Stripped Away: Shadow Destroyers Book 2

by Sydney Somers

  A flicker of hatred, one fresh from a feeding frenzy, stormed through his mind. The shuffle of movement came next, and Quinn shouted out in warning.

  Braxton spun around. He jerked to the side to avoid the war demon coming at him from behind. Its sacrificial sword already glistened with blood.

  From the corner of his eye he saw another shadow separate from the blackness at the edge of the property. A stealth demon.

  Quinn whirled around to engage it, leaving him to face the war demon that reminded him of Arnold Schwarzenegger from his Conan days.

  He advanced on the demon, awareness coming too late in the thick tangle of psychic energy that pulsed through his mind like a writhing serpent.

  Pain screamed up his side as Braxton left the ground. He kept his grip on his sword, his other hand pressing to the wound in his side as he landed hard on his back. Blood leaked through his fingers.

  A second war demon had joined the fray.

  “Could use a hand over here,” Braxton said, then rolled to avoid both demons that wanted to pin him down. There was no way to know how much damage the second hostile’s dagger had caused. He gritted his teeth against the pain and regained his footing.

  “Soon as we can reach you.” The sounds of a distant fight echoed over the line as Gage answered back.

  Braxton brought his sword up, one of the war demons barreling towards him, its sword hacking at the air. He brought his own sword up to deflect the blow, creeping into the demon’s mind.

  War demons prided themselves on their ability to kill, their gruesome thirst for violence making it all the more satisfying when they were forced to envision their own demise.

  The creature’s red-rimmed eyes narrowed as Braxton let the scenario unfold in the hostile’s mind. High on the emotions from its most recent victim, rage contorted the demon’s face, and it put more momentum behind each sword strike.

  A fist came from the left, nailing Braxton’s injured side. The explosion of pain took Braxton to his knees. Another kick shoved him to his stomach.

  “Braxton!” Quinn’s voice thundered over the furious beat of his heart.

  He managed to escape the next blow, right up until one of the war demons stepped on the flat of his sword before Braxton could wrench it out of the way.

  The point of a sacrificial sword drew a line in the air in front of him.

  “Drop your sword, or he dies now,” the war demon ordered, a hiss riding the current of its voice as it fixed its homicidal gaze on Quinn.

  Braxton shook his head, the motion ceasing as the blade bit into his neck. He grunted, more in frustration than because it hurt. The burning along his side made any other minor abrasion insignificant.

  “Inside.” The war demon jerked his head for Quinn to move towards the house.

  Her hand flexed around her dagger and defeat flickered across Quinn’s face.

  “Go!” Braxton didn’t even think twice about issuing the mental command. They both knew she could outrun any of them. She needed to find Drew and Cass.

  Lowering her weapons, she shook her head sadly at him and moved to precede the stealth demon that propelled her forward. Hauled to his feet, Braxton was dragged into the house after her. He fought the hold they had on him to reach Quinn, but was yanked back as they approached an inside door that revealed only darkness.

  Quinn’s feet locked to the floor, her eyes mirroring her fear as they met Braxton’s—right before a demon shoved him down the stairs.

  Quinn instinctively shot a hand out as the darkness swallowed Braxton, only to be pushed from behind herself. She managed to turn and snare one of the war demons behind her, taking him with her as she toppled sideways.

  Her ankle was wrenched beneath her, and she cried out as she tumbled down the stairs. At the bottom, she drew in a sharp breath, her body battered and aching from the fall. Though her eyes adjusted easily to the dark, something in the back of her mind screamed out when the door above was slammed shut.

  The cold floor beneath her reached out from the past, pressing in on her. Her heart revved to full throttle, her lungs contracting to suck in the oxygen that seemed to evaporate on the air around her.

  “Braxton?” Her voice wobbled and she snapped her lips together, fighting to keep the old anxiety from surfacing. This wasn’t a dream she didn’t understand. This was real.

  The war demon shuffled around in the dark. Quinn followed its hulking shape, waiting for it to come for her.

  “You’ll watch them die too.”

  The hissing voice slithered through her head. She focused on the pain in her ankle to drown out the malevolent presence she couldn’t shake.

  Quinn climbed to her feet, wincing as her foot gingerly hit the floor. She scanned the floor for Braxton. Damn, she hated the dark. She swallowed the fear that coated her throat and spun around, finding the shadow draped across the floor. She darted forward, only to hear the war demon swivel and stalk towards them before she could reach Braxton.

  She withdrew the sword still on her back, and spun to meet the hostile.

  It grinned at her, seemingly pleased by the expression on her face.

  She kept her sword tucked close to her side, out of sight.

  “She’s mine.”

  The chilling voice rang through the dark. One that nightmares were made of.

  The war demon snarled, but obeyed.

  Quinn held her ground, embracing the anger that flooded her system. If she had to kill every last one of them, she would. Grinding her teeth at the damage to her ankle, she took a step forward, then another. Whatever it took, this ended here. No more being afraid. Not when the people she loved needed her.

