Sacrifice

by L. L. Frost

  A hand grasps my arm, warm even through the burn of magic, and I flinch as I spin, ready to break free. Reese stands in front of me, long fingers curled around my forearm. The iridescent light rolls around his hand like a cat welcoming its owner. The magic surges inside me, wanting to go to him, to fuel his spells.

  Scowling, I jerk my arm from his hold. “That was a stupid way to make a point. And you’re used to this. How do you know an unprepared human will be okay?”

  He shrugs. “We were unprepared humans at one point, and we’re still alive.”

  I rub my arm in an attempt to calm the magic that wants to jump from me to him. “You’re willing to risk their lives on your theory?”

  “The alternative is to give up on them without trying,” Xander says, his attention still fixed on the ward. “At least, we can say we gave it our best shot.”

  I hug my elbows. “Then why don’t one of you try it?”

  Xander finally turns to face me. “Because spells don’t work on coma patients, and we can’t just release pure magic.”

  “Isn’t that what Jax and Slater do?” I hadn’t seen them casting any spells when they threw around magic.

  Jax shakes his head. “What we do holds intent. If we just try to call up a ley line and release it, it flows straight back to the power source. But you’re already separated from the source. A free-roaming ley line, so to speak.”

  I narrow my eyes on him. “And you really think I can do something different?”

  “No.” His eyes flicker to his friend. “But Reese does.”

  Silence settles for a moment, and Tobias scowls at all of us. “I can’t throw fire around with the humans in the way. There are oxygen tanks in there. If we try to fight around them, we might blow the entire place up.”

  “Doesn’t matter if we blow the place up so long as we lock up the Dreamer,” the hag grumbles.

  “But if we blow the humans up, we won’t have anyone to hold the way back open.” Patience fills Landon’s voice, as if he’s talking to a child.

  The hag jabs one razor-sharp claw into his side. “Don’t you get lippy with me, slug. This whole adventure is turning into a giant pain in my ass. I should have stayed in the Library.”

  Landon shoves her out of reach. “But you didn’t, so shut up and get ready to open a portal.”

  “Can we stop arguing and just do this?” Emil rolls his head, vertebra cracking. “I have a cat who’s probably starving by now. God knows what he’s doing to the furniture.”

  “Hopefully tearing apart that horrible floral couch.” Kellen rubs his palms together. “If we’re lucky, he’ll have it in shreds before we get home.”

  “Hey!” I rise onto my toes. “That’s my couch!”

  “And you’re Tac’s least favorite person in the house right now.” Emil’s lips lift in a tiny smile. “I’d really like to see that couch destroyed.”

  I glare at all of them, even Tobias who hasn’t threatened my couch. Yet. He’s the one most likely to enact furniture murder. I did, after all, destroy his favorite chair.

  As everyone heads for the door at the end of the hall, Jax steps up beside me. “They know you’re scared and are trying to distract you. It’s kind of nice to see they have feelings.”

  I bristle at that. “Of course, they have feelings. Demons aren’t without emotion.”

  “I know that.” He studies Kellen’s back. “But you live longer than humans, and you look at the world differently. Sometimes it’s hard to tell. Slater and I used to live on the streets, you know? Kellen helped us out of a sticky situation, but he made it very clear at the time that it wasn’t for free. That his assistance came at a high price.”

  I nod. “Gain must be established. It’s the way of things.”

  “It’s the demon way of things,” Jax says softly. “I’m not saying humans were lining up to help us out for free, either, but there are kind people out there who give for free.”

  “And there are bad people out there who will take advantage of their generosity.” I shrug. “Demons establish the cost upfront to simplify things.”

  Jax tilts his head. “What’s the cost for saving humanity from the Dreamer?”

  I blink at him in confusion. “Humanity didn’t ask that we stop the Dreamer. Aside from you four, they don’t even know about the threat.”

  “So, you’re doing this for free? Because you’re generous? I know why we’re here.” He gestures to Reese, Xander, and Slater who walk next to us. “But why are you here? No demons have died, right? But you’re putting yourselves at risk to save the same humans who destroyed your world.”

