Heart of a Demon: A New Adult Paranormal Romance
Page 18
“You just had to go out and get yourself more hurt than me,” Ashley said, taking a seat at the foot of my bed. She wore a purple V-neck shirt that didn’t hide the thin white scar across her neck. “Steal away all the attention from me, why don’t you?”
“That was my goal,” I told her, raising one of my eyebrows.
“Knew it.” She tossed her perfectly straight head of light brown hair and smiled at me before busying herself with examining her fingernails. It was then that I realized, through all the catty attitudes and insults, somehow, some way, Ashley and I had become friends. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.
Adam made himself at home in the antique chair. I felt his eyes move from my face, over the thin hospital gown, and down to my hand still in Gabe’s. He grinned when he caught his brother glaring at him.
“What?”
“Don’t you think it’s a little rude to be at the bedside of someone you once tried to kill?” Gabe asked through his clenched jaw.
Adam waved his hand through the air. “No, that was ages ago. And I don’t want to kill her anymore. She can stay.”
“Thanks for your permission,” I told him dryly. “I was just dying for it.”
He gave me a cocky grin and crossed his legs.
It felt weird being surrounded by this ragtag group of people, but in a matter of weeks, the manor had begun to feel like home. These were my friends and family now. It was something that’d take some getting used to, but I was willing to put in the time.
Gabe caught me watching him and a small smile lit up his face. I squeezed his hand and settled back into the fluffy pillow behind my head.
And to think, none of this would’ve happened if I hadn’t saved him in the woods that day. My green-eyed demon turned out to be my green-eyed angel. He was an unbelievably sexy otherworldly warrior and I was bound to him, heart and soul.
I would learn the Nephilim ways and devote myself to keeping the gates closed. Who knows how I got here, but I was here to stay. Heaven save us all.
Epilogue
She burst through the backdoor and threw her duffle bag on the kitchen floor. Nothing had changed in the twenty-one years she’d been gone. The same old dingy linoleum lined the floor. The same faded lilac wallpaper clung to the walls. Even the familiar scent of Virginia Slims and baking soda wafted her way, sending a shiver of disgust down her back.
Granny sat at the table, reading the newspaper and sipping from a green coffee mug. Her eyes grew wide as the uninvited guest kicked her duffle bag to the side, and took the plastic deco chair on the opposite side of the table.
“How’d you get in here?” Granny growled, pulling a cigarette out of her shirt pocket and dangling it between her lips. “I told you, you’re not welcome here anymore.”
Her guest leaned back in the chair with a smile, pushing her long blond hair off her shoulders. “The goddess is dead. No one’s protecting this town anymore. Did you really expect me to stay away?”
“I’d hoped you had enough self-preservation left to rethink that choice.” Granny lit the cigarette with a long drag, sending a cloud of smoke above her head. “The elders said they’d kill you if you showed your face again.”
The guest chuckled and pulled Granny’s coffee mug toward her, taking a sip of the black liquid. “No one will keep me from getting the key. I worked too hard to bring that thing into the world.”
Granny’s eyes narrowed. “You think I’d just hand over the Hell Gate key to a demon? You’re stupider than you look.”
Standing up, the guest calmly laid her manicured hands on the table. She’d been waiting for this moment for a long time, ever since she was ejected from this Podunk town and forced to wander the Earth aimlessly.
It wasn’t until very recently that the key had begun to call to her. It was an instinct that drove her to come back to Hanna, South Dakota and complete the mission she’d been given so long ago by the Prince of Hell himself.
“I’m not going to ask again, mother.” She raised her chin until she stared down her perfect nose at the woman across the table. “Where have you hidden my daughter?”
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Love Always, Lacy
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Turn the page for a special sneak peek of the second book in the series: Love of a Demon
LOVE OF A DEMON
She glared at me with blood lust in her dark eyes. The tip of her tongue traced the plump lines of her lips, ready to sink into a piece of my flesh. I stood deadly still with the pitch-black 9mm gun aimed at her heart. Inside the chamber were twenty bullets coated in blessed silver. One wrong move and she was going straight back to hell, where she belonged.
