Demon Aura

by Lisa Deerwood

  “It sure sounded like he meant it to me,” she muttered, her ire returning at the reminder of Julian’s behavior.

  Hineker rolled his eyes, his attention moving back to the road. Humans and their conflicting emotions. If they’d stop being so stubborn all of the time it would make his life so much simpler.

  “He did it out of fear. Fear for your life. Fear for your safety. Fear for your sanity.”

  Raelyn sucked in a deep breath. “How do you know that?” she asked in disbelief.

  “I’ve known Julian his entire life. I know how he thinks. What he feels. The things that he enjoys and those that he hates. Right now he is struggling to admit that he’s fallen in love with you, even to himself.”

  ◆◆◆

  Sitting alone in the backseat, Raelyn’s eyes widened at the conviction in Hineker’s voice. The demon meant every single word that he said, giving her a renewed sense of hope.

  Julian was in love with her.

  “But, he’s scared?” she asked, trying to understand Julian’s behavior.

  “Yes.”

  Raelyn frowned at Hineker’s reply.

  “Why? Why would he be scared of love?”

  “When Julian’s father died, it not only broke his mother’s heart, but also sent her into the depths of depression from which she would never extricate herself. Julian saw what being married to a demon master could do to a person, the pain and anguish that it can cause. How it could tear apart a family. Julian refuses to let someone that he loves suffer the same fate.”

  Raelyn stared at the darkness speeding by the window. She bit her lower lip.

  “Why are you telling me this?”

  “Because I’m tired of watching my master mope around the suite like a child who’s lost their puppy.”

  The anger Raelyn had felt towards Julian began to fade. His behavior suddenly made a lot more sense. He hadn’t broken up with her because he’d used her and moved on. He’d pushed her away because he was trying to protect her from the real dangers of his life. Raelyn shook her head. Julian’s role as a demon master had him thinking that he would be better off living his life alone than expose someone that he loved to the risk of suffering a broken heart or something worse. It was a frustrating yet noble gesture.

  Now that she knew the truth, the big question was, what was she supposed to do about it?

  Chapter 28 - Julian

  Julian cracked open an eyelid and immediately regretted it. The world around him was blurry and spotted. Pain overwhelmed his senses, his body begged him to return to unconsciousness. His throat felt like sandpaper. He swallowed, in an attempt to lessen the pain, but it didn’t help. The pulsing behind his eyes made it difficult to concentrate. He tried to move his hands to rub away the discomfort in his temples when he realized that he couldn’t.

  Panic flared inside Julian’s chest. He tugged harder on his wrists, trying to get free.

  He looked around the room and realized that he was in an old barn. The walls and ceiling were made of rotting wood with many of the panels missing, serving as skylights that reflected the light of the moon. The moonlight highlighted large cobwebs that ran from one beam to the next. The cement floor was broken into pieces with grass growing up through the cracks. The air was damp and musty, the smell of stale hay, manure, and mold lingered in the air.

  He looked down to discover thick rope was wrapped around his arms and chest, pinning him to the back of a chair. He tried to move his arms, but his shoulders protested the movement. The rope around his wrists cut into his skin. He tried to move his feet, but his ankles were individually tied to the legs of the chair.

  He was trapped.

  Julian stiffened at the sound of approaching footsteps. He turned his head to see two figures walking down the empty aisle of the barn, heading directly towards him. A moment later, the young woman from the massacre at the farm stepped into view, followed by a man he’d never seen before.

  The man was tall, easily six foot five, and built like a linebacker. His long, greasy hair was tied back into a ponytail and he had a thick goatee on his face. He wore a dirty old biker vest and pants, both in black leather and steel tipped boots that looked like they had seen better days. Dark leather was wrapped around both of his arms, from forearm to wrist, while his biceps were left bare. His skin was tanned and leathery, as if he’d spent too many days in the hot sun. The man stepped closer to Julian, a wide grin of perfect teeth on his face.

  “Look who’s finally awake.”

