Demon Aura

by Lisa Deerwood

  He continued to twist and tug, but couldn’t break out of the demon’s hold.

  “Feisty one, aren’t you?” The demon purred in his ear. “I like it.”

  Julian’s skin crawled with unease at the delight in the demon’s voice. His back burned hotter than he’d ever felt before. His arms and legs became heavy. Then his world went dark.

  ◆◆◆

  Hineker felt like a horse being led by the nose. Completing the serpentine pattern across an open field, he followed the demon’s trail as it led him into a figure eight pattern around a bunch of trees.

  The enforcer demon growled, annoyed. First the creature led him away from the farm and now this?

  The creature was playing with him. Hineker’s eyes burned a brilliant shade of red, his patience worn thin. He couldn’t wait to find it and kill it.

  The enforcer demon turned around another tree and stopped. He’d reached the end of the trail! Hineker clenched his hands into fists. He felt the power building underneath his human skin, seeking a release. No demon had ever played with him like this before.

  Furious, the enforcer demon opened a portal. When he found the creature he was going to cut open its back and twist the ribs until they looked like wings. He’d rip out its intestines and wrap them around a tree. He’d watch his black flames dance along the creature’s flesh as it burned away the skin in lazy patterns, enjoying the sweet melody of its screams.

  Hineker had just stepped out of the portal when it happened. One minute he was connected to Julian and the next, nothing.

  The enforcer demon stilled and closed his eyes. He stretched his magic as far as it could reach searching for any trace of his human master.

  Nothing.

  Julian was simply gone.

  Fuck.

  Hineker looked around the entrance to The Haunted Woods. The area was empty. No workers walked around dressed as zombies. No patrons waited in line to be scared. Nothing.

  Hineker readied his magic, eager to lash out in anger when his sensitive ears picked up part of a conversation. He closed his eyes and listened.

  Two humans were approaching.

  “Sir, everyone’s been evacuated from the farm, but a couple of news vans have just shown up at the front entrance.”

  “Keep this area sectioned off. No one enters the haunted hayride attraction without my authorization.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Hineker’s eyes snapped open. He opened a portal and deposited himself into the middle of the haunted hayride, not caring if anybody saw. Any attempt to conceal his power was overshadowed by his concern for Julian. The area was flooded with emergency personnel looking for survivors while other people collected and bagged mutilated body parts. A vast halo of demonic magic encompassed the entire area.

  A demon had been here and it had been recent.

  “Hey, you can’t be here,” an officer said, rushing over.

  Hineker approached the cop with a thunderous expression, his eyes bright red. The officer took a step back in outright fear.

  Hineker pushed his magic onto the frightened officer. “Tell me everything,” he commanded. In thrall to the demon’s magic, the policeman quickly recounted the information his team had learned to date.

  The officer’s explanation helped Hineker piece together what had happened. Patrons on the haunted hayride were attacked by a demon at the mid-way point of the attraction. People were pulled off of the tractor and their bodies had been torn into pieces. The patrons on the next run of the haunted hayride had stumbled upon the gruesome scene and alerted the human authorities, who shut down the farm while they conducted their investigation. But nothing in the officer’s explanation gave Hineker any indication about where the creature had taken Julian.

  Finished, Hineker released his hold on the human, and the officer hurried away. The demon pushed out with his magic seeking a trail to follow.

  Nothing.

  Julian was just gone and he didn’t know where to find him.

  Hineker stormed away from the scene, barely keeping his rage in check. Unleashing his fury onto the fragile humans in the area wouldn’t accomplish anything. He slid into the driver’s seat of the Range Rover and paused, thinking about where to go next. He’d counted a dozen bodies at the scene. It was a bold move to murder so many humans at once. Plus, the creature had kidnapped Julian, thus stacking all of the cards in its favor.

  His foe was smart, strong, and fast. He had to find and kill it, before the creature murdered Julian and he was sent back to the underworld.

