Demon Soul

by Christine Ashworth

  "I'd wake up feeling dirty. Not rested or refreshed, but tainted. I don't know when she started taking my blood. Not a lot, not ever a lot. But finally one night, her eyes were red with need. She asked me then if I wanted to die and live forever. She...tempted me, said she would free me of my human guilt, my human existence."

  Rose cleared her throat. "She didn't know you were a tribred?"

  He shrugged. "Don't know. But her calling me human shook me out of that waking dream. I cursed her to hell and back. She laughed, told me I was already hers, and reached to me with her mind, implanting the suggestion of knives as she spoke. As a result, she speaks, I get the pain."

  "Oh." Rose looked at him in dismay. "So when you talk to her, mind to mind..."

  "Yeah. It hurts."

  Rose got up from her chair and went around the table to stand behind Gabriel. She wound her arms around him; laid her head on his shoulder, and gave him what comfort she could, ignoring his discomfort. "It's not your fault. What she did was awful."

  "Right. And I was a Boy Scout." Self-loathing filled his words.

  She spoke softly. "You were in pain, not to mention you were very young. You distanced yourself from your family, and you handled the problem in the only way that your sense of honor would allow."

  "Sense of honor." He unwound her arms gently and turned to look at her, holding her away from him. "A full demon raped my mother. Their blood types weren't compatible, and she died while giving premature birth to me. I don't have the full complement of human and Fae DNA in my makeup. Not like the rest of my family. I'm mostly a demon, a killer. Don't make me out to be better than I am."

  Rose ached to hold him close. "I think you're probably one of the best people I know."

  A flash of emotion showed in Gabriel's eyes before he let her go and turned from her. "Yeah, well. You've just come back from the dead. You're not at your best mentally right now." He stood and moved to the doorway, Rose trailing after him.

  "You've got a pure soul, Gabriel. I should know. I'm carrying a part of it. You haven't lost your humanity. I'm just keeping it safe for you."

  Gabriel hesitated before he said over his shoulder, "I need to get ready for later tonight. I've got some computer work to do before I head out." He left the kitchen, a restless man haunted by too many demons.

  "Hey! Before we head out." Rose scrambled to follow. "What can I do?"

  "Go take a nap, or something. Rest." Gabriel turned into Justin's office and settled himself at the computer.

  Rose followed him into the office. Lined with books, it was a cozy room done in earth tones, with the desk in one corner and a couch and reading chair opposite. Perfect. She settled into a corner of the couch and picked up a book sitting there. She wasn't letting him out of her sight.

  * * *

  Gabriel wanted her with him as much as he wanted her safe. But he couldn't let her stay here alone, and he had no idea when Justin would be back. If she shifted in and out of her demon form again tonight, she'd be too weak to be of much use in a fight if things went bad.

  Which they usually did when vampires were involved.

  Gabriel frowned and looked at his search results. Twisted Sister, rock group. Twisted Pretzel Factory. Twisted Tights Dance Studio. Twist and Shout. Twist Tie Trio. Twist Off the Weight. Doggedly, he continued wading through the sites looking for Satine's nightclub. Three Google pages in, he found just plain Twisted and clicked on it.

  A red page opened up with a black whip snaking out from one corner to lick the T in Twisted, the words By Invitation Only written in elaborate script below it. When he rolled the cursor over the word Invitation, it changed into a hand. Gabriel clicked on the word.

  An address in black popped up, plus an envelope below the address. Curious, Gabriel clicked on the envelope and when it opened, he stared.

  Club Twisted

  welcomes

  Gabriel Caine & Rose Walters.

  Invitation good for 3:00am on this night only.

  "Hell," he said, and closed out the windows. He powered the computer down. "We got an invitation to Satine's club."

  Rose looked up from her book. "That's a bad thing, I guess?"

  "Yeah. Really bad." He turned in the chair to look at her and frowned. She looked good, too good for his self-control. "You should be napping."

  "I will if you will." She raised a brow in challenge.

  "I'm not the one who shifted this evening," he reminded her. "You really need to nap."

