“I know. Enobaria kin see de truth of a person and you, Golden Silver, are no killer. You hunt demons, yes, but you are no killer. I seen dat de first time. I also seen de mark and I know what Hélène hoped would happen.” She spat on the ground. “She who called herse’f Mambo. Pfft.”
“She got what she deserved.”
“Dat she did.” Enobaria pulled on the cigar. “So why you really come today?”
“I came here to thank you.”
“And?”
Denny looked down at her hands. “And ask if you can help me locate Hélène’s son. He is young and stupid, but doesn’t deserve to live possessed or die possessed. He was used every bit as much as the rest of us.”
Enobaria drew a long draw on the cigar, blew it up in the air, and then chuckled. “It is seldom anyone surprises Enobaria. You wan’ me to find Hélène’s son for you. Den what?”
“Then I’m pulling the demon from him.”
Now, she laughed harder. “You wish to save de life of de boy whose mammy tried to kill you?”
Denny nodded. “I don’t believe in the sins of the father bullshit. Besides, I gave her my word and that still means something to me.”
Enobaria waved the smoke away. “Agin, you surprise me.”
“Well, will you do it for me?”
Enobaria rocked, pulled on the cigar and blew it overhead. Then she used her index finger to write words in the smoke. “You would not keep yer word if’n you knew he and de other demons are fittin’ to go to the hospital to finish off Farquar.”
Denny leapt to her feet. “When?”
“Tonight, mebbe. Dey are now de lost boys. Like dey seen a movie stuck on de loop. All dey know is what dey mama order dem to do.”
“Kill Peyton.”
“And dey will not stop until dey do dat. I wish you well, demon hunter. I would not want your life for nuddin’.”
“Thank you. Again. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you.”
Enobaria waved this away. “No need. Hélène needed to go. You helped make dat happen. We are square.”
“Square it is.”
As they started to make their way down the stairs, Enobaria blew out more smoke. “Hunter?”
Denny turned.
“I saw two tings. The question about de boy and someting else. I thought you came to ask me to remove de mark. How come you not?”
Denny reached up and lightly touched her face. “I was going to, but I’ve decided I’m keeping it.”
Enobaria shook her head and laughed. “Dis is why Enobaria don’ see it. You are keepin’ de mark?”
“Yes ma’am. It will forever remind me to be more careful about who I put my faith into.”
“You are wiser dan you know, Hunter, ’cause one day soon, you will need it.”
“Need it?”
“Yes. De mark...is more dan a mark. Is all I kin say. Just know dat keepin’ it means livin’ wid a little swamp magic.”
As Denny and Iris got back in the boat, she turned to Denny. “Seriously? You’re keeping it?”
“I sure am.”
“As a reminder?”
Denny shook her head. “No. Because I think it’s sexy.”
“Sexy? You are so weird.”
They laughed about it most of the way back.
***
Denny and Annalee waited in the darkness near the hospital doors. Annalee still had one arm in a sling, but she threatened to kick Denny’s ass if she “started the party without her.”
“Tally ho, Silver,” Annalee whispered to Denny when the demons started toward the hospital.
“Jesus, there must be a hundred of them.”
“How long was the source left open the second time?”
“Too long by the looks of it. Okay. You know the drill, right?”
“All over it, but we’re going to have to end this quickly. Neither of us brought our A game, so we best put them on the pain train and get a move on.”
“Our back-up is pretty solid.”
“Keeping my fingers crossed. Right about now, hope’s the best thing we’ve got.”
“That...and these,” Denny whipped out Saugen and Epée. “Ready?”
“After you, my soul-sucking friend.”
Denny rose on legs that were less than sturdy. She was working at sixty percent, but her Hanta was all there. She would have to rely on it.
How strange to rely on the very thing Peyton had tried to cut away from herself.
She couldn’t explain it to herself or anyone else, really, but she trusted it. Now, more than ever. Something had shifted between them...changed. It was as if they were finally comfortable with each other.
