There'll be Hell to Pay (Hellcat Series Book 6)

by Sharon Hannaford

  Julius opened his eyes then, and Fergus knew his Sire was back in control.

  “Finish Caspian and then get to the graveyard,” Julius growled and was gone.

  ********************

  Demons spilled from the portal.

  Five.

  Six.

  Then more, and Gabi stopped counting. She rechecked her packs of crossbow bolts. They were colour-coded for ease of use in combat, six in a pack, and she’d brought a pack of each: silver for Werewolves, red for Vampires, non-lethal blue for Shifters, Magi and humans, vivid green for demons. What she’d give for four packs of greens right now. She still had Nex and the dart gun, she reminded herself. Drawing a breath, she welcomed the adrenalin like a long-lost lover, allowing it to touch every part of her, honing her reflexes and overriding her nerves. She sensed Kyle prepare himself to her left.

  Breathe.

  Aim.

  Fire.

  Her first bolt took the lead demon in the eye, burying deep in the overly large socket. Black liquid spurted as the demon fell, and she smoothly reloaded. A dart took the next demon in the fleshy part of its right ear as a crossbow bolt struck its nose. Lance and Kyle had fired in stereo.

  “Don’t double up,” she yelled. “We don’t have enough ammo. Spread out.” She didn’t need to look to know they were following orders. Keeping the crossbow trained on the hulking shapes, she began to make her way towards the spot where Mariska knelt on the grass, cackling like a woman possessed. A troll-like demon broke from the pack and lumbered down the hill in Mariska’s direction.

  “Mariska, they’ll kill you,” Gabi yelled, aiming for the one-centimetre gap between the creature’s leather jerkin and its horned helmet. It held a cudgel raised in one hand, and a spiked club hung from its waistband. “They’ll kill everyone. They’ll overrun the city. Shut the portal.” Unsurprisingly the woman ignored her. Gabi drew breath and fired. The bolt found its mark but didn’t penetrate the demon’s tough skin, glancing off and falling to the ground unheeded. It continued its lumbering stride towards the Dark Magus, who appeared unperturbed by what she’d just released.

  Cursing, Gabi loaded another bolt.

  “Gabi.” Kyle’s shout brought her head around just as something huge and solid barrelled into her. The breath left her in a harsh cough and she hit the hard-packed ground with a bone-jarring crunch, skidding into a grave curb. Pain exploded in her side and elbow, and the crossbow bounced out of her hand. The shaggy bear-like creature lying half on top of her stank so badly it made her retch as she gasped for breath. It lifted its head and roared before swinging its grotesque maw, rimmed with shark-like teeth, down to rip out her throat. A butterfly sword slid inside its gaping mouth and momentum did the rest. The demon’s raging red eyes flared wide as it impaled itself so deep on the keen blade that the tip protruded from the back of its head. Dark demon blood splatted onto the front of her combat jacket and sizzled as it met the protective coating.

  She brought up her knees and heaved the body of the dying demon away, jumping to her feet while doing her best to ignore her protesting ribs. The butterfly sword was a write-off; it wasn’t protected from the effects of demon blood and was already beginning to corrode. She wiped demon drool from the side of her face with disgust and swung to track a dark shape moving in her peripheral vision. Fire roared into existence to her right; Lance was doing his thing. Kyle grunted to her left while the sharp zing of crossbow bolts could be heard through the mayhem as another demon fell to the ground, writhing. Drawing Nex, Gabi briskly dispatched the small, elvish demon that had tried to sneak past her into the darkness, and then she took a moment to search for the crossbow she’d dropped when the bear took her down.

  A wail rent the air. A scream of surprise, pain and horror. A female scream. Against the backdrop of a lightning-filled sky, a trio of demons surrounded the Dark Magus. She struggled; lightning crackled overhead, the wind a gale, bending the sycamore almost double. As Gabi started forward, her foot knocked against something, the crossbow. She scooped it up, clenching her teeth against the pain in her side, and checked the bolt. She straightened, dropping Nex to take aim, but she knew it was too late. The tallest of the demons raised a huge spiked cudgel high in the air and brought it down onto Mariska’s head just as the bolt took him in the cheek. Dark liquid spurted and the Magus’s screams cut off. The wind and lightning died with her, leaving the graveyard startlingly quiet. The other two demons continued to pound her body with an assortment of vicious weapons as the one with a bolt in its cheek fell to the ground, its comrades not appearing to notice its untimely demise.

