by Sarah Noffke
She was worried when Rory stated he was going back to his house, but he couldn’t be deterred. He kept saying, “There’s something I’m working on. It’s the only way to protect the sword.”
He was a lot less on edge when she confessed that Stefan was going to help her with the demon case. They parted ways, each concerned about the other but knowing that the danger they faced was part of the job.
After stepping through the portal, Liv waited for Stefan. She’d had to create the portal since no one could know that he’d accompanied her to the wetlands of Florida.
Stefan stepped through, his boots sinking into the mud, a considering look on his face.
“So how do we track down these soul-suckers?” Liv asked him in a hushed voice.
She caught a pair of familiar reflective eyes in the distance. It instantly made her feel better to know Plato was close by, watching her.
Stefan sniffed the air, gazing at the swamp and trees dripping in vines. “I know how to find them.”
“Cool, but how do I find them?” she asked.
He started forward, looking over his shoulder at her. “You follow me.”
Liv rolled her eyes, hurrying to keep up with him. “That won’t help me when I need to track and slay demons on my own.”
He stopped abruptly, his face filled with silent apprehension. “You shouldn’t kill them on your own. For as long as the Council assigns you demon cases, I’ll be with you to help.”
“Although that’s appreciated, I’m sort of used to working alone. And you learned how to find and kill them from someone, so I’d like you to teach me.”
Stefan’s eyes were large and tragic. “Hunting demons isn’t something you should be doing. You’re too good for this. The Council will see that and outvote Adler and Bianca, and you’ll move onto something worthier of your talents.”
Liv didn’t know what to say to that. It was a compliment wrapped up in mystery. “Shouldn’t keeping the balance between good and evil be at the top of the list as far as worthy cases go?”
“Yes, and it’s my job.” Stefan kept walking, constantly scanning the dark wetlands.
So, was this an ego thing? Liv wondered. Did Stefan not want her pinching his territory? This didn’t make sense.
They’d walked a fair distance, easily keeping a steady pace, when they came to a clearing with a small house. Stefan spun in a circle, looking momentarily disoriented. “Where did you go?”
“I’m guessing you’re referring to the demon you’re hunting while I collect wildflowers,” Liv joked.
Stefan’s eyes fell to Liv’s hands, which were hanging loosely by her sides, as if expecting to see her holding a bouquet of tulips. He shook his head. “The demons know we’re here, and they are playing games with us.”
“I didn’t get the invite, so I’m not playing the same game.”
Liv knelt and grabbed up a bit of earth, letting it run through her fingers.
“What are you doing?” Stefan asked.
“I’m tracking the demons,” she lied.
“How’s that going for you?”
She shrugged, standing and dusting her hand off. “I don’t know. I’ve just seen them do that in the movies.”
He gave her a sideways look. “You’re very strange.”
“You should see me on a full moon.”
“Do you turn into a werewolf?” he asked, curiosity written on his face.
“Oh, no. I decoupage.”
Liv realized it was a horrible joke. That was the whole point. However, Stefan could have at least rolled his eyes instead of narrowing them at her, pure vengeance filling his face.
In a swift movement, he pushed her to the side and whipped out his sword, swinging it at the demon who had materialized behind her. In a clean movement, he severed the head, spraying black blood over the leaves and ground.
Liv’s heart was racing from the adrenaline rush. She spun around, searching the area for the other demons, but Stefan waved her off.
“They aren’t here right now,” he stated confidently.
“How do you know?”
“I just know,” he said, getting close to the demon’s severed head and rolling it over with his sword.
“I like how when I ask questions, you give me bullshit answers,” Liv fired back, holding her breath against the odor. This demon smelled worse than the one in Amsterdam. Maybe that was because it was in Florida where hardly anyone bathed, she thought with a morbid laugh.
“Oh, you like that, do you? We’ll get along just fine, then.”
“Ha-ha,” Liv said, withdrawing the bag she’d brought.