Taking off, Denny bowled over every demon coming at her until she made her way to Hélène’s son.
“Silver?” Annalee said. “I’m right behind you.”
Denny smashed into his chest with her forearm, knocking him several yards away. He landed on his back with Denny right on top of him, not knowing what had hit him.
Denny raised Saugen over her head.
“No!”
Denny touched the tip of Saugen to his chest. The demon within him fought and struggled to remain inside the young man, but Denny gave no quarter.
As the demon rose, inch by inch, from the guy’s head, Saugen began to shake. She needed both hands to hang on to it, which was difficult since one hand had just had phone bits removed from it.
The demon was deeply rooted inside him, but Denny knew Saugen would win in the end.
When just one foot was left inside, Annalee came up from behind her. She waited until the barest piece of toe remained inside the boy before she cut it off. The demon swore at her before exploding.
The host fell to the ground in a heap.
“Good one, Silver. That was easier than I expected.”
Denny turned to face the mob coming for them. “You ready?”
“Born ready, baby. Let’s kick some ass!”
Denny whirled Fouet around, taking off heads, arms and legs. The horde, while large, was relatively inexperienced, and it showed. One by one, the demons fell, until Annalee spotted four who’d managed to get into the Emergency Room entrance.
“I’m on it,” Denny said.
“Go. I’ve got this.”
Sprinting into the hospital, Denny watched in amusement as the four kept crashing into the immobile double doors. She could see through the windows that Iris was keeping the doors closed. When Denny glanced over at the camera and back, Iris nodded.
“You can’t spare them, Silver. Not now.”
Denny hesitated. She had done everything she could not to harm the possessed, but the truth was, she didn’t have the energy or strength for a prolonged fight. She would have to do this the simplest way possible without killing these poor people.
Glancing around the room, Denny looked over at Iris. “Can you contain them all?”.
Iris looked at the group and inhaled deeply. “I can give it my best try, DH.” Iris held her hands out and began her spell. The Latin flowed from her mouth in easy rivers of words as she bound them all together with a binding spell. “I can keep it up for a short time, DH, so do your thing.
Denny rammed the Saugen into the shimmering light that bound the possessed together. “I’ve never tried this before, Iris.”
“Go for it, then. Save these folks, DH.”
Denny held onto Saugen with both hands and held in for dear life as it shook. Slowly, the demons within the possessed slowly rose out of them en masse.
“Hang on, DH. They’re coming!”
Denny’s entire body shook as she watched the demons ascend from the heads of the group. One by one, the demons rose, and Denny wondered what the hell she was going to do once they got to the point where it was time to cut them loose.
Fortunately, she didn’t have to.
Rounding the corner, Annalee swung Focina over her head, cutting the demons from their hosts.
“Ride ’em cowgirl!” Annalee yelled,
swinging Focina once more to catch a straggler. “Don’t even think about coming back, assholes!”
When the demons had all been cut away from their hosts, Annalee holstered Focina and Denny did the same with Saugen.
“Thank you so much, Annalee.”
“No worries, Silver. I had a feeling you might have bitten off more than you could chew. How you doing?”
“Never been better. This mess is almost over, and then we can get the hell out of Dodge.”
“How’s Peyton?”
“Good. She’s been asking for you.”
“She has?”
“Yeah. Go figure.”
And Denny returned to the fray once more, happy to finally clean up the New Orleanian mess so she could go home.
***
The rest of the evening was quiet when Denny and Annalee returned after having showered and changed their gore-stained clothes.
“I heard you were awake,” Denny said when she stepped up to the bed. The small room was crowded with Valeria, Iris, Annalee, and Denny.
“Hard to sleep with all that racket out there.” Peyton tried to grin but her face was so puffy, it looked more like a grimace.
“Well, we tried being quiet. How are you feeling?”
“How do I look?”
Denny shrugged. “You won’t be winning any beauty contests.”
