by Gow, Kailin
I glanced apologetically at Brax and Moore.
“Don’t waste too much time talking to them,” Asher said. “They’re obviously deceptive and only want to play with your head.”
Dr. Sorensen chuckled. “How intuitive, Angel Cake. You know, you humans are so paranoid and suspicious, it makes playing with your heads child’s play. It doesn’t take much to get you thinking the worse of each other. And talk about worse… where is the once beautiful she-demon who thought she could get away with devouring one of our own?”
He grinned and winked at me as he walked to Shayne’s limp form. With his foot, he nudged her. “Her soul belongs to us now. Silly little thing thought devouring a demon would make her stronger. On the contrary, dear Shayne.” He looked down at her, his hunger for her soul glowing in his eyes. “You owe us your soul and we’ve come to collect.”
Shayne stirred and her annoyed growl filled the air. Within seconds she was on her feet. Her skin charred and her eyes glowing with hell’s ambers, she looked around her, lost and desperate.
“You really ought to do something with that hair,” Becca said with a sardonic snort.
Shayne’s beautiful long locks were now just flimsy dry wisps of black threads.
“Must be hard on the ego,” Becca continued as she approached Shayne and ran her fingers across the charred skin of her cheek. “To once have been so beautiful, so desirable only to now stand here with nothing to offer, nothing but your pathetic little soul. You didn’t even have the ability to take care of Mr. Angel and Mr. Seer.”
Dr. Sorensen cocked his head to the side in mock concern. “Not so fun playing with the big boys, is it Shayne? Stakes can run high. Now you’ll know that demonic forces are not to be taken lightly, but I guess it’s a little too late for you to put that knowledge to good use, isn’t it.”
Through the crisp skin, red eyes and sharp fangs, I could see Shayne’s fear.
“Who are you?” she asked.
“We’re the collectors of deviant souls,” Sorensen said. “And your time is up, darling.”
“No!” She stepped back.
“Don’t turn this into a messy ordeal, Shayne,” Becca said as she held out her hand to Shayne. “Be a big girl and come with us.”
Shayne’s eyes widened in horror.
Urging Shayne to offer her hand, Becca flicked her fingers. “Come on.” When Shayne didn’t reach out, Becca grabbed her hand and yanked her closer.
“No,” Shayne cried, shaking her head.
Becca gazed at Moore as she led his sister to the forest. “You look just about ripe, handsome. We should be back for you real soon.”
“No,” I shouted as I wielded my crucifix. “I’ll never let you touch him.”
Asher came to stand beside me.
“How adorable,” Becca whined through a bored yawn. “The body-licious angel and his little girlfriend demon slayer.”
Dr. Sorensen snickered as he eyed me with contempt. “So brave, so strong… so naïve. We’ve been fighting the likes of you for thousands of years. Do you really think your false bravado and little crucifix scare us?”
“I may be young, but I’m far from naïve, doctor.” I glared at him. “I fought my first demon when I was two years old… and like that.” I snapped my fingers. “If I could so easily plunge a demon into the ugliness of hell back then, just imagine what I can do now.”
Brax and Moore joined us.
“And, as if that wasn’t enough, I have the biggest, baddest demon slayers on my side.”
I caught a glimmer of doubt in Becca’s eyes, and when Asher swelled to his full height and spread his glowing wings, Sorensen blanched.
“What do you think of Angel Cake now?” I said with a smirk.
Smaller demons backed away and a few tried to escape, but Asher whipped out a glowing light and threw it at them, disintegrating two and sending many more running for cover.
With only my nod as command, the guys at my side jumped into battle.
Moore gladly gripped a demon by the throat and squeezed until the flaming red eyes dimmed then extinguished. Three smaller demons jumped him, gnashing their teeth as they attempted to bite into his flesh.
The rage that’d built up within him these past days was unleashed with a vengeance and the little demons were destroyed and discarded with ease.
