The Devil's Soldier

by Rachel McClellan

  He concentrated and expanded his mind, focusing only on Eve. On her face, skin the color of an Akoya pearl, her eyes that seemed to know the secret to the universe, her long neck, the way she smiled sometimes for no reason of all. He imagined tracing his fingers up the length of her arm and to the hollow of her neck He imagined his lips against hers.

  Suddenly, his consciousness appeared somewhere else. He was in a small room with bare, white walls and tan carpet. Eve was lying in the middle of the room, stretched out on a massage table. Her hands, feet, and neck were tied to the table. Other than being bound, she didn't appear to be hurt.

  "Eve?" Lucien went to her, but his hands passed right through her. "Can you hear me?"

  Her eyes fluttered open, and she smiled. "You're here, aren't you? Oh, Lucien. I've missed you so much!"

  "Eve?"

  "You probably have a million questions," she said, obviously not able to hear him, only sense his presence, "and I want to answer them, but there isn't much time. Lex is calling Boaz."

  Lucien's eyes flashed to the door, and he balled his fists.

  "But it's okay for now. Lex doesn't know who I am, other than I'm a witch. My guess is he's giving me to Boaz, so Boaz can take my magic. He must be pretty desperate if he's got a guy finding witches for him."

  Lucien tried again to touch Eve, but it was useless. Or was it? He thought back to when Eve had saved him when he'd been left for dead in a storage unit. Even though her consciousness was all that was with him, she'd managed to free him. If she could do it, then he should be able to too.

  "No matter what happens, Lucien," she said, "I need to get out of here before Boaz comes. You're probably already trying to find a way to untie me right now. Normally you could with enough time and magic, but something has been done to this room. It's impermeable to magic. Believe me, I've already tried."

  Lucien groaned in frustration.

  "This is what needs to happen. You need to find me. I'm not sure I'm even at the club anymore, but I think so. I thought I heard music as Lex left the room. As soon as you find me, I'm going to have to disappear. I can't be here when Boaz comes." She took a deep breath. "I hope you understand. As much as I want to—"

  The door opened and in walked a tall man with blond hair. "Boaz is eager to meet you, Laura. He's always excited to meet new witches."

  Lucien caught a glimpse of the outside of the room before the door closed. They were definitely still in the club. A bass drum, though muffled, thumped in the distance, and a few people were standing at the end of a long hallway holding glasses in their hands.

  "You never told me, Lex," Eve said, "what exactly do you do for witches?"

  Lex trailed his finger down her bare leg. "As a Vyel, I'm able to manipulate their magic—make it stronger, weaker, cloak it, steal it. Vyels love magic and we really are the only ones who know how to manipulate it, more than the majority of witches."

  "But how does that help us?"

  Lucien wanted to stay and listen, but he had to get Eve out of there. He appeared back in the janitorial closet, gasping for air as his consciousness returned to his body. He removed his phone and texted Charlie.

  Where are you?

  A second later, a text from Charlie appeared: North side, in the corner. I need you to see something.

  Lucien hurried to him, once again diving in and out of the buzzing hive.

  "Eve's in the building," Lucien yelled to Charlie to be heard over the music. "We have to get her out now. Boaz is on his way."

  Charlie pointed to the top of a circular staircase. "I think she's up there."

  Lucien glanced to the top. "It's just a dumb prop."

  "I'm serious! I know it looks like it's going into the ceiling, but something is happening up there. Open your magical eyes, and you'll see it."

  Lucien frowned, but did as Charlie asked. Magic's familiar warmth rushed through his body, creating a deeper, more vibrant world around him. The auras of everyone in the club glowed all different colors. Supernaturals were easily identified by brighter hues. He glanced upward, and his mouth dropped open. There was a second level to the club!

  "You're right," Lucien said and placed his foot on the first stair. "There's another floor and a bunch of Supernaturals up there. That must be where Lex is holding Eve."

  "I'm going, too."