“Damn, and I was so hoping.” She smiled a lopsided grin at Denny. “You don’t look much better.”
“Tell me something I don’t know.”
Valeria stepped up. “We’ll take our leave for now, and meet you in the hall.”
When everyone had gone, Peyton patted the side of the bed. Denny sat down carefully beside her. “I owe you big time, Rookie. Sorry...Golden.”
“You don’t owe me anything, Peyton. I know it was dicey there for a minute, but believe me, I’m leaving here with more than I came with.”
“More scars, that’s for sure. They said you’ve been shot and stabbed. Not to mention that lovely tattoo on your face.”
Denny shook her head. “All in a day’s work, I suppose. But I’m serious. I came here not really knowing who I wanted to be when I grow up. I wasn’t sure how the rest of my life was going to look. But I got here and I gained more experience and, best of all, more friends. If I hadn’t come, I’d never have met Annalee or you, might have made the wrong choice of witch, and wouldn’t have had the chance of working with Valeria.”
“I do owe you an apology. I’ve been such an ass.”
“Yeah. You kinda have...but you were in crisis, Peyton, and didn’t know who you could trust. You can trust the four of us...to come if you need us, to talk to if you’re lonely, to be here for you. We lived through it. All of us, and you’re not alone.”
Peyton’s eyes brimmed with tears. “For the longest time, I thought I was cursed. Everything I loved died or was taken from me. It was just easier to stay alone.”
Denny set her hand on Peyton’s wrist and nodded. “Easier is seldom better.”
“Isn’t that the truth? So I alienated anyone who might get close to me. I think that’s when the Hanta started gaining strength. It started taking over.”
“I’m sure it happens all the time.”
Peyton impatiently wiped her tears away. “Don’t let it happen to you. It’s horrible.”
Denny smiled kindly. “I did once. There’s a little kick-ass witch out there who won’t let that happen.”
Peyton’s eyes changed suddenly from sad to fearful. “Take care of your young witch like you would a sister or a lover. Witches come with their own baggage, their own adversaries. Be there for her when the time comes. And it will come, Golden. It always does. Be overprotective where she’s concerned. Be suspicious of new people in her life...and above all, trust her to do the same.”
Denny could practically feel Peyton’s sorrow. “Will do.” Rising, she gave Peyton’s wrist a brief squeeze. “You’re a damn fine hunter, Peyton Farquar, but you’re so much more than that. We all are. Take some time to reconnect with your sister, your family, your friends. Repair your relationship with the covens here. Reclaim your humanity while you heal. You’re not alone anymore. I promise.”
Peyton looked away, tears running down her face. “Thank you, Golden. I think I’ll do that.”
As Denny opened the door, she turned. “Oh, and Peyton?”
“Yeah?”
“It’s Rookie to you.
Peyton Farquar smiled and nodded. “Perfect.”
***
It surprised Denny how hard it was to say goodbye to everyone.
After leaving the hospital, Annalee and Denny decided that one more night of hunting would ease their worries over Peyton’s safety, and so they did just that.
Peyton was moved out of the CCU and “disappeared” from the hospital shortly after to finish her recovery in Baton Rouge at the coven there. Denny didn’t know what deal Valeria made with them, and didn’t care as long as Peyton was safe.
When it came time to say good-bye to Annalee, Denny got all choked up. Annalee countered by cracking a joke and telling her they were blood sisters, for now and always. Then she hugged Iris, whispered something in her ear, and got in a cab.
She said, “Remember...you drive the bus, Silver. You always drive the bus.”
After she left, Denny turned to Valeria, who folded me in her arms like a mother. “We will soon see each other back home, Golden, and we will sit with your mother while I answer as many of your questions as I can. I think it important for me to tell the rest of her story while she is there.”
“I’d really like that.”
“Gwen...she would be very proud of you for coming to help Peyton...and so am I. You have the spirit of a warrior and the heart of an angel, just like your mother.”