“Come at me,” I growled. “I dare you.”
With a snarl, the demon lunged forward, raking the air with her wicked talons. She swung to the left in a whirl of long dark hair, narrowly missing my first shot. The second hit her in the gut. The wound hissed and steamed, causing her to scream out in pain. I took advantage of the distraction and backhanded her angelic face with the butt of the gun, sending her spiraling to the ground.
In a flash of inhuman speed, I dove on top of her and pinned her right arm. With my other hand, I worked a silver dagger out of its sheath from my boot. This would be my fourth demon kill this month. A feral demon – the lowliest demon on the food chain, but still lethal.
I was beginning to relish these trips into the Black Hills National Forest. Every day, I grew stronger. Every fiber of my muscles moved with a new strength and confidence that I had never felt before. It was intoxicating. I wanted more.
With a flick of my wrist, the dagger flipped downward and I plunged it into the demon’s heart. Her black eyes grew wide, a silent scream ripping at her throat. I rolled off and crouched at a short distance to watch. This was my favorite part.
Her thin frame began to disintegrate into a dark shadowy cloud. It held her body’s shape, but only for a moment. As if sucked down by a black hole, the cloud sank into the earth until every wisp disappeared. All that remained was my silver dagger. It lay firmly embedded in the soft soil beneath the ponderosa pines, ready to find a new demon heart to shred.
“Not bad, not bad.” Gabe appeared behind a cluster of trees only feet away. In his right hand he held a long thin sword with a wickedly sharp edge. A proud smile lifted at the corners of his usually stern mouth. “You’re getting fast. Couldn’t have done that better myself.”
I grinned and retrieved the dagger, sheathing it in my boot. “I’m four for four. One more, and I’ll beat Ashley this month. Then we don’t have to listen to her brag for another four weeks.”
He rolled his eyes and shook his head, but the smile lingered on his handsome face. His emerald green eyes flashed in the twilight of the woods, capturing the last of the sun’s rays emerging through the pine needles. Even now, my breath caught in my chest and my heart began to pound. Gabe and I had been partners for months, in more than one way. But I still felt shaky every time he smiled at me. It was a good kind of feeling.
“I think we’re done hunting for the day,” he said, sliding his sword into the sheath strapped across his back.
The hunt was far from over for me. An urge pulled at my sternum toward the Hell Gate nestled in these woods, in the hopes of finding another demon that had escaped the clutches of hell. It was an urge that had flared to life upon the discovery of my Nephilim heritage. Forever fated to guard one of the six gates of hell with my fellow warriors.
I’d never had such a purpose before. I embraced it entirely. It had become my life goal to become worthy of the Nephilim clan and my fierce warrior partner. No longer was I the weak young woman nearly sacrificed to a demon on a pyre. Now, I had purpose. Now, I had strength.
I opened my mouth to argue with him, but before I could make a sound, he sped to my side and placed a single finger over my mouth.<
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“There are other things I’d like to do tonight.” A wicked grin passed over his mouth. “Things that require a…more private location.”
An intense warmth blossomed in my stomach. Gabe trailed his finger over my lips and along my jawline, chuckling at the way I trembled under his touch. His fingers worked their way down my neck and entangled themselves in my brown wavy hair. With his free hand, he pulled me closer, until I could feel the heat of his body pressed against me.
Staring at his full mouth, I let out a heavy breath. “I suppose I could call it a night.” I grinned and looked up into his shouldering green eyes. “You are most persuasive, sir. I thought angels weren’t supposed to corrupt the innocent.”
“I’m only part angel.” He tightened his grip on my hair and leaned closer to my ear. “And after last night, I’m not so sure you’re very innocent after all.”
