“She asked him why he wanted to hurt people. He told her it was his job, he didn’t have a choice. She was saddened by his story. So she kissed him and told him that everyone has a choice. Something happened—a spark of humanity came to life, maybe. They continued to see each other and he stopped harassing the townspeople. Years went by, with Father growing more and more human. They had us and it seemed like Astaroth had forgotten about Berner. When Wys was about ten, Astaroth called Father to his throne room in Hell. Father swore on his life that he was fighting to claim souls, but the people were resisting. He knew Astaroth didn’t believe him.”
“No one would. Father, for all his trickery, was a shitty liar.” Wystan crossed his arms and stared out the clinic window.
“Astaroth sent another demon, one higher in the ranks than Father. He spied and saw what was happening in town. Goreth was Father’s betrayer. All that time, barghests and changesteeds and a slew of other lesser demons were coming out of the Pit and Father fought battles to keep them away from town. With Goreth’s report, Astaroth vowed to destroy Father.”
“Destroy isn’t a strong enough word.” Wystan’s voice was gravelly. “There’s a boneyard outside of town that contains the remains of the war between armies of demons and our father. Astaroth emerged from the Pit to take care of Father himself. It must have given him some pause to see what a minor demon had done to his legion, but Astaroth doesn’t fear anything.”
Rhia guessed he remembered the confrontation pretty well. It must have been frightening for a young boy to witness his father’s death.
“Setting a protection spell over the town and gaining humanity cost him. Love and redemption weren’t enough.” Bitterness sparked in Wystan’s eyes. “He knew it, and part of his last effort to keep Astaroth in once he dragged Father to Hell was asking how he could prevent Astaroth from returning.”
“A simple answer for the crown prince,” Eban cut in. “Form a barrier across the Pit with seven ancient seals to close it. With the right words, even a lesser demon like Father could do it. No virgin sacrifices needed. It looks delicate on the surface, but from the other side, it’s divine fire. No higher demon can touch it.”
“Divine fire?” Either her Bible lessons had been sorely lacking or this was something humans didn’t possess knowledge of.
“Similar to the burning bush Moses saw in the desert. A demon couldn’t have gone near it.” Eban frowned. “At least it doesn’t have much effect on the barghests and changesteeds. Tell waits for the more human-like demons because it leaves them weakened. They’re still fierce and the longer they remain on Earth the stronger they get.”
“So the three of you protect this town from demons and a prince from Hell?” Rhia looked between the two. They both nodded. Until arriving in Berner, her biggest concerns were Beryl’s declining health and how she would feed Sylvie. On top of those troubles, now she had to think about fending off demons as well. If she hadn’t shot the changesteed with her own rifle, she would’ve thought them both mad. “What happens if you fail?”
“Astaroth raises Hell and the world gets consumed. It won’t be pretty. He likes innocent souls the best, but he’s not opposed to the others,” Wystan said.
Eban’s face was grim. “Especially us. Our father defied him. He’s had years to think of a way to wipe out our family.”
“Last night, you said your mother was killed by the other humans here.” She hated to ask and from the set of Wystan’s jaw and his powerful, naked shoulders, he wasn’t happy recounting the tale.
“The humans figured out what was going on pretty quickly once the lesser-demon bodies started piling up. They’d known Ma her whole life, but they were appalled that she’d taken up with a man like our father. One who had taken advantage of them at every turn in the beginning. When Astaroth took Father, they came in the night, dragged her from bed, never mind that she had children to look after, and tied her to a stake. Do I need to elaborate on what happened after that?” Wystan swept his hand through his hair. The corded muscles in his neck bulged with anger.
Rhia shook her head. “But what about the three of you?”
“Four.” Eban stared at the floor. “We had a sister.”
She didn’t ask what had happened to their sister. She didn’t think she could stand hearing so much tragedy in one afternoon. The anger in Wystan’s eyes faded into sorrow so deep his indigo blue eyes looked shattered. Rhia leaned forward and touched his bare arm. A shock sizzled through her fingertips. Wystan jerked back, suspicion in his gaze.