  A loud pained grunt drew her attention. Kyle fell backward, tripped up by a broken headstone. A demon with tusks like a boar and huge leathery wings tipped with savage claws lunged for him. Gabi’s next bolt took it in the jaw.

  Two bolts left.

  She dared a glance at the portal. Another demon emerged. At least seven or eight were moving through the graveyard, nearly double that number lay in steaming heaps, rapidly decomposing into putrid black goo.

  A roar from the other side of the hill drew her attention, and as the clouds cleared enough to allow moonlight to bathe the scene, a huge black wolf rose from the ground, fangs bared as Butch’s human eyes surveyed the battleground. Two demons rushed him and he charged forward to meet them with a vicious snarl.

  “Here,” Kyle shouted, and she glanced sideways to see him hurl something small and dark her way. She caught the pack of bolts with one hand. Green. As she glanced back to Kyle, he was divesting himself of his weapons belt. “Cover me,” he yelled as his body began to convulse. She reloaded and fired, reloaded and fired, and then a wolf the size of a pony got to its feet and shook himself.

  Things were bad when Kyle went wolf. Werewolves had the advantage of demon-killing saliva, but to deliver it they had to get up close and personal. It was far safer to deliver it via a dart or bolt, so they always stayed in human form if they had any choice in the matter. Pushing her sense of impending doom to one side, she rechecked the grounds, sighting her next target.

  Two packs of crossbow bolts down, she flung the crossbow aside and pulled the dart gun. The darts weren’t as effective at penetrating demon hide, but they were a good backup weapon, and she had no right to be picky at the moment. Fireballs flashed to her left. Lance had to be tiring by now, she didn’t know how long he could keep it up, but she knew it wouldn’t be forever. He could fight with a sword, but if he was already exhausted…she dragged her attention back to the monstrosity that flailed at her with three cudgels and a mace. She’d darted it, but the Werewolf venom was taking longer than usual to bring it down. The muscles in her arms burned, her ribs throbbed with every movement she made, and her left wrist was numb from blocking a lucky swipe by one of those cudgels.

  Growls and snarls told her that Kyle and Butch were holding their own, but the portal just kept disgorging more demons.

  And then the most welcome sensation in the world flooded her mind.

  Julius.

  He was close, rushing towards her, concern, regret and fury mingling inside him.

  She was too exhausted to assuage his fears.

  “Lea.” His voice reached her ears as the demon she was fighting tipped its head curiously and fell to the ground, its head rolling away from its body. Julius emerged from behind it, a dark, avenging angel with a broad sword in each hand.

  “The portal.” Gabi pointed with Nex, struggling for breath. “She opened a portal. They…” She dragged in more oxygen. “They just keep coming.”

  “Where is she?” Julius demanded.

  Gabi pointed to the mound of what had once been a human form, under the sycamore.

  “Lance?” Julius asked the same question she had, but his eyes told her he already knew the answer.

  “Julius,” the man in question shouted, his voice ragged, “you might be strong enough to do it. To close the portal.” He launched another fireball at a zombie-like demon stalking toward him. A
demon lumbering down the hill stopped and raised its head, as though sniffing. It turned towards Gabi and Julius and its eyes lit up. Three smaller forms flew out of the mist, aiming straight for them. Julius’s eyes narrowed and his jaw set. He raised his hands, watched the demons for a moment, and then splayed his fingers outward. The three winged demons simply exploded. There was no other word for it; one moment they were flapping their bat-like wings and the next they flew into a hundred pieces.

  “Whoa.” Gabi’s eyes went round even as she rushed forward to meet the wingless one.

  “Get back,” Julius snapped, and she stopped just in time to avoid being hit by chunks of flying demon as the larger one burst apart as well.

  “Lance, do you know the mechanics of closing a portal?” Julius shouted across the graveyard. “Can you talk me through it?”