  If that happened, it could be years before he was summoned to the living realm again. To make matters even worse, he would have failed to complete the contract he’d signed with Julian’s great-great-grandfather.

  No.

  He hadn’t spent over a hundred years bound to the men of the Rickelson family for it to end like this.

  Failure was not an option.

  Hineker’s eyes returned to black, his magic fading as the rage wore off. He felt disconnected, shell-shocked. The safety of one’s master was a demon’s top priority. He’d been an enforcer demon for over five hundred years and he’d never been caught off guard like this before.

  The demon mark on Julian’s back served many purposes, including acting like a homing beacon. If he was unable to establish the connection then Hineker had no easy way to find him.

  Hineker turned on the SUV and put the vehicle into drive. He was going to need help and there was only one person who could give it.

  Chapter 27 - Raelyn

  “I hate him,” Raelyn said and grabbed a tub of ice cream out of the freezer. “He used me, like some…some kind of demon-tracking bloodhound,” she sputtered, searching in the kitchen drawers for a spoon. “Then after I helped him, he kicked me out of his life!”

  Trinity hovered nearby, silently listening to her friend’s rant. It had been two weeks since Raelyn had last seen Julian and she still hadn’t cooled off.

  Raelyn sat down in a kitchen chair and stabbed the double-chocolate fudge ice cream with a spoon. She’d spent her entire life believing that she was the only one who was different. After her last relationship fell apart she’d eventually accepted the fact that she was destined to be alone. That she was the only one out there in the world who wasn’t like everyone else.

  Until she’d met Julian.

  Raelyn sighed, disappointment lingering in the shadows of her thoughts.

  Why did she always fall for the wrong guys? She’d been so sure this time. He’d accepted her and tried to help her. Then when he’d revealed that he was unusual too, she’d been thrilled. She’d thought that this time things would work out because he was also different.

  But he really wasn’t. Her stomach twisted, she should have seen the signs. He never made any hints about the future. No, “I’ll take you there one day,” or, “we’ll do this when the weather changes,” or “I can’t wait to show you this.”

  It had just been sex. Granted, amazing sex. But nonetheless, just sex.

  So why couldn’t she forget about him?

  She stabbed at the ice cream again, angry at being used and frustrated because she’d fallen for it. His good looks. His kind gestures. The sex. Her face flushed with the memory of his talented tongue working between her thighs. The heated look in his eyes as he looked up at her from–.

  No, stop it.

  Raelyn put the brakes on her wayward thoughts. She had to stop thinking about him. She shoveled another spoonful of double-chocolate fudge ice cream into her mouth. Her heart hurt and her feminine pride was wounded. She dealt with it the only way she could, by trying to soothe away the pain with cold, sugary infused goodness.

  Ice cream, it was the cure for all heartaches.

  “So, what are your plans for tomorrow?” Trinity asked, trying to take her friend’s mind off of Julian.

  “There’s a new mystery book…”

  Raelyn stopped speaking mid-sentence at the sight of the black portal opening in the middle
of the room.

  “What the?” Trinity stared at the demon as he stepped out of the darkness.

  Dressed in his usual navy blue suit, Hineker turned towards the kitchen area, his red eyes locked onto Raelyn.

  “You are coming with me.”

  Raelyn bristled at the demon’s sudden intrusion. He couldn’t be serious. She hadn’t heard from Julian in two weeks and now this? What did he think she would do? Come just because he’d sent his demon to play fetch?

  She met Hineker’s heated gaze with one of her own.

  “No thanks, I’ll pass,” she declined and ate another spoonful of ice cream. If Julian wanted to talk with her, he could come do it himself.

  Hineker stepped forward, a murderous expression on his face.

  “I wasn’t asking.”

  “And she isn’t going,” Trinity shouted, hovering closer to the demon.

  Moving faster than the eye could see, Hineker grabbed the ghost by the neck. He shoved the ghost up against the wall. The spirit struggled to twist out of his grasp, her eyes wide with fright.

