The Demon-Born Trilogy: (Complete Paranormal Fantasy Series)

by L. C. Hibbett

  I sat down heavily as it slunk through the grass and trotted into the pavilion, stopping at my feet. It stared at me, bobbing its head. Emmanuel gestured at the chest my butt was firmly planted on. “I believe our host wishes to gain access to his clothes, Grace.”

  I jumped up. “Oh, feck. Sorry. I’ll just, eh, go over here.”

  My cheeks burned as I turned my back to the fox. Eve looked discreetly out across the field. I caught her eye and we both smirked.

  “Well, I do thank you most kindly, ladies. I certainly appreciate your generosity in allowing me the dignity of dressing myself without an audience. Although I feel obliged to inform you that you may just have done yourselves a disservice.”

  I turned my head. There was no longer a fox standing behind me but a slim man with dark eyes and olive skin. His black hair was parted neatly, and his clothes were simple but elegant. I wondered how his shirt managed to avoid wrinkling inside the chest.

  Emmanuel stood up and bowed his head to the shorter man. “Mathas, thank you for agreeing to meet on such short notice.”

  Mathas splayed his fingers. “You are doing us a favor, young man. It’s been too long since we had guests to entertain. The lady of the house is waiting to receive us back at the homestead.”

  He tipped his head and gestured for myself and Eve to go ahead, but didn’t ask for an introduction. The path from the gazebo wound its way up the gentle slope to reveal the most breathtaking building I had ever set eyes on. Gray stone walls rose three stories into the air. On either side of the building a curved wing of rooms billowed out, supported by several vast columns. Sunlight glinted off rows of windows.

  Mathas drew up beside me. “When we first built this beauty she had more windows than Buckingham Palace. That vexed the royal family in ways you can’t imagine. My beautiful wife was determined to stand her ground, but in the end, I convinced her to turn two of the windows into doors. It’s not worth falling out with the High Council over a few panes of melted sand.”

  My brows twitched. “The royal family are Angels?”

  Mathas grinned. “Just about anyone who has power they haven’t earned in this world is an Angel.”

  Emmanuel spread his arms wide, indicating the splendor in front of him. “Or a Demon.”

  Mathas let out an appreciative chuckle. “Ain’t that the truth, my friend.”

  He led us up large granite steps and through the ornate front doors. A curved staircase wound its way up through the building, but we stayed on the ground floor, passing through an endless stream of lavishly decorated rooms.

  The space became simpler as we moved away from the front of the house. Marble floors gave way to scrubbed flagstones, and we came to a halt in a small kitchen garden. A simple wrought iron table and chairs and a matching swinging chair sat on the lawn. A gardener was bent on his knees at the edge of a bed of vegetables with a large sunhat covering his eyes.

  Mathas settled himself on the swinging chair. “Three hundred years since we built this home and still the only place my glorious wife wants to be is in the garden.” I searched the small courtyard for any sign of this beautiful lady while Mathas continued speaking. “And now that it’s coming close to time for us to move on for a few decades until the locals have forgotten our faces again, I won’t ever get her inside. The sooner I get that woman back across the ocean and into a cute dress, the better.”

  Mathas winked at me, ducking just in time to avoid a small trowel that sailed an inch above his lowered skull.

  “Into a cute dress? I will put you in a nice box and leave you in the cellar when I leave for North Carolina if you aren’t careful.” The gardener stood up and tossed the sunhat onto the table. A shock of Arctic blond hair cascaded down over the back of the muddy overalls, and I realized the gardener wasn’t a man at all, but a beautiful woman dressed in men’s clothing. The corners of my mouth twitched upward.

  She tossed her gloves onto the table and reached down to kiss her husband on the lips, pressing her hand against his cheek. He wrapped his arms around her and attempted to tug her onto his lap, but she slithered out of his grasp. “Guests, Mathas. Guests.” He gave a surly smile, suddenly looking less impressed with our presence. She strode toward us, slapping Emmanuel on the shoulder. “Emmanuel. Back again.”

  “And grateful for your hospitality, Elizabeth. These are the newcomers I was discussing with you. This is— ”

  “Lizzie, Emmanuel. Not Elizabeth.” She pointed at Eve. “And I know who that is.”