  Ah, so they heard our discussion in the kitchen.

  “How old are you?” I ask.

  His brows pinch together at the change in topic. “Twenty-three.”

  “Then you’re obviously not the humans who destroyed our world.” I wave that aside. “But to answer your question, I’m here for the gain.”

  He shakes his head. “I don’t understand.”

  “Succubi and incubi feed on humans. The Dreamer threatens our food source. We gain continued life by locking the Dreamer back up.”

  “You don’t feed on humans,” Reese points out. “Which stands to reason others of your kind could feed on demons as you do. Therefore, humans aren’t necessary.”

  “Are you trying to talk her out of this?” Slater hisses.

  I grin at Jax.

  “I bargained for the right to feed on them. Otherwise, I’d be breaking demon law.”

  “It’s not illegal for demons to feed on each other,” Xander protests. “Tally said succubi and incubi hunt baku for sport.”

  My grin falls away. “I didn’t say it doesn’t happen. But the baku are in their right to sue for abuse of energy rights. They just don’t. For the most part, demons rarely kill each other. The blood price is steep. Eternal life doesn’t mean we’re all rich, and demon jail is not to be trifled with. If you break the law and can’t afford the price, then it’s not pretty. It keeps most of us in line.”

  “So, your gain here is protecting a valuable food source,” Jax states.

  I nod. “Yes, completely selfish motivations on my part.”

  He doesn’t look convinced. “And Emil, Tobias, and Kellen are here why?”

  “I’m their contract succubus. It’s in the contract that they ensure my health while under their protection.”

  Jax squints at me. “So, it’s not because they love you?”

  Heat stains my cheeks, embarrassed to talk about the depths of feelings I have for my demons. “If you ask them, they will say it’s for the contract.”

  “It’s what the record books will say, too,” the hag grumbles, and I jump, startled to find her walking at my side.

  Was she there the entire time? She barely reaches my elbow, well below my line of sight.

  I look around and realize we’ve reached the doors into the ward.

  The hag’s head rolls until it faces straight up in a wrinkled scowl. “This plan for waking the coma patients in the middle of all those drones is foolhardy. You think they’re just going to let you waltz those food bags out of here without a fight?”

  I glare down at her. “I think they’ll be too busy trying to stop you to worry about what I’m doing.”

  She grunts. “I can establish a portal from the doorway to the parking lot, but it’s up to you to make sure no drones get through. I’ll be too busy with the Dreamer to save your ass if things go sideways. And if it comes down to those humans or us, you better have our backs.”

  My wings rattle against my spine in annoyance. “I know where the priority is.”

  “You’re unpredictable. Usually, I find that amusing because it’s messing with other people’s lives.” She jabs a claw at me. “But I aim to walk out of here tonight, so you better reign in your impulses. You can go back to aggravating the demons of destruction and Landrogath tomorrow.”

  “You don’t have to tell me that.” I jut out my chin. “I already pla
nned to.”

  Julian motions for everyone’s attention. “I can’t cover the entire room. It’s too big. Where does the barrier need to be, exactly?”

  “We won’t know for sure until we’re in there.” Xander steps up to his side, and points through the window on the door. “But I’m guessing it’s where the drones are the most active.”

  I rise onto my tiptoes to peer over their shoulders. At the center of the room, drones dart back and forth, laying down a thick, gray mist. “Tobias, can you burn the webbing away without harming the humans?”

  Careful of my demons, I step back to give them access to the window.

  Tobias studies the room. “Maybe. It depends on if fire will travel along it or not. And the amount of smoke it causes.”

  “I need to rip open the access way exactly where the Dreamer is trying to break through.” The hag grabs Landon’s arm, and he crouches, allowing her to scramble onto his back between his wings. As he stands, she absently catches one of his butterflies and stuffs it into her mouth. He winces but says nothing as she peers into the room. “I can’t tell where the portal needs to go from here, but I agree, we need the webbing gone. We can’t risk it getting mixed up with our magic.”