  Julian blinked slowly, his muddled mind struggling to explain why the man’s deep voice sounded so familiar.

  He’s the demon.

  The realization made Julian’s blood run cold. He opened his mouth to speak. Something heavy wrapped around his neck squeezed. The action caused a burst of white hot pain from his demon mark and he tried to cry out. That was a mistake. The action made the magic wrapped around his throat squeeze harder and the burning on his back became more intense. He was being strangled by the demon’s magic.

  Julian snapped his mouth shut and the tightness around his throat eased, yet the heavy weight around his neck remained. The pain from his back lowered to a steady burning sensation. He tried one more time to speak and was met with the same reaction. Any attempt to talk started up a vicious cycle of strangulation and pain.

  He closed his mouth and breathed out deeply through his nose, frustrated.

  “You catch on quick,” the demon praised Julian.

  The demon master responded with a glare.

  “Don’t look so upset. I couldn’t exactly have you calling out for your pet. That would ruin the game.” The demon bent down bringing himself eye level with the prisoner. He reached out and forcefully grabbed Julian by the chin, studying him.

  “Besides, they say the burn from the enforcer’s mark is quite lovely.”

  The demon’s eyes glowed red as he increased the strength of demonic magic surrounding the prisoner. The pounding in Julian’s head increased ten-fold, his mind too scrambled to think straight. He bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from yelping out loud at the sudden spike of pain from his back.

  A moment later, the demon pulled back on his magic. Julian wanted to sigh in relief when the pain from his demon mark returned to its former slow burn. The demon’s magic remained wrapped around him like a blanket. He felt like his head was in a fog. The persistent burning from his back made it difficult to concentrate.

  The demon tilted his head towards the young woman, his attention focused on Julian.

  “She wanted to cut out your tongue.” He rose to his full height and patted Julian on the cheek. “I think that strangulation is an acceptable alternative.”

  Julian could only glare in response. What did the demon expect him to do, say thank you?

  “I still want to,” said the young woman. She pulled out a knife and walked towards the prisoner.

  Confined to the chair, Julian’s only option was to sit and watch her approach, helpless. She straddled his thighs with her legs and promptly sat down in his lap. Her short skirt rose up high on her thighs, leaving little to the imagination. She wrapped her arms around the back of his neck allowing the knife to hang loosely in her hand. Julian felt the tip of the sharp blade through his shirt. She leaned in and planted brief kisses along his neck, while she twisted her hips and rubbed herself up against him. Trapped to the chair, there was nothing he could do to avoid the unwanted lap dance. Her behavior made his skin crawl and he was thankful that his body was in too much pain to react to her sexual advances.

  Suddenly, she pulled away from his neck, her attention focused on the blade in her hand. She dragged the knife slowly from his neck down to his waist, cutting the fabric of Julian’s shirt with the sharpened edge. She pushed away his shirt, and her eyes gleamed with hunger at the sight of his bare chest.

  “You’d look so handsome all cut up,” she said wistfully as she ran the flat edge of her knife along his naked skin.

  The demon tsked a
t the young woman.

  “Victoria, we’ve talked about this. You’ll get what you want, you just have to be patient.”

  Her mood shifted from one of lust and sex, to that of a petulant child.

  “But I don’t want to wait,” Victoria whined. “I want to have fun now.” Frustration crossed her face and she narrowed her eyes at Julian.

  “It’s your demon that keeps taking them all away,” she said, her voice venomous.

  Julian blinked, his jumbled brain barely able to keep up with her rapidly changing moods. It was becoming clear rather quickly that she was completely nuts.

  “The demons from grandmother’s old book help people find peace. Like those people who were driving their cars.”

  Her lower lip protruded in a childish pout. “All my demon did was make someone fall asleep. Someone dying in their sleep is such a beautiful way to go. But your demon got rid of him.”

  Victoria suddenly looked incredibly sad. Under any other circumstances Julian would’ve felt sorry for her.