Brax also found himself bombarded with a series of small and larger demons. The firsts were easily dealt with; choked, impaled or a quick snap of their neck. They fell around him, heaped in a pile of decaying matter, but their numbers never seemed to diminish.
I did my best to keep up with the growing numbers. For every demon slayed, three new ones appeared. I pressed my crucifix to one and another and another. I had good momentum, fighting while avoiding a direct attack, but that ended suddenly.
My screams pierced through the growls and snarls surrounding me as cold sharp claws grabbed my shoulders. The demon on my back prepared to tear me apart. I reached back and tried to push my crucifix to it, but it dodged it again and again.
With one swift backhand, Moore smacked it on its ear and it toppled off me. With his knee to the beast’s chest, Moore pinned it down and strangled it until the struggle ended.
For good measure, I pressed my crucifix to its brow and watched it turn to ashes.
“That seems to be the only way of getting rid of them for good. For all my choking and stabbing they keep coming back.
Hearing Brax’s sharp cry, we turned to find him fighting Dr. Sorensen.
Moore kissed me, patted my cheek and winked. “Ready for more, my beloved demon slayer?”
As we rushed into the melee, Dr. Sorensen backed out, leaving minor demons to fight his battle.
“The damned coward,” I cried.
We worked as a team, catching, pinning down and slaying dozens of demons. When the flow diminished, I turned to look at Asher.
Shayne had regained her strength and had Asher by the throat while three large demons kept his struggles to a minimum by holding him back.
“Brax,” I shouted. “Go to Asher.” I fought the remaining demons with Moore while Brax slayed two of the demons holding Asher.
“Let’s go help Brax,” I said when the last of the demons around us vanished.
Dr. Sorensen stood nearby, the Book of Angels in his hands and a devilish grin on his lips.
Ravenous for a soul, Shayne tore Asher’s shirt apart and licked her dry, chapped lips with her black forked tongue. “Aren’t you pretty, Angel Boy?” She snarled and brought the two holes where her nose had once been to his skin.
Her sharp claws traced over his skin, digging in deeper and deeper. The faint trail of pink blood became thick dark red as she reached his jeans. “Yes, you're going to be quite delicious.”
Whatever empathy, sympathy or compassion I may have had for Shayne left me in that moment. I threw myself on her, pulled what remained of her hair back and punched her square in the jaw. With a quick jerk of her hair I sent her to the ground. “That,” I shouted, shoving my knee in her face, “is for sending me to the hospital, witch!”
Despite the black blood that spewed from her mouth, she laughed. The cackling sound filled the forest, rendering the scene all the more vile and disgusting.
“It certainly was worth it, if only to see my charming brother squirm and ache the way he did.”
“You witch!” I slapped my frustration out on her face.
She fixed her demonic red eyes to mine. “Me? A witch? Really? And you're an angel? You who keeps breaking his heart over and over again as you ride your little merry go round of handsome suitors. What do you really think that makes you?”
Gasping, I released her and sat back on my heels. “That’s not…”
“You can try to stammer out all the excuses you want, Lux, but we all know what you're doing, playing these guys against one another; using each of them to suit your needs.” She reached out and fingered a lock of my hair. “You may still be beautiful and desirable on the
outside, but deep down, you're no better than I am.”
Feeling strangled, I brought my hands to my throat. “I’m not like you. I’m nothing like you,” I argued. “My mistakes, my not knowing what to do with Moore, Brax and Asher… it’s all innocent. It’s all based on love. Your only motivation is hate.”
Chapter 17
I saw a glimmer of pain, but so fleeting, I had to wonder if I’d seen it at all. The scowl that quickly took over was more savage, more murderous than I’d ever seen.
“You haven’t even begun to see my capacity to hate, Lux. You haven’t even touched on the pure contempt I have… for all of you.” She glanced around, her gaze even lighting on Moore for a meaningful moment. “But you,” she hissed at me, “I hate you with a purpose… a purpose to rid this world of your kind. To think that my brother would fall for a demon slayer of all people… he never did have good taste in women.”
