“You know, we’ve been making some great headway in the lab,” Noah began, a boyish excitement lighting up his face. “We’ve got a new concoction for the exorcism juice. With a few more tweaks, we might just...”
“That sounds great.” Mona waved her hand at him and began to descend the stairs. “But you’ll have to tell me about it later. I’ve got something I need to do.”
She didn’t seemed bothered by his crestfallen face. However, I was pleased to see Ashley slide in beside him before Mona looked away. She had washed up from this morning’s battle and even managed the time to wrestle her hair into those soft waves that I envied so much.
That same boyish excitement returned to his face as he turned to greet her. She had a similar excitement, although slightly more predatory. I had to give it to the girl, when she wanted something, she went for it. I wasn’t sure how Adam would take his replacement, but I was glad for her. At least someone around here might get a happy ending.
Where are you taking us? I asked Mona as she bypassed the greeting party and slipped out a side door.
Although the heat of the afternoon sun beat down hard on our skin, she had shivers going up and down her spine.
“Just a little rendezvous,” she mumbled. “Nothing for you to be concerned about.”
Still, I was on high alert. Mona’s nerves had me humming, like waiting for a snake to strike.
Slipping into the forest without anyone seeing, she followed a path nearly invisible to the naked eye. It was a deer trail, worn by light hoofed prints. A quick ten minute jog put us squarely in the middle of a thicket surrounded by thorny brambles. Just brushing up against a bush caused tiny red droplets of bloods to spring to the surface of her arm. She wiped it away impatiently and looked around.
“My Prince?” she whispered.
“My child.” Seth stepped out of a dark shadow thrown by a tree. Mona and I both jumped at his sudden appearance. He smiled, amusement dancing in his eyes. “Have they arrived?”
“Yes, my Prince.” She bowed her head and stared at the dead leaves on the ground. “There are so many of them. At least a hundred from the other factions. Their strongest warriors. I came as soon as they arrived.”
“Good, good.” His hand brushed up her arm and she looked up into his face. A deadly and faraway look clouded his eyes. “Everything is as I planned. We move into phase two tonight.”
I wasn’t liking the sound of this.
Phase two? What’s phase two?
Mona shook her head, as if a bee were buzzing in her ear. “I understand.”
“Make contact with my source as soon as you begin,” he said, his mouth pressing into a firm line. “Together, you will weaken the Nephilim from the inside. My forces will await your word to attack from the outside.”
Weakening the Nephilim? Everything I’d feared about my demon and her motivations were true. Owning my body wasn’t enough for her.
And who was this inside contact? Everything inside me screamed for an answer. How could a Nephilim turn against its own family? It wasn’t possible. And yet, Seth seemed so sure his contact would be assisting this new part of his plan.
Together, they were going to slaughter the family that I loved. I couldn’t allow that to happen. I just couldn’t.
I lashed out with all my strength, pressing against Mona’s mind. Her will was impenetrable, as solid as a steel wall. Still, I screamed and kicked and punched with all my might, looking for a weakness. A tiny crack. Anything that would let me burst through this living hell and back into my rightful seat of control. Nothing budged.
“She’s struggling,” Mona said to Seth, tapping on her temple. “She’s freaking out. What do you want me to do about it?”
His lips curled into a satisfied smirk as he leaned in close to Mona’s ear. The warm touch of his breath fluttered the baby curls I still had at the base of my neck. He smelled like cinnamon, tree bark, and something floral. It was deceptively pleasing to my senses, a facade to cover his deadly nature.
“There’s still time.” His voice was soft and rich, like buttery toffee as it cooled. “Join me. I am a merciful ruler. Your friends would find my favor.”
Never.
I’d spent enough time hunted and manipulated by demons to know their true nature. He would never show the Nephilim mercy. He’d strike them down and as soon as he was finished with me, he’d toss me into Hell. There was no way I’d turn to the dark side. Not for one moment. I was stronger than that.
Mona shook her head in defeat.
Seth leaned back and grinned, his cheeks flushed. “She’ll change her mind. They always do.”