  "You can't. All those Supernaturals up there will know you're a human the moment you step foot up there. It's too risky. Besides, my goal isn't to bring Eve with us. She has to disappear, just like we need to the moment she's free. Boaz is coming."

  Charlie's Adam’s apple moved up and down. "Save her then. Now. I'll be at the Deific."

  Lucien didn't say goodbye. He hurried up the stairs, then slowed his movements as he reached the top. The last thing he needed right now was to stand out.

  He stepped onto the second floor and walked through the parted curtains as if he'd been there a thousand times. Music was playing, but it was very different from the pop song blaring downstairs. This music was dark and slow, matching the ambiance of the room. Red rope lighting traced the edges of the ceiling, and that, combined with fire-lit torches on the wall, gave the faces of the many Supernaturals an eerie quality.

  Some of the Supernaturals were dancing, but a few of them were huddled in small groups, mostly sticking to their kind. Werewolves were seated in the corner on a circular black leather sofa. Fae was near them, their eyes constantly flashing to the werewolves. A woman with long black hair—a siren, Lucien guessed—was sandwiched between two well-dressed vampires. One of them was licking her neck.

  Lucien sauntered about the room, but he was having a difficult time keeping his breathing even. Boaz was coming. Eve had nearly died trying to get away from him once before, so Lucien could only imagine how she must be feeling right now.

  He was about to open a door at the back when a tall man with white hair appeared in front of him so fast that Lucien stumbled back.

  "Tonight is just full of surprises," the man said, smiling an obnoxious grin. "You're new here. Welcome. My name is Lex."

  Lucien thought quickly. "I need a fix."

  "Oh, yeah? What kind? Because I sense you are already juiced up. I can practically taste your magic on my tongue." Lex lifted his hand as if to touch Lucien's cheek.

  "Touch me, and I'll rip your heart out."

  Lex laughed uncomfortably and cleared his throat. "You know, I think I might have the perfect thing for you. How would you like to check out one of our back rooms?"

  "Lead the way."

  Lex spun on his polished boots and opened the door behind him. A hallway with closed doors on each side stretched long. Lucien followed behind, opening his hearing to anything that may lie beyond.

  Lex glanced back over his shoulder. "How did a vampire like you borrow so much magic? I'm surprised you're even able to walk."

  "Magic from a powerful witch, I guess," Lucien said.

  "Interesting. But who transferred it into you? You'd need a Vyel to do that, and with there being just a few of us left, I think I would've heard of a vampire wielding this much magic."

  Most of the rooms they passed were silent, but faint humming carried from behind one closed door. Eve. She must know he was looking for her. As they passed by Eve's room, Lucien bolted lightning quick to snap Lex's neck. Lex caught his wrist and laughed.

  "You think you're the first vampire who has tried to kill me? Have you seen where I work?" He kicked at Lucien's chest, hard.

  Lucien fell backwards, but with his arm still being held in a death grip, it popped out of his shoulder joint.

  "This is what I do, my gift," Lex said and kicked Lucien again.

  Lucien bit down on his jaw, stifling a cry. Eve didn't need to know what was going on just outside her door. With his right arm still held by Lex's death grip, Lucien swung his left arm up, hoping to connect it with Lex's face. Lex easily dodged it. Lex used Lucien's own hand to punch Lucien in the face, breaking his nose.

  "Vampires ar
e so stupid," Lex said. "Always thinking their speed and strength are the superior power. And yet, here you are, full of magic, and you don't even know how to use it."

  Lucien, his head down, expanded his mind, filling his entire body with the magic that was always there, coursing through his veins. If Lex wanted magic, he'd give it to him.

  "Who said I didn't know how to use it?" Lucien snapped his head up and mouthed the word cohibeo.

  Lex's body jerked tight and was dragged backwards by an invisible force.

  Lucien jumped to his feet and crammed his arm back into its socket. He stepped to Eve's door, but a sudden and sharp pain stabbed the inside of his mind. He dropped to his knees, clutching his head.

  "I don't know who you are," Lex said as he casually walked toward him as if he hadn't been bound seconds before, "but someone special will be here soon, and I'm pretty sure he's going to want to meet you."

