by Diem, J. C.
As I watched, his severed stumps of his neck turned as black as the scar on my stomach and a vile stench issued from them. His lackeys would have to place his head back on his neck to give him a chance to heal. I didn’t know what effect the toxin would have on him in this dimension if he pieced himself back together. Clearly, it wasn’t as harmless as I’d thought it would be to their kind.
Bob appeared to be dead, but his soul was still inside the body. Thanks to the wards that had been placed around the city, he couldn’t leave the vessel voluntarily. This meant I was in no danger of absorbing his essence right now. Someone would have to stab him in the heart to make that happen.
Then I remembered that the demons had found a loophole that enabled them to possess bodies without entering Earth. They would take a human through the portal to the shadowlands. At the halfway mark, they could enter or exit from the vessels. It was possible that they could release Bob from his headless host and he could find another body to use. The possibility that he might still come back to haunt me sucked my sense of victory away.
₪₪₪
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Putting aside my concern that Bob might still pose a problem, I turned to my minion. “Thanks. You really saved my butt.” She bowed in acknowledgement. Her sword disappeared and she waited for further instructions. I gathered my belongings and donned my bracelets and ruby ring. The angel carving and rune stones went back into my pockets before I turned to my Wraith Warrior again. “Can you teleport us out of here?”
She shook her head. “I am unable to teleport in the same manner as a demon. You cannot survive in the nowhere lands that my kind uses to move to locations. Only creatures that are linked to Demon Lords, Princes of the realms and the Hellmaster can utilize it.”
“What are the nowhere lands? Where is that exactly?”
“It is a place that exists between dimensions. It is a bleak, dismal area where nothing exists except for creatures like me. It is where we wait until we are required by our masters.”
She didn’t seem happy about it. “Why do you wait there?” I asked. “Why don’t you just stay in hell or in the shadowlands?” Now I knew where my nightmares and hellhounds went when I didn’t need their assistance.
“Because we are servants,” she explained in a hollow tone. “We are banished there when we are not needed because we are insignificant.”
She started to shimmer and turn insubstantial. “What’s wrong with you?” I asked in alarm.
“I am not able to survive in this dimension for long, master,” she replied. “You must call me back inside you, or banish me to the nowhere lands.”
“Which would you prefer?”
She cocked her head to the side and I sensed her puzzlement that I’d given her a choice. Some part of me couldn’t believe I was having this conversation or that I’d somehow acquired my very own Wraith Warrior. “I would remain inside you, if you would allow it. I know I sometimes cause you discomfort when I stretch my limbs.”
I held in a shudder when I realized she was the slithering sensation I sometimes felt inside me. It was somehow even worse that she was aware of my emotions. She faded even more, so I made my decision. It wasn’t pleasant, but at least I knew what caused the awful sensations inside me now. “You can stay with me, for now,” I told her.
She lost her form and returned to mist. I looked down to see the scar on my stomach was ashen gray rather than black. Then she poured back into the old wound and the scar turned black again.
My attention snapped to the door when it suddenly opened. Baring my teeth in a snarl, I clutched my dagger with one hand and held my shirt closed with the other. Two people stood in the doorway and I almost burst into tears of relief when I recognized them both.
Detective Reynolds stood with his gun pointed at the floor, shielding the second person from harm. Sam was peeking over his shoulder. Seeing me, he pushed past the cop and hurried to my side. “Are you alright?” he asked. He was shaking and sweating, which meant he’d used his abilities recently.
“I’m okay, but I’d really like to get out of here,” I replied.
Reynolds took in the blood that streaked my face and clothes then turned to look at the headless body. He wrinkled his nose at the smell of rot. “You killed him,” he said and sounded more weary than shocked.
“I don’t think he’s dead. He can reattach his head, but he’ll never be the same again.”
Sam’s smile was just as nasty as mine. “He will become something like a zombie, from what I understand,” he said.
“I think he might be able to get a new body,” I said with a grimace and explained my theory about them possibly being able to use the portal to make a switch.
Putting his gun away, Reynolds nodded thoughtfully. “Do you think he knows I’m here?”
I looked at the motionless head and body. “I don’t think so.”
“Then my cover should still be intact,” he said in relief then turned to the door. “Let’s get out of here before someone comes to check on him.”
He ushered us out and Sam put his arm around my waist when I stumbled. We were both shivering from exhaustion as we followed Reynolds down the long hallway to a door. Instead of going up, we headed down to the next level. “Wait here,” the detective said when we reached the end of another hallway and came to a door. He opened it and slipped outside.
“Thanks for coming to my rescue,” I said to Sam. “How did you pull it off this time?”
“Leo teleported me here after the demons kidnapped you,” he explained. “I snuck inside and searched for Detective Reynolds. He was in a meeting and I could not get to him for a while. When he came out, I managed to get his attention. He knew immediately that you had been taken. He took me into a room and told me he knew where the storeroom was, but that the door that led to it was being guarded.”
“Bob really wanted to make sure he wasn’t interrupted this time,” I said bitterly.
