Stalked by Demons

by Trudi Jaye

  I’m sitting on the floor, sorting through a large pile of miscellaneous metal materials when I hear voices in the main lab. I look up as Connor appears in the doorway, a smile on his handsome face that doesn’t quite reach his eyes. I can’t help the little zing of attraction in my stomach.

  “How are you, Hazel?” he asks. He glances at my hand and then away again.

  I look down; my hand is still glowing. I hide it behind my back and take a deep breath, the way Damien taught me. I focus on getting the demon glow down and hidden again.

  “Hello, Connor. I’m… uh… good,” I say. I push my glasses up my nose, and wish I were wearing something nicer than jeans and a Hogwarts T-shirt.

  “Excellent,” he says, his blue eyes twinkling at me.

  There’s an awkward silence.

  “How are you?” I say, as I scramble to my feet. I need the Professor. I don’t know why he’s let Connor come in here to talk to me. I can’t be the one to deal with investors, no matter how attractive they are; we’d end up with nothing. I brush off the dust from my jeans and try to tidy myself up. As soon as I’m standing in front of him, smile on my face, I freeze. My brain clicks back to Connor’s gaze a few moments ago.

  Connor saw the demon glowing on my hand.

  I stare at him more closely than I have before. I can’t see anything that would confirm he’s a supernatural. But the Professor couldn’t see it, and Blade was very clear. Humans don’t see supernatural stuff, but supers do.

  No wonder he’s keen to put money into paranormal research. He knows it’s true. Connor suddenly seems much more dangerous.

  “What brings you to the lab?” I ask carefully.

  “I just have some final paperwork to sign with Professor Hasselblatt.” He looks around the room, his striking blue eyes taking in every detail. As always, he’s dressed in an expensive suit that shows off his perfectly sculpted body. “What are you planning in here?”

  “I’m attempting to make a device that will contain the demons while we run tests on them and figure out how to control their energy.”

  His eyes light up with interest. “You can do that?”

  “Well, I’m going to try. If we’re going to find demons to study and test, then we need some way to control them.”

  “Absolutely, absolutely. Do you do this often? Make your own devices?”

  I shrug. “Sure. It’s just a matter of going through the possible options one at a time. Figure out what works and what doesn’t work, and you’re on your way.”

  “Most people wouldn’t be so cheerful about something so potentially time consuming,” says Connor drily.

  “I’m good with machines.”

  His eyes light up with genuine amusement that wasn’t in his face before. “You’re a very unusual woman, Hazel.”

  “Thank you.” It’s hard to concentrate when he’s looking at me like that. “I think.”

  “Oh yes, that was definitely a compliment.” He pauses for a moment. “In fact, I’d like to do more than just compliment you, Hazel. I’d like to take you out to dinner, get to know you better.” He’s staring at me openly now, his blue eyes warm with admiration.

  I stand there, caught like a deer in headlights. “Pardon me?”

  “I want to go out to dinner with you later in the week, talk about what interests you.” He smiles, his eyes burning into mine like I’m the only woman in the world. I feel his charm sliding over me, holding me captive, and suddenly it’s all I want to do, to go on a date with this sexy and attractive man.

  “Sure,” I say with a smile.

  31

  “I’m going to call another demon,” I say belligerently into the phone. I know I’m being rude, yet again, but I can’t seem to stop it. There’s something about asking for help that gets my back up.

  I’m standing in the middle of the lab, putting the finishing touches on the contraption I’ve just put together out of spare parts. I’m pretty sure I can use it to capture a small demon for us to run tests on. The Professor has gone out to grab us some dinner from the cafeteria. I’ve been working hard all day, while trying to answer the three questions going round and round in my head.

  One, why the hell does a successful businessman like Connor McKenzie want to go on a date with someone like me?

  Two, why on earth did I say yes when I usually avoid dates like the plague?

  And three, what happens if my device doesn’t work and I can’t control the demon once I’ve called it to me?

  I’m calling Blade for help with the third problem, which is the only one I’m going to figure out any time soon.

  “You can’t. Think about what happened last time, Hazel.” Blade’s voice is rough, like he’s trying to control himself and not swear at me.

  Some little part of me wants to push him to lose his control. Just to see what would happen. I have to take a breath and reign myself in before answering. “It will be fine. But if you want, you can come and help me. You know, bring your knife, so we can kill it just in case.”

  There’s silence on the other end of the line.

  “I’m using a metal device to conduct their energy around in circles, so they can’t get out. It means there might be a way to divert some of their energy even as they turn inside the device,” I say, trying to fill the void.

  Calling the demons isn’t a problem anymore. Being a chalice is going to work for me in that regard. It’s just the visions of ragged demon teeth, the rotting smell on the breath of the one that attacked Blade, and the small niggling fear that maybe I’m biting off more than I can chew that made me call Blade.

  Still, I’m not going to beg.

  Finally he speaks. “Don’t do this, Hazel. It’s dangerous. Demon energy isn’t stable, it’s not logical. You need the experts to help you. Not me.”

  “You said your family has been killing demons for generations.”