  Eve paled. I stepped closer to her. Lizzie looked me up and down. Her eyes were like diamonds, beautiful but cold, heavy with the wisdom of experience despite her youthful visage. I crossed my arms, subconsciously mirroring Sam’s hostile pose.

  Elizabeth’s face creased as she looked from me to Sam. “So, here we are, the mystery girl and her shadow.” I rose my eyebrows in confusion, but she had already turned to Sam. “We meet again, Shadow.”

  Sam held her stare without flinching, but his pulse hopped under the collar of his shirt. Lizzie’s grin widened, and she reached up to ruffle Sam’s hair, letting out a laugh as he stiffened and blushed. Eve waved at her husband and Emmanuel. “Right, the kids and I will walk and talk while you old farts figure out the woes of the world.”

  Eve started after us, but Emmanuel grabbed her hand. Eve swallowed her words. I gave her my best attempt at a reassuring look and then turned to jog after Lizzie who had already disappeared down a narrow corridor. Sam stepped into line beside me and bared his teeth in a look of mock terror. I bit my lip to contain my nervous laughter.

  Lizzie stopped suddenly and swung open a heavy oak door. We stepped out into small parlor. The wall above the simple fireplace was cracked from floor to ceiling and the flagstones at the base were split into two. Lizzie stood with a foot on either side of the chasm and leaned her back against the wall. “Right, children. What do you want?”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  I swallowed hard. “I’m only here because Emmanuel asked me to come.”

  Lizzie snorted, shaking her head. She tapped her boot on the floor. “Do you know what the locals say about this crack?”

  Sam stepped closer. I shook my head. “I don’t even know what country we’re in.”

  Lizzie continued as if I hadn’t spoken. “A couple of centuries ago a man came here to play cards. A lad from the village, a smith. Great with a horseshoe and kind to his family. A good father. He was doing pretty well, drinking and betting, until he dropped a card onto the floor. When he bent down to pick it up, he saw that the master of the house had two cloven hooves instead of feet. The man pulled a bottle of holy water from his pocket and threw it all over the vile devil who vanished with such force that he split the room in two.”

  She struck the wall behind her for effect. I crossed my arms over my chest. “True story or not? What do you kids think?”

  I glanced at Sam. His shoulders were tight as he answered. “The guy saw Mathas mid-shift. You used magic to create a diversion. Then you and Mathas had to vanish until everyone who remembered what you looked like was long dead. Couldn’t have the devil and his wife living in the local manor. Not if you wanted to escape a witch hunt.”

  Lizzie wagged her finger at him. “Close, but no cigar.”

  She walked out of the room and opened a side door, leading us out of the house and into the grounds again, striding back toward the woods. “The young man did indeed see Mathas mid-shift, but why should that matter?” She paused, continuing when neither of us answered. “Mathas partially shifts in front of humans ten times a week. As long as he isn’t suddenly half nude, they don’t even process it. But this fella, he shot off that chair like a light, and when his feet touched those flagstones, he split them clear in two with fright.”

  I grabbed Sam’s arm. “He was Half-Born.”

  Lizzie sat down on a tree stump. “Bingo, young woman. He was a Half-Born. Somebody must have hidden him in the village as a baby, and he grew up without incident. Gifted w
ith his hands and sharp as a blade, but not noticeable enough for the Guardians to pay any heed.”

  Sam threw his head back and looked up at the treetops. His voice was tired. “Until he started screaming about devils with cloven feet, right?”

  Lizzie’s gave a mirthless smile. “They came for him in the night. By some twist of fate, his wife and children were staying with her sister, so the babies escaped. We took his kids in, concealed their gifts. The Guardians came knocking on my door once, asking questions. They never came back.” She spat on the fallen leaves at her feet.

  I pushed my hair off my face. “Do all Demons hate the Angels?”

  Lizzie raised her eyebrows at me. “I don’t hate the Angels. I don’t love Humans. The only thing I hate is being trapped in this world.” She plucked a wildflower out of the soil and crushed it inside her fist. “This beautiful prison. Never aging. Century after century, era after era. Everything else changes except the Demons. Everyone else has release in death. Only the Demons and the Elders linger on.”

  The agony in her voice cut through my core, leaving me breathless. “Have any other Demons arrived from your realm since the Great Divide?”

