by Spear, Terry
***
That night after taking a shower and dressing in her favorite frog prince pajamas, Alana curled up in bed and began reading the advanced personal protection spell book she’d tucked under her pillow to get a head start on her uncle’s teachings for the next day. She felt fairly safe what with her uncle’s protection spells surrounding the house, Jared watching for demon signatures for the time being, and with a half Matusa demon staying with them, too.
Halfway through trying to memorize the fourth spell, her eyelids grew heavy and she fell asleep.
Until the portal yanked her out of her dreamlike state and cast her before Hunter in her astral form. Irritated enough to scream, she scowled at him. If she’d had the ability, she would have turned him into something slimy.
He reclined like a panther against the black velvet spread of his guest bed. Tilting his head to the side, he studied the green frogs wearing gold crowns on her pink pajama bottoms. His lips curved up, and she folded her arms.
“My uncle can put a stop to your doing this to me.”
His eyes sparkled in the soft lamplight. “By casting a spell over you?”
“Yes.”
“Then why didn’t he before he went to bed?”
Hunter was so annoying. Yolan was the only one who’d been able to cast the protective spell around her mind to keep her from being yanked in the direction of the portal when it opened. But she’d hoped she could find a spell she could use to cast on herself before someone summoned the gateway again.
“Well?” He looked so smug.
If she could slug him, she would. She could!
She left him, returned to her body, and sat upright in bed. For a second, her mind was so groggy, she couldn’t remember what she had intended to do.
Then the portal opened again, and she was pulled back into Hunter’s room. She’d kill him. “Quit doing this!”
“I love it when your eyes flame. Did you know that?”
“Quit calling me here! I need to sleep, or you won’t even want to see me in the morning. And that’s a promise!”
“I have to figure out why when I open the portal, you’re called to it. There has to be some key. Don’t you agree? If demons and witches can’t do what you do normally, what’s making you do this? Don’t you want to learn why this is happening?”
Wondering if he was being honest, she narrowed her eyes at him. “That’s the only reason you opened the portal?”
“What other reason would there be?” His eyes sparkled with shady humor. “What? That I’d take advantage of you? I can’t touch you, can I?” He moved slowly from the bed. “I can’t kiss you, can I?”
“You’d better not even go there.”
“You say no, but your eyes and lips say otherwise.”
He crossed the floor to her. She opened her mouth to tell him off when she felt the strong pull of another portal open somewhere else in Dallas.
“Another demon gateway,” she warned, her heart racing.
Hunter’s face turned stormy, then he cursed as she was yanked away.
***
Alana’s astral body arrived at a rundown, single-story house where three slovenly, middle-aged men guzzled beer and chanted. All of the men wore straggly beards and greasy hair down to their shoulders like a bunch of old hippies.
Flea-bitten, secondhand couches, dead crickets entangled in gold stringy, shag carpeting decorated the place. Dim lights filtered through dirty lamp shades and the smell of beer and cigarettes permeated the stale air. A lone cricket chirped underneath one of the sofas.
Though Alana had it in mind to destroy their summoning book, she realized in her present state, she couldn’t physically touch it. She had no idea where she was or she would have told Hunter. She hoped the idiots didn’t bring Ferengus forth.
“Next part,” the man wearing three chins said.
She stepped in front of the portal, the wind from the gateway blowing her hair and her pajamas. The guys stared at her, their mouths gaping. Their eyes leered at her, and they gave her disgusting grins.
“We did it! I told you Barney said this is how he got his love slave.”
Alana quirked a brow. “You brought forth the wrong kind of demon. Didn’t you know how deadly some of them can be?”
“Nah, don’t believe the witch. We summoned her. She’s ours to do with what we please.” The guy with the biggest belly that could have rivaled dear Saint Nick’s, smelled like he hadn’t bathed in as many years as the raggedy carpet had been in place. He stumbled toward her.