  “Then there was that old man who stumbled on the street. He needed an extra hand to make him fall. Grandma’s book had the perfect demon to help him. A tree of demon hands, like the Mexican monkey tree my teacher talked about in class.”

  Victoria’s erratic moods changed again. She poked Julian angrily in the chest. “He was perfect, but your demon got rid of him too. That’s when I knew that I had to summon something stronger.”

  Victoria glanced over at the demon with a look of admiration on her face. “It took thirty-six hours to bring Ajani here and the pain, it was exquisite. It was worth every minute. He’s the most powerful demon listed in the book.” She leaned forward and whispered in Julian’s ear. “And he likes to kill enforcer demons.”

  Julian’s head spun and his heart pounded in his chest. This young, innocent-looking girl thought selling her soul to a bunch of demons was a good idea, so she could bring strangers peace?

  That was simply crazy!

  Unaware of Julian’s internal musings, Victoria held up the knife to his face. He sucked in a breath as she traced the flat edge along his cheek.

  “Can’t we play with him? Please, Ajani? Just a little bit?” she begged, moving the flat edge of the knife down towards Julian’s throat. “Please?”

  The demon quietly studied the prisoner for a moment.

  Julian ignored the creature’s contemplative gaze. The demon’s magic left him feeling tired and sluggish. He pulled on his wrists, seeking to free himself. The small portion of his brain that could actually think, un-helpfully reminded him about his current situation.

  He was trapped inside a barn with a deranged young woman and a demon. Not just any demon either, but a demon that enjoyed hunting enforcer demons.

  He had to warn Hineker.

  Adrenaline rushed through his body, and Julian forcefully yanked and twisted his wrists. His shoulders screamed in protest, while the rope cut deeper into his skin, drawing blood. He tried to call out but was strangled, again. He stopped, seeking a reprieve from the pain.

  He felt helpless.

  If only he could speak or free himself somehow.

  “Look at how he struggles,” Victoria said, laughing out loud.

  The demon moved closer to the prisoner, a wicked glint in the creature’s eyes.

  “Well, since he’s going to die anyway, I suppose you can have little bit of fun first.”

  Victoria grinned wide like a child who’d just won first prize at a carnival game. She held up her knife, ready to stab the prisoner.

  “Wait a minute,” the demon held up his hand.

  “Why,” Victoria protested, her mood switching in an instant from happiness to anger.

  Julian was stricken with dread at the pleased look the demon gave him. Demons and humans had very different definitions of what constituted fun. No matter what the demon said next, the end result wouldn’t be good for him.

  “There’s something unique about an enforcer demon’s mark. Do you know what it is?”

  “No, what?” she asked, curious.

  “It burns in the presence of demonic magic.”

  Victoria’s eyes widened.

  “Is it painful?”

  “Yes,” Ajani nodded. ”It’s very painful, isn’t that right, demon master.”

  Victoria eagerly jumped up and down in Julian’s lap.

  “Do it, do it, do it.”

  The demon’s eyes turned red and he pushed a strong wave of demonic magic towards the man tied in the chair.

  The searing pain from his demon mark caused Julian to open his mouth. The demonic magic wrapped around his neck reacted to the motion like a boa constrictor, squeezing tight enough to cut off his air. Black spots danced in front of Julian’s eyes and darkness threatened to overtake him once again.

  Chapter 29 - Raelyn

  Raelyn fidgeted in her seat. With Hineker no longer shielding his powers, she could see everything. The demon had lapsed into silence a few miles back and his aura had churned with unease ever since. The malevolent energy wafted into the air, setting Raelyn’s nerves on edge. She wanted to jump from the moving vehicle to get away, but she couldn’t, she had to stay and help find Julian.

  She turned away from the SUV’s luxurious interior to look out of the window. The trail they followed had led them down a rural road. The gravel and dirt offered little traction and the tires of the Range Rover kicked up a cloud of dust that seemed to almost disappear under the dim moonlight. Raelyn squinted, struggling to see the demonic energy outside her window. The pulsing mixture of dark and muddy gray mixed with plum was difficult to distinguish from the black of the night. But the feelings of evil, darkness, and rage that the energy evoked within her were undeniable. The pulsing path of energy she saw was demonic and she hoped it would lead them straight to Julian.