  “I can try,” the Magus shouted back. “Must get closer to it.”

  “We’ll cover you,” Gabi told Julius, hope suddenly blooming inside her. If anyone could do it, Julius could. She didn’t fancy their chances of holding this many demons back until Athena or another senior Magus could fly in.

  “Butch,” Julius called out, “Big Dog will be at the gates. Get more ammo and get him up to speed. He’s on border patrol.” The huge, black wolf finished tearing apart a small, thickset demon and then charged off in the direction they’d come in.

  “There aren’t enough of us,” Gabi whispered, looking at the mist, which unceremoniously disgorged another winged demon.

  “Fergus is going for reinforcements,” Julius said, pausing briefly as he concentrated on another demon, causing it to spontaneously burst into pieces. “He will bring Vampires from the local Clan.”

  “Won’t the Master be pissed?” Gabi didn’t want to get her hopes up. “We’re in his territory without permission.”

  Julius frowned slightly and another two demons disintegrated.

  “We’re SID, remember.” Julius smiled without humour. “We can go where we like, and they can’t turn down a request for help. And he’d be an utter idiot to refuse in this instance.”

  “Let’s get the portal closed,” Lance said, jogging up to them as the immediate area around them grew quiet from a sudden lack of demons. “We can round up the stragglers later. There may be casualties, but if the portal stays open, it could be catastrophic.”

  “Agreed,” Julius growled even as Gabi mentally railed against the idea. One death by demon was one too many, but the men had a sound argument. A few deaths to save an entire city…she hated it, but she had no choice. “I know,” Julius whispered in her ear, giving her shoulder a squeeze.

  “To the portal,” she called, getting Kyle’s attention.

  Butch arrived back just as the three of them made it to the top of the hill; he was still in wolf form and carried a large satchel. Razor was at his heels. Gabi groaned, she’d so hoped Razor would stay at the cars, but she’d known it was a vain hope.

  “Well done,” she told him instead as he rushed to her. He’d done it, he’d found a way to get the others here. He was amazing in so many ways.

  Four more demons flew and lumbered out of the stinking mist, barely pausing to look around before rushing down the hillside. Kyle and Butch gave chase as Gabi rifled through the satchel Butch had dropped next to her. Another crossbow and several packs of green bolts. She re-sheathed Nex and grabbed the crossbow as Razor growled up at the branches of the sycamore.

  “Can you feel the presence of the portal?” Lance asked Julius as Gabi dispatched a small bat demon sitting in the tree. It hit the ground with a wet squelch. “It should feel like a strong vibration.” A harsh yelp from one of the Werewolves had Gabi spinning to check the dark graveyard. Both wolves still fought, but the darker one seemed to be limping slightly. Gabi prayed it wasn’t serious. Three more shapes emerged, and two rushed away into the dark while the third turned towards them.

  “I think I understand,” Julius said to Lance, but his voice sounded strained.

  “You need to actually grab hold of the edges with your mind and bring them together,” Lance explained, but he sounded unsure of himself. This was like a blind man helping another blind man drive a car, she realised. “And once they’re close enough, you have to seal it with a binding.”

  “Is this something any strong Magus can do, or is it a specific ability?” Gabi asked, her hope fading fast even as she sighted down the crossbow and fired a bolt into the oncoming demon’s eye. It fell, but continued to crawl towards them.

  “Most of the older Magi can do it, but some younger ones have the specific ability,” Lance replied, “so it’s a bit of both.”

  Gabi spared a glance at Julius, to find his brows knitted together in concentration. Well, that was better than complete befuddlement. She rushed down the hill to finish off the crawling demon when the warning bell in the back of her mind clanged to life so loudly she almost lost her footing.

  “What the?” She spun back to the portal, her eyes wide as her breath cut off. Cold ate its way up her spine and goosebumps erupted down her arms. “No,” she whispered, but it had no effect. The ghostly form of a Seeker appeared from the roiling mist, glowing red orbs hanging in the depths of its black cowl, no hands or feet visible at the ends of the tattered sleeves and hem of its black robe. Seekers, the Magi called them, wraith-like beings that could fry you with elemental energy and had the power to find anything they were looking for. She couldn’t believe she’d entertained the idea of calling one to look for her mother. The memory of flying through the air after she’d attacked one froze her, and Razor let out an eerie yowl. Gabi’s chest burned and she sucked in a gasping breath. She couldn’t even call out to Julius, but their sudden silence told her they already knew.

