Unnatural Souls

by Linda Foster

  It was the demon Ash had sold his soul to. It had to be. There was no other reason for any creature of Hell to be here.

  I took off running toward Ash, desperate to get to him before the demon did. I had to get the talisman around his neck before that thing had a chance to rip his soul out. And I had an ace up my sleeve: The demon had no idea what he was walking into. I had the element of surprise on my side if it came down to a fight. That thing might think that it had it all in the bag—Ash right there, waiting to be destroyed—but it would never guess what I was: a freakish half-angel half-human hybrid ready to tear him to pieces.

  With a demon-killing badass ally right above him, watching from the second story.

  Ahead of me, Ash closed the door to his locker and slipped the padlock on. He was still staring at it, one hand resting on its surface, and completely unaware of the threat heading right at him.

  Worse yet, I wasn’t going to be able to beat the demon in a footrace. It was too fast, and had already gained several feet on me. It was going to get to my brother before I did.

  “Ash!” I yelled at the top of my lungs.

  Pain shot through my vocal chords at the intensity of my scream and I forced my legs to move faster, determined to catch up to the demon. Ash turned, his eyes widening at the sight of me, and I had a quick thought that he was probably equally shocked and terrified to see me there.

  But I was only thirty feet from him, now. Another few second and I’d be at his side—and able to answer all of his questions. After I saw him safe. I was almost shoulder-to-shoulder with the demon, the talisman in my hand, ready to toss it over Ash’s neck the second I reached him.

  I was going to win. I could feel it.

  Then the shadow abruptly turned in front of me, cutting me off and throwing me into the lockers. I fell backwards, the wind knocked out of me by the force of the blow, and fought to regain my breath.

  Then it took shape—its true form, no longer concealed in darkness. Its back was to Ash, so that it was facing me, but that blocked my view of my brother. And the demon looked—somehow—amused. His eyebrows were pinched … and he chuckled.

  For a moment I was that scared ghost girl in the clearing again, staring up at something I didn’t understand. This was the creature that haunted my dreams. He was tall, with dark hair and pale skin that stood out against a set of angry red eyes. He wore dress slacks and a crimson shirt that matched that red glow, and in my mind, I saw him shaking hands with my brother, heard myself screaming for him to stop. It was a nightmare I’d had almost every night since the day it happened, and I knew it by heart. This creature had ruined my life, and planned to end my brother’s—or sent him straight to Hell without a soul.

  I had spent a year fearing him.

  I knew I was a different person now, and completely capable of fighting him, but I couldn’t help the feelings that came crashing back as I stared at him once again.

  Despite that panic, though, I stood up. This wasn’t the time to get girly or forget my own powers. I’d met many demons in my time with Kali. This one made my blood run cold, but I didn’t fear him anymore. He was just another creature of Hell. He might be the demon of my nightmares, but I would be the human that ended his life.

  “No. Don’t,” Ash whispered. His voice echoed through the large hallway.

  The demon turned his head to look at Ash, and I took my chance, jumping forward and dashing toward my brother. We were running out of time, but if I could just get this charm—

  The demon whipped his head back toward me and held up a hand. One moment I was sprinting toward Ash, and the next I was running face-first into an invisible force. I fell backwards like I’d just slammed into a brick wall at full speed, and could feel blood tricking down from what I was sure was a broken nose. I glared at the demon and slowly stood up, ignoring the pain.

  He was going to regret that. And he was not going to take Ash away from me. He would have to kill me first. I had taken on two demons only twelve hours earlier, and I could kill one more. I was already reaching down into the depths of my soul, pulling at the source of my power.

  “Grace!” Ash shouted from behind the demon. “No! You leave her out of this. It’s between you and me.”

  “Then your friend needs to leave,” the monster snarled.

  Ash moved into my view, then, his eyes wide and his face pale. I knew the fear that was coursing through him. It was the exact horror I’d felt when he made the deal with this monster—fear of losing him, fear of seeing him die right before my eyes when I could stop it. He had felt that same terror the night of the wreck, and when he’d watched me fading away in the hospital bed. Now he was feeling it again.

