The Demon Heritage of Josh Thorne (The Josh Thorne Trilogy Book 1)

by Joe Fowler

  “I definitely plan on staying this time around. There doesn’t seem to be too much in my way. I think I will be here for a long time to come.” I understood the meaning of that remark. He didn’t think I could put up much of a fight against him.

  “Well good. You won’t be leaving Mobile, then. I can’t think of a better place to spend the rest of your life. However long that might be.” I had to shut my mouth before I started out right threatening him.

  He seemed to sense the change in my demeanor. I excused myself, pleading the need for a restroom. I headed up the stairs, into my bedroom, and out of the window. I was in my car and leaving the house in less than two minutes from the time I left the table. I used my vision to see him yelling at my mom to get me back to the house no matter what it took. I drove on expecting my phone to ring at any time.

  “Hello, Mom.” I answered knowing about what she would say.

  “Josh where are you going? You get back here right now!” She was trying to sound angry, but I swear there was relief in her voice.

  “If I am in the same room with him again, there will be a fight. I thought it best to leave and clear my head. Just give me a little while, ok.” I was humoring her with the truth. She just needed to have something to say to ‘Adam’. I hung up the phone. Then I called Seth.

  “Hello?” Seth answered.

  “I am on my way. He was there when I got up this morning.” I was debating whether to go by Hardees or just keep going to Seth’s.

  “Good. We are ready here. Hurry up, don’t stop for anything.” Seth hung up.

  Well, that settled the Hardees decision. I just hoped they had plenty of food. I drove as fast as I dared. Getting pulled over by a cop would not be a good thing. I had been keeping an eye on the traffic behind me just to be sure I wasn’t being followed. I kept that eye out though it was clear nobody was there.

  It became clear that I wasn’t the only one being careful. There was a blue van blocking the road to Seth’s house. Jimmy was looking under the hood like there was something wrong. When he saw that it was me, he moved the van to let me pass. I gave a wave as I drove by. He nodded in response.

  I parked with all the other cars. I was taking my time now that I was here. I wasn’t sure what the reception was going to be like. I could no longer be one of their pack. They were risking their lives today because of my parents. Granted they would fight my father’s evil even if I weren’t involved, but I knew some would blame me. And then there was Alicia to worry about.

  As I neared the house, I heard a car approaching. It was Carl’s car. When he got close enough for me to see Keith with him, I almost wept. I really needed my friend. I waited for them to park. I wasn’t sure if Keith had heard last night’s developments yet. What would he say to me being without a pack?

  “Good morning.” I said as they approached me.

  “Good morning, Josh.” Carl said it with a noticeable sadness. He kept walking toward the door.

  “Happy birthday, Josh.” Keith stopped by me instead of heading inside like Carl had. “I heard about last night. I hate that for you. This pack seemed to mean a lot to you, even though it had only been a short time.”

  “I had found a family. Now even if I survive today, I don’t see a lot of happiness anytime soon.” This was too sad. I decided to change the subject. “I still don’t see why I didn’t just come and get you on the way here.”

  “It was too important to get you away cleanly. I was going to be the first one they would come after. They would have been watching for you at my house. Carl picked me up hours ago. We were taking care of a few things.” Seth had come out to where we were while Keith was talking.

  “Happy birthday, Josh.”

  “Thanks, Seth. How is Alicia?” I had to ask even though I was afraid of the answer.

  “Sad. She will either have to say goodbye to you or to the pack. It will hurt her either way it goes.” Seth could see that this was killing me. “Just remember that it isn’t your fault. No one can know how their wolf will turn out. Believe me, nobody could have seen this coming.”

  “Well, if today goes bad the decision will be made for her. At least then she wouldn’t have to choose.” I was almost ready to give up for just that reason. The thought of her being hurt because of me was unbearable.

  “Alicia may look like a delicate flower but she’s as tough as they come. She will get through this. Tell us what happened this morning.” I was glad Seth changed the subject. I was happy to talk about the demon.