  With the searing pain in his head, Lucien had a hard time finding his magic. A hard thump to the back of his head made it even more difficult.

  Lucien fell face forward.

  "I've got an empty room at the end just for you," Lex said. He picked up Lucien's foot and dragged him forward. Lucien's face slid along the thin carpet.

  Even though Lucien's body was paralyzed, the nauseating pain persisted. If he was going to get himself and Eve out of here alive, he needed to block Lex's magical assault against his mind. Henry had taught him how to do this, if he could just relax despite the searing heat exploding in his brain.

  Needing something to anchor him, Lucien thought of Eve. He imagined her back at Eden, her private sanctuary, sitting on a beach smiling and surrounded by tropical trees and budding flowers. How many times had he dreamed he was with her on that same beach? It was the only thing that kept him alive during the weeks he laid at the bottom of the ocean after she had fallen from the cliff. It had calmed him then, and it was having the same affect now.

  With his mind calm, Lucien was able to feel out Lex's magic inside his mind. It was a dark parasite that was not only sucking his magic, but also using its stringy tentacles to cause him pain. Lucien produced the image of a shiny knight, his sword raised high. The knight raced around inside Lucien's mind, slicing and cutting at the plague of dark magic inside of him, and finally, with one final blast of energy, Lucien expelled the parasite once and for all.

  He rose from the ground.

  Lex turned around slowly, his eyes wide with fear.

  Lucien raised a single finger. Lex's body flew through the air until it smashed against the wall at the end of the hall. The square light fixture above him began to shake until it snapped free from the wall. Lucien mentally divided the metal square into four parts and send them whizzing through the air until they pierced Lex to the wall, one through each shoulder and one through each knee. Lex screamed. Lucien quickly used magic to close his mouth before anyone heard him over the loud music blaring from outside the hall.

  Lucien raced to Eve's door and kicked it down. He didn't mean to pause, but the moment his eyes met hers, it was as if his heart began beating for the very first time.

  "Lucien," she said, tears welling in her sea-green eyes.

  He jerked into action and tore the restraints from her chest and legs. She scrambled to her feet and stood inches from him.

  "There's so much I want to say—"

  Lucien pressed his mouth to hers. Talking could wait. Eve was here. Alive and in his arms.

  Eve kissed him back just as fiercely, both of them needing it just as bad as the other. Her skin was warm and familiar beneath his touch, igniting his body with an intense and pleasurable heat.

  It took all the will power he had to let her go. "You need to leave. Now."

  She nodded reluctantly, but still continued to stare into his eyes.

  "Go!" Lucien said, even though all he wanted was to take her back into his arms.

  Eve bolted through the door, but stopped suddenly. She glanced back and said, "I love you."

  And then she was gone.

  9

  Eve reappeared just inside a hotel lobby near the bathrooms where she wouldn't be seen. She had been in this hotel once before years earlier with Liane, her distant witch cousin and best friend at the time. They had attended a party in the penthouse suite. Eve shuddered when the image of the human girl they had hurt came to mind. Liane had been particularly cruel, shoving the girl down the stairs simply because she had tried to stand up against their harsh words.

  Other than a man and woman speaking to a lady at the front desk, the lobby was empty. A clock in the corner had just chimed its twelve strokes of midnight. Eve didn't feel the late hour. It felt like she had just woken up from a deep sleep; every part of her was alert and full of energy.

  She headed to the front desk, but she didn't make it all the way. She collapsed into a nearby chair and pressed her fingers to her lips. Lucien. She didn't realize how much she had missed him until she had come face to face with him. She'd kept all of these emotions for him buried the last few months, all to make sure he was safe. If she had felt even a fraction of what she was feeling now, she would have gone to him immediately.

  She couldn't stand being away from him any longer.

  After making sure no one was watching, Eve stepped back into the small entryway into the bathroom and imagined the rooftop belonging to the apartment complex across from the Deific building. In less than a second, she was transported on top of it, next to an old air conditioning unit. It hummed with life, rattling loose screws and bolts.

