by Angie Fox
“And Xerxes the demon came back.” My heart sank when I thought of that creature in my house again. Poor JR. I didn’t even know him and, yes, he was a dirty fink for spying on me, but nobody deserved to have a shrunken, razor-clawed demon on their tail, especially after I’d sent a few green glowy things through Xerxes’s skull.
“JR was attacked by black souls. A search party found him, strung out of his mind on your sofa.”
I knew my home had been invaded, but my stomach churned to think of JR attacked in my living room. “What are black souls?” I asked. Frieda had said something about black souls when she first told me about this suicidal quest.
“They’re trapped souls—too bad for heaven, too good for hell. If they don’t find their way to purgatory, the demons capture them and use them. These are nasty-ass spirits. JR fought them off when they invaded your house.” She shook her head. “Gives me the willies.”
I couldn’t imagine what it would take to fight off a black soul, but if it made Ant Eater squeamish, it had to be bad.
“They didn’t possess him,” she said matter-of-factly. “At first. But they followed him. They’ll wear you down after a while, especially when you’ve got dozens of ’em after you, like he did. Then he got caught up in the mess on the night the Red Skull imploded. A real fucked-up situation. Nobody knew he was Dimitri’s second. And it seemed Dimitri was busy with you. He didn’t know his buddy was trapped until the next morning.”
So that’s why he’d raced off on the morning he was supposed to train me.
Oh my God. I’d been ready to drag him off his hog when all he wanted to do was go rescue his friend.
“This time, JR wasn’t as lucky. Scarlet and Dimitri found him facedown behind the bar, possessed by black souls.”
Dimitri must not have seen him the night before, when he’d rushed inside, looking for my dog. A dog. I loved Pirate with everything I had, but guilt stabbed me in the gut when I thought of how I’d worried about an animal when there’d been a real person trapped in there.
“They’ll possess any body they can, make the person stark raving mad before they drain his energy and turn him into one of them.”
“Where is he?”
She shook her head. “Dimitri has him stashed in the woods somewhere. Fang found out right before he dragged us into the trailer. Dimitri thought he could trust Fang. Just goes to show you werewolves are animals. Doesn’t matter that JR is a big boy, or that he worked with Dimitri all the time. No telling what Fang’s gonna do if you don’t handle it.”
We had to fix this. Wait. I had to fix this. “How much time does he have?”
“A day, maybe less,” she replied, the glow from the van’s overhead light glittering off her gold tooth.
Why did everything have to be a frickin’ emergency? “Why didn’t you tell me?” I could have at least tried to prevent this. I was the slayer.
“Ha! As I recall, you happened to be cursing me with the anaconda spell. When I came to, the black souls had fled the trailer. Means they’d found an open body to possess. I didn’t know who until Scarlet told me.”
“Dimitri, then.” The jerk. “Why didn’t he find me before this had to happen?”
“Probably because you were off skulking around the garbage dump.”
Talking to Grandma. I would have done anything to have her with me right now. This was such a mess.
I shook off the self-pity. I had to try to save JR. He was Dimitri’s friend, and besides, he’d been out there helping us. Those sounded like much more noble reasons than the sheer fact that they were going to kill us if I failed.
“Tell me,” I said, “I have the power to pull these black souls out of JR and help them find their way.”
“No,” Ant Eater practically shouted. A tentative knock sounded at the door. “Go away!” she hollered. “Now you listen to me, missy. Your job ends when you pull the souls out of JR. Let them find their own way.”
It didn’t seem right.
“You’ve got a job to do. You do it. And only it. Don’t try to channel Mother fucking Theresa.”
How could she say that? “But I could save those people.”
“They aren’t people anymore!” Her gold tooth glistened with spittle. “They’re things.”
“You said yourself they’re lost souls. You don’t want the complication.”
“Damned straight. Look, Lizzie—that ain’t our problem.” She planted her hands on her hips, right above the Glock stuffed into her pants.
“Get your hand off the gun.” She was making me nervous.
