He took another drink of whiskey, slowly this time, feeling the burn run down his throat. A demon master who fell in love was a fool. His lifestyle was dangerous. He could be snatched away at any time. Julian clenched the glass in his hand. He’d do anything to save her from that kind of pain. He had to think with his head and not that thing in his chest.
“Once you’re done, then what?” she asked.
Warning bells rang in his head. He ignored them.
“We leave.”
She blinked at the brusque answer.
“Oh.”
She sank into the couch. Julian felt his heart sink with her, threatening to fracture into two. He shifted in his chair as memories rushed to the surface. Visions of his mother, a shell of her former self, unable to recover from a broken heart.
He cared about Raelyn too much to do the same thing to her. Collecting himself, he rose to his feet.
“Come,” he held out his hand. “Let’s get you to bed.”
Raelyn remained seated. She stared at his hand. He saw the exact moment when she read between the lines.
“Aren’t you coming?”
He could lie. He could say that he had things to do first and that he would join her later. But to do so would be wrong. It wouldn’t be fair of him to continue to string her along. She’d helped them find the demon. Her part in this was done. His heart warred with his mind. His heart wanted him to say yes, to enjoy her for one last night, but his mind won.
“No, not tonight.”
“Oh.” Pain flared in her China blue eyes. His heart lifted to his throat. Raelyn gingerly placed her hand in his own and he pulled her up to stand.
“What happens next?” she asked.
He deflected the question. “In the morning Hineker will bring you back to your apartment.”
Raelyn stiffened at his clipped tone.
“That’s not what I meant,” she crossed her hands in front of her chest.
He let out an irritated sigh. “I promised to tell you what’s going on and I have. What more do you expect?”
“You’ve barely told me anything.”
“I’ve told you all you need to know.” Julian ran his fingers through his hair. He knew he was being harsh but he couldn’t let himself get attached.
“So, that‘s it,” she snapped. “You’re going to push me away even though I’ve helped you?”
“I try to keep people out of my life to keep them safe.”
As if sensing his hesitation, his guilt, she continued, her frustration evident. “Why don’t you tell me what you’re really thinking? How you really feel?”
His anger flared up at Raelyn’s insistence. Why couldn’t she understand that he was trying to protect her?
“I’ve put your life in danger once,” his guilt-filled eyes landed on her face and neck, “I’m not going to do it again.”
“I agreed to help you find the demon. I never could’ve done that if you hadn’t helped me with my gift.” She glared at him, a mixture of conflicting emotions on her face.
Julian met her steely gaze, struggling to hide his confusion. She’d heard and seen how ugly his world is, yet she still wanted to be a part of it? A spark of hope struggled to ignite from within his chest. He snuffed it out. He had to end this, now.
“The demon’s dead. You’ve served your purpose.”
“My purpose?” she shook her head, frustration making her tone sharp. “Is that all I was, a tool for you to use?”
His stomach knotted with tension at the hurt in her voice. He swallowed hard, forcing himself to say that one word which would slam the door shut on any chance of a future relationship.
“Yes.”
Her mouth dropped open, taken aback. He felt his heart crack. He wanted to take it all back, fall to his knees and beg for her forgiveness. Instead, he forced himself to stick to the plan. She’d be better off without him.
Hineker looked back and forth between the two humans, highly entertained.
“So, that’s it,” she bit out through gritted teeth.
He ignored the look of hurt on her face. He had to remain strong. Any pain he caused her now was nothing compared with the pain she would experience if he let her stay. She deserved someone in her life that was normal, not strange like him. He had to set her free. It was the right thing to do.
Julian forced himself to speak the two words that would put the final nail in the coffin of their relationship.
“That’s it.”
“Fine,” she stiffened her spine and faced him as if someone had injected her with steel. “Then take me home now.” Raelyn threw the wet towel onto the table and stomped out of the room.
Julian watched her walk away, a knot in his throat. He knew that he wasn’t a long haul kind of guy. As much as Raelyn made him want to be, he just wasn’t. He saw what happened with his parents, he wouldn’t make the same mistake. His father’s duty as a demon master had destroyed not only his own life, but those of his wife and child as well.
Julian’s feelings for Raelyn didn’t matter, his duty as a demon master could ruin both of them. Her leaving was the way things had to be.
“Hineker,” Julian snapped, his patience worn thin, “take her home.”
“As you wish, Master Julian.” Hineker replied disgruntled, and left the room.
Chapter 26 - Julian
It’d been two weeks.
Julian pushed his laptop aside and walked towards the floor-to-ceiling windows of the penthouse suite. He leaned his forehead against the window pane, peering down at the people below.
For two weeks, he’d searched for the demon master and found absolutely nothing. There’d been no unexplained deaths in the news and he’d felt no signs of demonic energy when he’d gone out with Hineker. It was like the demon master had simply vanished. Maybe they just lost interest in summoning demons.
Julian frowned. While that would be a wonderful turn of events, his gut told him otherwise. If they were taking this long to summon another demon, it was because they were plotting something. Something big.
But what?