  Raelyn jumped to her feet, shocked. The metal spoon fell to the floor with a clang.

  “Let her go!”

  The demon ignored her. Pushing forward with his magic, he dropped his shields, allowing Raelyn to see everything.

  “Come with me now or I will eat her soul.”

  Raelyn watched in horror as tendrils of dark energy snaked out from Hineker’s body. The magic curled around Trinity’s struggling form, pinned against the wall.

  The demon’s aura churned around his human form, a mixture of plum and gray, with edges rimmed in black. The air filled with an intoxicating mixture of evil, rage, and power. Overwhelmed and afraid, Raelyn struggled to focus.

  “Okay, I’ll come with you,” Raelyn said, her southern drawl thick with fear. “Just please, let her go.”

  Hineker released his hold and Raelyn rushed towards the ghost’s fallen form.

  “Are you alright?” She reached out, seeking to console her friend. Her hand passed through Trinity’s incorporeal form, same as always.

  She pulled back.

  How did he do that?

  Her internal musing was interrupted by Trinity’s hoarse voice.

  “I’m fine.” The ghost’s hazy form wavered in and out of sight.

  Raelyn hesitated.

  “Really, I’ll be fine. Go. See what he wants.”

  Hineker watched the two women, an unreadable expression on his face.

  “Go, Rae.” The ghost’s form flickered again. “I’ll be here when you get back.”

  “Okay.”

  Raelyn reluctantly rose to her feet. She blinked and Trinity was gone. She turned to the demon with a look of hate on her face.

  “If you’ve hurt her, I swear I’ll...”

  The demon waved his hand, interrupting the threat.

  “We’re wasting time.”

  Hineker turned his back towards Raelyn and she followed him out her front door and downstairs to the parking lot. He opened the door to the Range Rover and Raelyn climbed in, ready to give Julian a piece of her mind. How dare he send his demon in get her, he should’ve done it himself. Her hands curled into fists, ready to punch Julian in the face. She would not let Julian use his demon to intimidate her again.

  She glanced around the backseat, confused. She was alone among the luxurious two-toned wood, recliner seats, and rich smell of leather.

  “Where’s Julian?” she shouted.

  “He’s been taken,” Hineker growled, putting the SUV into drive. Hineker’s grip on the steering wheel tightened until his knuckles turned white. “That’s why you are required. I need you to find him.”

  The venom in Hineker’s voice caused goosebumps to break out on Raelyn’s skin.

  “You want me to find Julian? What’re you talking about?” she asked, her anger starting to fade away.

  “Earlier this evening we went to Brentwood Farms to hunt for the demon master. We split up to cover more ground. Another demon has been summoned. I found the creature’s trail, but it was a dead end. By the time I returned to the farm, Julian was gone.”

  “Wait, so there’s another demon on the loose, and this demon has kidnapped Julian? How do you know that?” Her heart skipped a beat at the news, worried about Julian.

  “If Julian had been killed I would have been returned to the underworld.”

  “And you’re still here,” Raelyn’s blood ran cold at the implication. Clearly, there was a lot she didn’t know about the relationship between a demon and a demon master. Her mind spun in circles, working overtime under the sudden onslaught of information. Every time she finally learned something new about these two, it seemed to bring up more questions than answers.

  One question made her more afraid than anything.

  Why is Hineker so worried?

  “Isn’t it your job to kill demons? I would think that they would want to stay hidden, not draw attention to themselves. Why do you think the creature still has Julian?”

  “Because I can’t find him.”

  Raelyn settled back into the plush leather seat with a scowl on her face. She was tired of being in the dark when it came to understanding these two.

  “I won’t be able to track demonic energy if I’m distracted by unanswered questions. If you want me to help you, then you’ve got to start giving me some real answers.”