  Lizzie tipped her head. “Some. It’s a big universe out there. Infinite realms to travel. Only the unlucky slip into this realm, resigning themselves into a lifetime on death row.”

  Sam was still staring out the ground. His expression was unpenetrable. I couldn’t bear the weight of the silence. “Are you a shifter too?”

  Lizzie looked at me, distracted from her musing. “Do I look like a shifter?”

  I felt the flush creeping up my neck. “Do shifters look a certain way?”

  Lizzie tilted her head to the side and looked at Sam. He rubbed his jaw. “She knows nothing about Demons. Nothing.”

  Lizzie leaned forward on her knees and grinned at Sam. “Well, she’s going to have fun when she runs into the vamps and the fairies, then.”

  I rolled my eyes and smiled, grateful for the lighter mood. “Is this now a tag team for slagging me? I thought we were here for education’s sake?”

  Sam raised his brows at Lizzie, and she shook her head. “Not a joke, child. All those monsters you’ve heard about? That’s us. Vampires, mermaids, witches, fairies, weres. You name it. All you’ve heard is the contorted version of what some Halfling misconstrued when they pierced the veil.”

  I pursed my lips and glanced from Lizzie to Sam and back again. “Really?” She tipped her head. “Then what kind of Demon are you, if you’re not from a realm of shifters?”

  Lizzie closed her eyes and turned her face to the sky, catching a ray of sun as it filtered through the branches. “I am the luckiest Demon in this world. I can travel in my dreams, beyond this plane, beyond the realm. Snatching glimpses of my home before the divide sucks me back in. Some people have called me an Oracle, others a seer.”

  She opened her eyes wide, blue glass sharp enough to cut me open. “There’s another seer, one that shouldn’t exist. I’ve felt her in my dreams. I thought it might be you.” My breath caught in my chest as she pinned me with her stare, turning me inside out. She rubbed her hands on her knees and stood up. “But whatever you are, mystery girl, you aren’t my seer.”

  The clearing was suddenly filled with the sound of music. Sam pulled his phone out of his pocket apologetically. He stared at the display and paced to the side of the clearing, speaking in a low voice.

  Lizzie closed the gap between us with unexpected speed and stared into my face. “Be careful, child. Things are rarely as simple as they seem. Trust your instinct. The heart might hold the magic, but it’s your mind that should guide it.”

  She pulled away from me as Eve and Emmanuel came crashing through the trees with a hound by their sides. The hound pressed itself against Lizzie’s side, and she buried her fingers in its fur. Sam shoved his phone into his back pocket and opened a slip before Emmanuel had even spoken.

  My mouth was flooded with the bitter taste of dread. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

  Eve clenched her jaws tight and grabbed my hand as she ran for the opening. Her words hit me with the same force as the torrent of icy rain that came beating through the slip. “It’s Dawn. She’s sick.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  My feet sank into the muddy lawn in front of Shadow Hall. The rain was torrential, and I was soaked to the skin before we made it to the front steps. The door to Emmanuel’s study was wide open. Eve jolted over the threshold and elbowed Deirdre out of the way so she could examine Dawn.

  Jabol’s arms were outstretched over the tiny figure. Beads of sweat dotted his brow. “She collapsed while playing with her friends. Paul called for me when he was unable to locate the Master or Catherine.” Eve smoothed Dawn’s silky hair away from her slack face. Jabol shook his head. “I do not like what I see, Eve. Something is draining her life force.”

  Eve closed her eyes and rested one hand on Dawn’s skull and the other over her heart. Emmanuel marched into the room with Sam at his heels. His glare was thunderous. “Where is Catherine?”

  He fixed his eyes on Deirdre, but she stepped aside, so Emmanuel had a clear view of Peter leaning against the desk. “Master Emmanuel. I’m greatly relieved to see that you have returned. We have been quite concerned.”

  Emmanuel’s lips were pressed into a thin line. “Catherine? Where is she, Peter?”

  Peter tapped his cane onto the floor. “It’s most unfortunate, Emmanuel. I asked Cain to investigate some energy for me in France. He called seeking further assistance this afternoon, but there was nobody to oblige him except for young Catherine. He assured me there was no danger. However, we have been unable to contact them since. Both phones appear to be out of service. Most unfortunate timing.” Peter gave a sad smile and shrugged his shoulders.