Julian shifted and ran his fingers through his hair. He’s visited every honky-tonk, festival, grocery store, shopping mall, museum, and park within a fifty mile radius of Raspville and found nothing. He had no clue where the demon master could be or what they would summon next.
It’d been a frustrating couple of weeks and Hineker wasn’t exactly helping. Sure, the enforcer demon participated in the search but he also ran his mouth. Constantly reminding Julian that they had an untapped resource at their disposal.
Raelyn.
She’d already proven that she could track a demon. She might be able to track a demon master too. The only way to know for sure would be to ask for her help. Something Julian refused to do.
He watched a couple walk down the street laughing and holding hands. It reminded him of the feel of Raelyn’s hand in his own. The twinkle in her eyes when she laughed. The passion in her voice when she talked about her favorite mysteries. The flushed look on her face after sex.
He felt a pang of regret in his chest. He ignored it. He shoved aside the happy memories for the more important ones. The bicycle ride where she flipped over the handlebars of her bike and fell down the side of a hill. Watching her still form as she lay unconscious in the hospital bed. The bruises around her neck following her attack in the embalming room.
He’d put her life in danger on multiple occasions already, and she’d been injured because of it. Twice! He wouldn’t do it again. As long as she was away from him, she would be safe.
Julian rubbed his chest. His feelings for her seemed to grow stronger the longer they remained apart. Not a single day had gone by where his thoughts hadn’t turned to Raelyn. Wondering what she was doing. How she was feeling. What she was thinking. Remembering the hurt look on her face when she left.
His stomach twisted with guilt. He’d been mean and cruel. He walked away from her without even asking if she wanted to have a relati
onship with him. Instead, he’d made the choice for her.
Julian vented a breath. His heart wanted him to drive over to the funeral home and plead for her forgiveness. To try and make amends for the damage he’d already caused. To see if he could salvage the situation.
But he wouldn’t. He couldn’t. Sure, he knew how he felt about her, but did she feel the same way? He didn’t know. He’d never given her a chance to say. He’d made up his mind and slammed the door shut on their relationship.
Julian shook his head, frustrated with himself. How he felt about her didn’t matter. Keeping her out of his life was the right thing to do. His life was dangerous. He’d pushed her away to keep her safe. She was better off without him.
Now, he just had to learn how to move on without her.
He moved away from the window and returned to his laptop. He searched for the calendar of current events. A haunted hayride and zombie corn maze invasion were scheduled at Brentwood Farms for tonight. The event was bound to attract a large group of people. He’d have to go check it out.
Maybe he’d finally get lucky and stumble upon the demon master.
◆◆◆
The words on the sign were written in wavy letters in red ink.
Enter the corn at your own risk.
Standing next to Julian, Hineker raised an eyebrow at the message. When demons play a game there’s only one thing to wager, life and death. But, with humans, it could be almost anything. They were a species that rarely made anything simple.
What type of risk was the sign referring to?
The demon shrugged. If one’s life wasn’t at risk, what was the point in playing?
“Are you brave enough to enter The Haunted Woods?” A worker dressed as a zombie called out to the people waiting in line. “Zombies are attacking Brentwood Farms and you’re our last line of defense!”
An excited murmur passed through the crowd. Zombie workers walked the line, answering questions and explaining the rules of the game.
“Do you think you can handle it?”
“Yes!” the crowd cried out, excited.
Hineker snorted. People shooting workers dressed as zombies with paintball guns. Humans certainly were creative.
“Well, clearly this is the zombie corn maze invasion,” Julian said. “The haunted hayride must be in another section.” The demon master turned to face Hineker. “Do you sense anything?”
The enforcer demon’s eyes turned red and he pushed his magic outward, searching for any trace of demonic energy.
“It’s faint, but the farm is very large. We’ll have to split up to cover it all tonight. You could also make a simple phone call and ask the hound for help.”
Julian narrowed his eyes. “You already know that answer is no.”
The enforcer demon met Julian’s glare with one of his own.
“If you’d stop acting like a stubborn child, we’d already be done with this mission.”
“Hineker,” Julian’s voice was strained, suggesting he was at the end of his patience. “You go left, I’ll go right. We’ll meet in the middle.”
“As you wish, Master Julian,” Hineker mocked with a short bow.
The enforcer demon watched Julian walk away. Ever since Raelyn had left, Julian had been moody and depressed. The demon kept bringing up the subject of Raelyn, hoping it would get Julian to realize how much he missed the pretty little hound. Except it seemed to be doing the exact opposite, causing Julian to stick to his decision to remain separated instead.
The demon scowled. Julian’s stubborn behavior could be really frustrating at times. He’d have to figure out another way to get Julian and Raelyn back together.
◆◆◆
Julian followed the screams. Pieces of multiple conversations carried to his ears as people ran.
“Oh my God!”
“Run!”
“Move outta my way!”
“Get me out of here!”
Julian weaved his way through the crowd of people. The sudden stampede, along with everything he’d just overheard, was a terrible sign. Maybe the demon master had finally summoned another demon.
