Fox Among the Demons

by Trudie Collins

  “How do you know I blame him?” When Natasha didn’t react, he continued. “And that he blames himself.”

  Natasha still didn’t say anything, but Fox saw her avert her eyes away from him. That told him all he needed to know. She had heard his conversation with Komi, or the tail end of it at any rate. Now he had to decide if he should let Komi know or just wait to see what Natasha did with the information.

  “Are you hungry?” he asked.

  “A little, but I’m too tired to eat.”

  “Then go back to sleep. We’ll let Lucy know you are staying here tonight. And you are not going to work tomorrow. We need to keep an eye on you for at least one more day.”

  “Yes sir,” Natasha said.

  “I know humans call their teachers sir, but you don’t have to.” Natasha considered telling him that she was being sarcastic, but decided it wasn’t worth the effort. She closed her eyes and was asleep once more before Fox left the room.

  He found Trey, Komi and Bolene in the lounge in the owners suite and gave them the good news. He assured them that he had checked Natasha out thoroughly and was confident that she was going to make a full recovery. Trey went off to phone Lucy and Bolene went to check on her husband, leaving Fox and Komi alone.

  “You know that conversation we were having before Natasha woke up,” Fox said casually, “about the effect she is having on you.”

  “Yes,” Komi said tentatively. He had the distinct feeling that he was not going to like what Fox was about to say.

  “Nat woke up while we were still talking. I have no idea how much she overheard, but I know she definitely heard the last part.”

  Fox could not help grinning at the look on Komi’s face as he struggled to remember exactly what he had said.

  Erotic Dreams

  Natasha felt remarkably well the following morning and it took a lot of persuasion to get her to take the day off work. She phoned Lucy to assure her that she was fine then sent a quick text to her boss, letting him know that she was sick and would hopefully be in the next day.

  After breakfast, Natasha planned to go home, but Fox had other ideas. “I have cancelled my regular lessons for today. We didn’t think it was a good idea to have other demons here while you were still recovering. That means you are going to spend the morning learning about what almost killed you and the correct use for it.”

  “But I need to go home and get changed. I have slept in these clothes.”

  “I would say I would lend you some of mine,” Bolene said, “but I think you might struggle to get into them. You are quite a bit taller than me.”

  Fox looked her up and down, assessing her, but not in a manner which made her feel uncomfortable. “Some of my clothes should fit you,” he finally said. “Though they may be a little big. I’ll find some for you while you clean up.”

  Natasha opted to take a long relaxing soak in a bath and found a pair of jeans, a t-shirt and some male underwear sitting on her bed when she returned to her room, dressed only in a towel. She had been expecting Komi to make some comment about having to join her in the bath, in case she took a turn for the worse, but he hadn’t. He had been behaving oddly all through breakfast, refusing to look at her and staying quiet instead of joining in the conversation. She made a mental note to speak to him later. She didn’t blame him for what had happened so he shouldn’t blame himself.

  Once she was dry, Natasha slipped on the underwear. They were trunk style and were surprisingly comfortable. She knew that some brands had brought out a similar design for women and she decided to get herself some.

  The jeans were a little long for her and she needed a belt, but they would suffice for the day. She slipped the t-shirt over her head. She would have to go braless but she could live with that.

  When she arrived at the schoolroom, she was surprised to find Lukine waiting for her and she asked him what he was doing there.

  “After yesterday’s little accident, Fox isn’t taking any chances. I’ve put a spell on the workshop so that nobody can enter it unless Fox is inside and gives permission. He has asked me to do the same for the schoolroom, except I need to give you access.”

  “Alright. What do I need to do?”

  “I need a strand of your hair.” As it was still wet, Natasha had not tied her hair back, so she easily selected a strand and tugged hard, pulling it out at the root. She handed it to Lukine then watched in fascination as he spoke the words of a spell then held the hair against the closed door. It shimmered, as though he was touching a force field.

  When he had finished speaking, he tried to open the door. It would not move. “Your turn,” he said, turning to Natasha. She took hold of the handle and it easily turned. She pushed the door open without any trouble.

  “My work here is done,” Lukine said. “Fox will be along shortly. Take a seat and enjoy your lesson. I think you are going to find the topic fascinating.”

  A few moments later, Fox walked into the room. “Have you ever had an erotic dream?” he asked Natasha. Her mouth fell open.

  “What? Do you really think that is any of your business?”

  Fox waved away the question. “Everyone has them. But did you know that sometimes they are not natural? Sometimes they are induced by a succubus, or in your case, an incubus.”

  “To what end?” Natasha asked.

  “They feed off the dreams somehow. The more turned on you are, the more energy they can take from you. We have no idea how. They don’t even need to be in the same room as you, just within a few miles.”

  “And why is that dangerous?” Demons killed these creatures and Natasha hoped there was a valid reason. If they were harmless, other than giving people erotic dreams, her view of these people she was beginning to enjoy being around would rapidly diminish.