  “Killing them, yes. Not capturing them. I know how to kill a demon a dozen different ways with my knife. Even with my bare hands. But you’re not planning to do that, are you?”

  I hesitate. “No. We want to study them, find out how they work, and look into ways we could use their energy for power. The possibilities are endless.” I’m getting excited again just thinking about it.

  “That’s too dangerous, Hazel. I know you think you’re somehow invincible, but trust me, you can be killed too.”

  “Then come and help me. That’s all I want. You could be here, just watching while we do it, making sure it’s all okay.”

  “Damien won’t be happy,” he mutters.

  My anger flares. “Damien isn’t my boss. He doesn’t get to tell me what to do. He deserted us, left us to figure this out on our own. This is me doing that.”

  I hear Blade’s tiny sigh and feel a rush of relief. He’s going to agree. “You can’t control the bigger demons. They’ll just kill you.”

  “Then help me get a smaller one. A more manageable one.”

  “Where are you going to find it?”

  “The scrap metal yard in Redwood. I can do two things at once. Call a demon and get my car.”

  “When?”

  “The Professor is going to drive me over there once it gets dark, in maybe a couple of hours’ time. Will you meet us?”

  He’s silent so long, I wonder if he heard me.

  “I don’t know,” he says eventually, his tone grim.

  “I’ll do it whether or not you’re there,” I say, trying one last time to convince him using his protective instincts.

  “You’re going to get hurt, maybe even killed,“ he says, his voice now holding barely controlled anger.

  “Not if you’re there.”

  “Have you always been this stubborn?”

  “Always,” I say, although it’s not quite true. Something about Blade brings out the worst in me.

  “This is ludicrous,” he snaps.

  “Is it because you’re afraid?” I say, goading him unfairly.

  He hangs up on me.
<
br />   It’s not unexpected, but it leaves me feeling uncertain. My hand is shaking, and I stare down at the blue glow. I don’t know what’s driving me at the moment. Everything feels unstable, and I’m not sure what to do about it, other than focus on what I’ve always focused on: destroying the demons that killed Becca and my parents.

  I shake off my emotions and focus on the contraption in front of me. It’s a circular device with copper wires running in circles around and around through the middle. There’s glass on the top and metal underneath. I’m not sure exactly what the circular device was used in, but I’m pleased I found it.

  The handheld machine has been wired to draw in and capture the demon in its sonic output, and then the circular device will suck it down into its swirling depths, forcing it around and around in a never-ending circular path.

  In theory, this should work.

  In practice, I think I need Blade.

  I swallow over the sudden lump in my throat. I hope he turns up. I lay my shaking hand on the countertop next to the device. I’m aware enough to know that I’m scared. When I went out before, a part of me always thought I was crazy, that my obsessions were a product of an addled mind. Thinking that way toned down my fear.

  But now people are confirming what I’ve always believed. Not only confirming it but also emphasizing how dangerous it all is. Damien was astonished I’d made it this far without help from the SIG. That could have been his arrogance, but it’s made me aware that what I’m doing isn’t the bizarre dream of a lonely outlaw.

  It’s real, and I’m about to call a real demon, one that could kill me.

  The door bangs open, and the Professor bustles in, holding a few paper bags filled with items of food. He smiles over at me, looking like a little boy who’s been given permission to attend the fair.

  He doesn’t see the dangers. Perhaps he’s like I was before. Not really believing that everything he’s been working toward is true. I wonder what he’ll see.

  “Shall we eat our dinner on the way?” he asks.

  “What’s it like outside? Is it dark yet?”

  “It will be soon. We can always sit in the car until we’re ready,” he says. His face is flushed, and his eyes are twinkling. He’s really enjoying this whole experience.

  As for me, my palms are sweating, and I’m starting to really doubt the sanity of what we’re doing. I look at the professor and realize I don’t have a choice. Not going out would break the old man, and I don’t have it in me to do that.

  I’m sure it’ll be fine. The demon will probably be small. No one is going to get hurt.

  I’m the chalice, right?

  32

  “Should we go in?” whispers the Professor. It’s almost as loud as if he’d spoken normally.

  “Let’s just wait a little longer,” I say, trying not to wince.

  It’s getting late, and I really don’t want to wait. But Blade hasn’t shown up, and I’m now officially terrified to do it without him as backup.

  “I’m pleased I was able to inform Connor of the successful completion of your device,” says the Professor.

  I glance at him distractedly. “What?”

  “I called Connor while I was getting the food. He was very pleased to hear that we were going to capture a demon.”

  Shaking my head, I wonder how the Professor ever manages to get anywhere in life. “Maybe you should hold off telling him about this kind of thing until we actually know it’s going to work?”

  The Professor waves a casual hand in front of him. “Oh, Connor understands about research.”

  “I doubt that,” I mutter. Now I’m going to look like the village idiot in front of Connor if this doesn’t go right. I preferred when my life was filled with just one person—me—and I could do my own thing. Right now, I’m worried about too many people and too many variables, and it’s putting me off my game.

  I clench my hands into fists. What am I? A big scaredy-cat? Or a kick-ass demon hunter? I need to get on with this right now. I didn’t need backup before, and I sure as hell don’t need it now. “Okay, let’s do it.”