  Rose sighed and put the book down. "I guess I need to spell it out for you. I don't feel safe anywhere without you. So I'll nap if you lie down and nap beside me."

  "I don't nap." Irritated, he growled at her. "I'm a demon. Demons don't nap. It's not…seemly."

  "Oh, really." She crossed her arms and raised one brow, amused.

  "Really. Not ever." He rose from his chair and came to her, helped her to her feet. "You, however, really do need to rest. Regain your strength."

  He hustled her down the stairs and to a bedroom before she could protest. One glance at the bed and he felt her sigh in his bones.

  "You're right. I need to rest." She climbed onto the bed, holding fast to his hand. "And you need to rest beside me." Her eyes closed and her breathing evened out.

  Gabriel cursed under his breath. The last thing he should do was the thing he most wanted in the world. He took a step away from her, but her fingers tightened on his. He gave in. If nothing else, touching her kept his demon calm. Shifting her to the middle of the bed, he lay down beside her and gathered her close. If he just kept thinking of her as a child, maybe his body would behave.

  Mentally taking note of the time, he set his internal alarm and allowed his mind to wander.

  He woke slowly to the fresh scent he’d come to associate with her. She’d sprawled across him, a warm bundle of female, her hair tickling his nose. He turned on his side and adjusted her as he moved. She snuggled further into his arms and he just held her, allowed her light to fill him up.

  She made a purring sound low in her throat, somehow a question.

  “I’m awake.”

  Rose raised her head from his chest and smiled at him with a radiance that had him blinking. "What's the plan for tonight?"

  "Recon, an hour or two before we're expected. I want to know what the place looks like and how many we'll be dealing with. Ideally, I'd like to know who's gonna fight when pushed to it, but this isn't an ideal situation."

  "I suppose not." She looked down at the collar of his tee shirt and bit her lip.

  "What is it? Ask. You know you're going to."

  "Are you going in armed?"

  "Yes."

  "Will you arm me?"

  The question brought Gabriel up short. He shifted away from her and sat up. Rose followed suit. "Well?"

  Gabriel looked at her coolly. "Can you shoot? Use a knife? Can you stake a vampire in the heart and not miss?

  "No, yes somewhat, and I don't know. I've never tried. But if you give me lessons," she began.

  "There's no time for lessons. You use the weapons you have. Right now, all you have is the ability to shield your mind and the demon on your body."

  "I'd rather use my wits and a gun. Or a knife. Anything. I just – I don't think I'm ready to be the demon again just yet."

  Gabriel sympathized. "I know. But if you're coming with me, you'd better be prepared to use what you've got. I can give you a knife, but that's all," he added grudgingly. "I must be crazy. I should really leave you behind."

  "No, you shouldn't. You should keep your soul close to you." And Rose blinded him again with her smile.

  * * *

  "We can do this the easy way, or the hard way." Gabriel stood across the street from the club, his arm around Rose. He tried hard to ignore her tight little body pressed up against him. The midnight hour had a surprising amount of foot traffic in this area of town, so they didn't look out of place.

  "Which is which?" she whispered. They'd walked from where they'
d parked Justin's car four blocks away and had stumbled into a pool of light from a flickering streetlight, giggling and pretending to be drunk. It had been her idea, and to his chagrin Gabriel hadn't come back with a better one.

  Gabriel buried his face in her hair, breathed deep. Her scent sank into him, reminding him of the wild sun-filled days of his youth. It was enough to make him drunk. He struggled to answer her. "Easy is just observing from the outside." He nuzzled her neck and felt a tremor go through her. Where her pelvis pressed, her heat seared him.

  "But that won't give you the information you need, will it?" She pressed her nose into his chest and breathed deeply. "Mmmmm."

  She fit in his arms. Felt far too good there. Gabriel yanked on his libido and refocused on her question. "No. So it's the hard way, after all." He took a deep breath and, one finger under her chin, tilted her face up to his. "Promise me you'll run if I tell you to." He kissed her, keeping it light.