  Above her the lights flashed on, her eyes taking the change in stride. If the Scion thought visual stimuli would throw her off balance at this point then the master demon needed to up its game.

  A whimper separated from the other background noises. Cass was upstairs. Alive.

  Quinn’s relief worked to make her feet stay planted as the same masculine form she recognized from outside Jake’s strode around the corner.

  She processed that there might be another way out in that direction, then fixed her attention solely on the Scion. The master demon’s gaze flicked to where Braxton lay prone on the floor behind her.

  Quinn inched backward to keep herself firmly between him and the Scion.

  An amused smile tightened the demon’s lips, its eyes unblinking. “Your father couldn’t save your mother. What makes you think you can save him?”

  She tightened her fingers over the hilt of her sword. “Did you really lure me here to talk?”

  The Scion laughed, the sound eerily human. “To finish old business, but then I think you know that.”

  “You slaughtered my parents. Stalked my sister—”

  “Nearly killed you,” the demon provided seamlessly.

  Her lips tilted in a rueful smile. “I was having a bad day.”

  “So you’re ready this time, ready to vanquish me?” the Scion mocked.

  “Well, negotiation has never been my thing.”

  “No?”

  A memory slammed into her brain, her bartering with her dad to let her borrow his car a few days before he was killed.

  “Or how about this?” the Scion taunted.

  Another hit her hard—a memory of her and Braxton playing Rock, Paper, Scissors. Fury swirled in her gut.

  The Scion took another menacing step forward. “This one may be my favorite.”

  The scene of her coaxing Braxton to stay with her the night she’d been infected replayed in her mind. If she thought closing her eyes would sever the connection with the master demon she might have considered it.

  “Your father watched your mother die,” the Scion continued, “And tonight you’ll watch him die.”

  As if on cue, the war demon advanced on Braxton.

  She hurtled herself to the right, blocking the hostile from taking another step. “How good are you at obstacle courses?”

&n
bsp; The same pain she’d experienced in Royce’s office compressed her mind. A whimper rattled in her throat, but she didn’t retreat from her stance over Braxton. As much as the agony in her head made her want to curl into a little ball, she brought the sword up, driving it into the war demon’s gut.

  A meaty fist came at her face. She caught its wrist and wrenched hard, throwing the demon to the side only to scream as the pain in her head intensified.

  A heartbeat later it was gone.

  Her breaths coming fast and shallow, Quinn straightened and met the Scion’s quizzical gaze.

  She looked over her shoulder to see Braxton struggling to get up.

  “Stay out of her head,” he growled.

  The Scion’s eyes glowed. It advanced on her. “You wanted to run the night your parents died, and when this is over, you’ll wish you had tried to run tonight.”

  “It would work better for me if you’d stop wasting my time with conversation.” She went at the Scion hard and fast, her sword clasped tightly in her fist.

  Static crackled over the transmitter in her ear. “Where the hell are you two?” Jordan demanded.

  “Cellar,” Braxton fired back, making it to his knees.

  Quinn focused on the master demon that had ripped her family apart, circling around to its left. Its dark brows drew tight and she felt the telling probe at the edges of her consciousness.

  The strain on Braxton’s face told her that he was helping to keep the Scion out of her head but the exertion was already wearing on him.

  She darted around, landing a shallow blow on the Scion’s side. Unfortunately, it escaped her next strike, and the next, and the next, finally knocking her backwards hard enough she stumbled with too much weight on her bad ankle.

  Quinn clenched her jaw, vaguely following Braxton as his gaze swept their surroundings. Looking for a weapon, she realized.

  The Scion landed another blow that knocked the breath from her, but she stayed low. Her speed helped her deliver a hard kick that swept the master demon’s legs out from under it.

  It rolled and was back on its feet as she saw Braxton edge closer, one of the daggers she’d lost in her fall gripped tightly in his hand.

  “Tag-teaming me?” The amusement lacing the Scion’s words rang false. Its fist clipped Quinn’s jaw, another solid punch nailing her in the stomach.

  Not until the demon followed both strikes up with a blow to her injured ankle did she go down. Fiery threads of pain ripped at the edges of her mind as Braxton moved in on the Scion. He couldn’t both fight and keep the Scion out of her head.

  And the Scion knew it. It increased its tactical maneuvers, wanting to tire Braxton out. Quinn brought her sword up at the same time Braxton’s offensive drilled the Scion back towards her.

  Surprise registered on the hostile’s face a heartbeat before they both impaled it with their weapons at the same time. It shrieked in rage and slammed Braxton across the floor. Its preoccupation with Braxton gave her the only edge she needed. Enough time to get behind it and swing her sword in a horizontal arc that eliminated the demon once and for all.

  Her mind was numb as she whispered the same chant she had a thousand times. Never before had she felt the words echo so deeply in her heart. And never before had the burst of flames clawed so high or burned so brightly.

  Afraid to believe it might really be over, Quinn couldn’t bring herself to let go of her sword. She limped to where Braxton rested on his side, pain making his handsome face rigid.

  Her insides trembled at the sight of the blood drenching his side. “Bad?”