  I lift my hand, staring at the shimmering magic that clings to it. “It might dissolve if I come in contact with it.”

  “That might work. We’ll try that before the fire.” Landon turns his head, bumping against the hag’s nose. “Stop sniffing me, Enyo.”

  “Did you change your shampoo?” She snorts loudly, then sneezes. “I don’t like it. You used to smell better.”

  “Then get off me.” He dumps her back on the ground and reaches for the door. “Emil, open the lock.”

  My heart pounds as Emil steps forward, badge at the ready. It all comes down to this battle. Once inside the room, we each have our orders. I have to trust Kellen, Landon, the Librarian, Aren, and the witches to do their side of the job, while Julian, Tobias, Emil, and I guard their way back.

  The lock clicks, and Landon pushes the door open into a living nightmare.

  Julian’s sword takes down the first drone as he steps into the room, then pushes his barrier forward to make room for everyone else.

  The drones on the periphery of the ward swarm forward, pounding against the barrier as the ones at the center of the room move faster, laying down more gray mist. The sticky stuff fills the room in a heavy web linking to the nests, the beds, and the comatose patients.

  The pink mist that surrounds us doesn’t seem to affect it, the gray strings slipping easily through. I dart ahead of Julian, still well within his protection, and grasp one of the gray strands. It sticks to my fingers like dry skin on wool, unaffected by the ley line magic.

  Is it because there’s no life in the webbing for the magic to destroy?

  I pull back, shaking my hand to free it when the gray stuff clings. With a hard tug, it tears free from the rest of the web to dangle from my palm.

  I turn to the others. “Ley line magic doesn’t work on the stuff.”

  Tobias steps forward, fire at his fingertips, and touches the end of the strand. It sparks instantly, curling and blackening. Heat scorches my hand, and I bite back a yelp of pain before the ley line magic soothes away the injury. The web falls to the floor and shatters into dust.

  Not ideal, but better than it could be. “We’ll just have to be careful to break it off before it reaches the humans.”

  “It will take longer that way.” He smudges his shoe over the dust, leaving a gray smear on the tiles.

  “Adie and I will take care of ensuring the humans’ safety while you burn the web,” Julian says.

  Concerned, I turn to him. “Will you be alright using hyper-speed while maintaining the barrier?”

  “I can’t do it for long.” He winces as one of the big drones slams down on the barrier. “Figure out where the access point is, and we’ll focus there.”

  The witches confer with the hag as we move forward, sweeping the room with some sixth sense only they have. Unsurprising, we draw closer to the center of the room, where the heaviest webbing blocks our path.

  Tobias reaches for it, fire at the ready, and I spindle out my succubus energy into my limbs. It feels different, mixing with the ley line magic that spilled free from the wall of ice. I concentrate hard on maintaining my focus. I need speed to make sure the fire doesn’t spread.

  The fire touches the center of the dense web, rushing outward. Julian and I blur into motion, chasing the curling flame and breaking it away before it leaves the barrier.

  Gray dust fills the air, and the others lift their hands to block their noses. I can’t do the same as I work to tug burning strands loose, and it fills my lungs, bringing back the nightmare of when Domnall dumped a burning forest into me. It clings to my tongue and chokes me, but I press on. The fire can’t be allowed to reach the humans or their oxygen lines.

  Coughing, I meet Julian at the other side from where we began. Gray covers him from head to toe, and he skids to a stop, bending forward to hack out gray sludge. I do the same, and we lean against each other for support.

  “Just like old times,” Julian gasps, then spits out a nasty black clump.

  “When this is over, let’s go to a spa.” I cough out another glob, then straighten to look at our handiwork.

  The area in the middle of the ward now lays open, and Reese already crouches on the floor, using the gray dust to draw out a circle.

  “This is it?” I ask, just to make sure. I don’t really want to clear any more web if we don’t have to.

  “Duh.” The hag hooks a thumb behind her. “The door portal is active. Get to work.”