  “Or she dies, too,” the demon suddenly snapped.

  Not today, I thought.

  I wasn’t human anymore. I couldn’t be kept away by some invisible wall, like a helpless human could. I could just teleport myself directly to my brother’s side. And from there, I’d be able to save him. This thing would be done—and the demon would never even see it coming. He was about to find out what he was really up against.

  I smiled and closed my eyes, pulling at my power and focusing on the spot just to the left of Ash. And I disappeared, as usual—but to my shock, I was yanked out of my jump. It felt like I’d just driven a speeding car into the side of a mountain, every bone in my body vibrating from the impact.

  When I reappeared, I was laying only three feet from the demon.

  I got to my feet much more slowly this time, the pain coursing deep into my bones. Then he smiled at me, and my heart sank. This was bad. How the hell was this demon’s force field able to stop me from teleporting?

  And what else could it do?

  “I knew there was something off about you,” he purred.

  Shit, shit, shit. So that plan had backfired, but I wasn’t done fighting yet. I couldn’t be—Ash didn’t have time. Clearly, I had underestimated this demon. He was really strong. And suddenly my cockiness over the two demon kills I had under my belt melted away. This one wasn’t like those. I wasn’t going to distract him with a craznado. He would never fall for that.

  I had assumed this monster was another low-level demon, and that was a mistake. My brother hadn’t sold his soul to just anyone ... but I still didn’t think he was as strong as one of the originals. He didn’t feel as powerful as Kali.

  Which meant that even if my next plan failed, I still had one card up my sleeve. Either way, I thought I was probably going to have to fight him. And I was going to have to do it quickly. Ash couldn’t have more than thirty minutes left.

  I desperately wrapped the talisman around my wrist as I called to my weapons, and within the blink of an eye, a blue light was shining around both my hands. Thank God—I was getting better at it. My hands shot out, the weapons flashing in front of me, and my eyes raced over the demon as I tried to decide where to strike.

  To my frustration, the demon’s smile just broadened as his eyes bored into mine. But for the first time, those red eyes didn’t scare me. I was angry. I was going to keep this thing from hurting anyone ever again. I was going to save my brother.

  Even if it was the last thing I did.

  “Grace?” I could hear Ash, but I ignored it. He had to be freaking out. I would be, in his place. His sister had just pulled blades out of thin air.

  But I didn’t have time to explain right now. I still had to kill this guy, get close enough to Ash to get the chain over his head, and save his soul.

  No problem.

  “I changed my mind. She can’t leave,” the demon suddenly cackled. “She dies either way. Can’t just let an interfering angel slip away.”

  At that, Ash exploded in my direction, but slammed into the same barrier I’d found—with even less force. He didn’t fall, though, and started banging on the invisible force field that kept us apart, screaming. Of course he would still be trying to save his sister, even if he knew he stood no chance of it. He would do anything for me, I realized. Ju
st like I would for him. Like I was going to do for him.

  “Please,” Ash begged, the pain in his voice breaking my heart. “Not her. I sold my soul to save her. You have to let her go.”

  But the demon didn’t bother responding. His focus was on me, and that’s where I wanted it to stay.

  Since I couldn’t get to Ash, I was building a new plan: to lure the demon into coming after me first. I needed to get him to step out of his invisible shield if I was going to kill him. And while he was busy with me, I needed Ash to get out of the way. If I killed the demon, Ash would be safe—for the time being. His soul would still be marked for Hell, but I’d be able to save him with the pendant as soon as I got to him.

  He wouldn’t leave on his own, I knew that much. And even if he did leave, he’d need protection in case I couldn’t kill this monster. In case it all went wrong, and the demon got away. If it came down to it, I’d hope for that—for Kali to guard him until I could catch up with them again. And get the talisman to him.

  The moment I stopped distracting the demon, though, he would collect on the deal, and Ash would be finished.