“You’re the one who likes secrets so much,” Stefan related. “I’m just playing your game.” His eyes widened when she neared him, crouching by the disgusting head. The demon’s black eyes were still open. “What are you doing?”
Liv used magic to bag the head, tying the sack tightly. “I’m taking a souvenir. I’ve never been to Florida, and I need something to remember it by.”
“Most people just get a magnet for the refrigerator,” Stefan said, disgusted.
“Where are the other two, demon whisperer?”
Stefan nodded in the direction of the abandoned cabin. “They are waiting in there, I believe.”
“Not that you’re going to answer this question, but how do you know that?”
“Pull out your sword,” he ordered, fury flaring in his eyes.
Liv dropped the head of the demon on the ground, and it landed with a thud. She did as she was told, turning to face the tiny cabin.
“Whoa, where did you get that?” Stefan asked, his eyes wide as he regarded Bellator.
“Same place you left all the answers to my questions,” Liv said.
He nodded, a slight smile flicking to his eyes. “Well played, Liv Beaufont. But please note this is not the first time I’ve seen you with a giant-forged sword.” He added, “Today.”
Liv feigned ignorance, regarding the sword with awe. “This is a giant-made sword? Well, I’ll be. I got it at a flea market from a guy named Leonard. Short fella. Definitely not a giant.”
He snickered slightly, facing the cabin. “Well, thankfully, if you do come up against one of the demons in there, you’ve got an extra advantage. Usually, there are only two ways to kill a demon.”
“Fire and beheading,” Liv supplied.
Stefan nodded. “Yes, but I’ve heard a theory that giant’s swords are deadly to demons.”
Liv lifted Bellator, eyeing it with appreciation. “Let’s test that theory.” She started forward, but Stefan caught her by the shoulder, spinning her back around.
“Let me go in first,” he suggested. “You should go around the back to keep a lookout, and cut them off if they try and flee.”
“That sounds like a bullshit plan where you get to have all the fun and I stay out of harm’s way,” Liv said.
He nodded. “I agree that it’s a brilliant plan. Thank you. We’ll meet out here after I’m done with them.”
“What if I insist that we go in together?”
“Then I’ll insist you tell me why you were cuddling with that sword that was stolen from the Natural History Museum,” he countered.
“You know, I think checking out the back of the cabin sounds great,” she said with a slight laugh.
He winked. “I thought you might.”
Liv watched as Stefan soundlessly moved to the front of the cabin, his cape flying behind him. She stealthily moved around to the back of the building, where she was unsurprised to find no back door. She didn’t like that Stefan had taken over this case, but she needed his help and didn’t need him asking too many questions. It was just one case, and then she could go back to working alone. Also, she hoped to learn more about him, specifically what he was hiding. So far, though, he had been a tightly-sealed vault.
As Liv slid next to the cabin, she heard scratching from within. That was Stefan’s problem. She was the lookout. The backup. That wasn’t going to do, and h
is whole attitude around his territory of demon hunting was annoying. After this was over, she was going to realign the framework of their relationship, ensuring she was standing even with him. She realized that as a newbie warrior she had a lot to learn and he was in a position to teach her, as Akio was doing with combat. However, Stefan hadn’t shared any information yet.
After Liv slipped around the back of the cabin, a loud thud made her jump. It had come from inside the building. Something had been thrown against the wall, making it shudder.
“Looks like someone is having fun,” Liv said dully to herself.
Another assault hit the wall, making her think it would splinter.
She took another step, sinking deep into the mud. “Damn it to hell.” Liv tried to pull her boot out but realized she was sinking. Seriously, this is a thing? I thought quicksand was just a plot device for movies.
She was about to use her magic to unstick her boot when she heard a voice clear and loud in her mind. Plato’s. Watch out!
