Demon Spell

by Georgia Tribell

  *****

  “Son of a bitch.” Midnight grumbled as he lowered the prototype, pulled his rapid-fire pistol, and fired.

  The demon charging them disintegrated into a cloud of dust. Midnight holstered his gun and was damn thankful tonight was slow.

  “Did the prototype jam again?” Natalie’s voice reached him from several feet away.

  “Yeah,” Midnight cursed as he removed the lodged slug from the weapon and struggled to load another. Her instincts about the gun had been correct. It wasn’t ready for testing. “Who designed this piece of shit?”

  “Scott Gibbson.” Her words were cold and sharp.

  “Should’ve known. On your worst day you couldn’t have designed something this bad.” He finally managed to reload the gun and looked up.

  She smiled. “Thanks, for the compliment…I think.”

  Her hair shimmered in the moonlight and he had an overpowering urge to close the distance between them, pull her into his arms, and kiss her. Movement behind her caught his attention before he could act on the impulse. “O’Hara, move your ass.”

  He raised the prototype as she moved out of the way. He fired, but only managed to wound the Hastong. The angry beast moved faster. For the first time all night, the Annihilator-4A ejected the spent bullet and chambered a new round without jamming. Midnight was grateful because there wasn’t time to pull another weapon.

  Demon Spell – Chapter 5

  The Hastong was moving fast and furious toward Midnight. The demon ran on all fours and was faster than a cheetah but built like a lion. Natalie pulled her rapid-fire pistol in case Midnight missed or the damn prototype hung–up again. Last month a Hastong managed to hit Midnight with one of the dart–like projectiles it could launch from indentations in its shoulders. She raised her weapon, not willing to let Midnight take another dart. She’d never been so freaking scared in her life. She watched as Midnight took aim and pulled the trigger.

  The Annihilator-4A exploded.

  She covered her face with her arms as pieces of the gun flew through the air. When she uncovered her face, Midnight was on the ground with the Hastong across his chest.

  Neither one was moving.

  The Hastong hadn’t turned to ash, which meant it wasn’t dead. She couldn’t tell if Midnight was alive or not. Forcing down her fear, she switched the rapid–fire to her left hand and pulled the dagger from her boot with her right hand.

  Her heart pounded as she cautiously approached the pair. She moved silently and cautiously toward Midnight and the beast. With every step she prayed he was alive and that she could kill the Hastong before it could do more damage to Midnight. She gripped the dagger tight and waited for the perfect moment so she could plunge the dagger into the beast’s heart. She watched Midnight’s face closely for any movement and finally saw his eyelids flutter.

  “Midnight, don’t move. The Hastong is on top of you.” She whispered as she continued to close the distance.

  His eyes opened, and he glared at her. She read his expression, and knew he wanted her to stay away. He opened his mouth, no doubt to warn her away, but she silenced him by putting her index finger over her lips. Another two feet and she could put the beast down for good.

  The Hastong must have read her mind because it picked that moment to lift its head and bare its teeth at Midnight. Reacting quickly, Midnight wrapped his left arm about the demon’s neck. It started clawing and snapping at him. Natalie closed the distance in a rush. Dropping to her knees, she shoved the dagger deep into the Hastong’s heart. The beast howled once and then exploded into a cloud of demon–ash.

  Natalie closed her eyes and held her breath as the air cleared. Demon–Ash didn’t bother those from Torlin, but for those from Earth, too much was like an acid trip gone terribly wrong. When she couldn’t hold her breath any longer, she opened her eyes and got her first good look at Midnight.

  Her heart almost stopped.

  Blood covered the right half of his face and his right shoulder looked like raw meat. She dug her emergency radio from her pocket and flipped the on switch. The radio sent a signal to all the team leaders and medics, letting them know there was an emergency. The device also worked as a GPS locator.

  “Natalie.” Midnight’s voice was a whisper.

  She looked down at him as she shrugged out of her coat and draped it across him. His body shook and he groaned. She pulled her shirt over her head, folded it and pressed it to the worst of the bleeding on his head. “Midnight, open your eyes and talk to me.”