  “If they invaded the dreams of a different person each night, we would have no issue with them and would not hunt them down and kill them. But they don’t. Once they have managed to invade someone’s mind, they like to keep going back there, making the dreams more and more exciting. It gets to the stage where the victim enjoys them so much he or she doesn’t want to wake up. Real life sex pales in comparison to what happens in his or her dreams. Eventually nothing will matter except going back to sleep. Then they never wake up.”

  Natasha found this hard to believe. “Surely I would have read about it in the papers or something.”

  “You probably have. How many times have you read about someone passing peacefully in their sleep? Or seemingly healthy people going to sleep and never waking up with no identifiable cause? Heart failure is usually a good thing to put on death certificates when the real cause is unknown. Have you read about joggers dropping dead?” Natasha nodded. “Most times it’s not the jogging that has caused the problem but their nocturnal activities.”

  Natasha didn’t want to believe what she was hearing, but she had never known Fox lie to her, so why would he start now? “How would I recognise one?”

  “Most people can’t. They look normal. You might have one living next door to you and you will never know. The only revealing thing is that their eye colour changes when ultra-violet light shines on them. They glow a distinctive shade of red, which is why ultra-violet torches are mandatory equipment when a team is sent on a ‘kill’.”

  Fox placed the book he had been holding on the desk in front of Natasha and opened it to a marked page, revealing the photo of a young man. He was quite attractive, with short blonde hair and blue eyes. Fox flipped the page to show a photo of the same man under ultra-violet light. The red glow in his eyes made him even more appealing, rather than less. Fox noticed Natasha’s reaction when her eyes fell on the second photo.

  “Not quite what you were expecting, is it. You imagined him looking like some kind of monster, but reality is very different. You may well have seen this effect at a nightclub and just assumed that the light was bouncing off contact lenses. Succubi and incubi have been known to pick up victims, using their enchanting eyes as a lure
. They will end up spending the night with them, making them have some very interesting dreams.”

  Natasha had one more question she wanted answering, but she wasn’t sure how she was going to word it. She really did not want to be discussing her sex dreams with Fox, but she needed to if she wanted to have her fears put to rest.

  “How do I know if a dream is just a dream or if it’s being externally manipulated?”

  “One giveaway is who it is you are dreaming about. If it’s a real person, someone you know, the dream is real. An incubus will always make the dream lover an imaginary person, forming them in your mind to have the features you find most attractive.”

  Fox couldn’t resist the urge to tease her. “So when you dream about Komi, it’s you controlling the dream, not someone else.”

  Natasha did not find the comment amusing. “Very funny. I do not dream about Komi.”

  Fox raised an eyebrow in disbelief. “Really? He will be most disappointed to hear that.”

  “Change the subject,” she said in a tone that told him the topic was well and truly over.

  “Alright,” he said, grinning at her. He found her reaction amusing. “Onto the weapons.”

  He then proceeded to tell her everything about killing succubi and incubi. It was a lot easier than any of the other creatures that demons hunted. They reacted so badly to kadar wood that the merest touch with any weapon made from it would cause them to die.

  Fox pointed to the walls of the schoolroom, where he had many examples on display. There were knives, arrows, a variety of triangular and star shaped throwing objects, all made from the same colour wood and all with razor sharp edges and points.

  “You could kill anyone and almost anything with these, but they are especially effective on an incubus or succubus.” Fox then smiled as he remembered something. “One customer wanted me to make them a garrotte. It took me a while to work out how, but eventually I managed it.”

  “A garrotte?” Natasha asked. “From wood?” Fox nodded. “No wonder people come to you for weapons.”

  Natasha looked around the walls once more, her eyes falling on a variety of weapons she didn’t recognise and had no idea how they would work. “What are they used for?”

  Fox followed her gaze. “They are for killing other creatures like elves, fairies and pixies. You have yet to learn about those.”

  He then walked over to the wall and took down a wooden knife. He held it out to Natasha, but she shrank away from it.

  “It won’t hurt you unless you get part of it under your skin. Even if you cut yourself, you might feel ill for a little while, but it will do no serious harm. I want you to feel how smooth it is. After your experience, you need to know that these weapons are safe for you to use.”

  “I’m never planning on using them,” Natasha said quickly.

  “Komi has other ideas.”

  “I don’t care what Komi thinks. While I am happy for him to get me fitter and teach me, there is no way I am ever going to go on a ‘kill’ with him.”

  “I’ll let you two argue about that. Right now I am teaching you and as your teacher I am instructing you to take this knife.”

  Natasha tentatively held out her hand, which was shaking. Fox placed the knife on her palm and told her to run her finger along its length. Natasha obeyed and a look of wonder spread across her face.

  “Wow. How did you get it to feel like this? It’s like velvet.”

  “Practice,” Fox said and took the knife away from her. “As you can now see, it’s only the raw wood that is dangerous. Once it has been honed into a weapon, it’s harmless. Well, harmless to humans and demons anyway.”

  The lesson continued and by the time midday arrived, Natasha was exhausted. She was grateful when Fox suggested she take an afternoon nap. Komi wasn’t happy, as he had been hoping to spend some time with her, but one look at her told him she needed to rest.

