Paranormal After Dark: 20 Paranormal Tales of Demons, Shifters, Werewolves, Vampires, Fae, Witches, Magics, Ghosts and More

by Rebecca Hamilton

  “Why didn’t you call her for back up earlier?” I asked.

  He sighed. “It would have taken her a while to get to the building, and I for one didn’t want to wait in a cell like yours.”

  I nodded. “I prefer the cold to a cage as well.”

  He snorted.

  “Raina dispersed. Faust has escaped. That leaves Cambione,” I said.

  “Faust is the one who started this,” Adrian said.

  “Ah, but his plans are ruined. He’s going to have to start over again and we can be waiting when he rears his head. Unless you think he’ll go back to Asceco, or Erebus.”

  Adrian shook his head. “Perhaps. It depends on how much the CEO wants this wonder drug as opposed to how much Faust has screwed him.”

  I chuckled. “Is he that big of a badass?”

  “He’s a corporate boogeyman,” Adrian said. “Being a vampire is the least of his power.”

  “Let’s hope that Faust didn’t have a chance to show how good his drug was. Maybe he’ll be dealt with by your business leech.” I stared down at the pavement and lowered my voice. “Raina was a nephilim, wasn’t she?”

  “Mmm.”

  “How long have you known about them?”

  “We were on the same project together. Raina claimed she wanted to study them and learn more. I didn’t find out about her secret until later.” He shook his head with a small laugh. “Of course it wasn’t the only secret she was keeping.”

  “What else?”

  “Her vampire lover, Durnovo. Thanks to him I ended up in prison.”

  “So, now that she’s dead, you’re look for a way to go after him?”

  He stared at the passing traffic and his jaw tightened. “Let’s worry about things here and now, like is there any aspirin around here?”

  I shuffled to the newsstand close by and bought a packet from the huddled man behind the counter. Adrian downed the pack dry in one gulp. I pressed close to his side, grateful for the warmth that radiated from him as the cold seeped through my pores and settled in my bones. My eyes fluttered, and I leaned against the pot. A car pulled to the curb, and a window rolled down to show Lucy peering at us from the driver’s seat. I let out a long breath of relief. I helped Adrian into the passenger seat. I climbed in the backseat, and Lucy pulled away.

  “What in the bloody Thrones of Hell happened to the two of you?” she asked.

  “Vampires,” I said.

  “Demons,” Adrian said.

  “Well, I hope they’re dust on the wind.”

  “Not all,” I said and laid my head back against the seat.

  Lucy moved through the traffic and spun a U-turn. She had us back at the office within ten minutes. Tres hurried around his desk and helped Adrian onto one of the examination tables. Adrian leaned forward with a groan and struggled to remove his jacket and shirt with Tres’s assistance.

  “I hope whatever it was, it was worth it,” Tres said as he pressed his good hand on Adrian’s abdomen.

  “Well, they no longer have the formula to make more Brimstone-based drugs,” Adrian said.

  “That is excellent news,” Jonah said from the door. He moved to stand beside my table. “Lucy informed me that you may need assistance.”

  Tres gave him a weary smile. “I could use an extra hand.”

  I snorted as he turned back to examining Adrian. Jonah looked to me with a raised eyebrow. I sighed and began the long story of one night.

  “Hold still,” Tres snapped at Adrian. “You know how hard this is with a broken arm.”

  “Physician, heal thyself,” Adrian said.

  Tres glared at him. “You don’t think I’ve tried?”

  “He’s right,” I said. “You really need to figure out why you can’t.”

  “Well, it’s not happening right now,” Tres said. “So, shut up so I can deal with you, then I’m going to lie down. This is exhausting.”

  I frowned. “That’s new. I thought you had more of an itch to hurt people.”

  Jonah gave a choking cough beside me, and I gave him a look. “That’s how he described it.”

  Tres snorted. “Those weren’t my words, but it’s still there along with this deep feeling of exhaustion.”

  “We really need to learn more about your abilities,” I said and looked at Adrian. “All of yours.”