  “Kali!” I called out, twirling the blades. I couldn’t get to Ash, so it was time for that Plan B.

  The monster’s smile disappeared the minute he heard that name, a snarl crossing his lips and his eyes burning a fiery red, so bright they were glowing. Most demons recognized Kali’s name, as she was one of the originals. And I assumed the name had become even more infamous once she started killing her own to earn redemption. All of Hell probably knew about her, now.

  And I’d counted on it. So I reveled in the look of terror and fury on the demon’s face. He’d thought he had me up against the ropes. But he clearly hadn’t expected her to be there with me. We had him.

  Looking up, I saw Kali grab the edge of the railing and throw herself over the side. It was a twenty-five-foot drop that would have broken anyone’s legs—if they were human—but she landed gracefully beside my brother, who jumped about two feet in the air, screamed, and slammed sideways against the locker.

  She smiled at the demon and walked forward, clearly thinking that I needed her to kill him for me.

  Then she came into contact with the shield. She pushed against it but it didn’t budge, and she pursed her lips, intrigued and irritated. The demon whirled around, looking back and forth between Kali and myself. Clearly he thought that Kali the demon killer was there for him. Clearly he was under the impression that we’d somehow trapped him—and were there to kill him.

  That wasn’t my plan for Kali, though.

  “I need you to protect Ash!” I shouted, both frustrated and angry. Of course she hadn’t understood. Of course she’d thought I was calling her to deal with the demon.

  Even after what happened in the alley, she didn’t trust me to take on a demon by myself. And the thought made me furious.

  She tilted her head to the side, confused, and I snarled at her. The demon continued to look back and forth between us, as if he was trying to decide what to do next, and that was fine. As long as he wasn’t moving against Ash, we had time. I was sure he was dying to collect Ash’s soul, but from the looks of it he didn’t want to try to get through Kali. He seemed to be furious at me … but probably didn’t think I was a big threat or target.

  Which just meant he didn’t respect me any more than Kali did, right now. And he had no idea how big a threat I actually was. I quickly called my powers to the surface, the warmth flowing over me, and without thinking it through, mentally yanked the locker banks from both sides of the hall, controlling them telepathically. They ripped out of the cement walls with a hideous groaning, the sound of snapping and bending metal echoing down the halls, and the demon stopped abruptly, casting a glare to me.

  Right, I’ve got your attention now, don’t I? I thought, nearly grinning. It was time to show him what I really could do.

  I PULLED ON the banks, envisioning exactly what I wanted, and threw them toward each other so that they were stacked into a pile—a barricade that shielded Kali and Ash from his sight.

  “Grace!” Ash yelled, his voice shaky. I knew he was scared to death. I could hear the tremor in in his voice, but he would be safer with Kali, and I really didn’t have a choice. I couldn’t get to him, but I could protect him. I could get rid of the demon, and I didn’t want Ash anywhere near us while we fought. I didn’t want the monster to have any chance of getting to Ash. No risk of him slipping by me.

  If the demon somehow succeeded in killing me—which, judging from the fang-baring, scrunched features, was exactly what he wanted to do—Kali would take him out. She would protect my brother.

  “Kali, get Ash out of here!” I shouted.

  I couldn’t get to him, and Kali couldn’t get to the demon. Exactly the way I’d planned it. And I was fairly certain the demon still didn’t see me as a real threat. So I would have the drop on him when it came to hand-to-hand combat. I was counting on him letting his guard down, thinking he could get rid of me quickly; to make the mistake I’d made in not realizing how strong he was.

  It was risky move, but I didn’t see any other options.

  “Leave! Keep him safe!”

  The demon growled and glanced at the lockers blocking his way. Then he turned his attention back to me.

  “You had your year,” he howled. He never took his eyes off of me, the sound of his voice like a rumble of thunder. I had no doubt Ash heard him, despite the layer of metal separating them. “I’ll take your sister, and then I’m coming for you.”

  Not if I take you out first.

