“You two get on that one.”
“I’m not leaving without you, DH.” Iris grabbed Denny’s wrist. “We don’t need a dead hero.”
Valeria climbed into the carrier. “Both of you come quickly! They are in the house.”
Denny pulled her wrist free and shoved Iris toward the carrier just as the attic door opened and five demons ran toward them.
Facing them with Fouet drawn, Denny snapped it to life like the Hanta had, sending the biting teeth toward them.
Two went down immediately, the metallic blades lodging in throat and cheek.
A third demon catapulted toward Denny, a blade in each hand.
Too late, she realized she did not possess the Hanta’s skill of whipping Fouet back into play. With Fouet out of position and Epée still in her pocket, she knew she was fucked.
But she was wrong.
The demon sped up and soared over Denny, screaming all the way down to the ground where it made a large splattering sound.
Whirling around, Denny watched as Iris and Valeria held the rest at bay with some sort of magical barrier.
“Get in!”
Without hesitation, Denny leapt into the carrier and watched the demons below stare up at them. Two tried firing handguns, but they managed to miss everything, including the helicopter.
“Jesus, Valeria, what in the hell is going on?”
“That, my dear Golden, is what you must find out before it is too late.”
***
The helicopter landed at a sprawling plantation on the outskirts of the city. A staff of six burly men in T-shirts stretched to the breaking point greeted them. Then they took their orders about setting Peyton up, and gently removed her from the helicopter.
“Thanks to your witch, we healed Peyton enough to be able to move her without threatening her health.”
“She’s not my witch. What do you need me to do?”
Valeria undid her plait as she spoke. “I need you to find the source of the influx. Those demons are not from Savannah. They are not from anywhere.”
“The Latin?”
Valeria nodded. “Among other things. Did you see how they shot those guns? Like they had no control over their limbs. They are coming through a portal of some sort. They are after something besides Peyton. You need to find the source and shut it down before we are completely overrun. Someone has opened a slit in the fabric between the human world and the spirit domain, and if you can’t get it closed, we are in for one hell of a battle.”
Denny glanced at the huge manor. “Is she safe here? Are they safe here?”
“Safer, yes, but for how long?” Valeria handed Denny keys to a car. “Take the Lexus. Keep a low profile. Ignore all those lower grunts. They are test balloons. Find the source and return to me at once.”
Denny swallowed hard. “They killed Jeanette.”
“I know. That was merely a warning salvo. And they won’t stop there, Golden”
“Gotcha.” Denny turned to Iris. “You coming?”
“No. I’m needed here. She’s not out of the woods yet, DH, and my skill set isn’t really the offensive type.”
Nodding, Denny zipped up her leather vest. “Keep her safe. I’ll be back.”
Denny was half a dozen steps away when Iris caught up with her. “DH?’
Denny smiled, “Change your mind?”
“No. I’ll only get in the way wherever you go. I just want you to know that I realize how young and inexperienced I am right now, but one day, I’ll be as powerful as she is.” Iris cast a look over at Valeria. “Maybe even more so.”
Denny cocked her head. “And you’re telling me this because?”
“Because, someday, you’re going to need a witch, and when you do, don’t discount me. I don’t discount you.”
Denny opened the door to the silver Lexus SUV. “You got it.” Getting in the car, Denny watched as Iris joined Valeria on the stairs of the plantation.
“There’s nothing to discount.” Denny muttered. “I’m pretty certain that decision’s already been made.”
***
After hanging up from a call to Wynn, Denny drove straight to Jocasta Peabody’s Palm Reading shop and parked in the red zone. She double-checked the business card before dropping it in her pocket.
This source was a very dangerous thing, and Valeria seemed almost scared. So there as an opening of sorts the demons were streaming through. To what end? They weren’t really wreaking havoc like they could, so what was their end game here? What did they want?
Only one way to find out.
Shake the trees and see what falls from them.
When she entered the small business, Denny marched into the back room where Jocasta was giving a reading.
“Excuse me, what in the hell you doing?” Jocasta asked, jumping to her feet. She was a black woman with a slight Jamaican—or was it Haitian—accent?
Denny turned to the customer and flashed her red eyes at him. “Beat it.”
The client shot out of the curtained area.
“Who in the hell do you think you are?”
“I need to know who can tell me where these demons are coming from, and I need to know tonight. Right now.”
“Listen here. You can’t just come in—” Jocasta pulled her cell out from her billowy skirt.
Denny grabbed her wrist and got right in her face. “Oh fuck yeah, I can. I’ve been on the phone with Mr. Deveraux and I know you know everyone in this down, Jocasta. Everyone.” Denny leaned closer. “And you’re going to plumb your resources until you come up with a name for me. Do you understand?”
“Get outta my face, demon hunter. You don’t want to mess with me.”
“Don’t push me, teller. I’ve not gone a single night since I arrived here that didn’t end up with me wearing demon guts. Get me a name or address within the hour or the next guts I wear will be human.”
Jocasta snarled. “You are making a big mistake threatening me.”
“You think I’m bluffing? You think I give two shits about you and your Voodoo posse? Get me a fucking name. The clock starts right now.” With that, Denny turned around and headed to the only other person she knew who might help her find the source.