  “He was there this morning when I got up. He looked exactly like he did in the visions. You could feel the evil from ten feet away. I was careful not to touch him. I’m not sure he can see things like I can, but I didn’t want to take that chance and I definitely didn’t want to see a vision from him.” I shuddered just thinking about it. “We sat and talked for a few minutes. It was strange though. The longer I was around him the more confrontational I became. I was ready to pick a fight with him right there in the kitchen.”

  “Your demon side becomes more pronounced when you are exposed to him. Demons are very territorial, always striving for dominance over others of their kind. You were feeling encroached upon and wanted to assert yourself.” Keith explained it perfectly. I just wasn’t thrilled at the answer.

  “So, my demon half is a larger part of me than I would like. I still barely know what I’m doing but I am going to have to fight him. Couldn’t you guys teach me how to fight? At least enough to give me a chance.”

  “Not really. We discussed it the first day I was here. If we tried to teach you, it would only get in the way of your instincts. You would be thinking instead of acting when you fight him. It would hurt more than it would help.” Keith’s explanations were really getting on my nerves. Butthole.

  “So now we wait for them to call?” I asked knowing the answer.

  “Yes. They will be getting nervous. I would expect your mom to call soon. Tell her you are not coming home today. Say you will see her tomorrow or something. That will have them looking for bait to lure you back. With Alicia and me here safe, they will go after Crystal and Sarah. When they call to demand you come back or they will hurt them, you reluctantly give in and agree to go where they say. We will follow a few minutes after and free the girls and round up the cult.” Keith made it sound so easy.

  “That all sounds really easy. What’s the chances it actually works out that way?” I was sure things would find a way to go wrong.

  “We will change our plans as necessary. This seems to be the logical course though.” Keith was sure.

  Our talk was interrupted by the front door opening. Alicia walked out on the porch. Seth and Keith knew to excuse themselves so Alicia and I could talk. I wasn’t sure either of us was ready for this conversation, but we didn’t have time to wait. She walked toward the cars clearly wanting me to follow.

  “I am-” I started but she stopped me.

  “Don’t say you’re sorry. You couldn’t help it.” She took a deep breath and looked at me. “I’ve been with Seth’s pack for fifty-six years. There are only four members who have been with Seth longer. I was hurt, damaged even, when Seth turned me. He has been a father, a brother, and a friend all of this time. Most of the others are like sisters and brothers to me. I’ve known you for one week. You are half demon, you still know very little about werewolves, you are so young, and you are so different from everyone else. I stayed up most of the night last night wondering what to do, but there isn’t really a choice. I’m with you. Whatever that means for me, wherever we end up. I’m with you.”

  I am not ashamed to say that I shed a tear. I took her in my arms and held her close. I just stood there holding her unable to speak for a minute. Once I had gotten control of myself, I lifted her to sit on the trunk of my car and kissed her. I tried to come up for air to say something but she pulled me back for another kiss.

  “I love you.” I managed to get that in at least. We stayed there for a long time just holding each other.


  We might have stayed there forever if my phone had not started ringing. I was about to yell for Keith and Seth but they were already running in my direction. I waited until they were close before answering.

  “Hello.”

  “Come home now.” Mom, of course.

  “No. Maybe tomorrow, but not now.” I was trying to stick to the script.

  “There is a lot more going on here than you know, Josh. You have to come home.” She sounded scared.

  “Not really. Like I said, I will come home tomorrow.” I started to hang up but changed my mind.

  “Where are you? At least tell me that.” She was fishing for information.

  “I don’t think I should. I am safe, if that is what matters to you.” I hung up.

  “Good enough.” Keith said. “It should take them a few hours to make the decision and grab the girls.”

  “Josh, did you eat yet?” Seth had turned to go back inside but he stopped to ask me. “There is still food in the kitchen but it won’t last long.”

  “Thanks, I didn’t get to eat at home.” I looked at Alicia and smiled. “Hungry?”