  She shuddered under the onslaught of negativity, struggling to trace the path as it cut across a field of overgrown wildflowers. Raelyn continued to stare at the pulsing trail. It curved around an old, abandoned farmhouse and made a straight line to the back of the lot, ending at the entrance to an old barn.

  “I think he’s over there,” Raelyn pointed to the abandoned building in the distance, feeling a surge of pride. The demon was powerful enough to hide Julian from Hineker’s magic, but not its own demonic energy from Raelyn.

  For once in her life, Raelyn felt like her unusual gift was actually able to do some good.

  Hineker pulled the Range Rover over to the side of the road and put it into park. He swiftly exited the vehicle and she scrambled to follow. The demon’s eyes glowed red and a familiar black portal began to form next to him.

  “Wait a minute,” she grabbed Hineker’s arm.

  The enforcer demon snarled at the interruption and the black portal vanished. The surge of violence from his aura came crashing down on her in an unforgiving rain of negative emotions, threatening to smother her in its darkness. She took a step back, in that instant reminded that while Hineker looked like a handsome man, he was anything but human.

  He was a demon. A remorseless creature who saw nothing wrong with pain or death. A dangerous creature that she had just tried to stop. Raelyn could see that the demon’s patience was hanging on by a thin thread and it was ready to snap. Every cell in her body screamed at her to run. She refused to listen. Hineker had been blocked from his charge once already, there was no guessing what he’d be facing if he entered the barn alone. But, he didn’t have to do this alone. He had a wild card. He had her. She could help him. All she had to do was convince him.

  Hineker’s aura shone with a dangerous tinge as he looked at her straight on.

  Her words tumbled out in a rush. “You can’t just go rushing in there without a plan. You don’t even know what you’re up against.”

  The demon tilted his head, his energy shifting to something cool and calculating as he studied her.

  “You really want to help?” he asked.

  Raelyn nodded, yes.

&nb
sp; “No, say it out loud,” he pressed.

  “Yes, I want to help you.”

  Moving at a speed faster than Raelyn could track, Hineker reached out and grabbed onto her right wrist. She struggled to pull away from him.

  His grip was like iron.

  Raelyn’s breath caught in her throat at the demon’s threatening action. Maybe she shouldn’t have provoked him. Her heart thudded inside her chest, panicked.

  Hineker’s eyes glowed red. Searing pain covered her wrist and she cried out. Her skin felt like it was being pierced by thousands of red hot needles all at once. A moment later Hineker released her wrist and Raelyn looked down at the angry, throbbing red mark left on her skin.

  A mark that looked like a smaller version of the one on Julian’s back.

  Raelyn sucked in a deep breath.

  “What did you do?”

  Hineker moved, a rippling shrug that made him seem almost human.

  “I made you my scout.”

  The possessive tone raised every hair on the back of her neck.

  “What does that mean?”

  “As a scout, you’ll be my eyes and ears. I’ll see everything you see, hear everything you hear.”

  “And this?” Raelyn held up her wrist for emphasis.

  “The mark is only a temporary binding.”

  Raelyn shuddered at the idea of being bound to a demon in any form, temporary or not. She cautiously ran a finger over the tattoo on her skin. The mark had already changed to black, the skin cool to the touch.

  “I thought an enforcer’s mark took twenty-four hours to form?”

  Hineker shook his head. “That’s only for masters. There’s no point in having scouts if it takes hours to activate them.”

  As if sensing her hesitation Hineker continued. “The arrangement with a scout is very different from that of a demon master. I won’t come when you call or eat your soul as payment.”

  “But, you’ll take over my body?” Raelyn asked, warily.

  “I don’t take possession, only use your eyes and ears. You wanted to help,” Hineker gestured in the direction of the old barn. “Now go.”