  "Yeah. Sure." She licked her lips. "Anything you say." She reached up for another kiss, and this time he couldn't resist her temptation

  Her lips were soft, purposeful, searching as she reached up to him. She tasted of the night and secrets and sorrow, a dark, addictive flavor that he'd craved since their last kiss.

  Heat flared between them. Not flame this time, just old-fashioned sexual heat. Gabriel's arms tightened, holding her closer even as his growing need for her scared him. Pulling away, he murmured, "What am I going to do with you? You don't belong in my world."

  "Neither of us knows where we belong," she said, and kissed his throat. "Maybe together, we could find out."

  Gabriel's heart sank. “It's safer for everyone if I walk alone." He eased away from her, brushed her hair off her cheek. "Let's focus here. We've got a job to do."

  "It's more than just that I'm carrying a part of your soul, Gabriel. You don't have to be alone." She fiddled with his coat buttons, her head bowed.

  His lips twisted. "You have no idea," he said under his breath and turned away, motioning with his shoulder towards the club. "I'd rather avoid the bouncers at the front door. From what I learned off the Internet, our best bet is to go in through the back. There’s a balcony, two doors and a set of windows on the second floor, which is where the legitimate business offices are. If we can get in there, we have a chance to do some real recon. I'll go in and let you know if it's safe."

  "Oh, no you don't," she whispered, her tone no less steely for its softness. "I'm not letting you go in alone."

  Gabriel grimaced over her head. He really didn't want her turning demon. She'd be far safer outside of the club, so he'd leave her there, unable to follow the route he'd planned. But she won't know that until he was up on the second floor balcony, leaving her safe below. "The guards aren't watching us any more. Let's go."

  They wandered back the way they had arrived, arms around each other, giggling. Once out of sight, Gabriel was quick to step aside, refusing to acknowledge the chill left by her absence. "Come on." He set off down the street at a jog.

  "I'll be there in a bit. Shorter legs and all," she called after him.

  Guilt had him slowing until she finally caught up with him.

  "We can do this, you know," she panted.

  "If we get caught, just run, okay? Get gone. Don't wait for me."

  They had gone around the block and now came up to the back of the building, a dark, unkempt parking lot butting into an alley lined in oleander bushes ten feet tall. Two lights burned dim at either corner, creating more shadows than light in the lot. He looked up to where the balcony circled the second story. Yeah, that would work just fine.

  "Now what?" She hissed as they moved forward. “What’s the plan?”

  Gabriel frowned. Her energy was all over the place, amped up somehow, and her aura glowed golden again. How did she do that? Where did it come from? What the hell was she? He could feel her sexual pull on him, stronger now that he'd imprinted the feel of her body on his. He gave a quick look around, grateful that the parking lot remained empty.

  "The plan?" Gabriel gauged the height, the rail of the balcony. "I'll see you in a bit. Stay out of sight, and keep watch. Hide in the bushes. Keep my soul safe." Unable to resist, Gabriel kissed her once, hard, before jumping straight up. He caught the rail and swung over. A quick jimmy of a window and he was in.

  Gabriel followed the scent of demon, opened his senses to see how many were in the building. The upper story was clean, which is why he'd gone in that way. The first floor was mostly human, but beyond that...he caught the mingling scents of blood, sex, and death—the stench of vampire, as well as an energy signature not to be missed.

  Weres.

  Damn it all to hell. He headed toward the emergency stairwell and sped down on silent feet. The scents of sex, of death grew stronger as he descended below street level three floors and counting until the stairs just stopped at a door. He went through it and found himself in a dimly lit, cement hallway.

  They hadn't bothered with paint down here. The long hallway, less than hospitable, had drains spaced five feet apart down the middle. The rooms lining the hallway were empty but he could scent death down here. Despair. Not sex, not here. A part of him drank down the fear that lingered in the air, even as it disgusted him. He hated that part of himself, hated the need that drove him to feed off the fear of others. Yet another reason he'd spent so much time alone.

  Gabriel! Where are you?

  Shocked, Gabriel recognized Rose’s mental voice. Holy hell. Where are you?

  I had to come inside. Demons were patrolling. I'm in the stairwell – Gabriel!