She took a step back, the feeling he could touch her with his grimy hands, making her stomach revolt.
“Stand still, witch.”
If only he really knew. Alana cast a protection attack spell and sent him flying back into the older man, his hair graying at the temples. And was instantly shocked that she could use that spell in her strange state. She immediately tried the levitation spell on the book which made it rise, but what was she to do with it?
“She likes to play rough, eh?” the third guy growled. He broke an empty beer bottle and headed for her.
“Some demons can’t be controlled,” she warned, hoping they’d back off. “They don’t leave the summoners alive.”
The man bared yellow-stained teeth and sliced the broken bottle across her face. His jaw went slack when the bottle went through nothing but air. He backed up. “It’s… it’s not real.”
No telling who they’d conjure up if they messed with the spells again. She shoved the man against the wall, then concentrated on covering the book with brambles.
“What’s she doing?” the older man said.
The big guy managed to chant another spell.
The portal shimmered and a Matusa female stepped forth, nearly giving Alana a stroke. The demon glanced in Alana’s direction and sneered. “Kubiteron.”
Alana’s blood chilled, but she gave the Matusa an equally contemptuous look. Standing up to them was the only way to deal with them—she thought.
“You dare to call me? For what purpose, little men?” the black-haired siren asked, dragging her long nail across the fattest man’s cheek. Blood dripped from the thin line she cut into the skin.
His hazel eyes went round, and his mouth hung open.
“Hmm, cat got your tongue?” Extending her claws, she ripped out his tongue and tossed it to the other men.
“Oh God.” Alana stifled a shriek and tried to will herself out of the place.
The fat man passed out. The older man let out a strangled cry.
The demon turned to the one wielding the broken bottle. His hazel eyes filled with terror, he waved the jagged glass at her like a shaky dagger.
“I was busy with my mate,” she said in a dark, sultry way. “Why did you bother me?”
“W-we’re your masters. Y-you’re our love slave,” the armed man said.
Her short bark of laughter rattled the house. “You, human? You’re not worthy of being dirt beneath my feet. You, my master? Ha! Kneel before me, dog!”
Trembling, the man dropped to his knees.
Alana tried to throw the demon back against the wall. But the Matusa only glanced at her, the expression on the Matusa’s face surprised. Whatever Alana had done to the demon, it was like with Ferengus. She couldn’t stop them with her meager witch’s skills.
Jared had said Kubiteron might command water. She tried to gather a storm. Nothing happened. She tried the attack spell with lightning bolts, but again, nothing came of it.
Then vehicles drove up to the house, their headlights shining into the bare windows, their brakes squealing.
The demon smiled. “Good. More company to play with.”
Alana tried to distract her. “Don’t you want to return to your mate?”
“I believe I’ll stay awhile. Make you do my bidding. Come here, Kubiteron.” The demon yanked the man’s head up by his hair. “Kill him for me.”
“I don’t do any demon’s bidding.”
“Oh, yes you
will, little one.”
The door to the house slammed open and banged against the wall. Hunter and Jared stormed inside.
Alana couldn’t believe her eyes, nor could she have been more relieved.
“Go, Alana!” Hunter shouted at her.
Instantly, he stoked her ire.
“Alana?” the female said. She cast a devious smile. “Ferengus is looking for you. He will be disappointed he wasn’t summoned instead of me.”
Hunter grabbed the woman’s arm and sent her flying back through the portal. Alana would catalog the demon’s look of surprise for future reference. Chalk one up for the semi-good guys.
“Go, Alana!” Hunter hollered at her.
“No! What about these men?”
“The drunken bums deserve whatever she meted out to them,” he growled low.
“They said their friend has a love slave,” Alana warned.
“Jared?” Hunter asked, turning to him.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m looking.” He peered at his laptop. “Faint signature two blocks from here in a southwesterly direction.”
“What’s the address?” Hunter asked the men.
The older man croaked out, “Two-twenty-one, 1st Street. Don’t kill us, please.”