Liv looked up as something leapt off the building and crashed on top of her. The demon yanked her out of the mud, propelling her into a forward roll. She dropped her sword in the fall but rose to her feet as soon as she could. The demon had too and was hunched over, growling at her, its hands touching the ground. The beast was by far the ugliest thing she’d ever seen, with its small horns protruding from its cheekbones and brow. Its black eyes didn’t blink as it regarded her with a vicious stare. It took a crouching step toward her, dragging its other leg behind it.
Liv didn’t look directly at her sword, which was a few feet away, slowly sinking into the mud. A few weeks ago she’d have been dead at this beast’s hands. However, her training with Akio had been a good idea. Now was the time to make him proud. And her parents. She remembered them, but more than anything, she remembered the training they’d instilled in her.
Fight with love, not vengeance. The words wrapped around her heart, making Liv feel stronger than she was alone, a cumulation of the people who mattered most in her life.
The demon lunged at her, drooling. She moved faster than she ever had, the way Akio moved—like a phantom, there and gone. She slipped behind the demon, making it spin around. She was already on the other side of him, moving so fast that her feet didn’t even sink into the mud.
The beast screamed, making its frustrations known. Liv confused him again, taunting him by appearing at his back twice more. She picked up Bellator just as it was about to disappear into the mud. Swinging the debris off of the sword, she splattered the demon. It screamed again, showing rows of sharp teeth, its long pointed tongue stretching out of its mouth.
With Bellator in her hands once again, she noticed immediately that she didn’t move as fast, just as Akio had warned.
“We gain and we lose when we hold a weapon. They make us deadly, but often slow us down. Never forget that wielding a weapon isn’t always the right approach. It depends on the battle.”
She knew exactly what he meant now, but she also knew that Bellator was the right approach. She could run circles around this demon, but that would only disorient him. The means to the end was in her hand.
The monster dove for her. Liv rotated, bringing Bellator around, slicing it through the abdomen. It crumpled at once, writhing in pain and gripping its stomach. The scream that left its mouth was like the ones she’d heard in Amsterdam, searing her ears.
Liv brought Bellator over her head, trying to remember the Latin that would free the soul within it.
“Metuendas Dcemonis violentias, dimittere unam animam de amicae tuae involasti, permittens eos tandem requiem,” she intoned as the beast tried to reach for her boots, its claws finding only mud. Gripping her sword, she dug deep for the courage to do the next seemingly impossible thing. She’d never killed anything, even something so evil. Still, no matter what it was, killing wasn’t natural. It shouldn’t be, and she knew that. It should come at a great price so that it never became easy. She sucked in a breath. “Ad infernum, a quo factum est tibi in sempiternum in ipse comburetis.”
With force fueled by a passion she wasn’t acquainted with, the sword came down, slicing the demon’s head off cleanly. Liv backed away from the body, not believing what she’d done. It wasn’t an act she hadn’t ever thought she’d be proud of, and yet, she was. She’d freed a soul, and rid the world of a horrible entity.
The scream of another demon echoed from the cabin. The walls shook. Fueled by instinct, she ran around the side of the building, halting once she was in the entrance. She froze, having déjà vu. The scene before her looked very much what she’d seen in Amsterdam. Stefan had pinned the demon to the wall with a series of knives. Black blood was dripping from the cuts, staining the wall. However, the demon didn’t appear to be in pain like the one she’d just slaughtered. This demon, uglier than the rest, lifted its head, its body pulled down by the weight but still pinned to the wall.
If demons could smile, that was what this one did, its greenish teeth sawing back and forth and making a horrid sound.
“How dare you come after one of your own?” The demon hissed the words, its gaze flicking to Liv, who was standing in the doorway.
Stefan looked over his shoulder at Liv, swallowing hard before swinging around to face the monster again. “Get out of here, Liv,” he urged.
She didn’t move, just studied the scene. Stefan had pinned the demon. Granted, he didn’t have Bellator, which made her job much easier, but this looked like it was personal. Like he wanted to punish this demon.