His whispered words brought back an embarrassing rush of memories from last night. A bottle of wine, a thick blanket on the floor of the manor’s observatory, and our two bodies exploring each other. It’d been nearly impossible to keep my hands off of him.
The only reason we hadn’t already moved in together was because of my promise to my newly discovered Nephilim father that we’d take it slow. Otherwise, it would’ve been all too easy to fall into bed with Gabe, my warrior angel.
“I’m not making you blush, am I?” Gabe ran his lips ever so lightly down my jaw, planting a warm kiss on my neck. “I thought warriors didn’t get embarrassed.”
I pushed him at arm’s length and grinned at the challenge. “Of course not. I am the world’s toughest warrior. Nothing can make me blush. But you, on the other hand…”
Stepping up on my toes, I pressed my lips roughly against his. He opened his mouth in surprise, leaving enough room for me to touch my tongue to his. With the superhuman speed I’d honed over the last few weeks, I shoved him hard against a ponderosa pine and jumped to wrap my legs tightly around his torso. It didn’t take long for him to catch on. His hands moved to cradle my butt and he returned the deep kiss, sighing against my mouth.
We would’ve been lost to each other, but the sound of voices in the distance made us freeze. A crowd of people, not more than half a dozen, were crunching through the fallen pine needles. Gabe and I disentangled ourselves and crouched low to the ground, our hands close to our weapons. Feral demons couldn’t talk. Either the group in front of us were humans or deceivers, the second and far more vicious class of demons. I swallowed hard, hoping they were harmless hikers out for a stroll.
Gabe caught my eye and nodded toward a rocky hill with a pair of fallen pines. I tilted my head in understanding and we crept to the spot, careful not to make any noise. The crowd was just coming into view. My heart plummeted into my stomach at the sight of their leader – a frizzy gray-haired woman with rough wrinkled skin and dark eyes.
Granny.
The same Granny that had tried to sacrifice me to a demon only months ago. The grandmother that had stood by and watched as her only living relative was nearly consumed by a roaring pyre. She would’ve killed me and it wouldn’t have been any skin off her nose. A rage that I didn’t know existed burned behind my eyes, nearly blinding me to Gabe’s concerned expression.
“Come on, it’s time to go,” he said, pulling on my hand.
I resisted his tug and leaned toward the crowd of women walking deeper into the forest. What did they want out here? This was far beyond the town boundaries of Hanna. When I lived in that tiny town of all women, it had been expressly forbidden to stray out this far. Of course, that didn’t stop me from breaking the rules every week.
Granny grumbled something to the person behind her, a tall woman with a crazy mane of brown spirals and a dozen bracelets on her wrists. I recognized the remaining four of the party, townspeople from Hanna, but I’d never seen this woman before. Something about her hippy style of dress and the way she flung her hands when she spoke told me she was already on Granny’s nerves. Granny didn’t waste time on airheaded or ditzy women, especially the kind that dressed like gypsies. If she was hiking through a forest with a woman like this, she clearly had bigger priorities.
Dropping Gabe’s hand, I took a step forward. “They can’t be out here. They have no right.”
He grabbed my elbow. “Lizzy, don’t. Just let them be.”
I turned with a scowl and pulled my arm free. “But she doesn’t get to encroach on my world. It’s not right. If it had been up to her, I’d be a pile of ashes right now or a demon’s permanent blood bag.”
He sighed and rocked back on his heels, his eyes resting on my face. We’d all been through so much when Margaret Thatcher’s demon set its sights on me. I’d nearly died the day she came to collect me. It was all Granny’s fault.
I couldn’t take the silent lecture of a warrior’s duty oozing from Gabe’s solemn face, so I turned back to focus on the hikers. They were already past us, fading into the thick branches of the pines. Any bits of conversation they were having reached us in garbled bits that made no sense.