  “This is serious, Peter. Dawn is sick.” The voice didn’t sound like my own. “Where did you send them? Get them back. Dawn needs her mom!”

  Deirdre touched my rain sodden sleeve. “Grace, I know it’s frightening, but Cain and Catherine probably just wanted a few minutes privacy.” She raised her eyebrows a fraction, and I blushed. “They had no idea Dawn would fall ill, she’s been so well lately Cat probably thought she could have a few minutes of adult time without any risk. Let’s just focus on Dawn for now.”

  Peter nodded over Deirdre’s shoulder like a toy dog on a dashboard, agreeing with her words. I turned my back to them. “Eve. How bad is it? Can you help?”

  Eve opened her eyes to look at me. The skin around her mouth was stretched tight. “Something isn’t right.” Her gaze slid over to Emmanuel, and they locked eyes for a moment before she turned her attention back to me. “I need to cleanse her aura, shake off whatever has connected with her energy.”

  My fingernails dug into the palms of my hands. “Do it.”

  Eve stared at Dawn’s face. I winced at the sight of Dawn’s eyes rolling and twitching violently beneath her closed eyelids. “I can’t, Grace. I don’t have the materials I need. There is a cleansing charm that could be useful, a precious metal-infused with Saponaria Officinalis. But I only know of one place the charm could be found.”

  Sam stepped forward. “I’ll get it.”

  Jabol stared at Eve. “The Tower Dungeon?” Eve tipped her head in affirmation. Jabol crossed his arms. “Not possible. Too many risks.”

  Sam clenched his jaw. “I can do it, Jabol. We’ve traded with them before. I’ll conceal myself. Pretend to be a student at the Academy. They won’t care what I want the stuff for, as long as they’re getting paid in blood. We go in two pairs. Megan and Elijah. Me and Lucas. Not a problem.”

  Peter cleared his throat. “Actually that might be a slight problem. Elijah and Megan appear to have ignored the directive that nobody should leave the grounds.”

  Emmanuel drew in a deep breath, holding it for several seconds before releasing it. Deirdre met his eye. “Emmanuel, I’ll go release Jasmine and Lucas, they’re helping Paul in the training hall.” Deirdre s
lipped out the door.

  Sam banged his fist on the side of one of the wooden bookcases. “That only gives three. We need four to form a quadrant if we need to make a sudden escape.”

  Eve flicked her wrist in my direction. “Grace will go, too.”

  I felt my eyes widen in surprise, I didn’t even know what a quadrant was in magical terms, how could I help form one? Jabol’s shoulders tightened in tandem with Sam’s. “No. That would be unadvisable. Grace has not reached sufficient training to conceal her nature. Her skills will not suffice. Not possible.” Jabol lifted his palms in the air to emphasize his point.

  Lucas and Jasmine skidded into the study behind him. Jasmine’s face was streaked with blue paint, and Lucas was carrying a small suitcase. “Sorry, we were helping with the kids in the art room,” Lucas said.

  Jasmine couldn’t draw her gaze away from Dawn’s pale face. She reached out a hand and stroked one of the small, bare feet. Emmanuel clicked his fingers in front of Jasmine. “You and Lucas are going to London with Sam. Eve needs something from the Tower to heal Dawn.”

  Lucas pushed the case in front of Emmanuel. “I grabbed this from supplies on the way. Deirdre said Academy level concealment?”

  Emmanuel nodded.

  “Who’s our fourth? Frank is still pretty shaken. Lydia? Prya?” Jasmine asked.

  Emmanuel paused, looking from Jabol to Eve. “Grace will be your fourth,” his voice left no room for argument.

  Jasmine and Lucas exchanged looks with Sam. Dawn convulsed for the first time since we entered the room, her slight frame arching and contorting on the leather sofa. Emmanuel ushered us out the door, shoving the suitcase into Sam’s arms. He flung open a small cabinet and handed Jasmine a golden vial. “Go. Jasmine, open the slip in the alleyway behind Leadenhall. Change there.”

  I tried to swallow my panic as the rain beat against my face. Eve tore down the steps after us and grabbed me by the shoulders. “You must speak. Ask for Gabriel. Tell him Mary Magdalene sent you. He’ll know what you need.”