“Oh, she doesn’t know, does she?” the demon sang, its voice not at all melodic.
“Delirium has set in. It doesn’t know what it’s talking about,” Stefan said over his shoulder to her. “Get out of here. There’s another one left.”
She shook her head, holding up Bellator, which was soaked in black blood. He nodded roughly, something catching in his throat.
Stefan lifted his sword, holding it even with the demon’s neck. However, he didn’t take this opportunity to end things. Instead, he hesitated as if he were unsure he should kill the monster.
“I know you are a man right now, but you’re destined to become a demon just like me,” the beast spat, seeming to play with Stefan.
“No, I’m not!” Stefan roared, slamming his elbow into the demon’s chest, blood squirting out from its wounds onto his face.
The demon gurgled on a scream that turned into a choking laugh. “Yes, I can smell it on you. You’ve been kissed, and soon you’ll be just like me.”
Liv sucked in an audible breath, remembering what she’d read about demonism in Bermuda Laurens’ book. She’d called it a kiss too, but remarked that it was more like a bite. The demons affectionately called it a kiss because it was what kept them prowling the Earth.
“How long do you have?” the demon asked, sniffing the air like it smelled something tantalizing. “Maybe not long. And then you’ll be one of us—the ones who will inherit this planet.”
“No! That will never happen! Never! Never!” He brought his sword around, slicing the demon’s head off cleanly. It landed at his feet, its black eyes staring up at him and a grin on its face.
When Stefan turned to face Liv, his face was splattered with black blood and he was vibrating with a hostility she’d never before witnessed. It didn’t scare her. At that moment, she knew with absolute certainty that Stefan Ludwig was in danger of becoming a demon. He’d been bitten by the very thing he hated most, and she was going to help save him.
Chapter Thirty-Two
“Make it a double,” Stefan said. He laid a wad of cash on the table they’d taken at a bar in Venice, a local joint that was dark and not filled with hipsters.
The waiter nodded, giving Liv an expectant look.
“I’ll take the same,” she replied, pointing to Stefan, who looked like he’d just fought a gang of demons, although he’d taken the time to wipe the blood off his face. The brooding hostility was still brimming in his eyes as if something dar
k in him was begging to escape.
Liv waited in silence until they had their drinks, thinking that they probably both needed them to continue the next inevitable part of the conversation. When the waiter returned with two whiskeys, sliding the glasses in front of them, Liv and Stefan weren’t saying a word but rather staring off uncomfortably.
Once the waiter had left them, Liv took a sip of her drink, the whiskey burning her throat but instantly making her feel better. She drank half of it before setting it down and looking at Stefan directly. He appeared to be a hollow man, simply going through the motions.
“Do you want to tell me about this demon-bite business?” she asked.
He cut his piercing blue eyes at her. “Oh, no. Kittens first. That was the deal. I help you with the demons, you tell me why you have a bag full of kittens.”
Liv laughed, finishing her drink and flagging down the waiter. She was going to need more drinks for this conversation. Scratch that. She was going to need all the drinks.
“Bring the bottle,” she said to the waiter when he was almost to their table. He nodded, heading back to the bar.
“So, on the side, I volunteer at the animal shelter,” she began. “Would you believe that during my shift—”
Stefan slammed his glass down with a blunt force, giving her a “no bullshit” glare. “Here’s the deal. If you’re straight with me, I’ll be the same with you. The moment you close up, so will I. But you should know, Liv Beaufont, that I’m not your enemy.”
Liv considered Stefan for a long moment. The earnestness in his blue eyes was hard to ignore, but how could she trust someone just because they told her she could? Wasn’t trust something people earned? One of her biggest problems was that she didn’t know who her enemies were. The Council was a major pain in her ass, and the deranged elf was definitely no friend of hers. But who was behind all that? Who was behind her parents’ and siblings’ deaths?