“She’d have come.”
Valeria nodded. “Yes, she would have.”
Denny hugged her once more before opening the second cab door for Iris. “I have a million questions.”
Valeria smiled. “And I have half a million answers. We’ll speak soon. I promise.”
Following Iris into the cab, Denny reached for her hand.
“It’s okay to cry, DH. Really. It shouldn’t be easy to leave good people.”
Denny squeezed her hand as a tear rolled down her cheek. “What did Annalee whisper to you?”
Iris smiled coyly. “She’s a weird duck, that one. She said ‘Every Batman needs a Robin’.”
Denny laughed. “Isn’t that the truth?
***
Denny sat in front of Gwen with Valeria just to her left. The room was eerily quiet. Princess, Gwen’s attendant, had left for the evening, leaving Gwen parked in front of the huge picture window in her wheelchair.
They’d been back two days, and when Denny’s face had healed enough, Valeria agreed to meet her at the home to answer the questions Denny had about her family.
“Mom, I know Valeria promised you she wouldn’t say anything about certain topics, but it’s time. I need answers and she is going to give them to me since you can’t.” Denny turned to Valeria. “I suppose you’ve already had a conversation with her about this.”
Valeria nodded. “Of course. We would not be here otherwise.” Valeria reached over and held Gwen’s hand. “Ask away, Golden. What is it you think you need to know?”
Denny did not miss the wording. “You two were lovers.”
Valeria looked at her. “Is that a question?”
“You know it is.”
“Then no.”
“You weren’t lovers?”
Valeria pulled Gwen’s hand to her lips and kissed the back of it. “Were implies past tense. We still are.”
Denny nodded. “Did my father know?”
“He did not know until a few days before the accident.”
“Was my mom going to leave him?”
“No. He was going to leave her. He got a job offer in England and wanted to take you all away from her. She threatened him and told him he
was free to go anywhere in the world but if he even thought about taking you kids, he would not live to regret it. It became rather ugly, I’m afraid.”
“They’d had a lot of those arguments toward the end.”
“Yes. Your father delivered a number of ultimatums that did not sit well with her.”
“What happened the night of the accident?”
“They were arguing, as they were doing more and more. Gwen isn’t sure what happened. One minute, they were arguing in the car, and the next thing she knew, they were being followed.”
Denny bowed her head. Her worst fears had come to pass. “Someone tried to kill them.”
Valeria shook her head. “No, Golden. Someone tried to kill her. Her seatbelt had been released, which, oddly, is what saved her life.”
“The Hanta saved her life.”
Valeria nodded. “Yes, it did. She would surely have perished. What you don’t know is that it could have saved your father as well. It chose not to. Your father died from internal injuries he might have lived through had the Hanta pulled him free.”
“My Hanta knew he’d tried to kill her.”
Valeria nodded. “Yes.”
“Who was chasing them, V? Who and why?”
“Gwen is unsure, but I have always maintained it was your father’s family. I believe they had come to Savannah to help him take you kids from your mother.”
Denny leaned forward. “Tell me what I don’t know. I know why you put her into a catatonic state. Why is she still in it?”
Valeria sighed. “We believe your mother is still in danger.”
“From whom? My dad is dead. She no longer has a Hanta. We’re all grown up now, so whoever was chasing her has left us alone. Who in the hell is left to pose a threat to her?”
Leaning over to her oversized purse, Valeria pulled out a manila folder and handed it to Denny. “I had already hired a genealogist and a historian to gather data on your father’s family. The story he had told your mother about his background never really rang true to me, so I did some digging. Something wasn’t right with him, but I could never put my finger on it. It wasn’t until after the crash that I began looking into your father’s family history.”
Opening the folder, Denny flipped through some of the pages before her eyes suddenly landed on the words Valeria had wanted her to see. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
Blood of the Demon (The Silver Legacy Book 3) Page 26