  Alicia hopped off the car and took my hand as we went inside. The members of Seth’s pack greeted me kindly, but it was easy to tell the difference from how they had acted before last night. There were homemade biscuits, grits, eggs, sausage and bacon. I was in heaven. I ate until I hurt. After breakfast, Alicia and I went out and sat under a tree to talk.

  “Where do you think we’ll end up? I’ve lived in Mobile my whole life.” I said after we were seated comfortably.

  “We can go most anywhere we want. As long as there isn’t a pack there already, or too many vampires for us to deal with. We just have to make sure we have plenty of woods to run in.” Alicia was trying to sound hopeful, but she couldn’t quite pull it off. I appreciated the effort though.

  “It will be strange wherever we end up, but we will be together.” I remembered something she had said earlier. “What did you mean when you said you were damaged? If you don’t want to talk about it, don’t. I was just remembering what you said earlier.”

  “My father died when I was seven years old. My mom remarried a couple of years after. My stepfather was a real beast. He would beat me and my mother regularly. When I got old enough, he started abusing me sexually. I tried to tell my mother but she didn’t care. She was happy when he was beating me instead of her. Between the beatings and the abuse, I was little more than a shell when Seth found me.” I held her a little tighter.

  “Seth fixed everything. It took him some time, but he made me whole again. He showed me what it would mean to be a werewolf and gave me the choice of being bitten or staying human. I would have chosen the wolf just so no man could have sex with me again without my permission. The freedom, the speed, the power, and most importantly, the pack, were huge bonuses.” She laughed briefly. “Even after being turned, I was still weak. The average is three to four times stronger after you turn. Four times very little isn’t much. The speed though, that I excelled at from the start. Even on my first turn I was faster than everyone but Seth. I had never known happiness like that first night as a wolf. It took years before I was whole, but Seth never lost patience with me.”

  “Did you talk to Seth last night about me having to leave the pack? Did he help you decide?” I asked. Seth was reaching the Keith level of goodness in my head. I had never thought I would be able to say that about anyone.

  “Yes. We talked for a long time. He told me he would support my decision either way. He started off by telling me his point of view of those first few years after he found me. I listened to him talk about how much I had grown and how proud he was of the woman I became. He talked about how he saw me as a daughter, not just a member of his pack. He made it plain. If it were up to him, I would stay with his pack. I would say goodbye to you and never leave his pack. That’s when he reminded me that it wasn’t his decision. He was my alpha, but you had my heart. He knew it. I think he knew what my decision would be all along. He just needed me to see it for myself.” She nestled her head against my shoulder and sighed after she had finished talking.

  “I wish I weren’t such a freak. I would love nothing more than for us to be able to stay with Seth’s pack. I still don’t fully know what it is to be a werewolf, now I have to be an alpha. It doesn’t make sense.” I kissed the top of her head before I continued. “As long as I have you, I will deal with whatever comes.”

  We sat there wishing the world would leave us alone for a little while. Holding her had become my talisman. I felt whole when she was in my arms. It was that, more than anything else, that gave me hope for what was to come. Keith came out and sat by us sometime later. As nice as being there alone with Alicia was, I would always welcome Keith’s company. At least I thought so at first.

  “You know it is kind of amazing to me. All these years and I’m still trying to keep you out of trouble.” He said it with laughter in his eyes. “You remember the time you brought those eggs to school so you could egg the teacher’s car? You tripped on the stairs and busted all the eggs while they were still in your backpack. That was a huge mess. By the end of the day, your bag smelled so bad you had to throw it away.”

  “I was so mad.” Alicia and I were laughing. “I never did get back at Mrs. Johnson. She used to catch me every time I did anything even a little wrong.”

  “You had a reserved place in the corner of the room where she would make you stand.” Keith kept on. “You spent more time in that corner than you did at your desk.” We were all laughing.

  “So you were a bad kid?” Alicia asked with a smile.