  She walked to the small ledge. The Deific building was on the other side, and most of the lights were off except for on the first and second floor. No doubt two security guards were on duty in the lobby, but she wondered who was on the second floor at this late hour. Could be Henry and or maybe even Charlie, although she thought Charlie would have been with Lucien.

  Lucien wouldn't be back yet, but she hoped she would be able to see him when he returned. For that to happen, she needed to make sure none of Boaz's followers were watching the Deific.

  She closed her eyes and summoned the magic within in her. When her eyes opened, she looked through magic-filled lenses. The Deific building was aglow with a soft light that radiated upwards, pushing back the darkness of the night. It was a supernatural glow, one created by the good deeds of those who worked with in its walls. But something was tainting it.

  A long black tendril resembling the thorny branches of a rose bush had wrapped itself around the entire building. Parts of its limbs had twisted inside the windows. Lucien may no longer have a spell on him, but the entire Deific building was cloaked in dark magic. If Eve went inside, maybe even if her name was mentioned, Boaz would be alerted. She needed to find the source and eliminate it.

  She surveyed the quiet streets below. Not many cars were out, and even fewer people. Two men in worn clothes were just below her, sitting against the wall of an all-night coffee shop as if they were asleep. There was something off about them that made her spine crawl.

  Just then, the door of the coffee shop opened and a woman stepped out. The top of her head was balding severely. She also felt wrong. Eve concentrated harder. These people weren't humans—not entirely, anyway. They were Diablos, demons who have taken over human bodies. It wouldn't be long until the Diablos had lost all of their hair, teeth, skin color—anything that made them human. Eve sensed more of them within the coffee shop. Although disturbing, they were not the cause of the dark magic currently infiltrating the Deific. Most likely, they were there because they were attracted to its power.

  Eve walked the perimeter of the rooftop, scanning the area. That's when she spotted it. In an apartment kitty-corner from the Deific, a window was darker than the rest. It wasn't just black in color, but exuded an energy that seemed to smother all light around it. The darkness pulsed with power, making Eve's heart race. It was a power she once had, and it was both alluring and frightening.

  Approaching from the east, Eve sensed ano
ther powerful presence, but it felt the opposite from what she was experiencing now. A smoke-like apparition flew through the air. It was a bright light, a star zooming across the night sky. Only those with magical "eyes" would be able to see its glory.

  Lucien.

  He dove into the alley next to the Deific and materialized together within the darkest of shadows. Eve resisted the urge to rush to him. The dark witch must be dealt with first.

  Eve was about to turn away when the front door of the Deific opened. Charlie and a red-haired man hurried outside and stopped Lucien before he could go inside. Eve focused, but was unable to hear what they were saying—a gift Boaz had denied her when he turned her, not into a vampire, but into an immortal.

  Charlie was motioning across the street to where the Diablos waited. He must have sensed them. Eve wondered if Charlie could also sense the witch's black magic.

  Lucien glanced toward the coffee house, his body tense and fists rolled tight. The red-haired man, who Eve finally recognized as Rick, a vampire Lucien had met in Ireland, handed Lucien a long blade. Lucien crossed the street first, followed by Charlie and Rick. While they took care of the Diablos, she would take of the witch.

  Eve transported herself to a side entrance of the apartment building. Six stories, west corner apartment. That's where she had to go. The door to the building was locked, but she easily used magic to open it. She took the stairs, needing time to formulate a plan. Whoever this witch was, he or she needed to be captured, not killed. This might her best lead to finding Boaz.

  By the fifth flight of stairs, Eve was gasping for breath. Not because she was tired, but because dark magic was growing stronger and stronger, tainting the air around her. It coated her tongue and pressed against her skin. She blocked it out as best she could, but it was hard to ignore its powerful pull.

  She opened the door to the sixth floor and stepped inside. A hallway stretched long, and the ceiling lights flickered the closer she came to her destination. Her magic must be clashing with the witch's dark power, creating an electrical disturbance.