“Sorry,” she murmured, rubbing her thumb against her fingers. Almost like static, but different. Pleasant, somehow.
“You can’t tell us that you want to stay here. It isn’t safe.” Wystan straightened, a fierce and proud warrior prepared for another fight, despite his bandaged shoulder. “We could lend you money and get the three of you on your way.”
Rhia bit back a humorless laugh. “Take money from a half demon. Exactly how much soul would that require in return for a favor?”
“We’re not like that.” Eban looked hurt by the accusation. “We don’t want anything from you.”
“Good, because I could have let that changesteed eat Wystan.” Let them think about that.
Wystan laughed. “It was as good as dead without any help from you. And since we’re counting favors, I already saved you from a barghest. The changesteed barely makes us even.”
Gone were the sorrowful looks from a moment ago. Eban smiled and Wystan grew haughtier. Rhia wrinkled her nose. “That’s unfair, because I wasn’t aware of the situation before. Had I known the barghest was there, I could have dispatched it myself.”
Their grins widened.
Wystan elbowed his brother in the ribs. “Schoolteacher thinks she can take on a barghest singlehanded. I’d pay to see that.”
“Maybe not killed it, but avoided it.” She didn’t like being teased. “I did keep the changesteed from hurting you worse. You’ll do well to remember it.”
“You’ll have to forgive us, Rhia.” Eban struggled to contain his laughter. “It’s not every day we come across a woman with your grit. Even the female demons who decide to make their homes here aren’t as brave as you. They’re formidable in their own ways, but none would dare take on a full-grown barghest.”
Rhia almost felt proud—would have if the reality of what she’d done wasn’t beginning to sink in. “Then I’ll remind you that I’m not a force to be taken lightly. Perhaps now is a good time to discuss the kind of wage I’d like for teaching.”
“On the weekends, she can accompany Tell on outings. He’ll appreciate an extra gun. She shot it right through the eye, or may I be struck down for lying.”
Wystan’s posture changed as he spoke of her shot. The smile she’d suspected he was capable of came out, brighter than a ray of sunlight. Her heart, formerly in residence in her throat, slid back down where it belonged and thumped inside her rib cage.
How could a man as handsome as Wystan Heckmaster be the son of a brutal demon? He looked angelic with the sun beaming through the window on him.
“What’s the matter, Dead-Eye?” He squinted at her as though she’d sprouted horns.
Rhia realized she was staring. “That’s not funny. In fact, it’s terrible that I had to kill a demon. My biggest concern yesterday was that there wouldn’t be any desks in the schoolhouse.”
“Maybe you can teach the students about defending against demons.” Clearly, he wasn’t finished teasing.
She sighed, remembering all too well how adolescent boys liked to tease. “How am I supposed to explain this to Sylvie? She’s bound to be frightened. And Beryl has the right to decide if she wants to stay. I know she’s still very sick, but maybe she doesn’t want to room with…”
“Demon spawn?” Wystan arched an eyebrow.
“I didn’t say that,” Rhia muttered, rubbing the back of
her neck. It felt hot, as did her face. It was tricky, talking about a man’s heritage when it was so dark.
“One or both of us can be there when you want to have the talk,” Eban offered. “It’ll make it easier for them if they realize you trust us.”
“Both of us? I don’t think so.” Wystan shook his head. “I have better things to do than tell that story again.”
“What story?”
Rhia spun as the skin prickled across her body. A man in buckskin breeches, knee-high moccasins, a blue checkered shirt that matched his eyes, and a leather vest and hat leaned against the door frame. He grinned at her and touched the brim of his hat.
“Aren’t you pretty? What hole did you crawl out of?”
“Tell. Manners.” Eban’s voice was chastising, but his face showed his relief.
“About time you got back, little brother. Like it or not, we’ve got ourselves a schoolteacher.” Wystan stepped up beside Rhia. “We call her Dead-Eye Duke. She’s almost as handy with a rifle as you are with that crossbow.”