Inwardly, I hissed. He didn’t know me. I’d never give into the likes of him.
Waiting for night to fall was like teetering at the edge of a canyon, my toes clinging to the rocks below me for some kind of purchase. I had to give some credit to Mona—she kept as cool as a cucumber and walked through the events of the day as if it were like any other.
There was a giant gathering in the ballroom of all the nations. Meetings with the board on war strategy. And spattered in-between: whispers in the hallways about the impending war. Try as they might, no one could hide from the distinct odor of panic filling the halls of Westward Manor.
The stench lingered in the ancient mortar of the red stone masonry, like a stain too deep to wash away. Even the few Nephilim children who usually ran up and down the stairs after dinner were unusually subdued. No one laughed. No one raised their voices. Anticipation had killed the lively spirit of the Nephilim, and yet they had no idea what dangers actually lurked in the shadows of their home.
All the while, I paced inside my own head, searching for a way out. I’d spent the last few days a prisoner in my own mind. Too compliant to my inner demon to properly fight. But no longer. I was going to win. I was going to stop this attack. One way or another.
Images of my friends and family, butchered in the night by a demon army, flashed in front of my eyes. I pictured Gabe, lying across the bed, his body broken and still. I imagined Luke as he poured over his books in his study, not realizing danger lurked behind him until his own blood splattered across the crisp white pages. And so many others, slumbering peacefully in their beds, unaware of the Prince of Hell moving in on their homes. I couldn’t stand it. The images were giving me palpitations.
Mona didn’t get back to our room that night until a deep and penetrating darkness had fallen across the manor. Despite the warmth of the day, a low fire burned in the fireplace. Raquel’s messy mane of hair peeked out from under the sheets on her bed. She must’ve lit the fire herself tonight before falling asleep, the amber flames throwing the room into a pleasantly dim glow. It was something she did when she needed some extra comfort. I ached to reach out to her. To hug her. To tell her it was all going to be okay. But that would’ve been a lie.
“Time to get down to business,” Mona whispered.
A shiver went through me.
She opened the door to my armoire without making a sound, the oiled hinges silent and winking in the firelight. Reaching inside, her fingers clasped around the hard metal handle of a weapon I knew only all too well. It was the dagger I’d plunged into my own stomach when battling the deceiver demon, Margaret Thatcher. My blood still resided in the tiny embellishments on the hilt. Gabe had given it to me after I’d left the infirmary. It’d remained in the armoire all this time, a sharp reminder of the life I’d almost lost.
“How fitting.” Mona held up the dagger to the light. “This knife was nearly your undoing once before. Now, it’ll finish its mission.”
I growled in response. She laughed lightly, her mirth cruel and unfeeling.
“And now, for the unveiling of my Prince’s plans.” With the dagger held tightly in her hand, she tip toed across the plush carpets toward Raquel’s still form.
I froze, panic rushing through me. This couldn’t be happening.
Raquel slept on the right side of her face, her red lips parted slightly. A s
oft snore came from her mouth as her chest rose and fell with the sweet blissfulness of deep sleep. Her skin was always milky pale with dark splatters of freckles, but in the semidarkness she appeared as white as death. A princess, already deep in a deadly slumber. Mona reached out with her free hand and softly moved the mass of red curls from her cheek, revealing her slender neck.
No, please don’t do this. I trembled as Mona shift the knife to her other hand. Not Raquel. She’s just a kid. Please don’t kill her.
“She would’ve done the same to me.” Mona’s lips barely moved as she muttered a string of curses. “What is it the humans say? It’s a dog-eat-dog world. You can’t blame me for doing what I must to survive.”
But what do you get out of this arrangement? You already have control of our body. Why are you still here?
Her hand paused above Raquel, her fingers loosening on the blade. “It’s a debt I must pay.”
Forget the debt. I pushed forward in my mind, reaching out to touch her. Forget the killing. Let’s leave. Tonight. Pack a bag and never return. You can have my body. Just don’t hurt my family.