Her eyes bored into me. “JR is possessed. Fang wants to kill us and Rex is gonna sell us straight to Vald if you fuck this up.”
Heavens, I hoped I could handle this. “Why didn’t Dimitri tell me any of this?”
Why was I always the last to know?
“He didn’t want to freak you out. I don’t care.”
“Fine,” I snapped. I’d defeated Xerxes. I could walk through death spells. I had to believe I could maybe, possibly, hopefully do this too. And I absolutely refused to give anybody the satisfaction of seeing how afraid I was. “So now I’m up to speed.”
“That’s it?” She looked at me like I’d sprouted horns.
Score a point for the demon slayer. “What do you mean, that’s it? What else can go wrong?” Unless they’d found another possessed werewolf on my yellow flowered throw rug and imps in my underwear drawer.
I slid past her and threw open the door. Frieda practically fell inside. She’d chipped all the cotton-candy pink nail polish off one hand and had started in on the other.
“Horse feathers, Frieda!” We’d told the Red Skulls to run. I appreciated the support, but at the same time, we were trying to get her and the Red Skulls out of danger. “You should have left when you had the chance.”
She twisted her plastic beaded necklace between her fingers. “You think I don’t know that?” she snapped. “Heavens to Betsy, I was scared out of my skivvies for you in that trailer.” She eyed my switch stars, glowing pink. “What happened? What are we going to do?”
There was no “we” about it. The Red Skulls had to get out of there. From what I’d seen in that trailer, I had the distinct feeling we’d already sprung the trap. The Red Skulls were caught up in a dangerous game of werewolf politics. Whoever won, I knew it wouldn’t be us.
Ant Eater poked her head out of the rusting car and scowled at Frieda. “Holy hell, blondie, if I didn’t know any better, I’d think you had a death wish.” She hitched up her leather pants. “Tell the coven I meant it when I said to bail out.”
Frieda hesitated, clearly worried about us.
“Lizzie and I will go after JR. We owe him. Besides, it’ll give you guys enough lead time to escape. We’ll meet up at the Dixie Queen.”
Frieda nodded, twisting her necklace into new knots. Ant Eater glanced at me. We’d take the fallout if we failed—and if we succeeded. It was the best way for the rest of the witches to escape.
I was ready. Still, I couldn’t help thinking about Pirate. “Take good care of my dog, will you?” Tears burned the backs of my eyes. I didn’t know what he’d do without me. Or what I’d do without him if…
Frieda gave me a little hug. “Bob has him. We’ll take good care of him.” To Ant Eater she said, “We’ll be packed and out in ten minutes.”
Ant Eater slapped her on the butt as she left. Together we watched Frieda dash across the uneven field in platform sandals.
“So what’s the Dixie Queen?” I asked her.
“Hideout number four hundred and twenty-six. A mothballed Mississippi cruise and casino boat. The beds suck, but the roulette wheel still works. Least it did in ’88.”
“You know, you should go with them,” I told her.
She puffed out her cheeks, still watching Frieda. “Yeah? Who’s gonna watch your pansy ass?”
I had to think I could do this. If I couldn’t, Ant Eater probably wouldn’t be able to save me anyway. At the Du
mpster, Grandma had told me what it meant to sacrifice myself.
It amazed me how well Grandma knew me after our short time together. She’d been dead accurate when we talked out by the Dumpster. I always did type out my grocery list on the computer. I never had a library late fee and I never did anything crazy until she showed up at my door. “Grandma said I needed to be more half-ass.”
“Oh and now you’re going to listen?” Ant Eater snorted.
“Yeah,” I said, enjoying the moment.
Grandma said it herself. The last slayer had the power to lock Vald away. I had the power to destroy him.
“Vald wants you,” Ant Eater said.
I knew it.
“If he finds you before you’re ready,” she said, “he could kill you. Or worse.”
“Thanks for the pep talk.”
“Candy ass.”
“Road bitch.”
She took a deep breath, then blew it out, watching the bobbing lights in and around the far trailers as the Red Skulls prepared to flee. “I’d slit my wrists if anything happened to the coven.”
“Go.”