  She slept for a few hours then looked for Komi. She wanted to talk to him before she went home. She needed to assure him that she didn’t blame him for what happened.

  She found him in the room they used for training. She watched, fascinated, as he twisted and turned. He had a strange metal object in his hand and she had no idea what he was doing with it, but he looked so strong, yet graceful, that she couldn’t take her eyes off him.

  He had not heard the door open so he had no idea she was there until he turned around and saw her. He almost dropped the object in surprise.

  “Hi,” he said. “How are you feeling?”

  “I’m fine. What were you doing?”

  “Practicing killing banshees. Has Fox taught you about those yet?”

  Natasha shook her head. “We need to talk.”

  “I thought that is what we were doing.”

  “About something else.”

  “Alright, I was just about done anyway.”

  Komi returned the object he was holding to where it was usually stored and took her up to his bedroom.

  “I don’t blame you for nearly killing me,” Natasha said as soon as the door was closed, “so you shouldn’t blame yourself.”

  Komi let out a breath he didn’t realise he had been holding. It was not the topic of conversation he had been expecting to have. “It is my fault. If I hadn’t made you go into the workroom, you wouldn’t have gotten hurt.”

  “Why did you insist on me seeing inside? What did you hope to achieve?”

  “I don’t know.” There was no way he was going to admit to her what he couldn’t bring himself to admit to Fox.

  “Bullshit. I heard what you said to Fox. You thought it would make up for the way you acted like an idiot when you heard Paul was flying back to see me.” Komi remained silent, so Natasha continued. “I have already forgiven you for that. Move on. And please, stop flirting with me. I would like you a lot more if you stopped trying to get me into bed. I am spoken for. You need to accept that.”

  Komi detected an odd note in Natasha’s voice. It was almost as if she was trying to convince herself as well as him, but then again, it could well be just wishful thinking on his part.

  “Alright,” he said, though he had no intention of doing so.

  Natasha accepted what he said and told him it was time she headed home. As soon as she arrived, she went to the calendar hanging on her wall and crossed off another date. She was one day closer to seeing Paul again.

  Paul

  The days passed slowly and Natasha got more and more impatient for Paul to arrive, while Komi became increasingly irritable. The evening before Paul’s plane was due to land, Komi was so difficult to be around that Fox was not the only one pleased to be told that a group of vampires had been located. He almost hugged Lukine when he made the announcement.

  “Grab your gear,” Bolene said and Komi leapt to his feet. He headed straight to the armoury, with Trey at his heels. By the time Bolene arrived, the safe that contained the vampire killing weapons was already open and the two men were arming themselves.

  Each had slipped a number of wooden stakes inside specially designed pouches in their jackets and another, thinner, variety were placed down secret sheathes inside their boots. Bolene took a small crossbow from the wall and removed a quiver of wooden tipped arrows from the safe.

  All of the weapons were made from normal wood; kadar was not needed for killing vampires. A stake through the heart was always effective, no matter what wood it was made from or what shape it was. Beheading also worked, which was why Bolene took a garrotte made from thin, yet strong wire from the safe and placed it in her pocket.

  Bolene and Trey took Bo’s car while Komi, as usual, opted to ride his motorbike. Lukine had provided the address of an abandoned warehouse in the outskirts of the city. He could not say exactly how many vampires were there, or if any humans were present, but he was confident there were not too many for the three siblings to take care of.

  From the outside, it appeared that no lights were on inside the building when Komi pulled up; Bolene and Trey
were not far behind. He removed his helmet and placed it on the seat. Running his fingers through his hair in a failed attempt to straighten it, he approached his brother and sister.

  “Ready?” he asked. They both nodded. They unzipped their jackets, giving them easy access to the weapons concealed inside, then made their way up to the door of the warehouse.

  Bolene placed her ear against the cold metal, wincing as her flesh touched it. When she withdrew her head, she shook it; she could hear nothing inside.

  Trey tried the handle. It moved easily and he eased open the door, hoping as he did so that it would not make a noise. Their luck was in and the three demons soundlessly entered the warehouse. It was a large empty building. The moonlight shining through the windows lit it up enough to see that it had not been used in a while. The dust on the floor held no footprints and the amount of bird droppings indicated that it had not been swept in a long time.

  Komi heard movement from above and raised his head, but it was just a bird on one of the rafters, complaining about the intrusion.

  With her head, Bolene indicated that they should cross the empty floor space. There was another door at the far end that they would need to investigate.

  Bolene had her crossbow in her hands, loaded and ready to fire should a vampire appear. The moon went behind a cloud, causing the building to go dark. The three demons stopped moving and waited for light to appear again. They each had torches, but did not want to use them if they didn’t have to.

  The cloud moved on and they reached the door without hearing or seeing any sign of the vampires they were there to dispose of. This door, too, was not locked and opened into a corridor. The lights were not on and Trey tired the switch. Nothing happened. If the warehouse had been abandoned for as long as it appeared to have been, the electricity had probably been switched off.

  Komi took out his torch and shone it up and down the corridor. There was not as much dust on the floor, but what there was clearly showed that a number of people had walked between the door at one end and the stairs at the other.