Chapter Nine
Tell ate with his fingers in a way that suggested he’d forgotten everything Wystan and Eban had tried to teach him after their parents died. No matter how many times they corrected his carefree ways, Tell resisted. Rhia had the grace to pretend she didn’t notice. However, that didn’t stop her from sneaking looks at Wystan’s chest. He guessed she wasn’t used to half-naked men, but she didn’t seem to object to the sight either. Despite the itching burn changesteed venom left in his skin, he was amused by her furtive glances.
He explained their encounter with the changesteed to Tell.
Tell soaked a piece of bread with the remains of his stew and looked up. “It used my voice? They’re getting smarter.”
“It was a fair impression,” Wystan admitted.
“Fair?” Rhia’s eyes widened. “It imitated Sylvie and it couldn’t have known her voice.”
Tell cocked his head. “You mean you brought more than one human here with you?” He eyed Wystan. “Since when are we taking in newcomers?”
“Eban made me do it.”
“I leave for a week and you open the gates. No wonder Astaroth is doubling up on the lessers.” Tell studied Rhia as though he could see through her head. “What about the parasites?”
She shot Wystan a questioning look.
“Eban said they’re clean. All of them.”
“All? More than two? Are we running a convent here?” Tell stood and shoved his plate at Wystan. “Eban, our brother Ebaneezer I-Hate-Violence Heckmaster talked you, Wystan I-Kill-Demons-in-My-Sleep Heckmaster into letting humans stay in town?”
“Beryl’s sick.” Rhia glared at Tell. “Eban said she probably wouldn’t make it if she didn’t get treatment.”
Wystan cleared his throat. “Not parasite sick. Some puny human disease.”
Rhia’s hazel glared turned on him. “A puny human saved you today. Don’t make her regret it.”
“Worse still, you told her about Astaroth. This is serious, Wys.” Tell rubbed the growth of beard on his chin.
Sometimes Wystan found it difficult to believe Tell wasn’t a child any longer. His little brother was five years his junior, but Tell was their most valuable asset in this war. Wystan remembered how his little brother had clung to him the night the mob came for their mother and had begged him to make it all right. It came as no surprise that Tell did what he wanted. If Wystan couldn’t fix it, why ask?
“I argued against it. It’s Eban and Rhia that made their cases. All blame shifts to him. Besides, the Yues want Thomas Jefferson to get an education. I spoke to Zaïre this morning and she admitted she’s fine with it. Wants Mila to learn too.”
Tell’s mouth opened, then snapped shut. “Mila? TJ might stand a chance in the outside world, but Mila? She can’t wander around out there. People would find out.”
“Zaïre knows that, but she said she wouldn’t hold Mila back if it’s what she wants. And Mila wants to be like everyone else.” Wystan felt bad for the little girl. He understood the importance of being treated the same. It hadn’t been easy growing up with the knowledge that his father was a demon.
“What’s wrong with Mila?” Rhia looked between them.
“Nothing. Heart of gold.” Tell’s gaze dropped to the floor as he muttered.
“Darlin’ little girl. Couldn’t ask for a prettier face.” Wystan winced at his own words.
“Wystan.”
The schoolteacher voice again. He met her eyes reluctantly. How could a woman who stood a couple of inches over five feet tall make him feel like a boy? He, who as Tell pointed out, didn’t hesitate to destroy demons. Maybe it had something to do with the gun she carried.
“You’d better tell her. Don’t want her shocked come the first day of school.” Tell looked half-amused as though he pictured the event.
Wystan hesitated. “She’s an echidna. Part girl, part serpent.”
Rhia’s face blanched.
“You’d never know, unless you happened to see under her dress. Just the lower half is serpent. Otherwise, angelic face, bright as a candle flame. Zaïre is very proud of her.” Mila was probably as smart as Thomas Jefferson. And her snake body didn’t prevent her from doing anything the other kids did, except climbing trees. She was a hell of a swimmer.
“I never thought…the Yues look so human and you three…who else looks like a demon?” Rhia’s voice was almost a whisper.