***
Wynn Devereaux opened the door to his house, the look on his face a mixture of fear and surprise.
“Hi Mr. Devereaux. When we spoke the other day, you said she’d be willing to help. I just came from Jocasta Peabody’s and she was anything but helpful. I need answers, Wynn. Now.”
“Answers?” Wynn stepped out onto the porch closing the door behind him. “I’ve done a little checking on—”
Denny’s hand shot out and grabbed him by the throat, her red eyes laser points. Her actions were so swift, they shocked even her.
This was all Hanta. “Stop yanking my chain.” The voice and the words were the Hanta’s. “I’ll tell you the same thing I told Jocasta. You have one hour to tell me where I can find the source for the demons, or you and I are going to have a problem that ends with your blood on my hands.”
“What the hell is wrong with you? We’re...on the...same side.” Wynn could barely get the words out.
“Are we? I watched a fucking demon throw Jeanette’s head at me like it was a bowling ball. Her fucking head! Tell me this, with all these demons flooding into NOLA, why aren’t they coming after you? You’re not even a legacy. You’re easy pickings and yet, I walked right over here, not a goddamned demon in sight. So you have exactly five seconds to give me something I can use, or your head is going to wind up looking a lot like Jeanette’s.” Denny squeezed his neck and lifted him off the ground, his toes barely stroking the porch.
Wynn’s face began turning red. Denny did not adjust her grip, and she knew the Hanta had gone on the warpath tonight, though she wasn’t quite sure why it had come after Wynn.
“Why are they leaving you alone and why are you virtually useless to me?”
His answer was merely choking sounds as his hands grabbed at Denny’s wris
ts.
“You cut a deal, didn’t you? You became afraid and sold us out, didn’t you?”
Wynn tried to shake his head. When he couldn’t breathe at all, Denny dropped him to the ground.
“It’s...not...like that.” He gasped, rubbing his throat.
“No. They why aren’t they after you?”
“Look at me, Golden. I am an old man without a legacy demon. I pose little threat to the hordes of demons coming here.”
“Bullshit. Legacy or not, these ass clowns would have already come after you, but they haven’t, have they?”
Wynn rubbed his throat. “They seem to want Peyton, though I have no idea why.”
“Who besides Jocasta can point me in the right direction?”
“She is your best bet. I’m mean it. If the Vodouisants have heard anything, she’ll know.”
“Could they be behind this? Could this be a Vodouisants ceremony gone bad? Could this be some plan of theirs to try to find a demon to control? Come on, Wynn, give me something to go on!”
Wynn shook his head. “I doubt it. They know the dangers of calling on demons. I...I wish I could help you, Golden, but I simply do not know.”
“What do you know about the source?”
“The source is an opening, a portal of sorts that allows demons instant access to our world without having to go through the usual process of possession and ritual. Is that...is that what’s happening here?”
“I don’t know for sure, but I need you to help me find out. What do I need to know about closing this source?”
“Closing it? I...I have never read about anybody actually closing one. In all honesty, I didn’t think they were real. Many have speculated about rifts and such, but most demonologists believe they’re more myth than reality.”
“I need you to find out one way or another. So put all those professorial accolades to work and get me some answers.” Denny started down the stairs. When she reached the bottom, she turned to him. “If I find out you’ve been holding out on me, I’ll tear you apart and feed you to the ’gators.”
Wynn walked to the edge of the porch. “He said you were out of control. This must be what Ames meant. You can’t come here and start throwing your weight around and alienating everyone, Golden. That’s not how we do things here.”
Denny took a step back up. “What he meant was I am comfortable letting go of the control...and allowing my Hanta to drive the bus. That bus, Mr. Devereaux, will crush you like a bug on a windshield if you keep anything from me. Do we have an understanding?”
He nodded, his face becoming pale.
“Good. Now find what you can about the source before this thing gets any more out of hand.”
With that, Denny returned to the plantation. She walked around the back, making an exit plan as she surveyed the grounds. She couldn’t shake the Hanta’s reaction to Wynn. What was that all about?
A twig snapped.
Denny paused and cocked her head.
Waiting.
The Hanta was on high alert now.
When nothing happened, she continued surveying.
It was not a sprawling plantation of old. On the contrary, it was smaller and younger, probably replaced when the original burned or was torn down. Still, it was a decent size, had several out buildings and was heavily guarded by no-neck guys all carrying M-16 rifles.
As she studied the perimeter of the house, she caught sight of Valeria performing a ritual in the garden.
Carefully sneaking up behind her, Denny watched in awe as Valeria recited a protection spell.
She must have been watching for ten minutes when Valeria finally completed the ritual and turned towards Denny.
“Come, Golden, I know you’re there.”
Denny showed herself. “Sorry. I didn’t want to intrude.”
“I appreciate it, I truly do, but you’ve been bursting at the seams since you found me. You have shown incredible restraint and patience in not asking about your mother. Come. Sit. Now is as good a time as any.”
Denny sat next to Valeria near a fire pit. A pale moon peeked through a mist, and the only sound was the slight crackling of the small fire.