She stared down at Raquel’s form, her head tilting to one side as she considered my offer. I hadn’t even thought about making a deal with her up until this point, but I knew with all my heart I’d follow through. I’d give up my life for theirs, in an instant, if that’s what it took.
“You don’t understand.” She withdrew the dagger to her side and paced to the other side of the room.
I sighed in relief to see the space between her and my cousin.
Understand what? You’ve got what you want. Don’t risk it all now.
“But the Prince is mighty. He would hunt me down to the ends of the Earth.” Fear constricted her throat as she said the words aloud. “He’d make me pay for my sins. You don’t understand what he’s like. What he’s capable of. There’s a good reason he and his brothers parted ways. He has always taken things to the extreme. Never forgets. Never forgives. He would have me sentenced to a millennium of torture.”
Our body quaked in fear as Mona pressed her hands to her cheeks. Her chest rose and fell in shallow breaths.
Then we’ll hide. He’d never find us.
“Maybe that would work if it was just me. But he would never stop looking for you. You’re the key.”
I brushed off the impatience I felt at hearing that name once again. Being the key had brought me nothing but pain and misery. I hated it.
We’ll make it work, I promised. I’ll help you. Don’t stay here and throw it all away. We could die tomorrow in this war. Take this chance to get out. To get away. It might not come again.
She paused abruptly in her pacing and for an exhilarating moment I thought I had her. Her grip loosened on the dagger and her shoulders slumped in defeat. I might have given up any chance of my own future, but I’d fought hard for those that I loved. I just hoped they would realize that some day.
“No!” Her voice rang out, causing Raquel to stir in her sleep. “I will not turn my back on my Prince. She has to die.”
With that sudden announcement, she sprang forward, her grip tightening on the blade with deadly intent. At the same time, something inside of me snapped together. It was as if all my training as a Nephilim came into utter clarity. Despite the fact that I didn’t have control of our body, I pushed forward with my mind as if I were on that battlefield once again, facing down an enemy.
Energy poured into me. Intense focus drove my mind to combat Mona’s moves, to fight back. If I had been running through the forest, I would’ve been a blur of speed and agility. Instead, I pushed through miles and miles of mental space in a matter of an instant, no longer content to hide at the back.
Mona leaned down to drive the blade into Raquel’s neck. Inches away from plunging the dagger into soft flesh, I reached out to stop her. Maybe it was in vain. I hadn’t had control of my body for so long that I’d forgotten how it felt to swing an arm or loosen a grip on a weapon. But my instincts made me try.
A familiar warmth filled my body. I hadn’t felt that strength in a long time. It leaked through the pores of my skin, like a million tiny stars embedded in my arms. With it, came an intense pain that wracked my body, inside and out. Mona screamed and dropped the knife as she clutched at her arms. The blade bounced harmlessly to the floor and disappeared under my bed.
I didn’t get a chance to celebrate my victory. The pain grew to insurmountable depths, stealing away my breath. But for once, it was the good kind of pain. A cleansing sort of fire. Burning away the dead and making room for new growth.
Screaming and twisting in pain, Mona fell to the floor just as Raquel shot up in bed, her wild eyes scanning the room for a sign of the commotion. Her pale feet landed on the floor next to my head just as the pain peaked and a bright, white light filled the entire room. It was dazzling, like someone had transported the moon into our bedroom. With amazement, I looked down at my body. I was the source of the pure light. Every inch of bare flesh glowed with the power of the Angels.
“What’s happening?” Raquel threw her arms up to shield her eyes from the light. “What are you doing?”
“It’s...it’s...” That was my voice! My very own words. A new surge of strength filled me as I relished in the control of my own body once again. “It’s me...”
She looked at me quizzically through squinted eyes.
“I’m back.”
Chapter Nineteen
Raquel shook her head, sleep still heavy in her eyes. “I don’t understand. What do you mean, you’ve been held captive for the past few days? You’ve been here the whole time.”
“No, I haven’t.” I rushed about the room, unearthing our small weapon’s collection and strapping daggers to my belt and in my boot. “That was Mona. She was controlling me.”