  On the other side of the lockers, I could hear the sound of running footsteps moving away from us, and a door closing in the distance. Then silence. Thank God. I felt a small amount of relief knowing they weren’t so close to us anymore. Kali should have just teleported him out of there, but I hadn’t given her specific orders. And I trusted her, as surprising as that was. She had protected me all this time. Plus, I’d drawn a connection between her and Ash by comparing their predicaments.

  Yes, she’d keep him safe. Which meant I just had to take care of the demon.

  “You’re going to have to go through me if you want to get to him,” I told the monster with a snarl of my own.

  The demon laughed, which only fueled my anger.

  “That shouldn’t take long,” he replied.

  At his words, the edges of my vision went black, my head throbbing with anger. This thing had ruined the last year of my life. He had destroyed the boy my brother was, leaving him an empty shell of the person I knew, and was here to kill Ash and take his soul to Hell. He’d ripped me from Heaven, and was responsible for me being stuck on Earth, a lost angel. An unnatural soul. For nine months, I’d thought I was losing my mind.

  All because this demon took advantage of my brother’s guilt, and manipulated him into giving up his life for me.

  I wanted to tear him to pieces for all the pain he had caused me and the ones I loved. And I was going to stop him from doing that to anyone ever again. I reached down, grasping my powers and willing my weapons to appear. A moment later, the blue light glowed softly around my hands.

  I gripped my blades tightly and motioned him forward with one hand, ready to get on with it. He didn’t wait for a second invitation, and leapt toward me. I assumed he would have to come out of the force field to kill me, and I was right—he was coming without it, only two feet from me now.

  I readied my blades and swung out.

  BEFORE MY BLOW could connect, the creature disappeared into a black mist. The shapeless darkness scuttled in every direction … then vanished into the natural shadows along the edges of the hall, and the cracks in the wall. I spun around in slow circles, my eyes wildly taking in every inch of the hallway and my blades in front of me, waiting for him to pop out again. This wasn’t as bad as the shield, but it wasn’t good either. How the hell was I going to fight something I couldn’t see?

  “You’ve never dealt with a demon like me, li
ttle girl.” His voice came suddenly from behind me, and for a moment the fear that he was right trickled through me.

  Because I hadn’t dealt with a demon like him. And I just had to pray, now, that I was up to the challenge.

  I spun toward his voice, blindly thrusting my weapons out, but by the time I had turned, his shadow was disappearing again. Damn it. I had to find a way to attack him, not just spin around all night on the defensive. I tried to study the changes in the shadows, to guess where he would be next, but it was so random. His silhouette kept flashing across my vision, and the moment I turned to see where he was going, he was already vanishing back into the darkened edges of the hall. His movements were impossible to keep up with. One second I had the shadow in my sights, the next it was slipping into the darkness again.

  “I’ll die before I let you touch him!” I yelled, praying that wouldn’t be the case. I wasn’t prepared for this to be my end. But this monster wasn’t going to take my brother—and I’d do whatever it took to make sure of that. Even if that meant sacrificing myself.

  “And even if you kill me, you won’t get through Kali.”

  “I think you put too much faith in the wrong people,” he taunted.

  Again his voice had come from behind me. But I paid no attention to his jab, not about to let him get into my head. I couldn’t allow him to have the upper hand just because I was distracted.

  I had to focus.

  I growled and whipped my body around, shooting my hands out with every ounce of my force, swinging my blades high. Decapitation was the easiest way to dispatch a demon, though right now I was just trying to hit him anywhere. But this time he didn’t shift into the shadows, and I almost whooped. This time, I had been quick enough. I was sure I was going to hit my mark. I was going to win.

  I should have realized then that there was a reason he didn’t disappear.

  He grabbed my right wrist when I was still centimeters away from making contact with his neck, stopping my attack, so I hit out at him with the second blade. I just had to injure him badly enough to slow him down—then I would think of something else. But once again, I wasn’t fast enough. A glint of light bounced off the shiny surface of an object in his hand, and in that moment I realized my mistake. He had a knife of his own, now. Didn’t expect that.