  Damn it to hell. He headed back to the door and pulled.

  All thoughts of Rose fled as the door flew open and three J'aadt demons, looking more like badgers with semi-automatics than humans, aimed straight for his heart.

  "Oh hey guys. I think I'm lost. Is this where I can get some werewolf pussy? That purty gal up front said something about that the last time I was here." He put on a western drawl and looked around, wide-eyed, and noted the close quarters of the hallway landing. It'd do. "Hey, you guys aren't all human, are ya? I'm kinda fucked up myself, ya know. Too much to drink upstairs."

  Gabriel weaved a bit, slapped one of the demons on the shoulder and used him as leverage to kick the far one in the jaw, ripping the gun out of the demon's hands as he turned to look. The one in the middle got a funny look on his face and he went down, his eyes wide with confusion, revealing Rose behind him, jerking her knife out of his back.

  "Hey there," she said, and as one they turned to the demon still alive. Gabriel turned the semi on the demon and shot him, once between the eyes, even as he opened his mouth, showing off all his sharp, pointy teeth and snapping toward Rose’s face. He went down with a grunt of surprise.

  Damn it. Guns hadn't been in his plan. Killing again really hadn't been in his plan. "What the hell are you doing here?" Gabriel hissed the words at Rose, motioning her up the stairway.

  "Get away now. Explanations later," she said as she took the stairs, two at a time. Exhilaration and a strength Gabriel hadn't expected poured off her as they raced up the stairs.

  So far, all remained quiet.

  They had gotten to just below the first floor when Rose stopped, swerved out of the stairwell.

  "Hell." He followed her. "Rose! What the hell?"

  She waved at him to be quiet and stood outside a door three doors in. She leaned against it, closed her eyes and sighed. "We have to help her out." Rose looked at Gabriel, her determination clear. "She's being held prisoner. We've got to rescue her."

  "We'll come back. I promise. There's no time now." All his senses were humming on high alert. "Come on," he urged, and turning, headed back to the stairwell, relieved when she followed him.

  "She's angry," Rose whispered as they continued their race up the stairwell. "She's a werewolf. I think she might be pregnant, too. We've got to contact someone."

  "We will. I promise. Just keep moving." Gabriel never saw the f
ist that came out of the darkness, catching him in the temple, and dropping him like a stone.

  Rose screamed, shades of white-hot anger and fear aimed at the looming shadow between them and safety. She launched herself over Gabriel, her fists at the ready, but before she connected, a shadow came down and she crumpled at the vampire's feet.

  Chapter Eight

  Rose sucked on the pipe, cradled it like a lover. She flicked the lighter again and took another hit deep into her lungs. The rush took her by surprise as it always did, the one-two punch of sexual heat and euphoria as the drug spread. She dropped the lighter and giggled. Saw herself in the mirror opposite the toilet and giggled again. She'd gotten her hair cut short like a boy's. The guys liked it. She ruffled her hand over her head and reached for the glass of vodka, missed the glass, and sent it shattering into the sink. The smell rose, tantalizing her, and with a cry for the lost drink, she shoved her hands into the glass, digging for the alcohol, uncaring of the shards slicing her hands. She licked the vodka off her fingers and spit the glass out, the cuts stinging, still craving more. She'd have to go get the bottle, go into the rest of the house.

  Shhh. Rose giggled quietly, opened the door, and lurched out of the bathroom. Now where was the kitchen? Or did they keep the good stuff in the living room? Which house was she in? Rose looked around, frowning, and looked down at herself. She was naked. Naked, and her hands were wet. She dried them on her stomach, ignoring the pinpricks of pain, and thought hard.

  Shit. Was she supposed to be fucking someone? But no, the house seemed quiet. No music, no smell of weed, no one vomiting in a corner. No one banging anyone else. Must be early morning, then.

  Wobbly, she made her way to the kitchen. Stopped when she saw a man sitting at the table smoking a cigarette. He looked at her with soft grey eyes. She knew him. Knew his broken profile, hair like silk, the scar that dripped down his neck. Memory jabbed, sent a spear of pain just behind her eyes.