As she spoke, she rose to her full height, startling me as she stood head and shoulders above everyone, including Asher. Her shoulders broadened and her thin spindly arms thickened into powerful tools that could easily maim.
With the thought of the pain she could inflict on the guys I cared so much about, I prepared to jump her, but was a moment too late.
Her menacing claw clamped around my bad arm, holding my cast in a relentless vice. Pleasure gleamed in her eyes as she looked at me and gave the cast a nasty twist. Pain shot through me, cutting my breath and leaving me feeling faint. I bit through the pain and refused to give up so easily. If I took even a moment to cry out my pain, she’d kill me.
I grabbed her claw and tried to pull it off my cast, but the iron hold she had was more powerful than all the strength I could muster. With a quick flick of her wrist, she flung me back into a small, but strong tree. The only thing that could erase the pain of my wrist was the immense aching that spread out over the length of my back. My ribs felt as though they’d been split in two and I knew that getting to my feet again would be close to impossible.
Glancing up to see Shayne on her way to finish me off, I prayed for help and was rewarded with the forceful hand of Asher who effectively halted Shayne’s approach. While he kept her occupied, Moore came to my side.
“Are you okay?”
Groaning, I tried to sit up. “I don’t know.” Just breathing was like being stabbed.
“Don’t move, Lux. Damn it, I heard the crack from the impact.”
“It’s not that bad.” I tried to move again, but my body simply wouldn’t follow instructions.
“Lux, Shayne has become stronger than all of us.” He glanced over his shoulder. “I don’t know how much longer Asher can hold her off. It’s you she wants, above everything else, she wants you dead.”
“I know,” I muttered with a wince.
He came closer, his eyes moist with worry yet hardened in determination. “You have to let me out of the promise I made you.”
Confused, I simply shook my head and looked quizzically at him.
“The promise not to hurt Shayne. Lux, I can’t just stand by and watch her beat you to death; watch her drain your soul.”
“No.” Pain stabbed through my abdomen and to my back as I shouted my refusal. “Regardless of what happens, Moore, I don’t want you touching Shayne.”
“Why do you insist on being so damned noble, Lux. She killed Dr. Kingsley. Do you really think she’ll spare you? I don’t care that she’s my sister… or was once my sister. That thing…” He pointed to the demon fighting Asher. “That beast is no longer my sister. She’s gone. But that beast needs to be slain, Lux. If you can’t do it, I should.”
“Help me up.” I reached for his hand, but he quickly pulled it back.
“No,” he said solemnly.
“Moore, Shayne is winning. Soon she’ll destroy Asher. Help me up so we can help him. Then…” I glanced past him to see Asher fighting to keep Shayne’s claws away from his throat. He was strong and his fighting skills were admirable, but she was slowly overpowering him. “Moore, if you can get me close to Asher, ensure I have a few moments with him, I think we might be able to exorcise the demon from Shayne.”
He did an amusing double take and looked at me with surprise. “You can do that?”
“Sometimes. I’ve had some success in the past, but it’s not a predictable process. Sometimes the demon just won’t budge. I don’t know about Shayne, but it’s worth a try. But, Moore, I need Asher’s help. I need an angel with me.”
I was touched by the glimmer of hope that came to Moore’s eyes. Despite it all, he really did care about his sister… as far gone as she was.
“I knew the love I had for you was built on something strong, something true. For you to care so much, about me, about her. You have every reason to hate her, maybe even to hate us both, yet you're willing to do this. You don’t know how much you mean to me.” He laid a delicate, but heartfelt kiss on my lips. “You're as pure an angel as they come, Lux. Shayne was so wrong to say you were like her. I’ve known her all my life, well before the demons entered her life. You're nothing like her, and don’t let her words get to you. You're the most selfless person I know, going out of your way to help people. Look what you did to get Asher out of prison and the trouble you went through to get Brax back to San Francisco… and me. For all the heartache I initially caused you, you're still here, at my side, willing to help me, willing to do anything to keep me from the dark. No wonder all of us love you.”