  “He was the worst. He was mean, loud, and couldn’t stay out of trouble to save his life. Even when he didn’t do anything wrong he would get blamed. The teachers were so used to having to punish Josh that the other kids would get away with stuff.” Keith was enjoying this too much. I couldn’t argue because it was all true. “When Jeremy put gum in Amy’s hair, it took four of us and Amy herself to make the teacher doubt that it wasn’t Josh that did it. She still wasn’t convinced.”

  “It was my own fault. I had no self-control at all. If I saw a chance to be bad, then I did it. It was reflex for me.” I admitted.

  “What changed? You’re so nice now.” Alicia was enjoying herself. I didn’t care that it was at my expense. I was just happy that she was smiling and laughing. I think Keith knew she needed this.

  “Keith took it upon himself to correct my evil ways. He would stop me half way through whatever plan I concocted. I got so tired of having to undo what I had started, that I started asking him before if it was wrong. It took a long time but he did it.” I smiled at the memories. “I definitely made him work for it though.”

  “It’s a miracle you weren’t beaten to death by the other kids. Some of the things you did went over the line. What about how you dowsed Jacob with coke that day? He was wearing new clothes and had to go the rest of the day being sticky and smelling like coke. He wanted to kill you. I don’t remember, why did you do that to him?”

  “Baseball. You remember how good of a pitcher he was. He had hit me twice the night before. I had bruises. I knew it wasn’t intentional, but I wanted to get back at him. I grabbed two cokes and shook them up real good and emptied them on his head.” I both winced and smiled at that memory.

  “I can see why he was so mad. I would have wanted to beat you up too. That was pretty mean.” Alicia gave me a little punch in the side when she said that.

  “Keith talked him out of hurting me. I wonder how many times you had to keep others from beating me to a pulp.” I really might not have survived the beatings.

  “A lot.” Keith’s smile left. I could see some sadness in his eyes. “I just wish I could do the same today.”

  “I understand the plan up to a point. We think they will kidnap Sarah and Crystal to force Josh to come back to them. You, Seth and some of the pack will follow and keep the girls safe while you take out the cult member
s.” She paused before she stated her question. “Why does Josh have to be there? Why can’t y’all just go and take care of this without Josh having to face his father?”

  “In some ways that would be safer for Josh. The problem is that we would have serious trouble handling the cult members, keeping the girls safe, and battling the demon. Josh will keep the demon occupied while we handle the others.” Keith looked thoughtful as he spoke. I wondered what he was really thinking. “Plus, if Josh doesn’t show up, the demon may return to hell on his own so he can be summoned again. At least this time we have a heads up and can work together to end this once and for all.”

  “I just had a thought. What if I use my visions to see where they are? We can learn the layout of the place and where they are keeping the girls.” I said it thinking it was a good way to spy on them.

  “No, absolutely not. The demon might sense it. We want them to be as confident as they can get. If they start getting suspicious they could act differently. We don’t want that.” Keith was sure. That was good enough for me.

  “I still wish y’all would have taught me how to fight a little. I understand the instincts part somewhat but it would make me feel better about my chances.” Seth walked up as I said that. He sat down with us and stretched his legs out to get comfortable.

  “Seth can answer that one better than me. The instincts of the wolf are his territory.” Keith turned to Seth and continued. “I know the basic mechanics but I haven’t experienced what that would be like.”

  “Your wolf knows what to do, even when you don’t. I heard you could jump like twenty or thirty feet high.” He looked at me and I nodded confirmation that I could. “You didn’t have to figure out how, you just did it. It’s the same with fighting. When the vampires attacked you, did you panic?”

  “No. I was very calm.” I admitted.

  “Exactly. Your wolf started acting on your behalf. I don’t know what kind of fighter you were before all of this but it really wouldn’t matter. Your wolf is so intertwined with you now that you might not even recognize when it is in control of your movements. Think about how the fight with the vamps went. Would you have made the same moves normally?” Seth was explaining this pretty well.