“How?”
He steps closer. The power pulsates in the room and it takes everything within me not to step back. Instead, I keep my eye on him, watching him as he stands before me, then leans over. He sniffs at my ear then a slow smile spreads across his face. “You smell different. Different from other humans. And you’re sensitive to certain things.”
“I just have better sight than most.”
“No,” he shakes his head, staring at me with a mixture of awe and curiosity. I must admit, that isn’t the sort of expression I expect the King of Demons to be wearing. I’m thinking a look of pure evil would be more fitting. “It’s more than that. Much more.”
“Doesn’t matter what you think.” I shove aside the hand he nearly touches me with. Physical contact is not something I need right now. Especially not from him. “What you just said about working together… forget it. I’m not one for team spirit. Add that to the fact that, well…you are what you are and the answer is a resounding no. I would never work with the likes of you.”
This time, it’s Merlidon who speaks. His face wears a knowing smile, blinking rapidly as if just coming out of a trance. “I wouldn’t be so quick to talk if I were you, human.”
Lucifer straightens and looks over at him. “Did you see something?”
“Only a shadow.” His eyes land on me. “But whatever it is, you’re its next target.”
“I can take care of myself.”
“I’m sure you think you can,” he shrugs. His movements are slow, almost like Lucifer’s but it holds the grace of a runway model. “You hunters like to think you’re made out of stone. Whatever this thing is, it won’t go down easy.”
“Did you happen to see why it’s coming for Melody?”
Merlidon looks at Lucifer and shakes his head. “No. And before you say it, no I don’t see any sign that it has anything to do with your theory. She’s in my presence, that’s why it came to me.”
“It might only be a rogue demon,” Brotus says. His voice is as deep as I expect it to be. His small eyes flicker to Lucifer and rests there. “Merlidon gets visions of those all the time.”
“Merlidon gets visions of importance. If it is a rogue demon, I doubt anyone would care that it’s attacking this hunter.”
“Gee,” I mutter. “Thanks.”
His eyes fall on me and amusement overshadows the twinge of seriousness they possessed for a moment. Without looking away, he asks Merlidon, “How long before she’s attacked?”
Merlidon glances at his watch then says, “Twenty minutes.”
“Do you still not need our help, little one?”
The name sends another round of irritation rocketing through me. “Fuck off.”
Lucifer’s smile widens. He looks at his high commanders and, after a simple nod, they wink out of sight, leaving me standing alone in the apartment, my fingers itching to draw my sword.
10
Now this is something I can deal with. All that talk about energies and life essence and voids is out of my scope. I’m a warrior at heart. I fight and I win. That’s the reason I’m a hunter, that’s the reason my only goal is to find the creatures that threaten my existence.
That’s the reason I’m not frightened by the fact that something is after me. Because this is my territory.
I’m not surprised by the primal satisfaction that rushes through me at the prospect of a battle. I draw my sword, its song screaming into the silence, a battle cry that hits me straight in my soft spot. I grin.
It dawns on me a few seconds later that I have no idea whether they were just screwing with me or not. In my eagerness to draw demon blood, I don’t stop to decipher the truth in their words. But, soon, I don’t have to.
I sense its presence as soon as it sets foot on the building grounds. I can almost picture it, darting past an oblivious John, not stopping in its quest to find me. And I know I’m who it’s looking for, just as well as I know that whatever is coming, it isn’t a low-ranking demon.
I lick my lips in anticipation. It shoots up the stairs, seconds clocking by as it draws nearer. Merlidon was certainly wrong about one thing. It definitely didn’t take twenty minutes to get here. Maybe five, at most.
All the better. I don’t know how long I would have lasted before my hunger for bloodshed consumed me.
Now, it’s here. Almost at the door. I push my feet apart, crouching in battle position.
The door flies off its hinges and I go flying with it. I collide into the wall behind me, but get to my feet quickly, taking in the thing at the door.
This is no demon.
I can sense it now. The energy it emits, it isn’t demonic energy but something else entirely. Something foreign, something I’ve never seen before.
And it wears Natalia’s face.
Shock stills me. My limbs are suddenly frozen, my eyes the only thing moving as I take in the same bright eyes, the same long brown hair, the same sultry red lips now carved in an evil smile. In her hand she holds a sword, which is odd since Natalia tends to prefer clubs as her weapon of choice. But it isn’t all that odd if I consider the possibility that this isn’t Natalia.
Another thing I am wrong about: my eyes aren’t the only thing moving. My breathing has become so labored I’m nearly hyperventilating. I lick my lips again, this time to wet them and take a step forward. “Natalia?”
Her smile widens. I don’t know if that means she recognizes the name. But I swear on everything good and holy, I hope that’s the case. If she’s possessed, that would be bad, yes. However, it wouldn’t be the end of the world. It wouldn’t make her a lost cause.
I take another step forward. “Natalia, do you know how long we’ve been looking for you?”
It hasn’t been long really, but it’s the only thing I can think to say. If any of my words moved her, she doesn’t make it clear. She only sneers at me and raises her sword.
I know what’s coming next.