Hissing through the pain, I brought my hand to his cheek. “You give me strength to fight even more. Help me up, Moore. I’m sure once I’m standing the pain will be tolerable.”
He held his hand out and was the strong support I needed as I got to my feet. My back felt stiff and bruised, but, as predicted, once up, it wasn’t all that bad. I just had to avoid any sudden moves.
Leaning heavily on him, we headed to the battle scene.
Concern quickly shadowed his eyes with every step. “What if you don’t succeed? What if you can’t rid her of the demons?”
I glanced down at the ground, hating to admit the inevitable. “If that doesn’t work…”
“You’ll slay her?”
It was hard to tell whether his question was hopeful or fearful.
Unable to meet his gaze, I nodded. I had no other choice. I’d already put it off for long enough. I couldn’t allow her to kill everyone in the hopes of saving her.
When I finally looked up at him I could see that his fear wasn’t entirely for the loss of his sister, but the possibility that I may one day have to slay him as well.
“Just do the best you can,” he whispered.
But the scene turned uglier as we came upon them. Demons by the dozens emerged, keeping Brax busy and piling over Asher. Exorcising Shayne would have to wait. Even Shayne was hindered by the incoming demons. The sheer number of demons wouldn’t allow for a moment with Asher and Shayne, and we were all kept busy as we dealt with as many demons as possible.
Balls of glowing light flared from Asher leaving demons in ashes while I struggled between the pain and the desire to slay my share of demons. The melee of ash, smoke, fire and blood became a confusion of demon versus angel. Through the tangle of claws and jagged teeth, Shayne jumped Brax. They battled fiercely, the growls and cries ringing out.
“Son!”
The voice rang out, strong and forceful. With his hand to Shayne’s throat, Brax turned, recognition clear in his gaze. “Dad?”
The fighting was silenced as all turned to Dr. Sorensen and the demons at his side. One, tall, masculine, with eyes eerily like Brax’s, and the other smaller, more delicate.
“Mom,” Brax whispered.
Chapter 18
His eyes quickly misted over and I couldn’t imagine the turmoil he was going through. To see his parents, the people he loved so much, so ugly and demonic. Before my eyes, he reverted to the young boy he’d once been, innocent and longing to please his parents. “What are you doing here?” His question was a meek whisper.
Dr. Sorensen laughed, his booming voice drowning out everything else. “They’re with me, little Brax. I thought I’d mentioned that earlier.” Pleased with his announcement, he huffed a puff of air over his fingernails then shined them arrogantly on the lapel of his jacket. “And soon, you will too, just as Shayne and Moore will.” He turned to look at me. “Wouldn’t want you to feel left out, Lux. I’m not too fussy. You can come to my side, too.”
“Never.”
“Yes, they all say that, dear, but sooner or later… well, I always win. I want as many souls as I can get, and I will have you all, whether you want it or not.”
Asher stepped forward. “You’ll never have any of us,” he said. “Except, maybe, her.” He pushed Shayne toward Dr. Sorensen.
“Yes,” Dr. Sorensen mused as he reached out to touch Shayne’s cheek. “It is a shame the effect hell has on the skin. A real shame. But as decrepit and ugly as you are, I will take you.” He turned to look at us. “All you souls, they’ll make us stronger and stronger. The darkness will be an undeniable force as it invades every corner of everyday life. People will begin to feel it... the change, the shift in this God forsaken world. Darkness will bring out the worst in people. Either that or we’ll simply devour more and more souls.” He grinned his silly and demonic grin. “If I’m lucky, they’ll both happen.”
I stepped to Asher’s side and Moore came to join us. “There’s no way we’re going to let you win, Dr. Sorensen. Your reign over demons here is over.”
“How optimistic of you, Lux, but, in this case, you have no say in the matter. You're a fine demon slayer, I’ll grant you that. I’ve watched you over the years and I must say I’ve consistently been impressed, but the game has changed. The rules have changed.”
I kept my eyes on him, trying to gauge his position. Was he bluffing? Or had the rules really changed?