Hunter closed the portal, then seized the summoning book. “Where did you get this?”
“Our friend got it. I had nothing to do with it. We were just fooling around.”
Alana approached the man. “You will remember nothing about demons or your friend having one.” She repeated the same message to the other two, then leaned over the man with the bloodied mouth and stopped the bleeding. “Get him to a hospital.”
“Why couldn’t you have tried to heal me in your current state before?” Hunter asked, leading her out to his truck, his tone of voice perturbed.
“I have more power over humans even in my current state. How did you find me here?”
“I called Jared as soon as you disappeared. Told him you were pulled away to another portal, and he needed to monitor the area until the demon was summoned. Shortly afterwards, he informed me she was Matusa. But now I want you to go home.”
“I want to go with you.”
He looked at her skeptically. “Can you?”
“I don’t think so, unless you open a portal for me at the other man’s house.”
“Go home, Alana. No telling what we’ll find there.”
“You said the demon’s signature is faint. I may be able to heal her if she’s been injured.”
“Not in your present state, you said.”
She scowled at him. “I won’t let you back into my uncle’s home.”
“Then I can’t protect you if the Baltimore demon comes for you.”
She folded her arms.
Hunter’s jaw tightened. “All right. I’ll call you.” He snorted under his breath. “You’re a Kubiteron and I’m a Matusa. That means you’re to obey me.”
“You mean, ‘You, Matusa, me, Kubiteron?’ No way, Tarzan. Go beat on your chest before some other lesser demon.”
Jared quickly hid a smile.
Hunter’s face turned dark. She gave him a quirky smile, then vanished.
***
As soon as Hunter opened the portal at the next house, Alana was pulled to the place. The smell of whiskey filled the air instead of beer. A Kubiteron female lay chained to a pillar holding up the back porch. Her face and arms were bruised and swollen but as soon as she saw Alana, her face brightened a degree. “Guardian of the Gate,” she whispered, her violet eyes sparkling with hope.
“Can you heal her?” Hunter asked.
“I’ll try.”
Hunter and Jared stormed into the house.
“What the…” a man shouted, then a couple of rounds of gunfire rang out.
Her eyes full of fright, the female demon glanced at the house.
“We’ll release you as soon as we can,” Alana said, unable to free her without being in her physical state. “Hunter,” she said, totally exasperated.
Hurrying out of the house, he favored a bloodied arm, but yanked at the rusty chains binding the woman until they pulled apart. She lay still on the cement, barely able to lift her head.
Alana tried to touch her, but couldn’t. “I can’t help her here—I guess because she’s not human. Can either you or Jared?”
“No. Neither of us have healing powers.”
“But your dad—”
“It’s like human abilities. Some are capable of doing some things, others have different abilities. We’ll bring her to your uncle’s home, then send her back to the demon’s world.”
Alana reached her hand out to Hunter’s arm. “What about you?”
“Later.” He looked back at the house and hollered, “Jared?”
“Coming.” Jared hurried outside. “I couldn’t find any other summoning books.”
“What about the man?” Alana asked.
“What man?” Hunter snarled. “He was a savage beast.” Hunter lifted the injured demon off the porch, his touch gentle. “He won’t be torturing anyone else from now on.”
She knew Hunter had killed the man. The demon part of her cheered him for ridding the world of another sadist. The human part of her… she wasn’t sure. Not after she looked at the pretty woman nearly dead from the beatings she’d received.
“Go home, Alana. Let me into the house, or come out to me when I get there. I’m afraid your uncle’s barriers will prevent me from entering on my own.”
Boy, would her uncle be mad if he found out she’d been running around with a couple of demons, again.
***
As soon as Hunter and Jared arrived at her uncle’s front door, Alana greeted them, hoping her uncle wouldn’t discover the mess they’d been in. She hurriedly went about healing the Kubiteron and was grateful her powers worked to mend even the bones she could feel broken in the slight woman’s hands and feet.