Sam tightened his hold on me and I leaned against him. It was hard to say which of us was more exhausted. “I managed to sneak us past the demon,” he went on. “It was a good thing that there were no other guards in place. I do not think I could have pulled it off a second time.”
“Reynolds risked a lot coming to my rescue,” I murmured. “If the demons know he’s on to them, they’ll kill him for sure.”
“He is aware of the risk. He is also aware of your importance. The Detective is willing to die to keep mankind safe.”
The object of our conversation returned and held the door open for us. We emerged into a parking lot where his dark blue sedan was waiting. The trunk was open and I shuddered in dread when I realized what he intended us to do. “Hurry,” he urged. “The cameras in this section aren’t working, but someone will get suspicious if I delay leaving for much longer.”
We hurried over to the trunk and Sam climbed in first. Reynolds helped me in next and Sam wrapped his arms around me as he shut the lid. Darkness closed around us and my claustrophobia came crashing down.
“I am with you, Violet,” Sam murmured. “There is no need to be afraid. I am here and I will not leave you.”
He kept up the whispers of encouragement as we motored out of the parking lot. Reynolds only drove a couple of blocks before he pulled over. Blind panic had me in a tight grip when the trunk was opened and light flooded inside. My teeth were chattering and I was frozen in terror.
Gentle hands scooped me up. I knew it was Nathan even before he kissed me. Bliss pushed the horrors that I’d endured away and I kissed him back with a desperation that left me breathless.
“That is enough, you two,” Sam said and wormed his way between us.
Nathan reluctantly broke off our kiss and reeled on his feet. He’d used too much grace and had left himself vulnerable. Artificial energy filled me and I knew it would only get worse if I didn’t exercise to rid myself of it. Pure grace was potent, but it wouldn’t push back the taint for long. Being purged with holy fire was th
e only thing that had a hope of keeping me alive long enough to fulfil the tasks that Fate had set for me.
₪₪₪
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Leaving Reynolds’ car behind, Nathan teleported us to our base. Only the detective’s hand on Nathan’s elbow was keeping him upright. He helped my guardian over to the table as Sophia and Leo jumped to their feet to help Sam and me.
Seeing the state of my t-shirt, dread flowed over Sophia as she met my eyes. “I’m okay,” I told her to put her fears to rest. “He didn’t rape me.” Tension seeped out of Nathan and he closed his eyes in relief. Sophia was just as glad to hear I’d been spared the fate that she’d suffered.
“Your shirt has been sliced open and you are covered in blood,” Leo said in a worried voice. “How can you possibly say that you are okay?”
“Because it could have been a lot worse,” I said with a weary sigh. “All he did was cut me a few times.” It had been more like a few dozen times, but they didn’t need to hear that.
Sam’s lips trembled and a tear rolled down his cheek. “You were locked up for more than an hour. I am sure he cut you more than just a few times.”
I looked down at the table so they didn’t see how badly I’d been affected by the torture session that I’d suffered through. “It wasn’t that bad,” I said, trying to convince myself as well as them. “He healed me before I lost too much blood.”
Sam sobbed and Sophia put her hand on his back to comfort him. Leo’s face was pale and strained. Nathan put his hands over his face to hide his grief from me. Reynolds sat down on Brie’s chair. He was holding it together, but he was shocked at what I’d gone through. He studied my face curiously. “Do you know your eyes are glowing blue?”
“Nathan gave me too much of his grace,” I said. “I need to exercise it off.”
“What will happen if you don’t?”
“I’m not sure, but I’d rather avoid it.” Glancing down at my bloody hands, I stood up again. “I need to get cleaned up. Then Leo can take me somewhere so I can burn off the grace.”
I left the front room and headed upstairs to the bathroom. I shut the door then strode over to the shower. My eyes were only glowing faintly, but it would grow stronger with each passing second. Stripping off, I turned on the water as hot as I could stand it then scrubbed the blood off my face, hands and body. I avoided looking at the scar on my abdomen. How could I possibly explain what had happened to the others? If they discovered that I was able to call on a Wraith Warrior, they’d surely think I’d gone over to the dark side.
Without bothering to dry my hair, I wrapped a towel around me and headed to my bedroom. I left my stained clothes in a pile behind the door. I had no desire to get Leo to repair them or to remove the stains. Hopefully, Sophia would throw them out for me.
Dressing quickly, twitchy energy was beginning to fill me. I’d lost my hat when the raven had attacked me, so I grabbed another one and pulled it on. The bird could always find me no matter what I was wearing or where I was in the city. Maybe Nathan’s theory that it was using other birds as spies was correct. Their eyesight was keen and Brie’s spell that hid us from demons didn’t work on them.
Leo stood and waited for me to join him when I entered the room. “I need to take you somewhere safe that is not being watched by angels,” he said. They knew about the places he usually took me so I could burn off the energy.
“I know a church that should be suitable,” Reynolds said. “It’s on the Upper East Side near Madison Avenue.”
Nathan stiffened and met my eyes. “That is the church where we took refuge from the demons,” he said.
A shiver went up my spine. This wasn’t a coincidence. Nothing was when Fate was involved. “We will all go,” Sophia decided and pushed away from the table. We gathered into a circle and Leo teleported us away.