She shoved herself away from the rusting hippie van. Before she could get far, I reached out and snapped her bra. She didn’t turn around, but I heard her chuckling as she jogged out into the night.
Fang and about a dozen werewolves led me down a narrow path into the woods. Dozens of flashlights bounced off the darkened trees. I didn’t miss the two large bodyguards who slipped behind me, cutting off any hope of escape. I kept my focus on the trail.
Show no fear.
It would have been nice to have some warning, especially since Dimitri knew about JR. Then again, what could I have done?
Gee, Lizzie. I hope you get this demon slayer thing down soon because my friend JR is possessed and his dad, the alpha wolf, is going to kill you if you don’t fix it. Oh, and Rex might kill you anyway. If he doesn’t sell you out to Vald, the fifth-level demon, instead.
And where was Dimitri? With JR, I hoped. We’d been walking for about a half hour, deeper and deeper into the woods. I knew we were getting close. I could touch the fear sizzling in the air like an angry mob clamoring for release. I chewed at my lip, every nerve on high alert. It felt like we were walking into an ambush.
The path opened up on an isolated cemetery. These were old graves, or at least they’d seen better days. Mausoleums scattered across the wide open ground, topped with crosses, angels and crescent moons. Many of the wolves bowed their heads as they passed through the iron gates.
Rex did not.
A stream must have run nearby. I could smell dampness. The crickets and other creatures of the night seemed to have abandoned this place. The air felt heavy and foreboding.
I didn’t like it one bit.
A hollow pounding tore through the night, like a cannon firing on sheet metal. I swallowed my fear and jogged past a series of low graves, toward the source of the noise. Past an altar to the full moon, I saw it—a shadow deep in the cemetery.
On high alert, I traveled around a cluster of silo-shaped mausoleums beyond the altar. These graves held the remains of several alphas and their families. Crowned half moons carved in stone topped each tomb. I ran my fingers along the inscription, common to each round mausoleum. Never backed into a corner. Glad they didn’t have that problem. I sure did.
At least a dozen werewolves massed behind me. As I came closer to the source of the noise, I could see a dented horse trailer chained to a thick tree. It shook on its hinges like the Tasmanian Devil himself whirled around inside.
Now what was I supposed to do with that?
A hairy, clawed hand tore at the tiny window at the top. A snout followed—pulsing as it sucked air.
I turned to a scowling werewolf behind me. “Don’t tell me that’s—”
We heard a high-pitched whir, like eighty blenders grinding ice.
The ground shook. Dimitri shot out from behind the trailer, waving his hands as he made a mad dash for us. “Back! Back! Back!” He grabbed me and we tumbled behind the closest alpha tomb.
Red-hot air shot past us and the sickening smell of sulfur assaulted my nose. I was smushed between Dimitri’s warm body and a slightly wet patch of grass, but frankly, I didn’t care about the cold seeping through my khakis. His weight on top of me, though slightly suffocating, was at the same time solidly comforting. He didn’t know how glad I was to see him. I clutched him tight, closed my eyes and focused on his deep, heavy breaths and clean scent. It felt good to have an ally.
Before I knew it, Dimitri stood. He reached a hand down to help me to my feet as he squinted against the dust in the air. Every single werewolf, in front of us and behind, lay scattered in the grass.
“They’re stunned.” Dimitri blew out a breath. “I hope. Anyhow, we have to focus on JR. It’ll take him a few minutes to build up his strength again.”
We made a beeline for the trailer. His fingers danced over the locks as he yanked them open, one by one.
Um. Perhaps that wasn’t such a good idea.
Dimitri tilted his head back at the crippled wolves. “Same thing happened to me when we found JR at the Red Skull. One second I had him cornered in the kitchen, and the next I was flat on my back with my friend ready to rip my head off.”
I wished I’d been further along in my training that morning so I could have gone back with him. I hated to think what he’d risked for his friend. “Is there anything left of JR in there?”