  Adrian closed his eyes and lay back. “Just get it over with.”

  Tres leaned over his brother and closed his eyes. The bruising around Adrian’s throat faded, leaving only pink healthy skin behind. The shadows that had hovered under his eyes disappeared. He sat up with a sigh and nodded.

  “Do me a favor.” Tres turned his gaze to me. “Try to stay out of trouble. I don’t have enough energy to keep this up. If demons come knocking, send Lucy or something. At least she heals herself.”

  Speak of the devil, and she should appear. Lucy knocked on the doorway. “Gabby, you need to take this phone call. John has been calling a lot. He sounds desperate.”

  I hopped off the table. “Why didn’t you say something?”

  “You were busy,” Lucy said.

  I rushed to the next office and picked up the phone. “John? What’s wrong?”

  “He’s after me,” John’s voice crackled through static. “Every time I think I’ve lost him, he’s there again.”

  “Who’s after you?” I asked.

  “Cambione, Gabby. I can’t run much more.”

  “Where are you?”

  “Central Park. Please come. I need you now.”

  “I’m coming.” I hung up the phone and spun around to find Lucy behind me.

  “You really aren’t going to listen to Tres,” she said.

  “Sorry, demons don’t stop just because he needs a nap. I won’t let them get John.”

  I pushed past her and headed up to the fourth floor. The pressure in my chest weighed on my lungs and heart. So, was this Faust’s revenge? He was sending one of his pieces after my lover. I stopped and closed my eyes as my throat tightened. It didn’t matter if he did. I would save John. I just had to hurry. My sword lay on the bench, next to my bag, just where I’d left it. Lucy stepped into the room with her arms crossed.

  “Well, you are going to take part of Tres’s advice.” She held up the keys. “I’m not letting you go alone.”

  Chapter 39

  LUCY PARKED HER car off of 72nd street. I pushed opened the door and bolted out of the car before she even got her seatbelt off. She called after me as I rushed down the trail toward the Strawberry Fields Memorial, but her words were mere murmurs against the blood pounding through my ears.

  Please let me be in time, I chanted in my head.

  I stopped at the memorial and caught my breath, resting my hands on my knees. The concreted disc with the word Imagine that served as a monument to John Lennon had been cleared of snow. The area was strangely empty of people, even for winter. He said he’d be waiting here. My heart squeezed in my chest, and my stomach tightened. A man’s scream echoed from the copse of trees. I took off in that direction.

  Branches scraped against my face and caught in my hair and against my jacket. I ignored them and kept going. I burst into a small clearing and stopped. Cambione had John on his knees. The demon had his hand around his neck as he stared into his eyes. He glanced in my direction, smiled, and twisted his arm in a quick motion. A snap echoed through the air. The sound sent a jolt that tore through my chest and pierced my heart. I’d been too late. A pale light rose from John’s blank eyes and filled Cambione’s. He inhaled deeply and smiled back at me.

  A buzzing filled my ears and the world around us became distorted. All that was clear was the demon in front of me. The demon that needed to feel the sting of my blade over and over before he met oblivion. I didn’t even realize I had drawn my sword, but it was in my hand as I rushed at him. He dodged to the side with a laugh as I sliced at his chest.

  “You’ll have to be a little faster than that, Gabriella,” he said.

  I couldn�
��t form words, so I gave a rage-filled scream and rushed him again. My sword met only air. I spun around with a pant, but he had disappeared. His laughter filled the clearing.

  “I thought you were this fearsome demon slayer. You look pretty pathetic here.” His voice echoed around me. “Come and see if you can find me.”

  White mist slithered in from the trees and surrounded me, so thick I could barely see a few feet in front of me. I tightened my grip on my sword and moved forward, scanning as I went. The bastard still had to be around here. It didn’t matter what tricks he had. I’d find him and make him bleed for what he’d done. A silhouette undulated to my left. I spun and lashed my sundang out to cut it down. The blade sliced through the mist and nothing else. I gave a growl and moved forward as Cambione’s laugh pounded in my ears. There. A figure stood in the mist in front of me. I sprinted, leapt, and tackled him to the ground. I brought my sword across his throat and froze.