We appeared on the sidewalk a short distance away from the church. I had more than enough energy to help Sam shamble towards the gate. Leo and Reynolds assisted Nathan and Sophia preceded us through the tiny cemetery and into the church. She closed the door behind us and turned as the priest hurried out of the kitchen.
He started in surprise when he saw my glowing eyes. Then he saw Reynolds and broke into a smile. “Calvin! It’s been months since I’ve seen you. How are you?”
“I’ve been better, Reverend,” Reynolds said. “I believe you’ve met two of my friends?”
The priest nodded at Nathan and me then gestured at the pews. “Please, take a seat.” We obeyed him gratefully and sank down onto the pews. Introductions were made and he wasn’t terribly surprised to learn that Leo was an angel and Sophia was a former celestial being. “How can I be of assistance?” he asked.
Nathan replied first. “I just require some rest.”
“Me, too,” Sam mumbled.
“I could use a cup of tea,” Sophia said and flicked a look at me. I nodded at her unspoken question. “Make that two cups,” she added.
“Of course,” he replied solicitously. “Right this way, my dear.”
Feeling jittery, I had to do something to burn off the excess energy. I stood and started jogging up and down the aisle between the pews. Leo watched me, but he wasn’t grinning in amusement as usual. Worry creased his brow instead.
Curling onto his side on the hard wooden bench, Sam either fell asleep or lapsed into unconsciousness. Nathan was slumped back against his seat. He didn’t take his eyes off me as I did my best to work off his grace.
Sophia and the minister were only gone for a few minutes. They returned with a tray of tea. The priest watched me in bemusement as I continued to run up and down the aisle. “What is she doing?” he asked Sophia.
“Nathanael infused her with his grace to heal her,” she explained. “Violet’s human body cannot assimilate his essence. She must exercise to rid herself of the energy that he has given her.” I’d been exhausted after the torture session, but my wounds had been mental rather than physical after Bob had healed me. Nathan had given me his grace for nothing. He’d mistaken my terror of being enclosed in a small space for something much worse. Claustrophobia wasn’t something that could be treated magically.
“Perhaps you’d better explain this in more detail,” Elijah said. It came out more like a command, but it was a kind one.
Reynolds had been there, so he told the priest everything. Realizing I was starting to feel winded, I stopped jogging and ambled over to the pews just as he finished telling the story. I sat down next to Sam and put my hand on his back just so he’d know I was there. He roused enough to move closer and put his head on my lap to use it as a pillow. Then he conked out again.
“If I hadn’t seen Violet’s eyes glowing like that, I’d think you were crazy,” Elijah said as Sophia leaned across the aisle and handed me a cup of tea. I took it with a grateful smile.
“Violet said you sensed that something was wrong in this city,” Reynolds replied. “You saw the demons that were chasing them and you know evil exists.”
“I thought I saw a dark aura around the officers that were chasing them,” the preacher said and shook his head. “It could have just been my imagination.”
“It wasn’t,” I told him. “You’re a part of this now. Fate picked you, just like she chose the rest of us. No one else can see dark auras around demons.”
He looked anything but happy at that. “I prefer to believe that God chose me for whatever task I am being called on to do. If Fate is real, she is not the one I worship.”
“She’s very real,” I said dryly. “You don’t have to worship her for her to use you like a puppet. Her goal is to keep our world safe. She’ll use whoever suits her to pull it off.”
“What exactly am I supposed to do?” he asked in exasperation. “I’m not a warrior. I can’t smite demons down.”
“Maybe you’ve already done your part,” I said with a shrug. “Maybe giving us refuge from the demons is all you have to do.”
Looking into his teacup, he was deep in
thought. “That can’t be enough,” he said at last. “God must want more from me than just offering you shelter for a short time.”
That reminded me of the danger he’d put himself in when he’d helped Nathan and me escape. “What happened after you helped us get away from the cops?” I asked.
“Some police officers without dark auras knocked on the door and demanded to be let in,” he replied. “You two had left several minutes earlier, so I figured you’d managed to flee. I let them in and two of them searched the church while the third questioned me.”
“What did you tell him?”
“I said that you’d lied to me and that the police officers chasing you were attempting to frame you for a crime that you didn’t commit.”
“That isn’t a lie,” I said. “They were trying to frame me for killing a girl.”
He seemed relieved to hear that and continued his story. “They ordered me to unlock the doors and I had little choice. They found where you’d exited and took off without bothering to question me further.”
Reynolds shook his head at that. “Those three men might not be possessed by demons, but they’re in Captain Lancaster’s pocket. They should have taken you in for questioning and to make a formal statement.”
“Bob won’t be in much shape to give them orders right now,” I reminded him. “He’s not completely himself at the moment.” I sniggered at my own joke and Leo joined in. His sense of humor was almost as strange as mine.
Sophia sent us both a withering look. “If it is true that demons can shed their vessels by using the portal that leads to the shadowlands, then Bob could switch to another body easily enough. He will be even more eager to capture you again.” It was a warning I didn’t need since I’d already come to that conclusion myself.