  Hineker sighed in irritation. “Every human that summons a demon bears a mark of ownership, a demon’s mark. The mark is formed at the time of the summoning. It establishes a permanent connection between demon and master.”

  Raelyn’s body relaxed slightly, her curious nature surfacing.

  “Where is it?”

  “The size and location depends on the demon summoned. The enforcer demon’s mark is placed onto the human’s back.”

  Raelyn’s eyes widened with realization. “Julian’s back tattoo. It’s your demon mark.”

  “Yes, but it’s no tattoo. A demon’s mark is placed much deeper.”

  “Deeper than layers of skin?”

  “The mark is burned all the way down into the bone itself.”

  Raelyn winced.

  “That sounds painful.”

  “Very,” he replied.

  “How long does it take?”

  “It depends on the demon,” Hineker shrugged. “An enforcer’s mark takes twenty-four hours.”

  “Wow,” Raelyn was stunned by his answer. The process sounded like it was sheer agony to go through. She couldn’t imagine a single reason why someone would ever want to do something so painful.

  “Why did Julian do it?”

  Hineker shook his head. “That is his secret. It’s not for me to tell.”

  Before Raelyn could ask another question, the demon continued. “You must realize that the enforcer’s mark has many benefits for both master and demon. It is well worth the pain. It signals when the demon master is near active demonic energy.”

  Raelyn recalled the hiss of pain Julian had tried to hide whenever Hineker used a transportation portal. A sneaking suspicion crawled along her skin.

  “What kind of signal?”

  “The mark burns.”

  “Why would it do that?” Raelyn asked, alarmed.

  “Because fire is a great way to relay information.”

  Raelyn’s mouth fell open, she didn’t know what to think.

  “Anything else?” she asked, afraid of the answer.

  “Yes,” he said. “The enforcer’s mark can be used with a vocal command to summon the demon to their master’s side. The demon uses the mark to sense their master’s location. It helps the demon protect their master at all times.”

  “But, you can’t find Julian.”

  “No. The demon must be blocking our connection.”

  “Has this ever happened before?”

  “No. Whoever is behind this must be very powerful.”

  Hineker steered the SUV onto the darkened highway. At this late hour t
he road was empty. The supercharged V8 engine roared when the demon stepped on the gas.

  “The only reason why Julian would have been taken, instead of killed, is if the creature knew that he was an enforcer demon master and wanted to use him as bait. It’s the only explanation for why he’s still alive. I need you to help me find him before it’s too late.”

  Her stomach did a flip flop at the urgency in Hineker’s voice. What if Julian had gotten injured when he’d been kidnapped? What if he was being tortured at this very moment, while she sat inside the comforts of the luxury SUV? There was no way to know what the creature was doing to him.

  Raelyn’s fingers flew to her lips. Distracted by her worry for Julian, she barely noticed the trees rushing by the windows as the Range Rover sped down the empty road.

  Julian was out there somewhere. He was being held prisoner by a demon and his time was running out.

  ◆◆◆

  The duo rode in silence. The only light on the road came from the headlamps on the SUV.

  Hineker looked into the rearview mirror and regarded the silent woman in the backseat. Raelyn stared out into the darkness, the indecision written all over her face.

  The demon recalled Raelyn’s reaction when he’d entered her apartment. She’d lashed out at him in pain.

  Hineker eyed Raelyn speculatively. His master’s own stubbornness had led to Raelyn hating Julian, and ruined all of his hard work. But he could still salvage this budding relationship and bring all of his plans to fruition. If Julian sired a son with this pretty little hound, then Hineker’s contract with the Rickelson family would continue, and the enforcer demon would get to stay in the living realm for another generation.

  He knew what he had to do.

  “He still cares for you,” he said, his voice breaking the silence. Raelyn’s eyes met his in the rearview mirror.

  “That’s why he pushed you away,” he said, referring to Julian’s harsh words two weeks ago when he’d told Raelyn she’d served her purpose. “He doesn’t really want your relationship to end.”