Even so, I’m not prepared for the onslaught of power that slams into me when her sword meets mine. She prances away from me, then lunges again, and I parry, gritting my teeth when the force of her attack runs up my arm.
She moves fast, so fast I hardly have any time to protect myself. She swings again, I duck beneath it, sending my foot around and knocking her to her ass. She hops back up a second later, snarling as she sends the butt of her sword into my head. I dodge the blow, then block another. I see an opening but I hesitate, not knowing if it’s really Natalia or not. I don’t want to hurt her, in case it is.
Clearly, she doesn’t care much about hurting me. She punches me in the face, snapping my head back violently, then swings with her sword again. My head would have been taken clean off but I duck in time, despite the stars clouding my vision. I go for her midsection, kneeing her in the stomach, then sending an uppercut into her chin. She staggers back.
I don’t stop to allow her to recover. I swing my leg at her, only grazing her jaw despite her dazed state and she catches my next kick and slams her elbow into my knee joint.
Pain rushes through me. I grit my teeth, jumping up from my good leg and sending it straight into the side of her neck. We both fall to the ground with a thud and she loses her grip on her sword. Clearly, having the sword doesn’t matter to her because she mounts me right afterwards, raining blows down onto my face.
I grab her fist and jab her nose. Blood splatters onto my face, but I don’t stop. I jab her again, this time throwing her off my body. I make a grab for my sword, hopping onto her body while she’s down and I raise the blade.
“Melody?” Natalia blinks at me, recognition flooding her eyes. I sag.
“Natalia? Is that you?”
She looks around herself, confused, then a bit frightened. “Where am I?”
“We’re in your apartment.” The relief that hits me is nearly staggering and I climb off her, resisting the urge to wince when I place too much weight on my injured leg. “I came here to look for you. I didn’t know where else to go.”
/>
She sits up, looking around. “Oh, right. What happened?”
“I don’t know.” I frown at her. Other than her paleness and the blood smeared across her face, she looks normal. “You were out on a mission and never came back. Well, not just you, but your entire team. No one knows what happened to you or the others on the mission.”
“I don’t know what happened, either. One minute everything was going fine, then things just went black.”
I lean closer. “What was the mission about?”
She shakes her head, tucking her hair behind her ear. “I don’t know. I … I don’t remember.”
“What do you remember?”
She shakes her head again, this time pressing a hand to her head. “I really don’t remember anything. I … could you pass me a glass of water, please? Feels like I haven’t drank anything in days.”
“No doubt.” I hop to my feet, stepping over a half-eaten bag of chips. Before I’m even halfway there, I hear a sharp sound, like a wild hyena snapping at its prey. I hardly have any time to turn before something solid slams into my back and I’m thrown off my feet. I react instantly, whirling to the side and knocking her into the wall, ramming my elbow into her side. She clings on, nails digging into my skin.
“Come,” she snarls into my ear, nothing like the woman I know. Her voice runs deep with a malevolent undertone. “We need you.”
“Get in line, fucker,” I grunt out.
She throws me aside but I land on my feet, charging straight at her, trying my best not to let my handicap get the best of me.
Natalia punches first and I duck, pushing her arm away and jabbing her in the neck. She coughs and grabs the sore area, allowing me to grab her head and ram it into my knee. Blood dots my suit, but I don’t stop. I ram again, and again, until I’m sure she’s lost all consciousness. Then I release her and she falls to the floor.
Power floods the room again and I know my new acquaintances are back. I don’t turn to meet them.
Merlidon approaches me first, peering at Natalia’s still body with a low whistle. “You really know how to hold your own, human. I’m impressed.”
“That’s her.” I don’t look away from her face, even when the sight of her blood makes me sick. “That’s Natalia. The person I was looking for.”
Lucifer stands to the other side of me and, vaguely, I notice that Brotus is by his side. “Interesting,” is all he says.
I’m definitely not surprised by the rush of rage that consumes me. My eyes snap to him. “What’s so interesting about this?”
“I’ve never seen what a human looks like without their life essence. I had assumed they would just die. It looks like, instead, they are rid of all morality and senses. The perfect killing machine.”
“Bullshit. She spoke to me. Like she remembered me.”
“Merely to throw you off guard.”
I frown at him. “You were watching?”
His eyes find mine, though it isn’t filled with the same amusement I’ve grown used to seeing. It holds something else, something I can’t decipher. “We were curious to see how well you would fare.”
“Glad to know I put on a show for you.”
Lucifer doesn’t react to that and, truthfully, I don’t expect him to. Amazing, considering I only met him an hour ago. He stares at me a second longer before he turns to Merlidon. “Do you believe my theory now, Merlidon?”
Merlidon makes a sighing motion, but I hear no sound. “I suppose there isn’t anything else that can explain what happened to this human.”
“No,” Lucifer says. “There isn’t. But that revelation only opens up more questions than it answers.”
“What do we do with her?” Brotus asks, his voice a low drone throughout the apartment.
“You guys won’t be doing anything with her,” I butt in. “She’s the Guild’s matter. Not yours.”
“Au contraire, human,” Merlidon purrs. “Your Guild won’t do anything but kill her when they realize she’s gone mad.”