“Right now? I don’t know.” He glanced at me. “I like to think something held him back before Scarlet threw her paralyzing spell.” He shook his head, as if trying to rid himself of the memory. “It took four jars to pull him down. Even then, we hardly got the silver chains on him before he went crazy.”
That might have been the last time I saw Dimitri alive. “Sorry I chased you across the parking lot.”
“I’m not.” The corner of his mouth almost twisted into a grin. “All things considered, that was the best part of my day.” He yanked open the last lock. “You ready to see this?”
Ready as I’d ever be. Trust yourself, Lizzie.
Dimitri threw open the door. JR lurched for me like a feral animal. The man was built like a linebacker. He’d regained his human form, but there was no humanity left in his red eyes. JR’s midnight black hair shone with sweat as he yanked against his chains, his meaty hands and feet, his wide chest bloody from the struggle. It didn’t even seem like he felt the pain. What would we do if he changed back into a wolf? Would the chains hold him?
I felt the familiar urge to run like hell. Call it self-preservation.
Sacrifice yourself.
I soooo hated that last demon slayer Truth.
JR panted like he’d just eaten an entire village. Every time he exhaled, a thousand tiny needles pricked my skin. In his chest, I could feel them swirling. Dozens upon dozens. I couldn’t get my head around how many black souls churned inside him. They were so angry. They needed a place to be; they missed their bodies. And they wanted him, bad.
“Lizzie?” Dimitri touched my shoulder.
“I don’t know what to do,” I whispered.
When I’d faced Xerxes in my bathroom, I had no choice but to fight him. It was self-defense, pure and simple. But now, I could feel JR slipping away. He shouldn’t have lasted this long. Dimitri’s friend was a fighter. I wanted to help him, but I didn’t know if what I was about to do would save him or kill him.
Sacrifice yourself.
“Down, boy,” I said, easing myself into the trailer. His chains rattled as he whipped his head from side to side—fighting to control his raging body. “Work with me, JR.”
I reached out to touch his heaving chest and his hands flew to my wrists, trapping them. He could snap my bones without thinking. “Easy,” I told him, feeling anything but. “Easy,” I repeated. I inched his hands and mine toward his chest. “See, JR? We can do this.”
As long as you don’t eat me.
The moment my han
d touched the hot, flushed skin over JR’s heart, I felt a jolt, like I’d wrapped my hand around a live wire. His hands flew back, freeing my wrists. Look to the outside. I let the hum of his body wash over me as I inched my fingernails into his chest. The skin crumpled back like wet newspapers and I could smell his coppery blood. I dug farther, pushing past muscle. I dug through bone. The cracking of his ribs sounded like a batch of popcorn on the stove.
At last, my fingers whispered over his beating heart.
Please, don’t let me hurt him.
I stared down at my wrist, embedded in his chest.
Please don’t let me hurt him worse.
I could tear his heart out of his chest like an Aztec nightmare. It would be over before any of us could stop it. My fingers slipped over the pulsing muscle.
JR stared at me, eyes as wide as the full moon. I caught a glimmer of recognition.
Help me.
“Oh God, JR. I’m trying.”
He groaned in pain as tiny knots bubbled in his heart. They felt like marbles. I coaxed the largest one to the surface and pulled it free. It almost slipped from my hand. “Shit!”
I almost lost it. And if I couldn’t even keep hold of one…I fought back a wave of panic. Sacrifice yourself. I took a deep breath, opened my mind, forced myself to relax and release whatever power I had. The thing wobbled in my palm.
Holy Hades. It sucked me down. As if in a dream, I watched a pretty brunette swimming in a lake at sunset. No. Not swimming—drowning. Do something! I clutched the edge of the boat.
I didn’t push her. She fell!
But we didn’t do anything to save her. Save her! She choked on the water, her eyes pleading.
No! She’s a whore. Let her get what’s coming to her. I loved her! Can’t anyone understand that? I loved her. But I won’t have my children growing up with a slut for a mother. She deserves to die.
It was in the past, a memory of the black soul I held in my hand. I felt its agony and its pleasure as the woman fought the water, gasped for her life. We ached and we laughed, as we watched the woman slip under the waves.