  The radio beside her crackled and Erik’s voice filled the air. “O’Hara, status report now.”

  “Midnight’s down…head wound and severe shoulder injury. He’s bleeding profusely and I believe he’s going into shock.” It took all her training and control to keep from breaking down.

  “Ash…tell him about the ash.” Midnight’s voice was forced and nothing more than a whisper.

  She looked down into his now blue–and–silver swirling eyes. “Erik, there’s ash everywhere. I had to take down a Hagston with my dagger. We’re both covered in it.”

  “O’Hara, you’ve got to step back. Get away from the ash and get it off of you.” Erik’s voice held more concern than she’d ever heard. “We’re on our way.”

  “I’m not leaving him. Don’t ask again.” Natalie pressed her shirt tighter against the gash in his head that just kept bleeding. She had no idea if it was doing any good. He was bleeding from so many places. Never had a test gone so horrible wrong.

  Midnight’s left hand wrapped about her arm. “Erik’s right. You need to go.”

  “No! I’m not leaving you.” She couldn’t leave him – not like this.

  “Natalie, I’m changing. Can’t stop it. You’ve got to go.” His words were starting to slur as his eyes grew more silver than blue. “Don’t want to hurt you.”

  Demon eyes looked up at her. She placed a hand over his heart and felt his chest ripple. “I’m not leaving and I’m not afraid. You won’t hurt me.”

  He put his left hand over hers and she instantly felt his struggle. His eyes went from silver to blue and then they closed.

  Panic welled up inside her. “Midnight! Open your eyes!”

  Strong arms wrapped about her and lifted her out of the way. “Midnight!”

  “They’ve got it from here, Natalie.” Thor’s voice was as strong as the arms he had wrapped about her.

  She stood next to Thor and watched as Erik and Navida worked on Midnight. Her body started to shake.

  Thor draped his coat about her shoulders. “Is that your blood or his?”

  Her heart kicked into overdrive like an Indy 500 Nascar coming off the starting line. “His.”

  “Did he change?” The panic in Thor’s voice managed to distract her from the scene in front of her.

  “He started to but then he passed out.” She reached out and grabbed onto Thor’s arm as her world began to tilt.

  Thor ran a hand through her hair. “Shit, you’re still covered in ash.”

  Her vision started to blur and Thor’s words no longer made sense to her muddled brain. Even as she leaned more into Thor, she watched as Erik stood and helped Midnight to his feet. She knew she had to be hallucinating because there was no way Midnight could already be standing. But then Midnight walked toward her and wrapped his good arm about her. He pulled her tight against his chest and she could feel the beat of his heart. She let herself rest against his warm, firm body as her mind drifted further into darkness. Even though a part of her brain knew this wasn’t real, she took comfort in the hallucination because if Midnight was with her, she was safe.

  The End.

  Dear Reader–

  I hope you enjoyed this free standalone short story and for more reading fun I’ve included the prologue and first chapter of Demon Magic. In Demon Magic you’ll get to see how Midnight and Natalie resolve the ever growing tension between them. You’ll like the resolution – I promise. Another promise is if you buy Demon Magic y
ou will not be paying for what you read in Demon Spell. Demon Spell and Demon Magic are two separate stories, with one preceding the other. The only things you’ll recognize are the following prologue and first chapter to Demon Magic, and a few references back to the exploding gun.

  Read on my friend–

  Georgia T.

  Demon Magic

  Demon Magic

  by

  Georgia Tribell

  Demon Magic – Prologue

  From the moment those on Earth learned there was a true possibility of time travel, being the first to achieve this goal became the new Space Race. Governments and scientists alike gave little thought to the ramifications. They failed at time travel but succeeded in opening the portals between the parallel worlds of Torlin and Earth.

  Torlin is a world of humans and human–demon hybrids. Some of these hybrids maintain control of their demon side, retaining their humanity and the ability to transform between human and demon. Others, known as rogue–demons, are evil incarnate. For centuries, a battle for power has raged between the humans and rogue–demons on Torlin. With the opening of the portals, this battle has now spread to Earth. Every full–moon, when the portal between these two worlds opens, the rogue–demons storm through to inflict their reign of terror on the inhabitants of Earth.