He pivoted on his heels, barely avoiding a collision with a group of teenagers that ran out of the exit of the haunted hayride. Julian darted past the exit, running in the opposite direction of everyone else. Before he summoned Hineker he had to confirm that the current panic was because of demonic activity, and not an overzealous makeup artist.
Julian ran down the dirt path of the haunted hayride. The attraction was dimly lit and split up into multiple scenes of horror. His boots struggled to find proper footing among the large tire tracks of the tractor that pulled a trailer full of guests through the haunted hayride. On his left he passed a field of gravestones made out of cardboard boxes. Bowls of water filled with dry ice helped cast a fog over the cemetery scene. Plastic bats, snakes, and spiders hung from low-hanging tree branches directly above the path. On his right, sound effects of screams and moans echoed among a section of open coffins.
He ran past a wall made out of hay bales and skeletons. In the front of the display of hay sat two large cages, with animatronic dogs covered in fake fur and blood. The creatures snarled and jumped out of the top of their cages when the motion sensors were activated. Another scene was the back end of an old car with a dead clown holding a meat cleaver sticking out of the trunk.
He stopped running when he spotted the two tractors abandoned in the middle of the road. The first tractor was covered in blood and the body of the driver was missing its head and arms. The torso leaned to one side. The trailer itself was empty. The hay bales looked like they’d been ripped open and were covered in splatters of blood. The second tractor was parked behind the first, with the engine still running.
Julian was overcome with horror at the ghastly spectacle. He wasn’t looking at one of the Halloween scenes this time, the blood and body parts surrounding these tractors were real. The smell of bladder, bowel, and stomach contents that filled the air made Julian’s stomach churn. He brought his hand up to cover his mouth and nose. The smell was absolutely awful.
This had to be the spot that everyone had been running away from.
He approached a body lying on the ground near the trailer and the demon mark on his back began to burn. The body was missing its legs. Julian spun around in a slow circle, his wide eyes taking in the area. All around him were mutilated body parts of fathers, mothers, and young children near the tractor trailer. Out in the field, workers dressed in zombie costumes had been slaughtered. Blood pooled underneath arms and legs. Ribs, intestines, and stomach juices poured out of torsos that had been ripped wide open. The heads of bodiless corpses stared back at him with blank unseeing eyes. Julian turned his attention away from the eerie stares, only to have his eyes wander to the pieces of another dead body.
Holy hell.
The entire scene was surreal. If he wasn’t standing in the middle of it, he’d have thought it was all a bad dream. These people weren’t just dead, they’d been torn apart.
“Help me. Please.”
Julian startled.
Don’t tell me someone’s still alive!
He approached the slumped over form of a young woman wearing a Raspville varsity jacket.
“Are you ok?”
She turned her head slowly and a pair of ice blue eyes looked up at him. Surprisingly, she wasn’t freaking out. Considering the scene all around, she should be, but she wasn’t. He leaned down, bringing himself eye level with her. He ignored the blood on her face and clothes and searched her body for any injuries. The young woman was small and slim, with fair skin, long hair the color of wheat, and side-swept bangs that covered her eyebrows. She didn’t look hurt.
“Are you alright?” he asked, offering his hand.
She nodded and slipped her hand into his own, allowing him to pull her up to her feet. Looking around, the young woman reached out and grabbed his arm. The impassive expression he’d first seen on her face was replaced wit
h a look that made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. Something about this situation was wrong. Very wrong. No normal high schooler would be this calm.
“Beautiful, isn’t it,” she said, a hint of pride in her voice.
“What?” Julian asked, confused. He looked down at the hand holding his arm in a tight grip. The young woman chuckled and used her free hand to gesture towards the field of mutilated bodies.
“Look at all of them, aren’t they so pretty now?”
His mind stuttered to a halt.
This young woman was the demon master? He shrugged off her hand. She looked young, maybe eighteen or nineteen years of age. How could someone barely into adulthood have enough hate and rage in their life that they would want to sell their soul to a bunch of demons?
He had to be wrong.
“They came here to be scared,” she looked up at Julian. “But they got something better. They’re all at peace now.”
Alarm bells rang inside Julian’s head. He had to call for Hineker, now.
The next few things happened in quick succession.
The burning sensation on his back intensified. He took a step back, putting distance between himself and the young woman and collided with something hard. Before he could call out, he was grabbed from behind. A large hand covered his mouth. A strong arm wrapped around his chest, pinning him in place.
“Oh no, demon master,” a deep voice tsked near his ear. “You won’t be calling for your pet this time.”
Julian struggled in the creature’s hold. The demon chuckled as it held the demon master in an iron-like grip. Julian jerked, twisted, and turned, trying to free himself. It felt like he was caught in quicksand. The harder he tried to struggle, the tighter the creature’s hold on him became. Engulfed in demonic magic, his back burned unbearably hot. His motions became frantic, desperate. He had to call for Hineker.
“Let’s make the game a little more challenging,” the voice taunted by his ear. “How fast can your pet find you without your demonic connection?”
Julian panicked. This could not be happening. He was supposed to help Hineker, not become bait. He had to do something! All he needed was to get free for a second to call for Hineker. Two simple words. That was all he needed to say.
Demon Aura Page 22