  He smiled weakly. “I’ll live.”

  “We’ve got Drew and Cass.”

  Quinn gave a small sound of relief, her forehead touching Braxton’s after Jordan’s voice echoed over the line. He wrapped an arm around her waist, holding her against him. She brushed her lips over his. “Let’s get out of here.”

  They found the others outside. Cass broke from Jordan’s side the second she spotted them. Quinn slung her arm around Cass, keeping the other one snug around Braxton. She never wanted to think about losing either one of them again.

  “You okay?” She studied her twin carefully.

  “That depends,” Cass said. “Just because I carry the gene doesn’t mean I have to get the tattoo, does it?”

  She followed Cass’s gaze to the wound in need of stitching on her arm. Disbelief and a strange feeling of relief eased the tension in her chest.

  “It only hurts for a second,” Jordan said grinning.

  Drew started to laugh then grunted. His face was dark from numerous bruises that no doubt matched the rest of his body. While Cass had remained fairly unscathed, the demons obviously hadn’t held back with him. It was a wonder they hadn’t killed him outright and Quinn assumed it was only the Scion’s determination to use them to make her suffer that had kept either of them alive.

  Drew leaned heavily into Gage. “I am done with the whole baby-sitting gig. You guys have been having all the fun without me.”

  “Loads,” Braxton quipped, and tightened his arm around Quinn’s waist.

  * * *

  “You ready to blow this joint?” Quinn paused in the doorway of the private clinic. Her injuries had been superficial enough she hadn’t needed admitting, but they insisted on Braxton spending the night once he was stitched up.

  “I was ready hours ago.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and turned from the window. “I wasn’t sure if you’d be here or not.”

  “Cass wanted to be alone for a bit. Something about no one watching her every move,” Quinn trailed off smiling.

  “How’s she adjusting?”

  Finding the topic of her sister an easy transition subject, she limped farther into the room. “As far as the test results show, she only absorbed a minor amount of dakorum. She has, however, already talked to Rae about working out of our office, just not as a field agent.”

  “You’ll be closer to her.”

  Quinn ducked her head as she said, “I told her she could have my apartment.”

  Braxton frowned. “Have it?” His long strides devoured the distance between them. “You can’t leave town. I screwed up and I’m sorry, but you can’t move away—”

  She rocked up and slanted her mouth across his, cutting him off. His arm looped around her waist hauling her tight against him. She clung to him as he deepened the kiss that cemented her decision.

  For so long she’d been on her own with even Cass oblivious to the life she led. Having someone to really share her life with who truly understood who she was unleashed a rush of emotion that stole her breath. For weeks she’d been afraid to share what was happening to her, scared that it would make everything so real. And yet as she embraced the truth about her parents’ deaths, relying on her sister, her friends and most especially Braxton, it seemed so stupid that she had hidden it from them for so long. If she couldn’t trust the people she cared about the most in this world to be there when she needed them, she’d eventually wind up as empty inside as the very demons she fought.

  Quinn drew back slowly. “I’m not leaving town. I was going to say that there happens to be this big old house at the edge of town I’ve got my eye on.”

  “Really?” Braxton’s devastating grin made her heart pound faster.

  “Yeah.”

  “Let’s get out of here then.” He snared her hand and dragged her into the hall. He strode towards the elevator as though he feared she might change her mind before he got her back to his place. “We do have to make one stop on the way home,” he added.

  Home. Quinn’s smile widened at the sound of that. “Where?”

  Braxton twirled his finger around a thick strand of her hair. “A hair salon.”

  Laughing, she tried to no avail to slow him down. “Don’t tell me the Boy Scout misses the blue highlights?”

  He tousled his hair, his expression playfully thoughtful. “Maybe I should think about getting a little more wild myself.”

  “
Or not.” The image of Braxton with blue streaks in his hair made her laugh.

  “Or not,” he agreed, grinning.

  The elevator doors opened, and her pulse only skipped once as she crossed the threshold. The doors scrolled closed, and Braxton laced their fingers together, watching her anxiously.

  “I’m okay.” And for the first time in weeks she really meant it.

  “And here I was half expecting you to throw yourself into my arms.”

  Careful of his injured side, she leaned against him. “I don’t need nightmares or panic attacks to want to be right here.”

  “Just checking.” He lowered his mouth to hers.

  “There’s just one thing I want to hear you say,” she murmured.

  He mulled it over. “I love you?”

  She shook her head, smiling against his lips. “I surrender.”

  Braxton trapped her chin in his palm, sinking hard and fast into another kiss when she started to pull away. “Now who’s being cocky?”

  A smile that she felt all the way to the deepest part of her heart burst across her face. “Who needs to be cocky when it’s a sure thing?”

  About the Author

  To learn more about Sydney Somers, please visit her website, www.sydneysomers.com or her blog http://sydneysomers.blogspot.com. You can also reach her by e-mail sydney@sydneysomers.com or join her monthly newsletter to keep up to date on Sydney’s upcoming releases, contest info and sneak peeks at what she’s working on now: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/flirtingwithpassionnewsletter.

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