  Those from Torlin who track down and kill these gargoyle–like demons are known as Demon–Hunters. Many from this elite fighting force now call Earth home. These men and women spend most of their days training the few from Earth who posses the necessary skills to become a Demon–Hunter. This new combined team works together against a never ending evil.

  Surprisingly, even in the darkest hours of night and battle, love can take hold. When it does, these strong men and women often find themselves on a journey more frightening than the demons they hunt.

  Demon Magic – Chapter One

  Natalie O’Hara saved the data on her workstation to her encrypted portable hard drive and looked at the time. “Damn.”

  “What’s wrong?” Dr. Zoran Hickerman, her Torlin counterpart, asked from his desk.

  “I’m not ready to leave and you know Midnight, he’ll be here on time and not a blasted second later.”

  Midnight Goodman was an arrogant, motorcycle–riding, demon–hunting Torlin who’d been a thorn in her side for the last six months. She ran her hands through her hair, mussing it more than it already was and then quickly twisted it into a haphazard bun, securing it with a long metal wand.

  Her job was development and testing of newly designed weapons for use on Earth, which meant she divided her time between the two parallel worlds. Spending a full–moon cycle in one world and then traveling through the portals when they opened on the night of Earth’s next full–moon. The bouncing back and forth between the two worlds was starting to get old. She really missed Houston and the friendships she developed there more with each trip. Add to that the isolation she was forced to endure here on Torlin, along with a totally unreasonable boss and her job was starting to feel more like a prison sentence rather than something she enjoyed.

  “Why don’t you request another Demon–Hunter to work with?” Zoran asked. “It’s not like there aren’t others.”

  “You know I don’t have a choice who I work with. He’s the weapons expert assigned to Houston.”

  Midnight was the best hunter she’d ever worked with and she wasn’t ready to give that up. She’d never tell him; his ego was already big enough.

  “Then ask to be assigned to another location. Houston isn’t the only place you can work from,” Zoran pointed out as he closed and latched one of the cases.

  Natalie didn’t respond because she knew Zoran was right. She could request another test site but deep down she didn’t want to. Despite the fact that Midnight drove her crazy and made her want to pull her hair out, there wasn’t anyone else she’d rather work with. He gave insightful and constructive criticism, ninety–eight percent of the time, but mostly he made her feel safe when working the streets.

  “Would you go finish packing the ammo cases and make sure none of the seals are broken on the canisters?” She asked instead. What she needed right now was a moment alone to prepare for Midnight’s arrival. The man had a way of rattling her nerves to the very core and scrambling her normal logical thought process.

  As if her mind had conjured the man out of thin air, Midnight walked through the door.

  “There she is, Little Miss Mayhem. Let’s get this over with.” Midnight walked across the room as if he owned the place.

  Sarcasm dripped from his every word as he crossed the room to stop beside her. She frowned, turning her head to look up into cold dark blue eyes. Oh yeah, the man liked working with her as much as she did him – not.

  She took a deep steady breath before replying. “I’m not ready to go. If that’s a problem, deal with it.”

  He crossed his arms over his broad muscular chest. “The portal only opens during a full–moon, O’Hara, so don’t tell me you didn’t know you’d be traveling today.”

  She glared at the man. “Stop fussing like an old woman. We have a ten–hour window.”

  Midnight narrowed his eyes at her. “Damn it, O’Hara, I’ve got more important work to do back on Earth than babysitting your ass through the portal.”

  “Don’t speak to Natalie that way,” Zoran demanded from the back of the room, surprising Natalie. She’d forgotten he was still there.

  Midnight turned his head and gave Zoran a long, considering look. “She knows I’m kidding.” He turned back to her and winked. “Don’t you, darling?”

  Natalie stared at Midnight, wondering if her hearing was playing tricks on her. Had he just called her ‘darling’? And exactly what was with the wink? Before she could say anything, he’d slipped an arm about her waist, pulled her snug against his body and began to caress her hip slowly with his large warm hand.