“There are only two other families with children in town. Howard and Ella Wright are abarimon. Looks like someone put their feet on backward. They’re fast though. A little savage. Two children, Howie Junior and Mary. And a family of peris—a sort of fairy—who don’t have what you’d think of as a traditional marriage. They’re a group, but among them there’s only one child right now. They call her Nancy and they’re proud of her.” Wystan watched Rhia’s face change from startled to amazed. The freckles across the bridge of her nose danced as she wrinkled her brow and frowned. “You’ll meet them all soon enough.”
“I hope she doesn’t get eaten. Sometimes I think Howie doesn’t remember that other demons aren’t lunch. I don’t know what he’ll do with a human.” Tell used a knife considerably smaller than Wystan’s to clean beneath his nails.
“I’m sure that won’t come about.” Rhia frowned at him. “I’ll be sure to include manners as part of their lessons. Maybe you’d care to attend those sessions, Tell.”
He grinned. “She has fire. That ought to give her a fair chance at lasting more than a week here.”
“Wystan’s allowed me six weeks, thank you.” Rhia put her nose in the air. “Seems to me the three of you could have used a teacher with a stronger hand when you were boys. Tempers and bad manners and weapons all over the place.”
Wystan suppressed a sigh. “Tell, go clean up. You smell like the backside of a buffalo.”
“Good to be back.” Tell slapped Wystan on the shoulder as he passed. “Rhia, I look forward to shooting barghests with you soon.”
He winked at her and a dark blush colored Rhia’s face. Wystan couldn’t say why he wanted to punch Tell, but the urge almost smothered his rational mind.
“Overgrown boy.”
“Are you all right?” Rhia gestured at his shoulder. “I should have shot it sooner.”
“I was handling it.” The pain in his shoulder was minimal—the benefit of demon blood.
She stiffened. “I think you were enticing others with your blood. It seemed to me that it fully intended to eat you.”
“They can try. I’ve got a little more bite than they like.” He grinned as he thumbed the end of his bowie knife.
She didn’t seem to find the humor in his words. Her eyes flickered away from his face to his chest. “It appears you’ve had plenty of encounters with demons over the years.”
“Someone had to look ou
t for the rest of the family.” Her gaze was like a caress, lingering on his muscles, warming his blood. “Eban carries the saber and he’ll use it when he has to, but he prefers healing to sending demons back to Hell. Tell’s different, tougher. Eban’s patched us up more times than we can count. Astaroth figured the humans wouldn’t allow us to live. He called his minions back to the kingdom before Ma died. His attempts to stop us are feeble. A sure sign he doesn’t think we’re much of a threat.”
He’d forced Eban, Tell, and Sandra into the cellar when the townspeople came for their mother. He didn’t regret it—he’d never forget his mother’s screams. The anger and hatred he felt would never weaken. It drove him to destroy every creature Astaroth sent, and one day, when he was strong enough, when he’d gotten his fill of beating back demons, he’d go to Hell himself and take care of his old enemy.
“I’m sorry about what happened to your family. What your father did was courageous.” Rhia’s hazel eyes reflected her sadness.
“It was ignorant. He was lucky to get away with it as long as he did. Falling in love with a human woman guaranteed his death. Hers too.” Had his father thought of that? He couldn’t have imagined he’d get away with pretending forever.
She looked stunned. “I’d say it was fortunate. If he hadn’t met your mother and had children, who would prevent the demons from rising up?”
“Some other poor bastard. Or no one at all.” The knife on his hip seemed heavy. He’d often wondered what it would be like to be a normal man. To look forward to starting his own family and the mundane chores regular humans did. “You can’t understand what lying awake at night wondering what the next demon to attack you or your kid brothers and sister will be.”
“No. I always knew what the monster waiting for me and Sylvie was.” She stepped forward. “We spent so much time being hungry, cold, and frightened. I’m grateful I have her, even though I know she’s had a difficult childhood because I couldn’t do better for her.”
The raw emotion in her voice made his temper dissipate. She’d put her sister and herself at risk to come here. Greater risk than she could have anticipated. For some reason, her confession made him want to tell her his darkest secrets.
Wystan Page 7
