically appearing like you’re a bunch of lunatic criminals? You’re drawing far too much attention to us with your antics. I’ve noticed that you’re not so great at subterfuge…and so has half of the city!” “How would you have us act, Cady? Would you have us stand in the middle of the road and wait for an attack from any quarter? Is that what you would prefer?” “You are such a jerk, Sid. Just be cool, as I said, and follow my lead.” Cady sniffed the night air. “Ah ha. Hang on. I’ll be right back.” She darted across the dirty wet street and ducked into a garishly lit shop on the other side, leaving her group to stand behind and wait for her. “I don’t feel comfortable being out here like this, Obsidian.” Edge’s smooth voice betrayed none of his nervousness, despite his words to the contrary. “Neither do I. But Cady thinks we’ll find something here. We’ll just have to bear with her until she knows more.” “I hate the stink of this place.” Cinder scowled. “I much prefer the farmlands we’ve been frequenting of late. The smell of animals and crops is not so unnatural as…this.” He gestured to the passing cars, wandering people, fast food restaurants and nightclubs that lined the dingy city street. “Do you think I enjoy this any better than either of you? I would much rather be at home playing with my son or loving my woman until she bears me another. But we have a duty here and I’ll be damned if we’ll go back home before we kill a few Daemons this night.” Obsidian looked around with no small amount of discomfort at their surroundings. Cady may be used to frequenting the world of humans—she was a former human after all—but he definitely was not . Where Edge and Cinder often frequented the surface world to find willing female companionship, he himself had not often found the time to so indulge himself before meeting Cady, his wife. He was ill at ease here, on the surface world. He thought back to the meeting between himself and his love…if so tame a word as ‘meeting’ could be used to describe the cataclysmic effect they’d had upon each other that first night. They’d fought like wildcats, each sustaining injuries from the other, battling for supremacy in those first few moments of confrontation with a tireless fervor. They still warred for supremacy of each other, fighting for the upper hand in almost every situation, no matter how insignificant. Though now instead of ending their skirmishes with bloodshed and bruises they usually ended up settling things in bed. Obsidian smiled dangerously. He often enjoyed pricking his mate’s temper if only to spice up the play in their bed. She was a fiery lover. More than a match for his voracious Shikar appetites. Sex with her was explosive and truly amazing…when it wasn’t mind-blowing, tender, full of gentle kisses and soft-spoken vows of love. He would never tire of her. And he would see to it that she never tired of him. He loved her more than life itself. And now he had a son, Armand—named after Cady’s lost baby brother, the tragic victim of a Daemon attack—thus his heart was full of tender emotions. His son was the image of himself, with his mother’s impish smile and mischievous ways. He was perfect. Never in his life had Obsidian expected to be so blessed in so short a time. But now he was a husband and a father…and more than ever he vowed to defeat the threat that could one day snatch those precious things away from him. Cady and Armand were his life. He would protect them with all of his being and more. Cady emerged from the shop with a sack in her hand. She came to their sides with a slightly smug, yet gamin grin on her face, drawing Obsidian from his inner musings. “Ta da! Now these will help us appear more like tourists instead of no-good thugs. Ever had a foot-long with the works?” Cinder laughed. “I always have a foot-long that works.” “Ha, ha. You are such a geek, Cin. I mean a foot-long hot dog—bratwurst actually, I think.” She pulled out a cylindrical package of foil and handed it to him. “Try it, you’ll like it. It’s loads better than your usual Shikar-grown mutton or grain, if you ask me. Ugh. I am getting so tired of eating the same old stuff day in and day out. Maybe Tryton will be willing to import some fast food now and then if I ask.” She distributed her treasures to Edge and Obsidian, keeping one for herself, then showed them how best to open and eat the confections without getting the messy toppings all over themselves. Hot dogs? Cinder looked at Edge and sent him a worried, questioning look. Were they really expected to eat dog ? Edge shrugged, looking as confused as he felt. Cinder sniffed the food and winced. It smelled tangy and rancid and he was certain that the clear, white topping upon it was inedible. “What is this?” he asked, picking up a piece of the warm, squishy stuff. “Sauerkraut. It’s fermented cabbage. Try it,” she said firmly, “you’ll like it.” Cady took a healthy bite of hers and Cinder struggled not to turn green. Fermented cabbage? In other words, it was rotten. He’d be damned before he ate anything rotten . Cinder smiled and, to please Cady, he took a tiny bite out of the end of his poor, cooked dog. The dog tasted far worse than it smelled! He quickly turned his head away from the others and spat the offensive refuse out onto the street. He held the hot dog behind his back, focused his energy, and burned it to a crisp in his hand. He crumpled the ashes and let them scatter harmlessly on the wind behind him. Edge sent him an angry look. He would not get off the hook so easily as Cinder had. He had not the skill of an Incinerator. Edge was on his own. Cinder sent him a smug grin and dusted his hands clean of the offensive food. “You’re already finished, Cin? Good grief, you must have been hungry—why didn’t you say something earlier? Here, have another.” Cady reached into the paper sack and retrieved another of the awful dogs. Cinder tried not to cringe. “See? I told you they were good.” She smiled, but Cinder could have sworn that she knew—somehow actually knew—what he had done with the first dog. Cinder bit back a groan and accepted another foot-long from Cady’s hand. Edge chuckled and took a daring bite out of his own…Cinder was surprised when he took yet another, larger bite, after that. Edge was obviously possessed of a much higher tolerance than he for the horrible human food. “What exactly are we looking for here, Cady?” “What are we always looking for, Cin? Daemons.” “But here, in the middle of a city? Of all the places they’ve frequented of late, I haven’t heard a tale involving such a populated place.” “And why do you think that is? Any clues? I’ve often wondered myself why these creatures don’t just swarm into a city and take their pick of the humans that wander about here,” Cady pressed. “Maybe psychics only frequent unpopulated areas,” supplied Edge, who still munched contentedly on his hot dog. “Again—why? Don’t you ever wonder about these things?” “No doubt, even as dull-witted as Daemons are, they know better than to tempt fate and discovery by entering large cities.” Obsidian sighed, clearly impatient. “But we are not here to qu...
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