“She hasn’t gone mad,” I hiss.
They clearly aren’t fazed by my anger, which upsets me even more. “No,” Lucifer says calmly. “But her conscience, and the very thing that makes her human has been ripped away from her. That doesn’t make her very far off from insanity. Merlidon is right.”
“It doesn’t matter. I’m taking her back with me.”
“And risk putting her in the hands of your father? What do you think he will do?”
Question her in those basements then have her killed when he realizes he won’t be getting anything useful from her. Whether information, as a hunter, or otherwise. They’re right. Fuck.
I look Lucifer straight in the eye. “I’m not leaving her with the likes of you.”
He isn’t fazed by the jab. He shrugs, tucking his hands into his pockets. “Well, then here’s a good solution. You come with us.”
“What the hell could you be able to do that the Guild can’t?”
At that, Merlidon laughs, the sound musical and haunting at the same time. “You hunters are constantly underestimating us demons. If you only knew the half of it.”
“What are you talking about?”
“If she comes back with us,” Lucifer says, another thing I can’t name playing around his lips. “We might be able to get the information we require without needing her to tell us. I’m sure it’ll be a clue as to who or what did this.”
I find myself wanting to ask the dumbest question I’ve ever thought of. The answer is, no doubt, a clear and blaring negative, but I’m still tempted to say it. As I stare at Natalia’s face, all I can feel is a glimmer of hope. Something I don’t ever allow myself to dwell on, but it is the only thing within my control at this moment. So, I take a breath, meeting Lucifer’s eyes, knowing he knows the question I’m about to ask before I say it. But I say it anyway. “How do I know I can trust you?”
I can’t read his mind, but somehow, I know the response to my question before he even opens his mouth. “You don’t.”
11
The weight of their stares bore down on me, watching my every move. I have a feeling they are even committing the way I breathe to memory, the slight movements I make, anything they can. Like a man getting to know its enemy.
I don’t mind. I’m doing the exact same thing.
I take in the way Lucifer watches me, like you would watch an undiscovered animal. He doesn’t know what to expect from me. That’s something I can use to my advantage, because they’ll be dumber than a sack of rocks if they think I’m about to put everything in their hands. I can use them, for now.
As soon as the thought pops into my head, I cast it away, forcing my mind in other directions. I don’t want Lucifer getting wind of what I’m planning, when I do decide to use my common sense and actually plan something. Playing it by ear isn’t going to get me far.
I push air out my nose and cross my arms. My suit is still slick with Natalia’s blood, but I try my best not to focus on that. Instead, I meet the eyes of my new untrustworthy partners. “Fine. But whatever you plan to do, I want to be a part of it. And if I don’t like it, then it’s a no.”
Merlidon laughs again, patting Brotus who neither reacts to him nor what is being said. I have no doubt he’s registering every word, though it looks as if he might have fallen asleep with his eyes open. “Do you even know who you’re talking to, human?” he snarls at me, lips curling into a nasty smile.
I meet his eyes, not at all afraid of facing him if I need to. With the way he keeps going at me, that might really happen in the future. “As a matter of fact, I’m quite aware.”
“You couldn’t possibly be.” His voice drops several degrees and he comes closer, stepping over Natalia’s body. My neck strains to meet his eyes. Why did they all have to be so tall? “Because if you knew that you were speaking to the King of Demons, such disrespectful words wouldn’t dare past your lips.”
“How loyal of you to say,” I say calmly. “I’m surprised you even
understand the meaning of disrespect.”
“Humans don’t deserve my respect,” he sneers.
“Then why they fuck do you think your King deserves mine?”
He chuckles, a huff of a laugh that does nothing but showcase the rage bubbling inside him. “Had it not been for Lucifer I would have torn you apart and sucked every bit of life out of you already.” Another look crosses his face, this one making me tremble more than all the others. “But first…I’d have my fun with you. Much as your kind is only good for one thing, you’re not terrible to look at. I bet sucking your essence with my head nestled between your thighs wouldn’t be a bad way to drain you of that pathetic thing you call a life.” He takes his fingers to his lips and sucks them one at a time.
I disregard every and anything sexual that could have threatened to stir me in any kind of an inappropriate direction.
Who would have thought you liked it when demons talk dirty to you, my brain teases.
“You know what, Merlidon, you’re not really that big of a threat when you keep hiding behind him like that.”
“Just watch your mouth, human.”
“Watch your breath, demon.”
“Alright, you two, that’s enough.” Lucifer steps in between us, placing a placating hand on both our arms. At the touch, a dozen and one things race through me at once, and I’m suddenly overcome with the urge to step closer to him. Which only makes me wrench my arm away from him as if burnt.
His gaze snaps to me, and for a second, I swear I see a mirror of the same thing I’m thinking, but then he lowers his hand and says, “As much as it’s entertaining to watch, fighting like that isn’t going to get us anywhere. The more time we waste here, the more attention we draw to ourselves.”
“Humans can’t even see you,” I say, crossing my arms again in hopes that it helps to tamper the remnants of those things I feel but I soon find that it’s false hope.
Hunting Darkness Page 7