  “You think you can ssstop ussss, Baron?” it hissed; dry leaves over sandpaper. Gabi couldn’t tear her eyes from it to read Julius’s face, but fierce determination emanated from him. “The Dark one did her job well, thisss portal isss large and the veil issss weak. Ssshe will be remembered for her role in the prophesssy.” The Magi had been able to banish the one from the City, but only in a concerted effort by a group of them. This thing was powerful and not to be trifled with.

  “Go back to your own world,” Julius ordered in a low warning voice. “I won’t just banish you, I’ll obliterate you.”

  “You have grown in power, Baron,” it rasped, “but you are young and untrained. You are no match for ussss.” As it drew out the last word, the mist boiled again and two more Seekers emerged to flank the first. They wore grey robes, but their eyes burned just as menacingly. Holy Lord and…Gabi had once again run out of swear words. She sent an order to Razor to keep him behind her and coaxed her muscles into motion, inching slowly back towards Julius. “The Dark one we have waited for hassss finally arrived,” the black-robed Seeker continued. “You have all played your part. Now there issss only one threat. We will track thissss threat and eliminate it. This light one cannot be allowed to live and you will try to sssstand in our way. The nexxxt coming will not be assss powerful.”

  The three Seekers attacked in unison. Gabi couldn’t explain what made her drop the crossbow and draw Nex, but it saved her life. Arcs of red light leapt from the empty sleeves of the Seekers directly for their faces. Instinctively Gabi swung Nex up and the red fingers of energy struck the jewelled hilt of the sword, exploding in sparks like an overloaded transformer, throwing her backwards and leaving her arm and fingers numb and her mind foggy.

  A roar broke her stupor as Razor’s cold nose touched her cheek. She rolled to her knees, Nex sliding from her useless right hand.

  The moon had sunk low in the sky as the dark hours passed, and now it silhouetted Julius’s form as he stood facing the Seekers, arms outstretched, face contorted with strain, the tendons in his neck bowing outward. A crumpled form lay to one side of him. Lance. Gabi hissed in a breath.

  “We will not allow you to clossssse the portal,” the Seeker shrieked as red energy from all three of them pounded
into Julius. Behind them yet more demons lumbered from the mist, turning briefly to look towards the Seekers before moving off into the graveyard.

  Panting in fear and pain, Gabi concentrated on closing her left hand around Nex and climbing to her feet.

  Julius was holding his ground, still standing, but Gabi could sense his strength waning. She’d once taken on a Seeker. It had instantly rendered her blind and almost comatose, and it hadn’t been trying to kill her. What kind of power would three of them wield if they wanted you dead?

  The black-robed Seeker stretched its cloaked arms out to the other two, and they responded by each raising an arm to join with it. The assault against Julius stopped, the red lightning fading away. Julius swayed slightly and Gabi gritted her teeth, forcing one foot in front of the other. She was less than two metres from him when the single bolt of fiery red struck him in the chest. He reeled backwards, his knees giving way just as Gabi reached him. The smell of charred flesh caught at the back of her throat.

  “Julius.” Gabi thrust her shoulder under his arm, supporting him as he swayed drunkenly.

  “Where are they?” he hissed.

  “Magical fire, Julius.” It was a long shot, but her glimpse of Lance lying far too still on the grass a few feet away had stirred a memory. “It took down the Dark Ones; it counters all magic. Try it.”

  “Lea, I can’t see. I’m blind,” he ground out.

  Oh.

  Fuck.

  He was their only chance. But he needed to be able to see to direct the fire. If only she had taken the brunt of the attack; she could still see…

  “Look through me. Link your mind with mine; use my eyes.” Gabi knew she was grasping at straws, straws that probably didn’t even exist. They’d never tried anything this crazy before, hadn’t even considered the possibility, but what did they have to lose? The three Seekers were still clustered together, red eyes glowing, arms linked, probably recharging for another blow.