  The Professor practically leaps out of the car, and I follow him around to the trunk, where we’ve put the new device. I carry it, along with my backpack, which has a bottle to suck a demon into just in case. If all else fails, I know they work.

  We sneak around to the back of the property and pull open the section of fence that I cut open last time. I don’t know what the security guard has been doing with his time, but he certainly hasn’t been checking the fence line.

  I run along the fence to a section of metal piled at the back of the recycling center.

  “Do we set it up here?” the Professor says in his mock whisper.

  “Shhhh.” I find myself saying like an overworked third-grade teacher. I even have one finger over my lips. I force myself to take my finger away and turn to the Professor. “From now on, we don’t talk. The security guard is a bit of a maniac.”

  The Professor nods in an exaggerated manner, and I sigh. I should have left him back at the lab. I’m not a superspy, but I’m savvier than he is.

  I set up the machine, placing it in the center of the aisle. The plan is to attract the demon with my singing and then trap it into the machine once it’s here. I can’t sing loudly or the guard will hear me, but I have to make it loud enough for the demons.

  I step back into the shadows and pull the Professor beside me. He opens his mouth to speak, and I glare at him, putting my finger in front of my lips again.

  Starting with a low hum, I try to decide what song I’m going to sing. I don’t know much, just old stuff that my dad used to listen to. I half sing, half hum a few lines of an old Bowie song, trying to keep an eye out for the security guard at the same time.

  I can feel the Professor fidgeting beside me and wonder for the hundredth time whether I should have brought him with me. I don’t know why he’s so excited, so invested in all this. I’ve never asked him about his belief in the supernatural. I know why I’m hunting demons; I’ve never asked why he’s doing it. Did the Professor have a similar experience to me? I don’t think he’s a supernatural; he didn’t see my hand glowing like the others did—including Connor—and he doesn’t seem to have any kind of perception of what’s going on around us right now. But he must have gotten his belief from somewhere.

  I start singing a bit louder, going for another old David Bowie song, “The Prettiest Star.” I can feel the Professor’s nervous energy coming at me in waves as he fidgets next to me. All I can do right now is ignore him—but I’m going to ask him his story when we get back to the lab.

  My hand starts to glow about five seconds before a demon appears in front of the device in the alleyway. It’s hovering over the circular section, looking down like it’s confused by what it sees. It’s still in its glowing blue form, a hazy humanoid shape that’s yet to show its more solid form. It looks up and sees me, its glowing black eyes like inserts into a black soul. I can’t look away; I’m trapped in its gaze.

  I stand up slowly, even though it’s the last thing I want to do.

  I take an involuntary step forward. My hands are shaking and clammy. It’s somehow controlling me. Is it the demon inside me? Or because I’m a chalice? What other reason is there that this demon is suddenly able to make me move against my will?

  It’s never happened to me before. With every particle of my body, I wish Blade were here. Or that I’d listened to what he and Damien both said.

  “Hazel, is it here? Did we get one?” whispers the Professor. He sounds confused, and no wonder. He can’t see what’s happening to me, other than that I’m up and walking toward the device. I try to fight the compulsion, but my body won’t do what I tell it. I keep taking steps forward, closer to the demon. I have to remember Damien’s training. Breathe. Stay calm. That’s the way to beat demons.

  Use your cool, not your emotions, and you might just make it through this.

  There’s a noise off to one side
. I turn toward it gratefully—ready to thank Blade for being the better person—but instead of my savior, another demon appears from an adjoining alley.

  My heart bounces around inside my chest, and I falter. The other demon’s compulsion to walk forward dies away. This new demon is the same size as the first, still glowing blue, and gliding toward the device. My breathing becomes ragged. The bottle—my only other protection—is in my backpack, over by the Professor. I glance behind me at the Professor, who’s watching me with a concerned expression.

  “Hazel, are you okay?” he whispers loudly.

  “There are two demons,” I reply softly, trying to stay calm. “I need my backpack.”

  The Professor glances around and grabs my bag, then starts toward me. Just as he steps out into the path, another blue glow appears behind him.

  Oh my God.

  Three demons.

  33

  I make a frantic gesture with my arm. “There’s one behind you. Go back to where you were.”

  He glances behind him but can’t see the demon. My face must reflect something of my fear, however, because he immediately steps back into the shadows.

  I can’t believe it. Three demons. I have a remote for the device, but it’s also back over by the Professor—I wasn’t expecting the demon to be able to pull me out of the shadows like that. I’m surrounded, and to go back is about as appealing as going forward.

  And even if I could get to the remote or the device, I don’t think the machine will be strong enough for three demons.

  This is turning out to be a complete disaster.

  Another figure appears in the distance, behind the glowing demons. I recognize him by the flashlight he’s holding out in front. Harold the over-zealous security guard.

  “What are you doing?” he says as he comes closer. “Hey, it’s you!” He’s staring at me like I’m a freak. “I’m telling Detective Cappello!” he shouts like we’re at school and the detective is our teacher. He pulls out a cell phone, and presses one button before putting it to his ear. I bet the detective loves that he’s on this guy’s speed dial.