She blinked twice. “Who’s Mona?”
“My demon.”
My skin no longer glowed and the pain had quickly disappeared. After the unleashing of my Nephilim powers, Mona had been thrown to the back of my mind and that’s where she currently huddled. It would be a long time before she would see the light again. Of that, I was sure.
Satisfied with my collection of daggers now strapped to my body, I turned to Raquel. “I need you to go find Luke and warn him that a demon attack is eminent. Someone inside the manor is working for Seth and will be carrying out the attack tonight. We have to stop him...” I paused at the door and bit my lip “...or her. It could be either.”
She stood slowly and stared at me, no longer groggy. I waited for her to spring into action, but she just stood cemented to the floor. Finally, with a sigh, I approached her and wrapped my arms tightly around her narrow shoulders.
“I’ve missed you,” I whispered. “You’ve got no idea how hard it was to almost lose you and everyone I love. I never want to come that close again.”
She stiffened for a moment and then relaxed into my hug, wrapping her arms around my back. We embraced for a few seconds before I pushed away and jumped back into the business at hand.
“I’m going to wake Gabe,” I told her as I flew out the door. “Go straight to Luke. Don’t let anyone stop you.”
I saw her nod before I ran down the hallway and down the path I knew so well to Gabe’s room. It was like I’d never lost control of my body. Every muscle moved with a fluidity that constricted and contracted without hesitation. I could’ve run a hundred miles, with the energy that was flowing through me.
There was no hesitation at Gabe’s closed door. I needed to feel his arms around me, his lips against mine, and his warm breath on my neck. It felt like ages since I’d last had him to myself. Throwing the door open, I burst in upon a fully lit room and two men surrounding the giant fireplace. As the door slowly swung shut behind me, I blinked in confusion at the scene. Something wasn’t right. He wasn’t supposed to be here. Not in Gabe’s room. Not now.
“Have you completed your task?” Seth rested his elbow on the mantelpiece and tilted his head toward
me. He hadn’t changed out of his customary black suit, which I was starting to detest. “Is the board dead?”
Gabe stood on the other side of the fireplace. Misery wracked his face as he swung around to stare at me. “Lizzy...tell me you didn’t.”
I didn’t know how to respond. Words had left me. Instead, my mouth hung open as I gazed at the two of them like a lobotomy patient. What was Seth doing inside the manor? In Gabe’s room?
“Is something the matter?” The smile melted from Seth’s face. He stood a little straighter as the flicker of a fire in the hearth threw him in shadow. “Tell me you accomplished the mission. Without that, I’m afraid Gabe will be at a disadvantage to complete his own directives.”
Gabe hissed and turned back to him. “I told you already, I’m not your puppet. Our deal was a one-time thing. I delivered Psyche’s Urn to the designated dropping point. You have what you want. We’re through.”
Seth’s shapely mouth curled into a cruel grin. “We’re through when I say we’re through. Don’t forget why you came to me in the first place. Why you’ve forsaken your friends and family for my help. Lizzy’s demon will destroy her without my intervention.”
I blinked at the two of them as they each puffed their chests out with unspoken aggression. Suddenly, it clicked. Gabe’s warnings about a man on the inside of the manor. It had been him all along! He was working for Seth, the Prince of Hell. He’d made a deal and threatened our family. My heart shattered and left a deep throbbing pain in my chest. Tears filled my eyes as I squinted at the man I loved. The man I trusted. He’d betrayed us.
“What have you done?” I took a step closer. “Gabe Cael, tell me the truth.”
He wrung his hands, his face crumbling. “I made a deal, Lizzy. It was for you.”
Shaking my head, I edged closer. “You made a deal with the devil.”
“I had to.” His strong chin trembled with the effort to remain calm. “When I saw how those episodes were destroying you, I had to do something. Luke couldn’t help. No one knew how to stop them. I took a chance and it worked. All Seth needed was Psyche’s Urn and he could stop the fits. That’s what I did.”
Death of a Demon Page 12