“What is it that’s made you seek me out, Golden? How can I help ease your mind and calm your spirit?”
Denny studied her hands before looking up into Valeria’s eyes. Here comes the tearing off of the band-aid. “Were you in love with my mother?”
Valeria sighed softly. “No.”
The cicadas buzzed.
In the distance, a truck honked its horn.
Denny frowned. “I don’t understand. All this time—”
“I am in love with her, Golden, and I have been for a very, very long time.”
Denny stared into the fire now, Valeria’s words hanging like a mist. She had no idea what to say next. She’d never really thought out that far.
“It happened quite by accident. We were a great team, your mother and I. She was such a strong woman, a powerful hunter. She knew when to kill and when to let them go. She knew when to be tough and when to have a soft hand. She had amazing instincts, that woman. I swear, the demons both feared and admired her. It was an honor almost being her witch.”
“Almost. Why weren’t you officially her witch?”
“I think she was afraid of committing to me because...well...because of your father.”
“My father? Was he jealous of you?”
“He was jealous of everyone connected to the supernatural world. Somewhere along the way, he changed. He moved her to one of the most haunted cities in the country and then wanted her to settle down and be a stay-at-home mom. It caused a great deal of friction between them.”
Denny thought back to the tension she’d felt, even as a teenager.
“The last time she had to visit the ER, he put his foot down. I think there were words said that couldn’t be taken back.” Valeria glanced away. “And then he made the mistake of challenging her for you kids. They never really recovered from that.”
“He wanted to take us away from her?”
“He did. He made some threats one doesn’t make to a hunter. She was devastated.”
“And she shared all of this with you?”
Valeria nodded. “We shared everything.”
“I heard she saved your daughter.”
“She did, but you know, Golden, she did more than save my daughter—she saved my coven.”
Now Denny faced her. “How?”
Valeria waved the question away. “That is a story for another day. I shall not tell your mother’s tales to you. Suffice it to say, your mother is a heroine to many.”
“Then if you loved...love her, why did you put her into a catatonic state? I need to hear from you how all of that went down.”
“It’s all so very complicated. She would have died if I hadn’t. She wanted to. Die, that is. She had become afraid of your father’s family and I believe she felt she was putting her children in danger. Have you read up on the Saka?”
Denny nodded. “The Saka is the legacy pact. That’s about all I know.”
“Yes. When your mother was in the hospital, she coded once. Your Hanta was already preparing to find a new hunter. According to the Saka, if the Hanta is not passed down to a new hunter before the current one dies, the hunter’s death will be long and painful and it is possible the hunter will return as the unliving.”
Denny stared at her. “The unliving? You mean like a fucking zombie. Are you kidding me?”
“They do exist, Golden. Not en masse, like you see in the movies, but they are here. They don’t tend to live very long, being that they are stupid. They get hit by trucks, or––”
Denny held her had up. “I get it. So what happened? How does the Saka play a role in all of this and why you put her in a catatonic state?”
“There truly was no other option. I needed to keep her safe from multiple enemies. First off, she was dying and the Hanta had no chance to leave her. So I did the only thing I knew to
keep her from serving the sentence of the Saka.”
“You made her the unliving.”
Valeria wiped her eyes. “It was the hardest decision I have ever made, but it had to be done. If she died without the Hanta choosing one of you, it would have taken her form and done all sorts of horrific things. It is the nature of a demon. Never forget that. It is not your friend. It is not even an ally.”
“So you put her on a spiritual plane to keep her alive?”
“Because she had already coded. To the Hanta, she was already dead. So I removed her spirit from her body so she would not have to fight the demon for it. She did not have the energy on any plane to hold the Hanta at bay. It would have wrestled her for control, let her body die, and then made her return as the unliving. I could not let that happen.”
“But it didn’t it get control of her, did it? It waited until I snuck into the room.”
“It entered you and claimed you as the next in the Silver Legacy, but I had already removed her spirit to the spiritual dimension you visited once before.”
“They why haven’t you brought her out of it? She’s no longer in danger,” Denny paused. “Is she?”
Many seconds ticked by before Valeria answered.
“Actually, Golden, she is. I said many enemies. This is the truth. We can protect her from many things, but...not from herself.”
A cool breeze blew across Denny’s skin, chilling her. “I don’t understand.”
“I didn’t, either, but the first time I tried to bring her back, she...well...she refused.”
Denny sat up. “She refused?”
Valeria nodded. “That was the first time I travelled to her plane, to see why my return spell wasn’t working.” She paused to lick her lips. Tears filled Valeria’s eyes and when she tried pulling her hands free to wipe the ones that escaped, Denny held tightly to them.
“She refused to come back.”
Denny felt her own eyes fill with tears. “That...that can’t be. We...we needed her. I needed her. She wouldn’t have not come back for us.” Denny let her tears fall.
“That’s precisely what I told her. Over and over. I begged. I pleaded. I did everything I could to bring her back. You have to believe me when I tell you how broken-hearted she was...is...at not coming back.”
Blood of the Demon (The Silver Legacy Book 3) Page 11