  Lucy stared up at me with wide eyes. The clouds above us broke and the sun peeked through. The mist vanished. It didn’t just dissipate—it disappeared in an instant, leaving us alone with the dead trees and John. I turned back to his body. His face was turned to the side, and he stared off at nothing. He’d fallen at an odd angle with one arm trapped behind his back. I knelt beside him, straightened his limbs, and placed his hands on his chest. I gripped the sleeves of his sports jacket, and I swallowed hard. Tears burned my eyes and threatened to spill from the corners. There were too many. They trailed down my cheeks as I bowed my head. I gulped back the sob rising in my chest.

  “Give him eternal rest, O Lord, and may Your light shine upon him forever,” I whispered in Italian.

  Lucy grabbed my shoulders and pulled at me. “We have to go. We don’t want anyone to catch us here.”

  I held on tighter. This would be the last time I’d see his face. I’d never hear his laugh again or feel his fingers on my skin. Why hadn’t I been more patient with him? He’d begged for my help, and I had failed him. I’d always had more important things to worry about.

  Lucy half-carried, half-dragged me to where her car was parked. I stared at the steel-gray clouds and prayed the rain would start pouring from the sky. My prayers went unanswered. I sat stiffly in the seat of the car, blind to the world passing by the window. The sorrow I’d swallowed churned in my stomach and turned into a boiling heat. Someone would pay for this.

  “Not today,” Lucy said. “You are in no shape mentally to handle the demon.”

  I gripped the handle of the door. “We can’t just let him get away.”

  “He won’t get away, Dearie. But you need to sleep and mourn. Otherwise, you’ll be running on rage, and you’ll make mistakes like you did with Allegra.”

  I gritted my teeth. It wasn’t that I hadn’t tried to kill Allegra multiple times, even without my sword. Somehow, she’d known I was there and had always laid a trap for me. I’d thought having Dimitri there would help, but that had proven futile. The results had been the same, except that Dimitri had nearly gotten killed. I seemed to get the people I cared about hurt or killed while the monster got away. Not this time. The monster would pay for his sins. I’d see to it personally. I would do it alone, so this time, if I failed, I would be the only one to die. Lucy was right, though. I couldn’t go after him now. I’d proven myself unfit in the clearing.

  As we sat in more traffic, the burning knot in the pit of my stomach unfurled. It traveled up and constricted my chest, pressing until I released the first sob. I leaned against the headrest of the backseat and cried until all that remained was exhaustion. Lucy remained silent, but her arms were comforting as she led me to my apartment.

  “Do you want me to stay with you?” Lucy asked.

  I shook my head.

  She left. I curled up with a pillow clutched in my arms. There, I found that I did have more tears to shed. They continued until I fell asleep.

  Chapter 40

  THE STENCH OF burnt flesh pervades through the room, sinking into the wood floor and walls. It stains the house with the tragedy that happened mere moments ago. I sink before the fireplace and shift through the smoldering cinders, unmindful of my own hands burning. The pain cannot be greater than that in my heart. I pull the tiny body to me as a new set of tears wash down my cheeks. My poor Marco. He’d only just seen his first year. I would never see his first steps, watch him grow tall, or find a good wife.

  His body crumpled to ash in my arms and I’m left to clutch my chest. Sobs strangle my throat and create a vise in my chest. What had I done? I’d meant to protect my husband. Instead, the demon sought her revenge by destroying everything I held dear. I crawl to Dario, ignoring the ever growing pool of blood that surrounds his body. I take a shuddering breath as I avoid the gaping hole in his chest. His head is turned from me with a lock of dark hair splayed across one cheek.

  I caress his cheek and pull his face towards mine. I gasp and the world grows artic. John Roda, not my husband, stares back at me.

  I woke in a darkened room with a hoarse wail. I clutched the pillow tighter and buried my face in it. Once again, I’d failed to keep my lover safe. Another demon had taken someone dear to me. I would never have a chance to rectify things between us. I sat up. Maybe I still could. I grabbed my house phone and called Lucy.