  I nod but go to Kellen and Landon first. “Be careful in the Between. Don’t get caught in their maze of fog.”

  “We’ll be fine.” Landon’s hands lift, as if to embrace me, then drop back to his sides. “Don’t take any unnecessary risks, Boo.”

  “I won’t,” I promise. I turn to Kellen. “You still owe me a date.”

  “I still owe you a spanking.” He grins, then brings his finger close enough to my face for a static shock to leap across the small space and zap me in the nose. “I’ll take you dancing this weekend.”

  Throat tight, I turn away before I give in to the urge to beg him not to go. This needs to be done, and I need to trust they know what they’re doing.

  Tobias and Emil join me at the edge of the barrier, and I study the human who lays in the bed on the other side. He’s younger than I expected, only a teenager. So far, all of the Dreamer’s victims have been older. He still has a full life to lead, if he comes out of this intact.

  Nervous, I bite my lip. “Maybe we should test this out on someone else.”

  “You don’t have to do this,” Emil points out. “The drones might leave them alone.”

  But even as he says the words, the egg sacks attached to the ceiling above the patient bulge, the babies inside writhing to escape. Once that happens, they’ll slide down the gray tethers that link them to the human and drain him dry.

  I pull my shoulders back. “I can do this.”

  “We have your back,” Tobias rumbles.

  Before I lose my nerve, I dart out from the protection of the barrier. I don’t know exactly what I need to do to make the ley line magic jump from me to the human, but Xander made it sound like intent was everything. I can’t try to shape the magic; it needs to be pure.

  I clear my thoughts, then press my fingertip to the kid’s forehead.

  His body arches, his eyes flying open like I hit him with a bolt of electricity. Rainbows color his pupils as the magic rushes through him.

  A dozen red, glowing eyes whip around to face me, attention drawn from the barrier as I steal one of their food sources.

  “Hurry up, Adie!” Emil yells as he lifts his daggers and turns to face the incoming drones.

  I fumble with the hoses and tubes attached to the human, then freeze as his eyes close once more, and his body goes limp
. Frowning, I touch his forehead again, his body arching off the bed, but the second I pull my hand away, the magic snaps back into me.

  My pulse jackrabbits as I race to the next bed and tug on my succubus powers. Gritting my teeth, I yank the ley line magic back toward my core until my hand looks normal once more, then carefully pull back the child’s eyelids. My power struggles to find a consciousness to latch onto, but only stifling emptiness lives inside the little girl.

  Emil and Tobias hold back the monsters as I run to the next bed, an elderly woman frail and wasted away before her time. Emptiness echoes from her soul, the machines the only thing keeping her alive long enough to feed the drone’s babies once they hatch.

  Heart heavy, I motion for Emil and Tobias to retreat to the barrier.

  “What happened?” Julian demands as he stabs a large drone.

  I shake my head. “We’re too late for these ones. They were either already brain dead, or the Dreamer’s had them too long.”

  Emil’s hand settles on my shoulder. “I’m sorry we couldn’t save them.”

  Taking a deep, shuddering breath, I push the disappointment and sadness aside. “There’s nothing we can do about them. We need to protect our people now.”

  I turn toward the center, where the witches have their circle up, and the hag stands in its center, her clawed hands scratching at the air in front of her. Kellen stands on her left, storm clouds filled with lightning unfolding from his back, while Landon stands on her right, a cloud of butterflies dancing in front of him.

  Sensing a change, the drones concentrate their attack on Julian’s barrier, slamming into it from all sides.

  An eyeball slams against the barrier, one thick tentacle breaking through. It slaps against the tiles, reaching for the witches.

  Julian dances forward, sword flashing. With a decisive slice, the tentacle flops to the floor, leaving gray fluids that find the grout lines in the tiles and seeps closer.

  Another drone slams down on the barrier, this one breaking halfway through, its maw grinding in threat as it bears down.

  Julian stumbles then straightens, determination tightening his expression. He steps toward the drone, sword raised, and another drone slams down on the opposite side, closer to the circle where the hag, Kellen, and Landon stand.