Hunter nodded. “Your healing skills work on human-inflicted wounds and even on demons as I thought. It was only the Matusa’s poison you had no abilities to counteract.” He opened a portal and the Kubiteron quickly squeezed Alana’s hand, her eyes lowered. “I thank you and owe you my life, Guardian. I’m Tessalyn. If you ever need my help, call me.”
“I’m Alana. Why are you calling me a guardian?” Though Alana had a creepy feeling she wasn’t going to like the answer.
The woman’s violet eyes widened. “You are of Earth world?”
“Yes.” Which Alana hoped would make all the difference.
“You’re the one. Forgive me. My mother was also a guardian of the gate. But…” She turned and cast a wary glance at Hunter, then considered Jared. “Neither of them are Samuria.”
Hunter drew taller. “What’s that got to do with anything?”
“A Kubiteron gate guardian is always matched with a Samuria. They give each other equal strength to manage the return of demons summoned from our world. Since the early age of demons and humankind, some Matusa have wished to conquer other worlds. And some Earth inhabitants wish to enslave those of us who cannot fight them. Gate guardians are rare, but necessary to keep either from happening. The Kubiteron who possesses such an ability is highly respected by all demons but the Matusa.” Tessalyn gave Hunter a dark cursory look. “The Samuria she selects will be most honored.”
Alana didn’t believe it for a minute because she was half human, thank the heavens!
Jared poked away at his laptop. “From the information I have here, the Samuria are mainly politicians. I can’t find what their strength is in relation to other demons.”
Tessalyn sighed deeply. “My father was Samurian. You would not want to see him when he was angered.”
Jared looked up from his monitor. “But I see you as a Kubiteron. I thought offspring always carried their father’s demonic aura.”
“Except in the case of the Samuria. There’s always an exception to every rule,” she said.
“Like having a Samuria matched with a Kubitero
n as gate guardians.” Hunter raised a brow, punctuating his comment.
“No,” Tessalyn said vehemently. “In all the centuries they have existed, the match of demon types is always the same. It cannot be changed.”
Jared looked uneasy. “Then we need to find one of these Samuria to match up with Alana. Maybe Alana and her partner could help at the site of the portals while Hunter and I can track down the summoning books.”
“I must return home. If you ever need me, just summon me,” Tessalyn said to Alana. “You have the power.” She stepped into the portal.
When the lady disappeared, Hunter closed the gateway. Alana stared at the spot where the woman disappeared, her mind still sifting over the woman’s words.
“Are you all right?” Jared asked.
“I don’t believe I’m some gate guardian. I’m not even a full demon and…” Alana shook her head, then began to work on the bullet in Hunter’s arm. No way was she was going to pick some Samuria, politician, whatever, to become her guardian match. “I don’t know anything about this. Aren’t there rules? Training? Can’t people have a choice as to what they want to do with their lives?” She stared at Hunter’s arm. “Your wound is beginning to heal already.”
“Demons heal faster, if the wound is human-inflicted. But the man beat Tessalyn so frequently, her wounds never had time to heal.” He glanced up at Alana. “As for having a choice in life, I have chosen what I want to do. Keeping the demons where they belong.”
“I’m with Hunter,” Jared said.
“You’re full demon. Why wouldn’t you want to go home, Jared?”
“This is the only world I’ve known.”
“So why not let a few of your kind in?”
Jared gave her an annoyed look.
“I thought you wanted to send them back,” Hunter said.
“I want them gone, yes. But I don’t want to be some guardian of these blasted portals,” Alana said.
“We need to go to Seplichus and find a Samuria to help her.” Jared closed his laptop. “Maybe between the four of us, we can make some progress.”
She frowned. “Absolutely not. I’m finding a way to stop being summoned to these portals. I’ll help in whatever way I can otherwise, but I’m not going to be some gate guardian.”