  “How are you feeling?” she asked.

  “Better,” I said. “But I need a favor. Can you meet me at the Lexington Hotel on 5th street with your séance materials?”

  Chapter 41

  LUCY MET ME in the lobby of the hotel. She was dressed in jeans and had a black duffel bag slung over her shoulder. She studied me for several moments with a concerned expression. I gave her my best smile to show her I was all right.

  “Ciao,” I said, crossing my arms around me.

  She rested a hand on my arm. “Hello, dearie. Are you sure you want to do this? His soul might have already moved on.”

  I took a deep breath. “I need to do this. I need closure.”

  She nodded. “How are we getting in?”

  “We need a key.”

  “He didn’t give you one?”

  “I didn’t visit often.” My voice shook. I never had time. There had always been the demons and the Brimstone to worry about. John, once again, became secondary.

  She looked over at the clerk and back to me. A mischievous smile lit on her lips. “I’ll handle it.”

  A few minutes later, she came back with the key. She waved it and headed for the elevator.

  “Nothing a little money, flirting, and maybe a flash of tit won’t get you,” she said.

  “What if he’d been homosexual?”

  “Then there would have been more money.”

  The elevator ride was thankfully short, and we got off on the third floor. Lucy slid the key card in the slot and the door opened with a click. I held it open to let her enter first. I took a deep breath and let it out in a slow release before I entered. The maid had been there during the day. Both beds were made and his laptop and briefcase were set on the desk. The police must not have found him yet. I swallowed hard, but it did nothing to alleviate the bad taste in my mouth. I’d had to abandon him there. Police questions would have been too inconvenient. I couldn’t even show him the respect of a vigil or burial.

  “Let’s get on with this,” I said.

  We pulled the small dining table to the middle of the room. Lucy drew a circle with chalk around it while I moved the chairs. She pulled out candles, a knife, and a large metal mirror. I raised an eyebrow.

  “What? I’m setting the mood and the mirror will help me see the other side better,” she said. “Not all of us have your gift. I’m surprised you’re not doing this yourself.”

  “I can see spirits, not hear or speak to them. Besides, do you know how hard it is to call a spirit to possess you and try to have a conversation with it?”

  “Hmm.”

  I sat down and watched as she powered the circle. There was a difference in vibration once the circle close
d. The air smelled cleaner and lighter. Lucy sat across from me, closed her eyes, and took several deep breaths. She pricked her finger with the knife. Three drops hit the surface with a small splat.

  “O ye spirit of John Roda, ye I conjure by the Power, Knowledge, Wisdom, and Virtue of the spirit of God, and by the Holy name of God, Eheieh, which is the root, trunk, source, and origin of all other Divine names,” Lucy said.

  I stared down at the mirror even though I wouldn’t be able to see anything. It was sympathetic magic more than anything else. It allowed Lucy to focus enough to connect to the Eclipse. What she would see would be in her mind.

  “I conjure thee, and I powerfully urge ye, O spirit, in whichever part of the Eclipse ye may be, that ye shall be unable to remain in any other part of the Universe, or any pleasant place that may attract ye, but that ye come promptly to accomplish our desire, and all things that we demand from your obedience.”

  Lucy’s shoulder’s jerked and her head fell forward, her pigtails brushing against her cheeks. A shudder passed through her body and her hand tightened on her knife.

  I frowned. This wasn’t right.

  “Lucy?” I asked. “John?”

  She gave a small whimper, and her head lifted. She looked in my direction with wide eyes but they seemed to stare past me and a million miles away. Her hand patted the table until it found mine. I tried to pull back, but she held on tight. She jabbed the point of my finger with the knife.

  “Ow, Lucy, what the hell are you doing?”

  She pulled my hand forward and let my blood drip on the mirror. “O Adonai, most holy, most righteous, most almighty God, who sees all, grant Gabriella the ability to see what vision I see until this ritual be complete.”

  I threw my head back as my mind was filled with images.