Every muscle in my body tensed to run after them. In only a few seconds, I’d catch up. The shock on Granny’s face would be worth Gabe’s lecture afterwards. Maybe I’d even flash my gun in front of her eyes, see how she liked it when death was staring her in the face. It was the least I could do, after all the courtesy she’d shown me. A little fear might do her good. She thought she was so invincible.
I nearly sprang into action, when Gabe’s warm hand on my shoulder stopped me.
“Lizzy, let’s go. She’s not worth another moment of your time.”
Angry tears stung to the corner of my eyes. He couldn’t understand the utter betrayal of having a family member toss you aside like a busted toy. Granny’s actions had left deep wounds in my heart. There was no telling how long they’d take to heal.
Despite my anger, I took a deep calming breath and nodded at Gabe, letting him lead me in the opposite direction of my grandmother. A few more miles southeast and we’d be safe on the lawn of Westward Manor, home of the Nephilim warriors that guarded the Hell Gate on our continent. It was the place I now called home. Decked out with a sprawling mansion, training complex, and stables, it was unlike any home in the South Dakota Black Hills. I’d never get used to the luxury that spanned every nook and cranny of the place, although I certainly didn’t mind trying.
We were only a mile away when I caught a flurry of activity out of the corner of my eye. Coming in fast were two ferals, their teeth bared. The first took the shape of a tall curly-haired man and the second, a tiny blonde woman. I barely had time to shout out a warning and wrap my fingers around my gun before they pounced, throwing both of us to the ground.
“Watch out,” Gabe yelled, yanking the sword from his back and jumping in front of me.
My head rang with a fierce joy. Finally, my chance to beat Ashley and show Gabe my worth as a Nephilim warrior. I could use a little stress relief and demons made the perfect punching bags. Unholstering my gun, I stepped out from behind Gabe’s protective stance and steadied my aim on the little blonde’s chest.
“Get back,” he yelled, swinging his sword to slice through the man’s chest.
I ignored his warning and pulled the trigger of my 9mm, burying a silver bullet in her torso. He had nothing to worry about. I’d taken out demons twice her size. If anything, she should be afraid of me.
The gunshot only managed to enrage the demon. Her lips peeled back into a snarl, revealing a black hole where her mouth should’ve been. In a flash, she charged and knocked the gun out of my hand, sending it spiraling far out of reach.
“Lizzy, get out of the way.”
Gabe skewered the tall demon with a smooth lunge of his blade, sending him back to Hell in a shadowy cloud. He turned to swipe the blade at the blonde, but found me in his path and stumbled.
“No,” I shouted. He’d seen me take down plenty of demons. There was no reason to start babying me now. “This one is mine.”
We fell hard on the ground in a dull thud. The demon clung to my torso and dragged her claws along my stomach, shredding my flesh. A scream tore from my throat, but I still managed to pull the silver dagger from my boot and dig it into her ribs. Not a kill shot, but enough to get her to roll off me.
Lying next to me was Gabe’s still body. The small trickle of blood running down the side of his cheek told me he’d banged his head on a rock. Violent red filled my vision. She’d hurt my partner. For that, she had to pay.
“Come on,” I hissed. “Come and get me.”
She crouched down like a lion ready to pounce, the thin strands of her hair lifting in the gentle fall breeze. Eyes as dark as coals watched me, cool and calculating. I’d seen dozen of demons just like her speed through the forest since I began training. They were fast, but I was always faster.
That was probably why she caught me unguarded when she sprung forward at a speed unlike any demon I’d faced so far. Without so much as a fight, she plucked the dagger from my loose grip and returned it to me, sunk deep in my flesh. The only thing I could do was scream in agony as the shock clouded my eyes and sent me hurling toward the ground in a bloody heap.
About the Author
Lacy Andersen is the author of the Aya Harris Collection and Heart of a Demon series. When not writing or dreaming up stories to tell, Lacy is busy playing with her daughter, watching Netflix with her husband, or reading the latest releases. She has a serious addiction to cotton candy, loves to compete in any type of game, and is currently planning her next trip around the world.