  She went perfectly still as her thoughts scattered to the far corners of the universe and heat spread through her body.

  “Zoran, why don’t you be a good guy and go finish packing for Dr. O’Hara.” Midnight’s voice deepened into a slight snarl.

  Zoran narrowed his eyes before tossing down the paperwork he held and storming out of the room. The sound of the door slamming pulled Natalie from her trance. She pushed Midnight’s hand off her hip as she stepped away from him.

  “What the hell was that? You trying to cop a feel or what? I should write you up for sexual harassment.”

  Her heart raced and she could still feel where their bodies touched. The unexpected sexual pull was powerful and frightening. She so didn’t need this.

  He crossed his arms over his chest and continued to glower at the door. “I don’t like him.”

  “Did you not hear what I just said? Or do my words matter so little?” She wanted to walk over and shake the man she was so aggravated with him.

  He turned to study her with those piercing blue eyes that saw way too much but never gave anything away. “Everything you say is important.”

  She frowned, caught off guard by the unexpected sincerity in his tone. “Well you’re wrong about Zoran. He’s a nice guy, even if he’s a little different.” And smothering, she thought.

  The corners of Midnight’s mouth lifted ever so slightly in a sneer. “Only time will tell who’s right.”

  She turned her back to him and started stowing her final items in her bag. “Just because you don’t like him, isn’t a reason to treat him badly.”

  “Again, your opinion, which happens to be wrong by the way. I’m glad he’s staying here.” Midnight’s voice was the low rumble of a predator.

  Natalie laughed as she turned back to him. “Well the joke’s on you because he’s coming with us.”

  Midnight frowned at her. “That’s not what my paperwork said.”

  “It’s a last–minute change. There wasn’t time to notify you. I’m happy he’s able and willing to go, otherwise I’d get zero sleep this next cycle.”
>
  “Well, if you’re happy then I’m happy.” Midnight’s voice dripped with unrestrained disdain as he turned and looked about the lab. “Now where’s your latest torture device, Miss Mayhem?”

  Her fingers tightened about the Demon–Sensor in her hand. She so wanted to toss it at the man’s head, but it would have been the waste of good equipment. Maybe Zoran was correct and she needed to request a new partner. The tension between her and Midnight seemed to be growing at an increasingly rapid rate since the Annihilator–4A accident. It wasn’t her fault the prototype had over heated and blown up on him, they’d both been forced to test the weapon despite their misgivings.

  “Over on the workbench and I hope you upped your medical coverage.”

  She watched him walk to the bench and wondered why his personality couldn’t match his great body. The man was six foot three inches of hunky–sexy–god–like good looks. From his shoulder–length black hair to his broad shoulders, six–pack abs, long legs and very fine ass, he oozed sex appeal. Too bad she wasn’t able to look past the stubborn, single–minded, he–man personality.

  “Nope, told them you’d be covering all future medical bills.” He moved to stand before her latest revision resting in its case on the counter. As she watched, he picked up the new–and–improved Annihilator–6D and sighted down the barrel. “Is this one going to overheat and blow up on me also?”

  If he was trying to make her feel guilty about the accident a couple cycles back, it wasn’t going to work. In this job, the disclaimer read you would get hurt.

  “It might,” she replied not keeping the irritation out of her voice. “So you should think about learning to shoot left–handed. That way you have matching scars.”

  Midnight lowered the weapon and she wondered if she’d gone too far with that last statement. After all, some of those scars he bore were her fault — indirectly. She wasn’t proud the previous prototype had malfunctioned. She’d spent more time in the hospital recovering than he had and she hadn’t even been holding the weapon when it blew. Injury came with the territory. She had her own scars to prove it.

  He returned the weapon to its case. “On second thought, I’ll wait for you at the portal. Don’t be late.”

  Natalie watched his back disappear down the corridor and wanted to scream. For as much as she hated the constant barbs they tossed back and forth when they were together, she despised the silent treatment even more.

  To be continued…

  I hope you enjoyed this excerpt. To continue reading Midnight and Natalie’s story select one of the following links and enjoy.

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  Read on my friend,

  Georgia T.